a mommy & more

moving...

2011-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

I am moving my blog to sonyagraykey.wordpress.com Find me there!

Yoga for toning

2011-02-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

This article has a few "quick" Yoga moves worth learning. Yet another reason I love Yoga. It will work muscles you didn't know/forgot you had. :) Namaste.

Food allergies & breastfeeding

2011-02-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

The great food allergy debate: new research. I noticed a few things about this article that should be passed along...one of which was the quote,
"Previously, Sampson says, his research in the 1980s looked at whether the problem of allergies could be prevented if mothers continued breast-feeding as long as possible. Laboratory studies reinforced the theory, he tells the magazine."

Black History month: a really busy month when your husband studies & teaches the Civil Rights Movement

2011-01-31T14:50:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my beloved gave a talk on our local NPR station. I just thought I'd post so that I could share. He's slated to give quite a few "talks" in February. We're going to have to rethink the whole "one car family" thing for those dates. :) Love you, babe!
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wium/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1749946

the boys in Sept.

good news story from Poland

2011-01-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12294887

Zora "nursing" Freddie :)

For those of you who followed our Polish adventure, you might remember me posting about the few comments we got about Zora's baby doll, Freddie, who is a darker skinned brother. (There have not many darker skinned people there since WWII, so even some younger people would say, "I've never seen a black baby doll!") This is a great news story...maybe some things are changing.

fall family pix...better late than never ;)

2011-01-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

this one was B's fav bc the kids were "done" ;)

Zora: no more

L's personal theme: the peace sign

Here are a few of my favorites. We rushed our great photographer a little that day...next time I want to devote more time to it. I think the kids felt the "urgency" to get a pic & behaved accordingly (not so great). *sigh* Kids feel our vibes, whether we think they do/want them to. And still...there are some really fun shots here. Cheers, Erica! Thanks for working some magic! ;)

Pinkalicious by Zora

2010-11-30T18:35:00.000-08:00

My sweet gal--"reading." :)

the mega update...

2010-11-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

I have had a super, super crazy July-...what month is it now? Ever since I took on the job at WIU, and choose to pursue my doula certification...and continued to teach & sub at the Y...and attempt to keep Z involved in playgroups/sometimes running a playgroup, while helping at L's school...and did I mention I began painting canvases for childrens' rooms?..I've been a little busy. I did complete the kids' scrapbooks for Poland & I've kept up w prep & grading for class, but I had to let something slide, so blogging & any attempt to keep up w current scrapbooking has fallen to the wayside. Apologies, loved ones. Here's a brief, story-through-photograph recap of all I felt I'd missed out on blogging about...from July til Oct. 14th. I plan on picking back up w Halloween & attempting a better balance soon...I'm learning as I go. :) Enjoy!

all of us(but motion sick dad) on a mini-roller coaster at a fair in Macomb

fair treats & sweet Amir, L's bf & our other boy

making dad's b'day cake

Happy B'day to daddy! (July 9th)

dad's golf cake

some beautiful things from our awesome co-op (both kids helped harvest sometimes) :)

excitement! L. ties his shoes all by himself!!

Aunt Leslie & Uncle Logan come to visit & we all go "Bonkers!"

Zo convinces Uncle Logan to read "Once Upon a Potty" :)

Zora: I make a mess!

we host some exchange students...B. looks crazy.

showing off our swim lesson skills

L shows granddad all he learned in swim class

one of my favorite Macomb homies moves. (Miss you, Jessie!)

we vaca in St. Louis

the Arch

from the top of the Arch

the zoo

wet kiddos, tired parents: day 2 of zoo

our fantastic friends, the Gartlands, who also lived in Poland last year

the Keys in St. Louis

petting the rays!

Zora "sets up" her babies

cool L. going to school on "green day" (Aug)

my 30th b'day gift from my in-laws (Thanks!)

the boys take in an away game (Sept.)

fun in Champaign after mom's doula training

grandmother comes to help out

on the playground w granny

snapped by granny

all my kids after school :)

Tim & Emily create a kids' triatholan

Christine visits: mom's nite out! (miss you, lady!)

Braylon visits: Zora is a "big helper"

Lincoln school has a fund-raising fair

cotton candy, everyone!

Langston gets silly over his prize from the cake walk

WIU's homecoming parade

tub fun

volunteering in the library at L's school

Z "helping" mom by taking pix while mom works in L's library :)

our parent-created, parent-run Macomb playgroup: going strong this fall!

Macomb High's homecoming parade: Langston & Amir were in the paper catching candy! :)

Mrs. Pryor (L's teacher) got dunked as a fund-raiser for MHS's after-prom party. Her daughter is a senior.

mom's 30th b'day dinner (10-4, good buddy. :)

Langston's new bff, Eli

Mrs. Pryor's class on their 1st field trip!

Pumpkin cookies

fall soccer

mom's college roomie, Cassie, visits

L. making a rope at the 4-H tent at the Farmer's Market

mom's birthday mom's nite out

Grandmom & Granddad visit

the girls: mom, Zora & Cassie

the roomies, the kids & the colonel (ha!)

our new bedding: made by grandmother! (thank you!)

I fixed a supper dedicated to my late granny gray on what would've been her b'day, Oct. 14th. I miss her.

Zora says...

2010-11-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

pumpkin cookies

just so I don't forget. Z says the cutest things lately. For example...

"I need dental sauce."`
"Dis my baby lion club."
"I want cereal." (me: What kind?) "Snow flakes." (me: Cornflakes?)
L:"May I be excused [from the dinner table]?" Me: "Yes. Zora, did you hear your brother? What do you need to ask? May I be..." Z:"A Piwate!"

daddy's birthday cake: as Fudge would say, "Eat it or wear it!"

so much more. daily. this girl keeps us laughing.

What is a doula?

2010-11-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

A doula is someone who...

provides emotional and physical support for a woman during, and/or just after labor.
stays by the side of the woman during the entire labor.
assists the woman and her partner in carrying out their birth plan.
understands the physiology of birth
understands the emotional needs of a woman in labor
facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner & the medical care providers.

perceives her role as one who nurtures & protects the woman's memory of her birth experience. (I love them all, but I think this is my favorite.)

the above is taken (& slightly revised) from the DONA int. workshop I attended in September.

Pictured: my doula, Tammy, assisting me as I labor with baby Zora. My birth experience wouldn't have been the same without her.

Yikes in photo form....

2010-10-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Meal experiment.

New Blog!

2010-09-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Diary of a Doula (servingmoms.blogspot.com)
My doula information (books to read, movies to watch, studies, etc.) will be posted on a separate blog. I just got back from my training on Sun. evening & I am SO excited to get started! If anyone in Macomb or surrounding areas would like labor support, please contact me.

blog from KIN & mom's update

2010-09-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

http://wiukinesiology.blogspot.com/
Good idea. I like my chair. And I'm not in any sort of "loop," so I've got to catch up & keep up a little.
Classes are going well. I love seeing all these really athletic kids sweating it out while doing Hatha Yoga. :) Several of them have told me that: they really like the class, it's more intense than they expected & they will no longer be lifting (weights) before doing my class (say good morning! to holding the plank :)

In other news, my dance (Zumba) class went well at the Y. Youth Yoga begins next week & I can't wait to see all my little gals again. My in-laws are here right now for the long weekend & my mom will be here on Tues, so that she can help w Miss Z. while I do my doula training in Champaign. I can't wait for that! If anyone is interested in having some labor support, please contact me!

Langston & Mrs. Pryor

Langston continues to get used to Big Boy School. The first few days of excitement wore off & he found that the day was long. By lunch, he was really missing mama & fam. He's come home w daily art for me (& sometimes B.) that says "omo" (mom) & dad & usually has a house/family/kid & mom on it. (Yes, he's not tough to figure out.) His fantastic teacher is really helping, though. She said he was "a good example of a student" for the rest of the kids. :) Sweet guy. I'm missing him, but Z and I are so busy that the 7:45-2:45 time when he's gone is flying by.

Zora's first (non-baby) puzzle

Zora is wearing panties in this pic above! :) She has been too fun on her "just mama & parents" days. She has said the funniest things lately...

Z going potty at her school

Even so!--I'm not sure what she thinks this means, but apparently it's bad!
Odd-iously not!--she knows what she means w this one & uses it in a sassy way.
Berenstang--from the Berenstain Bears, but she uses it freely w any bear, esp. the Three Bears story.
Two-pats--Hyland's teething tablets.
something different everyday....;)

We've been having lots of fun at home lately, too...Enjoy!

BumGenuis & more

2010-08-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Now that we are "potty trained," it's time to say goodbye to our cloth diapers. We've loved them through two babies & lots of money saved. Please contact me if you want to give these awesome dudes a try.
I have 8 BumGenuis brand (in white, mint, pale yellow, & baby blue) all w stuffers. And all "one size," so they'll fit from a 7/8ish lb. baby to about a 30ish lb. baby. (I used them for L. and Z. at the same time!)
I also have 1 Haute Pockets (in bright yellow) w both stuffers.

zora w a "double stuffed" booty :)

If you haven't tried cloth before, I'll give a quick review...
These are as easy as a disposable to use. Just stuff a stuffer in the middle of the diaper & diaper the baby (these have velcro tabs, just like disposables). If your baby is tiny, pre-adjust the diaper to his/her size by snapping down some snappies (across the front of the tummy) to make the diaper smaller. You can also "double" the stuffer inside so that it is smaller (it comes w a snap, too).

here's langston showing off a bumgenuis adjusted for a 30 lb. toddler who only wore diapers when napping. :)

When soiled, toss these into a container w a lid (I added some vinegar) & then launder w a tiny amount of detergent, but NO FABRIC SOFTENER. You can also dry them on low, but NO DRYER SHEETS. **there are whole websites devoted to cloth diapering, so go to the web w questions.

That's it.
Let me know if you want to try them!

first day of school(s)!

2010-08-27T05:09:00.000-07:00


Sweet Langston's first day of Kindergarten!


Our family just before we walked big L. over for his first day.

It's official! We have a Kindergarten guy in our fam! And his first day, in his words, was, "the best day of my life!" Wow. Can't beat that. ;) **Quick side note here: His teacher seemed fantastic from the first time I saw here. She was one of the "energetic" ones I remember from a "meet the teachers" thing last spring. And when we saw the great organization of her classroom (we had open house, then "bring the supplies morning" so L. & fam explored the school twice before he really had to go), we were fired up about this lady. She has 22 years of experience. She's from Mississippi (we'll forgive her for being a Bulldogs fan...her hubby did his phD at Mississippi State). I felt like she seemed a perfect "match" for our Langston...and Mama's usually right about these things. :)**
When we asked him for the 'recap of the day' he gave us a quick run down of the "stations" they did in the a.m., then quickly moved on to when he saw me waiting to pick him up. :) (Missing: probably the hours b't 8:30 and 2:40! ha! ) So, we were specific: Did Mrs. Pryor read to you? Yes, the Kissing Hand. Were you the line leader? No. Door holder? No. Did you go potty? No, but he tried. Did you eat lunch? Yes, and he chose salad & carrots w his pizza...and drank all his milk. :) (Good job!) Did anyone in your class cry? Nope. Not a one. And his b.f.f., Amir, got to come home w him at the end of the day!
The only "whew" part, to me, was how exhausted this guy was at the end of the day. 7:45 to 2:40 is a LONG day for little people (for any people). He cried over anything that didn't go his way yesterday. I hear 'earlier bedtime' calling!


Little Miss Z. on her first day of pre-school!


L. loves that sister! He was more nervous about her first day than we were! :)

B. called after he dropped Z. off on her first day to tell me that she did great...no tears or anything. I made him tell L. that bc L. had been so worried about her! When we went to pick her up, B. was bringing her out of the classroom & she was SLEEPY, but aside from that great. She ate lunch well, "helped" w a baby. (Her favorite things in life right now are babies and books.) And peed on the potty. (she is officially POTTY trained, y'all!...I think I missed posting that somewhere!) She has the greatest pre-school teachers ever...Ms. Ann & Ms. Sandy...although when I asked her about her teachers I think she combined their names bc she kept correcting me & calling ?them? "Ms. Andy." :) But she did have great things to report. We were all so happy & she was ready for that nap! :

Yea, Zora-bean! Riding to school w Daddy!

Mondays and Wednesdays are "daddy mornings" right now. B. will bike both kiddos to school on Monday (weather permitting) while Mommy teaches Zumba (Mon. 8:30) and then my Yoga & Pilates class at the University (Mon. & Wed. 10-10:50). Zora will be at her "school" on Monday mornings. I'll pick her up at lunch & bring her home for nurse & nap-time. Wednesdays B. will have her all morning if I sub & then teach or I'll bring her to him when I teach at WIU, then take her home around lunch.
Yesterday I bought this huge dry erase board to put all our "stuff to do" on. B &I are alike in that "if we don't write it down, it doesn't happen." Huge fans of "lists" in this house! I even made L. his own personal tiny dry erase w. his name on it & a pack of dry erase crayons (bc those "low odor" things are still stinky, I think...I don't want him breathing that stuff). His has what happens at school on it (they are beginning "color days" next week, so they will get to wear certain colors...his "share day" is next week, too). He gave me hugs & kisses for that surprise! :) I filled out my classes/PTO meetings/dr. appts./playgroups on the board, then B. filled out meetings/ball games/babysit for friends...and more than I am thinking of right now. :)

KIN 252 Contemporary Physical Activities

Here I am in the gym (we are now in a FANTASTIC dance studio) on my first day of [teaching] class. Don't worry, I didn't ask a student to hold the camera! :) I took this on the "timer" before class began...just to document my first day in yet another experiment of "career choice." Could one make a career of experimenting w careers? Hmmmm. :) My doula training is in a few weeks & I am SO excited about that, too. I think maybe if I didn't enjoy so many things it wouldn't be so tough to choose one...or two. :)

Anyway, class is going great so far. I have around 20 guys and 4 or 5 gals. (Which I didn't expect, but they are phys. ed. majors & that's traditionally male dominated, so I guess I was just thinking about the whole Yoga/Pilates thing...not Phys. Ed. kids.) So far, we've had one day of lecture &one day of "movement" (which includes explaining, exploring, correcting, etc.). They've been attentive, respectful & a little shocked by how intense Hatha Yoga can be. But four of them stayed after to talk the second day & I feel like almost all were in agreement that it was "more intense & more fun" than they thought. Good stuff. I hope they apply it when they finish. I would LOVE to see some Yoga (& Pilates) taught in the schools.

BMIs & early puberty

2010-08-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/us_puberty_earlier
Yet another good reason to keep our babies healthy.

BEing

2010-08-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today when I was reading to the kiddos before nap Langston hit me in the eye. We were being silly and he didn't mean to, but I said (in a serious tone), "Langston! That hurt mommy."
He immediately started crying and said, "Sorry," in this meek little voice.
I hugged him and told him it was okay. I knew he didn't mean to; just try to be more careful.
Then it hit me how wonderful it is to have a kid (or kids, as I do) who feel comfortable enough to open up and cry when they think they might have hurt me. I love to see how honest and real and raw the emotions of children are. They are so beautiful!
I am thankful that these little people can really tell and/or show me how they are feeling. I relate such purity w God. God, to me, (or being w God or relating to God...) is that place where one can just BE. Be completely whatever you need to be...hurting or angry or joyful or even self pitying. Not judging or being judged, but just bringing it all and laying it out there. I think that's one of the many ways we, as adults, are told to "be like children" and also where we miss the big picture.

What if we expressed what we felt or allowed ourselves to feel more often? I can't help but think we'd all be a little better off. I'm not saying "fly off the handle," but I am saying that if someone hurt you, tell them. If someone made you so happy or brings you peace, tell them. And if you might have hurt someone...no matter how meekly it comes out, say "sorry."

our busy summer...

2010-08-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

the girls showering off before "baby swim lessons," which Z loved this time!

Forgive me, readers, for not posting. We've had a crazy-busy summer. And the past few weeks have been full. Here's a preview of things to come via blog...swim lessons for both kids, L's 'getting ready for grade K', grandparents Key visit, vaca to St. Louis (in large part to meet our friends, the Gartlands), t-ball, mom's new job(s)**, a visit from Aunt Leslie, Uncle Logan and "cousin" Winston the dog, and I'm sure I'm leaving something out! :) We've had busy days recently helping our good friends, the Ballards, move to their new home, L got sick (from a vaccine, then just a virus, which we shared), Z currently has a cold, and just the usual crazy days. :) I am promising an up-date complete w pix soon! Sorry grandparents, it's coming! xoxo

shopping for school supplies! he's sooooo ready!

**I feel pretty prepared for my part-time at the Y. I'll have one day a week of Zumba and two Kid's Yoga, but I met w a prof in Kin at WIU yesterday about teaching a class ("contemporary activities") of Yoga & Pilates to students who will be phyis ed instructors for grades K-12. I think it'll be really fun and I'm looking forward to it...just not all the prep! :)

new dances I've taught in the past 2 weeks...

2010-07-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

Ya Llego...very Latin, very fun.
Just Dance...I did change a few things at the end.
Let Me Think About It...easy, sexy, fun. :0)
Shake Your Bon, Bon...I changed one Samba move to a "Zumba shuffle."

good stuff from EWG

2010-07-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.ewg.org/healthyhometips/cancer_prevention_tips?utm_source=tox&utm_medium=email&utm_content=second-link&utm_campaign=hht

1 page of great tips for "cancer preventing"...from sunscreen to BPA-less containers (which #s to look for) to which foods to buy organic, etc.

Parents, please glance for a moment....

2010-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

at the toys on this list. Several of them are pretty common items. Lots are cute & look totally safe...'til you read about all the lead or how one piece pops off to create some kind of knife-looking thing. (That happened to one of the awesome, hand-painted wooden toys that I almost got Z when she was tiny. Thank goodness I looked here first.)
Oh, and if you got any of the Shrek glasses at Mc D's, be sure to take those back to the store right away (because of the dangerous chemical akin to lead peeling off of them as well as your $3 refund.:) Here's an article explaining what to do.

While I'm on the kid-topic, I think I'll post a few pix of what my "final decision" day (which was a while ago, I know) looked like. The day after Barclay & I talked about our decision not to adopt, I cleaned out all the kids stuff that I was saving & sifted through it, keeping only monogrammed items or things that were handmade for them (as well as a couple of things that just remind me of a special time of their babyhood...and of course their "gator" outfits!). It was a long, emotion-filled day!the mess...whew. it took a while to drag it all out of storage...then sort & re-box. yet, it was very worthwhile.

I called a few of our friends (all of whom are as penny-pinching as we are) and found out the size their little people were currently in, then I sorted for season/size/family and made special boxes or bags with the baby's names on them. That was really special, too. We have always been so blessed by so many friends and family providing us with hand-me-downs and other little things that we've not had to buy much "needed" items for the kids. We are SO thankful!re-boxed, labeled and ready to be delivered!

I wanted to do the same for others. I hope to continue to do the same as the kids grow. I also like to include the kids in some of the decision-making with the items they've outgrown because I think it's neat that Langston knows little baby Benjamin is wearing the tiny little green shorts that he once wore all the time (he looked so cute in them, J.!) or that Zora sees little 'Fia looking happy in her pink rain jacket (which she did). I think it helps them see the cycle of giving and sharing and "needs"...vs. our materialistic culture of "wants." I hope to be a better example all the time of that kind of teaching.

the "keep" box. this is just "from the top," so it's not all the kept items, but it contained a few hand-made sweaters, hats, monogrammed onesies (I still use their burpcloths for drying hands in their bathroom), Z's Polish baby boots, a few onesies they both wore their first few weeks, the first outfit I bought when I found out I was pregnant w a girl (yes, a pink dress & bloomers), a few UF outfits & a couple of other things. What would your "keep" box look like? What are some of your favorite baby things?

Zora...very much two (w belated pix)

2010-06-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Two! w Grandmom in the background

She currently is...
3ish feet tall (exactly 36" in April)
34ish lbs.
Things she says or does...
E-no (for Uno)
See my mouth? (I cannot say that word!)
Eh-mo (Elmo)
Nangston (Langston)
Yuve you so much! (I love you so much!)
tisses (she gives kisses on our faces, shoulders & arms :)
head, shoulders, knees and foot! (aka 'head, shoulders, knees and toes')
'Fia (our tiny neighbor baby, Sofia)
'Mir (L's bff, Amir)
Jo-nanna (one of my Macomb bffs, Joanna)
She loves to read, sing, dance (esp. w her arms bent, knuckles touching as she bounces..."her" dance), watch Elmo-Potty (Elmo Goes Potty), "Fief" (the Great Cookie Theif) & Dora (the Explorer), play w babies, pretend w Langston and "help" mommy cook, clean and check email. She likes to talk on the phone to her family (or "Jo-nanna"), play outside, ride the 'cicle (not cycle) w daddy (B's bike w a baby seat attached). She eats almost anything, has pretty great manners & is a sweet thing to be around.
She still nurses during the night (& about 4-5 times during the day) and spends part of the night in her toddler bed & part in mom & dad's bed. She naps for a couple of hours by herself daily. All 24 teeth are officially in (hooray). The only time she poops her diaper is when she's sickly (pee is another story).
and finally...only two months late...
some pix from Zora's mid-April B'day bash.
It was a family affair, w B's parents and my mom and youngest brother coming in from Alabama. The Grahams and Oden-Shabazz family were also there...as extended "family." ;)kissing the baby...
the one "big" gift...
the family pic never turned out well.
my little monkey w her monkey cake.my mom putting Z's bib on & my littlest bro.

recent stories: see my mouth?, yoga feet and peace

2010-06-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

Zora-n-snail

Lately, when we ask Zora, "Can you say __ (whatever word or phrase we're trying to teach her)?" and she feels it's a toughie...too tough, she replies, "I can't say it." Then she proceeds to open her mouth and stick out her tongue and say, "See? See my mouth?" (As if to say, "dude, there is no possible way those sounds are coming out of here!") Ha! My girl!Zora w her mouth full of toy farmer....and face w "whiskas"...or at least that's what she said they were when I found her marked up. :)

In other news I've been teaching kids' yoga classes & they are going really well. My "parent-tot" class is ages 4 & 5, which = tons of energy. :) The older kids (ages 7-13) is an all-girl class. They are super attentive, cooperative and ready to practice. I love it! I was a tiny bit worried about the competition or having some "attitude" (you never know what you'll get w tweens & teens), but they are excellent. I'm thinking about asking to do this class in the fall bc it's so fun. (And it's FULL!)
Yoga story...
At one point we were spreading our fingers out & a mom (in the mom-n-me class) looked at my feet and asked, "Are we supposed to spread our toes, too?" I LAUGHED and said, "No, girl! Those are just my big spatula feet! They are awesome for balance though!"
(I am 5'4", 125-130 lbs. and have a size 9 shoe. No joke. I can stand on one of those dudes all day. :)

My friend, Jess kept the kids one morning while I taught class.(Thanks SO much!!) As we left, Langston thanked them, then said, "C-ya...and [flashed a peace sign]." Crazy guy. I dig his hippie ways.one of our many giant worms here in IL

Langston, at "crazy hat day" on his last day of preschool. (boo-hoo

Strawberry Strut 2010: L's first run

2010-06-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

above: father-son moment as Barclay pins on L's number. :)

I've been posting a little on my fb profile, but I am having trouble w the new computer & loading all 600ish pix I have on my camera. :) Here goes...

Last Saturday was Langston's first one mile race! This is a third generation tradition as of now...the whole running thing. :) I can't say that I'm that good at it, but every once in a while I *try* to run w my husband. Recently we've done a few "family" runs where we borrow our neighbor's jogger & each of us pushes a kid. L. will hop out & do a mile or so (he runs 1/4 or 1/2 here & there). But I'm only good for a couple of miles, so B. can't use me for his marathon training too much. ;)
Anyway, this race was L's 1st attempt at a full running (paced by dad) mile. He did great! He ran it in about 11ish min. and placed 2nd in the 5-yr. old division (okay, so there were only 3 runners). We were really proud of him! He really jogged or ran the whole way (aside from a shoe-tying incident & desire to stop after that).
Zora "ran" around...even in the downpour between races (L's 1 mile & B's 5 mile). And our sweet neighbors, Brian & Shasta were there (Brian ran, Shasta & I stayed w the babies).
Barclay did well in his race, too. He finished 1st in his age group.
We have another "race day" in a couple of weeks & the boys are already excited.

pre-race happy guy! he had "butterflies" the night before.

look at my little guy in the mix at the start!

I caught a great one of the boys running by! that's my neighbor, brian, helping w zora.
finish line!

just after...
zora getting soaked!
langston getting his ribbon.
the proud face.
mama & her babies
my little loves...

newbies

2010-06-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday we got a new *electric* stove, new dishwasher & new computer...because the old ones all decided to die within a week of each other. *sigh*
I'll return to the land of the living bloggers soon. :)

Swagger Wagon

2010-05-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Mel, this awesome song is dedicated to you...bc y'all need a "swagger wagon"...I've seen what your back seat looks like w those three kiddie seats wedged in there. :)
It's also a shout out to all my hommies w their own "swagger wagons." SO worth the 2+ min. to watch & LOL at...make sure to check it out w your hubby...mine loved it. :)

Cuts, budget, and a raise? (oh my.)

2010-05-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

As a few of you know, we've just missed our profs being laid-off where B. works. Instead they aren't getting the raises they were supposed to get under their old contract. In w the new (to save jobs, cut costs...), out w the old (raises yearly). We did pretty well, considering IL's university are just plain running out (or have run out) of money. Lots of other states are feeling pinched, too. So we're all in this mess together; budgeting, readjusting our plans for the future...and then...

This story (about tuition going higher, while a someone makes the "big bucks") makes me want to yell at someone...lots of someones.
Could those "someones" put themselves in the the rest of our shoes? And who in the WORLD needs over $600, 000 to survive?
**sidenote--This is the reason I can't...1.watch pro sports w out thinking about how much these folks are being paid...and how it makes me sick. 2.truly dig any "celebrity" (unless...*maybe* unless...I also see them GIVE, GIVE, GIVE) 3. trust those folks who are "rolling in it" and make decisions for those of us who are making ends meet.**

and I step down from the soapbox. before it breaks. 'cause we can't afford to get a new one...maybe I'll phone that dude w the $620,000 coming...maybe he's got an extra.

Ah and ha! zumba update

2010-05-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

I found some really fun dances for my Zumba classes! I hope those gals are ready to shake it. :) Here are a few that I'm planning to do. I already know I'll change a few things, but they seem really fun "as is." Enjoy!
Boom, Boom Pow! dance
Billie Jean dance
the "maybes"...
Just Dance dance
Say Hey (I Love You) dance
I found 13 new ones (and have about that many oldies).
If you are in Macomb & haven't signed up, there is still time. Classes begin at the Y on June 7th...please join us!:)

Zumba-ish

2010-05-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

If any of you have any Zumba dances that you love & they are posted online, please let me know. I'll be teaching again this summer & I'm searching for fun stuff that we'll all enjoy for the next 16 classes. :) Thanks so much!

facebook's evil twin

2010-05-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

I was catching up on some of my blogging buddies' posts and came across Lamebook, which is totally "LOL," but also seriously SAD. Check it out. You'll see what I mean. I feel like Langston could be a grammar coach for some of these folks. Whew.

Mommies, mommies, mommies!

2010-05-09T06:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day, all you moms! When we were in Poland, I think I missed YOU the most. My mom friends. I barely survived w out you. :) When life changes from "all about me" to "all about this tiny person in my arms," I think we all search out people who have the same view on life. It hasn't mattered which state (or country) we've moved to, I've been blessed to find other moms (from all over the world) who mom like me (or give me something to strive for). I've found moms to confess to, laugh with, depend on, help out, and share in this life of rearing and loving our babies together. I'm so thankful for this "village" of amazing people (esp. the moms) who are rearing our kids together. I love you, ladies! I hope you have an amazing day & feel so loved!

A post-library playgroup lunch date.

More lunch in the park.
And below are some "what we've been up to" pix...

I tried to do an "ice cream after lunch" run, but...
she didn't make it through this cone...too close to nap-time. :)
Yea, this was a mess!
An attempt at a shot of all three of us...
While Tim is in Turkey (hi, Tim!) and Emily works for a couple of hours, L. and Z. got to play w some of their fav pals, Sumner & Zoe!
Langston had to be in the girls' pic...
Zoe and Zora in their tutu-suits. :)
Two super spidees.
Our "around town" outfits. :) We went everywhere w them dressed like this a couple of days ago.
My wonderful mother's day gift this year...my Japanese Maple! I remember babysitting some absolutely sweet girls (Hi, F.J. and Em!) and spending lots of time in their backyard w this amazing Japanese Maple. Since then I've thought I would like to have some red-hued beauty in my yard someday.
A shot of all my cuties in Po-land.
I had a horrible cut on my foot...Zora needed to match. :)

March Madness

2010-05-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

Since we got back home at the very end of February and then spent weeks unpacking and reorganizing life, I got a little (okay, a LOT) behind on sharing via blog. (You are so right, Kellie, it's time to rejoin blogland. :)
So here's our month in a few pix and stories...
Donna and DeWayne helped us w suitcases & kids from Chicago to Macomb & then stayed a day or two following. They were super helpful. Below are some pix of us enjoying b'fast at our favorite b'fast place in Macomb, The Old Dairy. Micheal Stipe (of REM) joined us. What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

Side story...One afternoon I took Joanna to lunch at the Dairy. As Z and I were getting seated she asked, "Where Grandad?, " as if to say..."Okay, we're out to eat (which we don't do often) and we're at the Old Dairy (which we do w the grandparents)...so if A, then B. Where's that guy?" :) My kid and her logic.

We made it back in time for Amir's 6th b'day party (which was held a little later than his actual b'day). L. was thrilled, but somehow I didn't manage to get a pic of the b'day boy w L.

We have been really enjoying the real spring weather. This has been our first non-frosty Easter since moving to the mid-west. It's been lovely. Here are the kiddos making bird-feeders...which turned out to be squirrel feeders. :)
Here we are at a neat park about half an hour away from Macomb. We packed a lunch & headed out to a baseball game, where we found out there was a delay since the spring-time field was soggy. Since we've got one napper, we couldn't wait around for the 1pm game time, so we did a park-picnic instead.
Langston helped me make a really yummy roasted veggie pie. It turned out great. His expression is even greater...
Zora making a face beside a pic of her namesake. We were at the university for a pre-school program for L.
L. acting crazy at his program.
Here are the kiddies at our YMCA's Kiddie Karnival (have I ever mentioned that I detest when words are spelled incorrectly for "cuteness"...like in "Karnival"?
Anyway, they had a blast. They planted grass in Wild Thing cups (last year it was beans...which totally took off in our flowerbed later:), played in various booths and Zora walked across the entire gym (where it was held) multiple times w/out me...to exchange her tootsie roll pop for different flavors (hey, can't a lady change her mind a few times?).

Zora's first dental exam! She did grrreat! I really like our dentist and all his staff. I've always been impressed. This time was no exception.
Z was so excited. :)
I'm not sure what's w the crazy grin, but I wanted a pic of us in our jackets & jeans. And that face is one of the many "silly Zora" faces she makes. She's just like L...a little clown.
Jean-clad...only, yes, I'm wearing my awesome slippers.;) And check out our sweet "Welcome Home!" sign (in orange & blue, no less) than my girlfriends made for us. Aw.

This one is PRICELESS! Spiderman is showing off his cool, buff muscles (yes, I let him wear that costume to his hair cut...hey, his stylist needed a laugh!). And beside Spidee is...clown, tutu, French scarf, fairy holding...muscle lady? Z wears the most awesome combos of dress-up clothes. :)

Finally, we are signed up for our first year of tee ball! L. is really excited. B. is a little let down by L's lack of catching skills, but I keep reminding him to be patient...it's his first year. And his batting is pretty good. Games begin in June and B is an assistant coach. :)

Also beginning in June, I get to teach two "kid's Yoga" classes...one ages 3-7 w parents and another ages 8-12 w/out parents. Also, I'll be teaching Latin Dance again. Our harvest season w Barefoot Gardens (our local, organic co-op) begins May 10th and the last piece of news...I have a meeting w my advisor next week to begin going back to school in the fall!
I'll start w undergrad sciences & then by the time Z is in grade K, I'll be ready to apply for the school of nursing & get my RN. I hope to do my Master's in Midwifery after that. It took us a while to decide on when to do all this bc we both still have a desire to adopt, but I wasn't sure I could take on so much. I finally made the decision a few weeks ago to go back to school and lay the adoption dream to rest. We both feel like we want foster parent when the kids are older and I have a job. I admit a little (sometimes a lot) of guilt about the decision. One of the many things that we've always agreed on as a couple (and as Christians) is that there are far too many babies and children (and teens, for that matter) out there who need a home and a chance to be loved by parents. And even as I type this about "decisions," I know that we never know where God, the future and/or life may lead us. So there it is, y'all. Our life of recent. :)

belated Easter post

2010-04-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

We began our Easter festivities about a week early at a retirement home in Macomb. Joanna told me about a hunt there, so I dressed the kids up & we went. The kids had fun and I made them talk to and thank many of the residents there, so I hope they had fun, too. :)

Above is Langston's "God picture," as he called it. It's a hill w 3 crosses, one big & two very small & faint. I think this art was a result of a lot of Easter talk...We dyed eggs this year..."like a family." Which meant that Zora "helped" and broke a few shells causing her brother to have a meltdown a few times. ;) She also ate (!) the one he made at school. Overall, I think we had fun w our eggs. It was just really messy.We were invited to worship w the Grahams & Dunlaps, and since we are currently looking for a home church (I feel like we've done this for a million years at this point), we joined them.
The Dunlaps (Hunt, Jill, Laura & Sarah pictured above) also invited us to join their group for lunch & an egg hunt. I brought an award winning broccoli casserole (at least according to my cookbook & mother-in-law :) and we had sweet potato casserole, ham, mashed potatoes and more that I can't remember by now. :) It was all very yummy. We had a great time at the service. There was even a play for the kids (by the kids) before the egg hunt at church. L really enjoyed that. He asked some detailed questions later (he never fails in the details of theology). Zora, Zach & Joanna are among some of the egg hunters in this pic...This was the best we could do for a family photo. :) Yes, those are Gator Easter baskets!A *rare* display of PDA from Ralph & Joanna! :)Sweet kiddies. Langston was so excited...which meant Zora was, too! the Graham boys w the Key kids. Look how tall Andrew is! I couldn't believe how much those boys had grown when we got back from Poland. :)

All the kids after Easter lunch. Jill-n-girls made such a cute bunny cake!

The daddies hid the eggs (including sprinkling some way down low on one side of the house for Zora), and all the kids had a certain number of eggs they could hunt (so the bigger ones didn't take them all). I think they all had a blast...maybe even the daddies. :)

Checking out the "loot." We spent the afternoon w everyone. Zora took a late nap, which I try not to do too often at all, but it was worth it. :) Thanks so much, Jill & Hunt, for hosting!

just the guys

2010-04-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

There are only 5-ish boys (of 21-ish kids) at L's pre-school right now. He usually chooses a girl to play w anyway (or maybe my mommy b.f.s usually have daughters...:), but since we've been back from Poland he has been playing w boys...esp. Massimo.
We just went to M's 5th b'day party on Sunday. L had a great time & begged to have M over soon. Happy Birthday, Massimo!

baby go "whaa, whaa..."

2010-04-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

I have to blog this so that I won't forget it...
For as long as L. has been verbal, he has made up stories. He's had "Rocky," his imaginary brother & other imaginary friends and siblings for years now.
Zora has just started getting in on the act.
We were doing our usual family dinner and we were all sharing about our day (or at least L was trying to tell B about our day :) Barclay is so good about waiting his turn, but sometimes he has to remind L. that "mommy and daddy want to talk to each other, too.") and Zora has been so good about saying, "Hi daddy! You have good day?"...or just sharing a little bit. Well, this evening she began to tell us a story. It went something like this:
"Baby go 'whaa, whaa'! Dinaso' eat it up. All gone."
We asked, "The baby cried...and the dinosaur ate it up?"
She responded, "Yea...but baby okay. Mommy hold it."
One of us said, "Oh...okay. Thank you for telling us about it."
So, she has repeated this same made-up story w different variations all week. It's so funny! I have no idea how these ideas got into her head or how the baby is "okay" after being eaten by the "dinaso'," but I love that she is already pretending and making up stories. It's her Southern story telling gene coming out. She's really a Southerner after all...:)

Happy Birthday, dear Zora!

2010-04-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

My sweet, little gal turned two-years-old today! Two years ago (and thirty minutes...as I type this) I pushed that puffy-cheeked baby out with a wonderful doula (Thank you, Tammy) and supportive team otherwise (Thanks to Sherrie, my midwife, Barclay, who didn't throw up, but did get told to "sit down before you pass out" and my mom, who cried but filmed the birth anyway.) :)
I am thankful that I got to join the throngs of women who birthed babies exactly how I wanted. (Which for me was no drugs, i.v. or intervention of any kind.)
I'm thankful for my experience and for my two little people, who give me daily experiences to be happy about (or wish upon my enemies...code browns, vomit in the face...okay, I'm not really wishing it on anyone...maybe just wishing it away from me!)
I've had a fun day w those two so far & hopefully it'll continue into the evening. Five loads of laundry down as Zora sleeps...and mopping awaits.

Sweet Phil

2010-04-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

For anyone who follows golf a little bit or just likes a sweet story...click on this link for a Phil story.
Thanks to my honey for sending it. We've liked Phil for years. We both cried like (silly) babies the first time he won a Master's (and we were late for life group...do you remember than, hon?) And we're having all kinds of emotions over the whole Tiger situation. My boy still needs lots of help. And I hope he gets it.
To the husband who apparently has been a great one (and son and dad), congrats, Phil.

carpal tunnel from breastfeeding?

2010-04-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, you did read the title correctly. My dr. in Springfield suggested that my carpal tunnel might be related to my pregnancy-breastfeeding for the past six-ish years (I've been either pregnant or bf since March 2oo4). I also have a ganglion cyst on my wrist, which makes some yoga, pilates & working out things uncomfortable, but also might or might not be pressing on that painful carpal tunnel.
So, I have some thoughts on the way dr. and I discussed this issue yesterday...
Him: "Well, you know that he (bf baby) is almost two. It might be time to wean."
Me: "Well, SHE is almost two. And HE was a little over two and a half when we weaned, so the time will come, probably sooner rather than later."
Him: "Don't tell me you're one of those folks who is going to bf 'til the kid is 5-6 years old." [insert high eyebrows & generally "the look"]
Me: "Well, I don't plan to. I am hoping to go back to school soon, so I was thinking we'd wean this fall or winter. But, I enjoy extended bf and I know it's the best thing for us. In fact, I think that eventually the recommendation will be to bf as long as possible into toddler-hood, maybe two or three instead of just one. It seems like the more we know about it, the better we know it is."
Him: "Oh, well, I agree. I applaud you for doing it for so long. We...er, my wife...I have man-boobs now, but they didn't help us then!...struggled to make it to a year. My sister struggled to six months. Yes, it is best."
We continued to talk about bracing my arms/wrists, esp. at night & which meds I could take for pain (he recommended Aleeve, which I know isn't the safest for bf, but I told him what the half-life of the drug was & when I could take it so that it did the least harm to Zora, but we both agreed that Tylenol was a safer...although less effective...choice).
Now, I am posting about this bc although I really liked my dr. (who actually doesn't want to cut on me & was all for natural healing), I thought it was strange that he pointed to bf as a possible sign of the ct. Does anyone know of a study that shows these results? He couldn't site any. I asked.
Also, and most irking to me...the response to my extended bf. First, it seemed he wanted to joke about it while pushing me to wean, which is the first stance that MOST medical professionals that I have run across take. "Ha, ha. You crunchy, hippie. Still nursing your kid. She's (He's) two or three! We Americans don't do that. I bet you do cloth diapers & practice Yoga, too." [You're friggin' right I do!] Then, I remind him or her that "breast is best...no timeline as to when to stop," they say, "Oh, yea, well, it is healthy. Great job."
If I weren't as stubborn and didn't believe in my choices as much as I do, I think it might shake me up or make me want to put Z (or L) on the road to wean as we drove home from the dr.'s office. But I know what I am doing what's right for us. And shame on dr.s for not patting a mom on the back who chooses to bf for longer than a year! BF can be tough stuff for us in the beginning (and all the way through for some), but it turns into such a blessing to be able to nurse that small one through sickness, huge life changes and into toddler-hood. I hope more moms feel strongly about their instincts. I never thought "I plan to nurse Langston 'til he's two and eight months." I just knew that I wanted to nurse him & gave it all I had. Then we both enjoyed that special time and bond and all the great things that go along with it...for as long as it felt right for me to do it. And we ended when we wanted to. Not when some dr or family member or friend tried to shame me into stopping (and I had all three at some point). But having been there & done that, I say...shame on you--whoever you are--for not supporting more breastfeeding moms. And rock on, nursing moms, go w what your mom-instincts are telling you.

Back home in Macomb

2010-03-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

We're back home, y'all! And I have a million things to post, but since my camera & computer are currently at odds, and I hate to just post words & not the pix about all our recent adventures (the grandparents hear the stories, now they must see the proof :), I have yet to post. So here's the "coming soon"...Zora's 1st dental exam (went well), beginning to potty train (going okay, poos in the potty well), lots of dress-up, play time & play-dates.
We are so happy to be home! L is back in pre-school two days a week, which gives him some much needed kid-interaction & Zora some one-on-one w mom time. Good stuff.
I will confess that it took me about a week or two to get really unpacked & re-organized. And I was doing grrrreat on early bedtimes 'til the dread time change. Now I'm having difficulty getting back in the groove of the bedtime "crunch." I'll keep trying, though. I've got a kindergarten guy on my hands now! Life will change in the fall! Oh, and L. is signed up for his first year of T-ball, so he & B have been ballin' for March Madness w his tiny goal inside & ballin' w his tiny tee outside. Of course Lady Z tries to copy big bro in all ways, so she is dying to catch a pop fly or strip the net. :)
I'm posting pix of "the day before we left Kiecle," so they include one of the pix Leanne took of our fam (nice purple facial hairs, L!) and the kids showing off art that we took pix of instead of mailing it all back for scrapbooking purposes.

more to come, but until then...

2010-02-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

check out Barclay's blog. He has posted about 2 more adventures. Enjoy.

plants, please.

2010-02-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hello, Macomb homies. Do any of you have any house plants that have outgrown their containers & need to be separated into two smaller plants? If so, I'll take a halved plant! We are coming back to a plant-less house...in less than two weeks! :) Please contact me if you can help. Thanks so much!

Christmas vacation & New Year's Eve in Budapest part 3

2010-02-12T05:33:00.001-08:00

The Christmas tales continue! Here is L. in front of one of the many nativity scenes we've seen. Both Budapest & Krakow had their "Christmas" markets in the square & we got to see/shop a little in both as we traveled during the Christmas season. There were usually booths set up w everything from wooden toys to hot wine to clothing to seasonal cakes to horse shoes that a person would hammer your name into for a small fee. :)
We were reunited w our friends from the states (& fellow F.Bright family), the Gartlands (Myles and Lisa), for a few days. It was so nice! They have four kiddos & the youngest, Trey, & L. get along really well. The older ones are wild about Zora. (She's wild about the girls, but doesn't care for teen-aged Ben. We don't know why; he's super sweet.) Here's our first attempt at a group shot via a self-timer & running-to-place Sonya.

I've got to begin posting about our "out to eat" adventures. Those of you who have done the "out to eat" thing w herds of children know that esp. when we were grouped w the Gartlands & all together had 6 kids, it was something to behold. :) Here's our little fam (day before G's arrived) trying out "Biogardens" in Budapest, which didn't hold a candle to my beloved MoMo Bar in Krakow (both veggie-type places).

The next pix are from a delish restaurant that took WAAAY too long to bring out our food. I think our total time in there was a little over 2 hours (not good for those "just after lunch" nappers of mine). But everybody held up okay. The waiter brought out loads of stuff for the small fries...
and they did their thing...

and so did we. :) Notice the "girl section" of Lisa & me with Abby & Natalie. We actually began making lists of "books you need to read" for each other on scraps of paper. :) It was SO wonderful to talk to another mom!

Yet another meal time for the group. Yet another attempt at a group shot. I actually thought this one would be "just for fun." We were also waiting for Leanne to join us.
Beautiful shot of Gellert Hill. Barclay took Langston here one afternoon (& let him "skip" rest) while I got Z down. They had a blast.
the view from the hill...
the boys posing...and Langston flashing some "peace" signs. He just said to me, "I did that "peace" on purpose.

During their adventures that afternoon, they discovered these monster slides. A few days later, Lisa & I took the kids there as Barclay, Myles & Ben did "manly" things...like explore more museums. :) We all had fun & got dirty. (And poor Abby tore her skirt, but don't worry, she bagged a new one. :)

Another fun thing about being around friends w kids was...the "kid trade." We each got a date night. Here's Zora w Natalie on our "date night." We went to Saint Stephen's Basilica to hear an absolutely beautiful concert. Then we grabbed some hot drinks & went home. Myles & Lisa did a dinner cruise & talked about how nice it was. Ah, date night. :) (As I was reading this to L. he asked me to add that the kids watched Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & Zora feel asleep on Lisa.)

Saint Stephen's Basilica...above an up-close & below...from the street.
Pictured above: the kids & mommy at Heroes Square...and below our fam (looking tiny) at "half" the square...
Two pix above is one of L's fav heroes bc he "looked cool & had a snake." Next, a shot of the whole "Heroes Square."

New Year's Eve was a little too wild & crazy down our street. The owner of our "apartments apart" told me that it would get pretty loud & maybe not be the best place for kids late on NYE. By about 9 pm, I believed him. It was packed w people partying (all versions), from blowing noise makers to wearing costumes to setting off fireworks at each other (I am so not kidding!). It was wild. We walked down the street pretty far before deciding to head back to the apartment. Around 10 pm. At least the kids & I headed back. Leanne came w us bc she had just gotten back from the U.S. & her biological clock was still coo-coo.
Neat-o. Some people were making pretzels. We stopped to watch.

Some of those Giant Pretzels. Langston pretended to be afraid bc they were bigger than his big head. Ha!
Group shot of the kiddies...ours & theirs. :) Ah, and here I must add that Myles almost took this group shot in front of a nudie bar complete w a gal shaking her groove thang w a shade pulled down (more exciting through the "shadow effect"). Anyway, his sweet wife alerted him to his "mistake." Oh, Myles...

On our way home via subway. Party-ed out. And a little frightened. ;)
Okay, almost done! Only one more "Christmas-Budapest" post to go!

Christmas in Budapest part 2

2010-02-08T04:50:00.001-08:00

A little Buda and A little Pest...

As Leanne made great "pun" of in her FB pix, Budapest is actually composed of "A Little Buda & A Little Pest..." as in there were once two separate cities and now there is one. Pretty neat. This isn't a new thing, btw, it happened LONG ago. We stayed in "old Pest" and visited "old Buda." To do so, one must cross one of the bridges separating the two. Here we are crossing a neat one.

We are crossing the Danube...
We decided to explore the Budapest history museum. I think I was "museumed out" by this point (or maybe just "trying to control the kids around all the old stuff-ed out") and didn't enjoy this one much. Langston & Barclay liked it, though.
My sweeties pose beside some stained glass. Doesn't Barclay look adorable with a money belt & a kid on each arm? Aw. The things one does for love. :)And now, the Labrinith, which scared poor Langston to death. It was a dark, twisty, cave thingy, but I think that the tribal, heartbeat music & the strange smell got to him most. This is the way he looked most of the walk through. I carried him a lot. He cried a little. He & I ended up sort-up racing through, only pausing in the well-lit areas (but some of them were creepy)...

like this one. It had little heads with wine spitting out of their mouths. L. wasn't too happy w it. So, we rushed through (singing songs from "The Sound of Music," no less...hey, whatever keeps him from feeling terrified).I tried to get a few pix before L. got too scared. This one was of a painting done on the stone wall. There were a lot of them. I tried "no flash" first, but it turned out too blurry.So I took the rest w the flash on. Better. There were all kinds of things down in that drippy-ness! Sculptures, half buried (I don't remember the "why," B. probably does), strange tunnels (some one could go in, some not), chains to pass through...all kinds of slightly spooky stuff. B. enjoyed it. I think I could've if not for being w a super frightened kid. Poor L. So, the next day (happy anniversary, to my parents! this is what we did on your 3oth!), we headed out to see some art. The Italian exhibit was great. We were engulfed in Madonna & child paintings. I think we all enjoyed them. Even tiny Zora liked seeing "baby De-sus," esp. the few that showed a chubby J.C. nursing. :) L. got a neat book that told a story & had him "fill in" some famous paintings that went along w this "story." (it had tiny reprints of said paintings in the back flap complete w their current location & a smidge of info about the artist). He also scored a feather pen. Yes, a feather pen. Zora got one, too, but she immediately teethed on hers & broke it. Then we ate lunch at Robinson's, which was grand. Yummy pumpkin soup (a must-eat when in Budapest, fyi). There were lots of ducks, geese & birds right outside on the pond/lake beside us. The kids had fun watching the birds.We decided to make a LONG day of it (which we rarely do...I'm a stickler for getting Z's one nap in; and letting L. have some downtime) & went to the Circus! We actually stood in line for a while, then had to buy tickets for a while later, so we walked to the nearest "bath" (like a pool-hot tub kind of place). It looked a little too much like a place for "singles," not families to me, so we decided to do the other "bath" later. (Which we did & I didn't think was all that great. A big cool temp pool on one side & smaller warm one on the other. The building was lovely & if I had wanted fake nails or to be waxed somewhere in there I could've gotten hooked up, but that's not what we came for...I digress...)
So, back to the circus! The pic (see: 2 above) was the best pic of our fam there. Z. didn't like it at first (she waved her hand saying, "Don't whan et!" But the cotton candy we purchased soothed her. :) Also, by this point it was nap time, no doubt about it, but she stayed awake for MUCH longer than I expected. She finally passed out nursing near the end of the show. (Isn't that how it goes, parents?)I had not been to a circus in years...one of the only things I remember about it was getting some kind of toy & playing w Dave. So, we all enjoyed the hoop-la. The clown was funny & got the audience "into" the action. B's fav was a gal who positioned herself a top a swing & then balanced on her head while twirling around. Crazy. I like the gymnast girls who contorted themselves on each other (see above...B's girl was swinging too fast for a good pic). Zora liked the animals & Langston loved the silly clown's acts. We all enjoyed ourselves.
Speaking of enjoying oneself, please stay tuned for post 3 of our Christmas adventures. I'm sorry it's taking so long, but there is a lot to tell (our pals, the Gartlands visit, New Year's Eve, Heroes Square...) & darn Blogger--loading one pic at a time is so slow!

self

2010-02-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight, as I was feeding a very happy Zora some chocolate cake, I say, "Girl, I love you so much!" She immediately replies, "I dove me, too!" Ha! Well, she should. :)
more Zora-isms...she loves when we play "family Uno." She chants, "E-no, E-no!" while waving her little fist. :)
Since my last post about her, she's trying hard to say "Langston" and "Leanne"...she's gotten up to "Nangston" and "Neanne." Pretty good...those are toughies.
She also calls babyFred "Fed" and her friend, Frank "Fink" (which is pretty funny).
She is in the "language explosion" time of life. She's got a new word or way of saying something almost everyday. And if you watched her attempt at "fork," you know what fun lies ahead. :)

Christmas in Budapest part 1

2010-01-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

Here begins our Christmas adventure. I don't know how long it will take me to tell all the stories, so be sure to check Barclay's blog for his version & more pix. I'll try to post different pix than he does, but it takes a while to upload, so...here goes! Enjoy! ;)
Here is our tired fam between flights in Prague. We came. We saw the airport. We got a coffee mug w their national flag on it. :) This was the beginning of our 1st Christmas with "just our little family," which was really nice. (Yes, parents & brothers & sister-in-law, we missed you!) ...and that would be a worn out Langston napping on Barclay's chest. Zora had just woken up from a lengthy nursing/napping session.
The Great Market. Really neat. And a good pic. (My husband takes good pix.) There were all kinds of vendors in this *pretty much* indoor building. One could purchase local baked goods, fruits, veggies, dairy products, meats, etc. all on the bottom floor, or go up to the second floor for scarves, shirts, bags, toys, post cards...all kinds of stuff. Fun, touristy times.

Poor porky. Zora kept saying, "Pheg!" as if the little porker could hear her. DeWayne, I thought of you when I saw this. Outhouses, hog killin', chicken hockey, "bought" milk,...I hope you tell the kids about these experiences someday. :)
Lots & lots of piggie parts. This reminded me of that Beatles song..."have you seen the little piggies in their starched white shirts?...for all the little piggies, life is getting worse..."
Daddy, Zora & the Hungarian Christmas geese. Birds were everywhere. It gave new meaning to the phrase "have all your ducks in a row." While B. bought the kids a couple of Christmas gifts, I entertained them by getting their pic drawn by one of those cartoonists at the mall. It was a pretty cheap thrill.

Here we are at the "Tropicarium in Budapest," just as the pic says. :) The main reason we came here (on Christmas Eve, no less) was bc they offered a "shark feeding" session...(see: diver w the metal glove & shark swimming away from him below) which both my boys were pretty thrilled about. Also, as B. mentioned on his blog, according to the website, we could've "fondled Ray." Some folk did. (Poor Ray. How dare they do that to him. Ha! Translations kill me sometimes.)

This is what I end up doing pretty much where ever we go right now. I think Zora has moved back several months in the "I need to nurse" category. She was actually down to only 4 feedings before we moved here. Now I don't even count 'em. We'll have to readjust when we get home...and when those 2-yr. molars finish cutting. :)
My boys have a serious reptile fascination. Barclay used to really want a snake. Then we had kids & the whole idea of a "pet" kind-of takes a back seat. Maybe someday we'll get a pet. Although living in a city w dog poop everywhere & where people allow their dogs to fun around leash-less as they follow several yards behind them has somewhat turned me against the whole dog thing...
Langston is surprised to see a fellow gator...from same swampy area where he was born! Two of a kind!
What a good big brother. He even rides w her to the ball.
Silly Langston. It was Christmas Eve, so he was helping St. Nick check it twice. :)
The loot! Christmas morn & our tiny tree! Notice that the stockings are the kids socks! ;) Filled w candy & a tiny toy a piece.A family pic (via the self timer) w us and/in our Christmas stuff. I'm in my new p.j.s & everyone else is sporting a new Budapest tee.We tried about 5 times to get a good pic of both kids & their booty. Here's the best attempt. :) As usual, they got mostly books, workbooks, coloring books, sticker books, etc. But Z also got a tiny Hungarian purse, a Pooh, & two babies. L. got a car, an airplane, a pretend watch (he can get a real one if takes care of this one), & some craft supplies. OH! And I think that B. mentioned that we got so much stuff on the airplane (to entertain the kids: a comic, a pack of colored pencils, an airplane, a puzzle, a pack of cards...per kid) that we used some of that stuff as stocking stuffers, too. They have shared all their gifts pretty well. It was a fun Christmas & MUCH less stress than our ordinary ones.Langston taking a lick off of his giant 'pop, which he did not finish...even over the course of the two weeks!

I actually really enjoyed cooking our special lunch. We had ham w pineapple, steamed broccoli w cheese, butternut squash (prepared like a sweet potato...they don't seem to have those here), a few other sauteed veggies & bakery bread. It was yummy & somewhat like a what we eat at Christmas...only more healthy & more veggies. :)
Well, that only takes us up to Christmas day! Lots more to go! I'll post part 2 asap.

almost home...

2010-01-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

It is official. We have around 30 days 'til we arrive back in Macomb! I am so excited! Our internet here is *once again* pretty much not working at all and I know how silly this sounds, but I depend on ".com," as Langston used to say.
When we're home, I can pick up the phone or jump in the car, but here I have to sign on to feel connected. (Punny, I know.) Not to mention all the "wedge-a-cational" things we usually google. When L. wants to know if a certain animal eats veggies or meat, how crayons are made (sesame st. has a really cute clip of this, btw), or whatever, we look it up...via the web.
I will be SO happy to: drive, use my dryer (& washer), get back into a work-out mode, cook in a REAL kitchen w my REAL pots & pans & stuff, visit w all my friends, scrapbook, go to the library, sleep in a real bed, put my kids down in their real beds, have more bks. to choose from (B. refuses to read any more "potty bk." or grumpy ladybug), host or go to playgroups, teach my classes at the Y, shop at our stores (I miss you, Hy-Vee, Vitamin Lady, Kid's Kastle...), eat dinner w friends, hang out in my big living room, take a bath in a REAL (albeit pink) tub, flip through my mail (since we only get some of the mail that is sent to us here...& some of that has been opened already!) & even clean my house! Ah! An ode to home! :)
And while I'm pining away about my love for all things dear to me in Macomb, I will say that I'm glad we spent all this time together as a family. I have really enjoyed having B. here w us more & the little travels we've done w the kids...mostly bc we've done so much as a "team." B. has really grown into his daddy-ness. Zora even calls herself "daddy's baby." :) We will look back on this experience & laugh (I might cry a little, too) someday. I'm glad we did all this together...and of course, I'll be happy to get back home together, too.

Jodi Pic-goal

2010-01-25T05:31:00.001-08:00

Do any of you bloggy buddies read Jodi Picoult? (My Sister's Keeper was based on her book; The Tenth Circle is another movie made after her book of the same name.) I have a "goal" to read all her stuff (& I know she has a new one coming out this year) & I think I'm only one away from doing so. If you read her, do you have a fav? One you didn't like? And who else do you read? I've got to start a new addiction. :) And I enjoy reading "all" of what people write...however disappointing some turn out to be. (Nic Sparks rocks in some; not so much in others.) I heart Frank McCourt's (3 book) series. Check it out for those of you who haven't. (The movie Angela's Ashes is based on one of the three books in that series.)
What are you reading?

Zora-isms (at 21 months)

2010-01-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of my Zora-bean-isms in honor of her "21 months" b'day.

"Wanna' Fight?"
"Go 'way!"...these two come from the Eric Carle book "The Very Grumpy Ladybug" (aka, "Bug"or "Numpy Bug [grumpy bug]to Zora)

the wannie (laundry)
don't like eht!
don't whan eht!
I nahce ew? (May I nurse you?)
take-a-baf? (take a bath)
hawd ew? (hold you?)
nummy (yummy)

Nan is Leanne
Nane is Langston
ahp et. (open it)
she loves chapstick or aquaphor for her "dips" (lips:)
and "notion" for skin (lotion)
nina or vee-nina (vagina), puh-nus (penis)
She knows LOTS of animals & some animal signs. Here are some Zora-isms for their names: ah-raffe (giraffe), punky (monkey), moush (mouse), ...the rest she says pretty clearly.

Her babies include: Fred (American, dark skinned baby), Matilda (Polish baby named after Wlod's daughter), Hannah(Hungarian baby named after the most popular baby names in Hungary 2009), Abbie(named after one of our friends' daughters), big Winnie-Pooh & "niney"(tiny) Pooh
she adds "a'" to the end of lots of words: butta' (butter), picka' (pickle), booga' (booger), finga' (finger), Micka' Moush (mickey mouse), diapa' (diaper), ...
Picey (spicey)
she says, "You!" for "I love you!"
and finally...she has the best manners of any baby around. She says, "Pwease" and "tant ew" for so many things, from getting her sippy handed to her to us holding the door for her. Very sweet.

a must see video....potty mouth?! Zora says "fork."

delurking day

2010-01-15T07:04:00.001-08:00

It seems that today, in blogland, is a day to "reveal oneself" (above is my "reveal oneself" face...this, of course is why my girlfriends did not hire a stripper for me at my panty party). Readers, just comment to say, "hello! I blogstalk you!" and that's it. :) Thanks for reading & keeping up with our fam.
Note to Bekki: seriously, I was probably watching more of that way over the top p.d.a.

Grandmom & Grandad's visit (& belated Thanksgiving post)

2010-01-10T05:57:00.001-08:00

Donna & DeWayne came to visit us around Thanksgiving & stayed for a week. (I'm SO sorry this post is late, y'all! Better late than never? :)
Anywho, we had a good time traveling around Krakow & Kielce with them.
So cool! Critical mass in Krakow one night! There were hundreds of riders & police blocking the traffic. If you aren't familiar w critical mass, you should check it out sometime. Among other things, it's a reminder for all of us to SEE those who bike. Barclay & Langston have ridden in Macomb.
Post-dinner, pre-shopping in Krakow
A fun Polish holiday: Saint Andrew's holiday cross-dress & palm read. Seriously. According to this website...

St. Andrzejki Day Rituals

This is a special time for young Polish girls who want to find a husband. On this night and the next day, fortunes are told and the results are not taken lightly.

I didn't notice any gals asking for palms to be read. And from what I understood our Polish pals to say this is more a fun, funny kids thing now-a-days. This was our waiter joining in the hoop-la. And me enjoying all the funny cross-dressers (I even caught one guy feeling his own balloon boob! Ha! He was standing right in front of me when he did it, so I laughed & said, "Niiiice!")
On the train ride to Krakow
Donna in her element. :)
The Key fam at our "hotel" aka dorm, where the grands bunked with us.
an ordinary morning...
an ordinary snarl...
Look how well that man taught his son! :)
Isn't this great!? They dig American jazz & blues here.
trumpeter in Krakow (look for him out one of the top windows) He plays to each cardinal direction at noon daily.
This was "the crew" who braved the concentration camps tour earlier that day. L to R: Barclay, DeWayne, Stephen (a Scottish dude who noticed by just looking that D. was not Polish & asked to share a cab! He eventually joined the other men on their tour that day & met us for dinner than evening), Robert (an American friend who is also teaching on a FB here in Poland). We were eating at this cute, very traditional Polish place with fur on sleighs & all other kinds of interesting deco.
L. about to "dig in"
We ordered a sampler called "the trough"...that dude was fa' real!
L. playing around in a piece of art. :)
a dedication to all who died in terrorist attacks. Very neat monument in Kielce.
L. & grands at our local pond.
our local Palace: see below as well.

toy museum!

Thanksgiving at Pizza Hut w the grands, Leanne & Wlod, our shepherd. Good food. Great company. And we all told about what we were thankful for post blessing & pre food. It was super nice.

Being silly with a statue in Krakow.
Grandmom was getting her workout in! :)
Don't let the pigeon(s)...attack the lady feeding them! (Little joke for those of you who dig Mo Willems with me.)
Well, that's not all, but those are some of the highlights. Don't worry, Donnie & DeWayne, I have a file of all the pix just waiting to be burned to CD for you. Just give me about 6.5 more weeks. :) Love y'all! Thanks for visiting!

Dear "Anonymous"

2010-01-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

before I vent, here's a pic of "All Saint's Day," which is a really neat celebration here that our shepherd introduced us to.

Alright, alright...I've been slightly disturbed by this comment on one of my posts by an individual apparently NOT familiar with anything that we have had to deal with in simply getting here, so here's the comment & here's my reply...
"Tell me why didn't you rent a fully furnished flat?

From this Domestic Property Market site, I see that prices aren't too big (350$-700$ per month for fully furnished apartment)

And why your husband did not check twice the conditions of your staying there? Especially when you were taking kids with you?"

Okay. First, my husband and I each spent many-an-hour sifting through the ads for flats in Kielce (& using google translate, which we are SO thankful for) to try & find a place to live. At the time we looked (& pretty much all the time, btw) there wasn't much offered that was within our price range (are you serious about that $700 per month being "reasonable?")--keeping in mind that we also have a house payment, car payment, health insurance, etc. back home and that we were not being paid from our university in the U.S. and that we had no promise to be assisted in our rent here in Poland--so money was an issue for sure.
Secondly, and maybe most importantly, we did not know anything in a timely manner. (Nor did those we emailing in Poland.) I wouldn't know where to begin with who or what organization "dropped the ball" first, but I will say that our shepherd was not aware that Barclay would be bringing family until a week or two before we all showed up. He even expressed to us when we got here that he was concerned bc he didn't hear anything back from those above him except "Barclay's coming!" for months. No details what-so-ever. Which is odd bc Barclay added us to each and every form he completed. There was never a time when he applied to do this by himself, and yet...somehow things got screwed up to the point that our shepherd (being helpful) finally took it upon himself to arrange housing for B. and send him an email about it. Of course B. replied, "Thanks, but no thanks, I'm bringing three other people with me!" Now, we are still working on being "helped" with payment for housing for the three of us (who knows if we'll get it), but B has been paid by the university here (which was optional for them, so we are excited that they chose to do that). And we do have a shepherd who tries to help us (which is more than I can say for some folks we've encountered). And we didn't have trouble with Visas (again, some folk have had to leave the country & take pictures showing their left ears (ha, Lisa!) & all kinds of things just to stay here legally), so we are thankful for the things that we've been blessed with. But Anonymous, dear Anonymous, we did our best. We just didn't have anybody over here who was on top of things & that made all the difference.

spring air cleaning

2010-01-09T05:52:00.000-08:00

this is a cute pic of Z at her English "baby class" on the eve of her 1st hand-foot-mouth fever & barfing. no direct link to the post below. She loves her baby class with her pals, Tomasz &
Franciszek (a.k.a. Thomas & Frank :)

Being in a bigger city and thinking of the air quality makes me think of the warning labels on cigs & that there should be a warning label on something as soon as you enter into the city: "Warning! Breathing air here will cause black mucus, rattles when coughing (with the cold you will catch this winter), possible lung infection, asthma & croup for the young..."
Which makes me think that I NEED to stock up on indoor air cleaning plants when we get back to Macomb. Our air quality there is pretty BAD to say the least. ( Here is what I plan to go by when purchasing my little purifiers...
the recommended plants can be found below. Note that all the plants in the list are easily available from your local nursery.

1. Philodendron scandens `oxycardium', heartleaf philodendron
2. Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron
3. Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana', cornstalk dracaena
4. Hedera helix, English ivy
5. Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant
6. Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig', Janet Craig dracaena
7. Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii', Warneck dracaena
8. Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
9. Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos
10. Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa', peace lily
11. Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron
12. Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen
13. Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm
14. Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant
15. Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena

This is where the list came from. Looks like a pretty reliable source to me. And I like how it even recommends the number of plants (15) for the average size home (under 20K) as well as the size the container needs to be (at least 6"). I plan to have this list in hand as I head to our local nursery as soon as we get back home.

Polish Christmas Parties

2010-01-06T05:18:00.001-08:00

Here is our own little slice of "coldwar corner" as Leanne has aptly named the area in & around our "hotel/dorms". Here is a look out of the shared kitchen in window in the fall....
and in the winter. The snow is still falling, but the temp is holding steady around 10 degrees warmer than our IL home (!).

Above is a pic of Barclay & kids with our shepherd, Wlodzimierz, his wife, Dorothy, & their kiddos, Martin (aka "dude") & Matilda (also the name of Zora's polish baby doll:) They invited us over for a big family meal since we were traveling & missing the traditional family Christmas meal. It was super sweet of them. Wlodz has been great to us. We are thankful for him & his kindness.

Lots of Polish goodness. Although we couldn't be there for their actual Christmas meal, they prepared lots of traditional/seasonal dishes for us. There are traditionally 8-12 *meat-free (but with fish) courses.
Here's what is shown/what we were served...
There is a hot drink that is like a light broth, a pancake filled with beans/cheese/meat, a seven-layer salad (a lot like the one my great-aunt makes at Christmas! Only this one had ketchup, too...which they also put on pizza here...), a meat & cheese tray, a bread basket, another veggie mix dish, & I'm sure there are things I am forgetting here, but! It was all good & neat to try. And we had yummy cake & lots of tea. :)
Now on to another party...here we are at B's History dept party with the Wlodz-a-nator. Leanne babysat so that we could hang-out "like grown-ups." Thanks, Leanne! So, here we are, blue jean clad...and yes, we were the "casual Americans," but we didn't know this was a fancy, dress-up event. We should've guessed. I think pretty much all events here are fancy to us. Poles, for the most part, are "nails done, hair colored, dressed up" folk, from all I've noticed. I have seen exactly ONE lady in sweats in the mall since we've been here & I'm pretty sure it was bc she was around her 40th week in pregnancy. Anywho...we enjoyed the party like adults...
Cheers!
This retired secretary brought out some of her home-made (57 %, y'all) moonshine (pretty sure they don't call it that here, but that's what it was!) and they all got a kick out of the little American guy tasting the stuff. (They had broken out the vodka & wine as soon as we sat down...I did have a glass of wine, but that was my limit.) I did NOT partake of the mystery moonshine. B said it tasted like rubbing alcohol. Ew.

Part of the fancy History dept Christmas party...it was a far cry from the usual stand around, chill & snack & chat deal that we are used to in the U.S. :)
Again, there are about 12 courses. We ate lunch that day, not knowing that this 3 pm deal was a sit-down & feast thing, so we just tasted a couple of things & learned about the rest. This was a mushroom soup.
Above are two different dishes of fishes (no meat in these Christmas meals). One is fried, with Polish salads & potatoes, the bottom one isn't cooked & has onions.
Party number 3...
Leanne & B have lots of the same students, so we had them over for a pizza party before the break. We had a really fun time, even though this was part of the "Zora's hand-foot-mouth illness." We ate, talked & had a funny dance contest. Here is our group getting it kicked off. :) We did a little Zumba.

Here's a sweet Polish guy cross-dress-dancing to "Barbie girl." Yeah, give him a cookie.
"Swan Lake" by a bunch of big guys wearing table cloth skirts! Ha, ha. L. chose this one as the winner. :)
This cute couple actually could dance. They did a little salsa-swing combo. And made out. A lot. Oh to be young and European.
(This might be the only place I remember to throw in that although I am a p.d.a kind of gal--I love a good snuggle--being in Europe reminds me of the phrase "get a room!" all the time. I have seen people grabbing, groping, not only kissing, but LICKING & biting each other out in public! Seriously, sometimes it is too much. And on buses or subways or standing smooshed together in line at the mall, I can't avoid it. I remember the first time I saw this European kind of togetherness...on a park bench...in Paris...in 1998. My first thought, even then, was that those people could always tell their child where he or she was made. On the park bench, in broad daylight, as a group of American tourists waited for their bus.)

Well, that pretty much wraps up our Christmas parties here in Poland...I'll try to touch on our Holiday in Budpest asap! We had a great time visiting w friends that are also here on FulB* awards, ate lots of delish food & saw some great sights. Stay tuned...

home is where our family is

2010-01-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

...and we're home! It's funny how much Kiecle felt like home as we rolled in via train then cab this evening. Ah, home sweet hotel. :) We have so much to post & all will be coming soon. Hopefully this week. But we're back--safe & ready for the last 7ish weeks of our Central-Eastern European adventure.

the "happy holidays card" pic

2009-12-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

I had to throw in one of the kids in all that fluffy snow! They had so much fun...even though it was COLD! :)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and happy all those other many wonderful holidays that are celebrated this time of year! Sometime I must post the million attempts at the "one good pic" with these two. :) Our American buddy, Leanne, was our photographer. At least we all got a good laugh. We hope you have happy holidays and feel blessed, loved & thankful! We'll be traveling & will not have internet access where we will be staying, so our blogging, FBing, etc. will likely slow to a crawl. So...Happy Holidays!
Love,
the Keys here the kiddos escaped to the stairs rather than endure more cheesing. :)
thanks, Leanne! we love you!

What's good in the news

2009-12-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

my sweet little one...a mini-mommy. :)

Here are a few news stories with happy endings. Both stories contain brave, thoughtful women. And both were sent to me by my hubby. Enjoy!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/17/birth.plan.tips/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/12/01/marquette.moms.nursing.moses/index.html

Nain...or Naynee...

2009-12-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

or Langston. My big fella used to call himself "Nain" (long A). His little sis calls him the same name. Too cute.

I can't believe he'll be going to "big boy" school this year. I will really miss that guy. I've already told him that I might cry & he told me, "It's okay, mom. I promise I'll come back!"
I could post a million things about how he's grown & matured this fall & winter, but I'll shorten the list for the grands & loved ones. :)
He sometimes says, "mom (or dad), I have a happy life." This, of course, makes our hearts full to bursting. Our kid is happy! Funny how that is contentment to a parent's ears. :)
He likes to help...most of the time. He "watches" Zora for a moment as I do something in another room. He lights matches for me to cook with (& I handle the match to flame part...don't worry!)
We have had the usual behavior issues that emerge with an emerging person, so recently we came up with what he calls his "point deck" (sports themed?). He has 10 categories to ace each day. Some of these are simple: be quiet while others sleep, get self dressed, pick up room at night...Some are more difficult: stay in seat & eat at mealtimes (story telling often begs dancing), behaving properly to friends & family (no raising voice, smarty pants talk...), using good manners (remembering those magic words).
He LOVEs to count his "points" at the end of each day. He usually does pretty well, but if he looses points, there are loses in other ways, too. He might loose computer time, i-pod time, or even *gasp* books. He hasn't lost books yet, but he has lost computer time & it hurt. Our little chart worked much better than even I hoped. I would recommend it for a kid around L's age. More points=more rewards. If his behavior has scored high for several days or a week, then we do a special thing (even if it's just a popcorn & movie night). He enjoys that it's his "good job" reward. I don't think we'll need the chart forever, but for now, it's helped. :)dad & L. at the aquarium...tons of scary snakes! they loved it. :)
Yet another daddy project...Langston & Barclay have been really enjoying putting together (& gluing) all kinds of puzzles (see Scooby above). They also have 3 legos car kits & Leanne got L. a pirate Legos kit that is really cool (it even has a functioning drawbridge! Their latest "models" have been these wooden kits of dragons & dinos that they got a market in Krakow. Pix coming soon!
***
Below is Langston posing with a statue of John Paul II, which reminds me that L has become the theologian-in-residence at our house. He's always been my thoughtful guy, but he really "gets it" when it comes to the God stuff. I now understand so much more of how scripture tells us to be like children. What Langston says comes directly from the heart. He feels loved & loves in return. So simple!

made of milk

2009-12-14T06:12:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to moms who breastfeed, extended breastfeed or even those who hope to bf someday. Zora has been so sickly for the past 8 days, beginning with tossing her cookies (ice cream & supper) a week ago today. Since then, she has only had a few bites of food (literally) & only sips of powerade, water & milk. I have tried every kind of non-acidic food one could imagine or buy in Poland, but she shakes her little head, waves her hand & declares, "don't wan eht!"
I have diagnosed her with Hand, Foot, Mouth & it ain't pretty. Her fever began last Tues & by Wed I noticed that her little gums looked inflamed. By Thurs, I noticed the first of many blisters in her little mouth & since then she has been miserable. She takes 2-4 baths a day (that's our girl! we love a soak around here!), watches way too much Sesame Street, whines & whimpers...and nurses. My cups runneth over once again as this big gal is nursing every couple of hours 24 hours a day. She's not a 8 lb baby anymore, so it takes more to fill her tummy. Plus, I think that the cuddle time is soothing. We hold her & carry her around anyway, but snuggling w mommy is always nice. And it's nice to know that this little chunk of mine will not dehydrate, but rather will be full & comforted by me. God creates some insanely wonderful things & I think that our ability as moms to provide life food for a baby until who knows when is one of those awesome things. Thanks to a wonderful, thoughtful God! I feel blessed to be able to provide so much through such a divine creation.

belated Halloween post

2009-12-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

This year our Halloween consisted of...carving a jack-o-lantern (L. drew the face),
the kids dressing in their matching pumpkin shirts & "trick-or-treating" the dining room, where mommy waited with tiny bags of chocolate & chips...
and then hopping in bed for a "family movie night" of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

It was nice & quiet. I don't think anyone was disappointed. Here are my 3 little punkins. :)

lots of firsts...and less hairs

2009-12-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

In this post, we have: first gum, first haircut(s), first shoes by self...

the 1st pic is z's 1st piece of gum. she did okay with it (which means she didn't swallow it for a while...;)

Here's a post about Zora's 1st haircut (which was quickly followed by her 2nd) & L's 1st time to get his hair washed, cut & styled. :) I attempted to give Z a trim, which looked okay, but not as great as I had hoped.
L. needed a trim anyway, so Leanne & I took the kids to the mall & got them both trimmed. It went great with L (he picked a cut he could style "like a fraggle" aka "spike" or "speek," as the lady here called it :) Zora was another story. We did all we could think of the amuse her, but alas, the kid didn't like it much. No tears were shed, but I think our sweet hairstylist was close to 'em! ;) Enjoy the pix!

Leanne's cell comes to the rescue as shown above.
a blurry, but spiked Langston...
followed by a cute, bobbed sister who was captured just after she put her own shoes on her tiny feet! (hey, who cares if the left is on the right & the right is on the left?) She was so proud! ;)

our address....3rd time is the charm?

2009-12-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

These are a few shots of "busy Zora-bean"...she is my super busy one these days! Also, there is one of what I do to cook with both kids in the El Gross-o shared dorm kitchen. Yuck-O.

Asystent Hotel
rooms 503-504
ul. Slaska 11
25-369
Kielce
POLAND

sorry, y'all, I have NO idea where the "itten tours" came from on the previous post about our address! The only thing I can think of is that I am NO good at typing on B's SUPER sensitive keyboard, so I dragged the end of a random phrase over to my post (?).
Anywho, mom used my mangled address & her package got to us anyway, so if you've already mailed something using it, it'll be fine. (I cannot imagine how I forgot to double check the address b4 posting...we never have anything exciting going on here! And now everyone who's ever been around a 20-month-old is laughing, right?)
Seriously, both kids are sickly right now. Z has barfed twice & had a fever for about 24 hours. L. started with only a cold, but he's sipped from Z's sippy twice today without thinking. *urg.* At least we made it this long without serious illness. Only 11 weeks to go!

Langston turns 5 in Krakow

2009-12-07T06:46:00.001-08:00

We had such a fun (family) weekend in Krakow! Langston Hadley turned 5 on the 4th & we did all kinds of things...some of which are pictured in this jumble below. We took the train in one evening & the kids & I ate at my fav place (an awesome vegan restaurant & the only place I've seen with Yoga ads & Free Tibet posters :) while B dropped our luggage at our apartment. Then we spent the afternoon together & ate dinner at a VERY Polish restaurant (my fav things there are the "traditional cottage cheese," which is smoked with jelly on top...shown below & the huge hunk of fresh bread served with lard & cream cheese.) L. digs the food & that they "serve blocks" to play with instead of crayons. :) The next day we went to a "Chuck E. Cheese/Going Bonkers" type playplace. Both kids went crazy! :) Z loved the dolls & trampolines the best. L ran through the huge mazes & was drenched in sweat by the time we left. (lots of pix throughout..) That night we ate with Piotr, a friend of a member of the History Dept. at WIU (they actually knew each other in Turkey some years ago & B got connected since we've been here...small, small world). Piotr recommended a really neat Jewish place so we ventured into the old Jewish district & all was amazing. His sister joined us for the meal & he even paid for ours! (so nice!) The kids were a little restless, so we headed back home for a Polish bakery style birthday cake for L. He was pretty excited about the "5" candle & the small carton of ice cream with 4 different flavors in pretty lil' scoops. ;) The next morning we went to the "transportation museum" (again with Piotr & again he paid). This was the coolest. The kids did all kinds of hands-on science stuff, saw how books are bound, original printing presses, all kinds of cars (we even got a pic taken in front of the Papamoblie...the car thing built for JP2 to ride around in) & then we saw a gigantic display of trains (we missed you, Amir!). Then we took Piotr to my fav lunch spot & said our goodbyes. We polished off our birthday adventures with a kid-movie marathon (two movies) & homemade popcorn with a bag of m& ms melted into the mix. (sidenote here...Zora LOVEs m&ms. A couple of days ago I asked, "would you like scrambled eggs for b'fast?" she replied, "no. Ems." translates to: m& ms, of course. :)
All in all, birthday #5 was a fun time for all.

pre-post post...

2009-11-28T01:57:00.000-08:00

We just spent a busy, fun-filled week with Barclay's parents. I am sitting in the airport Marriott hotel (which is lovely, might I add...real beds & bathtubs...can I just stay here?), so I do not have the time or the camera cords to load & tell about the past week, but I will do soon.
Thanks for visiting, Key family! Thanks for the computer, my family! The kids are loving all the movies, Uncle Dave. Great job.
Langston turns 5 at the end of this week (I know, I can't believe it, either!), so we'll be taking a weekend trip to celebrate. I'm so behind on pix & posts, but I'll try to catch up a little at least when we arrive back from our birthday bash.
I hope everyone had a blessed thankful holiday. I know we did. (Can we say Pizza Hut for lunch?) We all shared what we were thankful for. (Langston = his house in IL :) Maybe dorm life ain't for him. :) Zora was nursing during the thankful talk, so we took hers as "breastmilk"....
Anywho, I hope you all felt blessed.

Langston-ology

2009-11-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

One night after I nursed Z down & was praying with L, we started talking about what we prayed for or did that made us feel better when we were sad or nervous. He claimed that "singing a song...sometimes the ABCs or another song" made him feel better. Then he blew me away with some tiny man with an ancient soul theology...and although I'll put most of his words in quotes, I'm sure that I can't quote him exactly, which is a shame bc all those sweet, deep words coming out of that little mouth was something to behold. Here goes...
"Sometimes when I feel sad, I feel like the little piece of God in me...like inside my heart...like a liiiiitle light, gets a little bit broken. But then, I give my heart to God and he fixes it up again. Children can do this because their hearts are loose (I remember this phrase exactly), not like grown-ups. When you get grown-up, your heart gets bigger, but hard, too. It isn't loose like a child, so sometimes it cracks or breaks into pieces. It's better to give your heart to God before it breaks to pieces, but he can still fix it even if it's broken. So it's okay. I think everyone has a little piece of God in them. And it gets broken when we are sad or lonely or mad or nervous. So we need to give God our hearts all the time and he can keep fixing them."
Geeze! I felt my heart breaking into good pieces at the sound of all this! How beautiful and sweet is that understanding!? God resides in all of us. Children embody the 'tender heart' aspect of His love. When we are aching or fuming, let go and give our misery to God. I think the next time my fella begins to preach, I'll just record him so that I can listen again everytime I don't want to let go of anger or self-pity or anything else that wears down my spirit.
Langston is really something else. We've had conversations like this before & a few since then (even one last night as he clarified a few key points while I relayed this story to Barclay), but this one touched me so much. It also made me feel good about the kind of theology we discuss at home. We have had difficulty finding a home church in Macomb; not bc of people...if there is one thing we love about Macomb, it's the people. But we haven't found any one place where we felt enough connection with the theology to stay. So we've been home churching at home. Some weeks are more focused than others, but from what my little 4-year-old is preaching, it seems that our ideas have been absorbed, pondered and put into practice. My boy knows that God abides in him and from that draws peace, love and comfort. What more could one ask for?

our address in Poland

2009-11-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

our address...the corrected version.

Asystent Hotel
rooms 503-504
ul. Slaska 11
25-369 Kielce
Polanditten tours

now...could we have your addresses? L is excited to send postcards. I need addresses from those who might like (their kids) to get a piece of Polish mail. :)
Happy Thankful Holidays to you all!

Breathing through the dark day

2009-11-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

our ewwwww! shower complete with a tiny tub & two tiny kids. :)
I finally broke down & tried some...not that awesome...and I'm a kraut liker.
yes, that's kraut. welcome to poland!
Zora bean working on a puzzle in the English school area of our church building.
a self photograph by my main man, L.
Aunt Leane doing her helping thing.
my big fella & I in a hot air balloon! Lindsay, I thought of you!

Poland so far...has been an experience. I wish I could say it has been "lovely" and that all things have gone exceedingly well, but I cannot. That isn't to say that my babies have been sickly to the point of a hospital visit or that we've been lost or hungry...just lonely and very inconvienced.
For example...we've been stuck (smooshed) in our elevator shaft twice in the past two weeks...each time a rescue being 35-45 min. in the making. There is only standing room beside the jumbo stroller & each kid is in his/her seat as we sing & sweat & snack & hold our bladders 'til our rescue team arrives.
Then we have the *nasty* shared kitchen on our floor. I knew I wouldn't like it, but some days I really hate it. It gets smelly & gross & I seem to be the only person who cleans it or takes out the trash once a fortnight. ( I want to ask about it each time I go down past the reception desk, but no one but the manager speaks any English.)
Then there's the laundry, the lack of dryer, the icky shower, the lack of adult size tub (I squeeze my hiney into a large kid tub to shave), the general gray weather...cold, wet, & dark at 4 pm...*sigh.*
Add to this the sucky internet connection & the hours between all of us, as well as my hubby needing to work on the computer (which is a fact, not a complaint) & you get one sad mommy.
I think that if I had an outlet like in previous places (hooray for a great international community! three cheers for UF grad & family housing!), I would be less sad. I need moms & the kids need other kids. We've been searching a little & found a Helen Doran School of English close by, so we're going there twice a week & meeting other fams who speak ESL. I'm planning a lesson to teach the 8-10 year olds some conversational things. I hope to meet more friends this way, but it is seriously the only local outlet we've found. The few really nice some English speaking moms whom I've met have been in Kielce only for the day, so they would be "only weekend buddies," (when they happen to visit here) which wouldn't be bad, but it's nice to have a day-to-day mom-friend.
Poor Leanne! She's been my only girlfriend here so far! I'm sure she gets tired of my mom-ness sometimes, but she's been really understanding & we've had fun times. And poor Barclay. He is really trying to help keep us going, too, but this is tough. I feel slightly caged somehow. There are the million other things: Christine, how are you!? I feel like the worst friend ever bc I haven't gotten to call yet! Our computer has been out of commission & I haven't had a good opportunity to be the listener I want to be!
Mom, I'm sorry I didn't speak to you on your b'day! And my brain rattles on...Zora has had the worst diaper rash & so I've been trying to potty train her, but I think all the products here irritate her! I want to exercise so badly, but don't have my music to dance to & B doesn't want to download i-tunes here...(and somehow depression doesn't spawn a "get up & go attitude in me"...more of a "lay down & cry")...I'm doing some Yoga, though. Thank the Divine for Yoga, y'all. It's the only thing that reminds me to breathe sometimes. I know that is what I need more of. Breathe! Pray. Meditate on the Good Things. I'll make it through these next few months. I have a feeling Barclay and I will be closer because of it. I love him so much that I'm here after all! :)

Langston and his baby

2009-10-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

starting sideways....sorry! I like this pic, though...
l-town pushing zee...a common happening during our playground outings.
we found a fun play area in the entrance to our movie theater...we saw "odlot" (or "up," for you non-polish speakers :) in 3D
arts & crafts at their table in their room..."the kids room," as the sign on their door reads. :)
watching an Elmo DVD
our first snow! it snowed LOTS, but didn't stay for more than a week...thank goodness!
mommy's final (& successful) attempt at keeping everyone satisfied during the last leg of a long travel day.
checking out an amazing pumpkin at barefoot gardens in macomb...just days before we left.
just chillin'...
I don't think I can express how thankful I am that I have these two wonderful, little people around who love each other so much. To see them loving in action is to truly see love. I hope they are always so smitten. I know I've said lots of this before, but I see it daily & it never fails to both humble me & remind me of how purely a little person loves.
They have their "ahhh!" moments with each other (as we all do), but they are constant playmates--so in tune with the other ones needs sometimes. I hope they learn to listen as well as their dad (one of the first things that attracted me to him), as I can already see they each have a natural fondness for showing affection the way I do (which I consider a good attribute). :)

a few pix of Z @ 18 mths

2009-10-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

1st: I'm reposting this post bc I think it got a little overlooked with the whole "smarty pants video"...
2nd: this is my favorite pic. (Although I also love the "sugar tit" one...)
I was playing with my new camera. Zora was playing in the sandbox...and eating the sand...of course!
Sorry some of these are sideways...I'll try to remedy that asap. Enjoy!

deep breaths with daddy...she stays SO still for him! the only way I can keep her still is to attach her to my boob for the duration of the treatment. :)
z. & a friendly polish baby play in the ball pit at our mall.
dedicated to grandad, this would be zora's version of a "sugar tit"...made from a paper pack of sugar from Micky D's. and look at those amazing blue eyes! that would be from my side of the fam, y'all. L's beautiful brown come from B's side.
Lady Z: fully dressed for our 1st snow (Oct. 13th).
Bo-zee-phus in dad's "king of the hill" underpants. :)
eating...art? I'm pretty sure it was paints in this pic...

I feel so far behind on e-life. I'll try to blog more later. :)

smarty pants does the dishes

2009-10-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

So...as Barclay explained in his last post, our "dish situation" ain't pretty. We wash 'em in a small sink b't th shower & toilet area (I"ll try to post a pic) & then take them (dripping, but we lay down a towel to drip on) to the dish drainer that sits atop the mini fridge in the room we've assigned "eating area." Anyway, it's a drippy, time consuming process. One afternoon, my boy complained of my damp floor that "sometimes gets his socks wet." He was protesting this wet floor thing; blaming me. He ended his whine with, "do you understand me?" (keep it dry while doing all our dishes, mom.) I told him that I didn't appreciate his smart attitude & he had no clue how much effort went into doing all our stupid dishes (we eat most every meal at home; I cook about twice a day; sandwiches at lunch usually). So, his "learning experience" that night was to do ALL the dishes for the day. Barclay thought I was a little hard on him. (I don't care if I was!) But by the time he finished all the dishes, he was ready to apologize. And he should've been. My plan is to help these babies of mine realize that the world doesn't owe them anything. That and to show respect, but take no crap, treat all people as they want to be treated, appreciate their parents, love their famiy, follow Jesus' example of radical love & action...and a lot more. If L. thinks dishwashing was a tough lesson...just wait. Mama's got lots more.

Zora Gwendolyn at 1and a 1/2

2009-10-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for my lovely lady. Her personality is much different than big brother's and that's a fun thing. They play together pretty well (even with the 3 yr., 4 mth. age gap), in part due to their personalities. Langston is, as Byron aptly described once "an old soul." He's mature, concerned (to the fault of worry) & a natural caregiver. Zora is a bit less of a worried small person. She's a little more friendly & gets to know folks more quickly. I think they both have amazing personalities & I'm enjoying watching them develop. :)

Speaking of developing...Zora has cut 4 teeth in the past 6 weeks of Poland! That gives her a grand total of "all but the 2 yr. molars." :) She also has had 2 colds; 1 quickly passing, the other passing through everyone but L, and a wicked diaper rash. (small aside story: the 2nd time we went to church I asked someone who spoke English there was a dr. in the house. she said, "yes" & introduced me to an obgyn, whom I immediately requested to look at Z's vagina...hey, they had a changing table in the next room! he laughed at me, but said yes. he looked & prescribed meds, then went to get the meds & gave me his cell # to call if she didn't improve in the next few days! how's that for church family! 'excuse me, brother, could you help my child's privates?'...ha, ha. only me, I know.)
anywho, back to big Z.
She talks like crazy--repeating things if we say, "can you say__?". She knows all her parts of the body, some colors, letters, & signs. She mostly likes to sign foods & animals. She calls almost all fruit "apple," but that might have something to do with an apple being her fav fruit (like her mama). And she digs peanut butter (again, like mama).
She says "don't know" with her little chubby hands out when asked questions like, "where is mommy's hairbrush?" She likes to hide things. She'll play with anything (like brother), which has come in handy here while traveling overseas. She loves "babies." She strolls, nurses, feeds, rocks, sings to, etc. her babies (1 dark skinned, 1 light skinned). She still nurses a LOT, but even B. says that he couldn't imagine traveling as we have done without the comfort & nutrition of breastmilk. She LOVES to dress up. And boy this drives me nuts. It's cute, don't get me wrong, but the amount of clothes this kid drags out daily wears me out (okay, Mel, I finally understand).
She calls herself "Wuh-wuh" (L. calls her 'Zaaaah-wuh')and Langston is "Nane" or "Nanny" (with a long A sound)"...bc this is what he called himself at her age, so it's one of his many nicknames that have stuck. Elmo is 'Moe. Peek-a-boo is 'peek-boo. Any bodily function is "poo poo" & she will pee in the potty sometimes.
She is still a climber, a flirt, a fearless risktaker (have I mentioned that I've called posion control twice in her short 18 months, but never in L's almost 5 yrs.?) and an adorable blue-eyed mess. :0)

thankful (in Polish)

2009-10-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

actually, here are a few things I'm thankful for in Poland...not Polish...otherwise y'all would be like me reading a menu here & entirely lost. :) I've learned a few basics, but this language is tough!
In no particular order...
1.My new girlfriend, Leanne. Or Auntie Leanne, as she should be dubbed. She's teaching English & Lit here at the same university & lives in the same dorm, only one floor away from us. We have many common interests (English degree, sense of humor, disliking the half-eaten sausage in our common 'fridge). And she not only puts up with, but plays with my kids. They adore her. As do I. :)
2.My new clothes washer. They don't do the dryer thing here (WHY?!), but they only had one functioning washer for two whole DORMS of people...& it was "first come, first serve." I have spent days of my life waiting to wash one load of laundry. I thought I was going crazy. My husband must've noticed my lack of sanity bc he didn't put up a fight about shelling out the $333 for the washer.
3.The close-by Protestant-Methodist-some English speaking church. We've only just found this place, but it seems promising. There was a neat mix of old & new of everything from worship style to songs to people & a nice girl translated for us (when I wasn't breastfeeding/rocking Zora to sleep in the kitchen or taking L. to play with the kids). They even have an English service once a month which we have been asked to help with (of course I said YES!).
4.Reading again. I haven't been motivated to exercise yet (all the walking & pushing the giant, kid-filled stroller has been enough, but I do miss Yoga & Pilates...okay & dance), but I have been reading like mad. I am almost finished with Dreams from my Father by our current Prez & have just started reading Eat, Pray, Love, which is making me mark pages on meditation & Yoga with a gnawing desire to attempt more than the one leg with which I am familiar. Anybody out there read either of these? I'd recommend them both.
5.That the kids (& all of us) have been well. Zora is fighting off a croupy cough. She coughed as she woke up for 2 days in a row, with no other cold symptoms, but this morning she's been hacking & sneezing. I went ahead & gave her 2 breathing treatments & nursed her a lot & put her down for an early nap. She seems to be feeling fine, though. No fever & as happy as usual. Again, she licks & eats everything in Poland, so for this to be the first sign of sickness is amazing & I am thankful. (Langston did tell me that if her cough gets worse, we should take her to Dr. Lin, our Ped in Macomb. :)
6.Kid comments. Sometimes they keep me going. Peter Cole, I hope you read this bc I thought of you when L said it...
We were discussing something about an old sharp object (knife, sword...?) & Barclay told Langston that it was sometimes used for hunting food. Sweet Langston replies, "Like mushrooms?" Yes, my darling vegan-thinking boy. They should hunt mushrooms.

two of my favs...and yes, today was my 29th

2009-10-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

Please, please follow the link in the last post for LOTS of pix. I will try to post some tomorrow...when we have a better internet connection. :) Thanks for the happy b'day wishes, everyone! I'm currently catching up to most everyone I hang out with back in the states...my 30+ crew. ;) But, 1.age is simply a number 2.being a mom instantly tosses you into a whole different category "__'s mom," no matter your age 3.I think I've enjoyed the aging process so far; I know myself better. :)And now time to put folks to bed...one's on my leg; the other my head (?)...

Pix...finally!

2009-10-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

We have a horrible internet connection here, so it takes a LONG time to upload anything. B. has been working hard to upload & post pix, so I'll just lead you all to his link for now...barclaykey.blogspot.com (or click on 'my honey' in the blogroll).
I'll try to post more later today or tomorrow.

down for the count...er, the moment

2009-09-26T06:08:00.000-07:00

So, the kids are down for nap. I am catching my breath. B. is on his way Warsaw to run the marathon. I seriously hate to miss it, but I feel like we've all run some other kind of marathon since we've been here, so when he suggested the kids & I return "home" & try to get some form of "normal" going on, I voted YES!
So...here we are. So many stories that I don't know where to begin, but I will say that we got our two big boxes of stuff that we mailed before we left, so we have clothes & a few books. If anyone out there was in the business of mailing a package to us, here is an attempt at our new address...
W. Slaska 11
25-369 Kielce
Poland
(There you go, mom & dad!)
I think that movies or books in English would be on our list right now. We are doing okay on all else. Diapers really aren't any more expensive than home. Food is a tiny bit cheaper (like the U.S. in say...2007ish). And we are getting used to the different items on the menu. The kids are doing better already in this department, too. L. is taking "no thank you" bites more often (our standard teaspoon of whatever looks "gwoss" to him). They are both pooping regularly (which was a concern of mine...I packed acidoph. & miralax just in case).
I found vinegar (ocet in polish) & packed my all-purpose essential oils, so the "dorm" has been cleaned MY way. :) (It smelled like a lavendar peppermint stick for a while...)
I'll post pix SOON. I miss you all, my loved ones! I'm ready for my hubby to get back & us to settle in here. I feel like the adventure is beginning...
for more on our adventures, click on "my honey" in my blog roll & read b's take on it all. He's been more diligent about recording each detail. I want to forget some.:)

Mary Poppins yells at her children sometimes

2009-09-23T02:45:00.000-07:00

Mel's comment cracked me up. Girl, I hope my kids don't remember me loosing my mind over the past two weeks & only remember the "Mary Poppins" in me! Things have gotten MUCH, MUCH better since we moved to a hotel (I am thanking God for hotel Lech daily!). It's clean, only a 5 min walk to meals & has two twin beds & a fold out sofa in one room, which means we can all be together at night (althogh the sofa isn't too comfy, so we end up with a "boys" twin bed & a "girls" twin bed, but hey, it's a real bed! Also, there is a tub! This was a welcomed surprise bc they mostly have tiny showers with a hand held sprayer, which is okay for grown-ups, but a little cold for kiddos. And this leads me to...I know why NOT to drink the H2O here. Y'all have to see the color of this stuff. It varies from brown to green. Reminds me of good ol' Macomb & our boil orders when the pipes were being replaced! (See the old post "Our own 3rd world country").
Thanks for all the kind & supportive words & prayers. It really means a lot. I got all teary just reading all your comments. I really didn't know if we'd have access to the web here so I left my camera stuff at our dorm in Kielce, but as soon as we return (weekend), I'll post some pix. So much to tell about! B. is running the Warsaw marathon & the kids & I are going to stay "home" & try to get more familiar with our city. We have an awesome "shepherd' from the university who will help us as we need, I'm sure, so I'm excited to get back & get settled.
Thanks again for all your well wishes. We are keeping our heads above water now, so to speak, & trying to take it all in....

my little polish sausage

2009-09-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

So, last nite, as I was nursing Z down, I noticed that she smelled funny...like sausage. [insert polish joke here] Well, so far, so frustrating. I think if this trip doesn't cause us to break up, it will certainly pull us closer together. B & I have had a time so far...kids, dorms, attempting to find a pedestrian crossing near our dorm so that we can walk the many blocks to the dining area where all the meals are served (just for this week or two). This orientation thing is NOT for families, despite what they tried to act like.
I have really enjoyed meeting the other Fulbrighters. Most all of them are interesting folk. But our struggle to do simple things like board the elevator (gaps that little fingers could get caught in/very small space with extra door which is tough to hold door + push stroller...), wash laundry (in basement, "dryer" which doesn't dry, must get coins one at a time from lobby, key to wash room...), eat a meal that is pre-paid (see above about crosswalks), sleep with a kid nearby (dorm = tiny "cot" thing that barely fits one & is UNcomfy & metal, so we haven't moved one into the other room thru the bath to create a big "cot"...which would be an answer to them not rolling off, but still UNcomfy). And more. Ah, more. B. is frustrated with me for being so frustrated, but I feel like I"m stuck here in this crazy situation with very little to easily do (yes, I could walk far distances & find random things to do with both kids, but it's tough & I really don't feel ready to do big things by myself yet. (Although I did buy each of us cheap cells with "orange" cards so that we may stay in touch with each other here in Poland--sorry parents, I don't know when we'll get to talk to you...probably about another week or so.)
So, I'm having a tough time trying to be a happy camper about everything. I really want to scream & cry. (& leave...good grief, what would I give to be back home or in AL?!)
I know that it'll get better (like as soon as we find a freakin' hotel here or head out). But I also think that our lack of sleep & struggle to grab a familiar bite to eat (one that the kids will eat, too) has made a huge difference in our not getting along & being so upset. I am ready to get where we will be for the next 5 months & get settled & adjusted & familiar with the city (it has a mall! yea! great for free kid entertainment during the cold months).
So, all you followers out there in blogland...say a little prayer for my fam & me. We need lots of love & a nice place to lay our heads.

here we are!

2009-09-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post for fam & friends...we are here...in our dorm. LOTS of stories so far, but that'll have to wait at least a few days. We just got an okay internet hook-up today, but will be traveling again tomorrow for orientation. So far, in general, all is well. Folks seem nice & welcoming. No one in our fam is sickly. Just keep us in mind...that all continues to go well (we get the boxes we mailed, make our trains on time, find suitable strollers, ...yada, yada.)
Love you, family! Thank you, Macomb hommies, for all you are doing...have already done!

Decaf = mama brain & playing with the Ballards

2009-09-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

We have already had a "full" day & my kids are just down for nap...with in-laws pulling into the drive as I type this. :) I just wanted to say that when my honey makes decaf these days & doesn't tell me...I discover it approx. one hour into our playdate with the Ballards...when my head begins to pound. Today, when this happened, it was also a few minutes before our final (and the winner is...) renter showed up to "interview." I liked her. I think she liked me. We exchanged info. She knows how to mow a lawn & empty my dehumidifier. Ding, ding, ding! She gets to live here 'til Feb-ish. :)
More on all that later. But, coffee, a major clean-up, & my mom-in-law await.

Below is a video of Olivia, Benjamin, L & Z this summer. We love to play with the Ballards!

You don't have to be Texas to be a tornado...

2009-09-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, all her own stunts.

Slide & playground fun.

L-town & his "tats"...the boy digs a tatoo...and fake facial hair.

This would be the third time I mopped that area that morning...as in b4 noon.

Z stored all our shoes in the mini-fridge on our way home from AL
Zora + Eggs = Mess.
Caught! After she decorated herself & her p.j.s Zora was reading by herself!
Our usual bedtime routine.

These are various scenes of my kids and/their madness. :) I love 'em...even when they make me cry from exhaustion & cleaning...again and again...and yes, again.