London Calling

Anna - Version 5.0

2008-12-04T20:22:00.004Z

Today, as of 12:51 am, is Anna's 5th birthday. I thought that, after being incommunicado for so long on the bloggosphere, today was a good day to start up again.

I know I say this with every birthday, but time moves at a pace that I cannot seem to keep up with. Anna is suddenly all grown up.

I want to say something profound and something meaningful, but I must admit that my brain is running on empty today. Elsa had a horrible night last night, and I didn't sleep much and I'm fighting a terrible cold. So, I'm just going to let these images from the day do the talking for me.

And, yes, I've completely caved with regard to those horrible Disney princess outfits. I stink. But, the girls LOVE them. They spend hours playing dress up with these silly outfits, and that equals lots of peace for me!

Oh hi, welcome back

2008-09-03T22:09:00.002+01:00

Hello. Is anyone out there? I'm just dusting the cobwebs of this blog.

I don't really have a good reason for not posting for about two months. Just lazy, I guess.

To recap, we spent 5 weeks in Iceland. The girls has loads of fun. Here they are on a picnic:

We started the trip off by going to the north of Iceland to a family reunion. It was wonderful to see all of my cousins since I don't get a chance to see all of them so often. It was also great to drive to the north and see all of the beautiful scenery along the way. Once we got back to the cottage, Carlos arrived and stayed for two weeks. For the most part, we were really lazy, but we did do one adventurous thing -- climbed Mount Hekla (1450 m). Mount Hekla is a volcano, and we can see it from the cottage. The climb took 4 hours and was pretty hard, but very fun. The only disappointing thing was that by the time we got to the top fog had settled on the mountaintop and we could not see a thing once we got there. Oh well. Here we are on our way down from the top:

Tomorrow is a big day -- Anna's first day of school! She is beside herself with excitement (and so am I). I think the girls are very ready to go back to school.

Silence

2008-07-04T17:12:00.003+01:00

It has been a busy day in our household. I had been upstairs doing some things when I realized that it was entirely too quiet downstairs where the girls were playing. I went downstairs fully expecting to find them knee deep in mischief. Instead, this is what I found:

Anna's at the end of the Rainbow

2008-07-04T17:06:00.002+01:00

Today was Anna's last day of nursery school. Her school, called Rainbow, is a wonderful environment in which children are taught how much fun it can be to go to school and learn. Her teachers have been stellar, and I think Anna has really flourished in her two years at nursery school.

Here she is after school today.

Two years ago, here are Anna and Elsa on our way to Anna's first day at Rainbow.

Sigh.

How do we treat our children?

2008-06-08T20:59:00.003+01:00

"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
- Nelson Mandela

Truer words were never spoken. Nelson Mandela is a gem.

I saw these quotes on a photographer's website: Steve McCurry. Many of you are probably familiar with of one of his most famous images - the Afghani girl with the striking green/blue eyes who was on a National Geographic cover a number of years ago. It is worth checking the images on his website - they are incredible because the evoke so many different emotions all with one image (beauty, tragedy, heartbreak).

New fruit

2008-06-06T19:59:00.003+01:00

Today Anna told me what her favorite fruits are: strawberries, cherries, blueberries and "africots". I'm taking it that she's discovered a new breed of African apricots and will be marketing them as "africots". Should I try and trademark this???

Eurovision

2008-05-27T17:54:00.004+01:00

Last Saturday the BBC broadcast the finals of the Eurovision song contest. For those of you not familiar with this phenomenon, Eurovision is a pop song contest amongst European countries (with some random entrants like Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan -- are the honorary Europeans?). Each country selects an artist and song to represent at the competition and then the winner is selected by votes cast by telephone. The thing is that people cannot vote for the contestant from their own country. So, what happens is that people vote for countries that they like, or for countries from which a number of people in the country come from (ie, German usually casts a large number of votes for Turkey). Nothing like a little geopolitics to go with your fluffy pop music. Russia won and all the neighboring countries voted for the Russian song.

What is so fantastic about this contest is the crazy variety of cheesy pop songs coupled with the snarky commentary from the BBC presenter. Some of the songs are awful, and some songs are done tongue in cheek. Spain's entry was one of the tongue in cheek variety.

Azerbaijan took themselves a little too seriously (this is so awful):

Latvia gave us a little Pirate Pop! Soooo cheesy:

Here's the BBC presenter for Eurovision:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/eurovision/index_aa.shtml

Pronunciation, addendum

2008-05-27T17:49:00.002+01:00

I forgot to add this one. There is a very small play center near our house that the girls have been to a few times. The main reason they remember it well is that this play center hosts birthday parties, and several of Anna and Elsa's friends have had their parties there.

The play center is called the Lollipop Club. This name is proving to be quite a tongue-twister for Anna. She usually calls it the Plopliplop Glub, or some variation of that. Makes me laugh.

Pronunciation

2008-05-22T10:04:00.002+01:00

Anna generally does not have problems pronouncing words, but there are a few that remain steadfast stumbling blocks.

Piano = pinatio (like a combo piano and patio)
Mozzarella = macarona (which makes me think of the Macarena - hey macarona!!)
Her close friend Kaitlyn is still known as "Cake-lyn".

Antidote

2008-05-19T21:51:00.003+01:00

As an antidote for my sadness, I'm publishing pictures of Anna and Elsa that were taken the weekend before last at our local May Fair. They had a blast.

These two girls make my heart sing with love each and every day.

Don't Go

2008-05-19T21:34:00.002+01:00

Someone I've known for a majority of my life died this weekend. He took his own life. I think this came as a shock to everyone who knew him. It is so strange to think that he is gone. It is so sad to think that he was in such pain from depression that this was his solution. I am simply heartbroken for his family.

I wish he could have heard how many people would have said to him: "don't go." Then, said again: "DON'T GO." No, really, "DO ... NOT ... GO!" I wish he could hear all his loved ones saying that it is ok to feel as sad as he felt. Please don't go. I wish he could hear all of his friends' voices saying that they love him and please let them help. Please don't go. I wish he could hear his family asking him to share his pain with them and telling him how much they need him. Please don't go.

He was warm, funny, generous, gregarious, smart and one of the most charming people I have ever met.

I wish he wasn't gone.

April & Food for thought

2008-04-28T13:35:00.003+01:00

All righty then. Well, that was April. Thanks for visiting.

No, really, April has flown by. I have now done the trans-Atlantic flight with Anna and Elsa on my own. Yikes. Actually, the flight from the UK to the US was fine, but the return flight was a little exhausting. If you are flying with young children, I do not recommend the overnight flight. Neither Anna nor Elsa slept much on the flight, and I think that made them extremely jet-lagged for the entire week after we returned.

I need to upload photos and gather my thoughts. But, in the meanwhile, here are two interesting articles from last Sunday's Observer Food Monthly. Definitely food for thought.

Bombs, bullets & our daily bread
Militia, bandits, one meal a day

Where's the lamb?

2008-03-29T22:31:00.003Z

At the beginning of the month I posted about the fact that March was not off to a good start, but I hoped that the old adage of March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb would hold true. So far, I see no sign of any lamb. Ok lamb, you have two more days to show yourself.

This last week has been awful. Over Easter weekend, Anna seemed a little under the weather but not too bad. Then on Easter Sunday night, Elsa developed a really high fever that wouldn't come down. The fever broke for a little bit on Monday, but then it was back on Monday night (hovering around 104) and on Tuesday I took Elsa to the doctor. He thought it might be viral, so said let's wait it out a little while longer to see what whether she doesn't get better. Tuesday night the high fever was back, and on Wednesday I was about to take Elsa to the emergency room. I decided to go back to the doctor one more time, and he said that it may be better to try a strong dose of antibiotics because he saw some infection in her ear. Thankfully, the antibiotics seem to have solved the problem of her fever, but she still has a bad cough. Looking back, I think the ear infection may have been caused by Elsa's mischeviousness. A few days before she got ill, she stuck a pencil in her ear and called me over to show me how clever she was. Lordy! I think she may have stuck the pencil in far enough to traumatize her eardrum and cause an infection. So, I've had a week of no sleep because Elsa is a mischevious monkey!

Elsa had been ear infection-free until this month, and then she has gotten two in one month. Unbelievable.

I'm getting ready to go to DC for about 3 weeks next Tuesday. I'm really really looking forward to it. It will be wonderful to see family and friends and to enjoy the lovely spring weather in DC. We have seen almost no signs of spring here -- the wind, rain and general dreariness of the weather is starting to get to me.

Spam stinks

2008-03-25T14:23:00.002Z

One thing that drives me completely bonkers is spam email. My dislike for this unsolicited crap which clogs up my email account has strayed into the realm of the irrational. I really resent having to waste my time wading through this garbage to get to my legitimate email messages.

Ever since my work email was posted on our website, I have been getting, on average, 100 spam emails a day. And, because I work for a small charitable organization, we don't have any dedicated IT person to develop effective filters for this junk. I'm relying on the junk filters that come with Microsoft Outlook -- not very effective. So, every day, when I open up Outlook to check my work email, I'm confronted with scores of messages about how to increase the length of my willy, messages offering me all forms of pharmaceutical happiness, and messages promising me pictures of various naked celebrities. I wish that the creativity and effort that goes into developing this garbage could be channeled into something more useful.

A Difficult Choice

2008-03-20T16:35:00.002Z

I just got the results of the "lottery" for Anna's schools. She got into the state (aka public) school that was our first choice. Fantastic! But, now we're faced with a difficult choice. Anna's teachers have been pretty unanimous in telling us that they think the private, all girls school where we've got a place for her would be the better fit (because of much smaller class size, greater attention to the students, etc.). However, I am not sure that socially this is the right fit for us -- I find some aspects of the school's atmosphere rather snooty. On the flip side, the state school is new (it was built 6 years ago and has gorgeous, modern facilities) and is also an excellent school.

This is going to be a tough decision.

Elsa Lind - Part Deux

2008-03-13T15:05:00.004Z

Little Miss Elsa turned two years old yesterday. Two years since this little one rushed into the world! We had a lovely day together with friends over for lunch to celebrate. Elsa had a fantastic time playing with Sesame Street dolls that Amma and Afi sent her (when she could wrestle them away from Anna). Now we're gearing up for a big old party for Sunday afternoon. I think I may have been overly ambitious when I planned the party because I think I'm going to have 20 children (and their parents) here -- wow!!!

Here's some video from yesterday -- Elsa with Cookie Monster. The quality of the video isn't great; I'm still learning how to upload, edit and fix the quality of the video. Hopefully, there will be better ones to come.

Why would you do a thing like that?

2008-03-05T22:07:00.003Z

Why on earth would anyone ever make banana flavored medicine?? Ick. Poor Elsa, her antibiotics are flavored with artifical, neon-yellow banana flavor. This doesn't help my job much when it comes to cajoling/forcing her to take her medicine.

In like a lion

2008-03-05T20:08:00.002Z

Phew! March has definitely come in like a lion in my household. Isn't that the expression?? March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb - or something like that?

At the moment, my family is split between the UK and continental Europe. Guess where I am?? I am still in London with Elsa, and Carlos is in Barcelona with Anna. We were all supposed to fly out together today, but Elsa was feeling awful yesterday. I took her to the doctor and found out that she has an ear infection. I told Carlos that means flying today was out of the question, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that flying tomorrow will be ok. It feels very strange to be here alone with just Elsa. And poor little Elsa. She cried her heart out when Carlos and Anna left, yelling "I want Anna!!" This went on for almost an hour.

I am determined to get to bed at a decent hour this evening. So, I'll leave you with this little tidbit. I don't know if everyone has already seen this, but the NY Times reported about a memoir that had been written by a half-white, half-Native American woman who has escaped life in LA gangland for Eugene, Oregon. The article that I saw was from the Home & Garden section, but it included an excerpt from the book. Well, it turns out to be a total fake!! You can read about it here. And, what I think is the kicker -- guess who turned her in?? Her sister! That is harsh.

How is it possible?

2008-02-29T01:04:00.003Z

How is it possible that it is past 1 am and I am sitting at my desk?

I keep talking to Carlos about the fact that we need to be diligent and disciplined and get to bed at a decent hour.... Unlike me ... tonight. I fail to take my own advice. I feel like this happens almost every single night. I put the girls to bed, and hang out with Carlos for a little bit and before I know it, it is midnight! Argh!!!

I don't understand. I spend such a large portion of the day thinking about how tired I am and how I cannot wait to get to bed and yet, here I am, in front of a computer screen when I could be in bed. Pathethic.

The only good news to emerge from this evening is that I am £10 pounds richer from hosting bunco (and in possession of a really nice bottle of Nouveau Beajoulais) -- I won for the most buncos scored during the evening. I hosted Bunco this eveing despite the fact that I spent the majority of last night tending to Anna who was feeling lousey (I don't know why), tending to Elsa from 5:30 am onwards and trying to work. Yikes! Thankfully, Carlos pitched in and put the girls to bed while I got the kitchen/family room ready for bunco. Phew. I hope that we can lay low this weekend.

Earthquake

2008-02-27T10:54:00.002Z

Last night I was having trouble sleeping. I'm still struggling to get rid of a cough that lays dormant during the day, but comes out with a vengance at night. So, I'm lying in bed trying to fall asleep when I feel the house sway. Yes, sway. I live in a Victorian terraced house (like a townhouse); we don't usually get a lot of swaying. Generally, when it is very windy, the wind will rattle the windows, but it doesn't make the house sway. Very strange feeling.

This morning, when I checked the news, I saw this story as the lead on the BBC News homepage: Earthquake felt across much of UK. Wow! Crazy. The earthquake was in Lincolnshire (a ways away), but I'm pretty sure that tremors were felt as far south as London. The funny thing is that last night I thought that the type of swaying that the house did seemed like what an earthquake must feel like. Then I thought that was stupid because the UK doesn't get earthquakes. I guess I was wrong.

Nastiness

2008-02-26T15:20:00.002Z

I'm researching a case for work that involves the illegal dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast. I just finished reading this article: Global Sludge Ends in Tragedy for Ivory Coast. The company involved, Trafigura, is facing a lawsuit in London (the Ivorian government settled with the company). If the allegations are true, that is truly disgusting.

The art of the whisper

2008-02-26T11:54:00.004Z

As I may have mentioned before, Elsa is not the world's greatest sleeper. She usually wakes up very, very early but, thankfully, falls back asleep in bed with me until a reasonable hour. Generally, this is not a problem or a big deal. However, in the last few weeks, she has decided that this early morning transfer from her bed to mine should involve a little chat. And Elsa does not know how to whisper.

4:35 am, this morning.
[I crawl back into bed, plopping Elsa between Carlos and myself.]
Elsa: MAMMA, IS PAPA SLEEPING?
Me: Elsa, sssshhhh!!!! Yes, Papa was sleeping.
Elsa: Ok, quiet.
[30 seconds of silence]
Elsa: MAMMA, IT IS DARK DARK OUTSIDE.
Me: Yes, Elsa is it dark outside. Now, sssshhhh!
Elsa: Ok.
[another 30 seconds of silence]
Elsa: MAMMA, IS ANNA SLEEPING?
Me: Oh lordy! Yes, Anna is sleeping. Elsa, now we need to be quiet, quiet.
Elsa: Ok.
[another 30 seconds of silence]
Elsa: MAMMA, I'M TIRED.
Me: Argh!!! Then go to sleep!
Elsa: Ok.

Heartstrings

2008-02-21T12:40:00.004Z

"It tugs at my heartstrings." I think this is a strange phrase. I mean, I get it, but this phrase conjurs up an all too anatomical vision -- a real heart (not a Valentine heart) with the the aorta, etc. coming out of it. Not exactly the warmy and fuzzy vision you would think when you are talking about something that tugs at your heartstrings. Maybe this is the legacy of having two doctors for parents.

Anyhoo, I was just thinking about daily moments that I have with the girls that I am going to miss dearly when they get bigger. My day generally starts with Elsa waking up between 5 and 6. I stagger to her room, half-asleep, get her out of her crib and bring her back to my bed. Elsa then falls back asleep with me for another hour or so -- happy to snuggle with me. Priceless. Next, I see another set of big brown eyes -- Anna is awake. If it is a cold morning and still early, I try to cajole her into cuddling with me and Elsa, but it is a hard sell. Generally, it is downstairs right away to get breakfast.

The best part of my day with Anna is when I pick her up from school. She is always so happy to see me and jumps out of the classroom to give me a hug (I wonder how long that will last!). I love the huge smile I get as soon as she has spotted me in line waiting to pick her up. As we walk home from school, she is still filled with excitement from her day and quickly tells me everything she did. Her enthusiasm for school and learning is fantastic; I hope it never wears off.

These are the moments that tug at my aorta!

Pea soup.

2008-02-20T22:46:00.003Z

Dare I say it?? I believe I am victorious -- nasty bugs be damned! I am feeling much better and have emerged from my aspic-fog. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be feeling 100% because I really really need to have a productive day at work tomorrow.

Speaking of fog, today's was like pea soup. It didn't lift until the late afternoon, right before it started getting dark. Weird. I took the girls to the playground, and it was really bizarre to see the entire park cloaked in fog. I wish I had brought my camera.

Do you like hazelnuts? If so, try this cake - roasted hazelnut muscovado cake. I've made it twice, and it is delicious.

It is not over.

2008-02-19T22:53:00.001Z

Another day of aspic-head, but I'm hanging in there. However, it was not a terribly productive day for work. Sigh. Now, I've fallen ever further behind on my to do list.

The battle is on.

2008-02-18T22:46:00.002Z

I have spent this entire day feeling like my head has been preserved in aspic. I have been so spacey and out of it today. I went all the way to the grocery store, did all my shopping, went through the check-out before realizing that I had left my purse and wallet at home. Oops. I feel a nasty cold coming on -- the itchy throat, the dull throb behind my eyes, sooooo tired. But, I am determined to fight this stupid bug tooth and nail. Today I armored myself with drinking lots of water, herbal tea with lemon and honey, and lots of vitamin C.

Now, I'm off to bed.

Tomorrow, we'll see who wins this one.

Bottled water

2008-02-15T14:16:00.003Z

I met a woman at a meeting I went to last year who was campaigning to encourage people to drink tap water (or just filter their tap water) instead of drinking bottled water. Her organization's water campaign can be found here. It is definitely worth looking at. After talking to her, I have been thinking twice before buying bottled water.

The Sunday Observer had a big article about this same issue last weekend. "It's just water, right? Wrong. Bottled water is set to be the latest battleground in the eco war"

At work, I have been following a case that relates to the privatization of the water system in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The project was a disaster and the private contractor hired for the job ended up making things worse rather than better. Now, this company (joint venture between Biwater and Gauff) is in arbitration with the government of Tanzania for having cancelled the contract. Interesting stuff. It is interesting that I sometimes have to remind people that access to water is considered a human rights issue. Humans don't last too long without water.

That's one way of putting it.

2008-02-15T10:35:00.004Z

I had a looooong night last night. Elsa woke up at about 2 am, and she would not settle down to go back to sleep. I ended up taking her into my bed because I was exhausted. Then, at 3 am, the culprit made itself known. Elsa vomited all over my bed. Ick. The funny thing was that Elsa did not know how to express what happened. So she said to me, "Uh oh, mamma, I spilled." It is nice to know that Elsa can make me laugh even when I'm cleaning up her vomit in the middle of the night.

Jim Henson

2008-02-14T16:08:00.002Z

I know I've said this before, but I think Jim Henson was a genius. I love Sesame Street, and I adore the Muppet Show. I think you would have to be made of stone not to, at least, crack a smile while watching one of these shows. They are instant mood-lifters.

I am thrilled that Anna and Elsa are now fans of both shows. Thanks to DVD imports from Amma, we now have a box set of Sesame Street as well as a box set of the Muppet Show. They are awesome.

I love it when Anna asks me if she can watch the "Muffin Show". Or, when Elsa sings "C is for Cookie". The best.

A revealing trip to the grocery store

2008-02-12T09:32:00.000Z

After the hysterics of last night, I totally forgot to mention my interesting trip to the grocery store. Yesterday, after I had taken Elsa to gymnastics, I went shopping at a grocery store that I don't normally shop at, but it is on the way back from gymnastics. As I am walking into the store, I see a naked man sauntering across the parking lot, also on his way into the store. Hmmm. Not something I normally come across during my shopping expeditions. This guy walks into the store and right up to the customer service desk, and the woman working there promptly hands him a flourescent orange jacket (the kind the store's employees wear when they are out collecting the shopping carts in the parking lot). I didn't linger long enough to hear the full story (I'm sure it was a good one), but it was definitely an odd moment in my day!

Exercise in Patience

2008-02-11T20:39:00.000Z

Ok, inhale -- deeeeeep breath -- and exhale, slooooooowly. Repeat. Again. Again. Hmm. My shoulders have lowered ever so slightly from their stress-induced position immediately below my earlobes.

Boy, what an evening. We went to a birthday party this afternoon for twins that are Anna's classmates. The party was at a small play center very close to our house. We've been there before for birthday parties so I should have known what to expect. The party went from 3 to 5. I had the brilliant idea of letting Anna have a playdate after school with one of her friends and then I took the two girls (and Elsa) to the party at 3. Anna and Elsa had a great time at the party running around, jumping in a bouncy castle, riding in little play cars, eating junk food and lots of sweets. By the time we got home, they were both pooped but really wound up. I should have marched them straight to the bathroom for their bath and put them to bed. Instead, I started doing other things and didn't get them to bed until 8:15. From about 6:15 until about 8:15, I think Anna may have set a world's record for the number of tantrums thrown in a two hour period. It took absolutely ever ounce of my self-control not to go ballistic. I really hate evenings like this, that seem to end on such a bad note. I have got to remember to get the girls into their beds before 8, otherwise I have to deal with too many tears and tantrums before bedtime.

Pictures from Barcelona

2008-02-10T09:54:00.000Z

Pictures from Christmas Day

2008-02-10T09:48:00.000Z

Pictures from Christmas Eve

2008-02-10T09:42:00.001Z

Sun in February

2008-02-10T09:21:00.000Z

Blog silence since Christmas. Hmm. I'm sure all three of my loyal readers have been waiting in eager anticipation for me to break my silence. At last, I feel like I have the energy and brain power to sit down and write.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that 2008 is off to a good start. We are enjoying spectacular sunny weather in London. What a relief after a very dreary January. It is amazing what a little bit of sunny weather (and slightly longer days) will do for one's energy levels and mood!

Christmas was wonderful with Amma, Afi and Kiddi coming and staying with us. The girls loved every minute of it! Then we went to Barcelona to see Yaya, Yayo and Tio Miguel. By the time we returned home at the beginning of January, we were pooped -- a very busy holiday season.

Now we are waiting to hear about what school Anna will go to in the autumn (she starts kindergarten in September). The process of getting into a state/public school here is rather complicated. You have to apply and rank your top three choices of school and state schools also include religious schools (Catholic, Church of England - but generally you have show that you are a church-going in the school's parish in order to have a chance of getting in). It turns out that we are on the edge of two school catchment areas. One school is really great - new building, excellent teachers and totally oversubscribed. The other school is ok, but not great and not so oversubcribed. I'm thinking that our chances of getting into the great school are slim, and that we'll be assigned to the ok school. So, we've been holding a spot for Anna at a private school. The private school is outstanding. It is an all-girls school (not something that I necessarily wanted) with small classes (14 per class) and a very impressive record. After Carlos and I went on a tour of the school, we were super impressed. Before going to visit the school, I was a bit down on the school because I thought it was too snobby and didn't want Anna at a girls school. But, after visiting, the headmistress definitely proved me (mostly) wrong (I still think the school is a bit snooty). She said that the good thing about teaching girls separately at this age is that generally they have an easier time focusing than boys and the school tries to take advantage of that by challenging the girls academically. Also, she talked about one of the goals of the school being to develop strong, independent girls. I like that. So, in all likelihood, I think Anna will end up at the private school because we will not have a viable state school option. Ugh. The whole things gives me a bit of a headache.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2007-12-25T23:35:00.000Z

Where has December gone? This month has just flown by, and now Christmas is here and almost gone. Sheesh.

We've been having a lovely time with Amma, Afi & Kiddi. Anna and Elsa were so excited to see them. I have a lot of wonderful picture, but they were taken on our new camera and I haven't yet loaded the software for it on my computer. Hopefully, I'll upload them tomorrow.

I wish everyone happiness, health, joy and peace for the rest of this holiday season!

What????

2007-12-09T23:58:00.000Z

Over the course of this last week, the most frequent word uttered by Anna has been: "WHAT?!?" At first I thought she was just being extra-spacey, but after a few days of feeling like she wasn't really hearing anything I said, I figured she must be having a problem with her ears. Thankfully, Anna has been free of ear infections her whole life, but now she really really has one. Poor thing.

I took her to my local GP on Thursday to have him look in her ears. The visit just confirmed my suspicions that he takes laissez-faire doctoring to the extreme. I think a child's ear drum would have to actually blow up in his face for him to say that the child has an ear infection! This doctor looked at the one ear that Anna said hurt and proclaimed that there was nothing wrong. Just get back to him in a week if she's still complaining. On Friday, Anna still complained about her ear and on Saturday morning, it looked like there was dried blood in her ear. I knew what that meant -- she did indeed have an ear infection and probably a perforated ear drum! Great. I have a private pediatrician that I have taken the girls to see, but she doesn't have Saturday hours and she is in Kensington (about 20 minutes by Tube). Not terribly convenient. Thankfully, I remembered that a friend of mine had mentioned that there is a private medical clinic in Richmond not too far from my house. So, I called over there to see if they were open on Saturdays. Hurray -- they were. We were able to schedule an appointment and Anna saw a really lovely pediatrician who actually looked at both her ears (and at her throat and listened to her chest -- not something the local NHS GP has ever done when I've taken Anna to see him). Anna does in fact have a perforated ear drum on the right side and an infection on the left side. Wonderful. But, after just a day and a half of antibiotics, she is already seeming much more like her old self.

Lesson Learned

2007-12-08T21:06:00.001Z

When this little person is around . . .

Do not leave butter unattended on the countertop. Or else, you'll get this:

4 Years

2007-12-05T17:19:00.000Z

Four years ago, yesterday, at 12:51 am on December 4th of 2003, I met this little person for the first time.

Somehow, in the blink of an eye, this little person, has become this little four-year old girl.

Poor Anna didn't have the most exciting of birthdays yesterday because Carlos and I both had things at work that could not be rescheduled. So, we sang happy birthday and blew out candles in the morning before work, and we gave her the birthday present (a doll house which has been a huge hit).

On Monday after school, we're going to have a birthday party with some of her friends from nursery school. As usual, I'm getting overly excited for the party -- I'm planning a treasure hunt.

Happy birthday my dear little Anna!

How could you not love it?

2007-11-28T22:36:00.000Z

Cbeebies (the BBC children's TV channel) has a new program called In the Night Garden. Anna and Elsa both love it. I have never seen either of them react so positively, instantaneously. The first time they saw the program, they were hooked. And, frankly, so was I. It is wonderful. How could you not love a program where the character's names are: Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos, the Pontipines, the Ninky Nonk, the Pinky Ponk and the Haahoos. The Sunday Observer magazine did an interesting article about the program (you can read it here). Turns out the people behind this program are the same people who did the Teletubbies. But, the Night Garden is infinitely better.

Thoughts . . .

2007-11-25T23:39:00.000Z

Am I ever going to manage to get to bed before midnight? Or 11 pm? Every day I wake up wishing that I could sleep for another hour or two. As I drag myself out of bed, I tell myself that I am going to go to bed early. And what happens? I don't know. I feel like I get sucked into some black hole and suddenly it is 11:45 pm. Ok, tomorrow, I'm going to go to bed early, I swear.

Anna has taken to calling Elsa "sister" instead of calling her by her name. Makes for funny-sounding conversations. "Come on sister! Give me back the doll!"

Elsa has decided that it is her job to shush Anna when she is having a melt-down. When Anna goes into tantrum mode, Elsa says to her (complete with an outstretched index finger): "Quiet! Quiet!" I had to bite my lips really hard not to laugh the first time she did this. Now, she even tells babies to be quiet when we're out shopping. Yikes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T09:46:00.000Z

Happy Turkey Day to those of you in the US!

Elsa's on the mend, and I managed to get the report done.

Fever, Deadline & Pimples

2007-11-21T00:46:00.000Z

Ugh. It is almost 1 am, and I'm sitting in bed with my laptop. Lying next to me is a small furnace, formerly known as Elsa. Poor thing has had some terrible bug since Sunday night that has involved a pretty high fever that has been difficult to control. She has needed a lot of snuggling and cuddling over the last two days, and rightly so. However, that has not been conducive to writing a report to the foundation that gave the grant that pays for my job! This mid-term report for our two year grant is basically due now. Yikes. I've been working on it all day, but at the moment I am having serious writer's block.

One thing I've learned over the last two days. No sleep and stress is an excellent way to ensure that I get at least three huge pimples on my face. Lovely.

20 Months

2007-11-17T00:52:00.001Z

Elsa turned 20 months on the 12th. It is difficult to get photos of her these days because as soon as she sees the camera, she starts running toward it at full speed saying "CHEEEEESE". Here are some pictures taken yesterday and today.

Elsa is also saying all sorts of new words every day. She always wants to know "what happen?" and tells you to be "very careful". Today she tried to sing happy birthday and managed "happy to you". She really cracks us up.

Terrace Gardens

2007-11-17T00:48:00.000Z

The Terrace Gardens are one of my favorite places in Richmond, and the girls love it there too. Here are some pictures of them taken at the gardens last week. They were loving running down the gardens' steep hills.

Doin' the pigeon

2007-10-31T16:02:00.001Z

I love Sesame Street and the Muppets. In fact, I think I may have been a Muppet in a previous life.

Jim Henson was a genius.

All of this said, if I had to pick a Sesame Street/Muppet song to have stuck in my head all day, this is not the song I would pick (even though it is funny):

It's true, organic is better

2007-10-31T10:08:00.000Z

Last Sunday, the Times on Sunday ran a story about a 4 year study funded by the European Union has found that organic food is better. It found that organic foods generally have a higher nutritional content than their non-organic counterparts. For instance, organic milk was found to have higher levels of vitamin E than non-organic.

At last, evidence that supports why I've been so insistent on buying organic whenever possible!

Eat your words, all who scoff at organic food

Official: organic really is better

Next step, I want to finally sign up for a box delivery scheme that will deliver local, in season (and mostly organic) produce to me on a weekly basis. I've been wanting to sign up for this for ages, but I just haven't gotten around to doing the research to figure out which company I want to use. It seems that there two companies that offer this service for my area, but I haven't figured out what the major difference between the companies is. Interestingly enough, I think the prices are reasonable -- I think I spend a similar amount at my local grocery store. Plus, for me it is a benefit not to have to go to the store because I find that I often purchase things on impulse that just end up going to waste. Having my fresh food delivered to me (I can also order milk and meat through this service), I avoid being suckered into purchases that I wouldn't have otherwise made.

Friends

2007-10-25T20:48:00.000+01:00

I'm a very lucky person.

I have made some really good friends here in London, and I also made some good friends during my short stay in New Haven.

Then I have good friends from my law firm days (friends who made that experience infinitely more bearable), and I have good friends from my law school days (in fact, one of them introduced me to Carlos). Luck was in my corner at McGill, too -- I made some very good friends during my four years in Montreal.

However, Lady Luck really outdid herself with my oldest friends -- the "Ladies" (aka, Alice, Alison, Joanne and Liz). We have all known each since kindergarten, except Liz, the newcomer, who we've known since 3rd grade. These women are an incredibly special part of my life, and I value our friendship immensely. We may not see each other very often since it is hard to coordinate schedules and since we live all over the place (Seattle, NY, Boston, DC & London), but as soon as I hear one of their voices or see their lovely faces, I feel like no time has passed. In fact, as I'm sure they would readily attest, I often feel rather juvenile when I'm with them.

Last weekend I had my first weekend away from la familia. Solo. Alone. I had forgotten how easy it is to travel when you are only responsible for yourself. It was nice. I missed the girls and Carlos (I missed the girls a bit more than I missed the hubby), but it was nice to get away. It was especially nice to get away to see the Ladies (minus Joanne ... sadness). Alice, Alison and I descended upon Liz's house in the Boston suburbs, and basically behaved like complete nerds the whole weekend. Poor Joanne was feeling icky and couldn't join. So, we phoned her a lot and pestered her to the point that she probably was glad not to see us! It was really wonderful to get to hang out and just talk about everything and anything.

I hope Lady Luck is as generous with my girls as she has been with me.

Here we are at the end of the weekend (all a little squinty because we were looking directly into the sun).

(from L to R: me, Alice, Liz, Alison)

Nose knowledge

2007-10-16T17:53:00.000+01:00

Elsa definitely knows her nose.

If you ask her: "Elsa, where is your nose?" She will smile, point at her nose and say "nose".

If you ask her: "Elsa, where are you eyes?" She will smile, point at her nose and say "nose".

If you ask her: "Elsa, where is your mouth?" She will smile, point at her nose and say "nose".

I think you get the picture. Despite the nose obsession, Elsa is starting to say a lot of words and some short phrases. For instance, one morning when Carlos left for work very early, Elsa was looking around asking "Where Papa?" She seemed mystified that he had disappeared before she could give him her early morning snuggle.

birthday

2007-10-11T14:19:00.000+01:00

Happy birthday to Carlos!!

Picky picky picky = Picky picky picky DNA

2007-10-11T11:49:00.000+01:00

Here's the New York Times weighing in on the picky eater debate: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You.

No willpower

2007-10-10T23:44:00.001+01:00

I know Halloween is a few weeks away, but I couldn't resist putting their costumes on for a test run. I totally caved on the "no more Disney princess" stance. Anna got a Snow White outfit from Marks and Spencer. I have to say, the reason I changed my mind was that the M&S costume was really good quality -- especially when you compare it to the quality of the outfits from the Disney store (which I think disintegrate as soon as they make epidermal contact). Anna LOVES this outfit. I think she would wear it all day every day and all night every night if I would let her. Unfortunately, due to some unbelievable tantrums and bad behavior, the Snow White oufit is now locked up, waiting for Anna to earn it back (and boy, does she want it back)!

Here's my little snow fairy. Poor Elsa only gets hand-me-downs from Anna. So I got her a dressing up outfit all of her own. She was in heaven! Elsa paraded around the house in her fairy outfit telling anyone who would listen how nice she looked. Doesn't she have the most mischevious eyes you have ever seen?!?!
Here's the dynamic duo - ready for action!

Did you know?

2007-10-02T16:22:00.000+01:00

Naan bread makes an excellent pizza base for homemade pizzas. Thanks to Nigella Lawson, now I know. We made naan bread pizzas for dinner over the weekend and they were delicious (especially the ones made with garlic & coriander naan).

Carlos just bought Nigella's new book (Nigella Express) for me, and we've been working our way through a bunch of the recipes. I have to say that so far all of them have turned out pretty well.

I've been on a bit of a recipe book kick lately. I've been taking out various popular recipe books from the library to see if I can find any new recipes that the girls will eat. I feel like I am in such a rut with them, always feeding them the same old stuff (especially in the veg department -- cucumbers and baby plum tomatoes are the only things that go down with no fuss). So far, I haven't really hit on any winners with the girls. However, I found out that I quite like turkey meatballs (out of the Dinner Lady cookbook) (but making them wasn't so much fun - I don't like the texture of ground turkey). Anyone have any recipes out there that their kids love???

What would you do with a corn kernel?

2007-10-01T23:55:00.000+01:00

The answer, if you are Anna, is: stare at it, push it around your plate, bargain with Mamma as to what you can get for eating one kernel of corn, and shove it to the side of your plate and leave it.

The answer, if you are Elsa, is: pick it up, play with it, figure out that it is roughly the same size as your nostril, pop it into your nostril, stick your finger in there to make sure that you get the corn kernel sufficiently far up the nasal cavity to cause you discomfort, sneeze 8 times in a row, and sneeze a 9th time causing a corn kernel to come flying out of your nostril (missing Mamma by mere millimeters).

Yikes. Is Elsa going to be one of those kids that I'm going to be taking to the doctor's on a regular basis to get things extracted out of her nose?!?!

Two good reads

2007-10-01T23:50:00.001+01:00

Two excellent things that I read over the weekend. Worth having a look.

NY Times Op-Ed by Thomas L. Friedman: 9/11 is Over.

Sunday Observer Magazine column by Barbara Ellen: A 21st Century Problem: The Too-Smart Woman [I love her column]

Making Anna laugh

2007-09-25T17:53:00.001+01:00

Step One: At approximately 7:30 pm, lean as far back as possible (idealy while wearing super cute yellow pyjamas).

Step Two: Fall down on your bottom and emit a delicious belly laugh.

Step Three: Go to Step One.

This is practically becoming a nightly routine with Anna and Elsa. Of course, Anna eggs Elsa on because Anna thinks this is incredibly funny. Elsa continues to do it because she loves to make Anna (or anyone for that matter) laugh. It is wonderful, and makes me laugh too, but I would have to say that it is not the most conducive activity to getting the girls relaxed and ready for bed!

This is why I love autumn:

2007-09-25T09:44:00.000+01:00

I love the color the leaves as they start changing. Plus, the blueness of the sky on a clear, crisp September afternoon is stunning. Put the two together, and voila - you have my perfect day.

The Body Shop

2007-09-13T11:30:00.000+01:00

I was sad to hear that Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, died this past Monday. Here's an article from the Guardian about her. She was only 64.

I think she was really inspiring and forward-thinking. I wish more businesses would be built on her Body Shop model (even though she did say that the Body Shop moved forward, really, through a series of fortunate accidents).

18 months

2007-09-13T11:23:00.000+01:00

Elsa turned 18 months yesterday. She is such a bundle of energy, despite the fact that all 4 canine teeth are coming in at the same time.

Here are some pictures taken in the garden.

Berlin & Barcelona

2007-09-05T22:29:00.000+01:00

Just photos right now. We went to Berlin for the weekend of the last UK Bank Holiday weekend (last weekend in August), and from there we went to Barcelona to finish out the month. More to come. In a nutshell, Berlin was great - definitely need to go back with more time. Barcelona was way too hot and humid pour moi. I was a cranky sweaty mess there.

This is the view from our hotel - you can see where the Berlin wall used to be -- it marked on the pavement in the light colored stone.

Anna at the Barcelona aquarium.
More aquarium and funny faces.
Aquarium.
Anna and her godmother, Merce, at the aquarium.
Anna and I at Checkpoint Charlie.

Anna enjoying a huge mango smoothie in Berlin.
Anna and Papa at the Brandenburg Gate.
The ladies at the Berlin zoo.
Elsa trying to escape.

Yum ... and not so yum

2007-08-21T23:05:00.000+01:00

Mmmmmmmm. I just got back from having a deeeeeeeelish dinner with Carlos at the Glasshouse restaurant in Kew. Wow, it was good. So good, in fact, I've just had to unbutton my trousers as I sat down at the computer. I know, sorry, that may have been too much information.

I had a heavenly main course -- grilled sirloin (perfectly medium rare, closer to the rare side) topped with tallegio cheese (if you've never had this cheese, try it at your earliest opportunity - it is divine) and served with potatoes and a red wine sauce. Very very yummy. Of course, I went over the top and ordered a crazy, completely decadent dessert - hot chocolate mousse with milk chocolate ice cream. It was so good, but really rich. I might, possibly, have been better off with a fruity dessert, but that wouldn't have been as much fun. Top marks for the Glasshouse!!!

In the not so yum category -- Knowing that we were going out to dinner tonight and lamenting the fact that I'm turning into a pudgy pudge pudge, I went for a run during my lunch break today. I'm turning over a new leaf. My plan is to go for a run during lunch on the days that I work and then aim to do one run over the weekend. Modest aims, hopefully do-able. Today I ran a little loop from my house to the river and back. There are strange people that hang out along that stretch of the Thames at midday. In fact, I ran past a pair that reminded me of Lou and Andy from Little Britain (complete with sweatpants and wheelchair). Thank god for my iPod because they said something to me that I didn't hear as I flew (ha ha) past them. I looked back (later wishing I hadn't) to see one wiping the other's bottom. Ick. Although, it was a good incentive to keep running . . . fast.

Garbo in the house

2007-08-20T21:02:00.000+01:00

Anna seems to be modeling herself on Greta Garbo (of "I want to be left alone" fame) these days. Today, after we had made little muffins and after she had received her quota of muffins, I put the baked treats in a plastic container and placed it on one of the highest shelves in our kitchen cupboards. Anna was observing intently. Then, she says to me: "Mamma, can you leave me alone please?" I thought this was very strange since, normally, she only says this to me when she's on the toilet. So, I asked her why she needed to be left alone. The response was simply a reiteration of her initial request. Hmmm, I smell some Anna sneakiness afoot! So, I left her alone for about 60 seconds, and then returned to the kitchen to see her climbing onto the kitchen counter in order to try and reach the box of muffins. Aha! Gotcha! I ask her what she's doing. Anna's response: "I don't know. Can you leave me alone please?"

What is it??

2007-08-19T11:39:00.001+01:00

Can you tell? Anna latest drawing: a mushroom wearing sunglasses! I love it.

One of my biggest wishes for Anna is for her incredibly fertile imagination to continue growing as she gets older. (At the moment, I'm listening to her coach her Ariel doll in gymnastics. Ariel, after much encouragement from Anna, has mastered the handstand.)

Sif: Version XXXVI

2007-08-13T21:17:00.000+01:00

Ouch. That feels old.

My birthday is getting better after a rather rough start this morning. Elsa had a terrible night (she seems to be having a tough time adjusting to being back in London), and she ended up in our bed by 3:30 am because I just gave up. Then just before 6:00 am, Anna came to our room and told me: "Mamma, my tummy hurts." About 30 seconds later, it became clear why her tummy was hurting. She vomited all over the bed. Poor thing. Anna had one more vomiting episode this morning, and then she was fine for the rest of the day. Alas, after a rather groggy day that involved letting the girls watch way too many DVDs, the little ladies are both asleep.

Carlos had to fly to Switzerland today for work, and he should be back soon. We actually celebrated my birthday in Iceland at the beginning of the month. We went to Reykjavik and had dinner at a great restaurant called Við Tjörnina. Afterwards, we spent the night at Hotel Saga and the next morning went to the Blue Lagoon. It was really fun. On Thursday, we're going to celebrate some more with dinner and a movie.

By the way, did you know that I share my birthday with Fidel Castro and the Berlin Wall?!?

New fave

2007-08-07T15:31:00.000+01:00

Anna's well developed sweet tooth has found something new to sink into - gummi bears. She loves "gumbly bears".

Cut lefties some slack!

2007-07-31T13:05:00.000+01:00

I just saw this article on the BBC News website.

Gene for left-handedness is found - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6923577.stm

So, according to this article, being left-handed means:

I have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia (?!?!)
I can think quicker when carrying out tasks such as playing computer games or playing sport
I could have an advantage in hand-to-hand combat (that's a handy thing to know next time I get into a street-fight)
I have a greater risk of getting some diseases and of having an accident

Sheesh.

A Spaniard in Iceland

2007-07-31T12:56:00.000+01:00

Carlos arrived from London yesterday. The girls were beside themselves with excitement when they saw him. Elsa instantly became a total "papa's girl". She would not let Carlos put her down; she wanted him to hold her for hours after he arrived. Very cute. Anna couldn't stop talk to him -- she had to tell him everything that had happened in the last two weeks.

My dad arrives a little bit later today. Anna has already drawn several pictures for Afi. All of the pictures are of squid. I don't know why, but all Anna wants to draw these days are squid.

Backyard bounty & careful what you promise

2007-07-28T17:05:00.000+01:00

We have had a busy day. All three generations of ladies went out to pick wild blueberries this afternoon. Delicious!! Because it has been such a warm summer in Iceland this year, the blueberries are starting to get ripe already (I think it is about a month early). We went out to an area just beyond the cottage and found a lot of berries and saw a lot more berries that should be ripe in a few days. Anna picked quite a few, and Elsa turned out to be quite the berry picker and berry eater. We found that the berries were best that grew on top of the moss. Anna is fascinated by the moss and how soft it is, but she has yet to master the name -- she keeps talking about how much fun it is to walk on the "mosque".

Earlier today, while Elsa had her morning nap, Anna and I took a walk together. I told her she would have to walk by herself for 30 minutes and then I would take her in the carrier backpack afterwards. By the time we had walked for 30 minutes, we had reached about the halfway point of our walk. What I had neglected to take into account is that the second half of our walk would be mostly uphill. Ooops. I got a good workout of walking uphill for about 40 minutes with Anna (weighing in at 33 lbs) on my back.

Always on the move

2007-07-27T00:39:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we took Anna and Elsa to Thingvellir - a national park that is the sight of the first parliament held in Iceland, making it the oldest parliament in the world. It is a gorgeous place, and I thought it would a perfect opportunity to get a good picture of the girls together. This is the best I could do.

These two cannot sit still for more than 3 seconds. I've given up trying to get them to sit for a picture!

Here's Anna in Almannagjá.

This would have been a wonderful picture of Elsa if she hadn't moved out of the frame before I could snap it.

Amma is so clever! She figured out a way to put them both on the tricycle and pull them along the deck. They loved it.

Elsa's ready take a dip!

Waterfall v. horse

2007-07-22T23:38:00.000+01:00

We had a pretty lazy Sunday, but we did manage to make a little trip to Gullfoss (a very large waterfall about 20 minutes from the cottage). The girls didn't seem that impressed by the waterfall, but they were super excited by a group of horses that were in a corral near the falls. A group of people were taking a trip into the interior of Iceland on horseback and had made a pit stop at the waterfall. I think it was a group of about 20. Anna and Elsa got to have a good look at all the beautiful Icelandic horses. I think Anna is going to want to try horseback riding sometime in the near future. Actually, seeing the horses even made me want to go horseback riding. And, that says a lot, When I was 14, I went horseback riding in Iceland for the first time and it was an absolute nightmare (the trip included: galloping at breakneck speed with me holding on for dear life, my horse rolling in the sand . . . with me still in the saddle, and shortly thereafter me falling off my insane horse).

Up in the Sunny & Rainy North

2007-07-19T22:39:00.000+01:00

Yowza! Nearly a month since my last post. That's not good.

The girls and I left rainy rainy rainy London for a month in Iceland. We arrived on Sunday morning, and not a cloud was in the sky. It was incredible. And Monday, another beautiful sunny day. Tuesday, see Monday. Wednesday, see Tuesday. Today, see London. Rain at last, but this was a good thing because my mom and relatives said that they haven't had any rain in ages.

Anna and Elsa had a fantastic day with Amma while I worked. It is great that I can pretty much do my job from anywhere in the world, as long as I have an internet connection. Given that we finally got some wet weather, I was able to break out the little rainsuits I bought for the girls before we left London. We got them dressed in them this morning, and I think they look like they are wearing little pink hazmat suits!

Yesterday, while Elsa napped, I took Anna out for a walk in the hills behind the cottage. I was so surprised by how much stamina she had. She walked for almost an hour on really uneven terrain and only asked to be carried once. We found a big rock for her to climb.

She did lots of jumping in the fields.

And we picked a pretty bouquet of yellow and white wildflowers for Amma.

Here's a pic of the little ladies enjoying the comfiest sofa on the planet. They better get in some quality time on the sofa before their papa arrives and takes it over ... until their uncle Kiddi arrives, and Carlos and Kiddi are going to have to duke it out for sofa time or cuddle up with one another.

Just in case you don't realize how far north we are, here's a picture I took on Tuesday night at 11 pm. It was a really clear day, and we could see the volcanic Mount Hekla in the distance.

In the other direction, the sun was starting to set, but it still had not dropped below the horizon. Pretty neat, huh?!

Want to laugh?

2007-06-21T10:42:00.000+01:00

The guy in the pink shirt is fantastic!

Happy Birthday Uncle Kiddi!

2007-06-18T17:16:00.000+01:00

Happy birthday to Kiddi!

Papa & Pabbi

2007-06-17T21:22:00.000+01:00

Happy Father's Day!

We had a low key Father's Day today, but fun nonetheless. The day included an outing to the playground where the Reyes sisters took to the swings and wouldn't leave. Carlos and I definitely got a workout pushing them. Elsa loves swinging so much that it practically took two of us to get her out of the swing when it was time to go home. That girl is strong!

In honor Father's Day, I dug out my all-time favorite photo of my dad and I. This was taken at the beach in North Carolina, August 1977. Pabbi and me.

Start your engines!

2007-06-16T21:11:00.000+01:00

Elsa is off! Yesterday Elsa decided it was time to stand up and walk the entire length of our kitchen/family room. All by herself! It was wild. It seems that she's decided that now is time to start walking on her own. It was fantastic to see the expression on her face -- she was literally beaming, so pleased with herself.

I'm thinking that the catalyst for Elsa's pedestrian activity was our lovely friend Alison. I love the company she works for because it keeps sending her to London on business, and she manages to come for a visit every time she comes. It is great to see her, and the girls love love LOVE her. So Elsa must have decided it was time to show off for our favorite house guest!

I've crossed over to the dark side

2007-06-14T09:33:00.000+01:00

I had toast with Marmite for breakfast this morning.

Did I mention ...

2007-06-13T22:48:00.000+01:00

the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (the organization I work for) launched a new website yesterday. It looks quite snazzy, especially compared with the old one.

London Walkies

2007-06-13T22:43:00.000+01:00

Oh to be a dog in London. On two separate occasions this week, I've seen a dog being taken for a "walk" in a stroller. Yes, a dog in a baby carriage! That's nuts. On Monday, I saw an old lady taking her Westie out for a walk in an old fashioned baby carriage (it looked like something from a WWII movie). And today, I saw an old lady in central London with her poodle in a stroller, and it looked like the stroller was made specifically for dogs. Again, that's nuts.

Mother of two?!?!?!

2007-06-12T22:16:00.000+01:00

When did that happen?

I know I have two daughters, and I absolutely adore being a mother, but deep down I still think of myself as someone much younger than I actually am. It's not that I have an issue with being 35 (nearly 36!) because there's no changing your age! But, I never feel like a proper grown-up. Isn't that weird because how much more grown up can you get than becoming a parent?!

It is the picture I've posted below that has prompted this random musing. This picture of two slippery, delicious and juicy little girls that constantly amaze me. I love them so much that sometimes I feel like I could turn inside out! When I see Anna and Elsa sitting in the bath together I'm always shocked. I think: "Holy crap! I've got two kids!" What is it about this bathtime setting that brings this fact front and center for me?

Here they are:

3.5 years & 15 months

2007-06-12T14:44:00.000+01:00

Anna goofing off on the stairs. 3 and 1/2 already!

Miss Elsa. 15 months today. She's taken some steps on her own, and she can do it, but I think she doesn't see what all the fuss is about because she can scoot on her bottom at the speed of light. I love this picture -- it captures the mischevious look that she almost always has in her eyes.

It's all gone!

2007-06-12T14:40:00.000+01:00

My hair, that is. Yup, I've taken drastic measures and cut it all off. It feels excellent! Not sure how it looks, but it feels great. I seem to be on a continual 5 year cycle of growing my hair long and cutting it all off.

I better mark my calendar, here's the beginning of another 5 year cycle -- no long hair until 2012 (by the time the Olympics are in London)!

Here is the result of my attempt at a self-portrait:

Funny

2007-05-28T10:28:00.000+01:00

Here's an article from yesterday's Sunday Observer that made me laugh out loud.

"What is it with modern women and shoes?" by Barbara Ellen
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2087387,00.html

"A brain, a brain, my kingdom for a brain"

2007-05-22T16:01:00.000+01:00

Forget the horse, I need a brain that functions at a more profound level than just taking care of the basics, like making sure that my heart beats and my lungs breathe. I'm not sure I need an entirely new brain (I like the memories contained in my current one), but I certainly need it to exit its present foggy state. Stay tuned, maybe a decent night's sleep (here's where we'd have a close up on the wistful expression on my face) will alleviate my foggy woes.

Numbers

2007-05-21T21:53:00.000+01:00

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, teven."
New numerical system courtesy of Anna.

Lefty, jr.

2007-05-18T21:34:00.000+01:00

Behold, my left-handed child! I'm pretty close to making it official, but Elsa's is really looking like a left-hander. That's pretty exciting for me because I've been the lone lefty in my family.

Elsa and Anna both seem to have inherited my shoe obsession. Elsa's latest move is called "The Clumper". She goes off to find a shoe to put on her foot, only one shoe, and then she scoots around on her bottom "clumping" with the shoe on her non-scooting foot. I tried to capture it in a photo, but I'm not sure it comes through. One of these days I'll capture it on video and post it.

Ascent

2007-05-15T14:29:00.000+01:00

Elsa has figured out how to climb the stairs all on her own. Sigh. That means a lot more work for me, and that also means I need to purchase more baby gates to keep her in one place. Elsa thinks climbing stairs (which she can do in the blink of an eye) is super fun, and this activity is made even more fun when I have to chase after her. As soon as I come after her, she shrieks with glee -- what a fun game (and, oh so safe too)!

May Fair

2007-05-15T14:16:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday we had lots of fun at our local May Fair. Our town green was converted into a fun fair with lots of rides for kids, food and stands set up by local businesses and charities. Anna was in heaven! She got to ride the "big kids" carousel. First with Carlos then with me. The carousel was gorgeous -- a true, old-fashioned one, beautifully maintained complete with a pipe organ playing the music! I have to say that I enjoyed myself thoroughly on the ride.

Next Anna had her face painted with a butterfly. What? You can't tell that is supposed to be a butterfly?!? Really?? Yikes. I couldn't complain because the face painting was being done for free by a charitable organization, but, boy, that is the worst face painting that I've ever seen! I think it looks like Anna did it herself ... without a mirror! Anna, on the other hand, thought it was fantastic. I was counting the minutes until I could whip out the baby wipes and wash it off.

Elsa slept through most of the fun fair. Next year, my little one, next year.

Girls in the garden (and Bugs Bunny's secret)

2007-05-01T09:34:00.000+01:00

I love this shot because you can really see how juicy Elsa's chubby cheeks are. Delicious.

"I'm not so sure about this sunhat thing."

A surprisingly nice picture of Anna (given that she nearly always makes faces at the camera these days). Notice that Bugs Bunny is modeling a lovely pink frock -- who knew he cross dressed? And, yes, Anna is wearing cowboy boots. In fact, she's wearing a pair of boots that my dad gave me as a little girl.

Five Years

2007-04-27T21:51:00.000+01:00

Five years ago today, Carlos and I stood at a church altar dressed in some pretty fancy duds and pledged our love for each other. It was a great day. Five wonderful years -- it is amazing to think we are just at the beginning of our journey together!

Zzzzzzzzzz

2007-04-26T23:28:00.000+01:00

Shhhh. Can you hear that??? It is silent, totally and completely silent. Miracle of miracles, Elsa is asleep in her own bed and hasn't woken up yet. Thanks to Angelika (I spent the evening at my monthly Bunco event where we didn't actually play Bunco but just sat around and chatted while drinking some wine -- how nice). Maybe it took someone other than me or Carlos to tell her enough was enough. Angelika (who also is not a fan of the cryinng it out) told me that she put Elsa to bed and stayed with her for an hour until Elsa finally fell asleep. Then, as she moved to go out the door, Elsa woke up and started crying. According to Angelika, she just said: "Elsa, go to sleep!" and that was it. Elsa stopped crying and went to sleep. Sounds too good to be true.

The Power of Speech

2007-04-24T21:57:00.000+01:00

Thank you to Amalah and Mimi Smartypants! As a result of reading Amalah's blog with a reference to Mimi Smartypants' blog, I got a parenting tip that avoided 3 whole Anna-tantrums today. OK, are you ready for the big tip .... make it talk. Yup, that's it. Make whatever you want your child to do talk. It really works.

[The scene is set -- 8:58 am, Anna is still in her pjs and wants to wear them to school. She needs to be ready to go out the door in about 7 minutes. ]
SIF: Anna, let's get dressed.
ANNA: No, I don't want to. [tone starting to change to the whining tone that makes my hair stand on end]
S: Come on, you need to get dressed to go to school.
A: NO!
S: [remembering the sage Mimi Smartypants advice] Look Anna [holding up Dora the explorer underpants], Dora wants to say something to you. [In a high squeaky voice] Hi Anna, I'm Dora. I want to ride around on your bottom and go to school with you today. Come on Anna - put me on!
A: [tantrum rage instantly subsides, and a giggle starts to form] Mamma, what else does Dora say?
S: [after getting over the initial shock of how easy that was] Anna, I want you to put me on and then I'd like you to put your stripey shirt and tights on.
[without any more fuss, underpants, tights, shirt all go on]
S: Anna, let put your dress on. Look, your dress has little doggies on it. Do you know what this doggie says? Woof woof! Anna let me go to school with you today! Please please please!
A: [giggles, and puts the dress on]
THE END

AMAZING, I tell you, absolutely amazing. And the talking underpants weren't a fluke. It worked again at lunch time and again at bathtime [although, the bathtime "talking" involved some humiliating imitations of the Little Mermaid's singing].

I wish I could find something like that to solve Elsa's poor sleeping habits. Thankfully, I finally kicked my nasty houseguests to the curb -- SEE YA SUCKAHS! I hope we have no more visits from Messrs VB and ED. So, Elsa's back to her relatively cheerful self. But, she's been having bouts of extreme grumpiness. And I think this is due to the fact that she's cutting a molar! What??? The child only has 4.5 teeth (2 on the bottom, 2.5 on top)! But, the other day I noticed that she had an area on her gums, toward the back, that was really red and swollen. At first I thought she might have scratched it somehow, and it was infected. But, upon closer inspection, and finger probing on my part, I think is it a darned molar. How crazy is that? So, after being sick and having a bunch of teeth take forever to come in, Elsa is not, I repeat, not sleeping well. I've just spent the last hour and a half doing some controlled crying to see if I can't get her to fall asleep on her own. Crying it out is really an option of last resort on my part -- I find it extremely difficult. Let's hope she'll stay alseep. Fingers crossed.

PS: Anna has started calling her stuffed animals, and me, "darling". Yesterday, when I asked her to come to the table for dinner, she responded: "Just a minute, darling."

The worst house guests ... ever

2007-04-20T11:12:00.000+01:00

I've just had a visit from the worst house guest ever - Mr. Vomiting Bug. He first arrived last Sunday evening and before I realized that I had even let him in the door, he snuck in his buddy - Mr. Explosive Diarrhea.

Reason #1 Messrs VB & ED are the worst house guests: They dared to attack my baby. I mean, really, gentlemen, why not pick on someone your own size and who isn't so damn cute? Elsa dealt with her first attack, initially just Mr. VB, pretty well, but she was clearly feeling awful. I know something is up when she has no appetite.

Reason #2 Messrs VB & ED are the worst house guests: They dared to attack my baby again. Wasn't Sunday enough?? Clearly not. Tuesday our washing machine got a work out. Tuesday Mr. VB decided to relax a bit, but Mr. ED wanted to party. I've never seen poop run down a pantleg with such speed and velocity.

Reason #3 Messrs VB & ED are the world's worst house guests: They dared to attack my baby a third time. ENOUGH ALREADY -- GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! Yesterday we had more vomiting and explosive pooping. Today, however, so far, so good. Poor Elsa is stuck eating bread, bananas and rice.

Me - I've had almost no sleep for a week because of these high maintenance house guests. Today I nearly went out to the grocery store in my slippers.

Pink Ladies

2007-04-03T21:46:00.000+01:00

Elsa and I have started the London chapter of the Pink Ladies. Pink eye has arrived in my household. First Elsa, and now me. Ick ick ick and double ick. I'm not surprised that I've gotten it since Elsa's favorite activity of late is to blow huge, wet raspberries right in my face.

I'm just waiting to see if Anna will become a member of our exclusive club or not.

P.S. Way to go UK government - they've just extended their paid maternity leave from six months to nine months. US government -- get with the program!

Elsa & Sir Edmund Hillary

2007-03-26T10:36:00.000+01:00

What do Elsa and Sir Edmund Hillary have in common? They both like climbing tall things. In Sir Edmund's case, it was Mount Everest. In Elsa's case, it is the stairs in the house. And, for someone just shy of 80 cm, that involves some Everest-like climbing.

Elsa has fallen in love with walking up the stairs. The key word here is "walking". She wants me to hold her hands as she steps up the stairs from the bottom level all the way to the top. That's 50 steps. Does that mean I have something in common with Sherpa guide Tenzig Norgay?

By the way, we had our 1 year check up on Friday, and no surprise here - Elsa's still pretty big (23 lbs and 78 cm). Anna better watch her back because at this rate Elsa's going to catch up with her big sister soon.

Good morning and farewell

2007-03-23T13:31:00.000Z

Today is a grey and cold day. Grey in the way only London can do – steely with a damp cold that takes many cups of tea to shake off. In keeping with the weather, I saw the most bizarre site while walking with Anna to school – horse-drawn funeral procession going right down the main street leading into Richmond. Two jet black horses with jet black feathery headpieces were drawing a hearse carriage followed by a slow procession of black cars. Wow.

I’ve never seen something like this before. It is definitely a way to make a statement as you exit from the physical world – black horses clop-clopping down the street with two black-clad coachmen in black top hats.

Sneaky in the AM, Part II

2007-03-22T12:53:00.000Z

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson last month when I discovered that Anna had been sneaking down to the kitchen in the mornings and gobbling up anything sweet that I may have left on the counter. But, no, not this mom.

Last Sunday was mother's day here in the UK, and Carlos went out in the morning to a cafe/bakery that's down the street to get some delicious pasteries for us. While he was there, he found a chocolate/marzipan sheep shaped like Shaun the Sheep. Shaun is a creation of Nick Park, the claymation guy who created Wallace and Gromit. Shaun the Sheep now stars in a TV show here (see him at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/cartoons/shaunthesheep/), and Anna loves the show. As a matter of fact, we all love the show; it is very funny. So, Carlos thought Anna would enjoy getting a little Shaun the Sheep sweet. And I thought it was a good thing to use to incentivize Anna to finish her food.

Last night, Wednesday, Shaun still had not been eaten by Anna because she had failed to finish a single dinner since Sunday night. I put Shaun on the dinner table last night and told Anna that all she needed to finish were a few measly piece of pasta and some vegetables and Shaun would be all hers. She seemed pretty excited, but promptly started whining about how she couldn't finish her pasta and didn't want to eat vegetables. Shaun the Sheep went back into the packaging and back on the counter. BIG MISTAKE. Shaun was now on Anna's radar. This morning Anna came into my room at a little past 7 am. We all got up and went down for some breakfast. Nothing downstairs looked amiss, but then I looked a little more closely. The Shaun the Sheep packaging had, in fact, been tampered with. I peered inside to find a small portion of Shaun's sheep butt left, but the rest was gone. ANNA!!!!!! I was not pleased in the slightest.

Note to self: You have a small, browned-eyed sweetie thief living in your household. Do not leave sweeties lying around the kitchen.

I've been warned.

Eating and Sleeping

2007-03-21T21:04:00.000Z

Eating and sleeping are two things that I enjoy immensely. Good food not only satisfies my hunger, I think it also is good for my soul. And sleeping -- I wish I could sleep 10 hours a night.

Eating -- Anna has developed the world's smallest appetite. I am at my wit's end as to what to do to get this child to eat properly. The thing the worries me the most is that I remember what a poor eater I was as a child, and I'm dreading have to deal with someone who is like I was. Anyone have any ideas for what I can do to make mealtimes less of a struggle??

Sleeping -- Anna, despite not eating much, is a pretty good sleeper. She's a deep sleeper and falls asleep easily on her own. Elsa, on the other hand, is a champion eater, but a lousy sleeper. She craves physical contact so badly that getting her to fall asleep on her own is a monumental task. Argh.

I went to Spamalot last weekend. It was pretty darn funny, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like Monty Python. A lot of silly humor and poking fun at musicals, particularly Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals.

Struggling

2007-03-15T10:06:00.000Z

Ugh. I'm really struggling to get work done today. I've been feeling gross and nauseous since last night, and I'm worried because there's a nasty vomiting bug going around. I hope I'm just feeling icky due to lack of sleep. I just bought tickets for Spamalot for tomorrow night to go with my brother and Carlos. I'd really much rather listen to Monty Python gags than do a close examination of my toilet's porcelain.

Happy Birthday Elsa

2007-03-12T21:19:00.000Z

It has been 12 whole months since that moment in the wee hours of March 12, 2006 when I told Carlos: "I wouldn't bother getting changed into your pyjamas if I were you." And 12 whole months of getting to know a lovely little person named Elsa Lind. She is a mischevious little slice of joy.

Today was a glorious and unusually warm spring day -- what a wonderful way to welcome Amma, Afi and Kiddi. They arrived this morning and Anna and Elsa were thrilled to see them. Anna immediately co-opted Kiddi to be her own personal entertainment -- she loves her Uncle Kiddi. Meanwhile, the birthday girl entertained with her belly laughs, bear hugs and bottom scoots. It was one of those days that made me feel like a very very lucky person.

P.S. In the background of the pictures you can see some of the new colors of the house. I'm particularly in love with the terracotta color.

Queen of Scat

2007-03-08T20:08:00.000Z

I've been waiting for this moment to come, and it has arrived. Anna is the queen of scat in this household. Scatalogical humor, that is. Lately, she thinks anything that involves the words: poopoo, stinky or poopy is fall down laughing funny. Her favorite saying is "Elsa's a stinky poopoo." Then she proceeds to crack herself up for about 10 minutes. Hilarious.

This may be something to file under "too much information", but I think my hips are finally moving back to their pre-pregnancy location. Either that, or I'm developing some wicked arthritis in my hips. I hope it is the former. It started a few weeks ago with my left hip aching, and that made me feel like a crooked grocery cart (or "shopping trolley" if I'm to get all British with you). My bad left hip made me feel like I wanted to veer off to the right all the time. At least now that both hips are aching, I don't feel like I'm veering off course anymore. Maybe this means that some of my prepregnancy clothes will start fitting again. Yeah, that's right -- they don't fit because my hips haven't gone back and not because I continue to consume too many biscuits and other sweet treats. (As Anna says: "I love sweets -- they're so tasty!" -- like mother like daughter)