Nothin' Much to Say

Well, there has been little to nothing going on the past few days. I thought I was getting sick, so I hid out for most of the weekend, sleeping and watching movies online. I would just like to point out how AWESOME technology is these days....not only can I keep up on all my favorite US TV shows while here, I can also watch literally HUNDREDS of movies on my computer at any time....and it's all completely free! So cool. I don't even know how my parents functioned without Facebook, email, Skype and online TV when they moved to Texas in the 80s. Though I'm sure, 25 years from now, my kids will be saying the exact same thing about some kind of technology that I can't even imagine yet!

And, speaking of TV shows....GLEE IS BACK! This show is my (not so secret) guilty pleasure and I am beyond excited that it's back on. I think it's adorable and the kids love to watch it too. I know that the storyline is not exactly "preschool friendly", but I seriously doubt they understand what's going on---they just love the song/dance numbers. (as do I)

I'm still really struggling with the decision to go back to school and I'm starting to panic about it. I mean I WANT to be a nurse....I WANT to help people and save lives and I definitely WANT a solid carreer; a "real job". But, I do not WANT to go back to college...at all. And it's the only way to reach from where I am now to where I want to be. The idea of sitting in a classroom again makes me want to cry from boredem and the prospect of living in Gaylord again is not a happy one. I would MUCH MUCH rather move back to Park City or find another au pair job, or just find a completely new adventure. I just feel like if I don't choose college and go back now, people will be disappointed. And what if I do go back and I hate it...or can't focus..and I end up failing? That would be even worse than not going back at all. So much suckiness. I register for classes tonight.....and then we'll see.

I wish I had more to say; sadly I don't. Workin' through bedtime today and in the afternoon tomorrow. (Yay halfday!) Then there's a three day weekend. Hoping the weather will be nice enough to do some running...I haven't been in a few days and I'm starting to feel gross. Plus, it will eventually be summer. Gotta do work.

xoxoxoxooooooooooo babies

Updated the Look...

Hey-o and happy weekend!

I got the kids up dressed and out the door to Poppy's by 10AM today and I had planned to go to the river and read, but since it's a little cooler today (and I'm a baby about the weather-how I survived UT, I'll never know) I've decided to stay in and take advantage of the quiet house. I went back to bed for a little while once they left and now I'm just playing around online til I get hungry enough for lunch. Then maybe a nap and a book in the afternoon.

As you can see, I did some remodeling of the blog last night. I wanted something more cheerful (and more pink!) I'm not sure how I feel about this though; the normal font is a bit too small I think-and when I go up to "large" font it is too big. I wish I knew HTML better, so I could just fix it there. Maybe an afternoon project.... Don't be surprised if the blog looks different by tonight and this entire paragraph is no longer relevent. =)

Anyway, in addition to updating the look of the blog, I've decided to share with you the list of blogs I follow. I know there are now people reading this purely for entertainment and not just my friends/family. (which, by the way, is a HUGE compliment) So maybe I can help you find more interesting reading material.
So, without further adieu....my Blog Roll....

Globerotting in Heels....Elisa from Globetrotting has become a frequent reader/commenter on my blog and hers is what I aspire mine to be...well written, witty and entertaining while making me think about various things.

The Daily Gunther....the story of an expat family here in Switzerland. The writer is a member of the Swiss Expat bloggers group I belong to.

Carol Nelson Snyder....I follow this blog to keep track of the progress and healing of Carol, an integreal member of the Gaylord community and mother to classmates of mine from SMH. She suffered an aneurysm last year and has been making her way up the road to full recovery.

Queso Suizo....the amazing blog kept by Stephanie's last au pair, Amanda. She is always writing about trips she and her husband take, as well as random tidbits from their Swiss life.

Nanny McNina Goes to Switzerland....the blog of another American au pair living here in Switzerland. Her experience sometimes seems wayyy more exciting than mine. And she is getting married when she returns to the US, so sometimes she shares wedding details. Yay!

Diaries of a Personal Assistant....the blog that my blog inspired! My "island friend" Hillary decided to give blogging a shot and I follow her because I love her. =) Plus she is a wonderful writer!

Anyway, ch-check 'em out. And, if you can reccomend any other great blogs I should be reading, please do!! They don't necessarily have to be written by ex-pats or nannies, they just have to be fun and interesting!

UNBELIEVABLE

First unbelievable thing....I actually had to look up the spelling of "unbelievable" for this post. Such a complicated word!

Second unbelievable thing, my hair is growing like crazy! It took a little while for all those daily vitamins to make visable difference, but now....WOW! It's too bad haircuts in Switzerland are $50+ because I will probably need several over the course of the summer. Perhaps I will ask Stephanie to help me trim it. Or perhaps I will just let it grow and show up in America in August looking like a total disaster.

Third unbelievable thing, the size of the spider I saw in the house a few nights ago. I was heading downstairs to pull some clothes out of the dryer and there he was, just chilling on the wall. I called my sister, and she refused to talk to me unless I killed it. I was wayyyy too panicky (because I HATE spiders) so I just hid in my room. Then, after getting a guy friend on skype, I worked up the nerve to kill it. I swung out at it with a bottom of a frying pan and IT JUMPED ON MY HAND! I freaked out, shook it off and fell to the floor in a pile of tears. My friend thought the spider had bit me and he started freaking out too. Like he was going to watch me die of a spider bite via skype. Oh, it was awful. It took me 20 minutes to calm down enough to crawl back into my room. Then, I sat in a near catatonic state until Stephanie came home around 1AM. She found the spider hiding between the stairs and the wall and killed it. It was too big to be killed my the poison aeresol she tried using, so she ended up smashing it with a shoe. Gross.

Fourth unbelievable thing, my insomnia may have reached an emergent state. Wednesday night I did not sleeep AT ALL. I went to bed around 11 and just laid there til nearly 2AM. At 2 I got online for 30 minutes and then tried to sleep again. At 4AM I grabbed my iPod and just laid there listening to jams until Stephanie left for her flight at 530. Then I got up, made myself a big breakfast and waited til it was time to get the kids up. I, surprisingly, wasn't very tired yesterday, but I went to bed at 930 last night and slept like a rock until 730 this morning. Hopefully it was fluke and does not become a pattern for me.

Fifth unbelievable thing, the amount of "gunk" on Liano's eyes this morning. It's definitely not pink eye (conjunctivitice) and I have never seen this much without that infection. He literally could not open his left eye because his eye lashes were glued to his face. Maybe it's allergies. Whatever it is, it's way gross and I hope Stephanie can find something at the pharmacy today to help it.

Sixth unbelievable thing, Stephanie is looking for my replacement. Not that I'm being fired, but finding a nanny is a time-consuming process. We first started emailing in early April of last year. It's just, with her searching, I feel like my leaving really is happening-soon. I know I complain about being here, but it's like being on vacation and when I get back to the US after my one-year vacation, it will be a HUGE adjustment. One that I am NOT looking foward to. Blah.

Seventh, and most unbelievable, a newborn baby was found dead in a dumpster in a small town not far from Gaylord. It has yet to be determined whether the baby was dead when it was put in the dumpster or if it died there, but either way how sick and twisted must you be to put a baby in a dumpster?!? Especially if this poor person was still alive and spent time cold, hungry and alone before it finally died. Michigan has remarkable "safe haven" laws--all the mother had to do was take her baby to a hospital, fire house or ambulance barn and she could've allowed this child to live with no repercussions at all. Hell, she could've just dialled 9-1-1 and they would've sent someone to come collect the baby and it would've been absolutely anonymous. Instead, a child is senselessly dead and when they find whoever did this, their life is essentially over too-as they will spend a significant amount of time in prison. So sick and so, so sad.

APRIL!

Happy April!

"April showers bring May flowers."
"And what do Mayflowers bring?"
"PILGRIMS!"

Haha...remember when that was like the wittiest joke you knew? I thought it was hilairious and would tell it many times during the month of April. I also thought April Fools jokes were the funnniest thing EVER--I would plot my tricks days in advance. Then, when I got older, I tried the "I'm pregnant!" thing once or twice and even tricked my parents into believing I was in jail in Saginaw one year. Brilliant.

This year, I completely forgot about April Fools Day until like 7PM. Then I quickly plotted something that ended up being pretty awesome. I called Brandi and told her the kids and I had gone to the Rhine Falls earlier in the day and OMG we saw Kellan Lutz and AnnaLynne McCord. She absolutely FREAKED out because Kellan Lutz (of Twilight fame) is her "dream guy". I told her that AnnaLynne overheard me talking to the kids and she came over to talk to me because I was speaking English. She asked me a bunch of questions and the whole time we were talking, I was thinking, "Who IS this person? She seems SO familiar." And then she walked away and I saw who she was there with....Kellan Lutz!! I didn't have my camera with me, but I forced the kids to spy on him with me for like a half hour. Poor silly Little B bought the whole thing. =) She was SO pissed! I was prertty pleased with myself.

I had a long weekend for Easter, so I made a trip up to Wurzburg, Germany, to visit Korrin. It was a nearly 5 hour train ride, but I didn't much mind. If I could just sit on a train, listen to my iPod and stare out the window forever, I would. On my first train, there was man with an infant who clearly had no idea how to care for babies. He let me hold the little girl and I ended up changing her on the back of my suitcase in the middle of our train car. It was super random and a little awkward, but I really couldn't handle listeing to her cry for 3 hours and the guy seemed genuinely grateful.

I did A LOT of sleeping while at Korrin's, which seems a little silly looking back on it (and a waste of my precious Francs) but I guess sleeping there is better than sleeping here....I mean, I got out of Switz for a few days, which was certainly nice. And I had some of the most delicious Mexican food on Saturday night. I barely saw any of the city, but I did consume large quantities of beer (and food) over the weekend. We also watched the Final 4 (MSU, how did you manage to lose that?!?!) Also, we had an Easter dinner with a few of Korrin's classmates (2 Spanish girls and a Czech girl). They were super friendly and it was really cool to talk to them. I mean, I've known a lot of "forgeiners" from my time in Utah and on the island, but it never gets old comparing childhoods, education, parties, etc... The trip back was uneventful and the kids were SUPER excited to have me back at the house. They were at their dad's for most of the weekend, but they definitely missed me when they got home. :) It's always nice to hear things like that because sometimes I feel like they don't really like me or that I am the permanant "bad cop" to them...

Anyway, I need to go make some dinner and whatnot...hope the weather is as beautiful where you are as it is here!

Thursday/Friday

First of all, what is with this weather!?!?! I don't know what it's been like lately where you are, but it's being a tricky bitch here. After celebrating 3 glorious days of 70+ and sunny, it dropped to about 60 yesterday and rained all day. Today it is barely 45. And on Tuesday it is supposed to SNOW! Ahhhhh.... =( At least while it was nice, I was able to get some color on my face and I no longer look like I might be dying. I know that have pale face is so much better fpr you, and I'll probably be all wrinkly by 50, but it beats the alternative at present. The permanant dark circles under my eyes and sometime mottled look to my forehead and cheeks give me the appearence of someone who is very ill. Not at all attractive and somewhat worrisome to some people.

So Thursday was another beautiful day. The kids and I went to the playground for a while and when they got bored of riding the slide and spinning and the merry-go-round we went down to the Rhine to feel the water and see the  ducks. The water is still absolutely freezing, so I took a bunch of pictures and sat in the sun. I'm trying to upload some of the best pictures onto here because my photos on Facebook are only viewable by my friends, but it isn't working. If I don't get it figured out and you want to see them, email me (amplatte@hotmail.com) and I'll send you a few. 

On the way home we stopped at Migros and got some ice cream. I was surprised by how relatively inexpensive it was (by Swiss standards anyway) to buy it at the market, rather than from a cafe'. I bought a fudge bar, a drumstick and a "magnum" (chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream) and it was only $3.20 To buy ice cream at one of the streetside cafe's, it's usually $4 EACH. So happy I found an inexpensive alternative because the kids do love their ice cream and I can use it as an amazing behavior modifier (i.e. stop yelling, put the toys away and eat your lunch like a nice boy and we can go get ice cream) Do I bribe these children to get what I want? Oh, only all the time. =)

The only dark spot on Thursday was that my dumb ass wore flip flops on our 2-3 mile journey and I came home with massive blisters on the soles of my feet. Plus, it made my hips/thighs burn and I spent most of yesterday limping around. Yikes! Next time, I need to remember to slip on the Nikes before tooling around town.

In the category of silly/exciting news, the Coop grocery store downtown now carries Dr. Pepper in 500mL bottles. (about the equivalent of one can) I haven't really drank pop since the Migros down the street stopped carrying Pepsi and I'll try not to make it a habit again, but Dr. Pepper is my absolute favorite! I was on cloud 9, laying in the sun and drinking one Wednesday afternoon.

In her coolest move yet, Stephanie gave me a gorgeous necklace as an Easter gift. =)  So the night of the Chinese fondue, she pulled out her newest stuff to show the neighbor and I came across a neckalce I really liked. I've found pieces I liked before, but this was the first one I actually wanted to buy. (I rarely buy jewelry because I almost never wear it.) Stephanie set it aside, but then rather than deducting the cost from my salary, she gave it to me! Called it an Easter gift! It's a long string of pearls with a large heart pendant. I showed it to Brandi and she said it was "tacky" but she also sends me puctures of guys with chronic gay-face and tells me they are hot. So her judgement doesn't count for much in my book. Sorry, B!
And, speaking of my sister, we finally have an official ticket for her! She will arrive on the 18th and leave on the 28th. I'm so excited for her to come! I even have one of those obnoxious Facebook countdowns going (52 days, 3 hours and 46 minutes until her plane lands!)

In the meantime, I haven't heard from Erin in a while, so I'm not sure when I'll see her, but I am heading up to Wurzburg, Germany, next weekend to hang out with Korrin for Easter. I have a 4-day weekend and the urge to get the H out of Switz for a bit. Plus, she hasn't started classes again yet, so it works out perfectly. We can drink beer and paint eggs and wax poetic about Gaylord. LoL

Finally, in somewhat disheartening news, I am getting sick. I think it will end up being a springtime sinus infection based on the pressure yesterday and the burn today. Plus, the left side of my nose keeps dripping like I just sniffed a line off the bathroom counter. Oops, illegal drug reference, sorry! Seriously though, it makes me so upset! I am the most miserable sick person EVER! And, I wanted to watch Michigan State basketball last night but my nose running was driving me crazy, so I went to bed even before the 230AM tip off. Boo. At least they won and play again tomorrow at 8PM.

Okay, I'm off to Migros to get some vitamin C (I took the last of my stash this morning) and then I am predicting an afternoon nap. Laterrrr

(Surprise) Party && Then Some

Because I finished German classes (YAY), Stephnanie threw me a bit of a party last night. She and I, along with her sister, her sister's boyfriend and a neighbor couple had a Chinese fondue dinner last night-so much fun! I've only ever had cheese/chocolate fondue, where you dip things in and then eat it and this was so different....and very delicious. Basically, in the fondue pot there is boiling beef stock and you stick bits of meat in to cook. While they were cooking, we ate boiled potatoes, hearts of palm, asparagus spears, pickled sweet onions, baby cucumbers and pineapple balls. And Stephanie's sister made several different sauces to dip everything in. There was curry sauce, garlic sauce (my favorite), cocktail sauce, "white" sauce and a sauce made from the pepper Stephanie brought back from S. Africa. Everything was so good and I haven't eated that much in a looong time. I was still sore when I woke up. Gross. Plus, I had a real nice buzz going, as Stephanie poured me a glass of white wine, a glass of prozeco (like champagne), and three (or was it four?) glasses of red wine during dinner.

With that unusually large amount of alcohol in me (well, unusual for Switzerland) I was able to give a decent performance of my learned German, as well as hold an entire conversation in Spanish with Alex (Nicole's boyfriend). Nicole laughed and said she had never seen me drink this much and I was during into a Beneker. I was like, "No, I'm just being Alyssa." I then had to explain to her that I was uncomfortable drinking copious amounts in front of them in the beginning. I was afraid they'd be like, "Oh my God, did we really bring this total lush over to care for the children?" Stephanie said she wouldn't have judged me like that at all, but that she could understand where I was coming from, wanting to make a good impression.

Yesterday and today the weather was BEAUTIFUL with temperatures topping out at around 70 degrees today and very sunny! Since I had today off, I spent the afternoon reading "Alice's Adventures Through the Looking Glass" and sunbathing along the Rhine. I even got a bit of a sun burn on my cheeks. Aww...how great!

I went for another run tonight and went farther/faster than I have in a while. I nearly died. I'm not very good with distance and I explained the route it wouldn't make sense to you, put let me put it this way: Stephanie was impressed. She was like, "You went that far, that fast? Wow!" And then I collapsed onto a chair and spent the next 20 trying to get my heart rate down enough for me take a shower without passing out. I got several compliments and encouragement after I last talked about my athletic endeavors, so let me be straight with you....I am doing this for purely cosmetic reasons. True I don't want to get diabetes/heart disease/cancer/dead, but I mostly want to wear a swimsuit and have a flat stomach. Plus, I am closer to 200 now than 100 and that is just fucking gross. (pardon my language) Being 5'7", I should weigh somewhere around 143lbs. and I am FAR beyond that. Like 10+ lbs beyond that. Ugh. So yeah, time to bust ass. Time's a-wastin and I need to get a move on.

So now I ask all of you a favor. Help me stay on track and reach my (undisclosed) target weight before I get back to 'Merica. Just send me a messgae asking if I ran today, reminding me to stay out of the chocolate, etc. I know this blog is supposed to be about the kids and whatever, but i'm about to take this to a whole new level. I don't blame you if you want to jump ship. So that's that.

Finally, I want to share with all of you the biggest compliment I have gotten yet. I friend recently started her own blog after following mine for a while. She said I inspired her. I've never thought of myself as an inspiring, or able to inspire others and her telling me that put a huge smile on my face. So, thanks Hillary! I can't wait to read what you have to say!

This Is Why My Monday Was Better Than Yours....

So I woke up at 8AM, drank some apple juice, pulled on a hoodie and got the kiddles of to playgroup. When we arrived, first Hot Playgroup Dad (HPD) told me good morning and winked. (Hot Dads might be better than hot "cubs") Then, the sweet little toddler gave me a big hug. She is adorable, barely 2 and super bubbly. She always talks to me (in garbled half-German--I just smile and reply "se gut" which means "is good" or "very good" or something) This wasa the first time she hugged me though, and my heart almost melted. Walked home and went back to bed for 2 hours.

Got up at 11 and skipped off to playgroup-IN A T SHIRT! Kiddles were in a decent mood and carried their own lunch boxes without whining. They actually ran, I never once had to say, "Let's go guys. I want to get home sometime today". I jumped online for half an hour to read about all the haps in 'Merica. Made lunch, which included TATER TOTS (who doesn't love tots?) and the kids ate with minimal whining.

Sent the kiddles outside and did a little housework. (Took out the trash, ran the dishwasher and even threw in a load of laundry. Then I sat outside, blasted my iTunes for the whole neighborhood to jam to and painted my finger/toe nails. Then I laid in the sun and closed my eyes for about an hour while the kiddles ran around picking me flowers. (Because it was a work day after all.)

When it got too breezy to lay comfortably in a t shirt, I jumped online and did some Facebook stalking and worked on my Farmville farm for a bit. The kids came in and drove matchbox cars up and down my legs while I read a book. Then Abuela (Stephanie's mom) came over.
The kids and I had sammichs and I caught up with Abuela who just got back from 2 1/2 weeks in Thailand. (BTW, Thailand is officially on my list of places to visit. Somewhere between Austraila and South America) The kids were so excited to see her that they forgot they to complain about dinner. (An otherwise daily occurance) Stephanie came home and I shared a bottle of wine with her and Abuela.

After Abuela left, the kids and I watched a half hour of Veggie Tales I put them to bed and took a 30 minutes scalding hot shower. Now I plan to read my blogroll (the list of blogs I "subscribe" to), maybe watch a movie and go to bed early because I stayed up too late last night watching the Michigan State basketball game. But not before I cross my fingers that tomorrow is as awesome as today was.
And what was your Monday like?