This week at the Macedo's...

WHEW!!!!!! The move-in was brutal! Too many people from the moving company for me to handle alone (about 8), so I called the handyman that the owners had told me about, he got there with his brother. That way, we could divide the work and get things done a little better.

I panicked when I realized I forgot the list that we had been working on days before!!!!!!!!!! I rushed to the hotel and, to make things worse, they had not been able to print it, so I had to do without!!! It did complicate things just a little bit, but in the end it was ok.

We worked endlessly all day long, the guys stopped for lunch, I ate a bag of peanuts on the job.

Tons of paper and cardboard exuded from the house, the trailer took most of it, but they left me with many boxes that needed more time and care, something I must do little by little.

My days consist basically of the following:

6:00 start getting ready, get kids up, showered and dressed

7:20ish have breakfast

8:00 kids start their holiday course at club Marapendi

8:20 arrive home and start unpacking boxes, sorting things out , filling up closets

12:00 maybe get something for light lunch

12:30- 5:00 work, work, work while listening to my podcasts. (I love the ones from "This American Life")

5:30 get the kids, time to start the cool down!

6:00 another shower is due, get ready for dinner

6:30ish - 9:00 go out for dinner with Fernando & kids, talk, watch some tv or play dominoes,

maybe check some e-mail or write this blog...

The kids and Fernando will see a HUGE change when they go back home this weekend! I'm leaving all their stuff for them to sort out, although all their clothes and books have been taken care of.

Eric and Alan have enjoyed their day camp VERY much. They are very happy, surrounded by friends, they teach me a new word every day, and they tell me about their day. Eric has become very popular, especially with the girls. He tells me everybody talks to him and they try their English. For some unknown reason, they call him "Jeffrey", despite all his attempts to change that.

Alan is very cheerful and is always asking for more time when I pick him up. He has ended every day exhausted, and his Portuguese is getting better. Yesterday was the first day he asked to use the computer to send an e-mail... to a girl from camp, and in Portuguese!!!