Teaching Gradeschoolers Programming

Hello beautiful Moms!

It's been two months since Lady M took Grade 1 lessons. So I decided to incorporate Computer Class in her Subject List. Since I don't have a book dedicated for this, I gathered all my computer books in college and selected topics that I think will be helpful in encouraging her to study programming.

These are the lessons we tackled before starting with Programming:

1. What is Computer
2. Basic History of Computers (e.g. the oldest form of computer, the Father of Computers, etc.)
3. Present Day Computers
4. Uses of Computer Programming
5. Ergonomics: Health and Safety
   

Scratch Programming Language

I used Scratch for Lady M since she is fond of animals and I think it is appropriate for her age. For older gradeschoolers I suggest using Alice or Processing.

Scratch is a visual programming language, it is free and is user-friendly, so parents who have little or no experience with programming will have no difficulty in using it with their kids. One thing to note is kids must already know how to read and count so they can follow the instructions in the tutorial and then when they are done, both of you may check the project. Try changing the values of your variables so your kids will see the changes and how it affects the whole project.

At first, Lady M was hesitant she thought programming was way too complicated for her but when we started coding and she saw the results of her work, she got very enthusiastic with it since then!

 So that's it Moms! I hope this post helped you in some ways. God bless!

Celebrating Baptismal Anniversaries

Hello beautiful moms!

It's been 3 years since my last post here. Life is busy with two preschoolers and all the daily task in the house, not to mention the long distance relationship with Hubby.

Baptismal days are said to be our birthday in the Christian Church. The day when we are cleansed physically and spiritually. The day when we received the sign of Jesus Christ.

It was three years ago when we started celebrating baptismal anniversaries. We make the day special by gathering together, lighting up blessed candles, and saying a family prayer service like this one from Loyola Press. After the prayer service is my favorite part where everyone will dip their fingers in the Holy Water and make the sign of the cross on each others forehead followed by a tight hug.

So here's  a short clip when we celebrated Lady M's recent baptismal anniversary.

"Today, at home, go look, ask about the date of your Baptism and that way you will keep in mind that most beautiful day of Baptism. To know the date of our Baptism is to know a blessed day. The danger of not knowing is that we can lose awareness of what the Lord has done in us, the memory of the gift we have received. Thus, we end up considering it only as an event that took place in the past – and not by our own will but by that of our parents – and that it has no impact on the present. We must reawaken the memory of our Baptism. We are called to live out our Baptism every day as the present reality of our lives." - Pope Francis

How do you celebrate your baptismal anniversaries? Let us know!

No More Sore Nipples. Praise God!!!

It's been a week and 3 days now since I've given birth and yesterday was such a blessed day. I survived the day without any sore from breastfeeding. (Praise God! *T_T* This may sound nothing for others, but for some who experienced sore nipples like me while breastfeeding their babies, this would be an enormous blessing.)

How do I described the pain? It hurts... A LOT!!! That every time my baby's tongue touches my nipples ripples of pain run through my whole body that I can't stop myself twitching my feet in pain. I even found myself pulling my baby's head back as I'm about to bring her head to my breast, just for me to draw more strength for the anticipated pain. For a while, the thought of bottle feeding her came to my mind. (Why should I choose to undergo this after the labor pains and still suffering from episiotomy when I can bottle feed her? Bottle fed babies are doing fine anyway. For a while, I was in the brink of giving up. But I always end up of reminding myself with the reason why I choose to breastfeed my babies.)

You see, I can stop breastfeeding if I really want to, but I promised myself to try my best, this time, to exclusively breastfeed my baby for at least six months. My eldest daughter was mixed feed due to lack of information about breastfeeding. I thought it will just come naturally. Yes, I've read about breastfeeding beforehand through books, online pregnancy sites, hospital pamphlets, but I have no idea how painful it could be. The lack of support while in the hospital worsened it.

Fortunately for this pregnancy, I was able to attend breastfeeding info drive (MOM101 spearheaded by SLMC; Baby & Me Club by Mothercare), meetings of nursing moms where we share our experiences in breastfeeding, motherhood, being a wife, etc. (Bestfriends in Breastfeeding spearheaded by La Leche League Manila). One thing I'm also grateful for is that SLMC-GC is so devoted in their drive of supporting moms in breastfeeding. Right after I've given birth, lactation consultants are visiting me from time to time, giving me support and tips about breastfeeding. They even informed me that I can contact them, even after being discharged from the hospital.

My baby's Pedia is also a breastfeeding advocate. She was even currently breastfeeding her newborn baby so we were able to exchange our thoughts, experiences, and pains about breastfeeding.

So here I am celebrating this milestone. Thanking God for surpassing that stage. And hopefully, armed with the help and support of good people around me, I'll be successful in my desire to exclusively breastfeed my little girl for a longer period of time. That I pray in God's grace.

A Family Affair: Today We Went To The Grand Baby Fair!

At 39 weeks and 2 days, 1cm dilated, and with some mild contractions, fortunately I still managed to visit Baby Company's Grand Baby Fair today at SM Megamall with Hubby, Lady M and our household helper before heading to my weekly check up appointment with my OB late in the afternoon.

The Registration is free and you are not required to purchase anything, so if you have spare time tomorrow until Sunday, you can drop by there and join the activities at the activity area since they have talks like breastfeeding, baby care, etc., and fun activities for toddlers and kids. And if ever you got thirsty they have free water stations too, sponsored by Wilkins, scattered around the hall. Here's the program line up(you may click the images to enlarge them):

Most of the items there are discounted from 20-50% off, a few 70%, so it's really worth it if you haven't yet started shopping stuffs for your baby.

Here's a list of the participating brands(good luck to my memory, I should've took some pics of the booths or at least jot them down, well that's a lesson learned today ^_^):

- Ai-Non
- Avent
- Baby Company
- Bebeta
- Bright Starts
- Canadian (pillows and beddings)
- Canon
- Ceelin
- Charlie Banana
- Chicco
- Cradle (baby bottle and nipple cleanser)
- CryoCord (a stem cells bank for infants)
- Disney
- Dr. Browns
- Enfant
- EQ Dry
- Farlin
- Fisher Price
- Goldilocks (discounted party cakes)
- Graco
- Gymboree
- Huggies
- Johnson & Johnson
- Lactacyd
- Lassig
- Mac Laren
- Mamaway
- Mamy Poko
- Medela
- Mimiflo
- Mommy Matters
- Next9 (cloth diapers)
- Nivea
- Nuby
- Pampers
- Pigeon
- Playtex
- Quilted Giraffe
- Safety First
- SansFluo
- TinyBuds
- Wet N Wild Cosmetics
- Wilkins

That's a pretty long list right? Good thing I was able to get some brochures from the booths I visited, so I don't really have to rely mostly in this pregnant memory of mine.

After strolling around, checking my list, canvassing prices and comparing quality, I end up with these stuffs:

And while I was doing my shopping, Lady M was also having fun at the activity area.

The good thing is, aside from the discounted items, they are also giving you a swag bag and a free Mom Card if you purchase at least Php2,000.00.

These are the contents of my swag bag that's a lot of freebies right?

So if you're thinking of spending the rest of the week with your kids and family try to drop by there at SM Megamall, who knows, you might learn something new from the talks they are giving or you might even find stuffs worthy to be bought at discounted prices.

Sources:
* program line up images from Baby Company Facebook page.

Giving Birth at SLMC: The Maternity Packages, Estimated Costs and Room Rates

As promised, today I'm going to write about the Maternity Package we availed at St. Luke's Medical Center-Global City.

For NSD here's the sample agreement:

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NORMAL SPONTANEOUS DELIVERY (NSD) PACKAGE AGREEMENT

This Maternity Care Package is designed for those who have had previously uncomplicated delivery. 

1. INCLUSIONS
    a) Use of Labor Room for 24 hours
    b) Delivery Room services:
        - Surgical and Medical Supplies
        - Equipment
            = Fetal Monitor
            = Doppler
            = Pulse Oximeter
        - Anaesthesia service (Epidural)
    c) Post-operative care
        - Use of recovery room
    d) Room and Board accommodation for two (2) days
        - Room type
            = 4-bed Standard Room
            = 2-bed Standard Room
        - Admission kit
        - Nursery kit ( includes blanket, mittens, socks, bonnet)
        - Standard nursing service
        * Newborns are roomed-in with the mother.
    e) Post-delivery medicines and medical supplies
        - Antibiotic Medicines
        - Analgesic Medicine (pain reliever)
    f) Medicines and medical supplies for the baby including vaccines such as:
          -  Vitamin K
        - BCG
        - Hepatitis B
        - Eye ointment
    g) Ancillary services for the baby such as:
        - Newborn screening
        - Hearing test ( Otoacoustic Emission)
    h) Professional Fees
        - Obstetrician
        - Anaesthesiologist
        - Pediatrician

2. PACKAGE RATES
    a) 4-bed Standard (2 days) ............................ Php 56,000.00
    b) 2-bed Standard (2 days) ............................ Php 58,000.00

Note: The above package rate must be paid before expected delivery date and at least thirty six (36) weeks into pregnancy.

----------------------------

For CS here's the sample agreement:

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CESAREAN SECTION DELIVERY (CSD) PACKAGE AGREEMENT

This Maternity We Care Medical Package is designed for uncomplicated repeat Cesarean Section Delivery (CSD) and uncomplicated primary CSD.

INCLUSIONS 

Use of delivery room

Surgical and Medical Supplies

Equipment

- Infusion pump

- Cardiac monitor

- Fetal monitor

- Doppler

- Pipeline suction

- Spinal set

Anaesthesia Service and Supplies

Standard medical supplies for CSD

Post-operative care

Use of recovery room

Room and Board accommodation for four (4) days

Room type (please tick one)

□ 4-Bed Standard Room

□ 2-Bed Standard Room

Admission Kit

Nursery Kit (includes blanket, mittens, socks, bonnet)

Standard nursing service

Note: Newborns are roomed-in with the mother.       

Post-delivery medicines and medical supplies

Antibiotic Medicines

Analgesic Medicine (pain reliever)

Medicines and medical supplies for the baby including vaccines such as:

Vitamin K

BCG

Hepatitis B

Eye ointment

 

Ancillary services for the baby such as:

Newborn screening

Hearing test (Otoacoustic Emission)

Professional Fees

Obstetrician

Anaesthesiologist

Pediatrician

PACKAGE RATES

                 □ 4-Bed Standard (4 Days)……………………..Php 94,000.

                 □ 2-Bed Standard (4 Days)……………………..Php 98,000.

Note: The above package rate must be paid before expected delivery date and at least thirty six (36) weeks into pregnancy

----------------------------

For Payment Scheme, Refund Policy, Exclusions and PhilHealth see the images below(you may click the images to enlarge them):

Now for those who want to use a private room, of course you can't avail the packages if that's your choice, for uncomplicated NSD and CS deliveries the estimated costs would be as follows(this is a part of an email I received from SLMC Customer Relations as of June 02, 2011 so you better call SLMC or email them for updated rates):

NSD = Php40,000-Php75,000.00(2-3 days hospitalization)
CS   = Php70,000-Php100,000.00(4-5 days hospitalization)

These rates includes: approximate delivery, recovery, and nursery room charges, basic medicines and supplies used in the delivery room and room charges for a Regular Private Room.

As professional fees (OB-Gyne, Pedia, Anesthesiologist) vary, it would be best to discuss this directly with your attending physician.

Roughly, for NSD, the OB-Gyne will charge anywhere from 25-50 thousand pesos depending on the circumstances. The Anesthesiologist will charge around 40% of the OB's bill and the Pediatrician will charge around 5-10 thousand. For CS, the OB will charge around 70-120 thousand, the Anesthesiologist will charge around 40% of the OB's bill, and the Pedia charges around 10-20 thousand.

Here are some of the possible rooms you can avail from SLMC-GC:

Room Rates and Amenities as of January 1, 2012

Here are some of the rooms available at the 8th Floor (Maternity Unit):

Regular Private

Regular Private rooms has:

• 4ft refrigerator
• wall mounted flat screen TV
• daybed
• overbed table
• patient controlled bed
• wall mounted BP apparatus
• bedside table
• telephone
• closet
• safety deposit box

Regular Private Room (Php3,500.00)

Toilet and Bath is clean and pretty spacious for me (my wild guest it's around 6'x8'), with cold and hot water, non-skid mat, bidet sprayer.

Regular Private Room - T&B

Deluxe Private

This is the cheapest birthing room in SLMC-GC. Amenities here are much like the Regular Private room except that it's bigger and fancier and it has a pantry area, a couple of chairs, birthing equipments, and an infant radiant warmer (lower right-hand side pic beside the patient bed).

Birthing Room: Deluxe Private (Php8,000.00)

Birthing Room: Deluxe Private - T&B

Executive Private

This birthing room is a bit bigger (and fancier ^_^) than the Deluxe Private. I forgot if this one has a microwave oven provided in the pantry but surely this room has a Lazy Boy chair. The room's window overlooks a Chinese Garden.

Birthing Room: Executive Private (Php9,000.00)

Deluxe Suite



This is the biggest of the birthing rooms available in SLMC-GC. The pantry and receiving area are separated from the patient's room. This has a microwave oven, a refrigerator, a flat screen TV and a set of desktop computer (I wasn't able to take a pic of the PC but it's located inside the patient's room). The best thing in this room is that the T&B is spacious and it has a birthing pool (which is very useful for those who prefer natural childbirth). The window at the patient's room overlooks a Chinese Garden.

Birthing Room: Deluxe Suite (Php12,000.00)

At the 8th floor Maternity Unit there is also a common pantry, located near the Nurse Station, where there's a microwave oven and a hot/cold water dispenser.

l

St. Luke's We Care Medical Packages

Starting last year, 20th of July, maternity packages are already available at St. Luke's Medical Center (Quezon City/Global City).

We're planning to avail SLMC's maternity package for Normal Spontaneous Delivery so keep posted, I'll be writing an entry about the package's inclusions and other details this coming week. (That's if Baby won't decide to make an early checkout, I would probably be too busy by then.)

Sources:

* image from St. Luke's Medical Center website.

Baby and Me Club Expectant Parent Event

Mothercare is inviting all expectant parents to come and join the Baby & Me Club Event on January 28, 2012 (Saturday, 3:00pm-6:00pm) at Mothercare Active Fun Global, Bonifacio High Street.

To register, please click this link http://www.tfaforms.com/230337

Please note that only the first 100 registrants will be accommodated.

For more info visit Mothercare Philippines.

 

Sources:

* image from Mothercare Philippines Facebook page.