Davao Part I

In an attempt to write about our vacation in Davao, here's Part I. What to write about? The food! For some reason, Meg didn't want to eat, ANYTHING. She complains about everything tasting funny. Good thing she likes fruits and Davao after all is the city of fruits or is it flowers?

So, she ends up eating fruits all the time. It doesn't matter where we were, all she will eat are fruits. She especially loves watermelon and durian. Later on, she discovered Jollibee's chicken joy.

Another thing that she eats is what she calls the chocolate bread. What is chocolate bread? It's pan de sal na sinawsaw sa chocolate milk. At first, she didn't want to eat pan de sal, she preferred the loaf bread but later on, she requested pan de sal. Mommy, I want the bread that looks like this. (cups her hands together)

Our first night in Davao, it was probably around midnight when she said that she's hungry. So, we raided Lola's pantry and opened a can of sausage or was it corned beef. Then, after finishing the can, she's still hungry. So, I asked somebody to cook an egg for her. But, she was still hungry, I forgot what she ate after that.

Another favorite was the mini-orange. She discovered this at Aunt A's bridal shower. They had all kinds of food on the table but what she wanted was the centerpiece. The centerpiece was grapes and mini-oranges. In fairness, those mini-oranges were really good.

Soup was another hit for her. They went to Lisa's and she said she had soup with shells on it. And, of course, she loved the chicken barbecue. And lastly, when we went to Lupon, this was on the 30th, she told me that the lechon skin was really good.

BOO!

We're back in gloomy, cold UK. I can't seem to sit still and blog about her vacation. When I've regained my energy, I'll blog about it. For now, she's back at school and fortunately, excited to start school.

99 things

1. 5 years old
2. Aquarian
3. 45 inches tall
4. only child
5. favorite color: pink
6. favorite drink: sprite
7. loves fruits
8. eats durian
9. loves to play dress-up, usually a princess
10. a reader
11. an artist
12. a writer
13. a gymnast
14. wanna be a ballerina
15. sings a lot
16. talks endlessly
17. especially when it's time to sleep
18. not a morning person
19. except on weekends "Daddy, wake up, it's morning."
20. favorite phrase: "Just kidding."
21. shares everything with mommy
22. wipes daddy's kisses off, "yuck"
23. helps mommy by setting the table
24. writes our names in table napkins, "this is where you sit, mommy"
25. OC in progress
26. likes a back-scratch before going to sleep
27. sleeps with her baby doll named Baby
28. car rides consists of pointing out cars, Land Rover, BMW, VW, mini cooper, Merc, Honda, Volvo & Toyota, "slug bug yellow"
29. doesn't like onions & anything spicy
30. doesn't like pepperoni
31. burger, no pickles
32. nachos, no onions
33. sandwich, just mayo, ham, & cheese
34. leave her in a room for 10 minutes and it's guaranteed a mess
35. loves bubble bath
36. loves the beach
37. absolutely hates walking
38. very friendly around kids
39. shy around adults
40. loves cats
41. and bunnies
42. had a wild bunny named megan, it ran away
43. the first time she cried over a movie was Cast Away, when Wilson drifted away from the raft
44. quick to laugh
45. quick to cry
46. very grumpy when tired
47. stubborn
48. impatient
49. talks to herself, A LOT
50. sharp memory, once, I took a detour, "where are you going? we're gonna get lost."
51. very sweet
52. and thoughtful
53. collects leaves, rocks, & twigs
54. doesn't eat leftovers, "it's old, mommy"
55. doesn't know how to eat a lollipop
56. doesn't like hard candies
57. chocohalic in progress
58. fave book series: Magic Tree House
59. a princess in her mind
60. shrieks at the sight of spiders, flies, etc
61. which is why it's "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite, and the spiders, too."
62. scares easily "daddy, you scared me!"
63. loves eggs
64. eats "balut"
65. could play alone for hours
66. a girly-girl
67. shoulder-length hair
68. looks like mom
69. has a tiny cleft on her nose just like dad
70. has flown on a C-5 & C-141
71. has moved 7 times
72. first real vacation: Hawaii
73. seen the Stonehenge
74. chats using emoticons
75. fave Winnie the Pooh character: Piglet
76. fave Disney Princess: Jasmine
77. fave movie: Snow White
78. fave Miyazaki movie: My Neighbor Totoro
79. fave PS2 game that she plays: Disgaea
80. fave PS2 game that she watches: .hack & Xenosaga
81. loves to listen to "French with Michel Thomas" CD
82. count up to 10 in french & spanish
83. fave toy: Barbie
84. when asked to pick up her toys, she's always tired
85. when she was a baby, she didn't thumbsuck or bite
86. she didn't like naps, too
87. fave CD: REM's Automatic for the People (she has taken ownership of the CD)
88. fave song: REM's Drive
89. doesn't like chocolate with nuts
90. but eats nuts by itself
91. hates raisins, especially oatmeal raisin cookies
92. fave grown up movies: shanghai knights & charlie's angels 2
93. stickler to routine
94. loves books, a trip to the bookstore lasts at least an hour
95. buys 1 book per week (her bookshelf is overflowing)
96. wants to complete the Magic Tree House series
97. can identify a KC-10 & KC-135
98. owns A LOT of purses
99. fave game: tea party
99.

day after tomorrow

Mommy, are we going to the Philippines the day after tomorrow?
Yes, Meg.
Mommy, will the reindeer store open the day after tomorrow?
Yes, Meg.
Oh. Mommy, can you email them in the Philippines and tell them we're not coming the day after tomorrow cause I want to go to the Reindeer store.
But, Meg, we have the plane tickets already. And, if we don't go to the Philippies the day after tomorrow then, we won't be able to go at all.
OK, I guess we can go to the Philippines the day after tomorrow.

parties

Over the weekend, she went to 2 birthday parties. Saturday, she went to Rachel's. It was nice, they painted ceramic animal. She chose to paint a zebra. She painted it yellow with brown stripes.

Sunday, it was Chase's & Jacob's parties. Since the times were overlapping, I told her she can only go to one and she chose to go to Chase's. She had fun. She played with Caelon, the only other kid in her class.

We've been brain-storming where her's will be. We don't have a lot of choices here. It's either the bowling alley, skating rink, dome leisure center, or skills development center (where they had the ceramic painting). She hasn't decided yet where, well, we still have 2 months.

barney's dead!

tic tac toe in a row
Barney got shot by GI Joe
Mom called the doctor, the doctor said
Ooopppps, Barney's dead
Shot in the head

Hahahaha! I laughed so hard when I heard Megan sing this. We asked her who taught her this song. I'm pretty sure, it wasn't in class. She said it was Heather from the bus. She said that when Josephine, Heather's friend, didn't ride the bus, Heather sat with her and taught her that.

KIDS!

weather delay

it's a very foggy day! School's delayed for 2 hours. Just when she woke up early. And so, as I'm posting this entry, she's asking me,

Are we not going yet?
Look outside, what do you see?
Fog.
Yeah, the bus will be late for 2 hours because of the fog.
When is it not gonna be foggy?
In 2 hours, Meg.

happy birthday, daddy

The other night, we left a muffin at the table for Daddy, we couldn't find a cupcake, and birthday cards for him. Since I forgot to buy a candle, Meg said, to write to daddy to blow out his pretend candle.

We went to Chili's at Cambridge for dinner and it was OK. That's it.

We woke up really late this morning. She's going to be late.

End of November

OK, November, with all it's days off & holidays, is not good with establishing a routine. The 15 days that she had school this month was pretty much a real pain. And I can't blame her. I don't want to get up, too. Plus, it's still dark when I wake her up in the morning and even when were walking to the bus stop at 7:30.

But... yipee!!! December! 8 more days and we're off to the Philippines. She is so excited to meet her cousins. By the way, she thinks she only has 2 cousins (Dad side), she's in for a big surprise.

Tomorrow, is Dad's birthday. We're thinking of heading out to Cambridge for Chili's or Chevy's, IF we find it. This afternoon will be her gymnastics christmas show. Oh, she won't be performing with her class. Her class is doing the springboard and she can't do it yet. It's kinda hard. Instead, she'll be doing the routine with the other class. But, she doesn't know the routine.

pumpkin pie part II

Last night, at the dinner table,

Meg, elbow off the table.
Why?
(Dad) Cause it's rude.

She starts whining, we tried to explain to her why but to no avail. Dad got upset and accidentally put his elbow on the table.

Daddy, elbow off the table. Hehehehe

Just when we have 2 slices of the pumpkin pie left,

Mommy, I was just kidding when I said I don't like pumpkin pies.
So, do you want one?
Yes.
I think, you just want whipped cream.
No, I do like pumpkin pies.

We gave her a slice with a whole bunch of whipped cream on top. I guess she does like pumpkin pie.

(Dad) If I take the whipped cream off your pie, will you still eat it?
*she scowls* NO!

As I was putting her to sleep, I hear this ripping sound. She ripped Eeyore's tag off.

Megan, what are you doing?
I was... I was... I can't explain it.

day after thanksgiving sale

nothing!

Absolutely nothing! We wasted 3 hours at the store looking for some good sale but sad to say NONE. So, she bought a pony castle toy. Like she needs more ponies or castles.

She watched Van Helsing with Daddy. I couldn't watch, I was too scared. She's like me, she'll run out of the room when scary soundtrack is on or she'll cover her eyes and peek.

pumpkin pie

Mommy, is the pumpkin pie ready?
In 30 minutes.
Mommy, is the pumpkin pie ready?
We have to wait a couple of hours for it to cool down.
Mommy, is the pumpkin pie ready?
Let's check. Yeah, I think it's ready.
Mmmm, it's good Mommy.
You have to eat the pie, Meg. Not just the whipped cream.
Can I have some more whipped cream?
Take a bite out of your pie first and then you can have more.
Yuck! I don't like pumpkin pie.

big words for big girls

She borrowed a dinosaur book from the library. On our drive home, she was narrating the book to me. Here's some of it:

The dinosaurs were fearless.
A Tyrannosaurus Rex is a "mean-eater".
The volcanoes were blasting up through the sky.
There were dinosaurs with long, humoungous necks.
A triceratops has three horns on their heads.

weekend in review

She went to Taylor's birthday party on Sunday but before we go to Sunday, let's go back to Friday. We went to the toystore to get a gift for Taylor. So, off she went looking for the perfect gift for Taylor. At first, it was Oh, look Mommy! Taylor will like this. And then, it was,

Mommy, can we get this?
Do you think Taylor will like it?
It's not for Taylor, it's for me.
But, Meg, we're here to get a toy for Taylor.
I want to get a toy for me, too.
OK, you can get something, get something small though.
I don't want something small, I want something big.
We'll see.

So, what was supposed to be a quick stop at the toystore turned into an hour. She takes forever choosing a toy.

Saturday, we stayed home. It was too cold to go play outside. She played inside. Then, she went upstairs to my bedroom.

Mommy, it's cold in the living room. I'll close your door so you won't get cold.

It was extremely quiet downstairs so I went to check up on her. She excitedly ran up to me,

Mommy, mommy, the kitty came inside our house.
What kitty?
Uly, he's inside.
Meg, Uly's not our cat, he can't come inside.
(I took Uly out)
Meg, don't let the kitty come inside, OK?
OK.

I knew she was up to something. I went back upstairs. After an hour or so, I heard the cat again.

Megan, did you let the kitty in again?
No, it came in by itself.
And how did he do that?
He made a hole in the dining room.
What hole?
It's a big rectangular hole.
Are you talking about the door?
But, mommy, he wants to come inside and play with me.

So, now, the kitty's hanging out our backyard, meowing, waiting for Megan.

Sunday. Taylor's party was at 4 pm. All day, from the moment she woke up, it was,

When are we going to Taylor's party?
What time is Taylor's party?
Where is Taylor's party?

I must have read the invitation to her a thousand times.

the show

Her gymnastics class is putting on a christmas show. This should be fun. They only have 1 day to rehearse. The rehearsal is next Tuesday and the show is on the 30 Nov. Will have more about this later.

watercolor

She's an artist.

At first she said that it's me in the picture. Later on, she said it was her. And much later on, it was Kaysa.
It doesn't matter who it is.

I love the colors.

???????????

Why, oh, why is my tagboard not working?

sarcophagus

A sarcophagus has a mummy inside. A mummy has to be dead and it has to be a king, or a queen, or a prince, or a princess. A mummy is wrapped in a white cloth and the have their arms like this. (crosses arms on her chest) The sarcophagus is inside a pyramid. The pyramid is in a desert. The desert is in Egypt.

rest time

Ms. D said that she's a very quiet child. Except, during rest time. I told Ms. D that she did mention being moved away from Madison. Well, it seems like she found somebody else to speak with.

So, who are you talking to during rest time?
I don't talk to anybody.
Ms. D said that you found somebody to talk to.
I don't talk, I whisper.
So, who do you whisper to during rest time?
Jesse.
I see, you know rest time means quite time.
But, Ms. D can't hear us.
Then, how does Ms. D knows?
(she shrugs)
(Dad)I'm seeing a pattern here, Meg. When you were next to Madison, you guys were talking, now that you're next to Jesse, you guys are talking. What does it mean?
That kids like to talk to me...

progress report

We had the parents-teacher conference yesterday. For the special subjects, the marking codes are: + - shows strength; P - participates; and / - more participation needed. For Art & Music, she got a + and for PE & Host Nation, she got a P.

Her end-of-the-quarter worksheet consisted of listening comprehension, logical reasoning, math, identification of colors, upper case & lower case letters, numbers, phonics, & patterns.

Listening comprehension: She was told a story and she had to re-tell the story. There were 8 facts in the story and she got all 8 facts right and in the right sequence. Hurray! Ms. D said that while she was retelling the story, she'd pause after every fact and think what comes next.

Logical Reasoning: Identify the object that does not belong to the group and state why it doesn't belong. This is fun. There were 10 groups. The first four, her reasoning was simple, e.g. it's not a fruit. Later on, it was "It's a horse, these are dogs." And then, instead of just stating the obvious reason why it's different, she saw other details that made it different. The mittens, hat, and scarf are green and the boots is yellow, she said, not a thing to wear, you walk with it. The other throw pillows were round, she said, it doesn't have a dot (button). She was the only who noticed this.

Identification: She identified most although I think she could do better. She only counted up to 22, I know she could count up to 100. She identified 101 though. For Phonics, none at this time, which surprised me since I've heard her doing it. The reason why it was none at this time was she didn't know what Phonics is. Hahahaha.

Patterns: There were 3 patters, AB, ABC, & AABB. She identified AB and ABC. Then she was asked to draw a pattern and identify it. Her pattern was "B A B A B A" and called it an AB pattern.

Math: First she drew a family portrait, then Ms D asked her questions about the portrait. The portrait consisted of me, her, her sister, Kaysa, & her big sister. Dad wasn't in the portrait cause he went to the grocery. Ahahaha.

She has a journal at school. What they do is, Ms. D tells them a story then they draw something from the story and write a caption. Ms. D helps them with the other words. Ms. D commented that she is such an artist. Her pictures are very detailed. There was this one picture she drew of herself painting. In front of her was an easel and it wasn't a blank canvass, she drew something in the canvass, too. She has paints in the easel, too.