Budapest day 1 - Vidám park

When I asked Roxie what she wanted to do on her first day in Budapest, she said without hesitation that the Amusement PArk was number 1 on her list. So, I bought a delicious breakfast of fabulous hungarian pastries - cherry, apple, cottage cheese, brioche - yum! And then we slowly got ready for the day out. It was exciting catching the metro. We walked a bit and then there we were. What fun to be had. At first it was tricky becuase apparently the entire park even the jungle story littlies park was for kids 3 years and over. So we couldn't get April into anything. I got a bit upset about this as April was wanting to go on everything Roxie did and was not allowed. So i went and talked to the kasa and told them that April was 2 and a half and had an older sister and would be fine. The said to me simply "well just say she's 3 years old then."  oh. ok that's how it works here...hmmm. Anyway, so I bought a Jungle littlies pass for April and she was much happier. Actually she fell asleep, but only after we managed to get some delicious and cheap lunch. A couple of Lángos with sour cream, bacon bits, red onion, cheese and chilli, some wedges, a schnitzel zsemle, beer, fröcs, lemonade, then Roxie spotted the fairy floss...She had 2 and half of April's! Anyway whilst April slept Rox and I had a great time going on a few things that April wasn't allowed on with her littlies pass - like the Caterpillar Roller coaster. We screamed and laughed! We went into the Varázsolt Kastely with crazy moving chairs, wobbly staircases, mirrors and Rox and i laughed so much exiting via a rolling spinning barrel. We also went on the boat ride tunnel which was very gentle and I remember that from when i was a kid and went in 1975! As we left the boat ride it started to rain. Pour with rain. And Thunder of course. LOUDLY! Poor Roxie... we ran for shelter and had some ice cream whilst waiting for the strom to pass. Rox was very nervous the whole time wanting to be with me, snuggled close. It did finally subside and the sun shone again. Rox wanted to get a cab back to the apartment but was convinced to go to the Jungle Park so that April could have a ride on something. Turns out that was a great idea. We spent the rest of the day there till closing time! Both girls LOVED it. There was a hand pedal powered train track aroudn the mini park a great large sandpit with a dinosaur climbing thing in the middle. There was a variety of carousels. The 'car' one in particular was popular. There wa a mini ferris wheel, a flying pedal carousel thingy that we all went on together, a fire engine ride game that Darren and Rox did together. Rox and April both spent ages on a little boat shaped swing and then we went into the Tréfás Dzsungel ride. This is one I also remember from '75. This is the one that got stuck, with all the crazy curves and dark bits, things jumping out at you...anyway April did not like this one at all. Much too scary for her. She said she was scared of the lion. It was pretty full on, even Rox got a bit worried apparently 'cause at the end was a thunder noise and fake wind!  Anway we talked to April about it and I gave her some 'mama tee', then she was on the boat swing for ages. 

Anyway at closing time we left and on the way back to the metro station Rox and April wanted some balloons that we were tricked into paying much too much for. Of course once he'd tied it around Roxie's wrist it was then too hard to walk away and say that it was too expensive! Always ask the price first!! Lesson reminder.

Got some baic takeaway food and home to apartment. Big day. Fun day!!

Tomorrow we pla to take it easy,get some groceries in the morning and hang out the rest of the day on the Margit Sziget which s soo close to us....ahhhhhh. goodnight.

Praha and the Waldstein gigs...

Dobriden! The concerts were great! What a buzz! I'd have to say that the Waldstein Gardens where the Czech senate sits, is the most stunning outdoor venue I've ever played in! Really beautiful. Just a pity about the grey weather and rain. It was disappointing! Rainy, grey and coolish -  or - rainy, grey and humid... We had to purchase gumboots for all of us and a new raincoat for Roxie. I do love my new bright red 'Bata' full length gumboots! We got soaked in the pouring rain quite a few times in Prague. And poor Rox really had a tough time with thunder storms almost everyday! 

The trip over - that monstrously long , arduous airplane journey was yuk as always. The girls coped amazingly well on the flights but it was just too, too long. By the time we got to Brussels and had a 5 hour wait, Rox and April were delirious. Rox fell asleep on the floor at the transfer lounge even before we could board the plane so Darren was carrying her asleep onto the plane. April insisted on rolling Roxie’s suitcase and I carried the rest of the bags!! Darren couldn’t quite get Rox into her seat and she woke up. Boy was that bad! She was sooo tired and beyond it, her body was so sensitised, poor thing that all she could do was complain loudly.  She complained that her ears were hurting, she was hot, she wanted to lie down, her tooth hurt… everything, I felt so bad for her. 

Eventually once the plane had taken off she fell asleep again and we gave her a pillow etc. By this time April had fallen asleep too with headphones on watching playschool! Very cute. Anyway Rox’s head slipped off the pillow and looked uncomfortable so I tried to move it and lie her down over 2 seats which was a really bad idea as she got stuck in her seatbelt which was still on her and woke her up. She screamed and cried. All I could do was listen to her  - she was still inconsolable. I felt uncomfortable for the other passengers on the plane too. But, that was nothing compared to when April had to be woken up because the plane landed! She didn’t want to be held or anything and I was carrying her through Prague airport whilst she was screaming and arching her body. I haven’t seen April like that, it was awful. Worse still the floor was hard ceramic tiles everywhere and April wanted and needed to have a big kick and scream on the floor, but she was thrashing so much she would have really banged her head on it. So I tried to prevent her head from being injured. Darren and I were at a loss as to what to do. We knew that if we could get them into fresh air it would be ok. 24 hours in artificial environments coupled with changing time zones, lots of quick and not very nourishing 'food' - sweets and plane food and very little restful sleep is really damaging for any human being! It was hard to explain this to them though of course (it didn't even seem fair to try) and it seemed like we’d just have to wait it out and try to remain ourselves, as ‘calm’ as possible… Eventually after we’d managed to retrieve our luggage and the pram, we put Rox in the pram, I gave April some  'mama tee' (breastmilk) and gave all 4 of us  some Rescue Remedy. Things then calmed down enough for us to get out of the terminal and see if anyone had come to pick us up. It looked dire at first – no signs with our names on it! We were about to try and get a hotel when a guy came up holding the sign with Stiletto Sisters on it. Classic! We were saved. Finally walked outside into the fresh air, felt the rain on our faces - what joy! and got into the van. Lucky it was an interesting vehicle so that the girls were ok about sitting in it and travelling the final distance to the hotel. Of course they both fell asleep in the van! We carried them into the hotel - Judy was there, it was great to see a familiar face. Rox had woken up and cheered up to see Judy, but as soon as Rox got in the room she crawled into bed and fell promptly asleep. April went back to sleep pretty soon after too. And so did we. Bliss to sleep in a bed. 

In the morning I had a shower. It felt amazingly fortifying and restorative!! Human again. The great thing about that horribly long Australia to Europe plane trip? A renewed appreciation for those simple everday luxuries. A bed. A shower. Fresh fruit. Soap.

Our bodies are still adjusting. And it was helped by the hotel buffet breakfast. I love the hams, kifli, cheese, paprika and tomato brekkies they have  here. Yum. There was also chocolate muesli. (Rox's fave)  Yummy Debrecen style sausages with mustard and Horseradish!! Eggs, toast, lots of yoghurts etc. etc. We all ate heaps. Rox loved being able to help herself to lots of different things. And April was not so interested in eating her breakfast as in making it into a concoction! She was very intense and insistent about making these concoctions. I bet the waitresses enjoyed cleaning our table....oops.

 We missed the Nigel Kennedy opening concert. Apart from the fact that it was pretty cold and miserable (although the rain eased up) Rox fell asleep at 7pm! (Australia 3am) Again just put herself to bed, and April not long after at 8pm. Darren also crashed early. 

Anyway we soon adjusted to the new time zone and weather in Europe. It was hard for the girls being in a small hotel room with such wet weather. (The festival put us up, and we graciously accepted the accommodation they offered, but we found out later that the cost of a room per night at this place was an outrageous 260 euros!!!!!!no way!  And no one with a family would ever stay in a hotel like that - too posh, no kettle or toaster , but only 24 hr tea and coffee service, pah.)

When the weather was ok enough to venture out - it was lots of fun. We went to 'Children's Island' which was a giant playground - lots of climbing frames and sandpits. The girls were very happy!

Food was a big challenge because we didn't have any kitchen/cooking facilities at all. We were eating out a lot and that's tricky in an unfamiliar city on a budget with very specific food requirements. At least French fries were a safe bet for Rox and April. Not a lot of variety for them. Thanks goodness for summer berries. We bought punnets of strawberries, cherries and blueberries for next to nothing which Roxie loved! We did mangage to go out for dinner a few times and ate real typical Czech food, the girls fell asleep and we'd walk back to the hotel with them and put them into bed. 

We managed to rehearse which was wonderful. In a very nice 'Salonky' in the basement of the hotel with a fabulous acoustic for us! 

I'll put in a few picks of the early part of the trip here and write some more in the next post.

 

whole life unschooling...muses...

wow. I'm finding that the food thing is really an issue for me. More than the tv one! I think i need therapy!!! or maybe just a slant in my perspective?  I still feel so controlling and mean about sugar. It was ok for a while but then Rox got some 'symptoms' and of course i blame it on her food choices particularly her love of sugar. Why do I even blame? I get so mean...it's awful. The tendency to meaness over this is trying to tell me something but I haven't decoded it yet. I'm working on thinking about it differently - but I think I need to just slow down and chill out!!! I was reading on Always Learning tonight and there's generally something there that resonates with what's going on with us. Sandra Dodd mentioned stuff about  rules. I think untimately I'm still stuck in following some rules. That is rules in my own head about what it is to whole life unschool. It is so easy to grab ideas and then twist them into a self inflicted rule especially with food issues and tv: Freedom of choice for foods. As many sweets as they want, whenever they want. Say yes to most things they ask for. (I'm using 'they' of course to talk about Rox and April. ) No mealtimes. (Hey that was funny - I actually mis-typed and originally typed "no meantimes" hmmm, my subconcious at work). No restrictions. Freedom. But all the above are really not the point! It's much more about kindness, thoughtfulness, gentleness. 

We're a pretty exuberant, loud family, but I'm sure it's possible to be who we are at our core and still maintain a sense of peace and gentleness even amongst the noise and mess!! It's so much about mindset and perspective.

 I love posts on Always Learning about personal choices... About choosing a positive perspective. Seeing things AS THEY ARE and being/working with that. Realizing that there are many, many options in every situation. That Life - my life and the lives of our family are being created now and now and now. That keeping the relationships within the family and lines of communication clear, loving, honest and real are of upper most importance to having a happy, joyful life.I think maybe that is what whole life unschooling is really about, but it's so easy to get bogged down. Maybe instead of trying to attain the label, I just need to focus on Darren and the girls (and myself!) What is it that we want our life to be? How do we relate? How does the way we relate affect what we want our life to be? What happens when we relate in the ways that we do? Does the way we relate to each other give us the life we each want? What would we prefer? What is it to really LIVE with each other ?? What do we each need? 

There was a great thread recently that suddenly struck a glow of clarity with me. but later on in the midst of 'stuff' it's hard to grasp it again...

will keep trying. 

1 week before jetting off to Prague...

We are all getting very excited now. It's quite busy too, getting everything organized for the trip. I'm so excited to be doing this with the girls! Not to kid myself - there is also an amount of trepidation, but generally really excited. Have been trying to find cool and fun things for us all to do en route. Activity books, playsets, new dvds, filling up the ipods and laptop...snacks...I was even contemplating getting Rox a Nintendo DS for the trip but at the moment it costs too much. Decided it's best to wait till she asks for it. Plenty of other stuff around to keep her audio visually interested... Like the new Bindi the Jungle Girl Dvds!!!

SO, Prague for the Nine Gates Festival of Jewish Music and culture. We're there for 1 week, then on the train to Budapest where we'll hang out for a week. We've booked into this really cute apartment in the middle of town near the Margit Sziget (Margaret Island) and will be going to the island, the zoo, the amusement park and climbing in the Buda hills to the wooded areas - all of which I'm sure Rox (and April) will love! I have very fond memories of going to the amusement park in Budapest with my family when I was 8 years old! After Budapest the plan is to get a camper van (Roxie's dream is to live in a camper van) and to travel north through the Hortobagy (the great plains - we'll get to to check out the horses and Summer horse programs!) ending up at Kisvarda to catch up with my family. There's going to be so much to do and see in Hungary. I wish we had more time! I'm really looking forward to Prague too. Never been there before and we'll get to hear/see some great Klezmer music at the festival. Nigel Kennedy is playing the opening night with Kroke which will be fun to listen to. 

The girls do feel my excitement building and the preparations for the trip are taking my mind away from being totally present with them, I'm trying, but I do have a tendency to drift into thinking too much about the future and what needs to be done next. At those moments I notice Rox tends to go to her room more often to watch her tele. That's when I realize I need to engage with her again. So i'll go and watch with her for a bit or take her a cheese toastie or ask if she wants to bounce on the trampoline with me and April. That's one of our favorite things. Bouncing on the tramp together. Or making a concoction. In the last couple of days it's been making cakes in the evening. Of course April makes one too! Rox said tonight that she loves baking cakes and wants to make cakes for work. As well as be an animal rescuer!! (Thanks Bindi and Diego!)

April is so funny at the moment. Word plays and jokes. Especially about 'tee'! (breastfeeding/breastmilk)

gotta go. April stirs.

Bleary eyes...

Why am I still awake??! I just can't seem t get to sleep tonight... Booking accommodation in Budapest and working out costs for the zoo, amusement parks and thinking about the most fun ways to spend our very short time in Eastern Europe!....It's all too stimulating so late at night...got to go to bed....

Europe is on the cards...! and a rather impassioned vent...!!

Still in a whirlwind about this upcoming European trip...the flights have been much more pricey than necessary because the festival was sooooo SLOOOOOWWW in providing the promised funds for us to purchase airfares. One of the biggest stressors for me personally was dealing with the fact that 'most people' seem to find it hard to accept that as a mother I'd only perform at an international festival if I can bring my children with me. Basically I needed to have the whole family's airfares paid for or I wouldn't really be keen into doing the gig. Some will accept that a breastfeeding mother would need to take her baby  - although eyebrows are raised at that concept and necessity when the 'baby' is  a walking, talking 2 year old -  But most don't understand why I wouldn't just travel with April alone and have her babysitted by someone (errr who???) whilst we play...well der...! 

They question why do I need to take husband and 6 year old? Of course my answer is that Darren is the most trustworthy 'babysitter' other than me. April would be surrounded by foreign voices etc. and it'd be traumatic for her to be left with a stranger after all the travel... And I'll NOT leave Rox at home and only take her sister. What does that say to Rox? I couldn't even consider leaving her at home. She is part of our family. I am part of a family! 

I certainly don't subscribe to the leave-your-kids-they'll-be-fine attitude that I seem to come across in the most part. For some weird reason it's seen as virtuous if you leave your kids at home (and save whoever money etc.) whilst mummy does an international travel gig. blech. I actually know quite a few women musicians who justify and reason that it's fine. Even so far as to weaning their babies because of international gigs or touring. What's that all about??? The gig is more important than being with your child??? Sheesh. I'm sooo sick of that attitude. Yeah it might make them feel better about themselves but really I wish they'd admit that it was shitty for the baby and family instead of saying how fine it was. Only one woman said she'd wished she'd never done it. but it's too late once it's done!!!! 

I'm seen as a pain in the butt because I choose to be with my children  as much as possible and consider their needs and their need of me, their mother; because I choose to enjoy sharing my life and work with my children (if they want to, which they do!) Well, I love playing music, I love performing with the band and I love sharing my violin with an audience. I do that with great joy and commitment (mostly! ;-)) but I am a musician with children. They are not expendable. Work is. I wouldn't even leave them for a whole weekend. It doesn't make sense. Ok. Enough venting. Glad to get that out finally!!!

Still now it's finally happening. I'm able to get excited!  Roxie is certainly excited. 3 weeks to go before we fly! woohoo!!!!