Ahhh...

Greg is in Germany for a few days for work and rather than hanging around Luxembourg and wishing I could afford to shop there, I decided to take the crew to La Bresse, France. Good decision, thus far. It is beautiful. I have to admit, after; 3,300 cathedrals, 9,212 pieces of art and inhaling 800 tons of second hand smoke, I was ready to head to my comfort zone...the mountains. Ahhhh, I feel like I can breathe again. Don't get me wrong, I've loved most every minute of our adventures in all of the cities, but I'm a mountain girl and I needed a break.

Today was spent at a beautiful lake, playing cards and swimming. The kids loved the play time and I loved the fresh air and cold water.

Tonight we roamed the small town and tried to find a suitable food situation for all of us. I haven't blogged nearly enough about our food "hunts," because I'm actually quite embarrassed about it. I love my kids/husband dearly, but when it comes to finding an agreeable restaurant/cafe, we nearly come to blows. This is how our food dilemma breaks down:
1. Ben won't try anything new and is super picky.
2. Mackenzie tries some things, but doesn't like most things.
3. Sam tries and usually likes everything.
4. Greg likes and tries everything.
5. And me...I'll try to be honest here...I like to eat healthy, but will try most things. So, if you read between the lines on this...I don't like fried food and nearly everything comes with some sort of fried something or another.

I'm sooooo sick of the food.

Anyway, tonight wasn't any different. We wander out of the hotel, happy and optimistic. The first restaurant where we sit down only serves desserts and salads. So, we bail without even telling the staff. The second restaurant (I think there are only 4 in the town) serves mostly fast food. "Yep, this looks good," says Ben as he sees they serve chicken nuggets and fries. Ugghhh. I agree and we proceed with our order, in French. Well, apparently, Cordon Bleu (Nana's order) with an American accent, sounds a lot like a local beer. Our food comes and Nana gets, Diet Coke and a beer...no Cordon Bleu.

We finished the evening with a trip to the scariest and most disgusting traveling fair. I can't stand those kind of places, so our kids have never been to one even in the US. Needless to say, I think that experience may have been the highlight of their trip to Europe. I'm seriously not exaggerating. Nana treated them to a round on the bumper cars. It was a lawsuit waiting to happen. At one point, there was a car that sparked and then started smoking. I don't think the kids will ever be the same again.

So really, if I honestly look at our day...I could have:

1. Brought the kids to Lake Sammamish.
2. Bought them a couple of croissants.
3. Drove down to Puyallup.

Top of the morning to ya!!

Top of the morning to ya! As it turns out, no one in Ireland actually says this saying...so, of course, as soon as we find out the phrase is more American than Irish, we can't stop ourselves from saying it!

Our trip to Ireland was fantastic! Of course, I'm a bit biased, having a bit of Irish blood in me!

Our journey to Ireland was more of an epic traveling experience than anything else. We woke up at 3:15 am and drove two hours to Brussels. The drive would have been uneventful, except our car holds 5 people and we're currently traveling with 6. Which means, "double buckling." For those of you unfamiliar with this term (courtesy of Jacobsen family), it means you buckle two passengers into one seat belt. I drew the short straw and shared a seat with our youngest, Ben. He doesn't even remember sharing the seatbelt with me, he slept the whole time.

We did make it to the airport on time, thanks to Maggie 2 (GPS). I'm not sure we would have had such a positive result without her. About 20 minutes outside of the airport the cars/trucks came to a complete stop on the highway. After sitting on the highway for 20 minutes we started to get nervous about making the flight, so, Greg expertly put the car in reverse and drove about 200 yards backwards to the previous exit. It worked. Maggie 2 managed to help us navigate the side roads of Belgium and got us safely and on time to the airport. We were all elated and singing Greg's (and Maggie 2's) praises...but, we were quickly hit with the reality of making it to the check in on time. You see, we were flying on Ryan Air. I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with Ryan Air, but they are a low fare/no frills airline. One of their policies is to have all of the "check in" luggage checked in 45 minutes prior to boarding. We had 10 minutes to park the car, get the kids dressed and make it to the check in counter for our one piece of luggage. Panic set in...

Hail Mary full of grace, help us find a parking place... we found a great spot with some ease. Next was to get the three sleeping kids up and changed in the parking lot. Ben and Mackenzie snapped to attention and were fully aware of the time crunch. Sam, however, was not quite aware of our desperate situation and was still in the car and in his pjs when we were all off and running. After counting heads, I noticed we were short one and stayed back with Sam to help him adjust and change. He was not so happy about being rushed...needless to say, threats were made and tears were generated. Another not so high parenting moment...

As it turns out, the manic situation I had created with Sam was not necessary...the line to Dublin was long and not progressing quickly. We did eventually make it to the plane and enjoyed an uneventful and short flight to Dublin.

After unpacking and eating, we met up with some Irish friends of ours and enjoyed a great afternoon sightseeing and visiting their home in Dublin. Because we were all a bit zombie like by the afternoon, we needed to cut the visit short and head back to the hotel for some R & R.

The following day Greg played golf with some customers and the kids, Nana and I made our way to Dublin. Our only goal for the day was to make it to Dublin and visit the National Leprechaun Museum. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the museum. I was basically trying to check off the kid box at this point. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised with our experience. It was amazing! Like I've previously said, I'm a bit biased, having some Irish blood in me, but it was truly great. The museum was established to honor and pass on the Irish folklore and myths. We not only learned all about Leprechauns, but also other Irish legends. The story telling was enchanting and all of us could have sat there all day and listened to the stories. Please, please, go visit this museum when you are in Dublin...with or without kids, I think everyone would find it to be a great learning experience and a ton of fun.

Thursday was spent playing on the beach and relaxing. I think after so many packed days, we all needed one day to hang out and play in the water. When I say "we", I mean the kids...the kids played in the water. For dinner we went to, Malahide, an adorable village on the water. Ok, so I have admit, I thought it was an exceptional place because they had...Starbucks. A moment of silence, please.

Greg took Friday off from work and we all headed to Dublin for some more sight seeing. Again, I had my goals for the day and I was pretty determined to accomplish them, despite the whining from my family. I wanted to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College and the Guinness Store House. In my mind, I had let everyone get what they wanted on the previous days; golf and Leprechaun Museum, so now it was my turn. The first box to check was the Book of Kells...I managed to get everyone to Trinity College only to find a huge line. The kids did a great job waiting, only because Greg had brought his phone and they were all engrossed in some stupid game on it. After about 20 minutes of waiting we managed to make it into the library to see the Book of Kells. Within about 5 minutes, Ben grabbed my hand and announced, "You wasted your money on this." I tried so hard to ignore his complete disinterest in it and tried to read the displays with some sort of attention. However, having the boys continue to grab me and convey their utter disappointment with the display over and over again, did begin to get under my skin and I was forced to threaten, yet again.

After the Book of Kells, we were ushered into the library. I literally gasped at the sight of it. Over 200,000 of Ireland's oldest books are carefully stacked and displayed in this part of the library. While I gasped in amazement, I think my family groaned with boredom. Ok, so the morning wasn't exactly kid friendly, but I do think they managed to learn something from the experience, despite their moaning.

Our afternoon was spent touring the Guinness store house. I'll go out on a limb here and say, not exciting, but the free pint of Guinness at the end might be worth it for some folks. Because I can only drink a sip or two of Guinness, Greg enjoyed 2 free pints. So, if you ask Greg about the tour, I'm fairly certain he'll tell you it is worth the visit.

Now for my least favorite part of traveling...souvenirs. The kids had an idea of what they wanted before we even entered into a store, but it still seemed like a long, torturous process to me. Sam wanted a "good luck charm" and found just the right necklace that displayed it. Mackenzie wanted to spend her Euro on a sweatshirt and found one within her budget. And, Ben...he, as some of you know, collects snow globes and has been collecting one from every place we visit. Ben is now the proud owner of 13 snow globes (most are at home). We think he has now surpassed Mrs. Harris' collection of snow globes. I'm not sure Mrs. Harris even knows she is competing with Ben in snow globe collecting, but ever since Christmas of 2008, Ben has been talking about Mrs. Harris' collection. Game on!

We finished the day eating dinner at an Irish pub at Temple Bar. Greg really wanted to have the authentic Irish pub experience, so we all indulged him for the evening. Unfortunately, the Irish music didn't start until after 9:30 at most of the pubs and we weren't willing or able to make it past 8 o'clock. We were knackered.

Our journey home was long...really long, but we managed to make it back in one piece and marriage in tact. So, all in all, another successful adventure.

Online again!

Whew...I don't even know where to start. Where did I leave off? After Bruges we went to Amsterdam. Greg, unfortunately, had to go back to Luxembourg for work.

As soon as we arrived in Amsterdam, we dropped our bags off in our super cool house boat and headed off to Anne Frank's house. As we stood in line for the Frank house, we tried our very best to explain what we were about to see to Sam and Ben. They didn't get it at all. Sam couldn't get beyond her name..."Why does she have two first names?...Is that why she is famous?" Mackenzie has read the book several times and absorbed every minute of the experience. She left there and said, "My body isn't tired, but I feel tired." The whole experience was very emotional for her and I think she really did get it.

Our second day in Amsterdam was spent walking around the city. We visited the floating flower market and made it just in time to watch the closing of a flea market. The afternoon was spent in the main city park playing frisbee and people watching. I think the highlight of the kids' experience was our dinner at the famous Amsterdam Pancake House. The wait was well worth it. The kids had huge crepes topped with powdered sugar and syrup. Yes, this was their dinner. Nana and I split a Caprese pancake, which was arguably, the best thing I've eaten in Europe.

The next morning we headed back to Luxembourg to celebrate Mackenzie's 11th birthday and Greg's 40th. I have to admit, both days were pretty uneventful and I'm certain, quite disappointing for both them. We planned to go water skiing on Greg's birthday, but it was raining, so we spent the day wandering around Luxembourg.

Which brings us to Thursday of last week...Thursday, the kids, Nana and I drove to Langres, France where we met up with the Lewis family. The initial plan was to meet at a campground, set up camp and then find a hotel for Nana. However, Nana, didn't want to miss out on the fun and decided to brave three nights of sleeping in a tent with the Chapman family. I'm not sure who suffered more, Nana, sleeping on the ground or the rest of us, dealing with Nana's snoring! Regardless, I have to say, we were all pretty impressed with Nana's fortitude.

I've asked the kids what has been the highlight of their trip so far and they have all said, Langres, France. I'm not surprised. First of all, the campsite is no ordinary campsite. With the exception of having to sleep in a tent, it would rival most 4 star hotels. There was a pool, restaurant, store, ping pong tables, kids' club, etc. We could even get fresh bread every morning. The kids were in heaven!

Our first day was spent exploring the town of Langres, walking around a market and trying to use our limited French. We enjoyed a perfect French lunch of baguettes, cheese and fruit under a tree next to a beautiful wheat field. I couldn't believe I was sitting there with the kids in the perfectly French moment.

That evening we picked up Greg from the train station and enjoyed a BBQ and lots of great French wine.

Saturday was a day for the kids...it was spent playing at the lake. We had planned to try and go water skiing, but for 25 Euro/person for 15 minutes, we decided to rent a paddle boat instead. A much cheaper option.

Greg and Nigel were in charge of the paddle boat and picked up all five kids at the beach. The kids were having a blast jumping of the back and having diving contests until an upset Frenchman approached them in a small motor boat to tell them they were exceeding the two person limit on the boat. They were also not allowed to beach the boat. Greg and Nigel had managed to break 2 of the rules within about 5 minutes of renting the boat. Of course, the dads both decided the best way to handle the situation was to pretend they couldn't understand what the man was saying and went on with business as usual. After two hours of boating, they dropped the kids off on the beach and Karen helped Nigel paddle the boat back to the dock. As soon as they approached the dock an angry Frenchman pointed to them and said, "You two, come with me." He gave Karen and Nigel the business. Karen and Nigel handled the situation perfectly and pretended they didn't understand a thing.

Sunday afternoon we headed back to Luxembourg, but stopped by a couple French towns on the way.

Which brings me to Monday...today. Today we have done laundry and started packing for a trip to Dublin. We are leaving at 3:30 am to drive to Brussels to catch a flight to Dublin. I'm so not looking forward to the journey. I can't wait to get to Dublin, but the morning could be long. We'll be in Dublin Tuesday through Saturday. I hope to bring my computer, so I can blog from there.

Ugghh...I feel like I've left so much out. I just wanted to get the main info down, so I don't forget what we did and where we went. I can't believe how much we've seen in such a short time.

Off to Amsterdam...

We've had a great visit in Bruges and are sad to leave, but excited for the next adventure in Amsterdam. Sadly, Greg is heading back to Luxembourg for work. Nana, the kids and I will be in Amsterdam until Tuesday morning and then we'll make our way back to Luxembourg to celebrate Mackenzie's 11th birthday.

I won't have my computer in Amsterdam, as we are staying on a boat in one of the canals, so we'll be out of touch for a few days. Our plan in Amsterdam is pretty loose, the only thing I really want to do is make sure the kids see Anne Frank's house. Mackenzie has read the book a few times, so I think she will get the most out of seeing it. Although I've tried to explain Anne Frank to the boys, they still don't have a clue.

If you are ever in Bruges, we highly recommend Tine's Guesthouse: www.tinesguesthouse.com. It is perfect for a family...great price, 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, bumper pool, common area and a super breakfast.

Burger Nazi...

Before I tell everyone about the past three days, I need to get our most recent experience documented. Most of you will find this unbelievable, but everything I'm about to write is true.

We met the Burger Nazi. Yep, we did. I think the Seinfeld producers would find enough material with our experience for an entire season of shows.

I'll back up a bit, before I tell you more about the Burger Nazi. Right now we are all in Bruges, Belgium (Friday) and I have to agree with my new crush, Rick Steves (Bob Costas and Anderson Cooper are still my favs), that Bruges is one of the 'Best of Europe.' Nana, the kids and I drove here this morning and Greg met us this evening after work. (Oh, yes, Mackenzie is now here...more on that later.)

Once we finally met up with Greg, we decided it was time for dinner. As usual, there was a lot of disagreement about what to eat. The kids wanted pizza margherita (usually a safe choice for the pickiest of eaters), but the adults wanted to explore and try something different. After about 20 minutes of reading various menus and arguing, I spotted a small corner restaurant which advertised "Hamburgers and French Fries." Score. Or, so I thought.

It didn't take the kids, but 30 seconds to choose their foods. Mackenzie and Ben were quick to choose chicken strips and then Sam, said, "Burger." This is where things went seriously sideways. Innocent enough, right? Well, apparently, the greasy, toothless cook behind the counter has a SERIOUS problem with American kids ordering burgers. As soon as Sam spoke, the cook started in..."Burger? You can get a burger anywhere. What is the point of traveling to new places if you aren't going to try our food? Burger and ketchup. Burger and ketchup. You can get that anywhere." At this point, I think, he has got to be joking. Apparently, he wasn't. He went on for about 2 minutes on this topic. "What is the point of traveling and bringing your kids for these experiences if they aren't going to try different foods?" He even said, "But...if you want to raise your kids like that...then what can I do?" After this caustic conversation, I asked Sam, "What do you want?" Sam, replied sternly, "Burger."

It was now my turn to order and I really wanted a chicken burger, but was now afraid to order it. Instead, I order some kebabs and fries. I was convinced the cook had now spit in our food and I lost my appetite, so I ate a few fries and called it good. Greg, however, had no problem taking down the deep fried kebabs and a few fries.

More tomorrow...we have another story about the most expensive bathroom use...ever....!!!

Hi everybody it is Mackenzie writing this paragraph... all of the things that my mom said are true. I was a witness. When Sam was ordering i was laughing sooooooo hard.
I think that was one of the funniest, weirdest experiences of my life. I think that I will remember this for a very long time.

Lost in translation...

Ugghhh...I just bowed out of the most intense game of Pictureka. Sam and Ben were coming to blows over the rules and who put a card down first. I couldn't handle the testosterone anymore, so I excused myself under the ruse of needing to write the blog. Greg is now patiently refereeing the game...we'll see how much longer he will last. I'm betting...2 minutes.

Our day was spent running around doing errands and getting ready for Nana and Mackenzie's arrival. I had a few goals for the day...groceries, laundry and haircuts for the boys. The first two tasks were easy enough to accomplish, but haircuts proved to be a little more interesting than I anticipated. First, I need to explain that in Luxembourg people speak one of three languages; French, German or Luxembourgish. And for those of you who think everyone speaks English in this part of the world, I'm here to tell you, they don't. In fact, most people in the day to day situations, don't speak any English. The retail clerks, cleaners, hairstylists, etc...usually live in France or Germany because the cost of living is significantly lower and thus, speak their native languages. Greg's day to day interactions in the business world are in English, mine, however, are in French, German or Luxembourgish. I understand a bit of German and can manage when I absolutely need to, however, we happen to live very close to the French border and most of the people I encounter speak...French.

I have a French/English dictionary my friend, Karen, kindly donated to me...however, I didn't bring it today. Which brings me back to the haircuts...

The boys and I were looking for a barber vs. a salon, but we could only find salons. We finally settled on a salon near the grocery store. The boys were seriously apprehensive about going in, but I assured them I wouldn't let the stylists put anything "gross" in their hair. I also had to convince them that boys DO come to places like this and it is OK. Sam and Ben's experience to date, with haircuts, is a stool on our front porch and the clippers I bought at Costco.

By the time I got the boys in the door, I was a bit frazzled and not thinking very clearly, or, maybe I wasn't hearing things clearly because the bill came to $38 Euro. Which in US dollars is $49, plus the tip put their experience at the salon well over $50.

I managed to avoid revealing the cost to Greg for about 2 hours after he got home. For a guy who will not pay more than $12 for a haircut, this news didn't go over well. Greg's response was, "Did they at least wash it??" I cannot tell a lie, "Nope. They just shaved their heads."

Napoleon complex...

I didn't have the energy to blog last night, but I'm now feeling good after my run on the trails near our apartment and am ready to write about our past 2 days.

Sunday morning (yesterday) we made our way to Belgium. Our first stop was Waterloo, the sight of Napoleon's final battle. I thought we were going to last for 1 hour...tops...but as it turns out, we stayed for over 3 hours. We watched two films on the Battle of Waterloo and then walked over 200 steps to a monument in honor of the battle. If you ever find yourself near Belgium, take the time to visit Waterloo. It was well worth the time...besides, the boys were able to get a picture holding real swords.

We spent the night in Brussels...I didn't sleep a wink, but all three boys were out all night. So during the night, while everyone was sleeping, I had time to think about our trip thus far. You see, it has been me and the boys for 3 weeks straight...24/7 (Mackenzie gets here on Wednesday!!!). I've never had this much one on one time with them. Yes, it has been trying at times and yes, it is completely exhausting trying to keep up with them, but I've had so much fun just hanging with the boys. Sam and Ben have been amazing little travelers and I feel so blessed to have had this quality time with them. While Greg is working during the week, Sam, Ben and I are on our own to travel around whichever cities we happen to be in at that time. I'm pretty sure what they will remember about traveling with Mommy vs. what I remember traveling with them will be entirely different.

The boys will likely remember:

1. Stairs vs. Elevator competitions ...race to see who reaches the top first.
2. Army crawling in the dark halls trying not to set off the sensors that turn on the lights.
3. Eating ice cream.
4. Trying to sneak into the bathrooms without paying.
5. Making their way through the London underground without any guidance from Mom.
6. All the free candy they seem to accumulate.
7. All you can eat breakfast at the various hotels...and, switching around all of the signs indicating the various foods and drinks and then running out as fast as they can.

I will remember:

1. Holding their hands for hours on end as we make our way around the different cities.
2. Sam holding my right hand and gently rubbing the inside of my arm, until it was raw, with his other hand.
3. Watching them watch 'Oliver.'
4. Listening to their funny conversations...ie.
Sam: "What would happen if I ate baking powder and drank vinegar? Would I foam at the mouth?"
Ben: "I don't know, but it would be cool. You would look like you have rabies."
5. Ben singing all of the Veggie Tales songs as we walk around London.
6. Sam giving every street performer we see some of his own money until he ran out.
7. Getting continually smoked by Ben playing Monopoly Deal.

It has been a great experience for all of us and I can't wait to get Mackenzie here and bring her into our traveling fold.

Now back to today...the boys and I spent the day, while Greg was in meetings, touring Brussels. Brussels is a great city, but I think one day of seeing the sights is definitely plenty.