The Dreaded WhatsApp Group...

It's Monday. I really don't mind Mondays. My kids go to school. My husband goes off to work. I stay home and get a lot of stuff done at the house. It's a good day.

But, then my WhatsApp starts binging. Normally,  I love WhatsApp. I use it a ton to communicate with friends here and those far away. And, I'm a part of several WhatsApp groups for various things. Nine times out of 10, I find WhatsApp an enjoyable and useful part of my daily life.


But, not on Mondays.

Mondays starts the constant barrage of messages from people who are unable to keep their commitment to one of the groups I'm in. We committed to an activity for the entire year. It takes place on Tuesdays. And truly, it's not a chore. But, there are members of this group that I haven't seen in months. I'm not sure I'd recognize them even if I did see them.

Do you know why I don't know who they are?

Because every Monday starts the constant flow of "I can't make it" or "I hope to be there next week" messages.

And, I hate these messages.

We all have things that crop up in our lives and make us occasionally unable to make it to an activity. Your child is sick. You are sick. A trip comes up. Your refrigerator is on the fritz and you have to wait for a repairman. Family is visiting from far away. All legitimate reasons to not be able to come.

But, seriously? Do these things happen EVERY week on the day you committed to be a part of the group?

So on this Monday as my WhatsApp continues to bing, I will try and reschedule the refrigerator repairman who is coming tomorrow to fix the control panel that fried itself yesterday.  And, I will keep my Tuesday morning commitment because that's what it is...a commitment. And, I know the definition of commitment.

Fab 5 Friday...

It's F-R-I-D-A-Y!! Woohoo! This week the kids have been on vacation and life has been pretty easy-breezy - with the exception of a return trip to the doctor for Caleb's strep throat - but thankfully, he's on the mend.

So what have we been up to this past week? Well, let's get after it!

1. Caleb & Basketball. We were very happy to learn that Caleb made the Warsaw travel team for basketball. Of course, he was even happier! The smile Sunday morning when we told him was priceless. He will be playing on a team with 10 Polish boys, 1 Hungarian (who is a friend of his from school) and of course, C-Money, the lone American. Thankfully, his coach speaks English and I think this will be a great thing for all of the boys involved. They have a tournament in April in Katowice, Poland and lots of practice until then.

2. Gdansk and Sopot. We decided to stay in Poland for this holiday. And, it worked out perfectly! Blaine could work and we could travel with him to see some parts of Poland that we had yet to visit. We drove to Gdansk on Monday and had fun walking around the Old Town area, visiting the Hard Rock (after all, we needed the Hard Rock bottle opener to add to our collection) and doing a little shopping.

They can sniff out a Hard Rock anywhere!

Old Town Gdansk

Selfie time!

A little prezzie for me!

In the afternoon, we headed to Sopot as that's where we were staying. Spent some time exploring the pier before margaritas and Mexican for dinner. (It was National Margarita Day you know!?)

I've often wanted to put a net over him!

The pier, selfies and love locks

Margaritas all around!

Blaine spent Tuesday with one of his sales guys and the boys and I enjoyed a lazy day! Coffee, the pier again for some pictures with the sun shining, time at the pool and some movies in the room. Fabulous!

Heading into Crooked House for coffee

Blaine returned in time for a late dinner and we opted for Thai food at Panaya as it was recommended to us by friends. It definitely did not disappoint! Cooked and served by some lovely Thai women, we had a fantastic dinner and the waitress was able to recommend some Thai restaurants here in Warsaw for us, too!

Blaine worked Wednesday morning at the plant in Gdansk and we were going to visit Malbork Castle (the largest castle in the world) on the way home, but Caleb's strep throat returned with a vengeance and all we could do was drive home so that he could make it to the doctor. (I will say he is much improved today with his new set of meds kicking in!)

And that was the extent of our travels. I definitely want to go back to Sopot again when the weather is warmer and, hopefully, then we can visit the castle.

3. Travel Plans. I also spent this week trying to work on some travel things. May will definitely be a busy month as we return from spring break on May 2 and then the following week, Blaine and I head to Paris for a few days as he has a conference there. (A big round of thanks to Jennifer who has graciously said she would watch the boys for those days!!!) And, at the end of May, we will all head to Madrid for the CrossFit Meridian Regionals and some sightseeing. I still need to book the flights and the hotel for Madrid, but I think I've got it all narrowed down. 

4. Resumes. I sent my resume out for two jobs yesterday and received two positive responses. One of them definitely sparks my interest and the other, well, not so much! The one that I'm really loving is part-time (10-20 hours per week) and allows me to work from anywhere and would have me writing blog entries, sales emails and marketing content. Keep your fingers crossed that we can make this one work out! 

5. Friends Booked For Summer. Blaine and I had to laugh on Sunday morning as emails and messages came in from both of the families that were planning to visit us this summer saying that they had booked their flights and would be coming our way! (The messages were within minutes of each other!) We will be so happy to see you this summer Klutts Family and Reimbold Family! Let's hope for lots of warm sunshine, cold beverages and some good grilling weather!

And that brings the Fab 5 to an end. I'll bring you another edition next Friday! Until then...make it a good one!

Fab 5 Friday...

YAY! Today is the final day of school and then the kids have the next week off! Woohoo! I'm excited as this means a week with no homework, no real schedule, and a quick trip to Sopot, Poland thrown in there, too!

Blaine has been busy working. He was in west Poland this week for several days. Next week he'll work while we're in Sopot. And, he's still waiting on the Polish government to render their decision on this business acquisition - which just seems like it's taking forever. Hopefully, a decision will come soon!

Okay...let's get to what you came here for...the Fab 5!

1. Caleb and Basketball. So Caleb has been playing basketball on Sundays with an outside group that comes to the school to instruct the kids. This past week we received an email that he'd been chosen to tryout for the Warsaw travel team that this outside group will coach. This weekend 24 boys from all over Warsaw will tryout for 12 spots on this team. The great thing is, his friend, Minwoo, will also tryout - so he won't be the only English speaker at tryouts. I have no idea if he will make the team, but, it sure is nice to hear that his coach recognizes his hustle and hard work.

Caleb and Minwoo

2. Thaisty. Had the chance to go to Thaisty on Saturday night with friends...and it was delicious! The head chef/owner is a woman from Bangkok and her food was amazing! Was a little sad that they were out of Singha that night, but the food more than made up for it! I have to say that it made me want to be back in Asia again. Missing the warmth, the outdoor cafes, and the good food. But, at least we know of a local place that can provide us with some Asian comfort foods when we need it!

3. Annie. Grayson and I had a "date" to go see the elementary school production of Annie. I had to laugh at this so-called "date" because he ditched me no more than 3 minutes after we sat down so he could go sit with his friends. Thankfully, some other moms also got ditched and we just sat together. The kids who were in the show did a great job! And the teachers, staff, and older students who helped with the production should receive a big round of applause.

After the show...Mr. Benson (Grayson's teacher) was the director

4. Favorite Things Exchange. A friend hosted a coffee morning/favorite things exchange this week. You brought three of your favorite Polish things to share and you left with three new things. I loved that everyone brought different items and it was a great morning chatting with friends.

The things I came home with...

5. TV. Yes, television makes the list this week. I started watching "Gilmore Girls" as I never watched it when it was originally on television - and I love it! Total Lorelai and Luke addict here! And..."The Walking Dead" is back and that return episode this week kicked ass! WOW!! Good stuff! 

And there you have it, peeps! Another week, another Fab 5!

Safe travels to all my friends heading away on vacation next week! Have fun wherever you are going!

Fab 5 Friday...

So...I'm going to be really honest. I spent most of this week in a very cranky mood. And the vast majority of my crankiness stemmed from my children's school. I'm still not over it entirely, but it's getting better. And, you know, it's Friday - it's hard for me to be cranky on a Friday.

Well, you're not here for a dissertation on my bad mood. You are here for Fab 5 Friday. Without further ado...

1. Girls Night. We had girls night last week. This involved fun beverages and a fabulous chocolate tasting! And, of course, lots of laughs and good conversation.

2. PTO Bingo. The PTO sponsored bingo Sunday afternoon with a beach theme. My kids had a blast! Tons of prizes for the little dudes! And, the best part...I didn't have to cook as pizza was provided!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

3. Roses. We once again live in a country where flowers are soooooo inexpensive. And people just seem to be selling them everywhere. My lovely husband picked me up some roses while we were out last Saturday morning and I have enjoyed them all week as they sit on the bar next to my laptop.

4.  Birthday Brunch. We celebrated a birthday on Monday at Flaming & Co. It was a fabulous brunch with some awesome women as we celebrated the always wonderful, Belinda! 

Liz, Belinda and Me

5. The Deed. Yes, we finally have the corrected deed and all the needed paperwork to file it for our summer house. This has been a long and headache-inducing process, but I'm happy to say that as soon as it gets filed - we're all good. Just 124 days until we get to head home!

Okay...need to finish cutting up some sugar cookie bars for Caleb's class party today. And then, if you can believe it...I'm going to do some yoga. Try not to laugh people. (Oh, come on...I hear you laughing!) But, everyone is telling me it's good for me...so I'll give it another go!

Enjoy your weekend with your sweethearts! 

  

I am a teacher...

I am a teacher. Forever and always. While I may not be currently teaching, I am still a teacher. Even when I took jobs in other areas...I was still teaching in one way or another.

And, because I'm a teacher, I side with teachers 99% of the time. If a teacher says that my child is being a lazy, idiot in class...I am going to believe the teacher. He didn't do his homework. I'm not going to make excuses for my child. I'm going to ride his ass about why it wasn't done. You know that phrase "The customer is always right"? For me it is, "The teacher is always right."

But, occasionally, you come across a teacher who is so out of touch with teaching that you have to wonder where the hell she came from. This is the teacher I am dealing with now. And, while I would like to say I took the high road in my handling of the situation - I did not.

I just sent an email to this teacher that ended with "I wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors." That sounds harmless enough, right? But, what you need to know is that this teacher has been fired and will not be returning to our school next year. So yes, that was my little passive-aggressive shot at this teacher. And, while I wish I felt bad about it...I did nothing but smile as I hit the "Send" button.

Yup...still smiling.

The Year of the Monkey...

On this first day of the Year of the Monkey...it seems appropriate to share this tale:

A group of psychologists performed an experiment years ago, in which they started with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, they hung a banana on a string with a set of stairs placed under it. Before long, a monkey went to the stairs and started to climb towards the banana. As soon as he started up the stairs, the psychologists sprayed all of the other monkeys with ice cold water. After a while, another monkey made an attempt to obtain the banana.  As soon as his foot touched the stairs, all of the other monkeys were sprayed with ice cold water. It's wasn't long before all of the other monkeys would physically prevent any monkey from climbing the stairs.

Now, the psychologists shut off the cold water, removed one monkey from the cage and replaced it with a new one. The new monkey saw the banana and started to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attacked him.  After another attempt and attack, he discovered that if he tried to climb the stairs, he would be assaulted. Next they removed another of the original five monkeys and replaced it with a new one. The newcomer went to the stairs and was attacked. The previous newcomer took part in the punishment with enthusiasm!

Likewise, they replaced a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey tried to climb the stairs, he was attacked. The monkeys had no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they were beating any monkey that tried.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys had ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approached the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been around here.

There are few things I hate more than hearing, "That's the way we've always done it." HATE IT! I find that most people who say those words are either opposed to change or lazy. Either way it's unacceptable. 

So please...the next time you hear yourself say, "That's the way we've always done it." - JUST STOP!!! Take a step back and know that those words are not a valid response. Change is hard people. I get it. But, it's not impossible...and it just might lead to better things.

Fab 5 Friday...

A quiet Friday morning with coffee, Gilmore Girls, and a seat at my favorite spot...

Yup...it's a pretty good day! And I even have my Chinese New Year lanterns hanging!

So what's been happening here in Poland? Yeah...let's count it down!

Fab 5 Friday!

1. Fat Thursday. So here in Poland, before Lent begins, they celebrate Fat Thursday. I know...we're used to Fat Tuesday most places, but here it's Fat Thursday. And it's a day filled with all sorts of yummy treats - the two faves being paczki and faworki. 

Paczki are donuts filled with marmalade - most often rose marmalade. And, faworki - also known as angel wings - which are friend pieces of dough smothered in powdered sugar.

Here are some paczki and faworki that I picked up for the family yesterday!

But, I have to say my favorite moment of Fat Thursday was seeing this posted on a friend's Facebook page:

Muahahaha!! 

2. Italian Treats. Blaine spent all week in Milan and I sent him a request to bring home Ritz crackers. Yeah, silly, but we can't get them here - so that was my big request. But, my rockin' hubby solidified his #1 status by bringing home not only Ritz, but Rice Krispies and parmigiano reggiano, prosciutto, salami, coffee and a new coffee press. R-O-C-K-S-T-A-R!!

3. WOD Talk. Once again, joining WOD Talk's media team for the CrossFit Open this year. Unfortunately, CrossFit HQ is no longer handing out any media passes to anyone other than CrossFit HQ writers and photogs (Can we say "control freaks"?), but that's okay. I think Susan is planning to come to Madrid and it will be awesome to see some of the big names in CrossFit compete.  I went over to the WOD Talk website to find an email address and just had to smile to see that I'm still in the top contributors for the month - even though I haven't submitted anything recently. Time to get off my butt and write!

4. Dinner Out. Had a great night out at Butchery & Wine catching up with some friends last Saturday. Yummy steak, a few adult beverages and some laughs before saying goodbye to the Wagners at Sheesha Lounge.

5. Countdown. Oh, yeah...the countdown to summer and heading home is on!! 

I'm practicing my margarita making skills and plans are already being made for the 4th of July! Bring on summer!

And there you have it! I'd like to wish Gong Xi Fa Cai to all of my friends celebrating! I have very fond memories of last year's Chinese New Year with Blaine, Betsy, Kirk, Michelle and Craig, many cocktails, dinner at Souled Out and the hugging of a very cute goat! Definitely Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Goodbyes...

Seriously?! It's only February 1st and we've already had our first expat goodbye party here in Poland.

I'm going to be really honest and say that I came to Warsaw with this idea that I wouldn't be friends with anyone that I knew was leaving within the year. I KNOW! Isn't that terrible? But, seriously! One of my first questions when we first moved here was, "So...how long have you been here? And how long is your contract for?" And really, I wasn't making polite conversation. I was deciding if I was going to invest my time and energy into establishing a friendship.

But, that strategy quickly went out the window. 

I've made friends with several people I know are leaving this year. And, I'm sure there will be more friends that will be leaving in June as we all know the big spring corporate shuffle is still to come! And, while I hate the idea that they're leaving...I'm so grateful for all of the fun times we've had/we're having while they're here. (And yes, I secretly say a little prayer that maybe they'll have to stay here in Warsaw a little longer!) 

And, I know that every expat has seen this quote...but, it is so true.

So Aimee and family...I hope you have amazing adventures and know that I'm so glad we got to know each other these past few months!