What do you think of THAT?

Words from my 3 1/2 year old son as he smacked a ball right at me when we were playing baseball today. It was pretty funny. He is a very good baseball and tennis player (even his tennis instructor suggested that he get private lessons, as he was doing far better than all the other children in his class [sorry, Amelia]).

We're looking forward to our last visit to the States this week -- the next trip we make from Belgium to the U.S. will be the permanent one. Hooray!

We enjoyed a sunny weekend here, and Amelia decided she wanted to ride her bike to the market on Saturday. She was excited, because I had bought her a special basket for her bike, with a handle so that she could take it off her bike and do her marketing.



The first thing that caught her eye were some wonderfully red, ripe strawberries. She couldn't wait to eat one, so while I stopped at the Greek stand for some tiropitaki, she dug in.

Her next stop was for tulips.



She picked out some beautiful white tulips with hints of pink -- 10 tulips for 3 euros. I will really, really miss all the fresh flowers when we move back. Especially the tulips!!

She did an admirable job riding all the way there and back (it's about a 15-minute walk each way). She was quite proud of herself, too.

The icing on the cake for the weekend was a personal concerts by my two budding musicians. I'm not sure which is funnier. Amelia's flamenco dress, or Jack's dancing. (Before watching the video, make sure your volume isn't too loud. And if you have dogs, they might start howling along.)

Living Frugally? How, in Europe?

I've been reading lots of U.S.-based blogs lately on the topic of frugal living. I'm very impressed by all the folks who manage their coupons and store-based deals so well. There are very few coupons here (at least, that I've been able to figure out). I'm really looking forward to coming back home and being able to buy some things in bulk. There's just no such thing here. I've been shocked by our food bills -- we can pay some extravagant prices on some things, especially things from home. For example, I paid over 5 euros yesterday for a box of PopTarts, and the same for a bottle of Hunts BBQ sauce. A small bottle of Golden Griddle pancake syrup is 8.50, and a package of chocolate chips is nearly 6 euros (1 euro is roughly $1.30). THIS is why my suitcases are always so food-laden!

Yes, I realize that I don't need PopTarts, or BBQ sauce, so if I buy them I shouldn't complain. But STILL....

Now, I realize that with 3 months to go, I've kinda missed the boat on trying to live in Brussels more economically. But better late than never, right? One thing I've decided to try, on occasion, is some line drying. I hooked up a line and some hooks outside and have done 2 loads of drying outside. Given the temperature, and the humidity, it takes a long time. But I was quite pleased with how well it (eventually) turned out. Few wrinkles, not crunchy, and I didn't have to use the inefficient (and LOUD) dryer. And, as a bonus, it gave T.J. quite a chuckle. Not sure what the cost savings benefit is, but it made me feel better. But, of course, last night, Jack's diaper leaked -- all over his bed -- and it's raining today. So today, I try some inside line drying.

How many of you are snickering?

The kids and I have also been making our own bread lately. We found a good recipe here for beginner's bread that is very easy (although Jack isn't very patient during the rising portion of the process). One down side is that Jack wants to make bread faster than we can eat it. So I've been making lots of French Toast (perfect for a quick breakfast and it can be easily frozen!). T.J. seems slightly concerned that this could be the signs of an impending midlife crisis (kidding, of course), but he's decided that if it is a crisis of sorts, making my own bread probably lets him off the hook pretty easy. Laura just sent me a recipe for another easy bread (here) and I think that's what I'm going to try next.

I also made (if I do say so myself) a wonderful tartiflette the other night (see here for a recipe similar to the one I used). It's with sliced potatoes, bacon bits, onions, and a delicious Reblochon cheese melted on top. The kids, amazingly, were the biggest fans. Amelia had 2 helpings that night and asked for it again the next night. I highly recommend it. (The cheese is just a very creamy, mild cheese. Not sure what it would be comparable to in the grocery stores of the U.S.)

School Days
Jack is starting full days at school now. I'm not sure how that's going to go. He still needs that nap, so missing it more often than not has made him a little cranky in the evenings. But he's so excited to stay at school with his friends and set the table.

Upcoming Move
There are still no official details on our move, so we're a bit in limbo. I'm still trying to organize, toss, and donate, while buying all those last things that I don't want to leave Belgium without (great grocery shopping bags, a Le Creuset pot from the market, a quilt for the guest bed, saddlebags for my bicycle). There will be a lot to do once we establish our move date, but until then, there are just a lot of hypotheticals. I just can't wait to get back into our house in July. T.J. can't believe that I just want to go sit in the empty house the first day it's empty. But I am just longing for the day. I will probably sit on the kitchen floor, dispensing ice and running the garbage disposal. Just because I can.

Anyone want to come help me strip kitchen wallpaper? I didn't think so. I'd eventually like to renovate the kitchen, but until then, I'd love a fresh coat of paint. But the wallpaper seems like an ominous job....

Our last vistors
A lot of folks are making their last-chance trips to visit us. My sister is here now (generously bringing Cheerios, fruit juice snacks, Velveeta, ravioletti, and baked cheetos). the weather hasn't been too cooperative, but we're trying to make the most of it. It is ironic, though. She came to Belgium to come shopping, and I can't wait to come to the US to go shopping!!

We did go visit the Atomium. I've been before (though never up in it yet) and finally took some photos.



We also took the kids to a donkey farm that is reportedly one of the most important donkey milk manufacturing sites in Europe ... I know, ew, right? It was a bit of a letdown, but the kids enjoyed seeing all the animals.





Midi Market
Just when it's almost too late, Susan and I discovere the Sunday market at Gare du Midi. Hundreds of fresh food vendors, and a plethora of other goodies (my big finds, a roaring, light-up, walking dinosaur for Jack and Littlest Pet Shop sock for Amelia). Our favorite, though, was a Moroccan food stand. They were selling delicious mint tea, which we had adored on our cruise to Morocco (a wonderful combo of green tea, sugar and fresh mint). And to go with it, a freshly made flat bread, filled with a soft feta-like cheese and roasted red peppers and drizzled with honey). I know I talk too much about food, but this is an exception. This, I could eat every day. In fact, I will try to return as often as I can on Sundays to get my fill. Pure heaven!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Amelia and the Wii, and Other Things

Amelia went for a 10-minute run this weekend with Wii Fit. She made it the whole time, too, even though we told her to rest! She really enjoyed it. She loves playing Littlest Pet Shop and Barbie Horse Camp, and both kids love playing miniature golf. We got a bass fishing game too, but we haven't been able to quite figure that one out yet. Only the kids have hooked fish so far, and even then, we haven't been able to reel any in. Amelia has been trying to hula-hoop, too, but she doesn't seem to weigh enough for the balance board to recognize her, poor thing.

Amelia got to talk to her best friend today, who moved over Christmas back to the U.S. It was sweet to see her so excited and asking a lot of grown-up-type questions. We're hoping to be able to arrange a trip for the girls to visit this summer.

I've been battling a sinus infection. Our doctor gave me a "concoction" of oils -- thyme, pine, eucalyptus, menthol, etc. -- to add to boiling water to inhale. It smells wonderful, but leaves a terrible residue on bowls. Nearly impossible to get off. I had to toss the plastic spoon I had used for measuring it. Effective, but gross. We picked up the prescription for this at the pharmacy that has taken over the Harrison's old townhouse. It was strange to be standing in their dining room, getting drugs. The pharmacist was nice enough to take Amelia for a "tour" of the renovated digs. She was quite puzzled, but very fascinated.

Jack has been doing very well with his two full days of school. So well, in fact, that he keeps asking me and his teachers if he can stay for lunch every day. So ... in March, he will go 4 full days. It will be a little sad for him to be doing such a big-boy thing, but it will also be a help, as official word went out today about T.J.'s new job, so there will be much chaos around here as I try to organize. I could just have the packers take everything, and then sort it out on the other end, but it would be nice to have things purged -- or at least organized -- so the move on the other end will be smoother.

Tonight, Jack belted out a pretty good try at "Frere Jacques." You can tell they learn the song by listening, because the only words that were right were "ding, dong, dong." It was a valiant attempt, and it was clear what he was trying to sing. It's cute, because now when we play hide and seek, he counts to 10 in French.

Today is the last day of school before the Carnivale holidays next week. The kids got to dress up in costumes, and I've included a picture below. Amelia just couldn't decide which dress-up dress to wear -- she must've tried on 5 dresses before she finally settled on this one.

Jack Bakes Bread

I was invited today to watch Jack make bread. It was quite a hoot, and the other kids seemed quite fascinated that I was there. Jack was very proud of showing off to me, but Amelia was very sad that I wasn't coming to her class today. She was sitting at a table at the bottom of the stairs from Jack's class (so she wouldn't miss me when I came back downstairs to leave), drawing pictures for me.

Every child in school loves to make the bread, and while it isn't the tastiest stuff out there, we always manage to choke some down, as the kids get to bring muffin-shaped bread home to share with the family, while they make a loaf for the class to eat at lunch.


Adding the oil.


Lots of (way-too-healthy) flour


Stir it up good.


Muffin-shaped bread to take home; the loaf will be for lunchtime.


Cover it up to let it rise.

The Latest Dorito Flavor: Jack Byrd

I'm trying to enjoy a little big of Spring here -- a planter and pebbles from Ikea, and 5 euros for 4 hyacinth plants. They're starting to smell wonderful, and with the sun being out today, the smell is filling the house!


I was at Stonemanor (the British food store) today and picked up a few boxes for the upcoming Spring Clean/move. T-Bone Steak flavored Doritos are apparently popular in the U.K. I don't think I want to try them, though. But it's a great box, as you can tell. Amelia and Jack immediately confiscated all of them and filled them with dinosaurs, ponies and other animals.

Our Latest Cruise

I didn't blog on the cruise, so it will take me a while to get text up, but meanwhile, enjoy the photos. More pictures will be posted later, after I download from our second camera!

Barcelona, Spain
We arrived in Barcelona the night before our cruise. It was a trying evening, as our flight didn't arrive until 10 pm. We waited 30 minutes with 2 hysterical, overtired children (one more so than the other) for our luggage, only to discover it was circling a different carousel. But we arrived at our hotel without incident and promptly went to bed.

In the morning, we had time to walk around Barcelona before the cruise departed. We walked down Las Ramblas avenue, where there were many stalls of flowers and, more importantly to the children, animals (rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, ducklings, chicks, turtles). I'm not sure if pet sales on the streets is a really booming business, but there certainly were plenty of stalls. We also went back to the fresh produce and fish market, where they sell 20ish different kinds of fresh fruit juice byt the cup, for just a euro.

We met the Rousseaus and Gaston (our tour guide from our last trip to Barcelona) at a rotisserie chicken restaurant and let the children get reacquainted. And in this blog, since T.J. was determined to find tapas restaurants throughout Spain, I feel OK in talking about food. ;)

Then it was off to the cruise ship where we were actually staying in the exact same room as we did on our first cruise aboard the same ship. Our concierge was the same, and there were some of the same counselors in the Kids' Club. The grownups enjoyed their champagne, while the kids enjoyed M&Ms and gummi bears. All were happy!


The family with Captain Tommy

First Sea Day

Casablanca, Morocco

Agadir, Morocco


Eating a traditional Moroccon meal in Tiout.


The family donkey ride in Tiout. Jack later kicked me off so he could ride by himself.


Cooking tagine. The food was amazing in Morocco.


The mosque in Agadir, which was right on the shore.


Las Palmas, Grand Canary

Playing at a beach playground in Las Palmas.


Posing with the dog for whom the Canary Islands were named (in Las Palmas, Grand Canary)

Funchal, Madeira


The street toboggans in Funchal, Madeira.

Second Sea Day

Malaga, Spain

Third Sea Day

Barcelona, Spain


Taking the cable car up to Montserrat.


Post Cruise
Our days have been busy, in anticipation of returning to the U.S. in the summer. While I thought it would be easier to move back to the U.S. (just have the movers pack up EVERYTHING), I realize now it's a little more work than I thought. I was a little lax in my inventory about our house contents when we moved here, so I'm trying to be more thorough this time. That means a pretty detailed list of the contents of the house, and it's value. Plus selling all the European appliances, and cars, and miscellaneous other belongings.

We found out Jack is enrolled in preschool back in VA for next fall, which is a relief. Now I need to get all their Belgian health information in line to transfer back to the US and hope they don't need to get any duplicate immunizations (more paperwork)

Amelia seems to have her first loose tooth (only mildly loose -- or is it my imagination?). I'm not looking forward. She also, oddly enough, seems to have a case of athlete's foot. Huh? Well, at least I had some Tinactin on hand ...

Jack is getting high praise at tennis lessons. He seems to be pretty good, from what I've seen, and his instructor says he has real skill. And, even better, they both love playing

A Tease of a Post

Alas, I don't have time for a full posting today, but thought I'd get out a picture of my favorite aspiring fireman:



He got a great fireman suit for Christmas and had a private tour of the Kirkwood Firehouse given by Captain Mike. Jack was most fascinated by the firepole, and even convinced Fireman Victor to slide down the pole. Jack had a great time and who knows, maybe he really will be a fireman one day.

And then we came back to Brussels to find quite a bit of very powdery snow. Not the right consistency for a real snowman, but perfect for a snowman pile. The kids just loved the snow, and I think T.J. enjoyed it too!



At least, Jack liked it until he got snow in his face...and Amelia lost her boot