From Souffle To...

Rama and I went to a popular Italian restaurant last night for dinner. We had a cheese platter to start, followed by a spaghetti dish (spaghetti al limone, with spinach and capers) that we split. All very civilized. Dessert time. I asked her if she wanted some dessert.

Rama: Do they have suman?

No suman in Southern Italy. So no dessert for us that night.

What's On Her Mind

Rama was making a pile of grass in a friend's backyard. Always curious about how she plays pretend, I asked.

Me: What are you making?
Rama: Nothing.

A little later, a playmate started moving things around in her pile. Rama apparently didn't like that - and I got clued in on what she was thinking of:

Rama: Hey! Don't touch my souffle!

Graciousness

Rama's Papi was at our place for dinner. As we were setting the table, Rama offers her dad, "Would you like some wine?" And then she asks me, in a whisper, "Do we have wine?"



Pics taken on one of our recent early evening walks around the 'hood. (I used to NOT get shorts with boots. But it can actually work, especially in fine fall weather.)

Random Quote

Rama, annoyed: Why when I ask you what time is it, you say 'almost 9 o'clock, time for bed.' That's not a real answer!

Professor Rama

Rama put together an outfit, with this intent: I want to look like Jose Rizal when he was about to die.

Then she decided that what she actually looked like was "Professor Rama." She improvised with the white shirt - what she's wearing actually has a graphic print, but she figured that she could wear it back-to-front. I shall indulge this further by getting her a proper neck tie and a newsboy hat that fits.

Wedgie?!?

Dinner in Chinatown. (Rama is a fan of noodle soup). Waiter comes over, setting down my plate of VEGGIE spring rolls. In a strong Chinese accent, "Here's yo' WE-GGIE..." Meaning, VEGGIE, of course.

Rama: He's giving you a wedgie?!

(Rama knows wedgie as underwear that gets stuck between butt-cheeks. Something that one has to fix pronto. Once, she also worried about how some girls wear thongs - wedgie always!)

As we segue into lessons on diversity and political correctness ("Some people just happen to make different sounds for words. But, we know what they mean.")

You Say Tomato

I was just getting over my amazement at Rama's latest food request - peanut butter sandwich, with tomato. Inside. When she asked for this, I served the sliced tomato on the side, and then she fixed it herself and put the slice IN the sandwich. Odd, but, hey, whatever works. Anyone heard of this before? Does any Disney character eat this way? I don't know where she got the idea.

And then when I went online, I saw this article on feeding mistakes that parents make. Good to know I'm doing OK on most counts.

Aba 'No! (Uyyy, Haba ng Hair...)

Humbled to make it to the finals for the 2008 Philippine Blog Awards, Family and Living. Whodathunk?

Hats off to another finalist D-spot. (OMG, she raised 7 kids!).

Powder?!?

Rama: I want to eat powder.
Me: What?!
Rama: I want powder. (Pause). It's not really powder. The Goldilocks!

Polvoron pala. Stash from Manila. The little box of precious white powder (not what you think), we make it last for months! Rationed well and wisely.

"Singhot!"

My pot of water for the pasta was boiling over. I only noticed because Rama started screaming, "Sumusunog!"

That started our Tagalog lesson for the evening.

Adult: Ano sa Tagalog ang shoulders?
Rama: Balikat!

Adult: Ano sa Tagalog ang thin? (referring to a blanket)
Rama: Manipis!

Adult: Ano sa Tagalog ang sniff?
Rama stumped.
Adult: Suminghot!

Suminghot set us off giggling. These pictures were taken when she just couldn't stop laughing over the word.

Throughout the evening, even when we had moved on to other tasks and were each doing our own thing, she would randomly sneak up on me and whisper, Suminghot!