La chasse au trésor

Simone contemplait la chambre du petit B d'un oeil mauvais. "Ramasse tout ça," dit-elle finalement. "Mais maman!" s'écria le petit B. "Il y en a partout." "C'est toi qui a décidé de parsemer des tuiles de lettre un peu partout dans ta chambre, n'est-ce pas?" Le petit B fit une grimace. "Oui." "Alors c'est toi qui fait le ménage. Allez. Hop. Vas-y!" Le petit B maugréa mais se dirigea tout de même dans sa chambre. Une quinzaine de minutes plus tard, le petit B se présenta devant Simone, un panier en osier au bras. "J'ai une idée, maman," proposa-t-il. "Qu'est-ce que tu aimerais faire maintenant?" Demanda Simone. "Si on faisait une chasse au trésor?" suggéra-t-il. Il donna le panier à sa mère. Simone hocha la tête. "D'accord. Et c'est quoi le trésor qu'on recherche?" Le petit B lui fit un beau sourire charmant. "Des tuiles de lettre!"

Shrek!!!!!

Finally, after months of anticipation, Simone's Christmas present had arrived: two tickets to the musical Shrek. No, the tickets did not arrive per se. The date that the tickets were good for had arrived and Simone, bubbling over with excitement, was going to get to experience her favourite movie live. The "stage" was set. Little B had packed his suitcase full of toys and was comfortably settled at his big brother's apartment. Simone and hubby had arrived 20 minutes ahead of the curtain rising. And there they were, in the lobby of the theatre. Simone couldn't stand still. "I love Shrek!" She gushed. It was by far her favourite movie of all time. Perhaps that is a silly thing to admit but there it is. Simone's husband smiled indulgently. "Did you want any souvenirs?" He asked. Simone beamed. She picked a fuchsia t-shirt and a donkey hoodie, complete with donkey ears and "hoofs". Soon it was time for the show to start. What a memorable show! The dragon was positively outstanding - Simone LOVES the dragon! Thank-you, hubby, for this gift. It was a joyous experience from beginning to end. Thank-you!!!!

Le nez en avant!

La fille de 13 ans avait beaucoup apprécié la petite coupe de champagne qui lui avait été offerte. Elle s'empressa donc d'aider à servir le repas chez son grand-père et, ensuite, de débarrasser les assiettes. Toute la petite famille était installée sur la terrasse et il fallait effectuer un va-et-vient entre la cuisine à un bout de la maison et la table, au fin fond du jardin. De plus il fallait négocier une porte moustiquaire. Au voyage vers la cuisine numéro trois, l'adolescente marchait un peu rapidement et oublia l'existence de la porte: son nez frappa la porte moustiquaire. Ce qui ne l'empêcha point d'avancer encore plus et, cette fois-ci, son pied passa au travers du moustiquaire. "Bon. J'ai compris," trancha le père de Simone. "Tous les animaux du quartier vont venir faire un tour chez moi, maintenant que c'est porte ouverte. Vous n'êtes plus invités." Il disait ça pour rire! Euh, enfin, Simone et sa fille croient qu'il disait ça pour rire...

March 2012

This had to be a first. "I'm too hot!" Complained Simone. "Then turn the AC on," suggested her husband mildly. "But it's March!" Retorted Simone. Simone's husband stopped entering orders and peered up at her. "Is there a law that I'm unaware of which forbids us from turning on the AC in the month of March?" Simone sighed heavily. No. No such law existed. Still. It seemed bizarre to turn the AC on during a month that traditionally sees temperatures hit a high of 10 degrees. Yet here they were, on day 6 of temperatures well over 20 degrees Celsius. And to think that some people out there still believe that global warming is a figment of someone's overactive imagination. What next? Rain on the moon?

Une nouvelle maison

La belle-mère de Simone devait déménager et elle s'inquiétait. N'arriverait-elle jamais à dénicher la perle rare? Un chez soi pas trop dispendieux dans un milieu sécuritaire où elle serait à proximité des gens qu'elle aime? Le mari de Simone oeuvra donc à lui trouver une petite maison dans laquelle il serait possible d'installer un appartement à part, afin d'aider sa maman à payer le loyer. Et c'est exactement ce qu'il fit. Petite maison, appartement au sous-sol, et à deux pas des magasins et de chez Simone. Autant dire, que quelqu'un va bientôt devenir madame Taxi... Mais bon, tout est bien qui finit bien! Il ne restait plus qu'à attendre que la construction de cette très nouvelle maison soit terminée...

Couldn't SOMEONE tell me?

Today, Simone decided, was going to be a laid back day. She slipped on a pair of loose track pants and a t-shirt and away she went. First, Simone brought little B to his bus stop. Afterward, she hopped into her car and went to the grocery store to pick up some produce. She went to little B's school to speak to his teacher about an upcoming class event. She went to the doctor's office for an appointment then she went home and poured herself a cup of tea. The tea absorbed, Simone took the dogs for a long walk and met up with a friend. They chatted for a few minutes and went on their separate ways. To fill in the time before little B's return home from school, Simone went to have a manicure and pedicure done. She had just enough time left to go home and grab the dogs before hiking over to the bus stop. "Hi Mom," said little B cheerfully. "Why are your pants inside out?" Simone, who was waving goodbye to little B's bus driver, looked down. Yup. Her pants were indeed inside out. Visibly so. Ugh.

Le retour...

Un weekend de trois jours se passe super rapidement lorsqu'on a dix heures de route à l'aller et 10 heures de route pour le retour. Il n'y a, en fait, qu'une seule et unique journée de visite. Mais personne n'était pressé de se quitter, ce dimanche matin-là, et il fut donc convenu d'aller manger un dim sum de très bonne heure. Il était si tôt, que personne d'autre n'était encore assis dans le restaurant. Et les serveurs, qui connaissaient le père et la belle-mère de Simone très bien, étaient tout à fait renversés de les voir là avant 11 heures. N'empêche que, malgré l'heure, les mets étaient sans exception délicieux. Tout le monde mangea à sa faim et, à regret, il fallut se quitter. Avant de monter en voiture, Simone effectua pourtant un petit arrêt dans une boutique qui vendait des "bubble teas" et des biscuits. Ce fut une erreur que Simone ne répétera pas. De la glace, de la poudre et de l'eau, le tout mal mélangé et des "biscuits" qui fondent dans les mains avant même d'atteindre la bouche? Non merci. Le petit B avait hâte de s'installer devant l'écran. "Je vais regarder Alvin and the Chipmunks," annonça-t-il. Et c'était le seul film qu'il voulait voir tout au long du trajet. Sauf que sa maman est une méchante maman. Elle ne laissa pas faire. "On ne regarde chaque film qu'une seule fois," décréta-t-elle. Et elle confisqua chaque film à sa fin.

Wine shopping anyone?

Another sunny day dawned in Philly and Simone's hubby bubbled with enthusiasm. Not about the weather: about the day's outing! "Your father is going to take us to a few wine shops today. The prices and the selection are so much better here in the states - and that superstore in Maryland has some amazing wines. This is going to be great!" Gushed hubby. Simone looked at the sunshine, filtering through the leaves of the trees outside and thought that a day spent hopping from wine shop to wine shop would be mighty boring for little B, especially on a day like today. "How about you guys go wine shopping and I'll stay here with the kids? I'm sure little B would love to go to the playground for the morning?" She suggested. Little B concurred heartily and so it was that Simone and the little guy walked to the local playground a little while after the men had left on their adventure. The place was packed with kids, parents, guardians, brothers, sisters and four-legged friends. Little B spent nearly two hours climbing and sliding, chasing and laughing. When he finally wound down, they headed home, each of them smiling. Hubby and Simone's dad arrived soon after, both of them also visibly pleased with their outing. "Thank-you for letting me drive your car," Simone's dad said. And he seemed genuinely pleased to have done so. All in all, a pretty successful morning's work...

Un petit restaurant italien

Arrivée à Philadelphie par un beau vendredi ensoleillé... Simone, son mari et les enfants se détendait chez le père de Simone alors que celui-ci et sa femme étaient au boulot. "On leur prépare quelque chose pour ce soir?" Suggéra le mari de Simone qui devait s'ennuyer. Simone, qui était bien heureuse de ne rien faire le regarda d'un oeil mauvais mais consentit tout de même à l'aider à faire le tour de la cuisine. Ils constatèrent rapidement qu'il n'y avait pas grand chose. Faute de faire un ravitaillement, il faudrait sortir au restaurant ce soir-là. "Et bien justement," s'exclama le papa à Simone lorsqu'ils l'appelèrent. "Vous avez le choix: c'est ou le restaurant allemand ou le restaurant italien." Bon, bah va pour l'italien alors. Et quel restaurant! Assis à une table rectangulaire de 20 personnes, entourés de tables semblables, ça aurait pu être folklorique. Mais non. Pas du tout. Le service a été impeccable, le vin de même (il faut dire que le papa à Simone connait TRÈS bien ses vins) et la nourriture très bonne. D'ailleurs, tout le monde a trop mangé. Bon. On fait une petite promenade maintenant? Histoire de digérer? Allons-y!

Pool anyone?

Night had set by the time Simone's hubby pulled the car up to the front of their hotel and still everyone in the vehicle was wide awake. Even little B, energized by the video cornucopia before him, was up and raring to go. Now normally, Simone, hubby and the kids would all have been happy to tuck themselves into bed for a good night's rest but today was not a typical day. They had purposefully driven a little out of the way to stop overnight at a hotel close to where Simone's brother and his family lived. These two families of mostly early to bed folk, with a couple of notable exceptions, had promised to get together for a swim in the hotel pool. Little B and his cousin, little N, had never met before and it had been a few years since the 13 year old had seen her 10 year old cousin, so things got off to a slow start. Which was surprising, given that the hotel pool was barely bigger than an oversized hot tub. However, everyone enjoyed a few pool games right up until the pool closed at 10 pm. At this point, the group headed back up to the room where they indulged in some beer,for the big kids, juice, for the younger kids, and pie for everybody. And, at this point, little B and little N truly got things going, with a game of hide the toy from "dummy Mommy", who could not seem to figure out where in the world the mischievous boys were putting the stuffed animal. Simone's hubby did his best to get some work done as the noise level reached dangerous levels and, too soon, it was time for Simone's brother to go. Everyone slept exceedingly well that night...

En route!

Tout le monde en voiture pour un petit voyage en Pennsylvanie. Un petit voyage, certes: Simone et son mari n'avaient que trois jours de disponible. Mais 10 heures de route, ce n'est pas rien. Simone était occupée avec une traduction mais même avant de passer la frontière, le petit B s'ennuyait. La grande de 13 ans s'inquiétait aussi. Avait-elle au moins apporté assez de livres pour la tenir occupée tout le long du voyage? Et que faire au retour? Donc arrêt au magasin pour un "jouet" électronique qui allait être sensationnel - les jeunes pourraient chacun de leur côté visionner leur propre vidéo! Il fallait, bien sûr, aussi acheter des films. Le petit B était au septième ciel! Que de films! Il y aurait certainement de quoi le passionner pendant quelques heures. "Une minute!" S'écria Simone avant de quitter le stationnement du magasin. "Nous avons oublié quelque chose de primordial!" ...des écouteurs! (Ouf! Même pas obligé d'écouter les "Chipmunks" chanter!)

Nana!

On a warm sunny day, Simone, the 13 year old and little B headed out to Toronto to visit Simone's mother. Little B brought his DS. The 13 year old brought along a couple of books. Simone brought her reading glasses: on the menu would be some computer lessons for Simone's mom. Simone's mom had prepared a lovely lunch, to be consumed post computer lesson. Everyone sat down, ate to their heart's content and eagerly awaited dessert. Toasty caramel roasted almonds cookies - Simone still salivates as she remembers the melt in your mouth taste... In order to work off some of their intake before heading back home, Simone and her mom took the kids down to the playground. Of course, the only one truly interested in the playground was little B. He kept trying to coax his big sister, who was definitely much more interested in the next chapter of her book, into playing hide and seek. Finally, they all headed back to the car and bid Nana goodbye. It was, all in all, a lovely way to spend a Tuesday afternoon.

La bibliothèque

Le petit B n'y avait pas été depuis un bail et il sautillait de joie tellement il était content d'y retourner. "On va au château d'abord?" Voulu-t-il savoir. "Non. D'abord, on va jeter un coup d'oeil ici. Regarde: il y a plein de livres en français. Est-ce que tu en vois quelques-uns qui te tentent?" Et le petit B de glisser une dizaine de livres dans le sac de bibliothèque. Le château l'intéressa moins que prévu. Par contre, il y avait un petit théâtre de marionnettes et le petit B s'enthousiasma à nouveau. "Tu veux m'aider?" Demanda-t-il à plusieurs enfants avant de trouver deux petites filles qui acceptaient, elles, de prendre chacune une marionnette. Le spectacle fut amusant: un lapin, un ours et un bébé à la chasse aux carottes! Le petit B trouva ensuite une bonne vingtaine de livres qui le captivait et presque une heure plus tard, il était temps de partir. "Tu t'es amusé?" Demanda Simone. Le petit B hocha la tête. "On revient demain?" Trente livres en une soirée? Et puis pourquoi pas...

The Coin des petits

And it began with a visit to the Coin des petits. The regular coordinator was going away and had asked Simone to step in for her. Little B was delighted to revisit his old haunt, as was Simone: the centre provides a safe play environment for the little ones and adult conversation for the big ones. Plus they serve fresh, hot coffee. What's not to like? Except that when Simone and little B got there, the coffee wasn't ready. Simone had to make it. And the instructions were noticeably absent. First try? The coffee was a slightly tinted version of water with very little flavour. Second try? Too strong. WAY too strong. Third try? There wasn't a third try. After all, the centre is a non-profit outfit and coffee money doesn't grow on trees so Simone settled for a cup of tea. The kettle, a plug in version, was easy to use as were the tea bags. The beverage making experiment took up the better part of an hour and, fortunately or not depending on the point of view, nobody had dropped in to the centre. Little B had the run of the toys and crafts and Simone? Well, Simone was sorely regretting the lack of adult reading material in the centre. Conversation between adults usually necessitates more than one adult... In the end, she got down on all fours and played cars and trucks with the little guy, gave out a snack at snack time, built a tower with the large foam blocks, read a book to little B, had a mock picnic with the play food and finished off with circle time and songs. At 11:25, a harried looking mother dropped in with her three kids. "Um, did you know that we close at 11:30?" Simone asked, aware that, clearly, the woman would not know that since she'd dropped in so close to closing time. "Well, what time is it now?" The woman snapped. "William, do not hit your little brother!" Simone pointed eloquently at the clock on the back wall. The woman stared at the clock for a few moments, as the seconds hand ticked around the face. "Fine," she growled. "Fine. William, Eliot and James. Do NOT roll on the floor like that. You are not dusters. No, do not go in there. The lady says that the place is closed now." Three little boys stared longingly at Simone. A fourth one, little B, joined in a heartbeat later. Sigh. Maybe we can close a little later today. "What do you say we stay open for another twenty minutes?"