Mama Congo Success! Remember when we started an all-out campaign to get Anthony Bourdain to come to Congo (Tony, COME TO MAMA)? Well it worked! Okay, who are we kidding? It was a total coincidence that he came, but still...
Here he talks about the: "Most terrifying, stressful, physically difficult shoot of his life."
Speaking of terrifying things in Congo, could the Lord's Resistance Army get any worse? I guess so, it turns out they're funded by elephant poaching. That's real classy, Kony.
Is specialization the secret to a happy marriage, home and children? Maybe so. Read all about: The Retro Housewife: Feminists who say they're having it all--by choosing to stay at home. And The Gay Guide to Wedded Bliss.
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| “In the morning, I’ve got kid duty; Amy doesn’t even see the kids,” says Isabelle Dikland. “She does pickup and makes dinner every night.” (Gail Albert Halaban). Image from TheAtlantic here. |
If you're reading this, there's a good chance we're somewhere over the Atlantic struggling with two little children. Remember Whac-a-Mole with Wings? One strategy we'll be using is car seats. Moms have tipped us off to taking your kid's car seat on the plane and it's kind of amazing. Your kids can't move and they're safe. The Car Seat Lady agrees.
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| You'll wish you were flying with an infant once you start flying with toddlers. |
It only took 5 years, but we finally saw President Kabila. In our backyard. (Okay, he was here for an event, but it was basically our yard.) Jill and I really wished we had our Mama Congo business cards so we could slip him one. Whatever Joseph, we know you're already a fan.
And you go girls. TheGirlEffect.org.
Jill's List:
Spending today Googling "best pro-biotics for babies and their fathers" after Johan and Loulou both were told by our Belgian doc to get some to "restore stomach health." (It's so funny how it's totally normal to get a script for Arnica, pro-biotics, or St. John's Wort from this doctor - he's not exactly crunchy. Turns out it just more the Euro-norm. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite realized that the pharmacies in Congo don't carry many of these lovely things.) At least they've been thoroughly checked out by a guy who knows his way around a parasite or amoeba infestation. I had nightmares that after returning to the States next week and saying, "Yeah, my kid's been vomiting off and on for a week...and we live in the Congo," the CDC Special Investigation Team would be called in for a simple virus.
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| Image from BioGaia website. Anyone every tried these? The packaging sure is cute! |
Okay. I also somehow managed to find this incredible bag during my exhaustive search in the name of my family's health:
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| Beautiful Besace bag "for the well-traveled woman" from Clair Vivier. |
Four or so years ago, we hosted a dinner party at our home in Harrisonburg to spread the word and garner support for an idea. That idea has been up and going strong for two years now. Congrats, Friendly City Food Co-op!
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| Image from here. |
This has been making the rounds like crazy - but it is so interesting. (I say "Crawdad" - why?! It doesn't match!)
Extremely excited for Istanbul this weekend. What a week to visit! The most interesting thing for us? Everyone we've chatted with in Istanbul says that this is an "unprecedented" time in Turkish history and our family is super lucky to get a glimpse. Absolutely no one has acted worried or concerned that we would be planning a little family va-cay in the middle of a monumental demonstration. We are hoping to meet up with a friend of a friend (for coffee, of course) on Tuesday so that she can fill us in on everything.
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| Image from BBC. |
Craving Paneer Saag by John and Rama. Hopefully, I will have eaten at least 5 servings before the next Friday List.
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| Image from our friends at I Love My Burg. |
Babies in boxes = public health is awesome. (Imagine the possibilities...)
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| Image from BBC.com |
And. A sweet blog I've been looking through this week.
The oddball club got its start 75 years ago in prewar Malaysia and now has nearly 2,000 chapters spanning all seven continents. It began with a group of British colonial officers and expats looking for ways to ease their weekend hangovers. The name came from their billet, often referred to as the Hash House, where they'd eat their monotonous corned-beef dinners, and the pastime they came up with was a wilder version of a British paper chase.
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| Kinshasa Hash House Harriers picture from here. |
***many apologies for the lack of a pink arrow this week...we're between computers***
FYI, and to temper any dismay, American Indian cafe has been closed so far this summer due to renovations.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Don't tell Johan until he's already in the States. He might change his mind about coming home.
DeleteAbout car seat on the plane:
ReplyDeleteI have flown with my 3 kids many times but the two times i brought a light carseat and stroller combo it was too LONG for the space! I was unable to set it in the seat properly and had to FORCE it to wedge in a little sideways. I was unable to strap it in with the seat belt and the people in front of me couldn't put their seats back, obviously. I've stopped bringing the seat, i feel they're safer in my arms. If they're big enough to sit i let them sit in the seat, if they're not big enough they sit in my lap..
Nice and informative article. This article helps me. Keep doing this.
ReplyDeleteGraco's Aire3 Click Connect Stroller