The Sassy Lawyer & Pinoy Cook on food, family and home.
For the past two years, we have been making personalized gift tags for Christmas. Two years ago, the gift tags were simple computer printed affairs but especially designed by the girls. Last year, it was something more. We cut figures from colored paper and glued glitters on the gift tags. I love doing projects like ... (more)
Last Sunday, Alex was washing her hand in the kitchen when she called to show me something. I looked and said, “Hold it, let me take photos.” These were taken with my tiny iXus so the resolution and colors aren’t so good but, hey, at least I managed to capture the moment. The girls played ... (more)
When Sam and Alex were young, I did not encourage them to play with dolls. It’s just such a stereotype — as though telling girls that they have no future but taking care of babies. I encouraged puzzles. 3D puzzles like building blocks, including Lego. Jigsaw puzzles. And art. And, yes, interactive computer games including ... (more)
I was reading an article about a three-year-old child’s sleeping issue being solved by a digital clock in his bedroom… My kids first learned to tell time by reading digital clocks too. And when I tried to teach them how to read analog clocks, we started having problems. In fact, when they were old enough to start wearing wrist watches, they preferred digital to analog. And it ate at me, you know? I wondered if that was okay.
Sure, we want our kids to learn the value of hard work. We want them to study well, learn how to cook, wash the dishes, do their laundry, clean up their mess, clean up after their pets — but it has to be because they understand the consequences of being a moron around the house rather than because they expect to be rewarded with money. I just don’t want them to think that no deed ought to be done unless payment is in the horizon.
(Today’s column) Every three years, my husband’s eldest brother, his wife and two sons spend three weeks in the Philippines. He and his wife have been living in a suburb of Chicago for over 20 years and both of their sons were born and raised there. They arrived over a week ago and, last Sunday, ... (more)
Sam was a shy child. A very shy child. She was chatty enough with people she felt comfortable with but around strangers, she was the Ice Queen until she was ready to thaw. It was something I discussed with the administrator of the pre-school she attended a long time ago. Teacher Gladys, her name was, ... (more)
Every time we pass by a shop window displaying girls’ dresses in pretty floral pastels, I reminisce about the days when I chose all of Sam’s and Alex’s clothes. That was a long time ago. Thing is, as children grow older, they form their own preferences and sense of style. That’s why there was a ... (more)
In many ways, the school year opening is like Christmas. Children expect treats in the form of new shoes, bags, uniforms, supplies, lunch boxes and even new accessories to prettify books and notebooks. I must admit that I used to be one of those kids. School didn’t seem so exciting unless my parents bought me ... (more)
We have seen most of the residential subdivisions in the area. We know the quality of the neighborhood of each one, the prices, the lot sizes, the amenities and everything else we need to know to make a good decision. And, this time, we all got to decide — including the girls. And their votes carried as much weight as Speedy’s and mine. It’s only fair. It’s going to be their house as much as ours.
The online version of The Australian recently published a report about a growing movement of parents to ban junk food ads especially on television. The reason? Because “the advertising was undermining their efforts to teach children good eating habits.” Heaven knows I’d like to see something similar in the Philippines, but the question is who ... (more)
Casa is Spanish for house. CASA is also an acronym for Connie, Antonio, Sam and Alex. We are all surnamed Veneracion. We all love to take photos -- of anything that catches our fancy. It's a family obsession.
This is a journal of how we live, eat, learn, play and have fun. Work? Work is part of playing and having fun. Seriously.
In 2003, a time when I hadn't heard of the term "blog", I started a recipe website at cooking.houseonahill.net using a now defunct content management system that ran on ASP. Ok, never mind the geek talk, I'm sure you're not interested in that. The contents easily multiplied and, in 2004, I moved the food site to pinoycook.net. Always unhappy with the fact that the dot com … »»
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