I don't know if I have ever been so excited by the idea of mail. Maybe as a child- especially when my grandmother would send me a new post mark or when a package came from my Aunt Buffy. But right now, I am exstatic about the idea of a couple of boxes actually arriving here.
Let me give you a little bit of back story.
In December 2012, my mother mailed two boxes to me. Previously my husband had received packages here in Malaysia with no problem - some from me, some from his family. The only hitch he ever encountered was the customs bill. Otherwise - it has been no problem. However, in the case of my two boxes... they never arrived. When I inquired with my mother about them in late December/early January, as I had allowed some extra time for holiday shipping, she responded with the tracking numbers. So - onto USPS.com I went to track the packages. What did my little eyes see? The address could not be confirmed and they were being sent back to the US. WHAT??? I quickly started in with phone calls, emails, more phone calls... Things weren't simple. First there was the language barriers. Most personnel I first talked with were a bit hard to understand. I had only been in country about a month and my Bahasa Malay was nil. They personnel on the other end of the line were very helpul though - would call over someone who spoke English a bit clearer for my benefit. They gave me numbers and names to call, email addresses to send info to... all to no avail. The packages were already on their way back to the US.
Well - January came and went. The tracking status still said the packages were being returned. February came and went. The tracking status still said the packages were being returned. March came.... Finally, the packages appeared in Nebraska. Battered. Beaten. Almost softened spheres instead of boxes. My mom, the trooper she is, said everything was there and that she was re-boxing and sending the boxes again.
This time though - she put the hubby's name on the boxes. His packages seem to have no problem getting through the guards at our building. Additionally, I am now tracking their every move. Not just sitting back and waiting. I will know when the arrive in country and will hound everyone about my packages every day. (Well, maybe not hound, but they will know that I am here, am expecting the boxes and that this is a real address to deliver to.)
The thing is - I have new shoes in those boxes. Now, I am not a shoe freak. It is just that I have yet to find even one store that has shoes in my size for women. Shoe shopping is one thing I will do when I return home.
I have new bras in the boxes. Again - I have yet to find a shop that makes beautiful holders for my womanhood. So, bra and shoe shopping is on my return agenda.
I have new dresses in the boxes. There is tropical weather here and I know I will love these dresses and wanted them a few months ago.
The kids have items in the boxes, too.
Just knowing they are on their way is SOOOOO exciting to me. I am having a hard time getting to sleep each night. I will be so very appreciative when these boxes arrive.
However, if we have any problems this time.... I will cry.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
My Daughter, His Son
So the hubby has this burning need to have a son who plays rugby. Well, I gave him two sons - twins none the less. It was his job to then instill in them the desire and need to play this sport that he loves so much. Daddy-o's dream was to have a dynamic duo that would make all other rugby fans and players take note and need autographs wherever they went...
Well, after years of prodding, "mentoring" and begging... neither of the boys really like rugby. One of the twins told said father about this decision a month or so ago. Said father was grumpy for the rest of the week. The other twin likes rugby, but doesn't love it. He likes to go practice, but isn't so big on playing in matches. The other twin dropped this bomb on his father this week.
I could see grumpy daddy coming back - the kids don't like him and neither do I. So, half-heartedly - I reminded soon-to-be-grumpy-daddy that he could still share his love of rugby with the one little rugger he had left - our daughter. Well, she does LOVE rugby. She loves all aspects of it - tackling, running down boys bigger than her and trying to (and often succeeding in) taking them down, learning the defense... you name it - she seems to just eat it up.
This morning she was so excited about it being a rugby pratice day, I just had to snap a picture. My daughter is my husband's son... when it comes to rugby.
Well, after years of prodding, "mentoring" and begging... neither of the boys really like rugby. One of the twins told said father about this decision a month or so ago. Said father was grumpy for the rest of the week. The other twin likes rugby, but doesn't love it. He likes to go practice, but isn't so big on playing in matches. The other twin dropped this bomb on his father this week.
I could see grumpy daddy coming back - the kids don't like him and neither do I. So, half-heartedly - I reminded soon-to-be-grumpy-daddy that he could still share his love of rugby with the one little rugger he had left - our daughter. Well, she does LOVE rugby. She loves all aspects of it - tackling, running down boys bigger than her and trying to (and often succeeding in) taking them down, learning the defense... you name it - she seems to just eat it up.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Making Popcorn from Scratch!
Well, living in this new country has us in a conundrum on a weekly basis. A few weeks ago, we finally got the popcorn topping the hubby likes. (He had to bring it back from the US with him, as we have not been able to find it here.) So that presented the next challenges - Finding Popcorn and Learning how to Pop IT!
He quickly found the raw popcorn at our local Hero (market). It looked like popcorn kernels. It was labeled as popcorn kernels - but I still had my doubts about it popping like popcorn kernels!
Well - I quickly found a great "recipe" or directions for homemade popcorn. Seriously, I can't believe I had to go look for one, but I wasn't sure on the oil to kernels ratio. The one I found is great. It has you heat the oil with only a few kernels in the pan, then when they pop - you add the remaining bulk of the kernels - turn off the heat for 30 sec. - then resume heating/popping. It works like a charm! We have VERY FEW unpopped kernels. (We used sunflower oil - in case you were wondering. 3 Tbs to 1/3c. popcorn kernels.)
I have become accustomed to microwave popcorn. Before I began microwaving popcorn (what? 20 years ago?) we had an air popper. I don't know that I have ever popped popcorn from scratch in my entire life before this. The kids just think it is great that it still pops up like microwave popcorn and love that we make it so that the lid starts coming off the pan as we near the end of the popping. They love seeing that huge pan fill - and almost overflow - with fresh, piping hot popcorn.
Add dried cranberries - and I am one happy momma!
Hmmm... What other crazy dried goods from this country can I try???
He quickly found the raw popcorn at our local Hero (market). It looked like popcorn kernels. It was labeled as popcorn kernels - but I still had my doubts about it popping like popcorn kernels!
Well - I quickly found a great "recipe" or directions for homemade popcorn. Seriously, I can't believe I had to go look for one, but I wasn't sure on the oil to kernels ratio. The one I found is great. It has you heat the oil with only a few kernels in the pan, then when they pop - you add the remaining bulk of the kernels - turn off the heat for 30 sec. - then resume heating/popping. It works like a charm! We have VERY FEW unpopped kernels. (We used sunflower oil - in case you were wondering. 3 Tbs to 1/3c. popcorn kernels.)
I have become accustomed to microwave popcorn. Before I began microwaving popcorn (what? 20 years ago?) we had an air popper. I don't know that I have ever popped popcorn from scratch in my entire life before this. The kids just think it is great that it still pops up like microwave popcorn and love that we make it so that the lid starts coming off the pan as we near the end of the popping. They love seeing that huge pan fill - and almost overflow - with fresh, piping hot popcorn.
Add dried cranberries - and I am one happy momma!
Hmmm... What other crazy dried goods from this country can I try???
Thursday, September 10, 2009
UP - In the Middle of the Night
I have never claimed to be an I-need-8-solid-hours-of-sleep-to-be-functional type of girl. Usually, it is more in the neighborhood of 4-6 and things are dandy. There is one caveat to this - the bed has to be all mine!
DD does not seem to understand this concept, and she doesn't understand that the bed in her room is hers! What is up with this? She understands concepts like: death, marriage, even my (and Stephen Hawking's) beginning explanations on nuclear fusion and black holes. We are getting ready to start debates on string theory and she can't get that she has her own bed for the entire night? Does she think she is in some weird "other" world in which she can only spend 2-4 hours in her own bed and then must change camp sites?
(Note: I realize that there are times I only need four hours and if she sleeps four then you would think it would all be good. However, my four hours starts a minimum of two hours after her four hours starts.... nice math problem - leaving me with about only 2 hours prior to infiltration.)
What is a mom (yawn) to do? If I owned Dunkin' Donuts - I'd be right on time to make the donuts.
DD does not seem to understand this concept, and she doesn't understand that the bed in her room is hers! What is up with this? She understands concepts like: death, marriage, even my (and Stephen Hawking's) beginning explanations on nuclear fusion and black holes. We are getting ready to start debates on string theory and she can't get that she has her own bed for the entire night? Does she think she is in some weird "other" world in which she can only spend 2-4 hours in her own bed and then must change camp sites?
(Note: I realize that there are times I only need four hours and if she sleeps four then you would think it would all be good. However, my four hours starts a minimum of two hours after her four hours starts.... nice math problem - leaving me with about only 2 hours prior to infiltration.)
What is a mom (yawn) to do? If I owned Dunkin' Donuts - I'd be right on time to make the donuts.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Coffee Craving
All that talk of tranquility has me craving some coffee!! It made me think of this photo that was taken when I was in Iraq. That mug is as big as my head and I would drink 1-3 of those a day while over there.
And I wonder why there is no quiet time in my house? How dare I!!
And I wonder why there is no quiet time in my house? How dare I!!
The Silence B4 the Storm
When I see the kids do yoga - it is sureal in so many ways. Unreal is more like it. The kids are typical siblings - it is rarely the quiet and tranquility of this picture.
No the kids don't do yoga outdoors in a field of wildflowers with bunnies hopping beside them and a deer drinking at the pond 100 feet away. They do it twice a week inside a studio because all the wildflowers would have caused a run for the Benadryl, and Divon and Dazjah would be chasing the bunny to see if it's tail was really fluffy or just a marshmellow they could try to eat.
That being said, I always tell other moms that there kids are great when they come over - they always are - and it is becuase our children are on better behavior when they are at someone else's house, they don't know just how far the rules can bend and they don't try to see just how far they can push those limits for fear that I will hold them upside down by their ankles off my deck. (My children know this is an idle threat!) But this picture showed me that my kids can actually relax their bodies and minds prior to 8:30 pm. Not to mention, the boys can now touch their toes without a ruler in each hand! (No they can't stick their foot behind their head, but Dazjah can - and they may be able to before the end of the year, if they stop laughing long enough to really try!)
No the kids don't do yoga outdoors in a field of wildflowers with bunnies hopping beside them and a deer drinking at the pond 100 feet away. They do it twice a week inside a studio because all the wildflowers would have caused a run for the Benadryl, and Divon and Dazjah would be chasing the bunny to see if it's tail was really fluffy or just a marshmellow they could try to eat.
That being said, I always tell other moms that there kids are great when they come over - they always are - and it is becuase our children are on better behavior when they are at someone else's house, they don't know just how far the rules can bend and they don't try to see just how far they can push those limits for fear that I will hold them upside down by their ankles off my deck. (My children know this is an idle threat!) But this picture showed me that my kids can actually relax their bodies and minds prior to 8:30 pm. Not to mention, the boys can now touch their toes without a ruler in each hand! (No they can't stick their foot behind their head, but Dazjah can - and they may be able to before the end of the year, if they stop laughing long enough to really try!)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Remember Karate Kid?
Gee - does this pose look familiar? I thought I was looking at her version of the ending of the Karate Kid movie. No - it was just DD being silly with how she was going to go nuts and win the evening of sparring - there was no winner - it wasn't a competition. I was just glad I had my camera out and ready when DD pulled this pose. The face that she gave me with it had me rolling.
Of course, the other day when I talked to my sister had me rolling, too. At that time though it was because how her 10 and 7 year-olds explained having a baby. The 10 y.o. explained it as, "The baby comes out of the belly button." (Very matter-of-fact and confident in his answer.) The 7 y.o. then pipes in, "Yeah, and it has that string you have to cut." This is in sharp contrast (HA!) to my children who state that you have to "poop out the baby." Hey, at least mine know the right area!
Of course, the other day when I talked to my sister had me rolling, too. At that time though it was because how her 10 and 7 year-olds explained having a baby. The 10 y.o. explained it as, "The baby comes out of the belly button." (Very matter-of-fact and confident in his answer.) The 7 y.o. then pipes in, "Yeah, and it has that string you have to cut." This is in sharp contrast (HA!) to my children who state that you have to "poop out the baby." Hey, at least mine know the right area!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Silly Girl-isms 101
DD is so silly sometimes. Last night it was with her impression of acting crazy - this is the photo for proof. Tonight it was with her explanation of real versus pretend people on TV.
DD started by informing me that not all the people on TV were real. So I asked her who was real and how could you tell. Her answer, "Some people are real, but others - like Lazlo - are not." (Incase you don't know, Lazlo is a cartoon character.) NO WAY!! Lazlo isn't real - this can't be!! I was laughing so loud in my head that I didn't hear the rest of her explanation until she said, "...except the on America's Funniest Pets and People - they are real." These were her final thoughts before going to bed... I can't wait to hear about her dream from last night.
DD started by informing me that not all the people on TV were real. So I asked her who was real and how could you tell. Her answer, "Some people are real, but others - like Lazlo - are not." (Incase you don't know, Lazlo is a cartoon character.) NO WAY!! Lazlo isn't real - this can't be!! I was laughing so loud in my head that I didn't hear the rest of her explanation until she said, "...except the on America's Funniest Pets and People - they are real." These were her final thoughts before going to bed... I can't wait to hear about her dream from last night.
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