Brazil, soon.

Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile. Zé Maria is in Germany to watch the Portugal – Mexico match (which we won!) and I’m preparing for our trip to Brazil, trying to leave things at work sufficiently organized that my boss will not need to call me for the whole week.
Being alone with the kids for two nights is proving to be more stressful for me than it should be really, particularly considering that Zé Maria does it all the time when I go on my countless business trips. Add that to the fact that R is going to the beach with her school this week, which means I have to drop her off at school a whole hour earlier than usual. Oh, and M is teething and hasn’t been sleeping so well. I’m one tired mommy right now.

Anyway, Monday I had lunch with the beautiful Lioness (and no, the hair did not look that bad at all). We should definitely do this more often, I can’t believe the last time we were together I was still pregnant and M is now 8 months old. Time really flies. We talked some about Israel (among other things of course) and I’m so anxious to go. I can’t believe we’re going in only a little more than a month.

I will probably not be posting before we go Brazil, and certainly not while we’re there, so I’ll be back in about 10 days.

The Wedding – The final post

The Short Version
It went very very well. The bride looked beautiful, the weather was nice and everyone was happy.

The Really Long Version with Pictures
At 9.25 am my SIL came by my house to pick me up (DH and I only have one car and he needed it to take the kids to my in-laws). She looked tired but not as nervous as I expected. We spent 2.5 hours at the hairdresser, having our hair and makeup done and trying not to stress out about the weather, which by then looked pretty bad. It was nice to be away from the chaos at my in-laws though, as I predicted.
At 12.30 we arrived at my in-laws and started getting dressed, since the photographer was already there and everyone else was ready, except the kids. I started dressing R, who was way too excited about her “princess dress” and couldn’t possibly wait a minute longer. About 2 minutes later she starts screaming that her shoes are too tight and it’s hurting. Thankfully, there is a kids shoes store right next to my in-laws house and it’s open on Saturdays, so one of my SIL’s friends offered to go there with R and buy new shoes. But for a moment there I was imagining her walking down the aisle barefoot.



















After spending 15 minutes buttoning up 30 or so buttons in SIL’s dress (my fingers were seriously sore afterwards) she was finally ready and she looked absolutely lovely.
Many (too many) pictures later, at 2.30 pm, we finally left for the church, and by then the weather was even worse. It never rained though, thank God. Apparently, most people did end up coming to the ceremony instead of watching the game because the church was full. However, several people were getting text messages when Portugal scored, so everyone was well informed about the really important stuff.
The ceremony went very well, the choir sang beautifully and there were lots of tears and smeared make up. It was beautiful.
By the end of the ceremony the weather had began to get better and it was nice enough to have the cocktail and pictures outdoors. The party was lovely, the food was great, the music was a bit too loud and everyone danced for hours. R danced like crazy, holding her princess dress up and spinning around. She really wanted to dance with this 5 year old boy who was too shy to dance with her but wouldn’t take his eyes of her. Too funny. At about 11 pm my parents left the party and took both my kids home with them which was heaven. I finally got to eat something and dance with my husband.
At 2 am I went to help my SIL get out of her wedding dress (another 15 minutes to unbutton) and change into something more comfortable. Then she went back to say goodbye to her parents and her siblings, and there were even more tears (including mine this time). I was so tired I could barely walk by then, but it was worth it. It all went perfectly.

The Dresses

My oldest SIL did in fact take the pregnant dress but it seems she gained a bit more weight and she did look kinda pregnant. It wasn’t quite the effect I had expected but it wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately she was so late she didn’t come to my in-laws before the ceremony so I have no picture of her. I will try to get one from some else’s camera though.
My SIL the dentist took the pornographic dress and looked awful. I wish there was a nicer way to put it but there isn’t. It was tragic and everyone was commenting. She wore a scarf over her shoulders and cleavage to church, which was my mom’s idea. It was a smart move and probably why my FIL didn’t freak out. Here’s the picture, though it doesn’t really make it justice:



















My SIL the nun looked good and it wasn’t so hot that she looked ridiculous in the blazer. She’s nun, we didn’t expect her to look sexy right?



















My youngest SIL looked great and I guess she finally realized the importance of having a good hairdresser and a good make up.



















And here is a picture of me and the kids:


That’s it folks.

The Wedding - Part X

So the wedding is tomorrow. At 9.30 I will pick my SIL up and take her to the hairdresser, where we will hopefully spend a couple of hours away from the absolute chaos that will be my in-laws’ house. Then at 12 noon the photographer will be at my in-laws to start taking pictures and the show will begin.

Since the wedding is at 2.30 pm, we will have to have something to eat, so my MIL hired a cook (one more person in an already over crowded house) to make a bunch of light, easy-to-eat-as-you-get-dressed-and-take-pictures stuff and invited my parents to come over for lunch (two more people, adding to a grand total of 24). I can only imagine the chaos.

The dresses
My oldest SIL, the lawyer, came to my house last Monday and borrowed a maternity dress I bought last summer, but that actually looked pretty good on her (she has gained a few pounds). Apparently, the dress she stole from my youngest SIL no longer fits her. Ironic hun?
My SIL the dentist finally tried on her dress in front of my MIL and my SIL the bride and they both said it was pornographic (maybe not using this exact same word) and she is now depressed because she really wants to wear it but realizes she shouldn’t. I have no idea if she has an alternative but I’ll let you know how that ended.
My SIL the nun will in fact take my dress and my blazer but since the weather is so bad now, I no longer think that’s a bad idea at all.
My youngest SIL, the one whose dress got stolen, bought a new, more beautiful dress that looks great on her. So the dress that got stolen will not even be worn.

I will try to take as many pictures with my camera as possible, so that you can finally have an image of all I’ve been babbling about here for the past few months.

The Wedding - Part IX

At 2 pm on Saturday Portugal meets Iran in a soccer match for the World Cup. If you knew how obsessed the Portuguese people are about soccer you would understand why this is such a big issue for my SIL. You see, the wedding is at 2.30 pm, which means some people (I am hoping not too many) will skip the ceremony and meet us at the party, after the game. Now try telling this to a soon-to-be bride who has been planning said ceremony for 6 months…
Add to that the fact that yesterday it started raining like it hasn’t rained all winter, and there is no indication that it will stop soon, and you’ll get one mess of a woman who is convinced the world is conspiring against her.

Tonight we’re going to my in-laws for dinner, to make sure everyone remains calm (or at least under control) and to see if there is anything we can do tomorrow, since it’s a holiday here. Hopefully the weather will be better soon.

The Wedding - Part VIII

The big day is a week from tomorrow and the level of stress… well, by now I guess you can imagine what it’s like.
This weekend we (my SIL, her girl friends and me) are going to the beach house for what will be two whole days of eating, drinking, sun bathing and small talking. I think I may be needing this girl’s weekend out more than she is right now. Things are not easy at work but I don’t really wanna talk about it anymore.
Monday is the final fitting of the wedding dress (which I will miss because I’ll be on yet another business trip) and then we’ll spend the rest of the week preparing the last details (organizing the tables, getting manicures, buying the flowers, etc). R is getting so excited about wearing the “princess dress” I think she’ll stop sleeping altogether by Wednesday. I have still to buy a white shirt for M to use with the shorts my SIL had made for him, matching the flower girl dresses. Then we can finally put this show on the road!

And then it’s Brazil on the 24th. I can’t wait.

Leaving the cave

We went to a friend’s beach house for the weekend. Two couples, 5 children under 5. I obviously had no time to think about my professional troubles and I’m physically exhausted but mentally relaxed.

Being with my friends who have children, whose life is more than their jobs, helps me put things into perspective. I am reminded of why I choose my family first. Not because I have no money for an aupair (which my boss suggested I should get, in order to have full time availability) but because I want to raise my own kids, and watch them grow and make a difference in their lives. I’m still sad and angry with all that’s happened but I’ve decided that this is not important enough to depress me and so I’m slowly crawling out of my cave and am soon going to start looking for a new, better job.

It almost sounds like a bad joke

I wish I had crawled into my cave, but instead my boss called me at 8 pm because the New Girl messed up and he desperately needed me to come fix it up. For a moment there, I actually thought it was a bad joke.
So after the kids were ready for bed I went back to the office and worked until midnight. He then gave me a lift home and at least had the courtesy of thanking me for coming in to help him. And then I crawled into my cave and cried.

Going into my cave for awhile

Things are not good. I didn’t get the promotion I was expecting after all. The reason I didn’t get it, and I am now quoting my boss, was “not a question of output, but rather of a precedent you are creating by leaving at 6.45 pm every day. Next thing you know, I’ll have the other girls getting pregnant and asking me to leave at 6.45 pm “.
So, not because I don’t do a good enough job, but rather because I create a dangerous precedent, I don’t get the promotion and am subtly asked to start looking for something else.
I can obviously say to hell with them, but the fact is I’m sad. I love my job, I love what I do and I don’t see myself doing anything else. And I feel profoundly wronged, I feel this is all so unfair, I hate it that others whose work is not as good as mine have gotten the promotion I was hoping for because they get out later than I do. I’m so hurt I’ve been on the verge of tears several time today. And I hate that.
Anyway, I’ll start looking for a new job, and even though my boss says there’s no hurry and that he is not pressuring me in any way, now that all has been said, I want out as soon as possible.

And now I crawl back into my cave.