Running Red Momma

I was so lucky to have Mom along, to show her my favorite places and have another hand. We got to see places where I worked so hard as a missionary--pretty emotional for me. If you wonder if it was all sunshine and love, nope, there were days where a kid "had enough!" We could have a separate entry of how cute is this kid splashing by something famous. We ate ice cream under here, most seemed charmed by the 18-month-old mess. This was our roughest transfer point to Paris. Celebrating our save arrival with the TGV. Wheew! We could have photo books, how IJ will not pose or how the GAB will not look into the camera upon demand. (Yet she posed often for Indian families....) Can the air smell like chocolate? Can Roger Federer have a tennis racket from chocolate? Can it cost $100? Yes, in Switzerland. Yeah, it was that amazing. Cue music. In an 800 year old castle, one does need to use the latrine over a lake and ponder the poem Lord Byron wrote here: The Prisoner of Chillion. B...

1. I wiped my little boys face with my spit finger--yes it is gross and you all do it. A French man, on the train, kindly offered a baby wipe. (What kind of mother wipes a kid's face with her spit?!! Sacre Bleu! What an American Faux Pas.) 2. While in Italy, we wore our enormous REI sun hats. Yes, we looked ridiculous-but I like my skin the way it is. A Russian staying in our B&B smiled and replied, "love your sombreros." 3. Our youngest, chubby, blonde toddler became a sort of phenomenon. Indian tourists took pictures of him instead of the site. While on the train, a family moved closer and proceeded to pinch his cheeks (gently) and rub his hair and face. Good luck? 4. While in Italy, I did as the Romans do, I used a bidet...which they probably didn't do. After a hot day of wandering, a bidet is the thing to do. 5. My intense little four-year-old, who gets overwhelmed by change and new experiences blocked the entire escalator by spreading her arms/legs ...

Our first big train ride. Our crap sits in a big pile. The view from our vacation house! Where have we been? First note to those who take kids on international trips: plan it, cut it in half and slim it again--you will be just right. We saw far less of Munich than I planned. However, our kids had a great time with their German cousins. The best time we had was playing rock band. Some of them looked ready to go on tour. Our first international train ride became a good test of our packing and grouping skills. I did insist on a direct train to Switzerland. Yet, it was still a challenge to get all together on a train. As we rounded the lake where I lived 20 years ago, I felt a little emotional. It was just plain pretty to the family. We were picked up in a small town by a typical swiss-farm house frau. Of course, it required two cars. Her husband, Ernst, picked us up in a stinky cow car with no seat belts. It did have bungee cords....Jam kept looking at me as the rain came throug...

I am hesitant to write a journal entry for our trip. Doesn't it seem like ha, I'm in Europe! ? But, it is such great format to journal quick thoughts. The flight was much less painful than I expected. Of course I had scenes where someone asked my daughter to stop kicking her seat, yes my kids fought on the plane, yes we had some crying and yes my youngest screamed randomly for fun. But, really, it was much better than I imagined. However, we were heading into the night. The direct day flight home will be BAD. The kids handled the loss of sleep better than I thought. We arrived to my brother's family. Such a nice transition. All of the cousins were welcoming. Instead of funky place where they didn't feel comfortable, the kids had friends and toys. We did wander Munich the next day. We kept it simple. Of course, we had lunch at a bier garten. I ordered some dishes, with the typical not super friendly german. He asked if I ordered 7 things, I said yes. Ho...