Hiking the Jura Mountain

First Sunday of the trip and we headed out to hike the Jura Mountain. Sauverny where we are staying is at the bace of the Jura and about 20 minutes drive to Geneva. So we could take a 20 -30 minutes drive to hiking trails. Most of the hike was strait up the mountain which didn't please Hadley but he soldered on and made it to the top.

Other exciting details, Hadley has his Swiss Army knife and is working on a walking stick. Calum is really hoping he gets one for his 8th birthday because he knows that Hadley received his for his 8th birthday. 

I am still working on how to upload my stock recipe into the blog. Maybe tomorrow. Hiking has made me pretty tired. WIll need to do some yoga tomorrow.

Start of our Trip

We arrived in France the morning of May 21, 2015. All flights went well and we are just a bit tired from the trip. The house is really nice and it is surrounded by the French country side. Here is what it looks like out our kitchen window. Brinda Watchs is the home owner who, would you believe lived in California years ago and went to Redwood High School as well as Berkeley. I found her home on Air B&B. Such a small world. Her home is now ours for three months while we explore France and the area around it. We have lots of adventures ahead and my hope it to keep track of our trip here in the blog as well as reflect on life. This is where the name Taking Stock comes from. Taking stock of life, and if I can I hope to gather family recipes that I have been collecting over the years and type them up with the free time I will have while we are here. How to make stock will be the first recipe (since I typed it up before we left). Stock making is key to much that I love to cook so it is a good start for this too. So not only will you hear about the trip but the goodies we will be eating along the way. 

So for todays adventure, there is a local farm walking distance from the house where we can buy meats, cheeses, veggies and even local wine. Hadley and Calum and I are going to look for it today to see what will inspire us for dinner. 

We have another cooking idea too. The boys are reading a book called The Bone Handbook and found a quiche recipe that the want to try for dinner. It has bacon and cheese in it so it should be tasty.  Last night the boys had pizza and Colin and I had veal and zucchini with shallots and parsley. I will try to type up these recipes too.

New Sleep

Well, I can't say this was my idea, but it is now my new reality. With the start of my son's Kindergarten I have returned to getting up early in the morning. Over the years I have had similar sleep patterns like when I was rowing(6 am workouts) and when school or work schedules demanded it. But since becoming a mom, my mornings have been more flexible which is code for: I would sleep as long as a child would allow.

My biggest concern with the change in the schedule was was how will I get those monsters to bed on time? Well, even that has been easy. I have a whole new tactic which I have even included in my end matter for my newest book. They seem naturals at it. Perhaps we should have started it sooner.

Maybe the novelty of it will ware off but I actually feel better getting up earlier. My sister in law may have this one right. She is up even earlier and she manages to get a lot done too. I now manage to get more done by noon then I have in years. OK, so maybe I can't stay up as late as I would like but this seems to be a small price to pay for some quite time in the evening and a very productive day. The real test will be when the winter hits. It stays dark here in the Midwest so long it will be a challenge to be functioning in the dark. I will check back on this mid winter but for now it is me and the early birds busy getting it done!

The Doctor and the Diva by Adrienne McDonnell

I know I don't usually review historical novels but this one you can't miss. First of all, I know the author because she was my creative writing professor at UC Berkeley. Secondly it is just a great book. Despite the full schedule I carry and the kids I couldn't put it down. I don't' think I can describe it more eloquently than the many reviews The Doctor and the Diva is getting so I will post and link to her site and some of the reviews she has recieved. But if you are looking for a beautiful story with a pace that makes it difficult to put down, this is a great one. I felt as if I had gone on a long vacation and fell in love when the last page had been read.


"Some novels just naturally enslave you, and this is one of them.... serious and gripping... [a] brilliant debut novel..." -- The Washington Post

"This amazing debut novel ... is, quite simply, one of the best novels I've read all year." -- an Editor's Choice selection, Historical Novels Review

"...sumptuous... [an] explosive tale... Read the book now, then place bets on when the movie version will come out." -- Redbook

Here's a link to the Washington Post review of THE DOCTOR AND THE DIVA, if you're interested:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/05/AR2010080506415.html


Or visit her website: www.adriennemcdonnell.com

Let me know if you have read the book.
Megan

Kindergarten Is a Go And a New Story Too

After a busy week of helping my oldest child start kindergarten, I believe I might have stumbled onto a new story idea. But first I need to collect my data! Right? So I am asking for a bit of help.

To all those Mom's and Dads who follow my blog, could you share any details of what you remember about your first child (or others) starting school? What were you experiencing? Were there any worries, excitements, details of significance you can remember? Now this is not what your child was feeling; this is your experience. Any details would be helpful.

On another note, this Saturday I had my first semi-public reading of one of my stories, One Hundred Percent Sure. It was a very rewarding experience and the audience (of 13) were very positive with their comments. It was a much more fun to do than I thought and I hope to read my work (out loud) more often.

It's Been Quite Again

I am happy to report that although it has been quite in Blog land, the writing continues. I am still working on sending out Granny Greenfield and have a new story that I have sent out for consideration for a magazine called One Hundred Percent Sure. This story was inspired by our recent trip to California and the my family who rallied to watch my boys while I took a few days away. It is never easy to get use to being away from your children but sometimes it is really good for everyone concerned. The kids missed us and they realized they could do just fine while we were gone. They also had some special times with their Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and Grandparents. We of course just missed them. Any way, I am one hundred percent sure we would do it again if we had the chance and I think the kids would agree. If you are interested in reading the story, let me know I will sent you a copy.

Back to Business, Brain Teasers and Book Reviews

Business

My how time has passed. One child is a year older, Lula's bunch is meeting every three weeks, I joined another writing support group and have set some goals for the coming 12 months that are already helping me move my writing forward. I feel like I am riding a California wave with lots of sunshine and fresh air.

Brain Teasers

On another note this is an interesting web site with lots of information regarding preparing your child for kindergarten or testing for entrance into schools. http://testingforkindergarten.com/ I had the chance to chat with Karen Quinn (via email) the author of the book and web site and I am looking forward to reading this one when it comes out. Her web site will send you a brain teasers question each day, so I hope to pass them along to my son who will be starting kindergarten in the fall. She has also developed a game to build knowledge that helps you preform well on standard testing. Cute isn't it?











The Kissing Hand Book Review

The next book I wanted to review is called the Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. I like to recommend this book for families who are having difficulties with separations. Chester the raccoon is having difficulty getting ready to go to school (Night school for the nocturnal animal, love it!)His mom comes up with a sweet way to kiss each others hands as a way to always have a bit of Mommy with him or in the case of a Mommy missing her child, a bit of your child with you. I find this book a helpful tool to help parents avoid prolonging the goodbye process and to have fun when you need to say goodby.

I have another step I add to the goodbye process but I am not going to say just what is is in case I tuck it into my own picture book on separations. Wink!! But if you want to know what it is, just ask, I will email it to you!

Let me know what you think of the Kissing Hand.