Little Italy 26

[Rosa]

Siamo qui ... Ciao a tutti !

Happy new year and auguri (spelling) to you all.

My mother in law has been here for 3 week. Open ticket etc.

I think (or have got a gist from their community) that she's going back in late feb and taking ds for a few days. DS v. unhappy about this.

No she's not.

xxxxxxx

Auguri befane .........

Diet starts in the morning ......

Your ds will not be able to leave the country without your permission !!!

Hello my dears, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Sorry I disappeared, but we were away and I really don't enjoy mumsnetting from my mobile.

I really hope you had lovely and relaxing holidays and that Rosa and Gio made the most of their stay in good old UK, which I miss very much.

We've been to the mountains with friends and, apart from the big casino of people, it was wonderful, lots of snow and some sunny days. It was a bit like Narnia

This morning the alarm rang at the usual 6.50 time and it was hard, especially because I hardly slept worrying about the alarm not going off

Anyway, , here's for a generous new year and a big hug to you all!

Hi all happy new year! Had lovely time in UK and back to reality this morning with early start and a slightly tearful ds telling me he will miss me as he is used to being with me all day. Am sure he will be his usual nonchelant self when get him later.
Am ridiculously excited as have ordered a multi purpose steam cleaner and can't wait for it to arrive so I can start steaming my bathroom tiles! Beyond sad!
Franca your mountain stay sounds idyllic and am very jealous re your proximity to proper mountains there. Rosa if you discover the right ham to do make Nigellas recipe let me know!
Ok deep breath and back to work. Tante belle cose all.

OMG DH has bought me a new Kenwood the cooking one!!!! I am rather in shock and wondering where the heck I am going to put it! I needed a new mixer mine is 1960 I kid you not ,but I was waiting until the microwave blew up so I could get a smaller one and then have space for either the Bimby or a new mixer. Went to media world and there was an offerta and he bought it! Tonight trying puree , tomorrow ragu and then we will see!!!

Oh wow Rosa, sounds great! Is it the one a bit like the bimbi, mixing and cooking? Oh wow!!!

Hope master gio and all the LI children had a good first day at school. Mine aren't particularly happy to be back. I think ds, who had been quite blase' about it, is now starting to feel the pressure of scuola media.

Lol at gio steaming thebathroom tiles. Have you gone crazy woman? ???

Hello all!

Rosa I am just a little bit jealous. I was looking at the kenwood in a catalogue recently. That's as close as I've got, though! I hope you enjoy it!

I am feeling particularly cheerful. I was worried about ds2 going back to school, as he hadn't been there long when we broke up for Christmas, but as it turns out, he was absolutely fine, happy and settled. You'd think he'd never been to the first school at all. So glad I moved him!

Franca - your mountain experience sounds great. I actually live near some mountains, but never really go there. Perhaps I should. I know there are sme good walks to go on, some people I know love to go.

YEs like the bimby but its a planetaria as well so does everything my old kenwood did . It is bigger than the Bimby which is its only disadvantage . Did puree last night , risotto for lunch and ragu is currently stewing. Next on the list is bread !
Alex glad ds settled in well. DD1 really did not want to go back on Tues and had a big sob ( and broke my heart) on Monday . She is a bit of a loner - not by choice and at times feels excluded.
Minirosa was exhausted last night diddn't eat dinner and fell asleep before 8. So Have decided to wait before starting swimming lessons again until she is back in the rhythm of things.

Aw, poor dd1, sorry to hear that Rosa. It may not be of any comfort, but I was a bit of a loner for the first years of primary, but found my niche later on. You might find the same will happen with dd1.

And please have a look at my new article - quite a lot of research has gone into it, and I'm really proud of it!

(sorry, I know it's not relevant, but I am so pleased with this one!!)

Aex that is a good article and also interesting .....
Thanks for your point about dd .. The think is she is such an open , friendly girl, always willing to help others, chats to people in shops, on buses etc ( often a bit too much), parents love having her round but obvuously its too much in school and she is taking a battering. Her self esteem is really low and she feels that she is crap whenever presented with a new task... At the moment its corsivo and she used to tackle things head on , now she is convinced she can't do it so hits a block , thus doesn't get it completed in class gets wound up and so it continues. i have said we will do the corsivo together this weekend just the 2 of us and I am going to try and build on external friendships as well. Dh thought we could try arrampicata as it might be a confidence booster. ( dh has also said that we might be able to get a long weekend skiiing if we manage to get the dds some ski wear in sale in Brugi or Decathlon.....)

Alex, that is a very interesting article, very interesting the bit about bread making. Keep them coming! Happy to hear ds2 is happy back at his new school!

Rosa, oh poor dd1! Prima elementare is so very stressful and so full on. Both my dc found it overwhelming at times in prima elementare, for different reasons, but I really think it's quite the norm for many children to struggle with either the social side, or the academic side or both.
Plus, sometimes it is just luck that throw us in a classroom where it's more difficult to find a real friend.

I think arrampicata is an excellent idea, it's very popular here in Milan and I agree it's great to build up some confidence.

Btw, if it's any consolation dd cried too and wakes up in an awful mood. She really dislike a new teacher, who screams and is very strict. DD should have remained in the UK, I think, where teachers are usually more soave!

Oh my goodness, I am now haunted by a doubt, is dd1 already in 2, Rosa? Am I so rincoglionita? . Send her a big hug from us, btw

Poor baby rosa. Are the teachers kind? Won't they direct playground games or anything?

We have booked baby's christening, which I am really pleased about. I think it's the size of a small wedding

Thank you she is in 2a now.......she has one fisso teacher the other has gone in maternita. The current sostituto is lovely but not likely to remain unfortunatley. Thankfully she is lovely and giving us / her lots of support.
I love a battesimo its a lovely atmosphere ...how fun with the planning. We have a wedding late march lord knows what I am going to wear!

I am glad the teachers are lovely Rosa.

Uffff I haven't a clue what to wear. I feel so old, the last baby we christened was DD2 and I was 28 then. I thought I'd be a mother of a bride or groom next tbh!!!

What time of year is it?.. The main thing is comfort as you will be holding the baby lots sitting standing etc I was still a mega elephant ( now i am a semi mega elephant) so wore the most boring stuff ever and I also felt crap and tried to avoid photos!

Franca have you skied in val di sole ??? Might take the dds for a long weekend next weekend dove andiamo? Need a good childrens ski area ( as they will be having lessons) and a bit of a village as I might give skiing a go but haven't put the things on for about 10 years!!!! Dh won't be skiing as he has back problems. Also don't want a massive drive max 2.5 hrs..... HELP I am going round in circles on the web!

It's the end of February. I am too vain to go for comfortable, and I don't even have the excuse of pregnancy!

A semi elephant, I am sure you are not!

Trust me I am .... But quite a fit elephant !!!! Funny but true.
I have a wedding end of march and am stuck a bit and realise that if i don't decide what soon i will be stuck with summer clothes in the shop.
LOL at being to vain to be comfortable ...but you can have fun shopping !!!

A baptism? How lovely! Baptisms are great over here, they often end in parties with traditional dancing and barbecues!

I am sure you will look fine. Keep it simple, that's my motto when it comes to dressing up nicely!

Thanks for your nice comments about my article.

I'm going shopping tomorrow, ON MY OWN I'm going to go and have a coffee and potter around the sales. I'm quite excited!

I am Sicilian, I don't do simple or comfortable

Of course she is in seconda, already! Sorry Rosa, my memory is getting worse

Annunziata, a battesimo, how lovely! I have never been to a battesimo I have to say, mine haven't been christened and I have never been invited to one ! I suppose you will have to be a bit more "put together" than usual. What have you got in mind? Have fun shopping!

Rosa, yes, I used to go skiing in Val di Sole quite often, but that was pre children, think 90s (and def before 1999 when I moved to the uk). I mainly went to Folgarida, the slopes are amazing with links to Marilleva and Madonna di Campiglio. I am not sure though how it's geared up for children, because back then I simply didn't notice children or remotely thought of their needs .
Anyway, Folgarida and Marilleva don't have a "real" village to speak of, as they've been built in the 70s, so not picturesque at all. They are, if I remember well, only good starting points for great skiing.

Madonna di Campiglio, on the other hand, is like a small town, very busy, lots of traffic and rather expensive (but great slopes again, and I am pretty sure there are lots of options for small children too).

Passo del Tonale has lots of really easy slopes, therefore I am sure it's a good place to start skiing. It's very high though, hence colder and very windy. And again, if you are looking for a nice village, il passo del tonale is actually rather bruttino.

Have you looked into Pejo yet? I have never skied there, but I think it's probably the nicer place. www.visitvaldipejo.it/

How about l'alpe di siusi, is it too far away from you?

I hope dd1 is happier. x

Franca My children were baptised even though I am not a member of the church. I see it more of a social than a religious occasion, at least here in Greece.

I have never been skiing. I am a bit of a coward, really, and afraid to try, in case I break my leg!

I had lots of clicks yesterday from Italy on my blog, so thankyou to whoever it was! Today's article (sky) took me a long time to research and write, so I hope you enjoy it. I am planning on doing something with colour idioms, so if you can think of any Italian ones (anything, whether it's like "white as a sheet" or "he was beaten black and blue") then please let me know!

Annunziata I hope you had fun shopping and got what you wanted! I must admit I felt very plain at the only baptism I ever attended in Italy (it was in Palermo, actually, about 15 or 16 years ago!) Everyone else was dressed up to the nines, in gorgeous dresses, scarves, accessories, and I was in a boring trouser suit. I was excused on grounds of being British. It must be in the Sicilian blood!

Never, Franca, really?! Wow! It is a lovely atmosphere, more relaxed than weddings and communions I think. I'm looking forward to it.

Aaaahhh I miss Palermo and Sicily and people dressed up to the nines! Did they make you wear a mantilla? I always think it is so funny that everyone is dolled up to go dancing and sitting piously in church with their lace I look like a peasant with one on!

How about verde dalla rabbia? In Sicilian, you go yellow and that means pale, aggiarniare!

Hee hee in veneto they go viola con la rabbia!!!
I went to nipotine battesemi one I was PG and it was september and hot and I had nausea and diddn't really enjoy it!!!! The other was pre kids when i was thin and wore a suit I think!!!
Skiing I had looked at that peio place and will look again. I am looking for offerte really and then if the weather is ok we will go. Alpe suisi I think is a hit too far. I want to go somewhere that the day trippers find it harder to get to IYKWIM so we need to go that bit further.
Dh is being a bit useless and not helping me look!!!! Domani I am taking dd1 to arampicata but she needs a pair of shoes mai usato fuori... Am thinking of asking if she can have her school gym shoes back for the pm or i am going to have toscrub her trainers!!!!!

Yes, never! Apart from mine and my db's . I think those friends of ours who baptised their children had very small functions, like closest family and the madrina and padrina? Boh! I def would love to go to a battesimo in sicily, for the food if nothing else !

Yes, it's verde dalla rabbia, rosso di vergogna, verde d'invidia...