Saturday 14 April 2012

Rainy Day Successes


I do believe I made the most delicious loaves of bread today. Wholegrain and Spelt bread. Delicious!
The recipe was in Italian on the back of the flour packet which I painstakingly translated into english. And I'm pleased I did as it told me I would find the packets of yeast required inside the packet of flour. That's a novel idea...?!
It was a very wet day today in which baking bread and making chicken, pancetta and vegetable soup was required. I love the lady on the front of the tinned tomatoes. Isn't she beautiful with her crown inlaid with tomatoes? Handy for if you ever feel like tomato in your salad or on a sandwich. Just whip one out of your crown, chop-chop-chop and there you have it. Very handy indeed.


I was pleased to get some time to sit down and create this 'Word Car Park' for Luca to assist him in learning his words. He's such a bright wee chap and is always reading and sounding out words he comes across during the day, but I just wanted to make his list of words he's learning this year a bit more interactive for him. And what better for a boy who loves cars and loves to park them? He took to this idea like a duck to water, having a car ready for when I called out a word for it to be parked on. Next thing the car would be screeching around the corners finding the word, choosing to reverse them into their parking spaces.

An elderly lady who lives a couple of doors down rung our doorbell this evening and started yabbering away to me in rapid Italian. We were in the middle of dinner so I was a little distracted but she was saying something like our boys are noisy and she can hear them running around in the house when she is in her kitchen. And then something about them playing with the ball down the steps towards her house.
Yeah.
I just nodded and said "Si" a couple of times and "Ho capito" (I understand) when I really didn't have a clue what she was talking about.  She might have been being nice and saying she loves to hear the boy's footsteps when she's in her "cucina" (kitchen) and how it's wonderful they are playing around outside her place with the ball. But I doubt it. I actually think she's a few sandwiches short of a picnic so I'm not too bothered by this.
Which is a good sign that things are looking up because if we'd had this conversation (I say 'conversation' but it was more like me being talked at...) yesterday or earlier on in the week it very likely would have broken me.

It wasn't until I was sitting on the couch this afternoon with Beni asleep on my lap, Max happily playing with the building blocks across the room and Luca having conversations with his cars that I realised I wasn't feeling stressed-out or out of control anymore. I was feeling settled and just enjoying watching my boys be content. It was a good feeling and a scene I hope to be able to see a lot more repeats of.

I hope you are having a happy weekend! X

:::


8 comments:

  1. Ah this sounds like you are managing to move forward through the initial 'settling in' time and able to reflect on it. Well done :o)!!!! It's been very hard for you and our thoughts have been and still are with you every step of the way xxxxx! Lots of wonderful nurturing Italian baking - yum!!!!!! Looks delicious and we look forward to trying some soon :o). Absolutely LOVE Luca's carpark word game. You don't need me to give you ideas - you are doing it yourself!! Well done :o). Good to see you are not letting the little old lady unsettle you too much. Hope she settles down as well :o). Must be hard for her though to have her peace broken by little children's noises - she's probably raised many mokupunas and now thought she could breathe a sigh of relief.I'm sure she'll come round. Maybe with some of your wonderful baking? Love you xxxx

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  2. Hi Brigitte, I absolutely love your word car park, you are so imaginative, my poor kids got stuck with a very unimaginative mother intent on homeschooling them anyway!! I might have to borrow some of your ideas for Caiden (4). Glad you are feeling more settled, have been thinking about you lots, love reading your blog.
    God bless, Karina.

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  3. Love your attitude regarding the little old lady. You are awesome! Very cool word game idea

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  4. Glad things are going better...Poos to the old lady! 3 small very active boys that are quiet are either 1. sick 2. asleep or 3. gagged... And love that word game, will have to make one!

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  5. I have just found your blog from SImoney over at great fun for kids. I just want to say I think you are amazing for following your dream to Italy - It was certainly my dream too but I put it in the far too hard basket. I take my hat off to people like you who see what they want and make it happen even when there are many hardships that stand in your way, like your hubby being away for long periods at a time. I look forward to reading about your wonderful italian adventures and seeing all your gorgeous photos that just take me back to my brief italian visits.

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  6. Great word game, perfect fun for boys! Long may the successful days continue xx

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  7. Aww yay - Awesome rainy day story friend! You are a clever one - bread, the translation of the recipe, the word game, the faking comprehension! Love it!!

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  8. Do you need me to come over there and sort out the old lady for you?? I'll have no problems communicating with her. "Grumpino!! Scram-o crazio!! Pronto pronto!!"

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