Something you don't want to happen while driving your car in a foreign country with two kids in the back seat: have a tractor trailer run into the car behind you, pushing that car into your rear bumper.
Silver lining: the other car's passenger speaks some English.
Tarnished silver lining: The police will not arrive to the scene of the accident for a "long while, since this is happening everywhere". But wait! There's a police car with 2 officers, just six cars behind us. What luck! .... HA!!! Right! Watch them as they....pass...us....by. Oh, and rubberneck at our accident as they drive past. Of course.
Thankfully, my bumper only received a few minor scratches. Marcus was hungry, it was cold and rainy, and I wasn't in the mood to wait an hour with 2 kids in the car to discuss a scratched bumper in Czech. So with the other drivers' permission, we left the scene after 30 minutes.
I wonder why I have such a splitting headache today?
Frostíčku
Sunday, January 28, 2007
After one year on the lam, our little Frostíčku (that's my interpretation of a Czech person addressing Frosty in an adoring, "cute, little Frosty" sort of way) has returned to our garden. We (i.e. Lydia) have been looking for him since he mysteriously disappeared one day last year. He returned with a slightly more feminine look this year but Lydia seems pleased to have a snowgirl and has renamed her (very originally): Lydia.
Then Goldilocks said "This bed is just right!"
We have finally made the transition joining the ranks of girls with big beds. We're the lone holdouts since Mommy just couldn't face giving up her daughter's predicatable sleeping patterns... sort of like my own personal big wooden security blanket with railings. However, upon further discussion with Daddy, I had to admit that it would be a little awkward when Lydia has her first sleepover at 8 years of age and all of her little friends snuggle into their sleeping bags and Lydia turns around and climbs into her crib. Ahhh... we can no longer postpone the inevitable.
So we've had two weeks of talking up the big bed. A week of admonishment that she is NOT to get out of her big bed until Mommy or Daddy come to get her. And 1 day of bed assembly, including 2 trips to Ikea for the correct parts.
The result? First night a success! Only 2,185 nights to go (plus naptimes). I figure by the time she's 8 years old she can be trusted to exit her bed as necessary.
Birthdays are fun in any language
Saturday, January 27, 2007
What I love best about living in Prague is the variety of cultures and people we are privileged to interact with. I think it's such a rich experience for our entire family. The Monday morning playgroup Lydia, Marcus and I attend includes mothers and their children from Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Hungary, Russia, Turkey and Slovenia to name a few. In fact, we are the only Americans!This particular Saturday morning we, as a family, were invited to the 3-year birthday party of one of our playgroup friends. We all had a wonderful time celebrating with Elisabetta, her parents and little brother. On our way home we realized that once again, we had the pleasure of spending time with people from so many different backgrounds: South America, Italy, Hungary and Belarus... How cool! At one point, Elisabetta's Italian grandfather was playing with a little Czech boy, Jakub. They were each speaking their native language but somehow they managed to communicate and even seemed to understand one another.
What?!? Can it be?!?! Lydia is sitting still and everyone else is moving???
The first documented Czech-American farming partnership
Winter Cometh
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
File it under: Things that were bound to happen
Starting last night and continuing and continuing and continuing some more, we are getting a winter's worth of snow in one shot. Seems the whole country was blissfully living life as though winter was just going to pass us by this year. Ah, but it wasn't meant to be and now we are all frantically bustling about wondering how we'll ever get from here to there. Planes are grounded, buses are stuck, trams are jamming and here I am, looking out my windows with a sudden hankerin' for some hot cocoa. Doesn't feel right to indulge in the hot cocoa though, without first shoveling the snow. Guess the hot cocoa will have to wait. I'm not much for shoveling.
Unfortunately, it appears as if Prague's snow removal gurus attended the same Snow Removal for Dummies course as the folks in Maryland.
Step 1: Dump sand on the road.
Step 2: Dump sand on the road.
Step 3: DO NOT lower your plow blade and remove the snow!
Step 4: Dump sand on the road.
Yes, it's one nasty slushy mess out there and now that it's refreezing, isn't it time to dump more sand??? Boy, I sure miss those good ol' Iowa snow removal experts. You know, the one's that remove the snow.
If someone sees a runaway crab sandbox please let us know. We seem to have misplaced ours under the snow.
Starting last night and continuing and continuing and continuing some more, we are getting a winter's worth of snow in one shot. Seems the whole country was blissfully living life as though winter was just going to pass us by this year. Ah, but it wasn't meant to be and now we are all frantically bustling about wondering how we'll ever get from here to there. Planes are grounded, buses are stuck, trams are jamming and here I am, looking out my windows with a sudden hankerin' for some hot cocoa. Doesn't feel right to indulge in the hot cocoa though, without first shoveling the snow. Guess the hot cocoa will have to wait. I'm not much for shoveling.
Unfortunately, it appears as if Prague's snow removal gurus attended the same Snow Removal for Dummies course as the folks in Maryland.
Step 1: Dump sand on the road.
Step 2: Dump sand on the road.
Step 3: DO NOT lower your plow blade and remove the snow!
Step 4: Dump sand on the road.
Yes, it's one nasty slushy mess out there and now that it's refreezing, isn't it time to dump more sand??? Boy, I sure miss those good ol' Iowa snow removal experts. You know, the one's that remove the snow.
If someone sees a runaway crab sandbox please let us know. We seem to have misplaced ours under the snow.
If at first you don't succeed
Friday, January 19, 2007
We made our return visit to Sokol this morning. Overall, things went MUCH better this week. Of course, we still had our flop-on-the-floor moments but if we didn't, I'd wonder what happened to my daughter. At least it's silent flopping. We'll keep working on that. Once again, I had to rely quite heavily on my translating friends but that's o.k.; We're leaping WAY outside of our comfort zones and that's good enough for me.
Balancing
Swinging
Tunneling 
Jumping
Priorities
I went in Lydia's room on Saturday morning to wake her up and had only taken 2 steps into her room when the first words out of her mouth were "I want to go to the coffee shop". Hey, when Daddy works long hours, you take your Saturday morning family time very seriously!
Coffee Heaven, if you're reading this, we might know where you could find your next spokesperson... We'll work on her hairdo!
Coffee Heaven, if you're reading this, we might know where you could find your next spokesperson... We'll work on her hairdo!
"Just waitin' for my weekly pick-me-up"
The sweetness of friends
Oh, how I did not know the value of having visitors so quickly after returning from Christmas in the States! A colleague of Brandon's was here for work this week and his wife, Monika, and their 8-year old daughter, Sophie Ann, came along. This gave Lydia and I an opportunity to spend some time with them -- dinner Monday night while the guys worked late, a morning playland adventure on Thursday and then on Friday we all went out for dinner. Lydia loved Sophie Ann, and Sophie Ann loves Nellie, so it was all good!
Since many of our regular weekly activities have still not resumed from the holiday break, and since I'm not too proud to admit I have had a bit of difficulty transitioning emotionally back into life in Prague it was a true blessing from God that these friends were here to spend some time with us.
Ready to Sokol-cise.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Or not.
We were invited by a Czech mother in our playgroup to try out the nearby Sokol. What is a Sokol, you ask? Well, it was instituted in the 1920s after then-Czechoslovakia became an independent state from under the Austo-Hungarian Empire. It was started to encourage the people to exercise as a healthy form of living. Official Sokol was discontinued under the Communists (although they instituted their own form of mass population exercise) and then was re-instituted in 1989 after the Revolution. There's your history lesson for today.
Anyway, I thought it sounded like an interesting Friday morning activity for Lydia and I, and even though it is all in Czech I figured it would be simple enough for us to follow along. And we'd always have the help of our Czech friend.
Ok. I admit it was probably a bit intimidating for an almost 3-year-old when the teacher kicked off the class by having us all stand in a line while she shouted some rhyme at us in Czech. I tried to follow along with the hand motions and feet stomping, but Lydia would have nothing to do with it.
Then we played this game where the teacher put all different colored plastic bottle caps in the middle of the room and she recited a rhyme (something about a stork's head changing colors, I'm told). When she called out a stork's head color the kids had to run and get a bottle cap of that color. I was quite impressed with myself that I could pick out the color word from the whole mess of words she was saying and tell Lydia which one to get... and Lydia actually participated in this one and even smiled on occasion!
The comprehension ended there. Cue the grinning, clueless foreign mommy and her flopping on the floor daughter. We made a very good impression, I'm sure.
We ended the time with some free play... using some slightly outdated wooden gymnastics-like equipment they constructed some slides, tunnels and swinging rings. I didn't think a camera would be appropriate, but it turns out it would've been fine. (Although looking back, I don't think I want a record of my darling daughter's antics). We'll give it one more week and hope for a more cooperative little American girl... if we give it another go, I'll get some pics.
Before we left in the morning... Lydia sporting her new exercise pants. Her cooperation with the camera should've been my first clue that I was in for an uphill battle. This is actually the position Lydia assumed for most of the Sokol.
We were invited by a Czech mother in our playgroup to try out the nearby Sokol. What is a Sokol, you ask? Well, it was instituted in the 1920s after then-Czechoslovakia became an independent state from under the Austo-Hungarian Empire. It was started to encourage the people to exercise as a healthy form of living. Official Sokol was discontinued under the Communists (although they instituted their own form of mass population exercise) and then was re-instituted in 1989 after the Revolution. There's your history lesson for today.
Anyway, I thought it sounded like an interesting Friday morning activity for Lydia and I, and even though it is all in Czech I figured it would be simple enough for us to follow along. And we'd always have the help of our Czech friend.
Ok. I admit it was probably a bit intimidating for an almost 3-year-old when the teacher kicked off the class by having us all stand in a line while she shouted some rhyme at us in Czech. I tried to follow along with the hand motions and feet stomping, but Lydia would have nothing to do with it.
Then we played this game where the teacher put all different colored plastic bottle caps in the middle of the room and she recited a rhyme (something about a stork's head changing colors, I'm told). When she called out a stork's head color the kids had to run and get a bottle cap of that color. I was quite impressed with myself that I could pick out the color word from the whole mess of words she was saying and tell Lydia which one to get... and Lydia actually participated in this one and even smiled on occasion!
The comprehension ended there. Cue the grinning, clueless foreign mommy and her flopping on the floor daughter. We made a very good impression, I'm sure.
We ended the time with some free play... using some slightly outdated wooden gymnastics-like equipment they constructed some slides, tunnels and swinging rings. I didn't think a camera would be appropriate, but it turns out it would've been fine. (Although looking back, I don't think I want a record of my darling daughter's antics). We'll give it one more week and hope for a more cooperative little American girl... if we give it another go, I'll get some pics.
Before we left in the morning... Lydia sporting her new exercise pants. Her cooperation with the camera should've been my first clue that I was in for an uphill battle. This is actually the position Lydia assumed for most of the Sokol.
Over the ocean and through the skies to grandmother's house we go. The pilot knows the way to carry the plane through the white and drifting clouds...
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Travelling in 21st century style... Lydia enjoyed her personal video-on-demand system and "earmuffs".
First stop: Maryland. Where we caught up with friends, Lydia got reacquainted with Cameron and Claudia, we met Baby Abigail, Marcus and Grayden discussed current events, and Princess Lydia made her 1st of many appearances during the Christmas holiday (thanks for the dress, Andrea!)
Radiant new mommy, Andrea with her beautiful baby girl
Marcus and his buddy, Grayden. Khakis are in.
Radiant new mommy, Andrea with her beautiful baby girl
Marcus and his buddy, Grayden. Khakis are in.
Did you hear the one about the Dutch security screener?
So, this American family walks up to the security line with 2 bottles of water in their backpack. The water was purchased in the Prague airport for making bottles for Marcus and "security tagged". The security screener says, "We don't accept security tags from outside airports. Due to increasing security regulations...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... you'll have to throw away the water". So the American Dad says, "But wait, it's for baby food. Isn't baby food allowed?" Security screener (whose "How to Spot a Potential Terrorist Handbook" apparently didn't address this situation) says, "Uh, yeh...". American Dad continues, "So you're telling me that if I empty these water bottles into these empty baby bottles it's ok for me to take this water on board?"
Security screener: "Uh, yeh".
American Dad: "Are you serious???"
Security Screener: "Uh, yeh."
So American family holds up the security line and pours the water into the bottles while simultaneously corraling an impatient toddler and wiggly infant.
Security Screener: Apologies profusely for the absurdity of the situation and attempts humor by giving us permission when we get to America to "sit around the Christmas tree and laugh and tell everyone about the crazy security woman in Amsterdam that made us do this". After the water has been successfully transferred, we are allowed to take our empty water bottles and pour the water back out of the baby bottles.
So, Ms. Dutch Security Woman... we're laughing about you. And the terrorists have won again.
Security screener: "Uh, yeh".
American Dad: "Are you serious???"
Security Screener: "Uh, yeh."
So American family holds up the security line and pours the water into the bottles while simultaneously corraling an impatient toddler and wiggly infant.
Security Screener: Apologies profusely for the absurdity of the situation and attempts humor by giving us permission when we get to America to "sit around the Christmas tree and laugh and tell everyone about the crazy security woman in Amsterdam that made us do this". After the water has been successfully transferred, we are allowed to take our empty water bottles and pour the water back out of the baby bottles.
So, Ms. Dutch Security Woman... we're laughing about you. And the terrorists have won again.
2006
Thursday, January 04, 2007
I was "told" by a friend recently on her blog (Laura Syvertsen; link at right) that the thing to do in the blog world is to "look back at the past year and log the first sentence from each month." I couldn't resist. So here goes:
January: Whoever wrote that song with something about a Christmas tree and it's beautiful branches must have been insane!
February: So... a once-rare occurance is becoming a semi-regular habit at our house. Lydia seems to enjoy undressing, diaper and all, while in bed. (ok. had to cheat with 2 sentences here)
March: Along with Lydia's 2nd birthday, came Lydia's 2-year checkup.
April: Today was an exciting, fun day for all of us!
May: No, I haven't fallen... Off the face of the earth, that is...
June: So, I've been craving real, American, chocolate chip cookies for approximately 1 year now.
July: Police strike again...
August: My final getaway from Prague (until Christmas), and as a mother of one child, was accompanying Brandon on a business trip to Italy.
September: We had a doctor appointment yesterday.
October: In Brandon's famous last words, I guess I would've been "one of 'em who died on the prairie".
November: Look what arrived today. It's Virtual Grandma-in-a-box!
December: This evening brought to you by Daddy, proud sponsor of Mommy's First Night Out
Here's to a wonderful, memorable year. Can't wait to see how 2007 looks in review!
January: Whoever wrote that song with something about a Christmas tree and it's beautiful branches must have been insane!
February: So... a once-rare occurance is becoming a semi-regular habit at our house. Lydia seems to enjoy undressing, diaper and all, while in bed. (ok. had to cheat with 2 sentences here)
March: Along with Lydia's 2nd birthday, came Lydia's 2-year checkup.
April: Today was an exciting, fun day for all of us!
May: No, I haven't fallen... Off the face of the earth, that is...
June: So, I've been craving real, American, chocolate chip cookies for approximately 1 year now.
July: Police strike again...
August: My final getaway from Prague (until Christmas), and as a mother of one child, was accompanying Brandon on a business trip to Italy.
September: We had a doctor appointment yesterday.
October: In Brandon's famous last words, I guess I would've been "one of 'em who died on the prairie".
November: Look what arrived today. It's Virtual Grandma-in-a-box!
December: This evening brought to you by Daddy, proud sponsor of Mommy's First Night Out
Here's to a wonderful, memorable year. Can't wait to see how 2007 looks in review!
O Sleep, Where Art Thou?
Nighttime has taken a nose dive in my personal list of "Favorite Things to Do". Seems as if sheer exhaustion carried us through the first two nights of jetlag recovery. As for the 2nd two nights, I am finding myself as a human pinball, ricochetting helplessly between "ravenous/I need to burp" Marcus and Lydia's incoherant requests (my button is open on my pjs/I want to go downstairs/I have an owie on my finger) all of which are presented in unrelenting sobs. Yes, in her 2-year old mind, the sky really IS falling. All of this leaves me with uninterrupted sleep between the hours of 3:30am and 6:30am. Except for last night, when ravenous Marcus was again ravenous at 4:47. There. Now aren't you thankful you didn't travel to Europe for Christmas with two small kids?
Ricochet: the motion of an object or a projectile in rebounding or deflecting one or more times from the surface over which it is passing or against which it hits a glancing blow.
I couldn't define it better myself.
Ricochet: the motion of an object or a projectile in rebounding or deflecting one or more times from the surface over which it is passing or against which it hits a glancing blow.
I couldn't define it better myself.
Home again, home again....
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
We're back in our Prague home. It was a great journey to America and back, filled with family, friends and lots of fun. The flights both ways went remarkably well with Marcus awake, eating and sleeping in regular 3 hour intervals and Lydia, well.... NOT sleeping. But she was heroic and good natured nontheless. Our 3 hour layover in the Amsterdam airport gave us plenty of time to hang out in the children's play corner where Lydia (after pulling an all-nighter) entertained the other unsuspecting children and their parents with stunning renditions of "Jesus Loves Me" sung at the top of her lungs... Our little 2-year old evangelist.
Now we're home and trying to recover that night of sleep we lost somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. So far we've only had short 5-minute wakeups at 4:00am where Lydia thinks she "needs" to go downstairs. After a short explanation of how we sleep at nighttime and go downstairs in the daytime she quietly returns to sleep.
Pictures to come... gotta unpack the camera first!
Now we're home and trying to recover that night of sleep we lost somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. So far we've only had short 5-minute wakeups at 4:00am where Lydia thinks she "needs" to go downstairs. After a short explanation of how we sleep at nighttime and go downstairs in the daytime she quietly returns to sleep.
Pictures to come... gotta unpack the camera first!
