Friday. Woot!

I'm really happy today. Because in two weeks, I will be boarding a plane with my children in tow, heading for the United States of America. And I am thrilled at the very thought. I have been going through the drawers, looking at what I want to pack. Thinking about what to pack for the kids. Wondering what the weather will be like. This is exciting.

Oh yeah, and my husband is home now. Actually I started this blog post earlier in the day. And as the kids would have it, they needed me more than this post did. They won. So we went for dinner at Pizza Hut, because that's what I wanted. The kids were well behaved. And they were soooooo happy to see daddy. After not seeing him for 12 days, it was absolutely precious how they fought over who would hold his hand. They both did. And left mommy behind. But I understand.

Also, I get to go shopping this weekend. I had asked you guys ealier for your opiniong regarding what I should wear to my husband's promotion ceremony. (See post here.) And I have decided to just go shopping for something to go with my awesome boots. Because I love them that much. The ceremony is to be held on Monday. And I figure it's special enough to buy something new.

Oh, and I plan to do another video post on Monday. I had a few gals email me with some interest. I guess I should give everyone some time to get their thoughts in order. I know I wasn't thinking that everyone would jump right on the bandwagon. But I still invite you to join me! Make a video of yourself, say hi and tell me what your MOST favorite household appliance is. Show it off in the video. Tell me why you love it, or can't live without it. And you will see mine. So there. I now officially have a topic for my brand spanking new Monday Video meme. Do join in the fun. And take a button and post it on your blog. ;)

OK. That's about it for me. I have to go visit with the husband. I haven't seen him in like 12 days. Chat with you all later~

My first video blog post.

This is me and my first video posting. Watch it, or don't , but you might want to join me in video blogging, this could be fun.

Oh yeah, and this is my first time using Mr. Linky. Cool huh? I was thinking about doing a weekly meme with videos. Want to play along? We could call it something like Video Me Monday. Any better ideas? I don't know.... just thinking out loud. Hope you all have a great day~

(Edited to add: I totally know it's Thursday. I plan on doing the video thing on Mondays in the future.)

<a href="http://eddienalexa.blogspot.com"><img border="0" alt="Video Me Mondays" width="200" src=" http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/lesneddie/videome1.png" height=" 118" /></a>
LOOK! I made a button, do you like it????

Yesterday.

I got Eddie dressed and headed out the door to walk him to his preschool class. When we arrived at the door, I was greeted by one of the teachers/administrators, or Tia's as they like to refer to them. (Which by the way, means Aunt.) So yeah, I'm standing there and this woman looks at me as if I had pie on my face. Not like a little bit of whipped cream topping, but a whole lotta goop from some insanely delicious French Silk pie, with the chocolate all smeared this way and that as I was having my way with the helpless sugary mound and I couldn't help myself while I shoved my face head first into it's deliciousness.

I didn't quite understand her look, as I know with absolute certainty, that I had not consumed any such pie in the last 6-8 months. At the very least. So I looked weirdly back at her. And she spoke in mangled English. "Eh, no e'skool two-day." Huh?

I look around and clearly see that I am the only parent with the only child there at the school. D'oh! But seriously, I was mad then. Not only feeling like a huge m.o.r.o.n. but I was mad. I was mad because they had a BIG sign posted at the front door yesterday to remind the parents to bring un caja de galletas, y jugo por sus ninos. (Cookies and juice.) But why? Why? If they were to be closed? I was stumped. And the Tia who stood before me didn't have an explanation in English. Again, feeling like a dork.

The sad part was that I had to turn around and leave with my son. My son, who by the way hung his head down as we walked away. He was sad that he couldn't stay at his school and play with the children that he didn't really understand were not there. I felt sorry for him. And that made me even madder.

I called dh when we got home and gave him a lovely ear full. I know it wasn't his fault, but I didn't have anyone else to express my frustrations to. So he gave them a call to find out what was going on. Apparently, they had both day and afternoon classes come together in the morning. (Eddie attends in the afternoon.) Oh! I see!

Thanks for the memo. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Just knowing that I am the only parent with a child attending their school that does not speak Spanish, and I myself, clearly not bilingual and most days stuck in my fuzzy understanding of the language, was left without a friendly "heads up."

Good looking out on that one guys. Bite me.

God Bless America!

It's election day, and I'm thinking about all you guys out there who may be voting. I was feeling a little patriotic, so I checked up on one of my all time favorite songs on you tube. And wouldn't ya know it, Mr. Cutie Pie himself sang this rendition at the Rays game just a little while ago.

I just love this song, and his performance of it as well.

I have a bit of news.

I want to share something with you guys. I have been a bit bummed out about the high cost of ticket prices I have been finding for me and the kids to fly back to the states. I have been wanting to take a trip to see my family. The other day, I was browsing the AA (American Airlines) website, and I came across a message. It was a sale. For AAdvantage club members. If you purchase air miles, you get air miles for free. And in order to make the trip, the kids and I needed a lot of miles. I did the math. I figured, and I thought. And then I called my mom.

She offered to help out and buy some air miles for me and the kids to come home. And believe me, I was beyond thrilled. And even more thankful. Because there is nothing more that I want than to go home right now. I still do consider it my home. Even though my clothes are here. And my shoes. I miss it like I never imagined that I would.

So I'm leaving. It's just that simple. And there isn't a word big enough to describe the joy that I feel. It's insurmountable. And simply saying that I am happy is just an understatement. It truly doesn't do justice to the feelings that I have inside.

Oh yeah, and I get to watch Twilight when it comes out in the theaters. How cool is that? So I thought I should share the news with you guys. I'm so psyched and I can't wait to pack. Oh yeah, and the kids are excited too. Although I'm quite sure Alexa doesn't understand fully why she is. She is just feeding off of Eddie's energy and enthusiasm.

Time to get some rest. My plane leaves on November 21. Anyone as thrilled as I am?? I think not. But you can give me a high five or something. That would be cool!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all my bloggy friends! I've just been BOO'd by Shannon.

Here's the instructions on how to BOO others:

Go to as many of your blog buddies as you want and tell them they have been BOO'd! Have them pick up their treat (this picture) and add it to their blog... be sure to link the person who BOO'd you! Put the picture in your sidebar so others know you have been BOO'd! Now, go BOO your friends!

And to all of you out there who actually get to participate in Halloween tonight, have an extra special fun time. And most importantly, stay safe!

Driving.

In case you missed an earlier post, I will mention to you again, I haven't driven a car since June 14 of this year. I got behind the wheel today. It felt strangely invigorating. It felt good. And I felt free. Until I drove 200 meters out of the parking garage and turned right out onto the street.

Pedestrians, everywhere, everywhere, like giant ants. Not even walking in any kind of pattern. Zigging and zagging every which way, and they with their own agenda behaving as if my main course is to avoid them. And unlike ants, I am unable to just drive right over the top of them.

They dart out from nowhere. They aren't watching where they are going. No wonder people who drive cars tend to get a little... angry. Disgruntled. I cautiously stepped on my brake as I waited for what felt like 5 minutes on the parade of neighbors on their way to work, school, home, and to the store. And then the dogs, oh the dogs. I can't even see them when they are on their leashes, don't people even care? I might drive over muffy's head! I haven't even made it to the stop light at the end of my street. Gah! And when I do finally arrive, there is a rather large coca-cola delivery truck double parked. Because that's what they do here, they double park. Good heaven on earth, will I ever make it off this street? Will I accidentally drive off the road? Will I hit these self absorbed human beings as they meander between the cars? Will my diplomatic immunity save me? Really? Oh my. The stress.

When the light turned green, one normally might think that this was a clear and evident sign to proceed onward. And for some it is, but for those of us sharing the desire to make a right hand turn, FAT CHANCE! You must once again WAIT on those beloved, annoying and unending stream of pedestrians. They criss and they cross and they walk really really slow. They taunt you as they fidget with their cell phones, and the light turns yellow and you still haven't moved one single inch. Good Lord, please help me. I can still see my building and I am not off the street, will I even make it to my destination?

I turn. For a fraction of a second I am able to concentrate on the bad music playing on my radio. I change the station. Madonna, in English, oh, there's a change. So I listen, I almost sing along. Almost, but my attention is rapidly diverted to the bus who is coming into my lane. It is ever apparent that he wants to be here too. Only, there is no room for both my car and this HUGE bus. I cringe, I look to my left, a line of cars. I look in front, oh duh, more cars. And then I just squeeze over a tiny bit. A very tiny bit. The bus didn't budge, nor did I. But my heart was pounding, as he was making his presence known. Why oh why am I even here? What was I driving for? These people are slightly C-R-A-Z-Y! Oh thank heavens, the person in front of me speeds up, and I gun it, thus allowing me to pull safely ahead of the bus. Only moments later, the bus takes over the lane fully. !@#$%@ Yah. He was. And how dare he. Doesn't he know that this is my first time driving in like months? And my first time driving in Santiago, like, EVER??

I'm a little sensitive right now. Geesh. OK, so I'm driving. And there is a car in the middle lane of the 3 lanes that exist on this road I am driving on. He (or she) is stopped. Nice, very nice. I think to myself as I quickly maneuver to the left lane to drive around this person. And then quickly notice that this left lane that I just entered into is a lane that turns only left. Goodness gracious. Really? You honestly can't make left hand turns in Santiago, well not very frequently, and they are few and far in between. So I quickly drove back into my lane and kept on course. More buses, and more praying on my part that the big ones don't decide to take over my lane again. Or worse, hit me in the process, because they just don't care, or because they can, or they assume that I will move. I assume they will stop, so someone is going to lose. Anyway.

I must not forget the motorcycle that appeared out of nowhere. And if I rolled my window down, I could probably reach into his pants pocket and pull out his wallet. Or scratch his back or something weird like that. I could see the dirt in his fingernails, and his elbow was touching my side view mirror. How nice, we could chat. Or not. He probably speaks Spanish. Duh. It could be small chat. Yo quiero dormir. Y tengo hambre. I laugh to myself. And then I worry for the motorcycle people who creep up on unsuspecting motorists who don't see them, who are unaware, like I was only moments prior, and then get hit. They get hit because the motorist in the car was not expecting that person to be so close, or to be weaving through the cars, and then decides to change lanes. I honestly never saw him before he came up. I'm sure that's what they all say.

I finally made it to the embassy. I went to get my mail. And it felt good to have braved the streets, well sort of. I feel like I am not cut out for this hard driving. Maybe not yet. I'd rather go back to Miami, and drive down I95. If you haven't ever done that, well it's really something. And they usually drive pretty fast there. Pedestrians beware.

I won't go into my drive home, it was a little bit more of the same. I will tell you also, that I didn't appreciate the guy trying to strong arm me into buying his bag of strawberries. I guess he didn't get the memo not to scare your customers. But then again, I must keep in mind that I am in South America. And the guy is trying to make a peso or two. I suppose I can't fault him there. This country is a bit harder than I'm used to. I miss Dillards. And Barnes n Noble. I need a mocha frapuccino something fierce.

The miscellaneous post.

Let's see, I have random things to talk about today. Eddie woke me up at 2 a.m. last night when he went to the bathroom. Honestly I am totally stoked about his realization that he has to go to the bathroom and getting himself up in the middle of the night, but this is getting ridiculous. He is now getting up every single night to go pee. He reminds me of a pregnant woman. Geesh. And I make him go potty before he goes to bed. He drinks milk a little while before he goes to bed. I don't see why he can't make it through the night. ??

So I'm tired today. A little bit. Dh went on tdy. (For my non military peeps out there, he went away for work.) That bites. In a big way. You never ever get used to having your loved one away from you. You just don't.

This is a video I took of my kids the other night. They are singing the Barney, "I love you" song. They like that big ole purple dinosaur. What can I say? It makes them happy. And who I am to argue?

Also, we are in full swing potty training mode over here. Still. The good news is that I haven't bought diapers in quite a while. Eddie is sleeping in underwear. And Alexa sleeps in a diaper at night and for naps. Both the kids have had random potty successes and are always peeing on the potty. (Alexa is getting there, with few accidents these days.) Our most recent poopy success for Eddie has earned him this "man toy" as a reward for doing his business in the proper place (an ongoing issue for us). It was actually a gift from his Uncle. But it works in my favor. So, it's all good. Anyway, the kids have been thrilled with it, or him rather. I found this a little while ago.

And the culprit?? Of course....

I had to run and get my camera, like immediately. This is just too much. I might even have to go to the store and buy another "man toy" if my daughter starts pooping all the time on the potty too. Could I be so lucky? One can hope, right?

Finally, I got this super cool award from Laural over at Mamasphere. I've been meaning to thank you properly, so Thanks a whole big heap and a bunch. You've made me smile. And I need to smile. My kids like to test my patience, so I need all the calming, loving and warm sentiments out there. I appreciate it. (*besitos*)

OK, now I'm supposed to pass this blog lovin' forward, as usual. Here are my pics:

Shannon at Welcome to the Nuthouse!

Debbie at This is the Life.

These ladies are just too much fun to read. Go on over and check them out, but be careful or you will be hooked too! I also want to share this blog love with a new blogger. I've been raving about blogging to her, and she is one of my loyal readers. Although she just jumped into it the other day, I wanted her to know I'll be here to support her through her blogging journey. Oh yeah, and she's my sister. So take a minute to say hi, and give her a warm welcome. Here's Vicki over at The Ramblings of Victoria.

That's all I've got for today. And you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you how long it took me to construct this post. I uploaded the wrong video to you tube, then the kids took turns getting hurt, and then needed lunch. What with potty time, and then getting ready for preschool, it's amazing that I actually did finish. I need a nap.

Vina del Mar

On Saturday, dh took us to the coastal city of Vina del Mar. (Vineyard of the Sea) I took over 170 pictures. Really. It wasn't a very pretty day out, mostly overcast, and heavily foggy on the drive down there. We drove through several tunnels and saw lots of vineyards along the way. It was 80 miles from our home to where we parked. So it wasn't a bad trip, and the kids took a nap. It could have been worse. But they actually behaved quite well in the car. Here's me.

There was a park area with trees and a playground that we stopped in just after lunch. The kids had a blast. The people there were renting out go-carts and bikes for kids to ride on. They even had horses too.

I even took 2 pictures of some style conscious Chileans for you to see. Here, this young lady is showing off her love for the color yellow.

These two were obviously fighting over which one of them owned the wackiest pair of pants. (She wins.)

Can someone tell me what's going on with all of these wires? Is this safe?

This is Castillo Wulffe. (Wulffe Castle) It is a very popular museum and national monument. It was built in 1880 by Gustavo Adolfo Wulffe Mowle. It has a variety a seafaring items. Unfortunately it was closed during our visit there. So we didn't get a chance to explore.

Now this is where the trip got a little hairy. And by that, I mean a touch less than pleasant. We followed this sign. We felt that it was pretty straight forward.

Unfortunately, it took us straight up the side of the mountain. We were in the very heart of the little homes you see in the pictures. And the mountain has a very unforgiving way of snaking this way, and that. The roads were in poor repair, and the ride was more than a little bumpy. We lost sight of where exactly any main roads might have been, and instead we were right on a narrow path winding upwards. It made me feel sick. And I wondered when we had gotten lost. But the sign was CLEAR, and said Santiago, was in fact this way. Right? Right? And then it happened. We veered a little to the left and somehow started going back down. So I knew that this was wrong. In an attempt to turn the car around, my second born child began to vomit.

Now, having recently had a child who vomited in the car, I was all too prepared. I had a small bucket under the seat. The only problem? While we were driving, I had a hard time getting turned around in my seat to assist. And my small child was not as cooperative with the bucket as I had hoped. She managed some in the bucket, and some on her. So we pulled over. On the side of the narrow shack lined street. And we were immediately accosted by one mangy and seriously emaciated canine. He stuck his nose everywhere he could think of, in search of food. I know we smelled good to him. And I bet he could smell the snacks just within our car. He begged. He pleaded, and I felt bad. But moreso for my daughter. So I pressed on in my duties. We cleaned her up and headed back to the point where we steered wrong.

And this is a picture of a sign as you drive into Santiago. It sits on the outside of some of the worst neighborhoods here. These homes are the true definitions of shack. It's hard to believe, but people actually do live this way. It's sad.

Translated, it means "This is the Chile that we don't want you to see." I don't blame them. But I'm not sure I'd want to construct a sign to publicize it either.

OK. That's about it for our trip. We left around 1 pm, and were back with the kids bathed and in bed by 9 pm. So, for our first long drive with the kids (an hour and a half), it was a success. Vina del Mar is a lovely city on the beach. We had a good time.