One morning at 6:50am, Mr.M dropped our son off at the maintenance depot and he “went to work” with the road sweeper for the day.
Looking back on Lockdown
In the early days when the first social distancing restrictions were put in place, my biggest nightmare was having to keep our three young boys at home for 14 days. Priding ourselves of raising “free-range” kids, I was already conjuring up ideas of a family-escape to the woods just to avoid having to keep them confined indoors for that long, should the quarantine measures be declared.
Walking the Bisse of Valais
In time for summer hikes, here I share the article I wrote for the online magazine NewlySwissed about these extra-ordinary man-made irrigation networks in the Swiss Alps.
Finding balance by jumpstarting a career?
It’s been about a year since I’ve stepped back into professional life after a solid 4 years (!) of pursuing the life and science of child-rearing. Only 18 months ago, I was still quite content with this domesticated life. But that changed almost overnight. Here I share my journey back into the very broad field…
The Swiss and “Januar-loch”
In Switzerland, there is a special name for that seemingly boring January that starts with a bang but really drags on uneventfully. The Swiss call it the “Januar-loch”, translated literally as the January void, when nothing of significance seems to take place. Last December, after a month of counting down to Christmas with the kids,…
A bite of the Empty Nest
The baby turned a year old last month, and I wasn’t prepared for it. No, I didn’t forget, of course not. Let me clarify that. I know three children can be a handful. I sometimes have to keep counting them, just to make sure they’re all there. One is reading a book on the couch. Check….
Secrets behind the Walls
Ever seen that 007 film where James Bond discovers the underground base of Dr. No? Science fiction? Well, when I first heard about the secret fortresses hidden everywhere in the Swiss mountains, that’s what I thought of.
Quoi de neuf?
Yesterday was the first day of my French course. And I felt like the village idiot whose tongue got tied every time someone asked me a question. What was I thinking, agreeing to move to a region where I can’t even speak or understand the language to function as myself, let alone as a mother…
Like Starting Over
As I sit here, writing this, much of the vineyards here have already turned yellow. The mountains are now a fading orange and darkening day by day. The trees and bushes in our garden no longer give a green divide between us and our neighbors. In fact, the children seem to constantly be breaking branches…
A path to Healthiness: Gesundheitspfad
A little summer secret in the woods. Since our discovery of this trail, up in the mountains just the next town over, a mere 7-minute drive, we’ve been frequenting this little path about once each week! The Gesundheitspfad, translated literally as the “Healthiness Path” is a barefoot trail in the hills of Heiligkreuz, Hasle. Not entirely different…
Toboggan Riding
Or better known as Rodelbahn Fahren – is basically riding a piece of plastic down a giant steel roller-coaster slide. And in this case, one that is 900 meters long and winds down the mountain! Okay, okay…it’s not as primitive as it sounds, the plastic board comes with a break lever that you can control…
13 Facts about the Swiss Guards
I wrote a version of this article originally for Newly Swissed Online Magazine and was published on May 6, 2016, on the day of the Swearing-In Ceremony of the Swiss Guards in Rome. So this is my take on some interesting facts about the Swiss Guards. A fan of traditions of all sorts, this little list…
May 6 is a Swiss celebration in Rome
A short history lesson on the origins of the Pontifical Swiss Guards for the curious. This year, the Pontifical Swiss Guards celebrate 510 years of loyal service to the Pope. On May 6, new recruits will be sworn into service in the Vatican, an event witnessed by thousands of visitors. When I first saw the…
The Gift of Language
When we deny our own mothertongue, don’t we deny our own heritage? Last autumn, while enjoying an afternoon in a forest playground with my two sons, I met another mother with three boys tailing her. She greeted us with an imploring smile. I was speaking to my eldest in my mothertongue, Tagalog, urging him to…
Easter Chocolate Madness!
A small addition to the article on the unusual origins of the Easter Bunny. I hope to keep adding to this album in the years to come 🙂
A Child-Proof Explanation of the Easter Bunny Tradition
Before heading out for an Easter Egg hunt with your kids, don’t you ever wonder where this unusual tradition comes from? A Swiss children’s song goes: Ig ha n em Has es Näschtli gmacht im Bungert hinderem Garte; es si die schönschte Blümli dra, es si dei schönschte Blüemli dra, die fyne und die zarte……
Making Decorative Easter Eggs
Exactly four years ago, while waiting for our first son to be born, my mother and I spent quiet evenings creating decorative Easter Eggs from real eggs. To our embarassment, we had to employ Mr. M, who incidentally learned it as a child in school, to teach us how to empty the eggs without breaking…
Where Midwives are Worth Gold
Before moving to Switzerland, I never really imagined myself being a mother, let alone birthing naturally without any pain killers, with only the assistance of my husband and midwife, and delivering both my sons in public hospitals…
Snow Trekking with Kids
Not a fan of the chilly Swiss winter months? Or can’t wait for the snow to melt to pack your picnics and get your hiking boots on and hit the trails with your little ones? Well, winter walks with children are in fact not impossible. They might even make a winter-fan of you. With the…
Why Swiss toddlers learn skiing before spelling
It’s not uncommon that Swiss children start to learn to ski before they start going to school. Maybe a few of the parents dream of honing a potential Olympian in their offspring, but more likely they simply prefer to be able to bring their children along when they themselves go for a day out in…
while in switzerland 