Millennial. Mom. OT. And everything in between
Do you ever notice awkward movement in your child? Does he have difficulty going through obstacles in the playground or even around the house? Does she have difficulty copying simple dance steps? It must be a problem with Gross motor skills or GMS.
Continue reading “How to Improve Your Child’s Gross Motor Skills”
According to Abraham Maslow, social interaction is one of the basic human needs. It comes after physiological and safety needs. In this time of pandemic and quarantine, we take care of our kids in the comforts and security of our home. We feed them food to keep them healthy; and different activities to keep them cognitively sound and entertained. While we spend so much time with them nowadays, they still need to connect to their peers. Like us, adults, virtual meetup is the only way possible these days.
Continue reading “10 Virtual Activities to Do With Friends: Kids Edition”
The pandemic and quarantine has given us new ways to do things we need and want in life. Our kids and students will be learning online in the coming months. Health buffs who used to frequent the gym, now do their routines at home, sometimes, with their personal trainer online, as well. This is the same with mall rats, who do not have a choice but to, also, do online shopping. Even telehealth is on the rise as a new way to consult with the doctor and continue attending therapy sessions. Prayer meetings, Holy Masses and other religious services are done, virtually, too. We are surrounded with virtual activities! Maybe we ought to try them to connect with friends!
Continue reading “10 Virtual Activities To Do With Friends: Tita Edition”
It has been more than 2 months since we got stuck in our homes, not because we chose to, but because we had to. And still, we have to.
I used to tell my friends, especially my mom-friends that I dream of being a house wife: staying at home, cooking for the husband, caring for my kid and for the house. So when quarantine was mandated, the therapy clinic where I work closed, I saw the positive side and thought this was a golden opportunity for me to try it out! But just 8 weeks after, I realized it was unfair. It was unfair for me to try “house-wifing” when I have no me-time. I could not even reward myself of taking a trip to the café or the bookstore after cleaning the house up. Even leisure grocery shopping was impossible!
Continue reading “What Does New Normal Mean to You?”
After 2 months, most if not all of us, are still under a quarantine order. The Education Department has announced the school opening to be in the last week of August, be it done physically or in other alternative means. Kids are definitely staying indoors for 2 more months!
As a parent myself, I am looking forward to going outdoors again with the son, but not just yet. Maybe not even after the quarantine has just been lifted. I want to make sure that it’s completely safe before we breathe the air from outside again!
I am writing now with my own OT kids in mind since I am foreseeing a few more months before we can see each other, face to face, again for therapy.
Continue reading “8 Must-Keeps for Every Family with Special Kids this Quarantine Season”
Nothing beats letting her know that you remember her on this special day. Getting up ahead of her and greeting her with a smile the moment she wakes up is a gem. It, probably, would not hurt if you have also prepared the breakfast for the family to share, instead of her, preparing it for you, just for her special day.
Continue reading “10 Gifts Quarantined Moms Wish to Get on Mothers’ Day”
In the middle of the quarantine, the husband purchased a DIY Milk Tea Set from Tastexperts Manila. It included 2 big Assam tea bags (times 10 or 20 of a regular tea bag), 1 pack of vacuum-sealed raw tapioca pearls, 1 big bag of non-dairy creamer, 1 liter bottle of sugar syrup, 1 plastic powder scooper, pearl shake straws, 1 wire tapioca scooper, a shaker, a jigger (both brand new) and a sheet of instructions. The task looked daunting! It took me around 3 days to bring myself to do it.
Continue reading “Lessons I Learned From Brewing My Own Milk Tea At Home”
The age of social media does not only give us a medium to virtually connect with one another. It also bestows power upon a person, institution or even just an idea. Trend setters, were suddenly able to spark a movement with their fingertips while sitting on the couch at home or in a café. Through hashtags, each one of us can collectively bind our thoughts and elicit actions, whenever applicable, and conveniently build a paved memory lane if we want to look back and remember later on. Ironically, or so I think, at this very unprecedented time, the hashtags worked in reverse. It seemed to me as if the universe took these trends too seriously and metaphorically smeared the future, into what is happening today.
(Hashtags included here are based on Philippine trends in the last 5 years.)
Continue reading “10 Hashtags That Might Have Predicted the Pandemic”
Staying positive can be hard in difficult situations. Now, more than ever, the whole world is struggling to find hope in the midst of this pandemic. Families and individuals, who have had symptoms, exposure and the sickness itself, fervently pray for a negative test result. And we join them to hope for positive outcomes.
Continue reading “5 Simple Steps to Get Through the Pandemic”
I would like to start by briefly discussing SI. Sensory Integration is a theory we use, as OTs, to manage children’s behaviors, feelings, learning and other difficulties in everyday activities. It tells us how our brain processes information from our body and environment.
Continue reading “Quarantined Senses: Sensory-rich Activities for our Children in Lockdown”