Some random observations

Kids do NOT like Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw. Neither do they like Green Peas and cheese salad. They will eat cauliflower cooked with potatoes in Aloo Gobi .

We had rain. A few drops came down so hard that builders out behind us ran out to rescue bags of cement. We ran downstairs. By the time we got down, the rain was gone. The splatters on the sidewalk did not even cover the whole pavement - spaces were left between the drop marks. No puddles to splash in, so we played hide and seek. It rained a small amount more later in the evening, but that's all we got. Maybe this weekend?

60F is cold. I am a wimp.

"Obama is very good. Bush was not very good. Jimmy Carter was the best. Washington was also very good." This is the first Egyptian opinion about our Presidency that I've heard in awhile. I have to laugh about all the 'advice' given before we came over here. We are told to avoid discussing sensitive matters, like immediate family, religion, politics, etc. but that is NOT going to happen! Our hosts are very inquisitive and opinionated (in a friendly manner) and you will asked about and/or told about all of this and more by everyone you meet. When you come to Egypt, you are not a tourist, you are a guest. Be prepared to show pics of yours kids, state your religion, and discuss politics and current events.

Speaking of current events, and being a guest of Egypt, we have lived here for over four years now and consider Egypt our home, even though we will soon be leaving. We are guests, but I am also 'local'. I am feeling a very personal anger about the evil criminals who attacked the Khan. Anyone who has been to the Khan, even once, but especially someone who knows it well enough to have perpetrated this crime, knows that not only is the square in which the bombing occurred always be filled with tourists - it is- it is also filled with locals who work and shop there - always, day and night. It is filled with people - FAMILIES - having meals and tea at the cafes. It is filled with people visiting the mosque. It is filled with people who work there, including the police. And of all places through the whole Khan, it is a place where you ALWAYS see children, EGYPTIAN children, running and playing, day and night. The crime that was committed was evil enough, especially as it was children who were the victims, but the fact that it was committed - on purpose - in an area known to be filled with families and children... it was beyond a crime. There is a special place in hell waiting for those who committed this cowardly attack - and the sooner they go there, the better for us all.

Just like his dad...

Brad and I tease each other over our various obsessions. Mine tend to be artsy-craftsy, Brad's are more nerdy-geeky... it's all in good fun, of course, our way of appreciating each other. Our kids tend to have a bit of both of these traits, with Honor leaning more towards the creative, and Brian towards the scientific, proof of which Brian brought home in his homework the other day. He got an 'x' on one of his math problems. He'd answered it with a "?" and that, obviously, was not good enough. It was a word problem: (something along the lines of) "If a box with 3 crayons weighs 60gr, how much does each crayon weigh?" Brian wasn't sure how to answer it without knowing how much the box weighed.

Think he has a future in engineering? Law?

Go Girl Go

Why stress reading, when you have a big brother to tell you stories?

And yes, Brian took the task of reading to his little sister very seriously, from a young age!

Not sure what the exact difference in character is, but where Brian was driven to figure out how to read and was memorizing books before he turned two and starting to actually work out words soon after, Honor was not as interested. She's definitely a smart little cookie too, and has always showed her intelligence in other ways.. we haven't been worried! But they were so different in their approach to reading. Brian wanted to know the story. Word by word. Don't mess around with it. Honor preferred to look at the pictures and make up stories. It was also easier to read to Brian. A book at night would calm him down - a book at bedtime would just get Honor wound up.

Awhile back though, Honor put her mind towards reading... in her own cat-like unhurried way ... and started being more serious about it. We haven't thought it necessary to push her at this age. She has the vocabulary - spoken - and she loves to write. We are constantly being asked to spell things for her. Settling down to read on a regular basis was not on her agenda though... until now. In the last few weeks, Honor has decided that she is a reader. A reader of everything. Signs on the road, covers of magazines, subtitles of movies. She was home from school sick yesterday when I received a text message from a friend. Honor intercepted it, read it, replied to it, and proceeded to have a little chat session with my friend ... "How do you spell 'playdate'?" She once hit the "Send" button twice. How do I know? She read the error message to me and asked why it popped up: "There is no message text. You must enter a message before this can be sent." After I explained, she 'ok'ed the message and continued texting! She's reading instructions and other text in computer games and, oh yes, books. Book after book. She gets workbooks and coloring books and reads the text and instructions herself. She tackled 64 pages of "Go Dog Go" and went immediately on to "One Fish Two Fish."

It's fun to see the look of surprise on her face when she studies an old toy, or opens a book we've had forever, or watches a movie she's watched a hundred times... and she can suddenly READ words she finds there. Where'd THAT come from?!?

Watch out world... we have another reader :-)