Where this Came from I'll Never Know...

Weechan ( looking in the mirror after cleaning her teeth): "I think my face is getting whiter, maybe I'm getting the cold like Michael Jackson".

Head Hunger

After a slight headache drama, which I suspect may have been brought on more by preferring Kim Possible to the prospect of a piano lesson,rather than by the original bang on the head; we went out, came back and a large dinner ensued.

Mairi: "Mummy, I feel much better now, maybe I had a headache because my head was hungry...."

On ice tea...

"Ice tea in summer tastes like the feeling of peace and quiet!"

Weechan, May 25th 2009

maching worts

Weechan's "poem in your pocket" for school Reading Week a couple of weeks ago. Narrowly missed being "mashed pulp all through the washing" yesterday as it was, needless to say, still in the pocket when I discovered the jeans in a toy box...
Next Poet Laureate, no question!

Dodgy Conversations

" Mummy, if I die, will I go to heaven?"
"Do you think there is a heaven?"
"Yes "
"Well, if you are a good girl I am sure you will go there then. "
" What is the other place called again?"
" Hell? "
" Yeah, I don't want to go there. "
" No that wouldn't be so good."
" I think *****chan will go to hell"
" Eh? "
" Well she always says she doesn't like *******"



So how do you explain that one then?

JAX for President

?

?

????

Background: There is a programme on the Disney Channel called "Corey in the House", in which the President of America often looks directly at the camera and says "I am THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" very dramatically and self importantly.
A few weeks ago Weechan asked me in Japanese what that meant. I explained that it meant he was the number 1 man in America. In Japanese the word for "number one" can be interchangeable with "best".

The other day, before going to bed, she for some reason decided to declare her love for me out of the blue:

"Mummy, I really love you."
"That's nice, why?"
" Because you're the President of the United States of Mummy!"

Mac Torture

Found this picture in Creative Commons on Flickr, and it just about sums it up. I love it!

If I tried to claim I never eat unhealthy junk food, the sound of laughter all over the world would drown out the sound of my own rumbling tummy, but for years I have been totally anti MacDonalds.
Ages ago I read articles about inhumane cattle rearing practices in farms which supplied their cheap beef (haven't been able to source a link for you - no time- but when I do I'll post it), their ethical commitment to service was questioned again recently with their " if they don't know it won't harm them" attitude to beef dripping used in the cooking of their chips, despite having promised hindu customers that the chips were safe for them to eat. The whole world domination of Western fast food chains in general is not a particularly positive thing to my mind either, it's so culturally mind numbing. So, politically and philosophically, there is grist for my mill to back up my objections to the place. However, I will admit that my high minded principles can occasionally be compromised, if pragmatic advantage decrees, but the absolute worst sin that MacDonalds commits, is that is tastes BLOODY AWFUL. It really really does. I mean come on. Go to almost any other burger place and I guarantee it tastes better, and is healthier in at least some small way. The burgers taste like cardboard, and the chips! Well, I could go on for hours about the quality of the chips. And you know folks, you just don't mess with the chips of a Scottish person. I really cannot understand why every time I pass a MacDonalds here in Hiroshima, there is a queue of cars waiting to get into the car park or the drive thru that halts the regular traffic. HOW CAN THIS BE? (Psychological warfare against mothers with small children who want the toys, and the fact that people really will eat crap if it's cheap enough, no doubt.....)
Anyway, every so often I succumb to my insecurites, and think: "maybe it's not that bad. I mean come on, it can't be that awful", or I'm absolutely starving with no time to go anywhere else, and all there is before me is the golden arches, or, since Weechan's advent, I occasionally give in to the peer pressure of the whole world wanting to go there, so as not to appear totally antisocial, or put a damper on things.
And every time, I find out that it really IS that bad, and swear that I will never again set foot in the place.
Such was the case after the Marina Hop expedition with the Rices last Friday. What can I say? It was late. We were hungry. The Rices were going anyway. If I'd cooked when we got home, we'd have eaten at 9pm. And there's Weechan. Big eyes. Oh Mum, everyone else is going. I've never been to this magical shrine of the Happy Set that all my friends speak of with reverence. And all this communicated without uttering a word. Just the eyes.

So I gave in.
And we went.
And it was.
UTTERLY DUSGUSTING!
(the coffee was OK)

I apologise profusely to the Rice family for no doubt spoiling their enjoyment of their own dinner, in the style of my own mother, by being unable to hide my annoyance with my own self, for once again having allowed myself to be duped by the devil of McMarketing.
On the plus side, despite spending the remainder of the evening feeling like I'd drunk a cup of the oil they'd used to fry the chips in for 3 days, Weechan totally hated what she had too, so I was able to say " See, I said it was horrible, didn't I?" and she said "Yes, Mummy and it was!"

Quickly followed by a (I am not making this up) " Mummy, why do you know everything?"
Well, what can I say?

Too Many Men...Too Little Time

It's tough being 5.....in a class with only 3 girls......
5歳って大変ね。特に１４人のクラスに女の子３人しかいないときね。

Weechan has been betrothed to her first love H from Onomichi, since they were 3. It has been a given, since she ever discovered about princes, that H was hers. He danced with her princess costumed self when all the other boys in her life ran for the train set. When he said "ね、結婚しようよ"(let's get married), she didn't even have to think twice.

Weechanは３歳の頃から初恋のHくんと婚約をしている。プリンスと言うものの存在を意識してから、HくんはWeechanのプリンスだと当たり前ことだった。だって、プリンセスWeechanと踊ってくれたのはHだけだった。他の男の子は皆すぐプラレールの所に逃げた。だからHくんが「ね、結婚しようよ」と言った時、迷わずに「YES!」と返事した。

Since we left Onomichi a year ago to come back to Hiroshima, I frequently get worried e-mails from H's mum, assuming, having read this blog, and seen all the other boys who cross her path, that Weechan will have forgotten all about H, but in the face of it all she has always said to the Hiroshima boys: "I like you, but I'm going to marry H!"
尾道を出て広島に戻ってから１年が経つけど、時々Hのママから心配のメールが届く。このブログを見て、Weechanが他のプリンスをたくさん見つけて、Hのことを忘れているじゃないか？とのことだけど、今まで毎度「ごめんね。あなたのことも好きだけど、私はHくんと結婚するよ！」で他の彼氏を断ってきている。

However, the other morning she announced she was going to marry A from her class instead. The worrying logic being that, N (her wee friend who is leaving, bringing us down to 2 girls in the class!) loves A the best, but now that she is going to Hawaii, she can't marry him, can she?!
(Perhaps a chat about "THE RULES" of female friendship is order soon....). When asked :"What about H?", indecision flitted across her small face, then resolve, and the verdict: "A".
二三日前のこと。いきなりクラスのAくんと結婚することを発表。「えっ、どうして？」と言ったら：「だってNちゃんはAのこと大好きだけど、彼女はもうハワイに行っちゃうから、Aと結婚できないでしょうね。」その理屈はかんぺきでしょうね。「Hくんは？HくんとAくんは、どちがいい？」と聞くと真剣に考えるWeechan. 結論：「A」だった。

I feel for the poor H, who doesn't know his fate yet, unless his Mum is reading this, but when Daddy quizzed her last night at the dinner table, as to which of the 2 she really preferred, she looked truly exasperated, and retorted "Well what am I supposed to do? They all want to marry me. No, really! Every day if I choose a boy to marry, they all shout "No, pick me! Pick me!" I can't marry all of them...."

このブログを読んでいなければ、運命が分からないHくんが可愛そうけど、昨日夕食の時にDaddyに「HくんよりAくんが本当にいいの？」と聞かれたら、ため息をして、本当にあきれた言い方で「どうしようかな？だって、皆は私のことが好きでしょう？だれかと結婚しようと言ったら、皆「僕だよ！僕だよ！僕だよ！」と言うから、しようがないさ。皆と結婚できないよ。」と困った顔で答える。

Long may she have this problem... She's already had more romantic proposals than her mother!
贅沢の悩みがずっと続くように、とMummyの願い。もう５歳で、母親よりロマンティックなプロポーズを受けているの！

Is There Something I Should Know????!

In the car on the way to school today, out of the blue:

" If you die Mummy, my new Mummy will be a nurse"

"What!!!!????? Which nurse?"

" What do you mean? I'm only playing...."

From the mouths of babes....

So then I phone Dr Yasu, laughing, to ask him what the meaning of all this is, and where she might have gotten that idea from....

I was laughing, until he brought me a large bunch of roses and pussy willow just now when he came home, "to waylay your fears".....

I wasn't worried, but maybe I should be...?!

He really can't win, can he, poor bugger....

今朝、学校に送るときにいきなり：
「お母さんが死んだらね、看護士さんが新しいお母さんになる。」

「ハッ？？どの看護士さん？！！！！？？？？」

「えっ？遊んでいるだけよ。。。」

笑いながら、Dr. Daddyにその場で電話して、いったいなんで娘はこういうことを言っているの、と聞く。

幼いweechanが自分の言っていることの面白さが分からないな、と思って、うけていた。

ところが、夜帰ってくるDaddyから滅多にもらわない花束を「茉利が変なことを言ったから、安心させようと思って」と言う言葉でもらった。

疑っていなかったけど、疑った方がいいのかな？？！

可愛そうなDaddyちゃんね。素直に喜んで、いただきましょう！

Pillow Talk Talk Talk

Just came down from putting M to bed. I might add it is 11:02pm, and we've been in bed since 9. Daddy's attempt failed, and Mummy took quite some time. Mummy's approach is to refuse to engage any attempt at chat. Answer anything concisely that really needs an answer and then counter with: "Ssssshh. Stop talking"

Tonight, after about 5 minutes of enforced silence:

"Mummy. I can't stop talking.......I love talking"

Can't think who she takes it from.... (You're all thinking me, but there really is competition you know!)

Weechanがようやく寝てくれました。現在１１時２分ですけど、９時にベッドに入っても、なかなか寝てくれなかった。Daddyの最初の作戦は失敗に終わった。Mummyも結構時間がかかった。いつもの寝かせ方：話をかけられても必要以上返事をしない。どうしても返事が必要な時短く答えて、そして「シッ！おしゃべりをやめよう。」で断る。

今晩、無理して５分間ぐらい黙ったあと：

「お母さん。茉利ね、おしゃべりがやめられないよ。しゃべるの大好き！」

誰に似ているのかな？（皆さんはきっと私に似ていると思っているけど、他にいろんなおしゃべりの親戚もいるよ！）

What animal were you?

Happy Year of the Rat!

日本語版は下！

Conversation in the car a couple of weeks ago. Out of the blue:

Weechan: "Mummy, what animal did Nia used to be?"

Mummy: " ???????? What do you mean?"

Weechan: " Now she's a baby but she used to be an animal right? Which one?"

Mummy: "?????? No, I think she's always been human. "

Weechan: " Yes, now she is a human, but when she came out she was an animal right, and then she changed into a baby right?"

Mummy: "????????"

Weechan:(getting irritated): " Well you said I was a sheep when I came out. That's why Uncle Yoshihiko gave me the toy sheep. And you were a monkey right?"

Mummy: (trying not to laugh raucously) " Oh right! No we didn't used to BE those animals, that was just the name of the year we were born in. It's like your lucky animal! I think Nia was born in the year of the dog"

How do you explain this to a 4 year old??? I love her logic though!

You may know that Japan, while celebrating New Year on January 1st, follows the Chinese Zodiac system, assigning one of 12 Animals to each year. If you want the Wikipedia Explanation, check it out here. I particularly like the list of characteristics given to each people born in each year. You can check which year you were born in on the linked page, then scroll down to see if you are typical or not! Seems to be about right for my family. Many superstitions abound, and you'll find people trying to get their labour induced to avoid their child being born in an unlucky year. Apparently being born in the year of the sheep is bad karma for girls in China, so there was a rush of December births the year before Weechan was born.
日本語版

この間の車に乗っているときの会話です　（いきなり）：

Weechan: Mummy,　Nちゃんは昔何の動物だったの？

Mummy: ???????どういう意味？

Weechan: 今は赤ちゃんだけど、前は動物だったでしょう？どれ？

Mummy: えええっ？いや、生まれてから人間でしょうね。

Weechan: うん、今は人間だけど、生まれたときは動物だったでしょうね、そして出てきてから、赤ちゃんに変わったよね。

Mummy: ？？？？？？

Weechan (いらいらし出した）: だから。。。。私が出てきた時羊だったでしょう？そして赤ちゃんに変わったよね。だからYおじちゃんが羊さんのぬいぐるみをくれたでしょう？そしてお母さんはサルだったでしょう？言ったよ！！！

（すごく笑いたかったけど我慢した)Mummy: ああ、そうか！その動物たちから人間に変身したわけじゃないよ！毎年その年の動物が決まっているよ。だからそれがあなたのラッキーな動物かもしれない。茉利は未年にうまれたけど、羊だったわけじゃないよ。Nちゃんは多分戌年にうまれたけど犬だったと言うことじゃないよ。

Weechan: そっか？！

（多分まだ分かっていないでしょう）。

どうやって４歳さんに説明するのかね？Mummyが困っています。。。

But Why???

Pillow Talk last night:

Weechan: Mummy, can you stay with me all night tonight?

Mummy: Well. I will stay with you till you fall asleep, but then I think I'll go through to my own bed.

Wee: But why?

Mummy: Because there's more room in Mummy's bed than here. And big 4 year old girls don't really need to sleep with their Mummies all night do they? When we first moved here, you started to sleep by yourself , right?

Wee: Yes, because I'm a big girl.

Mummy: Yes, you a re a big girl and big girls sleep by themselves.

Wee: Mummy.... If I am a big girl, and I have to sleep by myself, why do you get to sleep in the same bed with Daddy?

Mummy: .......... ............ Because that's just what Mummies and Daddies do......

Wee: But why?

Mummy: ...... ......... I don't know but that's what they do..... Um, shall we have another story?

昨日の寝る前の話：

Weechan:　お母さん、今日は朝まで一緒に寝てくれる？

Mummy:うううん、寝るまでいてあげるけど、茉利が寝たら、自分のベッドのところに行くと思う。

Weechan:どうして一緒に寝ないの？

Mummy: だって、茉利のベッドは二人には狭すぎる。そして４歳のお姉ちゃんはもうお母さんなんかいなくてもいいでしょうね？ここに引っ越ししてから、自分で寝れるようになったでしょう？

Weechan:そうね。もうお姉ちゃんだもんね！

Mummy:そうね。おねえちゃんね。お姉ちゃんは皆一人で寝れるだからね。

Weechan: あのね、Mummy.....私はお姉ちゃんだから一人で寝ないといけないのなら、なぜMummyはDaddyと同じベッドで寝てもいいの？

Mummy: ......... .............?えとね、分からないけど、お母さんたちってだいたい一緒に寝るのよ。

Weechan: でもどうして一緒に寝たいの？

Mummy:さあ、どうしてでしょうね。。。。。あのね、絵本をもう一冊読もうか？

Uncanny Vision

Another gem from Weechan today:

" Mummy, only you know everything, isn't that right?"

今日のMセリフ：「何でも分かるのは、お母さんだけよね。」

よく分かったねMちゃん！

Scary.....

M's sudden statement in the car today: " Mummy, when I die when I'm 4, I'm going to miss you..."

!!!!!!!!!!
Weechanが車で突然：　「Mummy、茉利がね、あのね、４歳で死ぬ時、Mummyに会えなくて寂しくなるよ。」

なんてこと！？？！