Me: Did you eat breakfast?
Habtamu: Yes.
Me: (Go into kitchen, see Yordanos using the last of the milk. Think: "Huh. I didn't think there was enough milk for TWO bowls of cereal.")
Me: Hey, Habtamu?
H: Yeah?
Me: Did you say you ate breakfast?
H: Yes.
Me: What did you have?
H: A banana.
Me: Oh, ok. You need to eat a little more. You've got a soccer game this morning.
H: OH... ERG... BUT... MOOOOOOOOOOOOM......................... (said in whiny, whiny voice)
Me: Just do it. (Now thinking to myself "I wonder if there's a banana peel in the garbage. Should I check? Should I become THAT mom, who checks up on every little thing?")
Me: Hey, Habtamu?
H: Yeah?
Me: You had a banana?
H: Yeah.
Me: Where's the banana peel?
H: What?
Me: Where's the banana peel? You said you had a banana for breakfast.
H: Yeah, I did.
Me: Ok. Where's the peel?
H: Oh, I thought you were talking about what I ate last night.
Me: Oh, uh-huh. I think you lied to me.
H: FINE! I lie about EVERYTHING!
Me: Sigh. Why even BOTHER to lie about something so small?
5.31.2010
5.01.2010
Easter 2010... the Family Photo Fiasco
Just TRY to get a good picture of the whole family... when one of the adolescents refuses to even try for a good smile. Just you try it. We will gladly show these pictures to any of Habtamu's future girlfriends...
4.29.2010
Take Someone Else's Kids to Work Day = SUCCESS
Excuse me, but I believe you're wearing my sash4.22.2010
The problem with having 2000 songs on your iPod
Scene opens with Habtamu and Lee in the car listening to Lee's MP3 player on random. An unfamiliar song begins.
H: (with trigger-happy finger on the NEXT button) Do you like this song?
L: (Song's Intro continues) I like how it starts but honestly I can't remember what song it is. What is the name of it?
H: I don't know. It's your music.
L: Well you can read now, what does the screen say.
H: (Squints at the music player) Cawd Heart SomethingSomethingSomething
L: Cahd? Like... C-O-D? Cold???
H: Yes. Cold Heart.
L: (brain searches by decade for a cold heart song while the song plays... still no lyrics) I don't know any cold heart songs. Is there more to the title?
H: Yes.
L: What's the rest of the title. Read it to me.
H: I can't.
L: Sound it out.
H: (getting frustrated) I can't. The letters are moving. I can't read it.
L: (realizing that long song titles start scrolling after a couple seconds) Ok, well spell it out for me.
H: C-O-L-D-H-A-R-D-B-I-T-C...
L: Yeah, you know what, lets just skip this song.
H: Why? You don't like it?
L: Not in the mood anymore. NEXT!
Aaaaand Scene
H: (with trigger-happy finger on the NEXT button) Do you like this song?
L: (Song's Intro continues) I like how it starts but honestly I can't remember what song it is. What is the name of it?
H: I don't know. It's your music.
L: Well you can read now, what does the screen say.
H: (Squints at the music player) Cawd Heart SomethingSomethingSomething
L: Cahd? Like... C-O-D? Cold???
H: Yes. Cold Heart.
L: (brain searches by decade for a cold heart song while the song plays... still no lyrics) I don't know any cold heart songs. Is there more to the title?
H: Yes.
L: What's the rest of the title. Read it to me.
H: I can't.
L: Sound it out.
H: (getting frustrated) I can't. The letters are moving. I can't read it.
L: (realizing that long song titles start scrolling after a couple seconds) Ok, well spell it out for me.
H: C-O-L-D-H-A-R-D-B-I-T-C...
L: Yeah, you know what, lets just skip this song.
H: Why? You don't like it?
L: Not in the mood anymore. NEXT!
Aaaaand Scene
4.20.2010
4.08.2010
Fooling Around
How do you explain our strange customs to children from another country? Here's the wiki version of April Fool's Day.
Every day I have the children write a journal entry. On April 1st, Habtamu's and my conversation went like this:
H: Hey Mom? Is it April 1st?
Me: (thinking quickly for so early in the morning) Nope. (Said with totally straight face.)
H: So.... what is it, then? March 32nd?!
Me: Yep.
H: (sighs) Man, this is the longest month!
I let him in on the joke soon, and he tried it on his sister, who TOTALLY didn't understand what was going on. Once she got it, she was on board.
This is the kind of day MADE for the girl whose standard daily joke is this:
Guess what?
What?
Chicken butt!
Guess who?
Who?
Chicken poo!
Guess why?
Why?
Chicken pie!
Or this:
(Feel a tap on the back.)
(Turn around, only Y is there.)
It wasn't me!
Every day I have the children write a journal entry. On April 1st, Habtamu's and my conversation went like this:
H: Hey Mom? Is it April 1st?
Me: (thinking quickly for so early in the morning) Nope. (Said with totally straight face.)
H: So.... what is it, then? March 32nd?!
Me: Yep.
H: (sighs) Man, this is the longest month!
I let him in on the joke soon, and he tried it on his sister, who TOTALLY didn't understand what was going on. Once she got it, she was on board.
This is the kind of day MADE for the girl whose standard daily joke is this:
Guess what?
What?
Chicken butt!
Guess who?
Who?
Chicken poo!
Guess why?
Why?
Chicken pie!
Or this:
(Feel a tap on the back.)
(Turn around, only Y is there.)
It wasn't me!
3.24.2010
Channeling the Sweathogs
Anybody remember Vinnie Barbarino? Wha? Wher? Who? Why?
We've got our very own Ethiopian version now. I just want to tell the boy that he doesn't have to FAKE stupid, because there will be plenty of times in his life when stupid WILL happen. (Just as in all our adolescent lives!)
For now, I concentrate on getting him to AT LEAST add the T on the end of "WHA?" to not SOUND ignorant.
Also, this morning, Lee and I were talking about something unrelated to the children. Yordanos says from the other room, "Mom, I can HEAR you." I said, "OK?" She answers back, "I know you were talking about us." I say, "Why do you think that?" She says, "You said 'whine and complain'." Lee then says, "You know, you're not the only people in the world who whine and complain."
We've got our very own Ethiopian version now. I just want to tell the boy that he doesn't have to FAKE stupid, because there will be plenty of times in his life when stupid WILL happen. (Just as in all our adolescent lives!)
For now, I concentrate on getting him to AT LEAST add the T on the end of "WHA?" to not SOUND ignorant.
Also, this morning, Lee and I were talking about something unrelated to the children. Yordanos says from the other room, "Mom, I can HEAR you." I said, "OK?" She answers back, "I know you were talking about us." I say, "Why do you think that?" She says, "You said 'whine and complain'." Lee then says, "You know, you're not the only people in the world who whine and complain."
3.18.2010
It Takes a Village
Yesterday
2 Moms had to get
5 kids from
3 different families from school to home to
2 different functions at church and
1 Mom to a meeting.
Mission accomplished. Moms rock!
2 Moms had to get
5 kids from
3 different families from school to home to
2 different functions at church and
1 Mom to a meeting.
Mission accomplished. Moms rock!
3.02.2010
New Website... testing... testing...
I wanted a place to put my recipes and whatnot related to cooking. I'm by no means a great cook, but I have learned to use spices and can now make flavorful and healthy food. (The two are not mutually exclusive.) I try to give the caloric info when I've got it. I'm in love with Weight Watchers, so I try to give points info too.
Join me here to try some new recipes, and let me know what you think if you try them. Email any recipes you might like posted to newcooking(at)gmail(dot)com.
Chris :)
Join me here to try some new recipes, and let me know what you think if you try them. Email any recipes you might like posted to newcooking(at)gmail(dot)com.
Chris :)
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