Day 176: or The Day of The Harry Potter Marathon

The family left for a soccer tournament early this morning, so the house was unually quite and I slept a little later than intended. I woke up and got a call from some friends I had planned to see. We were all a bit behind schedule, so I was excused, and I got ready to go and drove my tiny little European car over there. When I got there, we had lunch and sat around for a bit watching old TV shows on DVD. We decided to have a Harry Potter marathon to get ready for the the last movie and I decided it would be easier to sleep over. Only problem was I didn't want to keep the car overnight in case the family needed it. I drove all the way home and switched to the bike. When I got home, I found out I could have kept it, but I tried to not think about it. This was a way to get my exercise, right?


I rode my bike to the station and hopped on the train. The route from my house is a slow, steady incline and then down a steep hill. Being from Houston, I may have mentioned, I don't like hills. I mean, they're beautiful and all, but running or on a bike, no thanks. But once you get to Saint Germain, the terrain is much more gradual so the bike really helps. We decided to watch the 1st one because it has been awhile and they're just so tiny. Then we skipped the 2nd one, because it doesn't compare. Of course, it's still HP, so its already good. Just not as good as the others. We watched 3 while eating take out pizza from a local place down the street. It was a good night in, but with company, so you feel more productive. We didn't stay up to late and I will finish my marathon one movie at a time.

Day 175: or The Day of The End of The Year Show

Fridays are usually easy, semi-weekend days. Today started that way, but alas, could not sustain it. I ran some errands and hung out around the house until it was time to get the Kid. His end of the year show was today, so I had a change of clothes to bring him and was all ready to go, or so I thought. First, I forgot his snack. Then I forgot the library card. Then I forgot the program. Ok out the door. When I got to the school, I was planning on waiting out the 30 minute break by going to the library. But when I got there I saw the moms all had baked goods and I realized the cake I'd seen in the oven was supposed to be what I brought. So the Kid and I rushed back home for the cake. It takes about 10 minutes to make the walk, so we didn't have a lot of down time at the house. He changed into his clothes and I tried to make sure I wasn't forgetting something else. I asked if he wanted some water, and I got an unpleasant response of "aw no, why water? I want juice." Ok, well we don't have juice. Only orange juice, which he doesn't like. I don't know why I even asked, but it was too late for that. He blames me for the lack of juice in the house, which is frustrating when I don't do the shopping. I understand fits when I just say no, but when it's not even in the house, I get a little short tempered.


We ran back to school, and I threw him in his classroom and waited for the show. I couldn't see the first couple of classes, but by the time he was up, parents had moved aside to let the rest of us watch. It was all very cute, and I filmed it for his parents. After the show, their was a fair and dinner. He only wanted to play on the playground and not do any of the games. There was a raffle if you did 10 games, so I persuaded him to try a couple. He is very fairly aware of his skill level, so some were a no go, but some he was very happy to do twice. At this point I forgot about the raffle. There was no way we were getting through 10 games. We grabbed dinner after a botched attempt at understanding the ticket system. I would just hand them my punch card, and hoped at the end I'd have enough for cake. Because if the Kid saw all that cake and didn't get any, there'd be hell to pay. I was just impressed I got him to eat dinner, because the boy has one of the biggest sweet tooths I've ever encountered.


After dinner he played on the playground, and I sat there stressed, as kids played too rough, and no one stopped them. The Mom got stuck at work, so she was finally able to arrive around 8:45. I had managed to remember to grab a travel book from the library for her trip to Italy next week, so at least that went as planned. I headed home, and then out to a friends for some cards and general silliness. I needed to get out tonight and was happy that the day was over. In some ways it was easy, because he was generally very happy, but all the kids and screaming was overwhelming. They were all going off on their own, running around like crazy people. The Kid stuck right next to my side, holding my hand and waiting patiently. One of those, I know he actually likes my days.


Another small thing, I found a country radio station. I'm not sure how I missed it before, but driving home listing to Brooks and Dunn was definitely a first in France. 

Day 174: or The Day The Sales Returned

The sleep deprivation hit much harder today than yesterday. I slept a couple of hours after I dropped the Kid off and then stumbled back to school to pick him up for lunch. It was just the two us today and he was in a pretty good mood, which was a relief since I was in low energy mode. Since we've been pretty active the last couple of days, I felt ok about being lazy. And the fact that the other kids weren't home to make me feel guilty didn't hurt..

I spent the afternoon at the grocery store, trying to restock the items I use in the house more than anyone else. Usually it's eggs, cheese, and baguettes, the usual French lunch. The sales are back, which is a problem for me. I need to go through all my clothes and get rid of a great deal if I'm going to fit it all in my suitcases. So buying new stuff is fairly proactive. Hopefully I can stay strong and avoid the stores in general. The evening was as lazy as the afternoon, with an easy dinner and a movie with the girls. I'm ready for the weekend.

Day 173: or The Day I Got No Sleep

Running on empty. I got less than 4 hours sleep last night, and today is my long day. I know it was by choice, and I'm glad I did it, but man was I tired today. I tried to nap a bit when the Kid was in school for a couple of hours, but between the Cat, the girls, and lunch, it just didn't happen. The two 15 year olds were home for lunch and I told them to use the leftovers that had been accumulating. There was no side dish to speak of so I scrambled them up some eggs. Between that, the mashed potatoes, and the couscous, I could here my Mother's voice complaining about the color composition on the plate. We looked for some fruit or veggies, but all we had was carrots and the girls are pretty tired of carrots. I let them slide this time,  but made it up with dinner.


The Kid and I spent the afternoon at the pool and tennis courts. I'm not sure what changed, but in the last week, he seems much more keen to go out and do stuff. Both things I enjoy doing, and the Mom really appreciates it. Dinner was behind schedule so we could fit the tennis in, but with the sun not going down until after 10pm, getting him to sleep at his old bedtime just never happens. I figured a little leniency with the time line would be ok. Since I'm cooking for someone new all week, I'm very aware of how I'm cooking and the quality of it. I always try to cook well for the kids, but if something turns out funny, I don't worry about it too much. They know I can cook, so one mistake won't be their final opinion on the matter. But a new person will almost assuredly be judging me. Plus, I feel bad feeding her leftovers for every lunch, but that just isn't going to change. I've become so used to the routine, cooking lunch for 5 people, 5 days a week is too big of a change. Until I adjust, leftovers it is.

Day 172: or The Day of The Fête de la Musique

The First day of Summer is celebrated in many places by the Fête de la Musique. It started here in France may years ago and It's a pretty big deal, so a couple of us decided to go into Paris for the evening. We first started in Saint Germain and walked around a bit before catching the train into the city. The streets were full of people and children up well past their bed times. Every 50 yards would be a band or guitarist playing varied times of music. The weather had been terrible all day but it cleared up just in time and it seemed everyone came out to see the shows.


On the train ride in, a group of French people, about my age, decided they wanted to practice their English with us. It's very common for people to join our conversations for this reason, so you end up meeting a lot of random people. When we got to Paris, we walked through the Marais, and around the Pompidou Center. We walked under Notre Dame, all lit up, and down the Seine. By this time it had started to rain again, but no one really seemed to care and the streets were as crowded as ever. A little before 2am, we decided to head home. Waiting around in the station, we were entertained by one of the craziest women I've ever seen. I'm not sure what she was going for, but she just couldn't stop dancing barefoot in Metro, making what I can only assume were her attempts at sexy faces. Big fail on her part. It was a unifying moment for those of us on the train though. In any culture, she was a unique individual.

Day 171: or The Day of The Horror Movie

I somehow missed my alarm this morning and woke up to the sound of someone getting ready to leave. Panic struck in the 5 seconds before my eyes could focus on my watch's minute hand. I was only 5 minutes late, but I don't want to be 2 minutes late, so I hopped out of bed and was relieved to find the Kid already up and halfway through breakfast. Crisis averted.


The Kid and one of his friends came home for lunch and playtime for a couple hours. The 15 year old is having a friend stay over all week, so they joined us for lunch. Since the 13 year old is gone, I thought that would mean less cooking, but with no school, it seems someone always has at least 1 guest. But I like all their friends so far, so its nice to have someone new in the house. The day was ugly and looked like it was going to rain any second. I thought about going to the pool or tennis courts, but decided to hold off a day when the weather is supposed to return to summer.


The girls made a peanut butter desert which is basically just a giant peanut butter cup. It's pretty rich and dry, so I just cut small pieces with a bit of vanilla ice cream. The Kid was only eating the ice cream and I kept telling him to eat faster because we needed to go upstairs and read. I'm all for taking your time while eating, but he really takes forever. Finally, he leaned over and said, "but it's disgusting!". I guess he didn't want to hurt their feelings. We couldn't understand his opinion, but we happily split it between the 4 of us.


After I put him to bed, the girls invited me to watch a scary movie with them. Some of you may be aware, but I'm basically one of the biggest wimps when it comes to movies. I squirm and get anxious and make the whole thing unpleasant. But they wanted me up there. I just tried not to watch too closely, and we kept the hall light on. They were just as bad as me almost, but I guess it goes against my personality, at least to them, to be so afraid. Afraid is the wrong word, but I cant think of a better one. This was a fairly gruesome, gory movie, and those are the ones I really do poorly in. Better luck next time I guess.

Day 170: or The Day of The Pub Quiz

I meant to wake up earlier, I really did. I laid around the house, hoping to have the energy, will power, and good weather to make it into Paris today. Since I have less than a month, I really find it much easier to be productive. Everything I pass up doing, may be my last chance. 2 of the girls called me and invited me to join them for a movie, and I even had the added bonus of a free ride, hard to pass up. We made it into Paris to see "The Hangover 2" and whatever else struck our fancy. We saw the early afternoon show, so we had plenty of time when it was over to grab a bite to eat. I was all sat for a kebab or Indian food, but next to the bar we were meeting some friends, was a Subway. I haven't eaten at Subway since I've been here, and wasn't too excited about it, but I knew it was within budget, so I said what the heck. Then BOOM, in the middle of the menu, Sauce Ranch. I haven't had ranch dressing since arriving in Paris. Some of you may not understand the enormity of that statement. Others simply won't believe me. I love ranch dressing,and put it on almost everything, except surprisingly, my usual Subway sandwiches. I bucked tradition and enjoyed my jalapeno, ranch concoction. I'm not going to deny it, it was tasty.


After the ranch, we headed next door to The Thistle. It is a Scottish bar with a weekly pub quiz on Sunday nights. There are a lot of regulars who take it very seriously, and I was starting to doubt my abilities. One of the girls had a buddy from home visiting, so he and his friends joined us halfway through. I came though on a couple of random, not sure how I know this stuff, and also missed some I should have known. The guys pulled their own weight as well and helped us with a few well needed points. All in all, we ended up in the very acceptable 2nd place position. I was very proud and am debating whether or not to come back, or leave a champion. And those of you who say 2nd isn't a champion, I say, technically you're right, but it still felt good anyway.


Also, I think there were about 10 teams, in case anyone thought it was 2nd out of 3 or something.

Day 169: or The Day of Midsummer, Sort of

In our group of au pairs, we have a small number of Swedes. They decided to get us all together to celebrate midsummer, a week ahead of schedule, in true Swedish fashion. We all met around 6pm, and walked through a park to a small clearing, basically in the middle of the woods. They had a may pole set up and a smorgasbord of traditional Swedish food and drinks.

Smorgasbord

After we all got settled, one of the girls passed out song sheets and we all practiced our Swedish pronunciation and they taught us dances to go along with the songs. One of the silliest moments I've had in Franc, but it was quite fun. Everyone joined in and we all made equal fools of ourselves. After the singing, we dove into the food. W had many different types of herring and tuna and even boiled eggs with creamed smoked roe. Now, I love caviar, so I figured it would fall along the same lines. Boy was I wrong. I'll try anything once, and that was my once. I took a large bite, only realizing too late, that it was not at all what I expected. In my opinion, unexpected taste is almost as bad as as just having bad flavor. One of the Swedish girls happened to be looking at me, and I apparently didn't conceal my emotions very well. She started laughing uncontrollably, and I got the giggles and almost choked. Pretty standard situation really.

Red Team

After food, we all were divided into teams and played traditional relay games. Sack race, egg on a spoon, bat spin, and a couple others. We won the first one, but after a couple of unfortunate falls, landed in 3rd place overall. Good thing I'm not competitive. The rest of the night was spent hanging out on towels and blankets and being thankful that the rain that plagued us all day decided to stop exactly when I got out of my car. It was a really fun day and nice to enjoy someone else's summer festivities.


* The "sort of" in the title refers to the fact that we celebrated a week earlier than the actual Midsummer due to scheduling conflicts. To clear up any confusion.

Day 168: or The Day of Sleepovers and La Fête du Village

My day with all 4 kids ended up busier than expected. First, the 17 year old was having a friend over for the whole weekend so they could study for their big exam. Then the 15 year old was having 6 girls over for her annual end of the year pool day. The 13 year old was around all day, and the Kid was at school. The Mom was home, working from the house. Even the cleaning man decided to join the party for half the day. I was used as a chauffeur a couple of times, shuttling girls from the train station. The kids were all on their own for lunch, so the girls decided to make pizza. Little did I know that meant I would have to do half the work. The Mom has started using organic flour, which creates a huge sticky mess. I end up adding handfuls of flour just to make it manageable. The 15 year old begged me to help, but I still made her get her hands dirty. The girls seemed happy with the outcome at least.


I got the Kid and brought him home to his Mom. There was a party in the square tonight, but the rain made it less interesting in my opinion. The Kid and the Mom went, while I stayed home with the rest of the girls. I had a night off basically, and I spent it watching a movie with the 17 year olds.  I even got out of putting the Kid to sleep, which was a nice break from the nightly fight. He's not bad my any means, but there's always the request for one more story, or one more game of Uno. I read 3 stories a night. Had I known that this would become required, I would have started at 1 and made more than that a treat. Now, anything less is just unacceptable.

Day 167: or The Day of Pasta a la Caitlin

The kids are really getting into the hang of this "no-school" thing. I am not getting the hang of having them around all the time. The day was fairly normal, with everyone home for lunch and off doing there own thing the rest of the day. For the kids, there summer at home is pretty short. In about 4 weeks, they head to their grandparent's house near the beach, and that's where they stay for the rest of the summer. The 13 year old will be gone for 3 of those weeks, and the 15 year old for 2 of them. Because of this, they are trying to spend time with friends as much as possible. I know I traveled a good deal during the summers too, but so much of summer to me was swim team and being in the neighborhood riding bikes from house to house. Obviously spending a month on the coast isn't anything to pity, but it's a very different summer than I had.


For dinner I made a makeshift pasta sauce. I took the marinara I made for pizza and added bell peppers, onion, and a random bunch of spices. The 13 year old loves bell peppers but the other kids just eat them. Surprisingly, this dish I wasn't too impressed with was a hit with the kids. The 17 year old, who is stingy with her compliments, liked it a lot and named it Pasta a la Caitlin. Those of you who know my eating habits, did you ever think a dish named after me would be based on bell peppers and tomatoes? No, me neither.

Day 166: or The Day I Taught The Kid What a Backhand Was

Tennis backhand that is. Today was slightly warmer than it has been and not much chance of rain. So after I let the Kid play in the playground for a full hour after class, we headed to the tennis courts for a bit. The 13 year old was playing in the next court, so we watched him while we played. The Kid was not very good when we first started months ago. He rarely made contact, and it never seemed to go over the net. Since then, he can hit the ball pretty straight and almost always makes contact. He still never managed the backhand though and would run around trying to get the racket on the right side. I finally had enough and taught him how to hit the other way. He was pretty good right off and immediately stopped trying to use his forehand unnecessarily. Pretty impressive.


He was in a good mood all afternoon which was nice because a couple of times he fell or got hit and just laughed it off. In the wrong mood, a much lesser injury would cause tears, so I was happy to spend time with him in this mood. He kept wanting me to hit the ball faster and right at him. I told him if I hit him he's not allowed to cry. Not 3 shots later and he gets hit in the face (off a ricochet I think), he paused and then just started laughing. That was close.

Day 165: or The Day I Said My First Goodbyes

Back to the grindstone. The Mom stayed home again today for a doctor's appointment, and the 3 older kids went to their last day of school. It's already mid-June and school is just ending for them, but the Kid is in school until the 1st of July. I never had a day of school in June a day in my life. July? Man that's late. The Kid was home alone for lunch and we spent the rest of the break playing with the Cat. He wants me to take it to school so he can show it off but I keep telling him no. He doesn't quite understand why because obviously I could just carry it. I'm going to tell him to ask his Mom, so she can be the bad guy this time.


The Mom was going to pick him up from school but she had a last minute conference call. She was worried he would be upset, and I was a little worried he wouldn't be pleased to see me either but we made it all the way home before he realized there had been a switch. He hasn't had a fit at school in months, but when he did have them, they were awful, so I'm always a little wary still.


Dinner was easy enough, grilled sausage and mashed potatoes. Right before dinner I got a message telling me one of the other au pairs was leaving tomorrow. We were all getting together at the pub to say goodbye. I was able to take the car and stayed at the pub only a couple of hours. It's always nice to see the girls, but a Tuesday night is hard on all of us because Wednesdays are so long. It was a nice night and the 1st of many I'm sure. I can't believe we've reached this point already. Seems just last week I was meeting these girls.

Day 164: or The Day I Left Sweden After a Lovely Weekend

Hans and Ulla had to work today, so I got up to say goodbye before they left. I had a great time in Stockholm and would love to come back for a longer visit. I will of course try to keep my visits to the warm months, because I'm not sure I could handle the cold. But Sweden in the summer is quite a lovely place.

Jakob showed me to the train, which was much appreciated. I believe I could have made it there on my own, but it was nice to have an escort just in case. There is a 20 minutes fast train from downtown Stockholm to the airport that was super convenient, and had wifi. I'm always complaining about why trains don't have internet. I feel like in this day and age, they've figured out much harder things. And voila, a train with internet. Which only proves to me that it's possible but not high enough on people's lists. I made my flight with plenty of time, and after a quick stop in Munich, I was back in France. The train home was long but easy. When I arrived at home however, it was pouring and I had a 30 minute walk ahead of me. A woman was nice enough to give me a ride into town, so my walk was cut to 10 minutes, but 10 minutes in pouring rain gets you as soaked as you're going to get. Welcome home to me.

Day 163: or The Day We Picnicked at The Palace

We woke up and had our Swedish breakfast before heading into town to catch the fairy. We had two options today. One was to go inland, and see Drottningholm Royal Palace, or out towards the see to an island and a sunken ship museum. I picked the palace, because I'm a sucker for that sort of thing, and off we went. The weather was a bit chilly, but the wind was what really got me. I was trying to be strong as we sat on the upper deck, but had to go below to thaw for a couple of minutes near the end of the trip. The boat ride was an hour long, but it was nice to see Stockholm from the water. By the time we arrived at the Palace, the sun had come out and it was a beautiful day.


The Palace has an old theater from the 18th century that is still in use today. We took a short tour and saw the theater and how it is kept exactly the same as it was. The inside is all faux materials, like painted wood and papier mâché. Needless to say, not exactly my style, but interesting none the less. After the theater we made our way to the palace for the tour of most of the palace. Because the Swedish Royal Family still lives in the Palace, you don't get to see everything. Again, there was painted wood replicated marble. Every inch of the entry way and staircase, except for the stairs themselves, is fake. From the outside, I really liked the building, but the inside was dark and oppressive. I'm sure the living quarters are kept more modern and livable, because I can only imagine how depressing that would be.


After the tour, we walked through the English Garden and had a picnic. The weather was much improved and it turned out to be perfect picnic weather. We walked to the Chinese pavilion for a short look around before heading back to the ferry home. It was a really good trip, but it just made me realize how very little Swedish history I know. The ferry back was nice and we took a slightly different route home. Seeing everyone skiing and boating reminded me more of home than anywhere else I've visited. Ulla and the kids think I'm a wimp because I was saying the water was well below my comfort level. I think you have to be crazy to swim in 68' water by choice, and call it warm.

Day 162: or The Day I Toured The City Hall

Before we went to bed last night, they told me they weren't early risers and asked if eating breakfast after 9am was ok. I pretended that 9am was normal, as most of you know, that left to my own devices, I can sleep later than almost anyone. Not that I think 9am is early, but I wouldn't think to warn someone we’d be getting a late start. So we woke up and had a nice breakfast of yogurt and cereal and other delicious things. The kids were off doing their own thing today and Ulla had a meeting, so Hans and I set off for downtown to see the sights.

We started by walking around Old Town and saw the changing of the guards. There was already a huge crowd, so I squeezed in as close as possible, but after a few pictures, we continued on our walk. We saw the cathedral where Crown Princess Victoria was married last year and a museum on medieval Stockholm. After that we headed off the island to King's Garden for lunch. We had a very good lunch of sandwiches and salad and then headed off to finish our walk. We walked through more of Stockholm and saw many dump trucks full of recent high school graduates. Yesterday was the last day of school, and a tradition is to rent a dump truck, fill it with kids and coolers of beer, and drive around Stockholm, all the while blaring American classic rock. Quite amusing to watch, but I'm sure the locals get a little tired of it.


We took a tour of the City Hall next. It's right on the water and a favorite spot for weddings. The tour guide said 38 weddings were happening today. There is a long and short version. The short version is 30 seconds and the long one is 3 minutes. I think I'd splurge for the long one. The tour was good and informative. The grounds were beautiful as well, and you could see why people choose to get married there. The main hall is where the Nobel banquet is held each year.


After the tour we grabbed an ice cream cone and headed off home for dinner. I made Greek salad and Ulla barbecued chicken. We followed it up with strawberries and cream and talked about fresh potatoes. Apparently, when the first potatoes of the season arrive, they are sold for ridiculous prices at the fanciest department stores. Potatoes, who knew?

Day 161: or The Day I Flew to Sweden

For a travel day, I was pretty low stress. Which is interesting because I had the most reason for concern today. The cleaning man showed up 10 minutes late which made me miss the last bus to the station. I was able to catch the taxi by chance but when I got to the station, the trains were delayed. Again, it all worked out and after a 15 minute wait everything ran smoothly. Being stuck at a train station with no means to get across town is a daunting prospect though. The delay board said a possible 2 hour delay, so the 15 minutes was nothing compared to what I was thinking, The airport was easy and I even got to see one of Paris' soccer teams in the terminal, Paris Saint-Germain.

I arrived in Stockholm a little after 5pm and made my way through the airport. Hans, Ulla, and Hanna met me at the airport and we made our way South towards home. It’s an odd sensation to be with people you’ve never mat but have known of your whole life. I guess I met Hans at my Aunt Leslie’s wedding, but seeing as I wasn’t walking yet, my memory is a little shaky at that age. The weather in Sweden was great, much better than what I left in Paris. The house is about 45 minutes from the airport so I had a short time to see some of the country around Stockholm.

We got to the house and I met the boys, Martin and Jakob. It was the last day of school for the kids and we were all going out to dinner to celebrate Hanna’s belated birthday. They picked a restaurant near the house that was an old, converted house that was a mental hostpital. Well, the restaurant was actually located in the Doctor’s residence that was part of the hostpital. They changed the surrounding land to a park and it was all very nicely done. I had bleak roe and steamed cod and rhubarb and cream for dessert. Delicious. The caviar was served with buttered toast, or more accurately butter with toast. I can only imagine the fat content, but it was amazing and I’ll just go on an extra run this week. It was my favorite dish of the night. The house’s interior is kept as a house with dining in the different rooms and seating outside. The food was presented with a modern twist, in contrast with the traditional rooms. I liked it very much.

We headed home and talked a bit more before heading to bed. Being summer, it never gets pitch black outside. For about an hour around midnight. The sky turns dark blue, but by 2am it’s already starting to lighten up. It’s very hard to get used too, slightly eerie too. This is officially the farthest North I’ve ever been though and I’m not sure how much farther North I’ll make it. Not a lot going in North of the 59th parallel.

Day 160: or The Day I Saved The Kitten

Just me and the Cat again. The weather has turned a bit chilly again and I’ve been holed up inside a little more than usual. 3 months ago I would have been writing about how warm it is. Jaded once again. The only notable thing that happened today was a possible cat fight, literally.

The Cat and I were in the kitchen with the door open to the garden. We had been outside earlier, I was letting her explore, but I have to watch her when she’s out there. There are other cats, big cats, and magpies, that would be happy to have a new plaything. At one point, I heard the Cat make a new sounds, different than her usual happy ones. When I looked, there was a large cat less than 2 feet away, seconds from pouncing. I grabbed the kitten, who was in full on arched back, hair sticking up, hissing mode, and slammed the door. The cat outside was unfazed and came and sat at the window, with tis faced pressed against the glass, searching for its missed opportunity. The kitten was as close to me as she could get. The outside cat was freaking me out, the way it just sat there, searching, so I can only imagine what the kitten was thinking.

The rest of the day went quickly and I prepared for my trip tomorrow. The weather in Stockholm is supposed to be nicer than it is in Paris but I packed a coat just in case it turns. It is Sweden after all.

Day 159: or The Day of Unauthorized Meatballs

Back to normal. Everyone was at school or work when they were supposed to be and the Kid and I had the house all to ourselves. Well, us and the kitten. The last couple of days, I’ve spent some good quality time with the new feline, and I have to admit, she really likes me. The kids all claim she likes them, but they’re delusional. The Kid says she likes me the most, and he’s never on my side, so I’d say that’s pretty good proof. When everyone else has gone to bed, she comes into my room and sleeps with me, until I put her back in the kitchen for the rest of the night. She likes my room for some reason and always rushes the door when I open it. We took a nap, a cat nap if you will, and then made lunch for the kids coming home from school.

I finished the waffle batter, making sure to make them all, even if no one was there to claim them. For dinner I made Ikea meatballs, in addition to the leftovers the Mom had said to eat. She doesn’t believe in meat at all meals, but the kids were wanting something so I gave in. In case you don’t know, Ikea meatballs are the best. Fact. 

Day 158: or The Day I Made Waffles

The older kids were still home today, but the Kid was off at school. The Mom was also home because she had a doctor’s appointment for a bum knee. She was working from home and it threw me of all day. Having the parents home early or on days when they’re supposed to be at work always throws me off though. I’m so used to having the run of the house and never worrying about if other people are in the kitchen or watching TV. I’m very good about having the house clean by 7pm so the Mom doesn’t see a mess, but at 6:45, it’s rarely perfect.

I cooked lunch for everybody even the Mom, who seemed genuinely thankful to have someone cook her meal. She used to be home more before I came. She didn’t work Wednesdays, or at least got to work from home, so I know she likes being with the kids again.

When snack time came, the 17 year old requested waffles. It was a really big deal and everybody was fighting for one. Really? I mean, they’re good, but it’s not exactly rocket science. It’s a low energy, high reward situation I stumbled upon. I put the left over batter in the fridge for the morning, thinking that fresh waffles are better than soggy, day old ones. Apparently I was wrong. This is one of those things that is particular to a certain house I guess. In my house, my Mom will make pancake batter, and my brother will get it from the fridge and make pancakes when he wants them. Seems simple. In the French house, they make them all at once. Had I know they had a “system”, I would have followed it. I was pretty surprised by their utter confusion as to why I would do such a thing. Next time, I’ll know better I guess.

Side note: In their defense, they have their reasons. Cleaning the iron is a pain, so cook them all at once and get it over with, and a couple more they explained that I can’t remember. But personally, I think we’re right, imagine that.

Day 157: or The Day We Went To Disneyland

The older kids were out of school today so the Mom  said the 15 year old could go to Disneyland for a late birthday  present. Since they would prefer a chaperone that wasn’t a parent, we took the Kid out of school today and the two of us went with the girls. Last minute, the 13 year old joined us as well. We made our way across Paris early in the morning and got to the gates at exactly 10am. There was no line yet and we waltzed right in. It reminded me of Astroworld when we would show up as early as possible and run around to the major rides before the lines got too outrageous. My Dad was pretty sure this was by far the best way to see the park. I was pretty sure we looked ridiculous. None the less, it did prove to save a ton of time so we headed to Space Mountain first thing. The Kid was too short so the 13 year old took him to the small car track, always a hit with the little kids. I rode space mountain twice with no line and headed back to meet the boys who still weren’t finished. At the end of the ride I asked the 13 year old if his parents stretched the truth regarding age when it came to ticket prices and regulations. He said of course and explained that he just had to tell the attendants the Kid was 7 instead of 6 so he could drive the car himself. Parents all over the world are the same.

The girls split off and did their own thing while the boys and I tried to hit as many rides as possible. The Kid was in a good mood with very little complaints. He immediately spotted all the toys and I was able to push it off until the very end when I finally had to day no. He was none to pleased, but I bought him an ice-cream cone to subdue him. On Thunder Mountain, the 13 year old was worried the Kid would be too scared but he loved it and wanted to ride it again. I was pleased to see he wasn’t being a baby. Sometimes I worry that he needs to toughen up a bit so it was nice to see him enjoy it.

By the end of the day, we were all pretty exhausted and headed home across town. The Kid fell asleep on the 1^st train so when it was time to switch, I of course had to carry him through a very busy station, running because we were late. We made the train and met up with the Mom and made the 30 minute trip home. Since we got home well after he should have already been in bed, we showered quick, shoveled food and read books before he fell asleep at the table. It was a good day, a long day, but a good day.

The boys on Thunder Mountain

Day 156: or The Day We Named The Kitten

The last day of my 4 day weekend, and I spent it playing with the kids and the kitten. We ate lunch outside with the Cat exploring the garden. I’m not a huge cat person. I like cats, but prefer dogs.  For example, we’ve had a cat at home for 9 years. His name is Luna (we thought it was a girl), and most of you have probably never heard of him. Darcy on the other hand, everyone knows. Luna is in fact crazy, and I love him, but he’s no Darcy Dog. So this kitten comes to the house and everyone is in a tizzy. I of course think it’s cute, because it is, but am not on the oohing and awwing train quite yet.

All day they have all been calling it different names, trying them out for size I guess. Every time 2 or 3 of us agree, someone has a complaint. My vote obviously doesn’t count, but my input is taken under consideration. I almost had them agree on Katia, but the boys said no way. I didn’t even really like it that much but they seem to be big into the words that either sounds like cat or say cat in another language. Midway through the day I recommended Artemis or Athena. Now, if you asked the family who named the Cat, they wouldn’t say me, but let’s be honest, I named the Cat. Athena it is. The humorous part to me is the French aren’t exactly known for their ability to say the “TH” sound. For example, when the Kid says ”Thank you”, it comes out “sank you”. The older kids don’t have accents so they are fine, but hearing him calling for  “Asena” is pretty funny.

Day 155: or The Day We Got A Kitten

Today being my 3rd day off in a row really threw me off. It's Saturday and I don't exactly have a lot going on. The Mom was gone all day at the women's finals at Roland Garros and the kids were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new cat. They had to drive to go get it but the Dad put it off all day. The 17 year old was beyond antsy. I could here her asking why I couldn't drive them and all I could think was "leave me out of it". Nothing like hearing screaming French that you only half understand with your name thrown in somewhere in the middle.


The Cat arrived around 8pm and was of course the center of attention for the rest of the night. I'm not the biggest cat person in the world, but kittens are a whole other story. The naming of the cat is a difficult one. I think they are leaning towards a French name, which makes sense. But they want my help and I'm not exactly an expert on French cat names. Just have to see what happens.

Day 154: or The Day of The BBQ

Today the family went to Normandy to see the beaches and I had a BBQ to attend. I went to the store and picked up some shish kabobs and chicken wings. The BBQ was at another au pairs house and it was bring your own meat and drinks. I was under the impression that it was put luck style, since that's what I'm used too, but it was more "I've got a grill, let's all cook our own meals together." Since I could bring the car, I picked up one of the girls on the way, to repay her for the many rides she has given me. When we got there, I was put in charge of lighting the fire and then the grilling itself. Apparently, being from Texas means you know how to grill. Lucky for me, many a weekend was spent watching either my cousin or my Dad while I was there to assist. Even with my more knowledgeable background, every time I'd go to check the coals, someone would have messed with them or had advice to give. I managed to take the comments in stride and just tried to focus on not serving raw food. The night went by quickly and all the food turned out delicious. I even was able to use my koozie, which of course got many comments from the girls. Some didn't know what it was and some couldn't believe I carried one around with me. I guess keeping your beer cold is only a problem from Texans.

Day 153: or The Day Thursday Felt Like Saturday

Today was a public holiday, so the Parents were home from work, and I was free to do as I pleased. I spent the day going through my stuff and trying to make sense of all the crap I've managed to accumulate in a short 6 months. My bags were packed full on the flight over, so I'll have to do some editing for the flight home. We had dinner on the porch and then the kids and I sat around talking about random subjects. Since it doesn't get dark until well after 10pm, you can get caught up in an after dinner conversation for much longer than you think. These long nights are great, but they really throw me off. 

Day 152: or The Day of Driving

The older kids summer kind of started today. They are for a week before they have exams at the end of next week. But seeing as their finals aren't college finals, they're acting like they don't have school for months. The 13 year old spent the night out last night and I received a text from him asking him to pick him up at the station after lunch. Odd. I hadn't been told by the parents that I had driving rights. Apparently I do. Somewhat at least. I ran to the car and freedom and off I drove for a full 5 minutes by myself. Glorious. I've always liked driving and haven't ever really taken it for granted, but being here has made it ever so clear again.


After I got the 13 year old, we headed home and ate lunch. The 17 year old was babysitting across the street so we both took our respective charges to the park. They are in the same class at school so it's an easy play date enough to make. When we got home the 15 year old and I made meatballs. First time for me and they turned out pretty tasty if I do say so myself. Snuck in a little cayenne again, without any complaints this time. Put the Kid to bed a little late, but no school tomorrow, so we're a little bit more relaxed.


After I was all ready to watch a movie with the kids, I got a call from a friend inviting me out. I wasn't sure how I was going to get there, but the Mom ok'ed the car and I was out the door. I had planned on staying the night, but with the car, my night was cut short. I've been coming off slightly unsocial, and I don't want to be. But I live with these people, ad not making them angry is kind of a priority. Later by normal standards, early in France, I headed home, driving a car.

Day 151: or The Day I Almost Forgot

I spent the day recovering from my trip and catching up on email and news from the weekend. I remember when I first got to France, not having my Blackberry was a very hard adjustment. Now I've become accustomed to life outside the house without internet but more than a day and I start to become antsy. Something about being unreachable makes me think something bad has happened and no one can find me. An odd paranoia, but one I feel every time I've without internet. In the States I don't feel it because someone I'm with is always reachable. But here, my friends don't know my family and my cell phone is useless in that way. This week is a short week because Thursday is a holiday. I travel next weekend to Stockholm and after that who knows. I'm taking this weekend off as far as travel but hope to see the other au pairs before everyone starts heading home.

Day 150: or The Day I Happily Showed The Train Police My Ticket

I woke up on the train as it was pulling into the Paris station. I've never managed to stay asleep with the commotion that occurs in the last 30 minutes but somehow, I managed. I hopped up and was out the door before everyone else who'd been awake much longer I'm sure. I needed to be back in Saint-Nom by, 11:30 to pick the Kid up from school for lunch. Starting today, I'm going to get him on Mondays and Thursdays for lunch at home with me. When I got to the next station, I boarded the train and got comfortable just in time to see a man make a mad dash for the door. This is a good sign there are train police, and sure enough, a group of 6 or so stood at the far end of my car. Since I was able to find my valid ticket this time, I sat there without worry. It's a much improved feeling to the last time.


I got home but missed the minibus that can take you back to town so I hoofed it up the hill just in time to get him. When I got to the school, one of his friends invited him to lunch, so off he went, with no reason for me to be there at all. I was happy to not have to rush home and make lunch though. I unpacked and checked back in to my real world. The rest of the day went smoothly and we began our very short week.

Day 149: or The Day I Said Auf Wiedersehen

I woke up today in a bit of a haze but managed to pack and get out the door on time. The Australian and I decided we would meet at 10am and go see the Pergamon Museum. The guide told us yesterday that it was a must see, so we relented. I of course missed the train by 3 seconds and ended up being 5 minutes late. bummer. I may run late on occasion in real life, but when it involves people I barely know, being on time is a politeness I try to keep up. The weather couldn't have been better this weekend. Perfect way to keep me walking all weekend. 

The Museum has reconstructions of many ancient buildings, including its namesake, the Altar of Pergamon. It's a pretty amazing place, especially when you include the Ishtar Gate and all the thousands of other, smaller pieces. We spent the next 4 hours walking around and listening to our audio guides. I probably would have left a bit earlier had I been alone, but instead we walked every inch of the place, so I think I got the gist.


Afterwards we walked to a small riverside cafe and grabbed a pizza. It was really good pizza and went well with my beer. It was a sunny afternoon and it almost felt like home. We sat there for a good while until it was time to head back to the hostel to grab my bag and catch the train. We said goodbye, probably to never see each other again. Interesting meeting people for 1 or 2 days and then just leaving. I've done it many times since coming to Europe and it's still odd to me. So far I've never spent a weekend travelling without striking up random conversation though, so all in all my solo travels were very successful. I got my bag, caught the train, and headed back to France.

Day 148: or The Day I Used My History Degree

I woke up in Germany, just an hour or so outside of Berlin. When the train arrived at the station, I had 30 minutes exactly to get to the meeting spot for the walking tour. I couldn't find an S-bahn map to save my life but I knew the stop's name and I knew what line to take. So when I found the train, I was't sure if I was going the right way or the opposite way. Also, I may have ridden illegally because I couldn't figure the tickets out in the 18 seconds I had to make all these decisions. I miraculously headed on the right train, the right way, to the right stop. Now  I wasn't sure where exactly we were meeting, but luckily the group was quite large and impossible to miss.

Brandenburg

The tour was very good and the guide was very passionate about Berlin. In the beginning, we stopped to have a brief history lesson of Berlin up until the Word War I. I answered a couple of questions that I thought weren't all that unknown and the a couple that were pretty impressive. When we started walking again, the guide commented that I seemed to know my stuff. Nice little moment for me.

Only picture of me in Germany, Jewish Memorial

The tour was about 5 hours long and I met an Australian who was also travelling alone. After the tour we walked through the Tiergarten and up the Victory Column. Quite a climb, but the view was worth it. We stopped for a late lunch at a small garden cafe and I was able o get my first bratwurst and beer of the trip. We headed back to our respective hostels, since I'd been carrying my bag around all day, and met up later to watch the Manchester United vs. Barcelona soccer game. The game was fun to watch, as usual and I left another bar known as "Caitlin from Texas". It's amazing the frequency in which that happens,

Tiergarten

After the bar we grabbed "curry-wurst". It's Berlin's popular late night or street food and I knew I'd have to try some. When I went to put the red pepper flakes on it, I didn't even pause to think someone wouldn't want theirs covered in pepper. Oops. He claimed he couldn't even see the anything through the peppers, which I took as a slight exaggeration. The food was good and I would definitely recommend it. But when is street food, after the bar, ever not good?

Day 147: or The Day I Left For Berlin

Travel days, you know the drill. I woke up and started preparing for my trip. I borrowed a backpack from the Mom so I was forced to pack light. I have a problem not filling whatever bag I have. But if I have a small bag, I still fit whatever I need into it. Since I will only be in Berlin for 1 night and probably walking around a bit with my bag, I was very thankful to have the backpack. I hung all the laundry up outside and took the Kid to school. When I got back, it was almost starting to rain so I pulled it all in before it all got soaked again. I understand not having a dryer and it’s really not that big of an inconvenience, but it will be nice to have one again so I’m not dependent on the weather.

I made myself breakfast tacos for a late breakfast and realized I’m already over halfway through the tortillas my mom brought. It’s going to be a sad day when there are no more breakfast tacos. The rest of the day went by quickly and before I was ready, I needed to rush to the school to get the Kid. It was raining and miserable and I was quite happy to leave it all behind. I packed up and left him with his brother until the parents got home from work. The train into town was easy and I made it to the station with plenty of time. They put the platform number up only 10 minutes before departure. I’m so used to planes that I get a little antsy not knowing where I’m going until the last moment. I boarded the train and settled in for the night. I shared the space with a English girl studying in Berlin. I didn’t bring a book though because of my lack of space and couldn’t wait until it was dark enough to fall asleep.

Also in our cabin there was a group of Spanish people. They couldn't manage the idea of sleeping in the right bed, so halfway through the trip, in the middle of the night, there was much commotion when someone else was tp join us. The Germans are sticklers for rules and don't understand jusrt sleeping in the empty berth. People assume when they leave Paris no one else will be joining us. But this is never the case. People get on all throughout the trip as the train makes its many stops. Nothing like hearing yelling Germans and police at 1am.

Day 146: or The Day I Could Think of Nothing To Write

After I dropped the Kid at school, I caught the first train into town. I wanted to double check with the train people about my upcoming trips and just thought I'd walk around a bit while I was there. The weather turned cold all of a sudden today and made me not want to leave the house at all, but leave it I did. It's amazing how used to weather you get. I can only imagine what the Houston furnace will feel like mid July compared to what I live in now. Not that I'm complaining after the winter I had.


The day went by without any hiccups and  I spent the evening preparing for my trip to Germany. I've signed up for a walking tour the moment I arrive basically because I have no clue where to start on my own. Some days, like today, I feel as if nothing happened. The good thing about the log is that I'll remember the day to day more clearly. The bad news for the reader is that sometimes the day to day can be pretty boring.