Vietnamese Food for Tet....

I have been enjoying this site and wanted to share it.....Vietnamese Food.

TET 2014 - Looking forward..... Chúc mừng năm mới!!



Well 2014 is about to begin again as we prepare to celebrate it on the Asian calendar...this year it was great for the flow of decorations at our home to go from Christmas to Tet whereby some of our Christmas Vietnamese decorations were left up and while the Christmas ones were taken down we added additional Tet.  Matteo has been a great participant in decorating our home this year for Christmas and now for Tet...He LOVES decorating and celebrating.  He is definitely a social bunny!

As we look forward to 2014, it is already showing itself to be holding special surprises and maybe some major decisions. On the horizon is a possible new job which will require moving out of province. It is a possibility and is being considered so that I am able to make the best decision I can.  Of course this will depend as well on the timing and the second adoption.  If it is all meant to work out it will, but it is exciting to consider some of the changes that 2014 will hold.   As others have suggested 2013 wasn't the greatest year for us, though that depends on how you look at it.  The number 13 in Italian culture is a lucky number so I can either say 2013 was bad because I had a health challenge, changed jobs as the old one didn't quite work out, and the 2nd adoption has not come through, or I can say, I had a health challenge but because of such tremendous advances in medical technology and amazing doctors who are willing to dedicate their lives to finding solutions to medical problems, my health challenge was fixed.  I can also say I went from a bad job to a good one which is now leading to a possible other work opportunity which would not be happening if I the other one worked out.  I can also say not having the 2nd adoption happen just yet helped me to continue to strengthen my relationship with my son, where we had a great summer holiday and Christmas holiday too (Matteo definitely knows what it means to be on holiday) . Together we have been enjoying our time alone while also preparing for the possibility of a new person to join our "team".....so as they say, do you look at the glass as half full or half empty (though of course that isn't always easy to do!). 

But for now I choose to believe that 2013 was half full!  Life will always be full of challenges and unexpected situations.  The success is in meeting each challenge and getting to the other side. Making friends with unexpected surprises rather than be felled by them.  And of course, just like the celebrations around Tet, it is important to surround yourself with family and friends both past and present. 

Happy New Year! Chúc mừng năm mới!

The complicated world of children and international adoption...

Voices for Vietnam Adoption Integrity


Russian Adoptions


South Korea

A creative way to start the year.....

Museum visit and holiday meltdown....hello 2014, we're ready!!

Well it was a good plan to begin with and for the most part a good Museum visit for the last day of the year (my favourite part was finding a tray full of dragonflies and Matteo's was visiting with Wilbur our adopted whale); however, an overtired little boy who wanted to do everything ended up by having a super duper tantrum in the cafeteria of the Museum of Nature, screaming stomping, rolling on the floor, and over and over again. Thank you to the parent who chuckled as he went by and the other parent who was more interested in our stroller than in what my little boy was screaming about. Sure made me feel like they had all been there before and a screaming child was nothing to worry about or bat an eye at. But it sure was stressful and I hope that 's the last time I need to force my very strong Matteo into his snowsuit....Lesson learned.  Mommy wanted to head home for Matteo's nap but Matteo wanted to stay because he was having a good time but when mommy took too much of the muffin we were sharing, that triggered it!! (My usually very generous sharer was nowhere to be seen.) ...We've been having a good holiday with lots of socializing and afternoon naps, but late nights are getting to both of us.  The next few days we'll try to return to a more routine rhythm in the hopes tha next week won't be too traumatic when we really get back to our routine.

Anyhow here's to putting this year to bed from one exhausted mommy and one very energetic little boy.  It has been a good year of highs and lows, the kind of normal life stuff I guess.  It will be a year to remember and for that I am grateful. I am looking forward to 2014 for a number of reasons and will end this blog with some photos of the better moments we spent at the museum saying goodbye to the old year in our special way.

Happy New Year to you and your families. 

May 2014 bring you first of all health, then love, joy and prosperity in abundance.

Santa's gift of play.....

Waiting for Santa.....