Catching up...

2 nights ago we went to an outdoor movie (D'Artagnan), last night I was sick. Hence the lack of updates. Here are some pictures from the past few days.

Ivy has been doing different hairstyles every day this week. I was too sick to do it this morning so Inga helped instead (a ponytail with lots of little braids). Here are pictures from some other days.

Inga tried pin curls for the first time. Here's a picture right after undoing them.

I'm still sick today so I didn't go out and do anything (fever, body ache, etc). We had our friends from downstairs and another set of friends come over for dinner and the Spain-Germany soccer match.

The kids have a fun day tomorrow at a water park! Well, Dio will be at a friend's birthday party instead, and he's disappointed that he will miss the water park. Then Ivy has a sleepover to go to right after she gets home.

Read more ...

High school graduate! Middle school graduate!

Zari left early this morning for her last exam, the grand oral. She has oficially finished the bac and ended her French high school career!!

When she arrived, her examiners chose which of her two subjects she would be speaking on. She had prepared one presentation about the significance of Silent Spring in the US environmental movement, and the other one about how Banky's artwork critiques contemporary social, economic, and policial issues. They chose the one on Banksy. She thinks it went really well. One of her two examiners was her teacher from seconde (10th grade).

Dio has also finished all of his exams (brevet) as of this afternoon!

Zari's door is back on its hinges, awaiting one final coat on one side of the door. I painted one side in the basement, but it's so humid down there that the door was still wet after drying overnight (and it's water-based paint, which usually dries in a few hours).

I had a lot going on today between work and some stuff with rental apartments back in the US...didn't sleep well last night because of it...but I did have time for a quick dip in the sea before dinner!

Inga went hiking to Eze with our friends. The forecast said overcast skies, but it was sunny most of the day. The hike was much warmer than expected.

Dinner was poluck; I cooked creamy herbed pork chops over red rice, foie gras, and a plum tart for dessert. They brought salad and a few different kinds of shredded vegetables in sauce and some ravioli with tomatoes and lardons. And bread and cheese because we're in France!

Read more ...

I am feeling out of things to write about, since it will be a lot of the same (exercise, work, food, family). Blah. Anyway here goes...did sprint intervals in the morning, got 2 coats of paint on one side of Zari's bedroom door, did loads of breech-related stuff, went sports bra shopping with Inga, went on a walk with Zari, Dio took is first 2 exams, Zari studied a lot for her big exams tomorrow, potluck dinner with our friends, a game of Loup Garou with the kids...that's about it!

Read more ...

For a Sunday, I had way too many meetings! 3.5 hours of breech-related meetings.

But at least I got some time swimming with everyone but Dio (we couldn't convince him to come). The waves were huge and so much fun.

We were invited to eat downstairs with our friends (and I was in meetings all during dinner!). They both love to cook and eat good food, so it was a real treat. Dinner was delivered to me mid-meal 🙂 Zari has to make a decision on another program that she got accepted into...deadline of midnight tonight...she has to choose between 2 options and it's killing her! Eric is playing "Another One Bites the Dust." She is leaning towards turning down the License bilingue - Droit français - Droit anglais (Bilingual degree in French & English law).

Read more ...

Boat burning

Eric, Ivy, and Inga were gone all day at a soccer tournament. Inga's team won 5th, Ivy's won 2nd. Inga scored 4 goals plus a penalty. Ivy scored 1 goal and lots of assists.

Zari, Dio, and I had a quiet day together. They are both studying for their big exams (brevet for Dio, bac grand oral for Zari). Dio had a friend over in the afternoon to study and play games. I was hoping to paint Zari's door, but some of the wood filler is still drying. I'll let it sit until Monday and try again.

Zari and I went for a late afternoon swim and ran into some friends there.

Our new guests came over for dinner. I made green beans and Tuscan butter gnocchi. She brought dessert: good yogurt, strawberries, and two interesting varieties of chocolate. We also picked up some baked goods via Too Good To Go.

After some initial awkward moments, our kids and their niece and nephew hit it off brilliantly. By time we came back from the bakery, they were arguing about Team Edward vs Team Jacob and playing Uno.

After the hordes demolished the baked goods, we adults sent the kids off with 30 euros and instructions to walk around and buy some treats. Then we went on a walk of our own around the port and to La Reserve. We stopped by a big cultural celebration on the far side of the port, and as we were walking back home we saw why: a ritual burning of a sailboat in the middle of the port! I'm not exactly sure what or why this was, but obviously it is A Thing.

We came home to children with blue lips from eating slushies (granitas).

  

Read more ...

Meetings meetings and more friends

Lots of meetings today! One with someone in Bangladesh, another with Italian midwife & doctor who work in Afghanistan. At least my life is never boring!

I also had a little time to do messy renovating stuff, between my other tasks: sanding down Zari's door. I suited up in my Darth Vader respirator, HEPA shop vac, and power sander and got to work (in the basement). I also got the big wrought iron hinge pins stripped and covered with clear lacquer.

Eric's friend left this morning and new friends arrived this evening: she was my next-apartment-over roommate during my freshman year and she married someone I grew up with. They are touring around Europe with their niece and nephew.

Dio had a soccer game & get-together for parents tonight. Eric said it was lots of fun.

I think tomorrow is meeting-free but Sunday will be meeting-full. Oh well.

Zari and I went on a walk right before dinner. She told me that she thinks we are the best possible parents she could have. Awwwww...it's so nice to hear this.

Read more ...

The next victim

Eric is down with the same thing I had, particularly stomach pains and GI issues.

I've been having a hard time getting up in the mornings; I wake up to get the kids up and then I go back to bed. I'm just so exhausted. What's up? And Inga...well, she was totally wiped out. I tried to wake her up multiple times and finally, at almost 11 am, I insisted that she had to get up.

Today was a lot of computer work, with a Grand Rounds presentation to Baystate Health in MA in the afternoon.

I have plans to sand Zari's door tomorrow morning and lots of meetings scheduled for the afternoon.

I've started adding 5:2 fasting (aiming for 600 cal on fast days) on top of my normal intermittent fasting (mostly an 18:6 rhythm). Today was one of my two fasting days this week....so I cooked dinner but couldn't eat it since I'd already had my food for the day! I made chicken leek soup using the leftover chicken from last night.

Our guest took the kids out for ice cream after dinner.

What else is going on? Kids are writing in journals, Ivy is already in bed, Eric is gone at a dinner for Cavigal women's coaches.

Read more ...

Adventures in stripping

Today was the day: taking Zari's bedroom door off and stripping the paint and original wrought-iron hinges. I did it on the street outside our apartment because the paint stripper is far too smelly to use indoors.

I can't believe how many people stopped to see what I was doing, give me advice, ask for my advice, and even lend a hand! I learned a recipe for homemade paint stripper (mix wallpaper paste with white spirit aka paint thinner until it makes a thick paste and let sit overnight). Haven't ever tried or heard that one before. Another man advised me to thermal stripping instead (which I have done, but I don't own a blowtorch or heat gun over here, so chemical stripper it is). Another man asked me for advice on stripping a piece of varnished furniture. Another man asked here I got the stripper (Leroy Merlin).

One old couple walking by, right as the same time as I was chatting with Eric's friend, stopped to give congratulations to "the women doing all the work!" The man left us by saying, "I hope for the day when women are in charge of the world."

The best was a man--from Lyon, but I think he sounded Italian in origin?--who was here in Nice on vacation. He's a professional building facade painter. He was hanging out at the barber shop next door (I think he is friends or family with someone who works there). He just couldn't help himself from giving me tips...giving me more tips...supervising the progress...telling me when it was time to start taking off the layers of paint...advising me to put the door a certain way. Finally he took my putty knife and started doing it himself! I finally had to tell him, "Thanks, but I've got this!" He still came over several more times and even started helping several more times.

I worked straight through until mid-afternoon. I didn't want to leave it unsupervised. Eventually Eric's friend walked by and brought me some water and fruit, which was much appreciated. I got everything cleaned up, cardboard "drop cloth" in the trash, the street swept of any stray pieces of paint, and the door inside our hallway. Sanding and painting tomorrow.

The sun popped out towards the end of this project, and then...it started raining not long after! What weird weather.

Inga got back from her sleepover up in the mountains and had to leave straightaway for a soccer game. She came back unexpectedly because Eric misread the message and he sent her to Cavigal but the game was somewhere else! He hurried off to bring her to the right place.

She had tons of fun; they slept on the trampoline, something I did often growing up. They waded in the river but it was too cold for swimming.

Once she and Eric came home, Eric and I went out for a long walk with his friend, all the way to La Reserve and back.

Zari is writing the final sentences for her second big presentation, the one about Banksy. She should have it totally finished by tonight or tomorrow morning.

Read more ...

Yet another one down

Zari now has a fever. Better this week than next (her big oral presentations). Inga is at a sleepover at a friend's house up in the mountains. Ivy and Dio felt well enough to go to school.

We went out to lunch with Eric's friend, back to Peixes which never fails to please and surprise us. However, I can now say that I am definitely not a fan of wasabi ice cream, nor does it go well together with a chocolate brownie (not sure what they were thinking??). It was raining on the way there and on the way back. Such strange weather for June in Nice.

Lots of meetings in the afternoon. Eric and I went to the beach with his friend in the late afternoon, but it was overcast. He still went in but we didnt--too chilly! Ivy and a friend joined as and they were brave enough to get in. And then it started raining on us!

Read more ...

Another one down

Dio woke up with a fever, body aches, and other afflictions. He and Ivy both stayed home from school. He was conked out much of the day--he takes after Eric.

Ivy was so disappointed that she missed today becuase it was the "journée sportive" and she was sure she would have won it. She was crying when I put her to bed this evening.

Eric has a friend visiting; they know each other from their unversity years. She was on the soccer team and he used to hang out with a whole group of the soccer players.

What else? I installed the kitchen sink in Le Catamaran. Lots of computer work today. Did sprint intervals this morning.

It's still weirdly cool and overcast here for this time of year. I don't mind, honestly, since normally we're in hot sunny weather with nary a cloud in sight. The weather is more like March than June.

Read more ...

Dio describing how his brain feels right now, as he is lying across the couch with his feet hanging off the cushion:

"It feels like there's a war going on, and it's after the war and they're trying to get rid of the bodies."

(He has now fallen asleep on the couch.)

Ivy woke up with a fever, so I stayed home with her. She looked better as the day went on. However, she was complaining about a sort throat and said, "look inside!" We took a flashlight and her tonsils are HUGE! Poor girl. I had to find her soft or liquid foods this evening because it hurt so much to swallow.

Eric and I went for a late afternoon walk and stumbled across a huge parade, the Pink Parade. We cross onto the Promenade des Anglais 50 meters in front of the lead of the parage and then walked "upstream," so we got to see the whole thing. (It's part of Pride month. More info here).

 

Also a few pictures from yesterday's grand opening of the new coulee verte.

Read more ...

3 big celebrations

We attended the grand opening of the first part of the extension on the coulee verte. We waited for a while in the sun as the MC jabbered on and periodcally warmed up the crowd. Then finally they dropped the big curtain and let us all see and walk through it.

Once the crowd had flowed through most of the new gardens, we stopped for some pomp & ceremony. First we had a video broadcast on huge screens showing the history and conception of the coulee verte, including some of the engineering and sustainability built into the subturreanean structures (enormous rainwater cisterns to ensure that the entire coulee verte will be self-sustaining).

Then our mayor, Estrosi, gave a speech. Long, florid, eloquent, very typical of French speeches. And yes, also quite moving, especially his remarks about making this city adapt to the pressing realities of climate change and becoming a resilient, green, tree-filled place to live.

There were performers and dancers wandering throughout the gardens, dressed as giant flowers and insects. There was a free buffet of traditional Nicois foods: pissaladière, socca, tourt aux blettes, aprictot tart, pear tart, pan bagnant, legumes farcis...

We got the chance of wander up to the new lookout point, which marks the end of phase 2. The completion is scheduled for this coming September.

All of us except Dio, who was going on a bike ride with a friend, went to the beach for a quick swim and/or reading time. I had to hurry back to go to a wedding in Antibes.

Dio and his friend rode to the airport and back, stopping for a while at a park near the airport and playing volleyball. Eric and the girls had an end of the year party at Cavigal, during which they played lots of friendly matches.

I got home after 9 pm and Eric's crowd came back about a half hour later. We didn't have much to eat and the grocery stores were all closed, so Eric picked up a few pizzas.

Read more ...

La Fête de la musique

I have a love-hate relationship with summer solstice celebrations here, which is a gigantic loud music party, with every bar, restaurant, business, and random musical groups playing their music or performing at top volume. Love the idea of music and celebrating, hate all the noise! We're holed up with everything shut tight and the sound is still SO LOUD.

Inga and her friend brought blank white t-shirts to school and a box of markers. They came home with signatures from teachers, classmates, and of course family members go to add to it. Much more fun than signing a yearbook.

I had to do some repairs in Le Chateau--the countertop area next to the sink had warped and cupped, presumably due to water damage from a tenant leaving a lot of water on that part of the butcher block counter for long periods of time. It's weird, though, because the countertop finish itself doesn't show any signs of water damage but the wood is significantly cupped. So water is the likely culprit since that's where the dish drainer was used and there was likely water pooled underneath it much of the time.

Sigh...that then warping popped the sink loose and the sink wouldn't sit flat because the hole was no longer flat! So I had to plane down part of the butcher block, sand it, re-oil the counter multiple coats (currently in process), and then eventually re-install the sink. There will be a 2mm gap in a few places where I couldn't get all 4 sizes perfectly flush with each other but it's much better than before.

We watched the France-Netherlands soccer game this evening but it ended 0-0. Not the most exciting game.

Read more ...

I slept well last night and feel much better. Not quite well enough to run...but otherwise pretty good. Zari had her last written exam (English) today and she realized that it was also the very last day she would be in her high school. Her oral exams next week are in another school. And so...that's it! Just like that, it's over.

I went out with our guests this afternoon to buy ice cream and walk up to the chateau and then back around the point.

Ivy asked me to supervise her and a friend after school. They had planned to go to the miroir d'eau (splash pad) but there was no water running when we arrived! So we chose Plan B and went to the beach. They swam for almost and hour and left reluctantly when I told them it was time to go.

Dio's team had a friendly kids vs. parents soccer match tonight, and he and Eric had so much fun. The parents won most of the matches.

Read more ...

Sick

I started feeling icky yesterday afternoon and was down with a fever and GI issues all day today. So fun. Not much else to report on my day. Resting, reading, and computer work mostly. Normally it's my day to do sprint intervals but there was no way that was happening!

Zari had her 2nd written exam for her geopolitics specialty. She feels pretty good about her essays. She wrote 20 pages (double spaced) in 4 hours.

Tomorrow is the last written exam (English speciality). She's not at all worried about that one!

Eric and I had a nice walk this evening with light rain sprinking. It was so warm that the occasional raindrops felt great.

Read more ...

Hot and windy today. I did mostly breech stuff, some home renovating stuff, and had a short swim at the end of the afternoon. Dinner was merguez sausages, roasted broccoli, and roasted potatoes in duck fat.

I'm feeling a bit icky--upset stomach and all that. Hoping it goes away tomorrow.

Zari finished her philosophy exam. Tomorrow is geopolitics. She thinks she did ok--the question was "La science peut-elle satisfaire notre besoin de vérité?" (Can science satisfy our need for truth?)

Quick video of opening up the book for the first time...

Read more ...

My new baby!!

Zari is doing some last-minute studying for her philosophy bac tomorrow. The next day is geopolitics. English is on Friday but she isn't at all worried about that one. These are all written exams. Then she has her big "grand oral" to prepare for.

We have new guests in Le Chateau, and they were super kind and bought our kids presents (candy and plushies). What a treat.

I received 5 advance copies of the book today, delivered express all the way from South Korea! Each book weighs in at 5 lb 7.4 oz or 2478 g, which is a respectable weight for this "baby" of mine.

Read more ...

Eric woke up at 3:30 am, exclaiming something dramatic in his sleep. Compeltely non-sensical and non-grammatical. I couldn't get back to sleep after that. I read for a while...tried to sleep...and finally when it was time to be, I snoozed for a little.

Ivy was feeling sick again so she stayed home. Inga had a soccer tournament all day in St Lauren du Var. It ended being a huge disappointment, with the team playing terribly and them getting last place. Inga scored the only goal in all of their games combined. Eric came home super frustrated.

We didn't do much this afternoon: homework, reading, crafting. I prepared Le Chateau for the next guest, who arrives tomorrow. We need to move a huge puzzle from the table up to our apartment; it's an "impossible" 1000-piece Harry Potter puzzle.

Ivy had a friend over in the late afternoon to make silkscreen t-shirts and mandala dot paintings.

Once Eric was back, we had some time to go on a long walk. He vented all of his frustrations about the soccer tournament.

Read more ...

Yesterday

We watched "Yesterday," which Eric and I had seen but the kids hadn't yet. Fun movie.

No one had soccer today, so Eric went spearfishing in the morning and caught a fat loup (sea bass), which we ate for dinner. We went to the beach in the afternoon. The water was still milky with a white sediment that turns the water fluorescent blue. No jellyfish!

I did some putzy work around both apartments--painting, replacing a door latch mechanism.

Ivy had a fever again today and her cough is worse.

Read more ...

Kermesse

The after-school fair/concert/bake sale/garage sale was lots of fun for the kids. But whew! so much noise. I made a batch of cookies.

Ivy and a group of friends had a table of hand-crafted items such as bracelets, keychains, and origami that they made themselves. After donating some of the sales to the school fund and splitting the rest among themselves, Ivy came home with 12 Euros.

I joined the string quartet playing--last minute, since it's a group I often play with, and I offered to come play along if they wanted me. The other two violinists are a couple whose kids also go to this school and that's actually how we met in the first place. It turned into a quintet when I joined them 🙂

We watched a fantastic movie: "Catherine Called Birdie." Zari recommended it and it was 10/10.

As a side note, it actually had realistic birth scenes with the woman sitting on a birth stool, crouched on her hands and knees, and kneeling while pulling up on ropes. None of this lying on a bed on the back nonsense (which wasn't really a thing until doctors came along and took over childbirth). Certainly this would not have been happening in 13th century England.

Read more ...

Goodbyes

My brother left yesterday morning, after treating us to pastries for breakfast! We were thoroughly spoiled during his visit. He's back home with his dog and gearing up to go back to work.

Ivy's school is having a big kermesse (school fair/fundraiser) tomorrow and she's been making loads of origami. I made a big batch of cookies for the bake sale.

Zari's last day of classes was yesterday. It's so anti-climactic here. Classes kind of taper off since the last two or so weeks don't count towards grades and thus almost no one goes. Then there are the big exams over the next few weeks but nothing else. No ceremonies to mark the end of high school. No parties. You're just done!

Dio had his oral du brevet today and he said it went well. Zari has her oral d'anglais tomorrow, a 10-minute memorized presentation analyzing The Handmaid's Tale, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and a few other articles and documents relating to totalitarianism, censorship, and political repression.

Ivy came down with a sudden fever yesterday afternoon, so she missed school today. I think she'll be well enough to go tomorrow, though.

Read more ...

Mission accomplished: Quatorze boules de glace!

We've had an ongoing joke with my brother about buying "quatorze boules de glace" (14 scoops of ice cream) at Fenocchio (said in his Russian-accented French). It only took us 4+ years, but tonight we finally did buy 14 boules de glace.

The man scooping the ice cream looked very puzzled when we ordered 14 scoops. "You don't want 14 individual cones?"

"No! All in one bowl, please!"

We hurried home and divded up the scoops into individual bowls. We each had chosen two flavors. I had cacao sorbet and pistachio ice cream.

The tourists around us were taking pictures of our giant bowl of ice cream. I wonder how many times it will appear on other social media accounts???

My brother leaves tomorrow. We'll go through Funcle (and ice cream) withdrawal. We had one last swim together this afternoon and of course lots of walks.

He's going home loaded up with French records and specialty food items.

Read more ...

Work in the morning...a bit of painting...bike ride with my brother then a late lunch at a bakery....swimming in some big waves...Freeze family football practice + thrift store...pizza for dinner...walk with Eric and my brother.

14,000 steps, not bad, plus all of the biking on top of that.

Read more ...

A day in Monaco

Eric and Dio were at a soccer tournament all day in Beausoleil. The rest of us decide to take a day trip to Monaco, since it's my brother's last weekend here. We were out the door by 9:30 and hopped on the bus to get there.

Our first stop was the Private Cars Collection of HSH Prince of Monaco, which none of us had ever seen before. It was surprisingly fun to look at the extensive collection of cars (and some old-fashioned buggies) dating back to the 1800s. My brother knows a lot about cars, so it was a great time to visit.

I took a picture of one of my favorites: a tiny little car that you get into by opening the entire front!

We then bought baguettes and made sandwiches in a park. Zari and my brother went to buy some snacks, drinks, and pastries. We were sitting underneath a pine tree and getting rained on constantly by pine needles.

Then it was time to go up to Le Rocher. We walked along the botanical gardens to the Oceanographic Museum. I passed a statue that I've seen many times and, when I walked to the back of it, realized it had another side--a nursing baby! 

At the museum, we hit a mid-afternoon slump and were ready to head home after that visit.

I called Eric to see if there were any games left for us to watch, but his team was done playing. So we caught the bus home. Several of us (me included!) couldn't stay awake. Ivy was complaining about feeling sick on both bus rides, but fortunately she didn't puke.

I made Thai coconut chicken soup and tarte au chocolat for dinner. We finished off the evening with a walk to the Negresco and back, just me, Ivy, and my brother.

I'm tired! We did over 17,000 steps today so that's probably why.

Read more ...

Moving crew, Pont de la Cerise, Gilette

What a fun, full day! We had an early morning departure to help some friends in St Laurent du Var move. We spent the morning loading and unloading, cleaning and packing, and disassembling furniture. We then picked up my brother at the big mall and headed up river to Pont de la Cerise.

It was overcast with a few sprinkles around 11 am, and the kids were saying, "Let's just go home." But I insisted and persisted. We are all so glad we didn't cancel the afternoon outing--it was amazing! We've never gone to the Esteron so early in the season and were worried that the water would be too cold to swim in. It was quite chilly but not as cold as I had expected. And the water was the clearest and strongest flow I've ever seen! It was amazing to play in. We didn't dare go into the gorge under the bridge because the current was so strong we weren't sure we could get back out. So we played in our usual place with the natural waterslides.

The sun almost peeked out of a hazy sky. It never got hot out, but we were able to stay in the water for at least 20 minutes.

Then, on our way home, we stopped in Gilette, a perched 11th century village that we have driven through multiple times but never explored. We wandered through the narrow, steep streets and made our way to the ruined fortress on an outcropping high above the village (destroyed by our favorite dictator/monarch Louis XIV, who also destroyed the Chateau in Nice). Inga and Ivy made friends with a neighborhood cat. I thought it was a stray because it had no collar, but it was super friendly so we think it probably lives nearby.

(This photo isn't mine, but it gives you the idea of the village and the mountains in the background).

I had a breech live session right when we got home, followed by a walk around the port with my brother and then another short walk with Inga to see if we could pick up a package at a shipping relay station that is inside a bar. It was supposed to be open until 2 am but it was closed!

Read more ...

Sharks in the Seine

Another bad night's sleep...keeps me humble, I suppose, reminding me that I sometimes have very little control over my life.

I did some little repairs at Le Catamaran and gave my brother a tour. He appreciated the catamaran net and is thinking of putting one in his own home.

The two of us went to luch at L'eau de Vie. He loved the food and thought it much better than La Rotonde. I agreed.

Everyone but Ivy went to the beach at various times in the afternoon. It was windy with big waves. I almost went in...but didn't. But my brother got Inga and Zari to swim!

Dinner was larb and leftover bean salad. We took a walk and then watched "Under Paris," a totally ridiculous movie about killer sharks infesting the Seine. Hearing the kids make fun of the movie was as fun as the movie itself. Eric missed out because he was off playing soccer.

We have a full day tomorrow: helping some friends move in the morning and then hiking and wild swimming in the afternoon.

Some pictures from my brother and Zari...one in which I think he is pretending to be posing for an Instagram picture. He likes to make fun of all the tourists who do these elaborate poses.

Read more ...

Homemade pasta and D-Day

My brother decided to make homemade pasta, with lots of participation from the kids. Zari helped him make the dough. All of the kids got a turn hand-rolling each piece into a frilly tube shape.

We watched the national D-Day celebration while making pasta and eating dinner. It was quite the event and amazing to realize that this might be the last decade marker anniversary with D-Day veterans still alive. I enjoyed the music and flowery speeches (there's a reason schools here do "concours d'éloquence" and "concours de lecture").

We ate our homemade pasta in a pesto-cream sauce, sprinkled with parmesan (the real stuff, bought from a nearby Italian food store). We also had some antipasti charcuterie plates and more lemon cheesecake for dessert.

Some of us went out on an evening walk while the others were at soccer practice.

I had another poor night of sleep and really hope that things will normalize. But...I was able to get some extra sleep this morning so that helped. I went running, too.

Eric, my brother, and I went out for lunch at a fancy restaurant at Le Negresco hotel, called La Rotonde. It was ok but actually not nearly as amazing as I had expected, given the setting and price.

Read more ...

Another poor night's sleep...woke up feeling more tired than when I went to bed! Oh well. We had 5 dentist's appointments today. Zari is going to get x-rays later on this week because she has wisdom teeth coming in that will need to come out. So fun.

Ivy and Eric were gone all afternoon at a beach sodder tournament. They didn't play very well and Eric was quite disappointed.

I made our favorite lemon cheesecake for dessert tonight. Yum!

Read more ...

Sleeping like a baby

I only slept about 4 hours...oh well. I gave up on trying to sleep and read a book. Somehow Eric took several naps but not me! This picture shows morning nap #2 or 3. Seriously, he has napping superpowers. I could never sleep like that.

My day was mostly graphic design, video editing, and course content editing. Broken up by a few doctor's appointments (sports physicals) and making dinner. We ate spicy crab sushi that had yellow and red bell peppers, cucumbers, and avocados inside as well.

Dio and Inga had soccer practice, so the other two kids and I went on a "boring" walk with my brother up and around the chateau, and then the really super boring part to buy ice cream.

We watched "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" with my brother because he'd never seen it. Then we watched a few real Eurovision songs and yep, just as weird as the fictional ones. I now have "Double Trouble" in my head...

Read more ...

My brother had a fun excursion to Antibes, taking the train and then catching a bus out to the Cap d'Antibes, where he walked on the sentier littoral. He loved it and would be happy to go back. We all had things going on so it was a solo trip.

I love the view of Nice and the Alps from Antibes--you realize how close we are to the mountains!

I exercised today, even though I didn't want to. Felt like a big win since I was so not motivated.

I took another trip to the antique/consignment store with my brother, then joined the family for the Freeze Family soccer practice. We ate Eric's barracuda and mackerel (saved in the freezer since his birthday), plus finished off the tiramisu and cherry clafoutis.

Read more ...

Yesterday ended late for many of us. Eric and Inga were at a tournament that was supposed to get them home by 11:30 pm, but it went 90 minutes late so they got back at 1 am!

I came down with a fever and GI bug and went to bed but couldn't sleep, so I ended up still being awake when they came home. And then I woke up again at 3:30 am and couldn't sleep any more. When I am sick, I don't sleep well whereas Eric goes into a sleep coma when he is sick.

So I read most of the night and then slept once everyone was up and out of the house. I still feel a bit icky but am on the mend.

While Eric and Inga were at the tournament, the rest of us went to a church talent show/potluck, and it turned out to be surprisingly hilarious. Ivy did a dramatic reading from the French translation of Coraline. The older kids were in a long skit involving all sorts of random anachronisms thrown in. Dio got to act the role of Donald Trump (getting booed by everyone on stage, of course, he's not popular over here!). Zari was a Storm Trooper.

My brother made dinner for us, a delicious pasta dish with sausage, cherry tomatoes, olives, garlic, shallots, feta, artichoke hearts, white wine, and parmesan. We also had steamed cauliflower and tiramisu for dessert, which we made yesterday. So delicious!

It wasn't good swimming weather today but we went on two walks. I didn't make it very far on the first one as I was feeling too woozy.

Read more ...

I devoted much of the day to doing BWB taxes and bookkeeping. I broke up the monotony by going for a short swim in the afternoon with Eric and my brother.

Ivy got treated out to a (late) birthday lunch with my brother.

Eric and I were invited out to dinner with an interesting group of people--from England, Lithuania, Canada (Quebec), US, and France. Fun conversation. We haven't gone out with a large group for...I don't even know how long!

My brother spoiled our kids while we were gone. I think he brings someone out for ice cream on a daily basis!

Read more ...

Today felt unproductive. I suppose I'm allowed to have some days like that. I woke up at 7 to get the kids up for school and then I went back to bed for a little while. I was tired!

My brother and I went grocery shopping. I get so excited when I think of all the delicious things I still want to cook for him. And him too--he is constantly amazed at the variety and quality of food items, not to mention their affordability.

He made us an amazing lunch today. He made a mixture of tuna, greek olives, red onions, capers, anchovies, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and herbes de provence, which we spread on toasted baguette slices. Amazing! 10/10 from all the kids.

Then it was my turn to cook dinner: roasted Toulouse sausages with fennel in mustard, thyme, and red wine sauce. Dessert was a cherry clafoutis that had a crust underneath the custard and concentrated cherry sauce on top. Pretty simple recipes but so good!

Zari and I went with Eric to the beach, hoping to swim. But we lost our sun and it was windy, so only Eric got up the courage to get in the water.

Read more ...

Mawwige is whut bwings us togevveh today...

I was gone much of the day at a wedding out in the middle of nowhere, Provence at a chateau/vineyard. Between being the driver and then playing my violin for a few hours, I'm beat!

I rustled up the energy to go on a walk with my brother. He's having fun doing All The Things All The Time. Like tonight, he got a triple scoop of ice cream from Fenocchio (cacao sorbet, pistachio, and cinnamon) because why not?

Inga raided my closet and found several things she liked, mostly nicer shirts and jackets.

I did some light weightlifting and leg exercises today. Still feeling very stable! Woohoo!

Read more ...

I've been feeling very normal the past few days. I had a visit with the kine this morning and all looks good on his end as well. He said it would be fine to resume my normal high-impact sports by the weekend.

I forgot to write yesterday and honestly I am struggling to remember what I did! Oh yeah, one thing that was fun was we all went up to the Freeze family soccer training. I dropped them off and then my brother and I went to my favorite antique/consignment store that's on the outskirts of town, then we rejoined them for the rest of practice. Since it was late when we got home, my brother treated us to pizza (5 different flavors!).

Dio just got back from a friendly soccer match in Antibes. His team lost by a large margin, sadly.

More gorgeous weather...not too hot but good enough to be at the beach and swim. I didn't make it today, but Zari went with my brother.

Read more ...

Anti-inertia

It's great having my brother here because he gets the kids up and out of the house! After lunch we headed to the beach for swimming, napping, and/or reading. Eric took a long swim/treasure hunt. Zari, Ivy, my brother, and I swam. Inga and Dio enjoyed the sun but didn't want to get in. There's a warm layer of water for the first few inches. It's really not bad--getting in is the worst part.

I prepared dinner and then joined my brother at a local pub to watch the last part of the Grand Prix. It was surprisingly fun. He told me all sorts of facts he had learned from his time in Monaco yesterday. I was super impressed watching the 2-second tire changes during pit stops. Seriously amazing.

After dinner but before dessert, we went outside again on the Promenade des Anglais. He brought his skateboard and taught the kids how to ride on it.

It's one of those days where we feel so lucky to live here and to have so many visitors. Hint to all our friends & family members: please come see us!

It's Mother's Day in France so I got some handmade cards from the kids--always very creative of course. Ivy also gave me some cookies she made at school.

Read more ...

Eric and Ivy had a marathon soccer tournament, from 6 am - 8 pm. I went to Inga's game in the afternoon, while Zari and Dio opted to take a bike ride out to the Var and back.

I felt well enough today to do some exercise--squats, lifting weights. Nothing too jumpy or jarring. Today I feel the most normal since my vertigo started.

We're looking forward to a chill day tomorrow with, weather permitting, some time at the beach.

My brother's view of the Grand Prix, right at the Monaco harbor.

Read more ...

I feel muddy

I had a consult with a ENT who specializes in treating vertigo and other inner-ear issues. A real specialty with in a specialty. He said it's a bit harder to determine what's going on 10 days after my vertigo started, but he is about 99% sure it is BPPV (back to the original diagnosis from my family doctor, but different from what the osteopath/kine said). Anyway, he did all sorts of tests on me, asked all sorts of questions, and sent me with a big list of bloodwork just to rule out all sorts of very rare things.

There's a word he used to describe my type of vertigo--it's less of a "crise" and more a state of being "vaseux." I looked at him blankly because that's a word I've never heard before. And looking up the translation didn't help, because "muddy, slimy, sludgy" are the most direct translations of vaseux. He described it as a general state of feeling unstable and off-balance rather than distinct episodes of vertigo. I agreed that much of the time, that's what it feels like. General unsteadiness and the room spinning around or shifting any time I'm moving.

I did more painting today--final touch-ups in Le Catamaran.

My brother came with me grocery shopping and then he made some delicious lamb kebabs for dinner: some with garlic & rosemary, others with orange teriyaki sauce. He's going to the Moncao Grand Prix tomorrow--it's the day for many qualifying races before the Big Race on Sunday. He will still see cars racing on the same track, so it should be super exciting.

Eric and Ivy will be gone all day at a tournament. Inga has one game here in town. I'm not sure what I'm going to do besides go to her game!

Read more ...

A stormy lunch

The highlight of the day was having lunch with Eric and my brother. We ate at Peixes, which is a seafood restaurant that has a 20 Euro lunch menu. So good!

It started out hot and sunny, turned cold and cloudy, and then it started hailing and pouring by the end of the meal. We were seated outdoors so that was fun. They extended the awning right before the hail hit, but it didn't stop everything. We were pretty much done eating anyway so we moved to a more protected area to wait out the worst of the storm.

I have a ENT consult tomorrow with someone who specializes in vertigo and other inner-ear issues. I'm curious to see what they say.

Read more ...

Brothers are the best

My brother arrived last night! He's here for 3 weeks and we are all super excited. He is determined to spoil the kids and earn (or rather, keep) "favorite uncle" status.

We've already done tons of fun things today:
1. He and Ivy went for a morning walk and bought pastries
2. He and I went to my favorite antique/consignment store plus ran an errand to Decathlon.
3. He and Dio went to a skate shop, where he bought a deck and then built a skateboard with trucks and wheels he brought from home
4. He and the kids designed the pattern for the grip strip on the top of the skateboard
5. He bought Dio a fancy patissserie
6. He convinced Dio, Inga, and Zari to come to the beach. He and I swam while the rest enjoyed the sun. It was amazing! We stayed in for a good 15-20 minutes.
7. He and Ivy went skateboarding/rollerblading together
8. After dinner, he invited some of the kids downstairs to to "very boring things" (aka going out for ice cream)

We have determined that we need to find him a sexy French boyfriend while he is here 🙂

I had another visit with the osteopath/kine. He did more tests with his fancy equipment and said that it looks improved since last time. One of the things he had me do, while wearing some fancy eyecoverings that track eye moments, was lie down and turn my head quicky from side to side a few times. That definitely provoked some vertigo and on his end he was seeing something on his equipment. Then he did one Epley maneuver and immediately after it was much better than it had been all day.

I'm supposed to see an ENT and also come back to the osteopath in a week.

Read more ...

Circuit de la Forna

We had a holiday today, our last until the summer break. I decided it was time for a hike! We tried the Circuit de la Forna today, which starts and ends at La Turbie, a little village high above Monaco.

I had some vertigo but was able to do the hike and mostly keep up.

We ended up cutting the loop short since the kids found some side paths they wanted to explore. Had I been at 100%, I would have insisted on doing the whole thing. But we got a good 5 km in instead of the 8 or so on the full hike.

We parked right next to the Trophée d'Auguste, which is a Roman memorial boasting about Augustus' victory over the local Gallic tribes over 2000 years ago. The original monument was 15 stories high! The part that's left is still quite imposing and towers over the old town of La Turbie.

But...the monument itself was closed on Mondays! So we weren't able to get very close. We wandered around some of the narrow streets in the old town and the kids were raving about how beautiful it was and how it was so much better than Eze ("no tourists!").

I also took a picture of the AS Monaco training facility, literally cut out of the side of a mountain. Pretty impressive.

Read more ...

I slept poorly last night, so I let myself sleep in a bit this morning. Not much vertigo today! I went on two walks, one in the morning by myself and one in the evening with Eric. He ran into a ENT specialist friend of ours, who says my vertigo is likely labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis, caused by a virus.

We had a restful afternoon at home--doing homework, playing video games, napping. Eric cooked half of the sériole (amberjack) he caught yesterday. It fed our family with some left over! Apparently this species is one of the most highly prized varieties for sushi meat in Japan.

I did a few renovating things down in Le Chateau, getting ready for my brother's visit starting on Tuesday. He is determined to cement his status of Favorite Uncle by going on lots of trips with the kids, treating them out to restaurants, going out for ice cream, and generally having tons of fun with them.

We had a family discussion during dinner about screen time--what the research says about what is optimal, what patterns we're seeing in our own family, how might we better manage our use of devices, etc. This prompted the kids to pull out our Legos and now they are building a Lego zoo filled with all sorts of fun animals.

Read more ...

50!! And fish!!

It was a momentous day: Eric turned 50! I can't believe it because it sounds so OLD. But I don't feel much older than I did 10 or 20 years ago.

Eric and Ivy had a soccer practice in the morning. As soon as they left, we started birthday preparations. Zari helped me mix up a batch of Streuselkuchen. Then I send all three kids to the store to buy decorations. They had a carte blanche and they came back with lots of stuff!

We got almost everything done before they came home. They made Eric wait downstairs in Le Chateau for about 10 minutes while we finished hanging up the last balloons.

 



Later in the afternoon, Eric went spearfishing and came home with his biggest catch ever, in terms of size and weight. He caught a 3 kg (6.6 lb) seriole, plus a big barracuda and a mackerel.

The kids invented balloon volleyball with the "joyeux anniversaire" sign.

My vertigo is a lot worse today. I was barely able to walk to the beach and back and probably looked like I had imbibed way too much alcohol.

I gave myself a summer haircut. My hair grows fast so I didn't mind parting with a good amount. I have a large bag of hair now, which I would like to donate, from me, Ivy, Inga, and my brother back when he had "Jesus" hair.

We watched "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" this evening, which was a fun way to end a very fun day.

Read more ...

We just got done watching The Quiet Place 2 and we are all suitably spooked. So many jump scares!

I ran errands all over town trying to find a store that can replace the battery on Eric's dive watch. I finally found a place...but it would cost just a few Euros less than buying the watch all over again! Fortunately, Eric did more digging around and discovered the Decathlon does it for 15 Euros. Much more reasonable.

Big day tomorrow. You'll know why...tomorrow!

I worked on CME applications much of the day. It feels almost like writing another book except way more boring. I painted the last edges of the two doors for Le Chateau (WC and electerical cupboard) so we can finally put them up tomorrow!

Read more ...

The mystery deepens...

I had my appointment this evening with the kine, who also turned out to be a DO who specializes in treating vertigo. He did all sorts of fancy tests on me with differnet machines and maniuplations of the body. And...good news...he can't find anything abnormal.

Weird news...he also doesn't think I have BPPV! He doesn't know what it is, really, except that he's ruled out a whole bunch of possibilities.

I left with instructions to contact him if it persisted or got worse, but if it goes away then no need to come back. He also suggested getting a workup from an audiologist. I am feeling more vertigo today, but not as bad as the first day.

Anyway enough about my weird inner-ear issues!

I did a little bit of a lot of things today:

• painting
• helping Eric cut down 2 doors with a table saw
• turning a loose men's button-down shirt into a semi-fitted women's shirt to fit Zari
• a few small grocery errands
• going to the beach to read with Eric...although we lost our sun after 5 minutes as a thunderstorm rolled in
• lots of breech stuff
• watching Coraline with the family. I've seen it several times and it's still just as creepy!

Ivy was supposed to have a huge sports day with many schools participating. But with the big storms rolling through, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, it got cancelled. She was so disappointed because she was determined to win the race!

Read more ...

I'm feeling much better, enough to do some painting, get around town a bit, and go on a walk. I'm so thankful that I can move and eat.

I had a morning meeting with a team who will be working on a breech birth video analysis project. I'm so excited to work on it! Our goal is to have around 200 physiologic breech birth videos to analyize. So far I have about 130 in my library so I think it's a doable goal.

Ivy has a big race tomorrow. I wanted to go, but I have a meeting at the same time. Eric is going with instructions to take some videos of the race for me. Last year she was determined to win, but in the final race she hit a wall and started hyperventilating. It took her over an hour to be able to breathe normally. Eric has been working with her this year on pacing and mental preparation.

Dio got 100% on his oral presentation for the brevet blanc! Wow! It's super rare to get 100% on anything.

Random picture of Ivy I found on my phone

Read more ...

I'm still dizzy but it's better than yesterday. I was able to eat a bit in the afternoon and again at dinner.

Lots of computer work today but sitting at the table instead of lying down.

That's about it for news!

Read more ...

Vertigo

Yesterday morning I had a brief spell of vertigo as I was going down our loft stairs. I almost fell over but thought nothing of it.

This morning, I woke up and was so dizzy I could barely crawl out of bed. It didn't go away so I consulted Dr. Google as well as my brother (he's an internal medicine MD) and, fortunately, got an appointment with my family doctor this evening.

I somehow made it through the day by moving as little as possible and keeping my eyes closed through long parts of it. Eating was out of the question.

After my appointment, which ruled out anything concerning, the diagnosis was BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo)...not surprising. I came home with two prescriptions (of course!): one for 10 sessions with a kiné who is specialized in treating vertigo, the other for an anti-vertigo medication of some sort.

Kristine Lauria has been my vertigo doula this evening since she has dealt with it herself. I did the Epley maneuvers twice and puked my guts out. So I called it good. I'm even more dizzy and more nauseated.

So yeah, that's my super exciting day. I tried eating after the doctor's appointment but it all came back up. Vomiting: 5, Rixa: 0.

I've been checked out all day and periperhally part of the family's life, huddled up in my spot on the couch. I'm so glad that at least I can huddle into a motionless lump and not, say, have to go to a workplace for 8 hours.

On the up side...the printer's proofs arrived from South Korea!

Read more ...

Yesterday was a big soccer day for 3 of the 4 kids. Dio's team, unfortunately, lost 12-0! By the end, he said he and the goalie who were the only ones even trying. Ivy's team lost 3-2. But...Inga's team won 2-0, even though they were ranked much lower and had many younger players compared to the other team. She and Eric came home very happy.

This afternoon was relaxing. We read books, did some homework, played video games, went on a walk, went spearfishing (Eric), read a bit at the beach (me). The weather is turning into summer all of a sudden and it's glorious.

Read more ...

Another day of school vacation...some soccer practices...time for the kids to relax and do some homework. Not a whole lot else going on.

Oh, we went to see a movie yesterday morning: Fall Guy. It was silly and funny and over-the-top. Just what I was expecting. Dio brought a friend along and he put up with watching it in VOST (English with subtitles). Most foreign films over here are dubbed, so you have to go out of your way to find them in the original language with subtitles. Dio's friend looked at us like we were crazy when we told him that in the US, foreign films aren't dubbed. They are subtitled.

I took ivy to the doctor today about her constant back pain. I was a bit surprised that he only looked at her for like 30 seconds. He said that her lower back seems a bit more arched than typical and recommended doing planks every other day to strengthen her core. He also prescribed an x-ray to check on the alignment of her spine. And of course prescribed doliprane (tylenol). They love that over here! Ivy is not convinced that his diagnosis is correct but I told her that doing planks is a good thing regardless.

Read more ...

We're on vacation again until next Monday! Dio said his presentation went pretty well; the biggest critique was on some of the images he used in his optional PowerPoint presentation. Weirdly specific critiques of some of the images. Zari had her big test on hundreds of dates and felt good about it.

We took a short trip to the beach mid-afternoon to read in the sun. We left earlier than normal due to thunderclouds building and starting to block the sun.

I painted window exteriors this morning and caulked in the evening. One more coat tomorrow and then they are done!

Inga and Ivy have tournaments tomorrow morning with a very early departure.

I made Dio's favorite dish tonight: salmon fennel soup. It's so good when the salmon is barely cooked through, perfectly tender.

Read more ...

I did something I haven't done for several weeks: some renovating! I worked on the window exteriors in Le Chateau, the windows that open into the staircase. Today I applied MAP around all of the big gaps. Tomorrow I can sand and caulk.

Dio has been prepping for his big oral presentation tomorrow. Zari has been memorizing hundreds of dates. Big stress tomorrow and then a nice 5-day wekeend 🙂

Ivy's back has been hurting for 5-6 weeks now, every time after she plays soccer. We keep thinking it will get better but it hasn't. I booked an appointment with our family doctor, who I predict will order MRIs and/or X-rays and/or physical therapy. Maybe all of the above?

Read more ...

With nothing scheduled at all this afternoon, we were able to take it easy together. We found time to watch one episode of Good Omens. Zari is memorizing aboug 450 dates for her big geopolitics exam. Dio is memorizing an oral presentation for Tuesday.

Eric and I even had time to sneak away for a nap downstairs in Le Chateau.

Back to school tomorrow after 2 weeks of vacation. But due to some holidays, our school week is only 2 days long!

I'm working on book 13 of Wheel of Time. I still can't keep most of the side characters straight. But it's been fun to have something that is low-key. Interesting enough to keep going through way too many volumes, but not so interesting that I drop everything else to read.

Read more ...

Ivy came home this afternoon, tired and happy, after a sleepover with her friend, plus yesterday all day with her friend at tennis camp (her dad is the coach). Zari and Inga both had soccer games.

Zari's team won 17-0, with Zari scoring 5 goals! I missed this one as I was waiting for Ivy to come home.

Ivy and I joined Zari and Eric to watch Inga's game, which they lost 0-3. It was a lovely sunny afternoon. During halftime, I gave Zari and Ivy some money and they walked to a nearby Aldi to buy some snacks.

We've started watching Good Omens, which is also a very fun book to read.

Read more ...

Rain...and more rain!

The 3 oldest kids were supposed to be on a 3-day camping trip. We're all glad it was cancelled, because they would have already been in day 2 of steady rain.

I finally managed to dry some of my breech-related items enough to pack them away. I had to put them on heaters and run fans on them. Putting them outside on the laundry lines just got them wetter!

Ivy and I are working on a quilt for one of her friends. It's mostly done. I told the kids, "Good thing I love you so much that I make cool things for your friends!"

Our fridge, which has been broken for something like 2 months now, has been declared unrepairable. We got a purchase credit and today went to the store and bought a new fridge. It's only 3 years old and has broken down so many times. I hope this new one will actually last and function properly. This is fridge #4 in 10 years.

Read more ...

Back home!

I got home last evening and tried hard not to do anything but the most urgent emails. We've been doing some crafty things, watching Doctor Who, lots of laundry and some deep cleaning. Some scary things were growing on leftovers in the fridge...Eric hadn't taken them out since before I left in early April!

It's been raining on and off all day, which has frustrated my attempts to do laundry. I did three loads but they're all wetter now than when I took them out of the washer.

Ivy and Inga made a "green space" today, finding every green object in the house and decorating a corner of the living room. They also dressed entirely in green. Now they're preparing for a blue space tomorrow. Where do they come up with these ideas? I love it!

Read more ...