Springtime???

What has happened to our weather???

Yesterday morning, bright and early, under the pretense of walking the Chewbacca, I accompanied TechSavvySon to the bus stop.  It was a balmy 75 degrees F!  I even commented to TechSavvySon that it felt just like Singapore with the humidity!  He was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt.

An hour later . . . I take WittyGirl to the orthodontist  . . . still warm . . . not quite as humid, getting windy.  I'm wearing a lovely sundress that I recently bought off of Modcloth (Great site - check it out).  Her appointment concludes about an hour later . . . We walk out and it is 10 degrees cooler and VERY windy.  The cute sundress is no longer appropriate!!!  By the time I make it home it is 54 degrees F!  

CRAZY WEATHER!

I had plans to go to the nursery and get some warm weather plants.

I had to reach up to the top of the closet for the sweatpants I had already put away for the season!

It is mid-April in HOUSTON!

I googled it.  The average low for April is the mid-60's.

The low last night ended up being 40F!

20 degrees below the average!!!!!

Now - I'll be honest . . . I am NOT hoping for the hot weather to be here yet!  However, I am ready to wear Spring clothes and enjoy planting a garden without sweating too much and with the assurance that my plants aren't going to freeze!!!! (see post on March 28th).

You can see my hickory tree knows it is Spring - It is leafing out nicely!

I've been working on adding pages to my blog so posts might be fewer this week.

Keep your plants warm!

Have a fantastic day!

I

Time is of the essence

Time . . .

There never seems to be enough of it!

I know that God gives each person the same 24 hours in a day whether you are the President of the U.S. , CEO of a world company, or a repatriated housewife!  Whether you live in New York City, Bali or on the Isle of Skye, it is the same amount of time.

Since repatriating this past summer, I feel as if I have NO TIME!

I get up at 5:30am on a regular basis now. (Mind you, this is the earliest I ever have on a consistent basis in my entire life - the time TSS was an infant doesn't count because I never slept those years)

In Singapore, I got up at 6:30am because I had to put the kids on the bus to the American School at ungodly time of 7:07 - my poor babies! - Now TSS has to catch the bus at 6:15am.  My poor baby!

You'd think since I start my day a whole hour earlier that I'd get more accomplished.  Sadly, this isn't the case!

I'm trying to figure out why this is? ? ? ? ?

As an expat, I had time for morning quiet time, exercise, tea/lunch with friends, general management of the household, extracurricular activities of the kids, grocery shopping, planning trips, guiding at the museum, playing tourist around Singapore and Supper on the table when the Engineer walked in from work! And that was a typical day for me.

I remember thinking that life in the big city of Singapore moved pretty fast.  However, out here on the edge of Suburbia, I'm barely managing the household with grace, getting the kids to their activities and Supper on the table for the Engineer when he walks in!

The house is much bigger than our condo.  I do have to drive a farther distance out here on the edge to get anywhere (kids to practice, grocery store, etc.), but I don't understand how that can eat up that much more time - It doesn't make sense!

It could be a time management thing.  However, I consider myself an organised person - (remember the YLP and list making).  If it was time management, I doubt I would have gotten things accomplished in Singapore.

SO WHAT IS IT?

Today, I feel like blaming the American Suburban lifestyle for my lack of time.   I thought about blaming Daylight savings since they don't do that in Singapore, but savings implies more time and that isn't right!

Anyway - my quest this weekend is to figure it out, get organised, get back on track - FIND THE TIME.

Chewbacca

There is a whole lot of guilt that sometimes goes along with being an expat parent!  You promise your children - It'll be great - What an adventure! 

Actually to be honest, as the trailing spouse (don't you love that term) - You often have to promise yourself things ,too  - - - One day I'll find the Kashi dark chocolate granola bars and they won't be $11 a box!

In Singapore, I wouldn't let our family have a dog.

Before you accuse me (like my kids did for 4 years) of being a mean mama, I had several valid reasons.  First, we have always had BIG dogs - Labs to be exact.  They are just too big to be trapped in a condo with no place to run hourly! Then, they are expensive to transport in and out of the country - we are talking thousands of dollars.  The quarantine was a factor. The boarding was a factor for whenever we took a trip or the summer holiday.  I did NOT have a helper for 2 of the 4 years we were over there.  I refused to deal with the constant care a dog requires (the shedding, the bathing, the chewing, the vet bills and the POOP) and I knew better than to listen to the children say "We'll help out and take care of him!" -HA

So I bribed them with We'll get a dog when we are back in the States!

WARNING: All you expat parents - eventually you will repatriate and will have to come through on all your promises.

I mentioned that I have a brand-spanking new house out here on the edge of Suburbia, right? New carpet, wood floors, Persian carpets bought at auction in Singapore, - working on getting rid of yucky 15 year old couches that should never have left Singapore, etc.

About a month into our new home - the promise of the DOG came up.

I will admit I was dragging my feet on the DOG issue. I tried to put it off until we were more settled - workers were still coming in and out of the house - I'm still repatriating!

For the record - I am a dog lover!  I have always had a dog (usually a lab mutt from the pound).  For me, a dog is part of the family. The Engineer Extraordinaire has always just tolerated my dog loving tendencies and hated it when I treated the "hunting dog" like a pet!  He has always believed that a dog should be outside in a pen and that the dog needed to be useful - like for hunting, herding, basically earning his dog food with useful employment! The Engineer is NOT an animal person!

So imagine my surprise when I got blindsided by the normally, practical, FRUGAL, non pet-loving, Engineer Extraordinaire! 

I think we need a dog for the kids.
WHAT???!!! I'm not ready to take on a dog right now - I'm still repatriating!.
Yes, we need a dog for the kids.
Don't you remember the constant care a dog requires - the shedding, the bathing, the chewing, the digging, the vet bills - - THE POOP!!!!
Did I mention that I have a brand-spanking new house? - -It is pristine - never been, peed, pooped or thrown-up in or on!  Our kids are tweenagers and I think we might be beyond this.
Yes -But this will teach the kids responsibility!
WHAT???!!! - - -Who do you think will end up being responsible for the dog? HUH??!!!
We won't get a big dog. Just a small one that can stay in the house - go with us on vacation.
WHAT???!! - - - Who are you?  Where is my husband?  What kind of little dog goes hunting with you?  I refuse to have some little, yappy dog!
We won't get a yappy dog!  Remember our friends in Singapore who had the cavoodle?
Yeah - sort of - Isn't that a designer breed from Austraila? Costs a ton more than a pooch from the pound.
I've been doing some research on this and in the US they are called Cavapoos - They don't shed, rarely bark, are smart and only get to 20lbs.  Oh here - look - I found some online . . .

And that's where I lost the battle - - - Once WittyGirl saw the puppies. It was over!

I have to admit that when I saw this picture I was swayed a bit.

This is how the breeder's get reluctant moms to get their kids a puppy!  We ordered him off the internet from this picture and they shipped him to us on an airplane.

I tried very hard to NOT like him, but he really is too darn cute.

He does this whole body wag and always greets me wagging.

True to the Engineer's research - he doesn't shed, rarely barks , he's very smart, potty-trained easily and as of 6 months old weighs 15lbs.  He's transportable and very friendly.
He doesn't chew everything in sight like a Lab, nor does he try to dig to China in the backyard.  The kids LOVE him, but I'm the one who is learning responsibility! - Wait - I already learned this!

Don't you just love his goatee.

Doesn't he look like a wookie?

Anyway, - Chewie is short for Chewbacca which is the name we settled on.
He is my daily companion and healer of repatriation woes.  He'll be a constant star on the blog!

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PROMISE!

IN LIMBO ON HOLD

We have reached the six month mark of living in our new home out here on the edge of suburbia!

Some days I feel as if we left Singapore eons ago, other days it was just yesterday.  Isn't that how life is . . . 

Yesterday, it seems I was sitting TechSavvySon in front of the TV to watch Thomas the Tank Engine, but today, because of Teenage Boy Brain Syndrome he had to run, I mean R U N for the bus!

I remember this feeling in Singapore around the six - eight month mark.  This feeling of having one foot in each place, but not really belonging anywhere  - I'm calling it "In Limbo on hold"!

*in limbo

1. Lit. a region of the afterlife on the border of hell. (In some Christian religions, there is a limbo set aside for souls that do not go to either heaven or hell. This sense is used only in this religious context. *Typically: be ~; remain ~; stay ~.) The baby's soul was in limbo because she had not been baptized.

2. Fig. in a state of neglect; in a state of oblivion; in an indefinite state; on hold. (*Typically: be ~; leave something ~; put something ~.) We'll have to leave the project in limbo for a month or two. After I got hit on the head, I was in limbo for about ten minutes.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Like a good researcher and because I know my dad will ask, I looked up the definition of IN LIMBO.

I REALLY DID laugh out loud at definition #1.

There were/are days in expat or repatriated life that do feel like living on the border of hell (see earlier post on Container loading day)

I remember trying to define the feeling in Singapore.  One of my expat friends described it as "going nowhere while everything else is flying past".

I think the feeling is easier to deal with as an expat since you are surrounded most likely, by other expats experiencing the same thing.

Out here on the edge of Suburbia, they don't have time, patience or understanding for you to get a grasp on your feelings and insecurities and expect you to deal with it promptly and move on . . .

For some reason, this week in particular, I have missed my Singapore expat friends.
I think it has to do with this IN LIMBO feeling that creeps in around the six month mark.

I need a repatriated neighbour out here on the edge of Suburbia!!!!

I regularly read the Pioneer Woman's blog.

My husband LOVES her recipes because she makes "MANLY" meals! -  - She makes girly meals too, but she wakes up before dawn and cooks a huge breakfast for hungry cowboys using LOTS OF BUTTER - The Engineer's favourite meal and one of his favourite ingredients!

Anyway, a couple of days ago she posted a quote I had never heard, but immediately fell in love with.

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight

Phyllis Diller

This is my new theme quote for the week and has gotten me out of my IN LIMBO ON HOLD funk!

SO SMILE

and set things straight!

Din Tai Fung & Chick fil A

There are things as an Expat you miss thoroughly from your home country!

Free parking
Target
Paper plates for cookouts . . .

Mostly, it has to do with food!

In Singapore, I missed good Mexican food!  As a matter of fact, I planned that as soon as we got out of the airport, each trip back to the States, we would stop at the nearest Lupe Tortilla restaurant. (This plan only works if your port of entry is in Texas!)

For my children - the place is Chick fil A.  While I'm pretty sure you can find a McDonald's on most continents - Chick fil A is only to be found in the USA!  Sadly, not even, every state in the USA!  My BFF, just recently took an "expat assignment" to Minnesota - They DONT have Chick fil A! 
Incidentally, One of the selling points for our kids living out here on the edge of Suburbia was that we have a Chick fil A within 5 miles - matter of fact, it is right in front of Target!
Now that I have a tween and a teenager, Chick fil A doesn't quite have the same appeal as it did when they were in elementary school.  However, I am starting to experience the  bottomless pit stomachs of growing teenagers!

THAT brings us to the flip side.

When you repatriate, there are things you desperately miss about your expat country!

I miss walking everywhere.
The Botanical Gardens

But again, it mostly is about food!

In Belgium, there are bakeries, chocolatiers, and tea rooms within walking distance of your home.  I will say it again - Belgians make the most delicious food on earth! - - AND, sadly, even if you follow the recipe exactly, it doesn't taste the same outside of Belgium! 

In Singapore, there are thousands of restaurants! Two, I miss, dearly!

Din Tai Fung and TWG Tea Salon

For those of you who don't know, Din Tai Fung is a restaurant that I believe was started in Taiwan.  There were several branches within my regular walking route.  They serve steamed dumplings that were hand stuffed and folded just per your order -- OH and don't forget you can get this really delicious appetiser in chile sauce -- YUUUUMMMM!!!!!

My mouth is watering right now and there is NOT A DIN TAI FUNG IN TEXAS!!!! - Something to consider if you have to repatriate to the edge of Suburbia!  I have heard that they DO have Din Tai Fung in California.  My hope is, it isn't like the Belgian experience and it tastes the same even though we are outside of Taiwan, or Singapore!

Even more than Din Tai Fung, I MISS TWG Tea Salons!

I'm going to have to make a post just on my love of TWG to do it justice!

There is no place like it in Texas or the USA that I have seen for that matter.  Now, Belgium and Europe they GET the idea of what a tea salon is supposed to be.  This is the one place where America has let me down!  I tried VERY hard to convince the owners of TWG to open one in Houston - They didn't listen to me. I'm heartbroken as their most excellent patron!

I am VERY hungry now as I'm typing this post.

I'm a little disturbed that I have to drive 5 miles to get to the closest food options!

Anyway, my kids will tell you they miss Mr. Prata the most.  Good prata is only made by the guys in the Hawker Centers or at Mr. Prata and every Wednesday for lunch in the American School cafeteria.

SO you expats enjoy your favourite restaurants in your assignment country because one day you will repatriate and 

I think I may have Mexican food for lunch!

Paper Plates

I have determined that paper plates are unique to American cuisine.

If I say we are going to have a picnic or cookout, most Americans assume paper plates will be involved.
This is due to the American obsession with convenience and maybe a little laziness about washing dishes - (okay - maybe it is mostly about not wanting to do dishes.)

In general, I prefer REAL dishes.  Actually, I have a dish weakness.  I love dishes and have several different sets of china and everyday ware.  More than any one family needs (don't tell the Engineer Extraordinaire I confessed that!)  In the few years that I have been away, "they" have come out with Melamine dishes - these are tempting me right now . . .

Williams-Sonoma has some that look like real ceramic. . .
Hmmm . . . no place to store them, but they would look good on the patio . . .

I digress . . .

Anyway, as much as I prefer dishes, there are times that require paper plates, paper towels, disposable items that you can just gather up and throw away in a big black garbage bag!.

My husband's family is quite large.  When we all get together there are too many plates to wash - we would be in the kitchen all day if we served every meal on real plates!

Then, there is the COOKOUT.  It is SPRING - time to clean the grill that has been undercover on your back porch for the long winter.  Please make sure before you start it up that no critter decided that your grill was a nice place to hibernate over winter!

Something about hamburgers and hot dogs cries out for paper plates.

In Antwerp - COOKOUTS are not common.  It just isn't their style.  Paper plates are NOT to be found there.  I'm not complaining at all!  Belgians cook the most delicious food on the planet!  However, even if they did COOKOUT - paper plates would NOT be used.  Belgians serve everything on dishes with linen table cloths and silverware with a utensil unique to each dish served!  While I love that about them, linen and BBQ chicken don't go well together!

In Singapore - Grills and COOKOUTS are a little more common, but paper plates  - NO!  This is interesting to me as there are thousands of Hawker center booths that have take away, but it all is in plastic containers or bags!  At one time, our family hosted a cookout at our condo.  Rather than lug all my plates down to the grill, I looked for paper plates . . . I searched … several stores, mind you.  I finally found some I think at GIANT.  They were biodegradable plates made from potatoes and corn!!! They looked like they would fall apart the minute I put food on them.  And, they were going to cost more than those Melamine dishes I want from Williams-Sonoma!!!!  

To say the least, I carried the dishes down to the grill!

I've ranted about paper plates because it is SPRING and we are going to COOKOUT!  We are also headed to Louisiana to my husband's family!  In Louisiana, they DEFINITELY COOKOUT.  The big thing about SPRING in Louisiana is the CRAWFISH BOIL!!!!

A crawfish boil is a hands on kind of feast.  There is no other way to eat crawfish, but with the utensils God gave you!

Paper plates aren't required, but paper towels definitely are…

The Crawfish boil will be a future blog.

Anyway this whole post started with meeting up with the Engineer Extraordinaire's large family and needed to avoid doing dishes morning, noon, and night! - No really - we would be in the kitchen all day!

So these are technically plastic plates, but they have a depth to them so if you put beans or anything with a sauce it won't run off the plate - certainly better than the potato/corn fiasco!

And before you fuss at me - they are recyclable even if they aren't biodegradable!

These are the pretty napkins that will go perfect with the plain, purple paper plates I got for breakfast!

The men folk won't like these, but the ladies will and we all need a little pretty thing to start our day off!

So for those of you expats returning to Suburbia and losing your Helpers - HEB or your local grocery store sells paper plates ($3/100 plates) and don't despair that you'll be doing dishes forever!

Storage, Containers & Garage Sales

One of the things expat women anticipate upon repatriation is the opening of one's home storage container.

Some boxes you open with joy as you discover a treasured item that you forgot you had or that was supposed to go in the overseas shipment with you and has been greatly missed for the last 5 years!

Then there are the boxes you open and you think . . .

Where did this come from?
Is this ours? - Surely our container got mixed up with someone else's!

And so it goes . . . . .

After what seems like twenty weeks of unpacking (really it was only two) your sea shipment and storage . . .
You begin to assess what fits and works in this new place you now live in.

How am I ever going to decorate this new home in European, Asian and American treasures????

In 21 years of marriage, the Engineer Extraordinaire and I have moved 10 times!
I would love to say this makes us pros at moving, but NO! Far from it!

For the record, let me state:

I LOVE my husband dearly!  He is a truly extraordinary man and I am incredibly blessed to have married him!

However, nothing tests our marriage more than "moving out day" - (the day you actually load the boxes on the container and clean before the handover) and  "Garage Sale day"!

I nicknamed my husband, Engineer Extraordinaire, for this blog.  He is a brilliant man! I am continually amazed by all of his skills.  It seems he can fix anything, build anything, solve any problem.  He understands the physical relationship of things to one another, how things work. He excels at everything hunting, fishing , any sport. (Except, maybe how socks actually go into the hamper!)  He is practical and frugal (that's the nice word for it).  I adore him and appreciate all that he does!
God brought us together and we balance each other out, the engineer & social scientist!

All this love, affection and adoration gets TRULY TESTED on Garage Sale Day.

AGAIN, for the record:

I do not mind Garage Sales.  I see them as opportunities to get rid of the stuff that is no longer useful or treasured and give them to another home that will find these items useful.  Whenever you move to a new place there are items that just don't fit! (15 year old couches that should never have left Singapore) - For example!
My practical, frugal husband LOVES garage sales.  He loves the bargain and the challenge of seeing how cheaply he can acquire something.
The problem occurs when we get more "stuff" coming in, than going out.
My normally practical husband forgets that  - - Yes,that is  a very cheap price you've bargained for those pillows, but we don't need them AND THEY DON'T MATCH OUR STUFF!!!!!

You would think the Engineer Extraordinaire was born in the Great Depression as he can't let go of "stuff" easily. - We might need it!  So the flip side of the Garage Sale is he doesn't want me to get rid of anything.

I get so tense because the "stuff" overwhelms me.  I just want a clean, neat house, without mismatched furniture and "stuff" coming down around me. Is this too much to ask?

Anyway - I know others don't have these problems and in the grand scheme of things this isn't that bad, but I DREAD these days!

I just pray that God will keep the Company from moving us anytime soon so I can avoid loading day and Garage Sale day for a few years.

HAVE FUN OPENING YOUR BOXES!