Collection of Best Memories

One reason I enjoy blogging is that it allows me to maintain an online collection of the best memories I've shared with my family.  I want these beautiful moments to be posted here so that my children can look back on them when they grow up. They may be very young now and might not remember everything I and their dad have done for them, but this blog will certainly help them understand what their childhood was like.

We have completed our first year of homeschooling.  It was not easy, but we will continue.  The children are not yet enrolled for this school year due to financial reasons.  We chose to obtain our curriculum from SOT. This situation is not a reason to skip our classes every day.  It is easier to teach children when they can relate what they have learned from books to the real world.  This highlights the importance of taking children on field trips.  The road can be a child's classroom.
My children easily learned about food groups by going to the market with me.  While shopping, they get to identify the item's name and then tell me which food group it belongs to.

Lately, I have been thinking and am more convinced that we really need to schedule the kids' field trip once a week since they are not going to school. Additionally, on Sundays, we don't even have to travel to church since it's just a doorstep away from our house.  Being always in the house is truly boring, and I know how it feels.  

Pakner4lyf had to meet someone in Tagaytay, so he invited us to come with him.  I am glad he invited us along.  He says he wants us to explore new spots in Tagaytay, and this is our chance to do so. It was a rainy day, and we had a long drive due to the heavy traffic in Bauan and an accident that occurred somewhere in Sta. Teresita.  Books and some toys kept the children busy during the trip; these helped contain the children inside the car.

I expected that we could see nothing in Tagaytay because of the weather.  I am a bit worried about the fog and rain driving up there.  Thank God, and I am surprised that we can clearly see the view of Taal Volcano; there's no fog all the way up, but I saw a lot of clouds covering Batangas City, signs that it's still raining there. 

Pakner4lyf's meeting place was at Mushroom Burger, so that was our first stop.  I stayed in the car a bit longer because the two boys were still asleep, and I decided not to wake them so Pakner4lyf could have a nice talk.  Later, when the boys woke up, we all had a snack, and I gave them time to play at the playground while waiting for Pakner4lyf.  

It is a bit late, and we should be traveling back home. Since we are already there, we decided to visit the tallest Ferris Wheel in the country at Sky Ranch.  They offer a great view of the volcano from there.  Sky Ranch provides horseback riding and a mini amusement park. Although the place is still under construction, the only activities available are the park rides; yet, they are charging every visitor an entrance fee of P 100.00, which I think is too expensive. They could at least offer one free ride to make the entrance cost more reasonable.  I am happy that we went there late in the afternoon when we could enjoy the beautiful view of the volcano and avoid getting burned under the sun.  For me, 5pm is the perfect time to go to Sky Ranch; I get to appreciate its beauty at night because of the colorful lights.

 

We were all tired, and it was already late, so we could no longer visit the Puzzle Mansion.  To  maximize our trip, pakner4lyf decided on an overnight stay.  We looked for an inn where we could rest for the entire night.  We stayed at Tagaytay Haven Hotel, where we got a very good deal: they provided the room for P1,500, which included breakfast for two.   The next day, after checking out and having lunch, we visited the Puzzle Mansion.  Currently, Mrs. Gina Gil Lacuna holds the largest collection of jigsaw puzzles in the world.  This place showcases all the puzzles made by Mrs. Lacuna. I am amazed by her patience in creating all those puzzles.  It seems impossible for me to finish puzzles with over 300 pieces right now.  I don't have a safe place to keep the puzzles I am working on - my children would definitely destroy them or lose the pieces.   They also offer bed and breakfast.  If you're looking for a very quiet place, this one is perfect for you. While staying there, you should buy a puzzle at their store; I'm sure you'll be inspired to finish it after seeing how Mrs. Lacuna created all her puzzles.  I'll add making a jigsaw puzzle to my to-do list before I die. 

We all enjoyed the trip, but the children wish to stay a bit longer.  Seated inside the car, they are still asking to go somewhere else.  I told them to start saving money so we can afford another out-of-town trip.
(first photo above is taken at the Puzzle Mansion)