So after 2 years I finally have something to blog about!  The kids and I took a short (way too short) trip to Venice.  It was more beautiful than I had hoped!  M. had a blast feeding the pigeons in San Marco Piazza.  We toured the Palazzo Ducale and wandered the streets- which would have been better if we had had more time to browse all the shops, etc., but that's a story for another time   Hopefully it won't take another 2 years to blog again!  Over the next few weeks I will (hopefully) get everyone updated on the move and all the other neat things we've been doing and seen since arriving in Germany.  Now I will attempt to upload some pictures from the trip - keep your fingers crossed!

(to see photos you have to go to the albums)

After weeks of "lurking" I finally have a blog-worthy entry!  My son is attending a public school this year and they offer bus service now that the weather has become, well freakishly cold!  (Today the wind chill is 20 below!)  When I first asked him if he wanted to take the bus, he flat out said - NO WAY!  But when the buses started to run and the kids lined up at the end of the day, the "walkers" or "non-bus riders" had to be at the end of the line.  Due to safety reasons - the bus kids need to be out first.  Well, apparently being at the end of the line is more distasteful than the thought of riding the bus.  So the next day I dutifully stopped in the front office to fill out the bus form.  That day I had to pick him up early from school to attend a Thanksgiving function.  Normally leaving school early is good, but he now had his heart set on riding the cool yellow bus and was very upset that I dared to pick him up early and couldn't understand why the bus hadn't come to fetch him, even though the rest of the kids weren't going to be picked up until later.  Finally Monday arrived - the bus riding day.  For those of you who know me - I am a nervous mom and the thought of my precious firstborn son riding on a rickety old bus in the snow and ice with a driver that by 2:00 that afternoon I had convinced myself was probably a crazed drunken dirty old man was not setting well.  What if he didn't get on the right bus?  What if it on the very long 10 minute drive at 20 mph - it crashed, overturned several times and burst into a ball of flames?  So I snuck up to the school and from the cover of my parka, sunglasses and large scarf, watched my son get on the right bus, of course.  I also spoke to the driver (getting close enough to smell his breath) to make sure that he knew where to drop off my boy!  Somewhat relieved I raced home (on the snow and ice)  to make sure that I got home before the bus.  While I sat in my nice warm kitchen, drinking coffe and nibbling on the still warm cookies I had baked special for the occasion, I thought - I could get used to this - I don't have to bundle up my daughter and schlep up to the school every afternoon to pick him up anymore - this is great!!  He gets off the bus and comes in the door: "How was the bus M?" "Well, Mama, from the outside it looks great, but the inside? (here he makes a very nasty face)  It's is not nice at all - it's really dirty and it smells bad.  I don't think I need to ride the bus anymore."
AUUGGGHHH!!!   Back to schlepping.