Bring your own bags

First of all, I deserve a pat on the back. And since, as my dear sweet sister put it, "blogs are sort of self-serving by nature,"  I am going to take advantage of that right now...

Go ahead...

...just give it a little pat... 

My back circa summer '09, and little Felek- almost 2.

Because...the last time I went grocery shopping... I used... these...

Fun Fact: The night I went into labor with Hejjo, I made Martin drive me to the store to buy Kix, at midnight, because I was starving and craving them.  

Aren't I awesome? Don't I deserve a pat on the back, a big thumbs up, a big ol' one of these...

?

Well, I do. And here's why. I bought those dang bags about 3 years ago and they have never been used *once* for their intended purpose. I have used them as storage bags to store other reusable bags. I have used them to hold wet things like bathing suits and dirty things, like shoes. And I have even used it as an overnight bag (as stated before...all class, all the time...). But I have never actually taken my "green" green grocery bags to the grocery store and loaded groceries into them. Until now. And do you know why I finally got around to using them?  I'll tell you. I started using them (ok, I've only done it once but that counts as starting) for two reasons. 1) I would like to save the environment. I know this hurts a lot of people's feelings, those who want to deny that our trash has any impact on the environment and future generations, but it does and so I do. 2) I'm practicing for Poland.

In Poland you will often notice, at least I always have, that just about everyone is carrying some sort of bag that has been re-purposed. Everyone saves every bag. That's right EVERYONE saves EVERY BAG...(don't you just love absolutes)? This is important in Poland. Grocery stores and open air markets generally do not provide bags for their customers. In some of the bigger stores you can buy them for a small fee if you forget yours, but I've done this and the cashiers do not like it. They give you mad faces and thrust the bags at you as if you are inconveniencing them. Maybe they just really care about the environment, I don't know, I can't ask them, I don't speak Polish.

So, all this saving of bags is a great thing, and you have to remember to always bring bags with you wherever you go, just in case you want to pop in somewhere and buy something on the go. It's not a huge deal, but I am not in the habit of doing this. I have to practice. So the last time I went grocery shopping I said to myself that I would use those blasted green bags, and, I forgot them, and then, I drove all the way back home (about 3/4 of a mile) to get them. That's real dedication.

Side note, but related...

This "saving of bags" in Poland is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the extent to which Martin takes the whole "keeping things you could reuse" thing. In fact, as an example, I have no less than three bags full of old undershirts. He can't wear them anymore for various reasons but refuses to throw them out. And of course it is my job to figure out what to do with them. I had/have no idea...so I googled the query and found this idea...

source

Aren't those pretty much awesome in every way? I think the colors are the best part, and second, the recycling bit, and thirdly, the fact they are awesomely functional and cheap. 

Produce bags, and grocery bags made out of dyed and recycled t-shirts....the cosmos are aligning.

Now if only I had the time to dye all of his shirts and cut out the bags and make them look this cute...

Maybe around Christmas, when things are a little calmer.  ;).

Clash of Cultures: Children's Literature

Just a few of our rather large collection of Polish children's books.

So, for the last couple weeks I have not been writing as much as usual.
I have a lot going on over here, and I figured my 10 followers would understand a little hiatus.
I still have a lot going on. And only 8 months, 3 weeks, and 4 days, to accomplish it all.
But at this exact moment, before I go any further, I would like to ask the country of Poland one question?

Why are *ALL* of your children's stories written in poetic form?

When Hejjo was a baby we got one of our first Polish books for children.
 A cute little book with one simple story; the whole thing was poetry.
Ok,  I guess this is just  a famous poem for children, like "Humpty Dumpty."
That's neat. I like poetry.
Then we got a collection of children's stories, a large volume.
Every single story is a poem.
Ok, so this must just be a collection of children's poetry,
I get it. Well that's nice. Good to have those on hand.
You know, Polish Mother Goose, that sort of thing.
Then, we got gifted two more books, equal in size and page numbers.
All written in poetry.
I do not have a single children's book, written for children,
that is written in prose.

What. is up. with that?

So, Martin says that I should learn Polish...
...and start writing children's books, for Polish children...in "regular."

Of course, now all I can think about is what stories I would write.
Wow, this is getting us nowhere.


related, but slightly off topic...

The story in question.

Me: (tonight, stumbling through a Polish children's story, written in poetic form)... I don't know guys, do you understand what I'm saying, what's the story about?
Felix: Yeah, yeah, I know, it's about a dog who can do tricks. (uh, yeah. duh, I can SEE that... man, 3 year olds...sheesh... Am I right?)
Hejjo: Yeah, but mommy, you don't have to read that.
Me: Oh, I know Hejjo, it's frustrating to listen to me trying to read in Polish, isn't it?
Hejjo: No, no, it's just that you don't have to read it, if you don't want to.
Me: Oh, but I want to, so that's ok.
Hejjo: Yeah, but you don't *have* to.
Me: I know Hejjo, thanks, but I want to.
Hejjo: No, mommy, really,  that's ok, just read this instead ( Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman).
Me: Alright, if you insist....

Ahhh...Polish children's literature, you have won again... or not, depending on how you look at it.

back on topic...

And here are two stories, American, written in Polish that are NOT written in rhyme....
                                                                          

The one on the left is the classic tale of Goldilocks.
Apparently, when Poles tell the story, Goldilocks hangs out afterward
and pays a friendly game of  "blocks" with baby bear.
NOT BLOODY LIKELY! (isn't there a version where they try to eat her but she gets away just in time? or they do catch her and eat her and then the woodsman comes and chops open papa bear and she is still alive inside? and then the woodsman kisses her and she wakes up, and they live happily ever after somewhere...in the woods...with lots of trees and a big shoe? And there's pie? And a plum? A thumb? Birds? what?)
That little hussy wouldn't get within 10 feet of *my* baby.

And good ol', reliable ol'... Clifford.
Representin'
Old school prose style.
I love that big red dog.

Goodnight nobody.
Goodnight mush.

A Pregnant Pause

I sat there thinking about what it meant.  All at once. You know how that happens sometimes? It seems like every thought that could be thought, about the future, is trying to be thought, by your brain, even without your permission? Yeah, that happened, in the blink of an eye.  This is how it starts. And I have a little secret inside. And it makes me smile and giddy and my adrenaline is racing, and I feel a little sick. Not sick because of all that but sick from the adrenaline and the excitement...and the overwhelming-ness.


It takes a little time, see. A little time to really know exactly what it is that is happening to you. Your life is on pause while you think it all through. You thought you knew what it was you wanted, what you were planning, until it is actually staring you in the face.

But where do I start? How do I start? What's the first thing I should do? I only have 9 months! 9 months? So long to wait! I can't wait that long! 9 months? Oh my goodness, it'll be here before next summer. That's not enough time! I don't have enough time! What was God thinking, choosing me, right NOW? Is He insane?  I don't feel so good...

OK, well, I have to start planning. I have to prepare. I have to...to ...buy things...and do things....and...and...we need more stuff, wait, no, we need less stuff, there isn't enough room, we need more space, and we need....we need...wait, what do we need....stuff...and then there's stuff to do, wait, I already wrote that... ok....so stuff to do and stuff we need and some stuff to buy and some stuff to get rid of... boxes, I need boxes, and ...and ....lists, lots of lists...my brain hurts...


Breathe in. Breathe out. Breath in. Breathe out. Pray. Patience. Peace. Clarity. Strength. Courage. Zeal!

I remember what it's all for. I remember the end result. I smile. It's going to be so wonderful. Everything we've talked about and hoped for. It will be so great, hard times, long days, long nights, but really great, and meaningful. Yeah, yeah, that's what it's all for. And I can do it all before it gets here. And if I don't, well, some of it can get done later, no big deal, right? Yeah, yeah. This is supposed to be fun, supposed to be exciting!

Ok, regrouping... I am excited, and there is so much to do, yes!, this is what I want, all of it... I cant wait to get started!

9 months...

...until...

I defy you, heat!

It has been "strongly suggested" at times, within the past year, that the winters in Poland will be too hard for us to bear, too nasty, and dreary, and dark, and they will have us running back to the states with our frostbitten bums flapping in the wind. Of course, I roll my eyes at this. Yes, it will be cold in Poland. Yes, they have winters there. Long, harsh ones, with lots of frozen stuff everywhere, and dark begins at 4:30pm and it get so cold that people need to wear coats, sometimes even the big ones with the puffy squares all over them that are filled with the feathers of some unlucky bird. I know this. I'm not daft.

Sometimes, *sometimes,* I even get people who say things like "wow, isn't it really cold there, like living in Siberia?"  Really people? Siberia? Do you know anything about where Siberia actually is on a map? Here, I'll show you... there it is, right there, circled in red.... like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel it reaches out it's little land finger to touch the other little outstretched land finger of... ALASKA! Yep, now *that's* North. There are days with no sunshine. And there are days where there is only sunshine. That's North. That's not Poland.

Now that we've established that Poland is indeed no where near Siberia, or anywhere near as far North as say, The Arctic Circle, let's take a look at Poland and compare it to somewhere a little closer to our current home...

Okay, so it's pretty far North. I'll give you that. When I originally read this post by a friend, I was inspired to do the same thing with Poland and North America and prove to the World that Poland was actually only about as far North as Maine or Washington State, but I was a little off. Ok, so my Geography might be a little rusty as well. It's right up there, with, let's say Vancouver, and plenty of sane, successful, happy people live in Vancouver...right? Right.

So then I thought, you know, if people are  worried about us being so cold in Poland that we won't be able come back fast enough, maybe I should explain how I've been feeling lately about good old Austin, Texas, our current home, and the place which everyone thinks we are mad to leave for this Arctic Tundra called Poland.

That's right folks... Austin is on the same Latitude as Egypt and Saudi Arabia... further south than Iraq. Now I don't know what images are conjured up when you think of those countries' climates, but I think of desert sands, sun beating down, oppressive heat, and air so hot you can barely breathe when you walk outside. And, dear readers, those are the exact words that I would use to describe the climate in Texas at this very moment. 106 degree days and not a drop of rain for close to 2 months. One of the worst droughts in history, with record temps almost every day, that began in APRIL..*APRIL*!!!! That's right... we will have close to 6 MONTHS of 100 degree days by the time September ends. I figure between April and October of this year we will have seen the worst of a Texas summer for at least the equivalent of 4-5 months. We are advised by our local weather forecasters to stay inside for the better part of the day, for our health!

So the next time someone mentions that we are moving to a place with Arctic winters that are soooooo unbearable I might just have to pull out my handy map and remind them that cabin fever works both ways.

And we've got it bad. 

      +     =  

cabin fever.  We can't really be outside past 10am. The kids are eating dinner and in bed by 7 so the evening is really out of the question. Public pools offer no mid-day relief and really, 106 degrees is no place for a child, no matter how much water they are submerged in. So, we  hang out in our little house, A/C cranked down as low as morally permissible, and we wait it out. 

I figure, I can sit inside and wait out the winters in Poland just as easily as I can sit inside and wait out the summers in Texas. Perhaps even easier. Winter is a time when you want to be indoors, with a cup of hot chocolate and all snuggly in front of the fire. Your body naturally wants to be inside. Summers in Texas are  just a cruel joke to our natural inclination to want to be outside on bright sunny days. 

 I guess we are really just trading one extreme for another. As a Texas girl, born and raised, I know that the winters will be hard in Poland, for me at least. I will miss the sunshine, I really will, and the heat, which I normally love. But I also know that it is foolish to live somewhere where there are rolling blackouts because everyone is just trying to keep cool and we are using our last bits of water to try and keep our lawns alive. Ridiculous.

So, in honor of our move to Poland and the winters that will greet us there, Adelina and I went out on Saturday and bought some beautiful, soft and squishy yarn, so that I could start knitting some scarves and hats and mittens for her and the boys. Knitting winter apparel in the middle of one of of the hottest summers in Texas history? Awesome. Love it. 

HHI and why they are me best friend.

House Hunters International, which will hereafter be called HHI, because we are in fact on acronym terms (we're best friends, after all), is one of the best shows ever created, especially for people like me.

It's educational:

I have learned that nobody with money and a stable lifestyle ever actually wants to move *to* England because apparently the weather is horrible that all people with good sense are fleeing to other warmer climates. I have learned that all British end their sentences with questions and it's endearing, and annoying. I have learned that exposed wooden beams on your ceilings are all people need to see to think your house is special, and I have learned that in Europe, well, moving to a new country really ain't no thang. (meaning: it's no big deal)

It's inspirational:

After one episode of HHI you think to yourself, "hmm, well, yeah, *those* people can move to another country, they're kind of weird anyway."

After two episodes you think to yourself, "Well, well, good for them, yeah, they're kind of odd, in a way, but good for them, they did it."

After the third episode you think to yourself, "Wow, that is so neat, I wish I could do that!"

And after that, well, chances are you've already put your house on the market and are looking at cheap fixer-upper castles in France.

I mean *come on.*

It's motivational:

That show makes you feel like you could sell all your posessions, buy a wonderful little flat right on the Riviera and drink nothing but Mimosas and Fiji water for the rest of your life. There is never any mention of work or struggles associated with the move. There is never any talk of missing friends and family back home, of which I always have to assume their participants have none because they are rarely referenced, and there is never any mention of a couple who just decided it wasn't for them after all and packed up and went back home. To be sure, this is not the point of the show, so they will not share the negative aspects which might occur (*except* in the one show that is centered in Krakow, it makes Martin's blood boil every time).

These are the many reasons this show is for me!

It's glass-half-fullational:

Why dwell on the negatives when I can buy a country villa in Italy for the same price as sending my kid to four years of private high school in Austin, Texas? Exactly!

Anyway, if you haven't seen the show, you should, it is on the HGTV website for free! (we dont have cable). It's fairly awesome , and it does provide me with a much needed boost of confidence, because there are some people hopping from country to country that I'm not even sure know how to spell their own last names, let alone speak a different language and hob knob with the locals, that surely *I* can do it with relative ease.

Speaking of last names and knowing how to spell them...For your viewing pleasure, I will post a link to the episode that was shot in Poland about a young lady who is moving to Poznan to begin medical studies (it's about 20 min. long and a good look at another Polish city besides the two biggest). She is looking for a flat. Her realtor is awesome and is often quoted in this house. And if you look at his last name you will see that my last name, DEMKOWICZ, should be heralded as the easiest name in the Polish language to spell and pronounce.

http://www.hgtv.com/video/renovated-flats-in-poznan-video/index.html



And here is a link to the Krakow show... the scenery is beautiful, the first house they view is right near the area where we want to buy land. The second house they look at is exactly the view we hope to have... and the third house... well, that might be what ours looks like at some point before it's done. AWESOME! Their predicament... not awesome, and most likely not a problem for us because Martin is a citizen... even so... we'll see...

http://www.hgtv.com/video/rural-homes-in-krakow-video/index.html