When somebody turns 4

Martin's birthday gift to Adelina: a driveway fit for backing out. Sort of.

Saturday was the 4th time around the sun for Adelina Joan. And the day was not uneventful  When 6 pm rolled around and we found ourselves still in the Carrefour with one of her gifts (that she chose) and the ingredients for her "cake" (homemade scones with pink frosting - her request), my baby girl said, "my birthday party is going to be so exciting isn't it, mommy?!", and I got a little misty eyed because that's not at all how I wanted the day to end. There was supposed to be a party with family and friends. A cake AND scones, for all the guests. Some other little savory foods. And maybe even a Vigil Mass for special blessings.

I did have to realize something though... as I resigned myself to the fact that getting the car up the driveway and out to the store was just not going to happen, and so neither was the party ( resignation which may or may not have come after I lost my cool and had to shut myself in my room for 10 min. while I railed against the entire country, the weather, the maker of the driveway, the car, the ineptitude of these so-called "winter tires" and my complete lack of self control in the face of adversity) I realized,...

...I was the only one who cared. Yes, kids like balloons, and streamers, and lots of people around to sing the birthday songs. And they enjoy the festivity in the air and the anticipation of presents. All of these things are wonderful and exciting and definitely worth it. But more than anything, they love the special-ness of it all. And she dwelt in that the whole day.  Brothers who woke up early to make birthday signs and present them to her with hugs and "Happy Birthday's!" A special outing to Pizza Hut for Dinner and a day with "the whole family all together!" (as she likes to say). Scones and presents ( the party!).  Bedtime blessings.

 All throughout with whispers of "I love you, my big 4 year old girl, and I am so proud of you!" And her special little smile and an "I love you too, mommy" in return.

Video for Babcia.

I will never cease to be amazed by how easily children learn language and can learn multiple languages at one time. My kids understand everything in Polish. Everything  Even when the person is speaking fast and not to them, Hejjo is eavesdropping or Felek is responding. They know what is being said. I don't. But they do. It's great. I think it's great. Their ability to speak is still a little delayed behind their peers, perhaps, but it's not so much a  worry as something we will continue to focus on until we don't have to anymore and they just "get it".

Except for Kacio. One of the things that is unique about Kacio is that he will be growing up here, in Poland, as his language skills are developing from toddler to young child, unlike the others. He has heard and understood Polish from day one but he still knows that his Mama speaks English. He speaks to me in English. All the kids do. But the amazing thing to me is that he responds to Martin in Polish. The other kids do not. In fact, if Kacio is speaking in English to Martin and I, and he thinks we are not listening or he is not getting what he wants (which is more often the case) he will turn to his Tata and ask for it, in Polish. This has been amazing to see. I am hopeful that over time, as the older children are able to better express themselves in Polish that they will also begin to respond back to Martin in Polish. Nothing would make him happier, I know. 

Lastly, and most importantly, for any young child of course, is just to be talked to in general.  Kacio gets plenty of that, in both languages. And he, in turn, never stops talking. All. day. long. ;)

I made this video for Uncle Freddie, but he's just darn cute, I had to share it here.

The long winter.

Right now the children and I are reading "The Long Winter" which is the 6th book in the Little House on the Prairie series. It's long, and the whole book is about blizzards and almost dying of starvation. We are all riveted right now because Ma Ingalls had a surprise piece of frozen codfish she was saving for really desperate times. You know, cuddly, feel good visions, right before bedtime...

What's funny to me is that we are reading this book, for the first time, during our longest winter. Well, really our only winter ever experienced to date, since Texas has no winter. And since I know ya'll have missed my weather updates as much as I have missed posting them (take that as you will) I thought I would share a little of what we have been experiencing this past week.

All of my Texas family and friends will appreciate these pictures as they frolic around in their jeans and t-shirts, and all my northern readers, including Poles, will be able to empathize...

Out my window.

Diversions. Indoor bowling with blocks and a baseball. Downstairs.

A rare moment of these two getting along  long enough to cook me a pretend meal as I sit and knit with Kacio in my lap and Felek staring out the window. Diversions.

The Church we go to on Wednesday mornings. Carmelites.

Directly across the street from the Carmelites... Economics University. Beautiful grounds.

He'll  be waitin' for the spring thaw I reckon.

Frozen trees. From a moving car. I am only one woman. And it's frickin' freezing out there.

Largest snow plow ever. Snowplows rarely get our house before 10am unless they are running all night, which they do sometimes. And sometimes they don't and Martin shovels out our cul-de-sac. Good exercise.

The roof of our front entry way outside. That's a lot of ice.

More ice under snow. Fred, are you seein' this?!

Driveway of death. Not to be confused with bathroom of death which only smells like death. This driveway could actually lead to impairment. We have discovered the amazing abilities of sand. What you are looking at is actually one huge thick sheet of ice covered in sand.

Badangle but that is where the driveway meets the road. Road in black, driveway in ice, about an inch or more thick.

Igloo built by the kids a couple days ago. Solid ice with snow on top.

More ice, on branches, with snow on top. It's crazy lookin'. I know this is normal for the Poles but come on, give me a break!  This is my first winter and all.

A cool bird.

What we give the children to fight off scurvy. Or gout. Or whatever it is you get when the sun don't shine.

Of course the ice makes it so you don't want to venture too far from home. It can be dangerous. And the air quality is such that Martin now requires the children to wear masks if they want to play outside (some would say he is overreacting but ya'll, it's really a problem) and kids inside all day can be tense. Everything is wet all the time and my feet are always cold, no matter what, but other than that...


...for whatever reason, I am loving this season. Maybe it's because I am naturally an introvert and this kind of weather makes it ok to stay indoors and curl up with books and games with just the family. Or maybe because it really forces us all to slow down in mind as well as body, which is hard to do when the sun is shining brightly and you feel as though you need to be thinking of the next activity. Whatever it is, it has been good. We have been meeting so many new friends, just in the past few weeks. Many of them are invited over to our house this coming week, some of them we have never even met in person. All of them, I have met, one way or another, through this blog.  The children are getting regular help with their Polish work from a wonderful college aged student who comes once a week to play with them and also encourage them to speak Polish as well as looks over their schoolwork. And lastly, but  most enthusiastically, I just spoke with a lovely lady today who has a lead on a great opportunity for the the boys and Lina ( Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, here in Krakow)!! I am so hoping this works out. We had this program in Texas and it was wonderful.

We have been meeting so many new families and  making new friends, I think I can say that now, "friends," not just online acquaintances or "contacts," but friends. And that's nice, you know? You start to feel like you belong. And once you belong...well...you might as well stay.  ;)

I would like to leave you with this quote from Pa (Charles) Ingalls that made me smile as I check my wireless furnace control and flip the switch on my electric kettle...

“These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraphs and kerosene and coal stoves -- they're good to have but the trouble is, folks get to depend on 'em.” 

Oh, Pa, if you only knew...

Back on the wagon.

Or is it "off the wagon"? I guess it depends on your perspective. Anyway, I'm back on Facebook. Facebook is the wagon and I am back on it.

Et tu Olivia?

 For all of you who are rolling your eyes, and sighing the heavy sighs of "geez, lady, come off the whole "Facebook is the spawn of the devil" kick why don't you?" Well, I urge you to not press on. I can't promise you your eyes won't get stuck in that position.

No, no, I heard the cries of "you're a leader among people " and in the background the scoffing of "whatever, she'll be back, they all come back." And the "I wish I could do that" while at the same time knowing full well you would be crawling back with your tail between your legs begging for virtual and implied forgiveness at ever having the audacity to leave. Just like me.

"Oh my gosh, why is she being so dramatic?! Get. over. it."

This is the face I make when I'm thinking this to myself... the "oh my gosh, just get over it" face... (this is also my, "give me a break!" face, my "seriously?! again?!!" face, and my "get to the point already!" face...

But only behind closed doors, and never in front of the children...ok, maybe sometimes in front of the children... (I took about 8 of these shots, all on self timer, 3 seconds, laptop in the living room, each worse than the last. You're welcome.)

Lovely. And now the whole world can see it. "Hooray! We're... saved."

Yep. Made the decision yesterday. Did the deed. It's done. They all know it. I know it. It's known. And I'm apprehensive, and mentally posting rules and regulations on the "proceed with caution" board in my head.  Some day those friends that felt I had turned my back on them for quitting will slowly forgive me and accept me back into the fold. Because that's what happens when you leave Facebook  you know? You lose friends, and not because they don't want you, but because, when you leave, it is implied that you don't want them. I told Martin this is what it's like and he said that was a very 4th grade way of acting and I said, no one is "acting" that way Martin, that is just what happens. Somehow Mike Zuckadkbkrgerg invented a whole new way for people to interact and I have rejected it, therefore I am not interacting, therefore I am saying to other people, by my actions, "you are not important enough for me to interact with in this new way we have all decided to interact." At least that's how it feels, that what it feels like I've done. Deep breath.... . And when you are thousands of miles away, and the world has moved passed even e-mail as a means of acceptable communication, you lose friends.  I miss my friends (and if any of you come on here and tell me how much *you* missed *me* I will punch you in the face)!

I honestly don't know how close you can be to someone when they are never physically in the room to give you a hug. Or ever really there to hold your hand during a big grief, or to bring you dinner after a new baby is born. It's easy to say this is enough when you actually have at least a couple of real life people around you for these things.  I don't have that, yet. It can't be a replacement. I won't let it be. I do know that good friends don't care how long it's been since you talked with them or emailed them, they just want to know how you are and what you've been doing. So there, that's a start.

And I promised I would try harder to be happy here, because I want to be here, I would also just like to be, like, super, like, happy, and stuff... aaaaaaand...IthinkFacebookwillhelp. There! I said it! You can all say "I told you so" and move on!

 Nothin' to see here.

In other news... well, there really is no other news. It's been snowing. We are quarantined inside due to extremely polluted air (I really need to write a post on this!) and I have committed to submitting topics for an article in a Travel magazine. I'm in it for the money. I don't even care if they know! ;) (gasp!! How unprofessional of me! really? really?! me? the least bit professional when it comes to writing?!...puh-leez (I learned that on Facebook!).

Dobranoc!

Martin's response:
"This is a very "mommy- blogger" type post." (it was the *way* he said it)
"No one cares this much about Facebook and you and your weird feelings on it, you know that, right?"
"What's a facebook?"

How amazing can healthcare be?

Today I saw an orthopedic doctor, got an x-ray, consulted with the doctor and left with a follow-up appt. for one more test all for.....50 dollars.  And all in under... 45 min.

I do wish to expound on all of this but right now my foot hurts and I really want a hot tea.

I will say this though... At one point- I think it was after the x-ray when I spent less than 5 min. in and out of the room and then for her to give me the disc with the pics.- that I turned to Martin and said... "is this for real, what's going on here?!"

Shocking. In a good and miraculous way. Shocking. Details to follow.

Now for some tea, and my foot with no broken bones propped up on a pillow.

Epiphany in Poland

Along with many other countries around the world, Poland now participates in the "Procession of the Three Kings". Last year was the first year Poland enacted a law that allows for this day to be a day off from work so people can celebrate with their family. All the malls and shops were closed, and many people celebrated in much the same way we did... joining in with the celebration!

In Krakow the Three Kings begin the procession in three different areas of the Old Town and move towards the center followed by the townspeople (that would be us). Due to our parking location we had the honor of beginning at the top of Wawel Hill and processing in along the "Royal Way". We prayed, sang Koledy (Christmas Carols) and were given copious amounts of paper crowns, stickers, and song books. Along the way there were also people accepting donations for several different charities and in exchange handing out pieces of blessed chalk and incense for blessing your home for the coming year.  The procession is concluded at the center of the Old Town where a living nativity scene is waiting and the Three Kings present their gifts to the baby Jesus. There is more singing and then a blessing and prayer from the Archbishop of Krakow (Cardinal Dziwisz).

Waiting for the procession to start at the castle.

Processing down the royal way. Bringing up the rear, as usual.

Some video for perspective (and singing)...

 

This is as close as we got. It was packed.

Close up. 

Towards the end we were all hungry, cold, and tired from walking, it was beginning to snow fairly hard (the first of the Christmas Season!), and so we got a bit of food and came home for hot chocolate. While Martin and I were preparing the hot chocolate, an impromptu nativity scene was being set up in our own living room by our own three little wise people (we don't discriminate) unbeknownst to us. And here is what we found...

More precious than gold to King Felix, he offers the baby Jesus...candy.

It's days like today which remind me of one of the most important reasons why I, personally - without any Polish blood running through my veins - wanted to move to Poland. The traditions, the culture, the shared faith. It's not a perfect country, but it has such a richness, a fullness, about it. I want to give this to my children.


I am glad we are here. I am thankful. I am hopeful.

And now Martin is making some homemade mulled wine, which I detest. He insists we drink it to celebrate Twelfth Night and the first and only snowy day we have seen this Christmas Season.

P.S. Martin says this picture is "magical" but he just finished his own, as well as my, mulled wine, soooo.....

Outside our bedroom window right now.

What to bring, what not to bring. For Witek et al.

I was *just* thinking about writing a post on this very topic, and lo and behold, Witek went and asked the exact same question I was hoping to answer. So here it is.

The "what I wish I had left behind, and what I wish we had brought instead" post.

Furniture:  We did not pack or ship any furniture. You can read about that here, and here. But all in all, we just didn't have anything worth shipping. If you have furniture and rugs and what not that you feel are valuable and important enough to bring all the way over here then I think you should do it. Partly because you have already invested in them, and if they are worth it, then by all means, follow through on that investment. Also, if they have some sort of sentimental attachment then again, by all means, make yourself feel at home, and have them shipped. (budget permitting of course)

I do not know for sure but there are several ways you can send furniture and household items. International Moving Companies specialize in these kinds of things. My only advice is to start booking a slot now because people move in the summer when the kids are out of school and you will need to get in line. Most adults these days know how to do online searches and ask around for the best companies. You know, interview them a little, tell them your situation. They will be handling all your stuff over seas for quite some time. Buy the insurance and if something doesn't feel right, switch companies  We did this when something just wasn't adding up with the first company we found for shipping our car and I'm glad we did. I really liked the company we went with, and everything was in perfect order when it got here.

Car: We shipped our car in a container with just as much stuff as would fit inside per their requirements. We own a minivan so a lot of stuff fit. We had two large paintings in there, all our clothes for the whole family, plus the in between sizes for Kacio. And just stuff that we felt was necessary or wanted. I did not have to leave anything behind that I wanted to take. That is amazing. This is a good way to go in my opinion because it's a great bang for your buck. If you are shipping furniture and rugs, etc. then you may be able to get a better deal through a company that will ship both for you and take care of it all.


Now, the nitty gritty...the list...

 Disclaimer: So that I do not get branded as painting Poland as some sort of 3rd world country, which seems to be one of the prevailing notions out there in the far Western world, I must say this: You can get everything you will ever need here in Poland. Everything. I have found everything (online or in stores). Ok? Ok.

Now, what I wish I had brought...
- bags and bags and bags of brown sugar ...if your wife or husband likes to bake with American recipes, Oatmeal cookies, Chocolate chip cookies, etc... pack some brown sugar! (what Americans call Brown sugar, not Poles)
- Vanilla Extract...it is here in Poland, but not in Krakow
- Peanut Butter... oh Jif... I'm stuck on you...
- 4 cans of Canned Pumpkin...no more, no less
- large quantities of spices...spices come in every small quantities here in general, bring some to tie you over until you can find a good source... I miss my ground cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon so easily accessible in the HEB...
- large bags of coffee... in brands and flavors we know and like... coffee is either cheap and gross here or delicious and expensive...there is no middle ground...we're still searching
- large green cans of Parmesan Cheese...so silly, I know... but I like it... although freshly grated is tastier and healthier, that green can is so... so... reliable
- good, high quality athletic socks for the whole family (Hanes,Fruit of the Loom, etc)
- more kids clothes for every season in every size...just to have...kids clothes here are more expensive and the cheaper ones are limited selection...they are kids and will grow out of them fast so it's really no big deal...I am ok with Real and Carrefour clothes for the kids... if you have your trusted brand then I say stock up for the next year while you search here for the stores/secondhand shops here that you like/can afford.
- HOBBY MATERIALS... this is a huge one (for me). Just because they have everything in Poland doesn't mean that within 6 months of you getting here, filling out all the paperwork  taking care of the family, nursing nervous break downs, and taking time to sleep, you will be able to find every little shop that has those special little items for your projects. If you are like me and your hobbies are the only thing keeping you sane sometimes then be sure and pack the extra film for your camera (who uses film anymore? weirdo!), the extra canvases for your paintings, the extra paint, the needles and thread, the yarn, the scrapbook paper, or whatever, to get you through the next 3-4 months. Unless your hobby is woodworking or metalsmithing... pack those supplies, and then some. You might feel silly bringing an entire suitcase full of yarn or cotton summer prints, but in the end it is worth it, I promise.
-more pictures of family. Actually, I wish I had demanded that they all take a family picture and give it to me before we left. That would have been better. I am not going to see them for  awhile so I would love to have the most updated pictures I could get. This is easily remedied of course, I just wish I had thought of it sooner.
- bobby pins
- more American movies, my complete series of Seinfeld, our Indiana Jones Trilogy... what were we thinking?!
- more children's books in English...pack your favorites and some for the future...you can get them on Amazon.co.uk but it's more expensive

As you can see, my list is mostly made of English language and American specific items. If you dont have a hankering for Peanut Butter sandwiches during the first trimester of pregnancy and you don't have a hobby except reading on your Kindle (the most practical electronic to be invented since the fridge...if you're a big reader like me), while watching Indie eat chilled monkey brains, then you're fine.  There are no surprises of things that you will absolutely need and not be able to find, or be cost prohibitive.

Now the list of things I wish I hadn't brought...
- extra linens of any kind
- extra clothes that I should have given away the first time around
- extras of anything really...

Just bring what you need, what is necessary, and leave the rest.... starting fresh is really nice, and it helps to de-clutter your life before you go and clutter up your new place! It is really tempting to go out and buy all new stuff in fear that you might not find what you really want here. And there is that danger, but if it comes at the cost of leaving other things behind or making the move more expensive then it's really not necessary. Again, if you have the space and the cost is the same then you will save money bringing what you already have, but we didn't have this ability, so we only brought what was necessary.

Things I think you should bring... ahh! A surprise category... you are all very surprised...

- anything specific in the brands you like... deodorant,  tooth paste, tea, coffee, whatever...bring it so that you have a smooth transition until you can find the same thing or an equivalent
- 6 month supply of medicine and vitamins. We like Advil. They don't sell Advil brand here. They have equivalents of course, but there is that psychological attachment we have to certain brands in times of pain that we swear are just better.  This includes Childrens Tylenol and Ibuprofen, Neosporin, Vitamins, etc. Again, they have all this here, but if your child picks up a virus on the plane you may not have the time to find the nearest Apteka before the fever spikes.
- a couple ridiculous items that make you feel at home. I brought some sentimental things that I didn't want to be parted from, they took up space but I don't regret it for a second. They are here. And that is good.
- with kids... a couple new toys to ease the transition and to look forward to upon arrival...

I really thought there would be more of everything.  I'm sure if I thought longer on it I could come up with more. But these are the basics I guess. This does not replace the ability for anyone, including you, Witek, to ask me more specific questions about certain things. If you want to know if they have your favorite brand of salsa here (THEY DON"T) then ask me, maybe I know and then you can make an educated decision about what to bring (BRING THE SALSA, and bring me some too, nothing fancy, Pace Picante, medium heat is fine, one jar, two, whatever you can manage).

I hope this helps someone. I am also going to direct you to the "Practical Stuff" page a the top of the blog next to the About Me page. It has links to posts about the car situation. A situation which just recently was finally completed. BUT, again, great company we worked with, highly recommend!

Cheers!

The salad on the back porch. And 2 other little delights.

Me: If I make a salad will anyone else eat it?

Hejjo: I will.

Felix: Nope

Lina: Mommy, I don't want that salad. Instead, can I have some of the salad from the back porch?

Me:  Ok. Would anyone else rather have some of the salad from the back porch?

Because when you have a large family, a smallish fridge, and it's cold enough outside...you put the leftovers on the porch...free refrigeration, via nature.

Spaghetti Sauce, Kapusta, and some potato and veggie salad. I have no idea what's in that jar there. Probably about time to clean out the fridge back porch. Our poor, poor neighbors.

A video of what it looked like outside our bedroom on New Year's Eve. This video has some of the fireworks and some of the Lampiony (little hot air :balloons" you make yourself) that were released. All of this went on for about an hour and at times the entire horizon was lit up. It was amazing.

And one of our favorite renditions of an old Polish Christmas Carol that is played several times a day. Kacio loves it.