BOO!

Let me first wish you all a very Happy Halloween! We have been celebrating here in Rome - it seems to be one American holiday that other countries like to participate in (unlike Thanksgiving, for instance...). Katie had a party and parade at school, we had a Trunk or Treat party at Chris' office, and the school held a "Fall Festival" party today. I am Halloweened out! The kids had a good time, though. Chris and I realized that all the kids held true to their own personalities with their costumes this year. Katie was a cowgirl, Maddie was a ladybug - with sparkly dots, and Jameson was a golfer, complete with a tam and plus-fours. Really cute. I dressed up as a teacher and Chris was the disgruntled dad handing out candy to rude kids. We all played our parts well. :)

The weather has been very nice here lately. It was in the 70s today and has been like that often. I am sure it will change soon, but we are enjoying it now. The kids and I went down near the Trevi Fountain almost 2 weeks ago and it was so beautiful that I could not imagine a nicer day anywhere. The skies were cloudless, the sun was bright and the temperature was mild. It really was Bella Roma. It is tough to be in a bad mood when the weather is so cooperative

I have finished my first quarter at school. I had to fail several students, and I am sure that it was more painful for me than it will be for all but one of the students. Frustrating. The 9th graders have started Macbeth and I honestly think that they like it. They don't really understand it until we read in class, but they are totally getting into it and appreciating even the humor. I am excited for the time when they are ready to act some of the scenes out. Should be fun. The eighth graders are reading the last 4 chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird this weekend. They have really grasped Harper Lee's message and I think they have been quite moved by the story. They will have an essay test in a week and will be starting independent outside reading (non-fiction - YUCK they cry) and Romeo and Juliet in class. I keep that bunch busy. :)

Well, I wish I had some funny tales to tell this time, but I am pretty tired. I hope you enjoy the pictures. It was nice to find some fall leaves for the kids to play in. We miss that.

Yeah, I'm the Beast!

Well, I have been called a lot of things in my life...Marsha, Momma, Babe, Pete, Lady Astor, Marsha Bones, and probably some other unsavory things. I have not, however, ever been called a Beast. Perhaps there were times when it was warranted, like on the soccer field, or after administering a particularly difficult test. I am pretty sure that the same type of sentiment that might have been intimated in those instances is not the one that my eldest, Katie, intended when she drew this picture for me. She meant to say, "Mommy is the best!" And you can all see the end result. Still it made me smile. The weird thing is, I would be a beast for her. I will beat of all the bullies I can, move mountains to make her happy, and protect her before myself. I just don't intend to look like a character from Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The wisdom of youth is priceless.
Work is going pretty well. I gave my eighth graders their first big test this week, 105 vocabulary words from To Kill a Mockingbird and background on Harper Lee. It did not surprise me that the majority of the class did fantastically well. There were actually a couple of perfect scores. I knew they could handle it. We are in the beginning stages of writing short stories, as well, and I can't wait to see what they give me. Their writing always surprises, always makes me laugh, and frequently makes me think. Good stuff. We are going to finish Mockingbird soon, too, and they will write an essay exam for that one. Fun for them. :)
My ninth graders have just finished Animal Farm by George Orwell. They are in the midst of a two day test - first part objective, second part essay. While it is certainly not my favorite book, I think the class enjoyed it. They also really understood the relationship between the animals in the book and historical figures from the Russian Revolution. Hopefully they'll be able to demonstrate understanding of the themes from the book on the essay. Either way, we are moving on to Macbeth next, which I much prefer...
I hope you all are well.
Signing off,
The Beast

It's Been a While...

I haven't been neglecting the blog. In fact, I have often longed to tickle the ebonies (my computer keys are black) and tell you about the new adventures of the Fitz Family - but, to be honest, I am tired. It has been busy since we got back to Rome. I have been hired, been almost fired (or so I feared), had three sick kids, visited the ER once, spent the week as a single woman while Chris was in Albania, figured out how to communicate nuns at the day care Maddie and Jameson attend (that's right, no English), and learned how to teach again. I have little time to indulge in my few indulgences.
All right, I am now employed. I found out that there was an opening for an English teacher at Katie's school and put my name in the hat. I am now teaching one section of Advanced 8th grade English (WONDERFUL!) and two sections of Standard 9th grade English. I am currently working my way through To Kill a Mockingbird with the 8th graders and Animal Farm with the 9th graders and recreating many of the teaching materials that I left in the States. It has been a while since I have done this, and a week to prepare was not really enough. I have also already missed 5 days of work because of sick kids. I thought they might be regretting hiring me, but I still go in everyday and no one has told me to leave. I hope that the sickness is behind us.
On one of those days when Jameson was home sick he fell and cut his head open. It necessitated a trip to the Pronto Soccorso (ER) where his head was glued and steri-stripped back together. The cut is about 1.5 inches long, but he was a brave little guy. I am proud to say that I held it together and did not get lost in the language gap when we were there. Va bene!
Maddie and Jameson are now in day care. It is a beautiful little place next door to the school where Katie and I are and it is run by nuns. I know of only one employee that speaks English (Maddie's teacher) and Jameson will now sometimes say "Ciao!" to you if you say "Hi!" to him. Maddie has also decided that she will not make friends until high school because the people at her school don't speak like her. Blaaaaaaaaaaah! Katie is loving second grade. She has already read several chapter books since starting the year and thinks her teacher is great.
On a lighter note....I went to the dermatologist a couple of weeks ago to have some moles removed. The morning before I left the house, Maddie asked where I was going. I told her I was going to have some of my moles removed. Her response..."Good, I don't like those moles, but I love your moustache."
Buona serata!

That Pesky Staircase

Well, as some of you know, I have taken a position in the English Department at a local International School. Literally in the last few days...and school starts next Wednesday! YIKES! I still don't have a schedule. I still don't have class lists. I still need a school ID (the school being protected by security and locked gates). I still don't even have all the materials - like a red pen!!! And we know how teachers like red pens. DUH!
On the bright side, I get to teach "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "A Separate Peace." I also get to do "Macbeth" and "Romeo and Juliet." I, unfortunately, have to do grammar, as well. But I get to use my soon to come red pen on that. *smile*
I feel like I have gotten back on that down staircase that I got off of 7 years ago and am still trying to go up.
Cheers!

Mommy Bumped Into Something (I Guess You Could Say That)

So in this blog we are going to enter the realms of human reproduction. If this is not interesting to you - or if you are not interested in what I might have to say about human reproduction, perhaps you should just turn us off. For those of you who are a little more adventurous...

When I was pregnant with Maddie, Katie was 3, and old enough to start asking some questions about where babies come from. Most of you know the drill - we didn't lie to her, but gave her enough information to feel that the query had been answered. I told her that mommy had eggs in her body and when she and daddy decided to have a baby, one of those eggs grew. She wanted to know how the eggs got into my body, to which I explained that all women had eggs in their bodies - even her - and that they could grow into babies when the time was right. Well, this was good information in her mind. So good that she really seemed to take it all in and think about it on her own. One day I unbuckled her from her car seat and we were walking into the store when she stopped dead in her tracks, arms straight out at her sides. "Mommy, wait! I can feel my eggs moving!" Tough as it was not to laugh, I took her hand and we continued on our way.

This summer saw the topic reenter discussions at our house. My sister and her husband welcomed a new baby while we were visiting and I have had two cousins have children this year. The girls love babies and were talking about having babies and the proverbial eggs a couple of nights ago. Katie told Maddie that when all three kids were still eggs, Maddie cracked into her and she grew into a baby. She went on to explain that Jameson's egg cracked into Maddie when I got pregnant with her. Chris and I were enjoying this health lesson, so he asked "What about Jameson?" Katie thought about it. Her conclusion, I bumped into something, cracked Jameson's egg, and there he was.

I guess for all intents and purposes this is correct. If the "thing" I bumped into is 6 feet 6 inches, brown hair and eyes, and enjoys Chris Farley movies and a round of golf.

Enough said...

Maybe I'm Older Than I Think I Am

Today, in what I am guessing was an effort to express an interest in "The West," Katie told me that she wanted to learn about the olden times, are you ready.........like the 1950s. Back when people didn't have electricity or ovens or microwaves or food! When I told her that her grandparents could give her a lot of information about the 1950s because they were alive then she was aghast. "They didn't have food!?!" I think she was equally mortified to find out that I could remember when microwaves started showing up in homes. Ahhhhhhh youth! Do you think that she would ever believe that the first computers used to take up an entire room?
If any of you have any colorful anecdotes about those days with no food or electricity, please pass them on. :)

Home is Where the...Hole(s) in the Wall Is????

All right, we're back in Bella Roma. The kids and I had a nice visit to the States (specifically Olathe, KS), but it is good to be home. I appreciated the courteous drivers of Kansas. I loved the ease of shopping at any one of greater Kansas City's 1,478,632 strip malls - or Oak Park Mall for those of you familiar with the area. I enjoyed eating out at something other than an Italian restaurant. And I loved that the kids got to reconnect with, and in Jameson's case, meet, their family. The kids loved playing with Brent and Dawn's kids, Josie and Blake, and meeting Shelly's new baby, Colt, who was born while we were there. They LOVED the dog and cats at my parent's house. And, let's be honest, nothing beats all the ice cream that one can eat at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Maddie was already telling my mom she missed her before we even got on the plane to come back. It was a good trip. It was tiring, mostly for me. I don't recommend travelling across the Atlantic with 3 kids alone on a regular basis. The worst part was standing in the passport control line at Dulles Airport in D.C. for an hour at what was around 11 p.m. Italian time. But it was still a great vacation.

I have to say that I was a little disenchanted by one thing when we got home...the holes in the kitchen wall (see Chris' blog "Crack Spackle"). I had just gotten used to the lack of holes in the ceiling before we left for the States, only to come home to holes in the wall. I guess I should be thankful that the leak was not our fault. I would hate for the people below us to think it was us, which they already were doing. I am also disappointed that I missed the crack...well, maybe not.

Katie has found a new interest - golf. She took part in golf summer camp with the Johnson County Parks and Rec while we were there and liked it enough that she wants to continue here. It is a sport that we are really encouraging her in. I know she loves horses, but clubs are cheaper than feeding and taking care of a horse, and a little safer. She is anxious to start school, has lost her 8th tooth, and is riding her bike without training wheels now. She was very reluctant to do so until this week. Not afraid to get on a giant horse, but scared of a bike without training wheels. :)

Maddie is also looking forward to school. She will be going for 2 half days a week this fall. We will probably have her go more often in the spring, but I think this is good for now. She got some ridiculous pink boots while we were back in the States and it will probably take an act of Congress to keep her from wearing them to school - where they would not fit the dress code.

Jameson gets bigger and sweeter daily. He is almost 18 months old and still reluctant to talk. He will make animal sounds, he would say "Pampaw" for my dad, he says "thank you,"and he will surprise me now and again with words, but he is still slow to talk. I figure he doesn't see the need since the girls always talk for him and he has no problems getting what he wants or needs. He really is a lovely little boy.

I will be starting my language lessons again soon. I am looking forward to it, especially since I stumbled through my trip to the grocery store today. Amazing how quickly it will leave you. We are also anticipating visits from family and friends this fall.

As nice as the summer was, and as great a time as the kids had, we were all glad to be back here at our temporary home. We may not be Italians, and this place will always be somewhat foreign to us, but it is our home. Because it is where we are together. We were missing a big part of our family this summer, with Chris staying in Europe. And we all felt it. While our normal is now in a different language, it is still our normal. Family is the most important.

Buon ferragosto!