School

I'll just say for starters that in the spirit of truthfulness ( is that an actual word?) I have always despised school. Just so you know.

Thursday was back to school night for the parents. I imagine that this highly awaited event is about the same in every country: you sit down in a chair that's too small for you for about 30-60 mns and you listen to the teacher tell you all the wonderful things they are going to do to with your child.
Now in the early years (kindergarten), with my daughter, we got lucky. Very lucky. She got Mrs M. And Mrs M. is very cool, very interesting, full of ideas and energy. She loves field trips and is always striving to make things as interesting as possible. And we got to have her for 2 years in a row because she moved up with her class for 1st grade. Heaven.
Unfortunately she couldn't go to the second grade after that so Miss A. got Mrs D. in 2nd grade. Mrs D. is slightly psychotic BUT again, full of energy ( in a manic kind of way ) and lots of different projects kept everybody mostly happy, if not completely sane.
Alas. Miss A. got promoted to 3rd grade in Mrs S. classroom. Mrs S. is the exact antithesis of the beloved Mrs M. . And I don't even think she is psychotic which might have made things a little more lively, maybe.
Nope.
Instead, she's got as much temperament as an oyster clinging to its rock.
She moves at the pace of a mutant sloth/elephant seal thingie.
She has been doing everything by the book for 30 years and by god she is going to it again this year. Sigh.
There isn't much you can do in these instances really except changing classrooms or schools. Since neither is likely ( the principal is of the same species as Mrs S. ) I've decided that we'll provide the numerous field trips and interesting material to miss A. instead. Which means, dear reader, that you'll have the joy of visiting California-in-the-days-of-the-pioneers with us. Aren't you thrilled? For example, tomorrow, we'll be in old Sacramento where they'll be reenacting a shoot out in the streets. I think it's got real potential as highly educational material, don't you think?
Oh, and they have a candy store there, that sells old fashioned candy, including my favorite: taffy. We'll make sure to tell Mrs S. about it. She might be hyperventilating at the thought though. I mean, we got out of the classroom and nobody died and we'll get candy when she is trying to teach all these kids to eat healthy. Maybe it would work better if she wasn't obese, I dunno.

Hey, maybe I'll get a picture of Miss A. eating taffy while watching the shoot out.

The First Day

So. The first day. Let's see...I pictured it like that:
I'd get up early, make pancakes and bacon ( their favorite ). Mark would be packing the delicious lunches, lovingly prepared. Then we'd wake them up. Still lovingly. You know "my sweet, it's time to wake up. Daaaarling...what would you like to wear today?". They would be less grumpy this way, see? Then we could send them out the door in the golden light of another glorious morning in Sacramento. They would be surrounded by butterflies. And I swear there might even be a unicorn. Or two.
And they would looove their teacher and so would I. And they would have a great time playing and enjoying being back with old friends. And when they came back, freshly baked chocolate chips muffins would be waiting for them. Oh, and the golden light would be lasting all day. And also if it's not too much, you know, since we are at it, temperatures under 86F (30C) would be nice.
I think, maybe I pushed it a bit with the temp. request or maybe the unicorns, but obviously the whole thing got jinxed. Because here is what really happened:

-Mark forgot to set the alarm clock. Miraculously, he wakes up at 7:22 ( we should have gotten up at 6:45). He stumbles out of bed all panicky and shakes me up rather rudely I might add. To continue the rude trend I get into the hall and shouts for the kids to wake-up and that they'd better move it too. Run into the kitchen and make the batter. Start cooking the pancakes. Forget the bacon. 2 pancakes burn while I'm pouring orange juice. A bit of swearing later, the kids are finally eating and luches are being made. The kids are dubious about their lunch, however after a bit of glaring theyput it in their lunchbox. They tried to get out of brushing their teeth since, you know, they are going to be late. No luck.
7:48: Mark and Miss A. make a run for it and cross the school grounds as the bell is ringing at 7:50.
My son drags his feet way behind looking like a zombie with his hair stuck up and glaring at anything in sight.

Mark comes back and while taking breakfast we make a list of stuff to do before the kids come back (We swore on the last day of school back in June, that for the first day of school we'd do something to enjoy yourselves) ( ahahahahaha ). There is no way everything is going to be done. We run errands until 2:25pm. Yes, that's when my kids get out of school. 2 gloomy kids came back that day. Apparently the whole day was spent in teaching them new rules. Stupid ones of course ( like: you can go only one way on the monkey bars). Ah and my old favorite: they don't want the kids to go to the bathroom during class time which is understandable. However. When you really need to go, you really need to go. Right? So, in my daughter's class they have to pay: they give 5 tickets that they have earned for good behavior or being helpul yadi yada...Now first of all it makes me cringe when they are rewarded for stuff that they should do anyway. But paying because you need to pee? With only 15 mns recess and only 3, yes 3, bathroom stalls, well obviously that is bound to happen.
Anyway.
Oh and I didn't have time to bake the muffins and the daytime temp. hasn't gone under 104F ( 40C) in weeks. Jinxed, I tell you. Or maybe voodoo.

First Day Of School

Yesterday was the first day of school. So, naturally we forgot to put the alarm on. Naturally.

Carmel The Mundane

After Carmel the wild, I'll present Carmel the tame and the shopper's paradise. From strolls where you can see what California looked like before the colonialisation to the shops and restaurants and beautiful ( extremly expensive) villas, there is something for everybody in beautiful Carmel.















My favorite spot though ( after a visit to the Cottage of Sweets of course), is right there:

Carmel and Big Sur

This protected coast of Nothern California is one of the most beautiful place on Earth I think. At any given time you can see dolphins, whales, seals, sea otters (my favorites!), pelicans, cormorans and seagulls. Did I mention the condors? There are a lot of tidepools with huge starfish and anemones, crabs and mmmmm weird looking sea life :).
It is a very rugged landscape and the ocean is dangerous, well, everywhere really, but be especially careful on the less popular beaches. In some cases it is not wise to climb the rocks. At my favorite beach in Big Sur you'd better know the tides well..if you are caught at high tide there is no way out.
It's also not exactly warm.
In fact Big Sur is downright chilly and very, very windy. All the time.
Carmel can be more forgiving with less wind and a bit more sun but the fog is still very present for a big part of the day. I know it doesn't sound so inviting but it is so beautiful and I've never been the type to sunbathe anyway ;)

The Beach

And in the first installement of my wonderful vacation, I present a Birthday Girl and happy children and dogs enjoying the freedom of mouvement that only sand and water can provide! I'll do another post with The Sights, hopefully tomorrow..For now I have to make a gazillion phone calls and e-mails, make sure that my kids, their friends and the dogs don't tear the house apart and that they all go to bed reasonnably early (Ha!) and then I'll just plop down with a glass of wine ;) ( I won't mention that my husband is deserting me for a meeting hehe...Man, I wish I could have meetings too sometimes ;)

Back!

Well, I've been back for a week really, but you know...First of all, I didn't want to come back so that already doesn't help. And, seriously, I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to Sacramento. Yes I swear! I had a headache the day we left, the next day it was gone. No headaches in sight the whole time I was in Carmel. And the day after we come back: headache again. So, see, allergy. I just have to manage to live by the sea and I'll be just fine :). The pics are loading as I'm typing but I don't have time to sort them all today ( all 500 of them ). That will be for tomorrow. Now I've got to bead and dig. In that order ;)

See You Soon

Well, shoot. I did it again it looks like, but I have a good excuse this time..actually several :). Family visited, then friends visited, then we went to San Jose to watch the american women's soccer team play against the Japanese soccer team. Awesome game, fast, smart..really great. We hiked for a good part of that day too: up the yellow hill to see mount Diablo and eagles flying over the clouds down to a a forest of centuries old oaks. A great day...and now we are leaving for 5 days for Carmel-by-The-Sea, a great little village on the cold coast of California...really cold, we are dropping down 30 degrees F at least. I mean, we actually need sweaters there in August...unbelievable. It's my favorite place to go: an angry sea with wind beaten up cliffs, seagulls, whales, dolphins and seals. Pure happiness...
My sister did point out that going there with 2 children and 2 dogs doesn't qualify as a vacation :)
I'll come back on fiday night very very late as usual with lots of pictures. In the mean time you can check out this website for an idea of where I'm going to spend 5 glorious days ;)

Have a good week,

Marie

Soccer!

You know, I think I've been unfair with my 2 boys and their passion for soccer. I moaned and whined about getting up early on Saturday mornings to watch my son's team play. I huffed about spending up to 2 hours twice a week watching practices. I've complained about the extra laundry too.
But I'm reformed.
In fact I now think that soccer is THE BEST.
I'm totally thinking about scoring some tickets for the LA Galxy actually.

You don't think soccer is that great?

Are you sure?

Maybe you should click and then tell me all about it ;)
Don't forget to look at all the pictures :). You know, this is research after all. In support for my family. Right.

Happy Thursday!

In The Jam

Literally... Our fruit trees had their branches breaking with all the weight of the fruits so I decided it was time for action. I ordered, I asked the troops to go and pick it. Except that I didn't check how much they were picking. What followed was days of the remake of a bad B movie with what looked like a mad woman with hair that looked like a long haired hamster caught in the spin cycle of a dryer, measuring, pouring, mixing tasting, filling pot after pot after pot in a kitchen that was hot as hell for days. Yes, days. I'm going to cut the trees down.
The results are certainly good though :)
Apricot-basil jam
Plum-cinammon-vanilla jam
Peach jam
Apricot-almond pies and jam
Peach cake
Peach crumble
Peach clafoutis
Etc....

I don't think I'm going back in that kitchen any time soon.
Except that on Saturday we are having a party for my daughter's birthday. And some relatives are staying for several days. They are vegetarian. Forget about easy meals. You know: paté and cheese and bread. Now, do olives qualify as sufficient vegetarian sustenance I wonder...

Yeah, it works again!

Does anybody know why on earth I haven't been able to put a title to my posts..It won't let me click on it..anybody has the same problem?

Yesterday:

Miss A.: "Papa looks like an adult but Mama looks like a teenager."

Seeing the big smile on his mother's face Mr T exclaims:

"Man, you just got mega bonus points!"

In real, I live in a video game :)

Sorry for all the pictures of the fireworks but we had a great time as usual :). And I love my new camera. I could never have gotten these pictures with my old one so...there it is!











The 2 last ones ask for a bit of an explanation. See, we have this guy in the neighborhood who apparently buys illegal fireworks in Mexico and then makes a show on the parking lot near the house. It's always really good actually and I got pics of his and ours going off at the same time :)

Happy 4th!

I find it hilarious that us of all people, would receive 3 invitations to actually BE in 3 different 4th of July parades: we just don't do the all american thing. At all. But when in Rome as they say...so my husband and my son went to represent their soccer club in one of the biggest parade in Sacramento and miss A. and I decorated her bike and herself (and me A LITTLE) with all kinds of red, white and blue and we participated in one of the smallest parade in Sacramento. Mark and mr T. sweated their way handing out flyiers, talking to people and giving candy and miss A. and I strolled through tree lined streets chatting with friends and eating ice cream in the neighborhood. Hehe.
And to celebrate 4th of July in beauty we are having near record high temperatures today. I just put my thermometer in the sun and it said: 121 F. which is 50 C. It clearly wanted to go up more but that's as high as my thermometer goes. Obiously it was not made in Sacramento.
We bought fireworks this morning since it is legal in California to have your own private little show and that everybody does it. I just water the lawn well that morning. Of course you always have the village idiots that take their fireworks in the park across from me and manage to set the dry grass on fire there. Sigh.

I'm going to try my new camera for the fireworks tonight, we'll see how it does. Oh, and Cecile, I promise I'll post the recipe for Kansas city strip steaks tomorrow!

Now, where is the margarita?

Sold!

That was such a hard decision to make: sell our first house, the tiny 1905 arts and crafts bungalow that we bought when we moved to Sacramento. We lived in it for 8 years and we adored that house. Even though it was on a busy street, and the neighborhood wasn't that great...We made it our own with vines and flowers and crazy paint choices ( the fence was pink ), and raised in it 2 toddlers and a cat. But, we each got a business that we needed room for, the tiny room shared by the kids was just too small and the neighborhood was getting worse. And we had to drive too long to get our son to school: he had just started to go to the Rapid Learner program. And then, a house went up for sale just across the street from the new school with enough space for 2 offices and a backyard runned down with fig, apricot, plum and peach trees. We went to see it at the insistence of my mother-in-law, and met the seller who was romanian. We talked about Europe and peaches and we made an offer that he accepted right away even though other people had offered more. It was fate and we love our new house. But yesterday we went to the old house for the last cleaning and touch up and there was a little pit in our stomachs as we drove away. I don't even have a good shot of the house but this one gives an idea :)
At the same time, now that I don't have to take care of 2 houses and all the paperwork it takes to sell a house, I'm finding myself with a lot more time on my hands. The question is what do I do with it?

Quizzzzzzzzzzzzz

So, since I'm trying to get out of cleaning the pigsty castle, I found a really important thing to do...and you, which movie hero are you?

Indiana Jones : 77% Tu aimes l'aventure, et détestes le quotidien.
Batman / Bruce Wayne : 74%
James Bond : 72%
Hannibal Lecter : 71%
Maximus (Gladiator) : 70%
Schrek : 69%
Néo (Matrix) : 68%
Yoda (Star Wars) : 67%
Eric Draven (The Crow) : 65%
Forrest Gump : 63%
Tony Montana (Scarface) : 63%
Jim Levenstein (American Pie) : 61%

Quel héros de film es-tu ?

Oh, and please disregard the Hannibal Lecter part. I mean, yuck! And I've almost never thought of killing my neighbors I swear. And I'd add that if I ever did I'd never eat them, they are loaded with Prozac.

And Today is....

My Birthday!!
So, of course I had the usual questions:
- do you feel old?
- are you traumatized?
- do your knees squeack when you kneel?!

Well, really I don't see how any of these could possibly apply to me since I'm only turning 36 26. Hehe.
I have been feeling a little weird though lately...a bit like Alice in Wonderland, seeing weird people doing weird things that obviously makes sense to them but not at all to me. And like Alice I'm kind of floating around, feeling in turn curious, giddy, angry, exasperated and finally throwing my arms up in the air in frustration at not quite understanding what these people are all about. Ah well, maybe I'll be more patient and understanding when I grow up :)

Summer Time

The farniente, the hammock, the naps in the hammock, days that last forever with no schedule...
Well, what happened?? Cause my summer doesn't look like that AT ALL. Nope, nada. I haven't even looked at the hammock for 3 weeks. Pffff... I'm hoping that starting next week, summer will feel a bit more like summer should. We'll see :)
In the mean time here is what's happening in the garden these days:








If you click on the pics, particularly the bee one, you'll see how good my new camera is: you can see the grains of pollen and the details of her wings :)

And in the series of....

Events that curiously makes you use "no sleep" and "Miss A" in the same sentence...
Last night 4:30 am:
Miss A: "Papa, papa, wake up!"
Papa: "Mmmmmmm, what's wrong?"
Miss A.: "I just lost a tooth"
Papa and Mama: "What??? How can you lose a tooth at night!?"
Miss A.: "I dreamed about it and then it happened."

And I Present....

The newest member of the family:

He remained nameless for 3 days...and then we had 3 choices Mazi (means Sir in Swahili), Lucky (miss A's choice) and Legolas :Mr T's choice. Of course :)
And Legolas it is! He is very attached to my son so Mr T picked the name :)
Legolas is from a rescue of course, as is Piper. The two of them get along fabulously. He is an extremely easy and fun puppy and we couldn't be happier :)

And if I thought I was bored, that's definitly out now.