The Beauty of Tutoring Our Children

Who loves to tutor their kids? I am sure most, if not all, moms do not enjoy being the resident tutor. Some days the kids amaze you at their speed of learning but there are also those days when you just want to pull your hair.

 

I, for one, have not been a fan of tutoring the kids. It usually starts out on a very pleasant note. Everyone sits down and happily listens to you. Then they start to get restless and you start to get impatient. Then before you know it, voices are raised and books starts to fly. Okay, I'm exaggerating on the last part. I don't really throw books but that is what I feel like doing sometimes.

 

Since our children's first language is now English, the Filipino subject is often the most difficult to study. I mean, they cannot even understand the instructions written in Filipino! But we try our best to review and lately, we have been persevering.

 

A few weeks ago my four-year old daughter had her mid-term exams in Filipino and she came home excited because she got a really high score. When her teacher and yaya told her she did a good job, she consistently replied "Because mommy helped me!".  Two weeks later my seven-year old son also had an exam in the same challenging subject. When he got home the day of the exam, he told me that his teacher told him he did a great job. He said he told the teacher "It's because mommy stayed up all night reviewing me".  Then last Monday as I was waiting for him at soccer practice, he saw me and ran to me with so much excitement. He said "Mom! I got 100% in my Filipino exam!" and he went on to say that the first thing he said when the teacher gave him his test papers were "Mom will be so happy!"

 

The past weeks' incidents inspired me to try my best to be a better tutor to my children. I never realized how much my children value the time I spend helping them with their school work.  And you know what? Something changed in our study time. There are now more laughter than tears. On most days, my children look forward to studying with me and I value the time we spend together even if it's over books and homework. I realized that I have become more patient and they have now appreciated the results of their hard work.

 

I have often told Dens that I don't need our children to always be at the top of their class. My priority is for them to enjoy school and value education. But now I am also realizing that getting good grades does not only mean avoiding failure. It is also a means to encourage them and let them know that they are capable.

 

So to all tutoring moms out there, there is so much value in what we are doing. On days when you feel like you're wasting so much time going over the difference of Panghalip and Panghalip Panao, know that time with our children is never wasted time. We are building their character and molding them to be confident individuals that can change the world, one subject at a time.

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The Things You Do For Love

It happened on Valentine's day.  I was tasked to host a special event in church as I usually do. The program was a mix of couple games, videos of old photos, and song numbers by husbands who serenaded their wives.  Towards the end of the night, I called the last scheduled singer up on stage. I looked at him and positioned to give him the microphone but he remained sitting down, smiling at me. I thought, maybe he did not realize I already called him. But before I could say anything further, music started to fill the room. Then I heard a guy singing...or something like that. A few seconds later, I saw my husband coming from the back of the room, walking towards me singing our song. The things we do for love. Now if you know Dens, you will understand why this gesture is so special. This guy cannot carry a tune, I tell you. But he has a big heart and a lot of courage to do things over and beyond his capabilities for the people he loves. That is one of the million reasons why I am in love with him.

 

Last week one of our good friends tagged Dens and I on Facebook. He said this video reminded him of Dens. I watched it and cried my heart out. It does look like something Dens would do. There is no shame in loving with all of our hearts.  

So, love, when's your first ballet recital with Dawn? :)

...and oh, by the way, Happy 15 years :)

 

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Karada!

Following my recent post on having good posture to avoid stiff necks and shoulder pains, another way to relieve them is to get a good massage.  A few months ago my friends introduced me to Karada. 

 

I did a little bit of research and found out that Karada means Body in Japanese. It was founded by Mr. Koyasu Yuki. After he was successfully treated through Chiro following a car accident, Yuki-san decided to merge the science behind Chiro treatments with the relaxing nature of getting a massage . This resulted to what Karada is offering today.

 

What differs Karada from a regular Spa is that it does not only relax stiff muscles, hence providing temporary relief, but it also addresses the source of the problem which , in most cases, is improper bone alignment.  

 

My research convinced me enough to give it a shot. I visited the Greenbelt branch which was very easy to find and conveniently located at the ground floor of Greenbelt 1.

The place is clean and simple. Do not expect zen interiors and relaxing music. Karada claims that they are not a place for relaxation anyway but for revitalization.

Here is a list of services that Karada is offering. I opted for the AP (Atlas & Pelvis) Balance for 60 minutes which costs P1,195. This included assessment and 30 mins of muscle treament (a.k.a. massage) and another 30 mins of bone alignment.

Before the treatment, you will be asked to change into more comfortable clothing. It's basically a black shirt and drawstring pants available in various sizes.

They will also provide a large basket for your things which will be kept safely under your treatment bed.

So this is me in my Karada outfit. Oh, by the way, they also provided rubber slippers which I really hesitated to wear. But then again, my heels did not match well with the Karada uniform. Oh well.

The place has several office-like cubicles with treatment beds inside. It does not offer much privacy but everybody is busy with their own treatment so nobody is snooping around anyway.

The initial assessment proved that my bones were not aligned.  This reflected in uneven leg lengths which was corrected immediately after the treatment.  It was pretty cool to see results after only an hour.  But then again I also know that the results will not last long since I cannot commit to completely avoid bad habits that may result to poor bone alignment. My biggest ones are sitting cross-legged and frequently carrying shoulder bags.

My overall assessment of Karada is that the treatment felt great but was not long-lasting. The therapist told me that they usually advise regular treatments for the first few sessions (i.e. once or twice a week) and then longer intervals after that.

Try it and see if it works for you. A lot of my friends swear by it. Some of them experienced long-lasting releif even after only one session. That may happen to you too. Let me know how it goes, okay?

You can learn more about Karada through their site.
 

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Computer Ergonomics

It is now almost impossible for us to function efficiently without the regular use of laptops or desktop computers. For me, I work in a job that requires me to be in front of the computer at least eight hours a day. This results in perennial stiff necks and backpains.

 

I found this video quite helpful and would like to share it with you. Even our small children who are now exposed to the use of computers can benefit from it.

 

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