Happy Earth Day!

Today we celebrate Earth Day. Happy Earth Day! Do something GREEN today.

I have found after having a child I think about things more long term than just my life here on Earth. New life beckons that. I want this world to be financially, politically, and environmentally stable and peaceful for Connor and for Connor's children and Connor's grandchildren. I have found that the smallest things that start off feeling an imposition do stick and become positive habits. Recycling, turning off lights and water, and walking whenever possible. Heck, thanks to living in Europe I am even a convert in bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store. Now if only I could eliminate the Diet Coke bottles. Still working on that goal!

I was searching the web to try to find an age appropriate activity for Connor and me to do today in recognition of our Earth. I found this one that involves making a paper mache balloon globe: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/globe/

I think we are still a little young for paper mache glue and paint. I am including on my blog so we can remember to do it next year OR so if it works for your family, you can make these charming globes. It seems an easy activity in terms of using pretty basic materials, but I suppose pretty messy. But what a good lesson in geography and understanding our place in the world.

Finally, I would be remiss in talking about new life and future generations without offering a hearty congratulations to our dear friends, Eric and Tracy Arnold, on the birth of their first child - a son - Griffin Scott Arnold born in Nashville, TN on April 20. Welcome to the world Baby Griffin!!! We can't wait to meet you.

Bye Bye Julia, Bye Bye August

More friends leaving - this time it is Julia and August in one fell swoop. Boo hoo! On Friday night we went to Le Perroquet in Sablon to wish them well and send them off with some of the best wrap sandwiches in town. Karen and Tony were wonderful to let Connor slumber party at their house for us to enjoy a kid-free night on the town. I think Kirk is still a little uncomfortable with his little girl sleeping over at a boy's house, but things seemed to go well.

Back to Julia and August.....Julia is pregnant and due in June so she needs to scadaddle back to Boston before the flight ban grounds her. Unfortunately Matt still has about a month left to finish work before he can join her and truly anticipate that new baby girl-to-be in their new home and new life.

Thankfully August still has a few more weeks left before she leaves, but her last day of work is tomorrow. She is then taking a month off to travel to Bordeaux, Northern Spain, through the Pyrenees, and Switzerland. Followed by trips to Sicily and Greece before heading back to the States. I know, quite the jet setter!

I am bummed they are leaving Brussels. Both ladies are unbelievable friends to our family. Connor asks regularly for "August!" and "Julia!" They are kind, generous, and thoughtful. And will be friends for the long term, no matter where they live. Travel safe ladies.

Beer Glasses

One interesting production in Europe is this: every type of beer gets a special and unique type of glass. We went to Germany this weekend (more later) and the above example is a good illustration. See how each beer has a matching glass - with the logo and everything. I think they even make the glass in perfect harmony volume-wise with the amount of liquid in the bottle to make for the perfect pour.

I don't really drink much beer - but I find this matchy-ness very intriguing. I know a bar in Brussels that has 2,000 different types of beer on their menu. I wonder if they have 2,000 different beer glasses? And what a nightmare for the dishwasher. What happens if they run out of the right beer glass? Are you out of luck on the beer, or is it ok to put the wrong beer in the wrong glass? Hmmmm. Things to wonder about in the heart of Belgian Beer Country!

Bananas are BACK!

For the first 12 months Connor ate solid foods she was crazy about bananas! Or maybe I should say she was bananas about bananas? She must have eaten at least 2 everyday. Kirk tells me that his E&Y partner, Beth, called them the uber-fruit since they have so many vitamins and nutrients so I was a happy mom! Bring on the uber bananas!

It was to the point that I had to make a detour at the grocery store just to avoid passing the banana bunches. Connor would spy them from across the room and start chanting "Banana!, Banana!, Banana!" And until I could pay for the fruit and get one to her lips while still in the cash register line, there was no mercy.

Then strangely about 6 months ago the banana well ran dry. I couldn't force her to eat a banana. I would buy them and they would rot. There is nothing worse that a rotten banana. So we went banana-less. And there weren't as many grocery store detours necessary.

I don't know if it was because we told Connor about the monkeys in the zoo eating bananas, but all of a sudden the switch turned back on last week and she is back in the banana kick. And I am all happy and we are UBER'D again!

Go With All Your Heart

I have met incredible people in Brussels. Fellow expats going through similar joys, challenges and nuances. I have learned the best way to make the most of this opportunity is to jump in head first and to be willing to make quick friends. And to learn all you can from them and their experiences.Carol gave me this little compact one day and Connor loves it. I think the saying is very apropos. The best transition medicine is to go with your whole heart. I miss our home, our neighbors and friends, our family, our church and my job. But I am here now. And if I spend too much time thinking of what we are missing and what we left behind then I won't be able to devote my whole heart to living here and experiencing all there is to see and do.

My new friend, Emily, recently announced that after 4.5 years of living in Brussels and working for the Wall Street Journal, her husband accepted a new job as a columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. They are moving back to the USA the beginning of May. Wow. I just met her in January. The constant flux of friends coming and going is a tough fact of life in the expat community.

The only silver lining when expats leave is that they want to get rid of all their stuff for next to nothing - pronto! Remember the electrical sockets are different so no appliances transfer. I went over and bought 2 fans (we don't have AC here) and also an alarm clock from Emily. (Can you believe I have lived 6 months without an alarm clock?!!?) It was also a good excuse to hug Emily's neck and say goodbye.

I was shocked that Emily also took the time to lovingly pack and give us several goodie bags. They were full of travel books and maps from her time here. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I spread them all over the floor when we got home and dreamed up new adventures. Talk about someone who came with all her heart! Emily must have more resources and literature than anyone else in Belgium.
Kirk was of course especially excited about the Beer Map in his quest to see all the Trappist Breweries in Belgium. I was most excited about the map of the nearby Forest and the many small laminated maps of European cities. Those really come in handy!

As Emily loaded all the treasures in our car she pulled out a big green binder. I could tell it was one she took great pride in, but I didn't know exactly what was inside. She told me she wanted ME to have it and it was a compilation of the most helpful articles and information of her favorite spots. She had collected and organized it all over her four years in Brussels. It is indeed so helpful and inspiring. The plastic sleeves are full of the best of the best ideas and destinations. She said something about me having the same "travel energy" as she does. I thanked her for the compliment and assured her I would appreciate the binder and pass it along when I am leaving too. In this way Emily's wonderful Belgian "legacy" will live on! Emily was so dear because as she saw all of this leaving her possession I think it hit her all that is happening right now and she got a little teary. Saying goodbye to Brussels life and all it has to offer is tough.

Thank you Emily! You are a classic example of someone who came to Brussels with your entire heart! Now take your sweet family and jump head first back into Atlanta. Buying new cars and finding a place to live will be overwhelming no doubt. But I can think of no one more ready and prepared for the challenge of repatriation!

Polish Pottery

To be in the "in" crowd here in Brussels it seems you must have an addiction to Polish Pottery. Everyone swoons over it and indeed it is charming. After my friend Amber showed me the cute blue patterns and told me about the outlet in the Netherlands, I knew I had to go and check it out to see what all the fuss was about. The pottery is all handmade in Poland and reminds me of Vera Bradley bags on china with the countless, colored, whimsical patterns.

So the Polish Pottery Outlet is located at Ohmstraat 18a, 3861 Nijkerk in the Netherlands and it is open to non-EU residents only on Fridays. I know it is confusing - pottery from Poland, wholesaled in the Netherlands, and I am living in Belgium. Quite an international business!

Dallas, Connor and I left early last Friday for the outlet. Good thing too because the traffic was nuts! We left at 7:30 AM and drove what was supposed to be a two hour drive there - but we didn't arrive til close to 11 AM. We left to return home around 12:30 PM and didn't get home til 4:30 PM. Good thing Dallas came too - she was great company and patiently endured the "Wheels on the Bus" and the "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" songs for what felt like 100 times!

But all in all it was still worth it! The outlet was absolutely incredible. It was a nondescript office park building on the outside, but behind the small showroom was a warehouse of every kind and type of Polish Pottery out there.

My favorites were the detailed muffin pans. I didn't get one because they seemed a little too indulgent and not very practical, but I just loved them.

There was everything from huge floor vases, every type of bowl or serving piece you can think of, even teenie tiny tea sets for little ones.

In the end I did buy a nice little collection to take home with me. The aura of the warehouse and the low prices just make you want more and more. I tried to be realistic about my needs for myself and for gifts. But that happy blue dot pattern definitely cast its spell over me!Click here for more photos from the Polish Pottery Outlet (full album)

Goin' to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo - How About You?

Have you ever heard this song?
We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo
How about you, you, you?
You can come too, too, too
We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

We were singing it all day on Thursday and Connor hasn't stopped singing it since! We packed up the kids and took the train an hour to Antwerp. It is so cool because the zoo is literally 5 steps out of the train station. There are zoo and train ticket combo excursion rates that make the adventure an affordable one. Liz joined us with Finley and Baby Bella. They are Karen's neighbors and lots of fun. We were quite the sight with 4 kids under 3, several large strollers and enough snacks and toys to sink a ship.

The Antwerp Zoo is the most beautiful I have ever seen, especially in the Springtime with all the flowers in full bloom. Everything was green and clean. The zoo animals were in much smaller pens than American zoos, which we had been warned about. But the upside was that the animals were all up close and accessible. We saw leopards, tigers, giraffes, camels, elephants and many others...

Connor's favorites though were the HIPPOS and the MONKEYS. Those are the two she will name first if you ask her what she saw at the zoo! I have honestly never seen hippopotamuses up so close. The zoo was a big hit. There was even a big playground near the hamburger stand. You know that made Connor's day! The children were so engaged and curious about the animals. The sounds, smells, and movements all made for a terrific field trip from Brussels.
Click here for additional photos from the Antwerp Zoo (full album)

TUNNEL!!!!!

Connor is on a new TUNNEL kick. We have a lot of them here in Brussels. Big tunnels, short tunnels, curvy and straight. For the past week Connor has really noticed when we go through the tunnels. And when we come out of them. She repeats, "tunnel, tunnel, tunnel" and always describes if it is long or short. At the other end she always says "out of tunnel" and promptly asks for "more tunnels!" The part that makes me smile the most is the way she is so exact with the consonant sounds in the word TUNNEL. The "t" is especially emphasized. I am sure the novelty of the tunnels will end soon, but for now driving through downtown Brussels is that much more exciting!

Gaasbeek and Hallerbos

On Wednesday we were blessed with yet another sunny day. We packed up and went to Gaasbeek Castle - a gorgeous military outpost built in 1240 to protect the city of Brussels. It is only about 30 minutes from town so it made an easy jaunt.
When we arrived we were immediately taken with the expansive grounds and manicured gardens. Even though the castle is in the middle of nowhere it is lovingly and meticulously cared for. The green grass sparkled and we were pumped to see the castle.
Unfortunately when we got to the cash register to buy the tickets to visit the inside of the castle the woman looked at Brady and Connor wiggling out of their strollers and said, "It really isn't good for children." Huh, ok. We took that sign and instead just played in the surrounding gardens. Since the day was another glorious one, the kids didn't mind and loved running around.
Brady and Connor especially loved the rocks in the gardens. Connor is obsessed with scooping up the rocks and throwing them. I am trying to break her of the habit. If you ask her about rocks, Connor repeats "No throw rocks and no shoes off!" It cracks me up because those are the two things I lecture her about. She loves to pull her shoes and socks off in the stroller and throw them out. It is a miracle we haven't lost one. I have had a handful of times on the street where she has dropped one shoe and a stranger runs it back to me. So I suppose it is good she knows this "No" chant about the rocks and the shoes. But she is funny because she gets a serious look in her eyes and waves her finger as she says it. And then she prompty throws rocks and kicks her shoes off. We still have some work to do on minding!
It was ironic that we weren't allowed in the castle because 10 minutes into playing in the gardens we saw this group of children not much older than Connor and Brady all dressed up like kings and queens and getting the grand tour. We tried not to be bitter and instead just gawked at the cute little children in their royal garb. The weather that day continued to smile on us and it felt magical to play outside without the restriction of coats or added layers. On our way out we saw a cafe near the Gaasbeek Castle exit. We thought we should probably fill our kids' grumbling bellies so in we went. We were surprised to find in the back a huge courtyard full of playground equipment and farm animals. A kid's paradise! Connor and Brady played together on the playground, climbing all over and sliding down every slide in sight. Connor has no fear even of the big kid equipment which makes me a little obsessed in spotting her.
The animals were unique. This bird rested on a nearby picnic table and a billy goat came right up to Connor trying to take her lunch. It definitely scared her, and us! I am not sure farm animals wandering free in a lunch cafe is a perfect combination.
After lunch we decided to walk on the wild side and try to stretch nap time out enough to make a quick visit to the nearby Hallerbos Forest. The "Carpet of Bluebells" only happens for a couple of weeks every April/May and we heard rumor that the flowers were peeking through. We took the kids into the forest and the sounds of songbirds and the smell of wildflowers enveloped us. It brought me back to the days of bird spotting with Apa.
Thousands of bluebells indeed lined the forest floor. The contrast of the purple with the dark tree trunks and the sun-drenched leaves made for quite a view. The kids were tired, but they humored us while we snapped picture upon picture. I am pretty excited about the photos I took, especially the ones of Brady and Karen. At long last we drove two tired toddlers back into Brussels. We weren't sure Brady would make it back to his house before falling asleep so Karen and Brady came to our apartment and Connor napped in her crib while Brady fell asleep in our bed. Karen and I enjoyed the adult time together with the kids asleep. We recounted our wedding stories, anticipated upcoming travels, and looked at photos. A great day any way you slice it! Click here for additional photos from our day at Gaasbeek and Hallerbos (full album)