February 25, 2011

• The end of school vacation. Josh is back from his 3-day trip to Maintiraino where he got sick.

  We are in the throes of planning furlough flights. Looks like we’ll be returning at the beginning of June until the end of July. As i’ve been thinking about the change in furlough schedule (usually we go at the end of the year, but now with Judah going into grade 1 in the ‘big’ French school it’s better if he doesnt miss any school) i’m quite stoked at the fact that a) we’ll have nice weather for outdoor activities including biking!! and camping!! etc. b) we’ll miss the crummy season of Madagascar winter when everything is dead and cold(er) and yucky c) everyone else tends to leave during those two months, so we wont miss anything fun while away like retreats or study series or great weather.

  With summer furlough in mind, does anyone have a behind-the-bike-child-carriage thing we could borrow and/or a baby seat to mount on the back of a bike? We’ll also be looking to borrow:
  - a highchair for that time period… or some kind of high stool to sit at the table for Asher
  - a bike for age 5 (no pink/purple or princesses please, if possible).
  - elementary school French readers/books to read or the knowledge of a good place to buy cheap french books for beginning readers.
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  Judah and i just finished reading Call it Courage the story of Mafato, the boy who was afraid. Anyone remember that from required reading in middle school? Anyway, it was a challenge to slog  through some of the words and ideas with a 5 year old, but it’s quite evident that he’s definitely picked up some new words and understandings from that book. (how thrilling!) and has even referred to it on many occasions when he hears a word in conversation he learned from the book (like “reef”, “leap”, “courage”, “coward”). Courage and cowardice are something that are repeated themes in our new read-aloud book: The Wizard of Oz. It’s a surprisingly quick and easy read and the vocabulary is much less difficult for him, knowing that i dont have to stop every few paragraphs to ensure he’s still following what’s going on. With a few chapters of the Old Testament read aloud by Josh every night, added to a chapter or two of fiction Judah is getting a LOT of reading aloud treatment. Hopefully it will hold him in good stead with language acquisition and learning concepts like courage and thought processing.

  Today Judah and i went to the store to buy groceries. I had quite a cart full when i got to the cashier only to be told (before we rang everything through, thankfully) that the VISA machine was not working. GAH! So i had to scrounge in my wallet for cash, which i rarely carry for grocery runs because Josh has instructed me to use VISA when i can, since it’s cheaper. 40,000AR was all the cash had for the load i wanted to buy… one 10,000 item which Judah was particularly concerned about: chocolate cereal. Against all 5-year-old-reason we left the shop with a small bag of priority items, chocolate cereal not included. After a drive home involving a HUGE fit, pouting, crying and yelling i was convinced that it was high time to learn a little lesson about money, costs, and tough choices. We made a stack of paper money with ones, fives, tens and twenties and then i proceeded to price anything i could think of that he would want to pay for. He had a grand time… is still having a grand time paying for things. I also billed him for rent, water and electricity and a gardener (he claimed he didnt need a cleaning lady because his brother and him would clean the house themselves). He is currently watching a 10$ movie and i made him 20$ popcorn (things i’d rather he didnt have i overpriced to attempt dissuasion… to little effect). I also billed him for his lunch and the ice cream he wanted thereafter. He chose the 2 scoops rather than the half-the-price one scoop of ice cream. Asher’s schleming for an apple, water and some crackers were also put on Judah’s tab. We’ll see what happens when he realizes that his money runs out at some point and then he’s S.O.L. for anything else. I have half a mind to pay him in paper money for doing chores so he can also learn the idea of working for things, as well as relate the idea that Dad goes to work everyday to make the money we need to buy food and pay for light and power to run the t.v. so he can play x-box…

  (part of Judah’s store. Another reading of The Wizard of Oz will cost him 14 monies. If he wants to listen to tapes on his walkman he’ll have to purchase the walkman first, plus headphones, plus tape of his choice…)

  Our secret fort is on stand-by because Solo is on leave to bring in his rice harvest, but the half built walls are already providing lots of entertainment for the boys and the girl-next-door.

  I’ve just completed the 2011 edition of the MAF Madagascar In-flight Magazine. I’m glad that’s over.

  Josh is home for the weekend and then off again on another trip for a few days. Alas. In a few weeks the men’s retreat leaves for Ile Ste.Marie (if you recall, the women’s retreat was at a share-a-double-bed-with-a-stranger Bible Camp just 1.5 hour drive from Tana) via MAF plane to enjoy fishing and male bonding… that’s a great precedent they’re setting there, i tell you. haha. April will bring another 2 weeks of Easter school holidays and then a few weeks later Josh will leave for Kenya for an Ops Manager meeting and then it’s almost time to leave for Canada! gah!

  Asher is finally showing the tooth that he’s been teething on since before December. He’s calming down a bit in the last few days, actually sitting with me sometimes for more than 30 seconds! He’s moving to a one-nap-a-day routine, which is a bit of a drag i confess. Hopefully if he sleeps less during the day he’ll sleep through the night without waking up? (it’s usually only once, but still!)

  What else… I’m trying mightily to finish my current book (made of paper) so i can start a new book on my new e-book reader. Does anyone have any great recommendations for me? The options for reading now seem endless! I still am working on Josh’s anniversary gift… i’m hoping it’ll be tied with a bow when he returns on Wednesday when he comes back from his trip. We’ll see.

  • 8:04 am
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