Book Review: Little Women

Today, the girls and I went to the bookstore after their Saturday class.  I resolved to have a visit there to buy books to entice them into reading.   I was told by their teacher that it is a good practice to accompany the kids in the store and have them look for books themselves.  Armed with a reading list which is a directory of suggested books for each grade level given to us by Ma’am Malou, off we went to the bookstore. 

We went to this bookstore which sells second-hand books for mommy-saving hacks, you know 😀. You can also buy back issues of magazines at discounted price.  The only problem is you cannot be sure to find the book that you are looking for since the books were not arranged as how you wished them to be.  It was quite a challenge since searching here was like hunting for hidden treasure.  So even if we have a reading list, we were not able to find the ones that we were looking for.  We ended up buying other quality books instead.

We bought three books, “All About Aircraft and Flight,” “The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian” and one of the timeless classics by Louisa May Alcott “Little Women”.  The three books only cost P270 (about $6) which, if we bought them new would cost us around $22, so it was a great buy, indeed!  

Just knowing that Little Women was one of the bestselling novels more than one hundred years ago made me interested to leaf through the pages.  I was caught by the story that I found myself finishing the book in just few days reading through it from cover to cover.  While reading this novel, I was really fascinated how the surrounding was pictured in such detail that it was like traveling through time in the 19th century.  The story revolves around the conflicts in the family, life and love of the four sisters and how they were able to face the challenges of their growing up years.   I especially liked Chapter 7 titled summer and dreams on how the author illustrated leisure time during those days.  A heartbreaking part at Chapter 23 in “all alone” was the dark days for Jo and I wanted to quote one of those lines that was trapped in my mind “I didn’t value him half enough when I had him”.  Sort of reminding me to value the person who gives me importance.  And yes, I really should be doing that and be thankful that I have with me today the person I especially enjoy being with and truly love.

Today, with the proliferation of online bookstores, you can easily find the books that you wish to buy by simply using search engines. If you wish to have this book, you can get your own copy from 

Get the Kids Into Summer Workshop at Museo Pambata

As I said, I am already planning for the kids' summer activity so this early I started searching for summer workshop where my kids can participate so I can already schedule the family's budget and our time.  I might consider this one from Museo Pambata since my daughter likes the art but of course I still need to seek her opinion as I don't want to play like "tiger mother" to her. Museo Pambata is an interactive museum for children located in Roxas Boulevard in Manila.  Glad to share them and promote this very worthwhile fun activity for the kids and the kids at heart.  

Classes for this year are as follows:

ART WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN: BASIC ART
4-7 years old
April 5, 7, 12, 14, 16, 19, 26 & 28
(8 sessions)
9:00 am -11:30 am
Fee: P 4,000 *

ART WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: ART SPOT, ART STUFFCHILDREN'S
8-14 years old
April 5, 7, 12, 14, 16, 19, 26 & 28
(8 sessions)
9:00 am -11:30 am
Fee: P4,500*

MUSICAL THEATER ARTS WORKSHOP
4-12 years old
April 5, 7, 12, 14, 16, 19, 20, 26, 27,28, 29
2:00-5:00 PM
(12 sessions)
Fee: P4,500

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN
8-12 years old
April 8, 15, 29 & May 6
(4 sessions)
9:00-11:00 AM
Fee: P 3,500

CONSCIENCE AND CONFIDENCE OF A STORYTELLER: A STORYTELLING WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS
May 20
8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Fee: P1,200

ArtPlay Art Workshop: LET'S DO ART TOGETHER! A PARENT-CHILD ART WORKSHOP
For children aged 3 to 7 years old and their parents
May 7, 14, 21, 28
10:00-11:30 AM
Fee: P4,500

Remembering Pizza-Making Workshop at Greenwich

It’s halfway past February and my kids were all busy reviewing for their final exams.  Some weeks more and it would be the end of another school year and the start of their summer vacation.  This early, we are already planning on summer activities that the kids can join in to make their vacation extra memorable.

Some summers ago, they enjoyed a pizza-making workshop by Greenwich in 2006.  They really had great fun although it was only for one day. We paid about P150 inclusive of all the materials and a free lunch for the participant.

all ready for their pizza making lesson

The activity started with the speaker giving the kids an orientation on what is in-store for them that day then they introduced themselves one by one.  They had games and prizes just like in a birthday party but of course, the main highlight of the program was pizza-making.  While the ingredients and other materials were being distributed, the speaker gave the kids the pointers on making great pizza.  Then the kids were guided through the kitchen when it was time to cook their pizza in the oven.  After that, the speaker announced that the kid’s works will be judged and the three who made great pizza will each win a prize.  My son won first prize for that!     

seriously taking the lesson by heart

guided by the staff

While I was browsing through their photos taken from that workshop, my daughter saw it also and asked me to have her join in same activity come school break.  That means I don’t need to persuade one of them to take summer workshop.  It’s about time to set aside a budget for that, have the cam ready and to search for worthwhile fun activities.  It would be great if Greenwich will have the same workshop for this year.