Mama – Groningen Rain

30 November 2021

Happy Birthday Twins

I am so so SO thankful you’re turning four because we have NOT done much for your birthday – unlike your older brother’s birthday back in October – it’s just been a LOT.

First of all, there’s Thanksgiving – which will always be at some point at the end of November, just before your birthday.

And then we’ve got Sinterklaas – which will always be 05 December.

Now that we live back in the States, we’ll probably always celebrate Thanksgiving and hopefully always observe Sinterklaas and it means your birthdays are, well, inconvenient.

Not to say that YOU’RE inconvenient – I absolutely love getting up anytime between three and five when you’ve decided you’ve had enough sleep and I totally do not mind changing your diapers because it’s just easier for you to use a diaper than a toilet.

This year, cause of moving across the pond and Thanksgiving and Sinterklaas and receiving our stuff and a plethora of other brilliant and logical excuses, I have completely dropped the ball on your birthday.

Mostly.

I ordered quite a few presents and threw them into a closet somewhere around here – they just need to be wrapped. And we know that you each want your own mini birthday cake because you told us so when we saw them at the local grocery story. And I know balloons will need to be acquired because you went nuts over First Minion’s balloons for his birthday.

While, yes, today is technically your birthday, we’ll celebrate this Saturday.

Cause Sunday is Sinterklaas.

And, yeah, I really do hope this doesn’t cause irreparable damage to your little developing psychologies and you forgive us all the chaos of this year.

Including this.

10 October 2021

Have You Packed Yet?

[COVID Day Five Hundred Sixty Nine]

#NO

It’s fascinating to me how when I’m procrastinating doing one thing, I will do SO MANY OTHER THINGS.

That I have been procrastinating.

For example, today is supposed to be packing and getting ready for tomorrow’s FIRST WORK TRIP IN TWENTY MONTHS I’M NOT FREAKING OUT YOU’RE FREAKING OUT.

#Ahem

Instead, I’ve assembled the gaming table in the basement. And done dishes and laundry and helped a child sit on the potty cause we’re toilet training and peeing in the pants a million times still means we have to sit on the potty again, yes, this time, yes, right now, stop getting up.

And they pee’d in their pants again.

3 October 20213 October 2021

You’ve Been BOO-ED!

[COVID Day Five Hundred Sixty Two]

This is one of the very first oh so American activities I totally signed First Minion up for as soon as the sign up sheet went round – during the month of October, kids in each grade get a surprise Halloween bucket full of treats – and since I signed up so quickly, we were one of the first.

I think I got more joy out of it than First Minion.

And the twins.

“I wish you a great Halloween full of fun, mystery, and excitement.
From a fellow Bingham Farms 1st Grader!”

Instructions are as follows:

28 September 2021

Dear Past Self

[Dutch Lock Down Day Five Hundred Fifty Seven]

Go the fuck to sleep.

Boy Twin is going to wake you up at five fifty tomorrow morning. And he won’t go back to sleep. And you won’t go back to sleep. And, as a matter of fact, he’ll wake up Girl Twin.

It’ll be a regular party in Leanderland.

You will hate yourself for those hours and hours of videos.

Reading the rest of Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Latchkey is totally worth it.

But the rest of the doom scrolling and video watching and mindless gaming is so not worth it.

Trust me.

All the best,
xoxo,
Present Self

25 August 202110 September 2021

Holy Crap

[Dutch Lock Down Day Five Hundred Twenty Three]

It’s been like ten forevers since I’ve blogged.

Oke, but seriously, I am sorry I’ve been missing in action, but also it’s been #LikeThat

THAT stressful.

THAT busy.

THAT low priority.

Also, the site’s been broken – 503 – a LOT.

And then the Add New and / or Edit Post were broken.

It’s just been super frustrating and with The Actual Move happening, well, blogging was way WAY down on the priority list.

I’ll catch up over the next few days, but … yeah… LOTS of music videos.

I can’t wait to tell you about closing on the house with a power of attorney for my partner. Or how our brand new basement flooded. Or how I’m still mourning Zoe. Or how I REALLY want a corgi these days.

But that might also be me still mourning Zoe.