Friday, January 09, 2009

Woo Hoo, some photos!







I am now sharing DH's camera as the battery in mine packed up. It's the end of the holidays and nothing amazing is happening. Hz is almost better, lots of pomegranates are being consumed. My MIL has shown me a technique which is a lot quicker to remove the fruit, you just cut it up in to quarters, hold it downwards in a cupped hand and bang the skin with a spoon. Needless to say, when she does it this does work, when I try I still end up having to pick out many of the pieces.
The picture with the phone is an example of how this short lifespan can be wasted so much. Being on hold to the Social Insurance office in order to tell them we will pay back some money is so frustrating. Especially as Hz has only 2 fairly short naps a day, in which I have to decide whether to:
sleep,
give some one to one attention to the kids with their work,
things I can't do holding a baby e.g. clean bathroom,
go on computer,
make important phone calls.
DH trying to be kind when I mentioned this one day said I should always choose the first option, but things just have to be done.
Anyhow if you want to learn Swedish numbers then being on hold for 20 minutes may be a good way as you are told how many minutes you will have to wait, your position in the queue and how many assistants are apparently trying to help you. I need one, only one! The local office closed down recently and there had been a lovely Portuguese girl who helped me out with all the Parental benefit applications etc but she went on sick leave. So I have to phone them up, the Internet site is limited when it comes to queries.
Anyhow, the cheesecake recipe I've been drooling over has become reality, and is sitting in the kitchen, cooling down. I managed to make it while Hz was awake, although I almost added some of his baby porridge as he was hungry half way through and needed a meal. Talking of drool, Hz is very into blowing raspberries at the moment. he can sit a while now before toppling and is a proficient roller.
Something educationally-related that I have been noticing about M's reading of Arabic; It's following a similar pattern to the English, and Swedish. He has started by having a lot of trouble blending the sounds into words. Now with the Arabic, it's OK as long as the words are short (max 3 letters with vowels), otherwise it just seems too much for his working memory. I remember before the summer it was the same for the Swedish and sometime last year (maybe the year before)it was similar for the English. That's why I'm hoping it will eventually click as it did with the other languages. On the other hand his spoken Arabic sentences sound almost identical to the Rosetta Stone pronunciations, and he does seem to remember the meanings, and aural learner I think.
The boys in the photo are having a rare, prolonged break from the computer to play with the 'Monster cards'. This game went on for ages, well after bedtime (whatever that is at the moment), but I was happy for them to be playing quietly in their room, and I was actually able to hear the reporters giving us continuing horrific news on Jazeera and Press TV.

3 comments:

ummrashid said...

I like your id photo! what does it represent? Setting the balance between loving to see the kids happy and creating, even though it makes a mess, and thinking "aahggh" the mess!!!

ummrashid said...

Or is it just a "stage we're at" photo?
Mine is saying, cheerful, plain, bit dull,likes books.

UmSuhayb b David said...

well I actually had one for my googletalk which was of Biryani licking yoghurt directly out of a bowl, but that's stored on the old laptop. to be honest it was the first photo which i found that didn't show her face, And i put her because i spose i'm reliving my childhood with her being my first daughter, although she is a LOT different to how I was. i also have no photos of myself that would be suitable .
yes its a bit of lets have some creative fun and a lot of aargh which i try to hide. in fact the paints have been requested a couple of times recently (on one occasion at 10 pm, oh no), so there may be another war zone in the kitchen shortly