Hi friends, it’s time to gather with Andrea and Erika for Friday’s favorite event. It’s a week of celebrations here with Chinese New Year activities at preschool and my birthday on Wednesday, so this week I’m sharing some festive favorites. Thank you very much for being here😊
Birthday Drinks
On Monday, I met a friend for birthday drinks, and all that was available was margaritas on a very hot day.
Leaving Work Early
Wednesday is my birthday, and I can leave work early because I have free time. I only worked three hours, and Steve picked me up from the preschool gate at midday. As I jumped in the car, I said, “Drive, Steve, drive!” Haha, it feels like I’m having a great escape.
Lunch Snack
We went to a small bakery in Vietnam and bought bánh mì for lunch and matcha ice. Very delicious!
Afternoon and Dinner
In the afternoon, I get a pedicure and watch TV for a while before getting ready for dinner. My oldest son and his beloved partner joined us, so there were five of us in total.
I chose an Italian restaurant near our house that I had heard good things about, and we ate pizza and pasta until we could barely move.
Then we went home for cake, and this year I chose a mix of eclairs and tarts to share. I thought it would be fun to make something a little different than the usual birthday cake.
Surprise Visit
Around 9.30, we finished everything, and after saying goodbye to my son and his partner, I put on my pajamas. Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was my cousin and his girlfriend. What a pleasant surprise, and lucky I was wearing nice pajamas! They came to wish me a happy birthday and brought me two sweet treats that looked like mushrooms. It doesn’t taste like mushrooms and there is a delicious chocolate hazelnut filling in the middle.
Netflix Laughs
We were sitting around chatting when my cousin started telling us about a comedian he discovered, Marcello Hernandez, and how funny he was. We ended up watching some of his Netflix shows American Boyand he’s right. What made it even funnier was how relatable it was for both of us, since we grew up in Latino households. Good grief!
Chinese New Year in Preschool
Our preschool is run over several sessions, with different children attending at the start and end of the week. So we ended up celebrating Chinese New Year twice, on Tuesday and Friday. Friday turned out to be a bigger event, with parents coming dressed in special cultural attire. He read a story and shared some of his family traditions. Then it was our turn, and several educators explained the story about Nian, the legendary monster. Nian are said to appear every Chinese New Year, and families use red decorations and loud noises to chase them away.
Our Little Show
My super fun coworkers and amazing friends managed it all. He is the narrator and puppet handler and gets help from another educator who voices Nian. I was responsible for sound effects, backgrounds, prop handling, and some character voices. With only one quick lap 10 minutes beforehand, we were kind of winging it and just laughing at the parts where we made mistakes. I guess the kids didn’t notice the mistake, and now we joke about airing this show….maybe not now.
Birthdays at Preschool
Me and other colleagues celebrate our birthdays one day apart, so today, the staff and children sang happy birthday to us. There is no one older than five in kindergarten, and that’s what I like. I got five firecracker claps after they sang happy birthday. Clap your hands and whoosh! It was so cute and the perfect way to end a wonderful week.
Happy Friday!
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