Colossal food failures

So, after last night's stuffing failure, I feel obliged to write a brief account of the other food failures I have made my family and new friends endure since moving to Rome. Wednesday before Christmas, I find a turkey at the supermarket....after we had given up on the turkey for Christmas. While I am somewhat ashamed to admit I didn't have the energy or time to go to a butcher and order a proper turkey, I was very excited to find the Perfect Christmas Dinner Turkey (ok...so, it was only 2.6 kilos, but it was a turkey!). After the excitement subsides, and I realize the bird has mysteriously ended up in our cart....and my pragmatic side thinks through what we need to make a full turkey dinner. Stuffing, cranberry sauce....hmm...definitely challenging. I buy a quarter loaf of day old bread, celery, onion and chicken stock with the hopes of figuring out the stuffing, and know that cranberry sauce is too much to hope for. It is not until I get home that I read the "best before Dec. 24th" sticker prominently displayed on the front that I again have a sinking moment of realization....this will not be the Christmas meal! Christmas eve it was then....

Stuffing starts off well...how hard could this be, right? Its just stale bread that is moistened and then cooked, right? Ha, ha, ha....cutting the bread into squares, mixing them with fresh herbs, spices and olive oil went fine. After I put them in the oven for a "toasting" things started to go down hill fast. The kids needed something (times 2), the dogs needed something, and Richard was telling me about his next ultra adventure....and then, all of a sudden I smelt something burning! Black charcoal bricks met me in the oven.....after sifting through the coals, a few squares seemed edible, so I cut up the onions, celery and apples to add. I remembered the old adage "everything is better with butter" and added extra butter to the liquid, and through the concoction into the oven. Wow.....I didn't really know that stuffing could be so bad. The result, squishy charcoal with buttery/greasy liquid. YUM!

Before this adventure into the "kitchen nightmares", we had guests over for Thanksgiving. Both the husband and wife are trained chefs, and while he has moved into hotel management and she is a professional mom, they both still have a refined palette for good food. Luckily, Richard was in charge of the Butterball turkey, and Stovetop was my new friend, and I had found "the one market in all of Rome" that sold cranberries and cranberry-orange sauce was so easy, I even did a decent job. We had watched Alton Browne make a cranberry-pear pie, that he claimed was easy and delicious. Famous last words. I read the recipe, watched the show and thought....I can do this with a couple of substitutes....like don't make my own pastry (use the store bought!) and use regular flour instead of tapioca flour. No problem....well, it wasn't edible...more like glue in a pot with "extra" lumps...the crust was particularly poor, as the outside was burnt to a charcoal crisp, and the insides were limp and wet-noodly, with the unnatural gleam of poorly cooked pastery! And, the worst part.....knowing it was bad as my husband served it to our friends....they tried...oh did they try to eat it with a smile! But, it was AWFUL! A legendary horror that has now become a kitchen nightmare of my own:)

Christmas Letter

For those of you who I missed, here is the Holiday Letter we sent out!



Dear Family and Friends,

Grampa Jake used to say the best time of year was Christmas, as everyone would write to update each other on what they had been up to for the past year. In these times of Facebook, Twitter, and email, holiday letters seem a bit outdated, yet the charm remains and as parents trying to balance our kids technology exposure and old-school inter-personal skills, we opted for the co-authorship of a family holiday letter, which provides only a glimpse of the past year. Sarah started a blog of our adventures, which everyone is welcome to peruse (http://wondertwinsinrome.blogspot.com/).

We started the year relaxing in the Bahamas enjoying Aunt Sarah’s excellent company. We saw sharks and rays, ate great food, and Izzy swam with Gombay the Dolphin. Upon return, it seems like we didn’t sit down again for the rest of the year. Richard started his new job returning to the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome, Sarah started her professional sabbatical allowing for more time with the kids (limited by Roman traffic and the two paid and one volunteer jobs she has on the side), and the kids started their first international educational experience and learned the rules of an Italian schoolyard.

As one would imagine, leaving Silver Spring and arriving in Rome took work. Richard rushed off to Rome, with two weeks to finalize arrival logistics on the Italian side, while Sarah rushed to clean, pack and get our house in Silver Spring ready to sell. Luckily, Richard located a wonderful house near the center of Rome in a national park on the old Appian Way. Right before departing Silver Spring, Snowmagedon hit the DC region, covering our street with 5 feet of snow, causing our front steps to crumble (greatly increasing curb appeal), and facilitating the loading of our container and easy access to the airport! Snow followed us to Rome, as it snowed for the first time in a quarter of a century during our first week! Since it seemed we hadn’t had enough snow, we drove to the Italian Alps to meet Richard’s brother’s family for a lovely week skiing.

After the snow adventures, settling to Rome was much harder than we thought it was going to be. It took quite a while to get the kids into school, and a bit longer for everyone to adjust. The principle reason: a constant state of terror generated by the Roman traffic! Let’s just say that SMART Car is an oxymoron. Some good old friends and some great new friend have made the transition a bit easier.

Soon, Ethan discovered Ben 10, a young boy who stumbles across an alien watch that can transform him into different alien superheroes. We haven’t seen Ethan since, and are now living with someone called Jetray, who occasionally transforms into Stinkfly or Ripjaws. His twin sister, on the other hand, pronounced “I’m an artist” to her teachers upon entering her new classroom. Each morning she wakes with a request for paper and crayons, where she creates fantastical princesses, presents and letters in her magical land. Like many of her classmates she practices becoming a princess, and while some actually are real princesses, Izzy is content with imagining.

The twins also formed a support team for their running parents, who decided moving to a new country with kids and dogs was not enough of a challenge. Sarah decided to take on her second marathon this year, winning a place in the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, while Richard decided it was a clever idea to enter an ultra-trail 56 km (35 mile) mountain race. Let’s just say that one of us is sane, while the other has questionable judgment. Each weekend the Wonder Twins would stage Gatorade and treats at various points along the Appia Antica to make sure that their parents were well hydrated and energized for their training during the hot summer months. In between, they would play Hannibal vs. Scipio Africanus - you know that classic childhood game where Hannibal’s elephants square off against the Roman Legions. Thanks to the Wonder Twin’s Support Team both parents finished their races, although climbing Mt. Nutcracker at 50km into the race almost finished Richard (fortunately crawling was an option). Sarah persevered through freezing rain over the San Francisco hills and finished strong.

Who knows what the New Year will bring for the Wonder Twin family, but we are thankful for all of the support and love we get from family, old and new friends. We wish everyone a happy and fruitful holiday season and an adventurous New Year!

Lots of Love,
The Roman Clan
Richard (aka himself), Sarah (aka Brubaker), Ethan (aka Bubbie) and Izzy (aka Wizard)

Thanksgiving in Rome

This story and entry will not compare to the New Yorker article about finding ingredients and cooking in a small village somewhere in Rome....but, like that story and the other stories of Americans re-creating what is a quintessential American holiday abroad, it has both sad, funny and happy moments. It all began with seeing a pumpkin on the side of the road for sale at the crazy fresh veggie market that I pass (and normally curse) every morning on the way to school. Nuns, large men, fancily dressed women and their cars/motorinos/trucks and other items block the road during morning and evening rush hour, at a point where, for once, Roman drivers must stick to one lane. Imagine the frustration of not being able to create multiple lanes....but, I digress. I saw that pumpkin and decided it didn't matter how ridiculously priced it was, I wanted to get it. So, after dropping the kids off, instead of fighting to get around the entrance, I parked....and others had to fight to get around me! I read the sign (to know what I would mis-pronounce and ask about inside) and saw that "zucca di halloween" were E 6.50 a kilo! The nice man who didn't speak much more Italian than I do (maybe it would have been easier in Urdu? Bangali?) weighed this overpriced pumpkin and out I walked with it....Two happy kids met the pumpkin later that day, and luckily Grandpa had already carved pumpkins with them in California a couple of days before. So, there sat the pumpkin on our front steps. I didn't dare carve it, as I was secretly investigating how to make a pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread with fresh pumpkin. To my dismay, I found out that one needs a "sweet pumpkin" not a fresh pumpkin to make both. And, I needed allspice....which, it turns out is NOT a mixture of spices! So....alas, the pumpkin became a mere reminder of the season that was passing....

Following this disappointment (yet beautiful decoration for our front porch), Richard and I discussed having two Thanksgiving meals, one with friends and one with our landlords. IN preparation, I started asking around about turkeys and cranberries.....two things I have found are hard to find. Richard and I had found that one of the "gastronomias" near our house could order a thanksgiving turkey. So, I went there to inquire about ordering it...but, somewhere during the conversation I got the feeling that what I was ordering was the full turkey, i.e. including guts and feathers and head and feet....and since my ability to negotiate the removal appropriately was almost non-existent, I thought better of this. Instead, Richard brought us our first Butterball from the FAO commissary....those additives do make a yummy bird! Next came the fresh cranberries or better yet cranberry sauce in a can! Alas, the commissary didn't seem to have that or the pumpkin pie filling...so, off I went to find the fresh cranberries. I found dried cranberries in the natural food store, and the German discount store, but no fresh cranberries. So when Granny came to visit last week, we used the few minutes of sunshine to walk around the Campo di Fuori, having coffee and croissants, and admiring the various items for sale (very expensive, but beautiful!). Upon walking out, there was a stand that had fresh ginger…another item that is difficult to find, so we decided to buy some. On the off chance that the guy had some, I asked about the cranberries, and to all of our surprise, he had some fresh ones! Happily I started planning the Thanksgiving dinner!

Needless to say, the dinner itself was a success, with friends coming over, a fabulous turkey made by Richard (an hour late as per tradition…with 5 starving kids waiting!), some fairly good stuffing, potatoes, broccoli, carrots and salad….unfortunately, I tried to make dinner rolls (yuck) and was inspired by Alton on the cooking channel’s thanksgiving dessert show. My “Perfect Pear Cranberry Pie” wasn’t even close to perfect….thankfully, our friends had brought a Swiss chocolate cake to save the dessert, and the kids and I had made “kid chocolate turkey truffles”….the evening ended with one scorched pan, 5 bottles of empty wine, kids fighting, and a rousing rendition of John Denver’s Country Roads, sung in full by our Swiss friend and American friend who has been out of the country for most of his life (though was raised in Sacramento!). While I sit here writing, the kids are calmly enjoying the Sunday after, and Richard is on a plane to Cancun! I am considering my next meal….turkey will be involved!

Kinder success

Following the last post, the kids have continued to enjoy school, and as stated by Ethan..."Alex and I are the best two kids in our class". Not sure how true that is, but at least Alex (our summer-time pool friend who is a girl and has decided she is going to marry Ethan) and Ethan agree. Izzy has told everyone she is an artist, including her PE teacher and classroom teacher. As she says "I am an artist, so I need new running shoes". Their separation into separate classrooms seems to have had minimal impact, luckily, and they both seem enamored by their teachers and "being in Kinder".

We received the list of afterschool classes, which for the first time in the history of their school, will be free. So the kids get to pick as many as they would like....ranging from Animal Arts and Crafts (guess who picked that one!) to Jr. Computers and Jr. Soccer. As of today, Ethan has decided he wants to do Jr. Soccer (so "I can play with the other boys!") and Yoga (because you like Yoga mommy!) while Izzy has decided on Jr. Cooking (so "I can teach you to cook mommy") and Animal Arts and Crafts. At the end of the month ballet, kung fu and potentially swimming will begin, so their lives of leisure will end:)

The first day of Kinder

So, after much anticipation, anxiety and excitement, the kids went off to their first day of kindergarden at Ambrit. This past weekend we tried to prepare a reticent Ethan, and excited Izzy with a trip to the mall to buy new backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and some first day of school clothes. Much to mommy and daddy's surprise, we did not end up with Ben10 and Hello Kitty backpacks, but a Bakugan and pink Puma ones. Of course, the Ben10 and Hello Kitty "thank you for being so good this summer" gifts helped with this transition.....Ethan walking away with the much treasured Omnitrix (Ben 10's alien watch) and Izzy with a Hello Kitty sleepover party sleeping bag. Adding to the anxiety this morning was the 4 year old understanding that they would not be in the same classroom for the first time since starting school. While they both were aware, and have different friends, I'm not sure they fully grasped the idea of being separated.

Classic to Italian style, the first day was a bit chaotic, with little instruction, and a lot of socializing upon arrival between parents. I was grateful we hadn't waited until today for the first day, as most kids (including those who had been at the school for the full year before) looked petrified, and confusion abounded for non-Italian parents. With new teachers, a new classroom added, and many new kids, it was a challenge to figure out what the morning routine the website so proudly discusses was supposed to be. Izzy was a trooper and followed her teacher, Ms. Lucie (who was a nursery teacher last year) to see the Kinder L classroom, learn where her peg was, and what she was supposed to do every morning upon arrival. Ethan's teacher was new, so it took a bit of searching to figure out who she was, where his peg was, and to find the classroom. Yet, after all of the new bags were safely on their hooks, and each had their nametag on, they ran around in the outdoor garden, tentatively at first and then with more excitement. When it came time for mommy and daddy to leave, they both seemed sad, yet a friend who was dropping her daughter off when we were leaving texted me to say all was well when she saw them.

Marathon Training....in Rome

So, its been a while since my last post, and contrary to popular belief, I have not killed the kids yet, nor have they done so to me, so all-in-all we are surviving summer vacation. While Richard has continued his marathon of travel, and training for the "ultra marathon" he is doing in September, I have been spotty in my training. Hard to get out of the house with no childcare help! But, on those days where I run, I have seen some of the more amusing people and passed some incredible places, including the list I created in my head on this morning's run and have attempted to recreate below:

--my personal favorite was the woman running in a string bikini bottom and halter top...with wedge flip-flops! I wasn't sure if she was running from someone, or out for a run (it turned out the latter - as a man in proper running clothes met her along the way), but seeing her made me speed up during a hard run, as she damn well wasn't going to beat me!

--this morning I saw a man running in normal running attire, with a rosary in hand....he ran by praying the rosary out loud.

--on many a morning there are various couples and men dressed in work clothes, shoes and all, walking their dogs off lease.

--there is a pack of small breed dogs that seem wild (i.e. with no owner noticeably near-by)...the kids have learned that while we don't want to test the saying "their bark is worse than their bite", a rock thrown at them while wildly barking will help ensure no bites happen!

--you can always tell which men are the Italian men running....more than the tanning booth tan, the style for men here seems to be to run in spandex shorts and shirts......use your imagination!

--while seemingly mundane, there are numerous people who use running in the hot sun as a way to intensify their already bronze face and shoulders, leaving many people running without shirts (purposely not stated as men without shirts). It seems that large-breasted women here don't need bras......as a good tan will suffice?!

Now that I have been completely culturally insensitive, the amazing parts of my runs are the things that I run by, and the beauty that I see. Being here makes me understand the clouds in many paintings that never seemed real....those that seem to glow....they are abundant here, and startling to see! I am constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the Romans, and of how long things have been here. I run by a place called the "Capo de Bove", which while running by is merely a gate. Upon entering for the first time yesterday, a vast maze of ruins were reveled that spanned from the 20th c BC to 1400 AD...i.e. people used, augmented, improved, destroyed and kept running the baths for that amount of time! Incredible. But, before entering, it was the "almost 3 mile marker" for my runs:)

Let Summer Vacation Begin!

The Wonder Twins have started their first summer vacation! While we are excited, and now are starting to understand why we are not in school, it was a bit of a long process to explain this childhood treat. Their old school did not have summer vacation, as it was really a daycare....hence the confusion! Nevertheless, we have started our first one off with a bang.....Granny Choularton came from England the same day as the kids last day for a 5 day visit. After reviewing our first report cards (excellent, as expected!) we had a low key day, where Buzz Lightyear came to visit with a Hello Kitty water bottle in hand. He must have flown in while I was out for a run, as I definitely didn't see him walking or running down the Appia. I did, however, see a small white thing as I entered our gate, and ran to find the kids to see if they could help me figure out what it was. Much to their pleasure, Buzz was standing waiting for the Wonder Twins to find him after his long journey.



Buzz and the Hello Kitty waterbottle journeyed with us the following day on a long car ride (in the new Sedici!) to Pompeii, where we discovered ruins, more ruins and bones of dead people. While this was fun for a short (and hot) moment, we definitely voted unanimously that the gelato shop inside the ruins were by far the best thing of Pompeii.




After a couple of relaxing days of hanging out with Granny, she had to leave (boo hoo), but we bought a small pool to enjoy for the rest of the summer. YEAH summer vacation!!! More updates to come on our adventures in parks, beaches, pools, and other fun things in Rome:)

The mystery of Roman Fireworks....

So, I was sitting here updating my blog, avoiding writing another version of the current proposal I am working on, when again, for the 4th time since arriving, loud booming sounds take over the night's peace and quiet. I look out the window, and you can see the fireworks!!!! The last time this happened, it seemed they were related to mother's day....not sure what we are celebrating today (not Italy's performance at the world cup!), but they are pretty incredible (yet, loud). Hopefully, they will not wake the sleeping babes, as we had a long day today at the lake beach. On the other side of the Bracchiano lake there is a little town,Anguillara that has a beach with small restaurants and places to rent umbrellas and chairs. Friends of ours led the way, stopping at a beautiful fresh fruit stand to buy watermelon and cherry tomatoes to accompany our procuitto cotto panini. Yum.

The beach was perfect, not too sunny or too hot, with calm, clean water and a beach that the kids could run around without mommy getting worried. Our friend's son spent the entire time searching for frogs, snakes and other small animals, while our kids played in the water, built sand castles and RAN! Ethan learned that he is not supposed to pee in the lake (though all of us have at one point or another), and when daddy secretly whispers "pee in the lake", he does not mean pull your bathing suit down while standing at the shore and pee....Izzy learned that it is incredibly cold to be soooo little when the sun is hiding behind the clouds...shaking violently with large goose-bumps she reported..."no mommy, I'm not cold".....

The new sedici

In case you were wondering.....Sedici means 16 in Italian. Curious about the name, I looked into the driving age in Italy....14 for motorinos (no wonder!), 15 for learner's permit, and 18 for driver's license. So then, why is the new Fiat SUV named 16? No idea, but I love it! After waiting 4 months for its arrival, finally yesterday the fates brought together the diplomatic license plate (no 666 for me!), the alarm system installation, and the insurance so we could get lost while trying to find the dealership! After walking 4 blocks in the blazing sun, with a little, getting sick Ethan, we found the new car sitting in the showroom! After learning all of its features, I had to drive it through the showroom to the exit!!! Nothing like driving your new car through a showroom of more expensive cars....upon leaving I learned that Italian dealerships do not put much gas into their new cars, therefore I had to find a gas station that would take my Bancomat (aka to you Americans ATM) before running out of gas while not getting so lost I couldn't get home. Luckily, Richard drove the kids home in the Fiat 500, so I could spazz out on my own:) Totally worth it....a much safer, larger and more powerful car, perfect for Italian roadtrips:)

Tourist Mommy Thursday

My new friend, Heidi, and I have decided to be tourists every Thursday while our kids are in school. She is Peruvian, married to a Swiss-German, with three kids. They both work(ed) in the hotel business, and thus have moved almost every three years since marrying 13 years ago. Their kids are incredible, understanding Spanish, German and speaking English. Their youngest daughter, Isabella, is in the twins class. Great woman to know, as she is a worldly mom, ready to take on any adventure!

Last week we wandered around the Baths of Caracalla, near our home. It is incredible to think that this space was operational for 1,600 men for over 500 years, allowing them to exercise on three floors and take baths in three different temperatures of water brought in via acqueduct. The original mosaic that still exists really allows one to understand how ornate and beautiful this place was. After this, we shared places to buy different things, from grocery stores, to home-good stores, to gardening stores. Fun and practical!

This week we decided to venture to the Corot to Monet exhibit "The Symphony of Nature", which looked at the development of the impressionist movement as a bridge to early environmental movements in Europe. It was incredible, especially when rounding the corner of the final room to see the Monet sketches for the famous water-lily series! Unbelievable the colors...It was lovely to have someone to share it with, who isn't an artist, but who could appreciate the shear beauty of the art. Next we are off to the National Museum of Modern Art where there is a large Klimt permanent collection....fun!

What does Sarah do all day?

So, many of my friends have asked what I am doing with my time in Rome. I had lofty goals of taking cooking classes while learning Italian, finding a new career and painting the many historical sites here in Rome. Those of you who know me well will understand the struggle for me to relax and be okay with not having "something" to do. I've run through many crazy ideas and attempts, from starting an ugly souvenir stand in front of our house (we live by all of the catacombes, and many tourists pass, but there are no souvenir stands!) to reviving my desire to become an arbourist, to touring the sties (though....really, I've never really cared too much for ancient history), and have come to the conclusion that there is no one answer.

Right now I am loving the fact I can spend time running, and seeing what I could do in a marathon if I actually had the time to train properly. Since we live near the Appia Antica Regional Park, the runs are stunning and I get to be outside at least three to four mornings a week. Granted, running on the trails has its challenges....a sheep herd (with real shepards and shepard dogs), wild dogs, dogs with owners that don't seem to care where/what their dogs do, people who ignore the "no cars allowed" signs, and a lovely organic garden! Don't forget the myriad of "forgotten" historical treasures that only appear once the grass has either been cut away or dies....through, the more I get to understand the area, the more I think I am running over millions of dead Romans (there are three catacombes near us). Not sure how motivating that is...? Next week I am starting my interval training, and the only track I know of is the one next to the Roman Baths that was built for the 1960 Olympics....that should be lovely! Since I am running my next marathon in San Francisco, I need to practice hills, so will be starting to run the Aventine hill in two weeks....another lovely (but probably grueling) run! Richard has joined the running fun (some might say motivated me to start running) and true to form is training for a 100K run....

While I have started working with CHF again through the summer, I am keeping my weekly time to go out with one of my new friends....this week we shared our favorite shopping spots, from open air markets to large super-markets. I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of outdoor markets, helps with my Italian and is a more pleasant experience. Next week we are taking a walk around the Aventine Hill so I can find a nice running route. I also am continuing my new "learning initiative" (I think I worked for an international development NGO for too long!!!) into global religions. I read this fantastic book call "An introduction to Islam" which, while not written well, sparked my interest into why there is so much conflict between the three global religions....and so I am doing my own exploration into Islam and Christianity and Judaism. Not sure where it will go, but it is interesting....

I'm sure there are many, many adventures to come.....but, thought I would share my most recent passions!!!

The 500C

It has arrived and is in our possession!!! What a treat....a new, small car!!!!

The second playdate..

The day started with two excited kids running into the living room, asking "is today the day that Luca and Isabella are coming over?". We had been anticipating this day all week! Since there was no school, "the other Isabella's" mom (Heidi) and I decided to share the day at our house, as we live near three parks. Izzy decided that we needed to make the group (Heidi has three kids, two boys 8 and 5 and one girl, 3) banana bread, and she wanted to learn how. So we learned how to make banana bread, and we successfully made a little loaf! It was quite yummy.....

Then, shortly after the successful banana bread, the three kids and mom descended on our house! Poor Max scared the middle boy, Luca, and had to be sequestered in mommy's office. Max was so excited to see the kids that he ran around with them, and of course (doggie sense) he could tell that Luca was scared. So, to soothe Luca, Max ran over to give him a hug....scaring him more. So, poor Max ended up in the office.

After running around, dumping all of the toys out, finding the most annoying toy (thank you grandma for the loud, shooting alien weapon!), we had lunch. Imagine two moms trying to get 5 kids to eat something healthy....foccocia, procuitto, salami, cucumbers, strawberries, melon and juice...and what did the kids want to eat? Peanut butter on white bread....

Off to the park after lunch, we successfully made it across the Appia Antica without any kids falling prey to the speeding cars. We showed our new friends both playgrounds, played, and played, and then all but the oldest cried the whole way home. Izzy had an unfortunate run-in with an ant hill that ended in tears, but we dried the tears and killed the ants (sorry!). Upon arrival at our home, we shared our lovely Hello Kitty popsicles and Vampire popsicles with our friends.

For me, it was great. Heidi, aka the kids mom, is Peruvian married to a Swiss man who works for one of the large hotel chains. THey move every 3-4 years, so she is well versed in the expatriate mom life. It was great to get advise and share thoughts with someone who has done this before and will continue to move! They moved to Rome from Dubai in Jan, so have been here about as long as we have. From this fun playdate we now have ballet lessons for Izzy and swimming for both kids, and weekly playdates in the summer! Lovely....

Long live billboards!

Rome still uses the multitude of posters and billboards that scatter throughout the city to advertise. While for the average person, like myself, they might spark interest if they are advertising the Edward Hopper exhibit coming to the national museum, or the upcoming Jazz festival. However, if you are 4, these billboards bring a while new excitement to the daily drive from home to school, as they unexpectedly change every 2-3 weeks. Accompanied by the interesting, and sometimes artistic graffiti, the kids have quite a bit to observe, talk about, tell stories about and to discuss as they zoom through the city.

Two weeks ago the Sofficini Findus lizard (http://www.sofficini.it/home.html) had a large campaign with the lizard dressed as a vampire, as a cowboy, and as other fun characters. The kids had a great time naming them each, memorizing where they were on the drive….and were sad when the Carpisa ads replaced all of the Sofficini lizards. Luckily, the “dinosaur” graffiti and the Tucan painted on the window of a pub haven’t moved, and probably won’t move until someone repaints their homes. Long live the billboard campaigns!

Two WTF moments in Rome

1- Driving the kids to school this morning, we follow a new Jaguar (how appropriate) in our piece-of-crap 1997 Honda Civic. The Jaguar happens to have a sun roof, through which 3 kids (one in the twins class...so somewhere between 3-4 years old) are dancing wildly, obviously not only not wearing seat belts, but also standing on something. No we were not stationary, we were driving up the crazy, dangerous road that leads to the school.....

2 - I pull up to the gas station to get gas for the gas-guzzling piece-of-crap 1997 Honda Civic. As the full service guy is finishing filling the tank (yes, I use full service...I have no idea how to use the pumps here, nor do I understand what type of gas the gas-guzzler drinks) a guy pulls up on the other side. He steps out, with unlit cigarette in hand, with a lighter in the other. As he starts to pull out the gas pump thing, he lights his cigarette. I've never driven away from a gas station quicker than I did that time!!!

Baseball and Batman

Today's conversation on the way home from school:

Mom: What did you guys do at school today?
Izzie: Gym and music....no art.
Mom: Oh, that's cool. What did you do in gym (side note: I didn't know they had a separate gym class until today!)
Bubbie: Baseball
Izzy: No we didn't!
Mom: Did you play with bats and balls?
Izzy: We didn't play baseball. We hit balls against the wall. Mine were red.
Bubbie: It was baseball!
Mom: Did you use bats or tennis rackets with the balls?
Izzy: Tennis rackets, like daddy's but smaller for kids. Mine was purple.
Bubbie: Mom! You can't use bats...they are for batman!

More on driving - merging and traffic

Driving from WFP (outside of Rome in a "industrial park") to home today, I ran into what I have learned is the typical Roman traffic issue....or so I thought.

Most highways and large busy streets have very short merge lanes (when I say short, think two car lengths), which combined with Italians' inability to slow down, makes merging challenging and scary. Every time I am merging I think of my good college friend, Sarah Montgomery (I hope you are reading this!) who would yell at merges in LA, "its like a zipper....one car in front of the other..." She's right...how hard is it to let one car in front, ensuring traffic moves forward? Instead, these poor merge lanes (which end in walls, fences, sidewalks, buildings) end up being horrid traffic nightmares during rush hour. There is a particularly poor one on the highway from WFP to our house, which combines a major turn in the road with a merge, where traffic inevitably backs up for at least a mile or so regardless of the time of day. Near misses, scrapes with death and other such horrid moments are common at this particular merge and this morning was no exception, with the highlight being the man behind me (yes, I am the only person besides my husband who uses my mirrors in Rome) crossing himself as he changed lanes. Luckily, we are in the center of Christianity, and crossing oneself seems to be a common way of avoiding crashes, and it worked for him (no, don't look or slow down while driving!).

So, after making it through this merge, I happily picked up speed with the rest of the traffic, thinking about what exciting thing I would do today. As I drove along and got closer to our exit, traffic again got bad....hmm....I don't remember there being a bad merge here, must be another deadly accident (tragically another problem with Roman traffic). As I slowly moved forward with the other traffic, I was shocked to see a little bird limping around the road, with everyone making room for it...hence slowing down the traffic! Everyday a new thing to learn.....

Kids, Friends and School

Everyday on the ride home from school I get the newest update on our friends at school. Izzy, who was petrified at first, now has 4 friends ("the other Isabella", Alex, Arabella and "the other girl"), and seems to really enjoy going to school. She is definitely part of a little group of American girls. We invited Alex and her mom over last week for our first playdate, and while Alex is a girl and "normally plays with me" (said with a small, pensive sad face), she chose to run rampant with Bubbie around and around the house. After eating some cookies (no, not home made....I went to the local Pasteleria to practice Italian!), drinking some juice, running around the house, running naked in the house, emptying all of the play plates and food onto the back patio table, and then having a long discussion about pooping at other people's houses, Alex and her mom had to leave. Alex's mom had the brilliant idea of hosting some of the Americans and Brits stuck in Rome due to the volcano for dinner....nice idea!

Bubbie and friends is a different story. While he entered school full force, and has no problem running up to kids and starting to play with them, he hasn't made friends yet. Yesterday it seems he got in a fight with the "big boys", and while he stood up for himself, it didn't help his friend-making ability. Sadly, this lack of friends, and the fact that he feels the "big boys are after me", has made him not like school. The challenge is that most boys in his class are Italian and as he explained "I don't understand them, so it makes me sad".....What to do?

Communists in Rome?

In case you still believe Europe is full of Communist Pinkos.....

So, if you missed it, the car is a "Pinko" spelled with pink letters....

Off to visit Granny and Grandad in Abingdon!

We are off this weekend to visit granny and grandad this weekend....the kids are happy and looking forward to the plane ride! They "play" airplane alot, with Izzy packing her bags with food, toys and clothes (such the practical one!) and Bubby flying the plane! Hopefully this excitement will spill over into the real plane ride!

Shopping in Rome

Now that I have somewhat conquered my initial fear of traveling out of the house and can speak survival Italian, I have started to move away from the large super markets for our shopping. This is really where the fun is, as there are so many little shops and outdoor markets to explore. I started with the small supermarket near the kids school, which even though it is a supermarket, is tiny and only has a small handful of what we need for the family. Then, I ventured to the cookie store down the street....very important. Decent little sugar cookies, the chocolate meringues are the best (voted on by the wondertwins....hands down the best), but very nice and patient woman who puts up with me trying more and more Italian each time I go. Next was the little fruit and vegetable stand by the kids school (all of this is in an effort to miss the morning traffic back home....if I don't do this it takes me 20 minutes to get the kids to school and 1 hour to get home....and my doctor has restricted - wisely - my caffeine intake). Lovely woman, with lovely freshly picked, seasonal fruits and veggies. I've noticed that the prices have gone down the more I go....I wonder what my ultimate level will be? I then found the organic market....lovely, and with multiple types of yeast and rising agents! Ha, I knew there had to be a logical place to find such things....This weekend we found the pork butcher and procuitto store....spent almost 100 dollars on cut ham!!!! Yummy....even Izzy tried a bit! Eventually, I will spend the majority of my mornings looking for the freshest ingredients for dinner....too bad I have no idea how to cook!!!

More on the driving saga- Dangerous Pedestrians

Pedestrians can be just as dangerous as the drivers in this fair city. It is difficult for me to decide which stellar story to tell first....the crazy man with a broom, or the suicidal gold diggers?

Yesterday, we are driving the kids to school, as we do every morning. As I've noted, people drive insanely fast on our road...one that is over a thousand years old and has many tourists idly walking up it where there are really only sporadic sidewalks. Down the street from us lives a little old man and his wife. At first they were stand-offish when we walked by to get to the parks. Lately, he has begun to say Bongiorno or Salve when I walk by. But, yesterday, when driving to school the little old man let yet another side of his personality out. I pulled out of our driveway in front of another car (as one must do on our street in the morning), slowing down that car considerably. As I drove past the little old man with a broom he chased me with the broom, eventually catching up to me and hitting the car with the broom!!!! Now, I guess he thought I was going to fast, but this begs the question, if I was going too fast, would he have been able to catch me?

A couple of weeks ago, Richard and I were driving with the kids. As we neared the Appia to turn towards our house, a man jumped in front of our car from no where....luckily I was able to swerve out of the way, and didn't hit him. As I drove (shaking) away, Richard explained that there are people here that are so desperate that they jump in front of cars to get injured and hopefully receive insurance money. That is desperate and sad...and I was hoping that was the last time this happened. But, no...last week I was driving by myself on a fairly busy street. Luckily there were not many cars around, as when I approached the stop light a man jumped right in front of the car....literally almost hitting it! I swerved and jammed on the breaks, and luckily everyone was ok.....Sad and desperate....

Bagels, bread and rising agents!

So, after struggling with the one word "lievito" for the past month, I have finally figured out the small (yet very important) differences between yeast, baking powder and baking soda! For some reason, maybe my poor Italian is to blame, the Italian language only has one word for all rising agents. If you have ever tried to use active yeast in place of baking powder or baking soda in place of baking powder, you will understand why this is a HUGE problem (yes, next to world starvation and people not being able to access clean water). I've made flat scones, very bready banana bread (yuck...trust me) and flat biscuits. But, I now think I both understand the difference in English and more importantly which brands to buy for each in Italian. Based on this, I made a fabulous White Amish bread yesterday that no one will eat.....except me! And I am now boiling my first ever bagels....I'll update on the progress after I try one this afternoon:)

UPDATE: The bagels were YUMMY and as my husband said this morning "Lovely, we are out of bagels!"....ha, ha, ha. I think he'll have to wait a couple of days to get some more.

Driving in Rome

As many of you heard, I am petrified driving in Rome. I'm not sure which part is more petrifying....our 1998 Honda Civic that has many "issues" or the drivers or maybe the small streets, but whatever it is, I'm petrified. Some of my favorite moments since arriving include:

--Noting that many of the motorino drivers actually have their cell phone jammed between their ear and their helmet, and are talking on the phone while they drive on the wrong side of the road to get around traffic. Many of them kindly honk at you with a "toot toot" or flash their lights to remind you that they are there as you drive head on into them. No, they don't move over into their lane.....

--Having to drive around a man who was moving his car from the autoshop, with hood up, down the street the wrong way in search of a parking spot. So, put another way, I am driving to get the kids, and out of nowhere a car comes at me, with his hood up (i.e. he can't see out of his windshield). When he notes that I am there (breaking like crazy!), he backs up and waves as I pass.

--Having a car passing me on the left, as I am trying to turn left into my driveway. Please note our driveway is a small alley-like turn off of the very narrow, walled Appia Antica, where there should be two lanes, but the tourists and buses help drivers make it into a three lane road. This person tried to cut me off as I was turning. Thankfully, I stopped before the crash occurred.

There are so many more, I made a video of my drive to the supermarket and to get the kids from school for your viewing pleasure. My fear is....one day this will be normal and I won't be able to drive in the US again!

Parking is fun too, and I will do another whole foto gallery on fun parking!

The saga of Batman

Bubbie thinks he's Batman, though he hadn't seen anything but a birthday card and a t shirt with Batman before yesterday afternoon. He leaves the house with a jacket hood over his head (cape) and a pair of purple toddler sunglasses (mask) on everyday for the past two days. This morning on the way to school he told me about two mean girls at school (the 3, 4 and 5 year olds are mixed on the playground). When I asked him why they were mean, he told me they didn't believe him when he told them his name. Of course I asked, "what did you tell them your name is? " "Batman". Hmmmmm.......We then discussed what to do the next time he saw the girls. When we got to school Ms. Ana said "Hi Batman". Hmmmm......I am beginning to see the problem. He wore the jacket and glasses all day and all night, and has them stored next to his bed in case he needs to help someone in the middle of the night. So tonight when Carmen and I were giving the kids dinner, and Bubbie didn't want to eat his vegetables, I told him Batman could fly only when he ate his vegetables.....to this Bubbie replied "Mommy, I am a pretend Batman, and I can't fly, so I'm not going to eat my vegetables".

Gelato on Saturday Afternoon

Closing and opening times of shops, museums and restaurants in Rome are somewhat challenging to learn to the new comer. Some shops are open straight through at set hours from morning till night (the newer shops...more "modern"), while others stick to the old ways opening sometime in the morning, closing in the middle of the day, and then reopening at night. Then others open from Tuesday through Sunday, closing on Monday, while others are closed mid-day on Saturday, and others all day Sunday. Since posting hours is not necessarily done systematically, it is a "hit or miss" experience going to small shops, especially on the weekends. So, today when we decided to go to a shop to purchase Richard a new watch, we were disappointed to find that not only was the shop closed, but it had no hours posted. After the initial disappointment, we decided to go to a kids park to show Daddy. This beautiful little kids park has a lovely playground set against the wall that our house is near (see photo!). Today we learned that chasing pigeons at this lovely little park is by far more exciting than playing on the kids play equipment. Izzy was on a pigeon hunt, trying to catch a big one (read this like you would read the "Going on a Bear Hunt" book)....Bubbie was trying to catch one to help it and take it to his veterinary. After 20 minutes of terrifying the pigeon population in this little park (helped by others in the "under 5" crowd), Izzy let me know she was too sweaty to catch one. When asked if she wanted some gelato, she said...."Since I couldn't catch a pigeon, I guess gelato will do".....(see next picture).

Priceless: Four year old quotes

So, after spending much more time with the kids than I had previously done, I have realized the beauty and comedy of 4 year old quotes. I've decided to start a running list of priceless ones on this blog....both to remember, share and embarrass them when they are older!!! Today's installation goes something like this (we are sitting in the car, waiting for Daddy to finish dropping off the laundry):

Mommy: Please stop kicking the seat.
Bubbie: Why?
Mommy: Because you could break the seat, and remember, we are borrowing this car.
Bubbie: Why?
Mommy: Because we are waiting for our cars to be finished.
Bubbie: But, I'm making your car mommy.
Izzie: Is it done?
Mommy: Please stop kicking the seat.
Izzie: Why?
Mommy: Because I'm the mommy, and I asked you to stop.
Izzie: Why?
Mommy: No more asking why.
Bubbie: Why?
Mommy: Quiet time.
Bubbie: What's wrong with why mommy?
Mommy: Quiet time.
Bubbie: Why? Is why bad?

Thankfully, Daddy came back at that point....
Stay tuned for the next priceless moment from the world of the wonder twins.

Working from Home

Working from home seems to be a difficult option, even with Carmen staying with the kids on the other side of the house! Ethan keeps coming in with various complaints, from the average (my sister hit me, Carmen won't play my game, etc.) to a variety of unusual ones (purple monkey won't play with me, I have to make a phone call and its too loud out there, I want to work, but they won't let me). I haven't figured out how Purple Monkey isn't playing, but he is currently in time out for the mis-adventures of his owner. Poor guy. Subsequently, Ethan has come in to request the release of my prisoner....to which I obligied but relayed the message that Purple Monkey kindly requests that Ethan be good so he doesn't go back into timeout. I explained that Purple Monkey is sad when he's in timeout, to which Ethan asked...how? Purple Monkey isn't real, so how come he is sad? Selective pretend play.....

Another point of challenge on this "working from home" option is the office, which is currently not only the box storage room (who thought it was a good idea to bring everything from the basement? And did we really need 15 glass vases? Oh...that is my fault!) but it doesn't seem to have a working outlet, so no electronic equipment for me:)

Purple Monkey

In posting today all of the previous thoughts and writings, I realized that I haven't really provided a good essence of being with the kids all day long. While some of the together time is tiring, frustrating, and overwhelming, some of it is absolutely hilarious. Take this evening, for example. We have a lovely Bolivian woman, Carmen, who helps take care of the kids. Tonight was our date night, and so, there I am getting Richard at the train station, where I give Carmen a call to let her know something I forgot. Ethan takes the phone and tells me that Carmen said I was going to kill him. Uh oh...I hear Carmen in the background saying..."la llave.."and realize that Ethan has lost (for the millionth time in less than 24 hours) the key to our new mailbox (which we haven't figured out how to hang yet, and so has become a toy!). Ethan then explains that purple monkey is locked inside the mailbox, and without the key, purple monkey can not come out. Carmen gets back on the phone to explain that they are searching for it, as I am laughing in hysterics...as fortunately, I know that I have the other key, which I have secretly put away for a situation such as this one. I'm not sure what this says about me, 1) I knew this would happen, and yet Ethan play with the mailbox anyways, 2) I was prepared and hid a key, and 3) forgot to let Carmen in on the whole thing! Upon getting home, I find that Carmen has miraculously gotten purple monkey out, without the key, yet the mailbox is no longer a toy.....

This is after a night during which Ethan decided going to sleep was over rated, so pestered me with unanswerable questions. For some reason (maybe the Planet Earth videos they have been watching?) almost all of the questions were related to animals, monkeys in particular. My favorite: "Mommy, have you ever seen a real purple monkey?" to which I answered "no", to which he responded "me neither, but I keep looking!".....Oh to love a purple monkey.

Quick Update - End of Feb

We had a nice week in Bormio last week with Richard's family, where Izzy was too scared to learn to ski (thanks to a rough, lady's-man Italian teacher!) but Ethan loved it. After a long drive home (through Pisa!) we arrived this week to many activities. I visited the first school for the kids, and while it is not the loving, beautiful environment of their last school, it seems pretty good (http://www.ambrit-rome.com). If all works out well, the kids will be enrolled by the end of the month. The even bigger news is that we received our shipment of stuff from the US the same day we received our new IKEA couch and hutch! Needless to say the house is a disaster, but at least everything arrived safely! The experience of the guys unloading in this house, with the poor dogs locked in the bathroom (the only safe spot for them!) and getting the items from the 20 foot container into a "smaller" truck and up our "driveway" is one for a time when the boxes aren't looming.....but, wow, what an adventure. Hopefully this evening when Richard comes home there will be a bit more sanity!

Gardening in Rome

So, the other day I asked the woman who owns the house if I could start a small vegetable garden in one of the corners of the backyard. The response was great...of course! No problem, but you could just help my lazy husband fix his up...he has one in our yard that he hasn’t done anything with in years! She asks if I had done a garden before, I reassure her that I have, but haven’t in a few years.

The next day as I was getting ready to go out, we happen to see her husband, who asks me if I know anything about gardens and if I would like to see his. Of course...so down we go to his garden, which is at the bottom of a large hill next to the soccer (football!) pitch. Oh, and of course you have to pass the pit to burn dry garden trash. It hasn’t been tended to in years (he explains he has a back problem and cant work the garden), and has a rotting pile of "compost" next to it. Hmmmm....there are three areas that are separated by old bricks, with rocky soil clay-like soil. Weeds abound, almost choking out the artichoke, onions, garlic and fava bean plants that still exist. The discussion that followed was precious, and probably not replicable. He proceeds to ask if I know what I am doing, explains how the garden works (i.e. which plants are acceptable and where, and how to apply the compost, and which plants are boring -- strawberries and melon -- and where I can get acceptable seeds). I get a lecture on not planting "house spices" (i.e. basil, rosemary, sage, etc) in the actual garden, but near the kitchen for easy access. Basically, I am allowed to clean up his garden and maintain it for him, maybe adding salad greens and definitely adding tomatoes (only if he approves of the seeds). To assist, he walked me around to all of the hiding spots for his gardening tools. Apparently, he likes to keep them out in plain view, but his wife puts them away. Too much information on the status of this relationship! Wow....much more complicated in ways I didnt expect (I was expecting pests and bugs, no composte, etc) but the space is better than our back yard so I thought we should give it a try. I agreed to start working on the garden (to this I was reminded that the growing season here is much different than in the US, and come March I am already too late!).

So, today was one of the first sunny days (better said, sunny mornings...raining this afternoon) since this discussion. The kids and I went out to the garden to assess the situation and see how much work it is really going to be. I started with the artichoke side, getting rid of all of the weeds that I could by hand, turning the compost pile a bit, and loosening the dirt around the artichoke plants and the area for the potential salad greens. I added some of the better looking compost for kicks! The kids were excited at first, pulling weeds with me, sword fighting with the bamboo posts for the tomatoes, exploring the old shed, but quickly got tired and bored. It was a fun morning, ending in dirty hands, muddy pants and a huge hunger that we fed with BLTs (without the L and T for Izzy)!

More to come on the progress of this garden...it will be a miracle if anything grows!! Any advise on growing and tending artichokes, onion and fava beans welcome!

Our Roman Neighbors

So, now that I have a moment with the kids asleep and access to email, I thought I would share a couple of interesting things. The restaurant we went to our second night (and our neighbors to the east) is a historical site (of course...what isn't in Rome?)....here is their website (www.anticaroma.it). The photos in the photo gallery look pretty much like the inside...we ate in the room with the arch, and had a lovely converstation throughout dinner with the owners son, who happens to be a fanatic of Harley Davidsons! Our house is literally across the street from the catacombes of san callisto (http://www.catacombe.roma.it/) which has sheeps grazing above them, loud sheep that do not like the rain! We are near the San Sabastian Gate of the Wall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Celio_-_Porta_san_Sebastiano_1973.JPG), which makes a great landmark when I am learning my way around! And surrounding us is the newly created Parco Regional dell' Appia Antica (http://www.parcoappiaantica.it/it/index.asp)...we are about 150 meters up from the cross roads of the Via Appia Antica and Via Ardentina (on the Appia). Richard and I run along the Viale Caffarella, a beautiful dirt road behind our house through the Caffarella valley.

Day Seven: The Beach

After a long day of shopping and exploring grocery stores and learning how mall electronic stores function, our friend Nicola invited the family to join him and his kids to the beach. It turns out to be quite close, a mere 30 minutes from our house (with no traffic) and fairly easy to get to. Forgetting that today is Valentine’s Day (aren’t we all romantics!), we decide to head to a restaurant Nicola knows about near a public beach. We get there and the sun that had begun to sneak through the clouds has squarely gone back into hiding, leaving us a chilly, damp day to explore the beach. The kids romp around, learning that Nicola’s kids’ Italian and French can not communicate with our kids English. Nicola’s son Natan is an avid collector of snail shells, and quickly finds the snails hiding spot near our pile of stuff. The gents go off to the restaurant to see what our wait time will be for some fresh seafood, and find that all of the tables are booked through the afternoon…Valentine’s Day! Meanwhile, the kids get into much mischief and it begins to sprinkle.

Luckily, Nicola’s Italian is quite a bit better than ours and he finds that the restaurant has snacks, including fresh procuitto crudo paninis, which we all happily eat under a palm umbrella in the rain. While not the sunny Roman beach experience we were anticipating, a successful romp in the sand, exploration of places for future adventures and a nice time out of the house!

Day Four: The Roman Snow Storm

We woke up this morning to snow…snow in Rome? Really? This was the same day that DC woke up to an additional 20” of snow following their existing 30” on the ground….some might say we brought it with us….they would be wrong! So, after turning the heat up in our thermically unprepared house (two rooms of metal lined, one pane windows great for the summer heat) and making sure the kids had their sweaters on, we watched in wonder as the snow kept falling. This wasn’t small, dry flakes, but the large, wet ones. At first they melted on contact (helped by the 50F day we had the previous day). As the snow continued, it started to stick! The dogs went crazy, and we saw all of our neighbors and their kids leave their homes in wonder….playing in the snow until the thunder starting to rumble and lightening could be seen in the sky! What an incredible storm.

When Richard came home that night he let us know that a Siberian cold front had passed through, leaving the memory of snow. It had been the first time in 25 years that Rome had seen snow! Good thing it didn’t stick, as there aren’t any snow plows in town or any surrounding towns!

Day Two: Beating Jetlag

After the first day, consisting of waking up (except for poor dad) at 11am and attempting to make it through the day with grumpy twins, we are successfully close to a schedule today. While Izzy refuses to eat anything….from scrambled eggs to “baby hotdogs” to chicken nuggets (they aren’t the same mommy!), Ethan is enjoying the culinary adventure of being in Rome.

And, how, might you ask, is Mommy holding up? After a evening of deciding that I was really having a panic attack and not a heart attack, and subsequent poor sleep, I seem to be rallying. That is to say, I haven’t had today’s panic attack….waiting anxiously for it to come (ha, ha, ha).

On this rainy, cold day, the kids decided that we should have a cooking project, utilizing the ripening lemons on the lemon tree growing next to the 100 year old Wisteria. Each kid had picked a lemon on our day of arrival with pure joy and happiness that comes with extreme jetlag and over stimulation. So, we used these lemons to make lemonade…..noting, of course, that we don’t have a strainer, nor a juicer, nor a pitcher. So, we made a mess of the dining room table, mixing lemons, sugar and hot waterJ Currently, as we take our first nap in Rome (I’m not tired mommy!) the lemon “popsicles” are freezing in the freezer.

Departure

While we both knew the departure would challenge even us, I don’t think either of us was prepared for the disaster that it was. Thursday night before our Saturday departure a snow storm of historic proportions was predicted for Friday and Saturday. At first we both felt it was an exaggeration typical of Washington DC weathermen. But, upon waking up on Friday, radios were humming with the news of this storm, the magnitude and more importantly the school and government early closures. Alas, at 1pm, two hours before the kids’ school was to close on their last day, the snow started to fall. With half of our chores done, we retreated to our hotel room with ample supplies to last through to Sunday. We also changed our flights to leave on Sunday….which most people predicted would not take off.

On Saturday we awoke to over 20” of snow….through which Richard had to tramp to let the dogs out and feed! The snow continued through the day, ending as I headed out to walk from the hotel to our house to attend to the dogs. The hotel ran out of food, and no business (except 7-11!) was open all day…thankfully we had enough food for three meals. Granted, not healthy, hot meals, but meals nonetheless.

The excitement really began Sunday, when we headed to the airport at 7am to pick up a large van for the dogs. After a slow, icy, slushy ride in a small Honda Accord, we successfully completed the first phase of our departure. Richard took the van to our house, ensured that everyone had marching orders for the upcoming week, while I raced back to the hotel room to quickly stuff everything we owned for the next 2-3 months into 8 bags (and two car seats!!!!). Unfortunately, I didn’t pay too much attention to the location of critical items, such as cords, electronics, etc.

Richard had wisely lined up two friends willing to drive in the snow (historically the second largest snow fall in DC recorded history!!!) with our 8 bags, two car seats, babes and mom to the airport. This is where it got fun!

Imagine, two huge dogs in crates, two kids in strollers, and 8 bags (and two car seats!) trying to line up at business class check in….what a site! Of course, in DC the porters wouldn’t help, as we had parked one door down from United’s counter….so, we had to find ones that would at least load up and bring the stuff inside. Since the very nice (ha!) lady at business class wouldn’t help me line up, and Richard was returning the van, and his friends were parking their cars, there I stood with the kids jumping up and down, the dogs wailing loudly, and the bags piled high! Eventually, Richard and his friends returned to help move the items to the line, where I stood to check us in. While the business class woman insisted I could check the dogs in at that line, we quickly realized that there was a completely different line for animal check in. Richard raced to line up there with the dogs (ok, so race is pushing the definition of the word a bit), where a large group was slowly checking in and there was one woman with a small dog in front of him. Two hours to go until the flight left. After an hour waiting in this line, which didn’t move, and having me freak out because we still had to go through security, Richard asked if he could move to the front of the line. The woman at the counter agreed. After a lengthy, slow process of placing all of the paperwork we had brought onto small cards, hanging the cards on the crates, placing a plethora of stickers on the crates, and then agreeing to let the dogs out one last time, the crates were checked. With 30 minutes until our flight took off, we were told the crates were not appropriate for airline travel…..now what???? United kindly (ha!) sold us two new crates, which we had to pay for with cash (find an ATM!) and assemble while in line. No wonder the line moved so slowly.

After finishing this adventure (thankfully Richard’s friends were kind enough to stay and assist!) we ran to the security line. Luckily we got to stand in the business class line….unluckily, the line wasn’t moving! With 10 minutes until the flight was to leave, the line started to move, and we got through as our flight was to take off. Fortunately, we saw the board as we ran by with strollers flying, that said our flight was delayed due to “weather”…..allowing us to go to the bathroom and get some snacks. We finally got boarded onto our flight about 1 hour late (thankfully), only to wait another hour. Towards the end of the hour, a nice woman from the ground crew came on board to let us know that Max was on board…no problems. What about Meghan we asked….uh oh. Meghan was not on board….and the woman thought she might be the dog just boarded on the Brussels flight…oh god. After a nerve splitting 20 minutes, the woman returned to reassure us that Meghan had been on board, no problem. And, so the flight begins in business class (no movie service!!!!).