Before the pool I had little time to blog now, I have less time. Let me explain.

Before the pool:
We usually arrive home at 7pm, the kids watch some tv while I prepare dinner, just before dinner is ready there are the baths and then dinner. Afterwards some TV for the kids while I blog a little and than bed.

After the pool:
We arrive home at 7pm, it’s hot therefore the kids want to go to the pool. Once my husband only arrives home at about 7.40pm and I don’t leave the kids without supervision, I have to stay by the pool and dinner is postponed. This means we have dinner too late and later I’m so tired I can’t look to the screen.

Today my son had a birthday party so no pool. They are both asleep now while I’m updating my blogs.

My son and daughter are my priority so I want them to have fun in the pool especially when we have good weather. I could take the laptop outside to the garden table but they want my attention and they sure deserve it after spending 10 hours away from me.

Yesterday (Saturday) I had a rather calm day. In the morning I cleaned my kitchen while the kids where playing around, we got out to buy food for the turtles and some plastic curtains for the kitchen door. I want to keep flies away…

In the afternoon my kids and 4 more neighbours spend the afternoon playing in the garden, in the computer, PS2, etc. while I chatted with a neighbour about…blogging and other gossips :). I wasn’t able to blog in the afternoon so here I am at 02:00am writing a few posts.

I was tagged a few days ago and I have to take a little time to write 2 memes…sorry Tina and Crissy for the delay.

Yesterday I thought I was going to have a relax day although I know with all the housework and kids to take care is a little difficult to accomplish that.

Today it was an important holiday here “Carnation Revolution“, and although I already knew my son was having a birthday party in the afternoon, I thought I was going to have a calm day. I was wrong.

The news came when I picked up my son yesterday at soccer class: Your son has a soccer tournament tomorrow and he has to be at 9.30am in the local park field. The tournament will last until 12.00. What?? This meant I was not getting a calm and relaxed get up the next morning.

Today, my husband went to work early in the morning, I got up to prepare a few snacks, woke up the kids and got into the field. Fortunately the tournament took place in a park where besides, tennis/soccer/basketball fields there is a play park so my daughter could be busy. The problem was that I couldn’t rest a minute. Catherine wanted to swing and swing and swing and I had to push her in the swing all the time. Of course watching a soccer game bothers her so she refused to get near the field. Fortunately I was able to watch my son’s goal.

I went home already tired but I had to cook lunch. At 12.30 Catherine was asleep in the couch, I was cooking in the kitchen. Lunch ready, time to eat, Catherine continue to sleep, at 15.45, Dani and I left home to the birthday party, Catherine was still asleep. I left Dani in the birthday party and I met my best friend who was in the park where we had been in the morning and we spend a few time talking there, this was the only relax moment of the day (beside now).

18.30 time to pick up Dani, I took Catherine with me and I didn’t expect what was about to happen. I ate something at the party, Catherine too but Dani and her didn’t want to leave because all the other kids where still there. I’m not going to enter into details but at 21.05 I was able to grab them back home.

Baths and movie watch ended the day. We had started to watch the “Enchanted” movie the day before and we watched the rest. Excellent movie.

Now, the big moment of the day, everyone is asleep and I’m in the computer all by myself. I needed this!!!!

Interesting news, my friend’s wedding will take place on June 9th, 2008 at 12.30.  Did you notice it? June 9th is a Monday, meaning I’ll be working, my husband will be working and my kids will be at school. As June 10th is a public holiday, my friend thinks that most people won’t work on Monday to have a long weekend, well that’s not our case, we’ll be working and the kids will be at school, so no way we can attend the wedding.

As Connie suggests, I’m sure my friend will understand the financial situation and also our working situation that doesn’t allow us to be present at the wedding. Besides, who gets married on Mondays???

The pain hasn’t got away yet. I spend most of the afternoon trying to nap in the couch, the kids were always making noise and waking me up, but I manage to get some rest. The pain is still here on my neck, back and shoulders, if I get worse than this I have to go to the doctor.

To worse my pain, now my internal pain and heart pain I just received a wedding invitation from my school best friend. In the last 10 years we met 2 times but the old school time where enough to keep us connected even if we don’t talk or visit each other. We took different paths, she’s a lawyer now and after a troubled life it seems she finally found the right men.

Since it’s tradition to give money to the bride and groom I must say this is not the right occasion to “give away” a large amount of money. Each time I think I don’t have any extra bills, something comes up.

I’ve been in a lot of pain these last days. Shoulders, neck and thorax have been killing me lately. I know what it is, accumulated anxiety and stress from these last weeks. Yesterday I barely could move my head but still, I spend all day in the office working and screaming each time I had to make a sudden movement. I’m taken some pills and although still having a lot of pain I’m better than yesterday.

Yesterday my father had his new electrical bed delivered and is much comfortable now. I went to the pharmacy and paid for it, a huge amount I must confess.

Today my kids had a birthday party of a neighbor in a “party academy”, I used the waiting time to be in the parent’s area to catch up with some neighbors. Interesting thing, I felt good, relaxed, meaning I really stress at work and I get better on weekends. Damn it…I can’t get stressed, I have to control myself. Yeap…I know there are techniques, I’ve tried them but once my bosses enter into the office…I get stressed and want to go home.

There was no big birthday party for Catherine this year. She turned 4 last Saturday but due to Easter holiday most family and friends were away for the weekend.

She’s too young to mind about that and what she wants is presents.

She had a birthday cake and we sang the birthday song together with her godfather (my youngest BIL) and his wife. The cake had the image of the Ballerina Princesses movie.

Her favorite present was something she has been asking for for a long time: make-up case. She also received a puzzle, a book and several pieces of clothes and other accessories.

At the end of the day we received the visit of my best friend E. and a couple of neighbors (she’s starting in the blogging world with: About Portugal).

Catherine was very happy even without a big party and that’s what matters.

There is a Dani girlfriend from her school class spending the afternoon with us. Being both 9 I understand it’s difficult to include my almost 4 years old daughter in the play. She just keeps getting in the way and things got rough now. Catherine ended up crying and after several warns I had to shout at Dani in front of her friend.

He’s not doing anything we request, I told him to get dressed before she arrived and there he is playing on his pajama.  Today dad asked him to put some toys in a box and he kept postponing it, dad, instead of insisting, he just put the toys away and said he will discipline him in a different way. It’s this situation that I complete disagree with dad. We have to take action right away not someday.

Catherine is now here next to me, while they are playing upstairs. A picnic inside the house today was promised to my daughter to end the dispute. Let’s see how it’s going to be the rest of the afternoon.

Well, my son keeps being very mysterious about the secret girlfriend but I knew through a school friend that the flowers were a success.

He asked a friend to give the flowers to the “girlfriend” (he’s too shy) and it seems that the class (she is from another classroom) was delighted with the flowers. Teachers and school personal was called to see the gift and a glass flower pot was arranged to put that special present.

This is a interesting relationship, he almost never talks with her and they “date” from the distance. His personal messenger on MSN Messenger is now: “I love B. like I never loved before”.

This is beautiful and I really find this interesting. Innocence and love are in the air.

Ok…I know…he’s 9 so…in 5 or 6 years I’m sure I won’t find this “secret girlfriend stuff” interesting!!!

Saturday it was the big party. Many things were prepared the night before and Saturday morning I just had to prepare the table with all the necessary things for a a kids party. I bought some thematic plates and napkins, WWE for the boys and Hello Kitty for the girls.

Pizza was a “must” in the table and well appreciated by all kids. Jelly, cakes, sweets, lollipops, fruit salad, etc. etc. etc..

There were 26 kids in the house, they behaved quite well (not mentioning the water balloons bursting on top of some of them), the overall result was a positive one. Although some of them where kind of “violent” while playing, no one got insured. As the house is big they were able to split themselves among the rooms, some where in the computer, some in the PS2, some in the living room watching TV and others in the play room. We had a sunny day so they were also able to have some fun outside.

Here is the photo of the cake:

Again a picture from the same soccer club but with one player.

He received many gifts, from clothes, books, toys, PS2 game, etc. Here is a picture of some:

The kids had a great time and my son had a really happy day. I’m glad for that.

I’m writing this post from a birthday party. This is the first time I get my laptop out of the house and there is no internet connection over here. I’m writing offline and I’ll post later.

This is a birthday party my daughter is attending as well as a neighbor girl that came with me. My son stayed at home with my neighbor boy that has the syndrome and wasn’t able to attend this party. This party is being held in a activity center that is not suitable for the efforts my neighbor can make.

My daughter is now waiting in line to get her face painted and I have my camera prepared to take a picture.

Someone just asked me how can I be in the computer while everybody is watching the kids playing. Well, they are playing and as I usually never have time for myself, I’m having it now. Everybody is chatting, the music is too loud, my head ….

That was it; this was the post I wrote there. Yes there, because I’m already home. A friend approached the table where I was and started chatting with me and I wasn’t able to continue to write.

Of course it’s always good to catch up with friends the problem is…we always end up talking about diseases and sick people. Although it’s nice a good conversation the subject is not the appropriate one.

Regarding the party, Catherine got half of a butterfly painted on her face because when she was being painted it was time to sing “Happy Birthday”.

The girls had a wonderful time and that was the objective, so mission accomplished.

**This post was written yesterday but due to internet problems, is only being published today. As you can see I can’t make plans, everything goes the wrong way. Even the camera was against me and the flash didn’t work.

I’m devastated. My neighbor was diagnosed with a very rare and dangerous syndrome.

He’s 9 years old and last summer he fainted twice almost dying in a swimming pool. He did a lot of exams and the doctor suspected of a syndrome (not that dangerous) but more tests had to be done to get a final conclusion. The results are devastating, he suffers from Long QT syndrome a rare syndrome that can cause death at any minute, specially during activities that require a extra effort from the heart or a stressful situation.

His parents are devastated, as you might imagine. They searched for a second opinion with a different doctor but the answer was the same, he has the Long QT syndrome.

The all family, the couple and the two kids (there is a 4 years old girl), are going to do genetic tests and the girl has to do extra tests to check if she also has the syndrome.

For now, he is forbidden to do any (of any kind) physical activity and is under medication for the heart. Well, tell a 9 years old to stay still, to not play soccer, to not run, to not jump…forever.

Although it’s none of my kids that is sick, I’m a mother, neighbor, friend and I didn’t want to “be in their skin”. Although I imagine, I really can’t feel the pain they are feeling.

One (among many others) think that is missing here regarding medical assistance is the psychological support to the family. The doctor says, there is the possibility of dying at any minute, keep the treatment, and that’s it. The family comes home without knowing how to handle the situation. If they want support…well they have to pay private doctors high prices for it.