[cybele727]

Clems are these super sweet small oranges with thin skins and no seeds. They come into season about mid Nov and are the “Christmas orange.”

Oh Needlewoman, in his class last year, there were kids whose teeth had literally rotted out of their mouths and children so wealthy that it boggled the mind. This year, his class is also very economically diverse as half speak a language other than English at home. But for some reason, many immigrants tend to dress their kids very neatly and classically (and with buttons). Perhaps b/c they haven’t been influenced by urban or street culture yet. Shrugs.

I wish I could take them all home, and give them what they need. Alas, I can’t.

[meleliza]

Clementines were really popular when I lived in Germany and England, where its hard to come by the huge Folirda navel oranges we take for granted in the states. It’s also hard to get fresh oj over there, which is a staple of American breakfasts. Now, I’m glad clementines are so easy to come by in the States. They are a kind of tangerine. The point is that clementines have no seeds and are easy to peel, which makes them absolutely perfect for kids. My two year old can peel her own. And getting vitamin C into them during the cold and flu season is a good thing.

Funny, I only think of Vaelntines day as a children’s holiday. It’s a good excuse for making crafts with them. At Cathollic School, it’s another saint to learn about. And its great for young guys trying tomimpress a girl. But for grown ups who are already married? Its like New Years Eve. who wants to pay all the extra mark up restaurants charge? Or the extra the babysitter wants to charge? Or spend on jewelry after we only just finished paying the Christmas bills? The other trouble with Valentine’s Day is that it comes smack dab in the middle of the post-Christmas dieting season.

Still, I do appreciate a box of nice chocolates, but then I appreciate that any day. 🙂

[Sarvi]

Oh, I love Valentine’s day. My mom is a florist and after years of doing deliveries for her, I am a bit PTSD about receiving flowers, but every year I send my husband flowers that make all the ladies in his office want to cry. He makes a point of walking by all their desks on the way to the break room to change the water, haha.

[needlewoman]

No, I’ve never seen clementines here; such a pretty name for a fruit. We do get tangerines, and tangellos (and I’m not sure what they are mix of, but I know they are a hybrid of two citrus fruits. But we do get mandarins – in abundance. The season starts with the Imperials, lots of air between fruit and skin but often very sweet, and little kids love them because they are so easy to peel, all the way to my personal favourite, Honey Mercots. A bigger mandarin with a tight skin, and lots of seeds but packed full of fruit, and a very intense flavour. Seville, Valencia and Navels are our main brands of oranges. Blood oranges too, but they are rarer now that we can get other sorts but I remember them from my childhood. Many Australian backyards in older neighbourhoods have a mandarin tree and/or a lemon tree.

Valentine’s Day, as I said earlier has become increasingly popular in Australia, and a real bonus for florists – a profitable festival between Christmas (in summer here,) and Mothers’ Day. Primarily, it seems to be celebrated by young lovers – with flowers and chocs – not so much between married couples beyond a certain age. And certainly not children! I can remember as a child seeing a few Valentine cards in a local newsagent, (presumably for Americans living in Australia) but now 40 odd years later, they are everywhere, and I have few dear male friends that I send a card to, just for fun. I love the thought of your husband making sure all the women in his office ‘notice’ his Valentine flowers, Sarvi; what a lovely guy!

I hear what you’re saying about wanting to ‘rescue’ kids, Cybele – it’s one of the reasons that I have made many dresses for little girls I’ve come across over the years whose parents can’t afford/are too distracted to notice that everybody needs to know they look really gorgeous at least a couple of times in their lives. It’s always a bit tricky to make the offer, but I’ve never been knocked back. The funny thing I notice increasingly is that now even when people can afford to dress their children nicely, so many don’t because the women are so often working nearly full-time, and don’t have time to go shopping. Or even if the kids do have nice things, they are never ironed, and their shoes look dreadful. One of the many things i enjoy about the O +S flickr group pics, is seeing the gorgeous shoes the little girls are wearing. I shudder to think how much they might cost in US, but they would be exorbitant here. (You can tell it’s a bit of a hobby horse of mine). My childhood was very unhappy in many respects but my mother was best friends with a wonderful woman who earned a living as dressmaker, and who as a favour to my mother, made beautiful clothes for me. While she charged for them, it was still a gift because economically it wasn’t really worth the time and creativity she invested in them. Most importantly, the clothes made me feel special. This lady, now deceased, also made the communion frock I was telling you about, Meleliza. How is your special effort progressing?

[Reeni]

My son has allergies and so he’s pretty much out of the loop as far as all the Valentine candy made from milk chocolate is concerned. A few years ago we made chocolate rice crispie treats and cut them in heart shapes. The bookmarks are a great idea and encourage reading!

I sometimes wonder which style icons kids of a certain age look up to… a lot of urban-style rappers wear bowties and three-piece zoot suits in their videos, and the guys are more fastidious about designers than the women! the one thing I can’t stand is the waistband at crotch-level; I was walking behind someone getting off the bus the other day and he was hobbling, his pants rode so low.

[Sarvi]

Just waiting for bound feet for men to become ‘in’!

[needlewoman]

You could be waiting a long time, Sarvi. The long hanging waist band is still too popular in Oz, also. I really dislike the underdacs showing because jeans/cargo pants not pulled up, and bottoms showing (male and female) because shorts/jeans cut too low or too tight to bend over in/ or sit cross legged in and top not long enough to cover backside. Even little girls want to pull waisted skirts down to their hips – looks so daggy.