We met some friends at the park today for a play date. G's new friend started school here the very same day she did and they became instant BFFs. And as luck would have it her little brother is in D's class at the play centre and will be in his preschool class this fall. The girls and the boys get along so well! And the best part? The mom is pretty cool too. I told her last week that G was cracking me up with her new British accent and we laughed. Today she told me that her daughter has started sounding very American on some of her words and now she knows what I mean about it being pretty funny. It's such a relief and a wonderful thing to have nice people to hang out with. I am very grateful we connected with them so early on.

On the way home the kids and I got on the wrong bus. Whoops. I caught it quickly. The worst part was wasting the money on the wrong bus fare. It was a good lesson for the kids to see that it's really easy to get complacent and make mistakes. But that it's no big deal, you just have to keep aware of your surroundings. They actually thought it was kind of funny/silly that we got on the wrong bus.

This afternoon I snuck my Costco size bag of Starbucks coffee (from our shipment) into the grocery store to steal the use of the grinder in the store. No one said a word. And it's not like you can truly hide a Costco size bag of coffee, you know. So I guess we can put off buying a grinder for a few more weeks.

It's starting to get hotter by the day around here. Due to the vampire bugs thinking I am delicious I am kind of stuck wearing pants. My legs are healing--they don't itch anymore, but they are still a hot mess. I have been told the best bug repellent is sold at the doctors office in the plaza. I guess they just sell it over the counter. Picking some of that up is on my list of things to do tomorrow. And I am considering dermabrasion for the welts on my calves.

After G got home from school the kids rode their bikes to the plaza. Talk about an after school party! I sat down on the steps and set my bag and our water down and hoped no one would get hurt. Another mom had some bubbles and the kids were running and going crazy chasing them so I went over to tell my kids to get off the bikes so that they didn't kill anyone. In the meantime I saw a kid with a uniform shirt on from a school we are very interested in sending our kids to for primary. I deduced who his mom was and went to talk with her about the school. She had great things to say about the school which made my day. And it was interesting to talk with her because she was Czech and she was telling me that her son really likes the school and is doing ok but the language is a big issue because he is still working at English and not yet fluent so it makes school harder for him. The kid is 5. So impressive that he's doing it at all!

While I was talking with her I realized I couldn't find D in the crowd. I could see G, but not D... Where was he? As soon as I could politely excuse myself from talking with her I set out to find my baby. I found him sitting on the step by my bag and our water crying quietly. Until he saw me. And then he freaked out and began to cry in earnest. Poor kid. But I was so proud of him for staying put and waiting by my stuff. What a smart cookie. I guess maybe my kids do listen to what I tell them.

Today was about as close to a routine as I have come with the kids. I hope it continues to improve. We have been here for an entire month now. I expected a little craziness with the jet lag but did not expect to be unable to reestablish a daily routine. Slowly but surely we will get there. And we officially found out that the kids will be in the afternoon session of school in the fall so at least we won't have to change it all again once school starts back up!