My Children are Going British

You knew that, sooner or later, the kids would be affected by all the fun accents and voices and international phrases they hear at school.  I knew that, too.  I just didn't expect it to start so soon.

This week was reading week, and they had a character parade, where the kids dressed up as characters from their favorite books.  I have never seen so many princesses in my life as the day I picked up Hannah...

The kids at Hank's school had already been calling him the Blonde American Harry Potter because of his wild messy hair, his glasses, his green eyes, and his general ruffled appearance.  When Hank told me that he had to dress up as a character at 6 AM on the morning it was due, I grabbed an eyeliner, drew a scar, found an amazon.com box, and cut out a pair of glasses. When Hannah told me at bedtime the night before her's was due, I grabbed her book Pinkalicious and talked her into going as that character.  Thank goodness she didn't ask to color her skin or hair pink, too.  Thought #1: WHY DIDN'T I BRING THE DRESS UP STUFF FROM HOME?  Yes, I was yelling that, so all the caps were appropriate.  Thought #2: Hey!  We actually survived this without (a) the dressup box, (b) a sewing machine, (c) purchasing anything, or (d) more than 15 minutes notice.

Below are pictures of my Pinkalicious and my Harry Potter, along with how each brought home a Britishism this week.  (Jack, I think, just ignored the instructions to dress up...)

 

Cardboard + scissors + permanent marker + eyeliner
= Hanky Potter.

I actually got him to let me take the picture by promising I would buy him a hamburger for dinner.  

This week Hank came home and declared, "Mom--the Arabic teacher announced in front of the whole class.  I'm the newest person to start learning Arabic and yet I got full marks on my Arabic test."  Me: "Full marks?"  Hank: "Yeah, top marks."  Me: "Huh?"  Hank: "TOP. MARKS."  Me (prepare thyself for phonetic representation of East Texas speech characteristics): "Does that mean yuh got uh hun'erd?"  (Yes, it does.)

Pink shirt + pink twirling skirt + pink polka-dotted tights + pink sparkle shoes
= Hanni-pink-alicious.

Hannah, upon being wild and crazy as I picked her up from school on Thursday (which is Friday): "Mama!  I'm just a CHEEKY LITTLE MONKEY!"