“I really can’t stay (baby, it’s cold outside)
I’ve got to go away (baby, it’s cold outside)
This evening has been (been hoping that you’d drop in)
So very nice — I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice…”
Temperature is dropping down… brrr! At one point it registered -2’C and they say it’s nothing compared to -35’c in winter… a complete reversal of +35’C in Manila!
The other day, we saw this on our patio:
The kids got so excited seeing these icy pellets bouncing as they hit the ground. They went outside and took in some samples then watched them melt in the sink.
That weekend, we bought them their thick jackets. They look so cute.
And just this afternoon, we had this:
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It was Canada’s Thanksgiving Day last October 12, Monday, and we celebrated it with Tito Phil’s family (at his daughter Melissa’s house, incidentally their seventh wedding anniversary as well). We got a taste of the traditional Thanksgiving meal of nicely roasted turkey served with gravy and cranberry sauce, stuffings on the side, corn, carrots, beets, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Too bad I do not have photos… but Melissa had a cute trio pumpkin/squash centerpiece on the table which I think put a festive touch and a nice ambience. Canadian thanksgiving is celebrated every second Monday in October. Unlike the US, Canada’s thanksgiving is not derived from the Pilgrims but marks the end of a successful harvest season. Canada’s northerly location also meant that their harvest season ends earlier than the US.
The evening before, we joined a Thanksgiving potluck dinner with fellow Filipinos held in the community church in Brossard. It was a feast with endless choice of food as each family contributed their specialty… lechon, dinuguan, laing, different versions of pancit… and desserts!
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In school, we got some feedback from their teacher. The boys are learning French well. They started constructing simple French sentences. At one point, while I was at the grocery looking at the seafood stuff, the lady at the far counter was saying something that I couldn’t understand. Then Raf came to me and said, “Mom, she’s asking if you want anything.” And just yesterday, the guy who was repairing our cable and internet connection was talking to another technician over the phone in French. Raf said he could understand a little what the guy was saying, that there was a problem in television connection and switching of channels. Amazing! My kids will soon be my translators… and tutors when we start our French class in January.
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At home, the boys showed some interest in the kitchen. DH has been cooking stew and pasta for us. He also prepares our salad and tried his hand at making paella. Good for me! And last Saturday, Raf learned how to cook rice. I taught him how to measure rice, wash it, measure the water and plug the rice cooker. The latest kitchen convert is Marco:
And one time, I caught Marco doing this:
Just how many variation can you do with milk and ice-cream combination? I love the fifth recipe, it gave me the giggles: “1. get chocolate milk 2. get milk 3. get ice cream 4. get multigrain (cereals) 5. put 2 cups of anything you want.”
And when the kids are in school, I see traces of them:
These are some of the things I collected under their bed: coins, bottle cap, lollipop, tissue cardboard roll, stones, plastic top, aluminum foil covered stone. Hey, they’re boys after all… and mine!
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KQOTD. Me (after breakfast): So, did you like the food? Kids: Yep! Me: So how do you rate it? Five stars? Raf: One million stars! Marco: Not one million stars! For me, it’s infinity heavens! (Tee hee –> I just fed them Spam!)