MARCO & BELLA ADVENTURES

NEW BLOG ADRESS

2008-03-26T01:28:00.003+01:00

I HAVE FINALLY UPGRADED AND MOVED MY BLOG WITH MY OWN DOMAIN.

FROM NOW ON PLEASE GO TO

WWW.MARCOANDBELLA.COM

PLEASE SAVE THIS NEW ADDRESS...

Last Post in Blogger

2008-03-26T01:20:00.000+01:00

This is bittersweet for me.. Blogger has been a great blogging tool for a long time but I have finally decided to go at it myself. I have purchased my own domain name (as well as others I will tell you about) and hope you will continue to follow Marco and Bellas's Adventures with us.

The new blog is www.marcoandbella.com

See you in the new Blog...

Goodbye Blogger..Thank you for everything....

Innocent Play

2008-03-25T12:01:00.004+01:00

In these days of vacation, and the weather being not so hot, the kids have been stuck home having to make up games to stay entertained...As you can see from the picture above Isabella decided it would be fun to dress up Marco and their friend Pablo with all her princess accessories..They were willing participants and had a lot of fun, although, look at Marco's expression..hahahaha..

She then decided to put make up on herself.. Doesn't she look lovely????

Happy Easter 2008

2008-03-24T12:42:00.003+01:00

We wish everyone a very Happy Easter 2008. Marco and Isabella received Huge chocolate eggs with gifts inside from the Easter Bunny. Isabella woke up at 7am as if it were Christmas Day and was very excited to see her gift from the Easter Bunny. She proceeded to eat the entire egg and around 10 am feel back asleep and didn't wake up until 1 pm. We thought she had gone into "chocolate schock"...we were scared there for a moment...Marco, only ate a little bit and enjoyed the rest of the day playing with his new toys...

photo flickr by j.terrell

First Day of Spring

2008-03-21T11:22:00.003+01:00

Happy first day of Spring! I hope this new season brings warmth and love to all of you!!

photo flckr by Lord Ivan

Celine Dion workout video (NOT)

2008-03-20T10:45:00.007+01:00

I love Celine Dion so when I saw this funny video of Laura Landauer , an actress and comedienne who imitates her, I just cracked up.

This is the funniest video, and she looks, acts and talks just like her.. Its incredible.. Enjoy

The wedding proposal

2008-03-20T10:00:00.000+01:00

I have promised to change the names to protect the innocent and I shall do that...

On February 29th of this year, a leap year in which it is said that on this day a woman could propose to a man a friend of mine decided it would be a good time to propose to her long time boyfriend. She was not sure how she was going to do it and being a very busy career woman had no real time to prepare...

She decided at at the last minute that her best option was to send a plant to her boyfriend at work with a simple note saying "Marry me". She made the order by phone and crossed her fingers.. (before I go on I must tell you that she was in the process of moving in with him). After a couple of hours and no phone call from her boyfriend, she started to get worried.so she called him...and she said well?? and he answered "Nice Plant".

Up to now there has not been any more talk about the proposal, her boyfriends sisters are pressuring him and she doesn't know what to think. The other day while driving with him while moving in some of her things , his mom called him and she answered the phone, the mom asked her what are you guys doing? and she said I'm moving and the mom said "where are you moving to"? (I guess her boyfriend forgot to mention the fact they were moving in with each other..) She said I'm moving in with your son to which the mom answered "Without a ring on your finger" to which she replied " I SENT A PLANT"!!!!!!!!!!

I will keep you updated on the final outcome of this very interesting love affair..

photos flicker by librarianinstiches and marcgutierre

Happy Fathers Day (In Spain)

2008-03-19T15:09:00.003+01:00

Today March 19th "San Jose" is Father's Day here in Spain. This celebration is not as comercial as it is in the states. Here, gifts are not often given although everyday that is changing and Spain is copying a lot of the American holidays such as Halloween.. As if they didn't have enough holidays here..
Father's Day here is celebrated with the family gathering and a nice big lunch or dinner, what else?? We celebrated with Matt this afternoon and the kids made him lovely paintings...

So, Happy Father's Day to all those fathers out there..from all of us here in Spain.

photo google

Report Card Time

2008-03-17T21:05:00.007+01:00

Well, as of today at 3 pm its Spring Break, otherwise known here as "Semana Santa" or "Holy Week" or plainly said "Easter'. Holy week is a huge event in all of Spain, there are many processions and celebrations. Very different in every part, being the most famous in the south of Spain.

But for us what this all really means is that school is out for a couple of weeks and the kids get to rest and enjoy the beginning of the great weather to come.. and with Spring Break comes the end of the second trimester and report card time....

For Isabella its still a simple is she getting it or not...and yes, she is getting all of it and then some..Her teacher commented that she was the perfect student, very obedient, very studious and outgoing....(I think there is another Isabella in that classroom and the poor lady is confused).

Marco's grades are a little more serious because he is officially in the beginning of his school career.. the grading system here is a little different than in the states where the A,B,C,D or F method is used here it goes like this.. Sobresaliente (A), Notable (B), Muy bien (C), Suficiente (D) and Insuficiente (F).. Marco received one A ,guess in what subject??? hahaha yes in English..(Might be the only A we will see from him.. hahah) He got 3 B's (Math, Spanish and Gym) 2 C's (Valenciano and Science/Social Studies) and one (D) in art... (poor thing he inherited my lovely art skills!!)..

We are very proud of both of them and have taught them that its very important to study and get good grades but more importantly is to figure out what their individual gifts are and to develop those fully, consciously to be able to share them with the world...Overall, honesty, ethics, and love..

picture google

Bella and her singing

2008-03-17T11:07:00.006+01:00

Bella loves to sing and spends her days making up songs, singing school songs, or imitating singers like Celine or Mariah.. She states she would like to either be a painter, singer or dancer when she grows up but says that in reality she knows she will be a princess.. hahaha

Click her to view her song repertoire..

We will be recording her other famous Celine version of songs coming soon.....

Isabella helps Marco with his homework

2008-03-14T10:56:00.005+01:00

As you all know Marco although only in first grade already gets homework. He loves the math part and problem solving but when it comes to drawing of painting, he just can't stand it...I don't blame him because I can't draw myself..as much as I try.

Today he had to turn in his homework and last night he fell asleep before he could complete the coloring part..What do we do? No problem, we give it to Bella for her to finish it.. Yes, we are bad parents, Bella finished his homework perfectly. She was very happy to do it, she said she didn't want Marco to get in trouble.

I know, I know, we are not going to make this a habit and Marco needs to learn how to draw and color and also learn responsibility, don't worry we are on it!

My trip to Ikea in Murcia

2008-03-13T20:09:00.004+01:00

One of my very good friends Marisela, has just bought a new apartment and is starting her new life after losing her husband last year to cancer. She wanted me to go with her today to Ikea in Murcia (about an hour south of Alicante) so she could do a little shopping. Since, I have a little free time now..hahahaa.. I signed up quickly.

We dropped off the kids in school and headed on our adventure. Once there we had breakfast for one euro..and where ready to shop. If you haven't been to an Ikea the experience is a little overwhelming. There is so much to see and everything is laid our systematically.. It was like following the yellow brick road.. We did that, and picked up little nick nacks along the way.

Two carts full and a couple of hours later we were on our way to the check out counter and then to the hardest part of the trip.. How the hell to stick all the things we purchased in to a little European car...We basically had to pull everything out of the boxes, put down some seats, squeeze all we could in to the trunk and hope we would fit in the car...

We had a great time and the trip was a success..We plan to do it again real soon.. But hey Marisela, next time lets skip the elevator part..hahaha..

Photo from flickr by rodelgo

Have you ever googled yourself?

2008-03-12T13:33:00.005+01:00

I always google Matt to make sure that all his new projects are being reflected on his web and on the internet and that there is nothing out there that shouldn't be. So the other day I wondered what would happen if I googled myself...and to my surprise many interesting things from my past showed up....

For instance there was interview I did back when I worked for a swim wear store for the Lauderdale Daily News, a credit for a recording a did for Matt's friend Ken Hensley who just came out with his new album called Blood on the Highway, this blog comes up, and some other weirdo things that don't even relate to me..hahah. I also found there is another Nuria Pendas who lives in Mallorca and owns a restaurant, she emailed me a while back to let me know about all our similarites..

So, if you haven't googled yourself lately, go on try it see what comes up...

Photo Flickr by Retro-X

Top 50 blogs

2008-03-11T15:03:00.003+01:00

Many of you who read my blog don't have a blog yourself or have never really ventured much into the IT world. Some of you have called me and asked for advise..hahaha.. from me..Well, my good friends who's blog infomadas is awesome (sorry you English speakers it is in Spanish) wrote a very interesting post about the 50 most powerful blogs on the net right now.

If you only read my blog I suggest you look into others and see what else is out there..There are many cool blogs that talk about anything and everything..I know, I know no time.. I have the same problem, but now and then a quick little fun read is good for everyone.

photo flckr by robin hamman

Our 11th Wedding Anniversary

2008-03-10T11:08:00.006+01:00

Saturday March 8th we celebrated (well, with the kids, the colds, work etc...not really celebrated) our 11th wedding anniversary. We passed the 10 year mark now we have 9 more years to go to pass the 20 year mark.. Not sure about him as he would have to comment himself but the past 11 years have flown by.

We've had good times and bad times, health and sickness, children and problems, and through it all we are still here. Although marriage is something you need to work at, I'm very happy at the moment and hope that we can continue on this journey together...

We hope to be able to celebrate it later in the year with a mini vacation.. Just the two of us.. We will see..

Bella goes to the MARQ museum in Alicante

2008-03-07T09:41:00.005+01:00

Bella went on her first field trip to a the MARQ museum (Archaeological Museum) right here in Alicante. She was thrilled to be able to go on the BIG bus without Mama and Papa. She felt very grown up!..

I tried to ask her what she saw and to please give me a brief description of the trip and this is all I got:

"We went on the BIG bus and I sat next to Marina, we met Llumiq (I think, from what I saw on their web page that llumiq is some sort of animated animal that gives them a tour of the museum). Llumiq was very nice, they gave us a ballon, and we made put two shells with clay together"

I asked her if she saw any prehistoric things, to which she replied:

"I told you, I went on the Big bus, they gave me a balloon and I met Llumiq, that is a lot, I'm very tired!"

So there you have it Bella's first field trip...

Not Spring yet in Alicante

2008-03-06T00:30:00.005+01:00

Today we had the weirdest weather, if we were still living in Miami we would have had a hurricane warning and everyone would have been out buying materials to last for months, we would have been boarding up the house and listening to all the TV stations for news of what else we should do...But not here in Alicante..

The winds were well, not sure the actual speed, but I had to hold on tight!! I could hardly open our front door and when the wind was hitting me, I could hardly breath.. It was also very, very cold..

In a couple of weeks Holy Week arrives in Spain and that is generally when the good weather starts appearing and even some daring tourist take a dip in the pool or brave the ocean waves..Not sure what they will do if this weather continues...

photo weather report alicante

A rough week

2008-03-05T15:39:00.009+01:00

It is only Wednesday, hump day but so far this week has been one of the hardest ever. I can't comment too much about it yet, but as soon as I can I will make many comments on this blog..

If you want to personally email me I will be more than happy to tell you what is going on.. but lets just say that life throws you many surprises and some of them are very unfortunate and very disturbing..

I leave you with that and will continue blogging away with our Spain stories...

photo flickr

Men and housework,

2008-02-29T15:48:00.004+01:00

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

2008-02-28T15:51:00.004+01:00

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?

2008-02-27T15:28:00.007+01:00

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

2008-02-26T22:02:00.003+01:00

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

2008-02-25T15:32:00.003+01:00

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

2008-02-22T14:52:00.002+01:00

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

2008-02-21T16:12:00.004+01:00

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???

2008-02-20T16:34:00.005+01:00

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

2008-02-19T16:53:00.005+01:00

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

2008-02-18T21:32:00.003+01:00

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

2008-02-17T17:43:00.001+01:00

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

2008-02-15T18:30:00.004+01:00

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

2008-02-14T16:08:00.006+01:00

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

2008-02-13T18:10:00.004+01:00

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

2008-02-13T03:45:00.002+01:00

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

2008-02-12T15:30:00.000+01:00

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

2008-02-10T16:20:00.000+01:00

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

2008-02-06T22:13:00.000+01:00

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

We are off.....

2008-01-31T21:04:00.000+01:00

Ok, this is the last post from Spain. We are leaving tomorrow morning to Madrid then on Monday off to Miami!! packing almost done..check...tickets in hand..check..passports...check...kids medicine to knock them out in the plane...check!!!!!

Once in the U.S I will write a couple of blogs in Spanish for my Spain friends we leave behind and want to hear all about our trip..

Nothing left to say here..

pick thanks to Djo's in flckr

Two days away from travel and nothing packed

2008-01-30T19:39:00.000+01:00

I don't even really have time to write this post and it will be short at that. I'm freaking out, I have sooooooo much to do and no time to do it in.. I need to finish the laundry, figure out what to pack for Madrid (freezing cold) and Miami (probably nice and warmer).

The kids are so excited they don't even know what to do...Isabella tried to help me pack and took all her clothes and put them in the suitcase!!! I'M NO KIDDING!! ALL HER CLOTHES!! (SHOES INCLUDED), guess I don't need to pack for her now...

Ok, I will try to post tomorrow if not i will when we get to Miami..

picture thanks to flckr

In Miami one week from today

2008-01-28T19:01:00.001+01:00

I truly almost forgot the date and when my mom called me this weekend to ask me how the packing was going, I said to her, "From Paris? I was only there for a day Mom" and she said, "Not Paris, you idiot for Miami" and that is when it hit me that in about a weeks time I would be off to visit my friends and family..

I have so much to do, and I really have until Friday because we are leaving right after work to spend the weekend in Madrid, since we leave from there on Monday. We are going to take advantage and see the Beauty and the Beast musical while we are there..The kids are very excited.. well , I think I'm more excited than they are.

I hope I will be able to see all of you there. Margie, are you ready for Disney?, Ana Marie, I don't have your phone number I know you have given it to me on numerous occasions, please do so again, Tom and Wanda, you lost souls I hope you re appear, Alberto and Patricia, I know you will make time to come see us, Ana can't wait to see the little new one, Leonor we will need to catch up.

Here are the details we get there Monday February the 4th, we will probalby be exhausted. I think the next day we will go up to WPB to visit Tony and family and also Evelyn will there from LA, Wed afternoon we leave for Disney and will be back on Sat, Sun the 10th is Tristan's Baptism after that we are pretty much free, so please call me to book some time. I will not have a car and will not be able to get around, so I hope you can all pass by my dads house at the beach.

Can't wait to see everyone there..

photo thanks to bridgepix

My day in Paris with Passionata

2008-01-26T22:17:00.000+01:00

I'm still trying to recover from my very mini trip to Paris last Thursday. After years of dreaming with Paris, all of a sudden I found myself there. Although it was only for one day it was an experience I will never forget.
My bosses very nice people!!! allowed me to go to an event for the lingerie line called Passionata. I had to wake up at 4:30 am to catch a 6:30 flight that would take me to Madrid then run around the Madrid airport for more that half an hour, trying to figure out where the hell I was going to finally catch the Paris flight. I was very calm, and I'm still not sure why.

Once in Paris I was picked up in a Mercedes and taken to a very chic restaurant which happened to be in walking distance to the Eifel Tower.. I met other bloggers in my field and I was sat in a table with the Italian bloggers because there was no room in the Spanish blogger table.. We had a great lunch and wonderful conversation..hahhahaa.. ok, they had a great conversation among themselves as I just sat there nodding at everything they said.. I still think they thought I understood what they were saying..but I just kept thinking.I'm in Paris, I'm in Paris..

We then walked over to the crazy horse a sort of burlesque type cabaret bar, a famous landmark in Paris. There we sat down to watch the show..I sat very close to the stage and I'm still not sure if this was good or bad. We were all expecting to see the top models of Paris strutting their stuff, showing us all the different types of lingerie Passionata had to offer. But instead we were offered an erotic, sensual show that took my breath away.. I actually saw more than I wanted to see but they sure got the point across. IF you wold like to see part of the show just go to passionata show and register they will send you a login and password and you will see what I'm talking about.

Once the show ended we were free to venture around the streets of Paris for an hour.. I didn't see much but just walking around the streets, was awesome.On the way back home my flight was late and I didn't get home until 1 am.. tired, excited and wanting more..

Full moon today Tuesday January 22nd 2008

2008-01-22T21:21:00.000+01:00

I love full moons and tonight we could really appreciate the beauty of it. We were able to view it beautifully from our house, it was huge and crystal clear, it was stunning. The full moon is in Leo today which signifies the total surrender of ones personal vision through self actualization by the use of creativity. I know a lot of mumble jumble.. But it also happens to be the 22nd a very spiritual number so be aware tonight.

Full moons bring your deep emotions to the surface, so if you are feeling a bit off or emotional today, not to worry the moon will soon give way to a new phase. If you want to know how the full moon in Leo will affect you depending on your astrological sign read more HERE

The picture you are seeing was taken today by hasily a flckr user and its impressive..

Fama a bailar! I'm hooked

2008-01-21T17:20:00.000+01:00

I hardly have time to watch televison but when I happen to see something that interests me I'm hooked. I'm currently hooked on "Grey's Anatomy", "Desperate Housewives" and now a new TV program from Spain called FAMA. It is a type of American Idol but for dancers.

There were auditions all over the country and 10 girls and 10 guys were chosen to enter a dance school called FAMA (yes, fame), they compete daily with new choreographies in classical, hip hop, funky and other styles. It is on daily from 3:30 to 5:00 pm so when I get home from work, I now have my lunch in front of the TV..I try to get other things done but lately I have just been glued to the tv set..

I hope to outgrow this obsession soon because I have a lot of things to get done..hahaha...

Weekend Birthday Parties

2008-01-18T19:44:00.000+01:00

I guess Marco and Isabella are at that age where birthday parties are part of our daily routines. But you don't realize that parties not only take time away from you they also take money away for you. Last year I realized that I had to incorporate in our financial budget a birthday budget.

Yes, I know it sounds a little ridiculous but think about it, we have 2 kids, there are about 20 kids per class, about 10 friends in the urbanization and unfortunately or well many would think fortunate, our kids are very popular and invited to every single freaking birthday party in town.

Now, let's do the math. 2 kids times 20 classmates each = 40 kids + 10 urba friends = 50 kids. Ok, now each gift cost an average of 15 euros so 50x15=750 euros a year in birthday gifts and average of 62.5 a month. so, there you have it.. Aside from the mortgage, gas bill, electric bill, phone bill, food, car insurance and so on we now need to add a birthday party fund.. and lets not even talk about their actual birthdays, where an average party costs about 200 bucks x by 2 and now your total birthday deal is almost a grand a year...

Those of you who don't have kids yet, this gets you thinking huh?? its not just diapers and formula, with each stage there are new costs..

This month so far we have gone to 2 birthday parties and Marco had one today and Bella has one tomorrow so we are right at the 4 average that I budgeted..so if anyone else invites them this month we will have to pass...

Passing the ITV emissions test in Spain

2008-01-15T16:55:00.000+01:00

I don't know if to laugh or cry but here goes. The story begins last year, when a very good friend of my dad's who lives in Madrid but has a place here in Alicante gave us his used car as a gift! A very generous gift which we appreciate. The car is a Citroen (to tell you the truth, I have no clue what model or year, but it is a least 10 years old). The car runs great and Matt uses it to get around when I'm using the other car...

Ok, so today we had to take it for its yearly emissions test otherwise called the ITV (inspecion tecnica de vehiculos). We start out by not knowing where the hell this place was, we weren't sure what documentation we needed, not sure of the cost, or what they would put our little old car through. After driving around for half an hour lost (half way to Madrid, hahah) we finally found the place, we stood in line in our car only to find out we had to go in the office first, present documents then stand in line in your car.. Ok, all that goes well..

The test starts, and we felt like we were taking the driving test again... put your blinker on, the lights, the break lights, windshield wipers, emergency lights, open the trunk, do the seat belts work...then you go to level two the emissions part, press the accelerator as hard as you can and see how much shit comes out of the back.. then a noise pollution test, again rev up the engine to 40 and see how loud it gets, then drive your car up over a hole where a guy is waiting beneath and speaks to you through a speaker which you can't really hear or understand what he wants you to do, he then preceeds to shake your car down like he was making some sort of junk cocktail..

At the end we failed!! yes, we failed, and I thouht we had performed so well.. it seems, our windshield wiper needs a new blade, one of our headlights flickers and our emergency break is lets just say not ready for an emergency...so, there you have it.. after paying 40 euros we must return within a month pay another 40 euros and hope that our little old thing could withstand all the probing again. Needless to say we must take the car to the shop for repairs..

Oh, the joy of adulthood..the kids don't know how good they have it..I will keep you updated on our progress.

pic flicker by Wendy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

2008-01-10T16:54:00.000+01:00

Today is my moms birthday so I have to dedicate this post for her. She is 71 years old and looks great (I do hope that beauty is in the genes so I could look this good at her age). She is enjoying her time and has a wonderful social life. So Happy Birthday MOM may you have many, many more..

Do you know why I like to eat my buggers?

2008-01-09T19:29:00.000+01:00

Since, I always seem to write about how wonderful and great my kids are, I thought a post into reality now and then is always good. Today driving back from school Isabella said to me in Spanish of course..."Do you know why I like to eat my buggers?" and I said "No!!! why do you like to eat your buggers"? and she said "porque me gustan" in other words "Because they taste good" to which I had no reply!!

You just have to love kids and their sincerity, I'm sure if she ever looks back at this blog when she is older she is not going to be very happy with my sincerity.. but I thought you might all need a good laugh today..

The fish survived

2008-01-08T16:45:00.000+01:00

I forgot to mention that over the holidays we had a little visitor we had to take care of. His name was (and is, thank God still IS) Flappy! Our upstairs neighbors went away for the holidays and left us with their daughter's little pet fish. Marco and Isabella were thrilled to have him!! as for me.. Well, this poor little guy lived in a round crystal jail and had to be cleaned daily!! Not much fun for me.. As if I didn't have enough with 3 kids (Matt is considered a child now and then), one dog and now a little wet fish.

Flappy survived Bella just as nemo survived "Darla", although she tried to "play" the straw game...(that was the game that killed our own poor little flappy.. Our little fish all of a sudden developed a little round hole which I thought was a tumor..hahahaha but later found out was a little hole from the poking with a straw!

Marco fed Flappy a little too much but at least did not play the straw game with him. The day before yesterday he was picked up by his loving family and I'm sure was glad to go..You may ask why I took a picture of him, well, for two reasons 1. in case something did happed I could take the picture to the pet store and replace him ( I know very mean, it wasn't my idea it was another neighbors ides) and 2. I thought it would make a nice post.

Kids are back in School!!

2008-01-07T16:18:00.000+01:00

I know, it sounds mean.. I love my kids, and I love to spend time with them. I have really enjoyed the holiday vacation but Marco and Isabella are two young children with a lot of energy, way too much for me..They were actually looking forward to starting school again. Isabella said "I can't wait to start school, you people here are no fun", Marco said "I want to see my friends again but I have gym class today and I don't really want to go".. hahahaa...

I told my bosses today that my actual vacation started today.. My boss stated if that was so I should pay him instead of him paying me..hahaha.. Ok, so its not actually vacation but I do love going to work, being able to be productive and have converstation with adults..

I hope your beginning of the work week has been eventful..Talk to you all soon..

HAPPY THREE KINGS DAY

2008-01-06T19:34:00.000+01:00

What the hell is that you are asking? Well, let me tell you, here in Spain the holidays are not over until we celebrate "Los Reyes Magos" (the three kings day), this holiday is one of the biggest of the year, it is as big as Christmas day, most children in Spain receive their holiday gifts today and not Christmas day. It has a more religious meaning than Santa Claus and therefore is considered a very special day.

One of my favorite traditions of this day is the "Roscon de Reyes" (pictured above) a special round cake that is consumed with hot thick chocolate.. Last night we went to a parade, where the Three Kings arrived and threw candy and toys at the kids, and after this we went to a neighbors house to have the traditional cake!

We have to compromise and the gift giving and it is done half and half so there are no issues. The kids get to receive presents twice (doesn't mean they get more, just in two separate days). Today Marco and Bella woke up to gifts from the Reyes and were very excited. Today is their last day of vacation, so they made sure they enjoyed it to the fullest.

I'm sad the holidays are over they went way to fast but in another way I do want to get back to the routine. How were your holidays? Are you ready for 2008? You can view our first January 2008 photos here.

Marco playing basketball with "Snap" Hunter

2008-01-03T20:28:00.000+01:00

Our friends Crystal and Jimmy came over the other day for a visit and Marco took the opportunity to show "Snap" his moves. Snap is an American basketball player who is playing this year for the Murcia team. We met him and his wife last year and just love them.

Marco is in that stage of his life where he finds everything fasinating and is starting to find out what he really likes and dislikes.. so far we know he loves soccer, he likes judo but I think could do without it, he is starting to really love guitar and piano is still a joy, but lately he has been very interested in basketball. For his birthday he asked for a basketball, that is all he said.

Well, as you can see from the video he has a long way to go.. you can view more pics in the December album.

Starting the New Year

2008-01-02T15:08:00.000+01:00

It is only the second day of the New Year and there already many new exciting things happening. The first very exciting thing is Matt's upcoming concert on Friday January 4th where he will be on stage with his new muse Estefania Gralla for a Christmas concert. I will report on that this weekend.

The second very exciting thing is our upcoming trip to Miami on February 4th, we will be there until February15th. Our nephew Tristan's baptism will be February 10th and I'm the proud Godmother. In this trip we will be taking the kids to Disney compliments of my papa!!! They are so excited, everyday they ask me when we are going to Miami to see Yayo and Abi.

The other very exciting thing for me is an upcoming trip to Paris January 25th to see a fashion show, it is a one day trip for work but my dream of being in Paris and to attend a fashion show combined is way too much for me.. Thanks to my bosses Fernando and Julia for this wonderful gift.

Ok, not too bad for the beginning of the year..

HAPPY 2008

2008-01-01T17:22:00.001+01:00

It is finally here the awaited 2008, for many 2007 was a tough year full of challenges and adventures. We could say goodbye and start a brand new chapter in our lives. I have many New Years resolutions that I hope to fulfill this year..brand new challenges to overcome and new adventures to continue.

I wish all of you a very Happy 2008 full of health, peace and love. I'm positive this year will be a very exciting one. Numerology states that 2008 is a year 1 meaning new beginnings but you must also find out what year number you are personally in, I'm entering my year 3 which I hope combined with the new beginning will jumpstart my bright future. You can figure out yours here.

Ok, I will continue writing as much as I can this year to keep you up to date with all our doings..

The Day After Christmas

2007-12-27T15:16:00.000+01:00

This year was a very special year for us because the kids are at that special age when Santa Claus is more real than they are and the joy in their hearts when they open their gifts is emense.

Marco and Bella could not sleep the night before and were very anxious to find out if they had been naughty or nice, they left Santa drawings, milk and cookies and finally feel asleep. Marco woke up around 7:30 am and came to our bed to let us know that Santa had arrived, eating the cookies, drank the milk and left a Thank You note!!! we told him to go back to sleep because we were not getting up yet... poor thing, he did as was told but after a couple of more tries we had to choice to get out of bed.

Isabella was in awe, she didn't know what to do, she got the baby she had been waiting for, barbies and many other goodies, Marco got a game for him game boy and many other super heros and board games he had also asked for..

They were both so excited and have been playing with their toys ever since.. I envy their inocense and sometimes wish we could see life like that again..

You could see all the pictures of the Christmas morning here

Marco & Bella adventure recap 2007

2007-12-13T22:43:00.000+01:00

Another year has gone by and as I'm sure everyone feels, it went by too fast. It's funny how time seems to go by so slow when we are young and in a hurry to grow up and how fast it becomes when we are all grown up and just want to be a kid again. Personally, this is my last year in my thirties, next year I will turn the big 40 and a new era in my life will begin and I'm ready.

This year as every year has been full of adventures. Marco turned 6 and Isabella 3. Birthday parties with their friends and all the fun and gifts that go along with the celebration were shared. They have become closer this year and play a lot more together, although they fight a lot too. Isabella for some reason thinks she is Marco's mother and takes care of him like if he were her own son. Marco doesn't like that too much but sometimes I think he actually does but doesn't want to admit it.

This year I became an aunt, my brother and his wife had a baby boy Tristan who will become my Godson in February when we go to Miami in 2008 for the baptism.

Marco continues to play the piano and is now learning to play the guitar, which my father and MT bought him for his birthday. He also continues with Judo and of course soccer. He is an avid reader and his teachers have only great things to say about him. He is becoming more responsible although he is still a bit in his own little world.

Isabella is still a hand full and thinks she is about 20 years old. She started dance classes this year and loves it. The teacher thinks she has talent, so we will see. Isabella is on to everything and spends her days asking us questions or actually giving us answers. Sometimes I think she doesn't even need us ..

Matt is also finding himself professionally here. His Spanish is really coming a long great and is a lot more fluent and confident. He is working in a large recording studio and has many interesting projects he is working on. He is very busy and a little frustrated with the Spanish work life but is finding a way to shape people up share his enthusiasm for life.

I',m a busy working mom that has no time for anything yet has time for it all. I'm enjoying our life here in Spain and watching the kids grow up to be two different, very different individuals. I'm still working part time in a PR firm and loving it. I started doing Yoga again and I'm hoping to find a ballet studio near (actually find the time) so I could maybe take some classes again.

Overall, we have been blessed with health and love and couldn't be happier. Yes, there have been good times and bad but we are struggling through life like the rest of you and enjoying every minute.

I hope 2008 brings health, love and happiness to all of you. I do hope to see some of you this way next year..

Love

Nuria

The Dela Pola Elfs

2007-12-12T19:23:00.000+01:00

Ok, I kept receiving different e-mails from a lot of you with elf yourself on the subject, I was a little busy and didn't have time to check it out, but once I finally did, boy was I glad.. I have not laughed this hard in a long time.

You need to elf yourself if you haven't already. All you need to do is go to http://www.elfyourself.com

and personalize your little elf's, they do a great little dance. click HERE

to see the Dela Pola's dance...hahahahah

Merry Christmas

Marco Birthday part 1

2007-12-10T18:14:00.000+01:00

Today is Marco's 6th birthday! We had a small party at home yesterday for all his urba friends (mostly girls). The kids had a great time, destroying the playroom, eating candy and cake, you know the usual party stuff.

Marco will have another birthday party with his friends in school this Saturday which I will make sure to post about. Most be nice to be a 6 year old boy with a missing tooth and lots of toys with X-mas around the corner.

He wanted a basketball as his gift which we got him and on his first day playing outside yesterday he hurt his finger..(we are still not sure if its broken, torn.. or whatever swelling of the finger means)

Today he and Bella stayed home from school and drove my poor mom crazy who is here visiting..

Check out the photos of the party HERE.

Thanksgiving in Spain

2007-11-26T23:11:00.000+01:00

We forget about the little holidays that are special to us when we are in a different country. Although Spain has plenty of holidays (pretty much, every day is a holiday here..there is a reason for celebration, or an excuse to get off work for weeks.. every month), there are still some holidays that we do miss, for example the fourth of July, Memorial day and of course Thanksgiving.

Well, this year my father and Mary Tery came for a visit and we took the opportunity to celebrate this wonderful holiday together. Although trying to gather all the ingredients here for an authentic Thanksgiving meal was a venture on its own. My dad had to smuggle the cranberry sauce, which no one has a clue what it is here, I had to order the turkey weeks in advanced from a specialty meat company and I had to search for sweet potatoes all over town.. and forget about pumpkin pie, that was one thing we just couldn't manage to find.

But overall, we had a wonderful time. It was great to be with my dad and MT and the kids really enjoyed their visit. We spent all weekend eating and enjoying the family. My father and MT left today for a cruise and the kids are going to miss the spoiling their grandparents gave them.

If you want to see all the pictures of our Thanksgiving four day event click HERE....

Marco "in love"

2007-11-13T16:19:00.000+01:00

Yes, the time has come for me to have to answer questions about"Love" (thank God, its not the other thing yet). Last night as I was starting to read the kids a bed time story Marco said "Mama, I have Silvia up here (pointing with his finger to his forehead) and I can't get her out, when will I be able to get her out", now Silvia is his little school mate, a very pretty blond blue eyed little six year old, I was a little stunned, he continued to say that he had a dream that they were in the "ball place" (a sort of chucky cheese place) and they were kissing ..he also said that she was soo beautiful, with her golden hair and that she was very nice because every time he hurt himself in school she was there to help him.

Now, I don't think this girl really likes him so I decided to give Marco his first lesson in love, I started to tell him that in life there are moments when a boy likes a girl or a boy loves a boy or a girl loves a girl....oh wait a minute that will be another discussion what I explained to Marco is that love is sometimes good and sometimes not so good and that in his life there are going to be times when he likes a girl but she doesn't like him and vice verse and that he should not be offended if a girl doesn't like him because it was just a matter of opinion and that he should always be very nice and polite to girls that like him but he doesn't. Anyway, he seemed to understand everything but then asked if I could ask Silvia's mom if Silvia could come over after school one day because he was too embarrassed to ask Silvia himself.

Of course, this morning I had to walk up to Silvia's mom and explain the situation..I told her to please ask Silvia and if she wanted they could have a "date". Hahahaha too funny and totally cute.. I will keep you all posted on what the outcome of the date or no date is...

picture google
(sorry couldn't find any pictures of Silvia)

Marco's first Post

2007-11-03T21:38:00.000+01:00

Marco is learning how to write and wanted to write his first post story so here goes..(in Spanishof course, but i have translated it for you all non Spanish speakers)

un dia un prinzipe estaba andando para cazar y vino un malo y le robo y despues unos ninos vinieron eran 4 y el malo no los dejaban pasar y el bueno dice por la llave secreta pues vamos a cojer el malo con una espada de su castillo y una pistola para dispar al malo y por fin murio el malo y pudieron salvar al bueno.

colorin colorado este cuento se acabado.

English version

one day a prince was walking to hunt and a bad guy came and robed him and then some children came they were 4 and the bad guy would not let them pass and the good one said get the secret key well lets get the bad guy with a sword from his castle and a gun to shoot the bad guy and finally the bad guy died and they were able to save the good one.

the end (colorin colorado can't be translated)

picture google

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2007

2007-10-31T22:20:00.000+01:00

Wow! I can't believe I'm actually writing this blog. What a day, it is Halloween and even though its not a big holiday here, actually it is not even a holiday at all, the actual holiday is tomorrow November 1st called "all saints day", a day of the dead, where you should go to the cemetery and place flowers on the tombstones of relatives that have past away...

Anyway, I decided it would be fun if I organized a Halloween party in our urbanization to show these Spaniards what Halloween is all about..My neighbors were not that sure at first but after a little persuasion they all contributed. We made Halloween food, we all dressed up and we even made a haunted house.

We had an awesome time and the kids loved it!! They had a blast.. they loved the haunted house, the little ones were petriffied... I don't know how I pulled it off, party organizing is not as easy as it sounds..but, it was a success, Bella couldn't stop crying and Marco punched a volunteer scarer in the haunted house because he was soooo scared..hahahahaa.

Overall, we had a great, great time.. I want to thank Cristina for her awesome food, Eugenia for her creative drawings, Elena and Jose for their Spider cake, Arancha and family for joining in the fun, Melissa and Alex for scaring and kids as well as decorating the haunted house, and all the kids who made the night so special.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES

Travel Websites are a pain in the ^&%$

2007-10-25T16:14:00.000+02:00

I'm planing our trip to Miami the week of February the 4Th, so we could be at the baptism of my nephew and future Godson.

Well, let me tell you there are a million websites out there that promise to fly you to the moon if you like for a low, low cost.. yes, and as we all know it's all BS. I'm not sure if you have tried some of these websites but they are a little misleading. First of all they give you the price before the taxes.. You see "cheap flight to Miami $200" and you say WOW, let me reserve it NOW and when you hit the reserve button is when you get the big surprise!!

regular fare $200
taxes $800
sur charges $100
Internet usage charge $50
a misl charge because we can $20
electronic ticket charge $40
discount if you fly on the wing -$20
TOTAL $2,000

None of it makes sense. There are also the websites that offer you different flights some with a starting price of $200 (which we now know is really about $2,000) and some with a price of $3,000, (imagine how much it really is after all the extras) for the same flight..now who would be stupid enough to say.Hey I want pay $3000 for a flight even though there is the same flight for $200.. Give me a break, why do they even include them.!!!

As you can see I'm a little frustrated right now, but I will keep searching in the hopes of finding the perfect flight where we don't have to make 6 stops and wait about 12 hours during each one.

If you guys have any suggestions or favorite travel websites let me know, I'm in desperate need!!

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Just like Isabella

2007-10-18T15:32:00.000+02:00

My dad sent me this video because he said it reminded him of something Isabella would do. And he is right!! Enjoy

Precious likes to play Monopoly

2007-10-15T18:21:00.001+02:00

As you can see from the picture we as a family love playing games together, even our little dog Precious joins in the fun. Seen here she was close to a monopoly. hahhahhaa..

Studying for the drivers test

2007-10-10T16:05:00.000+02:00

Yes, you read the tittle right! After, lets see... driving around for about 20 years with a legal drivers license in the US, I came to find out a little after I got to Spain that my lovely American drivers license was absolutely good for nothing. (but people who come here from Africa, the UK where they drive on the other side of the street and third world countries where a car is probably a horse and buggy are give a license right away, no questions asked)...

Anyway, this wouldn't be such a bad thing if getting a license was as easy as in the U.S, where you can pick up the drivers education book and read it in about 15 minutes, memorize the questions and off you go to take the test..no, not here..first of all, there is so much paperwork and bureaucracy involved it is best to sign up to "autoescuelas" driver education schools, where for about 300 bucks they will facilitate theory and practical driving classes so you can pass the test..

The drivers education book has chapters (yes chapters!!) in mechanics, first aid, road signage (ok that one I understand), laws, etc, etc.. and not only do you need to know the norms of a vehicle but of trucks, public transportation, pretty much everything you would want to know and much, much more...

I had been waiting until the law changed but since I see that is not going to happen and that since I'm driving illegally, I should start my drivers education. And so on the bus to and from work I read my little (not really) manual and in the evenings I do tests online to see if one day soon I will be ready to pass my theory test..

The funniest part of all this is that it is in Spanish and Matt has to do the same thing.. hahahahahahha.. ok, that will totally be another post..

here is the link for the Spanish online tests see if you can pass (in Spanish, sorry all you non Spanish speakers can just guess A, B, or C, you will probably pass before me!!)

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Fiesta in Alicante

2007-10-09T13:18:00.000+02:00

Yes, its fiesta time again in Alicante and the Valencian commnunity which means no school, no work, pretty much the entire region stops and there is nothing we can do. Half the time we don't even know what the holiday is for but as long as we have a day off from work we are happy. I asked Marco what they had told him at school the holiday was for, so I could at least pretend to know what is going on.. but I knew not to trust the response of a 5 year old who a few minutes before had shown me a picture he had drawn of the countries of the world and explained to me that Russia was next to Mallorca!! Anyway, I figured it was still worth a try to ask him about the holiday. He said it was something to do with the moors and Christians, then he said no, no I think its something about "valencea" pronounced that way in valenciano the official language here which not many people bother to learn.

So after realizing that Marco was not going to be much help I figured I would educate myself and find out why the hell the kids where off from school and why I got a mini vacation during the week. It seems some King called Jaime I, entered the province of Valencia in 1238 and made up some new laws which ruled until about 1707.. I have a link at the bottom if you are interested in reading more about it.. All I know is we are now home relaxing and having a very nice time with the entire family..

more information valenciatrader
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Comments of the blog

2007-10-07T14:41:00.000+02:00

Some of you email me or call me and tell me that you love my blog and that you read it all the time which I think is great because it is a way for me to stay in touch with all of you, but i do want to encourage you to leave comments that way I know what you are thinking and you can take advantage and tell me a little about what is going on with you..

I want to hear from all of you, and know what is going on with you..OK, enough said..

Mom's Overture by Anita Renfroe

2007-10-05T00:09:00.001+02:00

Thank you Diane for forwarding me this video, it is just great! this is for all you moms out there.. a great song.. enjoy!!!!

Marco and his Liga Cromo" collection

2007-10-03T22:22:00.000+02:00

Marco as you all know is a soccer fanatic. He just loves to play, watch, talk, and now collect soccer cards..He is very passionate and plays soccer everyday in the urba.. but now he has found another sport he loves and that is collecting little stickers that go in a book.. They cost about 40 cents for about 5 in a packet. The deal is you collect as many as you can then you exchange the ones you have doubled for others you need with your friends. Only problem with this is that Marco is very innocent and nice and when he takes cromos to school to exchange he usually comes back with nothing new...Finally, today he came home with one new one.. He was sooo excited.. He said "I exchanged two of my cromos for one", well its a start....hopefully soon he will get the hang of it and be able to collect the entire collection. The day he got the Ronaldinho card he was jumping up and down like he had just found gold..

It's fun watching him guard his collection and this way he practices his reading and memory skills..not a bad investment.

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Isabella's version of the victoria Beckham haircut

2007-10-02T16:15:00.000+02:00

Isabella got a little excited with the scissors the other day and gave some of her Barbie's brand new haircuts..Matthew woke up early the other day and found traces of hair everywhere, then he saw Isabella with a pair of scissors and his first reaction was to scream "Marco, where is Marco" worried Isabella had cut off all his hair he ran to make sure he was ok, he soon found out the hair he saw all over the floor was not from Marco but from several Barbie dolls that as Bella put it "needed a new look".

My favorite cut is the one pictured above which she stated was "Beckham new haircut", not sure how she knew about Victoria and her new look, but there you have it, her master piece. Aside from the bold spots, it looks pretty good..some of the other Barbie's did not fare as well and will not be shown.. as they are in the shop for repair, Isabella wants to know if we can now add extensions to them...ummmm, I will have to think about that.

So, if you or your dolls need a touch up, don't hesitate to call and Isabella will come and help you...

It's My Birthday, a closer goodbye to my 30's

2007-10-01T15:39:00.000+02:00

Yes, yes, I have been receiving phone calls all day long reminding me that the inevitable will soon come. This will be my last year as a woman in her 30's and will soon pass to be a woman in her 40's. The other day I was talking with someone ( a much younger person) and they said yes the woman that takes care of my grandmother is an older woman in her 40's.. Older woman.. what are they kidding.???. I fell better much better now than ever, both physically and mentally.

So, to all you women out there approaching middle age..don't worry, they say life starts here and the best part of it is yet to come I'm sure..

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Marco & Bella just want to have fun

2007-09-27T22:41:00.000+02:00

This month has been a little stressful for all of us. After the relaxation of the summer getting back to a routine has been hard. Although the kids love school and are very happy going there everyday, they are still a little anxious and sometimes need to let off a little steam. Today they decided they just wanted to have fun so we put some music on and they just started to dance.. It was so cute just watching them try to choreograph a little piece.. They were laughing so hard, we were all cracking up..

It made me realize now and then we as adults need to burn off some steam and have some fun. It could be watching a comedy, telling funny stories with friends, or just plain dancing and screaming like little kids, they know how to have fun.

I hope all of you take some time out of your lives to simply enjoy life and have some fun.. gather the family and just start laughing.

Hit the PLAY button above to see the video......

Eye Doctor appointment for next year

2007-09-25T17:17:00.000+02:00

For those of you who don't know about the medical system here in Spain, here is a little rundown.. There are good things and bad things..

The good things: ITS FREE.. yes, 100% free.. all doctors visits (very short waits, most of the time) hospital stay, operations and medicine is about 90% off even very expensive cancer medicine.

The bad things for specialty medicine, you need a referral and if they feel that it is not urgent the wait could be long..(if they see its urgent the time of wait is almost immediate).

Overall, the medicine system works well here in Spain. You can opt to pay for private health insurance about a couple hundred euros a month for an entire family and pay a small co payment and percentage of hospital stay and medicine just like in the states.. Many people here have private insurance but use both systems depending on what answer they are looking for.. In the end if there is a real emergency the socialized hospitals are the ones with the most advanced technological equipment and experienced personnel.. put it this way if you were in a horrible accident and needed urgent care they would send you to a free hospital..

Having said all that, I went in today to my doctor because for sometime now I have been having a lot of eye infections and I haven't been able to wear my contacts for about a year now due to allergies and infections. My doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotic eye drops (as well as prescriptions for my allergy medicine, that way it costs me almost nothing) and gave me a referral to the eye doctor. When I went to the counter to make an appointment the lovely lady at the reception area told me.."ufff, there is a long wait" and I said "ok "she then said "how about January 30th , 2008 at about 10 am" and I said "ok" then she said "in the mean time you can leave your eyeballs here and pick them up then" at to which I said "ok" .... and so now I have the option of waiting until next year or paying 115 euros to go to the vissum center in Alicante Friday morning at 11 am. where they will look at my eyeballs right away.. not sure what to do...

photo google

Our storage room is under water

2007-09-24T00:35:00.000+02:00

I was thinking about cleaning out our storage room and throwing out all the crap we have in there that we don't even know we have but keep because we are too lazy or just don't have time to go through or if we do we are too sad to give or throw away. Well.. sometimes like they say , be careful what you wish for, for it might come true..and so this weekend we had a one day of very hard rain called the "gota fria" This means The Cold Drop. It happens due to warm air still coming over from Africa hitting the cooler sea and causing rain clouds. These clouds cannot get over the mountain ranges so they drop their load. thus, The Cold Drop! explanation thanks to angier blog. And what this means is it rains what is supposed to rain in about a week in about an hour...so you could imagine the chaos it holds for us here in Alicante, a city not prepared for rain...

Anyway, this lovely rain, very much needed in our neck of the woods has caused flooding everywhere including our storage room.. Yes, the water crept in about half way in so our stuff lets just say is a little stuffy and humid smelling.. there was so much water in the hall way of the storage area and in our elevators.. yes water got in the elevators.. when you got in you could hear the water gushing about ...(they are not in use at the moment) a huge truck had to come and suck out about 7,000 liters of water from our garage, elevator and storage area.. hahah... yes very funny...

I had to take the day off tomorrow so we could go through all our crap and see what we could salvage.. I will let you know how much we were able to get rid off.. sometimes, things happen for a reason.. it was time to do some cleaning and the rain has helped a lot of us not only clean our stuff but refresh our spirits....

photo flckr

Marco getting lost

2007-09-19T16:17:00.000+02:00

What a scare, last weekend Marco was invited to a birthday party at one of his school friends house and we gladly went. They live in an urbanization of chalets which all look alike, the urbanization is like a mini city. Having said that we were at the boys house when around 20 of the kids decided to go to the football court on the other end of the urbanization to play soccer. Marco went with them and I stayed back at the house with the parents. When it was time for the cake we called the kids and they all came running back except for Marco.. I figured he just stayed behind at the court so I went to get him but to my surprise the court was completely empty and Marco was no where to be found. I started yelling his name but nothing. My heart started pounding as I ran back to the house to find the birthday kid's parents to have them help me. They quickly gathered everybody and we all went in search of Marco. We were all screaming his name but nothing. I could see that the doors to the urbanization were open and only the worst thoughts entered my mind. Marco was gone...

My screams became louder and louder and my heart was pounding louder and louder..until I heard someone yell, he's heree, he's here..after a very long 20 minutes we found him. As soon as I saw him all I could do was hold him and try to hold back the tears in my eyes...It seems the kids had left him behind and he couldn't find his way back to the house. He decided to just sit in a bench and wait. I asked him why he didn't respond to our yelling and he said he thought it was the bad people going after him, then I asked him didn't you hear my voice and he said yes but that he didn't want to yell back because he didn't want to wake up the neighbors!!!

Anyway, he now knows he needs to answer everytime he hears me yell for him, he has momorized our address and our phone number and hopes this never happens again...

Forgetting Birthdays

2007-09-18T00:31:00.000+02:00

I have to admit this year (and yes for a few years now) I have forgotten many of your birthdays and I don't do it on purpose but life gets in front of the way sometimes. With that said I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the following people who have had or will have birthdays in September:

Margie- ok, I forgot to call her but she forgave me because after 27 years of calling her every year on her birthday one year of forgetfulness was forgiven.. Stay safe!!!!!!

Sheryl-yours is probably the easiest how I forget,, I'm sorry.. hope you had a great time.

Ana Marie- girl how old are you now!! I promise I will call you soon

Tom- I hope you have a happy birthday, haven't missed yours yet so I hope you read this

Marisela- I hope you are having a very good time... are you coming back??

Ok, there you have it, I will make sure to do the same next month.

Getting older sucks but like my 80 year old neighbor told me, it is better to have a birthday than to not have a birthday.. yea...makes sense...point taken...

I just realized I don't have a picture of any one you..expect for Margie so send me some....

The trouble with books

2007-09-12T22:43:00.000+02:00

The tittle to this post is a little misleading, I love books, but when we talk about purchasing school books and all the confusion in that, its when there is trouble. Here in Spain although education is free you need to purchase books, although there is a new law that gives all first and second graders a check for the total amount of the books.

Anyway, like always I start to talk about nothing related to what I want to say. The thing is that we were given a huge list of books for a first grader, there is a math book, language book, English book, valenciano book (the offficial language of the Valencian community), art book, religion book, relacion del medio (no freaking clue what that is)..lets see am I forgetting something, probably.. but the list was not specific and I had to go to the store and fight with all the other moms to try to get the books before they were all gone. When I finally found them, (still missing 2 of them) I get to school, only to learn that they were that wrong ones and I was not the only one with this problem, it seems the list they gave us was not very explicit...so back to the store to fight some more and hunt down the right ones, exchange the others...

I just can't believe that something that seems so simple can cause so much stress, I'm still waiting for the other two books anxiously calling the bookstore daily to make sure Marco has them as soon as possible. And if that's not all, the books need to be covered with this clear plastic sticky thing and labeled.hahahahaa.. thank God Melisa our live in nanny took care of that part for me..or I would not be able to write this post because I would be stuck...

So, until next time...

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FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

2007-09-07T15:08:00.000+02:00

I thought the day would never come, but it is here and both Marco and Isabella have survived their first day of school. They woke up very early both eager to get to school...Isabella wanted to dress up and had Melisa our live in nanny curl her hair and put lipgloss on, she wanted to look her best. Marco was not so concerned with his image he just wanted to see his friends and eat his sandwich.

Isabella started pre kinder and loved it! her teacher named Nuria like me said Isabella is a very decisive girl and has a very strong character, hahahahaaa.. and she was only in school a couple of hours..hahhahaaa.. poor thing (I mean the teacher).

Marco didn't say much like usual just that his teachers name in Maria Jose and that they painted and that he sat next to his best friend Alvaro and that he ate his sandwich. hahahaaa.. its the important things with Marco.

Well, lets see how this school year goes for them, Marco has a lot of work cut out for him, being in first grade he has a lot of books and will have a lot of homework. Isabella, I'm not so worried about yet...

The countdown to the first day of school

2007-09-05T17:53:00.000+02:00

Well, it has been a long summer and the first day of school is almost here. For you guys in the U.S. kids have been in school for a couple of weeks now, but here in Spain everything just takes a little longer.

Marco will begin 1st grade, I can't believe it, he is very excited and wants a new spiderman backpack with wheels and wants me to buy his books right away. Isabella starts pre kinder and wants a Barbie backpack her teacher called me yesterday to introduce herself, her name is Nuria as well, so Isabella will have no problem remembering her name.

The preparation for back to school is a little stressful, buying them clothes, books,supplies, figuring out what type of after school activities they will do and so on. I'm pretty caught up and can't wait until Friday the first official day (I know Friday, helloo...they could have waited until Monday, but this is Spain where nothing works the way its supposed to but it works).

I will keep all o you updated with the school year and the kids progressions.

Welcome Arancha to the world of Blogging

2007-09-02T21:05:00.000+02:00

Our good friends Arancha and Traci (Aracha is from Spain and Traci is an American from Ft.Lauderdale) have started a new blog (they say thanks to me) about their adventures. They have two beautiful sons Nicolas and Alec. I just want to welcome them and also welcome you to view their blog which in on my list of favorites.

view blog here nicoalec

The bus ride to work

2007-08-30T17:50:00.000+02:00

As many of you know I'm working for a communication PR firm as a translator/everything else that needs to be done assistant. It is a small company owned by a young couple who are great to work with. We are a small group but have a great time. Anyway, that is not the purpose of this post, I will talk more about my job later. The reason for this post is that for some time now I have been wanting to write about my experience on my way to work, which happens to be on a bus. I could drive to work but Alicante city has no parking and the available parking is very expensive. The public transportation here in Spain works great and everyone uses it. The bus stop is a few steps from my house and it drops me off literally on the front door to my work.

Ok, having had explained all that I will get to what I really want to talk about which is the actual bus ride. I must say there are a lot of different types of people out there and when you have to share a limited space with them and have time to just sit there observing, you see and hear a lot of things.

In the morning there are certain people who are there the same time as I'm so you kind of get to know everyone. There is one girl in particular who is just plain ODD (Misty if you are reading this you know what I'm talking about) anyway, she doesn't like to stand in the actual bus stop she kind of peaks her face through a little crack behind the frame of the bus stop and just stares at all of us...we can't figure it out, then there is the woman who dresses as if she was going to the 5 o'clock cocktail hour, heels, make-up, glitter, the works...way too much, at the same time, she actually wears pantyhose (I thought those things were long dead), we also have the typical old lady who likes to chat with everyone she sees and tells us all the same story everyday, there is the overweight smelly man who always falls asleep and we need to poke him to let him know the bus has arrived and then hope someone wakes him up when its his time to get off the bus, and these are just the people at the morning bus stop, imagine the things I see and hear each day on the way to work and back..

I have been actually taking the opportunity to study for the drivers test (yes I need to take a drivers test here because they wont accept my American drivers license, that's another post)while on the bus so it has kept me busy..

If you would like to hear more about my bus stories, please comment and let me know.

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Yaya & Melisa's Birthdays

2007-08-27T13:43:00.000+02:00

Well today is the day of birthdays, My grandmother turns 96 and she is healthier than any of us with the exception that she doesn't know who any of us are..She really has no clue as to who is who or what is going on around the world, which is why I think she is so healthy, she has no stress!! nothing to worry about..I called her to wish her happy birthday and she asked me who I was and why I was calling her, I told her who I was but she said she didn't know anyone by that name.. It's a little sad getting older and forgetting about all those who love you but I guess just as some are leaving this life others are just beginning. Melisa, our live in nanny is 20 today as well. She remembers everyone alright and boy do most people remember her!! hahaha..

This year is specially hard for me because I turn 39 and by next year I will start a new stage in life. Although I feel great and think I still look pretty good, I'm not 20 years old, it is evident. I have been very emotional lately just thinking about the passing of time and how I'm getting older but I'm slowly realizing that what is important is who we are now, not physically but spiritually and what experiences we have gone through to get us here. I have had a very fulfilling life until now and I'm sure when I turn 40 it will be just as fulfilling or much more. So I will forget about the wrinkles, saggy skin, and grey hairs for now...

The Urba Party

2007-08-20T10:19:00.001+02:00

Ok, all you Americans are probably wondering..what the hell is an urba party. Well Urba is short for urbanization, a very popular word herein Spain since most Spaniards live in apartments which form an urbanization, something like a small community. Well, the city hall allows all urbanizations to have a great big party once a year (in the summer) meaning everything goes, music, fireworks, anything you want, and the pesky little neighbors that always complain about everything (we have a couple here I will be writing about later) can't say shit!! it's actually quite funny.

Well, this weekend after the election of the new community president and leaders (I was voted for my block) we planned a weekend feast. it all started Friday afternoon with games for the kids. All of a sudden we looked around and there most have been 30 plus kids from 3 years old to 12 just running around like crazy. They all participated in the games, played dress up and won prizes, then we set up a mini theater and sat all the kids down with popcorn while the adults had dinner, a huge pot luck.. with beer and all sorts of drinks. Al around 4 am we all crawled back to our apartments. (kids included).

The next two days were similar, the men had a soccer match, there was a tennis match, the women played cards, the men poker, we swam in the pool, overall the kids had a great time and I can't complain.

I was the official photographer but I'm ashamed to say that when downloading the second batch of pictures I overrode the first batch which was the best of the first day. I'm trying to recover them but I'm not sure I will be able to. But I was able to save the rest..

see pictures here

Pisa was an adventure

2007-08-09T17:20:00.000+02:00

think more than Florence I liked the quaint little town of Pisa..even though there is really not much to see other than a huge courtyard where you find a church, dome and the famous leaning tower of Pisa, that is very much leaning. Matt & I climbed to the top and it was awesome. It was magical to be on top of place you have read about all your life. It was really amazing and one of the best parts of the trip, because it was very relaxing and we didn't have to walk a lot.

Marco loved running through the huge green courtyard, and looking at the tower. When you take a look at our pictures from the trip you will notice that Matt took more pictures of the tower than anywhere else on the trip. I think he got a little obsessed. anyway. We are glad to be home and are still enjoying the rest of the summer..

see picture here

Rome was spectacular

2007-08-06T22:57:00.000+02:00

t's taken me a while to get back into the routine after our Italy trip. I must say although it was a lot of fun, we need a vacation from our vacation. Also, I think I forgot to mention that Isabella was sick the entire time we were in Italy and when we returned we found out she had a pneumonia!! poor thing.. She is all better now..

Ok, now for the Rome story.. first of all, after the roach motel hotel we stayed in Florence, Rome's hotel was amazing.. They welcomed us with tea and cookies and the hotel was beautiful. It was right in the center of town and we were able to walk to many of the sites like the Roman Ruins and the Coliseum.

The three days we spent there were awesome, the entire city in enchanting, there are statues, museums, cathedrals, churches, fountains, everywhere. The entire city is just enchanting.. I don't want to bore you with all the details..just to say, Rome is a city you all need to visit and soon.

view all pictures here

Florence Adventures

2007-07-18T20:02:00.000+02:00

Florence was our first stop after the couple of days in the middle of nowhere (which don't get me wrong was even more beautiful that some of the sights we saw). My first impression of Florence was not very good. Everything seemed a little dirty and I don't know, I guess because it was the first "real" city we were visiting in Italy and I had heard so many great things about it my expectations were a little high.

There were parts that just didn't appeal to me but it was beautiful. The churches and specially seeing the statue of David made it worth while. Our hotel was not so great because I'm not sure if you know in Europe if you reserve a 3 star hotel it is really a 2, a 4 is a 3 and so on.. We were told that, but we didn't quite believe it until we got there and experienced it for ourselves. (we didn't make the same mistake in Rome or Pisa.)

Overall, our stay in Florence was good, but not sure its a place I would return to...

Andrea Bocelli Show in Lajatico Italy

2007-07-16T15:50:00.000+02:00

I'm not sure if you all know that the main reason we went to Italy on our vacation was because Matt had been working there for a while as the Music Director for the soon (October) to be released Andrea Bocelli DVD special from PBS. We took advantage and met him there.

In our photo gallery you can see a couple of the rehearsal shots I was able to take. The show was in the Teatro del Silenzio in a town called Lajatico (the middle of nowhere). They had planned to record two shows so my mom and I were going to take turns taking care of the kids while the other saw the show but on the night my mom went they cancelled the show due to very strong winds so i told her to go the next night and that I would go to the rehearsal..so even though I didn't get to see the actual show, the rehearsal sometimes is even better. I was able to hear Bocelli sing along with one of my favorite singers Sara Brightman.

Matt did an excellent job, it was very impressive to see him directing the entire thing..My mom loved the show which you can all see in PBS soon.

We are back from our Italy trip

2007-07-15T11:48:00.000+02:00

Did you miss me? I'm sure you have been patiently waiting for my return to hear all about our trip to Italy. Needless to say I will have to write our experience in several posts due to the great amount of information I have to share with all of you. So I will break it down by city then by special points of interest.

Overall, we had a great time, it was hot but at night it cooled down and the weather was awesome. Poor Isabella was sick the entire time with a cold and fever but in a way that was good for us because she didn't have her usual energy. Marco was a real trouper, he walked many miles with us never once complaining that we were going to see another church or museum.

My mother came with us which allowed Matt & I to have a couple of evenings dining alone, very romantic. The food was great but after eating pasta, pizza and salad for 8 days I was ready for a big old hamburger.

You can view all the pictures here.

Our trip to Italy planning ahead

2007-06-28T15:22:00.000+02:00

I never thought planning a vacation was going to be so stressful, Matt has been in Italy working and I'm alone with the kids, well my mom finally came down yesterday to help me out as she is also coming with us to like Marco calls it NITALIA... hahah (not sure why he calls it that). Between figuring out airfare, hotels, packing, finding a place for precious to stay while we are gone, working, and overall trying to maintain the household, I'm not going crazy, I'm officially crazy...

If any of you have any Italy traveling tips please comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you. I 'm not sure if no one reads this or if you are too afraid or don't know how to leave a comment, either way email me and let me know..well, I guess if you are not reading this you can't email me, well yes you can email me but that is not the point here..you see I'm crazy.. yes, and you might ask, if you have no time for anything why are you taking the time to write this..and that is an excellent question and the answer is that writing is a great stress reliever for me and helps me get things off my chest.. OK, there I feel much better. See you all soon.

photo florence

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD

2007-06-25T10:00:00.000+02:00

It's my fathers birthday today June 25Th, I can't tell you how old he is because of two reasons, first, I don't think he would like me to announce it to every single person on the Internet and second, because I don't really know...Dad when you read this could you please comment and tell everyone how old you are.

I just want to tell him how much I love him even though I don't say it enough. He has always been there for me whenever I needed, no questions asked. He has seen me grow up and I'm sure in his eyes change through the years. I don't think you truly appreciate your parents until you are one yourself. You then realize the meaning of so many things in a deeper level.

OK, I don't want to go on and on. Just a very Happy Birthday to him and may he have many many more..

Bella learns how to swing herself

2007-06-22T23:41:00.000+02:00

This is not really news but for Isabella it is a big deal, she finally got the hang of swinging herself on a swing and now she just loves to swing as high as she can. We can't get her down, she feels very grown up. I realize that everyday that passes by the kids learn one more thing. It is so hard to keep up with all of their achievements now.

This summer we have to major tasks to achieve the first one is teaching Bella how to swim and the second is taking Marco's training wheels off, although I think at the pace we are going, Isabella will take hers off way before Marco. But for now we will concentrate on these two wonderful things and I will report at the end of the summer how we did

Pool Party on the last day of School

2007-06-20T22:34:00.000+02:00

Well, its all over.. Marco and Isabella are all done with school. They are officially off for two plus months.. they are so excited, and so am I..hahahaa... I love to spend time with them but by the end of the summer I can't wait until school starts again. But, for now they are free from early mornings, extra curricular activities and they have to look forward to days in the pool and beach and long summer nights, eating ice cream and playing with their friends.
I started their summer off today by having a mini pool party in our pool. Marco invited his best friends Marcos, Alvaro, Roberto & Javier and they had a blast. They swam, played soccer, ran around, they were just so happy, it was great to see.

Isabella also had her friend Pablo from her school who happens to be Roberto's little brother.. so she was thrilled.
Here they are all eating Popsicles and making a mess.

I'm exhausted but very happy to start the summer. I wish all of you a great summer too. What plans do you guys have? Please comment and let me know. You can see more pics here

Marco is officially an Orange Belt in Judo

2007-06-20T00:07:00.000+02:00

Just a quick note to announce that Marco is officially an orange belt in Judo. He is so proud. He loves going to his judo lessons which he will have a break from now in the summer but hopefully next year he will begin again and go for his green belt. (I think its green next, if anyone knows for sure let me know).

Marco's Graduation

2007-06-18T23:36:00.000+02:00

Yes, Marco has graduated from kindergarten and will start first grade in the fall. Today was his graduation along side all his friends. They walked in to the sound of marching music, so proud and with a joy you can't imagine. They performed a little dance and song and then sat patiently as they waited for their diplomas. It was sad to see him so grown up, I could still remember holding him in my arms when he was first born. How time flies by..Isabella starts school next year.. I don't have babies anymore..

We enjoyed snacks and drinks after the ceremony and the kids had a great time letting out some steam. Overall, it was a beautiful experience that poor Matt missed because he is working very hard on the Bocelli show..but thanks to this blog he gets to see all the action as it happens.. Love you Honey.

You can view more pictures here

Isabella's dance recital

2007-06-15T23:26:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I was very nervous wondering what little missy was going to do once she was up on stage. Would she cry, just stand there, start screaming her head off, or simply just walk off the stage. It never even entered my mind that she might actually dance..but she did.. a little too much, she did the choreography before she had to but really enjoyed herself. The first thing she did when she got up on the stage is look for me in the audience, as soon as she found me she started to wave and tell her friends.. there's my mom, there's my mom.. hey mom.. and waving.. (pretty embarrassing) but sooooo cute.

Pictured, I think you can recognize her, she is the one with the white bow on top of her head and the skinny legs.

The performance was great and I was very proud. You can see a little clip here.

Thank God for good neighbors

2007-06-12T22:01:00.000+02:00

Matt is in Italy with Andrea Bocelli and I'm home with a cold with the kids..I don't have time to rest because there is always something to do..like write this post..so when good neighbors like my friend Elena offers a helping hand I take it willingly. She watched Isabella today (she is about the only one that is not afraid to stay with her) while I took Marco to piano class and ran around doing errands.. It is a great relief having someone like her who loves Isabella and Marco and is always there to help me..her daughter Emma is Marco's little girlfriend, so who knows we may even be in laws one day...

Thank you Elena, she doesn't speak English so I will have to translate this post to her..

Before and After the Magic of the Bribe

2007-06-10T15:24:00.000+02:00

As you can see by the before and after pictures of the kids playroom ,a bribe goes a long way. There are many methods in which I get the kids to clean up but none works more efficiently that the bribe, not even a spanking gets there attention as well. This weekend was a little rainy so we didn't go out to play as much as we usually do on the weekends, so as you can tell by the before picture things were not as neat as I like them to be...

But after they realized they were not going to get anything they wanted until they cleaned up and I told them if they cleaned up they would get a "premio" (prize) they quickly put everything away The bribe is an excellent tool but is there a better way? Please, comment and let me know any suggestions.

Here is a video of the clean up process with Bella commentating in Spanglish..

It's 10:30 PM and Isabella is asleep

2007-06-08T22:26:00.000+02:00

shhhhshhh... please don't make any noise.. Marco has been asleep for hours but the surprising thing is so is Bella, I think this is the first time in her entire life she has gone to sleep before midnight.. Matt is at work right now, and I can't hear a sound. I don't know what to do with myself. I have that ringing in your ear, like when you come home from a club and are drunk but you can still hear a faint ringing...do you know what I mean?

Anyway, if any of you have any suggestions on how I could get her to go to sleep before midnight, please let me know. We have tried turning off all the lights and all going to sleep, but she just gets up puts the lights on, turns on the TV and tells us she will go to bed when she is ready, if we put her back in bed then she screams at the top of her lungs for hours and hours.. the neighbors don't like that too much, we have tried medication to calm her down prescribed by the doctor but that seems to give her more energy..

Well, for now I'm going to go have a glass of wine and enjoy my mini vacation.. good night to all......

Matt in his Studio

2007-06-07T23:16:00.000+02:00

So far in this blog I don't think I have mentioned poor Matt yet. We are both so busy with things sometimes I forget he is even here. He has been working nonstop in his new studio , it is actually a recording studio called Audiogenia, where they are in the process of building him his own mini studio. It is in Alicante about 15 minutes from Playa San Juan, where we live. So he goes in to work around 10 am and doesn't come back until past midnight...

He is currently working on two projects. The first is with a young singer called Estefania, she is amazing and the second is on a show with Bocelli in the Teatro del Silenzio in Italy on July 5th. we are actually all going with him so we can see a little of Italy.

So, there you have it a quick Matt overview. I'm actually going to start a blog just for him and his music stuff, because there is a lot to share there.

School IQ test

2007-06-07T00:10:00.000+02:00

Since it looks like I'm always writing to brag about my beautiful kids, I think many of you think I only write about all the great things they do and achieve but we all know in life nothing is perfect, specially us or our children.

Today we had a meeting along with all the other parents of Marco's class so they could prepare us a little bit for what it to become of our little ones, once they start 1st grade in September. One of the things they presented us with was a sort on mini writing and vocabulary skill IQ test which was given to them some weeks ago and showed a graph with the median score of the entire class and where our children fell. Once I heard handwriting test I knew we were in for a bad report and boy was I right.. Poor little thing.. the graph was struggling to get to the median and never quite reached it. Looking around all the other proud moms flashed their children's report which showed how off the charts they were.

I'm not sure if handwriting is something hereditary but I should have been a doctor with the handwriting I was blessed with so if I passed that on to my children, I'm sorry, I'm sure someone passed it on to me..

OK, so what do you think about IQ tests? Should I worry?\

photo google

Bella's new haircut

2007-06-05T22:42:00.000+02:00

Ok, so its not a great picture, she doesn't stand still for more than 2.3 seconds so its hard. The haircut itself was actually painless, I thought it would be much worse..She stood as still as she possible could...Afterwards, she told every person she saw on the street that she had gotten a hair cut and that she was very "guapa" (the word for pretty here)..

I actually liked her long hair but the detangling part of it was not much fun. She is a screamer and I think the neighbors will be much happier now..after all, summer is here and she will be in the pool all day long, I'm not detangling chlorine hair daily.. thank you very much.

Another day, another story.. A lot of you have emailed me letting me know you enjoying reading my blog but are afraid to comment.. I promise I wont bite..