Goodbye Winter Break

Hello January! The girls will be going back to school tomorrow and we are all more than ready to get back to our normal routines.  The whirlwind of Christmas and New Year´s and the addition of Three King´s Day this year has been fun but exhausting.  Tomorrow I will drop the girls off at school and head over to the gym to resume my fitness routine (sounds fancy but its not, its sweaty and I don´t much enjoy it, except for Pilates).  After that exercise high, which I´ve yet to experience,  I´ll attempt to get my house in order after which I´d love to meet a friend for coffee before the school run.  Nine to two...five hours, how I´ve missed you!  Don´t get me wrong, I loved spending more time with the girls, loved having the time to enjoy lazy breakfasts and go on day trips we normally don´t get to make.  But oh how many things get put aside, each day that goes by creates another task to the “after the holidays” list. (And let´s not talk about the overindulgences in the food and drink department, save that for another post).  I warn you, this is a long one, making up for my two month hiatus...

These two go back and forth between fighting and adoring each other.  The fighting usually comes from the little one who wants nothing more than to shine brighter than her sister.  Lately I see a shift happening, and suddenly I spy more moments like these.  Talking, laughing, playing...finding their way to the deepest of friendships.  Until the next bickering session, which if I recall correctly ocurred five minutes after taking this shot.  

One of my favorite traditions in Spain is going for a ¨vermouth¨ before lunch.  Usually on the weekend, this is a staple bringing people together to enjoy a  glass of wine, beer, coffee, whatever you fancy while enjoying some pre-lunch tapas and conversation.  We have become fervent followers of this tradition.  When in Rome...

After returning to Spain from the states, one of our goals was to travel more, not only abroad but within our own region.  Soon after coming back, we discovered Llanes, a small fishing village an hour away.  We love it there.  Spent many summer days enjoying its beautiful beaches, some of the best in the north of Spain (in my opinion).   And while we now feel almost like locals, this was our first visit in winter.  Just as charming.  If we win the lottery we´re setting up a summer cottage there, preferably right on the beach, but one of these village streets would do as well.

As per usual, we leave everything to the last minute, and so it was with xmass shopping.  Some key items were taken care of way in advance, but some last minute things always come up.  Heading to our local shopping center the day before Christmas Eve is almost like running with the bulls. This year however some brilliant person in management decided to set up a Beer Fest bar right in the middle of the mall.  Not only that but there was a child play center available for kids to enter for one hour whilst the adults enjoyed this:

Needless to say, shopping was a little less stressful, a little bit more amusing, and a tad more generous.

Christmas Eve 

Christmas Day, coookies have been eaten, milk has been drunk and only a small piece of carrot remains.  Not sure why the reindeer left it on the plate and not on the floor.  Glad no one asked about this.

Selfie time with the littlest before New Year´s Eve dinner with the fam.  There was a war going on between myself and those cute little purple shoes.  She refuses to take them off when at home.  They are hand me downs from her older sister, and so two sizes too big for her.  No objection there.  However after being worn day in and day out 24-7, not only by her but by her sister (who most likely did the same) the smell eminating from them is well, not pleasant.  But I am picking my battles.  Look at that smile...if stinky feet means infinite cuteness, so be it.

Big breakfast on Three King´s Day, this is HUGE here in Spain.   Day of the Epiphany when the three wise men bring gifts to all the little children.  We decided early on that Santa would be the tradition in our home, as well as setting limits with gifts. The three kings do not make a stop in our home, but they leave just a couple of things at Grandma´s...a nice compromise I think.  

After this delicious meal and the lunch that followed, I am quite ready to get back to the grind, back to healthy eating, and back to working on the things I love.

Winter break, its been fun, but I´m glad you´re leaving...see you next year! 

x

Emma´s At-Home Birthday Party

All my birthdays as a kid were celebrated at home with balloons, confetti, party favors, a table full of home made snacks and treats and of course a cake .  I have pictures from age one to ten that look almost exactly the same, me blowing out the candles while an assortment of cousins and friends stand around me trying to get to the cake.  Sometimes my eyes are open, sometimes halfway and sometimes not at all...but my mom is not picky about those things and they are in the family album for all eternity and for all to see!  While I sometimes cringe at some of those shots, looking at them always bring back great feelings of many happy birthdays.  Hopefully I can help build the same memories for my kids.

When it came time to prepare Emma´s 5th birthday party over the summer, she had a few simple requests: everything had to be pink (not surprisingly) and we had to have cupcakes (easy enough).  Since we don´t have a Party City in these parts of the world we went to a little shop downtown called Hascot Kids.  They have a great selection of party decors, DIY crafts, and various knicks and knacks you can´t find anywhere else.

Emma picked out the pom pom decorations hanging from the ceiling.  I have saved them for future use, although it took awhile to fold back to it´s original shape and will be curious to see their state when they come out again.  Regardless, I loved the look of them and how lively it made the room.

The cake part was tricky.  Back home I probably would have gone to the nearest ice cream shop and ordered your regular ice cream cake with Frozen characters on the top (we are still obsessed with Anna and Elsa).  That idea doesn´t work here though, mostly because I have no idea where to get one.   Not sure it´s even done around here...I certainly don´t know where to find one (if anyone local does please let me know for future reference!).  I tried a few places that had decorative cakes which were ok, but nothing I felt was worth the price tag.  In the end I went to a local bakery downtown and got the tastiest strawberries and cream layer cake with fresh strawberries on top.  Kids were licking their fingers and adults asked for seconds, success in my book.

The birthday girl generously allows little sis and bff to take turns blowing out the candles.  (Not shown are a couple of pictures of each trying to hog the cake screaming ¨me first!¨ until somehow they agreed to take turns).

Opening gifts so fast I had no idea who gave what.  Thank you notes were therefore not possible, must come up with new approach next year.  

Frozen purse gift...major hit!  

And last but not least, the classic family picture which includes a pair of closed eyes and a little sis that did not want to cooperate...not perfect, but a real moment we will always remember fondly.  

xx

C

Why blog?

Some time ago I heard or read something, somewhere, about blogging.  Nothing that interested me, in the least.  Strangely enough, through my two pregnancies I avidly followed other pregnant women´s journeys on youtube (something I also heard or read somewhere) and yet that had managed to catch my attention.  I think because I saw them live, heard the concern in their voices, the excitement and anticipation of their upcoming motherhood that was so much like my own, I connected to them.  

I admit I never really read a blog, anyone´s blog until very recently and so I really had no basis to write them off entirely.  But just like when you hear a new word or expression, you suddenly see it everywhere....so it was with blogs for me.  A few months ago a friend of mine told me of her new project, she was starting a blog.  Very enthusiastically she told me about her search for finding a personal space, in which to pour her creativity, share her thoughts and perhaps even create something new for herself. She had been following blogs for some time and had seen working moms like herself, dedicating time to blogs that were an outlet for creativity and inspiration.  Some had even created businesses out of them.  Not intentionally,  they had found a niche in which to share ideas, advice, just about anything they wanted and people were paying attention.  

Interestingly enough, I was just starting a ¨project¨ myself,  a children´s clothing store online. I was curious and began to investigate, reading a few here and there, suddenly realizing it was a whole other world I had not been privy to. The more I read the more out of touch I felt.  I suddenly felt like I needed to write as well...(warning, cliche ahead) a need to be heard?  I imagine this comes from raising two kids under the age of 5, you crave creativity - the adult kind!  I realized I needed time to share my thoughts, express ideas, if even just for myself, at the very least it might be therapeutic. So here it is, welcome to my blog...stay tuned, more to come!

x

C