Moving to India...Sort of....

One reason I have been totally MIA for the past couple of months is because me and the whole crew are planning a move to BLR (Short for Bangalore, India).  Dh works for an international company and this has been tossed around for so many years and my usual response is NO.  Its an expat assigment so it would never be permanent..but still...visits, yes, move...NO.

Honestly, I dont think I could handle it. Well last december, they said they really needed him to go..full red carpet treatment.  While I was enjoying my corona (with a twist of lime in it). I said NO.  Then my husband said it might be good for the kids (considering they will at least learn some hindi...maybe), we will get to see the places that would otherwise be difficult to plan vacations too (australia, great wall of china, maldives, bali).  And spend more time in Europe.  Children would go to great international school, plus you would have help....you would have help, you would have help...LOL.

See in this country, domestic help is expensive..most women dont have it.  My housekeeper was 100 bucks a week for 4 hours of work and that didnt include cooking..she was nice and switched the laundry..but its just more like "housekeeping".

India is a very big service industry.  A full time maid (from what I gather) is roughly about 100 bucks a month..IF that.  You dont drive (or at least I wouldnt).  So you need a driver another 100 bucks.  Cook (if you maid wont cook...maybe 50? All in all you can outsource your entire driving, cooking and cleaning needs for about 250 bucks a month.  Personaly, I really like to cook, so I will get someone to just do my cutting of foods...and still be a foodie and cook!  But you get the idea.

I am a very independant and active person....so I go to the gym..no problem, there is a gold gym (with cycle class! yeah).  Plus the area that we are going to would be in whitefield (no pun intended)..a posh burb with upper class and expats.

So I threw caution to the wind and said..Sure..thinking that the expat package would be okay.  It turned out it wasnt okay.....it was well...FANTASTIC!  I made contact with my brothers friend out in chennai(on the east side of india I think?) and told her the deal.

She said take it and dont look back..she has a similar deal and she said she isnt planning on coming back for a while now...and she is born and brought up here. 

Of course my biggest fear is that its India.  Poverty, Pollution, Power outages, be dependant on a driver to do the simpliest tasks to get anywhere....but she said that it does take getting used to..but since its not a permanent move..then you will adjust.  Its just "different" way of life.

Even Dh said (going in at a very senior level), that its funny to be in the middle of a meeting and you have a proper waiter with a serving cart rolling buy the board table serving chai(tea) and snacks, sometimes a full course gourmet dinner.

Its too bad reality hits you back in the face, the moment you step on the streets and realize that you are back in India.

I will have to say BLR is pretty high tech.  At least in pictures..beatutiful lush gardens, the Office parks are amazing.  And the school that we have chosen for the kids is great.  There was another american school that opened up called Stonehill, but we decided against it. It was an hour plus busride and it didnt make sense.

The school now we have chosen is Indus..I hope its okay. I have heard a couple of weird things..but honestly, I think its just the "new school to attend".  And its not worth the headache.  The positive reviews that I have heard.....so far are good.

I have three girls, so its important for me they are safe.

There is so much to write about...but that is where  I have been these past couple of months. I think we are leaving in late July or very early august.  The school said not to worry and they can start anytime in August.

I feel bad that the kids wont have alot break when we get there.  I am going to let them play hooky from school for a week or so, just to get them adjusted to the time zone and hopefully meet kids in their area.

We did pick a place.  The two that were really reccomended were a place called Palm Meadows or Prestige Ozone.  Both places had there plus and minuses.  Palm meadows looks like someone brought san diego home and the clubhouse is amazing.  BUT the houses dont make sense...just a bunch of rooms chopped up into pieces. 

Plus there is alot of transient traffic because there is a hotel on site.  While its probably the place to be because you have a bar and stuff and the ladies are wandering around in bikinis, its totally expat.  I wanted more house.

So we picked Prestige Ozone.  The previous tenants were american and the owners are live in the USA.  So they knew what we were looking for. 
All the appliances are americanized (at least for india).  And new.  So that is nice.  I like that there is a "Central park" in a couple areas of the development and one of them is across the street from the house.

Its quieter too and we have access to the mall right next door.  I have heard alot of kids in hear go to Indus, so hopefully making friend will be easy.

I  have decided on Neev Preschool for the baby. 

I got a call from the movers yesterday, and now the process of international moving begins.......more later.  I think I am going to journal my experience...its going to be an very interesting 2 years!

Another day begins...without coffee?

So DH has been having some issues of sleeping and relaxing lately.  The guy wont take a tylenol.  So I had to research and find out another method of relaxation.  Personally, if you ask me, I think we as as society are overburdened with the job of managing technology.  Checking your email, writing in your blog, you know, is fine.  But we are ON practically 12-15 hours a day.  Between the TV/Blackberry and other electronical devices..no wonder why our brains are wired and fried.

But Back to my story.  We are big vitamin people.  Specifically Vitamin Shoppe people.  So I researched melatonin and it did seem like a safe herbal option for relaxation and sleep.  WOW, is all I have to say.  I feel so refreshed when I wake up now, its like I had a 12 hour sleep..but in reality I went to bed at about 1030 and woke up this morning at 630. 

Dont they say you need only 8 hours?  Same with DH too...something fancy term about regulation of sleep cycles.  Its a good find, and I highly reccommend it in case you have a bout of insomnia.

ooppppp gotta run...the baby is obviousely energized because she woke up.  LOL

Where has the day gone...

Oh yeah..its gone towards another day in the life of a moms household.  ahhhh, let me just enjoy that last couple of moments of silence, before I wake up the other two kids.  So lets recap, what got done today.  Okay the dishwasher got turned on, the living room area which looked like a tornado came thru it got cleaned up.  I took a shower.  Found out that the sauna and steam room at the gym would be back on today.  Lunch was served.  Oh the laundry..you nasty little chore.  That somehow slipped thru the cracks.  Oh well...mostly everything got done.  Responded to some emails, will get some packages ready for work and off to yoga we go.

Dinner..shoot...didnt do dinner.  Looks like its pasta for the kids and protein shakes for me and dh.  Which is fine...I like my protein shakes...yummo on the blueberry protein shake.  Here is a recipe that is fantastic for a meal replacement:

Protein Blueberry Smoothie Recipe:

• 1 cup of frozen Blueberries
• 1 cup of nonfat/skim milk
• 2 scoops of your favorite whey powder or protein powder
• 1 tablespoon of flax seeds
• 1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter

Throw this all in a blender and *wow* what a delicious and healthy smoothie.  The peanut butter will keep you full, the blueberries are great antioxidents and the flax seeds are great for your body. 

For an added fiber punch, feel free to add some fiber as well. Although you shouldnt need it.

A million things to do and I have only had two cups of coffee....

Please tell me this....Kids are off to school (well most of them)...its been one hour folks, yes one hour...10 am to be exact.  I dropped one off at 845.  I look around my home...which I quickly cleaned before we went to bed.  And Lo and Behold....I think a hurricane just blew thru it.  How is it that two kids can turn a place upside down in 20 minutes, yet to clean it takes 20 hours? 

Oh did I mention that I am up to two cups of coffee now?  Bad habit.  Bad habit.  Be warned I might actually use this blog as my "To Do List" ...hey this is entertaining stuff..."The secret life of moms"... LOL.  So I have dishes in the sink, a load of laundry on the bed that needs to be put away, another one that ready to be folded in the dryer, knick knacks of pringles that made its way to the living room..by way of my 4 year old.

Did I mention dishes in the sink?  Oh, I did...Dinner...well heck, if I am going to be this pro-active, I midas well throw dinner in the crock pot.  I think a chilli might be in order over some white rice. 

Great, just looked to my left and I have a table with a beautiful display of a christmas village that needs to be put away. 

Oh god, there is so much shit to do in a day...really ladies..how do we do it.  Please dont tell me to prioritize...I know that much.  I am just venting about how much we really do in a day. 

And the kicker is that I am going to work out today while the kids are in Yoga..yes you got...I am one of "those moms" that have their kids in activites during the week.  Not alot..but some.  Swimming, Yoga, dance (one has a ballet fascination and one does hip/hop).  See..not much..but yes..they are in some.

But its a good thing isnt it.  They kids are all good kids (when they arent driving me nutz of course).  But good grades, sound mindset and I am glad they are taking part in something that gets them moving.

Sorry folks, I am not feeling the love having P.E. 30 minutes every 6 days.  Okay back to my coffee and I will report back my findings at 12 pm.....

So heres to 2010...resolutions and reflections.

So heres to trying another New Blog.  I am commited. How did I come up with the name?  Pretty simple.  I have three buzzing bees around me named Jasmine (9), Nadiya(4) and Mia (2).  I cannot escape it.  Even in the shower, there is some emergency crisis that must be tending to.  (Note to self) install locks.  Then they wonder why I take long showers.

Why is it that when I am on the phone or in a shower WWIII manages to break out.  Just like right now, I am trying to create my first blog post and Mia decided that cheerios look better on the floor than in her plate.  The fun never ends, but neither does the chaos!

I have to get to the resolutions portion later.