Vacation and SY 2015-2016

Wow! That went fast. Between my last post and today, I really haven't been able to write anything about my kids for these past few months and I wonder why?

Well, most of vacations for the kids were spent at home for my husband and I need to work. But of course, we took two weeks vacation from work so that kids will also have a time to enjoy even if it is too short for all of us. Went for 5 days to Estartit, Spain and afterwards went home spent the rest waiting for the audition of my eldest.  She was chosen to audition for a singing contest here in France. (Unluckily, she didn't get in, too bad for them.)

Here are some photos of our tiny winy escapades for summer vacation this year! I'll be writing the whole experience on my other blog.

School year 2015-2016 started too early this year, last 2 september (Tuesday), my son is now on the CE2 which means third grade  and our youngest "Grande Section," which means last year of pre-school. Our eldest is now on the 3ème, which means 9th grade. But her school will still starts on Thursday. Wishing everyone in France to have a great school year ahead!

Growing up too fast

She's now 14. Time for me to be nostalgic about everything. It was a "rewind" from the time she was born. How time flies! And adding to the fact that she's now 14 is the fact that she fell in love for the first time. Yup! Only at 14. Too early for my husband and I. But as I always say, who are we to stop her from making her own mistakes. For my husband and I believes that mistakes are learning experiences. And if we always say "no," to her or her siblings how will they find out what will happen next to their own decisions. So from time to time, to create balance, we say "yes," and as parents, we learn a lot in the process too.

Well, if you could just stop the time from moving and for them from growing up. If you could just hold them a little bit longer and never let them go, but we just can't.

As a parent, we can't own them. One day they will discover that they have wings and those wings can make them fly and take them places. One day, but not yet. 

This year so many changes will come our way but what ever those changes are, we as  parents wish that it's for their best.  We can only help and guide them walk that path of righteousness. Hoping that when they journey on their own each fall that they will face, teaches them to pick up themselves each time it happens, that each tears that fall, will make them stronger, that each mistakes that they will make will make them smarter, that each experiences, bad and good, will make them into a better person.

How lucky I am for she was my first born. She grew up to be a responsible daughter.  She help me a lot specially for the times that I can't fulfill my role as a mother or as a parent, she's there not to take my role or of his father, but just to be a sister to her siblings. She taught me all the first as a mother: how to hold, take care and love a child, how to endure and to enjoy, taught me the importance of creating wonderful memories, taught me everything a mother should learn. I might not show it to her every single day, but I am grateful for her. And the love I have her is unimaginable and unmeasurable. She was the one who taught me how to love without expecting anything in return.


We are lucky for our kids didn't grew up materialistic. Never did they asked for a gift for their birthdays. They only receive gifts from us during Christmas. So they are allowed to celebrate their birthday in anyway that they want. And she didn't even asked a lot, just to celebrate with some friends at Disney and that's it. (Don't get me wrong, you might think Disney cause a lot, it free for me, I work there, so it wouldn't also be an extra expense at all.)

And so for her 14th birthday, I wish her a clear path towards her destiny, wishing that her talents and potentials will one day fulfill her heart's desires, wishing her lots of blessings, wishing that she will create lasting memories of joy, friendship and love, blessing her with success in whatever endeavor that she pursue and most of all wishing all the happiness in the world for even at young age she deserves it. I wish her everything! We love you! I love you infinity times infinity!

NB: I hope one day, you'll read all these.

8th birthday

Today is the 8th birthday of my son. I always feel grateful because I have my kids around me, everyday showing their love for me. I always feel blessed because of that. But having Vance as my son, is like opening an extra ordinary gift each and every day. It is an honor having a son like him. And I won't get tired of saying it everyday for the rest of my life. Let me just explain to you how I felt today as he blew his 8 candles away.

I took a day off today because I promised my kids, that no matter what, I will never work on their birthdays. But since my husband is also working in the evening, a party for him together with his friends and classmates won't be possible. So I talked to him  weeks before his birthday and explained that if he wants a party, it wouldn't be possible. He told us, he don't want that. All he asked is for a strawberry cake, made by me. I never done a strawberry cake before. And I only have one recipe that I kept on doing again and again. But since he didn't ask for anything else I said I will do it.

He didn't even ask for a birthday gift. All he asked is that we spend the day together as a family. And that, I can give him with pleasure.

In the morning I was busy preparing the cake, together with my husband. While all of our kids are in the living room watching TV. Then, we called our two daughters and surprised him with a song and his cake. How his eyes shines! You can almost see the stars in them.

We don't have any other thing on the table, just his cake. But when he saw what I created for him, with the help of his father of course, his eyes shows the excitement for his birthday. With just a simple cake, he kept on thanking me through out the whole day, saying that it was his best birthday ever as he says each year. 

Realizing all of these, I said to myself, that I am the luckiest mother in the world for having an extra ordinary kid like him.  He is very simple, loving and he understands the situation even at the tender age. He won't ask if he thinks it wouldn't be possible, he wouldn't push if he thinks that he'll be crossing our limits. How can you ask for anything more.

But of course, it's his birthday, so we told him that as a birthday gift, we'll be spending it with the animals at the zoo. Some kids will be disgusted about our idea of spending a birthday together with the whole family at the zoo but not my kid. I'm sure most of the kids now a days would like to spend it in a party mode together with friends. But our son, he loves the idea. Of being with me and his papa and his sisters. Nothing will complete his birthday more than this: his strawberry birthday cake made by his mother and his family.

Do you still want me to explain how lucky I am?

NB:  (This is the message I wrote on my face book, I hope one day, he'll be able to read it and remember.)

You woke up this morning not remembering that today is your birthday, I greeted you, "happy birthday," and you were surprised and said, "Wow! It is my birthday, I forgot!"

As you thanked me, you told me words that will remain forever in my heart. I'm writing this down here so that one day you'll be able to read this and remember.

You told me that "my greetings already made your birthday complete." With those words, you made my heart complete. 

You didn't ask for any gifts nor a party. Your only wish is a strawberry cake, not bought, but made by me. That and only that can already make your birthday so special. (Now, I'm wondering what's in my cake that can make you this excited. I don't even have the gift of baking. Did I put a  lot of sugar? Maybe for you it is because it was made by your mother's hands).

It's been 8 years and you're still exceptional. A unique, loving, responsible, grateful, happy  and simple boy. Not to forget a handsome one too. Simple pleasures makes you happy. All things that life gives you, you were always thankful.

Spending time and talking with me makes your eyes shine the brightest. Cloud-shape guessing, long walk, joy ride or appreciating nature and your surrounding made you, for an 8 year old boy, "the rarest.'

Of course, you're still an ordinary boy who loves to play or watch TV or DVD. But for you, responsibility comes first. That made you the little man who's out of the ordinary.

I always say this and will continue saying this, "I might have done something good in my past to deserve a son like you."

Happy 8th birthday my Bixy, Vance!!! I love you beyond infinity times infinity.

Wheat, flour and bread

As you know by now, if there's an opportunity for me to spend my time with my kids, I will grab it, keep it and make the most memories out of it, as always.

So for this year 2015, opportunity strikes again when the class of our youngest daughter will visit an old mill where they collect wheat, make it into a flour and as an extra activity they also made bread with it.

I had fun not only with my daughter but also with her classmates who joined us during lunch break by playing "un, deux, trois....soleil." It's like the one, two, three stop game. I don't know it you have an idea. But to make the story short. We went to the old mill, discovered how they collect wheat, the machine that turns that into flour and how to make the bread out of the flour collected.
 

At the end of the day, my daughter had a chance to take home the bread that she made by her own hand. She let all our family members taste the labor of her love. It's a little bit salty but it was tasty nonetheless. And if you can only imagine how proud she was when everyone said, "Hmmm, c'est bon!"

When boredom strikes

After almost two weeks in bed. Here we are bored to death. And when boredom strikes, there comes our "joy ride."

This is our first "joy ride," for this year 2015 going to nowhere street at somewhere village.

 

It's a Sunday. So as soon as the mass ended, we decided to do a little pick nick the "Pambid style." Since it's still cold, we decided to have it at the back of our car on our way to someplace land. 

Had a walk through the Village named Senlis. If my memory serves me right. Took photo of course, of us, the church and the streets. We had a lovely time not only because of what we discovered but also because we went out of our home after being imprisoned by the flu-virus at home for several days. It's good to breath some fresh air at last. 

Our "joy ride," is always the best to cure our boredom.

Life goes on...

Christmas passed and New Year came. It was fast! And after the "Charlie Hebdo," incident, life starts to roll as normal as possible. Or as normal as we want it to be. Still in shock after the attack, still grieving yet we still find hope in every little thing. And we make most of what we have right now.

Specially the time we spend with each other as a family. For as we already realized through what France have gone through, life is short, we need to live it to the fullest.

But it wasn't smooth as we want to be though for...

Most of our January was spent on bed. Our youngest daughter caught a flu, which we (my husband and I) caught after a day with her. Then it was our son (our second child) then the oldest. I realized then that, as parents, we are not invincible. Not to viruses. Not even my hardworking husband who still works even if he is sick didn't stand this virus that we caught or caught us.

Yes, we are human and yes, we can get sick... note taken.

As the "grippe," took our daily activities, we were pinned down on our bed with nothing to do but blow our noses, drink medicines, massage each other with pain relievers, go in and out of the toilet  and watch TV and sleep while the TV is on. Of course, we eat but not as heartily than the usual.

At the end of the week and after those antibiotics, we felt much better. Still in bed or should I say in our room (where we spent most of our sick days), the kids started to get bored as we are. So I put out my reserved activity to amuse them. And here it is.

 

One thing good that came out of it. We had quality time as a family. We realized that even we spend most of our days seeing each other because we are all sick, we never get tired of one another. It only mean one thing. That we love each other that much that we'd rather spend our sick days together than spending it alone.