Kids talk

June 2015
Recently mom found a yummy yeast-rising waffle mix recipe that makes crispy waffles, so yummy that the kids eat a lot of them and our waffle iron is now used almost daily.
 
Before family film watching evening,
Mom: The waffle mix needs to be made the night before. Let's not eat it tomorrow morning as it's late and I don't want to make it.

During family film watching break,
Mom: Let's make the waffle mix tonight so we can have it for breakfast tomorrow.
Dad: You said not tonight.
Soon-to-be-11-year-old: It's because she saw the food in the film and now she wants it.
Mom: You're so smart!
Soon-to-be-11-year-old: That's because I'm that way too. I want to eat it when I see it.

May 2015
The younger one just turned 9 year old, and the older one will turn 11 next month.

Late May
Kids playing with friends family
Mom: Where are your sister and her friend?
9-yr-old: I turned them into flies!!

Friday 16 May 
The younger one: She's nice to daddy, to mommy, to Coco and Kiki.
Dad and Mom: She's not nice to you?
The younger one: She spends a quarter of her time scolding me.

Growing children and strong girlhood

Last year when the younger one turned 6 and entered first grade, I had a sudden realization that my cute little chubby toddlers are now big kids, no longer chubby or small enough to fit into my arms and shoulders in an embrace.  I felt a strong nostalgia for their young chubby arms and little selves and used their toddler photos for my laptop background. 

This year as the older one is turning 9 on her birthday in the end of June, I started looking for gifts when a friend suggested a website A Mighty Girl. It came just in time since the website recommends materials that empower the girls.  Yesterday after a week of busy conferencing and meetings I finally settle down to decide on the gifts for my soon-to-be-9-yr-old, which feels like crossing a big threshold. In literature category, she now fits "Pre-teen (9-12)".  As a third-grader, she has had a lot of new issues regarding friendship, bully, and girl/boy differences.  I found this title A Smart Girl's Guide To Friendship Trouble.  Yesterday when I checked the Mighty Girl website to select titles, this was the first choice, and I also found lots of other titles that can be helpful. Somehow this post doesn't allow me to paste more titles with web addresses right now.

Today I saw a friend post a music video with images of her little girl with her and her husband. I just watched the original music video Never Grow Up with the 8-yr-old and my tears couldn't stop -- that mother and daughter feeling of protecting her from any harm wrestles with the reality that she needs to grow up and have her own life. Eventually I wiped my tears and just said to her I guess just not to grow up too fast, and she said I love you.

Transitions III -- Thankful, Thankful!

Finally we're out of that pestilential space plagued by the owners' greed and bully. There are still follow-ups with that place etc. (cleaning, moving small scattering stuff and our bikes, dealing with issues) but at last we are out of there. What a relief!

The movers came on time, arriving at 10:25am (scheduled for 10-10:30). They estimated to finish in 4 hours, 2 to load and 2 to unload. They said townhouse is hard to get in because of the turns with tight stairwells. Two of them are experienced and very tall (for our standard). Eventually they lifted most of the big stuff to the second floor balcony so the queen mattress and big book shelf didn't have to go through such turns etc. When they finished in 4 hours, I praised the accuracy of the estimate, and he said it's luck, because the other experienced one came instead of a preassigned young and small mover, who would not have been able to do the lifting and picking up (what they called throw) through the second floor balcony. So cool!

What we appreciated first and foremost is that now each room has temperature control, and we no longer have to worry about kids walking or talking bothering downstairs. SO thankful that we cannot stop appreciating it. This way we're able to use our living room and other space much more than before, since in that old place most of the time we huddled in the kitchen where it was the warmest. I'm also really glad to get out of the suburbial neighborhood to move into a much more community-based place. The board of directors came by to say hi, and one introduced the kids to play together. We really look forward to being part of the community here, and I really look forward to gardening! I hope for once we'll be able to have lavender at our place.

Transitions II

We started packing after the early May conference. Somehow it felt so right to put things in boxes than to see them in this place. We have not felt home in this space for all the many issues and extreme "landlord bully" -- a term we learnt from Residential Tenancy Agency. 

There was a long weekend before the moving weekend. We worked hard on packing on Sunday morning so we could go to the farm in the afternoon in the good warm sunshine weather. B-u-t, when we finally got into the car to head out to sunshine (the kids even prepared food and water and got those all ready in the car), the car broke down! In the U.S., we always had full roadside insurance coverage since we got this car for all those situations and of course it never happened there. Hubby biked to get battery connector and worked all afternoon and early evening to change the connector. The car still didn't budge. I took the kids to the meadow so the older one can fly a handmade kite and the younger one can play around. They soon bumped into each other, the older one hurt her knee, and the younger one hurt his brow bone.

Later a friend came by and recommended a mechanic, who came on the last day of the long weekend to say it needed a new starter. The older one's knee continued to hurt. Because this is the first time we deal with the knee injury in a kid, and she complained about a lot of paint, I took her to the walk-in clinic. Because we weren't sure if she could walk, we asked a friend for a ride. The clinic was packed, and it took an hour's wait to hear the dr. say she'd be fine in 3-5 days and just take Advil for pain if she continued complaining. Since the dr. thought she'd be fine, we walked some way to catch a bus home.

The next day the mechanic phoned but didn't get connected to our magic jack. The car didn't get fixed until the 4th day of the incident. 

Then finally it's moving weekend. The kids packed their scattered stuff. On Friday morning we drove the car loaded with storage less used stuff to the new place, got the keys and started painting the living room. The work went very slowly. I was so tired from the week that I only worked on the small sections. I also thought how tiring moving is and how much work we did for the last move but that didn't pay off since we couldn't stay 2 yrs as we originally planned. After we brought the kids over, we realized that the wall color peach puff looked pinkish at dayclose. We went to choose another kind of paint in the evening, which took a long time to pick. We eventually settled on Apricot Nectar. In the morning after the kids went to school, we painted over the pinkish color and Apricot Nectar goes really well with the wood floor and looks promising with our dark hardwood bookshelf -- we'll know tomorrow after it's moved. At 1pm we picked up the kids, and got them lunch from sushi place to eat at old place, and moved our closets content over to the new place. Hubby and I also unpacked some kitchen stuff. There are so many drawers in the new kitchen that I put labels on the drawers in order to remember what's where for everyone.

Tomorrow morning the movers are scheduled to come. Hubby and I are working hard to get everything packed and get everything semi-packed into our car.

The Eve before Chinese New Year's Eve

Before Chinese New Year, it is important to 1) clean 2) cook.

1. Clean:

• each person cleans out their own bedroom
• 6-yr-old and 8-yr-old one washroom each & together tidy up living room & study 
• vacuum floors: 6-yr-old in charge, 8-yr-old assist
• daddy & mommy clean up kitchen

2. Cook:

• roast vegetables to make yummy soup: pumpkin, turnips, onions, beets, carrots, acorn squash, celery, eggplant
• bake chicken 

Star Wars

Over the Christmas holidays we stayed up very late, watching Star Wars or playing Quirkle, 6-yr-old's Christmas gifts from us and from Chinese Classics teacher, together. We went to bed later and later at night, and got up close to noon during the second half of the winter break.

We saw the friends whose younger girl was the only one light enough for me to pick up among the kids' friends. I asked her if she would go home with me because she's so cute, and she said she will not go home with me :( I was so happy to pick her up again, but the 6-yr-old wasn't gonna have it. After I let her down, he came over to sit on my lap, not letting me get up or leaving space for anyone else. The kids act like this every now and then -- they suddenly get jealous about certain things, but generous with other things.

The 6-yr-old has looked for Star Wars books to read, and engaged us in conversation about Star Wars all the time since the winter break. Recently, when they complain or get jealous, I would start doing a Yoda and reminding them: "Jealousy leads to frustration, frustration leads to anger, anger leads to violence, which leads to the path down the dark side..." The kids would start acting up about this, sometimes smiling but always asking me to stop. I've also used the same formula on their homework. When they succeed in learning new things, I would remind them: "Practice leads to success, success leads to confidence, and confidence leads to more practice, more practice leads to more success, and more success leads to more confidence, and that's the path leading to the bright side." They are happier to hear about it though not very patient with the articulation.

first week back at school 2013

The first week back to school/work, everyone has trouble getting back to routine. 8-yr-old hasn't finished work on time -- she thought she did, but the classics teacher said she and her brother didn't read the classics homework as instructed. 6-yr-old had to take a nap coming back from the first school day, and had an allergic reaction of angry rashes that kept him up at midnight so dad had to go get medicine when mom tried to distract him from scratching his skin off. On Wednesday and Thursday both cannot finish homework until very late. 8-yr-old complained about not wanting to wake up in the morning.  Because the classics teacher said they didn't do what they were assigned to accomplish, they are banned from using computer for a week. 8-yr-old believes she gets exhausted from homework. She also asked daddy and mommy to pay for her hot lunch, and just when she finished work on time on Monday and Tuesday to earn good credit, on Wed. the classics teacher said the classics part of the work was not done so the credit couldn't count.

8-yr-old starts geometry, which she thinks boring -- supposed to be very fun, but drawing shapes is not enough for her.

Mom was used to reading into after midnight too during the winter break and she pretty much collapsed into bed after finishing shower and dinner on Monday and Tuesday. 

Prospects for the new year of 2013

6-yr-old: wishes for the new year
1. watch Star Wars with mom all the time; good people win in Star Wars (mom: better there's no war at all)
2. wish Mario wouldn't go bad
3. do ginger bread
4. 8-yr-old don't annoy me
5. daddy could drive me to skating

6. see 8-yr-old's jewelry box
7. mommy would make me pudding

8-yr-old:
1. become a great painter - make sure my paintings are great
2. go visit Taiwan
3. get into higher level of reading, beat E (who's faster) in math
4. have courage to tell E that I don't want to play with her
5. meet new friends
6. be nice to family
7. have a happy new year

mommy:
1. complete the goals by doing a good job of managing distractions and allocating time for writing
2. plan vacation ahead of time well and a trip to BC interior in the summer
3. exercise regularly and frequently
4. family health and happiness and (intellectual and kids physical) growth
5. universe peace, equality, and prosperity

daddy:
1. family health
2. find a good job on the island
3. smooth growth in financial management
4. temper management
5. acquire new tech such as statistics
6. family travel

Kids Talk Summer 2012

Angry Bird
The young kindergartener went to visit paternal grandparents and uncles with his dad, and brought back 2 stuff-animal Angry birds that screech like the video game ones. The 2nd-grader was happy to get hers and they played with those in their room. Suddenly there was crying from the room, and when we checked with the kids, the 2nd-grader wailed:

He said I was a green pig, so he threw an angry bird at my head!

Cat
Soon-to-be 1st-grader:
Nonie (Snowball, the 13-yr-old white fluffy cat) only goes to washroom, eats, walks, and sleeps, and don't do anything else. What she needs is Homework!

Hi-er
The kids like to say hi to people. They once sat at the side door of minivan while waiting for the ferry, and waved hi to every car that past us to join the waiting line. Some people were happily surprised as they drove by and turned from their steering wheel to say hi back.
Today when we walked through downtown from library back home, the soon-to-be third grader waved  hi to the tourists on the carriages, and one of them waved back.
Soon-to-be 1st-grader:
"She says hi to everyone. She is a hi-er!"

2 more weeks of summer vacation

Faster than we can imagine, it's only 2 more weeks of summer vacation. We've gradually settled into the new place, enjoyed some sunny days, and need to have a plan for the remaining summer vacation.

What everyone in the family wants to do before kids school starts:

Soon-to-be 1st-grader:

• make popsicle
• watch four golden princesses and sing along
• write to cousin Issac
• make craft with everyone

Soon-to-be 3rd-grader:

• go to Vancouver and buy 20 loaves of bread (coconut stripe bread)
• paint pictures
• go to the swim pool and make mommy come into the pool (mom: ouch; 1st-grader: you can't boss mommy around)
• go to the library
• watch Harry Potter movie
• skype granddad
• play with stuffy
• go to petshop to see animals
• have a playdate with friends
• dance  -- Done on August 27th according to her

Mommy:

• hiking all the way from bottom to top of the mountain -- Done on August 27th, yeah! We were lost on the trails and a nice runner told us to follow the road back down, but we got lost once we cross the street again in the midst of trails. It's all good!
• paint pebbles
• watch family movie together
• kids finish all homework review to earn prize -- Done on August 25th, earned Legos.
• have friends over -- One on August 27th; 
• do yoga with kids

Daddy:

• go to French Beach
• watch movie

The Olympics Begins

The Olympics London 2012 begins today. 8 years ago 8-yr-old was born shortly before the Olympics. During 2004 Summer Olympics, every evening saw this several-day-old cry b/w 8 and 11pm. No matter how we comforted her, she would cry during that period. Auntie thought the baby was adjusting to a completely different world. I remember that during that week, hubby was away and every evening I would have the tv on, trying to watch the Olympics, and hubby would phone, but I couldn't hear anything but the baby crying. 2008 Olympics took place just after we moved from Texas to Michigan, without furniture or tv. One evening we went to a college classmate's house so I could see the gymnastics, but the then 4- and 2-yr-olds wouldn't quiet down, and we had to leave early. This time I figured that I would finally have time to watch it because we finished moving before the opening, and the kids are older. We weren't sure where we would be this year either.

I was particularly interested in the opening ceremony. The way a country, once a glorious empire, represents its most proud national icons, cultures, achievement, is so filled with history and rich symbolisms -- all from a culture that is so influential through its worldwide colonial history which also informs where we live right now.

Kindergarteners' talk at school

After my dentist appointment on Tuesday, I went to pick up the kids from school (usually hubby does it if I'm at work). As mentioned earlier I always pick up the cute girl J in my arms whenever I see her because 1) I love her and 2) she's the only one light enough I'm able to pick up :b (my own kids are too heavy for me for some time now) 3) their family is wonderful so they don't mind 4) she was born in the province my dad was from. She's now very used to get me to pick her up whenever she sees me. 


Today after I picked her up and kissed her, 


J:     Your son asked me to marry him you know.
Me:  Really? again? 
J:     Yes. He wrote it on a card to me asking "Will you marry me?"
Me:  So what's your answer?
J:     Yes. I will.
Me:  Really? You will really marry him when you grow up?
J:     Yes, I will marry him when I grow up if he wants to.

At this point she, still in my arms, called to my kindergartener and asked him if he remembered that card where he asked her to marry him, and he smiled mischievously and nodded.

I repeated the conversation to J's mom who smiled. It was a hot topic at the beginning of school year when they first met in class. I remember the many days when the new kindergartener came home to tell me that he knew he will marry J when he grew up. J's dad was away at the time doing mining consultant work out of province, and whenever I chatted with J's mom, we laughed about this. When J's dad returned home after the season was over in the late fall, J's mom told me that J's dad heard about her daughter and our son's plan to get married and asked gruffly "WHO IS THIS GUY?" and we laughed. But the two kindergarteners were serious. One day my kindergartener casually told me that, after they get married, J will have babies and he won't because he's a boy. And I asked him: did J agree to having babies because it could hurt? (My kids heard about my pain delivering them.) He said yes, they both knew. I checked with J's mom later and indeed the two kindergarteners figured out a future plan by themselves.

This past second semester I didn't hear anything about this plan and thought the deal was off, but now with my son's proposal card I guess it's back on. I asked J if I can take a photo of this card and she will show it to me when we go to her house next time.

Recorder Lessons for grade two and threes!

By second-grader after dinner, homework and shower, in pajamas
I have been singing hot crust buns for months and I have been playing hot crust buns on the recorder too. My mom is getting fed up with it ( ha ha!)
I learned eight songs today because  there is only EIGHT more lessons in the year!!!


By mom

I was just going to start another blog entry, when second-grader started singing "Hot cross bun" again -- this 3-sound recorder song is so monotonous that I kept wondering why they haven't progressed to more sophisticated songs.

This year we didn't plan summer camp ahead of time because of many prior uncertainties: moving location, job prospect, etc. After finally finding a place to move to in early May, it's a bit late to register for themed summer camps. The kids will definitely swim, and we'll look for soccer classes for both. The lazy mom doesn't want them separated for extra curriculum classes that we have to drive them separately. Hopefully we'll have fun getting into a new place and enjoying the green pasture after we move. Wish we could have a goat or sheep, and chicken. But farm life would mean long distance commute, which is not something we can do, because we need time together as family and long commuting would take away from that.

Kids talk from 2011

Yummy sausages

Me: The sausages that we ordered will arrive next week, and they are very very yummy. The problem is, sausage is simply not a healthy food. How much of it do you think we should eat?

Firstgrader:  I think if it's very yummy, we should still eat a lot of it, with lots of vegetables and water.

Cake

11:20pm on Friday night

Preschooler: Mommy, when are you going to make cake? If you don't, I'm going to bed.

Me: Go to bed now. What can be more important than going to bed?

He: Poop, pee.

(August 20, 2012  the soon-to-be-1st-grader read and said: who said it? Mom: you. he couldn't stop laughing at what he said.)

Teaching

First-grader: "Mommy, I was born to teach you."

Me: "to teach me what??"

She: "to teach you all about me!"

Love

Firstgrader, after being picked up from school bus station, looked up at me and said: "whenever I look up, you are there."

Family Meeting -- A year after the last one

I just came back from 6 days in the interior, an amazing trip through the landscape of coast, mountain forest, dry and wild ranch country, northern forest, and back.

After 3 days of driving through very rainy and grey landscape, the fourth morning was brightened with sunshine and was the most wonderful and cheerful day. It really makes a big difference -- if it weren't for the three full rainy, cold and grim days, the sun would not have been SO much more appreciated.

The kindergartener made 3 welcome-home cards for mommy ^_^ The 2nd-grader read through 6 volumes of Harry Potter when mom was away.



What everyone hopes for family members:
Mom:
For daddy -- take a deep breath and have quiet time before dealing with things and kids that frustrate him;
For 2nd grader -- take a deep breath and use smart brain to solve problems and make good choices of finish duties;
For kindergartener -- take a deep breath and use smart brain to make good choices and solve problem by first looking at problem/face in the eyes;
For self -- take a deep breath and be organized with work and daily life.


2nd-grader:
For daddy -- not scream; give him quiet space when he's frustrated;
For mommy -- get done with homework soon and play with me; (mommy: play what??)
For kindergartener -- not to annoy me when I'm doing homework or something I like;
For self -- keep calm.


Daddy:
For mommy -- get more exercise, relax about job;
For 2nd-grader -- listen to daddy, finish work before reading;
For kindergartener -- solve problems without crying, and not to annoy and irritate others;
For self -- follow heart to work and plan for future, less temper.


Kindergartener:
For daddy -- not scream; take a deep breath, and not to bite my nose;
For mommy -- you can do your job and don't get frustrated with job (Dad: when and where did mommy get frustrated? Kindergartener: because I don't know what to say)
For 2nd-grader -- don't yell at me like today;
For self -- don't cry and take deep breath when frustrated.


Next weekend, what we want to do together:
2nd-grader: ride bike, mountain hiking, and read books; go to library to check out books;
Kindergartener: nice weather go to Goldstream, take a walk, look at magic show in Inner Harbour;
Daddy: watch basketball together (Kindergartener: yeah! chimpanzee. Dad: no! Championship game.); nice weather take a road trip (not if there's a game on TV);
Mom: take an oceanside stroll.

Last thing to add before going to bed:
Kindergartener: add to wishlist a playdate with Noah.

 

Family meeting 4-30-11

Sat. evening after everyone's showered and changed into comfy clothes, we sit down together to decide what plans we have for tomorrow:

Before planning, things we definitely need to fit in:
1. (from mom) go to downtown library to exchange paintings;
2. (firstgrader) daily homework
3. (preschooler) daily homework

What else everyone wants to do together:
A. Preschooler: Option 1) Jump city -- no one else wants to
                                     2) wants to check out books (mommy can help)

B. Firstgrader: Option 1) neighborhood walk -- no one else wants to
                                    2) Olson Park
                                    3) botanic garden

C. Mom: we also need to 4. sum up the allowance earned for the month of April; 5. plan birthday parties if anyone wants to have one (preschooler's birthday coming up)
               2) also wants to go to Olson Park for biking and seeing the sprouting trees

D. Dad: Option 1) if it rains, watch basketball game -- no one else wants to; 2) if it doesn't rain, Olson Park

So, the day looks like this: (mommy ordered the lib books online); weather forecast: AM showers, warm

1. Kids finish homework
2. all finish breakfast, calculate allowance
3. Kids quiet time
4. kids lunch/adults brunch
5. downtown library
6. biking in Olson park

Kids talk in the shower and on the dining table

Today, the firstgrader did something embarrassing. Afterwards I was waiting for her outsider her shower, and she said: Mom, what if we want to be somebody else? I want to be you.

Me: In 10 years you will be so tall and smart and beautiful, and I will look older. and in 20 years you will grow to be even bigger and more beautiful and know and enjoy what you're doing, you don't want to be anybody else.

She: Mom, if I have children, will you be nice to them?

Me: What do you think?

Preschooler: I want to have a lot of children.

She: You will, because you're caring and you love me. (To preschooler) You know you can't have kids yet. You need to get married first

Then she got out of the shower, stood next to me, and said, Mom, you're so short. I'm to your chest, and at 10 years old I will be taller than you.

Me: I hope so.

Preschooler: I will be taller than you when I'm 9. I don't have to decide what I will do in the future yet.

-------
On the dining table

Preschooler: Mommy, when I become big, I will be a cook, and make you yummy food. I don't want to be a doctor.

Me: Sure. You can be whatever you want to be. That's very nice of you.

Firstgrader: I want to be a cook too.

Me: But being a cook is a lot of work. Are you sure?

She: No.

New Year's wishes and hopes

The firstgrader's hopes for herself in the new year:
1. have more inspirations to write sentence (one-sentence daily journal)
2. good habit of drinking fluids


and wishes for the new year:
1. more sleepovers with best friend
2. waterpark trip
3. draw better -- round shining eyes

4. nice quiet space to read and write
5. less dry cough


The preschooler's hopes for self:
1. can read words and books by self
2. drive a helicopter
3. decorate Christmas tree by self
4. build train tracks by self
5. be nicer to big sis and get more presents from Santa


wishes:
1. play family game *right now*
2. big sis stop picking her nose
3. dad stop opening mouth when eating




Dad's for self:
1. more workouts to lose weight
2. stop procrastinating (good one! mom needs that too)


Wishes:
1. settle
2. health
3. kids fight less




Mom's for self:
1. regular writing sessions 
2. more patience and discipline


Wishes:
1. smooth transitions
2. good-quality work

5 blessings in each family member's life

First-grader:
1. I have a lot of food.
2. I'm glad I have a nice family.
3. Parents pay for my school and lessons.
4. Parents tell me what's safe to do and what's not safe to do.
5. Parents love me and make sure I'm safe.
6. (5 not enough) I like it when parents do things for me that I cannot do, like making supper.


Preschool:
1. I love my family, my animals, pillows
2. I like having my dinner 
3. I like reading books and saw deer
4. I like my family hug, play and work with me
5. I like my friends: Abby, Drake, Josh, grandma, 
(5 is not enough for the preschooler)
6. I like sitting with mom on the couch and read books with mom and i like Pokemon
7. dad feeds me
8. thankful for toys, Pokemon, gummy vitamins and calcium and fish (oil), cartoons
9. can play a lot and no homework
10. our neighborhood


Mom:
1. Family are safe, sweet with love
2. We can feed ourselves
3. We have a warm and cozy home during cold winter
4. We get to see the beautiful autumn in Michigan 
5. my macbook


Dad:
1. have a job to work on
2. When I get home I see my wife and kids
3. health of family
4. warm house
5. had a walk in nice day with wife to the car after meeting an old friend