Dr. Marc Reysio-Cruz of Capitol Medical City, Occupational Therapy in QC

Incredibooth time with the kids

Carlos' teacher told me that he may need a special education teacher since he has a hard time focusing and is hyperactive. A meeting with his teachers and the guidance counselor who evaluated him ended with a list of developmental pedia to consider.

I went with the nearest choice who was Dr. Reysio-Cruz. A parent-friend told me that he used to be a member of college-based organization Campus Crusade for Christ. Dr. Reysio-Cruz is also part of Headway School for Giftedness in Quezon City.

Developmental Pedia
It turns out that it's costly to consult with a dev-ped. A consultation ranged from P3,000 to P3,500 per session according to the Quezon City-based dev ped list given to me by his school. Their clinic's schedule is also very full. The earliest booking I got was three weeks after I called to be booked, only because I live near and the secretary's willing to put me in once a client backs out.

Fortunately, Carlos was seen two weeks after I asked for a schedule. One dev-ped clinic I called said their earliest vacancy is three months from the time I called.

However, when we got to the clinic of Dr. Reysio-Cruz, I was informed that he had an emergency meeting so another doctor will check Carlos. She was Dr. Jocelyn Sanchez of St. Luke's. She asked me questions about my pregnancy with Carlos along with his growing years. She would like to know the quirks I find about my little boy. I said he's more energetic compared with other boys and tends to focus on some tasks he prefers.

Dr. Jocelyn S. Sanchez - MD, Nuerodevelopmental Pediatrics
St. Lukes Medical Arts Bldg. Rm 533 Tuesdays and Saturdays 2-6PM by appointment
Telephone: 723-0101 local 6533

Diagnosing ADHD in 5-year olds
Aftewards, she had a one-on-one session with Carlos.

1. She made him do some block creations after she has built them. I heard she asked Carlos to build a bridge. 
2. Then it was time to do physical activities, like standing on one foot for some seconds, hopping, throwing and catching a tennis ball.
3. She asked Carlos to write.
4. She also showed Carlos photos and asked him about what he saw. Carlos had to describe the activities, relationships of the people in the photo. He was also asked to name all that he can see there.
5. She asked what Carlos' birthday was, where he lives, the name of his best friend. I would hear him answer confidently, but when the questions went to what he would do if he's tired or cold, his voice turned soft.

All the time, she was writing her notes.

Borderline ADHD with occupational therapy sessions
Aftewards, Carlos came out of the room and told me it was finish. I was called back in so she may explain her findings.

She said Carlos did well in the test though he would squirm in his place whether he was sitting or standing up. The little boy was in constant motion. She wanted to wait until he turns six years old when his brain reaches more development.

In the meantime, she suggests Carlos gets occupational therapy help in order to aid his schooling. Two to three times per week, she recommends. After three months of OT (occupational therapy) she would like to see him again, this time in her St. Lukes clinic.

Doctor also said she will email some recommendations for Carlos' school, which may include pairing Carlos with a role model, sitting him at the front.

Occupational Therapy in QC

1. Capitol Medical Center - Before session starts, Carlos need to be seen by a rehabilitation therapist first Telephone 372-3825 local 2106 P450/session
2. Child Therapy Center - Rm 1001 The One Executive Condo 5 West Ave, QC Telephone 502-4299 or 0917-843-8385 Teacher Raul P450/session
3. CHIPS - 441-5018 P1,500 initial evaluation P500/session Ms. Juliet

Parent's role, Missed playing with me, Benefits of swimming, No time for Strawberry Shortcake, Kid funny questions

Surrender your kids to God and spend the time necessary to uncover His plans for their lives.

Noticing that most of the kids' time are spent tinkering with the iPad, I once used it as a punishment tool.

One of the things I particularly admire about my girl is her obedience to rules and punishments, despite her upfront discontent about them. She's my rule guardian and punishment enforcer ally.

Me: No iPad for you until your birthday. (That was like a month of iPad-less days to go.)

Days and weeks went on and she would just look at her brother use it. She stood firm with her punishment, until I could no longer bear it and asked her.

Me: Don't you miss playing with the iPad?

Lois: No mom, I don't miss the iPad. I missed playing with you.

Swimming at the fine sand beach of Pagudpud

Swimming: Ideal exercise
Here are upsides to swimming I have recently learned:

• 30-45 minutes of swimming provide relaxation, toning, stretching and trimming down. Best if you can do different strokes per session. Back stroke is ideal for people suffering from back injuries and helps correct posture.
• 1 hour of swimming = 4 miles of moderate pace running
• 30 minutes of water exercises = 90 minutes at gym
• It's all about the water. Water pressure on our body is 800 times more than that of air. It's comparable to massage's pressure. Therefore, swimming improves blood circulation. It also helps even out cellulite.

No time for Strawberry Shortcake My girl received a Strawberry Shortcake activity book. She was eager to do them with me, but I declined since there was a deadline I was aiming for. It was also night time already. The following Friday morning, we could do them together. She reasoned out she has two classes - kinder class in the morning and piano lesson in the afternoon. The following day, Saturday, it's her schedule to use the computer and that's her Polly Pocket time. She definitely has no more time! 6-year old life questions Kids say the funniest things, right? They also ask the most difficult questions. Some of Lois' deep thoughts: What is heaven like? Why is their dad's middle name different from all the rest of us in the family? Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them. Marie of Aristocats

Sick kids, women's purse, Shamcey Supsup, Preschool conclusion

Sick kids are the most difficult to take care of.

Recently, Carlos fell from the stairs while rushing down with his sister. They were racing. He skipped a step and fell head first. Good thing I caught him before he landed on the bottom most part. However, the incident broke his left shoulder, clavicle, the doctors call.

Good thing they were on a semestral break.

Days after this, he and his sister developed cough which I think turned into bronchitis. Health is indeed wealth.

Germs trivia
What a shock to read about women's purse as homes to E. coli and salmonella as well as fecal contaminants! Think about it, while using the rest room, there are times when there's no choice but to lay bags and purse on the ladies' room floor. Aside from this, our bags are with us on the train, the bus, the restaurant.

To prevent these germs from getting into our homes, wipe it clean every day with sanitizer. Yes, alcohol's a good choice, if you think your bag's surface won't get damaged with it. Cleaning your bags regularly help too.

Plus, wiping clean regularly used purse items like keys and mobile phones may keep germ-caused diseases away.

Source: Family Education

Shamcey Supsup

Shamcey Supsup made the Philippines proud last September when she bagged the 3rd runner up slot in the Miss Universe 2011. Last year, Philippines' candidate Venus Raj ranked 4th runner up.

While she was doing the pageant, me and the kids were headed for the LBC bankruptcy forum for depositors. Haven't heard from the bank nor PDIC again.

I was impressed with her brief yet intelligent answer about shifting religion for a man and am reminded by a quote by Maya Angelou:

 A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.

• Shamcey is from General Santos, the home town of now legislator world class boxing champ Manny Pacquiao
• She graduated Magna Cum Laude in the University of the Philippines in Diliman under the College of Architecture, a 5-year course with a professional examination board exam. That means her general weighted average during her whole college life is 1.45 or higher. That's like getting a grade of 90+ (out or 100) in all her classes.
• She topped the Philippine Architectural Board Examination with a grade of 86.60%. Heard that she enrolled in a review center twice, and has a habit of re-reading textbooks several times over. Now that's a habit I want my kids to adopt!
• She was a consistent honor student, valedictorian in grade school and salutatorian in Makati High School.
• Her gym instructor commends her discipline. While training for the Miss Universe, she has to get fit to gain the 'right' abs. There would be times when exercising would be too difficult, but when she was reminded that she will represent the country, she gets motivated. She eats healthy too.
• She attends Victory Christian Fellowship.

Lois' conclusions

At the end of her Nursery 2 class, my eldest's class was told by their teacher that three among them will transfer to another class. Therefore, they will not be their classmates anymore.

During their school's break, we decided to enroll her to a Vacation Bible Class, which is like an extended Sunday School. She had her new teachers and classmates. She liked it, but not as much as regular school, she told me.

At the same time, we enrolled her brother to an orientation class in her regular school because he is a new student. He has to be familiar with a class' routine before the start of the official school year.

Due to this, Lois told me a conclusion she arrived at. "Mom, I won't be attending regular school anymore. I am one of the three students that teacher said will be transferred to another class." She was referring to the Vacation Bible Class as the 'other' class.

Creative lunchboxes, Lois Billionaire, No toothbrush near the toilet, stressed parent equals stressed kids

My two kids are not great eaters. Our family is not. So it's really a gift for me that their school encourages healthy eating - fruits and vegetables. Sometimes I get reprimanded by my own daughter. "Ayayay, Mommy! This is not healthy food."


Lunchbox staples
So I normally pack cut fruits - apple, mangoes, melon, watermelon. Bananas and grapes are sure winners.


I also serve them raw cashew nuts/peanuts mixed with raisins and cereals. On some days, they get peanut butter sandwiches shaped in triangles, ovals, squares and hearts. They love it!

I want to be a billionaire

To encourage doing things on their own, I started posting chore charts for my two kids. The reward was money. Since they love APPS, they may use their money to buy. I was particularly targeting my little boy to do this.

However, my plan backfired. My son was not at all interested in his chores nor his prizes. Instead, it was his sister who religiously checked and asked for her rewards. She was able to get quite a few, almost halfway her piggy bank, until she told me one day: "Don't give me anymore coins. I'm already a billionaire!"

Secretly giggling to her declaration, I confirmed if she knows what a billionaire is. "My classmate Edward said a billionaire is someone who has lots of money."

Yes, my little girl! You are indeed a billionaire.

Restroom tip

I first heard about this while riding the metro train to a meeting.

Flushing the toilet can cause germs to fly anywhere from 6-10 feet. At the very least, keep your brush as far from the toilet as possible, and protect it in a plastic container or holder.

Since we don't have the luxury of space, I have instructed everyone to pull down the lid before hitting the flush button. Hope that helps?

Child stress

My kids copy me, especially my bad traits. I am working hard on it. Though I haven't gotten very far. Lately though, when I read about the top causes of stress for children, I got a solid punch. I should really pull myself together when the kids are watching.

Parent having problems.
Fight with a friend or a sibling.
Taking a test.
Wondering if someone thinks you're attractive (teens especially).
Not having enough privacy.
Birth of a brother or sister.
Moving to a new school.
Re/marriage of a parent.
Not having enough money.
A teacher who doesn't like you.

Source: Mind/Body Medical Institute

Thinking for the country

My country is on its way towards the right path. A year down his 6-year presidential term, P-Noy performs satisfactorily in my opinion. His first SONA speech boasts of accomplishments that the Filipinos have been wanting to hear. Yes, there are still a lot of work to do and it is not good to be satisfied at this low level. Yet I understand the mess of the whole system that merely six years may not correct.

Will be continuously praying for P-Noy and the Philippines.

Nursery 2 reading skills
A month after formal preschool, I find my 43-month old boy still struggling to wake up early in the morning for school. His teachers say he listens to them and has learned to open up with his classmates. I noted an eager inclination to count things, but Carlos still interchanges numbers after 12.

I came across this online pre-reading screening test to gauge kids' readiness and found Carlos to be on the second tier. So he's average.

I'm happy. I admit feeling stressed when hearing about preschoolers taking on all sorts of extra-curricular activities - martial arts, music, sports, tutorials. I haven't sent Carlos to any other schooling but I plan to enroll him to Wushu lessons when he turns four.

Walking to school on PE day

I remember that we enrolled Lois to swimming lessons when she was this age. It has been our family goal to learn a new skill every year and for this year it will be:

1. Daddy - Teaching license
2. Mommy - Driving
3. Lois - Piano
4. Carlos - Wushu

Improved cognitive skills
I checked on how Lois was doing in class, with new classmates and earlier schedule and her teacher said she behaves like a big sister, helping out classmates if she can. She also admitted that she belongs to a class with has improved cognitive skills.

My dream for Lois - and Carlos too, is to learn as much as she can so that when she is full grown, she will help a lot of Filipinos. I tell her this, but her young mind seem to not grasp it. Her face turns sour whenever I bring it up, I feel the 20th century mom reaching to a 21st century kid in action.

How to complement little girls
Read this agreeable thought from Baby Center's Violet's Mom blog - Don't complement little girls on how they look, instead choose to talk about skills.

I totally agree. With younger and younger girls getting their period, we do not want to raise little girls who would turn out to be just bomb shells in the looks arena. We want to have girls who would become achievers in all sorts of endeavors - math, sports, engineering, design, teaching, science, you name it.

How do we do it? Lisa Bloom says, "Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What’s missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments."

Hinilawod
Hinilawod, Philippines' pre-colonial oral literature treasure, considered the longest epic in the world is set to be staged on September 3-4, 3PM and 8PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

My kids are encouraged to watch with their families. I have invited some family and friends, but since it is still several months away, they do not want to say yes yet. Just the same, I am excited to have my kids watch this. I'm sure I would enjoy, but I don't think they would endure two-hour plays? Got to ask their classmates' moms when they are watching for better chances of good behavior.

Grammar quirks
Lois: Why aren't you lookating at me? (Why aren't you looking at me?)

Correct way to sneeze

Good thing I came across Yahoo's banner story for today: US Health Secretary teaching a NBC's reporter how to correctly sneeze during a presscon. I guess it really makes sense to learn it and teach it to kids - everyone for that matter.

The proper way to sneeze or cough: use your elbow to cover your mouth. This is the most sanitary, as shown in a video I've researched. After you've seen this, you will not clasp your hands to cover your mouth and nose or any other way to sneeze.

Practice and share it: