GottaLoveMom

Last Thursday was open house (our school calls it Back to School Night) for the elementary classes.  My son has the great fortune of having the same wonderful third grade teacher that my daughter had.  As I sit there listening to her presentation and marveling at the Smart Board, I noticed a poster above the front bulletin board.  It read: I consider myself to be erudite and wise, but this fact never occurred to me!  Looking beyond the facts, this statement infers so much more. It is so powerful and relevant. Lately, it seems like there is much talking, very little listening. Listening is a very important skill that everyone should master.  It is through listening that we learn, that we show interest, and demonstrate that we care.

“Peace begins with a smile. Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”  ~ Mother Theresa   I believe that every time you share a part of yourself to someone, be it as small of a gesture like a smile, you are extending your love. LOVE is what living is all about, and Sunday’s Global Mala NJ in Newark was all about love.

There's a unique bond that mothers have with their children, and fathers with their sons and daughters. Each parent plays a different role. Society gives more credit to mothers when it comes to raising a child. However, a father plays a very important role, too. My son once said, “There simply are no words to describe the role and importance of a dad.   NO dictionary will tell you the real meaning of the word, DAD.   However, one strong word could summarize a dad, LOVE.   This power exceeds any other,   This bond is unbreakable,   NO tragedy can move it,   NO earthquake waver it.   It is the strongest thing in the universe.” I’m sure most fathers turn sentimental when theirs sons celebrate another milestone in their lives.   Last week, our third child celebrated his 17th birthday, and my husband wrote him something that I thought was worth sharing. ( Permission granted) As you begin your 18 th ...

August. Summer peaks. Parks are full. Dogs and kids are stinky and happy. Ice cream is a kid’s best pal while the adults cool off with their beer, gin and tonics. And here, as life is bounces everywhere, it all comes full circle. My Aunt Priscilla Cruz Franciso, my second mother growing up, left her physical body on the 13 th of August, 2012.  She was my mother of affection. She was the first person who told me I was beautiful, spoke of features in my face which made me feel slightly elevated than what I normally feel about myself. When your mother is, for all intents and purposes, a beauty queen (cover for Liwayway, a famous magazine in the Philippines ; muse in University of the Philippines ) you cannot help but, being her daughter, feel like an ugly duckling next to her. I never liked to fall asleep knowing my Kaka (Aunt) was mad or upset at me. It made me miserable inside and out. I would crawl out of my mosquito net and snuggle next to her as she slept, slightly sn...

Let me start by saying that I am hover  mom ! My number one priority is keeping my boys safe and out of harms way.  BUT, having been raised by a hover mom myself, I realize how this limits personal growth and can foster self-doubt (for the record, I do not blame my mom for being over protective. She did the best she knew how) . So this is why, when it comes to being adventurous with my kids, I feel the fear and do it anyway.  The cool thing is I'm learning that every time I do this, I learn a valuable lesson about life. My monkeys and I on the banana boat.... During a recent vacation, I decided we should go on the banana boat. You know, the inflated banana that gets dragged around by a boat that looks like its engine is about to fall apart and they drag you  wayyy  into the deepest part of the vast ocean?  Yes, once I got my kids all excited about this I began to have "what if" doubts. What if we can’t get back on the banana and we get stranded, what...