Doha Summer 2012

I just realized few hours ago that it's going to be August tomorrow! July has come and gone just like that! For our family, this month has been really productive. Exhausting at times, but very productive indeed and so far, we are really loving Doha Summer 2012!

We are staying in the country for the entire duration of the hottest period in the desert and we just made this the best summer ever for the family.

And this blog is just to highlight that summers in Doha could be very productive if we really want it to be! (BIG NOTE TO OURSELVES!)

Summer in Doha is very awesome! I would love to write all about this but my muscles are aching and the children are already deep in slumber and it's just pure happiness to be with them. And that is really the most awesome of all the blessings we have been receiving so far... Turknoys are all arms length away and we could almost always hug them anytime we want.

Thanks be to God for all the blessings. We are hoping that you are having a sizzling and fabulous summer like we are!

we are loving the heat! ;)

Keep exploring!
 

Summer Activities: Doha Players

Who ever said summer in Doha is boring? They might be partly correct but not for our little Kylie enjoying the Doha Players summer activities. She calls it drama school! Obviously, our family loves drama a lot. It is my wish that my daughter thrives in drama as much as I did.

This summer activities is so worth it. She is very happy and always excited to go to drama school. She learns a lot and she gets encouraged to read lots of books as well.

Here are just few of the things that she learned for the past two weeks:

One Knight 




Macbeth



Helen of Troy 



Greece and goddess  (they also study about a specific country during the session " The World Around Us




The important thing is that she is enjoying a lot! That's what matters most. That and the bonus of some quite time at home. (Mommy kids a lot, ha!)


Keep exploring!
 

How To Encourage Summer Reading in Doha

reading indoors outside! 

It's that time of the year again that we spend a lot of time indoors that reading indoors could be so boring. As much as we want to read outdoors and enjoy the breeze, the extreme heat outside may prevent us from doing so. This will not stop us. We commit ourselves to everyday reading. And we have this in writing! We joined the summer reading challenge 2012. And it's going to be fun!

We will definitely prevent "summer slide" where reading abilities lapse during summer. NO!


Here are the tips from Jen Robinson on how to encourage summer reading:

Parents can help make this magic happen. Here are a few simple tips:

1. Make sure your kids have plenty of books. Take your kids to the library or the bookstore (new or used) to pick out some interesting new books. Go to the library every week, if you can. Go to yard sales, and sort through the books there. Organize a book swap in your neighborhood or scout troop. Do whatever you need to do to keep a fresh supply of books around.
2. Always pack up books whenever you go somewhere, for your kids and for yourself (including audiobooks). Make sure your kids see you reading, whether it's on the beach, while waiting for the softball game to start, or at home. Bonus points if you spend some of your time reading kids' books. Then you can also talk about the books with your kids, and recommend other books that they might like. Listen to audiobooks in the car, especially on long trips. Pick books that are fun and/or exciting. You'll find that these add to your family's common frame of reference. And they makes the drives go by a lot more quickly.
3. Encourage social reading. If your child wants to read a book because other kids are reading it (and you don't have personal reasons why you think your child isn't ready for the book), by all means get a copy. This reinforces the idea that reading is cool, and gives your child a chance to talk about the book with others. Consider buying two copies of the same book, for your child and his or her best friend, so that they can both read it. Maybe start a book club. Take the kids to see a movie based on a book, and also read the book. Do whatever you can to make reading cool and social.
4. Try not to get hung up on whether or not your child "could" be reading more advanced books. Do you read Proust on your summer vacation, or do you read James Patterson? Kids turn to books for a respite from cares sometimes, just as adults do. They don't want everything they read to educational. There's no harm in suggesting the occasional book that's more of a stretch, but don't push too hard. If kids find reading enjoyable, they'll keep reading, and they will eventually push themselves. For that to happen, they just need to spend time reading.
5. Try to keep some time available for reading. This is perhaps the hardest thing, as schedules fill up with sports, cookouts, trips and movies. These are all fun, too. But if you ask me, there's no substitute for the occasional afternoon spent perched up in a tree exploring far-off worlds through books.
And that's it. A prescription for getting kids reading this summer. Get great books, take them places with you, make reading social, keep reading from being a chore or a contest, and leave a bit of time for reading on the schedule. There are no guarantees, of course. But if you do all of these things, you're setting the stage for a reading-filled summer.

Definitely awesome tips to follow! We also have our own tips but still work in progress.

Keep reading!

HALO HALO IN DOHA!

We are Pinoy and we crave "halo halo" in summer. Since it's summer half of the year in Doha, we are almost always craving for halo halo.

And the things we have to do just to experience this concoction of shaved ice, evaporated milk and lots of Filipino sweets - Ube, leche plan, jelly, sweetened banana, sweetened langka, sweetened coconut, ice cream and could be much more.

So far, we only tried the one in Chowking! But so far, it's all worth it - the queue, the traffic just to get to Chowking, the crowd waiting for halo halo in the restaurant, the agonizing anticipation.......


You can just tell, we love halo halo. And I am sure, every Pinoy does - in Doha and everywhere!

Tita Ayish enjoying her halo halo

Kylie enjoying her Halo Halo 

Tita Minay enjoying her Nai Chai

The Turk Enjoying his Halo Halo 

THIS IS HOW YOU EAT HALO HALO 

Popsicles!

The heat has been so intolerable lately. The kids were inside a lot. And as much as we want to go out, there was so much dust and did I say, heat? It's HOT outside.

Without anything prepared for a science experiment, much more for a science experiment, our always creative first born (K1) prepared her very own popsicle to demonstrate that liquid can be changed to solid by freezing. Awesome!

Her very own popsicle using plastic cups, food color, sugar, water and plastic knives - since we don't have popsicles! Great, right? Inventive!

Popsicles, anyone?

Her own home made popsicle !

it should be called Ice on Knives! HA! HA!

Keep exploring!

Fun City

It's that time of the year again when kids restless at home. Summer time here in Doha is needless to say, challenging to keep the kids busy. With their tons of energy, hyper-kids are really a big concern to deal with during the heat.

During the Home Centre sale, we tried the Fun City play area. We left the kids in the area and we were not satisfied at all with the place. First of all, there is only one attendant and some kids are crying already with no one attending to them. We were only away for 15 minutes and the kids were already upset. Since we already paid for the entire hour, we decided to hang out with the kids inside the play area. The kids didn't enjoy the area one bit. We tried to go to the place where there are balls in the second level of the play area but the place is totally wobbly and unsafe. Well, at least for me.

I am wondering who these play areas are maintained or inspected for safety purposes. God forbids, these place could break down when kids are playing here. Goodness, please not.

this is a good slide but it tends to be a bit crowded especially during summer!

the not so happy Turknoys!

who checks the safety of these play areas I wonder? 

FIRE!! 

we would have enjoyed if Mommy was not too concern about the place breaking down on us. 

This is a nice alternative to play areas. Station cars - no need to use token. Safety guaranteed.

there is such thing as free ride! ;) 

I suppose we should explore other things to do during summer. Reading is always an option.

Keep exploring!
 

Doha Event: Summer Market 2012

We've done good selling Turkish Evil Eye the last bazaar we have joined. Now, we will participate in another entrepreneurship initiative - this time, for the Doha Mums Summer Market.

This is the 3rd Summer Market hosted by Doha Mums but our very first time to participate, we are so psyched!


Hope to see you all there! Please stop by our table and say hello to us - or  better yet, buy our products!

Doha Mums 2012 Summer Market  

Venue: Ramada Plaza Doha (ballroom) 

Saturday - 26th May, 2012 @ 11.00 AM

Keep exploring!
 

Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt

There's no stopping summer 2012. Ready or not, it's almost here. Summer almost is synonymous to ice cream. Back home in the Philippines, there was a Magnum craze weeks ago and it was really close to crazy. Can't blame the people in heat and in humidity without much choice for centralized air conditioner due to electric bill considerations. I suppose choosing a high end ice cream will be way cost effective to beat the summer heat.

I am all for ice cream of all brands. However, we discovered an alternative to ice cream  - FROZEN YOGURT. Apparently, it has lower fat content as it uses milk rather than cream. Personally, I love frozen yogurt way better than ice cream.

Not too long ago, we went to PINKBERRY in Landmark Doha to enjoy the frozen yogurt. The shop is really cozy and it feels so healthy to be eating there, prices are reasonable. It's worth a try to substitute ice cream with frozen yogurt. The best part, it's a great excuse to eat fruits.

PINKBERRY FROZEN YOGURT WITH OUR CHOICE OF FRUIT TOPPINGS

WE REALLY LOVE THIS FOR SUMMER!

Here's  the  nutritional information for Pinkberry's Frozen Yogurt:

Pinkberry is a great tasting and healthy frozen yogurt with nonfat and lowfat flavors that are packed with live and active cultures - so much so that Pinkberry carries the seal of approval from the National Yogurt Association. 

Pinkberry frozen yogurt has yogurt's natural goodness, such as calcium and protein. Contains active live cultures: s. thermophilus, l. bulgaricus, l. acidophilus.

                  



Happy Summer!                                                                                        

Keep exploring!
  

Qatar Cinema: Ice Age 4 Continental Drift

While watching The Pirates! Band of Misfits, we have enjoyed watching the preview, especially the ICE AGE 4 CONTINENTAL DRIFT. It's showing on Cinema this coming July! Now, that's one thing to look forward to this summer 2012.

ICE AGE 4 IS COMING TO CINEMA JULY 2012!

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Doha Summer Already?!

It's first day of March and looks like we need to gear up for the sizzling heat again! The weather today is hazy and wind, sign of changing weather. Can we have more cold days please for the month of March? Pretty please.

Well, you and I know, wishing won't work. And besides, the country almost completed all its spring festival like the one in Souq Waqif which ended yesterday. Time to prepare the kids to enjoy all indoor fun!

After enjoying all the Doha parks for quite some time, it is time to head back to malls to enjoy covered and air conditioned play areas! Ironic as it is, time for extreme cold temperature from blasting air conditioners.

Our favorite indoor play area before was the one at the  Gondolania, Villagio. Before it got so crowded and dirty. I hope they improve this place before Doha summer 2012! It was great fun 2-3 years back.

almost two years ago!

he's still sooo small!

got balls? 

love balls!

If this area turned out to be so crappy, we might end up just reading books all the time to further encourage kids how to read. Hey, that's not too bad, is it?

Are you ready for summer? What are your favorite indoor activities?

 Keep exploring!

Messy Play: Paintings

Of course most of the messy plays we do, we get paintings out of it. But the idea of messy play is more like "it's a journey, not the destination kind of principle. Well, in messy play, it's not the output, but the method and enjoyment during playing.

I am not an expert (nor knowledgeable much) in messy play but I always make sure that the kids enjoy playing and hanging out inside the house. Life is way too short not to enjoy things we do at the moment.

I can't help it when they occasionally come up with great works. Of course, they always come up with great works in my eyes.

Who needs wall decor when I got these?

paintings with their dad!

greatest wall painting in the house  - so far!

Keep Exploring!

Linking this here:

STILL

He's was so still when I left him with grandparents one fine summer afternoon for the first time.

My heart is far away from still.

Mommy-hood did make me weak at heart. I used to be that "woman on a mission" to make a difference at work and in our family life.

Leaving the kids for the summer would make me concentrate on work more. Not worrying about their whereabouts under the hot desert sun.

They are far away from me. Home is very still. I should be accomplishing a lot of things. But never did I feel my body more still than ever. I don't move. I am not motivated to move.

The reasons for my motivated life is not with me anymore. Everything is still but my heart.



Keep exploring!

Linked to the Gypsy Mama and her Five Minute Friday which is being hosted at (in)courage today!

Doha Summer: Mermaid Window Mosaic and Science Car!

Doha Summer is off to a great start because the kids are going to Istanbul to enjoy less heat and humidity. But before mixed emotions, we have spent the last night of the Turknoys having fun with the Dad!

Off course, we love Messy Play Mosaic! And we're so excited to do these extra meticulous activity once again.

another easy way out: mosaic kit! haha

excited to start and give Mommy quiet time haha

to make sure Little Kerim will not disturb, he got his Cosmic Car. Teaching science in a very early age - GOOD! 

ready, set, go!

busy bees!

oh yeah!

finished product! hahha - not for the tummy but for our window!

It was a fun, quiet night! Well, at least, quieter than usual.

Keep exploring!

Linking this here:

Doha Summer: Home made Pizza and Orange Juice

Home made Pizza during Doha Summer? Awesome!

Okay, admittedly, Doha Summer entails staying indoors 100%. Kids enjoyed mall, eating out and kids activities but it would be very hard on the budget. Hence, the home made pizza activity. with fresh orange juice!

As much as we had enjoyed the Pizza Express activity, we had to stay home sometimes and get the kids occupied. It is a perfect combination of cooking with kids, learning through play and messy play plus we could eat the output!

Here's the step-by-step (almost) illustration of what we enjoyed doing one fine Doha summer dinner!

of course we took the very quick way to make pizza! we got semi-baked pizza dough already.

mushroom and pepperoni flavored pizza! Available in all supermarkets in Doha! 

all set for some quick cooking! 

ingredient cost less than 50QR all in all! a delicious dinner already.

spreading the pizza sauce

little hands at work!

spearding some more...hoopsie... 

almost done!

the big kid almost done with the cheese 

Kylie's work

mushroom pizza

someone really liked pepperoni - yeah, I think pepperonis are a bit big for the pizza dough

pepperoni and mushroom

mommy had to go with pan de pizza since we had leftover pandesal 

orange juice prepared by Kylie also

yummy fresh orange juice while waiting for pizza to bake 

ding ding! done! 

YUMMY

pan de pizza 

halfway done eating 

I can imagine ourselves doing this over and over again especially when teaching the kids about fractions. Ha!


Keep exploring!