Sunday, August 26, 2012

Bus Safety presentation

velcro:  a new challenge
Picked his own hat, bag & shoes
Max chose a Hot Wheels backpack, and Vanh took the one he picked at kindergarten information
 Time to go for a ride! 
They were asked, "What do you hold to go up the steps?" 
Vanh said, "bar!" and Max said, "wailing!"
A little nervous...
...ready to be brave...
..."Bye Mommy! Se ya later!" 
 Um, we are coming too this time...but nice to know you are ready!




Max had a lot to say
 

Photo fix















Saturday, August 18, 2012

Swiss Athletics Lunch Bag, aka the holy grail

Here is Vanh to introduce his new lunch bag to the internet:
It is a Swiss Athletics from Zellers and as far as we know this is the first picture of one posted on the web, ever.

 Max wanted to participate in the presentation too but was told he would need clothes. He had an idea.
Here he is modeling the lunchbag in its most extended position. You could stuff enough food in there for a week.
 In its most open position it closes with a zipper.  Sometimes it's sticky.  We wouldn`t recommend this lunchbag if the zipper is crucial to you.
Could I get some help please?
 It closes with velcro too, and the long strips make it adjustable to keep everything snug given a variety of container configurations.
Here it is closed with velcro. I'm a little frustrated here because I worked hard to close that zipper, and Mommy opened it up again right away so she could take a picture of it closed with the velcro.
My lunch cube!
 There's a separate compartment on the bottom with a velcro flap. We were thinking of using it for drinks, so if they leak nothing else gets wet.
Hey what else is in here?
My ice pack!
It holds a lunchcube, sandwich container for snack, 2 drinks and 2 extra snack containers easily, with enough extra room for little ones with developing spaitial abilities to pack and unpack everything independently Oh, and the mesh in front is perfect for a napkin.
Can I take this to school Mommy?

Friday, August 17, 2012

So much for that mnemonic

We have a new contender for the role of short-hair in the family


I know some people were thinking longer name=longer hair; that won't work now.  Here's some help until the next haircut:  Max = Maximum amount of hair

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Lunches, and other things

It all started with the containers.

It's not like I didn't know this day was coming.  That's why the focus on containers.  For years I watched young students struggle to open the variety (increasingly difficult to tear) packaging their snacks came in.  Once they were in, if they wanted to save part of the cheese/granola bar/fruit nibs/yogurt/molasses cookie/pudding, or even the apple/banana/orange (talk about difficult to tear packaging!) for later, they would have no option but to stuff the rest back into their lunchbox where it would generally spill/get squished/mix with something else.  Ditto juice boxes - unless you know your child will drink the entire thing, give them the option to save some for later (and yourself the ability to provide the best drink for the least money) with reusable containers.

So I make note of all this, and resolve that when the time come, my children will have reusable containers for their food, because it's green, and because it gives them more control and thus more independence.  Perfect future mom strikes again.

Let's make something clear - this is not some namby-pabmy half-time preschool type program, this is FULL DAY JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN.  The sweet little souls will leave their daddy and daycare friends at the door at 8:40am (or 8:55; how are these details so unclear?) and will not be seen again by their family until they arrive at a bus stop at few blocks away at 3:45pm? (again no idea; they do tell us at some point).

Luckily there is a summer kindergarten program offered through the international languages program, so we as a family were able to experience school both half-time and without the distraction of my own students this July.  Like the lunches, I thought I knew enough about kindergarten Moms to know exactly what sort I would and would not be.  Luckily I was wrong, as the sort of mother I thought I would be would not have hung around the entire first three days and thus witnessed first hand the saga of the snack containers.


Why all the obsession with lunch containers?  It's the one time in the day that belongs to the love between you and your child.  That zipper opens and you get to pop out and say, "Hi!  Here I am!  It's your Mommy and I love you!"  Once my kids identified snack as their favorite part of school that was it for me.  All I want to do is make that moment, our moment, shine with all of the love from the other 7 hours of moments we won't have.




Sunday, August 12, 2012

video from Tra Vinh

I found this video from the boys' baby house a month after we were there: