Carnevale and MYP Lunch

The Cutest Cowboys

Every year I would feel like a cheapskate mom when the Carnevale arrives as I see all the lovely costumes selling in the shops and indulgent parents spending 40-60 euros apiece on them for their kids. I have bought a few expensive pieces (e.g. Teddy Bear costume, Power Ranger, Tigger, Batman, Superman, Red Indian, Princess Jasmine, Cowboy...) over the years only problem is that those kids often want to wear what they don't already have when it's time to dress up.

Luckily the cleaning lady treats me like a rubbish dump and likes to bring me used costumes for children that I have no idea where she got them from but with a bit of a patch here and there those kids have a few other choices (e.g. clown, Princess dunno-what, witch...) and with a bit of marketing I usually manage to con them into being happy with what they have. I mean if I have to pay 50 bucks for a piece of rubbish I might as well spend it on Polo Ralph Lauren or Armani.

Still I hate to be a spoilsport and they do have so much fun dressing up. And they actually do dress up almost every other day so nothing's really wasted. Only they couldn't help outgrowing the costumes.

Baby Girl with her Japanese friend (a really sweet girl and can't miss the V-sign)

This year Baby Girl put on her new Princess Jasmine costume and Baby Boy his old cowboy one simply because his good friend Fede would be dressed up as one too. I asked him if it wouldn't be better if he tried to look different but no, he was very sure that it would be more fun being able to play cowboys with Fede (and he was right as usual). However, his teacher had told the kids that they wouldn't be able to bring any guns to school. Sigh, how could a cowboy not carry a gun...

So I gave him a bad mother idea. Told him he could secretly carry one to school but if the teacher sees it then he should just accept defeat and keep it in his bag. The dear lady undressed the boy herself when he arrived so you could be sure she saw it immediately. Ahem.

Another Gung-Fu Carnevale

On the same day Eldest Son's Middle Years decided to build their sense of community by holding a lunch. I can imagine that just by collectively deciding not to eat canteen food (pasta and more pasta) for the day they would already succeed in their objective. I had no need to exercise my culinary imagination as the boy insisted that I must make curry puffs for his friends and teachers. Yeap plain ole baked curry puffs. Easy peasy. But would be great if I had 2 ovens...I turned up late as it wasn't easy baking 3 dozen puffs with just one oven. And I wanted them to eat the puffs hot.

Baked Curry Puffs

To go with his new home entertainment system, Hub decided to buy us new furniture so we've been visiting a few shops. And you can't miss the kitchens each time, the Italians are really the kings of the designer home kitchen. It's crazy what they have, I felt doubly frustrated during those visits not having renovated my own kitchens and not having any possibility for it in the immediate future. A few of them have double ovens and boy that's really useful if you entertain alot.