Saturday, May 9, 2015

Giant Bubbles


 
My new neighbors have four children. They are the nicest kids I have ever met. Polite, thoughtful and truly sweet.

I had to devise a way to spend some time playing with them. They are always outside jumping on the trampoline or shooting basketball. They have great toys so I wasn't sure what I could come up with. I decided on giant bubbles. There are lots of soap solution recipes on the Internet and wand designs to make.
It was a perfect day for it. Not too hot and no wind. We had a great time. We went through two gallons of soap. Some of those bubbles were nine feet long!
Then a couple of them disappeared while I was talking to their mother. They returned 40 minutes later with a plate of brownies they baked for me and three hand written thank you notes for the bubbles.

25 comments:

  1. So nice to hear sweet stories like this! :-)

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    1. I am delighted to finally have great neighbors.It hasn't always been so.

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  2. Hi Catherine, What a lovely thing to spend time with the neighbours children. What fun you must have had together. I will look up how to make such long bubbles and try it with the Grandchildren soon.
    I have such nice memories of my neighbour when I was a child. Her fridge always had vanilla milk popsicles that she made especially for the neighbourhood children. She also grew fantastic sweet peas that I remember picking in the very early mornings as she said that was the best time of day to smell them.
    All the best.
    Janine

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    1. Janine,

      Thank you for sharing your memories of your neighbor. She sounds like fun to me. I would have loved to live next door to her too.

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  3. Oh how fun! I remember being a kid and having "zillion bubbles" the wand with lots of little holes, but never 9 foot huge ones :) Good neighbors are what it's all about--

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    1. You're still a kid Linda ;-) We'll make some wands and bubbles on your next visit!

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  4. I bought one of those years ago for my niece and nephews, the bubbles were gigantic. What fun and what lovely young neighbours you have.

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    1. Oops, didn't realise I was signed in under Brad's email, it's me, Margaret from downunder.

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    2. Hi Margaret. I suppose you are in the middle of winter now. Bubble season is a few months away. You will have to get yours out come spring. :-)

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  5. How refreshing to hear of polite and kind children, sadly we usually only hear about the naughty ones.......your bubbles sound like so much fun, my little Hudson loves bubbles but we have never made some this size. Looks like perfect weather....very chilly here!
    Linda xx

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    1. Nice children with manners are too rare. I am so impressed with the way these have been raised. They are delightful.

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  6. It's good to have nice neighbours and it sounds like you have made firm friends with yours. How lovely of them to make you brownies and a thank you note. Did you play with the bubbles? I would have been amongst the soap suds =0P

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    1. I just went outside and started playing with them myself. It didn't take long for them to notice the bubbles. They came right over to ask if they could try it. I told them I had made it for them. ;-)

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  7. Que divertido, me encanta verles tan felices y que haya adultos capaces de ocuparse y pensar diversiones para los peques, seguro que le adoran y siempre la recordarán con cariño.
    Cualquier dia me tienes en el jardín para jugar..jajaja...me encantaría
    Un abrazo
    Maite

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    1. Maite,

      Son tan lindos. Ahora están llamando a mi puerta para preguntar si pueden jugar con las burbujas.

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  8. Hi Catherine! When I was a child the entire neighborhood was our playground and everybody knew everyone else's children. At dinner time you could hear different mothers, calling their kids home for supper and they would come pouring out from all corners of the block!
    That was from a time gone by and so I find it very refreshing that you and your new neighbors children are establishing that kind of freedom and friendship right from the start. It is Marvelous that they are children that you truly enjoy being around, and good manners, thoughtfulness and kindness are behaviors that are instilled by the parents which counts for a lot in my books!
    And I do believe Catherine, that you are making good memories for them, as much as they are making good friends with you! :D

    elizabeth

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    1. I am happy to say lots of the children in my neighborhood play outside constantly. However the days of all the kids going and walking to neighborhood schools is gone. Everyone I know sends their child to private school.

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  9. The bubbles are amazing, and even more - as rightly says Elisabeth -this beautiful relationship that is being established.
    Since I got married and I went to live in another city - and in another condominium - I miss my old neighbors that I was used to seeing as a child and who have accompanied me throughout my life. They were all "uncles", and participated in all the important events of my life (and we of them), those happy and those sad. Being a good neighbor is priceless. Now, I try to teach my daughter good education, availability and courtesy to neighbors, in the hope that she can establish and grow this relationship. But families are changing, and everyone seems to want to live in isolation from others, except on facebook! But if you're sick and you need and ask for help, no one can hear you ... All very sad.
    But the bubbles are fantastic, so keep it up :-)
    Love from Italy,
    Flora

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  10. I find part of the problem is people move so much more often then they used to. I know the family of these girls have lived in 6-7 different houses in this city since they were born. The idea exhausts me.

    Nice to hear from you Flora.

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  11. What fun! We're expecting new neighbours soon. I hope they are of the 'nice' variety and appreciate bubbles (unlike the ding-a-lings that are leaving).

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    1. Be glad they are leaving.

      I wish you the best of luck with the new family.

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  12. What a great post Catherine! The idea, your gesture and then the >bomb< pictures... they all bring a smile to my face first thing in the morning :D Not only do you have great kids as neighbor, you're an awesome one yourself too :))

    Which brings me to Flora's comment; I love it you see and teach the value of good neigbor-ship (is that correct english?) to your kids as well. I've been living where I live for almost 18 years and was faced with moving last year when i was getting divorced. Fortunately I didn't have to (yeah!), but the thought alone was dreadful. Leaving behind all these 'aunts' and 'uncles' that my daughter and I have bonded with over the years... Your comment made me think of this saying; it takes a village to raise a kid, and I feel so blessed to still be around great neighbors when it comes down to it too.

    Like you are to yours, Catherine.
    Bless you!

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    1. Thank you Debora. I have loved every minute of having these kids and their parents as neighbors.

      It is so unusual these days to even know the name of the people who live next door in a big city. I still think it is important to be welcoming and friendly.

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