We aren't in Kansas anymore...

I'll update on my yesterday quickly and then I'm going to do a comparison of America vs. Europe... haha.

Yesterday we (AnneMarie and I) took the kids to "Atomic Kids" in Belgium.  It was the European version of Bounce U/Discovery Kids (back in my day)... aka an indoor play ground.  The kids had a lot of fun and it was nice to get out of the house and see more of the country... and hey now I can say I've been to Belgium.  Other than that it's been a whatever sort of day.  Today I went into the town of Luxembourg and will update more on that tomorrow as I will probably return for part 2 of that adventure...

So on to the real reason for this post... as my dad likes to quote from the Wizard of Oz... "We aren't in Kansas anymore..."

Aside from the Euro to the dollar thing... which is only annoying because I'm sure I'll end up paying much more for everything... there are things like Celsius... it's going to be 22 and sunny tomorrow (I just found out that it will be 71.6).

<-- That is robomower.  Yes folks it's a lawn mower that mows your lawn for you.  Kind of like those robot vacuuming things on infomercials...

 This is the foreign keyboard I had to use the first couple of days I was here.  No exclamation points!!!!-->

OK so not totally different... they taste the same but are named different.  LOL. Glad they taste the same though :) 

*  Their milk comes in Liters... not gallons

*  24 hour clocks instead of 12... confuses me... I keep having to subtract 12 after noon. 

 To flush the toilet there is a GIANT button on the wall

I'm sure I'll think of more... but that's all for now.  Enjoy :)

PS Thanks for the comments and emails of encouragement or just contact... It really brightens up my days :)  Miss you all! 

Days 2 & 3

I'll give a general update about the last two days and the family...

Yesterday I took it pretty easy.  I wasn't too jet lagged but I did have a cold and wasn't feeling very well.  I would come up and hide away in my room for long periods of time.  (Don't worry I wasn't responsible for anything yesterday or today).  It was hard to get much sleep because the house is being worked on.  Downstairs where my room will be they are making a play room for the girls.  Something I learned about houses in Luxembourg is that all the walls and floors are poured cement.  So unlike demolishing some dry wall and wood they are tearing out chunks of concrete... which makes for very loud demolition.  It should be done the beginning of next week and I am looking forward to being in the basement with more privacy and my own bathroom to spread out a bit more.

Usually Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the nanny is here.  She only speaks French, which is quite interesting.  I have picked up a few words in the short time I have interacted with her and it is quite amazing how far facial expressions and hand gestures will go.  She is very nice and patient with me.  I think we will get along great!  There is also a maid that comes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  Apparently she does the ironing on Wednesdays so if I need anything ironed I just put it in a basket... wow!  And all because AnneMarie doesn't like ironing... must be nice! I don't like ironing either (which is why I don't do it) but I don't get to hire a maid.  Anyway... yesterday I left my room while Maria (the Maid who is Portuguese but only speaks French) was working and I cam back to a made bed and everything straightened.  Weird!

I have come to figure out that any time I am around the kids I must be ready to play and entertain... So this morning I stayed in my room until I knew I could handle being attacked!  They are sweet girls but very energetic.  Charlotte has come to be my favorite (shh don't tell)!  Even though her favorite word is "no" she has a lot of spunk and is hilarious!  She is fascinated by the "spots" on my arms (freckles).  She doesn't have spots (or so she says in her British accent).  Francesca is sweet but is always needing approval and attention which can be draining.  Overall though I think we will get along just fine.

I am fascinated by their schedule... it is a bit different than in America.  The family has breakfast together then the kids have lunch, which is usually pretty big.  Then they have a smaller meal at "tea time." They have their baths and some milk and then it is off to bed.  Then the parents (and me) make dinner and sit and enjoy it.  It may be a late dinner (around 8:30-9) but it is peaceful and very nice.

I have enjoyed the food so far.  Nothing terribly out of the ordinary.  Look for some of the differences in a later post.

I think that should do it for tonight... I did go for a walk around town today and I will add some photos below...

 this is the house I'm staying in... 

A New Beginning...

Wow... lots to tell.

The view from the plane... leaving Memphis

I left St. Louis Monday evening and flew to Memphis (of all places).  When I landed I only had 5 minutes until my next flight was boarding.  I passed several Starbucks and a Neely's restaurant (food network lovers know who I'm talking about) and was slightly depressed that I had no time to stop and enjoy the "small" pleasures of the US.  On to Amsterdam it was...

I boarded my flight... used up all my cell phone battery and we were off.  8 hours and 15 minutes flight.  It was a long one.  After they served pretzels and drinks... then dinner... then coffee or tea... then duty free... it was finally lights out.  I slept on and off for 2 hours and then a baby started crying... and crying... and crying.  Another benedryl later I slept for about an hour and half.  Now it is 2ish in the morning and they are serving breakfast... really???? Usually I complain about the lack of food on flights but this was ridiculous!  I would have rather slept than ate at that point considering my 5 hour layover in Amsterdam.

So we land in Amsterdam and I wander around half asleep trying to figure out what to do.  I got my boarding pass... call my parents (so they know I'm alive - 4:30 am) and make my way through customs.  It was very easy getting through... so glad for that!  As I'm walking towards my gate trying to figure out what to do for the next 4 hours... I saw something so very comforting................ STARBUCKS!  I knew I would find coffee but had no idea Starbucks would be waiting for me in Amsterdam.  Let me tell you, it might have been the most expensive starbucks (5 euros for a grande white mocha) but it was worth it!  I drank my coffee and tried to relax and take it all in.   It was a little overwhelming but I'm sure the lack of sleep had a lot to do with it.  There were some really awesome shops and restaurants along the way although I was much too tired to enjoy any of it.

One more plane ride and I was in Luxembourg.   I started to panic a bit when I didn't see my ride, but eventually we connected and off we went.  Even though it was rainy and overcast when I arrived, it was quite beautiful.  We drove about 15 minutes outside the city of Luxembourg and arrived in a small village.  (I will post pictures of the surrounding area tomorrow)

The kids were more than delighted for my arrival.  I met them and then they were off to bed.  Francesca is 4... Charlotte is 2 (3 in November) and baby Alex is almost 1 (November as well).  After the kids were in bed Michael (dad) went out for a business dinner and AnneMarie (mom) and I had cheese fondue for dinner.  I then was off to bed... and that concludes my first day or so.  

More to come tomorrow... it's pretty late here and I'm getting sleeeeeeepy :)