Happy Thoughts

Things I could get used to about life in Cameroon:

1. Peaceful clean house with housekeeper: What a fantastic feeling as I walk through my house to find the kids or put something away, and everything is just clean and peaceful...no more harried mom! Oh, it’s so wonderful to have a constant clean house, and I feel the spirit more often this way. What a blessing!! I often think of the poem that my mom had on the wall as I was growing up:
Cleaning and Scrubbing
Can wait ‘till tomorrow,
For Babies grow up,
We’ve learned to our Sorrow.
So, quiet down cobwebs,
Dust, go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby,
And babies don’t keep!
I know with all moms there are some things that we will look back on and maybe feel regret that we did/didn’t do it. I would rather feel sort of sorry that I didn’t get to clean as much, but that I was able to play with my kids a LOT...I am SOOO grateful!!! I DO still clean up after myself and the kids...after all, Pascaline is only here until 5, and it’s after 5 that comes the dinner, and our hour or two of ‘wholesome recreational activities’ aka group effort of extreme silliness.

2: There are advantages of cement walls: When the doors are slammed open, no holes appear from the door knobs slamming into the wall! They are much more sound-proof than drywall or plaster, and Josh can ‘fix’ them with his plastic hammer and not wake up the whole neighborhood...

3: Early out fridays! I didn’t notice until about a week ago, that the workdays are actually ‘longer’–7:30 to 5. I was so used to that schedule already because of the extra time that commuting took in DC that it hasn’t been a transition for me! Yea!!

4: It's warm every single day of the year! We love the great outdoors!

5: We have huge gates and a guard so I don’t have to worry about the kids running away or getting lost.

6: The sun rises and sets at almost the EXACT same time every single day of the year (NO daylight saving time...ah, bliss!!)

7: The kids are used to seeing bugs all over the place, including inside the house, so it’s not a shocker if we go somewhere and there are bugs running around...

8: There is tropical fruit year round...mango season is upon us!

9: We have a large garden that I don’t have to even weed!

10: Fruits and veggies here are dirt cheap and plentiful

11: We have bananas, guavas, papayas and avocados growing in our yard...

12: There are advantages to tile floor verses carpet: Potty training is simplified(not that I'm starting that yet, but just think how nice it'll be just to mop up the mess instead of worrying which part of the carpet he was standing on last...), less vacuuming, less unseen dirt, it doesn’t matter if gum falls on tile!, no ‘black stains’ or trying to get jello out of carpet...blah

13: The rain storms here are fun and amazing! (In fact, it looks like there is one on the way as I 'speak'...)

14: Beautiful tropical views from every balcony and window of the house (well, except the back...)

"I think I'm gonna like it here!"