GIFTS FROM THE HEART

Savion got his mother a belated Christmas gift*. With a tinge of disappointment, Nicolas remarked, "Mommy, I wish I could also give you a Christmas gift. But anyway, you already have my heart**."

*"The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

**Cutout Heart by Nicolas

GREET TREAT

When my friend came home from work, his 5-year old daughter, Issa, was watching T.V. She was totally engrossed with her T.V. program and ignored his arrival. So, he called out to her, "Hey, Issa! You didn't greet me!" With a puzzled look, Issa turned to him and asked, "Why? Is it your birthday?"

GOODBYE HELLO (Series)

"Goodbye 2007. Hello 2008."

"Goodbye 2006. Hello 2007."

"Goodbye 2005. Hello 2006."

"Goodbye 2004. Hello 2005."

KNIGHT ADVERTISING

As we drove over a bridge overlooking the city, Nicolas noticed a floodlight at a distance. He was amazed at the intense light illuminating the night sky. He started a conversation with his brother...

Nicolas: Kuya, look at the light. Is that for Superman, Batman or The Flash?
Savion: No, Nicolas. That is for Advertising.
Nicolas: Advertising? What is advertising?
Savion: Advertising is like selling.
Nicolas: I see. So, are they selling flashlights?

AGE GAP

Savion asked us about our age difference. "Six years.", we told him. "So you mean to say, Daddy, when you were eight years old, Mommy was two years old?" And with a hint of disbelief, Savion asked further, "So you mean I can marry a pre-schooler?"

THE FALLEN ANGEL

I had an animated breakfast conversation with the children and their cousins (their ages are 5, 7, 10 and 13). There were questions on:

Souls - "Do we really have souls or are we just organisms?"
Heaven - "How will I look like in heaven?"
Fallen Angel - "Why did the angel disobey God?"
Love of God - "How much does God love us?" and
Santa's Elves - "How do they sneak around and hide the gifts?".

It was a balancing act receiving and dishing out information from these topics. I made sure to keep light of the topics and not make it a theological discussion. I already had a tough time answering Nicolas' question, "Did you see Santa in the mall? What did he look like?"

Savion was interested to ask more about the fallen angel. He thought of how God must have felt when the angel disobeyed Him. The children wondered whether the fallen angel could ever go back to God and return to heaven? Was there a chance of this happening?

Savion then said, "When I die, I will go to hell and tell the devil to say sorry to God and then He will let him in heaven. Then I go to purgatory and I then I go to heaven."

PYTHON

The children have been watching a lot of features on cable channels, "Discovery", "National Geographic" and "Animal Planet". Nicolas saw a feature on snakes and was instantly fascinated. He went on asking questions about the cobra and the python and went on to inform everyone how these creatures shed their skin and devour their prey.

A bit worried, I inquired, "Are snakes amazing or a bit frightening?" Nicolas replied, "Snakes? They're beautiful."


Check links:
http://discovery.com
http://nationalgeographic.com
http://animal.discovery.com

ROW,ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT

"THE SEVEN CONTINENTS"
Seven continents of the globe
Count them all with me
North America, South America, Africa makes three.
Europe, Asia, Australia, the three more that I know.
And don't forget Antarctica, the seventh way to go.

"ARE YOU HAPPY?"

I often, just out of the blue, ask the kids this question, "Are you happy?". They always say yes and they give good food, tasty snacks, a great movie, computer time, a funny T.V. show, or gummy worms as reasons for their happiness.
Today, I asked the same question, "Nicolas, are you happy?" "Yes!", he replied. "And why are you happy?" "Because of you."
Today, I am equal with the gummy worms.

PUPPY LOVE LETTER

Nicolas accompanied his mother during her tap dance class. There, Nicolas met his mom's 12-year old students. Nicolas was particularly smitten with Maddie as evidenced by this letter:

HIGH EMOTION

"Is he excited or is he mad?" remarked Savion, after learning that his uncle was brought to the hospital after a sudden increase in blood pressure.

TOO MUCH T.V.

Savion asked, "Dad, what's the English Channel?" I quickly said, "The B.B.C. The British Broadcasting Corporation." Savion respectfully remarked, "Dad, the English Channel or strait is a body of water that connects two other large bodies of water." I sheepishly replied, "Uh, you're right, my son."

BAG TAGS

The kid's school bag tags created by their mom.

Savion loves Calvin's adventures. Nicolas loves the Cat's mischief.

"Calvin & Hobbes"
by Bill Watterson"The Cat In The Hat"
by Theodor Seuss Geisel

FALSE FALSETTO

During the commute to school, Mimi hit the high notes of a Vhonda Shepard song*. Nicolas, seated at the back seat, wondered,
"Who's singing? Mommy or Daddy?"

*"I Only Want To Be With You"
Songs from Ally McBeal Featuring Vhonda Shepard

FIRE ADDENDUM

Savion was inquiring about the phrase "amendment of the constitution". He asked why there are appeals to have the law amended with regards to the burning of the American flag. Further discussions touched on impeachment of Presidents of a nation. Listening intently, Nicolas inquired, "Can we BURN Presidents?" which he then amended to, "Can we FIRE Presidents?"

(see July 24, 2007 "Heaven & Fire")

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?

Mimi asked the children what they wanted for Christmas. Nicolas replied, "A bicycle." Savion replied, "Wisdom and power." Nicolas commented, "Santa Claus can only give gifts, not power." Savion rejoined, "Okay, imagination and knowledge then."

SAFETY CHECK

Before driving off, Nicolas' mother, Mimi, asked, "Are your seat belts buckled?" Nicolas replied, "Yes." But suddenly panicked, he checked his lunch bag and asked - "Strawberry donut here?", as he continued to search his lunch bag. "Yes!!! It's here!", Nicolas shouted with much relief and delight. We were good to go after that.

LEVI'S NEW STYLE

Nicolas asked, "Are you wearing your Button-LESS jeans?"

CURIOUS SAVION

Savion asked his teacher, "Should I do something bad so I could go to the Principal's office? I want to feel what it's like to be inside the Principal's office. I want to feel what it's like to be in trouble."

FAVORITE THINGS TO DO - 2007

Savion says his top favorite things to do are the following:

1. Watch T.V.
2. Play the PS2.
3. Physical movement.
4. Resting after a hard day.
5. Eating cheese popcorn.

GRANDMA'S GRANDPA

This is a story of an eight-year-old little girl who was the most popular and smartest girl in her school. Her grandfather, a school superintendent, was very proud of her and her achievements.

One day, her school held a fund-raising project where raffle tickets were sold. She decided to get a handful of raffle booklets hoping to be able to sell the most. But alas, an eight-year-old can only sell so many tickets and so the little girl ended up very disappointed with a lot of unsold tickets. The next morning, the little girl saw a clump of money, her mother's budget, on the kitchen table. Wanting to retain her school status, the little girl decided to take the money and give it to her teacher as part of her ticket sales. The teacher, suspecting the situation, called up the girl's parents. The little girl’s parents were furious and each had a turn giving her a spanking.

But what frightened the little girl more was when she was told that her grandfather wanted to see her. She dreaded the punishment her grandfather would inflict on her. She had brought shame to him and the family. Arriving at her grandfather's home, she was led to the library where she saw her stern-looking grandfather sitting on his office chair. Her grandfather then motioned to her to come over. She approached slowly fearing the wrath of her grandfather. Her grandfather then picked her up, sat her on his lap and hugged her tight. The little girl was surprised. Still waiting for her much feared punishment, her cheek became moist. The tears of her grandfather fell uncontrollably on her cheeks. At that moment, she felt the grief and disappointment of her grandfather, not the anger. And at the same moment, she felt the forgiving love from her grandfather envelop her.

That little girl never stole a single cent ever again.

Story from A.Y., mother of three, grandmother of two.

LIFE IMITATING ART

Nicolas asked, "Is there any future in the Philippines?" I was struck by the question and grasped for an answer but I could not think of one. Nicolas asked further, "Where can we find it?" I could only throw a question back, "Where do you think?" Nicolas thought a while and replied, "Far, far away."

A tough question from a little boy? Or maybe just his insights from the movies, "Back To The Future" and "Star Wars".

VEGGIE KING

After hearing the word "kangkong" (a leafy vegetable similar to spinach), Nicolas asked, "Isn't that the gorilla that died?"