Hiatus

I'm stuck on a hiatus for a few more days... The wildman knocked over my iPad and cracked the screen and then cracked it again.  And just to make sure it was good and ruined he dropped it a third time! Needless to say its a little hazardous to use right now (glass shards and all). So until my traveling shopping hubby returns from his trip with his Italian visa and a new iPad I'm stuck without one. Here's hoping that is soon!

Happy Day!

Just a few parting, not so well taken, shots of my snuggle bums- boy oh boy are they ready for spring!

new ride...

I have been waiting for this day since Christmas time! When we moved to Italy my husband and I realized that our City Select was no longer going to work for us. One sun canopy was broken, one front axle would occasionally fall off, the fabric was shredding and the frame was bent. It had some issues. But the most important issue was just the basic design. Our children are getting bigger (almost 35 and 30 pounds) and the wildman wants to be able to see everything that is going on around him. However the only way to make it feasible to lift the front of the stroller over every curb was to put wildman in the front and he needed to face inward. Our stroller is our only way of transportation, it gets used every day under all kinds of conditions. And I always seem to have my hands full with a dog or a grocery trolley but it was impossible to push one handed. So finally I convinced my husband that it was time to bite the bullet and get a new ride. Tough bullet to bite since the City Select is not cheap and neither is the new one. All in all we have spent almost $2500 in strollers and our oldest isn't even three yet!

 So without further ado... our new ride~ the Bumbleride Indie Twin

Here were my criteria when looking for a new stroller:
1. Easy to push one handed
2. Bigger rubber, air filled wheels
3. Large basket underneath
4. Collapse easily
5. Be able to go into cargo hold on a flight.

I took my new constant companion on a test ride today and both kids were happy. And I didn't hear "Mama this is an extra bumpy road" once! If you are in the market for a new stroller I highly recommend this one! Now here's hoping this one last longer because I'm pretty sure my husband won't be convinced to buy a fourth stroller!

And just because I like the song and it seemed appropriate...

Missing... my bangs!

It was inevitable, I was going to eventually need a haircut. I am extremely picky about my hair. The same lady has been doing my hair for forever and I've timed my haircuts in the past to coincide with my travel back to the states to make sure she can do it. Well since my next trip home isn't until the summer I was going to have to bite the bullet and let someone else touch my hair. Now I've done this before while in Israel so I was fairly confident in my "choose a salon rules."

1. Clean, bright and preferably white with little to no "product clutter"
2. The stylists must have good hair, and be pulled together.
3. I must see a broom when walking past! Any good salon will need that broom so often there is no point in putting it away. And if you can't find a broom how do you know they are cleaning out color bowls and sanitizing scissors?
4. They must advertise and use high quality products.

This salon met all of the requirements and didn't butcher my husband's hair too bad. However, all went awry with my hair. I look like I've taken a walk through bleach and attended a hatchetation! And the most troubling thing is I walked in there with bangs and walked out with none! Where did they go?

So I will be taking a break from my goal of wearing my hair down more often and scouring pinterest for some cute updos! Any ideas or extra bobby pins-toss them my way!

 And if you see my bangs out walking around let them know I could use them back...

Carnivale

Just a few quick shots of a good time at the local parade. It was much smaller and tamer than New Orleans Mardi Gras but a ton of fun anyway. 

wildman is hesitant of anything that involves organized singing

these kiddos like their mama love them a parade, but make sure you stay close!

instead of beads they throw confetti. 

of course we "needed" two of these!

We had a good time and made sure we got  some candy too! Good thing because I gave up candy and especially candied almonds (they are so delicious) for Lent. It will be quite a challenge since Il Dolciumi is right outside of our house and the smell of him making a new batch of almonds makes my mouth water!

Hope everyone had an amazing Fat Tuesday... for now we repent! 

A Human Face

Indulge me for a bit of introspection today... It it not typically my style but something happened this weekend that left me stunned, awestruck and reflecting on my life.

 I went back to Israel this past weekend and packed up our home there. I always find it difficult to say goodbye whenever we leave somewhere and even more so now that I have children. While I know that I will forever carry our memories in my heart I'm afraid that we will forget some of the moments in our life because we don't have the reminders in our home. We will never have the door frame with the pencil lines marking their height and age, nor the scuffs and marks on walls to remind us of a first bike ride or fun memory. And while I was wallowing in my self pity I struck up a conversation with my driver. It started out as a normal "on the way to the airport" conversation. He asked where I was headed and I replied Italy. He mentioned he was born in Italy so naturally I asked where. His response slipped past me at first... "I was born in a prison camp in the north of Italy." No biggie to me, until his next comment put it all into perspective. "I moved to the homeland in 1948 and have never been back." Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! He was telling me that he was born in an internment camp. He is a survivor of the Holocaust. He carries with him memories that he wants to forget. This taxi driver will forever be the human face of the Holocaust for me. His few comments touched me more than any textbook or museum ever could.

In five years I may not remember when E-rie came to me and asked to go find the great pumpkin or when the wildman first rode his car but I will always remember this cab ride. And I will share the story with them because if there is one main reason why I travel this is it- to put a human face on history.

€75

One of my goals for this year was to eat a healthier diet of little or no processed food. It's been a fun challenge this far and we all feel better cutting out so much junk we don't need. However it is not cheap, but I'm willing to sacrifice new clothes and such for a healthier family. This week my total was -you guessed it €75! And that's food for Monday through Friday.

Here is what I got:

6 clementines

2 onions
2 packs of strawberries
2 packs of blueberries
1 pack of raspberries
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 head of leaf lettuce
2 loaves of bread
1 roll of parchment paper
1 roll of aluminum foil
2 packs of diapers
1 pack of gluten free crackers
2 packs of gluten free pasta
20 eggs
3 liters of skim milk
3 liters of rice milk
1 jar of green olives ( I can't resist them!)
2 glade candles- the house smelled like wet dog after I gave him a bath :)
1 box of Kleenex- how we can smell the dog with stuffy noses I don't know

As you can tell we still have a few processed things to cut out like the bread,  but I'm working on it and the pasta too. But I have to be honest I don't see myself making my own pasta. I'm in the land of plenty where that is concerned! And I would go diary free completely but the rice milk is 3x as expensive as the skim milk and since E-rie goes through 4 liters a week that's not possible! I will also admit that this is not the whole picture for this week's menu. I had some things in the cabinets that I was using to supplement. Like I said pricey, but thus far so worth it! 

Wow that is a lot of milk!

Happy Day!