I usually don’t know how to answer. “Um… I guess so”, I say.

Then usually Derek and I (if he is with me) look at each other and shrug.

What do we need to do? We just aren’t sure.

1) The house is rented for a year – fully furnished. Just need to pack up our clothes, box up the toys, grab my Vitamix (the only appliance I really want down there) and head to the airport.

2) The car is listed on LeaseBusters.com – 2012 Acura MDX with 2 years left on the lease… we are offering CASH for lease takeover so get in touch if you’re interested.

3) The boys’ school applications have been sent. I can’t remember where I was with school in the last post, but the boys are registered for the newly community-owned Country Day School Guanacaste, the only accredited school in Costa Rica with a K-12 surf team (Lil C maybe; doubt it’s Lil D’s thing).

4) Garage sale organized for June 1st weekend. I need to empty the storage room out.

5) I have to choose a health insurance provider, but that doesn’t take long to put in place.

So – car, garage sale, health insurance over the course of three months. That’s totally doable.

To make a little more challenging (I hate tasks that are too mundane), we have a few things going on at the same time. I’ll continue this post list-style:

1) My mom has a milestone birthday in June and we are celebrating in Europe with my brother and his family.

2) The medical writing work has grown to an almost full-time job that I am (so far) attempting to do within flexible part-time hours. I am thrilled that this portable, flexible and intellectually stimulating work is coming my way. Check out my website and share if you wish.

3) I am discussing/negotiating another personal (fitness-related) project. I’m hoping it happens and that will DEFINITELY be my next blog post.

Hey, an aside: Is everyone as excited as me about baseball/soccer season starting? Aside from the dinner time rush (Monday through Thursday), I love sitting outside at the ballpark instead of in the freezing arena.

Baseball photo day for the Green Hornets

Last point in this quick and dirty post: I noticed that the Adventure Travel Company is giving one of their free travel talks on Costa Rica next month – registration info here. If my stories and photos have piqued your interest, perhaps you might like to attend.

BIG THINGS vs LITTLE THINGS

HOUSE

There are big things and then there are details. What to do with our house is a BIG thing. We are looking for long-term renters but have considered actually selling. There are pros and cons to both scenarios and we will just see what develops as time goes along – but don’t hold back your offers (insert winking emoticon here – ha).

BUSINESS

Business is another big thing. Derek is taking care of the main stuff so I’m going to leave that out of my list. We’ve got rental properties in Ottawa which I am handling. I am also considering selling these, though long-term leases should be adequate, and have already been arranged.

Care to buy a downtown Ottawa condo?

WORK

I have been developing my new writing business so that it is portable and can be done from a lounge chair. I now have a few repeat clients who are allowing me to bill an hourly rate that I have never before commanded. Of course, I know I don’t personally have the capacity to actually bill 40 writing hours a week (nor do I want to!), so the next step will be figuring out the ins and outs of making this scalable… but for now, I am happy to have this professionally and intellectually stimulating work and to have, so far, happy clients. I seem to be developing a bit of niche, writing in the cosmetic health care space for dentists, plastic surgeons and dermatologists based in Florida and NYC. Got a question about abdominal wall reconstruction, porcelain veneers or reversing the signs of aging? I might have the answer.

OTHER WORK

And then there are what I consider my two hobby businesses, Usborne Books and Stella & Dot. Neither of these are portable unfortunately. I am still trying to figure out if I can perhaps keep going with Stella & Dot somehow because I LOVE it. I love the product; I love the style; and I love the social aspect of the business. However friends, keep your eyes and ears peeled for sample sales of both Stella & Dot and Usborne Books early this summer. I am also planning a companion post to this one explaining the why and the what of my journey so far with Stella & Dot. While Usborne has a beautiful product, the business itself is much more difficult than the modern, tech-friendly, social selling that Stella & Dot has created.

So friends and readers, I’ve started a new to-do based on the 2011 list, but with a ton of new items, specifically relating to the length and somewhat indefinite nature of our relocation this time around. Follow along if you like! Over the last year I have had emails from people looking for info on living in Costa Rica, moving, etc. I love hearing from you, and in some cases, I am looking forward to meeting you in late 2013!

By the way readers from outside Ottawa, it is April 2nd and it was -14C with the windchill today. I had 3 layers on for my short run this evening. I will NOT miss this.

TO DO

For Ottawa

• Organize home insurance as rental property
• Purge our household contents; this has been a huge (though quite lucrative) job – what we consider old junk can really be turned into extra cash… you should try it – it’s quite liberating
• Nail down renters (got some good leads but nothing signed yet)
• Pull out contact/instruction list for renters
• Pack for our trip
• Redirect mail to my in-laws’ house; giving my mom and dad a break this year
• Inform security company of renter
• Terminate Rogers account – this will be AWESOME.
• Optometrist for me and the kids
• Allergy retest for Lil D – not hopeful but will do it nonetheless
• CAR lease – anyone looking for a 22 month lease on a 2012 Acura MDX with the “tech package”?

For Tamarindo (our Costa Rican town)

• Continue with Costa Rican residency application requirements
• Health insurance since we will no longer have Ontario health insurance
• School registration – this is the school we chose.

THE QUESTION

What do you think? Is all of this effort worth it? If your work situation allowed for it, would you consider a move like this? Tell me!

It’s one of those days where the energy is flowing. Perhaps 8.5 hours of sleep is to blame?

So what’s on my mind this morning? School/education for my children (as usual), yoga, fundraising, party-planning, travel, wrinkles, running, jewellery, writing deadlines (cosmetic dentistry this morning), and tahini and jam on a pita.

Care to dive in with me? Let’s start with the simple stuff:

Tahini and jam wrap = delicious! We have been out of sunflower seed butter for a couple of weeks now because Derek has been shopping at Food Basics which is so basic it does not carry my seed butters! I couldn’t take it this morning and decided to try tahini as a substitute in a successful experiment.

Wrinkles: I have them. That’s all I’m gonna say publicly.

Running: Did a little 30 minute walk/run this morning. My foot is still bothering me so I am starting again SLOWLY. Did not enjoy the layers I had to put on or the gritty snow flakes that pelted my face on my way home. Considering a 40th half with my childhood bestie this summer. Goal will be to make it across the finish line without a limp (but still just a consideration).

Yoga & Fundraising: Hot yoga has been my very special consolation prize after a couple of years of a ton of running and little stretching. I am loving it and increasing my practice (some might say switching from one obsession to another). I just registered for the Yogini Yogathon on May 26th. Girlfriends, join me for an inspiring day of yoga! You can also participate at the Toronto Yogini Yogathon. Register here http://www.journeyoftheyogini.com/Yogini-Yogathon.html – I’ll have info on how to sponsor me very soon. The proceeds go to Plan’s Because I Am a Girl.

Jewellery: Stella & Dot just unveiled an Autism Awareness capsule collection and I am anticipating the summer collection rush in early April – looking forward to it. The colours are beautiful and there are lots of stripes. I love stripes. Let me do a Trunk Show for you and your friends in April – this cause is close to my heart!

Party Planning: This is a big year in our family. Two of us are turning 40 (not telling which 2); Derek and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary; and, we are leaving our hometown for an extended period. Sounds like a reason to have a party. And I love planning a party. So, vamanos. Fiesta time!

Travel: Aside from our imminent move, we are celebrating my mom’s birthday this year with a family trip to Europe. I have made most of the plans but I have a few more details to arrange.

Late this year I’ll be celebrating 40 years with 6-8 childhood girlfriends on a sunny beach. We’ll be coming together from around North America and it will be FUN, if I have anything to say about it (though my definition of fun may have changed since we were all together in one place last).

Education: I have saved this for last because I am so torn. Here’s the sitch (short for situation for those over 35):

When we move, we will send our boys to a private school in Costa Rica. In our area of the country, there is a significant expat community and there are several small schools from which to choose. Each has a VERY different vibe and culture.

Last year the boys went to a school which met our short-term needs wonderfully. It was bilingual, with a predominantly Spanish-speaking population. The boys quickly learned Spanish and that was our primary goal. This school is growing rapidly and while we love the administration, the director being one of my friends in Tamarindo, there are issues that make it less than ideal for our children as a longer term option. These issues include the more cramped facility, the English as a second language focus, and an inability to meet certain special needs of a particular child of mine.

We initially had our hearts set on another small school which boasts a 6 to 1 classroom size – perfect for learning at your own pace. This school also has good proportion of students who’s mother tongue is Spanish. However, the student population is smaller and the current facility is smaller – a new campus is being constructed at Central American speed and will most likely be ready for the 2013-2014 school year.

We then started thinking about community, a community for ourselves and for the children. Perhaps the very traditional American school would be a better long-term option? We hemmed and hawed (sp?). The classrooms are bigger . The principal is wonderful. The parents have a good community. Yes – American school is the right thing for our boys.

Yesterday I got news that the American school has increased tuition prices by 25% for this coming school year. That is a huge jump in one year. This makes it double the cost of the other school, our first choice.

There comes a point where it’s just not worth it. Or a point where you start to reconsider your motivation for your choice. Are we sending them to an American school because we want to have our own adult community? Why are we moving to Costa Rica? What is it that we think we can get there that we can’t at the other school?

Our desires for our children:

1) An inspirational setting where a love of learning is emphasized.

2) Opportunities to speak Spanish with native Spanish speakers.

3) Experiential learning opportunities including on-site gardens, field trips, wildlife, etc.

4) Opportunity for curriculum and/or teaching methods to be adapted to the boys’ needs.

5) A school director is available and focused on student development.

We can get all that and more at the smaller school. We may not (we don’t know) have as much contact with other parents, but that will be our issue and we can find ways around that. There may be fewer children for sports, but the other schools welcome outside students on their sports teams (and we hope to rejoin the Matapalo or Villareal crew again for local soccer).

What do you think? I need perspectives here – what would you do??

Guanacaste, here we come.

I keep getting the question, “Why?”.

My answer is four-fold:

1) Weather – this winter sucks (I can’t think of a better word for how I feel). As much as we pretend to try, we just hate winter activities -except skiing, but that is so labour intensive and costly.

2) Lifestyle  - Cost of living plus ease of access to so many great things (like the ocean) make it appealing

3) Education – Education here is a big black hole of unknown going into each school year; while it doesn’t make me want to move, I can’t say that it holds me here.

4) Window in time – We can make this move now while the boys are young enough to transition with relatively little social stress. In a few years it will be harder.

Then there’s the obvious, “WHY THE HELL NOT???” that sometimes pops out of my mouth, but is more often just thought.

I have had some fabulous conversations with friends of late. I have taken my 2013 “connections” theme to heart and have been spending lots of time with friends. One such conversation centred on the things I missed about Canada when I was in Costa Rica. My initial thoughts:

1) Paved roads

2) Family and friends

3) Not taking out my wallet at the doctor’s office

4) My king bed

Number 1 is completely out of my control. We will get an SUV to better handle the potholes and gravel, and I’ll give up my high-heeled shoes for flip-flops over winter boots any day.

Number 2, though also out of my control, has many friends requesting travel info and planning their trips already. Mom and dad have plans to resume Spanish lessons… and though they haven’t told me so, I imagine they are considering their travel dates  (if they haven’t booked already).

Numbers 3 and 4 can be changed. Residency in Costa Rica means universal healthcare and in the meantime we can purchase comprehensive health insurance; and yes, we may have to spring for a king-sized bed.

I wrote the above without looking back at my posts at the end of our stay in 2012. I now see that I will also miss blow-drying my hair.

As far as food goes, I will apparently miss dark leafy greens and fresh strawberries; these were both available at ridiculous prices. Maybe I can put away some of money I save on bananas (4 cents a piece in CR) and use it toward a weekly spinach or arugula treat (as ridiculous as that sounds).

As for the rest of things I thought I missed:

• Jeans are uncomfortable, and who needs long sleeves?
• I can wear make-up with a good primer in the heat;
• I’ll get up early to get a couple of minutes outdoors without sweating if I feel the need
• I’ll use the public library remotely, or just the kindle app…
• Dogs on leashes… I’ll have to suffer the roaming, curious, friendly, and sometimes cute beasts.

I am no activist. I am an advocate for public health issues, and I certainly like to speak my mind. Yet I have never in my life gone so far as to even write a personal letter about a cause, political, social or otherwise.

That’s why I am trying to figure out how the decision to hire known anti-immunization, anti-science celebrity Jenny McCarthy for the Bust-a-Move event in support of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation has spurred me into action.

Yesterday I was on Twitter, tweeting and retweeting the #dropjenny hashtag. Today, I’ve written a letter to Dr. Susan Dent, the medical advisor to the organizing committee of Bust-a-Move, a letter to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, and a letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen (shared in the next post) which may or may not be published… you get the idea. I’m frustrated.

Why is this particular decision getting under my skin?

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

Professionally:

• I like science and the scientific method.
• I used to do paid work promoting the most important public health measure in recent history, immunization for all Canadians. In that position, I was exposed daily to the underhanded tactics of the anti-vaccine movement, and I also interacted regularly with those who had lost loved ones or suffered from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Personally:

• My son has asthma; immunization for him and those around him help to keep him healthier.
• My son’s school has diagnosed him with Asperger’s syndrome (though the diagnosis has since been questioned by several professionals who work with him and know him well; that’s another story). The pseudoscience that Ms. McCarthy spouts related to autism spectrum disorders is scary and harmful to vulnerable families and children.
• Bust-A-Move is an event in which many friends and acquaintances take part. I have been and will be asked to support it. I have to say no to requests if an anti-science, anti-vaccine activist is involved.

Now let me hear it. What do you think?

I believe that when she gives me advice or her opinion on something, or when I see her physically bite her lip to keep her mouth shut (a strategy she openly admits mastering only in the last 15 years – I personally think it could be a tad subtler), she is looking in the mirror. She is considering choices we have both made and reflecting on how life’s twists and turns happen because of those choices.

I have jumped into 2013 with all cylinders firing (car metaphor: please correct in comment section if improperly used).

Usborne Books was the jumping off point in late 2012. It has led to Stella & Dot – so much fun – and reminded me that I like being with people. I also like sales. Who knew? I certainly didn’t. Or maybe I did.

What I don’t like is selling without passion. Children’s books and style are easy for me. They are simply a conversation or a solution rather than a sale. Then there’s the lifestyle and the opportunity: I am working from home, or going out to socialize and I get to work as much or as little as I want. Perfect, I say! (And then I’m supposed to say, send me a message if you would like to hear more about it… because I would love to tell you about the opportunity – and of course I really would!!).

But I need more. I have 7 years of post-secondary education and 14 years of work experience that need exercise or they will get rusty. Derek and I brainstormed and batted around ideas. I went to 2 interviews for a full-time high-pressure position which would have made major changes to our family’s lifestyle. I backed out of the third interview. I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t sleep.

I am now taking freelance writing contracts. While the work is not yet steady, I am confident that I will soon be able to do as much or as little of this as I want.

So what are the threads that runs through these paid work pieces?

• Lifestyle: I work as much or as little as I want / can. I can ramp up or back off should my family need me more.
• People: In all 3 of these jobs I am helping people. I am promoting literacy and education (remember I started out as a teacher). I am helping women look and feel great by styling them with Stella & Dot. I am writing about health-related topics which in all scenarios will help people either immediately or at some point down the line.

P.S. This isn’t just for you. It’s for me too… and for anyone else out there questioning my choices or their own.

I’ve begun the climb out of the hole I dug for myself. Okay, there are much deeper holes, but it is a hole nonetheless.

girl in background on left side of photo passed me while I slowed down to smile for the camera…

See what I mean on my updated Fitness ’13 page.

Forty and fabulous, here I come.

In 2011 it was FUN.

In 2012 it was ADVENTURE (never posted that, but it was… I swear).

The first half of 2012 was an amazing journey for our family. You may be tired of hearing about it, but if you are a first time reader, find out about our Costa Rican Adventure here.

The second half has been more challenging for our family.  Anxiety overwhelmed Lil D, and business restructuring overwhelmed our set routine – I thrive on routine for the hard stuff and spontaneity for the fun stuff and this has been difficult.

Lil D is doing better, though this is still a work in progress.

I spent November and December devising a plan for 2013, a plan that fits our family and also fits my interests and skill set. I will get it into that in a minute, but let’s get back to that annual theme for 2013.

The theme for 2013 is CONNECTIONS.

In keeping with the theme:

1) We are planning more adult social time including monthly dinner parties.

2) I am planning to continue selling Usborne Books – check out my website… I had so much fun with this in December.

Not only have I enjoyed over $1000 in free books for my family (in one month!), but I also earned some nice holiday-time income. January is looking like more fun. This is a nice complement to my work-at-home gig because I get out to meet people and get that social interaction and CONNECTION that I have been missing.

3) I love style. I have enjoyed direct selling. I am going to CONNECT these and begin selling Stella and Dot in a couple of weeks when the new 2013 collection comes out. I’m pretty excited about this. I can see so many opportunities for amazing events for all kinds of people. More on this when I am all set up.

4) The direct selling is fun, social, helps me connect, gets me great products, and makes me income. But my brain… my poor brain is aching for real exercise. I have something really great in the works for this in 2013. It will CONNECT my entrepreneurial spirit, my passion for science, my love of written expression and my post-graduate education together in one neat little business. I am working on this and will have more to share in the coming weeks. I almost gave you the URL so you could take a sneak peak, but I thought better of it. Let’s wait.

5) My friend Molly, a local retailer (check out her jam-packed shop full of adorable gift and paper goods, The Village Quire) and I are planning some fun, relaxed, business CONNECTING events in 2013.

6) At the end of 2013, we are planning on CONNECTING again with our Central American friends. I look forward to sharing more of that plan soon.

So, in 2013 – let’s CONNECT! Let me hear from you…

Happy New Year!!

An oldie but a goodie.

I’ve been struggling of late with fitness. Since my running came to a grinding halt due to injury in September, I’ve been dabbling with various forms of exercise, mostly yoga and short runs.

I joined the JCC after negotiating a one month trial family membership, only to find that my husband and children are getting great use out of it, but I can’t seem to get there.

I love hot yoga in this cold weather and the intro month for $40 at Pure Yoga is fabulous. After my month ends at the end of December, prices more than double.

I understand that my old friend Greco is opening a studio in Westboro shortly. I also understand that they are increasing their already fairly steep prices.

What is a girl on a fitness budget to do?

Well my Ottawa friends, it seems that Westboro’s glut of fitness-wear stores and studios has its benefits. Here is the list of free group fitness classes within 1 km of my home. Do I need a gym membership in January after all?

Fit for a Kid cannot guarantee accuracy. Please check with service provider for details.

Please share this list! Let’s support these amazing fitness providers.

Sunday: 830 am Running Room Run Club; 930 am – free yoga at Lululemon; 145 pm yoga ($5 min donation) at Santosha Yoga; 5 pm yoga ($5 min donation) at Elation Centre

Monday: 630 pm Boot camp at One Tooth Activewear

Tuesday: 6 pm Kangoo Jump class at One Tooth Activewear (not my cup of tea); 630 pm Run club at Dovercourt Community Centre

Wednesday: 7 am Boot camp at Lululemon; 630 pm group run at Running Room

Thursday: 930 am yoga at Pure Yoga ($10 drop-in fee every day at 930 am)

Friday: Edited Jan 2, 2013 – 5-7  am yoga at Prana Shanti ($5 min donation); 630 pm Boot camp at One Tooth Activewear; 730 pm yoga at Pure Yoga ($6 drop-in fee)

Saturday: 8 am Run club at Elation Centre

And this schedule does not include all the free baby and mom stuff (which I am thankfully well past) going on at Boomerang Kids and One Tooth Activewear.

If anyone can add or update this list/schedule at any time, please email me!

This fall has been a time of change for our family. I think coming back from Costa Rica over the summer delayed our reverse culture shock. It really hit in October.

We have also made some changes to our business (for the better), but that has put me out of a job – and opened up doors to new projects.

You can read about one really fun one here. Anyone who loves books, who has kids in their lives, or who works with kids is gonna love it.

The other project is a real career move. I finally feel like I might have an idea where I can take my skill set. You will have to wait on this one.

My guys are doing well. Lil D has had some challenges adjusting back to school here… but things seem to have settled down in the last week so I’m hopeful.

And that my friends, is all. I am not all that motivated to blog here because I have been neglecting many of the things that this blog is about (like FITNESS!!!). But you may yet hear from me.

In the meantime, please join me as we read through the winter at Little Book Lovers.