journal of a wacky expat family
Yesterday as a family we went out for a 3.5 mile bike and walk. There is a section of the king's old hunting grounds called El Pardo that is accessible from a spot near our house. The walk was nice, except for the occasional fit from Truman where he would throw his bike down and refuse to go any further.
Read MoreYesterday we met a few friends in downtown Pozuelo (our town) to see the local Three Kings parade. Unbeknownst to us, the Three Kings are a really big deal here. In the US, the kings play small side part in nativity, but then are mostly forgotten. Their biggest claim to fame is that when the children perform the nativity play at church, even though both the shepherds and the kings weard the same robes, the kings get to wear paper crowns and the shepherds only get head wrap things. That's about it.
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'Twas the night before Christmas and the kids won't go to bed,
They need to go to sleep, or no Santa we said.
As parents we are tired, our energy sapped,
Jess did most of the work, all the presents she wrapped.
Now sitting in the quiet, just the tree and me
A little heartburn already, gluten in that cookie.
We did some FaceTime today, tomorrow more we'll do,
To talk to Grammi, Grampa, Nana, Papa, and cousins too.
Being away for Christmas is certainly not ideal,
But we're warm, happy, safe and healthy, pretty grateful I feel.
Wherever you are, whatever you do,
We wish we were there, and a Merry Christmas to you!
Last night we started our Christmas vacation by having dinner with some Swedish friends. They have small children so they came over (much easier than going out) and we introduced them to homemade hamburgers with minced bacon inside them. BAM!
Friday was basically a lost day at school. The kids got to wear pajamas, eat snacks and watch movies all day. In fact, it's now Saturday night and they are still wearing those same pajamas? Does that make us bad parents? Probably.
Today we slept in and shifted into Christmas mode. We spent a few hours playing games and putting together our North Pole Christmas Lego set. Then we grabbed a quick FaceTime with Mom & Dad before watching Christmas movies. My fitbit is telling me I've only taken a few thousand steps today. If it had a face I'm sure it would be disapproving.
Working on the Lego Christmas set:
Finished product:
Olive did not participate in the Lego fun:
Jess and Adeline making progress on the wrapping:
Luckily Jess returns today (Thursday).
I'm so thankful to have four days to hang out with the kids but, it's ... thoroughly ... exhausting ... to do both "kid stuff" and "work stuff". I'm in no way a Hilary fan but as she says "It takes a village to raise a child". Earlier this week I told Jess that I was "Friday tired" and it was only Tuesday!
I've prioritized sleep over blogging so I've missed a few days of exciting, action-packed updates.
Wednesday Morning Selfies:
Making dumplings:
Chilling outside his classroom door, waiting for school to start. #toocoolforschool
Tuesday Morning Selfies:
Good morning!
We were the A-Team today. I got up as usual and did some work. Then got all the kids up around 7:00am. All three did great and were (mostly) helpful. We were out the door by 8:20. Record time for us!
The morning playlist for the kids to get ready to:
1. Roar - Katy Perry
2. Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson
3. Fun - Pitbull
We danced and jammed all the way to school.
Over the weekend Jess talked a lot with Truman about his uniform and they jointly agreed to wear the uniform shirt but he got to wear his own pants. He was pretty happy to go to school and I was relieved. After I dropped him off in his classroom, I was talking with one of our friends (who was going to pick him up from school) and I couldn't find Truman in the classroom to say 'goodbye'. I asked the teaching assistant and she said he was in the bathroom. Strange. I go into the bathroom and the poor kid has his pants half way off (they are european 'skinny' jeans so they aren't easy to get off) and he's trying so hard not to freak out. His assistant teacher told him he had to change pants (which is according to the teacher's policy). I told him he didn't have to but he felt like he needed to since his teacher told him. I felt so bad for him. I helped him get the ill-fitting uniform pants on and then he went back into the classroom. I told the teaching assistant he was going to wear his own pants for the rest of the week, and to please relay the message to the teacher. The poor teaching assistant was clearly uncomfortable but she agreed to relay the message. As a parent, you don't want to be a dick. Teaching is hard work and over-bearing and obnoxious parents don't help. But seriously, is it worth breaking a kid's spirit to force all 4 year olds to arbitrarily wear a uniform? I don't think so. Worse case, we pull him and teach him at home for the rest of the semester. I bet we can get through A People's History of the United States and Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero before summer break. :)
He is not interested in going back to school tomorrow. Hopefully it goes well.
Morning selfies:
Bone Broth Breakfast:
More morning selfies:
Truman got a new for being brave while Jess is in London. He parked it on my gigantic nose:
Scheming ...
I couldn't keep up with Truman on the way into school:
Fang's payday. I love to butcher Chinese writing ...
We were so early that Truman got to read a book while waiting for his teacher to unlock the door:
Tonight at cubbies the kids made Olof (from Frozen) in clay:
Then enacted the Christmas story. Truman is Joseph. Henry was a wise man, Addi was a shepard (I think):
You can't really see, but all three kids, plus Olive are in Truman's bunk bed. As the only adult in the house, I got to do "fun prevention" and break up the party:
“I aspire to be the person my dog thinks I am.”
In some respect, Sunday was a comedy of errors. Around 7am, the quiet house got a whole lot quieter as the power went out. Not a critical deal since the temp is in the 40s - 50s, but annoying none-the-less. And the sun doesn't rise until approximately 8:30am so it gets pretty dark in a house without power.
We had to call the power company twice. If you ever want to be put in your place, come to Spain and call the electric company. You get to talk in Spanish and feel dumb. It's a good way to stay humble.
We have been wanting to try out a new church in Madrid. We left a little late because a certain 4 year old (who will remain nameless, but rhymes with 'THRUMAN') decided to throw a tantrum and delay us. We took off with the GPS guiding us a little late but I hoped we could make up some time on the way. You never want to walk in late on your first day.
Driving in Madrid is a lot like sailing into the wind. There are so many crazy roads, roundabouts and one-ways that it's nearly impossible to go directly you to your destination. Instead, you get close, then tack to another direction, then get close, but can't make the turn, then get close, but you're going the wrong way and there's no turn lane, then you get close, and .... there's no parking.
We gave up once we were 30 minutes late for church. Truman fell asleep in the car anyway so it was for the best.
Picture of the candles in our kitchen:
As I drove through our neighborhood I discovered that a transformer in our neighborhood blew up. Smoke and police cars everywhere:
Henry being Henry. Addi and Truman look tortured...
Truman slept with Henry last night. Henry complained that he "didn't get to sleep at all" last night. He's sleeping with me tonight so tomorrow I can complain "that I didn't get to sleep at all" last night. :)
Kick-butt yellow curry we had for dinner. I told the kids it was chicken and beef curry. In fact, I used left over turkey (from Thanksgiving) and beef liver. I'm freaking evil. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! They loved it. :)
We are a little loose with timing around here. Perhaps it is the infusion of Spanish time culture, or the fact that we are not surrounded by traditional thanksgiving reminders such as Black Friday commercials and NFL games. Whatever the reason, we felt okay having Out Thanksgiving dinner on December 7. :)
Like last year, we invited our "Spanish family" to celebrate with us. Everyone brought a few dishes to share.
Paleo pecan pie:
The bird:
Cheese ball:
Our front door:
The table:
The weather in Madrid is nothing like Des Moines. Here is a shot yesterday by our house.
There are actual flowers and bees outside. Very strange.
Last day before our travel day back to Madrid, school and work.
After a repeat of our "supplemental English breakfast" we hopped on the bus to Disney Studios. Disney Studios is very similar to MGM in Florida, only so much colder!
Little T-Rex hands:
Waiting for Disney Jr. Class Cooper face:
Handy Manny:
Stopping for crêpes. Apparently needed the energy since Disney Studios doesn't sell popcorn:
Truman gave a convincing argument to get his own crêpe:
Stunt show had a real-life Lightning McQueen!
Pork knuckle and sauerkraut for supper! :)
Henry tasting a waffle and jam in Disney Village:
Henry at the hotel pool getting soaked by a bucket of water:
Related Reading:
It's been a few days since an actual blog post since I'm still trying to post something from each day of our Paris trip. Let's see if I'm successful.
A few things:
Fourth day of trying to find a proper breakfast. :)
The hotel informed us that they had a breakfast buffet but if you wanted to have a "English breakfast" then you had to order and pay extra. We weren't really sure what that meant but upon further clarification, "English breakfast" meant "hot breakfast". Otherwise, they offered cereal, bread, donuts, croissants, hot chocolate and cold cuts. The kids were in heaven with the cereal and donut options. Needless to say, Jess and I opted for the English breakfast of over easy eggs and bacon.
After breakfast, we took the bus to Disneyland. My ever-organized wife had the tickets printed off in advance (of course) so we didn't have to wait in line to buy new. The park was decorated for Christmas which was a really nice touch.
On our way to Disneyland. Truman not being a team player:
We road several rides and had a few fast passes. Addi and I road on the Space Mountain ride together which was probably my favorite. The November weather in Paris was cold but not terribly cold. We had to deal with many people smoking in line (despite the signs posted saying 'No Smoking'). Oh well.
We really struggled finding a proper restaurant inside Disneyland so we made a last minute decision to leave the park and try to wait in line for a table at Mickey's Cafe (a mostly reservations only restaurant where the kids get to meet five of the Disney characters). Probably the best food we had while at Disney.
Main Street:
The specialty of the day. I didn't eat it but I'm sure one of the unintended side effects is it induces vomiting. Gross.
Buzz Lightyear. Jess beat us all.
Henry driving cars:
Remember, when you're on a ride at Disneyland, you can sit holding hands but spontaneous dancing is STRICTLY PROHIBITED!
This is my favorite picture from one of the rides. You can't see Addi, but look at Henry and Truman's faces. Compare that with my face and Jess's face. We look like we're sitting at a bus stop. :)
Eating Disney popcorn, waiting in line.
Christmas parade.
Dinner at Mickey's Cafe.
When we lifted up the carafe of water, it left a smiley face. Life is good.
We saw Mickey at Mickey's Cafe. Go figure.
The park closing show that night was a Christmas themed show. It was pretty cool.
Related Reading:
Because we've so far been unable to find a decent warm breakfast in Paris, I decided to go to the corner grocery for some eggs and butter so we could make over easy eggs before we met the owner of the apartment for the checkout. The corner grocery store had eggs and butter, but they also had cheese, wine and chocolate. So while the kids watched cartoons and Jess packed up their things, I relaxed. :)
Saturday morning I work up early and made some coffee and got the eggs and onions started. Towards 10:00 (our checkout time) things got a little hectic as we tried to pack everything up and throw out the uneaten food and garbage.
Truman and Adeline guzzling from the cartons before we threw out the food:
The original plan was to walk (with our luggage) to the nearest subway stop, and then take that down to where our train would take us east out of Paris towards the city that Disneyland is at. Unfortunately for us, the very day we were leaving, the subway line closed for maintenance. We had several different options of buses but none were convenient with kids and luggage. In the end, we wound up walking longer to a different subway line, but avoiding the hassle of taking a bus, to a subway, to a train. Truth be told we weren't 100% sure where we were going but you never can be when you dealing with strange public transit.
Packed up and ready to go:
Truman was not interested in helping:
Stopping at a bakery for treats:
It turns out that we needed to walk some more after our subway ride but the walk was through a really nice section of town. I'm glad we got to see it.
Four year olds don't have legroom problems on trains:
After a 45 minute train ride we eventually made it to the hotel near Disneyland. The kids got a nice swim in before we headed off for lunch/dinner at Disney Village. Don't even get me started on the mandatory speedos (French hygienic law, apparently) we had to buy just so we could swim in the hotel pool. Truman loved his new swim suit but Henry and I were less thrilled.
We had a nice slow supper at Rainforest Cafe (Truman fell asleep on the way to the restaurant so we took our time).
After dinner we went back to the hotel so the kids could swim again before bed. Unfortunately, their swim was cut short because someone saw a floater in the pool. And no, it wasn't a Baby Ruth.
Yesterday was the first full-day back at school and work. Unfortunately another rough drop-off day for Truman. We are struggling to understand why he's having problems again. Jess has some thoughts although who really knows? Hopefully he turns it around and starts willingly putting his uniform on and running into the classroom.
We are starting to look forward to Christmas more and more. We've decided that one of the days of Christmas vacation we plan to lounge around all day in our PJs and watch movies. And eat Christmas cookies.
The draft movie list (on the back of a napkin):
We set off again to find a good hearty French breakfast at a local cafe. The one recommended to us by the owner of the apartment was closed the first day, so we checked on it again today and it was open!
We went in and ordered drinks (coffee and juice), and then tried to look a menu. :) There were two choices of food with our coffees: croissants and little croissant rolls with chocolate inside them. We were a little surprised since the material we got with the apartment said we could get a typical breakfast at this restaurant. Only then did we realize that coffee and croissant is the typical breakfast, and if we wanted scrambled eggs and bacon we were out of luck!
After that we paid our bill and hit the road, a little disappointed but determined to make the most of our day.
Our missions for the day were the Louvre, Notre Dame, Starbucks, and then somewhere that sells a swimsuit in November (Jess forgot hers).
Success on all accounts!
French cartoons before bed:
Walking the streets:
This is the French equivalent of scrambled eggs:
Street markets:
The Louvre:
ML:
Ask Henry how to hold it when you have to go to the bathroom :)
Tired already. Not sure how that can be.
Getting ready for vacation in Paris Wednesday - Tuesday! That means lots of logistic work for Jess and lots of work planning for me (to be away from the office). It should be worth it though.
Luckily there is no time change and the currency is the same. Awesome.
Truman threw a huge fit about wearing his uniform yesterday. After I convinced him to put it on, he just threw himself on the floor in defeat. He was in complete denial that he'd have to go to school in his uniform (last week he refused and he got to stay home with Jess ...)
Addi reading to Truman for bed last night:
Saw these two super cool and hip people last night while we were putting the kids to bed so I needed to take a picture. I'm not sure who they were, but they sure looked awesome! I bet they are famous ...
Lots of down-time this weekend. It actually felt like we all got to hang out for a few days. I can't remember the last time that happened.
Henry and I rediscovered our love for Star Wars Monopoly. The weather is still nice here so we played outside on the terrace.
Now that Adeline is getting started on the piano, I thought it was a good moment for us to start learning Apple's Garageband software. We didn't know anything about it when we started so played around with it for a while. We still don't know much but we recorded our version of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth". You can listen to our little experiment here. Be gentle. :) I can't carry a tune to save my life but I'm hoping if we get the kids started singing they'll be great later on.
See if you can hear Addi's piano track in the background...
Teaching life skills:
Our professional "on-the-floor" recording studio:
Yes, they were all cheating...
Today we tried to recover a little bit from yesterday. We enjoyed an extra hour of sleep thanks to the daylight savings clock change. Around 1:00 this afternoon we had a Halloween party at ASM.
The kids continued to enjoy their weekend of free eating and had candy and donuts for breakfast. Luckily, they all felt a little sick tonight. :)
Candy coma:
Candy heartburn:
I know I look like Hannah Montana but I'm actually dressed as Thor.
Late night leftover cake and some wine.
Probably not the fairy tale way of celebrating an anniversary but it worked for us. We were lucky we stayed awake after putting the kids to bed.
A friend of ours commented that your anniversary is only important if you plan to stop there. We don't plan on stopping any time soon.
Love you Jess.
Jess and the kids come back today and I'm SOOO excited! Not that I don't enjoy my summer monk-like existence, but I'm really looking forward to being with the kids and having all five of us together again. Once nice thing about living abroad and being segregated from everyone we know is that the five of us get a lot of 'family unit' time. I miss that.
This year is not quite as complicated as this time last year, but it's close. Last year they were getting off the plane in a strange country, eat strange food, move into a new house, to attend a new school, and meet new friends. This year, the country and the food are the same, but the house, school and friends will change.
There is a lot of anxiety.
Of course we can overcome it, but it's hard to do that when we're separated. Together, all things become much more manageable!
It's finally here!
Friday was the last day of school and now Jess and the kids are off to their annual "Iowa Summer". Yesterday was basically an all day packing event. Things are more complicated this year since we are moving houses in July. Jess has been trying to do some house move packing as well but it's slow going.
Everyone was up at 5 to get ready and headed to the airport in high spirits. Three flights and they'll be home!
