We didn’t have enough time to look for a venue that fits our budget. So we just decided to hold the event at my mom-in-law’s house and hire a caterer. It turned out that the roof top of her house was perfect for our 70 guests! A life-saver indeed! (or should I say budget-saver?! LOL)

My baby girl on her pink gown.

Pastor Manny Muleta, our small group Pastor, officiated the dedication rites

Ayesha’s dedication certificate

With Ayesha’s Godparents

Then, it was time to eat…The food was yummy! Thank God!

We are so thankful that our family and friends were there to celebrate with us as we dedicate our baby girl to Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that she grows up to be the lady that God wants her to be. After all, her name, Ayesha Kirsten, means “a beautiful follower of Christ.”

Baby Ayesha was so delighted to see all these gifts as soon as she woke up the next day!

I thank God every single day for entrusting and giving another pretty little angel to me. She’s turning five months next week. How time flies!

More photos here.

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. — Proverbs 13:24.

Have you ever felt frustrated over disciplining your child? That sometimes it makes you think you’re not doing a good job in the Parenting Department? That if it were some course in college, you’d flunk miserably? Well, you’re not alone. I sometimes feel it too.

They say if you want to be a good parent, you can’t be too strict nor too permissive. You need to learn how to balance discipline and love. But since you can’t practice being a parent unless you become one, how would you know when you’re pulling the rope too tight or too loose? Children, as they grow, tend to do things on their own without knowing the consequences of their actions. And as parents, we try to protect them from going through unnecessary hurts and frustrations. Hence, the spoiling part comes in (ahhh, I’m so guilty!). Between me and my husband, he is the disciplinarian and I (believe) am the spoiler. Although he can be a spoiler too, he seems to know perfectly where to draw the line and is often good at imposing corrective actions on our four-year-old son. (Yeah, I guess he’s the better parent).

There are many ways to discipline a child. One of them is spanking. While I strongly agree that this may be an effective method, I don’t think it works for every child (especially if it’s done the wrong way). If spanking is too much and is done out of anger and frustration of the parent, the child becomes more violent and hard to control.

When we were just a couple, my husband once told me that spanking is okay as long as it is clearly explained to the child the reason for such kind of discipline and as long as it doesn’t go beyond a mere slap on the butt. If you hit your child on the head or strangle his neck, then it becomes wrong. As parents, we need to know the difference between child abuse and discipline.

I always try to discipline my son by patiently (errr – sometimes I’m not even that patient. LOL) explaining to him why he can’t always get what he wants, but more often than not, my begging just falls on deaf ears. It’s just amazing how kids can be controlling sometimes. *sigh* And because we love them, we often lose our parental authority by giving in to their wishes. (Guilty again! LOL)

I don’t believe in violence, but if you’re gonna ask me if spanking is sometimes necessary to discipline our children, then my answer is yes. But if you can make them follow your rules and control their wrongdoings without spanking, then much better. Remember, strict parenting doesn’t always get positive results.

How about you? How do you discipline your child? What do you do to make him listen to you without spanking? Do you believe in the saying Spare the rod and spoil the child?

Share your thoughts, please! Thank you.

With that being said, allow me to share the things I learned that I’d rather not forget for as long as I live. Things that will mold me into becoming the mother that God wants me to be…

1. Love in the family must be kept alive through little acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.
2. Every child has gifts and abilities. Find out where your child excels and encourage him or her without ignoring the fundamentals of education.
3. Give your child your undivided attention.
4. If you want to be the father or mother that God wants you to be, learn to listen to your child.
5. A reward for doing the right thing teaches the wrong thing.
6. There are no second chances with parenting. If you fail, you can’t go back and start over.
7. The wise parent has to balance protecting a child from hard knocks and letting him experience the consequence of his own actions.
8. Parenting is bringing out the best in our children without condemning them for what they cannot do or making them feel inadequate when they fail to meet our expectations.
9. Teach your child to evaluate what he hears and sees and to think of himself.
10. Strive to be the best message you want your child to see and hear.
11. You can’t pass on the baton of faith to your child unless you have it firmly in your grasp.
12. Be there when your child needs your help.
13. Model the value system that you believe is important.
14. Build your child’s character through moral feeding.
15. Teach your child to be his own person.
16. You have to guard the moral and spiritual nature of your child.
17. Knowing the difference between discipline and punishment gives parenting a different perspective.

I highly recommend this book to every parent who wants to make a difference in the life of his/her offspring. Dr. Sala is right when he said that there are no second chances with parenting. That if we fail, we can’t go back and start over…Years from now, I’m pretty sure none of us would want to look back and ask ourselves “What have I done wrong?”.

P.S: I’m getting more parenting books at National Bookstore this weekend. Feel free to recommend good ones. Thank you!

Leo took these shots using his cellphone when we came home from work one day. The lights were off that’s why the pictures are blurry.

Here are the things I did with my family:

Clockwise: Yaya Anne, Greggy, Mama, Me (baby Ayesha’s stroller was behind me), Leo, My mom-in-law and Maynard (brother-in-law)

Baby Ayesha at Kids Church

This is my 4th year as a mom and so far, this is the best Mother’s Day celebration I’ve had. I love Jesus, I love my church and I love my family so much! Indeed, the best things in life are free.

P.S: Mama likes the service since it has a personal touch. She said she’ll ask my brother and sister to join us every Sunday too. Hopefully, they’ll give in.

To the world, you just might be one person. But to one person, you just might be the world.

I just want to share a very touching video that I came across while I was searching for articles on parenting last week. A short video that brought tears to my eyes. I showed this to my husband as soon as he got home from work. And he, too, cried.

A screenshot from the video

A simple note, yet speaks through my heart. Big time.

I am thankful that through this inspiring video, God was able to remind me of what’s truly important when it comes to raising my children — TIME. Most of us work too hard so we can give our children everything in the world…Anything that money can buy. But unknowingly, we fail to give them the very one thing that truly matters — OURSELVES.

The point is, we need to prioritize what’s truly important before it’s too late. Children grow up very fast. Spend time with your kids and stop worrying too much about the future!

Click here to watch the video.

P.S: Trust me… After watching this video, your views on parenting will never be the same again.

Does she look like me?

Baby Ayesha is growing up really fast. She can now roll over on her own, so we can’t leave her unattended. She smiles (sometimes giggle) a lot, enjoys bath time, occasionally holds her feeding bottle and can you believe she’s already trying to talk? When we talk to her, she drools as she struggles to open her tiny mouth and responds by making funny sounds. How cute!

Thank God for this wonderful gift.

“Really?” I asked happily, feeling proud of my little boy’s voluntary effort.
“Yes po.” He replied as he continued to search inside the box.

A few minutes later, he rushed to our room and excitedly showed me and his dad the toys he found for his baby sister.

“Mommy, look!” He exclaimed as he handed the toys to me. We told him that we were so thankful and proud of what he did. Not only did he help us save money, he also proved to us that it’s never too early to be generous to others. That at an early age, he knows the value of giving.

If there’s one thing that makes me truly proud of my son, it would be his generous heart. Countless times, he chooses to share whatever he has with others (toys, food, candies, etc.), when it’s much normal to just keep them all to himself. He’s just a kid, people would understand anyway.

With my son’s little act of kindness, once again I was reminded that it is more blessed to give than to receive. And as parents, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing our kids doing the right thing no matter how young they are.

Have a blessed day ahead!

Baby Ayesha loves her hand-me-down toy!

This week, I’ll start re-uploading all the images on my posts manually. Sigh. Btw, I already transferred this blog to a new host. I just hope I made the right choice.