Immigrants, they get the job done!

We went to The Place Where Hopes & Dreams Go To Die (aka the Préfecture) and...amazingly...they didn't die this time! We received our long-term visas, which has been a process spanning over 10 years and several rejections. We are now officially immigrants and not just on a visitor visa. We can now work in France and don't have to go back to the Bad Place for 10 more years!!!!

Let's go back a few hours earlier, though. We were woken up at 6:40 am by the Ikea delivery people, ahead of schedule. About 3/4 of the order was delivered and our living room is taken over by bags and boxes.

Our next stop after the Préfecture was Ikea, and we were so happy (and hungry) that we celebrated by eating a hot meal at the cafeteria. I would have been fine with a 1 Euro vegetarian hot dog, but instead we splurged and got a proper meal.

Next stop: Leroy Merlin, the huge home improvement store. We popped in just to look at cabinet pulls and handles, but then we realized we needed a few more supplies for the kitchen renovation (wall smoothing compound, screws, anchors, blue tape).

We got home around 2 pm. Eric went into his office to work on his next book. My dad and I got to work applying wall smoothing compound (enduit garnissant) and we got it all done in just 2.5 hours. We were on fire!

Tomorrow we will sand the walls and prime. Well, maybe Monday, but knowing me, I'll probably work on it some over the weekend 🙂

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Let there be light! (and power)

I tested about 2/3 of the outlets and switches I had wired, and everything worked! I love that feeling. I joked, "I am so skilled. I can tell my colors apart and I can push wires into holes."

Tomorrow our kitchen arrives from Ikea (most of it--we're still waiting for most of the doors and drawer fronts). We'll be applying the skimcoating (enduit de lissage) and if we get that done by the end of the day, I will be very happy. Maybe we'll also get a few cabinet boxes assembled.

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Inga is Baron Harkonnen

We discovered that baby Inga, in her "Dude, where's my neck?" stage, is Baron Harkonnen's doppelganger.

Renovation news: although it looks largely the same as the end of yesterday, we did a ton of work--mostly wiring and plastering in several outlet boxes. Almost everything is in that can be installed prior to the cupboards.

I had some breech meetings today and worked more on some upcoming publications.

Ivy feels sick. There's been a nasty flu going around and she may be the first victim in our family.

Zari has yet another college application to finish tonight (McMaster). We are getting so good at shortening essays down to the exact word limit!

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Wiring

Major upheaval in the Freeze household...our living room is almost taken over entirely by the dining table and there is stuff everywhere and of course dust on top of all of the stuff. But the work is coming along on schedule, maybe even a bit faster than I had anticipated. We have all the wiring run and most of it plastered in now.

Between this work, I also did video editing and other breech stuff and met a friend at an apartment she's buying; she had all sorts of contractors and engineers there to give her their opinions. Very interesting.

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Messy, dirty work today...so much dust that we could only see a foot or two in front of us!

But the electrical lines are all cut into the walls now...all the kitchen stuff given away...big Breton armoire carried downstairs

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Dio had a soccer game this morning, which I watched. It was a lovely sunny day. His team lost 3-1 but I think Dio played well.

Zari had a game in the afternoon--they lost 8-0!

I took a walk with Inga, Ivy and my mom. We stumbled upon the "vide grenier" in the port, which was fun. I think it happens twice a month.

I've spent so much time trying to give things away, waiting for people to show up and then them not showing up (and some who did, thankfully). This reminds me why I don't like giving things away to individual people! For the 30-40 messages I've sent, it's not worth my time.

We started a new series tonight: Silo. Last night we thought we were watching the 3rd-to-last episode of Travelers, since the first 2 seasons had 13 episodes. But no--episode #10 in this season was the last one! It took us all by surprise.

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Demolition!

Everything is disconnected and demolished. Tiles and wallpaper removed. Trying to give away the leftover cabinets & oven to avoid hauling them to the landfill. The subway tiles came off easily. It was so satisfying to pry them off, especially when they came off more than one at a time.

I've drawn a schematic of the electrical work that needs to be done. My goal is to get it done by Friday (when the cabinets arrive). We'll probably spend Monday prepping the room, sealing it off with a big tarp, etc. Then we can cut the wall channels on Tuesday, wire and patch up the walls on Wed & Thursday. It's optimistic but I think it's doable.

Ivy and Inga had soccer games today. Zari and Dio went to a sport activity, playing volleyball and chair soccer (similar to ballon prisonnier but with chairs and soccer balls).

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Au revoir à la cuisine

We're giving away our kitchen tomorrow morning! Everything is unhooked, cleaned, and ready to be taken away bit by bit. (We're keeping all appliances except the oven, which is a non-standard size and won't fit in the new cupboards).

Our "kitchen" is currently residing underneath the piano in Le Chateau. We'll be eating there with my parents for the next several weeks.

We took a trip to Ikea today to order the new kitchen. Those lovely green-gray cabinets are so new that they don't even have any samples in the store, anywhere! The employees haven't even seen them yet. We ordered them anyway with big hopes 🙂

The order arrives next Friday (yikes!) so we're super motivated to get everything prepped in time. The biggest task will be electrical--we have to run a few new lines for the other wall of the "L." And there are always unexpected hiccups.

I had a late-night breech consult (family in Australia, colleagues in the US, hence the weird time) while the others watched 2 episodes of Travelers. Soccer games tomorrow for Ivy and Inga.

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Freeze family vs the water heater

(we won)

I showered this morning and the water felt like it was getting colder. But since I was just getting out, I didn't think much of it. Then Zari showered and yelled that the water was cold. Sure enough, I checked the water heater (electric 80L) and it was dead. No lights, nothing on any of the buttons.

Time for some detective work. Since my electrical engineer dad is here, I knew we could figure it out.

Step 1: Test the connections to see if there is power coming into the heater (yes, 240 volts)

Step 2: Start testing all connections inside the mess of wires, following the flow of electricity.

We found that the power came into the first little white box but was not coming out of it.

Hmmm...my dad said, "It's probably some sort of fuse. Let's see if we can buy a replacement part."

With a little Dr. Google and Dr. YouTube, we found someone showing how to reset the little breaker inside the little white fuse. We followed the instructions and voila, it worked!

It's funny because 2 nights ago I was helping Inga with her physics homework and they were studying electrical circuits, amps, volts, voltmeters, etc. I said, "Hey Inga, today I got to use a voltmeter to help fix the water heater!"

Also, guess what is happening soon based on this picture? Shelf full of tools = kitchen renovation is beginning!

The goal is to empty out the kitchen over the weekend and begin demolition on Monday.

My mom took Zari on a hunt for the "best bakery in Nice." They visited a few places and came back with several different pastries to try. While I'm not sure they are truly the "best in Nice," they were delicious!

Ivy played at the Coulée Verte with a boy in her class, from the Canadian family who rented our apartment while we were gone. Then she left straight from there to go to soccer practice. Zari is still at her practice. Dio is working on physics homework (reflection and refraction). I helped Inga with a dictée and she has now done it twice and eliminated all but 1 error.

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I woke up at 5 am, not on purpose, and was awake until the 7 am alarm clock. I woke up the kids and then went back to bed!

I had a very productive breech work day.

Best news, though: my parents arrived this afternoon! They unpacked, ate a late lunch, and then we went on a walk to enjoy the sunshine.

We're going to order our new kitchen cupboards at Ikea this Friday. Our top 2 choices are pale gray LERHYTTAN and a brand new door style in a soft gray-green called AXSTAD. The counters and backsplashes will be a quartz that looks like white marble with gray veining. I haven't yet seen the AXSTAD in person. As long as it isn't too in-your-face green, I'm leaning towards that!

What would you choose?

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I woke up drenched in sweat and super shaky...but not sick at all! It helped to get some food in my body (I had just done a 36 hr fast, as usual). I went walking with my friend and then ran some errands, so I hit my 10,000 step goal well before the end of the day.

Lots of breech research today, like yesterday. I wish I had a treadmill desk or a stationary bike or something so I can move when I have to be at my computer!

We're back into the school and soccer rhythm, which is much more reasonable over here.

My parents arrive tomorrow for their annual wintering in Nice!

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7 am came way too early! But I am glad to get back into a routine. I had grand plans to run, but then I opened the window and it was raining. Nope! Not today!

I did breech-related research all day and my head feels like it's going to explode. It requires a lot of focus but it also mildly boring and repetitive and that is a hard combination to sustain for 8+ hours!

Zari is working on her last application, due this evening. She's writing an essay about the history of the rue Droite for one of the essays.

I did some electrical sleuthing this morning and figured out which appliances are on which circuits, in preparation for our big kitchen renovation this month.

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Another application done, this one about 10 minutes before the deadline!

Zari is honing her college application essay writing skills. She must have about 20 different essays now. We're really good about helping her cut words until it reaches the limit--changing a phrase here, omitting a phrase there until it's exactly 150 or 200 or 350 words.

Zari had a soccer game mid-day and her team lost 9-1! Yikes. She had 2 good opportunities to score but neither went in.

I'm not looking forward to our 7 am wakeup tomorrow after 2 weeks of vacation.

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y=x turns into s(t) = A sin(2πft + ϕ)

aka the Freeze family used to be a slope and is now a wave

Do you get it?

One more day of winter break...then back to reality!

Dio and Ivy had friends over today. Eric went spearfishing and came home with 3 sea urchins but nothing else. Very disappointing.

I made curtains for Inga's tiny hallway room out of a vintage linen sheet I found at a thrift store. The sheet had been patched and repaired multiple times, including a straight cut across to remove the worst threadbare areas, then a French seam to put it back together. I darned a new hole and then turned it into several small curtains, further prolonging its life. It's a beautiful sheet with a hand-embroidered monogram and intricate edge.

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Down to the wire

Zari has 8 minutes to finish a university application. 7 minutes now! She better hurry.

We had a family over for dinner and games and conversation, with 5 kids Dio's age and down. It made me realize how we definitely not have been as social as we should have been!

I did sprints this morning; it definitely took some pep talks to myself to get me out the door! But I always love how I feel afterward.

Nothing planned tomorrow. Hopefully some sunbathing on the beach if it's full sun...a few kids are inviting friends over...

5 minutes and the clock is ticking. Hurry, Zari!

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Eric and I went to the sporting goods store, Spoc, which has a large used section. Eric needs new skis, since his old ones (bought used) are delaminating and separating layer by layer! I was shocked by how expensive skis are, used ones included! And new skis--may as well buy a used car. 🤣

Zari is working on 2 more applications that are due tonight.

What else went on today? Not a whole lot, honestly.

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Big deadlines

Tomorrow is the deadline for the Common App (used by many US universities) and Zari is finishing specific application essays for some universities. She's done great at writing and revising her essays, with lots of input from us.

I was hoping to go hiking today but Zari's applications took precedent. We all slept in a bit; I was the first one up a bit after 8 am and I stayed in bed for a while reading. I was in no hurry to get out of the warm covers.

I did sprints later on this morning and I'm glad I got out and made myself exercise.

Not a whole lot else going on today with most shops closed for the holiday. Lots of people out on the Promenade enjoying the beautiful weather.

The kids are starting to eat their gingerbread houses. Let's see how long demolition takes!

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Zari has a bunch of college applications and scholarship essays due today and tomorrow. We've been helping her revise, cut word counts, and come up with just the perfect word where needed.

Dio had another optional team conditioning practice, in which it was just him and his coach!

Eric and I went grocery shopping, carrying home 200 Euros of groceries. Literally carrying them, not figuratively! It was a long, heavy walk home.

It's New Year's Eve with racuous singing from the Irish pub outside...and it's only 9 pm! I doubt I'll be awake at midnight. Whereas my Argentinian friend says, "In Argentina, the party is just starting at midnight!"

Inga is decorating her room with fairly lights, fake plants hanging in blown glass bottles (one of her Christmas presents), and LED candles. She wants new curtains and nicer shelves. I see some small renovations in our future! Her room is literally a half-hallway--the space above the hallway that connects the front and back halves of the apartment.

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Gingerbread houses!

Clocktower/meeting hall by Ivy

Slanted house by Dio

Church by Inga

German half-timbered house by Zari

My morning started with a meeting with colleagues in Australia. We are just 8 videos away from reaching our goal of 200 physiological breech birth videos that show the entire process from rumping to birth!

Inga and Ivy started working on other crafts. The kids are currently playing cards with Eric. It's mid-afternoon but I'm posting early since I'm on the computer and have a bit of time.

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We finished Season 2 of Travelers tonight. It's been fun and the kids are very invested in the characters.

We had a relaxing afternoon and evening at home. Zari is currently working on an application essay. Dio is playing a game with his new monitor. Ivy and Inga are playing hearts with Eric. I'm reading a book and checking emails and doing some video editing.

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Churros, spearfishing, beach time

Inga had the idea to make churros this morning, which we've often seen at fairs but have never eaten (because I'm cheap and I am not going to spend 8 Euros for a serving of churros!). They turned out amazing! Super unhealthy but hey, it's vacation!

We all headed to the beach after lunch, Eric to spearfish and the rest of us to relax. Ivy, of course, jumped in the water!

Dio had an optional running activity with his soccer team. He and his coach were the only ones who showed up!

Zari is stressing over college application essays. "Everything I write is so cliche!"

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Gingerbread houses!

We spent all day decorating the gingerbread houses. We used up about 12 kinds of candy and several batches of frosting. Pictures of the finished houses coming tomorrow. We have one chapel, one church with a clocktower, one half-timbered house, and one slanted house that reminds me of a birdhouse.

Eric and I took some time mid-afternoon to read on the beach and sun ourselves. I love that in the middle of winter we can strip down to shorts or swimming suits and be perfectly comfortable, provided we're in a sunny, sheltered area.

Dio is feeling better although he hasn't eaten much today.

I persuaded Zari to do sprint intervals with me this morning. Eric and Inga went first to buy her some running shoes, and then Ivy joined them for a run to the Negresco and back.

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Christmas day and the aftermath

I got hit by a Lamborghini yesterday.

Don't worry--it was Ivy's remote controlled Lamborghini! 🤣

I have hardly opened my computer the last few days except to look up recipes. It's been a welcome break. Yesterday was perfect and I think all of the kids were thrilled with their presents. We had scrambled eggs and waffles for brunch and Beef Wellington, browned butter mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner, with a mango-passionfruit-vanilla bûche de Noël for dessert.

Poor Dio woke up early this morning with what we initially throught was food poisioning. He slept all day between trips to the bathroom and now has a high fever and headache. Thankfully the nausea has passed, although he hasn't been able to eat anything.

Today was dedicated to making gingerbread houses. We are making for different houses/churches entirely from scratch. We rolled, cut, baked, cooled, and started assembling today. Tomorrow will be the finall assembly and decoration.

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Christmas Eve chez la famille Freeze

Lobster 

Oysters 

Shrimp 

Langoustines 

Blini with caviar 

Blini with boursin, smoked salmon, & capers 

Champomy

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Inga had a soccer game today (they won 4-0 with Inga scoring one goal!). Eric went to it, and then they stayed for a parent's meeting / snack / gathering. Meanwhile the rest of us had a chill afternoon at home. We started a new series called "Travelers," which has been fun so far.

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Winter solstice party

After a day of Christmas shopping and other errands, we finished together with a winter solstice party with a few other families. It was a lovely low-key gathering with tons of delicious food, candles on every surface, and good conversation.

We were able to hold the party in Le Chateau since our renters left this morning. Ivy was primarily responsible for decorating, with help from her siblings.

We were supposed to go to another party after ours finished, but it ended up being too late. That was 100% fine with me. I had no desire to interact with more people.

Inga's soccer team met this afternoon to go ice skating and then to the "foire," a huge indoor carnival at the Palais des Expositions.

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It's super late and I just finished a huge video editing project and my brain is on hyper-focused mode. Time to wind down...

We're officially on holiday now!

Zari and I biked over to her university this afternoon to get her student ID card and meet with the administrative office. Because her program is multidisciplinary, she will be taking classes on 4 different campuses! She can sign up for classes in early January but they don't start until the end of the month. She will have so much time free. I hope she can fiill it with a combination of exercise, college applications, scholarship applications, and fun.

I took Inga clothes shopping to a few of my favorite thrift/vintage shops. She found a pair of pants that she's thrilled about; they can be dressed up or down.

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9 papers

Dio learned 2 days ago that he has to write 11 1-page papers for his PE class back in the States (yes, even through we moved out of the country and transferred schools, they are still making him do all of his classwork for 2 weeks! It's crazy!). They are due tomorrow after school. He powered through 9 of them today and only has 2 more to go. They each have to be about a topic related to sports, exercise, or nutrition.

I gave him lots of ideas based on things I know, so there's BFR training, intermittent fasting, HIIT training vs cardio mixed in with other topics :)

We're celebrating the winter solstice this Saturday. If you live in Nice and we are friends and I forgot to invite you, please come! Send me a WhatsApp message for details.

I made larb for dinner and banana bread with chocolate chunks. When I pulled it out of the oven, I was perplexed. It had a weird, soggy, spongy texture.

Then I realized I had forgotten the butter. And the flour! I am not sure how on earth I missed those two ingredients!

To be fair, I was cooking dinner and helping Dio with his assignments and there was a lot going on. 🤣

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Lebkuchen!

It's offically Christmas now that we've made (and eaten!) Lebkuchen. I mixed up the dough yesterday and we invited our renters (a Canadian family with 3 children) to come up and help us make them. This family stayed in our apartment while we were in the States and now they're staying in Le Chateau for a little while before they go on ski holidays and then finish off the school year in Nice.

It was super fun to finally meet them. Our kids hit it off immediately and they even had a last-minute grocery store run to buy more powdered sugar for the lemon icing. It was literally a run--with only a few minutes before closing, they ran to 4 different grocery stores before they found powdered sugar.

I did sprint intervals this morning. I think my days of normal running are limited, as one of my knees starts hurting after about 2 miles. It's not terrible pain or anything, but it definitely feels "off" once it starts hurting. I'm thinking that's probably not a good sign. But doing sprints is fine. And sprint intervals are probably more effective than jogging anyway. Win win.

Ivy and Inga got the braces installed on their molars today, so now they are all set until their appointment a month from now.

Today was soccer practice for Ivy, Inga, and Eric at Cavigal.

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Thrift store score!

This afternoon Eric and I ran a few errands and then browsed several stores in Old Nice, which shockingly I have rarely done! We found presents (can't say what they are until after Christmas!) and got ideas for other ones.

We also stopped by a thrift store and found a coat for Inga as well as one we thought would suit Zari, a lovely black wool belted trench coat with some fun design elements. I came home and convinced Zari to come with me and just try it on. It was AMAZING! And we also found a spring-weight trench coat in khaki twill with black piping, also totally amazing on her. For a grand total of 15 Euros! She's been wanting to dress a bit more sophisticated than her usual soccer jerseys and jeans. This will go a long way, I think.

I've gotten some other Christmas shopping done and am quite excited so far.

Zari came with me first thing this morning for a quick grocery run to Lidl for lebkuchen supplies. We came home with a full shopping cart and an extra bag! Lots of yummy treats as Christmas is approaching. I mixed up a huge batch of lebkuchen dough and maybe we'll roll it out tomorrow after soccer.

We've given away 5 bags of clothes and other items since we arrived, and we are selling 4 pairs of skis on the online classifieds. I love cleaning things out! With a small apartment, we have to keep paring things down because "stuff" accumulates quickly despite our best efforts.

The girls get the last parts of their braces on tomorrow before soccer. Dio just came home from soccer practice, Eric is at his men's team practice, and Zari is at her "sénior" Cavigal practice, trying out (and trying to decide if she wants to do it this year).

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First day of school!

Everything went well today. We helped get kids out the door and dropped off. Inga and Ivy didn't need me at all, so I just headed out and went running. Eric brought Dio to high school and made sure he was handed over to the person in charge of showing him around.

I took advantage of the sunny day and got vitamin D therapy on the beach with a book. And also a short nap! Eric and Zari both joined me.

Ivy and Inga and I ran errands after school and also looked for Christmas presents. We didn't come home with any gifts but were loaded up with school supplies.

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Dio's team lost 2-3 but I think they played well and played hard. Dio played the 2nd half in center-mid. Although it was sunny, it was cool enough that I got chilled and couldn't warm up for several hours even after I got indoors and kept my coat on. I finally had to take a long, hot shower.

We went to the Marché de Noël this evening. The 3 older kids didn't stay for too long as it was a lot of slow walking around while Ivy and friends played.

I've been a bit more tired today than other days. If I sit down, I start nodding off. At least it's finally bedtime!

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Soccer and more soccer!

Ivy had fun helping Eric with an under-9 girl's tournament. I had a hard time falling sleep last night so I was super tired this morning. As a result, the other kids had a late start with no one to wake them up until I was awake.

I did another big grocery run to the Asian food store, butcher, and produce market. I can now make things like larb, Thai coconut chicken soup, and Thai curries (which I made tonight with sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, onions, and a bit of chicken). It's so much more fun to cook here because I can actually get the ingredients I need.

Ivy and Inga have sore teeth and have been eating a lot of soft foods.

Eric and I went to Inga's game this afternoon. Their team is ranked #1 and they were playing the #2 team. They won 4-0! Inga didn't score but had several good assists and a few shots on goal. She played center-mid and attacker.

Tomorrow will be busy but in a fun way. I'll be going to Dio's game in the morning while the others go to church. Then there's some sort of music program and potluck picnic after. Then in the late afternoon we're meeting several friends to go to the Christmas market.

We just watched the new Beetle Juice movie tonight. Zari found a random scholarship essay contest themed around Beetle Juice so she's going to write it and see if she can win the scholarship.

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Braces x2!

Well, it was a big day today--Inga and Ivy got braces. We thought they were just going in for pictures and then they'd get them next Wednesdays. But no, they had time today! They have everything but the braces on their back molars on.

I did lots of walking around town running errands this afternoon. I can't say why because it's Christmas present related and I do have children who may read this!

Inga had practice earlier this evening and then Eric and Dio left right after she came home for his practice.

I felt fine today but while we were watching Beetle Juice this evening, I had about 20 minutes where I completely conked out.

We have a big soccer day tomorrow. Eric is helping out with a tournament for the under-9 girl's team, and Ivy is coming along as his assistant. Then in the afternoon Inga has a game. Dio has a game on Sunday. Still, everything but one event is here in town so it's not too bad.

We went to Zari's "remise du bac" this evening, where they picked up their diplomas. We were expecting a big event with hour-long speeches. But we all gathered in a big room with no chairs. There was a 5-minute speech and then everyone lined up to pick up their dimplomas from a series of tables. They milled around for a while, talking and eating some snacks. And that was it!

Zari was one of 9 students in her graduating class who got a "mention très bien avec félicitations du jury," which means a score of 18 or above and in the top 1.8% of students nationally. Not bad for missing half of every school year and doing it in a second language! Yes, I am totally bragging :)

 

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We got all the kids re-enrolled in school, with Dio, Inga, and Ivy starting next Monday. Zari's university semester doesn't start until January. She's working on various applications and scholarship essays.

I had a nice mid-afternoon walk with Zari and Eric. It was sunny and very windy. A brave person was out windsurfing, or whatever it's called when they're hooked up to a parachute and a surfboard. Parasurfing? Kite surfing?

I brought Dio to his soccer practice while Ivy and Eric went to theirs. He had a good time and his coach had very positive things to say. Except when I first went up to talk to the coach after practice, he approached me with a grave expression and said, "Your son was very misbehaved at practice today." Which is completely unlike Dio so I suspected something. Then he grinned and said, "Just kidding! He was great!"

We have orthodontist appointments tomorrow morning for Ivy and Inga.

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Freeze Family annual migration

We have arrived in Nice! Despite our first flight getting cancelled and us not being notified until a few hours before we were supposed to leave, it all worked out. We left our house at 1 pm and arrived in Nice at noon the next day.

As soon as we set foot in our apartment, French life started up. We ran into several friends and neighbors just heading out the door. Right after lunch, Ivy went to the park and played with a group of friends all afternoon. Eric and I walked to Lidl (our favorite grocery store) to stock up. I walked to pick up the "2Good2Go" surprise bags at a local bakery. (Check out the amazing breads, sandwiches, pastries, and brioches that we got for just 8 Euros!)

I haven't slept since yesterday and I'm really feeling it now.

We spent much of the evening hauling out bags from our attic storage, trying on clothes, making a "donate" pile, and unpacking suitcases. Still lots to do tomorrow but at least it's a start.

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Christmas parade, farewell party

Today was filled with various activites and amazingly, it hasn't felt stressful at all. There was a children's christmas program at church this morning. We came home for lunch and then Eric and Dio had to leave right away for a soccer game (which his team won by a large margin with Dio scoring a goal!).

The rest of us did some cleaning and laundry and then went to help out at the Christmas parade. I drove one of the parade vehicles (a van for a local radio station) and the kids helped by filling candy bags and passing out candy. Our friends who work at the radio station are hosting an exchange student from Italy. I told her, "This is so stereotypically American!"

We had a bit of time after the parade to do final cleaning and packing. Our new renters came over at 5 pm to go over the house, things like thermostats, gas/water shutoffs, how various appliances work, where the linens are stored.

We had dinner once they left, with Eric and Dio arriving home just on time. And then...a farewell party for Ivy and Inga's traveling soccer team! Some of them are still running around outside in the dark. A great way to send off the Freeze family 🙂

We leave town in the early afternoon so tomorrow will be relaxed. I have a few errands to run in the morning (thrift store drop-off, recycling, and a few purchases). But we're very close to ready.

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Our grand departure is just a few days away. I've been fixing all sorts of little things around the house that I've ignored, figuring "I'll get to that later." Well, later is now.

Dio has come down with hand, foot, and mouth disease! Besides being in the expected places, it's all over his face and arms. It looks like he has a bad case of acne. Poor kid...and he has soccer games today and tomorrow and has to run with sore feet.

Zari has officially finished high school (again). It's quite anti-climactic as she left with zero fanfare.

Tomorrow will be our big packing and cleaning day. Sunday is already filled with several activities so we can't rely on having much time then. And then Monday...au revoir!

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So much Zoom!

My expected 5 hours of Zoom meetings only turned out to be 4. But that is still a lot! Tomorrow should have much fewer meetings.

Dio stayed home from school today. I think he'll be back tomorrow. This is a 24-36 hour illness that is short but super intense.

I made a dish that the kids loved. No recipe but I caramelized an onion in butter, then added a pound of chopped mushrooms until they caramelized as well. Deglazed with a bit of water, then mixed in some flour. Added about a cup of broth and brought to a boil to thicken. Meanwhile I sauteed strips of pork chops in butter. Added about a cup of cream to the sauce and then mixed in the pork. Served over brown rice. Super simple but packed with flavor and I didn't even need to add any herbs or seasonings except salt.

And then when we were eating dinner, Zari noted that we didn't have any vegetables! Whoops! I told her the mushrooms were close enough. We eat vegetables or salad so regularly that it's super weird when we don't have them.

That's all in the exciting life of Rixa the Zoomer. Bonne nuit.

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3rd one down

Zari felt well enough to go to school this morning. Since it was a chilly 12 F (-11 C), I drove her and Dio to school.

But poor Dio...apparently he started feeling terrible during school. He went to the nurse but since he wasn't registering a fever, she sent him back to class. When I picked him up from school, he was shivering and shaking and almost crying. He promptly went to bed and has stayed in a sleep coma most of the day.

Ivy and Inga are outside playing in the snow. It's almost 10 pm. I told them, "Sure, you can go for 5 minutes." Several reminders and probably 20 minutes later, they are still outside. It's hard to say no when kids ask to play outside!

I have about 5 hours of Zoom meetings tomorrow. Need to gear up for the meeting marathon!

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Cold and sick

We'll only have one day in the next week where the temperatures will get above freezing! I'm ready to leave winter behind.

Zari woke up extremely sick with the same thing Ivy had on Thanksgiving. She was in bed all day, sleeping for much of the time.

I worked on her storm window frame this weekend. It randomly started rotting even though it's not really exposed to any consistent moisture. It even had mushrooms growing on parts! On Friday I soaked the rotten areas in a mildew remover (I figured it couldn't hurt). On Saturday I removed the completely rotton parts, drilled holes to help the wood hardener soak in, and then applied epoxy hardener to all of the soft areas. Today I mixed up the epoxy wood putty and rebuilt the frame. It's clamped and weighed down. Tomorrow I'll sand and get it ready for painting.

We finished Season 1 of Only Murders in the Building. It's been really fun although it has the occasional jokes that are a bit inappropriate for children. Eric clucks disapprovingly every time someone says an F-bomb, which actually draws more attention to it! We all know he doesn't like that word.

We left Zari resting in bed after dinner and went to the indoor track. The track itself was taken over by the baseball team, but the basketball court was empty. I walked the halls of the athletic center while the others played Horse and juggled soccer balls.

It's Christmas carol season. Ivy loves singing with Eric. I caught them at the tail end of a song, unfortunately.

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Saturday cleaning, ear piercing

I got into my bed Saturday night, intending to warm up and then get back out to write in my journal. Well, I never made it out! Too warm and comfortable.

Today was a big day: Inga got her ears pierced! She's the first sibling to do so. We went to our local tattoo/piercing shop, which looks super sketchy but comes well-recommended. The piercing guy has been doing it for 19 years and, as you may guess, has tons of piercings and the most enormous ear gauges I have ever seen. He was super nice and the process was quick and not too painful. Ivy came along to watch.

The aftercare has changed a lot since I had my ears pierced when I was 9! No more spinning the earrings 2x/day, no more cleaning with antiseptic solution. Just salt water & soap cleaning 2x/day.

We had a Freeze Family Cleaning in the morning and finished deep cleaning the kitchen, except for the fridge. We'll do that a few days before we leave.

In the evening we toured the big historic estate right off our back yard, Lane Place. It was built by the Lanes (hence the name!) who were close friends with Abraham Lincoln. 

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