Gratitude Monday

The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now. - Oprah

I'm a firm believer that gratitude unlocks the fullness of life so I'm starting this series of Gratitude Mondays. 

As any parent knows, weekends can go by in a blur once you have kids.  There are just too many things that need to get done in so little time!  No more sleeping in and lazing in bed all day especially when your kids are already in school.  So I'm grateful that Quino was very excited to do his home works because we were able to finish all his Kumon and Montessori home works in record time!  We were able to finish everything last Saturday which meant Sunday was spent simply enjoying family time. 

Since yaya took the day off, I cooked (simple scrambled eggs and toast for me and the hubby & oatmeal for the little boy) and we had a lazy breakfast, heard mass, had lunch at our favorite restaurant, finished all our errands and enjoyed a quiet massage at home and had an early night.  We are relaxed, rejuvenated & ready to face the week!

My First Parent-Teacher Conference

Met with my son's teacher today to discuss his progress in school.  His report card reads:

Quino likes to share stories from outside the school to his teachers.  He prefers to observe his classmates' behavior rather than interact with them.  He takes the initiative to work with the materials in the classroom and to concentrate on certain tasks.  He has a strong sense of order; he would assist the school aide in cleaning the classroom and help the teacher or other students fix or return a material.  Quino would benefit from practicing the cursive letters' sounds and his pincer grip for writing.

My son is Senior Casa in a Montessori school so there is no traditional grading system.  Both my husband and I went to Montessori school so we decided this was the best option for him. 

For someone who didn't have any formal schooling prior to this school year, I am very proud of my son's development.  Most of his grades are SP (Superior Progress).  But more than the grades, I am happy that he likes learning, going to school and he's kind & helpful. 

Society puts so much pressure and competition on kids at such an early age.  Parents fill their children's schedules with so many activities that they might not have time to just be children.  To play and be carefree and yes, even make mistakes and fail.  It's not the end of the world if that happens.  I'd rather raise a son who can bounce back from any adversity than a sheltered child that can't accept defeat. 

He doesn't know how to write his name yet.  He knows his ABCs (but has trouble associating the letters' sounds) and he can only count 1-12 (then skips to random numbers like 32, 48 & 500) but soon he will learn those things and so much more.  And his daddy and I will be guiding him every step of the way. 

My Little Boy's Room

Presenting my first Pinterest hack.

This is my son's room.  We used to store his toys in ugly plastic boxes.  Inspiration struck after I saw this on Pinterest.  Of course my son even has the same toys (what 4 year old boy doesn't love Toy Story, firetrucks & tools?!).

via Living Savvy

I never thought to use our Ikea Hyllis shelf inside the house.  With it's utilatarian look, I purposely bought this to store my husband's odds and ends in the garage.  But now I think it fits better in my son's room.  I love it!!!

Detox Interrupted

After lunch on the 2nd day, I got my monthly visitor (you know what I mean).  So I was craving, cranky & crampy.  Sadly I had to cut the 3-day detox short if I wanted to keep my sanity. 

But here are my thoughts:

1. Compared to local detox plans like Juice Jab, Juju Cleanse & Detox-in-a-Bottle, this plan is inexpensive.  The popular detox plans cost up to 2,500/day for 3 days.  This will set you back around 3,000 for the full duration of the plan. 
   
2. The ingredients are very easy to find although I had to substitute spinach for kale since I couldn't find it (I went to Robinson's Supermarket BF, Makati Supermarket, S&R & Metro Supermarket).  
   
3. I love the breakfast and dinner smoothies!  I still drink the breakfast smoothie even after the detox.  It's pretty easy to incorporate a glass (or two) of smoothie into my daily diet. I had read some horror stories about the lunch drink.  And it's true, it's horrible! 
   
4. When you do this detox, be sure you are near a restroom at all times because you will have to go several times a day.  Having said that, I found it did not give me liquid stools (sorry TMI).  In the past, I had tried another detox drink, Dr. Tam Mateo's Miracle tea.  This one really upset my stomach (in a good way because it was cleansing my intestines) but the result was very liquid stools.
   
5. In place of the nightly bath, I soaked my feet in epsom salt.  This is actually not new to me because I've done this before.  I don't really feel anything different when I do it but I know it has it's benefits.  I like doing little things like this that make me feel as though I'm taking good care of my body and getting rid of the toxins.

Would I do it again?  Honestly, probably not.  I got persistent, terrible headaches all throughout the 2 days I was on it.   BUT, I am happy to keep drinking smoothies.  I was intimidated before about what fruits and vegetables I would put.  But now, I just mix whatever I have available. So I don't consider it a failure that I didn't complete the 3 days but I feel it was a success because I came out of it with a new healthy habit :)

My First Detox: Dr. Oz 3-Day Detox Cleanse

I've been struggling to lose weight for years since I gave birth.  My son is now 4 years old so I obviously can't get away with the post-baby weight argument.  Maybe it's the age?  But really, these are all just excuses.  The simple truth is this: I'm a sucker for junk food.  I eat well enough during the week but have a tendency to binge once the weekend hits.

I've been feeling lethargic recently and decided I had to do something drastic.  Enter my first detox.  I came across this many months ago but only now mustered the courage to jump in.  I figured I could do it since it was only 3 days and the plan looked simple enough. 

Today is my first day.  I've had the morning detox tea and the breakfast smoothie (which I really loved) and I'm getting ready for a gentle 2-mile walk.

I'll keep you posted with the results of the cleanse.  Wish me luck!