Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Clothes

As you can tell from my last post, I have been living with so few items of clothing these past few months I am not quite sure what to do with all the possibilities of my new arrival. What goes with what? What fits right? What should be saved for a fancy deal and what can be trashed? I never knew how much thinking I used to put into all of this. And it is not just me. Now that the kids don't have uniforms for school, the task is that much harder. It was fine when my kids would wear something totally ridiculous at home, but displaying it for all to see (where kids who may have some fashion sense will be) kind of worries me.

I have to admit, the first feeling I had as my maids uncovered the many boxes of clothing I possessed was pure guilt. Dress after dress they would comment on its beauty, its colour, its shape. It was humbling to think that even when I had my small pile of clothing, it was still more than what they owned. However, the other feeling I felt was excitement that I can now sort out what I need and the rest can go in a box ready to be given to someone who needs it far more than I do.

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Opening one of the billion clothing boxes

In fact, our old room that once was used to dry out our clothing during this monsoon season has now become a place where I not only keep my dryer (which really can't be used much because it sucks all the electricity out of this house), but also a place that holds all the 'give away' boxes. Each box is labelled and we will give out as many items as we see the need. I am thrilled.

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Our drying/storage room

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Our American sized dryer (which was a rare find in Dubai)

In addition to the dryer, there is so much joy in having a washing machine. Even if it is a small machine (can't really purchase one of those 'American washers' here and Dubai didn't even allow the space for anything big near the washer pipe), it is a small miracle whenever you choose the setting and push start. In fact, when the movers arrived with our goods my maids kept asking, 'Is that the washing machine?' 'How about this one, is this it?' They were both so done with spending hours scrubbing with brushes to get out all of those nasty stains.

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Our old method of washing Our new method of washing

The point is, I have too much clothing and now I am painfully aware of this fact. Nepal makes you realize this and also makes you realize that fashion is what is comfortable and what is colourful. (They love their lime greens and fluorescence oranges). Which makes my wardrobe seem quite drab.

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So, clean out the closets, get rid of the stained and drabby clothing and send it Nepal way. There is always someone here who could use it. AND I would be happy to wash it for you when it get here.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Most Anticipated Items

I am sure you can imagine why it has been difficult for me to pull myself to the computer these days. Sooooo many things to play with, who has time for blogging? I am sure I will recover from all the excitement, but I haven't been bored yet. In fact, every day I wake up I keep thinking, 'there's so much to do, and so little time.'

Here are a few of the most anticipated items...

Axel - A metal, sturdy birdcage, of course! Because 4 large wooden cages around our property just won't suffice.

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Heavah - Books, books, and more books. The more horses featured in the books, the better. She sat for hours saying 'I forgot about this one...oh, remember this one...this is the best, mom!'

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Xavier - We have almost had our stuff for a week now and Xavier only gets off this thing if a) He has to go to the bathroom, or b) He has fallen off. Strangely enough, our Band Aid box is empty...

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Asa - This fatso has been loving this bouncy seat since the minute it arrived. However (just like everyone else and their new love for their past items) he didn't care for it much before we left, but now, it is sooooo cool.

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Terah - I went from a closet that looked like this....

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To a closet that now looks somewhat like this....

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They all are clean, without holes, and smell like dryer sheets. H-e-a-v-e-n.

Sedona - What to say about a two year old who totally forgot what toys look like???? There are no words to describe the excitement. However the excitement for this...

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Seem to be equivalent to the excitement she had for this...

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I wish I knew that three months ago.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

30 someodd years of birthday lessons

Here are some of the things I learned in my 30 someodd years...

1. There is no shame in buying yourself flowers on your special day.

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2. A good restaurant with milkshakes and American food can bring soooo much happiness.

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3. The circle of life sucks, but if you are married to Axel you get used to it.

This + This

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Equals This...

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4. Wearing my skinny pants after being pregnant and having it in a box FOREVER is the best birthday present ever.

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5. Baking a cake in your own stove is a little piece of heaven.

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6. Sleeping in my own bed envokes divine birthday dreams.

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7. When my children are happy, I am happy.

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8. I married the best man in the world.

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9. Doing your business on the toilet is the BEST!

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10. The bought flowers are never as beautiful as the flowers you pick from your own garden.

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08/08/08 only happens 100 years, I couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Happiest Birthday to Me

I don't think it could get any better. PURE EURPHORIA I tell you! I found out on Tuesday that all my stuff would be arriving within 30 minutes time. I walked on air, literally jumping up and down. The crate arrived outside of Kathmandu because the truck wouldn't actually fit within the city. Then, they unloaded everything on two little trucks, 6 times over. As each box was unloaded I was reminded of Christmas morning as a kid and how the anticipation of opening the present was almost better than what was actually inside. I honestly can't recall a time that I was happier. For now (since I am dying from exhaustion) I will post a few pictures of our stuff arriving. In the days to come, I promise more goodness. But for now, I must indulge!

The Entrance

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The Truck

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The Manpower

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The Stuff

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The Rooms

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The EXCITEMENT

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Monday, August 4, 2008

Beware of Pride

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Today we were having our little family morning scripture reading. We were reading about the 'pride' of the people, which brought out a long discussion with our children about the negative connotation of the word 'pride'. That is when Xavier started on one of his rants:

Xavier: Yeah, when I was at summer camp I met this boy who said he lived in America and he had SO much pride.

(Totally made-up. All of his friends are Korean, Israeli, European, or Nepalese).

Me: Really, how so?

Xavier: He was all, "I'm SO great!" He said, "Yeah, I have toys, and lots of stuff to play with, and furniture and I have electricity..." Yah, he thought he was SO great.

Looks like it doesn't take much to impress my son. It is good to keep the bar so low. I suppose the next lesson should be on, 'Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's supply of water'.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Permanent Damage

A couple of days ago Axel brought home some fake tattoos.  There is a lack of fun things to buy for kids here.  You are pretty much limited to cheap Chinese stickers or fake tattoos. 

Axel couldn't just choose the princess tattoos or the flower tattoos, oh no, he grabbed the ones with scorpions and creepy dragons.  Nice.  It was a tad bit embarrassing dropping off Sedona in nursery with a HUGE monster head on her chest.

I am not too sure how I feel about the whole fake tattoo idea.  There is nothing worse than thinking you are pushing white trash on your kids.  Is it possible to be white trash in Nepal?  I haven't yet decided.

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                       Cute now, not so cute 15 years from now 

While surfing the net for something completely unrelated to tattoos, I came upon this....

DISCLAIMER:  This link is graphic and not for the feint of heart. It illustrates something that goes WAY beyond tattooing. Do not click this link if you fall under the following category:

*You have just eaten.

*You are thinking about eating.

*You have eaten before, uh, in your life.

*You don't like dumb people.

*You don't like dumb people who do REALLY dumb things.

*You fear that your child will be one of those dumb people one day. 

Click here.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Kiss and Tell

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A few days ago Heavah said that the neighbour boy (who is two years older than her) kissed her on the lips.

This is how Axel reacted:

"Honey, if a boy does that you immediately push him very hard and you tell him you don't like that. If necessary, hit him to get away. Then, you run straight to his mom and tell her that her son kissed you on the lips and that you didn't like it one bit. Then, you come and tell your mom and dad and we will keep you away from that boy as much as possible cause a boy can not kiss my little, sweet girl. Understand?"

The discussion was then followed up with a daddy/daughter motorcycle ride to ensure she (HE) wasn't broken up over the situation too much.

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Just yesterday a mom down the road called me asking if her two girls could play with Heavah and Xavier. I said sure, thinking Xavier may not be too interested playing Barbies with a girl his age. That is when Xavier said, 'No mom, I like her. She is really nice. Plus, I kissed her on the lips."

This is how Axel reacted:

"Way to go, son! High five!"