The most loved

Before I tell you about this anecdote of my son, I would like show you where I am now in my life. So I can show you the impact of what my son did for me and that is why I would love to engrave this experience forever in my heart.

They say that in our life no one should be neutral. It's either "yes" or "no" and no "maybe." But in my career path I'm in that area where I can't like it nor hate it. I'm sort of in a limbo here. As if my days is just going on because I need to have a work. But loving what I do in my work I cannot. It doesn't give me any fulfillment  at all at this point. But since I'm in France and my diploma is not recognized here, I just do my job like a lifeless creature. I love the idea of work. I'm a hard worker that's a fact. But my company is not making me grow anymore. Although I need to do something about it, for the meantime, I will just keep on working so at the end of the month, there's food on the table.

Yesterday, on my way to work, I received a call from my 7 years old son. Usually they won't call me not unless it's an emergency, so my initial reaction is admissible. So here's the conversation:

Vance: Âllo Maman.

Me: Hello Vance, is there a problem?

Vance: Non Maman, c'est juste que j'ai oublié de te dire que je t'aime. Et Vanille aussi... tiens Vanille.

(He passed the phone to his little sister.)

Vanille: Âllo Maman, je t'aime trop forte. Travaille bien.

Here's the translation:

Vance: Hello Mama.

Me: Hello Vance, is there a problem?

Vance: No Mama, it's just that I forgot to tell you that I love you. And Vanille too... here Vanille.

(He passed the phone to his little sister.)

Vanille: Hello Mama, I love you very much. Work hard.

The first thought that came to my mind is that I may have done something good in my past (like saved a whole nation) to deserve kids like them. All those thoughts about not liking nor hating my work just disappeared because of this. Positive thoughts started flowing in like my job is much better than any other job because it gives me a lot of time for my kids and family. If I have a high caliber job, I thought, I'll be spending more time at work than at home. So who am I to complain. Yes it still doesn't make me grow career-wise, yet it make me grow as a mother. We can't have everything in the world. Either this or that. Yes or No.

How lucky I am because I felt the most loved person in the world.

And she sang...well

It's been four years or more since my eldest daughter Iciah started her classic guitar course at the Conservatoire de Val de Maubee (Noisiel.) Ever since, we only hear her play classical music. But this year, we (my husband and I) were taken aback when she asked us to register her in a singing contest.

My initial reaction was, "What? You don't even sing in front of us and then you will sing in front of other people plus the judges?"

I know I should be reprimanded, me and my big mouth. (Singing is an art but not a craft where money can be expected at the end of each month. Unlike being a doctor, a pilot, a nurse etc... I prefer that my kids will have "normal" job where food on the table will not be a problem for each and every day.) BUT I don't want to discourage my daughter by hindering her the things she loves doing the most. So I brought her an acoustic guitar (as her early Christmas gift) and simply asked her to just sing in front of me. And she did playing the guitar at the same time. And my husband's small Chinese eyes became round with awe and my jaw dropped on the floor.

After this performance, I told her  that I'll register her in any contest just to show her my support. That when I grow old I can tap myself on the shoulder and say, "I did good as a mother!" If you cannot see the video, click here.

 

It maybe ordinary performance for many of you but mind you, her primary language is French. So being able to sing in English without accent is really an achievement.

And here's another video where she performed with a classmate for the charity event at her school for this year 2014.

If video does not appear, just click this link.
 

She doesn't stop amazing our family.

4rth birthday and Halloween

Just like in any other year, birthday celebration for our youngest will always be the day of the Halloween. After all we cannot change the fact that she was born on the Hallows Eve (I prefer to call it, All Saint's Eve just because...) And for each and every year, we celebrate her birthday simply by having dinner as a family after their "trick or treating time."

Our eldest daughter simply opted for a small hair clip as her Halloween touch, saying that putting a costume for her age (by the way, she's just 13) is already too much. But adding that the truth be told, as much as she wants to, she just don't want to be teased by friends. My son this year is another super hero - the spidy minus the face mask and our little one is a flower fairy.

 

But this time, there's more to it. Just hear out first the story why we celebrate it differently for her.

I was on the phone talking with my husband when our youngest daughter Ella, asked if she can speak with his father so I passed the phone to her. And the conversation was that she was asking my husband if she can invite her friends to celebrate her birthday at home. Knowing my husband sometimes he says "yes," but not minding the consequence of his words.

And to make the story short my husband said, "yes." (As usual).

And as per rule in our home a "no" means "no" and "yes" means "yes." And just to emphasize one thing, never make a promise that you can never fulfill. So I said to my husband since you said yes to your daughter I obliged you to do be there and to organize with me. 

Our daughter don't have much friends. She is not a sociable type. She mostly keep with one or two but we didn't expect that she'll ask if she could invite 7. Organizing it won't be that difficult. BUT these are 4 years old little girls (and a boy), so entertaining them for couple of hours might be a challenge.

So my husband had a week off and I had some days off too. 

The invitation.  

I prepared it but she gave me the idea of which character to put on it. She loves hello kitty, so it is a given that she'll chose it. I had fun making it on one night. But was too tired to go to work in the morning.

The food.

The best thing in living here in France is that in any kids birthday celebration, food is the easiest. Cakes and juices will do and nothing more. 

Unlike when you celebrate it back home where food were overflowing from pasta to rice to sausages to cakes etc... plus hiring of entertainment with clowns, magicians and the "cotillion" which is a-must-included-program even for a 7 years old girls (duh?) (I don't mean it that way, each and every person have the right to celebrate their kids' birthday but having cotillions, with 7 roses, 7 candles for 7 years old is too much for me, I'm entitled to my opinion, am I right? Or maybe I'm from old school and I see it just an extravagance. If it is for 18 years yes, I don't see anything wrong with it. But for 7 years old. Again, I'm sorry.)

So her birthday food is home made pizza, cotton candy, crepe, cupcakes, strawberry cake and ice cream with give aways candies in hello kitty bags, simple as that. Mind you, in a French standard that is already an extravagance.

The invited.

Well, it turns out that one cannot make it because her Mom needs to work on that day so no one can bring her, the other had another reason or two, and the rest we don't know. So her visitors are 3 in all plus the sister of her best-friend Johanne which we also invited because if my daughter is timid, Johanne is the embodiment of timidity.

 

And for the entertainment part... well of course, it's just us. But they had fun, I'm sure of it.

Here's a video of our cotton candy guy. :)