short notes
Back to school short notes:
1. Winter term began last Monday and The Bun went back to school joyfully, although not as joyfully as I was feeling. He was really starting to climb up the walls towards the end of the holiday break and driving me up the wall. We only have four short weeks of school before the half-term break, which is odd, but it gives us a chance to plan a quick getaway somewhere nearby in February. In the meantime, he's starting French club in school on Tuesdays, which should be interesting although I don't actually know what activities they'll be doing there.
2. Barcelona proved to be much better than I had expected. Glass half-empty, that's me. It drives J crazy, but I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed - story of my life, eh? I found the city to be very child-friendly, and visiting it in January was perfect because it was off-peak season and there were no huge crowds to deal with, but the weather was balmy and perfect. All of us enjoyed the trip and for the first time Bao was upset to return home and kept demanding 'holiday' and 'airplane' for the next few days. Worth a post of its own.
3. However, what's been distracting me from writing is the huge set of shows I've lined up for viewing. I've finally gotten J hooked on Game of Thrones and I'm hoping we'll be able to catch up on the show right until Season 5 begins in April. I'm also trying to catch some of the Best Movie nominees before the Oscars in a month's time. There's nothing much to do in these wintry months if we're not skiing or sledding so I may as well stick my toe back into the currents of the fast-flowing river that is pop culture.
4. Shows aside, we finally got our public library cards sorted on Saturday and it makes me feel unbelievably, geekily good - being a member of a library again, having endless books for my picking, even though the majority of them are in French. There is something about being in a library, even a slightly run-down library, that just puts me in a good mood. The nice librarian who sorted out my application actually came from behind the counter to present me with my documents, smiled, and said 'welcome!' That made my day. For now, the kids and I will be hanging around the same section (i.e. the kids' section) because my reading and comprehension level is just slightly above that of a toddler. Still! Still! Library geek I am. Even looking at gorgeously illustrated kids' books turns me on. Every Wednesday afternoon the Bibliobus, a library in a bus, comes by our neighbourhood, so that will be a nice thing to look forward to every week.
5. J was the one who actually suggested the impromptu trip to the library to get registered. So for reading my mind (har har), he has managed to work his way back into my good books (hardy har har). This doesn't discount any of the difficult thoughts I wrote about in my previous post, but I guess that's how it is right now for us (and many other couples, probably) - an up/down seasick sort of thing. Some days I don't know if it is more difficult for me to be a wife or a mother.
More to come, soon.
1. Winter term began last Monday and The Bun went back to school joyfully, although not as joyfully as I was feeling. He was really starting to climb up the walls towards the end of the holiday break and driving me up the wall. We only have four short weeks of school before the half-term break, which is odd, but it gives us a chance to plan a quick getaway somewhere nearby in February. In the meantime, he's starting French club in school on Tuesdays, which should be interesting although I don't actually know what activities they'll be doing there.
2. Barcelona proved to be much better than I had expected. Glass half-empty, that's me. It drives J crazy, but I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed - story of my life, eh? I found the city to be very child-friendly, and visiting it in January was perfect because it was off-peak season and there were no huge crowds to deal with, but the weather was balmy and perfect. All of us enjoyed the trip and for the first time Bao was upset to return home and kept demanding 'holiday' and 'airplane' for the next few days. Worth a post of its own.
3. However, what's been distracting me from writing is the huge set of shows I've lined up for viewing. I've finally gotten J hooked on Game of Thrones and I'm hoping we'll be able to catch up on the show right until Season 5 begins in April. I'm also trying to catch some of the Best Movie nominees before the Oscars in a month's time. There's nothing much to do in these wintry months if we're not skiing or sledding so I may as well stick my toe back into the currents of the fast-flowing river that is pop culture.
4. Shows aside, we finally got our public library cards sorted on Saturday and it makes me feel unbelievably, geekily good - being a member of a library again, having endless books for my picking, even though the majority of them are in French. There is something about being in a library, even a slightly run-down library, that just puts me in a good mood. The nice librarian who sorted out my application actually came from behind the counter to present me with my documents, smiled, and said 'welcome!' That made my day. For now, the kids and I will be hanging around the same section (i.e. the kids' section) because my reading and comprehension level is just slightly above that of a toddler. Still! Still! Library geek I am. Even looking at gorgeously illustrated kids' books turns me on. Every Wednesday afternoon the Bibliobus, a library in a bus, comes by our neighbourhood, so that will be a nice thing to look forward to every week.
5. J was the one who actually suggested the impromptu trip to the library to get registered. So for reading my mind (har har), he has managed to work his way back into my good books (hardy har har). This doesn't discount any of the difficult thoughts I wrote about in my previous post, but I guess that's how it is right now for us (and many other couples, probably) - an up/down seasick sort of thing. Some days I don't know if it is more difficult for me to be a wife or a mother.
More to come, soon.