So thankful we've made it to Friday!
1. Both kids have told me at different points this week how much they really like living here in Malaysia. Phew! That makes me so happy to hear. All moms (and dads) know that when it comes to moving with kids, you worry about how they're going to do. Grayson has done remarkably well throughout the entire thing. He's my more outgoing child and finds it pretty easy to make friends. He's really done great and has gotten involved in some things - some by his choice and some by our choice. He's started his handwriting tutoring with another little boy named Forrest - and he doesn't seem to mind - not even the little bit of "homework" we need to do each day. He's doing baseball and starts soccer this week. He starts swim lessons next week and has signed up for origami and Mechatronix (think Legos with motors) as after school activities. Caleb had a little bit of a rougher start (we even had a little "incident" at school this week involving some whiteboards and the writing of "Caleb Loves Leyla." Ah, kids! Save your writing of these silly messages until the standardized testing is done!) Anyways, he now seems to have a good set of friends and he's my little sports junkie - so he's got cross country, baseball, and soccer - along with Mechatronix. Active, happy kids make my life so much easier and decreases my stress level by huge amounts.
Caleb and Grayson rockin' their bandanas just like their Momma
2. On a more personal note, I've lost 12 pounds since we've arrived. Yes, ever since we decided to take this assignment in Malaysia, my diet and exercise has been a train wreck. Yes, I intentionally derailed the train.
"Kids - you wanna go for ice cream?"
"Meet for drinks? Sure!"
"Oh, give me an extra slice. I won't have this pizza for a whole year until we return to the States."
It was a conscious decision - with a start date and, more importantly, with an end date. I knew that when I got here, it would be a new beginning for me. (I'm all about the new beginning.) So I really enjoyed my summer! About 5 days after landing, I got my shit together. Joined a traditional gym, then found the Crossfit box and started there, and reigned in my excess eating. It's not that I'm perfect by any means. I still go out to lunch - as you can see from yesterday's post. But, I make sure to leave some food to take home. (Hence, why pizza was packaged to take home and 1/2 of the chocolate mousse pie was left untouched.) For the past two weeks, I've exercised 6 days per week - and the week before that it was 5 days. My weight is constantly going to be a struggle...a continuous ebb and flow. But, I know where I started - and no, I won't give you an exact number, but let's say it was well over 300 pounds:
Not going back here!
And, I know where I can go.
3. We've booked a trip to Melaka/Malacca for next weekend. I just needed a little change of scenery and Melaka will be sure to provide it. It's about two hours away and I'm looking forward to it. There appears to be lots to see and do while we're there and we've received some great recommendations from local folks. You can read more about Melaka here or just wait for my post-trip blog!
Melaka/Malacca
4. I've registered for some additional cooking classes and I've been invited to attend a cooking club that happens here in KL. The cooking classes are back at B.I.G. - and I've registered for "Scrumptious Dinner" (I can't remember what's on the menu), Bread 101, Cooking with Beer, and Italian Table. Trang also mentioned that there is a French chef, Nathalie, who owns two restaurants here in KL (one located in Publika) that does cooking lessons also. I need to check her webpage as I'm dying to learn how to make macaroons. (They're just so dang pretty and I just watched an episode of Master Chef where macaroons was one of the challenges for the home cooks - so they're on my list!)
So colorful and pretty!
And this cooking club sounds interesting. Once per month, one or two women of the group get together and show you how to prepare a dish native to their country. This month's is on the 18th and the woman doing this month's said they expect 20-25 people for the demo. The dish to be made is baozi - yeah, here's a link to what it is (because I did not have a clue until I looked it up: baozi
5. And finally, I'm thankful for lunch dates with new friends this week. So nice to share a few laughs, learn a few local tricks, try a new restaurant, and just hang out with some great women.
That's all I've got today! Enjoy your weekend! Know that there's a few of you back in the States that I'm thinking about this weekend as you get ready to tackle Ironman Wisconsin! Go out and kick some serious ass!! Your training will pay off and you'll do awesome! I'll be cheering you on from Malaysia!
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