The ‘best’ month in Paradise

Mid April until mid May is my favorite time in paradise. The weather is as hot as it gets here (33C/92F), the sea is warm like a bath tub, we have hardly any rain and the storage lakes on the island are still halfway full from the downpours during the peak of the rainy season, it couldn’t be better.

However:

1. Starting today ‘Timan’ is on school holiday for the next three weeks. In one way it’s very nice, I get to play (and snuggle :-)) with my son and maybe I get to sleep in until 7am. On the other hand however this isn’t good at all because I need to keep the little tot occupied or he will keep me on my toes the whole day long. Since many months we live in the era of ‘no-I-won’t-nap-ever-again’.

2. I’m not used to this anymore. After not even 3 short months I got so used to my free mornings I usually spend lounging on the couch, chatting with the neighbors, shopping cleaning the house. But luckily we have the perfect activity right next door. Ok, ‘sort of’ next door.

3. And this is the plan: Day #1 we go to the beach. Day #2 we go to the beach. Day #3 we might go to another beach (just for a change). But on day #4 we go to town. And on day #5 we visit Gromi. Day #6 we make a trip to the playground and stay there forever some hours. On day #7 we’ll go to the beach (again). And then we’ll start from the beginning. I just hope the weather is on our side. Sigh.

4. One thing I know for sure, ‘Timan’ can’t stay at home for more than 1/2 day. He needs an activity that involves running around, jumping and more running, burning energy, doing something physical. Any activity which doesn’t necessarily involve me every second of the day would do it and I’m starting to wonder how I’m going to survive these three weeks. How did I do this before? So fast did I get used to these 6 hours per day for myself.

5. But this week I was enjoying my last ‘free’ days for several weeks.

6. A friend came to the island and gave me some CDs with children songs and audio plays in Swiss. Songs and plays I remember from my own childhood. Since ‘Timan’ is singing the whole day, I’m sure he’ll like them and will pick up some songs in no time.

7. We went for another appointment to the dermatologist, the one I was not happy about the last time. This time however she was totally different. Maybe I’ve done her wrong in the past, because at that point she was not used to the way of life here (which is so much different then anywhere else. Deep down it still is a banana republic). We had a good talk and she completely agreed to the way I was handling ‘Timan’s eczema (double dosing one antihistamine and follow-up with another one at night, both in case he ate an allergen). She also told me about the local pharmacists who refuse to follow the doctors orders but rather ‘follow the book’ concerning prescriptions, even if the particular prescription is the norm in other countries. So we ended up laughing together and making fun of the locals like two expats living in a foreign country. Anyway, that’s what we both are.

8. Yesterday, to celebrate the last day of school, all the kids in preschool went to the local playground in town and I went along to snap some photos. I never thought it would be so difficult. They run and run, all of them, all at the same time, with no direction in mind. The playground looked like an anthill. I tried to make some group shots but 3- and 4-year-old kids are not able to stand still long enough, let along able to look into the same direction, all at the same time, not even for maybe 3 seconds.

Never before I ended up with so many crappy photos.

But all the kids had a great time and that’s what counts. 🙂

Wish me luck for the weeks ahead, enough coffee for the early morning hours and enough wine for the 5pm-frenzy or the overtired-after-dinner-tantrum.

But in the meantime I wish everyone a great weekend.

For more of those important lessons life is teaching you, head over to ‘Life Ever Since’:

Come sing with me (Memories Captured)

These days we are past ‘Jingle bells’ (finally, sigh), we’re done with ‘Twinkle twinkle little star’ and we moved on to other lyrics and songs, which are recited by ‘Timan’ on a regular basis, like … all the time.

With other words: His repertoire of songs and rhymes is steadily growing.

Of course, we are singing the ‘ABC-song’ and he knows some songs in Swiss. But lately he’s coming home with one Creole song after another, these are all songs or rhymes he’s learning in preschool.

Like this one for example:

Translation/rules:

The children are sitting in a circle. And while one kid is walking around this circle, all kids are singing:

“I am planting, I am planting,

a carrot, (a) little eggplant,

(if) it doesn’t grow, (if) it doesn’t grow.

I pull out one.”

and with the last words the one walking touches the nearest child on the head. This kid is following now the one going around. This is repeated until there is only one person left sitting.

“Look at the one that is rotten.”

Everybody is laughing and the ‘rotten’ one gets to be the person ‘pulling out’ the other kids in the next round.

‘Timan’  l.o.v.e.s.  this game.

But sometimes we are making up our own lyrics, like this one for example:

If you want to see more ‘Memories Captured’, head over to Alison @ Mama Wants This or Galit @ These Little Waves for their meme

Tell me about your kid’s favorite songs or nursery rhymes. Do you make up your own variations as well?

Life is good

All of a sudden my days have so many hours. I still can’t believe it, it’s just wonderful. Oh, life is good. 🙂

Every single day since years I’m getting up at the crack of dawn, but starting this week I am free, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want (for 6.5 hours per day). I’m still getting up at the same time though, but I don’t mind. Oh, life is good.

1. This week I relearned to drink my coffee totally relaxed and in peace. There was nobody who constantly pulled on my legs, was whining about this and that and wanted me very urgently – meaning this very second – to build a ‘bobblebeckerbus’ with LEGOs. Oh, life is good.

2. This week I relearned to use the bathroom all by myself. What a pleasure. Oh, life is good.

3. This week I relearned to enjoy cleaning the house while whistling to a melody on the radio.

4. Actually this week I relearned to listen to whatever music I wanted to hear. Oh, life is good.

5. This week I relearned to be myself again, hmm, at least for those 6.5 hours per day. Oh, life is good.

6. This week I had a happy little son walking home with me in the afternoon, telling me about the things he was doing and who and what he was playing with. Oh, life is good.

7. This week I relearned to have fun playing with blocks and LEGOs and cars again, because the dinner was already made. Oh, life is good.

8.  This week I relearned to stay very calm. I really was a good girl, I didn’t freak out, I didn’t give a spiced answer and I even forced a smile when the tw@t of a dermatologist laughed and said ‘Oh, is this your first child? He he he, that’s why. And eczema has nothing to do with calcium deficiency. No, he he. But here in the tropics a lot of children have skin problems. It may go away eventually. And your son is looking fiiiine.’ Sure, now that the eczema has gone – because of the calcium supplement and wet wraps – he’s fine. He wasn’t fine though when I scheduled the appointment a few months ago.

(Dry coarse skin, dermatitis, hyperpigmentation and eczema can be a symptom of Hypocalcemia (calcium deficiency) according to the Cleveland Clinic and it looks as if this was a reason (or maybe the reason) why ‘Timan’s eczema kept flaring up.)

After she finished laughing she gave me a three-month supply of Cetrizine (antihistamine) and Hydrocortisone, just in case the rash would come back. And yes, this was after I told her that I was successfully trying to get off the steroids. Having specialists from other countries with not much experience who are pushing certain medicines to make it easy for them, these are the beauties of a free healthcare system. 😦

Luckily I got ‘Timan’s eczema under control, I found the triggers, without a doctor. Oh, life is good.

9. This week I didn’t care about those downsides in Paradise, the sometimes rude behavior people show here, because ‘Timan’ is healthy and happy, the Hubs is healthy and happy and the Mommy is healthy and happy. Oh, life is good.

10. This week, today, I’m finally going to the beach all by myself.

(source)

I wish everyone a great weekend.

For more of those important lessons life is teaching you, head over to ‘Life Ever Since’:

P.S. I’m not the only person complaining about the public healthcare in this country. Everyone here makes the same experience. It’s sad, but if you don’t have to pay for it, you wont get the service either. Unfortunately there are not so many other options, private specialists are rare.

But for now, life is good. 🙂

The first day

Yesterday my little baby boy has reached another milestone. Yesterday ‘Timan’ had his first official day in ‘creche’, or preschool, or kindergarten, it’s all the same here in Paradise. From now on the tot will go to school for 5 days per week for 6.5 hours per day, for the rest of his life. No, not really, but you know what I’m talking about. And he is only 3 years, 5 month and 1 week old. Nope, I didn’t cry, really not. 😉

Gone are the days of spontaneous trips to the beach, nobody is going to help me folding the laundry, baking new recipes, nobody is sleeping in with me until 7:30am (this has really happened, but only when I put dark towels behind the curtains to completely block out the light), but …

… different times are emerging on the horizon.

Not only will I finally be able to do a peaceful shopping spree without having anyone in the dressing room wanting to get out (to go potty or just because), I will also have blissful and relaxing times at the beach with a drink in one hand and a book in the other. And most of all the fun in playing with ‘Timan’ will come back. All my chores for the day I will have accomplished by that time and the little one will have my undivided attention. This is going to be a win/win situation for both of us. 🙂

In November the tot already went to ‘creche’ for three familiarization days and even though he was happy when the three days were over, he was actually looking forward to go again. And on Sunday he told me ‘Mommy, you know, when you leave me there, I’m just gonna cry a little bit. I’m a big boy now, I’m not a baby, so I’ll stop.’

When we left home in the morning he was still in high spirits making goofy faces.

After arrival at the classroom he grabbed a toy to keep himself busy, but he was slowly getting a little uneasy.

And this time I didn’t make the mistake from the past to hang out at the school for too long. I told ‘Timan’ that I’m leaving, he stared to sob. I gave him a kiss and told him that I will pick him up in the afternoon, he started to cry. I left, he stared to scream. I waited out of his sight and after not even 2 minutes, the crying stopped. So I went back, peeked through the window and saw him peacefully playing with a truck. But I had to swallow a couple of times. Sigh.

And when I arrived in the afternoon to pick up the tot, everybody was quietly gathered around the ‘Miss’ and listening to a story.

But on the way home I realized that my legs and my behind will be super toned in no time at all because I have to climb the ‘1000’ steps up and down two times per day. 😉

After his first official day in ‘creche’ ‘Timan’ fell asleep before I even could put on his PJ.

Let’s find out how the 2nd, the 3rd and the following days in preschool turn out. Because ‘Timan’s academic career has started now, or so we were told by the ‘Head Teacher’. She was even talking about evaluation in preschool. I guess times have changed much more than I thought they have since I was a kid.

A little late I’m linking up my tots first day at school with ‘Yeah Write’, hop over and check out the other entries if you like:

Better late then never, right?

But first, please tell me how do you feel about ‘evaluating’ the skills in early childhood?

Surviving the bug and diggin’ the dirt

I think every woman knows when men are sick, the world is falling apart for them and they suffer a gazillion deaths. This week I learned that my little tot is on the way to become a man.

1. Last week ‘Timan’ was in creche (preschool) for only three days, for the first time in his life. And he caught a bug already. Saturday night he was a very sick little boy, suffering from THE COLD.

Ok, I agree, having a cold is uncomfortable and a pain in the neck, especially when you’re three years old. But all the screaming ‘Mommy, Mommy, hold my hand, stay with me, don’t go away, never, Mommy, Mommy’ sounded more like my Hubs when he’s sick (just change the Mommy to Honey). Well, the little one is a man in training after all.

2. This shows without a doubt, bugs are everywhere and just wait to jump on my tot. Well, that’s the way it is and I better get used to it. But there is a good side to every coin, isn’t it? The more often ‘Timan’ is coming down with a cold, the better his immune system will get trained and the easier he can handle getting sick later in life, or the more immune he will become to those nasty bugs.

3. Just look at me. When I was a child I probably had every virus on the planed that is causing a cold. But now, not anymore. These days, both of my men are getting sick, the big one on a regular basis. And me, I can be the nurse.

4. The Hubs was working on Sunday so the tot and I spent the day cuddling on the couch watching movies and I was the ‘nursie no. 1’ to my ‘oh so very sick’ little man.

5. And guess what, early Monday morning ‘Timan’ was himself again and started the day with decorating the bathroom with toilet paper and the cold was just a shadow from the past.

6. And because I’m desperately looking for things to do with the little one we did some planting this week. I’ve bought some seeds for kitchen herbs and ‘Timan’ was very eager to help when he heard the magic words ‘let’s dig the dirt’. But he did it very carefully and filled up the pot and put the seeds in.

If all goes well and he doesn’t I don’t forget to water the plants,

we will have basil, sage, thyme and parsley in no time. Hey, we are living in the tropics and everything is growing like weeds ;-), anyway, things are growing much faster here then in a temperate climate.

8. I’m already looking forward to a good old ‘insalata caprese’ (if I’m lucky and find somewhere some mozzarella), one of my favorites.

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend.

For more of those important lessons life is teaching you, head over to ‘Life Ever Since’:

Do you experience the same phenomena with your male family members when they are sick?