Party's over

This week has consisted of work, work and more work - and throw in 2 sick boys who haven't been to school yet this week. I think they are on the mend and ready to return to school tomorrow.

I started this blog to write about our journey AND with a promise to myself to be open and honest about this experience. I feel a little Debby Downerish lately in my posts, but that's how I've felt. I've had pity parties, "I want to go home" tantrums and hands up in the air frustration. Adam has been so patient and forgiving and I think it's partly because he's felt the same way too.

One thing I have realized a lot lately is that no matter where we are in the world, we are all human. We have the same raw emotions on all sides of the globe. When I had a really crappy day at work, I learned my sister had the same kind of day in the states. When I was ready to walk out of Singapore, I learned several of my new friends were too. As I suffered from major mom guilt, other friends joined me in that feeling. As I cried because I missed my family and friends back home, I learned they cried because they missed us. It goes on and on. We're all feeling it, living it, sharing it and experiencing it together. Life. Same/Same.

I am saddened by what others are going through in their lives. Then I stop and think, "Here I am complaining about my life, while others are hurting. They are reeeaaallly hurting." My hurting is small potatoes compared to their hurting.

My new normal has taken on a different feeling lately. I got cocky. I thought I cruised through the "what the heck was I thinking phase" when out of nowhere it hit me like a ton of bricks last week. Now it's time to pick myself up, shut my pity party down and move on. Small potatoes.

Even when I'm feeling all Debby Downerish, I find ways to be grateful. I have to. I believe the hard stuff makes the good stuff gooder. Better. If we didn't go through hard things, we wouldn't appreciate life when the really good things happen. And they happen every single day. We just have to be present enough to open our eyes and see them.

My eyes were open enough today to appreciate:

-Snuggles on the couch with my two sick boys before I went to work
-A message from my principal (I still can't bring myself to call her my former principal) who somehow knew exactly what I needed to hear
-All of my teammates smiling and laughing together
-A text from a dear friend that made me laugh as I started my day
-My students taking action and saving the little lives of approximately 75 caterpillars
-An iced latte during my prep period
-A husband who stood on the balcony with the kids and waved to me as I crossed the field to come home
-Skype's ability to connect Nanny & Grandpa with their grandsons
-A picture of my favorite bottle of wine sent from someone who knows me too well

See. That's happy, feel good stuff. And it's all mine in this crazy, humid, Singapore life.


P.S. Next time I write we'll be headed to or in Bali. Debby isn't welcome on that trip, so I promise you'll get happy pictures and happy words.

 

It's Monday already?

This weekend we had been planning to go to Malaysia to visit the newly opened Legoland. BUT- given the week we had, we thought a few days to rest and relax would be good for us all. Drew had a fever Thursday and Friday and Luke went to bed with one tonight. So on top of our difficult week, the boys have been sick too.

Both were feeling okay yesterday, so Drew and I began the morning with a walk to Starbucks. It was so nice spending an hour just the two of us. A simple walk and running around an empty mall brought smiles and laughter to us both. The 4 of us enjoyed a few hours playing by the pool and then a trip to the Air Force Museum down the street. It's FREE (that's rare in Singapore) and the boys loved it. Aside from another family, we were the only ones there, so they could explore and play all they wanted. The museum was a great way for us to learn about the history of the Air Force and for the boys to see these planes & equipment up close. Small, no crowds and free entertainment...right up our alley!

We are headed into our final week before Fall break. On Tuesday the Grade 3 classes are headed to the Singapore Zoo. It'll be my first time and I can't wait!

Clearly they are all keeping themselves entertained 

Air traffic control

Drew kept letting the pilots know they could "take off!" 

Love these three

So cool to experience these planes up close

Love this picture

This helicopter rescued hundreds of people when a Tsunami hit Malaysia many years ago. 

Had dinner in Chinatown Saturday night 

The Mid-Autumn festival ended recently. I wished we made the trip down there during this time. There were still hundreds of lanterns around. These were decorated by children. I love Chinatown!

Here's hoping this week is better than the last! :)

Longest.week.ever

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. Reports, projects, re-rewriting reports, grading projects, growing to-do lists, emails, emails and more emails.... it's been one of those weeks. Had a rough day yesterday and cried the minute the kids left school. I said the words that hadn't come out of my mouth yet. "I want to go home."

Some lovely friends could see the rough day I had, as I received these on my desk this morning:

The note on the left with the latte says "Bloom where you are planted." Those words have given me something to think about all day. The other is just a reminder that someone cares. 

In the midst of craziness, frustration and tiredness, I'm reminded that friendships enrich my life in so many ways. From the ones I adore back home to the new ones I've made here, they make my life so much richer. As one of my dearest friends would say, they make my heart happy. 

Tonight as Adam and I were leaving work for our dinner date, he could tell I wouldn't be able to forget about work and enjoy myself. Back to my classroom I went, worked on reports, while he went and got us both dinner. There we sat, in my classroom, having our dinner date seated in 3rd grade desks. He makes my heart happy too. 

It's these small gestures that remind me when I remove all the frustration from work, I'm left with some pretty amazing people and opportunities in my life. For that, I am blessed. 

When in Asia, part 2

Three signs that Luke has been in Asia too long:

1. He gives the peace sign without hesitation anytime the camera comes out
2. He takes his shoes off to eat
3. He asked for a water bottle with a strap so he could wear it around his neck.

That kid kills me.

Phases of living abroad

Reflecting. It's something we do A LOT here. Daily, hourly, by the minute...you get it. We talk a lot about life here, what we like and what we don't, what we hope life will be like when we move back to the states, etc. We probably talk more than is comfortable for Adam, but it's been realllllly good for us. We're on the same page and I love that. We've got each other's backs when things get tough and we share big smiles and happy hearts when we experience great things together.

Right now I'm in the place everyone said I'd get to. I'm past the honeymoon phase (where life is pure bliss) and I've coasted through the "What were we thinking?" phase. To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever fully had that phase. I'm now in the, "this is my life" phase. I feel content, but not permanently content, if that makes sense. I still have my ups and downs. I also know Adam has those moments.  He's missing his district, staff, and administrator in a BIG way. There is no font big enough or bold enough to emphasize the word BIG. He misses his job back home and feeling like he made a difference. I'm so proud of the educator he has become and wants to be.

Our temporary home is comfortable. But it's missing Ella and carpet. The cement floors are going to cause Adam to have a heart attack with his worry about the boys falling and hitting their heads. I do miss watching them play football and tackle each other. That said, it's a comfortable place for us to be for the next 19 months. We love, love, love the pool and how child-friendly our complex is. It's wonderful to hop off the elevator and have people greet us and happy to see the boys.

We can't wait for our first visitors in 5 weeks. Dick & Vicki will spend 2 weeks with us here. There are so many great places we want to take them, foods we want them to eat, etc. I think their timing will be perfect, as we're ready for some love from home. Speaking of love from home....I want to thank those of you who text, email, Skype, post on Facebook, call, etc. because it all means so VERY much to us. I talked to my mom recently who passed on some messages from people about our blog. Those mean a lot too. Just knowing there's people back home who are following this journey of ours keeps us close and connected.

This quote rings so true for me when I think about home:

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” 

Drew's 2nd Birthday!

Man this kid gets to be more fun everyday. If "funner" was a word...that would describe our little guy. His words are becoming sentences and his understanding of things has grown hugely in the past few months. In my mind he had two birthdays. Well, three if we count Leandro's party. Anyway, Sunday was his "Singapore" birthday and Monday was his "states" birthday. On Sunday we had two families over for swimming, pizza and cupcakes. Drew had fun playing with his buddies (I use the term 'playing' loosely with 2 year olds) and the adults had a great time visiting. We are lucky to have met such great people over here.

Cool new police car with lights AND sound. Clearly we didn't think that through . 

These two make us SO happy

Pure joy on Drew's face :)

 

The two balloons in the background are from Leandro's party. They are like 9 bucks a piece here...good thing for me is Drew doesn't have a clue they are reused party balloons. 

Amazing cupcakes made by an SAIS mom and baker....soooo good!

These two crack me up!

On Monday (Drew's states birthday) he got to go to school for the first time. We have been building it up a lot the past few weeks, hoping it wouldn't come as a complete shock to his little system. All fine in theory - but reality was a bit different. He walked right in, started playing, heard the door shut and LOST it. As I rounded the corner to check in on him, I saw him running out of the classroom crying and teacher chasing him. Heart breaking and funny at the same time. 

Luckily Michelle came to the rescue and has been spending the last few days with him at school. The teacher has her in and out so Drew can get used to the environment, his classmates and new teachers all with a familiar face nearby. It's A LOT for a 2-year old, so we want to do things right so school is a fun place for him to be. We've changed plans a bit and are going to have him go 3 days a week rather than 5. Considering he'll do nursery school again next year, we feel like 3 days (well, mornings) is plenty. He still enjoys his one on one time with Michelle. Today was better than yesterday, and I'm sure tomorrow will be another improvement. Ugh...this working mom thing is tough. I just want to be there for my little guy, but I also know having me there (in the classroom) would make things harder. 

Here's to another year of a little boy who fills our hearts with joy. His smile lights up a room and his screams make you want to rip your hair out. We love you Drew! 

Living on vacation

We are headed to Bali in 2 weeks. A dream come true for Adam and I,  yet just another trip for Luke & Drew :) The other day Luke asked me, "Mom, are we going to Malaysia or Bali first?" It stopped both Adam and I in our tracks. What a funny question to hear from a little guy - he asked it so innocently, yet when I think back to where we were just 3 months ago...wow life has changed.

Had a good week at school. Adam hit a bit of the "I want to go home" phase and I hit the "Holy crap we work hard over here" phase. Work hard and play hard I guess.

It's a very weird dynamic that our brains go through here. Life is good. It's really, really good. The boys are happy, we lucked out in finding a great helper, I love my students, Adam is getting experience with a job he's never had before, yadda, yadda, yadda. BUT- even with all of these really great things, we experience moments of sadness and longing for what we have back home. The people, Ella, and the things. And yet I know, when we do go back home, we'll experience sadness and longing for many things here. It's been life changing in three short months, I can't imagine it 19 more months from now.

Onto a way happier topic...Luke received his first Merit Award at their assembly this week! His teacher nominated him for "Taking Action" (which at a PYP school is a VERY big deal), because he took his learning from school and used it to create a story at home (with pictures and letters) and shared it with his class. He did this while hanging out in my room one afternoon. I had no idea it was something he learned in class, so I took a picture thinking "how cute is this!" and sent it to his teacher. She was thrilled to see a 4 year old take his learning home and do something with it.Way to go Luke!

Today is Saturday here and we went to yet another birthday party. Oh.My.Goodness. We have never seen a kid's party like this and probably will never see it again. Well, hopefully next year. :)

I'll explain the pictures...

Walking up to the house. Yes, that is part of the crew/security in front of Adam. 

At the front gate

Birthday boy and girl - Leandro turned 5 and his sister is turning 4. This was a joint party. I can guarantee if Luke & Drew had a joint party it wouldn't look like this.

Walked in the main entrance, past the 8 car garage (filled with fancy cars I can't spell or pronounce), into this HUGE tent. Like bigger than I've ever been in or seen for that matter. And it was air conditioned. Notice my hair is down...an attempt to classy myself up for such a big event. It lasted for 20 minutes.

Two...yes, TWO bounce houses set up inside. This was among the 25 adult (formal) dining tables, 20 or so kid tables, and the buffet tables that lined the perimeter of the tent. 

Luke's buddies - Catherine & Owen. They got their arms painted. 

Now we've moved into the side yard where they had a train and merry-go-round. This train had some speed too. 

Family picture (some of them) at the cake cutting. I think those were nicer cakes than our wedding cake. I am pretty confident they cost more too. 

After eating an unbelievably delicious lunch, and sipping champagne while the kids watched a clown perform, we were pooped! Here we are - the common folk - waiting for our cab to take us home. Where was the Bentley when we needed it???? Yes, these are the "goodie" bags. Toys-R-Us filled bags that were the size of Drew.

Tomorrow is Drew's birthday. Our sweet baby boy is turning 2. I hope he enjoyed the rockin' party we threw for him today courtesy of Leandro and his sister! :)

Love to all of our family & friends!