City Girl, Country Mouse and Snake Be Gone

So you're wondering why in the world I would admit to being a countryslicker - that weird amalgamation of city girl and country mouse. Not that I was really ever that 'slick' during my city days - it's just that I'm very much addicted to commotion, espresso drinks, public transportation and all the trappings of the daily grind in the city. We (my mini-family: husband, then 9- month old son Sebastien, and I) moved to the country 2 1/2 years ago from the city. The plan was to get away from it all - the stress (both financial and social) of the city, two jobs, nannies, noise, traffic, pollution, etc. and settle into an idyllic country life where we would raise our babies, grow tomatoes and herbs and re-invent ourselves with grace and country charm. So with the benefit of hindsight, I can now look back at our naive approach to the transition, laugh and sometimes say out loud "what the F*** were we thinking!" But mostly things are good - we are raising our babies mostly in the country (we've added a 2nd, sweet Francesca, who just turned one, and Sebastien is now a large and in charge 3 1/2 year old dictator). The herb and tomato garden is still pretty much a figment of my imagination -we haven't managed to tame our wild 25 acre yard, let alone plant things that grow on purpose. I'm still very addicted to a certain slice of city living so I drive 25 miles pretty much on a daily basis to the nearest urban center to get coffee, see people and revel in the muted hustle and bustle of a small town. And semi-regularly absolutely need to get myself to a real city and get lost in its lovely chaos. We have a great old house in the middle of nowhere, on a nice piece of land with a river that runs through it, but I'm not-so-secretly terrified of the outdoors (especially the snakes in the field) so I mostly drive into town to take my children to play in the park, like civilized children would do. I know, I know, it's rather neurotic but it can't be helped. Maybe if we get some 'Snake Be Gone' and sprinkle it around, and continue to cultivate the skunk and possum community that lives under our smokehouse and supposedly feed on snakes, I'll feel better about it, but until then my kids and I are meat in the seat, driving to 'town' for all our outdoor adventures.

Francesca monster, acupuncture, et al.

Right, so the blogging thing really worked out well for me. Let's see, one post in eight months - I'm headed for a Pulitzer for sure!
Regardless of that little hiccup I'm determined to give it a go. S and F are trolling about town this morning with their sitter. Funny little monkeys. S said we should take the 'blue path' this morning to avoid the 'Francesca monster'. Where in the world does he get this things? (It's disturbing once you realize that your child's brain has been addled and programmed by overexposure to Dora the Explorer!)

Just back from baby's first ever acupuncture session. Yes - you read that correctly - acupuncture. I know, I know, sticking my 1 year old with needles seems cruel but I'm really hoping that it will help her raging ear infections. After months of being on the pediatrician carousel (on and off of antibiotics, in and out of the MD's office, round and round so quickly my head was spinning), I decided to jump off and delve into the previously unbeknownst to me world of alternative medicine. I talked to a lot of people in the natural/holistic medicine world - some quackier that others - all willing to meet with me and discuss their secret solution. I have finally found my way to a great acupuncturist - who bridges the gap between Eastern and Western medicine in a common sense, non-threatening approach. Meanwhile the ENT is in a hurry to get Francesca under the knife - we met yesterday (Monday) and she said 'I could put tubes in her ears this Friday' - yikes! uh uh - let's not rush into anything that involves general anesthesia and a knife. So, I'm letting Francesca get stuck with needles and hoping desperately it works. Fingers crossed.

On the way home I let the monkeys eat apricots in the car - note to self for future reference - smushed apricot between babytoes and all over the car seat is disssgusting. Sebastien was highly amused - Francesca kept trying to suck her toes to get more fruit.