My Trash

Ever since we came to Amsterdam on our recon mission in the Spring of 2011 I have been fascinated with the way recycling is done.  Large, underground dumpsters are available every few blocks for residents to deposit their glass and paper.  Every so often (knowing the Dutch I'm sure there is a schedule) a truck comes along to empty them.  The really cool thing is that the truck has one driver who single handedly empties these dumpsters with the aid of a remote control attached to his belt!

For two years I have waited for an opportunity to photograph this and last week I finally got one.  When I was done taking pictures the driver approached me.  He apologized (he backed up the truck just as I was maneuvering my gigantic bicycle out of its parking spot) and asked about the picture I took.  We started talking about recycling and he said it was important because, "it makes a better milieu."  By that, I think he meant a better environment but I liked the idea of it simply creating better surroundings.

My friendly neighborhood recycling guy lifting the paper recycling dumpster  with a crane arm.  You can see the truck it is going into as well as the glass dumpster next to it.  

Each dumpster is lifted above the truck then the driver presses something on the remote control that makes the bottom open up and the contents are deposited into the truck.  It's really very cool.

First Day of School

 M started school last week.  It's what the British call Year 1 which is the equivalent of US kindergarten.

           

 

The week was OK.  It seems they are giving the children ample time to settle in and M thinks there is too much playing.  He told me he's dying to do some math and loves learning new things.  Hopefully things will take a turn for the academic soon.  He's used to a rigorous pace:  in Reception last year (the equivalent of US Pre-K) they learned how to read and how to tell time!

Staycation Concludes

On Thursday we rode over to Flevorpark and took park in an urban foraging walk for kids.  We learned how to identify several plants, including Elder, Plantain, Mugwart, Hazel and Poppy.  We also saw the plant that was the inspiration for Velcro!  It was a lot of fun, and at the end we made our own pizzas in a wood-fired oven.  The photos below were taken off of the website for the walk since we were all too engaged in what we were learning to take pics that day.

Jeungdland in Flevopark

The oven we cooked our pizzas in.

Friday was our last day of staycation.  We toured the palace in Dam Square, something M has asked about since we arrived here.  They had a great (free) audio tour for kids that centered around a kid, the child of Louis Napoleon, who once lived in the palace.  It included quiz questions and a medal for attaching stickers.  If you answered the questions correctly the stickers around the perimeter spelled out a message.  We all really enjoyed this.

After the palace we went to the Amsterdam Museum where we enjoyed a special kids exhibit about the 17th century orphanage in which the museum is now housed.  

A Day Out in Rotterdam

When we first suggested the idea of a staycation to M he immediately suggested we visit Rotterdam.  We aren't sure where he got this idea since neither of us really had any idea what was in Rotterdam, but it turned out to be one of the best days of our week.

The day started with a bit of a shaky start--we left a little later than anticipated, look a local train, and had to get off a few stops early to make an emergency pit stop, then wait a half hour for the next train.  This meant we got to Rotterdam ready for lunch and a little discombobulated, but once we figured out which side of the station to exit on we quickly found a nice wine bar and our day turned around.

Our first stop was Euromast.  a 600 foot observation tower that overlooks Rotterdam's famous port, or as we dubbed it, The Dutch Space Needle.   We walked there, taking in some of the ambience of Rotterdam (and wishing we had brought bikes).  Most people who know me know that heights are not my thing.  I have only been to the top of the Empire State Building 3 times, all reluctantly, and all with very good friends to support me.  I will also never forget the look on my parents' faces when I climbed to the top of Blarney Castle (and the subsequent looks of annoyance every time--about 5 million-- I exclaimed my pride at what I had done).

M knows I don't love heights so he told me he'd hold my hand the whole time.  I quickly dismissed him since it was clear my freakish phobia was holding him back.  After a few minutes he and P ascended the stairs to the the second level of the observation deck to board the rotating glass elevator that ascends the final 50 feet to the top.

Next we headed over to Delfshaven, an historic district and one of the few places in Rotterdam that wasn't destroyed in the second world war.  There we visited a working windmill that actually sells flours to the public.  We bought a couple of bags of different flours for 1.30 euro. In the States artisanal flour would have easily been twice that price.

Finally for dinner we stopped at a restaurant in Chinatown. After 15 years in NY I'm a Chinese food snob--I don't eat suburban Chinese food. This was the top notch urban Chinese food I crave. M didn't get to bed until 9:15 which is a new record for him.

The little town where we had a pit stop.    
So little that M had to pee in the bushes.

I love that M has worn his Hyannis Marina
t-shirt throughout Europe!

M had a great time with the screen in the train station where he could chase after rhinos,
astronauts and storm clouds.

The view from Euromast. Yes, I eventually calmed down enough to take this photo.

A door at the top of Euromas twas labelled "stars"
but I think it was meant to say "stairs."

Unfortunately we missed the Lego building event,
but M was still able to get his picture taken with the Lego Friends.

The working windmill where we bought flour.  It was amazing how much noise it made!

Delftshaven was historic, but living in an historic area we were underwhelmed.

Staycation: Days 3 and 4

On Monday we took a short train ride to a town called Zaandfoort aan Zee on the North Atlantic coast. It was remarkable how this town reminded me of other North Atlantic beaches close to urban areas, like Nantasket and Long Beach.  The beach is lined with restaurants that have lounge chairs for rent right outside their premises.  While we didn't rent chairs--of course M wanted to dig in the sand close to the water--we did have a very nice lunch at one of them.  M had a great time building a castle and frolicking in the tidal pools left at low tide.  It was a very fun day out, but also exhausting.

We got dinner at a local snack bar chain I've always wanted to try, FEBO.  The fries were good, which was great because the quantity of fries at lunch was disappointing.

The big sand castle we made.

M having a blast in the sand.

On Tuesday we went to the Troppenmuseum which was like a trip around the world and just about as exhausting!  The cafe even features cuisine from around the world.  I can't say enough about how interesting and fun this museum is and it will now be my go-to recommendation for guests.  M loved the houses that were open to crawl into and all of the spices on display.

Dancing around the Yemeni home exhibit.

M and P learning about drums of the world.

A bodhran (Irish drum) in the music exhibit.  (This pic is for my mom)

Sunday, Part II

On Sunday M and Peter had their own little adventure:  they took the train to Ossterbeek.  Here's Peter's account of their day:

M and I went to the Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek near Arnhem to remember the campaign "Operation Market Garden" and to satisfy M's growing curiosity with WWII. We both enjoyed the museum and M especially enjoyed the "Airborne Experience" where you relive the campaign and follow in the footsteps of British paratroopers as they battle their way to Arnhem. It was quite intense, frightening, loud and scary for a six year old. So much so that we had to do it twice! What can I say? The trip was rounded off by a visit to the museum shop to buy some "faux lego" of an army ambulance and jeep.

What Peter doesn't mention is that he completely organized this on his own so that I could see Jane, even packing up the bag for the outing.  They had a great day out together and it set a nice tone for the rest of the week. Peter continued to pack the outing bag every day, do any necessary train research and M was so bonded with him that in some ways I actually got a slight vacation from my usual parenting responsibilities!

Gazelligheid (Or, Sunday, Part I)

Proof that Jane navigated around Zuid by bike!

Gazelligheid is a Dutch word regarded as untranslatable into English.  It refers to the cozy feeling of spending time with friends, particularly after a long absence.  I was really lucky to have a truly "gazellig" day during staycation.

Jane, my BFF from my year in Dominica, was in Amsterdam with her 13-year-old daughter, Melissa.  Jane and I left Dominica around the same time; she and her family now live in the UK.  Despite our best intentions we have seen each other only once since 1998, when she and her family traveled to Washington, DC, when Melissa was an infant.  This DC was one of many trips that Jane and her family has won (they are incredibly lucky like that).

From the minute I arrived at their hotel it was like I had just seen them the day before.  What I have always loved about Jane is her zest for life.  To say she is fun loving doesn't begin to describe her (and makes her sound like a party girl which isn't the case).  Jane is filled with an infectious positivity that just makes people love to be around her.

Our plan was to cycle over to Art Zuid, a large scale public art exhibit in my neighborhood, and then get some dinner.  While Melissa is an expert cyclist, Jane (like me) isn't super comfortable cycling on main roads and prefers to stick to less populated paths.  Despite this, Jane made it to Art Zuid, out to dinner (Where we met M and Peter who had their own adventure) and back without incident.  Jane and Melissa were the most fearless guests we have had to date!

The big sauna skull...

...and with a visitor inside.  Sadly we learned it smelled a bit like wee.

We all agreed this bit of bling was one of our favorites.

Melissa and Jane looking lovely (and proud!) after a day of cycling.

Staycation: The Slow Start

Suddenly Saturday morning was upon us and although I had done plenty of planning for the week to come, I had somehow failed to plan anything for the weekend and was at a bit of a loss for the first day of staycation.

The view on the way to Niewe Meer was encouraging

One of the things we wanted to do was check out Niewe Meer, a beach nearby in Amsterdamse Bos.  Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Woods) is like a big state park back in the US.  It has great attractions:  a goat farm, a petting zoo, a paddling pool, some playgrounds and plenty of wilderness, all of which we had experienced before.  Niewe Meer would be something different.  We got a nice early start, hit our local favorite place for breakfast (um, not something new, but we were just starting out) and cycled toward Niewe Meer.

I only had basic directions on how to get there and we tried our best.  But since one of the road signs appeared to be missing we never did make it there.  However we had a great day cycling around the wilderness, playing at the kinderboerderij (petting zoo), and M even went swimming in a canal (although we opted against renting a paddle boat because of the ridiculous cost).  Then we went home and at pizza, the same old pizza we always eat.  It was the first day and already we were already ignoring our self-imposed guidelines.

While there was no swimming at Niewe Meer for us,
we did find a canalside recreation area that had a swimming area.

I started to think maybe staycation might turn into a bust.  Were we destined to fail in our attempts for adventure?  Would our intention to have new experiences give way to our proven inability to organize a piss-up in a brewery?  We still had 6 days, 6 better organized days, to determine if staycation would be a success.

One highlight was P on the zipline.

Mystery Vacation Revealed

When planning our family vacation this year we thought long and hard about what it was we wanted to get out of our vacation. Did we want to relax on the beach? Did we want to explore a new country?  Did we want to spend family time together?  Was it adventure or contemplation?  Was it pampering or learning?

First and foremost we wanted family time.   While we originally looked at warm weather resorts with "kids clubs," relaxing on beach wasn't really what we were looking for.  I love the idea of a kids club and certainly see many kids clubs in our future, but for this particular vacation we thought a kids club would cut into our desired family time.  M and I had already spent a month at the beach (and are still sporting our tans).  We were happy that Peter could join us there for a week.   The more we considered it, the more we thought that our ideal vacation this year would be one of exploration and adventure:  a "stay-cation:" a vacation in our home city of Amsterdam.

We prepared for this "trip" in a number of ways.  First we hyped the concept to M.  It was pretty easy to get him on board--staycation is a catchy title and he was pretty excited to have a week of exploration and learning, especially since Peter would be with us.  Next we made the decision to keep our holiday destination secret, mainly because we didn't want anyone judging our decision to stay put.  Finally we decided there were two rules to staycation:  (1) we had to do things we had not done before and (2) money wasn't an object, this was a vacation and a time to splash out.

Over the next few posts I'll detail the adventures we had during our week in Holland.

Sunday

I've been working on a joke for a while.  It goes something like this, "the English language Catholic church is a 40 minute cycle; I just learned that there's an English language Episcopal service across the canal from us.  Looks like we are now Episcopalian."

Of course, this was exaggerated for comic effect and before we actually attended said Episcopal service. We went today and it was just OK.  It was a prayer service (as opposed to a eucharistic service) which meant it wasn't the Catholic look-alike I was familiar with, but on a cold, rainy January day it just might do the trick.

This afternoon we headed into the city center to go to Marks and Spencer where my plan to reduce the amount of packaging we bring into the house lost out to crumpets and a prepared turkey dinner.  But I've had their turkey dinner before and I know it will be worth it.  Then we walked up to the main library (accidentally escorted by a Hare Krishna procession) and read a few books to M.

Circus!

The tent has been set up in the vacant lot in Buitenveldert, so last week M and I headed off to the circus!

The giant candy floss could have been the reason
M was a little antsy by the end of the show.

Farewell, Cape Cod!

A month on the cape has come and gone.  It was the summer of nostalgia, during which I connected with long neglected friends and family members.  I also had to buy those drugstore reading glasses. Maybe both are symptoms of getting older.  I am returning to the 'Dam a little more tan and a little less fit.

Summer Holiday!

Off to Cape Cod for a month! M is excited for camp and seeing his family.  I'm looking forward to seeing family and having some predictable weather.  I have already queried M's friends and have their days in Amsterdam plotted on a calendar, which should make socializing that much easier when we return.  There have been some rumblings of a summer family vacation for P, M and me, but nothing is booked yet.  Even if it doesn't happen I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun.

The boys at Amstelpark.  Gorgeous weather this weekend.  M was surprisingly good at steering his little motorbike, perhaps because of all his cycling practice? Sadly P couldn't go for a ride because he was too big!

The things you worry about and the things you don't

I've been a mother for almost 6 years now.  We knew we'd have one kid, and taking a cue from my friends with 2 kids I decided to actively skip the worried-all-the-time phase that first time moms go through and skip right to the relaxed-second-kid phase.  Mixed results.

One thing I don't need to worry about with M is eating.  He's a great eater, tries new things and has plenty of foods from all food groups that he will readily choose.  Plus, this list is expanding by the day.  When he was about 3 weeks old we finally trounced a rocky start and got him on the right track with breastfeeding. At age 4 he went through a picky phase which was combatted by my insistence that we don't comment on food, a refusal to make him special meals and a little brainwashing that he was a great lover of new foods.  Since then, smooth sailing.

Sleep has been another issue altogether, but lately he has been showing more independence with sleep.  Until very recently we laid down with him to go to sleep.  Bedtime was always a very vulnerable time which made having a babysitter very difficult.  A few months ago we decided to start the "Sleep Lady Shuffle" to get M to sleep on his own.  Within a few days we were sitting in the doorway of his room.  To our great shock, after a conversation about sleepovers ("the other kid's parents aren't going to shush you to sleep") and a visit to the homeopath, he asked us to sit on the couch outside his room, then a couple of days later asked us to keep his door shut (I think the light was bothering him).  Now he asks us to leave a self-serve breakfast out on weekend mornings and last night he couldn't wait for his sitter to turn up--and she was scheduled to put him to bed!  I feel like he has made more sleep progress in the past 5 weeks than he has in the past 5 years combined.

Ballet Recital

M recently had a ballet recital.  I'll admit it, I tried to keep him out of it.  Not because I have any issues with my son taking ballet.  On the contrary, I rather like it both because it's great exercise for him and I like to buck the stereotype.  The issue I had was that when this opt-in recital came up, I felt like M had way too many activities going on.  He has swimming lessons, Biodanza, and just wrapped up an after school art class.  Plus, we were in the middle of our move.  I just couldn't handle another obligation and figured he would forget about it.  I figured wrong.

So, M was in a ballet recital; I envisioned it as his swan song with ballet, no pun intended, mainly because next year ballet becomes an after school activity while this year the lessons are given within the school day.  A couple of days before it his teacher told me he was the only boy and asked if I was o.k. with that.  Yes, I'm fine with it and I think M would be more than fine with it. He did a very nice job, both as a kid at the beach and a magician in a Swan Lake excerpt--two parts that gave him small solos.  I started to think that as a boy taking ballet he could get pretty far with the lack of competition alone.  And, he LOVES it.  So, we'll see whether he's still interested when it comes time to choose after school clubs in the fall.

Graduation Day!

Last week M's school had a little ceremony marking graduation from Reception, which is what the British call pre-kindergarten.  I'm so proud of M for all that he has learned (like how to read!) and of how well he has done at school since January.  He loves school which is really all a parent can hope for at this age.

M and his buddy, French M, enjoying some ice cream after graduation.

Dutch class

Last week I finally took a Dutch class!  After nearly 2 years of living here I decided it was finally time, and found one that fit into my schedule.  It was an intensive one week class, four hours per day, with about 2 hours of homework each night.  I had to neglect the household to finish it, but it was well worth it.  I learned a lot and am looking forward to continuing in the fall.

photo borrowed from http://www.the-ins.org/2013-mid-year-meeting

Happy Independence Day!

National holidays are perhaps the loneliest times for an expat.  It's weird to know an important holiday is happening at home while where you are is just another regular day.  Today is the 4th of July and I totally forgot until I was dropping off my kid at school.  Then I thought, "July 4th, the biggest anticlimax since...Thanksgiving!"

Today was also the last full day of school until September.  I spent the morning getting some work done and planning all the things I need to buy in the US next week.  M and I went to the playground and also fed the ducks.

Usually I make a 4th of July dinner, either salmon or some variation on a barbeque, but not tonight.

I look forward to celebrating next week in the U.S.!

M working on his sandcastle masterpiece.
 I suppose it's a July 4th activity of sorts.

Does anyone know what this bird is? It's definitely a water bird
(webbed feet) and looks like it is wearing brown/red eyeliner.
Whomever he his, he enjoyed our bread and veg scraps.

Homeopath

Oh, what was I thinking.

M has a case of "water warts" a type of herpes virus that looks like a localized case of chicken pox.  It's evidently very common for swimmers, and absolutely rampant here in Amsterdam.  As such, it's not really any big deal.  An already hands-off medical establishment can't get itself worked up over a virus that doesn't cause any discomfort or have any side effects even if some huge percentage of the population gets it.  Did I mention it lasts for months, sometimes years?  My friend's doctor told her that her daughter, "might have it for a few months, or it might never go away."  Great.

In the build up to our summer vacation I really wanted these gone.  My family was justifiably a little unnerved by this highly contagious virus that routinely lasts for months. They were concerned about cleaning the tub after M used it and if his laundry had to be washed separately (neither is necessary). Clearly this was causing them some stress.  So I decided to take M to the homeopath.

Stock photo, not my actual kid's actual armpit,
but his infection looks a lot like this.

My decision was based on an acquaintance's experience with her toddler son, whose water warts were cleared up in a couple of weeks by the practitioner I decided to see.  I figured if I could knock this out before we hit the beach this summer everyone would be a bit happier.  What I had forgotten was the time commitment involved in complimentary medicine.  the appointment was at 9 a.m., right around the corner from us, and I didn't get M to school until after 10:30.

She asked us all about M's behavior, his fears, what he dreams about, what stresses him and on and on and on.  In the end she decided to focus on treating his emotional self regulation--something he does struggle with--because she felt his case of water warts (5 spots) was really minor.  So much for knocking this out before summer vacation.

M sees an occupational therapist in part to address his struggles with self regulation.  While I can't say the problem is licked, we do have a "treatment plan" in place and he is improving every day.  I didn't feel we really needed to add a tincture to that.  And what really irked me was that the appointment ran so long he missed his weekly OT session! (although this was really my fault--since he sees the OT at school it's on neither my radar screen nor my calendar).  But I surely saw the irony in missing the treatment we see works for the one that might.

But, when the tiny little pills arrived in the post a couple of days later, and I looked them up on Dangerous Dr. Internet, I was really surprised to learn that this medicine is used to treat all types of things that really sound like M.  Things like, disobedience, sudden crying, and early waking, as well as some things which didn't come up in the examination, like growing pains and a very frustrating scalp sensitivity.

So, he's now had his second dose.  He still wakes up early but seems to have an increased interest in sleep independence.  No growing pains reported since he received his first dose (although they were on the wane before that).  He actually seems to have a few more water warts, and a couple look really red and inflamed, which may be a sign that his body is fighting them off.  With any luck, they'll be gone before we hit the beach this summer.

Good-byes

Today M is at a play date.  I can't say this kid is any super-close friend, but they have now been in school together for two years.  I was sad to learn a couple of months ago that his family is relocating to Hong Kong.  I was sadder to learn last night that they move on Friday.

A good friend is returning to her home country in the Southern hemisphere this week, maybe for the summer, maybe permanently.  Her child is one of three that M selected as the kids he'd like to have in his class next year.   Another friend is waiting to hear if her husband's company will extend their stay past August.  Yet another may return in January.

I guess I knew what I was getting into when we moved here.  No, correction, I didn't know.  I thought we'd be the ones moving back after a year. Sayonara.  It's much easier being the one leaving than the one staying.  At least if we were leaving we would be going on to a new adventure and back closer to family.

We do genuinely love it here, but after not even two years I feel like I have said goodbye to a lot of very special people.  Just to make myself more miserable, the song M used to sing at the end of the day in Nursery is playing through my head,

Goodbye, Goodbye, it's time to go now

I must say, you made my day

Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye

But, there are still lots of adventures to have here and lots of new friends to make.  That's one of the great things about being part of an expat community; people are interested in connecting with one another.

Winkelier

M had his Dutch assembly today, a little show to highlight everything the kids had learned this year in Dutch class.  He was the Winkelier, the shopkeeper, and demonstrated a shopping transaction in which he sold a banana and an apple for 20 Euro.  At the end of the performance when the head teacher remarked that it was a very pricey shop he ran, he said he wanted to charge 30 Euro but he didn't know how to say that in Dutch!

The show was pretty impressive.  This year in Dutch class the kids learned their colors and numbers, how to have a shop transaction, names for foods, and about celebrations like Sinterklass and Queen's Day.  And they told us all about it in Dutch!

Bike Repair

Our beloved tandem has been acting up lately.  I have been putting off bringing it into the shop because basically, it's a pain in the neck.  The bike shop near us is too expensive and has too long a wait these days, and the bike shop where I bought it is kind of far away.  So, I decided to try out the Bike-Repair-Guy-Who-Makes-Housecalls.

There is something about seeing a bike tune-up happen that is a little unnerving--no one wants to know how they make the sausages.  A few minutes ago I looked out the front window and the front wheel was off.  I didn't know they removed the front wheel when tuning up a bike.

But, he's highly recommended and priced very reasonably.  And with any luck my bike will now stay in gear.

Taken from really far away so I don't freak out the Bike-Repair-Guy-Who-Makes-Housecalls.  And, yes, those are giant raindrops on my window.  I guess when you are a bike repair guy in Amsterdam and don't work out of a shop, you get used to getting rained on.

We're baaaaack!

Hmmm, what's been happening since March?  Let's see, we went to Barcelona (nice), we went to Antwerp (bit of a dump), We went to Dublin (always great), we moved to an awesome new apartment, M continues to love and do well at school, M took 10 weeks of art classes, Grandma and Papa came to visit, M earned his ballet rosette, I survived half term break and learned the valuable lesson of planning, and we planned our summer holidays.  Oh, and I made a new commitment to not let the blog updates go so long between.

M's group after taking their "ballet rosette" qualification test.

M on the adventure course at Amsterdamse Bos.

M in the kinderbad at Amsterdamse Bos.
 It was a nice day, but not as warm as it looks in this photo!

M was a great help cleaning up our old apartment.
So glad I took a page from my mother's book and put him to work!

M realized a love of climbing walls when we found
this pop-up activity at the Antwerp train station.

Fun field trip to Oud Valkeveen, an amusement park for kids.

Detox

This morning I embarked on the Dr. Oz 48 hour cleanse.  Why?  I'm not exactly sure.  A friend was doing it and wanted some moral support.  I looked at what was involved and it seemed like a personal challenge I could do.  Once I read reviews indicating it could help to reduce or eliminate junk food cravings I was sold.

We decided to cleanse during two week days instead of a weekend as it would have less of an impact on our families.  Yesterday I bought the supplies, spending about 39 Euro.  I'll chalk this all up to experience since by noon I started feeling crummy and by 2:00 I decided to eat a more substantial snack because I was feeling so ill.

Why did I feel ill? Here are my theories:

Theory #1:  It doesn't say this on the Dr. Oz website, but when the cleanse is discussed on Oprah.com they note that you should drink enough caffeine to avoid withdrawal symptoms.  I certainly don't over indulge on coffee, but I do have a couple of cups of strong English tea every morning.  Maybe the hot water with lemon didn't cut it?

Theory #2:  I'm just not a fasting kind of person.  I haven't fasted a lot in my life, but occasional Lenten observances have shown me that it DOES NOT agree with me.  Strictly speaking this wasn't a fast so I thought I'd be ok, but it was calorically reduced.  Perhaps it didn't include enough calories to keep me going?  I don't have  a lot of fat stored up so I think fasting stresses my body sooner than it stresses most.

Theory #3:  There was something in what I ate that triggered a headache.  This has happened in the past, especially when my daily caloric needs aren't met.  I don't know what food I ate that would have been the trigger.  Maybe stevia?  It was in the almond milk.  Flax seed?  Maybe, I can't say I eat that very often.

In any event, I was in bed by 3:30 with a cluster headache.  Poor M missed swimming lessons.  Thankfully Peter got home early so he could feed M and get him ready for bed.  At midnight I woke up feeling a bit better and ate some banana and toast.

The next morning I felt a lot better. Interestingly, I wasn't interested in the bacon I cooked for M.  Nor have I been eating as much junk food.  The leftover vegetable stock became chicken soup last night and beef stew tonight.  I have been enjoying the detox drink and all the fresh vegetables in my fridge.

So, I don't think it was a total bust. On the contrary, despite how awful I felt I really did feel some benefits of the cleanse.  But if I were to do this again I wouldn't restrict my consumption.  Rather, I'd add some of these cleansing foods to my normal diet.

Work Wednesday?

Wasn't I meant to be posting about work issues on Wednesdays?  Well, here we are, and I have had some interesting work lately.  Although M has transferred schools, a move that continues to go well, I am still working in the library at his former school.  Mainly I do basic stuff, checking books out and in, but it has helped me to get to know a K-12 collection.  Recently I have made some acquisitions recommendations in media studies and I'm also working on a project to create research guides for students working on their International Baccalaureate extended essay, a kind of senior thesis required for graduation.  Today I also began leading the weekly library program for M's class.  I really enjoy my work with K-12 libraries.  Some aspects are completely different from anything I've done, and some are quite similar.

Over the past couple of weeks I have also found myself looking at employment ads with increasing frequency.  I haven't quite determined what this means--will I apply for something?  I suppose if the right thing came along, maybe 20 hours per week at a school library.  Meantime, I'm pretty content to volunteer in exchange for learning so much about a different type of library.