Buying Local

Despite the fact that my house feels like more of a "fixer upper" the longer we live here (it doesn't help that I am completely neurotic about house stuff...) I love our location and our neighborhood. I am super close to public transportation, the boys' school is a 5 minute stroll from my house and we have a wonderful "town square" as I call it, a similar 5 minute stroll away. I am totally charmed by our little neighborhood square. It reminds of me of a little town out of a Gilmore Girls episode. There is a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker (ok, so not really, but there is a locksmith...) a hair salon, a barber, a couple of clothing stores, a laundromat, a florist, a Chinese resturant (?!), a pharmacie/apotheek (think store-sized Clarins counter), and a small little neighborhood market. All of these stores form a circle around a beautiful Catholic church, whose bells gong regularly. On Wednesday mornings there is a local market, with other vendors that come to the town square. In Brussels, my neighborhood is not unique, as is it my understanding that most neighborhoods have their own little markets and shops as well.

This afternoon we took a stroll to the town square. We waved to the florist, talked briefly with the barber (who has cut both of the boys hair and loves my dimples), made an appointment to have my hair cut next week at the salon, bought some fruits and veggies and some local candy from the market, picked up a fresh baguette and apple tart from the bakery, and purchased some chicken from the butcher for dinner. Although in some cases the prices are a little higher, and to feed my family completely I need to supplement my trips to the town market and butcher, I find a great sense of satisfaction shopping in these stores. I love that everything is so fresh and I am supporting my local neighborhood. I love that everytime I go into the store there is the shop keeper himself. The baker that made the goods I am buying, the butcher that cut the meat, the family that is trying to survive by running the town market. And even though I can hardly communicate with them verbally, I can feel their appreciation for stopping in and purchasing their goods. There are many things that Belgium does wrong (like the fact that it takes 6 weeks to get a phone and internet connection) but easy access to fresh, local food in small shops is something they definitely have right.

Road Trippin' Catch-up

Before I start this post, I must update you on our curtain situation here (having been in such dire circumstances last post). I have found curtains! Best part? We can still afford to feed the hungry little monkeys I've got running around my house. So, it's a win-win for us all here in the White home.

The past 2 weekends we have done some really fun day-trips that I have failed to blog about. I have to admit that some things are hard here, and some things are great here, but the BEST thing for me so far has been the traveling. I love that we are so close to so many amazing destinations. I love that we can wake up Saturday morning, get dressed, eat breakfast, hop in the car, and spend the day doing something I've only ever seen in a book or a movie, and - depending on the destination - be back in time to lay down to bed at night in my own bed. All of our day-tripping has also made me think about how much there is to do most anywhere, it's just a matter of getting out and doing it. So, go explore! In the meantime, here's my road trippin' catch-up:

Last weekend we took a day trip up to Kinderdijk, Holland. It was the cutest little town (a theme I am finding here in Europe) and the itinerary for the day included windmills and wooden shoes. In Kinderdijk there are a number of working windmills, all dating back to the 1700s. On Saturday afternoons in July and August, all of the windmill's flags are put down and the windmills are turned on. It was very cool to see. I'm not sure who was more excited...me or the kids. We were able to go inside one of the windmills and climb flights of extremely steep and narrow stairs to see how families used to live in the windmills. Then we took a boat ride in a canal that connectes all of the windmills.

 

When we finished up with the windmills we headed out to a wooden shoe factory we had read about in a book. Our day trip was a little last minute, and our internet only works very sporadically, so we hadn't double checked the factory's existence, but we thought we'd be fine. Turns out we thought wrong. The factory was actually closed. We were all a little disappointed and decided to grab dinner while we decided what else we wanted to do. McDonalds was the closest resturant that popped up on our GPS and although I'm not a huge McDonald's fan generally, Ryan and I thought it would be a great place for the kids to run around while we figured out our game plan. Well, not only did we find McDonalds, we found this in the parking lot:

I thought it was hilarious, and so oddly placed as we were in the middle of nowhere! So as any good tourist, I got my camera out and starting taking pictures. It sounds lame, but for some reason seeing that statue totally made up for missing the wooden shoes. I mean, there are plenty of wooden shoe factories in Holland, but how often do you just happen upon an enormous cement Michael Jackson statue. Hardly, if ever!

Yesterday we set out to go to the coast on the North Sea. We have been missing the Oregon Coast this summer and wanted to try and get one more beach day in before fall hits. The sun was shining when we woke up, but by the time we hit the car a light sprinkle had started. An hour later as we pulled into Knokke, it was full-on torrential downpour. It was the hardest rain I have ever seen in my life, and coming from Portland I thought I knew rain. We tried to go to the beach, but it was so cold and windy (and rainy!) so we walked into town. The whole outing was actually quite funny, and basically consisted of Ryan and I carrying Charlotte and Landon, dragging Brayden along, running from awning to awning exploring the city. We tried to wait-out the rain by eating large ice cream cones and window shopping, but in the end we determined that the rain would probably last, so we headed for home. All 3 kids fell asleep in the car pretty quickly so Ryan and I made a small detour through the city of Brugge (our other potential destination for the day) and drove around while the kids slept. Brugge was beautiful and was filled with gothic architecture and trendy shops. I can guarantee that you will see a post sometime soon about our adventures there.

Sticker Shock

Sticker shock is one thing that you have to get over almost immediately here. The first couple of days we were here I kept converting everything into US dollars and the results were not pretty. If it weren't for the weak dollar, things like food might be pretty close to the same price (although the quality here is sooo much better...more on that in another post!) Outside of food though, most everything else is much more expensive than in the US. On top of that, there is a 21% VAT tax (value added tax) on all non-essential goods. Think of it as a sales tax on everything except food. Furniture and household goods especially seem to be expensive and we have been trying to buy as much secondhand as possible (except beds...gross!) to not only save upfront, but also save the 21% VAT tax.

One thing that we need desperately that we cannot buy secondhand is window coverings. When we moved in the curtains in the house were so disgusting. I swear they had been with the house it's entire 60 year life and never been cleaned. I tore them down immediately, but have yet to find a cost-effective solution. Now you may be wondering what my idea of cost-effective is? I'll tell you what it is NOT.

I went into a store today that does custom-made window coverings. I had been in there once before and decided (after checking LOTS of other options) that it was my only real choice if I wanted blackout shades for the bedrooms, as we have nothing on the windows now. You pick out the particular fabric you want and it is priced per meter squared. Then you choose the style and lining, and they are custom made. I decided to just do simple curtains, and I knew they were going to be expensive (I was thinking about 90€ per set - or $135 - based on my calculations of the window dimensions and estimated price per meter of fabric) but was prepared to pay, knowing that we needed curtains and, like I said, this seemed to be my best option. I ended up picking cheaper fabric than I thought I would (only 9€ a meter) and when the sales person finished filling out my order form, my total was 450€ ($675)! 450€?!?!? For 2 windows?! I was sure there was some mistake - I had asked for the navy fabric, not the 18 karat gold fabric. But no mistake, that was the cost. And so, like any reasonable person, I left the store empty handed and incredulous that ANYONE would pay that much for 4 curtain panels. So, there you have it - if you ever come visit Europe, don't buy curtains. Next time you are in Linens N Things give it a big squeeze for me - I'm sure missing it right now.

Happy Birthday Brayden!!

My little man is growing up...Brayden celebrated his 5th birthday on Friday! It's hard for me to imagine that it was only 5 years ago that this thing called Motherhood began. Being the first child, Brayden holds a special place in my heart. I remember so many of our moments together when he was a baby, much more vividly than Landon or Charlotte (sad, but true). Although I am often hardest on Brayden (maybe this is an oldest child thing??), he takes it all in stride. He has handled our big move so well, and I am so proud of him for that. He is Ryan's little clone in so many eerie ways, not just physically, but even down to the way he likes his things organized and tidy. He has turned into a big kid lately, which is just so fun to see. Our conversations are so funny, as he is trying to figure out how everything works in life. He is so observant, and I have to laugh when he uses my punishments or rewards for him on Landon. The funniest was last week when Landon came down after getting his pajamas on and told me that he needed a sucker. When I told him "No" he said, "Brayden said if I got my pajamas on right away I could earn a sucker!" and then Brayden came down and said, "Yeah mom, he's telling the truth, I told him that, so he earned a sucker." Needless to say, Brayden and I had a little talk about who doles out the punishments and rewards at our house.

I had been feeling bad about Brayden's birthday because I wasn't able to deliver on a big "friends" party this year like I promised (before I knew we were going to be moving). He had been talking about his birthday for weeks, and so I knew he would appreciate something special. I made Brayden's favorite breakfast and then Ryan and Brayden went out for some father-son bonding time. When they got back we did cake and presents and headed out for the afternoon to see the Flower Carpet, a big event they do every 2 years in the Grand Place in downtown Brussels. We finished off the night at a local resturaunt with Brayden's favorite food, PIZZA, and hit a small street carnival in our neighborhood, ending it all with huge ice cream cones. It was great and grand and the perfect way to celebrate Brayden's entrance into big boy land! Thanks for being my good little-big man Brayden - I love you!

 

 

 

Normal Life

I am pleased to report that I am kind of online. I have a very skittish connection depending on what various unsecured networks I can connect to around me. Now normally I would not indulge in such illegalities, but August in Brussles is desperate times. If you ever want to move abroad, DO NOT do it in the summer months or you will spend countless hours of angst over the fact that everyone is on holiday. Cable guy? Holiday. Language teacher? Holiday. School personnel? Holiday. Not to mention the fact that everyone else who is in town seems to be taking a partial holiday and working even less hours than they already do.

I've been thinking these last couple of days that although I have been sharing many of our "highs" here in Belgium, I haven't been sharing any of the "lows." Now don't get me wrong, I'm loving it here, but I can't even begin to pretend that we are living some magical existence. Rather, my friend Normal Life has followed us here, and is enjoying quite a few laughs at my expense. I'll expound....

We got all moved in last Saturday, and it was 1am before Ryan and I got our bed put together. The sound of Landon throwing up was our lovely wake-up call Sunday morning. As we were getting in bed Sunday night, Brayden "tucked us in" with the sounds of him puking in the toilet. Best part of all followed Tuesday night when after 24 hours of no throwing up, Brayden threw up in his bed and all over himself. Have I mentioned that I don't have a washing machine yet?? Hellloooo Laundromat!

We have been having some electrical problems. The lights in our main bathroom haven't been functional for 4.5 of the 5 days we've been here and when Ryan tried to fix it last night, sparks flew...LITERALLY....and I think he blew a fuse. We played with the breakers, and got some of our power restored, but all of the outlets and light switches on the west side of the house are out. That includes the water heater in our main bathroom (it has it's own unit attached to the wall). Nothing like a cold shower to get you perkin' in the morning.

And if that wasn't enough....

Somewhere in our move - and I still don't know when this happened - I lost my stroller. My fabulous, wonderful, best-friend-in-the-whole-wide-world Maclaren Quest. Considering my stroller is the only "wheels" I have, it is quite dear to me. Or rather, was dear to me. I have combed my tracks and found it nowhere. Now I need to try and replace it (at 3 times it's original cost I'm sure). Taking my double on the metro is just not the same.

So, if you ever have one of those days when you are combing others' blogs, coveting particular aspects of their desirable lives (as I often do...) look elsewhere. Here in Belgium it's just Normal Life.

NORMANDY

I think I have been mentally postponing this post because I knew it was going to be massive. So, before my brain forgets all of those wonderful little memories, here we go.... Like I mentioned in my last post, our trip was awesome. The White family campaign "Aim to not be Lame" was inspired by the fact that for the last 5 years we have been totally lame. We've had really good excuses, mainly revolving around our kids and Ryan's busy career, but now we're just ready to live life to it's fullest, children in tow. You ready? You're a trooper if you make it through this....

Thursday we drove to Normandy and spent the day learning more about World War II. We started off at a couple of the D-Day beaches, followed by the Normandy American Cemetary and Memorial and my kid's favorite place, Pointe Du Hoc. The area at Pointe Du Hoc has been left in it's original condition and the ground is just rittled with large crater after large crater from bombs dropping. The kids loved running in and out of the craters and playing in the cement "forts" where the German soldiers sought protection. We ended our day in a wonderful little town, Bayeux, and had dinner at a local pizzaria. The husband/father of the other family we went with served his mission in France and so not only did he speak fleunt French (which was EXTREMELY helpful) he knew all of the best places to eat. We were well fed.

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Friday morning we went to the Bayeux Cathedral and the Bayeux Tapestry, both of which were amazing and beautiful. We had pastries from bakeries every morning for breakfast, and, in my opinion, Bayeux was home to the best ones. The Bayeux Tapestry was one of my favorite places overall, partially because the tapestry is so old, and the story is so cool. The boys also really liked the tapestry and both of them seemed to soak in the story. We were driving to our next destination and Brayden said to Landon, "Let's play. You be England, and I'll be Normandy, which means I always win." True Brayden style right there. The gift shop had a number of really beautiful tapestries that Ryan and I were ogling, starting at 600€ ($900). I wish! It also had a really great children's book that re-told the story that has been really fun to read with the boys. From the Bayeux Tapestry we went into another great little city, Granville. The kids played on the beach and I did a little shopping along a small street filled with shops. We were talking with some locals (one of whom knew English) and it came up that before we moved to Brussels I had never been out of the US (true story). Anyway, this guy was shocked, and said, "Really?? Not even on holiday?!" The culture here is just so different. Everyone goes everywhere and sees everything (broad generalization I'm sure, but you get the point) and now I'm excited to be a part of that.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to Mont-Saint-Michel. I don't know how many times I said, "Amazing!" that day, but it was a lot. Mont-Saint-Michel has to be one of the most amazingly constructed buildings I have ever seen. It's an abbey on an island and it's 1300 years old. Along with the abbey there were also quite a few little museums within the village, that we didn't see due to cranky kids and hunger. From Mont-Saint-Michel we headed to another crowd favorite, the city of Saint Malo. I think I could buy a little place on the beach and retire there. The ocean view was incredible, and the city itself was so cute. Saint Malo is a walled in city full of shops and eateries and hotels. It's small, and all the buildings look the same. I believe at the time of construction it was a military base of some kind. The kids played on the beach until after 9pm that night, and even at that they were disappointed that it was time to go. It was a nice relaxing way to spend our last night in Northern France. By the time we got to our hotel it was midnight and Charlotte was trashed. She was so tired she could hardly walk (poor girl). Ryan had picked up some food for a late-late dinner and I set her in the pack n play to eat. When I turned around, she was zonked. Totally snoring, in the middle of the room. She's still recovering from her lack of sleep.

   

 

Sunday was our most low-key day with a morning at church and our drive home. Belgium and France both have lots of really great rest stops with play stuff for the kids, so we took advantage of those and had a leisurely drive home (or something like that) all the while planning our next trip.

We got the keys to our new house yesterday and will be moving in this weekend. I am so excited! The house ended up needing more work (as in cleaning, painting) than we originally realized, and here in Belgium those kinds of things can fall on the tenants often times, and does in our case. So, we have a bit of work ahead of us, but I don't mind doing it...at least for now. Stay tuned....

New Blog

We're home and our trip was great! So great in fact that it inspired me to start a new blog with all of my family's travels (this is still a work in progress...) I'm hoping to keep it updated often, with some attraction or place of interest a day along with travel tips, products I love for travelling, etc. If nothing else it will be my little travel journal and a place to collect all of my travel information. I would love to have other contributors as well - places you have taken your small kids and your experiences - so if you are interested in being a contributor please let me know! For a quick vacation recap: We ended up just going to Normandy (which was UNBELIEVABLE) and we went with some friends who are seasoned travelers. In 4 days, we saw about a dozen major sites, and they and their 4 kids (ages 6.5 to 9 months) made the White family warriors look like the White family weaklings. By the end of day 3, my kids were so wiped out by the pace and lack of sleep that the meltdowns came in torrents. Their kids? Happy little travelers. So, we've got a lot to learn in the travel with kids department, and I can't wait to keep practicing. Our next long weekend trip is going to be in the middle of August (still a toss up between Holland and Paris) and this time I hope things will go a little smoother. Along with the big sites, we also did some really fun "small" stuff. We went to church on Sunday at this tiny little branch in a quaint little French town and it was wonderful. Our attendance doubled the number of people there and we sang hymns accompanied by a CD. We played quite a bit on a couple of different gorgeous beaches, and that seemed to be the main hit with the kids. We also hit a random street fair that had a mechanical bull that both Brayden and Landon rode. It was hilarious. Stay tuned for more of the big attractions that we saw - I think we took over 500 pictures!