It fascinates me how kids can just all of a sudden put two and two together and tackle things on their own. Last year on a boondoggle to London I got put up at a hotel right off Regent Street and had all the time to shop (and take in the Sound of Music). I was knocked up by then so no clothes shopping for me, but I got Felix some English books as well as a dry erase picture alphabet book. Dry erase is fab, enough of an incentive for him to take it out regularly on his own to practice writing letters. Paid off, huh? Actually, his command of the alphabet is still spotty, and it was funny how, after presenting "Flex" to us, he immediately said, "Hey, there are FIVE letters in my name!" Rote learning and repetition will get you far, as all Chinese kids know.
Not to be outdone, Monchichi has been working hard to perfect her rolling techniques. She arches mightily and manages to get as far as on her sides before falling back. I'm happy she's trying, only thing is she's really frustrated in the meantime and tends to let us know it...
And me? All this passive blog reading has seduced me into thinking I, too, can tackle more crafty projects. The baking, after Christmas, has thankfully toned down - all this butter consumption cannot be good. Yes, I went on eBay last week and got meself this cheapie sewing machine - ostensibly to patch the countless holes in Piggy's jeans but secretly so I can make mom and daughter outfits. There, I've outed myself!
These grand ambitions are based on the tenuous assumption that I can 1. manage to follow directions 2. sew in a straight line, and 3. continue to find time for such pursuits after I go back to work in May.
In the meantime - Ta da, I managed to thread the machine! Thank you Mrs. Krueger from 7th grade Home Economics. Sorry I elected to take shop instead in 8th grade - at the time I thought operating a lathe and copious handsanding would be more fun (it was, too!)
Sewing experts (you know who you are), I will be calling upon you to get me to Step 2 very shortly.
6 comments:
Funny you should mention mother daughter outfits. Hsin and I thought it would be amusing to outfit ourselves by family with tasteful matching shirts (like my mom and dad, but on a different level) on our hawaiian vacation. You know like Polo shirts of the same color for each family.
Did you and Laurie ever wear matching anything?? I always wanted Jochen and Felix to get matching Converses...
Or, what we can do is think of a motto with 14 letters (given there's so many of us) - like "ONE LUCKY FAMILY" and each represent a letter. We can take a group picture, then we have to think up new words and that leads to new photo combos. Are you still with me :-)
See, if you had 3 hours of meditation aka nursing time a day you too can think up such nerdy proposals. I actually think while the slogan above is one for posterity, a truer one for us would be "WE LIKE GOOD EATS".
I was thinking more along these lines ...
polo shirts
Laurie and I have the same shirts but we don't wear them at the same time.
John and Alex had the same squall jackets for a while... really cute you should encourage your two boys.
I think we should do it!!!! I think matching is all right as long as it doesn't get too out of control
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