We're Not a CNN Crawl

I took the kids to the circus yesterday, all the while wondering what would happen if tigers got loose and terrorized us and the Carrefour.

We bought our overpriced tickets (Mine was 14 euro; Amelia's was 10. Jack, thankfully, was free.) I opted for the cheaper "banken" seats -- bleachers as opposed to plastic deck chairs. Partly because I'm cheap, partly because the kids could see better if they were up high, and yes, partly because the folks in plastic deck chairs would be mauled by runaway tigers first.

All the animals were outside -- the goats, camel, shetland ponies and other livestock were under one tent.



Amelia was immediately disappointed, as the posters for the circus depict TWO camels.

Just across the way was the trailer housing 3 tigers (again, some explanation was necessary, as the circus poster has only one tiger...). Man, those are BIG animals.



We got inside, and selected some nice seats close to the exit (can you tell my paranoia is setting in? one glance at the "ring," and I was really worried about our proximity to the wild animals. Clearly, this would never happen in the U.S.



We got our cotton candy (note: cotton candy is messy on a good day, but just try eating it on a rainy day. Even under a tent, it lost it's fluff quickly from the moisture.) and sat down. I was surprised at how few people were there, but it was still a decent crowd.

It was overall a really enjoyable time. A small staff of circus folk, but the kids enjoyed it. A guy who looked like the namesake of "Weekend at Bernies" was the resident juggler/acrobat. He did some fun tricks. Though he did one of his "acts" while acting as a drunk sailor -- although his nautical hat said "Marines" on it. Guess it wasn't the US marines!

Surprisingly, it wasn't the tigers that Amelia became frightened of. When Bernie did a balancing act while supported by 2 sets of 4 drinking glasses, Amelia started crying "I want to go home!" When I asked why, she said she was worried that the glasses were going to break.

Of course, now Amelia wants to go every day. Luckily, driving back and forth by the animals twice a day seems to be sufficient for now.

Not Again....
Did I mention in the previous blog about how there were carnival trucks near our house? Well, we drove down to Place Dumon (in Stockel) to buy a road atlas, and we discovered that the latest carnival (and a BIG one at that) has taken root in Stockel's square. Wonder how long THAT will last.

The Cost of Literacy...
I stopped by the local bookstore/stationery store in Stockel to pick up a road atlas for Europe. While there, I noticed they had an English book section. I was pretty excited, as I've torn through 2 books in as many weeks and am already missing having some trashy reading. But I looked at the prices, and an 11 dollar paperbook from the US is 24 euros (33 bucks!). Pretty exorbitant, huh?

Today's Accomplishments
Today, I filled my gas tank for the first time, took pants to the cleaners for the first time.... hmmm, I thought there was something else of note that I did today, too, but I can't recall. And besides that, I got through the whole cleaners transaction without English (well, without French, too). Luckily, I understood her enough to pay and know when they would be ready. And Jack got a cookie.

Now I'm off to watch some taped TV and feel re-Americanized!

The Neunreiters Storm Brussels! And Then the Camels!

A great time was had by all when my mom and Susan came to visit nearly two weeks ago. They were both a little overwhelmed by jet lag (and I was more than happy to experience sympathetic jet lag and nap right along with them) for the first day or two, but they were real troopers. Of course, they had little choice, with Jack and Amelia up early every day and jumping on the "magic bed" (the sleeper sofa) to rouse Sugar.

I quickly introduced them to the joy that is the bakery, and they were happy to have lots of chocolate bread and other goodies. I took Susan to Carrefour, where she marvelled at the entire supermarket aisle devoted to chocolate and variations thereof. I think her favorite was the "Sexy" chocolate bar. We're not sure what makes it sexy, but with chocolate, how can you go wrong?

I went with them to Bruges on Saturday (T.J. stayed home with the kids), and we had a great time. I had been to Bruges about 12 years ago, just for the day, but it was NOTHING like I remembered it. It was a really bustling place -- lots of shops, tons of restaurants and even more tourists -- but when I was there on a tour, we were in a very quiet, green section of town. They had failed to take us to the main part of town. It was very pretty -- several canals and gorgeous old buildings. Susan and I enjoyed a huge cappuccino...and big waffle. We took a canal ride and did some shopping. Bruges is famous for its lace and tapestries.

On Sunday, we took them to downtown Brussels and walked around. We lunched at a pizzeria and had crepes and waffles at a place where T.J. and I had gone every morning when we were doing our househunting tour (and where he had been several times without me, when he was doing business trips). Surprisingly, the waiter recognized us. He let Amelia help scoop her own ice cream.

We also encountered our first plumbing problem during their visit. The pipes from the master bath were clogging somewhere, and water was overflowing on our terrace. We jokingly referred to the flood every morning and tried to see who could create the most overflow. Luckily, a bottle of Belgian Drano seems to have taken care of it.

They headed south toward Italy after visiting with us, and had a great time there. So much so, that Susan's luggage opted to stay an extra day in Rome. Luckily, it showed up back in St. Louis only a day late.

Persistent Pinkeye
We're still battling pinkeye. One week after Amelia got it, Jack got it. One week after Jack got it, I got it. So off I trundled to our doctor yesterday, who thankfully gave me one prescription for my eyes, and gave me another prescription for the kids, as I can't seem to get rid of the virus. Despite my best sanitizing effors and repeated laundering, it seems to persist. I'll be glad to get rid of it, as I haven't enjoyed having to wear glasses...

Circus Time
It seems like it's never-ending activity here. First the "carnival" then the puppet show. (That disappeared over the weekend, thankfully. Even though Amelia didn't understand one word of it, she kept insisting that she wanted to return. And poor Jack still doesn't get that the carnival is gone. He says "ride" everytime we head up to Ste. Alix, and is disappointed when he sees the rides are gone.)

But signs started popping up 2 weeks ago that the circus was coming to town, and it would be set up in an empty field across the street from the Carrefour (and directly on our way to school every day). The circus starts tomorrow, and when we drove to school today, we saw them setting up tents and we saw all the trucks. Under one tent, we saw some horses and some camels. Apparently, there will also be tigers involved. I'm noticing that things are much more lax over here in general (roof contractors drinking beer on the job; moms leaving babies in cars while taking their kids up to school), so I'm admittedly a little nervous about how they're going to corral tigers. (Especially because I think things will be in a tent .... across the street from major shopping.) You all had better keep an eye on CNN. I see us being a crawl in the near future.

But of course I will take them to the circus.

How Times Change
We just found out that one of T.J.'s coworkers -- and whose wife provided me with all sorts of valuable information as we were preparing for our move and was a true godsend -- is being transferred back to Houston effective June 1. Surprisingly, my first thought was "They must be devastated" rather than "They're so lucky to be returning to the U.S." Quite a change from me sobbing on the phone to my parents that I didn't want to leave. Truly, the hardest thing about being here is being so far from family and friends. But I really am loving daily life over here. I mean, they'd never have a circus across the street from Wal-Mart in the states -- at least, not without some sort of class-action lawsuit first.

I am now also equipped with a child seat on my bike (and also a nice removable wire market basket on the front), so the whole family can go for excursions. We took a nice ride to Stockel on Saturday morning for pastries, and T.J. took Amelia out on Sunday for more. I've taken Jack out in the mornings after Amelia goes to school, and it's been very nice. To be able to not have to drive everywhere is wonderful, and the bike ride is easy. I only wish Amelia's school were a little closer, where we could walk or ride.

Back to Neunreiter
I've learned that in Belgium, I go back to being Julia Neunreiter. When I go to the doctor, that's who I am. When I sign things for school, it's all Neunreiter. I'm not sure why they do it that way, but it's taken some getting used to. Let's just hope Aetna can keep it all straight when I submit medical claims!!

Happy Mother's Day
I don't think I'll post again for a while, so happy Mother's Day to everyone.

Pinkeye, Puppet Shows and Other Musings

A case of Pinkeye has been going through the kids. Amelia had it last week; it's Jack's turn this week. Amelia was very good about eyedrops; Jack, not so much. Then, to add insult to injury, he was up every hour Tuesday night until I finally gave him Tylenol around 3. Then I had to wake the poor guy up at 8:20 Wednesday morning so we could take Amelia to school.

I'm suspecting an ear infection (I've been reading that they same viruses and/or bacteria that cause pinkeye can also cause ear infections.) I've just dosed him with some Motrin before bed tonight, so I'm hoping tonight goes better. Both the kids have an appointment with the pediatrician Thursday for vaccines (one of which I got at the pharmacy today and now have in my fridge), so we'll know for sure about any ear problems then.

At the pharmacy, I also got some Arnica Gel, which the ER doctor had recommended we keep on hand. Apparently, it's an herbal gel which is used to treat bumps and bruises (to keep down swelling). Given our bad luck with heads lately, we'll see if it helps.

And on our way to the pharmacy, we noticed that the "carnival" FINALLY left. Hooray. Of course, it's apparently being replaced by a Guignol (puppet show) that will go Thursday to Sunday. With luck, this will be much less expensive for us!

Doctor's and Puppet Show Updates
Luckily, no ear infection for Jack. They made it through their shots with no problem. Getting their shots was a bit of an adventure. On Wednesday, one pharmacy had only one dose of the meningitis vaccine but said they could get another dose for me by Thursday morning. So Thursday, I go back up and they don't have the vaccine (1 hour before the appointment). So I had to trek to the other pharmacy, and luckily, they had it. It was funny to have their shots sitting in our refrigerator...

We went to the puppet show last night (Thursday). I don't know what I was thinking. It was 6 euros for each of the 3 of us, which I thought was a little pricey. We go in the tent, and the "stage" was actually a lift-up window on the side of a winnebago-like trailer. So we were all sitting there (we went with our neighbor and her two little girls) in our plastic lawn chairs, waiting for the show. It finally began, and DUH, it was all in French. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. Did I really think it WASN'T going to be in French? Oh, well. I got some kettle corn, and Amelia got a giant cotton candy on a stick (which Jack loved as well).

The kids didn't really seem to mind TOO much that it was all in French, but they were a little bored by it all. It lasted an hour (too long), interrupted by one intermission during which they started hawking plastic flags and light up sparkly things and big punch balloons. We escaped with just purchasing the food.

At least we won't have to return to the puppet show. But a circus is arriving in a few days across the street from the Carrefour. Luckily, it's not walking distance, but we will drive by it every day on the way to school. I expect to visit it at least once. Apparently there are tigers involved.

Biking Across Belgium
Well, that's a bit of an understatement. We'll be lucky to bike across town. T.J. got his bike tuned up and he got a child seat installed. The kids are loving it, and it's good exercise for us. Unfortunately, we've discovered that there are a lot of big, gradual hills around town. Great for the downhill ride, but a killer to go back up.

There are lots of bike lanes and trails around town, so it's easy to navigate around town. I took Jack to the market today (Friday), where we picked up a fresh quiche, some wonderful Belgian strawberries (they're smaller and sweeter than normal berries) and raspberries.

Off to get Jack who, apparently, is not going to take a nap this morning. The next post, which I will try to write soon, will cover Mom and Susan's visit to Belgium.

Have a great weekend!

The Carnival Comes to Town

We've had simply beautiful weather lately -- lots of sun and pleasant temperatures. I was walking down to St. Alix on Saturday to see what kinds of veggies were at the veggie stand (answer: not many -- at least, none that I recognize). We were planning on grilling, as T.J. had done a wonderful job taking apart the connector from our old grill and replacing our propane valve with one that would fit European propane tanks (nothing is ever easy).

But upon walking into the square, I saw a mini-carnival. Not much -- one kiddie ride that went around and around and up and down, while blaring a combination of American pop music and American cartoon jingles. Plus one trampoline bounce, where kids were strapped into a harness, with giant stretchy bands on either side. They tightened the tension on the bands, so the kids were able to do super-high bounces on the trampoline. They also had two games -- a duck catching game and a crossbow shoot-the-balloon game.

Jack was thrilled to ride the kiddie ride. He must've ridden on it 5 times. Amelia liked it too, but she decided she wanted to try the trampoline.



She did, and she had a BLAST! She ended up going on it twice and had such fun. Meanwhile, Jack was still spinning around, crying "More" every time the ride stopped.



Amelia also did the duck game, where she aquired enough points for a battery-operated piano that plays at deafening decibles. She likes it, but it is far too LOUD.

They also had a food stand -- french fries (a true Belgian staple) with many sauces to choose from, beignets, beer, and some other things. We had apple beignets (yum) and fries with mayo, and I also got the Samaurai Sauce (spicy).

We're not sure what the reason for the carnival was, but we sure had a great time...

**More later today. I'm trying to be very productive while Amelia is in school and Jack is napping. The morning seems to fly by when I have it to myself.**

Update on Wednesday
The carnival won't seem to go away. We went again on Monday, then again yesterday. The number of rides we go on is declining, as my wallet just can't take the strain. I was fearful to go to Ste. Alix yesterday, for fear that it would still be running, but we had to make a trip to the pharmacy (Amelia likely has pinkeye, so we had to pick up some prescription Oogdruppels -- that's eyedrops in dutch for you! You can tell Amelia has started school -- the viruses are beginning!)

It's so fun for me to watch the kids have so much fun on the rides, so it's hard to deny them a trip or two.

We're going to a birthday party today for Brady, who is turning 1. It's at a local park and should be a lot of fun.

Last Friday, I went with some friends to Stonemanor, which is a British (and some American) food import grocery store. They also have toys, games, party supplies, English books and cards, and all sorts of hard-to-find foods. My highlights were cranberry juice, Ritz crackers, Ben and Jerry ice cream, frozen fruit, blueberry muffin mix, and My Little Pony party supplies. Oh yes, and COOKING SPRAY! Hooray! The store is in a beautiful old manor house just 10 minutes from Amelia's school, but completely in the country. Across the street from the store was a farm with a bunch of sheep, which Jack loved.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how well we've been able to make substitutes for favored foods, but there will always be some things that I'll have to request from home.

My mom and Susan are arriving tomorrow morning for 5 days. I'm looking forward to showing them around and trying to fake myself as the expert. The weather is supposed to be nice, but very warm, so we should enjoy ourselves.

Hope everyone is well. We think of you often! I hope spring is finally arriving in the States and that St. Louis gets leaves on their trees soon!

There should be a drink in my hand with a little umbrella...

It is currently 87 degrees in our family room. I really, really miss air conditioning. Or at least circlating air. While our big, big windows are a plus for sunlight, they're a big, big drawback when the sun is beating down. It's about 81 degrees outside -- unseasonably warm. And while we've enjoyed our weekend of good weather, we're starting to realize what we're in for when the weather turns warm for good.

And, of course, there are no screens in any of our windows. (Apparently, it's just not a Belgian thing.) So when we open our windows, bugs inevitably follow. Plain ole bugs wouldn't be so bad, but they have these whopping bumblebees here, and I fear them getting in. I also suspect that we have a honeybee hive (nest?) in our attic somewhere, as we've had a suspicious number of dead bees up there. I'm envisioning mosquito netting over our beds (don't laugh -- I've had several people here tell me that they've done it), and I'm ready to get out our fans.

A quick list of other things I miss:

• Egg Beaters. Haven't found these yet. Just the real eggs...
  
• Nutrition information per serving (they give the information per 100 grams of product -- it's up to you to do all the math from then on)
• Ready-cooked bacon (I finally found some this week that, when cooked, turned to reasonably like bacon. But, as I discovered, you can't cook it in the microwave. Bad things happen to bacon in our microwave.)
  
• Barbecue sauce (We went to a restaurant last night and they had barbecue sauce. I must've used half the bottle on my burger -- see below -- and fries.)
• Good hamburgers. I don't know what kind of meat they're using here, but I've only had one good one. For the most part, they're very thin, pretty tasteless, and seem like they've been simmering in a pot of something (I don't know what) all day. Not good.
• Sticks of butter. Butter here comes in a giant, oh, I don't know -- lump? It's like they took six sticks of butter, melted it into a big rectangle and then laughed to themselves when they packaged it, envisioning how you were going to get this huge thing in your tiny refrigerator. Luckily, they make lump-sized butter dishes, so I had to buy one. Even so, I had to slice the top of my butter off and put it in the freezer, just to make the top fit.
  

Things I'm Enjoying:

• Lambrusco. It's "vino frizzante" -- or a fizzy wine. They have it in white and red, and I'm loving the red. It has just enough bubbles to make it fizzy, and since you chill it, it's been quite refreshing to have on these warm days.
• Make-at-home chocolate croissants. It's rather like the refrigerated crescent roll dough (which I just found -- HOORAY), but with chocolate included. I haven't actually tried it yet, but I doubt you can go wrong with bread and chocolate.
  
• Being outside so much. We make two trips to the playground each day, and we've been playing a lot on the terrace. The kids are having a blast, and I've enjoyed the fresh air.
• Not so much driving. I went out in the car only once last week for one big shopping trip (mostly to get shelf milk, shelf OJ, diet coke, coke, and all the other big stuff that's hard to get with kids in the cart).
  
• The wonderful fruit! Strawberries are in by the droves -- big ones, small ones and teeny-tiny ones -- all delicious. And finally blueberries are plentiful!
• The market. On Saturday, I got chicken, cooked ribs, homemade baklava, homemade hummus, homemade lasagna from the Italians, yummy strawberries and raspberries, plus pastries. If I do it right, I really would need to go to the store only for milk and juice. The markets really do have it all!

That's all for now. I may update this page again later. I felt a need to include a "likes" and "dislikes" on this one. I still find myself frustrated with things (What do you mean you don't open for lunch until noon??), and infatuated with others (market, market, market). This has been just a great experience so far, but I definitely still need to let go of some of my American thinking, cause some things just ain't gonna happen over here!

Amelia starts school next week, and I'm hoping to join a Moms Club-type organization over here to get me out a little more. It's hard for it to be just me and the kids all day, every day, and I get desperate for conversation (which is why my poor parents get a phone call like clockwork at 8 am). Or for some activity that doesn't require me using the word "No" in every sentence.

Thank you to all who have complimented the blog. I wish I could fancy myself a writer -- and a humorous one at that, and many of you have made me give it some thought. It's a nice thought that I can be something other than Mom/Housewife Extraordinaire. But, alas, I can't even come up with a snazzy idea for a kids' book, let alone something not requiring illustration. If anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Now I shall go enjoy some Lambrusco and listen to T.J. shouting "No" on the terrace. It's a good day, indeed.

Which would you rather explain to a 3 1/2-year-old?

A. Why there is a lady in a bra and panties standing in a window.
B. Why Anne Frank isn't hiding in her attic anymore.
C. Why the horse pulling your carriage is named "Elvis."

I'll get to all of these later, but I'm sure most of you would prefer to answer question C...

Keukenhof for the Tulip Farm
We went on Easter Sunday to Keukenhof in the Netherlands (http://www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html) to see the tulip farms -- about a 2-hour drive. It was interesting to see signs for places like The Hague and Delft (famous for their pottery). We started feeling rather worldly.

It's a HUGE farm, complete with playgrounds, a working windmill, food vendors, the works. It was PACKED, though it didn't seem that busy (it's a big place, so it's easy to spread out). The kids loved smelling all the flowers, and it really was nice.



There was also a petting zoo with the usual suspects. Jack, especially, had a blast brushing a calf.



We had these fantastic hot smoked ham sandwiches, and a cup full of delicious strawberries topped with fresh whipped cream. Just heavenly. Amelia and I went on top of the windmill and we got a great view of the tulip fields on the other side of the farm.

It was a beautiful day, and a great way to spend Easter away from home.

Amsterdam
After Keukenhof, we drove 1/2 hour to Amsterdam to spend the night. We checked into our hotel, and then headed out to take a canal boat tour. As we walked from our hotel to the boat dock, we accidentally walked by a few homes in the red light district. And yes, even at 5 p.m., there were a few ladies in the window, waiting. Luckily, Amelia didn't see them, so we didn't have to address question A. It was a little disconcerting to see, and it was hard not to take a second look to see if you really saw what you thought you were seeing (I didn't realize we were going to be heading that way).

It was amazing to see all the bicycles in Amsterdam (they say there are more than 600,000, and I believe it). That is clearly the preferred mode of transportation there (and understandably so). It's hard to fathom that that many bikes actually exist! And unlike everywhere else, you saw virtually no one wearing helmets. Even with riding in traffic...with kids riding up front -- no helmets.

T.J. and I enjoyed the boat ride, once we finally got there, although it was hard to hear the commentary over Jack and Amelia hooting and hollering at each other across the table on the boat.

We followed the boat ride by a dinner at the Pancake Bakery. (Pancakes in the Netherlands are actually crepes.) Amelia got a Princess Pancake, which arrived as shown below -- with a tiara, gummy animals, a sparkler and a lollipop. A non-traditional Easter dinner, but it was good. We all had a great dinner and a great night of sleep.



We started the following morning with a big buffet breakfast, then we did some exploring of the city before our 11:30 a.m. tickets for the Anne Frank museum (tip: Buy Anne Frank tickets online! You'll skip a HUGE line.). I really enjoyed the tour (especially because we got to bypass the line of 200 that were waiting). Jack fell asleep, so he was easy. I tried to explain Anne Frank's house in very general terms (A little girl used to live here, but she moved.) Amelia was mostly interested in where her toys were, and she wanted to see more rooms where people were hiding. I was able to dance around ideas of war and the holocaust this time, thankfully, but she definitely picks up on more than you think she's picking up on.

The tour was a bit of a sobering experience, and it makes me want to read more about the Frank family. Hard to imagine hiding in an attic for 2 years...

Below is a picture of Amelia next to the Anne Frank statue.



We learned that taxes on houses in Amsterdam were based on the width of your house and the number of windows. Bet you can guess that this guy didn't have much money (the red house in the middle)...




We ended our trip with a horse and carriage ride (on Elvis) through town, which we all enjoyed.



And just a 2-hour drive home! It's funny to think of going to a different country in a shorter drive than going from our house in Virginia to the beach. It would make a nice (but long) day trip for anyone who is thinking of visiting...

We felt accomplished with being able to make our first big excursion out, and we look forward to our next one. My mom and sister are coming to town at the end of the month, and then we're going to meet some friends in Germany next month.

Getting Readjusted Again

We returned from our first visit back to the U.S. on Tuesday, and it's going to take some time to get readjusted. It was nice to have unlimited Starbucks, shopping at Walgreens any time of day or night, tearing up at the grocery store (honestly!). We (OK, *I*) brought an empty duffel bag for anything I happened to buy along the way. Ended up with the bag fully packed!

The trip home (to Brussels) was uneventful, but long. No one slept very well on the plane, except for Amelia. We were delayed nearly an hour leaving D.C., as they had to "remove" someone off our airplane and then had to find all of his/her luggage and get it off the plane. No news on why the person got removed, but it definitely made me a little nervous. Then we had a 1/2 hour longer flight because of unfavorable winds. But we arrived safe and sound, around 8:30 a.m. We got the kids on a rough approximation of their schedule and were hopeful for a smooth night.

Amelia was up a few times. Literally. Once, I found her crawling in our bed; another, we found her walking down the hall with a blanket wrapped around her. Jack was up several more times, including one marathon wakeful period where he was convinced he wanted to go play and eat. He also felt the need to comment on all noises he heard outside his room. Which were many, unfortunately. They changed the landing pattern at Brussels, so that all landing aircraft go right above us (luckily, this is only a temporary thing). By the time they go over our head, the wheels are down and they're really close. They were still going overhead at 2:30 a.m. (who on earth is traveling at that hour???).

But finally, everyone settled down for the night. Amelia didn't wake until 9:30; Jack until 11:30. We'll see how tonight goes. I'm not optimistic today.

We really enjoyed our trip home. Too much shopping (familiar clothing and shoe sizes), visiting the grocery store (gravy mix, Velveeta, muffin mixes and bottled sauces [barbecue sauce, hot wing sauce and teriyaki can't be found around here!] were the favored purchases), all sorts of things. I did feel terribly guilty every time I got a plastic bag from the store, and I couldn't stand to have any clothing wrapped in fancy tissue paper that was just going to get thrown away (and even when I requested no tissue paper, some places STILL gave it to me). I'll have to bring some of my recyclable bags back home next time... I did get some grateful looks from grocery checkers as I bagged all my groceries. I'm in the habit, I guess. Recycling is just so big over here, it's impossible to avoid.

The kids are back to be home (though disappointed in coming back to our train set -- they liked my dad's much more). It looks like we're headed into some better weather here. Cross your fingers!

Shortly after walking in the door on Tuesday, I headed to the market for a chicken rather than making a whole grocery store run. And Amelia was thrilled to pick up yellow tulips!

Friday's Update
The kids' sleeping patterns are still a little messed up. They're back to normal waking and napping times, but from bedtime to midnight, it's rough going. Jack is up and down a lot, but Amelia has been settling down. A few more nights, and we should be back on track.

The tulips at the market seem to be more infrequent now, so we've been buying hyacinths. They have such a wonderful smell and really makes me feel like spring is on the way.

The weather has been sunny and warm -- great for the playground. We've also been spending a lot of time on our terrace. Amelia has made fast friends with our neighbors. Emilia is about 6, and Maried is 4 1/2. Jack's buddy is Noah, who just turned 10. They are the ones who have 2 bunnies, and they just got a big playhouse for outside. Wednesday, the kids all played next door; yesterday, I had 5 kids at the kitchen table playing play-doh. I felt a bit soccer-momish, and wondered how I got old enough to be "the mom whose house everyone comes to play at." But Amelia and Jack had a ball, and it was a nice change for me, too.

I've made a foray into a new grocery store -- Delhaize, which is owned by the same folks (and with same lion-ish logo) as Food Lion. The draw to this store is that you can scan your groceries as you put them in your cart. Then when you're done, you just pay and go. This should be a big time-saver with the kids in the cart!

It feels good to be back walking, too. I admit, I felt rather lazy driving around everywhere in the US (although walking really wasn't an option -- things weren't that close, and I was doing lots of shopping!). I've only driven once since we've been back, and it's felt good to be walking to the grocery store, and the post office, and the bakery and the playground. Justifies all the chocolate croissants, I guess!!

It's nice to be back, even though we miss family and friends terribly. I know we didn't get to visit with everyone, but we hope to catch more of you on our next trip.

Hope all is well with all of you!