Thursday, March 10, 2011

Holidaze

It was school holidays recently, and during that time I did actually write a blog post. I just never got the time to post it. It is a pity, writing all those superfluous words; lost and now irrelevant.

I do have some photos during this school holiday period, of the only three activities we did in the entire two weeks. While others seem to schedule the heck out of their holidays if not with a well deserved and enjoyed holiday elsewhere (in this case mostly wonderful skiing adventures, one with a personal chef even!), then with atelier (work shops) on every thing you can imagine from museum’s to kite flying, or with playdates and general visits to top museums and other educational or cultural experiences. My children, the future generation we are all pinning our hopes on, demanded home time, usually in pyjamas with occaisional nude time thrown in, scattering lego and playmobil pieces throughout the house and in extremely hard to reach crannies (those damn ancient floorboards and their ancient sized cracks), building cubbies under the dining table, painting a few obvious masterpieces, eating their way through entire baguettes laden with ham or chocolate (we’re French now, that’s normal and not considered bad nutrition), and generally being unscheduled tearaways. They learnt nothing educational, unless you count memorizing the rather witty one liners of Batman, but actually did make big decisions on their futures: when H grows up he is going to be Ironman, O is going to be Batman and E is going to be a ballerina (she has recently decided she is not going to be Tinkerbell anymore). So we are all lofty and realistic ambitions here, though I did try a little realism and education to tell the twins that superheros usually have working alter egos, and they will still need to make a career choice that earns money regardless of their superhero ambitions. But I divert… yes, that is right we were not doing anything much more than hanging at home playing aimlessly when I finally felt guilty and that I was letting my children down intellectually and experientially (as conversations about whether road runner was faster than speed racer were not really cutting it educationally – though I was surprised by how reality based that scene in Standby Me is when the kids are by the campfire debating the strengths of superheroes) and scheduled three activities in the last three days of the holidays. Not a bad way to end the holidays at all, as then you end thinking, ‘Wow, we really did a lot’, over “Wow, we sure have worked out how to pass days and days doing nothing all together’. I managed to take them to Ferme de Gally enroll them in a bread making atelier (in which they do all the hard work to prepare the bread dough, only to realize they have a disappointing parent who forgets to take it out of her jacket pocket which she leaves beside a radiator over night and turns dough into unuseable mush and so they never get to see the fruits of all their hard labour), took them to Cite des Enfants for a discovery science session (which actually was not as successful as the previous 15 times they have been there, mostly because they have been there 15 times previously and nothing was new, which is a note to book twins into the next age bracket sessions in future, and thus renders this no longer a good holiday activity considering the need therefore for two accompanying parents for three children) and finally a movie Gnomeo and Juliette (and yes the burnt smell wafting through the cinema was my homemade burnt popcorn snuck into my bag to avoid spending a fortune at the food counter, hello mean miser mum! But, like the mushy bread dough, they are still too young to linger too long over these disappointments thank goodness).

So yes, there are a few photos of these quality moments of parenting I engaged in, but they are on my telephone and I have no idea how to get them off the phone and onto my computer, as my computer keeps telling me that my phone is incompatible, though I know the other half has done it before. We await him having a moment to do something as trivial as download some photos for me. Which is a dig at him for being so busy at the moment. I rarely see him, he is a ghost. I have a ghost husband. Proved by last night being in bed hours before him (as usual tapping away at his laptop, which I think if I was more savvy I would refer to as his mac) and when I woke in the middle of the night he was still no where in sight, though I did look to the top of the headboard where he habitually keeps his glasses when sleeping and notice their presence, so just assumed he was in bed, I just wasn’t seeing him. See, ghost husband!

He does read this, and yes I know he is thinking if only you readers knew how in saying that I have just highlighted how hard working AND responsible the man is. However, there is nothing worse than inflated ego (or deflated in my case), so pretty much leave the story there, you all knowing that deep down ghost man was actually being very attentive father at that point while mother was blissfully snoring away unawares.

and talking of superfluous words...

Finally, no, there is still no smiling photo of all three.

Monday, February 7, 2011

does this count?























Three kids facing the camera with their tongues curling up at the sides as a faux smile???

Friday, February 4, 2011

father care

and finally while I am on a comeback roll, here is E left in the care of her father:























What this really is, is a testament to how hard he has been working. He is rather like a walking zombie on the weekends, I come across him passed out sitting up half way through lego construction, or dozing on the sofa with three kids hanging off him watching television, or as this case may be, leaving a room with the lid off the nutella. Atleast he is not ashamed to capture it for my benefit!

Christmas wasn't any better

Carrying on from the last post about my trouble to get a photo of all the kids, Christmas wasn't any better. Here is what we got:

a positive start, one child smiling:












things are looking good, two kids smiling, a father and a dog, all looking at the camera!












enter number 3, exit number 1 and the dog (compounded by pathetic mother photography):










hmmm, regression:











that's it, they are gone, a series of about 8 photos were taken of them hiding behind the tree, not a single face to the camera:










until there is only the tree, though there are three kids in behind it:












and then, there is one crazy parental sucker left:

Back?

Well, it appears I may just be back after a year and a half hiatus.

what can I say...

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

I didn't get around to blogging again for the New Year into 2011 (though I did have grand ambitions), instead I am going for the Chinese New Year. Yes, I am one of those people who needs the perfect starting moment to begin anything, not able to start unless it is the beginning of the week, month, or year (an even number, a leap year, a blue moon...). So really it is a big concession for me to use Chinese NY as a re-commencement point, being that it fell mid-week and on the 3rd of the month!

So, in celebration of my new openness to mid-week commencement (really because we thought it cute to capture this moment of the kids all excited and dressed up in their Chinese clothes), we tried to get photos of the kids. It is such a major ordeal to get three kids looking neat and at the camera at the same time. It would be an absolute miracle if they were also smiling (which was given us last year as seen in an old post) and really we have given up on ever achieving that again, so instead we are just satisfied with three in the shot, well done and pat on the back!

This is what we got:

















































Oh yes, one can only be proud. Not a single photo for the grandparents to frame. I guess they probably think we are neglectful and inconsiderate for not sending them more beautiful pictoral updates of their grandkids, but the reality is rarely will one have the urge to stand still and smile for the camera, and never ever is that urge times three and synchronised. I do remember receiving cards from people all through my childhood, and actually even now at times, of happy smiling and obedient children in family photos for Christmas cards, and not only this but also perfectly performing synchronised smiles. It was before photoshop too, so it was not a sham. I am gobsmacked at how they did it, as our kids seem to be so anti performance that no bribe, treat or threat works to tame them into submission for photos. I am talking major harsh words here, but you know, not so harsh that you negate any chance of random smile being thrown in. But really, I would LOVE to know what the magic is to achieve this... though I have a feeling genetics might come into play. Sean and I are both naughty number 3 probably having created enough cheeky karma that is returning 10 fold to us, coupled with us both having fathers whose childhoods appear filled with rambunctious antics. There is potentially no hope in our genetics for neat, amenable, synchronised smiling spawn photos.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Obsession

The boys are quite recently hooked on an internet site that is brilliant for kids. I leave them alone at the computer completely and they navigate and play games (which are actually educational and fun) by themselves. They can't get enough of it, and I never get the computer anymore!
The site is www.poissonrouge.com. It doesn't matter what language you speak, though there are language options. 


Friday, October 2, 2009

Extra Long Hiatus!













Well, I have a spare moment right now, and so I end this low blogging motivation zone I have been in for some time now. Summer has been and gone, and this blog missed it all. It was fabulous though! Sun and lots of it, and playing outside as much as possible. Holidays to Languedoc, and to Province, visits from Grandparents (Ah Mama and Kong Kong) and friends (thanks Mel & Shaun, Massimo & Phil,  Greg), a trip to babyshower and catch up with the Brussels crew. September was the beginning of school for the boys now in Petite Section of l'ecole maternelle, along with the beginning of a lingering cold and cough for all three kids, AND the little one began to walk. 
I will write more, but let this brief note be the beginning I needed to get blogging again.