Multicultural Festival

Every year we try to attend the giant multicultural festival near us, but this is the first time we have been able to go. Sweet Son's favorite part was the dancers from India. Sweet Daughter's favorite part was the martial arts demonstration with weapons.

Polish dancers! We try to keep the kids connected to Poland as much as possible since they are second generation immigrants.

The instrument petting zoo was also a favorite, though I wish they would have had more multicultural instruments rather than just standard orchestra ones.

Kindergarten Graduation

How are they already graduating from Kindergarten? Why do they have to grow up?

The program started with a performance. Both kids are sitting in the front row - starting from the left, Sweet Son is 3rd and Sweet Daughter is 4th. Sweet Daughter is the one who opens the entire performance by herself!

Warning it is a long video - 8 minutes.

Sweet Son gets his fake diploma and tells everyone she wants to be a scientist when he grows up.

Sweet Daughter gets her fake diploma and tells everyone she wants to be a dance teacher when she grows up.

While both kids knew ahead of time they would get a fake diploma on the stage and their real one after the show, they weren't really sure they should even bother taking the fake one. Sweet Son wanting to be a scientist isn't new. It would actually be a good fit for his currently personality (which could change greatly before he needs to decide). Sweet Daughter made a strange choice. We tried dance lessons and she didn't like them. Apparently she kept changing her mind every time they practiced so she was told she had to choose something and dance teacher was one of the suggestions someone offered her. I told her she can change her mind hourly as far as I am concerned. She has plenty of time to decide.

After the fake diploma ceremony - each child walked across the stage one by one. The kids performed one more song and then it was time for cookies and their real diplomas.

I cannot tell you how much we have loved this school. My kids literally and figuratively grew up there. One started as an excited, energetic, talk non stop bundle of joy and ended exactly the same way only taller and with a great deal more knowledge. The other started a shy, quiet, timid, cautious child. While none of that really changed, by graduation that child was leading yoga, teaching other children, and surrounded by friends. They both thrived in the Montessori environment and we still miss the teachers. We do go back to visit. :)

Cinderella

We have been studying how the same story changes in different cultures. We have read the The Story of Cinderella (Disney Princess) , Yeh-Shen (the original story all the others are based on, from China),  The Egyptian Cinderella , and The Irish Cinderlad . Then the kids were given an assignment to write their own Cinderella type story. (They were given a template.)

Sweet Daughter
Title: Ella Dancing
Once upon a time there lived a dancer whose name was Ella and she lived in a one story house. Ella was treated very poorly by monsters. This evil person made monsters eat Ella. One day Ella danced on March 15th. Ella was very upset because she lost her dancing shoes. Then Ella met some fish bones and fish bones helped by giving her new shoes. Ella went to the stage where she danced. Then Ella lost a dancing shoe. After searching everywhere, the lost shoe was found by a Princess. The Princess knew the shoes belonged to Ella because she was dancing. Ella and Princess lived happily ever after and rode elephants.

Sweet Son
Title: Mr. Stinky Pants
Once upon a time there lived a garbage man whose name was Mr. Stinky Pants and lived on a farm. Mr. Stinky Pants was treated very poorly by Mr. Pokey Pants. This evil person made garbage come out of the truck. One day Mr. Stinky Pants drove his big garbage truck. Mr. Stinky Pants was very upset because he lost his socks. Then Mr. Stinky Pants met a chicken and the chicken helped by seeing who had the socks. Mr. Stinky Pants went to the farm where he drove the garbage truck. Then Mr. Stinky Pants lost his socks again. After searching everywhere, the lost socks were found by a Prince. The Prince knew the socks belonged to Mr. Stinky Pants because they matched the uniform. Mr. Stinky Pants and the Prince lived happily ever after and had kids.

Making fufu

When we study cultures, we try to use as many different senses as possible. During our study of Africa, Sweet Daughter wanted to make fufu. I had never heard of fufu, so this was going to be exciting.

If you have never read this book, you should find it. It covers many different countries and is interesting in many different ways.

 

 This is where Sweet Daughter first heard of fufu and decided she wanted to make and eat some.

First time using a peeler. She did great!

Mashing is hard work!

She rolled them into 4 balls so we could each have some with dinner.

 She was so pleased with her fufu and tomato soup. I love when the kids find something new they want to try. It's that smile and confidence I wish every person could understand.

Adoption and multicultural support

Picture this--220 men and women made meals in advance, set out clothes in little piles, arranged rides to practices, and said goodbye to children (pulled them off their legs in some cases). They set aside life for a weekend to come together, as a couple, as a community, thanks to The Sparrow Fund.

 

The Sparrow Fund is a nonprofit based in the Philadelphia suburbs whose mission is to support foster and adoptive families through grants and training opportunities. They also care for waiting children across the world and those who care for them day in and day out by taking teams into an orphanage in central China annually. At Together Called 2015, couples were encouraged as parents to children who have experienced hard things, as couples who need each other to work as a unified team, and as individuals who are called to a big task.

 

Over 100 businesses got to be a part of this big event through donations to 11 incredible raffles, overflowing with goodies to raise money for the work and bless the socks off whoever won them. We were one of those businesses, donating our flag people for the raffled. Through these raffles, The Sparrow Fund raised well over $3,000 to continue their work in the adoption community, and we're excited that we were able to contribute to that in a small but significant way! If you are interested in learning more about adoption or the work of The Sparrow Fund, please visit www.sparrow-fund.org or email info@sparrow-fund.org. They'd love to hear from you!

MLK Jr.

Every year I read the kids MLK Jr's famous speech. Each year I ask the kids what it was about with varying degrees of understanding. This year they were confused by one thing. Why wouldn't people who are black and white be the same? Sweet Daughter even added, "It's just skin color, it's not anything important like if they know how to follow the rules." I tried explaining that in the recent past people believed the darker your skin color the worse of a person you were. Sweet Son exclaimed, "That's just rude!" They both named people they are friends with who have different color skin. They both pointed out that they are darker than I am. (haha, I know) They are glad MLK Jr did something so that people would be nice to each other.

They were most surprised to find out not everyone agreed and that some people wanted to hurt him. Sweet Daughter said, "Maybe it was a baby who tried to hurt him because they don't know the rules." I said there were many adults who were upset at the idea of all people being equal. Sweet Son said, "But why? That's not logical!"

I love my kids.

Resort Restaurants

The resort had a few different reservation only dinner restaurants. We tried the Italian one that had great reviews on Trip Adviser and weren't impressed. The next night we decided to try the Spanish one. We were in Mexico after all!

The restaurant was truly Spanish, i.e. food/decor from Spain. It was one of the best experiences we had at the resort. The food was great and the staff was outstanding.

 

First, they brought out hats for our kids to try on and play with. I should note we had the only kids in the entire place and they were exceptionally well behaved.

Then they brought out the best table game ever. A lime with a napkin on top. The corners of the napkins are twisted and it forms a shell over the lime. The waiter sat it down and gave it a little push. It waddles across the table and made everyone laugh. They let each child play with one. Such a simple idea, but it kept the kids entertained while we waited for the food to be prepared.

 

Even after bringing the food, the staff continued to offer special attention to our kids. They brought out shot glasses filled with something clear. The kids seemed nervous, but took a cautious sip. Then they were hooked and finished drinking the rest of the shot. It was Sprite, for those who are wondering. It was the first time either of our kids tasted Sprite. They now refer to Sprite as "an adult drink" which does cause some interesting conversations, but I like the concept. haha

At one point Sweet Daughter dropped her shot glass on the floor. It shattered and she was upset. The staff rushed over to clean it up, apologizing for giving her glass. I was apologizing for her dropping it. She was just upset and thought she was in trouble. We all assured her she wasn't in trouble. There is a reason we don't give glass to 3 year olds.

Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo

As promised, this post is about another way we celebrated Canada Day. We went to the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. I had never heard of this before visiting, but it was an incredible amount of fun.

We sat in a luxury box, which gave the kids room to move around and not bother others.

So what exactly is it? "The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is a week-long event held every year in Nova Scotia. The two-and-a-half hour family show is fast-paced – every scene only lasts about 3-6 minutes, so there is always something new to see and experience. Looking for a taste of true Nova Scotia? There’s bagpipes, highland dancers, la culture de l’acadie and military traditions. Hoping for something more modern? The Tattoo also features innovative acrobatic acts, modern music, contemporary dancing, trampoline routines and cutting-edge videos."

For the finale, all of the acts came out together.

 There were some loud parts (cannons being fired) that our kids didn't like, but that was fairly easy to anticipate and cover their ears. There was music, dancing, acrobats, and even a race to disassemble, carry through obstacles, and reassemble large pieces of artillery. It really did have something for every one. As promised, it was fast moving and kept the kids attention much better than I had expected.

Our group of family and friends together after the Tattoo.

If you find yourself in Halifax the first week of July, I highly suggest attending this show. While it's not a kids' show, they will be entertained.

How travel changes play

My kids are playing so nicely together. According to them they are taking a car to the airport and then they will take a train to the water to meet the gondolier who will drive the boat to the Colosseum. Not a bad plan from a couple of two year olds.

Frankfurt, the Euro Sign

Wonderful husband wanted our photo with the Euro sign. We could see it down the street, but the way was blocked. So, we decided to walk around so we could get closer to it.

This wasn't as close as we were expecting. There were barricades set up and many police guarding the area. There wasn't a crowd or anything seemingly wrong, so we decided to ask if we could take a photo with them.

Only one agreed, the rest had to stay vigilant with their posts. We also ask why they were there. The next day they were expecting large protests on the bank because of the troubled Euro. They had closed down subway stations, blocked off the streets, etc.

This was the first time my kids had ever seen a tank in person. The protests did remain peaceful the next day and this didn't have to be used.

Walking away we figured we were out of the "danger" area when we noticed there were finally cars in the streets. Then we noticed they were all police cars - police vans and mini vans technically. We had to walk past 3 subway entrances before we found one that was open to take back to our hotel. We actually ended up on a commuter train rather than the subway so there were fewer stops. I like when it all works out in the end.

Playground in Frankfurt

After seeing the sights, we walked past a park. Unlike the parks in Poland where we had cousins to play with and the parks in Italy where there were other kids, this park was empty. There was a light rain and we thought that was what was keeping everyone away.

The park was divided into 4-5 different sections. Rather than being divided by age, as in the US, they seemed to be divided by theme.

The kids favorite part was the boat. In the background you can see an area that was for water play. We figured since we were already wet, we could skip that part.

A bucket and a pulley entertained him for a lot of time. They would take turns filling the bucket with sand and rocks and transporting them on and off the boat.

There were many different toys to ride on, but she didn't weigh enough to make it move by herself. I was happy to have an excuse to play.

They weren't quite big enough to reach from one wooden board to the other, so they had to walk on the ropes as well. That made this moving bridge much more challenging.

  

She was driving to Italy, or so she told us.

On Monday, I will post the real reason the park was empty. It involves riot police and a tank.

Walking Around Frankfurt

We had one day to spend in Frankfurt and wanted to  make the most of it. So, we started by taking the train to the city center and walking around with no real plan.

Our hotel was attached to the airport and the train station. There were a ton of places to eat and it made it exceptionally easy to get around.

Most people probably wouldn't just set out to walk around and see everything, but we aren't most people.

This was the end of our two weeks in Europe and getting around cities where we don't speak or read the language was becoming even easier.

We loved the contrasting architecture in Frankfurt. One area would be these more traditional buildings and the next street over would be completely modern. 

It was easy to get around by just picking a building we thought looked interesting and heading toward it.

We were able to see many of the iconic sights in the city and the rain made the temperature perfect.

The very light rain also made many people hide inside so it wasn't crowded anywhere we went.

 We would see a city marker sign telling us about something important (in this case the bridge) and just walk across it.

Though the kids didn't seem nearly as impressed by this bridge as the ones in Venice. 

For more about Frankfurt, check back tomorrow.

Krakow Family and Polish Pride

All kids love playing with new toys and mine are no exception. We stayed with family in Krakow and the kids loved playing with the "big kid" toys and the "baby" toys.

A year later and sweet son still talks about this robot. It walks, dances, and makes noises. I'm sure it would do more if someone older than 2 were to use the remote. 

People say that Texans have pride like no where else. We found someplace else that was willing to compete.

Just a little Polska pride.

Sweet daughter hugging the youngest cousin while the sweet baby just wanted to pull her hair.

He loved wearing this hat around the house. Yet, he always took it off and put it away before we left the house.

Us with our Krakow Family