A TRAMPOLINE FOR ETHAN

Now that classes are going to begin nationwide, it's happy days for us again. This means, no more crowded malls and establishments during weekdays. It'll be nice to once more go out and not worry about crowds and bullies and long queues. It may sound selfish but I don't mean to be so. It's just that we've really come to appreciate our homeschool lifestyle and the convenience it brings us. We like to go to museums and even if we can't get a discount rate (which is usually for big groups), we like spending as much time as we can on our own, checking out the exhibits and such without worries about getting left behind by the group or being distracted by a schoolmate or not paying attention to the teacher. With homeschooling, we could learn as much as we could and with few distractions. Even when we're at the supermarket, a harried mother wouldn't think twice about teaching her kids about the different fruits and vegetables. But as a homeschooling mom, I automatically think of grocery-shopping as an opportunity to learn. So yeah, it'll be nice to have less crowded malls once school begins. It's gonna be great!

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I'm thinking of getting Ethan a trampoline for his birthday. I've been wanting to get him one some years ago but it's only now that I feel he's ready to have one. Of course, I'm still planning to do all the necessary safety precautions like putting a netting around the trampoline to prevent falls. I know I'm going to have to keep a close eye on Ethan and Nikki once they get on the trampoline but I'm sure that this is the right present for him. Ethan has always been an active child. And although I would love for them to play outdoors as often as they'd like, well, it's not really safe to do that here in the Philippines. Aside from worrying about strangers, the neighborhood kids are too rowdy and I don't want the boys to follow their bad habits. So a trampoline would be great for them to get their exercise and to keep Ethan stimulated should he need a bit of (wild) fun. I already asked Russ to drive us to SM Sucat tomorrow so I could get one as an early birthday present. I'm planning to have it assembled so all I would be left to do is take it home and affix the netting around it (if I find one at the mall, that is). Hopefully, the boys would be patient enough to wait until the netting is up before taking turns on the trampoline.

We'll see...