Ocean Park

One of our friend's daughters turned one today so a group of us visited the Ocean Park at Manila Bay.  We went before with my parents but they have added a couple of sections - although you have to pay extra for them.  The kids enjoyed it, though.  Naomi and Josh went ahead with me and Rose followed at a slower pace with Steve and the others.  Even though N and J were moving more quickly they were taking a lot in. Joshua particularly liked the shark tank.

What goes around....

...comes around. It made me laugh tonight when Josh was trying to read the 3 billy goats gruff to me and occasionally Naomi was supplying the word he was trying to string together.  The first time, he said, "What? Did she read that?" (She wasn't even looking at the book).  I said, "No. But you remember how when Rose was starting to read you often told her words because you knew the story so well?  That is what Naomi is now doing to you."  He didn't like it, just as Rose did not like it when he did it to her.

A lengthy hair cut

Rose and I went to get a haircut this morning.  I took a book for her to read with me and just as well because when we walked in, the hairdresser was doing a pedicure on another lady (it doubles as a "beauty salon").  She used the classic Filipino phrase "For a while" so I decided we could wait till she was done.  However, when she finished the lady's toes she moved on to the lady's fingernails.  We had already waited about 30 minutes so I figured a few more minutes while she did the manicure wouldn't hurt.  Silly, silly, silly Debs.
Another 20 minutes later, I realise the lady now wants her hair dyed.  Aaaaaaaaagggghh.  By this time Rose is pretty bored - she has been brilliant up till now so I decide we will walk down to the other hairdresser's - just a few steps down the road and if they were available we would have our hair cut and, if not, we would cut our losses and go home.  Rose was happy with the plan so we sauntered down.
The hairdressing crew were all having lunch so I turned to leave but the manager got up and said she would cut our hair.  I said it was OK and I was very sorry for disturbing their lunch (eating is important in the culture) but she said it was no problem.  Shortly afterwards, one of the other hairdressers also came and did Rose's hair too so we were even faster than we expected.
Of course, if I had decided to leave the other salon earlier, we would have been done even faster!

Looking Ahead

I think I mentioned a couple of weeks back about how Christmas was kind of like turning a corner as we look ahead to our furlough.  I have begun reading a book on transitions for families overseas and it reminded me that dis-engagement typically begins 6 months before departure.  So, as we look ahead, we face the tumult of emotion and reality as we begin to sort and pack as well as stay focused and work well.  This is the bit I don't like!

Christmas Day

So, here it is!

Steve made pancakes for breakfast but the kids were so excited about opening presents that they only managed 2, rather than their normal 4 or 5!  I told them they had to wait while I made my Chai tea, anyway.  We read our last Jesse tree devotion, reminding them of why we celebrate Christmas before ripping into the presents.

Wendy and her parents came for dinner along with Karen.  Wendy's parent had couriered some Christmas crackers for us so that was fun.  We bought the last Christmas pudding in M&S on Monday - a result of procrastination! - so we also had that taste of home plus some food we have made traditional Christmas fare in our family.

The kids were ready for bed after two late nights and the culmination of all the excitement of this week!

Christmas Eve

We had a low-key day around the house just as a family before heading out to our Church for the Christmas Eve service.  Naomi was not that well behaved during the service (it's only an hour long) but I realised they never sit in church services with us because their kids' programme runs the entire time of the service.  I can see why it might be beneficial for them to be in part of the service and then I remember some of my childhood experiences of church and am grateful they offer a kids' programme and that my kids enjoy going to church.  That may be better for them in the long run.

After the service we enjoyed our traditional "meal" at Wendy's, drove past the Christmas lights in the city and went home.  Another late night for our kids - we got home at 8.

Games night

We hosted a games night for some friends - it's great having so many friends still in the city over the break. Our kids had gone to bed, but they were running back and forth between the bedrooms upstairs and definitely not settling down, so when our friends arrived with their 3 children we told ours to just get up and come and play with them.  They didn't believe Steve at first when he told them to come down - they thought they were in trouble.  So they stayed up till 9 (way beyond their normal bedtime) but they are so hyper-excited about Christmas I doubt they would have slept much before then anyway!  Not much longer to wait.

The Sun

As I was playing tennis today in the bright, and at times hot, sun I couldn't help thinking about the big difference between being here and being in the UK with snow, snow and more snow (and cold!).  It is one of the things I love about living in the Philippines - the year-round sun.  I may not love it so much in hot season but I still see - and feel - the sun almost every day.  It is one of the things I am not looking forward to when we get back to England.  I mean, it's fun for a while to have a more diverse wardrobe, and to experience those days in front of the log burner while it rains outside, and to play in snow when you haven't seen it for years.  But it gets old fast!  I was never great about cold even before we left England and now, as I wrap up in a couple of blankets to sleep here in our coolest season, I shudder at the thought of dealing with the cold there.  But maybe it helps me appreciate what I have now.

Film Date

We haven't had a date night in a long time and I have been desperate to see Harry Potter on the big screen before it disappears so we organised two sets of babysitters - one for morning and one for afternoon/evening and took ourselves off for the day to watch Dawntreader and HP as well as finish up some bits of Christmas shopping and basically get to spend the whole day together!  It was lovely.  We finished up the day with a meal at one of the more expensive restaurants as our Christmas treat.

The holidays

Of course, one of the great things about being on holiday is the chance to do things during the day that you can't normally do.  We got to go to our friends for lunch (after a misunderstanding where we waited for them here and they waited for us there!) and play a game in the afternoon!  Wow, unheard of.  It also shows how much bigger our kids are getting that they were able to entertain themselves and give us the space to play.

Rose then had her friend over for a "sleep-over".  Thankfully Josh and Naomi went to sleep regardless and they stayed up chatting in Rose's room (we had moved Naomi in to Josh's room for this purpose!) but quietly.

A Study on Study

On the way up to school last night Rose was asking what I did at Bible Study.  I explained that we meet together to eat, then we chat about our homework - what we learned from the Bible that week, then we listen to a lady speak to us on DVD, then we pray for each other and go home.
Rose: That sounds fun.
Debs: It is.  I've learned lots of new things about God and grown as a believer.
Rose: I get it.  It's called Bible Study because you study the Bible.
Debs: That's right.
Rose: Oh, it's a compound word. Bible + Study = Bible Study.
Debs: Not really, because it is two separate words, not a compound word but the idea is right.
Rose: We've learned about compound words.
And she proceeds to give me examples of compound words she knows - butterfly, firefly, rainbow.
Rose: I'm quick as lightning aren't I, mum?
Debs:(processing fast for best answer) Well, not really. But that's OK.  Sometimes it's better to do things slowly. When mummy does things quickly I often don't think things through enough. (Ouch! The truth of that strikes me as it pops out of my mouth.)
Rose: Like when we do Maths.  We all work very quietly and listen to Christmas music because we are thinking hard. (Then she thinks). Except, sometimes I want to sing to the music because I like it and then I stop thinking about Maths!

We both laughed at that.

Carols by Candlelight

Rose said she would like to come with me to the Carols by Candlelight service at school this evening.  It was lovely.  Lots of people, great singing of Carols.  We left rapidly as it was past Rose's bedtime, which she was not impressed about as she did not get to partake of any of the "treats".
As we were walking to the car I asked her if she had fun.
Rose: No, it wasn't fun.
Debs: Why? Because you didn't know all the carols?
Rose: No, because there were no games.
Debs: I told you we would be singing carols.
Rose: Yes, but I thought there would be games to make it more fun!

I think something got lost in translation there!

Photos!

Nov photos

Filipiniana Week Field Trip

Thanksgiving

Naomi's Christmas "programme"

Rose and Josh's Christmas performance

The other programme

It was Rose and Joshua's turn today.  Elem were putting on a performance called "Christmas in Reverse".  We have been getting previews over the last few weeks as they have practised songs at home, so I was looking forward to it.  Unfortunately, our video camera battery is playing up so I only really got video of Josh and Naomi (but, really, do I need anything more?!).  I also took lots of photos.
It was very good.
I also had my 20 minute "lesson" with my class (thankfully before the performance) and school is done for Christmas.  Except I still have a handful of grades to do and no motivation to do them - well, except they are due by Monday!!

The Programme

Naomi made me smile this week when she came home excited from pre-school and announced she was "doing a program" (deliberate spelling because it was a very American sounding phrase to me!).  Today rolled around and she was being uncooperative about getting ready to go and leaving the house.  I said, "Come on, Naomi, it's your programme.  You've been looking forward to it all week!"
Naomi: I'm bored of the programme.
Debs: Well, only one more time, then it will be over.
How can a four year old be bored of things already?  It's her favourite word.  Last week I did not get to go to the Elem Christmas party because Rose and Naomi were both tired and feeling ill.  When I told them I would stay home, Naomi said (well, shouted, really!), "No.  I want you to go to school. I'm bored of you, mummy!"
It helps me keep a humble perspective (despite myself!)

So TCK!

We are heading back home after school with Josh and Naomi's friends - who are coming to play.  They made me smile when Josh said, "Are you from the US?" (And, yes they use the acronym and know exactly what it means).
Naomi's friend: No, I was just born there.

Breakfast from the heart

Love, love, love admin breakfast.

I salute whoever was the first superintendent to install this fabulous tradition.  What a practical example of servant leadership (it bugs me how often I have sat in meetings where I am told that leadership takes a servant heart but I don't see evidence of it!).  Steve and I worked with the rest of the admin team and their spouses from 2 - 4 yesterday afternoon preparing for this morning and then Steve left at 4:45 am to help get breakfast cooked and served.  I brought our kids and another principal's kids up to school at the normal time and helped with the last bit of breakfast.  Then we all enjoyed breakfast together and I helped clean up when it was over.

Last week of term

I have already given my end of semester exam to my class, Josh has his last football game today and it is party season, performance season and only 5 days left!  I can feel that tiredness creeping up on all of us as we finish off for the semester.  The kids are fluctuating with sickness and tiredness and I am ready to sleep for a few days. (Fat chance!)  And, so as we look to Christmas we begin to look to the end of the school year and a year back in England.  Steve is feeling more torn about it than I am as I am grounded in my teaching and cannot ignore it!  I have to stay focused here and now but there are things that have to be sorted too.  Our tickets are in the process of being bought - we leave 8th June.  We need to get the kids into school in England and the deadline for admission is the end of Jan.  I am beginning a book on transition for families to think about how to best prepare the kids (and ourselves) for this big change.  There is much to look forward to - especially time with family and friends - but there is much that we leave too.

Weetabix

Rose was talking at dinnertime about what she misses about England (in anticipation of going back) and she mentioned Weetabix.  Of all things!!  Anyway, she thought for a minute and then asked us, "Is Weetabix seasonal?"  I laughed.  It amused me that she understands the concept of seasonal food and that she thought Weetabix could be seasonal.

Joseph

Last night was my weekly Bible Study.  Normally we are 5 but Wendy has a team visiting from her church in South Africa and another friend was frantically finishing up work before the exam week next week.  We have been doing a Beth Moore study on the fruit of the spirit but took a break and instead looked at the Christmas story.  We started with a song about Joseph and took some time to think through what these events looked and felt like for a man who is often overlooked.  What an amazing guy.  He is one of my new heroes of the faith.  He made the hard choices because he feared God not man.
That is my desire.

Sleepover

Rose was invited to the party of one of the Grade 2 girls.  It was a sleepover which only started at 7 p.m.  My daughter is normally fast asleep by then!  They had lots of fun pretending to be rock stars with their hair sprayed in different colours, watched a film, ate popcorn, played games and finally went to bed.  Rose claimed she hadn't slept very well because there was air-con in the bedroom.  I suspect it had more to do with the bouncing game they were playing on the mattress!
I thought she would be tired and grumpy today but she was really good.  Which is just as well because they have a late night tonight as well as it is our staff Christmas banquet and they are going to the childminding being offered at school.

Staff banquet

We had fun at the Christmas banquet tonight.  Our enjoyment so often seems to depend on who we sit with!  We built a "gingerbread house" in the style of a Filipino stilt house.  I read a little bit of the Jolly Christmas Postman, with letters from the administration for the three members of staff leaving us at Christmas. Ruth has been here for 4 months on sabbatical from her job in Nottingham. It has been a pleasure for us to have a fellow Brit on staff and lovely to hear an unadulterated English accent (Yes, I admit it, mine is not.  My friends' mum visiting from Northern Ireland thought I was American!  I can't tell you how disconcerting that is).  Her mum was a TCK and I think being here, working with our students, has given her a bit more insight into her mum and her mum's childhood.  She has been a real asset to Elementary and had quite the experience, teaching every class so teachers could do their class assessments.  We will miss her.  Our kids love her too, I think the England connection has a lot to do with it.

Washing Up

This week Rose surprised me when I mentioned that we would not have a helper in England and her reaction (and that of the other two) was "Really? Who will do our washing, then?" I said, "That would be me!" .  She said, "Maybe Granny will help you".  I was surprised - although I really shouldn't be with all my exposure to TCKs - that they really are used to having someone to clean and wash for us.
I don't know if that was what encouraged them to start volunteering but Rose and Naomi have both come a couple of times while I have been washing up this week and helped me by drying the dishes. It has been a fun, shared experience.

Birthday Party Filipino Style

Following our massive Thanksgiving meal, all five of us went to the "birthday party" that Rose and Naomi had been invited to.  It was a party for 3 siblings, one of whom is in Rose\s class and one in pre-school with Naomi.  It was not so much a party as a carnival on the playground at Faith.  There was a huge inflatable slide, an inflatable play area, stalls with free food - fish balls (deep fried fish in balls of batter), candy floss, popcorn and hotdogs, some games, an amazing face-painter.  We opted to go for a short time and I think that was a good idea as the playground was rocking, with three classes of children invited, and in Filipino tradition, their families, the children's extended family and friends from their church.  The children loved the slide.  At 5 they had a proper acrobatic show which was very good.  Rose particularly enjoyed it, especially when one of the guys swung the two children around in a bamboo contraption (see picture).
When we were leaving our kids wanted to stay as they hadn't opened the presents yet.  We explained that at Filipino parties they do not open presents in front of guests to avoid embarrassment on the part of the giver.  I think that is a great idea.  My kids do not.

Thanksgiving

We were invited to celebrate a late Thanksgiving with our friends, at their house. It was an amazing spread and the kids were pretty excited about having Turkey.  As we were driving to the house, they were listing off traditional Thanksgiving foods they were hoping would be on the table.  There are times when I really think my kids are American - they know so much of the culture!  Hopefully, some of you can share in these foods when we are in England next year.  We have grown to love pumpkin pie for instance - so maybe it's not just our kids who have been inculturated!
The real highlight for our kids, though, was the trampoline in the back garden.  They had a lot of fun bouncing on that (Naomi wanted me to com eon with her but I told her that was a very bad idea as I had a very full tummy!) and when we decided it was time for the adults to play a game, the host's Wii was brought out to great acclaim.
I do love the idea of celebrating the things we are thankful for in our lives and especially taking time to recognise all that God has given us.

my minx

Naomi has been a bit of a minx lately in preschool and Sunday School.  She is flexing her naughty muscle a little too much!
Today her preschool teacher told me that Naomi and her friends had been playing families.  Naomi wanted to be the mother but so did two of her friends so the teacher suggested they took it in turns.
A little later, one of the friends came to tell the teacher that when they took on the role of mother, Naomi turned to them and said, "You are not the mother. You're fired!"
Her teacher was chuckling even as she told me and I had to laugh too. Where do they get this from?!  Well, I'm pretty sure I know where they get the cheek (the apples haven't fallen too far from the tree!) but the vocab?

I Remember....

We were in the middle of a great class discussion on various aspects of The Great Gatsby this morning when the subject turned to adultery.  (If you've read the novel, you'll understand!) I began saying, "I remember..." when the class erupted.
"What???!!!!!"
"Mrs. Taylor what are you telling us?"
"No, no, don't go there"
I stopped, completely embarrassed.  Which, of course, they found even funnier than the fact I was talking about adultery with 'I remember...'
Those high schoolers keep me on my toes!

The Crucible Trip that never happened

My class and I were going to see a college performance of The Crucible tonight as we had been studying it last quarter.  Thankfully, I asked the High School Secretary to phone and reserve tickets last week.  I say thankfully because when she rang the person on the other end said, "Oh for Imre [the other play they were doing]".
"No. The Crucible"
"No, ma'am.  That is not showing."
So we checked the advertisement they had sent us.  Yes, definitely right dates. Secretary rings again
"No, ma'am. Not enough students.  We postponed it!"
OK. Well thanks for the heads-up, people.  Good job we rang before heading down into Makati!

Warning: Spoiler ahead!

In class this morning, I could tell they were not quite with me.  (There was a student banquet on Sat and I think they were more tired and behind in school work than normal!)  Most of them were too concerned about what tests they had and what work they hadn't done over the weekend.

I decided to abandon my planned lesson and get the film version of Great Gatsby out instead.  We could watch the beginning and discuss whether it captured the novel.

We started with the Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version.  It has a protracted start over the credits with a slooooooooooooooow build up.  As we moved into the story, despite getting the background noise and music, we could not hear the dialogue!  I messed around with wires, still no dialogue.  So we watched a few minutes of mime.  I paused the video and we discussed the visualisation of the characters and set - did it match with ours?

I had another film version too - Paul Rudd/Toby Stephens/. It started very close to the book - narration by Nick. Then it moved to Gatsby in the pool and showed him being shot.  There was an eruption in the classroom.

"What just happened?"

"Is that the end?"

"Noooooo,  does Gatsby die?"

Whoops!  None of the class has reached the end of the novel yet!  So I kind of ruined it for them.  I'm trying to spin it as motivation - "Now you'll want to read because you don't know who shot Gatsby or why"!!

Note to teacher: watch film first so you know what's coming!

we're doomed

Following on from Naomi's favourite word - Joshua's favourite phrase at the moment is "we're doomed".  He often uses it in funny contexts and makes me laugh but sometimes he's right on (usually when I'm hassling him and Naomi to hurry into the car)!  He is very good at picking out phrases from films and repeating them whenever he can.  His teacher said she loves his turn of phrase.  Good job, really.  Some phrases he says with a very British Northern accent, for instance, "Silly Billy".  Not sure where he got it from.

Never

Naomi's favourite word at the moment is "never".  I think it's actually worse than no!
On Tuesday, as we were driving up to school she chose to sit in the front seat of the car.  I said, "Put you seat belt on".
N: "Never."  "I am never putting my belt on. I am never turning around. I am never sitting still."
D: Well then, after I finish teaching, we will come straight home and you will not go to your friend's house and you will not watch TV when we get home!
Naomi immediately turns round, puts belt on and sits as good as gold.
For the moment!

No more Scooby

That's right.  Rose decided she is old enough to make do without Scooby and that it is her blanket that encourages her to suck her fingers.  She is beginning to get concerned that her new teeth coming through are not straight so announced to me that she was going to cut up the second scooby so I could add it to the quilt I am going to make and set to there and then.
I was impressed that she did not make a fuss when she went to bed and has not mentioned it since.

IGCSE awards

I gave myself the morning off, while Naomi was at preschool, because I had official duties this afternoon.  It was lovely.  Unfortunately, I had to drive up to school with the rest of the family at 6:30 because it was Steve's day to drive and I needed the car later but I rolled out of bed 5 mins before and once I was home I was able to have a relaxing breakfast and then started quilting Joshua's new quilt.
I got changed for school and went up to pick up Naomi, we ate lunch and then I went and put names on chairs for the IGCSE certificate presentation today.  Takes me back to when I received mine!
I did a brief prezi (I love this presentation device and have been using it since a colleague introduced it at a staff meeting) on the history of IGCSE at our school and then called up students to receive their certificates from our principal.
I had a couple of people congratulate me on my conciseness and speediness of getting through 63 students! I made a small bodge - I did not acknowledge the individuals who achieved A*.  Ah well, it's someone else's problem again next year!

Silent Night, Holy....

Josh was giving me a rendition of the song Kinder is singing at the Elementary Christmas program.  As he sang "Silent Night, Holy..." he froze.  "Mum," he said.  "Do they know holy is a bad word?"  I knew exactly what he was thinking and so did Rose.  She said, "No, it's not a bad word. It's used for God".  I agreed, "Because it's used for God, it's not good to put it with other words that don't have that special meaning, so when you say 'holy moly' or whatever, it's not a bad word, but used the wrong way."
He was relieved.  The Elem Christmas program was almost doomed in his mind for a minute there!

Grandpa

My grandpa died on Tuesday (UK time).

I have been trying to process what this means to me.  It's harder when I live far away from "my others" who are grieving. It's hard to appreciate that they share a collective grief and a collective memory of a big family occasion which I can never be a part of.

But as I reflect on my grandfather's life I'd like to share these things that I honour about him. 

He was married almost 60 years to my gran. I can't imagine what that feels like:  To lose someone you have spent your life with.  Even though he has been in a home for a while he has still been a part of her life, her daily routine.  What is it like to have that torn away from you?  To have to build a new life at 70+ without the person you have always shared it with? But, 60 years? That's a commitment to aspire to.

One thing that is core to my memory of my grandparents is their dedication to mission: It is not something you see very often anymore. As a child staying in their home, I knew that after breakfast was Gran and Grandpa's prayer time for missionaries and other friends and family.  They would sit silently at the kitchen table praying through names and prayer requests. They gave financially and offered rich hospitality to visiting missionaries. They even supported a family whose children went through Faith Academy - how funny is that?  And I wonder how much of an impact that has had on our decision to be here, working as missionaries?  I wonder if, right now, grandpa is celebrating having "slipped the surly bonds of earth" with those who are the fruit of his labours on behalf of missionaries?

And, mostly, I ponder my rich spiritual heritage.  I have the privilege, on this side of my family, of coming from a line of at least 3 generations of believers. I think of  the "generations" song of Sara Groves: "Remind me of this with every decision. Generations will reap what I sow. I can pass on a curse or a blessing to those I will never know." It reminds me how vibrant our faith is - it is not dependent on those who go before, it is our own - we make that choice as individuals but we surely have more opportunity to see it lived in ways that make us desire to follow Jesus too.

I have been doing the Beth Moore bible study, Living Beyond Yourself and it seems each week God has taught me a new lesson that has been applied in the days following.  Last week we learned about God's peace - in every circumstance, not dependent on circumstance.  It does not mean we do not feel the pain, the grief, but we do have peace.  And I take comfort in 1 Thess 4: ^{13 "}And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope".  I have hope.

My grandpa died but his legacy lives on.

Field Trip

Naomi and I signed up to accompany the Kindergarten class for their field trip.  (Grades 3-5 did theirs yesterday). On the way up to school, Naomi was very excited and said, "this is my first field trip!"  I said, "it's my first field trip, too!"  I think she felt I was trying to steal her thunder!
We started at the bird sanctuary, close to school.  Naomi was not to thrilled with the walking there - especially as we have been there before so it wasn't really new or exciting. Mosquitos viciously attacked us at the duck pond.  I could see them on the children's legs and faces!

Then we moved on to the eco-park.  Kinder were separated from Grade 1 and 2 - who watched a video - and they had so much fun running from one case of pinned butterflies to the next.  Josh especially liked the display that had branches with butterflies hanging of them like leaves.  He thought that was very clever.  They also had a cool collection of shells and a set of shark teeth. Then we walked around the park, the children petted the bunnies, Josh stroked the snake!  We ate lunch at the picnic tables while waiting for Grades 1 and 2 to finish.

On to Antipolo Church.  This is a famous Catholic church in our area.  It is the church that people process to at Easter.  We saw the statue, read about its 400 dresses - the dress is changed every day!
Next, Antipolo market.  One of the kids in my van asked what we meant by the market - because if we meant supermarket, she had been to those before!!  So we did the market and tried to keep the kids' comments of "ooooh, how stinky" to a quiet minimum!  My group missed the pig's head but we did go through the fish stalls.  We were also followed by a gaggle of Filipino children and pointed at.  The girls did not like that, they thought they were being laughed at.  I think we were just a bit of a curiosity.  People probably had no idea there was such a large group of white-skinned people near Antipolo!
Finally, we went to "The house with no steps", a workplace and living place for disabled - many in wheelchairs - adults.  We watched a video that seriously needed remaking, but the kids were enthralled and then had a quick tour.
And, back to school.  I needed a nap by then and I think many of the children did too!  It was an interesting day and the kids were brilliant.  It's always good to move beyond the confines of the school campus and remember why we are on the school campus in the first place.

Strange Birthday

It was Steve's birthday and it was an odd day!  He had his birthday merienda at school yesterday because the upper elementary were off on field trip today and he covered break and lunch duties because of that too!  Tonight after school we were hosting prayer meeting - so it didn't feel too exciting!  I did bake a chocolate cake for him, so we all sang to him and had a piece of that (I use the we figuratively!).  Tomorrow we will make more of a fuss with his choice of dinner and presents.

Ministry Day

It's the start of another Filipiniana Week - a celebration of the culture and country we have the privilege of living in.
Today was "ministry day" and a local school, started by a Faith Academy family, were invited up to school.  Faith kids teamed up with a couple of Cuatro kids and played games and parents were invited to provide food for the friends assigned to their children.  Great. Except lots of parents forgot (we've just had a weekend!) so there was an urgent queue formed at our school cafeteria as parents sought to buy food (the specification was rice and ulam [a general term meaning the meat topping]), and others bemoaned the fact that their helper hadn't worked over the weekend so they hadn't thought to cook anything appropriate.  I brought up our food, only to realise I hadn't brought plates - another common fault! I also forgot to pack the food as individual servings - again, a recurring problem!  Grade 3 was cooking their food, so there was plenty of extra for those who didn't provide anything and I think the children saw a little of the miraculous in the feeding as there was more than enough to go round and Rose brought some of our contribution home again!

Made it...just!

Neither Rose or Josh wanted to go to school today.  One of Rose's arguments was that it wasn't fair that Naomi and I had the day off!  (It's never bothered her before!) I think we have all reached the point where we are delighted Steve is coming home.  And for some reason J and R couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that he was coming this evening, not during the day.  I pointed out that their day would go quicker if they went to school and I think that prevailed upon Joshua who got ready but not Rose.  The only way I could mollify my daughter was to take her temperature (I think thus validating her claims to not feel well), give her a spoonful of medicine and then she got dressed.  Bob was picking them up and she was just ready in time.
However, I then got a phone call from school saying she had been in the nurses' office 3 times today!  She was claiming to be dizzy and tired - both of which are perfectly feasible considering the lack of sleep my children have had while Steve has been away!  So, I went up to fetch her early.  She had to stay in her room till dinner but we fought toe-to-toe for most of the afternoon as I held her to it.  Rose, of course, said she was no longer well and she was sorry for saying she was but she felt perfectly able to be downstairs. I told her it was a consequence of saying she was ill.  It was quite the battle.  The culmination came when she threw all her clothes out of her drawers.  I told her that she had to pick them all up by dinner or I would give any clothes on the floor away.  It was the activity of folding and putting away all her clothes that seemed to settle her!
And, thankfully, finally, Steve arrived home.  A collective sigh of relief and peace descended on our house.

Twins

Thank Goodness!  Back to school today.  Rose and Josh were whispering and plotting when I put them to bed last night so I naturally assumed the worst but it was only a plan to be "twins" today.  So they chose the same uniform combination and had the same breakfast and sat on the same stair to eat it!!  Unfortunately, it did mean Naomi was excluded so she had her fair share of tears.  I tried to point out they could not be twins but they weren't having any of it.

3rd day

Rose threw a tantrum about where she was sitting in the car when we were about to leave for Church.  She yelled at me, "That's not the way daddy does it".  Well, mummy won out, but we were late for church.
After church we went food shopping and she had another wobbly in the supermarket so I don't think I got everything I wanted s it got to the point where I wanted to run through the supermarket as quickly as possible grabbing things off shelves whilst pushing against Rose who was trying to stop the trolley!  She was fine as soon as we got to the check-out!
They had asked Wendy to join us for lunch and thought it highly amusing that we were at Wendy's with Wendy!
We had more friends over for dinner, which was great as the kids were not good going to bed and it kept me cool having other adults around and meant I had to follow through instead of giving up!
It's that third day, again!

Saturday

The kids actually let me stay in bed for an hour after they woke up.  That was a good start to the day : )
One of the ways I got Josh to behave last night was by threatening him with no football today.  It worked.  Unfortunately I was not so successful with the girls!
So we toddled off to football and I didn't see the girls the whole time other than when they came to ask for their snack and when Rose fell and scraped her leg!  The rest of the time they were playing with their friends.
Josh was playing in the first and last game of 4 games. Kind of a mini-league. His team annihilated the other team in their first game and lost their last game - just barely. But they had lots of fun.  Joshua is very good - even if I do say so myself.  He was able to leave the ball for teammates and pass it as well as dribble and shoot.  Most of the kids just wanted to hog the ball.  He remembers a lot from the coaching they've had.
After football, we went swimming for about half an hour to cool off.  (Operation tire-the-kids-out) We went home for lunch and found a car load of men waiting for us!  They were the termite detectors/treatment company our landlord had sent round to check and maintain the perimeter walls.  I have no idea what they did, other than hammering some holes in the wall and spraying something in to said holes but it took them from when we got home - about 12 - to about 5.  They said there were no signs.  I'm not convinced - we often have those little cocoon things hanging on our walls.
Naomi and I made peppermint creams - it was the only recipe of the three she had chosen that we had everything we needed! Then we spent the rest of the afternoon playing on the Wii, watching a film and friends came over for dinner.  Bed-time went smoother as they were all tired from the night before!

Princesses

Naomi also had a party today.  It was, of course, a princess party!  She has been talking about it for weeks - what she would wear, what cake Sara was having, who was going to be there!  Thankfully, I think it lived up to expectations : )

For real!

Josh went to the birthday party of one of his classmates after school.  They went bowling.  He loves bowling on the Wii and the iTouch and is very good at it.  He understood that it would be different when he did it for real though.  Anyway, one of the first things he said to me when I picked him and his friend up was "It was just like the Wii".  Guess it's not so different, after all.  Although I'm sure it helped that they had the bumpers in the gutters!

PRS

It was the start of a new session of Parent Run Soccer this morning. Josh was eager to sign up but Rose didn't want to go.  Well, no, she didn't want to go to play, she did go with Josh and Steve to socialise with other children there.
Steve is coaching Josh's team but is away next week at the Administrator's conference so yours truly will be "coach" for the morning.  Not sure if I'm less excited about coaching 6 year olds to play football (mostly a case of subbing regularly and making sure they are facing the right goal when they kick the ball) or losing my lie-in!!

Seamless transition

Rose appears to have made the pretty massive transition from Grade 2 to Grade 1 effortlessly.  It confirms to us that it was the right thing to do for her.  On Thursday (her first day in the different class) she told Karen that she had still worked hard but her brian didn't hurt.  On Friday she told Steve, "I did my Maths all by myself and didn't look at anyone else's sheet!" Interesting comments that make me realise she was already compensating in not so good ways.  So I am glad we made this difficult decision.

Party

Dinosaur cake

Josh had a fun party.  As Karen commented, only at a TCK 6 year old birthday party would there be a conversation about flags and countries!

That Point

Tonight was the toughest.  It always seems to happen around the third day Steve is away but no-one wanted to go to bed or do as they were told and I was pretty frustrated and wound up. I was just at the end of myself when Bonnie rang and my kids were excited to talk to her (they should have been in bed!) and it gave me time to go away and recollect myself.  It also proved to be the most effective punishment for Joshua when he got removed from the room and couldn't talk to her anymore because he was being obnoxious. It proved to be the thing that calmed them and I got R and J off to bed but N would not go down as she had seen a bug on her mosquito net and would not go back to bed.  I ended up taking her up to my bed at 8 so she would go to bed, while I read.  She fell asleep almost immediately so I put her back in her bed before I settled in for the night.  No surprise, though, I ended up with both girls in my bed during the night!

Judging

I was invited to be one of the British judges for the "World Team's Got Talent!" contest that they were holding as part of their mission conference.  I was asked to take off Sharon Osborne - it thrills my heart that this is someone who Brits are associated with! (you need to detect the heavy sarcasm here).  Things did not start out well as even though we left in plenty of time, I suddenly remembered I was not supposed to drive as it was Monday.  I probably would have been fine but I didn't want to risk it!  I decided to go to Wendy and swap cars to be on the safe side.  We arrived at the end of dinner but ate quickly.  The MC asked me where I was from for the introductions.  She said, "Are you from London?" I said, "No, say Birmingham".  She looked at me (I don't think she had really understood me) and said, "I'll just say London!"
It was really fun.  The kids were pretty tired by the end as it was way past their bedtime by the time we left to drive home but it did mean I had no fussing to deal with at bedtime - often the point I miss Steve the most!! Naomi conked out almost immediately in the front seat with her head resting on the seat belt.

Steve left to stay at the house of one of the other traveller's to Singapore so they could drive to the airport together as they had an early morning flight.  He rang when he got there and had checked the ticket to say that his flight did not return to Manila at 11 as he thought but at 2 p.m.  This is a problem as that is when I am doing Josh's party.  I asked Josh if it was a problem that daddy wouldn't be there but he said no.  I was thankful as I couldn't think when we would do it instead and it would mean getting in touch with everyone to change date/time!
When I put Josh to bed he said he wanted me to call daddy and tell him to come home. I explained that was not going to happen and he had to accept daddy was gone for the week.

Finally....

After the waters breaking, false alarms with contractions, the threat of an induction and much waiting, my new nephew has arrived into the world. I have no other details yet - the curse of living so far away - but we are so excited.
Rose said, "Finally, our two cousins [including Esther] have arrived"
I said, "I'm sure that is exactly how Aunty Ali feels, too!"

Croc Overboard

It was that time of year again - October break and a trip to Calapan. I am thankful our children love it there because we do too and it always relaxes and refreshes me, although as a result I often return more tired than I left as I uncoil!
We have a short window to retreat this month as October break was experimental beginning on a Thurs and ending next Weds. Not as long as having two weekends to bracket it. Plus Steve is heading to Singapore on Monday so we headed off dark and early with some friends. On the boat, we ended up sitting outside as the seats were all taken inside and the other side was being cleaned! It was a lot fresher than inside but the seats were not too comfy. The kids loved it though as they could stand at the rail almost the whole time - when not eating their way through our fairly unhealthy selection of snacks.
At one point, Josh was stood at the railing and when he returned to us, he only had one shoe on. His other - a red Croc - had fallen overboard! He was pretty upset about it, although we weren't too bothered. As it was the only pair we had brought, Steve promised he would take him to get some new shoes when we were in Calapan. Then the two of them played bowling on the iTouch so all was well with the world again.

Perspective

By request:


If you click on the picture it will take you to the bigger version!

Random scraps of dialogue and what they reveal!

While in my office, Rose said "I want to cry"
Debs:Why do you want to cry?
Rose: I miss Kate and Bonnie
Josh: Well just don't think about them or look at the photos.  Then you won't feel sad, right?

Joshua was explaining to me the punctuation he had learned today in class while he drew on Steve's white board.  I told him there were British words for the punctuation - full stop and exclamation mark.  He said, "I think I'll just use the American."
Debs: You'll need the British words when you are in English school
Josh: Oh, I just won't go to English school. (pause as realisation dawns).  Oh, you mean when we are in England next year?
Debs: Yes
Josh: OK, I'll have to learn the British then.

I could see this conversation at dinner in a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip -
Steve: Josh, stop doing that.
Josh: It's my instincts
Debs: Do you know what instincts are?
Josh: No, but it is my instincts.
Steve gives a very good definition - I'm glad I didn't attempt it, but we always knew who the scientist was!

Despicable Me

We took the kids to see this film this afternoon as a special treat.  I think we all enjoyed it.  My favourite part was "The Bank of Evil, formerly the Lehman Brothers" across the bank's entrance.  Brilliant.  Steve and I laughed.
Naomi said she liked the film because there were no bad things in it.  And, it's true.  It's quite "old-fashioned" in having a straight-forward plot and a villain whose baddest ambition is to steal the moon.  Rose and Joshua both liked it too and we had a long discussion about it at dinner.

One down....

About 4 weeks ago - understanding my daughter - I told Rose that one of her scoobies was going to be retired on the 1st Oct.  At first she vehemently disagreed but, as I knew she would with enough time to think it through, she came round to the idea and by the time today arrived she had chosen which scooby was going.  We decided to cut up the rectangles of scooby faces and I will make it into a quilt.  Rose wanted to be the one to cut it up (she did a great job).  Maybe it was some rite of passage!  We are trying to get her to stop sucking her fingers still and it seems to be tied with scooby.  I think the second one may take more of a fight.

The Plagues

On the way to school Rose started asking me questions based on the 10 plagues - which she has been studying in Bible.  It became quite an in-depth discussion.  Reflecting on it as we got out of the car, I realised that my attitude had completely changed from when I got into the car to when we arrived at school and I am convinced it was a result from thinking on the things of God, rather than wallowing in my tiredness, sense of inadequacy and re-hashing what I was teaching for the millionth time!  What a great reminder to have my mind focused in the right place at the start of my days.

Snake!

I was working on my computer when our helper started screaming at the top of her lungs.  She was really freaking out - which is fairly unusual for her - so I knew something was up and I had a good idea what it was!  I went to investigate and sure enough, there was a snake slithering through our back yard.  As I debated how I was going to attack it, it climbed the wall and slid next door over the wall.  I was quite happy to let them deal with it!  Lea said "That's good - they have a dog!"
Naomi asked what was going on but I played it down while being truthful..."Just a snake".

crucible word cloud

This is a project I gave my class to do this week - dead simple actually.  I just loaded up my notes to the website www.wordle.net and it produced the word cloud for me - in about 5 seconds!  How cool is that?  Looking forward to seeing my students' creations on Thursday.

Teacher's Curse

Last night I was suffering from the teacher's curse.  Running through today's lesson, wondering what I had not done.  I had been working on some writing last week to share with the class as part of my modelling how to write and I had been struggling with the last paragraph.   Well, as I lay in bed, inspiration hit me (this is not unusual, I have a notepad and pen by my bed for this reason).  I quickly got up, went downstairs, fired up the computer and wrote it.  I slept really well after that : )

Football Crazy

I joined Steve and the other footballers this afternoon.  I have not played for years - literally!  I have been playing with Josh everyday and been feeling my skills warming up as a result - particularly as he gets better.  So I decided to take the plunge.  It was great to play again.  However, as it has been years since I last wore my football boots and as we live in a very humid climate, as I began warming up and kicking the ball around I realised the soles of my boots were gradually falling apart and by the time I finished playing, they had disappeared! There will be some new boots in the shopping basket next week.

Gravity

My favourite conversation today was listening to Rose and Joshua discussing their twirly papers that Rose brought back from school yesterday.  She had made one and brought one for Josh and Naomi.  (Naomi: Oh, wow, you know how to write my name?"  Rose: No, Mrs. S did it".)  They were "flying" them off the top of the stairs, and they worked really well.

Joshua: What do you mean by gravity?
Rose: Gravity pulls us down.  We're not floating, Josh.

She did go on to give a fuller explanation but it made me smile.

Moo

More of the animal guessing game.  Naomi and I were playing it in the car on the way home from preschool.
Debs: Does it live on a farm?
Naomi: Yes
Debs: Does it live in a field?
Naomi: Yes.
Debs: Does it moo?
Naomi: Yes
Debs: Is it a cow?
Naomi; No
Debs: No?! How can it not be a cow if it moos?
Naomi: It's a horse.  Horses moo don't they?!
Debs: No, horses neigh.
Naomi: Oh

Place of origin

Josh: Mum, I have to tell you something Miss Zipp told me.
Debs: OK
Josh: Miss Zipp said we are from the United Kingdom....but we're not, we're from England.
What a conflict for Joshua: his heroine Miss Zipp telling him something he doesn't think is true!!
Debs: Well, we are both.  England is part of the United Kingdom.
Relief for Joshua. Faith in Miss Zipp has been restored.
Debs: So is Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Josh: What is Wales?  I don't know that.
(I don't know why he thinks he knows the others!!)
Debs: Wales is where Aunty Ali is from.  We went there when Uncle Tim and Aunty Ali got married.  We stayed in a hotel by the beach.  We have photos.
Josh: I don't remember that.  Will you take me? Wales?  That's strange.

Playing the game

Josh and I made a game board this morning.  It was just squares with numbers and he found two counters and a dice and we played a racing game to the finish.  Then he decided we needed to write the rules for when he played it with Steve.  So he told me what we needed to write.  It was very articulate and to the point.  I wrote most of the words but I encouraged him to write the sight words he knows: I, and, to.  It was really cool to do that with him.  After we went swimming he played it with Steve and they decided they would draw some snakes and ladders on the board.  It's his new favourite game (before it was noughts and crosses that we made from foam squares - he is conflicted whether to call it noughts and crosses or tic, tac, toe : D) and we've played it a few times today!

Older sister

As Naomi and I were driving up to school:
Naomi: (out of nowhere!): I have something very important to say.... I want to be an older sister.
Debs: Well I have something very important to say.... that's not going to happen!
Naomi: But I really want to be an older sister.
Debs: Then you'll have to practise with Trina and Ezra.
Naomi: OK, I'll practise with them.
Debs: (realising practise may make it sound like it will happen when she gets good at it) but mummy and daddy will not be having any more babies.

Handling it

Naomi and Joshua came to ask me something while I was washing up.  Naomi started and Josh said, "Wait.  I'll handle this".  Hmmmm.  How many times has he heard me say that, coupled with "Don't deal with it yourself...."?  It sounded very funny coming out of his mouth though.
Rose is usually the one who likes to handle things but she is struggling a bit at the moment with feeling a little excluded by Joshua and Naomi.  They are not content to let her take control of every game so have shut her out a little bit. This has been frustrating for her and she has not made good choices about how to express this - usually resorting to trying to annoy them in some way - humming an irritating tune or throwing the animals into "their space" to cite two examples from today!  I am finding it hard to help her and we had a pretty explosive day today.

Titles

I have had a trifle in various stages in the fridge this week.  Rose loves trifle so she was bugging me to finish it.  It makes me happy that she likes such a British dessert.  (Although she may find it tastes even better in England!) As we were finishing it tonight, she said, "Mum, you are the best trifle maker in the whole world."  It may not be a title with lots of honour or wealth but it meant a lot to me because I understood everything she was expressing in those words.

Birthday pics

The cake

Tshirt from Granny and Grandpa

Enjoying the Dairy Queen ice-cream

At the party

Rose and Floss

Spot the gap!  When he showed me after school
on Friday I said (rather tactlessly!)
"Wow! That's a huge gap, Joshua."
When we got in the car he looked in the rear-view mirror
and sai, "You're right, mum.  That is a huge gap!"

Better reader

As we sat listening to the Bible story tonight, Rose read the final paragraph.  Josh leaned over to me and whispered in my ear: "Rose is reading much easier".  It is true, her reading has accelerated and she is much more fluent and confident.  It was cool that Josh noticed it, though.

Nails 2

I didn't realise our son had chosen to wear flip-flops to Church this morning - with his half polished nails on full display!  I'm a little bit sensitive about it because in this country boys can be forced into a "bukla" (transsexual) lifestyle from a very young age, so I was a little concerned about what Filipinos might be thinking when they saw his nails.  But then I realised - MIGHT - be thinking.  How often do we make choices based on what people MIGHT be thinking?  Most of the time no-one cares about thinking about us, we think ourselves so much more important to others than we are!  And he's my son and I know him and I love him as he is - even with nail polish on his feet.

Nails

I took the kids to the play place at Taytay this morning as I thought Steve needed a bit of time by himself after getting up with the kids and making breakfast pancakes.  I discovered the mall has free wireless so I worked (!!) while they played after doing a small bit of shopping.
When we got home the kids disappeared upstairs and when they came down Joshua proudly showed me his painted toe nails that Rose had done.  I gently tried to point out boys don't usually have nail polish but he is a victim of only having sisters already!
When he was outside later playing football I heard him say "Oh, no, my nail polish will get messed up!"  This is what I had said to him yesterday - but I spent a lot of money getting mine done the evening before!  It made me laugh.
Then we went swimming and most of it came off anyway.

Party

We celebrated Naomi turning 4, today.   She had preschool this morning and then I picked her and her 4 friends up and brought them home for a party.  Rose and Joshua were a little disgusted with me that they were unable to attend the party but I figured this was the most low-key and easiest way of doing it.  I told them we would have a family celebration after school and that seemed to satisfy them, although Rose was a little put out that we were celebrating today when her birthday is really tomorrow!

I came home straight after teaching to get everything ready.  Let me tell you how not to host a party for a 4 year old.  Firstly, don't forget to get the icing sugar when you go shopping the day before.  Thankfully, I could send our helper out to get some because the other thing you should not do is still be cutting the shape of the cake the morning of the party!  Also, do not leave all the preparation to the morning of.  Before picking Naomi and crew up I had to go to the mall and buy candy floss to finish decorating the cake (well that sounds like I was ready to finish which I was not), and some extra bits of food for lunch.  I collected a very excited gaggle of girls - plus one poor boy who I was dropping home!  Naomi had already opened presents.  They all squeezed into our back seat and when we got home they played dress up while I made some lunch for them.  They loved their new head-dresses.

At the end of lunch my friend, Sarah, came to help out - good job, because I was still icing the cake!  She did some games with them and then we had the cake - the minimalist version: minus eyes, wing outlines and bow!  Naomi wanted the same cake as last year.  She reminded me Uncle Sam had done the bow - I had forgotten they were still here then!  But it had the candy floss so everything was good.

Then they did some more games, played a bit and it was time to go back up to school.

Wendy bought Dairy Queen ice creams for dessert and Naomi opened her family presents.

Daddy's girl

Naomi and I did a bit of shopping for her party tomorrow.  She really wanted party hats and we found these princess head-dresses which I suggest she use as party hats.  She liked that idea and we got sweets for the pass the parcel.

Steve was away for the night at Admin retreat and Rose was so excited about him being back this afternoon, Wendy said she was bouncing round the classroom in the afternoon.  You'd think he had been away for a week!

Weds joys

I love my Wednesdays!  Today I got to skype, then hang out with a friend, then have lunch with a new member of staff.  It was lovely - I do miss having flexibility in my day.  Rose had her piano lesson after school - and she told me had been very good (we had a talk before she started!).  Steve was not around so we had homemade pizzas for dinner and watched Robots before bed.

Welcome back!

Our friends the Quicks arrived back last night and it was a joyful celebration to have them with us again.  Rose and Joshua were very excited when we passed their house in the morning and they said "they're back!"  Naomi quietly said, "I don't think I remember Sarah and Jason".  I realised this is probably true - a year is a long time in her short life but I assured her it didn't matter and she would be able to renew her acquaintance with them.
We gathered as a group of friends to receive them back into our lives and it was interesting to see the change in the group - friends who are absent, and more children!

Quality time

One of the surprising things I have discovered this week is that my son misses me!  He has made it quite clear this week that he would like some "mum time" when he is home from school and as I thought about it, it made sense!  He has gone from spending almost all of his days with me to seeing me in the small section of time he is home after school.  It was kind of an uplifting moment for me as before, because he has spent most of his time with me, it has always been Steve's attention he has wanted.  It was also a reminder to me to be conscious in giving my children quality blocks of my time and not scraps.

Another fine mess

Everything was going swimmingly.  Naomi left me to lie in till 6:40 this morning.  We enjoyed a slow pace  and went out to the fabric market to pick up some extra material for one of my friends then arrived at the mall just after it was open - and, therefore, nice and quiet.  Naomi and I did the bits of shopping we needed and we headed back to the car with plenty of time stretching out before us before we had to go up to school for R and J.
And that's where it all went pear shaped.
I could not find my parking ticket.  I knew I had put it in one of the outer pockets of my bag but it was not there.  I emptied the bag. I searched the car. No joy. I haven't lost one before.  I knew you had to pay a 150 peso fine (not very much, considering) but wasn't sure what else was going to unfold.  So I pull up to the guard at the exit and explain I've lost my ticket.  She wants my car registration document which I do not have.  I do have my driving license but she wants 2 ID documents.  In the end I have to park the car by this guard, go back into the mall, across to the other side, down to basement 2, in the security office, explain again what has happened, explain again that I do not have any documentation other than my driving license, produce said license, agree to pay fine (would have done that half an hour ago!), go back to car with representative of security office, pay cashier the fine, agree not to lose a parking ticket ever again, finally get to leave.
It was one of those situations where - if you can be detached - you are glad they take it seriously but you wish they weren't when it involves you : )
Another fine mess I got myself into!

Beyond myself

Yesterday afternoon, Steve graciously dropped everything to drive me and the kids home after school because I was feeling terrible - I had got to that point of not knowing what to do with myself.  (I had just been food shopping but don't think that made any difference!)  Naomi was so good for me.  I dosed up on medicine, we got home and I went straight to bed and slept deeply - other than waking to field one question from Joshua!  I went back to bed early and slept all night.  Steve had to come and wake me in time to get ready for school!  I woke up feeling loads better, although still with some cold symptoms.  There is something going round school - and, of course, going back in the classroom doesn't help the immunity system!
My class and I have been reading the Crucible and we have enjoyed it.  They are quite keen to act some of it now!  We are going to see a live performance in Makati in November and almost all of them signed up to go.

Party

Rose had been invited to a classmate's birthday party so my friend and I took her and a friend from school to the classmate's subdivison to their "clubhouse" (a far grander description than the actuality!) where they were going to use the pool and eat.  This classmate is from Indonesia - her dad works for the Asian Development Bank, she is an only child.  She had catered Indonesian food (Rose enjoyed the noodles and shrimps and satay), a clown, a balloon artist and a magician.  And this was all organised in one week!!  I'll stick to the playground and a cake : )

I took the opportunity to shop for shoes - and chat and drink chai tea and eat lunch!  I forgot lots of other things, though, like the birthday present I was meant to be buying (and had already forgot to get the day before!).

International Irony

How deliciously ironic - and I genuinely did enjoy this - that our daughter was the only child in her class (which has a large number of Americans) who recognised the Lincoln memorial.  And the reason she recognised it - she knew it from Night at the Museum 2!!!

Oasis

Today was the day Naomi and I have off from pre-school and work.  It has already become something of an oasis in the week.  I am very grateful for a break from school and time just for Naomi and I.
Today we had arranged to spend some time with one of her friends and her friend's mum.  But before that, we watched a film (Underdog), had a shower, I did a bit of sewing and Naomi practised cutting out pictures from the old newspaper.  She did a brilliant job, I was impressed.  Then we got our swimming things together and headed off to her friend's apartment.
We spent time chatting, playing and swimming, and then had lunch together.  It was lovely.  Then we headed up to school, picked up Rose and Joshua and came home.
Steve and I went out with the rest of the school administration team and spouses for dinner.  Our kids were very happy as they were being entertained by a Dutch couple who have been here on short-term work.  Josh has bonded with Willem and both he and his wife are lovely.  (Jen was there too but she only had to get involved when Josh wouldn't go to bed.  Good cops, bad cop, I guess!) They were deeply ensconced in a game of Sequence when we left.
We had a wonderful evening - we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant as our Superintendent's wife was born and spent her childhood there so she ordered several dishes of different types of food - we had about 4 courses! - for us all to sample.  It was great.  This is pretty much the same team now for the third year and you can tell in the ease of conversation and relaxed atmosphere of the group.  I think it gives stability and security to the whole school.

A Mystery

We all got in the car yesterday to drive home after school.  Steve says, "Why is there a light fitting on the front seat?"
Josh: "It was Naomi"
Naomi: "I don't know.  It's a mystery."
Steve - looking straight at her: "Is that right?"
Naomi: "Yes. A mystery."

Celebrations

I went to a friend's baby shower this morning.  She is married to a Filipino pastor so their church have been following the pregnancy with great interest and celebration.  Of course, there were games - Filipinos love celebrating occasions with group games.  Most of the morning was conducted in Tagalog so Wendy and I weren't always sure what was being said but it was fun.  I did the smell and identify the baby food game.  I failed miserably by the way!
Then tonight we attended a different kind of celebration - a farewell and pre-wedding bash.  We had a barbecue on the Elem playground so our kids enjoyed themselves.
Oh, the rhythms of life.

Friday feeling

Naomi and her friend came bubbling out of the preschool room ready to head to our house.  They chattered all the way to the car and home and then engrossed themselves in some game.  It was lovely to watch.  There are times I still wonder if I am doing right by Naomi but I know she is enjoying having routine time with her friend and feeling the loss of Joshua a little less.

When Joshua gets home, he and Naomi quickly start playing together and can hardly bear to pause for a snack because they have to fit a whole day without each other into a couple of hours!!

We went swimming today after school - it was our first sunny day for a while.  It has been pretty dreary and a little rainy lately.  It was fun to de-stress in the pool after the first full week of school.

We played the 21 questions game (to find out the animal) again at dinner - I think this is something the kids associate with Wendy now!  Naomi made us laugh when she asked "Does it eat cars?"  We wondered what on earth she was thinking of but that became obvious when she then asked "Is it a dinosaur?" Although I'm not sure dinosaurs ate cars.

My favourite Joshua quote: "I'm next, I'll think of something....OK.  I've thunk of one!"

We all crashed after dinner - it has been a long, tiring week.  The kids have definitely been getting more tired as the week has gone on.  When we put them to bed tonight they didn't move!

Results

Today was a fun part of my job.  I handed out IGCSE results to the 74 students who took one or more IGCSEs.  It was great to observe their reactions as the majority did very well - we had 36 A* results spread amongst the students.  Lots of our Korean students were excited as they achieved so highly on the English as a Second Language IGCSE they are able to take Grade 11 English this year.  We had 3 A* from that group which are the first ever, so the teacher was pretty chuffed too.  Out of the 20 students doing English Lang and Lit all got As or A* except for one B - I'm feeling the pressure of that : )
How wonderful to celebrate successes together.

Bad dog

Naomi's been so disappointed that she has not started "class" yet with Josh and Rose both at school.  She went to her friends to play for the morning while I taught, but at first she didn't want to go as she was traumatised when I dropped her off on Friday and the dog jumped on her.  My friend assured her she would carry her through the gate and chain the dog up so she agreed to go .  When I picked her up, she had had a great time and was calling the dogs "the bad dog" and "the nice dog that follows us around".

Blast from the past!

I had so much fun teaching this morning.  I think I had really forgotten how much I enjoyed it and I also think I enjoyed it because I was ready and everything has come together so easily and conveniently that I believe this is the right thing for me to do this year.
I had to smile to myself though, one of my first questions was a typical TCK one: "How long are yougoing to be our teacher?"  When I said, "probably the whole year" the class visibly relaxed and obviously felt it was worth investing in relationship with me!  The other thing that the whole class visibly reacted to in a positive way was when I told them I had taught IGCSE English before.  They were expecting a cover teacher who knew next to nothing about how to teach the subject.
Naomi had a shortened session in preschool and was very happy.  Bev has done a great job of setting up the room and has got loads of new resources and toys and has created a stimulating environment with lots of fun things lined up for this year.  And I do not miss it at all : )  I think it will be great for Naomi to be in there without me.

First Day, New School Year, Big Adventure

The children went to play at a friend's house and Steve brought them over to the Manila Centre after he finished working at school. The children stayed overnight with me and one of the teenagers from our mission looked after them for the day while I sat in meetings. About an hour before we were due to finish the rain started - fairly typical, considering it is rainy season.  Then I got a text saying it was flooding around school and I thought I should probably get going.  I quickly gathered up the children (quickly being  a relative term) and left - forgetting I had offered a lift to two others heading out to our subdivision!
Steve rang me to say he had lost power at the house with a lightning strike and I should stop and feed the kids at a mall.  So we stopped at Marikina - only to remember Naomi had not found her shoes before we left so I had to carry her round piggy-back!  We left about 6:45 so I was already a little concerned that we were past the childrens' bed times and it was first day back at school tomorrow.  I decided not to go the straight forward route as it was backed up and we headed to Ortigas.  It was fine until we got to the bridge over the Pasig.  Then we stopped and in the next three hours we inched forward until we stopped completely just after Ever mall.  About 9 Josh curled up on the front seat and went to sleep.  We had to improvise with a box we emptied of toys as a portaloo.  Eventually I watched as the G Liner bus drivers had a conversation in front of me which indicated it would be better if we all turned round as the water was up to the guy's knees further down the road.  By this time Steve and I had dialogued a few times about what to do (thank goodness for mobile phones!) and we found out the couple I had forgotten had caught a taxi but had to abandon it and wade home.  This seemed to confirm the futility of sitting in the traffic till who knew when.  Plus, by now other cars were counterflowing down the other road and blocking the road out.  At 10 Steve and I decided I would turn round and drive back to the Manila Centre and stay there again.  I ended up on the same road 3 times trying to find a way back while avoiding the queues which were building up on every road heading out towards our area.
At 11 we arrived back at the Centre.  All 3 were asleep but woke up as we got into the bedroom and began squabbling over which bed they wanted to sleep in!  I was just ready to fall into bed.
We didn't wake till 6 this morning.  (The managers' children leave on the school van at 5:30 to get to school in time!)  I started rushing the children to get dressed and breakfasted so we could leave as soon as possible.  We left about 6:40, went the back way and got to school about 7:30.  Steve had Rose and Joshua's uniforms ready so we changed them and off they went to class.  Amazingly unfazed I would have to say.
I, on the other hand, was wiped out!  I dropped Naomi off as per my arrangement for last day of meetings.  Rang my director to explain what had happened and why I would not be there today, went home and slept solidly for 2 hours!
Then I got some work done at school, ready to start teaching tomorrow!!!!!  I am excited but not sure what to expect and whether I still have "it"!

 

Bedlam

Today was very busy.  Steve and I were both busy at work.  I was trying to get things done for students' schedules.  Our children were happy hanging out in the pre-school classroom.  Josh was on the roof of the play house with some carpenter tools.  Rose was setting up the kitchen stuff and Naomi was playing in another area.  I had a high school meeting and Steve an Elementary meeting.  One of the teenagers was looking after some of the other elementary staff kids so ours tagged on to their activity and were perfectly happy.  After our staff meeting they were all going to have lunch at the V (our cafeteria) and then carried on with whatever they were doing.  It meant I had lots of time to do my jobs.  I was dealing with IGCSE office issues and then got sucked into the English Dept needs because we have no official head of department right now and most of the English teaching is being done by a new couple to the school.  I also had to organise a supply teacher for my first lesson as I have Admin Council this week too!!  It is my last one but what a week for it to be.
I am getting ready for one of the most manic weeks of my life!

Questions

On the way back from retreat Joshua and Naomi fell asleep so Wendy introduced Rose to the game of 21 questions to entertain her.  She picked it up pretty fast and we were in the middle of a game when Josh woke up.  When Steve said he had an animal (we were all doing animals) Josh's first question was "what is it?"  We laughed and told him that was the point of the game - discovering what it is.
Today they were playing it again.  It's funny how they can't infer things from answers like "Is it an animal that lives in water?"  "No"  "Is it a land animal?!"

Retreat

We had our all-staff retreat these last few days.  I didn't enjoy last year's very much as I had issues with the childrens' programme.  Not this year.  The committee did a great job of getting competent, experienced people to do the different age groups.  Rose and Josh had a lot of fun.  They got to "try" the climbing wall (I say "try" because Rose said "I didn't want to climb it" and Josh said, "I just watched".), they loved the mini zip line and, of course, their highlight the "mud slide".  (Joshua informed me that it is not really called the mud slide, it is the slip and slide.)  I'm not sure what else they did but I know they had a blast.  Naomi, too, enjoyed her "group" (I think she and her friend were the only ones who went regularly!)  She had taken a box of her dolls and their clothes and she drew and coloured and made things.  It was very funny to me to hear people I taught, being called "teacher" by my kids. What an age check!!
                      


We did a cool games session in the afternoon where we split into 3 groups - competitive, non-competitive and family.  It was a very good decision and we all had a lot of fun.

The first night Rose decided she wanted to go to bed instead of their evening class.  So I thought I would put Naomi down too as she would be very tired by 8:45!  We were going to send Josh - who is the hardest to put to bed - to the group but he decided as the others were going to bed he didn't want to go.  What a mistake!  They didn't get to sleep till about 8 because they were bothering each other or making each other laugh.  Josh and I ended up outside for a while to let the girls sleep - we had an amazing display of lightning to watch.  The next night I packed them all off to their classes.  Naomi fell asleep but we had taken her blanket so Steve just picked her up and put her to bed.

Probably the biggest surprise and challenge for me from the retreat was agreeing to teach the IGCSE English as our teacher is not coming - or at least, not for a while.

Naomi took this photo of me on the zip line : )