The Gift of Ordinary Weekends

Amber always looks forward to weekends with Daddy. And I’m starting to accept the fact that she really is her Daddy’s girl.

She enjoys being at Daddy’s side when he fixes the car, she’s interested in Daddy’s tools, she plays with Daddy's toy cars, she cheers Daddy when he plays his computer games,... among the list of the many things they do together. 

Recently, they learned that they shared another common interest – biking!

Well, if you don’t know it yet, I don’t know how to bike. And I guess, I will never learn how! Primarily because my balance sucks. Second, even though I came to realize that it was a bit far from the truth, there’s still this voice from my childhood that keeps telling me that I will never learn how to bike without suffering from bad falls and bruises and scratches. I can no longer remember who told me that but those words definitely stuck with me that I dared not ride and learn to bike. Grrr!

Good thing Amber is more adventurous than me in most aspects, biking included. I’m not sure though what happens if the time comes that she has to face a real bicycle and bid her toy bike goodbye. Until then, I’m glad that she and Daddy are having the best of time every weekend afternoons.

Colorful Bonding Moment

Daddy's Little Helper

Can’t decide which socket wrench head size she needs...

So she fits it first...

Then, it’s time to tighten the bolt! or nut? which one nga ba needs the tightening more?

So happy to be of help!

Now, who says daddies can’t bond with their daughters where auto-repair is concerned?

Daddy’s Little Helper

Sigh! I still think about the Silver Cross Light Weight Stroller in black, gray and beige/white fabric that we saw in Landmark Trinoma. We could’ve bought it if not for the ekonomista in me. It won’t be swayed no matter how nice the stroller is! L

Eh kasi, oo nga, andun na ko that the Silver Cross stroller will be more convenient for us since it’s not bulky compared with Amber’s Graco stroller but the point is that she still has a stroller. And my frugal self is telling me that it’s not practical to buy another one... even if it’s lighter,... and smaller,... and nicer, ... and prettier... *sigh!*

So we decided to bring out the Graco stroller that we have already packed away. We thought it better to bring a stroller however bulky it is rather than break our backs from carrying Amber whenever she doesn’t feel like walking in the mall.

Daddy’s job in putting the covers of the stroller back couldn’t be a lot easier without a little help!

It was a good thing that we didn’t use it for quite some time. Amber seemed to miss it and wanted to sit on it the moment all the covers have been returned.

We just hope that we can use it more this time and that the little girl will not get tired of it easily to refuse on sitting on it like she did the last time. 

Wooden Learning Toys

Sharing Amber’s toys which I can say, have helped a lot in the development of her motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Numbers and Shape/Color Peg Puzzles

I wasn’t expecting too much when I bought her these when she turned 1, but just to have something that would keep her busy within the day. But I was surprised that she already knew how to put back the pieces in their proper slots by the end of the day. BIG THANKS TO TITA RENEE FOR THE PATIENCE IN TEACHING AMBER.

#5 is MIA! :(

She can also say the numbers, shapes and colors as she fits them into the puzzle slots. For a price of PhP129 each board, learning is so affordable ha! ^_^

Letter Blocks

These were given by Nanay. Ayaw patalo ng Nanay ko, kelangan daw may ganito si Amber because they were a big help in my learning years as a toddler. Talagang ginalugad nya ang palengke ng Alabang para hanapin tong mga to, only to find out that they were conveniently available naman pala in any National Bookstore branches. Wehehe!

Kaya lang ang liliit na nila. What I had before were like 2x2” solid blocks na ang bibigat, ate! Well, I guess these are better. Size is enough to fit in Amber’s teeny-weeny palms.

Letter Puzzles/Flashcards

Another treasure I found at Booksale! ^_^

It’s a nice way to help Amber determine whether a letter is in its upper or lower case. She only needs to find the perfect pair! There are 4 ways you can match each pair and a piece cannot be interchanged with any other letter...

Amber is so happy with it. Sorry for the blurry pictures though. Daddy had to be very discreet in taking the pictures so as not to distract the little learner. ^_^ Time to start! 

Oopsie! Gotcha Daddy! 

Nevertheless, she continued her letter-search...

She has already successfully matched a few letters...

She definitely had fun. She did put together a few more letter pairs before we finally retired to bed. ^_^ 

 

And the price? Ako pa! Bibili ba ako ng mura? Shempre hindi! Kasi ang bibilhin ko yung murang-mura! The set costs me only PhP 15.00. ^_^

The Color Game

This is one activity that makes grocery shopping fun for Amber.  

Whenever I sense that she is starting to feel bored, I ask her to find a color for me then she begins running around looking for the color I asked. Sometimes, I point at something and she identifies its color.

Pink!

O-wange!

Side kwento: Before going to the supermarket, we went to a book store as Daddy was looking for a magazine. He didn't find the magazine but the little girl found an Angry Bird bag, which she never returned to the stand anymore after she tried it on.  

Pedals and Spokes... Sweat Away!

Napansin ko lang... dominated na ni Amber ang blog na ito! Not that I’m complaining, I love talking about her in fact. Proud mommy eh. ^_^

Pero this time, it’s the Hubby’s turn to shine!

He recently found this interest in biking. Well, he used to bike a lot during his teenage years but that was like centuries ago (lol!).

I would have wanted to go along with this new hobby of his but I can’t ride bicycles! Kahit BMX! Seriously, I do not know how to ride bikes!!! I never learned to, I refused to try and learn because I was too scared of having scars. Whoever told me that I will never learn to bike unless I suffer from ugly bruises and scars, shame on you! ^_^

Here, the Hubby is all geared up! With him is his pal, Amber’s Ninong Joseph at Pico De Loro.

The Hubby cycled in Nuvali’s biking trail last Saturday. He was all hyped-up after. Adrenaline rush! Pero wala shang picture kasi he went cycling alone... as in sha lang daw yung nasa trail. Adik di ba? ^_^

He has now rubbed off his new leisure activity on his officemates and bosses. They are cooking up a biking session come July 23, still at Nuvali. As of last night, he said they will already be 6 in the group.

Hay, I’m inggit. I wish I can join them. But I’m glad he has cycling buddies who can join him instead. I’m not comfortable with him cycling alone. Minsan may pagka-dare devil kasi.

I’m happy that he is enjoying and he has found something that would keep his mind off from the pressures of his job.

My Future Artist ^_^

Amber can’t stop her excitement when she saw this art set. Her mommy is happier! It looks like I’m having an artist daughter. I’m beaming with joy, haha, exagge!

What I’m proud about my little girl is that she is so organized. She always returns a pen/crayon that she has used on its proper place before she takes another one.

After a few lines here and there, tadaaaaahhhh....

This is a combined effort. I would have just enjoyed watching her scribble and doodle by herself but she always hands me a pen and asks me to draw too so there you have it. More to come!

Sticky Chair Decor

Remember what I blogged about here?

Amber brought sticker-sticking to a new level!

Tadaaaaah!!!

It used to be a plain, boring upuan but after what Amber did, it became lively, di ba? ^_^

It's a nice activity for your toddler, too!