Not A Party

We celebrated my daughter's 10th birthday this past Wednesday and I cannot believe my little princess has grown up so fast right before our eyes.  Where does the time go?

This year, we're doing something very different from the norm and not having a party. Instead, we're having a small celebration with a few friends at the park.

Now, this may be cheating a little bit with the 'it's not a party' idea, since we will be having cupcakes and treat bags for the kids to take home.  But it's definitely not a party that I would normally host. There is no decorating involved.  No piñata (say what!).  And most importantly,  no stress!  Yes, NO STRESS!!!!

This idea is so genius I can't believe I didn't think of it years before.  No extra money was spent renting out a party hall.  Just a simple gathering of close friends at the park for a picnic lunch of hotdogs and a few snacks.  Kids get to run around and just play, letting off some energy and parents can just chillax at the park and shoot the breeze.

I don't have to stress about who's coming and RSVP's.  I don't have to spend hours on party preparations. I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to decorate.  I can just relax and let the day take shape.  All I have to hope for is decent weather and we'll be happy.

As per tradition, we did go ahead and celebrate my daughter's birthday on her actual day of birth with a trip to the movies and dinner at one of her favorite places in the mall.  She even got a few gifts because what is a birthday without a few presents to open.  She just wanted to keep things simple this year and I have to say, I don't blame her.  It was time to switch things up a bit.  I'm glad her and I could settle on what to do to celebrate her birthday without the big 'to-do' of an actual party.  She gets a simple celebration and a fun day at the park with her friends and I still get to plan a celebration for her special day.  Plus I didn't break the bank doing it.  I call that a win-win situation.

Our Car Is Ready!!

We got the call yesterday and it was very good news.  A lot sooner than expected, our vehicle is fixed and all ready for pickup.  This news comes just in time as we are gearing up to celebrate my daughter's birthday next weekend and without a car, that would have proved to be a little difficult.

I can finally have my freedom back.  Being able to just get up and go and not having to ask permission is going to be a nice change from the last few weeks.  Honestly, it's not like I've been driving around in my own car from the start to feel like the last 4 weeks were torture.  I had been a public bus rider and at the mercy of others when it came to car rides for the last 10 plus years.  It was just a nice and welcome change for me once I was able to drive again and have a car to do so.

I am a little bit on the nervous side now, as far as making sure this never happens to us again.  Yes, accidents happen.  You can't really prevent an accident, can you?  Can YOU?  Maybe, but they are called accidents for a reason.  They just happen and when you least expect them.  I just hope we can keep ourselves from getting into such a predicament again and be a little more careful.  After all, this is our one and only family car, our sole source of transportation.  And it's a brand new car too, so no more f*ups!

I will do my part to keep the car running in tip top shape.  I just hope hubby does his,  It has really been a  struggle not having a car and it's a struggle we know all too well.  We've been seriously blessed with my mother in law letting us use her car occasionally.  But I don't want to be at the mercy of someone else all the time.  When her car isn't available, it puts us at a disadvantage.  And although it really cannot be seen as a necessity for living, having a car just makes life easier, especially if you are a busy on the go parent.  Now, while it would be nice to have 2 vehicles at our disposal so that when one car is indisposed at least we have another to carry us around, that is not our reality.  One car families are pretty common in Costa Rica and you praise what you have because there are so many others without.

With all that said, this time next week we will have our car back and I could not be any happier.

Only Two More Days

Wow!  How did the time fly so fast?  One minute, the kids are just about to start their Easter break vacation.  The next mimute, they are saddling up to return back to school.  Why does the time seem to be speeding by in the blink of an eye!

I am excited that we're that much closer to Easter; the egg hunt, the baskets filled with goodies, the wonderful brunch.  I am really looking forward to Sunday.  But that just means that it'll be back to school for the kiddos and back to the same old for me.

I don't mean to be a negative Nancy.  I can't really complain too much about my daily routine.  I have a pretty decent life as far as lives go, so I am grateful.  But I do find that I am not as gung-ho about the kids' school this year because of the time difference and the many changes that seem to be occurring on the daily.  Plus, as much as I love taking them to school everyday, the constant going to and from multiple times a day makes me wish even more for school vacation.

I am just going to take it one day at a time.  I am not going to worry about how many days are left until Monday.  I will not count down the days until July, which is when the kids get a 2 week mid year vacation.  I will live in the moment and enjoy today.  And when Sunday comes, I won't dread it as the day before school starts.  I will embrace it for what it is:  Easter Sunday, a day filled with fun for my family to enjoy.

17 Again

Feeling like a 17 year old again after my oldest celebrated his 17th birthday.  He is coming to the end of his childhood and about to enter the adult world and it is really making me reminisce about my teenage years and what it was like to be 17 again.

My 17th year of life was a good year.  I was at my prime; school was my whole world and I had very little in life to worry about.  It was a good time to look back on. I made a name for myself as a junior in high school and established my reign.  I was a leader, a natural born go getter who loved being the center of attention.  I was starting my first year as captain of the cheerleading squad and president of the junior class.  I was on top of the world.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, my son's life is a far cry from my own.  As he begins his 17th year, he is shy and very much an introvert when it comes to not wanting too much attention focused on him.  But he's a good kid and not living a teenage life similar to mine is just fine... he is his own person.  But it's interesting for my husband and I to compare and contrast our lives as 17 year olds back in the old days to our son's new generation teen years.  What a difference 20 years makes.

Happy Birthday 17 year old