Family Trip

Playing Bingo with the nieces. Auntie and the princesses are having a blast playing.

No way to make 3,000 miles of driving fun in any way shape or form. Lots of thinking time.

Fun with cousin Cayson. The same age and lots of fun together.

Always fun at Grandmas house.

Car Lessons

What do kids learn while on the road? Well baby has learned what a wild fire is, seeing one up close and personal by the side of the road.

She has learned what a hawk is and beautiful mountains of Colorado. She has learned what a cousin is and how much fun they are.

She has learned that the world is a big beautiful place and it takes two airplanes and a really long car ride to get to her brothers place.

She has learned that her brother gets out of jail in 1,000 days and when he gets out he is going to take her on a date to California to eat ice cream on the beach.

She is probably the only six year old that knows what "follow the yellow line to B pod" means and how to get to the visiting area of the jail.

Hard and wonderful lessons for a six year old.

Art Classes

Today baby went to her first ever formal art class. The little cafe we like to eat at was offering a childrens art class. They studied pottery and looked at a few books. They then let the kids make a little clay pot. Maleah offered to teach me how to do it after I raved about hers.

Breyssi did a beautiful one with snakes and all kinds of decorations on it. It was great to see them interact with the other children, and the teacher who was wonderful. After the class the cafe made them a little snack and some juice. A fun day for six bucks. It is good to see them offering things like this for the kids.

It was funny because yesterday we told the girls they would be going for an art class today. This morning Breyssi said she did not feel good and did not want to go to the art class. I wrote the teacher and told her that Breyssi was not feeling good and would not make it. Later in the day Breyssi was talking about how she did not want to go to the class because of all the water. I asked her what she was talking about there was no water at an art class. She perked right up and said she wanted to go then.

I think those water boarding um excuse me swimming lessons scarred her for life!

Give Me a Break

I was ordered to put my baby back in school or the family services would take her away from us. Today at school they spent the day making a fathers day card. Yup that is right, I get threatened for them to take her away from her family so that she can spend the afternoon making a card for her Dad! Is that not the most messed up thing you have ever heard?

School Day, Again

We did it. We took baby to the school today. They were very nice and put her in the other class. It is calmer, and the teacher is on top of things. She is also our neighbor and a frequent visitor to our massage clinic when we have students, so it is better.

What we have found out about home schooling in Costa Rica. Are you ready for this? The great ah ha moment here. They have to attend first grade! Yup the quote about all I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten? Well here it is all I ever needed to learn I learned in first grade. And they mean it.

After the student finishes the first grade you can apply to home school them. At that point they feel the student has been properly "socialized" and it is safe to take them out and educate them at home. That is if you have a "certified teacher" to teach them.

Lots of hoops to go through, of course. The deal is I feel like I have been plunged back 25 years to when we first began home schooling in the U.S. Same old restrictions, same old requirements. Retarded!

We are now figuring out the way to get around all this silliness and in the meantime baby shows up for school every day. Late, with her street clothes and flip flops on, and one notebook in her backpack. But of course her money for the little store and her sizzors, glue and colored pencils, there are priorities after all!

War

We put baby in pre-kinder last year to help her learn the Spanish. She had a great year and a very good experience. This year her teacher was pregnant and miserable. They had a class with too many people and baby was miserable.

A month ago we decided to take her out of the school and home school here. A couple of weeks later we received a visit from a couple of the teachers. They threatened us that they were going to have to turn us into the Family Services here.

Today we received a phone call from the PANI threatening us that if we did not bring baby to school tomorrow they would come and take her from us. They are telling me that they are going to take my baby away if I don't put her in their stupid school.

To say I am angry is an understatement. Big brother is alive and well in Costa Rica. If you are even contemplating moving here take all the same precautions you would take if you were in the States. Right now hubby is out talking to an attorney.

Laid Back Days of Rainy Season

When I tell people we just chill during rainy season, I mean chill! Little Rica above is just a little example of our days here during the rainy season in Costa Rica. It just seems natural to want to rest and sleep while it is raining in the afternoon, so that is what we do.

Usually after lunch we will hang out for an hour or so and then baby will start yawning. I ask her if she wants a story and we head off to the bed. Usually after one story she is ready to crash out. She does not sleep every day, but about three days a week works well for her.

She has always been one who loves her sleep. She will sleep until nine or ten in the mornings. Of course she has nothing on teeny who will sleep until noon. Her boyfriend gives her all kinds of grief about being sooo lazy. I just figure she is still growing or something.

It will sure be a shock to our systems when we go to the states and it is not raining. Of course the way things are going when we hit Texas it will be full of water! Until then we will enjoy our laid back dog days.