Five on Friday: summer edition!

Summer has come to the Upstate in every which way, except by calendar! Between a weather forecast of temperatures in the upper 90’s for the next week, the end of the school year and the kick-off of all of our favorite summer programs, it’s just a matter of waiting for the summer solstice to make it official. Want to join us in all the Upstate has to offer this time of year? Here are our family's top five summer programs…

1. The Greenville County Library System Summer Reading Club has gone digital! Not only can you sign up online, but you can log all your hours/books online. By setting up separate accounts for each child/adult in your family, you also increase your chances of winning some cool prizes including a one-year family membership to The Children’s Museum of the Upstate or Greenville County Rec Ice Skating/Waterpark passes. Participating children and teens will earn a voucher to a Greenville Drive baseball game, while toddlers (up to 35 months) can earn a board book. Parents, don’t miss out on the fun! By logging your summer reads you could be entered to win a Swamp Rabbit Trail cycling jersey, Swamp Rabbit hockey tickets, or an “Explore Greenville County” gift bag: a Swamp Rabbit Trail patch and bumper sticker, King of Pops coupons for two free popsicles, a Greenville County Driving Tour of Historic Sites book, and a library bag! For more information and to sign up, head over to the Greenville County Library System website.

Park Hopping at College Street Park

2. The LiveWell Greenville Park Hop kick-off was a couple weeks ago at Sunset Park in Mauldin, but the free scavenger hunt in parks across Greenville County will last all summer! Intended to help Upstate families discover new parks and increase physical activity for youth and adults, the hunt encourages children and families to discover featured parks throughout the summer while searching for answers to clues within each park. Participants can earn local prizes like water park passes, Greenville Drive vouchers and a Park Hop t-shirt just by visiting parks! Logging your answers is especially easy this year with the iOnGreenville app, so to learn how you and your family can start Park Hopping and to register for this fun scavenger hunt please visit the 2016 Park Hop website.  

3. Kids in Parks is an expanding network of family-friendly outdoor adventures called TRACK Trails, with several located within an easy drive of Greenville. With a choice of four TRACK adventures at Congaree National Park and five more at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site (including the brand new Citizen Science trail that opened just last month), there are plenty of opportunities to earn prizes for tracking adventures while exploring our region’s vast natural resources. Check out the Kids in Parks website to sign-up, and see you on the TRACK trail!

Book time with grandmother!

4. As the kids are already logging all the books they are reading over summer vacation, they don’t mind reading a few extra books to earn some summer cash. We’re participating in the 2016 TD Bank summer reading program for kids in grades K-5, which involves reading 10 books, logging them on the summer reading form, taking the form to the nearest TD Bank and receiving $10 in a new or existing TD Simple Savings account! A program that encourages reading while helping children learn about saving money has my full support, so head over to the TD Bank website to learn more.

5. As they’re reading and re-reading every book in the house, we’ve already cashed in our credit with our local used bookstore and spent hours at the local library searching the shelves for new and intriguing reading material. However by simply filling out the Barnes and Noble summer reading journal and bringing it in to your local B&N store, you can choose a brand-new free book from a selection of books at the store. To download the Summer Reading Triathlon journal and get started, please visit the Barnes and Noble summer reading program website.

This summer is also all about chickens... but that's a story for another post!

Two of our favorite summer activities – reading and visiting parks!  If there was only a summer program to incorporate another favorite, watermelon eating…. Summer, here we come!!!

It’s not easy being a soccer mom!

We jumped at the opportunity to enroll Lauris in a soccer program here in Greenville. Soccer is the sport he has shown most interest in playing, and as he’ll turn five next year we thought an organized sport would be a great opportunity for him to practice his English, interact with other kids and learn player/coach dynamics. Having dismissed Saturday leagues as they would eat up our family time, and some other options as simply being too far for us to drive once a week, the City of Greenville Parks & Rec youth soccer program seemed perfect.

With the coed U4 (for 3 year olds), U6 (ages 4-5), U8 (ages 6-7) and U10 (ages 8-9) divisions, the program covered a wide range of experience and age. U6 met Tuesday evenings in nearby Holmes Park for eight weeks: the first four covering the basics, the last four being non-competitive games. We ended up out on the field yesterday (despite it being week 10) as two evenings were rained out and rescheduled. Vilis was still very young the first weeks, so Lauris was accompanied by Mikus and dad or vecmamma Inga, who declared that never in her life had she been a soccer mom – “the things we do for our grandchildren!” Vilis and I made it to all four games, and so it came about that I learned how it really is to be that “soccer mom.”

The program is really focused on having fun and learning the fundamentals of soccer. There was no score kept during the games (although believe you me, the boys knew exactly how many goals had been scored and by which teams), and more attention was paid to skill development and encouraging the love of soccer in these young kids than to strategy and winning. I love how excited Lauris got about soccer, and the nights it rained he was heartbroken that practice was cancelled but already babbling about how great the next week would be.

But he is also 4 years old, and this is the reason why it’s hard being a soccer mom. It was clear from the beginning that no negativity would be tolerated from the parents, and a notice was sent out that the general philosophy was to build on qualities, techniques and skills of enrichment such as sportsmanship, teamwork, character, development, encouragement and fun. I think this is important for kids as young as Lauris, because it is easy to discourage kids from wanting to participate, but HOLY COW was it hard not to say anything!!!  As a completely normal four year old, we had lying down on the field, inattentiveness to the ball and the game being played, a certain amount of chopping, wiggling and other goofing off, and the sort of stuff that drives a competitive spirit nuts!

So although there is the voice in the back of my head saying “we need to work on that” and “come on already, chase the ball not your shadow,” I’m proud of my little cleated Lion in green. Not only did he kick in the very first goal in the very first game, but he earned his first trophy and team shirt. We learned about kicking, dribbling and passing, and tried (mostly successfully) to give Coach our attention. Lauris played on a team for the first time, and he told anyone who would listen about the team, practice, the last game, the next game and the fun he is having for three months straight. Not only has he decided (already) that he wants to be a soccer player when he grows up, we’ve already registered him for basketball per his request. And now that we know we have such a wonderful program almost in our backyard, we’ll be registering Mikus next year for the U4 program – maybe by then I’ll have learned the proper soccer mom game-time cheers!

For information on the City of Greenville Parks and Rec department and the programs they sponsor please visit their website and facebook page. 

2 vagabonds, figs and head wounds

I’ve been following the blog “100 Latviešu stāsti" since about #40something. The two authors, Ģirts and Kristaps, are traveling the globe interviewing Latvian émigrés. By emphasizing the things that those interviewed miss most they hope to help those Latvians still in Latvia to appreciate the things they have. By staying with acquaintances and “couchsurfing,” the pair have been traveling low-budget all over the world - they've just departed this continent en route back to Europe. While in America, our paths unknowingly crossed in Gaŗezers and although we didn’t have the chance to meet (if only I had known they would be there!), I had quite the surprise the other day when I sat down at my computer. Story #85 featured a familiar face – my mother! So if you’re curious about how some Latvians in the US today have managed to keep their cultural identity, do take the extra 15 seconds to use Google translate and check out this article, “85.stāsts “Mazās Latvijas” darba rūķis – Inga.”

Then there is this article, “What Should a 4 Year Old Know,” that has eased my mommy-guilt about not sending Lauris off to preschool this fall to learn his multiplication tables, but also motivated me to spend more time with the boys, less time with the computer. Dad is supervising bathtime while I write, if you must know…

We are (I am) thinking of planting a fig tree in the backyard, but wanted to test out a few figs on the family before dedicating a piece of the backyard. Want a super-healthy, quick and easy dessert for those weeknight meals? Cut an x into the top of a fig, big enough that you can stuff a teaspoon or so (depending on how big the fig) of goat cheese in, but not so large that the fig opens up, sprinkle with some thyme (or Herbs de Provence) and bake at 400˚F for 8-12 minutes until fruit opens slightly and the cheese crisps. Drizzle with honey and serve warm. I’ll admit, the boys weren’t as big of fans as I was… Verdict on the tree? Probably only if we get a free tree…

roasted figs with goat cheese and honey

After giving away dozens of cucumbers and (sadly) having to compost another half-dozen, we finally caught up to the cucumber production from our garden. (And by caught up, I mean the seven cucumbers sitting in the salad drawer in the fridge will get eaten before going bad.) So one day last week found me buying cucumbers at Tomato Vine: why, you might ask? Well, because they finally had dill in stock, and it’s pickling time! As the cucumbers coming from the garden are the size of small baseball bats and my Ball jars are the Liter variety, I dug through the bin for some smaller, pickle-sized cucumbers. Dill pickles are sooo easy, maybe I’ll have to share the recipe I learned from my Latvian “neighbor” while living in Detroit, Rudzīšu kundze… She had a 5L jar, much more suitable for the 2013 summer harvest! But maybe you are already starting to plan next year's garden, so here's a little inspiration for those of you living in the city - City Farming Like You've Never Seen Before!

Source: here

We’re planning our fall calendar, and it looks like there might be a trip or two in the near future. If you’re also plotting out your autumn excursions, you might want to take a look at this article on budget-friendly road-trip destinations. She had me at Ben and Jerry’s! And to the author, I wish you and your love a long and adventure full marriage – congratulations on the engagement!

Our annual membership to the Greenville Zoo is still good for a few months, but we’ve been getting our full of the lions, ocelots and gibbons while the weather is warm. It turns out this is the ideal time of the year to visit the zoo; school is in session but the field trips have not been scheduled yet, the weather is slightly cooler but it is still open at 9am – a guarantee you’ll have the place to yourselves.

Saturday marked our first visit to an emergency care center here in Greenville after Lauris fell from a tree stump. Also involved was another chunk of the same tree and a chicken coop – sounds like the start to a joke, does it not? The gash on his head was not funny, but luckily didn’t require stitches. I was assured that the glue wouldn’t leave a scar, but as it’s above the hairline and scars look rugged on boys anyway… Once again, the ordeal was worse for mom (I’ve added a few gray hairs to my collection) and Lauris forgot about crying the second he was handed two giant bouncey balls by the doctor.

I’m a little concerned about this writing style that seems to have taken over my recent posts – the “dump everything into a post by giving every event its own paragraph” approach. Although this capricious tactic might represent the state of my mind at the moment, I do feel as though I have a more cohesive month or two coming up; I hope you’ll bear with me and stay tuned.

On cooking with kids - gateau au yaourt

I’ve got two boys that love to “help” in the kitchen. Although I can’t wait for the day that they start washing dishes, it can be tough to find things for them to do; Mikus is too young to be left unsupervised, and Lauris still needs help with many tasks. My goal with them is not to create more work for myself in clean-up; instead I aim to familiarize them with the ingredients that go into the foods they eat, teach  them the kitchen basics and keep them out of trouble while I’m cooking.

 

While living in France I often heard about gâteau au yaourt, or yogurt cake. You might be familiar with it from the book “Bringing up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting” by Pamela Druckerman. Although I found many things in the book to be stereotypes and not representative of the French parents I knew, the yogurt cake was in fact often baked in many households. Not only does it teach children the basics of measuring, mixing and baking, but it instills patience (yes, in the parents, also…), as the kids have to wait for it to cook before they can have it for their goûter, or afternoon snack. I waited for a while to try it out with the boys, as I wanted Lauris to be able to work independently for the most part – that is after all what yogurt cake is all about. Although he still is not able to follow the recipe completely by himself, he does well enough alone that I can concentrate on keeping his brother out of trouble.

 

What makes this the perfect recipe to bake with kids is the measuring system; the empty yogurt containers are used to measure everything but the vanilla and baking powder, and for those a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon will do (3 “spoons” baking powder and 2 “spoons” vanilla). I grease the pan for Lauris and then read off the ingredients, but he does the “measuring” and pouring. Mikus lends a hand with adding a few ingredients and mixing, and then mom handles the baking. We opted to add chocolate chips this last time around, as it was that kind of day, but really you can put just about anything in it: berries, fruit or nuts to give the kids some variety, lemon zest or rum to make the grown-up version. There are two basic recipes floating around, we use the one from Druckerman’s book, which is also the one I’ve included at the bottom of this post. I’ve found that baking it in a loaf pan extends the cooking time and creates a crunchier crust, but a cake tin will give you more of a smooth cake-like texture. It’s delicious either way, and as long as the boys keep eating it we’ll keep making it.

 

Bringing up Bébé’s gâteau au yaourt

 

Ingredients
2 six-ounce containers  of plain whole-milk yogurt
2 eggs
2 containers sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Just under 1 container of vegetable oil
4 containers  flour
1 ½ teaspoons  baking powder
Crème fraîche (optional)*
 
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375˚F
Use vegetable oil to grease a 9-inch round cake pan or a loaf pan.
Gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix gently until ingredients are just combined (don't overmix). You can add two containers of frozen berries, a container of chocolate chips, or any flavoring you like.
Bake for 35 minutes, then five minutes more if the cake doesn't pass the knife test. It should be almost crispy on the outside, but springy on the inside. Let it cool. The cake is delicious served with tea and a dollop of crème fraîche.*

 

*As crème fraîche is not readily available in Greenville, we tend to eat it alone, or with a dab of butter (must be the Southern influence, thanks Paula Deen!)
** Another option is to top with slivered almonds (before baking) or powdered sugar (before serving) for a more glamorous result. Perhaps the mommies are coming over for a playdate and you don’t want them to know your son did the baking?
*** If you wish to lower the sugar intake you can cut the 2 cups the recipe calls for in half easily without hurting the end result – it just won’t be as sweet, which isn’t a problem if you’re adding berries or chocolate.

It's a mom's life.

We’re back in little Latvija, Gaŗezers, amongst family and friends. First the basics: it is 20˚ cooler here than in SC, I’ve brought with a total of two pairs of pants for each of the boys and (0) warm long-sleeved shirts for mom. But isn’t that how it goes, it’s harder for mom than it is for the boys?

Lauris attended his first day of Biz Biz yesterday, the morning program for 3-6 year olds. As I left him crying with the more than capable counselors I repeated to myself all the reasons we had decided he would attend – the Latvian atmosphere will be good for him, he needs to learn to interact with other children, I can’t keep him with me forever, a week of mornings with only Mikus will do us all good – and then I cried, as what kind of mother leaves her 3 year old behind, crying for her, without looking back? It’s harder for mom than it is for the boys. (And of this I was sure upon returning, as Lauris came flying towards me with tales of all he had done, the cepumiņi he had eaten, the other boy he had met… and of course the refrain of mēs ejam caur’, mēs ejam caur, caur veco Rīgas tiltu which was repeatedly sung all afternoon.)

Mikus provided me with the biggest parenting scare of my life so far, after taking a tumble down some stairs on Saturday night. Used to his antics resulting in various bumps and bruises and not having seen the fall, I scooped him up – only to have him loll back in my arms, seemingly unconscious. All the years of first aid training I’d received during my years as a firefighter were replaced by pure panic as I calculated our distance from the closest ER, so luckily I was surrounded by calm and rational friends that guided us to the first aid station where we were met with a pediatric ER doctor, an EMT and my mom. When it became obvious that Mikus had just had all the air knocked out of him and was emerging from the experience with just another bump, all attention turned to the frantic mom – it’s harder for the mom than it is for the boys.

We attended the boys’ cousin’s birthday party on Saturday, where both Lauris and Mikus were truly in heaven; surrounded by kids and loving family members they enjoyed an entire day of play in the sand and surf, with almost unlimited access to shovels and trucks for the sand, fishing poles for the lake, and cupcakes for the stomach. Meanwhile mom tried to remain calm despite the close proximity to all kinds of dangers; water, stairs, cars, cupcakes… It’s harder for mom than for the boys.

That evening was a wonderful program at the Gaŗezers summer high school, muzēju nakts. On the campus are three museums: Klinklāva galerija (the art museum), Skautu un gaidu muzējs (the Latvian scout and girl guide museum) and Grīna muzējs (the museum of Latvian culture). Based on similar museum days in France, the museums had coordinated this festival to introduce visitors who might not otherwise visit these wonderful cultural resources to the treasures within their walls. This free event allowed us to participate in various activities such as baking bread on a campfire with the scouts and guides, painting a masterpiece with the art museum and listening to kokles being played by students from the high school. In addition we feasted on foods specially prepared to reflect the three museums, including pīrāgi and Jāņu siers at “Café Ūsiņš,” representing Grīna muzējs. The boys loved being the center of attention, getting messy with oil-based paint, getting up close and personal with a campfire and occasionally taking off into a throng of people. Again I repeat – more difficult for mom...

The adventures will no doubt continue, as tomorrow marks the arrival of my cousins from Chicago and this weekend is the annual volleyball weekend that brings hundreds of Latvians to the Latvian Center every summer. Maybe at some point I’ll have the mommy angst more under control to be better able to enjoy these summer days, however until then we’ll try to keep ourselves busy in the sand and sun.

PS I’ve heard ice cream (for the boys) and wine (for mom!) helps, I’ll keep you posted…

A barn cake

You know that feeling of “how am I going to beat this next year?” when it comes to kids birthdays?

Last year Lauris was in love with cranes and trains, and for his birthday I made him a train cake (because I couldn’t quite figure out how to put together a construction crane cake). This year we were discussing cake, and when he drew a blank I threw out a few examples, just to get him thinking. The first thing that came to mind was a farmyard, and he grabbed that and ran with it, describing a barn cake with some animals, trees and a fence. I thought to myself “how hard can it be?” and started planning (i.e. logged into pinterest). Note to self – the barn cake was significantly harder than the train cake, but just as fun to design and make. The red frosting was the trickiest part; I started with a pink strawberry frosting, added quite a bit of red gel food coloring and the final product was difficult to work with and stained badly. For animals I luckily had some cute little barnyard animal and tree candles that had been presents at some point, and for the fence we used pretzels with melted white chocolate “glue,” which I had made to pipe the doors and windows on the barn as normal white frosting would have disappeared into the red mess. My parents are visiting so I had quite a bit of help, especially with child-care while I made my fourth trip to the store after running out of cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar for the second batch of chocolate frosting. My mother gets credit for the beautiful weather vane. (For the strawberries and cream cake recipe click here, chocolate frosting here)

But enough about the cake (even though I’m very proud of the end result), back to why it will be tough to beat this birthday. As I mentioned, my parents are visiting, and this alone boosts the fun-level for this celebration. They know how to spoil their grandchildren; endless reading, pushing of swings, art activities and of course presents! Lauris unwrapped two giant presents this year, the first from mom & dad (a train set to go with the train table he got for Christmas), and a kitchen from the grandparents!  As he loves to help me in the kitchen, this is a perfect gift as it gives him and little brother something to do while I’m preparing food. We’ve gotten over the unfairness of not being able to use real water in the sink, and moved on to “boiling” goldfish crackers, washing dishes (with pretend water) and hanging the utensils neatly on the hooks every evening before going to bed.

Boiling macaroni, photo credit: vectētiņš

We celebrated for three days straight, mostly because the grandparents are visiting, but also because I wanted to have a small party for him with a few of his friends. Going by the years=guests rule we had a nice lunch yesterday, and the kids ate up the pigs-in-a-blanket, the animal crackers, the hot dogs and farmyard mac and cheese. The weather was perfect for some time in the sandbox and backyard, and everyone enjoyed the uninhibited happiness of the birthday boy who just couldn’t believe it was all for him, and that almost everything he asked for was granted.

I really couldn’t have pulled it together without the help of my parents, but it hasn’t been all work either. We discovered Falls Park and attended the local art fair “Artisphere” on Friday, the boys saw the sights up in the mountains on Saturday and we still have downtown to explore today; I can’t wait to share some more pictures. It’s nice to have an extra couple pairs of hands helping around the house, and although I feel pangs of sadness now and again that our time in France ended so quickly, it is nice to have a reminder that being back in the US has its benefits – mainly proximity to family.

And so the birthday boy got his cake. Do I need to start planning for next year’s 2 and 4 année birthdays?

6 months in North Main

As the 6 month anniversary of moving into our new house approaches, I’ve been thinking about how it finally feels like home. We’ve settled in well: making friends with our neighbors, becoming active in the community, and adding to the yard to make it more suitable for the kids. Nothing in the interior of the house has been changed other than some electrical work we had done soon after moving in, but the boxes have (mostly) been unpacked, our belongings have found homes and the superfluous done away with. We’ve picked up some furniture to fill some holes, reassigned other pieces to serve different purposes and identified what we still need.

We celebrated Ūsiņdiena with ice cream downtown, one of the many things we love about our 'hood

 

It’s true that we have fallen in love with the neighborhood. North Main is close to downtown, not quite walkable with the boys, but definitely doable without driving if we walk to the trolley. The giant, mature oaks lining the streets provide shade, color and character. The street is inhabited by an eclectic mix of families, young couples starting out and neighbors who have been here since they were children. We can walk to two parks, one of which is part of the school the boys will be attending in a few short years. Friday I walked to the school with Lauris and Mikus to check out Arts Alive, the annual fundraiser featuring music, food, games, rides and a silent auction to benefit Stone Academy. It was nice to recognize a few of the families that live on our street, and even nicer to know that by having fun all afternoon we were helping to support a top-rated local school. Mikus loved the “Dinosaur Dig” activity, a sandbox filled with buried treasure that both boys dug around in for quite some time (for them the digging was more fun than finding the prizes). Lauris especially remembers getting a train painted on his arm and his hair colored pink. He wanted to participate in the paintball-style glitter fight, but I thought that was best saved for when he is a little older. We left balloons in hand about three hours later after a meal of snow cones, hot dogs, pizza and popcorn. I’m very glad we went to check out what was going on; I had seen a few ads for Arts Alive, but thought it was an art program for the Stone students. When we saw the news helicopters circling that afternoon I figured out it was something more – over 2,000 people were expected.



In the last picture, notice the pink hair...

 

We’ve also recently joined the neighborhood community group, and Thursday evening attended a membership drive at the local soda shop to meet more neighbors. It was only recently that we learned such an organization exists; due to several developments being built nearby there have been concerns over subdividing, retention ponds and the loss of mature trees, and we attended an informational meeting to learn more. The social meet and greet Thursday reminded us that there is an organization looking out for the general health of our community, and we had fun meeting new people and checking out the fire engine from the local firehouse.

 

In our six months here we’ve managed to make some big changes to the backyard. During the winter we built two raised beds in the sunniest portion of the yard, which were immediately appropriated by the two little guys as their own personal digging site. With some pressure treated lumber, rebar and a saw we were able to quickly put together a very solid, easy to assemble (and disassemble if needed) raised garden that hopefully will be productive for us this summer.

 

The spring however has so far been a constant struggle to keep Mikus from pulling everything up from the garden, and we had talked for a while of building a sandbox to keep them otherwise occupied. While Zinta was in town our neighbor stopped by to let us know she had seen a sandbox on the curb a few streets over as she knew we had been thinking about building one and hadn’t yet found the time. I left the boys with my sister and went to take a look, finding an adorable wooden sandbox in great shape. Good (free) finds don’t last long in this neighborhood, and after measuring and deliberating and trying to figure out a way to fit the playset in the car without taking it apart I was resigned to waiting for my husband to get home with the truck. At that moment yet another stroke of luck occurred, as a neighbor saw me and offered to give the sandbox a ride to our place with his pickup. Roberts has fitted the box with a cover and yesterday we filled it with river sand, a cheaper alternative to the play sand that sells at home improvement stores.

 

The sandbox is not the only “lightly used” play equipment taking up space in the backyard. A while back we went out to Anderson to a farm that belongs to some friends of ours, and they offered us they playset that their girls had outgrown and was taking up space where the pool was to go. After determining that it could be taken apart we accepted the offer, knowing that putting it back together might prove more of a challenge than getting it home. Sure enough, between having to replace a couple of boards and the awning, to having to “tweak” things a little, the result is not exactly how it originally looked. The important thing however is that the two boys now have a swingset and slide to expend energy on, and that Mikus has become a little spider monkey climbing up and down the rock wall.

 

With all the settling in and changes in the last six months I’m curious to see what the next six will bring. I’m excited to see what happens with the garden, so far it looks like the squirrels and insects will provide me a challenge with some of the plants. And we keep adding more; a raspberry bush has joined the blueberries and the grape has finally budded, some hostas will be joining the shrubbery out front and the mint that a friend dug up from her garden has finally established itself in the back close to the irises our neighbor separated for us from her gorgeous garden. She’s the one that had to give her three guinea hens to her brother; we are simultaneously sad and happy to see them go as we (especially the boys) loved collecting the beautiful feathers that occasionally landed on our side of the fence, and that they would keep us company while we played and worked outside, but the early morning wake-up calls will not be missed. Never a dull moment, it looks like we’ll possibly have some chickens for neighbors on the other side in the coming months, should I complain a little in order to secure a bribe of fresh eggs?  Changes on the block aren’t restricted to new development either. Friends on another street (with a French connection) have decided on a move to California, and we are sorry to see them go, but new friends we refer to as the #2 pencils (we first met them as a family on Halloween, when they were dressed up as…) remind us that there are tons of families with kids of similar ages as L & M on our street.

 

I wish to end this overly long post with the following thought - everything happens for a reason. Upon moving back from France a lot earlier than originally expected we regretted selling our house; the first home we ever owned, the house Lauris spent the first months of his life in, the friendships we formed in another tight-knit community. But now I realize that if we still owned that house, we would never have bought this home, in a neighborhood that has already brought us so much happiness. Now wouldn’t it be cool if the rumors of an owl living in our tree were true (well, except for maybe the new chickens...)?

On how to clean up spilt milk

So what’s the cure for crying over spilt milk?

 

Step 1: Say paldies, merci beaucoup and thank you to all the dear people that wrote, called, commented and volunteered to hop on a plane after my last post. I believe it has never been nicer to hear the “you are not alone” refrain, nor has there been a time more important to heed the call not to give in to the mommy guilt complex that runs rampant these days due to the proximity to social media. We’ve got some exciting adventures to look forward to in the coming months, and I just have to get through those days, the disastrous as well as the not-so-bad ones, one day at a time.

 

Step 2: Set alarm for 7am and after grabbing a cup of coffee leave all the boys at home and hit the yard sales. Can you believe this only cost me $1.50? Add in a couple of children’s books, some kids clothes in great shape, and you have a successful morning alone.

 

Step 3: Get home just in time to accompany the boys to the company Easter egg hunt. Watch five million children (I might be exaggerating just a bit but really, those eggs were gone in minutes!) scramble across the lawn stuffing eggs into their sacks like they were born doing it. Eat popcorn, cotton candy, mini cupcakes, chips, hot dogs and possibly more mini cupcakes. Watch your youngest son become enamored with the Easter bunny and go back for seconds. Cheer on your older son on his first amusement park ride. Start gearing up for our first Easter back in the US.

 

 

 

Step 4: Convince husband to get takeout for dinner, and spend time in kitchen starting a batch of rye bread instead of making dinner. Let dad handle the diapers while up to elbows in dough, luxuriating in the smell of baking bread.

 

Step 5: Have friends over to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a big lunch and some NY style cheesecake. Be grateful for not having mowed the lawn yet this year during our search for four-leaf clover.

 

Step 6: Send the boys out to get shamrock shakes while tidying up the kitchen and enjoying some uninterrupted phone time.

 

Step 7: Me-time with a glass of wine and some blogging.

 

I feel better already.

On crying over spilt milk

Do you have days where you feel like everything is out of your control, where the only progress you make is on adding things to the to-do list? Days when your youngest son gets into the bathroom and plays with the potty his older brother just used while you’re trying to make breakfast? And then while you’re cleaning that up, the glass of milk you just poured yourself to drink while the boys eat breakfast gets spilled all over the library book and iPad? You know that day, the type where the entire contents of the boys’ wardrobe gets rearranged all over the room while you’re trying hard not to cry over spilt milk, and all this in the first thirty minutes of your day?

 

Well, on these days I try really hard to remember to get dressed before buckling Thing 1 and Thing 2 into their car seats and driving, anywhere really, in the hopes that by doing so the house will still be standing when we return.

 

I hit the drive thru and order a decaf caramel mocha coffee because I’m not kidding myself, I know I don’t need any more caffeine, just a cup of liquid sugar to keep my outlook on life sweet while the kid in the backseat asks his 200^th question of the day.

 

I keep the Goldfish crackers coming after strapping both boys into one of those giant carts at the grocery store that are impossible to navigate unless you’ve had a cup of sugar and the other store patrons avoid you like the plague due to the wild look in your eye.

 

I call up my husband to meet him for lunch, just to share with him how *my day is going*.

 

I meet up with a friend who gets it, as she has three boys, and then proceed to spend entire time with said friend retrieving one son from precarious positions on stairs and furniture while attempting to corral the other and keep him from getting us kicked out of the coffee shop.

 

And then I cry, when I’ve gotten home and both boys fall asleep simultaneously, allowing me 30 uninterrupted minutes of cleaning the house before a salesman rings the doorbell and wakes them both up.

 

Of course I ask myself why my husband couldn't have walked in the door ten minutes earlier, instead of while I'm in the process of scrubbing the floor and removing the entire contents of the bunk bed to the washing machine after an unfortunate accident that could have been prevented had I not been busy changing the diaper and clothes of another member of the household.

I ask myself what my degree is worth when I deal with cooking, cleaning and bodily fluids all day, wonder what has happened to the intelligence I'm pretty sure I had at one point.

I ask myself where I lost myself along the way, and wonder if it's something I'll find again once the kids have grown, like an unmatched sock in the dryer lint trap. Which I then remember I need to empty. Mustn't forget to empty the lint trap.

It's that piparkūku time of the year again!

I’ve been told that there will be days (weeks, months!) like these, days when nothing gets done except even bigger messes made, days when the boys don’t make it out of their pajamas, days when I don’t make it out of my pajamas… I’m not sure what has been the single most overwhelming thing this week, but the combination has been a doozy. I’ve made a to-do list for the holidays and don’t even know where to start. We’ve bought a used bookcase from craigslist and it barely emptied the boxes of books from the space it now stands. Mikus has found the various places in the house that are not childproof and insists on visiting every chance he gets. And sleep! I spend more hours a day trying to get both boys to sleep than they actually spend sleeping!

It might be the Christmas list that irks me most, as this will very possibly be the first Christmas Lauris remembers. It certainly is the first where a portion of the preparations will be more for him than for me. Discussions of Santa Claus, the elves, advent calendars and the meaning of Christmas dot our afternoons, and I find myself reading Ziemassvētki Rezgalē (an Astrid Lindgren book about Christmas translated into Latvian) at least twice a day.

 

So it is with great relief that I announce I have started the piparkūku dough! Currently in the refrigerator “resting” before the cookie cutting begins, it took almost an entire day to make. While Mikus was taking his first nap of the day Lauris helped me get started, pouring and sifting ingredients. Twenty minutes later Mikus joined us, pulling my pant leg while simultaneously shrieking for attention. One belt, lunch and diaper changes later we continued the process, only to break for another snack break (which means more diaper changes). And in the final stage I found myself elbow-deep in dough at the moment when Mikus decided he had had enough and wanted up, now! Needless to say the clean-up took even longer (and might still be unfinished as I’m pretty sure there is flour dusting the entire kitchen) and only because of Thanksgiving  and subsequent leftovers was there any dinner on the table (anyone else enjoy their turkey soup as much as we did?). And this was without all the added challenges that making them in France brought...

All the spices that go into the piparkūkas!

 

This morning I made it a point to get dressed and brush my teeth before starting on the boys; we have to go to the store and although we are in the US I doubt making the trip in my pajamas would be proper. We’ve gotten a good start to the morning, and I instead of dread when I look at the clock and see it’s only 9am, I’m a bit relieved, because it means I might actually get something done today.

* Today I am grateful for my two boys. Sleep-deprived, sanity-challenged and patience-deficient also, sure, but grateful.

 

** And during the process of trying to post this they’ve gotten into the kitchen cabinets. Mikus has broken something and Lauris smashed his pinkie finger in the door. Now we’re eating a second breakfast and reading about a dingo.  <Sigh>

Packing for a move to temporary housing

It seems that I should be a professional by now at moving, as I’ve gone through the process enough times by now. Yet no matter how accustomed I believe myself to be to the transition process and all the little details that go with it, there are always a few things I forget, something that surprises me or that sense of déjà vu when I realize the exact same thing happened on the previous move.

We learned to pack for a few months on our previous two moves. The shipment with our belongings would have been delivered a month later, but as we were still in temporary housing and didn’t want to have to move all our belongings an additional time, we requested for the shipment to be stored until we found a more permanent home. In France Lauris managed to outgrow almost every single article of clothing I had packed during those six months we waited on our apartment, and I had to buy a winter coat as I somehow ended up in Clermont-Ferrand with nothing warmer than a fleece during the winter months. Before that, when we moved to South Carolina the first time, we made quite a few purchases for the temporary apartment as we searched for a house and awaited our belongings. So before the move I sent Roberts ahead with a few extra suitcases that then awaited us here, and although we might end up not using some of the things packed within them, we have had very little that we miss from the container that is currently somewhere on the Atlantic.

Here is a list of things to remember when making your big move!

For the kids:

Clothes a few sizes larger and for different seasons. Children’s clothes are expensive, as are shoes and coats. We learned the hard way on our last move, and this time we are prepared for autumn and for Mikus outgrowing his 9-12 month clothes at 7 months.

Toys: We packed Lauris’s backpack and the diaper bag with a few toys for the plane ride, but one of the suitcases we sent ahead of time was packed with toys, including a blow up play area for Mikus so I would have a place to put him down while he is learning to sit, and a doorway swing so that I can get things done. Soon he will have outgrown both, but we’ve gotten plenty of use out of both and they took up relatively little space. And for Lauris, having a multitude of cars, trains, puzzles and books has been wonderful, as it’s hot outside, so we’ve spent too much time in this apartment.

Extra sippy cups, plastic plates and utensils: Bringing these things has given Lauris a sense of continuity during the transition, and they really don’t take up that much space or weigh that much in your luggage. The apartment here had nothing suitable for a toddler or baby other than a travel bed for Mikus, so the dishes are used every day.

For the kitchen: (and these are some things that I wish I had brought on the previous three moves!

Kitchen knives: The temporary apartments we have stayed in have been furnished, and although it’s great that we don’t have to lug sheets, towels and plates in our carry-on luggage, some things just aren’t functional. Currently I’m using two Swiss army knives to cut everything from fruit and vegetables to meat and potatoes.

Measuring cup and spoons: They don’t take up a lot of space, and especially if you are switching countries (and therefore going from metric to feet) you might want them for your favorite recipes. Plus, the cup can always find a different use if the temporary apartment has one, for example it can be a sugar cup, or a vase, or even a bath toy for les petites.

Wooden spoon and a good spatula: If you’re planning on taking advantage of being in transition to frequently eat out, I wouldn’t worry as much about the kitchen stuff. However, with all the things to do during the day I would rather eat a nice dinner at home, and so we are cooking up some typical American comfort food in the evenings as a “welcome back to the US” (where you can buy things like mac and cheese, hot dogs, peanut butter and waffles!!!). I’m finding the pots here completely adequate, but the plastic spoons and spatulas have already failed. I remember the same thing happening in Clermont-Ferrand when we moved there, and I wish I had thought to pack a few more things for the kitchen, just to make life in transition a little bit easier.

Improvisation is key! No cookie rack, no problem! (Rack from oven)

For us:

An external hard drive: On our previous moves we’ve taken only laptops in our baggage, with a few jump drives that have files we think we’ll need on them. This time we took our external hard drive as well, and the access to all those documents that you didn’t think you would need has been great. The old spreadsheet that has those addresses I was looking for, the photographs from a few years back that I wanted for a blog post, and best of all, it serves as one more back-up in case something happens to the actual hard drive on the way across the ocean. This is the model we have that has served us well: 

All those electronics accessories: We’ve gotten somewhat used to carting around all our charging cords and memory sticks when we travel, but there are a few things definitely to be remembered to pack in your luggage, such as rechargeable batteries and charger, SD card reader, voltage adapters if you’re traveling overseas. I have a European voltage plug and an American plug for my iPad, and luckily I located the American plug and packed that, along with the correct camera battery charger.

Off-season items of clothing: Although I tried to think in layers when packing my suitcase, I was ill-prepared for a winter in France on a previous move. This time we sent ahead winter coats, hats and gloves, just in case. Although I really, really hope we’ve found our permanent lodging by wintertime!

Maps, language dictionaries, paperwork: Depending on where you are relocating, remember to take any books or maps that will help you with the local terrain. Whether simply a road map or maybe you are moving overseas and you need help with translation, the best resources are those that are available and easy to use. And second copies of all paperwork come in handy when things have been lost in the mail, lost in translation or simply lost. We traveled with medical records, birth certificates and translations of birth certificates in addition to our passports, driver’s license and other official paperwork. I also made sure to pack things like my American checkbook, store loyalty cards and some American money.

Fresh flowers make me happy! Notice the blender vase...

I asked my husband what/if anything I should add to the list. To sum up his response (and I believe he’s currently reading a WWII memoir): the immediate concerns during D-Day (after survival) were 1) to set up communications, 2) transportation inland and the 3) strategy/destination. Should I be concerned he was comparing our move to a wartime invasion?

Sooooo…. (and hubby, please correct me if I’ve translated this wrong!)

Communication: Keep your mobile handy. We had a charged trac-phone waiting for us, as our French cellphones don’t work in the US. A trac-phone is a great alternative to immediately signing a cellphone plan, as it is a small initial investment and you can buy additional minutes as needed.

Transportation: Have arrangements made to ensure you are mobile, a rental or borrowed car and a map if needed. If you do have a smart phone and access to mapping software and yellow pages, great, if not be prepared for possible snags with back-up plans.

Strategy/destination: Lay your groundwork previous to travel. Establish contacts that can help with anything from making a few phone calls for you or restaurant recommendations, to inviting you over for dinner or watching the children while you search for houses with a realtor. Transition can be unpleasant, but it doesn’t have to be. With proper preparations and planning it’s easy to make your temporary lodgings a home until you find a more permanent one.