I’m going to be completely honest; I did not enjoy participating in Blogtober. There, I said it. I went into it knowing it would be challenging and that I would have the added complication of international travel with toddlers. What I hadn’t anticipated was how many unforeseen factors would conspire against me or how hard
Blogtober Challenge: Days 26-30
“You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic.” ― Bill Watterson I have always been a procrastinator. Despite the utterly preventable anxiety and stress that inevitably comes from working at the last minute, I don’t think I could be convinced
Blogtober Challenge: Days 22-25
I may have mentioned this in passing, but this week my children have no school. It’s mid-term break, and Tuesday was Chulalongkorn Day. It would be nearly impossible to have the girls home for nine days straight, so I needed to find a way to entertain them. Many preschools advertise weeklong camps, in-lieu of school,
Blogtober Challenge: Days 19-21
I remember how shocked I was when I learned how much childcare would cost us. Daycare for the two girls was about as much as our mortgage per month – and we weren’t alone. This article from Yahoo! Finance is one of many that describe the daycare situation around 2015 when my kids were born.
Blogtober Challenge: Days 15-18
Please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you). What do you do when stress gets to you? Managing stress and cultivating routines for self-care has become a big business of late. If
Blogtober Challenge: Days 13 & 14
The 13th was a lazy day, but somehow I still couldn’t find the energy (or the words) to finish and publish a blog post. The kids got through half a week of school after our marathon flight back from the States. We have a three day weekend, due to a holiday on Monday to remember
Blogtober Challenge: Day 12
American expats, are you planning to vote in the upcoming election? I don’t know about you, but I’m keen to exercise my civic right from the other side of the world. My Twitter and Instagram feeds are clogged with the descent into chaos that has been our political discourse, and each cringe-worthy day is challenging
Blogtober Challenge: Days 10 & 11
I was not able to publish a post yesterday; my energy was dedicated to dealing with condo renovation frustrations back in the States after catching up on sleep and some quiet time in the mani/pedi chair. I wasn’t nearly as distressed about missing a day as I was the first time, but I’ve had bigger
Blogtober Challenge: Day 9
Things were so crazy last week that I really haven’t spent much time reflecting on the time I got to spend with family and friends. We made this trip back for a friend, a fact that has elicited comments from other American expats along the lines of, “Must be a good friend. I wouldn’t do
Blogtober Challenge: Day 8
This challenge has not been easy. In so many ways it has shown me how complicated it is to blog as a parent. Children are complete wildcards and have this innate power to render plans irrelevant – well my children do. It is also true that writing is a time-consuming process for me. I have