Dear Blog,

I can explain.  I know it’s been a while since I blogged or posted anything, but I have a few very good reasons.  So, just hear me out…

I gave birth.

Yeah, so shortly after my last post… a month to be exact.  I found out that I was pregnant with no. 3.  So I was busy being pregnant, working and mothering.  And then I gave birth, and life with 3 kids and a full time job was even more hectic.

I change jobs and moved.

I had a career change.  I knew I was ready for a change after my last maternity leave.  I knew I wanted to work in tech but in what capacity?  An opportunity to return to Taipei came up and I jumped at the chance.  It meant relocation but we were talking about it for so long, it is finally happening!  And so, three years and 1 kid later, I’m back in Taiwan, working in tech, and the kids are settling into a brand new life.  All is good except for one minor detail – the husband is not here with us.  He’s going to be commuting back to Taiwan on weekends while based in Hong Kong for his job.  It sucks I know.  But sometimes when life gives you lemons, you make lemonades.

The kids have switched schools

One of the key drivers for moving back to Taiwan is for my children’s education.  In Hong Kong, my eldest went to an international school, while the second went to a local school.  We wanted a good mix of bilingual education and weren’t getting it from the private school and obviously not the local school.  Taiwan seems like a great option.  I purposely picked a school in our school district that touts its English education in the curriculum.  I’m happy to share that both Max and Ashley will be in the same school, same campus for the first time ever.  I purposely enrolled them in the local schools because I truly believe that this is the best way to learn Mandarin, adapt to a new culture and, did I mention the cost?  Oh yeah, it’s free.  What I’ll be paying for is the after school programs that they will attend after school ends at 1pm for the 1st grader, and 3 for the 4th grader.  School starts this Friday.  I’m excited.  They are scared.

So there you have it!  3 really good reasons for not posting for 3 years.  But don’t worry.  I will try to post more often now.  I’ve even enlisted the help of a 4th grader who will be sharing his journey in a new school with us.  In exchange for blogging, he can have some video game time.  His sister will get some too, as soon as she learns to write and type.

We want to share this blog with our friends and family from near and afar who want to check in on us once in a while to see how we’re doing.  Most importantly, this blog will document the days that we’re not living under the same roof as daddy.

This truly is our love letter to him.  Thank you for making the sacrifice for the family.

xoxoxo,

Mommy, no. 1, 2, and 3