Roadtrip to Dijon

Hot summer evening

Telecabin @ crozet

Slow and steady we will get there. Finally a new toilet..!

Once upon a time in Macon & Cluny

 

Growing up too fast..

Ayden and Adamian are growing up so fast... Adamian will soon turn 5 years old and Ayden will turn 8 this year. I am already forgetting all the cute things they say but I managed to 'rescue' some of them from memory... here are some of the things that they say which are cute and funny because of certain contexts... I'm writing them all down here now so I can remind them about it when they grow up.

Ayden: It was not me, it was Adamian (and vice-versa)

Adamian would draw stick mans on A4 paper and cut them out and play with them. One time he created me, himself, Antoine and Ayden.

Ayden would say on Thursday night (the last week of school): Can I play games on your phone? It's the last day tomorrow at school and we literally won't be doing anything. Nice try :)

Adamian would put up the wafer sticks in Kiri vertically and say 'happy bday to me!'. So creative.

Ayden came up with the idea to make some fruit salad for Father's day. So thoughtful.

Adamian would say 'happy bird' when he meant 'angry bird'.

Ayden asked me: How come you're at the office when we're home? And you're home when we're at school? He's onto me.

Adamian one time brought me my toothpaste and toothbrush because it's night time and said it's time for me to brush my teeth. He was right.

Ayden and Adamian would literally run to me as soon as I arrive at the door, back home from work, to hug me. I hated the pandemic because I had to tell them I could not hug them until I showered and changed clothes.

Ayden is so strategic and good at the game Set de Familles.

Adamian pronounces Octopus with 'Royas'. He also pronounces his name 'Adanyan'.

Ayden asked me the other day when he was playing with Lego: Is there such a thing as a female robber?

Adamian would ask if I did the cooking. And if I said yes, he would say 'aww maman gentille!'.

The nicknames: DenDen and Nanong.

Ayden asked the other day: If blue fire is hotter than orange fire, then why is the sun orange rather than blue? Good question.

Adamian pouts his lips when he wants a kiss. So cute and funny.

Both of them would fight who gets to sit next to mama at dinner.

Adamian would say: Doudou!!

Ayden would say: It's normal (when he was very little).

Ayden cried so badly last time. He wasn't crying because of the cut he got from a hammer (don't ask how he got it). But he cried so badly because I put a unicorn bandaid on his knee and he didn't like it.
LOL

Ayden felt bad for doing a betise. He wrote on a post it note 'pardon mama'. I found it before going to bed, on my pillow. Awww..

When Ayden was little and if he didn't like something, he would pretend to use his fist and get 'mad'. Wa wa wa!

Adamian sometimes gets nightmares and I would hear him speak in his sleep 'No, no et no!'

Ayden learned to read before he could speak proper sentences. He knew all his alphabets (phonetic) by 8 months.

Adamian learned to climb up the stairs before he could walk.

Alhamdullillah, I am very grateful for these gifts of life...

First weekend out

Last weekend was great. The much-needed human interaction (other than with the kids and hubby) was attained. I had a dinner at my friend's house (picked another girlfriend on the way). We ordered some Indian food through Uber Eats, sang karaoke and had a good catch up. The next day my family and I met another family (couple with two kids) and went hiking at Mt Mussy from 8.30 pm to 10.30 pm. Yes two hours, and all of us had torch lights. We passed a herd of cows and the walk was level EASY. Luckily it was a long weekend (Pentecost) so Monday was off. Monday was gardening day - thatched the lawn, sprayed out new seeds and fertilised the soil. Hoping new grass will grow in two weeks time and compete with/outgrow the weeds. It is supposed to rain tomorrow for a couple of days straight.

The kids were supposed to start school this week but alas, due to miscommunication with the school they will stay home this week. I am hoping I can get it through this week with kids + working from home. If kids will need to be at home next week, I have no choice but to go to the office and work there. I really need to focus, work is piling up and I cannot concentrate at home. And honestly, the kids need time away from us too. They were so looking forward to see their friends today...

Lockdown over - First weekend

I'm so glad the full lockdown in France is over. We no longer need to complete forms to get food, etc. We can go out within 100km from our residences (you need a good reason to go beyond). We don't need to.

We didn't go too crazy this weekend. On Friday nights we still had our usual stay-in movie with the kids. At the moment we are into Star Wars, we are watching them in chronological order (The next one is episode V). The difference is this time we had MacDo for dinner. The waiting line was not bad, although I was there at 6.20pm. Dining in is still not permitted but the drive thru is now open, for the first time in like 9 weeks. The kids sat in the back - Ayden once commented: Wow I don't even recall how it felt like to sit in the car. Poor kid.

Then on Saturday, I went to La Poste to send boxes to Germany and Australia. La Poste made sure social distancing was respected and so they arranged to have queue ropes outside for a line to form. I saw that a maximum of 5 people were allowed in at a time. I did not wait at all, they let me in first because my request was not too complicated, compared to others, who were applying for bank cards, etc.

I took the chance to get some fresh strawberries from the Ferney open market. I wanted to cash in a cheque at the bank. But then saw that drat! It was an obligation to wear a mask inside. I stupidly left mine at home, near the door. I then went round the market (it's now a one-way street, to prevent overcrowding) and went to the pharmacy. What luck! Not only did they have masks in stock this time, they also had some for kids. So I went for it! Then banking done.

In the arvo, we all went to the garden centre and bought flowers. OMG we are so into gardening now. Getting rid of weed is so relaxing, the results calm the mind. Soothing for the eyes.. Trying also now to slowly repair the lawn.. from years of neglect..

Lessons learned from this crisis: enjoy the small things.. take the time to disconnect from work on the weekends.. take many naps.. cherish the garden, heal the soul..make the most of what you have... don't splurge on unnecessary materialistic things.. spend time with loved ones... take the time to talk to family and friends..

Futher reflections..

Fasting month has started. First time fasting while working 100% from home. The first few days didn't seem so bad cos well, working and taking care of kids at the same time makes one forget about hunger and thirst. It only starts getting noticeable after work - so between 6pm and 8.40ish pm, fatigue and hunger kicks in. Red bull usually helps around this time but as fasting takes over, this is not possible. Definitely a testing time for me and the family. It's even more challenging when it's been raining all week and so the kids and adults are locked indoors. In addition, I can only do the REAL work when everyone is asleep. There are too many distractions during the day with all the virtual meetings, calls, conferences and emails. It is not even possible to focus on one task for 20 minutes straight.

Next week may even be more challenging. The two-week 'vacation' would be over for the kids. This means that homework is back. So homework + house work + cooking + cleaning + full time job with the usual non-stop teleconferences + fasting = ultimate definition of a nightmare. I know, it should be a blessing to be able to fast because well it means I am healthy, but I really can't help but complain of all the challenges muslim parents under full lockdown are forced to face.

Dear God, please give me strength for the next few weeks..