Ever notice how toothbrushes can be a window into your personality? Well, neither did I until I had a look at Harriet and Ted's toothbrushes recently.
The other day James was off work and there was a new op shop opening up, so we headed over to check it out. I found quite a few cute items, including a ridiculous haul of doilies, these lovely additions to my existing Johnson's set, James picked up a pair of brand new boots for $5 and I found this cute little hat for just a couple of dollars. 
You know it's not worth even attempting to pretend you're in any way at all groovy when your four year old son can rock your own hat better than you can. Ted loves this hat and we've agreed to 'share' it, although honestly, why would I bother?
Harriet has been having a fine ole time lately. Heading off to an ice skating party last week, another party at the Observatory this week, exciting adventures in music (both in her Suzuki violin and her school class) and, wonderfully for her, she found out that she came sixth in her Japanese class at school. Now the placement itself is not really the big deal; he reason we're all so thrilled is that she was doing very poorly in Japanese at the end of last year due to her acceleration. At school they study 80mins/day of their language, so missing out on a full year of that put her at a significant disadvantage. We hired a tutor (an ex-student of her school) and she has rocketed back up in confidence and interest, even rising from coming 9th last term to her current position. Given that there are a few native speakers who do extension language in her class as well, we're all (including Ted!) so excited for her that she is understanding and enjoying Japanese (and she loves her tutor too, which helps!).
I've recently finished The Ocean at he End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, which I loved. It was for book club and I am so happy that I was introduced to it without 'choice'. Gaiman is not an author I would otherwise have voluntarily have picked up, so I do love a new introduction. Having read a few reviews online (only after I've finished the book of course), it seems like it's his best book in a while though, so I'm not clamboring to read more of his just yet.
I also read the JK Rowling/ Robert Galbraith book - and there is no way on earth I would have read that if not for book club. It's Rowling (I was no fan of the Harry Potter books, although the films were enjoyable), genre fiction (which I eschew in a snooty book fascist manner) and the only review I'd read of it had mentioned there was a lot of talk about fashion (one of my very, very least favourite topics). But I enjoyed it almost despite myself and would definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy crime/mystery fiction.
Currently I'm reading The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, like just about everyone else in the Western world, and today she won the Man Booker as the youngest author ever. Go the Kiwi! It's certainly beautifully written in the very early pages I've read so far. It reads like an old classic rather than a modern day author which holds a lovely appeal to me and my Literature nerdiness.
Harriet hasn't really been reading too much, although she has devoured our Calvin and Hobbes treasuries - and what's not to love? If you don't know about Calvin and Hobbes then I am reaching through the computer monitor right now and slapping you hard. I'm then commanding you to read this page right now. NOW! *waggles finger in authoritarian manner at you* There is also this documentary that I want to see and James has called me Susie in the past, based on this strip.
Unfortunately the fact that Ted bears more than a striking resemblance to Calvin in personality still fails to endear him to her in those dark days. I remember when I used to read the comic before being a parent, and I just couldn't understand why his parents failed to be inspired by his brilliance. Now. Now, I know. I have an even greater respect for Watterson after becoming a parent myself and for his representation of the parents in C&H. The man is genius.
Ted has been reading whichever Aussie Nibbles book I manage to sneak into the car, and this afternoon I found him reading The Very Bad Book by Andy Griffiths and giggling himself into hysterics. We are so so so close to the end of Charlotte's Web but Ted preferred to enact the book instead of listening to me read the last two chapters in the sun this afternoon. He has even considered the idea of a Charlotte's Web party next year which sounds like a lot of fun, but we'll see. His fifth birthday party has gone through more permutations in the past six months than I can even begin to remember.
It has still been Operation Wear Ted Out though. We have been on the coast walk with him, spent a full day at the Aquatic Centre (and luckily didn't have our car incinerated) and generally been ensuring he is out and about. At a very sweet park around the corner from us there has opened up a great little cafe, selling good coffee, spelt banana bread, pastizzi and some inspired jaffles (including mushroom and ricotta! Awesome!), so we may be spending a few more afternoons there riding around on the tag-along, running around like crazy people and playing ball games galore. The weather has been splendiferous for such activity lately.
2 comments:
And to think that you wanted to call Ted "Calvin"!
And to think that you wanted to call Ted "Calvin"!
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