TOPAZ HORIZON

So this is basically what it looks like. You have a supermarket and you have 1K and half the store stocked to start.

Let's get the confession out of the way: I play online games while I'm working! Yes, and it's okay. Much of my work as operations manager of a communications agency based abroad is waiting for submissions to come in from our writers and artists. So when I approve copy and wait for the artist to lay it out, I switch to the tab where Solitaire is on and I play a few card games. 

It's better than toxic Facebook, believe me! Social media reels you in and you go up the heaven of cute corgis and kittens or down the hell hole of news and negative comments, and then you're too distracted to go back to work. So I've gone back to my childhood hobby of playing cards, but this time online.

I actually still have a deck of cards on my bedside table and I play solitaire sometimes on the bed as I chat with my husband. If he's reading or working and can't talk, I sing the Carpenters' song, "Solitaire" while I play. It's one of my favorite sad songs. 

Solitaire is a game my grandparents taught me to pass away afternoons, listening to radio dramas. My Lola said you can ask the cards a yes-no question and if you win the game, then it's a yes. So that's another confession. I ask the cards stuff!

So anyway, let me tell you about my new find, Solitaire.org. It has dozens of free solitaire games like Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, gin rummy, crazy eights, hearts, and more. Like a LOT more. But I usually just play solitaire because it's my favorite. It calms my mind and helps me focus. Makes me better at remembering deadlines and editing work. So it really is a good way to while away the time when I'm waiting for work to come in.  

I don't dislike it. In fact, I play it every day because I just really want to get to Level 10! But I definitely don't play this game when I'm working. It doesn't relax me. It brings out all my killer instincts and I just want to blast those balls to kingdom come!!!

So let me reiterate that I don't play Zuma Ball while I work. Instead, when I'm not playing solitaire, I play this: Candy House. It's like Candy Crush but slower and more mellow. So again, makes me feel calm. which is great when I'm working.

There are dozens more games at Solitaire.org. Sometimes I let my kids play the games, too. For school! Patterns are part of math, you know! I highly recommend these games for your kids as a fun way to recognize patterns. 

And that's my little secret! And my new online find. Try Solitaire.org, too! Happy Monday and I hope you have a great week, everyone!

This week was extra busy for me and my second boy, Iñigo. For a few years now, my kids have been saying that when they grow up, they want to be YouTubers. It's a dream I frown upon. But because my parents discouraged me from becoming a writer, I wasn't going to do the same thing to my kids. Nope. 

My husband said we won't discourage them but they have to prove that this is what they really really REALLY want. And then we'll support. We told them the best YouTubers loved doing something first and they shared that something with the world. So cooking, video games, toys - what's important was they had a hobby, job, interest that they made videos of. They were Someone first before they were a YouTuber. So we encouraged them to have a Something and be a Someone, and then vlogging will come easy.  

We also never said they can't be YouTubers. We told them they have to figure out how to be one because neither their parents were vloggers so we really didn't know how to help anyway! And for years, their dream was all talk, no action. So we didn't think they were serious about it.

This summer, however, my boys learned to program. And my second boy, Iñigo, took to it like fish to water. He was churning out video games in a few short weeks on Scratch, and other kids were telling him his games were cool. I'm so proud of him. Even more important, he's so proud of himself.

Last month, he announced he wanted to start his YouTube channel. He said he wanted to share his love for Scratch and Minecraft. He has found his Something and his Someone was he was going to be a teacher. 

I resisted because I didn't know how to make videos myself! But finally last week, I promised we'd figure it out together. But when the weekend came, I backed out. I was tired. I wasn't interested. And I really didn't want him to be a YouTuber.

Iñigo got sad. He looked betrayed. But he said he understood. And that made me feel worse.

So what the heck, let's do this! So I sat him down and had a heart-to-heart. I told him why I didn't want him to be a YouTuber. I said, "The internet is an ugly place filled with mean and hateful people. I don't want you to go out there and they'll say mean and hateful things about your work and about you. Or what if no one 'likes' your video or no one comments? That hurts, too. You're a kid. You can't handle these things yet. Even me, I'm a blogger for 15 years now and my grown-up heart gets very hurt at mean comments."

I also told him that the opposite can be a bad thing, too. "There's also a danger in getting lots of likes and fans. You'll start building your self-worth on likes. But what if you made something they didn't like? Then you'll always want to make something that will make others happy when you should be creating work that makes you happy," I said. 

We talked late into the night and he agreed that I'll screen all comments first. He'll tell me if anyone was being mean or threatening or making him uncomfortable. I also told him it's important to not take things personally. But, my goodness, he's a kid! How can I protect him from the world? 

We talked about internet safety and many other things. He told me about his dreams, his plans for his videos, and that he'll be responsible and always tell me and his Papa everything. Finally, I was convinced. I conceded that he really wants this YouTube channel and so what's a Mama to do? We make it happen!

We Googled everything! We set it up, we troubleshot, we plotted and planned. And I was annoyed sometimes. I really didn't want to do this and I was sleepy and frustrated at all the things we had to learn! But he was so happy and excited. He was going to do Scratch tutorials and let me tell you, I'm not his market at all. I told him to make this or that instead, but he said, "I'm not doing this for likes, Mama. I want to help kids like me!" 

So I went through with it, researching with him, guiding, explaining, and finally... Iñigo launched his YouTube channel.

FoxBoy25

At 3 AM on September 7, 2021, Iñigo sat back, exhausted but bright-eyed. He said, "So this is how it feels like when your dream comes true."

My heart exploded! It was worth it. He fought for his dream. He worked hard at it. And that made his accomplishment even more amazing. I'm so proud of him. Even more important, he's so proud of himself.

In two days, he made FIVE videos. That's how excited he is. And I may not understand his dream but I realized that's not what's important. All he needs is for me to support him all the way. 

I learned a lot this week. How to set up a channel, make and edit videos, fiddle with all the settings. I also learned how to be a supportive parent. And that's the best lesson of all. 

Look at how cute baby Vito and baby Iñigo were in the pool! How I wish we could have a summer holiday. My kids and I have all of July to enjoy our school break. It's only a month because we're moving to a new homeschool provider that has an earlier back-to-school date than our previous one. So that's just 3 weeks of summer! 

It's summer for us! We are lazy bums right now, just really enjoying the no-school days until we have to hit the books again in August. That doesn't mean I'm letting the kids' brains go too idle. I kinda tricked them into playing online games at Plays.org. It's a site I found a couple of months ago and it has hundreds of games - many of them educational! - and you can play them all for FREE!!!

GUEST POST - There are invaluable benefits that your children can receive from regular exercise. Physical activity is crucial for your child’s health and development, but in the social media world we live in, your kids may be more interested in their news feed than getting outdoors and taking up a hobby or sport.

My kids love Cheeky Monkeys play place! I feel like it's a family secret because everyone else goes to other indoor play areas and they're already really crowded, which, for me, takes out a lot of fun from the play. So when we discovered Cheeky Monkeys and its vastness and newness, we fell in love! Here's a little peek!

First of all, we love Cheeky Monkeys because they thought of parents. They set aside this large area called the café just for us. We can wait for our kids within the establishment. We can have coffee or merienda. We can even work since there's free WiFi. We're accessible to the kids all the time but it's separate from the play areas so it doesn't feel chaotic. I really like that Cheeky Monkeys thought of the most important people—the parents paying for everything!!! Hahaha

Joking aside, parents really should leave their kids alone when playing. That way, the kids learn how to figure out what kind of play they like, how to play on their own, how to play with other kids, share toys, resolve conflicts if the other kids don't want to share haha

I like that the Café makes sitting down and leaving our kids alone sooooo attractive. I think it discourages helicopter parents from forever hovering over their kids. "Baby, play here. Play like this. Share that toy. Hey, other kid, share that toy with my baby! No? Bad kid! Baby, let's play somewhere else!" Good grief. But if you truly are a helicopter parent or you want to take photos of your kids playing, that's fine! The interactive play area is big enough to accommodate grownups!


Now, let's check out the 3000-sqm interactive play area! Mamas, I have more photos than these. But my kids have told me they really don't want me to post so many photos of their faces so these are the only ones I have where their faces aren't so visible. So here's what I can share:

The slide!!!

Lots of places for little arms and legs to climb!

This is quite a physical challenge as the kids cross to the other side while hanging on for dear life!

Obstacles to avoid, tunnels to crawl through!

Trampoline joy!

Twisty slide!

Bridges to cross!

Run and swing swing swing!

The pictures below are of the Clubhouse. It's separated from the play place. It's a 2-story building that houses the role-play area so your kids can play house, pretend they're shopping, stuff like that. I like that it's on the other side of the room so that the kids there can play in peace.


Now behind those doors are the party rooms. They're big and cute! I think it'll be super fun to have your kid's birthday over at Cheeky Monkeys! I know they have party packages so do check them out when you drop by.



Okay, other stuff I loved at Cheeky Monkeys:

1. The toddlers have their own area. I didn't take photos because none of my school-age kids visited the toddler area. But I think it's thoughtful—and safe!—that they separated the big kids from the little ones.

2. The kiddie activities! When we visited, there was a face-painting thing going on but my kids weren't interested because they were having too much fun playing.

3. The bathrooms. They're in the facility! No need to get a stamp, put shoes on again, walk out and run to the faraway CRs! The kids need to pee or poo? No problem! The bathrooms are clea, too. And very child-friendly.

4. It's sooooo affordable! On weekdays, it's just P350 for the first hour and the accompanying adult is free! I don't understand those play places where they won't allow you to leave your kid alone but then they'll charge you for accompanying your kid. So unjust!
    Now, to clarify, it's one kid-one adult for P350. If you have only one kid and you bring daddy, yaya, lolo, lola, auntie and uncle, well, they have to pay an entrance fee of P200 each.

5. They accept credit cards!!!

Cheeky Monkeys really have thought of everything! The only negative thing I can say about it is it's far from us. Actually, it's not. It's the traffic that makes it far. But if you're from Makati, Manila and thereabouts, MET Live at Pasay (just before Mall of Asia if you're coming from EDSA) isn't that far. Plus, there's parking!

For more details like weekend rates, check out their website: Cheeky Monkeys PH. I think they have classes and arts and crafts and stuff that your kids will love. Plus, summer is coming up fast so if you're looking for activities for your kids, check out Cheeky Monkeys!!!

Cheeky Monkeys is on the 2nd floor of MET Live Mall of Pasay City.