I'm back! But now I'm leaving.

I know! I’m all, “I love you, baby,” and then I go and disappear. For a week! No, eight days!

It’s not that I don’t love you, it’s just—it’s me.

My mind is not working right these days. I seem to be afflicted with the particular brand of insanity that occurs when you spend your weekends trudging through crappy house after crappy house and then finding the one house you like and then bidding on it and then not getting it and also you’re preparing to leave the country for six days. Wait, where are you going? Denmark? Finland? Close enough.

I’m trying to juggle way more things than a person can reasonably be expected to juggle, and I’m not a good juggler. Really. I have serious coordination issues. Meanwhile I have this little boy here with me whose idea of hilarity is to sing, over and over, “Dinah won’t you blow/Dinah won’t you blow/Dinah won’t you blow your BUTT BUTT BUTT.”

Which actually is pretty funny.

Henry has really had it up to here with me. So what else can you do when you have a crazy mother but insist that you go RIGHT NOW to see the crazy dancers?

And after you’re done admiring the craziness of the crazy dancers, you go to the Egyptian Wing, where you tell your mother all about how the mummies are wrapped-up people who have been wrapped up by other mummies. Or mommies? Unclear.

And then you make a ruckus in the “echo room,” which is actually a room full of Rodins, most of which don’t appear to be enjoying the ruckus one bit.

My next post will be from Amsterdam. Six days without Henry and Scott and Charlie the Dog.

Can I handle it? Will I never want to return? We shall see.

Comments

[MomVee]

I'm sorry about the house you didn't get. That happened to us--only house we could afford _and_ liked. But the happy ending is that the other bidders changed their minds during attorney review and we got the house after all. If only we could get rid of the haunting feeling that the other bidders were imaginary...

[Jess]

You're going to love the Netherlands. E-mail me (jessweather at gmail dot com) if you have any questions at all; I lived there for a year and a half so I know pretty much everything there is to know about it - including the language - and I still miss the country and my friends there every day. (I tell ya, if Shrub and his cronies pull one more underhanded move, I'm moving back!)

Also, Henry is my hero. :)

[doahleigh]

I know nothing about the Netherlands. But I do know how to say, in Dutch, "Amsterdam is a great city. The women dance with no shirts on." Or something like that. I'm not sure what the actual translation is.

Anyway, keep an eye out for dancing topless women. Now that would be some crazy dancers!

[lis]

Don't lie. I know that's you in the crazy dancer suit.

I like Henry laughing at the Rodin's angst. He's like, "i defy you! there is no angst!" and then he sings tra la la, in the picture moving in my head. It's pretty cool.

[Heather]

Have fun in Amsterdam!!

[Stephanie A.]

The Dinah blowing her butt part cracked me up! Right now that is Hugo's favorite song- now I know why he might find the Dinah part the most intriguing. Ah, little boys.

[Dorothy]

Have a great Alice time.

[Sue]

The song in our house for this mother who can't juggle (and even if she could, she could not concentrate while her child is singing) is "mary had a little lamb." It used to be "twinkle twinkle". Both of which beat a song she heard on some cartoon, "icky vicky" We don't know anyone named Vicky and I hope we never do, at least not until she has significant superego to resist her id.

(btw I am not new to your blog, I'm just sporadic)

[schmutzie]

Have I been asleep at the wheel or something? Because this Charlie seems new to me. Like I have no idea what you are talking about when you mention this "Charlie".

One look at him, though, and I fell in love. What a face!

[schmutzie]

Also, I kick you in the shins for going to Amsterdam. Okay, no I don't. But my inner petulant child does.

[Tuesday]

I am sure you will have a great time!

[Karen Rani]

Have a fantastic time!!!!! You will be missed. (obviously - look at the onslaught already. People already going through Finslippyish withdrawl. It won't be pretty. There will be drooling and rocking.):)Karen

[Coelecanth]

Everytime I hear "Amsterdam" I get a vision of a pile of small rodents holding back a large body of water. My brain hates me.

If you're never apart you can never come back together and reuniting with those you love rocks. I actively miss my SO when she's away, wallow in it even, just to make that moment in the airport shine even brighter.

Have a fantastic trip.

[Arabella]

You will never want to return. Have a wonderful time.

Buy yourself some tulips at the flower market.

How big Henry looks now!

[DM]

Good Lord, that kid is cute. So is the dog.

Looking forward to your return and many exciting tales about Amsterdam.

[Wacky Mommy]

i love the pictures at the museum. Happy kid, huh?

[Mer]

So I commented one other time about how I am from Amsterdam, so I just want to tell you again that I hope you have a wonderful time :) Be a bit warned--we are not a, erm, "warm" people. We tend to cut in line. We tell the truth even when it might seem tactless to do so. At the end of the day, however, we are by and large good, sincere, genuine people. Oh, and also be sure to ignore the scary late-night tv. And all the ridiculous stoner alien paraphrenalia that's everywhere in Amsterdam. Close your eyes, and focus on the pancakes. Have fun!

[Angela]

Henry, will you marry me?

[wordgirl]

Hey...If I saw Dinah blow her butt, butt, butt, I'd be laughing too. A little four-year-old friend of ours used to say, "Hey, guess what?"And then we'd say, "what?". And he'd shout,"Chicken Butt!". Then he'd say it about 300 times more.

[June Cleaver Diaries]

About moving---

How about trying to bid on houses in ANOTHER COUNTRY!!!! Yeah, we're doing that, and it suuucks.

[CrazyUs]

This post made me feel so at home. Craziness, little boys and travel, that is what we are all about. Have a great trip. Take lots of pictures and congratulations on your house. That is so cool.

[Emmie]

I'm orignally from the Netherlands, though I've lived in the US since I was 7. I've had about a thousand people respond, "oh, I love Scandinavia!" when they hear where I'm from. Don't even get me going...Enjoy Amsterdam, and greet my fellow countrymen for me. I'm not making that trip again until my twins are at least 3.