Most of you have probably read the article about drowning and how speaking is a secondary function so when someone is drowning they aren’t able to call out. It’s awful….don’t think about it too long or you will be depressed or be terribly scared to let your kids swim. Well, Seth would vouch for the fact that I haven’t been completely silent lately….so I must not be completely drowning, but I am at least treading water.

About a month ago I learned that I would be added as a writer to World Moms Blog.  It is such a neat opportunity and I am getting up and running.  I am one of a group of women living around the world writing on motherhood and such. Again, a good thing. But I am a tad bit stressed with the addition of deadlines and feeling the stress of meeting expectations. All normal feelings with something new but still not energizing feelings!

Add to the above new gig: multiple friends looking for jobs and discouraged, a cancer scare with my mother-in-law, a friend with an abnormal nuchal fold test for her growing baby, another friends baby in the hospital, my husband bidding on jobs (ie NOT sleeping well),   and two little boys that are battling it out to learn to enjoy one another one minute and wildly shrieking because life is so exciting the next, and reading some heavy books that are making me dig deep. All of this adds up to feeling a bit tired. Okay, honestly, A LOT tired.

I feel like I am working towards some exciting new projects that require more juggling of things around here as well as carrying the burden for friends and family going through tough times. Is it possible to be too empathetic? Ummmm, probably not but two baked goods that lacked baking soda in the last couple of weeks with vouch for the fact that my empathy often can distract me. I love my friends and family so much and so often wish I was closer to do more tangible things for them. I am trying to learn how to not stifle that empathy but also to find some balance!

People ask how we are doing. We are doing well. We are all healthy and life is good. I am so thankful that my mother-in-law is cancer free, that my friends baby is out of the hospital, and that bidding season is ALMOST over. The list of things to be thankful for abounds. I just have to stop myself sometimes and give myself a break from the feeling that I have to be all things to all people and solve the world’s problems. How prideful am I that I think I can?!

Whew, thanks for letting me vent. The crockpot is bubbling with my mom’s stew! The sun is shining after a very cloudy, grey morning so we are heading out for a long walk with a friend!

We finally got around to getting our pumpkins this year. I must admit that I missed the hay ride and hoopla involved in getting pumpkins in the US…next year you will find us at Cox Farms or the like! This year we found a cute farm stand.

We are throwing a pumpkin carving party on Saturday night. It will be the UN of pumpkin parties with a Swiss family, a German family, an Italian/American family and a Hungarian/American family!  It will be a fun group of kids and parents and we are hoping for a really fun night….very messy but fun. I will post pics after the fun!

this is the pumpkin pie that Seth was wishing he had gotten to eat. We delivered it to my friend on our way out to get pumpkins…she is German but had lived in Canada and was missing pumpkin pie. It happened to be her birthday so we surprised her and took over a hot pie! Again, Seth is still jealous!

Happy Fall Y’all!

ps-I made these cookies that I mentioned last week. They were SO good. Like pumpkin spice snickerdoodles!! They were so good that I send almost the whole  batch to work with Seth so I wouldn’t have any!

Over the past few weeks Owen has been making his booster seat his platform for battle. At the ripe age of 10 months Owen refused to eat for 7 days for no exact reason except that he didn’t want to. So I can’t say that I don’t know of his stubborn streak or that I am shocked but it is still not fun. Teething typically contributes but since he continues to eat a variety of textures it is hard to say that something is just not comfortable for his teething mouth. Anyhow, I have continued to present Owen with whatever I have made for the family for dinner and just let him deal. He doesn’t have to eat it but I am not making anything special for him.  If I make something spicy or way out there like Indian curry or something I know they won’t love I will, on rare occasion, make something to go along with it that I know the kids would enjoy more. But typically it just is what it is, and I enjoy making things that they like so it’s a win for them anyways.  And how could you not love a veggie mix that includes carrots cut into fun shapes?! Cars, bunnies, stars, mushrooms, flowers. Come on now, could it be any better?

2 weeks ago he downright refused his dinner, twice, settling for his cup of milk and not a bite. Now don’t feel bad for him, he gets puh-lenty to eat. And these phases do pass. Jackson wasn’t a “food jagger” so when he refused to eat I knew something was not quite right. Owen however does this every few months, gets it out of his system and then gets back in his groove. There is no joke in the phrase “eating us out of house and home”. It really may be true for us one day. ha!  When he is in the mood this boy eats. We are learning to let him be a toddler that can refuse and speak his mind without his parents running around making back up plans and meals to make him think he’s running the show!  It’s tough!  PB&J would brighten any screamy meal but since I want him to enjoy family dinners we persist!

A few funny pics for you!

but before you feel bad for him, just envision him with a banana and nutella crepe, see, life is good for sweet Owen!

The weather here in Switzerland has been so gorgeous lately. Seth and I have decided that we think Sept/early October can be even better than summer. Summer was pretty spectacular but not so consistent. Maybe we have been blessed with extra nice days but this Fall we have had only a few rainy days. The rest have been crisp and cool. Here is a snapshot of how we have been filling our Fall days!

I have been trying to get the boys outside as much as possible and to do as many fallish activities. Last week we spent the morning hiking down through the woods down the hill from our house. I wish I had taken my camera because the lighting was beautiful and the boys were all kinds of cute feeling like wilderness men. Owen was more hesitant than Jackson but they both tromped around like “Lord of the flies”. We took a ziplock bag and I told Jackson he could fill it with whatever he found. He focused on leaves, acorns and small twigs. I collected some branches and acorns as well to use for a fall wreath. When we got home I pulled out some crafts paper and glue and let Jackson work on making something with his finds. Free fun!

That morning we had a great time together getting out of the house and working on a project but truth be told I was in a bit of a funk that morning. You see I was so wishing I could pop in my car that morning, visit with a friend, grab lunch at Chickfila and pop in to Home Goods or Target to look for some cheap fall decor to spruce up the house. These days come and go. I do miss home and I do enjoy life here, yet some mornings the two worlds collide and I want to pop back to my All-American life. Anyhow, I pulled myself out of my funk and gathered enough things to make a wreath. I have never made a wreath so it is quite rough. But, it was so enjoyable to pull out the glue gun and just work not knowing how it would turn out. It does the trick of sprucing up the house a bit and it gave me time to process my funk.

So, here is my makeshift wreath….which may or may not keep the Chinese lanterns…I may keep fiddling with it!

Another morning last week I posted a recipe for pumpkin spice playdough on a link from a friend. Here is the link for the original. I cut the recipe in half and used a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice as well as a bit pf extra cinnamon…because it didn’t seem like it needed so much and I kind of ration spices here!  We added some orange food coloring to make it look more pumpkiny without the extra spices. It smelled yummy, filled some time with a project of making it, and filled even more time with the boys playing at the table with it. Owen is stepping up into the world of playdough. He attempted to pop a big bite in as we smelled it originally but after he knew it was salty playdough he was satisfied to play.

Last Friday I was missing my friend Leigh as I was praying so hard that she and her hubby would hear about a new job! Anyhow, as you all know when I miss a friend I normally end up cooking something that reminds me of them! So I got some fresh pumpkin and attempted to make some pumpkin soup. It wasn’t what I remember eating with Leigh at Funfshilling in Germany but it reminded me of sweet times!

This recipe is next on our Fall treat list…Pumpkin Gingersnaps!  Now to find molasses in Bern! Wish me luck!