Καλή Ανάσταση

Happy (Greek Orthodox) Easter to everyone. Thanks to godparents Marios (Emily) and Kaiti (Phoebe) for fab lambades.

Who is this dark, brooding creature?

OK, the broad grin rather spoils it, but I think Emily's first attempt at an Emo look is rather good, actually. (The link is for those of you who are not hip and down with the kids like me.)

She'll have to dye those pyjamas black, though...

Carnival ended weeks ago...

so I can't really explain why Phoebe is insisting on dressing as the love-child of Rod Stewart and John McEnroe....

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

Emily: Dad, did you notice that none of the other mummies are as pretty as mummy?

Me: That's definately true. But children always think their own parents are better looking than any of their friends'. I bet you think I'm the handsomest daddy of them all, don't you?

Emily: Errr, maybe.

Me: What do you mean 'maybe'? Who's handsomer than me?

Emily: Well, Amalia's dad is very good-looking. And he's got muscles, too.

[OK Emily, you can stop now.]

And you've got that mole on your forehead that I don't like very much.

[What's wrong with my mole? It's a beauty mark.

Like Marilyn Monroe's.]

Number 1 in a series

of things-I-have-really-and-truly-found-myself-saying-presumably-in-a-subconscious-attempt-to-expose-the-girls-to-a-full-range-of-modern-idiomatic-English.

Today:

"You'll have to get up earlier than that if you want to pull the wool over my eyes, Phoebe my girl!"

(What on Earth am I on about? I honestly have no idea...)

More music

Phoebe has learnt a new song at school which, oh dear, is called "Δέκα μικρά αραπάκια" (Deka Mikra Arapakia). This could roughly (and perhaps charitably) be translated as "Ten Little Golliwogs". It certainly isn't the sort of word that we want the kids to be using, even in a song, so we had a breakfast-table conversations in which we attempted the tricky balancing act of showing that we don't like or approve of her song without going over the top (and if there's anything that makes me feel like going over the top it's this) or undermining her teacher (even misguided teachers need support!)

Music

Emily and her classmates have been learning to play the recorder for about six months now. Slightly disappointingly, however, they have yet to progress beyond the little three-note ditty they first started being taught back in September.

Their music homework every week is to practise The Tune. And Emily of course is nothing if not assiduous in matters of homework. However, as the months have gone by, our initial enthusiasm has palled somewhat. So encouragement ("Play it again, Emily! Listen everyone, Emily's playing the recorder!") has given way to strained indulgence ("Very nice, darling, but I think that's enough for today, don't you?") to what I must shamefacedly admit is downright intolerance ("Only in your room and with the door closed!"). Where once we swelled with parental pride, we now swell with the effort of keeping our comments to ourselves.

But today was the day that my normally peaceable wife (yes, really) finally snapped. Emily was a scant three and a half seconds into her practise this morning when Nevi very vocally threatened to visit unspeakable acts with a recorder upon the school music teacher, and --

What's that? Emily has just reported that tomorrow her class will be learning a new song!!!

I don't know whether to laugh or cry...