Living in the Land of Chocolate

The weekend

2012-01-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

I am on a bit of a Blogging break right now, but I did have some things I wanted to say about this weekend.

But I am struggling to find the words, so in short it was amazing, and it looked like this.

Life is good, and normal Blogging will probably resume sometime soon.

It's a Swiss thing

2012-01-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

Only in Switzerland would you drive up a mountain at an insanely early hour, in temperatures of minus 9 degrees C (35 degrees F), and find a 20 piece band playing in the snow.
And all before 9am.

Life here is great, and sometimes just plain surreal.

Stuff that makes me smile

2012-01-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

I am so behind with Blogging, that I don't even feel guilty anymore.

We are here, and we are all fine. I got almost a whole day off this week, so I am actually more than fine (thanks DH - for buying me the season pass, and then giving me a day on my own to really use it).

But I do want to post a small update, so here are a couple of photos from the last few weeks that have made me smile.

Air travel. It was one of the roughest flights I have ever taken, but the girls were amazing. They loved every minute, and found the whole 'violent turbulence' experience rather thrilling (unlike their mother, who sat 5 rows back with her teeth clenched, her eyes closed, and gripping the seat in front for dear life). Once the flight was over several total strangers came up to compliment us on our amazing children.

Snow ploughs. Need I say more.

Dinosaurs. People often assume becasue Emily (age 4) loves blue, trains, and dinosaurs that she must be a real tom boy. But actually nothing could be further from the truth. Emily will only wear dresses and skirts, and her dinosaurs wear dresses too.

Boxes. Amazon ask us to rate the packaging they used on a recent delivery. My personal thoughts were that is was far too big, however the girls have pronounced it to be 'perfect'. They spend a lot of time hanging out and reading books in their cardboard box.

Winnie The Pooh. Emily still loves Pooh, and this is how she arranges her pillow almost every night. I used to try and replace all the Pooh's in the right way if I had to move them to change the bed, but I always got it wrong. So now I don't bother - Emily does it just the way she likes it, and her pillow always makes me smile.

Joy

2012-01-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

I have so much to write about right now.

So many things to update on and catch up with.

Our trip was wonderful. Our New Yeas Eve was great. Spending time with our family was absolute bliss.

But I am behind with all of that, and sometimes the sheer joy of a moment overtakes all else.

Today was one of those days
A day filled with triumph. (Sofie LOVED ski school, and apparently skied like a demon).

A day filled with speed (Emily didn't want to ski - she wanted to sled).

A day filled with fun (Emily decided she did want to ski after all, she just needed some jumps to play on).

A day filled with joy.

A trip to the biscuit factory

2011-12-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

Today we made a long awaited trip to Kambly - a famous (in Switzerland at least) biscuit factory.

It was great, and I could probably write lots about it, but tomorrow we are off on holiday, and because I spent the entire day at a biscuit factory today (another moment of super time management on my part), there is a house to be cleaned, and packing to be done.
So here is a rough summary of our day.

We caught 3 trains to get to Kambly, including the special Kambly train. The girls were super excited when we boarded this one.

Inside the factory there was unlimited free biscuit tasting. Take it from me - even if you thought there was never such as thing as too many biscuits - there is. As we boarded the train to go home Sofie looked up at me and said;
'Mummy, do you feel a bit sick?'
I told her I did, and she said, 'me too, but I am SO going to work at Kambly when I am a grown up'.

Emily ran around and ate a lot of biscuits.

She also obsessed over a train shaped biscuit tin. So much so that she went and asked a shop assistant where she could get a train shaped tin (Emily never voluntarily interacts with strangers, and certainly never in German). She seriously wanted that tin.

Sofie joined the childrens' workshop making - guess what - biscuits, and made a rather fancy gingerbread house from scratch. 10 out f 10 to Kambly for attempting such a feat with 12 children under the age of ten for the meager sum of CHF 5 per child.

It was a great place to visit, and we bought a lot of biscuits. I'm off to pack some of those aforementioned biscuits for the friends and family we are going to visit.

See you in a week or so.

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day is one of those funny days. It is a BIG day.
One of those days that has to be super special.
Perfect.

The pressure to get it 'right' is huge.
But DH and I have been together for ages, and one thing we have realised is that even the 'big' days are actually just days.
If they aren't perfect, the world continues to turn. And life is still good.
It is actually possible to try too hard to create perfection, when perfection can't be created.
Perfection just happens.

Our life is good.
Actually our life is wonderful, so the big days aren't quite as big, because the whole journey is big.

So whilst we love Christmas, we have minimal expectations, which usually means it works out pretty well. We don't go mad buying insane amounts of gifts, we don't plan elaborate feasts, or a full schedule of amazing events. We just plan to be at home together, and have a relaxed day as a family.
This year was no exception.
The girls woke early, and joined us on our bed to open stockings. It was early (did I already say that?), but I reveled in the excitement of our little girls in their Christmas pajamas, shrieking over the contents of their stockings.

After stockings we headed down stairs to check under the tree.
Santa had visited, and it looks like we had all been good this year.

And today - on this 'big' day - the answer was always 'yes'.That is our tradition.
The girls chose to wear pajamas all day. Emily changed her pj's part way through the day, but today no one needed to get dressed if they didn't want to.
The girls ate lots of chocolate, and that was ok.
Christmas lunch was done by DH and was awesome, but after less than 10 minutes Emily wanted to get down from the table and play. So she did.
Today the answer was always yes.

We watched a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD together.
We played board games together.
The girls wrestled.
We made Fimo sculptures.
We read books.
Emily wore her new Thomas The Tank Engine pajamas.
Sofie telephoned her Nanna.
The girls were in bed early (their choice).
DH and I watched a film together, which reminded me of how blessed I am to have found my soul mate.

Today was all about everything and nothing.
We were together, and everyone got to do what they wanted.
It was a big day, and it was perfect.
We were together.

Christmas - even if it isn't perfect, it is just a tiny bit magical isn't it?

An update

2011-12-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

Oh dear.
A whole wonderful, busy, joyful week has passed, without a single Blog post.
Opps.

But sometimes it happens. Not becasue I don't have stuff to say (those who know me best will attest to the fact that I always have stuff to say), but becasue sometimes it isn't stuff I want to share, and sometimes I am just too busy being present in the moment.

I also haven't picked up a 'proper' camera in over a week, and I am feeling ok with that too. Every now and then I try to let go of the need to record every single thing. The moments will still be beautiful, the creations still amazing, the children still shining, even if I don't photograph them.

Despite the time of year I am actually feeling very calm and peaceful right now. Things are mostly ready, the house is warm, candles burn everywhere, the tree is up, we have been crafting and wrapping in every spare moment, and we are all excited.
Excited about Christmas, excited about the holidays and excited about our trip to be with family.

So this week;

- Sofie played recorder in her first ever concert. It was a the local church at 6am (yes, AM) and she loved it, and did well. So well in fact that the teacher has asked her to play a special duet at the upcoming Christmas concert. Sofie is thrilled, and we are naturally very proud.

- We have done some craft. Lots and lots of craft. Candles, tree decorations, presents, biscuits, and cards.

- Both girls got a swimming badge at the end of the term, and for Emily it was her first ever. Go Emily. This was a huge accomplishment for her, and she was on a high for ages afterward. We are very proud of her.

- We went to an amazing Christmas party with friends, and the girls had an absolute ball. I may have also enjoyed myself with a glass (or two) of champagne and lots of adult chat.

- Real snow finally fell and we all had a glorious day of skiing. I managed to take not a single ski photo at all. I did get some of the girls playing in the snow (it isn't always all about skiing), and I may have made everyone stop on piste (more than one) to admire the snow ploughs flying up and down the mountain.

- Sofie had her first Zumba performance. Sofie loves Zumba, and the concert was great.

- Emily finally discovered the tights of her dreams. Emily loves to wear skirts and dresses (as long as they are blue), but doesn't like tights. The reason she doesn't like tights is becasue they aren't odd. Both legs match. They are the same, and Emily likes odd (no big surprises there - sigh). So when she wears dresses Emily likes to wear leggings, so she can still have odd socks. But she also loves tights, and this week she found these in a catalog. Photos will be posted at some point, but the new tights are a hit.

- Sofie played her duet at the Christmas concert and was a star. She did brilliantly, played well, and got a special round of applause for being the smallest kid there. We were very proud again. It seems both of our girls make us proud.

- I got an amazing Christmas present a few days early. My new car arrived, and the garage even wrapped it for us! It was fun, and we were all excited. I would like to post more about it in the future, but probably won't.

So we are still here, and all is good.
Tomorrow (Christmas Eve) we will ski with friends, and then spend Christmas day at home as a family.

I wish all of you a very Happy Christmas, and hope you know the joy of sharing it with others (especially with small children, who will probably want to start 'sharing' their joy far too early, but are able to embrace the joy of the season with their entire being).

Snow - it's here (really here)

2011-12-20T13:37:00.000-08:00

The girls were so excited this morning.
'It came Mummy, it finally. really, came'.
They meant the snow of course - not Father Christmas!

We finally got our 'own' snow (as opposed to ski resort snow), and the girls could not have been happier.

So naturally this afternoon (after school and nursery - thank goodness for part time education) was spent outside.

Outside, in a blizzard, in sub zero temperatures, for over 4 hours.
And you would hardly believe it possible, that in that entire time outside, I was still the only one who shoveled snow off the driveway. The girls were actually quite cross when I told then to stop shoveling snow onto our driveway from the road.
'But Mummy, we are making a jump'.
And because I ~~was sick of shoveling snow~~ am a good and caring parent, I told them to make the jump in the middle of the road (but in my defense, it isn't a busy road). Of course eventually the snow plough came and squashed it, so I took them to the field at the back of the house to go sledding.

There is just something about snow that makes my kids come alive.

I am actually a bit of a fan myself.

And despite growing up in the southern hemisphere, I realised that today, when the snow arrived I was able to breath out.
Winter is here, everything is white, and now it is 'proper'.
After living on the 'wrong' side of the world for over half of my life, I now know that Christmas should be white. And it is looking highly likely that ours will be perfect this year.
Today we are thankful to Frau Holle.

Skiing and balaclavas

2011-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Today we went skiing.
But today I also saw that it isn't always about skiing.

The kids like snow.
Today in the mountains was beautiful.

It was cold, and someone that may (or may not) be me, forgot balaclavas, so I ended up buying them at the sport shop in the resort. But hey - we can always use more balaclavas.
Seriously. Is there such a thing as too many balaclavas?
My kids love balaclavas.

The woman in the sport shop asked Emily if today was her first day of skiing (clearly feeling sorry for the poor little kid with cold cheeks and an incompetent mother).
Emily: No, it's my 3 one.
Sport shop woman: Oh, you mean it's your third day?
Emily: No, not day, the other one (looking up at me for clarification).
Me: It's your third season Emily. The third Winter you have skied.
Sport shop woman: Wow (but secretly thinking; how on earth has this poor child got through 2 previous seasons without a thermal balaclava). She gave Emily a free lollipop before we left, and would have clearly liked to slip a child abuse leaflet into her pocket too.

But despite the lack of balaclavas, it was a glorious day in the mountains.

We skied, we played, we drank coffee, we saw friends, we had fun.
We were tired, and went to bed early tonight.

First skiing of the season

2011-12-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

Today marked our first skiing of the 2011/12 season. The snow has been slow to put in an appearance this year, and the girls were very excited to discover the local resort is finally open. I have to confess to being fairly keen on the whole thing myself.

This season will be Sofie's 4th, Emily and DH's 3rd, my 2nd, and today was the first time we have started a season with all 4 family members on skis. I only started skiing mid way through last season, so it was great for all of us to share that first day excitement together.

Much to their horror we insisted the girls (and I) start off on the magic carpet, as both of them have new skis, and we wanted them to have a chance to get used to them before hitting the main piste. Sofie actually appreciated this gentle introduction,...

...and Emily, well she went very fast, demanded to be taken up the proper hill, and shouted a lot.

When we did move over to the chair lift it was like a scene from one of those comedy videos you see pointing out all of things you shouldn't do! We ended last season with everyone seamlessly getting themselves on and off the chair, but today it was like none of us had even been on one before.

Emily tried to cram through the same gate as DH and almost got left behind, the lift operator had to help her on and slow the chair just for us (not embarrassing at all in front of a whole queue of people), Sofie skied in front of DH and almost got sat on, and I was absolutely no help to anyone. At the top Sofie dropped a pole, and I think we just generally looked totally incompetent.

But once we hit the real piste Emily proved to be the shock of the day. She got to the top of the first big hill, pointed her skis down, and simply shot off. Sofie skied it slowly and in control, DH raced after Emily, and I just dithered about in total denial.

So we all slowly found our place back on the snow, and ended up having a lot of fun. Emily is insanely manic - scary and bold, and in serious need of some lessons. She was desperate to head further up the mountain and ski harder things, and frankly no one wanted to go with her. She might only weigh 16kgs, but that child is simply flying. Rest assured that ski lessons are in her very near future.
Sofie was calm and cautious. She enjoyed herself and skied slowly and in control. It will undoubtedly take a few more days on the mountain for her confidence to return, but today she had fun.
DH always seems to just pick up where he left off, and looks (to me) calm, in control and to be skiing well.
And in all honestly I struggled a bit. I can't seem to turn right anymore, and was nervous about the high speed skiers and snowboarders whizzing past me (not all of the resort is open so there are some really good skiers on some really easy runs). I felt wobbly and hopeless, and was overtaken by a friend's 4 year old. I wasn't anywhere near as good as I was at the end of last season, and my grand total of 12 days skiing experience showed. But the weather was beautiful, and when I stopped worrying and looked around I remembered what it is all about. The views were amazing, and it was great to be back in the mountains - our mountains.

We were together.
We bumped into people we know.
We were outside.
It was beautiful.
And there were snow ploughs. I may (or may not) have mentioned how much I love snow ploughs.

The Christmas Tree

2011-12-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Today we decided to head out and choose our Christmas tree. Naturally the girls were very excited, and Sofie found the perfect tree (something which thrilled her no end).

The girls had a ball decorating it, and reminiscing about all the special ornaments from previous years (most of which are home made).

And I loved sitting back and letting them do it. I think it turned out great, but then I am pretty relaxed about the Christmas tree. I think Christmas is all about kids, and they were so proud of the tree that they decorated.

We also talked a bit about the Christmas trees I had when I was growing up (mostly white and plastic, but also with a lot of hand made ornaments) - I love sharing my history with them. Once it was done we turned out all the lights, and lay with our heads underneath it. We marveled at it's beauty an its scent, and whilst I know the dropped needles will drive me mad, I can't imagine depriving my girls of the fun of a real tree.

Today we also bought a small nativity scene, which Emily in particular loved. She sent ages arranging all the figures and talking to them (Emily is fond of chatting to inanimate objects).

"Mummy, did the wise men bring gifts to Jesus because Father Christmas hadn't been invented yet?'.

Christmas decorations

2011-12-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

In addition to all the other stuff we have managed to cram into this week, we also found time to sit quietly(ish) for a few minutes and make some tree decorations.

At the moment the girls really enjoy crafts that smell good (like the pomanders), so dried fruit and cinnamon decorations were perfect. The idea for this craft was shamelessly borrowed from The Magic Onions.

We laid our supplies out on a plate, and then sat down to thread the pieces onto ribbons. I did have some natural raffia, but was outvoted, and we ended up using sparkly Christmas ribbons instead. But one of the (many) valuable lessons my girls have taught me is that the result will ~~not always~~ never be quite what I pictured, but as long as everyone has fun making it, then that is what counts. It's the journey, not the destination.

The finished decorations are currently hanging up as part of our seasonal window display, as we don't have a tree yet. But rest assured that once we do (maybe this weekend) they will take pride of place.

Oh, and we also made a gingerbread sleigh. The girls loved it, worked hard on it together, and enjoyed demolishing it at their Christmas party with all of their friends.

So all in all a week of balance - some soothing natural crafts, and some sugar fueled madness.

Perfect.

Dear Emily

2011-12-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Emily,

Today was your 4 year old check up with the pediatrician (although I like to think of it as more of a 'four and a half year old check up').

I just wanted to say that when the Dr commented on how athletic you are, and asked what types of activities you like to do, I think he would have loved to hear about swimming, ballet, zumba, ice skating or bike riding. You know - all those activities that you love and do on a regular basis.
I don't think 'fighting with my sister' was quite the answer he was expecting.

I also think it was great that you told him how hard you tried during your eye test. He agreed you had done very well indeed, so I think it may have come as something of a shock to him when you demanded he give you new 'blue, Pooh, Thomas, manatee' glasses. He said you are the first child in all his years of practicing as a pediatrician who has actually wanted glasses, although he did say he wasn't totally sure that 'blue, Pooh, Thomas, manatee' glasses actually existed...

Still it was great that after he got you to walk, hop, and stand on one leg, you offered to show him how you climb the door frames at home.

Another proud parenting day for me.But then who wouldn't want to be the Mummy of the little girl who wears odd socks, loves blue, Pooh, Thomas and manatees, climbs door frames, writes backwards, fights with her sister, and never stops moving?

I love you Emily, and wouldn't change the amazing little person that you are you for anything.

Love Mummy.

Christmas Party - aka: sugar fueld mayhem

2011-12-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

The girls asked me if we could have a Christmas party this year, and I happily said yes. I like hosting parties for kids. I like themed stuff, and I want Sofie and Emily to always feel happy to invite their friends home. Our home is 'different', but I want them to be comfortable bringing their friends here anyway.

We talked about what we all wanted, and quickly agreed that a small party would work best - no more than 6 kids in total. I envisioned myself sitting round a table with the kids, drinking hot chocolate and making fabulous seasonal crafts.

But those of you who have been reading my Blog for while will already know that my vision is rarely the same as the one my girls are having. Six kids quickly evolved into 10 kids with an age range of 4 - 9 years.

Visions of calm, complex crafting quickly disappeared, and were replaced with the reality of manic, sugar fueled, mayhem. We decorated biscuits, did Christmas colouring pages and made foam Christmas trees.

And do you know what?
It was actually a lot of fun.
The kids tormented me endlessly about my bad German, and my mistakes.
I think this means they are comfortable with me (despite my hopeless German).
They made mess, noise and chaos, but at the end they offered to tidy up, and they shook my hand, thanking me for lunch and the craft.
Their mothers shake my hand, and thank me too. They give me gifts of homemade biscuits and chocolates.
They confess they could never have 10 kids over for lunch.
They clearly think I am slightly insane.

We are different. We do things don't do things like everyone else, but I think we are doing ok.
We are not pretending to be something we are not.
The kids are happy.
They have friends.
When their friends leave I have to mop floors, but it somehow seems worth it.
I think we will have another party again very soon.
And not just because the biscuits I was given were seriously good.

A lantern parade

2011-12-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Samiclaus Umzug in our village - a lantern parade with Samiclaus and Schmutzli (his scary side kick). A fairly accurate explanation of who Samiclaus actually is can be found here (and thanks to another expat Fiona for posting the link on her Blog).

Sofie has been excited about this day for weeks. She has been working on her lantern in class, and this year their lanterns were actually lit by real candles. Naturally being her mother I was thrilled at the thought of my excited 6 year old carrying a paper lantern, with a whole bunch of other over excited kids, whilst wearing warm (but flammable) clothing, all with lanterns containing live, naked flame. Clearly at the tender age of 6 she is totally old enough to be responsible for not setting herself (or her friends) on fire.

Obviously I offered a battery powered tea light alternative, which was quickly dismissed. On the day of the parade when Sofie came home and announced her teacher wanted a couple of Mum's to bring lighters along so they could relight any candles that went out during the parade, I may have muttered that he should have been asking for mothers to come equipped with fire blankets to extinguish the burning children, but I guess I am just over anxious like that.
For those who are interested, a standard fire blanket slips easily inside any normal handbag.....

Anyway enough of my parental paranoia.
Th lantern parade was fun (mainly because no one was seriously burned). Sofie marched with her class, and Emily and I joined in the general rabble of followers, with Emily carrying her Pooh Bear lantern form last year (with a nice, safe, battery powered tea light inside).

We all ended up in the local church, where the kids sang songs and recited rhymes for Samiclaus. The theory is that if they do this well Samicluas will give them a reward, and if not Schmutzli (scary sidekick) will beat them or take them away into the woods in his sack. Obviously we seriously play down the whole 'child abuse and abduction' aspect of this fun family festival.
In between the songs there were several talks about behavior and expectations, whilst Schmutzli stood up the front and looked slightly menacing.

But thankfully all ended well, no one got whipped, and everyone got hot chocolate and a Samiclaus shaped bread.
Phew.

And did I mention that no one set themselves on fire either?

More Christmas type adventures

2011-12-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

This morning we set off into Zurich for some Christmassy adventures. Living in a foreign country means our kids get the best of both worlds - celebrating both English and Swiss traditions - so today we started with an English one - a visit to Father Christmas.

We did a spot of shopping at a small Christmas market and picked up some English books for the girls, as well as a new piece of art for us. Then the girls decorated cookies, while they waited to see Father Christmas.

Father Christmas was in a small room with just a few elves helping him, and Emily was actually surprisingly bold this year. She went in, marched straight up to him, told him her name, and whipped out her Christmas list to explain what she wanted. After that she was done, and had no interested in posing for a photo or anything cute like that. Sofie was a little more chatty, and happy to oblige when it came to picture taking. She told me afterward that she was pretty sure it was the real Father Christmas too.

From there we went to have lunch with friends and then off to enjoy something a little more Swiss - a ride on the Maerli Tram. This is the third year Sofie has ridden the tram, and the first time for Emily. We did get Emily a ticket last year but she changed her mind at the last minute, however this year she was third in line, and couldn't wait to get on. She loved it, and this is another small sign of just how far she has come in the past 12 months. So the kids rode around Zurich on a tram driven by Samiclaus and staffed by two angels, and the adults raced over the road to the Christmas Market for a quick Gluhwein, and everyone was happy.

It's starting to feel a bit like Christmas.

Candle dipping (again)

2011-12-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

Today our village hosted it annual candle dipping. The girls were keen to go, but I will be honest and say I was worried they might be disappointed. Our village is fairly small and quite rural, and I knew their expectations were high after our candle dipping in Zurich a couple of weeks ago.

I warned them it would probably only be beeswax (not coloured wax) and that it might not be as kid friendly as last time, but they insisted they really wanted to go. Not to mention that DH has never been candle dipping, and they wanted to show Daddy how great it was.

So I have to say I was amazed. It was small, but super well organised and we were greeted at the door and given a very friendly talk about how to dip candles. There were lots of helpers dotted about, who were great with the kids, there was coloured wax at kid height, and in between dipping, the candles were dunked in huge water barrels to cool them, and then wiped dry with a cloth (provided). So the girls just disappeared and got on with it, and DH started his first ever candle but unfortunately looked bored within minutes. In all honesty it is a kind of slow process at the start.

I didn't take many photos becasue I was busy making my own candle, but the next time I looked up the girls were having a ball and chatting to their school friends whilst dipping candles together, and DH had suddenly become very absorbed. It might start slowly, but once you get going it really is strangely addictive.
So it was a fantastic afternoon, and once the candles were finished you could take them to a table where expert candle type people would trim the bottom off, and do a variety of fancy designs if you wished. They were incredible, and were doing some very beautiful stuff.

Sofie was very proud of her candle.

She took it to the carving table, and asked for it to be made into a Christmas tree.

It then had white wax added to look like snow.

We ended up with (from left to right in the photo below);
-DH's white candle which has red inside. He didn't like the idea of any cutting up his precious creation, although the candle cutting guy said it probably wasn't solid enough to cut anyway.

-Emily's multi colour candle, with wax circles on the front, and white wax and sprinkles over. I have no idea what the theme was with Emily - she just wanted a bit of everything.

-Sofie's pink Christmas tree. She could not be more thrilled with it and it is a Christmas present for a very special person.
-My small rainbow candle.

It was a wonderful, fun way to spend a couple of hours, not to mention super cheap (small rural village means small rural prices), and we will be returning to our local candle dipping next year.

And once we got home the girls wrote their Christmas lists.

Sofie did hers all on her own and would like;
- Puppe Annie (a doll)
- Box of handkerchiefs*
- Franki with a wardrobe**

Emily wrote part of hers (the first time she has ever written her own Christmas list), and DH helped her with the rest. She would like;
- Box of handkerchiefs
- Spectra Wundergeist**
- Pez (the sweets in the plastic dispenser)
If it isn't totally clear (and I am sure it isn't) the line along the top says, 'please may I have'.
Emily writes a lot of her words backwards - correct, just backwards.

Tomorrow we are off to see Father Christmas and deliver their requests in person.

And a small explanation of two of the girls present request.

* Handkerchiefs. Sofie asked recently about handkerchiefs, and I asked where she heard about them. She casually replied that everyone has them, and they use them all the time. On questioning her further I realised she was talking about in books she has read. Apparently they feature in Milly Molly Mandy, The Famous Five, and Swallows and Amazons, to name but a few. This is what you get when your child reads a lot of pre 1970's literature!

**Franki and Spectra are dolls, and this explanation is for you Kim (who said I would never Blog about them becasue they are so hideous!!). They are like Barbies, but are actually part of a set called Monster High. They are beyond awful, and the girls love them - sigh. And they do play with the ones they have a lot, and they have sparked an interest in Ancient Egypt, Greek Mythology and monsters, so they may have some merit. But overall I am not a fan, although I also accept that sometimes if it isn't harmful then I need to step back and let the girls be girls.
I don't have to like it though.....

Sofie's choice - The woods

2011-12-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

Today was Sofie's day to choose an advent activity. Because she went ice skating with the school this morning ( a HUGE success - she loved it), and had swimming straight after lunch, I assumed she would pick something low key and easy, like a new book.

But in so many ways Sofie is very much my daughter, and the one activity she couldn't wait to do was 'go to the woods and cook sausages'. Sofie often has problems switching off. She constantly needs to process all that is going on around her, and think about it. Even at night she wakes up, thinks about stuff, and wanders around. She isn't traumatized or upset. There are just so many unanswered questions floating around her mind, and so many things she must discuss.

But in the woods it is quite, there is less stimulation, there is lots of space, and she finally gets to 'switch off'. She likes to wander off on her own for a bit, and comes back to the group when she is ready.

We invited some friends along, and the girls were very excited to head into the woods for fire making and sausage cooking. Emily was in a particularly funny mood, and for those who are wondering - yes, she is wearing a short dress and knee high socks, in the woods, in December. She did eventually put on her lined ski trousers, but some battles aren't worth fighting.

Oh, and they climbed on stuff, jumped in leaves, made an enormous birds nest, and played hide and seek as well.

A perfect way to end the week.

Lots of lovely things

2011-12-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

This morning the girls were very exited to come downstairs and find lots of Christmassy loveliness set out on the table. Please excuse the fairly awful grainy photos that follow. They were taken using my small automatic camera, that I simply can not work out. I just can't deal with the whole 'point and shoot' thing.

Their advent calender vouchers were the source of much shrieking and squealing, and they were instantly pronounced to be the 'best advent calenders ever'. I also put out the Christmas table mats and a book of Christmas activities, plus they have their Christmas pajamas waiting for them at bedtime. In previous years they have always worn a pair of special Christmas pajamas to bed on Christmas Eve, however I have realised how silly this is, as the pajamas end up getting worn for no more than a week or two before being packed away again, so this year we are getting them out early.

Of course the vouchers were the topic of much conversation all through breakfast, and the girls agreed that Emily could go first. Emily's choice for today was to visit the Lindt Factory.

The girls had a blast, and each chose this years new Lindt Chocolate figure - a bear (or possibly a wombat) for themselves. Plus we got in a bit of Christmas shopping, and still made it home in time for Emily's gymnastics class.

Everyone was tired at bed time, but very happy to be in their new Christmas pajamas.

And my favorite quotes from today;
Sofie: Mummy, we really are the luckiest girls in the wold. Thank you so much for our brilliant advent calenders and our chocolate bears.

Emily: Mummy I love you so much. But I love my blue fleece jacket just a little bit more.

You win some, you loose some....

The Glass Factory (revisited)

2011-12-01T02:33:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I took the girls to the Hergiswil glass factory. I am the first to admit that out last visit had its highs and lows, but it is a wonderful place and the girls were very excited (once I assured them we would NOT be attempting the automated tour).

We went with friends, and started off in the special Christmas Craft area. The kids decorated a Christmas themed piece of glass, and the whole thing is set up on a viewing platform about the working factory floor. It is super warm, and totally fascinating.

After we finished our craft (which I am being deliberately vague about, as it may be part of a Christmas present for someone who reads this Blog), we went to the glass museum. Despite sounding fragile and dull, it isn't. It is totally hands on, and the kids are encouraged to touch, play, and learn about glass. My girls love it, and the whole thing is very well done (plus it is free).

Since we last visited a new exhibit had been opened - the Glass Labyrinth, which is a maze made completely from glass. You have to wear special slippers and cotton gloves, and then you get to find your way through the glass corridors with special sound and light effects. The whole idea of this was far too much for Emily and her sensory issues, so she and I waited outside while Sofie went with our friends. Sofie said it was a bit scary and strange, but quite fun, and she liked wearing the gloves.

Then we went to the outdoor play area which is right on the lake, and also has a huge glass marble run. You can buy glass marbles (which you get to keep) to use, and it is really worth doing. All the kids spent ages running up and down the tower to release their marbles at the top and be at the bottom to catch them again.

And of course the actual highlight for the girls was probably the lake side fountains. These are controlled by various combination of switches and tubes, and the kids just love turning them on and off and then making different spray patterns. I am also a fan of the fountains because they are right outside the coffee shop, which is where I got to sit while the girls played with water (and appreciated the view of course).

It was a great afternoon, and the girls have already asked when we can go back. Who knows, one day we might even manage the tour!

The first Christmas craft

2011-11-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

We have a 'sort of' rule in our house that we can't start with Christmas craft until after my birthday. OK, I admit I made the rule up becasue it somehow just seems wrong to do Christmas things too early, and my birthday makes a nice cut off.
Anyway my birthday was on Sunday, so now it is officially open season for all manner of Christmas preparations. Naturally the girls are super excited about this.

Yesterday (I am a day behind with Blogging) we didn't have a lot of free time, so we agreed on a quick and easy Christmas craft to start us off. We made pomanders.

I didn't get many photos because the whole process was oddly relaxing, and I was frankly too busy jamming cloves into satsumas (and stopping Emily eating her satsuma) to take good pictures.

Basically we got some squares of material (it won't surprise you to learn that the kids refused anything even remotely Christmassy, and went for shiny blue and pink), satsumas, and a selection of Christmas spices. Choosing the spices was fun. The girls got to sniff them, and decide which ones smelt like Christmas. I love that Christmas has a smell. We then pushed cloves into our satsumas, sprinkled spices on top, and wrapped the whole thing up.

The pomanders smell divine, and making them was simple, quick, and very cosy on a cold afternoon. If you want more specific instructions on making pomanders then check out this post over at Acorn Pies.

My Birthday

2011-11-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

So I did turn 40 at the weekend, and my birthday itself was just lovely.

The girls were super excited, although they did let me sleep until 7am as part of my present. However at 7:01am they burst into the room singing loudly and bearing gifts. Sofie even said I could wobble her (first!!) loose tooth as much as I wanted, becasue it was my special day.

After breakfast we went ice skating (I love ice skating), and both the girls did really well. They are now at the point where it is actually fun to skate with them. Of course I always enjoyed taking them skating, but now I get to do some skating too, as opposed to just picking them up off the ice. They even helped pull their old Mum across the rink once or twice!

We went to one of our favorite local restaurants for lunch, and in the afternoon DH and the girls made me a secret birthday cake. I got to lay on the sofa with a new book (part of my present from Friday night) and a cup of tea, whilst DH bravley attempted to make a cake, following instructions in German.

But the cake turned out well (with minimal intervention from me), and it proved to be another wonderful day, reminding me of just how blessed my life is.

People keep asking how I feel about being 40, but seriously it is good.
To me it isn't really about my age, but about where I am at this point in time.
I have a loving family and very good friends. We are all healthy, we live in a safe, warm place, we have enough to eat, and are able to priorities time together over everything else. I think it is easy to sometimes get caught up in the feeling that we must strive for more (bigger house, newer car, more exotic holidays), or compete with others, whilst forgetting to step back and appreciate just how much we have right here and now.

So 40 is great, and I really couldn't ask for anything more.
Right here and right now life is good.
Very good.

But I don't want a party....

2011-11-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

It isn't a huge secret that I will turn 40 this weekend, and I am being totally honest when I say I do not have any problem with this. I don't need to make a huge fuss of my birthday, and am totally happy with a small celebration with my family. I am awful to buy for, because frankly there isn't much that I really want.

But people seem to view 40 as a big deal, and my friends have been asking me for a while what I will be doing to mark this momentous occasion. I think my answer of 'nothing' wasn't exactly what they wanted to hear, and a while back a friend mentioned she was thinking of organising something for my 40th, but wasn't totally sure about it, so she wanted to run it by me first. She said she wanted to host a small 'do' at her place as a sort of surprise, which was very gracious and kind, but quite frankly not my sort of thing at all. I don't think I used the exact words 'my idea of hell', but they may have (very ungraciously) crossed my mind. I am sure I can't be the only one who shudders at the thought of standing around a stylish living room with a bunch of people who don't know each other all that well, sipping drinks, nibbling fancy canapés, and worrying about making small talk and dropping stuff on the (white) sofa.

In the end we agreed to just do something small on our own, and I made low key arrangements with a couple of friends, which suited me down to the ground. Last night I had planned to go to a local Christmas market with a friend for a wander and a drink, and I was thrilled. Hot mulled wine and Christmas lights - now that is just my sort of thing. She came and collected me, and once we got parked she said she actually quite fancied going for a walk first, and maybe seeing if we could see the lights from further along the lake. I was totally up for it, and didn't bat an eyelid when she hauled huge torches and a back pack out of the back of her car. In hindsight......

We walked for a bit, and as we approached the lakeside point where we hoped to see the lights it became obvious that others had beaten us to the spot. I pointed this out, but she insisted on going along anyway. I finally twigged what was going on as we walked along the path and came across the number 40 lit up and made out of tea lights. At that point I realised that the whole 'quick drink at the Christmas Market' might be a disguise for something a touch more elaborate.

We rounded the corner and came cross a tea light lined path, leading to a huge open fire, balloons and Champagne, right on the edge of the lake. Not to mention some of my dearest friends singing Happy Birthday. So five of us then spent the most glorious evening grilling, chatting drinking, laughing ad celebrating. My surprise party could not have been more perfect, and was probably the best birthday party I have ever had.

But what touched me most about the whole thing was how - despite knowing that I did not want a party - these women went ahead anyway, and made it into a night I will never forget. Each of them knows me so very well, but in a different way, and they spent a lot of time planning together to make the evening something I would enjoy.

Tomorrow I will turn 40, and have already had an incredible surprise party and a lot of beautiful gifts. Snow ploughs, alcohol, and photos featured heavily, along with a home made card I will treasure forever. But what these women bought to the party was the most amazing gift of all (aside from blankets, food, firewood, balloons, tea lights, alcohol, a birthday cake, camping chairs, a cheese platter, torches, etc). This diverse group of people were prepared to give up their Friday night and haul an incredible amount of gear a long way in sub zero temperatures. They had thought about every detail, and they had done it all just for me. I can not recall the last time I was so deeply aware of how very rich my life is.

I am 40 years old, and alongside my amazing family, I have four true friends, who sometimes know me even better than I know myself. They knew I would love a surprise party, and came up with one that was simply perfect for me.
Frankly it doesn't get any better than that.
And people wonder why I say there just really isn't anything I need, but the things I already have are priceless.
And yes I did cry - maybe even more than once - but then wouldn't you?

Learning English

2011-11-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

Sofie and Emily had friends over for lunch today. The girls were super excited, and the mother of the kids was also pleased. She speaks some English, and her kids have English speaking relatives, so she was keen for us to speak English around them, and have them exposed to a mother tongue English environment.

Whilst at the lunch table I gently introduced a topic of conversation in easy English, and all the kids seemed keen (except for Sofie who kept defaulting to German - sigh). And then the phone rang.

I popped off to answer it, and by the time I returned the kids were in absolute hysterics and saying things like 'You are a camel' to each other. But they were speaking in English (even Sofie), which was a good thing. Right?

Of course it inevitably deteriorated, and whilst I want to post about my little English speakers quoting great works of literature and reciting poetry, I am ashamed to admit that our house guests left knowing all of the 'alternative' words to Happy Birthday.

When their mother arrived to collect them, they may (or may not) have sung her the classic words;
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
You look like monkey and you smell like one too.

So it may not have been a day of parenting highlights, but at least they left knowing more English words than when they arrived.
I am awaiting a phone call when she discovers that her kids now also know the word 'crap'.
I guess it could be worse.
So proud (or maybe not).

The mountains - they're closed

2011-11-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's a funny time of year here in Switzerland.
The weather is beautiful (sunny but cold), and today the girls wanted to go hiking.
But most of the cable cars and gondolas are closed, and the mountain restaurants aren't open. Many of the walking trails are shut, and the sign posts have been removed.

Apparently we are officially in 'limbo season'. It isn't hiking season, and it isn't ski season. The places we hiked at just a few weeks ago have had to close their Summer attractions, and prepare for that magical first snowfall. They have closed the attractions that we visited in the warmer months, but so far the snow hasn't arrived, so there aren't any Winter 'attractions' available as yet.

It's a funny to think of those amazing mountains - whose beauty is clearly there 365 days a year - empty. There is not a moment in the year when these places aren't worth visiting, but the seasons have compartmentalised and divided. And when nature doesn't play along, there are weekends (like this one) when we would be up in the mountains, but couldn't get there. Who ever heard of a mountain being closed?

So instead we went to the zoo.

But that doesn't mean we aren't secretly waiting for the snow too.......Those beautiful mountains just keep calling us back.

Christmas present inspiration (I think)

2011-11-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has been reading this Blog for a while (or knows me in real life) will already be aware that I am not big into buying gifts. I love giving gifts, but try (as far as possible) to make sure they are home made, or involve at least a small element of effort on my part.

So I was super excited when I spotted an article about home made gifts, which included a 'cake in a jar'. Basically you put all the dry ingredients needed to make a cake (in this particular case a chocolate-nut cake) into a glass jar, write out the recipe, and the person receiving it just needs to add some melted butter and a beaten egg to the dry ingredients. They can choose when to make the cake, it involves minimal time and effort on their part, and it only needs 2 simple additional ingredients that they are already likely to have at home.

What could be more perfect I thought? The girls could get involved by decorating the recipe cards, cracking nuts, and helping to weigh and measure, and I could get the jars filled ahead of time, knowing they will keep for a few weeks in our cellar. I added some tinsel and a wooden spoon, because wooden spoons are always useful, right (and it looked quite sweet)?

But much to my surprise, not a single member of my family were impressed with the idea.
DH said; 'nothing says I couldn't be arsed to get you a proper gift, more than giving someone a half made cake'.
Sofie said; 'it seems a bit weird to just give someone a jar with food from our cupboard in it'.
And Emily. Well Emily said; 'I liked the weighing bit'.

So now I am torn. I think the one we made up looks great. This is the sort of thing I would love to receive (but then I do quite like cake, and my ideas are not always 'mainstream'...), but maybe it really is a strange gift.

So I need your help dear Blog readers (and DH, no creating a Google account so you an anonymously post some of your ruder comments here).
If someone gave you a gift like this, would you think it was strange?
Would you be offended, and wonder why they didn't just make the cake for you in the first place?
Or is it so fabulous that you want the recipe and instructions so you can make them for all of your friends too?

Help.

A glorious walk

2011-11-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

This morning Emily and I went on a glorious walk/bike ride by the 'duck pond' (I believe most people refer to it is Lake Zurich). I feel so incredibly blessed to have places like this right on our doorstep, not to mention a small person who loves exploring them.

OK, technically she may have been quite keen becasue we were also going treasure hunting (Geocaching), but it meant we got to spend a few beautiful hours together outside.

I love the photo below. Emily was having a 'conversation' with the cow.
'Cow, what is your name? Is it Thomas? I am Emily. Why aren't you replying to me cow?'
I didn't even know she knew the word 'reply'.....

Emily had asked me recently if she could go to her Montessori nursery on Friday mornings (in addition to the Monday - Thursday she already attends), but I guess I am still a little reluctant to pass up our precious Friday mornings together.

This post is part of Friday's Nature Table hosted by The Magic Onions.

Pop on over to see what everyone else has been up to this past week.

Ice skating

2011-11-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

Today the weather was beautiful, and the girls don't have any regular activities on a Wednesday afternoon, so we called some friends and arranged to meet at the local ice rink.

The rink is outdoors (in a car park) and only opens for a month or two (weather dependent) every year over Winter.

It may have been 8 months since we last skated, but the girls were super keen to be back on the ice.

They started out slowly (with their polar friends), and quickly progressed to cautious but independent skating.

We spent ages skating and had an absolute ball (if you gloss over the fact I had to bribe the girls with junk food to get them to stop so I could drink a coffee).

But hey - I can't be a super Mum all the time - even I need the occasional caffeine hit....

An alternative Advent Calender

2011-11-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

With December just around the corner, advent calenders are starting to appear in the shops.

Sofie and Emily aren't particularly into chocolate, so in the past I have used a refillable calender with felt pockets, and come up with a small present for each day leading up to Christmas. The problem with this is that 24 pockets means a lot of stuff they don't really need, coming their way right before Christmas. And as we try not to overboard with gifts in general, this seems a little counter productive.

Plus I often leave it until the last minute to fill their calenders, and find myself buying junk just for the sake of ticking another thing off my never ending 'To Do' list.

So this year I have decided to opt for an entirely new approach. The girls love the idea of a countdown to Christmas, and are not going to give up their advent calenders completely, so on the 1st December each of them will receive a small book of special 'vouchers'. Each girl will get 12 vouchers, and they will be able to 'spend' a voucher every day until Christmas Eve (they will alternate the days, and must 'spend' a voucher on their day).

I made the 'vouchers' by writing on plain index cards with a shiny pen, and tied them together with a piece of ribbon, The whole thing took less than 30 minutes.

The vouchers include:

- Stay up for 30 extra minutes when Mummy says it's bedtime.
- Have double the normal number of bedtime stories.
- Have lunch at the pizzeria.
- Make salt dough Christmas decorations.
- Bake Christmas cookies for someone special.
- Take a night time walk with torches or lanterns.
- Go ice skating.
- Visit the Lindt Chocolate factory - choose something for yourself and something for a friend.
- Have Christmas shaped pancakes for dinner.
- Do the bedtime routine by candlelight (including bath and stories).
- Watch a Christmas DVD.
- Make Christmas cards for your pen friends.
- Spray paint the snow (diluted food dye in spritzer bottles).
- Paint toe and finger nails.
- Make peanut butter bird feeders.
- Go to the woods, make a fire, and cook sausages for afternoon tea.
- Go shopping and choose a new ornament for the Christmas tree.
- Go skiing and pick the resort.
- Have your face painted like a Christmas tree or angel.
- Go sledding.
- Choose a new book.
- Make a gingerbread house.
- Choose a sweet from the sweet cupboard.

When the whole thing is written out in list format it looks like quite a lot, but basically these are all activities we would be doing anyway, and they mostly utilise things we already have on hand.

The girls will have to choose which voucher to spend at breakfast, which gives me a couple of hours (while they are in school) to prepare for their chosen activity if needed. I also think it is important that not all the activities are just about them receiving something. Sometimes it is fun to do things for others, and think about the people who are special to us.

And sometimes it is fun to stay up late and eat sweets.

Bike riding

2011-11-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Last week some friends of ours posted a video of their son riding his bike at the Zurich Pumptracks.

Ever since she saw it, Emily has been obsessed with trying them out herself. This sort of thing is right up her street, so you can imagine her delight when we spotted a smaller BMX track less than 10 minutes from where we live. Obviously I wasn't quite as delighted, and ran through my mental check list assuring myself that all of our insurance policies are up to date.
Since having Emily I do this a lot.

Anyway today I finally ran out of excuses, and we took the girls to our local BMX track. To be honest I didn't expect much because their bikes - bought when they first graduated onto 2 wheels - are clearly quite small, and not designed for off roading. The main problem was a total lack of ground clearance, which meant their pedals kept getting stuck!

But they loved it. Sofie surprised me by getting round the smaller track on her own a few times, and Emily was in awe of the big kids doing jumps.

A return visit is scheduled soon, and bigger bikes will be on the shopping list for Spring.
But in the meantime when everyone was done at the track, we went for a walk and enjoyed the Autumn.

Candle dipping

2011-11-13T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning Sofie had her Zumba class, and after that we headed into Zurich to meet with friends for lunch and candle dipping (our first Christmas activity of the season).

The girls were super excited, and I love how they think going to Zurich is such an adventure.

We caught the train and then the tram, and hung out at the park for a bit before lunch.

After lunch we caught another tram (even more excitement) to the candle dipping tent. For my non Swiss readers I should clarify things, and say that candle dipping is a particularly traditional activity at this time of year. Most villages (including ours) has a tent erected for at least a couple of days, so everyone can come along and make their own beeswax candle/s.
What made today special was that the candle dipping was specifically aimed at children, meaning the vats of hot wax had wooden steps around them (making it easier for small people to dip their own candles), plus they offered coloured wax (in addition to the more traditional yellow beeswax). Only in Switzerland would kids as young as 4 be encouraged to join in large scale candle dipping!

But my girls are 4 and 6 years old, and candle dipping is a long process that involves considerable patience. I knew they would like the idea, but imagined they wouldn't find the reality quite as enthralling as they imagined.
Wrong.

The girls loved candle dipping, and spent over an hour creating their candles. Sofie insisted on doing both her candles completely on her own, and Emily required minimal intervention, and they were both very patient about having to dip slowly, and hang them outside to cool occasionally.

They were so proud of the end product, and refused to even let me trim even a few millimeters off the bottoms so the candle would stand upright - Emily was horrified at the thought of any piece of her precious candle ending up in the bin.

While we were dipping them I was secretly congratulating myself on being so organised and sorting out the candles for our Christmas table in November. Of course someone then explained that we can't burn the candles for a YEAR!! Apparently everyone knows you dip your candles a year in advance.... Still I guess I should be happy we have candles for Christmas 2012 sorted (assuming we can actually find them in a years time).

The turnip parade

2011-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the big night - we participated in our first ever turnip parade (actually it was last night - I am a day late posting this).
The girls were very excited, and as we left the house they insisted on leaving a lit lantern by our front door, so people would know we were off on a lantern parade.

The whole thing was organised by the wonderful Montessori nursery that Emily attends, and it started with us all gathering outside around a giant carved pumpkin. The children made a circle and held their lanterns high, while the teachers talked about this important time of year as we transition from the warmer months to the colder ones. Then the children sang some seasonal songs, and there is just something about little kids singing by candle light that always seems so beautiful and moving.I know the photo is blurry, but I was trying to capture a feeling as opposed to a brilliant picture.

We went on a walk carrying our lanterns, and stopping to sing at various points along the way. People came out of their homes to listen and cheer for the children. It was just lovely. Of course eventually the girls handed their turnip lanterns to me and joined in with all the other over excited children running and singing at the tops of their voices, reveling in the excitement of being out after dark.

At the end of the walk we were invited to share in the harvest feast, which included pumpkin soup, sausages, bread, and mulled wine.

So all in all a very special evening in which the kids had a blast, and I was touched to feel part of something bigger (on so many levels).

Preparing for a turnip parade

2011-11-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

Well it's that time of year again. The cold, dark time of year when the Swiss take to the streets to participate in all manner of parades.

We will be kicking our own parade season off tomorrow night when we will be walking in a local turnip parade (technically called a räbeliechtli umzug), carrying our first ever carved turnips. Naturally we are all very excited (well except DH who is currently in the US, and will be arriving after a grueling long haul flight just in time to join us - I have introduced a 'no whining about jet lag' rule in our home).

Because I have never actually carved a turnip before, this morning I went into Emily's Montessori school under the guise of 'helping' the children carve turnips. Of course it was blatantly obvious that everyone under the age of 6 had considerable turnip carving skills, whilst I did not. Thankfully the teachers were kind, and with a lot of help from Emily (and the 5 year old sitting next to me) we carved a turnip, and then threaded it onto complex array of strings, which will allow Emily to carry it easily (and hopefully safely) once it has a lit candle inside.

Just as I was congratulating myself on our success, I was handed another turnip (uncarved) and told we could take it home and carve it with Sofie. I had secretly hoped Sofie would be happy to carry her paper lantern from last year's Christmas Parade, but of course who wouldn't want to carry a turnip if the chance arose?

So this afternoon was filled with yet more turnip carving, although I must say Sofie was very determined to do her on her own. She quickly realised it was actually quite tricky and scaled down her original design idea, but she was so excited when we took them outside to see what they looked like with the candle inside.

Despite my slight sarcasm about the whole 'turnip carving thing', it is actually possible to carve some amazing designs on them, however it would probably be best not to look at those until after you have seen ours (which are considerably less amazing).

But we carved them ourselves, we had fun doing it, and we can't wait to carry them at the parade tomorrow night.

Autumn

2011-11-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

Today we visited friends, and took advantage of the beautiful weather to get outside and just enjoy Autumn.

The girls were in their element, and to be honest, so was I.

What more can you say? It was truly a beautiful afternoon.

A 'safe' adventure

2011-11-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning it was clear that we needed to go out. After being relatively sedate for a few days, Emily was bouncing off the walls! But coming up with a safe (yet exhausting) activity for a child with a fractured jaw, is not as easy as it seems.

In the end we settled on a ropes course, which may sound slightly insane, but we figured at least if Emily was tied to a wire and wearing a harness she couldn't fall and knock her chin (that was the theory anyway).

The girls had a brilliant time on the ropes course, and for the first time ever Emily attempted the second, slightly harder, kids course. She loved it, and insisted on doing it until we ran out of time. By the end she was bouncing across the most difficult elements with an enormous grin on her face, and hurling herself down the zip line.

I am not totally sure this is what the Dr had in mind when he said she needed to be 'quiet', but given what we are working with, I thought it went rather well.

Plus she was exhausted and happy at the end of it.

And in other news, toady we went back to the Dr and Emily can slowly start to resume some of her normal activities. Yay! Still no bike riding or gymnastics, but she can go back to her beloved Montessori nursery tomorrow. Cue a huge sigh of relief all round (but probably largest from Emily's direction).

Only in Switzerland

2011-11-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

After living in Switzerland for almost 8 years, this place still never ceases to amaze me.

We were at a local ski resort today (no snow of course, but it is still a ski resort) and decided to buy our ski passes for the upcoming season.

I handed the applications to the cashier, the ski passes were printed out, and I handed over my card to pay. Much to my total horror (and considerable embarrassment) the card was declined. I had forgotten my card has a daily limit (agreed with the bank becasue I do have a habit of 'misplacing' my cards) and the ski passes cost well over the daily limit.

I apologised profusely, and the man behind the counter assured me it wasn't a problem. He said they could just send me an invoice in the post. I said this would be perfect, and he passed me a blank piece of paper and asked me to write out the address I wanted the invoice sent to. I duly did this, and then he handed me the ski passes and told me an invoice would arrive in a few weeks, but the passes were valid from today.

Only in Switzerland would you be handed over two thousand francs worth of ski passes without having paid for them. Of course technically if we don't pay they can always go back and cancel the tickets, but I love the general level of trust that still exists here. The Swiss have faith that people will simply do the right thing, and in this day and age I admire that belief that people are inherently good.

Now all we need is some snow so I can use my first ever season ski pass......
And thanks DH. I love your faith in my skiing, even if we both know it isn't that great ;-)

Being unique

2011-11-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Emily,
There are lots of people in this world, and everyone's journey is unique
It is ok to see things differently.

It is ok to be yourself.
It is ok to love blue.

Whatever path you choose, we will always love you.
I know that being your mother is going to take me on some incredible adventures.
I feel blessed (even on the crazy days) to be alongside you for the ride.

Love Mummy

PS - DH, if you are reading Emily wants a BMX for her next birthday. But it's hardly my fault they built a new BMX track right next to the swimming pool. The pool that we visit weekly for swimming lessons, so our girls can be safe. Well safe around water anyway.

Oh, and we might want to delay the official Christmas card photo shoot for a few more weeks.....

High velocity 4 year olds

2011-11-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

I have to start this post by saying how much we love our pediatrician.
He is super qualified, very experienced, and highly respected.
He is great with kids, and my girls love him.

But honestly, for someone so intelligent, he says some really dumb things sometimes.

Take today for example.
One minute he was sitting back and assuring me that it was highly unlikely that a fairly lightweight child of four could travel at a high enough velocity to fracture her own jaw (it was at this moment that I knew with 100% certainty what the results of the tests would be).

And 3 minutes later he was telling me that all I needed to do was keep the aforementioned high velocity child quiet for 7 - 10 days.....

Seriously, after less than 7 hours of attempting to keep Emily quiet, I am shattered. Sadly she does not share my levels of exhaustion. But on the bright side she only jumped off the sofa a few times before I wrestled her to the floor.
Sigh.

So in summary it has been a few days of less than quality parenting moments, and I will post more about that tomorrow. But lets just say that when your child's doctor asks you what you have been putting on her large, open wound, the correct answer is not 'a Winnie The Pooh plaster'. The correct answer clearly involves antibiotic ointment and non stick wound dressings.

In the meantime I had to add a pre 'high velocity bike accident' photo of Emily, with her amazing pen pal gift.
A jar of crunchy peanut butter with a blue lid.
Thanks Ingrid (and Ingrid's Mum). You rock, and you made Emily very happy.
And as a slight aside I love that on the day her blue peanut butter arrives, Emily is wearing all of her favorite blue clothes.

Which reminds me I also need to write a pen pal update sometime. Both girls have 2 pen pals now, and are really enjoying their 'snail mail' friends. We have had lots of exciting letters and photos arrive in the past 2 weeks - thanks Heather, Hannah and Thomas. Replies will be heading your way very soon - we have 7 - 10 'quiet' days planned, so plenty of time for letter writing!

Our surprise trip - Legoland

2011-10-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't guess, our surprise trip was to Legoland in Germany.

Despite having been several times before, the girls were super excited (Sofie was practically in tears when we told her), and we had a fabulous weekend (but then it would be almost impossible not to have a great weekend with 4 and 6 year old kids at Legoland).

One part of the park was decorated for Halloween and was very impressive (although Emily did find parts of it a little overwhelming).

Emily however made up for not being sure about the Halloween stuff, by continuing to find lots of blue things to reassure herself with.

This was our first visit in Autumn, and we would definitely go back at this time of year. As we were looking at the Lego buildings in Mini-land, I realised all of the trees planted around them were real (miniature versions, but real), meaning their colours had changed. It is hard to describe, but rather impressive.

Plus the Halloween stuff was really good, and even Emily got used to it after a while.

A surprise trip

2011-10-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are off on a 'last minute' surprise trip with the girls.
They have no idea, but Daddy is coming come home early from work, and we will just fling a few things in the car and head off on a family adventure.
I can't really say much more than that, as the whole thing is very 'top secret'.

See you in a few days!

A Halloween Party

2011-10-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today we had a small Halloween Party. Actually, as we don't specifically celebrate Halloween, it was more of an excuse to dress up, invite friends over, and eat cake.

The kids did lots of craft. We made bats, ghosts, and Hama bead necklaces.

They made a giant spiders web in the garden with wool. They harvested seeds from the sunflower house, so they can all grow their own houses next year.

They all ate waaaay too much junk, ran around a lot, and made an insane amount of noise, just as kids should at a party.

The adults arrived laden with supplies including wine, a full apple bobbing 'kit', and a very awesome cake. Not to mention they were helpful with the craft, and were totally unphased by the high noise levels.

Looking back I didn't take many photos, and I realised it wasn't actually about having a 'party' at all. It was about a bunch of friends getting together, relaxing, drinking wine, enjoying each others company, and watching their kids do the same (except the wine part - obviously the kids didn't do that bit).

I am thankful for the freind who made an awesome spider themed cake, when she could have just bought cup cakes.
I am thankful for the jet lagged friend who traveled all the way here, and even bought wine.
I am thankful for the friend who bought the supplies for apple bobbing, which despite my initial misgivings, turned out to be the highlight of the party.

Today was a lot of fun. Tonight I am thankful for good friends.

Bats

2011-10-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

We seem to have a bit of a bat problem right now.
Our hallway and stairs are swarming with them :-)

The kids love it, and have pronounced this one of our best crafts ever.

Sofie wants to leave them up until 'at least Christmas' (sorry DH), and Emily likes taking the odd one down and repositioning it, so it is flying in the opposite direction to all of its friends.

But the best part so far was when a neighbour popped by to borrow an egg this evening. He stood in the hallway, surrounded by bats, and was clearly desperate to say something, but didn't (it's a Swiss thing).
Next time I see him in the street I might ask if he knows the number of a good pest control company...

Lenzburg Castle

2011-10-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today we visited Lenzburg castle, which is about 30 minutes outside of Zurich. A friend recommended it, and I have to say it was simply amazing!

The castle itself is spectacular, and built high up on a rock.

It has lots of classic castle things, like a draw bridge, turrets, and people in period dress who are extremely friendly and helpful.
Not to mention the huge and ferocious battles taking place in the courtyard.

The castle has various floors, all representing a different period in the history of the building. The signs were informative and interesting, as well as being in both German and English (always a huge bonus). Sofie was fascinated by a lot of the history, and she and DH walked slowly and spent time talking about things they saw.

Emily on the other hand was a little anxious about some of the displays (which had very authentic noises playing in the background). She was however totally fascinated by the calligraphy demonstration, and spent ages watching it.
There is also a story that unfolds (especially for children) about a dragon that lives in the castle. You get to smell what a dragon smells like, see vials of dragon blood, touch different pieces of dragon skin, watch a short film about dragons, and see a dragon egg. Obviously the girls were completely enthralled by this very well told tale. You also have the chance to see the castle dragon, and the way the whole set up is very thrilling.

And after touring 3 floors of the castle and having lunch in the fabulous cafe, we finally made it to the top floor which houses the children's play area. This place was an absolute paradise. It had two story play houses, racks of period costumes (knights and princesses) for dressing up, a crossbow firing range, craft tables, books, a play fort, and endless nooks and crannies for hiding and playing in. Our two were in heaven, and frankly it was a struggle to get them to leave.

They both made a crown and sword, and all the materials were provided free of charge. We also did other things along the way like sewing cloth purses and making wooden dice, as well as stamping paper and envelopes with the Lenzburg castle stamp. All of this was free.

After we dragged the girls away from the kids area, we returned to the courtyard. When we had arrived that morning there were women in period dress cooking a typical meal over an open fire. They told us to come back later to try it, so we did. It was delicious - a pea and ham type stew.

We played in the beautiful garden for a while and vowed to come back again in warmer weather so we can bring a picnic.

So all in all a truly amazing family day out. The castle closes over the Winter, but we will definitely return in Spring.

Afternoon tea at the woods

2011-10-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today our afternoon was totally free. This is a rarity for us during term time, so with the glorious Autumn weather I knew exactly where we would go.

Me: We don't have any activities this afternoon. How about we pop to the tree museum? NB: The tree museum consists of large, landscaped gardens, with loads of mature trees and different areas. I promise it is more exciting than it sounds.
Sofie and Emily: Yay. Can we collect leaves?
Me: Of course.
Sofie: And run around and make noise?
Me: Of course (brief pause), as long as we don't annoy other people who have come to enjoy the gardens too.
Emily: And can we collect sticks.? And stones?
Me: Um, well we might find some sticks, but that isn't really why we are going. Anyway, we don't need more stones.
Emily: Yes we do. We want to do stone painting.
Me: Well, we can collect stones another time then.
Sofie: Can we make a fire there.
Me: Umm, no. Definitely no fires.
Sofie: Actually Mummy it sounds kind of dull there. Why don't we just go to the woods instead. They have lots of trees at the woods.
Emily (starting to bounce): The woods, yay, the woods. The woods has sticks AND stones (giving me a very pointed look).
Sofie: And we can make a fire and have sausages for afternoon tea.
Me: Actually now you mention it the tree museum might be a bit dull. Lets go to the woods.
Sofie Right after lunch?
Me: Yes, right after lunch.

So we threw some bread, sausages, apples and hot drinks into a bag, and went to the woods.

I am almost ashamed to admit that this is the first time we have done this in absolute ages, and the minute we arrived I vowed to make time for regular trips again. The girls were in their element, and immediately set off on unimaginable adventures. I wandered along feeling calm and content and appreciative, and listening to the gentle ringing of goat bells in the distance (the girls both have a small metal goat bell attached to their backpacks).

We made it to our 'camp', and I made a fire while the girls did 'stuff'. To be totally honest I have no idea what they actually did. They ran off, and for a lot of the time I couldn't actually see them (although I could usually hear them!). I was tempted to follow with my camera, but today my instincts told me just to let them be, and focus on the fact that the moments they are having are still priceless, even if I don't photograph them.

When they returned they cooked sausages, and ate them wrapped in bread, and excitedly told me about all the places they had been. Who knew our woods contained castles and magic bridges, and pathways made by fairies and unicorns?

Today served as an amazing reminder of how little children actually need to have fun.

We returned home happy, content, and filthy. Tonight as I tucked her into bed, Sofie sniffed my hair and said, 'Mmm lovely. You smell of the woods Mama'.

This post is part of Friday's Nature Table, hosted by The Magic Onions.

Emily

2011-10-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Emily.
You make me smile.
Every
single
day.
Even on the difficult days.
Even on the days when you wake me at 5am to help you look for your manatee.
Even on the days when I am trying to show you amazing things (cork trees in Portugal) and you tell me you can't look anymore because 'my eyes are full'.

And on days like today, when you spend the afternoon happily playing with your new Thomas trains*, wearing your blue ski helmet* and ski boots*.

*A very big thanks to our good friends who passed on all of this wonderful Emily-centric treasure. You made one little girl very happy indeed (although her mother might loose the plot if she has to listen to the Thomas theme tune again....)

Craft - some seasonal, some not

2011-10-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we have a few hours free in the afternoon. Sofie comes home from school at lunchtime, and Emily's ballet class isn't until late afternoon.

Today Sofie knew exactly what she wanted to do - craft.

She didn't have a specific idea, but knew she wanted to something 'a bit Autumny or Halloweeny'. We did a quick search on the Internet, and the girls agreed on a super simple bat craft, which involved black paper, a clothes peg, googly eyes and glue.

It sounded perfect, and just the sort of craft that required minimal intervention from me, freeing up some time to drink coffee. Simple craft + Mummy drinking coffee, are always a good combination.

Once we started to get the supplies out the whole thing changed a bit (as it is wont to do with my kids).

Sofie: Actually Mummy, we don't want black paper after all. We would like brown instead.
Me: But bats are black.
Sofie: Not always Mummy. Bats are often brown, aren't they Emi?
Emily: Yes Sofie. I want a brown bat too.
Sofie: And black bats aren't cute like brown ones are.
Me (rolling my eyes): Fine I'll get the brown paper out instead.
Sofie: And I'm not that keen on the clothes peg part either.
Me: What do you mean? The clothes peg is for sticking the bat on. What are you going to use instead of a clothes peg?
Sofie (rummaging through the craft box): These (holding up a wooden tongue depressor)! This will be perfect.
Me: OK, do you need anything else?
Sofie: Yes, glitter and jewels.
Me: For bats?
Sofie: Yes Mummy, we can't make girl bats without glitter and jewels.
Me: I guess not. Silly me.

At this point I realised our craft wasn't going exactly as described, but it worked out great, was still super simple, and the girls had a lot of fun making their bats.
Please meet;
My bat - plain brown, and stuck on a peg so he can be clipped up as a decoration
Sofie's Bat Draculaura - brown with long black hair, sequins and pierced ears.
Emily's Bat Owen - lots of neon pink and named after her best friend at nursery.

After the bats the girls were keen to try another craft, so we decided to melt crayons over hot rocks. This was far more fun that it actually sounds, and helped use up some of that endless supply of odd crayons we seem to have hanging about, despite the fact the girls don't actually draw with crayon much.

The full instructions are here, and they are spot on about how nice it is to melt a whole crayon over one rock. Seriously, just try it once and tell me you didn't love it.

Pumpkin carving

2011-10-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

This morning (please note that today is Sunday) I was woken rather earlier than I would have liked. I was woken by a sweet little person, sliding gently into bed next to me. and stroking my face. Up until this point it wasn't too bad, but as soon as I flicked one eye open, Emily sat bolt upright and shrieked at the top of her voice, 'Mummy, can we go and carve our pumpkins RIGHT NOW?'. Pleaseeeeeeeeee.

Oddly enough, pre-7am pumpkin carving on a Sunday morning has never been high on my 'To Do' list, so I fobbed her off for a while and pretended to go back to sleep (whilst occasionally grunting at her continued pumpkin themed monologue). Just call me a bad mother.

But eventually we did indeed get up, and do our pumpkin carving. I have to say for the record that I think I may have done pumpkin carving once or twice in my life, but DH and the girls never have. I had a pumpkin carving kit that I bought years ago, and never used (and miraculously was able to find). It turned out to be pretty good actually (despite my skepticism that such things are simply over priced gimmicks) and meant both girls were able to do a fair bit of the carving themselves.

The girls loved this activity. Seriously - who knew it would be so exciting?

We started by hollowing out our pumpkins and sticking our paper template on. We got our templates from Dltk kids, and although they have a amazing range of templates, we chose a super simple bat design so the girls could do a lot of the work themselves.

Then we used our pumpkin poker (from our invaluable pumpkin carving kit) to poke holes all around the edge of the template. We removed the template and joined the dots with a marker to make cutting along the outline easier. After this step Sofie managed to do almost all of the cutting on her own and she was thrilled. Emily required more help, but still had a lot of fun.

The pumpkins came out great, and the girls are very excited about their handiwork. They have added 'big pumpkins' to the shopping list in the hope we will do more carvings soon!

Pumpkins and Autumn

2011-10-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Now we are home from our 'embracing every last second of the Summer' holiday, it is time to start getting ready to embrace the Autumn.

I love Autumn (although DH tells me I say this at the start of every season) but the chilly mornings, the bright leaves, the wonderful walks, the hot chocolates, the warm jackets, the cosy house - what's not to love?

So today we headed off to the pumpkin farm, where every year they create pumpkin sculptures based on a theme. Last year it was dinosaurs, and this year it was 'Swiss things'. Thankfully the Swiss things weren't too obscure, so we worked out what most of them were, even without the helpful signs.
A Swiss Army Knife.

Playing the Alphorn.

The sculptures were nice, but not as interesting to the girls as the dinosaurs were last year. Plus I had underestimated the effect of a 20 degree drop in temperature in 24 hours, and failed to pack warm enough coats. We were all ready to go inside and eat fresh pumpkin soup pretty quickly!

So the sculptures were ok, the food was excellent (and warm), and we had a lot of fun choosing pumpkins to carve. This afternoon I dug out the pumpkin carving supplies and the Winter jackets.

Bring on Autumn.

We are home

2011-10-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

We made it safely (and uneventfully) home from 2 blissful weeks of sun, sand and sea in Portugal. I think this was probably our best family holiday ever. The kids were fantastic, the weather was amazing (sunny and 25 degrees plus every single day), every attraction we visited was blissfully uncrowded, we swam in the sea, and we ate a lot of fresh seafood. It doesn't get much better than that.

Traveling with the girls gets easier as they get older, and returning to a place we have been before (something I swore I would never do before having kids) made life very simple.

To be fair, Emily still finds travel a challenge, as it involves many things she struggles with like strangers, crowds, changes in routine, public toilets, and noise. But she is dealing better with things, and DH and I are also better at 'reading' her, and intervening before things escalate. We have also accepted that Emily likes to hold something in her left hand at all times, and for this trip it was a piece of wool. I packed a whole ball, and it worked like a charm. On the days she forgot her piece of wool, she improvised with a stick. And when she lost it I just cut her a new piece.

This trip she was thrilled to swim in the pool and the sea, use an airplane toilet (for the first time ever, meaning air travel just got a whole lot less stressful for Mummy), hold a snake, pat a dolphin, go down several water slides on her own, feed a tortoise and discover crunchy peanut butter in a jar with a blue lid. Seriously, she listed the peanut butter thing as one of her highlights, and she cried when I refused to fill our suitcases with it on the return journey..... For those who are interested, in Switzerland crunchy peanut butter comes in a jar with a red lid.

Sofie was in her element from the moment she first stepped on to the beach, and for her the trip just got better and better. She swam for at least an hour every day (and had to be dragged from the pool more than once), she danced in the waves, she flew the kite, she ate lots of fish and salad, she drew in her journal, she made up endless funny stories, and she practiced her recorder a lot. Because I didn't take many books, and Sofie can't read or speak Portuguese, she was really able to 'switch off' in a way she rarely can at home. It was an absolute joy to see her so totally relaxed and engaged in 'just playing'.

So we were blessed with a wonderful 2 weeks of just hanging out together, seeing stuff, talking, sleeping in late (DH and I), playing a lot with nothing (Sofie and Emily), sharing family meals, teasing, relaxing and being reminded of how important it is to take time to 'just be' a family.

And as wonderful as it all was, it was also lovely to be home again too. It is a lot colder and a lot less sunny here, but it is still home, and I feel very blessed to have 2 amazing children who appreciate that.

Calm

2011-09-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

All is calm and quiet here.
The girls went to bed early tonight, and feel right asleep.
The cases are packed.
The house is tidy (not perfect, but pretty good. I dream of steam cleaned floors, but as DH pointed out I don't even own a floor steamer, and in all honesty even if I did I wouldn't use it as much as I think I would).
Everyone is excited.
Tomorrow we will leave early for the airport (I still secretly find airports just a bit exciting, plus I can grab a quick Starbucks).
By tea time we will be in another country enjoying the sunshine, fresh fish and glorious beaches.
For 2 blissful weeks it will be just us.
See you all when we get back.

Ballet

2011-09-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest and say I never really envisioned myself as a 'Ballet Mum'. One of those women who were forever shuttling little girls dressed in pink back and forwards to dance practice and recitals.

Actually if I am totally honest I never actually saw myself as a mother to girls at all (and just look how that turned out), but if I were to have girls then they would be hardy outdoor types, always riding bikes, making fires and playing in the woods.

Oh wait, my kids actually do all of that stuff.

But they also do ballet, and they love that too.

This week both girls had an 'open lesson' which means parents are invited to watch their offspring prance around.

Sofie is very serious about her ballet. She is always concentrating, and she says she is just thinking about it and listening to the music.

Emily is very 'high energy' in her ballet. She prances, jumps, and flies abut the room with unbridled enthusiasm, and a permanent mad grin on her face.
All the photos I have of her are blurry, which says it all.

Ballet - it's a funny thing. It seems to work for both my girls, and I may yet become one of the dreaded 'Ballet Mums'.
I'll never admit to it though....

Overheard conversations

2011-09-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

We are getting read to head off on holiday for a couple of weeks.

Actually when I say 'we' what I really mean is me. I am getting everyone ready to head off on holiday. The girls are enthusiastic helpers, and Emily keeps secretly adding her favorite blue tights to the packing pile, thinking I won't notice. Sofie insists she is taking every doll and horse toy she owns, not to mention at least 100 books. DH is just generally grumpy abut the whole idea of packing anything more than 3 minutes before we leave the house....

But once we get to a warm, sunny beach, it will all be fine.

Anyway the girls were discussing what to put in their own trolley cases. We are pretty relaxed about this part, and they are allowed to take whatever items they can fit in as long as it complies with airline rules (they take the bags as carry on luggage).

Sofie: I think I will pack my dolls and horses and books and my toothbrush in my Princess case.
Emily: I am going to take my Thomas (the Tank Engine) duvet and some sweets and my shower gel.
Sofie: You can't take shower gel. It isn't allowed on the plane, and they will take it away and throw it in the bin.
Emily: But I need shower gel to use on my holiday. Why can't I take shower gel?
Sofie: It is the rules. You can't take shower gel or guns or knives on planes. You have to buy them when you are on holiday instead.

Just for the record we may buy shower gel on holiday, but we won't be purchasing any guns or knives. And on the bright side I guess I should be pleased that Sofie clearly pays attention to rules and regulations, and Emily is planning to wash whilst we are away!

A dilemma (by Sofie, age 6)

2011-09-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sofie: Mummy, I am having a dilemma.
Me: What is it (not even sure if Sofie knows what dilemma means)?
Sofie: When I grow up I don't know if I want to be a farmer or a ski instructor.
Me: Umm, ok. Well, both are a good choice, but you have plenty of time to decide.
Sofie: Not really Mummy. If I want to be a farmer I have to start saving now, becasue ponies are expensive, but if I want to be a ski instructor I can buy a new Monster High with my pocket money, becasue I already have skis.

Oh, to be six again.

A party and new scooters

2011-09-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today we joined friends to celebrate their daughter's second birthday. It was a beautiful day, and we all had a great time outside in their amazing garden, which includes a section of woodland!

Tonight our seasonal table is awash with freshly gathered conkers (horse chestnuts) and walnuts.
And today the girls got new scooters (Kickboards here in Switzerland, or Kikkies in dialect). Both have had scooters for a while, but Sofie's was slightly too large and not very adjustable, and Emily's had 3 wheels. The girls bike ride a lot (practically every day in reality) but have thus far shown a fairly limited interest in their scooters. However in the last couple of weeks there has been a renewed interest in scooters, and Sofie finally mastered her 2 wheeler, so we decided to invest in some decent scooters for them.

I am almost ashamed to admit that the difference between riding around on super cheap scooters (which in hind sight are clearly the wrong size), and riding around on scooters which are good quality and fit perfectly is HUGE.

Today the girls rode their new scooters for ages, and they simply flew!

They love them, and we love our girls.

Sofie - a school update

2011-09-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I posted about the difficulties Sofie was having at school. Basically the transition from Kindergarten to First Grade had not gone as well as expected.

I received lots of helpful suggestions and supportive comments both on my Blog and also in real life, which helped me step back and reevaluate the situation.

I realised that what had gone wrong was not the experience itself, but our (Sofie's and my) expectations of the experience.

Sofie imagined first grade would be challenging and difficult, and she would be learning new things non stop. I imagined that first grade would satiate Sofie's constant need to be learning new things every waking moment of the day (well the waking moments when she is not buried in a book anyway).

So I adjusted my expectations. I realised that first grade will not meet Sofie's intellectual needs all the time. I realised that it is MY responsibility to ensure that this happens, and find ways to achieve this. School fulfills a large part of this need, as does her extensive range of extra curricular activities, but I need to do my share too. *

And after adjusting my attitude, I spoke to Sofie about her expectations. We agreed that the reading and math aspect of school was not quite what she expected, but then we talked about the other things. Sofie is loving pretty much everything else, and agreed that many of the new things she is doing are really great. We also talked about the number of hours she spends at school each week (a mere 18), and how great that the school schedule here allows so much scope for extra curricular stuff. Music and High German (as opposed to Swiss dialect) are her two favorite subjects, and she finds both of them challenging and fun.

Today Sofie came home with this kite (complete with full length kite string) that she made in art class.

Sofie still skips to school quite happily every morning. She comes home bursting with stories of what she has done, and what they will do next. I had a meeting with her teacher, and am now feeling very comfortable with the whole situation. Without going into too much detail, he 'gets' Sofie. He knows she is bright (it took him a couple of weeks to sort that bit out!) and he is addressing the issue in a way I am very happy with. He isn't singling her out, but instead offering opportunities for her to do more, without making a big deal of it.

So once again equilibrium is restored, and my little girl is thriving. Her confidence is soaring, she is happy and fulfilled, and being every so slightly cheeky and naughty with it.
I love it, and for now am stepping back from worrying and embracing the moment.
I think Sofie is too.

* As a slight aside (for those who are also looking for new ways to challenge their child), my current favorite 'thinking' activity activity for Sofie is giving her a recipe book, telling her to look through the recipes, list the recipes she wants me to cook for her, and note the ones she wants to try cooking herself (or with me).

This is a fabulous project for Sofie. It expands her vocabulary in a whole new area, it gets her reading a different type and style of language, and it makes her think about how food is prepared and whether she will like something (or not) based on what it contains. Why on earth did I never think of recipe books before? I am thinking that after recipes, we will move onto Astronomy. I have a few books on the subject laying around, and coming into Winter is the perfect time to drag out our (sadly underused and over specified) telescope for a spot of star gazing.

We are here - really

2011-09-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

We are still here.
And although we are super busy and the weeks seem to pass in a blur of manic activity, things are going well.

When I first looked at out schedule for term time, I balked. I was certain we would never manage, and worried about doing nothing but shouting, and flying from one place to the next.But things have settled into a steady routine, and everyone is doing great. Of course most days there are barely enough hours to get everything done, but then there are also the days with a small gift of time and space.

Being busy has made me fully appreciate the gift of a free afternoon. The days when the girls come home for lunch, and we don't have to rush straight back out the door.
The girls love their activities, but they don't waste their free time either.

Despite being busier than I would like, it isn't a bad life.

The Tooth Fairy

2011-09-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight the tooth fairy will be making her first visit to our home.

Actually, if you want to be technical about it, this isn't her first visit, as we are blessed to have a regular fairy visitor, but this is the first time she will be coming to collect a tooth.

Sofie is six years old, and today she lost her first tooth. It didn't exactly happen as I had planned, but then real life rarely works out that way, and Sofie is happy about finally loosing a tooth. The dentist may have had to help remove it, but that small detail has been lost in the excitement.

So a small tooth is waiting in the fairy post box, along with a letter. In the morning I imagine there will be a very bright and shiny coin, left in exchange for a small and slightly less than perfect tooth. A tooth which is somehow still priceless anyway.

The grapes of wrath

2011-09-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

This morning a friend called and invited us over to their place for the afternoon. She said they were going to be cutting down the grapes on their vines, and thought it might be fun to collect some and let the kids jump in them. Naturally I said yes, and the girls were really excited about the thought of squishing grapes with their bare feet (and seeing their friends of course).

We went along and picked lots of grapes.

We put the grapes into large plastic washing baskets (actually the adults did most of this - the kids wandered off to play after about 10 minutes).

The kids came back and jumped up and down on the grapes.

Then it all went a bit downhill. I believe Emily may have been the first child to actually sit in the basket of squished grapes, although naturally most of the others soon followed.

It was lots of fun, and afterward we popped our sticky, purple, children into the bath, and planned to order pizza for dinner.

But then the itching started. All the kids started complaining that their skin felt itchy and hurt, and although it looked ok, we popped on some cream. This did not help one bit, so we popped on a different cream, and then gave them all a dose of antihistamine. None of this helped very much either, and we had 3 screaming, crying children, who were madly scratching, and saying their skin hurt.
At this point we decided it might be best to leave.

We came home and the girls were actually ok. They were still complaining about itchy skin, but with no real rash or spots, so hopefully by the morning it will all be fine.

It was still a great afternoon, even if it didn't end exactly how we envisioned (but then when kids are involved things rarely turn out as planned anyway).

Dear Emily,

2011-09-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Emily,
One of my dreams is that when you are a grown adult, you will love looking back over this Blog that charted your young life.
You will spend many hours reading and reminiscing, and appreciating what a wonderful childhood you had.
You will read stories that make you laugh and others that make you cry, but it will be your story, and your journey, and you will love it.

So if this does indeed happen, you may come across some photos that make you pause for a moment.
Photos that make you question what sort of childhood you really had.
Photos of you wearing a fleece lined Winter coat on a hot Summer's day.

So for future reference I will confess all now (becasue rest assured, by the time you are old enough to question, I will have undoubtedly forgotten everything. This is the reason I Blog).
Today I took photos of you wearing a Winter coat on a hot Summer day. You were wearing the coat because it is you new Thomas (the Tank Engine) coat, and you LOVE it.

The moment you laid eyes on it your announced it was your 'Thomas' coat. Not becasue it actually has Thomas the Tank Engine on it, but becasue it is blue like Thomas. The exact same colour blue as Thomas (apparently).

You are almost 4 and a half and you still love blue. You also love Pooh (Winnie The Pooh), and have a new found love for Thomas (Thomas The Tank Engine). Which is why - on a warm day - you will still insisted on wearing your new Winter coat. It is your Thomas coat, and when you love something, you love it with every fiber of your being.

Bless you sweet Emily - for the record, I love you with every fiber of my being (and rest assured, this is something I will never forget).

Yet more conversations with children.

2011-09-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

All is well here, but we are super busy with our day to day life, so not much to report.

I did however want to remember the following conversation that I had with the girls tonight.

Sofie: How long until I can have a bra Mummy?
Me: Quite a while I'd imagine Sof. Probably when you are about 12 or 13.
Emily: Do I get to have a bra too?
Me: Yes Emily, all girls get to wear a bra eventually, and when the time comes I will take you shopping and you can choose one that you like.
Sofie: Do bras come in different colours and stuff?
Me: Yes.
Sofie: I want a purple one with glittery starts.
Emily: I want a blue Thomas The Tank Engine bra.

So if any bra manufacturers are reading this and wondering what direction their latest bra collection should take, I have it on good authority that glittery stars and trains may be the next big thing (or possibly not...).

Oh, and this post could have been accompanied by a photo of the girls dancing around in their pajamas, wearing one of my bras over the top. Thankfully I decided to spare you all the horror of viewing my undergarments. You may send chocolate to show your appreciation :-)

Conversations with kids (whilst camping).

2011-09-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

So we went camping at the weekend, which you can read about here if you are so inclined.

In addition I just wanted to post one of my favorite conversations from the weekend.

Sofie and I were on the lake, and I was pushing her around in an inflatable boat (thanks T and B for providing the aforementioned boat).

Sofie: Mummy is this 'open water'?
Me: Umm, I guess it is. Open water normally means a large body of water, like a big lake or the sea.
Sofie: Are you a 'competent adult' Mummy?
Me: Absolutely yes Sofie.
Sofie: What's a competent adult?
Me: A grown up who is capable of handling a situation well. For example when we are swimming I am competent becasue I am a good swimmer, and know about water safety. If I had to fly a plane then I would not be competent, becasue that is something I don't know how to do.
Sofie: Are you sure you are competent Mummy, becasue it says here (pointing to the safety instructions printed inside the boat) that if we don't have a competent adult, we could all drown, and that means we will die.
Me: Thanks for the vote of confidence Sofie. No one is going to drown and die.

Got to love being asked if you are 'competent' by a 6 year old (and asked more than once).
And why on earth was she reading safety instructions, when she was surrounded by views like this?

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my six year old, who never stops thinking and questioning.That same child who later in the day was quite willing to push one of the other 'competent adults' around, in the previously discussed inflatable boat. No one drowned then either (or indeed at any point during our trip).

And as a slight aside, one of the reasons I love taking Sofie camping is that it helps her take a break from being continually surrounded by things she can read, and think about, and analyse, etc.
Sofie finds it difficult to 'switch off'.

On our first morning we were up early, and went for a stroll around the lake in our pajamas. I silently congratulated myself on providing such a calm and uncomplicated environment for Sofie.
Until she turned to me and said, 'look Mummy - the letter K. Lets think of K words'.

Well at least I tried......

Camping at the lake

2011-09-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

We all needed a break this weekend, so we decided to go camping. We mentioned our trip casually to a few friends, and were amazed when over the course of the weekend, we were joined by 4 different families (at various points) during our adventure.

It wasn't our quietest camping trip ever, but it was a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who came along, had fun, got dirty, grilled sausages, made noise, poured wine, swam, and shared their time with us.

What a gift this trip was.
How amazing to be such a small part of such a huge landscape.

How wonderful to spend a weekend focusing on my children, whilst they in turn focused on being little kids.

What a blessing to watch children playing freely with fire, sticks, mud, water, and most importantly, each other.

How refreshing to spend time with parents who sit back and let their children be children.

What a memory to create.
Frankly, it really doesn't get much better.

So, this whole school thing...

2011-08-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

We are now almost 3 weeks into the new school year.

Sofie started in the first class, and Emily has settled back into her Montessori play group. I am kicking my heels at home on my own four mornings a week (ok, only kidding about that last part).

Things are going well. Despite a manic schedule of extra curricular activities, we are all coping, and getting where we need to be, on time, and mostly with the right equipment.

As well as school/play group, this term the girls have chosen the following additional activities.

Sofie: Ballet (x2), music lessons (recorder), swimming lessons (level 5 in the Swiss system), Zumba, and pony riding (currently only once a month).
Emily: Ballet, gymnastics, and swimming lessons (level 1 in the Swiss system).

Everyone is muddling along just fine, but I am getting the feeling that Sofie isn't loving school as much as she could be (or indeed planned to).

So today I asked her how it was all going (obviously I communicate with her daily about this, but today I sat her down, and asked what she really felt about the whole 'proper' school thing).

And to cut a very long story short, she is bored.
Bored, bored, bored, and thinks Kindergarten was better.
The Kindergarten that she couldn't wait to leave, becasue she wanted to learn stuff.

I told her that sometimes it can be a challenge when we learn new stuff, and that is why there is less playing in the first class, becasue there is so much to be learnt.
And she stopped me in the middle of my little pep talk and said bluntly, 'but that's the point Mummy, I'm not actually learning anything'.
And I think she is probably right.

I told her she is learning how to sound out letters using the amazing 'freaky faces' (more on that in a later post) , and she said that eventually they would just introduce the real letters, and wouldn't even use the faces anymore (true).

I told her she is learning to write numbers really nicely, and she said that even when she rushes and does them a bit 'rubbish' it is still ok, and she gets a tick (true).

I told her that soon everyone in the class would be able to read, and then they could start reading proper books, and she said she could already read proper books, so why should she pretend that she was learning stuff, by sounding out basic 3 letter words (using the aforementioned freaky faces).

And do you know what?
I didn't really have any answers for her.

I want to tell her it will get better, and I know she enjoys the social side of school, as well as the other lessons (music, art, sport, etc), but is this enough?

She isn't miserable, and skips off quite happily each morning, but I do worry.
I worry this is disillusioning her, grinding her down, and making her switch off.
I worry she will become naughty, or even worse - lazy.

She comes home and immerses herself in books (Swallows and Amazons is her current favourite).
She asks questions about the solar system, and when I ask if she learnt that at school she sighs and says she read it in a book I bought her about stars and planets when she was 4.
I bought her a Junior Dictionary thinking she would love it, and after she read most of it, she set it aside, and said none of the words she needs to know are in it.

Are we preparing her for real life, or crushing her spark?

I worry.

Treasure Hunting - aka Geocaching

2011-08-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Since being introduced to Geocaching by a friend, we have been on many adventures, which is the whole point really. Geocaching is a world-wide navigation and treasure hunting game, that anyone is welcome to join. People hide stuff (which can range from tiny magnetic cases to large boxes), post the coordinates on a website, and the hunt is on!

We love it. Whenever we find a cache we sign the log book, take a piece of treasure (if the cache is large enough to contain any), and the leave some new treasure for the next person to discover.

This morning Emily asked to go bike riding and treasure hunting (her 2 absolute favourite things to do right now). I looked up a couple of local caches (that were conveniently spread along a wide, flat trail around the lake), and we set off on our adventure.

It looked like this.

We spotted a stone 'dove' (although I secretly think it might be a pigeon).
Whatever it was, Emily loved it.

Then we found a small cache (which is actually one of my favorites so far).
Emily was still obsessing about the pigeon.

We rode on, and found our biggest cache yet.

At the next cache was had to wait in line whilst the other visitors checked it out first.

And we rode some more, found some more treasure, admired the view, appreciated the breezes, and just generally had a good time.

But it turns out that it wasn't really about treasure, or hunting, or riding, or walking, or snacks, or even stone birds. It was about this.

Fun.
Just being outside on a nice day.
Away from distractions, and sharing an adventure.
Geocahcing gives you a route and a reason, but what you make of it is entirely up to you.
Today was all about being with Emily. Admiring her bike riding skills, laughing at her jokes, praising her for finding a cache, and then praising her for finding a pretty leaf.
It isn't about the stuff you find, it's about making time to find the stuff.
It is about making a little girl feel special.
It is about living in the moment.

Memory Lane

2011-08-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

I spotted this on another Blog, and the idea is to dig out an old photo, post it on your Blog, and write about the memory.

It is quite timley really, as I was talking about this particular memory with the girls just the other day, so I knew exactly what photo I wanted.

This is Emily at 5 months old. Sofie loved having a little sister to play with, but was worried that Emily didn't have much hair for a girl, so she gave her little sister 'pwincess hair'!

If you want to join in and share your own Memory Lane picture, head over here and add it to the list.

I love...

2011-08-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

I love how hard she concentrates on every single thing she does.

I love that everything is important enough to deserve her full attention.

I love my 4 year old.

Sunflower House - 2011 edition

2011-08-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last year the girls and I were inspired by the book Sunflower House (Eve Bunting and Kathryn Hewitt) and made our own sunflower house.

It was a huge success.
We played in it, read in it, had meals in it, and even celebrated with a special themed picnic.
The girls loved their sunflower house, and when it eventually wilted and died, we collected the seeds for our next sunflower house.

So this year in Spring we diligently planted our seeds, and stood back ready to marvel at the growth of our sunflowers, and enjoy a whole new house.

Except within a week of shooting, all the seeds were decimated by slugs, and I sort of didn't draw this to the girls attention.
I know, I know. We all know where this is heading.
I threw the peat pots in the compost, and figured the girls had so many other projects happening that they had forgotten all about the sunflower house.

How wrong I was!
A few weeks later Emily asked when we would be planting our sunflower house in the lawn. At this point I confessed that the seedlings had been eaten by slugs, and suggested we focus on our gardening successes (of which there were many).

But I foolishly underestimated the power and passion of my four year old. Emily was distraught, and despite me saying it was too late in the season to start again from scratch, we started again from scratch. The new seedlings took, and although all around us there are gardens with 6 foot sunflowers, the girls are happy at the progress ours are making.

Personally I doubt they will grow enough to flower before Autumn, but who knows.
A gardening savvy friend spotted the sunflower house, has spoken to the girls about it, and told them how lucky they will be to have sunflowers in October.
The girls just smiled knowingly, as if this was their plan all along.

Watch this space (around October time).

The first day of school

2011-08-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today was Sofie's first day at 'proper' school. She is now in the first class (erste klasse) at our local village school.

I walked her up to school this morning (parents are allowed to do this on the first day), and she proudly wore her enormous new back pack, then stood around with all the other children wearing their new backpacks. The back pack is a really big deal here.

We went to the classroom and met the teacher, and after a few brief words we were told they needed to get on with lessons and we could go home! The kids all looked so small and serious sat up at their desks, and this will be a huge step for them.
Of course in typical Swiss fashion they didn't mess about, and in the 3 and a half hours Sofie was at school this morning she was reminded of the classroom rules and had the reward/demerit scheme explained, had a German lesson, and did gym in the sports hall. She even had some homework which she was thrilled about, as homework is definitely very 'big kid'.

But the absolute high light of her first day at school? Apparently when they do gym (twice a week) the girls and the boys now use separate changing rooms. In kindergarten they all used the same changing room, but now they are obviously deemed old enough to be separated. And the reason that this was such a high light was becasue their teacher is male, so according to Sofie 'all the girls were just chattering and laughing and looking at our clothes'. Apparently their teacher would occasionally open the door and tell them to stop chatting and start dressing, but this just added to the fun.

So it was a good first day, and Sofie can't wait until tomorrow. Tonight she was tired, but she also had ballet after school, and I think it will take some time to get back into our slightly manic term time routine (assuming I don't get my way and make the girls drop a few activities first!).

My babies got big.

Giving the Schuletute

2011-08-16T01:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight DH came home early from work, so we could give the girls their schuletute.

Even before giving them to the girls, I have to confess that this was a project I just loved. I made the schuletutes myself, but kept the design super simple, so it was actually pretty easy. Not to mention that it didn't bother me that the girls were instantly in love with their personalised schuletutes, dragged them around the house, and hugged them half to death!
The whole thing was a huge success. We sat the girls down and talked about how proud we are of them, and acknowledged how hard they have both tried. I think that as adults it is often easy to assume that school is either nothing but fun, or simply something that has to be done. But from a child's perspective it is sometimes hard work, and acknowledging that is important for our kids.

Both girls loved their schuletute. They loved the contents, and were shrieking with delight the entire time they were going through them.

What was also interesting was how each item in the schuletute was received with great enthusiasm and excitement. General school supplies (like a packet of basic felt tip pens) were examined at length, and pronounced to be 'totally wonderful'. Now the pens themselves were part of the compulsory stationary list, and would have been bought anyway, but somehow putting them into a special container, and surrounding them with other items, made the pens themselves more wonderful.

I like making every day items special, and imagine that a small schuletute will become part of our yearly 'back to school' tradition. Now all I need is some sort of 'Mummy Schuletute' to help me get through the first week, and everyone will be happy!

Hiking (again)

2011-08-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today we went hiking,which we actually do most weekends in the Summer.

The weather was nice, the girls were keen, and the views were amazing.

There is so much we could be doing at home right now, yet we still choose to spend time together in the mountains. We had fun, and got muddy - I sincerely hope that this is what our girls will remember about their childhood.

Making a Schuletute

2011-08-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

In 3 short days Sofie will start 'proper' school (first class/grade) here in Switzerland. Up until now school has been about play based learning, but now the real stuff starts.
For the record, Sofie can't wait.
For the record, I may be struggling with this momentous step.

We live in the German speaking part of Switzerland (a country where 4 different languages are spoken depending on where you live) so although it is very different to Germany, some German traditions are invariably part of the culture. One of these if giving the children a 'schuletute' on their first day of school, and although it isn't widely followed here, it is one we have decided to embrace because frankly it is fun.

A schuletute is a large cardboard cone filled with school supplies, sweets, and small gifts, to make the first day back at school special and fun.

Rather than buy a pre-filled schuletute (becasue we don't need more over priced plastic crap) I decided to make my own. I followed the directions over at Alpha Mom, but basically I took a large sheet of cardboard, cut it out into a semi circle, rolled it into a cone shape, decorated it, and filled it with stuff.

Sofie is really into unicorns and ponies right now, so I used this as the theme for both the decoration and the contents.

Here is a photo and list of the contents, for those who are interested in the details.

A sparkly unicorn t-shirt. I got this from the Etsy Shop Crowsmack. I can not rate this shop highly enough. The shirt is gorgeous, their customer service is second to none, and they made a special custom order for Emily too.

And from top left of the photo (in a clockwise direction):

- Glittery unicorn stickers and unicorn tattoos.

- 3 x mini credit card type name tags with 'Sofie' on them, followed by my mobile number. These are super for putting on those awkward to name things, and I will probably put one aside to use as a zipper pull for the girls ski jackets. They came from Easy2 Name.

- A packet of horse plasters (band aids).

- Unicorn stickers and mini badges. These also came from an Etsy Shop - Joey Designs - and their products are really cute, the shop did a special custom order for us, plus the girls are very into mini badges right now.

- A pink writing pen. Sofie already has one of these, and they are great. They come in right and left handed versions, and Sofie's writing is considerably better when she uses this pen, but her current one isn't pink, so now she has one for home and one for school.

- A pony money box. In the first class kids officially start getting pocket money, so this seemed appropriate. It has a small lock and key, which I know Sofie will think is very grown up.

- A basic reading book in German and a craft magazine in English.

- A packet of felt tip pens.

In addition to the above I added a few sweets, and a set of books (in English).

And although Emily is not starting proper school, she is returning to her Montessouri Nursery, and for her this is a big deal, so she will get a small schuletute too. This is the beauty of being foreign. You get to choose the bit of the traditions you like, and then adapt them to your own personal needs, and if anyone sees you doing it 'wrong' they just make allowances for the funny foreigners!

Not surprisingly Emily's theme is blue and Winnie The Pooh!

Her schuletute will include stickers, sweets, books, a Pooh comic, Pooh stamps, mini badges, and a blue unicorn t-shirt, which was a custom order from the same shop that made Sofie's.

The girls will get their schuletute's at a family dinner on Monday night (the night before they start school), simply becasue waiting until the morning of their first day seems like insanity. This way they get to enjoy the contents at leisure, and we get to tell them (again) just how proud we are of both of them.

In search of snow (in Summer)!

2011-08-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

We like snow, which is a good thing, becasue it snows a lot in Switzerland.
But it's been a few months since we have seen snow, so today we decided to take a family adventure to find snow in the middle of the Summer.

We set off to the Titlis Glacier, and the girls were really excited to see their snow suits again. We had to explain (a lot of times) that although we were going to the snow, we would not be going skiing. And despite their disappointment about skiing, Emily was thrilled her snow suit was still blue (please keep your fingers crossed it still fits her in the ski season).

We caught 3 cable cars up to the glacier, and started by exploring the ice caves. Sofie loved this part, and Emily didn't. Emily found the ice caves scary, and was very happy to leave them as soon as possible.

We walked through the mountain under the ice and rock to the viewing window, which offered some amazing views over the alps. At this point I would love to say that the girls totally appreciated the beauty laid out before them, but being raised in a country where such views are not uncommon has totally spoilt their ability to see such things as anything other than 'quite nice'. In fact Sofie was quite incredulous that people would travel from other countries 'just to see some mountains covered with snow'.

They did look cute in their snow suits though.

Then we went outside onto the glacier itself, and the girls were really excited to be back in the snow.

They played in the snow and had a ball.

We did attempt to explain how wonderful the view was (again), but our words fell on deaf ears.
View - what view?

But I got to see a snow plough - mmm. For those of you who are new to my Blog, please allow me to introduce my ~~slight~~ obsession with snow ploughs.

Then we ate ice creams, caught the gondolas back down the mountain, changed back into shorts, and came home.
It was a fine adventure.

Our camping trip

2011-08-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

We have just got home form the most amazing 3 day camping trip.
It was brilliant, and Emily actually burst into tears when I told her we had to leave!

We arrived on Tuesday afternoon, and it was raining. The weather forecast was for storms, but the girls were excited - racing around, shouting and jumping in the mud - so I decided to just relax. Considering it was the first time pitching our new tent without anotehr adult helper, we got it done pretty quickly, and the girls were actually a huge help. I was really proud of their willingness to help, and their total lack of concern about the less than perfect weather.

We cooked dinner on my camp stove (which is over 20 years old), and spent some time setting up our new home. The rain kept getting heavier and heavier, but it really wasn't a problem, and I felt thankful to have this precious time away with the girls, in such a breath taking place.
This was the view from our tent door.

After the girls were in bed I sat in the front part of the tent with a glass of wine, a blanket on my knees, and a book, and I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed.
That night it rained and stormed - a lot. Over 6 hours of continuous, torrential rain, with a fair bit of thunder and lightening thrown in for good measure. But we were warm and dry, and I can now safely say that the new tent doesn't leak!

When we woke up the following morning (in a lovely warm, sleepy heap of blankets and sleeping bags) the rain had stopped, and the sun came out.
We ate breakfast in the sunshine by our tent, and then set off exploring. I had looked up a few local hikes we could attempt, but we walked 100 meters to the edge of the lake, and the girls spent the next 3 hours peacefully pottering at the waters edge.

Later that day some friends arrived, and allayed all my fears about having over packed. I knew it was going to be a fun evening when within minutes of arriving they were hauling out critical items such as a fly swat and an inflatable boat complete with oars (they may also have bought wine). The boat was popular.

So the kids played, and we sat in the sun and marveled at our surroundings (and possibly drank a beer or two).

We spent the rest of the day swimming, playing, making fires and grilling sausages for dinner.

This morning we had plans to do stuff, but immediately after breakfast the kids disappeared into the woods to continue their dragon game from yesterday, leaving us to listen to their distant laughter whilst drinking coffee in the sun.

And that pretty much sums up the whole trip. Lots of relaxing and chatting for the adults, while the kids explored, created imaginary worlds, collected sticks and flowers, and were totally content to just play. Play like kids should, without props, guidance, or boundaries. They got dirty, made noise, and had fun.

And to think that all of this took place less than 30 minutes from our home for the grand total of less than 60 Swiss Francs. Good value whichever way you look at it.

Life is good. Very good indeed.

Off camping for a few days

2011-08-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

The weather here is stormy right now. Lots of rain, high winds, and umm, rain.
So naturally that would mean the girls and I are off camping for a few days!
We have slept in the tent in the garden and survived some pretty ferocious storms, so tommorow we are setting off to a real campsite (one that is more than 10 meters from the safety of our back door).
It will be my first attempt pitching our new tent on my own (well apart from Sofie and Emily of course) so keep your fingers crossed for a brief respite from the rain.
We will be back soon with some wonderful stories and pictures to share.

Oh, and HUGE thank you to all who responded to Emily's request for a pen pal in my previous post. We will be in touch on our return, and Emily is very excited about her new pen friends (as is Sofie, who may adopt the 'pony mad 7 year old' as her next pen pal!).

A pen pal for Emily

2011-08-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

Emily is 4 years old and would like a pen pal.
Her big sister has one, and is really enjoying this unstructured and simple relationship.
When we take trips Sofie likes choosing a card to send to her pen pal, and now Emily also wants a special friend to send things to.

Emily can't read or write (much) so any letters we send would be dictated by her, but written by me.
Emily wants a pen pal who likes sending and receiving snail mail.
Emily would like to send pictures and small gifts to her pen pal (low value, easy to post stuff like books, stickers, etc).
Emily would like a pen pal who does not live in Switzerland.

Emily told me she doesn't think anyone would really like to be her pen pal, and becasue I am her Mummy I told her there are loads of people out there who would love to write to her.
And I promised to find that person.

Any takers?

Rain

2011-08-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Swiss Friends,
Tonight it will rain.
A lot.
There will probably also be high winds.
Don't rule out thunder and lightning.

Sorry about that, but the girls and I will be camping, and within minutes of getting our (amazing, new) tent pitched, the first drops of rain fell.

I gave the girls the choice of not camping out, but Emily looked up at me and said, 'it's only a storm Mummy - just like last time'.

I hope you didn't have plans for a BBQ.

Oh, and a word to the wise. You might want to hold off on plans for major outdoor functions on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week too......

But the kids could not be more excited, and just between you and me, I love camping too.
Whatever the weather.

Pony Camp

2011-08-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

I am one of those mothers who actually likes having my kids around during the holidays. I like planning trips and spending time with them, without our regular day to day constraints.

But it would seem that at the tender age of 6, Sofie does not feel quite the same. For months she has been adamant that during the holidays she wanted to do some sort of day camp. I presented her with a few choices, and naturally pushed the ones with shorter hours (and possibly indoor cafes which served good coffee).

But for Sofie there was really only ever one contender - pony camp. It was held at the stables she rides at once a week, and it ran all day - 9am - 5:30pm. Sofie could not have been more excited, and I ~~gracefully~~ reluctantly accepted her choosing to spend quality time with a bunch of ponies instead of her mother.

So for the past week Sofie has been having riding lessons, mucking out stables, brushing ponies, feeding ponies, pony trekking (which ended in a massive hail storm where the kids and ponies had to shelter in a tunnel), and just generally hanging around with lots of other kids who are as mad about ponies as she is. For Sofie the whole thing has been pretty close to her idea of Heaven.

This afternoon the kids put on a riding show for the parents. What followed is tricky to describe, particularly as I was expecting a bunch of kids on Shetlands to walk in nice circles and show us a few basic horsemanship skills.

What we got looked more like this;

And ended with this (I am still in semi denial that my six year old is sitting on the shoulders of a ten year old, who is sitting on a horse with 2 other kids, and all without her helmet and back protector).

At the end of the whole thing all the kids got a rosette (and lollipop).

And the star of the show? - well he got to roll in the dirt, so everyone was happy.

Berry picking

2011-08-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sofie is still in pony camp all day, and I will do a full update on that after her 'show' tomorrow night. I have no idea what the 'show' actually involves, but I believe it is some sort of gymnastics on horseback - the mind boggles. Anyway Sofie is loving every minute of pony camp - her first ever full day activity - which means that for most of the day it is just Emily and I.

Today Emily decided it would be fun to go berry picking, so we did.

We started with blueberries.

Then we went down the hill to see if there were any blackberries to pick. On the way we passed this sign, which always makes me smile. It says 'See' which means 'lake' in German, and I always wonder about anyone who would need a small wooden sign to direct them to the lake at this point in their walk....

There were ripe blackberries to pick. After coming to this spot to pick fruit for the past 7 years, it still never fails to take my breath away. I love it here.

After our fruit picking efforts (2 kilos in total) we had lunch under a tree, and the day ended with Emily finding a perfect heart shaped stone. She gave it to me for 'being the best Mummy ever in the world'.

A question.

2011-08-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

If you were planning a family trip to a glacier, would you have a totally staged photo taken wearing traditional Swiss dress? Possibly something like this?

Is it just too tacky and touristy for words, or is it so awful it could almost be good?

And if you were to visit a glacier and have the aforementioned photo taken, would you share it publicly - say on a Blog?

Hypothetically speaking of course.....

So how do you know?

2011-08-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

As most people who read this Blog will already know, both DH and I are mother tongue English speakers. At home we are a totally monolingual family.

But we live in the German speaking part of Switzerland, which means the language of our surrounding environment is a mixture of Swiss German and High German. Despite the often held belief that 'everyone speaks at least some English' this simply is not the case in small town Switzerland.

Both girls attend local schools and activities, which are conducted in a confusing mix of both Swiss and High German.

Naturally we (but probably mostly me) worry about this. Is this too hard for our kids, are they learning enough, how will this affect them later in life, is the whole multilingual thing as easy as people say it is, etc?

So after much worry, several years of working out how to best support and encourage language acquisition, and even more worry, I think we have reached a milestone.

Sofie is now officially (in my humble opinion) bilingual. It doesn't sound like much really - lots of kids speak two (or more) languages at age six - but I can now sit back and relax (for a minute or two anyway). For Sofie the hardest part of the battle is almost over, and she knows it. Obviously we need to continue to work on keeping her language skills up to speed, but she can now switch effortlessly between her 2 main languages. She doesn't need to think about it, she is comfortable with both languages, and she often uses both in the same conversation when addressing different people.

For me the acid test of all of this came yesterday when Sofie went to pony riding camp. After a complete break from hearing and speaking German for 3 weeks, she leapt back into a totally German speaking environment without hesitation. Afterward when I asked her how it felt to be speaking German again, she smiled slightly and said, 'good, really good'.

So I guess that now I finally know. I know what it really means to be bilingual, and I know that I will never be. I also know that Sofie is.

She gets it.
She enjoys it.
~~She teaches her sister bad words.~~
She translates stuff for me.
She rocks.
But above all she is still just a very funny, and wonderful little girl.

Happy Birthday!

2011-08-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Happy 720th Birthday Switzerland!

We enjoyed celebrating with you (those of us who weren't off at pony camp - but more on that later in the week).

A new (to us) hike

2011-07-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

We are back in Switzerland after our holiday, and seeing as it is the weekend, it is time to head off on a family hike. The girls were super excited, and today we decided to try somewhere new.

I am almost ashamed to admit that the cable car is less than 10 minutes from our home, and in the 8 years we have lived here, we have never been up this particular mountain. So today was the day.

I checked the web site last night, got cable car times (every 30 minutes in good weather, except for a 90 minute break over lunch - got to love the Swiss and their lunch breaks), and found a nice looking, circular, family friendly walk, with carved wooden animals at various points along the way. Perfect.

We caught the cable car up the hill, and set off on our walk. Within minutes of setting off the hill got pretty steep, and we quickly found ourselves on a very steep, rocky trail. But we plodded on, and the girls were brilliant - not a moan or complaint from either of them, as the terrain got rougher and the hill got steeper. (Oh, and in case you are wondering - yes, Emily is wearing a pumpkin fairy costume).

At one point I was convinced we must be lost, but it turns out that this particular 'family friendly' hike starts with a serious 40 minute uphill climb. It is the most strenuous thing we have ever done with the girls (who are only 6 and 4 after all), and they put me to shame. They trotted up the hill, carrying their own back packs, and aside from asking occasionally when we would stop for lunch, they didn't whine once. If I am honest I needed more stops than they did....

But we did eventually make it to the top, and found a great place for lunch.

And then we continued on a gentle uphill incline through a mixture of open fields and lovely woodland. The path was still narrow and rocky, but the terrain was varied and interesting, and as ever the views were great.

So we hiked some more, stopped for ice cream, talked to some cows, and then hiked even more.

Eventually we got back to the cable car, and all felt a real sense of achievement. It was a great hike, very hard work, but it showed us we are ready to tackle more challenging things now.

Well the kids are anyway......

Our holiday

2011-07-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

we are back from holiday and we had a wonderful time. It is odd really, becasue until we went I didn't really think of it as going on holiday - it was just going 'back'. Back to where we used to visit all the time (when we lived in England). It's funny how when you have stuff on your doorstep it is easy to take it all for granted.

We did some old trips and some new ones, and had a ball.

We went on Safari.

We rode on steam trains.

We climbed to the top of a light house (well all except Mummy, who suddenly discovered a powerful fear of heights at the first level). Those who climbed to the top were rewarded with a fairy at the end (except for Daddy who felt that the view was reward enough, but then he had paid for two adults, and only one adult got their monies worth....)

We went fossil hunting.

And despite me thinking me would never find a fossil, we found loads. First find goes to Emily, who (in less than a minute) bent down, picked up a rock, and declared 'I found a fossil'. Umm, gosh, yes, I guess you did.

We went to the beach (even on the days when the sun didn't shine).

It got warm enough for us to venture into the water.

We hunted for treasure using our new 'kid proof' sat nav (thanks DH).

We found our first micro geo-cache. The under 4's were less than impressed (but more on that in another post).

We were amused by the small things.

But despite all of the obviously wonderful trips and discoveries, some of my favorite moments were the smaller ones. The moments that don't automatically get photographed, but are truly worth remembering;
- watching the girls sit and shell peas with their grandparents
- seeing Emily and Nanna walking around the garden, sharing a plant catalogue, and discussing future planting schemes (heavily featuring the colour blue of course)
- seeing the girls marvel at the baby photos of their Daddy hanging on the walls
- listening to the girls lift the letterbox flap and shriek for their Nanna every time we returned from a trip
and above all the chance to appreciate family, and remind ourselves (and our children) just how lucky we are to have such a good one.

In short the trip was magic - magic of the very best kind.
To those of you who made it happen - you know who you are, and you know we will be back.

Soon.
Very soon.
We love you.

A quick holiday update

2011-07-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well we are here on holiday in England, and having a lovely time. So far we have been to the beach, a wild life park, up a light house (well all except me - I was so petrified I couldn't go past the first level!), on a steam train, to a butterfly garden, to lots (and lots) of parks, and to the pub (well it is England).

The weather is well, English.... We are wearing rain coats and using very little suncream! But the fish and chips are delicious, and the girls are loving staying with their Nanna and Grandad.

All is good (except the weather forecast).

More when we return (including photos) in a week.

Off on holiday

2011-07-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow we are off on holiday for a couple of weeks (assuming I ever get the packing done...).
We have lots of trips planned - steam trains, wild life parks, boats, farms, libraries (with English books), beaches, etc.
I may or may not be able to update, and even if I can I may not have time!
If we are not around for a while its becasue we are off adventuring.
See you when we get back.

A day at the lake

2011-07-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

We are now well and truley into holiday mode, and had a long, lazy morning at home with free choice breakfast (boiled eggs with soldiers, followed up with orange jelly and strawberies), all eaten in our pajamas.

Then, becasue we are off to England tomorrow, we decided to get on with some cleaning, organising and packing. Oh wait, I suggested some of the former, but it was hot and the girls wanted to go to the lake, so I ~~was firm~~ caved in, and took them to the lake. Lucky our flight isn't early, so we can jam stuff into suitcases at the last minute (again).

We visited our favorite mountain badi (Lido), which is about a 30 minute drive from home.

There is a great childrens' play area with lots of pools and chutes, where the girls played with their boats and diggers (I know a digger that sinks is not normally considered a water toy, but I haven't yet managed to convince Emily of this fact).

Then there is the lake.

Emily wasn't so sure about the lake today, but Sofie and I swam in it for ages.

Spending time at the lake is undoubtedly one of the very best parts of our Summers in Switzerland.

Sometimes I wonder....

2011-07-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

Early (very early) this morning the girls joined us in bed.

They didn't see DH last night (business dinner - DH, not the girls) so they were telling him the things he had missed yesterday.

Me: Why don't you tell Daddy what animals you saw at the zoo.
Emily: A dinosaur.
Sofie: A zoo keeper riding a bike.

Umm, am I the only parent out there who sometimes wonders if any of this stuff is making an impact on my kids?
Maybe today we will just stay at home and drink coffee (me, not the girls).

And DH, if you happen to be reading (and I know you are) we did go to the zoo, and we did see some animals. It was a good day, but now you see why I am always taking photos.

The zoo

2011-07-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the zoo, and it looked a bit like this.

Emily fell in love with the Galapagos tortoise, and has now announced she will be a tortoise keeper and live at the zoo when she is grown up. She spent ages watching and chatting to them over the fence, and apparently the tortoises are very excited about her future career path.

Sofie made friends with a lizard (but still wants to be a unicorn when she grows up).

I liked the gecko.

And after visiting this zoo more times than I can count over the years, the kids still always try to get us to push them in one of the unwieldy carts. Emily's argument today was we should push them because they 'are just so cute'.

And as ever, the day ended in the park playing with mud and water. It doesn't get much better than that really.

So all in all, another successful trip to the zoo I think.

And breath out....

2011-07-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

We did it.
We officially survived the manic last week of term, and even more importantly we survived Sofie's first year of school in Switzerland.
Woo Hoo - breath out.

Sofie could not have be prouder coming home from kindergarten for the last time on Friday, lugging her art folder, slippers, and cushion. As soon as she walked in the door Emily and I were told we had to sit down and watch her 'show' Every single item she bought home was discussed and analyzed, and we spent over an hour on the sofa with biscuits and hot chocolate (Sofie's requested snack) admiring her accomplishments over the past 9 months.

And despite all my worries and concerns about placing her into an education system where she didn't speak either of the two languages, everything has turned out fine. Of course it hasn't all been plain sailing, and there have been some very difficult days. Difficult days for Sofie when she was struggling with the language and too tired and fed up to employ her alternative coping strategy (which involves a lot of thinking and concentration). Days when she felt lonely, left out, and confused.
Difficult days for me when I had to simply be there for my child, whilst knowing there was very little I could do to make things easier.

But there have also been good days and huge triumphs. Sofie's language skills have improved enormously, she has started several new extra curricular activities (which she is loving), she has been invited to birthday parties and play dates, and she has simply blossomed.

Right now Sofie is happy, bursting with confidence, and can't wait to start in the first class in August.

As for me, I think I need a holiday first!

Swimming and storms.

2011-07-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

Sofie is tired.
Seriously on her knees, end of term, exhausted.
She isn't sleeping well becasue she is excited and she can't switch off. She spends at least a small portion of each night awake, and thinking about 'stuff'. Or gazing out of the top floor bathroom window at the stars, and thinking about 'stuff'. Or laying in bed next to me, and letting me know what 'stuff' she is thinking about. Or just wandering around the house and not sleeping.

Sofie comes home from school for lunch every day, and normally I really look forward to it. This break in the day offers a chance for us to talk about things that happened in the morning, and for her to switch off for a bit. Of course it also offers the perfect opportunity for her and her sister to drive each other crazy, particularly when one of them is over tired and over emotional, and one of them is Emily.

Today was one of the 'crazy' lunch times, that was filled with taunting and tears, rather than calmness and conversation. We seriously need it to be the holidays.

So initially when a friend mentioned meeting at the lake after school for a swim and picnic dinner I was not keen. The girls are tired, so the last thing they need is to be hauled off to the lake.

And then I realised that being hauled off to the lake was exactly what they needed. My kids are just happier (and therefore simpler to parent) when they are outside. Having lot of space around them makes them less likely to annoy each other and bicker over silly things. Being in a group means they can choose to be with others or choose to be on their own. For me, being out with a friend means that I don't focus on every nuance of their less than perfect behavior, so they often resolve small arguments on their own.

A picnic and swim were clearly exactly what we all needed, so we packed our bag and headed to the lake.

After a short walk we were rewarded with a glorious swimming and picnic area, and a view of some pretty menacing clouds in the distance. The wind picked up and the lightening was flashing and thunder booming by the time we were all in the lake.

But the kids swam and laughed and had fun, and everyone relaxed.

After swimming, we quickly abandoned the idea of a lakeside picnic, and rapidly retreated for an indoor picnic. The children ran on ahead, and thrilled themselves with the adventure of out running the storm, and wove stories about their Mummies who perished in the storm (but who were, in actual fact, just walking a little slower).
It was the perfect activity for a stormy afternoon, and we are grateful to have friends who invited us along on their adventure.

Switzerland

2011-07-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

One of the things that continues to amaze me about Switzerland, is how very 'Swiss' it is.
Seriously, pretty much the whole country looks like a postcard.
You can't travel for 20 minutes without falling over a mountain, or a gorgeous view, or a stunning lake, or a wild flower meadow, or a cow wearing a bell, etc.

The place is just plain breath taking.

I have lived here for 8 years, and this afternoon a friend asked if Emily and I wanted to join them for a short walk. We met at the last minute, less than half a hour from where we live, and the walk we did was wheel chair/ push chair friendly.

This is my life, and frankly it is awesome.

Her first 'true love'

2011-07-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

It's official.
Sofie (age 6) is truly, madly, deeply in love.
None of the parenting manuals that I read, prepare you for this sort of stuff.

Before now Sofie has had special friends, and even best friends, but now she is really in love.
It is more than just friendship.
It is love (with a capital L).

And the object of Sofie's affections?
That would be Dorri the pony, who she is going to marry apparently (and to think I used to worry about her wanting to marry her sister....).

Oh, and she is also going to be a riding instructor and have a stable full of ponies whens he is grown up (but Dorri will live in the garden, becasue she is the most wonderful pony in the world).

Initially I underestimated the depth of her feeling, but you know it is serious when your six year old sniffs her t-shirt, sighs deeply, and says dreamily 'mmmm, ponies' (and then makes everyone else in the family smell her t-shirt too).

Emily

2011-07-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Me: Emily you look sad.
Emily: I am sad Mummy.
Me: Why are you sad?
Emily: Because of my name.
Me: I thought you liked being called Emily.
Emily: I do like the Emily part, but I like other names too.
Me: Well you have other names (she has 2 middle names).
Emily: But the other names aren't the ones I like.
Me: What names do you like?
Emily: I wish my name was Emily Buttercup Daisy Fairy Unicorn Rainbow Mole.
Me: Sorry I asked.....

And Sofie is very into telling jokes right now A friend lent us a joke book, and Sofie thinks they are hilarious. Knock, knock jokes are her favorite, and she repeats the few that she knows often (really, really often).

Emily has been listening avidly, but often doesn't get jokes that clearly rely on complex word play, however knock, knock jokes are easier, and she likes them too. After listening to Sofie tell several last week, Emily announced she too had a knock, knock joke. It was one of those parenting moments where I was prepared to be stunned at the comprehension and imagination of my four year old. Not only dd she get the concept, but she had made up a joke all by herself.
Brace yourself for Emily's first ever 100% original knock, knock joke.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Coffee cup.
Coffee cup who?
Video.

Cue hysterical laughter, and Emily hooting and shrieking at her own brilliance.
As for me - I just don't get it (but it still made me laugh).
We love you Emily, and I think in time you will even forgive us for calling you 'just' plain Emily.

A fine balance

2011-07-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Despite my total lack of Blog updates, we are still here.
In fact we are very much here, and simply busy, but in a good way.

All is good in our small corner of the world. The end of the academic year is fast approaching, and I am forced to stand back and marvel at the progress my two small people have made in the past 10 months. And yet somehow their progress and their natural drift towards greater independence finds me attempting to draw them ever closer. Not in a suffocating way (at least I hope not!) but in an attempt to remain connected, whilst allowing them enough freedom to find themselves. Because of this I have also been taking less photographs than normal, and attempting to focus fully on what we are doing and the people I am doing it with.

Sofie in particular right now is reveling in her journey. She is feeling popular, happy, confident and strong, all of which I am naturally thrilled to see. But a part of me also misses (deeply) the physical bond that we once had. Sofie was always my 'clingy' child. She loved to be carried, she co-slept for what seemed like forever, and we were constantly warned of the dangers of allowing her to be with us constantly. And yet now, at the tender age of six, I feel my role has been reduced to an occasional glimpse of my magical child, flitting from one delight to the next.

Sofie still lives in an imaginary world of magic, reading, unicorns and fairies, and yet this somehow sits comfortably alongside her real world of kindergarten, ballet, horse riding and swimming.

I used to worry constantly about how my sweet and sensitive child would adapt to the outside world, and I am astounded at how she maintains a balance. Sofie is clearly doing far too much, but it is all at her own request, and I am struggling to tell her she can't do certain things. She loves everything she does, bounces out of the door for every activity, and I can't bring myself to be the one to spoil her fun.

And Emily continues to astound both her parents, and I think even herself. After a long and hard struggle Emily has finally discovered the joy of independence, and even found she actually likes it. Her increased self confidence at overcoming her fear of being away from home, is nothing short of miraculous.

Emily is blossoming, and filled with a joyous enthusiasm for trying new things. She is slowly but surely starting to interact more with her peers, yet still remains happy and content with her own company.

Right now we have one week of activities to survive. Of course this is the week that we have all the additional celebrations heaped on top of an already packed schedule. The girls are happy and on a high, but also tired and fragile. The next week will be a real juggling act on my part. I need to get everyone to the places they need to be (ballet photo shoots, pony riding afternoons, end of year aperos, birthday parties, play dates, swim tests, etc) as well as all their normal activities, whilst reaming calm. Our year is set to end on a real high, but only if we can avoid major disaster in the next 5 days.

So yes, we are good right now. We have less than perfect days, but overall this past (academic) year has been a triumph. We are tired and ready for a break, but also feeling good about all we have accomplished.

Tommorows challenges incluued the ballet photo shoot (Sofie), and the kindergarten apero. The times for these 2 activities totally clash, and the apero runs well past the girls usual dinner and wind down time. Plus Sofie fell into a fence last week, and is sporting two rather large and obvious scratches across one side of her face. But aside from that (all fitted around a full day of regular kindergarten) I am sure it will be a breeze.