Thursday, December 30, 2010

Lacks basic knowledge

Kiso chishiki ga nai

Santa Claus came to the Pumpkin Palace and Christmas morning, the Pumpkin Prince and Princess found gifts under the tree. The Princess found a gift that the Pumpkin Mommy had refused to buy for her on her birthday two weeks ago, a battery powered monstrosity of pink plastic that flashes and sparkles and plays "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie". If that's not proof positive there is a Santa Claus, the Pumpkin Princess does not know what would possibly make your sorry soul believe.

"Aren't you glad Santa bought that for you?" the Pumpkin Daddy said to a beaming Pumpkin Princess as she made the environmentally unfriendly contraption play "Lightly Row".

"Santa doesn't buy toys, the elves make them in Santa's Workshop," I cut in.

"Santa has elves?"

"Santa has elves. They work for him, make the toys, package and wrap them, and put them in the proper sacks according to global region."

"Wow." The Pumpkin Daddy was impressed. "I wish I had elves."

And this was where the Pumpkin Prince wrestled the sparkly, shiny, tinkly toxic landfill fodder from his older sister, and WWIII broke out in the Pumpkin Palace living room, even without intervention from Muslim Fundamentalist Extremists or quasi-communist powers going through the third generation of their regime. This did not surprise me, nor did the fact that the Pumpkin Daddy did not know Santa had elves. Just another morning at the Pumpkin Palace.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Starting next time...

Tsugi kara ha...

The next time you meet up with a friend you haven't seen in a quarter of a century,

1) Take more than one picture with her
2) Take pictures in a well lit place
3) Give the camera to the person who has been taking the most pictures.



Oh well. We'll always have Paris Wicked.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Long story...

Hanaseba nagai

The Pumpkin Daddy has decided he wants to take piano lessons. He was in band in high school, but he has never had proper music lessons. I admire his "never too late to start" attitude, and the seriousness with which he tackles the variation of the Mozart piece he has been assigned.

(To my non-classical music buff friends: I am trying to be clever. He's playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".)



Behind him, the Pumpkin Princess is swiffing in her Cinderella dress. Long story.



The Pumpkin Prince is also swiffing. The skirt is his sister's. Even longer story.

I want to go too!

Boku mo ikitai!

The Pumpkin Daddy and Pumpkin Princess started taking piano lessons last month.


The new piano...OK, not a real piano, but an electronic piano so that 1) they can practice late at night with headphones 2) the floor won't cave in was delivered last weekend. They practice every day....OK, almost every day.


Piano lessons are at the teacher's studio three times a month, which is about a five-minute walk from our house. The Pumpkin Princess and Pumpkin Daddy have their lessons back to back, which means they walk there together and wait through each other's lessons. Pumpkin Daddy likes to take my iPad and the Pumpkin Princess takes along her sparkly colored pens and her drawing pad. They leave with excitement and anticipation in their hearts. For now, anyway. Let me get back to you in a few months.


And then there are some who are left behind against their will.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

You won't find out until you try.

Yatte minai to wakaranai.

Some things you just don't find out until you try them.

A length of animal print fabric tied around the waist as part of a dance costume is a good idea on a post-pubertal female.

A group of 5 year-old boys, not so much. By the second half of the performance, some of the youngsters looked like they were going to trip.

Maybe something involving elastic would have been a better idea.

As always, the Pumpkin Daycare Christmas show is five star entertainment. It always keeps evolving.