Opening a Savings Account for Kids is Easy

Interested in opening a savings account for your kids? It's actually very easy! We have been planning to open a savings account for our eight-year-old daughter for the longest time but haven't gotten around to it until now. We decided to deposit cash gifts she collected over the holidays and other gifts she would be receiving in the future. She was very excited with the idea of having a passbook in her name, too.

We first inquired over at BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) - SM Fairview branch but they only open accounts for kids 10 years old and above. We then dropped by BDO (Banco De Oro) and they allow parents to open savings accounts for kids of all ages (even newborns!) for initial deposits of as low as P100.

BDO asked us for the following requirements:

- ID picture (1"x1")
- Photocopy of birth certificate (bring original for verification)
- Photocopy of school ID (also bring original)

- (Some branches may ask for 2 valid IDs from the accompanying parent. Better call the branch nearest you before paying them a visit, just to be sure.)

Then we filled in an application form and that's all! We got in a bit of a dilemma in the part where my daughter was asked for three signature specimen. She claims that she signs her name with a heart (a star sometimes, whenever she feels like it) and asked me if that's okay. I thought about it and said well, she should probably not, just keep it simple, you know. I just told her to write her name - in cursive if she wants, for a bit of drama. When that's over and done with, we waited for a bit and then we got our (well, her) Junior Savers passbook!

On the way home, we talked about how we would deposit money she saves from her allowance to her account, and of course ma and pa will also put money in there from time to time, for her future. Oh boy, it felt so good and we were both so excited you'd think we deposited a million pesos in there (we did not, trust me). I am hoping my daughter grows up knowing the value of money and may she learn how to handle finances way, way better than I will ever know how to. ;)

Getting Kids Involved with Household Chores

It's the end of another school year (whew!) and we all finally get a much-deserved break from having to wake up oh-so-very-early in the morning every single day, preparing baon, tutoring, and you know what else. Can we all just take a minute and give ourselves a pat in the back for a job well done? *applause*

Vacation time is a good time as any to start getting children involved with household chores. Yes, part of it is about keeping them out of your hair just long enough for you to be able to accomplish whatever needs to be done, especially if you are a working mom -- but teaching kids to be responsible at an early age by assigning them household chores benefits child and parent both.

How do you manage to get your kids to help out with household chores? Read on to find out how to get kids to take responsibility at home and see some suggestions on age-appropriate chores.

Sweeping floor. Do not disturb.
Image source

The One-Bite Practice: Teach Kids to Eat Veggies

Impossible? Not anymore!

From the hundreds of articles on parenting I have read, probably one of the most useful bits of information that I found most handy is the One Bite practice, which gradually teaches kids to be, well, more well-rounded eaters (thank you Reader's Digest).

Kids Health: Healthy Snack Ideas Your Kids Will Also Love

As a mother, I know that I must make sure that my child gets proper nutrition - what with the demands of school and my daughter being in that stage where growth is at its peak. (I realize that I sound like a formula milk commercial, but we moms very well know that these concerns are valid!) Kids need to be healthier to develop immunity against diseases, more so now that it is the rainy season. Here are some practical and helpful suggestions on serving healthy snacks for kids:

My Daughter's First Ever Visit to the Dentist

We thought we had everything ready for the new school year but some things just happen unexpectedly. It was the second day of school and my almost-seven-year-old daughter Nini had to skip attendance because she was complaining of a terrible toothache. So my husband and I took her to a small clinic at the Fairview Center Mall after office hours for her first ever dental checkup.

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Life Is What Happens

I was going to post a series of comic strips based on humorous events around my house with two wild kiddos and their harried homebased writer/artist of a mom. Dad and college kid home-for-the-summer will be playing best supporting actors for a cast of five. I even asked the hubby to do the sketches for me. However, both our artistic mojos have all but been lost in the day-to-day of mother/fatherhood, so that he was able to do only one very lifelike cartoon character sketch of the youngest, and nothing else.

To save the day (or at least the blog post for my scheduled day of posting) I attempted, with my lesser drawing skills, to do ‘em sketches myself. I did make passable drawings there on the sketchpad, I am proud to say. Why are they not here then? Oh, it’s because I lost the drawings in the clutter of my household. I missed a week of posting because of this. Told ya I was harried.

How to Raise Well-Rounded Achievers

[You may also view this article on MomCenter.com.ph.]
For the past couple of weeks, I've been seeing a lot of Facebook friends posting graduation and recognition photos of their children/nephews/nieces/grandchildren.

I posted one myself of me and my daughter Nini, who was awarded second honorable mention and was named Most Cheerful/Most Gentle in her first-grade class (so proud of her!). One of my Facebook friends, whose daughter took home tons of academic and extra-curricular awards after her high school graduation (and is an incoming freshman at the University of the Philippines to boot), caught my attention. I wondered, "How do you raise an achiever?"