Fresh Off the Boat - foreign food

I am enjoying the show Fresh Off the Boat.  The Tiger Mom reminds me of mine so much!  The trials and travails the oldest son Eddie (also the narrator) goes through are so parallel to mine!  In one scene, Eddie brings homemade noodles for lunch.  His new classmates wail in disgust as they smell the foreign aroma from Eddie's meal.  It reminds me when I brought some Polvoron to school.  I had planned to enjoy the two pieces during recess.  Feeling generous, I gave my second piece to Lisa so she could try the delicious treat.  She took one bite and spit it out.  She exclaimed how terrible it is.  Luckily she gave her leftovers back to me and I got to enjoy the rest, but I was very embarrassed.

And mad!  Polvoron is delicious!  You don't spit that mana from heaven out of your mouth!  Blasphemy!

Taking the Plunge

Max is very fascinated by the plunger in the bathroom.  Tonight, he had a session on the toilet.  He was on the throne for 10 minutes and that's on the short side.  He likes to be there for at least 20! 

After he reluctantly wiped his butt, he got up and inspected the toilet bowl's contents.  Nothing spectacular.  He flushed the toilet and stared into the whirlpool. After a few seconds, he realized the toilet was clogged. 

"COOL!!!  It's clogged!  I get to use the plunger!" 

I asked Max why he likes the plunger so much.  He replied, "You get to push down on it and it's not something you get to do often."

Virtual Friends

Simone wants to have online friends and it terrifies me.  There are a lot of weirdos out there!  Luckily the computer she's on is here in the Living Room.   So we can keep an eye out on her online activity.  

She's now asking if when she finishes 6th Grade, can she start having online friends.  😓 

I used to hate this answer but now I use it all the time, "We'll see."

Neighborhood Kids

I didn't think there was a girl out there who is more shy than Simone, but there is!  Ava is not only Simone's classmate, but our neighbor!

Yesterday,  Simone, Max, Ava and her little sister Sophia rode their bikes to a nearby park playground.  They spent extra time out and about because the library was next to the playground.

I really love living in Alameda.  It's like a snapshot out of the 1950s!

Memories of Our Ancestors

I was not excited to see "Coco" when I saw its trailer.  I thought, "How terrible that Disney is trying to copy The Book of Life!"  But I have been proven wrong in my first impression!  Coco is such a beautiful movie. 

Its message was that keeping your ancestors' memories alive is what the real paradise is for those who have passed on. 

I have talked about writing down the stories of my ancestors.  I think it's high time to start.  When I was a kid, my parents would tell us stories of their parents and siblings.  Many times, we asked that they repeat certain stories.  I've told my kids those stories and they have found them amusing.  I bet their kids and their kids' kids will too.

Hair Dressed

Simone loves to play with her daddy's hair.  Max likes it when she plays with his hair too.  Max hates his hair to look handsome, unless Simone tells him she's making his hair weird. She'll then fix it in a cool way (unintentionally) and then he'll run around telling everyone his hair is funky.  We have to fight to urge to tell him he looks handsome. 

When You're Not Sick

It seems the kids do listen to what I say.  You wouldn't think that was the case when I have to tell them every night that they need to put their dirty clothes in the hamper. 

Today I was sickly.  Although I no longer had a fever, I was able to move about.  But my excursions were riddled with coughing and snot-snorts.   In need of milk and school snacks, I brought the kids with me to the grocery store.  I went one route to get vegetables, milk, and other food; the kids went another to pick out their treats and snacks.

When we met up somewhere in the soup aisle, they placed their delicious goodies in my cart.  My mouth watered at the sight of the M&Ms and frosted cookies they had chosen, but I resisted the urge to have some because ... well, they weren't payed for yet.  When we got to the car, however, and I was putting the groceries in the trunk, my eyes again zeroed in on the sweets.  Max asked if he could have the cookies on the way home and I happily obliged.  I immediately asked if I could have one and I got this answer:

"NO!  You're sick."

Darn it, these kids listen to me at the wrong time!  Later that night I asked for some M&Ms and Max this time said yes.  But this yes was followed up with "... when you're not sick anymore."

Clever little kiddos.

Middle School Tour

Simone and I are touring her middle school today.  We're going to check out the electives and clubs available.  Simone is stoked she gets to miss school for a little bit.   

I think I'm more excited than she is. She gets to do woodshop! 

_______________

At the end of the tour, parents and students were asked to do an evaluation of the tour and information presented.  I gave it 5 out 5 stars at the categories that applied.  Simone copied mine except for one section that I gave a 5.  

The question was, "Did this tour address any of your concerns?"  I put a 5 because the tour addressed my concerns about the electives offered, the structure of a 6th grader's schedule, and how pleasant or not the student body seemed.   For this part, Simone put "N/A."  

I think it's a good sign she's not concerned!   Or ... she realizes she doesn't have a choice but to go to middle school.  

The Sweetest

Max had a writing assignment at school today.   He had to provide an answer for something he considers "sweet." He wrote "lollipop."  For something sweeter, he wrote "donut."  For the sweetest, he wrote "me."

You can't make this up.  But Max certainly does come up with this stuff. 

He's a Maniac

The kids were playing and Simone asked Max, "What kind of maniac are you?!"

Max: "A handsome maniac!"

The Nightmare Before Christmas

I told Michael that I wanted to go to Daisy's and he asked what it was.

I said, "Think Anthropologie's home section, but moderately affordable."

He couldn't picture it so Simone said, "Think of it as a man's worst nightmare." 🤣

How Did You Sleep?

Michael asked Simone, "How did you sleep last night?"

"I layed down in my bed."

Michael then explained the possible answers are usually, "Well, poorly, bad, so-so," not a technical description of a sleep study.

I Remember

Max saw this photo on my desktop and commented.

I remember that day!
I remember those exact clothes!
And I remember those people!

Except for that handsome devil in the middle!

Beauty and the Beast review

Max and Simone are eating breakfast and Simone has chosen Beauty and the Beast  to watch on the TV.

Max finds it incredulous and gives support for his disdain of the live-action retelling of a timeless tale.

"[In the real world] No one sings when they're fighting!"

School Supplies

The kids and I were excited to buy school supplies,  but just found out that their school hands out the supplies (parents are urged to donate to PTA who are the ones who get the supplies).

Luckily they had the pleasure of buying one notebook each.  Can you guess who bought which notebook?

Like a MAX!

During a water break at Jiu Jitsu, Max reported how his lesson was going.  "I took Chloe down ... Like a BOSS!!"

Here he is sparring with Chloe as she exacts her revenge.

Omm

The kids were playing in the hallway while  I fixed the kitchen and I overhead Simone say,  "Namaste day, brother, namaste day."

Sibling for Daddy

The kids and I were talking about how many cousins they and I have respectively - which is A LOT. 

Simone was lamenting though that she doesn't have many first cousins.  She said, "I wish Daddy had a sister."

Max chimed in, "He would regret it."

Simone was not pleased at his implication.

Heaven Imagined

When I was young, I imagined heaven would be a Grecian palace in the clouds.  Simone says hers is similar, except for the architecture. She thinks of God as a ginormous head of Jesus in front of a building similar to the Lincoln Memorial.

Max has an interesting vision.  "I imagine a town floating in a white espresso cup."

These kids' imaginations blow mine away.

Lot in life

I was teaching Max how to prepare his room for vacuuming.   I then taught him how to use the vacuum machine.  After he swooshed the appliance around,  I taught him how to wind up the cord to put it away.  

As he finished with the cord,  he said, "Man you have it BAD!"

I asked him what he meant by that and he said,  "Because you have to do this (all the time)!"