How many times have you purchased the largest toy for your kids, and after opening the box, they end up forgetting all about the toy, and just end up playing with the box??? Kids can entertain themselves with simple, inexpensive #toys and activities. They enjoy being busy, no matter how silly the activity might seem (to you!), as long as they feel accomplished, in the end you did your job, you kept them busy, and everyone's happy! Here are my twins enjoying filling up a bucket (even though my little boy is still deciding if he's going to like this game or not ...#hesathinker .... later on, I ..read more

I lost count of how many times people have asked me: "But you are staying here, right?" and I answered "Yes, we are not #moving again..." only to have to bite my tongue a little later! I have said that to friends, neighbours, and worse....to employers! In the beginning of our "#adventure", I would maybe wait a year until I would start saying that. This time it took me about 3 years to begin saying that ( I wanted to make sure....) but coincidence or not, it looks like the moment I begin saying it, the universe conspires and BAM!, here comes another move. When will I ever learn to keep my mouth ..read more

Picture this scenario: you have two infants. Your family is far, far away. You just arrived in your new house, in a new country you still know nothing about. You don't know anyone within miles. Husband is probably going on a business travel in about two weeks, and you'll be alone - with infant twins!! The movers arrived, unpacked everything, and left you with piles and piles of things to put away ( hopefully they took away the empty boxes....phew! One less thing for you to do.) You don't have a smartphone yet, and contacts with family are limited to sporadic (international) phone calls, emails ..read more

Ok, let's be realistic here: if you could run a poll and ask a cat who ever had to fly inside a tiny box if it enjoyed the experience, I'm sure the answer would be "umm...nop!"- be honest, you wouldn't like it , either! (we had to return the pet carrier in the photo, as it was obviously too small for Chloe!) We have no choice, do we? You are moving abroad with pets, and if you are anything like us, pets are family, period. You wouldn't want a family member being uncomfortable, would you? So during our family's many relocations, we have tried (as much as we could) to provide them comfort durin ..read more

Some people might say it sets you apart from the cultural scenario you happen to be in when you mention you're an expat. I have lost count of how many times local people have (sometimes gracefully, sometimes not ) walked away from a conversation we were having the moment I tell them which country I was born in, or when they notice I have an accent - no matter how fluent in English I happen to be (if you're really curious to know where I'm from, I'll tell you I remember one time we were on a boat ride, with our dog, my husband left the boat with the kids to get ice cream and I decided to stay ..read more

When you find yourself in front of a mountain of tasks to complete, just remember how you would eat something really large. There's only one way to do it: one bite at a time*. *DISCLAIMER: no elephants were harmed and no elephants were actually eaten during the writing of this post . Nothing seems more discouraging than being exhausted and waking up to an endless to-do list, while your twins jump on you, saying: "Mommy, mommy, let's go to the park!" “I am so tired, I can't feel my face when I smile.” You've been there before....admit it. If you have a little one that kept you awake the night ..read more

Moving around the world is stressful, time consuming, but it has it's perks. Learn how to survive an international relocation, enjoy the best of what each country has to offer, #unwind and appreciate the little things that keep couples enjoying life together! I remember the first time my husband told me the company was relocating him to another country. I was a new mom of twins, I was sleep deprived, I was extremely stressed out with the daily life of being a new mom of two, and very tired. My family was nearby, helping me out with the babies, and the idea of leaving them behind scared me. Bu ..read more

Picture this scenario: you've just arrived in a new house, in a new country that you probably don't even speak the language, you don't have a car yet....and your kid runs a fever, or you run out of diapers, or your cat starts to puke all over the floor and you can't find a simple paper towel to wipe it off! Sometimes, its a silly little thing you KNOW you packed it, but you have absolutely no clue in which box it is! Moving is a daunting task - even for people who have done it many times! If you fear the "packing" part, let me tell ya....the "unpacking" part is what took my sleep in so many oc ..read more

From Rio beach sands to dune bugging in Dubai. The beginning of my journey. The place I used to take my books and study while getting a tan. (Ok, disclaimer here: it wasn't always that empty! haha) Hot, hot, hot! Always full of people, sometimes TOO full of people, so locals know exactly what time to go, what time to leave, and which days of the week to avoid. I'll tell you more later! “ Brazil is always a party. You can tan and mingle with the locals on the country's seemingly endless beaches, from Rio's glamorous Copacabana to the unspoiled treasures along the northeastern shores. In the va ..read more

Well.....yes, we're moving! AGAIN! This will be our ( counting fingers) 11th full move in the last 16 years ..read more