an update

Busy.

That's what I've been.

I know I have to post about two more places in Italy, then move on to Paris.  Which was so fun.  And anxiety producing at the same time.

But, caramel orders have already started to come in.  So that's what I've been working on.  Cooking, cutting, wrapping, washing pans, starting all over again.  And again.  And again.

I'm sorta in panic mode a little bit because I just realized I will be losing a whole week here pretty soon.  First, we are spending Thanksgiving in Utah (a first since we moved down here over a decade ago!) and then I am heading to science camp with Madison next week.

The kids are super excited about Utah.  We're cashing in frequent flier miles so we don't have to spend 2 of our 4 days in a car.  And they're all praying for snow.  Unfortunately, our idea of a "winter parka" is a hoodie sweatshirt. Also at least two of my kids don't even own long pants. Possibly three.  I know Christopher has some that fit, (hand-me downs from older brothers) but one of his "issues" is a total aversion to long pants.

So, yeah, lots of caramels. It didn't help that the other night I dropped one of my 4 cup measuring cups.  (I have two of everything and use them all regularly. One set is soaking while the other is in use.)  Anyway, the glass shattered everywhere and I was wearing my crocs cause they are the most comfortable to stand on the tile for hours at a time, and glass got in my shoe and I cut myself (I'm okay) so I'm standing there on one foot, totally surrounded by glass shards, dripping blood on the floor, screaming for Nick to come down with shoes on and sweep up for me, cause I totally couldn't move. And besides being a total inconvenience to only have one now, instead of making caramels like I was attempting to do, I had to meticulously sweep my floors to get rid of every single little shard so no one else would be maimed by walking through the kitchen.

Madison was in two parades this last week- she marched with her girl scouts on Veteran's day, (she's just right of center in the picture)

and then she was on a float in the Gilbert Days Parade for her dance company.  I didn't get to go to either. John and Nick went to the Gilbert days parade so they have pictures on their phones which I haven't yet got my hands on.

I think that's it?  I know I am missing something. Cause I have a running list in the back of my mind of possible things to blog about, and I remember taking a mental note, but I'm totally drawing a blank here.

Guess I should get back to the kitchen.

and PS- really, I do love it.  Making and giving away caramels.  And the extra money from selling them this time of year totally helps.  $8 for a bag of 20- plain or pecan.  Sometimes it's overwhelming, but it makes me happy that I can do something that people LOVE.  That I can make their day like that.  (I'm not just tooting my own horn, people have told me that)

mother of the year

Ok, so every once in awhile someone claims to win the mother of the year award, then as proof they cite some incident, some faux-pas, some event that may or may not land their kid in therapy in later life. 

Let me just say this- you aren't even in the contest until someone calls the cops on you.

Obviously, I have a story....

Christopher and Zach have swimming lessons.  I take them twice a week.  Twice because Zach needs some activity in his week, and because it's about time Christopher learn to swim.  Or at least not drown, and I don't think 30 minutes a week is enough for either of them to progress much. And they were having a special- buy one session, get the second half off.

I've made it no secret that my almost 5 1/2 year old is still not potty trained.  We've (finally!) seen some progress these past few months, but we still have issues.  Like, he will pee in the potty if he is wearing underwear, because he doesn't like pee running down his leg, ( who would? ) but is pull-ups rarely stay dry.   "So throw out the pull-ups!" you say.  But the problem is, he doesn't much care what he's wearing when he decides to poop.  We had a little bit of success with a treasure box, but once the novelty wore off (and the prizes got lamer- matchbox cars and candy) he quit trying.  Poop in a pull-up or underwear feels the same to him. It's been a normal sensation for his whole life.  I haven't figured out how to make him see that flushing it down the toilet is better than walking around with a load in your shorts.

I KNOW that at this point it's a matter of him choosing to.  For instance, just yesterday, he got bored in church, so announced to me (and everyone else in ear shot) that he needed to "go poop in the potty" and "make the water yellow".   Which he did.  It took some effort on his part, but he did. (since he said he needed to go, I wasn't gonna let him off the hook until he did.  If he's gonna pull that card, he better be able to back it up.)

So, back to swimming lessons.  Since he's not potty trained, I take appropriate measures every time.  I sit him on the potty for ten minutes before hand.  We discuss pooping in the potty, not in the pool. I put a swim diaper on him.  I put a plastic cover over that, then I put his regular swimsuit on. 

Most of the time it's not an issue.  Most of the time he stays clean.

But once or twice we've had a problem.  It's usually not apparent until we get to the car, and I usually have them sit on folded up towels anyway.  (And call me crazy, but I am uncomfortable looking down my kid's pants to check for issues in front of all the other mothers.  If he were two, I'd be fine, but he's five, and I just don't feel like dealing with their judgments -real or imagined. "Shouldn't your kid be potty trained by now? What's wrong with you?  What's wrong with him?" )

So where do the cops come in you are wondering?  I'm still getting there.

When we get home, those ever so permeable swim diapers are still leaking, only the water isn't so clear anymore.  It's taken on a brownish tint.

Anyway, so what would you do?  Have you kid walk through the house to get to a shower dripping brownish poop-water all over your carpet?

Not me.

I strip him naked and hose him off right there in the front yard.  (that's where the hose is, and the back yard doesn't have more privacy with the view fence back there and in the front yard he can stand on cement, in the back we have to choose between rocks and grass- rocks are uncomfortable, grass is another mess to clean up. )

No, it's not pleasant for him.  Yes, he cries.  Loudly.  Yes, it might be November, but No, we don't live in Minnesota, Maine, Canada, or even Utah.  It was between 60 and 65 degrees outside.  No, that's not running through the sprinkler weather, but in the three minutes it took me to clean him off, he wasn't going to get hypothermia.  (Besides in my irritation, I have been known to hose him off in the shower without waiting for the water to warm up.  Just sayin'.)

Before I could leave to take Maddie to her ballet class, there was a knock at our door. 

One of our neighbors had tattled on me to the police.

I don't know who.

He came, asked questions, talked to us, met Christopher -who was fully dressed, running around, perfectly happy, and completely untraumatized by the incident.

Nick elected to share this incident in class at church yesterday.  His teacher just happens to be a DPS officer, who stopped me in the hallway afterwards to talk about it.   He thought it was ridiculous, and he said that for $5 I can call a number and get a report from the city and figure out exactly who it was.  He said that they were probably some person who was traumatized as a kid because they had parents who did that to them.  In Minnesota.  In January.  For hours at a time.  As punishment for something like forgetting to put their dishes in the sink or leaving their bedroom light on.

I haven't decided yet if I want to know. 

I was really, really mad on Saturday.  Which one of my anti-social neighbors stabbed me in the back?  We only know one other family on our whole street. (I don't think it was them)  Every time I get to know somebody, they move.  And then if I should (heaven forbid) wave to a neighbor as I drive by, I usually get a look that says, "Do I know you? Why are you waving to me?".

After a day or so, I came to peace with the fact that instead of someone doing this TO ME, I could be okay with someone doing this FOR MY CHILD.  Someone was looking out for Christopher.  Someone felt protective of him, and despite the fact they wanted to protect him from me, and didn't have all the facts, I can live with that. I want what's best for him too.

So get the report or not?  It would probably be easier to emotionally let it go if I didn't.  Then I wouldn't know who to give dirty looks to. 

On the other hand, should we have another accident at the pool, I could pull up to their house, knock on their door, and ask to use their shower and drip poopy water through their house, since they are uncomfortable with me hosing him off in my front yard.  

That and the wife of the DPS Officer offered to help me toilet paper them. 

The Dolomites

The Dolomites are the the southern part of the Alps mountain range in the Northern part of Italy.  I was excited to see this area for a couple reasons- for starters, I totally fell in love with the Alps a year ago when I visited Austria and Germany.  {go here and here and here and here and here to read about that}   Secondly,  (and I found this totally fascinating) without actually crossing a border, it's like you're visiting an entirely new country- namely Germany or Austria (I guess you could take your pick.)  

Years and years ago, that area was part of Austria,  but then wars and border disputes landed this area in Italy.   The people weren't thrilled to be Italians, and were given a choice to stay and assimilate, or move North.  Most of them elected to move North, but before they could, World War II broke out, thus effectively stranding them in Italy. 

They've managed to maintain their German/Austrian roots while living in Italy.  The street signs are in both languages (German and Italian), but the food, architecture, and even clothing are definitely more German/Austrian in design.  (think sauerkraut and leiderhosen)

We spent a day exploring the region.  First we parked in Bolzano,  (bought some warmer wear, as the temperatures were decidedly cooler) then rode the funiva (tram) up the side of the mountain to the smaller little town of Oberbozen. 

We walked around, enjoyed the scenery, and stopped at a cafe and warmed up with some hot cocoa.

Then we caught the little train to the next town over and did it all over again.  (including the hot cocoa) And yes, for whatever reason I can't recall, I elected to wear flip-flops that day instead of real shoes.

After we finally made it back to Bolzano, we headed on up the mountain to the next town, (I think it was Castelrotto) where we had dinner.  I thought the food was excellent and a nice change from pizza and pasta.

(On a side note, one thing I'd heard before, and totally experienced first hand, is to find places where the locals eat, cause then you know it's good.  Restaurants that are in tourist-heavy places, usually aren't that great. Ask around, and be willing to walk a little farther, and you'll most likely eat better.) 

  

While loving every minute of Italy, every big city, every famous sight on the itinerary, it was really nice and refreshing to do something completely different.

Verona

If you saw the movie, (Letters to Juliet) be prepared for a bit of a disappointment.

(Then again, if you think real life should be like it is in the movies, you're probably used to disappointment. Just sayin')

I mean, there is a courtyard with a balcony in Verona, that they are saying is the Juliet balcony.  You know, if Juliet were real and all.  And I think that was actually the same courtyard they used in the movie (I could totally be wrong though).

But that's kinda where the similiarities end.  Instead of lovely young ladies weeping and sighing and writing lovely letters to Juliet asking her (or her imaginary secretaries) for love advice, you have bus loads of Japanese tourists. (I've heard it's a very popular stop) And instead of the actual letters stuck in the cracks you have graffiti.  Layers upon layers of people who felt the need to write their names in Sharpies upon the rocks.  I do remember seeing a post-it, but that's about as good as it gets.  And for some reason leave their gum as well. (that was pretty gross) 

Oh, and there is a statue of Juliet. 

If you rub her breast, (and apparently get a picture of yourself doing it) you are guaranteed to find true love. 

I was able to talk John into standing next to Juliet, but he didn't feel the need to rub her boob claiming he had already found true love. (me) He's kinda mushy like that.

Venice

I loved Venice. Alot. There's just something about it. 

I've heard some people that it was anti-climatic for them.  Just a lot of old run-down buildings. And water. And boats.  And it can be crowded and touristy.

True.... But... It's hard to explain.

It wasn't too touristy/crowded when we were there.   I've heard it can be crazy. People packed like sardines.  It was definitely busy, but not insane.

I am fascinated by the history of the place.  An entire man-made island built so people could escape invading armies, then became one of the greatest and most powerful cities during it's prime. 

I also just loved sightseeing and wandering around.  I loved the ordinary as well as the grand.

So, you have the Grand Canal that curves through the island, lined with the palaces of the rich merchants.  

Only a couple of bridges cross this canal, (actually four, I think?) the most famous being the Rialto.

And you have the teeny little back alleyways, which were easy (and fun) to get lost in.

Getting lost kinda did Nolan in a couple of times.  He just dropped dead on the ground. Twice.

There are a couple other little islands near Venice.  We visited Murano-  Venice is famous for it's glass blowing, but long ago, they decided that the glass blowing factories were too much of a fire hazard, so they all got relocated to Murano.  You can go there and check out the countless little shops with their displays and even take in a demonstration.  That was pretty cool.

I also thought this was cool- we stumbled upon this piece of art, up close it's a bunch of painted eggs,

and if you stand back, it becomes something more.

One thing I did not do was go on a gondola ride.  Crazy, I know, right?  Here's the thing though- it costs alot.  Like 100 euros. And if you want them to sing, then it's a lot more. (like another 100)  And it just felt so, so touristy.  Like a ride at Disneyland, or something.  I wanted to know that if I was gonna spend that much money, I'd want an unforgettable experience, and I don't mean because one of those big Vaporetti (the boat version of public transportation on the Grand Canal) ran over our Gondola (we totally saw that almost happen).  And so I elected to spend my hard earned Euros on some handblown glass, and cookies at a bakery, and presents for the kids.     

Am I crazy?  Probably.   Oh well.  Hopefully I will have the opportunity to make that decision again and again in the future. Who knows? I never thought I'd get to go in the first place.

Florence and Padua

We spent a day seeing some great art in Florence.  I think I was probably the most excited out of everybody to spend a few hours in museum, and I hope other people weren't too bored, but I thought it was pretty neat.

We started in the Uffizi Gallery where we saw things like Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

This is a view of the famous bridge Ponte Vecchio from inside the Uffizi.  That's as close as we got to it.  We didn't have enough time in Florence. But every day was like "This, or this... Here or there."  So much to see and do, so little time. 

We ventured on to the Accademia where we saw some amazing sculptures like Michelangelo's David.  I'd have to say it's worth the hype. 17 foot tall naked guy, carved from a single block of marble.  But besides being 17 feet tall, it was amazingly lifelike. Like he was going to step right off the platform at any second and excuse himself to go and put some clothes on.

And just for fun, I took a picture of this little book store.  The place was full of piles of books.  I'm sure it wasn't up to fire code. Ü

That night we made our way to Padua where we found that little B&B I mentioned a few days ago.  We didn't intend on sightseeing, but the proprietors talked us into it, they were so proud of their little town we thought we'd check it out.

We weren't sorry.

Nothing special, just a cute, pleasant fairly touristy-free place.  The main town square was lovely with it's statues and canal and fountain.  

  

We wandered around the botanical gardens for a bit, before deciding it was time to head to our next destination, Venice. (to be continued...)

Why my kids were almost late to school today

A helicopter landed in our backyard.

Ok, so technically not our backyard, but pretty dang close.

The kids got all excited about it, saw it land, and take-off.  They stood outside in various states of readiness, until it was over, then got ready in record time and ran off to school.

I'm choosing not to dwell on the fact that our "Exciting Morning!"  was somebody else's "Really Really Bad Day."

I'm also gonna just choose to believe that that helicopter saved their life and pray for their speedy recovery.

But it was still pretty cool.  It has happened before.  At least once.  Also once a hot-air balloon. That was pretty cool too.