Today after the pool, I was walking along the sidewalk, pushing a sleepy baby in the pousette, Frunts on his scooter. I decided to say a prayer out loud for some reason, I don't know why. I asked Frunty if he then wanted to say a prayer and without hesitation, he said,

"Help people who don't have God in their feelings and thank you for the spirit. Amen"

(Frunty, age 5, unaided)

I was really touched, it made my day. I leave you with a poem we say before we do yoga together:

"You are the infinite ocean,
In whom all the things of the world
Rise and fall like waves.

Oh child,
There is nothing to gain,
Nothing to lose,
You are already pure awareness."

Ashtavakra Gita, 15:11-12

I wanted to note something based on my last entry which described Daddy working a lot lately. I want to make sure that it is duly noted that any time that Daddy spends away, he makes it up to us by taking a day off, or working part-time from home. There is flexibility in his job which means that Daddy can and does always make sure that we feel that family is the most important thing even though sometimes we have to be a bit patient. I mean, you cannot quit a job just because sometimes you have to travel. But you can alter your lifestyle so that you are away as little as possible and when you are home, you are there for your family 100% or more.

We just came back from a business trip with Daddy for two days in Paris. So, case in point. Sometimes if we go too, then we enjoy an adventure as well and then we are all together. One day, when Frunts and Pit read this blog, as they may do, I hope that they remember this. I also think living in Europe has helped in a lot of ways. With so much holiday time, we have a great deal of time together which is the number one thing kids want!

Well, how to have fun with your little ones? This is how this whole blog started. Number one way. Spend time with them. Doing nothing, doing little things, doing big things, being together, being lazy, being not too busy, just being...a family. That is how you are going to have the most fun of all! Yes, it is hard work sometimes, very draining, (especially learning how to discipline them and validating their feelings etc. ) very challenging. At other times, plain amusement and joy at watching them grow and discover and best of all, laugh their heads off!

It seems now that Pit is learning table manners from his older brother. Frunty has always had a history of being difficult at the table and we were much relieved when Pit turned out to be easier to feed. That is, until recently. One evening, Pit started to refuse to sit nicely at the table and eat his food. The Mommy eventually told him sternly to sit down properly and eat his beef strips. He shouted "no!" and grabbed a piece of meat to throw at the Mommy, but just before letting go of the food in his tiny hands, he had second thoughts. He shoved the beef strip into his mouth to cave-man-like rip off a chunk AND THEN threw the food across the table! His aim was excellent and it was quite difficult for us to scold while holding back giggles at the sheer drama of the scene.

Even though it feels like the fall, we are enjoying our summer together. Taking each day as it comes means that we have done the simplest things like going to the park and GB and the club pool to more adventure-type activities like going to see the movie, Shrek 3. It is fun taking it easy, staying in our jammies, making homemade pancakes not just on Saturdays, drawing pictures on the sidewalk with chalk, running beside Frunts as he scoots along on his new toy and watching Pit somersault on his own!

We have had a lot of rain so far which makes staying home, one of Frunts favourite activities, guilt-free. The kids love play-doh, drawing a lot, making paper airplanes and doing crafts with stickers. They have fun swinging together on the two ropes hanging down in the livingroom. I try not to turn on the tv much and luckily they don't ask for it. We like to read books too and sometimes I find the kids go in the front room and grab a book or the Lego and get started on their own...taking time to wake up in a calm way. It sure is a lovely change from waking Frunts up for school, getting him dressed quickly, forcing Pit awake too, grabbing the dog and power walking to school...

Today we will go to the club for swimming and playing and then I'll put the kids in the play zone as I would like to try a Tai Chi class for the first time. We'll then have dinner there. Daddy has been in the States and now that he is back, he is doing a lot of team building stuff at work which means he gets home late. We miss him but Daddy is working very hard for all of us and the kids know it so no complaints. Gotta get crackin' for the pool. Hope you're all having fun too.

Today was a really busy day. In the morning, Pit and I went to a skin doctor at Edith Cavell hospital. He was super chouette, Dr. Cantella, from Sicily and we enjoyed our time there blowing bubbles in the waiting room. Pit is starting to get it down pat. We took the tram there and back and it was a new, super duper one so easy to get on and off with wide doors and on street level, great for strollers.

At noon we picked up Frunt's and friend, Leo, and brought them home for a quick lunch followed by trip to Town Hall where they had to practise their performance to get ready for tomorrow's spectacle. They did great and Frunty particularly gets into the dance really well. He seems to enjoy it and does not seem to be shy at all, considering he is on a stage with bright lights shining on him. Good for all the kids.

Afterwards I took the three of them to the club and put them in the play zone while I passed out in the sauna, steam room and light therapy room. One hour of bliss. Then I picked them up and we all went swimming. Kids did great although I got attacked a lot by the three of them...splashed mostly! Straight homeby 6 pm for spaghetti dinner and this time had enough meat to feed a lion!

I figured some things outs while in the light therapy room about how I replace the wooden strawberries for the Haribo candies for the game, Le Verger. It seems so obvious now but did not at the time. Funny how visualization does seem to work.

Gotta go. Hope everyone reading is as tired but as happy as I am.

Sometimes I walk with tiny two legs, either to walk the dog or to bring two legs to or from school. Along the way, there are low bushes and flowers and sometimes tiny two legs will stop and adamantly say "smell, smell" and then proceed to put his tiny nose to the flowers and inhale deeply. He especially does this now that the lavender is in bloom. Very adorable.

Tonight while Frunty was brushing his teeth, Pit opened up a jar of cream. He poked his finger in the jar and I thought he was going to put some on his face like he has done in the past. But instead, he went over to Frunts, bent down and smeared the cream on the back of his knees. Frunty has eczema and obviously, Pit has noticed. What I notice about Pit is how he often tries to take care of others. When I have some boo boos on my feet (eczema), Pit will really study them and then try to apply cream. He looks at the boo boos and I feel like I am being inspected by a doctor. It is a weird feeling because Pit is so tiny, just having turned two, but started doing this at least six months ago. I don't care what he becomes but I do find it interesting and wonder what the future holds.

Mami and Papi just left from Charleroi. We enjoyed their week long visit and thought the loft they rented downtown was great as it encouraged us to do activities downtown too. Yesterday we took them to a farm "pedagogique" for kids out in the countryside and enjoyed a bbq. Today we spent the entire day at the club. First we put the kids in the "playzone" so we could all exercise and then we all went swimming and took turns in the sauna, light therapy sauna and steam room. I held Pit for two hours while he slept and that was relaxing too. I hope Mami and Papi enjoyed their visit as much as we did.

It was fun for Frunty to show them how well he is swimming now and Pit showed how he swims with water wings. Frunty and I have figured out how to make washing his hair fun by wearing goggles so the soap and water don't go in his eyes! No more tears! Pit won't wear the goggles so we have to wash his hair really quickly and listen to a bit of screaming until I can wipe his eyes with a towel. Daddy worked from home today and when we arrived at 5 pm, the lamb roast was almost done. Daddy made a really delicious dinner for us which we enjoyed with Frunty's friend, Leo, whom we were babysitting while his folks move house. He just wanted to eat lamb!

We will miss Mami and Papi. That is the way it goes when you live abroad.