Being a good parent is not easy as many people think because you need to consider lot of things. A good parent should know how to do positive parenting. Though, many people beleive that to be a good parent you should earn lot of money and a high salary. However, a good parents should keep positive for a lifetime is the consideration of the happiness and joy of their children.

So how to do a positive parenting? Share best fat burners? One way is to be good role model. By this way you encourage your child to do the same way as what they see in you. You just need to strive to achieve excellent positive mental behavior. THis is actually the stating point for being a good parent.

Looks like it’s all Manila Ocean Park post for tonight!

We spent all of our Saturday in Manila Ocean Park as a sort of celebration for Matt and Sean’s birthdays. Sean’s birthday was yesterday and Matt will be this coming Monday, March 1, so we decided why not celebrate in one day and let’s go somewhere.

So we did.

With nanay, me, lois, matt and sean all went to see the biggest aquarium park in the Philippines. We saw all sorts of fishes and other marine life in there. Huge fishes! There are also some custom cardboard boxes and designs that made the place looked much more pretty and interesting (with cardboard shares and all)

I think the kids enjoyed the trip… and the mermaid show.

When availing life term insurance, look for the cheap term life insurance. This is the way you can have huge benefits and at the same time at an inexpensive price. Insurance has never been this low and never been easy to pay.

I remember looking for fit and can afford life insurance for me and my husband. Just when you’re already sure in availing one, there goes the time that you can’t decide what’s best for your family. You can’t really decide on what plan to choose which they can benefit most. All you need to think of is you can never be wrong in what you’re going to pick. But the difference is you do favor not for yourself.

There’s this post on Blogging Parents about the 10 Best Ways to Amuse Toddlers and I took the liberty of enumerating them below with a little bit more explanation. If you have any other comments please do put it below. Thanks very much.

The list below are the things that we do with my boys. It’s in no particular order. I just wrote them down whichever pops out from my mind.

1. Pen, Crayons and Papers – Actually this is just “Paper, Ballpen!”. Matt always wants his pen and paper with him every time. For a 12 hour a day (awake state) I think he writes, draws and scrabble something at least 3 hours a day!
2. Play-dough – He loves Play-dough! This is his chance to release his creative self. He usually do shapes and letters (just like in pen and paper) but sometimes he also do animals and strange objects.
3. Yutube! – Kids today are high tech! When I say Youtube, I mean he’s using my laptop to browse the internet. When he was younger he would spend hours and hours in Youtube playing videos about alphabet, songs and numbers. Now he also do StumbleUpon, Kidzui and others.
4. Educational DVD, Cartoons etc. – Lately, aside from paper and ballpen Matt (and Sean)’s activity will always include watching Sponge Bob, Dora, Barney and Pixar/Walt Disney movies (Cars, Ice Age trilogy, Toy Story trilogy, Bugs Life etc).
5. Baths and Bath toys – They love bath time specially with tons of toys to play with.
6. Sandbox – It’s fine to have their hands dirty sometimes.. just make sure you clean up after.
7. Field trips – A trip to somewhere nice where the kids can walk, run and play around.
8. Play Tent / Play House – This is can be done indoors. We actually do this on our bed.
9. Road Trip – Put them all together in the car and drive around the block.
10. Playground – Some swing and see saw.

I am sure there are many other things that we can do to amuse and entertain our toddlers. The above list is just a few. What are your activities with your children that you do pretty often?

Everything Daddy, being a daddy… being a parent is a fan of the blog ‘Blogging Parents’. This is a blog with many advise for new parents but aside from that it also has tons of information about child’s behavior, toddler activities and other stuff related to parents and children.

So, if you are a new parent, an expecting parent-to-be or an experience one, there is something for you in Blogging parents.

Join the community!

A terrible accident happened tonight.. while we were installing and setting up a surveillance camera outside of the apartment unit, Matt accidentally cut his left toes when he jumped over the bed and hit his toy white board. That darn whiteboard apparently is made of tin sheet.

I should have thrown it away the other day when matt stepped on it while playing and the tin sheet was misaligned with its frame.

There was blood. There was a lot of it and it dripped on the bed sheet. Holding his foot, his toes and applying pressure to it, the blood flowed and dripped through my fingers.

I panicked!

I knew that lois will not be able to do anything to stop the bleeding since I think she’s hemophobic. The site of blood makes her sick. She gave me a handkerchief for the cut. The metallic smell of blood was all I can smell. I put pressure on the cut now with the hankie on it.

The bleeding stopped… at least when I have my hand over the wound.

Asked my wife to buy some band aid and I made sure that Matthew heard me so that he would feel protected and taken cared of and so that he would stop crying… and thanks God he did!

But there was no band aid available in the store!

Two of the most beautiful songs about Fathers.

Father and Son

Father and Son is a classic song by Cats Stevens. In his own words, “the song, well the idea is going to go a long time”.

The great thing about this song is the idea of a conversation between a Father and a Son. The song is about an exchange between a father not understanding a son’s desire to break away and shape a new life, and the son who cannot really explain himself but knows that it is time for him to seek his own destiny.

Stevens sings in a deeper register for the father’s lines, while using a higher, more emotive one for those of the son.

I like the concept of songs that do conversations like Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s “The Girl is Mine”, only Cat Steven’s “Father and Son” is a conversational song between a father and a son, done by Cat Steven himself.

The first two parts (verses?) is the Father, talking to his son about advising his son not to go on his way. Telling him that he’s still young and there’s a lot of things to learn before venturing out in the world.

The 3rd verse is the son, probably talking to himself and saying that he must go, that he’s been listening to his father all his life and he wants to make decision by himself.

Now the last two parts, I like. The 4rth verse is the father talking and son talking back (the backup harmony/vocals). The father saying, ‘sit down, take it slowly’ and the son responds, ‘no, I know I have to make this decision alone).

Then the last verse, it’s the son’s turn to talk (notice the high pitch voice of Cat Steven). The son is saying that he still wants to go.. and the father replying ‘Stay. Why must you go and make this decision alone?’

Excellent song. Beautiful!

Here’s the lyrics for you to enjoy further.

It’s not time to make a change, just relax and take it easy
You’re still young that’s your fault there’s so much you have to know
Find a girl, settle down, if you want to, you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy

I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy
to be calm, when you’ve found something going on
But take your time, think a lot, why think of everything you’ve got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not

How can I try to explain? when I do he turns away again
it’s always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen
now there’s a way and I know I have to go away
and I know I have to go

(away) (away)
It’s not time to make a change, just sit down and take it slowly
(I) (know) (I have)
You’re still young, that’s your fault, there’s so much you have
(to make this)
to go through
(decision) (alone)
Find a girl, settle down, if you want to you can marry
(no)
Look at me, I am old, but I’m happy

CHORUS #2:
(stay) (stay, stay)
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside
(why?) (must) (you go and make this de-
It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it
cision) (alone?)
If they were right, I’d agree, but it’s them they know, not me
Now there’s a way, and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go

Bought Matt’s first toy gun today. I’m not sure if this is the right decision, getting him exposed or letting him play games that is violent in nature. We watched G.I. Joe last week and I think he enjoyed it. Plus, playing PS3 game Resistance also helped.

We were playing cops and robbers (well, GI Joe and Aliens actually) that’s why I know he enjoys the game. WHen we went out to buy groceries today, bought him this cheap toy gun.

You would think that me, being in IT and all, will probably buy him a toy computer, or a ddr memory or something, but no. (And by the way, he has his own Neo laptop).

Check out pictures of it in their photoblog.

I know sooner or later this topic of “Discipline” will be posted here. To be honest, I don’t know how to implement the rules that my children should follw… Fathers usually are the one who do disciplines and all, but looks like my wife and I have switched places.

I spoil them and she disciplines.

Anyway, that’s why I am searching around for tips and the proper way of disciplining a child.. a child of 1 year old (Sean) and a 3 year old (Matt)… and Google will hate me for this:

Here are some ideas about how to vary your approach to discipline to best fit your family.
Ages 0 to 2

Babies and toddlers are naturally curious. So it’s wise to eliminate temptations and no-nos — items such as TVs and video equipment, stereos, jewelry, and especially cleaning supplies and medications should be kept well out of reach.

When your crawling baby or roving toddler heads toward an unacceptable or dangerous play object, calmly say “No” and either remove your child from the area or distract him or her with an appropriate activity.

Timeouts can be effective discipline for toddlers. A child who has been hitting, biting, or throwing food, for example, should be told why the behavior is unacceptable and taken to a designated timeout area — a kitchen chair or bottom stair — for a minute or two to calm down (longer timeouts are not effective for toddlers).

It’s important to not spank, hit, or slap a child of any age. Babies and toddlers are especially unlikely to be able to make any connection between their behavior and physical punishment. They will only feel the pain of the hit.

And don’t forget that kids learn by watching adults, particularly their parents. Make sure your behavior is role-model material. You’ll make a much stronger impression by putting your own belongings away rather than just issuing orders to your child to pick up toys while your stuff is left strewn around.
Ages 3 to 5

As your child grows and begins to understand the connection between actions and consequences, make sure you start communicating the rules of your family’s home.

Explain to kids what you expect of them before you punish them for a certain behavior. For instance, the first time your 3-year-old uses crayons to decorate the living room wall, discuss why that’s not allowed and what will happen if your child does it again (for instance, your child will have to help clean the wall and will not be able to use the crayons for the rest of the day). If the wall gets decorated again a few days later, issue a reminder that crayons are for paper only and then enforce the consequences.

The earlier that parents establish this kind of “I set the rules and you’re expected to listen or accept the consequences” standard, the better for everyone. Although it’s sometimes easier for parents to ignore occasional bad behavior or not follow through on some threatened punishment, this sets a bad precedent. Consistency is the key to effective discipline, and it’s important for parents to decide (together, if you are not a single parent) what the rules are and then uphold them.

While you become clear on what behaviors will be punished, don’t forget to reward good behaviors. Don’t underestimate the positive effect that your praise can have — discipline is not just about punishment but also about recognizing good behavior. For example, saying “I’m proud of you for sharing your toys at playgroup” is usually more effective than punishing a child for the opposite behavior — not sharing. And be specific when doling out praise; don’t just say, “Good job!”

If your child continues an unacceptable behavior no matter what you do, try making a chart with a box for each day of the week. Decide how many times your child can misbehave before a punishment kicks in or how long the proper behavior must be displayed before it is rewarded. Post the chart on the refrigerator and then track the good and unacceptable behaviors every day. This will give your child (and you) a concrete look at how it’s going. Once this begins to work, praise your child for learning to control misbehavior and, especially, for overcoming any stubborn problem.

Timeouts also can work well for kids at this age. Establish a suitable timeout place that’s free of distractions and will force your child to think about how he or she has behaved. Remember, getting sent to your room doesn’t have an impact if a computer, TV, and video games are there. Don’t forget to consider the length of time that will best suit your child. Experts say 1 minute for each year of age is a good rule of thumb; others recommend using the timeout until the child is calmed down (to teach self-regulation).

It’s important to tell kids what the right thing to do is, not just to say what the wrong thing is. For example, instead of saying “Don’t jump on the couch,” try “Please sit on the furniture and put your feet on the floor.”

Oh Geesh, yeah.. I have to expect this to happen to me too.. Yeah, I can talk about Preschools, healthy snacks and health calculators and other health related post about my sons but I have to talk about this too – Dealing with tantrums, or a wild child. ,

Professionals say that tantrums are part of daily life with some toddlers and also some (lucky parents) happens less or very rarely. I believe that every growing child in some point in their growing stage really do experience tantrums.

This is what I want to talk about here.

My Matthew, as of this writing is 2 years 7months old, and he is, let say, throwing super mild tantrums now and then.. Specially if it is lunch or dinner time and while I’m doing the pvc fence installation

Matthew just got out of the hospital (he’s been there for 5 days because of dengue fever – dang mosquitos!) and I am trying to talk with him through chat. I miss them all over there. (I’m staying here in Canada for 2 months). While talking to him (wel, his mom actually) I can hear him shouting and hitting things and probably a definition of a mild tantrum.

Question now I want to ask the expert parents is, how do we deal with tantrums?

Check out the following post:

• Dealing with Tantrums by Nina Chen, a Regional Specialist, Human Development department in Jackson County, Missouri