Field trips and fevers

Today was a busy day for the Langlands family. It started with a 4:30 a.m. whisper in my ear. "Mama. Mama. I don't feel well" said the fevered whimper of my 6-year old. In seconds, Rob and I were flying out of bed and into hyper-mode. Rob was off down the stairs to get fever reducer and ice for my back and I was fumbling for the thermometer to confirm what we already knew--101.5F. Damn! My poor baby has a fever and is gonna miss her field trip. With tears and kisses, we got Anouk back to sleep and we grown-ups were able to get another 60 minutes of shut-eye.

When the 5:30 am alarm blasted through our room, the tears started again. But with a few more kisses, Anouk figured that her mom is also her teacher so at any point, she can get a personalized field trip. By 6:30 am, Anouk was focused on getting healthy so she wouldn't miss tomorrow's Halloween festivities and Xavier was ready for his big presentation.

And then... the rain started. On our way to school, I took off my sunglasses and looked out the window. The clouds were heavy and gray and the sky looked desperate to rain. I told Rob that I hoped the rain would stay at bay for just one more day so our field trip wouldn't be ruined. Side note: For two weeks I've been complaining about the heat and humidity. The air has been damp and heavy for awhile now and our aircos have been on the fritz. So I just couldn't help but do a little rain dance after my yard duty on Wednesday morning. Anyway, I guess my rain dance was a little too early because the heavens opened up and drenched Surabaya just minutes before our kids arrived at school. For 20 minutes, the flurry of text-messages and emails from parents was crazy. All I could do was reassure them that my teaching partner and I would sort it out. Lauren and I quickly recreated our activity stations while our assistants grabbed 24 garbage bags as make-shift raincoats just in case.

And then... just as quickly as it started. It ended. By the time the school bell rang, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was sweatin' up a storm.

Anyway, I digress... A LOT!

While on the way to our field trip at the International Cultural Center in Pandaan (my parents and Tricia have been there to see the beauty of it all), Xavier was presenting the XL Challenge to everyone at the elementary assembly. Check out his video below. He (and Rob) created this amazing project and I can't wait to see how it evolves.

By 8.30 in the morning, while I was stuck on a bus with 24 first graders, my mobile was buzzing off the hook with friends, teachers, administrators, and parents saying: "Your kid is amazing!" or "There wasn't a dry eye in the house" or "You and Rob should be SO proud!" Though I wish I could have been there, Rob said that Xavier's in-the-flesh presentation left a bit to be desired but his video garnered a ton of enthusiasm from the students and a big cheer at the end! Yes... we are VERY proud of him.

Our field trip was lovely. We all had a great time in the sun, the kids learned a lot, we all got back safe and sound, AND we made it home just minutes before the school bell rang.

24 students, 4 parents, 2 assistants, 2 teachers, 1 grandmother, and a partridge in a pear tree!

On our traffic-laden trip back to Surabaya I walked through the bus dealing with 2 lost teeth, 1 bloody nose, and 1 ripped hang-nail. Side Note: First grade is always an adventure. As we got back into the city, my mobile buzzed once again. This time it was Rob informing me that he was sick as a dog--fever, nausea, and all the yucky stuff that comes with the stomach flu that I had last week (and that is running rampant through the teachers at our school).

I raced back to class, dismissed my kids, grabbed Rob, drove us home, and then arrived to a baby who still had a 101 fever. I got Xavier started on his homework, Anouk focused on a Halloween movie, Rob tucked in bed, and then I took a few minutes to have a quick shower to get the 8 hours of sweat off of me.

But then, the BEST and easiest part of my day began to unfold: within 10 minutes of calling our school nurse, the doctor had ordered the medicine for delivery at our house, our nanny was on her way to the mall to pick up Gatorade-type drinks, and our cook was revising dinner plans as she looked at the sad state of our family.

It is 8:37 pm as I finish writing this blog. The status of life is this: Xavier was wiped out after writing a collection of Halloween jokes and passed out with a smile on his face about his Halloween party tomorrow. Anouk went to bed with a fever but with enough meds to help her sleep through the night and the hope...just a hope, that she'll be well enough to attend the Halloween parade in her paper doll costume tomorrow. After sleeping for 5 hours, I gently woke up Rob to check on him. I persuaded him to get up out of bed and write sub plans so he could get some R & R tomorrow. He still has a temp but is well-medicated and back in bed. And me? Well, I'm wiped out. I'm still freakin' hot. I haven't seen my chiropractor in 5 days AND am shocked that I'm up and walking around. And really, I'm just desperate for sleep. So I'm outta here!

Hopefully tomorrow and the Halloween festivities will go off without a hitch!

A fun day of movie making...

Hello dear family. If I haven't told you lately I am feeling SO much better. And I think it is evident by the making of these videos below:

Here's a little happy birthday video for mama's Auntie Monica.

And then there was the silly belated video for Bomma's birthday which was last weekend.

And then there's one more that I just HAD to show you. This collection of pictures was taken at the end of last school as the kids were experimenting with our new computer.

We hope you enjoyed our theatrics.

Love,
Angela (and the Langlands')

Showing off...

It is very rare that our little Anouk is actually quiet. I mean, honestly, we put her to bed 30 minutes early  just to get some peace and quiet in our house.

So the video below is adorable because it shows her performing what she learned at violin class. The first few sessions were a little less than expected because most of the kids didn't have their violins yet. But today's practice (when she didn't have her own violin) ended in this impromptu lesson later recorded because we just couldn't stop giggling at her thoughtful, focused, almost serious manner.

Enjoy.

Ouch... my back hurts!

Not my spine, but a pic
of the same issue I'm having

I have a pretty serious pain threshold. I guess that's why I walked around with a moderately herniated disc for over 3 weeks before I actually said anything to Rob. But when I couldn't walk two steps without crying, and I realized I had popped about 8 Tylenols before noon, it was time to come clean and see a doctor.

The thing about doctor's here is they don't know how to handle us westerners. Most Indonesians get nervous just by seeing us walk towards them. Often times the women behind the counter will run away or look down in hopes that we will walk away and not force them to help us in English. In any case, our school doctor hooked me up with his friend in the ER who got me an X-ray and some good drugs within an hour. It turns out I have a degenerative disc disease (which basically says that my 34-year-old self has the spine of someone twice my age) and I haven't taken care of my back issues since I was injured when I was 12. MAJOR oops!

But, when after a week, not much had changed it was time to go back for a 2nd look. They were convinced I needed an MRI. Rob went to the counter to pay a whopping $250 for my MRI and we were shocked at how the same test would cost nearly $2000. What a difference 9,000 miles makes. Anyway, after being coaxed by Rob, looking at the machine, and seeing that it was open at the top...I was ready and willing to enter what I have heard can be such an awful experience. But just seconds after the world and this mammoth machine started closing-in around me, I flipped out in a way I've never experienced. Apparently I'm claustrophobic. Great... now I've got ANOTHER issue to contend with.

So two weeks on, I've ignored all the Indonesian doctors (who think the only way to solve the problem is to cut me open and screw around with my spine... uh, NO!) and opted, instead to address the issues in alternative ways:

• I'm seeing a doctor at the hospital 2-3 times per week for cold laser treatments which is supposed to help at the cellular level and (hopefully) release pain from the nerve;
• I'm seeing a chiropractor (who is honestly a gift from God). He is trying to pull off the years of messy back issues I've incurred and is using an "activator" to adjust me get into tip-top shape;
• I'm icing every hour for 15 minutes to reduce inflammation;
• I've lost some weight by swimming and walking in the pool as often as possible (about 4 or 5 days a week), eating better, and doing specific stretches so I can get strong enough to start a new yoga and Pilate's plan;
• I'm sleeping differently;
• I'm reducing stress by quitting all of my additional committees and working 1/2 days at school until the pain ceases;
• as well as about 30 other therapeutic activities that I won't bore you with.

So, all in all, I'm on the mend. Thanks for your prayers, well wishes, and support.

I promise, the next blog will be more positive and upbeat! But see.. I'm still smiling!

The little moments...

It has been a really rough start to the school year. Our chaotic summer didn't really do it's job getting us the R&R we needed to tackle another school year. So as we returned to school and all the changes that come with new classes, new students, new grade levels, and new administrators, we just haven't found our groove and settled into our routine.

So as the anniversary of 9/11 is upon us and the death of a dear friend's father just occurred, I decided it was time to stop and recount the little moments that have made our start of the year so amazing. It is in those little moments that we garner so much happiness, so here's about a few of our little moments...

It all started during our Eid break (here: it's called Idul Fitri).  Eid is the time of year when all Muslims celebrate with family and friends as they mark then end of Ramadan. Our week off was therapeutic as we worked, rested, relaxed, and spent one refreshingly busy day cooking for our friends. What a joy it was to spend hours on Epicurious.com finding delicious recipes for an Italian feast. And then... to have our kitchen to ourselves again was such a dream. We could cook at our heart's content and our helper, Yanti, would prep our work by doing all the cutting and washing up! It was so fun to prepare a feast for those who appreciate good food. From the pasta to the breadsticks, red sauces and great vino (NOT from Indonesia!) a wonderfully therapeutic evening was had by all.

Then, it was time to prepare for Xavier's 8th birthday party. For me, party planning is a great thrill. Even better is planning a kids birthday party. It's a thrill to the Nth degree. But as a stay-at-home, a September birthday party was just another fun party to plan. As a nomadic teacher, birthday party planning is far more complicated. It requires planning in the summer so you know what kind of favors to pack. You also have to ask A LOT of questions like... where do you get a good cake in Surabaya? Or find specialty printing paper? Or how do you get pizza delivered when you don't speak enough Bahasa Indonesia? It's complicated. And poor Xavier could sense it. So, three days before go-time, Xavier asked, "Mama, is this party going to be fun?"

I had to kick-it into high gear... and fast! We came up with some fun age-appropriate games like Dino-Pictionary and Rob put together one of his exhausting treasure hunts that got the kids running upstairs and downstairs while completing some challenging activities. The obnoxiously loud party ended with some delicious homemade dino-cake (filled with Nutella butter-cream frosting as per Xavi's request) and a pinball competition. While we waited for the parents to descend on our abode, we tossed cups and plates into the kitchen where the lovely Yanti washed and put away. With the kids upstairs tearing up the play room, Rob and I were able to put our house back together again.

By 5:30, all the kids were picked up Rob and I were able to sit down to a cocktail with some friends.

As I write this, people around the states are waking up to numerous 9/11 remembrance specials, activities, and stories. As I write this blog, my friend and her family are grieving the loss of their patriarch. As I sit here typing away on the computer I hear the sniffles of two tired and sick kids on the couch and I think to myself... thank God for the little moments! 

Little Moments & Xavi's 8th

Little Moments & Xavi's 8th, a set on Flickr.

Here are a few things that have made us smile over the past few weeks...

...And 7 special kids come together to help Xavier celebrate a special birthday.

Anouk celebrates!

What a surprise we had yesterday! After a rather chaotic week at school, we walked into the house and low-and-behold, my mom was sitting in an arm chair. What the...? Shock and surprise hit me like a 10-lb. brick. The kids, acting totally unfazed, said, "Hi grandma" while my mouth was hanging to the floor.

What a gift.

Grandma and grandpa travelled over 9,000 miles to surprise Anouk for her 6th birthday party which we celebrated today. If you've ever helped with one of my kids' birthday parties... you know I put a lot into every little thing. But as a working mom, some things have fallen to the wayside a bit. With grandma and grandpa helping out this morning, I could put on my "Martha Stewart" cap and do some really spectacular things. Here is a recap of Anouk's 6th birthday celebration.

With extra support for the birthday setup I slept in a little bit. Once we were all up and fed, it was all hands on deck as we transformed our house to a garden wonderland. As grandma put the finishing touches on the gift bags, papa and grandpa walked in with our super cake. The cake was made by Igor's Pastry (owned by a family in my class). They made a teapot to look exactly like the birthday invitation. They even made "cup" cakes to match. As a gift, they included delicious mixed fruit and apple tarts. Wow! We quickly started to brew the tea and the girls began arriving.

While the little tea goers were showing up, others were at the coffee table coloring their own designs onto paper teapots. Once all the beautifully dressed girls arrived, grandma began her important job as butterfly tattoo artist and I was face/hand/cheek painting. It was on the last cheek painting that we heard the first, "I'm hungry" comment so all the girls were whisked away to the dining room which we transformed to an outdoor garden. They sat on pillows on the floor and drank tea while eating tea sandwiches (really just cucumber or pb and j) and fruit salad.

Once lunch was finished, it was time to get the girls up, moving, and working off all of those sweets. This also allowed the cleaning crew to come in and tidy up the dishes so we could serve cake (another perk to living in a developing country--house staff LOVE overtime!). It was then that papa gave us the first clue which started us on a whirlwind adventure around the house--upstairs, downstairs, outside--with a few tasks to complete along the way. At the end of their adventure, the girls followed the clue to the spare bedroom where there was a paper parasol for each little girl.

At that point, the party was nearly over! It was time to move back into the dining room to sing a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday," eat some cake, and be on our way.

After all was said and done, we had 4 tired adults, one thrilled birthday girl, and one boy fascinated to see all of his sister's loot (he was at a friend's birthday party while his house was taken over by little girls in party dresses).

Happy birthday Anouk! You are one lucky girl!


Love, Mama

Anouk's 6th

Anouk's 6th, a set on Flickr.