My Favorite Day of the Week

It's been a long time since I could actually pin point my "favorite day of the week". I think because I have been out of the work force for a few years now, all my days pretty much run together. My routine has always been similar day to day with little variation. Well, the times have changed. Friday is my new "Pick of the week". I feel like it is my day off simply because I don't have to take the boys to and from school. It seems silly to me to actually look forward to the day the boys DON"T have school, but I do. Monday through Thursday I have 5 hours to do whatever I want without any kids in sight. The price I pay is small, but enough that I look forward to them not having school. Now I am sure that once we get out of this cold, dark, snowy and icy time of the year, my feelings will change. I am excited for the days when I can drop the boys off and head to the beach by myself. When I can use my bike to explore the area, or just sit at a cafe and have a cappuccino. At that time, I am sure I will be thankful they are in school four days a week. For now though, on Fridays I don't have to leave the house at all and that is enough to make it my "favorite day of the week".

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Not just cold...numbing is more appropriate. Every morning we bundle up to go to school. I am really missing modern transportation these days. In preparation for my bike ride to the boys school I go as far as wearing a pair of pants underneath my jeans. Thick socks, boots, gloves and a hat, the only part of my skin showing is my nose and eyes. The boys also wear their boots, gloves and hats and they stay covered in their kiddie cargo car. Our mornings are long with all the bundling up then un-bundling once we get to school including changing from boots to shoes. Having two is really taking it's toll. Then as pick-up time nears, I dread the thought of going back out there. I think we picked the wrong time to increase the boys from 2 to 4 days of school a week. At least I am working off those extra pounds from Christmas with these freezing cold bike rides twice a day.

To Be Home Again

And by home, I mean the Netherlands. It was a very strange feeling flying back after a 3 week stay in Ohio. During the taxi ride from the airport to our house Jason asked if it felt "normal" to be back. I responded with "Yes, but that doesn't mean it is a good thing".

We flew into Cincinnati a few days before Christmas. It was the worst 24 hours Jason and I have ever spent. Our long flight from Amsterdam to Newark ended with Nolan throwing up all over me, the seat and some carry-ons. We carried on to baggage claim which had its own obstacles to over come. After going through customs, security,sending our baggage off again and finally arriving to the correct gate, we waited for 7 hrs. Try to picture juggling 3 kids, 6 and under, who have not slept, who are hungry, thirsty, and need to use the bathroom every 20 mins. (which there is ALWAYS a line for) for 7 hrs. We finally boarded our plane at 11:50 pm. Carter proceeded to scream, kick and cry the entire flight. Good times were had by all. We made it to Dayton with Jason's parents and got everyone to bed at 3:00 am. It was a long day. Then add the 6 hour time difference that the kids needed to adjust to and you can imagine how the first few nights and mornings went.

On a positive note, we spent a lot of time with family and friends. It felt like we had never left. We celebrated with Jason's family before heading up to Cleveland. On the morning of Christmas Eve we headed to my Aunt's for a family brunch (which is typically held on Thanksgiving, but an exception was made this year) one of our favorite traditions. Many "out of towners" were there to see. Then that evening we had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Kielbasa and Dumplings before heading out to a candle light service at church. Christmas day was crazy at my mom's house with not only my family, but with my brother and his family in from Florida. After that is a blur of family, friends and food. The kids and I made it back to our old neighborhood for a visit. We brought in the New Year at Pomeroy House with our good friends the Foley's and the Karabaic's. Then New Years day we spent more time at my mom's house with my brother and his family along with the Dones family (which we consider an extention of our family). Jason spent a lot of time with friends and I did get a "girl's night out". Then we were off to Dayton again. While in Dayton, the kids got to enjoy the snow with some sledding. Jason fit in a Poker game with some old friends. I spent an entire day with a good friend, eating, shopping, pedicures, and an introduction to Sushi at Thai 9. It was a great trip.

We even ended on a positive note. We headed out early to the airport due to snow and bad weather. We only experienced a minor delay out of Cincinnati. Flew into Newark with out any problems (or vomiting). After a short layover, we flew to Amsterdam. The kids slept the majority of the way. I even got to watch a few movies without interruption. Unfortunately I only got 20 mins of sleep (I had two kids sleeping on my lap). We collected our baggage and got to our taxi with no problems at all. As of now we are completely unpacked with only 2 loads of laundry needing done. Our sleep schedule is slightly off, but I think we will all be fine as of tomorrow.

On Monday, it will be back to "normal". Back to school for the kids and back on the bike for me. (I need it after eating all that food in the States.) We have a few visitors planned for the Spring time, then we will be flying home again in the Summer. Thank you to all or friends and family that made our visit so special.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

We woke up this morning to the ground covered in snow. The past few days it has been very cold outside. Cold, but dry. Before we moved we were told it rarely snows here. Well, guess again. I am glad we have our hats and gloves, but I think the kids need boots. Luckily I have mine. They came in handy this morning while taking the boys to school (by bike) in the snow. That was a first for me. I am sure it won't be the last.

Zwarte Piets

The past two nights we have been visited by the Zwarte Piets. No, this is not an annoying infestation of some bug. The Zwarte Piets are the Dutch version of Santa's Elves. Each night the kids have been leaving their shoes in front of the fireplace, and in the morning they have been mysteriously filled with treats. The kids love it. They have received chocolate coins and a chocolate letter (first letter of each of their names). Brooklyn even left a note for them last night asking them to stop messing up her class room at school. It seems some Zwarte Piets are mischievous that way. We have been lucky to only have been visited by neat Piets. There has also been talk that Sinterklaas will be visiting soon.

Christmas is in the Air

Yesterday we took a drive into Germany. We live an hour and a half away from the border, so day trips to Germany are not difficult to do. We drove to Dusseldorf to experience a Christmas Market. Nearly every town in Germany holds these markets this time of year, Dusseldorf was one that was recomended. There were 3 or 4 different areas around the town set up with "Christmas stands" selling food, jewelry, nutcrackers, pottery, and other christmas type goods. Another stand which was very popular was for gluhwein, a warm, spiced wine. There was also a carousel which Jason and the kids took a spin on. This would have been a very fun outing if it wasn't for the rain that came pouring down after we had been there a mere 20 minutes. Luckily we were prepared with raincoats and umbrellas, but we couldn't really enjoy ourselves. So our trip to the Christmas Market was cut short and we returned home. We were put into the Christmas mood though and listened to Christmas music all the way home. Then today, we put up the tree and Christmas decorations. The kids were so excited to do the tree you would have thought it was Christmas morning! Now for the next few weeks I will be listening to "When is Santa coming?" and "Is it Christmas yet?"

First Holiday Away From Home

Thanksgiving has come and gone without a turkey in sight. It was like any other Thursday, the boys even had school. Jason was in Germany so the kids and I had left over pasta for dinner. Sad really, but even if I wanted to do the big turkey dinner with all the trimmings I wouldn't be able to. You can get a turkey here if you order it from the butcher ahead of time, but when you get it you have to finish plucking it and cut it's head off yourself. Potatoes are not hard to come by, but sweet potaotoes and stuffing are another story. Forget about canned pumpkin. If you want a pumpkin pie, you best buy a pumpkin and start gutting it out. I talked to one mom from the boy's school who said they were having turkey burgers because that's all she could come up with. Now there are a few families here who work for the Embassy and have access to the military base stores. I am sure they had a nice Thanksgiving meal. They can even get zip lock bags and Kraft Mac N Cheese at the military base stores. Fortunately, we will have a Thanksgiving dinner, just a couple weeks late, when we come home to visit. We just need to make sure that it is early enough during our visit so we can enjoy leftovers too.