Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope everyone remembered to wear green!

 
We checked out a book from the library about St. Patrick's Day and the boys had fun learning about all the traditions that go along with the holiday, but they really loved the story of St. Patrick himself.  You should have seen their eyes light up when they heard he was kidnapped by pirates!!  Of course now they both want to travel to Ireland just to make sure there are no snakes.

When we were getting dressed this morning, both boys remembered and insisted we wear green so no one would pinch us.  I asked, "what should we make for dinner?  Something to celebrate St. Pat's day like potato soup?"  After they unscrunched their faces they said, "No, taco night".  Oh well, what's a Mom to do?  The lettuce was green, does that count?

Here are Wednesday's 3 things-
1.  I am thankful for curiosity.
2.  I am thankful for Claritin (now my allergies are acting up)
3.  I am thankful for music.

Sometimes all you can do is .....

PRAY!  Though this fact is well known to me, sometimes I forget.  Sometimes I try to take care of things on my own, sometimes I even get a bit "big for my britches" and try to tell God what my life needs.  Today (and most days) I am reminded that God knows, He just wants me to ask - to talk to Him one on one.

My friend Theresa has breast cancer.  It was in remission, but last year just before the holidays it reared its' ugly head again and yesterday she hit a bump in the road.  I feel so helpless and I can't even imagine what she must be going through.  She sent out an email to tell us of the news, what she knows and doesn't know, and she ended it with these three things -

What I AM sure of ...

* God is great.
* It is going to be better than okay.
* I am saved.
 
Amen?  So I am praying, as are all of her friends and I know God will take care of her. 
 
I find great peace in knowing that God has a plan for my life, I find much frustration not knowing His plan in my own imperfect time.  Some days I say "God, please just drop a brick with a note attached containing my itinerary for the next, oh, five years".  Needless to say,  no brick. 
 
In a recent post I talked about my Dad's obsession with the weather - my current obsession is our next set of orders.  Not a day goes by when I don't think of where we'll go next - obsession. 
 
I like living in Italy, I love the travel opportunities we have as a family, but my soul does not feel settled here -I can't explain it any other way.  I don't hate it here (there are those that do), but I'm ready for something new.  As for today I will have to let that obsession go, give it up to God and try and find some peace here until November.
 
Tuesday's three things-
1.  I am thankful Theresa is in good hands with her Drs and her life is in His hands.
2.  I am thankful for peace I know is coming.
3.  I am thankful for my family.  (I've probably said this one before, but really, can you say it enough?)

A lovely day

Today was a lovely day - very little fighting amongst the monsters, the sun was out, I felt good all day - a lovely day.

Monday's 3 things -
1.  I'm thankful for playgrounds.
2.  I'm thankful for my new printer.
3.  I'm thankful for little messages written by my boys.

I also wanted to share, I really enjoy thinking of three things every day.  It forces me to take a good long look around and see what I have.

Lewis meets the world

I want to teach my children to be thankful for all of our blessings.  I want them to realize merely having a roof over our heads is a blessing, heat and running water - luxuries!  I talk to my children about what a blessing it is to have books to read, books to learn from and how blessed they are to be educated.  I remind them that many, many children around the world are not able to go to school and that many children go to bed hungry every night.  I don't want to scare them but I want them to realize that the world they know is not the reality of many children.

After the earthquake in Haiti I was watching a sermon by Mark Driscoll on his trip there- I found myself crying at the end just as Lewis entered the room.  Of course he asked why I was crying and I showed him some of the photos of Haiti.  I have also shown him some photos from  http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/  as they document their lives in Haiti.  He has seen the crumbled buildings, tent villages, hurt children - he understands that many people lost their families and every night we pray for people around the world who are sad or suffering - that God would bring them peace.

A family that attends our church was in the process of adopting two children from Haiti when the earthquake hit.  For days they didn't even know if the children were alive, but we all rejoiced when they heard the good news they were OK.  Then came days and then weeks of questions concerning the adoption process and how it would proceed in the aftermath of the disaster.  You can read more of the McMillian's story here  http://seasaltmosaic.blogspot.com/ .  The end result being Julie flew to the US with her kids, went to Haiti, brought her children home to the US, secured visas for them and now has her entire family together again in Italy (entire family being 3 biological children, 2 adopted children and one on the way!).  She did most of this alone as her husband had to stay here in Italy and work.  She is an amazing woman!!!!
 
Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting these children when the McMillians brought them to church.  They were introduced to the congregation and everyone clapped with joy to see this beautiful family together.  When Lewis asked why everyone was clapping I told him about Sousi and Seve and how the McMillians had adopted them from Haiti and now they were here, with us.  His face lit up!!!  And then he was really excited to learn Sousi was in his Sunday School class- he said "Mom, a girl all the way from Haiti sat next to me!  She didn't talk much."  I explained Sousi speaks Creole and will need help learning English and he said "I'll help".  BIG smile from Mom.

Like I said,  I don't scare my children but I let them see some of the rest of the world so they know what's going on.  And this week, they were blessed enough to see a happy ending.  God is good.

Notice most of this entry is about Lewis' reactions - William doesn't get it as much, being only 4.

Since I didn't write over the weekend I'll share 6 things I'm thankful for

1.  I'm thankful Judy is coming for a visit in May.
2.  I'm thankful Laurie is coming for a visit in September.
3.  I'm thankful the McMillian family is together.
4.  I'm thankful my children want to change the world.
5.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to educate my children.
6.  I'm thankful for the sun shining on my face this morning.

Have a great day!

TGIV!!!

Thank God it's Venerdi!  Venerdi is the Italian word for Friday.

If there's one thing I truly grasp after living overseas for almost 3 years, it's this - never underestimate how hard it is to learn a second language.  I used to be one of those pain in the butt Americans who thought everyone who moved to my country should automatically speak English.   You came here, speak the language -right? 

Let me tell you something - if this is your attitude - do yourself a favor and change it now.  And then go out and learn a different language, or attempt to.  And then take the little bit of information you can retain and try to speak it with native speakers, and try to follow a converstion they're having, and try to do all of this while upset about something.  It. is. hard.

I will never again look at a non-English speaking person the same way.  Not only is it difficult to learn a new language "later in life" but it's horribly intimidating to use this new language when you need to.  If you see someone struggling to understand, struggling to make their needs known but can't because they can't find the proper words in English - PLEASE try and help them.  A little kindness goes a long way.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Great news today!  Judy, Paul's mom, is coming to visit us in May!  We are all so excited and can't wait to show Oma around Naples.  (Oma is grandma in German)

Fantastic day homschooling - we've got a groove going!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

I really shouldn't.....

I really shouldn't make fun of my Dad concerning his interest in weather when my last three entries are weather related - do you think it's possible I'm getting old too?  NO.  But, one more weather related thing - we had another crazy storm pass through later this afternoon bringing on more hail and rain!  What on earth is going on?  Lewis said "Mom, again with the ice?"  He cracks me up!

Today's funny story-
William comes to me and says "Mom, I missed the potty and made a mess.  I wasn't looking where I was peeing and I missed.  I'm sorry"  What a sweet baby!!!!  So I said "Don't worry honey, Mommy will clean it up.  Thank you for telling me"  Then I went to investigate.  I looked on either side of the toilet, nothing.  I looked directly in front of the toilet, nothing.  Hhmmmm, maybe he made a mistake?  and then I turned around to find a spot of pee about 3 ft. in front of the toilet - wasn't looking?  it was in the complete opposite direction of the toilet!!!!  I think "not paying attention" was a bit of a stretch?  How about "I was dancing a jig while trying to pee and completely missed!!!!"  ???  That would be a bit closer to the truth, in my humble opinion.  Oh the joys of living in a house full of men.

In other news, I saw first hand the joys of homeschooling  today.  Lewis, being the older and more educated child, helped his baby brother learn his alphabet.  It was absolutely the cutest thing!  He took on a very serious "teacher" voice and proceeded to help William get all of his letters in the correct order while writing them on the chalkboard for William to see.  I LOVE the dynamic that we've created having them together for the day - they learn so much from each other - the least of which is patience (an ongoing process) and they play so well together (other than the occasional spat over whose turn it is to play with a toy).

Did I mention our "let's buy and RV and travel the country for a year" idea is starting to become a real plan?  I've done a bit of research, looked into RVs - I think this may just work!!!  Paul really wants to take a sabbatical after working in the Navy 20+ years, we're already homeschooling, and we really love to travel - it's a win, win, win situation.  I don't know if it will actually come to fruition - but it becomes more appealing every day.

Here are my 3 things for today - March 11
1.  I am thankful for future dreams.
2.  I am thankful for my Dad.
3.  I am thankful for my house full of men.

What the.....? again.

The weather lately has been weird, that's the only way to describe it.

Today the sky got dark, really dark, and then all of a sudden Lewis exclaims "it's raining ice again!"

W.E.I.R.D.

And exactly one hour later it is bright and sunny and all the ice has melted.

Did you know that the older you get the more you talk about the weather?  It's true, just ask my Dad.  Though in his case I can say his interest in the weather far exceeds his age.  If there were a direct correlation, he would be 150.  Sunday I missed a call from my Dad but Paul answered and told me when I got home. 

My first question?  "How's the weather in TN?"  second "Anybody die?"  third "How are the cows?"

These are my Dad's favorite topics - anyone relate? 

Cold - the viral kind

With the change of weather from cold to warm to cold again- we've all got colds.  Sinus clogging, sneezing, coughing, snotting, sniffling colds - we're a commercial for NyQuil.  Fun.  Currently it's not too bad, a little under the weather but not down for the count - I'm hoping it stays this way and then gets better soon.

This week's state we're focusing on in school is Tennessee!  Woohooo my home state!  The boys don't think they want to live there either but think visiting Graceland looks fun - good grief.

In other news, my landlord showed up today without the technician he was supposed to bring to fix the dishwasher and proceeded to tell me I have to pay for the repairs because it's my fault it doesn't work due to the water infiltration.  Now listen, I don't speak Italian well under the best of circumstances but get me upset and I make absolutely no sense (not so much in English either).  I'm sure I underwhelmed and confused him with my attempt to say "no way am I paying for that" - let the games begin. 

Here are Wednesday's 3 things-
1.  I am thankful for Usborne books.
2.  I am thankful for washable markers.
3.  I am thankful for bleach.

What happened to my weather?

I was so sure Spring had sprung- in fact I think I actually named an entry that very title just last week.  But lo and behold I was wrong, it's gone back to cold and rainy and unpleasant.  Today was one of those weather days where I thank my lucky stars we homeschool.  No bus to catch in the rain, no running to class in the rain - nothing in the rain.  We stayed indoors all day, snuggled on the couch and read books, played games - a nice indoor day watching the rain fall and being thankful for heat and/or blankets.  My poor husband on crutches, however, had to hobble around in the rain.  Say it with me "poor Paul".

I have two new games I would like to recommend for kids
1.  Sequence for kids- very fun strategy game

http://www.amazon.com/Jax-8001-Sequence-for-Kids/dp/B00005UM9P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1268161282&sr=8-1

2.  Rush Hour Jr. - an interesting puzzle game

http://www.amazon.com/Think-Fun-5040-ThinkFun-Rush/dp/B00004WJSN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1268161334&sr=1-1


My boys love them both and I admit I do too!   As you can see, the versions I recommend work specifically for my age range - but, there are other versions for older "kids".

Here are my 3 things I'm thankful for today
1.  I am thankful for my family.
2.  I am thankful for each and every person who has sponsored a child through a charitable organization and made a difference in their lives.
3.  I am thankful that a child can find hope in places where there seems to be none.

Italian lesson for the day:
poor = poveri
help = aiuto
hope = speranza

It Could Be Worse

When I first made my declaration that I was going to quit complaining, I received several supportive emails from friends saying such things as "sometimes you need to let it out" and  " you need to vent"  and I totally agree.  I'm not holding in my feelings just so I don't seem like I'm complaining (just ask Paul).

But, when I see things like this blog entry, I am even more convicted in my decision to rethink my thoughts and count my blessings.

Please read an entry at   http://www.thisisreverb.com/      Specifically the March 8th article titled "Hope flows through Mathere". 

The author of the blog is Ryan and he's currently on a trip to Kenya to report on how sponsoring a child through Compassion International actually works.  He's meeting the sponsored kids, checking out the programs offered and sharing it with all of us.

I also encourage you to read the entry "The day of spiritual jealousy" - moving.

And more importantly, I encourage you to sponsor a child.  

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=105832

May you and your family have a very blessed day,
Sabrina

Festa della Donna 2010

Yesterday, March 8th was Festa della Donna or Ladies' Day here in Italy.  I had the priviledge of participating in a cooking lesson/dinner with 9 ladies and we had a blast.

Our lesson was at a restaurant in the town of Monte di Procida and is named "La Taverna dei Sapori".  Our instructor/chef was Mariella - though she's not an actual trained chef.  Her former career was a tour guide!  She taught herself to cook because it was her passion and now she owns and runs this restaurant with her husband and son.  She's a lovely patient lady and it was a great experience to be in her kitchen for the evening.

Festa della Donna has a yellow theme - yellow mimosa flowers are given to the ladies and our menu also had a touch of yellow as you'll see.  Giallo is the Italian word for yellow (just in case you're wondering).

Last night's menu:

Prosecco Mimosa Cocktails

Antipasti Buffet "Principalmente Giallo"

Bruschetta della Casa

Gnocchi Napoletani "O' Sole Mio"

Pappardelle 8 Marzo "Delizia della Donna"

Bocconcini di Carne "Femme Fatale"

Torta Mimosa

Vino

Caffe e Limoncello della Taverna

English anyone? 

Mimosas - Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine and it was mixed with fresh OJ

Appetizers with a "yellow theme"

Bruschetta of the house - no yellow but yummy!

Gnocchi (potato dumplings) with corn and hard boiled eggs in a smoked cheesy creme sauce

Pappardelle (pasta ribbons) in a saffron, ricotta cream sauce with walnuts

Beef and mushrooms in a curry reduction

Mimosa cake

Wine

Coffee and Lemoncello

A good time was had by all, I learned a lot and had a yummy meal but what I loved most was spending time with some wonderful Ladies.

I am very thankful to my husband for getting home on time and taking care of the kids for the night even though the poor guy is still hobbling around on crutches.

Here are Monday's 3 things (a bit late due to the fact I left my house at 5 for a 6 o'clock lesson and didn't return until almost midnight, whew.)

1.  Buon Cibo

2.  Buon Vino

3.  Buon Amici

English anyone?

1.  Good Food

2.  Good Wine

3.  Good Friends

Buona Domenica!

Buona = good  and  Domenica = Sunday  in Italian

Lovely, lovely day today.  Waffles for breakfast as is our Sunday tradition, followed by church and then a nice lunch with friends.   Ahhhhhh.  I LOVE Sundays!  Have I mentioned this before?

You know how sometimes your husband throws out an idea that at first seems so crazy you laugh hysterically and secretly wonder if he's insane?  And then it starts to grow on you, and then you actually find yourself thinking it might be a good plan?  Has your husband ever mentioned putting all your stuff in storage and living in a motor home while travelling the continental US for a year or so after retirement?  Crazy, right?

Anyhoo, here are Sunday's 3 things
1.  I am thankful for my new hand lotion
2.  I am thankful for Claudia's profiteroles (if you've never had one, you have no idea what you're missing)
3.  I am thankful for mozzarella di bufala (mozzarella made from the milk of  water buffalo, yummy!)

Profiteroles

Mozzarella di bufala

Miracle in a tub

This stuff is awesome!!!!!

As you know from my complaining  updates my dishwasher is broken which makes me, by default, the dishwasher.  Water here is harsh, my hands are suffering.  I have tried every single lotion out there, even my Aveeno wasn't working well on my hands (still great on my body though).
Two days ago my friend Jennifer asked if I wanted this lotion.  Her sister-in-law had come to visit in December and apparently this had fallen out in their car.  Jennifer does not like the hemp smell so she gave it to me and truth be told I could live without the smell but it's not offensive.
I've had these weird extremely dry raised and rough streaks on my thumb and pointer finger - dry to the point of cracking and bleeding - painful!  After only two days using this lotion they're better, clearing up, the cracks and bleeding areas are gone!  It's a miracle.
Thank you Angie!!  Sorry for your loss but so thankful for my gain.

Hoarding

Did you know there's a disorder called Compulsive Hoarding?  While I don't think I could technically be labeled, I've noticed lately I've got some issues.  But, in my defense, it's not entirely my fault.

You see, I live in Italy.  I'm an American in a foreign land and Italians ONLY eat Italian food.  So I rely on my Navy Commissary to supply me with all those things I want that I can't get "out in town".  Ketchup is one of these things.  Europeans typically don't do ketchup.
Are you ready for this?  They eat mayonnaise on their french fries!!!!!!  I know, I know, YUCK!  But hey, different strokes for different folks. 

That's not to say you can't get ketchup here, you can - it's just not the same.  It's like saying all ketchup is the same, let me tell you folks, it. is. not.  There is a huge difference between Hunt's and Heinz (despite what my husband says) and I don't even consider that Del Monte stuff ketchup - it's not worthy of the label.   Not that I'm biased, but Heinz rules!  And now that you know I'm 100% brand loyal, let me share this - I only buy the organic ketchup because I avoid high-fructose corn syrup like the plague.

Three weeks ago, they ran out of the Heinz organic ketchup and my home supply was running low.  You see, I typically buy two at a time because the Commissary isn't exactly reliable with their ordering and stocking process.  So, they ran out, we ran out.  There was a small rebellion here at home - anarchy if you must know.  My children were beyond upset.

Last week, I rounded the aisle where they display the ketchup and silently said a prayer that there would be organic ketchup in stock - HALLELUJAH!!!  my prayer was answered - but, there were only 7 bottles.

What to do?  Be greedy and take them all?  No.  My friend Jennifer also uses this ketchup and was out (she's weak, she actually caved and bought the regular stuff)  so I decided to get 3 bottles for me and 2 for her leaving two on the shelf for some other unfortunate mother who desperately needed this item.  And when Jennifer went back yesterday they were out again - slight edgy feeling bordering on panic (yes, I still have two in reserve).  But, HALLELUJAH!!!!!! today they were restocked when I went so I picked up two more. 

That's right, I now have one open bottle and 4 in reserve - all is well with the world.
 
I also have 3 bags of coffee, 4 jars of apple sauce, 2 bottles of maple syrup, 2 jars of peanut butter and 2 boxes each of the cereal we eat - all in reserve because these favorite items also tend to be out of stock a lot.
 
OK, I may have a problem.

Military moms around the world who depend on their commissary understand this, the rest of you will just have to trust I'm mentally sound and not a compulsive hoarder.  Right?

Here are Saturday's three things I'm thankful for
1.  I am thankful for organic ketchup in stock!
2.  I am thankful for my husband who suggests I should get away and take some alone time while he stays home with the kids. 
3.  I am thankful for all the reasons I've had to smile throughout my life.

Have a great weekend,
Sabrina

    

TGIF!!!!!!!

Whew, another week gone by.  Sometimes it feels like life is flying and sometimes it feels like it's crawling.  I guess it all depends on what you're doing and if you really want to be doing it?

Tonight was family movie night and we watched Nemo.  I still love that movie, so many cute one-liners and such a good story.  Afterwards Lewis said, "Mom, this story teaches us not to give up"  yep.  And then he said "I'm never moving away from you, I'm gonna stay with you forever".  How sweet!  Luckily we had a great day yesterday and this thought actually seemed appealing, as opposed to those days when I think I won't make it one more with these little monsters in my house!  ;-)

Great day homeschooling, everything we did was art related - which to the 5 and under crowd means crayons!!!  It's amazing the stuff you can find on the internet to print for your kids.  My kids love worksheets - strange.  I have found these great pages for William where he gets to color all the things on the page that start with the letter we're studying.  I found a color by number clown for Lewis.  In order to know what colors to use, you had to do math problems and read the color word.  He loved it!

We're getting into the final phases of planning some awesome trips, I'm so excited!  Looks like we'll go to Paris in May, Crete in June, Germany in August and a trip to the Venice area in September or October.  We're trying to decide what to do in July and all those three day weekends.  I can't believe I have less than a year to do all of the travelling I want to,  time does indeed fly.

Hoping you all have a great weekend,
Sabrina

Friday's 3 things-
I am thankful for my travel opportunities.
I am thankful that my children think it would be nice to stay with me forever.
I am thankful for all of my homeschooling choices and for friends that help you narrow them down.

A good read, and photos of the yucky stuff.

http://donmilleris.com/2010/03/04/every-good-story-must-endure-conflict/

Mold.

We have a mold problem. Probably every house in Italy has a mold problem.  You see, houses here are built with cinder blocks and covered with a skim coat of plaster or light concrete.  They don't seal it.  The paint they use isn't "mold resisitant" - those things cost too much money.  The walls attract moisture because winter here is nothing but a rainy season and they're nothing but a pourous cinder block.  Mold.  We're all sick.  Today I was trying to rid our house of mold and started moving the larger pieces of furniture to find - an entire wall of white and grey fuzzy mold growing behind my husbands' armoire.  After many hours of bleaching, washing, and vacuuming I'm done. And I'm literally done.  I'm ready to move.  I know, I know, everyone thinks living in Italy is like being on a lovely vacation everyday.  Far from it.  I know, I know, I'm not supposed to complain - but this is not merely a complaint, this is full fledged gripe.  Like I said yesterday, every single family I know has been affected with breathing issues since moving to Italy.  The US Navy has done air samples and decided there's nothing wrong with the air quality here, in fact, they say it resembles the air quality in some of the US's larger cities so we shouldn't complain.  I think they should start testing the indoor air quality - mold is a big issue here and it's something we're not readily adjusting to- in fact, we're suffering.  Sorry to vent, but if you have a family full of hacking, wheezing, snotting, nose bleeding folks you get to a point where you just want to SCREAM!!!!!

OK, I'm done, thanks for listening.

I am thankful it's not worse.  I am thankful there are medicines that can treat our symptoms.  I am thankful we'll be moving from here this year.  I am thankful I have friends in the same boat that offer support and allow me to support them when it gets rough.  I am thankful for the power of prayer.  I am thankful my husband brought home pizza tonight for dinner so I didn't have to cook.  I am thankful that I have lived near Naples that produces the absolute best pizza in the world.  And I am really thankful for my new pillow- it's fantastic!!!!!


Today Lewis got out of the tub and said "Lewis has left the tub".  LOL!  He can't help it, being an Elvis fan is in his blood.

Catchy Title

I couldn't think of a "catchy title".

I skipped writing yesterday, I didn't even share my 3 things.  I don't know why, other than I just didn't feel like it.  I think I was in a funk. 

Today was William's 4yr well-baby check-up.  He's 45.8 lbs, 3ft 6in tall, 90th percentile.  wow.  He's developing normally, though I'm a bit concerned about his speech so I'm going to contact the school and have him evaluated.  (it's the school's responsibility since he's over 3)  He speaks well, but can't say Ls and sometimes lisps his Ss.  Dr. Pugh agreed that an evaluation wouldn't hurt, but said there's nothing about his speech that causes alarm.  He said if there's something that can be done to help him, now would be a good time.  And then, as the Dr. listened to William breathe he asked how long he's had this cough, I said about 3 weeks.  It's so hard to know when to take them in for a cough, especially here.  Everyone has a cough and many times I've taken in one of the boys only to be treated as if I'm overreacting and I get sent away with nothing but an "it'll pass".  He asked if I wanted to listen, and I knew then it wasn't good.  He definitely has a wheeze - a wheeze, the Dr. says, can only be caused by asthma.  I am 100% sure it's allergy-related asthma, but it's still a bit scary.  He's now using an inhaler and taking Zyrtec again.  Poor baby, though you would hardly know he's sick as it really hasn't slowed him down one bit.  I could spend hours complaining about the poor air quality in Naples, how every single family I know has been affected by living here and how not one single Navy Dr. will admit there is a problem.  It cannot be a coincidence that everyone I know has at least one family member on an inhaler and zyrtec, usually more than one.  But, I won't complain since I gave that up.  So, I spent the afternoon scrubbing the boys' room - bleaching the mold (a huge problem living here), cleaning anything that remotely looked dusty, vacuuming the mattresses and then encasing them in allergen covers, I bought new pillows with allergen covers, washed every sheet, pillow case, blanket, comforter and dust ruffle and beat the crud out of the area rug and then vacuumed it.  whew.  If there's an allergen left alive in that room I would be surprised.

School is getting better, finally settling into a groove that works. We're currently studying Washington.  I decided we needed to learn a bit more about our country so we'll go week by week focusing on a State.  The boys thought Washington looked great, loved the ferries and thought the chance to live near family would be really fun- until- they learned about all the volcanoes!  Lewis said "there's too many, we can't go there".  But we decided to leave it open for discussion.  I love watching my boys learn, they're so fun!

Paul is still hobbling around on crutches, he has an appointment on the 22nd and we're hoping the cast will come off.

So, here are yesterday's and today's 3 things- for a total of six!  wooohooo math!
1.  I am thankful for days at the park.
2.  I am thankful for yoga.
3.  I am thankful for prepackaged curry sauce!
4.  I am thankful for Dr. Pugh.
5.  I am thankful for medicine that helps my children.
6.  I am thankful for bedtime.  Goodnight!

Love,
the Reinhart family

Lunedi

Lunedi is the Italian word for Monday.

Another gorgeous weather day!  I could get used to this! 

Today's 3 things-
1.  I am thankful for the library.  Free books!
2.  I am thankful for humidifiers and Zyrtec - may they help my boys sleep well tonight.
3.  I am thankful for my Ipod.

Here is a link to the property where we'll be staying the last week of April - I'm so excited!
http://www.collesanpaolo.it/home/index.php

I found it through this site  http://www.ciaobambino.com/index.asp  which is a fantastic source of information for those travelling with children.

Buona notte!

Weekend

Ahhh, the weekend.  I didn't take time to write this weekend, I'm sure you understand the need to just be with family?

So, I'll make a list of six things I'm really thankful for that will cover Saturday and Sunday's gratitudes.

1.  I am thankful for dinner and games at the home of good friends.
2.  I am thankful for email so I can keep in touch with people I love.
3.  I am thankful for my big back yard and the exercise I get mowing it.
4.  I am thankful for my church (I know I've said this one before but I really am thankful so it deserves two notices).
5.  I am thankful for nurses, Drs, missonaries and people who are willing to help in a crisis - the need for them lately has been so great.
6.  I am thankful my life is safe and fairly routine on a daily basis.  I am so blessed!

I am off to workout!  Have a happy Monday!

TGIF!

Oh boy, Oh boy, it's the weekend!

Friday's 3 things-
1.  I am thankful for Vick's Vapor Rub, Cough Medicine and Motrin (please let them help my kids sleep)
2.  I am thankful for Friday family movie night.
3.  I am thankful my husband listens to my desires, even when they change minute to minute.

Buona Venerdi!  Venerdi is the Italian word for Friday.

Thursday

This morning, as I am getting dressed Lewis asks "Mommy, why don't you exercise?"  "Well Lewis, I should.  I'm lazy."  And in his never ending quest to be just like is father  helpful he continues "you know, you have that machine thingy in your bedroom you could use."  "Yes, thank you - I'll take that piece of advice under consideration." Not done with this exciting conversation, he continues "I learned on 'Sid the Science Kid' that you should exercise everyday".  To which I replied "No TV for you, two weeks!"  Just kidding.  That's what I get for letting my kids watch "educational" TV.  From now on, nothing but mindless fluff.  William (being a bit more like me and silently observing until now) says "Is it snacktime?"

Needless to say my "I'm giving up being lazy for Lent" isn't working out as planned.  I've exercised, once.  Pathetic.  I'm currently planning a trip to Greece to do nothing but lay by the pool or at the beach - something must be done!  But in other good news, I have kept to my no wine promise, my less complaining promise and one other thing I gave up as well.

Excellent day weather wise - beautiful, sunny and 61 degrees.  We went to our last art class and had lunch at the playground.  Which got  me to thinking about Spring/Summer clothes for the boys.  If you have boys you know that boy clothes are not cute.  Moms of girls are really lucky in this department.  If you have boys who have crossed out of toddler land you know these big boy clothes are really not cute.  What are they thinking?  Why does everything have to be an ugly graphic or camouflage?  And don't take this personally - but I despise shirts with cute (I use this word loosely) sayings like "He did it"  or "it wasn't me".  WHY?

Today's Italian lesson:  la lavastoviglie =  dishwasher.   Still broken, still not complaining.

Today's three things-
1.  I am thankful for seasoned homeschooling Moms who give good practical advice.
2.  I am thankful for my Nana.
3.  I am thankful my boys are concerned for my health.

Buona Notte!

Spring is Springing!

Another lovely sunny day without rain.  A sure sign spring is coming and the rainy cold season is almost over is the rain only comes at night and the sun is out during the day.  Other signs are evident all around my yard.

I love this bush.

I love orange flowers.

My lemons

My oranges.

I have two types of lemon trees.  The larger lemon is a Sorrento lemon.

And my all time favorite sign of Spring - daffodils.

But these are my favorite wild things growing in my back yard.

Today we spent a lot of time outdoors, mainly due to the fact we had no electricity for 5 hours so absolutely nothing could get done inside.

Just in case you're wondering, the Italian word for Spring = Primavera.

Wednesday's 3 things

1.  I am thankful for fun days outside.

2.  I am thankful for my new camera lens.

3.  I am thankful for my soft fuzzy socks.

Buona notte!  Good night!

Out of the mouths of babes

Today I hear "Mom, I'm done"  which means one of my boys has pooped and is ready for me to wipe his bum.  What a glamorous life I lead.  So I go to the bathroom and get the paper and wipe William's little bum - he reaches out with both arms and grabs hold of my leg, tightly.  I ask "why are you holding on so tight?" and he replied "well, I have to hold on to your big ole leg so I don't fall off the toilet.".  Seriously?  So I ask "do you think Mommy has big ole legs?" (yes I'm a glutton for punishment) to which he replied "yep.  and you got a big ole bahooty too".  Bahooty is the new word in our house for bum.  Good grief.

I wore my new boots today, fabulous!  Did I mention I have an addiction to boots?  Not an addiction where I buy every pair of boots I see and own 200 pairs - but an addiction that means I see a pair of boots that I love and I cannot rest until they are on my feet.  I am up to 4 pairs.

Excellent day homeschooling, though I admit I am not cut out for Preschool/Kindergarten level homeschooling.  At first I thought it would be so easy, so basic, no challenge.  Now I realize I would much rather teach calculus because at least my mind would be stimulated too - we could all learn or relearn together.  But today when I almost lost my composure as I tried to explain to William that b,b,b flower does not start with B I realized this is going to be hard (imagine a 4 year old sounding out names - b, b, b boat - b, b, b, flower - ugghhh).  It's difficult to understand when they don't get the most basic concepts.  Lewis is currently learning to add money.  Nickels and pennies.  Easy, right?  NO.  After explaining and explaining that nickels are 5 cents and pennies are 1 cent and you count by fives and ones (which he can do no problem) and then add up the numbers - he looks at me and asks "why can't we just do 15 + 3 instead of this silly money?"  I have no answer.

Here's a picture of  "art time".  The boys were using their imaginations to play "Indiana Jones" and decided they needed maps to find the treasure.

Here are my three things I'm thankful for today-

1.  I am thankful my children want to learn new things everday.

2.  I am thankful for the time I spent living in Germany.

3.  I am thankful for pizza.

Good night!

   

Monday's 3 things

1.  I am thankful for my new boots!
2.  I am thankful my children chose to use half of their Christmas money to help needy children.
3.  I am thankful for daffodils.


I hope you all had a great Monday!

Shoes

I just read about this company who gives away a pair of shoes for every pair purchased.  I LOVE to support companies who make a difference so I'm sharing this with you. 
The shoes aren't what you would call "fashion forward", but they look comfy - maybe a nice pair to wear around the house?  or to the beach?  Anyhoo,
here is the link.

http://www.tomsshoes.com/default.asp

Happy Monday!

OOPS!

Ok, I skipped writing my three things yesterday but I have an excuse!  Last night was Bunco night and it was my turn to host.  I spent most of the day preparing food for 11 lovely ladies and getting the house ready to be "seen by the public".  After a long night of fun and excitement (I won $25) I was waaaaaaaay too tired to write anything last night.  So I'll have to double down on the thankfulness tonight.

A quick update - Paul had a visit to the Orthopedic Dr. on Friday and had a brief moment where he thought they would remove the cast and give him a walking boot.  But a brief moment it was.  They first x-rayed the foot with the cast still on and the Dr. couldn't see the break.  After talking with Paul for a bit about what the Drs in Sicily had said he decided to cut the cast off and do another x-ray just to be sure.  And wouldn't ya know it? he saw the break- so Paul got a brand new cast.  He'll be wearing this one for 4.5 weeks and he's not thrilled to be on crutches, but what are ya gonna do?

The boys are doing great.  The weather is warming up a bit and the rain seems to be tapering off.  We've been outside playing the past few days and it has been so nice.  I hope to get outside and do some yard work this week, the neglect is starting to show.

On Friday I went with a group of girls for a tour of a local glove factory- fun, fun!  It was so interesting to see the process start to finish.   The best part being the finish where they let you buy gloves direct.  Some of them are slightly imperfect, some overstock, but all very nice.  I bought the most beautiful pair of red gloves!  I'll try to get a picture of them up so you can all ooooo and ahhhhhh.

I don't usually pass out advice on marriage but I have a little tidbit I would like to share.  If you're interested in keeping the peace - DO NOT wash your husband's passport!  Even if your intentions are pure (clean clothes) the end result will not produce a pleasing effect.  Trust me on this one.  In my defense, I have a long standing rule that once your clothes hit the laundry basket they should be ready to go - apparently no one is listening to me or following my rules.

Earlier today I posted a link to a blog - read some of it if you have time.  It amazes me to read stories of people doing extraordinary things.  Her blog reinforced my need to stop complaining over ridiculous things.

Sorry this is all a bit random and choppy but I'm still feeling the after effects of trying to stay up late and party like a Bunco rockstar.  I hope you all had a great weekend full of blessings.

Saturday's 3
1.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to be a host to great ladies.
2.  I am thankful for "Biscuit" books, my son loves to read them!
3.  I am thankful for my camera.

Sunday's 3
1.  I am thankful for my church.
2.  I am thankful for my neighbor Nora and her lasagna.
3.  I am thankful for missionaries out there showing the world what it really means to follow Christ.

New blog to read

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

An interesting read.

TGIF!

1.  I am thankful for cultural experiences with fun ladies.
2.  I am thankful for Beth Moore.
3.  I am thankful for Cecile and Blecile (my babysitters).

Goodnight.

Thursday's 3

Sorry about the lack of information or updates.  This has been a busy week.  And I'm discovering (though I already "knew") that my job, without Paul's help, takes a lot more time .  My husband is awesome!  Don't tell anyone, but I think he may be a better housewife than I am.

I should have something good to tell you about tomorrow.  I'm going with a group of girls on a tour of a glove factory.  Handmade Italian leather gloves, yum.

1.  I am thankful for spring-like days after weeks of rain.
2.  I am thankful Paul will be home tonight.

3.  I am thankful for the laughter of two little boys, and for their bedtime.

Only 3

Nothing to report today.
Here are my 3-

1.  I am thankful for my elliptical machine.
2.  I am thankful to Pastor Mark Driscoll for sharing his wonderful sermons.
3.  I am thankful for friends who invite me to dinner when my husband is out of town so I won't feel lonely.

Mardi Gras

This time last year I had just returned from a wonderful weekend getaway to Venice for Carnivale with my friend Theresa.  We had an amazing trip, just us two girls.  I think we were both surprised by Carnivale.  I think we were both expecting Mardi Gras - like New Orleans style (I know I was).  But, it's nothing like that.  In fact, I would call Carnivale a family event except for the crowds making it difficult for small children.  Carnivale is all about the costumes, elaborate beautiful costumes and about fun.  Not a puking frat boy in sight!  It was fantastic and I'm so glad to have experienced the celebration Italian style and with Theresa.

Of course we all know this grand celebration leads up to the season of Lent - Fat Tuesday is about feasting and partying - one last hoorah before the fasting begins.  As I mentioned, this year I'm giving up complaining for Lent.  I've realized lately how much I complain about little things and I want to change that.  Each day I'll be writing three things I'm grateful for to remind myself just how blessed I am and how little I have to complain about.  I'll be sharing these things with you so that you know I'm actually doing what I said I would.  But here's a disclaimer - some of the things I write may sound a bit sarcastic, as if I really want to complain but I'm spinning it in a positive light.  And this will be true - this is my goal - to take a situation I would normally complain about and see it in a new light.  So please know I am not being sarcastic, I am truly trying to change my outlook on things.

I'm also giving up wine.  Whoa, I can't believe I just wrote that in public.  I love my wine.  I look forward to my wine.  I live in Italy where wine is cheaper than water and soda!  And this year, for 40+ days, I'm giving it up.  I feel a bit weak kneed just thinking about it (does this mean I have a problem?).  I knew if I didn't put it out there for some accountability I would never stick to it so here it is.  Heaven help me.

I'm also giving up being lazy.  Exercise begins tomorrow, no excuses.  I haven't worked out in the two years I've lived in Italy.  Did I tell you I had to go and buy a new pair of jeans because I can't button any of my pants?  Embarrassing.  By Easter I'm going to be out of those "fat girl" jeans.  And no I'm not using Lent as a diet plan - I overindulge and I don't take care of my temple and it's time to stop.  Plain and simple.

So let's talk about something positive, all this change that's going to happen tomorrow is making me a bit nervous.

Today was a great school day for Lewis!  He's getting more comfortable with reading and he's doing most of his math at a 1st grade level.  And William actually wants to participate now so I'll need to come up with Preschool level activities for him.  Things are looking up!  We're inheriting a phonics program from a fellow homeschooling family and I can't wait to get started on that.  Today was one of those days I get why people homeschool - I hope to have more of these.  I go back and forth between feeling it's absolutely the right thing and thinking I'm going to screw up my kids.  Only time will tell.

Paul is off to Belgium today for a meeting, he'll be back on Thursday and he'll be bringing Neuhaus chocolates.  I am not a chocolate fan.  I have never really liked chocolate - until Belgium.  I drove from Germany to Belgium to visit my friend Jennifer and she was kind enough to take us to Brussells for a tour and some chocolate tasting.  We stopped at the Neuhaus store and she went in first for a small bag.  She came out and took a taste of the "house specialty" and promplty said "I have to go back and buy more".  When it was my turn, I bought a box of the same chocolates and almost wept right there on the sidewalk.  I think the Hershey company should be sued for using the word chocolate to describe that junk they're peddling.  Don't waste your calories people - that's not chocolate!  I asked Paul to bring only a small box back since I'm not indulging - the hard part will be sharing with the kids.  They too love these chocolates and to tell the truth I'm not so sure their taste buds are mature enough to appreciate these divine little morsels.  These kids love cheetos for heaven's sake!  How can they really appreciate these treasures?  I also asked him to bring a box back for my friend Jennifer, maybe she'll share with the kids.

And in other good news, it looks like someone has requested to fill Paul's job here in Naples when it comes open in October.  This certainly makes it easier on us and we can reasonably expect to be out of here on time.  Where are we going?  Who knows.  We likely won't know for a while, this process is painfully slow.  I think Paul will contact the detailer next week with two jobs he's interested in and see what response we receive.

Now I'm off to bed - I get the whole bed to myself!  (which is really only fun for one night and then it gets lonely)

Here are today's 3 things-
1.  I'm thankful to have a very generous husband.
2.  I'm thankful to have too much food and the ability to buy new pants when I overindulge.
3.  I'm thankful to have such wonderful friends.

Buona Notte!
Sabrina

Monday and toilets

Today is the first day after my big declaration of "No more complaining"!  Lent hasn't offcially started soooo....  Just kidding.  No complaints.  But I have to admit that I think it's going to be challenging.  I spent most of the day cleaning my house.  I do not like to clean house.  I tried being thankful that I have a house to clean.  No luck.  I tried being grateful that I'm blessed with such a nice house when many are homeless.  No luck.  The truth is I am thankful but I still hate to clean house.  So doing it without complaining or grumbling will be difficult.

Today was also a typical Monday.  I don't know about you, but for me Monday just has a "feel" to it.  It somehow seems heavier than all the other days, more difficult.  Why is this?  I don't have an answer.  It should have been a holiday for Paul but he had to go to work, poor guy.  He's getting better at hopping around on his crutches but he's frustrated too - very difficult for him to be physically limited. 

Not much else to report, but here's my list of 3-

1.  I'm thankful that I can go in my back yard and pick fresh lemons for my recipes.
2.  I'm thankful my boys are such good friends and can entertain themselves for hours with just each other and good imaginations.
3.  I'm thankful for Skype - it allows me to keep in touch with and see many faces I love.

Freddo, Freddo, Freddo. and Blessed.

Freddo means cold in Italian.  I am cold.  I cannot shake this feeling of cold no matter how many layers I put on or how close I stand to the heater.  I realize complaining about this when there are people in the world truly cold and who don't have or can't afford heat is ridiculous and for that I feel a bit guilty.  Lately I've noticed how much complaining I do about little things, how much complaining we all do about little things (check out the status updates on FB).  I recently read an article about a family complaining that they had no word on their son who was in Haiti on the day of the earthquake.  They demanded answers, they're Americans and they want answers!  How ridiculous.  I know they're suffering and I truly feel for them to have lost a son and not be able to get answers.  But I don't give a darn what country you're from or who you are, you don't demand answers when an entire country is still in total chaos.  Hundreds of thousands of people died and will never be identified - no answers.  Hundreds if not thousands of bodies will never be found in the rubble - no answers.  And to think this one family thinks their suffering is any greater than anyone else's?  Wow.
The world is full of suffering, real suffering, and complaining about little things is so self-centered.  I don't like this about me and I'm going to change it.  I'm officially giving up complaining for Lent (along with a few other things I don't want to share in case I cave).  And I'm going to start now by being grateful to have extra layers to put on, money to buy gas to heat my house, heck I'm grateful to have a house to heat!  Everyday I'm going to write down at least 3 things I'm truly thankful for - 3 new things each day.  Can you imagine how blessed I'll feel by Easter?
Buona Domenica!  Have a good Sunday!

PS-   uggghh, I just realized I'll have to give up complaining about my dishwasher!  This may be harder than I thought.

What the....?

So, I'm walking by the window and suddenly stop to look out because something strange caught my eye- and what do I see?  SNOW!  In Naples?  Strange things are going on folks.  I realize it's not nearly the amount of snow the east coast (U.S.) is currently enjoying but it's something.  Of course exactly one hour after it started it was all gone and the sun was shining again.

And in the "saw that one coming from a mile away" category, my stupid dishwasher is broken again.  I've only used it once since it was "repaired" and not one drop of water infiltrated the electronics.
 
Lo ho detto così.  I told you so.

Buona notte!  Good night!

Volcano to Volcano

Yesterday as we neared Naples Lewis exclaimed from the backseat "We're almost home!"  and I asked "How do you know?"  to which he replied "Well, that's our volcano so we must be close".  Interesting.  Our trip took us round trip from our volcano Vesuvio to Etna and back - 8 hours of driving each way.  I want to give a great big thank you to my boys who are so good in the car it's almost unbelievable.  I'm truly blessed to have kids who travel well.

I wish I could say we had the best trip ever, but we didn't.  It started out OK.  Saturday we went to Syracusa to see the Greek ruins.  I'm still amazed at the amount of Greek ruins on Sicily, it never occured to me that it would have been such a large Greek settlement but that's what I get for not paying attention in History class.  We saw a wonderfully preserved Greek theater overlooking the sea and the boys had fun climbing and exploring.

Sunday we decided to go play in the snow on Mt. Etna.  We couldn't make it up the mountain to the ski areas because the roads had not been plowed or salted and had become impassible even with chains.  So we parked our car and played in a small hilly valley for a while.  And this is where the trip took a turn for the worse.  Paul vs. the Volcano!  Paul had a little sledding accident that resulted in a broken left ankle.  He wasn't doing anything crazy or dangerous, merely sledding down a little hill.  The snow was very compact and icy so picking up speed on our red disc sleds wasn't difficult.  Paul came down the first time and bumped into a tree, no big deal.  It was a small brush pine that has grown up out of the lava field.  The next time he took the same course, started from a bit higher up and bumped into the same tree but quite a bit harder this time (please note I advised him to change his course but he didn't listen).  He was riding the disc with his feet out in front of him so they made contact with the tree first. When he didn't get up immediately I knew something was wrong.  The look on his face wasn't pretty, I asked "if you were a girl would you be crying right now?"  and he said "yes".  Uh-oh.  He got up, hobbled over to an area out of the way and sat in the snow catching the boys as they came down the hill.  About ten minutes later he took off his boot for a look and there was already a black bruised area just above the ankle bone-not a good sign.  I said "I think you need to go to the Dr." and he didn't protest a single bit - now I know we have trouble.  He hobbled down the hill to the car (I offered to push him down the hill on the sled but no way was his pride going to allow that) and we returned to the Navy base and I took him to the Hospital.  A few hours later he has a new cast and a pair of crutches the boys find very interesting.  Paul's quite a trooper, he never even had his prescription for pain pills filled - he says he's not in pain.  Luckily his car isn't a stick so he can still drive it to work and I don't have to play taxi for 4-6 weeks.
 
Volcano 1   Paul 0

Needless to say a man on crutches is not fun to go sightseeing with so our trip to Sicily was very uneventful after that.  Paul was actually there to work so he still went in but my plans of afternoon sightseeing were cancelled.  Oh well, you've seen one Greek theater you've seen them all.

Now we're home and I'm freezing!  One week without heat makes my Italian villa molto freddo - very cold.  You know it's bad when the Prosecco is a nice temperature for drinking and it's not even in the refrigerator.  I opted for toast for breakfast just so I could huddle over the toaster oven for a bit of extra heat - sad.  I suppose I could warm up by cleaning the house or doing some exercise - but that just sounds painful so I think I'll make some hot tea and curl up with a blanket and read (between loads of laundry, of course).

Oh, I want to share my new favorite with you.  It's winter and my skin is dry, miserable, itchy and I need help.  I've used this lotion before but it's really working for me now. 

I hope you all have a nice weekend!
Ciao!

We're home.

We've returned from our long trip to Sicily.  I'm much too exhausted to write cohesive thoughts tonight, I'll take time tomorrow.
I hope you all had a great week,
Sabrina

Ciao tutti!

Tomorrow we are off to Sicily!  We'll be taking along a very old laptop which does not have Wi-Fi capabilities so if we can plug it in we'll be in touch.  If not, I'll write when we get back.

Great day today!  The boys had fun with a bean/glue project.  They wrote their names in glue on construction paper and placed beans in the glue.  I decided to multi-task and teach poetry and art at the same time - you guessed it - the boys now know the "beans, beans, the magical fruit" poem.  Needless to say that got a lot of laughs!  It's times like these I can't help but wonder if they wouldn't be better off in public school.  On the plus side, Lewis did all of his +1 flash cards using the Italian names for the numbers.  All is not lost.

Must run, still a lot of packing to do.
Love,
Sabrina

Good news and Secrets

Good news!  William's tooth is only bruised, not dead.  I took him to the dentist today and he not only examined but x-rayed the tooth and it looks good.  I'm so glad he'll be able to keep it, two years of snaggle tooth ain't pretty.

And here's a little bit of information I would like to share - your package of aluminum foil has tabs on the end that, when pushed in, stop the roll from falling out!  I did not know this until today and I am still flabbergasted by this bit of information.  I just assumed that the unfortunate "roll falling out" event was a necessary evil to using this product.  I excitedly waited for Paul to come home so I could share this little treasure, and do you want to know what he said?  "Yeah, I know.  Saran Wrap has the same thing."  WHAT???  How have I known this man for 10 years, been married to him for 7, birthed two of his children and he didn't bother to share this with me?  I can't help but wonder what other deep dark secrets he's hiding from me.

Where did the time go?

First, let's all say a little thank you that today's post isn't "day titled".  Unfortunately today's title comes from the amazing fact I just haven't had the time or brain power to sit down and write.  When I first began this blog I thought I would sit down at night after tucking the boys into bed and write.  But wow, brain damage sets in around 7:30 and I'm too tired.  So I thought I would write in the morning, but by the time I consume two cups of coffee to reverse the previous night's brain damage I've got too much to do to take time to write.  This is harder than I thought.

In my last entry I stated we were off to the Commissary, but that was delayed due to weather.  Strange, I know.  It started to really rain just as we were walking out the door and knowing that we had to leave the house the next day for art class I decided to cancel our outing and do it Thursday.  The boys were much happier with this decision and we all settled in to game of Monopoly Jr..  Thursday's art class was interesting.  The project was to paint a flower using finger paints and your feet.  Both of my boys apparently have texture issues and refused to take off their shoes and have their feet covered in paint.  Such weird kids.  They'll cover themselves head to toe with mud or sand, but paint? NO.  They opted to use their hands instead -still cute.

On Saturday we did a bit of local exploring.  We hopped in the family mini-van and just drove around to see what we could find.  It's nice to do this on the weekends because the traffic isn't so bad.  I'm always amazed at the ancient ruins "just around the corner".  We're driving along and boom - a Roman Amphitheater I didn't even know was here.  That night we watched a video rented from the library about Sicily.  I was surprised to see all the Greek ruins still intact on Sicily.  We're looking forward to our trip and seeing a few of these.  The boys are looking forward to playing in the snow on Mt. Etna.

Thankfully my dishwasher was repaired today.  And you want to know the kicker?  The repairman told me the circuit board was shorting out due to - wait for it- water infiltration.  huh?  Now, I hate to be the voice of reason here, but a dishwasher by its' very nature has to get wet!!!  He told me I needed to make sure that water from the draining board of my sink didn't leak down into the top control panel.  I looked, taking in the layout of my kitchen and said "Impossible!"  put an accent on the last "e" and it's Italian for- impossible.  The sink and the dish drain area are directly above the dishwasher.  His suggestion?  Put a dishtowel on the edge to soak up any run away water.  Good grief.  Needless to say Paul heard this explanation and said "We'll put a bead of caulk around the exposed areas and no more water".  Smart man I married, I think I'll keep him.  I'm 100% positive that water infiltration is not the problem but I'll wait until it stops working again to learn how to say "I told you so" in Italian.

And now I'm off to do some reading and go to bed.  I'm currently reading "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom and I love it!

I made this  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/brisket_baby/  two weeks ago and it is fantastic - I suggest you try it.  We ate it as sandwiches on fresh bakery rolls with sweet potato fries - yummmy!

Wednesday again!

I hope all my entries don't have day titles, how boring.  But, it's Wednesday again and here I am posting and I couldn't think of anything else to call it.

I'm glad I didn't promise daily updates (did I?) because it's harder than you think to post things daily about your daily life.  Life can be pretty boring and routine and I'm sure you don't want to read anything boring or routine - in that case you may want to look for another blog to read.

1st- the good news - both of my boys still have all of their teeth (despite their efforts to lose them in crazy accidents).  2nd - the bad news - maybe not for long.  William took a tumble while using the potty and fell in!  No, I am not kidding.  The stool he was standing on slipped out from under him causing him to lurch forward - he tried to catch himself but missed so one of his arms went into the toilet.  The poor little boy hit his mouth on the toilet seat and busted his lips up pretty good and knocked one of his front teeth out of position.  It wasn't wiggly so we didn't rush to the dentist.  But, one of our dentists attends our church and took a look at his tooth and thinks he should come in to be examined further.  It has turned very grey and the concern of course is that the tooth is dead and needs to come out.  We're going in next Tuesday to have it examined.  Lewis, not to be outdone by his baby brother, took a tumble in the playroom the other day and whacked his mouth on the train table!  Big fat busted lip, but no signs of tooth damage.  Why are they doing this to me?  Boys.

I'm busy planning trips for our last year here in Italy.  As I said before, we're heading down to Sicily with Paul February 4-13.  He has a training exercise for work and we're going to tag along.  In April I think we'll go to Umbria for a week and tour all the cute little towns like Assisi, Orvieto, Puglia, Deruta.  It was much easier to convince Paul to do this as opposed to a cruise, imagine that.  Anyone want to join us?

Today we're off for an exciting adventure at the Commissary, I can't wait.  This is the good/bad side of homeschooling.  I love having my kids with me all day, but I don't love having them with me for all of the things I need to do in a day.  Luckily the bakery sells pretzels so we get two of those and that keeps them busy and quiet for at least three aisles.  You don't want to know what the rest of the shopping trip is like.

Oh, my dishwasher is still broken.  Did I tell you my dishwasher has been broken since August?  uggghhh.  and secretly I blame it all on my sister-in-law Gretchen who had the audacity to open the door!   What was she thinking opening the door?  She was here visiting in July and opened the door!  Then it started acting funny and in August quit working all together.  oh, wait, you're supposed to open the door?  Well then, I guess it's not Gretchen's fault after all.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that they screwed the decorative face plate on with non-coated screws that are rusting and that said screw is very close to the place where the electronics would be that make the stupid thing work?  Anyhoo, it's been a long process.  It was broken, then mysteriously started working again and then mysteriously stopped working again.  The technician was due to come on Monday or Tuesday of this week.  And what day is it?  ugghhhhhh.

Time to get moving this morning - two cups of coffee and I'm starting to feel somewhat human.

Have a great day!

Sundays.

ahhhhhh Sunday.  I think it's my favorite day of the week.  We've just returned from church, eaten lunch and now we're relaxing.  Well, I'm writing and boys (all three of them) are playing Wii.  We love our Wii, it's so much fun!  Though I have to admit my Mii is really, really bad at tennis - but, she's good at Mario Cart - driving in Italy prepared me for the crazy driving in that game.

We are thinking hard about what trips we want to take this year and trying to plan those.  We'll be tagging along on one of Paul's work trips in February and heading to Sicily again.  We've made a list and prioritized what we want to do before we leave here (hopefully next Dec.)  I'm trying to convince Paul to go on a cruise in April for my birthday, round trip from Venice visiting Greek islands.  Convincing a Navy man to voluntarily go on a boat for a week is tough.  I've tried explaining it will be different, but he's not buying it.  We're thinkin of another trip in June - possibly back to Tunisia, Africa or another cruise (assuming I convince him to go on the first one and he likes it).  Then in August we're thinking we'll take the boys to LegoLand in Germany - hot here, mild there - good plan.  And in October a trip to the Umbria region to see Assisi, Deruta, Orvieto, etc.  And that should do us.  In some ways I can't believe we only have another year here and I think we need to stay and travel and in some ways I'm so ready to go.  Naples can be oh so challenging.  So, if anyone is thinking they want to come visit us you had better start planning now - time is running out!

Great week of school for Lewis, he's a good student when he wants to be but mostly he wants to play.  William is good and Praise God I think he's growing out of this terrible phase he's been in for the last year.

Here's a soup recipe I must share - make it, you will be glad you did.  I've recently discovered Pioneer Woman - she writes a blog about life on a ranch in Oklahoma and recently published a cook book.  Great recipes!  On her web page she has new recipes to try through the week, everything I've made has been fantastic - check her out!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/italian-meatball-soup/


Sorry I don't have more to write, slow week.  Buona Domenica!  Happy Sunday!

Wednesday

Don't ya just love a good Wednesday?  That feeling of, well I've made it to Wednesday and Friday is just around the corner.
 
The boys and I had a great day today, though the days feel very long when we can't spend a lot of it outside.  Truth be told, we're getting a little bored.  Our dear friends the Sierleja family moved just before Christmas so we don't have anyone to "playdate" with.  All the rest of our little friends attend regular school of some sort and it seems all of the local homeschoolers are older and really into their homeschooling.  I've signed the boys up for an art class on Thursdays - something to get us out.  I don't see that we'll be learning any real art skills but it's OK.  Last week they cut snowflakes out of paper.  Seriously?  Even I'm that creative.  But, it gave William a good chance to practice his scissor skills and Lewis loved the glitter pens.  We're taking our schooling very lightly, meaning it's not very structured and we're not really following a curriculum.  I did order a curriculum for Lewis to use and I do like it, but for our needs right now it's not a good fit.  We'll use it next year for 1st grade when his ability to focus matures a bit.  We work daily on math - he's very good at addition and pretty good at subtraction.  We're working on time and face clocks and we pratice with flash cards - he's almost perfect at +0, +1, and +2.  We're also working on his handwriting by practicing sight words that help him read better.  Recently I've added word-find puzzles to his day and he really likes those.  He can read, but gets a bit frustrated if the book is too long.  William doesn't want to do school, but every now and then interrupts us to make sure we know he's still in the room.  He's absorbing a lot and often has the right answer to Lewis' questions but getting him to focus is a real problem.  He's still very young yet so I'm not the slightest bit concerned.  Our biggest accomplishment in school so far is teaching the boys their home country. A few months ago I asked Lewis "what country do you live in?"  "Italy".  good.  "What is your home country?"  "South America"  not good.  That let to a bit of a geography lesson and now we're all clear on being Americans (we're practicing the Pledge of Allegiance just to make sure).  And on good days both boys can find Tennessee, Washington and Maryland on a map.  I think they're brilliant.

Today I'm really missing home.  There are many, many, many things I do not miss about the States - but quite a few I do.  Like cheeseburgers.  Do not take these beautiful, decidedly American delicacies for granted.  You simply cannot get a good burger here.  Well, I did get one very good burger in London but once in three years just isn't enough.

We'll soon begin the painful process of finding a new job for Paul.  Please pray for us,specifically that Paul will be able to find a great job where he can actually make a difference and enjoy his work - that he won't have to go to sea or war - a location where we can all be happy.  Thank you.  We'll keep you updated.  He has not yet contacted the detailer (the person in charge of jobs) as there wasn't anything on January's job list that looked good.

Off to clean the kitchen and start dinner.  Tonight is Bunco night with the ladies!