a post in bullets...

It's the best I can do.  I've started about 3 posts...they are in my drafts bucket...but life keeps getting in the way.  And just in case we do have a 'following' I'd like to keep you updated.

*We drove about 30 minutes out of the city to visit Charlie's American school earlier this week.  It's a bit of a 'campus' of a school.   300 2nd graders, 12 2nd grades....that's a whole Palo Alto school!!  I'm excited for Charlie but wishing he was going to school a little bit closer to home.  I loved walking him to and from school each day in Palo Alto and picking him up to find out immediately how his day went.  He'll be riding one of three full buses from our complex for about 40 minutes each way...(bus leaves at 6:58am....yikes!)

*Max loves peaches.  I've been buying them without really checking the price...since he loves them so much.  I realized today that his four peaches were $15.  too bad for Max...he'll have to find a new love:)

*To celebrate Singapore's National Holiday/Indpendence Day yesterday...like our 4th of July...we attended a bbq at our complex. Complete with rice crispy treats and hot dogs....and even red solo cup wine glasses (all the rage on pinterest this summer!)  Not sure that was quite the Singaporean celebration we should have had....but it was nice to meet some more of our neighbors. And Max hasn't stopped talking about those 'square things that have glue in them' (rice crispy treats...Max's first taste of them)

*Max goes to school about a 10 minute walk...door to door....  perfect:)  We did our visit today with his teachers.  I'm not sure they knew what to do with our Max.  They were a bit taken back by his exuberance for life!!  Hopefully he and they will settle down a bit when Mom & Dad aren't in tow.

*Tango is the new method of keeping the extended families in touch.  It's working pretty well...and yet the families feel so so far away.  I try to keep that idea and emotion in check more than any other.  But its probably the biggest sacrifice of them all in this adventure of ours.  We need our families and they need us.  So thankful for the support and positive encouragement that is always ready for us in each 'Tango' call.

*We are loving our temporary helper..Edilyn. She's like a second set of my hands.  Seriously...she magically appears when Oscar is fighting me with diaper changes, swoopes in when the phone rings and makes sure the boys are occupied....Supplies the boys with their never ending request for snacks (I want cut up apples, sliced peaches, a hot dog!  I feel like we have suddenly hit the teenage years of eating around here!!)  She's cleaning, mopping, doing laundry, putting away groceries, prepping dinner....it's amazing.  And yet I'm happy when she leaves at 5 and we have the house to ourselves.  Not sure I'm going to be able to embrace the 'live in maid' when she comes.     I'm sure I'll adjust:)

*The woman and families we are meeting in our complex are so nice, really friendly.  And I'm a social one by nature....and yet at this late age of mine (almost 40) I'm craving more than anything all my wonderful and loving friends around the globe:).  I already have the most wonderful friends and neighbors.  It's been an emotional thing each day to wake up and gear up for being part of this new expat community.  I do know that friendships don't always come with rules about how long you will be there or where you are from or how many kids you have, etc.  I AM looking forward to being surprised by these new friendships in my life here.  But I miss my well seasoned friends so so much. xoxo

*Charlie & I have discovered a new love for carmel popcorn...when we are out and about together it's been our treat of choice...and today we found a Garrettt's popcorn stand.  Charlie couldn't quite believe that in downtown Chicago you wait for over an hour for a bag of popcorn when today we walked right up and had a taste of the best popcorn ever!!  Charlie kept saying...'and I was born in Chicago..this popcorn is perfect for me!"...so cute!  who would have thought we'd discover it together in Singapore!!

Next post...first day of school photos...costume and all!!!