This morning I was in charge of both boys while The Mommy went to visit a friend. It was their idea to go around the block by bicycle but they were not getting dressed and continued to play. I decided to say nothing as got my shoes on, said goodbye and walked out the door. Clearly they understood what happened because Frunty was dressed in a flash and racing out to follow me. I was already outside hunting around in the garage and could hear Pit wailing at being left behind or alone or both. Frunty was at the edge of the door trying to cheer up his brother. First he said, "I'm going to look for Daddy." but after a quick glance and not seeing me anywhere, he changed tactics and cheered, "We're big boys now! We alone, we're big boys."
Saturday, 30 May 2009
When there is good weather in Brussels, everyone seems to take advantage of spending time out-of-doors and having BBQs. This weekend so far has been exceptionally exceptional with clear skies and no forecasts of the usual overcast skies. Even though we stayed until 11:30pm at yesterdays BBQ (both boys were awake and in fine form all night, although Frunty did report that he had potato chips and 4 drinks for dinner...) it seems we just can't say no to another BBQ. This time, Frunty did have food with a higher nutritional content - broccoli and carrots, but refused the meat. Pit, on the other hand goes the opposite way and has no more problem eating the chicken and lamb but needs extra convincing for his veggies. Instead of marshmallows, the boys roasted pineapple-strawberry skewers and I roasted almond nougat - yumm! Shoes and socks came off and the grass felt nice beneath our bare feet.
Friday, 29 May 2009
Today, both Frunty and Pit went on all-day school excursions. Frunty went to a local amusement/theme park called BelleWaerde and Pit spent the day at the farm du Moulin de Caillet, hopefully not around any sick swines! The boys were extra excited to get to school and board their buses. These places are each at least a 30-45 minute drive, so we put in a special request to get Pit in the front row so he wouldn't get sick, and we warned the teachers about his tendency for motion-sickness. News just in! The boys have come home as I type this and I discovered that Pit saw the "bad black pig" and that he rode a small horse, he even wore a helmet. Unfortunately, Frunty had to spend 3 hours in traffic coming home! Apparently he says he slept but I have no memory of the last time Frunty ever took an afternoon nap, no matter how exhausted he has been. His disposition seems to indicate that he's telling the truth! At Bellewaerde, they walked to see lions and tigers and went inside Houdini's Magic House and took a ride on the Bengal Rapid River. Frunty says he pants and backpack got totally soaked! The fun is not over, we're off to the neighbours now for a BBQ. Luckily, it's one of Belgium's rare sunny days, but it's still quite chilly.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
The Mommy went to see a stand-up comedy show with some friends this evening leaving me in charge of the troops. I put them to work and got Frunty to make dinner. 
He stirred the polenta and cooked the hamburgers while the soup The Mommy prepared earlier was simmering. Pit wanted to help too but there were bubbling pots and no room by the stove so he was assigned to set the table. Frunty got the great idea to add a can of corn to the polenta and after he blended the cauliflower soup, we sat down to enjoy the meal. We each ate two servings of polenta, plus our soup and fruit and afterwards, both boys were sluggish and complained of "super big tummies". Since it was already late, they immediately got into their PJs, brushed their teeth and even had time to trim our fingernails. Frunty contributed to storytime by practicing his English reading and I "read" another story without a book. Pit complained that storytime was "too short" but I barely had a chance to leave the room and he was already sawing logs.
He stirred the polenta and cooked the hamburgers while the soup The Mommy prepared earlier was simmering. Pit wanted to help too but there were bubbling pots and no room by the stove so he was assigned to set the table. Frunty got the great idea to add a can of corn to the polenta and after he blended the cauliflower soup, we sat down to enjoy the meal. We each ate two servings of polenta, plus our soup and fruit and afterwards, both boys were sluggish and complained of "super big tummies". Since it was already late, they immediately got into their PJs, brushed their teeth and even had time to trim our fingernails. Frunty contributed to storytime by practicing his English reading and I "read" another story without a book. Pit complained that storytime was "too short" but I barely had a chance to leave the room and he was already sawing logs.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Pit and Mommy enjoy a holiday together: El Arenal, Mallorca, Spain: May 18-22, 2009.
Palma Bay Club pool: with several pools to choose from, we cooled off throughout the day! Thomas Cook holidays gave us some floaties as gifts.
On Friday May 15th, Pit and I went to the Woluwe Shopping mall to talk to Veronique at TUI travel center about last minutes and came away with a trip departing to Mallorca on the 18th. Having looked at several options before going to the mall, I knew that Mallorca had good weather at 27 degrees. When we arrived, a heat wave hit and we had 33 degrees Celsius temperatures. Although I was also interested in Egypt or Sicily I am glad I chose Mallorca because it is so close and the travel dates seemed to respect Daddy's schedule. Thanks to Daddy for juggling so many things while we were away and taking great care of Frunty.
The idea of spending some one-on-one time with Pit was and is very appealing to me and I was looking for some sea air for his "vegetation". I found that his nose started to "
degage" upon our arrival. When Frunty was three, I took him to Makadi Bay, Egypt for a week and I wanted to do something special with Pit as well. I am so grateful to Daddy for supporting my dreams. Here we are on the boat trip from Calobra to the Port of Soller. We saw jelly fish, schools of various fish, and enjoyed the fresh, sea air before taking a 1912 train back to Palma.
Playa di Palma beach: 300m from our hotel by a pedestrian walk zone:
There are a lot of great things about Mallorca. It is under 2 hours from Brussels and is a beautiful, sunny island. Picking the last-minute based on dates, I had no idea if the hotel was good or not, the food, the beach etc. Luck was on our side because the hotel s
eemed newly renovated, the food was excellent and it was located 300 m from a really gorgeous beach called Playa di Palma. I am so grateful for this time together. Here we are at our picnic spot before taking the boat mentioned above.
When you see the route we took to get to the picnic spot, you'll know that we deserved a restful break at the beach! This route by the way has 57, hairpin turns! The driver was so skilled though that no one, not even Pit, was sick!
We left Mallorca on a really good note after a lovely holiday together. Thanks again to Daddy and Frunty too for co-operating so well while we were away. It's such a nice island that we would like to take them there one day! The end...
Palma Bay Club pool: with several pools to choose from, we cooled off throughout the day! Thomas Cook holidays gave us some floaties as gifts.
On Friday May 15th, Pit and I went to the Woluwe Shopping mall to talk to Veronique at TUI travel center about last minutes and came away with a trip departing to Mallorca on the 18th. Having looked at several options before going to the mall, I knew that Mallorca had good weather at 27 degrees. When we arrived, a heat wave hit and we had 33 degrees Celsius temperatures. Although I was also interested in Egypt or Sicily I am glad I chose Mallorca because it is so close and the travel dates seemed to respect Daddy's schedule. Thanks to Daddy for juggling so many things while we were away and taking great care of Frunty.
The idea of spending some one-on-one time with Pit was and is very appealing to me and I was looking for some sea air for his "vegetation". I found that his nose started to "
degage" upon our arrival. When Frunty was three, I took him to Makadi Bay, Egypt for a week and I wanted to do something special with Pit as well. I am so grateful to Daddy for supporting my dreams. Here we are on the boat trip from Calobra to the Port of Soller. We saw jelly fish, schools of various fish, and enjoyed the fresh, sea air before taking a 1912 train back to Palma.Playa di Palma beach: 300m from our hotel by a pedestrian walk zone:
There are a lot of great things about Mallorca. It is under 2 hours from Brussels and is a beautiful, sunny island. Picking the last-minute based on dates, I had no idea if the hotel was good or not, the food, the beach etc. Luck was on our side because the hotel s
eemed newly renovated, the food was excellent and it was located 300 m from a really gorgeous beach called Playa di Palma. I am so grateful for this time together. Here we are at our picnic spot before taking the boat mentioned above.When you see the route we took to get to the picnic spot, you'll know that we deserved a restful break at the beach! This route by the way has 57, hairpin turns! The driver was so skilled though that no one, not even Pit, was sick!
We left Mallorca on a really good note after a lovely holiday together. Thanks again to Daddy and Frunty too for co-operating so well while we were away. It's such a nice island that we would like to take them there one day! The end...
Thursday, 21 May 2009
In Belgium, Ascension Day is a statutory holiday meaning that today Frunty didn't go to school and I didn't go to the office. Instead, we drove 100km to CenterParcs Erperheide for a day-use ticket to Aqua Mundo and Baluba. Left the house at 9:30, 10:40 arrival, parked, got tickets, changed, wet in the pool by 11am and didn't fully dry off until 16:45. Frunty got his feet wet in the little kids section with the mini-slide and water tube. Too small for me to play but just 15 minutes later, warm-up was over and we were 
hurtling down the big tubes. I need
ed to go with Frunty just once to see what they were like before he wanted to do all the slides by himself. I was told to stay at the arrival point so he was sure to be on his own which suited me so I could shoot some photos. By 12:30, we had a our packed lunch and some french fries from the snack bar. After our lunch, we had played more calmly in the hot pools and "caves" before "snorkling" to see fish underwater. The fish are in aquariums and we looked at them with our goggles and Frunty's tremendous ability to swim and stay underwater. The bell signaling the waves in the big pool called us back to more exciting activities and after being tossed around at the artificial coastline, we went back to the big tubes for high-speed fun. Frunty didn't have a favourite but it seemed like 
he enjoyed the thrill of the white water river the most. He would dart and zip in and amongst the throng of river racers and managed to never get crushed by reckless teenagers. We left Aqua Mundo to go to Baluba, a large indoor playground with slides at least 3 stories high and a section just for playing with countless foam balls that are flung around by high-pressure air tubes. Frunty also raced around to the other sections with trampolines, an inflated bouncy castle, Lego, and obstacle course playzone. We left Baluba just before 7pm to eat the rest of our packed lunch and more frites, then off in the car to get home just after 8. Counting all the times Frunty climbed stairs to go up to water or playground slides, he must have climbed a mountain. All in all, a fun-filled day! Oh, I almost forgot Frunty's notable quotes from today. 
In Baluba, a tiny girl toddled past us and Frunty said, "I love [Pit] and other small children because they're so cute." Later at home when he was in PJs, he cheered when he asked me to confirm that The Mommy and Pit were coming home tomorrow. He explained that when it's just the two of us, it's "...a little bit boring..." and that if they didn't come home, his friends at school might ask him if his mom and brother died. A little bit boring!? The excitement we had today would give lesser men a heart attack!
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
News from The Mommy this morning: the beach is fantastic with clear, shallow water. Too bad for the light wind that made it feel a little cool so they only waded up to their knees. The food is excellent and the buffet always has something that suits their gluten-, dairy-, egg-, soya-free diet! Today they're on a day trip with a scenic steam engine and boat tour. They're glad that this getaway wasn't the typically beach resort in Egypt or Tunisia since the town and island offer different things to see and do.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Frunty and I had a quiet day just the 2 of us. I picked him up from school at 15h20 and we had some juicy canteloupe as an afternoon snack when we got home. Then he did his school work and practiced some English reading while I did some office work. Without The Mommy and his little brother, I think Frunty is a lot more independent, also because he has no choice since I'm busy. Before suggesting that I would help, I asked him to prepare the table and make dinner, and then I waited to see what happened. He grumbled but then got to work and asked for help when really needed or when I knew he was handling something hot. On the menu was squash and sweet potato soup with leftover lentil spaghetti for him and red cabbage spirelli for me. With the big knife he chopped and boiled the veggies and I only supervised while he blended the boiling mixture. Mango was for dessert. Yum! Then we looked at pictures from previous years to get ideas for our day trip on Thursday. It's a public holiday so we're planning a fun day out!
Monday, 18 May 2009
I took The Mommy and Pit to the airport today. Three days earlier, they booked a last minute 4-night/5-day all-inclusive vacation package to Mallorca. When they arrived, I was told that their hotel, Palma Bay Club, is very nice and appropriate for little children. Frunty and I get to stay at home and have a calm bunch of days on our own drinking beer and watching TV all day!
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Frunty accompanied me to the market this morning. He wanted to make soup so I said that he needed to get the ingredients. He helped choose the vegetables and had fun tasting the fruits and selecting what we should buy. One of the stalls had a man demonstrating a fancy type of potato pealer and Frunty was mesmorized by the way the vegetables were easily sliced and prepared. We bought the "promo" set - better than what you see on TV - and later at home, Frunty set to work. Now, we're waiting for the soup to boil some more before we blend the whole thing up. He'll have to set the table for dinner before we can sit down to enjoy his creation.
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Today was the Fancy Fair at l'Ecole du Chant d'Oiseau. It's the end-of-year school show where all the classes practice some choreographed dance moves to loud music. 
Our boys had fun practicing and enjoyed being on stage. Pit was dressed up as chef stirring a "...marmite. Mommy, what's marmite in English?" he says. Frunty was dressed up as a jungle boy and he had to do spins and jumps at appropriate times during the song. The shows were quite long and we were asked to stay in the gymnasium until all the shows were over. 
This was a bit tedious and Pit expressed his dissatisfaction by throwing up. I think it was the combination of heat and noise that bothered him. We were in one of the front rows too. Ugh. So when he finished his business into a little container, I took him to the bathroom to rinse and regroup. Once outside, he was much better in the fresh air and we went around to see the various stalls where the classrooms had organised games or activities for kids to win small prizes. All in all, it was a chance for some socializing with other parents and more importantly for the boys to enjoy themselves showing off their moves.
Our boys had fun practicing and enjoyed being on stage. Pit was dressed up as chef stirring a "...marmite. Mommy, what's marmite in English?" he says. Frunty was dressed up as a jungle boy and he had to do spins and jumps at appropriate times during the song. The shows were quite long and we were asked to stay in the gymnasium until all the shows were over. 
This was a bit tedious and Pit expressed his dissatisfaction by throwing up. I think it was the combination of heat and noise that bothered him. We were in one of the front rows too. Ugh. So when he finished his business into a little container, I took him to the bathroom to rinse and regroup. Once outside, he was much better in the fresh air and we went around to see the various stalls where the classrooms had organised games or activities for kids to win small prizes. All in all, it was a chance for some socializing with other parents and more importantly for the boys to enjoy themselves showing off their moves.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Lunch time was interesting today. We had the bottle of olive oil on the table and Frunty started sounding out the words on the label. Somehow he knew the words were written in Italian and read "extra vergine, olio di oliva" with the correct pronounciation. Moments later, and unrelated, he commented that his friend at the international school gets to learn a second language and that it would be great if he could learn a second language at his school. I suppose it doesn't occur to him that he is already learning 3 languages. After lunch, when I walked with him back to school, I asked Frunty what second language he would like to learn and he said Filipino... so he could talk more to a girl at school!
Thursday, 14 May 2009
It is the eve of Mowgli's anniversary and it is pouring rain. Tomorrow, on May 15th, it will be one year since his demise. When I open the door, I still think about how he would come to the door, wagging his tail. Whenever I run out of counter space and have to put a plate on the floor, I think about how he would run over and sniff it. I couldn't actually do it because he would eat whatever was on it and I didn't want to hurt his stomach. Our home has been too quiet. I miss hearing him breathe, snore, pant, and in his later years here in Brussels, was happy to hear less and less scratching compared to Toronto. When someone came into the main entrance, Mowgli would do a kind of gruff...a deep, in his throat sound to let us know that someone was here. Sometimes, it would turn into a bark. But not often as he got more and more tired.I miss him and honestly, think of him often. It surprises even me as I was never too keen on getting a dog but once I married Daddy, fell in love with this fur ball too. It's just not the same around here and a new dog wouldn't replace Mowgli in a million, gazillion years. Tomorrow night we will have a tribute dinner with friends. How lucky we all were to know a dog like Mowgli...a one-of-a-kind, that is for sure.
Mother's Day was really lovely and how wonderful that it was sunny and warm. The original plan, suggested by Frunty was to take all of us for kuru kuru sushi downtown at the Japanese resto that has a train which delivers plates of sushi to you. Really fun but best in combo with a movie, Pit argued. But we didn't have time for a movie because Frunty had a birthday party at Antoine's so we thought we would just have lunch. As we were walking to the metro, however, we all decided it was too gorgeous to be inside so we went home and packed a lovely picnic lunch and off to Woluwe Park we went, with Frunty's new boomerang. (he received it in his loot bag from Sophie's party on Saturday!)
Well, within about 5 minutes of setting up our picnic blanket and getting out all our goodies, Daddy had managed to throw the boomerang into a tree and contrary to what a boomerang is famously known for, it didn't come back! Daddy spent the rest of the lunch, throwing big sticks into the tree in hopes of dislodging said boomerang. Coincidentally, Caroline and Sophie (the ones who had gifted this toy to Frunty the day before) were walking by when they saw the boomerang go into the tree. They couldn't see us as we were a little over a hill so they came up to chat with us when they recognized the green toy. However, they didn't know that it didn't come back out of the tree. Now I have to ask where I can buy another one!!
It was all pretty funny. After a little while, we went home so Frunty could go to the party and then got to tidying up and preparing for our magnificent, bbq dinner which Daddy had shopped for at the market hours earlier when we were still groggy and in our pjs. We had a delicious, gianormous piece of veal with tons of yummy, grilled veggies. The kids had made me lovely gifts at school but were so excited that they gave them to me on Friday. Pit made me a starfish on a blue board and Frunty made me a chalkboard with his photo on it. Really adorable. What a great day! To all the moms I know, hope your day was lovely too. To our own moms, thanks for the gifts you have given to us.
Well, within about 5 minutes of setting up our picnic blanket and getting out all our goodies, Daddy had managed to throw the boomerang into a tree and contrary to what a boomerang is famously known for, it didn't come back! Daddy spent the rest of the lunch, throwing big sticks into the tree in hopes of dislodging said boomerang. Coincidentally, Caroline and Sophie (the ones who had gifted this toy to Frunty the day before) were walking by when they saw the boomerang go into the tree. They couldn't see us as we were a little over a hill so they came up to chat with us when they recognized the green toy. However, they didn't know that it didn't come back out of the tree. Now I have to ask where I can buy another one!!
It was all pretty funny. After a little while, we went home so Frunty could go to the party and then got to tidying up and preparing for our magnificent, bbq dinner which Daddy had shopped for at the market hours earlier when we were still groggy and in our pjs. We had a delicious, gianormous piece of veal with tons of yummy, grilled veggies. The kids had made me lovely gifts at school but were so excited that they gave them to me on Friday. Pit made me a starfish on a blue board and Frunty made me a chalkboard with his photo on it. Really adorable. What a great day! To all the moms I know, hope your day was lovely too. To our own moms, thanks for the gifts you have given to us.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
I generally try to wake the boys in a gentle manner so that they don't arrive at school already frazzled. This morning I tried a different tactic to see what effect it would have. Pit was already awake, standing zombie-like by his bedroom door. I started speaking loudly (not shouting) like an army drill sergeant, harshly spewing the list of things he had to do and repeatedly emphasising to get moving and to do it quickly. While I was doing this for almost a minute, his blank, zombie expression turned to a scowling koala expression - grumpy yet very cute. I stopped talking and after a short pause, Pit gave a single response, heavy with an Italian accent, "No!" - I had to scoot to the kitchen to hide my chuckles!
Saturday, 9 May 2009
It was almost a full day of running errands with Pit. He's a good little helper. First, we went to Carrefour to get some drinks and fixings for dinner tonight. Then, we to various other stores for little things we needed before going to Jack O'Shea's for gluten-free sausages. We don't want to eat sausages filled with bread-crumbs so Jack fills them with saw dust. Haha, just joking! Mr. O'Shea makes his sausages only with top-quality organic ingredients so they taste really great. After the `cow` shop, as Pit calls it, we went home to put the things in the fridge and have a quick lunch.
Then, into the car and off to the office to allow me to do some work while Pit enjoys some of the facilities. He pushed the buttons for the elevator, made some drawings, played billiards and the crowning piece, Pit pushed the buttons on the machine to make a coffee for me and hot chocolate for him and we drank it all up in the funny chairs with no legs.
We didn`t want to waste the nice weather so we left the office and went to the Sport Plaza next door to look at the kids doing tricks in the skateboard park and see the tall girls playing in the basketball tournament. Then we went to the playground and played one-sided tag - I am always the "loup" and used every single apparatus. Finally it was time to go and we got some French fries before driving home. Pit fell asleep in 5 minutes and later said he didn’t sleep but just had to close his eyes because they "weren’t working so good". Getting out of the house was also a chance for Frunty to do some school work with The Mommy. After supper, it was bedtime story time, but there was a twist- instead of me reading stories, Frunty read to us his little book that he had practiced earlier with The Mommy.
Then, into the car and off to the office to allow me to do some work while Pit enjoys some of the facilities. He pushed the buttons for the elevator, made some drawings, played billiards and the crowning piece, Pit pushed the buttons on the machine to make a coffee for me and hot chocolate for him and we drank it all up in the funny chairs with no legs.
We didn`t want to waste the nice weather so we left the office and went to the Sport Plaza next door to look at the kids doing tricks in the skateboard park and see the tall girls playing in the basketball tournament. Then we went to the playground and played one-sided tag - I am always the "loup" and used every single apparatus. Finally it was time to go and we got some French fries before driving home. Pit fell asleep in 5 minutes and later said he didn’t sleep but just had to close his eyes because they "weren’t working so good". Getting out of the house was also a chance for Frunty to do some school work with The Mommy. After supper, it was bedtime story time, but there was a twist- instead of me reading stories, Frunty read to us his little book that he had practiced earlier with The Mommy.
Today was a relaxing day for me as Daddy took Pit on errands and Frunty went to Sophie's birthday party at the park. Luckily it was sunny during the party and now it looks like it is going to rain...everything looks so green around here because of all the rain. The dark, purple lilac is just gorgeous surrounded by green foliage and grey skies.
I managed to get a good nap and then had a nice chat with Gramma and Grampa. I really appreciated them letting me know that they enjoy our blog, as do Nonna and Nonno. Daddy and I write it as a record of our very special moments with our kids and we want to share it with our loved ones.
For the record, Gramma had sent me an article from Canada in which two doctors argued over the efficacy and pertinence of doing "elimination diets". It was so interesting to read two very different opinions. One doctor contends that what we eat has no baring on our internal health while the other opposes that view completely. Just as the first doctor we went to here in Brussels told us that there is "no such thing" as food allergies, our current doctor has done the blood work to show us our intolerances and allergies and after following his advice, our eczema is almost non-existent.
The bottom line is, I think, that it does matter what we put into our bodies whether or not we have outward signs of an allergy/intolerance or other digestive problems. While I do hope to one day get back to enjoying an ice cold (gluten-filled) Belgium beer and a waffle slathered with cream and milk chocolate...it probably does me some good to avoid these delectable delights anyway!!! (boy, has it been hard though to resist!)
The good news is that I just found MILK CHOCOLATE at Sequoia, the health food shop in Stokkel that we CAN eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, it is RICE MILK CHOCOLATE but it works! If anything, I have expanded our repetoire. From buckwheat crackers with almond butter to purple rice pasta with Konyaku, from coconut cream pancakes to Daddy's divine carrot cake...we are eating differently but delectably all the same! Time for polenta with several different sauces (tomato/Roquefort/mushrooms) and gluten-free organic sausages: Italian Spicy for me, Merguez for Daddy and Toulouse for the kids from Jack O'Shea's...thank goodness we can afford to make the necessary changes to make it right for us!
I managed to get a good nap and then had a nice chat with Gramma and Grampa. I really appreciated them letting me know that they enjoy our blog, as do Nonna and Nonno. Daddy and I write it as a record of our very special moments with our kids and we want to share it with our loved ones.
For the record, Gramma had sent me an article from Canada in which two doctors argued over the efficacy and pertinence of doing "elimination diets". It was so interesting to read two very different opinions. One doctor contends that what we eat has no baring on our internal health while the other opposes that view completely. Just as the first doctor we went to here in Brussels told us that there is "no such thing" as food allergies, our current doctor has done the blood work to show us our intolerances and allergies and after following his advice, our eczema is almost non-existent.
The bottom line is, I think, that it does matter what we put into our bodies whether or not we have outward signs of an allergy/intolerance or other digestive problems. While I do hope to one day get back to enjoying an ice cold (gluten-filled) Belgium beer and a waffle slathered with cream and milk chocolate...it probably does me some good to avoid these delectable delights anyway!!! (boy, has it been hard though to resist!)
The good news is that I just found MILK CHOCOLATE at Sequoia, the health food shop in Stokkel that we CAN eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, it is RICE MILK CHOCOLATE but it works! If anything, I have expanded our repetoire. From buckwheat crackers with almond butter to purple rice pasta with Konyaku, from coconut cream pancakes to Daddy's divine carrot cake...we are eating differently but delectably all the same! Time for polenta with several different sauces (tomato/Roquefort/mushrooms) and gluten-free organic sausages: Italian Spicy for me, Merguez for Daddy and Toulouse for the kids from Jack O'Shea's...thank goodness we can afford to make the necessary changes to make it right for us!
Friday, 8 May 2009
Daddy just came home after taking the two kids to school this morning with a gift for me, all wrapped up, for Mother's Day. He was told, by Mme Claire, that it was too fragile for Pit to carry home himself. Daddy wondered if it was too fragile to carry, how did Pit make it? I may not have mentioned before how "perfect" all of Pit's and the other kids' crafts are and how we see Mme Claire working carefully away at them most days, on her own.
It reminded us how we were trying to pack Pit's St. Nicolas into our Christmas box when he said, "Be careful with my craft that Mme Claire made!" Another time, he handed me an Easter basket with chocolate eggs inside and I asked him if he made it. "Did you make that!!?" And Pit responded, "No, Mme Claire did."
Since both kids started with Mme Claire at that school, I have been reiterating ever since that crafts don't have to be perfect. Often they want me to do the crafts but I tell them that it is art and can be anything they want it to be. I think Frunty has been cured...still working on Pit who is hesitant to do his own cutting as it might not be straight.
It reminded us how we were trying to pack Pit's St. Nicolas into our Christmas box when he said, "Be careful with my craft that Mme Claire made!" Another time, he handed me an Easter basket with chocolate eggs inside and I asked him if he made it. "Did you make that!!?" And Pit responded, "No, Mme Claire did."
Since both kids started with Mme Claire at that school, I have been reiterating ever since that crafts don't have to be perfect. Often they want me to do the crafts but I tell them that it is art and can be anything they want it to be. I think Frunty has been cured...still working on Pit who is hesitant to do his own cutting as it might not be straight.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
The boys enjoyed dipping their artichoke into their little bowls of oil & lemon & vinegar. It was fun to watch them take the leaves off one by one and find the heart in the centre. It's artichoke season and when I was at the market last Sunday, I picked up a bunch of artichokes which we enjoyed today at lunch.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
The truth about Coconut Oil
In summary, our choice of fats and oils is one of extreme importance. Most people, especially infants and growing children, benefit from more fat in the diet rather than less. But the fats we eat must be chosen with care. Avoid all processed foods containing newfangled hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils. Instead, use traditional vegetable oils like extra virgin olive oil and small amounts of unrefined flax seed oil. Acquaint yourself with the merits of coconut oil for baking and with animal fats for occasional frying. Eat egg yolks and other animal fats with the proteins to which they are attached. And, finally, use as much good quality butter as you like, with the happy assurance that it is a wholesome—indeed, an essential—food for you and your whole family.
In summary, our choice of fats and oils is one of extreme importance. Most people, especially infants and growing children, benefit from more fat in the diet rather than less. But the fats we eat must be chosen with care. Avoid all processed foods containing newfangled hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils. Instead, use traditional vegetable oils like extra virgin olive oil and small amounts of unrefined flax seed oil. Acquaint yourself with the merits of coconut oil for baking and with animal fats for occasional frying. Eat egg yolks and other animal fats with the proteins to which they are attached. And, finally, use as much good quality butter as you like, with the happy assurance that it is a wholesome—indeed, an essential—food for you and your whole family.
Organic butter, extra virgin olive oil, and expeller-expressed flax oil in opaque containers are available in health food stores and gourmet markets.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Afterschool we went to the park to play which is something we do when it is warmish and not raining! Then we went home to do homework and I made a super, yummy, rice and coconut milk hot chocolate with multi-coloured marshmallows. Kids loved it. Me too! They giggled so hard at one point that Pit had tears in his eyes and me, what music to my ears! He was really laughing at his brother who was making funny faces and sounds in French! What a ham!
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Windmills, tulips, 
playing on the beach...we had a wonderful two days in Holland with the Simpsons, our British friends, throwing in a stay at Sassenheim's Casino Hotel and a picnic by a canal among other fun adventures.Worried the boys were humoring us, we were overjoyed to see them enjoying the tulips as much as we ladies did! I was really spoiled when Daddy presented me with a big bunch of gorgeous tulips...pink, purple, cream, red...they are sitting on our table now
as I write.
We had amazing weather so spent more time at the beach, playing and even a bit of jumping in the waves! Cold but fun! Luckily the Simpsons brought a tent as day two was windy.
We finished our time together with a brief visit to Amsterdam and a Rijstafel at Bojo's in Leidseplein. 
After we said our good-byes, Daddy drove us around to some of our old haunts and where we lived. It was fun. Two beautiful, sunny days in Holland. Tulips and windmills and the bonus of the beach...I didn't want our time to end!
Saturday, 2 May 2009
We're relaxing after a wonderful picnic lunch in the Dutch countryside. Our picnic spot is at the edge of a canal in the middle of tulip fields. Cycliists pass by and wish us an enjoyable meal and the occasional boat glides by. 500 metres beyond the fields, we see regular double-decker trains transport people between The Hague and Amsterdam. Stealthily, a Great Crested Grebe pops up from underwater where it has been searching for food. Earlier, the boys admired the rows and rows of yellow, red and cream-coloured tulips but they quickly tired of being photographed. We're lucky with weather: mostly sunny with a light breeze and highs of 20 celsius.
Friday, 1 May 2009
This morning Frunty was trying to make a birthday wishlist. He wanted to count the months until his birthday so he was asking us what season this was. Season? The Mommy corrected him and said they are called months. He starting counting with "avril" spoken as if it was an English word. Another correction, "It's called April not avril". Now that he had his vocabulary he counted April, May, June. Yeah! He got a sheet of paper and drew pictures of a skateboard, pokemon figurines, and pokemon cards.
