.JPG)
.JPG)
Posts
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
"Is this the face that launched 1000 ships and burnt the topless towers of Ilium?"
"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?
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.
Halloween
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 |
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. 
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.
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.
Wish Lists
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!
A life altering experience.
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.
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.
A day of snorkeling in the back yard and learning!!!!
.JPG)
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.
The schools--- what am I going to do about the schools!!!!?????
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.
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 wonderful date with my little girl
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. 
Kids help you remember about the fun things in life. Sushi and dancing in the rain was a perfect Sunday evening!
Mother's Day... 2 of them in fact
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 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.
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.
Momma came and momma left.
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)