List of the most popular hashtags for theme #SMARTPARENTINGPH

When I was pregnant 11 years ago, I was really anxious of all the new things that I’m experiencing. There’s no one to talk to since my parents are in the province. My friends are all single at that time and there’s no one to share and compare my experiences with. I’m not sure if I’m doing everything right. Through all the panic attacks, Smart Parenting has been my bestfriend. I love reading the articles in their website. And it has been a dream to attend their events. . . Finally, I was invited to attend the “Smart Parenting Convention” at SM-Megamall Mega Trade Hall last June 29, 2019. The event was co-presented by Nido, PLDT Home Fibr, sponsors like Jack n’ Jill, 3M Nexcare Products and Ariel. . . I arrived late since I had so many activities to attend to that day plus my son is having his review for the Grade 7 entrance exam. Since I really want to attend the event, I went there even if its already late. And I enjoyed the experience even for such a short span of time. Thank you @smartparenting and @missemmagno for having me. ♥️ . . . . . . . #smartparenting #smartparentingph #smartparentingconvention2019 #eventsph #phevents #parenthood #wanderwomomdebs #momsofinstagram #bloggermom #bloggermomph #phmoms

While we were at the dress shop earlier (so Kara can try her gown for her birthday in Oct), Kara met a kid and their conversation went on like this: *Kid holding a Queen Elsa doll, from Frozen* Kara: is that Elsa? Kid: yes! I wanna be like Elsa! I want to make ice! Kara: That's easy. Just put water in the freezer. my mama does that everyday. (So the water I was drinking came out of my nose because I tried to stop myself from laughing). Let me go back to the scenario. This is one of the things I read in Dr. Montessori's books -- avoid introducing fantasy to very young children UNTIL they have a good understanding of what is real and what isn't. Aside from confusing the child, it can also be dangerous for him/her to believe things that aren't or can't be real. Kara was just so funny because she related what she has seen me do, to their discussion By the way, if you've started reading Dr. Montessori's work, she emphasized that Fantasy is different from imagination. Some would say: "but, kids have this natural inclination to pretend." This shouldn't be confused for a desire for fantasy though. Kids want to know what the world is really like and they use pretending (imagining) to experiment within that world. Case in point - Kara would pretend to be a chef, she even made me a pizza ice cream cake with her play dough! Anyway, we've slowly introduced fantasy to Kara. She has watched some Disney movies with us & she understands that parts of it cannot happen in real life (like talking animals, superpowers, etc). We've also read her fantasy books. We are just very careful with how we select the movies and the books, preferably something that she has some experience in real life (like ice and snow, seeing a deer, wearing ball gowns, etc) and we always check if she has any questions. Oh, and she wants to be a princess on her birthday so she asked for a ball gown. Love her twirl hihi #princessKara #Karadorable #twirl #3yearsold #babygirl

I was chatting with family friends who are pediatricians about Kara and Andi and they mentioned out of the blue, that we can test for "giftedness" by the time Kara is 5 years old (they said she is showing signs but, personally I think it's too early to determine that). ⠀ ⠀ Kara's pedia said the same before and their observations coincide with her behaviorial report at school (they're not graded; we receive a copy of the guide's detailed observations about her work). I asked if there is a real need and what will be the impact if one is tagged as "gifted." Perhaps her learning needs? She goes to a Montessori school so the Guide follows her pace in learning - she isn't asked to just learn what others are learning, like in a traditional setting. Or maybe, emotionally a different type of support is needed?⠀ ⠀ Anyway, "following the child" is one of the beautiful things I love about this method. Although students are free to work at their own pace, they’re not going at it alone. The Guide closely observes each child and provides materials and activities that advance her learning by building on skills and knowledge already gained. This gentle guidance helps her master the challenge at hand—and protects her from moving on before she’s ready, which is what actually causes children to “fall behind.”⠀ ⠀ I still have to read and learn more about this and discuss it with my husband. But, my overall thought on this is that the world doesn't need more geniuses, we need more people who genuinely care about others and the environment, and will actually do something to make things better. It sounds cheesy but I want my children to live in a "better world". By the way, strong #empathy & sense of justice are some of the traits of a gifted child. There are 5 domains of giftedness: intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, and academic. :)

Long Anniversary Post Part 1 ➖ July 12, 2019 marks my 3rd anniversary as a host. I never planned for this. God really works in mysterious ways. ➖ I’ve always been shy and public speaking isn’t really my thing. All I wanted was to to teach in preschool and have my own world with them inside the classroom. Now I’ve come to realize that teaching can be done outside of the classroom. ❤️ ➖ When I did my first hosting, I was nervous. I know I wasn’t in my comfort zone. Everything changed after the event, after moms approached me and told me how much they enjoyed my program. I suddenly realized that I can keep my passion burning by reaching out to more children and teaching outside the confines of a classroom. ➖ Hosting children’s parties opened my eyes to new opportunities in learning. I’m able to spread my advocacy of learning through play to more people by doing weekly events. After seeing how a few hours with children and their parents can change their perception on learning, I further spread my wings and tried to do more— from running workshops to launching my YouTube learning channel. ➖ I started as a host, moved on to building my brand, being invited as speaker to several events, to conducting workshops for parents, being interviewed by students and blogs, and to creating my online preschool on YouTube. Soon, I’ll be launching several products for the Teacher Celine brand. I can’t believe how much have changed in just three years. • to be continued... . . . . #teacherceline #learningthroughplay #kiddiepartyph #eventsph #igdaily #preschoolteacher #teachersofinstagram #eventsbyteacherceline #momblogger #youtube #bloggersofinstagram #grateful #gratitude #smartparentingph #celebritymomph #snowwhite #snowwhitecosplay #disneyprincess #disneyph

Good Morning!!! While baby Andi is sleeping soundly, I got a chance to read some DM's. A question that keeps popping is whether our 3 year old Kara has entered regression upon the arrival of her baby brother. Thankfully, she didn't. But lately, she has been testing her "limits", if you know what I mean. Just quite lucky to have read about #positivediscipline and #MontessoriLifestyle because this approach definitely works for us. The LEFT SIDE of the table is the traditional approach that most of us probably grew up with -- the RIGHT SIDE of the table is what Positive Discipline and Montessori advocate for. My husband @manong_pasha , also attended a Neuro-linguistic workshop and shared how to use words to get the outcomes we want. Anyway, as a parent - we've learned that TELLING & SHOWING THEM WHAT TO DO works better than telling kids WHAT NOT TO DO. Believe me, one time I told Kara to stop running, she answered back with: "How about jumping? or galloping? or Waddling like you mama?" So, I just said: "please walk instead." She did have a point, there are other options aside from running. We have to be very specific, and better yet SHOW THEM what they should be doing (Concrete vs. Abstract first, for kids below 6 years old). P.S. You can read the blog of Janet Lansbury or purchase her book on Positive Discipline. Simone Davies also shared wonderful insights on this in her book "The Montessori Toddler" and in her blog @themontessorinotebook

Special delivery! Can you guess what’s in the box? . . . Swipe left to know what’s inside! Cats don’t need fancy toys, much like children, a simple box can spark their interest and imagination. Come bring your child and have them explore the wonders of a cat’s life at the cafe! #catsandcrumbs #catcafe #Marikina #adoptdontshop #iSupportPAWS #cat #puspin #catinabox #catlover #catvocacy #catadoption #responsiblepetownership #smartparentingph

A week has passed, and I've lost 15 lbs and counting. Baby Andi also gained weight after a week -- all thanks to breastfeeding. I really wanna start expressing milk on one side, but waiting it out so my body adjusts to his demand. This has been my life so far: 10 diaper changes a day, breastfeeding on demand (every 2-3 hours), getting Kara and Andi to nap (when I do the Ssssh thing, they both pass out haha), playing with the 2 of them, and trying to squeeze in meals and a shower in between. No matter the hour, the circumstance, the exhaustion, the inconvenience, or even the pain involved (especially after this round of CS delivery) — we moms since the beginning of time have been heeding our children’s call (& can definitely sense it before we're needed). Yes, there are lots of moments when I cry and all, but I suck it up because they need me... Anyway, you know what, moms need MOTHERING TOO. And, I'm not talking about just getting help to take care of the kids, but also to take care of us moms -- someone who doesn't need to be asked and can sense when we need help. In my case, that would be my mother (obviously). I don't know, it's like magic -- I dont even have to say it and my mom shows up bringing groceries or nursing clothes or sends me a message or Viber stickers like "ACHIEVE!" "GORABELS!" to make me feel better. Sending love to all moms with newborn babies Drink lots of buko juice to rehydrate and increase your milk. Nap while the baby naps if you can. Delegate tasks to others, DON'T ASK - just tell people what help you need, because we need all the help we can get. #realmoms #momlife

Say Hello to our #MontessoriBaby Andi He's now 6 weeks old and loves observing everything around him, especially faces and sunlight. Added a little something to his infant movement area - Black and White printouts! He was staring at these for 15 mins! Kara was also showing him more printouts and he really loved the dog (it looks like Albus, our labrador). This is a very simple Montessori activity for infants. Black and white books or images provide great visual contrast, which makes it easy for the baby to recognize the contours of the objects presented to him. We can show black and white flash cards to babies as young as one or two months of age, as long as they are in a good mood. Nowadays it’s possible to buy black and white books and flashcards with pictures for babies, but it’s really easy to make them at home almost for free with images we can find online, using items which are relevant to our particular circumstances, something they can RELATE TO (i.e. you can use a picture of a dog if you have one at home). You can place the #DIYcards or printouts, at most - 12 inches away from the baby (like tape it to the wall), because if it's too far they won't see it clearly yet. You can also point to each and name it if you like, but as always, if the baby isn't interested, don't force it. #followthechild P.S. BLOG POST: Setting up a Montessori Baby Room, click link in my BIO Again, try to make your home CHILD-FRIENDLY INSTEAD OF CHILDPROOF. I really love the #carazplaymat from @highandmightyph because it's thick, firm and waterproof. We fold it up when Andi uses it as a "floor bed" then spread it out wide when Kara wants to go play. #preparedenvironment #babyroom #montessoribedroom #montessoriwithmultiples

Christ-centered story Bibles are sometimes useful. But nothing beats reading straight out of Scripture. The Bible is great literature, and I don’t see any reason why we should withhold reading from the text itself when we read other more complex literature to children. Grab a Bible with a good translation and start reading. You may begin with Genesis or with the four Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are narratives, and they work like stories so they are easier to start with. If you’re homeschooling, slowly introduce Bible reading during Morning Time or Basket Time before digging into more formal lessons. You could also make the Bible as one of your read alouds within the day. Perhaps include a chapter in your bedtime reading or introduce a verse in one of your children’s copy works. The important thing is to carve out time and include Bible reading in your daily routine. This is also one practical way for busy parents to make time to read and meditate on Scriptures. #CharlotteMason said it best when she wrote: "We are apt to believe that children cannot be interested in the Bible unless its pages be watered down—turned into the slipshod English we prefer to offer them. It is a mistake to use paraphrases of the text; the fine roll of Bible English appeals to children with a compelling music, and they will probably retain through life their first conception of the Bible scenes, and, also, the very words in which these scenes are portrayed. This is a great possession… Let their minds be nourished upon the words, of the gradually unfolding story of the Scriptures, and they will come to look out upon a wide horizon within which persons and events take shape in their due place and due proportion." But far more than being great literature, the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. And just like Timothy, may these words also ring true for our children: "[H]ow from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15 ESV) I wrote more about how to pick Bible translations and offered a few recommended resources now up in my blog!