tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26981151257102155302024-03-13T22:56:43.988+01:00We say IVF they say FIVA foreigner's French fertility journey and beyondlostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.comBlogger254125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-12646693491355862872015-01-05T14:03:00.000+01:002015-01-05T14:03:23.462+01:00#MicroblogMondays: hello againIt's a new year. Clear blue skies, crispy winter air. The craziness of December is behind us. Kids are back to school. I just disposed of the Christmas tree (I'm sure the kids will be mad at me). We're buying paint for our new office and waiting for the French bureaucracy to get into gear and deliver the necessary registration numbers etc. for the company so we can get electricity and water at the office, a bank account etc. etc. (this usually takes two weeks but we submitted the paperwork just before the Christmas holidays so I'm sure it will take at least three...). A new adventure is awaiting. We're ready!<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2015/01/microblogmondays-19-caught-in-a-good-book/" target="_blank">Join in</a>!</i>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-20979141561357265792014-11-26T15:48:00.004+01:002014-11-26T15:48:48.693+01:00Cultural differences - pelvic floor exercise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome back to my Cultural Differences series! It's been a while…<br />
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First, to answer the question in my previous post, Fran and Mina were close, but not entirely correct…it is an intra-vaginal probe, a tool to measure the strength of your pelvic floor muscles (and yes, Mina, insurance covers it!).<br />
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Here's is the story that comes with it:<br />
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The French state is very concerned about our pelvic floors (among other things…) because to 6-8 weeks after you have given birth, you have a right (100% insurance covered of course) to several physiotherapy sessions to strengthen/retrain your pelvic floor and abdomen. You can go to either a midwife or a physical therapist.<br />
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After the birth of M. Sensible I went to the midwife I also did my birthing preparation with. She was young, but her methods were non-technological, so I wasn't introduced to the probe yet… I did have to do a number of exercises though. How did she check how much therapy I would need and how much progress I was making…? Yes, with her fingers.<br />
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After M. Gourmand's birth my OB/GYN recommended a physical therapist, who then introduced me to the probe (which I could take home, however I did not get a copy of the software...).<br />
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Apart from some general abdominal exercises on a yoga mat, the pelvic floor exercises were done and measured with the probe. Picture this: you lie in a gynecological position, therapist inserts probe, hooks it up to a PC, shows you the screen with some sinus-type wave on it and tells you to follow the wave by contracting your muscles. The therapist can adjust the strength level - so if you did really well on one exercise, she might bump up the level and then the next exercise you don't even come near the top of the wave… So much for morale, ha.<br />
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I must say that even though after several years at the RE, the weirdest thing for me was having something vaginally inserted which was then hooked up to a PC. But it was nice to see on the screen how I was doing compared to just having the midwife telling me if it was OK or not.<br />
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After 8-10 sessions I was good to go and got some exercises to do regularly at home. You know what happens with those…<br />
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<b>Where you live (and if you have had the ability to give birth), did you receive any pelvic floor therapy sessions after childbirth? If so, did insurance cover them? If not, did you get any recommendations to do exercises at home? Did you follow through with those exercises?</b>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-15606641693508531412014-11-24T12:04:00.001+01:002014-11-24T12:04:27.334+01:00#MicroblogMondays: what is it?Do you know what this is (and if yes, have you used it...)?<br />
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The answer will be posted later this week in a new Cultural Differences post (remember those....?), so stay tuned!<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/11/microblogmondays-13-keep-or-toss/" target="_blank">Join in</a>!</i><br />
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-8362632211894073012014-11-10T14:17:00.000+01:002014-11-10T14:17:02.935+01:00#MicroblogMondays: warningThis summer, on the day we were leaving for a week of camping, my lower back locked up. Timing could not have been worse (try to erect a tent with a locked-up back, sleep on an air-mattress, use the bathroom, explain to your kids that, no, you can't carry them, etc. etc.). After a full day in agony I made an appointment with the local GP. He felt very sorry for me, gave me some advice, and a prescription for naproxen sodium, an anti-inflammatory.<br />
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I'm not new to naproxen sodium. Under the name of Aleve, it used to be the only pain reliever that kept my horrible menstrual craps under control (they have become a lot less since my two pregnancies, but every now and then I still use it). Only the version I got for my back pain was a bit stronger (550 mg instead of 220 mg).<br />
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I took the meds, and together with some hot showers (and a real mattress that a friend who lived nearby lent me), I felt a bit more like myself after a few days.<br />
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However, when I read the instructions/warnings, I paused for a minute... because this one I had never seen before, but hit very close to home...<br />
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Translation: if you are a woman, Antalnox Gé 550 mg (...) can alter your fertility. Its use is not recommended for women trying to conceive. If you have difficulty conceiving or if you are undergoing fertility testing, please talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Antalox Gé 550 mg (...).<br />
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I immediately took the Aleve bottle out of the medicine cabinet and checked if there was a similar warning on there. Negative.<br />
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Maybe it's only on the prescription version because it contains more naproxen and therefore can negatively affect fertility... But when my menstrual cramps were really heavy, I never made it to the 8 hours between two pills. I usually took a second one after 6 hours (although I never exceeded the daily dose).<br />
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I know it doesn't matter anymore, I have my two IVF-babies. But as someone diagnosed with unexplained infertility, a warning like this does bring up the "what if" questions again...<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/11/microblogmondays-11-missing-childhood-items/" target="_blank">Join in</a>!</i><br />
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-85132246474805967972014-11-03T22:38:00.000+01:002014-11-03T22:38:10.443+01:00#MicroblogMondays: one of those day2:00 am - woken by M. Gourmand who wet his bed - change his PJs and sheets and get him back into bed just before he starts whining too much that he wants to sleep in our bed.<br />
3:30 am - woken by M. Sensible who has to use the bathroom and is perfectly capable of doing that alone but prefers to wake his mommy first.<br />
4:40 am - alarm goes off because hubby has to catch a 6:30 am flight<br />
5:00 am - hubby leaves, I should go back to sleep but make the mistake of checking the progress of the various skippers in the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic sailing race and thus stay awake until 10 minutes before my alarm goes off at 6:30 am<br />
6:35 am - drag myself out of bed - school vacation is over so we have to be out the door by 8 am! All dressed and with breakfast in our tummies!<br />
7:00 am - wake up the boys and start the getting dressed / having breakfast routine, reminding them several times that vacation is over, school is starting again this morning!<br />
8:00 am - out the door (wow!) I walk/run behind the boys who are on their bikes<br />
8:20 am - arrival at school - first bring M. Sensible to his class, then M. Gourmand. Even though they said they didn't want to go to school, they are obviously happy to see all their friends again and our goodbyes are easy.<br />
9:00 am - back home. Desperately need to vacuum clean... then get caught up following the sailing race again.<br />
11:20 am - pick up M. Gourmand from school<br />
12:00 pm - lunch is ready (leftover spaghetti carbonara from last night). M. Gourmand doesn't want to eat it. Throws a tantrum. After a stand-off, a bit of reasoning and some cuddling, he finally relinquishes and comes back to the table to eat his spaghetti.<br />
1:00 pm - time for his nap. It seems to go fine at first but once I've left the room he starts singing, laughing, talking and finally gets out of bed, declaring he doesn't want to sleep. I tell him he can come sleep in my bed, which he says he doesn't want to, but when I do lie down, he quickly crawls in next to me.<br />
1:30 pm - we're both napping (I actually had stuff to do but since I had a very short night I really fell asleep instead of getting out once my son was asleep).<br />
3:00 pm - I get out off bed. Nap was good but probably too long because now I feel a bit dazed.<br />
3:15 pm - M. Gourmand is awake too. We have a snack and we chill watching cartoons / race updates before heading out to pick up M. Sensible from school.<br />
4:15 pm - leave home by bike (with M. Gourmand in the child seat on the back) to school - light drizzle has started.<br />
4:30 pm - leave school with both kids - rain is getting a bit heavier, it's pretty windy too, so no weather to go play in the park - I hook M. Sensible's bike to my own. Uphill and headwind battle going home. Quite the workout, even if it's not even 1 km to our house (most people who see me do this think I'm nuts anyway).<br />
4:45 pm - home with the kids. Make snack for M. Sensible.<br />
5:30 pm - we have to leave to bring M. Sensible to music class - it is now pouring with rain. Hubby took the car to the airport, so we are putting our rain boots and jackets on and heading out on foot (with M. Gourmand in the stroller). Too much wind for an umbrella (and not compatible with pushing a stroller anyway).<br />
6:00 pm - drop M. Sensible off at music class, M. Gourmand and I head out again to buy some groceries/kill time (going home would make no sense).<br />
7:00 pm - music class is over, time to go home! Luckily the rain has changed into a drizzle again. It's still blowing though.<br />
7:20 pm - home just in time before one of the wheels of the stroller falls off. Now let's get some dinner on the table!<br />
7:45 pm - dinner is ready. M. Gourmand is eating his veggies! He even asks for seconds!<br />
8:00 pm - both boys in need of some long bathroom breaks...<br />
8:15 pm - remind them again that vacation is over, it is a school night, and we should get the bedtime routine started ASAP!<br />
8:30 pm - changing into PJs, brushing teeth...<br />
9:00 pm - both in bed, stories read, songs sung, cuddles given, lights out, etc. etc. They will be asleep within 5 minutes.<br />
9:30 pm - it's about time I write my MicroblogMonday post! (which turned out to be not so micro at all, but oh well...)<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/11/microblogmondays-10-where-are-you-online/" target="_blank">Join in</a>!</i><br />
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-53211677282226401892014-10-27T15:28:00.000+01:002014-10-27T20:45:04.800+01:00#MicroblogMondays: J.This morning when I opened the FB app on my phone I had two notifications. One was a 'like' someone had given on a photo I posted, the other one was to let me know it was my FB friend J.'s birthday. Only J. is no longer with us.<br />
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The weird thing was that I had actually thought about her when I woke up. I don't know why because besides being FB friends, we weren't really friends in real life (and I didn't know today was her birthday). We had met once a few years ago, when we were living in the same city and she was looking into daycare/babysitter options for her baby girl. We had some things in common as new mothers and expats - the need to have some 'me-time' again but the struggle of handing our baby over to a sitter when we didn't have a real need (ie work) for it, and the feeling of being a bit lost in a new environment/country/culture. My sitter did have an opening, but J. didn't take it. She moved back to the US with her baby and French husband a few months later.<br />
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Her FB friend request came this Spring, which I accepted because I had a nice memory of that one time we met. I didn't post anything on her timeline or send her a message, but I did scroll through her posts and I saw funny stories and happy photos. Until two months ago, when my newsfeed showed something that had been posted on her timeline by a friend. J. had taken her own life.<br />
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I went back into her posts and realized that social media can paint a completely different picture of someone than what's actually going on in their life. I felt bad for not writing something after accepting her friend request (not that I think it would have made a difference - but maybe it would have if all of her 254 FB friends had reached out somehow instead of thinking it wouldn't matter). And it breaks my heart when I think about her beautiful daughter, who turned 4 just three weeks after her mommy died.<br />
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Happy birthday J. - may your soul rest in peace.<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/10/microblogmondays-9-seance/" target="_blank">Join in</a>!</i><br />
<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-65191576391662207722014-10-20T16:12:00.000+02:002014-10-20T16:12:06.404+02:00#MicroblogMondays: Staycation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Start of the 2-week school holidays. The living room has been taken over by the boys...<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/10/microblogmondays-8-last-name/" target="_blank">Join in</a>!</i>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-16265155116421559512014-10-13T15:56:00.003+02:002014-10-20T16:10:30.954+02:00#MicroblogMondays: musselsYesterday we had mussels for dinner. Or at least, hubby and Mr Sensible did. Mr Gourmand and me don't like mussels. For Mr. Gourmand it might just be his "I am 2 and I don't like anything besides junk food", for me it's psychological. I don't think I ever really tried, I just can't bring myself to eat them. So I had thawed some salmon from the freezer for myself, and Mr Gourmand would have his beloved fish sticks. When it was time to cook it turned out the salmon was looking and smelling a bit funny, so I threw it out. Having no alternative, I put some more fish sticks in the pan...<br />
However when we all sat down for dinner the fish sticks didn't look and smell appealing to me at all. So I started on the carrots and the fries. Hubby asked if I really didn't want to try a mussel (with my eyes closed if needed). Oh well, ok then. I tried, it wasn't bad at all (don't I sound really French here? C'est pas mal... the most positive reaction you can get). I'm not a big fan, but I ate at least ten (eyes open). Never too old to discover new tastes (and I hope it won't take that long before Mr Gourmand decides to try out some fruit and veggies - otherwise I'll have to come up with a new nickname for him)!<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/10/microblogmondays-7-who-is-scared-of-a-horror-film/" target="_blank">Join in</a>!</i>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-34080893844678709772014-10-06T15:32:00.000+02:002014-10-06T15:32:55.988+02:00#MicroblogMondays: Done!Submitted all translations this morning. I'm going to catch up on some sleep this week...lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-5342250323819819442014-09-29T12:29:00.003+02:002014-09-29T12:29:53.981+02:00#MicroblogMondays: deadline stressMy apologies for not returning any comments on last week's #microblogmonday. I've been under deadline stress and will be until Friday.<br />
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Combining working (from home) with the kids' school schedule is a little daunting at times. Last year I could still tell M. Gourmand's sitter that I would pick him up later and ask another mom to pick M. Sensible up from school and take him to the park. Now M. Gourmand is also in (pre)school, but just mornings. So I have two hours to work in the morning when he's at school, two hours during nap time, and if I have any energy left 1-2 hours in the evening when the kids are in bed.<br />
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More thoughtful blog posting and commenting to come next week, hopefully.<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. Join in!</i><br />
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-63555167678484582014-09-22T09:00:00.000+02:002014-09-22T09:00:14.408+02:00#MicroblogMondays: inappropriate pinkAlthough my TTC days are behind me, pink on my panty liners still makes me flip out. What the hell were they thinking at Nana (or Libresse, or whatever they're called abroad)...?!<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. Join in!</i>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-87153563627180139172014-09-15T13:59:00.000+02:002014-09-15T13:59:17.728+02:00#MicroblogMondays: to party or not to partyThe other day in the park M. Sensible was a bit upset because one of his best kindergarten friends was going over (together with his parents and little sister) to M. Sensible's best friend/girlfriend that evening and of course M. Sensible wanted to go too. So I said I understood, but explained that we can't just all go join everyone without invitation, and I sure would talk to his mom so we could plan a playdate soon too. Well, ok, ok, but of course he still felt a bit left out. And funnily so did I - Why? Why do I always think that they don't like me as much as the others because they set up more dinner dates together? So I tried to kick myself in the ass and told me to get some self-confidence.<br />
The next day we saw everyone again at a birthday party of yet another kindergarten friend. One of the two moms looked really tired and hungover. Turned out the dinner date had actually been a sleepover, lots of alcohol was consumed by the adults and of course they hadn't hit their pillow before 3 am and she was woken up by her baby at 5:30 am, with the other kids following at 7 am. I felt conflicted. There was the little jealous pang again for missing out on a fun evening but at the same time I know that even if I am invited or going out for a girls night, I always go home as one of the first ones because for me feeling like sh*t the day after (which then also means yelling at my kids etc) is too high a price to pay for just a fun night. That probably makes me boring, or at least sensible (a label I've been given my entire life already). I could add that the other two moms are at least 5 years younger than me but I don't think age has anything to do with it. Even when I was a teenager my parents wondered if I shouldn't be out dancing with friends on a Friday night...<br />
<b>Do you like going out late (and getting drunk) with friends even when you know you will not have the chance to sleep in and you might be grumpy and unpleasant to everyone around you the following day? Or are you so lucky to have a partner who would just take over the next day so you can recuperate (which is not the case for me)?</b><br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. Join in!</i>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-15514602671898845902014-09-08T13:41:00.000+02:002014-09-08T13:41:59.971+02:00#MicroblogMondays: La RentréeIs summer vacation for a mother of small children ever really relaxing? We had lots of fun, but I can't say I was rested upon return (especially since M. Gourmand thought it was too much trouble going to the bathroom on the campsite - so much easier to let mommy clean up the mess… I must admit I threw away a few undies…).<br />
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Today the second week of school started with both boys attending. Last week I immediately noticed how much easier life is for the younger child. School was already familiar to him, while his brother had again to navigate a new situation as his Kindergarten class is located in the building of the elementary school - so tears for M. Sensible, big smile for M. Gourmand (who has everybody's favorite teacher as well so how can you not smile).<br />
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I now have at least my mornings back (and who knows, maybe also my blog?) - and some part of the afternoon too as M. Sensible stays at school all day and M. Gourmand takes long enough naps for me to get some work done. If I get as far as to revive my Cultural Differences series, there will certainly be a post on the topic of "La Rentrée" too.<br />
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<i>#MicroblogMondays is <a href="http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/09/what-is-microblog-mondays/" target="_blank">another great idea</a> from Mel at Stirrup Queens. Join in!</i>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-1762725137026977672013-08-21T22:40:00.001+02:002013-08-21T22:40:42.480+02:00Cultural differences - summer break<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChIiCkCYvUY/UWR2ALGbo9I/AAAAAAAAANI/pATjwigSXag/s1600/CulturalDifferencesBlogButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChIiCkCYvUY/UWR2ALGbo9I/AAAAAAAAANI/pATjwigSXag/s1600/CulturalDifferencesBlogButton.jpg" width="200" /></a><i>Welcome to the fourth installment of my monthly cultural differences series! I've missed two months (oops) with no real excuse other than that I've had the kids 24/7 all summer and not much time to blog.</i><br />
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It's August. We're in France. which means...<br />
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If you want bread, you have to walk the extra mile to a bakery that's open. The market is half the size it usually is. Don't try to find a doctor or a dentist. But if you want to park your car in the streets, don't worry about not having enough change - it's free this month. The city is deserted, everyone is at the beach.<br />
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When we just moved here we went on vacation in September and were a bit surprised that we only met retired people. Turns out that even people with small children that aren't tied to a school schedule yet will be on vacation in August because daycare centers are closed for the entire month and many sitters will be away too (our sitter, who is Portuguese, spends the entire month in Portugal - and the first Saturday of her vacation in a traffic jam on the high way).<br />
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Of course, historically, this is probably due to harvest time - everyone had to go harvest the crops in August so everything else had to shut down. But if I ask friends or colleagues why the entire country still goes en masse on vacation in August, they look at me as if I'm crazy, say 'well, it's always been this way / we don't know any better' or 'well, the industry closes (but if I ask why they don't have an answer to it!), so I have less work in August, so I might as well take my vacation then). School is out in the entire country from the first Saturday in July until the first Tuesday in September (for other school holidays the country is divided into three zones to try to avoid overly crowded high ways and resorts - or to give the tourist industry a longer period of higher income, however you want to look at it), but the family vacation is always in August - kids of working parents will go to their grandparents or summer camp in July.<br />
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The first Saturday in August is called "black Saturday" on traffic reports. It means everyone is standing still on the highways going south. (This year we thought we could go south the Friday before to celebrate my dad's birthday - it took us 6 hours instead of 3.5 - and that day was only classed as "orange").<br />
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Since we have kids and are more or less tied to the sitter's vacation schedule, we have been taking vacations in August, but still trying to avoid the huge crowds (so you won't find us at the Mediterranean beach then). This year we have a bit of a hap-snap vacation but will be going to the mountains next week, when the rest of the country is going back home to stock up on school supplies for "la rentrée des classes" (which will be the topic of my next Cultural Differences installment).<br />
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<b>Is there a specific summer period when most of the people in your country take vacation or is it more spread out? Any other specifics to summer vacation time you know of?</b>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-23779513459222375312013-07-23T12:17:00.000+02:002013-07-23T12:17:19.227+02:0044Today marks the 44th birthday of my still born brother. When my mom was still alive my sister and I would have made sure to send a bouquet of white flowers to my parents (if we weren't with them at the time). We didn't have many other rituals to mark the day - when we were little my sister and I knew about the brother we never had, my mom sometimes told us little snippets, but that was about it.<br />
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Only later did I understand why she reacted to things the way she did. She thought it was ridiculous when in films / TV shows women in labor would be screaming (my dad had asked her not to scream when she went in to the L&D room to deliver her son while he had to wait in the hallway - she didn't scream when she had me or my sister either and delivered all three children without epidural or other pain medication. I had M. Gourmand without epidural too and I think my screams were heard on the entire L&D floor and I don't know how I would have managed without...); when she hurt herself she would say "I've faced bigger fires before" and wouldn't complain about it; she would tell us to 'enjoy life' before getting pregnant - feeling she and my dad had been too young (they were in their early twenties) and to 'green' to face those doctors with their horrible bedside manners that first time around (and probably even a feeling of mother's guilt that she might have been able to change the outcome had she been more assertive).<br />
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Since she died, don't really know how to celebrate this day with my dad. Anything that refers to the time with my mom expressed in the presence of his new wife still seems to make him nervous, as if she wouldn't be able to deal with his past (or he just doesn't know yet how to fit everything into his head and heart yet). I just sent him a text message to let him know I haven't forgotten. I thought that would be it, but now that I'm writing this I've decided to ask my sister (who is with them in their house in the South of France this week) to buy a small white bouquet (or gather some white wildflowers if that's easier) for my dad to remember his son.lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-80555477694617896162013-07-22T14:50:00.000+02:002013-07-22T14:50:15.109+02:00Summer - part 1I don't want to start each blog post with an apology for my absence, but truth be told I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last post!<br />
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School has been out since July 6th - and there was no better way to celebrate it than with M. Sensible's 4th birthday! We had seven of his friends over and they were having lots of fun in the garden, especially with the water hose. Around 6 pm the parents came back and stayed for a BBQ and we all had lots of fun. The house was a mess afterward (almost more grass inside than outside) and we battled mosquitoes all night because we had left the screen doors (well, they're not really doors, they're screen frames, attached to the window/door frames with velcro) open, a small price to pay for such a good time.<br />
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Two days later we went to my dad's second home in the South of France for a week-long vacation. It was blistering hot, but thankfully the house has a pool. M. Gourmand came down with a fever the next day and in the evening we got a call from a doctor from some regional health agency informing us that a classmate of M. Sensible had been hospitalized with meningitis so we had to make a doctor's appointment for the next day to get a prescription for a preventive antibiotics treatment for M. Sensible. Of course I flipped a little bit with M. Gourmand having a fever and not knowing if the little boy had been at M. Sensible's birthday party... (the doctor wasn't allowed to say the boy's name - I found out via another mom who had heard from the teacher, and no, the boy hadn't been at the party). Luckily M. Gourmand was fine again the next morning, both boys were in great shape, so we weren't too concerned when we went in for the appointment. The doctor first started to lecture us about various forms of meningitis, viral and bacterial, and then the different bacterial types - as if we were all overreacting - but he quickly changed his tone when he had talked to the agency's physician on the phone. So he gave M. Sensible a quick check-up (but M. Sensible still managed to kick and scream...), wrote out the prescription and off we went. The rest of the week was pretty uneventful and relaxing.<br />
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I'd tried to contact the little boy's mother a few times but she wouldn't answer the phone so we had no idea how the boy was doing but luckily yesterday and other mom had crossed her with her kids at the market and the boy is fine! It turned out to be viral after all (although in the beginning they thought it was bacterial and of the meningococcal variety and he had spent one day in quarantine).<br />
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We'll take some more vacation in August (like real French people! - a good topic for a next Cultural Differences post) but unfortunately one of hubby's projects has changed its schedule (obviously this project is not in France...) and he now probably has to work exactly at the same time as our vacation. This really sucks for several reasons but mostly because it means that he won't really have time off and he's close to a burn out, so he really really needs some time off...<br />
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-50039547263099146292013-05-27T15:51:00.001+02:002013-07-22T14:51:45.129+02:00Perfect Moment Monday: big boyM. Sensible, now almost 4 years old, sometimes doesn't seem to want to be a big boy. It probably has to do with having a little brother around and the feeling that the baby gets more cuddles and attention than he does. It took him forever to want to drink his morning chocolate milk from a mug instead of a bottle (he finally agreed when I bought him a special mug that said "chocolate" on the side and he can choose which color straw to use). He even wanted to sleep in a baby sleep sack one time (it still fit, although really snugly and after that one nap he never asked for it again, so it must not have been too comfortable). His most persistent <strike>trick to get mommy's attention</strike> regression - that started about two months ago, around the time M. Gourmand learned to walk - is to flat-out refuse to go to the toilet when we ask him to and to wet his pants numerous times a day (only with us, not at preschool). So I'm trying not to let my frustration show, just change him into something clean, do laundry non-stop, and praise him for everything he does well in order to try to change this behavior (not much luck so far though).<br />
Another thing he refused was trying to bike without his training wheels. He already was a pro on his balance bike (without pedals) and on the other one the training wheels seemed to get in the way (he sometimes almost tipped over because of them) but any suggestion to remove them was returned with a "no". But then, two weeks ago, we went to the park and there was a classmate from preschool, riding his bike without training wheels! M. Sensible wanted to try, and once he figured out that he needed to keep pedaling if he didn't want to fall, he took up speed and made one turn around the park after the other. Hubby and I took turns running next to / behind him and both cheered and cheered. The look of pride and freedom on his face was priceless. A true perfect moment for both him and me.<br />
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A few days later we took his own bike out of the shed. He initially refused to let us take off the training wheels, but after one round he came back to us and asked if we could please take them off. The bike is still a bit big, so getting on and off it by himself is still a challenge, but once he's gotten the little push he's off like a rocket. Even M. Gourmand is impressed and applauds him from his stroller. M. Sensible is still beaming with pride and tells everyone he meets that he can now ride his bike without the training wheels, just like a big boy!<br />
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<a href="http://lavenderluz.com/category/perfect-moment" target="_blank">Perfect Moment Monday</a> is hosted by Lori at Lavenderluz.com. It is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between.</div>
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On the last Monday of each month we engage in mindfulness about something that is right with our world. Everyone is welcome to join.</div>
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-13952493710782780582013-05-22T23:25:00.001+02:002013-05-22T23:25:39.101+02:00Cultural Differences - May Day<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChIiCkCYvUY/UWR2ALGbo9I/AAAAAAAAANI/pATjwigSXag/s1600/CulturalDifferencesBlogButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChIiCkCYvUY/UWR2ALGbo9I/AAAAAAAAANI/pATjwigSXag/s1600/CulturalDifferencesBlogButton.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a>Welcome to the third installment of my monthly cultural differences series! I'm running almost two weeks late with this one but that's because I've adapted/resigned myself to the fact that in May nothing much gets done here in France (it's not yet as bad as August, but getting close!).<br />
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The reason why not much gets done in May is the sheer amount of public holidays this month, and the French custom to "faire le pont", which means you take one or two extra day off between the holiday and the weekend, so you now have a nice long break without having to take up too many vacation days (not that we lack those here - 25/year is about the minimum). It all starts on May 1st - May Day, a BIG public holiday in this socialist country. On this day everything (except the fresh market) is closed. And most astounding, in the city where I live, there is <b><i>no public transport at all</i> </b>on May 1st. Power to the workers!<br />
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Many people might think that Holland is a socialist country too, and in some ways it is, but May 1st is no public holiday there and (obviously) it's not celebrated in the US either, so this was a whole new experience for me when we moved here (and I still can't get over the fact that there is no public transport service!).<br />
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Then May 8th is also a public holiday (WWII Liberation Day) and this year Ascension Day fell on May 9th, so obviously no one was working on May 10 (oh, yes, my hubby was - and actually the public schools were open too, but half of M. Sensible's classmates were absent) and many actually took that entire week off. And then last Monday was Whit Monday, so another short week. This all following on the 2-week Spring break and kids have no way of getting back into a normal rhythm (and there are only six weeks of school left before the summer holidays).<br />
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On the other public holidays in May many stores are "exceptionellement ouvert", so you can spend your free day with hundreds of others at the giant blue and yellow home furnishing store if you'd feel so inclined (or in my case, you can just go to the grocery store and don't have to think what's for dinner two days in advance).<br />
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Before we moved here I thought July 14th (Bastille Day) would be the biggest public holiday in France, but no, the post office will be closed that day but almost everything else will be open. May 1st though, is the sacred day in this laic country. <br />
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<b>Which public holiday is most widely observed in your country? How much is closed/non-operational on that day?</b>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-82137202996617306722013-05-03T21:49:00.001+02:002013-05-03T21:57:11.572+02:00Spring Shed - week 7<br />
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Woohoo, I'm posting my week 7 report on time! The full back story of this blog hop hosted by Kathy at <a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/"><span class="s1">Bereaved and Blessed</span></a> can be found <span class="s1"><a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/2013/01/winter-shed-2013/">here</a>.</span></div>
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To be honest, I just can't wait for these school holidays to be over so I can get things done again! Next week won't offer much respite though, because Wednesday and Thursday are public holidays. The sitter is taking Friday off so she'll have a very long weekend (and probably 90% of the country will do the same), but M. Sensible's school is open and boy am I going to take advantage of that (I wonder how many classmates will show up though)! My SIL from Holland will be visiting, so we'll probably take some outings around the city - no need to get into the traffic jams trying to go south.<br />
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To recap my goals for this Spring Shed: my only goal is to keep finding things to not fall into complete mommy mode again (because I do think the Winter Shed accountability helped me get out of mommy mode) and so my weekly report will be on what I did to make that happen (or what I didn't do and why I fell back into mommy mode), whether that be reading more, getting more paid work, blogging more frequently etc.<br />
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So here's how I did during week 7:</div>
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I read a lot! I actually only recently (like late last week) read Mel's "Life from Scratch" and had planned to ask my sister to bring "Measure of Love" with her but when I finished the first book I didn't want to wait that long to continue reading the second one! So I downloaded the Kindle app and bought the Kindle version on Amazon. Have been reading every single free minute since...</div>
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I got a request for a small project from the agency I did the web intelligence work for in November/December and March. I sent them a quote today (which should be accepted, more a formality) so I will start that on Monday when the kids are back at school/sitter (and finish it on Tuesday because it's really that small). So even though this and the translation jobs I did a few weeks ago are small (I won't really make more than about 100 bucks with it), it's nice that they are from repeat clients and that until now I still have gotten some project, however small, to work on.</div>
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However I find that this freelance, working from home thing is quite tough - it really still is more like moonlighting when I can get a few hours off from my mommy-duties, and when hubby's away on business (which is a lot) and especially if combined with school holidays (ie the kids home all day) it's really impossible to get into work-mode. I find it unprofessional telling clients that I can't respond right away because I have the kids at home etc, but it is the truth and I don't want to work too much at night either trying to give the impression that I can do everything for everyone. I have a separate post brewing in my head about this, so I won't delve much further into it now...</div>
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Other than the reading and getting the request for the project I was still mainly on mommy-duty this week and I'm longing to have some time to myself as of Monday (but at the same time looking forward to the weekend too - which should finally bring some respite from the rain we've been having).</div>
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-23358660646493485042013-04-26T22:24:00.000+02:002013-04-27T15:34:27.368+02:00Spring Shed - Week 4-6<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9329789669718593" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a border="0" href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/regular-series/spring-shed/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/kmbenson75/SpringShedLogo_zps0dcf4261.jpg" height="200" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></span></b><br />
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Apparently I'm doing my Spring Shed reports in three-week increments... After the week 1-3 report, here's an update on how I did during week 4-6. The full back story of this blog hop hosted by Kathy at <a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/"><span class="s1">Bereaved and Blessed</span></a> can be found <span class="s1"><a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/2013/01/winter-shed-2013/">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="s1"><i>Edit: I wrote this post a bit to quickly yesterday so I forgot a few things. First of all my goals for this Spring Shed! Copied from my previous Spring Shed post: my only goal is to keep finding things to not fall into complete mommy mode again (because I do think the Winter Shed accountability helped me get out of mommy mode) and so my weekly report will be on what I did to make that happen (or what I didn't do and why I fell back into mommy mode), whether that be reading more, getting more paid work, blogging more frequently etc.</i></span><br />
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<span class="s1">Week 4 was a relatively calm week. M. Gourmand's double ear infection got better once he was on antibiotics (although administering it was a twice-daily struggle, but we persevered for the full six days) - once when he was screaming because he didn't want to take his medicine I saw something white sticking out of his gums: turns out there were four molars emerging!! Poor baby...</span><br />
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<span class="s1">With him doing better I had a chance to get out of full-on mommy mode again. I had a very small translation job to do and was waiting for another one (both from the same client I did the huge project for last month). I also went to a concert with a friend that week on Thursday evening, which was a nice break in the normal weekly routine.</span><br />
<span class="s1"><i>Edit: I also wrote two blog posts: my <a href="http://ivf-fiv.blogspot.fr/2013/04/april-revisited.html" target="_blank">second participation in Time Warp Tuesday</a> and <a href="http://ivf-fiv.blogspot.fr/2013/04/cultural-differences-at-doctors.html" target="_blank">the second installment of my Cultural Differences series</a>.</i></span><br />
<span class="s1"><br /></span>Week 5 was gearing up for and attending <a href="http://ivf-fiv.blogspot.fr/2013/04/the-wedding.html" target="_blank">my dad's wedding</a>, plus hubby was away on business for most part of the week (we met up in Holland the day before the wedding), so not much opportunity to get out of mommy-mode, but I did get a babysitter on the Saturday evening to be able to go out with two friends to celebrate the birthday of one of them.<br />
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The second translation job came in but unfortunately I couldn't complete it because the end-client didn't send all the texts (clauses and disclaimers) before I had to leave for Holland. I have no idea if they found another translator to do that or if it's still on hold. I'm hesitant to contact the agency as I currently hardly have time to work with the kids home during the school holidays...<br />
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This past week (week 6) was still mainly full-on mommy mode as both kids have been home the entire week - M. Sensible has school holidays (two weeks - this and next week) and M. Gourmand's sitter was also on vacation this week - plus hubby again away on business as of early Wednesday morning (until tomorrow afternoon). The kids missed a lot of naps during our four days in Holland and it was very tiring for me too, plus after the four molars M. Gourmand also had two emerging canines, which resulted one night being broken up by two 30-minute long screaming fits... so all three of us took very long naps this week. We also worked and played in the garden - I have a whole project to start a small vegetable/herb garden in raised beds together with M. Sensible, so I hope the weather next week will not be as bad as is currently forecast and we can work on it together while M. Gourmand is at the sitter.<br />
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Overall the week went okay but I do miss having some time for myself and today I yelled at the kids (mainly M. Sensible) a few times for no real reason - so I can't wait for hubby to come back (although some real me-time will have to wait until the school holidays are over).lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-28672989917412860522013-04-26T14:45:00.000+02:002013-04-26T23:59:04.233+02:00The weddingCan you imagine being on the plane to attend the wedding and thinking "well, at least I can visit my mom's grave while I'm there"? Ever since they announced it I'd be yo-yoing between going and not-going. I missed my sister (for whom it was just an impossible date - yes, we were both frustrated that we got the message that they wanted us to be there, but they didn't consult the date with those who live far away, i.e. us). The ceremony at city hall was very surreal. Luckily I could pretend to make sure my kids weren't tearing down the place so I didn't have to look at the bride and groom. I still cringe when my dad calls her 'honey' (well, he doesn't call her honey because they don't speak English to each other, but you get the idea). The little party at their house afterward was nice though. But I was still too busy with the kids / too tired / not interested to strike up a conversation with her two daughters (who will remain 'her daughters' to me, I will never ever call them my step-sisters, nor will I call her my step-mom. Luckily no-one expects me to either). I do like her. My kids adore her. I'm glad my dad has found happiness again. But this was not easy.<br />
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I visited my mom's grave the next day. Mr. Sensible had fallen asleep in the car so hubby stayed with him and I took M. Gourmand with me. He loved the little stones on my mom's grave - and on the grave next to hers, and oh, there was a little jar on that grave where you could put all those stones into - and why am I not allowed to climb on the big family tombstones...?! (We'll see what kind of phase he's in next time I get a chance to visit).<br />
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We visited my maternal grandmother two days later. I had asked my dad to call her beforehand, because I didn't want to be the person who had to tell her, not did I want to lie about my reason for being in Holland, nor did I want M. Sensible be the one to tell her (my dad first thought that would actually be very convenient, if the innocent (great)grandchild would give it away, but luckily he came to his senses and realized that it would still have to be him to make the call).<br />
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Of course my grandma didn't take it very well. My dad used to be her favorite son-in-law. Ever since he has a new relationship he has become an outcast. They both don't do well in trying to improve that situation. But for the first time since my mom died hubby and I had an honest conversation with her. She is suddenly bringing the stillborn child into the story (whom she never ever mentioned when my mom was still alive!), blaming my dad for not taking my mom to the grave, apparently looking for past flaws in my dad's behavior... I don't expect her to change, she is 95 and grieving her daughter, but it is such a shame. She has seen so much in her lifetime, but her judgments can be brutal.<br />
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This week I've been home with the kids (school holidays and the sitter is on vacation too). Emotions and missed naps during our stay in Holland have resulted in the theme of this staycation being sleep. So I have a lot of catching up to do in the blogging world. I'll get back into gear soon.lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-61903521973355469222013-04-10T12:30:00.000+02:002013-04-10T12:30:05.561+02:00Cultural differences - at the doctor's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to the second installment of my Cultural Differences series, now with it's own real blog button (thanks <a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/" target="_blank">Kathy</a>)!<br />
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After last month's topic of meeting someone, this time we'll go to the doctor's office!<br />
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In Holland I didn't go to the doctor very often. I was hardly ever sick, so didn't make it much further than GP and dentist. It was pretty simple: there would be a receptionist and/or assistant and the physician him-/herself. No nurses or other staff. If you had to have a physical examination, you would undress (behind a screen) and then be completely naked so the doctor could examine you.<br />
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When watching US sitcoms or movies I always thought that all those blankets and other cover-ups were because we were not allowed to see the actors without their clothes on, but that in real life those covers wouldn't be there.<br />
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Until I moved to the US... First there was receptionist/admin person who dealt with the finances, then there was a nurses station, where I had to fill in forms with medical questions. Then a nurse called me and asked me to step on a scale - fully dressed, even with shoes on! She then brought me to a room, took my blood pressure, asked me to undress, gave me all kinds of covers and told me the doctor would be there in a few minutes. Wow, I hardly knew which cover to put where... How did it all work? So it wasn't just for the movies...? And what took the doctor so long?<br />
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My sister, also living in the US, told me that she never used the covers, but I somehow grew to appreciate them (and got a little less clumsy with them too). Because naked is really very naked...<br />
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Then four years later we moved to France. I was getting out of my denial phase regarding IF, so a gynecologist was one of the first doctors I saw. There was a receptionist, and the doctor herself. After a short chat it was time for an examination. Please get undressed. Please lie there. Wow... I was cold. No covers. Just like in Holland. What I used to think was normal. They call it "à poil" in French. But hey, this is the first time I see this doctor (it was also the last time, but that's a completely different story). Hmm... ok, get over it, this is a doctor, they're used to seeing people naked...<br />
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After two pregnancies in France I've gotten pretty used to it - undress in front of the OBGYN, step naked on the scale, be completely naked during the whole examination. Get dressed quickly once it's over. It's normal. It doesn't really bother me. But hey, I wouldn't mind a little cover...<br />
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<b>What is the usual practice in your part of the world when you have to get a physical examination? Are covers involved? Would you be shocked if you would go to a different country and it would be completely different than what you're used to?</b>lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-62574754814054192182013-04-09T22:33:00.004+02:002013-04-09T22:57:54.216+02:00April revisited<br />
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This is the second time I'm participating in <a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/projects-regular-series/time-warp-tuesdays/" target="_blank">Time Warp Tuesday</a>, hosted by Kathy at Bereaved and Blessed and this month's topic is "April". Kathy writes:<br />
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April represents the beginning of the second quarter of each New Year, it is filled with rainy days and all things blooming. Some years Easter and Passover fall in April, bringing forth important and special events in many faith traditions. Choose a post from your archives that you wrote during the month of April. It can be about any thing or topic that speaks to you. Then write a new post on your blog about why you chose the post that you did and what has happened in your life since.</blockquote>
I had several posts to choose from, but ultimately selected one from two years ago, called <a href="http://ivf-fiv.blogspot.fr/2011/04/random-thoughts.html" target="_blank">Random Thoughts</a>, because it really has a connection with where I am now. It was about a month before the FET with our lonely frosty and I was a bit pessimistic about it all. I wrote:<br />
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We only have one embryo frozen, how big is the chance it won't thaw properly? It's the same Grade A excellent quality as one of the embies that was transferred for IVF#2 - which didn't make it. So why should I believe its frozen brother or sister will have a better chance?</blockquote>
Well, turns out our little frosty did have a better chance than his two fresh siblings! He thawed properly, he nested comfortably in my uterus and stayed there until he was fully finished and ready to see the world. M. Gourmand completes our little family and makes me look at the bright side of things - and if his hands are cold I sometimes joke that it is because he was frozen for his first three months...<br />
<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-82000813456621260962013-04-05T23:08:00.000+02:002013-04-05T23:17:32.827+02:00Spring Shed - Week 1-3<br />
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After completing the 10 weeks of Winter Shed, I happily said yes to Kathy when she asked me if I wanted to continue on with a Spring Shed (the full back story of this blog hop hosted by Kathy at <a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/"><span class="s1">Bereaved and Blessed</span></a> can be found <span class="s1"><a href="http://bereavedandblessed.com/2013/01/winter-shed-2013/">here</a>)</span>. Well, what a way to join a good resolutions series by being two weeks too late! You'd think that only a change of name wouldn't wreak so much havoc in the routine I had built up with the weekly Winter Shed posts, but apparently it did...<br />
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Anyway, it doesn't matter - I took a sprint and am back on the wagon (and actually, I didn't really fall off, I kept my resolutions, I just didn't report them here).<br />
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The reason I didn't post anything last Friday was because I went on a 2-day trip to Spain with my sister (who came over from California just to spend some time with me!). It was wonderful! Two days of quality time with my sister, without kids, without obligations. We went to see a concert of Bach's St Matthew's Passion by an ensemble we both admire. The work is very dear to our hearts as well for several reasons: in Holland it is a real tradition to perform this during Holy Week. From well-know professional ensembles to the local choir, every city will have at least one St Matthew's Passion performance the week before Easter. My mom used to sing in a Bach choir when we were kids, and my sister now does the same, and we listened to it often at home as well, so we basically all know it by heart. It was very special to attend the concert (and also a bit emotional - I had tears streaming down my face during my favorite aria (performed by my favorite Bach interpreter) "Mache dich mein Herze rein", as images of washing my mother's body after she died played in my head - if you don't know it, you can listen to it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnxnhPZ0B2Q" target="_blank">here</a>). It was even more special being in this Spanish city during Holy Week, with the famous processions (we missed the ones at nighttime because we were at the concert hall, but the daytime ones were quite impressive too). The concert ended at midnight and we went out for tapas afterwards, yum (and yawn too)!<br />
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The next day we had a late flight back home, but it was delayed and we were afraid it would be cancelled because there were only five passengers... Then the captain told us there was thick fog at the destination and an airplane had veered off the runway so the airport was closed, but we would take off anyway, hoping it would be open again once we would be there... And oh sorry, there's a technical problem with our plane so we're going back to the gate. The technical problem was quickly solved but the fog was still there. If it wouldn't have lifted by the time we would ben there, we would turn around because all airports nearby had the same problem. I had a bit the feeling this was a bad April Fools joke, and just hoped it would be allright. It was. It was still quite foggy, but luckily there was enough visibility to land. When my head finally hit my pillow at home it was 3 am. The kids were overjoyed at 6:30 am to find out that I was back home...<br />
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My sister flew back to the US the next day and had to take a 5:50 am train to the airport. Only daylight savings time started last weekend here in Europe, so we had the feeling it was one our earlier. Hubby had to take the same train the next day to leave on a business trip. I was so tired I felt like I was stuck in a continuous jetlag. Then when I finally started feeling normal again, M. Gourmand came down with a fever. Two days between 39.2 and 39.6 degrees Celsius... Called our doctor but she was on vacation... Found another one who could see us this morning: poor baby has a double ear infection, so is now on antibiotics (and he hates it! - but it does make him feel better). He already had pink eye when I came back from Spain, and a severe nose cold, so the boy is one snotty mess. And of course I now have pink eye too...<br />
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It feels appropriate to end this post now by saying that because of all this I didn't get anything done regarding my Spring Shed resolutions and I'll see you all next week, but... after finishing the Winter Shed series I had decided that for the Spring Shed I wanted to do it a bit differently. The reason I joined the Winter Shed is because I wanted to get out of what I call "mommy mode", i.e. only doing stuff that is related to me being a mother. But then I started listing things like reading more novels, follow the news, get my website up etc, and that was good, but they were mainly tools in my effort to get out of "mommy mode". So for the Spring Shed, my only goal is to keep finding things to not falling into complete mommy mode again (because I do think the Winter Shed accountability helped me get out of mommy mode) and so my weekly report will be on what I did to make that happen (or what I didn't do and why I fell back into mommy mode), whether that be reading more, getting more paid work, blogging more frequently etc.<br />
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So without further ado, here's a recap of what I did during my Spring Shed Week 1 to 3 to stick to my goal to not falling back into complete mommy mode:<br />
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<li>I completed my translation assignment in the first half of week 1 and did some final proofreading the following week.</li>
<li>I also completed my web intelligence assignment - I felt a bit awkward the way I reported during the last two days, because it was when I was in Spain and I didn't have internet access all the time - the client called me when I was watching the Holy Thursday Procession and I had to rush back to the hotel (where I had WiFi) to check something I had missed earlier that day, but I still got a very kind email from the client that they were very happy with me and wouldn't hesitate to work with me again, so that was nice.</li>
<li>I also got a request to quote for another, pretty small, translation job from the first client, so new projects are already coming in, which is good! </li>
<li>The biggest getting out of mommy mode thing for the past three weeks was of course the trip with my sister, which was absolutely amazing!</li>
<li>Mainly because of this trip (and of getting back into full mommy mode because of sick M. Gourmand) I didn't blog and read as much as I would have liked to (and I do want to write the next installment of my Cultural Differences series!), but that is what it is, and I'm sure I'll pick it up again.</li>
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lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698115125710215530.post-24830868538136242042013-03-25T15:41:00.001+01:002013-03-25T15:47:50.523+01:00Perfect Moment Monday: on the bikeSpring is cautiously starting here and I 'm taking advantage of the milder temperatures to bring the kids to school/sitter by bike again (to see what that looks like, go <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aW33_bF-wjI/UIb44SyKZJI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/07b1_YfvvlY/s1600/onthebike.jpg" target="_blank">here</a> - and then add a few centimeters and kilos for both kids).<br />
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One day during the recent school holidays I had to work, so M. Sensible was at day camp and M. Gourmand at the sitter. It was around 5 pm and I had just picked up M. Gourmand and we were on our way to pick up M. Sensible. I had made a bit of a judgement error with regard to the route to take, so instead of being on one of the quiet streets, we were biking on the main road through the area, which at that time of day is very busy with traffic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">disclaimer: I did not take this picture while cycling on the busy road, <br />
but took it a few days later when he repeated the gesture on our way to the sitter<br />
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Suddenly M. Gourmand's left hand shifted a bit towards my hand on the handlebar and he wrapped his fingers around one of mine. "<a href="http://ivf-fiv.blogspot.fr/2012/01/perfect-moment-monday-hey-mommy.html" target="_blank">Just like when he was a newborn</a>" I thought and this feeling of utter happiness came over me. I gave him a kiss on his helmet as we cycled on, safe in our own little cocoon on the busy street. Our Perfect Moment.<br />
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<a href="http://lavenderluz.com/category/perfect-moment" target="_blank">Perfect Moment Monday</a> is hosted by Lori at Lavenderluz.com. It is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between.</div>
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<br />lostintranslationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386532187385381844noreply@blogger.com9