Volume 3 Issue No.

4 February 2015

E-Newsletter

How to Show Unconditional Love

Shaming doesnt work.
Your job is not to fix people. Only God can do that. Your job is to love people. And to love people unconditionally.
And the first agenda of unconditional love is not to speak but to listen. Sit down, put aside your childs failures,
look at him or her in the eye, hold his or her hand, and say calmly, Im here for you. I love you. How can I help
you? Is there a problem you want to tell me? And
really listen. Dont listen to respond. Listen to
This painting by our son,
understand. Watch his or her body language for
9-year-old Francis, is
titled Daddy and Me.
hidden messages. Read between the lines.
I was in tears when I
From my experience, questions are more
first saw it! I love Francis
and his brother Bene
powerful than commands. Because orders from
unconditionally, and I
above rarely work. But great questionsin a
encourage you to love
relationship of trustwill put your childs life
your kids in the same
way, too!
fully on his or her shoulders, not yours. (Obviously,
questions wont work if your relationship is already
too strained and there is little trust between you.
Every start of the school year, each member of the family creates a
If that is the case, apologize to your child, ask
dream board for the year. We have so much fun.
forgiveness, and start building his or her trust in
you again.)
Listening is the first agenda of unconditional
love.
The second agenda is to express love and
trust: Son/daughter, I love you. I will always love
you. No matter what, Ill always be here for you. I
believe in you. Youre a very intelligent boy/girl. I
know youll be able to get better grades.

Why Unconditional Love Works

When your kids are no longer your gods, and your happiness no longer depends on them but on God alone,
thats the only time you can truly enjoy them without correcting them every five minutes.
Many times, you dont need to correct your child for every little thing. Instead, he or she self-corrects. Why?
Because he/she automatically thinks of your love for him/her. He/she thinks to himself/herself, Mom loves me. How
will my behavior affect her? (If he/she does this, then heart transformation has taken place.)
But if you correct your child every five minutes for every little mistake, subconsciously, hell think, My mother
makes me feel bad. What can I do to let my mother feel how she makes me feel? What can I do to make myself a mirror
of her emotions? Thus, heart transformation will never take place.
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Receive Gods Unconditional Love Today

Its great when people love you. Enjoy it while it lasts.
But people will never fulfill your deepest needs.
Let me shout this from the rooftops: Theres a God-shaped hole in your heart! No human being can fit inside
that hole. Not your husband or wife, not your best friend, not your leader, not even your father or mother. Only God
can satisfy your soul. Only God can meet your deepest needs.
Dont base your self-worth on any persons love. Dont base your identity, happiness and peace on another
human beings love. Because human love will flicker, falter and fail. Human love is unstable. Human love is here today
but it can be gone tomorrow.
Warning: Everyone will fail you. Your parents will fail you. Your leaders will fail you. Your mentors will fail you.
Your friends will fail you. Your spouse will fail you. Your kids will fail you.
One day, your kids will walk out of your house and live their own lives. Youll feel hurt because you want them
to visit you, but they cant, because theyre caring for their kids.
And heres another fact of life: People die. My mother was the anchor of our family. Some mothers are so
wonderful, we want them to live until 200 years old. But last April 30, my mother bid us farewell. She left us to go to
Heaven. Shes no longer here. And if our hearts were not anchored in God, we would have been devastated.
I urge yourun to Gods love! Because only Gods love will never die. Only God will love you for all eternity.

Stop idolatry. Stop looking for your happiness from other people. Not from a boyfriend or girlfriend or husband
or wife or parent or friend or leader.
Go to Jesus.
He loves you with an endless love. That means He is recklessly extravagant in His love for you. Jesus accepts you
without condition, loves you without condition, and celebrates you without condition.
He does not say, You have to be good before I love you.
He says, Before you become good, I already love you. And because I love you, your goodness will come out even
more.
Let God fill up your love tank today. And let Him use you to fill up your kids love tanks, too.


May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

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Our First Camp-Out

By Tricia Faustino and Ciara Carranza

Were not sure if there is a saying that goes, The last-minute plans are the ones that usually push through. Well,
if ever there was, our camping activity would definitely be one of them. The families of the CFA Karate South Chapter
thought it would be wonderful to go camping and make the most of the cool February breeze, before the summer
months kick in. So when Daddy Buddy Del Mundo invited us to hold an overnight camping activity at the grounds
of the Posadas Village Clubhouse, we all jumped at the idea! Why not have it on Valentines Day, like a family date?
Why not? The idea seemed more exciting than spending the evening waiting in line at crowded candle-lit restaurants.
Game!
The event was four days away and the mommies got busy planning the event, reaching a consensus that the
daddies would be tasked to camp out with the kids in the wilderness of the Posadas playground, as the mommies
took care of the food (sssh... we ordered Jollibee!). Of course, the day did not play out as we originally planned. And it
was a good thing, too. The happy-hearts-day-traffic was so bad we started the festivities two hours late. But everyone
was still in high spirits as the kids spent the last few hours under the afternoon sun running around in the nearby
playground while the mommies got busy preparing the registration and snack tables. Each kid lined up to register and
received an activity kit, which consisted of a pen, a tickler notebook, and a blinking charm necklace. The daddies and
kids also wore matching I heart camping shirts.

The Camp Master

Daddy Buddy del Mundo was the kids camp master for the
night, having had experience in camping and being a camp director.
The kids, together with the daddies, gathered around Daddy Buddy
as he laid out the rules of the camp. Rule #1: The kids were instructed
to look for Camp Master Buddy every time they heard his whistle.
Rule #2: You should always stay with your buddy. Rule #3: No one
was allowed to talk when the Camp Master gave out orders (A VERY
hard rule for our ever-talkative homeschoolers!). Surely, camp was
also a test of discipline and obedience. Surprisingly, the kids were
attentive and cooperative all throughout!

Pitching the Tent

The kids were so excited to set up their non-aircon, gadgetfree, cramped but foam-cushioned accommodations for the night. As
soon as they were done helping their moms and dadsby connecting
and inserting the rods, and securing the tent down with pegsthey
couldnt wait to check out each one. The older kids began their topsecret meetings, while the toddlers jumped into one tent and enjoyed
zipping the doorway up and down, up and down.
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Fun with Games

For Sean Hilario and Alyssa Ocampo, one of the best parts of
camp was the treasure hunt. The kids were challenged to look for a
paper bag in the dark using their blinking lights. They had to search
for the bag quietly, without running. The kid who would be able to find
it would get a prize. Francis Sanchez and Zoe Faustino enjoyed the
Duck, Duck, Goose game the most, a game the kids actually thought
of playing after dinnertime. Gather homeschoolers together in one
place and youd be surprised how creative they can be in thinking of
fun activities!

The Bonfire

Of course, camp will never be complete without a bonfire. The daddies and the kids trekked the village streets
in search of firewood. The daddies gathered the wood together and started the bonfire as the kids ran in the dark,
swirling their tag lights like fireflies in the night. When the fire was lit, all the daddies, mommies, and kids gathered
around the bonfire as Daddy Buddy led a prayer of thanksgiving. That
fire was hot! But the warmth of a family hug around the campfire
made it all nice and snug.
Daddy Buddy said, Kids, did you know your parents gave up
their Valentines date to share this camping activity with you? Our
kids then gave us a big hug and a kiss, and thanked us for making the
day so special. For Jolo Alcantara and Tasha del Mundo, the bonfire
was the highlight of the camp. Meanwhile, CJ Carranzas favorite
activity was roasting marshmallows. It was one of the nights
highlights, as the kids and the kids-at-heart had a blast roasting
marshmallows and hotdogs! It rained though, but the rain did not dampen the campers spirits. As we waited for the
rain to stop, the kids stayed indoors watching the mini film, The Greatest Miracle, which was a beautiful story of faith.
Before everyone called it a night, the kids were given certificates with awards ranging from Most Behaved to
Jolly Eater.

Lights Out and The Morning After

By 10 p.m., it was time for bed. Two campers that go by the

name of Zoe and Alyssa tried to convince their parents to stay
overnight with a song and dance number. It worked. Soon they
would be sharing a tent and chatting till 3 a.m. while an unnamed
daddy snored through the night. Zoe says she enjoyed waking up to
the cold weather and was glad she got to spend the night in camp
with her best friend Alyssa.

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Seeing our children so giddy and happy from this adventure, we declare our first CFA South Camp a success!
We are also reminded how blessed we are to be homeschooling our children because we are able to give them the
best gift of all our presence. We know that the fun memories that were planted will last a lifetime and are more
precious than any fancy Valentine date.

Photos courtesy of Ciara Carranza

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CFA Holds First Talents Day:

From His Goodness... For His Glory
The members of CFAs different clubs, plus a number of other CFA students, had a chance to showcase their

talents during CFAs first Talents Day-cum-recital on February 21, 2015. With the theme From His Goodness... For His

Glory, the event, held at the 10th floor of Obispado de Cubao in Quezon City, was well-attended by family members
and friends of the recitalists.

Led by CFAs Activities Coordinator Mayette Salvedia and her dedicated team of parent volunteers, the Talents

Days objective was not to show off the performers talents

but to remind them that whatever they could do, they could

do only because of Gods goodness, and for His greater glory.

To emphasize this, each recitalist was asked to make a Star
of Fame. The stars were posted around the event venue as

decorations, and as a sign of the recitalists commitment to use

their God-given talents for the glory of God.

The recital started with opening remarks by Ms.

Mayette, who reminded the recitalists about the importance of

serving the Lord with their talents and skills. The CFA Orchestra

then played the invocation and the Philippine National Anthem.

Members of the following CFA clubs participated in the recital:
Orchestra

Karate North and South

Dance

Theater

There were also additional presentations showcasing the

following talents: gymnastics, piano and ballet. The recital was a fun

and unique venue for the children to showcase their talents. May the
Lord continue to

bless our children

with opportunities

to nurture their
talents for His
greater glory, of

Photos courtesy of Maria Dorothea Ochoa Berida,

Ciara Carranza and Cecille Aguilar

course!

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Photos courtesy of Maria Dorothea Ochoa Berida,

Ciara Carranza and Cecille Aguilar

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Leveling Up to Better Serve You

By Pam Cadiz

The CFA team and staff recently had the following

training sessions and workshops because they
want to serve the parents and children well, and
to hone their skills, too:

1. Customer Service Training for CFA Frontliners,

conducted by Ms. Beday Fortuna, on January 30
and February 6, 2015, at Obispado de Cubao
2. S.P.E.A.K. U.P. 1-Day Speakers Workshop on
February 20, 2015, and 1-Day Stage Production
Workshop on March 2, 2015 both conducted
by George Gabriel at Obispado de Cubao
This just goes to show that learning truly never
stops something that we try to advocate as
homeschoolers: lifelong learning is the way to go!

Also, these learning events were opportunities

for the CFA frontliners to be reminded again of
the core of our work, i.e. to serve Gods families in
CFA. Just as Jesus did with His disciples serving
them and giving importance to each and every
member of His Church (John 13:12-14). As Saint
Peter said, As each one has received a gift, use it
to serve one another as good stewards of Gods
varied grace (1 Peter 4:10).
Photos courtesy of Ira Sol

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3 Ways Homeschoolers Can Make the Most

of Their Summer Vacation
By Tina Rodriguez

By the time you read this, youll probably be done with submitting the fourth quarter grades and
requirements for your children (or at least we hope youll be!), which means that summer vacation is just
around the corner. This, in turn, means that you and your family will be getting a much-deserved break!

However, just because youre on vacation, it doesnt mean that learning has to stop. As we homeschoolers
like to say, the world is our classroom so make the most out of your summer vacation by squeezing
as many learning experiences from it as you can!
To give you some idea on how to do this, here are a few suggestions:

1. Enroll in a summer program or activity based on the childs interests.

Summer is usually the time when many students even the non-homeschooling ones take classes
or join programs and activities based on their interests and hobbies. Some children prefer sports, while
others are more into arts and crafts. Others still, want to learn how to cook, or sew, or other useful skills.
Scout around for the best programs and activities that fit your childs interests, and choose one that he or
she likes the best. To get started, you may refer to local websites like Smart Parenting (for younger kids),
which usually publishes a comprehensive list of summer activities and programs sometime in March.

For an initial list, you can also go to mom blogger Louise Fandinos site: http://www.mommypracticality.
com/2015/02/2015-summer-workshops-lessons-sports-clinics-in-metro-manila.html, or read Tina
Rodriguezs post on parent-recommended summer activities for kids on Philstar.com: http://www.philstar.
com/health-and-family/2015/02/27/1428319/summer-activities-kids-parents-top-6-picks.
High school students might want to join enriching activities like summer youth camps organized by different
Christian organizations, like the Light of Jesus Family (LOJ) Youths Camp Calye, details of which can be
found on the website: http://www.lojyouth.com/. (Note: There are usually similar activities for younger
kids, too. Check with your parish or Catholic communities like LOJs Awesome Kids or Couples for Christs
Kids for Christ for possible kids camps that your children can join.)

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2. Start a business.
Summer is a great time for your homeschoolers (and perhaps parents, too) to consider setting up a small
business. Kids can learn a lot from doing so not just about school-y subjects like math, but real life
skills like how to deal with different people, and so on.
For ideas on summer businesses for kids, here is a list of websites that you can check out:
http://ph.theasianparent.com/how-to-earn-money-as-a-kid-in-the-philippines/
http://www.powerhomebiz.com/blog/2011/06/5-summer-business-ideas-for-kids/
http://businesstips.ph/12-summer-business-ideas-in-the-philippines/
https://anc.yahoo.com/video/shop-talk-hot-business-ideas-053204502.html
http://ifranchise.ph/top-business-ideas-kids-will-teach-value-money/

If you have the means, you might also want to enroll your child in the Truly Rich Kids How to Become
a Young Millionaire Camp on March 28, 2015. You can find more details here: http://trulyrichclub.com/
youngmillionaire/. This will help your child get the jumpstart he or she needs to be successful in life by
learning important money lessons and how to have the financial mindset of entrepreneurs and investors.

3. Take a family field trip together.

Field trips are a fun way to learn and what better time to take field trips than summer? Make the
most of your familys summer vacation plans by taking field trips together. Whether its to a nearby zoo or
museum, or to the beaches in the province, there is always something new to learn!
For suggestions on interesting places to visit, simply browse the Internet. There are many websites that
feature unique and fun locations.

Make the trip more educational by preparing for it beforehand read books about the place and
the different sights youll see, locate the place(s) on a map, check the distance from your home to your
destination, make related crafts and/or experiments, and so on and so forth!
Of course, dont forget to take lots of photos of your family field trip you can use these to make a
scrapbook about it later on as a family project.

Whatever you choose to do during the upcoming summer vacation, make sure to make the most of it by
marking its beginning Holy Week in a meaningful way: by contemplating the passion, death, and
Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, and celebrating the beautiful hope and joy of Easter (which, incidentally,
lasts for 50 days*!). God bless you and your loved ones!
*More info here: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1233

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Homeschoolers Are
a Fraternity of Sorts
By Marvin Isidore Macatol

If ever there is any consolation in the challenges we encounter in homeschooling our kids, it is the beauty that
we have seen in the last seven years, particularly during the time when it all began, two years further back in time.

Having read up what we could about homeschooling nine

years ago (that was in 2006, when our son was only three years
old) and after having prayed hard about it, my wife and I said,
This is it! We have unwaveringly stuck to that ever since. We
even crafted our life and career decisions around it.
Looking back, we didnt even know about Catholic Filipino
Academy (CFA) when we made that decision; nor were we aware
of any other homeschooling provider, Catholic or otherwise,
in the Philippines at that time. We just somehow jumped, as a
matter of FAITH in God, that He would lead us thereand He
DID! As it turned out, CFA was established in the same year
when we made our decision.
Our son with my wife and I during a homeschoolers common
That moment of decision by itself was (and still is) activity back in June 2009. We had been homeschooling him for
beautiful, because what followed after that were a series of a year when this photo was taken.
landmarks in our life as a familyboth good and badthat
happened all because we said, This is it! By Gods grace, we were able to relish those moments with passion.
When I wrote the blog post I published on March 27, 2010,
about my son just graduating from Prep, I was scraping dirt after
failing in a business and retreating to the province to start anew.
We had been homeschooling our son for two years already by
then, and our dire financial situation did not deter us from that
direction. To paraphrase Invictus, our heads were bloody, but
unbowed.

Back in 2010, we sold almost everything we had except our

work equipment and one piece of furniture, and we moved back
to Laguna. But, you know what? Homeschooling continued. In
the picture above, class was ongoing.

Photos courtesy of Marvin Macatol

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Presently, were back in Quezon City and our

homeschooling continues. It is our gift to our two kids.
Most people, including a few of those close to us, do not
understand us. That hurts. But then we do not really expect
people to understand. People do not need to. They just have to
respect our choice, and perhaps make smarter statements. But
to those who sincerely want to understand why we do this, the
articles in my blog (http://RaisingFilipinoBoys.com) say it all.
We get lots of affirmation from people who understand
homeschooling. This one in particular is from someone called
Danny, a contributor of Didache, a devotional published by
Shepherds Voice Publications. You have no idea how much
A recent family wefie during my birthday last January 2015.
his words inspires us, repeatedly. He wrote this on February 4,
Time flies :)
2013 on my Cool Catholics blog and I have been reading it every
chance I get since then:

Hi Marvin & Rhia,

Thank you for posting some of my reflections in Didache.

I am happy to note that you are homeschooling your children. My two children who are now graduates (from
DLSU and ADMU) were both homeschooled up to high school. This is the BEST education a parent can give!

Blessings!

Danny

Homeschoolers are a misunderstood lot. But homeschoolers couldnt care less. We *know* what weve got and
we would not exchange it with anything else. We are a tightly knit fraternity of some sort, bound by our common
dreams, struggles and rewards for our children. Were happy were doing this. Our children are happy that were
doing this.
Most importantly, we believe we give glory to the Lord by doing this.
Ad maiorem Dei Gloriam!

Editors note: This article originally appeared on Marvin Macatols blog, RaisingPinoyBoys.com, on February 17, 2015,
and is used here with permission: http://www.raisingfilipinoboys.com/2015/02/homeschoolers-are-fraternity-ofsort.html

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Each child is unique and has his or her own God-given talents and abilities. Check out these CFA kids achievements and masterpieces:

1. Woven Masterpiece from recycled / scrap

paper, by Naeisha Marie Inguito, Grade 2

Does your child have a piece of artwork, a craft, a poem, a short story or anything else to share with us? Feel
free to submit them through homebasesubmissions@gmail.com.
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Each child is unique and has his or her own God-given talents and abilities. Check out these CFA kids talents and
achievements:

2. Unicorn, by Zoe Faustino, Grade 4

3. Acting as Mulans younger brother in
Kids Acts Philippines version of Hua
Mulan, Noel Comia Jr., Grade 4
(From Daddy Noel: Praise God Noel Jr.
won the award for Best Child Performer
for his role in Hua Mulan during the 27th
Aliw Awards last December 2014.)

Does your child have a piece of artwork, a craft, a poem, a short story or anything else to share with us? Feel
free to submit them through homebasesubmissions@gmail.com.
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Patience, Penance and Piety for a Meaningful

Lent, Holy Week and Easter
We can make the month of March (i.e. the remaining weeks of Lent) and the first week of April (i.e. Holy Week) even
more meaningful for our families by emphasizing the importance of patience, penance and piety. Here are some links
to help us do so:
1. Catholic Culture

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/seasons/Lent/

This special Lenten Workshop on CatholicCulture.org provides valuable resources focusing on the following topics:
information about Lent, Lenten prayers & hymns, Lenten activities, ideas for a personal Lenten program, Stations
of the Cross and Holy Week. This is a must-visit page!
2. Education.com

http://www.education.com/reference/article/teaching-kids-patience/*

This useful article on teaching patience contains tips for parents of little kids, older kids and adolescents. Heres a
quotable quote from the article: Teaching patience by example helps children learn resilience, self-containment, and
the ability to self-soothe. These are qualities needed for emotional maturity. (*Patience is a great virtue to work on
during the Lenten season, which calls for fasting, abstinence, extra prayers, sacrifices and good works!)
3. A Catholic Life

http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2012/02/20-pious-practices-for-lent-what-should.html

This blog post by Matthew, a Catholic catechist from Chicago, provides great insight into different pious practices we
can do during (and even beyond) Lent. Dont be overwhelmed by the 20 practices listed though for starters, you
can just choose a few to do this year, and then add a few more next year.
4. Catholic Icing

http://www.catholicicing.com/category/lent/
http://www.catholicicing.com/religious-easter-ideas-for-kids/

No Lenten and Easter list would be complete without popular Catholic blogger Lacy Rabideaus posts on Lent and
Easter ideas and activities for kids. These will be especially handy as Holy Week approaches, particularly if you have
younger kids.
5. Lifeteen.com

http://lifeteen.com/tag/lent/ and http://lifeteen.com/tag/easter/

Lifeteen.com is our go-to resource for inspiring and empowering articles for teens check out the links above for
great Lenten and Easter resources for your high schoolers (and college students, too).

**********
May the remaining days of March (and the Lenten season) be extra meaningful for you and your families remember,
its never too late to strive for a life full of patience, penance and piety!

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