Earlier today I hosted an Easter party for Frunty and some of his classmates afterschool. Pit helped me tidy up in order to get ready in the after lunch and then we went and got Frunty and his friends, Sophie, Inkeri and Leander. Unfortunately, two other classmates' folks didn't get back to me and I don't even know if they received the beautiful egg-shaped cards that my kids made to invite them.

It was a glorious day, a little warmer in the afternoon, so we all walked slowly home, taking the long way so we could enjoy some more sunshine. Caroline helps me walk the kids safely from the school to our home. She was surprised I took a longer route but hey, it is nice to do something different sometimes.

Once we arrived at our door, I went over the rules before entering. Take off our shoes, wash our hands/go pipi and sit down for homework. We all had to do "devoirs" before we could start the party. Frunty had problems concentrating so eventually I put him on the deck to finish his devoirs so the party could finally start. With only 2 hours, we can't be goofing around too long with homework!

With the kids still at the table, they began decorating heart-shaped cookies with different bonbons and icing "markers" from Canada. One cookie to eat now, the other to take home. The kids loved doing that and Frunty finally joined in and as I popped the cork on some apple/cherry Kidibul, the party was off to a good start! Pit ran and retrieved the cork and got back to work.

The second activity after the cookies, involved decorating Easter eggs with stickers and markers and making egg holders out of toilet paper rolls cut in the half. I found some eggs that had already been hard-boiled and dyed so this made my day a lot easier. I was able to actually sit down and decorate with the kids. I think over time, one party after another, I have learned how to make it stress-free enough so I can enjoy my time with the kids. Fewer kids, specially chosen, simple crafts...I have fine-tuned these parties for optimal enjoyment!

Following the egg decorating, we did some egg races with some un-decorated, hard-boiled eggs. This game wasn't as great as it could have because we were missing the two other kids and because Pit was having problems playing and sat himself down refusing to play. I ended up playing and announced that we were all winners!

The next activity was sitting in a circle to play Hot Potato. I wrapped a little bag of Easter eggs many times and as the music stopped, each child unwraps a layer of paper. Inkeri was quite upset that the winner would get all the eggs so I announced quickly that we would share the prize. That was when magic happened and Frunty yelled, "Everyone close their eyes, my mom will hide the eggs." That was so much fun as I quickly ran around hiding them. After they were all located we put them in a pile on the sheep skin and each child could have two.

With 5 minutes left to go in the party, I announced it was time to make an Easter card for mom/dad or a special friend. The kids were back at the table, working hard when their folks arrived one by one. I really enjoyed this party the most of all the ones I have ever thrown. With quiet, Raffi music in the background, sunshine streaming through the windows, I felt that I had finally succeeded in enjoying the party myself! Normally I am pretty overwhelmed by the end. I think having a good balance of girls and boys helps keep it calm too. This time we didn't play musical statues. I think that that was wise as well because usually, that game develops into sword fighting!!

The next parties will be the kids' birthdays in June and then another school year will have been completed. I really love our Halloween/Christmas/Valentine's and Easter fetes and getting the kids to learn how to say "Happy Easter" in English. If we have time next year, I'll do a Thanksgiving and a St. Patrick's as well. But let's not get carried away!! It is just a fun way for me to get to know the kids in the classes. I think it'll be easier to invite some of Pit's friends next year as they will walk home better from school. I had one of his friends during the last party and everything went well but when they are older, I feel more comfortable making the trip from the school to our home.

Well, that is it for now. Time to get packing for our trip to Italy. Two more sleeps!

I enjoy story time with the kids very much, in particular this evening. After I read the three stories (Pit really loves it when the book has been inscribed with a special message to him) I let both kids, one at a time, read a story to me. We took the Cars sticker book which has no words and each kid recounted what happened, in their words. Both had different renditions. Frunty had trouble not helping Pit when it was his turn to read. I explained to Frunty how important it is to listen and how hard it is...finishing someone's sentence is common but not a good habit. Frunty really listened to this advice which I try my hardest to follow myself.

Daddy is in Milano, hopefully having a not too heavy dinner and will get, hopefully, a good night's rest before his speech tomorrow at the conference. Good night!

It's after dinner and we have more information about this Flanderen tradition. It dates back to the medieval ages, probably somewhere around 9-11th century, when live animals were used. Since 1927, protection against cruelty to animals ensures that a vet humanely kills the goose before humans try to separate it's head from the rest of the body. The "sport" is called "gansrijden" and you can see videos on YouTube. If you can handle the poor translation, you can read more at this link - click here.

We just got back from Antwerp. We went just to meet some friends for lunch but one adventure leads to another and now it's almost 7pm! It started with a simple drive through the ports and harbour areas to look for big container ships, but we didn't see much activity, probably because it's Sunday. At one point, we stopped by a bridge that was drawn up and looked at some of the smaller river barges drifting by. We decided to head home and we were just about to turn onto the motorway when we saw an old windmill. So we went further to take a picture and as we went further, we noticed hundreds of cars parked along the road as far as the eye can see. We needed to investigate. We parked just in time to see huge draught horses being loaded onto trucks. They are truly impressive and frightening beasts. We finally found a festival of some kind and the crowds enjoying food and drink and brass bands. We asked what the occasion was and discovered that it's part of old tradition where riders charge their massive mounts down a narrow path where a (live ?) goose is suspended from a pole high above. Apparently the winner can pull the goose down the quickest! They boys were sorry they missed the show but they sure enjoyed the party atmosphere.

Usually Pit wakes up before Frunty but this morning it was the other way around. The Mommy had gone off to the market and Frunty climbed into bed to snuggle, but not with me, he wanted to cuddle with Pit. Frunty was all smiles and caresses for his little brother. It's nice to see how affectionate they are with each other.

Pit is sitting on my lap as I write this. The boys are eating apple before bed. They are still hungry because thay have had a very busy day. The boys spent most of the day at the club doing activities and sports and crafts with their friend Leo. Afterwards, we went to Leo's house for Indian take-away dinner. Pit just got his Pj's on and I was impressed with the way he looked at his shirt to find the tag at the back before pulling it over his head the right way forwards. He's very industrious when he gets himself dressed. Frunty finsihed his apple before quickly getting his pjyjamas on because previously he was at the table just in his underpants!

Frunty does karate every Friday. Interestingly, he's `teaching` us respect by quoting his sensei, "Keep eye contact when speaking or bowing to people."