Happy Holidays

We spent Christmas and New Years back in the States. It is always nice to be home with family and friends during the holidays. Our flight in was so much smoother than last winter. The kids have really gotten used to flying. We were home for a shorter time this trip so we were constantly on the go. It was difficult to fit in all the "visiting" we wanted to do. Coming home one evening, the kids asked why we had to go somewhere everyday. It's hard to keep a good balance so that everyone enjoys their time. Our flight back was also good, the kids slept almost the entire time. However, Jason and I are exhausted. Trying to get back on schedule is proving to be difficult. I am hoping that we won't have to do this to many more times.

Our First Snow Day!

Well, not totally. The kids were sent home early due to the amount of snow that fell today. We woke up to a lot on the ground, but it continued to fall all day long. We had 6 inches fall. It was wet and heavy. The Dutch are not used to this, so they are not very prepared. Ironically, they use their snow plows to clear the bike paths before the roads. I attempted to ride my bike to the store, but after slipping twice I thought it would be smart to walk the bike home. I still had to go out a few times for small errands and at times it was blizzard like conditions. I will admit that once everyone is home safe and you are warm inside, it is very beautiful to see out the window.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year's Thanksgiving was very depressing for me. Jason was out of the country and the kids and I ate leftovers for dinner. So this year, I vowed to make it a good one. A few weeks back I ordered my turkey. They are hard to come by here in the Netherlands, so my turkey was coming from France. It was a little pricey, but they took out the breast bone, stuffed, and baked it for me. We hit a little snag because the turkey was not ready to be picked up at the scheduled time. So my side dishes were ready and we didn't have the turkey. No worries though, I put the sides in the oven to keep warm until the turkey arrived. We had sweet potato souffle, green beans with shiitake mushrooms, turkey with stuffing, applesauce, and rolls. With the turkey came a sparkler, a Dutch tradition for holiday meals. Not too bad for my first Thanksgiving. We even had pumpkin pie for dessert courtesy of my lovely neighbor. We had the fire going and finished the night quietly (once the kids went to bed) with some coffee and Baileys. We missed our family, but it was a nice evening.

Halloween

Our second Halloween here in the Netherlands was similar to the first. We went out with friends, and the night started out beautiful. Unfortunately, it didn't last. The rain came and our night ended quickly. Luckily, the kids are still at the age where any candy is enough candy. However, once the kids were in bed, Jason and I finished off the night with a visit from our neighbors, a couple bottles of wine,and a fire in the fireplace. It was a nice evening.

Volendam

Yesterday we spent a few hours in Volendam. This is a Roman Catholic fishing village right on the IJsselmeer in North Holland. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. We had a very windy and rainy day along the water. This kept our trip short, but we did pick up a few souvenirs. One of which is a picture of us dressed in traditional Dutch clothes. I also bought a pair of wooden shoes! We had coffee, hot chocolates and lunch in the harbor before heading back home. It was a nice day out, just wish the sun would have come out!

Zuiderzee Museum

October break is upon us. Since we are not going away on holiday, we decided to day trip up north. We drove to Enkhuizen, where we hopped on a ferry over to the Zuiderzee Museum. This is an outdoor museum of a typical Dutch fishing town from many years ago. As you stroll through the town you can go into a shoe maker shop, see how brooms were made, walk through a fisherman's shipyard, and even stop off at the town school for a writing lesson. The town church wasvery simple and looked more like a town hall then a church. There were cows and sheep wondering about. Many boats on the sea to see as well as boats on the canals that ran through the town. We had a beautiful day as the sun was shining the entire time. The kids loved it! It was a nice get away for the day.

London Baby!

Last weekend I was able to get away for 4 days with my neighbor Melissa. We took the train from Holland to Brussels, then under the water over to London. It was a nice change from flying. Our first night there was a little rainy, but that didn't stop us (we are used to living in the Netherlands). We went to see the Houses of Parliment, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We also had fish and chips at a near by English Pub for dinner. Then on Saturday we got up bright and early for our 12 hour Harry Potter tour. We started our tour at Stonehenge. The sun was out and we were one of the first groups in. We then went to Lacock, Oxford, and ended back in London. Our tour guide was great and full of information. Sunday we got some great pictures with sun and clear sky's. We went to Buckingham Palace, saw the Horse Guard parade, and toured the Tower of London. Then we walked along the river to Covent Garden. We ended our day with a traditional Sunday roast in another pub. We had a great time. London is one of my favorite cities I have seen so far while living over here.