Slowly, slowly, I am coming back to life and re-entering the world after months of sickness.  To celebrate that fact (and my birthday), Kevin whisked us to the beautiful city of Edinburgh for a night.  Ellis got to stay overnight with his beloved Tantie and Kev and I slept in a hotel...in the same bed WITHOUT two-year old sized feet kicking us in the face.  Bliss (though of course we missed E terribly, spent most of our time apart talking about him and he got extra snuggles when he came into our bed last night...absense certainly does make the heart grow fonder).

Maybe it was the fact that I have been holed up in bed and ventured no further than Stirling in almost 2 months.  Maybe it was the fact that the sun shone and the weather was crisp and perfectly autumnal.  Maybe it was the fact that Stirling is less shiny than it used to be, but I re-fell in love with Edinburgh this weekend.

I always have said I am more of a country mouse than a city girl, but sometimes I do wonder.  Having Ellis means I am more and more aware of how limited the offerings are in the area for basic things...even local food, decent activities, even somewhere to meet friends as E runs around when the weather is poor are all hard to come by.  In Edinburgh, we saw so many people like ourselves and so many things we love--green grocers, museums, play areas, parks, gardens, theatre shows, art, children's activities. 

For now, it is just an idea.  We are firmly rooted here for the time being, but maybe these country mice need a bit more frequent exposure to big city life.

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Huge thank you to Kerstin a) being a wonderful friend and b) letting us borrow her camera so there can be something pretty on the blog.

Also, thank you to all of you for your amazing and thoughtful comments on the post about homeschooling.  It has given me so much to think about.  I keep re-reading the comments and getting new insights into our own thinking on the subject.

Oh and wish me luck...I am back at work today.