Taitai knits

Explosion into writing

All good Montessori teachers know that children often explode into different things...one day they can't do something and the next day they can and all over the place. Here is our latest Luke explosion

Montessori training in Malaysia

When I did my Montessori training there was much emphasis on beauty. The environment should be beautiful, the materials should be beautiful. I have found Montessori as I know it does not really exist in Malaysia. Multi-age classroom - nope, not ever, in fact some schools divide up the classes by 6 month age spans. Beautiful environments - nope, not as far as I can find. No worksheets - that would never fly in this country, ever ever ever, they are all about the worksheets.

This weekend while in Chinatown, I looked up and saw this training center. I guess it is hard to be beautiful in a place like that.

Matchy matchy

Yesterday I was busy sewing and discovered that I misunderstood (not that I can actually read anything on the japanese sewing instructions!) the skirt directions while I was cutting out Claire's skirt - so it is now a skirt for my niece, Lucy. I made another one for Claire and next up is another one for my other niece, Maia. I hope my SIL likes the matchy matchy!

Not Glamour shots here

More pics of the little ones. I think they get the silliness from their Father. Really.

Lemons and Limes

Malaysian limes

Malaysian limes with some lemons and a pear for scale...on a scale. Luke loves putting stuff on my kitchen scale. I find all kinds of things piled on.

And it is finally all starting to come together for a happy someone.

FRIM

This weekend we went out to the FRIM - Forestry Research Institute of Malaysia. It was pretty good.

Luke actually looking normal for the camera

And Claire not so much

Really big bamboo

And a typical Malay toilet - note the hose in lieu of TP

Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese laterns around our apartment complex

Two Chinese grumps

My grumpy Chinese daughter

Yue Sheng - or Chinese Raw Fish Tossed Salad = good luck for everyone!

Crafting Japanese

Last night in an effort to get away, I went to the Japanese bookstore at KLCC. I ended up in the Japanese crafty section and bought this book.

I love everything in it and all the patterns are the right size for Claire. Note the pattern craziness laid out behind the book. Finding the right pattern to trace out took longer than actually sewing the pants.

Here are the pants after 15 minutes...

And here they are after about 25 minutes. The waistband was a little tricky, but they stay up and fit around someone's potbelly...

US Embassy N'Djamena

Yikes! Our good friend is the IMO to Chad and only recently arrived at post. We hope the airport is cushy and safe Wes!

Our dishwasher

Claire is very into household chores at the moment. I guess we should think about getting rid of our maid...think of all the $ we could save!