My B side

The Tió in a sequence

2009-12-25T09:22:00.005Z

The children recite a Christmas verse in their room (usually they have learnt one in school)...

Next they go to the living room and start hitting the Tió with some stick while singing...

And then they check for presents that have magically appeared underneath... they know it's over when they only find chocolate coins or candy. (btw that's my blurred arm on the left)
We did the Tió yesterday evening, with my nephew Pau and my daughters. It's great to see them so excited running to their room and back... usually the Tió brings small gifts and the Three Wise Men will bring the big ones on the 6th of January.
Today we're going to my in laws for lunch and then home sweet home... Both me and hubby are quite "homey" people.

Sorry for not updating much, have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

2009-10-29T11:42:00.004Z

The girls were in bed and hubby and I were just about to watch a film on tv when I found this on the floor. It was face down, with a drawing of two mermaids on the other side. This side read "Today was my worst day of school ever, I had an awful time, my best friend stood me up...." Alicia's childish handwriting went on to tell about her worst day of school and I couldn't help but go back to the girls room and see if she was still awake, which she was. We talked for a while and she told me about her trouble in class... no big deal, at least for an adult, but in the eyes of a 7 year old, her problems with two of her classmates were really big. Anyway... I think I conforted her... went back to watch tv and 5 minutes later she was knocking on the door of the living room. "I just wanted to tell you you're a good person", she said, and went back to bed.
So now you know. I'm a good person.

Speaking of dad...

2009-10-24T21:07:00.003Z

I was having dinner with my daughters (hubby was still at work) when Cristina said something about "mom" dying. She wasn't referring to me, she was just playing a game with her doll and it was her doll's mom that had died, so she was comforting her toy. Alicia told her the doll must be sad, because we would all be sad if a member of our family died, right mom? (she asked me). "Yes, we'd be sad, of course", I answered. "Like the time when you thought daddy was dead, remember?" And then she told me almost everything that had happened more than two years ago, when hubby had his second seizure when we were all having breakfast. She remembered I was crying, and worried -while talking on the phone with the paramedics- that he might be dead. I do remember that day, of course. I remember Alicia (who was not even 5 years old then) saying she didn't "think" dad was dead. I'm amazed that she remembers the day with so much detail after so long, and that she chose to tell me about it today. She never talks about it.

And after recreating this second seizure, she talked about the day when her father had a seizure in the park. "You know, mom, I don't understand why people would want to put a spade in his mouth". "What do you mean?", I asked. "I saw somebody trying to put a spade in his mouth, why would they want him to have sand in his mouth?". I understand why she says that. That "somebody" probably wanted to make sure my husband wouldn't bite his tongue. Something they shouldn't do, but they probably didn't know. In my daughter's mind, it made no sense to take a spade (you know, the kind children use to play with sand) and try to put it in her father's mouth. That annoyed her. And she's still scared about her father doing some kind of "somersault" backwards. (That's the way she described the first seconds of his seizure, right before he fell to the ground and started "twisting" ). Then she went on to explain how Cristina was crying and trying to get her father to wake up, how somebody found his cell phone and then they went through his address book and started asking her if she knew this or that person (trying to find out who to call until someone thought the best thing to do would be to ask her mom's name)....

And at last, she confided that she's a bit scared to go out alone with her father sometimes, in case "that" happens again. I told her I can always go along with them, if she feels that way. I really don't know what's best. I also told her his father's condition is quite controlled, and it doesn't happen so often, but still...

The thing is, I had tried to talk to her about that incident long ago, but she didn't seem too interested or just tried to avoid the subject. But today she surprised me by not only bringing it up, but actually telling me everything. Without my asking...

Busy... and lazy

2009-10-10T08:29:00.003Z

Busier and lazier...
yesterday I had the chance to actually "teach" for the first time. It was just part of my training, and the "students" were my classroom mates. So there I was, telling them about comparatives and superlatives, how they are formed.... I used a powerpoint presentation, but I relied too much on it, because I was nervous and felt insecure, so it was easy for me to just shield behind the screen and avoid too much eye contact with the class. WRONG. Then I was told the topic I chose was too easy. I'm aware of that, my mistake. Anyway. It was a huge success for me considering that, when I was in high school I was so shy I'd rather fail than make a public presentation. I've realized it's easy to criticize a teacher, but it's so hard to be a good one!

Family history...

2009-09-01T19:27:00.005Z

I almost deleted this blog, and then I started to go over the last 3 years (I can't believe it's been so long) and decided I would print some of it first, since some of the posts were about my daughters, milestones and such... Anyway, I changed my mind. It still feels strange to write a blog about anything that comes to my mind that's of no particular interest to anyone but me, but I guess I'm strange like that...

So, what's new?

1- My husband had two seizures last month. One when he was at work, and the second one in the hospital, so he had to stay for the night. Tomorrow we're going to the funny "doctor" in France... I haven't gotten used to the seizures or the funny man. Seizures are unpredictable, sudden, and always scare me, even if I don't see it happening. But, we've got to live with them... that is, unless his newly change medication finally does the trick. Will it? This time? I have faith.

2- I've started a family tree. I've gathered quite a lot of information from my father's side of the family, and I have to say I love the research part. So far, everyone in my family back to the late 1700 seems to be from this land. I've looked at old photographs my father kept, along with old postcards, and it seems as if I'm making them "live" somehow.

This was my father's aunt. From his comments, the mental image I have of her is that of a freedom loving woman, never married, but fled with her lover/partner to Mexico when the civil war started in Spain. I have an old poscard with her "husband" and two boys they had in Mexico, but that's all.

And this is my paternal grandma. I never met her, I was only a few months old when she died. Don't know much about her either. Tracing relatives is kind of easier I guess because in Spain we all have two last names: one from the father and the other from the mother. Women don't change their last name when they get married, which seems better to me than the widespread practice of giving up your last name and adopt your husband's... Don't you think?

This and that

2009-06-29T20:26:00.004Z

This title is in honour of one of my teachers this year. One I didn't like much, actually. She taught her subject in English, but I'd say many of her students were better in English than her, so it's been... strange. And she always used the expression "this and that" in the middle of sentences. I had never heard it before, is it a common expression in English??
Anyway... all my grades were good (mostly Bs and two As). Not bad. Problem is, my best friend in the university is this over achiever, talented, intelligent woman (my own age) and so far she has 5 "10" with honors (way over A). It's hard not to feel a failure when somebody else at your side is so good.
Something bothers me about one of my examinations. It was about philosophy, and I had to write about Education (fairly easy), Marx and education (not difficult) and Sartre. I never understood Sartre, so I didn't even write a single sentence about this man.

"The basis of Sartre's existentialism can be found in The Transcendence of the Ego. To begin with, the thing-in-itself is infinite and overflowing. Sartre refers to any direct consciousness of the thing-in-itself as a "pre-reflective consciousness." Any attempt to describe, understand, historicize etc. the thing-in-itself, Sartre calls "reflective consciousness." There is no way for the reflective consciousness to subsume the pre-reflective, and so reflection is fated to a form of anxiety, i.e. the human condition..."

This is just an extract from wikipedia, but I still don't get it. Do you?

Hooked

2009-06-20T20:58:00.003Z

I'm going to need to go through some rehab program. Seriously. It's only been two days, but I'm alredy missing school. University, that is. The atmosphere, the classes, my new friends. It's been a great, busy first year... Maybe we're too young when we go to college or uni or whatever you call it. When you're in your thirties, you no longer worry too much about grades or getting rid of the work, you're there to enjoy and learn, and I know I have.

Oh, and... speaking about being hooked. I talked to my doctor and I'm slowly getting off my antidepressant. Hope I can stay without it.

Too many choices??

2009-06-15T16:10:00.000Z

Videoclip with Billie The Vision and The Dancers

2009-06-11T19:36:00.001Z

This song is becoming quite popular... the group is Swedish I think, and the video is set in Formentera (Spain).

The value of human life

2009-06-10T06:37:00.005Z

Ok, I'm too lazy to blog, but let me introduce you to a very interesting blog by a Saudi woman... Sand gets in my eyes
and a post about the value of human life.

OK, she's not Saudi, she's an American living in Saudi Arabia. My mistake!!

Ballet and other stuff

2009-06-03T06:19:00.004Z

1-I have exams next week. And the week after. I've just started reading. I never study (as in memorising), I merely read again and again...

2-Hubby had another test and as it came out, his neurologist is pretty convinced that he doesn't have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, but frontal lobe epilepsy. It's harder to control, but he hasn't had another seizure since september. The doctor also said there's a different range of medications available for this type of epilepsy, but will not change his current medication if he doesn't have another seizure. He gave as a prescription for another drug to be taken ONLY if he has another seizure. I didn't get why we don't start now, until I read the side effects. I think it's better if we stick to his regular drugs.

3-I wrote a book report (3 pages) on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. If you're interested I can post it or email it. I think I have a bit of this Peter Pan syndrome: I so wish I wouldn't get any older! I'll be 40 in july!! Anyway, I love going to University again... I recommend it, at any age

4-Alicia had her first ballet performance two weeks ago. See some pics:

She's the girl in the green dress walking to the edge of the stage. She was a frog, just like the rest of the girls in green...

Another view of my favorite frog...

The waiter

2009-05-01T13:58:00.002Z

I just went to a golf tournament with hubby and came back home a while ago. He has to write a piece about this tournament and I had lunch with him at the press restaurant. We were speaking Catalan, our maternal language, and one of the two official languages in this land, and hubby asked for napkins to the waiter. To our surprise, he said, rather rudely and in Spanish "you mean you want a napkin (he translated into Spanish), well next time talk to me in Spanish, because I'm from Madrid". What the fuck? Who is he or anybody else to tell me what language I must use? He could have asked politely. He could have said he doesn't understand Catalan and ask us to speak Spanish but to assume we must use another language is so arrogant. After a while, the napkins didn't arrive so I just went to him and said: "Well, I see it didn't work in Spanish either, because we still don't have our napkins". He apologized and came back with them. When he handed them to me I said: "look, we cannot guess where the waiter comes from...." he started to say something but I added "you actually told us to speak Spanish. Well, we could ask you for napkins in English or French, but you cannot really demand that we speak a language". Too many people in this country still believe we made up our language just to give them trouble. It's sad, really.

Heavenly indeed...

2009-05-01T11:42:00.005Z

Just look at where that girl is sitting. Those pizzas in Edinburgh must really be heavenly ;-)

Scottish breakfast

2009-04-30T20:13:00.003Z

Ok, I've gained weight, and it's no surprise, since I've had this huge breakfast almost everyday during our stay in Scotland (one week). The brown stuff is something called haggis, cooked with lamb and spices, the darker brown is black pudding (I think it's pork), then there's bacon, egg, toast and mushrooms. And then of course there was cereal, coffee, more toasts, butter and jam. I loved it, but I think I should go back to my regular more modest breakfast, or what they call "continental" breakfast... Many things in Scotland remind me of the US: carpet on all floors, no blinds on the windows (which I don't find practical), and that tasteless coffee (sorry, we're used to espresso). Love it, though.

Scotland...

2009-04-25T13:42:00.004Z

We arrived in Scotland two days ago, hired a car and started our 6 day stay. I had to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road, but so far, so good. Thanks to my dad's GPS we are getting around easily, even though, when we crossed Glasgow, instead of a straight line, like the GPS showed, we did something more like this:

Option A would have been preferrable, but we happened to get lost and choose B.

I'll keep you posted, my internet time is up!

Holidays and work

2009-04-11T07:29:00.007Z

We've had a few days off (Easter), and visited my parents. My father bought quite an expensive camera, a Leica M8. I just had to try it...

These are typical pastries we have for easter... my mother made them.

Cristina and her dad...

I'm working on different essays right now, so even though I'm not going to school these days, I still have a lot to do. One of my papers is on immigration and education. It's a team project and we're focussing on immigrants from Morocco, because they represent the largest group of migrants here. I interviewed two mothers. they both quit studying when they married (and they were just 18). When I asked them if they like teachers here, and if they should do something in a different way, one of them told me that teachers here are too soft, and they need to spank kids, otherwise "they don't pay attention"!. I told her it's actually illegal, which she didn't know. She didn't understand why her children are so difficult at home, and just assumes she has to hit them, which only makes the problem worse...

My dear e-friends

2009-03-30T20:35:00.004Z

Yes, it's been a looong time...
University and kids keep me busy. And then when I have time to write something on this blog I feel I have no inspiration at all!
Let's see... I'll let you know what's going on...

About health: Hubby is fine. The doctor said he has to another EEG after night of no sleep at all (he alredy did that about a year ago). Since he had been taking one pill less, he feels it's the best thing to do in order to determine if the decrease in medication could have caused this new seizure. But we're not too concerned. I think we've learned that epilepsy is not going to go away, so we'd better just take it as it comes and do our best not to dramatize (did I spell it right?).

Work/Studies: I made the right choice when I decided to go back to university. Life without challenges is just.... missing something. Doing the same thing everyday was killing me. I love my daughters but I just couldn't be home all day doing nothing but take care of them. Classes have given me the oportunity to meet interesting people and learn, not just about many subjets, but about myself too, and the way I relate to others. I feel I'm still growing. We never really stop changing, do we? I mean, we have this tendency to think only children change, but life is about constant growth (to me, at least). Sometimes I have second thoughts about this career change thing. I'm a journalist, and I've been a journalist since I was 20. working for the same newspaper all my life, and it's like a second home to me. But journalism was good before I had children. Since hubby is a sports journalist (working at the same newspaper), we decided we couldn't have the same schedule. Somebody had to be home at a decent time for our daughters, and I made some changes. I adjusted my working schedule, but with that came a more boring kind of reporting. And I miss the old one! Interviewing people, reporting about all kinds of things... but I don't think I can ever go back to that. It entails finishing work after 8pm which is too late for me. Who'd be home with the girls?

Travel: As a part of my studies, I'm supposed to go to Scotland late in April for an observation week in a school. So I decided I'd take the whole family with me and we'll be there some more days just on a short holiday. I couldn't risk leaving hubby alone with the kids. What if something happened to him? And anyway, I like it that we can travel together...

And one last thing: this week I'll have to tell "Green eggs and ham" to the whole class so they can evaluate my "performance"...! I know the story by heart, I've told it to my daughters so many times! I'll let you know how they rate me!

Take care, my e-friends. Don't give up on this lazy blogger!

I'm a B student and other tales...

2009-02-16T20:58:00.002Z

I'll start with the "other tales". Hubby had a seizure on friday. It had been nearly 15 months since his last seizure. We were at home, I heard a scream, banging noises, and I feared the worst. He was seizing on the floor, and had hit his head and elbow against something (my guess is the door frame). I said something out loud that I can't really remember, but it was something that brought Cristina to my side, and she started crying when she saw her father shaking in that strange way, unconscious. She was really upset, so I had to put myself together in order to calm her down. This time, somehow, I was more in control. My sister arrived right then and offered to take Cristina for a walk (Alicia was taking ballet lessons). I tried to make hubby comfortable, with a pillow and a blanket, and he just slept on the floor until he slowly started waking up. When he saw me, he reached out to me with his hand. I held it, and wondered if this time, he remembered who I was, but he didn't. A while later I took him to the hospital, just in case, and they decided to keep him there for the night. He's alright now. No more seizures since friday. I guess we're learning to deal with epilepsy. It's out of our hands, really. So we'd better get used to it.

Anyway... I've also been busy with exams, and so far, so good. I have a bunch of B's, and I'm so proud! I've never been a very good student, but I'm having so much fun now, learning a lot, not just academically, but about myself and the way I relate to others. It's a great experience and I'm glad I decided to change my career...

The lazy blogger is alive

2009-01-26T18:51:00.004Z

I had my first exam today since... well.... I can't remember.

I found it tough. Hope I pass! I honestly thought it would be easier. I hadn't memorised stuff, I merely read my notes several times hoping to understand everything and get a good idea about everything, but I'm not sure that will be enough. Anyway...

Cristina turned 4.

A few days ago at my children's school a man broke the window of a car to steal something inside. Some parents caught him and held him till the police came. Alicia was really interested in the scene. She hadn't had the chance to see the thief and asked me "What do thieves look like?"

I said they can look like anyone. She didn't like that. And then I thought how we all seem to need an accurate picture of "bad people". It would be easier to avoid them, right? That's why we stereotype (to some extent). Because we feel safer this way. If we believe thieves are always immigrants and from a different ethnic group we like it because it allows us to clasify people... We need to think none of our neighbours can be bad so we can sleep well...

A trip to the dentist... on new year's eve...

2008-12-31T18:29:00.003Z

I had a tooth pulled today.

The dentist was a big, robust, tall lady, with red hair and freckles. I couldn't help seeing her as a viking... as in The big lebowski, one of my favourite movies...

Meet my dentist... and her nurses.

Hey, I almost forget!! Happy New Year!!

Children See ... Children Do

2008-12-23T17:53:00.001Z

I liked this ad...

God?

2008-12-05T15:10:00.002Z

Alicia (my 6 year old) and I were having a conversation yesterday about God (the one who lives in the sky, as she says).
She doesn't know much about religion, so I told her many people in the world actually believe God is the creator of all things.
She looked at me in disbelief and stated:
"that's not true!"
"How can you know?" I asked her.
"It was the Romans who made everything!", she said.

Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham

2008-11-27T08:51:00.001Z

Storytelling

2008-11-25T20:43:00.003Z

I have to choose a story to tell in class. A children's story, but my audience will be adults (university). I'm finding it hard, because I'm used to reading stories to my daughters, but they're 3 and 6 years old and are far from being an intimidating audience. I can be silly with them, but will I feel confident telling a story to a group of adults, knowing that it actually is a test??? AAAAHHHH!!! I initially thought of telling the story of the Cow that went oink as an example of the good thing about learning languages, but I'm not sure it will be good enough. Any suggestions? Any stories that you think might work?... HELP!

What a week!

2008-11-21T13:00:00.003Z

Tough, interesting week.
I've been assigned a second grade class (seven year olds). I'm just to watch and help when I'm told... May I introduce you to my class?
14 children. All of them have brothers or sisters. Lots of them. Many of them come to class with dirty, stained clothes. Sometimes they don't wear a jacket and it's november, and no, this is not a tropical country. It's cold. It's not just the clothes that are dirty: sticky fingers, long dirty fingernails... At first that's what most caught my eye: their unkempt appearance. Their family history is, in too many cases, quite sad. L's stepfather beats him up regularly. Thankfully, social services know now, and they're working on it. M's mother is known for her shoplifting: she usually takes a bag lined with aluminium paper so that she can steal clothes without the metal alarm going off. That's her role model. And now F. She didn't come to class for a few days, and showed up wednesday. Now we know that her father beat her mom, so they left and stayed in a shelter home until mom decided to "forgive" her partner and they are both together again. It's sad because you know the cycle is not going to be broken. J is funny but sad also. He's attending school, but in a few weeks he will probably be gone to some Carnival along with his parents. There's a couple of children who just show up from time to time, because they don't like going to school and their parents don't seem to think it's important either. Not that they're homeschooled! At home they just do whatever they want, or play on the streets. S's father is a drug addict. D is always yawning. If he goes to bed at midnight, it's a huge success. All of them stay up too late, watching programs that were never meant for their age...
They crave attention. If you're just a bit kind to them they'll be hugging you all the time. But some of them have huge behavioral problems, and they are behind in development (no books or computers at home). The problem is, all these gipsies live in the same neighbourhood. They have a school, a civic center, a sports facility and a health facility (primary care). No need to go downtown.... Or is it that the neighbourhood was set especifically distant so that we don't have to see them? I think the school should be closed and the children should attend schools in the downtown district. Otherwise, they don't know another reality other than their own...

I'm sorry I haven't visited blogs and have not posted much, but believe me, I've been too busy. In december I'll quit my job so I can focus on studying and my children. Hopefully, I can return to my workplace in december 2009....

James, in answer to your question, I do enjoy what I'm doing now. Some classes are really interesting and we're debating over education, attending conferences... it's fun, stimulating and stressing if you alredy have a job and a family, but it's worth it!

Practice

2008-11-17T19:17:00.002Z

Today I started a week of "observation" in a school. Students could choose the school, and I chose the one in the most deprived area of town. Remember when I told you about the nursery school my youngest daughter attended? In a gipsy neighbourhood? Well, I chose that district's elementary school (kids from 6 to 12 years old). All children are gipsies. Some are Spanish gipsies, some come from portuguese gipsy families. All families have low income, they make a living out of Carnivals, fairs and such, and have very little education. I was appointed to a second grade class (7 year olds). There were just 13 children. They are supposed to have more children, but some are away "working" with their parents or just helping them in one Carnival or another. the parents of these children make a living out of selling chestnuts, balloons or running a ferriswheel or another type of amusement thing. But that's the good side. Some of the people in this neighbourhood make a living selling drugs. And their kids see a good portion of grown-ups making lots of money with drugs. so why bother studying and trying to have a good job? It's hard. Some parents decide to move to another part of town when they see their kids might be in danger of falling in that ugly cycle.
Aside from that, the children I saw today were mostly gentle and loving. Some of them would even hug me spontaneously even though it was my first day there! I'd like to think they can continue studying and break the family cycle, but that's not easy. Anyway... should education just prepare for what society expects from you or what children really need?.

Skipping classes...

2008-11-11T09:08:00.001Z

Just like when I was a teenager... ;-)

2008-10-31T20:30:00.004Z

It's been a long time, but I really have been very very busy managing University, work and kids. But I'm so glad I decided to study! I'm more interested in studying than when I was 18. There's a big difference... Some teachers (actually two) are really motivating, and make classes so interesting that you just don't want to skip a lesson. And I have an assingment due for the 7th (next friday) so I have some work ahead. English is not hard so far. They say it gets tougher on the second year. We'll see. A part from studying, it's a big holiday in our hometown, so we've been doing a lot of fun stuff with the girls, like visiting the fair, going to a really nice circus and attending an opera for children, based on the story of Cinderella. Both hubby and I loved it, Alicia liked it even though it was hard for her to understand the actors through their singing and Cristina... well, I think she's too little. She thought it was fun for about 10 minutes, and then we had trouble keeping her seated. But believe me, it was worth it!

Flunked

2008-10-06T19:58:00.002Z

Not yet
But I really NEED to go over math. The math they teach in elementary and middle school because... well... I have not made a single division in ages without using a calculator. And all my math concepts are dusty and forgotten in some remote corner of my brain...
My plate is full right now: kids to school, university, work, sometimes back to university and home to kids or school to pick them up. I'm so lucky that everything is within walking distance!
So I don't know if I'll be blogging much. I still want to post every other day at least but I don't know if I will manage.
Anyway, the truth is I'm so happy I decided to study. Most of my teachers make really interesting classes and I'm meeting new people, which is also nice...

I can ride a bike!

2008-09-28T20:20:00.003Z

Today, Alicia learnt how to ride a bike... you know, without those small wheels attached... (How do you call them?)

Juggling

2008-09-24T20:28:00.004Z

As I continue with my classes, I've come to face an old fear: speaking in public. I have always been rather shy, or had been, at least, until my job forced me to be bolder. But, speaking in public is still something that terrifies me. A group of nine year olds is one thing, but university students? With a teacher?? I think I'll need to practice and even videotape my "lectures" before speaking in front of the class!! Today we had psychology applied to education and social studies (if my translation is correct). Tomorrow it's pedagogy and English. We'll see... And it doesn't leave me much time for anything else! In the morning it's all about getting the girls ready for school, going to school myself, then to work, lunch, pick up the girls from school...

I'm making new friends, which is also interesting. Two women my age and a younger woman (I think she's in her late 20s) from Mexico.

Please, feel free to correct any mistakes, ok?

First day of school

2008-09-22T19:14:00.004Z

Typical introduction, no classes. Mrs X explained to a group of 200 students what this career is like, its different majors and things like that. Most of the students were in their late teens or twenties except some moms, like me. We scanned the crowd and found each other as if we were trying to find aliens from outer space. A teacher (I'll call her Mrs X because I can't really remember her name) explained many details about our new career and then faced the questions from the students. One of the questions was particularly interesting. It came from a girl. I couldn't see her face from where I was sitting but I could see her feet: sneakers and socks with skeletons. "Is it really necessary to attend all classes?". Believe it or not, that's what Ms Skeleton Socks asked. Maybe she expected Mrs X to say "No dear, of course not, if that's too taxing for you, just don't ok? We just write down some subjects because they look good on your schedule, but you don't have to attend, dear..." That's not what she said, of course... Then the big group was divided, and I found that only 35 students plan to teach English in elementary schools. Among them were my "mom" friends. Good! Our first assingment was to write an essay about our stay in another country just to test our knowledge of English. The hardest part for me was handwriting. I'm so used to typing I feel I'm no longer "readable" when I have to use a pen...
Tomorrow, first day of real class...

Pictures of pictures

2008-09-13T17:55:00.006Z

This is hubby as a baby/toddler

I think this was taken when I was 4 years old (like Cristina now...) I loved that horse.

That's me as a baby...
My father was taking pictures all the time. I started to hate it when I was 10 or 11. But it was no use, he liked taking pictures of me even if I was angry!

Families can be complicated

2008-09-09T09:45:00.001Z

I once wrote about my MIL. She's changing, I don't know if it's because she retired or what, but she's softer. Easier to deal with, more relaxed. She's been taking care of my girls and some of my nieces and nephews during august and I've caught her sometimes just sitting outside, watching the kids play, which was unthinkable, say two months ago. "Oh, I couldn't do much today, I had to watch over the children" she says, as if she needs to apologize or something. Of course, the rest of the family thinks it's great that she can actually sit down and do nothing, but to her, it must have been a struggle! And she smiles now (no kidding, it was hard to see her smile when I first met her). And more than that. I told her about my plans to study and she was so supportive. She has offered to help me with the girls during the school year. I guess it's like hubby told me: to his mother, anything that means working or studying is good.

But things are not so good on the other side of the family, mainly because I just find it increasingly difficult to get along with my brother and his wife, J. There have been two “incidents” which are way too silly to post, but I will anyway. Because my brother chooses to think they're important. Last sunday my brother had a difficult time making Pau eat his lunch when Alicia showed up eating an ice cream. Seeing that she had alredy finished luch, my mother gave her the ice cream, but Pau refused to eat when he saw it and demanded an ice cream too. Sensing trouble, I told Alicia to put it back in the fridge and wait for Pau to finish so he wouldn't see the precious ice cream but according to my brother, she just took too long to hide it. And it was her fault that Pau wouldn't eat another bite. And, after lunch, when the kids were playing Alicia had a balloon and Pau started crying because he's afraid of balloons. My brother told Alicia to hide it, but she just stared at Pau and my brother. Until I told her to hide it (sensing trouble, again), she didn't do it. Too late, again, to my brother's standards. She just didn't behave properly, she lacked empathy. I just can't relax when I'm around them anymore. J has changed, she's distant, she barely speaks to us, and I know she feels we're just not a good influence for her son. She's trying to raise the perfect kid and I find it so annoying sometimes.

Strange words

2008-09-04T10:35:00.003Z

Newfangled

I had heard it just in a song (can't remember which). Never knew what it meant. I guess it means, modern, but being English my third language, I wouldn't be sure how or when to use it.

I'm going to post words that are new to me, once in a while.

Just because.

Oh, I start classes at the School of Education on the 22nd. Adventures of a middle aged student coming soon...

Some portraits

2008-09-03T19:58:00.005Z

The crash...

2008-08-23T08:34:00.000Z

Maybe you heard about this tragic jet accident in Madrid. More than 150 people died on the crash. It's been several days, but we get full coverage on the news everyday. Too much, in my opinion. There's an investigation going on, which will probably take weeks. But in the meantime, some tv programs just seem to dwell on the tragedy, and I hate that. We must hear about every single person who is somehow linked to the accident. And by linked I don't mean interviewing the mechanic who fixed something on the plane before take off. I mean a taxi driver who had relatives of a victim in his car, someone who happened to "miss" the plane in the last minute and is so happy he never made it on time... And then some programs choose the music carefully. How can they possibly interview a man who lost his brother on the plane with Beethoven's Moonlight sonata as background music?? Some programs are just sentimental pornography. Leave people to mourn alone, the only reason they're showing it is to have a morbid look into somebody's pain. Kind of like the way many people would just stop by a car acccident and watch with fascination...

Paris Hilton replies to McCain Campaign AD

2008-08-16T03:35:00.001Z

Birthday cake??

2008-08-11T12:03:00.003Z

Alicia chose this cake for her birthday. It looked so good on paper, and we tried so very hard to copy the design... But instead of this nice house-cake we came up with this:

An abandoned hansel&Gretel version of the house. A rather decadent and shabby home... snif... witches can't bake.

My witch's shoes

2008-08-09T09:07:00.003Z

Complete with feet and moles (inherited from my mother)... what do you think? Should I get a broom?

Conversations with a 6 year old

2008-08-08T19:48:00.003Z

F is a friend of my daughter Alicia, she'll turn 6 next week. I picked her up and we both headed to the cinema, where my husband was waiting with our girls. I had an interesting conversation with F while we were walking.

F -"You know, commercials on tv sometimes are not true."
Me -"Yeah, most of the time they lie..."
F -"But sometimes they tell the truth, my mom uses a shampoo that's on tv and it's good."
Me -"Which one is it?"
F -"It's that shampoo that's so good you can't keep your hands off your head.. (she says in all seriousness) It's only for grown-ups. I can't use it because my skin is too sensitive. My mom doesn't have sensitive skin."

And then adds:
-"I like your shoes..."
-"Thanks!"
-"They're witches' shoes"
(thanks??)

She wins

2008-08-06T13:24:00.002Z

I hate yelling. I never yell. One of our household rules is NEVER to yell at someone. Yesterday I broke the rule, as I was making dinner and at the same time being asked for the 586th time to fix the wings on some "Butterfly Barbie" (they keep falling off) and having my three year old spill a glass of milk on my feet. So I yelled I CAN'T DO MORE THAN ONE THING AT THE SAME TIME; I'M COOKING, AND I'VE FIXED THOSE WINGS TOO MANY TIMES AND LOOK WHAT YOUR SISTER DID AND BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA

Alicia stared at me and asked quietly:
-Mom, would you like me to yell at you?
-That's not the point, you....
-No, really, would you like it?
-Alicia, don't ask me to do something when...
-Answer me, would you like me to yell at you?
-No, but...
-See?
I think I lost this battle, don't you?

Flying with children

2008-07-31T18:42:00.011Z

We tend to avoid going through security instructions when flying. we see the leaflet, we kind of hide it someplace. We're not going to need it, right? Bad things only happen to other people, everybody knows that. But, on our trip to Austria, security instructions on the plane were posted literally on the back of the seat right in front of us. No hiding, no avoiding. And, we had two curious kids sitting with us.

-Mom, why is this man crawling like a baby?
-mmm... He probably lost something on the floor, he's trying to find it...

-Why does he have a mask?
-mmm... in case he feels sick
-Why would he feel sick? I never wear a mask when I feel sick

-What's this slide? Are we going to use it?
-No, it's just in case the plane has to land on water
-Oh, planes can land on water?
-Yes... (bullshit)
-Will we land on water?
I hope NOT.
-Mom, the woman on the slide has no shoes on.
-Really?
-Yes, why?
-Because shoe heels could pierce the slide

-But... why not glasses?
-mmm.... she'll hurt herself if she uses the slide with glasses on.
-But the earrings??
.....
-And what's the man doing?
-Just resting sweety.

-Why are the clouds beneath us?
Don't remind me, please, humans are not meant to fly, otherwise we'd have developed feathers by now. It's like having a fish learn how to drive!!!

When she's tired of security instructions she walks to the front part of the plane and comes back with a look of surprise:
-Mom!
-What happened?
-Nobody is driving this plane!!

Much better than expected

2008-07-21T18:14:00.004Z

Whatever I expected from this holidays has been surpassed, by far... the first two days in Viena were fantastic: great sigthseeing, superb parks for children and adults and good food. Just an hour ago we arrived at the next destination, a quiet little town in the mountains, with so many things to do. I don´t think we´ll need to get out at all, the house and surroundings are so good!

Nervous, restless, excited...

2008-07-18T09:25:00.002Z

One thing is to plan something and another to actually go ahead with it. the more I come close to my goal of studying for the next three years (because I plan a career change in the future) the less sleep I get! It's almost done now, just formalities ahead. My boss wasn't so thrilled. He suggested I work less hours. I'll do that, but it's going to be rough on our pockets too (we can't have everything can we? ;-)
My co-workers weren't so supportive. They made all sorts of questions, but mostly just looked at me like I've lost my mind. Not that I really blame them. I have two small children, a job and a husband with an epileptic disorder. It's easy to get used to good times, he's been free of seizures for eight months and we're hoping it will stay that way but I'm also hoping our new situation doesn't take a toll on him... but we've talked about it and he says I should at least try. Through all this I've realised once more that my husband is also my best friend. It may sound corny, but it's just the way it is.
By the way, we're going on a trip to Austria this afternoon, if you don't hear from me for the next days it's just that I don't have the time to blog from our destination! I'll try, though...

Take care, all of you!

I don't like parties

2008-07-16T20:26:00.003Z

Well, most parties. It's my nephew's birthday. There are about 20 people, most of them adults, friends of my brother and SIL's relatives. It's been more than three hours since it started, more than enough for me...

btw, I've been accepted at our university! I'm so excited. I'll talk to my boss tomorrow to tell him about my studying plans. Hope he doesn't object. Most of my classes will be in the morning, which is when I'm working, but I can make up for lost time at home.

Dear brother

2008-07-11T10:24:00.005Z

Pau (3 years old) comes to play with my daughters (3 and 5) because his mom (J) and dad (my brother) are busy working. They play all afternoon, hubby is watching the Tour de France on tv, I'm reading. Sometimes we check on the kids, they just run around the house playing games, dressing up, stuff like that. We hear Pau crying. His nose is bleeding, which is not unusual for him. The bleeding stops, the kid just forgets... we agree to tell his mom but not make a fuss, we know both his mom and my brother tend to worry too much. However, when Pau's mom (J) comes to pick him up, Alicia blurts out "J, Pau's nose was bleeding soooo much, the blood was running down his lips, on his chin!! Soo much blood" She's exagerating, we know it, J knows it, when they see so much as a drop of blood my children get all excited.
The day after the "incident" I go see my brother.

Me -hi
B -hi. Did you see where Pau hit his nose yesterday?
Me -No, I was reading, maybe he didn't even hit his nose...
B -We'll check with the pediatrician, because he had some breathing difficulty...
Me -Really? It didn't seem like a big deal...
B -Yes, and he has a bruise too.
Me -A bruise? (I'm beginning to sound alarmed)
B -Yes... well, not much, just a little...
Me -Are you sure it's worth a visit to the pedi?
B -Yes. So you didn't see?
Me -No, you know I'm not constantly over them...
B -I know, I don't like people who are all the time on their back, but I don't like it when people never check up on kids when they're playing...
Me -Oh, that would be me? (why do I ask, I know the answer??)
B -Yes. You're so relaxed. Your husband keeps a better eye on children, doesn't he?
Me -You mean he's a better father. (I'm beginning to sound irritated)
B -No, I didn't say that. But you could check on the kids
Me -I did. Just not every two minutes.

Needless to say, the conversation didn't end so well. Maybe I should have watched over them more. They say there are no perfect parents, but maybe some are more perfect than others. I feel hurt. Even if there's some truth in my brothers words. It's a silly argument, I know... but this is not the first time he does that to me... In his eyes, I neglect my daughters. And it hurts.

School again...?

2008-07-08T08:05:00.003Z

I've been thinking a lot lately about my going back to University... I will know on the 16th if I'm admitted. And then... I'll have to talk to my boss, because all classes are in the morning which is when I'm working, but since all I do can be done from home, I'm hoping he'll agree to let me work in the afternoon/evening/night from home to make up for lost time in the morning. The good thing about my workplace right now is flexibility. So I don't think he'll say no. But, once he says yes I'll have a hard year ahead: classes in the morning, work, pick up the girls from school, take them to swimming, home, dinner and work from home. Study. And exams from time to time. I applied for a degree to teach Englisn in primary school (kids from 6 to 12 years old). It will certainly be a change... but we only live once, and I don't want to see myself working in the same place all my life... If I don't do this now, I feel I'll always regret it. That I never had the guts to try... What do you think?

If you're reading this (or any other post) and see grammatical/spelling mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me!

Toy soldiers

2008-07-06T13:27:00.002Z

We went to see an exhibit of toy soldiers and other modeling stuff, such as submarines, warcraft and fantasy figures.
Do you have any idea what the german and the American soldier are talking about on this scene? Looks like the German soldier is complaining about the time because the American one is about to glance at his watch?? Caption ideas, anyone?

Alicia

2008-07-05T17:59:00.003Z

We went to the swimming pool with family. I caught Alicia in this picture eyeing one of her uncles suspiciously... the one she doesn't like at all. Whenever he's around she feels this need to control where he is. He hardly ever says a word, keeps quiet... not a good pair.

More beach days

2008-07-04T11:46:00.000Z

"I'd rather go back to the beach"

2008-07-02T17:48:00.003Z

You've seen this photograph before, but my father made me reshape it. Says it looks much better like this... I agree

Castles in the sand

2008-07-01T14:05:00.001Z

At my parents...

2008-06-30T18:01:00.002Z

We started our holidays, and have "moved" to my parents home for a couple weeks. They live by the sea, and luckily have a house big enough for all of us and, more important, they want us here...

How it feels to have a stroke

2008-06-29T07:02:00.001Z

I just thought it was very interesting...

Gardening (nothing wrong, Buffalo, just busy)

2008-06-24T09:27:00.009Z

A few months ago I planted tomato seeds, strawberries and herbs... The tomatoes are just starting to grow but they're still quite tiny. I had no idea tomato plants made lovely yellow flowers...

I also had the brilliant idea of tipping my daughters when they pick up their toys and tidy the room before going to bed. 50 cents was my top payment and it worked great for a while... until Alicia figured she had enough money to buy a tiny russian hamster. I offered to buy the cage. Yes. And now much of the motivation to clean and help pick things up is at a minimum. (I was so smart) Why couldn't she think of something more expensive to buy, like an apartment??
She loves the hamster (I like it too, I must confess) and at first insisted on letting him/her wander through a bigger cage, like her princess castle: (click to enlarge if you don't see our mouse)

Apparently, life at the castle was too bourgeois for our royal hamster, and he/she decided to flee from the oppression of palace life, knocking the princess down in the process, and headed for the bus stop.

He/she now resides in her tiny cage with a wheel to exercise when the stress of daily life becomes unbearable!

Pst: I might start another career in september, a degree in teaching. I wonder if I'll find the time to study. I've alredy filled the online application. All I need now is to take some papers to the university and... hope I'll be accepted...
School is over now, we plan to stay next month with my parents, at the beach, and late in july we'll travel to Austria...

Things about Cristina that try my patience...

2008-06-05T20:00:00.006Z

1- Finishing a meal takes ages for her. And the food just tumbles in her mouth like in some washing machine. And you know, washing machines have that circular window (whatever that's called), so I get to see the food in her mouth whirpooling... again, and again, and again, until she decides to pull the plug out and let the food go down.

2- She usually demands a very clear answer. If she makes a question and I say "maybe" or "I think so", she gets quite upset and insists on getting a real answer. Which to her is usually YES.

3- She only uses diapers at night, but she feels she's too big for that, and doesn't want them, even though in the morning they're always soiled. So before going to bed I have to be very careful not to use the word "diaper", because that would make her furious. Instead, I say "now let's put this on". This is a diaper. But it mollifies her somewhat if I don't use the ugly word....

But she's cute when she's asleep, isn't she?

I can almost hear her soft breathing...

2008-06-04T09:00:00.004Z

I love to watch them sleep. She was so tired this morning she didn't even stir when I was taking pictures. Even the noise I made opening the window so I had more light didn't wake her...

Update: Hubby and his team lost their second game 19-0. But they're having a great time which was also one of their goals, so it's ok. Their second goal was to come back home in one piece (so far so good) and the third one was winning a game but this seems unatainable given the level of the other teams...

I told you...

2008-06-01T18:30:00.003Z

Just as I predicted...
First game. Catalans 1, Danish 15

Apparently, the Catalan is, by far, the most amateur of the teams. It was supposed to be a championship for non-professionals, but word got out that Catalans would have one of the best teams. It's a gossip story, in one country they're saying that this team will have such and such, in the next the same happens and everyone starts building a more professional team.... except.... us! Well. at least they're having a good time!

Stairs going nowhere

2008-05-31T07:49:00.001Z

Maybe they didn't want me to hear their secrets...

2008-05-29T08:46:00.005Z

H will be on a soccer tournament for eight days... he'll be leaving tomorrow night on a bus, along with the members of the Catalan team. This tournament is called Europeada. It's a European soccer championship for national minorities. He's with the "Katalans from Spain". I've seen them play, and I don't think they'll get too far, unless, of course, the other teams are even more amateur... That tournament will leave me to handle the Gremlins alone for eight days... shouldn't be too bad. My parents and sister will be off too, on a trip to Italy...

Here's a map of the regions/languages involved in the championship. Click to enlarge, if you're interested in our European ethnic/linguistic chaos...

UPDATE:
They will be playing today (sunday) at 5pm. I do hope they win, ok??? Gosh I felt so mean when I reread this post through Buff and James' eyes :-(

Here's the link http://www.europeada2008.net/

My poor neglected blog

2008-05-09T18:47:00.010Z

I took these pictures last month, on Saint George, which is a big holiday here. According to the legend, a knight (Saint George) saved a princess and an entire town from a fierce dragon. Where the dragon's blood fell, roses flourished so each year women get roses from their husbands/boyfriends/fathers, and women are supposed to buy a book for the men... Roses come in almost all colors. Our roses were classical red.

It's a very special day so even if you're working, most people can have a break from their job and stroll down our rambla...

There are groups of amateurs like these people representing the legend and playing music on the street... The woman in the picture above is actually the princess, and the guy in green next to her, the dragon.

This is what we call the "tarlà". According to another legend, he was some sort of acrobat who entertained the neighbours of Argenteria street during a quarantine for an epidemic. Now we have this acrobat toy hanging on Argenteria on special occasions. It rotates from time to time...

And this is Alicia, holding the rose her father gave her...
So what do you say, James, Buffalo, Jessica ... would you come over for a visit? ;-)

Have a nice day

2008-05-03T19:21:00.009Z

On the whole, I'm happy being a mom and I love my kids almost everyday ....
But it's hard to be around them when they're having a bad day, which happened today. Especially with the three year old. I think she was alternatively crying/whining at least 70% of the time. Which is a lot. For my nerves. I ended up wanting to scream and cry myself. To give you an idea, they looked like this today (this pics were actually taken half a year ago)...

At the supermarket, C threw a tantrum. One of those that make other customers look discreetly towards you and your kids, but wishing you and your brats just disappeared. The woman at the counter had the audacity to say "have a nice day". I'm sure she, along with the other customers in line, burst out laughing when I was out of sight!

And at the end of the day, I looked exactly like the "portrait of mom" Cristina drew just a few days ago. YES, THIS IS EXACTLY HOW I FELT AND LOOKED TODAY!!!! My hair, my mouth, I'm surprised my three year old could be so precise!!!

PD: Just for the record, the previous days were pretty good. Maybe I'm whining too??

Spring...

2008-04-22T11:45:00.007Z

I worked from home today and took a break to go buy groceries...
I passed by this tree on the way to the supermarket. My mother says it's called "the love tree" I really have no idea what it is, really. But I think it's so pretty.

Just in front of the supermarket there's a small store with fresh fruit and vegetables... expensive too. This bunch of things cost 13 euros. By the way, have you ever tried raw fresh peas? They're good!
I must have passed at least three couples cuddling... Spring... or maybe it's just because tomorrow is Saint George, the most romantic day here?

It's been now 5 months since my husband had a seizure, I can't believe it! We feel so relieved, and think it's probably due to the addition of Zonegran to his regular pills....

The best of times doing nothing...

2008-04-20T20:08:00.004Z

That's what we did this sunday, nothing. And it was great. It was a lazy morning, with Hubby organizing his music, me just... well reading and working in the house (not that much, really)... and the girls just playing and dressing up. They set up a "school for fairies", and A was Cinderella (not a fairy but she was in the school anyway) and C was Tinkerbell. As you can see, she was a groovy kind of Tinkerbell, because she didn't bother to take of her pyjama before dressing up, and decided that sunglasses gave her the perfect touch. Along with what she thought was lipstick. She found it in a drawer but was, in fact, concealer. She applied it to her lips, anyway... Then we went out for lunch at a tapas bar, strolled through the old part of town and went back home. A found my secret game... Playstation. Yes, I admit, at 38, I still like to play Tomb Raider. It's an old playstation, that I rescued some days ago from a forgotten box, and tried the game again. EHEM... A tried it but it was too hard for her. C decided to imitate Lara Croft and tried to climb on the shelves Lara's style... she's great at mimicking people...
Anyway, just a post so that this blog doesn't die completely...

Being a toddler is hard work

2008-04-09T16:20:00.003Z

I took this pic of Cristina at a friend's house...
Doesn't it look like she's stressed??

Art class

2008-04-08T17:52:00.005Z

We (I) signed up the whole family for an art class. It's every saturday morning, for three hours, and only during April. The first one was great. Our first job was to paint an animal on our hand. I did an octopus, and I was quite proud of my job. I felt like a kid again, even hoping that our teacher would praise my octopus, but no such luck, she seemed to save all her praises for the kids ;-)
A did something close to a butterfly... and C just put layer after layer of paint on her hand. She just loved seeing new colors appear everytime she put a new color on her hand... All the pictures came out blurred, so no pic of A's hand. As for my husband, I think he was trained too successfully by his mom, and he just wouldn't get his hands "dirty"... HA HA HA
Afterwards we played (there were four families), returned to class, did a small boat out of walnuts and a dolphin using a banana, which we ate too. We had a great day...

Have you heard?

2008-04-02T19:16:00.003Z

Alicia, our 5 year old, lost her first baby tooth today. It must be on CNN, because she's been talking about this tooth endlessly for the last two days... As she reported, she lost her tooth at lunchtime in school, and her teacher taped it on a small pink card so she could show us. And we heard all the details several times, as I'm sure everyone in school did. She's so excited I doubt she'll sleep well, because she knows the tooth mouse (it's not a tooth fairy in this part of the world), will visit at night and leave a present...

Playing with puddles

2008-03-23T21:07:00.003Z

Rainy day

2008-03-22T19:41:00.004Z

It rained all day, so we were mainly indoors again, but this time at my in-laws. In the afternoon we made "brunyols", which is our typical pastry for Easter. We did it in the old house, because my MIL can't stand all the mess we seem to make :-)

Paint chaos

2008-03-21T19:08:00.003Z

We stayed mostly home today... painting, modeling with playdoh and clay, playing with memory cards (I lost to A even though I tried so very hard, I must really be getting old), and watching a movie: The Nightmare before Christmas. I love the lyrics in this movie...
Does it sound like fun? Everything except picking up after them even though they did help... and cleaning paint all over the kitchen floor

2008-03-19T18:49:00.001Z

This is the entrance of an old town, not far from where we live...

Have you ever tried....

2008-03-17T17:31:00.002Z

sea urchin roe?
We had some at my parents'
It's considered a delicacy...

2008-03-15T11:23:00.004Z

The way I see it...

2008-03-10T17:54:00.002Z

Elections held in Spain last Sunday, with socialist victory, have proved once more that there are two Spains: a traditional, conservative one (in the moral sense, I'm not talking about economics) which will side with the church and still, in many cases, doesn't see Franco as a such bad part of our past (that would be PP), and a more progressive one that would definately condemn Franco's regime... The gay-lesbian marriage thing is just one of the laws Zapatero has brought (Socialists have also passed a law to harden the punishments for domestic violence and protect abused women more effectively, and have improved conditions for the working young people to access housing, given the huge rise in prices.
However, I don't think many people vote for that as much as they vote out of fear, fear of the others... to understand that, we'd have to take a look at our recent past ... Many of our problems still stem from the civil war (1936-1939) which brought a long dictatorship with Franco supported always by the catholic church. Among other things, Franco was determined to erradicate any trace of identity except Spanish, thus Catalan was forbidden (my mom would be spanked if she was caught speaking her own language at school!). In general terms, Catalans and most peripheral Spain fought to maintain a republic and avoid Franco rising to power, while another part of Spain was siding with the dictator, and they won.
We still have these two sides in Spain. Many people vote out of fear. Socialists have played that card: "Vote for us, or they will come!", and PP has played that card too: "Vote for us, or Catalans will rule and Spain will break!" PP has once again used the language/cultural issue, and Catalans have played a big role in Zapatero winning, not so much because they love him, but because we see the alternative as far worse.
The debates on TV didn't help PP either, their leader (Rajoy) actually brought up Irak on the debate, when that was a major factor for their losing elections in the past! That was clearly unwise (in my opinion). So Catalans fear PP and have been decisive in the socialist victory, and the same has happened in the basque country. They have voted more for socialists, and the killing of a former councilman triggered the anger in many people who rebelled against ETA's "recommendation" that they should abstain from voting, and have hugely supported socialists....

So to answer your question, James, the socialists victory is ok with me... but only ok...

Trying to explain this in English is a bit of a challenge...!

2008-03-07T19:33:00.003Z

ETA had to appear in this campaign and murder again. This time it was a politician not even active, he had been a town councilman some years go but that's the point, those who are have escort, so this man didn't. He was an easy target. I don't understand these idiots... what do they want??

To continue with my pics, A started swimming today without a back float, so this is an important photograph!...

American dream?

2008-03-06T10:29:00.001Z

H and I were watching the news yesterday and a piece about elections in the US caught our attention. It was about Obama, and a team of reporters had actually interviewed Obama's mother in Kenya. The woman was dressed in traditional African clothing and spoke about proudly about his son. H said "This truly is the American dream...!" We have elections in Spain soon aswell (next sunday) and I think we still need to learn a lot about the US, even though it's not a perfect country either. It would be unthinkable in Spain to have someone running for president with relatives say in Morocco or any other African country. Our society is still quite prejudiced, and not just about people from other countries, in fact nobody could picture a Catalan running for president of Spain, and that would have nothing to do with race or ethnicity. Likewise, there was some controversy when Catalans elected president for our comunity because the winner is not a perfect Catalan. Mr Montilla was not born here, he has Andalusian descent and a Spanish last name. He won though. I wonder if I'll ever see a Catalan as president of the country. We really do have a long way to go...

To continue with my photographic journal (I blame Jessica for that) here's a pic inside my workplace...

Escudella i carn d'olla

2008-03-05T14:40:00.006Z

Our lunch today was the most typical dish in Catalan cuisine: escudella. It's a winter stew with lots of vegetables, meat and soup that is usually served in two parts, first the soup with pasta (tiny type of pasta) or rice, and then the meat with vegetables seasoned with just olive oil and a bit of salt. I use my mom's recipe, and I prepared two big meatballs with minced meat, egg, garlic, parsley and minced bread, made a soup with carrots, leek, celery, turnip, cabbage and pieces of lamb, veal, chicken and pork. When the meat was soft enough I took it out of the pot and prepared the two separate dishes. It's laborious... and I actually began making it the day before... here are some pics...

This is the minced meat, bread and egg I used...

I used frozen garlic and parsley cubes (that's not in my mom's recipe, she'd say this is not healthy, but this way your hands don't stink of garlic)

This is what we call "pilota" which is made of minced meat. It's actually like big meatballs...

We always cook and season with olive oil

On another note... it's been more than three months since H had his last seizure... I almost don't dare say it...

Just some pics of the day

2008-03-04T17:45:00.005Z

With C in the elevator...

A snack...

Watching tv...

The view from our terrace

Birthday

2008-03-02T17:07:00.002Z

We celebrated my dad's 80th birthday...

Saturday

2008-03-01T17:26:00.003Z

We spend every saturday at my inlaws... Did I tell you they have chickens?

The nursery school

2008-02-29T13:34:00.000Z

I've been taking C to a very nice nursery school for the past 1.5 years. It's a big place, with nice staff, a spacious class, a dining-room, and C's favorite, a playroom with a house in miniature. They all love it, because they can play house with small beds, a tiny kitchen with a fridge, oven, table, and food (plastic, of course), a closet with an assortment of clothing and shoes to dress up and even a couch and a TV that does not work. When it's nap time, they have a separate room with beds, and the best of all, the nursery school has a big playground. Overall, it's a very nice place and not expensive at all. BUT, it's in the worst neighborhood. It's state-run (there are several in our town), and following a policy of creating good equipments in poor areas, they ended up building this nursery school in this neighborhood. I had never been there before enrolling my daughter there. I just knew about it from the news. When I read the newspaper and find something about drug dealers being arrested, it's always there. Over the years, it has become sort of a ghetto. Mostly gipsies live there. There's so much talk about immigrants and integration, but in there, you'd find a good example of a group of people born in the country who don't share the general rules. There are trash containers on the street, but you can find all kinds of rubbish on the ground, just a few meters from where they should be. I just don't understand it. Is it so hard to walk a few more steps and throw it where it belongs? Another puzzling thing: some mothers take their kids to the nursery school and don't bother to change clothes, so you see them in slippers and pajama walking down the street with the kid. Hmmm... I would be embarrassed but they don't seem to bother. And another habit: eating sunflower seeds and spitting the husk on the ground (is husk the right word?).... I remember when we told our families that C would be going to this nursery school... they were shocked. But we think it was a good decision. My daughter has always felt comfortable in the school, she's happy and I guess that's the best indicator... Anyway, next year she'll join her sister in another school (the one A is attending), it's only 4 more months! The worst part about the nursery school is the drive... it's in the farthest part of town... In the beginning, Hubby drove her in the morning and I would pick her up after lunch, but then he was diagnosed with epilepsy, and I took care of the driving....

Dad, according to C

2008-02-26T11:05:00.000Z

That's my husband, according to Cristina. She likes to draw her father, nonstop, but he always looks like this. What I don't get is, his legs seem to grow from his head up. And that's not hair on the sides of his head. I suggested it was, but C quickly corrected me. Those are his ears.

That's also hubby, and it's always her next step. The first time she did that I asked "why are you scratching it out?" and she said "Noooo.... I'm covering him with a blanket". Ok.
Looks like an alien to me. But I won't tell her.

There's something on your hair...

2008-02-26T09:11:00.000Z

I don't spend much time in the mornings trying to make myself pretty. I don't use makeup and I hardly ever wear earrings or any other ornament... but yesterday I decided I looked too bad even for my taste so I tried to make my hair look at least ok. And I even put on a hairclip. Hmm... A red one. I arrived at work, said hello and one of my coworkers said "Nuri, there's something on your hair... something red" Something?? I did that on purpose! It was supposed to look good! All that effort...

Random thoughts

2008-02-13T10:56:00.003Z

WARNING: Grammatical, spelling mistakes ahead (I don't have the time to check)
I've been quite busy, I can only confirm that I am, indeed, a lousy blogger.
Other than that, no bad news in our household. It's been more than 2 months since H had his last seizure, so we're hopeful... However, the results on his sleep deprived EEG showed abnormal waves. The doctor said those waves shouldn't be there since he is on medication, but did not suggest a change. I guess he won't change his medication unless he has another seizure...
Just yesterday, we were having dinner, and Alicia asked out of the blue "Mom, what if you fall down like dad and it's just me and Cristina, what will happen to us?" It was totally unexpected since we had not been talking about it at all, in fact she seemed completely uninterested. I had tried to get her to tell me how she felt in the park when her dad had his seizure, but she refused to talk and I just let it go. But yesterday she gave me a full account of that day, and she seemed worried that it might happen to me or her... I told her it's a condition her father has, not me, and not her (let's not talk about genetics...) and that she should not worry because dad always recovers completely...

And now for something funny... my SIL went to the doctor because she had rash on the back of her neck. The doctor took a good look at her neck and head and then gave her the news: "ma'am, you have headlice!, do you have children?"
She was horrified. She's close to being a clean freak, her house is spotless, and changes his son's clothes if there so much as a tiny stain on them! The doctor actually explained that it does not mean she's dirty, that kids get them quite easily and sometimes pass them to adults, but she was sooo worried! I checked on Cristina, since the children had been playing together on sunday, and bought a special comb, but no lice or nits... Poor SIL

Party...

2008-01-25T12:07:00.000Z

I'm going to some kind of a farewell party for my boss. He won't be leaving the company, just changing his office, so we'll see him around anyway. My co-workers have prepared some surprises for him, and even wrote a song! I feel uncomfortable with the whole thing. It looks like a cult boss. Do we worship him or what?? We can have lunch, even exchange small presents but actually SING something to him and have some sort of magician perform for him??? Too much.

Childhood story

2008-01-16T11:10:00.000Z

Alicia: you know, mom, you don't have to take me to school everyday, I know the way, I can go on my own...
Me: Really?... Tell me, what if you're walking to school and someone driving a car tells you he can drive you?
Alicia: I'd go in the car and tell him where the school is!
she says that smiling, believing that her answer made her pass my "test", but I tell her never to do that, that she should never accept a ride from somebody outside the family. She looks confused, in part because she doesn't understand what some bad person might possibly want from her.

I'm writing this because Buffalo has a post that made me think about something that happened in my childhood. My sister (she was 7 or 8 at the time) once accepted a ride from a man we knew. Not that he was a friend, but he was a familiar face. She started to get scared when she noticed he wasn't driving towards our house. At some point he stopped and kissed her on the lips, saying they could pretend they were boyfriend and girlfriend. My sister was too scared to react. He continued driving and when he stopped again (a traffic light I suppose) she opened the door, jumped out and started running. When she told my mother, she didn't go to the police. Instead, she found out where the man lived and paid a visit. His wife opened the door and my mother demanded to see him. something in my mom's face told her this was serious, and she invited her in but she just told her to get her husband. When he came at the door he barely had time to say anything. My mother slapped him hard in the face, told his wife what he had done and told him she was going to the police. He begged her not to do it and swore he'd never do that to her daughters or any other kid. God knows if he kept his word... but I remember my sister was proud of her mom that night. We all were, even though that's not the type of behavior my dad approves. He would have followed the rational, legal way and gone to the police, but my mom's always been the temperamental one. Do you think she did the right thing? I believe she should have slapped him AND gone to the police, but that was about 34 years ago...

Per molts anys!

2008-01-10T19:33:00.000Z

3 years ago...

Today:

Waiting

2008-01-08T18:19:00.001Z

I'm angry. My husband is in France again with his father to see Dr Mystery. He had an appointment (I'm beginning to realise appointments mean nothing to this man) at 1pm and at 6pm he was still in the waiting room. This is just unbelievable. Could it be just a strategy? I mean, if he keeps people waiting in a small room maybe everyone believe he is really worth it... I'm wondering if he is, in fact, a quack after all. Even if he's a physiotherapist, he's still so unreliable when it comes to hours.

Exhausted

2008-01-06T19:40:00.000Z

I'm exhausted. I feel I've been on a marathon for the last two days. Yesterday we went to see the three kings (the wise men) arrive, and this morning the children opened up their presents. I've been either assembling things, putting batteries in toys or picking wrapping paper and carton boxes... I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

My MIL told me today that Alicia said to her "I like the other grandma better than you, she is nicer to me, gives us kisses and buys things". I don't like her saying any of that, but should I let this be a warning to MIL that she should be softer? Maybe hug the kids spontaneously??

2008-01-03T10:21:00.000Z

2007-12-30T10:39:00.000Z

I finally could upload two videos of the tió, so if you want to see them, you can click on these two links:
video 1
video 2
For some strange reason, I can't post them directly on the blog!
By the way, the song and voices are Catalan...

Bubbles and paint

2007-12-28T18:58:00.000Z

Sometimes we tend to buy sophisticated toys, but among the gifts from the tió, the simplest entertainment proved to be one of the kids' favorites: this thing to make bubbles. They're always amazed!

Cristina was also fascinated with paint, as you can see. But this painting box turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. See what 3 minutes of unattended painting frenzy will get you...

That strange tradition from Catalonia

2007-12-27T18:43:00.000Z

I couldn't upload a video of the tió, so I'll post pictures. This is how it works:1-the kids go to another room to pray or say a christmas verse2-they come back and take a stick and chant while hitting the log3-when the song is over they check under the tió for presents4-they repeat the same thing until there's only chocolate which means the tió is done, and won't give anymore presents...Don't ask me how kids believe this! they want to believe is my guess! (Is religion as easy as that? Just wanting to believe and not asking logical questions??)

Would you believe this is a Christmas tree?

2007-12-26T16:52:00.000Z

It is. And I can't help but associate it with it's owner's temperament, my MIL. It's dry, austere, gloomy... I can tell the colorful lightbulbs are there because, after all, it is Christmas, and doing something festive is a must, a chore, but one must never be too happy about it. Just the bare minimum of Christmas spirit.

Our tió...

2007-12-16T07:50:00.000Z

We have set the tió again, "he" needs to be stuffed with food so that on the 24th, he'll... release lots of presents for the children!

happiness

2007-12-15T11:13:00.001Z

Is this pill going to make me happy?

Is it going to bring back my motivation to do things?

Is it going to change the grouchy me into a sugarcoated mom?

Will it actually make me want to iron clothes, pick up the kids happily and do all my daily chores as if I were a character in The Sound of Music??

If it is, so be it...

Pic of the day: daughters playing at high speed

2007-12-13T20:52:00.000Z

nice....

2007-12-13T12:00:00.001Z

My co-workers again... but this time it's nice. They decided I need some time off and arranged for us to go have dinner someplace and go to see a movie. I need to get a babysitter for tomorrow!
It was actually so nice of them... I've been a bit down lately.

"Friends" at work

2007-12-10T11:53:00.000Z

Remember I was mad at one of my co-workers (there's two actually working in the same department I am) because she had made an insensitive comment about the lunatic doctor in France?. Ok, things are quite good since I talked to them both. I explained I had been through difficult times, even a bit depressed, and didn't feel much like sharing our experience of epilepsy with anyone (or them, at least, but I didn't say that). They said they felt I was shutting them out. After the talking, everything returned to normal, but I just don't see them under the same light. I still don't understand why they would feel so angry because I didn't share everything with them. It sounds a bit childish to me. And I remember a sentence they both used when I talked to them SEPARATELY. "We just didn't understand why you were so distant, when we had been so supportive..." I just don't feel that's ok. If you choose to be supportive you just don't brag about it, in my opinion. You don't remind your friend how much you've helped. That's kind of... low. And they actually said they wouldn't ask me again how my husband was doing, because I was being so "touchy". Great. I don't mind their not asking, in fact I appreciate, but I still think they're being... childish. They have kept their word, and have never asked me again how he's doing, or how I'm doing. And honestly, I prefer that. I prefer keeping my distance. We're civil, we're polite to each other and even friendly at times, but it's different now. They used to be a bit too "helpful". They always seemed to know what to do, and they insisted I should talk to my husband and make him understand he just can't be working on the same schedule, because that probably puts too much stress on him. It doesnt. He's happy at work, in fact he loves it. And he's an adult, let him decide. My two co-workers are the kind of people who not only listen to your problems, but also have a "solution". "Their" solution. And that can be annoying when all you want is somebody to listen without judging...