Wordless Wednesday-Big Tree

Wordless Wednesday-fern

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!

Tonight I asked the 7 year old to sweep up a mess in the dining room. This simple request brought on a angry monologue that ended with David and I giggling and the kids looking at us like we were slightly crazy, maybe more than slightly. It went like this:

"Alonzo would you sweep that up?" Mom asked.

"Why do I have to sweep the floor? Why me? Why always Alonzo Alonzo Alonzo?! Why not Cody Cody Cody! Cody sweep the floor! Why always Alonzo Alonzo Alonzo!!!!" Alonzo yelled.

(To be fair Cody was washing dishes at the time)

Mom looked at Dad, Dad looked at Mom. "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!" Mom and Dad giggled together.

This was met with dead silence. All the boys looked at each other. Alonzo finally just swept the floor because his parents are both nuts and he was afraid to draw any further attention to himself.

Who needs sitcoms? We have kids, it's a new show everyday.

**None of the boys (except maybe Dakota) have ever heard of the Brady Bunch much less watched the Marsha episode.

Wordless Wednesday-Ancol Boats

Quick Update

David's fever on New Year's Day turned out to be Influenza type b.  Basically he had the flu and he shared with the whole family.  Everyone but Colin ended up sick.  Colin amused himself by annoying the ill.  Thankfully we are all now on the mend.  David is back at work, the kids are back outside playing and life goes on. 

Wordless Wednessday - The Marlboro Man

Don't forget to eat your black eyed peas!

I don't have a clue as to why, but every January 1st Mom force fed me black eyed peas and told me it would bring good luck in the coming year. I did a little internet searching and found that this belief is fairly common across the southern US, but no real explanation as to why. Anyone know? I continue the tradition by making my kids eat them on New Year's Day. Dave made it much easier by telling the boys if they ate black eyed peas their farts would really stink. They couldn't seem to get enough after that. Boys are gross!

Well so far the black eyed peas don't seem to be doing the job (the good luck part, the farts stink to high heaven)! Dave woke up this morning feeling tired and coughing, by this afternoon he was running a fever and asleep on the couch, still coughing. I hope he feels better in the morning. I really hope none of the boys get sick. Dave just wants to be left alone when he is sick. The boys want someone to wait on them hand and foot 24/7 when they are sick.

Dave tried to call his family this morning and wish everyone a happy New Year but the VOIP wasn't working. He spent most of the morning fussing with it but it appears that a power surge wiped it out. Don't know when he will get it working again. Back to using calling cards!

I made a big pot of black eyed peas and a big pot of baked potato soup, corn bread, cookies and ice tea. We were supposed to have a bunch of friends over today to eat black eyed peas for good luck in the new year. Only a few people showed up so now we have tons of leftovers. Our fault really, we were late getting invites out, oh well. I won't have to cook tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

2008 Resolutions

Thought about not making resolutions this year since I always break them all by January 3rd at the latest. That seemed sort of wimpy and defeatist. So here goes.

1. lose weight- I actually stuck to this one last year (lost about 20 pounds!!)
2. be more organized-I think this one may take divine intervention, but gotta try! Dave says he will help, EEEK!
3. exercise-I am typing, so my fingers are moving, does that count?
4. have a positive attitude!! - I'm making the list aren't I?
5. take time enjoy to the kids everyday- laugh more, yell less! My new motto!!
   

Seems like a doable list. Did you make any resolutions this year? I would love to hear about it if you did.

Last Day of 2007

It's New Year's Eve, again.  Last year we spent the holiday at the Tanjung Lesung Sailing Club. It was a wonderful, amazing, almost magical holiday.  We thought about heading down for the New Year's but decided we could never recreate the experience, especially with so many of our friends from last year now gone from Jakarta. This year we are just hanging out at home. 

David and I ended up driving all over Jakarta today searching for black eyed peas since the commissary is out and I just gotta have them tomorrow (for good luck).  We finally found them at Caswell's Mom's  in Kemang.  I really hope there is something to all this "good luck and prosperity in the new year if you eat them on New Year's Day" bit because these will be the most expensive black eyed peas I have ever eaten.  Sometimes things that are cheap at home are very expensive overseas.  If  you really want it you just buy it without too much thought about the price.  I guess that explains the jar of caramel vanilla coffee creamer that I payed almost $8 for last week. Still cheaper than Starbucks considering it will make a couple of dozen yummy cups of coffee.


While we were driving David took some pictures of the street venders selling noise makers for New Year's. The bright colors looked so fun that we stopped and bought some to take home to the boys.  Tonight at bedtime we let the boys make a New Year's toast (Sprite and cherries in a fancy glass) and blow on their noise makers.  Cody took his noise maker to a friends party where the teenagers are hanging out to ring in 2008.  I hope her parents are talking to me tomorrow.  Those things are seriously loud!

Grayson is helping us wait up for Cody because the fireworks outside are keeping him awake. Fireworks are not only legal here in the city, they are sold in the grocery stores.  Grayson is terrified of loud noises (rainy season storms have been fun) but I think he is sort of milking it tonight to get away with staying up late. Maybe he will sleep later than 5:15 tomorrow morning. 

Christmas Family Photo

Here is our family photo taken Christmas morning. To see the "other" family photo click here.

Wordless Wednessday - Christmas Afternoon: Jakarta

Selamat Natal & Tahun Baru

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! (Indonesian Style)
We saw this on our way to the Embassy and thought it was funny how the commercial west influences the east... even in a country where 90% of the population is Muslim.

Hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Idul Adha

Today the animals are gone from the street side in Jakarta but a week ago on a drive from our house to the high school we passed cows and goats standing patiently in stalls and empty lots all along the way. Last year I managed to be oblivious to the influx of livestock, perhaps because our car still hadn't arrived so my explorations of Jakarta were very limited. I saw a buffalo in the kampung area near my house and few goats tied at the end of the street but that was about it. This year I realized there are a lot of animals being sacrificed for Idul Adha. It really is a BIG deal. Much more than just another day off for my driver and pembantu.


What is Idul Adha? If you are like most Americans you may not have even heard of this Muslim holiday or you may have a vague idea that this is the time of the Haj, when Muslims from all over the world descend on Mecca. Curious David asked Haryono and I googled Idul Adha. Here is what we found out:

• Every Muslim is supposed to make the Haj at least once in a lifetime. Idul Adha marks the end of the Haj.
  
• The animals I saw are bought by individuals, families, or groups and on the morning of Idul Adha they are slaughtered and the meat is donated to the poor. For many poor here in Jakarta this may be the only time of the year they get to eat meat.
• The slaughter of animals is done in remembrance of Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael.
  
• The date of Idul Adha varies from year to year and is based on a lunar calendar that is 11 days shorter then the western calendar. Last year it was on New Year's Eve, 10 years from now it will be on September 1st.
  
• If you are squeamish DO NOT go for a drive on the morning of Idul Adha, we did and ended up saying "Hey look at that....over there!" to keep the kids from seeing the gore. The animals are slaughtered publicly. We did not take pictures as this is a religious event, to take pictures seemed intrusive and disrespectful.
  

I hope I have all the basic facts correct. If not just comment and I will fix it. I find learning about cultures other than my own to be the best part of living overseas. I try to keep an open mind.

Wordless Wednessday - Nature's Christmas Ornament

Expat Life

Conversations among ex-pats in Jakarta this time of year all start the same way. "Where are you going for the holidays?" I have lost count of the number of times I have answered this question in the last two weeks. Everywhere I go: the grocery store, the swimming pool, even the salon it's the same question: "Where are you going for the holidays?"

Most seem taken aback when I tell them we are staying here in Jakarta. I have run into only a few others who are staying here. Most are heading home, where ever that may be,  to share  the holidays with family.  I can certainly understand this. If it didn't take 2 days to get home from here (not to mention a small fortune in airfare) I would consider it too. Those who can't take the time off to go home seem to be heading to Singapore or Bali. We will be staying here and enjoying our time together as a family since David will finally be home after several very long weeks in Bali.