Hello friends, sorry for the silence. My blogging life has ceased to exist since the kids and I arrived at my home town. I am on vacation – which means no work but it only meant no official desk work but there are tons of other work to do because we do not have a house help here. There’s cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, etc… the usual household chores which takes up so much time. Then there’s our internet connection at home which seems to have its own mind (I finally solved the problem by using one of my brother’s pocket WiFi device).

Oh and the unscheduled power outages.

Anyway, I am still actively updating from my social media channels, if you would like to take a peek of what we’ve been to so far in this month long vacation. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and see longish updates on my blog’s Facebook page.

The kids are having a great time, mostly spending it outdoors, something they can’t do when they are in Dubai because we all know, when summer starts, outdoor life for kids (and adults alike) in the UAE stops.

The last time I took Pristine here for vacation was when she was only 5, that was seven long years ago. It’s Benjamin’s first time.

Both of them bonded so well with my parents, it’s such a joy to see. I feel so lucky that I am born first in the family and my children get to be with my parents while they are still young-ish (my father is 66 and my mother is 64). Pristine and Benjamin adores them and Benjamin always look forward to spending time with my mom every single day we are here.

My mom took care of Pristine for 5 years in Dubai. It’s natural that they missed each other so much.

One of the activities my mom and the children do is take malunggay from our backyard. We frequently include this leafy vegetable in our soups.

Proud of their harvest.

I remember it was always like this while my siblings and I were growing up at our parent’s house: we were involved in preparing meals at home. From harvesting vegetables in the garden, to chopping and preparing those for cooking.

It was the kids first time to help out with nanay (term of endearment for grandmother). And by the look of their faces, there’s no denying that they’re having a grand time. I know our next visit won’t take another seven years!

Why did it take me so long to go back again? My parent’s house was old and wasn’t really conducive to children. There had been health hazards. Last year my siblings and I helped each other to build a new house for them, which completed in March this year.

Now that we have a proper and so much better place to stay, my children’s summer vacation won’t ever be boring again.