Compleanno Italiano!

Now Antonia is making good friends with the children in her class at school I am finding a side effect of this is that we are getting invited to their birthday parties. Antonia is the only totally English child in her class. Everyone else is either Italian or has one parent that is Italian. Consequently parties are, shall we say, Italian style! Culturally they follow a similar pattern to British ones - games, entertainer, food, birthday cake. Where they differ, unfortunately, are not, to me, in ways that are better or even just different. 

The  main difference is that many parties start at 4.00 p.m. In the UK this would be fine, as it would also have a finish time, normally no later than 6.00 p.m. Here some guests, quite literally, are only just turning up then!! Also it isn't that unusual for the party to be on a Sunday, with school the next day. There is no way I can let Antonia stay at a party until gone 8.00 p.m. on a Sunday and expect her to get up for school with a smile on her face the following morning!! How everyone else's children do I have no idea. Why this is acceptable, I honestly cannot fathom. Answers on a postcard. Remember these are for 5 year olds not teens!

The other difference is that here children are given their presents and then open them straight away. In the UK normally presents are opened at home when all the guests have left and then "thank you" notes are written. I prefer this. It's what I am used to but also it means stuff doesn't get lost or broken, little friends don't abscond with things ( it happens!) and if you have bought the party child the wrong thing, you don't know about it! One party we attended the little boy was given some lovely clothes by one friend, he looked at them, then just ran off, with the friend's mother calling after him for his opinion! She looked pretty gutted by his reaction!

I am really happy Antonia is being included and I am getting to know other parents this way but I am also starting to realise I can't go to all of them and when we do, I have to be firm about when we leave!

As to Antonia having one this year......30 odd kids in the garden....really not sure. I just know they would all turn up too!

Christmas Pictures.

Not all of these relate to school, but they do give you an idea of what we got up to before and during the school holiday!

Being a star, literally, in the school nativity play. This lasted 2 hours with an hour beforehand for them all to arrive and get ready! I've put the video of her bit on my Facebook page (Alyson Joy Long - I think I'm the only one!!) if you are interested.

End of term ballet recital. The hardest part for her was having to have a proper bun. As soon as she finished I had to remove all the pins holding it in place, it was hurting her that much! She was very enthusiastic though!

The AILO's Christmas Bazaar at the old stables near Porta Romana. Being an American event we ate burgers and hot dogs! They were very good though. There was also proper US crisps (chips) by Lays, which I've never had before. They were almost like Britain's Walkers, so they were good. I find most Italian crisps far too salty or highly flavoured! I tend to stick to Pringles or Kettle Chips because of this! It was a good bazaar and we came home with loads of bargains! The best was buying back a baby toy I had donated that nobody wanted, except Antonia of course who recognised it and hadn't realised I had given it away! As it had come from a fair in the first place I ended up paying more to buy it back than I paid for it in the first place! 

We went to see an Italian musical production of Pippi Longstocking, hence the pigtails! Antonia thought it was great. It was just the right length at an hour long. Also, for once, it was in the afternoon rather than the evening so we were out before tea. We went and had a Chinese as a treat. Unfortunately it was the Sunday the heavens opened and we had an enormous hail storm! We eventually got home about 8.00 p.m. having had to stay in the restaurant until it all calmed down!

Finally, Christmas Day! Antonia has been having golf lessons with a friend on and off since September. She decided she wanted a set of clubs from Father Christmas. Here she is practising with them on Christmas day!

Christmas is a coming!

One for Courtney - the Christmas play at school is looming large!!!

This year Antonia is a Star! Just how many seconds will she be on stage I wonder! We didn't make last years play as she was really sick on the day, but I got hear all about it from Courtney! This year she can have the pleasure of hearing about it from us!

We have to pay to have the costumes tailored - only in Italy! Then it is in a theatre about 30 mins or more bus ride from where we live, we also have to pay for the theatre! Last year it was about 3hours long, but we missed it, I can't wait! The summer play was 2 hours. This is only the Asilo kiddies, not the whole school! I dread to think how long the Media productions must be! Oh well, it's all in a good cause! My darling husband is managing to miss it by being in the UK, but Alex will be able to accompany us, tee, hee! I love watching my kids in their shows, but 3 hours for a nativity, please! 

I also have Antonia's end of term Ballet Recital. This is less than an hour, much more like it! If nothing else expecting little ones to last for hours is unreasonable, but never mind. Looking forward to the ballet! 

The Dinosaur Park and Golf....

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The first picture is of Antonia's first golf lesson, but it didn't seem to fit in anywhere else so I thought here was as good as anywhere!

The dino park is in Peccioli - I hope I have spelt that right! The name is somewhere in one of the pictures. The huge dino is one the biggest full scale models in the world and took 4 years for the brothers that own the park to make! It is dedicated to their dad. Not sure what the implication of that is, but hey ho! It is a great park for young kids. Not much for any above 8 I would say, unless they are obsessed dino fans that is! It was a lovely day, as you can see and the surrounding area was pure Tuscan countryside, really beautiful. A good day out.