Bea's Day with the Dinosaurs and a Dinosaur Egg

Last week,  the whole family went to the Telus World of Science Edmonton  (TWOSE)  to visit the Dinosaurs Unearthed Exhibit.  Read about our adventure here..

Digging for Fossils 

Bea had a grand time in the giant sand box where kids can jump right in and use brushes to look for fossils.

Cold and Cough Medicine for Children

Bea is feeling under the  weather.  It must be the ever-changing weather here in Edmonton,  Alberta.  One day it is warm,  full of sunshine,  the next day it's snowing!  

The other day,  Bea came home with the sniffles.  I just let her drink lots of fluids hoping she can fight off the virus naturally.  After a few days,  her cold is still there plus cough.  Argh.  She also is complaining of a headache.  We had to go to the drug store to purchase a cold and cough medicine.  That's what we miss from the  Philippines,  the usual medicines we are used to.  Since moving here in Canada,  we had no choice but to look for alternatives and adapt.  So we went to Shopper's Drug Mart and browsed through the many choices of medicines in the cough/cold/fever aisle.  Finally,  we decided to get Tylenol Complete for Children.  The bottle said it can relieve stuffy nose, aches and pains,  fever, sore throat pain, dry cough, runny nose and sneezing.  Plus,  it has a bubble gum flavour.  

For Bea's age,  (6 to under 13 years old)  dosage is 10 ml every 4 to 6 hours. But be careful not to give more than 4 doses in a day.  

Hopefully this medication,  plus lots of fluids,  will help my Bea be back to her healthy,  happy self in no time.  

A Mother's Day Gift

Yesterday,  my daughter came home really excited.  She asked me to close my eyes because she had a surprise for me.  I happily obliged.  When I opened my eyes,  I saw this beautiful sight in front of me:

My mother's day surprise 

Fridate at Ikea, Edmonton

Last Friday,  I got home first as usual.  I rested a bit while  waiting for the  hubby and Bea.  Hubby is in charge of fetching  Bea from daycare.  This week was a particularly busy one for all three of us.  I had Math finals plus our class hosted the welcome lunch for the new batch.  Hubby experienced several "difficult"  customers.  Bea was student of the week,  which meant she helped teacher with miscellaneous tasks and presented the week's show and tell.  

While I was still in school I texted hubby,  "Let's go out tonight."  "OK!"  was his eager reply.  

When we were still in the Philippines,  we went out often.  Here in Edmonton,  we don't go out as much mainly because malls close early!  Hehe.  Plus,  we're trying to watch our budget too.  Anyway Ikea is always a good option because they close at 9:00 pm,  they have affordable yet delicious food,  and they have really house goodies at very reasonable prices!  

It was definitely a fun Friday date for our family.  We had dinner,  Bea played in the play area for a bit then we went and bought a few items for the kitchen.  :) 

Spring Concert 2015

Spring has finally come in Edmonton, Alberta. Last Tuesday, we attended Bea's very first Spring Concert in her school. It was held in their gym. Only 2 tickets were given per family. The school didn't sell additional tickets. Extended family were invited to the dress rehearsals instead. I found this very effective since the audience for the performances was just a small group, easier to manage too. 

Bea performed with her cousins, who attended the same school. Her grandmother was also able to come and watch. There were 3 kids in my brother-in-law's family so I guess they were given a couple more tickets. 

The evening was fun. Berto and I watched Bea with our full stage parents battle gear. Berto had his DSLR and various lenses while I had my trusty digital camera.

The girls performed without a hitch. I felt so proud watching my Bea perform. I was also happy to note that she is now a few inches taller than her cousins, which is good since she is older than they are.

I loved how organized the school was. After the performances, parents were given some time to take pictures. Then, kids were ushered back into their respective classrooms where parents are supposed to collect them, for security purposes. Smart move.

Right after, we took the opportunity to take a few shots with the whole family outside the school. My mother-in-law then invited everybody for dinner. I begged off though, since I still had a ton of homework to do, but Bea and her dad went. Maybe I can join them next time. Fun night spent with family, priceless.

Toy Shopping at Walmart

Toys Aisle at Walmart

When we first arrived in Canada last June, we stopped by my cousin's in BC for a visit. She worked at Walmart and Bea asked to see the store. While still in the Philippines, Bea spent countless hours watching youtube videos about new toys and they'd often feature toys bought from Walmart. I think she thinks of Walmart as a sort of Disneyland full of toys. So just as she was starting to miss our family back home, we visited a Walmart. Boy, was she happy! She squealed with delight when she spotted the toy aisle. They were selling all kinds of dolls, but she zoned in on one particular doll, the Elsa Doll. It was still a bit steep at $18 (on sale too!) but I still wanted to get it for her anyway. A little welcome to your new country sort of gift. Something to keep her mind off the toys and loved ones we left in the Philippines. Thankfully, when we were about to pay for the toy, my cousin paid for it, with an employee discount too! 

We are so grateful for so many blessings. Thankful for wonderful family with generous hearts!

Of course now, we can also conveniently shop online on walmart.ca. They have free shipping too! The only hitch is that we still don't have a canadian credit card so.... online shopping will have to wait, And I tell myself... this is a good thing. Right? Right? 

Tips on Surviving a Long Flight with Kids. Bea, and Our Move to Canada

Last June, our merry family of three left the Philippines for the promise of a better future in Canada. The processing of our application as provincial nominee took almost 5 years. It was a long wait. We were even thinking that nothing will ever happen to it. Then one day, we got an email from the Canadian Embassy saying that we should schedule our medical exam. Wow! From then on, everything was a blur! Everything happened so fast. Of course we still had to attend to our family business, Bea still had school activities and then we also had to think about settling our affairs in the Philippines in preparation for our new life in Canada.

We attended several seminars in preparation for our move: the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP), the Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) and of course the Pre-departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) by the philippine government.

The seminars talked to us about the transition we will experience as a new comer to a new country. They gave tips and suggestions as to how we can settle in our new environment. They talked more about the adults. They told us not to worry about our kids. Children adjust better than adults they say. Just give them 2 weeks playing outside and they'd have a Canadian accent already. That was good to know, but I was still a bit worried. How will Bea adapt? She can be a bit shy when meeting new people. It's a good thing that she has 3 cousins there, at least she already has playmates to look forward to.

On the day of our flight Bea was really excited, but I can also tell that she's a bit sad about leaving her Ninang and Lolo in the Philippines.

Bea was really a good girl during the flight. We had to fly on 3 planes. It was really tiring as it was, imagine if you had to travel with easily bored kids!

Here are some tips on surviving a long flight with kids:

Orient your child. Before the day of the flight, talk to your child and tell her what to expect during the flight. Tell her it would involve a lot of sitting down and waiting. Children get bored easily especially if they're all excited to go to new places. Expect the "Are we there yet?" question a lot. But at least they'd still know what to expect.

Research. Ask whether the planes you are riding had TV screens where your little one can watch cartoons or her fave educational movie. I think most planes do, but just in case they don't, be prepared with movies or games on your phone or tablet.

Bring toys and books. Don't bring toys with little parts that may fall off and get lost in the aisles. Just bring something like his favorite toy car or her favorite doll. Something that can keep her pre-occupied without making too much noise. Remember to be respectful of those sitting near you. If it's a long flight, it can be awkward having to deal with hateful glances from strangers. Better bring books too.

Bring snacks. The airline might have snacks to serve but these may not always be to your child's liking. Bring something you're sure your child likes. This will keep her and her tummy happy.

In our case, it helped that the planes also had individual TV screens where Bea watched cartoons. They showed The Lego Movie at that time and she loved it. When she got bored, she'd play with her toys. When she got hungry, she snacked on some cookies we brought from home. Good thing we brought snacks, Bea didn't really like the food they served on the flight. It wasn't that it was bad, she just wasn't familiar with chicken pita and salad. hehe..She wasn't a bit scared even during our flight from Vancouver to Edmonton where we experienced a lot of turbulence. Good thing we were prepared.

So far, Bea is adjusting pretty well here in Edmonton. She's attending school with her cousins. Language is not much of a barrier. Everyday she gets better and better in speaking English. She's also acquiring more and more of that Canadian accent. I'm just so proud of her!

Read our post about our last day in the Philippines here.