En fin... summer!

The beginning of June brought gray, rainy, days, temperatures in the 40's and fires in the Fellmann's fireplace at night. Mama was cold. But we finally have sun and 80 degrees. After school today I'll most likely put the boys in their French swim trunks (the tight shorties, not the long Cars movie trunks which are their American trunks) and let them play in the pool in the backyard.

Tomorrow, Saturday, is the Sergy school Kermesse- kind of like a school carnival at the end of the year. Etienne has informed me that he will be a "fourmi rouge" (red ant) in the parade and show. The parade starts at 1:30 p.m. and the festivities go on into the evening. We bought dinner tickets so we're in it for the long haul. The only puzzle now is how to get Xavier down for a nap at some point without anyone missing Etienne's red ant debut. If X doesn't nap, there's no way he or I will make it to dinner time.

Next weekend we have Denis's cousin's wedding in Alsace. Aline is finally marrying Benoit after I think 10 years of dating. We'll leave Sergy after Etienne's last day of school on Friday July 2nd and probably arrive in Guewenheim around 8 p.m. The next day will be full of preparations for the big celebration. The French weddings I have been to always last all night. Denis and I once left at 4 a.m. and were the first to leave because we had a flight to catch. It should be a blast.

Then we have Sunday to travel back to the Rhone-Alpes and finalize our packing, close up the house for the summer, etc. Monday morning July 5th we leave bright and early from the Geneva airport, stop in Newark, and arrive at O'Hare. The boys (and I) cannot wait to see Nina, Papi, Jakey doggy, Tata Sarah, Tata Molly, Ton Ton Johnny, Ellie, Carson, Ton Ton Mike, Granny, Aunt Jill, Aunt Shoo Shoo, et.al. And we have a Raiche Family vacation to look forward to at the end of July in Branson, MO near where Jonathan is currently living and working.

After our 4 weeks in Illinois, I have a girls' weekend in Munich, and Denis and I have Jess's wedding in Ireland over Labor Day. Lots of traveling to look forward to. Let the festivities, heat, and fun commence!

Just Call me June Cleaver

I know, I know, I am far from that quintessential 50's housewife, but I sure feel like one. Certain conditions of living in the Pays de Gex have made me feel like I'm literally tethered to my house and to my kids. First of all let me say I know I am extremely lucky to have this house and these kids. I couldn't love my family more. HOWEVER, one does get tired of cleaning up the kitchen 3 times a day, 7 days a week, picking up toys constantly, and even cooking. Here are the culprits.

First condition: lack of healthy to-go food.Getting take out used to be a treat (fish tacos, sushi, pizza, Mexican, Thai), but here there are almost no take-out options and even fewer affordable options. And in most French restaurants, loud toddlers are not welcome.

Second condition: kids coming home for lunch. Etienne gets dropped off at 8:30 am, then picked up at 11:30 am, then dropped back off at 1:30 pm, then picked back up at 4:30 p.m. So in the morning slot, I can either go grocery shopping or go to the toddler group (but fitting both in is really hard). Xavier naps in the afternoon, so I had to force him to wait until 1:30 to nap. But most of the time I am "stuck" at home in the afternoon. It's just not worth it for him to skip his nap. Believe me we've tried it.

Third condition: lack of a job. Everyone tells me they need English teachers, but because I'm not French I can't easily teach in the public high schools. Swiss schools are more willing to hire non-Swiss people, but not necessarily non- EU people. So I definitely need to get my paperwork done for my French nationality this summer. I recently contacted GRETA, an adult school that has language classes, and was told they would love to hire me if only I had a social security number. I called the social security office and guess what? I need a job first that can at least guarantee 40 hours a month, which GRETA cannot.

On the bright side, I do get out of the house on Tuesday evenings to teach my English and French classes at CERN. And I have also been going to step class on most Wednesday nights. I just really hate housework. I honestly enjoy cooking, but it becomes a chore when you have to do it all of the time with no break. And I know I should just consider myself lucky to be able to spend so much time with my boys when they are little. And I do. At least I don't have to wear pearls and high heels while cleaning and take Denis's coat and briefcase at the door when he comes home.