Holy Crap, What a Day!

Sophia, Desi, Sofia

 Last week Desi's mom asked if we wanted to go to Santa's Village at the park in Milan, of course Sophia jumped at the chance.  We were supposed to leave at around 10 and Sophia was extra excited, so you know she woke up at the crack of dawn.  She even got herself dressed and then went down to sweep the terrace of yesterday's snow.  I guess it was just one of those mornings and Desi was throwing tantrums, so they didn't end up coming over until after 11 and then Giusi ended up driving all the way instead of taking the metro - so we didn't even get to the place until about noon time.  We called Bea on the way and she and Sofia ended up meeting us at the park.  We got there just in time to see the end of the Xmas themed acrobatic show, but too late to see Santa, who was on his lunch break until 2.  So we ended going ice skating.  Desi really wanted to go, but Soph was a little worried because they didn't have the double bladed kid's skates like at the rink last time.

Guess who shredded on the ice?

 Despite her hesitation, she ended up being pretty good at skating and going around on her own.  The other girls had a little more trouble.  Since we arrived late, we ended up leaving late.  Luckily I packed a decent snack because we didn't even eat lunch.  I had to push the crowd along to go home b/c I had another commitment at 4. The ride home gave me a headache - Giusi insisted that we drop Bea off at their car at the metro station-a minute more or less wouldn't make that much of a difference, so I really didn't care. But ride ended up being the horrific-Desi and Sofi fight like cats and dogs-they shout and taunt each other and hit and scratch...and Sophia and I were seated in the middle!  It was right out of a cartoon - insults and punches and food flying right over Sophia's head/in front of my face (some of them hitting Soph) and the mom's were in oblivion.  I kept telling the girls to stop because the police were coming - and they would calm down for a second and then of course start up again.  After a while Sophia caught on and started doing the same thing.  I am going to give that girl props, she is the only one that behaved and didn't whine or fight!
My appt was in Cernusco at the English school.  Did I mention I have a job, it will just be for 4 hours a week (2 days), but that's good enough for me, I don't really want to do too much more than that for now.  I don't want to teach other people's kid's English at the expense of my own kid's learning it, so I think that the schedule is good.  The owner of the school asked me to come over for their Christmas gathering, so I could check things out-it was a meet and greet and pictures with Santa and then a magic show.  We didn't get home until after 3 and I couldn't remember exact what the email had said -if i had to be there exactly at 4 or what.  We ended up running in the house, Sophia and I each slammed down a PB & J, she took one for the road and we ran out the door.  Max and Viv were supposed to come, but Viv had just fallen asleep before we arrived and

Cipolla, Cipollino and Sonia

Sophia getting down with the Waka Waka

At Santa's Village, Soph had asked for a cotton candy, but since it we hadn't even eaten and it was as we were leaving the park I had to tell her no. When we left the party, there was a small festival/market in the down town and since they were selling cotton candy, I had to get her one, she earned it.  That thing was bigger than her head and of course she barely ate any of it.

What is the Purpose of the Noisy Illuminating Snow Flake??

It is darn cold here, this morning it was -4.  When it's goes under 0 degrees that little snow flake turns orange and an annoying little beeeep goes off.  When it goes under -4 the snow flake turns red and the little beep goes off again.  And when it flickers from 1°/0° degrees or -3°/-4° the damn light flickers off and on and the annoying alarm keeps beeping.  What is the purpose of this whole thing, I mean I know it's cold, I just got frost bite scraping the ice off the windows!  We've had the car for a few years and I'm just mentioning this now, but that's because this year that thing has been flickering and beeping in over time. I thought we were the only ones that had this problem, but I just talked to our friend Mike and he laughed and said his new car does the same thing-and they live in England, so it's not just an Italian thing (our car is American tho-well Ford, where are the European Fords made??)

Ice Skate, I Skate!

You know I complain how I HATE the fact that there are more than two season here! (You can take the girl out of the Bay Area, but you can't take the Bay Area out of the girl)! But, one of the saving graces about having an actually winter is that we have outdoor skating rinks.  This year they have popped up everywhere.  We met up with the Arates at the one near Idroscalo (the fake lake near the Linate).  It's actually quite nice and large.

Sophia has asked us since last year to take her ice skating, but we never had the chance-this year I said we are going to to it and I called some friends to see if they wanted to go too.  After I arranged a meeting, she decided that she was too scared and worked herself up about it.  In fact, She didn't sleep much last night and woke up all bugged about it.  I wanted to kill her- after all the whining and begging and then she made it seem like we were forcing her!  

After Arianna and Stefano decided that they were going to give it a try, she changed her mind.  For her size feet they had snap on skates (the ones that go over your shoes) and that have a double blade for each skate -so she was able to go around by herself right away.

It was also Max's first time skating.  He's quite sporty, so he got the hang of it quickly!  Good thing, cuz he was the only adult on the rink with the three kids!  Arianna got the hang of it soon after.

It took a little bit longer for Stefano, but he gave it the good ole college try! 

And of course hot chocolate is just the right thing to warm you up! 

oh i forgot about poor little vivienne, who was such a good sport and cheer leader:

I Am An Idiot!

The last time the Nonni came out, the Nonno worked on the stairs the whole time and didn't spend too much quality time with the girls.  So, we extended an open invitation for them to come out and not work, but see their grand kids.  In the meantime my little nephew Leonardo was born (I'm an Auntie :o).  I guess they were barred from going to see the little guy as he was exiting my sister in law's uterus (as they tried to do with me) and until the SIL gets settled in back home. In lieu of fact that they can't go see their new grandson,  they decided to take us up on that invite.  And of course, it went down like this: last Monday the Nonno called and asked why don't we come and visit them during the long weekend (besides the fact that it was already half over the kids were going back on Thursday), Max worked and I wasn't going to make the long drive in snowy conditions by myself out there, so whewwww we had an excuse to stay home.  So then, they said that they would come out instead...tuesday...(in other words-the next day).  So I responded with an uncomfortably long pause (because I for once was stunned and left without words) and said that I would check with Max to see what his schedule was like.  In the end they arrived Friday instead.  Now they came to see us, so logical thing is that they go down for Christmas to see their new grandson, right???? It's Max's brother and SIL's turn! We've done it every year for the past 5 years! Sadly, the SIL's father is bed ridden and so they don't want to be a bother to the SILs family.  Dunno why they can't just have lunch or dinner with their son and his wife and new grandson and not go over to the SILs family????  So, they told us they would spend Christmas by themselves and they were fine with that.  And Max was fine with that and I should have been too.  You know the in-laws bug the hell out of me!  Why didn't I just leave well enough alone???  Perhaps I have been living in a Catholic country for too long...their way at making you feel guilty and repenting for sins in life is having it's influence on me!  I felt guilty and we're atheists...we only celebrate the commercial Santa Clausy side of the holiday. But, I find it very sad that they have three grand children and not one of their children asked them to spend Christmas with them-and I told Max that I hated myself for doing this, but he needed to ask his parents to spend Christmas with us.  He said no, they were fine with passing it by themselves and if anyone should ask, it should be his brother.  One more opportunity  to leave well enough alone, but I just couldn't could I!?  And then I went on to convince him to ask them-  It was obvious my BIL was not going to do it, they even said so and gave excuses why they couldn't (not valid ones in my opinion though).  My biggest reason why we had to ask, is because I want to set a good example for our girls.  I don't want them to know what the right thing to do is, and I wouldn't want Sophia and Viv to treat us as my BIL treats them. And then Max said, the best part about my stupid decision, is that this weekend, the MIL and FIL would prove over and over to me, why we should spend Christmas without them...and they did.  And he pointed it out...like when I rushed home under the Friday traffic (after the speech therapist session) and snow to cook a scarefully planned dinner because they are picky eaters-carrot and potato soup, over cooked/boiled veggies (which I hate and none of us like to eat) and meatloaf/spinach (rolled into a spiral log) with mashed potatoes..and then they both only ate the soup (because I served it and shoved it in front of them before they could say no) because they don't like to eat too heavy for dinner and then go to bed.  Or when we left in the middle of Karol's baby shower to have dinner with them (we had accepted the invite long before Max's parents had decided to come over), and that the mom (who ate the least at dinner the night before)  ordered loads of heavy rich foods (we went to Volta Rossa) and didn't seem to have the problem with food then.  Or when the MIL constantly followed me around, constantly telling me play by play things of what Sophia or Vivienne were doing, despite the fact that I am sitting there and I can see with my own eyes and they are not new things to me because I see them everyday.  I know that Sophia can read and write-I taught her-I don't need somebody to point out every letter-like she is a self taught amazing genius.  I know that Vivienne has 6 teeth (with 4 more coming out), she nearly saws off my boobs every time she drinks milk-again, not a feat of genius-teeth come out on their own, talent has nothing to do with it! Or when they MIL comes bustling in to our bedroom despite the fact that the door is closed, only to lean over the bed and stick her face between mine and Vivienne's to coo and cuddle her, whilst I am struggling to get a diaper on or between mine OR the same thing with  Sophia, while I am trying to get her to sleep instead of stimulating her. Or when I put Vivienne down in her crib and the MIL went up stairs under the guise of getting something from their room, only to go in and check on the baby, there by making her start to cry and then using that as an excuse to yank her out of the bed, despite the fact that she was almost asleep already! Or how the FIL is never satisfied with the here and now, but always has to go on telling stories of how much better of a time he and Sophia  had doing something or will have doing something with just her and him-ie too bad she had to go to this party with us (at her friend's house) otherwise he would have taken her to the toy store and bought her anything she wanted, remember that time that they went to (fill the name of some toy store in here) and he bought her (fill in the name of some long forgotten or broken toy in here).  Or how they are treating my SIL with kid gloves and constantly tell me how delicate she is- which I would be okay with -because all mom's deserve to have their story of child birth told as if it were the most dramatic story on earth and should be pampered like a queen afterward- but they don't seem to remember that they didn't do those sort of those things for me and I don't have a mother/aunts/uncles/cousins that across the street, that will cook and clean and help me out if I need it-but are things that I do for the MIL and FIL when they come over 3 days after I have given birth. And yet I had to go and open my big trap... I AM AN IDIOT!

Pa Pe Pi Po Puuuuuuut!

Did I mention that Sophia is going to a speech therapist?  She has a problem trilling her r's and she doesn't distinguish certain sounds very well.  We've decided to nip this in the bud now, because next year it could create major problems for her in school. One of the biggest problems will be spelling.  In the States we to spell by memorization (even if you sound it out, you still have to memorize if the word uses ea, ee, e consante e sound etc) whereas in Italian it is all phonetic-the word is spelled exactly as it is pronounced (which is why there aren't spelling bees here).  So if you can't hear or pronounce the words correctly, you will have a hard time spelling them.

Today Sophia was with Maria Grazia, who happens to be her favorite teacher and she feels very comfortable with her, perhaps too comfortable...One of the problems Sophia has, is distinguishing the P and the B sounds, so they played a game where MG wrote a B or P plus a vowel and Soph had to say a word that began with that sound ie P+A= PA and she said papà (dad), P+E=PE and she said pecora (goat) and then of course she started getting silly: P+I=PI and she said pipi (pee pee), and she got sillier: P+O=PO she said popo (poop), and finally P+U=PU and she squeezed her too little booty cheeks together and went PUUUUUUUUUT and said puzzetta (fart)!  Che vergogna (how embarrassing)!

Day 5

Last week we went to Ikea and got a tree.  We started to plant it in a pot, but we put it in all crooked and wonky and wouldn't stay up right in the pot, so now it's still all crooked, leaning against the wall and the staircase to hold it up and hopefully we will fix that before Christmas comes.  In the meantime we are making decorations for our tree.

The salt dough decorations were all painted, but there was still lots of paint left...being the economical girl that she is, Sophia didn't want to let any of that go to waste and therefore painted the nearest canvas that she could find...her hands.

Flaker

Day 4 of the 5 Day Holiday...I swear around Christmas time, Italian schools use any excuse as a good excuse not to have the kids in school...today is the patron saint of Milan day (Sant'Ambroggio (or if you are Milanese-you pronounce it Sant'Ambrooooze) - since most of Milan is on holiday, Cologno Monzese usually tries to jump on the holiday train and the schools close down.  Today we are making snow flakes.

And so what's the best thing to do when there are snow flakes?? Try to catch  them on your tongue!

They are hard to see...but they came out pretty well.

To make some paper flakes you can go on enchanted learning or to make fancier flakes and if you want to make some flakes but not get make a mess.