Men and housework,

No offense to any men out there who do housework and no offense to those who don't..I just need to talk about it..My girlfriends and I, in our husband comparison (yes, we do that! we compare everything..hahaha jk) find that there are several similarities that they all share when it comes to doing housework.

We first find that when a man does decide to help around the house they usually do it in a sort of half way..For instance if they do laundry this consist of putting clothes in the washer (a mixture of color and fabric) and hit the ON button, sometimes without even putting the detergent in and lets not even mention the clothes softener.. They then take the clothes out and place them in the dryer, again, not sorting or removing any items that should no go in the dryer and press the ON button.Yes, forget about the softner sheets..and voila the laundry is done!! This is the same with the dishes..Dirty dishes, they go in the dishwasher, no need to rinse them or organize them properly just in you go and hit the ON button..(again, we are not sure if there is dishwasher detergent added).How about making the bed? I don't think they even realize that they have to make a bed, I mean its just going to be un made again at night..why bother??

So..is it worth it for our husbands to help us with the housework or is it better to do it ourselves, knowing we will have to only do it once...Let me know..

photo flckr

The Tooth Fairy vs El Ratoncito Perez

Marco lost his second tooth last week and he wondered who would bring him his gift, the Tooth Fairy or El Ratoncito Perez..(poor Marco he's had a lot of concerns this week hahaha). You see here in Spain it is not the Tooth Fairy who brings you gifts when you leave your tooth under your pillow it is The Ratoncito Perez ( The Mouse Perez, Perez being his last name)..

I explained that because we live in Spain the Ratoncito Perez takes care of it here and if were were living in the United States the Tooth Fairy would take care of it there..He was still not quite convinced and asked if they knew each other and if they shared tooth stories..He was also very concerned that they may not understand each other because of course the Tooth Fairy speaks English and the Ratoncito Perez speaks Spanish.. I told him, they both spoke different languages and that they indeed share many stories.. He then asked who brought gifts to the kids in China, Italy, France?????

I told him I had to research it and get back to him..Research it I did, and actually found a website that explains everything. Toothfairy.net lets you know everything there is to know about the Tooth Fairy and more..

photo google images

How many days does February have?

Marco asked me today how many days February had. He was confused as to why it did not have 30 or 31.. I tried to explain that this year is Leap Year and that February has 29 days but that next year it will only have 28..He was very confused and concerned about the poor little boys and girls who were born on the 29th of February.. What do they do the years they don't have a birthday..

Good Fn.. question... How the hell do I know?? I had to explain that they could be celebrated on March 1st and that it didn't matter...Anyway, today when I picked him up from school , he had a birthday party invitation (what else is new, I have to make sure to get to the quota of freaking birthday parties this year!!!) and he said, look mom its Sofia's birthday and she was born on February 29th so this year she gets to celebrate her birthday so we have to go to the party because it is very special for her!!!

So, there you have it, in conclusion, I have a birthday party to attend to, Marco is excited that one little girl will be able to enjoy her special day and February still has 28 days...

Round Two! Bella's party at school

It's not enough nowadays to simple have a birthday party you also need to celebrated in school with all your friends.. Lucky for me I had to go and entertain 23 kids for one hour.. Yes, lots of fun.... I brought them snacks and candy and read them a story..

For the most part they paid attention but really, the rest of the time they spent yelling, screaming, crying, laughing, fighting with each other, asking me questions, telling me they had to go pipi or caca, singing, dancing, talking, climbing, painting, playing with toys, spilling things....ALL AT THE SAME TIME!! I definitely would not make it as a kindergarten teacher for more than 10 min...

Overall, the kids had a great time.. I guess.. and I have a huge headache. I'm glad the next birthday is not until December!! I think I will have time to recover...maybe...

To see the rest of the pics click HERE

Isabella's big birthday bash

You would think she was turning 21, the way Isabella and all her little friends celebrated this special day. Saturday afternoon we had the big birthday bash for Isabella who turned 4. She had been sick the day before but that didn't matter a bit when she woke up on Saturday and told us she was ready for her party.

She specifically asked for a princess cake and lots of balloons..We obliged on both accounts..She was quite pleased with the turn out and her gifts..She played with her friends and simply had a blast..The adults also seemed to have a great time..(there was lots of alcohol of course)..

Well, until next year I guess..

View all pictures HERE

Isabella turns 4

Its Bella's 4th birthday today. The picture above is the one she has chosen to represent her..Don't ask!!! Anyway, the poor thing is sick today and had to stay home from school. I hope she feels better tomorrow because that is when we are celebrating her b-day here at the urba..

I can't believe she is already 4!! How time flies.. She is very into the princesses, painting, singing and dancing..She forgets she is 4 sometimes and thinks she is 20..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISABELLA WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

Marco and his homework

Believe it or not, little Marco who is in first grade already gets loads of homework..and he doesn't like it one bit!! He is great at math and finishes that part fast but the writing ..that takes him a little longer..

Yesterday, I sat for hours with him trying to encourage him...but he is just not interested...Anyone have any tips how I could get him to like homework..hahhahaa

What documents Do you have???

Like I always ask don't laugh when you read this.. but in this case, you will not be able to help yourself!!

Lets see, how do I start.. I first need to remind everyone that my fathers friend gave us his old car as a gift. It is an older Citroen but runs great and for what we use it is perfect. Ok, now you also need to know that he gave it to us last November and the insurance ran out in December and we just haven't gotten around to getting new insurance because neither Matt nor I have a Spanish drivers license (remember this fact) so no Spanish insurance company will insure us and International insurance is very expensive so we were trying to figure out a way around it. The car also needed to have its yearly inspection, of which I wrote about our experience in an earlier post..Ok got all that so far..

Well, Matt decided to take the car to work yesterday and also decided he needed to make a phone call while driving .

I received a call from Matt yesterday afternoon letting me know he had been stopped by the police and that he had no clue what they were saying to him. The policeman got on the phone and asked me if I could tell Matt to please show him, the car registration, insurance, inspection paperwork and a drivers license. I acted dumb and said he should have all that in a case in the car....a few minutes later he gets on and tells me ok, I found the car registration now do you have the inspection paperwork? I told him about how we had failed the test and need to go back....he then asks me do you have insurance and I say...ummmm yes, no,, not sure..he tells me no problem I will check in the computer..he comes back on the phone and tells me...NO, you don't have any insurance now, could you please ask your husband to show me his drivers license...gets back on the phone and asks me..does your husband have a resident card..and I start to explain how he lives here and in the states and is an important music composer and travels a lot.....he then tells me..

Ok maam.. I stopped your husband because he was talking on the phone while driving, he has no valid drivers licence, no insurance and the car has not passed the inspection....and I say...umm..yes??? He then tells me that because he is a lover of music he is going to let him go!!!! he said he could have easily towed the car, giving us a ticket for everything and even have taken him to jail!!! He just asked that Matt drive the car to a nearby place park it and get insurance.. He said he would pass by Matt's recording studio in a couple of days to make sure we have insurance...He said I should be there so I could show my drivers license HAHAHAHAHAHA..

photo flckr by so cal metro

Fidel quits, maybe Marco was right

On our recent (very recent) trip to Miami, Marco became very interested in Cuba and Fidel Castro. He asked M.T and my dad a million questions and wanted to know all about Cuba and "el fidel malo" as he calls him. M.T and my dad were very patient and told him many stories, many true heartbreaking stories about their past, their escape, and the people left behind.

Marco was in awe an suddenly said "I want to go to Cuba", then he said "I think we are all going to go May 5th", he was very sure of himself..We laughed it off, but thought, what does he know that we don't.. so today with the news of the dictators resignation, I was reminded of that statement Marco made and thought.. could it be....

source aol

photo flickr by BABAK.MOZAFFARI

First day back to reality

I must admit it was hard getting up this morning, the jet lag got the best of all of us and we were beat.

Marco was welcomed in school like a king, all his friends were very excited to see him and as soon as he got out of school he already had a play date! Isabella's friends were also very excited to see her and one of her friends gave her a little gift..

My first day back to work was hectic but I was glad to be in the routine again and in away its like the starting of my vacation (NO KIDS!!), if my bosses are reading this, they are probably going to ask me if I should pay them if the job is a vacation spot..hahahaaaa....

It will probably take all week to catch up on sleep and adjust our schedules..and Friday is Isabella's birthday which we will celebrate in school that day and in our Urba on sat.. How much fun for me!!!!

pictured marco & I in the rainforest cafe in downtown Disney (I'm taking advantage and posting photos of our trip here are there), where Marco fell asleep while eating he was exhausted!!!

We are home

I can't believe it we are finally home! We are very jetlagged, tired and confused..hahahah..we had a great trip but now its back to reality.. I don't have much energy to write much today so I will leave you with the pictures of our trip..

You can click on the ONLINE PHOTO ALBUM and click on miami trip feb 08 or simply click HERE to view all the pictures.

Travel issues on our last day

I don´t want any laughter after you read this!!!! Here goes...

We were to leave Miami on Thursday February 14th Valentines Day..by the way happy love day to all.. our flight was scheduled for 5 30 pm on American Airlines..hahahahahahaa.. we got to the airport at 2 30 pm with plenty of time to spear.. we wait in line to check in for one hour an a half, when we got to the counter the guy if tells me that if I would have read my itenarary correctly I would have seen that the American flight was operated by Iberia and that I should hurry up and get there before its too late........

We run as fast as we possibly can, with 6 pieces of luggage, 4 hand luggage, coats, running people over and dragging the kids ..literally dragging them through the entire airport.. we get to Iberia and there is no line so I think , thank God...we get up to the counter and show my paperwork.. the lady looks at it and gives me a funny look.. she walks away and comes back to tell me.. maamm..your flight is for tomorrow..the flight today is booked but maybe you can run back to American and see if they could help you.....

We run as fast as we possibly can...(pretty much read the pragraph above but the other way) hahaha.. we get to the American counter and I go back to the same guy and tell him.. if you would have read my paperwork right it would have told you that our flight was for tomorrow.. but please, please.... please.. can you book us on todays flight...I begged and begged and explained that if I had to call my dad and tell him to come pick us up he would kill me....

To make a long story short.. we are in Madrid..we had a great flight.. we are very tired but we made it. Matt will pick us up tomorrow and we should be in Alicante by Sunday...

picture flckr

Our last day of Vacation

We are very sad, it has gone by so fast..We have done so much, yet it seems like so little..We will miss all our friends and family. I would like to thank all the following people for their kindness and gifts to the kids..

My dad and M.T. who took us to Disney !! bought the kids gifts and let them destroy their beautiful beach apartment..we love you and we will miss you..

To my brother and Cristina for their hospitality, their beautiful son and the honor they have giving me by making me a Godmother.. we will miss you guys and hope that you will visit us soon...

To Margie and Chris, Minna, as she is called by the kids went to Disney with us and showered the kids with gifts and love, the poor thing had to sleep with Bella and had the patience not to kill her..Chris took Marco and Bella to Chuckey Cheese, an event Marco will never forget..we will miss you very much..

To Alex and Cindy for their gifts and love to the kids.. Alex we can´t wait to see you guys in Madrid very soon..Cindy, keep the Skype on girl, and we will chat..

To Alberto and Patricia for the wonderful lunch and company. We will see you in Madrid very soon..

To aunt AnaMarie, Marco is reading up a storm his Harry Potter collection and Isabella will not take the princess dress off.. thanks for the dinner and getaway, that I really needed.. love you and hope to see you in Spain soon.

To Mark and Maruchi and little Mark for the fun times.. Marco and Bella said.. we liked that boy he was very nice..hahaha... take care and keep in touch..

To Alex and Cucu and the kids.. Marco and Isabella wanted to stay in your house and live forever..you have a beautiful family and we wish you the best..

Tom and Wanda, it was great seeing you, You have a beautiful daughter, love to you and with luck with the new business venture..

If I forgot someone, I´m sure you will let me know..

Again, thank you to all.. We will miss you but we will stay in touch through this blog..

Tristan´s Baptism

On Sunday February 10th, I became the proud Godmother of my nephew Tristan. The ceremony was celebrated in the same church that my brother and sister in law were married. It was beautiful and Tristan was a very good boy. He did not cry when the holy water covered him and smiled happily for all the pictures.

The entire family was there and we celebrated the reception at my brothers house with lots of Cuban food and drinks. I was able to see all my stepbrothers and sisters and their kids as well as old friends. My dad took lots of pictures that I will post on our online photo album as soon as I get back.

Everyone looked great! We had a lot of fun, we ate and talked about old times. I´m blessed with so many friends, family members and now a new Godson..

Pictured are Tristan, Arianna, Isabella and Anissa!

Caca Verde

For those of you who don´t know what the tittle means, I will tell you ¨green shit¨ , yes you read right, green shit.. It seems that Marco and Bella ate something that has turned their caca verde and Marco in particular is very upset.. He has asked me not to tell anyone, and of course like a bad mother I´m, I write a post about it...hahaha.

Not sure what the hell they ate but they make me look at their caca and are fascinated by the different colors!! I´m very grossed out and hope that the shit returns to normal soon...

I guess American food is not settling too well with them, although they are enjoying eating everything they see and more...

picture google

Disney trip

My dad and M.T invited us to Disney for two days. We drove up on Wednesday (an almost 4 hour car ride) to Orlando, where we stayed in an awesome apartment very close to the Disney parks. We woke up early on Friday morning and headed to Disney World. They said it was going to thunder storm but we had a wonderful sunny day.

The kids were in awe! They didn´t know where to look first.. Isabella got to see all the princesses up close, we even saw Cinderella's stepmother and ugly stepsisters!! Bella was a little afraid of them and decided not to take a picture with them. Marco loved the pirate ride, and the haunted house! We also got to see Minnie's house and waited over 20 minutes to take a picture with her because Bella insisted and when it was our turn, Isabella decided she was scared of Minnie and guess who took a picture with her.....

The second day we went to MGM where we saw all the playhouse characters, we saw little mermaid on stage singing, and we even went to an animation drawing class, where they teach you how to draw and when the teacher came around to see our drawings, he couldn't tell which one was mine and which one was Isabellas, I was quite embarrassed that she already draws better than me..

Overall, we had an amazing time and we all thank my dad and M.T !! As soon as I get back home I will post all the pictures in our photo album..

Weekend in Madrid

We had a great time in Madrid, it was very cold and rainy but the kids had a ball in the Retiro Park with their dad while I went shopping with my mom and aunt..We also went to see Beauty and the Beast, the musical on Friday night.. It was awesome.. the show started at 10 pm so lets just say that the kids were a little tired from the car ride from Alicante (after the early wake up call to go get the passports) but once at the theater they were awake and ready for the show.

Isabella loved to see the princess and Marco thought it was all too romantic but enjoyed the special effects, I loved it!! The sets were just incredible and the actors and singers were magnificent, I highly recommended for everyone.. if you like that sort of stuff.

The kids also got to visit their cousins Rocio, Paula and Macarena at their house where they played all night long..

then we were off to Miami....

The trouble with passports

Don´t know where to even begin with this one.. It all started last Thursday the day before we were to leave for Madrid, I realized that Marco´s American passport was expired and freaked out but thought ok, no problem I will renew well not really re new but get the new digital Spanish passport needed to travel..We all had to get up extra early to go to the passport office to renew and when our turn comes around (after a couple of hours waiting) I´m told I need his original birth certificate from Spain, I explain I have the American original since that is where he was born!! I did have a photo copy of a literal paper from Madrid stating he was a legal Spanish citizen but they said that was not valid!! After arguing for a while the very nice man let it slide!! Thank God right...




WRONG... when we get to the airport on Monday morning (I will write another post about the Madrid weekend) We were right on time, everything was going soo smoothly that for a second I thought.. everything is going way to smooth, something will happen.. and as we are being interrogated by the little robots of American Airlines, I´m told that Marco and Isabella need to fly with their American Passports because they are American..When I explain Marco´s passport is expired.. they are not to happy and call the American Embassy, which tells them to tell me that I must renew before flying!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so Im, having a heart attack and thinking this can´t be happening to me..but there was nothing they could do, they kindly booked us on the flight for the next day and said I should go to the American Embassy right away... I decided I should call them to find out what I needed.. Thank God I had brought Marco´s original birth certificate, because I was planning to re new his passport in the states.. they tell me all I needed was the old passport, the original birth certificate, 2 pictures and my husband!! ok, wait a minute my husband is in Alicante.. hahahahaa.. well, they said his choice is to either get to Madrid or to Valencia before 2 pm.. Lets just say Matt was not very happy when I woke him up and told him to get his ass out of bed and drive all the way to Valencia to sign some sort of authorization paper..

At the American embassy, entering is entering the freaking white house, they take all electronics away from you and literally search every part of you.. I didn´t have a phone to contact Matt, so I filled out all the necessary paperwork and had to just sit there looking at the clock and hope that Matt would make it before 2 pm... at 1 50 I was given the passport!!!

WE are in Miami right now.. safe and sound.. we are leaving for Disney in a little while so I will write more when we get back..


A mis amigos de habla española, nos vamos a disney en unos minutos y no me da tiempo de traducir.. podeis usar un traductor online come ESTE para que os ayude.. os prometo que cuando tenga mas tiempo escribire en español..

fotos flickr