What's your method for packing a suitcase?
Oh this is good! As hubby and I have very very different ways to do this so travelling together becomes a nightmare...
I first get out everything I am going to take....and normallly if it is a holiday/vacation then I don't want to have to do laundry so I take at least one outfit a day - for me and the kids - that is something Mr laundry-no-idea Hubby doesn't get. I fold everything - put socks in shoes or cosmetics in shoes and pack all them first - pack the major folded things on the middle and have books, cosmetics on the outside.
I admit I over pack. I often have to sit on suitcases to close them. I have never once been charged for excess weight - unlike hubby.......he prefers to take just one big bag where as I will take a few. Also he would rather be shot than have plastic bags used anywhere (did I mention he is a snob). I also rarely use the nice hard cases we have as there is limited ability to stuff more stuff in. Bee (9) also overpacks....she's got it from me. She has already started packing for Mexico (mid March) and here is what she was planning to take for one night in the mountains (where she already has books. toys and other clothes)
When travelling to/from UK I bring back things that I then have to unpack in secret - nothing illegal but just things that drive hubby mad about me even considering to bring here - deodrants, Strepsils, books CDs. I once even brought back a load of Le Creuset pans in my cases......
I always pack for us as a family. Then I know what we are taking and I can hide bit and pieces I know he will scoff at.
Funny story :-
Our honeymoon was a surprise. Well hubby had given me loads of hints that we were going camping in a National Park - he had bought guide books he would read and secretly hide if I came in a room - maps he would put under the sofa - of course I would go there and look as soon as he was gone so I thought it was a camping trip in CA. He told me to pack warm clothes, sensible shoes and some pots and pans and cans of soup. We were apparently going to be on the road a lot - need I say, I was really quite dreading it?
The next day, we woke up in our hotel room and he videoed me opening the envelope with out vacation details in - tickets to Maui and Kauai (Hawaii) - I am there on film going 'But we can't drive there can we? Do we still have to camp?" That's how brainwashed I had been...
He had secretly packed a case for me. Can you imagine your husband packing your case for your honeymoon? He didn't do too bad but i would certainly have taken way more stuff and loads of nicer things if it had been down to me!!
Last night I went out to a friend's house where there was a 'celebration' for a mothers' group I am in - for existing members and new members. There was a similar do last year at a restuarant which was lovely - and there were head/shoulder massages in between the courses! This year however we were gonig to Milly's house and she put on some food etc.
As I was leaving my 4 year old asked me where I was going:
Mac - Where are you going?
Me - to a party
Mac - will you get a balloon?
Me - erm, I don;t think so -probably not
Mac - have you wrapped the present
Me (thinking 'Shit, should I be taking some wine?') - erm no, it is not that type of party?
Mac - how can you have a party with no presents or balloons?
**************
he has a point.
Luckily I was not the only one to show up with no plonk. Also there were no balloons - much to Mac's disgust when he woke up this morning.
I read this book a few months ago and very much enjoyed it. I know it has been a huge hit but I didn't read it when there was all the hype about it - I bought it but didn't get to it until December of last year. It was hard to picture it all taking place as despite the vivid descriptions the landscape and times were quite alien to me - so I had a hard time with the vision but still enjoyed the book tremendously.
Books and their screen versions can be so very different. When I know that there is a film that is from a famous book I try to read the book first. Not only so I have an idea then of the plot and feel of the storyline but I can see how accurately the movie is then made. I had heard so much about the film of 'The Kite Runner' - they delayed the release of it here as they were worried about the backlash for the 2 young boys who were acting the main roles- there is a rape scene and it was feared that it would anger the Afghans and they would retaliate against the boys - so they were moved out of the country themselves before the release of the film. I had also heard that the majority of the film had subtitles -and I was not looking foward to this ...
Incidentally I once did a course on subtitling - it is a lot more complex than you would think - not only do you have to convey the meaning, you have to do it at the right speed for the sound, give it the right tone (e.g. Queen's English vs Slang) and you also have a limited number of spaces for your letters. It is quite a hard thing to do.
But this film worked. The subtitles were fine and hearing the native tongue made the film. It really did. It stayed quite true to the book itself and as I was explaining to a friend last night (who had also read the book but had not seen the film as of yet) - seeing the Kite Running displays and the way they 'cut' the other kites really explained what I had not been able to picture. Despite it having been such a huge hit (the book) the film has been successful but not perhaps as much as had been anticipated. I think here it has almost grossed 13 million dollars. And in my city at least it is now only showing in a couple of theaters......
I read this and also 'Atonement' before seeing their films and was glad I had done it this way around. I am not sure I would have been drawn to 'The Kite Runner' had I not read the book and as much as I loved the film, I am not sure that seeing it alone would have made me want to go out and buy the book to read. This was the case lasr year however when I saw 'The Namesake.' Loved the movie and went on to really enjoy the book too.
What was the last thing that made you smile?
Submitted by Becca-Pink.
A very sarcastic, innocent sounding comment I made to hubby about an hour ago - that would only really mean something to the two of us.
Again.....
I was reading a piece in the UK Sunday Times and suddenly felt very very old. Apparently there is a new book written by a 13 year old Lucy van Amerangon.... with all the slang going around the UK that teenagers are using and confusing their parents with. Would you have a clue?
Nang vocabulary
Bum Enjoy, as in “He bums his PS2”
Clappin Out of date, clapped out
Da Bomb Great, excellent
Ends Area or estate, as in “what ends are you from?”
Flat roofin’ Overworked, stressed
Gratz Thank you
Hench Tough boy, as in henchman
Innit Word that turns any sentence into a question
Klingon Younger child, particularly your irritating brother or sister
Ledge A legend, someone who is greatly admired
Nang Cool, excellent, brilliant
Off the hook Cool, appealing, fresh
Phat Really cool, great, awesome
Phat-free Uncool, rubbish; the opposite to phat
Shizzle Someone you worship, as in “she’s a real shiz”
Tin-grin Person who wears braces
Uber Very, totally
Vanilla Boring, dull
Za Abbreviation of pizza: “Let’s grab a za before the movie”
Zep Oik, yob, underclass person
. . . and the East London version
Air Being ignored. As in “If you say that again I’m giving you air”
Brapp Sign of respect
Chung, Choong Attractive
????????????????????????????????????
And incidentally - need to know is this a US/UK difference or just a whacky way Bee is being taught?
Find 16 x 13.
Well I would write them like so
16
x13
_____
then I would work out 3x6, 3x10, next line, add a zero, 1x6, 1x10 and add it all up.
However she was given this as her way to do it (and I am worried I confused her more with my way)
Find 16 x 13.
Step 1 - Multiply thev first factor by the ones digit of the second factor
16
x13 3 x 16 = 48
_____
48
Step 2 - Multiply the first factor by the tens digit of the second factor. Use a zero to show that you are multiplying by tens.
16 10x16=160
x13
_____
48
160
Step 3- add the products
16
x13
_____
48
+160
______
208.
I do get it but it just seems a long winded way to do it. We are onto the likes of 23x64 so now it is not as simple as just adding the nought on. Oh and apparently I should not be saying 'nought' but 'zero.'
HONESTLY...whatever happened to a relaxing weekend????
Finally made an appointment for Rory to see the Pediatrician today. He has had a cough all week, has been sick a fair bit (yes with no washing machine functioning it is not good), has lost his appetite and has a fever. Last night hubby was away so when Rory started to cough too much I brought him in with me. He was very very restless from about 1am onwards, He threw up on my clean sheets around 2am and eventually calmed down about 2.30am so I moved him back to his crib but kept his door open to listen to him. He coughed a bit here and there but was generally ok.
So I woke up at 4.40AM to hear voices - in Rory's room. Now the other boys do go in Rory's room in a morning to say hello but normally not until I have gone in to get him and certainly not so early! I went through squinting at my watch to make out the time and found Mac lovingly talking to his little brother and putting toys through the bars of his crib for him to play with. Asked Mac to go back to his bedroom and took Rory back into bed with me again. Was quite surprised that he fell asleep on me...about 5am for all of 10 minutes until well meaning but terror inducing Mac came through as he had heard a bang (apparently) and was checking on Rory and low and behold, one of the many toys he had had forced upon him had indeed fallen off the bed but was soon plonked right back on him ..waking him up.
There was no point even trying to go back to sleep as we all get up at 6 am anyway......
So as the day progressed and Rory was up and down with fever and temprement I ummed and ahhed about making the Drs appt. But made it for after I picked Mac up from pre-school.
Double ear infection and maybe Strep - she didn't do a test as the antibiotics will hopefully take care of that too. My poor chap.
But in the waiting room before out time slot, I was sitting near a little boy - maybe 7, who was watching 'Finding Nemo' with my little ones. 7 year old's mum and older brother had gone in for their appointment. As the boy watched he was saying things like 'This is so funny.' and 'Oh, no, I can't watch this bit....' and I found myself willing him to say more as I could have sworn I was hearing a British accent. But I needed him to say the right words to be able to tell for sure. The way his vowel in 'Funny' came out sounded very very UK but then other bits didn't. So I started to talk to him - hoping he wouldn't scream and run off.....due to the mad woman asking him things.
Me - Did you just get out of school?
Boy - Yes (inconclusive).
Me - Yes we just finished too.
Boy - My mom got me early as my brother wasn't feeling well. (mom - v American, but 'wasn't feeling well' = more UK).
Me - Are you from Denver?
Boy - Yes (now I am puzzled - I had said a qujick hello to the mother and she was v American)
Mac Are we from Denver? Is this Denver?
Me - Yes honey.
Me - Have you just moved here?
Boy - No (still not convincing me)
Me - Oh, I just thought you sounded a bit English.
Boy - Well I was BORN in London (with the attitiude of my being a bit slow here) then we moved here, then we went back to London and now we're here again.
BINGO!!!!
Knew that Masters with Linguistics would come in handy some day :))
What is the worst city you've ever been to and why?
Submitted by Soup.
Probably Salzburg, Austria. The city itself seemed quite elitest and it was quite a hard time for me. I was doing a 'semester abroad' and was quite lonely.....I stayed with a family I just didn't gel with at all. They had a little boy I helped look after who was very sweet but they were quite a strange couple otherwise. I ended up leaving early and whilst I am sure Salzburg is perhaps a great place, it just reminds me of quite a desperate time in my life (aged 22).
Report cards came home from school for the latest quarter last night. They were not bad at all. I think the teacher is throwing Bee a bone with the Maths grade however. Then there are other things that baffle me a tad. How can you get an A for English but a B- for Grammar? So here was the conversation last night over dinner:
Hubby: So Bee, what do you think of your report then?
Bee: Huh! Well she wrote I had a good sense of humor (she is American hence 'humor' not 'humour') which isn't much good unless I want to be a comedian...
Me: What about your Maths?
Bee: It is MATH Mom, how many times have I told you?
Me: Well what about it?
Bee: Well I am going to do a job where you don't need Math anyhow
Hubby: Like what exactly? You need Maths for everything
Bee: What about dress making? You don't need it for that!
Me:Yes you do, to measure the material and work out how much it will cost you to make the dresses and what you have to charge for them....
Hubby: Well what about the B-?
Bee: Well I don't know where she got that from - what is the deal with Grammar anyway?
Hubby: Well what is grammar then?
Mac (age 4) You know dad, it's your mum and she lives in ENGLAND!!!
***************
Priceless.
Oh and as you can see Bee is not the biggest fan of her teacher.
And is there in fact a job you can do where you really don't need Maths?
Last night - the kids were in bed and I was cleaning up in the kitchen but could smell burning....went through to my laundry room and saw the dryer had shut itself down which it has done before when it gets too hot inside - so opened the door and pulled the towels out and then saw flames in the dryer! Managed to blow them out - didn't know if I should throw water on it as it is electric and was still plugged in....then put flames out and pulled it out from away from the wall and then saw the washer cable, (which plugs into the dryer) had all melted completely. I mean these are only 3 and a bit yrs old and causing us such problems - the house could have caught fire had I not caught it in time. SO again, called the help line as we're still under warranty and they are going to call today (believe it when I see it) and tell me who can come out and repair it - hope it is not the same tosspot as last time. So no washer or dryer again. At least I have no expectations of it getting fixed soon. They are supposed to replace the machines if they can't be mended but again I am not holding my breath. I had only just caught up on the washing and ironing (mainly the ironing) from the last bloody time! But at least we caught it in time.
Never ever buy an ASKO washer or dryer. Got that?
Over the years we have spent a small fortune on swimming lessons for the kids. We have done all different varieties - from private lessons to semi private lessons to group lessons. It is quite something to organise with 4 of them and I must admit it is one of the things I really let lapse after the last baby (yes a good 2 years ago), Bee and Paddy were actually quite strong swimmers. But Bee got to the stage like so many things in her life where she no longer really made much progress because she didn't care and didn't really bother. Paddy was very good for his age and he is the one who probably missed out the most by stopping the lessons although having said all that we swim quite often with them in the mountains but I must say, they behave very differently in the pool with us and it really bugs hubby how little the swim given how many lessons they have had.
Mac the fearless one has always had a life jacket and loves the water but it is quite strange to say that he is so very boisterous and fearless he would not go anywhere near the water without the jacket that to him was his 'lifesaver.' This was a relief at least for the holiday in Mexico last year where we had our own pool.
And Rory hated the water then and again in California. He was really really scared and just clung on to you and screamed. Depsite loving baths and bath times.
So we have started lessons again. I started with Rory back in November. He screamed and clung to me (yes I get in with him). We have been going weekly since then - with a week off at Christmas. Today he was jumping in off the side and loving it. He will lie on his back and kick his feet so hard and he will go under water willingly when you count to 3. He will catch things from the bottom of the pool and blow bubbles. OK so he cannot swim as of yet but the transformation of the child in the pool is unbeleivable in such a short time.
Bee and Paddy have a group lesson straight after school on a Tuesday night. They are in the same class much to Bee's disgust. But we have pointed out that as soon as she tries harder she will be moved out of this class and probably away from her brother. This is quite good motivation for her.
And Mac goes on a Thursday afternoon in a group lesson too. He loves it. Never stops talking. Even when 'swimming.' He is much braver without his swim jacket and very much trusts his teacher now. I am glad we are all swimming again - should make Mexico in March a tad more taxing mindst you.
Oh and the sunbed.....Bee's psoriasis is still evident. Not getting worse but also not better despite the steroid creams. We are going to see about having her tonsils taken out as we heard that can help. But for now we have been told to take her on the sunbed for about 6 minutes a time. I took her Sunday and was amazed you can pay by the minute.... 25c a minute. She was quite scared about it and I suppose it is a scary thing when you are 9. She did well though. She was completely baffled when hubby asked how George Hamilton was though.
