Chuck D & Mr. T

Teddy will often take a pen and just draw a little on his ear or arm or something. The other day after I asked him to stop painting his legs and socks for the 5th time, he said “I need to decorate my socks.” Since the decorating moves to walls and tables almost daily, I’ve removed all pens and sharpies from the kitchen and now only have washable markers. The message to draw only on paper obviously is getting thru as yesterday I came into the kitchen and found teddy to have climbed up and gotten a piece of paper towel and was sitting at the table drawing with a market I it.

I have lots of posts from the past two weeks that didn’t get uploaded so here they are all at once….it’s like reading a stream of conscious essay.

In Venice I couldn’t get enough of the spaghetti vognole at ??? I also enjyed the cute little dog who looked like Huck and worked behind the counter and who we saw later walking around the camp. Oh and the gelato at Grom was too much. Followed by an afternoon at the Ca’Rezzonico with MJ was bliss. So many ideas for my own house. How can we possibly implement?

Stopping for a cappuccino is such an easy and simple little luxury. We need to do more of that in our day to day life.

Oh the Palazzo Ducale. Your ornamentation. Your prisons. Your Tintorettos. The docent I was following around to study how she got her style to look so perfectly effortless.

A dinner at Alle Testerie was perfetto with scallops in their pretty shells covered in artichoke, gnocchiette with mini quid in a basil and cinnamon sauce, and then grilled monkfish, rockfish, cuttlefish and langoustine.

A dinner at a so so osteria where two Brits got really drunk and faught with the waiter. Where a 60 year old school teacher on a date giggled so much she appreared to have smoked pot. Where a Warhol-esque American came in, looked at the menu, and litingly explained to the waiter why he preferred another restaurant down the street. And where our waiter gave us limoncello to commiserate over the evenings proceedings.

How can an entire economy be based on masks and glass? How?

I love when MJ jokes around with other diners at restaurants. Tonight he was asking a man who was holding his wife’s mink if he was sure he hadn’t accidently taken MJ’s coat. The man and his wife loved it. Fantastico.

Apparently Trip Advisor just hands out certificates that every business in town hangs up. A few who were’t able to secure these  signs had stickers advertising the great accomplishment of being found on Google Maps. Really?

MJ wants to commission a painting of angles and saints watching over the signing of a Boundary Street Development lease, much in the style of these Italian masters. I will lead up the search.

I married the Duke of Urbino.

We are going to make millions selling Hello Kitty locks to put on the Academia,  Pont Neuf and other various bridges throughout Europe.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is just perfection. I don’t know that I have loved a view more.(I enjoy being enthusiastic about things. It makes everything so interesting and so much fun)

MJ has been photography Venitian blinds in Venice.

Seeing confetti everywhere and costumed partygoers in January is just want I like.

Venice in the winter s jaw-droppingly ethereal…the mist, the fog, the lack of tourists. So unreal. I could spend all day in the Accademia. All day. I love Madonna and Child paintings. Love them.

I cannot wait to bring my children to Venice. They should get the chance to see everything and experience all these places so they can understand civilization, and themselves, and the similarities and differences that make humanity wonderful.

MJ had been waiting to use his best French throughout the trip. Since he really only had the opportunity to say “F**#^*} Brugge” al la In Brugge fifty times, we were both so pleased upon having an interaction with the Ryanair attendant who in forcing us to prove that my bag was within their weight limit made MJ push and shove the bag into a little basket-which he did-opening the door for MJ to wave his hand at the bag demonstrating the correct size and declaring “Voila”.

So hard to leave Belgium and the Natas family (or at least part of it-Jo, mike, and Shen). Having baby Shen there allowed me to hold a baby while missing my own. I had so much fun with Mike and especially Jo-she and I shopped and talked anne Hathaways hair and japanese gangsters.

Walking around I saw so many things the children would love. I saw a couple Belgian shepherds (wanted to see more), a couple Flemish portraits and cityscapes (needed to see more) and ate two waffles (wanted more but don’t need them). It was snowing when we arrived in Brussels and walking around in the early morning was so nice. And the train ride through the. Snowy countryside as we made our way to Ghent was so lovely and relaxing and exactly what I longed for- a snowy European pastoral setting.
Brugge is so charming. The house we rented has exposed beams in the pitched ceiling, tiny winding stairs and windows in the back that looked onto a really large old house. I could wander the street for days with MJ looking at doorways and roofs, and streets and canals. I loved the Beiguine monastery and the quiet dark churches and the large civic building.
I also liked that police is spelled politie making me want to misread their uniforms as the “polite police” on the lookout for courtesy infractions.
Right before we had to leave MJ and I climbed up to the windmills on hills and raced to the top of the bell tower. As we walked back down the bells started ringing.

We are at the airport on our way to Brugges and Venice. I already miss the children- how will I be away from them for so long? I kisses them all and told them that the kiss I have them would stay there until I returned home and could give them more and if they miss me to just touch te kiss. Charlie and Teddy gave me kisses.

Keith has been visiting from London for the past two days and staying with us. The kids love him-he brought then cupcakes, talked to them about Arsenal and was game when they asked him to look at their Lego encyclopedia with them. I love having guests visit and I love how the kids are so friendly and welcoming to people visiting.

The excitement surrounding this mornings surprise snowfall was contagious. Scottie wanted to come right back inside after being out for a minute but Nell wanted to stay out. I had a really fun morning playing with them. Doing nothing with the babies is really relaxing.

All four had the best time yesterday pulling all the napkins and tablecloths out of the drawers and rolling around in them. Such joy in such simple things. They were having so much fun I didn’t make them
Stop.

I was sneaking an Altoid in front of Teddy and said it was a mint for mommies. He inquired “When I’m a grown up girl mommy with kale and that hair like you can I have a mint?” I said “Yes you can. “

Elella (aka Cinderella) and kitty mania is till sweeping the house. Scottie and Nell tell out in joy when they are even the tiniest picture of a cat. And they carry around books with cat picture and kiss the cats. How could they inherit my childhood love of cats and bunnies so strongly?

Teddy and Charlie hear any classical music in the car or house and immediately ask for the nutcracker.

Seven years of marriage. And four more years of Obama. What a nice day.

I had Scottie laying on the changing table while I was getting her ready for bed. Nell came in from the bath so I picked her up too and put her on the changing table
Next to Scottie. This was the first time they had been there together and they both squealed with delight then kisses each other. Then they both demanded to hold tubes of cream while I rubbed their little feet for baby “sages”

Charlie and I did a home yoga practice in my room the other day where he would choose a pose for us both to do and then I would choose a pose for us both to do. He had some standards but many new ones he came up with. One was standing and moving your arms around while breathing five times. He called this “conducting an orchestra”. Another was sitting cross legged and positioning your hands in front of you as though they are holding a ball and taking 4 breaths. He calls this “god holding the earth” (he is very spiritual naturally which really impresses me). And another involved standing with your feet apart and putting your hands out Charlie’s angles-style. This he called “army guy shooting a gun.” I said I didn’t think there were any guns in yoga though he clearly derived this from the warrior poses. I love when I know how his cute and smart little brain works.

Nell first sentence “Here,mommy.” So proud.