The Simple Things in Life

We had a game scheduled. The whole team got in there and it was pouring. 

Some kids were annoyed but not the fierce less trio: M, E and B were dying to play under the rain. 

E's mom at said there was no way E would be out in the rain. 

It ends up she was the first one to wander around out there while it poured. 

Because it was a lost cause, I made a deal with B. She would stay dry until we knew whether the game would be called off. Then if the game indeed ended up being cancelled, I'd let her play out in the rain. 

To their delight, the game ended up being cancelled. They ran outside and played, ran and jumped on puddles. 

Their joy was contagious! Sometimes we think kids need costly entertainment and play dates like amusement park rides or elaborate slumber parties to build memories and be happy. Yet, the unplanned free play time under the rain was everything to them. 

The simple things in life... We have lots to learn from them. 

Imagine Mall

I was hesitant about this  one project since I am not a sales person and B didn't seem excited herself. 

She kept saying since the year began that she really enjoyed going to Imagine Mall as a shopper and didn't feel like selling anything. It was a struggle to come up with an item to sell and it was frustrating for her to do the signs as she wanted them to be "perfect".

Last night as were putting the popcorn inside the bags she  finally got excited and said to me: "It's like we have our own assembly line! Like a real shop" and woke up this morning very excited to go.

She arrived home with a smile on her face and jumping for joy as she had made a profit on her popcorn sales.

This Imagine Mall journey really sums up what this school year was for us. It began as if B had not missed school during the Summer and is ending with her loving reading , math, science and all. This is what school should be all about: a journey that prepares the kids for life while instilling on them the love of learning. Thanks to her teachers, the best ones she has ever had at Imagine. 

Christmas Magic

We celebrate full blown Christmas in this household, because we do with the feeling this is her last Christmas believing Santa and all what entails. This Christmas, we visited Santa and played with snow . 

We went to Christmas parties with Santa.

 

 

 We went to a Christmas shop to shop for ornaments. 

Decorated her very own tree for the first time: 

And even  went on Polar Express ride to North Pole. 

 

 

 

 

 

However, one item has always be amiss throughout the years, the Elf on the Shelf. I have always thought it  was part of the very  commercial American Christmas in which kids get to have a list of presents, not only one and the more add-ons we would have, the less we think about the real meaning of Christmas. For this reason, I never contemplated having an elf.

 

This year it was hard to resist having one when there was an Elf on the Shelf on her class and all the kids had an Elf but her. I finally gave in…

And the magic happened!

And that's was the best thing that happened so far this Christmas. She was talking to Ginger telling her that she wanted to make a request for Santa. 

The request was for Ginger to go to a poor kid and to "give her place" for Santa to a poor kid next year so that she would not receive her gift next year. I did not see that coming. And I all of the sudden I was tearing up for her innocence and her giving spirit. 

She named her Elf Ginger, which was the name she proposed at school but they chose another name instead based on voting.

 

It was rewarding to see how excited she got as Ginger got naughtier and naughtier. Ginger hung upside down, wrote with lipstick, reminded her about homework and did may other crazy things.

 

To top up, Ginger she flew to Cayman with us where we spent our Christmas in spite of me telling her Ginger would stay behind. Thanks to her Dad who convinced me otherwise.

 

Ginger brought so much joy to our family and inspired us all to be kinder and do the right things. She really did bring out the Christmas spirit in all of us. So much so that the last day with Ginger was bittersweet. We miss her  and we can’t wait to see her again next Christmas.

 

And so this is Christmas… Magical, special as it should be.

 

Easter

Miss B is eight and I know it won't be too long before she stops believing in Easter Bunny and the likes. 

For this reason, I celebrated last Christmas as if it was our last and although I did not have any grand plans for Easter, this Easter turned out to be a very special one. 

We were given the opportunity and could take Hoppers home for the Easter weekend. Hoppers is the bunny girl that belongs to her Math teacher's class: Ms. Slay. I could not believe our luck when she offered Hoppers especially for this weekend. 

B had lots of fun with Hoppers. She got to hug, kiss and laugh at her crazy stunts and Hoppers got to like us too. 

However, nothing was as special as hearing her tell me full of glee all about the Easter Bunny this morning: "Mamaya, the Easter Bunny has been here the entire time. It's Hoppers!" 

Steve Jobs

So as her 2nd Grade Living Museum Project, of all people I shared with her including Walt Disney, the first woman astronaut etc, Miss B chose to speak about Steve Jobs. And that is because he invented the iPhone, she said at first.

 

I purchased a children's biography of Jobs and even though she had asked whether he had died I never answered and told her the book would tell her. 

The day was today, she finally finished the book and came sobbing to me to say that Steve Jobs died when she was only a Kindergartner and she never got to meet him. Between sobs she said she wished there was a day to celebrate Job for his contributions to the computers and electronics and science My innocent and sensitive little geeky Scientist...