December Photo Challenge...

So we woke up to huge snowflakes falling from the sky. And, I caught both the boys just staring out the window in a sweet little moment...

Today I'm starting a new photo challenge from now until December 25th - A Christmas Ornament A Day. Blaine and I have been collecting ornaments since we first started dating. In fact, I looked for the very first ornament we purchased on the tree this morning, but it was well-hidden and my patience was lacking. I'm sure I'll find it during the next 25 days.

Anywho, not all of our ornaments are fancy. Some aren't even true ornaments. There are key chains and bookmarks and even a letter holder on our tree. Some ornaments are sentimental. Some are just fun. Some are just funny!

Today's ornament is not sentimental - just something that's near and dear to my heart!

If anyone wants to join in the photo challenge, you can post your pics to Facebook or Instagram with the #ornamentphotochallenge - I'd love to see how you decorate your tree!

P.S. Other blogs will continue during the next 25 days. Fab 5 returns on Friday!

Weekend In Dresden

Our weekend in Dresden, Germany was amazing. Everything I was hoping for! The holiday spirit was abundant! If you haven't been to Dresden and have a chance...you should go. Dresden is home to the world's oldest Christmas market which celebrated its 581st birthday this year. Additionally, while there is one main market, there are many smaller markets set up around the city. Some are more charming than others. (We stopped at one on our way back to the hotel which was basically a bunch of gluhwein stands and drunk locals curling. Not that there's anything wrong with that!) We made it to 6 of the 11 while we were there and I don't feel like we missed a thing.

We arrived Friday night and dropped our bags an immediately walked towards the main market. We were about .7 of a mile away and the walk was brisk, but we knew it would be worth it. And, I have to say, I felt just like a small child when I arrived at Striezelmarkt - the lights and music and people. It immediately felt like Christmas.

Friday night at the market

Hot chocolate for the kids and Lumumba for the adults (hot chocolate with rum)

Caleb and Grayson went up on the ferris wheel and Caleb snapped some amazing pictures

The Market

My favorite picture

Checking things out

One of the shops

We spent a few hours on Friday night just walking around and taking it all in. We made it back to our hotel around 10 and prepared for a busy Saturday.

And of course, Saturday had to start out with some Starbucks. Must have caffeine!

We then decided to check out some of the smaller markets in the area and see some of the sights.

Lots of pictures were taken with various cutouts this weekend

We visited a most beautiful church that had this "angel" out in front of it. Caleb decided he was game to go have his picture taken!

Please note that the one who could always use a little divine intervention decided he was too cool to have his picture taken with the angel.

We saw some amazing architecture while here. I only wish we had sun to highlight the beauty of it all.

We then decided a carriage ride was in order. So we loaded up and covered ourselves with blankets and around town we went.

And...we're off!

You can only imagine how many "fahrt" jokes there were over the weekend! And, it's not often you see a rollerblading Santa!

We visited the medieval Christmas market next. This was not my favorite market - although I did like everyone dressed up in their period outfits and they served great beer, kinderpunsch, and apfel gluhwein!

Lots of kissing opportunities at the medieval market

Then it was time for serious shopping! We weren't in need of many things, but it was fun to look at what everyone was selling.

Tons of Christmas items available

Selfie time

Grayson felt he needed to ride the ferris wheel in the daytime - so Blaine went up today. I think Caleb and I had some more punsch while they were riding.

Daytime views

Main entrance to the biggest market

Another selfie

Of course, there was lots of food and beverage involved! Including some amazing bratwursts and quarkballchen. I think we ate quarkballechen (cinnamon sugar donut holes) until we could eat no more!

Grayson went back to the hotel, but Caleb was in it for the long haul - mainly because he loves to eat and drink!  Where does he get that from?

Shopping

We bought so much cheese and sausage from here that we received a free bottle of wine! 

We headed back to our hotel in the early evening and decided to just have pizza at the hotel as I think our legs were about fall off due to all the walking we did. I was happy for a few beers and an early bedtime. 

Sunday morning we took one last stroll through the markets, grabbed some quarkballchen and hot chocolate and then we were on the road to return to Warsaw.

So that's my wrap-up on Dresden! Definitely a great experience! And, I'm already planning where we'll head next Thanksgiving in Europe to see some additional Christmas markets. I'm thinking Vienna!

Thankful Friday...

It's the final edition of Thankful Friday and it's been a good month. While I'm not huge on the whole #blessed thing...it is nice to reflect upon all the things - big and small - for which you are thankful.

Anyways, we're going to get after it as we're taking off in a little bit for a weekend getaway - and I can't wait!

1. Time to relax. This week I had some time to relax and do my favorite things: drink coffee, browse Pinterest and then implement a few Pinterest ideas. I'm not much of a crafter and usually search Pinterest for recipes, but this week brought a bit of each. I baked out some yummy cinnamon rolls over the weekend, found a few new recipes to try on my family and made some Christmas candy bars for the boys' classes.

Pinterest, winter tea and a fresh cinnamon roll is my idea of a perfect morning

My not so-crafty craft project

2. Fleece tights. Yeah...the weather turned cold this week. We even had snow flurries on the ground one morning, although they didn't last long. After two years in the tropics and a lifetime of never really loving the cold weather and snow...I'm thankful for warm fleece tights. As silly as it sounds - I love them!

Yup...those are snow flurries on the ground!

3. Caleb's Classroom Thanksgiving. I'm so glad I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving in Caleb's class on Tuesday. My friend, Dana, made stuffing and I made mini pumpkin pies, we watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving", discussed what it means to be thankful and had the kids make gratitude ornaments to decorate the Christmas tree that will be displayed in their classroom. It was a nice afternoon and I'm thankful that Caleb has not reached the stage where it is uncool to have your mom come to school.

4. Thanksgiving. We had the great pleasure of spending Thanksgiving with my friend, Chrissie, and her family. Good food, fun and football - what more do you need!? Pictures might have been nice! I forgot to take pictures!!! Oh, well...

5. Travel. And last, but not least, I am thankful for the many opportunities we have had to travel. Today we are driving to Dresden, Germany to go to some of their famous Christmas markets. Dresden has the oldest Christmas market in all of Europe and while the weather is forecast is not fabulous, I am sure we will have a fantastic time exploring.

I hope each of you who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday had a an amazing day with family and/or friends.

Friendships...

This quote turned up on the Two Fat Expats Facebook page the other day...and I just had to "like" it. As someone who has spent the last 10+ years living away from her family - this just rings so true to me. 

We've had to depend on our friends for so much that I can't imagine a world without them. 

It started in Wisconsin with friends who helped watch our children, shared holidays with us, or took long car trips with us halfway across the country and listened to my children rant on about going to HuHot when the only thing in sight was a Burger King. 

Or in Iowa, where there we surgeries, emergency trips to the hospital (because life with two boys has a lot of emergency room visits), fun nights spent hanging out at Group Therapy, along with tearful goodbyes as we moved again.

And of course, Malaysia. Who can forget friends in Malaysia? There were weekends away, morning workouts endured in the heat and humidity and a busted patellar tendon that required the frantic call to a friend because I didn't know how to dial 911. Thankfully, she did. 

And now, Warsaw. We have friends who direct us to where we can get the eldest's forehead stitched up. Or, give us big hugs after the holidays. Or, confirm your suspicions that your son has his first "girlfriend" - whatever that means in the 5th grade.

Some of these things are so small in the grand scheme of life. Really? Is a surprise cup of coffee an indicator of friendship? But, yes...it is. If that person went out of her way to bring it to you...it is. Or a text message or email? Yes. These things can be more of an indicator of friendship than you realize. 

And other things are just huge. I'm not quite sure how we would've survived life in Malaysia when Blaine was in a cast and not mobile without our friends. 

And each summer, I return back to Upstate New York and I'm lucky to spend time with those friends who I've known the longest. And while a year or more has passed since I've seen them each year, I know I can count on them if I needed anything...anything at all.

So...thank you friends. New friends, old friends, close friends, distant friends...thank you.

Thankful Friday...

We've made it to another Friday...and for that I am thankful. This week was extremely long. I don't even know why. But, it was. Maybe it was all of the "stuff" going on in the world (Paris/Beirut/Diverted Flights/Stadium Evacuations) which is always followed by a flood of social media reactions. I find the social media aspect of what is going on to be draining in all honesty. The constant barrage of nonsense in my newsfeed. The views of many that are so narrow-minded and without basis that I find myself sitting on my hands to keep from typing out words that I know would truly make no difference in changing someone's mind. And then, while I'm sitting on my hands, I ask myself if maybe I really should get in someone's grill about their opinions. But, alas, I know better than to engage in a foolish fight. So I remain quiet.

And while I'm quiet on social media about certain things, I am not quiet at home. We talk about what is happening in the world right now. We talk about how we feel. We make sure our children know what is happening. We help them to process it all. We make sure we are teaching them the right things...or at least those things that we believe to be right.

And while my children are no longer "little," I'm always reminded of this:

Perhaps, my children will one day make the world a little better. One day.

But, my intention was not to write a "heavy" blog today. It is, after all, thankful Friday. So let me share my five thankful items.

1. Grayson. Ah yes, this little monkey tries my patience almost everyday. Many days he tries my patience multiple times per day. But, I've decided, that is why he is is here in our family. He is here to make me a better mom. Lost swim bags, smart ass comments, homework time which makes me crazy...also makes me better. And for all the times where I truly want to strangle him, he has equally as many times where he is funny and loving and just a great kid. So thank you Grayson!

Little man at his soccer tournament last weekend...

That face...

2. Dancing. Okay...so those of you who read this blog can never, ever tell Caleb that you saw this video - even though he shared it with me and it's out there on YouTube - he would still kill me! But, if you just want to put a smile on your face then watch this video! Wait a few seconds for the sound to kick in!

Yup! The kid's got some moves that I've never seen before!

3. Date Night. Yes,  I am just thankful for date night. Thai food and a movie and no kids. Seriously simple, but it was seriously needed. I was very happy to see "Burnt" at the movies. (And, while not fabulous - was also not terrible. And really...two hours of Bradley Cooper can never be bad!) So yes, date night makes my thankful list.

4. Friends from Afar. Oh, thank you, thank you for my durian postcard Vidatha peeps! You are missed more than you know!!

5. Waze. I am thankful for Waze. I'm going to be really honest and say that I have no sense of direction and Waze is my lifesaver. Even with Waze I can get lost. But, Waze always rescues me! Always! So thank you, Waze!

Okay...Thankful Friday is complete. Time to get the kids a quick breakfast and send them on their merry way! Enjoy your weekend!!

I'm off...

to my Polish lesson. This language frustrates the hell out of me. And, I'll admit...I'm not highly motivated. I started strong, but my interest is waning. Mainly because I know I can survive without it. I need to find a way to get my mojo back, but that probably won't happen 'til after the holidays. (I should probably ask Santa to bring me a little mojo - for Polish, for working out...for a whole bunch of things that have fallen by the wayside lately.)

Thankfully, I moved today's lesson out of my house and to the mall...mainly because I need a change of scenery and a cup of Starbucks. Today I'll make it through 90 minutes by focusing on the Starbucks. I see a big red cup containing a caramel latte in my future!

Ted Talks...

After my ranting post last week regarding the art teacher, I reached out to a few friends. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't completely crazy in thinking that there is no way in hell that my 5th grader should be crying over art. I wanted to make sure I wasn't over reacting (which, I will admit that I can do sometimes). I wanted to check that my educational perspective wasn't so antiquated in thinking this was unacceptable that perhaps I needed some retooling myself. And, thankfully, these people confirmed that I wasn't completely off my rocker. In fact, one of them even went as far as to help me write the most fantastic passive-agressive email to the teacher - which made me feel 110% better! (I, of course, deleted and did not send said email. You know...because I'm an adult.)

And, several people reached out to me. One of them sent me a link to a Ted Talk by Brene Brown and it is just amazing! I'm sure many of you know Brene Brown and probably have watched her Ted Talks, but I had not until last week. If you haven't watched them...I'm here to encourage you to take two 20 minute chunks of your time and watch these two Ted Talks. The first one is about: The Power of Vulnerability. And here's the link:

The second one (which is the one that was sent to me) is about: Listening to Shame. And here's that one:

I hope you enjoy both of these as much as I did. I hope you can apply what she talks about in some way to your own life. I know as a parent, I took a little something from each of them...and truly believe everyone can.

Occasionally I Feel The Urge...

to bitch slap people. It's not that often. In fact, it's quite rare. But, it does happen.

This morning was one of those times. Thankfully, this woman was not here nor did I have the time to go and deal with her.

But, I will say that I will not have my son crying over art. ART!!! I. Will. Not. And this morning, we had tears because he was behind in an art project (due to two necessary trips downtown to deal with Visas) and his teacher told him that he was the reason their entire class was now behind and wasn't able to paint. Until he was caught up no one would be allowed to paint. Seriously? What if my child was out sick for two weeks? Is the entire class not going to be allowed to paint until he returns? Does she truly think my child is the next Vincent Van Gogh? (I can tell you...He is not!)

Now, this is not the first instance I have been unhappy with this teacher, but I let the first one slide. After all, I'm a teacher. 99% of the time - no matter what my child says - I back the teacher.

But, now I have to put on my diplomacy hat and figure out how I'm going to handle this. We must work with this teacher until June (After which, word on the street says, her contract has not been renewed! Hmm...wonder why?) and I don't want to make it any tougher on Caleb.

Wish me luck! Diplomacy has not not been my strong suit lately!

Thankful Friday...

Hey peeps! Another Thankful Friday is here! Lots of things I could put on the list this week. In fact, I had a hard time narrowing it down, but narrow it I did. And, I'm just going to get after it as I have two loaves of bread to bake out and a huge batch of homemade macaroni and cheese to put together!

1. My Family Back Home. So we bought a lake house a few weeks ago and I have to say that we are very lucky that my family lives close and has volunteered to keep an eye on the place and help us as needed. Well, last Thursday my parents and my brother spent a major portion of their day raking ALL the leaves at the place. And it was a ton! My mom kept sending me pictures while they were working - with all sorts of funny captions! I can't thank them enough for helping us while we're away! Even though many miles separate us, I know that we can always count on them to help us out!

That's a lot of leaves!

2. Good Health. So this was my week to go to the children's hospital to do crafts. (By the way, we made the cutest fish out of CDs with the kids!) Each week when I leave, I am reminded how truly we blessed (and I really don't like the word "blessed" - can we say how overused #blessed is?!?!) we are to be healthy and have healthy kids. When you see little ones with no hair and IV ports or stitches on their skull or parents who are exhausted and obviously frazzled, but trying to put up a good front, you can't help but be thankful. It just hits you like a ton of bricks at times. And this week it hit me. All I can say is that I am grateful for good health for me and my family.

3. Caleb's Friends. Caleb had a small get together to celebrate his 11th birthday last weekend. It was dinner at Blue Cactus, Spectre at the movies and a sleepover. I have to say, the boys he is friends with are genuinely nice kids. They were polite, respectful, and very funny! Everything you wish for when your child is seeking out new friends.

Enjoying some virgin margaritas and quesadillas

4. My Husband. Of course I'm thankful for him! Everyday! But, this past weekend he spent numerous hours helping me with a little "craft project" - that I thought would be so easy - and definitely turned out to be harder than expected. He also helped decorate my house for the holidays! Yes, I know it's early! But, we love Christmas! All of us! And, he surprised me and brought home candles one night! So thank you, Blaine for allowing me to indulge in my holiday craziness a bit early!

5. Winter Tea. So I told you last week that I had tried Winter Tea - which is this Polish drink that shows up on the menus this time of year! Well, after asking around it looks like I've pretty much figured out how to make it! Raspberry syrup, hot water, honey, an orange slice with cloves, ginger (when you remember to serve it!) and a cinnamon stick! And, this just makes me happy! A welcome change from my coffee addiction! And, you can't beat the folks I drank tea with this week!

And there you have it! Caleb had his stitches removed last weekend and he will be cleared for sports as of tomorrow! Thank goodness as he has been super grouchy sitting on  the sidelines! Grayson has a soccer tournament Saturday afternoon and Blaine and I are planning a date night for tomorrow evening! I've been dying to see "Burnt" at the theaters - so hopefully, we can see it this weekend! What do you have planned this weekend?

Thankful Friday...

Happy Friday Everyone!! How was your week? Things here are good. The week started with plenty of sunshine and it hasn't been too cold - so that has been lovely. Caleb is recovering from his run-in with a goal post and the stitches should come out this weekend. (Phew! He's missed soccer, PE and basketball all week and he's been a touch grumpy with the lack of sports! Let's get those stitches out so he can get back to practice and PE!) Grayson has been busy with school activities and sports and a smidge of driving me insane. And, Blaine spent the latter part of the week visiting some plants and customers in southern Poland. So...we're all happily into our routines.

For the month of November, the blog will be dedicated to "thankful things." This doesn't change much from the normal tone of Fab 5 Fridays, but November does seem to lend itself to thankfulness with the American holiday of Thanksgiving coming up at the end of the month. So thankful I shall be! No thing too big or too small! And, here we go!

1. Caleb. Caleb turned 11 yesterday. So hard to believe. His baby picture showed up in my Facebook newsfeed for TBT and it was hard to believe he was ever so little. He is such a great boy/kid/young man. He is caring and polite and smart and funny and quiet. Well, he's got a million good qualities. Anyways, I'm definitely thankful for Caleb!

2. New Friends. We went to a Halloween party last Friday night and Saturday night we had friends over for dinner and football. I can say that I'm thankful for new friends. And, I'm thankful that Blaine is making new friends. As the stay-at-home spouse, I find it's easier for me to make friends, especially with the school connection. But, I think for Blaine, it's much harder when you are working and spend so much time with only your colleagues. Maybe he would disagree, and this is only my take on things, but we had two very enjoyable evenings last weekend filled with lots of laughs! (Ask me to tell you the story of a Polish man we met who was practicing his English while in Britain many years ago and told us a hilarious story about the difference between cement and semen. Well, you can probably guess where that's going!)

3. Our Fireplace. I just love having a fireplace. Love it! And yes, while it would be easier to have a gas fireplace where I could easily flip the switch and my fire would be going, the wood one we have is great! It makes our house so cozy! So cozy that even the kids seem to leave their room and join us when the fireplace is going!

4. Time to Blog and Coffee. I'm so grateful for Friday morning blog time. Many of the mid-week posts are done on the fly - often while helping kids with homework or as I prep dinner, but not Friday. I've taken to sitting at the bar (in my home) on Fridays with a cup of coffee, staring out the window and banging out the Fab 5/Thankful Friday post. It's my time. Uninterrupted time to think, blog, plan the next week, send friends some catch-up emails...and it's wonderful.

5. My Parents' Visit. My parents are coming to visit in December and my mom and I have the countdown going. I cannot wait! Everyday I check my little countdown calendar to see how many days we have left - and it's going so quickly! It will be here before we know it!

So there's it is, folks! The first Thankful Friday! What are you thankful for this week?

Handmade Christmas Ornaments...

Yes, I know it's only November 4th. But, Halloween is over and we can now jump to my two favorite holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas! Woohoo!

Today I was invited on this cool little excursion to visit a small, in-house Christmas ornament making workshop. It's truly in this man's home. He and his wife started the business and now his son assists them. They have hired a few people to help them - one man blows the glass, one man cuts the sharp edges off once they cool and inserts the ornament hangers, and then two women hand paint them. And, they work at this year round - so the house is chocked full of their beautiful work.

Working with the glass. This man was quite nice and joked about his singed hair and eyebrows.

Cutting off the ends of the glass after it cools.

Hand painting and "glittering" the ornaments

In a little over a week they will ship their ornaments off to various vendors who will sell them in the Polish Christmas markets - so we were very fortunate to be able to purchase them before they get marked up in the markets.

Boxes ready to go to vendors

And yes, I did buy several ornaments today. But, I was amazed by the reasonable prices and know that every time I put them on my tree, I will be reminded of our time here in Poland.

My haul of Christmas ornaments

The day ended with all of us having a relaxing lunch at Milanova and enjoying some yummy soup and winter tea. ***NOTE: Must find out how to make winter tea! Truly delicious!***

Dana and I enjoying lunch (Photo Credit - Jennifer!)

And of course, left me with a longing to decorate my house for the holidays. But, soon enough...soon enough.