Unexpected tea time

Dear Grace, 

There were only a couple things left on our London to do list. My first attempt was trying to see a play at the Shakespeare Globe Theater with Daddy. I literally called the box-office the week after they were closed for the season. Of course it doesn't open up until after we move. My second attempt was going to Kensington Palace. You and I would frequent that beautiful garden during the warmer months and I didn't want to waste precious outdoor time spent with you inside the palace. I waited a day too late....

Enjoy!

Love, Mummy 

Kensington Palace had a huge fence around it since we've been here due to construction. We were excitedly approaching the princess museum inside, until we came across this sign...

Womp, Womp...

The sign did say The Orangery remains open. Don't mind if we do...

As we were seated, I looked at my watch. 2:00 PM. Perfect for tea time with my little girl. Thank goodness it was a very casual restaurant because we weren't exactly dressed for the occasion. 

There was even a cute explanation of the history behind tea time...

"According to legend, Anna Stanhope is the creator to tea time. Back then breakfast and dinner were huge meals and lunch was very light. Since Anna became hungry everyday around 4 PM, she had her servants sneak her a cup of tea and bread stuffs. She then began inviting her friends to Belvoir Castle for an additional meal at 5 PM. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and of course, tea. The summer practice proved so popular, the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends, asking them to 'join her for tea and a walking in the fields.' The practice of inviting friends to come to tea in the afternoon quickly picked up by other social hostesses."

"Today, afternoon tea is one of the most special times of day in London. An occasion one looks forward to  with a great anticipation and high expectation for a perfect experience."

Grace, I'm very happy I was able to share this traditional mommy/daughter moment with you while we were living in London.

T - 5 days

I'm Sexy and I Know It

Dear Lib,


Michael and I saw this, laughed aloud, and thought of you as we watched it tonight. It's Elmo's version of 'I'm Sexy and I Know It.' We cannot wait to finally live in the same city as you in less than 2 weeks.


xoxo, Kate

It's official-we're moving to Asia

Dear Grace,

We are amazed at how friendly and welcoming you are with random strangers and people from different cultures around the world.  While the French and Italians are two of your favorites, one culture has outpaced the others!  Grace, it's official, we think I should quit my job, and move our family to Asia so we can mooch off of your modeling career! I can picture it now. We'll start by hanging signs off your pram- 

$1 for a picture with the baby, 

$3 for a picture of you with the baby

$5 for a picture of you holding the baby

Cha-Ch$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ng!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Mummy and Daddy

We ran into these grandparents one day during lunch and you couldn't stop smiling and flirting with them.  By the end of the meal, they were passing you around as you did your cute head tilt.

$5 x 4 people = $20

The picture on the left below is when we were walking through the Louvre Museum in Paris.  You were so exhausted after all of the day's site-seeing we had done!  I wasn't the only one who took a picture of you napping.  About 5 sets of tour groups thought you were just as important as the Mona Lisa.

($1 x 20 people/group)(5 tour groups)= $100 minimum 

In the picture on the right, your friend, Moon, was entertaining you in front of the Eiffel Tower.  She wanted a picture with you and her mommy to remember the fun occasion.

$5 x 2 people = $10

Your Grammie Mo holding you in front of the Eiffel Tower and drawing quite the crowd. Shoot- we have to add a cost for video taping. 

($1 x 4 people) + ($8 for unlimited footage) = $12

Your first full liter of HofBrau beer in Munich.

$3 x 1 person = $3

$3 x 1 person = another HofBrau beer for Daddy

A few of your friends here thought you were even worth video taping.  Maybe you were doing your head tilt thing to them.

($8 x 1) + ($1 x 2 people) = $10

Say Cheese!!!!!

$3 x 2 people = $6

It gets better...

That will be 5 more dollars, please!

This picture still has me laughing.  Apparently, you looked so cute that this lady even thought it was worth a picture through your rain shield!!! What is she going to do with that picture?

Due to clarity issues...this one's on us.

I was late to the draw on this one below.  A large tour group with about 25-30 people were taking pictures as you smiled at them.  It was like being with a celebrity and getting chased by paparazzi.  I was finally able to get the camera out for the tail end of the tour group. *Look at your smile. :)

$1 x 25 people = $25

You had a great time with our waiter and the rest of the tables around us while on our cruise.  We took the second picture on mommy's birthday, which we were able to celebrate on the cruise....how fun!

$5 x 1 person = $5

$3 x 8 people =$24

Maybe one day you'll eventually be able to visit some of the countries in Asia.  We know we would love to.  Please be sure to take some pictures if you do!

Grand TOTAL: $223

That's without the advertisements.

wedding details

There were so many cute ideas that were fun and completed Libbie and Matt's special day...Can you say, "future Pinterest," anyone? 

IU cookies for the hotel welcome bags along with an adorable poem Mom saw at another wedding.

'Soon-to-be Mrs. Weinheimer' zip up from Jackie, one of Libbie's bridesmaids. What a cute honeymoon shower gift idea. She was able to wear it while getting ready at the salon and didn't have to worry about messing up her hair since it had a zipper. 

The perfect wedding day gift from the groom to the bride.

Jackie showing off the bottom of Lib's shoes and a picture of the bridesmaids' gifts. A lingerie bag with our initial- a unique, useful and adorable idea.

Can this count as a 'something borrowed'? My wedding veil was used as decor on my parents front door for the bridesmaid lunch. The lunch was brought to you thanks to Lisa, Amanda and Sara Schulte as well as Pinterest. Some of my favorites were the cucumber sandwiches,  protein power balls, PB & J finger sandwiches (1 of 3 of the only things Lib would eat growing up) and the mimosas!

The wedding wands were what guests shook as the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Weinheimer exited the church. (Okay...it was a fake exit since it was raining, but I'm sure they'll get GREAT pictures.) This adorable idea came from Amanda and Andrew Wilson's wedding. I heard they took FOREVER to make, but as someone who didn't have to put in the time, I thought they were worth it and too cute. Thanks Judy Flowers for all your efforts. I heard there are about 70 extra---does anyone want them for $2/each??? :)

 

The flowers were gorgeous all weekend including those at the rehearsal dinner, church, bouquets for the girls, and of course the centerpieces. This is the only picture I took of the flowers. Mr. Davies, father to a beautiful 1 + year old, taking 2 centerpieces back to the hotel room at around 2 AM. LOVE it! 

Wait for it...thanks to Facebook, I have found a picture of a centerpiece on a table AND their cake! Thanks Stephanie Janczak for your detailed pictures. 

heart craft

Thanks to Pinterest and Moorea Seal, I stumbled across this adorable way to spread kindness and compassion. She made this inexpensive gift for her father's birthday. After sewing the hearts, she hid them and told him every time he finds one, he will hopefully think of her and how much she loves him. Talk about a tear jerker and a gift that keeps on giving. She presented the gift with a mason jar (who doesn't love mason jars?) and a simple note tied with a ribbon. 


My thoughts- This would make the perfect, Valentine's day, homemade only xmas, or just anytime gift for someone you love. I think anyone would appreciate it: a grandparent, parent, kid, spouse, etc. I also though it would be fun to fill it with a delicious scent. Maybe lavender? 


Check out Moorea's website for more creative ideas. 

I shared this idea with my old coworkers and they went with it. Using their school resources, I'm pretty sure they followed through with this idea the same day I sent it to them. 

One of my closest coworkers even came up with this ADORABLE poem. Isn't she talented? It probably took her 5 seconds to think of it. She's one of those. :) 

If you can't read the pictures which were sent to me, let me know and I'll add that to this post.

PS Does this count as following through with my 1st Pinterest crafty project? :) 

PPS Moments like these make me miss being in the 5th grade hallway at Kahler Middle School. 

the good, the bad and the ugly

Dear Grace,
Today was just one of those days I wish I had the resources I was spoiled with having back home. I hate to complain, BUT I'm going to...

• The past 48 hours I've been playing single parent (Daddy went to a local football (soccer) game with his good friend last night and tonight he has a work dinner)
• Neighbors moved into the garden flat below us and boy are they smokers! For some reason we only smell smoke in your bedroom and it's TERRIBLE. You're sleeping in our bedroom with us. It's so bad; we don't even want to sleep in that room. We've contacted the owner of our flat so we don't have to pay for extra cleaning costs or any damage due to the smell and we're starting to wonder about our clothes we keep in there. :(
• Last night you just wanted to be cuddled. I went to you 3 times because you were screaming bloody murder, which is uncharacteristic of you. 
• I keep hearing myself tell you, "I don't' understand whining."
• You just don't seem yourself. It's bitter sweet because you are snuggling with me more than ever. But, for your first time, when you woke up this am, you put your thumb in your mouth, closed your eyes and rested your head on my shoulder. This was the first of many similar moments today. Bitter sweet.
• When I've tried giving you your vitamins the past 2 days, you started crying (with real tears). 
• You're the pickiest eater today. I feel like you barely ate a thing.
• As soon as I took off your diaper to put you in the tub, you peed on the floor. At least you smiled at me while you were doing it!
• You were saying, "Dada," and reaching out toward the front door as I was feeding you your bedtime bottle. 
• Having our frat sized kitchen, fridge, and washer/dryer just wasn't enough today.

Possibile reasons: Tuesday you broke out in hives due to a topical allergic reaction to something-yea, probably not. You also received your 12 month vaccines on Tuesday-happy birthday to you. Daddy hasn't been around for your nighttime routine the past 2 nights, which you love and have been accustomed to. You're almost completely weened from breastfeeding- that plus Mommy attachment. You already miss the Blossoms, Harts and Millers. 2nd hand smoke from our neighbors can't feel good to your little lungs. Or it's just one of those days... 

Maybe (D) all of the above. 

3 positives: The Blossoms came over and brought us lunch today! We both received many goodbye and Happy Christmas hugs from them. You were introduced to cow's milk and I think you liked it. I received some love and hellos from my old coworkers. Talk about knowing how to brighten up a girl's day. 

I love you very much and look forward to having a fabulous Friday with you tomorrow. 

xoxo, Mummy 

mail time

Grace, currently one of your favorite activities to do with me is to sort the mail into the different flat's mail slots. The mail gets shoved through the front door slot on to the floor in the foyer of our building.     I wonder if anyone else ever sorts our building's mail when we're gone. Or does everyone waist the same amount of time searching through the pile for their name and flat #? 

We received two very important letters in the mail last week. The first was the Spitzer's baby announcement. Welcome to the world, Quinn Bitting Spitzer! You were born into an amazingly loving family on August 8th, 2011 at 1:23 AM. 9 pounds 5 ounces and 20 inches! I hear you are having a blast with your big brother, Brock and bigger sister, Audrey. We can't wait to meet you in person once we move back to the states. Skype just isn't the same. xoxo

Our second piece of important mail was a wedding invitation addressed to the entire family. Grace, the first wedding you were invited to and will attend is the wedding for your Aunt Libbie and future-Uncle Matt. It was a simple and elegant wedding invitation. Ripping it open and reading it aloud to you, made me even more excited to go home in November for the big event. We're counting down the days... 48 more to go! xoxo 

One of the best feelings is seeing a piece of mail with Nierengarten written across it. Since it isn't a frequent event, I even get excited when it's an advertisement. It's amazing the small amount of junk mail you receive when you move to a new country. 

Random Thoughts

Grace and I had a great Mommy/daughter day. It was the most typical and *relaxing day we've had in a while. I just had one of those days where I was able to take a deep breath, relax and had several moments where I found myself smiling for no particular reason. It was the first time in a while I was able to shut off my brain and let it wonder. I thought it would be interesting to jot down some of my randomness while walking/taking the tube through Regent's Park to the Boots on High Street Kensington. 

• Michael looks thinner to me. Wow- did I miss him!
• Grace and I made it back to London safely. 
• I'm getting very good and efficient at traveling (with a baby).
• I should start sharing my traveling tips.
• Graces doctor appointments in the US and UK went well. She's continued growing bw the 2 appointments. She didn't have more blood tests today, but we will do it in 2 months from now. Her levels that were low are more common than not in babies under 18 months. 
• I've been thinking of Paul and Kristen nonstop since there is a slight chance Grace may have Celiac Disease. 
• If I couldn't cook with gluten for my daughter that would be silly to cook it for myself. Is that automatic weight loss program? Alyse?
• I cannot believe nurses draw the same amount of blood from a baby as they do adults- 5 full vials. They even use the same word choice, "Now this may pinch a little."
• Can you believe Grace stopped crying in the middle of it?
• 45 mins of my day was spend trying to nurse Grace in the pediatrician's sitting room.
• It ended up turning into a play date with a family from Nigeria instead.
• I really need to stop leaving home without my camera. 
• I need to check out Amanda Schulte's blog about Morocco. 
• I should start keeping a to do list. And only ONE list. Which should be located in the same spot. 
• I had a blast with my sister celebrating her happiness. Bridal shower and bachelorette party all in one week! 
• I miss my family.
• Grace grew so much while we were visiting all our family and friends back home in the states. 
• American luxuries I miss: ice, good laundry facilities, cheap manis and pedis, my car, Target. 
• I don't know which view makes me happiest: Regent's Park, IU's sample gates, or the Chicago skyline. 
• ...hmmm...I may have just put them in my current order.
• The roses in Reget's Park are bigger, more beautiful and more deliciously fragrant than I remember. 
• Seeing little kids dressed up in their Matilda school girl uniforms make me smile.
• ...while riding a scooter is an added bonus. 
• I cannot believe xmas items are already on sale. 
• Grammie Mo, Grandpa Den and Uncle Matt have started and continued Grace's Disney DVD collection. Her Halloween gift was Mary Poppins. 
• Some of the Disney DVDs go in a vault and are only sold every 5 years. Who knew? Dumbo was apparently JUST released. 
• I feel blessed to have life long friends in both my home cities. (Chicago and London) 
• I can't believe this is the 2nd school year I'm not working. 
• I think it's more important to stay home with Grace.
• Somedays, I even think it's more difficult. 

Alright...I need to stop. I could go on forever and ever. If you're still reading: I'm impressed and would love to hear a random reply. I would especially love for it to be from someone random as well. 

*It wasn't very relaxing taking the tube (having to switch a couple times) to the pediatrician 45+ mins away. 

changing the world- one girl at a time

My friend, Amber, sent me the following email with a link to an interesting article:
"This was so profound to me. I will here forward be asking Grace questions about books and current events when I see her." xo, A


It has inspired me enough to blog about it and take the pledge....

I highly recommend you read the GREAT article How to Talk to Little Girls by Lisa Bloom, which encourages adults to ask little girls about ideas and books, instead of complimenting their looks. "Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything," says Bloom. 


(It's crazy how true this is if you think about it. I admit, I think it's natural to compliment a little girl (or her parent) on how adorable she is, her big beautiful eyes, contagious smile, gorgeous outfit, and so on...)


"Clothes or hair or bodies...it's surprising how hard it is to stay away from those topics with little girls, but I'm stubborn," Bloom writes. "Try this the next time you meet a little girl [ask her what she's reading]. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it...Model for her what a thinking woman says and does."


I tried this out tonight with an adorable 9 year-old. She had beautiful blond hair, a big smile and her outfit was so darn cute. Instead of complimenting her, which I have to admit I'm a little paranoid about how often I have done this in the past, I literally asked her what the last book was she read. She thought about it and said, "the American Girl magazine. I really like the pictures." We ended up having a conversation about how she loves taking pictures, particularly the side view of objects. She grabbed her parent's DSLR camera and showed me her favorite picture she has taken so far on her holiday (holiday=vacation here in London). I complimented her picture and told her specifically what I liked about it (a teaching technique) and asked her to show me another picture she was proud of. This discussion turned into how she's continuing her holiday to Paris tomorrow and she's excited to take really cool pictures of the Eiffel Tower. I told her how, Amber, our mutual friend, took cool pictures of the Eiffel Tower while she was there and suggested they swap their favorite pictures via email to see each other's perspective. I'm curious to see if they do this and hope I can check out both pictures. What an idea to travel to a country with your big kid camera and later compare your perspective of the same thing with a 9-year old? I know I'm a dorky teacher at heart, but it doesn't get much cooler than that.

What enlightening advice from Lisa Bloom's to have real conversations with little girls (and boys!). Can you imagine the possibilities, teachable moments, and random influences that can be had with kids everywhere! This concept definitely fulfills my passion to talk to complete strangers who are willing to listen to me. Hopefully, I don't become the creepy mummy who tries to have meaningful conversations with the little kids at the park. Who cares...you know this is going to be me. :) Students and parents have complimented me in the past for talking to their child as "an adult" instead of talking down to them. It's amazing how excited they are to share their thoughts and opinions with you when you take the time to just talk to them. It was something I felt was important to do as a teacher, especially being a teacher of kids with special needs. I just never knew the depth behind it or the potential affect. 


The stats behind Lisa Bloom's article are unsettling and thought provoking. "15-18% of girls under 12 now wear mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and 25% of American woman would rather win Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize."


Now it's your turn. Just try it...[what book are you reading? How do you feel about summer coming to an end? What are you most/least excited about school starting in a couple of weeks? Who's your best friend? Why is he/she your best friend? Where do you like you'll live when you're your parents' age? What is the last dream you remember having? Do you want to go to college? What do you want to be when you grow up? What is your favorite vacation/holiday you have taken with your family? Can you share a picture you took that you are proud to show off?] Who is the last girl you had a conversation with and what was it about? Was she your daughter, niece, cousin, neighbor, family friend, student, patient, or maybe a complete stranger?  


Will you take the pledge? Please share your story(ies) with me if you're stubborn enough like Lisa Bloom, and now me, to initiate intelligent conversations with little girls (and don't forget about the boys) instead of complimenting their good looks. 


This topic is currently consuming my mind. I literally couldn't turn off my brain last night while sitting in bed. Katie, I was thinking of you because I was up past 1 AM. I have two new books added to my must read list. Can you tell I'm excited to feed my brain something other than the daily conversations between my 7.5 month old daughter and me?


Good luck changing the world- one girl at a time!


*Thanks, Amber for feeding my brain today.

How to Talk to Girls, original article by: Lisa Bloom
A Cup of Jo, the blog post Amber sent me
Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed Down World, title of the book

Marylebone Summer Fair

I'm a little behind with my posts. This is still from Michael's first Father's Day. We started heading home from Regent's Park (the 101 Dalmatian walk) and stumbled into this street festival. We had an amazing lunch, laughed at a Chinese man singing our wedding song, and were able to call both of our Dads. A similar festival is going to take place on Earl's Court, which is around the corner from us in July. I can't wait! PS I recorded our wedding song on my Flipvideo, but I can't figure out how to get it on to my Mac??? So sad because it's hilarious! 

I thought this little guy was staring right at me while I was taking his picture.

The kids (and I) loved the sunflower lady. Everything is more entertaining when you have a British accent. 

my lunch...

Michael's lunch...

Miss Grace-- just hanging out in her pram and lovin life! xoxo

the journey continues...

Peacocks

Apparently there are always peacocks in Holland Park. I still don't quite understand and I have become a little obsessed. The park isn't enclosed, however, these peacocks are always there and aren't seen roaming around anywhere else in the city. hmmm??? They are gorgeous, fast, and people friendly...who knew? I dragged Michael all the way to the park to check them out Friday evening before going out to dinner (about a 15 min walk). I definitely had my gitty KT game face on. Picture this...I was running around, chasing peacocks trying my best to get a good picture. Like I said, they move quickly! Michael didn't appreciate them- he was acting like all the other people in the park. I guess it was typical day in the park with the peacocks for them. Aren't they beautiful?

random memories

Thursday was a day that everywhere I looked the most random things kept popping up and reminded me of people back home in the states. Bare with me on this one because this is definitely going to be my most random post.

Grace and I started our morning in a cafe (today's choice was Paul). This brings me to the first person who I thought about- my cousin, Samantha Henry. She has recently spent time in Paris. I believe she was taking a class. Samantha, please correct me if I'm wrong on the comment section. She fell in love with macaroons during her travels. You may remember a previous post where her mother, Aunt Donita, and I went to several French cafes in Chicago seeking out macaroons to be brought back to Kentucky for Samantha. This was also the scary post about the waitress who spilled the hot tea pot and coffee on the 1-year-old girl! While in this cafe, I noticed the delicious macaroons so in Samantha's honor I had to try one. Unfortunately, I now share the same appreciation for macaroons (specifically raspberry flavored) as my cousin. Thanks a lot, Samatha! ;)

After breakfast, we were just strolling along, following cool looking buildings and areas. (Mom, don't worry- I'm surprisingly getting really good at using a map and I keep track of where I am...well, most of the time.) Oops...except for that one time this week where I thought I was lost. More on that later.

As I was saying, Grace and I were strolling around and walked toward this particularly cool looking building, which ended up being the Natural History Museum. I later found out there are about 3-4 museums next to each other and they're all FREE! Perfect activity for Grace and me to explore. I do think I was more excited to check out the architecture of the actual building than what was inside. For school-age kids this would be a great afternoon outing/field trip. (Once a teacher...) Everyone else seemed to agree- the place was filled with families and school field trips. It reminded me of the Chicago Field Museum- they even had their own "Sue" dinosaur welcoming you in the front hall. Side note: The founder of Sue is from Munster, Indiana and graduated with my mother-in-law, Maureen!

cool looking building

main entrance to the London Natural History Museum

This brings me to the second person who I thought about- Matt Nierengarten. This placed was filled with cool interactive exhibits of natural disasters, evolution, etc. Not to mention the many animals and creepy crawlers they had preserved. Grace's favorite exhibit was the sparkly, shiny room filled with precious stones- we may have a problem in the making. I was just picturing Matt's head on a swivel constantly looking round and round. It made me think about his many "at home science experiments" from Kathy Eberle like the skull head he puts in water near Halloween and shows everyone who stops by how big it grows. 

Speaking of the creepy crawlers, this brings me to the third person who I thought about- Dawn Buckley. She was the former art teacher at Elliott Elementary School in Munster (my Mom's former school as well as my elementary school). You may remember my former post about Grace's play date with her two beautiful daughters. On Wednesday evenings, Dawn has been teaching an art class for kids and adults with disabilities. I think she said the age is anywhere from babies to 28 years old. I thought this would be a perfect activity for Matt and I to do together while Grammie Mo and Grandpa Den hung out with Grace, but things got a bit hectic the last month I was home. Hopefully her art class continues to be a huge success and we make something real cool when I get back. Dawn, how cute of an idea is this to incorporate science into teaching the color wheel? I could have seen you and Julie Glavin collaborating on a cool unit.

What was supposed to be a quick view of a free museum, ended up being over 2 hours...oops! We then headed toward Kensington Gardens. Talk about a huge, beautiful, active park! I'm pretty sure I will get myself lost in there. I was trying to follow the signs to see Princess Diana's waterfall memorial and playground- either the signs/paths are confusing or I need some help. I did run into the Peter Pan statue, which brings me to the fourth person who I thought about- Mrs. Casciari. In the past couple of months I have had the pleasure of getting to know Rachel's family, especially her mother. Grace and I might possibly refer to her as the Disney lady from now on. My first Disney experience (I was pregnant so does that mean I can count it as Grace's 1st too?) was with Michael, Rachel, and Mrs. Casciari in California. We had such a blast with her. When Grace was born she bought her a a Minnie Mouse sleeper, which currently fits and she wears all the time. I'm pretty sure she expects us to come back to Cali with Grace to really see Disneyland-- okay, twist my arm... Right before our move we were all at Rachel's new fabulous apartment in Chicago actually watching the Royal Wedding and the one thing her Mom reminded me that I had to see with Grace is the Peter Pan statue since the story was based out of London. Well, Mrs. Casciari, I'm proud to say I can check that off my list after 3 days of moving here. :)

Alright...this is it for now. I warned you this was going to be random.