Sweet Treats Day

Today, after lunch, we decided to take a trip to see the Cariari Mall, just minutes from our house.  We were looking for something to do on a rainy day and the kids also had $20 from Grandma Candelaria to spend. So we gave the mall a try.

As we walked through the mall we came across a pet store.  The kids oohed and ahhed at the puppies.  G instantly turns and looks at me, with his hand stretched out, and says, "Okay Mom, give me my money!"  I looked at him in surprise and said, "NO (said his name)!"  He looked at the puppy disappointed, but realized what he was asking and gently said, "Okay Mom.  I'm sorry."

Poor kid.  All he wanted was a baby chihuahua.  (I didn't take this picture but the dog looked almost exactly like this one.)

But G wasn't sad for long because we found the toy store and the boys were the first to spend their money.  E spent all his money on a "rare" ninjago.  G found a Holley Swiftwell with wings that he has been begging to buy for weeks.  The store had a buy one get one free, so G got a Finn McMissile and a Holley for only $10.  He was super happy and excited he still had $10 to spend.

The girls of course begged for many things but I declined, most of it was stuff they would NEVER play with.  So we went on our way.  (I did pick up a craft set for the girls to play with at home, but it was more for my sanity than anything else.)

As we took the escalator down to the next floor, I saw the cutest mini donuts at Dona Dona.  I showed K and knew she would freak out!  Our family LOVES, LOVES, LOVES donuts.  I blame myself really.  I ate too many of them during ALL my pregnancies.  I think I created their donut fascination.  Both K and G got some donuts.  E wished he could but his money was spent.  L couldn't because she refused to finish her lunch and was prevented from spending her money as a consequence.  Of course the little lady at the shop couldn't help herself and gave L a blue sprinkle donut to make her stop crying.

I was perplexed what to do.  Do I offend this woman and tell her no so I can stick to the consequence L made for herself?  Or do I accept the donut and hope the lesson was still learned?  Of course I accepted the donut, I didn't speak any Spanish to explain the situation, but I insisted L thank her for the donut.  Of course L refused!  It was a huge mess!  I finally insisted she say thank you or I would give the donut to E and he would say thank you.  So, she gave in, with my help, and said a lousy thank you to the nice, but bothered we were still there, lady.  It is sad really how we must constantly train our children, especially in public.

I insisted that the kids stop a moment so I could take a picture of these adorable donuts.

I couldn't take the pictures fast enough.  L shoved her's in her mouth and K just about had her's gone before I got the picture.

G agreed to the picture but decided to be silly about it.

His face is saying, "Yo, Ho, Ho, these donuts are good!"

Here is a better picture of what they looked like.  Cute huh!  5 for $1.60.  A bit pricey but like I said, my kids LOVE donuts.

What about E?  His cute brother G said he would share one with him.  Unfortunately he was having so much fun eating his 1st donut, he forgot to share with E.  I finally reminded G and he gave one to E.  Poor E.  At least he got one, right?  What does a parent do?  Give in to the sulking?  Or just go on like there isn't a problem?

After a few minutes at the McDonald's play place, we came home and E and L were able to get a real treat.  K and G were upset about it because they wanted another one.  What does a mom do?  Well, this mom said, "NO!" and sent them off to play.  But I had a sweet treat up my sleeve.  I was preparing this for dessert tonight. . .

Does anyone know what this is?  Give you a guess.  You get them at Disneyland by the Tiki Tiki room.  Any quesses?  Yes!  It is a Dole Pineapple Whip.  I LOVED these as a child (remember Mom and Dad).  Well, our cute landlady gave us a pineapple.  I wanted a fun dessert to make.  I looked at my pinterest board and saw this recipe:  http://prudencepennywise.blogspot.com/2011/03/dole-pineapple-whips-from-magic-kingdom.html.

I was so excited to try it.  Could I make something like this in Costa Rica?  You bet I did!  The family LOVED them and so will you.  Instead of 2 (20 oz.) jars of pineapple, I just used an entire pineapple.  It worked perfectly.  Give them a try, you'll love them!

Now, I do have one more sweet treat to share with you, since this is Sweet Treats Day!  Our Sunday dinner guests brought over this yummy dessert from Spoon, a Costa Rica restaurant.  

It is called Flan de Tres Leches and it is AMAZING!  It has three incredible layers of cake, flan, caramel topping and then it is drizzled with sweetened condensed milk that the cake layer soaks up.  Out of the kids, E really enjoyed it.  But I enjoyed it the most and got to finish off the last piece tonight.  Yum!

Well, after a day of thunder clouds, heavy rain and bright, white lightning, today turned out to be not so bad.  I do miss you all.  I didn't realize how much until the kids mentioned flying in a plane.  I said, "Yep, only one week from this Thursday." E looked at me disappointed.  I had a funny feeling and looked at the calendar on my phone.  Then I saw I WAS WRONG.  We had two weeks from this Thursday.  I corrected myself and the kids were excited but I was a bit melancholy.  How do you ladies do this?  My sister-in-law lived in Wyoming for years, my friend Kori just moved to Texas and loves it there, my parents have a house in Cabo and go for weeks at a time, and Paul's parents raised their 8 kids in South America for 6 years. Maybe that is the problem, those were all permanent decisions and mineis just a "visit", or is it?  What if we move here one day?  Could I really do this as a real part of my life, not just a trip?  That is a conversation for another day.

Love you  ~  Wendi

  

New foods the Kids love!

It is amazing to me that children can learn to eat new and different looking foods.  As I came down the stairs this morning (after sleeping in until 8:30, kids up at 7:00), I saw my youngest doing this . . .

"Mom, Mom, Mom . . . can I have one of these . . . "

"PLEEEEAAASE?"

What is this furry ball that looks like it belongs in The Lorax movie?  It is a rambutan.  Look it up, its facinating, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan.  It has this jelly like fruit on the inside wrapped around a seed the shape of an almond.  To get to the fruit, you break/crack the shell open and the fruit looks like this . . . 

Once the white fruit is out, you pop it into your mouth and eat it like a cherry.  The seed doesn't come clean like a cherry pit but you get as much fruit off of it as you can.  They are enjoyable to eat!  Wish I could bring some home for you to try!

Cute kids.  I am proud of them for trying new things and for also putting up with this trip we are on.

Day 7:  We had nothing planned today but to go to Walmart again, this time for Paul's CEO.  He is coming into town with his kids and he asked Paul to pick up a few things for the family, since they are getting in so late.  I completely agree!  Our land-lady did it for us and it was a HUGE HELP!

So, I offered to do it instead, due to Paul's leg and took the kids on their 5th shopping trip.  Poor kids.  After the trip, we did stop by Paul's new office to drop off the groceries.  The kids had a BLAST!  They ate lunch at the office cafeteria and then played a few games of "hide and goose" (that is what L called Hide and Seek) in the very spacious, empty office.  The office set up but there aren't any employees there yet, so it was a great first moment for the kids.  Every chair they sat in, they would ask, "Dad, has anyone sat in THIS chair yet?  No?  Then I am the first one!"  That was cute!  It made both Paul and I smile.  You don't realize the impact this trip is having on them until they make little comments like these ones.  This trip must be a real "trip" for them!  I hope this becomes a great memory for them in their lives.

After they had fun at the office, I brought them home to relax and this is what they did . . . 

Watch t.v.  I am so sick of the t.v. sometimes but then it is such a stress re-leaser.  But this didn't last long.  The next thing I know, whiling I am trying to blog, is I am being asked to go . . . SWIMMING!

Of course I had to say YES!  Because you never know how many good days you will get to go swimming here.  They had a good day after all!

Love from Costa Rica!  P, W, E,K, G, L

Cooking in Costa Rica

Today I made Paul's favorite treat, cinnamon rolls.  I thought it might ease his recovery along and also make a fun dessert for our dinner guests tonight, Paul's Costa Rica Manager - Guillermo and his girlfriend Angie.  It was a lot of fun having visitors, it made it feel like we were back home on a normal Sunday.  I needed that after a day of a Spanish-only church block.  It was hard to sit still and not know what was being said for 3 hours.  I did cop out and attend Lexi's nursery class instead of my classes.  She was having a hard time but the other 3 had English speaking members/missionaries that were their teachers, this made it easy to leave them.  Though they still taught the lessons in Spanish, they made sure to keep the kids in the loop and make it fun for them!

But back to the cinnamon rolls.  Though they tasted great, making them and the finished product didn't happen as I had hoped.  I honestly feel like I am on a major camping trip, yet expected to cook like I have a fully stocked and functioning kitchen.  I really didn't know what a cook I had become until this last week.  Not to brag, but I really am a pretty good cook and I really do know my way around a kitchen.  That has been a real boost to my self esteem but also frustrating as I still have 3 more weeks of cooking and washing dishes in the smallest sink known to man.  Just kidding, about the size of a big bucket you would use to wash dishes while camping.  (It is a pain!!!)

So, here are a few pictures of me making foods we love from scratch, instead of using the products we all love: Kitchen-aide, Bosch, a dishwasher, a double oven, multiple measuring cups both liquid and dry and all the towels or storage/mixing containers I could ever need.  I MISS MY KITCHEN!!  I will be so happy to be home and cook anything I want without having to go to the store.  I actually have a freakin' store in my own home.  I NEVER believed it when Paul would say so, but NOW I KNOW!  

First let's talk about my sink.  Here it is, so cute, so little, so WITHOUT a disposal.  This is a normal fork.  Two forks across and two forks high is the size of my sink.  Yes, that is SMALL!

Cleaning this pan of deep dish pizza was DISGUSTING!  You soak the food but the scraps can't go down the drain.

You have to scoop them out into the garbage, without any water or else it attracts flies and smells!  Again, GROSS!

Then, due to the small size of the sink, I have loads of dishes to wash.  This is batch number 5 from dinner tonight.

Cooking from scratch, for me, meant not using a box mix.  Now it means using just your hands.  NO electric mixers, processors, Pampered Chef products (miss those so much), dishwashers, double ovens or even basic kitchen utensils like a rolling pin, mallet, multiple cutting boards, assorted serving utensils, etc.  

The beginning steps for making cinnamon rolls.  I am grateful to do it this way at least once because I have never seen what dough looks like in different stages.  I have learned to make the dough in my bread maker or Kitchen-aide/Bosch. But doing it by hand I am working my muscles and also hands to get it the right consistency.  Pretty cool experience I must say!

Humidity is killing me here.  This is all my dough rose in 2 hours.  What?  Oh well, must move on!

Thanks to my friend Maggie, I got the idea to use this Jif Jar, covered in a baggie, to roll out my dough.  Not bad. The plastic jar was soft enough not to tear the dough but strong enough I could push the dough out flat. It doesn't look as smooth as what a rolling pin can do, but who cares, it's cinnamon rolls.

Here is the cinnamon roll snake.  Thank Heavens my oldest daughter packed dental floss instead of flossers.  I used it to cut my snake into rolls.  Right about now I am REALLY MISSING my dishwasher and wide counter-tops at home.  The counter is so skinny here, I ran out of room in just two or three steps.  I was also trying to cook dinner at the same time.  Quite difficult to do in this kitchen.

And the finished product.  Sorry to only show you 2 out of the 16 I made, but the were enjoyed GREATLY by my husband, 4 children and our 2 guests.  They each had seconds, even though they seemed doughier than normal.  Got to love humidity.  This is what Paul is taking to work tomorrow.  It does make me feel proud that I could pull off homemade cinnamon rolls the first week in a foreign country using ingredients I had to search to find in 4 different stores.  Was it worth it?  Ask my smiling family's faces! 

"YES!!  We LOVE our Mom's cinnamon rolls.  Can you make them again Mom?"  (maybe I will next Sunday?)

Now onto freezing your own chicken.  The meat is so expensive, so I can't afford to waste any of it.  So to be safe, I decided to freeze my own (they don't offer frozen chicken here).  It took 2 days but I did it.  I luckily brought jumbo plastic bags with me to Costa Rica and filled them full of chicken.  Just be careful how you freeze your chicken.

I used parchment/wax paper at first but it stuck to the chicken.  Yuck!  The next batch I tried plastic wrap.  It worked better but I still had a hard time breaking the chicken apart.  I placed them too closely together.  I shouldn't have rushed it but had no choice.  I didn't want raw chicken sitting in my fridge full of fresh produce.  That freaks me out!  But now I have 2 bags of frozen chicken!

I am sure I will have many more adventures in the next 3 weeks to share with you as I learn to cook for my family in Costa Rica.  I am getting the hang of it more each day and I think I might even let my kids wash a few dishes for me, but not the breakables.  All in all, I am having a fun experience and it is something that is helping me grow and learn on so many levels.  And with a view like this to look at every morning, how can I only complain about prices and cooking struggles.  Look at those views!

Looking out my bedroom window, to the left.

Looking out my bedroom window, to the right.

I do love it here.  As hard as it is to be away from my "Utah bubble" of friends, family and all I hold dear, I do enjoy being here and having this experience with my own little family.  Thanks for reading!  ~ Wendi

Day 6: Playa Manuel Antonio

I am so exhausted, but I had to get so much off my chest before I could go to sleep tonight.  Today was a very fun "Paul day."  Paul didn't have to work today, so we decided to go on a day trip somewhere.  He decided to visit the famous beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park.  Most people fly to the city if they are in San Jose.  But not if you have to pay for 6 people you don't.  So, we drove.

It took around 3 hours with traffic and construction delays.  It was a beautiful drive, so we didn't mind i tat all.  I had the girls in my car and Paul had the boys in his.  Yes, we have two cars down here and they only sit 5 in each.  So we must take both cars with us if we ever want to go anywhere as a family.  Fun huh!

I actually enjoy having my own car to drive with Paul.  I feel more in control and it is great practice to follow him around, so I can get the hang of driving in Costa Rica.  They have their own special way of driving here.  It is fun but boy is it crazy!

Anyway, I digress, just like my Dad.  So, we arrived at the VERY CROWDED beach town and parked our cars.  We had to walk quite a ways to purchase the tickets to get into the park.  $10.00 for 12 and older = $30.00 for our family to get in.  Of course we were offered tour guides but they were $40.00 and not really necessary.  They carry around telescopes for you to see the animals high up in the trees.  So, if you remembered to bring your binocoluars that you brought all the way from Utah, then you could have done the same thing.  But of course, we forgot them!  That is so Paul and I!

But Paul did lug in our huge camera and used that to look for animals.  I was a bit disappointed the kids weren't going to see any animal,s until right at the last hill of the hike into the park.  We saw a monkey, an iguana, two hummingbirds and a racoon.

We didn't take this picture, but this is how we found the monkey we saw.

The kids were stoked!  So were we and just in time.  The poor kids were exhausted.  It was quite the hike and of course they don't tell you how long it is.  So we just kept telling the kids, "We are almost there!  Just hang on!  We can do it!"  But we never were.  There was always another bend or hill or long road ahead.  It was also very hot and humid.  Our sunscreen kept melting into our eyes and running off our bodies.  YUCK!

We finally made it down the very long, steep hill to the beach and had been told that we could walk around the cove to our car and not come back the way we came.  So, we looked for a beach closer to our car but settled on Manuel Antonio beach.  There were several to choose from but this one was the closest and the kids were DONE!  So we stayed.

Manuel Antonio beach, lower cove. 

First we set up "camp".  We lugged in our awesome soccer tent and put it up in the shade and got out some much needed lunch.  Paul and I were famished but the older kids hit the waves as soon as we said go!  The younger two didn't know what to think and played in the sand first.  While Paul and I were eating, a Park Ranger asked us to please put down our tent.  They don't allow umbrellas or tents or anything that can take away from the "natural setting" of the park.  WHAT???  Okay?  So we did.

We sat on it instead, which was nice but lumpy.  After lunch, Paul took off for the ocean.  NOT LIKE HIM, NOT AT ALL!  He is usally the last one into the water because it is usually cold and he freezes quickly.  Not today!  He claimed the water was so warm, he could have stayed in it all day.  The kids had a blast playing with him in the water.  Paul taught E how to go out far and ride the waves as they came in.  Paul also helped K learn how to safely body surf.  G was finally out in the water too, practicing his "surfing" (planting your feet firmly in the sand, while the waves come crashing in and the sand pulls at your feet.).  L stuck by mom and played with the beach toys. ,That was okay, I needed some company since I was feeling bad that I didn't "feel" like going in the water.  I felt like I didn't want to be sticky, wet or uncomfortable.  Party pooper, huh!  Or was I?

After awhile the waves really got big.  They were rushing in so fast and so hard that the kids were losing their footing while playing in the surf.  Then the tide came in so close I thought it might touch my toes.  Paul got out of the ocean and decided to help the girls build a "dirty hot tub" (L called it that).  He got the walls up and then raced back into the ocean.  The girls stayed and worked on the "hot tub" some more but a HUGE WAVE came rushing in and rushed over the top of both girl's heads, washing away all their hard work.

L was terrified, she hasn't ever played in the ocean before.  K was just plain mad.  She worked so hard and now it was ruined.  While she pouted, I ran to L to help her out.  She was COVERED in sand.  I was going to help her wash it off when Paul ran up the beach and grabbed her for me.  He thought he would just dunk her in the surf and it would wash off quickly.  Well . . .  that is when the waves started CRASHING IN!

The first wave literally swept Paul off his feet and he landed with a THUD on his rear-end.  He still had L and she wasn't hurt, but it definately scared her.  She was still covered in sand, as well as Paul now, so he tried again.  This time the second wave was GIGANTIC.  It actually scared me half to death to watch the wave crash ontop of them and not seem them for a minute.  Paul stood up, L was soaked from head to toe, gasping for air.  Paul looked frightened but I thought it was from the wave.

I came rushing out to help him and saw his leg was bleeding.  I thought he might have been poked by a stick or something. I grabbed L from him and he said, take her, I cut my leg open.  WHAT?!?!?!?  She was bawling, E and K were in shock when they saw the blood and Paul rushed back into the ocean.  What do I do now?  L is crying with fear and from the taste of salt up her nose and sand in every orifice of her body.  I didn't know how I could help Paul with a cut but I knew I had packed the first aid kit this morning.  We would do our best.

Paul came running up the beach but his leg didn't look cut, it looked gashed open.  There wasn't much blood since the ocean water washed it away.  All you could see was the inside of his leg.  Now, stop for one moment.  I don't know if many of you know this about me but I am a complete COWARD when it comes to blood, pain, trauma or hospitals.  I am known to faint too.  How the heck was I going to help my husband with an injury like this one?  I started to pray.  That was all I could do.

I rushed to Paul's side, trying not to look at the wound and to assist him "fixing himself" (boy did I feel crappy I couldn't do it for him).  The bleeding started in and we didn't know what to do.  I rushed to a park guide/ranger and asked him for help.  He said he would call an ambulance for us.  In the mean time, I started packing like crazy and rounding up our stuff.  That is when the kids started to freak out.

I looked over to check on E and he was white/gray.  OH NO!  I know what that means.  He was going to faint.  So I rushed over to him, laid him on a towel with his head pointing down the beach and calmly explained to him that Daddy was okay and that Daddy didn't feel much pain right now because of a "special chemical" in our bodies called adrenaline.  Heavenly Father gives us this special chemical to help us deal with these moments and to stay calm.  So E didn't need to worry about Daddy.  All he needed to do was calm himself down and get some control.  That was all he needed to do to help.

Once I had E calmed down, K started in too.  I did the same thing for her and had her settled when another MONSTROUS wave came up the beach and soaked us all.  All that we brought to the beach was drenched in sandy water.  Poor Paul, here he is trying to prop his leg up, after bandaging it himself, and wait calmly for the ambulance to come.  Now he is soaked and even more sandy, the kids are crying and I have 7 towels and a picnic blanket soaked with sea water and sand.  HOLY COW!!

I dashed to get everything to higher ground.  The kids were bawling about being COVERED  in sand and I needed help, but from who.  People were aware of our situation but just stood there stunned.  Only 3 people out of hundreds asked if we needed help.  Only 1 actually tried to grab stuff.  I am amazed at how we all react differently to crisis'.  What would you do in this situation if you saw someone with 4 kids, scrambling to help her husband who had a huge gash on his leg?  I don't know, do you?

Well, after we reached the trail (higher ground) Paul decided we would just start walking to the car since the ambulance hadn't come and because the car was supposedly around the corner.  A Park Ranger happened to see his leg and asked him what happened?  Paul explained we were waiting for the ambulance but no one had come.  Paul told him it was okay because our car was just down the beach.  That was when the Ranger told us that we were wrong.  There was only one way in and out.  YIKES!  Up that steep hill and 2 miles of walking?  NO WAY!

We found out the ambulance WASN'T coming either.  Before panic set in, the nice Ranger called another ranger and asked him to please bring his truck down to the beach.  But we still had to hike to a safe place for the truck to meet us.  That walk alone was so difficult.  E had all the wet, sandy towels.  K had to carry the wet, sand and now heavy beach blanket.  G and L needed help to stay on the trail and not get distracted.  Paul had to cautiously walk out, so he couldn't carry a thing.  That left me carrying: the nasty, sandy, wet soccer tent that I stuffed into its very small and tight bag, my mom's roller cooler still filled with food and water (the kids never ate lunch) and our beach bag full of Paul's leather sandals, the heavy camera bag, first aid kit, beach toys, etc.  You name it, I carried it out, all while holding little L's tiny hand.

But you know what, even though my body ached, my heart was under attack with the stress that was mounting and my mind was working a million miles an hour trying to fix this accident or figure a way through it, all I could feel was CALM, UTTER CALM.  I still want to cry when I think about it.  Why did I bring that first aid kit?  We forgot K's water shoes, our binoculars (we brought them for this day trip alone) and the jug of water, but I all of a sudden "remembered" to pack the first aid kit?  Paul also got an idea to fill a gallon sized bag full of ice for the cooler.  I had already made an ice block but he used the bag instead.  Thank Heavens, that is what helped him the most! So, even though I wanted to freak out, I couldn't, because I SAW how blessed we were to have the things we NEEDED to get through this ordeal. 

After we made it to a safe place for the truck to come, just feet away from the steep hill, I started to tear up.  How was Paul going to get help after we got out of the National Park?  Where would he get stitched up?  That was when Paul said, "You know I am going to have to stitch this up myself don't you?"  WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?  NO!!!!!  I CAN'T DO THAT! I can't even be in the same room as someone getting stitches, how can I help him do it to himself?  That was it, I started to cry.

By this time we had gathered quite the audience.  Almost everyone was leaving after that last monstrous wave, so many were walking by in curiosity but not offering to help.  Until one man, walked up to me, wearing a BYU shirt and asks, " Are you alright?  Do you need me to call someone?"  SERIOUSLY FOLKS, are you SERIOUS?

Not this exact one, but you get the point.

Out of hundreds of strangers at the park that day, I get the guy wearing a BYU shirt.  I just had to laugh.  I smiled at him, but still looking concerned, said that a truck was on its way.  He quickly said, "Okay!" and walked off.  I thought that was strange.  Why were you in such a hurry to leave? Until I saw him walk back to his wife, who had been the 2nd of the 3 people who had asked if we needed help.  I had turned here down, thinking an ambulance was on its way, but she was obviously still concerned and sent her husband this time to offer help.  Sweet family!  Way to go lady!  I don't know if they were LDS or not but out of all those people there, they were the most helpful in just giving a darn to just ask than anything else!
Well, the truck was arriving and I was starting to get panicked again.  What if they only had room for Paul?  How was I going to walk out with 4 kids on my own?  I thought immediately of the pioneers and cried inside, "How did you do this?  How did you do this day after day after day?  I couldn't bare it.  I am so weak compared to you!"  I just prayed we could get the help we needed too and we did!  The man asked the people in his truck to please get out so he could take this family to the entrance.  The passengers agreed and the 5 of us smooshed into the back seat of his truck. Paul sat in front with the man and our sandy gear was stowed in the bed of the truck.

The drive out was the most nurturing moment I could have hoped for.  Here is a man, using his truck to help a strange family leave the beach in safety.  He manuvered around the crowds of people and got us to the top without any more harm.  It was such a gift.  At first he parked at the entrance and I thought we would have to hike down to our cars, but he asked where we parked and offered to take us to our cars.  Again, WHAT A BLESSING!

We made it to our cars and got everything out of the truck.  The kids said, "Gracias" (pronounced: GRAW-shi-US) and the man smiled.  Then he looked at me.  I thought I was going to cry because his face was so sincere.  He knew that this was only the beginning of our ordeal and he prayed for the help we needed through his eyes.  I just smiled the best I could in return without crying.  I knew I had to be strong now but how?

The poor kids were drenched in sticky, wet sand.  They NEEDED a shower.  The parking lot owners came up to see what was the matter and saw Paul's leg and the state the kids were in.  They quickly offered their showers for us to rinse off.  Sweet Paul sat in the car while I showered all 5 of us as quickly as I could and in such a primevil manner.  The showers were a nightmare but they at least help make us comfortable for the 3 hour drive we had ahead of us.  The owner didn't even charge us the 500 colones a person for the showers.  Another kind blessing!

While we were showering, Paul made a plan to go to the local Farmacia (10 miles away) and purchase what he needed to temporarily hold the wound and the supplies for stitching it himself at home.  I just smiled and said okay, but feared this wasn't a good idea.  Due to the weather, many were leaving the park at the same time, which made the roads seriously congested.  We made it to the pharmacy and Paul took care of his leg himself.  While he was doing that, he told me he had called a local friend of ours, Dave Petty, who told him of a hospital clinic at a Marriott Resort only an hour away in Jaco.  We jumped in the cars to get there as quickly as we could.

The roads were awful and took alot of patience on our part, but we made it. Our friend had called the clinic, alerted them we were on our way and was standing at the door waiting when we arrived.  Paul hopped out quickly.  The kids and I smooshed into my car and while they watched a movie on G's ipad, I took a much needed nap.  An hour went by and Paul appeared bandaged up and looking MUCH BETTER!  (He had turned every shade of white, gray and ash at the park.  It was good to see him with color back in his face.)  We thanked the doctor and left for a nearby restaurant in the resort that the doctor had recommended.

Marriott's Los Suenos resort near Jaco, Costa Rica.  Wish we could stay there!  GORGEOUS!

The restaurant was perfect, just what we all needed!  A great American dinner of 1/2 pound grilled hamburgers, french fries, chicken sticks, quesidillas and sea bass for Paul and I to share.  We all left filled emotionally, physically and mentally.  Now for the 2 hour drive home.  Do to it being so late, there was no traffic, so we made it home in an hour and a half.  Paul went straight to the room, took a bath/shower, re-bandaged his leg and fell fast asleep.  I was left to get the 3 sleeping kids to their beds, undress them, beg the oldest to help me unload the car and then convince him to shower before he went to sleep.  I also had to take the sandy towels out back and shake them off, hang them up to "dry", change the wash waiting for me in the washer (started by our maid today - another story) and run our swimming suits through cold water to get the salt and sand out of them.

Needless to say, I AM EXHAUSTED but . . . I am alive, I have all the members of my family present, Paul is fixed up and fast asleep and I am able to count my MANY blessings.  Actually, putting L to bed tonight helped me think of how precious she is and how quickly things could have gone from bad to worse had she been hurt by the rocks as well.  Or what if she drowned because Paul couldn't hold onto her like he did.  I owe a HUGE thank you to Paul!  Because he focused on protecting her, he put her first and did all he could to keep her out of the water as best he could.  That is when his leg HIT a rock and just burst open.  It wasn't a cut.  The doctor said that when his leg hit the rock, it was just enough force to break his skin open.  CRAZY!  But all is well now, really Mom, we are going to be fine.  This is life!  We can't control it, we can only let it happen, handle it the best way we can and then learn from it.  That is what we plan to do.

If anything, it was a great way to see how emergencies are handled here and how much they cost ($260.00 to stitch Paul up).  You don't know until you have the opportunity to learn.  Right?  But one thing?  Could you all PLEASE say a prayer for Paul and us tonight?  Even though we got through today, it will still have its residual effects for the next few days.  I would really appreciate all the help we can get with this experience.  And being so far away, a prayer would fit perfectly in our hearts!  I love you all.  Thanks for reading, Wendi

Museo de Los Ninos - Costa Rica's Children's Museum

Day 5: We had a BLAST today!!!  But getting to the fun was not as fun as usual.  We drove through a very dirty, scary part of downtown San Jose.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised but more prepared, since the museum itself used to be the Central Penitentiary of Costa Rica.  It is a beautifully refurbished building now but it is still surrounded by shacks stacked one on top of the other.  And garbage, oh the garbage!  Just thrown everywhere.  Boy my kids are seeing a part of the "real world".

I didn't take this picture, but this is exactly what we saw on every street, in this part of downtown San Jose.

But onto better details.  After the journey through the grimy part of town, we arrived at the museum.

Museo de los Ninos

This is where I turned into the "dumb American, non-Spanish speaking tourist".  As we arrived, I walked by an outside wall of the building that had a short set of stairs that led to a window with bars on the inside with an awning above it.  I thought it was strange and didn't even want to walk up to it.  What if it was some private hole they used to use for the prison in the past and now it is the "stupid tourist trap".  I could just see it, everyone standing around, laughing and pointing at the stupid white lady with 4 kids, talking to a hole that was used for prisoners.  NO THANK YOU!  But because I don't know Spanish, I couldn't read the sign that read BOLETERIA (TICKETS) below the awning.

So, I do the next best thing.  I just walk into the building with my 4 kiddos trailing me.  Of course I am stopped and spoken to in very fast paced Spanish and I can't understand a word.  Finally a VERY NICE young man, and employee, walks up and speaks to me in English.  HALLELUJAH!  He says, "tickets?"  I say the only word I know by heart, "Si!"  He takes us back outside and shows me the dumb hole in the wall with bars.

  When I was there, there was no one else outside.  I would have "known" what to do if I saw this!

Now I REALLY look like the dumb tourist!  But I suck it up and walk up to "the wall", with no one else in line by the way, and get tickets for me and my kids.  And yes, I am imagining people laughing at me at the same time.  Oh well!  You have to lose your pride to go on a trip like this one.  SERIOUSLY!


Now, you know I have been FREAKING OUT a lot about money down here.  Because . . .  (everyone join in). . .  "EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE HERE!"  But I have to say, I was shocked at the prices I paid today.

In Utah a trip to the Children's Museum, which was a rarity for me, is so expensive.  I only go if I have a group rate or go with someone for free.  (yes, I am that cheap!)  But me and the kids had to get out of the house today and going to the museum was the only option.  I am still not ready to drive to the beach on my own.  But it has been raining all afternoon for 2 days straight and one more trip to the store was going to send me over the edge.

I knew going to a museum todaywould cost me money but I hoped it would only cost me around $20 to get in.  But I was shocked and DELIGHTFULLY surprised that it only came to 4300 colones.  That is just . . . wait, let me help YOU figure it out.  This is what I get to do ALL DAY, every day!!

Money in Costa Rica

Okay, how you convert colones to dollars is you first take the total and times it by two.  Then you move the decimal place to the left 3 places.  Example:  4300 x 2 = 8600. 8600 = $8.600.  So, I spent ONLY $8.60 for an ENTIRE day at the museum for 4 kids and a mom.  Pretty cool huh!

Now, I have to be honest, I don't love the museum in Utah.  I really don't.  And I definately feel what they charge us is a rip off.  So, paying $8.60 for this museum was a total surprise.  But then I braced myself for a lame experience.  It had to be for such a low price to get in.   Right?  That is why I took so many pictures in the beginning.  I thought that the "fun" was going to be over any minute.

   My favorite photo of the day.  E, K & L saying "Hi!"

But I was wrong, SO WRONG!  They had a list of over 30 different things to do in the museum and they meant it.  It wasn't just a science fair of sorts, you know, posters or signs with pictures trying to teach you something new.  The museum had 30+ rooms FILLED with props, interactive equipment, colorful/detailed signs and plenty of employees to lead you in your discovery.  It was so hands on I was just floored with amazement.  

We got there at 10 a.m. and didn't leave until 3 p.m.  We even took our sack lunch in and ate it at their public commissary.  So cool!  I was planning on only staying an hour or two and taking the kids to a park for lunch and to "play", but that wasn't needed.  This place was AWESOME!  I wish I could wrap it up in my suitcase and bring it home to all of you.  Your children and grand-children would LOVE it here!

Here are a few of my favorite moments today:

Making Costa Rican soup

Digging outside, looking for artifacts from the Pre-Columbia era.

My third child, the "comedian", being silly!

My oldest looking like a missionary.  Crazy, only 7 more years?!

K flying a plane and posing for a photo, what a talented girl!

Ooops!  I guess you shouldn't POSE and FLY!

Our FAVORITE room of all -  the Supermarket.  Each child was given 5000 colones ($10.00) to buy 5 items.  They were all so cute.  They each chose something from each food group.  I was a proud Mama Bear in that moment.  I got to SEE what I have been teaching them and they were so proud to show me!  Maybe they will be ready to be on their own one day?

Last, but not least, OUR caboose on a caboose with her 3 older siblings.  All in age order of course!

Well, from the size of today's entry, I hope you can feel the amount of fun we had today.  It was A LOT!  I am so grateful today happened for our family.  Even though the drive is not my favorite and the museum is in a part of town I wouldn't normally visit,  we are now planning to visit the museum  once every week.  This is such a special surprise for us all!  We have something to look forward to every week.  Thanks Heavenly Father, this was a WONDERFUL GIFT and a WONDERFUL DAY!

Welcome !

Good Morning to all those sleeping throughout the world.  I am still waiting up for Paul, late night at the office in Costa Rica, but perfect chance for me to learn how to blog!

I wanted to give my kids a forum to share their thoughts and feelings about this adventure we are having for the next 22 days.  But I also wanted to start a blog of my own, for quite some time, but just never had the reason/motivation to learn how.  

Well, I GOT THAT MOTIVATION and here I am, for all the world to see.  Hello World!

I hope that you will enjoy this blog.  I want to fill it with things that inspire and uplift. 

 

 Yummy, real food recipes and pictures that not just your kids will want to eat 

but most importantly you.

  

 Fun hairstyles that, if Wendi can do it - then so can I!  

 

And of course, honesty in parenting and living the best life we can live by.

I hope you will stick around, give me a chance and also help me create this blog to be something worth reading.  I love this world and I only want to help it SEE how wonderful it is.  Because sometimes, the world forgets.

Sorry folks, I have been trying to post this since the first day.  The Costa Rican Internet has not been my friend on my laptop.  I posted last night from my phone.  But I wanted to get this out there!  So, pretend this is the 1st post, okay!

7:30 p.m. and All is Well!

Now, I hate to make you parents jealous but my entire household is in bed at this moment. I am relaxing on the couch, about to watch "The Time Traveler's Wife", all alone! I have NEEDED this moment all day, and here it is, wrapped up with a pretty bow called quiet.

Why so early to bed? Well, Paul didn't get home until 1:05 a.m. and got up at 6:00 a.m. to open the office by 7. He is working so hard, so he went to bed early, just before passing out during dinner.

Okay, that explains Paul, but what about the kids? Well, you see, the sun comes up between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. here and goes down by 6:30 p.m. at night. So the kids have been waking early but still staying up late. I guess tonight it FINALLY caught up with them. So, that is how I got my free time. I am a night owl by choice, so staying up is just fine by me.

Today's adventures landed us in Walmart, store number 4 in 3 days. We have spent a grand total of $420.00. Can you feel my heart panicking?

As I walked through Walmart and saw all I needed, i started to panic. I just kept saying out loud, "Heavenly Father help me! Please!". I didn't know how to justify spending so much money for things I have waiting for me at home, like: plastic cups ( because the house only has glass. Glass, tile floor and kids don't mix), a scraper for cooking, spices for making weird food taste familiar, honey, oil, vinegar, flour, sugars, boredom busters (toys/ things to do while it rains every afternoon), and basic staples to keep kids satisfied and not feeling hungry all day.

This trip, all though expensive, has honestly become a gift to me. I have seen the importance of having a food storage and always being prepared. Not just because we are told to but the why!

I feel we should because it brings peace of mind and allows us so much freedom in our time and preparation everyday. It is also so nutritious and much more affordable in bulk/on sale then buying when you must have it and at whatever price they have it at. Again, we are so spoiled in America!!

Please someone, go buy a tall container of Pringles ($2.60 here), a Wendy's jr. Cheeseburger deluxe ($2.39 here) and a can of caffeine free coke ($1.00 for a can here) and think of me. Crazy but it is so amazing to SEE how blessed we are and just get those things without thinking.

Now I am desperately trying NEVER to eat out in Costa Rica because if I think a trip to the store is expensive (about $60.00), well that is dinner for my family at a fast good place. One meal, NO THANK YOU!!

I know I can make this goal because I am trying desperately to "save" enough money to travel overnight and show my kids the monkeys in the wild and the cloud forests. The two adventures are in two different cities and require hours of driving. Each hotel is at least $200 a night. But that is just 8 times eating out for us. Just at a place like Wendy's. Sick huh! So NO EATING OUT! But yes, there will be dollar cans of caffeine free coke every other day and Nutella with sliced apples (my new favorite treat - thanks LeAnn and Cammy). I deserve something for my slaving away, trying to make our dollar stretch the best I can! Right?

So, that is today for me!! I want to thank you for your kind comments! As soon as the Internet is available on my laptop, that is another story, I will look into making them public.

Buenos Noches! Wendi

Shopping in Costa Rica

Today was just an ordinary day in Costa Rica.  We got up, ate our expensive Honey Nut Cheerios with our boxed milk (the kids think it tastes funny - so do I!) and a banana.  Then I decided to go for a swim while Elijah watched the kids during "homework time".

Kimber's Milk (lactose free)

The water was COLD.  So cold that I actually couldn't catch my breath during strokes.  But it felt GREAT to get out and do something with my body!  I swam a few "laps" but the pool was so short I gave into doing some water aerobics.  It was fun to imagine me teaching a class and cheering the class on while showing them what to do.  It was all I needed to get 30 minutes in of exercise.

After I was finished, I walked in to find my kiddos all watching a show QUIETLY together.  WHAT A BLESSING!  It was so amazing to see and enjoy.  I got ready and then we headed out to the local Price Smart (Costa Rica's version of Costco).

 

We got some great items but the prices, oh the prices!  YIKES!  It just makes me sick how expensive EVERYTHING is here!  I asked an expatriate (thanks Jana! - someone who is from another country but lives here now) how the Ticos (what Costa Ricans are called) can afford to eat?  He said they don't eat much meat, very little.  They mostly eat rice and beans because it is cheap and makes alot of food.

Wow, what an eye opener.  He explained how sad it was that Americans don't share their resources with the world.  They keep it for themselves and complain that the prices aren't lower.  Now before anyone gets mad or defensive, let me give you an idea of what he is talking about.  Costa Rica must import alot of it goods.  Because it is such a small country, it doesn't have the room to grow the crops or raise the meat that we have.  Let me show you what one trip to the grocery store cost me:

$1.54          - can black beans
$1.17           - mac and cheese (3 servings)
$1.29          - bag of pasta (small)
$10.87        - 6 chicken breasts
$0.85          - one onion
$2.24          - can of pineapple
$2.57          - tuna fish (one can)
$8.93          - 1 quart ice cream (how do you like that price ice cream lovers?)
$2.40          - small bunch fresh green beans (imported)
$2.96          - small bottle syrup

As you can see, some prices aren't that bad.  But others, WOW, they are horrible!!   And why, because most of them are imported goods.  They have no other choice.  I have been trying to plan the meals for the month and I have already spent over $300 in groceries in 3 days.  CRAZY!  I still need to go back tomorrow for several items and I plan to attend the local farmers market on Saturday.  We are going to spend at least $600 on groceries this month.  And nothing, NOTHING, goes to food storage.

Needless to say, WE ARE SO BLESSED in America.  I have everything I need, right at my fingertips.  I miss my wheat grinder, I miss my food storage, I miss my giant freezer full of organically grown, deliciously tasting beef.  I miss my Costco/Sam's.  I miss my garden.  But would I if I didn't have this chance to visit Costa Rica?  I don't think so.