Fiesta Mundial

Mendel dancing an etnic dance on the Fiesta Mundial in Balen last weekend.

http://www.fiestamundial.be/

Kitchen disaster

I am getting really frustrated with the placement of our new kitchen.

Most cabinets are installed, but one cabinet is missing, the fridge isn't built in the way it should, I can't get the granite installed because of the missing cabinet and because of the granite missing, we can nt install the sink nor cooktop. Then the exhaust has a dent and needs replacement.

If the kitchen designer/salesteam would cooperate it wouldn't be so bad, but we are having some issues with them regarding the fridge not fitting.

Summary:

Tue Sept 4th:
The kitchen should have been installed on this day, but because of delays in the German factory, the installation is delayed till Sept 17th.

Mon Sept 17:
Kitchen installers (2) arrive but after putting all the cabinets in the kitchen, one of them gets really sick and needs to go to the doctor. They both leave for the day.

Tue Sept 18:
The same two guys arrive (one of them obvisouly still very sick - stomach flu) and install all the cabinets. After they are done it is very obvious that the "built-in" fridge isn't really built-in. It is sticking out more than an inch and as such you see the black side of the fridge, instead of just the inox door. The installers call the kitchen company (Thys) but they claim it is our problem because we didn't buy our fridge through them.

Wed Sept 19 - now:
Chris Bond (the builder and our contractor) is working with Thys to resolve the problem.

Wed Sept 19:
Kitchen is being measured for the granite.

Thurs Sept 20:
Check out Granite in store to verify whether we want to stay with the original design (which we do).

Wed Sept 26:
Granite guys can deliver and place the granite in the kitchen, but because of the missing cabinet they have to wait.

Thurs Sept 27:
Missing cabinet should have arrived today but is not there - this means another week without cabinet (they only deliver on Thursdays).

My first MAPA meeting

of course it wasn't called MAPA but "oudervereniging".

Anyway - when I got there, most of the people there were "old timers", meaning that they have been part of this parent group for a while. I was also surprised that it weren't that many people, only 12 or so. Myself and two others were the "new ones", so we got some introduction of what this parent group is about.

The director of the school was also there, which I thought was a great opportunity to get to know her better as well, and not just be one of the many faces around school to her.

A lot of what the MAPA does, is to organize events, some to raise money, but others just for fun.
Someone is in charge for assigning volunteers to certain tasks and someone else is in charge for buying food/drinks and catering, and so on ...

I have already volunteered to visit stores/businesses in Tremelo to ask for donations as prizes for our quiz night while on the night itself I will also help out in the bar sections too.

So far, the people that I have met through this group have been very nice, and it is fun to know a few more faces around school. Someone else to say "Hi" to :-)

Some pictures of Mendel's first week at school.

Mendel is playing with little pony's, having her lunch and even brushes her teeth after lunch.

Two weeks into the new school year

Here we are, September 18, the kids have been going to their new school now for a little over two weeks.

How is it going??

Elias:
He is really trying to make new friends. After the first week, he still had no one to hang out with during the play times, he said he would just walk the playground by himself, followed by Alyssa.
When I ask about the other boys in his classroom, he says that they run away from him.
I felt awful and by the end of that first week I was a wreck, I so longed to go back to CA and to have him be at his old school with best friends where he knows everyone, all teachers even the director. That is not going to happen here soon and I was wishing we hadn't decide to move back to Belgium.
I talked to his teacher about this and she explained that it does take a few weeks for them to make new friends (so I was overreacting, expecting too much in that first week). If by the end of September they don't have friends, they will work on it. OK then....
Yesterday he told me he was playing with a boy from his class (I think his name is Kenzo, but I'm not sure). Although he said it wasn't really a new friend because they haven't played together enough yet (he understands the concept of friend I assume).

Mendel:
According to her teacher, Mendel plays with everyone in her class, but as soon as it is playtime, she seeks out Caitlin and they made friends with two other English speaking kids in preschool and the four of them hang out together. These two English speaking kids just arrived in Belgium from CA as well, Santa Rosa more precisely. The mom is Belgian but only spoke English with her kids so they don't speak Dutch either. I'm OK because Mendel needs to practice her English, but I wonder when Caitlin will even learn Dutch...
Oh, there was one girl in particular that Mendel seemed to like in the beginning, but not anymore and you know why? Because this girl is so messy (she spills her chocolate drink) and Mendel is afraid she will spill on her (oh no - not on clean freak Mendel)...
I am trying to hook them up together again..

So, as you see, we are settling in, even at the new school. There is still much more to get to know there, but tonight I am going to the local version of a MAPA meeting so that should help too.

Still no kitchen...

The builders called us to say that the kitchen delivery is delayed (Sept 14) because of delays in the German factory (so much for German craftmanship).

OK, so more microwave meals are on the horizon: macaroni & cheese, lasagna, moussaka,...

On the positive side, we were able to switch our ceramic cooktop with the induction cooktop.
For those of you that like Sabayon, I will be able to make it in 1 minute (actually tried this out in a cooking class).

Hint to Jan: no more sweating while whisking away on Thanksgiving.

Don't let a 4 year old dress herself on the first day of school

At night, when Mendel was changing into her pajamas, I noticed she was wearing an unknown pantie. I asked her whether she had an accident at school, but she said no, the teacher gave it to her. Confused, I tried to figure out from her why the teacher would give her new underwear, turned out that she didn't put one on in the morning.

Talking about a good first impression we made on the preschool teacher...

(so I had some explaining to do this morning)

First day of school in Belgium

Today Elias and Mendel went to their new school in Keerbergen.
http://www.basisschoolatheneumkeerbergen.be/site/

At 8:35, I dropped Mendel off first, knowing how quickly she gets settled.
Then I walked Elias to the meeting point for the elementary school kids and while walking I felt how he squeezed my hand a bit harder and harder.
But all went well as he recognized a boy that lives in our street that also happens to be in his class - he was very excited about that.

At 3:45, I picked them both up. Mendel was sitting on a little bench outside her classroom holding her backpack and a balloon. She showed me "her symbol: a toothbrush" - this is where she has to hang her jacket.

Together we picked up Elias, who didn't like his first day too much. He expected more playtime. On the positive side (I think), he says he's in love with a girl in his class. He doesn't know her name, but he does know that she has a brother that was stung by a bee. She was also wearing a really pretty T-shirt and has short blond hair ... and he is a little in love :-)