Raising bilingual children has turned the usual toddler talk from "Huh?" to "Yeah, I got nothing". Some things come out crystal clear ("Nigh nigh!", "Want Poppa!", "NO!", "Ewww!") and others... well, let me give you some examples:
"Moo-Mah" - Kiss, I'm done, Want Down/Up
"Ti" - Yes/Si, Tea, This
"Mwa Ma" - Want more/mas, Want Dino, Want that, Cat, You're dumb (thanks to my 6 year old for teaching her 2 year old sister to call people dumb)
"Aya!" - There, No, Leave me alone
"Papi" - Papi/Daddy, Puppy, Potty, Pretty
"bee-bee" - T.V., Baby, Cbebees (TV channel), Pee-pee
"Ah poo" - Bless you, Want this off/on, I need a diaper, Winnie the pooh, Blanket, Over there
"Poon" - Spoon, Soon, Put
"Doodah" - Toy, Food, Chair, Up, Hug
"Dee dee" - Piggy/Piglet, Dirty, Pretty, Kitty, Give me
"Manana" - Mañana/Morning/Tomorrow, Banana, Manzana/Apple, She hit me
I think I spend at least 80% of the day either feeding her or translating her words, sometimes both at the same time.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Bridges
One thing, probably one of the first 5 things, that immediately caught my attention when we first moved to Mexico had to be the bridges. In Mexico, not every street has a name (or at least a sign indicating what name it might possess). However, every bridge has a name and a sign that is clearly visable. My favorite has to be "Puente Sin Agua en la Derecha" (Bridge without water on the right).
In a world full of uncertainty, what we need are more silly bridge names. Who cares what road you are on, but it's important to know what bridge crosses what dried out ditch that may or may not have at one point had water. It makes me want to go out and dig a deep trench in the middle of our dirt road just so I can have the honor of naming a bridge.
In a world full of uncertainty, what we need are more silly bridge names. Who cares what road you are on, but it's important to know what bridge crosses what dried out ditch that may or may not have at one point had water. It makes me want to go out and dig a deep trench in the middle of our dirt road just so I can have the honor of naming a bridge.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Baby Steps
May was a very difficult month for me. I was feeling trapped. Every time it seemed I was taking a step forward, I ended up falling on my face. Towards the end of the month I came to a realization. I'm trying to take adult sized steps. I need baby steps. If I don't work on me first, nothing will work.
Up until about 2 months ago, my house was a disaster. It still isn't perfect by anyone's standards, but it no longer looks like I need my very own episode of hoarders, and possibly a maid or 4. It started small. 6 little things a day, written down with a few friends to help motivate each other. Eventually, the 6 things that were on my list became habit. I no longer needed them on my list. So I started adding in larger things. One room at a time, one tiny step at a time. I spent probably 2 weeks just getting my front room in shape. A long time, but I wasn't rushing. Little things here and there. Then I moved onto the hallway. Spent a good 3 days there. Then the girls room, etc. I still have the bathroom to finish, but I know I can do it, and I'm happy with how easy it is most days to simply maintain my house. So, using that as a model, I'm going to work on a few other things that I've attempted before, but never succeeded with.
Step 1: Soda.
This is a personal demon, and it ties in with another of my larger problems: My weight. I am hopelessly addicted to caffeinated drinks. Dr. Pepper is my favorite, but I cannot always get a hold of that, and will drink whatever else is caffeinated. I'm tackling this slowly. I'm not even limiting myself. I'm the kind of person that wasted 3 hours on that stupid online big red button that says do not push. I've blown up the world 26 times now according to that. If someone says I can't have it (even if I'm the one telling me I can't have it) I'm just going to try harder to get it. And I will get it. Trust me. So, instead of trying to limit myself, I'm adding something. 3 liters of water a day. I know they say two is good, but I live in a sauna these days, so 3 is better. Ice cold, preferably flavored water. It works. I'm too full from the water to look at the 2 liter of Pepsi in the fridge most of the time.
Step 2: ??
Think up a step two. Baby steps, remember?
Up until about 2 months ago, my house was a disaster. It still isn't perfect by anyone's standards, but it no longer looks like I need my very own episode of hoarders, and possibly a maid or 4. It started small. 6 little things a day, written down with a few friends to help motivate each other. Eventually, the 6 things that were on my list became habit. I no longer needed them on my list. So I started adding in larger things. One room at a time, one tiny step at a time. I spent probably 2 weeks just getting my front room in shape. A long time, but I wasn't rushing. Little things here and there. Then I moved onto the hallway. Spent a good 3 days there. Then the girls room, etc. I still have the bathroom to finish, but I know I can do it, and I'm happy with how easy it is most days to simply maintain my house. So, using that as a model, I'm going to work on a few other things that I've attempted before, but never succeeded with.
Step 1: Soda.
This is a personal demon, and it ties in with another of my larger problems: My weight. I am hopelessly addicted to caffeinated drinks. Dr. Pepper is my favorite, but I cannot always get a hold of that, and will drink whatever else is caffeinated. I'm tackling this slowly. I'm not even limiting myself. I'm the kind of person that wasted 3 hours on that stupid online big red button that says do not push. I've blown up the world 26 times now according to that. If someone says I can't have it (even if I'm the one telling me I can't have it) I'm just going to try harder to get it. And I will get it. Trust me. So, instead of trying to limit myself, I'm adding something. 3 liters of water a day. I know they say two is good, but I live in a sauna these days, so 3 is better. Ice cold, preferably flavored water. It works. I'm too full from the water to look at the 2 liter of Pepsi in the fridge most of the time.
Step 2: ??
Think up a step two. Baby steps, remember?
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