And we're back!

Like majority of bloggers out there, I get lazy. The only way to redeem myself is to blog my way out of laziness.

I've come across many interesting articles about fatherhood lately and I'm eager to share them with you.

So, stay tuned! (<--- so 80's!)

Quest for great fatherhood

My mission is to be the best father to my children. Although I am far from the ideal, I know that I have to help myself grow to be one. I'm blessed to have a good father. Dad was very patient and really nurtured my interest in a lot of projects that involved constructing gadgets. He's an inspiration to me and that is why I want to be a better dad. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a bad father but sometimes raising 4 young children can make you go nuts. Many times my wife and I would find ourselves at our wits end in disciplining our children and cleaning up after their mess.

So in my quest to be a better father, I started reading books to help me understand my children better. One of the books I came across is "Bringing Up Boys" by Dr. Dobson. It's interesting to learn about the nature of boys and why they do the crazy things they do. It also highlights their special need for fatherly attention. It's easy to come up with geeky projects to build with your kids but understanding how these bonding activities affect my relationship with my children is also important. I'm sure there are also good resources out there for raising daughters and will be digging into those resources soon.

Meni-golf and Eating at The Doctor's Office

(As compiled by Sally)

DAVID THE BISAYA

David: Yay! We're gonna play meni-golf!

Katrina: David, it's not meni-golf. It's mini-golf.

David: Oh, okay. Mini-goolf!

LADY CATHY

Cathy: Cacca is so pilya! But maybe when she becomes a nice young lady like me, she's not gonna be pilya anymore!

AT THE PEDIATRICIAN' S OFFICE

Nathan: Mommy, I'm hungry.

Sally: You'll have to wait until we're done with the check-up. Food and drinks are not allowed here.

(after a few minutes)
Nathan: Mommy, why is food not allowed at Dr. Qasba's office?

Sally: Because they want to keep this place clean. If there are crumbs, ants will come.

Nathan: Oh, I know now why food is not allowed here! Because if food falls all around, the doctor will have to keep on picking up and cleaning up. And those patients who have been waiting for their check-up will become very weak, and then they'll die!

Ngek!!

The Rule of Hand

I just had an epiphany.

In order to prolong my life and enjoy it with my family and be able to serve the Lord all my days, I commit to the following every day:

1. Sleep early and Exercise in the morning.
2. Pray and read Scripture daily. Read one spiritual book a month.
3. Eat healthy (avoid meat when necessary and take in veggies and fruits daily)
4. Count my blessings.
5. Express my love to my family always.

This should be my "rule of hand" whenever I count from 1 to 5.

Birthdays and Pokemon

(As told by Sally)

July 16, 2007 Conversation at the dinner table:

Sally: Tita Meng is gonna drop by tonight. Don't forget to greet her because it's her birthday.

Cathy: What's our birthday present for her?

Sally: A car shade. That's what she wants.

Cathy: When it's my birthday, all I want is a hug and a kiss from my family!

Nathan: On my birthday, I want five Pokemon toys!

Raymund: What?! How about a hug and a kiss from your family?

Nathan: Oh I'm gonna have that too.

Dads and video games

There's an interesting article in CNN today about fathers bonding with their kids while playing video games. The article basically says that video gaming with your kids can be legitimate bonding because it fosters communication and interaction. It also mentions Gamerdad.com a site that reviews video games by parents so you know what best games to buy for your kids.

To all "gamer dads" like me, happy fathers day ! :)

Catholics have Answers!

I love reading Christian books and listening to audio talks about the faith. Then I stumbled into this wonderful thing called Catholic radio and podcasting a year ago when I got my iPod. Since then, my drive to work has become less boring and more productive. My car has become a classroom for Scott Hahn, Peter Kreeft, and many other wonderful Catholic speakers.

One podcast I've been getting much out of is called Catholic Answers. It's amazing how knowledgeable and kind their Catholic apologists are when handling questions about the faith from all sorts of callers (Catholics, non-Catholics, and even non-believers) . I also enjoy listening to their various guests (priests, bishops, lay Catholic leaders) who take time to answer questions on matters of Canon Law, Scriptural Apologetics, Pro-life Issues, just to name a few.

If you have an iPod, fire up your iTunes and under Podcasts, subscribe to "Catholic Answers". For non-iPod users, you may go to their website at http://www.catholic.com and go to "Radio" to see the links on how to download their podcasts in your music player.

Catholic Answers got tons of stuff - not just radio. Check out their forums, apologetics tracts, as well as issues of "This Rock" magazine online. You can also purchase books and tapes online. If you feel generous, support them to keep this kind of good work going