Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.-Dr. Seuss





In two days we are flying home and can hardly wait! So far we have had a lot of fun with the Christmas season making crafts, opening our calendar (Belgian chocolates of course!), going to the Stuttgarter Christmas market and Frunty is learning "Jingle Bells" with glee. We know that we will have lots of fun in T.O too. My last Baby Time class was a Christmas theme and the children made beautiful Christmas cards with their Moms. I was so impressed. We hope all who are reading this are already caught up in the Christmas spirit too. Joyeux Noel!

A week tomorrow we are going home to T.O for the first time in over a year. It has been too long but with so many visitors from home, we have been able to handle it relatively well. There is lots to do to get ready including mundance things like laundry and fun activities like Christmas shopping. I am also looking at the eight hour flight with excitement and some trepidation. If anyone has some really fun activity ideas that I could do with Frunty, please let me know. So far I have:



portable dvd player/earphones with two hour battery and Barney/Teletubbies dvds

modelling clay and press-outs

crayons and colouring book/scrap book

lots of stickers

baby scissors and glue (to cut/paste duty free magazine items for our scrapbook)

story books

Gummi bears for ears

some French childrens' magazines with activities/colouring pages etc.



Any other ideas? Would love to hear them! Thanks.



In the meantime, we are going to Stuttgart for a long weekend to enjoy the Christmas market and we will visit family and friends nearby. Daddy has to work there as well so we have decided to tag along. We kicked off Christmas last weekend with the making of crafts, the drinking of Gluhwein and the listening of carols. We also put our new snowman deckle on the front window. Even though we all have terrible colds (boo hoo!) we are going to have fun anyway.



Hope you're all having fun too as the Christmas season gets underway! Happy 1st Advent too!

Frunty and I got caught in a flash snowstorm today when we went for a little walk. Of course, before and after the walk it was sunny with blue skies! Isn't that often the way! We enjoyed yet another Japanese garage sale nonetheless. I wonder what the weather will be like in Toronto over the holidays. Maybe we'll have a white Christmas. We did last year here in Brussels.



Meanwhile it is cold and rainy for the nonni in New Zealand but they are still having fun and are glad there aren't so many tourists around right now.

The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.- William Faulkner

Gramma and Grampa left on Monday after a wonderful two week visit. We took it easy, did a bit of sightseeing and watched some fun movies on our new "big-screen-blast-it-on-the-wall" system. Dad and I had 5 fantastic runs. When we run, we notice that all of a sudden an hour has gone by. When I am alone, 15 minutes feels like forever. We now have a four day weekend and will get ready today to leave tomorrow to go to a resort here in Belgium. Counting the days til Canada!

Today is Rememberance Day and thanks to all those who fought to make Belgian free, especially the Canadians and to our dear great uncle who lost his life here when he was just a boy.

"Fast running burns more calories than slow running, but slow running burns more calories than just about any other activity. In short, nothing will help you lose weight and keep it off the way running does. Besides, it's inexpensive, it's accessible, and, if necessary, it can be done while pushing a stroller."-Traci Conrad-Nicholas, RW marketing designer Runner's World Magazine

We got home last night from a wonderful weekend of fall colours surrounding little villages in the Belgian Ardennes. We even celebrated Halloween with Frunty dressing up as a stripey cat and going trick-or-treating! Can you believe it? The little village of Grupont where we stayed in a 15th century mill, started the tradition of trick-or-treating just three years ago. We didn't expect homes to have carved pumpkins in front and ghost-shaped lights strung up outside their windows but that is just what we found. Thanks to Gramma's lipstick, some crazy striped stockings and a funny, acorn-shaped hat, Frunty had an absolute ball knocking on doors and shouting, "Bon Hallowe'en" and saying, "Merci, au revoir" after receiving candies. We met other trick-or-treaters, namely ghoulish-looking kids and witches. I will put photos soon. Celebrating Halloween was really the highlight and once we got home, we enjoyed a pumpkin-shaped dessert! Some trick-or-treaters even came to the door of our "gite"!



We also visited the caves of Hans-sur-Lesse which are well worth a visit and the town of Bastogne to see a flea market. On the way home yesterday we enjoyed walking around the village of Redu where we ate a nice lunch and visited some bookshop. It almost looked like the Cotswolds. We are very happy that Gramma and Grampa chose a long weekend in the Ardennes because now we have wonderful memories of our time spent there. Hope you all had a happy Hallowe'en too!

Gramma and Grampa are here and we are having lots of fun. Frunty is so excited! We have gone to the park and running and the weather is mild and sunny. We are looking forward to a long weekend in the Ardennes.

We just got back from the airport after dropping off V and P as they continue on their around-the-world trip. We watched planes for awhile. It was a quick good-bye with tons of thank yous. Despite V's very bad cold, she woke up early to clean the entire apartment with P as well as prepare two soups (a curry lentil and a spinach potato) and two pizzas, one to eat right away and the other for our freezer. Our freezer is already bursting at the seams with food to feed us all this week. I won't have to do any cooking this week and that is the biggest gift of all that any guest could give us because it means more time to play with Frunty.



V: if you are reading this...we looked everywhere in our home for Ruby. Maybe she is in the other apartment. We will look there tomorrow.

V and I stayed home today, curling up on the couch to watch two movies, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Legally Blonde" while the guys went off to Tervuren for a little tram ride. Yesterday Daddy took the boys to Ypres while V and I went downtown for waffles. We each got a waffle covered with fresh strawberries and banana, Movenpick icecream. Delicious. Tomorrow we have to take V and P to the airport as they are on the way to Viet Nam. We will miss them and are very happy they came to visit. We will be thinking of them often as we go through the gourmet meals V cooked and put in our freezer!

Yesterday V helped me with French Time by reading two stories and the children just adore her as she has a wonderful way with them. I am sure that next week they will be asking where she is. V and P changed their tickets to stay until Monday so that we can have a fun weekend together.



Last night we went to the mall to purchase a rowing machine as my physiotherapist highly recommended me getting one. I go once a week for a treatment (massage/stretching etc.) which is entitled to all women in Belgium as part of post-natal care, 18 sessions a year. Not only do women stay up to almost one week in the hospital after giving birth here (this is normal and would be extended for c-sections) a physiotherapist visits the Mom in the hospital and begins massaging and teaching her how to stretch and do exercises to not only help her back, but strengthen the stomach muscles etc.



When I think about how no one talked to me about my own post-natal care and how I only thought about my baby and how to feed him, I am saddened. Every new Mom should be pampered and it shouldn't even be called "pampering". It should be called "normal, post-natal care". Many of us suffer with bad backs after having children. We do not know the proper way, perhaps, of how to carry our babies, how to put him/her into a car seat/stroller etc. We are always bending over changing diapers, picking our babies up etc. And there are ways to do these actions better to protect our backs. My physiotherapist is teaching me all of this and it isn't too late. Along with the massages and exercises, my back is feeling better.



I made a list of things I really miss in Toronto and I still feel homesick a lot. But I am starting to make a list of things I really like here and the post-natal care would be near the top of my list! If you are suffering with a bad back now, it might be good to get some help too.

Three cheers to V for making story time extra special this week! Thanks so much!

We are really enjoying V and P's visit and catching up on les nouvelles with them. V and I are taking turns cooking and we have had a sushi night and this evening, V will prepare her famous curry. They have also completely taken over the care and maintenance of Mowgli including thrice daily walks and letting him sleep between them over at our friends' apartment. They really love dogs and miss their own right now and Mowgli loves all the extra attention although he seems a bit pooped! They are trying to change their tickets for Viet Nam and may stay longer, we are not sure yet. In the meantime, the fun never stops and they'll be here any minute for their morning chat and to take Mowgli on another walk. It's been a good week for them to visit as Daddy is very tied up with visiting colleagues from the States. Frunty and I have been busy with our usual weekday activities.



Yesterday we went to a Chinese school to check out signing Frunty up for lessons when he is a bit older. He followed directions in Mandarin which still amazes me since I never see him use a dictionary! In the meantime, our Chinese friend is starting her own Mom-children's art class in Mandarin so Frunty will start that on Fridays in November. Better start Mandarin myself!

On Saturday we picked up our aunt and uncle from the airport in the morning and dropped off our friends at the train station in the afternoon and in between, went for pitas at the Grande Place! Yesterday we checked out the Japanese festival at their school but the line up for bentos was so long we took off for the Grande Place and ate in a cozy little restaurant that believe it or not, wasn't too smokey. Then we watched a bit of Brussel's very first marathon. I ran into my physiotherapist this morning, literally and figuratively, as I was starting my run and he ran the marathon yesterday in 3 hours something. I will go tonight for a back treatment/massage.



Tonight V is cooking one of her awesome, gourmet meals and we can't wait to eat it! I think Daddy will be tied up with colleagues from the States but maybe I can bring him home a doggy bag! V is cooking at their apartment which is really the apartment of our friends who so kindly gave us the keys and permission while they vacation in Asia!

I wanted to include this picture because Daddy particularly likes it. Here is Frunty at the Little Gym having a ball. Since we started going, Frunty has been saying words in French that we did not teach him and it is very cute. He just picks words up as all children do. We will definitely sign up for the next session after Christmas! It feels really good to find a programme your child enjoys so much.

Our newly engaged friends are here from Toronto right now and I have to say, "talk about a perfect fit, a wonderful match, an amazing couple." B...you did an awesome job! To see a couple so happy together has brought a lot of joy to us! And Frunty has taken to L's fiance very quickly and also asks L to pour juice for him and talks to her like old friends. Well, they do go way back.



We enjoyed walking around the Grande Place today. It is fun to go down there once in awhile as it really feels like Europe! We had a nice, hot drink in a little cafe and it was quaint and cozy with the fire on. Frunty enjoyed an icecream too. Visitors are fun, especially great friends.

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Well, we are very excited for many reasons! First of all, we booked our tickets to come home for Christmas! That means we are really coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can't wait to see you all and catch up. We also look forward to getting a real burger at Lick's and eating Dim Sum every chance we get in China Town.



Tomorrow our Canadian friends are arriving via Cologne! They will stay for a few days followed by our aunt and uncle from B.C./Australia, followed a few weeks later by my folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The fun never seems to stop. Don't worry, we are pacing ourselves. In between all of this, we have our English classes and in November, I will have to tell some disappointed students that I am going back to only 2 classes instead of 4 as we want to travel a bit before returning to Toronto and it is too hard to juggle 4 classes. I don't look forward to telling these students because after the last class, the bunch of girls enjoyed their snack and then ran back to the Baby Time room, sat on the couch and pleaded, "More!" Oh well, that's life!





We are off to the Little Gym today which is always exciting too because you can really see Frunty in his element!

Today was 22 degrees and we enjoyed our time at the park before coming home to our English and Art Class which is normally on Thursday but was moved to Monday because our friends are arriving from Toronto. Strange weather but ain't complaining.



Today we booked our plane tickets to come home for Christmas! That means we are really coming and not just thinking about it or hoping or wondering or contemplating or oscillating...we are really coming HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was a balmy 22 degrees and we enjoyed the park before coming home to our English Art Class!

Apples are perfect for keeping the doctor away (really). Apples contain an antioxidant that may stave off the decline of lung capacity that occurs over time from air pollution. In a study of more than 2,500 men, those who ate five or more apples a week could suck in and pump out more air from their lungs than those who didn't eat any apples. Aim for one a day!

For my running friends and for me:



When shin splints strike try ice to reduce inflammation. Another good treatment is to trace the alphabet (in a sitting position) on the floor with your toes. Do this with each leg. Or alternate walking on your heels for 30 seconds with 30 seconds of regular walking. Repeat four times. These exercises are good for both recovery and prevention. Try to do them three times a day.

Two nights ago, a very big thing happened for our little family. Frunty fell asleep on top of Daddy. He really wanted his Daddy and jumped on top and fell asleep just as he used to do when he was a tiny baby. Every other night, I am the only one Frunty will fall asleep with and I love this but have wanted C to enjoy the feeling again of a little baby snuggling into him and drifting off to sleepy land. It is very cozy and sweet and one of the best feelings we personally have as parents.

We really enjoyed our cousins' visit this past long weekend! They came up from Torino. We did a lot of fun activities together including face painting. I have graduated from using face crayons to actual paints and the hardest part is getting these little kids to sit still during the process as they are so excited! Green bunnies? Yep, that 's what they wanted!

We went to the Little Gym yesterday (www.thelittlegym.be) and Frunty really had a ball as usual. The teacher said, "Il est maigre mais si fort". It is true Frunty is slim but very strong and fast and loves jumping off of high things without holding my hand and lands well on two feet. He also likes doing somersaults and does them with such gusto sometimes that he rolls off the mat. He also likes swinging like a monkey on the bars and holds my hand while walking along the balance beam. Yesterday, on his own, he wanted to help the teacher carry the instruments back to the cupboard unit. The teacher had not asked for help. It was very cute.



Frunty is in the class for 2.5-3 year olds called Canailloux and it is fun because parts are organized and other parts are free play. Frunty is learning French too.

It's a cool and windy Monday morning but we went on a stroller run anyway to the playground because it looks like it may rain later. We had a very relaxing weekend with naps/movie watching/friends over for a sushi bonanza. Daddy is off to London on Wed. to find out about the merger as his company has been acquired by another...what else is new? This happens every year! And on Thursday we are looking forward to the visit of some cousins from Italy.



The next chance I get, I will write down some fitness/health tips that are helping me achieve my goals and I am recording them for me so that I can re-read them and remember them.



Hope everyone is well back home! And congrutulations to our dear friend, L, who just got engaged to B. We are VERY excited for you and will pop open the bubbly when you arrive at the beginning of October. Can't wait to celebrate with you in person.

Baby put on his own PJs tonight! He was able to do it all on his own. When attempts were made to help him, he said, "No. Fris' len do it." He has just scooted off downstairs and shouted to me, "Bye bye daddy! Goo' night". Now I can hear him ask, "Winnie Pooh, brush" so he can brush his teeth before he jumps into bed. He's very good right now for a little guy at 10 past 10.

Thank you, Daddy, for your contribution. It is the special, little moments like that that are golden and will be treasured and I am so happy that you don't scoot off in the morning early. I like your work schedule because working 10-6pm means time with us in the morning and you are right, Frunty is really extra sweets as he shakes off sleep.



Last week we visited our little friend, A. I was telling Frunty that we would go visit him and he said, "A has a bellybutton." I believe that this is Frunty's very first full sentence. It seems like ever since that day, the words, phrases, sentences have been pouring in. I was wondering if Frunty would mix in some French and Mandarin but he doesn't. Sometimes he says both like "hello, bonjour" or "ton ton, it hurts" (Mandarin spelling?). He also seems to love French and when I ask him what songs he would like to listen to, he tells me. The other day, Frunty said "chinese songs". I was shocked because I didn't know he knew the word "chinese". We usually say "mandarin". Anyway, it is just amazing what Frunty and all children pick up and never a day passes when I am not completely blown away by this little guy, my son. Blown away doesn't seem like the most fitting expression but I am dog-tired and cannot think of anything else at the moment.



Tomorrow is our first Little Gym work-out together with the two Js and we will celebrate after by going for Thai while both Daddies attend business affairs. We are looking forward to the new adventures in store for all of us.

This is the daddy writing about a little event that happened this morning. It was very cute. I was in the bathroom trying to be very quiet so as to not wake the baby. But just outside the door I could hear tiny footsteps going up the stairs. I slowly opened the door and saw the baby half way up the stairs! At first he frowned at me because the light from the bathroom was bright, but then he smiled and with the softest of voices he said, "Hi daddy." to which I replied, "Hi baby". Then with a quizzical look and a measured glance to the bathroom door the baby asked, "Mommy in there?" and with the slight disappointment of being second fiddle, I answered, "No. Mommy's upstairs." The baby smiled and his voice became stronger as he said, "Oh. Tank you daddy." and he continued up the stairs where I heard him cheer "Hi mommy!"



The mornings are when the baby is at his sweetest and most precious. His actions and inter-actions are calmer and more controlled as he shakes off his sleepiness. As a result, this little event has been one of his first proper conversations that I have had with him. I look forward to plenty more.

Yesterday we packed a picnic and set off for the Belgium beach called De Haan. Because of heavy traffic, we took a detour and ended up at the beach in Knokke-Heist. It was a hot and sunny day so any beach would do! Frunty had a ball running up and down the beach and doing circles, jumping over the waves, collecting shells and mussels, and rolling around in the sand. Mowgli enjoyed sleeping in the shade provided by our beach tent. We finished the day with icecream and Frunty slept almost the whole way home. Then we had a bbq and big fruit salad for dessert! It feels like summer here now and we hope it lasts.

September is here but a heat wave has hit us so it feels like July. 30 degrees celsius in the sun! The boys are at the Brico buying lightbulbs and doing other guy stuff and I have a moment to write in my blog which I haven't done for awhile. If it is hot tomorrow, we are definitely going to the beach. Thursday we had our first Baby Time after a two week break. I am offering three classes now actually and may have to add another as the numbers are growing and I can't say "no" to all these Moms and kids who want to learn English! Plus I do have an assistant who helps me during each class with letting in late comers, preparing crafts, serving drinks and snacks etc. so I am able to handle the extra classes this fall.



Tuesdays 4:15-5:15 pm Baby Time English (0-3 year olds with Moms)



Tuesdays 5:30-6:30pm English Time (3-5 year olds with Moms. The Moms may sit in the diningroom and have a cup of tea during the class...maybe I'll give them a project in English if they desire. Perhaps they just want a moment to gab in their own tongue!)



Thursdays 4:30-5:30 pm English Craft Class (any age, still songs, stories, puzzles etc. but the craft takes up the bulk of the time.)



The Moms are asking me to teach French to a new group of 2-3 year olds. My French is good enough and I may try it out for a month.



I have signed Frunty up for the Little Gym (an exercise class for Moms and children in French) on Wednesday afternoons and we will try to get to the pool once a week and the French library as well. So as you can see, we are quite busy having lots of fun. I have taken a break from the Old Age Home as it is very hard to cut Frunty's nap short. For Baby Time, he can wake up whenever he needs to and one time, he joined us during the snack. He got out of bed, came up the stairs and got right into the action...all on his own!!!



I'll add some pictures soon.

The hills are alive...with the sound of Frunty!

We got back on Sunday from a family visit in Italy. We spent the first half of the week in the mountains outside of Turin, in a little village called Gravere. We enjoyed a family bbq and met a family who makes cheese up high in the mountains. We tried many different types of cheese. Boy, were they great. The second half of the trip was spent in the countryside outside of Turin in a town called Aglie. It wasn't as cool and refreshing as in the mountains but because we bought a little pool for Frunty, he stayed cool and had fun.



Here is a picture of Frunty with one of his cousins in Moncenisio, France. We had a picnic by the lake and enjoyed the cool weather.

On one of Texel's beaches...grabbing a hug!

Weighting Room: Goals worth weighting for!



Some friends and family have been asking me what secret potion I have been taking in order to slim down and so I would like to take a moment to write about how I am able to achieve my goals in that department. But first, I would like to say a few thank yous.



Thank you so much to my personal trainer, my husband, who has been helping me to achieve my health goals. When reaching for the next cookie, thank you for reminding me of my goals. Thank you for taking care of the Baby while I go running sometimes, while I soak my aching muscles or enjoy a hot sauna! Thank you for finding me great routes to run and choosing a home near an amazing park. Thank you for pushing the jogger stroller and running beside me, encouraging me to keep going. Thank you for taking me to the track and timing my run and teaching me about tempos and pyramids. I would not be where I am today, without you.



Thank you to my Baby for being patient in the jogger stroller while Mommy takes the long way to the playground. You look at birds, dogs and other things and sing songs for Mommy and I cannot remember one time when you have complained about being in the jogger. Once or twice, you want to get out recently to run beside me on the Green Path for awhile and sometimes we have even done some running together on the beach. Now we are doing yoga and stretching together and you are the best little exercise partner around! Everytime I see you running around, jumping, skipping and playing, you remind me to play too. Let's stay healthy as a family, guys!!!



Thank you so much to my folks for all their support through phone calls and for purchasing the jogger stroller for me. Dad- I loved our runs on the boardwalk and I love the ones we do now in Brussels when you come and the beaches in Ireland were incredible. You helped me get back into shape and your support keeps me going. And thank you, Mom, for taking Frunty to the Y so that Dad and I could go running and chatting to me on the phone about health, among other things. You guys believe in me and that is support I need!



And thank you to the person who told me that I wouldn't live til I was a 100 even if I tried to get into shape now in my thirties. Well, maybe or maybe not but I will die trying!!!!!! This is the kind of comment that fuels me on to achieve my goals. According to Runner's World, it is never too late to get healthy and back into shape and a body can become strong again at any age. No one knows how long they will live but everyone can try to live a long, healthy and happy life.



Thank you to B for all your positive comments over the years and for getting me into running in the first place in Japan. On long runs, I think of you and how you have been running forever. I really enjoyed our recent runs together, especially on that beach in Texel. Our chats are great and when I do my solo runs, I think about you, my Dad, my sister-in-law and all the people who are encouraging me because they are also runners.



Thank you to my nutritionist, health advisor, medical support team, J&J. You have taught me about proper portion sizes and upon my asking, pointed out that I overeat. I mean, over ATE. Your phone calls to your doctors in Taiwan and mainland China are greatly appreciated. Your soothing teas, discussions about beans, shopping together for books on yoga, getting together with our children and doing exercises in the park...you are already slim and in wonderful shape from a lifetime of eating very well and eating just enough. Teaching me how to hoola hoop was so funny too. Meeting you was a real turning point for me in Brussels and I thank my lucky stars everyday!



Now that I have thanked everyone I can think of and even the stars, I will sign off for now!

Just got back from Italy last night and have a lot of blogging to do. I have not had a chance to write more about our wonderful time with BMG who visited from Toronto for a week and our amazing trip to Texel. There are so many pictures I would like to include as well. So stay tuned while I try to catch up on a busy month the next chance I get. I would also like to include an entry as promised on how I achieved my goals of returning to my pre-pregnancy weight and just recently, my wedding day weight which only took me about 7 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And what is my next goal...weight to find out!

Going to the Espadon pool with the 4 Js is a lot of fun! Even though we have to wear these hats and force the kids to keep them on (very strict rules!) the whole darn time, it is still a wonderful outting and the kids nap really well afterwards!

Friesland likes wearing his hair like Mommies' from time to time!

Our friends are here from Toronto with their little one, 21 month old G and we are having a ball! It is so fun to have them here and Friesland (this is what Frunty calls himself) and G are playing well together. Sometimes they just play side by side but more and more, they are interacting too. It is as if they have never been apart which makes my heart sing!



We have been quite busy with running in the park together, going to the pool and the park and sightseeing. We have gone to the coast to play on the beach at De Haan and had dinner in the very beautiful city of Brugges which is always a pleasure to visit. We have enjoyed waffles at the Grande Place and letting the kids run around chasing pigeons and almost stepping on works of art created by young artists. This weekend we will go together to the Netherlands for a beach holiday. Very exciting and still lots more to do in Brussels before leaving on Friday for that adventure.



Here is a quote I thought was interesting. Until I write again, have fun everyone!



If you want happiness for an hour—take a nap.

If you want happiness for a day—go fishing.

If you want happiness for a month—get married.

If you want happiness for a year—inherit a fortune.

If you want happiness for a lifetime—help others. -



Chinese Proverb

Chatting with family and friends back home really makes me miss everyone and everything in Toronto so I have decided to make a list of the top ten things that I miss the most, just for fun. Later I will write the top ten things I like about living in Brussels.



1. Family and friends and doing fun stuff!

2. Fridays (running with my Dad on the boardwalk while Frunty and Gramma went to the Y for Baby Gymboree.)

3. Hot tubbing at the nonni and all their delicious meals

4. Our very supportive neighbours

5. China Town and our weekly dim sum

6. Grabbing a veggie burger or icecream at Lick's and walking along the boardwalk

7. The park at the bottom of Willow situated under big, old trees with an incredible view of the lake

8. Looking out my kitchen window at my lilacs and the shed my husband made me

9. My husband working from home so I could see him any old time and bring him snacks

10. Dick's (Dickie's No Frills supermarket with its excellent selection and amazing prices) and all the other convenient shops some open 24 hour/7 days a week

Our very own little monkey enjoys swinging around as

we continue to make our home into a Baby Gym!







 

Today was a really fun day as we chatted first with our Torontonian neighbours who are spending the year in London. Then we drove to Daddy's office and as we approached, Frunty yelled "Daddy's office!". From there, we put the Baby in the stroller and ran through the corn and wheat fields completing a 6 km run followed by a really hot sauna and a sushi picnic and reserving our tickets to Italy for August. "And then" as Daddy and Frunty always say, we went to the airport to watch planes landing and that was exciting because we stood right in the fields and it felt like you could touch a plane as it went right above your head but really low. We were having such a good time we decided to go out for Thai food and it was delicious. You couldn't ask for a better day!

Today was a rainy, cold day of 13 degrees celsius...yikes! Yesterday was summer but today is winter again so off to the pool we went. The 4 Js came too and the kids really enjoyed jumping, splashing and kicking their feet. The name of the pool is "Espadon" and about a twenty minute walk away. It was fully renovated last year so is modern and very attractive with two beautiful baby pools with a jungle theme, a hut and slide and snakes squirting water. Pictures to eventually follow.

 

 

Thank you, Gramma and Grampa, for my new hat that you sent me from Roots, Canada. It's great!

 

We had a wonderful weekend. On Saturday we went to A.S.Adventure and enjoyed the July sales by getting some new clothes. Then we went to Le Chateau de la Hulpe for a picnic and bocce balls. The weather was gorgeous and afterwards, Frunty played in the pool on our back deck. Frunty got out of the pool at one point and sat on the potty and said afterwards, "I did it". We looked and sure enough, there was peepee in the potty for the first time ever! And we did not ask him to do it, we just always make the potty available to him and he sees his older friends using it when they come over. It just goes to show you that a child can learn to use the potty on his own WITHOUT ANY PRESSURE. When he/she is ready, a child will want to do it. Frunty was so happy and clapped when he showed us the peepee. We were happy but on the other hand, who cares? He won't be 25 and wearing a diaper!!!

 

Later I ran a 10 km and after dinner, Daddy made me a Dame Blanche. We were celebrating the fact that I reached my goal of returning to my pre-pregnancy weight! It took me 25 months but I did it! I'll write more about that later.

 

Today we went on a family-stroller run on the Green Path, a 6 km run and then a 6 km walk with a sushi lunch as well. After dinner, we went to the Grande Place for waffles with chocolate. Despite some rain here and there, we had a fantastic weekend. This week, Daddy will collect us and take us to his office for lunch and Wednesday is a national holiday and he has a special day planned for us too.

 

Here are two of the kind folks we chat with each week at the Old Age Home

one street over. Yesterday we played "Farmyard Dominoes" with them. We

always ask them to sing songs to us and now we are singing along too!

Yesterday and today, Frunty has been calling me by my first name! It is very adorable but he doesn't do it all the time. It must be a stage. Mostly he still calls me "Mommy" though. I took the pets to the park despite the drizzle and did some running and Frunty played after on the jungle gym/slide etc. Even though it has been rainy and cold, we still have been having fun. If we don't get out of the house, cabin fever quickly sets in. We also enjoyed chatting and singing with the old folks after naptime. Daddy can home with yet another new car. A Volvo Sedan and the boys have gone out for a spin so that I can have some time to write. We have finally decided on a car and are waiting for delivery. You'll have to wait to find out!



We also received a special package in the mail. Thanks very much to the Nonni for the Barney video and book. Frunty held onto the DVD the whole time while in the stroller. When we got home, we watched a little bit in Spanish. Frunty just loved it. I am able to get over my guilt at putting on a show sometimes while I prepare lunch or dinner if I select another language because I think that at least Frunty is being extra-enriched.

Happy Birthday, Gramma! Hope you have a wonderful day and hope your wedding anniversary was nice yesterday too!

Today we visited a 12th century castle in Ghent which Frunty really enjoyed as did we. The torture chambers were scarey. We just finished reading TimeLine so it was fun to go back in time ourselves and imagine what life was like in this medieval town. We really had a wonderful day with shopping at the Grande Place of Brussels in the morning to get a birthday gift for our little friend whose party we will attend today. We were sorry to miss C's birthday yesterday but were there in spirit and had a fun chat the day before and was overjoyed to hear little C's voice for the first time in many months!

Having fun with his "little sister" at the park, Frunty enjoys monkeying around

and shouting in Mandarin too.

Today was a special day since the Tour de France came through Belgium! Daddy phoned me while we were at the playground and told us to get ready for an adventure. He picked us all up (J&J) and took us to the Butte de Lion to see the cyclists. Even though they came through fast, it was still fun and the kids were amazed. We had a nice picnic with blueberries, raspberries, ham and nice buns.



Later Frunty and I had our third visit to the old age home one street over. We go once a week to spend an hour or so with some elderly people. The look of joy on their faces when they see Frunty could light up any room. They have a wonderful fishtank and a cute, little cat as well so Frunty enjoys visiting a lot. We also get to practise some French and we ask the ol' folks to sing some songs for us! This week, one of the women remembered the date of Frunty's birthday!



Tomorrow we are looking forward to the "cable guys" coming because it means we'll have cable in time for the Olympics. Since we are housebound for 4 hours while we wait for hook-up, our friends are coming over to play with us in the morning. J from China will teach us how to make dumplings and we'll have lunch together!

Happy Canada Day everyone!

We went to the Ambassadors', Monsieur and Madame Bilodeau, for champagne and nibblies but no cake or fireworks. Not to sound ungrateful but...and the band was scarey. Well, hope you all had fun. The highlight of the day was a wonderful phone call from J and getting to hear our god-daughter's cutie voice!

Frunty really enjoyed his second birthday party with new friends and a candle that wouldn't blow out for good on a yummy cake!

Daddy was sorry that he missed seeing E and A and meeting the twins. He just couldn't leave work soon enough but at least got to enjoy the tail end! A special thanks to Gramma and Grampa for sending all the fun Thomas the Tank birthday things that helped make our party a hit!

Playing bocci balls on our beach in Djerba while Mommy gets a seaweed wrap at the hotel's spa.

What a week and it isn't over yet! We got back from Djerba on Saturday and celebrated Frunty's second birthday and Father's Day on Sunday. We started with pancake breakfast, went to church, came home for a decadent Belgian chocolate birthday cake from Desmet bakery followed by a trip to the Tram Museum. First we took the vintage tram to Tervuren and then to the Cinquantenaire park and then we visited the museum itself. Frunty just loved it, actually we all did. Came home and had a seafood bonanza bbq and more cake! The next day was Frunty's actual birthday party and we had altogether 8 kids, lucky number. Wow!



Josephine from Taiwan

Jordan and Jillian from the U.S.

Alexander from Bruxelles

Sybilla and Octavia, twins from the U.K.

Lucine de la France



It was so fun! Pictures will come later, when I have a chance. Daddy was so excited about the party that he came home early from work to join in the fun. Thank you again to all those who sent emails/gifts/cards and phoned! Thank you for remembering us on our special days even though we live so far away. Tuesday we took the nonni to the airport, as you know, then Wednesday, hosted a good bye lunch for the whole Baby Time group as one student/Mom is returning to Japan for good. J and I hosted together with J making the meal, I made desserts. Thursday was Baby Time and with two new students! (Josephine joined and her Mom's help is greatly appreciated!) Today is French Library.



Despite how busy this week has been, we still made time for naps and quiet time. Next week will be even quieter with no extra special lunch or trips to and from the airport!

We just took the Nonni to the airport and although it was very sad to say "good bye", we will see eachother soon what with the way time flies! We had a wonderful time with them in Tunisia and I will add some photos little by little.

I had to explain to the baby that Daddy had to go home from the beach. He still sometimes asks for you and about you. It does seem like he understands a bit because he says, " Daddy, Mowgli" as if h eknows that you two are together.

We are headed to Djerba, Tunisia tonight so you won't hear from us for awhile. We are

looking forward to a relaxing, beach holiday and hopefully the weather won't be too

hot. Since we are staying on an island and right on the ocean, there will be a breeze,

no doubt. When we get back, it'll be Father's Day and Frunty's second birthday! So stay

tuned for updates about Djerba and photos of Frunty and balloons!

Nonno reads an animal counting book and later, enjoys looking at the spiders

the children made at Baby Time yesterday!

Nonna reads "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to the Baby Time students yesterday. It was lots

of fun!

Running along the beach together in Le Touquet, France, during a recent long

weekend break.

Daddy flew off to Milano tonight because he has a meeting tomorrow morning. He hates to miss time with Frunty so he brought us lunch and spent the whole afternoon playing with us. After he left in the late afternoon, J&J came over and we walked over to one of my Japanese student's home to check out her garage sale. She is moving back to Japan in July and will be sorely missed. J and I both purchased some fun stuff. I got Frunty a slide and tricycle and a bunch of clothes. I remembered our garage sale last summer and how hard it was to sell some special items. The only thing that made it bearable was that we donated the proceeds to breast cancer. It is important to remember that things are only things but you know what, things comfort us too and are associated with special times and people. So even if getting attached to material objects is silly, it is still hard to part with certain things. I am just rambling!



The point of this blog is to tell you fun things you can do with your Baby or at least, fun things that I do with mine! And this morning we made smoothies in our new blender and after we both had a glass, we poured the rest into Teddy Bear Tupperware Freezer Pop Moulds and after naptime, Frunty ate three in a row! Luckily they were full of only fruit and no added sugar. We put bananas, peaches, strawberries and pineapple into the blender. Yummy! I think I'll have one now. Cheerio! And by the way, Frunty loves helping in the kitchen and it's a new hobby for us! I highly recommend it despite the fact that it is a little more messy!

We just came back last night from a three day weekend to the north coast of France where we stayed in the fishing village of Etaple and enjoyed playing on beaches in Le Touquet and Ste. Cecile. Frunty loves the sand and I think he could play all day at the beach, finding shells, digging holes and jumping in, making circles, running along the ocean. Daddy bought a rainbow-coloured kite and we had fun watching him learn to fly it. I tried too. We ate a lot of seafood and even bbqed fish kebabs. We also went to an amazing aquarium in Boulogne called Nausicaa where we saw some awesome sharks. A week today we leave for another seaside holiday in Djerba, Tunisia. We have never had so many holidays in a row but that is what it means to live in Europe where vacation time is 5 or 6 weeks plus all the statutory holidays plus the long lunch breaks when Daddy sometimes comes home and 35 hour maximum work week. (by law, employers cannot demand more without giving a day off in lieu.) It is a different world and despite my homesickness at times, I am happy for all the time Daddy gets to spend with us!

Yesterday Frunty and I made rice pudding together and I will include a picture once I download it. We had fun and I decided to use the rice cooker. I measured the ingredients and Frunty put them into the rice cooker. Then he stirred everything, a little roughly at first and some of the milk flew onto his chin. You'll see it in the photo so stay tuned!

At one point, a bit of the milk bubbled onto the counter but oh well. While it was cooking J&J came over and when it was done, we all had some before setting out for the park.



We had a fun time at our Luxembourg farmstay this past four day weekend. It was a sheep farm and Frunty got to feed a baby lamb with a big milk bottle. We did quite a bit of hiking as there were a lot of trails near the farm. When Frunty hikes it means running along the trails and boy can he run for a long time. Sometimes he needs breaks by sitting in the carrier and he has fun doing the "claw" to Daddy, pulling off his hat, tugging on his ears etc. We also went to the Villeroy and Boch outlet shop and bought a cake plate for a gift. We have another long weekend coming up and will look for another "rural gite".

First of all, a huge thanks to the Daddy for writing in our blog while we stayed in Ireland. We had a wonderful trip and the highlights included: super-friendly people, good food, beautiful scenery and best of all, NO SMOKING EVERYWHERE. Actually, the best part was watching Frunty and his grandparents have fun together! Frunty wanted to hug Grandpa every morning. His first word usually was "Grandpa". We got home on Saturday to find the other set of grandparents already in Brussels! How fun! Today they took off to Spain for a few weeks but will be back for more fun. So Frunty and I spent the day with J&J and enjoyed catching up with them. So sunny and warm too. We walked to the mall and back through the park! then Daddy met us with Mowgli and we all walked home together. Bath time, gotta go!

A taxi came early at 7:30 am to take the Daddy to the airport today. The Daddy had to go back to work. The weather was extremely stormy with sheets of rain and strong winds. Luckily, the flight was on time with no delays. Now, the Daddy is back at home while the rest of the crew enjoy Ireland for another 10 days. In the meantime, the Daddy has time to work on some projects around the house. Here's a video showing the Baby and the Dog spending time together. (This video requires a broadband connection since the file is 4.5MB large. You might also need Windows Media Player to view it. If the media player doesn't start immediately, then try downloading the file first, then opening the file.)

We had another relaxing morning in our courtyard cottage and then headed out by car again to the Dingle Peninsula to explore Inch Beach. We took a slightly different road than before and ended up on a very narrow single lane way country road. It was very exciting just getting to the beach. Inch Beach is incredibly large, wide and flat. We were able to drive right on the beach and go a long, long way from the road. The Baby is able to say very clearly "shells" and everytime he saw a shell on the beach we would shout out with plenty exuberence. There wasn't much else at the beach except the beach, so we headed to Dingle town for lunch at Murphy's. After lunch, we drove a short way from Dingle to visit the Beehive huts, stone dwellings dating from 6000 BC. It was very impressive and even more so was the scenery with steep cliffs, green hills and rough ocean. The wind and weather made us all very cold and dreamy for our cozy accomodation and tasty dinner.

After a leisurely breakfast, we drove to the Dingle Peninsula. We stopped at one point to enjoy a large beach where we had a chance to get our feet wet.







The baby had a ball running around and giggling while splashing in the shallow water. Despite the wind, it felt somewhat warm to be barefoot on the beach. The baby had fun digging in the sand too.







The scenary is very beautiful on the Dingle peninsula. The hills are about 800 to 900 m. above the sealevel. We left the beach to continue our way to Dingle town for lunch. The best road to Dingle was via the Connor Pass where we stopped to enjoy a short hike to a nice viewpoint. The baby was very keen to hike and run the whole way up.







Eventually, we made it to Dingle town and had fun walking along the docks of this fishing village. We had lunch at Murphy's Pub and all of us enjoyed nice seafood dishes. It was a full day and so we headed back to our cottage about an hour drive away.

We got up early this morning to get to the airport with lots of time to spare before our flight to Ireland. I went to find parking and was lucky to find a new place that was free! Then we got our boarding passes and made our way through the scrum to get on board. It was total chaos with people pushing and shoving because there's no pre-assigned seating. The flight was 1.5 hours and the baby was good the whole time. When we arrived, the grandparents were waiting outside and we left the baby with them. He clearly remembered who they were and was happy to see them and so he was not scared or anxious at being left with them while we waited inside the arrival hall for our luggage.







After we got our luggage, we loaded up in the rental car and grandpa drove us to the cottage we booked for one week. The drive was eventful since as we passed through Limirick, Adare, and several other quaint little Irish villages. We found our cottage on the Internet at www.countykerryholidays.com and it turned to be truly very nice. With a full kitchen, we were able to have breakfast and dinner in-house. The first night, the mommy and the daddy went into the town of Tralee for dinner for Italian pasta at Bella Bia while the grandparents had an early night. The baby is very good at saying "pasta" whenever he is hungry for dinner.

Today we had a quick visit from our cousin F.B. who was on his way with a friend to Amsterdam. The daddy picked them up at the Ryanair airport in Charleroi then took them to central train station. They had just enough time to have quick waffle before their train left. They were on their way to enjoy Queen's Day, a Dutch national holiday.

The weather is just lovely and we are playing with friends at the park almost everyday and visiting the baby ducks which are so big now. Baby is asleep in the stroller so I can write and tell you what is going on a bit. Yesterday we went with some friends to a "fun day" and the Babies played in the park, ate a hotdog and crepe and Frunty ran all the way from the park to our friend's home. He loves to run not walk. Here are a couple of photos. We are off to the park at 4pm for Mandarin-English exchange which isn't just on Wednesdays anymore! And we'll go to the French library together afterwards to grab some books.



Frunty and A like to trade hats!







A Baby Tiger falls asleep on the way home after all that running!

We just found out that we get two days off at the end of May for Ascension Day and the Friday becomes a "bridge" day so everyone can have a 4 day holiday. Of course, everyone knew this except for us so almost everything was booked up. Apparently since September. But luckily we got a farmstay (yes, we are really into farm stays!) so take a look at their website! http://www.woll.lu



"Holiday in the country on an old farm in the Valley of the Seven Castles. Opportunity to watch the craft of wool-making from sheep bred on the farm. Weaving. "

Here is the list of cars we have had since moving to Brussels in July.



1. Volkswagon Passat (Silver)

2. Peugeot 406 (Charcoal Grey)

3. Ford Galaxy Mini Van (Silver)

4. Citroen Picasso (Charcoal Grey)

5. Volvo V40 (Black)

6. Mercedes A170 (Silver)

7. Mercedes C200 (Navy Blue)



Perhaps you are wondering why we are trying so many different cars. The

answer is because...we can! And our favourite so far...I like the sporty fun

city car: Mercedes A170. Tied for first in Daddy's eyes: Volvo V40/Mercedes C200.

We used to have a V40 in Amsterdam and actually prefer our Mowat-mobile,

the 240! Great character and sounds like a truck. I cannot believe I am

talking about cars on my blog. Can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Frunty test drives a bus and car in Laren, Holland over the weekend. They say Babies grow up fast...

Speaking of vehicles, we are getting a new one this week. Yes, we are still waiting for our car to be built

but in the meantime, Daddy has enjoyed trying many different cars since July. I will make a list so you

can see what he has tried!

Happy Easter everyone from Le Mont St Michel, Normandy, France!

Today we left Neufchatel and headed toward the coast across the Normandy Bridge to the seaside town of Honfleur. We had poached fish and the Baby had mussels.







On the way to our next farm stay at Vengeons, we stopped at a cidery to do some sampling! We got a couple of bottles to enjoy later and Frunty enjoyed playing in the flower beds!







Once we got to our second farmstay, we went for a long walk and found some adorable lambs!

(Vengeons, Axe Sourdeval Vire: Raymond et Jeanne Desdoits, Le Val 50150 Vengeons, 02 33 59 64 16)

Our trip to Normandy, France over the Easter 4 day weekend was wonderful and we enjoyed two farmstays, cider tasting, Le Mont St. Michel, a seafood bonanza on the coast and a ride on an old train too. The weather was as beautiful as the scenery!



Here are some delectable cheeses we devoured in a local restaurant in the town near our first farm stay, Neufchatel-en-Bray.







We stayed at a beautiful farm called Le Cellier du Val Boury near the town of Neufchatel. Check out their website: www.cellier-val-boury.com

For the last few weeks, Frunty has been pointing to himself and saying "Baby" and then he points to Da-da and says, "daddy" and to me, "Mommy". It is supercute and this self-awareness is an important step in his development, no doubt. He used to point to himself and say, "Baby?" but now just says "Baby". Frunty also likes when we kiss his boo-boo better and he says "ouch". If we have a boo-boo, he is very eager to kiss ours better too and give us a superbig hug.

Fields of tulips and baby lambs, stroop waffles and pannekoeken, windmills in the distance and the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam up close...if you haven't been to Holland yet, now is your chance! Spring is a wonderful time to go and we enjoyed our weekend there with old friends. Frunty had fun too and ate a falafel at one of our favourite places near the flower market. We went to the Albert Cuyp Market for a king size, freshly made stroop which was just too delicious. Frunty also liked riding the trams, visiting a farm with lots of baby chicks and other animals and playing with Dutch children all weekend. We visited two sets of friends, one family with two kids and the other with four. Frunty was the baby in both groups but played so well with the others. They spoke to him in Dutch and he somehow spoke back! It was neat to watch. Mowgli enjoyed his spa weekend at chez K and E where he was treated royally. On the way home last night, we stopped in Leiden, a beautiful university town. We enjoyed Dutch pancakes! In the back of our car we brought home a huge bouquet of daffodils. The flowers there are out of this world. Happy Spring everyone!

What a super busy week and it isn't over yet! Monday we went running in the park with K and watched the baby ducks for awhile before coming home for lunch. Tuesday we enjoyed a coffee morning at our Irish friend's house. We ran home and stopped to look at the ducks again. Wednesday was our first Mandarin-English play date/language exchange and Frunty learned how to say "doughnut" which is tienne tienne chen. He said a few other words too. It is incredible to listen to him imitating my friend and her child. We sang songs in English too and read some books. After dinner we went down to the Grande Place for beers. Today we had Baby Time and it was quite busy with the visiting grandparents and the video taping that went on. I think the children got over excited so the lesson seemed a little crazy! After we went for dinner at Quick Burger and Frunty enjoyed playing with the balls. Daddy scared a little Japanese baby by trying to do high fives! It was funny actually. Then afterwards we visited K and E for cookies and tea and brought Mowgli over. He will be staying with them for the weekend so we wanted him to have a little visit tonight. He was good as gold. We are off...to visit friends...in...AMSTERDAM!



Tomorrow we will get ready for our weekend. Everyday this week has been absolutely glorious with blues skies and everything blooming. Just beautiful so for sure we will take time to enjoy the ducks and the park tomorrow and play outside too. I can always pack while Frunty is snoozing!

Frunty is into everything. Sliding down on his tummy, moose-back riding, training for his first marathon...even a box! (his love of boxes goes way back!) Happy Monday everyone!

What a beautiful spring weekend! We got caught up on some gardening and I squeezed in a great run in Woluwe park. Friends are coming for dinner so gotta skidaddle. Hope the weather is getting better back home.

We enjoyed Baby Time yesterday with a special visitor from Japan. One of the children's grandfathers joined our class and even participated! After we had icecream and Canada Dry. The kids were so quiet while eating and everyone had seconds! In the evening, I got a chance to go see the movie that I missed last week with the group of women. Going by myself was fine and I enjoyed seeing "Along Came Polly". After the guys picked me up and we went out for dessert. Frunty got a red balloon. Today we are off to French Library which is only once a month. I wish it were once a week! This weekend we are going to catch up on gardening. When we look out our back window, the whole view is of a blooming Magnolia tree. Just beautiful.

According to the Baby Einstein company: "Research has shown that infants have a natural ability to distinguish and assimilate the sounds of all languages. Repeated exposure to these sounds will help to develop your child's auditory abilities. Young children can begin to learn words and phrases in different languages..."



Frunty starts Mandarin next Wednesday.

Frunty is saying more and more words everyday and it is amazing to listen to his speech development. He says "windy, raining, cold" and puts on his hat. He says "sharp" when pointing to a knife and "stuck" when he is stuck or something is jammed.

Frunty is saying several new words everyday and it is very exciting watching his speech development. He says, "windy, cold, raining" and puts on his hat. He says "sharp" and points to a knife and "stuck" when something is jammed. He says the name "Mowgli" and "food" and has the chore of feeding Mowgli twice a day. Frunty goes over to the bucket, scoops out one cup, pours it into the bowl, calls Mowgli over and puts the scoop back. He says lots of other words too but I'm telling you the best ones. He says "back" and rubs my back! (at one of our Baby Times, the children took turns rubbing their Moms back with an octopus from the Body Shop and Frunty remembers this and likes to rub my back from time to time, even if I don't ask him!) He loves kissing his parents, Mowgli and if there is a cute picture in a book, Frunty will kiss that too!

We went to Lille, France for lunch today which is only about 1 hour and 15 minutes away and brought bake some divine pastries with us. Mille Feuille and a chocolate bomb with an incredible merengue. One other pastry with chocolate too. Daddy would like me to add that Baby sings along with "Do Re Me" and knows many of the words that come next and hums along as well. He really loves that song. Well, Lille was quite nice and we'll have to go back when shops are open.

I promised photos of Moms and children playing Pin-the-Tail on the donkey during Baby Time and since I got permission, in writing, for me to add their pictures to my blog, I can do it guilt-free.

Baby has a great time playing with other kids and enjoyed meeting new friends in El Gouna, Egypt. Today we played with a little girl from the States

and her Mom set up a muffin tin with all kinds of sprinkles, rice, cheerios and baking powder. The two kids used spoons and scoops to move stuff

around and Baby enjoyed getting messy. I will add a picture later when I get a chance to download the pictures. After naptime, a new friend is coming

over with his dog so Mowgli will have a playmate too!