Are we ever going to be ready?

We have made lots of decisions but progress is slow. I feel like I am moving in a Mexican frame of time already - which not a positive feeling while still in good ole US.

We requested a lease weeks ago from Mexican Realtor - no sign of lease. We are not too worried because we do expect things to move at a different pace. But being a "list maker" I would be thrilled to mark that one off the list.

Progress on getting the American House ready for rent is dreadfully behind. I am getting that anxious, nervousness that is not pretty.

My expectations are so high for this vision of a more simplified life in Mexico ...

Passover

We celebrated Passover this weekend. We had 2 Seders. One hosted by us on Saturday and one with friends in their home on Sunday. Passover is my favorite Holiday.

As all things in our life right now, Passover had a bit of the Mexico invasion.

On Friday, after 2 weeks of discussion and paperwork, the roofer delivered materials at 9:30 PM! The crew arrived at our home at 7:30 AM Saturday morning and continued until 8:30 that night.

We have our Seder table set for 8 with our china and all our special foods and props to teach children about the Jewish delivery out of Egypt. The Seder is set to occur in front of our large picture window facing the front of our home. We started at 5:30 and continued till 9:00. All this time, as we are saying prayers and recalling ancient script, old shingles are flying from the roof, hammers are banging, nail guns are going and ladders are shifting.

We told the kids it was the sound of our Jewish Ancestors working as slaves in Egypt.

Youngest Son also excitedly found "Elijah's water bottle" in our front yard giving proof that Elijah visited our home on this special Passover.

All Things Mexican

Today was the Peace, Love and Diversity festival at Fancy Private School. A chaotic, wonderful event where booths of various countries display goods, provide kiddo activities and serve ethnic food. There is also a constant stream of entertainment in the center of all the booths.

Event #1 is Preschool Fashion Show.

• I ask Youngest Son who dressed as Judah Maccabee (the Jew) last year if he wanted to participate. Affirmative Yes.


• Next Question: Do you want to be a Jew or a Mexican Futball (soccer) Player. Mexican Futball Player!

Hmmm ... little, by little we are shifting the paradigm for our boys so they will have a smoother transition to Mexico.

Youngest Son was transformed with his Mexican National Futball Team Jersey, Black Shorts, Black Soccer Shin Guards, Red Soccer Shoes and his Soccer Ball. And the final touch was his RED and GREEN Mohawk. Youngest Son has white hair - tow head - so color shows amazingly well.

He was very, very cute doing the Macarina in his ensemble and keeping his left foot on the ball through every jiggle and shake.

The Birthday Mitzvah

April 16th was our Birthday Fiesta at the local Roller Rink. We celebrated 3 birthdays: Oldest Son, Youngest Son and Mine!

We had over 100 people with about 70 skaters - it was truly wonderful old fashioned fun complete with the Hokey Pokey and Limbo.

Instead of gifts for us, we asked our guests to bring a book to donate to the Mexican Escuela (school) the kids will be attending in Mexico. When we visited the Mexican Escuela library in March, it was obvious they could use more books. We collected 140!!

We have a family tradition of the Birthday Mitzvah (mitzvah is a Jewish term that means any act of human kindness.) Through the years Oldest Son and Youngest Son have collected for libraries, a pet shelter, the school garden and a lower income area elementary school. One of my favorite memories is of Oldest Son when he chose his pet shelter thank you letter to show "who he was" for a project in 2nd grade.

We sent our friends home with festive flowers ...

Break from Move Madness

So we had a break this weekend from the Move to Mexico focus.

I went with Oldest Son to Cub Scout weekend aboard a WWII Aircraft Carrier. We spent the night on the ship in the real quarters once occupied by Navy Seaman. There was a whole program geared toward educating our children about all the topics associated with a WWII Aircraft Carrier. Truly memorable. We had a GREAT time.

The flag ceremony and slide show was particularly patriotic meant to trigger an emotional response. It worked. I was visibly moved and very much thinking of my Major Brother in US Army. Major Brother recently spent 15 months in Iraq. He is my hero. Really.

And Husband took Youngest Son on Y-Guides camp out. Lots of bonding. Fathers to sons, boys to boys, men to men. They had a fabulous time.

I am amazed at my life. While I have the usual challenges, I am so thankful at the experiences I get to have week to week. I so appreciate what I have at this moment in time.

P.S. No political endorsement meant by picture posted - just taken this weekend and a tribute to a Military Hero.

It Is Meant To Be

Yeah! And Yeah Again! So many Yeahs and associated Exclamation Marks!!

We have Hail Damage i.e. Our new roof will be covered by insurance.

Each time we take a step ... it works out for the Move to Mexico ... it is meant to be!

The Not So Fun Part

The exciting part is deciding to Move to Mexico for 1 Year. It is fun to share this news with family and friends. It will be another stage of adventure when we actually get there.

But Now. Not so fun.

HOUSE
We are still in house h--l. We are working through the saga of a new roof and hoping to get it covered under insurance. Apparently we have a 6 month provision requiring us to report hail damage. Adjustor coming back to check for wind damage tomorrow. We did have a storm with HAIL last night!!! Most other home repairs on hold till we get this figured out.

STUFF
Stuff. Stuff. More Stuff. Where did all this Stuff come from? It is hard to know where to begin sorting. Husband posted several items to Craig's List. We have to create the various piles:

• Go to Mexico (VERY limited since just taking 1 car probably)
• Store (Need to rent place)
• Try to sell
• Give away (mostly kid stuff to allocate to various friends)
• Donate
• House at friend's (certain items on loan or we do not want in storage for a year)
• Yard Sale

Funny Story: Oldest Son comes to me crying last night and crawls in my lap. Youngest Son tells Oldest Son we are throwing away Mitchell (siblings can be ruthless.) Who is Mitchell you ask? This is the Rice Baby Oldest Son made in 1st Grade. He loves Mitchell (really.) It is made of stockings and rice and represents what Oldest Son weighed, looked like, etc, when he was born. I assure Oldest Son we will find a home for Mitchell for the year we are away. Truth - I was thinking of throwing away - guess not. Anyone for temporary adoption?

How will things be different in Mexico?

So here was the list of weekend events starting with after school Friday:

• Gymnastics for both boys
• Visit from out-of-town relatives
• 2 soccer games
• Get long neglected hair cuts for both boys
• Take boys shopping for Mitzvah items and Youngest Son for birthday favors (his birthday next weekend)
• Load items onto (wonderful) friend's trailer to move out of house to get ready for Move to Mexico
• Birthday party attended by Youngest Son
• Biking class for Oldest Son
• Sleepovers for both boys (Oldest Son goes to Motor Cross - he is thrilled)
• Couple night out hanging with friends (fun, fun, fun - out late, a few too many beers)
• Prepare to teach Religious School
• Attend and teach Religious School (entire family)
• Attend Special Religious School event for mock 2nd Grade Wedding (very well done)
• Lunch with friends
• Symphony showing of Wizard of Oz (amazing!)

Activities we had to miss due to schedule conflicts:

• Volunteer Shabbbat service
• Cub Scout den meeting
• Soccer practice
• (and 1 birthday party was canceled due to birthday child injury)

This is pretty typical weekend. Great experiences and cool outings.

Here is the but ... I am exhausted. Both Husband and I missed showering at least one of these days - I think Husband missed 2 days!

I am wondering. How will Mexico be different? Will it necessarily be better? I am looking forward to having a basis for comparison. Check with me in 6 months ...

P.S.

Listening to Oldest Son and Youngest Son DEEP in imaginative play with their Star Wars action figures utilizing newly cleared out play space. I love this - listening to the spontaneous play of happy children.

The One Item Not on the Checklist: A Synagogue

So there is this Checklist (of sorts). This is the list of reasons and circumstances that you go through to decide whether to do "something." Our "something" is Move to Mexico for 1 Year.

There is one item that is not checked. There is no Synagogue in the area in which we are moving. From my web research, there does appear to be a Jewish Community and there is even a name and phone number to call.

We are what I would call observant Reform Jews. Having a Jewish home and providing a strong Jewish foundation to our children is very important. Practicing Judaism as a community is a fundamental part of the Jewish doctrine. So what are we to do?

(1) Judaic Study - Husband and I both teach 4th Grade Religious School classes this year. Our children have been in Jewish Preschool or Religious School always. We feel we, as their teachers, can continue their Judaic Studies fairly easily.

(2) Holidays - Because there have been Jews in Diaspora since biblical times, Judaism is quite portable and can be practiced in the home easily (with some effort.) We will continue to have Shabbat, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Tu B' Shvat, Purim and Passover at home. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be a bit more challenging but we will manage. We have Other American Family who are also Jewish to share our celebrations!

(3) Hebrew - Oldest Son would normally start Hebrew Lessons in 3rd Grade. These lessons will have to be delayed one year. We feel that it may be a bit of hard work upon out return to America but doable.

I actually feel like the time away is an opportunity to focus more on our Judaism. I have a grand vision of us on the beach doing Havdalah every Saturday night ...

Decisions and Obstacles

THE VIEW FROM OUR BALCONY! The Blue you see is the Ocean and then the Mountains and then the Mexican Sky ...

We have made two important decisions:

1. We have chosen a place to live and are embarking on lease discussions
2. We will move in July 1, 2008 and move out June 30, 2009

We have also encountered some obstacles in America. We are frantically trying to complete long neglected home repairs and improvements. We thought we needed to repair a leak in the roof. Well, turns out we have an irreparable roof. Yes, we need a new roof. Wish as luck when the Insurance Adjuster visits this week.

Major Steps Forward

On March 24, 2008 it all became really real.

RELEASE SCHOOL SPOTS
We had our meeting with Fancy Private School. We RELEASED our spots for boys for 2008-09 school year. (my stomach turns)

You may be thinking "So What?"

The application process is pretty intense and we feel fortunate the boys have the opportunity to be part of this Fancy Private School. Both boys have attended since PK. A major factor in our decision to go to Mexico is that Fancy Private School will allow both boys to return WITHOUT retesting for 2009-10. We just have to contact them by January 2009. I am not sure we would have decided to spend the year away without this flexibility.

Now once away, we may get a different perspective on how tied we are to this particular educational path. For now, I am sleeping much better knowing I have the Fancy Private School Email documenting the option to return.

TELL CRAZY GRANNY
I have a Crazy Granny - not really crazy - but definitely difficult! I have been putting off telling her. She is extremely partial to Youngest Son. I tell her. Not so bad. Maybe my expectations so low that any response was acceptable. She is worried, does not want us to go, etc. but she did not freak out. Whew - glad to be past that conversation.

GO PUBLIC
We disclose our plans to extended family and lots of friends. Electronic communication is an amazing thing!

RESPONSES
Most responses are encouraging and positive. A few do not seem to understand why would leave our nice life in America. Some are sad - being away from close ones for a year is hard. Lots of talk about visiting - hope we really do get lots of visitors.

NEXT
Gotta get a place to live in Mexico!

Let's Get this Move Go'in!

The week of March 17th, 2008. We start trying figure out exactly how we are going to do this.

List
We create the dreaded Excel Action List/Project Plan. Oh yes, it is color coded, categorized and l-o-n-g. Husband is mostly in charge of getting it done while I continue to work full time.

Spanish
Husband does several things: takes an inventory of the Spanish learning reference materials we already have, orders Rosetta Stone software and starts to finalize private tutoring schedule.

Mexican Rental Home
Most of Mexico is on holiday so getting anything done is just not going to happen.

American House Repair
Husband starts to gear up for much needed home repairs. We are trying to have everything ready by May 1, 2008. Wish us luck!

Telling People
We tell a few close friends - not really "public" yet as we let it all sink in to make sure this is right decision.

Kids are home for Spring Break so most time is spent hanging out with them. Oldest Son turns 8 and we have "real Birthday" celebration because the big party comes later.

Day After Mexico

I am feeling a bit anxious about the kids and their Spanish.

I ask Oldest Son to read from 2nd Grade Spanish Reader. He reads it beautifully with correct pronunciation and proceeds to voluntarily educate me on several Spanish grammar rules as well as how vowels work. He does not actually comprehend all the words but clearly has an understanding of structure of Spanish language. Okay, he HAS had Spanish for 4 years, twice a week in Fancy Private School. I am feeling a bit better.

We have school conference scheduled for Youngest Son. We discuss plans with both Kindergarten Teacher and Director. Both, enthusiastically encourage us to take this opportunity. Both know Youngest Son very well. I am feeling better.

We talk with both kids' Spanish Teachers. They too are very encouraging and agree to tutor Oldest Son, Youngest Son and me. I am feeling mucho better.

We decide to tell the kids. Very anti-climatic. Youngest Son smiles and says "Thank you Mommy and Daddy." Oldest Son digests that he can come back to his same school, he can come back to same house and he will have a friend in Mexico (Other Oldest Son from Other American Family.) Oldest Son is good. Kids ask if they can go look for bugs.

It is March 14, 2008 and we have decided we are moving to Mexico for 1 year.

In Mexico

Other American Family in Mexico graciously offers to let us stay in their home while exploring Mexico. We continue our exploration. We arrive in Mexico March 10, 2008.

Can I really work here? We set up my computer with internet through phone service and hook up Vonage phone (about $25 US per month.) Wow. It is as though I am sitting at American Home Office. The time zone is reasonable for conference calls. CHECK.

How is school? We visit school twice. First we tour it on Tuesday. It looks nice. It is preschool through 12th grade with about 300 students. It is local private school with mostly Mexican children. The school is 50% English and 50% Spanish. Facilities are clean and well kept. Kids look very happy. Administrator gives us a 2nd grade Spanish reader to bring home. Through the week we encounter people whose kids go there or went there. On Thursday, we leave a check for deposit (more on this check later) and we collect forms that need to be completed. CHECK.

Can we live here? We meet with realtors to look at property on both Tuesday and Thursday. Yes, we can live here. There seems to be two options. Live in Mexican Village near ocean or live in Marina Area in gated townhouse community. CHECK.

Do we like the area? On the beach. Surrounded by hills. Amazing March weather. Beautiful. (and on practical note - close to the airport.) CHECK.

Husband has decided it is a go. I am realizing this may really happen and get a little scared.

Back to American Home we go.

The Checklist

So we start down the checklist:

JOB - I talk to Boss who responds "Go for it." American Company will support me working remote out of Mexico. It is just a 2 1/2 hour flight. Initial research shows no tax issues.

SCHOOL - We check with Fancy Private School since we are in process of signing 2008-09 contracts. Fancy Private School says sign your contracts and no problem if you need out if you let us know by late March. And you can come back in 2009-10 without testing.

HOUSE - I talk to Best Friend from College. She is property manager and will handle renting out our house for us!

HUSBAND - Husband is interviewing for another Corporate Job. It is going well. Dilemma. If HUSBAND takes new job - we are stuck.

Husband and I decide it is time for the two of us to go to Mexico to check it out. We make airline reservations on March 5, 2008 to fly down March 10, 2008 . Next Door Neighbor's nanny will take care of our kids.