americaninsardinia

[americaninsardinia]

Last night...in under 30mins, I navigated my way through an Italian grocery store to buy some fresh veggies & fixins to make a great homemade meal for the family, coffee for the AM, and also managed to pick up a crate for the doggies. Everything was so conveniently located to the apartment we have been so generously provided as a go-between until we find the home we are desperately awaiting. The only problem: pet store was closing, time was limited, and I had no one to watch the kid for me so that I could go buy this thing and muscle my way back to the apartment with it (no car yet either!). Patrick had to stay locked up in one of the rooms back at the apartment to take care of extremely time sensitive business calls...so....I was on my own with Mino the Bambino for this adventure. But hell...I’m so used to doing things on my own with virtually zero help...Mama Bandaner prevails once again! At least I had a good laugh with the gal at the pet store as we shifted and worked together to balance it atop the stroller. And VIOLA! The dogs now have a disaster-proof containment for the evenings and when we need to go out. Just like they did in ‘Merica. Now we can settle in for a little while and enjoy all the comforts of a home.

[americaninsardinia]

2 1/2 Weeks of Post-It visual scheduling of my wifely moving duties. With a little bit of wiggle room ;-) Saturday’s and Sundays are reserved for knitting. ;-P

[americaninsardinia]

Movin day is drawing near. The family cars have been sold, the plane tickets purchased, Goodwill has received about a half dozen huge visits from me, and packing is well underway. Very proud of how much stuff we were able to sell, donate, and chuck. So far, we’re only up to about a pallet and a half of packed moving boxes. I’ve decided to tackle this project by carefully planning my days. I found it easier than to just start doing shit, to actually schedule each section of the house, limiting myself to one per day. And starting early enough was also a great move. I was beginning to stress out because it seemed the more I packed, the most stuff still awaited. I felt like I’d get nowhere because I didn’t have a plan in place. See the problem I have is that I’m also a SAHM who has to attend to a very needy and always-into-trouble two year old boy. The ONLY time I can do this whole packing-up-of-our-lives thing is that teeny tiny 3 hour window in the middle of the afternoon when said child is fast asleep in napping splendor. Forgettabout any. other. time. of. the. day. He leaves a wake of disaster, you can’t turn your back for even a moment to focus on any other project, and once you’ve cleared the way of danger or disaster, he’s onto undoing whatever you just spent so much time doing! There’s NO WAY I can pack up our entire life while that kid is awake and fully functional. So…the plan. It’s NECESSARY. MANDATORY. And I’m so excited because it’s working. I really feel like I’m making progress as we count down the weeks to the big day. Less than 3! Yikes!

[americaninsardinia]

Sometimes moving across the pond will require you to make tough decisions about what goes with and what needs to go. It breaks my heart to have to throw away 20 of my beloved Communication Arts Magazines. But hey...they’re heavy, they’re always the labor of every move and I’m not designing websites anymore. 😞 I’ll miss you. One day maybe I’ll purchase a digital subscription. But they’re always so much fun to thumb through time and time again. So much inspiration. Makes me want to fire up photoshop right now! Oh well, it’s all the sacrifice a mother must make to ensure there’s enough room for your child’s toys and books.

[americaninsardinia]

I have always loved adventure. Mind you, I'm a Cancer the Crab, which means usually you prefer to set roots and make life about the home and your family. Well, I'm that too. But I've always craved water since I am in fact a water sign, and so growing up in my little Pennsylvania town, I set my goals to moving to the Jersey Shore to fulfill that need. But then I realized it was still too close to home, and I didn't fit in at home, so I aimed for a place where I could have more social diversity and cleaner shores. That lead to my picking everything up at a moment's notice and heading out to the West Coast...LA! I've been in LA now for nearly 2 decades, have finally met the best man I know and married and started a family with him. But there's one thing that's just not right. American culture, political structure and the ever prevalent greedy obsession for the almighty dollar. Families don't sit down to dinner together anymore, we work too hard (often times to the point of mental and physical exhaustion), and we forget about our friends. We get caught up in our lives but there's something wrong with that too! We are not living life! We are forgetting what life is really all about. Nature, food, music, culture, fun, family, exercise (OUTDOORS!), laughter, face-to-face social interaction!!! The list goes on! And by dammit, I just described ITALY! So the hubs is from Italy. He is not just from Italy but an amazingly gorgeous island called Sardinia off of the coast of Italy. Italians like to vacation there. This place is so beautiful with endless stretches of crystalline beaches hugged and kissed by the breathtaking Sea which I refer to as Il Turquese (which means The Turquoise). Okay, so I traded in the muddy green Atlantic Ocean for the Emerald Pacific Ocean...and now....oh I can't even discuss the pull and personal calling this magnificent water of my favorite color in all the world has over me. Turquese as far as the eyes can see! I have fallen in love! Loving a place for its beauty is just the beginning though. Italy is not politically and financially perfect. We all know that. Italians are forever reminding me and trying to bash my romantic glee with hard doses of their reality. But the US is quickly heading in the same direction with its own political Bullshit, so the only thing that matters to me now is where can I achieve happiness and comfort for my family? The US is ridiculously expensive compared to Sardinia, especially LA. So much so that one must work like a slave to another man in order to survive. Just...survive. You have to play a lottery, literally, to get your kid in a decent school. Bullying, pedophilia, drugs, and crime are all so high across this country, it's safe to call these issues concerning epidemics! Let's not even mention the "Great Political Divide", as I like to call it, that is sweeping this nation, bringing to the surface feelings of racial division, hate, intolerance and violence. Our country has been suffering increasingly alarming incidents of domestic terrorism. Is this the place I want to raise my child? Let's face it, 'Merica ain't the place I learned about in our heavily filtered school History books. Now I've had family complain that I shouldn't complain about not having family nearby etc because after all, I chose to move clear across the country. But the fact remains that I've seen more often than not (though there are exceptions), people coming out of those woods and farm lands back home who still don't know how to speak correctly, spell correctly, or even think correctly. Let's face it...judgmental attitudes and mind sets do often come from poorer, less socially evolved towns. These places seem to breed hatred, racists, and basically just people who close their minds and hearts to anything or anyone different. Like I said, luckily, not all are this way. It's all in how you're raised. But social environment and its geographical culture norms do leave an impact on young budding minds. And I will NOT raise my child in ignorance. No matter how dire my need to have him be around family. These are all our family's reasoning to move. And it's going to be BIG. Monumental, in fact. I will need to learn a different culture, a whole new language, get used to currency differences, different street signs, walking more and driving less, the proper way to do a scarpetta (little shoe: which means to scoop up your pasta sauce and olive oil with the piece of bread), and raise a kid for the first time amidst all of these new changes! But you know what??!! I am so up for that challenge. When have I ever in my life turned down a new and exciting adventure??!! NEVER! Because sometimes, complacency and lack of adventure leads to feeling old and creaky in the bones (much as I have been feeling). It's time to feel alive again, and be the energetic, fun loving, adventurous mommy I always wanted my son to know. We have made our decision together, my husband and I. We have gotten flack, bitter responses, grueling questions from people who just don't get why and insist that we are nuts or making a mistake. Some have told us we are courageous, some have been supportive and excited to share in our adventure even if only vicariously. Well...here we go! I started this blog to share the adventure, give tips to those who may be going through a similarly life-changing turn of events, and for the most part...to give you a source of entertainment. (We are kind of a crazy bunch the three of us.) So sit back and have fun with us. It's going to be one hell of a roller coaster ride.