Is it February already??

It's a good job that 'updating my blog regularly' was not on my resolution list. They say one of the signs of growing old is constantly remarking on how quickly time is passing. I'm positively middle-aged in that case.

So let's see where am I with the resolutions that I did make:

* Sort and backup digital photos
Done. Although I admit my hand was forced when the computer that houses said photos starting coughing and spluttering. There followed a frenzied few hours of cd burning.

* Buy outfits instead of separate items
Haven't done much clothes shopping but am looking forward to keeping this one!

* Finish masters degree
Have enrolled on penultimate unit which starts March 5. Really looking forward to it.

* Get down to pre-Scarlett weight
For all the doubters out there (BO!!), I have shed 6lbs since the beginning of the year thanks to a modified South Beach diet and thrice weekly pilates. I know I could lose more if I added some cardio to the routine. Maybe next week ...

* Stop hoarding useless receipts
Done. I must have taken about 20 old Starbucks receipts from various handbags!!

Playtime

Luc plays chaperone during a play date with Anna and Scarlett. Scarlett is getting the whole crawling thing down!

Staff BBQ

We hosted a Sunday afternoon barbecue for our helpers and their families. In the past we usually took them out for dinner but this year we though a relaxed afternoon in the garden would make a nice change. To make it even more fun we hosted jointly with our friends the Purkas.

New Look for the New Year !

Thanks to preventive measures taken before going to bed, today's hangover has thus far been subdued like an unruly airplane passenger. I'm hoping that when the ibuprofen handcuffs are off, the headache doesn't make a sudden bid for freedom.

Meanwhile, if you're a returning visitor, you might have noticed that we have a new look. You will also notice that to the left of this posting, I have shared my New Years resolutions. They are intentionally not earth shattering but they are achievable and you're looking at the proof.

If you haven't made any resolutions this New Year, just resolve to check out this blog every now and then. I'll try to make it worth your while!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Christmas past, present and yet to come

No matter how many times you're told that "Christmas is all about the kids", I think this is the first year where I truly appreciated the truism. Scarlett was clearly oblivious to the entire event but Luc had a blast. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly though, the highlight for me was not seeing his face when he realised that Santa Claus had eaten the cookie and drunk the milk left out for him nor was it watching his eyes light up each time he opened one of his dozens of car themed gifts.

Instead highlights were provided by moments such as when Luc literally danced in the aisle of the church during the Christmas Eve carol service as well as him insisting on placing a tacky, plastic miniature Christmas tree underneath the big tree because "that's its mummy and it has to be near her" (sniff, sniff).

I can't wait until next Christmas!

Mini Mouse

Luc has become an expert YouTube user. First we have to type in his search criteria (usually 'monster truck crash'!!) after that he's on his own. He impresses me with his ability to scroll down the screen to pick from the selection offered and he even knows how to drag the pointer to find his favorite part of the movies.

Scarlett is also beginning to see the attraction of the computer mouse although I think her motivation might be slightly different.

The 'ber' months

In the UK a 'ber' month would be when the weather starts to get colder. Here in the Philippines though (where it never gets cold) the expression is used to describe the last four months of the year (get it?). The first 'ber' month each year is significant because an unwritten rule says that stores can now begin to play Christmas tunes.

This phenomenon has unfailingly irritated the hell out of me for the past 5 years. This year however, I have somehow been doused with Christmas spirit unusually early which I attribute to being a fun side-effect of having a kid who's old enough to get excited about the old fat guy in the red suit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This will be the first Thanksgiving for a while that we haven't spent in the US with family. Still, we will be feasting on some bird and all the appropriate fixin's. Happy turkey day to everyone!

Caption Contest

Scarlett went to play with some friends today. Here they are chilling on the couch while we mums went out for a boozy lunch ... (just kidding).

What do you think was going through her mind though? Give me your suggestions in a comment!

Our baby's growing up!

Quite a few milestones hit at around six months and Scarlett seems to have left infancy in her tracks in a matter of days.

She finds looking around much more interesting than nursing so I have decided to express milk and feed her from a bottle to ensure she gets enough. Which means that we're now on the road to weaning. She has also started to eat some 'solids' (mashed banana and rice cereal so far). I'm sure she's finding it much easier to bite through that goop with the new tooth that appeared last week!

It's great to see her hitting all these milestones. Can't help but feel slightly nostalgic though ...

Here's a picture of Scarlett and her young friend Anna taken by Anna's mummy Karin.

No peace for the wicked

I sat my end of term exam last Thursday and it was a horrible experience. It was like living the recurring nightmare where I had a literature exam the next day and hadn't even read the book. I am fiercely against exams partly because I am just terrible at them but mostly because it does nothing to prove ability to apply new found knowledge.

So I had the weekend to recover and now it's back to the classroom. This term it's Online and Distributed learning. I'm already much happier because a) there's no exam (hurray!) and b)there is already quite lively use of the course discussion board so I'm hoping that it will be quite an interactive term.

Where there's a will ...

One of the most frequently asked questions when we returned from three weeks in Europe with (shock, horror) no nanny was "How was it travelling with two kids?".

The short answer is that it was absolutely fine. Perhaps our expectations of the experience were so low that we could only be pleasantly surprised or maybe our kids are exceptionally well behaved (!). In any case, we found that a positive attitude works wonders.

One evening we found ourselves walking the streets on a rainy evening with two sleeping children in our arms looking for a restaurant that was not full. Our search finally paid off and the picture shows me celebrating with a yummy margarita surrounded by sleeping beauties!

Luc is "wild" about cars!

If you've ever spent any time with Luc, you know that he can name any make of car from 100m away and just by looking at the wheels. Much of his knowledge comes from his growing collection of car magazines.

This morning I was on the computer and Luc was flicking through one of his magazines at breakneck speed. I then became aware that he'd stopped turning the pages. Wondering whether he had stopped to admire a picture of a Ferrari, a Smart car or perhaps a Jaguar. I looked up from my screen to check out the object of this prolonged attention. Imagine my surprise when I discovered he had been staring (complete with mischievous smile) at a full page ad for the latest "Girls Gone Wild" dvd....

Here's a photo of Luc at an auto show in Paris recently.

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble!

At the tender age of 5.5 months, Scarlett's witch from the islands costume won her a fancy dress prize this week. Here she is with her proud mum.

Life is a highway ....

"Life is a highway..." according to one of the song's in Luc's favourite movie, Cars. We certainly wouldn't have disagreed with that on our recent trip to Europe which has us drive 13 hours from Budapest, Hungary to Sigisoara, Romania. Our two little travel bugs coped fantastically.
I will post some photos soon but in the meantime highlights from our trip (which began with a week in our beloved Paris) include:

* Aunt Violet finding a relative in the Transylvanian town she born in.
* Watching waiters' jaws drop when we asked for a table. At one stage we numbered 18 with ages ranging from 5 months to 80 yrs.
* Champagne boat trip on the Danube. The best part was that the moon's reflection on the water pacified a fussy Scarlett.
* Meeting up with so many old friends in Paris and Budapest many of whom have also had new babies since we last saw them.
* Somloi Galushka at the Fatal restaurant Budapest. Hungary's answer to tiramisu is so-so except at this restaurant that is not only served in an enormous serving bowl but is absolutely delicious. I had it 3 times in 4 days!
* Spending time with the US family and Luc hanging out with his cousins.
* Eating wine and cheese in France. It just doesn't taste the same anywhere else.
* Visting local food market in Paris. My first morning in Paris, I went out to look for a supermarket but stumbled upon the fantastic Boulevard de Grenelle Sunday market. Reminded me of the best thing about living in Paris ... the love of food.

Not so high lights:
* Severe jetlag on return
* Snotty waiters in Budapest. I think they went to the same finishing school as some Parisian waiters.
* That road trip

We are the champions!

Bart recently led a Philippines all-star Ultimate team (Pula, meaning "red") to victory in the men's division of the largest annual regional tournament, held in Singapore.

It was the first time that a Philippine team has won a competition in the sport abroad. There are now hundreds of teams up and down East Asia competing in this growing sport.

Bart served as player-coach of the 14-man squad, which was all Filipino save for him and one other pale-face from the States residing in these islands. As you can see, Bart was rather pleased!

Here is his team (Bart was off somewhere drinking that beer!):

Strike a Pose!

A Marketer's Dream

I think my first real movie craze was Grease when I was 8 yrs old. Just to prove how fast kids grow up these days, young Luc is already obsessed with Cars the Movie and he has a full blown crush on Sally (the cute Porsche). Word has spread and now Cars merchandise from his family all over the world has made its way into his little hands. I hate the thought of being the ultimate marketers dream but then again all his stuff makes him so happy and at least he doesn't have photos of Lindsay Lohan all over his wall!

Bowling for Manila

Luc and his classmates (plus tag along mummies) went bowling today. Luckily, he's not yet at the age where he's embarrased by silly things his parents do because he would have disowned me when I slipped and fell flat on my behind trying to chase a bowling ball down a very greasy bowling lane!! He was rather concerned about me after that which was rather touching and proceeded to ask me "are you ok?" every few minutes. Luc definitely has his own style; it was his kicking the bowling ball that led to my icescapades audition. But I think he actually might have won (I say 'think' because we absentmindedly forgot to check the screen at the end!!).