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(Kids playing at a friends house)











After two long weeks of travel (with one 24 hour period back at home) I am heading home for a
whole 9 days YIPPEE she says tongue firmly planted in my cheek. But while it is only 9 days until my next trip I can't wait to lay back in my own bed -eat food from my own kitchen-sit on my patio or by the pool and catch up with friends and family. The more crazy my life gets with work and stress the more I want to be home in my little space hanging out with my kids and simply being.













at build-a-bear in Singapore












Fruit at Far Eastern Hotel Taipei























On Dihwa Street Taipei













Hello Kitty Departure Gate at Chang Kai Shek International Airport Taipei
















Still doing my 365. Missed one day this week though. It was 11pm and I was too tired to get up out of bed, so I said forget it. I will put a bunch up this weekend when I am home, but here are a few from the last few weeks. I have started puting them into an album and it is facinating to see how some pictures re-appear time and time again. How certain shots either seem to take hold and catch my attention, or if really my life is that routine. In any event I love the daily shots of the kids, just doing what kids do and growing much faster that I think they should.




Travellers Palm, back streets of KL













Just a cup of joe, office in TI Malaysia

Girls who use power tools

I have been thinking a lot about girls, being the mother to a daughter who is a girly girl, but wants to have boy toys too. I loved being a tom-boy, growing up racing bikes down the street with my neighbors (all boys). Building forts, climbing trees and going to bed at night in a pink room. Later growing up on a small farm, seeing animals being born, and crying when they died. Being active in 4-H and FFA. Learning to weld, both Arc and oxy-acetylene in shop class, how to do tool and today not being able to change my own oil (but then I don't have a car anymore so I am ok with that!). Being able to ride a horse, buck a bale of hay and get dirt under my fingernails. Building a dog house (even if it did list a bit to the left) and being able to tell what a phillips screwdriver is.

I wish I could have and did have a better understanding of math and science. I wish I was able to fix things with better results, rather than a bit hap-hazard. But I love the fact that my Dad never limited us because of our gender. Girls can do everything boys can do, no doubt about it.

Anyway, I saw this post at Vintage Chica about her dad. Thought it was worth remembering.

May-June recap

I am busy uploading my 365 pictures, which made me think of what a wild ride May and June were. So, here is what I did

May: Went to KL, three or four kids parties, traveled to BKK, held multiple high level negotations.

In June, traveled to KL twice, went to Thailand, had company from the US by way of a sister and family, sightseed in Singapore, held multiple meetings and phone calls, attended the last day of school with the kids, saw off multiple friends as they returned to their repective homes for the summer.

July looks to be equally packed with a trip to Brunei and KL planned, and August will see school start, trips to KL and Taipei and multiple little life lessons along the way.

So while I upload the rest of the 365 pictures today, here is one from May and one from our Thailand trip with the family (click on the link to Kathy's facebook pictures)http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=573813&id=1234352813&ref=mf

Sundays at the "farm"

Over the last few months a neat little tradition has started here on the "farm" as I now call our Condo Estate. It is either the farm or "club med"... anyway...

Every Sunday, around 9:30 or 10 a bunch of moms and some dads end up down at the pool with our kids. We swim and chit chat, the kids play together and we have coffee and snacks by the pool. It has become a tradition, a ritual and it is wonderful. It is a pleasure to spend our Sundays, relaxing with friends and enjoying the fact that we have a great community.

It is so easy to rush through the weekend stressing about the fact that we have so much to do (case in point I am on a plane on Monday for an emergency meeting) It is so much more important to slow down and recognize that these days are special. The connections we share with our children are what matters and work and the to do lists can wait, once and a while anyway~

What do you do special on weekends? Is it part of your family rituals?

Staying Centered and Recharging

When my life gets crazy, the first thing to go is my creative muse. The thought of writing anything more than what is needed for work is impossible (like on this blog). I get cranky, I get frustrated, I yell at the kids and find that my patience levels are well on the I have no patience at all spectrum. I look at my kids and I realize that they really do a much better job of shutting it off if they need to. Yesterday, Declan came downstairs from a sleep over and said he felt sick. He curled up on the couch and promptly went back to sleep for 2 more hours. He just shut it off, recharged and came back stronger. He woke up, was ready to roll and then at 7:30 pm promptly announced he was tired and he needed to go to bed early. This morning, he woke up right as rain and ready for school. I have always believed that if I listened to my body, to what I need I would be better for it. But, alas I don't always. Either I can't due to scheduling pressures or I just think I can't.

I feel it now, I need a few days off, a break is what I need, some time away and I have not really had much of a chance to do that yet. I have my lovely sister coming in a month and I have so much to do before she comes lists beyond lists. Not in order to prepare for her. She loves me and accepts me as I am, but to be able to enjoy some time with her. Lots to do, much of it needed and much of it is mearly wanted. I don't need to rehang the picture, I don't need to finish my paperless office plan (I want to however keep making progress on that goal.)





But today, I have a plan, a list. I need to be better at staying on task and finishing what I start. Getting things done is always my challenge as I get busy and I find that I push myself to start really good projects at the worst time possible. It is a "I don't want to do X" method of coping I am sure. For me, it works for a while, but it results in a half finished major project and a whole lot of hurried work to finish what I should have been doing in the first place.





So, today I will not be uploading anymore of my 365 pictures (although there are a few up here) and I have been taking pictures regularly. I think today is day 145 and I have only missed 5 days so far. I wil not work on my scanning project, I will not work on my home reorganization projects. I will not spend 5 hours on Tumblr (not that I really do, but you get the point). Today, I will finish a bunch of work projects, I will get the last FFC invoices out and the cards charged and I will do something with Jeff that needs to be done (health insurance sign up for the family).





If all goes well I will post my update tomorrow... Oh and I do have a mini break scheduled for tomorrow when I take a class at Laines'. can't wait!