I Spy @ Central Park

spring, 2011
@ Central Park

family day

一早，daddy本來要去oil change，但是我們又沒有事先預約，光是等大概就已經耗掉大半天了!我們怎麼可以讓等了一個星期的Family day就這樣泡湯了呢!!!! 何況，最近有新聞老是說521是世界末日耶!都世界末日了還換什麼機油阿!!哈哈哈哈哈~~~

最後，ni媽我堅持週間再去換!換個機油又不是什麼了不起的東西，反正，就照預約的時間，把車丟在那邊，一兩個小時之後再去領車就好了!他們也不會讓我們進去看他們怎麼換機油怎麼弄東西的，所以，誰去都一樣! 於是，我們打電話去預約星期一早上去換機油!真的還好我堅持不浪費我們的family day!不然，daddy差點就毀了我們這美好的一天!!

我們的family day也沒什麼規劃就是了!呵呵~大部分都是當天臨時想到什麼做什麼! 我們的機動性很高的!說走就走~~
daddy決定帶我們去中央公園划船去!!!因為上個月daddy答應nini等天氣好，我們一起去划船!!!
Yeah!!!Central Park 我們來囉!!!!

ni語錄 - baby

晚上，nini抱著邊親邊說:「mommy是我的寶貝!!」
唉唷~~~真是個sweet girl!!!甜得很咧!!!

雖然今天下午才說我像灰姑娘的後母~~~ =.= "
應該是她良心發現了吧!!!哈哈哈哈..........

【3Y3M】

ni語錄 - stepmother

nini:「mommy, you are like a stepmother.」

mommy:「WHY?」

nini:「because....when I'm not behave, you are very mean. like Cinderella's stepmother and i have stepsisters,too.」

mommy:「you have stepsisters? where are they?」

nini:「yea, like Cinderella! maybe they are in beth room?」


【3Y3M】

【媽咪碎碎念】
mommy非常無言!!我女兒居然說我像灰姑娘的後母!! 我哪有像Cinderella的後母啊!!!!我哪有那麼壞，那麼兇!!!拜託~~~
我覺得我比較像阿信，比較像在家辛苦做家事的 Cinderella吧!!

Picture Book Storytime @ Library

這兩個星期的storytime暫停，還好Pciture Book Storytime沒暫停，只是換時間，從星期五改到星期四。不然，下了一個星期的雨，我還真不知道要帶nini去那兒打發時間、玩耍咧!

一個小時的Picture Book Storytime，有故事、唱歌和手工，是針對三到五歲的孩子的課程。

毛毛蟲

Picture Book Storytime 下課後，nini突然自己跑去問Nichole還有沒有Pinkalicious的書，他想看，但是我們找不到。
哈哈哈哈! 對啦，我們找了兩個星期了吧，都沒有! 都被借走了!!
Nichole 幫nini在別的圖書館request幾本過來， 不單只有Pinkaliciouis，還借了Goldilicious 和Purplicious呢!! 等書送過來了，會用email通知我們去領!

我很開心nini知道去找適當的人幫忙! 他知道Nichole 負責children's library，有什麼書找不到或是有什麼相關的問題都可以去問他。

【3Y3M】

Nini & Lotion

晚上睡前，ni很自動的帶著兩本書進房間，然後就沒聲音了! 沒錯，只要小孩突然沒聲音，絕對有問題!! 她一定又在玩什麼玩的自得其樂，我便帶著相機進房間，看看她在玩甚麼花樣.....

哈哈!!她已經自己把乳液罐子打開了!還挖了一大堆乳液在手上準備要擦lotion咧!!!
看到我走進來，很鎮定，若無其事的對我說:「我自己擦lotion喔....」

小姐，你的lotion會不會太多了點?

lotion要這樣擦!

好了! 整張臉完全滋潤到了!
連頭髮也順便護髮一下!

ni爸看到這樣一直瞪我，說:「塗成這樣你還照....」
ni媽笑著說:「不照起來以後怎麼笑她~~~記錄成長囉!!」 哈哈哈!

【3Y3M】

以下是nini& lotion的成長紀錄!

11M4W

11M4W

12M4W

2Y7M

2Y9M

2Y9M

看到這邊，應該發現.....我家都用這個牌子的lotion...哈哈哈!因為.....便宜又大罐!很符合經濟效益，尤其是當小孩都拿來這樣擦的時候......

I knew that kid was too quiet!

以為讓nini畫水彩可以讓她忙一陣子，我就有點時間把教會的東西弄一弄。想不到，她只畫了兩張，就不畫了，還自願幫我去把筆和洗筆的水杯洗乾淨。 在電腦前面做海報的我，突然覺得有點不太對勁，因為幾分鐘過去了，怎麼只有水的聲音....這小孩太安靜了!!!絕對有問題..........

結果......

nini:"媽媽，你怎麼了?"

媽媽臉上三條線，心裡OS:「怎麼了?你還好心問我『怎麼了?』.......哀，平常沒事的時候，是不會感覺到心臟的存在的!!謝謝你每天都讓媽媽感覺到，我是有心臟的!!!!媽媽的心臟都是被你訓練到越來越強的!!!」

nini:"我在把他們洗乾淨啊!!!"

謝謝唷!還真乾淨! 一塊肥皂給他用到剩下半塊!!!!居然用自己的牙刷和肥皂刷水彩筆的水杯(那個play doh的罐子) !!!!!!!!!
而且她還真是個孝順的孩子，連牆壁、鏡子、水龍頭、洗臉台全部幫我用肥皂抹了一百遍!!!!全部都是泡泡~~~~~

看她洗得那麼開心，我就讓她繼續洗，但是只限在洗手台的範圍而已!洗了半個多小時還沒洗完，在她打算連地板和門框都要洗之前，趕快感謝她那麼認真的幫忙!!! 準備一碗藍莓來慰勞辛苦又孝順的小幫手!!!

開玩笑，幫我洗地板和門框?!
感謝!不用了!我心臟沒那麼強，我每天要做的事情已經夠多了!


【3Y3M】

Clown Show @ Library

今天下午在圖書館的時候，Nicole告訴我們兩點半在地下室有個活動適合大人及小孩，原來是個小丑魔術秀!! 圖書館邀請到Big Apple Cirrus的Clown, Dikki Ellis 來表演!!這實在太好了，我們一家三口都能一起看呢!!

小丑Dikki不只表演有趣，連他講話、動作都很吸引小孩子的目光，連大人們也看得入迷! nini看show看到嘴巴張開開的，一直笑!!很開心今天能夠看到這小丑魔術秀!

這一兩個月，常常會在圖書館看到聯署的活動，因為NYC要刪減Queens Library的預算，這會導致圖書館的開放時間縮短、員工刪減、甚至有些圖書館會因此關門。圖書館實在是社區的好資源，是大人小孩的好去處，衷心希望Queens Library能夠度過難關!!希望City良心發現，別讓好資源就這樣不見了～～

若您願意，請參與Save Queens Library的聯署！謝謝～

【3Y3M】

ni語錄 - rescue you

昨晚daddy加班沒和我們一起吃晚餐，原本nini想等daddy回來一起吃，但是，等了等，我不想讓nini她太晚吃飯，便告訴nini:「daddy要很晚才回來，我現在打電話給daddy跟他說，我們先吃晚餐。也叫他早點回家，好不好?」

雖然，daddy之前就已經打過電話告訴我們他會比較晚回來，nini還是等不及要跟她爸講話。
nini:「Hello,Daddy~~ This is Stephanie!!Do you know? I'm nini, Stephanie!!」

我心想:「不然咧?除了你還會有誰會叫他daddy?如果還有人叫他daddy的話，他就死定了!!!!」

這個sweet到不行的小孩接著說:「Daddy, I miss you so so so so so so so so so much!!!我想你那麼多耶!!!你怎麼還沒有回來啊？」

在加班的daddy在電話那一頭聽的是開心個半死，但是還是得向她解釋現在還沒回家的原因。

聽完daddy的解釋和想念的話之後，nini居然對daddy說：「Don't worry, daddy! I'll go and rescue you now! and I will give you a very BIG hug when I see you. Then, we can play together and eat ice cream!!!」　
（別擔心，daddy!我現在去救你，看到你的時候我會給你一個大大的抱抱，然後我們一起玩，一起吃冰淇淋!!!)

哈哈哈!!!nini居然說要去救daddy!!!她應該覺得她爸現在是身陷在水深火熱之中，連回家吃個晚餐都成了問題，很可憐吧!!nini還叫我開車去接daddy下班咧!!說要去rescue daddy!!


今天早上nini起床，看到daddy，開心的不得了，抱著她daddy說:「Daddy, I'm so glad to see you!!! I miss you so so so so so so so so much!! I give you a Big Big hug now!!! I promised you, remember?」
(daddy, 我很開心看到你唷!!我好想好想好想好想你!我現在給你一個大大的抱抱!我答應你的，記得嗎?)

哇~你還記得你昨天講的? 怪怪，我每天跟你講的話，你怎麼都不記得?!你跟我promise好的怎麼都不記得??
真的是Daddy's little girl!!!超Sweet的唷~~~~


【3Y3M】

ni語錄 - 愛心

媽媽告訴nini要當個有愛心的小孩，要彼此相愛，對人要nice，不可以自私，只想到自己。

nini:「我有愛心啊!」

媽咪:「那很好啊!我們都要有愛心!上帝喜歡我們有愛心!」

nini:「我的愛心在這邊」 nini摸著肚子這麼說。

媽咪一頭霧水:「什麼? 你的愛心在哪裡?」

nini:「在肚子啊!!你看~~~那麼大~~~~」 還要我看他的肚子!!

媽咪:「你的愛心被你吃掉了是吧?難怪你肚子那麼大~~~~因為你很有愛心!!! 哈哈哈哈哈~~」

【3Y3M】

ni語錄 - teriyaki & teriyummy

nini & mommy 一起玩扮家家酒...

媽咪:「老闆，請問你有賣什麼?」

nini:「很多啊，你要什麼?」

媽咪:「我肚子餓了，請問你這邊什麼東西好吃呢?」

nini:「oh!! ok! I have chicken. which one you want, teriyaki chicken or teriyummy chicken??!」

哈哈哈哈哈! teriyaki chicken and teriyammy chicken!!!

媽咪:「i want the yummy one!! give me teriyummy chicken, please! 」

【3Y3M】

ni 語錄 - name

nini :「I will name my brother Justin.」

mama:「I like the name Justin, too. But....what if that's a girl?」

nini:「girl? Um....oh! I know! I will name her Hello Kitty!!!」

Oh!!my dear!! you gonna name your sister Hello Kitty??!!! Hahahahaaa~~~


【3Y3M】

Top 10 TV shows for preschoolers

今天收到一封email :Top 10 TV shows for preschoolers 。收錄在日記中，留起來當參考。


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What to watch: The best children's television

Allowing a little tube time isn't a parenting crime, as long as you're careful not to let TV gobble up more than its share of your child's precious waking hours.

Experts agree that kids should watch no more than one or, at most, two hours of TV a day. (Learn more about limiting TV time.) Your job as a parent is to make sure this limited quantity of TV is maximum quality.

Of course, you can't go wrong with a classic like Sesame Street (which first aired in 1969). But there are other gems you may not be so familiar with. Here are our picks.

Between the Lions (PBS)
These lions don't just grace the steps of the library, they run the place. Theo and Cleo Lion and their cubs, Lionel and Leona, offer fledgling readers a leg up on literacy and give their parents a few laughs along the way. This feline family and their animal friends live in a magical library where stories spring to animated life as they're read. Each episode focuses on a letter sound or combination (short "u," "ip," or "oo," for instance), which is highlighted in narrated books, songs, live-action skits, and animated segments. Clever jokes will keep you interested, too. One segment, "Gawain's Word," opens with the electric guitar licks of Wayne's World.

Dinosaur Train (PBS)
This entertaining show introduces scientific exploration to dinosaur fans with a healthy dose of lessons on getting along. Buddy, a young Tyrannosaurus rex adopted by a pteranodon family, is curious to learn about other kinds of dinosaurs. In each episode, he and his family board a time-traveling train to visit other species in the Mesozoic era. The young dinosaurs explore their differences, proposing hypotheses and making observations to support their conclusions – for example, trying to understand why a flightless velociraptor has feathers. Between animated segments, paleontologist Scott Sampson shares additional facts and theories about the featured dinosaurs, comparing them with more familiar animals alive today.

Fetch! (PBS)
This unique animated/live action game show combines a cartoon canine host, six smart kid contestants, and genuinely challenging tasks that test the contestants' science, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Host Ruff Ruffman sends his Fetchers off on wild challenges to use their intelligence and enthusiasm to earn points and prizes. The format can be goofy but the science is serious stuff: In one episode, two contestants trying to pluck a clue out of a pool figure out how to turn a pile of wood and hardware into a simple suspension bridge. In another, three kids who've just gotten a primer on the science of pushes and pulls need to turn a jumble of parts into an aerodynamic soapbox car. It's fast-paced, funny, and fascinating.

Handy Manny (Disney)
"You break it, we fix it," is the motto at Handy Manny's Repair Shop – and indeed, in multicultural Sheetrock Hills every challenge is met with cooperation, creativity, and a can-do attitude. Manny and his tools, each with a vivid personality, are called on to help with jobs large and small. The tools sometimes make their tasks harder through carelessness, pride, or impatience. But they always learn to set things right, with the support and encouragement of Manny and the rest of the tools. Community and interdependence are very strong themes here. Latino culture resonates throughout the series, from the music to the story lines, and Manny routinely uses Spanish words and phrases and translates them to English.

Little Bill (Nick Jr.)
"Hello, friend," Little Bill says at the start of each animated episode. Then and there, kids bond with the energetic, imaginative 5-year-old, who manages to make lemonade out of life's lemons (being stuck inside on a rainy day, not getting a desperately desired video game). Little Bill is the youngest of the Glovers, a multigenerational African-American family. His great-grandmother, Alice the Great, often helps Bill sort out feelings or find solutions to his daily dilemmas. Both the boy and the show draw their power from storytelling, humor, and family relationships, just as you'd expect from creator Bill Cosby. Because the Glovers are fully fleshed-out characters, moms, dads, and kids can all watch together and find someone to identify with – and something to think about.

Ni Hao, Kai-lan (Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.)
Like Dora the Explorer before her, 5-year-old Kai-lan Chow engages preschoolers with an interactive, bilingual format – here, it's Mandarin Chinese and English. Sweet and gentle Kai-lan goes further than Dora, however, with a fuller appreciation of cultural context. Chinese-American culture permeates the show, from Kai-lan's close relationship with her grandfather, YeYe, to story lines involving a dragon boat festival, Chinese New Year, and a baby panda. Kai-lan's friends struggle to cope with everyday preschooler drama: broken toys, jealousy, problems sharing. Thoughtful problem-solving, often with help from YeYe, helps Kai-lan and her friends cope with their emotions and learn to get along.

Sid the Science Kid (PBS)
Preschoolers are a curious bunch, and this show sets out to help them find the answers to their many questions about how the world works. Inquisitive Sid has a lot of questions about the world around him, and he finds the answers using scientific investigation and observation. The adults in his life encourage his investigations both at home and at school. Each week focuses on a specific theme, such as transformations, machines, and the human body, with concrete explorations that hook young kids: observing food and pumpkins decaying and growing moldy, or digging into dirt and seeing whether just paper towels or soap and water are better for cleaning your hands.

Super Why! (PBS)
The Super Readers, led by Whyatt, are a team of problem-solving characters in Storybrook Village who help kids learn reading fundamentals and discover the power of stories to help solve everyday dilemmas. Faced with a problem – when Jill keeps stomping Littlest Pig’s block towers, for example, or when Red Riding Hood wants to keep all her apples for herself – they transform into superhero personas and fly into a book to find an answer to the problem. Each character has a special word-based power: highlighting words, building letters and words, creating rhyming words, and the like. Their adventures reinforce phonics, word usage, and other reading skills while imparting lessons on problem-solving, respect, and teamwork.

WordWorld (PBS)
In WordWorld, everything is literal: A barn is formed from the letters B-A-R-N, the letters P-I-E are squished together to form PIE, and even the characters are built from the letters that spell their names. It's a wonderful way to help kids make the connection between individual letters and words they use every day. The WordFriends – including Pig, Sheep, and Frog – cooperate to solve problems in each episode, always requiring them to "build a word!" Catchy music, appealing characters, and a solid grounding in phonics make this a great choice for preschoolers.

Zoboomafoo (PBS)
Animal Junction, Zoboomafoo's home base, gets an amazing array of flying, swimming, hopping, and slithering visitors. Sure, top billing goes to lemur puppet Zoboo, but it's the real animals and their handlers, brothers Martin and Chris Kratt, who truly make this nature show: A baby elephant lumbers in the door; a Burmese python curls around a wooden rail; a squid turns up in the tub. Meanwhile, the Kratts find playful ways to teach kids about animals — squirming like a snake, thrashing around in a mud pit, and never lecturing. Variety (songs, claymation cartoons, video segments of kids talking about animals, bike trips into the wild) keeps the momentum up, and chatty Zoboo maintains the goofy mood.

I love park

星期六是我們的Family Day, 沒什麼大事的話，不會待在家裡的，再怎麼樣都會出門透透氣，去公園晃晃或是怎麼樣都好，就是要一家人一起出去走走。

這個星期，除了帶nini去看醫生、領藥和去圖書館之外，我們很認分的乖乖待在家裡。nini很乖，他很聽醫生的話的，醫生交代這幾天不要去公園玩，他常常告訴我，現在不可以去公園，會過敏。很有自知之明。去看醫生的那天，我因為先回家弄午餐，晚點才去拿藥，並沒有把車子直接停進車庫，直接停在樓下，等到Richard下班的時候，Richard一進門就說:「I saw our car downstairs. I was thinking to park it in the garage....... 」
nini聽到他爹回家，又聽到他講的這一串話，連忙衝到門口，說:「daddy!! did you just say PARK? are you going to park now??? i really want to go!」

哈哈哈哈!!他爸連忙解釋，他說的park 是只要去停車!!!不是要去公園!!!

只要聽到任何有關park的，nini的反應都很快!!!哈哈哈哈~~~

眼看過敏的症狀都控制得很不錯，nini和我的眼睛也沒那麼紅腫了，鼻子也好了很多。我想，應該可以和過敏稍微和平相處了吧!! 因此，今兒個，我們帶nini去Long Island的Eisenhower Park玩球。去年的Momerial Day我們來這邊看直升機!!今天，剛好是母親節前夕 ，有Craft and Gift show，擺了不少攤子，大多是手工藝品!!先在那兒晃了晃，才開到另外一個field 去玩球。

活潑好動的nini到公園裡就停不下來，超愛和daddy玩這個在臺灣買的摩天球，雖然今天他一個球都沒接到過，光是丟球，撿球，追著球跑，就樂趣很多了!!!nini還自己發明了另外個玩法，兩個人各拿一個球，同時丟球，在同時去接球。哈哈!!他大概覺得丟了球之後又馬上有球可以撿，不用等，比較快!!!

I love park!!

【後記】
準備離開公園的時候，nini說他眼睛很癢，我以為是過敏!結果一看，居然左眼下方有個小泡泡，眼睛整個紅腫!看起來應該是被不明蚊蟲叮咬的!!我們開車到Walmart去買人工淚液替她清洗眼睛，因為是沒什麼要藥能夠塗在眼睛附近，藥劑師說預防過敏反應先讓她吃Benadryl 或其他同性質的抗過敏藥物。也就買了小包裝的Benadryl給她先服用!!

nini後來在Walmart看到賣腳踏車，她挑了一輛比較小又有輔助輪子的腳踏車在那邊試騎，原本都沒事。騎著騎著，可能是他太急了還是怎樣，車子翻倒，整個人跌在地上，鼻子嘴唇流了一大堆的血!!為了幫她止血，我的雙手也都是血!!!可憐的nini，哭的亂七八糟的，一直說我流血了!好痛好痛!!!
現場血跡斑斑，真是慘不忍睹!!!!
nini的上嘴唇正中央因跌倒被牙齒咬到撞到，破了洞，腫了一個大包!!!!!!希望她快點好起來!!!

【3Y3M】

Teriyaki Chicken/ 照燒雞腿排

Ni ma's Teriyaki chicken

今日晚餐:Teriyaki Chicken

在準備晚餐的時候，nini走進廚房問:「媽媽，你在煮什麼?」
媽咪:「我在弄Teriyaki Chicken啊!」

nini:「teriyaki chicken???? yucky chicken?? i don't want yucky chicken!!」
媽咪:「是teriyaki，不是yucky!!這個chicken不yucky的!!!很好吃的!!等一下你就知道!!」

晚餐的時候，nini吃了一口:「wow!!mommy, it's not yucky!!it's very yummy!!」

哈哈哈!是啊!!應該改名叫做 Teriyummy chicken!!!

這真是大人小孩喜愛的一道餐，nini吃的津津有味，雖然已經飽了，還說要再一碗!(沒真的再續碗就是了!呵呵~~)


【3Y3M】




【材料】
1. Chicken Thighs 數片 (為了健康和方便，我挑選去骨去皮的雞大腿)
2. Teriyaki醬汁:
mirin 3匙，醬油3匙，水3匙，糖1匙( 其實比例上可以自己調啦)
3. 薑末 少許
4. 醬油，糖，米酒，鰹魚粉 少許
5. 洋蔥切絲

【作法】
1. 先將雞肉畫幾刀，比較容易入味，煎的時候也容易熟。然後少許的醬油，'糖，鰹魚粉，米酒及薑末醃一下。
2. 熱鍋，不用放油，直接煎雞肉，煎至兩面有點焦黃。 盛起。
3. 清洗鍋子後，放入洋蔥絲，加少許的水，煨煮至熟透，再放一些調配的Teriyaki 醬汁。
4. 用小鍋煮剩下的Teriyaki醬汁，煮至醬汁滾，起泡，收乾一些水分後，淋在已煎好的雞肉片上。