Rice From Milk

Posted this on my FB wall and sent to some of my friends:

Just read of a Visayan legend where a goddess of mercy (Sappia) took pity on the ppl of Bohol during a drought.. Came down to earth and squeezed breast milk on hardy weeds.. The weeds became rice plants. Cute!!!

What I love about this is the idea that breast mik can save people in times of less food (which now translates to emergencies and calamities). I know that for people who can access the internet, having enough food isn't an issue. But having the proper food is... and that translates to what we feed our babies and young.

And of course, I believe breast milk is best. And if I will be fanatic about it, there is now a famine where good food and proper nutrition is concerned. Everyone is getting sick from processed food and bad eating habits. We need to go back to basics... not drink breast milk, of course (unless we're infants) but only partake of the natural and the healthy.

I kidded my husband that he's essentially eating breast milk with every drop of rice he eats... he didn't like the image, haha.

It would turn out that for some weeds, the goddess Sapia squeezed some of her blood... that's why there's red rice.

No TV Means More Music

Well... saying it is music might be a bit of a stretch, and I'm sure other people would automatically label it as noise. Anyway, one of the perks of not having the TV on all the time (the boys are only allowed to watch on Fridays and Saturdays) is that the boys can explore their creativity and musicality.

Yakee makes up songs, or sings songs he has heard (which, I feel, trains his memory and to listen better). They use all kinds of materials to create beats around the house (the latest of which are the parts of the marble run drummed on the TV screen). And maybe once a day, they will sit in front of the drum set and play it... while the other gets the mangled guitar and pretend to play along (I'm sure, in their minds, what they're holding is a godin multioud, not a broken ukelele lacking some strings).

And yes, I try not to play them songs all the time too. I like what they do with the quiet (disrupt it, obviously) and how they deal with it.

I like that they create instead of getting passively fed something.

Mikah's Birthday Story

There was a little conflict on the candle-blowing part because Kuya wanted it to be him... he had a hard time grappling with the gifts and attention bestowed upon his younger brother the whole weekend (last, last weekend) but was loving enough to not really throw full-blown tantrums. Sometimes, there'd be a tear shed here or there but he patiently waited for his turn and allowed his brother what's due him.

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Up in the heavens where big angels sang and little angels played, a small angel boy was jumping from cloud to cloud with his other angel friends. And then, he senses someone calling for him and he turns, but there was no one there.

Another day, this little angel was hopping and tumbling about when he felt like he was being called again. Sometimes, when he sleeps, he dreams his name being repeated by beings he didn’t know... so he decided to tell a Big Angel about it.

“Your family is ready for you, little one,” said Big Angel.

The little angel didn’t understand what Big Angel meant, but, that night, when he went to sleep... he fell into dreamland and stayed there. Ten moons waxed and waned as he rocked in a little boat. At the end of that time a beautiful rainbow bridge stretched from heaven to earth. Over it, the little angel travelled and slid as a tiny baby into his mother and father’s waiting arms.... and they named him Yannis Mikah,  because his parents believed another healthy child was a great gift from God.

From the first moment, his parents loved him, but as he wailed in his mother’s arms, it was a little boy’s voice that he heard. It said to him, “It’s okay Yamnyoy, Mommy’s here.” To his surprise, there was a bigger boy waiting with his parents to love and care for him. And Mikah was glad.

Mikah was born just before his grandmother’s birthday, so there was a party with family immediately after his birth. He looked so much like his maternal grandfather though that he was declared as his FAVORITE.

Apart from the initial late night crying, wherein his chin would quiver in a very cute way, Mikah was a rather easy baby and fell asleep for long periods at night. He used to be a very noisy sleeper though.  Mikah grew bigger and stronger as the days went by, and Kuya Iakob couldn’t wait to be able to play with him. When he was big enough, Kuya would help him roll on is tummy so he could watch Mikah wriggle like a caterpillar.

Mikah was ever excited about food and had a great appetite. He also liked toy cars a lot. But at his first birthday party, it was decided that he’ll come as a bee instead to symbolize all the things he will accomplish because he will never know he shouldn’t be doing them.

Mikah grew up more and more, his limbs getting surer until he was also climbing stairs and jumping off steps. He liked babbling “a-ti-ti-ti-ti” at the start but would end his second year of life imitating Mommy and Kuya as they sound their letters. He liked drawing and painting and doodling and would go berserk for Oreos. He loves books and being read to from someone’s lap. He always forgot to put on slippers and preferred sitting on the ground and which is why, when they brought him to the beach just before his second birthday, he had great fun in the sand.

And now, Mikah turns two and we are happy that he has grown big and strong, happy and healthy, loving and smart and the sweetest boy there is. We wish Mikah many days of fun and play, good friends and learning... and the gift of right speech and great health.

From Robot Chameleons to Robot Bats

Yakee has this quirk... he keeps telling us that I'm the Mommy (insert animal here), Pappie is the same, he is the Kuya and Yamee is the baby.

We have been a family of cats for a long time. Then, penguins. Whales.

After our trip to the Robot Zoo, we were a family of robot chameleons. Now, we're a family of robot bats. Maybe, around seven to ten times a day, my eldest will stop everyone in their tracks to spell that out... that we are a family of robot bats.

I sometimes tell him I'd want him to be a room-cleaning robot someday. And well, if we ever get rich enough to have a pool, why not have robotic pool cleaners for sons too?

I can't help but wish sometimes though that we become cats again. Or, even rats. Saying Mommy robot bat, Pappie robot bat, Kuya robot bat and baby robot bat takes him forever! :D

Crybaby Yamee

Yamee is now at a phase where he cries over any slight thing he perceives hurts him... like me trying to get water. And he's super contrary and unable to decide what he wants. Sometimes, the tantrums will be on and off all morning... and he really seldom wakes up without crying soon after.

How I wish he'll just be happy... for a whole week! Especially since I feed him and generally stay with him till he wakes up (making Kuya wait for him in the process) just so he'd wake up in the right side of the bed.

Sigh.

I am beyond frustrated.

And it doesn't help that he isn't verbal yet so communicating to us his desires is mostly off the table.

I know this is just a phase but again... I am beyond frustrated with all the crying. And plopping down just anywhere.

Sigh.

When I deduced him to be melancholic, I didn't really want to be right. Haha. Oh but he can be the sweetest thing there is, and he can be very helpful and independent too.

Just please, God, give me more patience and understanding!