Playdates

We've been on spring break for almost two weeks.   Over the break I've been trying to host lots and lots of playdates, because between terms is the only time I don't feel overwhelmed with other things to do.  Not a lot of people have invited us over to their houses; since we moved here we've really had to take the initiative to invite people to our house first, then sometimes they reciprocate.

Today Ruth has a friend over who is wearing a Ramones T-shirt and has a Gap hoodie.  They do not sell Gap in Australia.  He is by far the coolest playdate she's ever had.  Her friend brought over adorable gingerbread cookies for them to share.  Yesterday another friend came over and brought a store-bought bag of fancy chocolate chip biscuits.  I didn't realise this, but apparently when someone invites you over for a playdate, you bring dessert.  We've been here over a year, and I never knew this.  There really needs to be a handbook.  I'm sure all the people who have hosted my kids think we are terribly gauche.

The gingerbread looked a whole lot cuter before they dropped a baseball on it.

This kid is one of my favourites.  He and Ruth played for an hour in 30 degree heat "traveling" from planet to planet, collecting samples and bringing them back to Earth.  Then they came home and made a book about their travels in space.  And of course next week this kid's family is moving to Singapore for a couple years.  I'm so sad.  By the time he comes back, boys won't want to play with girls anymore. But they promised to be penpals.  I hope so.

Playdates at our house consist of a half hour of hanging out, about an hour at the local playground/cricket oval playing pretend or baseball or soccer or climbing on the play equipment, more free play, then I make lunch.  Yesterday I made two-minute noodles for Ruth and her friend.  The mum showed up early to pick up her daughter, looked askance at the two-minute noodles and and talked about how their family ate strictly non-GMO, organic, free-range everything.  Oh the embarrassment.

Isaac's has a few friends with whom playdates are just effortless too.  They say hi, they disappear into his bedroom or the back garden and just play for hours, emerging only for food when they get too hungry..  The evil spectre getting in the way of some  of these now is Minecraft.  It's cool if they both like Minecraft and want to play for, say, an hour.  But in my opinion, spending time watching videos of some guy playing Minecraft isn't quality time with friends.  And spending any time indoors on the computer on a gorgeous spring day like today is a crime.