Lazy days on San Pedro

We’re having a quick break before our high season kicks in. Starting from about the second week of November, we’ll be extremely busy at the Jungle Dome. On days like these, it’s so great to have the islands nearby. We simply drive to Belize City (one hour drive), hop on a plane for 15 minutes and that’s it! Get your cozies on…we’re on the beach.

One of the perks of being in the travel industry is working with the beach resorts, as they give us free accommodation whenever we want a break (obviously, we send them many clients, so they are happy to see us). This time we are staying at a place called Banana Beach. It’s a wonderful resort to come to with children. They have two pools, a private beach, a great restaurant and self-contained apartments. We’re in one of their beachfront villas.

It’s so great staying here, I open the back door and the kids run out to the beach or I open the front door and the kids run out to the courtyard swimming pool. And where ever they go, they have other children to play with. There are a lot of young families here at the moment.

We’ve taken little Jimmy (Tella’s grandson) along with us. He has never seen the sea or been a plane before, so it’s a big deal for him. I think it’s especially good for him to be exposed to these things, as he is the only Mayan kid at Banana Bank who goes to a private school (sponsored). He shares his classroom with the children of Ambassadors, Politicians and Businessmen. So it is nice that he too has done the kind of things that they do on their weekends off.

Yesterday we celebrated Lucas’ third birthday. It’s amazing how time flies (sorry to state such a cliché, but it’s only once you have children that you fully realize the truth of that statement). Especially his birth seems like it was yesterday. Yet life before Lucas seems like forever ago. I can barely remember what on earth I used to do with my time. Now, 90% of it is spent on Lucas related things.

It's funny to see what a domesticated mum I have become. I notice it even more on this trip, with the two children around. Spending large parts of my time tidying up the apartment, folding up clothes, reminding the boys to brush their teeth, helping them with their dinners, etc. Whenever we’ve gone out to a restaurant (with Karen and her dad, who are here too) I seem to end up on the children’s side of the table, covered in ketchup and barely able to follow the grown-up’s conversations. Oh well, I guess that’s just part and parcel of being a mother. I’m sure that one day I’ll be allowed back on the grown-ups side of the table.