Take the Trip

Last month we traveled with friends to Manzanillo.  Its a beach located on the Pacific coast of Mexico that is about 3 1/2 hours from our home.  We went with three other families rented a house and made zero plans.  You know what?  It was the best trip ever!  Seriously.  All 10 kids got along. All 8 adults got along too 😉.  The kids swam, built sand castles, we sang all the 90's country songs, laughed til we cried and ate until we couldn't eat anymore.  It was a wonderful time and so many memories were made.  I am so thankful we just took the trip.  We didn't over analyze the housing or the agenda.  We just hopped into the car and off we went.  No regrets.

On the way home it led me to wonder why we don't do things like that more often.  I think there are several reasons. 

 1.  I think it takes an effort to NOT have a plan.  

• We are creatures of habit. We like to know what is coming.  We like to know how out time will be spent and we like to know the cost.  Not just monitarily...

2.  New places can be scary.  Where will you eat? What will the accommodations be like? How will      the days be spent?

• It doesn't hurt to do a little research on the front end - especially when traveling to a new place. Since we live in Mexico, most of our adventures are here.  We always check here to make sure it is safe.  I also like to know about toll roads, gas stations, restaurant or grocery stores around our accommodations.  
• I usually pack a cooler for snacks since, unlike the US, there isn't always a gas station or fast food restaurant every few miles.  And I always pack these for the girls to be able to go to the bathroom ... anywhere.
• For when you get there - I love trip advisor to find things in the area to do or places to eat.  I have also found from living overseas that sometimes facebook is a really helpful resource.  It seems that even if a company doesn't have a website, they have a facebook page and they are usually full of helpful information.  

3. And the last and most important reason, I my opinion is... traveling with kids is hard.  Sometimes it seems like it's just not worth it.  But I am telling you - IT IS.  

So -pack the suitcase(s). The cooler. The sand toys or hiking shoes or tent or whatever it is and just go. Go make the memories. Go see something new. Go. Just Go. Just take the Trip. 

Restart

Hello - you may not remember me.  It's Jennifer, you know, the one who moved from DC to Sri Lanka, wrote like 4 blogs then moved to Mexico.  That's right, it's been almost two years since my last post and I am in Mexico. While its been a wild ride filled with lots of adventures, it's also been a time of settling for me.  I feel like I have a vision for this blog.  I have time to invest in it. And I hope to see if this leads to something more.  What that is, I really don't know.  But I do know that I have something to offer.  Experiences to share.  So I will peck away in my little corner of the internet for as long as I can.  Or until life circumstances shift... again. I will leave you with this... my absolute favorite picture from last years dia de los muertos celebration.

Pinterest Worthy

Earlier I wrote about a "settling in" that occurred our second year in the foreign service.  I shared how that settling in led to a renewed love of our home and country.

Sparked by a combination of requests from our friends and family back home to "see" our home I have sporadically tried to show some pictures of our home.  However, I failed to show Ella's room.  

When we decided to join the foreign service, a veteran foreign service member said that she allowed her children to pick their bedroom decor for each new post.  It gave them a sense of control over the situation and helped build excitement.  Erik and I thought that was a wonderful idea so we decided to do that with our girls.  As you have seen, Anna picked Wonder Woman  and Ella picked the aqua and coral color scheme.

She absolutely loves her room.  It's her haven.  Since she shared a room with her sister all of her life, she took the opportunity to decorate  it just how she wanted.  I really had no say, and I was really ok with that.  I think she, too, would have changed the beige carpet and big yellow drapes.  But they darken the room and, honestly, it's the best sleeping in the entire house!

The other day as I was photographing the Sun Room, she said " We should put my room on the blog. It's really pinterest worthy"

With Ella's blessing, feel free to pin away!

How to LIVE through a PCS

🎶It's the most stressful time of the year! 🎶 It is also wonderful, and scary, and sad and exciting.  But it is stressful...it's PCS time!  (Permanent Change of Station) PCS is a military term but it seems the State Department uses it too.  In layman's terms, it's moving time. And it's crazy.  It is going to get crazier before it gets calmer... to be honest it this summer home leave is anything like last summer's "R&R" it won't calm down until we arrive at our next post!  I will be writing more about the details of the actual PCS, but today I am going to share some tips on how to deal with the stress of this season.

I am actually chuckling at myself as I write this blog! I mean seriously, what do I know about managing stress while moving?  I literally had an anxiety attack in bed last night!  I kid you not.   The reasons are for another blog, BUT, the solution is for this blog!  I have got to manage my stress during this season. 

If mothering has taught me one thing, it's that I am the heart of this family. Believe me, I am not bragging on my worth, I am not saying this family wouldn't thrive without my contributions, but what I am saying is that my mood, my actions, my frame of mind sets the tone for this family.  So... mama's gotta have her stuff together! Not just for my sanity, but for the well-being of my family. 

Rewind to last night.  My kids are sitting around on pinterest and Etsy dreaming of their room at the next post.  This is what I want!  I want my kids excited about the upcoming changes, but there have been several stressors in the past few weeks and I allowed it to set me in a terrible frame of mind which ended with me snapping at everyone  - on a Sunday night - great way to start a new week. 
And just earlier as I was laying George down to nap, I caught my reflection in the mirror.  He was "snuggling" me and looking up at me with the sweetest eyes, and I was so distant... already thinking about how I was going to use the precious hour of his nap time. 

I realized that life was going to pass me by. Let's break this down: In the life of anyone in the Foreign Service, Military or any other profession that allows you to move around often, you are either getting ready to move, just having moved, learning your way around your new home/country etc, or bidding on your next post.  I DO NOT want to live looking to the next thing.  I can't do that.  By the time we settle at our new post it will be October. It's March. Do the math. I could potentially lose 1/2 of a year just "surviving"

What am I going to do about it?

Here are some ideas -

I am in no way an expert - just a mom and a wife trying to use my little tiny piece of the web to help others that have chosen this gypsy life.

1. Prayer
I put this as number one because for me, it's essential.  I am a Christian.  I need the connection with the Prince of Peace if I am going to have any type of peace in my life.  I find the best time for me is early morning.  I get the kids off to school and take some time to do a devotional and have a prayer time.  It keeps me connected and helps with my day.  I also try to add a few things I am thankful for.  It helps me to keep perspective in such a hectic time. 

2. Yoga/Exercise
After my little bout with my anxiety last night I woke up unable to turn my neck to the left and as I am sitting here typing this, my right leg is throbbing.  I am carrying so much tension in my neck and back it is crazy.  You better believe tomorrow I will be at my neighborhood yoga class, and then possibly scheduling a massage in the afternoon. 

3. GET ORGANIZED
I am not organized by nature - but I love lists.  I love journaling.  I love my new journal I bought here and I have turned it into a Bullet journal.  This is a great link to some super cute ways to bullet journal.  Mine is nowhere near that cute. BUT it is my survival.  Without my lists, I would feel frazzled and I am sure something would fall through the cracks.

4. Communicate
This can be taken so many different ways.  It may mean communicating with family about how you feel or it may mean asking for help.  For me it means VERY open lines of communication between me and Erik. We have coffee in the morning and decide who is tackling what task that moves us toward our PCS.  After we have a daily game plan, we both feel better about being sure we are making the most of our time and resources. 

5. Escape
Taking a trip would be amazing - but if you're like me - packing for a family of five adds to my stress, it doesn't take it away! And don't even think about leaving without kids.  Planning their activities in your absence, planning their meals, babysitters -um.NO.  However, I love to read! I look forward to that very last hour of every night when the house is quiet and I can get lost in a book!  Before we moved to Sri Lanka, it was an evening walk.  Erik and I would walk and talk and just escape the crazy for a short while.  Maybe it's binge watching netflix or checking out instastories... what ever it is, escape - at least once - every day. 


I will keep you up to date on how well I end up doing with all of these - but one thing is for sure - I will figure out some way to truly live through these crazy adventures and not merely survive!

My Sister is Here!

Well, as I write this, she's technically still in France, and by the time I publish this, she will probably be back in America. However, it's the perfect time for me to write about what I have planned for her, as well as share some "must sees" on this lovely island. 

I'm chuckling as I type this because I just had a talk with a friend about how many of the "must sees" of Sri Lanka, we are simply not going to get to do while we are here.  It's all about where you are in life.  Goals, budget, and family status.  For us, many of these adventures would be so fun for our 12 year old but aren't feasible for our newly turned 3 year old.  We've got quite an age gap with our children and that has definitely influenced our decisions on which adventures we will take and which we will pass up. 

That being said, here are a few plans I have for Megan and Jonathan, when they arrive. 

Day 1: Mt. Lavinia Hotel.  This hotel is over 200 years old and has a magical story attached to it that you can read about it here.  It's absolutely breathtaking and the views from the pool and beach are equally breathtaking.  They will arrive Jan. 2.  They'll be jet lagged, so if we sleep in, and have a lazy morning at home, Mt. Lavinia will be the perfect 1st activity. We will take in the gorgeous views, lounge by the pool, have dinner at the pool bar (I actually prefer that to the buffet) and watch the sunset before coming back home. 

pictures from some of our trips to Mt. Lavinia Hotel

Day 2. 1st Road Trip!  We have a van coming at 7:00 a.m. to take us to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and to the Royal Botanical Gardens near Kandy.  The Elephant Orphanage is truly amazing and a memorable experience.  While there is so much more to see and do in Kandy, the Royal Botanical Gardens are beautiful and you're almost always guaranteed to see tons of monkeys.  Which is quite a treat when you are visiting the island. 

Pictures from our trip to Pinnawala last April when my parents visited.

Day 3. Shopping, touring, high tea and sundowners.  It's a full day!  We plan to take them around to a couple of the specialty shops, after brunch at a favorite of ours Whight and Company (You literally have brunch while overlooking the Indian ocean... it's magical) Erik plans to give Jonathan a tour of the New Embassy compound while Megan, and the girls and me have high tea at the historic Galle Face Hotel.  This hotel is no joke.  I have written about it before. It is other worldly.  You truly feel as if you have stepped back in time.  After High Tea, we will slide down to the pool bar, meet Jonathan and Erik for sundowners... the sunset view from The Galle Face Hotel is the most beautiful I've ever seen in my entire life, and I cannot wait to share that with them.  Afterwards, we will walk over to Galle Face Green and watch the kite flying and just the general Friday night action on the green. 

Taken at one of our many sundowners at the Galle Face Hotel.

Day 4-5: Road Trip number 2! We will be heading south to Weligama/ Mirissa!  We leave early on Saturday morning.  We are staying at the new Marriott Resort inWeligama Bay.  We haven't stayed there but some friends have and said its wonderful!  We will have that day pool/beach side and then an early bedtime because the next morning is Whale Watching!  We booked through Raja and the Whales.  They have excellent reviews on Trip Advisor  - I'll follow up on how well it turns out.  The brochure says that the trip can last anywhere from 3-7 hours depending on how long it takes to see the whales.  The length will determine if we have time to come home through Galle and see the fort or not.  If we can squeeze it in, I want to eat at Wijaya Beach B&B... best mango prawn curry EVER! I highly recommend it. 

Pics from our last trip to the fort

Day 6: The girls go back to school.  I plan to take Megan and Jonathan shopping at the Old Dutch hospital, and probably dinner at a favorite of ours: The Gallery Cafe.  It's the former office of renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa. And the atmosphere + food make it an amazing experience.

Photo Credit

Day 7: Megan and Jonathan catch a late flight home, so we still have the day! They can either tour the girls school or we can spend the morning sunning at the American Club pool. Then one last meal at our favorite Seafood restaurant... Off the Hook.

It's not the most adventurous 7 days in Sri Lanka, but when spending time catching up, laughing, sharing stories is as important as seeing sights, it will be the best way we could possibly spend our time together.  I. Cannot. Wait!

Coolibar

So, I may be turning 40 this year and living up to ever ounce of my "aging" but we have discovered - thanks to Erik's parents - an awesome line of clothing.  Coolibar.  Have you heard of it?  Erik's dad has had some issues with skin cancer and they discovered this line of clothing with the UV protection woven into the fabric.  When we asked what we could get as gifts for Christmas, his mom pointed us toward the Coolibar website.  They offer clothing for all ages. And the spf is 50 on most clothes.  The styles are pretty classic, nothing really trendy, but when you live as close to the equator as we do, protecting your skin is a priority and fashion takes a back seat.  Not to say their clothes aren't cute... and I have my eye on a couple of things for the kids... but for practical reasons, we are definitely keeping this website as a favorite.  This sun tunic for Anna would be so great.

Coolibar Girls Tunic

And I have this Rash Guard on my list for George. It's so cute and will cover his skin so well!

toddler rash guard

I got Erik two of these for Christmas. 

Men's Long Sleeve Tee

He loves the breathable fabric - it's not too hot, but still offers the protection he needs.
Really just wanted to share the info with you all.  If you're making your plans for the summer, and skin protection is a priority - Check out Coolibar.  You will be glad you did!

See you in the sun!

Travel Plans

I just recently blogged about my word of the year.  Now in retrospect, I think it probably should have been travel.  Because the Lindholms are gonna do some serious traveling in 2018.  We will be PCSing (we are getting reassigned to another posting). But in addition to that, we will finally visit the Maldives!  It's been on the list since we found out we were posted to Sri Lanka.  However, when we got here, we realized how truly expensive it is there, and we have been waiting for the right time aka budget to come along.  Finally, it's here! We will be going in the spring! Erik turns 40 this year and so do I, so we are going to celebrate with a short get away sans kids at an amazing resort!  Kurumba is a resort on North Male Atoll Island.  I haven't decided yet, but I am looking at the all inclusive dining option so we can just be lazy, and do room service, or beach side pool bar lunches... and not be stuck to the buffet dining times or even to making a dinner reservation. Those of you with kids truly understand the freedom in not keeping ANY sort of schedule  - even if it's only for a few days!  The resort offers water sports such as sailing and snorkeling.  We can book all those things when we get there.  But I am doing my best to research all the fun stuff now, so we can be sure not to miss any opportunity.  As much as I want the private villa out in the ocean like this:

Photo Credit

We are settling for a room with beach access.  I mean, we want to enjoy the trip, but budget is still a factor especially because we have decided to go to ...drum roll please....
 Europe in early June!  We are in the early planning stages right now, and I will totally keep you posted, as well as be asking for any tips you may have.  We will be flying into Amsterdam - we have family friends in the Netherlands, so either on the front or the back end of the trip, we will definitely be spending some time with them.

Photo Credit

But we also plan to see Paris, London... Erik really wants to see Normandy, I wouldn't mind seeing Spain... but honestly, I have never seen any of it, so I will truly be happy with whatever we plan out.  I think right now, we will definitely see Paris (Lifelong dream of mine) Then decide whether to just do more of France, or maybe a Eurorail trip and just take in an entire European vacation... hello Lampoons!  It's still in the dreaming phase. If I am being honest, it was brought on by the fact that my sister is in France right now... and I am loving all her adventures.

Photo Cred: Stolen from my sister's FB page -so  jelly!

We had originally planned to do an epic out west journey this summer, but with several factors in play such as the date Erik will be able to join us in the states and the kids school schedule, we have decided to postpone that and replace it with our European trip.  We will be having a layover in Amsterdam on our home leave, so it will be quite easy to take an extra amount of time and do some site seeing. The only site seeing we did on our last R & R was the Starbucks in the airport in Amsterdam. While I must say that was a lovely sight, we do want a little more!  This trip will be so fun and to be able to share it with the kids.  I cannot imagine a better experience. As always, we will keep you posted!

Last idea I have brewing... one I haven't really even hashed out with Erik is Ella's birthday.  She turns 13 on November 22 - which happens to be Thanksgiving day this year.  I really want to take her to New York.  There are so many wild cards to this trip, though.  We don't exactly know when we will arrive at our next post.  We don't know how much scheduling flexibility we will have, and honestly.  If we have just moved to a new post, I am not sure how keen I will be to up and travel again.  After all, the way it is looking we will be bouncing from house to house this summer and that really isn't ideal for the length of time we will be in the US.  ( a completely separate blog post).  However, if all the stars align, it will be NY on the smallest budget ever!  So I will be more than happy to share our tips and tricks. Really, New York like most other big cities can be done fairly inexpensive if you stick to the freebies and cheapies.   However, I feel a Broadway show is a must and maybe the rockettes - so it may not be as cheap as I hope. We'll see.

Really, if you think about it, my Less word of the year is allowing for the more... more traveling, more adventure, more family time.  And I truly couldn't be happier about the possibilities before us!