January 26, 2013
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Ah, so what has happened since my return to this country? Soccer try-outs on 3 weekend mornings. (Zach didn’t make the team, but congratulations to his friend Alex!)
We had a dinner playdate at Melissa’s, where we got to try out their new Panini maker … and the kids played with Furbys. (Calista really wants a Furby of her own and has the Christmas money, but we can’t seem to find them in stock anywhere) We’ve also been cooking a lot more on the weekends and packing lunches for work, trying not to eat out as much. Since I’m training for a half marathon, every pound gained is a pound I have to lug 13.1 miles!
Zachary is finally into Lego Mindstorms. It’s been sitting in our closet for a few years due to lack of interest, and all of sudden, he wants to start programming!
Two girl’s night outs (almost 3!) in the past 2 weeks. The first was a ‘Taste of Singapore’ dinner at Karen’s house. Kathy and Karen went to Singapore in 2011, fell in love with the food, and decided to recreate their favorite dishes. They served Oyster Omelet, Curry Laksa, Miso Ramen, and Watermelon Smoothie. All so good – Melissa, Sandy, Rachel, Dana, and I were the lucky guests!
For our 2nd Girl’s Night Out, I partook in ‘Dine Downtown’ ($30 for 3-courses) with Melissa, Karen, and Kathy at The Firehouse Restaurant. On a previous year, I had a bad experience with the Dine Downtown event, where the restaurant (Spataro) exchanged 2 out of 3 of the menu items. Since they ran out of sea bass, we got cod … and the only dessert left on the $30 menu had hazelnut (I’m allergic) but they wouldn’t let me chose something from their normal menu. Huge difference in experience this time. Not only were all 3 courses delicious, but the waiter was very friendly, we had an amuse bouche (butternut soup), pallette cleanser (cucumber lime sorbet), and mini macaroons as extra dessert. Combined with the carpaccio and pork belly appetizers we ordered, it was technically a 7-course dinner.
Calie and her friend Khloe went to Artbeast on a Saturday, where they played almost all day. They really did it all, from art to shows to playing out in the courtyard. People always say how great it is having “one of each”, but in some ways, I wish I had a sister for Calista. I think it’s because I grew up with sisters. Having great girlfriends are the next best thing though!
We had a double date night (with Melissa and Sam) at Chez Daniels, my favorite local restaurant. Romantic boutique setting, French food, all at a reasonable price: Soup, salad, entrée, and dessert for under $30. The best part was that since there were four of us, we got to try all of the dessert options that night. The kids all stayed at our house with their favorite babysitter, Miss Alyssa. Happy parents, happy kids, what’d not to love?
The weather lately has been great. I’m back on track with my weekend runs (although to really train, I know I have to add some weekdays). Zachary went geocaching a few times, once when Calie and I walked over to play at our neighborhood park.
Last Sunday night, we went to Dana and Dave’s new house for dinner. What a beautiful Tuscan style home, complete with lots of wrought iron work, a huge backyard overlooking a nature preserve, a professional kitchen, and so much space! They have a play room with an adjacent computer room for the kids and an art/music room. They seriously have more toys than all my other friends and myself combined – lucky Jason and Maya! Thanks for the birthday-celebration-house-warming-dinner-playdate.
I’ve been slammed at work recently, often logging in after the kids are in bed and working until close to midnight. I even missed a movie night with my girlfriends. (Les Mis was a terrible movie right? Please just tell me that.) You know the quote “Why do I keep hitting myself with a hammer? Because it feels so good when I stop.” The more it hurts now, the better sabbatical this summer is going to feel.
Comments (2)
Does Zach like the Mindstorms?
I am thinking about getting a junior version for my 4yo.
@ehssiol - I don’t know the junior version, but Zachary is very mathematically oriented and he was not interested at 6. My daughter is 4 and there is no way she can program right now. It depends on the kid, but I think 4 is too young. IMO, that age group needs to be doing art/crafts, running around outside, pretend playing … I generally prefer to keep kids away from technology when they are young, at least the first 5 yrs. No study, just my “mommy instinct”