Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Post Something. ANYTHING.

I've got a real blogger's block going on here. I can't think of anything to write about. So I've got to post something in hopes of getting back into the swing of things.

The problem began December 26. All the presents had been opened and I no longer could play the Santa Card with my kids so they would behave; I looked at the calendar and realized I had a full month until my little cherubs would head back to school. It's summer vacation time here in the Southern Hemisphere. All of the planning and activities of Christmas pretty much wipe me out-how can I be expected to have a summer vacation after that???

Not only that, but I've never actually had a real stay-at-home kind of summer vacation with my kids-we are always traveling to the States and spending time with family and Guapo is with us for a good portion of the break. No endless days to fill with ???

I've still got a week left. (6 days 20 hours and 15 minutes, but whose counting?)

Luckily we joined a nearby club that has a great pool so we've been swimming everyday. That is, until the plague hit. I've been trapped in my apartment, with 4 sick kids and with the main air conditioner unit broken for the last 3 days. Lots to whine about, but not a lot of funny blogging material. Lots of this going on:



Today marks our 6 month anniversary in Brazil. I've done 4 international moves now. I've gone through the sames ups and downs in each place; feelings of excitement and like I could live here for a long time one day and feelings loneliness and like I've got to get out of here the next. Overall it's a good, beautiful place and we are happy, so I have a lot to be thankful for.

My recent reoccurring dream tells a lot about what I miss most living here: I've got 15 minutes in Target to grab everything I can. Oh how I love running up and down the perfectly organized aisles seeing all of the wonderful choices! I can't help it; I'm American, I need my STUFF.

On a very happy note, Guapo gifted me a bunch of miles so next month I am traveling, all by myself, 1st class, to Houston! My dream WILL come true. :)

(feel free to leave any blogging ideas-anything you want to know about Brazil?)

11 comments:

Awesome Mom said...

You are amazing. I am not sure that I could handle moving to so many different countries. I actually know a lot about Brazil. I made friends with a Brazilian exchange student my senior year of high school. Of course her parents were quite rich so her perspective was a bit skewed.

nikko said...

I know nothing about Brazil. You could share anything and it would be news to me. I think it says a lot about you to have survived so many moves and done as much as you can to make the transition smooth for your family.

Maybe you should write posts about how to move with kids? ;o)

I always post pictures when I can't figure out what to say.

Unknown said...

I've been thinking about you with your kids home for summer break. This is always a challenging time to keep up with a blog, so we understand! I'm sorry to hear that the kids have been sick and you have been stuck inside. That is NO fun! I hope you are able to get back out soon. The swimming sounds fun!

A trip to Houston all.by.yourself! That is definitely something to look forward too!

Do your kids get any other long vacations since this is a summer break? Are all your kids in school except for Pedro? What do you do to keep busy when the kids are in school? How do you make new friends when you move? I must say your life fascinates me since I am pretty comfortable in the States and I have no desire to leave. So everything you write about is interesting!

Kari said...

Gabriela, you are AWESOME! The sick kid thing really stinks. (And no matter how you slice it, the process of moving stinks, too!)Hang in there, I miss you so much!

Anonymous said...

Hey Gabs...first class?!!! Wow, lucky you, but you seem to have not mentioned that before? :)
Just joking!
Go ahead and blog about the pharmacy man.....
I can help you with that one hahaha!
Love ya, counting with you!!!

Super Happy Girl said...

Pharmacy man? Let's hear that one.

I agree with Nikko, you are amazing and brave. I'll love to hear how you handle the moves and what you do for fun in Brazil.

Guapo is the best! :) You have something super fun to look forward to.

Love and hugs!

Lana said...

HHmmm, maybe you could blog about brazilian food.

marine's words said...

Its so nice to hear from you again!! something over hear we got hit with the plague but its call strep throat 1st our son then me all of last week I was so sick I even lost my voice I felt so weak my husband had to stop what he was doing just to pick up our son from school now my hubby is sick its his turn I sympathizes with you so much!!
What I would like to know is what do all the mommies like us do while there kids are at school and what do you do ? and how do you make new friends ?
Blessing agmiga, I will pray for health for our families. marina

Code Yellow Mom said...

We just did a little overseas orientation last month for our first big globe trotting adventure. And now that the holidays are over, I'm starting the freak-out about moving. And it's still seven or eight months away! I'm going to drive myself nuts. I did learn about the love-hate-lonely-fun cycle of moving...I'll look forward to hearing about your Target time in Houston!

Hope the kiddos feel better soon. That is definitely not the way to spend the break.

One fun thing I heard of recently was taking kids around the neighborhood/city and photographing architectural details that look like the letters in their names. My cousin's family did it to spell out her name and her fiancee's and gave the photos in a nice frame for a wedding gift...It's like a photo treasure hunt, plus it captures some of the cool things in the city you are in. The photos could double as a blog post...

andalucy said...

Four moves? Wow. And you must have done some of those with wee babies. I know you were in Small Town, Mexico and Big City, Mexico. Where else have you lived?

I am curious about your children's school experience, but I'm not sure how much you feel comfortable posting about. Do they go to a school with mostly English and U.S.-based curriculum?

What is your church experience like there?

Any new muchacha stories? :-)

Tyler and Karen Davis said...

Hey Gabby, Tyler showed me your blog and I just wanted to pop in and say hello. We miss you guys. So glad to hear you guys are doing great. Your family is beautiful.
Karen