Looking back 2021

The year of 2021 was an ordinary one. In these viral days, it absolutely can be qualified as a good year. For me, 2021 had two well isolable parts. The first part was dedicated to the last months of my last maternity leave. I enjoyed the full summer spent at home with the kids. In the meantime, I busily prepared for my final exam to complete the master's degree programme and get the qualification of economist in marketing.

And then, as a second part I returned to my workplace in September, after Nolen started the nursery. First year in the nursery, last year in the elementary school and last semester at the university - all in 2021.

We kept on hiking and cycling in 2021 as well. This is what we find pleasure in and energizes us. Sometimes we keep traditions, sometimes create. As for me, I have a couple of habits that I never want to give up. Those habits that I do daily, weekly, regularly such as morning gym, greeting the sunrise from the hill, healthy lifestyle, home-made dishes, etc... We also have events that we repeat in every year such as holiday in the countryside together with my sister and our four kids, hiking in Mátra, canoeing in Szigetköz and sleeping in tent, Balaton-round, grape harvest, Halloween, etc... My mom, sister and me tried to organize more girlish programmes and spent more time together, without kids.   

This year, we have a couple of wide family gathering. Bálint left the elementary school, Vanessza and Levente turned 18, Botond turned 20...

Some of our loved ones' relatives left this life that we also bore hard.

Vaccinated or non-vaccinated distinction still ongoing but may eased slightly. Known experiences with vaccination is mixed but mainly under my expectations. Where are we at the end of 2021? Some at the third round of vaccination, over covid, delta variant and at the beginning of omikron... 

 

Nolen & the Nursery

A year ago, we tasted the day care with Nolen. It was my decision. At that time I was still on maternity leave and did the university. My plan was to leave Nolen at the day care on only three days a week and only till lunch. I thought of it as a morning activity for him, possibility of playing with children at the same age, a kind of preparation for the nursery, and a kind of strategy of getting over the usual group illnesses.

We did the very first two weeks. So we were over the very first critical days. With cry from both side, of course. He did his job dutifully, went to the bathroom upon arrival, in the midst of crying. I also cried when I closed the door behind me. Then feelings came day by day. Seeing those mothers with little kids in the supermarket, on the street I started to envy them and asked myself why my little one is not with me? It is not compulsory at all to make him to attend the day care. That government institution did not give as much as it stole. Mornings began uneath. It was always too early to get up, he always told me he doesn't want to go there. Although, the nannies praised him and said that he managed to accomodate himself successfully. The enjoyable part was just began... We already had the decision to finish the day care on the same day when we got the message due to Covid that only those parents are suggested to bring their children for whom the day care is the most wanted. So we cancelled without hesitation. My heart was broken knowing that Nolen has to survive the 2 worst weeks of the adaption period. And I had the fear about its effect for the nursery one year later.

I think we managed to make a good marketing for the nursery. He eagerly expected to attend. On the very first day, I sent him with his father, therefore they managed to handle the whole thing with sufficiently coolness. On the third day, he did not cry at all. There are mornings, less often, when he struggles with his tears but no, he doesn't cry. But he almost every morning asks me: are you sure you are not going to stay, Mom? He made friends with most of the children and sometimes we hear from other parents that Nolen is an often mentioned name at home. Regular question in the car on the way to the nursery: shall I sleep there? Friday is his half-day when he leaves after lunch. He politely says hi to all of the staff by name, and I never asked him to do so. Another morning seance is the waving from the window. Sometimes I'm still standing and change a few words with the kindergarten teacher at the door. Entering the room, he immediately runs to the window, lift up the curtain to get through and wait for me to wave. When we are on the way, eg. from my parents' house to our house, or we are going home from shopping, he always wants to choose the way that drives in front of the nursery. His sign is the flag. Since he is aware of it, he looks for and discover all the flags in any situation everywhere we are going and even happily realizes the red-white-green Hungarian flag on each product in any position and any size.

Yes! He did it. I'm very proud of him.    

 

Our late summer evening walks with Nolen

By the end of summer, we had an everyday seance with my younger son. An evening walk with the same route in the nearby, putting in different stops. It was something that he claimed and insisted on at the end of each day. It is something that we did not abandoned and do it regularly.

Leaving the house, we always start with turning left. First stop is the driveway of the new house built next to us, where nobody has moved in yet but the echo of its driveway is perfect that we always try.

Then comes the advertising board that we have to read, word by word, day by day. Further along, we reach the manhole cover. The water level is thoroughly examined and tested by dropping into some little rocks. At this point soon after we can see the automower on the left hand side, working unhurriedly, precisely. 

Then let's walking along the roadside, and let's collect some nice rocks that we bring with ourselves for a while and save to drop into the runnel later. We're continuously checking the status of the apartment houses under construction and soon reach the steep slope, with the church in the background. 

We arrive to the runnel, drop the rock, and I am immediately asked for plums in different colours which are the harvest of the trees standing along the runnel. 

Turning left, further constructions can be found and fortunately they store the remaining building material outside. It takes more times to go on because Nolen has to feed his sheep with the gravel. 

 

He discovers the neoncolour little spot (if not, we have to look for) which is the sign of his godfather (he is a geometer). 

We admire all the construction vehicles that are already ended the day and are about to go to sleep. Another slope down slightly and we reach the untroubled nature, the dam. Here even wild pigs can be seen. It is not a huge area but it is green and we love it. Sometimes Nolen ends as a neckwear here, at the last stop. 

Two third of summer (JUL-AUG/2021)

We took this summer not so serious and it was spent without any special planning. We did not plan any foreign trip just like last year. We saw all our friends on FB checking in from different countries, and different parts of the world. Everybody wanted to go abroad this summer to compensate the missing holiday from 2020. And as a result, the fourth wave of the virus is knocking. But at the same time, we read about the first countries that cancelled all covid measurements regarding differences between vaccinated an non-vaccinated, mask wearing and all restrictions.

I slowly started to go back to work. Till now only on those days when my colleague is on holiday. It did not seem that more than 3 years passed since my last workday at DEXON. Some things changed (most of the employees keep on home officing), some didn't. The office is quite empty but I don't feel like working from home after staying home for 3 years. I felt endless energy to start/continue my work with endless efforts and as a result, I was quite tired by the end of the first week. It was good to return, I got warm reception from my colleagues and our clients as well. And the best thing is that I'm only a few days away to enjoy my full salary!

We made a Balaton round tour within a weekend on 4 wheels, accomodated in tent in a camping with good location, near a fun fair and circus, the beach and lot of sgopping facilities. Then we continue tenting in our garden and often slept outside with Nolen. We also used the tent when my godchildren or Dominik's classmates came to us. 

We celebrated some round anniversary within our extended but close family: my brother-in-law turned 40, my mother's eldest brother's (Jóska) 70^th birthday, my cousin's younger son's (Levente) 18^th birthday.

There are some returning events that we repeat year by year, creating family traditions. One of them is Vonyarcvashegy where Dominik's best friend's has a weekend house. They invite him every year to spend couple of days at Lake Balaton. They usually pick up Dominik and go there together and at the last day of their holiday we travel there as well and spend a full day at the beach together.

Other event is the Mátra tour organized by Decathlon (sport equipment store). This tour is about full-day hiking on different distances, while collecting stamps at the check points. Many years ago we started when Dominik was very young. This kind of organized hiking gave me secure then to hike without any fear with a child alone in the forest. But this year, I was thinking that this is not the best way of hiking when the forest is full of other hikers. No calm, no silence, no animals. So the reason why I chose this way of hiking years ago, obsolated. 

This year the children's birthdays were Mexican themed. So we made a taco-party with tremendous number of (250+) taco shells and other Mexican food and drink like empanadas, guacamole, salsa, then sweet corn, chocolate fountain, tequila (not for the kids). As a decoration, there was a huge inflatable cactus, and some other inflatable furniture as an armchair, a sofa, a bouncy castle and of course authentic Mexican melodies sounded.

We made a day off full of thumbs up programs with long-seen friends and also spent a gorgeous day on our Foundation Day in downtown by bike ended with great fireworks that attracts many people to the banks of the River Danube.