Nora's day

Today I played futbol, and it went a little better than I thought it was going to be because the boys were cheering me on. They usually don’t, but I think they started to realize that I’m a bit better than they thought I was.

We have a science exam tomorrow and it’s about the planets and climate.

Today we didn’t have gymnastics but Mom had me stay in the gym anyway. I did my homework on the pile of mats and it was super-high and fun. Some guys from the ESO (high school) started playing soccer and Andy had to come and say “sshh.” I realized later that they were part of the Maccabi soccer team. And me and a person from third grade were playing futbol, and we accidentally kicked it in the playing area, and the guy who was coaching said we couldn’t play.

While the Cat's away

Jon is in Moscow, helping represent the US education world at an APEC conference. He and Nora normally share a room (she for sleeping, he for working at the desk); when he left, he provided very strict instructions on how to maintain his half of the room. As many of you know, Jon is very tidy and neat.

Nora listened to the lecture and behaved accordingly. Her Pollies did not. Here's what happened within 24 hours of his departure:

First, a Polly scaled his lamp and started the party by swinging with some mardi gras beads.

Then two Pollies quickly moved onto his scanner/printer for a fashion show.

Twin Pollies having pool time.

Next, a Polly was spotted reclining on the wireless router.


Finally, at around midnight, the party wound down. Here's a Polly brushing her teeth.

Nathan's comment on this whole escapade: "I'm friends with the Cat. I don't want the Cat mad at me. I'm outta here."

From Nora

I suppose that I had a good day. But super cold. Last night we saw the Real Madrid game at the Internet Café. We stayed the whole game and we got back at 10:00. The Real Madrid won. I ran all the way home and so I was SUPER-DUPER TIRED. When I looked at Mommie's note on my post, I literally screamed that she was going to shorten my ban! Woo-hoo! But I still won't be able to go there because Cleo is sick (boo; and poor Cleo). A few months ago I saw Bella, Flo, and Cleo walking home from school. Their uniforms were cool. It was a Wednesday or Friday, I don't remember. I'm giving up on buzzing her because her buzzer doesn't work. But Eduardo is fixing it (I think). Nathan status: At football, in the freezing cold. We have drafty windows so it is freezing cold inside too. The wind is about 25 miles per hour. I'm NOT going downstairs! Brr! But I never thought it would get this cold. AHHH! But it doesn't snow (WAA! I want snow!) It is not as cold as Boston last winter (NOOO!!! It's maybe 10 to 15 degrees higher, without wind.) But still my feet are freezing. So I'm going to be putting on my wool socks soon. I'm starting to like school more. In gym we have to run 3 laps around the whole school, which is almost 1 mile or maybe 0.5 of a mile. In math we're learning about números decimales. We have a test on the 13th. In science we are learning about climates and planets. My favorite planet is Uranus. In Art we are learning about symmetry. We were (past) learning about Van Gogh. In Art the topics change per semester. This in long-hand is 3 pages!

The wind

Being in Madrid for the past three days has made me understand how settlers on the U.S. plains could be actually driven crazy by winter winds. Here we've had 20+ MPH winds:

A) Howling
B) Rattling windows, doors, and the stuff on the roof
C) Keeping us (and our three children) trapped inside the house (it's freezing too!)
D) Making my running route not only be uphill but into the wind

And it never seems to stop! Luckily kids have been amused by indoor activities and trips to the store.

Nora's comments

The last few days I’ve seen two plays, done an exam, and called Bella just to hear that she can’t play. The play was about the Maharal de Praga (I don’t know who he is completely, all I know is that he was a person). The sixth graders performed it. There was a golem whose costume was made of sand (ha ha :)). The second wasn’t a real play; it was the high school (or ESO) talking about the same theme. But there was games too they were in Spanish so I didn’t entirely understand. The third graders (Lavan and Cajol) and fourth graders went to the high school at the same time as the fourth and kindergarten.

The exam was of English. It was actually two exams in one because it was on Friday and on Fridays we have a verb test. My Spanish teacher in school (Carmen, she is also my math teacher) told me to go with her after I finished my exam. But since I didn’t have time I didn’t go. We have a lengua (Spanish language) exam on Monday.

It turns out Bella can’t come over because Cleo is sick. Also, I’m prohibited to go over there or have any dessert until February 28^th (although Mommie is thinking of commuting the sentence). Bella just moved to a bigger apartment but the same urbanicization. She has a Wii, and iPod Touch, and a huge house, and so when I go over there I’m always late coming back. And that’s how I got my ban of dessert and going over there. But it’s entirely my fault because I can’t keep track of time and Mom has to call.

Recent updates

Happy groundhog’s day! Except, I don’t know whether there’s a day for groundhogs, or even any groundhogs, here in Spain. If there were, the hog would’ve seen its shadow but subsequently have been knocked flat on its tucchus by the strong (20 mph) cold (35 degree) winds blowing off the mountains. Although this weather is about to feel like Florida’s to Jon, who is next week headed to Moscow, where the highs some days are predicted to be zero. Zero farenheit, that is.

There are no major events to report this week, only minor child-related tales and a question. In no particular order…

1) As noted on Facebook and predicted in a previous blog post, we’re in the middle of full toddler bedtime rebellion. After discovering in December that he can get out of bed by himself, Seth’s become increasingly likely to peek his head of his room to report things like “I can’t find my phone,” “I forgot my tiny money,” and my personal favorite, “my light is on” (because he turned it on and can’t get it back off). This joy extends to naps, too, which are becoming scarce. Jon and I did learn from going through the exact same stage with child #1 and #2, and now have a policy of putting #3 back to bed only once per evening – after that, he’s on his own. This seems to be deterring some of the behavior, at least temporarily. However, you should look next week for the post titled “I’m writing this while holding the door shut on a screaming toddler to trap him in his room at bedtime.”

2) Perhaps related to issue #1, Seth is now the proud Starhill record-holder for longest temper tantrum. This feat was achieved today by screaming for 30 minutes about which parent should wipe his butt (Mommie, of course) and then, immediately thereafter, for another 60 about washing his hands after using the potty and before eating snack.

Being child #3, Seth’s comparative disadvantage is that his temper tantrums actually give Mommie a chance to spend quality time with the older children. During the bathroom portion of the tantrum, for instance, we simply closed the door (muffling the noise) and I got to supervise Nora’s math homework, help Nathan read a book in Spanish, and also prepare to head out the door to swimming. So from my perspective, tantrums actually work out very well for almost everyone involved.

Seth’s other comparative disadvantage is that we now have an iPad, bought in a moment of holiday recklessness (and frustration over the millions of not-intuitive buttons on the Kindle). This enabled Daddy to sit through Tantrum Part II while reading the New York Times (the big kids and I had left for swimming).

3) While I’m on the topic (well, not exactly on the topic; I’m free-association ranting now, as you can probably tell), let me take this opportunity to comment on a recent thread on the Arlington parents’ list re: toddlers and airplanes. Every few months, there’s a parent who writes in and asks “I’m going on a long airplane ride soon with my X-year-old. What can I do to make this experience easier?” There’s always some Mother Theresa-type (actually, usually several) who write in with the creative things they stow away in their backpack for cross-country trips: books, finger puppets, stickers, play-doh, stamps, card games, masking tape, magnets.

I pack one thing: My iPhone.

I did try, once upon a time, to be more conscientious about not polluting my children’s minds during FIVE-HOUR cross-country flights. I packed all these suggested items – and discovered that they occupied my child for approximately 5 minutes each. That means I’d require about 60 toys to keep my child occupied for the better portion of a flight. The weight/space implications of that statement are in conflict with my computer, which requires a large amount of my backpack. And servicing my child by prying things out of my backpack every 5 minutes conflicts with my work addiction on flights. After all, it’s the only time you’re not being emailed by everyone in the universe.

iPhones have gotten a lot better since the early days, when you could only hand them over and watch the kid having fun scrolling through your address book. By the time Nathan was a toddler, he could watch Elmo on long flights. Now, Seth has at his fingertips a half-dozen apps made specifically to keep toddlers occupied in such situations.

Some of the apps even claim to be educational. Which helps with the guilt, because this time, the Mother Theresa-type commented at the end of post that we mothers “Shouldn’t expect these airplane rides to be like the ones you took before kids, when you could kick back and read a magazine. Cross-country flights are time to form a special bond with your child.” As we said in the ‘80s, gag me with a spoon.

4) OK, now that that’s out of my system, a question. Several times over the past few weeks, Jon and I have been awakened from our work-induced mid-day trance by the sound of fireworks. Not just a few fireworks, a LOT of fireworks – sometimes ten minutes or more. What gives? I’m kind of doubting they’re in honor of groundhog day (although there’s enough minor holidays with major celebrations I guess I wouldn’t be surprised). Any ideas?

Kids and computers

Two stories, both mostly true:

1) Funny exchange yesterday with a child who wishes to remain anonymous:

Child, observing Mommie checking Facebook on her iPhone: Mommie! Don’t look at Facebook! It’s dangerous! People could say they’re 16 and really be 46!

Mommie: But I am 46. Practically, anyway. Am I dangerous to myself?

Child: NO NO NO. There’s dangerous people on Facebook! REALLY!

Mommie: OMG, your comments are so funny, I have to post them.

Child: NO NO NO NO. I’m taking away your iPhone!

And the child proceeded to pry it out of my fingers.

The good news here is that the above proves that this particular child is comprehending and absorbing all the Spanish-language “Informatica” (computer) lessons imparted by the school. The bad news is that this child already acts like a 46-year-old helicopter parent.

[NB: My other funny story of this ilk is from when we had a child in Brackett Kindergarten. Kindergarten is apparently the year the Arlington Public Schools teaches children about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, because when I came home from work one day, I was treated to a lecture on the evils of having a glass of wine.]

2) Child who wishes to remain anonymous #2's comment today:

"Mommie, iTunes sells music for both Macs AND Windows. So be very careful!"

Whether this was a comment on Mommie's computer skills or the evils of Windows-based products, I'm not exactly sure.