stuff

We've been playing Apples to Apples Kids the past couple of days. I do like the kid set -- I opted for that over the adult set because there are so many references in the adult set that kids don't get. On the other hand, I think the kid set simplified the vocabulary too much. Yes, V learned an adjective she didn't know, but she's 3. Fun factor is high for both my kids. M can play the game quite intelligently, and I also have fun seeing how his mind works. (Apples to Apples is a truly great game -- each player takes a turn being the judge and throwing down an adjective card. All the other players put in a noun-ish card. The judge picks one.) M was a judge with the word "big". I had thrown in "basement" thinking it surely wouldn't win, but it did. Because "football players" and "popsicles" can fit inside a basement. V just likes to joke around. She throws in something funny and picks something funny as well. E's stuffed animal Myrtle the Turtle is a pretty good player.

I had one of those moments today, when you're doing something and saying to yourself "I can't believe I'm doing this." Sadly, I wasn't jumping out of an airplane or singing for thousands of people. I was saying, "You have to put on underwear before you eat dinner." At the time of the comment, V was standing naked on a stool helping me cook dinner. My low expectations are what made me giggle. No black tie at our house.

sewing, swords

E gets very excited about fighting swords with her sibs. It's best when I'm holding her -- that way she can reach better.
Here's my first project using the Wild Ginger pattern making software. I adapted it after printing (the sleeve detail and the button placket in the back) so it's not all Wild Ginger. I like it a lot, except for the fit. That's not a problem with the software -- I just have to get used to their different ease settings and how much room kids need. The software is very clever, but I'm finding that I adapt it more than I expected. Not a point and click thing. I was also experimenting with bias tape and making buttonholes on my new machine ... I didn't show a picture of the flower buttons. V picked out the fabric, can you tell? I said corduroy, she said flowers.

proud moment

M had an "about me" page to fill in for homework a week or two ago. It included the typical info like his height and weight and favorite color ("all the colours"). And his favorite singer? The Beatles. OK, so they're a band, but still, I was pretty happy about it. Granted, he thinks Yellow Submarine is their greatest song, but he's 5. V is really into music lately and tells me what she likes about each song. We've been listening to some classics lately, the Beatles One album and Raffi's Baby Beluga. Eleanor Rigby is "the cool song", and I can't even describe what she says for Raffi's Oats and Beans and Barley Grow. Amazingly garbled. I have to be careful what they listen to, though -- V pays a lot of attention to the lyrics. I had on a Cake song today; the refrain is "Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell." Catchy song, very tongue-in-cheek and clever, but I can 100% predict a question about the go to hell part.

I wear my sunglasses

E is at such a fun age! She surprised me today by understanding exactly what sunglasses are -- she tried to put them on me and on herself. Totally glam.

Check below -- V and M usually feed themselves breakfast while I'm getting up or taking care of the baby. Today they opted for "Kangus", all over the couch and rug. The couch cover is currently in the wash, and the living room is clean thanks to my fabulous housekeeper. Seriously, she's great because she really loves her job. Cleaning my house makes her feel satisfied that she's really helped someone. We've had some cranky cleaners over the years, so a cheerful one's a blessing.

School!

So I'm finally posting about the first day of school -- it's not quite as bad as you think, we've only been in school for 2 weeks now, unlike some American friends who've been at it for more than a month. So here are my cuties on V's first day, M's second day. They actually look alike to me in this photo, usually I don't see it. M is in Year 2 (first grade), and the work is really starting. He eats it up. Yesterday they talked about some Jewish holidays, so he got to try a bunch of special food. Then it was someone's birthday, so he got cake. His entire lunch came back home with us -- their food was more interesting than ours. All pretty smooth so far. We start swim club in a couple of weeks, so we'll see how that affects our schedule. The pool is not far away, but close to the building-a-new-tunnel zone, which is a traffic nightmare.

V is attending the nursery class 3 days a week. Before they started, each child had a home visit with their teachers. V was so excited on the day her teachers were coming that we had to make zucchini bread and draw pictures for them. Since she's staying full days, she needed a pillow and blanket for rest time. I happened to have some pillow stuffing around, so I whipped up a cute pillow with my lovely machine. (Bright yellow, hot pink with skulls, and a flower button/ribbon detail, all in 20 minutes.) V loves her pillow so much that she actually sleeps at school. The first day she didn't want to go to bed at home because she didn't have her pretty pillow. We'll add that to the list of why-I-can't-go-to-bed excuses. They include these classics: I need a drink, I have to go to the bathroom, it's too dark in my room, I need 3 books in my bed, no not those books, I need the big Pooh bear and the small Pooh bear, my legs are cold, I don't want these pants, I want to sleep in M's bed.

E is the belle at school. She smiles at everyone and shows off her 6 teeth. Her hair is redder than ever, and curly too. She loves to get into stuff she's not supposed to have (laptop, legos, markers) and is starting to understand simple phrases and baby signs. She slimmed down a bit because we had the stomach flu last week, but she's working hard to gain back the weight or grow or something. On Sunday she ate through 5 slices of watermelon, one handful of stars, 2 pieces of chicken, 4 crackers and a bottle of formula. That night she did not have a stomachache, but she did wake up hungry.