Cat Witt

2010-01-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

Day Before

2010-01-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

Braces

2009-12-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

Riding Around

2009-12-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

Autumn 2009 - Cathrin Gets a Camera (and reconnects with her dear, talented friends from video production days)

2009-11-25T10:19:00.001-08:00

Our autumn has been spectacular in so many ways, yet tough in other ways.

I will expand on this topic, but, for now, videos...

Five-Six Things to Love about Volunteering in Kindergarten

2009-10-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

1: The way the kids are bursting with pride when you sit down to read with with them, ready to show off their skills. And if not, the way they get proud when they do it.

2: How their eyes light up when you tell them what you like about their reading.

3: The probing questions out of the blue, like: "Do you have any pets? What are you making for lunch?"

4: Overhearing your daughter repeatedly telling her friends, "That's my Mom. Her name is Catherine. My Grandma, her mom, used to sing to her when she was little".

5: All those adorable eyes that smile at you and say, "we're glad you're here".

6: Everything I ever needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten. Remember Robert Fulghum? "...Share. Clean up after yourself. Learn some and think some. And draw and paint and sing and dance. And play and work everyday some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, Watch out for traffic, Hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder."

2009-10-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Driving away from the bus stop this morning, just me and my big empty van, no longer constantly eligible for HOV, I realized (okay..again I realized...what can I say? I'm a slow learner) THAT my kids are getting so grown up.

Annika is newly 6 and newly a little independent social butterfly. Well, she's always been a social butterfly, but now it's more of a fulltime job. This morning, she was talking to herself, practicing I guess for situations she supposed she might encounter later in the day. As she sat clumsily but persistently tying her shoes (another new skill), she mumbled, "Hi guys! (with enthusiasm), How are you?". There was no one around her, so I had to assume she was "practicing".

Then as she was climbing in the car, she quietly said (with feeling), "I'm so sorry". I asked, "what for?" And she replied, "oh, nothing".

And then Lauren is like a little 4th grade college student, so diligent and capable of amazing academic feats. She studies every night, and she's motivated to do all her homework and seek excellence in her projects. She is seriously making meteoric rises in her academic career. She's getting 100% on tests, her spelling has gone from sloppy to stellar in 5 weeks. And all this drive is coming from within herself.

It's weird how I can now step back from my role as super involved homeschooling mom, and watch my amazing kids go out on their own everyday. It still makes my head and heart spin some days.

Talk

2009-09-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

Talk to me. Just like it used to be.

Plunge our hands into the cold creek, what treasures under the rocks?

Unwrap the picnic.

Look at each other, in total trust, and tell the truth.

What do I want to be when I grow up?

2009-09-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

I’ve just been pondering all the moms I know, in the Woodinville MOMS and elsewhere, and all of their different titles. Every one of these friends of mine puzzles, to some degree, over how to spend the most “quality time” with her kids and still keep up some form of “career” as well, or at least the dream of one day having a career. There’s the ‘fulltime working mom’ (with kids in school and daycare) all the way to the ‘stay at home mom’ (kind of a misnomer as she’s hardly ever staying in any one place, including home, for very long). And we all become jugglers, fluidly defining our roles as moms and individuals.
As the kids grow up, they go through various stages which basically are leading toward their independence. That means our job as mom, if we’re doing it well, is on a track of planned obsolescence. It may seem so far off for most of us (even me whose kids are 9 and 6), but all childhood milestones-- learning to smile, crawl, talk, potty train, dance, do calculus--they all lead eventually to the same end: a grown up person.
Although we rejoice over our kids’ accomplishments, we also have our fleeting moments of yearning for things to never change. But that’s another great thing about being a mom: it forces you to continually accept change and roll with it. When my oldest daughter can go from an innocent, perfect newborn to a brilliant young scientist, runner, musician, and contributing community member in the space of TEN short years, I realize how quickly time marches on and how much growing and changing a person can do every year.
It’s inspiring really. If our kids can grow so much, can’t we too? Well, you might be saying, “we're not kids anymore, Cathrin”. But I don’t really buy that whole theory that kids learn better than adults. I believe with the right attitude we all have lifelong potential to learn. For example, I didn’t start learning French until I was 20, an age some “experts” might call “too late”. But I speak French fluently now, and my accent is even quite good. Five years after I started learning the language, I had the pleasure of astounding one of these so called language experts. Listening to my accent, this Linguistics professor kept insisting, “surely you had a parent or an aunt or someone who spoke French to you as a child? A playmate? A neighbor? Anyone? But I did not. He was so sure of his expert research that I don’t think he ever believed me.
All this is to say that I do not know what I want to be when I “grow up”, but I do believe that there’s nothing more fun than plotting out some dreams and plans and going for them step by step. Being a mom has taught me to change and grow alongside my blossoming kids. They aren’t afraid of trying new things. They’re not afraid of failing or of wasting their time. They just naturally go for learning with gusto. If we also have passion for a subject plus time, there is no end to what we can do. And the thing about the kids becoming more independent is it gives us more time to figure out what we are passionate about to also go for learning it.

A few random things about me

2009-09-18T07:14:00.001-07:00

I grew up in Coquitlam, B.C., Canada, just outside of Vancouver.

I hosted a community radio show in Quebec City. It was a music show, and people called in with stuff they had to sell, and I announced their ads on the radio. That was in 1990. This was a French show and an entirely French station. I also helped produce a community affairs show there.

I taught English at Vancouver Community College.

I have not subscribed to cable with the hope that my family would read and practice music more. We do, but we still are often drawn to dvds, youtube or hulu.

I performed as a professional actor for a few years, acting in theatre, video and radio commercials.

I love Wes Anderson movies.

I homeschooled my daughter for two years for 2nd and 3rd grade.

I support local and/or organic farmers and food producers. I also believe in buying recyclable products and creatively reusing all kinds of stuff.

I worked in the video industry for a few years, doing graphics, camera, directing and producing.

I love improv theatre and would like to do more of it.

I have started two businesses (seems I start one about every ten years); one was a video and photography business and the other involved selling and creating reusable gift wrap and reusable gift tags.

I get a thrill from raising money or doing work for charities and the many deserving people suffering in our community.

Biography and Autobiography are two of my favorite genres.

Do you know your child's "learning style"?

2009-09-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Education is not about filling a bucket; it's about lighting a fire. William Butler Yeats

Every parent dreams their child will be on fire for learning, and knowing their "learning style" can help with that. This is a basic summary of "learning styles". It's simple, but you can use this information and quiz at the bottom as a jumping off point in deciding which curriculum or activities or projects will work to help your child learn.

If flashcards only help to frustrate your child and talking through an addition or subtraction problem just confuses him, perhaps the usual study techniques contradict his personal learning style.

Once you know your child's learning style, you can tailor his study habits accordingly. You study smart, meaning you use your best strengths, whether it's visual or auditory or kinesthetic.

Visual learners learn by watching. Use pictures, handouts, movies, and maps. Visual learners tend to study by themselves in a quiet room rather than in a group. When studying for a spelling test, visual learners often benefit from visualizing the words in their mind and then writing them out on paper.

Other helpful study methods for visual learners include:

Use color highlighters
Make lists and outlines
Read books with pictures, maps, and graphs
Visualize information to aid memorization
Draw "webs" that connect all of the child's ideas on paper

Auditory learners learn by hearing. Group discussions, videos, lectures, and music all work with these students. They learn better when they read a text aloud or can discuss what they think. Auditory learners take cues from their teacher's tone, pitch, and speed and often find underlying meanings.

Roth recommends asking children to repeat what they've learned in their own words and then help them prioritize the information.

Auditory learners also can:

Study with someone so they can talk about concepts
Compose or listen to speeches
Create jingles or poems to help memorize information
Use a tape recorder instead of taking notes on paper
Read instructions aloud
Talk through a problem or explain it to others

Kinesthetic learners learn by doing. "Kinesthetic learners always want to touch everything and be involved physically with the material they're learning," Roth says. "As much as possible we want to provide something that they can hold or manipulate."

Kinesthetic learners learn best when their muscles or senses are actively engaged. They take a hands-on approach, learning from imitation and touch. Roth adds that kinesthetic students sometimes have difficulty because visual and auditory teaching methods are used most in schools, and abstract concepts are more difficult to hold or manipulate.

"Kinesthetic learners sometimes find science concepts difficult so I ask them to act them out. It helps them to better conceptualize a cell or an atom," she says.

Kinesthetic learners can bounce a ball as they recite their times tables or write a spelling word in the air to help them study.

Other helpful study methods for kinesthetic learners include:

Manipulate models whenever possible
Chew gum while studying
Take study breaks to move around
Read on an exercise bike
Play charades or role play

Learning styles are not absolute. Children can use all three modes when they learn. "Everybody learns a combination of ways. Learning areas are not separate functions; the brain is not made up of segments but works together as a whole," Roth says. "The primary role of parents is to stand by and know their child and observe their child and to help them to succeed by helping the child to understand themselves. If they do that, they become the best parent because they'll understand the uniqueness of their student."

QUIZ: Is your child a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Answer the following questions to find out.

1. What helps your child work through a math problem?

a. Adding or subtracting from a pile of blocks.
b. Reading the problem out loud.
c. Writing it down.

2. When given a new building-block set, does your child:

a. Dive in and start matching random pieces together?
b. Talk to himself as he figures out where each piece goes?
c. Make a car just like the picture on the box?

3. What does your child enjoy the most?

a. Playing "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes."
b. Singing songs.
c. Looking at colorful videos or pictures.

4. Which is your child's favorite class?

a. Gym class
b. Music class
c. Art class

5. When given a spelling word, your child:

a. Writes it down to see if it feels right.
b. Sounds it out.
c. Closes his eyes and pictures the word before writing.

If you answered:
Mostly As: Your child is a kinesthetic learner.
Mostly Bs: Your child is an auditory learner.
Mostly Cs: Your child is a visual learner.

Darn it. Yayyyy.

2009-09-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

I'm in that place of, "oh man, why didn't I"...

-start earlier (but I had a great summer)
-study my camera functions
-ask Louise to put a "campaign" link on her super high traffic website

I live and learn. I love making videos and blogging. I've learned that too. The written word is a special medium, but something about images and sounds opens up a whole world of opportunities for important stories to be told in a beautiful and possibly more accessible way.

And this morning, fog is floating from the ground almost up to the treetops. When I was little, this was the kind of morning that made me think the world was magic.

Annika is okay... in spite of us.

2009-09-13T01:32:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a video project this week, and I accidentally left the camera recording on a chair when I didn't know it. I then had the chance to listen (no picture because the lense cap was on) to the girls and me going about our business. After a few minutes, I started noticing that Lauren and I would engage in conversations about homework or some such "serious" issue, and when Annika would pipe in, we'd not hear her. She had to repeat herself, at times loudly, for us to finally acknowledge her, or, worse, she'd give up trying to get a response from either one of us.

I was startled and sad.

It might be just that she was saying, "I've got a magic wand!" or "I love bunnies", and it doesn't seem relevant at the time, but it is. Because it's important to her. I've been making an effort the past few days to always affirm her statements or questions.

I'm so happy about her Kindergarten teacher. Annika's demeanor has become remarkably more calm over the past week and she's decided school is great. Today, she and I were driving when I heard the cute voice from the back seat quietly mentioning, "Mrs. Harrod says I do quality work". I looked over my shoulder quickly to see her beaming (of course I was too), in her special Annika way, almost like she's talking to herself and in her own happy world.

What I've been up to lately

2009-09-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

This week I've been (re)learning how to make a video: producer, director, script manager, camera, talent and editor. Now I remember why I love this medium so much. I've had a looooooooooong absence from this artform and it feels good come back to it.

I've done one short job application video in my bid to become the Verity Mom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43FAPb6jrbE

Last week, I was preparing my kids to go to fulltime school for the first time. Lauren is just coming off of two years of homeschooling and Annika is starting K. After one week of school supply shopping and another week of "staggered start" for Ks, on Tuesday they both excitedly stepped aboard that yellow bus, their adorable selves, with their books and their warm lunches all tucked away in their backpacks. We were all smiles and kisses and waves, when suddenly, it hit me. I forgot to prepare myself for this moment when my little hearts would venture all alone (aka without me) into that big world.

The kids were great, but I had a minor emotional breakdown. It blindsided me, but I've got a lot of new adventures to enjoy: my job prospects, my video projects, driving with the volume cranked up on the stereo.

As well, I've been monitoring/observing/researching Annika's recent Epilepsy diagnosis and then the anti-seizure prescription. It's tricky to know if her behavioral changes are due to nerves about starting K (Kindergarten) or neurochemicals from starting the other K (Keppra), so I'm just doing some studies in the field before I make my final call on it, and I'm increasing her dosage slowly. So far, thank God, no more seizures.

Family Ties

2009-08-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

We're on our way up to Vancouver today for Alex's birthday party. Annika says, "Alex is my favorite cousin. I'm going to marry him".

Lauren replies, "You can't. If you did, your kids would have two heads."

Then later, Annika introduces me to her stuffed animals to whom she's been conversing for about an hour: "Panda", she coos, "this is your new Grandma."

Moms and Money

2009-08-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

My friends at the Woodinville Moms Club are mostly stay-at-home or parttime working moms, and we chat about many things. Our conversations most often involve our kids, like who's allergic to what, or who mastered the dog paddle last week in swimming class. We also talk about our husbands, our extended families, our hobbies, our dreams for the future... You know. We're women. We know how to chat. As if it isn't enough that we get together and shoot the breeze for hours at playdates, we have "ice breaker" games at our business meetings to find out even more details about each other.

We share a lot, yet with the exception of the topic of 529s, I cannot recall a conversation among us about our financial lives. So, I asked my Moms club via an email "survey" what they cared about in their personal financial lives and what they are doing with their money.

Not surprisingly, every Mom who responded to my "Money Survey" is putting aside monthly money for their children to participate in enriching activities, like music, arts or sports. And they all dream of being able to financially help their kids with some form of post-secondary education.

They(we) also dream of having enough money in retirement, so most have IRAs and/or 401ks.

As a club, we are certainly venerable fundraisers too. In fact, our chapter recently won the national club award having done the most community charity work and raising the most money.

But surprisingly, all the Moms who responded about their personal finances told me that they, like me, left most of the saving and investing up to their husbands. Our husbands' employers have 401Ks, and we have those or IRAs from before we became stay-at-home moms, but since it's mostly his employer now, we leave leave the investing "up to him".

Moms are the heart and soul of our communities. And our financial situation, if I may have some poetic licence here, is the blood that keeps that heart pumping. We benefit from a firm grasp on the many tools available to us to grow and use our money wisely. Can we get as excited over new financial products as a great new pair of shoes (for ourselves or our kids)? It's a tough call at first glance. I mean, you know how difficult it can be to find a really great pair of shoes. But, when I think on a deeper level about the importance of a healthy financial life, I become extremely curious to find out what makes credit unions better for our community, for example, or why one checking account has advantages over another. I guess these are stepping stones in my learning journey to to the day I can have an intelligent conversation about Amortizing and Annual Percentage Yields.

What do you think of these hot topics?

Big Yellow Butterflies

2009-08-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Annika and I were captivated by the delicate fluttering of these colorful creatures. A few times a day we would stop and follow a gorgeous monarch as it flitted across the yard of the Youngs' incredible property in Eastern Washington. It's right on Lake Palmer which is a sparkling jewel in northeast part of our state.

We just came back from a 4 day trip to their lodge up there, and it was an absolutely fabulous vacation. The girls all had a blast. The men got to do their gold panning (no bling for the ladies, but they had fun trying) while we ladies went to explore the nearby town of Tenasket with its many evident artists, gardeners and health food enthusiasts.

Anne, Dana, Joseph and Amy are all precious and super fun friends. Dana works so hard to keep that place up, and to get everyone out having fun in his boat. Anne is also the ever gracious hostess. Their girls and ours are like peas in a pod. The tubing and boating was exhilerating, and the lake was warm and so refreshing.

Oddly, we didn't take a single photo this year. We have some from last year's trip (which was in June and not as warm...we actually got pretty cold on the boat). Anyway, the memories of the warmth (in everyway) of this trip will surely be in our memories forever.

Now it's time to work on my job application for the Verity Mom. I'm so excited...

They're both going to school fulltime!

2009-08-13T12:33:00.001-07:00

Since I have homeschooled for the past two years, and since Annika is only 5, this is the first time I've ever faced sending both my kids to school full time. What will I do with myself? I don't know, but I am reveling in the open-endedness of this question.

Meanwhile, I'm tackling the somewhat dizzying list of school supplies that I need to get them. 15 glue sticks each? I just checked Rite Aid for binders. Ten dollars? Well, I've really only just begun. I know I can find a more economical way to get them equipped. First stop, our bookshelf in the garage to recycle some binders, and then I'm just positive that Fred Meyer or Target sell cheaper glue sticks.

This Summer

2009-08-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to speak in glowing terms about how much I love our summer. The weather has been awesome and hot. The girls have gone to two great VBS camps, one at Duvall where I helped a bit, and one at Annika's former preschool. We have had the precious gift of time to slow down and just enjoy each other and the moment. We've had a chance to prayerfully contemplate what we can accomplish this coming year. We've spent time with friends, and it's been amazing. Other than those couple organized events and teeing up the girls' various lessons (sewing, music, French), the girls and I have just been hanging out, working on some new recipes, going to the lake to laze about for hours swimming and relaxing. I've been losing weight. The sun, the heat, my new attitude since "discovering myself in France", it has all just seemed SO rejeuvenating.

The one thing which has been our little source of challenge is Annika's Epilepsy diagnosis. We've been watching her closely since her first seizure (well, her first full throttle one) 6 weeks ago. So, even though we've been seeing docs, researching treatments, doing tests etc, I have to admit that I've been a bit in denial that another seizure would even happen. Her MRI was normal. Her EEG is not, and it shows the specific part (left temporal spikes) indicating her type of centro-temporal epilepsy of childhood. I was hoping she would just not have another seizure and I wouldn't have to delve too deeply into the whole question of regular meds, but on Saturday her tongue went numb for 5 minutes (but she was fine after that) but on Wednesday, she had a full blown seizure. This one lasted 45 minutes and I videotaped portions of it to document it for the doctors.

There's nothing you can do during the seizure but be calm and hold and reassure your child. I wanted to freak out and scream because my baby seemed to be suffering so much, but I stayed soothing at the time. I remembered that the docs in France had given me an intrarectal sedative to give her if the seizure lasted longer than 30 minutes. Well this one did and right at the 40 minute mark or so, it started to get worse, more shaking and then gurgling in the throat, unresponsive to me, so I tried to call around to our Pediatrician for advice on how to give it. I had mentioned this to the docs here, but they were not really commital about whether they recommended I give it. So, the first office staff at my pediatrian's office said, "Why not leave a message with our nurse advice line and they'll get back to you within three hours?" Three hours? My daughter is seizing in my arms. Okay, so Lauren went and grabbed the Neurologist's number. Again, office staff says take her to ER. Again, this is a physical impossibility as she's seizing in my arms. What am I going to do, throw her in the back seat? People! Okay, I can't get upset...I must remain calm and soothing.

I didn't know exactly how and if to use the sedative because of the denial I guess. I had hoped against hope and as usual denial didn't work. So, anyway, then I had to call 911. I just wanted advice, but what I got were about 10 firemen and medics and an ambulance ride to Children's. The seizure finally subsided and ended a few minutes after they arrived, but, still, what a relief to see them.

Later that day, Karen came by and watched Annika and the girls while I went to fill Annika's prescription. I nearly lost it at the pharmacist's counter when she put the anti-seizure medicine in my I hand, but I made it to the car to have my little break down. It was a relief after an Academy Award worthy day of acting calm and reassuring.

So, it's on. I a mom. I am scared, and I have a lot to learn about epilepsy. My daughter has been prescribed, and, gulp, is taking a drug that affects her brain chemistry. I am going to research everything I can about ketogenic diet, and though the original, pure diet seems so impractical, there are apparently "trials" going on about a new "Atikins-type" diet and they're trying to measure its effectiveness. That sounds promising!

I will talk to our fabulous Pediatrician on Monday, and I'm on the waiting list for a new Neurologist.

She took her first dose of Keppra Wednesday night after her seizure. It was prescribed by her Neurologist on the phone from the hospital. So far, her reaction to his phone-in dose has not been great, so I'm going to have to talk to him asap. I know it's his job to stop her seizures, but it's my job to raise her and make sure her life is good. So I need to decide which is worse: the seizures or the meds' side effects. So, I'm going to record our experiences here.

Keppra Day One:

She was so sleepy on Wednesday afternoon (being post-ichtal, aka post-seizure) because apparently a seizure is really a ton of physical work. She was sweating a lot during it. The paramedic told Lauren it would be like running to Albertsons and back. One hour after I gave her 100ml, around 5pm at night, she started really amping up. She was wound like a top. She was jumping on the chair, and then went flying right off of it onto the floor on her face. That was very odd. An hour later, she was talking to Kevin on the phone, and she could not keep still, smacking her feet together (looks like it would have hurt and it looked so odd for her because she's usually so gentle and sensitive), and she was also slamming her feet down on the bed...laying on her back and doing a dolphin type movement that ended with her feet slamming down on the bed, over and over. It reminded me alot of the way Beau is at night, like just trying furiously to get energy out. But when she finally closed her eyes to sleep, she was asleep in 2 seconds it seemed. Also, odd for her.

Keppra Day Two:
.8 in the morning. Really hyper and talking back to me. I found it so odd that she would do that because she doesn't usually. When I told her it's unacceptable, she was sorry and seemed herself again, so it was just momentary. Little later, still hyper, running everywhere instead of walking. Slightly odd. Then, she fell on her knees getting off the toilet. Very Odd...this has never happened before. Then later she tripped over a clothing rack in Fred Meyer and scraped her foot on the rack. Quite odd. Somewhat hyper the rest of the day...general sense of being wound up, but I can't say it's way beyond the norm...sort of like Christmas eve hyper though or something. Or hungry or tired hyper, but it lasted pretty much all day and had nothing to do with hunger or sleep. .8 before bed, starting to get really hyper, but when she's told she really needs to go to sleep, she just closes her eyes and bam, sound asleep.

Keppra Day Three
.5 in the morning. Pretty normal all day. .5 at night. Hyped up but slept well. One fall over the door step.

Keppra Day Four
.5 in the morning. Pretty normal today. She started to hype up just before bed, running across the couch and seeming kind of insecure and needing attention (so atypical for her). Gave her .5 just 5 minutes before bed and she went straight to sleep. No unusual falls (even though she jumped down about 6 stairs to the landing, and was constantly dancing around on her tip toes like Angelina Ballerina). I don't know how she's going to start K if she doesn't settle down. Or maybe we can find another solution to the seizures.

Day Five
I didn't give her the med all day. She has a good day, no falls, and she seemed to be herself. I gave her 1 ml. right before bed and she seemed really hyped up for about 30 minutes, insecure, kept wanting more hugs, and FINALLY fell asleep.

Day Six
Dr. Chattra, aka, "Our Hero", said that I did the right thing to reduce the dose. It's just not worth it to have Annika falling and behaving strangely. I'm going to see the Neurologist on Wednesday.

Day Seven
Low dose am and pm, and no problems.

Day Eight
Even the Neurologist says to give the low dose. And, he even said that, upon ramping up the dosage slowly over several weeks, if she doesn't tolerate it well, without any side effects whatsoever, we will simply "fire the medicine" because there are other options. This is fabulous news.

It is such a relief to have this under control. I know everything is going to work out.

I guess I won't even need this Keppra diary unless there are anymore strange behaviors to report. This is just so fabulous.

Le Mans and "La Noirie"

2009-07-03T03:53:00.000-07:00

On our way to Paris to get Kevin, we stopped in Le Mans, famous home of the annual car race and also home (until they move to Brussels in a month) to Berengere and her family.

Her father hosted us at his chateau which he now runs as a bed and breakfast. I was shocked by this property's immense beauty. It's an 18th century country manor, which has been beautifully maintained while retaining the character of the hundreds of years of history. If you're really still you can hear and see the stories that took place here over the past few hundred years. I was overwhelmed by its splendor, and I can't wait to spend more time here in the future...the home is one amazing area but the grounds as well have a splendor of their own...7 hectares of trees and paths . Let me just add some photos and let you see for yourself.

Stunning.

This is Monsieur Lardy, aka Bernard, serving us a beautiful French breakfast: juice, croissants, baguettes, jam, and coffee.

Happy guests.

My room.

The girls' room.

Another fabulous guest room. It used to be Monsieur Lardy's Grandparents' room.

M. Lardy pointing out portraits of his grandparents.

The dining room.

One of the salons.

Eloi in the garden.

Bernard's parents and his siblings in about the 70s.

Two generations later...his grandkids (and my kids of course) looking for bunnies that live on the grounds.

The 7 hectaires that make up the grounds are spectacular.

A gazebo where all Berengere's kids and her siblings' kids bring their musical instruments and do concerts on summer nights. It's a Waldorf educator's dream.

On the lawn in the sun.

All these oaks were planted by Bernard's great or grand father.

Awesome hiding area for kids in the woods. This is a perfect setting for a great children's story.

It inspires one to do cartwheels and flips.

Yes, it's amazing.

And Berengere was amazing to make us dinner. Their hospitality was overwhelming...tabouli salad, fresh strawberries, yogurt, and, of course rillettes and baguette.

The gravel area is like a giant sandbox for the kids.
And just about 20 mintes away is the bustling city of LeMans.

Strolling through the old city.

A cathedral in LeMans. It has the tallest ceilings of any cathedral in France.

I just remembered to take a shot of Francois and their house as we were walking out the door and saying goodbye at the car.

The Lardy-Liger family were wonderful hosts. They made us a beautiful classic French dejeuner which we took in their lovely garden. The roses were in bloom, the kids were happy to see each other and play and the weather was perfect. They served us pork roast, and rillettes (traditional Le Mans specialty), and greens with baguettes and wine. It was such a wonderful meal and Emily got to reconnect with this family as well (we all used to be neighbors in Redmond Ridge) before going off to the train station for her Paris adventure. I got to hear about Francois' latest software project...it's almost intuitive notetaking software for Macs and iphones. It should be great, and I can't wait to use it when it's done.

Paris with the Yamamotos and The American Church

2009-07-03T03:25:00.000-07:00

We went on June 13; Annika and I took the TGV from Rennes to Paris while Lauren stayed in Dinan with Emily. They went to the Dinan Children's festival while we took part in the wonderful tourist adventures of Paris: the Louvre, the Bateau Mouche, summer evening late dinner and strolling around the lively neighborhood in the city of lights. Annika went out for ice cream with Aunties Kim and Jeanne, while T and J and I went out on the town. Oooo, la, la. John was there, or course, as well as Corrina and all the sisters' kids. It was truly a great Yamamoto Europe tour 2009.

Kimi, Julianne, Me, Tamiko

For me, the Yamamotos are the sisters I never had. To them, I'm yet another sister to add to their ranks...4 to start the troop, and then two adoptions some 20 plus years after Jeanne, number 1, was born, and now me...I'm number 7. Well, they haven't had a new one in 15 years. Also, once you're at 6, what's one more? Well, I'm just so glad to squeeze myself in there.

When Annika was sick last week, I got an outpouring of support from everyone and I am so grateful for it all, but I was especially relieved by the loving phone calls filled with valuable advice from my "sisters" Tamiko and Julianne. Juli told me to stay in the center of the circle, or the center of the wheel, and I have been exploring that metaphor lately with our friend Peter. Tami mentioned something about a "divine appointment" which is also an interesting metaphor in the context of having several neurologist appointments at the hospital and upcoming in the future, it's important to remember the spiritual side to this (or any) disorder. Aimee, in an email, mentioned Annika's indominatable spirit and I need to keep that in mind as well as the holy spirit's healing and guiding force.

But I digress....back to that first weekend in Paris:

It was also a great adventure to see and stay with Laurie at the American Church. The room was a beautiful refuge, made even more wonderful to finally reach when we arrived from a scary cab ride around midnight or 1am. I asked the driver to take us to the "American Church" and he sort of started going off like a volcano spewing hateful words about America and twisted violent fantasies about what he wanted to do to George Bush. I tried to be calm, even mentioning that George Bush is gone now, and he explained that he is from Morocco (not sure why that country was particularly implicated) but he said that George Bush will never be gone to the Morrocans until they see him boiling in hot oil, every inch of his body scarred and mangled and on and on. I could practically see the hot rage coming out of this guys eyes as he glanced at me in his rear view mirror, trying, I think, to discern my reaction. I tried to remain calm. I really began to worry when a young couple stopped beside us, opened their window and motioned to speak to him and asked him for directions. He got all agitated and started looking at his map, and yelling "just a second, you are so rude to bug me, but I'll look it up for you". The couple had a startled look in their eyes and then they looked at me with a sympathetic look and then they quickly took off while he continued yelling at them to not ask if they're not going to wait for the answer.

All the while, this guy was also yelling at me that Quai D'Orsay (where we wanted to go) was a long street and how was he supposed to know where to go on it. I repeated several times to just take us to that street where it crossed Pont Alma (a famous landmark) and we'd walk from there. He continued ranting and raving about the size of the street. At this point, I really began to worry that we were in the car with a lunatic. I was considering how to unstrap Annika and get us both out safely without him freaking out and doing something erratic. Meanwhile, he insisted, "what is your ancestry? Who are you? Where do you come from?" I replied, of course, "Canada". And Annika understood just enough of our French conversation to pipe up, "I'm American". I suddenly started a coughing fit. And I don't think he understood her words. Then he said, "what do you got back there...a boy or a girl? And then, "how old is she?" And then "does she do well in school?". I really wanted to be out of his car and we were getting close to the church. Then he started yelling at me that it was really hard to reach that other side of the street from our direction (as if I designed Paris). Perhaps it was just a culture clash and people are used to constantly yelling at each other in Morrocco. But I didn't want to take the chance, so as soon as he stopped again, I opened my door, told him we'd walk the rest of the way, paid the fare, and I grabbed Annika and jumped out of the car. What a relief.

It was scary, but we made it to our safe haven, the American Church in Paris, and once my adreniline calmed down, I slept so well in that quaint room tucked into that gorgeous building. We awoke early to the sounds of the organ and band practicing. It was like the music was celebrating, "you are safe". Then Annie and I went out for a nice breakfast in the wonderful Paris neighborhood where the church is situated. What a sweet morning. Annika was so excited to see the Eiffel tour on our walk back to the church. Then we heard Laurie Wheeler do a beautiful sermon that day...she spoke about her scoliosis and the "remedies" she endured as a child. She spoke about how she learned that she was in her body, but her body was not her. It was a story with alot of sadness (especially I imagine for her parents) and certainly so much suffering for Laurie, but in the end it was totally a story of victory over disease and spritual triumph for Laurie. This video below is actually from two weeks later when we went to the church after Annika's seizure and her subsequent stay in the hospital which made Laurie's sermon even more memorable.

This video is taken as the band is practicing before church while some of us early birds file in. I know, us, early, it's a miracle. Well, this was a 1:30pm service.

Out of the hospital and out on the town

2009-06-28T22:50:00.001-07:00

I haven't had those quiet moments (well, not simultaneously while having internet connection) so I haven't written a blog in ages. I have notes though, so more is coming for sure. We stayed at Berengere's dad's place before going on to Paris to get Kevin, but then the seizure happened, and two days in the hospital threw a wrench into our plans. But for now, here's some photos of Annika that you were anxious to see, mom.

She's out of the hospital, and out on the town.

A fountain...all moms know right away how difficult it was to keep them out of there after this angelic photo was taken.

That's the American Church behind us (we went yesterday and it was fabulous). Also there's some other monument beside it which looks familiar but not sure.

Place Trocadero

I didn't want to put any photos of her with the electrodes on her head...too weird science...but here's one of Annika and her roommate at the hospital, a sweet little guy named Loic. His parents (dad shown here) are from Madagascar. It was great to have such a wonderful family in the room with us, and we're going to stay in touch.

More to come of the Lardy-Liger family and our wonderful time with them.

Photos of the last two weeks of visitors and fun...the Wheelers and the Kings

2009-06-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get a bunch of Don's photos...especially the ones he photoshopped into panoramas...Windows just rejects them, but hopefully I can work that out later. We had such a great time. For now, here are a few photos:

Un ballad au bord de la Rance; I am showing Beau and Julianne one of my favorite walks...so happy to be taking it with my dearest friend. Later, she and Don and the boys found another glorious bike path that I took yesterday.

Storybook port and a rainbow.

Dinard at dusk.

The Kings in a castle.

Les enfants dans la ville.

That's our little temporary home in the middle.

Beau navigating.

The sanctuary at Mt. St. Michel.

Hot mamas in cold Dinan. We had a couple of so so weather days during their stay. It's hot again today though. Well, that's the typical Brittany vacation experience. You just don't know what you'll get no matter the time of year...it's been compared to Oregon...at least for its unpredictable weather and its spectacular beaches, but I think that's where the comparison ends.

Our little port through Don's lense

One of our favorite places

Lauren trying to keep up to Dane...undeterred by the fact that he's on a bike and she's not.

It looks like they're the only ones there.

Really, they're joined by thousands including the Wheelers, Garth and Roberta

Laurie...not a good photo of her, but the only one I have.

The Kings and the Wheelers

2009-06-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

Chronologically, I should say the Wheelers first, but they were here for one wonderful night, and a day at Mont St. Michel. It was great to meet Roberta outside her role as preschool teacher and inside her role and super fun and exciting travel enthusiast.

The Kings came for 5 nights and what a fabulous time as well. So good to reconnect with that amazing family and my dear friend Julianne. I have no time as I'm soon off to meet the whole Yamamoto clan, but for now, here's a photo because I know you're keen to get an update (Kevin and mom, and Amy!)ps...thanks for commenting too Holly and Rachel and Kate.

These are some of the randomly selected photos I have on my thumb drive. The professional panoramas are taking forever and these downgraded files won't let me see a thumbnail, so, in the interest of time, I randomly selected a few. Much more later. Don is such an amazing photographer and, as a gift to us, he documented the days they were here including video.

It's not liking my files. More later. Promise

Michael Palin

2009-06-10T04:02:00.001-07:00

One time when I was about 10 or 12 years old, my brother had a few friends over. The boys were trying to tease me to make me leave the family room, but I stubbornly refused to go. They were 12 to14, and they thought they were so cool, and quite honestly, I thought they were a bunch of mean jerks. Then suddenly, a comedy show came on t.v., a sketch, in fact, called "Bicycle Repairman" featuring Michael Palin. I was absolutely in tears, I was laughing so hard (thus further confirming how ridiculous I was to the boys), but I LOVED this show, and I loved Michael Palin and I think it gave me hope that there were "nice boys" in this world too, boys who could make me laugh. This began a long fan-ship, if you will, between me and Monty Python, but Michael Palin has always been my favorite.

In fact, I secretly wanted to marry him.

So, when I found out that he would be at a Literature Conference in St. Malo a few km away from here, I was so excited. I couldn't tell by the schedule description whether he would be there in person or if it was just his recently redone travel movie they were showing. He was there. The venue was a tiny room, and as circumstances had it, I got a front row seat. Did he look me in the eye? Yes, several times, YES. And was he funny and charming and sweet. Oh, YES, yes, yes!!! I kept having to check myself to make sure that I didn't have a silly grin plastered on my face the whole time because inside I was grinning all over. How could fortune have put me right here in front of this amazing person who was part of the one of the most genius comedy teams ever? If he had shown up in the U.S. or England, surely there would have been hundreds of people there to see him. He was here to talk about the book made into a movie starring him, Around the World in Eighty Days, but when he opened the discussion to questions, nobody asked anything that wasn't Monty Python related.

The photo didn't work because of the backlight. But I didn't want to flash his face, so this was what I could get on my iso setting. That's his interpreter on the left. He had to stop every few sentences to have her translate to French. But most people laughed at his jokes in English, so it must have been a crowd with a high level of English.

The girls played on the beach while I "conferred" at the Michael Palin seminar, and, when I came to get the girls, we even saw him walking the beach. I was picking seaweed out of Lauren's hair when I looked up and saw him smiling at me as he walked by. I sort of mouthed "hello" and he waved. I wanted to chase him to talk to him, but I was too nervous to talk to him both after the seminar and again on the beach. I mean, what would I have said? I wanted to marry you when I was 12? Actually, my crush on him lasted for quite a long time, but, now he probably will never know. Anyway, I'm sure he's heard it before many times.

Well, seeing him really felt like another thing I can check off my list (that doesn't exist) of things to do before I die. It seems especially fun when stuff on the list happens before I even think of it. What can I say. That's France for you.

Mal a la langue

2009-05-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

Annika stayed home from school today, "mal a la langue", is her story, "sore tongue". Now part of me worries that this is true, and I should not just assume she's faking it, but I do feel for her, knowing that she has gone through some major changes with this whole school thing: way more hours per week at school, twice as many kids who are all older than she and her former classmates...and all this on top of the fact that not a single kid or teacher in her class speaks any English besides "hello" and the words to English Frere Jacques. So, I was inclined to let her stay home for another 4 day weekend (yes! Monday is another holiday) and recuperate.

But the irony was not lost on me that the word for tongue in French is langue, which is the same word in French for language. So, I sheepishly went to explain about Annika's absence(feeling like it was a lame exuse) and the teacher looked surprised, "mal a la langue?" But she is very caring, so she asked Annika to stick it out for inspection, and when we saw nothing but a perfectly normal looking little "langue", the teacher kindly agreed to buy into our excuse, offering, "maybe she bit it in the night". (Peut-etre qu'elle a mordu la langue pendant la nuit?"). And I, grateful that she let us save face, agreed. Then as I was walking a relieved little girl out of the school, I thought that it was true in a way. When it came to la langue, Annika bit it.

But tomorrow is another day, and everyone needs a break sometimes, and hopefully she'll be back en forme to face la langue with her perfect langue by Monday, or, make that Tuesday.

Speaking of breaks, it's so nice that Emily is here. Well, she's a very high energy girl with lots on her mind (and we've had several deep conversations already to prove it) but it was nice that she was here to watch Annika so I can prepare for the Wheelers' arrival tonight. Think how hard it would be to drag her around the grocery stores with her sore tongue and all. Also, the girls are finishing off some laudry for me, so our guests will have something clean to sleep on tonight.

I'm able to write this because they are stuck in traffic coming from Paris. But they'll be here soon, and it's going to so fun to see them.

Contes Bretagnes & then we got Emily.

2009-05-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Lauren's class performed a play last night. The kids had been working on it since January. First they found out some Bretagne history, and then they wrote fairy tales based on a historical event or figure. The wrote the play, and the music, and painted the sets. They included Lauren in the chorus and musicians' circle.

These are Lauren's teachers, M. Nelou and Mme. Martin.

Kids performing their tale.

musicians' circle.

curtain call

Here's a video of the players and the chorus, Greek tragedy style.

Emily arrived safely today. We picked her up from Rennes, sleepy but wided eyed with amazement. She's currently trying with all her strength to keep her eyes open because if she goes to sleep now, she'll be up in the middle of the night. We are so happy that she's here. It is going to be so much fun having another roommate. The girls are talking her ear off right now. She also brought some fabulous new Barbie videos. We're excited to show her Dinan and Britanny and even Paris in the next few weeks. For now...au revoir.

Negotiating, French Style

2009-05-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Culture Shock. I guess that's what you have to call it when you go from shock to disbelief to reluctant acceptance.

Now, there are many differences here, and most of them are completely charming. But then there are France's famous strikes, as synonymous with France as croissants. Yet as irritating and inconvenient as visitors usually find strikes to be, noone is ever surprised by them. Being from Canada, I'm even used to labor strikes. But this was unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of.

As I tried to turn into my favorite grocery store, called LeClerc, this morning, I noticed a strange sight: cars parked on the side of the road and the entrance to the parking lot blocked by a pile of old tires about 8 meters high and 20 meters across. Then I noticed clumps of hay strewn about, and someone had scrawled in spray paint "LeClerc Voleur" (ie, LeClerc is a theif) in huge letters across the outside wall of the store. Incredulous, I drove around to the other side of the store to see if the other side was open, but there too, it was a disaster scene...shopping carts overturned throughout the parking lot, tires and hay piled up by all the entrances. And more spray paint on the gas station signs: "fermee" (closed) written below all the numbers and some other indesipherable scribbling all over the gas station number sign. Then I caught the whiff of manure. Could these vandals have included that in thier attack?

What state of mind could make people act this way? Are they a bunch of overgrown brats who get a thrill from destroying and defacing property ? Is it disgruntled welfare recipients, angry that they didn't get a raise. Who could have done this? I can't imagine, but obviously it took some serious manpower and equipment to spread all those huge tires and copious quantities of hay and excrement. And how could they not get caught? I mean, can't the police look at traffic light cameras from the area, and get the licence plates?

So, I was already completed shocked by this display (as well as irritated because I couldn't get my shopping done this morning, so I knew I'd have to cancel my English lesson with Dablan today). So imagine my surprise, when, as I was picking up Annika for lunch, I told one of the teachers about it, and she said, casually, "oh, ya, that is the Dairy Farmer's Association": "they're just angry", she explained as my eyes grew ever wider and my jaw fell ever closer to the floor, "that their costs are increasing, and the store won't pay them more for their products". She made it seem like it was all in a day's work. "But it's such a mess", I countered, "is it not illegal for them to make such a mess and deface property?" She just shrugged, and then she had to run.

So, I thought that could not be real. She must have misunderstood me. How can she be so casual?

But then, I brought it up with another mom tonight at Lauren's school play, and she confirmed that it was just the Dairy Association doing "business". She also thought it was no big deal. "Ce n'est rien," she told me. She thought we were lucky they didn't break windows and loot the store.

I can barely believe this. Still.

Anyway, as to Lauren's play...it was so adorable...photos forthcoming. Video too. The kids and teachers and parents did a fabulous job.

Joie de Vivre

2009-05-23T00:13:00.000-07:00

Last night we went an Art Opening, including the works of my new friends, Pascale and Pascale, both sculture artists. It took place in a nearby Abby that is about 1600 years old. .

The Abby where the Opening was.

The kids playing in the courtyard at the Abby, L and A and Suzanne, Mariolou, and another friend of theirs, Isabelle.

Some of the peices in the exhibit.

Then after that, we got invited to Pascale and Lionel's absolutely amazing house. Again, is it heaven or is it Dinan?

Later at Pascale and Lionel's house.

Voila, Pascale, the genius sculpture artist. Her house is filled with joy, light and color as well as dozens of these earthen creations, amazing and joyful little people, children mostly and mothers.

I call this one heaven and a baby. Isn't it the best thing you've ever seen?

Another little cluster of joyful people.

The kids playing in Pascale and Lionel's backyard (live joyful little people).

Here's the table where we had a cheese course and a dessert after the art opening. The kids always eat first, and at the other Pascale and Dablan's house it was in a different room (outside actually). By the time we ate, the kids were long gone playing.

The backyard workshop where Pascale creates all her masterpeices (and where her girls and their friends also play and create).

The warm greenhouse of little clay masterpieces.

The kids trying to start a movie. They didn't get very far into it. Eventhough we were having a fabulous time, and we did stay until midnight, at some point you have to call it a night, right..."no, mommy, no....."

La reprise

2009-05-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Opposing forces create tension, like the tension of a cello string.
I know. It's obtuse. I'm just trying to say that without the tense days, our beautiful ones like today would not seem so spectacular.

First, this morning the whole "super nanny schedule" scheme worked like a charm. Writing a list with boxes to check beside the task, for Lauren, has as predictable an outcome as tapping the nerve under her knee. Silly me for not doing that list thing with her yesterday. Annika could not care less about lists, but she had been read the riot act, so she tried to be helpful and pleasant.

Then, later in the morning, the fun began: we went up to the weekly farmers' market and grabbed some treats and flowers to bring to Pascale and Dablan's garden party. Pascale is a chef d'orchestre extraordnaire. The meal she prepared was perfect in every way, and perfectly French including four courses and a rather constant flow of several wonderful wines. The company was also delightful. She invited her longtime friend Brigitte, who's also a teacher, but she now works as a district administrator of Education in Paris(she took the job because she's single now and the job comes with state housing). As well, another family, Lionel and Pascale (also a teacher at a nearby school) and their two girls, Suzanne who is 12 and Marilou, 9. Suzanne organized the other girls in many games during the party, including french versions of hide and seek, what time is it mr. wolf, etc. The girls ran around, chasing and climbing and giggling and having a fabulous time generally.

Another fun element of this oeuvre d'art garden party was moving from inside to out. The sun was playing cache-cache, and it kept us all on our toes.

We started eating at noon and finished at 3:00. Surrounded by these gracious and interesting people, my children laughing and playing, and the absolutely gourmet food and wine, I was asking myself, "can this be real?"

One sidenote (and a good example of tension) as I am blissfully remebering our day, there is huge spider on the wall in the other room. Why is it always when Kevin is not around that the especially huge spiders show up? I actually love spiders, or at least I admire their "work" let's say, but when they're this big and in my living room, I have to do something...

Excuse me a moment....

The spider "met" a French phrase book and has gone to its great reward. I've never seen anything like that one, its long legs having something like hinges, joints, I guess, in the middle. For my conscience sake, I hope it was a dangerous one. It looked like the biting wolf spider that I've seen before in my bathtub at home.

Anyway, Pascale created a truly amazing party, and she's basically now my party creating mentor. I have a ways to go, but, one day, I hope to attain her level of party throwing ablitity.

Then after that, and after forgetting our directions and getting lost a bit, we finally made it to Dinard to meet Berengere and her three boys. I haven't seen her since she moved back to France a year or two ago, and she's the one who helped me register the kids at school here. She is also the type of person who likes, not only to travel, but stay for a while in a place. She and her husband, Francois, are about to pack up their little family and move to Brussels this summer. It was great to see her again. Her boys and the girls had a blast digging in the sand, and swimmimng in the azure ocean. Oooo la, la...what an amazing beach town. It was a warm late afternoon/evening at the beach, and, I wouldn't be surprised if you could actually see us glowing.

One more thing...in case you're following my reports of the people (mom), we met Peter's wife, Pat. She's an orthopedic surgeon from Montreal, a fair bit younger than he. She's a very busy and industrious girl, as you can imagine. She's just like all the boaters on our street who are showing up recently. It's like a beehive these days with all the people out cleaning and tending their boats.

One more thing...I'm about to gush about my kids, so that's fair warning. Okay now that only you are left reading, mom and Kevin: Annika is fascinated with a new song. She got it on a soundtrack that she borrowed from the library. (the Flushed Away soundtrack) The song is 'She's a Lady' by Tom Jones. She listens to it over and over. It's the cutest thing..."She's got style, she's got grace, and she's never in one place..she's a lady.Whoa whoa, she's a lady". At first I thought it was a ridulous song, but I actually like it now, and it's so cute that Annika loves it. Also, Lauren has recently informed me that when she grows up, she wants to be work at the NASA International Space Station. Also, she's doing well in school, learning tons of French (they both are) and she's doing well with her fraction and decimals lessons despite being the youngest in the class.

Tomorrow, Berengere and the boys are coming to Dinan for a visit and a little boat trip down the Rance river and then at 6pm the girls and I are going to an art opening for Pascale and Pascale's sculpture. Is there no end to this woman's creativity? Answer: no, no end. Also, with the help of her joyful husband Dablan, she has raised four kids and she's an amazing teacher too. She's my hero. The opening is at the Abby on the river (several photos and video of this Abby and the environs already on this blog). It is such an amazing place, complete with the tombs of a King and Queen from the 6th century. And they are very freaky tombs in that the the stone relief of the Queen appears to be a shapely woman in shackles around her knees (chastity belt?), the King's has no such impediments to his freedom.

So, anyway, tomorrow promises to be pretty amazing as well.

Then Saturday, we have a playdate with Mael, and Sunday is the school fundraiser garage sale.

This is Pascale's beautiful table (she even made the table cloth herself).

This is their living room when I first came in. There is the entree course on the table, but we ended up taking it outside. The art on the wall is from one of their sons.

The cheese course. Lovely people. Too bad I didn't get any good ones of Lionel and Dablan yet. I mean, how obnoxious can I be with the camera though, you know?

And, finally, the pie. Apples peeled by hand with Brigitte helping, as we were coming in. Truly, she must have worked for hours on this wonderful lunch.

Here's the first course of the garden party, cucumber, olives, stuffed tomatoes, the bread and bread sticks are not on the table yet. The Rose is being examined apparently.

Berengere on the beach (and the back of the heads of Gregoire and Maxence).

Kids playing in Dinard.

Good night for now.

It's now later the next day, and you will not believe the genius at this art show in the work of both the Pascals. Then I got to go to Pascale (the other Pascale) house and she has dozens of these amazing little sculptures all over her house. I am so incredibly tired right now after spending another amazing evening with these people. Her sculptures are the most incredible things you've ever seen. Wait till you see them. You will die. I feel like I'm in heaven sometimes. Am I in heaven or France. I really don't know at times. It's surreal. The scarves, the perfums, the food, the abbyes, the art shows, the river, the friends, the happy children....it's all intoxicating. Anyway, as I said I'm too tired to write or post photos...but wait til you hear....ooooo la, la.

Oh, here are the kids on the boat yesterday; it was Berengere, her mom and I and her kids and a friend of Eloi's, Emerique. The boys kept asking me...allez plus vite! Vitesse maximum. So funny. And little Maxence gave me the honour of sitting deciding to sit beside me (I was the driver!). So, so, so adorable.

Ranting with a bit of raving, but so far no foaming.

2009-05-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

The longer I'm a mom, the more Lord of the Flies rings true. I remember reading it in high school and being offended by such a view of humanity. Having kids, though, gives you the chance to wake up and smell the dark side....just on some days of course. I thought everything was so zen for the past few weeks, and then today, the start of a 5 day holiday here, has turned everything on its head.

First, the girls. Who's children are these again? One minute everything is great, yet, before I even know what's happening, they're conspiring against me. They're usually responsible and responsive, on some days (and today was one of those) it's all about let's play, goof around and act like monkeys, break things, ignore everything mom asks us to do while she's making breakfast, doing the laundry (by hand), having a shower and cleaning the house. Then when she's done, let's bug her for croissants, sausages and chocolate. No wait. Let's not wait till she's done. Let's keep asking her NOW, and let's make a huge mess while we wait for her to get these things for us. Then when we get to Dablan's house, let's keep bugging mom and telling Dablan we're hungry so he'll bring us cake and goodies. Then on the way home, let's tease our dumbstruck mom about what she's wearing (who is this child? has she suddenly decided to become the worst little nasty bully on the playground? It was one in particular in this case; she shall remain unamed but I will say she is markedly smaller/younger than the other one). Oh, now let's top it off by refusing to go to sleep.

I have to take the reins back. Maybe I'm using too much bribing. This whole martyr/whining schtick is not the norm for me at all. But, to really drive the point, an hour ago, I asked Lauren to stay in her room and somehow through some sweet talk, I suppose, she is currently sleeping in my bed.

What is my problem? I appear, as some wise person must have once quipped, to have a wishbone where my backbone oughta be.

Maybe I feel guilty for bringing them here? That doesn't make sense though since it's the best thing that's ever happened to them, but then again it is not a very usual thing to do...just pick up your kids and go live in France for a while. Could the unusuallness of it be making me worried or even guilty so I'm turning into a pushover?

Maybe it's that I am genuinely so proud of them. Several times a day, I think about how well they're doing and I feel myself beaming with pride about them. This morning, I even thought about writing a blog bragging about them until they started driving me nuts shortly after. Do I get deluded about their preciousness while letting them turn into little beasts.

All I know is that, even after all this struggling today, tonight as I was leaving Lauren in my bed feeling utterly exasperated, she had the gall to refer to a promise I'd made earlier in the day...she started to say: "hey mom, if I'm still sleeping when you make my French toast in the morning..." I stopped her right there. What is wrong with this picture?

I need to become my own super nanny. That's it. Strict schedules and systems of consequences tomorrow. It's amazing how a clearly defined schedule and a consistent consequence can transform the daily lives of a family. I tend to eschew those in my own free spirit ways, but they are so useful with kids.

Another thing I didn't like about today is the major influx of people. Is all of England having a five day "weekend" right now? I ask because I think all of England has shown up in Dinan. (Also we're having a five day "weekend" here in France). Even all our boating neighbors have shown up in the past few days, and, with a few exceptions, most of them are British. A bunch of British kids stopped me in the street (thinking I was a local) and asked me 4 banal questions in the worst french accent you can imagine (I felt pretty smug about it). There seemed to be hundreds of British school groups out yesterday and today. Anyway, it's not their fault; it's just my mood. I'm letting all these small things get to me.

My sense of utter peace with the universe has gone sailing down the Rance river, perhaps. But I do intend to go get that back asap.

In my lax attitude toward my scheduling, I also over scheduled us for tomorrow and now we have to miss a nature walk that I really wanted to do.

And another thing, a la Jerry Seinfield (whom I don't find very funny but I do think it's funny to say the following sentence a la him) What's up with these hormones? I arrived in France on my, what?, 44th birthday. How the? Anyway, here it is and the hormonal changes, especially over the last 2 years, have been shocking. Not that hormonal changes are ever anything but challenging, right. Of course, that is what they are, whether you're in puberty, pregnant, or even just going through regular cyclic fluctuations. After 44 years on the earth, you'd think I would no longer be surprised by all this.

Maybe I just need to go find that zen that I must have misplaced down the River.

"Be still. And know that I am God".

Okay...thanks for letting me vent. Big day tomorrow. Going to party at Pascale and Dablans, and then to the beach with Berengere and the kids. Maybe I should try and squeeze in the nature walk. Saturday we have a playdate and Sunday is the school fundraiser garage sale. I think we'll bring rice crispy squares, and my kids will obey me too, and behave like lovely human beings.

Fun

2009-05-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Just because I can go on for ages about chicken pox, please don't take that to mean I have nothing better to talk about. It's rather a case of so many blog ideas, so little time. The girls and I are are still wide eyed and discovering the many wonders of this storybook town. For all of us, our french is improving constantly. Yesterday, we did my favorite thing, and just walked around town, the city center as well as the nature trails and outlying towns for about 5 miles. I had to bribe the girls to do it (stops at the park and waffle stand), but I think they're also liking it in the end.
Another of our pasttimes is to check out the goings on of our boating neighbors. Actually, it's Lauren's pasttime. Besides our new friend, Peter,we have other neighbors, to whom we've never spoken, but who've been here for several weeks (well, they come and they go), and they anchor right in front of Lauren's bedroom window. Their boat is called the Heron of Gorey, so we just call them "the Heron of Gorey guys". Lauren provides us with updates as to when they're going for breakfast, cleaning the boat, reading, and so on. It's a couple in their 70s, I expect and the man looks like a hearty stocky sailor while she is a tiny little going concern. She and Lauren do wave to each other (each having caught the other spying) and it's just a funny little part of our life here. They've sailed out this afternoon, but, if the past is any indication, they'll be back. And it's high time we meet them.

The weird thing is that Kevin isn't here. That seems so odd and it's an adjustment. We miss him alot, but we certainly don't eat as much meat. ;-)

We also met a woman today on our walk home from school who lives and works on one of the main artists' streets down the road. Do you remember the chat gris? That's Annika's favorite cat to find on the way to school (keeps her attention away from the walk up the steep hill). Anyway, as we found it today, it's Sylivie's cat and her shop. They change the sculptures in the window weekly and today's was intriguing to Lauren, so she asked to go in. We found out not only that it's her husband who does the stunning bronze sculpture (Annika gasped when she saw the one of a male dancer holding a female ballerina high above his head), but also that she's really friendly and her kids are around Lauren's age. She's keen to learn English herself (she already has a language partner, Anglaise) and she wishes her kids would learn more English. "Maybe you girls can be friends," she proposed to Lauren. Lauren did not quite understand what she said, but, I did. You can bet that we will certainly take her up on that offer. The little girl's name is Laura and she's a few months younger than Lauren. Laura also has an older brother about 11, but we didn't get his name.

Well, here are some photos of our walk yesterday....

Here is the plaza heading to the library (straight ahead). Oh actually we did that on Saturday.

Annika posing in the antique shop (note the telltale back of the winding staircase, Dinanaise).

Then we passed a fancy bridal boutique in town and in the window we saw the perfect bride and mother of the bride outfits, I thought, for Lauren and me. But she was not convinced, saying that she would have a nature wedding with a flowing gown and twigs in her hair. So much for my floral taffeta. Maybe I'll wear that at Annika's. Then, 30 minutes later when we were down "in nature", Lauren made a bouquet:

Our favorite boat passed by:

Jaman IV...we really must go on this some time. It's a guided tour in English and French, and I bet they tell some interesting stories and history of the area.

The girls on the bridge.

This one is for you, mom since you requested flowers, and I had just taken this one a few hours before that request. It's not the best flower bed in town...there are hundreds; they are everywhere. I'll keep my eye out when we pass a really spectacular one and the girls are with me. Hopefully we won't be in the car. ;-)

Chicken Pox

2009-05-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

What does that word do to you?

Some people seem so freaked out by it, and I've never understood why. It's such a small deal. At least when you're a little kid, it is.

When Annika's teacher told me when we first arrived that some of the kids were coming down with "la varicelle", I just smiled, thinking "one more thing to love about France". I have spent the last few years chasing down chicken pox in my moms email groups (the natural health ones) trying to get natural (ie oral) immunity booster rather than having to resort to getting it, grown in a lab, complete with additives and preservatives straight into the bloodstream. Yes, the varicella vaccine is causing a lower incidence of natural chicken pox disease in children, but some scientists believe that this is responsible for the incidence of shingles rising. Having chicken pox used to confer lifelong immunity to varicella, but that depended on getting your yearly or bi-yearly dose of natural booster. Our miraculous immune system would be stimulated by the virus entering our system and it would reach into those antibodies we developed when we had the disease (I think the antibodies are stored somewhere in our miraculous spines), and being activated by a natural introduction of the virus, they come out and fight the virus. Meanwhile, we go through our lives not even knowing that little war was going on. It seems like a great system. But without the booster of having chicken pox circulating around so much, we are missing our annual exposure, so our antibodies are essentially getting weaker, as the theory goes. Soon we'll all be told we need shingles shots to get our boosters. Yuck.

My kids got chicken pox in 2006 from my Aunt who had shingles. She was so sorry about it but I thanked her from the bottom of my heart. And the next year, when a family at church were excessively aplolegetic about having had their kids for a day in VBS before discovering they had chicken pox, I was enthusiastic. "Oh, don't worry, I said; in fact, can my kids play with your sick kids today?" She didn't take me up on it though. Some people don't go for this theory. Our music teacher, Sharla, on the other hand, understood it, and even though she shut down her house for all lessons when her teenaged son came down with shingles (he had had a chicken pox vaccine as a child), she allowed us to come over when I explained I wanted us to have boosters.

The only required vaccine in France is the Diptheria, Tetnus, Polio, and those are all reasonable vaccines. Even the MMR is not required here though it is recommended. I do believe it could be because France's whole government, and legal system is set up to ensure that they all pay for everyone else's healthcare. One person's health or educational problem is everyone's. If one child gets injured from a vaccine, the country will pay for that person's educational and health interventions for life. Having kids have a few days of red spots is still considered a better option than the hospitalizations, pain and time off work caused by shingles later. And shingles cases have risen dramatically in the U.S. since the widespread use of varicella vaccine. Coincidence? I don't want to take that chance. Also while it's the CDC and the College of Physicians and Surgeons who recommend kids get this varicella vaccine, it's not them who pay for any bad results from it. It's private insurers if you're one of the privledged ones with private health care. Oh, and I didn't mention the Pharmaceutical companies who also have great profits from vaccines but don't pay for much of the consequences. (A small fraction of these profits easily pay google to put their misinformation on the first 1,000 returns of a search for "varicella vaccine", but for a more balanced picture, I recommend searching wikipedia, or speaking to an unbiased bio-chemist or doctor.)

Anyway, I'm ranting on here, but all this is to say that I was very happy to arrive in France and find out that this year's wave of chicken pox was currently going through the school. Then two weeks later, one of Annika's friends in class came to school, but her mom was called at lunch because her spots were showing up in an impressive and rapid display before everyone's eyes. She was in her most contagious state and she was in class that morning. And to top it off, we ran into the girl and her mom in the grocery store later. I chatted with the mom, comiserating about her having to prepare a few days' worth of oatmeal baths and movies while the girls chased each other around our legs. I kind of really wanted to drag this conversation out because, well, I like converstations genuinely, but, of course, I had an agenda as well. Well, finally it was her turn to talk to the cashier so I had to let her go.

"Okay, tell Caroline you'll see her later in the week or next week", I said, "big hugs now, gros bisous (that's it...french style, two kisses right on the those chicken pocked cheeks)".

That should take care of us for another year or two.

Here's what we've been up to lately....

2009-05-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

Introducing, the fabulous, Mael....

This is Mael, Lauren's friend who presented us with a formal invitation the other day for Lauren to come over for a playdate, at their family's apartment.

When I first met this girl, I immediately adored her. I wish I could accurately describe the look on her face when we first met. I can say that I've never (and yes I mean never) seen such a smile. It was as if she (or her expression) was saying, "look...we're finally meeting...isn't it just so wonderful." Can you see it? Well, okay, how about: try to imagine the look on your best friend's face if you both just found out that you had won a million dollars. That was Mael's expression to me the first time I ever met her. I was wondering, "wow...were you praying for us to come? Did you already meet us in a dream?" But, of course, I didn't ask that; I just tried to return a smile with something near the enthusiasm of hers. Since that first magical moment, every morning she greets Lauren and makes sure that she's done her Cantine card (to order lunch), and that she had a good evening etc, chatting away to her as she brings her into the school. Mael also has asked me twice if we'll be back next year. I told her I hope so, but I think I better be clear with her that, realistically it will take quite a few months or even a year or more before we know. Microsoft isn't doing many relocations these days, and the chance of a relocation soon is slim. She has ensured that she will have our address to write us when we're not here. Mais oui, bien sur!

Her brother, Gwendal is also one of Annika's favorite classmates. He's a sweet boy too, funny and observant. He reminds me of a cross between my nephews Justin and Ryan.

At first, I thought their mom was unfriendly, and I wondered how she could have such amicable kids when she seemed so reserved, stone faced as far as I could tell, and seemingly pretty no-nonsense with the kids. She and I were both parent volunteers a few weeks ago at a swimming class. She didn't say one word to me, and even when I spoke to her, but she walked away, not hearing me. But then another day I struck up a conversation with her and, sure enough, though still not exactly chatty, she flashed a smile you could warm your hands by, and I thought, "Okay, there it is". Karine is her name, and she works part time at a retirement home. Her husband, Phillipe, is a policeman, so they live in the state housing for policemen...it's an apartment building right down the road from the school. Phillipe said that if we ever need anything, information or anything, just give him a call. Sweet. A policman that we know personally who offered to help if we need anything!

So, after Lauren's playdate with Mael, we were walking home and the girls were nagging me to go out for crepes. Then it started to rain, and my resolve weakened.
.

This is a creperie that we pass on the hill everyday. And everyday, they have the Runicula bouquets that are so incredibly beautiful. And can you see the flowering lilac plant hanging outside? It was a humid night and the smell was so divine that I could not resist standing under them, and then once the owner Patrick came out find out what I was doing, I could not resist going in.

You will need to click on this one to see the details of the lilac, and outside bouquets.

Do you see the glasses are hanging on the back of a winding staircase? It leads up to the home of the owners of this restaurant. As is typical in Dinan, the shop owners also live at their shop. It's like a storybook or at least Sesame Street in the "these are the people in your neighborhood" way...or maybe that was Mr. Rogers. In any case, it reminds of another time when it was individuals, yes real people and not corporations or franchises that moved the commerce of the city.

Music Class

Today, I went with Annika's class to their music lesson at the main music school in town. The kids are working on a show for the end of the year. They're doing interpretive movement to a classical piece (not sure which one it is yet), and the kids are fish and some are "the whale" with a sheet, some intruments and lots of "swimming" around the stage. It's going to be fabulous.

Here we are walking to class...

Ooops. I'm is distracting her, and she's not one not to pose.

Speaking of which...here are some photos I took and St. Malo a few weeks ago. (I know, I wish I'd gotten more pink rubber boot and less space at the top)

Random shots of Annika at the beach at St. Malo a few weeks ago. (They were just too cute for me to not put in).

Peter's boat.

I hope to get a shot of Peter soon. He has a great face. It's calm and kind. There is a kind of peace that I'm not used to seeing that I see in the face of this man who's been sailing the world for at least the last 7 years. I don't know what he did before; I just know he got the sailboat 7 years ago. ll have him for lunch or dinner sometime, hopefully.

Also, another bit of news is that I started my language exchange yesterday with Dablan. He brought a recipe for me in French because, he reasoned, it comes with a picture so that would help me to learn vocabulary (he's a University Professor of Geography). He teased me that Canadians and Americans don't know anything about cooking, so maybe I could learn some important things through these "recipe lessons". I took offence of course, and tried to defend our whole continent. I do personally know a number of Canadians and Americans who can cook. I was a terrible representative though; the truth soon revealed itself (doesn't it always eventually) when I didn't know the difference between a turnip and a parsnip...as well, I didn't know why you would hang a filet of beef in a boullion from a string and a stick rather than just let it drop in the broth. Well, Dablan informs me it's because the bottom of the pot is way too hot and that will overcook the beef, don't you know?

Okay, but I got him back because I had prepared for him a lesson on The Tale of Despereaux and it opens with the main character's mother who is a vain, no, narcissitic, and yes, French, mouse, named Antoinette. Dablan laughed. He can dish it out and take it. He seems like a very joyful soul, and, again, I'm so lucky that he agreed to do this exchange with me. In fact, I better go because he's determined to learn English, he tells me, so he wants to meet again tomorrow, so I better get preparing that lesson.

One last bit of news is that the Yamamoto family whom I love so much are all coming here in June; well most of them at least, and to Paris at least. The King family will come here to Dinan, and then we'll all go meet the whole gang. It's just super darling!

A la prochain...

Peter

2009-05-13T05:14:00.000-07:00

We have a new neighbor. He lives in his boat across the street. Well, he called it his "home away from home". Some time ago, he and his wife bought the sailboat in Victoria, B.C. and sailed it to France. It took them 9 months, and now they moore it on the dock across from our place. Their home at home is San Francisco...maybe it's their winter home, and I guess they're retired. He and his wife apparently just flew in to Paris for a wedding, and he came up to work on the boat before driving up to Paris to join his wife for the wedding, and then bring her back here. Sometime this summer, they'll sail around Europe, he says, and they're not sure where yet. I guess that means that literally, they'll go wherever the wind takes them. He's totally a kindred spirit and I'm glad to meet our new neighbor whose boat home is from Victoria. What a small world.

What a beautiful weekend

2009-05-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Another miracle is how well everything worked out this weekend, considering that we did everything spontaneously, as the mood struck us. Every day here is a magical adventure anyway, like we're walking in the pages of a fanciful storybook. (Well, it is when it's not raining; it's a bit more dark in the rain..it is raining now as I correct this entry, but it wasn't this weekend...no, no!)

Friday, we ran into friends at the park and went minigolfing (see photos and commentary below). Then Saturday, Lauren was again itching to go minigolfing after reading that Tiger Woods visualizes his wins before hitting. Armed with visions of holes in one, she was on a mission to improve her score. We walked past the library on the way and ended up going in, then (much to Lauren's irritation) we jaunted over to the bank to get money to buy a library card, then returned to browse this big library's lovely selection. This detour not only got us some great music, books and movies for the weekend, it also got us to the park in perfect time to meet up with several friends from school, including Malou again(see Friday's pics) as well as her sister Amelie who is one of Lauren's "girl-illa" friends. We all had a glorious time minigolfing, and enjoying the park. Lauren won.

Then we stopped by the butcher and the bakery on the way home; it was warm, Saturday night, and the shops and streets were more lively than usual. We ran into to James, the British half of the half-British kids at the school, and he kindly invited us for a drink on a patio. He's hilarious (kind of a cross between John Cleese and Frost from Frost/Nixon). He drives a Jaguar and is about 65 (while his kids are 11 and 9 and his wife about 40). He's retired from the British military and he's lived in Dinan for 20 years. All the shopkeepers know him by name. When we ran into him at the butcher, he was gathering ingredients to make dinner the following night for all his wife's family, dinner for 18. He's also a chef in his spare time.

So, home we went after that, tired and happy. Then we talked to Kevin right before bed. Oh, well, Annika went to bed while Lauren and I watch a 1999 version of Alice in Wonderland with very high end cast, like Martin Short, and Gene Wilder among others. I think it was Alec Guinness who played the walrus man who said, "The time has come, my friends, to speak of many things...". It was a great movie, a wonderful discovery to end a day of discoveries.

Then today, we went chez Pascale and her husband, Dablan (Pascale is one of the teachers at the school). Dablan is going to be my "language partner" and help me learn French while I help him with his English. This couple seem like two more wonderful hidden jewels that we found this weekend. They have 4 kids, aged 22-30, even though they themselves seem so young (they're probably just 10 years older than I, so, yes, young, baby, really y-o-u-n-g). One of their sons is an amazing artist and their living room is covered in his stunning work. Pascale also, besides being a grade 1 teacher, is a fabulous artist. Her ceramic sculptures also grace this wonderful room all inside an lovely maison, built 100 years ago in gorgeous stone. AND, as it happens, I've always harbored and desire to try sculpture, or some kind of 3-d visual art. And Pascale said she'd take me with her to the class she attends. Can you believe it? The kids are getting a social life, and it looks like I am too. Oh, and we did also have a lovely visit, all speaking in French, and inspite of a few stalls, I felt really comfortable and so thrilled for this amazing chanced to meet and speak with them. I'm so grateful to God for all these blessings.
We're in McDonalds again, using the internet (for which the kids are infinitely grateful, or, if not infinitely, at least until they get hungry again tomorrow)...and there' s not really more to say than thank you. A la prochaine.

Oh, I forgot to mention the one really bad part about today is that Lauren scalded her hand on boiling water. I think it might be quite bad because it still hurts and I'm trying to decide if I should try and find emergency medical care...there are no blisters but a large red spot that's been hurting for a few hours despite asprin and ice. I better go research. Please pray.

And later....

Can you guess the denoument of this sad story of poor little Lauren and her little scalded hand? If you guessed that I had run out of children’s pain medicine at home, and Lauren’s latest ice pack had melted right about the time that the line in McDonalds was out the door with (presumably) hungry travellers on their way home after a long weekend, and that her pain was apparently becoming unbearable (though there were no blisters and it was 4-5 hours after the original scald), and that my rational mind was telling me it was not a major injury, my emotional mind (if there is such a thing) was telling me to freak out because my baby was hurting, and, if also you thinking that someone had told me there was a phone number to call to find the one pharmacie that was open on Sunday (the towns’ pharmacies in France are obliged to rotate with all the others for the Sunday open), and that searching for this elusive number on the internet was fruitless, then you’d be correct. Breath. If you then guessed that I decided to just go “where the spirit led me”, getting in the car and driving through Dinan, and if you then thought I probably turned a corner and saw the flashing green cross that indicates an open pharmacie, again, you would be correct. We were all so grateful for the cooling gel and children’s pain killer. And that was another solved pain in the hand for Lauren.

Mini Golf yesterday, and a few random shots...ps. Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

Actually Mother's Day in France is June 7, so we have a good excuse for a prolonged celebration.

We went to the park yesterday, and had fun on the playground and playing minigolf. One of the moms told me that this park is a good place to see friends from the school, and sure enough we did. Actually though, we see our school friends everywhere because this is such a small town. It's like a sea of tourists with school friends sprinkled in between. On the way home from the park yesterday, we took a wrong road and ended up in Lehon, 2 km away from home, but we had a lovely walk home along the Rance, and once she realized there was nothing anyone could really do for her but sympathize, the "pain" in Annika's leg seemed to disappear. However, then Annika appeared to have been stung by stinging nettle, complaining of a pricked finger (coincidence because Lauren touched this a few days ago), so then we ran into another mom from the school, and I was able to explain the cause for Annika's wailing ("elle s'est pique par l'ortie"...which I knew from the earlier incident) and that mom went straight to another plant, pealed the leaf off to reveal an wet inner leaf and rubbed it on Annika's finger. Miracle cure! I have to say that Annika did really well yesterday, considering she walked about 6-8 kilometers. Yah! Growing up is fun...I miss the babies, but seeing my kids get stronger and develop stamina is wonderful (not to mention the advantages for more fun walks).

The girls loved playing minigolf yesterday.

Fortunately, we ran into Malou at the park...she is one of the sweetest girls in Annika's class. Her parents own a gift shop up the street, and she has an equally sweet sister, Amelie, in Lauren's class (one of the group I fondly refer to as "the Gorillas"). Malou found a shell the other day in the playground, a tiny snail shell, and she presented it to me, "C'est pour vous". I will treasure it (and her) for as long as I can think of, friend for life. Also, she's wearing ladybug earrings here in this picture, which is a long and perhaps silly story, but still, ladybugs mean a lot to me.

Malou is so shy and polite, but after struggling with a few holes, she said, "j'espere gagner cette fois-ci", (I hope to win this time), and sure enough, she did that hole at par, better than Lauren and Annika. It's like Tiger Woods says, you have to visualize the win before you win. It was so cute they way the girls were working together and saying, "Bravo" to each other.

Louanne, Caroline and Annika at swimming class.

The Center square in Dinan

A little walk after dinner last night.

2009-05-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

On the wall of Dinan, looking down at the port.

And from futher up. Even Annika is getting really good at walking...we got lost yesterday(not on the walk pictured here but the next day) and got to the neighboring town of Lehon before realizing, four hours later (from when we started our walk to the park) we were back at home. There was only five minutes of, "mom, my legs hurt; I wish we had a stroller; I want to go to India". (now that last comment was precipitated either by my recent thinking that maybe India is next or by Annika's current fascination with the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack.)

Our front yard.

Down the road.

Les terasses

A restaurant on the street where they always have beautiful fresh flowers.

School, Gorillas, Parks, Moms and what should we do this long weekend?

2009-05-07T04:06:00.000-07:00

A great thing about homeschooling is the fabulous fieldtrips, of which this sejour in France is certainly one. But, quite shockingly, Annika seems to have had enough fabulousness for one fieldtrip. She keeps saying things like, “well, France was fun, now let’s go home”. “If daddy can go home, why can’t I?”
And we thought that Annika, with her propensity to love everyone and have them love her back, would blossom with all the opportunities to make new friends. Also with her great ear for tones, we thought she’d love learning French. And, on the other hand, we thought Lauren, because of her tendency to be quiet and contemplative in a group, would have more troubles adjusting. Well, it just shows you not to be so sure of your expectations…especially when it comes to your kids. I’ve heard more experienced parents say this, but still it’s surprising every time. Apparently, it’s the kids’ job to turn their parents expectations on their heads and it’s the parents’ job to continue to be surprised every time.

It is so cute how Lauren’s friends have taken her under their collective wing. I’m trying to think of what kind of animal takes a newcomer in like this, instructing them in the ways of the tribe. I assume birds do it; hence the metaphor “take under the wing”. I recall hearing at a zoo demonstration once that gorillas do it. Well, Lauren loves being the new gorilla...and what’s not to love, as she is lapping up every bit of attention and encouragement from these nurturing little gorillas…I mean sweet girls. They seem to be always around her, checking that she’s got her lunch card or that she knows what’s coming up next. At lunch and recess, they seek the British girl to translate a list of things that they have to say to Lauren. They are always drawing pictures and writing notes as little gifts to each other.

Their class had a track meet the other day, competing against some other schools in the area, and I went along to help them with timing the 50 meter race (and to practice my French…adding up times, and points in French…it was fun). Lauren was “the strongest girl on their team”, her friends told me, in the long jump and the 1200 meter run. They were swinging her around and saying “Bravo, Bravo” to her. How cute is that for a mother to see? (thank you Cascade Striders training) They also shout “Bravo!” when she comes out with a sentence or even a new word in French, which, surprisingly, is not often. That’s another thing I didn’t quite expect. Lauren usually has the type of mind that seizes on information and asks a lot of questions, wanting to know about things at a very detailed level. She also has a memory like a steel trap. I thought she would be more like this when acquiring the language, but she seems, rather, to sit back and let it all just float around in her brain, without venturing to use the language much. “I’m going through immersion” she tells me, having heard me spout theories on language acquisition. And, I know she understands more than she will speak because she can answer people’s questions with yes or no, for example. And she imitates how French people use facial expressions and how they use a napkin at the table, as another example.

Then there’s little Annika who has actually memorized and uses more French phrases, and her accent is perfect. And, I guess it’s just her age, but the kids in her class can be quite loud and rambunctious and when she tries to get in the fray, she ends up overwhelmed, either in tears or having been offended by someone laughing at her or, she says, showing her their tongue or their stomach. It’s a bit of a contrast to her small preschool class where she was pretty much the love of everyone’s life, and vice versa. Now, she’s just the new English girl (that’s what the kids call her), and the kids sometimes don’t even have time to deal with her and her lack of French language skills. The teachers are very sweet and experienced though. I’ve noticed that they direct her to the quiet girls coloring in the corner, and I think that’s a great idea that she hook up with them. Yesterday, we ran into one of these girls at the park, and she was leading Annika in a game of catch the ball: “Je lance, tu attrapes, d’accord?” Again, isn’t this the kind of thing a mother dreams of seeing?

Oh, and that brings up my next points: the park and the holidays and the other moms.
1. There is this park/playground in the middle of town and I’ve never seen anything like it; it’s just this perfectly manicured and flowered urban greenspace which is long and thin (like the Jardin des Tuilleries, I guess, but much smaller), with reindeers fenced in on one end, then a bunch of pens of different species of birds, kind of scattered among the walking path, all with nets overhead, so the birds can’t fly away. Then comes the mini golf course, the playground and finally the concession, which is very cute and homey compared to any park concession I’ve ever seen and they serve baguette sandwiches (along with candy and the regular junk). One mom told me yesterday that everyone from our school often go to this park, so I’m sure we’ll be there again soon, and I’ll take photos and put them up here.

2. So, that brings up both my next points, about the moms and the many days off, but let me take the days off first. Well, for starters, every Wednesday is a day off school. It’s a bit weird and makes Wednesdays feel like a little weekend. Yesterday, I kept thinking it was Sunday. We did a lot of cleaning: the house, the laundry, the car and everyone’s hair, so now at least we’re clean. But last Friday was a holiday, as is tomorrow, and there are two more Friday holidays coming up in May and June. Wow. Last week end Kevin was here, but with just us here, I wonder what we’ll do? I’ll invite one of Lauren’s friends for dinner, perhaps the whole family. I wonder if I can handle it. I guess I better start thinking of something. We could spend three days walking around the river, going swimming and going the park. We’re certainly clean enough already, now we have to think of something to do with our clean selves. Hmmm.

3. And finally, the moms. I must say I was a bit intimidated about that whole waiting outside the school chit chat that moms do. The week before we left, I was chatting outside Annika’s school with Cassie and Laura (two of Annika’s friends’ moms), and then the terrifying thought struck me that I would soon be doing this in French with French moms. And now that I’ve been doing it for a few weeks, I can say what I’ve found. First, every time, except once, it has been me who started the conversation. This one time, a very friendly mom mentioned to me in passing that her kids are always saying “hello” now, inspired by the English girl’s presence in their class. I said that we now prefer to say Bonjour, so that’s funny. But in all the other conversations, I have approached….well, first let me say that there are a few moms who seem lonely or tired—both that I’m thinking of also happen to be newcomers, one from Brazil and the other from Rennes---and these ladies were much easier to approach. But besides these two, most of the moms have this very confident, almost cold exterior, like they do not need your conversation, thank you. BUT, the funny thing is that every time I have struck up a conversation, they are so warm and friendly and they actually have the hugest smiles hiding under that placid exterior. In fact, sometimes they start talking so much to me that I get overwhelmed. I mean, it’s one thing to think about what you need to say and to approach a cashier or a shopkeeper with that one situation in mind, but it’s much more taxing on the brain to keep a session of “smalltalk” afloat. And then once I start making mistakes and my inner grammar corrector starts criticizing my verb tenses and article agreement, it’s hard to keep listening and flowing with the chit chat. But, generally, it’s all good. I’m loving it, and I’m trying to shut up my inner grammar corrector who may have a an important role to play during a test or when studying alone, but really it is nothing but a destructive interloper in a situation requiring quickly flowing chit chat. I just have to resign myself to the fact that I can’t speak perfect French and just keep talking anyway, focusing on the conversation instead of the words and the grammar.

Oh, and I found someone who’s willing to exchange an hour of English conversation and language questions for an hour of French. He’s the husband of a teacher at the school . We’ve yet to meet, but when we do, I’ll blog about how it goes.

I just read my friend's blog about our friend who got laid off from MS, and I'm praying that it will all work out well in the end for them. I could choose to worry about that too, but I think, ah, forget it. I'll just cross that bridge if we come to it.

For now, I better go. I know the trottoir photos and explanation are still forthcoming. I’m technically challenged here for one thing, and I’m lucky if I can go online once a day. Days off school are particularly difficult because I can’t have the kids running around the internet café. Even if I go to McDonalds to use their free wifi basically the kids eat (that’s how long it takes for my computer to start up Windows), and they’ll play for 10 minutes on the play structure and then they’re nagging me for sundaes or ice cream cones, so we just go (btw, McDonalds here is not cheap…actually I don’t even know if it’s cheap at home because we never go at home, but all I know it that I’m shocked that it’s like 16 Euro, or $20, for a salad and two happy meals). And I cannot copy photos from Livewriter or Word, so I have to be online to put those up. Anyway, a la prochaine….

Music at the Abby

2009-05-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a nice quiet day after our trip to the D-Day beach on Friday. We went for a walk after dinner to the Abby a few km away, and saw these musicians practicing for their concert in two weeks (see video below).

Then Lauren touched some stinging nettle on the way home, but after some severe discomfort and finding out how to say stinging nettle in French (it's l'Ortie) and not being able to find an open pharmacie and ending up using another cream we already had, she's fine now.

We spoke to some people today who were complaining about yesterday's weather, so "lourd" heavy or humid "en Bretagne ce weekend". I guess it proves that it just depends on how you're looking at it because we thought it was an absolutely beautiful day and evening. Today too. It was on the cloudy side and on the warm side, but, as Kevin said, "at least, pas de pluie". Kevin's French is really coming along considering he knew nothing a few months ago. I keep speaking to him in French, especially when I'm having a conversation in French with someone else. He gets a really irritated look on his face, but he needs the immersion too, right? Sometimes, he has the audacity to just respond in English, but I got "trained" at the Summer Language Bursary Program in Trois Rivieres, Quebec where English was strictly prohibited, so my first reaction to that is, "how dare you?"

Well, it's back to school tomorrow, so we better get some rest now. Au revoir.

D-Day Beach--Our Visit to the Juno Beach War Memorial

2009-05-03T06:35:00.002-07:00

We went to Normandy yesterday. My Grandpa Crockett, who is still alive and 94 years old, went there too almost 65 years ago. His reason for being there was much different than ours. Our mission was to learn French and have an amazing family vacation; his was to storm the beach and conquer the Nazis occupying it. We looked forward to a wonderful French meal after our visit to this beach, while to him it was a bloody battlefield, and he had in mind only his grueling next task of traveling north, on foot and bicycle, to free the rest of France and the Netherlands. Walking the same places that these brave soldiers walked, seeing photos (one example below) of them arriving in boats and planes, hearing readings of letters they were writing home, we were pretty overcome by emotion.

While it must have been terrifying to be taking part in war and seeing so many people killed and injured, I got the impression from their letters that they found the courage, knowing someone had to help the innocent yet imprisoned civilians in France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland and elsewhere. Grandpa and his fellows were fully ready to give everything for their cause. There were 11 million Canadians in 1944 and a full million of them were in uniform. Of course the whole country too was part of the "war effort". They paid a huge price in lives and injuries. They are heros.

I found out that 2 years before the famous D-Day, another Canadian regiment had stormed a Nazi occupied port in Dieppe in 1942, and they were pretty much uniformly slaughtered. It was considered a huge defeat, of course, but it gave the Allied forces a chance to regroup and plan for the next invasion. That Dieppe loss was why they decided to spread out all along the less guarded beaches down the coast. The British took one part, the Americans another and the Canadians were at Juno beach.

It seems that they made significant gains on the coast line from June 6-9 1944, and they continued to push the Nazis inland past the Ore river, taking Caen, and finally closing the "Falaise Gap" on August 16. It was the day before that that my grandpa got injured.

When I was in high school, we learned the dates of D-Day and VE Day and that Canada was part of an Allied force. That's it. We learned nothing about the soldiers or the battles, so that's one reason this trip was so fascinating.

However, I do recall learning about our supposedly terrible Canadian government, how they interred the innocent Japanese families from the coast to the interior, how they stole their land and revoked their business licences. I remember vividly the photos in our textbooks of forlorn Japanese Canadians getting carted inland with very little luggage and terrified faces. But it was not until yesterday that I saw the faces of the equally terrified looking soldiers landing on the beaches and ready to die to fight the Nazis, as well as the voices of the families at home, losing their children to the war, or the mothers with 5 kids who had to leave them with strangers to go to work and make money for them to buy food or ammunition for the troops.

I can only imagine the fear enveloping everyone alive at this time. For this, I can be nothing but intensely grateful to everyone who sacrificed to put an end to the tyranny.

My friend from France told me that for generations kids here have been going to the D-Day beaches, and learning about the Allied Forces (along with the underground French Resistance) and their heroic efforts to fight worldwide occupation of Nazism.

Then again, there was an old veteran on a video at the museum saying that Canada has never made a big deal of the sacrifices that he and his fellow veterans made for their country in WWII. He said that he was fine with that though because Canada does not put a big priority on its military and he thinks that's one of the things that makes it a great country.

Canadians landing at Juno beach, France, D-day, 1944

Poster showing where each country's troops went when they landed on D-Day: yellow=Canadians, blue=U.S,. and green=British.

Canadian amphibious tank, pulled out of the water in the 80's at Juno Beach. This one sunk because it was bombed, but now, with the decades of rust scrubbed off, it stands as a monument of that pivotal day. There are plaques of all the Canadian troops and this close up is of the plaque of my Grandpa's group, the Canadian Scottish Regiment, as those who were trained in Victoria and Nanaimo were named.

Concrete and steel shapes placed on the beach by the Nazis to disallow allied aircraft from landing and to deter ground troops coming up from the sea. They obviously didn't work in the end.

Statue in front of Juno Beach Center museum.

Poster showing the first segment of the D-Day invastion, June 5-August 16. Grandpa got shot in the leg on August 15, 1944, and Aug. 16 happens to have been my dad's 8th birthday, and his dad was getting his leg patched up and being transported under the cover of night to a hospital back in England, still not quite out of harm's way, but I can only imagine what he must have been thinking on this day: perhaps that it was looking like he might have a future life after all, that things were looking good as far as conquering the Nazis went, so maybe he'd have a chance to live his life and become old which, of course he did. Or, then again, maybe he was just thinking, "wow, my leg is killing me". Pain killers were probably pretty rare on the battlefield, and they hadn't even invented antibiotics yet. Instead, they used maggots to eat away the infection. Sorry, but it's true.

Nazi underground bunker on Juno beach.

It's definitely a more fun and beautiful place now. Hard to imagine the horrors of its past.

Walking in their Great Grandfather's path.

The guide had 4 people stand to represent the different Canadian regiments from west to east in the positional order that they stormed this beach on D-Day. Lauren is representing the western regiment.

This cemetery is about 5 minutes down the road from Juno beach. The tombstones all say the name of the soldier, his date of birth and death, his rank, his Regiment, and a word from his family. There are actually 3 Canadian Military graveyards in Normandy.

This cemetery is lovingly cared for by the French people in this town near Juno beach.

Au revoirs and trottoirs

2009-04-28T01:35:00.000-07:00

Ah, we are settling nicely into this place. There’s so much to love. My first impression is that people are more closely, intricately connected.

There’s a formality to the language which actually makes the inter-connectedness stronger. It allows you distance and respect for strangers. And, in contrast, people absolutely gush with kisses and sweet words when they see (presumably) an old friend. I’ve seen ladies practically fall over their shopping carts in their zeal to kiss each others' cheeks. It's an affirmation of love that you just so rarely see (or experience) chez nous. Seeing a young, stressed out looking mom, for example, run excitedly into the arms of lady on the street who appears to be her tired old aunty or something, it seems to bring them both a much needed source of connection and appreciation and energy. At home, you'd only see such lavish affection if people hadn't seen each other in ages or they finally laid eyes on a person who'd gone mysteriously missing. But, I see this enthsiastic cheek kissing and embrassing and talking in high pitches about once a day, so it leads me to believe it's pretty common. It's really a great idea. Goodness knows, there are times when I find myself going through my day in Redmond, from minivan to store, to activity and back to minivan, not really connecting with anyone and feeling, yes, that's it, mysteriously missing.

Another great idea: the word “au revoir” best translated as “until next time”…I say it and it's said to me about 20 times a day. And when people say it, it make an invisible line between them, expecting or at least leaving an open possibility of seeing each other again. "Until next time"...Isn't it a great way to part with someone? Good bye, in contrast, doesn’t make any lines with the person. It’s a hard break.

Another great thing about the French people that I'm observing: they meet up to chat. The locals fill the terrasses down the street from here, even on chilly days, they'll sit there bundled up. They are all ages and they seem to have come for a primary purpose. To talk, to connect, for hours. They may be taking a coffee or a drink or even eating, but if that were their sole purpose, they would be gone in an hour at the most, but they linger for hours there sometimes….just talking, often with such passion and purpose that you can be sure that that conversation involves some life changing, world transforming discourse. Or, other times it looks like a person sharing his pain with a caring friend, or two lovers fulfilling what must be a universal longing to be deeply known by someone else, the way God knows you (though of course, you don't need to meet up with God on a terasse). But for we mere mortals to stay connected we need to meet up, and here they do it alot, those terrasses are full. I think our world back home is too hurried for it. They all have two hour lunches where everything but restaurants is closed. If no other time, at least everyone has those two hours in a day to sit on a terasse and talk. Actually, the French are famous for their leisure time, and I can understand why they like it so much.

There's a nature walk in a few weeks where the guide leads people through a forest, picking up edible plants and then everyone comes back and prepares a lunch and eats together. Another upcoming event is a walk through the forest with some musicians from the local music school, violins and acordians from what I gather, and everyone just sort of marches along through paths to the music. Now that sounds like something I must do. It's on a Thursday morning, so I might take the girls out of school to do it. But then again, it's not really done like that here, so I better not rock the boat too much.

Anyway, come to think of it, the girls do get enough amazing opportunities and outings at school; it really shows the priority on public education that the french seem to have. Annika's class goes swimming every Thursday...there are 22 kids, 1 classroom teacher in the pool, 1 on the deck and two swimming teachers who give them a 30 minute lesson. They also went to the music school down the street last week, and were given a music lesson, recreating, with various instruments and movement, a story about a fish (that's all I could really understand from what Annika told me about it). Today, they are going to the cinema across the street from school to see a locally made animation film.

She really misses her friends and teachers at Living Hope, but she loves all her new friends too (it doesn't seem to matter to her too much that they have only a few words between them that they mutually understand--so far that is; she is catching on to French words quickly though) Some situations scare her though (especially lunch hour, aka lunch two hours) because she doesn't understand, and she can only cry to express herself, and this has happened 2 or 3 times so far, but the teachers are very sweet with her, and she gets on to the next thing quickly, but she is definitely in an adjustment period. And I now always pick her up and take her home or out for lunch.

School lunch is superb...for 2,50 Euro, they get an entree of salad or cheese, a main course of delicious meat and vegetable and dessert of usually fruit or yogurt or both. Lauren loves it.

Lauren's class walks once a week to the sports complex where they play gym and court sports, and they're soon going to do a kayaking session. As well, they're working on a musical production (Lauren is too late to get a part, so she is just watching, and hopefully they'll find a job for her to do like help with wardrobe or props or something), and the whole school will sing some songs for a regional choral festival to take place in June. It's truly fantastic.

Annika and her classmates lay on mats and listen to soothing classical music for 20 minutes everyday after lunch. Her teacher seems rather Waldorf-y, into creating warmth and equilibrium, physically and spiritually. Rudolf Steiner did say that his methods would be more necessary as the society became more high tech and hurried. But this society seems to have kept the slower pace and rhythm that Steiner was trying to preserve from the 1940s. (that word always causes me to stumble, often to the point that I'm fruitlessly looking in the dictionary and getting frustrated...because how can you look up a word if you don't know how to spell it..., but when I came upon it just now, I told myself to be confident and focus and out it came, easy as that...rhythm.)

Oh, and I didn't even get to the trottoirs yet. They are sidewalks. Well, believe it or not, they are a telling feature of french culture, but let me take some photos later when I pick up the girls, and then you can see for yourself. For now, I'll just add some photos and end this long blog. I love you and miss you all,
C

This is the hill we walk to get to school.

This is the bakery at the bottom of the hill...sometimes girls who don't complain about walking get to have a treat from here.

This cat is often in the window, and Annika likes to look for him everyday...le chat gris. She was delighted that today he was outside.

Here are a couple more photos of our little motor boat ride on the weekend.

Another houseboat going to Lehon, the next village down river from us.

The abby in Lehon.

Okay, that's all for now. Remind me next time to tell you about the sidewalks, and how life here is like a children's story book.

Kevin is at a meeting in Bordeaux today, but he gets back tomorrow and Wednesday, we're going to Mont St. Michel if the sun is shining, to the Canadian War memorial museum if it's not shining. My grandfather, who is still alive at 94 years old, fought with the Canadian forces right there. His battalion arrived on Juno beach (about 65 km from here) the day after D-Day in June of 1944 when France was still occupied by the Germans and the nazi forces were gaining ground all over Europe. He got injured in the morning (shot in the leg) of August 15, 1944 near Falaise in "Operation Intractable". After a many painful hours and infection setting in, they finally were able to safely get him transported back to a hospital in England. He walks with one boot with a 2 inch heal to this day due to bone loss that he incurred here so many years ago from the bullet and the infection. But he survived and obviously had a long and wonderful life as well. I've very excited to see this museum.

A la prochain et au revoir.

Friends and trips to the ocean

2009-04-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

Les cinq amies supers de Laurine, aka Sophie Laure....

Aka, these are Lauren's five fabulous friends...

Amelie, Mael, Helene, Mael, Chloe et Laurine.

Hi there,

In the past few days we went to the Emerald Coast (so named because of the amazing green, azur water.) Also, we went to the Granite Coast (named for the cliffs of pink granite). Our photos are not the best, but it was absolutely spectacular...I've never seen anything like it.

Thanks everyone for your comments on the blog. Also, I only can get internet when we go for coffee at...McDonalds because it's the only place with free wifi (or the price of a coffee, soit 1,50 euros) so it's not like I can just log on whenever I'm home. Well, I know how attached I can get the my computer at home, so it's actually good that I don't have it at home. I can spend more time playing with the kids, helping them with their French workbooks, reading, cooking etc. Also, I only have an hour and a half of phone time here for the whole three months (otherwise I pay so much, I might as well use a pay phone), so that's another distraction cut way down. It's more time to enjoy France though!

I need to cut this short because I don't want to spend all morning in McDonalds. (by the way, it's the only fast food chain I've seen in France). And I know I'm going to try live writer some time soon (thanks Rachel) A la prochaine.

Also, I have no idea how to get my voice mail on my phone. I know I have one on there from you, mom, so I'm going to have to figure that out some time.

The kids go to school in France

2009-04-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

I had a dream last night that I was standing on a wall looking down at people walking on cliffs. We went to St. Malo yesterday, and that describes the setting there. Ramparts built hundreds of years ago, encircle the old town, and tower over the city to one side and the jagged ocean rocks, soft white sand, and dramatically crashing waves to the other. So, anyhoo, to my dream...as I was looking down, I saw a guy teaching his daughter to rollerblade. Then suddenly, they rolled off a cliff, into mid-air over a chasm, in slow motion, in a zen state of perfect calm and confidence, landing safely on the other side. What ensued was a rather heated, and public to-do. A town meeting was called, and about a hundred people weighed in to share their opinion on whether the guy was irresponsible or just being a good teacher. Both sides were convincing, and I sat as the observer of the meeting, understanding both sides, and harboring a smug sense that I was just glad that I wasn't in this guy's shoes. I woke up still feeilng smug and then the terrible truth hit me: "oh no! I am the guy". It was my dream after all, and, I thought, "I am the one who is sending my non french speaking kids to school in France today. That's my chasm, and that's what is before me in the morning". Then I realized that if was to learn anything from the dream it was that I needed to acheive a state of zen calm in the morning, so that we could all confidently make the big transition.

Well, we did make it to the other side, and it was almost as floatingly smooth as the parent and chlid in the dream.

Annika's teacher is the quinessential lovely, nurturing Kindergarten teacher. She took Annika's hand, and sat her down at the table as the kids moved towards her, fascinated, like she was a new toy. They circled around her, and stared while she sat coloring, and saying "bonjour" to them all. When we picked her up for lunch, we saw her playing with the kids outside, pushing them on the swings, and looking like one of the gang. The teacher said that everything went well and Annika was at ease all day. Annika said, "school is awesome".

Lauren's teacher was also fabulous. He gave us a tour of the school and Kevin and I were both extremely impressed. Kevin doesn't even understand, but the odd word in French, and he didn't even know that this guy giving us the tour was Lauren's teacher. But when I did make that clear to Kevin later, he said, "oh, then she'll be fine". And she was. First, she prayed that there would be some British kids in her school, and sure enough there is one family, and Lauren sits right next to the British boy in class, so she can ask him if she has questions (he's been here for years). And he also has an even more outgoing sister in the grade above them who came and helped Lauren at recess. Also, there is a gang of 5 girls that fawn over Lauren eager to help her out and teach her the ropes. They write out pages of helpful phrases with "Englisch" on one side and "Francais" on the other with, for example, "How age are you" in one column and "Quel age as-tu?" in the other. She said that at the first recess, about twenty kids circled around her and asked her a few questions in English before going off to play, but she said her 5 new friends stayed with her; "those 5 always stay with me", she said with relief in her voice.

Whew....we're across that one. Actually, everyone at the school has been warm, helpful, and welcoming.

Well, on a more down note, there was that small car accident in the parking lot. There's always something, n'est-ce pas. It was a short moment of stress as we were dropping Annika off after lunch. We drove by and a kid opened their car door and it smacked into our side mirror as we drove by. It made a lot of noise, but miraclously, even though the plastic casing of the mirror smashed off, it snapped back on and everyone continued on their way, sans damage (or domage).

I feel like my French is improving/coming back. Of course, I am just loving that. I need to find a language partner, so I can practice and grill them with questions (about grammar etc), and then, in return, I'll give them some English practice/lessons. I think I'll go write an ad fo rthat right now, and put it in the local Craigslist. There's also a school for the hospitality industry just down the road from our house which apparently teaches English to future waiters, hoteliers etc, so that might be a good place to look.

I guess that's all for now. Bisoux (no idea how to spell this).

No telecommunication, but still communication, good old fashioned family Sunday.

2009-04-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

It seems that this world’s satellites or broadbands or whatever the heck connects us all so wirelessly, are not pointed at France. Or, is it the various corporations and regulatory agencies that are keeping us cut off? All I know is that it’s Sunday morning, and on Wednesday, we paid 100 Euro, plus 20 Euro tax for phone and internet service, and now we have neither. I have made one phone call and used the internet for 2 hours, and now we can neither use our phone, nor our internet. If that’s not bad enough, several of the emails I’ve sent from my Verizon.net account have been returned probably because of this internet “service” here.

“Credit Epuisee” says the recording, “please come into one of our locations to recharge your account”. It should say, “You have been ripped off, and please give us more money as well”.

Okay, all griping aside, we are enjoying ourselves immensely. We’ll sort all that out on Monday, or maybe Tuesday. (Also, nothing is open Sundays, and many stores are also closed Mondays, so the proprietors can have a proper two day weekend. Oh, and everything, but restaurants, is closed for about 2 hours everyday for lunch.)

I guess we have nothing to do today, but be together and enjoy each other’s company! (everyone else is still sleeping right now)

Here are some photos:

This is the bridge that we came over when we first arrived in town.

Just to the right of this bridge is the port, where we live:

The expression on the model’s face is hit and miss, but right behind her head is where we live. My mom asked me, “which boat is yours?”. Well, there is one there from Victoria, B.C. (very close to my mom’s childhood home).

The girls are really enjoying each other’s company. They love sharing a room, and it’s so cute how they consult each other on things. I think they realize it’s good to have an ally in such a new and also they just are learning to really appreciate each other’s unique personality. Annika has appointed herself, the dishwasher. I am, of course, very pleased with that development. I hope it lasts. : )

Here are some photos of our walk on the trail leading to Lehon:

Yesterday, we went for a beautiful walk along the Rance River valley. The forested part of the trail starts a block or two from our house (our house is on the river trail). If this were Seattle or Vancouver (thinking Greenlake or the sea wall), this place would be packed with people. But there are very few people on the trail. It’s so peaceful. It seems the French prefer the high energy of the town which is a five minute walk from here. There are ducks in the river and many birds and butterflies on the trail. Actually, they looked the size of moths, but they varied in color, so they got a promotion to the term “butterfly” in my eyes (obviously I know nothing about the botany). But I do know some were baby blue, others white with bright orange tips, others purple and others looked like small monarchs, orange and black.

Kevin is spoiling Annika. There won’t be any shoulder rides when Daddy is gone. Oh well, I guess she should enjoy it now, then.

Lauren and I were jogging, and since we were on the way to the pool, she had her triathalon outfit on underneath. It was warm yesterday.

Nature girl finds a way make shade.

Well, I think that’s it for my blog today. Everyone is up now, and we should get ready for our day at the Granite Coast. Wait till you see the photos from today of Annika’s cute French hair cut that we got yesterday. But, until then, here’s Annika when she still had long hair, saying au revoir for now:

2009-04-18T00:49:00.000-07:00

It's a gorgeous sunny morning, looking out over the river from our house. There's a fog covering the top of the hill opposite us. It's dreamy. We should be outside. I'm still wrapping my mind around how wonderful this whole exerience is (notwithstanding having strained my back with luggage at the airport and feeling the pain today). It's great to see the girls so excited and bonded together. Last night we went out in the rain for dinner (my belated birthday dinner), and it was fabulous (of course) and the girls were joyful. This doesn't seem complete without the photos we took which I'll get in here soon. But for now, just imagine them in their rainboots giggling and skipping through the streets of Dinan.

This morning Annika says she misses her friends. She talks about her "school" (preschool) frequently. We walked to the girls' new school yesterday. They start on Monday. The playground was very exciting apparently. Lauren says she cannot wait to go. She's especially looking forward to having lunch at school, a cafeteria lunch no less, a French cafeteria lunch no less.

We're going on a bike ride this morning to a nearby town that has a large pool. I guess we're just hoping that public swimming will be on (it seems that many places don't have websites with schedules posted). So, have a bon weekend and bye for now,
C

Better than we dreamed

2009-04-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

It turns out that getting internet connection at our place was a challenge, so now we're paying dearly by the minute. I'll have to figure out a way to write the blog offline and then download it. Until then, in brief:

Our town, Dinan, when we finally found it, was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Driving through the countryside over the stone bridge to the brick buildings overlooking the river. Just enchanting.

Our place: adorable, spacious, perfectly situated. Wonderful spirit.

Us: tired, but so excited and thrilled.

The people here: warm, lively, everyone looks you in the eye and smiles.

My new phone number: 06 70 00 39 57

Photos: forthcoming.

A la prochaine!

Bonjour La France

2009-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Things Go Wrong When You Travel. This is the title of a book by a guy doing a seminar at the Rick Steves store recently. It's apparently not as discouraging as it first sounds. The flip side of that statement is it's not what goes wrong, but how you deal with it that tests the mettle of yourself and your travelling companions as a team. I've not read the book, but I understand the idea.

I am in a somewhat comatose state right now, in a hotel room, in Alencon (soft 's' c, but I don't have the accents), France. It has been about 26 hours since we've slept and it's about 5 or 6 pm here, 8:30am at home...the girls are wired and giggling in their beds, and, in case you didn't already notice, we are not where we're supposed to be. But we are safe and warm, and getting pretty close to actually being asleep, so that gives you some hint of how we dealt with the thing that went wrong. It was a minor case of getting lost on one's first day in France after flying here all night, but no real damage done.

I'll rewrite this after I sleep.

Dates below are confusing due to my neophyte-ness at blogging

2009-04-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

We leave April 13. The number of weeks mentioned below don't add up because I started the post March 29, not realizing that when I "edited the post", it would not update the date.

good website for parents

2009-04-05T22:54:00.001-07:00

Oh ya, I went to a seminar last week at the Rick Steves store in Edmonds. The facilitator was a woman who's travelled extensively in her life and didn't stop just because she started having kids 5 years ago (her third is currently "on the way"). Her story and the tips on her website are fascinating. If you're interested, check out deliciousbaby.com. But, beware...it will probably inspire you to travel.

The Frenzy

2009-03-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

We're leaving in 2.5 weeks. There is so much to do.

Apparently, I started this blog 1.5 weeks ago because now there is only one week before we leave. My first reaction to this thought is blind panic, much like that nightmare you have where you're writing a final exam in Chinese, and you're sitting there sweating, realizing that you have forgotten (how did you forget? I don't know... it's a dream) to go to all your classes and you know zero Chinese, yet you somehow remembered to go write the final. So you sit in a state that is half shock and half panic, hoping some answers will come to you.

But that's my first lizard brain reaction of how I feel right now. Then people tell me "how wonderful it will be", "what an adventure", "what a great experience for the kids", and I calm down.

But there's still so much to do even though I've been preparing for 2 months....let's see: get letters and documents in order (huge task boiled down to 6 measly words...but, you know what I mean when I say "letters and documents in order", right?).

Okay...I started to write a list of everything I've been doing and will do in preparation for this big move, but it's way too boring, so if you want to know...ask me because I have it all in a list or various lists scribbled around my desk.

More exciting stuff will follow soon...probably when we arrive.

A la prochaine...et merci d'avoir lire mon blog!

P.S. If you're wondering how the blog got its name: well, you would not believe how many names of blogs are already taken, so I turned to Kevin for help because he really is a master at naming things (he has named 3 businesses including mine, and he won a bonus at work for coming up with the winning name for his consulting firm). Anyway, he advised me to look into the past and find some archaic nicknames people have called me. Fortunately, I had Bee for a best friend , so I have hundreds of nicknames from her alone. Lady Marabel was one that kind of carried forward in many ways (such a long story). So, here it is, being carried forward even more!