New Blog Address

I've found a blog site which is especially for travellers and has many more options which will suit our needs, as well as the option to print our book at the end, which will be awesome.  So please visit us at:
http://blog.travelpod.com/members/crazycanucks

I will be keeping this one up to date as well as making entries for past adventures.  Just go the the bottom of the front page and click on Crazycanucks Great Adventure to see our posts.

Hasta Luego!!!

Monique
xox

Countdown to Christmas

Being three days before Christmas, today was a pretty easy going day.  I'm feeling a little under the weather, so not up to too much trouble.  Most of my life, I expected to have a cold each Christmas.  If it was the morning of Christmas Eve and I was very healthy, you can be sure I had a sore throat at the end of the day.  The curse still looms and follows me!! 

We walked into town mid-morning to get the boys some very needed haircuts.  A few touch-ups by Papa were needed to straighten the crooked and uneven, but it was good enough!  We paid about $13 for both, which was pretty expensive, given that Jay got a haircut somewhere else a couple weeks ago for about $3.50.  We were expecting a "star" haircut as this was at a spa.  Either way, no complaints, still cheaper than Beaners!

 Our walk to downtown.  Notice the lady with basket on her head ahead of us.

Handsome before

 So cute before

Clean cut boys, ready for Santa!!!

After the hair cuts, we decided to try a pizza place called Picadilly for lunch.  It was very good.  It cost $25 for 2 personal-size pizzas for the kids, one loaded medium pizza, 12 chicken wings, 2 orange juice, 2 beer and 2 ice creams.  Not bad comparing to what we're used to!  And the service there was just awesome.  Something we have grown accustomed to since being here, is not to expect quick service.  (We waited over 45 minutes before getting our drinks last time we went out for lunch!!)  There is a very laid back way of being here.  So this fast service surprised us and we would definitely recommend this restaurant if you're in Antigua!

After the lunch, the guys hopped on a Tuk-Tuk (mini cab type of vehicle) to get home and I stuck around.  I had to stop at my favourite Dulces Tipicos shop to buy my new favourite sweet.  I know there's a name for it which I've forgotten.  I also call it naranja con miel or naranja dulce and they know what I'm talking about.  It's basically an orange which is sliced in half and somehow soaked and probably cooked in this syrup.  The syrup is absorbed into the orange turning into a candy-like yet soft and tender delight.  You eat the rind and everything.  Here are some pictures.  One half of an orange costs 24Q's, which is about $3.  Definitely not cheap, but I feel like royalty when I eat one of these.  I've tried a few dulces tipicos shops in Antigua, no other naranja dulce come close to this!!!

 My favourite dulces tipicos shop in Antigua

 Inside the shop

Mi me gusta la naranja dulce mucho!!!

The rest of the day was pretty chilled, the boys' friends came over, they played soccer, and "played some music".  The instruments were a mini guitar, a harmonica, a panflute, a shaker, and spoons.  It was a good thing that Jennie and I had taken out the wine!! Actually we probably could've used something a little stronger to enjoy that music!! :-D

To anyone reading this, enjoy getting ready for Christmas, sing the songs and drink the drinks!!!  It only comes once a year !!!

Monique

xo

Happy Birthday Mame!!!

Today is my mom's birthday!  How I wish I was there to spend some time with her on her day.  Give her a big hug, big kiss...My heart is totally with her, but the hug and kiss had to be given on Skype!  Much better than nothing, I am so thankful to be able to keep in touch with family through Skype.  What a gift when we're so far away.  Mathieu and Christian got to sing Happy Birthday, and that means so much to me.  Mame, we love you very much and look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Today was also Mathieu's last day of school.  The school year in Guatemala is very different than in North America.  Their school year begins at the start of the new year and ends, I believe, in September.  They have 3 months off and Mathieu was in the summer school program.  The school has now closed for the holidays.  It was a wonderful experience for Mathieu, he made many new friends, was involved in extracurricular activities: karate, soccer (futbol), pottery and had 2 Spanish classes with a tutor a week.  He has learned quite a bit of Spanish and really enjoys it.  He always asks for things in Spanish now: Quiero mas cereales por favor?  Quiero agua por favor?  It's very nice to see and surprising for me as I've repeated sentences in french for years that he never started to say on his own!  I'm sure that having his peers involved in the process makes all theh difference.  He always jokes around with his friends when he leaves and says : Adios amigas!  And they're all boys.  Funny dude!  I'm sure that his interest in french will also increase once he's around other kids who speak french.  For some reason, solo the mom influence just isn't as cool.  Funny how before I had kids, I was convinced they would always think I was cool!  I still can't believe they don't!  Oh well, they'll see it one day :)

                                                              Mathieu, Christian and Max

                                                               School's backyard potluck

                                                                   Play area/hut in backyard

Good ol' soccer game!

To celebrate the last day of school, we had our usual Friday night pizza/hot chocolate night, but tonight, it was followed by fireworks! It was great, volcanoes, roman candles and sparklers. Mathieu lit his first match today and lit a volcano :) Beautiful lights, colours and so fun for the kids!

Jay and I finished our school last week (ok, we dropped out !), so next week is wide open for us.  We're planning on exploring outside of Antigua on some day trips.  Visiting a coffee plantation is at the top of the list.  Oh yes, Starbucks who?????  The coffee here could make any cream and sugar drinker go black!  That and the chocolate could make a coffee and chocoholic move here! 

I'll say buenas noches for now and until next time...

 

O' Christmas Tree

We will be celebrating our first holiday season outside of Canada this year.  We will miss our family and friends dearly, but they are in our hearts and will be part of our holidays, conversations, meals, etc. 

It really does feel different to not have any cold weather during the holidays.  Today, Mathieu asked me: "How many more days until Christmas, Maman?"  I said: "11 days.|, then I thought to myself, Oh my Goodness, 11 days!!!! Back in Canada, in past years, this time of year was the most hectic of the year.  This year, it's the complete opposite.  I am so relaxed, not doing any Christmas baking, crazy Christmas shopping, etc.  There are no malls here, so no one else here is doing it either. 

We did, however, decorate our Christmas tree tonight.  The boys picked some "pricklies" from the trees outside.  They're a ball-like pinecomb with very sharp pricklies.  We roll them under our feet and the sharp points get broken and we're left with these pretty balls.  They decorated them with glitter glue.

We're pretty sure that Santa will find us this year, but we've told the kids that we've made a special request to Santa to keep it small and simple this year due to our travels and limited luggage capacity! 

The kids are asleep, my tree is lit and my wine glass is empty.  So is my bottle!  Oh no, I will open the bottle of white that was meant for my Friday night guests!  Oh well, as my dad would say: "They are killing themselves at the stores to sell more!"  So, it will get drunk, so will I, a new bottle will be bought, and everyone will be happy....

Good Night and sleep tight!
Monique
xox

Travelling Blog #1

So often, at the end of the day, I "write down" my thoughts of the day in my head.  I've thought probably at least twice a week, in the past three months: "I should start a blog."  So here it is. 

We started our travels three months ago and have had so many wonderful adventures.  But the most wonderful times aren't the ones that have a heading in our picture files.  You can't even put your finger on it, it's just a feeling.  Knowing that the time we're able to spend with our kids, as a family, is so precious. 

Our main reason for packing up and following our hearts, is because our hearts were telling us that we needed this time for us, and to see our kids grow up a little bit more.  And wow, it's amazing what you see when you're actually there to see it!  I'm amazed by my boys every day.  They surprise me and make me so very proud in how they are growing.

I wanted to try posting a picture, so since we're still in Guatemala, I decided to post my favourite one so far, my family at the top of Volcan de Pacaya.  That was an amazing journey that we will never forget!

Well, this will end my first entry on this blog, I'll try posting it and see how it goes!

Good Night!