Little Italy 24

[BananaGio]

Ciao tutte!

Evviva!

Street party in Rome then ?
Well I just hope things get better ..or will it get worse to get better... Pay cut for parliament to start off with then ????

Indeed, Rosa. I think it would be even better cutting the number of parlamentari, at the moment there must be nearly 1000 between parlamento and senato, no?

SG: how are you, are you much better?

Hi Franca: yes, much better, thank you. Mother's cooking and bug family gatherings always get me healthier and happier- 20 degrees and sunny also a bonus!

Oh yes, it's warm here, but I read it's been warm in the UK too! Glad you are feeling better

It is cooler for sure now ---cool enough for scarves in the evening and minirosa is getting red marks round her mouth ( delicate) so thats another sign its getting colder.
SG glad that you are feeling better.
So what do we reckon Berlusca is going to do as his statement made it clear he is going to stay round a bit ......Heck what more does he want to do?

Same here Rosa, much, much colder today. And foggy. O h I like the odd foggy day, it reminds me of childhood.

Oh dear, yes, we'll never get rid of B. won't we? He is just sticking around to poison our democracy a little further.

Back in the UK, with some drama: spent last night and this morning in A&E due to concerns with the pregnancy. It's all fine now, but what a stressful day! You know people are concerned when not only you get seen quickly but you even get a single room rather than a cubicle...

Franca: good to hear DCs have not forgotten their Englsh. DS at the moment speaks more English than Italian and I am Thinking of strategie to' support Italian. ADo you think I am mad to consider splitting his nursery attendance between a local English Montessori nursery and the Italian nursery in Holland Park? The latter would be only 1 day per week because it is quite far...

Oh dear SG, what happened? I am glad everything is fine, but wow, what a scare!

I gather that you all speak English at home, yes? I think that if you are really keen for him to speak more Italian, he should spend more time in an Italian speaking environment, therefore my advise would be to send him to the Italian nursery, but for all the days you need childcare for. (that is if you like the place, etc etc)
I think it'd be much easier for him to settle in just one place, unless he is remarkably outgoing I'd be worried he'd find attending 2 different nurseries a bit stressful.
That's how it went in our case: Italian spoken at home, all the time. But obviously TV, every day life was in English. Children at nursery 3 times a week . So, for the whole time we lived in the UK, Italian was the stronger language, but English very, very good. It was no problem for them to switch from one language to the other etc. I'd have expected them to have English as their first after a few yrs at school.

I am with Franca on this one - I don't think I would do 2 different nurseries until he is a bit older there will be different routines etc. At the mo minirosas Italian is far stronger but I try to speak all the time in English , tv is in English and we read in English ... AT this age dd1 was speaking much more but I am sure that minirosa will catch up.... Plus when you have a little one will you be able to do the trek over to the Italian one.
SG hope all is ok and there will be no more scares..take it easy .
Help xmas is just over a month away and how organised am I not !

Yo Rosa, I can't remember, are you going to the UK or are you hosting Christmas day at yours?

Today I've actually been to Fortura Giocattoli and bought the dc presents from my mother (who is always short of ideas)
I got ds a box of Harry Potter Lego
dd: www.playmobil.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-GB-Site/en_GB/Product-Show?pid=5012&cgid=Klinik

I think we will cave in this christmas and get them 1 nintendo ds to share, ds wants a pokemon game, dd would like "cooking mama".

Dd would also like the playmobil's school, which is 130 on amazon, rather than 169 in the shop. I am not sure...

I also found a present for fil. And I've ordered the present for db and sil. So, all in all I feel all organized for now.

Yes, I wouldn't worry about minirosa's english. My dc were totally different in their language acquisition. Even now they are different. Ds speaks more fluently, dd has a better listening comprehension.

Again Rosa, such a shame you live so far away. I'd have paid you £££ to be my dc's english teacher

Hello! SG - glad to hear pregnancy scare is over. Been there, and yes, I had never seen the NHS move so quickly before!
Re: language - we have the opposite situation here, and we found the English lagged behind at the age of 2 (DH works away a lot and he was the only native speaker around). We sent DD to English speaking nursery and the situation improved, and I would say the languages are "equal" now. I have to say though that DD is the only one who speaks English at home out of all the kids in this nursery, so I suspect the kids speak Italian amongst them in any case.

Franca, I am impressed about your Xmas planning, too - will have to catch up after i come back from weekend in London (yay). Can I steal your FIL ideas?

hope you are ok SG. I agree and wouldnt split between the 2 places. He may end up really preferring one and that could end up giving him negative feelings towards the language he speaks there. Can you do the Italian one all the time or is it too far? I found with ds his English was much stronger initially (although he was a very slow to start speaker) as he was with me all day and I tried to expose him to as much English as possible in the form of English speaking friends, playgroup, TV etc. After a year at materna Italian was definitely the stronger and the most oft repeated phrase of mine is "in English please"
Franca you sound very organised! I have got ds a leappad and only have got that early as they were so hard to find I grabbed it when I found it. I was a bit iffy about it as not a fan of computer toys but he loved his thomas computer and taught himself the alphabet with that so am hoping this will aid his English learning. Doing photo diaries for my parents which have created but am hoping to receive an offer email before buy them.

Well, I feel like I am throwing away all my principles by getting them a nintendo ds, but ds is 9 and has been asking for 2 yrs now... ... I think it's time we trust him with it. No????

Minerva, fil is very into playing golf, and today I passed this shop that sells second hand books and magazines and old advertising poster and found a very nice one from the 1960s... so I got it and will frame it and hopefully he'll like it (already feeling doubtful about it)

Gio snap I have also got dd1 a leapad......Am now anticipating regretting not getting minirosa one as well as envisage fighting especially when they are in confined areas like the car or flying oh well I doubt I will find another now as they are just not in stock anywhere. I have a friend going to the states on sat and he is getting me the case and the gel skin thing ..AM tempted to ask him to get a Innotab so we can compare !!!!!!
Amazon have 20% off the games if you haven't got any - Am thinking Mr Pencil and Tangled.....( from nonna or something!)
Photobox ( UK) had the offers last week 3x2 ..I missed it as I hadn't uploaded the pictures but I will do them - however they are sort of additional presents.
I made the list of who I have to buy for and then went and had lunch it was too depressing. DH normally I am pretty spot on but I have no ideas at all and he just isn't bothered - thing is his family were never that xmassy so he really does enjoy it especially when I get him something nice..Last year a Celtic sheepskin leather jacket which he loves.....
BOH - Franca I wish mine liked playmobil ( as I want to play ) but they don't seem fussed.....
Right off to get DD1..Minirosa still asleep but as I am out tonight for a pizza its dh problem ....
Franca next year I will probably not be teaching the materne as 1 will only have 5 kids and the other will have to pay me as dd will not be there so maybe I can pop to Milan for some teaching ( and retail therapy?)

Rosa, don't despair, dd started to like playing with playmobils when she was 6ish, not before then (I remember I got her the portable house when she was 3.5 and she wasn't that interested in it). Plus, she likes to play with it when friends are around, they usually enjoy making a Playmobil city, which entertains them for a while.

Ah, Rosa, it'd be fab! Anyway, you know where to find me if you want to pop over to Milan for a bit of retail therapy, eh?

I have no idea what to get dh... we have just bought some bookshelves... maybe we can agree that is the present we do to ourselves for xmas? Is this too optimistic

Off to get the dc, today I made them panino al salame for merenda... they'll be happy!

argh. No golf here. Sounds like a good throughtful pressie though! And do not feel bad about the nintendo DS: if that's the only thing you relent on as a mother... You are doing pretty well! WHo knows, you may be playing with it too in a few weeks.

Banana: I know what you mean by "in English please!".

Oh no Minerva, I relent on 1000000 other things! .
Not sure I will, I am not really interested in playing electronic games, just not my cup of tea. I will stick to MN

So we were up early in the fog and we went to the Salute church and lit candles for health in our families. DD1 then very seriously said her prayer and when I asked what she had prayed about it was to play better with her friends! Mind you it was very lovely to see. True to form we came out and it was mamma posso un palloncino ? Minirosa at home domani as well as it another sciopero..... Crikey we had the last one less than 2 weeks ago.

sounds like a lovely present Franca. Bless DD1 Rosa, so sweet!
Just been on the Italian food thread and now fancy a big slice of Pandoro!

Oh Rosa, dd1 sounds so sweet, bless!
Gosh yeah, minirosa's teachers are really going for it, eh? My dc's teachers never strike ! (and dc aren't impressed by their dedication, as they'd love a day off )

Oh yes, a nice slice of Pandoro. Toasted with cream and cinnamon... yummie...

Mind you, Saturday I made Nigella's chocolate cloud cake, divine!

Very very cold here, I am already fed up with winter and it has just started. What's it like in good old Rome, is it milder?

got a bit colder now but last week or so was lovely, definite heat in the sun at midday although colder in the evenings. brutto tempo is on its way apparently

Ah that's better then!

I am going to Ikea in 15 minutes...

I think DH is going to have to go to Ikea Gorizia as the mobile I want is not looking as if its coming to Padova...!!!! Hope you have had a good day. So far its the auxiliary staff that seem to go n strike more. The teachers I think have done 1 and one afternoon . To be honest if I was working FT I would be getting a bit annoyed. I taught this morning and this pm and I am shattered..I don't know how they do it ( respect here) mind you I did have to do 40 mins vaporetto between schools and race through lunch ....
Lovely day here cold in the morning milder at lunchtime and cooler in the pm. Nasty fog gone for now !

Oh I bought lots of wrapping paper and some lovely christmas decs. Plus a wok and thing to sift flour. I also examined a desk which could be useful...
wow gorizia, is it far?

Oh yes, I agree, I think teaching is a very hard job. Teachers look shattered at home time when I pick the dc

Fog has gone here too. But it is cold, I'd already need a break from this weather!