Rain Already?

It's starting to the time of the year when I check the weather reports. It rained last night.  Now, I'm wondering what's expected the rest of the week.  Forecast is that it should warm up a bit the next couple of days.  Considering the drought we've had the past few years, bli neder, I'm not going to complain about rain.

What's "bli neder?"  It means that I'm not promising; it's not an oath.  I'll just do my best.

We really have to be careful about our words.  Words have so much power. 

I'll never forget that when we went to the states for a visit when the oldest was four.  Her birthday is in July, and she had a party in gan nursery school before left.  The relatives in New York wanted to make her a party, but I told them that she understood that she'd be five at her next birthday.  That's what she had been focusing on. 

"Next year I'll be five."

For little kids, time is vague.  A month can be a year.  So I didn't want to confuse her.  She didn't have a "party," but the kids (then there were just two) got lots of presents every time people came to see them.