Okay, truth be told I had another post almost ready to go, but our neighbors showed up ready to have dinner and it did not get written. And now here I am 4 hours later AND a bottle of wine later and no post written up. So I present you with a family portrait that João (our neighbor) insisted we take. I am grateful he did.

Today started as many other days do, but the events were extra special as it was both the children’s last day of school in their ‘new school’ in Portugal, as well as the day my father, aka Vôvô, returned to the States.

Like I said, it started as my days have been lately. I woke up, made a coffee and read a few chapters of whatever book I am reading. Once done with my coffee, I have been going out to our patio and practicing yoga. I have been a runner for ages. I still am. Yet yoga just feels like something I must do these days. The practice has been very meaningful for me. I am not sure why, but I suspect it is because it is pretty much the only time during the day that I am concentrating on my breathing. The rest of the day I look something like a chicken without a head. My mother used to call me ‘acelerada’, which literally translates to ‘accelerated’. I do not think that I am hyper, but I am always doing something, even if it’s nothing. My brother José mocks me because I don’t work, but I assure you I do always find ways to busy myself. Here is the breakdown of the rest of the day to prove that I do keep busy:

6:45 – Go wake wake dad, but find he and Nuno are already up. Lana followed shortly getting ready in record time.

7:45 – Leave for the airport with dad. I had arranged with my neighbor to walk the kids in on their last day. She sent me this picture while I was at the airport with dad.

Aren’t they so cute? Am I not so lucky to always have the best neighbors?

10:30 – Even though we were in line for ages to check his baggage, I was able to have a lovely chat with my dad and arrange for him to get some senior assistance. (I think that is merited since he is days away from turing 80.) My father is in a complicated phase in his life, but I do think he enjoyed coming to Portugal and seeing my children. I sure hope he comes back.

11-12pm- I organized a few things around the apartment, including printing out and translating some recipes for friends. Our falafels, pita bread and chocolate flapjacks were a hit at the 4 ano picnic:)

12- Picked up the kids from school. By kids I mean Nuno and 4 other boys. These boys are American, but their mother has them in the Portuguese section of our school. I think that is so cool. She works full time and her husband is in the States, so I did her a favor to take her boys with us to the movies.

12:30 – God forgive me, but we fed all the kids McDonalds.

1:30 – Myself, 2 other mothers and 11 children went to the movies.

3:30 – Once the movie was done, Lana went over to her friends house. Truth be told I had no room for her in my car, so I brought the boys here. We had an hour to kill before they all had soccer practice and what better way to kill time that go int he POOL!

I have never had a pool before. And let me just say. It rocks! Our neighbors were also around so they joined in and added to the fun.

5:00 – Took the boys to soccer

5:30 – Picked up Lana across town at her friends house. Man that kid lucked out with the nicest friend!

6:00 – Picked up Nuno from his last soccer practice of the year.

6:10 – Ran to the shops to get a few things we needed for dinner.

7:00 – Called my neighbor and offered to make sushi for the kids (mine and hers) and host them for a movie so she and her husband could go on a date (her husband is often, very often out of town and anyways mine stayed up in Caldas yesterday) Plus there is the fact that I adore her kids.

9:00…I am about to say good night. And even though I promised every day. I did mean week days. Even us stay at home moms deserve a break:)

*I know how blessed I am. I am so fortunate not to have to work right now. I am lucky to have fantastic people around me. These life blessings are not lost on me I assure you.

 

Okay, I have a loyal fan base of about 3 followers, 1 being my sister. Yet, often I feel guilty about not posting. But it’s not just guilt, it’s a sadness that some of this wonderfulness that I experience won’t be chronicled. And let’s face it. I forget things, so I like to have kiwigalo to look back at. So does Lana. So here I am making a deal with myself. With you. I am going to try to commit to a daily post. Fingers crossed I can make this happen.

I’m possible….that people, is my new mantra. Really it is. I am super into my yoga practice, so I mean it. That’s my mantra.

This morning was a crazy one. Lana had decided to get school lunch, which is very rare, but I still had to make Nuno his lunch which this morning was sushi. Something that really can’t be made the night before as it gets soggy.  I also had to bake homemade chocolate chip cookies (they are not biscuits as this recipe is as American as apple pie, thank you very much!) The first reason that baking these cookies was necessary was to thank Nuno’s mate for sharing his snack the day before as I had accidentally packed my son’s snack in his sister’s backpack. I also wanted to make them for Nuno’s class as it was their turn to present at assembly. And in the midst of this madness, I was also making apple sauce for my daughter to have on her oatmeal….There is a loonnngggg story there, but let’s just blame my husband for introducing my daughter to homemade applesauce, which can NOT be substituted for even the organic yummy store bought apple sauce I tried to serve the day before (too watery(:  SO, in this madness of juggling a million things, INCLUDING allowing my children to help peal the apples (non-parents there is nothing more patience challenging than allowing the kids to help when you’re in a rush), yes, in this madness, as I am about to explode, my daughter turns to me and says, “Mom. You’re very good at being a mother.” Right there ladies and gentleman. Is the BEST MOTHER”S DAY PRESENT EVER!

Today we start the first day of our Easter holiday. It’s Monday and we just drove back from Caldas. We went up on Saturday after Nuno’s soccer and Lana’s piano recital so that we could join our friends for a community dinner and  to have lunch at my friend Marta’s on Sunday.

I am sitting here avoiding unpacking. It was a trickier pack-up this weekend as we had to bring back things for our upcoming trip to Barcelona (SO EXCITED!) and I had taken up heaps of laundry since we don’t have a drier in the city.  I really don’t feel like unpacking. In part, because I wish I were in Caldas just being an absolute slug for the next 4 days. Thing is, my kids’ friends are here in the city and it is more important for them to be with their mates, than it is for me to be with mine right now. But as I sit here, and they are both at their friends’ house I must say, I am happy. No matter how simple a thing it is to have friends, I am so grateful for my children having yet again found some fun and also kind children to befriend. As a mother, I know what an incredible blessing this is in my life. So let me just pause and say thank you.

You know the old story, Portuguese-American girl meets an Australian born New Zealander. They fall in love and decide that even though there are a thousand reasons they should not be together (his words exactly after their first date), they decide to move forward with the relationship. They agree that after they are married that their first child will be born in her home town, so she, and the child will be surrounded by her family and friends. After that, the girl agrees that she will move to New Zealand where his family lives. And then they can decide which of the two places they will live. Simple.

So simple. That is, until their daughter is born and they realize that they are stuck. Stuck together. Sounds romantic don’t it. Well, imagine knowing that you will always live away from your family and childhood friends OR that the person you love, and want to make happy, will live away from their family or friend. It was a shocker and I remember the moment I realized it. I think we both wanted to run for the hills, but that cute little baby needed both of us around, so like I said, we were stuck.

In our plan there had never been any discussion of moving to Australia, Portugal, Colorado, Hawaii, California or a Caribbean island. I am not complaining. I did when we moved to Australia. It was very hard to leave my family and friends. Not only for me, but also for my children. But after a while we settled in and we grew to love the place. The move to New Zealand was easier because we already had a network of family and old friends. When we left, I truly believed we would only be gone for a year, so it was more like going on vacation than leaving, so a quick hug, some kisses and a, “See you next year!”

I will be honest. Portugal has been a treat for me. Reconnecting with family and friends (who might as well be family) has been insanely wonderful. I love that I am getting to live in a place so connected to my mother.  I also appreciate the relative proximity to my family. I would not be honest if I did not admit these things. I will also tell you that if my husband got fed up with it I would be out of here on the next plane, but he is loving it. We both also just love the fact that our children are speaking a second language. It is fantastic to see. Lana, to our surprise, is amazingly well integrated into her class. Both socially as well as academically. Nuno, is still working out some kinks, but that is to be expected with all the extra changes that he has had to endure this year.

Last week my husband and I somehow started ‘the talk’. The ‘where are we going to live ‘ talk. No one who knows my husband will be surprised by the fact that rather than helping to narrow down our choices, he arrived at the table with a new suggestion, the Caribbean. (This is after having suggested Colorado after we visited there this year.) After I told him that he was insane. I had a look at the links he sent me and I quickly realized that it is very difficult to argue against living in Paradise. Crazy? Yes. Cool. YES! That being said, I just wasn’t sure it would be right to do to the children.

So, last week we all walked down to the beach for a family meeting and when asked if they would be okay with another year in Portugal, both children were absolutely fine with the idea. Then when we mentioned the possibility of Aspen and/or the Caribbean, the kids thought that either would be really exciting. They both loved Aspen last winter and upon seeing the pictures of the turtles in the Caribbean they were easily sold. My husband and I were somewhat shocked that the kids seemed to have a move or two left in them.

If you had asked me a few years ago where I would be today it would have included the idea of being settled somewhere. It only seems the ‘right’ thing to do.  It’s just the picking of that one place that is the challenge. There are a number of places that now feel like ‘home’ where I would love to raise my children and picking one, only one, is incredibly hard. I want my kids to know how important family is. I hope I have. I truly love our family. Right now I hope my children are aware that am I working really hard to see as much of our families and spending as much time as we can with them.

But something wonderful we have been able to experience this year is to witness the immediate re-connection that was made when our children saw their old friends. Twice this year we were fortunate to vacation with families that we met through our kids. And each time, it was as if not a day had gone by since they had last seen each other. It was beautiful. And our time with our family was equally as wonderful. No, it is not the same as living next door to your brother and fabulous sister-in-law. I have done that. And those years were a gift. But we will continue to do the best we can to see family and to encourage more and more visits here.

A lesson I learned when we moved to Australia is that no matter how much I love my extended family, that my primary responsibility is to my children and my husband. And right now, today, we are where we are supposed to be, even if that means being a bit further from family than we would all like.

Chillin’ out after the family meeting…

Dear Nuno,

These past few weeks have not been great for you. I think all the changes in the past few months have taken a toll on your little soul. First of all, you started at new school, in a new city this September. Then we went away for a month in January. It was wonderful being home in Connecticut as well as in Colorado with family and friends, but coming back to your new class after a month away was a bit rough. (Yes, we had you bumped up a year in November because you’re so good in math). I think also returning to a new apartment without daddy here was also another challenge for all of us. We love him and he makes us all feel safer.

It is times like this that daddy and I feel horrible. Part of us wishes that we had stayed in one place. That you were still playing with Jack, Freya, Reid & Oscar. But alas this is our life. And before those 4 there were the Bussmanns. And after them there was Charlie, Max, Quinn, and on and on… Moving from place to place and having to make new friends can be work. But it also has been a great opportunity to meet some wonderful people. Friends for life.

I hope when we look back you will be happy about our adventure. That you will be happy that you speak better Portuguese than dad and that sometimes you have to correct mommy too. Mate, we are so proud of you. You are in segundo ano in a Portuguese school and doing beautifully.

I took the picture above minutes after you became a reading monster. You have always loved pouring through your picture books, but here you have asked me to ‘just finish the chapter.” Something I hear just about every night from the other reading monster in our house. This means that your English is still coming along too. Mommy couldn’t be more pleased.

At this moment I am praying that things fall into place the way you would want them to. But I know for that to happen that you need to know, as I do, how truly wonderful you are. You are, and always will be my favorite boy.

I love you,

Mommy

Okay, to set the scene. I was lost. Really lost and over 20 minutes late to pick up my children at a party.

Since I had been to this family’s house before, I assumed that my innate Portuguese navigation skills would get me there again even if I was coming from a completely different direction. That was my first mistake. When I realized that in fact I could not make it there from where I started I decided to back track and start again from the way I knew. Or let me rephrase that, from the way I thought I knew. You see, as I was driving to the party there were two detours. I kid you not. Two. And this made me lost in a way that you can not imagine.

And my Tom-Tom you ask? That’s a great suggestion but the problemo was that I did not have the address. I hadn’t asked for it because I thought I knew where I was going. That and the fact that the little neighborhoods that locals refer to are not listed on GPS devices.

Another good idea would be to use my phone to call and ask directions. Brilliant idea, except that I was out of minutes and I do not have a debit card at the moment because a machine ate it up when I got my password wrong 3 times. You see, when you go away for 5 weeks to the States you forget random pins. And it’s not just me.  My husband forgot too so now we await our new cards. ANDDD in this country you can not connect your phone to a credit card. You have to go into a vodafone shop or use your cash card. I had tried to do find a shop before  heading to the party, but I did not have any luck.

As I said. I was already 20 minuted late and lost. Just writing this I can feel the panic I was in. In a moment of luck and desperation a jogger was running by. I asked him if he could tell me how to get to Bisesse. As he told me the directions all I envisioned was myself getting lost again. It was obvious that this was not going to work well. So I did the only thing a sensible thing a mother could do. I asked him to get  in the car and show me the way. People. I am a runner and this guy was obviously a serious runner. I knew he would cause me no harm because at the moment all he was thinking about was me messing up his mileage. Yet, even with that preoccupation, he was kind enough to hop in my car and showed me to where I needed to go. Once I got to the right area and  I knew how to get to the house, he hopped out. I thanked him and I laughed my ass off.

Note…I know I may have used up all my karma points on this high risk behavior, so must be super fantastic human being for a while! Now would be a good time to ask me for a favor.

When it’s your birthday not only do you get to pick what’s for breakfast (waffles), lunch (Mongolian noodle soup on top of Buttermilk Mountain), but you also have  a say in what’s for dinner. And my kid wanted ribs. She is a non-apologetic carnivore. I have no idea who first heard of this ribs restaurant, but it quickly became a place all the meat-lovers wanted to visit while in town.

After a long day my daughter decided that it was not all about her. Even though she was keen to eat at Hickory House Ribs in Aspen. She said that since her cousin Nick was not feeling well that it might be best if we just had pizza. This way we could avoid the 1/2 hour bus ride into Aspen. Well wouldn’t you know it, when Nick came in the door from a full day of skiing the first thing he asked was if we were going to Hickory House for dinner. When we answered that we could he quickly gave the two thumbs up and if I recall correctly he jumped up in glee. And that is how we ended up heading to Aspen with a kid with a bad knee and a boy with the flu.

The free bus system here is awesome. And in good company we all seemed to have a lovely time.

My nephew is too busy eating his kids size portion (still huge) of ribs to smile, but it is clear with the smile on Lana’s face that she is happier than a pig in s#&$, no pun intended.

Even my aspiring vegetarian son Nuno was happy with his meal. He got the mac ‘n cheese. My sister-in-law and I opted for the super cheap yet yummy and filing black bean burgers.

All in all it was a great night. Though having to walk a bit on a very cold night we all loved our night at the Hickory House. And if my daughter and husband have anything to say about it we will be back before we leave Colorado.