Treasure in the Desert

I'm off to Georgia, so this will be my last post til next week. I've had a fab time at my brother's. Today I walked along the sidewalk to the house and discovered that the HUGE bush is gardenia, my favourite flower. I remarked to my brother about it and he said, "Really? I have gardenias? I'm impervious to beauty." The perfume is intoxicating. Mmmm....and now we transition to the Hindu elephant head god, Ganesh. [Please Meester Simpson, do not offer peanuts to my god]

I have been telling an ongoing story to the nieces with them as the heroines. They've gone on all sorts of magical adventures and I've tied in different songs and myths. Most recently they are helping the Maharaj of Gunga Din in India to locate his stolen statue of Ganesh. I just happened to find an el-cheapo Ganesh statue at Ross's, so I'm burying it in the sandbox and they'll find it on a treasure hunt tomorrow after I've left. It starts with a letter from the Maharaj. Good times.

P.S. I discovered this awesOMe yoga studio, Journey Home, here. I've so missed Yoga East, and it was great to be able to practice in a class again. Thanks, Laura! :-)

Auntie Tales

We're past the half-way mark and the children have survived so far. Last night I was in the kitchen making stirfry. I was looking for the exhaust fan and Z asked, "Do you know how to work this house?" "No," I said. "Do you?" "No," she replied. My SIL's parents spent a whole evening doing nothing because they couldn't figure out how the TV worked. It's not just the TV; it's the rice-cooker and any other electronic gadget with all the bells & whistles. I'm more of an On/Off Switch kinda gal. Speaking of rice, I made a boatload of sushi rice for the stirfry (v. STICKY!) so A will get her request for sushi tonight! She already showed me where all the stuff is to make it. Did I mention my brother is a gourmet chef? And the Dried Toenails gives you an idea of his sense of humour. Hahaha

When I used to teach in Montessori school, and when I taught first grade, I always had a storytime incorporating lessons and children from the class. We would go on all sorts of adventures. They always end with a Do you know what happened next? And the kids say What? And I say, Tell you next time. Awwwww! they say.

One time a mother called to tell me that her son had had lice and that she had tried to give him a short crew cut. It's not as easy as it looks, she said. And now he has bald patches all over his head. I knew that poor little Thomas was in for some teasing, so I created a story about a little boy who was the hero and in the end he gets his hair cut off as some sort of rite of passage. I don't remember, but I think he went to China or India or something. Anyway, I never mentioned that it was Thomas or anything else. By the end of the week, 4 other little boys had gotten crew cuts. One mother said to me that her son never wanted his hair short before.... Really? I said. How curious....

The nieces come into my bedroom in the a.m. and wake me up. Mum said that Z & M sat in a chair and watched the clock for 5 minutes this a.m. because Mum said they couldn't wake me up before 7. 5 minutes of clocktime is an eternity for children! I'm v. grateful that Mum is here because I would be way more exhausted. And the house would be way messier! OK, that's my update...will endeavor to write more later in the week.... :-) H.