Sweet Six Sunday!

With our visitors gone, we resumed normal activities this week!

one. Dinner out at Vilanova on Tuesday night
Most of our weeks are wide open these days, which is such a shift for us from our life in the US.  After realizing that we didn't have any plans Monday-Friay at night, we planned a dinner out at a cute little Italian restaurant that we found, when Andy's parents where here - Vilanova.  It not only has delicious food, but has a fun kid area that keeps our kiddos busy and gives us some time to have an adult conversation.  

Soup-eating, "freeze-gun" shouting little girl!

Cheers!

two. Book swap and Ikea

Wednesday morning had us out the door early so that I could go to the American School of Warsaw (ASW) book swap.  Students and staff can bring in a new/used book and receive a ticket to get another book.  If you didn't have any tickets, the cost of the books/movies/magazines/games was 5pln = $1.25.  What a steal! I met my friend, Tiffany, at the montessori after drop off and found some great new books for the kids.  We can never have too many books!

First ones at school, which means the teachers were both downstairs and
I got my first goodbye kisses out the window!

I then headed to Ikea, which is about a 35 minute drive from our house, on a two lane road the entire way.  Andy HATES going to Ikea and it is too hard to shop with the two kids with me, so I took one for the team and ventured out.  My main purchase was a table for the kids' dollhouse.  It used to sit on the floor, behind the playroom door and the kids just didn't love playing with it on the floor as it got knocked around.  I got this large coffee table for $30 and raised it up.  I am happy to report that they have been playing with it every day since. 

three. Pirate's life for us!
We have been living the pirate's life all week long! Pirate costumes, pirate ship and even pirate money! While making dinner this week, the kids requested a pirate ship.  Yes, they wanted a pirate ship stat! When they didn't like my quick solution of laundry baskets, daddy arrived home and saved the night! Within 15 mins, we had a pirate ship with skull and crossbones sail, a cannon and even a rope that connected the treasure chest to the back of the ship (so that their enemies wouldn't find their treasure).  Love their creativity! We then ventured to Tesco the next day to get pirate costumes (in stores now for Carnival) and made some pirate money! 

The "rope" connecting the treasure box to the ship!

Laminated and ready to be cut!

Our cute little pirates!

four. Curry Goodness
A couple weeks ago, we had a DELICIOUS curry lunch at a playdate and I have been dreaming about it ever since.  After getting the recipe and collecting all the ingredients (sure is a lot of spices), I made it this week and it was a family pleaser! 

Recipe found here:

http://www.cookingandme.com/2015/12/butter-chicken-masala-recipe-indian.html

Changes I made - I doubled the recipe as I used 2lbs of chicken, 5 medium potatoes and two sliced carrots.  I also made the garam masala from ingredients that I already had in the house, and used peanut butter instead of cashew paste.  

We were so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a pic until
dinner was over and it was ready to go in the fridge for leftovers!

five. The Little Gym
We signed up for a free introductory class at a cute gym here called The Little Gym.  They not only have a great area where the classes are held, but also a fun sitting and play area for parents and siblings.  Reese's first class was on Saturday and Beckett's will be on the 7th.  It amazes me that these instructors conduct the class in both Polish and in English, without losing the attention of the little ones.

Big brother cheering her on with his toolbox and purse!

We weren't supposed to take pics while they were in class, but I snuck a couple!

six. Day date and dinner at the Blackburn's
Saturday we had our lovely babysitter, Justyna, come at 1pm so that we could have a date day before heading over to our friends' house for dinner.  We started off at the gym and then did some shopping! We got a couple pairs of boots, a new purse and new Wayfarers! Then we headed over to Robin and Blaine's for a delicious dinner and a fun game of Cards Against Humanity! 

Wayfarers on, baby!

It was another great week in Poland!

Sweet Six Sunday! First of 2017!

Cheers to the first Sweet Six Sunday in 2017!!! I hope all of you had a great holiday week and I hope that 2017 is off to a great start for you!

One. I pumped gas for the first time this week in Poland! Andy is a refill-at-a-half-tank type guy.  I am more like a how-far-can-I-push-it type gal.  This usually results in Andy filling my car up at some point during the week (or more like a month since I don't drive that much) and I have just never had to do it.  I was a bit nervous, not even sure if my car used diesel, so I texted Andy a bunch of questions, and even took a pic of the gas pump.  Ha! Bless the man at the gas station as he pumped the gas for me (which is common, not just because he saw me snapping pics), and I headed into the gas station to pay.  I can honestly say I haven't been in a gas station in over a year, unless I had to pee.  Overall it was quite the experience and I will most likely go back to that same gas station with that sweet man next time, or just have Andy refill it. :)

Two.  The start of our year always starts off on a high note with Andy's birthday on January 3.  This year unfortunately, the old man was sick in bed and did not eat a thing all day, so we declared January 4 as a do over for his birthday! Even though he didn't feel amazing that day either, he was up for celebrating! We started off with presents as home - Beckett made him a bunch of fake money and he also received Legos and an hour and a half massage. :)  We then headed out to one of our favorite restaurants, Pomidoro, and ended the night with some singing, cake and ice cream! Happy 37th Birthday, Andy!!!

Beckett made him A LOT of fake money :)

Comparing belly size - because that is appropriate at dinner!

Three.  We finally have enough snow to let the kids go sledding again! Even though it was SUPER cold outside, Beckett asked to use their new sleds and so out we went! I was shocked by how long they were able to be out in the cold - they have to have some super power that keeps their little bodies warm, right!?!

Four.  Thursday night, Kristy hosted a White Elephant Gift Party at her house! It was great to catch up with friends who were gone for the holiday break and also to meet some new friends! The best part about the night was that instead of playing the dice game to get a gift, Kristy had created questions that each person read out loud and then they were able to steal from those that raised their hand.  For example, one question was, "Who has ever skinny dipped?" All those that had, would raise their hand and the person, reading the question, could pick a gift from those that raised their hand.  Other questions were meant for only one person, for example, "Who has been married the longest?" It was a great way to get to know each other and the questions were a great conversation/story starter.  

I walked away with this beauty from my good friend, Tiffany! 

Five.  We have been working with the kids on better behavior and improved listening over the last couple of weeks.  We implemented this pom pom jar with both Beckett and Reese, after receiving the suggestion from a good friend, Megan, and it has been AMAZING!!! Here is how it works - we can either catch the kids doing something nice, and grant them a ball, or start a task with a ball reward - "if you put your boots on the first time I ask, you can get a ball."  Quickly after starting, Beckett began doing exceptionally nice things and requested a ball - smart little cookie! Unfortunately for them, they cannot ask for balls.  Once they fill up their jar, they can pick out a present for $30 at the store.  The idea is to help them fill it quickly in the beginning to show them that they truly do get a reward, and then taper it off and have it take longer to fill their jar.  Beckett was the first to fill his jar, so we were off to Tesco on Saturday to pick out his gift.  He chose a large car carrier! Woohoo - more toys to fill up the house! ;) 

Six.   We ended the week at the Blackburn residence, with about 30 other friends, for salad and pizza! The big kids kept an eye on the littles and the adults were given some time to chat and catch up! SO fun! We have been extremely fortunate to find such great friends here!

Cheers to an amazing 2017 and many more fun weeks to come!

Sweet Six Sunday - Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!! As much as I tried to get this post done yesterday, the Christmas craziness set in and we had a morning of playing with the kiddos and a nap time full of food prep.  Everyone is now sleeping in our house and I am enjoying a moment of quiet before we head out to Disneyland Paris tomorrow morning! Cheers to another Sweet Six (or Seven) in 2016!

1. 'Tis the Season of Giving

We have been blessed with wonderful teachers at ABC Montessori, a lovely housecleaner and an amazing babysitter here in Poland! I always struggle with what to give to teachers as I want it to be meaningful, but when you are buying for six teachers and don't know them well personally, I turn to Pinterest for a creative idea. This year we gave each of them a cute little blanket with a wish to have a cozy Christmas!

Our school also helps support a local orphanage with clothes and food.  The kids helped us pick two children off the tree and we also selected a family to provide food to for Christmas Eve dinner.  We went a little overboard, to say the least, but we are so grateful that we can give to others and brighten their holidays! And I just love to give!

I also made these gift tags this year. Beckett made a comment about handing out the gifts to Reese and himself based on the letter on the gift - B for him, R for Reesie - and a lightbulb went off! It took a lot of effort this year, but since I laminated them, we can use them year after year!

2. Christmas Cards

We have missed home these last couple weeks a bit more due to the holidays, but the Christmas cards sure have brightened our spirits! We get them through Andy's company in large chunks and we love to sit on the floor as a family and open them! Thank you to everyone who sent one our way - you have no idea how much joy and love you sent to us in those little envelopes!

We had to get creative this year on how to display the cards!

I also got a sweet card from my BOB Mom's Group! Such a sweet surprise! Boy do I miss this group of ladies!

3. Our Elves - Hot Sauce and Girl

"Girl" joined our family this year and these two elves sure had some fun! The kids LOVED running down each morning to find their elves! It makes all of the effort and planning worth it!

Rocking my Barbie's roller skates from back in the day

4. Dinner with our Polish friends

One day, while at a local coffee shop, Vincent's, a man and his little daughter walked in and sat near us.  Beckett asked if he could say hello to the little girl, which was so sweet, but usually our kids either get ignored in this situation or the kids just stare at them due to the language barrier.  This time, the father asked his daughter to say "hello" back and we were shocked that he spoke English.  He asked us where we were from and after stating MN, he said that he got his Masters in MN.  We took a shot in the dark and asked if he got it at Carlson School of Management at the University of MN (where we got our degrees) and he said yes! This led to some conversation back and forth, exchange of phone numbers and we have since met up with them a couple times to get to know them better.  Michal and Karolina are both from Poland, Karolina has lived in the US a couple of times and went to an American school in Germany for most of her childhood, so they speak English very well.  They have a two year old daughter, Vicky (Victoria) and a four month old daughter, Olivia.  We visited their apartment this week for dinner (they hope to move into their new house soon) and the kids played really well together! We have really enjoyed getting to know them and their family and lovingly refer to them as our Polish friends!

5. Play date at Fikołki

After a cancelled playdate on Friday due to illness, we made the call to head out to a local indoor play area with some friends! It is SO fun to see our kids have friends again and see their excited faces when they are told we are going to play with said friends! My good friend, Tiffany, and her daughters, Avery and Addison, and another little boy, Victor, met us there and the kids played hard for two hours!

Sweaty little babes

6. Mr. India with the Blackburn Family

We had a great night with the Blackburns on Friday night, ordered Mr. India delivery, and shared some Christmas wafers.  The Christmas wafers are a Christmas Eve tradition in Poland where well wishes are shared for others as they break a piece off your wafer.  Fun had by all!

Blaine breaking the bread with Beckett

Pieces of the Christmas wafers

Grayson and Caleb 

Being a ham!

Bonus! 7. Christmas Eve with the Pellicciotis

We were blessed to share Christmas Eve with our good friends, Tiffany and Bill! We kept it simple - apps and desserts! Tiffany is a skilled hostess and had adorable little Christmas details everywhere! We ate (a lot), we drank and we laughed!

   

As we say in Polish (well, not me, but some do) - Wesołych Świąt!