Tomorrow my first son will turn to five.
It is hard to believe that I have already been a mother for five years.
It seems to me very short time when I look back the last five years although each moment I face to the children are not always easy and I felt the time for them to grow was so long..... Do you know what I mean?
As a part of anniversary, I collected some photos on my Japanese blog "Kayo in England". I am sure you will enjoy seeing the growth of the boy on the photos.
See you on the blog.
Showing posts with label sons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sons. Show all posts
8.4.09
30.12.08
GP
We changed our GP (home doctor).
The previous GP was the bad choice we made. We registered with the clinic soon after we moved to England. We didn't know much about English health system, and of course had no clue about good doctors in town. Back then, we didn't own a car, that limited our choices. We just picked the nearest GP.
The GP was the busy one. I always had a hard time to talk to a person to make an appointment over the phone. They were always busy and overwhelmed, and they just don't answer the phone. After many attempts, finally I got an appointment, but you know what comes next... Long waiting time... What was the appointment for, if we had to wait to see a doctor so long??
After the long waiting time, we finally see a doctor. But the doctors were always businesslike, they didn't really see us or listen to us. The time they spend to figure out the diagnoses was only a few minutes...Maybe less than a minute. I am not exaggerating. We usually got out of the doctor's room within five minutes. I always felt I was talking to a machine, or computer..., something without human heart.
With such a poor consultation, of course they gave us incorrect diagnoses, with prescriptions which I could not agree with it.
So after my first son got an antibiotics which is harmful and unnecessary for his symptoms, I quickly changed the GP where we can see an anthloposophical doctor who can prescribe homeopathic remedies.
We got an appointment for my first son today, and all four of us attended the consultation. The doctor looked my son's ailments closely, and listened to us well, thought through what the best choice for the boy would be. It took almost thirty minutes. Our conversation was far better from ones with the previous GPs. It was actually the conversation between human being who care about the patients the most.
He gave us a prescription not only for my son but also for my husband who was still greatly suffering from his chest ailments, although it was not the consultation for my husband.
We got several homeopathic remedies and one antibiotic medicine in case it would be needed. My son took two kinds of Weleda remedies as the doctor instructed, and he slept through all afternoon. He woke up and ate his supper, soon after that he went back to sleep.
His unusual long sleep assured me that my son would be recovered from his illness soon.
Today I felt relieved after the doctor's consultation.
Actually it was the first good medical experience in England.
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The previous GP was the bad choice we made. We registered with the clinic soon after we moved to England. We didn't know much about English health system, and of course had no clue about good doctors in town. Back then, we didn't own a car, that limited our choices. We just picked the nearest GP.
The GP was the busy one. I always had a hard time to talk to a person to make an appointment over the phone. They were always busy and overwhelmed, and they just don't answer the phone. After many attempts, finally I got an appointment, but you know what comes next... Long waiting time... What was the appointment for, if we had to wait to see a doctor so long??
After the long waiting time, we finally see a doctor. But the doctors were always businesslike, they didn't really see us or listen to us. The time they spend to figure out the diagnoses was only a few minutes...Maybe less than a minute. I am not exaggerating. We usually got out of the doctor's room within five minutes. I always felt I was talking to a machine, or computer..., something without human heart.
With such a poor consultation, of course they gave us incorrect diagnoses, with prescriptions which I could not agree with it.
So after my first son got an antibiotics which is harmful and unnecessary for his symptoms, I quickly changed the GP where we can see an anthloposophical doctor who can prescribe homeopathic remedies.
We got an appointment for my first son today, and all four of us attended the consultation. The doctor looked my son's ailments closely, and listened to us well, thought through what the best choice for the boy would be. It took almost thirty minutes. Our conversation was far better from ones with the previous GPs. It was actually the conversation between human being who care about the patients the most.
He gave us a prescription not only for my son but also for my husband who was still greatly suffering from his chest ailments, although it was not the consultation for my husband.
We got several homeopathic remedies and one antibiotic medicine in case it would be needed. My son took two kinds of Weleda remedies as the doctor instructed, and he slept through all afternoon. He woke up and ate his supper, soon after that he went back to sleep.
His unusual long sleep assured me that my son would be recovered from his illness soon.
Today I felt relieved after the doctor's consultation.
Actually it was the first good medical experience in England.
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21.12.08
potatoes
The Christmas break began, and my sons stay at home all day...
And my husband got ill on the first day of the break...
He has been in his bed for three days since then...
I have totally forgotten how the life with two boys all day long is. Before this September, I had two boys all day, every day. They both together started going to the school in September, then I got time for myself in the morning. It is only three and half hours free time, though the free morning has been precious for me.
During holidays I have to forget about my precious free morning, and look after two boys, and now one more (big) boy. XD
My sons need some activities that are creative and useful.
So I decided to cook with my sons today.
The picture is dark, but can you recognize this food?
This is called "daigaku imo" in Japanese, which can be translated to "university sweet potatoes." The sweet potatoes are common in England as well, but the Japanese sweet potatoes are rare. If you use ordinary English sweet potatoes for deep frying, they would be melted and lose their shapes. So I cook this "daigaku imo" or "sweet potato tempura" only when I could find this Japanese kind of sweet potatoes. It is nothing special for Japanese people in Japan, but is very special for me.
As I deep fried the sweet potatoes, I just thought of making potato crisps.
So I let my first son to slice the potatoes like this. ↓
Sorry, the picture is blurry, but it is not my fault. :D He was working so hard, and I couldn't find a moment when he stayed still. hahaha.
In the end of the cooking activity, we got a plate of "daigaku imo" and another full plate of "potato crisps."
These potato crisps didn't last even five minutes...
It is ok. My sons liked them so much.
...After the cooking, they had a fun with gardening as well.
It was nice and warm today.:D
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And my husband got ill on the first day of the break...
He has been in his bed for three days since then...
I have totally forgotten how the life with two boys all day long is. Before this September, I had two boys all day, every day. They both together started going to the school in September, then I got time for myself in the morning. It is only three and half hours free time, though the free morning has been precious for me.
During holidays I have to forget about my precious free morning, and look after two boys, and now one more (big) boy. XD
My sons need some activities that are creative and useful.
So I decided to cook with my sons today.
The picture is dark, but can you recognize this food?
This is called "daigaku imo" in Japanese, which can be translated to "university sweet potatoes." The sweet potatoes are common in England as well, but the Japanese sweet potatoes are rare. If you use ordinary English sweet potatoes for deep frying, they would be melted and lose their shapes. So I cook this "daigaku imo" or "sweet potato tempura" only when I could find this Japanese kind of sweet potatoes. It is nothing special for Japanese people in Japan, but is very special for me.
As I deep fried the sweet potatoes, I just thought of making potato crisps.
So I let my first son to slice the potatoes like this. ↓
Sorry, the picture is blurry, but it is not my fault. :D He was working so hard, and I couldn't find a moment when he stayed still. hahaha.
In the end of the cooking activity, we got a plate of "daigaku imo" and another full plate of "potato crisps."
These potato crisps didn't last even five minutes...
It is ok. My sons liked them so much.
...After the cooking, they had a fun with gardening as well.
It was nice and warm today.:D
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4.12.08
gloves
It is cold recently.
But amazingly my body has gotten used to the cold weather quickly.
This morning I felt warm, so I went out without a coat. Just one jumper over a cotton top.
As I predicted, it was not cold at all unlike ordinary December.
The thermometer said the temperature was 3.5 ℃.
3.5℃ is not cold for me...
My sense of warmth must have gone bad..., thanks for English climate.
Anyway, it is just the beginning of real winter.
So I knitted two pair of gloves for my sons so that they wouldn't be cold outside.
While I was knitting, a Japanese song was repeatedly in my mind...
母さんが夜なべをして手袋編んでくれた♪
My mother stayed up nights knitting gloves♪
Also these gloves go with their matching hat and scarf.
Like this ↓
Aren't they cute??
The gloves are suspended from his neck, but they are not worn on the photo.
I put buttons for the scarf, so the boy wouldn't lose it so easily. People including the kindergarten teacher love this idea as well as myself.
hehehe...
By the way, when my sons say "gloves," the word sounds like "love" without "g" and "s." It is not correct, but hearing the word "love" for hand-knitted "gloves" is heart-warming as well. Actually the gloves are knitted with my LOVE for my beloved sons♪
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But amazingly my body has gotten used to the cold weather quickly.
This morning I felt warm, so I went out without a coat. Just one jumper over a cotton top.
As I predicted, it was not cold at all unlike ordinary December.
The thermometer said the temperature was 3.5 ℃.
3.5℃ is not cold for me...
My sense of warmth must have gone bad..., thanks for English climate.
Anyway, it is just the beginning of real winter.
So I knitted two pair of gloves for my sons so that they wouldn't be cold outside.
While I was knitting, a Japanese song was repeatedly in my mind...
母さんが夜なべをして手袋編んでくれた♪
My mother stayed up nights knitting gloves♪
Also these gloves go with their matching hat and scarf.
Like this ↓
Aren't they cute??
The gloves are suspended from his neck, but they are not worn on the photo.
I put buttons for the scarf, so the boy wouldn't lose it so easily. People including the kindergarten teacher love this idea as well as myself.
hehehe...
By the way, when my sons say "gloves," the word sounds like "love" without "g" and "s." It is not correct, but hearing the word "love" for hand-knitted "gloves" is heart-warming as well. Actually the gloves are knitted with my LOVE for my beloved sons♪
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1.12.08
Advent garden
We had an Advent garden at our school yesterday.
This is a festival for little children at Steiner School, and it was the first Advent garden for my sons.
A spiral shaped with branches and leaves was in the centre of the school hall. In the centre of the spiral was a light of a candle.
Each child was lead by a teacher to enter the spiral, and then the child walks along the spiral towards the light without the teacher. He/she lights his/her candle in the centre of the spiral, and walks and brings back the light to the world..
Older children are more aware of people watching them and the events, but for little children, the spiral was a magical world. As soon as the child enters the spiral, it is like in the middle of woods. He/she has to walk alone in the darkness. This is an adventure for little ones. After the child reaches at the candle in the centre and lights his/her candle, the child has a task to bring the light back to the world. The child walks back the path they just came as he/she carefully holds the candle in his/her hands. He/she places the candle by the pathway of the spiral.
The spiral was dark, but the spiral path was lit with candle lights after the children walked through the path. In the spiral, there are the caldles left as many as the number of the children walked in the spiral. There, it is not dark any more...
In this dark season, the children bring the light to the world.
It is amazingly magical. Little children are truly absorbed into the world with their pure souls.......They were not playing the roles. They were actually bringing the light to the world to light up this darkness.
And of course, it is wonderful to see our own sons purely absorbed in the world...
Children are beautiful.
Our world is beautiful.
I appreciate that we and our children can experience the beauty of this world.
This is the candle brought back from the festival. The candle is set on a handmade candle holder, which is made of an apple, a toothpick, and a golden star.
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This is a festival for little children at Steiner School, and it was the first Advent garden for my sons.
A spiral shaped with branches and leaves was in the centre of the school hall. In the centre of the spiral was a light of a candle.
Each child was lead by a teacher to enter the spiral, and then the child walks along the spiral towards the light without the teacher. He/she lights his/her candle in the centre of the spiral, and walks and brings back the light to the world..
Older children are more aware of people watching them and the events, but for little children, the spiral was a magical world. As soon as the child enters the spiral, it is like in the middle of woods. He/she has to walk alone in the darkness. This is an adventure for little ones. After the child reaches at the candle in the centre and lights his/her candle, the child has a task to bring the light back to the world. The child walks back the path they just came as he/she carefully holds the candle in his/her hands. He/she places the candle by the pathway of the spiral.
The spiral was dark, but the spiral path was lit with candle lights after the children walked through the path. In the spiral, there are the caldles left as many as the number of the children walked in the spiral. There, it is not dark any more...
In this dark season, the children bring the light to the world.
It is amazingly magical. Little children are truly absorbed into the world with their pure souls.......They were not playing the roles. They were actually bringing the light to the world to light up this darkness.
And of course, it is wonderful to see our own sons purely absorbed in the world...
Children are beautiful.
Our world is beautiful.
I appreciate that we and our children can experience the beauty of this world.
This is the candle brought back from the festival. The candle is set on a handmade candle holder, which is made of an apple, a toothpick, and a golden star.
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6.6.08
Elderflower cordial
Now the season of elderflower has arrived!
Elder tree is common in Europe. Its flower is used for making cordials and the berries can be a good natural remedy for cold. We can easily make elderberry cough syrup as well.
On our school campus where we live, there are three elder trees.
Look at this !
This is one of them and the biggest elder tree on the campus!
Now it is full of elder flowers!
Have a close look at the flowers.
Aren't they cute?? They have nice scent too.
I walked to the tree with my sons, and picked a basket-full of flower head.
This photo was taken on our way home. Do you see the basket in my son's hand? It is full of the flower!!
And this is my second son who walked straight to the swings on our way home...
Cordial may be something "British" thing. It is sweet drink and we dilute it to drink.
We use berries, elder flowers, and citrus fruits for cordials, but I like "elderflower cordial" the best.
The recipe is quite simple. You need lots of flower head, sugar and lemon juice. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Then pour hot water into it. Mix well until all the sugar is dissolved. Cover it with a cling film and leave it over night.
Then dilute it with water, and ..... enjoy!
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Elder tree is common in Europe. Its flower is used for making cordials and the berries can be a good natural remedy for cold. We can easily make elderberry cough syrup as well.
On our school campus where we live, there are three elder trees.
Look at this !
This is one of them and the biggest elder tree on the campus!
Now it is full of elder flowers!
Have a close look at the flowers.
Aren't they cute?? They have nice scent too.
I walked to the tree with my sons, and picked a basket-full of flower head.
This photo was taken on our way home. Do you see the basket in my son's hand? It is full of the flower!!
And this is my second son who walked straight to the swings on our way home...
Cordial may be something "British" thing. It is sweet drink and we dilute it to drink.
We use berries, elder flowers, and citrus fruits for cordials, but I like "elderflower cordial" the best.
The recipe is quite simple. You need lots of flower head, sugar and lemon juice. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Then pour hot water into it. Mix well until all the sugar is dissolved. Cover it with a cling film and leave it over night.
Then dilute it with water, and ..... enjoy!
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4.6.08
rucksack
I can't believe how fast time flies....It was almost two weeks ago when I have written this blog last time....
Anyway...,
Soon my sons will be going to a school; kindergarten and nursery. We had an interview for the enrollment before the half-term break.
Unlike Japanese kindergarten, we don't need to prepare much for starting school. I don't need to make neither a lunch sack nor a shoes bag... So I was quite relaxed for the preparation. Only one thing I made so far is a rucksack.
The materials are my husband's old jeans, leftover embroidery floss and two buttons that I found in my sewing box.
I embroidered his last name and a five-pointed star on the pocket.
Top of the sack is braided embroidery floss for the wooden button.
This is for my second son since my first son has a backpack.... But this excuse does not work for him.
The second son was carrying the rucksack on his back proudly, and the first son was jealous... of course. As I expected....
So I had to promise to make one for my first son. Fortunately I have one more pair of old jeans to make another rucksack.
...but not today....
Anyway...,
Soon my sons will be going to a school; kindergarten and nursery. We had an interview for the enrollment before the half-term break.
Unlike Japanese kindergarten, we don't need to prepare much for starting school. I don't need to make neither a lunch sack nor a shoes bag... So I was quite relaxed for the preparation. Only one thing I made so far is a rucksack.
The materials are my husband's old jeans, leftover embroidery floss and two buttons that I found in my sewing box.
I embroidered his last name and a five-pointed star on the pocket.
Top of the sack is braided embroidery floss for the wooden button.
This is for my second son since my first son has a backpack.... But this excuse does not work for him.
The second son was carrying the rucksack on his back proudly, and the first son was jealous... of course. As I expected....
So I had to promise to make one for my first son. Fortunately I have one more pair of old jeans to make another rucksack.
...but not today....
3.5.08
friday night
Today's title is the "Friday night." But it is nothing exciting.
In England we have a big weekend this week, because of the bank holiday on Monday.
So we opened three bottles of beer and one bottle of red wine before supper. They tasted great after five busy weekdays. Drinking beer without being worried about the next day is fantastic! What a great moment! yeah!!!!!!!!!!!
So...... I got drunk soon after drinking several glasses of beer, and I lied down on my bed when I took my boys to their bed at 7:45 p.m., and I fell asleep.
Now it is 2:30a.m..... I can't sleep any more, I am right awake....
What shall I do now?
It is all right. Tomorrow is Saturday. I don't have to be worried about anything.
But I've got one problem..... That is about my boys.
They are going to get up early anyway. They have no concept of weekend.
Weekend morning is the precious time for us to sleep!
You need to learn it, boys!
Let me sleep in some time, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!
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In England we have a big weekend this week, because of the bank holiday on Monday.
So we opened three bottles of beer and one bottle of red wine before supper. They tasted great after five busy weekdays. Drinking beer without being worried about the next day is fantastic! What a great moment! yeah!!!!!!!!!!!
So...... I got drunk soon after drinking several glasses of beer, and I lied down on my bed when I took my boys to their bed at 7:45 p.m., and I fell asleep.
Now it is 2:30a.m..... I can't sleep any more, I am right awake....
What shall I do now?
It is all right. Tomorrow is Saturday. I don't have to be worried about anything.
But I've got one problem..... That is about my boys.
They are going to get up early anyway. They have no concept of weekend.
Weekend morning is the precious time for us to sleep!
You need to learn it, boys!
Let me sleep in some time, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!
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21.4.08
in my garden
The most beautiful season in England is nearly there! Flowers are blooming, adding the colours to our sight.
In my little garden, some flowers are blooming.
I once uploaded a photo of this plant, without knowing its name. I still don't know the name..., but the red shoots are beautiful.
This is the "forget-me-not," that I have shown a photo in this blog when it started blooming. Now it is in full bloom! This is a weed kind of flower, and can grow everywhere. It is very low maintenance plants.
If I had a large garden, I want to fill the whole garden with the forget-me-not. It would be terrific!
Look at this! Our multiple-petaled cherry blossoms. Isn't it gorgeous? I prefer Japanese "somei-yoshino" better though...:D
...And, one more photo.
They are the most beautiful in my garden.
Don't ask me WHAT. Don't you see the two kids in blue?
They are the best! :D
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In my little garden, some flowers are blooming.
I once uploaded a photo of this plant, without knowing its name. I still don't know the name..., but the red shoots are beautiful.
This is the "forget-me-not," that I have shown a photo in this blog when it started blooming. Now it is in full bloom! This is a weed kind of flower, and can grow everywhere. It is very low maintenance plants.
If I had a large garden, I want to fill the whole garden with the forget-me-not. It would be terrific!
Look at this! Our multiple-petaled cherry blossoms. Isn't it gorgeous? I prefer Japanese "somei-yoshino" better though...:D
...And, one more photo.
They are the most beautiful in my garden.
Don't ask me WHAT. Don't you see the two kids in blue?
They are the best! :D
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15.4.08
toilet training
It is surprising that I haven't written this blog for five days. Time flies...
Since we started the toilet training to our two sons, my life has been all about the training....
Not really. But I really feel like that.
They wet their underwears and trousers so many times, I have a big pile of dirty clothes every day. Can you imagine how many clothes they change a day?
Here is the examples:
10 pairs of trousers
10 underwears
5 jumpers
8 shirts
5 pairs of socks
....etc
I sit down at the windowsill in front of the bathroom as they sit down on their potty or toilet. It takes long time to be over. Maybe thirty minutes at a time? I am not exaggerating at all. If the potty time ends with success, that makes all of us happy. But things don't go well like that, and they have no pee/poo after 30 minutes of patient trial. XD And ten minutes after the potty time, they wet their clothes again...
Probably the younger son is not ready for the training. But I expect my older son to be able to go to toilet and do his business there by himself. Because this is one of the requirements to apply for the kindergarten...
I didn't know that the toilet training was such a stressful task for a mother. But actually it is. Now I know how hard it is. I am exhausted, depressed, and get upset in the end of the day.
Somebody said that the toilet training was one of the hardest tasks for raising children. Especially it is hard to train boys generally....
I feel like I am becoming an irritated and angry mother.
RELAX.....That's what I need.
I know it in my head, but not in my feeling.
How can I relax, when boys peed on their pants five times a day?
I want to cry!!
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Since we started the toilet training to our two sons, my life has been all about the training....
Not really. But I really feel like that.
They wet their underwears and trousers so many times, I have a big pile of dirty clothes every day. Can you imagine how many clothes they change a day?
Here is the examples:
10 pairs of trousers
10 underwears
5 jumpers
8 shirts
5 pairs of socks
....etc
I sit down at the windowsill in front of the bathroom as they sit down on their potty or toilet. It takes long time to be over. Maybe thirty minutes at a time? I am not exaggerating at all. If the potty time ends with success, that makes all of us happy. But things don't go well like that, and they have no pee/poo after 30 minutes of patient trial. XD And ten minutes after the potty time, they wet their clothes again...
Probably the younger son is not ready for the training. But I expect my older son to be able to go to toilet and do his business there by himself. Because this is one of the requirements to apply for the kindergarten...
I didn't know that the toilet training was such a stressful task for a mother. But actually it is. Now I know how hard it is. I am exhausted, depressed, and get upset in the end of the day.
Somebody said that the toilet training was one of the hardest tasks for raising children. Especially it is hard to train boys generally....
I feel like I am becoming an irritated and angry mother.
RELAX.....That's what I need.
I know it in my head, but not in my feeling.
How can I relax, when boys peed on their pants five times a day?
I want to cry!!
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9.4.08
birthday
It was my first son's 4th birthday today.
It is hard to believe that four years have already passed after he arrived at us.
When he was born, we lived in California.
After four months from his birth, we moved from CA to England where we live now.
So many things have happened to us since then.....
......
Today I baked a sponge cake. I often bake cakes but usually I bake simple butter cakes with fruits or vegetables.
But birthday cake is something special, so I decorated the sponge with lots of fresh raspberries!
On top of the cake, I added some forget-me-not from our garden.
Isn't it lovely?
For dinner, I cooked just simple ordinary meal.
But I made a flag with a birthday message for my son, and stuck the flag on his cucumber.
He was so happy about it.
It is not important how much money we spend for the celebration.
Every little things filled with love is the most important.
I love you, my little son.
Thank you for coming to me, and giving me countless happiness.
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It is hard to believe that four years have already passed after he arrived at us.
When he was born, we lived in California.
After four months from his birth, we moved from CA to England where we live now.
So many things have happened to us since then.....
......
Today I baked a sponge cake. I often bake cakes but usually I bake simple butter cakes with fruits or vegetables.
But birthday cake is something special, so I decorated the sponge with lots of fresh raspberries!
On top of the cake, I added some forget-me-not from our garden.
Isn't it lovely?
For dinner, I cooked just simple ordinary meal.
But I made a flag with a birthday message for my son, and stuck the flag on his cucumber.
He was so happy about it.
It is not important how much money we spend for the celebration.
Every little things filled with love is the most important.
I love you, my little son.
Thank you for coming to me, and giving me countless happiness.
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27.3.08
Steam railway
Today it was a nice day, we had a beautiful clear blue sky above us! It has been awful weather since the school broke up. So I felt like today was the first day of our real break!!!
How can we stay at home on a day like this?
So we went off to the south of our town to Kidderminster. There is a steam train station in Kidderminster which the trains travel from Kidderminster to Bridgenorth along the liver Severn.
We went there with our sons, telling them, we can see the train but we won't get in the train. Because they don't want people in nappies in the train.
Of course it is not true. :D
This is just a strategy to encourage them to go to toilet....
Yes, now our sons are in serious and intensive toilet training.
Anyway, we went to the station and saw the engine of the steam train.
As I looked at the train and the people working there, shovelling coals into the fire, I got bored. That's a boy's stuff. Generally girls don't have interest in trains. Neither do I....
However, I seemed to be wrong.
As soon as it got started making big noise, the power of the mechanic and the movement of the wheels attracted me. It's so mechanical that we can see how it works.
Wow! It's so coooooooooooool.
Our sons kept talking about the train all day after the visit to the station.
So, we promised our sons that we would travel by the steam train to Bridgenorth and back to K'minster when they stop peeing or pooping in their underwear....
When would we be able to go there again?
I hope ... soon.
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How can we stay at home on a day like this?
So we went off to the south of our town to Kidderminster. There is a steam train station in Kidderminster which the trains travel from Kidderminster to Bridgenorth along the liver Severn.
We went there with our sons, telling them, we can see the train but we won't get in the train. Because they don't want people in nappies in the train.
Of course it is not true. :D
This is just a strategy to encourage them to go to toilet....
Yes, now our sons are in serious and intensive toilet training.
Anyway, we went to the station and saw the engine of the steam train.
As I looked at the train and the people working there, shovelling coals into the fire, I got bored. That's a boy's stuff. Generally girls don't have interest in trains. Neither do I....
However, I seemed to be wrong.
As soon as it got started making big noise, the power of the mechanic and the movement of the wheels attracted me. It's so mechanical that we can see how it works.
Wow! It's so coooooooooooool.
Our sons kept talking about the train all day after the visit to the station.
So, we promised our sons that we would travel by the steam train to Bridgenorth and back to K'minster when they stop peeing or pooping in their underwear....
When would we be able to go there again?
I hope ... soon.
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23.3.08
Easter Eggs
We went out for the Easter egg hunting with my sons this morning.
Since we live on a school campus and now we are in Easter break, we can dominate this campus! So my husband placed several Lindt chocolate eggs and natural dyed eggs on the front lawn, under the trees and by the bush on campus. So it was a big hunt for the boys!
My sons enjoyed looking for the eggs. Of course they know they are chocolate. And the boiled eggs are something they love.
Look at this! They've got this much!!
Bigger eggs are the ones I wrote about in this blog yesterday.
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Since we live on a school campus and now we are in Easter break, we can dominate this campus! So my husband placed several Lindt chocolate eggs and natural dyed eggs on the front lawn, under the trees and by the bush on campus. So it was a big hunt for the boys!
My sons enjoyed looking for the eggs. Of course they know they are chocolate. And the boiled eggs are something they love.
Look at this! They've got this much!!
Bigger eggs are the ones I wrote about in this blog yesterday.
←This is a banner for the blog ranking at the "Blog MURA".One click encourages me a lot! Thank you for clicking this.
22.3.08
White Easter!?
Yesterday was Good Friday, which is a national holiday in the UK.
Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday.
Everything will be closed tomorrow, and children will hunt eggs.
We bought several packages of lindt chocolate eggs for our children. We will hide them somewhere in the house or in our court yard so that our sons can find the eggs.
Also my husband dyed white eggs with natural dyes.
It was not easy to find the white eggs. At one supermarket I went eggs were completely out of stock... And today my husband found half dozen of white eggs at another supermarket.
But they are not chicken eggs but DUCK eggs.
I have never had duck eggs before, so I have no idea how they taste like....
So... with these duck eggs my husband dyed three of them pink using beetroots. Do you know beetroot? They are similar to round radish but they are harder and have very strong reddish colour.
And... he dyed three eggs with onion skins. Since I sometimes dye fabrics and canes with plant dye, onion skins are always ready to be used for dyeing.
....He used the onion skins I have collected, and the eggs turned out to be brown, which is just like normal brown eggs..... Of course he meant to make three golden yellow eggs though.....
Ummm..., he used too many onion skins.
But it's all right.
The effort he made for our children is important.
Our sons will hut these eggs and eat the boiled duck eggs.
I'm very curious how they taste.. really.
By the way, it has been snowy these two days. It is not snowing much, but somebody said we would have a "white Easter"....
This is not because of the cold weather in England, but because of the global warming. Actually we have not had any snow laid on the ground in this winter.
←This is a banner for the blog ranking at the "Blog MURA".One click encourages me a lot! Thank you for clicking this.
Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday.
Everything will be closed tomorrow, and children will hunt eggs.
We bought several packages of lindt chocolate eggs for our children. We will hide them somewhere in the house or in our court yard so that our sons can find the eggs.
Also my husband dyed white eggs with natural dyes.
It was not easy to find the white eggs. At one supermarket I went eggs were completely out of stock... And today my husband found half dozen of white eggs at another supermarket.
But they are not chicken eggs but DUCK eggs.
I have never had duck eggs before, so I have no idea how they taste like....
So... with these duck eggs my husband dyed three of them pink using beetroots. Do you know beetroot? They are similar to round radish but they are harder and have very strong reddish colour.
And... he dyed three eggs with onion skins. Since I sometimes dye fabrics and canes with plant dye, onion skins are always ready to be used for dyeing.
....He used the onion skins I have collected, and the eggs turned out to be brown, which is just like normal brown eggs..... Of course he meant to make three golden yellow eggs though.....
Ummm..., he used too many onion skins.
But it's all right.
The effort he made for our children is important.
Our sons will hut these eggs and eat the boiled duck eggs.
I'm very curious how they taste.. really.
By the way, it has been snowy these two days. It is not snowing much, but somebody said we would have a "white Easter"....
This is not because of the cold weather in England, but because of the global warming. Actually we have not had any snow laid on the ground in this winter.
←This is a banner for the blog ranking at the "Blog MURA".One click encourages me a lot! Thank you for clicking this.
20.3.08
Pay it forward
"Pay it Forward"
This is the book I read today. Of course this is the original novel for the American famous film "Pay it forward."
As I read this book, I could not stop thinking about using this story to teach the "exponential function" and the "Logarithm." This story would attract pupils and they would learn a lot about both the world and maths. And they would learn to use Algebra as a tool to understand the world...
This could be a great material for pupils!!
I knew this story because I loved this film and saw the DVD several times.
Still I could not help crying at the end of the story. Tears just came out of my eyes and dropped down my cheeks.
By the way, When I was crying as I kept reading this book, my two-year-old son came to me, and asked,
"Is it spicy?"
And he pointed my cheek covered with tears, and said,
"It's dirty."
I just burst into laugh, and said,
"No, I am just sad."
then, my boy,
"Are you sad? Are you going to a hospital?"
Ummm, Children's senses are precious and wonderful!!!
←This is a banner for the blog ranking at the "Blog MURA".One click encourages me a lot! Thank you for clicking this.
This is the book I read today. Of course this is the original novel for the American famous film "Pay it forward."
As I read this book, I could not stop thinking about using this story to teach the "exponential function" and the "Logarithm." This story would attract pupils and they would learn a lot about both the world and maths. And they would learn to use Algebra as a tool to understand the world...
This could be a great material for pupils!!
I knew this story because I loved this film and saw the DVD several times.
Still I could not help crying at the end of the story. Tears just came out of my eyes and dropped down my cheeks.
By the way, When I was crying as I kept reading this book, my two-year-old son came to me, and asked,
"Is it spicy?"
And he pointed my cheek covered with tears, and said,
"It's dirty."
I just burst into laugh, and said,
"No, I am just sad."
then, my boy,
"Are you sad? Are you going to a hospital?"
Ummm, Children's senses are precious and wonderful!!!
←This is a banner for the blog ranking at the "Blog MURA".One click encourages me a lot! Thank you for clicking this.
11.3.08
pasta making
I often make pasta from scratch.
Some pasta flour, which is a mixture of semolina and wheat, and water and salt are mixed in a large bowl and I knead the dough strongly with my feet. So I can knead it with all my weight! ....Of course the dough is in a plastic bag when I step on it.
My sons love the pasta making process. They always jump on the dough in the plastic bag. They can not help me much because their weight are not heavy enough to knead it. But it is fun to work with children. Jumping on the dough, and dancing as we sing a song!
Then I use a pasta machine. First the dough needs to be cut into smaller pieces and flattened by a rolling pin. The pasta machine stretches the small dough to a thin paper-like rectangle pasta. We can use it for lasagna, but usually I cut the sheet into a thin noodle shape. Like this↓.
Some pasta flour, which is a mixture of semolina and wheat, and water and salt are mixed in a large bowl and I knead the dough strongly with my feet. So I can knead it with all my weight! ....Of course the dough is in a plastic bag when I step on it.
My sons love the pasta making process. They always jump on the dough in the plastic bag. They can not help me much because their weight are not heavy enough to knead it. But it is fun to work with children. Jumping on the dough, and dancing as we sing a song!
Then I use a pasta machine. First the dough needs to be cut into smaller pieces and flattened by a rolling pin. The pasta machine stretches the small dough to a thin paper-like rectangle pasta. We can use it for lasagna, but usually I cut the sheet into a thin noodle shape. Like this↓.
The pasta machine is so convenient. I use it for making udon, soba, and ramen. Also I use it for making gyoza wrappers.
And ..., of course freshly made pasta tastes great!!
By the way, when I was making pasta, my son asked me.
"What are you making?"
then I answered,
"I am making pasta from scratch."
"Oh, mama is making scratch pasta!........then, what is scratch?"
(We usually speak English.)
hahaha.
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