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W Sisters and The Story of Not Even The Best of What’s Available Bagels

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When is school started again this September the girls extra-curricular activity routine changed a bit. They previously had gymnastics on Friday’s. The Gymnastics place could not use the same venue due to new guidelines. The requirements to do swim seemed kind of ridiculous so we stopped that on Saturdays. In the end our new routine became a Saturday morning gymnastics class with the same people at a different venue. For now we had to give up on swim.

On her first outing at the new gymnastics location M found a little bakery that sold bagels and Challah bread. The girls ate the bagels on the walk back to the bus. The venue was about 15 minute walk to and from any public transportation so to keep the girls motivated and distracted bagels were a great idea. The girls then had Challah toast and sandwitches for several days that week.

When it was my turn to take the girls I found the same bakery and following the same routine. The girls gave instructions that they bagels. After a 15 minute walk in the rain to a small bakery that was packed and the only place I could sit and have coffee while the girls were in gymnastics was outside in the rain I decided that routine was not for me. The next time i took the girls i found a Costa coffee that was closer and had plenty of inside seating that was socially distanced.

For M she continued the routine since the girls loved the bagels. I should point out that these were relatively small bagels. They were plain. And I doubt any native New Yorker would consider then any good. Sadly the girls loved them.

My routine instead was to take the girls out for breakfast. I may have written about my routine with them when we had drama class on Saturday mornings. I did the same thing then. The girls were happy enough for their pancakes sausage and eggs along with orange juice to forgo bagels when I took them.

When the new lockdown happened in early November we weren’t sure if gymnastics would be cancelled. It turns out in person gymnastics was cancelled. They did offer zoom classes around the same time in person class would have been. For the first session we moved our coffee table out of the living room and the girls had a decent amount of carpeted space to do their workout. Since we were not out and about to go to the bakery I thought to go to Sainsbury’s for a few things. They had the bagels pictured so I decided to pick up a bag. Just looking at the bag it is apparent they are not New York bagels regardless of what the label says. M correctly points out these bagels look more like the frozen lenders bagels from our childhood. Nevertheless I got a bag and took them home with some cream cheese or as they call it in the UK “soft.cheese”. The girls were super happy for the surprise.

This weekend after the girls gymnastics in the living room I told M I was going to go back to Sainsbury’s to get bagels. She said why doesnt she just make pancakes. My reply was the effort to get bagels is pretty easy compaired to making pancakes however if she wanted to make pancakes she could feel free to do so. I did not mind the walk. She agreed bagels it was. I don’t realise it was pouring out so I opted to go to the local Co-op that is significantly closer to the house. I really did not want to track all the way to Sainsbury’s in the rain. Yet again the girls were very happy and had two bagels each.

Whenever we get to visit New York again we intend to take them to our favourite big place in Forest Hills again. They remember it however I am not sure if they will appreciate remember how much better the bagels taste than they do now.

W Sisters Story T on Operational Security

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T has on a few occasions mentioned passwords to me. She wanted me to guess the password to open her journal that she has that she draws in. We get the girls little notebooks that they doodle in. When they fill it up we get another one. They got ones in Italy and they would sit and draw paintings at museums. They were getting full by the time we went to Ireland last May and got them new ones there. I have also picked up one or two that have little locks on them.  They both requested them and even spent their own money to get them.

T has a notebook that does not have a lock on it. The other day she asked me to guess her password. I tried a few times and couldn’t. I was getting a little annoyed with her since she kept insisting i guess. I had no context to go on so guessing was going nowhere. Then I realised she did not want me to not just pull a password out of thin air. She had written about 30 or so odd lines in her notebook. Each started with a letter and then had other charicters and maybe a letter or two throw in.  The page she showed me is this posts picture.  It looked like she made her own sheet of passwords. She asked me to guess what one was hers to open the book. I guessed the password that started with the letter T. She smiled and said i was correct.

It wasnt the first time she talked passwords.  It was the most recent and also the most involved effort put in by her.  I find it very funny that she is in some odd way she is already thinking about operational security!  That and she really liked the spy “job” at Kidzania both times she went.

W Sisters Short on Shaving

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One morning on my way out to go to work I must have been running a few minutes late. Or the girls were up early. Either way they both were awake when I was leaving. That is unusual for me.  When I goto the office I typically leave a sleeping house. Both girls insisted on giving me hugs and kisses (as they do usually). I never have much complaints about that unless it gets into requesting it 3 or 4 times.  That also can happen so it becomes a challange since who am I to pass up extra hugs and kisses even if I am trying to leave the house.

This morning in particular T inspects my cheeks before she asked “did you shave?” Only after I answered positively did she decide to kiss my cheek.

I am loving (most of the time) the little personalities they are developing.

W Sisters (and me) Short on Shake Shack

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I wrote this pre issolation and just haven’t gotten around to publishing it. Back in January I went with the girls to Shake Shack.  It is funny how a very NY thing is all over London.  There is one across the street from my office.  I have never been there however I have walked past it often. There is one in Covant Garden that we have been to a few times. There is also one we go past now and again in the mall at Stratford.  The girls like to goto Shake Shack now since they can play foozeball and ping pong.

The last time we went the cashier asked me if I had been here before.  What raced through my mind was proudly thinking “Yes.  I have even been to the original one in Madison Square Park the week it opened”.  I have no problem admitting I hate lines and Shake Shack was worth the hour wait at the time.  Since I am in England I was proud of my more subdued reply of simply “Yes” to his question.

Post photo is of the original Shake Shack in NYC. Not from the first time I was there. Some other time what feels like a lifetime ago.

W Sisters Short on The Kindergarten Lunch

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Back in the mid 2000’s when my friend Jay and I used to work together we would joke around about going out for “kindergarten lunch”. It was code for going to eat lunch anytime before noon. We did it often enough.

For some reason it always seems like little kids in kindergarten (Reception/ Year One for my British friends) always havr lunchtime scheduled so early. Whenever we thought of an early lunch we would think of that. Almost 15 years later I still use the term constantly.

On the first day we had swim class after Winter break the girls insisted on lunch out after the class was over. ibsuggested McDonalds since i didnt want tobdo shake shack, the other option they line at the mall.

I knew I was getting the full experience when even after spending 15 minutes at the lego storw we still had to wait five minutes for them to start making lunch. Breakfast was still being served. We stood there watching them flip the signs from breakfast to lunch at 10:55 AM. i was proud of myself for not ordering a bacon sandwitch in the advert i was staring at while waiting. it looked really good.

The girls were happy with the final result.

The W Sisters And The Story of The Coaster Hostages

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There has been a constant hostage situation unfolding in our house since we moved in. It has involving one or more of our bar coasters. The girls would steal them and hoard them. Then one would get free or be found. Only for us to have another go missing. I am not really sure where they would go all the time. We had limited evidence to conflict any single child. We know they would take them, and then they would turn up. Problem was all of them would never turn up at the same time.

About a week or so ago i thought like they were all finally turning up and then one would be missing. Today I was cleaning out under the couch and found one. When putting them all together I realised that we finally had the complete aet.

The band was finally back together. Just in time. We have house guests coming next week. I think I need to put police protection on these to make sure they stay together for the next week.

W Sisters Short on The Dance Party

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The day of T’s birthday party the girls finished breakfast early. They were happily playing with lego on the floor of the kitchen. It was pretty picturesque setup for me. I was reading something on my iPad and drinking my coffee while sitting at the kitchen table. I had the garden doors open for a breeze. It was quite lovely.

I had a playlist from Spotify going on the Amazon TAP we have in the kitchen. The girls were generally just oblivious to the music and building away. Then the song “Thats What I Like” from Flow Rida came on. Back in NY the girls used to warm up to it in Gymnastics class. They always liked that song. I heard it come on and casually glanced over to them. As if reading my mind they looked at me for a second. Then they stood up without saying a word to each other and began to dance to the song.
I could not stop laughing at how spontaneous the whole thing was.

W Sisters Short on My Haircut

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The other day I got a haircut. For me that’s a pretty rudimentary thing to do. I get one every couple of weeks. The girls like to rub the back of my semi-shaved head. They think the short hairs feel good on their hands.

This haircut however T for some reason was patting my head. Then she started measuring how much hair I had with her finger. She proceeded to tell me that I had a lot of hair. The funny thing is I don’t. I keep it pretty short. Compared to her I have almost no hair. She then said she wanted to see me with more hair. I told her I was not going to grow my hair out.

I did let it grow a little in High School. Never liked it. I then told her that my dad, her puppy used to have a really long/big hair. She didn’t really believe me so I offered to show her and A picture.

When I shoulder the picture she said something like “Oh my gosh”. Then she asked if that was taken long ago. I said it what is however I remember his hair that long.

It reminded me of a funny story my sister told me. A few years ago my mum was wondering out loud to that strange man was standing next to her in a picture. My sister said that dad. I can only assume he had a huge head of hair at a time

T and the Story of Daddy In Disbelief That He Has a 4 Years Old Today

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It really does feel not so long ago when I was holding a little 8 pound girl telling myself holy cow how am I a dad? I still say that myself sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s a cliché or not. There are many times when I stop think it is hard for me to grasp that I’m a dad. On that same thought however I guess I could go further and say I don’t know how I ended up with a wonderful wife and family. Maybe it’s being in denial that you’re supposed to be a role model for a little person that makes me go I don’t feel like a dad. Then of course there’s the times like the other day where I’m just sitting and watching T eat toast when she sick and having a conversation. Even while I was doing it I couldn’t help but smile and money that little girl up because she was so adorable.

That’s what makes this whole post so weird for me. It was only four years ago where I hope this little baby that I knew nothing about what to do with other than I wanted to holder and kiss her since she was mine. Now I have this smart and sassy little person who asks the funniest questions and remembers details from a year ago that I had to stop and think about before realizing she was right.

Four years ago this morning after a long night of not sleeping a little T came into the world. When she did she made my world that much brighter. Happy birthday T.