London

We took a whirlwind trip to London to see the city and visit with my brother and his lovely girlfriend.

I had never been to London - have always wanted to go. It certainly was 100 times larger than I ever imagined. I really had NO idea London was that large. We stayed in the city for the most part and didn't venture outside of it except for dinner one evening.

Wow - the buildings, history, culture... So much of the history of London centers around the world wars. And the fact that these building are still standing - and what was done during the wars to keep them from being demolished... Incredible history.

We had the best tour guide in R - having lived there all her life, she was invaluable in terms of navigating the city and giving background information. Brilliant woman. Both she and my brother were gracious hosts - it was lovely.

The boys had a wonderful time - although I think we wore them out a bit. We definitely could have used another 3 full days in order to get some down time and explore some more of the outlying areas.

Oh well - I guess it gives us an excuse to go back!

Worry

When does it stop?

Okay, I know the answer to that one... Never.

My baby is about to embark on a trip with his schoolmates and his teachers. For FOUR days. I have gone over this time and time again in my head. Should I ask if I can come along? Should I tell him he can't go? I have lost sleep over this.

I KNOW in my heart I can't do that to him. He is SO excited about the trip, and in all honesty, he will only be about 2 1/2 hours away. It is time to let him be a big kid and worry about his own health for a few days.

He is smart. He knows what he can and can't eat. He knows if something is "off". He's normally the one to tell me. I wouldn't know by looking at him. I trust him - of course I do. But I have never had to relinquish control of his well-being to anyone else. Anyone else that has a child with health issues will understand.

B keeps telling me that he will be okay - I know he will be. But I still reserve the right to be a basket case while he is gone. So if you see me the week of September 5th, I am apologizing in advance.

S

June and July

The kids ended school with a couple of fun events:

V and his class walked about a mile and a half to a local lake and had a half a day filled with sport and swimming (BRRRRR)... He has come such a long way. He really likes the school, as do we, and I hope is looking forward to starting again in the fall. He is our creature of habit and having moved SO many times, we worry that he hasn't"found" himself or his identity yet. He really is very secure within himself and could absolutely care less about what other people think or about trying to fit in. But, he hasn't found a friend that he totally identifies with yet. Maybe he just doesn't need one. He has started a workout routine at home which he loves and hates at the same time ;-)

S ended the school year with a great trip to Ayers Rock - an outdoor survival course here. The kids had an amazing lunch provided by the parents. I was a little nervous about S knowing how scared of heights he is. He started out fine for the first 2 minutes and then...

Tears and "I can't do this, how am I supposed to do this?".

To his credit and my amazement - he finished the whole thing. He freaked a little again when he hit the (freezing) cold water. But he did it and has proudly proclaimed:

"I NEVER want to come here again in my whole entire life!!!"

S also "stepped up" to the middle school. They had a wonderful step-up day where the 4th graders crossed the bridge over to the middle school. They received their certificates and a special lanyard to hold their new ID badges that they get at the beginning of the year. It was really special - I was more emotional than I thought. It was a tough 5 months since we had moved and I was so proud of this kid for coming into a new school (again) and jumping in head first.

Then the BIG one - we made a trip back to Houston. Wow - the kids had an AMAZING time. It was wonderful to see friends and family. I ran around like a crazy woman the whole time, but I was happy that the kids were happy. Totally enjoyed the heat - I am a southern girl. The time went by so quickly, I didn't get everything done that I had hoped.

We have some friends coming into town at the end of July and then we are off to London the first week of August. As soon as we get back - orientation starts for school!

If the weather would improve - it'd be close to a perfect summer!

C's Visit!!!

June started out with the BFF coming out to visit :-)

It was AMAZING to have her here as I have missed her terribly!

We were able to tootle around The Hague. I took her to the open market and no surprise... She loved it as much as I do. We feasted on falafels, herring, sandwiches, Indonesian, fresh fruits and veggies and good ole homemade Indian.

We went to Kinderdijk and saw the windmills. The windmills are susceptible to the weather and fires, so very few of them are standing compared to before. We were able to go inside one to see how people actually lived in them. There are actually a few that people still live in. Pretty cool :-)

Next stop - Amsterdam. We took the train up and spent most of the day walking around the city. We visited the market there, stopped by the Anne Frank house, ate dim sum, poffertjes, pannenkoeken, the most amazing blackberries, and sampled some wonderful gouda. It rained for most of the time that we were there, but we made it!

Wish we could do it all over again - Miss you C!!!

Medieval Day

Mid-May started like a shotgun - fast and furious...

It started the beginning of end of year school activities including a fun-filled day called "Medieval Day". The kids drew "jobs" out of a hat which included jobs such as king, barons, baronesses, knights and squires, and peasants. S drew the "Knight". I think he was pretty happy about that. The knights competed in a jousting competition where S made it into the semi-finals. The peasants were broken up into various jobs including merry makers, carpenters, cooks and woodworkers. At any time, one of the teachers could grab you and make you a leper. S's best little buddy got pulled out.

The kids were given money to "buy" their snacks - and quickly realized how unfair the system was back then. The peasants could barely afford the snacks that they actually wanted. The kings had too much to spend. S's friend made out like a bandit because S gave him most of his coins since he was allergic to half the food on the table.

During recess, if the peasants stepped out of line - the knights and squires could take them to be put in the stocks which the carpenters actually put together.

The cooks made a lovely homemade vegetable soup for lunch. The peasants were allowed to have this plus bread slices and cut vegetables. The knights and squires dined on that as well as fresh homemade bread. The kings, barons and baronesses were able to feast on pizza for lunch. You can imagine to "No fair"'s that were muttered throughout the meal ;-)

It was a really really long day for the kids and some said they never, ever wanted to do that again. Even S being a knight said that he didn't want to do it again. He felt really bad for his friends and hated that he couldn't eat his own lunch!

17 years!

Yesterday, B and I celebrated our 17th anniversary... 17 years, seems almost like yesterday that I was 24 and getting married.

In 17 years, we have done so much that a lot of it is blurry. Most amazingly - we have 2 boys. I think that's the best part to come out of our marriage - being parents. B is a good dad, gets down on the ground and in the dirt with them. It's my favorite part of the weekend, watching the 3 of them act like boys playing football, basketball or video games.

We have moved 8 times, lived in 3 different countries and 3 different states. We have gotten to travel more than I ever imagined. I have been able to be a witness to B's career skyrocket. I have a partner that I actually talk to... about anything. We laugh over silly things and still get a kick out of small things.

We have survived job changes, moves, health scares, family issues and our children ;-)

Happy Anniversary honey! I love you.

Day by Day

So sorry for not posting for a while... I have been in a "place".

Not necessarily a bad place, more of a complacent place. I think the move has finally caught up with me. I have cut down exercising to about 4 days a week only for about an hour a day - crazy, I know. Funny thing is, although I jiggle a little more in certain places, my body is much happier for it.

We took an amazing trip to Paris and fit almost everything you could think of in 4 days. I think my favorite part of the whole trip was the Louvre. I was awed. To think that I was in the same room as the paintings that were actually touched and created by names such as David, Monet, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, De la Croix, the list goes on and on. I was most excited to see the pyramid in the entrance, the Mona Lisa and the Coronation of Napoleon. I could have stared at David's Coronation for hours.

The Louvre in itself was amazing. The building, the history.

The kids soaked it all in. Wasn't really sure how a 13 and 10 year old were going to handle an all day excursion at the museum. To my delight, they were as interested as B and I were.

S fell at school and suffered a mild concussion - with his allergies, skin and other issues, we feel like he has become a bit of a full time project :-( Poor kid.

We are now in the throes of end of the year school preparations, including a surprise fun filled day in S's class this Wednesday. I won't spoil the fun... will post with pictures later.

The best part of the next few weeks is a visit by C - I cannot wait!!! We have a few excursions planned... but mostly, I am thrilled to see my friend. To have a little piece of home right here with me.

Much love!!!

My Heart

I want to tell you about someone that I admire... My oldest child.

From the minute this child was born, he was a fighter. Born at only 4lbs 3oz., he fought his way through prematurity like a champ. He was a smart baby and toddler. Learning his alphabet before he was 2 and learning to read at the age of 4. I can't say that I take any credit... He is just smart like that. Observant to say the least. He remembers the most minute details. Even as a small child, he was and still is a perfectionist about certain things.

As he has gotten older and as more of his personality is revealed, I have discovered this caring, knowledge hungry child that couldn't hurt a fly. Ask anyone - they immediately love him once they meet him. He is kind and helpful. He loves current events. He loves to read - a trait that I am immensely proud of. He does not give up - he has the strongest sense of loyalty and commitment. He will never let you down. He is always ready for a hug or a snuggle, but only if asked. He is creative - and very good with his hands. He likes to take things apart to see "how they work". He loves technology and is really great at grasping the latest and greatest technological advances. He is a best friend.

He is my heart.

MC Escher

Yesterday, the family went on an outing in Den Haag. We walked out to the Escher in Het Paleis museum. For those of you art and mathematics fanatics, V and I are huge Escher fans. We were so excited to see his original drawings, wood cuttings, etc... The museum is housed in one of the Netherlands Queens winter homes. So as well as being able to soak in Escher, we were able to get some history about the building as well.

We were able to see Waterfalls, Metamorphosis, Relativity, and Drawing Hands, to name a few. He was a genius before his time. He is Dutch by birth. What I didn't know was that as a young adult, he travelled through Italy, hence the inspiration for most of his landscape lithographs.

As we were about to leave the museum, we decided to peruse the gift shop and a book in particular caught my eye. It was a book about homes and architecture in Den Haag. I flipped through and looked at the index... AND...

Our house was in it! We were all so surprised! Pretty incredible - just made me feel all the more special about where we live...

Have a great day!

Feathered Friends

I was sitting on our back window sill looking out at the flowers popping up in the garden this evening. I called out to S in the next room when I realized there were 2 ducks in the pond. We watched them for few minutes in silence. Still in total awe and not thinking, I said "I wonder how they got in there?"

S looks at me with a completely straight face and says "DUH, they can fly! How come they didn't teach you that in school???"

Ask a stupid question...

More pictures

After the last post - I walked out to the store and took along my camera...

Enjoy!

Click here to see the pictures :-)

S

Settled and happy :-)

Okay Ruth - this is for you :-)

Sorry about not blogging for a while... We have been a little busy!

We had visitors in the form of my parents, brother and his girlfriend a few weeks back. It was SO lovely to have everyone here - even if for a short time. We still had our rental furniture - but we managed wonderfully. Of course, the day after my parents left - we got our container!!! WooHoo!

Our things came and it's always like Christmas... I was able to unpack and put away 90% of the things before B even got home from work. We were up and running and fully functional the next day. I missed my bed!

We have started to think about travel and have planned a trip to Paris the first week of April. I have a HUGE list of places that we would like to visit while we are here including Italy and the Amalfi coast, Turkey, London, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Germany (during Xmastime) and the list goes on...

Last weekend we discovered some walking trails that start just about 1/3 of a mile from our home. I haven't walked the whole thing, but I have heard that you can walk them all the way to the Sea which is about 3 miles from our place. I have been to walk along the beach, but haven't stayed too long as the wind is a little more than I can handle. Now that it is getting warmer and sunnier, I will go back and do that again.

Still going to the gym - not as much as I am used to, but I walk everywhere, so I don't worry about it too much.

I have met some wonderful women who have introduced me to the wonderful world of Sligro and the open markets. Sligro is a Costco or Sam's type of place that sells items in bulk. No more going to the store for laundry detergent once a week! I find it is not as inexpensive as Costco, but still as effective. Most things here are super expensive - you just learn to appreciate how cheap things are in the States.

I went to the open market with a neighbor of mine and I was in Heaven! The freshest fruits, vegetables, olive bars, fish and meat stalls, clothing (not my style), etc... all in one place! I had to buy a shopping trolley just to bring home all the things I bought. The prices are great and I can assure you that I will be going every week :-)

B is as busy as ever and has a month of craziness starting today which includes 2 trips to Houston, a trip to 3 cities in Asia, Poland, Italy and then our trip to Paris. Whew!

S is playing flag football and is really enjoying it so far - as long as the weather is decent. It's pretty darn painful to catch a football in the cold without gloves. He is enjoying school and picking up Dutch pretty easily. He has a birthday party this weekend at a place that has go-karts, lasertag, bungee soccer, and so on - he is so excited! He has a slumber party the next weekend. He's a busy little guy!

V is doing great with school and basketball. He is looking forward to traveling and has a list all his own of where he wants to go. He is getting older - it's getting harder and harder to get him to hang out with us, so I end up trying to come up with things we can all do together to lure him out of his cave.

In other news - we will be back in Houston in July - we are all looking forward to the slightly (eh hem) warmer weather. This southern belle needs a little more heat!

Til next time!

S

Our home

We moved into the house Wednesday of last week and it has been busy trying to transition in. We have rental furniture until our things arrive and have been living with the basic necessities. It's nice to have more space to spread out in - and the area around the house is so charming. There are a few bakeries, cheese shops, antique dealers along with the necessary grocery store, dry cleaners, shoe repair shop, etc... A mix of old world and new.

I wanted to wait until our things arrived from the US to take pictures, but I have gotten so many requests that I will be happy to oblige!

A little bit about the house...

It was built in 1883 in an area of The Hague called the Archipel. The Archipel was one of the few areas of The Hague that was not destroyed by one of the world wars. The street is Surinamestraat. Many of the streets are named after Indonesian cities because of the sheer influence of the Indonesians in this area. I don't know anything about the man who built the house, but I do know that the man who bought it from him in the early 1900's was a diamond dealer and built a small hiding room in which he stored his diamonds. The tenant just before us is the Russian ambassador to The Netherlands. There are many ambassadors on this street and in this area because the embassies are nearby. The landlord has promised me some materials on the history of the home. I feel very honored to live here and be able to take care of the place.

I love that the landlord has kept many of the original features of the home, as many homes here are gutted and modernized - with only the exterior being preserved. With that; however, comes a few unpleasantries, none of which are a major problem. The house is four stories with 5 bedrooms, 4 toilet rooms and 3 full bathrooms with showers. It is an ordeal to climb the full lot of stairs - they are quite steep. Here's hoping to a good looking rear end by the time we leave!

Enough said - you can see the pictures here:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=846208254408%3A1189991969&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharer

The Tortoise and the Hare

I am finding the pace of life here to be much slower than what we are used to. Probably an amazing thing... but a bit frustrating all the same. I have heard and read that the Dutch (especially the children) are the happiest in the world.

The working hours here are typically 9:00 to 5:00 with most stores opening around 10:00 to 11:00. I have gone to visit a few gyms and they all open around 8:00am with the exception of one or two days where they open early at 7:00am. I cannot get a cell phone until I have a residency card. We applied for one 2 weeks ago, hopefully it will be here soon. In order for our things to be released from the port of Houston, The Netherlands requires a customs clearance which I applied for last Wednesday. It will take three weeks for that to even process. SO in the meantime, our things are sitting in a container on the Gulf of Mexico. I called last Friday to set up internet and cable in our home that I get possession of tomorrow... it takes about 10 days for that.

The days are really short in the wintertime which may contribute to some of the ways of life here. It finally starts to get light about 8:00am and it is pitch dark around 5:30. The grocery store closes at 6:00pm on Sunday, so you need to get the kids stocked for school before then. Most businesses are closed on Sunday and open late on Monday.

I love the "city" feel of Den Haag - even though it is quite small. I love to walk around. It's a great way to see everything. I found a Dutch school right by our home, so I will probably sign up for classes after we move in. I have finally driven 3 days in a row, and "Champa chameli", my GPS lady has become the person I speak with the most during the day. We ate at a fairly decent Indian restaurant right outside of our street last weekend and was happy to know that there was one nearby. I am waiting to hit all of theses gorgeous boutiques - they have great sweaters and dresses!

It is expensive here. As an expat, it is a little easier to afford some of these things. As a local, I don't know how they do it. Food, clothing, dry cleaning, and other basic items are about 50% more than what we are used to paying in the States. I have said it before.... most people in the US do not realize how lucky they are. Affordability is taken for granted. Most of the rest of the world pays double what we do in gasoline for cars. Most people here in Den Haag do not own a car. They bike everywhere. Public transportation is amazing.

Maybe some of this laissez faire attitude will rub off on me in the near future. I considered myself a pretty laid back person... until we moved here ;-)

My baby turns 10!

We are sitting here, relaxing after having a very early morning celebration since Daddy had to leave for the States this morning. S is a little under the weather and with the actual weather being foggy and cold today, we are still trying to decide whether it's worth bundling up and going out.

A LeBron jersey and some legos later, I am watching this beautiful boy play with his big brother... I have said this many times, but every year is so bittersweet for me when we celebrate S's birthday. It brings me back to 10 years ago when he was born. I don't mean to dwell on it, but I just can't believe how far we have come.

So, instead of remembering what WAS... I want to tell you what I have learned about this incredible child in the last 10 years.

I have learned that wherever there is a ball, he will find it. I have learned that he is the commander of the playground. He remembers everything you tell him, so if you don't mean it, don't say it. He has a short temper. He needs constant entertainment - and is a source of constant entertainment. He plays it cool, but deep down is a very very caring child. He loves his brother more than anything is this world. He creates a basketball game wherever he is. He worries about everything. He pretends to be sleeping and secretly hides upstairs so he can hear what mommy and daddy talk about after we THINK he has gone to bed. He is street smart, book smart, and everything else smart. He knows how to get what he wants. He is particular about what he wears. He doesn't let any of the health problems he faces day to day get him down, EVER...

I am so proud to be his Mommy!

Happy happy birthday sweet boy!!!

Happy Wednesday

I am sitting here in the apartment - looking out on Den Haag and a beautiful day. It is sunny, not too terribly windy and not too terribly cold. I love seeing the sun. When I lived in Jersey when V was a baby - I was one that was affected by SAD (seasonal affectation disorder). I was not happy when we went days without seeing the sun. I think getting through this first winter here will be tough - but it can only get better... right?

Had a wonderful morning running around with our lovely relo representative trying to get customs papers and parking permits in order. I conquered my slight fear of riding the local tram and of course, it was as easy as I thought it would be. After many laughs and good conversation, I left her around lunchtime to find S some presents for his birthday. I was very successful, it didn't take me long at all. I cannot believe my baby will be 10 this Sunday - double digits!

I still marvel at the bike riding abilities of the Dutch. I am still working on not walking in the bike paths - I get "belled" once a day. People here are very friendly - and even more so if you try to speak the language. Wish me luck as I get behind the wheel of a car for the first time here on Sunday... I saw a biker that was almost hit by a car today - my biggest fear!

It has been a good day :-)

First day of school

Today was the first day of school for the kids - a VERY hard day for Mommy. I walked them to the bus platform outside of our apartment building for a 7:27 am pick up time. They were the very first stop and I put them on the bus and watched it drive off. I left feeling very unsettled, hoping that they would be able to find where they needed to go. S to the playground, V to the middle school office. Worried cannot even describe how I was feeling.

B had been asking me a few days before if I wanted the car that day to take them, but I know my children. They are smart, independent, amazing little creatures and I knew deep down they would be fine. I just had to keep telling MYSELF that.

I was paralyzed for about an hour before I actually decided to get up and go down to the workout room. After a very quick 45 minute workout, I decided to quit - my heart was just not in it. I showered, dressed and went out for the day. Walked around the city, finished a few errands, and came home. It was a very long 2 hours before the kids got back.

They were FULL of chatter when they got off the bus with stories of friends they had made, their teachers and all the other things they had experienced that day. They were so proud of the new school that they get to attend. S has already become a hit a recess and V was so excited about all the people he met, the technology at the school - and the fact that they all get their very own Mac for school use.

I am just so proud of them - I know their experience here will be amazing and will help them to become well rounded, culturally sensitive, experienced young men.

A good day :-)

It was a good day today. First off, we got to see the sun! It was a crisp 39 degrees, but the sun was shining. After lunch, the kids and I ventured out into the city to take pictures and get some supplies. We seem to go to the grocery store everyday, mainly because I end up realizing that I don't have something (salt, pepper, garlic, oil...). Things that we are used to having in the house all the time. I was lucky enough to come across Chinatown and found some lentils and long beans to make for dinner... without my Indian spices mind you, but Indian nonetheless.

We found a few school supplies, we were able to get our U.S. line up and running, we trekked over to the train station and inquired about how to ride the train/tram/bus system, found a dry cleaners, stopped in hair salons to inquire about prices for haircuts, etc... A productive day overall. We miss B though - we have had him at home for a week. He went to work today for the first time since we came and it's definitely quiet around here.

It doesn't get light until about 8:00 to 8:30 and it starts to get dark around 5:00. The days are short. The kids are wonderful - no issues there. I am nervous for them to start school on Monday. I am just going to rip off the bandage and let them ride the bus Monday morning. Just kill me now.

Here are a few pics from our outing today :-)

Yummy sandwiches

The Asian grocery store I found:

Brrrrrr...

Our apartment building:

The local shopping mall:

Leaving Houston :-(

The last couple of days have been a blur. The movers came last Thursday and packed and loaded everything - so quickly in fact, that they were done before either one of the kids came home from school. The next few days were spent buying last minute things for our trip or shutting down the house.

We all said our goodbyes - it was hard.

As we were all set to leave on Sunday, B and the boys were getting the car packed up and I took one last look through the house. My chest got heavy and I started to breathe really hard. I didn't want to upset the boys, so I pulled it together and locked up the house. The minute the garage door shut, I started to cry. My head was screaming "TURN AROUND, TURN AROUND!!!" I didn't think it would be that hard.

It was a quiet ride until we hit the airport. Then the comedy began.

Our large bag was WAY overweight - 15 pounds to be exact. In all efforts not to pay TSA to buy a new bag, I pulled my bags over and started shifting weight. After dropping various pieces of lingerie on the floor - I finally got it.

We checked in 6 bags and left in the biggest fit of laughter - I think the weight of the sadness we were feeling finally cracked.

We get to security and B is pulled aside WITHOUT his shoes and belt and bags to be checked. They very sternly take him into a little room to interrogate him and he leaves having made 2 new friends - how he does it, I'll never know. It turns out that the forgot that he had a Leatherman in his old bag that we brought along. Someone in TSA is enjoying it now.

The flight was wonderful - no glitches.

We get to Schipol airport early Monday morning local time. We have so much luggage that we cannot all fit into the rental. S and I take a train and decide to meet up with the other 2 in Den Haag at our rental apartment. We end up being separated for about 4 hours - a lifetime when you are in a new place with no phone to call them by. B and V got lost WITH a GPS - it turns out the street was not on any navigation system.

The long and short of it is, we are settled... Jet lagged, but settled. We have spent yesterday and today getting groceries and toiletries, applying for our residence permit, getting passport pictures taken for various other government applications, and getting to know the lay of the land.

Tomorrow, we get to go the the school for orientation. I am excited for the kids and have very high expectations for the education that are about to receive.

The weather here has been typically Dutch - rainy and about 42 degrees.

We don't have our phone hooked up yet as the apartment does not have one. Once we buy one, we'll let you know. I was more concerned about not having a hairdryer - that was my FIRST purchase!

Love you all - till later...

S