Parenting Archive

My thoughts on parenthood, and what it's like to be a mom in the Philippines.

Going Home Like A Turista: Cabanatuan City Tour

Cabanatuan City has been our home for like 15+ years. Our clan was from Talavera.. but you know, you gotta move from time to time hehe

15 loong years..my family is living in the city and it was only recently that we discovered the beauty that lies in the city.

First stop. Microtel Inn and Suites.

My mom lives in an apartment in Cabanatuan… and of course, we usually stay with her when we visit. This time was different though, it was my ate’s wedding! And the heat (it happened end of May)..OMG! the heat! I cannot imagined doing my ate’s make up under that kind of heat. So, we decided to stay at Microtel to prevent the heat from damaging my ate’s make up.. of course to have some fun too! Swimming! Swimming!

Cabanatuan maybe a City but you won’t find a lot of hotels with swimming pool.. that’s actually the reason why we chose Microtel, for the pool.

I love our room because it’s big and can accommodate my big family! And Microtel is not strict with the number of kids that can stay with their parents.. plus plus points for Microtel for that!

Another thing that I love about them coffee and water is unlimited! and kids eat for FREE! For breakfast that is, if they would just eat cereals, you don’t have to pay. If kids would eat what is offered in the buffet area, well you have to pay 100+.. Now that’s what I don’t like with Microtel. THE FOOD! I wish they could offer more “probinsya” kind of food. It would have been better if they offer their guests traditional Novo Ecijano food.

Or maybe, one of the reason why they don’t offer authentic Novo Ecijano dishes is because there are already so many food establishments in Cabanatuan City. And most of them are really really good! I always expect that my diet will be ruined whenever we visit this city.

One restaurant that we haven’t tried before and wish we did is Hapag Vicenticos.. as I have mentioned, we have been living in this city for 15 years and it was only this year that we got to try Hapag Vicenticos! syeeet!! sayang ang mga taon!!

And here’s why…

Interiors!!! oh my!! every corner is snap worthy!

Mga moment ko yan, walang kokontra!

Bonggay di ba! pang throwback Thursday ang peg! Kulang na lang barong tagalog at baro’t saya!

Of course the food!

Unfortunately, noong kumain kame, sold out ang Crispy Pata.. I am taking it a sign na DAPAT bumalik kame!! hahaha

O di ba turistang turista ang peg!

O sinong tiga Cabanatuan diyan? May namiss ba ako? Ano pa ang pwedeng dalawin sa bayan natin?

K-12 Grading System (Tips On Helping Your Kids Cope Up With K-12)

Two years after it was implemented, my stand on K-12 is still the same (please read the first article I wrote about K-12: What You Should Know About K-12 Program). But that won’t stop me from writing about K-12 and help other moms understand the new system. You may want to read K-12 Grading System to better understand the meaning of A, P, AP, D and B. From that post, I only mentioned the meaning and the equivalent grade. Due to lack of resources, I have no idea how their grades are computed. Lucky for me, during our PTA meeting, the teachers explained the grading system used in K-12.

There’s a new assessment and rating system implemented last June 8 for K-12. I can’t remember last year’s assessment and rating system, so I can’t say the difference. All I can remember is, same as last year, it is divided into four areas:

Knowledge
Process/ Skills
Understanding
Product

Here is the definition of the said 4 areas (and percentage) from DepEd:

Knowledge (15%)– the substantive content of the curriculum, the facts and information that the students acquires.
Process (25%)– skills or cognitive operations that the student performs on facts and information for the purpose of constructing meanings or understandings
Understandings (30%)– enduring big ideas, principles and generalizations inherent to the discipline, which may be assessed using the facets of understanding or other indicators of understanding which may be specific to discipline
Products/ Performances ( (30%)– real- life application of understanding as evidenced by the student’s performance of authentic tasks

I will try explain each of the said areas (and what kind of exams/ quizzes are given to each area) later by giving examples, let me first discuss how grades are computed using the new assessment and rating system:

Based on the scores above, here’s how the grade is computed:

Q means quizzes while PT is Periodical Test. Knowledge, Process and Understanding are assessed using these two measures. In a given quiz or periodical exams, there will be types of questions that corresponds to each area of assessment.

HOW? HOW? Here’s an infographic using Magellan as a topic:

See how each question differs from one another? Each is designed for a specific kind of assessment. DepEd mentioned how each area should answer specific questions when assessed.

Knowledge: What do we (teachers) want students to know? How do we want them to express or provide evidence of what they know? Hence the questions regarding facts. This area is assessed using multiple choice, true/false, matching type that targets the knowledge (or mastery) of the students to the subject matter.

Process/ Skills: What do we want students to do with what they know? How do we want them to provide evidence of what they can do with what they want? Usually the questions involve here is organizing events, making timeline or organizing ideas.

Understanding: What do we want students to understand? How do we want them to provide evidence of their understanding? Assessment of this area are focused on asking the students what they think, their opinion and how they interpret the lesson.

Product: What products or performances do we want students to produce as evidence of their learning and understanding? How do we want them to provide evidence that they can use or transfer their learning to real life- situations?

HOW DO WE HELP OUR KIDS COPE UP WITH K-12?

Exam week is around the corner and I am sure most moms are worried on how to review their kids given the new assessment and rating system. Here are my suggestions:

Discuss the lessons with your kids then ask him questions.
Ask questions such as WHY and HOW, do not just focus on what, when and where questions.
Encourage them to participate in class (TIP! TIP! As long as the student participates in oral recitation, the teacher will give him grade, it doesn’t matter if the answer is right or wrong)
Encourage them to check their books and notebooks as soon as they got home. Home works are important and it’s the same with oral participation, the answer won’t matter, as long as the student did her homework.
When reviewing, always include the lessons you did from your last session.
Lastly, give your kids ample time to play, in a way a “rest” time for their mind and yours too!

K-12 is not an easy subject, so let us help one another in understanding this new system. If you can add anything from the tips I mentioned, I would really really appreciate it if you can comment it 🙂 Also, if you think there is error in my info, please do tell me and if you need to ask more, don’t be shy 🙂

Practical Tips For A Hassle-free Family Vacation

Going on holiday with your family is all about having a good time together. But let’s face it; travelling with your kids can be stressful. Wherever you choose to go out of the many available family holiday destinations, there are a few things you can do to minimise the headaches of a family vacation.

Go all-inclusive

One way to reduce the stress of a family holiday is to not have to worry about keeping track of the costs as you go along. Cheap all inclusive holidays are ideal options for vacationers who want to achieve ahassle-free and fun family getaway. With an all-inclusive trip, you pay one price upfront and all your accommodation and meals are included. The price can also include activities and excursions.

Get your medical details sorted

At least two months prior to your trip, go and see your family GP. Explain your plans and ask for advice. You may need to get some vaccinations or get extra prescriptions for medications. If your child has an allergy, it is a good idea to print out a card that specifies the allergies, in case you do need to seek medical attention while away.

Prepare the kids

Talk to the kids in the weeks before you trip to prepare them for what’s to come. This could involve looking at maps or researching the animal life in your destination. You could also try cooking them similar cuisine to that which they’ll taste on holiday. Another good idea is to have the children start a holiday journal. This gives them something to do on planes, in cars and when you just want some downtime – it also makes for a great memento.

Book flights wisely

If possible book night flights so that you will be in transit when your children are normally asleep. This not only helps keep them calm on the flight, but reduces the impact of jetlag when you arrive. Avoid stopovers as well, so you are not hanging around an airport for too long getting bored.

Pack light

Remember that you’ll have to look after the kids’ luggage as well as your own, so pack light. Get them to choose one toy to take on the ‘adventure’, so you don’t have to lug a whole menagerie around with you.

Family holidays are fun. But they also have their own particular stresses. Use the tips above to keep them to a minimum and you and your family will be able to enjoy your vacation to the max.