The Rosas-Standring Family

Sugarland - Stuck Like Glue WITH LYRICS (HQ sound)

2010-11-21T19:32:00.000-06:00

2010-11-21T19:31:00.000-06:00

Absolutely no one that knows me better

No one that can make me feel sooo goooood

How did we stay so long together?

When everybody everybody said we never would

And just when I I start to think they're right

That love has died...

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again

Heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time?

There you go pulling me right back in

Right back in

Right back in

And I know-oo I'm never letting this go-ooo

I'm stuck on you

Whutooo whutooo

Stuck like glue

You and me baby we're stuck like glue

Whutooo whutooo

Stuck like glue

You and me baby we're stuck like glue

Some days I don't feel like trying

Some days you know I wanna just give up

When it doesn't matter who's right fight about it all night

Had enough

You give me that look

"I'm sorry baby let's make up"

You do that thing that makes me laugh

And just like that...

[Chorus]

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again

Heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time

There you go pulling me right back in

Right back in

Right back in

And I know-oo I'm never letting this go-ooo

I'm stuck on you

Whutooo whutooo

Stuck like glue

You and me baby we're stuck like glue

Whutooo whutooo

Stuck like glue

You and me baby were stuck like glue

Whutooo Whutoo

You almost stay out too stuck together from the ATL

Whutooo Whutoo

Feeling kinda sick?

Just a spoon full of sugar make it better real quick
I say

Whutooo Whutoo

Whatcha gonna do with that?

Whutooo Whutoo

Come on over here with that

Sugar sticky sweet stuff

Come on give me that stuff

Everybody wants some

Melodies that get stuck

Up in your head

Whutooo whutooo

Up in your head

Whutooo whutooo

Up in your head

Whutooo whutooo

Up in your head

Whutooo whutooo

Whuthoo whutooo

Stuck like glue

You and me together say it's all I wanna do

I said

[Chorus]

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again

Heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time

There you go pulling me right back in

Right back in

Right back in

And I know-oo I'm never letting this go-ooo

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again

Heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time

There you go pulling me right back in

"Is this the face that launched 1000 ships and burnt the topless towers of Ilium?"

2010-11-16T08:10:00.000-06:00

"Is this the face that launched 1000 ships, and burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss." Christopher Marlow

1 story that Elena just loves is the story of 1 of her namesakes, Helen of Troy. How she was the most beautiful women in the world and she was taken away by the handsome young prince of Troy. Taken across the Aegean Sea from Sparta to live in a new land with her love, Paris. It was this abduction that lead to the Trojan War. As written by one of the best playwrights of all time, Christopher Marlow; "Is this the face that launched 1000 ships, and burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss." Once in Troy- the fleet of soldiers that came to take Helen home included 1 other Rosas namesake- Achilles. Obviously the influence behind our son's name Akilean. The strongest and bravest man of his time Achilles and Helen would be forever entangled in this history and forever in my family.

Lena loves this story. She knows how to say it in both Spanish and English and loves to tell it. How she is named after the most beautiful woman in the world, some would say Aphrodite herself... the daughter of Zeus. And how Akilean was named after the bravest and strongest soldier.

When Kennedy Elena was born, she was the most beautiful little girl to grace the earth. I knew that there was only 1 name for her. Well, after Kennedy, a name that I had picked out many many years before and my husband had absolutely NO say in. Elena, based on the Greek name of Helen was perfect.

My little girl is about to be 7 years old. She has grown far past the days of being a little girl and is now growing in to.... dare I say it??? A woman. Okay- well not quite. Which is good because I am not mentally or physically in shape for that event.

She has grown so much into a caring beautiful kind and creative little girl. I would love to take credit for all of her amazingness but her gift comes from within her and I am simply a spectator. But as I sit and watch her grow right in front of my eyes, I am filled with a huge peace knowing that she is amazing. From inside she has a gift of caring for others and compassion. She is creative and intuitive. She is giving and selfless.

Lena- "may the wind always be on your back and the sun upon your face. And may the wings of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars." I love you my precious Helen of Troy. You are my Aphrodite

But how will people know when to leave?

2010-11-10T08:20:00.000-06:00

Lena and I are planning her 7th birthday party together and I have to say she is the most easy going -- chilled out birthday girl ever. First- No Pinata. Lena said she does not like how everyone pushes and runs and then a lot of kids are sad. She then said..."okay we can do the pinata but afterwards- everyone puts the candy altogether and we sit in a circle." I told her that I did not think that her friends would like that very much after running in for the candy. She then said "okay- no pinata. I can make everyone a present."

Hey works for me. Akilean is notorious for freaking out during a pinata. It has taken him a long time to figure the whole thing out and not get upset that people are pushing. So I must say- this is a good start. We can make little bags for everyone leading up to the party- Boys get a little boy bag and girls little girl bags. The only thing that came to my mind is - how will people know that it is time to go. The pinata is the quintessential end to a party and signal- unless you have beer- it is time to go home.

Well, that problem was solved when we decided that we are not going to have the party at our house. We are going to have it in the park near our house. The city has been totally renovating the old park and it is really nice. What used to be a totally useless pit of rocks and trash is not a beautifully paved plaza with nice planters along the edges. They are even putting in a new floor under the play ground equipment. It used to be a death trap of jagged rocks under the swing and soon it will be the perfect setting for our birthday party.

We have friends that live next to the park so we can use their bathroom. And that makes the whole get the house ready so much easier. Plus the food- here is where Lena really shines. As if the pinata - or lack of one was not enough... the menu!!! rather then doing a nice meal like I would normally do- somehow trying to impress the other parents with my cooking and how I get every kid to eat veggies- yeah- not happening this year.

Lena wants sandwiches- you know what? That is what she is going to get. We are doing simple sandwiches, chips and juice. Give them what they want. Plus not more the a week later I am going to make Thanksgiving dinner for a bunch of my friends. And I would much rather impress those guys with my cooking then the neighborhood kids. So the party plans are on route for next weekend. It is going to be great.

I finally found the earrings that I wanted to get Lena. I have been looking and looking and it was not easy to find. Most of the earrings here are pretty big and the smaller ones are not very pretty or nice looking. Well, I finally found these beautiful purple amethyst little tear drop stones. They are perfect for a sweet little girl like her and I know that she is going to love them. The other gift we are giving her is her own Sushi kit. - Making and eating. I have these cool sushi dishes for 2 and we are giving her a sushi cookbook and all the things you need to make sushi. Sushi is her all time favorite food so I think that she will like it.

I cannot believe that my little lady is almost 7. My my- time goes so fast. And this time of year it seems to simply soar at light speed. From October 5- Feb 14 there is something almost weekly between birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other friends birthday's. Ruben's family has 6 birthday s in the first 2 weeks of November.

Way too much to keep track of. It seems like just yesterday. CRAZY!!!!

My little flower house.

2010-11-09T10:49:00.000-06:00

When we first moved into our little rental house there was very little hope for the garden at all. It had been totally thrashed by the previous tenants and much to the dismay of our very sweet landlord. we began to work hard to fix up the garden. I tried to grow all sorts of peppers and tomatoes but nothing took.

Ruben built me these great beds out of cinder block. They do a great job. Well, we had sort of given up n planting anything for food- so we started just collecting plants from friends and from my old work. Along walks we would find offshoot papayas growing along the back road to the super. Well, those are now over 10 feet tall and hold over 10 papaya.- the pic at the right was taken MONTHS ago.

I am not sure if these papayas will ever get color but some of them are huge! But it has been a few months now and still nothing. But then again, I do not know anything about papayas. But I have learned that certain birds really love them and while they are beautiful- I wish they would stop eyeing our papayas.

The rest of the garden boarder bed is filled with elephant ear plants that grow pretty big but block of our fence to the street. I like that. We also have a few of your palms that cover the fence. I have also acquired a little collection of Pole de Marco plants. These are very cool plants that grow low. They are green on top and purple on the bottom and I love them. I learned about them when I was a tour guide in the jungles. They are great for making a tea that settles your stomach and heals stomach pain. I have used it and it totally works. I give it to the kids too with a bit of honey. Lena loves it.

We also have the aloe plants that we first bought. They are huge and have produced several other aloe plants that are in the garden. Aloe is great for just about everything. Yes there is the staple skin- face hair stuff. But also internally. Aloe juice is really amazing for you and said to have killer health benefits. I do not drink it much but I have and can imagine that I am just a little bit healthier on the inside for it. jaja.

But my favorite thing in our garden in my little flower house. This idea bloomed out of my childhood dream as a little girl to have a gazebo covered with flowers in our garden where I could go and play.by myself. I had 3 brothers- 2 of the m older and they were not as interested in playing dolls and store as football and harass the little sister.

We planted the bougainvillea in the corner of the yard and Ruben made a simple wood frame structure that we hoped would one day hold the plant. WOW did that happen fast. In only a few months we were bending a winding. As Ruben added the "2nd story" to the fence the plant really grabs hold.

The great thing about bougainvillea is that it has thorns- BIG ones and the longer a branch is left to grow these things turn into small hard tree trunks and the thorns with them. They are great to use as a fencing on a larger property because no one is going to try to climb these things. Plus they are beautiful - full of color, attract butterflies--- they are cool pants. I love that as the offshoots happen and I need to cut them off- a few small branches look great in a vase for a week.

It did not bloom after its initial flowers for almost a year and a half. We were starting to worry. But all is well. It took off just like a friend of mine said it would and in the past 2 months has spurted flowers all over the place. Just the other day the kids took us out there so we could have a picnic in the flower house.

And I have the best seat of all. In the morning just after the kids have gone to school-- it is in the shade- the light is perfect and I get to sit and relax in my hammock with my coffee and my computer and just be. I must admit- the computer does not always make it.

hahah

Day of the Dead and thinking of family

2010-11-06T15:25:00.001-06:00

This past week we celebrated the Mexican tradition of the day of the dead. I love this holiday. It is a day when our loved ones that have died get to come back enjoy the pleasures of earth for a day. Those of us that our alive set up altars and clean gravestones and have a big party with all of the favorite foods and drinks of our loved ones.

This was my first year setting up an altar. We gathered some stuff from around the house and created a very nice space. We put some flowers from our garden which my grandpa Jim would have loved. He was a big gardener. We put out some candles and that created a beautiful light in the evening. We set out some limes for some color and a photo of my grandparents. It was really nice. You usually set out some favorite foods so we put out a cup of coffee for my grandma. You might remember my visits with my grandma like this one. http://rosas-standring.blogspot.com/2009/04/visit-with-my-grandma.html . She was very special to me and I to her. We would sit for many hours and drink coffee and she would gossip about her neighbors. She also loved to drink wine. It was horrible wine- but whatever. It was that bottle of Chablis with the tiny loop handle. But hey. I put out a little wine for her. For my grandpa I put out a snickers bar and a shot of vodka.

My grandpa loved snickers so much that he was buried with 1 in his shirt pocket. haha. In his younger days my grandpa was regrettably an alcoholic and did not always act the best. By the time that my and m brothers came around he had not had a drink in many years. But he always had a glass of diet 7up. That was his deterrent to drinking and it totally worked. I remember my grandpa as being a fun and wonderful man. He was always with us when we would go water skiing. The first run of the day was at 8 so we had to be in the boat at 7:30 so the 1st skier could be in the water ready to hit is at 8- so you get the best water. Grandpa was on that and every other run for the whole day. So I figured that since he did such a great job of controlling his addiction when he was alive- that this was his chance to enjoy it for a day.

My great grandpa Willet loved to grow tomatoes and cantaloupes. He was always so proud of them and he did grow huge tomatoes. This was always a little funny because he did so in a trailer park. But they were great. It is a well known fact and joke about grandpa greats love obsession with tomatoes. So I also put out some tomatoes.

Ruben unfortunately does not have any photos of his family that has past. he did however get to be in Guanajuato when his grandfather was within hours of passing and that was really special to him. He had not been back to Mexico in almost 12 years so it was remarkable that he was there at that time.

Dia de los Muertos is such a happy occasion. I sort of think of it as Thanksgiving for the dead. A time when everyone gets together and enjoys their families. That is why you see so many of the skeletons with festive cloths and bright colors. We are all here for a party- dead or alive. Ruben is getting a beautiful tattoo that has the front gate of the cemetery in his town with a party going on just behind all with day of the dead figures. I think that it is going to be really amazing.

I did get my tattoo on my back touched up. It was a little light and now it is much stronger. It looks really good. I am so glad that my friend is doing my tattoos as an exchange. There is certainly not enough money for something like tattoos but luckily our website provides us with a good exchange opportunity. Olmo is also adding some green to my back tattoo that has my kids names- well the initials and 4 roses for "Rosas" which means roses in Spanish. He is also doing a sweet little arm band that will be nice and delicate but the one I am most excited about is my owl.

The owl was my grandma's animal. It was her symbol for her sorority and was part of her life forever. She was always given owl oriented gifts and loved owl decorations. I am getting an owl on my left foot. My grandma is one of the people that showed me that your strongest foot might not always lead you down the right path. Sometimes things are supposed to be hard. The other person who taught me this is my momma. But I am not sure what tattoo to get for her. haha.

The morning after the Day of the dead I could feel the presence of my grandma and felt a wonderful energy in the house. The weather in Tulum has changed and the nights are getting cool. There was a breakout of pink eye at Ruben's hotel so we are all at home with it. Through the night- I had to keep getting up to help the kids with their eyes. It is finally cold enough that not only do we not need our fan but I can put on my grandma's robe. I love that. It makes me feel like she is hugging me. And there are 2 other people that make me feel that good when they hug me- Ruben and my momma.

Anyway... Happy Day of the Dead everyone- a little late but whatever. We have all come down with Pinkeye so we have not been doing much lately. Just sitting watching movies- well listening to movies more like.

Halloween

2010-11-02T11:41:00.002-06:00

This Halloween was great. I busted out my sewing machine and started threading away. I was making a mermaid costume and I was really excited about it. I had these great shells that I was making the top out of. and I had looked up some great ideas on the skirt. Lena and Akilean were both punk vampires. Their costumes where made up of stuff from around the house and they looked so cute.

On Friday night I grabbed the kids and headed up to Puerto Morelos to see our friend that lives there. They were doing their towns celebration in the main square on Friday so we all headed over there. It was a lot of fun. One of the best parts was that one of my all time favorite Tulum bands was up there and playing. It is the same band that Ruben had booked for my birthday. It was awesome. We listened to the music-0 danced around the square and like a pinata announcing the end of a party- the rain started to drizzle and everyone headed home. It was so much fun.

The next day I drove all over town looking for vampire teeth for the kids. It is amazing how much surplus of everything there is in the

From The Rosas-Standring Family

states. I forget sometimes and think that finding something is going to be so easy and then realize- of wait- we are not going to find that here. hah oh well.

On Saturday after we had gotten back to Tulum we had some friends come over and headed into town to hear our friends band play. It was a really good time. For this first night Ruben dressed up like a fisherman and I the mermaid- We looked really cute. Not to crazy of a night- we were home early and ready to have a killer Halloween.

For the actual Halloween it was awesome. We got our costumes all ready and headed to the beach for a few hours. It was a great day on the beach. As soon as I got there I had a guy walk up to me and say. "hey You are Tulum Living right?" I follow your page and love your info on Tulum." He had just moved here from Belize and was just getting settled in Tulum. It was very cool. He was very nice and I told him that I was sure that we would see him around. Tulum is a very small town and you run into everyone here eventually.

We had all of our friends meet at my house before trick or treating. We set up our Dia de los Muertos altar and some fun things around the house. It looked great. I did a Mohawk on a Akilean and it was so cute. The first night was a frizzy crazy one and Halloween it was going to be a liberty spike- but I could not get it to stand all the way. His hair has gotten very long and I would have needed more product then was worth it for him. But he did look so cute. He said he wants to wear it in a Mohawk more often- Looks like we will have to get up a little earlier for school.

The band of kids that we had for the party was so cute. There were so many kids all dressed up and we walked the streets and it was a beautiful site. The kids had a great time. Ruben and I did not get to take them last year because I was covering an event at Xcaret so my friends took them. After the crazy running around the neighborhood and candy diving we headed back to the house and got the kids cleaned up and ready for their sleep over.

Ruben and I headed out to town and had a great night with a bunch of our friends at Bar 307. Ruben and I have such fun when we get the chance to go out. It is not very often we get to go out on the late night party up nights- Between babysitters- school- family - life and little money- it is not that often- which is fine but defiantly fun when we do get to do it.

We had such fun and we looked great. A number of our good friends were there and we had a great time dancing- laughing and hanging out. The kids were at the house the by 11 and Ruben made a great pancake and bacon breakfast and we just watched movies all day.

Today however is Dia de los Muertos so we are going to get the house all set up and head to some great festivities in town. There are some wonderful celebrations and ceremonies both in the cemetery and in town. It is going to be a good day.

Changing it up.

2010-10-28T07:59:00.000-05:00

When I go through any sort o traumatic experience or bout o depression- I do an revamp o the house- in some cases a pretty extreme revamp- like painting the front of the house bright purple. And it must run in the family because my mom does it too. 1 time my dad came home when they were first married and found that she had literally changed apartments. haha

Well, I have been dealing with some stuff lately and Ruben- knowing me as well as he does had a surprise for me when I got home yesterday. He had done an extreme makeover of our room. He ends up with some random paint colors and so he painted 1 wall in the bedroom with this sort of water and rag technique. He had like maybe 2 cups of paint - but this trick makes the paint go a long way- and it allows for the color underneath to come through.

He was so cute. He took down my canopy that was hanging and rearranged the furniture. I really like how he did it. He even set up my table for my tarot readings. This is especially sweet because he is not into tarot readings or card of any kind. In almost 10 years I have given him like 3 readings- and 2 of those have been since living in Mexico.

Here there are a lot more of our friends that do card readings or at least understand and respect the practise- so I am not as far out there to him. He has a picture of me and my mom when I was a baby and a picture o me when I was 5 on the table. It is really sweet.

The room has some of our art hanging in it and this makes me really smile. I love my art- I love my stuff and yes yes I know it is just stuff- but when I left the United States - it was very abrupt. We had to sell most o what we had and only keep the things that we really cared about. There was no way I was selling my art.

And a lot of it is not fancy or particularly special- but I love it. I found a copy of Van Gogh's Starry Night at the goodwill in a great wooden frame for like 3 bucks- yeah I could have sold it in the garage sale- ironically for more then I bought it for I would bet- but I love it- And when was I going to stumble on a copy of this painting in a great frame for only a few bucks. It looks great hanging in the kids room.

We have a beautiful metal sun with a glass face that lights up and it is perfect in my room. It was so sweet of Ruben. The room really does look great and I love sitting in here. I am usually in my hammock at this time of the day but not today. hahah

Just clicking on

2010-10-27T08:45:00.000-05:00

I have not been writing on my blog for a while- really I have not been doing much of anything at all- but we have been knocked way off our normal routine and life and we are trying to get back on. Schedules are getting back to crazy- and life is just clicking along.

The kids participated in the Tortuga festival for a dance performance. It was really cute. Although it was a little crazy because in the morning the electricity shut off- now this is not all that abnormal here- but this day it was not because of a storm or because- just randomly- today they were fixing or repairing a light in town- a light- THE light. we only have 1 traffic light and they were fixing it- and that meant that the power was going down- okay fine- but they had apparently planned to be out all day- they could have sent around a message or warning- hey guys by the way- your fridges will not keep anything cold for a few hours.

Anyway. It was not a big deal- but the kids had their dance performance so we headed to the casa de la cultura but unfortunately--- there was still no electricity- which meant no music which meant no performance. Now at least for this event there were tons of things going on.

There were games all over the place with facts about Tortuga's and how and why to protect them. there was great art to look at - I fell in LOVE with one piece- but - that is certainly not in the budget. But still fun to look at. There was a huge group from Global Vision International http://www.gviusa.com/ - they are a group of young adults that do dive training and also do a lot of volunteer stuff and they had such great energy. It was a lot of fun. They did face painting- more games and more games- it was great way to keep the kids occupied until the lights came on.

But we were starting to wonder if that was going to happen. It was getting dark now and we knew that if all of the lights are off in Tulum it is going to be pretty dark. It was sort of cool to see the all the little candles in all the restaurants. But then at the last minute- the lights came on and the kids did their show. It was really great.

I dissappeared for a bit and got old!

2010-10-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

well... older. I had my birthday this past week. My mom and my brother came down to visit me and it was such an amazing time. They got here late Saturday evening and had a really interesting flight. It was done on miles and they always bounce you all over the place. Well, this flight was no exception. But they landed and we started our good time.

On Sunday it was mostly just getting settled- seeing the kids and getting into the house. We rented a great little spot on the beach. It was a small little house with 1 bedroom downstairs and 2 beds in a loft upstairs. For us it was perfect.

We hung on the beach for the better part of the day with some friends and then we went to Le Zebra for salsa dancing. It was so much fun. We took the kids and Akilean did not take long to ask a very cute little girl if she wanted to dance. At 5 he is already a ladies man. And such a little gentleman. He holds open the door and the screen for me and Lena and he even did a little bow to the little girl after he danced with her and told her thank you. It was so cute. I can already see that he is going to be a wonderful man.

The food at Le Zebra was very good. The last time I ate there I was not totally blown away and I had heard that the food is really good here. I was glad that it was so good this time. The tortilla soup was killer- almost as good as my own. We all had a really great time dancing and eating. It was a really great start to our vacation.

Monday brought with it some real obstacles in the morning. I am having to deal with something that I never wanted to or ever thought that I would have to. But I guess all major problems and struggles are that way. The really amazing part about Monday was that the 100 chairs that were being donated by the Rotary Club of Cloverdale California were being delivered this morning. The local Rotary Club had sent out a notice and I was really surprised by how many people were there.

The chairs are beautiful. Brightly colored and perfect for the kids. They are very secure and that is wonderful. Some of the old chairs are totally falling apart and so this made a big difference. Elvia found out about my project and was able to secure funding to buy 100 new chairs and school supplies. I was so happy that my mom could be there for that. We used to do charity work together in Oregon and she was my inspiration for starting my project.

That afternoon we hung on th beach the whole day with some friends and my momma and brother. It was wonderful. The water was perfect and very calm and the whole day was a lot of fun. I even had some friends from San Francisco visiting Playa del Carmen and they came down to hang on the beach.

Then it was off to eat again - we went to Mateo's on the beach road and it was awesome. The food was great and I can see why this is such a popular spot. Then we headed off to La Llorona for my party. My friend Desire had gone and gotten me some beautiful flowers- my favorites- Lilies- then she had hung beautiful pieces of purple and green fabric to really make it MY party. Ruben had booked 2 killer bands. The first band is bandiCoral and is amazing. We had a great time dancing to them. Then the 2nd band was DNA and then were great too. We had so much fun and I danced my little but off. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

The party continued back at the beach house but when we got there- we found out that we had no electricity. :( There was a problem with water pump and so it ran and drained all of the generator. But we still had a great time.

The next day we hung on the beach again and enjoyed the water and the waves. For dinner we went over to Om and that was great. The food was great and we had a good time. My brother and Ruben were hardly able to stand up but we went out anyway. We had a good time but it was not a crazy late night- we were home by like 3:30 or 4. Well, I guess that is a late night.

On Wednesday it was time to get things picked up and got ready to head to Cancun. Mom and Ryan were leaving really early on Thursday so they were staying at a hotel right next to the airport. We hung out with them for a bit but then headed back to Tulum to have the hardest nights sleep in our lives. Man we crashed out.

There are so many more things to write about and tell about- but for right now... no.

Today is my 5 year wedding anniversary and I am going to go give myself a pedicure and manicure before I get a massage from my friend Gina- What a perfect birthday gift- and cashing in on a perfect day.

An early morning in Mexico

2010-09-30T07:58:00.000-05:00

Any one with school aged kids is used to the early morning routine in Mexico. Now I cannot speak for other areas in Mexico but here in Tulum, the mornings are pretty much always the same. Upon leaving the house at 6:45 and heading to town for school- the first glance you have at the day - after the bottom of your coffee cup... is .. you guessed it....

garbage cans spilled all over the street with their treasures spread out for all to see. Here there are many street dogs and street cats and they just love to go treasure hunting in the evenings. And as my fellow Latin American Blogger Viva Veracruz wrote about yesterday... many of these dogs are not your typical strays but once loved puppies that have been slowly cast to the streets to fend for themselves.

Anyway. So spilled our garbage can was. But this was not entirely unexpected because we had a real treat in there for them last night.

Ruben has taken up spear fishing and has caught a number of things, has lost a number of fish and hooks and has caught some stuff that I will not clean and cook- like the eel. Well, yesterday the water in the sea was UNREAL- it was so calm and crystal clear. He caught 2 beautiful parrot fish. Large and really yummy. It was not until later that we found out that these particular fish have just recently started being protected. Opps- but know we know. Fishing is a learning curve here.

So we had that for dinner and the remains I am sure acted as a beacon in the sky to the all of the cats in the neighborhood.

But even after this more frequent the desirable scene in the one that continues in town. The streets are filled with students all in the various colors of uniforms heading off to class. The fishermen can all be seen at the various taco stands around town and are getting ready to catch the bounty of the Caribbean.

In this small touristy town this time is particularly cool to me because it is before all of the tourists have even thought to go to town and even a little before the regular morning scene of Tulum Avenue begins. When I take Akilean to school at 8:30 the scene has already changed a great deal.

There is something so constant about living in a community like this one.

Soaking up the good advice... and jasmine flowers.

2010-09-29T08:18:00.000-05:00

Well first I must say that it has been a rough morning. Last night I went to bed and was attacked by tabanos. These tropical devils are the bain of my existence. Mosquitoes are attracted to my husband. (like most other breathing species) but Tabanos- oh no- they feed on me. About 2 weeks ago I had a bad nights sleep and had several bites on my legs and was scratching all night. Then it happened again last night.

For me, a tabano bite is very clear- it welts up and is very large and in many cases will swell. I was in misery last night. I maybe slept for about 2 solid hours. The rest was tossing and turning and scratching. This morning while sweeping I found a dead tabano on the floor of my house. Sweeping his lifeless little body into the dust pan, I could not help but wonder if he had dropped dead from exhaustion from biting me so many times.

On the flip side, as I write now I am smelling the wonderful aroma of fresh jasmine flowers. My friend has been coming by in the morning before she heads to work. She lives an hour and a half bus ride north of me and has been busing in every day for work. She always brings me a little something. A snippet of wild flowers, a j some coffee- random little things to bringten my morning. At brighten in does. The smell of these little beauties is amazing. It reminds me that I really must plant some jasmine in my garden.

Yesterdays post about my neighbor taking my bike was met by kind ears with lots of advice. Even by the time I had sat back down to my computer I had already decided, Mindy, she is your neighbor and friend- she needed to use it- so do not be mad anymore. But lets set up some ground rules and boundaries. Okay- no problem. except that she has not brought back the bike yet?????

Yesterday when I took the kids to their ballet class I passed by where she works and she was not there- which did not surprise me- but then when I got home- the bike was not at my house and no one was at her house. This sent me back into being annoyed.

I think the way to deal with it is to get a lock like all have said and just kindly tell her- I understand that she needs to borrow my bike sometime but that it was a brand new bike and now has problems. I like to ride my bike- long bike rides for health and exercise. So when the front wheel wobbles like it now does- that is a problem for me. the seat is no longer attached in the back- that is a problem for me.

I mean- I know that I am a go to girl for things on my street because I will very rarely say no- and why would I - people want to use my blender- fine- they do and bring it back- or my big pot to cook beans in- no problem- but these things have come back fast and in good condition- that is not the case with my bike.

Ahhh- the jasmine flower high is wearing off and I am geting upset again. Breath- not a big deal- I just need to start laying some ground work.

OKay... I get that I am kinda being a bitch but really?

2010-09-28T07:27:00.000-05:00

Okay. Now if I actually have to sit back and ask myself... "Mindy, do you have anything to really be upset about, or are you just being a bitch?" Then I have probably already answered the question but...

Now I am so grateful to have my car and it has totally changed my life. But... I do not want to drive it all the time. My son's school is very near and easy to get to by bike and he is small enough to fit on the back. So you can imagine my annoyance when I was driving home from dropping Lena off at school and there goes my neighbor off to work on ... wait for it... MY BIKE!

Now to be fair... I was probably not going to take Akilean on the bike today because it is very wet and looks like it will rain a lot more. But still. Why are you going into my yard and grabbing my bike. She had it for almost 2 months when I was in SF and had my family visiting here. Which I did not mind. I told her- I have all the kids so it is no problem. Just please take care of it. It is a brand new bike.

Well, after the 2 months I finally got it back and it had a few little problems- okay fine- whatever. I am not going to say anything. It is just part of having a bike in general but. AAAAAaHAHAHAHAHAA! I am really annoyed. It is already hard to deal with the way that a lot of locals view Americans in that we can simply buy more of whatever it is that we have. Now. I know that we might look like we have more then most- and we do. We were fortunate enough back in the states to 1) have jobs that were able to buy the things that we like, 2) a plethora of stores (word use for you momma! jaja) where you can buy very nice things for crazy cheap prices. - And yes I know- that this is due tot he gluttony of the USA. 3) we had family that were fortunate in their money and many of the things that we have were once theirs or gifts and 4) and this is the real kicker- an incredibly frugal and crafty wife that can find or make cheap things look amazing! This is a stage craft skill that I am glad I have.

But that does not mean that if you break one of my nice looking wine glasses or coffee mugs that I can run out and grab a new one. I live here too remember? Just like you. My husband makes the same money as everyone else and my rent is the same and so is my food. Only difference is that at every turn I am paying just a little bit more then most others might because once again there is this idea that we Americans have stashes of money in our pockets.

Anyway. I am just a little pissed about it. Again. I know that I was not going to use it today but I am just annoyed that she keeps going into my yard and taking it. Now if it had just been a few times- hey can I use your bike really fast? We do that with our neighbor- we have gone into his yard and used the little bbq before. Things like that. But not every time I cook. I mean... sorry but buy a bike. And the reason she does not have one is the last 2 have been stolen and gotten broken. So why would want to hand over my bike. just because I have a car does not mean I do not want or use my bike.

Okay. End of rant. Now I just have to wait till she gets home to tell her to stop taking it. Even better- get a new bike lock and take away the option. But even the constant asking me if she can borrow it is driving me crazy.

A great meet up Internet folk

2010-09-23T14:16:00.000-05:00

Well, before I talk about my very awesome meet up with some great people from Tulum.info I must say first that I one of the things that I hate the most about being sick is the crazy dreams that you have. I had some really nutty ones last night. Anyway.

I am a member of Tulum.info a great forum site online about Tulum. There is a lot of great information about Tulum on their from other travelers and their experiences. But there is a real community that forms. Well, every so often we have a meet up when there are a few people here. This most recent meet up was one for the books.

We had the moderators here and that is always great as well as some others. We had the meet up at Om Tulum once again. Om is a big favorite of many people both on the forum and locals alike so I was more then happy to eat there again.

And this time Angelo pulled out all the stops for an amazing meal. In our honor a magnificent meal and tequila tasting was planned. The chef was cooking all sorts of new items that are not on the menu and even Angelo had a good time tasting new dishes.

Angelo and Om were wonderful hosts as always and we all had a really good time. The food was simply unreal- as was the tequila and mescal. We all had such a good time. But this one better put forth in pictures.

The food was so amazing. I have some notes on more details. But it is easy to say one of the very best meals that I have had in a long time.

We had 6 tequilas and 1 mescal ranging from blanco- repasado- anejo- almond- pomegranate- it was amazing!!!!

Chilis en Nogales, Mexican Pizza, Nut Chili mole sauce and Tuna pastor! Easy to say- I got spoiled.

Tulum Living School Project gets a new website

2010-09-17T17:05:00.001-05:00

We are so excited to have launched the Tulum Living School Project website. Here is where we will have all the details of our all our charity ,projects in detail.

There is a new addition - The donation counter widget. If you want to help and would be willing you can easily add this gadget to your own website. Our school project donation widget will appear on your site and we could reach a much wider audience. All funds collected are collected through pay pal.

Simply click on the Add to site button and it will tell you what to do. It would be so appreciated.
I hope that you all like the website and that you will follow and help spread the word about this project. I think that we will be able to do some amazing things in Tulum.

Thank you to everyone for your support. I look forward to sharing all of our progress.

http://www.tulumschools.blogspot.com/ is the site. Thanks all.

A hurricane! 200 Years of Independance and 100 years since the Revolution!

2010-09-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

Well, there is no getting around it. It has been a party mood around Tulum for a the past week. Yesterday (the 16th of Sept.) marked the 100 year anniversary of Mexico's revolution and the 200 year anniversary of Mexico's Independence from Spain!

There were parties, fairs, parades and festivities everywhere. The kids and I spent the first part of the day on the 15th on the Yaaj-Ximbal tour. It was wonderful as always. A 4x4 trip through the jungle were we all got bounced around the back of the cars while we flew over rocks and trees in the middle of the jungle.

I do really miss working for this company but alas- I have my family to take car of. Not that I am complaining- other then the increase of funds- I much prefer staying at home with my kids. the kids loved the zip line- like always. They are so crazy. We had a good group of people we were with and all had a great time.

The new cenote/ cave that they go in is amazing. I really enjoyed it. And I was really impressed with the fact that the kids were not scared. I mean- being deep in a cave can be sort of scary for some kids but not my little adventure seekers. Poor little Akilean did get pretty cold thought. I cannot imagine why? He has so much meat on his bones.(dripping with sarcasm) jajaja. He eats a ton and yet still has this body that is just soooooo skinny. He has the same build as my brother Ryan and my Uncle Brad. There is nothing that will change it- he is a slender kid.

Lena on the other had got my and Ruben's build. Ruben is one of those really broad shoulder guys with a lot of muscles. He is the sort of guy that would never be able to stretch his arms straight above his head because his shoulder muscles are too big. I love this build in my husband. I have always had a short build and even when I danced between a little chunky or really skinny- I still had what was then referred to as "soccer legs." This usually meant short- very strong muscular legs- especially thighs. It was something that i hated then but love now. Since I have no upper body strength and now less since my severe hand injuries- I used to do everything with my legs. I used to move massive pieces of furniture with legs when I wanted to rearrange my house. Ruben was amazed on what a short 100 lbs chick could get accomplished while he was at work- especially since I had NO arm ability.

Anyway. Lena was blessed with this solid frame. People are often amazed when they pick her up. She is still slender but packs some serious weight in her muscles. When I told her into the cenote- she confirmed for me my belief that she will take a strong interest in Scuba diving. At only 6 years old she begged me to take off her life jacket and let her explore under the water more.

She is a born water baby. She has loved the bath, pools and the sea and will spend HOURS in anyone of them. I often tell people that Akilean will be my fire dancing, acro-yoga instructor and Lena will be a scuba instructor or kite boarder. They are both showing more and more of their personalities and I love watching them.

After the fun day on the tour we headed home for a quick nap and then off to the party at Lena's school. Well, you would think that the party would be there- since there was a note and a big deal about everyone had to come to the event at the school. So you can imagine our annoyance when we got to the school and there was nothing. No note of cancellation- and certainly no party. Oh well-

We spent the evening at the "fair" and let the kids go on the bumper cars and bought them a toy. There are very few rides here and they are either for babies or they are for adults. So we bought them a toy instead.

We stood in the centro and ate all of our favorite snacks and watched all of the talented performers on the new permanent stage that has just been built. It was a wonderful time. We then headed out to a friends house for a little party and went swimming at midnight! It was a wonderful day.

Bicentenial Celebrations have commenced!!!!

2010-09-15T16:47:00.000-05:00

The bicentenial celebrations are in full swing here in Tulum. Yesterday while picking up Akilean we were told that the costume that we had painted was going to be in the parade that the kids were marching the next day. Great I thought. Ruben and I could both be here for the parade! Of course there is a catch. Sfter the parade the kids are off for the rest of the day and the rest of the week.

Now I new that Thursday was happeneing and almost 100% likely Friday, but Wednesday????? Well, Okay. But wit? What? They are done at 9:00 on Tuesday! WOW that is a celebration of Independance indeed.

The parade was really cute. The costumes were really amazing. All of the kids in the school looked adorable and I could tell that parents had worked really hard on these costumes. Some had clearly worked very hard as some of the costumes did really look nice.

I think Akilean was the cutest but I am sure that every mother says that. There was a lot of work but not a lot of parade time. Nor was the route something that was going to take them by many people. Oh well. It was so cute none the less.

Akilean looked so handsome and wore his mustache well.

This one is better in pictures!

And... ACTION

2010-09-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

Well, the German movie stuff went really well. I got to work for 2 days and Lena 1 day- which is great. I thought to myself- hey perfect. We made her tuition for next month. And wouldn't that be great if that were actually the case. One of the things that I hate about the schools here are the constant stream of crap that you have to buy ALL THE TIME. There is always some project or homework or school activity that requires you to buy hundreds of pesos worth of crap.

This has gotten so much worse as the bicentennial Independence day is coming around. There is always some flag that we have to buy or crepe flowers that we have to make or even better- a massive costume to construct and paint.

I am so much more annoyed when I spend time and effort with my kids doing homework- cutting up special family photographs and destroying books and magazines to find certain images or words... only for them not to turn the damn thing in. This is so infuriating. (sadly I think I tortured my parents with this very same issue) I would work really hard, do a great job and then at the end of the month you would find all of the homework still in my notebook and my parents really confused about my bad grades. Well- now Lena is doing it to me.

And the thing that I hate the most is that I am the one who ends up looking like a total ass. Here no one seems to tell you anything that is going on. They just have the kids relay information to the parents. What to buy, when they are needed for extra hours or when there is no school at all.

Do you know what happens when you give a 6 year old messages to pass along to their parents? They forget or do not give the details always correctly. I imagine that is because they told it to a 6 year old. And you know what really sucks... I look like an ass. I am sick of being 5 steps behind and yet I am always doing something.

These are not always small projects either. Akilean had to have a costume for his Independence day. We had to buy 2 meters of bollio. A soft paint-able fabric. Once bought you need to paint it to look like what ever character he is playing. Last year he was a monk of some kind and had to wear a garbage bag and rope and a white haired wig made from cotton balls. Well- his hair already glows in the Mexican sun so we just did the garbage bag. You can read that post HERE. This year he needs to look like a zacateca or something. Here is what he was needing to look like. Simple right. Facil. And when I went to pick him up from school I was told. Well, a bunch of us are doing it right now. come and join us. This is how it seems to work here. Everyone just expects that you have nothing else to do and no where else to go. Shockingly I never seem to be able to get much of my work done. And now that I finally have a car I am missing my Netbook- the one thing that actually helped me to get my articles written. And now it is gone and I am confined to my house to write and this is not a conducive place for writing about the peace of the Caribbean - but anyway.

So as we set all over Tulum to find the needed fabric of course it is all gone. Because Tulum does not have a stock of anything. So we head up to Playa to buy it. Thank goodness we have a car and this was a option - otherwise he would have been SOL. We told our friend Desire that we would visit her this weekend and she was going to help me paint the costume. She is a wonderful artist and really made it wonderful. Akilean even got to help as well.

He loves to paint. I have also dicovered another love of Akilean's He has a strong love and a spark of natural talent for the guitar. He has perfect finger movement and understands the idea of the strings already. He was sitting at the chair strumming his guitar (well- Desires guitar) and a friend of Desires was very impressed with his strumming. When I told him that was the first time he had ever picked up a guitar he was shocked. He said that Akilean had a natural talent and Akilean loves the guitar so I have decided to take Akilean out of ballet and put him into guitar class. He also did a great job painting his costume.

He looks really cute in it. All we need now is a hat and to paint a mustache on him. He will be so adorable in this. Anyway. I am off to take him to school and take the things that Lena forgot to take to her school and then meet with people and then ... an then and then.

I know that it is just totally normal to feel like this. I mean really... when are we ever caught up. haha. I just need to focus and stop getting stressed out- but that is really hard.

Acting Debut

2010-09-07T07:53:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a day full of wonderful surprises. 1st - Ruben and I drove around doing all of the little things that we needed to get done. We paid our rent, our bills and Lena's tuition and then drove over to our land that still sits as a little piece of jungle. While picking up Akilean we were told that tomorrow (today) there was going to be a field trip to the planetarium that has has been set up in the main square. It is a tiny little thing on the top of a half semi truck but amazing just the same- especially in the eyes of a child.

Ruben and I had already decided that we were going to take both of the kids on Friday when it opens to the public. But Akilean's school had been given 40 passes for the kids to attend. We had already signed up and paid the 5 pesos for Akilean when I had the obvious idea that we should let one of the other students go whose parents might not be taking them because we knew that Akilean was going to be going anyway. We gave up his spot and were told that he should not come to school tomorrow because the kids that were going would be gone and the rest of the kids would not have school. - okay no worries.

So we went home to complete the rest of what we do- laundry- homework- playing with friends- you know.. the norm. Ruben was running a little late to catch the bus for work down to the beach so I said.. "hey love, do you want us to give you a ride?" I love saying that. Since we were going to be there anyway the kids and I grabbed our suits and spent about 1 hour on the beach. It was wonderful. No need to spend the whole day or hours- just a little play time in the waves before heading back home. It was perfect.

After doing homework we were greeted by a wonderful surprise. My good friend Desire and her daughter were in town from Puerto Morelos and came by to see us. We were having a wonderful evening when we heard a man;s voice at the door.

It was my good friend Carlos. He had been trying to get a hold of me all day but alas- my phone was in the bag that was stolen and here- you do not get your number back. So he tracked me down to tell me the news that Dream's, a large all inclusive hotel chain, really wanted Lena for a promotional video that they were shooting.

It pays 500 pesos, which is awesome considering her tuition is 1500 pesos and is already difficult to meet. They also wanted Ruben but unfortunately he has to work and cannot get out of it. But Lena gets to have her acting debut.

She is so unbelievably excited. I am not a fan of her missing school and this new school is not like her old one of- whatever- bring her or no- no importa. This school is very serious about her education and I love that. BUT... she would have to miss a day. I went this morning while dropping off the other little girl that we take to school and talked with her teacher. I told her that I am so sorry that Lena would not be at school today and explained why. I can do all of the work and lessons with her in the house and would gladly do more but I really want Lena to have this opportunity.

Not only is it a chance for her to earn 1/3 of her tuition in a day but what an experience. She is so in love with performing and does so all the time but now she gets to do it .. shall we say.. for real.

As a theater major in college and someone who has been acting since about the same age as Lena, I am so happy for her. For 1 there is the money that she will earn today towards her school which is wonderful, but there is also the opportunity for so much more. But even if it never goes anywhere and she never does it again... what an amazing experience for her. I know that she is going to have a great time today and I get to go with her and Akilean will be with me. As luck would have it he does not have school today.

I am eager to see how the whole thing plays out and to see the final video. I am so proud of my little girl and I am so happy she gets to have this experience. Now that I am armed with a camera I will take a ton of photos of my sweet heart in her debut and know that we all have a good time watching her.

I look forward to sharing the pics and the experience with my friends and family and all of my readers. Have a great day.

YEAH- MY HOME!

2010-09-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

I as not sure why I take such pride in my home but sitting in a clean house- especially one that is staged is one of my greatest joys. Perhaps that because as a mom - with kids this look is very rare. jaja. But yesterday Ruben got home and we got right to work getting the house put together. Piece by piece we got the kids larger items set up.

The first area to get set was la area de los ninos. - the kids area. We set up their little table and a little tent and now they have their very own space in the house. The have their videos, their Wii (which I am very impressed they do not play as often as I thought they would try) and their table to work and eat. It is a great little area. Lena wants me to put up a curtain so they can close it and have their space.

The bedroom looks great. Lena has her vanity so she can sit and do her hair and what not. She is so cute. And her doll house. This doll house was her 4th birthday present and it is so cool. The colors and drawings are amazing and the furniture is sturdy and very cute. I was so surprised at how inexpensive the house was. I would have expected a higher price then the $70 we paid. Akilean and Lena have already had a great time playing with it. And I have a sneaky suspicion that there will be many little girls here today to play with it.

And although we got a lot done yesterday and the house looks great- we still have our "to do" pile. It looks a lot worse then it is. Most of it is clean cloths that need to be put away and there is a very large black bag that is actually my friends from another small town that I will take to her.

Last night after we staged the house a bit and got it picked up, we sat down and enjoyed a bottle of wine that my dad had sent down with me. It was a wonderful bottle. Evans and Tate, Shiraz. It was made so much better by the face that it was drank out of our old wine glasses from the states that I was able to bring down. I think we will have much better luck keeping these from breaking because of the wonderful shelf with wine rack that Ruben built me. He is such a wonderful and handy husband.

We sat in our living room and enjoyed the wine while simply looking around our house. I cannot wait to get my art work up and enjoy it even more. The garden is also looking amazing. There are several papayas that are growing very well and there has even appeared a flower on my bougainvillea. This plant has not flowered in over a year after its initial flowering. But I have heard that is normal. I do hope that it begins to bloom. It will create the most beautiful little "flower house" under the arbor that Ruben built me last year. All of the other plants have grown to the point of being as high as the fence and are filling in and blocking the view from the street.

In other news - I am so happy about the books that we got for the kids. I say we- meaning all of the wonderful people who were kind enough to help us pay for these amazing books. They were pretty expensive but have proven their worth already. Last week Lena was learning about Nouns, or sustantivos in Spanish, and we grabbed the grammar volume and looked up the page about sustantivos. It gave a wonderful lesson that balanced nicely with the one that Lena got in school. Thank you again to everyone who helped with these book. It was beyond kind of you.

I love her school so much. I have decided that I am going to have a sale of all of my old cloths. I have some beautiful cloths that are from the United States that simply do not work for my life here. Here they are just going to get destroyed. So I decided that I would take photos and have a sort of internet garage sale to raise money for her tuition. My mom will be here next month for my birthday and she will take the items home and mail them. Stay tuned- this should be sometime in the next week. Once it is up - please let anyone that you think might like them about my sale. I was going to sell the kids old cloths as well but have decided that there are too many mothers here that are in need of kids cloths and unable to buy them. So it makes more sense to share those with them.

I think it will be a great success. The cloths that I owned in the states are very nice and perfect for the office. But here- they are just bin fillers. jaja.

Is the glass half full or half empty?

2010-09-04T14:55:00.002-05:00

Well - either way- today it is just half. This morning while emptying some things from the car-- (yes it is here- more on that in a moment...) I felt something go into my eye. It felt very large and very painful. I went into my house to see if I could flush it out. After several minutes of it still feeling very painful I decided to walk over to my good friend Gina's house. She is the grandmother to some friends of my kids and she always has wonderful homeopathic solutions to common problems - especially ones that seem specific to this area.

She had some drops that she wanted to out in my eye but warned me that it would sting. She was not lying. Sting it did - a lot. Not to the point of absolutely unbearable but not fun. The drops are made of salvula (also knows as fresh aloe gel) along with some other herbs. She gave me the bottle to put a few more drops in my eyes 3 times a day for 3 days. I am also to keep it closed. Well that is much easier said then done.

I have 2 band aids on my eye holding it shut so it can rest. And I have crashed my hip into more then one counter today. So although I look like a ghetto pirate - my eye will feel better soon I am sure.

In other news. Ruben got here yesterday around 6 in the evening. He was originally going to call me from a few hours away to give me an idea when he would be home. He was not able to and did not want to go through the towns to find a phone- he just wanted to get home. It was a wonderful surprise to see him. He looked as handsome as ever.

After a quick shower it was time to empty at least the inside of the car. It looks like my storage unit threw up in my house. But I am so excited to have my art work and many just random items. We had a nice dinner and laid in the front yard to look at the stars. The kids are so glad that Ruben is home.

Most of our stuff is packed into boxes so I could not bring too many of them. My art was #1 for us and beach toys. We have these 2 skim boards from when I was a kid and so I got those and a boogie board and some kites. After those things it was time to fill it up with whatever randomness was around and would fit.

I did grab some of Lena's furniture from her room as it breaks down easily and she is so excited about that. Akilean's toys from the states were for a much younger person so I did not bring many. I did however bring him a HUGE storage bin FULL of Legos. This is a love hate thing.

As a mom- they are messy and hurt when you step on them but on the flip side- the hours of imaginative play and building is priceless. There are so many little people, doors and windows a even some castles- star wars stuff and what not. He is already having a blast and the neighbor girls are here and they are all playing and having a great time with them so that is worth it.

The car is great and looks great in front of my house. But every time I look outside I think..."who is here?" It is going to take a while to get used to the fact that it is my car. especially since this has never been my car before so I do not associate myself with it at all. But it is perfect. 4 doors, great gas mileage, perfect color- not flashy or too noticeable, nothing fancy or expensive inside the car to attract theft and my grandma took great car of it. I have some fun memories of shopping trips my grandma and I had in that car so that is just 1 more bonus.

Well, I am off- this half view of the computer is not the easiest thing in the world and my other eye is getting tired.

it is not that I cannot... it is that I do not want to.

2010-09-03T00:33:00.003-05:00

I have lived in a time of women and I have been blessed with the education of women that not only are we the equals of men but that in may ways we are their superiors. We do things that men cannot. We literally take things from our own bodies and create a new creature. A blessing and miracle indeed. So it is with this very forward think inking mind that I say the following sentance. .......................................... I NEED RUBEN!

Let me rephrase. It is not that I need him. I do not need him to make me something more then I can be myself but I need him to be my full potential. The potential that I already have but he draws out of me. I desire him. He makes me better. He actually makes me want to be better then I want to make myself and be better for the world aroundme- my kids being the first effect.

I love myself so much. I am the very best friend that I will ever have in the entire world. I already know this. There are those ladies that are blessed with wonderful friends. And while I do feel so very blessed to have the wonderful friends that i do... there is only 1. Only 1 whose opinion could actually sway me. My own! And I NEED HIM! Not to live and function but to be the best me.

All of my dearest friends know 3 facts about me. 1) I love and accept anyone and their opinions, but I will not be subject to them. 2) you, I and all those around us are due and deserving of love, compasion and respect and all of the very best emotions that we, as humans, can share. and 3) that I am all devoted to my love, Ruben.

While not an ideal start in the fairy tale sense... from the moment (and I literally mean the moment I saw him) I knew. ..

I knew that he was meant to make me happy and that I was meant to make him happy and reach his full potential as well.

I say this as I have been in my home for a week with my kids stressed- working- making school lunches and juntas and all of the rest that makes life obnoxious and wonderful in the same second. And this I can do. I can do it by myself.

This is not something that I doubt or question. It is that I simply do not want to do anything with out him.

He is - as they say.... "my essence" (Thank you once again Shakespeare for saying what I could not and in fewer words and ones far more gracious then my own.) He is my everything.

I look forward to my next tattoo that is a love letter to him. " I love you because I know you, beginning to end, first to last, together forever."

How did I get so lucky that after 10 years I am still madly - and I mean that sort of drive you bonkers- jump in your through - everything is simply better when he is around sort of love.

Not everyone has that. And I do. And I am so thankful and happy about it. and he will be home in my arms so soon.

I was reading today- while missing him the post that spurred our sudden move to Mexico. The call that said... "hey, by the way, the love of your life is not coming home tonight." And you know what....??? I do not even care. All I need-- Scratch that-- all I want is our family.

I am the very best version of me when I am with him. and he will be home so soon. Only 11.7 more hours- dependiong on traffic. jaja.

The start of a new year.

2010-09-02T07:55:00.001-05:00

Just as I love Monday's as the start to a fresh new week, I love the start of a new school year. Especially this year. It is sort of like a family new year's opportunity. We get to set up a new schedule and life after a fun filled Summer. And in this case a crazy few weeks to the end of August.

I am one of those people that really cannot function in a dirty home. I certainly cannot work in one. When I came home from my trip to the states the house was in serious need of a deep clean. Just time for that anyway this time of year. And with Ruben gone and driving such a long distance - I need to keep my mind focused on something else. Now that even my light switches have been cleaned and disinfected I can think again.

The kids are getting back into the school program with ease. Lena really loves her new school and that is so worth the money that we will have to come up with for the tuition. She has a music class which is so wonderful, a class in English - which for her is going to be very easy and she is learning more about religion and God which I like and Ruben as a Mexican Catholic just loves.

The other night she comes to me and says that she learned a prayer in school and wanted to show me. When she was finished she asked if I pray.I told her that I did in more ways then one. This really got her attention. I have already taught my kids that there are many ways to think of religion and god and many ways to celebrate it. She already meditates with me which I really love. Meditation is my personal reflection time. When I get to focus on myself and my mind and not because of any religious doctrine of how I should behave. I love to garden and have taught Lena and Akilean that that is one of the many ways that we can thank Mother Earth for her many blessings- and the kids really love helping her fairies help the planet grow. And now we have added a more traditional evening prayer before bed.

The kids make the sign of the cross and then tell God what they are thankful for and things they wish to ask for. Things like keeping daddy safe and not drive to fast and thanking God for our family and house and for Akilean - that I am home and can kiss him. :) I loved that one.

I was so proud to hear the things that they said. They really seem to understand that this is not a wish list from Santa and that the things we ask for are not material. Kids have such a special energy and light. It is easy to forget sometimes when you are yelling at them to brush their teeth or stop jumping on the bed.

The kids have been sleeping with me while Ruben is away which makes for a very tight squeeze with 3 people in a double bed - and little warm for my ideal night but hey- I have 2 living teddy bears to snuggle with. I woke up around 4 to a kiss on the forehead from Lena. - Not a bad midnight treat.

So far the school year is off to a great start. The kids love a schedule and thrive on one. When we are on schedule- the lunches and dinners are better, the uniforms are clean and ready and there is no- oh- I forgot to do 1 piece of homework. I am really loving it and I know when we get the car here in a few days it will get even better.

Ruben should be home hopefully late Friday evening. When he stopped off in Guanajuato to see his grandmother and great grandfather- he ended spending the whole day there as it is clear that his great grandfather will pass away sometime in the next week. He has stopped eating and is in a great deal of pain. I do not hear Ruben upset very often but he is taking the hit pretty hard.

Also is grandmother Elena (the woman that we named Kennedy Elena after) is also not doing well. She is much older and is by herself. The family that is in town does not visit or help as often as Ruben would like to see. She recently fell down the stairs and cannot move well. He stayed and did a number of things for her. I told him that he could stay longer if wanted but he unfortunately has to be back at work for a wedding on Saturday morning. I am glad that he at least got to spend one day there.

Soon he will be home and everything will be perfect. I miss him so much a there is a huge hole in our family with him not here. Soon- he will be home soon. (this has been my mantra the past few days!)

Back from no where

2010-09-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

Okay. so I literally dropped off the planet for a while. I took my niece and nephews back to San Francisco. When I went last time to get the kids it was much more a vacation for me.I hung with my friends, I ate food- I drank wine- and did other ton-o-fun things. But this time... Not so much.

By the time that I headed up to Portland I was already tired and really missing the fam. And I guess Akilean had a really hard time with me being gone. Lena was just fine- she loved being the lady of the house. But Akilean would cry a lot and at totally random times. It got to the point where even the teacher called in Ruben and asked him if everything was okay for us at home- or if we had split up because Akilean would start crying all of a sudden and he did not want to do anything in class or play with his friends. Ruben said he did not even want to eat. (Then again- Akilean LOVES my food!) Ruben told the teacher that I was in the states and would be home soon.

So here is the short version of the trip:
Friday- got to Portland had lunch with my dad and got to spend the afternoon and evening with a good friend of mine-

Sat & Sunday were spent at my dad's beach house with my brother and his kids and some friends. That was really great. This house is amazing and really peaceful and there is a possibility that we might lose it in this economy. Sort of sad really because I never really appreciated it as a kid but now---

Monday was the packing day. When I left I kept a bunch of stuff and got to go back and get it. It was like free shopping with stuff you already knew you liked. The car is packed with great fun stuff for the kids- beach toys and my art work! Finally I will have my art work. It is nothing to fancy but I love it. Ironic though because we bought a lot of art from Mexico- basic cheap street paintings but beautiful. We bought them at a little cantina and now we are bringing them to Mexico. jaja

Tuesday was all about my dump truck. Yes I have a dump truck. I know strange. But I do. Well this guy was helping me sell it and then just never returned my phone calls. Well in Mexico I could not really do anything but in the states I sent him a text message that I was on my way to report the truck stolen- 10 minutes later I got a call. This is still a sore point for me so I will talk about it another time.

Then it was off to Mexico. A very long drive. The car was still in my deceased grandma's name so I had to drive to SF- fill of the last few spots left with stuff- seriously- you should see this car- there is no room left for anything.

Then drive to Fresno and hope all goes well with the transfer. It is a probate thing and all sorts of difficult but it did get done so I am very happy about that. This was the first hurdle to crossing the boarder- It had to be in my name. Then it was off for another long drive to San Diego. I got to be with my mom which is like breathing for me. So that was great.

The the next hurdle was crossing the boarder and getting the permit. My mom and I emptied out a seat for her and drove to Tijuana where we first got the tourist card... CHECK. Then off to get the car permit. They did not even search my car or anything so that was cool. I had nothing to declare and they just asked what all the stuff was. I told them- my kids live in Mexico with their father and I am bringing some stuff for their rooms. On I went for my permit.

That process was pretty easy but mostly because we had done our research. Permit.... CHECK. Then my mom got me Mexican car insurance because USA insurance is not valid in MX. After a nice lunch and a farmacia stop we were off to wait in the long line to get back into the USA. It was not too bad of a wait.

But I cannot believe that how smooth it all went. I was very glad about that. So we booked Ruben and myself tickets so we could switch places. At this point Ruben and I decided that I would just do the drive myself. We do not have the money for tickets- but my mom vetoed that choice. But hey- she literally created my eye ball out of shit from her own body so she has that right.

So at this point I was off to meet Ruben- got to see him for a like 2 hours and then off again. Here is where the first and really only wrinkle with the car came in.

Ruben has the car and the sticker on the car and copies of all the paperwork- insurance both USA and MX, my IDs, our marriage cert, the copy of the paper that the sticker was attached to. Yeah- that last one... that was our problem. Even though I was told not to leave it in the car because in case my car gets stolen I would need that for my records-

He got all the way to Sonora and after about 5 hours the bitch at the boarder said that he needed the original?!?! What- you have the sticker on the front of the car and copies of everything. What a nightmare- so I was going to have to next day air this paper to him and he would have to sit and wait for me to get this done.

He drove back to TJ to see if he had better luck there. NOPE! The last option before me mailing this doc was for him to drive back to Sonora again and hope that lady was not there and that the other people were better to him. I sat in my house- just distraught waiting for his call. I just want my husband home!!!! I got the call that said he is past and on his way. YEAH!!!!

So now he is driving the very long drive through Mexico to come home to me and bring me- Officially now.... MY CAR! and all the shit I managed to jam into it.

Akilean is so happy I am home. He is at my side almost all of the time and keeps telling me how much he missed me while I was in the USA. And now the house is clean- which is really needed. I mean DAMN! But now it is done and life is getting back to normal.

Okay- that is the update. now I can write about fun stuff. I literally dropped the Internet planet for a while. There was no one I was with that had Internet. Which I was not expecting. Back to life.

Crying in the airport

2010-08-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

Okay. So I got all the kids to San Francsico after another very uncofortable night on the Mexico City airport floor. Once we got to San Francsico no one picked us up at the airport so we took the Bart and then a cab. I must say that I was a little suprised that no one picked us up. I mean we are talking over 4 cars that could have come and no one adjusted their schedules to come and pick up their kids from the airport then had just been gone a month?!?!? I mean, I have no problem taking the Bart but I was just a little suprised.

I went and dropped off the kids at grandma's house and left to go find some of my friends. Ruben called me later and said how his sisters were talking smack about how I am not haning out with them. I have decided to completly let this go. I mean- they were not at the house until after 7- there were no arangemnts to have a dinner or any sort of hang out- we did not even get picked up at the airport?!?! I have learned that I will talked about no matter what.

I love his sisters and his mom- hiw whole family- I really like them and I know that they like me. But this is one of those cultural expereince influenced by intence tella novellas. The same is true for my friend who lives in Oxkutzcab. Mexican women LOVE to gossip. Now this is true of many types of women in every culture but oooohhhhh Nelly do the ladies in this family love to gossip. It was pretty funny because when I was in town last time - I made no hide of the fact that I was going to be spening time with my friends. And when I saw his sisters they kepts saying- "yeah you have been partying and having fun." now while that is true- I know that their idea of the sort of parting I would be doing is the sort that used to do years ago. Not so much anymore. I really do not care but it just seems funny. If they knew me better they would understand the sort of things that I do for fun. Most of it revolves around food! jaja

But after I let my husbands comments slide off my back I got back to missing him so much. I am so much more emotional about being away from him this time then I was last month when I was gone. I think that it is becuase last trip was so fast- it was fly to SF - ng out withe my friends and fly home. This time it is so much more involved and stressfull. I am about to fly to Portland then I have so much work to do in Portland and running around and then I have to drive down to San Diego and do the whole baorder pass process. Should be interesting.

I am sitting here in the airport and I was writting a message to my husband and I jsut could not stop a few tears from rolling out of my eyes. I am sure that getting my period has something to do with it. I am so madly in love with my husband. When we first met I explained to him how I felt when he came into the room. I got a little jump in my stomach every time he came into the room. That sort of "hhhaa- there he is." feeling. Several years later I told him- you still make me jump inside when I see you. it still happens after all of these years. Sorry- this is a sort of random and emotional post but I am a random and emotional sort of gal.

On the flip side I did find some scores in San Francsico. There is this store- Forever 21 and it is full of cute cheap cloths. They had timy almost underware style tanktops for $2.50!!! In all sorts of colors. These a the shirts that I would wear EVEYDAY! So that made me very happy. I also found 2 beautiful long summer dresses for $6. and I am so broke so that made me very happy.

Anyway. I am going to see if I can track down my hubby on facebook or something. I am such a mess right now.

A birthday party for no one- or every one.

2010-08-17T09:22:00.000-05:00

Last night was the last night that my family was going to be with us and I had the idea a while back of doing a birthday party to celebrate all the kids birthdays that we did not get to celebrate together.

the kids picked out what they wanted for dinner- bbq chicken, garlic mashed potatoes and salad. Dinner was great. The kids made a bunch of invitations and ran around the streets handing them out to their friends. I must say that I love this method for birthday parties. So much less stress then the birthday parties that I am used to throwing. Here I have 2 responsibilities... a pinata and a cake. They do not care about decor- they do not need games- they all run around hopped up on sugar and play.

We bought a cake, a pinata and some candy. It did not take long for the kids to descend on the house. It was a really fun time. Just a pinata and a cake and a bunch of screaming kids and little old me. It was pretty interesting. But hey - they all had a good time.

After all of the craziness I sat everyone down to watch a movie. Man, I need a vacation after that ordeal! jajaja

Tonight i am off to the states to drop off the kids and to pick up my car. I really hope that I do not have any troubles at the boarder. We shall see.

The family is back.

2010-08-16T09:03:00.000-05:00

My niece and nephews are back from central Mexico and I am so glad. I know I have made some side bars about how hard and crazy it is - and while all that is true- I love it. These kids are great and so sweet. I have been around other kids that fight and bicker and these kids do not and it is really great.

There is something that I have been wrestling with lately. Now, I know that I am bit different in my dealings with my kids then many other mothers in Mexico but I think there are some things that are a little more universal. But maybe I am just a bit old fashioned. I am not sure.

Here is the story. I have these 2 neighbor boys that are at my house bright and early most mornings. I have the house that most kids on the street hang out at and I am totally fine with that. Over the past 8 months or so I have gotten much better about telling people to go home when I am at the end of my rope of sanity. The kids have all been very nice about it.

But... here is the problem, the neighbor boys went to their house and then had to come back to my house to get the keys to get in. The fact that they were by themselves sort of shocked me. I mean, 1 is 8 and the other 6.

Now let me just say for 1 that I know that you have to work with the situation you are given. Mom works at 3- Aunt is not home until 7 - that is not terrible and I know people who have had to work situations like that. But it just seems too young to be by yourself. And if it was only for those few hours a day it would be one thing- but then for the past few weeks when they are here in the morning there is no one home for hours.

Then a few nights ago- we were about to have dinner and so I sent everyone home - well- it was almost 7:30 and no one was home- they had been at my house all day so I know that they had not eaten anything more then the snacks we had done at my house.

I asked them what they were going to have for dinner and he said nothing. Now- I am sure that is not entirely true but I had them stay at my house for dinner anyway. Afterwards they went home. They were in the streets playing late into the evening- like 11. And while that is not that strange on these streets- the fact that no one was home made me really uncomfortable.

Now- it is none of my business how someone else raises their kids but I feel a sense of responsibility for these boys. I mean- even if the mom had simply said to me- "Hey- there are going to be some hours I am not home- the boys are good by themselves but could you just keep and ear out and know that they are by themselves in case there is a problem." For 1 I would totally say yes- but... I do not know.

I really like this family and I like the boys but I feel like them at home by themselves for several hours a day is a little crazy. I talked to Ruben about it and he has similar concerns. For him he hates that he has seen the boys actually locked into the house. Most of our locks here are ones that you need a key to open the door even from the inside. So these boys are literally locked in their house.

Am I crazy or is that a little nuts? And I am not sure if I should say anything or not. I think I am just going to mention to the mom, "Hey I know the boys are at home by themselves a lot. If you need a hand with someone watching them, let me know." I mean she lives 2 houses down.

It did get Ruben and I talking about what age we think is okay to leave the kids at home. An age I am very excited about because there are many times that Ruben and I would love to hang out a little just the 2 of us. I mean, I will leave the kids at the house while I run to the supermarket but I am usually gone about 30 minutes.

Ruben and I decided that Akilean at 11 and Lena at 12 would be appropriate. Ruben and I could go out to dinner and they would be fine by themselves. This is new territory for me. I could see them being at home for a few hours during the day when Akilean is 9 and Lena is 10. But I do not know.

What is the norm? Is there a norm? Am I being a little crazy American lady on this issue? There are a lot of things here in Mexico where Ruben or my Latino friends will affectionately remind me that I have crazy white lady rules. jajaja.

Anyway. School starts soon so maybe the situation will change.

Home with flowers

2010-08-15T10:44:00.002-05:00

I have been with my husband for almost 10 years now and he never stops amazing me. We are at a place in our relationship that is really good. We are really happy. We are in desperate need of some time together out and about without kids but this is the reality of every young family.

Yesterday Ruben had to go and order some flowers at a wedding that they are having at his hotel and when he came home he brought me a very beautiful bouquet of flowers. They are white lilies which are my absolute favorite flowers. Both the white and the stargazer lilies. They smell so wonderful. It was so sweet. I love getting flowers for no reason. It really was so sweet. And there are many that have not opened yet and I love watching them open.

Back in Oregon we have one of the largest and most varied rose gardens in the United States and the roses in that garden are as beautiful as they get. Ruben and I used to walk those gardens all the time and watch the roses open.

One thing that has been really funny around here lately is my kids have fallen in love with certain songs. The Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) song from Shakira is HUGE hit in this house. First of all it is all Futbal and they love anything futbal. They both know every word to this song in both the Spanish and English version and they both know the dance. It is really cute.

For Akilean- he has really attached himself to the song from Desperado. Now let me just say that I love Antonio Banderas. I mean - love him. Everything about him. He is one of the best triple threats in Hollywood and Broadway. He is a wonderful dancer, singer, actor and musician. Not to mention hotter then hell. Plus he is married to a cool as white woman who adores him. So Akilean wanting to watch this video 100 times a day is okay with me. (I think Shakira is one of the hottest women in the world too- so these videos really work out) jaja.

The other song that Lena loves is actually Ruben's and my song. Nelly and Kelly Dilemma. She loves to get all dressed up and dance around the living room to this song. It is a very sweet sounding song. It is pretty much our beginning except for the kid and we have not listened to the song in over 7 years. Then suddenly Ruben put it on and even though it is not our story anymore it remains our song. We tried to look for a new song but you cannot just pick a new song. There are songs that really reflect our current relationship and love but that song - it is our beginning. it came out right in the beginning of our relationship. it is really funny to watch Lena dance around to it and sing all the words.

An interesting opportunity

2010-08-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

I had an interesting opportunity yesterday. I was walking with the kids to get Lena's skirt for her uniform made when I passed a man that Ruben and I met when we first moved Tulum. he has a newspaper that is one of the best in TUlum. There are a few papers but they cover a lot of the murder- cartel- car crash sort of stuff. This newspaper is more about Tulum. The stories and events that are happening right here in this community rather then the Rivera Maya or Quintana Roo.

They are looking to open a social section of the newspaper and want me to cover the events and write the articles. I am really excited about it. For 1 I really love working. But I simply cannot nor do I want to do it like I was in the states. With kids in school here - I need to have a flexible job because there is nothing very scheduled about the kids schools. Plus- I really like having so much time with my kids. But need some more structure.

I am a stage manager in the theater. The idea of a plan of no plan is totally against my nature but I am getting into it. But I like getting up early and having a reason and schedule to my morning. Then the rest of the day can relax. I was never really one of those sleep in late people. Even in my really crazy party days in SF. I would go to bed at 4 and wake up by 9. Then again I was in my 20's. That magical age when you can do anything to your body and it totally works with you. Not so much anymore and I felt that when I slept in the Mexico City airport. I slept in train station after station and park benches when I was in Europe- not so much anymore.

I cannot tell you how great it feels to be back on our feet again. We are all moving around again which is great. I took the kids to the beach yesterday and that was great. The water was perfectly clear and felt magical to be in. It was great.

Even when we are dealing with all of the bad about living here- we get to go swimming at the beach and we remember- oh yeah- this is worth it. Or when we walk around town day or not and know dozens of people. I love going to Don Cafetos because almost every day there are several tables with my friends at it. it is great.

And soon to have a car.... I cannot even imagine the difference that will make in my life. Anyway. back to life, back to reality!

Feeling Better

2010-08-13T11:27:00.002-05:00

Enjoy the pics- Cesar let me borrow his old camera.

Hey Everyone. I have the greatest news in the world!!!! We are all better. All of us. We still have a lingering cough but hey- after these past few weeks I will take the cough. Plus it is just the body's way of getting all the remaining stuff in our bodies out- and I am okay with that.

Okay- so we are off today to get the skirt for Lena's school uniform. I love that they all wear uniforms here. It literally eliminates the whole- what am I going to wear to school question. Lena gets to decide what she wears when she plays with her friends (with my Veto power- no party dresses to the park.) Akilean hardly wears anything but a pair of shorts and undies. I cannot keep shoes or a shirt on that kid to save my life. He is such a Tulum kid. he is going to be my acro -yoga instructor with long hair- always with his shirt off and fire dancing in the evenings. jajaja. Then there is Lena who I have a funny feeling will be some sort of paddle board or kite boarding instructor. Possible scuba diving but I think boarding.

They are both growing up so fast. Lena finally got her ears pierced a while back. Well I finally let her change her earrings. Her Tia gave her a pair of earrings when she was born but her earrings never worked out as a baby. With my hands in those stupid casts I could not take care of earrings. So she finally got to put in her little angle earrings. Ruben was thrilled that I still had them.

We made the kids chore charts yesterday. I am done buying ice creams and treats all day long. It really adds up. So I told the kids that I will buy them an ice cream when we pick up Lena from school. It is right next to our favorite helado place and the park in town so they can play a bit. But after that. Once we get home.... NO MAS!

They now have their chore charts and they can earn up to 5 pesos a day. The jobs are pretty simple. They are in 5 groups.

1) eat breakfast, brush teeth and hair, wash face and hands, put on uniform, pack backpack

2) take off uniform and put away, put books on table, wash lunch dishes

3) Do homework, read in Spanish for 20 min. out loud, read 20 min. in English out loud

4) pick up and organize toys AKILEAN: pick up garbage around house, clear table and scrape dishes after dinner LENA: wash plates from dinner, sweep bedroom

5) take a shower, brush teeth and hair, pack backpack, get uniform ready

That is not bad. They have been doing their own laundry for a long while now. That is my latest- I will separate all of the laundry into 5 piles- each kid- hubby - me and the sheets and towels. My pile is by far the smallest- my cloths are small and there are very few of them. And I will do the family stuff- but come on- The kids can do their own- you want to change 100 times a day- fine- but I am not folding your cloths.

So I am having to get back into gear. I let so much get away from me this Summer. My emails are so backed up- I have so many people to write - answer questions- move forward with my school project- get back to writing and thank people for donations.

I need to get back on it. I cannot wait to have a schedule again. I am a person who thrives on a schedule. I guess it comes from being a stage manager in the theater.

In other news. The garden is looking great. We need new grass but that is another project for another day. It is sort of crazy. The garden has grown so much. We litterally planted the papaya last fall from seeds from one of our papayas. Now they actually have fruits. We just had to cut back our Elephant ear plant. It had some HUGE leaves. When we cut some back we saw this really cool flower. I had no idea that they even flowered like this.

The bogenvilla arbor is great. I want it to just cover this little arbor that Ruben built and create like a little house. Up the other side we have this great yello flower growing. It will fill in the whole side of the fence so you cannot see it and will thread over the bikes. Very nice.

The whole family in the living room

2010-08-09T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well, Ruben came down with the same illness as the rest of us and I hate seeing Ruben sick. He is such a strong man and takes care of all of us that to see him feel sick kills me. I told him that he had to take a day or 2 of of work because he was no good the hotel sick and he needed to get better for himself and for the family. He did and slept ALL day on Saturday. That was really good. We just stayed in bed and slept and watched movies.

Sunday is usually Ruben's day off and he was able to have it off this week even though he was sick the day before. Cesar wanted to go to a Casa Cenote. This is one of my favorite cenotes around Tulum. Now we have all been feeling better which is great but I was not sure if going to a cenote was a good idea. It was sort of a 2 sided deal. On one hand we had all been cooped up in the house for several days now. Lena and I and Akilean for almost a week. And simply being in the house could be contributing to us being sick.

They emptied the French drain in the street in front of our house and the fine powder dirt that they have in the street gets blown up behind every car and the light dust comes into the house. Not very helpful when you are trying to breath fresh air. ALso, the fresh cenote water mixed with a little salt water is really good for your sinuses. Not to mention that the cenotes are simply magical and lend a lot of healing energy.

On the flip side- when you are sick it makes sense to just stay in bed and try to get well. Well I made the choice to go to the cenote. I am glad I did because not only did it really lift the kids spirits- which can almost heal you all by itself- but the density of mangroves that surround this cenote create a very dense fresh oxygen that is so wonderful to breath. You can feel it in your lungs. It is a very fresh air that I can almost feel absorbing into my lungs and blood. It was very nice. The water was a perfect temp and the sun was out but not beating down on us.

It has been so hot here and we are down to just 1 fan so we moved our mattress to the living room and we all slept in the living room with the front door open and the fan on. There was not too much of a breeze but it was better then the bedroom.

Ruben did not have to work again today because he is sick and I am so glad. There is nothing worst then trying to speed a recovery and not really recovering. So today we are all going to just watch movies curled up together on the mattress on the floor and eat some soup.

I made some of my veggie soup last night and so we have some of that left over. It should be chicken noodle soup but I did not have enough pesos for the chicken so it is just veggie and noodle soup. But it is still really good. I use a few drops of my favorite hot sauce- Melinda's XXX in all adult soups- It will clear up any sinus block you have that is for sure. jaja

I have really been slacking on my projects- I have no energy to work on them. I really need to spend sometime on m y school project. I have all the pieces in place- I just need to get it organized and get the word out.

You will hear more soon. Hopefully today I will do some. I have a classic problem... when Ruben is home I want to do nothing but be with him. This is the same problem I have with going out. I told him, and I know that I need to get out of my house- away from the kids and Ruben and be by myself every now and again. And Ruben is totally supportive of me going out with my friends and taking time for myself, but every time he gets home I want to curl up and watch movies, make dinner and kiss him. I guess that is a nice problem to have but...

Okay- well I better go- I am getting tea requests from the kids. Thanks again all for the good wishes.

I feel like I am dying

2010-08-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

It started a little over a week and a half ago when my niece did not feel well. Then on Sunday, Lena was feeling pretty lousy. We had taken all of the kids to the Coba ruins for the day (free for Mexicans on Sundays!!!) and about half way through our journey- Lena was feeling pretty bad. She did not want to climb the pyramid. Probably a good thing because it is really steep and worn. Beautiful views of the jungle and the ruin site but if you are dizzy no way. So I stayed at the bottom with her. Just as the rest of the fam was at the top it started to rain.

Lena got really excited because I told her the rain god heard that she was burning up and brought her some refreshing rain to cool her off. A light rain just for her. That made her feel a little better. We are quite the rain loving family. Anyway. Later that day we went to her favorite Cenote. She got in for a little while and played but as soon as she remembered how horrible she felt- she just wanted to sit on the out side and watch.

We all headed home and just relaxed. Once we took the nieces and nephews to the airport to visit some family in Guanajuato, Lena was in need of some serious mommy time. She cuddled up with me and we watched movies and rested for the next few days.

So then... like clockwork... Thursday night both Ruben and I start to feel a little less then great. By the morning- I was racked. I have not been this sick - or felt it so much throughout my body in years. I have had other illnesses that were more sever but this is one that I can feel in every cranny of my body. I was unable to even get out of bed yesterday. The kids mostly stayed in my room or played on the computer. About noon I was sent a little angle.

My friend Desiree came through the door and ordered me into the shower to cool off- by now my temp had climbed to 102 and was showing no sign of stopping. After my shower she put me back in bed, picked up my living room and kitchen and made lunch for the kids. I do not know what I would have done without her. My head was pounding so hard and still is. Then she made me drink a shot glass of NyQuil and sent me to me room.

God bless her. Around 5 I vaguely remember Ruben lying next to me and then that was it. I feel so bad for Ruben. He felt pretty horrible all day too but was at work. Yesterday evening, Akilean had his fever and symptoms. There is just not enough time for us all to be sick at once. Who is going to take care of who.?

Yesterday when I was crying for my mom, Lena was behind me stroking my back saying, "I miss grandma too. she will be here to visit soon mommy, Don't worry" It was so adorable. If anything was going to make me feel better- that came the closest. We spent last night sweating, fighting over the fan- we only have 1 now and having a fever in extreme heat sucks. On cold days in the winters of Oregon- I could get on board. Get some tea- sit with the fire on and all cuddled up- watch some movies. But in this heat with no way to stay cool... yeah that sucks.

Well, I am back off to bed. I just got up to get some tea and toast. I have not eaten anything for quite a while now and I think my head is showing it. time to go fight the hubby for the fan. jaja

Wish Lists

2010-08-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

The comment that Steve left on the previous post about prefect Summer Days got me thinking about flying space ships. And by the way, if you have never been in the Pacific Northwest and gotten to enjoy a perfect summer day... you simply have not lived! One of the best places in the world and I have been to many many places in the world. And currently live among the best beaches in the world! So I know pretty landscapes

But anyway, Lately in general, I have been thinking a lot about wish list. I have been making a lot of wish lists lately. I made 1 at the Temezcal for myself on ways that I want to improve my life and my relationships. It is all going very well. It is nice to be so happy. I know that this marriage will be a wave just like every relationship but I am really enjoying a new place that we have gotten to in trust and communication and just being and showing that we are happy. It is really nice. Learning from our past fight and just dropping the stupid stuff sooner. I am really enjoying the roller coaster right now.

I must say- this is a fantastic morning. The kids are still fast asleep and the birds are chirping, the morning sun is out and hits my backyard Mango wall perfectly... and I have coffee. This has not happened in a long time so I am inclined to just write a bit. Not sure what will come of it. The coffee is the biggest part of the equation. I did not have it yesterday and I had a horrible headache in the afternoon. Yes yes I know, I am clearly addicted to caffeine. But if drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day is among my biggest vices- I am totally okay with that.

So back to perfect summer day's. One clear memory that I have of a perfect summer day was on the coast of Oregon. On the perfect 4th of July holiday it was amazing to be out there with my whole family. The little town of Lincoln City was packed with people and the beaches were full of kites.

I have never seen so many kites. Just off my dad's docks on the beach house were several wind tunnels of bright colors twisting like crazy and strange animals. It was fantastic. I cannot wait to go and get some great kites for the kids. I had found some once in Fresno while visiting my grandma but they fell apart pretty quick.

Kite boarding is such a huge sport here because we have the perfect conditions for kites. This is one of the things on the wish list. I am going to get the kids really well made and sturdy kites. There are not too many toys that you can bring to the beach - and there is only so much time you can play in the water. So a kite is perfect.

My wish list is ever growing and shrinking depending on my mood- 1 day it is no problem to hang my cloths on the line- then others it is a nightmare or has ruined the cloths- its a toss up on everything- everywhere - so pretty much the same, I am really trying to move forward on our small piece of land. We are going to build to VERY SKINNY t- 3 story townhouses. 1 to live in and 1 to rent. eventually rent both. But first we need to get it through the phases.

But that is my big want- to get my house to 1st level walls and roof. So- I guess I should go draw my house plans- later all!

The family is here

2010-08-04T13:57:00.000-05:00

After such a great time in San Francisco, I am so very glad that the visit with my family has been equally as wonderful. We miss them all so much and really wish that we could see them all more. My kids do not have any family in Mexico so to have their cousins here and visiting for a whole month has been really great.

We have had to balance with days at the beach and at cenotes and the laguna with days in the house. For one the taxis to do things every day just gets too expensive but also- we need to give the kids a bit of a break. They are not used to such high temps and humidity in SF.

We went to the beach the other day and it was so very cool. The kids all ran in to the water- except of course Akilean who will forever it seems be a land guy. Anyway- he went off to play in the sand and about 30 minutes later came back and said "mommy, mommy, come into my space ship." It was crazy- he had built this wonderful 3-d space ship in the sand.

There were levers and buttons, and he built a seat for me. It was so cute, he opened my imaginary door and let me into his ship, then after carefully getting in himself proceeded with many sounds, and motions with his levers and off we flew around the beach for a while. He flew me back to SF so we could say hi. Then we flew to Oregon so he could say hi to his cousins.

It did not take long for all of the kids to catch onto the idea and soon there were HUGE sand ships being built with the most creative of functions and whistles. It was great. I have never seen such great creativity!!!!

Later in the week we looked up our names meanings on the computer- that gave a good time. We found out that Calvin means Bald- which is funny because Calvin is anything but bald. My niece is Dark skinned and innocent lamb which was perfect for her. And strangely - my nephews name means Protector and his other name means protector of all mankind.

Lena loves her story about how Helena was the most beautiful woman in the world and how she was kidnapped and how her kidnapping led to the Trojan War and one of the greatest warriors from that war was Achilles. She just loves that story! It was a fun afternoon.

We have been making giant soap bubbles, playing Wi, playing in the park and BBQing hot dogs. It was been a really great trip so far.

I took off one night and left the kids with Ruben and went out with a friend of mine. There were some great groups playing at a new spot in town and it was a great time. We are going to take Cesar out for a bite and some drinks on Friday. It is his birthday and this is the first one he will have around family in over 5 years. So that will be fun!

The kids left yesterday to go visit some family in Guanajuato for a week and then they will be back here before heading up to SF again.

If all goes well I will be bringing my car down from the USA which is good because being here without car is very difficult and much more expensive then it needs to be.

Anyway. There is the update. Lena is not feeling well so I am going to go snuggle with her on the sofa and watch movies.

A life altering experience.

2010-07-30T10:31:00.000-05:00

Okay. A few weeks ago I had a life altering experience and since then I have been blessed with the very best of life. In truth I was blessed before that but sometimes did not feel it or see it. Unfortunately - all of this has been smacked on the face very horrible event.

But let me start at the beginning as to not ruin the beginning with the end. I did my very first temazcal on the last new moon. Now first of all- I am a self confessed hippie. But more of a beach hippie then a city hippie. I cannot believe that this was my first temazcal. It was unbelievable. It was the New Moon which is a very powerful female energy. It was also the day of the Solar eclipse!!! Very cool for us female hippie folk.

A temazcal is similar to an Indian sweat lodge from the United States. It is very amazing both physically and the release that you put your body through... but even more so for the amazing group of women that you are with. I truly felt reborn. I did not get home until very late- I mean like 2:30 am. It was several hours of absolutely wonderful.

In the beginning we were all asked to write down some of our intentions, the things that we wanted to ask for and focus on. Some of mine were...
1) Surround myself with people who genuinely love me and care about me
2) Spend more valuable time on things that worked towards my goals
3) be me and be happy and fulfilled with it

etc. you get the idea. Then be burned them into the fire. The songs and chants and fire and steam and songs--- all was perfect. When I got home then next morning I could feel Ruben looking at me. he was not just looking at me while I slept- he was starting at me. In awe. A women can feel it. I know he loves me always - but there are times when I can actually watch him remember how much. After almost 10 years I can watch many thought go across his mind. He was starting at me in awe and I could feel. My transformation from the previous night had become to take a hold in my life. It was great.

Okay... so this is the fast version.... there is was too much to catch you up on. I went to San Francisco to pick up my niece and my nephews to come and visit us in Mexico. The way the ticket worked - I was in SF for 4 days all by myself. It was literally an onslaught of all of my favorite things.

Other then sleeping in the Mexico City airport everything could not have gone more perfect. After arriving in SF the Bart picked me up as easy as could be-- one of my very best friends in the entire world was waiting for me on the other end. We stashed my bags and headed off to "the Haight" for lunch. As you would have it... the very next bus was for the Haight!!! We sat in the park and smoked some of the very best smoke I have in over 2 years.

***Okay disclosure**** I am really sorry if this comes as a surprise to anyone or offends anyone...but I do have a vice... this is the only one I have and I everyone in my life knows about it. I make almost no attempt to hide it as I do not feel it is anything to hide. As a self professed hippie this should really not shock anyone but.. there you go. I am really sorry for any offense- but we all have our vice and this is mine. **** It has been over 19 years and is not about to change now....

So that made my re entry to SF about as perfect as it could possible be. Plus the abundance of amazing food - readily available is truly amazing. After living in 2 of the very best cities in the United States- I have forgotten just how blessed I have been. In Portland OR we do almost everything natural, better. The fruit and veggies grow bigger and better- sweeter and more abundant, the micro beers are better, the smoke is better, the water that comes out of the ground could not be better if it came from Aphrodite's fountain itself. And in SF we literally have the whole world living there. The food is vast, varied and perfect. So anyway.

After lunch we walked back to Jordon's apartment. Jordon actually lives here in Mexico but was up working for a few weeks. We both have many kids and busy lives so to sit through a whole meal without cutting anything for anyone or clean up any mess was great.

Later the night she took me out on a date. We got all dressed up- yes very BoHo Chic but we looked great. She took me to her restaurant which is one of the best in SF- Scalas. She ordered all the food for us and we sat there for about 2.5 hours. It was great. We thought that we would hit the town- but after such a perfect day- it was ended on a perfect note.

The next day we walked and walked and walked- It was like walking memory lane. After 10 years in SF every spot has a memory. We walked to the warf and had some coffee in the park and then went to one of my favorite spots- Washington Park. This is at the base of North Beach (the Italian district of SF) This church was were Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe were married. :) We then got some espresso and some cheese cake and walked some more.

Later the day I went to My other Friend Tara's house. I have not spent time with Tara in years. She is my oldest friend. I have known her for over 23 years and we have been close that whole time. She is one of those people that you can just laugh and laugh and laugh with- she knows everything about me- can be serious and be fun- never passes judgement and is just one of the very best people I could possibly have in my life.

After a great night with her I was back to SF. I went to the store and found a bottle of Wine- an Old Vine Zin called Elena. ( Old vine Zin is my favorite and named after my daughter) PLUS!!!! There was a special- buy 1 bottle get the 2nd for $.05. YEAH that is right 5 cents!!! So I brought one home to Ruben knowing he would love it.

That day I took myself on a date all by myself. I took my bottle of wine to my favorite restaurant in SF... the Mona Lisa. This is my favorite meal of all time- the only thing that I ever sent my husband out to get for me when I was pregnant through either kid-- and I was pregnant for like 2.5 years straight!

That night and the next day I spent it with my good friend Jasmine. It was literally perfect. By the end of my trip I realized that my temazcal intentions so far had been true. Only people that truly love me and care about me surrounded me and I was as happy as I could possible be.

Okay so that is part one!!! Part 2 is the kids..... I will update more detail later but I got the kids and we were off to Mexico. I have 3 kids with me- Willie- 1-.. Melanie-- 7 and Freddie- 5. The kids are wonderful. They are all so well behaved - so nice- so polite - it has been perfect.

The house was a little trashed when I got home but I know my hubby all to well- he has the let it get trashed and clean it right before I get home- sometimes he runs out of time and again I can see it on his face. We were bombarded with new cloths from the family which is wonderful. Sort of crazy- literally over 20 pairs of shoes. Almost all flip flops which is perfect!!!!

We have been at the park- the beach- the laguna- etc. it was not until yesterday that the house acually got deep cleaned- all the laundry got folded and the floors mopped. So know that I have my sanity with a clean house I can write.

I am a little crazy about having a clean house. If my house is not clean I start to loose it a little bit. Ruben knows - if we every fight or he does something wrong- I do not want flowers- I do not need jewelry- but cleaning my house is always the way back to my good graces! hahaha,

Okay... so the other day we had a perfect day- I mean perfect day. I took the kids to Ruben's work, we swam in the pool- Ruben and I were all in love and happy and he was doughting on me which I love... We stayed on the beach really late to watch the Sea turtles come on shore. In our area- the giant sea turtles come on shore to bury their eggs. After this beautiful creature had gone back into the sea - I had set my bag down and took the kids into the water to rinse off the sand.

it was in this moment that someone stole my bag. Literally 30 seconds. I have lived in Tulum for over 2 years and never had anything taken from me. This was made even worse because of what was in my bag. My net book computer which I use to write ALL of my articles, my camera- which you all know I live be- my cell phone- my bikini top EVERYTHING! Plus my favorite bag. I am so upset about it. I am not really sure what to do about it. There really is nothing that I can do but I am devastated about it. I am so upset I have avoided calling my mom because I am so ashamed that I let someone take it. My mom and poppa Neal are the ones that had just bought me the net book to write on because they knew I was having troubles writing at home with the kids. I call my mom almost every day and I cannot even "face" her right now.

I know there is nothing that I can do about it but... well, anyway... now you know why I did not lead with that news.

Okay so a really extreme stay away

2010-07-25T09:06:00.000-05:00

Sorry about my fleeing my blog. Life has been really crazy - good but crazy. My father was here to visit in June with my brother and his wife- sorry I have posted no pics. It was wonderful. He stayed at a hotel that they thought was very near to me. Unfortunately... it was very far away. But it was really nice,. We did a lot of hanging by the pool and just hanging out and talking.

I did get to bring them down to Tulum and we had a really nice visit here. They stayed one night at Ruben's hotel and while my dad went to sleep with the kids my brother, his wife, Ruben and I all went out and lived up the party in town and did we ever. It was really great.

Since then things have been going well - still very crazy but great. I took the kids zip lining and they absolutely loved it. I was very impressed with how well they did. Lena was really scared at first and did not want to go once she was up there. I told her to try it once and then she would know if she did not like it or not. She promptly went again with a huge smile on her face.

I really have had no time to do anything. Well- I have not updated any of my blogs and I have done no writing. I seem to be at quite a writing block recently. I hope that changes. I doubt it will anytime soon as I have 3 more kids staying with me and if I had no time before I have less now.

I did my first temezcal right before I went to SF- both of these and the amazing result of them are a post for another time. I have too much I want to say and not enough coffee in my at the moment.

I also made once of the very best meals of all time. At least one of the very best that I have ever made and I have made a bunch of really amazing dinners. It was a really great tortilla soup. While my family was visiting we had some at a restaurant. It was very good but not my ideal tortilla soup so I decided to to make one. It was perfect. You can read how to make it on my cooking blog How to cook 1 handed.

A day of snorkeling in the back yard and learning!!!!

2010-06-01T08:10:00.002-05:00

Okay--- First of all- I have to say that I have one of the cutest sons in the world. He has the most incredible imagination. He has always been very independent when he plays. He plays and interacts with others very well but he can sit for over and hour or 2 and play by himself.

When he was just over a yer old her loved to push around cars- trucks- trains--- anything that moved like a car. In his Montessori preschool his teacher- who was working on her masters degree asked if she could do her final paper on Akilean. That meant that she would observe him over the course of 2 years and document his development and habits. The cool part was that she gave me a copy of the paper. It talked about how he played and how and what he ate etc. One of the funniest things was that he would eat the inside of his apples, then play with the skins as if they were boats or cars. He would start with his head on the table and watch them roll. Within a few minutes he would be on the bench and in no time he would be on the floor- one arm above his head and the other pushing around the "car" after a while he would eat all of the skins.

His teacher was not sure if she should try to eliminate the behavior or not. She chose not and instead made him a mat that had roads and tracks on the them. He still plays with his cars and trains in the same position. Even at the beach. Lena has always been a water baby. Since the time she was born she loved to play in the water. Akilean - not so much. He was more land and sky. When we go to the beach Lena dives immediately into the water and Akilean falls onto the sand.

Well anyway... sort of a digression... Yesterday Uncle Cesar had a kids snorkeling mask. Akilean asked to go snorkeling in the back yard. He first tried to fill up a cardboard box. After a while he realized that was not going to work. So he grabbed our cooler and started to fill it up. It was so cute. He must have been in there for over an hour- maybe more! It was so adorable.

Also yesterday- we got the books! These are even better then I had hoped and thought. They are basically text books! The text books that we would get in middle and high school. They are beautiful!!!! They are so easy to read and really well written. They outline so many wonderful ideas.

And they are organized better then I thought. I thought that it was organized by grade level. It is done by subject. So there is a Math book, geography, technology, grammar and language, physics and natural science. Then there are 3 encyclopedia books in 3 levels. The first covers subjects like memorization, study, concepts etc. Then the 2nd covers more discussions, lectures and communication and then 3rd is history, social studies, art and culture etc. It is so very cool.

These books are worth every peso! I am so glad that we got them. And thank you so much to those of you that helped with them. It was more then kind of you. Even my husband sat and read them for 2 hours yesterday. He said that one thing that is really cool about the kids getting to the grades that they are getting into is that we get to relearn a lot of those cool facts that we learned as kids but have forgotten.

I remember a lot about a lot of stuff but there is so much that I have forgotten. One of my favorite subjects in school was always History and politics. Being reminded of all of the amazing moments of history that have led to the world being where it is today is really interesting to me.

I am really excited to be sharing that more with my kids. And it is really going to help my spanish as well.

A New Week

2010-05-31T07:57:00.001-05:00

Well, the week has started once again. Thank goodness. I love the weekend but I do love Mondays. They are that - lets get it done this week chance. I like to work in small increments for success. For example- instead of hoping for a good day- which is tough to truly have from start to finish. But if you aim for a good hour- you will have so much more success and much more often. I like starting the week because on Sunday's I do not work- I try not to anyway. no emails- no calendar- no charity project- NOTHING! It is my day to be with my family. Ruben works 6 days a week anyway and has not had a day off in over 3 weeks. (he is banking up 3 or 4 days off for when my Dad, brother and sister in law come next week) He was going to work again yesterday - but I told him- no- he NEEDS to take the day off and just relax- enjoy hanging out with the kids etc.

On Friday I was supposed to go to hang out with a friend of mine on the beach for her birthday. That did not happen. I was starting to feel like I was getting sick- you know that very beginning when you can feel it behind your ears? Well, I bailed on her the first night - then Saturday she told me- "Mindy- you need to get out and get away from the house and away from the kids." She was right- I had been at home with the kids for over 6 days in a row due to their schools being closed again for several days in a row. It is too hot to walk to town with the kids so we have been in the house and in the neighborhood for days.

My friend was finishing up some work redesigning and decorating a guest house down on the beach - hoped in her taxi and headed down to see her and Ruben was going to be able to have a date with the kids. They love Daddy dates- anything goes with daddy!

My friend's other buddy bought a bottle of wine and we were off to the beach. We had a great time hanging out and drinking a little wine. Then I had a good friend playing his last gig of the season down at Zamas. I never get to go see him play because well, 1 it is on the beach and 2- with the kids - we never really go out at night.

When we got there, a good size table was set up and the owner, 1 of my bosses from 1 of my 3 jobs, some other friends and WHAM!!!! both of my other bosses! are you kidding me! What are the odds?- Well, actually in Tulum- pretty easy. But I thought that it was sort of funny. Plus 2 of my bosses are actually dating. Diego is my boss at Todo Tulum whom I write for and his girlfriend is the one who has asked me to help her with the weddings. But still- all 3 of my bosses at the same table- on the one night I am out. jajaja oh well. I am NOT working tonight!

The owner was so very sweet and bought us some wine and a few pieces of cake. Because it was my friends birthday they did the whole song and we lovingly smashed her face into her cake. :) You gotta love Mexican tradition! Afterwards- we all piled into the car and headed to town to listen to our friends play their next set down at Pepinos Cigar Bar. This is a new place in town. It is really cute- right off the Avenue.

We had so much fun dancing and talking and laughing. It was a really great time. I love Tulum Avenue in the evening/night! All of the people I know and adore were there. They were all a little shocked to see me- because I am never out at night. We had such a great time.

We stayed the night in the rooms that my friend is working on and crashed out hard after a night of dancing. I love Tulum. I swear I had my shoes in my purse but never put them on. A far cry from my crazy high heels of San Francisco. I also ran into a bunch of my fisherman friends - which means that there will be some great fish in my near future. Best part about an abundance of good friends that fish- there is almost always some daily catches left over. :)

The next morning- Ruben brought the kids down to play at the beach and he went harpoon fishing. No catches today though. the beach was beautiful and the kids had a great time- as usual. After a fun day at the beach we grabbed some tacos at a new place I found in town that I love!!!! Handmade tortillas, wonderfully flavored meats and freshly made agua fresca. How could you beat watching Carlos blend up pineapple and chaya into a fresh sweet water right in front of your face! Plus the tacos are locally priced- not tourist restaurant price. It really pays to get off the main Avenue. :) The family that runs this place is so sweet. They are from Chiapas and their 2 year old is adorable!

We sat at home, took showers and watched the craziest kids movie, Clouds with a chance of meatballs. It was a cute but sort of insane movie. After the kids went to sleep Ruben and I watched an episode of Lost and went to bed.

It is a new day! A new week! My dad will be coming to visit me next week. He has never been to Mexico since I moved here so it will be really great to finally show him where I live.

PLUS- every Monday we start the week wondering- hoping and praying that this week the kids actually have classes all 5 days! We shall see!

The schools--- what am I going to do about the schools!!!!?????

2010-05-28T08:42:00.003-05:00

The schools in Mexico really have a bad wrap. I mean it is not hard to see why. The schools in most smaller towns are so tragic that the idea of University to most kids is ridiculous. Now- to be fair- that is true for countless districts in the US as well. But one thing that drives me crazy about here is that the people that are supposed to be the ones that care the most and that there to do it the most are the people that make it the hardest.

I cannot tell you how many days I have gone to pick up one of the kids at school and been informed that there is simply no class tomorrow. Not that there is no school- but that Lena;s class will not be there. I do not understand this. I can see it a little bit- but really? All the time and for days at at time??? Now I thought that this was little more isolated to Tulum but no- this is just the way a lot of people run their schools. It seems that if the teacher is not available then no one is called in. This was totally reiterated in my friends blog post about her son's school. Leslie Limon retells the perfect story to demonstrate my point. If you have not ready it yet- read it and you will understand our frustrations. You can read it HERE!

So after my annoyance fit of being told that my daughter did not have school for the rest of the week (it was Tuesday when we were told) my question was... well, what should we do with them at home? In the meantime? You know... what lessons or homework in the mean time? They looked at me like I was crazy. Now granted I am always viewed as a little crazy here.

I have always wanted to do homeschooling and I do do some lessons. I do not have the faith in my abilities not to loose my mind to do it full time. Plus I need those 3 hours of sanity to at least TRY to write something or at least clean the house. But when it comes to homeschooling- I do not even know where to start. We do some good activities and stuff - and I know some really great websites with learning games and my mom bought me some reader rabbit games for the kids.

But my prayers were answered the other day when I went to a meeting at Akilean's school. The first part was talking about parents being more involved and participating more in the school and with the teacher. It cannot be separate. I totally agree- and luckily the teachers at my son's school really work with me when I ask questions or want to know what is going on. And Lena's teacher is great too. He has taught her to read. and she is a wiz at math. But day s off at a time and nothing to do?

With Akilean we have a little different of a problem. He is a little more advanced then the other kids in his class. He finishes his work very quickly and then is just sitting around. That leads to acting up- One of the reasons for this is that he went to Montessori preschool for almost 3 years before we left the USA. He plays with Lena and she is teaching him how to read. We are trying to get him to go straight into 1st grade next year- ifhe passes the test great- but because of his age they are saying no! He needs more to do? he is so curious and smart.

In this meeting they were also talking about the TV and how it needs to get turned off. Of course kids attention problems- they watch like 4 hours of TV a day. This goes for all of the Novellas as well. Kids are seeing things that they should not be seeing. And novellas in Mexico are not subtle. This is one area we are doing well on. We got rid of cable a few months back and I love it. The kids hardly miss it. If there is a show I or they really want to watch- we can usually find it on line.

The last part of the meeting was talking about a new campaign that the Education Dept was doing. In combination with SISEP - a group that is working to improve the quality and level of education in various communities. They have developed these books. These books outline everything that a student needs to know to graduate from that class level. Each book is designed for a specific grade and broken down into subject. Spanish - Math- Natural Science- Social Studies- Civics and Gov't- History. They are hard bound and fully colored. I was really impressed with them. There are also little exams and such to help guide what the kids are getting or not getting. There is also an atlas book that outlines every continent and country in that continent. There are also 6 disks with even more info.

Anyway. Long story short- I really want these. They are expensive- well- not really when priced out but for here especially. if you do it in payments of 250 pesos/ paycheck for 19 paychecks it would be 4,750 pesos. If you do 2 payments each of 1,800 pesos then it is only 3,600. I am doing everything I can to come up with this. Yes- I want them. If you pay it all you also get 8 paper back dictonaries broken down by subject. I know it is expensive- but for 1 I think the product is worth it and I am one of the cheapest people on the planet. Plus it is only 150 dollars per kid for all 6 grade levels. And these are not work books these are like encyclopedias that are grade specific.

I know what a lot of people say- you have the internet- and yes that is true- but I do not even know what information we should be looking up. And second of all- there is simply something about looking things up in a book. I remember my family had these encyclopedias when I was growing up. I loved them. I still remember moments of when I learned something from them. Well, anyway. I have never done this before but when I need help- I ask for it. I am trying to come up with 1,800 pesos. I can come up with the 2nd payment for the end of June no problem- but the first one is in just a few days and the first paycheck of the month is always spoken for with household needs.

So although I am being ballsy and tacky - I am asking for help- anyone who wants to help me buy these for my kids- any help is greatly appreciated. You can donate via paypal at the button above- you can specify Books so it does not confused with the school project. -

I know this is really tacky but- well, what can I do- I am a little tacky!

A perfect salad for a really hot day

2010-05-25T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been HOT! Very hot. The weather towards the middle part of the day is .... well... just awful. It is so hot. I really want to go to the beach and what not but we cannot do the taxis. Man I cannot wait to have my car. I did the math, I spend over 700 pesos a month on taxis just getting the kids to and from their classes everyday. I spend ,ore getting to and from then I do on the classes!!! That is just messed up. I cannot wait to get a car. That will be so great. Not to mention actually being able to sell my calendar to clients on the beach. FORGET THAT!!! Just going to the beach! I really want to go to the beach.

I have been going to town and writting my articles from cafes and what not all over town. It is just to hard to write as much and as often as I want from the confines of the house. The house gets very warm and even the kids do not want to go play because it is just way too hot outside. That is why the streets are all filled with kids in the evening. This used to drive me crazy before I understood it. Mid day it is simply way too hot to be outside playing. Then mosquito hour comes- and that is just awful. And right now we are dealing with tabanos which are HORRIBLE!!!! Then it is dinner time. Once dinner is done and everyone is showered (usually this is our 5th shower of the day because it is one of the only ways that actually brings your temp back down! jajaja) Then it is time to step outside and BS with our friends and neighbors. All of our houses have been baking in the hot caribbean sun for hours- we have been cooking food- and the houses are made out of cement. Not great for releasing all of that heat. So- well all sit outside.

When I first moved to Tulum and Ruben and I were driving around thinking about the town and where we wanted to live- Every 2 houses there were people sitting outside. I did not understand it. Now I do. just like the kids running around the streets until late hours- IT IS FINALLY COOL ENOUGH TO RUN!!!! YEAH!!!!

Speaking of the heat- cooking has not been something that I have wanted to do. The other day I made the best salad. Now- I am not a salad person. I never have been. I have always loved dressing- but dressing usually ruin a salad- health wise. Anyway. Salads have been sounding really wonderful to me lately.

I made the most killer salad. It was a bunch of lettuce, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onion, green apple, and mangoes!!!!!!! it was KILLER- with some croutons and a little light caesar dressing. I had some champagne dressing my momma bought me - it was amazing which is why it is gone. jajaja. I chopped a bunch of cooked chicken and it was amazing! The kids each ate a huge bowl full for their dinner. I am really starting to love salad.

We had a really nice picnic diner on the floor.

I got to spend a great night with a friend

2010-05-22T11:13:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had a less then great day. I had some bad energy and just let myself get down and frustrated. At the end of the day I went to the opening of Las Iguanas, a new restaurant in town. It really is a cute spot and I thin that it will really find a great spot in Tulum. The whole energy from the day really started to creep into my evening. Luckily I had a good friend there to say- "yeah..... NO!" She had a bad day too and she made sure that I left it.

Thank goodness. The restaurant opening was good but crazy as you would expect. I went the other day to meet with the owners and it was great. They prepared for me a number of their signature dishes. The tasting plate from yesterday was not nearly as great but that is just what happens at grand openings.

We had some great margaritas and really enjoyed ourselves. Even better- when we got the kids home- Deserie and I hung out literally all night long talking and laughing. I was peaking through the trees and at one point was like- dang--- that is a bright moon. Then I realized that it was not moon light at all. The sun was coming up. It was a really great night.

Today... we are off to the beach- enjoy the sea and build something... not sure what?!?!?! last time it was a little copy of Chichen Itza! Lets see what happens today.

Perfect!

2010-05-22T06:53:00.001-05:00

I had such an amazing night. I cannot wait to tell more. But it was perfect!!!

A new Tattoo

2010-05-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

I am so happy to have finally gotten another tattoo. I love tattoos. I have been wanting this tattoo for quite a few years now. Both my back piece and this one have been on my mind for several years. I waited while I was pregnant--- and then pregnant again (almost immediately) then I was way over weight- then I was in casts and totally broke. Now I live in Mexico. I do not have a lot of money but I can survive and I live in a place where if I had NO money- I could go to the corner store and get a credit until payday. Could you imagine walking into Safeway and asking for a credit until payday?!?! BBBBABAHAAHHHH! Would not happen. But here - the good and the bad of a small town in Mexico are in full supply. Both extremes are well represented.

Some of the pluses are obvious- killer beach (on most top 10 in the world lists) monkeys can be spotted as I walk to town- beautiful ruins and healing energy from a centuries old culture that still exists to this day. I love the delivery and selling system here- People drive by on triciclos and bikes- sometimes a car and sell just about everything - water bottles- tamales- fruit and veggies- even pots and pans!!!

But then there are some bad things too- One would be the bugs- the mosquitoes are awful and I hate cockroaches. But they are a jungle animal and I live amongst the jungle. I do also hat the tarantula that was in my house last night. I have found some in my back yard and I have found many frogs in my house after a good rain storm but never a tarantula - that far into my house. He must have been in here for a while!!! Oh well. No i did not kill it- but I am not a fan so I covered him with a sauce pan and then went to my friends house and he glided the poor guy out of my house so he could go on and life a happy life in the jungle.

here is a totally random fact that I learned while doing lessons with Akilean about Spiders. A female taranchula will live for up to 30 years. A male will live for about a year and a half. The reason is that the males- from the moment they are hatched-- are consumed with the idea of mating. They will literally chase females and mate until all of their good energy is spent. When the female can see that the male is no longer useful- she kills him. I am not sure if she eats him or not- but I know she kills him. I thought that was so funny. It is nature at its most BASIC level! I did not include that fact for Akilean's class assignment but I used it a lot on my tours.

The other huge negative is not having a car. The rain storms create some seriously flooded streets and there is no way to get around them. It is sometimes knee deep. It is sort of crazy. Riding my son to school in the rain through a river just sucks. Plus - when Lena does not have school- I have to leave her at the house by herself while I take and pick up Akilean. Not a huge fan of that. I mean, I know she is fine and she has my neighbors if there is a problem but it is a huge pain in the butt.

On the other hand... I have a reminder that I am the Joy of Life! And I am. I am the joy of my life. I realized that it is not my husband or my kids that make me the joy of my Life. It is who I am when I am with them that makes me better and I love that. No one else can create importance for you- your spouse, your kids nothing. Now having said that- My family is part of what makes me the joy of life. It is my life that I love! Anyway! Cheesey yes- but I am in a really good mood today. Wet and I cannpt do laundry but just happy!

A wonderful date with my little girl

2010-05-17T10:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took my little girl out for a little girly time. She is such a joy and she works so hard so I decided that we would go to town and get a treat together. Leave it to Lena. What did she want..... sushi! I do not know if it is from living in San Francisco for so long or what but she LOVES sushi! I would venture to say that it is her Favorite food.

So we headed to town to get some sushi. I love Sushill-Out but they have been closed lately. It looks like they are going to be doing some renovations or something. So we headed to the new Japanese place in town. The sushi is very good. Expensive but good. I am so used to sushi in SF where you can find amazing sushi rolls for just a few dollars.

We had a very wonderful little snack and then started to head back home. Just under the new Japanese place is Taco Diaz. They recently moved to this location. We decided to be nice ladies and get a few tacos pastor for the boys back home.

It was at this moment that it started to rain. Now, I am originally from Oregon, USA. It rains A LOT in Oregon. To say a lot is sort of an understatement. Then after 10 years in San Francisco we are very used to the cold and wet weather. Lena could not get out in the rain fast enough. She played in the water while I waited for the tacos.

While we were walking home - she would not let me run to the next cover. She said no, no no - walking mommy. It was so much fun. We could not stop laughing. It was great. We got more then a few looks and even more smiles as we jetted down the sidewalk.

Kids help you remember about the fun things in life. Sushi and dancing in the rain was a perfect Sunday evening!

Getting a handle on things

2010-05-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

There are all sort of crazy things going on. The other day was such a successful day for me and so many of my dearest friends- including Ruben. I have been working on getting this killer calendar up on my website so that I can promote and sell it to companies around Tulum. I spent hours coding and recoding and working out all of the little bugs and it finnaly worked!!!! The events calendar is great! I am so excited. I still do a lot of writting and want to continue writing articles on my site - but I am having trouble. I write a lot for TodoTulum and I love it. It is hard to keep writing an keep writting. So the calendar is perfect. Plus- I can find out all of the great things in Tulum.

Ruben went and spoke to the owners of his hotel that were finally there. He told them that he was originally told that the pay was going to be $1000 a month. That is a great living here. But then he was actually getting FAR less then that. So he went and spoke to them and they agreed to give him a raise. Not the full amount he was hoping for but more - so that is great. Plus- when high season comes it is appropriate to speak of another raise.

Then my really good friend Desere - who is a very talented artist had submitted a proposal for a redesign of one of their suites and she got the job. All of this is so great. They came home with a bottle of wine and we celebrated. It was wonderful.

The kids are doing great. They have started to take their classes at the casa de cultura. This is wonderful but man did it get expensive fast! They both take Tae Kwon Do 3 nights a week and Ballet 2 nights a week. The uniforms for Tae Kwon Do are 500 pesos EACH!!!! Ouch!!!! Oh well. They are really loving the class. Ballet was not as expensive for Akilean - just the easy cheap shoes. But Lena was almost 500 pesos for the skirt, leotard, etc.

Mother's Day... 2 of them in fact

2010-05-12T10:44:00.002-05:00

Here is one of the joys of a Mexican American life in Mexico... 2 Mother's Days. I was woken on Sunday morning with Ruben saying "let me go make you some coffee." About an hour and ahlf later he came with a beautiful breakfast. Eggs Benedict is my all time favorite and Ruben makes the best hollandaise sauce. he made my beautiful and favorite eggs Benedict and a killer fruit salad with plums, mango, watermelon and kiwi. A hot cup of coffee and a mimosa. It was perfect.

My friend Crystal came over around 10 and we hung out most of the day. She is also an American Mommy so we spent our day together and drank wine and hung out and watched our kids be crazy.

Later that day Ruben and I went into town to get some food and some beers. It was a really great time. We walked to a few different spots and just hung out.

On Mexican Mother's day I pretty much just hung on the sofa- the kids played and we just hung out. Lena and her friends put on a little show for me. They got all dressed up and set up a little stage and performed 2 little songs for me. The first is a Chipettes version of the "All the Single Ladies" and the other was gasolina. It was really cute.

Then Ruben came home on Tuesday and cleaned the whole house for me. That was the absolutely BEST gift ever! Very little makes me happier then a super clean house and it was the perfect Mother's Day gift.

Here is a video link to Lena's Performances. It was sooooooo cute.

YouTube link 1

YouTube Link 2

One other really sweet thing that Ruben did was put together a playlist with some songs that were from the very beginning of our relationship. One was our song- you can listen to it HERE - I have not heard that song in over 7 years- maybe more. It brought back so many memories.

So not the stage mom

2010-05-07T09:20:00.000-05:00

So Lena has finally gotten to start her ballet classes which was great. We went to Playa del Carmen and got all of the stuff she needed. It was so cute. Her little skirt- black leotard - SIZE 10!!!!! That blew me away. She has gotten so big. But in addition to starting ballet classes... she also was having a performance. So after just 2 classes- she was thrown on stage.

It was a great day. Well, I started his post a while ago and have been so busy- working- playing - sleeping and melting that I have not written at all. Sorry Momma.

So the recap. Lena had her ballet recital after only 2 days of classes. She had NO fear about being on stage and just watched the girls in front of her. It was great. She has another performance on the 6th of June. Akilean really want to take ballet with her so that is going to be really fun. She is also taking Ta Kwon Do as well with Akilean. I am really glad that they are both into both sports. I love it when they do things together. I got so lucky that both of my kids are so close in age. At the time I thought we would never get through it. But now- I could not imagine having it any other way.

Lets see what else.... we just had yet another week of holidays in Mexico. Labor Day, Day of the Holy Cross and then Cinco de Mayo. It feels like my kids have only gone to school for like 3 days the past 5 weeks. Oh wait.... they have. This is a little crazy. But hey... as my Argentinian neighbor told me when I first moved here.... the one sentence you need to know and repeat to yourself is... " Hey... Es Mexico." Keep repeating that to your self when you start to go crazy and you will survive.

We took the kids to the circus again last week. It was great. There are not a lot of animals which I liked because I hate the animals at the circus They are treated horribly and live a really awful life. This one had 2 donkeys and a camel! jajaja You got to love it. We were all sitting on literally 2x4 proper against other 2x4s that were propped against the wall held with string. Not rope- but string. I am not sure if anyone actually thought that it would hold but... Hey, es Mexico! The best part of the circus was watching Lena freak out when Patito came out. Patito is a child star singer- she has a very popular and actually cute song all about candy. This was not the actual child star but one done really well to look like her and lip sank. It was really cute. Lena saw her and said.. "mommy mommy can I go towards the front?" It was so cute. She was right at the edge of the circle watching her every move. After the circus the kids could get a photo with her. Lena was on top of the world!!!! After her picture she ran up and gave her a huge hug. It was so sweet.

Going to the circus was actually a reward to the kids for sitting with such patience while I did their hair. Lice is a huge problem in Mexico- at least here and especially during the more humid times. So I sat the kids down, went through strand by strand and got all of those little nightmares out and then put their hair in little tiny braids all over their heads. Lena looks so cute. So does Akilean but Lena is a tiny Bo Derek. TOOOO CUTE!!!!

The other fun thing is that Lena got her ears pierced yesterday. She has wanted them for a while. She had them when she was a baby but my hands were in casts for months and I could not take care of them if they got infected so we took them out. She got earrings for her birthday but we just never got it done. So yesterday I went and took her.

She got her earrings and I got to work on my tattoo. She was scared of the pain at first but did fine. Then in the middle I was not sure if she was going to do the second. Our friend Olmo was doing it at his studio and he does not use the gun. She took a minute and got it together and did the second one. After the pain went - she wiped her tears and ran into Olmo's arms for a hug. It was really cute.

What was funny was that I really did not want to get my tattoo worked on either because of the pain but after she did it- I had to. And it was not that bad. I mean, anyone who tells you getting a tattoo does not hurt is lying- but it is not that bad. I still need some green but we will do that next week when I get my next tattoo on my neck. Well, my back really - jujst below my neck. I am really looking forward to that one too.

On a totally random note. I also got a new front door. We have been needing one for a while and it was finally put in yesterday. It looks really nice. Then only bad thing is that they took down my screen door that Ruben had built me and the mosquitoes are really bad right now. Oh well. We will fix it.

Momma came and momma left.

2010-04-26T08:04:00.001-05:00

I had the most wonderful time with my momma and poppa Neal. I was so excited about their trip. Even with all of the ups and downs that Ruben and I have been through both individually and as a couple through the years and there is never any judgement. That is, I am coming to find, a rarer thing that I had expected to find in my adulthood.

From the moment that they arrived I felt better. I had not even seen them yet and I was already in a better mood just because they were in my country. There were some really crazy storms the day they go there and for the next several days. That was perfect because my momma's favorite weather and thunder is her favorite sound. Picking them up was so easy because they had only brought a few things in a carry on. The weather was pretty crazy so we stopped at a great place in PLaya del Carmen right on there on 307. It was fantastic. It was a great way to have them land. We spent the rest of the evening at my house and the kids smothered their grandparents.

The next day we went to breakfast at Don caffettos in pueblo. We all had to commit to eating the marinaded veggies that are on the table. These veggies are amazing. Onions, carrots, peppers, garlic, vinegar, oil, cinnamon... YUMMY!!!!! IT was great. We then got them checked into their room at Cabanas La Luna. It was great. They were in the garden room and it was perfect. It was nice not being in the beach front room during some of those stormier nights andthe garden room had this great little deck and "hot tub" that was obviously not hot- thank goodness.

We went to eat lunch at El Tabano. This is one of my all time favorite places on the beach. The food here is to die for. They have wide menu of great food. We shared the pear and brie appetizer and had a few shrimp dishes and some great pork loin dishes. The whole place is beautiful and I recommend this place to everyone.

That night I had arranged a birthday party at Zamas. My friend's band was playing at this is a great spot right on the beach. Poppa Neal had called me a few days before and had said that he really wanted to do something special for my mom since it was going to be her birthday when she was here and he thought it would be great to have a party with all of my friends. It was raining like crazy but no one minded. It was great.

The food was great, the drinks were great and all of my friends loved mom and Neal. It was a prefect night. Zamas had prepared a very great cake. It was a collection of their small chocolate cakes with ice cream and momma took the tradition of Mordeda. This is when after the candles are blown the person must take a bite of the cake with no hands and some loving member of your family gently (in some cases not so much) shoves your face into the cake. It was so much fun. The whole night was perfect.

The next morning I had arranged massages for both of them on their deck with the amazing Margo in Mexico. Pretty much everyone around here knows Margo's massages. Other then the truck coming up to empty the septic tank - Poppa Neals was great. Ruben tried to get the truck to stop but they are not able to once they start. But you know... Neal had the right attitude-- You can't change it- just fine the music in the sound, It is all you can do.

Later that afternoon the kids and I just spent the day with them right there in their room. For dinner we had dinner in the new Las Estrellas restaurant. This has been newly designed and beautifully decorated by one of the areas most talented artists and the food we were about to eat was going to be incredible. We already knew this. I love this place when Jacob is cooking. He is an incredible chef.

The dinner was an amazing 5 course meal. We started with a beautiful mushroom bruschetta followed by a nice green salad with green beans and celery. It was great. The fish course was a risotto cooked with a fresh fish stock Jacob had ben working on and was topped with a little grouper. Then it was time for the Arrachera. This steak was beautifully cooked and tasted amazing. And that has not been a common experience for me in Mexico. We finished with a homemade chocolate moose. I was drinking red wine so all of the food went perfectly.

Saturday we went up to Akumal's Yal- Kl Laggoon. It was great except that mom is not much of a water person and the weather had already started to turn a bit. We went to La Cuva in Akumal for dinner. It was really good. I had one of my favorite dishes- Camerones Diablo. Neal had a great sshrimpish with garlic and curry and a bit of coconut milk. When we mixed the 2 it was amazing. I cannot wait to play some more in the kitchen with chipotle and curry. UUnfortunatelyy momma got really sick after eating her lobster. This is common here and really unfortuante. I do not think it says anything about the resturant it is just the luck of the draw.

The next day Momma was feeling okay- not great but okay. We all headed out to the jungle to spend the day at Crystal's house for Dreyken's 7th birthday. It was a fun day. We left and went to eat at another one of my favorite places Nero di Sole. I love this place. They had a mussel app which killer and the manager/head chef sent out these 2 HUGE platters of all of his best!!!! Fried oysters, several types of bruscetta, cheeses and meats, and fried eggplant. It was amazing. I wish momma felt better but she held together beautifully.

The next day the weather was a lot brighter and hotter. Momma could not get out of bed and spent her time in bed. I wish she felt better but I know that it is just a reality of here. I spent the day with Neal and the kids on the beach. It was really nice. I do not get to spend a lot of time with Neal and so that was really nice. We had a fun beach day and I watched as Neal played in the waves with the kids. The water here is better then most places in the world and is so warm and beautiful. I am sure many places are but I am partical to my little slice of paradise. It was really nice to see it in his face that he really got why I live here and why I want to live here. Things have really formed here for me and I could not imagine going back.

the next day momma and Neal checkd out of their room and headed to our house to stay their last night with us. Momma and I went to Playa del Carmen where she spoiled me rotten. I could see in her face that she wanted to buy me one of everything. I swear if it would have fit she would have thrown a dryer into that little car. jajaja It was great fun. I have dish soap and laundry soap and face soap!! There are so many basic things that I used to have that I do not buy anymore because we do not have the money to spend on it. Well, I should say that there is not enough surpluss to buy the things and we choose to spend it on other things. So no more poor me stuff. BUT now I have mouth wash, face soap, CONDITIONER Y'ALL!!!!!!! I have not conditioned my hair in over 2 years and I have only cut it twice in 2 years so I am looking a little scruffy. But these next few months I will look wonderful!!!!

The last night we stayed at home and made a nice dinner and watched a beautiful lightning storm. Momma loves this weather so it was really nice. We all played Wii and watched Ben10! It was a perfect last day.

The next morning I felt a bit like I was taking my last walk on Death row. Knowing that they were leaving nad not going to be here was so hard to face.

One thing I am so happy about is that this trip was so much less difficult and MUCH less expensive for them so I know that they will come back and visit again soon. Momma said that she might even come down for a long weekend sometime and just stay with me. I feel totally re energized by having them here. that feelin gof total love and acceptance. Not just of me and who I am and have become- but also of Ruben. He has fought an uphill battle at times with opinions people have of him- some earned and some not. But I love that Momma and neal totally love and accept him and think of his as a member of their family. I know that it means the world to him and that he feels it. I could not ask for better people to call momma and Poppa Neal. I am so lucky to have these guys in my life. And they ended up adopting more kids here as well. jajajaja

Tulum Living School Project in full swing

2010-04-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

I finally all of the pieces in place to move forward full force with my school project. I have been putting thing project together for a while now and I am so excited about it. I have written more on it on my Tulum Living page but have also mentioned it here.

Having kids in school here in Tulum has been a bit of a love/hate relationship. I am so thankful for education but know that there are so many things that are missing or lacking. I know that it is not the same all throughout Mexico. Some of the problems are but some are also because I chose to live a in a much smaller community.

I have seen though that the schools here are in desperate need of certain things. I call it their big "quiero" Their big "want" This is the thing that is too big for us parents to ever be able to pay for but too small for the gov't to fix. I also want to increase the awareness of recycling to the children of the area. That is where permanent changes will be made.

So here is the project. This is a 3 part project involving Community- The School- and The Kids!!!!    We go to each school and find out what their quiero is. As a community we work to raise money for the project. As part of the donation we will also be buying recycling containers. For their part, the school must commit to regular recycling pickups and recycling education. The kids must also participate in a street cleaning day - seperating the trash into recyclables and garbage. The kids will then be rewarded with a cake and ice cream party.

We are so lucky to have a recycling center here in Tulum and it is up and running again. YEAH!!!! If you would like to donate, please click the donate button. All of the money donated (minus the fee that paypal charges) will go towards the project. Tulum Living will cover all other expenses.

Most of these project are between 4,000 and 6,000 dollars. Yes that is a lot of money but it is not an impossible amount to raise.

our first project: Hurricanes Kinder.   They are in desperate need of a lunch palapa and some picnic style benches. They also want a smaller palapa over the playground equipment. Could you imagine going to play at 5 years old in the hot Mexican sun and the playground is scorching metal? Not fun.

Please keep track of our progress. If you are in the area and want to meet up or help, please contact us.

I am so excited!!!!!

Oh my gad... Semana Santa

2010-04-11T15:05:00.001-05:00

Oh these 2 weeks have been crazy! Man I am I glad that I had to quit my job because I do not know what I would have done with my kids. Oh yeah... surprise... your kids have the next 2 weeks off. I must say, I knew it was coming eventually. I mean, we have the same spring break type deal in the USA. These past 2 weeks have been great.

i mean first of all, my mother is coming to visit me soon. And my mother is like breathing to me. She is my deep breath. That one you do when you need to recenter and refocus. All of my adult meditation has been focused on creating that feeling that my mother naturally evokes in me. She will be here for 1 week and it is going to be amazing.

The last time she was here was Christmas. We had the most amazing but unfortunately very expensive vacation. We have been here long enough now that we know how to get a great vacation for a lot less so this one is so much better. For one- I get to pick her up from the airport. Last year I hated the fact that she was here -in my state, my new country four hours now and I was not with her. I had to force myself to make tamales just so I would not go crazy.

But this time- i pick them up- grab a few supplies then back to my house where they will stay the night. Let me just tell you the Extreme Makeover that has befallen on my house. When we moved in - the house was not made correctly and the people before us treated it terribly. So the house needed some fixing- both to structure and damage but also to look and we have been going FULL FORCE BABY!!!

The bathroom looks so good. there is still a lot I wish I could have done before my mom got here but - hey- I live in Mexico and live per quincena!!! jajajaj

We went to great Cenote where we finally met an internet friend that we have been dying to meet. Canuck in Cancun has been a great friend to me and it was so nice. The afternoon was filled with great kisses and fun music. We headed over to the festival at Pescatores beach and enjoyed live music and all of our favorite Mexican favorite foods.

Anyway.

The past 2 nights.... NO MAMES BABY!!! we had the BEST few nights. Yeah... thins is a whole new post. Be right back!!!...

Lena and I worked in a little R n' R too! jajajaja

2010-03-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

Back at home. Things have been pretty amazing. Let me first say that I think I have the very best landlady in all of Tulum- possibly Quintana Roo. The is her home. This is not a rental for her. She regrettably had to move to Cancun because her son is sick. the people that lived here before us totally trashed the house. There used to be a yard and some nice plants and all of them where trashed because the people had their cloths in the front yard. the bathroom and tile in the shower is all screwed up and black. I do not know if he was like a mechanic or what but WTF?!?!?!

Anyway. We spoke to our landlord and told her about the improvements that we have already made. She knows that she will have to paint when we leave and because she used the cheapest paint (I would have too) It is all messed up. You cannot wash it or anything. So she said that she would pay for the materials and that we could fix up the house a bit!!!

And the best part is that my mom and step dad are coming to visit me soon and so all of this stuff is going to get done soon! We are painting, re- tiling the floors in the bathrooms and fixing the garden. I am so excited.

9 happy years

2010-03-23T08:32:00.001-06:00

Okay, this has been a little while but here is my "hell yeah- Happy anniversary to me" post.

Ruben and I have been together for 9 years now. For my website Tulum Living I write posts about the hotels and restaurants and what not that we try. One of the hotels was kind enough to invite me to stay for a few nights so that I could review another one of their hotels.

This was very exciting for me because- y'all I live here- and as cheap as the hotel rooms are here- we still do not make that sort of living- so seeing the hotels is not something that gets to happen as much. We stayed 2 days at Azulik- a beautiful adults only hotel that sits right up on the cliff.

When we first got there- we were amazed. The whole hotel is beautiful. I will be posting a review of the hotel on Tulum Living soon.

We are parents of 2 young children that do a great job of wearing us down and cutting in beautifully on our sleeping time. The first night - we fell asleep at 5 and did not wake up again until just before sunrise the next morning. Now I know this is horrible- I have lived here for over a year and a half and i had never seen the sunrise over the water. I am from the West coast of the USA and I am used to the sun setting on the Ocean. It was so beautiful to see it rise. We had a nice breakfast but I must say... i have totally given up on finding Eggs Benedict here in Mexico. I have even eaten it at some pretty nice places- It does not fly- oh well.

We spent --literally-- the ENTIRE day- sitting on our little balcony in the sun that was not too warm- which was perfect. We took a long walk on the beach- another thing we do not do when we have the kids. It was wonderful. We found some great pieces of coral that had washed up on the shore.

**JUST A REMINDER*** If you are here- well- anywhere for that matter NEVER touch the reef or the coral. It is a living breathing creature that is rapidly being damaged by people who do not know or do not care. The reef is not a souvenir. Having said that... there are many pieces along the beach that naturally break off and come to the beach. Feel free to take those- I do not know anything about on the plane or whatnot- but please- please - please--- do not touch or break the living coral that makes this area so amazing. ****

Anyway. Friday night we went over to Zamas for live music and some great drinks! It was great. I love that after 9 years- we never run out of things to talk about or laugh about. That is not to say there are not plenty of times when we get to sit back and not say anything. It is such a great feeling.

The next day- Ruben went and got the kids as I prepared to head over to the other hotel. The second hotel was Zahra- and although related to the first- was very different. It was very low key and really nice. Not fancy nice- but rustic simple and perfect for a vacation with the kids.

Zahra is on a secluded section of beach - it was nice to just open the door and let them run crazy. on Saturday night we headed over to Luna Maya and watched their amazing flamenco show. It was great. The food was not all the impressive but it was for a wide appeal audience so- oh well.

The kids go to bed normally between 8 and 8:30- so they were zonked out sleeping on the floor before the show even started. Ruben walked the kids across the beach and put them to bed. It was great because we could see our room door from our table. The show was great fun to watch.

The next day we got a real treat. Ruben had set up for us to go on what is called a fun trip. This is where tour companies will take you on a rapid version of their tour so that you can sell it at your location. We did 2 tours in 1 day so it was pretty fast. It was great.

The first tour was Mayan Extreme. It is a great zip line- well 3 in fact- 50-60 and 70 feet off the ground and 150 meters long. I was very cool. Then there is a repel. A free base- repel. I had never done this before and it was a great time. I want to do more of it. Then we went swimming in a beautiful cave. That was the first tour.

The second tour was great also. It was a snorkeling tour. We went to a beautiful cenote and then to the lagoon in Akumal. it was like swimming in an aquarium. This is the very first place i am taking the next person who comes to visit me. It was incredible.

They took photos throughout the day which was good because we did not. jajaja

That afternoon- we went and got the kids from our neighbor. We really needed a quick clean of the house so we did that too. It was tempting to stay at the house- make some dinner and just chill- the kids have school early in the morning- etc.

Yeah- screw that. We are incredibly broke people that have been given a free nights stay on the beach. There is no way we are not going. So we grabbed the kids uniforms and headed off to the beach.

It was pretty cold and already pretty late. We were sitting on the beach- on 2 wooden chairs- a kid on each of our laps wrapped up in blankets - a rum and coke in one hand and a smoke in the other (Ruben his and mine- mine jajaja) I turned to Ruben and said... "there is nothing wrong in our lives. there is nothing exceedingly amazing or wonderful- but everything is content. The kids are happy and healthy, we do not have a lot of money but we have enough to have some sandwiches and a homemade cocktail, We are sitting on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world- and we are so happy. "

it is one of those moments in life when you see that everything is exactly as it should be. Things are really heading in the right direction.

My school project is going to take off- I know it. And I know that my calendar idea is a good one too. Now I just nee to get everything together and executed. I was always the kid that did the homework and did it well- but would not turn it in. that cannot happen anymore. I have a lot of good ideas and I need to get them into action.

YEAH!!!

Carnival and a night out with Margo

2010-03-20T15:19:00.000-06:00

Carnival throughout Mexico and really all of Latin America is quite a site. This year in TUlum was no different. Our small little town made a showing. Ruben sort of chuckled and was like.. "what is this? This is not Carnival." I told him to zip it. In no time we are going to be missing the small town feel of Tulum as it is already changing so much. It was a really cute little parade- with trucks and vans all decked out and the feather boas flew high.

we took the kids to the festival part and gave them a choice. They could go on 3 rides or get a toy. Both are a total waste of money but I have come to learn that is just the way it is with almost anything in association with children.

Akilean had a big night. He lost his second tooth. He has been waiting patiently for it to fall out and it finally did. Corn on the cob and apples are apparently good for pulling teeth out. So was one of my birthday cakes one year- huh mom!?! jajajaja

Anyway. The fair was great like usual. A few nights later I got to go hang out with Margo in Mexico. She is a good friend that I met actually via the internet. She is Margo in Mexico and I am Mindy in Tulum. And now we are Margo and Mindy in Tulum Mexico. We had a great night at Zamas listening to some of her favorite live music. It was a really good time.

Call off the FBI- I am here!!!

2010-03-19T08:22:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been a very interesting past few weeks. But before I get into the catch up and where the hell we disappeared to let me first say... Yes we are safe, fine happy and living in a small Mexican Caribbean town. I dropped out of circulation for a week and my family got really freaked out. I am so sorry for causing concern. But there is one thing that gave me a good laugh once all the calls where done. Right on my FB info page is my Mexican cell phone number. Again I am sorry for any scare. We are just fine. Better then that in fact.

Well, I quit my job. They were willing to work with me on the part days but there is a big problem. I need 4 things to be in place for me to work, 1) school open 2) kids not sick 3) My friend picking them up 4)my babysitter. If 1 of those things is not there (and that happens frequently) I have to run around and stress out about who is going to watch my kids. And that is the life we ha in the USA and I live in Tulum, Mexico. I do not need to be living that life here. So with a little sadness but knowing it is the right thing I have quit the jungle tour.

But this means I have to get going with Tulum Living. And I have found what I want to do. I am making a calendar of Tulum. All of the Happy hours, live music, dj parties, yoga classes, community service projects etc all on one calendar. This is leading into my really big project ... The Tulum Living School Project.

We have designed a 3 part community service project for the schools here in Tulum.
1) Community: pulls together donations from locals, businesses, tourists and the online community to buy each school their big need. (most of these projects are between $5,000-7,000 dollars.)

2) School: as part of the donation we will get them recycling containers and set up regular pick up (our recycling center in Tulum is open again)

3) Kids: after school 1 afternoon the kids will walk the streets and pick up the garbage separating out recycling. After the street clean the kids will be treated to a pizza/ice cream party.

I used to work with Women for Children for Doernbecher Children's Hospital and I remember my mom telling me that amazing things can get done by people who are willing to put in the time and get organized. Well, I see a huge need and a huge community of people who are willing to help. It was actually the kindness I received after the kids bikes that told me to kick this into gear. I have friends willing to help pay for my kids bikes. And while that is so sweet- we did get them new bikes- it took all our money which is why our cable and elec got shut off but it was totally worth it. But anyway. It showed me that there are people in the world who would love to donate to this project and these are not HUGE projects.

Anyway. There will be more on that later.

So I will update more about all the specific fun we have been having but let me say we have been having a great time. I better go. My internet was turned on yesterday and I have sooooooo much writing to do.

I am so glad to be back.

Okay- Lucky as hell!

2010-03-01T23:27:00.000-06:00

Well, the past few days have been filled with everything wonderful. I came home Friday night and got a lot of writing done - which I really needed to get done. On Saturday- had coffee- sex- tacos - treats- then more coffee- then a killer day at work- Live music at Zamas on the beach- almost full moon and chillin' under a palapa. Had WAY too many Margaritas. Well, not really too many -- 5 really well made drinks- a quick smoke with the band on the sea the dancing on the sand. The night was still pretty young so it was off to the Full Moon Beach party at Om. I just did a quick appearance but it was great fun. Most of my very best friends were there and Lucrecia and Jackie did a great fire dance.

Then Sunday!!!! Yeah- that was all on Saturday. Sunday I woke up--- to a day off and it was finally a clear day. I was very happy. I promptly gathered the kids and headed to Ruben's work. The beach was as perfect as ever. Sunny and perfect.

I made the decision to tell the tour guide company that I can only work for them 3 days. I mean, I live in Mexico- I do not need to be living the both parents getting home in time to do dinner and bed. We left the USA- that is not what to do here. I think they will say yes. O am really good at my job- the only native English speaker and I get along with everyone. I hope it works out. Besides I have so much to write for Todo Tulum.
Okay- I am really tired. I am going to go to sleep.

Moving on

2010-02-23T07:21:00.000-06:00

Well, since our bikes all got stolen these past few days we have been dealing with it. But it has been really upsetting. I mean. Bikes here get taken all of the time but to steal from kids is just messed up. I mean, stealing from kids in Mexico is like one of the meanest things you could do. It is not like the kids that grow up here have much to start with.

I must say something here though. I am so amazed at my kids resilience. Their positive outlook. Lena says to me last night, "momma, remember when we gave our hair to that little girl because she was sick? Maybe someone to my bike to her too." She is way too sweet for her own good.

I told her that was a wonderful way to think about it but that even if your have nice reasons it is still not okay to take something from someone else.

Grandpa Neal and Grandma Paula came to our rescue once again. They must really be sick of doing it because they have helped us more then a few times. I am really excited though that they sent us some money to get new bikes. I am so happy for the kids because they really deserve those bikes. They have the best attitudes and imaginations when it comes to playing. They will literally sit an spin a bottle cap back and forth for an hour.

I remember one time I was at the airport heading to or from the USA. The kids were sitting on the floor in the airport flicking this bottle cap back and forth for quite a while. There was a mother nearby who was dealing with some kids that were driving her crazy and she kept looking at my kids with this envious look.

Now let me first say... she caught us at a great moment. My kids are by no means angels but at this particular moment no one else in the world would have known that. Plus this poor mom was clearly at her wits end with her travels and I am sure that her kids were annoying more then they normally might. I know that happens to me. Once they get you into that mood- everything they do- or don't do drives you crazy. Things that normally you would not even notice. I know that happens to me often.

I am going through a bit of a hard time. I really do not want to be working outside of the home too much longer but not having money is really hard. But here in Tulum ( I am not sure if it is the same everywhere) but here and in many small towns in the Yucatan - it is fully understood that the mother does not work. And it makes it impossible to be a part of our kids lives. I am not really sure what I am going to do.

I really hope that my Tulum Living calendar takes off and I can just focus on that. We will see.

What kind of lowlife piece of shit steals a kids bike?

2010-02-21T12:37:00.001-06:00

My poor little girl has been crying for 2 hours. This is such bull shit. What sort of an asshole steals from a 5 year old. Ruben and I worked so hard to save up the money for those bikes. My kids got 1 gift from Santa last year- those bikes and this year they only got 1 present.  One of the neighbor boys stepped on Akilean's race track because he was mad at Akilean and now that is gone. They have nothing for god sake. And barbies being Barbies now have no arms and no cloths.

You know this is bull shit. My children have had their whole lives and everything they ever had ripped away from them. They literally have like 8 toys between the 2 of them and they rode those bikes EVERYDAY for hours. And now this. They do not deserve this.

And to add insult to injury.  Ruben had arranged a few nights stay at a beautiful little hotel here as an anniversary thing. We have a few days planed for our 9 year anniversary next month. We were going to use next paycheck to pay for dinner and what not. Well, that is over. Not that I mind giving that up to put towards new bikes for my kids but - fuck this. I did not deserve this either. How much more can I have taken from me?

I gave up my brand new home, my friends, my family all of my possessions- and I had finally gotten past all of the college crap furniture and had beautiful things. All to come to this country were buying a bottle of wine for $5 is a HUGE treat. and now this.

Who does this. What am I supposed to tell Lena. I keep telling her that i am going to get her a new bike but that is going to take at least 2 months. This is bullshit. My kids already have nothing - how can you take more?

I hate these people.   they better hope I never find them because hurting my kids like this is going to land them in a world of hurt. People think my husband is a gangster thug- they have never seen a pissed off midget white lady from the states who has just had her kids fucked with. Anyone who knows me from before knows how psycho I can be. I have majorly chilled out in these past few years but doing this to my babies- Run you piece of shit- because I swear to god --God himself will cry when he sees what i have done to you.

I am sorry for the language in this but I am fucking done with this bullshit.

Valentine's Day and a little annoyed- stop being so jaded ladies!

2010-02-16T07:30:00.001-06:00

Well we just had our Valentine's Day- and it happened to fall on Sunday when Ruben and I both did not work. I have never been really huge on this day. I mean- I am not one of those jaded people who sit back and pass a bunch of judgement - "you should show love everyday" kind of girls. I do think that it is nice that there is a day out there - however commercial that remind people to celebrate to positive sides of relationships. Let's face it- there are a lot of men and women out there who are not the romantic show your feelings everyday sort of people and this day in February is one when people are reminded to show a little extra- to offer a reminder- and to give that romantic opportunity to those in relationships. On the flip side- yes it is commercial and over done and a very Hallmark holiday. But stop being so flipping jaded.

I have never heard of anything so stupid as a person dismissing a wonderful gesture from the one that loves them as a commercial ploy that they did not want to do. How belittling do you need to be to the one you love?

Having said that- I have made it clear to Ruben that flowers and jewelry are not needed- especially on a day when they cost so much more. But I do love that we take a little extra time this day to make the people we care about feel special.

We had a very simple holiday. Our 9 year anniversary is coming up next month so we kept it low key- In fact we both forgot until the day itself! I woke up with the kids and he was sleeping- "Oh- Shit it is V-day!" I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Breakfast is big for us on special days- well on any day really- Ruben gets more breakfast in bed then any man I have ever met. Last year we all had a wonderful fondue breakfast. This year I made pancakes- of course I made them pink and heart shaped. The first few mangos have arrived and so I got 2 to put on top- yummy.

Lena made me the cutest card. She had me write it and told me what to say. It was so cute. "mommy, I love you. You are a beautiful girl. I love you because you are my mom. You say I can play for 10 and 20 more minutes and I like that. I love you." I could have just died. She has gotten into the folding of notes now. She is learning all the ways to fold notes to pass. Ahh- I remember the day.

Ruben then left for a minute and I was thinking that he was doing the "oh shit- I have to run and get Mindy something." But he really surprised me. He had commissioned a artists friend of ours to do a piece for me and he went to go and get it. I love it when he plans ahead- Just that he remembered is really special.

Now I have always been the hippie and my hubby the gangster. Obviously in the context of normal living but when you break it down those are our basic personalities. I know - strange right. but that is who we are. He has always been opened minded and "okay baby" about my beliefs. That is why it was so nice when he gave me my gift. It was a beautiful amethyst crystal wrapped in black coral. The best part was when Ruben said that he thought it would be perfect for my table during my readings. Something to help the energy. I thought that was so sweet. It is beautiful and I love it.

We spent the rest of the day just watching tv and movies and hanging out with the kids. I hope that everyone had a nice day- if only for the reason that it was Sunday. And all of you jaded people saying the whole day is just a crock. Lighten up - be jaded another day- mayben Christmas.

Happy and busy days

2010-02-11T10:10:00.000-06:00

Well things have been going really well. I am sorry Momma that I have not been updating my blog. I have been - well... not wanting to write. :) I love work and it is going really well. I get to do some pretty gnarly driving and put some really beautiful cars in crazy positions and scare the shit out of tourists. I get asked at least 4 times a week if I have ever flipped a truck. To which I reply "not yet!" It is a good time. And there are so many days that I get a really great group. Yesterday I had hot French Canadian fireman and 3 awesome French Canadian chicks for my first truck - Firemen are always good and the girls where a lot of fun. Then for my second truck we just had 1 big family of 8 people- all older college or better- They were very similar to how my family would be on a trip. It was great. And it is so nice to be active again. We hike a lot climb on rocks, swim for an hour or so with just fins. I am also getting to see some of the most amazing land formations. These stalactites are HUGE and there are caves to explore and everything. It is very cool.

Ruben really likes his job too but he is having a hard time just sitting. he has only ever worked jobs where you are constantly moving and there is always something to do. Here it is much more of hanging out and being ready for when anything does come up. But I think that he really likes it. And he gets to ride his bike which is getting him into shape. It is a good 10 km ride to work so that is good.

Ruben made me a a beauiful shelf for the kitchen. It hangs all of my pots and pans and bowls. I was desperate for them and he did such a great job. He even made a rack to hang the few wine glasses that we have left. Yeah!!!!

The kids are doing great but I am loosing my mind with the schools here. They only go for like 4 hours and there is at least 1 day if not 2 when they close early or have no class. It is crazy. I have to put them into private school. I have to find out about it. Any one who lives in Mexico and has kids in public school knows what I am talking about. AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! Oh well. It is just part of the learning curve of living in Mexico.

I must say... a while back I built a wine bottle wind chime and hung it in my front yard. It makes such a nice little sound when the wind blows. And it looks beautiful hanging on the arbor. The flowers are growing in well around it and it will be a really cute little spot when it grows in. With paying for private school there is no way we will be able to move on building our house so we will be here for a while. At least we will see the flowers grow in.

The kids are wonderful. Akilean is about to loose his 2nd tooth. The bottom one right next to the last one he lost. It is really cute. It is so funny to listen to them talk. They have a strong Yucatan accent. Their Spanish is fantastic.

My other jobs are going well too. I am writing a lot of web pages and articles for Todo Tulum and I love that. In face today I have the day off from the tour and so I am going to hitch hike to the beach and walk the 2 hours down the beach - no kids- nothing to carry- just walking/swimming down the beach. I am writing the website for another hotel on the beach so I am going to go check it out. On the way I am going to visit my friend Johan - another beautiful Frenchman- but this one is a kite boarder. I might do a lesson on the paddle board. It looks really fun and like a great work out.

Well, I had better get going. I hope that everyone has a wonderful day. It is another beautiful day in the Caribbean!!!

Akilean has his 5th birthday party.

2010-02-02T18:21:00.000-06:00

Akilean had his 5 year old birthday party this past Sunday. His birthday is not until tomorrow but in his mind he is 5 now. It was a very successful birthday party.

The morning started as all great mornings should... at my favorite taco stand. This day was no exception. I ordered 8 tacos and 3 tamels to go. The morning was beautiful. I headed off to the little tienda to buy the things that I needed to make a pastel de tres leches.

--Strange side note- my neighbor sent her daughter over to my house to ask me if I would be willing to make a cake for her friends birthday. She liked the cake I made at Lena's birthday and asked me how much I would charge for a cake. It was strange but flattering. So anyway. I went to buy all of the stuff I needed and took my tacos home to get ready to make a lot of birthday cakes.

Akilean's birthday cake was so cute. He really really wanted this Ben 10 watch thing that has a toy on the end or something. This thing just happens to be 600 pesos- so not happening. So he got some Ben 10 underwear, a Ben 10 shirt and some little fantastic four guys. But I did decide to make a Ben 10 watch cake.

First I made green cake and then started going to town. It was really cute. I liked how it looked. I tried to make black frosting but did not have enough food coloring. Oh well. It was still really cute.

Akilean loved his party and his pinata. Every one had a really good time.

Happy birthday my little puppy. I love you. 5!!!! Holly crap!

Casa De La Cultura Schedule

2010-01-30T15:10:00.000-06:00

Here is the Full and detailed schedule of the Casa de la Cultura. This wonderful place support art, crafts, learning and study in our community and is community supported. If you wish to confirm a specific class or need more information, feel free to contact me.

Akilean lost his first tooth.

2010-01-20T13:04:00.002-06:00

Both of my kids got their teeth at a very early age. Both Kids had 4 teeth at 4-5 months and 8 at 8 months and full mouths by a year. So it was not a huge surprise that they lost them early. Lena has lost several teeth- I think like 7 by now and she just turned 6 in Nov. Some of her friends have not lost the first one. You might remember this picture of Lena's many missing teeth.

Well now Akilean has lost his first tooth. It was loose for a while and we told him to be patient and that he would know when it was time to come out. Sure enough... after a week days- maybe a week he ran to me... mommy mommy- my tooth- it was literally hanging on by a thread. We told him to grab some tissue and hold the tooth and it would come out. Without any difficulty or drama and with a very proud and surprised expression on his face- held his tooth in his had.

It was really cute. He kept wanting to show all of his friends but I told him that he could not touch it anymore because I have a deal with the tooth fairy that once she is done with the tooth - I can keep it because I wanted to save it for his baby tooth. He was totally on board- but then.... wouldn't you know it. the tooth got lost. I luckily had one of Lena's and that worked but it was pretty funny.

i found the tooth but not until the next day. :) jajaja gotta love it.

CAtching up- WOW so... The Holidays... part 1

2010-01-07T17:29:00.015-06:00

Wow- things have been so crazy busy. It has been wonderful. We have had so many birthdays and parties and family in town and so on and so on. All of the wonderful parts of a Christmas were here. It is easier to do this with pictures...

We went to the fair with a mariposa fairy and Spider Man and uncle Cesar. It was really fun and we got my favorite carnival treat- The corn on the cob with mayo-cheese and chili. YUMMY!!!!

Then I made my wine bottle chandelier- but it has evolved into a wine bottle wind chime and sits in the middle of the new arbor that Ruben made me for my bougainvillea. I really like it. As it grows it will make a cute little shady spot.

Went to the fair again- this time with Ruben and once again... Spider man and mariposa fairy. These costumes are WAY too small but they insist on wearing them all the time.

My step dad's sisters came to visit and that was wonderful. We had such a great time. They were fantastic. We had wonderful dinners and fun talks and they were rock stars on the tour. They came to my work and did all of the activities. It was awesome. Laura asked my friend why his nickname was El Diablo.... she found out.

We had so much fun. We ate, we talked we drank wine, It was so much fun. And it was really cool to get to know a whole new side of my step dad Neal which I love. I cannot wait to see them again.

Okay... so this gets us to Christmas day. last Christmas was spent with my mom and Neal at a resort here in Tulum. It was the nice dinner followed by a santa surprise in the morning. You can read about it here.

This year was amazing. Christmas eve I made some spaghetti with chorizo meat sauce. (a fav of my step dads from last year!) and we had the kids running around the street, neighbors flowing in and out. We got a pinata and it was HUGE!!!! the kids went to town on that. I even got to take a few swings. But eventually I ended up doing what most of us do- reaching in and throwing the candy! It was great.

Christmas morning we woke up and the kids got to open their present. The only bad news... Santa did not have any tape so he thought glue would work- yeah not only was it not dry- it made all the paper stick really well so there was no big open and reveal. Oh well- lesson for santa.
Each of the kids got 1 present from Santa. Akilean got a race track for cars and Lena got a collection of Barbies of Disney Princess. And the real barbies- not the ones from Mexico that always has the legs falling off. She was really excited. My mom and Neal also sent some movies up. That was great. And Laura and Karen got them each a puzzle. Ruben went and got tacos at my favorite taco place and tamales for the kids. We spent the next few hours putting together the race track. :) Later on we met up for a quiet dinner. It was really wonderful. Christmas day was great.

Later in the afternoon we met up with Laura and Karen and went to Casa Cenote. This is one of our favorite cenotes. It is right next to the beach and is great for snorkeling. We all hopped in the cenote and swam deep into the mangroves for about 45 minutes to an hour. It was great. Afterwards we went over to Casa Cenote restaurant and had some drinks and some food. It was great!

Charlies and had dinner at one of my favorite places in Tulum. Neri di Sole. This is a great place on Tulum Ave! It was a wonderful dinner.

Then it was back to work and get ready for New Years. New Years is always special for me because it is Ruben's birthday on the 1st. So when the clock hits midnight- that is his birthday. This year was very special because it was a blue moon. That is when there are 2 full moons in 1 month. It was amazing. There was one point when there was the most striking ring around the moon. It was beautiful.

We stated out just before midnight at a bar called Moloko. It is on the 2nd floor- open and a very nice little spot. After that we headed over to the beach. It was great. Some of our friends were headed to another beach party but we headed back to town to start to wrap up the night- well my now mid morning. We got to bed early enough that the next day when the kids woke us up - we all had a wonderful breakfast in bed sort of day. It was great.

2010 is off to a great start. I am so excited about my job and I love Ruben's schedule. It is great. I am learning how to manage my time now that I am working again and a big part of that has been why I have not blogged. But I guess that is good. I have been so busy having a GREAT time that I have not even turned on my computer.

We went out one night with our friends and it was a great time. We found this
really cool buss with a very cool design on the side. When we took pictures in front of it- the reflection of the flash made a really cool effect. It was a lot of fun. I feel really good about things right now. It is a really nice feeling.

Ruben and I are doing better then ever. After 9 years together it stills feels so amazing. There have been some rough spots and trying times but that is just life. Things are going really well and I am really looking forward to this year.

I hope that everyone is having a great start to 2010. I hope that everyone had a fun and safe holiday and I wish you all the very very best in the year 2010!!! Love- peace happiness!!!

Hey Smile you will live longer!!!!!

Welcome to 2010!!!

2010-01-05T20:45:00.002-06:00

Well things have been so busy. I am working now which I love and Ruben also has a new job. He is working at a hotel on the beach. The past few weeks have been crazy. Wonderful and full of friends, family, parties, quiet nights and lots of wonderful memories.

The kids start school tomorrow and I am really glad to be getting back into a pattern. I need it. I am a person who likes schedules. And lists too. I love to make lists. Ruben always laughs because I will sit down at the table and make a long list of all of the things to clean the house. Just so I can cross things off. He says that I could have gotten 2 of the things done already.

Things are going really well. I am trying to get used to working again and getting my energy. It is a very physical job and I have been so tired when I have come home. I have not been on the computer at all. I have a lot of catching up to do.

More pics to come soon of so many wonderful days and nights.

My new Job- Yaaj-Zimbal Jungle Tours

2009-12-15T19:35:00.005-06:00

Well, I have been writing from home for a while now and I really like it.. but we are broke - so when a job literally came knocking on my door- what else could I do but consider it.

Now I have worked 1 of the past 6 years for companies that I did not own and it has been almost 2 years since I worked on anything but freelance writing and my Tulum Living website- which at the moment makes no money at all - but there is always the goal. Anyway.

I was invited on a tour recently that my friend is the tour guide for. It is a really fun tour that takes you on a serious 4X4 trip through the jungle. And I mean a serious 4X4ing trip. I have been 4x4ing before tons of times but in mud, snow and sand dunes but this... this is totally different. In the jungle we visit a tall tower that over looks the jungle, some dry caves, small cenotes.

After the 4X4 ride we take them on a zip line and then into a cenote where we will look at a ton of stalagmites and stalactites. After the cenote we are off to a wonderful Mexican bbq! Yummy! I am really excited to start.

I am really excited to possibly be making some payments towards something that we want to get done but I do not want to be away from my family much. But I could use a little break. It is sort of my turn.

Here is a post from when I went of the tour before. It is really cool

Everyone is in the Christmas spirit

2009-12-10T09:02:00.005-06:00

I do not know what it was about the yesterday and the day before but all of a sudden- everyone in my neighborhood starting putting out their Christmas decorations. Last year I did not see many houses with lights- maybe 3 at most. But this year there seem to be many more people getting in the Christmas spirit. Uh Oh- It i raining in my new outdoor office... I better go inside.

Okay. now that is better. There have been some really strong rain storms coming in. Yesterday my little house just could not keep the power on. It was a very quiet morning.

Anyway... My whole little neighborhood has gotten really lit up lately and i love it. There are not the extravagant light displays like up in the states but that is not that surprising because electricity here is unbelievably crazy expensive. SOLAR AND WIND POWER!!!!! Lots of houses have a lit up tree or some along their house. It is really nice.

In our house it does not look like it used to in the states. Man I cannot wait to get my Christmas stuff down here. But the whole house does look very cute. The purple walls help a lot. But our tree is what really does it. We do not have many ornaments that made it from last years "shatterproof" purchase so we made a bunch.

I asked the kids to each pick out 1 color paper to make the ring chains- they - as expected picked pink and blue- so a pink and blue chain is what we have. I also grabbed some red and green and walla....

A homemade tree- complete with blue and gold glitter and green sequins. It actually turned out much better then I thought it would. It looks really cute. Some of Lena's older friends were over and they were writing our names and Santa and stuff- it was really cute.

So here we are with our cute little homemade Christmas tree.

Then we decided to make Christmas cookies. I found a great recipie and remembered my mistakes from last time - they were WAY too thin last time and got burnt.

The lesson I learned from last time is also that if you make the cookies from scratch- you want nothing