Something Fishy

DB bought Sharkboy and Baby Diva a freshwater aquarium with 7 resident fishes last weekend. Our happy little boy and little girl named them fish no. 1 Nemo, fish no. 2 Nemo, fish no. 3 Nemo…I’m sure you get the drift. Maintaining an aquarium can be quite time consuming as I delegated this task my sole duty after having been traumatized by Sharkboy’s Nanny performing a nightmarish cleaning incident last January. Sharkboy used to own a Flowerhorn fish, a gift from his Ninong H who told him that this particular fish will bring him good luck. It was too late when I caught Sharboy’s Nanny pouring the entire contents of the aquarium tank in a basin one Saturday morning, “QUE HORROR" imagine with the poor little fish on it. I refuse to divulge further details of this incident as I did an exceptional impersonation of Mrs. Edward Hyde as expected, let’s just say she was hotly reprimanded. I understand the intention was good, it was an initiative of hers to clean up the aquarium but her slapdash means was torturous to the fish and to the eyewitness. A fish enthusiast would have burst an artery and I got lucky because I am not yet a certified fish lover.

So the story of the not-so-lucky Flowerhorn fish ends this way, it died a week after the incident and I guessed it did not endure the stress of being thrown into the air along with the sands and decors. I stored the tank and trimmings after its death to help Sharkboy recover from the painful memory of losing his orange fish.

On the lighter side, I am currently researching the aquarium hobby for my children from very helpful sites, for those interested you may take a look at the bounty information these sites offer:

• Fish Channel


• Fantasy Reef


• The Gab


• Total Fishkeeping


• Amy & Phillips's Amazing Aquaria

vivi,ama e ridi,

Photo: Kidstoychest.com

Next question please

One pretty Sunday morning, Sharkboy woke up early to find my women’s magazines strewn all over our bedroom which I left the night before when I got sleepy while browsing for house decorating ideas, a recently found obsession. When I realized that I have scattered my magazines which have unfriendly content for children, ‘twas late as I pulled myself from the bed I found Sharkboy standing in the bedside holding a magazine with a photo of a boy in the act of kissing a girl’s body.

• Sharkboy: Mommy, why is the boy kissing the girl’s ”pwet” (butt)?
  He points innocently to the photo of an article that provides pointers on how to enliven one’s married life.


• GM: (tongue-tied and looks at a half-sleep DB)


• DB: (stifling a yawn) Ayan kasi kinakalat ang mga magazines, sinabi ko na! (That’s what you get from scattering your reading materials)


• GM: (finally finding my voice) Hey better ask your Dad (DB looks back at me sternly)


• Sharkboy looks at DB and back at me, waiting patiently for an answer


• GB: (retreating) Well…its an act of love (duh to kiss a butt!) the boy, err, the husband is expressing his love for his wife and you will understand this more when you grow up okay.

My rating on this: I failed miserably upon losing my coolness on how to handle such situation. I hope to prepare myself well next time with a more credible response not some hoopla taken from the air. My son deserves to know not only the truth but the surrounding concepts and premises on why we got a photo of a guy kissing a girls butt.

Two months before this incident happened, my friend related to me how she would be very critical with the reading materials of her “tween” daughter. She would staple the pages together of her daughter’s magazine for quality control in an effort to delete articles that she deem would be inappropriate for her daughter’s age. We had a healthy discussion on this, the other argument was the necessity of exposing our children to the realities of life so they would learn to be critical and open at the same time. Now I am reminded that while espousing the “other school of thought”, as a parent you are expected to be alert and ever-ready to react to questions that need information-backed and responsible answers. I do not intend to underestimate my son’s intelligence, he won’t forgive me next time.

vivi, ama e ridi,

the Cast

First things first, before I set myself into becoming a dedicated storyteller of the Tango House, let me introduce its unique residents that make it a topsy-turvy but a charming place to live in…

Gangstah Mum (GM)

also known as Purple Ink in her other blog

Her ultimate dream is to be “Cool Mom” to her two children and believes that it would take time and practice to earn the badge. While others may not agree with her style, she wants to be a bestfriend to her kids, the one they can turn to when the world seem to be difficult or just for the simple reason that they need a listening ear or a tough shoulder. Honestly put, she craves to be their hero, she wants them to see her as Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking rolled into one. She is keen on motivating them to discover their God-given talents with the faith that her children shall embrace these gifts with gusto.

GM is happily married to the Hubby, her staunch advocate and lifetime alter-ego. She is a working mom and her other ultimate goal is to conquer her fear of wearing stilettos and strutting it like she means it in the office.

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Daddy Bee (DB)

other aliases include the Hubby, Papa, Dada, Babah

He has a big heart for GM and their children and is often inclined to spoiling them. He is a certified doting father who makes time to play with his kids and understands their troubles; it doesn’t matter if it has something to do with a broken toy or a favorite cartoon character. DB shares parenting with GM and agrees on committing to parenthood towards raising smart, well-rounded, confident and happy children.

DB dabbles in numbers and logic and is wickedly good at it. He considers himself an old soul and possesses a fine taste in film and music. He is one smart social butterfly who has this talent for making people agree with him most of the time. This talent comes in handy when in an argument with GM.

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Sharkboy (SB)

referred also as Speed Racer, the Fisherman

This little boy stole the hearts of DB and GM the moment he came into their lives one chilly August evening. He did just that by looking at them.

Sharkboy is passionate about 3 things: 1) trains; 2) cars; and 3) underwater creatures. He named himself Sharkboy in honor of the great shark, his favorite fish. He is troubled when someone calls him a fish.

Quirks: recalls all the names and body numbers of his Thomas and Friends trains by heart; great at asking perfect questions; loves to tell stories to friends/classmates; voted as speaker of his Nursery class

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Baby Diva

alternately uses the names Tiger Lily, YB, Pepper and Little Mermaid

This little girl is a perfect gift from heaven. Her arrival on a sunny January day felt like DB and GM has won the jackpot, the only difference is, this one’s better because her presence completed the lives of GM, DB and Sharkboy.

Baby Diva is an avid performer of Disney movies like Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid. She loves to sing, dance and act. She expresses herself quite well by speaking in complete sentences when she turned 2.

Quirks: loves ABBA and her favorite song Voulez Vous; plays Belle and the Beast and Gaston all at the same time; calls herself Little Mermaid; she means what she says, not easy to pacify

vivi, ama e ridi,