Getting Into The Christmas Spirit

It took me a little while but I am finally getting into the holiday spirit.  It's not like I wasn't excited about the upcoming holidays.  I truly am ecstatic! But a few things had to be taken care of first before I could really let myself get fully immersed into the season.

First off, the most exciting thing we have planned for the holidays is our trip to Boston to spend Christmas with my family.  This trip initially started off as an idea last year, like so many other planned events. But then it quickly started to take fruition after I began the process of applying for all the kids passports.  Now that I have the passports, I have one more errand to run and then we can actually buy all the tickets.  With tickets in hand, it's no turning back.  We'll be heading to Boston for the holidays.

With Boston travel prep and plans under way, I can finally get festive.  Last week, I took the kids to our first Christmas event at the mall to see Santa and his crew.  After that, I started decorating the house bit by bit until Christmas took over.  Granted, I am keeping the decor very minimal this year as we won't be here for Christmas and most notably on the MIA list of decorations is my Christmas tree.  But the house still looks pretty festive with the few decor pieces I decided to utilize this year.  Because even though we will be leaving soon and the decor will have to come down before the actual holi-DAY, I still wanted to enjoy my home for the short time I had until then.

I also hosted our somewhat annual Secret Santa and gift exchange party with our friends and that was a blast.  Kids got some pretty cool gifts and I got a very tasty box of chocolates.  I cannot wait to see all that the rest of the holiday season has in store for us.  While most of our time will be spent in Boston living our best lives, I will still try and stick to many of our traditional celebrations as well.  We will be still be home when we officially kick off the season with our advent and the Polar Express.  And I still have a few presents I need to buy for a few family members and school personal.  So, while it won't be our norm, this is probably going to be one of the best Christmases we've ever had.

Halloween Fun At Mall San Pedro

For the second year in a row, I took the kids trick or Treating at Mall San Pedro and it was just as much fun as we remembered from the year before.  I love how far Costa Rica has come with all the various Halloween celebration offerings for kids.  And since we all know Halloween is not just about the costume but also about the candy, this year did not disappoint and the kids walked away with three buckets filled to the brim with assorted candies, lollipops and chocolates.  It's safe to say Halloween in Costa Rica was a success for the kids, another great year in the books.

More Halloween Fun at Lincoln Plaza

Thanks to Automercado for the free halloween goodies. 

Prom 2019 (Yup I Went To My Son's Prom!)

When you think of prom, you think of a bunch of excited teenaged seniors going wild for their last night together as high schoolers.  A few teacher chaperones litter the space but are carefully placed in the background to not encroach on the festive teenage atmosphere.  Well, I am here to tell you that in Costa Rica, prom is a little different as much as it is the same. 

It's the same vibe, of course, with a bunch of teenagers getting lit for the final night together as high schoolers.  They dance the night away and get as wild as they are allowed to get in a somewhat controlled environment because there are chaperones.  However, teachers are nowhere in sight. Instead you see parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, cousins, uncles, even neighborhood friends. Prom is literally a family affair. In Costa Rica prom, or as they call it the graduation dance, is a family friendly event.  It is expected that families attend prom with their graduating senior.  There is the customary introduction as the senior officially enters the event with their parents.  There is a photo area for families and even an introductory dance 'performance' by the senior and their parent.  Needless to say, I went to Prom with my 19 year old and it was pretty lit.

Time For Another Update

It has been a while since my last blog post and a lot has happened since then.  I celebrated my 39th birthday, my very last year in my 30's, which is so crazy to me.  I don't feel a day over 26!

We also took a family trip to Monteverde, which was amazing.  I had never been to the cloud forest and it was for sure an adventure.  Monteverde is beautiful, with breathtaking views of nature in all its wonder.  The air is chill, crisp and clean.  I felt I was in a hidden paradise.  I have since added Monteverde to my list of all time favorite places and we plan to visit again soon.

 Our hotel in Monteverde was spectacular.  Hotel Fonda Vela was just a perfect family friendly home away from home for our family.  The grounds are gorgeous and the rooms are spacious and comfortable.  Breakfast was included with the price of our stay and I have to say, the food was pretty tasty. There are a few hotels that we like, and this was definitely one of them.

 Monteverde offers a wide variety of restaurants, with varying flavors and menu options.  This dish right here was a tasty first peek of the food we had in store for us on our 2 day stay.

Monteverde is full of family friendly activities for all ages, from the low paced to the adrenaline rush for the adventure seekers.  We decided to take advantage of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve that was a close distance from our hotel.  The place is world famous for all its flora, fauna and bird watching.  If you're lucky, you might spot other types of animals as well.   Since we had smaller kids with us, we opted for the two hour hike and it was everything we thought it would be.

The various hike trails available at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

                                      

Back at the hotel, kids took a quick dip in the pool, which was freezing.  There was a jacuzzi, but unfortunately it was out of order, which was a bummer.  

 The hotel grounds are absolutely stunning, with its own trails to explore.  Hubby and I took a quick 30 minute stroll through one of the trails on the hotel property, which was a refreshing and welcome break from the hectic events of our last morning in paradise.  We had an amazing trip and hope to visit Monteverde again real soon.

On the another note, my kindergartener had a presentation for Culture Day at school and it was just too cute not to include in this blog post.  Here he is in his costume, representing the province of Limon, Costa Rica

And last but not least for his blog post, I had to include my daughter's gymnastics presentation.  It was a quick and simple exhibition but the girls had a blast sharing all the skills they've been learning in gymnastic class.