Halloween, Thanksgiving and a photo shoot, oh my!

Halloween to my family, is mostly a holiday we celebrated in the United States. However, Day of the Dead and All saints day here in Poland, have long standing roots that don't show any signs of going away. If you were to visit a cemetery on either of those days, you will find them packed with people at all times of the day. People really take the time to prepare the graves of those that have been lost to us and honor them on these days especially. All across Poland you would find literally millions of candles burning through the night; a burning reminder of those that came before us, and a nice way of saying that when we go we will also not be forgotten. 

Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays as an American, this is largely due to the fact that I get an excuse to stuff my face with a large variety of food without judgement. Thanksgiving is a great time to sit down with those that are close to you and say a little something about how great it is to have them in your lives, or to be thankful and talk about other people and things that are important. I am thankful for everyone who is and has been a part of my life and for all of those in the future who would want to be my friend and invite me into their lives. When I hear something crash down and break I rush to see if everyone is alright, I don't rush to see if something expensive has been broken. Friendships are the most valuable things in our lives other than our health, but those two items are not mutually exclusive in nature either. I am thankful for American Football here in Poland, it is a great way for me to meet new people and share a love for a sport that was such a big part of my youth. I am, of course, for anyone who knows me, most thankful for my family, who surrounds me everyday with great hugs and kisses.

These two pictures of my girls, along with the new cover photo of our family were taken at a photo shoot in Gydynia. I love taking pictures but professional photographers with studios that do this for a living just make this look too easy. :) We had a lot of fun going through the different poses and backgrounds to quickly come up with a bunch of great pictures. We also took the time to see some friends in the northern part of Poland and give the kids a play date. The kids are growing up fast and bilingual which is great. Lydia who will turn seven this month has to be reminded by Mommy and Daddy constantly to speak English when at home. We absolutely refuse to let her get away with speaking Polish all of the time and not get the benefits of learning multiple languages. I have actually had the benefit of speaking Polish in other countries to people who didn't know any English. Well time to move Mila the Destroyer back to her bed and call it a night myself. bye for now. :)

POLAND 2 - GERMANY 0

Poland -2 Germany -0

Poland -2 Germany -0

Poland -2 Germany -0

Just let it sink in for a minute. :) Well like most people living in Poland I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the game yesterday. I bet someone playing the odds of the game also came out ahead with a nice return on the match. Germany having recently become FIFA World Cup Champions in Brazil, were probably also not expecting to lose a friendly match to Poland because they haven't done so in the past, or at least not in an European Championship Qualifying round. Poland has the ability to take the European Championship, it just has to limit mistakes and make the plays as they come along. Germany and Poland both had shots on goal blocked but Polish people are the ones holding their heads high in victory today.

Poland has a lot of great athletes across the country but there just aren't enough good opportunities for the athletes to encourage them to stay in this country when they get good. I would like to see this country spend some money supporting the athletes, helping them to become the best in the world, and encourage them to be happy staying here. If that is still too distant of a possibility then what about spending some money to get some of the good retired Polish athletes in the world to come back home and be the next generation of coaches? I know this is often a difficult discussion, when I talk to the people of Poland they are very confused with the United States approach of putting celebrities and athletes on the same pedestal. As an American I am often confused with the lack of Business interest in advertising and branding in respect to sponsoring teams and athletes in Poland. The Polish people also have the disadvantage or lack of big college rivalries in sports and lack of sports promotion to students going through the educational system. Sports can lead to personal success but I would argue that they are much more important that just entertainment. Sports are a great system of bringing people together from diverse backgrounds to reach a common goal of winning. Sports teach young people and adults how to work together, how to push themselves, and how to pick themselves up off of the ground when the fall down. The great thing about losing is you get to learn from your mistakes. I hear people sometimes complain that they lost because the other team is bigger or stronger but that is something that you can work on. Most high schools in the US have a weight-room and even if the equipment is old it gives the students an opportunity to make themselves bigger, faster and stronger. I was also very sad to see Poland withdraw its bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics due to a poor result in a local referendum. I remain hopeful that Poland will submit a future bid to host the games, summer or winter would be fine :) Well I'm done ranting for now, GO POLAND!

Holidays in Poland

Easter in Poland is a four day weekend full of lots of excitement, tons of food, religion, and fun for all ages. It would take me a full week just to shed the extra few pounds I gained, if I wasn't eating the leftovers. :) Magda is a crafty individual so every holiday she will spend some time with Lydia making new decorations for the house and Easter is no exception. Dying eggs for Easter is a universal hobby but I really enjoy the older traditions in Poland of dying eggs naturally using vegetables. This year we dyed eggs using onion skins, beets and red cabbage. Magda added a cool highlight this year by dipping a needle in wax and drawing on the egg before dying them. By doing this it would leave a pattern without color on the eggshell. I think red cabbage is my favorite source for natural dye, it gives the eggs a kind of blue color which I like.

Magda did another really cool art project this year for Easter but I don't think it has to just be limited to the holiday for a household decoration. The basic idea is to blowup a small balloon. Dip the balloon in glue, wrap the balloon in colored yarn and wait for it to dry. After the yarn and the glue dries, you pop the balloon and remove it leaving the shape of the colored yarn. It is also pretty cool when you pop the balloon because it slowly retreats from it's environment while fighting the glue and trying to stay in place.

In the United States my Easter revolved around searching the house or yard for a basket full of goodies left for the Easter Bunny. I know I am getting older these days and my hair is turning grey, but a part of me really does miss the excitement of searching for what might be found. In recent years I think my favorite Easter Basket treat has been Starburst Jelly Beans. :) The bottom line about Easter is that the holiday is about spending some time together as a family.  

We also just celebrated Labor Day and Constitution Day. Mila the Destroyer even created a Polish flag in her preschool. We went to a few BBQ's over the long weekend and had some guests over at our house as well. Overall it has been a busy few weeks on my social calendar. :) The girls are doing well, and one teacher apparently called Mila the Destroyer an Angel in Preschool?! Well Mila can be an Angel at times and Lydia too, but my girls are born to be wild and I try not to be surprised by their actions, good or bad. For the most part the weather has been good, but a recent cold snap killed some of the gourds we had just planted. We are starting some more plants from seeds inside the house and will put them in the yard soon. The flowers in the yard are coming along nicely and Magda and I planted some more in the yard which I will take some pictures of soon. Well bye for now.

Mila The Destroyer enters preschool!

Any new parent can read the title of my post and realize just how epic this moment is! :) Anyone who reads my blog can understand how important it is to have Mila away from our house where she can destroy and play with other kids her age. Mila is an amazing little girl and completely different from her older sister in many ways. If I had to explain the difference of how my daughters act at home in simple terms, I would say that Lydia is an introvert mostly wanting to be by herself and Mila is an Extrovert wanting to grab your hand and go do something together. The difference in my girls starting preschool is also quite different. When Lydia started preschool in the US she was shy and cried and didn't want us to leave at first. When we started Mila this week for preschool, we brought her inside, removed her hat, and changed her shoes and she bolted before we could even say goodbye. When Lydia was starting preschool we would have to wave to her from the window while one of the teachers held her so that she could say goodbye. Anyone who has had to wave and say goodbye when the child is crying and screaming for you knows just how hard this can be and fortunately we don't have to do that with Mila. Mila the Destroyer is however daddy's girl and will run to me whenever she hurts herself, or is sad, or hasn't seen me in a while and I come home. So I am spoiled with the reaction I get from Mila when I pick her up from preschool. :) Mila with yell Dada and run into my arms to be picked up and hugged. :) Mila was awesome this first week and did a very good job behaving herself. She played well with all the other kids and even behaved herself when eating at school in a group at the table. If she can continue to do well at this pace we might be able to leave her at the school to take naps in a month or so. Lydia is doing well at school and is pretty smart for her age but she has a tendency to want to do her own thing and ignore what the rest of the kids are doing. We will pick Lydia up from school and find out that she didn't do one of the exercises that the other kids were doing and we will have to complete it with her at home. The teachers will also tell us however that Lydia is a very smart kid and is good at math and spelling, so I guess I just have to chose my battles. Lydia loves to color and this week Magda got her this little note book that makes it fun to be a fashion designer, and Lydia has already created several cool outfits, like this one.

The most confusing individual aspect of my Lydia is the fact that she does not like to dress herself. Lydia loves to be a princess, and color pretty things, and create outfits, but asking the girl to get dressed is like pulling teeth. Well I will leave you for now with this picture of Mila sleeping after her first day of Preschool.

LPG tank and snow tires poor Californian Chevy is adjusting :)

After driving around Poland for six months with only a gasoline burning American truck, we made the decision to convert our Chevy to a hybrid. For my American friends who complain about high gas prices, we pay around $6.78 per gallon of gasoline in Poland. I made my truck a hybrid,and it now has a 100 liter LPG tank. The cost of LPG comes to around $3.32 per gallon which would put it more in line with that we were paying for gasoline in California. It cost us about $1,600 to do, which I think is good deal and will definitely save us more in the long term. I don't drive as much as what I did in the US, but the $150 fill-up was pretty painful and has been financially draining. Our Chevy is doing great with the new tank and doesn't have any loss of power while burning LPG.

I have also purchased my first set of snow tires. The new tires cost about $1,200 and was by the way a family and friends price! For my San Francisco Bay Area friends snow tires are only necessary if you have a jacked up pickup truck and you want it to look even bigger and more cool, but for my Polish friends snow tires are necessary if you want to drive anywhere in the winter. On the first real snow-day I picked up Lydia driving in what I would consider near white-out conditions without snow tires. It was a very slow, slippery and tense drive for only being about a mile, or two. Large parts of California would have been shut down in that mess and many places closed, but in Poland it's just another school day so it's better to be prepared. The snow season appears to be over for the year but I will probably wait a few more weeks before I swap out my snow tires for regular ones. Last year we had a heavy snow that came just before Easter and I really don't want to be stuck spinning around because I was impatient. I gave Chevy a bath the other day by taking her to one of those self-service car washes where you get to play with the pressurized sprayers and choose water and soap and wax to wash away the filth and give a shine. Beastie came out looking good and I was told that I really need to do it more often or face the consequences. Beastie by the way is what we call our Chevy because she is much bigger than most of the cars in this country and we have a hard time parking her :) Most of the trucks in this country which are made by American companies or are brought from the US have camper shells on them, I would like to take mine off to give Beastie a more original look but I have to figure out where I can put a big ass camper shell without trashing the yard. The other option would be to rent space somewhere to put the camper shell, but of course I don't want to spend a whole lot of money doing that. Well things are going well and we are all keeping busy, I promise more pictures will be coming to keep you feeling like you are here with us :)

Spring is back and so is my blog!

The snow and ice have been gone for a few weeks now and new plants and flowers are popping up all over the place. For someone who enjoys gardening and watching things grow I really enjoy living in a place that has four seasons. To translate for my friends living in the San Francisco Bay Area this means that white fluffy stuff falls from the sky and doesn't disappear until it is warm enough outside to melt. The snow creates a kind of reset button for the yard. There is a period of time when rather than watering or planting things, you get to take out the shovel and clear a path in the snow from the house to the car and around any doors. I am also amazed to find out that this climate has a lot of very hardy plants that actually survive this extended freeze quite well. For example we have a ton of strawberry plants coming back to life that were completely buried under snow for a long time. I know my California strawberries would have all been completely dead.

The raspberry and quince bushes that I planted in the fall are starting to show buds and leaves. There are also daffodils and crocuses in bloom around the yard. We also bought plenty of new bulbs and irises that we planted in the fall, so it is kind of like Christmas when we watch them pop out of the ground and bloom.

My girls are growing up quickly too. Little Mila the Destroyer turned two earlier this month and she is speaking more words in both Polish and English. Mila the Destroyer has a firm understanding of the words 'No' and 'Nie' and likes to upset mommy and daddy with her eating habits. I call Mila a forager because she has a tendency to wander around the kitchen and dig in the cupboards to create a meal that is balanced to her liking. She will ask for a particular food because she likes the packaging or just likes to see the container open and then she is immediately uninterested in the contents. She will also make you peel bananas thinking that she will eat them and then will proceed to have a floor protest when you try to actually give it to her. When you give Mila the Destroyer a bowl of Cheerios in milk she will go and get a straw to suck the milk out and then eat the Cheerios over the next two hours. The good news for little Mila is that being that she is two years old we can now enroll her in a local preschool and will be doing so, soon. Mila the Destroyer will have the pleasure of trashing her sisters old stomping grounds here in Poland :) I think she will be starting out with partial days at the school for a while before she is adjusted to being away from us but she should do well there. This will be a great opportunity for her to have other people explain to her not to break, climb or throw things and learn how to interact with other young kids without beating them up :)

Rain brought in some mushrooms :)

There are two important factors to having good mushrooms growing in the forests. One factor is having it rain, and the other is for the weather to be warm enough with some sun. Now we had it rain for a few days and a little bit of warmth, but now it is pretty cold outside all day and night. So for the one day that it was good enough conditions, we went out into the forest and found some mushrooms. It was really quite odd though, and only by accident that we even went looking. you see it has been very cold here and we haven't been seeing even many of the bad mushrooms outside, let alone the good edible ones. I was out in the forest the other day and while throwing some old bread under one of the pine trees for the birds, I noticed a large Birch Bolete, so we went hunting :) As we wandered through the woods we found some more Birch Boletes and some Orange Birch Boletes and one or two Chanterelles. Here is a picture of an Orange Birch Bolete that we found.

As you can see from the picture above, the Orange Birch Bolete has an orangeish-redish kind of cap as opposed to the tan or brown cap for the regular Birch Bolete. Magda made an awesome mushroom soup out of what we found as usual :) *Correction Magda sauteed mushrooms, it wasn't a soup because she didn't add any water. I have different tastes than her in mushrooms, and when it comes to mushroom soup I just tend to like the mushrooms that make the soup more crunchy, and the Birch Boletes do that. When we are out mushroom hunting we will often find many inedible mushrooms, and some that are edible that we will have to identify, so we walk past them. We might pick one on occasion to bring home and identify, and we might just take a picture because a mushroom looks cool. The following little mushroom we find sometimes when we are out hunting. It is small, and white, and translucent, and pretty cool. I doubt it is edible but we always like seeing them in the woods. 

This was probably the last time we will go out mushroom hunting this year. The rain has moved in, and the ground is wet, but it is just too cold outside to allow for any good mushroom growth. Magda went out looking today and did not find anything to be proud of. I will definitely be missing the edible bounty when I am out on my walks, but the change in scenery always allows for some good photography. I am looking forward to taking some pictures of birch trees without their leaves and the snow when it starts to fall. Lydia loves the snow and is always asking "When will the snow come, and my birthday?!" Her birthday is December 23rd. Lydia's school is not very far from our house, maybe a mile or a mile and a half. We have promised her that when the snow starts to fall and the ground gets covered a little bit I will take her to school on her sled. This will be a lot of fun for her, and a little bit of a 'Rocky 4' kind of workout for me :) Well off to bed now so good night :) or of course good morning :).

IKEA is the Arch Nemesis for Mila The Destroyer

I explained in a past blog that we are always searching for that perfect piece of furniture, but that sometimes we just have to settle for what will help us out at the moment, and this is it. Mila The Destroyer is full of mischief and just cannot be watched and yelled at 24/7, so you just have to pick your battles. We settled for this piece from IKEA because it allows for her to get to some of the stuff on the bottom levels and still allows for us to keep some things out of her reach and path of destruction. If you look closely at the the small stack ontop of the structure in the upper left hand corner you can see a stack of wood block puzzles. Now the puzzles are/will be fun to play with her as she develops a little bit more, but for now they are fun for her to dump on the ground and run away. In about the middle of the picture you can also see a pink basket full of foam puzzle pieces which she would also normally dump and run, or break apart if together and run away, but she has not been messing with this basket at all :) We also picked up a few other items for her to play with/on. 

The table which is next to Tickle Me Elmo has two chairs to go with it, but we decided to put them away for now because Mila was using them as her own personal house stools. Mila is of course an excellent climber, but she is also resourceful and will use other objects to boost her height and we just weren't thinking at the time we got the chairs. Now the storage box to the right is where we keep most of the plush toys and teddy bears out of sight. But The storage box rolls out and is definitely one of Mila's favorite things to empty and climb inside of. One thing that we have gained around the house by having more furniture, is a little more time delay before a mess happens, by forcing Mila to take the time and open a drawer or a cabinet before trashing the area. We are also pretty good at using our ears around the house listening to particular noises, the metal handles on some drawers and cabinets make heavy metal sounds and the scraping of a drawer opening are pretty pronounced. So when we hear something about to get trashed we can jump to action and tell Mila no, which sometimes works. :) Putting things out of reach and out of sight doesn't work as well as it used to, as Mila can climb well, and now she has a tendency to ask to be picked up so she can see what is not in view. Mila The Destroyer is pretty good at telling you she is upset or tired, as I mentioned her attacks before, but she is also pretty good at throwing tantrums. One of my favorite tantrums is what I have labeled 'The floor protest' in which she will drop to the floor screaming and pounding and thrashing for about a minute. Magda and I just laugh because we will take something away from her, and she will drop to the ground and we say "oh a floor protest" :). Well the little destroyer is taking a well deserved nap right now and I have to get back to some things, so good morning :)

Poland's interest in Halloween is growing

10 years ago any mention of Halloween in Poland would have been strongly condemned as Paganism, and would not go very far in conversation other than scoffing at the children having fun. I am very glad to see that today we are met with the same outrage but we also have a lot more people celebrating Halloween :) Religious extremism pops up at times here in Poland, this time it is for Halloween, which is largely just a day for kids to have fun. The reality is that this world has many different people from many different religious and geographical backgrounds, and by condemning holidays and beliefs we are not bringing this world any closer to peace. Now I am not saying that you should like Halloween or even participate in it if you are living in Poland but for us parents and grandparents we should not teach our children to hate it. You see, this world could actually be a Utopian society, if as parents and leaders, and respected members of society we did not teach hatred. Children will absorb everything that you do and say in life, and if you preach about hatred of certain individuals, or groups, or ideals then those children will do the same when they are older. If you go into a diverse kindergarten or preschool environment, with kids from different backgrounds and countries the kids will not care about the color of other kids' skin. All kids know is how to have fun and that maybe some of their friends look a little bit different than they do. Take a high school sports team, for example, the players don't care about where people come from, they just want to get out there and win as a team. So as more people in Poland learn how to check their passions at the gate and welcome a little fun for the kids, this country can open up a little bit and be a little more peaceful. My family still plans on celebrating All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day this year, as well. I do enjoy the positive side of religion, which in my mind is about bringing people together to live life in an honest and peaceful way. So when we talk about holidays, why should we have the right to tell people which ones they can celebrate and which ones they cannot while still believing this is right? Who are we to say that because you are not a part of our religion that you cannot celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? I chose to promote peace, prosperity, and respect among people I meet, and I hope that their beliefs do the same without looking down upon other groups of people, or individuals, who were not born into a good life. I often ponder what was my past life, was it in poverty or abundance, and how did I chose to live? And if you ask my wife what do I ask for as gift for my birthday, or Christmas, she would roll her eyes and repeat for you "peace on Earth, and goodwill towards man." So lighten up a little bit, laugh at the kids costumes or pretend to have as much enthusiasm and imagination as they did putting them together, and throw some candy at them if they come :) And most of all just choose to be happy and don't just promote more hatred through Facebook posts.

This is by the way my pumpkin, which is supposed to by inside of an American football helmet :). Well goodnight everyone or to some good morning :)

Warsaw Eagles holding tryouts this weekend!

The Warsaw Eagles are the oldest American Football club here in Poland. They had a club and a group of people playing football long before it was popular in Poland, at a time when if you said football it was related to kicking that black and white ball around on the ground. Well American football continues to grow every year in Poland expanding the group of players and fans that admire them, and the teams and organization of the Warsaw Eagles has seen the same huge jumps. Every year teams in the same regions tend to merge and forge better teams and new teams join the leagues bringing in new talent and new joy to the sport. Polish people are big and strong and when they really learn to embrace the kind of lifting they need for football the excitement will grow further. I have only been living in Poland full time since March but I have noticed the older learned methods of weightlifting are really geared towards bodybuilding or the national Olympic lifting team. I have seen this start to change and the players and starting to lift in a way to really improve their athletic ability with football specific training, which is really exciting. The gyms here in Poland need to get better too though so that they can provide the right environment for the athletes to train in. I really love American football, wasn't that obvious already? When I was a much younger kid playing HS football in the US all that I could think about was the NFL. I grew up watching movies like 'Rudy' which is ok, but later I discovered 'The Program'. 'The Program' IS football to anyone who knows the sport and for anyone interested in the sport should watch the movie. Great set of characters in the movie, great set of ideals and great head coach played by James Caan. I think that if you want to know what goes on in the head of an American football player you should watch how the movie plays out. For the hopeful kids wanting to make something out of themselves there is Alvin Mack played by Duane Davis, who is just an awesome and brutal defensive back. Steve Lattimer played by Andrew Bryniarski is a great representation of what can happen to you when taking steroids and how addicting that can be. And Darnell Jefferson played by Omar Epps, who is a troubled youth who turns his life around and gets some amazing opportunities in life largely because of his ability as a football player. I have already spoken about the life long friendships you build by playing football but I have not spoken much about the coaches. I just want to say that the coaches I have met in life in playing football or weightlifting have been the most encouraging and motivating people that I know. Coaches are teachers of their discipline and guide students and players with their knowledge and experience, and there is no way that I would be anywhere near the athlete or respectful individual I have been in the past or future without good help along the way. Coaches also sacrifice a lot in the way of personal time and often low pay to help guide the younger kids in the right path, so try to show some respect and listen when you are on the field or in the gym. I still stay in touch with my high school football coach, who is a mentor, continuing lifting and football coach, but more importantly he is a life-long friend and I think he would help me out in any way he could. Be passionate about whatever you choose to do in life, respect those who deserve it and for those trying to help you say thank you. Well friends good night or to some good morning :)

Weightlifting, country music and whiskey

So now that the football season is over I can dedicate much more time to my lifting. Weightlifting is a sport and an activity that I know a lot about, and take seriously. I may dedicate a separate blog to lifting so as to not bore my friends that could care less about it as a subject. Anyways for the not initiated lifting is great because it is a sport in itself and it can really play a positive role in your life making you healthier and reduce your risk of injury. Did I say country music? Hell Yeah, turn it up! Magda went to the US and when she came back she downloaded all of her favorite new country songs from the trip. I really don't need to be reminded how much I love my wife, but every so often I really do fall in love with her again :) Country music is something that really grows on you when you find the right songs. There is a huge range of what is even considered country music today, and if you are not familiar you really need to listen to a range of different songs to find out if you are interested. I would say country music is like POP music with an awesome accent and great songs spoken from the heart. Country music isn't about bragging about what you have or changing the world, Country music is about love, sadness, and having fun with big trucks, partying hard in the sticks with loud music, beer, whiskey or bourbon and fields and rivers to play in :) If you are someone who doesn't drink I respect that. Not everyone drinks due to personal choices, religious beliefs or recovery of enjoying alcohol without moderation and without responsibility. I hope the best for everyone and hope that everyone has the freedom to do what they enjoy and I do enjoy the occasional drink. One of my favorite mentions of whiskey is in a Willy Nelson song 'Whiskey river don't run dry'. Which is really just about drowning out the sadness of a lost love in alcohol. Someday I may play around with a still in the woods and try to make my own moonshine whiskey. I think I have somewhat fallen in love with the the TV series called Moonshiners, which is based in the Southern US and is about making moonshine. In Poland I have tried a number of different flavored liquors and have made a few myself. The problem is that for many of these drinks it requires either a certain amount of Vodka or pure spirit to make the drink and they are not exactly cheap. So I think if I can figure out how to use a still and make my own it will reduce the cost and maybe increase the ability to make something that I like more than just what is available. So yeah the still is going to be installed somewhere, someday but it will likely require a lot of negotiation with Magda. I even have a neighbor who is interested in putting a still together and making some moonshine so it is just inevitable :) Well good night for now or good morning :)

Reunited with my lovely wife finally :)

It is really nice to have the whole family back together again. Magda is already starting to notice some of the differences in how Mila the Destroyer acts compared to three weeks ago. For one The Destroyer is now fully aware of how to get a DVD playing. Mila also knows that the two remote controls are involved, so she brings them to you. Mila also knows the for the TV to work you must have a disk in the player so she will bring you a DVD case, walk you over to the player and open the DVD case for you. If she is bored with the current movie then she will walk you into her sisters room, motion for you to pick her up so she can be closer to the DVD rack hanging on the wall, and she will make a new selection :) The cats have also put on some weight while Magda was gone but I don't think I had anything to do with that, what I think is that they sense cold winter and their tiny bodies and brains say hey I need to get fat this time of year right? I am also probably responsible for putting away some clothing incorrectly in Lydia's room. Yes I still have a hard time figuring out the difference in some of the clothing for my girls, and will put some of the large t-shirts we have for Mila into Lydia's stuff. Our girls are currently going through a little bit of a growth spurt and we have been getting both of them some bigger clothes, which also doesn't help for my putting away of the clothes. Mila the Destroyer is also cutting some teeth right now which means more moodiness, changing of t-shirts more often from her constant zombie like drooling all over them, and her finding more toys and things to shove into her mouth to make the pain feel better. This is quite normal of course unless you are looking all over the house to see where her new teething toys have gone, you really never know where you might find a spatula, rubber basting brush, wooden spoon or any other soft handled or tipped object. So now that Magda is back from her trip mama Ewa is off the hook for feeding me. It is sad to know that I won't be forced to eat a bunch of food right now but I am happy to have my wife to cook for me again :) Magda is also remembering just how fun it is to deal with Lydia and her ability to ignore everything that you say because Lydia of course knows better than you. I love my daughters and really wish that Lydia would try a little harder to listen. Well Mila decided to tell us in her own special way last night that she was ready for bed by splashing around in the kitty water bowls, which is always fun to clean up. At the moment the Destroyer is asleep in her crib and Magda is out mushroom hunting :) Yes after being away for several weeks she has been itching to get out into the woods and try to find us some little friends for a soup later :) She just got back so here are some mushroom pictures :) Well friends good morning or to some a late good night :)

The Football season is over, now the serious weightlifting begins!

The PLFA 8 American football ball season has come to an end and our Warsaw Eagles ended up in fourth place. We started the day off in pouring rain and promise of a mud bowl wetting our appetite for destruction. In the championship tournament we played two different teams, and we lost to each team in tough battles that saw the winning team change hands several times. Football is a team sport filled with an immense level of strategy, and it is a group effort, and it comes down to every person out on the field giving it their all to try to outwit and out battle the opponent. Sometimes out on the field you might think that the smallest block and pass route on offense doesn't matter, and you might not be important in that play, but you actually end up being the difference between a gain of two yards and a 40 yard touchdown run. Football is a way of life, a passion, some people even call it their religion. Football is a sport that teaches leadership, self improvement, discipline, and comradery all in the guise of having fun. Football is also a sport that teaches you about loosing. The only way you can really learn to better yourself in life is if you learn how to deal with loosing and what you make of it. With the sudden reality of the end of a football season it is not uncommon to see a grown man cry and yes real men do cry. I cry as it is the end of something special, something shared with a great group of people. With the season over I hope to put a lot of time in the weight room, fields and woods and anywhere else I can train to make myself a better athlete. We are not all going to be recognized as winners and get our names posted in the papers and media. We are not all going to sign contracts with the NFL and manufacturers of sports drinks and protein powders. We are however going to better ourselves as human beings, and relish in the lasting friendships we have made doing battle out on the field. There is no better gift in life than friendship. Being an American and playing football here in Poland, I hope that some of my experience and advice and love for this game has rubbed off on some of the people here. I also hope that this sport continues to build in the country, much more than what it has already become. I also hope that all of the Polish players reading this translate it well and take my lessons to heart, and also take themselves into the weight room :) This week I will wash my gear, lick my wounds, and plan on how to better myself. What is on your to do list this week? Mila the Destroyer and Lydia are out playing in the yard with Mama, and tomorrow night is finally the arrival of my lovely wife after three weeks apart :) So to all have a good evening or good morning :) Oh and yes Mila is enjoying her new battle equipment since daddy won't be needing it for a while.

3 Weeks no wife, 2 girls, 5 days left :)

Mila the Destroyer has qualities that are often demonstrated by my fellow American football players. You see before a game you tend to get pumped up and ready for battle, and some call that "Beast Mode" or "Hulk Mode" and Mila likes to get jacked up in the same way. This morning she got up shortly after 5 and refused to go back into her crib. I tried getting her to sleep in the bed next to me, and that worked for a little while before it started getting brighter outside, and the cats meowed. So as it was just about time for her older sister Lydia to get ready for school I told her to go wake her up. Well Mila refers to Lydia as 'Wawa' so I said go wake up wawa, and the mess above is what happened in about ten minutes :) I was sure that Beast mode was activated when her sister started screaming. When I came to separate the two, and make sure Lydia would start the arduous journey of avoiding getting ready for school I found the carnage. At times I feel like I am repeating the same day over and over again. Yell or beg for Lydia to get up and ready for school, try to figure out what the Destroyer wants and make her happy, and try to keep the house in some sort of order. Magda refers to me as the 'house henny' I think that would be the polite Polish translation at least. So I dealt with this mess as usual and went about my day. Lydia has now come home from School, and is laying on the bed behind me watching one of the Shrek movies. All was good for about five minutes before I heard her crying. I turned around and found her laying down on top of Mila looking at the ceiling, and Mila had a fist full of her hair braid. I know that the blood lust with eventually subside in Mila, but it is really like watching to see if something is going to upset the little Bruce Banner. Tonight is my last football practice before the PLFA 8 final tournament this weekend. I must say that playing football again has been fantastic, and has filled an empty spot in the heart of this old athlete, that has been missing for the last 12 years. And American football, what a sport to be privileged enough to play. A preview of the game can be found here http://plfa.pl/news/1025/ and for my American friends just copy and paste to Google translate like I do because it is in Polish :) Read up on the Eagles, we will battling the Steelers in the first match. There is like a 20% chance of rain on Sunday, so it could be a fun rainy game too :) Magda and I are really going to owe mama Ewa a lot after this weekend as I will be gone the whole time for this final, and she will have the girls alone :) If we play in the final game of the tournament which we should, then we will not get back to Warsaw until like 12 am or later after a very long bus ride. Well I handed the girls over to mom and I have to get my gear together for practice.  Good night all or Good morning :)

3 weeks no wife, 2 girls, 2 weeks done and a bloody nose

So I open this blog with a sweet picture of Mila the Destroyer sleeping awwww, now then onto the discussion of the bloody nose. Fortunately the bloody nose did not belong to Lydia or Mila the Destroyer but to me. You see I was laying upside down on my bed, and the Destroyer was running around me and the bed, and she would occasionally come next to me and grab me and smile, and she was doing the same to her sister and hugging, and even trying to kiss a little bit. But as all good things come to an end, she started to get violent pulling her sister to the ground, and I should have been more careful. What happened next was her running over to me, slapping me quickly in the face three times, and with ninja like precision jabbing her tiny finger into my nose and ripping back with intent to do damage. I hopped up immediately and went to the bathroom to get tissue because I knew it was a direct hit, and I honestly cannot remember the last time that my nose has bled so much. So now back to the cute sleeping angel, you see she usually gets just one nap a day, but when she gets violent like she did that is just her cute little way of saying put me down for a nap or I will continue to cause bodily harm. She cried for about 30 seconds and then she was down for the count. With Magda away on business and mama Ewa feeding me downstairs I have been putting on weight. about a KG which isn't much but she is always insisting that I eat more :) Magda on the other hand is happy with the weight loss that I have made since coming to Poland, and with this being a busy time with work she has not been making elaborate meals to make me fat. Mama also does make a variety of baked goods like yesterday and today I got some small baked rolls filled with jelly and topped with powdered sugar which are great :) So earlier for obiad which is kind of Polish for lunch/dinner I had a bunch of breaded and pan fried chicken which mama makes very well, and some mashed potatoes. I didn't finish all of the chicken because it was a lot, so I said maybe I will eat the rest before going to practice. When I came back downstairs later before practice she had made me some crepes to go along with the chicken :) So yes mama is making me fat and well I'm really not complaining too much :) The fall is definitely here upon us, and with it a number of changes. You can see that all of the leaves on the birch trees are starting to turn yellow and fall off, and all of the bushes and vines and trees sensitive to the frost have died, wilted, or dropped most of their leaves. I was hoping that our pumpkins and gourds would continue to produce stuff for us, but the cold last week did away with them. Well two weeks done with one to go, sleep tight my little Destroyer and the rest of you good night :)

3 weeks no wife, 2 girls, 12 days and counting

Well these nights I have been dominated with a lack of sleep because of the random sleeping habits of both of my girls. I beginning to notice that I am probably not the only one who misses my wife at night and can't sleep because of it.  Mila has been on a steady routine of waking up at 5:00 for an hour and then up again at 6:30.  She sometimes gets up at 12:00 or 3:00 but those are easy and just require a bottle and changing her diaper as she drinks. I have had two visits at night now by older sister Lydia, one was a bad dream and another time she said it was because it was dark :) Lydia doesn't try to sleep with us that often so twice in a week is a bit rare but I don't mind having someone snore next to me.  Mila the Destroyer has also been crashing for a two hour nap from 9:00 to 11:00 or 11:00 to 1:00 or so. Well it's cold outside if you haven't read my previous post and that means that Mila is either bundled up more for our walk or destroyer of the house a bit more.

Besides the layers that Mila has on you can see that we dug out her winter gloves to keep the little fingers warm. The gloves are actually pretty cool because they are attached by a string so The Destroyers' usual games of throwing things from the stroller as we walk along did not include the gloves. To make the gloves stay even more the string part connecting them together runs through the GAP hoodie sweater she is wearing :)  So cold and no rain makes it poor mushroom hunting but Mila and I can still enjoy the nice scenery of our walks which provide nice views of meadows and woods all over. 

This is a picture of a grassy field that lines a dirt road that we travel along. The grass is about waist high and it has these cool looking puffs of soft grass that are like a bushy cat tail. 

This is a picture of a young birch forest along that same dirt road we travel. I only stepped into it for the first time on a walk last week and from the birch boletes that I found this section of forest it will be making it onto my list of places to check for mushrooms. One thing that I have figured out about mushroom hunting is that there are particular woods and nature areas that will produce the perfect environment to grow different mushrooms, so depending on the season and what you are looking for you and kind of develop a list of where to go hunting. I have started developing a mental list of good spots to pick mushrooms, black berries, blue berries, and lingon berries which we are currently using for an experiment to flavor liquor so I will write about that later. Lydia was being a pill today and the only way I was able to get her to listen was to threaten her with the destruction of something she holds dear, a lollipop. I really don't like to yell at my older daughter or younger one for that matter and I need to find a good venue for Lydia to vent her energy. I think when she starts to get involved in sports like soccer or something she will be more manageable, that and when her sister can talk more we will know what is really going on when we are not watching :) Well mama has been awesome taking the girls downstairs for the last couple hours while I caught up on some sleep :) I need to bring them upstairs now, and start the bath, and get them in it so good night for now :)

3 weeks no wife, 2 girls, 10 days and counting

The cold fall weather is starting to push it's way across Poland and I can only begin to wonder when the first snow will fall. This is a picture from the temperature visor in my truck after I got home from football practice last night. 

We have started using the wood burning stove in the downstairs to keep us warm.  

The wood shed is full and we have a reserve pile stacked up against the side of the house to last us into the spring and what you can't see about the wood pile is that it is actually triple deep with chopped wood. All I can think about other than missing my wife is the snow shoveling season ahead :) Being American and growing up with Rocky I just naturally think about the montage of Rocky 4 and training in the bitter cold of Russia with random farm equipment and chopping wood.  Like I said we are good on wood but shoveling will keep me warm :) Football practice was cold last night despite the fact that we run around in pads. I don't practice or play with gloves on but I was sure second guessing that decision last night, and you don't have pockets on a football outfit when you are not involves in a play or drill to put your hands into. I know you could use the argument don't be a wuss this is how it is in Poland but you guys also dress well and are prepared for the cold unlike us Northern California people. Here is where I contradict myself, you see I don't like to practice in bad weather but I love to play a football game in bad weather.  I would thoroughly enjoy a battle out on the field in the pouring rain and mud or the ground covered in deep snow.  Battling out on the field where everyone is at some sort of disadvantage forcing better strategy, guts, and teammates to come together against our opponents is really what football is all about. Mila was with me yesterday before my evening practice and unfortunately do to the cold I decided to keep her indoors rather than take her on the usual hour long stroller walk.  I really don't wish to have her catch a cold right now so I am going to have figure out some other indoor destinations to keep her occupied other than just trashing our house.  

Here are two pictures of my little Destroyer in one of the chairs in the living room. She is chewing on a very soft bristled brush she stole from the kitchen and I think it helps with her teeth that are constantly coming in. She will climb on anything that she can get onto and will sometimes use other objects to boost herself onto something taller.  To give an example that little table in the background of the first picture was next to the chair and I found her on top of it one day kicking her feet back and forth, so needless to say I moved the two objects apart :) Well got to get a few things picked up around here while the Destroyer is still asleep and I have to remember to charge the battery for the camera. Bye for now :)

3 weeks no wife, 2 girls, week 1 over :)

Well being apart from my wife is draining besides missing her so much.  My girls can be awesome but also quite a handful.  Lydia my older daughter has a way of trying to be too cleaver with what is going on, and tries to manipulate the situation in hope that I am not paying attention to what she is doing in the moment.  For instance when there is a bang sound coming from where the two girls are playing together, and Mila starts crying, Lydia knows that I would be mad if she caused the pain, so she will quickly tell me that Mila tripped and hit her head on the wall.  What Lydia will not volunteer in a situation like that is that she was spinning circles in front of Mila, and encouraging her to do the same and young Mila just can't do all of the fun moves without banging into things. I know that Mila the Destroyer is built like a tank and can take the abuse, but I still get sad when the poor girl bangs into something and starts crying. Lydia on the other hand is totally a princess and her favorite Disney princess is Rapunzel so she thinks that is who she is.  Lydia will even go so far to be afraid that if she cuts her beautiful blond hair, that it will turn brown and will not grow anymore :) So despite their age difference I will still hear Lydia screaming at times because Mila has her pinned on the ground and it pulling her hair or suffocating her. Yesterday was a typical day, Lydia to school and Mila to destroying the house and our afternoon stroller walk and mushroom hunt.  It has not rained in a few days so new mushrooms are not growing in the woods so fast, and most of the experts have already been out fiercely picking. I am usually lucky and bring home a few birch boletes like I did yesterday.

I also come across many of the poisonous amanita mushrooms like this one while I am out searching for edible mushrooms.

but today I was just blessed with the beautiful scenery of the Polish forests and a few animals greeting us along the way. At one point on the walk a pheasant floor almost over us crossing the road and honking as he did. I took out the camera hoping to get a picture but it unfortunately hid in the tall grass on the other side of the street.  I also come across many frogs and the occasional toad as I walk through the woods.  Here is a picture of one of the many common frogs :)

Before I could go on my morning stroller walk with Mila today we went about our normal daily routines. We have both been suffering from a lack of sleep at night so I decided to use one of the old single parent tricks which I will share with you.  The trick is to sleep when your baby is sleeping! So this isn't a new lesson to teach people, and I hope it is common sense, but when you are feeling sleep deprived because of your little one and your day will allow it, then do it :)  I slept for about an hour mid-day. Well football practice was good tonight and I think we will be well prepared for the championship tournament on the 13th. I have to get used to the fact that practicing football in the fall in Poland is much colder than practicing football in the fall in Northern California it was cold on the field tonight :) Well I should get to sleep now, goodnight all.

3 weeks no wife, 2 girls, days 4 and 5

So if you have been reading my blog even a little bit you have noticed a few patterns of what goes on in my little world which largely revolves around my girls.  I get to indulge in American Football, the gym, and mushroom hunting among other treats.  I have talked about how difficult it can be to feed Mila the Destroyer and that holds true for everybody who has tried except for one person.  Mila will pretty much eat anything that my father in law is eating and if she notices him at the table she promptly insists to sit on his lap and is ready to be fed.  Here is a picture of them from yesterday :)

She looks very sweet and innocent from pictures because she really likes to have her picture taken but I should probably film some video so you can see some of the household destruction in real time :)  She is pretty good company though when we go out for stroller walks and look for mushrooms.  

Happy Mila

Mila and the first two Birch Boletes of the day :)

The first two Birch Boletes as pictured with Mila

A family of Birch Boletes

I must admit that it was pretty strange for me to find so many Birch Boletes all in one place.  Usually when I am finding Birch Boletes they are spread out a little bit that is if I am even finding them at all.  Like I said I am in a country of experts in hunting mushrooms so I really have to be lucky to stumble upon some good mushrooms.  My only clear benefit is the size of the forests in Poland and that it takes many people a long time to look through them :)

Slippery Jack

This was a big Slippery Jack that I found and put my hand next to it to show scale. It was in really good shape considering that these tend to fall apart pretty quickly.

Amanita

So this is a poisonous mushroom and very non-edible but they are very pretty to look at and I can't resist taking the occasional picture of them :)

And now a sequence of making Kaszanka :)

Melting butter, onions, garlic and salt

Added Kaszanka

Making a smiling face as I will be happy later :)

The Kaszanka will fall apart and mix with the other ingredients 

Smiley face on my plate :)

Kaszanka is like flavor country when you eat it and some people I know here refer to it as "Polish Caviar" myself included :)  Kaszanka is a blood sausage and typically consists of pigs blood, pig offal, and buckwheat stuffed in a pig intestine. Well I am going to try to get to bed now as who knows how badly my girls are going to sleep again.  I think that it is probably a little bit of Murphy's Law that they are sleeping funny when mommy is out of town.  I hope you liked the pictures from today hopefully more to come soon.