Christmas 09
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas 2009
Mike is dictating:
A very peaceful Christmas. We spent it at home with no family or friends, just us. Santa seemed to get everything just right.
(Mike is distracted by semi-naked cheerleaders on TV.)
Kids had a great time and behaved incredibly well. Mike and Jill did a lovely roast chicken dinner which was enjoyed by all.
And then bizarrely enough we went for a swim - or rather the kids swam while we watched. Mark did his first ever full swim with no armbands at all after some gentle coaxing from M&D.
Big hits:
Mark - Darda track, Mario Cart DS game
Hannah - Secret Codes puzzle and Webkinz
Ellie - Dalmation vet kit and Barbie clothes
No snow. Weird.
A very peaceful Christmas. We spent it at home with no family or friends, just us. Santa seemed to get everything just right.
(Mike is distracted by semi-naked cheerleaders on TV.)
Kids had a great time and behaved incredibly well. Mike and Jill did a lovely roast chicken dinner which was enjoyed by all.
And then bizarrely enough we went for a swim - or rather the kids swam while we watched. Mark did his first ever full swim with no armbands at all after some gentle coaxing from M&D.
Big hits:
Mark - Darda track, Mario Cart DS game
Hannah - Secret Codes puzzle and Webkinz
Ellie - Dalmation vet kit and Barbie clothes
No snow. Weird.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Mark's Christmas show
I had to do a post just to get these photos on here. Mark's Christmas show was a week ago, and as you can see he enjoyed every minute of it!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Victorian Nutracker
I removed two children from school this morning to take them to see the Victorian Nutracker at the Merrill Auditorium. Of course their teacher's didn't actually mind, I just like to think we're somehow being naughty.
To give you an idea of how cold it was today, I was wearing a thermal long sleeve vest, wool sweater, down jacket, thinsulate lined hat, thinsulate lined gloves, thinsulate lined boots... and my legs were cold. I am buying flannel lined jeans next.
We parked on a meter and went to Starbucks for coffee - and even met Mike briefly. Then we joined about 1000 other children in the Merrill Auditorium for the show.
The children were entranced by it. We were in the fourth row from the front, so we could see and hear all the individual instruments really clearly. Mark liked the fight best. Ellie liked the Mouse King best. I haven't asked Hannah yet. I just loved the whole thing.
After the lights went up, Ellie turned to me with a peanut M&M in her hand and said 'Mummy what is this?' Luckily she knows not to ever eat anything like that without checking first. And don't get me started on the person feeding peanut butter to her child during the show. Luckily Nadja smelt it, so knew where to keep Ellie away from. *sigh*
Anyway, tomorrow looks delightful. I see the UK is getting snow and temperatures "plummeting to -7C". Our forecast is for sunshine and highs of -8C. I think I might just stay inside.
To give you an idea of how cold it was today, I was wearing a thermal long sleeve vest, wool sweater, down jacket, thinsulate lined hat, thinsulate lined gloves, thinsulate lined boots... and my legs were cold. I am buying flannel lined jeans next.
We parked on a meter and went to Starbucks for coffee - and even met Mike briefly. Then we joined about 1000 other children in the Merrill Auditorium for the show.
The children were entranced by it. We were in the fourth row from the front, so we could see and hear all the individual instruments really clearly. Mark liked the fight best. Ellie liked the Mouse King best. I haven't asked Hannah yet. I just loved the whole thing.
After the lights went up, Ellie turned to me with a peanut M&M in her hand and said 'Mummy what is this?' Luckily she knows not to ever eat anything like that without checking first. And don't get me started on the person feeding peanut butter to her child during the show. Luckily Nadja smelt it, so knew where to keep Ellie away from. *sigh*
Anyway, tomorrow looks delightful. I see the UK is getting snow and temperatures "plummeting to -7C". Our forecast is for sunshine and highs of -8C. I think I might just stay inside.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Snow and trees
Really quite cold. We went to the Christmas tree plantation yesterday to pick out a tree. I have decided I love head socks, the children had a great time rolling around in the snow, and Mike loved being he-man and dragging a tree out of the wilderness.
Today the tree was beautifully (ahem) decorated by the children, then Mike took them all to McDonalds, ice-skating at the Yarmouth pond, then bowling at Pineland Y. And now it's raining. I wouldn't usually say this, but I'm quite pleased. Hopefully it will melt all the snow, and perhaps even the ice on the driveway which is going to kill me before this winter is over...
Today the tree was beautifully (ahem) decorated by the children, then Mike took them all to McDonalds, ice-skating at the Yarmouth pond, then bowling at Pineland Y. And now it's raining. I wouldn't usually say this, but I'm quite pleased. Hopefully it will melt all the snow, and perhaps even the ice on the driveway which is going to kill me before this winter is over...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Bar Mitzvah
We went to Jacob's Bar Mitzvah last Saturday, invited by his mum Patricia. I didn't take any photos, but it was a beautiful service (is it a service?) followed by a delicious meal in great company.
It was my first Bar Mitzvah. I hadn't realised the building would be so beautiful inside, or that the service (?) would be almost entirely sung, or that the Torah was written backwards, or that the 'real' Torah that they read from is a roll of paper on wooden spindles.
Just goes to show how little I know... but I'm learning.
Congratulations Jacob, you did a fantastic job.
It was my first Bar Mitzvah. I hadn't realised the building would be so beautiful inside, or that the service (?) would be almost entirely sung, or that the Torah was written backwards, or that the 'real' Torah that they read from is a roll of paper on wooden spindles.
Just goes to show how little I know... but I'm learning.
Congratulations Jacob, you did a fantastic job.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
We've had a busy week with very little work in it...
Monday was pretty normal - I went to work, went to the gym at lunch, then worked late finishing off a training website.
Tuesday I worked from home. First thing, Mike and I went to Hannah's publishing party at school to see her work on bugs. I learnt more than I ever needed to know about cockroaches - 'They like to eat dead stuff' 'They can live a week without their head.'
Then back home, where I got a lot of work done. At lunchtime Mike and I went out to Home and Hearth to look at stoves and learn everything we could about gas vs wood. We were just about convinced we should get a gas stove for the sitting room, then the guy mentioned the tax credit on wood stoves, which brings the prices to within $1000 of each other. Now I'm well and truly convinced we should get a wood stove.
Here are a few we like:
Rais Rondo
Rais Bando
Morso 8142
...and a few others that are similar.
Then we had Bingas Wingas for lunch. After school we had June over, so Ellie was the happiest girl in the world.
Wednesday - I woke up feeling rubbish and stayed that way most of the day. A migraine I think? I tried to work but struggled. Later Mike took the kids swimming at the Clarion (or as Mark called it, the Clarion-A which is a bit like the YMCA), then we went to the Great Lost Bear for a yummy dinner with even yummier beer. My migraine eased off for a while, then hit back with a vengeance when we got home.
Thursday was Thanksgiving! A beautiful day - it's very mild here at the moment. Mike put the turkey in the oven and par-boiled the spuds while I lay in bed still feeling sick with a migraine. Then we headed to Wolf's Neck where we enjoyed the misty scenic views from the beach, then walked along the Casco Bay Trail, then back along the Old Woods Trail. Ellie and I walked on ahead, and she chat chat chatted the entire way. She loves hiking and talking.
Afterwards we went to LL Bean to get the children's feet measured. Mark is a 13, Ellie is a 12, Hannah is a 4.5-5. So Mark has now officially overtaken his big sister, although really it's because his big toe points out more, while her toes are all an even straight line. We got great shoes for them all, and even better everyone fitted into cheaper Beans rather than more expensive Merrills. The kids enjoyed the new kids area - it's SO much better there now.
Back home, we had a delicious turkey dinner with very successful gravy (made by me), followed by 'English Pumpkin Pie' from Nadja (it's actually lemon meringue pie, my favourite).
Friday - it rained and rained and rained. We met up with the Brennans at the Children's Museum, then moved on to Flatbread for lunch, then took some very very weary children home.
Once home Max and Maddie came over for a playdate, then later Hannah went over to Max's for her first sleepover since we moved to America. I wasn't sure how much sleep they would get, and felt a bit sorry for Jen...
Saturday - no more rain, just unbelievable wind. Went to pick Hannah up from her sleepover, and sure enough she was exhausted - I imagine Jen was too! We did boring things like supermarket shopping, toy shop exploring and coffee drinking, then we took Hannah home for a nice nap. I took the other two off to the library, where as usual I gave quiet prayer to Yarmouth for having such a child-friendly library - they have a beautiful children's room with train table, games, books, comfortable couches, and free coffee.
We played, read books (Mr Magee Goes to Sea), checked out two DVDs of the Wire, then headed back home. Me feeling a bit sick after a cup of coffee - I'm not coping well with coffee at the moment.
Hannah's life is a social whirl - after lunch her friends Pie and Lulu picked her up to take her to the Nutcracker, lucky thing. I dressed her up in a great outfit, will post photos, and sent her off looking beautiful but exhausted. Apparently she was in tears by the time Mike dropped her off, and he told Mitch to call us if she needed picking up. In the end she had a great time from the sounds of things.
The little two have been playing together so well, it really makes a difference not having your big sister around, apparently. And Mike has been really sorting out the basement, so now it's a bit of a wonderland down there for them. So while Hannah was out, they all played, and I went for a bike ride. Then just sat round, relaxing. Weird.
Sunday - a beautiful day. Hannah wanted to go to church, and it was Mike's turn to take her. She loves Sunday school, and I suspect we're going to have to get used to spending the occasional Sunday at church while she enjoys herself.
Afterwards we met up for coffee at the Royal Bean, where Ellie met a little girl from her school and they made friends while they drew, and Mark and I played.
From there we drove to Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth - I've had a hankering to run on the beach while the weather is still warm enough. We had lunch at one of the picnic tables, then we ran all over the rocks. Two Lights is about 5 minutes walk from the house we lived in when we first arrived in America, so it brings back some very happy memories for me. We spent our first July 4th at Two Lights, and I used to take all three children there when they were 6, 4 and 2. Of course Hannah was like a gymnast climbing all over the place, but I remember being surprised at how nimble Ellie was on the rocks age 4. Now Mark is that age and is climbing all over the place.
Then we walked to the brand new playground, and the children competed to see who could swing the highest. There's a pond there that reminds me of Mum, we must have taken you there when you visited Mum. We'll go again when you're over next. It's such a lovely spot.
Then home, to find the Wallaces back from Connecticut, so the children had a lovely hour or so over there. I came over all poorly - no idea what but I felt dizzy and sick. After a lie down I felt fine, but I think I've had some kind of virus or something. I really haven't been all that well the last few days.
After tea, I watched the children making Christmas decorations up in their room, and supplied pictures of Christmas trees for them to colour in and decorate. They're getting to be so big and independent now, but they still love mummy and daddy to be involved in whatever they're doing.
Monday was pretty normal - I went to work, went to the gym at lunch, then worked late finishing off a training website.
Tuesday I worked from home. First thing, Mike and I went to Hannah's publishing party at school to see her work on bugs. I learnt more than I ever needed to know about cockroaches - 'They like to eat dead stuff' 'They can live a week without their head.'
Then back home, where I got a lot of work done. At lunchtime Mike and I went out to Home and Hearth to look at stoves and learn everything we could about gas vs wood. We were just about convinced we should get a gas stove for the sitting room, then the guy mentioned the tax credit on wood stoves, which brings the prices to within $1000 of each other. Now I'm well and truly convinced we should get a wood stove.
Here are a few we like:
Rais Rondo
Rais Bando
Morso 8142
...and a few others that are similar.
Then we had Bingas Wingas for lunch. After school we had June over, so Ellie was the happiest girl in the world.
Wednesday - I woke up feeling rubbish and stayed that way most of the day. A migraine I think? I tried to work but struggled. Later Mike took the kids swimming at the Clarion (or as Mark called it, the Clarion-A which is a bit like the YMCA), then we went to the Great Lost Bear for a yummy dinner with even yummier beer. My migraine eased off for a while, then hit back with a vengeance when we got home.
Thursday was Thanksgiving! A beautiful day - it's very mild here at the moment. Mike put the turkey in the oven and par-boiled the spuds while I lay in bed still feeling sick with a migraine. Then we headed to Wolf's Neck where we enjoyed the misty scenic views from the beach, then walked along the Casco Bay Trail, then back along the Old Woods Trail. Ellie and I walked on ahead, and she chat chat chatted the entire way. She loves hiking and talking.
Afterwards we went to LL Bean to get the children's feet measured. Mark is a 13, Ellie is a 12, Hannah is a 4.5-5. So Mark has now officially overtaken his big sister, although really it's because his big toe points out more, while her toes are all an even straight line. We got great shoes for them all, and even better everyone fitted into cheaper Beans rather than more expensive Merrills. The kids enjoyed the new kids area - it's SO much better there now.
Back home, we had a delicious turkey dinner with very successful gravy (made by me), followed by 'English Pumpkin Pie' from Nadja (it's actually lemon meringue pie, my favourite).
Friday - it rained and rained and rained. We met up with the Brennans at the Children's Museum, then moved on to Flatbread for lunch, then took some very very weary children home.
Once home Max and Maddie came over for a playdate, then later Hannah went over to Max's for her first sleepover since we moved to America. I wasn't sure how much sleep they would get, and felt a bit sorry for Jen...
Saturday - no more rain, just unbelievable wind. Went to pick Hannah up from her sleepover, and sure enough she was exhausted - I imagine Jen was too! We did boring things like supermarket shopping, toy shop exploring and coffee drinking, then we took Hannah home for a nice nap. I took the other two off to the library, where as usual I gave quiet prayer to Yarmouth for having such a child-friendly library - they have a beautiful children's room with train table, games, books, comfortable couches, and free coffee.
We played, read books (Mr Magee Goes to Sea), checked out two DVDs of the Wire, then headed back home. Me feeling a bit sick after a cup of coffee - I'm not coping well with coffee at the moment.
Hannah's life is a social whirl - after lunch her friends Pie and Lulu picked her up to take her to the Nutcracker, lucky thing. I dressed her up in a great outfit, will post photos, and sent her off looking beautiful but exhausted. Apparently she was in tears by the time Mike dropped her off, and he told Mitch to call us if she needed picking up. In the end she had a great time from the sounds of things.
The little two have been playing together so well, it really makes a difference not having your big sister around, apparently. And Mike has been really sorting out the basement, so now it's a bit of a wonderland down there for them. So while Hannah was out, they all played, and I went for a bike ride. Then just sat round, relaxing. Weird.
Sunday - a beautiful day. Hannah wanted to go to church, and it was Mike's turn to take her. She loves Sunday school, and I suspect we're going to have to get used to spending the occasional Sunday at church while she enjoys herself.
Afterwards we met up for coffee at the Royal Bean, where Ellie met a little girl from her school and they made friends while they drew, and Mark and I played.
From there we drove to Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth - I've had a hankering to run on the beach while the weather is still warm enough. We had lunch at one of the picnic tables, then we ran all over the rocks. Two Lights is about 5 minutes walk from the house we lived in when we first arrived in America, so it brings back some very happy memories for me. We spent our first July 4th at Two Lights, and I used to take all three children there when they were 6, 4 and 2. Of course Hannah was like a gymnast climbing all over the place, but I remember being surprised at how nimble Ellie was on the rocks age 4. Now Mark is that age and is climbing all over the place.
Then we walked to the brand new playground, and the children competed to see who could swing the highest. There's a pond there that reminds me of Mum, we must have taken you there when you visited Mum. We'll go again when you're over next. It's such a lovely spot.
Then home, to find the Wallaces back from Connecticut, so the children had a lovely hour or so over there. I came over all poorly - no idea what but I felt dizzy and sick. After a lie down I felt fine, but I think I've had some kind of virus or something. I really haven't been all that well the last few days.
After tea, I watched the children making Christmas decorations up in their room, and supplied pictures of Christmas trees for them to colour in and decorate. They're getting to be so big and independent now, but they still love mummy and daddy to be involved in whatever they're doing.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A weird week at work, North Conway and Santa's Village
We're just back from a wonderful weekend away first at Santa's Village (Jefferson NH) then in North Conway NH. I think Santa's Village would be more fun in snow than in cold not-quite-rain but it was still fabulous fun for the children.
There were lots of rides that were aimed exactly at their age group, including a rollercoaster that went round 4-5 times to Hannah's delight. A ride where the kids controlled how high they flew, which Mark and Ellie loved. A teacups ride which I'll post the photo of - all three loved it. A 'drive the car yourself' ride which was Mark's favourite. Endless other Christmassy things, plus a 3D Christmas movie. In the carpark afterwards we found an enormous nutracker soldier with slides for arms, and a head that the children could climb into.
Having had a full day of enjoying Santa's Village, we drove through Crawford Notch in the dark - I'd love to do that drive in daylight. The mountains are pretty enormous and very atmospheric in the mist.
We had dinnner at the Muddy Moose - great beer and buffalo burgers - then stayed the night at the Hampton Inn, which meant of course the waterpark this morning. Mark and Hannah were in there 10 minutes after it opened; Ellie and I had a little lie-in.
Then we explored North Conway centre. We had lunch at the Chef's Kitchen deli which was absolutely delicious. Hannah had the mini beef steaks, I had stuffed portobello mushrooms and Mike had the steak pastry thingies. It was such a change to go somewhere with salads and really nice food rather than burgers and ribs.
We explored the Toy Chest shop thoroughly. We did a modern twist on Santa's list - instead Mike took photos on his iPhone of everything the children wanted.
Then it was back to Portland, stopping off at The Good Life Market, another great deli in Raymond, where we stocked up on Boar's Head meats, and delicious looking cheese and bread and stuff. Mike was disappointed by the lack of English beer there, usually they have something interesting in stock.
Now we're home, it's dark and we're about to eat all our goodies.
It was good to have a relaxing weekend after a weird week at work. Unum laid off quite a few people - I'm not sure I'll ever find out how many but there were two in our department of 41. We had a week of knowing our jobs were safe for now, but not knowing how the department was going to be restructured. Eventually Kathy was able to tell us at 3.30pm on Friday.
All of that was a bit unsettling, but worse - a colleague was shot and killed by her husband on Monday night. It was all over the news on Tuesday and Wednesday. It sounds like it was totally unexpected. I've been trying not to think about it...
There were lots of rides that were aimed exactly at their age group, including a rollercoaster that went round 4-5 times to Hannah's delight. A ride where the kids controlled how high they flew, which Mark and Ellie loved. A teacups ride which I'll post the photo of - all three loved it. A 'drive the car yourself' ride which was Mark's favourite. Endless other Christmassy things, plus a 3D Christmas movie. In the carpark afterwards we found an enormous nutracker soldier with slides for arms, and a head that the children could climb into.
Having had a full day of enjoying Santa's Village, we drove through Crawford Notch in the dark - I'd love to do that drive in daylight. The mountains are pretty enormous and very atmospheric in the mist.
We had dinnner at the Muddy Moose - great beer and buffalo burgers - then stayed the night at the Hampton Inn, which meant of course the waterpark this morning. Mark and Hannah were in there 10 minutes after it opened; Ellie and I had a little lie-in.
Then we explored North Conway centre. We had lunch at the Chef's Kitchen deli which was absolutely delicious. Hannah had the mini beef steaks, I had stuffed portobello mushrooms and Mike had the steak pastry thingies. It was such a change to go somewhere with salads and really nice food rather than burgers and ribs.
We explored the Toy Chest shop thoroughly. We did a modern twist on Santa's list - instead Mike took photos on his iPhone of everything the children wanted.
Then it was back to Portland, stopping off at The Good Life Market, another great deli in Raymond, where we stocked up on Boar's Head meats, and delicious looking cheese and bread and stuff. Mike was disappointed by the lack of English beer there, usually they have something interesting in stock.
Now we're home, it's dark and we're about to eat all our goodies.
It was good to have a relaxing weekend after a weird week at work. Unum laid off quite a few people - I'm not sure I'll ever find out how many but there were two in our department of 41. We had a week of knowing our jobs were safe for now, but not knowing how the department was going to be restructured. Eventually Kathy was able to tell us at 3.30pm on Friday.
All of that was a bit unsettling, but worse - a colleague was shot and killed by her husband on Monday night. It was all over the news on Tuesday and Wednesday. It sounds like it was totally unexpected. I've been trying not to think about it...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Rain and the Science Museum
Yesterday I swam up the freeway - we had that much rain. It was okay in the morning so I went out for a bike ride just before the rain started, then we had a day of tag teaming with the kids.
The rain started. Ellie and I did the Christmas Tree Shops - it turns out one visit IS enough.
Mike took all children to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - our second attempt since being thrown out of the film halfway through due to some unnamed 'emergency situation'.
Meanwhile I got soaked running from the carpark into the mall, where I spent far too much in Pottery Barn on things I'll probably return. We're really trying to get the downstairs of the house 'done' ie repainted, rugs, furniture, blinds, curtains - all that stuff we've done without for the last two years. The stairs are now blue on one side and sand on the other, the sitting room is sand with cream window frames, and soon the rest of the downstairs might be cream rather than lime green/navy blue. But I'm rubbish at making decisions so it's a slow painful process.
Then I got soaked running back to the car.
Then I did about 40mph all the way back up I-295, wondering at what point someone replaced it with a river.
Was very glad to get home, and couldn't face going back out again, which was a shame because we'd planned to go to the North Yarmouth Family Dance and get Hannah to show us how to do country dancing.
Today we drove 110 miles to Boston in about 1.5 hours, then sat in traffic directly outside the Science Museum gazing longingly at the closed carpark for another half an hour, then finally parked somewhere else and got in to the museum.
It's pretty good. Not as good as the Manchester Science Museum, but then it is amazing. The best bit was the Harry Potter exhibition. I expected costumes, but not sets and animals and all sorts of other pieces. It was fabulous and a bit too scary for Ellie.
We'll definitely go back to the museum, but we'll get up early and take the train next time. It's right by North Station and I'll do pretty much anything to avoid that traffic jam.
We stopped at Bertucci's for dinner on the way home. Mmmmm. Then there was a lot of snoring coming from the back seats.
Now Mike's watching the Patriots play and saying 'Go Pats' a lot. I'm not saying people are passionate about football here, but I just read an email from Hannah's teacher and she closed it with 'Go Pats!'
The rain started. Ellie and I did the Christmas Tree Shops - it turns out one visit IS enough.
Mike took all children to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - our second attempt since being thrown out of the film halfway through due to some unnamed 'emergency situation'.
Meanwhile I got soaked running from the carpark into the mall, where I spent far too much in Pottery Barn on things I'll probably return. We're really trying to get the downstairs of the house 'done' ie repainted, rugs, furniture, blinds, curtains - all that stuff we've done without for the last two years. The stairs are now blue on one side and sand on the other, the sitting room is sand with cream window frames, and soon the rest of the downstairs might be cream rather than lime green/navy blue. But I'm rubbish at making decisions so it's a slow painful process.
Then I got soaked running back to the car.
Then I did about 40mph all the way back up I-295, wondering at what point someone replaced it with a river.
Was very glad to get home, and couldn't face going back out again, which was a shame because we'd planned to go to the North Yarmouth Family Dance and get Hannah to show us how to do country dancing.
Today we drove 110 miles to Boston in about 1.5 hours, then sat in traffic directly outside the Science Museum gazing longingly at the closed carpark for another half an hour, then finally parked somewhere else and got in to the museum.
It's pretty good. Not as good as the Manchester Science Museum, but then it is amazing. The best bit was the Harry Potter exhibition. I expected costumes, but not sets and animals and all sorts of other pieces. It was fabulous and a bit too scary for Ellie.
We'll definitely go back to the museum, but we'll get up early and take the train next time. It's right by North Station and I'll do pretty much anything to avoid that traffic jam.
We stopped at Bertucci's for dinner on the way home. Mmmmm. Then there was a lot of snoring coming from the back seats.
Now Mike's watching the Patriots play and saying 'Go Pats' a lot. I'm not saying people are passionate about football here, but I just read an email from Hannah's teacher and she closed it with 'Go Pats!'
Thursday, November 12, 2009
H1N1
The girls finally got their H1N1 shot at school yesterday, having been too ill to make it to the clinic at the doctor's office last week. I don't know where or when Mark will get his.
It all seems a bit moot seeing as they probably had swine flu last week. It's raging through the schools in Maine at the moment, and they've been nearing 15% absentee rate. But the doctor said there was no point testing them, and that they should have the vaccine anyway.
Still can't work out how I didn't get it. I think I may be a little bit magic.
No other news other than Mark says 'I went to the barbara today and got my hair cut...'
It all seems a bit moot seeing as they probably had swine flu last week. It's raging through the schools in Maine at the moment, and they've been nearing 15% absentee rate. But the doctor said there was no point testing them, and that they should have the vaccine anyway.
Still can't work out how I didn't get it. I think I may be a little bit magic.
No other news other than Mark says 'I went to the barbara today and got my hair cut...'
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Littlejohn Island Preserve
We've been meaning to try out the Littlejohn Island Preserve trail for ages. I tried to find it once but there were signs up saying 'Private Way' and I didn't have the courage to drive past them. Of course the hike - which is supposed to be open to all - is beyond those signs.
To get there you drive along a beautiful road down the middle of Littlejohn Island, with trees crowding on either side and the sunlight dappling through. Driveways either side lead to millionaire's mansions. I could live there. If I had to.
We packed gloves and hats, but then once parked up and ready to walk we decided we wouldn't need them so we set off glove-free. Hmm, won't make that mistake again this year.
It's a short trail leading to long beaches with lots of rocks to climb on and plenty of seaweed. Classic Maine beaches, really.
It was amazing to see how much Mark has changed in just a year. He ran on ahead, climbed everything he possibly could, and clearly adored every minute of being outside. He really is a puppy in disguise.
Hannah found a really cool shell which she's brought home to display in her room.
Other than me falling down and scraping my wrist enough that I felt sick every time I looked at it, we had a fabulous fresh air walk/scramble. It was so good to remember why we live here. Casco Bay was ripple free, and the seawater beautifully clear.
On the way back we realised that it's deer hunting season, and that in fact a deer hunter had parked alongside us and headed off with a tree stand over his shoulder. Hmm, we really do need to buy some orange vests for everyone to wear this time of year.
We treated ourselves to lunch at the Royal River Grill in Yarmouth, which meant we got to spend some more time gazing out at Casco Bay and feeling pleased with ourselves. Then we had to leave so that Mike could have a little lie down.
Everyone except Mike is almost back to normal now. Mike goes through phases of being okay then needing to lie down for a while. He's been hit hard by the flu or whatever it is.
I'm assuming everyone's probably had swine flu. No one was swabbed, but the schools full of swine flu right now and the symptoms seemed swine-flu-ish.
Strangely I never got ill. Mike's theory is that it was through sheer force of will - I had a big day on Friday at work and I really really really needed to be there. But I think I was just lucky. And it could all still go horribly wrong...
To get there you drive along a beautiful road down the middle of Littlejohn Island, with trees crowding on either side and the sunlight dappling through. Driveways either side lead to millionaire's mansions. I could live there. If I had to.
We packed gloves and hats, but then once parked up and ready to walk we decided we wouldn't need them so we set off glove-free. Hmm, won't make that mistake again this year.
It's a short trail leading to long beaches with lots of rocks to climb on and plenty of seaweed. Classic Maine beaches, really.
It was amazing to see how much Mark has changed in just a year. He ran on ahead, climbed everything he possibly could, and clearly adored every minute of being outside. He really is a puppy in disguise.
Hannah found a really cool shell which she's brought home to display in her room.
Other than me falling down and scraping my wrist enough that I felt sick every time I looked at it, we had a fabulous fresh air walk/scramble. It was so good to remember why we live here. Casco Bay was ripple free, and the seawater beautifully clear.
On the way back we realised that it's deer hunting season, and that in fact a deer hunter had parked alongside us and headed off with a tree stand over his shoulder. Hmm, we really do need to buy some orange vests for everyone to wear this time of year.
We treated ourselves to lunch at the Royal River Grill in Yarmouth, which meant we got to spend some more time gazing out at Casco Bay and feeling pleased with ourselves. Then we had to leave so that Mike could have a little lie down.
Everyone except Mike is almost back to normal now. Mike goes through phases of being okay then needing to lie down for a while. He's been hit hard by the flu or whatever it is.
I'm assuming everyone's probably had swine flu. No one was swabbed, but the schools full of swine flu right now and the symptoms seemed swine-flu-ish.
Strangely I never got ill. Mike's theory is that it was through sheer force of will - I had a big day on Friday at work and I really really really needed to be there. But I think I was just lucky. And it could all still go horribly wrong...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Gay marriage will not be happening in Maine
The law passed earlier this year making gay marriage legal in Maine was last night over-turned by a referendum.
I sat up to watch some of the results, but gave up around midnight.
Ho hum.
In other news, all of the children are now sick. Ellie is finally pulling through her cold. Hannah is in the thick of it - hacking away to my right. Mark has a temperature of 101 and we're just waiting for him to start really struggling.
Mike has spent the day at home feeling awful, after spending half the night awake and slightly delirious.
I'm hoping to make it through Friday - I have a vendor visiting from Chicago and have five different meetings scheduled for/with him.
I sat up to watch some of the results, but gave up around midnight.
Ho hum.
In other news, all of the children are now sick. Ellie is finally pulling through her cold. Hannah is in the thick of it - hacking away to my right. Mark has a temperature of 101 and we're just waiting for him to start really struggling.
Mike has spent the day at home feeling awful, after spending half the night awake and slightly delirious.
I'm hoping to make it through Friday - I have a vendor visiting from Chicago and have five different meetings scheduled for/with him.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween 2009
Halloween 2009
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
All three children ready to party. I would've posted one of the other photos, but in them Hannah's belly was totally on display and she was standing in a position reminiscent of Christina Aguilera...
Not sure what look H is going for here?
Not sure what look H is going for here?
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Hannah fell in love with this wig but struggled to keep it on. So Mike wore it instead...
Ellie the witch
Ellie the witch
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Notice Ellie's black eye? She fell out of bed a week ago and the black eye developed nicely and is taking forever to go away.
Mark AKA superguy
Mark AKA superguy
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Mark all ready for the Halloween party. He wore this mask for about 2 minutes.
Halloween and sick Ellie
I'm sitting in the downstairs spare bedroom, on half of the sofa, thinking how this really should be the sitting room. We're about to have the sitting room painted so we've moved as much out as possible, but only half of the settee would fit through the door, so the other section is in another room somewhere.
Hannah is beside me writing her diary to 'Dear Eliza' and very pleased with herself. She just told me she kissed Max last year - should I be worried?
We seem to have spent the last week doing Halloween. Well, we are Americans and therefore into celebrating the occult while being as self-indulgent as possible, of course.
Last Saturday the inhabitants of Acorn Circle had a bonfire, so we dressed up the children, snuck through the woods, and joined them. Mark spent the entire time scootering. Hannah spent the entire time running with a pack of screaming kids. I'm not sure what Ellie did. I chatted to people like Mike my neighbour, who I last bumped into while getting onto a plane in Chicago.
So that was Halloween 1. Then we had the Halloween party at the Casco Bay YMCA. I voted not to go, through sheer exhaustication after a long week at work, but I got out-voted. It was fun though. Hannah did the haunted walk, then took me into a dark room to probe a pretend body on a pretend operating table (hilarious but my fingers ended up smelling of Purell and pickles). Mark and Ellie went on the bouncy castle as much as possible. It was surprisingly fun.
Then last night was the actual real Halloween. Only Ellie was sick. We knew she was sick because Mike said 'Ellie time to go trick or treating' and she said 'I don't want to.' So Mark and Hannah walked about 1.5 miles around Oakwood, visiting 20 or so houses, and came home with mountains of disgusting chocolate. And Ellie and I stayed home and cuddled.
Her temperature has been between 100 and 104 for the last 24 hours, and she has been very hot and unhappy. She threw up at one point, and we both spent half the night awake with her. I'm hoping it's not swine flu, and that it passes soon. Only I hear her feet above my head, so I'd better go and check her...
Hannah is beside me writing her diary to 'Dear Eliza' and very pleased with herself. She just told me she kissed Max last year - should I be worried?
We seem to have spent the last week doing Halloween. Well, we are Americans and therefore into celebrating the occult while being as self-indulgent as possible, of course.
Last Saturday the inhabitants of Acorn Circle had a bonfire, so we dressed up the children, snuck through the woods, and joined them. Mark spent the entire time scootering. Hannah spent the entire time running with a pack of screaming kids. I'm not sure what Ellie did. I chatted to people like Mike my neighbour, who I last bumped into while getting onto a plane in Chicago.
So that was Halloween 1. Then we had the Halloween party at the Casco Bay YMCA. I voted not to go, through sheer exhaustication after a long week at work, but I got out-voted. It was fun though. Hannah did the haunted walk, then took me into a dark room to probe a pretend body on a pretend operating table (hilarious but my fingers ended up smelling of Purell and pickles). Mark and Ellie went on the bouncy castle as much as possible. It was surprisingly fun.
Then last night was the actual real Halloween. Only Ellie was sick. We knew she was sick because Mike said 'Ellie time to go trick or treating' and she said 'I don't want to.' So Mark and Hannah walked about 1.5 miles around Oakwood, visiting 20 or so houses, and came home with mountains of disgusting chocolate. And Ellie and I stayed home and cuddled.
Her temperature has been between 100 and 104 for the last 24 hours, and she has been very hot and unhappy. She threw up at one point, and we both spent half the night awake with her. I'm hoping it's not swine flu, and that it passes soon. Only I hear her feet above my head, so I'd better go and check her...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Soccer!
Hannah scored the winning goal in her soccer match today!
And in other news, we have mum and granny here - or as the children would say we have granny Barbara and granny Teddyvi staying. They arrived on Wednesday, and have done fairly well with the jetlag ever since. Although I should point out that mum is fast asleep on the settee beside me, and has been for some time :-)
Since they've been here we have had dinner at Flatbread, taken a walk in the Royal River Park, got granny to do a lot of ironing, and not done much else. Tomorrow we're considering a trip on the Eastern Maine Railroad, from Brunswick to Wiscasset.
Just before our visitors arrived, I spent a few days in Chicago. I was invited to a Sales Enablement conference run by a company that we buy 'software as service' from. I spent the Sunday afternoon on Michigan Avenue, buying most of J Jill, and reminding myself what the smell is like in Lush. Hadn't been in one for a good three years.
I stayed at the Swissotel which frankly was over-priced. I walked across Chicago to spend a morning in one of our sales offices, and met several sales reps, which was an excellent learning experience for me. Then I had a day and a half of conference, including dinner and cocktails on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Tower. That bit was fabulous, the rest was pretty interesting.
I got back to Maine absolutely shattered, and have been sleeping as much as possible ever since. Travelling is hard work.
And in other news, we have mum and granny here - or as the children would say we have granny Barbara and granny Teddyvi staying. They arrived on Wednesday, and have done fairly well with the jetlag ever since. Although I should point out that mum is fast asleep on the settee beside me, and has been for some time :-)
Since they've been here we have had dinner at Flatbread, taken a walk in the Royal River Park, got granny to do a lot of ironing, and not done much else. Tomorrow we're considering a trip on the Eastern Maine Railroad, from Brunswick to Wiscasset.
Just before our visitors arrived, I spent a few days in Chicago. I was invited to a Sales Enablement conference run by a company that we buy 'software as service' from. I spent the Sunday afternoon on Michigan Avenue, buying most of J Jill, and reminding myself what the smell is like in Lush. Hadn't been in one for a good three years.
I stayed at the Swissotel which frankly was over-priced. I walked across Chicago to spend a morning in one of our sales offices, and met several sales reps, which was an excellent learning experience for me. Then I had a day and a half of conference, including dinner and cocktails on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Tower. That bit was fabulous, the rest was pretty interesting.
I got back to Maine absolutely shattered, and have been sleeping as much as possible ever since. Travelling is hard work.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Back to nursery
It was Mark's first day back at nursery today. He's doing Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings now that he's four. Funny to think in England he'd be going to school full-time. I'm sure he'd love it but I quite like that he gets another year of hanging out with us and the Wallaces, and going to an absolutely lovely nursery with the nicest teachers I know.
When I talked to him after nursery he told me he'd had a great time and he was going to have a rest now ;-)
The girls were back at school last week. Hannah enjoyed it; Ellie said she was tired and could she please have Friday off please?
Luckily for Ellie it was Labor Day on Monday, so we had a three day weekend.
Saturday we had a busy day. We visited Range Pond for the first time. It was a bit of a scorcher, and the children swam and dug holes in the sand. Then we had lunch at Eggcetera in Poland - I do like that place. Lunch for five people for $32. Then instead of driving the usual route home through Gray, we went cross country then south through New Gloucester and past Pineland. Hadn't been that way before - I'd imagined New Gloucester would be bigger, not just a pretty little 'blink and you'll miss it' town.
Hannah and Ellie went for a play with Max and Maddie, then we had Ellen over with Odin and Piper, for a barbeque. Ellen and I ended up sitting on the swing in the garden eating chips and watching five children on the trampoline. Fabulous.
After all that we were tired on Sunday so we had the laziest day imaginable. I would describe what we did, but it really was nothing.
Labor Day, or Picnic Day as Ellie calls it, the kids spent with the Wallaces, at the York Magic Animal Kingdom. It has animals and funfair rides - what child could ask for more?! They had a wonderful day. Hannah rode an elephant. Everyone went on rides. Mark drove Bumper Boats. They all fed goats. And much more... Then they had pizza on the way home, and arrived here shattered at about 8.30pm.
Meanwhile Mike and I went to... you'll never guess...
...Home Depot.
Mike was so happy. Then we had lunch at Panera, then wandered round the Old Port, and I was happy too. Finally we went to the Dry Dock, and sat on a very cold deck overlooking Casco Bay, and I had a Lemon Drop, and I was really really happy.
This week's been much better at work. I still have the most endless meetings to sit through. Four hours per morning, plus whatever else I'm scheduled for in the afternoon. But the people I'm working with are great, and it's almost interesting making configuration decisions about a new system. Almost...
When I talked to him after nursery he told me he'd had a great time and he was going to have a rest now ;-)
The girls were back at school last week. Hannah enjoyed it; Ellie said she was tired and could she please have Friday off please?
Luckily for Ellie it was Labor Day on Monday, so we had a three day weekend.
Saturday we had a busy day. We visited Range Pond for the first time. It was a bit of a scorcher, and the children swam and dug holes in the sand. Then we had lunch at Eggcetera in Poland - I do like that place. Lunch for five people for $32. Then instead of driving the usual route home through Gray, we went cross country then south through New Gloucester and past Pineland. Hadn't been that way before - I'd imagined New Gloucester would be bigger, not just a pretty little 'blink and you'll miss it' town.
Hannah and Ellie went for a play with Max and Maddie, then we had Ellen over with Odin and Piper, for a barbeque. Ellen and I ended up sitting on the swing in the garden eating chips and watching five children on the trampoline. Fabulous.
After all that we were tired on Sunday so we had the laziest day imaginable. I would describe what we did, but it really was nothing.
Labor Day, or Picnic Day as Ellie calls it, the kids spent with the Wallaces, at the York Magic Animal Kingdom. It has animals and funfair rides - what child could ask for more?! They had a wonderful day. Hannah rode an elephant. Everyone went on rides. Mark drove Bumper Boats. They all fed goats. And much more... Then they had pizza on the way home, and arrived here shattered at about 8.30pm.
Meanwhile Mike and I went to... you'll never guess...
...Home Depot.
Mike was so happy. Then we had lunch at Panera, then wandered round the Old Port, and I was happy too. Finally we went to the Dry Dock, and sat on a very cold deck overlooking Casco Bay, and I had a Lemon Drop, and I was really really happy.
This week's been much better at work. I still have the most endless meetings to sit through. Four hours per morning, plus whatever else I'm scheduled for in the afternoon. But the people I'm working with are great, and it's almost interesting making configuration decisions about a new system. Almost...
Friday, September 4, 2009
Car keys and sunsets
First of all a confession. If you were behind me on I295 this morning I apologise for the fact that a set of carkeys shot off the roof of my car and onto the freeway right in front of you.
Subaru say a new key and blipblip will be $70...
I just had a horrendous week back at work. I was signed up to conference calls 9am to 1pm every single day. I did the first three meetings at my desk with a headset on, thinking I'd be able to catch up with some other work while I was there, but I just ended up with a headache. So the last couple of days I went to the Darling Avenue office and sat in a civilised room with several other very nice people. Anyway, next week should be much better.
It was 80F today. On the way from work to the beach I picked up a big order from Panera, then lay on the headland at Kettle Cove waiting for my posse to arrive.
It was a beautiful evening. An amazing sunset, then an amazing full moon rising. The Wallaces joined us, and the children - who are turning into 'proper' Mainers - all swam in the sea.
Subaru say a new key and blipblip will be $70...
I just had a horrendous week back at work. I was signed up to conference calls 9am to 1pm every single day. I did the first three meetings at my desk with a headset on, thinking I'd be able to catch up with some other work while I was there, but I just ended up with a headache. So the last couple of days I went to the Darling Avenue office and sat in a civilised room with several other very nice people. Anyway, next week should be much better.
It was 80F today. On the way from work to the beach I picked up a big order from Panera, then lay on the headland at Kettle Cove waiting for my posse to arrive.
It was a beautiful evening. An amazing sunset, then an amazing full moon rising. The Wallaces joined us, and the children - who are turning into 'proper' Mainers - all swam in the sea.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A week beside Embden Pond
Dawn on Embden Pond
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
We just had a week at two adjoining cabins right beside Embden Pond, about 100 miles northwest of here, with Bobby, Alistair, Bradley and Rachel.
Lots more photos here.
We swam and canoed in the lake every day - we swam from the beach or swam out to the raft and the children jumped and dived in endlessly.
The children's swimming abilities came on while we were there. We had Bradley, Hannah and Ellie all doing forward somersaults into the water. On the last day we put them all in the lake without life jackets, and they all swam at least several strokes.
The cabin owners left us a two-person kayak, which we took out nearly every day. There were a few speedboats and jetskis on the lake, but mostly it was just very peaceful.
We had a mixture of blazing sunshine, overnight rain, and some days where it was quite windy.
It was a really relaxing holiday, and we didn't do much more than swim and kayak, eat and read, and occasionally go to the playground.
One evening we drove 46 miles over route 16 up to Monson for barbeque one night, only to find the restaurant closed. We ended up eating pizza in a random bakery, with a moose head mounted on the wall right above our table. Quite surreal.
We had a look round Skowhegan... well, we explored the Walmart and got a new battery for the car, and we had dinner at the Old Mill Inn one night.
We saw a few other Kennebec River towns. The river is beautiful in the patches where it hasn't been dammed for paper mills and HEP. It's a very poor area though, with trailers and men with long beards everywhere. While we were there I started reading a book called 'A Year in the Maine Woods' set nearby.
On the way back we stopped at the Harraseeket lobster place in South Freeport, where Bobby had lobster and everyone else had deep fried seafood. We explored the docks, looked at the boats, then Ellie pulled her first ever tooth out!
And now we're home again, and it's raining. What a wonderful week we just had...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday 16th
They slept for 13 hours straight (not on the couch though)
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
We spent the morning pottering about, having been to John's 40th the night before. The children had stayed over at the Wallace's, then went off to feed the ducks in the morning.
Then Mike took the kids to Sabbathday Lake while I went to the supermarket to do one of those horrendous $350 shopping trips that I love so much.
By the time Mike got home Mark and Ellie were passed out, and they slept a straight 13 hours... We did put them to bed after a while, but not till I'd got a photo of them out like lights.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Yesterday
After work we met Carl and Nadja at Outlet Beach on Sabbathday Lake, towards Poland ME. They had taken the kids out there a couple of hours before, and set up a barbeque and endless food and drink.
I wasn't feeling too great and had left work early, and thought about not going. But despite feeling headachey and a bit sick it was lovely to just sit there and admire the sunset, and watch Mike and the children having a fabulous time playing in the water, and chat to the Wallaces.
There's a slide on a raft, a diving board on another raft, some Mark-size slides, a beach, and apparently the water was really warm. Will try to upload some photos.
I wasn't feeling too great and had left work early, and thought about not going. But despite feeling headachey and a bit sick it was lovely to just sit there and admire the sunset, and watch Mike and the children having a fabulous time playing in the water, and chat to the Wallaces.
There's a slide on a raft, a diving board on another raft, some Mark-size slides, a beach, and apparently the water was really warm. Will try to upload some photos.
Children dancing at the pow wow
IMG_0038.MOV
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Wonder if this will work... This was at the Maine Wildlife Park last weekend.
Ellie at the Wildlife Park
photo.jpg
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Last Sunday (8th?) we took the kids to the Maine Wildlife Park for the big local Pow Wow. It was quite an experience browsing through the many animal skins for sale, as well as dreamcatchers, beads, stones, outfits, feathers and many other things Native American.
There was singing, drumming and dancing, which we joined in with (went in through the wrong door/gate oops). I have a video which I'll try to upload.
We bumped into Andy and Jen Peacock and their kids, always nice to see them and not just to hear a British accent ;-)
The moose wasn't completely hiding away, and the cougars were out and about, but most of the other animals like woodchucks were well hidden.
We only did an afternoon there, and were glad not to have gone earlier - the car park was the most full I've ever seen it.
Oh and beforehand we had the uniquely Maine experience of eating at Cole Farms in Gray. Whenever I eat in a place like that I figure you should play to their strengths, so I had a lobster roll and Mike had fried chicken. The children had their first proper red hot dogs since we've been here. It was really cheap and filled the gap!
Kids at Reid SP on rocks
Kids at Reid SP on rocks
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Kids on the rocks at Reid - they kept finding pixies everywhere...
Reid State Park
Reid again
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Last Sat (7th?) we got together with Mitch, and took all the children and a few others to Reid State Park. We had Pie, Lulu, Max, Hannah, Ellie and Mark, so we didn't do much sitting around.
It's a beautiful place - great for the children because it has the beach with surf, then behind the beach is a nice calm lagoon. There's a bath house to change in, toilets, and a place selling ice creams.
And rocks where the children spent hours looking for pixie holes, and I spent ages freaking out that they would fall down a cliff...
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