Quite a bit has happened since my last blog update, not the least of which is that last Friday, 1 June, we received our visas. As has been par for the course, there was some drama receiving them but arrive they did, and we are set for our grand Spanish adventure. Our youngest and my Dad have a mutual love of the New York Yankees, and flights between the US and Spain are much less expensive from New York, so we chose to spend a few days in NY City with my parents before we hop

Poor C is getting thrown into the deep end of parenting chaos. For most of our kids' lives, C was on the road Sun-Fri--there was even a point where he had a corporate apartment in Washington, DC . Four years ago, we decided that it was time to make a lifestyle change and have C get off the road. With the exception of a random trip a few times a year, C works about 3 miles from our house and is home 95% of the time for dinner. I have taken 1 other trip during our active parent

Today, #1 turns 18. I'm in total disbelief that he is a legal adult and have already tried to intervene in at least 2 "bad" decisions that he's made this morning. However, I'm working hard to let him forge his own way. Half-way through the first "Don't do...." lecture, I stopped myself and said, "It's up to you...you have to be responsible for yourself and your choices." Of course, 3 minutes later when the second issue came up, I forgot those words and began spewing unasked f

I've mentioned that I have 3 sons, an (almost) 18-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 13-year-old. Along with C, they are the best (and most challenging) things in my life. Each of these boys has their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and ways to make me crazy. #1 has an amazing aptitude for languages. He speaks both Mandarin & Hebrew and can pretty easily switch back and forth between the 3 languages. I am constantly amazed by his talent. #2 is artistic and smart. He skipped 7th

We've been talking to our sons a ton about the changes that we can expect to face when we move. There are the obvious: language, location, schools, distance from family, using public transportation.... We've asked them to ask questions and give their input if they have opinions. Boy, do they. Some of the things that we've decided to do based on their input: attending private, English-speaking schools; living in the city-center even if it means a longer commute to school; havi