(Prada Mama's NOTE: It's a little known fact that Harry Potter's first name is Lorenzo. Yes, that famous boy actually hails from the Syquijor side of my family. His parents, Jaime and Lilia, met at the local babaylan school in their sophomore year and have been inseparable ever since. When they got accepted at Hogwarts, Jaime changed his last name, "Magbabanga", to the Anglicized "Potter", and the rest is history.

You can ask J.K. Rowling. She and I go back a long way...)



(Harry Potter.)


(Harry Potter 2.)


THE BOY WHO LIVED

Movie night.

It's a sacred Sereno family tradition.

One night, usually on a weekend, the whole brood gathers around the family room. Mommy makes popcorn, Daddy sets up the queen-size sofa bed and Lance and Troy bring down their favorite pillows. We choose a DVD from our collection and everybody piles up on the sofa bed. When the popcorn is done, we turn off the lights and settle in for the show.

These pictures were taken last July. Troy was just about to turn three and was undergoing a growth spurt, which was wreaking havoc on my furniture, and on his noggin. (If you look closely at his picture, you'll see a barely discernible mark on his forehead.)

See, my poor baby was still getting used to his new stature. In the meantime, he kept bumping his head on things. One of his favorite targets was our dining table. Troy used to run into the corner of that table at least once a day, often enough that he had a semi-permanent scar on his forehead.

Two weeks before his birthday, I was putting some ointment on my son's "owie", admonishing him for the thousandth time to be careful. I planted a kiss on his brow and was about to send him off when he looked at me seriously and said "I'm Harry Potter", pointing to his scar as proof.

Needless to say, this prompted another kissing fit on my part. Troy weathered the onslaught like a pro. He patiently sat through my love attack until it was over and I was spent. Then he asked, "where are my glasses?" in such a matter-of-fact tone that all I could do was laugh and give him a final squeeze.

Later that day, Lorenzo and the kids dropped me off at Party City to get invitations and party favors for Troy's 3rd birthday bash. Troy wanted a "Harry Potter" movie party, but had to settle for "Spiderman 2" because "Harry Potter" wasn't showing anymore. Lucky for me, all the "Spiderman 2" merchandise was 25% off so I loaded up on loot for Troy's goodie-bags.

Of course, being me, I couldn't resist taking a peek at the Harry Potter section. Good thing too, because I found myself staring at the very thing Troy was looking for: Harry Potter glasses! I couldn't believe my luck.

The glasses were packaged in pre-packed loot bags, made to look like pouches of "Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans". I picked up a bag and looked more closely. Aside from the glasses, there were stickers, a Gryffindor door hanger, a keychain and some candy. Thankfully, there were NO "Every Flavor Beans" in sight. I once bought a box, and regretted tasting the "dirt", "sardine" and "vomit" varieties.

I picked up a couple of bags for Lance and Troy, along with a pack of wizard hats. I wanted to make it up to my boys, knowing they were a bit disappointed that Troy's "Harry Potter" party was cancelled. I couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when they saw their surprise. Even though the "Harry Potter" movie party was off, we could still have a "Harry Potter" movie night!

And so we went home, Mommy and Daddy announcing that we had a surprise for Lance and Troy. The two kept asking us for clues. We told them we were having a Movie Night. That was enough for them. Our bumblebees LOVE Movie Night. By the time we got home, they were beside themselves, trying to be patient, but not entirely succeeding.

I put on the popcorn and Lorenzo unfolded the sofa bed. We told the boys to close their eyes. Daddy put the DVD in the player and the "Harry Potter" theme came on. We could see the smiles forming on their faces. You can imagine their delight when they opened their eyes to discover their Harry Potter loot bags...


(Capturing the moment their eyes light up: PRICELESS!)


Mommy whipped out the wizard hats to complete the ensemble, and the smiles grew even bigger!


(Where's the party? RIGHT HERE!)


Lance and Troy couldn't wait to open their loot bags. They scattered the contents on the sofa bed, donning their glasses and filling their foreheads with lightning bolt stickers. They even wanted to eat the candy, but we told them it was too late for sweets. Good thing they were too excited to put up much of a complaint...



(Troy and Mommy.)


(Lance and Daddy.)


(Reanna, my Enchantress-in-Training.)


And so we turned off the lights and settled in to watch "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", everyone lying beside each other and craning their necks to see the movie. I LOVE Movie Night. It's a tight squeeze. It's uncomfortable. But it's a tradition.

As usual, Daddy fell asleep in the middle of the movie. Daddy ALWAYS falls asleep during the movie. I can't remember a single Movie Night where Daddy watched the ENTIRE movie without dozing off at some point.

I guess it's just as well. It would be too weird to have Daddy watching with us, WIDE AWAKE. We would definitely miss the snoring. Besides, if Daddy FINALLY succeeded in staying awake, he would be breaking tradition.

And we NEVER mess with tradition.



(Wake up, Daddy! You're missing the movie...AGAIN!)

(Prada Mama's NOTE: This is the first in my "BOYS OF SUMMER" series, featuring our first LORENZO, Lorenzo Christopher "Lance" Sereno, who will henceforth be known as...)


LOVER BOY

Summer in the Sereno residence officially began on June 25, the day after Lance's preschool graduation.


(Congratulations, Lance!)


Days before, I learned that some of the mothers were looking for a place to hold a graduation potluck. I quickly offered by backyard as a venue, telling them I would shoulder the sandwiches.

Lance's teacher, Mrs. Andrea, was quite impressed that I could throw a swimming party with a six-week-old baby at home. I could tell the sandwiches earned me even more brownie points. What she DIDN'T know was that I was my local deli's best customer. I quickly called in my order: a deli sandwich tray and a mini-croissant tray. When it comes to party preparations, I let my fingers do the walking.

Lorenzo, on the other hand, had a slightly bigger responsibility under his belt: our swimming pool, which had to be in tiptop party shape, and fast. But my husband was up to the task. "Anything for Lance!" he said, and between him and my stepson, Chris, the swimming pool was sparkling clean in no time.


(Lance's classmate Roberto, Troy and Daddy enjoying the fruit of his labors!)


Lance's classmates arrived in a trickle at first, but by the end of the day, my backyard was swarming with kids.


(Moms and kids in the pool...)


(And in the spa...)


Aside from my sandwiches, the other mothers brought sodas, chips, fresh fruit salad, tuna salad on tostadas (which are like giant tortilla chips shaped like flattened out taco shells) and doritos, Mexican versions of kropek shaped like wagon wheels, liberally sprinkled with chili sauce. One of the Moms even surprised me with piping hot tamales, freshly made earlier that day. YUM!

They also brought the rest of their children. Aside from Reanna, there were two other babies among the guests, one of them also a newborn who arrived just a week after my daughter. Two of the mothers who came were pregnant too. For some unexplained reason, there was a "baby boom" in Lance's preschool, with six of us Moms all pregnant at one point!


(Baby boomers in my backyard.)


I guess it wasn't just the Moms who were in the mood for love. As the boys horsed around in the pool, the girls congregated in my formal dining room, which I had converted into a playroom. It seemed innocent enough at the time. Later that evening, however, while tidying up the playroom, I found a folded piece of paper addressed to "Lorenzo". I opened it and read the note inside:


DEAR LORENZO,

HOW ARE YOU? I'M FINE. YOU WILL PROBILY GET THIS LETTER WHEN YOU ARE 5. YOU CAN GESS HOW I AM BUT LETS SEE IF YOU CAN. I A

I AM A GIRL. I HAVE BROWN EYES AND LONG BR HAIR. I HAVE BIG FEET. I AM MUCH TALLER AND OLDER THEN YOU.

P.S.
GESS HOW I AM!

I LOVE YOU!!!
(picture of a heart with an arrow through it)
XOXOXOXO


Hmm...now who among my guests would leave such a wanton love note?

I tried to recall all the female faces in the party. Some of them were Lance's classmates, and some were siblings of classmates. My sister-in-law, Anna, said she saw some girls huddled around Lance's desk earlier that day. Aha...my first clue! I remembered that I had taken a snapshot of the group before they left. I quickly retrieved the evidence in my camera:


(The Usual Suspects.)


And so I got my first breakthrough. I noticed that aside from Troy and Anna (who was carrying Reanna), and Lance's classmate Maria, the rest of the group were members of the same family, Lance's classmate, Leandro's. Leandro is one of his closest friends in preschool, and they would sometimes be mistaken for each other, given the similarity of their names, Leandro and Lorenzo.


(Bosom buddies: Leandro and Lorenzo.)


It didn't take much detective work to narrow down my list of suspects, using the clues supplied by my son's secret admirer. Using powers of deduction, I quickly ruled out two girls: Lance's classmate Maria and Leandro's youngest sister, Fernanda, since they were not "much taller and older" than him. This narrowed down the field somewhat. The only girls left were Leandro's older sisters, whom I will refer to as Suspect Number 1 and Suspect Number 2.

I looked at the picture again. Since the older girl, Suspect Number 1, was almost as tall as her mother, Maria, I seriously doubted that she would be smitten with my son, who was just four years old. However, I could definitely see her writing that note at the behest of her younger sister, Suspect Number 2.

And so I had my main suspect, Leandro's second sister, Iridiani, who, at six years old, was definitely older than Lance. I didn't agree about the "much taller" part, but who was I to burst her bubble?

I had the opportunity to confirm my suspicions the next day, when Leandro's mom, Maria, returned the favor by inviting my family to Leandro's fifth birthday party at their house.

I kept an eagle eye on my target the whole time. And sure enough, she was right beside my boys for the entire party.


Here she is, sandwiched between Lance and Troy at the bounce house:


(Exhibit Number 1.)


And here she is beside Troy when they were setting up the pinata:


(Exhibit Number 2.)


I was wondering why she was with the WRONG Lorenzo in the last picture. It soon became clear. She was just jockeying for position. After Troy took a swing at the pinata...


(Ready...swing!)


She was right there to assist, JUST WHEN IT WAS LANCE'S TURN!


(Lance's turn. Notice subject in the background.)


I guess I didn't mind. After all, she was being the perfect little hostess. She even walked us to our minivan when it was time for us to leave. It was quite touching to see her fluttering about my unsuspecting son, who did not have a CLUE what was going on.

Yes, to this day, we STILL haven't read the note to Lance. As parents, Lorenzo and I are both in agreement when it comes to puppy love. Our sons are still too young for such things, and we will try to preserve their innocence for as long as we can.

Still, we can't bury our heads in the sand. One of these days, we'll have to admit that we have good-looking boys, and girls will always be around them.

But not THIS early, please!



(AHA! Caught in the act!)


(Looks like Troy's starting early too!)

THE BOYS OF SUMMER



(Troy and Lance in our backyard oasis.) 


Meet Lance and Troy.

These pint-sized versions of my husband, Lorenzo, are, in fact, named Lorenzo themselves.

Yes, George Foreman and I share a common lack of imagination when it comes to naming our progeny. When both of our boys arrived, I insisted that both of them be christened Lorenzo: "Lorenzo Christopher" for Lance, and "Lorenzo Troy" for...well, you get the general picture.

Joey, Lorenzo's eldest son from his previous marriage, is also named Lorenzo. I think his younger brother, Christopher, is feeling a bit left out. Chris has also inquired about having his name changed. I won't even waste time to tell you which name he's chosen.


(The Non-Lorenzos: My stepson, Chris and my daughter, Reanna.)


Many people have asked me why I named both of my sons after my husband. After all, it IS a logistical nightmare, especially here in the States, where everyone is addressed by their first names. My husband's colleagues call him "Lorenzo" at work. Lance is known as "Lorenzo" in kindergarten. Guess what name Troy will be using when he starts preschool next year? That's right: LORENZO.

When people call at home asking for "Lorenzo", I have to ask "which one?" When we go out as a family, I've gotten used to seeing four heads turn at the same time upon hearing "Hey Lorenzo!" I'm not even going into detail when it comes to our Kaiser cards, which I now have to sort according to birth date, since I have four identical ones, all of them saying "Lorenzo Sereno".

I don't know why I inflicted this upon myself, and upon my family. After all it was MY bright idea to name both of my sons after their father, knowing full well that two Lorenzo Serenos already existed. When we found out we were having a daughter, I briefly considered naming her "Loren Zoe".

But then I decided that it was MY turn to have a junior. And so my baby came to be known as "Reanna", a derivative of my name, "Renee". But even then, I guess I still had to put my husband's stamp on our youngest child. Reanna's whole name is "Reanna Loren".

Through the years, people have asked me why I insisted on naming my kids after their father. And through the years, my answer has always been the same: "Because I love my husband."

Sometime ago, when we were walking Spot the Pit Bull, Lance asked me why there were so many Lorenzos in the family. I explained that they were all named after Daddy, who was, in turn, named after his Lolo. I also reminded Lance that even though everyone's first name WAS Lorenzo, their middle names were different. Daddy was Lorenzo Sr., Kuya Joey was Lorenzo J., he was Lorenzo Christopher and Troy was Lorenzo Troy.

"But Mom," he complained, "you forgot Lorenzo Spot!"



(My three Lorenzos: THE BOYS OF SUMMER.) 


(Prada Mama's NOTE: As we approach the end of summer, I am briefly putting my "Rehash, Reuse, Recycle" series on hold, the three "R"s to be replaced by the three "L"s: "Lorenzo, Lorenzo and Lorenzo"!

Yes, Prada Mama is embarking on another series. An ode to the summer that was, entitled "The Boys of Summer", and starring all the Lorenzos in my life, including the dog, whom Lance has already christened "Lorenzo Spot".

And yes, I DO love my husband that much.)

PROUD MAMA

On the day that you were born...


(Reanna's first bath, May 13, 2004) 


The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true...


(Reanna Loren, 8 days old.) 


So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair
And gave you dimples, oh so fair!


(Reanna smiling at 1 1/2 months.) 


(Prada Mama's NOTE: Reanna is now three and a half months old. To view her latest picture, check out "The Love Bug", at Prada Mama's OTHER SITE,
87 GENTLE STREET.)

I AIN'T TOO PROUD TO BRAG

Okay, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this picture-posting thing, and I'm so proud of myself. Now I'd like to try posting multiple pictures to a single entry.

Let's start with one of my favorite pictures...


(This is my husband and I'm one lucky girl!)


I am proud to announce that this Lapulapu-lookalike basking on a private tropical island is my husband, Lorenzo. And yes, Prada Mama took this picture.

If you don't believe he's my hubby, here's proof:


(Don Lorenzo and Prada Mama on their wedding day, July 31, 2000.)


If you still don't believe me, you can go to my husband's site, "ONE DAY, ISANG ARAW" at Kindat.com. There you'll find the same wedding picture, minus the pseudonyms. (Lorenzo's learning to post pictures as well...heh heh!)

Introductions are over. Now get back to work.

PICTURE PERFECT

Prada Mama is learning how to post pictures on the web. This is her initial offering, entitled "YUM! (Baby Troy Eating Floss)".


YUM! Baby Troy Eating Floss. 

Prada Mama hopes she gets the hang of this and welcomes advice from more experienced blogheads.

In the meantime, let me wallow in the first blush of accomplishment...

Thank you...thank you...

(Prada Mama's NOTE: Troy, my birthday boy, celebrated his third birthday with a "Spiderman 2" movie party. At the tender young age of three, Troy is already a veteran of several movies, with quite an impressive attention span. I wrote the following article after taking him and Lance to see "The Cat in the Hat" last December, an outing which would eventually end in infamy. Seven months may not be enough for the statute of limitations to be up, but I'm spilling the beans anyway, in this, the fourth in my REUSE, REHASH, RECYCLE series, aptly entitled...)


MOVIES AND MISDEMEANORS

After a very long drought, Lorenzo and I finally went to the movies again!

Earlier tonight, with Lance and Troy in tow, we went to catch a matinee showing of "The Cat in the Hat". It was a cute movie. Quite frankly, I was more impressed with its visual appeal than its story, but since it's obviously geared toward the Dr. Seuss set, one should not expect sophisticated repartee.

When the film ended, we all filed out of the theater. I still had visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, after being besieged by a massive whimsy overdose, as only Hollywood can dish out. I felt like taking my kids to a diner. I wanted to extend their viewing experience, and a genuine 50's diner would best approximate the look and feel of "the Cat in the Hat" movie. My husband, on the other hand, had other plans. Lorenzo's quick, resourceful eyes scanned the red carpeted horizon, quickly spotting what he was looking for: another marquee bearing the words: "The Last Samurai, 7:30 PM".

I glanced at my watch. I was 7:10. We had more than enough time to purchase tickets and buy more food. As it was already past the 6 PM matinee deadline, we now had to pay regular price: $8.25 per person. I was about to ask Lorenzo if kids got a price cut when I saw him stroll, oh so casually, into the empty theater. Only then did my husband's diabolical plan dawn upon me.

I must confess that I am so blissfully gauche (translated "ignorantly dense") when it comes to these matters, I wouldn't recognize temptation if it were staring me right in the face! My massive dose of whimsy congealed into a massive dose of scruples. But since my husband was already deep in the belly of the beast, all I could do was glance innocently around, surreptitiously checking if the coast was clear. Sure enough, there was no one in sight.

I still hung back for a moment or two, entertaining my misgivings. Lance and Troy, who of course had no idea that a misdemeanor was in progress, were noisily chattering away. This snapped me back into attention. They were blowing our cover! I quickly shushed and hushed them, herding my pint-sized co-conspirators into the back row.

By this time it was about 7:15. Fifteen minutes to go before the lights were dimmed. I sat in my seat, cowering. I just KNEW we were going to get caught! Any minute now and we'll be seeing uniformed ushers, pulled by baying hounds, pointing their flashlights at us, bearing bullhorns blaring "LICENSE AND REGISTRATION PLEASE!!!"

Lorenzo, quite frankly, was no help. He seemed to take some perverse form of pleasure in scaring me even more. Everytime someone would enter the theater, he would whisper, "ayan na sila, ayan na sila!" ("they're coming, they're coming!"). I, of course, would keep my eyes guiltily averted, expecting the humiliation, cursing myself for not listening to my conscience. Then these phantom ushers would walk right past my field of vision, thankfully ignoring us. When I looked closely, I discovered them to be other movie-goers just like us, choosing plum viewing spots before the film started.

My initial fears were beginning to subside. The adrenaline was starting to ebb from my veins, to be replaced by the unmistakeable pang of hunger. To make things worse, my pregnant bladder was hearing the siren calls emitting from the ladies' bathroom, which of course had to be located in full view of the concession stand! There was no other recourse. I had to go back out there.

The previews were coming up. I still had time. I took everybody's order: more hotdogs, nachos, and Lorenzo's request: M&M's, which my children knew as "magic". I smiled at this. In my younger days, my version of "magic" was a stick of Juicy Fruit gum, "magically" conjured out of my Lolo's adept fingers.

I took off my jacket, hoping it would be harder to recognize me without it. I also took a different credit card and ID. Obviously, there was still a possibility we could get caught, and I wasn't about to take any chances. Still trying to muster up enough courage, I took a casual inventory of our popcorn stores. More than two-thirds full. We were still good in that department. The soda situation, on the other hand, was dire. Our huge cup runneth empty. This realization filled me with a strange audacity...I was ready. I would not only march bravely up to the counter, I resolved to ask for a REFILL besides.

On the way out, I fingered my "Cat in the Hat" tickets, meaning to wave them vaguely in front of any usher who dared block my way. To my surprise, I discovered FOUR tickets instead of three. Those creeps actually had the nerve to charge me full matinee price for Troy! Since he was only 2, he should've gotten in for free. Righteous indignation coursed through my veins. That was it. This is war. They charged my baby for admission. They deserved to be duped!

Never underestimate the power of rationalization. Fueled by self-rightousness, I sailed from the ladies' room to the concession stand, brazenly parking myself in full view of the box office. I took my time ordering, strolled leisurely to the condiment station, languidly added ketchup, mustard and relish to my hotdogs, and asked for my free refill. The food filled up a huge, ungainly tray. The guy behind the counter took one look and offered to help me with my purchases. I thanked him, thinking "that's right, it's the LEAST you could do for preying on helpless, innocent consumers like us!"

I marched back to my family in triumph, followed by my unwitting accomplice, whose very presence in my wake made him an accessory to our crime. I'm pretty sure the last thing Lorenzo expected to see was a uniformed usher following me, BEARING OUR FOOD. What a perfectly apropos way to symbolize our beating the establishment!

Still, in retrospect, I realize that movie theaters, like casinos, always come out on top. With the cost of tickets and two trips to the concession stand, our little caper ended up setting us $70 behind, the price of a five-star meal for a young family of four. In time, the same movie/DVD would've probably gone on sale for $9.99 in Target.

We had won the battle, but lost the war.