Something New

We were leaving the bank car park but had to wait as a new vehicle was stuck on the pavement. It looked like a cab but didn't have any back or trailer. One of the back tyres was off the pavement spinning uselessly and the vehicle couldn't move. We watched while the driver problem solved. He found some stones to wedge under the lifted wheel but they were too small and the wheel spat them out so he found some bigger ones. This eventually worked and he managed to move back onto the road. It wasn't nearly so quick as the description and Josh, Naomi and I had an interesting discussion about what was going on. I don't think I would have been half so patient if I hadn't been with the children and seeing it as an adventure and a new learning experience.

Bird Park

This afternoon we visited a small park with some friends. Rose took these pictures.

The Guessing Game

Josh and Naomi brought home their sculptures they had made at pre-school on Tuesday and painted today. When we were making the mix we didn't quite get it right so the sculptures turned out a little more abstract than the sea animals we anticipated! Naomi had painted hers all different colours. She handed it to me saying she had made it for me and it was a rainbow. I asked Josh what his was. He said, "I haven't guessed yet"! Later he did narrow it down to a land animal.

Culture and Sport

I thought it was very funny at pre-school this morning when we went down to the playground for our "free play". The German and British (Joshua) kids took a ball and began playing soccer. The US kid got a ball and started playing basketball. This little guy is 3 and he shot more baskets than I could have managed! And his dribbling is amazing, but I guess it just comes down to what you are taught a ball is for!

Rats

Yesterday I was telling Steve about how our kids were chanting "rats, rats, we've got to get rid of the rats" and when I asked them where they had got it from it was off the Disney Channel, Mickey Mouse cartoons that play in the mornings. Of course, I regretted mentioning it in their presence as they started again - in the middle of the mall, no less! I had forgotten until Naomi decided to start it again at dinner tonight. Nipped it in the bud, though!

We have just been given back our copy of the cartoon version of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (I had forgotten we even owned it but our friend found it when packing up their house to move up the road!). Rose and Naomi have loved watching it. Naomi, in particular, surprised me when she recounted the story to me. She was particularly interested in the mice releasing Aslan. I was in the other room while they were watching but as the music played after Aslan's resurrection it was so evocative of when I first watched it as a child and the effect of the video on me.

Epiphany

On the way to Church this morning, Rose had an epiphany. "Maybe if I stop using my Scoobies, I will stop sucking my fingers", then going into a lengthy explanation of the association of the blankets with the fingers and the most ideal way to combine both.

I agreed. However, I know something so drastic a step can only come from Rose and before we reached Church she was already having second thoughts as she began to think through the implications. But maybe it's a first concrete step to breaking the habit of sucking her fingers? i think I can be hopeful, at least!

Rose bought a flamingo and I suggested - following on from her epiphany - that maybe she use the flamingo rather than her scoobies for bed. She thought that was a good idea but it only lasted 5 minutes at bedtime. She was getting fidgety as we finished her chapter (we are reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and decided she couldn't manage without her blankets after all.

We were watching our photo screensaver while eating tea and Rose asked, "Why did you get married in England?" We had to explain that we haven't always lived in the Philippines. Of course, she feels she has! Certainly, as a family, our life has pretty much been the Philippines which is an interesting perspective.

some things never change

I found this picture of Rose from when she was 2 and we were at Calapan. It made me chuckle because this is almost the exact position she settled into when I put her to bed last night! I have never understood how she could sleep with her Scoobies over her face like that.

fight day

This morning started with Rose and I having a tussle over her socks, so that even though I started on the socks 20 minutes before her ride appeared she had no socks on when it did appear! So everyone had to wait while she got different socks and out her shoes on. Having got her safely out the door and into the car I breathed a sigh of relief only to find myself in conflict with my other daughter!:

Me: What would you like for breakfast?

Naomi: Lemon Bars

Me: You can't have lemon bars. It's breakfast.

Naomi: I want lemon bars.

Me: NO.

And so it went on. She did eventually settle for bread with "chocolate-nana" on and toast with peanut butter on. A lot for her. Maybe she is about to grow!

This afternoon Naomi and Josh then had a huge spat over the cake book. Naomi had asked to look at it "because I want another birthday"! And Josh decided that was a great idea and he wanted to look at it too. That went on for a while.

Where Are We Going?

Driving to a friend's house this morning.

Naomi: Why are we going this way?

Joshua: Because this is the way to get there.

Naomi: Interesting.

Practice makes perfect

Rose was very pleased with her maths worksheet tonight and told us "I figured it out all by myself. The boys told me what to put!" Hmmmmmm.

She also asked if she was good at maths. Bit of a difficult moment as I thought about how to answer but Steve gave a suitably diplomatic answer. "Like anything else, you're only as good as you practise". How true. How many of us wish we were better at something but never took the trouble to work at it to get good at it?

Joshua made me smile today when I told him we had to go to "daddy's office" before we went home after pre-school. He turned to his friend - who was coming home with us - and said, "we have to go to the Principal's Office. My dad is the Principal".

I think I've been here before!!

Quite

I had a conversation yesterday about the use of the word 'quite'. Apparently, when North Americans use the word its definition is a sense of fulfilling whatever it qualifies i.e. "quite chuffed" means 'having reached the state of chuffedness'. The more I have thought about how the British use it, the more confused I am! We use it to mean fairly or middling most of the time but I think we also use it in a peculiarly British way! That is, we use it so as not too be too extreme in what we are saying as in "that was quite loud". That probably means it was loud but we can't say that because we might sound excessive. "I was quite good..." probably means 'I was good' but we can't possibly blow our own trumpet.

On another note, Rose asked if she could have some more "lemon meringue utang pie" tonight which made us smile.

Noise

I know I shouldn't complain - our last house was in a far noisier situation: more traffic going past and the radio next door on all the time (right by our bedroom). BUT, just as we were going to bed last night - about 10 p.m. - a very noisy band decided to start playing. It was some kind of hard rock/punk sound with the lead singer grating everything out. So we played another game then I decided I was going to try and sleep anyway. Thanks goodness, it didn't go on too long!

However, at 5:30 this morning the Catholic church in our subdivision was obviously having some kind of procession round the streets. This involved loudspeakers blaring out words and a couple of lady singers.

Only in the Philippines?!

Day Off

Rose had an extra day off today because it was Inservice for the Elementary teachers. It did not play out well! Joshua seems to have found his mean gene this week, anyway, and he and Rose took great delight in pushing each other's buttons this morning. So, I decided to take them to the cinema to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. We went on the jeepney as Steve had the car. We arrived around 12 so it was before schools were out so still fairly quiet. The film was not too bad. It was the first time Naomi and Josh have been to the pictures and only the second time Rose has been. I warned Josh it was going to be noisier than the TV and dark. He said, "You mean the lights will be off?" I said, "Yes". He said, "Oh, that's OK. We do that when we watch the TV at prayer meeting!"

Rose was completely into it, Josh got a bit squirmy and thirsty (I told them they had to wait till after the film to have a drink as I didn't want to be going in and out to the loo) but then the film picked up speed again and he was fine. Naomi thought it was very funny, but didn't like the bit where the eagle looks like it will catch Theo.

The jeepney back was one of the loudest I have ever been on. Josh was covering the ear closest to the speakers! I was sat behind the guy collecting the fares and even though I was shouting at him, he barely heard me say "Brookside"! And yet, when I said "that was a very noisy jeepney", Josh said,"Was it?"!!

Numbers

Josh got the guinea pigs out while Rose was at school and made a sort of nest for them using his quilt and other blankets of his. However, when I mentioned that the guinea pigs had pooed on his quilt he couldn't get them back in the cage fast enough!! He would barely touch them and insisted on his quilt being washed. I thought it was amusing.

He spent a lot of time writing out numbers this afternoon. He loves numbers, can already do simple sums and Rose said to me a while ago, "I think Josh is better than me at Maths." I said, "I think so, too, but there will be other things you are better at than him."

New Semester

Pre-school began in an interesting way. Both the mums scheduled to help this morning were unable to come and Melissa was still trying to escape from the hospital. Thankfully, we had a guest helper and we have a "proper" teacher helping us this semester. Another mum swapped her day so I ended up with lots of useful hands but had to do all the leading bits. It went well. We are doing the Ocean so did fishing with magnets and water play as well as seeing how salty water makes things float that don't in fresh water. Lots of fun!

Working Hard

Today I went up to school to try and get ready for pre-school a bit - which starts tomorrow, along with the rest of the school. Until I walked into the classroom I had forgotten we hadn't taken any Christmas stuff down so ended up mostly doing that and preparing bits for the next day. Melissa has been at the hospital with her son for the last few days so she wasn't available ad I missed her arty eye! I decided to leave the boards till she was able to help. Josh was really helpful and helped me with the die-cut machine to cut lots of stars for the door. On Friday, he also helped me in the Materials Centre with gluing the writing I was mounting for Bonnie. Rose helped me today, too, to get the princes and princesses off the door. It's uplifting to see my kids growing up and mastering new skills. She went next door to help the Grade 2 teacher sharpen pencils when she had finished helping me and I had to literally drag her away as they weren't finished before we left!

Moments

A funny moment:

Rose: What do I click [on computer]?

Me: Just a minute.

Rose: What do I click?

Me: Just a minute

Rose: OK. So I'll click just a minute?!

I laughed with her.

An ahhhhh moment:

Josh: I guess I'm the luckiest guy. I get to sit by both of you [Rose and Naomi].

A mixed-up moment:

Rose, Joshua and Naomi were eating caramel sundaes.

Rose: Don't eat your ice-cream too fast or you will get carburator (as she pronounced it)freeze.

Me: What?!

Rose: On the Billy movie when they go to town and eat ice-cream, he tells them not to eat it too fast or they will get carburator freeze.

Me: Ohhhh (the reference to the Billy movie switches the light on). You don't have a carburettor. Only cars have carburettors! You will get a brain freeze though if you eat it too quickly.

Rose: Don't eat your ice-cream too fast or you will get head freeze!

The Week Condensed

Turns out Steve can't live without a microwave so we got a new one - almost identical - on Sunday. I'm glad too! We also had a trip to see new baby Bunting.

I have really enjoyed this extra week of holiday. Christmas and New Year eats up so much of the holiday time. It has given us the chance to hang out with friends and relax. On Monday our friend came for dinner and we played Fluxx (Thank-you Sam and Emma). Very fun. Some of the fun was directed at my poor shuffling skills!

Tuesday we had a babysitter, then cancelled her because we realised the Metro Manila film festival was on - which means all Tagalog films. Then decided we could go out to our friends' for a meal without children so we could play games after dinner.

Wednesday I was excited because Bonnie was coming home but it turned out I was a day early!! Thanks goodness Bonnie had emailed so I could leave the airport with peace of mind, knowing she wasn't just looking for lost luggage!

So, Thursday my excitement was in no way abated and I went out to the airport again : ) I ended up with an extra passenger too as another Faith colleague was on the same flight with no ride home.

Cultural Assimilation

Sundays are normally fairly quiet compared to any other day of the week. It gets busier around lunchtime but today was almost eerie. There was hardly anybody around during the first part of the morning. The mall felt empty until about 11:45 when I guess the big Church across the road finished a service and then we began to see a lot more people come in but ti felt strange for a while there.

Naomi bought a "ballerina" skirt and shoes (slightly too small for her feet) with Aunty Jenny's Christmas money because she would not budge until we had put it in her hand! She was so chuffed with it and kept saying "It's so pretty". As soon as we got home she had to put it on and moaned when we said she couldn't wear it to the sand pit. It went right back on when we got home.

Rose bought herself the Tinkerbell film with her savings and is excited she has now found a whole new sphere for spending her money.

Steve told me that when they were walking to the car when we had finished shopping that the last lane in the car park had a car coming so Josh did the culturally appropriate action of holding his hand up in a stop gesture and crossing over to the car. That made me laugh very hard.

The Big Show

Our 3 wonderfully creative children put on a "big show" for us today. Steve asked them how many people they were expecting to attend because they got all the patio chairs out in 3 lines facing their "stage".

The best, most organised (but not rehearsed!) part was the story they acted out. Rose narrated. A Knight (Joshua) was defending the animals (Naomi with the hand puppets) from the evil zookeeper (imaginary) who was treating the animals badly. It was pretty cool, if brief!

My other favourite part was when Naomi was sitting in the audience watching Rose do something and she kept leaning over to "shush" one of her toy animals.

We didn't end up taking the Christmas decorations down today but now I have suggested it Rose has decided it has to happen so she keeps asking at frequent intervals when we are taking them down!

What Day Is It?

I slept very deeply (I was cream crackered!) and was in the middle of a very vivid dream where I was perched on the edge of a roof singing "I love to boogie" to my friends when Naomi woke me up at 6 a.m. Josh was close behind her and I couldn't believe they were up already. Thankfully, my gracious husband got up with them and I went back to sleep, but not, alas, to my "boogie" dream!

I spent most of today convinced it was Saturday until at dinner when we were discussing getting a new microwave, Steve said "Where do you think you're going tomorrow? It's Saturday tomorrow." Duh! I couldn't believe we had only just come back from Calapan yesterday!

And, yes, Christmas was the lights upstairs and yesterday as I was making popcorn for the kids I noticed a fire in the microwave. I thought it was the popcorn until I realised it was the metal covering the wires inside! So, our microwave has died too. Mum and Dad bought it for us when we were expecting Rose.

I announced we would probably take the Christmas stuff down tomorrow and Rose's reaction was funny - "Why?!" And Steve gave me one of those looks that communicated he thought I was being "bah, humbug" again. But, come on, they've been up since before Dec!!

Naomi (on way to bed): I'm not tired. I don't want to go to bed

Debs: Naomi, you fell asleep on the settee this afternoon (we had to put her in the shower to wake her up. Our kids don't sleep if they nap)

Naomi: I can't close my eyes

Debs: Don't be silly. (And I plonk her into bed).

Pictures from New Year's Eve

A friend of ours took these photos of the fireworks over the city. They give a good idea of what we were watching.