tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22561164025914745932024-03-13T19:25:13.129-06:00Simple but HardThe creation of Home.Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-24445880594684668362016-07-25T13:24:00.002-06:002016-07-26T05:35:02.903-06:00More of the Same<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another year under our belts; another pack out in the works. We have 4 short days left in Sheridan and Tashkent beckons.<br />
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Our life for the next two months</div>
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The UAB pile</div>
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The consumables pile</div>
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Basically, our life is currently a series of piles. Zack summed it well as he surveyed his stripped down bedroom, "Mom, I just really don't like my room anymore." It's easy to tell when a place is no longer home. We're off to create a new one.</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-5568202381422030072016-03-05T21:04:00.003-07:002016-03-05T21:04:57.006-07:00Eventful February<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our February can be categorized as a roller coast. We had so many ups and downs this past month I feel seasick.<br />
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Our ups included the usual small victories and challenges - excellent Parent/Teacher conferences with both boys succeeding marvelously in school. The weather has been stunning for late winter in Wyoming, with only a few nasty windy days. My last semester of grad school is chugging along and I turned in my application for my counseling license program. We've had some yucky sniffles that kept us home from school a day or two, but nothing major. We have had some tough days dealing with missing dad. Overall, those things kept us pretty level.<br />
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The big up is my job offer from Tashkent International School. I will have the privilege of teaching music part time as well as completing my school counseling internship. I am so excited! I have to report for duty on August 8th, so the timeline for departure is beginning to take shape.<br />
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The big down caused so much anxiety all around we actually postponed our planned Spring Break trip to Colombia. I woke up one morning two weeks ago with a huge lump on my throat. It turned out to be a very large multi nodular goiter with a potentially malignant nodule on the right side of my thyroid. The entire thyroid is riddled with nodules and two had to be biopsied. Fortunately, both turned out to be benign. Unfortunately the doctors have absolutely no idea what caused them (especially with such an acute appearance) given that all my hormone levels are excellent. I'll be seeing an endocrinologist and I will have to run tests each year if the doctor okays me to forego surgery for now.<br />
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So that's our February. We opened March with a fun Seuss week at school. Here is Zack and me as Sam and Fox in Socks.<br />
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Today was absolutely glorious. At 70 degrees and sunny we just could not stay inside. We walked the 4 mile round trip to the college for Science Saturday and stopped for gatorade on our way back. Gabriel declared the day "simply marvelous" and commented on the opportunity for Vitamin D. My children are nerds. Man, I love them.<br />
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March is off to a bright start. 20 days until John visits.<br />
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-1806341344504919192016-01-29T20:15:00.000-07:002016-01-29T20:15:12.327-07:00January Bug Blues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The cold/flu season is in full swing in Sheridan and Gabriel and I are down with the crud. Gabby stayed home from school Monday, but we had a nice, relaxed day playing with Legos, quesadilla fractions, and reading Calvin and Hobbes.<br />
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I'm left fighting the goo, but it's really not too bad, just enough to make me feel icky. So, the boys and I decided to kick the bug's butt in active fashion. We nearly dropped dead dancing to Just Dance on the Wii then the boys helped my body weight train and stretch.<br />
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Extreme planking</div>
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Gabey sat on my back while I did a straddle split forward fold, but I didn't catch that on camera.</div>
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We're set up for a quiet weekend at home with a couple scrapbook projects, lots of books, computer time, and maybe even some outdoor time if this nicer weather holds. Here's to kicking this bug for good.</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-52321536821119195252016-01-08T06:53:00.001-07:002016-01-08T06:53:11.958-07:00New Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes, I am 8 days late. Already. I really can't figure out how we managed to get 8 days into 2016 already. It is already the end of the first week back to school and the days go zooming past me with no signs of slowing.<br />
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Once again, my blogging habits, or lack there of, get the better of me. I make no apologies. John was visiting for 2 1/2 weeks and we all had better things to do than share inner workings on the internet.<br />
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But, now all is quiet and routine once more, at least for us, so updates and pictures.<br />
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Christmas arrived in its dream of white. We had over a foot of snow a few days before Christmas and Christmas itself graced us with flurries. Cousins arrived from Seattle and Uncle Mike made it up from TX. <br />
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Grandma and the cousins took advantage of snow and Grandpa's bone collection to build very creepy snowmen...snowdeer...? Glowing snow aliens...?</div>
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We had our traditional Christmas Eve donuts. The boys were displeased that I didn't make them homemade this year. Store bought GF donuts did not make the cut. Next year we'll return to true tradition.</div>
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The kids, of course, made out like bandits. We always say it will be a small Christmas, but that's just not going to happen until they're older.</div>
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The duck. Our tradition every year since Zack's first Christmas. Covered in butter, wrapped bacon, roasted until perfect. Yum.</div>
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At our favorite GF pizza place in Billings, MT after dropping Mike off at the airport.</div>
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The cousins had a sleepover.</div>
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And it was adorable.</div>
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The new skating rink opened with free open skate thanks to town sponsors. Zack starts hockey next week, too.</div>
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Happy 2016! The boys made it to midnight for the first time. They feel asleep promptly 2 minutes later.</div>
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It's 2016; they're 7 and 8 in 2nd and 3rd grade and they still can't sleep apart.</div>
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Please keep Afghanistan in your prayers. And Happy New Year.</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-40894625356133186212015-12-13T21:10:00.001-07:002015-12-13T21:10:18.955-07:00Getting in the Spirit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We went up the mountains to cut our tree! It's been a "warm," dry winter, so there was very little snow.</div>
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We found a cute little tree, just perfect for our cute little house.</div>
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And my woodsmen cut it down!</div>
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Grandma and Grandpa picked one a bit bigger.</div>
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And up it goes!</div>
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We had a buddy spend the night, so we had extra help with the tree</div>
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We are all prepped for Christmas and anxiously counting down to Daddy's arrival in 4 days.</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-35437985955835135502015-12-10T21:36:00.001-07:002015-12-10T21:36:06.325-07:00Brighter Days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After grim reflections, let's focus on the joy. We have plenty to go around.<br />
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The recently toothless Gabey enjoys the meal he cooked this week: Brinner</div>
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Maestro preps for his orchestra concert</div>
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With Grandma and Grandpa after the show</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-8105036877528929382015-12-09T22:47:00.002-07:002015-12-09T22:48:02.999-07:00'Bout That Time Again...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you awaken at 5 a.m. to emails from your hubby of post reports and housing questionnaires it resets the turning wheels. Those wheels of time start rolling, the wheels that tell you to pack a bag and dream of new terrain. It is the expat blessed curse. Life is a cycle of pack outs and post bids. And those wheels rattled our world today.<br />
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When I excitedly told the boys we would likely be packing up again in under 8 months they seemed thrilled. Tales of a new international school with new ASAs and exciting layovers in Istanbul sparked smiles and chatters of excitement. Zack would play all the sports and make new friends. Gabriel would try out the Coding class. <br />
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But it all melted down when my emotionally thread bare extrovert collapsed in a heap during violin practice sobbing that he missed his dad and he doesn't want to move again. He is tired of saying goodbye. He is tired of packing up. He is tired of new schools.<br />
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It is the expat life cycle. It is a constant roller coaster. And right now we're riding it out again. Today we shed tears. Tomorrow we will laugh. The next we will fear for our safety. The next we will tour the Old Silk Road. And so it goes. <br />
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What will tomorrow bring?</div>
Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-58760172393801236082015-12-02T22:25:00.003-07:002015-12-02T22:25:27.276-07:00Terrifying Tuesday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tuesday is our crazy day. It's the day we leave the house at first light and return after dark. Of course, in a Wyoming winter all too easy to return home after dark.<br />
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But it was a productive Tuesday. We all spent it improving our arts, making Mazlov proud at every turn.<br />
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Zack passed his AJF belt testing to earn his green stripe.<br />
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Gabriel, customarily a picky eater, has developed a sudden and (presumably) undying love of chicken wings. He cooked them for us Tuesday evening. They were delicious. He enjoys his bounty below.<br />
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And I am working on those tricky stabilizers, trying to move beyond flexibility and actually strengthening the muscles so I can fall easily in and out of splits and straddles rather than using the floor or hands for stretching aids. I also have Pimsleur Russian playing while I train in preparation for Uzbekistan next year. <br />
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And that's where we are this week. Christmas decor makes its appearance this coming weekend with a possible tree cutting expedition.</div>
Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-87020299345587999202015-11-29T17:18:00.002-07:002015-11-29T17:18:58.303-07:00The More Things Change....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As they say. But they say a lot of things and so it goes.<br />
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I have a very poor history with good blogging habits, but I hope my recent Facebook defection will encourage me to more consistency. I have an incurable obsession with posting picture of my ridiculously adorable children (yes, I'm biased, but it's true), so that will probably spur me to a more pious blogging life.<br />
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I have several reasons for leaving Facebook, none of which I feel like discussing in an online forum. All in all, it's not earth or life shattering, so moving on.<br />
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As those who follow us on Facebook already know, the boys and I are back in the U.S. for the year while John serves in Kabul. We are here in frozen Sheridan, WY (a.k.a. purgatory) and enjoying lots of wonderful quality time with family. We purchased our first home and I am finishing grad school. We'll be in Uzbekistan sometime next year. We tend to change gears quickly, so try to keep up, but good luck.<br />
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We just returned from a 2 week drive down to Florida where we visited my amazing sister who works two jobs sewing for Disney and Universal and just purchased her very own house. Look at us all adulting all over the place. We bounced up to TN at my parents' for Thanksgiving and drove through a blizzard to get home to snowy Wyoming.<br />
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And now the moment most of you have been waiting for, pictures of my guys. They are absolutely enchanted by the snow and have been tracking ice in and out all day. And, by the way, it looks like dawn because it is. Either they hate me or they are still on EST. You decide.<br />
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-91873458427478119232013-01-31T19:41:00.001-07:002013-01-31T19:41:07.720-07:00Back to our regularly scheduled program...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been a whirlwind couple of months! We had guests, a big Christmas Eve bash, Christmas, a trip to Bali, school re-starting (kindergarden and homeschool pre-school), and massive flooding. This included 10 days of no internet, so I'm giving myself a pass on my horrible blogging inconsistency.<br />
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Our friends, Jason and Martina visited from Vienna over Christmas. They spent their first week on a small island southeast of Bali then spent Christmas and New Year's with us. We hosted a big Christmas Eve dinner which included a couple of very tasty duck. Duck is now our new obsession. I used the carcasses to make broth and the fat to make a host of other things and we were in duck heaven for almost a month with fried rice, Pho, and various other soups and stir fries. I just bought another duck today to start paradise over again.<br />
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More wonderful friends, Ryan and Allie, came to Bali for their honeymoon and we met them in Denpasar and all shipped down to the same small island (Nusa Lembongan) Jason and Martina visited. We spent a wonderful few days lounging on the beach, riding scooters, eating delicious food, and relaxing. I left my phone behind and enjoyed the days of technology purge. The only drawback was that I had a cold which, rather than getting better, started turning into bronchitis while we were in Bali. I was down for the count by the time we got back to Jakarta.<br />
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But I've recovered now and the boys and I have been working on getting back into our school routine. Gabey and I take Zack to school around 7:20, then we spend our morning with various fun activities. We might stay at school for a bit and peruse their wonderful library. We might head down to the club where we sometimes swim, sometimes Gabey plays in the playroom while I do yoga at the gym. Sometimes we have grocery day. Sometimes we visit daddy. It's a tough life.<br />
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Two weeks ago the whole of Jakarta suffered a massive storm with terrible flooding. Tens of thousands were displaced. We were stuck for two days and we lost internet for 10. We lost electricity, but our compound has an excellent generator, so it was only out for a few minutes before the generator took over for a couple days. Some people are still living in shelters, refusing to leave until rainy season ends.<br />
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Traffic has been getting steadily worse since we arrived. Jakartans confess that this year is considerably worse than last year and I have noticed a change for the worse just in the past month. It is to the point that we can't leave our house from about 4:30 pm until 9 pm. I had to go to rehearsal at 7pm on Wednesday. I left at 5:40 and arrived to my rehearsal (5 km away) at 7:20 pm. If I felt safe enough I would probably walk next time. I will actually consider taking an ojek instead of driving next evening rehearsal.<br />
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But, really, traffic is the only real negative here. We've settled into a really nice life. The boys have great friends, I have a wonderful Bible study, John is enjoying work, and we all have a such a great time together. We miss everyone so much, but life is good.</div>
Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-28287853698270699662012-12-23T17:55:00.000-07:002012-12-23T17:55:01.991-07:00Sushi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We've been really into sushi-making the last couple weeks. On Fridays Johnny and I have been making a simple dinner for the boys then making sushi for ourselves after they go to bed. We didn't realize it was so insanely easy!</div>
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First you make a big ol' bowl of rice. After cooking the rice you stir in a mixture of oil, salt, sugar, and rice vinegar to make the rice sticky. Press the rice onto your nori and add your goodies. This bad boy below is alpukat (local Javan avocados) and seared tuna.</div>
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Roll it on up!</div>
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Slice it into cute little sushi rolls.</div>
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This week we got a little carried away. But that meant we had three days worth of sushi goodness to inhale. Below are tuna and salmon rolls with alpukat and cucumber.</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-54754497263987852322012-12-20T18:39:00.000-07:002012-12-20T18:39:29.052-07:00Busy, Busy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have massively failed at blogging. Life really gets in the way of such things; I guess that's not a bad thing. We've had lots of ups and downs to keep us very busy. To update you on what's happened since I last blogged I will post one picture of an event and a caption for it. I will try to do better with blogging, but no promises. I think I say that every time. :)<br />
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Zacks school had a big week of celebrating other countries and cultures. Most schools call this National Day. Zack's school called it UN Day for some reason. Anyway, I helped with the U.S. table.</div>
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The other American moms and I got together and did a presentation for Zack's class. Other parents did the same for their countries. We talked about the origin and symbols of the U.S. flag and we held a mock election. The kids voted for their favorite snack - mini apple pies or chocolate cupcakes. I'll give you one guess which won.</div>
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The kids also had a flag parade. Each country came through with their flags. Afterwards they all gathered together and sang. Very cute. The U.S. represents 25% of the school, so it took a while to file all the American kids through.</div>
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We had our own little Diwali celebration. We didn't find any fireworks, but we lit a couple little candles. The Indian Embassy next door made up for our lack of fireworks by creating World War III in their compound. </div>
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Gabey fell down the stairs and got a terrible bruise.</div>
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5 days later Gabey fell up one stair and split his head open. He ended up in plastic surgery with somewhere around 30 stitches.</div>
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But he was back to his cheerful self very quickly.</div>
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Zack had fun at a water park birthday party for his schoolmate, Aaron. Gabey missed out because of his head wound.</div>
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Zack's class and the two other KG classes got together to give the parents an adorable concert.</div>
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This is Zack's class. They are such sweet kids.</div>
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I got to go to Zack's class again on Thanksgiving to help with crafts.</div>
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And we finally got Gabey to agree to an allowance chore. Washing the car!</div>
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Gabey being silly while Zack has baseball practice.</div>
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Next post; tree decorating and sushi making. :)</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-1143224823797635862012-11-21T03:43:00.002-07:002012-11-21T03:43:42.686-07:00Gabey's Job<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ok, I can tell as the boys advance in school that more and more of my blog posts are going to be introduced with "Oh no, I'm so far behind again!" It's a crazy phenomenon, but I'm actually considerably busier now that Zack is in school. Wait until I have a KGer *and* a second grader! Yikes. I might as well sub at their school I'll be there so much. I love it, though.<br />
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Gabriel finally agreed to take on a job for allowance. I think the pile of money Zack was accumulating helped sway him. Both boys are required to have a family helping chore that doesn't pay, but allowance work is optional for now. Gabriel's job is to help me wash the car every week. This is no easy task during rainy season in Jakarta. The whole car is splattered with mud and we have to carefully wipe around new motorcycle scratches each week.<br />
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He wasn't too sure at first...</div>
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But he got to work and did a great job.</div>
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Big brother volunteered to help pro bono.</div>
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It took us well over an hour with all the help, but we got it done and it's shiny and lovely. Gabey has now washed the car twice and earned his 10,000 rupiah, just like Zack.</div>
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I'm very proud of how hard these boys work. They are always eager to help and learn something new. These guys rock!</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-76893910324169079742012-11-15T02:40:00.002-07:002012-11-15T02:40:53.089-07:00Jakarta Adventures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I promised a while back that I would post weekly "Mommy and Gabriel's Excellent Adventure" blogs, but I promptly contracted strep, got our HHE, and then became heavily involved with Zack's school's UN Week festivities. Next week Gabriel and I will be sure to go on an adventure. I'm thinking maybe the fabric market I've heard so much about.<br />
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But Johnny and I are pretty religious about getting out together on Saturdays for Date Day, if even just for a couple hours. For our first few weeks we were pretty boring. We stuck to malls or the American Club. It's hard to muster the energy for exploring when you're bogged down by jet lag and the busy work of moving in. This week, however, we decided to go for something new. So we consulted our trusty <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1741048303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1741048303&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">Lonely Planet Indonesia</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1741048303" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> for some adventure ideas. We settled on the Flea Market on Jalan Surabaya. As described by Lonely Planet:<br />
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Jakarta’s famous flea market is in Menteng. It has woodcarvings, furniture, textiles, jewellery and many (often instant) antiques. Bargain like crazy – prices may be up to 10 times the value of the goods.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's close to the U.S. Embassy, so we felt pretty comfortable driving to it. I consider myself a fairly skilled haggler after 2 years of practice in the likes of Sarojini Nagar, Dilli Haat, and Chandni Chowk, but we weren't really in the mood to buy anything. We simply strolled the length of Surabaya and back. It was a truly intriguing place. The atmosphere was so much more sane than an Indian market. We were not </span></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">harassed and everything was pretty clean and orderly. Most of the market housed knick knacks and "antiques" that looked like they could have been looted from Colonial Dutch homes. We even found cannons!</span><div>
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We were tempted, but we ultimately decided that it wouldn't fit in the car. </div>
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The antique section ended abruptly in shops filled with suitcases, which merged into shops chock full of old phonograph records, everything from Elvis to the Beatles. We think we might go back at some point before we leave Indonesia and pick up a couple statues or the like for souvenirs, but there's a chance we'll find better stuff at other markets. We just got here; there are many more discoveries to make!</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-79517675980743202722012-11-11T00:33:00.001-07:002012-11-11T00:34:04.804-07:00Tee Ball<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Zack had his first tee ball game this past Saturday. Our little Yankee squad played the Dragons. We had a rocky start but once the ball got rolling, so to speak, everything went great.<br />
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The rocky start resulted from an utter lack of organization for our team. We arrived with just a couple minutes to spare. We have practices at Zack's campus, but games are held at the larger JIS campus which houses the Middle School and High School. The gate to the ball field is very difficult to find if you've never been there before (which we hadn't). One of the two coaches was several minutes late.<br />
I started warming up with Zack and ended up helping a couple other boys warm up too. We also found out that since we "signed up late," you know, two weeks before the season started, Zack didn't have a uniform. I was a little perturbed that they didn't bother to tell me that so I could prepare Zack, maybe at least order him a jersey to match. The coach gave Zack her hat, so that helped a bit. But, to make matters much worse, as she started assigning everyone their positions she informed Zack that he would have to sit on the bench and wait his turn to play. The bench. In t-ball. In which there are no positions, runs, or outs. C'mon, lady, you've got to be kidding me. <br />
I didn't know she had said this to Zack because I was out helping the kids find their "positions" around the field. I came back to the dugout to find Zack on the verge of tears leaning against the gate. After I gave the woman a look that could have melted her eyeballs out she started stuttering that "well, I guess he could really go anywhere." To which I replied, "Um, well, *yeah...* it's *tee ball.*" Zack couldn't be consoled so he sat with Daddy for the first half of the inning. <br />
I think the coach felt really bad because she put Zack to bat first and that perked him up a lot. After that she put him on the pitcher's mound and all kids were put in random positions close to real baseball positions around the field. After that things went really smoothly. The "innings" consisted of every child taking a turn at bat. The fielder closest to the ball would pick it up and throw it to first. There were no outs and no score. The kids had a really good time and I had a blast playing third base coach.<br />
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My little slugger</div>
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Run, boy!</div>
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Coming in for the score!</div>
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I have a feeling the next game will go a bit more smoothly. I hope since I'm not sick I can be more help in practice tomorrow. And I need to order a jersey for Zack no matter how much it pains me to buy a Yankees jersey...</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=simbuthar-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0030FMAJQ" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=simbuthar-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B002NKX48A" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-54033418067836355552012-11-10T00:09:00.001-07:002012-11-10T00:09:45.040-07:00Gluten Free Tortillas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love Tex-Mex. The only cuisine that rivals Tex-Mex in my book is Thai. Both foods are extremely gluten free friendly. Unfortunately, Tex Mex is often accompanied with those delectable flour tortillas. That's a decided no-go for the dedicated GF-er. Yes, you can generally replace the flour tortillas with corn, but I've generally found those to be a little "blah." I really only truly love <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006CCEPME/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006CCEPME&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">corn tortillas</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B006CCEPME" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> if they're crisped (i.e. fried into corn chips, broiled for tostadas, fried up as quesadillas). So I've been trying to develop a good gluten free tortilla. I started with using just <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052OP41E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0052OP41E&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">masa harina</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0052OP41E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, salt and water. They were useable but not compelling. So I finally decided to try out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VLVM88/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004VLVM88&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">Sorghum flour</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004VLVM88" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Voila! I got just what I wanted:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7VSrxa2sVpLQ0FL3GdeFJsGdLHy-SUMbBE_3dC5KznXoCn7IoamHGptiWqrTpjdMRV1xekJCa8ssizTYKC9Y2-ibrYWmydvMIhdLsUpxN-GPFDImoIrNm-qM6S2tNcUb4faP2dpcI0Uf/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7VSrxa2sVpLQ0FL3GdeFJsGdLHy-SUMbBE_3dC5KznXoCn7IoamHGptiWqrTpjdMRV1xekJCa8ssizTYKC9Y2-ibrYWmydvMIhdLsUpxN-GPFDImoIrNm-qM6S2tNcUb4faP2dpcI0Uf/s320/IMG_1393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These tortillas are soft, savory, and work great as quesadillas, tacos, or fajitas. And guess what!! I wrote it down!! That's right, I wrote down a recipe with accurate measurements and everything. So here it is, my first ever published, carefully recorded recipe. Enjoy!</div>
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1 3/4 cups <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052OP41E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0052OP41E&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">masa harina</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0052OP41E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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3/4 cups <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VLVM88/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004VLVM88&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">sorghum flour</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004VLVM88" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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1/2 tsp. Salt</div>
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1 tsp. baking powder</div>
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4 tbsp. bacon grease</div>
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1 3/4 cups *HOT* water</div>
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Mix dry ingredients. Cut in bacon grease until it looks like pie crust. Add hot water and mix. The dough should look like fresh play dough. Make sure the dough has cooled a bit before you knead it. Knead for 5 or so minutes. Separate into small balls, about 1 1/2" diameter. Heat a pan, using a little bit of oil. I prefer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VLZ8D0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002VLZ8D0&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">coconut oil</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002VLZ8D0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Put your dough ball on your <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00164T384/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00164T384&linkCode=as2&tag=simbuthar-20">tortilla press</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=simbuthar-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00164T384" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> between two pieces of wax paper or a grocery bag cut to fit (I prefer the grocery bag, for some reason it peels off easier). Press and fry. You should fry each side one minute then return it to the first side. It should bubble and/or expand. Set it on a plate to cool. Repeat until you have a delicious pile of tortilla goodness. Happy Tex-Mex eating!</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=simbuthar-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B006CCEPME" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=simbuthar-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B004VLVM88" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=simbuthar-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0052OP41E" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=simbuthar-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B002VLZ8D0" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=simbuthar-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00164T384" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-44139469954350454562012-11-09T03:00:00.000-07:002012-11-09T03:00:11.161-07:00Third Culture Kids<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've written briefly about Third Culture Kids before, but it's really been at the forefront of my mind this week. As you may know, "Third Culture Kid (TCK)" is the term used to describe children who have spent a large part of their lives living away from their country of origin. When I use this term back home people often ask me, "so what are the three cultures?" <br />
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The first culture is your own. Technically my boys are American. They were born in America, they lived in America for 2 years, they speak English without any accent (well, almost no accent; they slip in a few Indian-isms here and there), and a large portion of their day-to-day life is influenced by American culture since their parents are American. <br />
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The second culture is their host country. As expat kids they will rarely live in their country of origin. We left America when Zack was two and Gabriel one. They are now four and five and living in their third country. In 20-44 months they will be packing up to head for their fourth. These are boys who greet their compound guards with a cheerful "Selamat Pagi!" every morning. They are boys who say they miss their Indian ayah but love their new Indonesian pembantu. They have trekked the Himalayas, jumped off ferries onto pier-less Thai islands, played in the North Sea, tasted various street foods, ridden elephants, have their own frequent flier accounts, and can explain to you the difference between healthy stool, loose stool, and diarrhea. Their vocabulary includes embassy, time zone, commissary, Dengue, and a variety of words in French, Hindi, Thai, and Indonesian. <br />
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The third culture is much more abstract. Third Culture Kids live in a culture all their own. The only ones who really understand them and their experience are other TCKs. The third culture is the balance of all cultures to which the TCKs have been exposed. The TCK struggles to find an answer to the question "where are you from." In truth, the TCK would probably tell you he feels most at home in an airport. My children have trouble answering the question, "which is your country's flag?" They have three to remember and choose from. The TCKs are the proverbial "man without a country." They are forced to create their own idea of home.<br />
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This week in school Zack's whole campus (K-5) is preparing for UN Week. The week involves a parade of country flags, performances for the parents, a day of touring country tables which have been set up by the parents of various countries, and Zack's class has been making culture baskets. Each child is supposed to put together a basket of items from their country. Suggestions included toys, book, money, flags, sports, clothes, etc. Imagine the difficulty for the TCK! Many of Zack's toys come from Khan Market in New Delhi. A lot of his clothes come from the export reject market, Sarojini, in Delhi. He doesn't know what a dollar bill is. He isn't sure which country is "his" country. It was actually an eye-opening exercise for me. Am I failing to keep Zack and Gabriel rooted?<br />
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As a mother of two TCKs I've been struggling to figure out how to give my kids roots while still allowing them to reap the full benefit of a life overseas. We try to take the good and fun with us from every country and use the bad to learn how to live better. It's not easy. An <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/moving_around_without_losing_your_roots.html?goback=.gmp_122542.gde_122542_member_171813175">article</a> my friend, Jason, shared with me urges people to view "roots" as more than just a house in the suburbs. That has been excellent advise and I believe I have followed that fairly well thus far. Roots for my little family are not a lifetime family home. They are not walks in the Rockies on a beautiful Fall day. They are not football games with Grandpa on a Sunday afternoons. Although those are wonderful roots, that is just not our family. And even though such experiences make up John's and my roots, I have to create something new, unique, and just as strong (I hope even stronger) for my special little TCKs.<br />
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Roots for us are very different. Roots are having family together. John travels a lot; it means a lot to have us all home at once. Zack wrote in his school assignment this week that his favorite activity is taking a walk with his family. <br />
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Roots are the boys' bunk bed hung with their special, super cool tent fort. <br />
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Roots are Skype calls with Grandma and Grandpa.<br />
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Roots are sending Valentines to the cousins.<br />
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Roots are Grandma's paintings on the wall; Jesus' birthday cake for breakfast on Christmas; riding bikes around the compound in the afternoons; reading the bed time Bible story; having pillow fights on Saturday mornings; playing tee ball with Mommy and Daddy.<br />
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Yes, we have roots. They are simple. They are a little different. They are strong. My boys' perspective on home, culture, and "normal" life will be very different than your average American kid. That's ok with me. I hope and pray it's ok with them, too. What a life, right?</div>
Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-54773716839093262942012-11-06T21:54:00.001-07:002012-11-06T23:00:45.732-07:00T-Ball<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Zack had his first t-ball practice Monday evening. I'm so excited for the season even though his team is called the Yankees. Our neighbor boy is on the team and his mom is one of the co-coaches. I'm kind of wishing I had signed up to coach. Neither of the moms who are coaching seem to know all that much about baseball, not to mention fundamentals. Although it is t-ball, so it doesn't really matter all that much yet. It's great that they stepped up. Maybe next year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEz6NTZcYU82Zxqoq3zLW0tM1FfG_5FUXngUj4dEeA98OEL6GygUu03XCpobEGillTuAqlzCMMUTCUgfQ9nZ9rTRPrnBXmizT2UiGAnKknV7L-vjuNBvbOpMa5oMCmBb8Q870TQpm4vA5T/s1600/PB050156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEz6NTZcYU82Zxqoq3zLW0tM1FfG_5FUXngUj4dEeA98OEL6GygUu03XCpobEGillTuAqlzCMMUTCUgfQ9nZ9rTRPrnBXmizT2UiGAnKknV7L-vjuNBvbOpMa5oMCmBb8Q870TQpm4vA5T/s320/PB050156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We were encouraged to help out. Since I was still feeling utterly miserable John took off work to do the carpooling for the day. He took us all to practice and help Zack with throwing before practice started.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgss8U94mPDLnNprY6rQBRkpXMcZQAmveAlrMKbnNnk-LEShBzEtJfkqFa-4O4XCykRVE8vgi4BNsJq3C-H5pikJzlH1qZCAeu5xg6d689pTQywP_Ot8KsTbJ6161vqvCi_gLtfN051oK02/s1600/PB050158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgss8U94mPDLnNprY6rQBRkpXMcZQAmveAlrMKbnNnk-LEShBzEtJfkqFa-4O4XCykRVE8vgi4BNsJq3C-H5pikJzlH1qZCAeu5xg6d689pTQywP_Ot8KsTbJ6161vqvCi_gLtfN051oK02/s320/PB050158.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Getting to know the team.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzcyNcF24cJggVtIrcbVTT5ZC_PA2nDP24_1LPv0xLkyvWJKQ2PbLF-YfW_TDiHsoPvSBWcyyfM49wWpUZH8p00aw5mkGljicoznmjsX2oXUMw3zD11FgcXDk7UUmw1WHBPhxzJOnwMLJ/s1600/PB050163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzcyNcF24cJggVtIrcbVTT5ZC_PA2nDP24_1LPv0xLkyvWJKQ2PbLF-YfW_TDiHsoPvSBWcyyfM49wWpUZH8p00aw5mkGljicoznmjsX2oXUMw3zD11FgcXDk7UUmw1WHBPhxzJOnwMLJ/s320/PB050163.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Peanut gallery. He joined in for a bit of throwing but for the most part Peanut was perfectly happy to play on the playground and eat his dinner. I'm hoping to get him to play next year (he's not old enough this year) but I'm not entirely optimistic.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtY7FdtdWY1DMeeh2xy7M6eNEzAIgiIG0VsiTO7E_WRU9GNQMwbN8y418dPlnX8DOpHnWwYzU15OS8Bsw1an33OSg4GHA4FwvWRpI5EqcDX6BYvWQr2yNyS27YjFZHwuuROh1b9O00M8o/s1600/PB050164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtY7FdtdWY1DMeeh2xy7M6eNEzAIgiIG0VsiTO7E_WRU9GNQMwbN8y418dPlnX8DOpHnWwYzU15OS8Bsw1an33OSg4GHA4FwvWRpI5EqcDX6BYvWQr2yNyS27YjFZHwuuROh1b9O00M8o/s320/PB050164.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Learning how to run the bases. A couple of the kids had obviously played last year. The other kids took a couple tries of random running around before they understood that they were supposed to step on each base. Zack took 2 tries, but after that he had it down pat. </div>
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Practicing throwing. At one point the mom who is coaching had to deal with her son's tempter tantrum, so I stepped in to throw with the kids. Thanks to my dad I'm extremely well-versed in baseball. I had all four of them catching consistently after 2 minutes of coaching and 2 throws each. Mama didn't have a sports-savvy dad and three brothers for nothing!</div>
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They started throwing to each other. Which was really funny.</div>
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Batting. He's had a lot of practice with that since we have our own tee.</div>
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Our first game is Saturday morning. Stay tuned for pics of my little stud muffin in uniform! ;)</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-80423320271217236122012-11-05T21:29:00.002-07:002012-11-05T21:29:59.472-07:00HHE Arrives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is way better than Christmas. This is all the stuff we packed up in India on June 20th. That's right, we hadn't seen most of out belongings for over 4 months. This includes pretty much all household goods, most of the boys' toys, their bunk bed, all my precious baking/cooking supplies, MY DONUT TIN, and various other items.</div>
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It's pretty intense watching them try to get these big trucks backed into these tiny compounds.</div>
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It was raining so they were trying to work quickly. Which was comical. How many moving men does it take to pry open a crate? </div>
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Success at last!</div>
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This is a very small view of the carnage. It spreads over all three floors. We built the boys' bed right away. I always try to get their space comfortable first. This is especially important for Gabey. I've seen incredible improvement in his attitude and morale since HHE arrived. I think he finally feels at home.</div>
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The timing of all this was extremely unfortunate as I came down with my whopping case of strep throat literally hours after all this junk arrived. One last punch in the face from India? So it's just been sitting around waiting for organization and it's killing me. You know I'm pretty deathly ill if I allow stuff to sit around unorganized. But since I have to take a break after one flight of stairs it's just going to have to wait.</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-39767420061589674902012-11-05T21:12:00.000-07:002012-11-05T21:12:00.333-07:00Fun With Zack's Class<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm way behind in blogging again! This time my excuse is strep throat. I haven't been fever sick in a long time and this one really knocked me out. I started my antibiotics yesterday but I seriously overdid it trying to get some work done around the house and going to Zack's first-tball practice. So it's catch up time!<br />
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Zack's school really encourages parents to be heavily involved with the classes. One of the things we do is to come in for Tutti Frutti Tuesday. On Tuesdays the kids bring in pieces of fruit to donate to villages in Indonesia where fruit is too expensive (many of them grow fruit, but need the income rather than the nutrition). A parent comes in each week to cut fruit with the kids. The idea to get them to learn about and try new fruits. Here we are cutting pineapple and mango.<br />
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Cutting anything with small children is always an adventure.</div>
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And here is Zack reading to us!!! He brings home a new book each night to read to us. I write it down in his parent-teach communication book and once he reads a certain number with proficiency he will get some tougher books.</div>
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Halloween! Seriously, how cute are these kids??</div>
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I got to come in on Halloween and help with craft centers. Here is Zack painting creepy eyes on saran wrap. The kids can hang them in the window and it looks like eyes staring in.</div>
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It was so fun to work and play with Zack's class this week. Next week they have their UN Festival and I'll be helping out with that quite a bit. I'll be manning the U.S. table and doing a presentation about America for Zack's class along with two other American moms. We'll be talking about elections and about the history of our flag.</div>
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And here are my lounge lizards just chatting. :)</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-14791031685267051812012-11-02T01:15:00.000-06:002012-11-02T01:15:29.173-06:00Gardening<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have a big space in our back yard area for a garden. At the moment there are some tiny, ugly little plants dotted in the garden patch. You can see them behind Gabey in this first picture. Once rainy season ends I plan to hoe them all up and plant our seedlings. The plan is lettuce, peppers, pumpkin, squash, and strawberries. These are all the veggies we eat the most and I like strawberry smoothies. This is also entirely experimental since I have no idea what will grow here other than mango, coconut, and durian.</div>
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Little boys, puppies, and dirt. We have the complete set in this household. What more do you need in life?</div>
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Pepper seeds</div>
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And the final ingredient.</div>
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Birds have already eaten the pumpkin seeds out of the pots. I need to replant and allow them to sprout inside. The peppers appear intact. We'll see what happens!</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-24204805913857830032012-10-31T07:27:00.000-06:002012-10-31T07:27:26.455-06:00Halloween<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As you may imagine, Zack is crazy about Halloween. How could the spawn of two theater geeks fail to love a holiday that requires you to dress up and knock on the doors of perfect strangers to show off your costume and demand reward? Oh, wait, Gabey hates Halloween. Somehow two theater geeks spawned a child who can't stand any kind of attention and dislikes candy. </div>
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So here's our attention-hound decked out in his costume and our shy guy sitting quietly by.</div>
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Not shy.</div>
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Manning the Trunk-or-Treat</div>
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Trick-or-Treat!</div>
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We made our rounds on Sunday night at one of the expat compounds near the American club. The 25 houses are set up in a circle, so it was perfect for trick-or-treating. The whole compound really got into it. Most of the houses were decked out in decor; they even had a haunted house. Even the couples without kids dressed up and passed out candy. I think everyone loves a way to feel connected with traditions when holidays come around so far from home.</div>
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The gang of superheroes. We were well protected.</div>
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He did enjoy passing out candy. As you may have guessed, Gabey was supposed to be Batman. Daddy enjoyed being his sidekick anyway.</div>
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I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find a costume that wasn't designed for hookers. The model who wore this on amazon.com must have been a good 5" shorter than I am. It went to her knees, but I had to wear bike shorts under it.</div>
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The carnage!! </div>
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Another successful, fun-filled Halloween. Another massive bag full of candy pawned off on my housekeeper. Victory!!</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-2330098804893905432012-10-27T08:16:00.000-06:002012-10-27T08:16:00.381-06:00Goings On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am so far behind in blog posts!!! One of my small people poured water all over my computer and it no longer turns on. I have distracted Johnny with a puppy and commandeered his computer to catch up on the blogosphere. <br />
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Quite a bit has happened since I last wrote. Since I'm tired and don't care to figure out a clever way to get all the updates in order in separate posts I will just write one long post in sections.<br />
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Section 1: Around the House<br />
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We've been a flurry of activity. Zack had his second day of cooking. He chose to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, red peppers, and protein shakes. He had to make the bread for the sandwiches. What a guy!<br />
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Zack learned that it feels pretty good to get that ol' paycheck!</div>
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Gabey cuddling with his puppy dog.</div>
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Leia is settling in fairly well in the family. She's definitely coming into her own. She's digressed a bit with potty training, but we're still working hard at it. She's doing much better sleeping at night and she seems to be growing pretty quickly.</div>
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We spend as much time as we can at the club. There's a great gym, an indoor play area, and a huge pool. Gabriel will sometimes swim, but he often opts to sit in the shade and play while Zack and I swim. The kid knows how to lounge.</div>
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We finally nailed GF/EF waffles. We had waffles for dinner to celebrate Daddy's homecoming from Bangkok.</div>
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We also decided to experiment with GF chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. </div>
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It was an immense success. The boys didn't really like, though. Johnny and I ate *way* too much. Next time we'll go with plain vanilla again so the boys will help us. We will also reserve ice cream making for parties: a) because cream is expensive; b) so we don't gorge ourselves on this irresistible substance.</div>
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Gabey finds all kinds of interesting ways to lounge. This is one of my favorites.</div>
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My handsome police-man-officer</div>
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Section 2: The Bus<br />
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We had a huge event for Zack this past week. He started riding the bus home!!! I take him to school in the mornings and he now rides the bus home in the afternoons. He gets home at 2:30, which is actually faster than I was able to get him home in taxis. <br />
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The welcome committee waiting for Zack's bus to arrive</div>
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He made it! </div>
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He was just tickled pink with himself. I cried. I'm not talking a couple little tears I'm talking all out bawling. I cried more than I did on his first day of school. I think there's something wrong with me.</div>
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Section 3: A Big, Big, Big, Like-Mega-Exciting Day</div>
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We got our UAB and car on the same day!!!</div>
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In a perfect world UAB (Unaccompanied Air Baggage) is supposed to arrive within a week or two after we do. In India our UAB took 6 weeks and here it took 8 weeks. That is a really, really long time to wait for stuff you planned on having a couple weeks after arrival. But it's here now and we feel a little more settled. UAB included the rest of our clothes (yes, we've been living off 4-5 days worth of clothes for 2 months), a lot of GF baking supplies, more of the boys' toys, some very important paintings (they all arrived in one piece, Momma B!!), scrapbooking materials, piano books, and other odds and ends.</div>
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I am so, so, so, so, so, so, etc. excited to have our car. I was sick of taxis. Zack has named our car "Kristen"after a cute girl in his kindergarten class.</div>
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It's been tough learning to drive on the right side of the car. The hardest part is the turn signal. I keep turning on the wipers instead. It's also tough to think about the left side of the car and figure out how much room you have. It really turns you around. I'm fine with driving on the left side of the road after 2 years in India, but I had never actually driven a right-side car before. </div>
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We hope to really get out and explore now that we have transportation. I'm thinking one day each week Gabey and I will go on a "Mommy and Gabey's Fabulous Adventure" day and find new places and resources. Stay tuned for those blog posts. :)</div>
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Section 4: Pumpkins!<br />
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We carved our Halloween pumpkin yesterday. Zack drew the design, Daddy cut, Gabey supervised, and I took pictures. We're a team!<br />
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Our beautiful pumpkin, whom Zack has lovingly named "Daisy."</div>
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Section 5: Date Days</div>
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Saturdays are date days. Fitri comes at 2 p.m. to watch the boys and we have until 9 p.m. to get into whatever mischief we can concoct. Today our mission was to find a Batman costume for Gabey since I thought I had packed his costume in UAB, but it turned out I had, in fact, packed it in HHE (the boat shipment with the rest of our stuff), which will not come until, oh, the good Lord only knows. </div>
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Our journey led us down a very busy road from Kebayoran Baru to Cilandak. On the way we spotted a scooter with a side car. It pretty much made our whole day worth getting up for.</div>
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Some yummy Pho at Pacific Place mall.</div>
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Me being Asian at a 7-11 in Kemang.</div>
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Johnny bought me these dorky coffee cups in Bangkok....</div>
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Not knowing that I had bought him these dorky cups in Sheridan and packed them in UAB.</div>
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We're awesome.</div>
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And I think that catches you up on the Thurow goings-on for now.</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-67228070994722228702012-10-17T21:14:00.004-06:002012-10-18T17:17:45.234-06:00Health<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Anyone who follows my Facebook feed or Blog post might come to the conclusion that we've been sick a lot since living overseas. It's true, as a family we've been sick quite a bit. In India we had a combined total of 6 bouts of Giardia, 2 shigellas, 4 cases of a horrific, unnamed gastroenteritis, several undiagnosed weeks of diarrhea, dozens of colds, croup, pneumonia, and Rotavirus A. Since moving to Indonesia we've had a bad chest cold for Zack and scarlet fever for Gabriel.<br />
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On the surface it seems like we've had a really bad three years of health. Despite these setbacks, our overall health has actually improved drastically. <br />
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In January 2011 the whole family went gluten free. I had been gluten free for 5 years and John had been experimenting. For nearly two years now it's been strict gluten free for everyone. Over the last year or so we've also been going low carb/low sugar with high fat and protein, following the spirit of the Paleo diet. Our results have been incredible.<br />
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I think since I've always been the most obviously sick I've seen the most improvement. I've been GF for 7 years but I still see improvements in my health as my body continues to mend. The low sugar, high protein intake has made my muscles far more toned and my back problems are all but eliminated. Fibromyalgia is gone and my chronic joint pain is greatly diminished. Migraines are down to once or twice a month instead of once or twice a day. What's really exciting and impressive is my food list! It used to be that the list of what I could not eat was longer than what I could eat. Here was my old list of allergies/food intolerances"<br />
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All nuts, peanuts, grapes, all melon, all nightshades (including tomato), citrus, dairy, eggs, cinnamon, wheat, rye, barley, peppermint, bananas, chocolate, beef, pork, and shellfish.<br />
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Whew!<br />
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This is my new "Can't Eat" list:<br />
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Peanuts, grapes, eggs, cinnamon, wheat, rye, barley, peppermint.<br />
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Pretty amazing, right? The body can come back from some real disasters and I am so thankful that mine has made such a comeback.<br />
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Our other great comeback story is Gabriel. Gabriel was induced for failure to thrive in the womb; he hadn't grown at all in 3 weeks. He was 5 lbs. when we brought him home from the hospital. Since then he's always been very far behind in growth. From age 18 months to age 2 he did not grow at all. He stayed at 19 pounds for nearly a year. He had a slight growth spurt up to 21 lbs. sometime during age two, but he dropped back down to 20 quickly after. He never had normal stools; he was either constipated or suffering diarrhea. He vomited every time he ate. At age 3 he wore 12 month clothes. He was our sweet, sick little Peanut. About 6 months after being gluten free we started to see changes. He was getting sick less often, he was starting to put on weight. He moved up to 24 month clothes. In the nearly 2 years he's been gluten free he's gained 10 lbs. and 6 inches. He's gone from size 18 month clothes to 3T and he's now growing so fast I think he might actually catch up to his clothing age! <br />
I am so, so happy to see my baby healthy. <br />
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We're pretty big advocates of the gluten free diet. I've known very few people who have tried it and failed to see improvements. John's health is much better off gluten and Zack is eczema free without it. Give it a try! Maybe you'll see something good, too.</div>
Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2256116402591474593.post-60515185364539933272012-10-17T06:58:00.001-06:002012-10-17T06:58:24.139-06:00Zack's Job<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We've made one of the major forays into "big kid" parenting. Allowance! Right now the boys have the option of doing one big extra chore each week to earn an allowance. Gabriel has declined, but Zack is very eager to take on the job. The boys have their "help the family" chores that are not monetarily compensated. Zack tidies his part of the room and sets the table for dinner. Gabriel tidies his part of the room and fills the water cups for dinner. Easy enough for now. Both boys seem to feel very grown up and responsible doing their chores. </div>
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Zack's allowance job is to plan, make a grocery list, and cook one meal each week. Of course I really do the bulk of the work for now, helping him come up with an idea, taking him around the kitchen and explaining what needs to be done, getting the groceries, and coaching him through the cooking. My goal is to let more and more of the real responsibility fall on him until he is adept at meal planning and cooking. We'll eventually work budgeting into the whole affair, but that's a few years down the road. This is so great because it teaches him all kinds of really useful lessons. We discuss nutrition for a well-rounded meal, math in measurements, timers, and temperatures, physics (we had a discussion about liquid, solid, and gas), forward thinking, etc. For all this work he gets (for now) Rp. 10,000 (just over 1 USD).</div>
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Zack's meal of choice this week was pizza. Big surprise. He's chosen PBJs for next week. Blech. As Wednesday next week gets close we'll talk about how to turn that into a well-rounded meal. I'm guessing he'll choose red peppers for a veggie as those are his favorite.</div>
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Pouring *carefully*</div>
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We learned about yeast and how it makes bread rise and that we need to "wake it up" with warm water and sugar.</div>
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We learned that it's very important to clean the kitchen as you go, so we're wiping up spills while the yeast activates.</div>
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Gabey claims he doesn't like to cook. Yeah right. :)</div>
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Concentrating very hard on the stirring.</div>
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Covering the dough to let it rise.</div>
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Enjoying the fruits of his labor. I don't have pictures of the dough pressing because it was too messy and I don't have pictures of putting on the toppings because Zack burned his finger trying to spread the sauce. :( He was, of course, holding a spoon full of tomato sauce when said finger was burned. Guess what ended up all over the kitchen?</div>
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Cooking with kids really is not my favorite thing. The kitchen is my sacred domain. It's my favorite place in the house and my creation space. But this is important. I'm praying for grace and patience so I can teach my kids what they need to know.</div>
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Here are our little herb seedlings just starting to sprout! Johnny got me a topsy turvy, those planters from the TV informercials, so I'm starting these little guys to put in it. I love fresh herbs. The boys love to water them and check to see their progress every day.</div>
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And my boys being silly with the camera.</div>
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We thought for the longest time that Zack couldn't curl his tongue, but out of the blue he figured it out. Now I'm the only one who can't. :(</div>
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Ariannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03515845758755538949noreply@blogger.com1