Our Mexican Gingerbread House

This is a tradition from Canada that we finally decided to reinstate last year. We did not make a gingerbread house for several years after we moved to Mexico because I was concerned ants would carry it away. Anyone who has lived in or visited a tropical climate will know the validity of my concern. Ants love food, especially sugar!

However last year our gingerbread house was just fine as we built it on a board which we placed on an upside down pie pan in a jelly roll pan. This created room for a moat that we filled with water. Ants can’t swim! Not one ant was found near the house. The only challenge the house encountered was the erosion caused by my 15 year old son slowly eating all the candy!

This picture is our result this year. From our house to yours, Merry Christmas!

Enjoy the Adventure! Suzanne

Suzanne Marie Bandick

Live your Dreams Life Coach

P.S. My book: Only in Mexico You Say? The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico is available now on my site http://www.onlyinmexicoyousay.com/.

Would you like help to visit or live in Mexico? Visit http://www.liveyourdreamscoaching.com/.

A Mexico Holiday - How to be a good house guest

Blend Christmas with high season and it means company will definitely be coming to our house in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Well the truth is I do love company so I am indeed happy - especially when the company knows how to be a great house guest.

How can you be great company for someone who lives in Mexico? Just bring lots of stuff that we still can’t get here. In my case it would be chocolate Oreo cookie crumbs, graham wafer crumbs, Dream Whip, instant puddings, large jars of crunchy peanut butter, and vitamin C caplets (I can only find horse size tablets here). You get the idea, so ask your hosts what they need.

When we still lived in Canada, we visited friend who were living in Thailand. They had a ton of stuff they wanted that they could not get there. We brought it all but did not really understand the pleasure of receiving it until we moved to Mexico.

Also, tell your hosts that you just came to chill and that we do not have to entertain you! Feel free to strike out on your own sometimes. Don’t ask a lot of questions about why they do things this way or anyway here as we don’t know either. Oh and bring a bottle of tequila back to the house with you now and then.

Enjoy your holidays! I know your friends or family that you are visiting will love your visit.

Enjoy the Adventure! Suzanne

Suzanne Marie Bandick
Live your Dreams Life Coach

P.S. My book: Only in Mexico You Say? The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico is available now on my site http://www.onlyinmexicoyousay.com/.

Would you like help to visit or live in Mexico? Visit http://www.liveyourdreamscoaching.com/.

My road is paved!

Joy to the world! The road in front of my house here in Mexico is now paved.

That’s all my news for today. It is a perfect example of Mexican mañana time as it only took five years. I don’t care my road is paved – my road is paved – my road is paved.

I knew it would happen! I think ... maybe.

Enjoy the Adventure! Suzanne

Suzanne Marie Bandick
Live your Dreams Life Coach

P.S. My book: Only in Mexico You Say? The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico is available now on my site http://www.onlyinmexicoyousay.com/.

Would you like help to visit or live in Mexico? Visit http://www.liveyourdreamscoaching.com/.

Mexico - high season is almost here!

It is the beginning of December and high season in Mexico will soon be here. If you are interested the official Mexico high season start date is December 15th. Now what does that actually mean for those of us who live in a high tourist area like Playa del Carmen?

It means there will be a lot more people in town and way more activity. Party! Party! Party!

There is a buzz and an excitement as we are joined by people from all over the world. So many different languages spoken!

It also means increased traffic and it may be a little harder to find parking spaces in some areas – but who cares? The humidity is gone and the temperature is perfect. Except for a few mornings when we will awake to a bone chilling 16 degrees Celsius! That by the way is 60.8 degrees Fahrenheit!

You can tell the locals in winter because we are wearing long sleeve shirts, sweaters, scarves and boots. The tourists will be seen in shorts and bikinis.

So do you wanna come play? You can wear whatever you want.

Enjoy the Adventure! Suzanne

Suzanne Marie Bandick
Live your Dreams Life Coach

P.S. My book: Only in Mexico You Say? The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico is available now on my site http://www.onlyinmexicoyousay.com/.

Would you like help to visit or live in Mexico? Visit http://www.liveyourdreamscoaching.com/.

Do you live in Mexico City? An invitation

As you know my husband and our business partner have expanded on their real estate business in Playa del Carmen and they are now the owners and developers of a project in Bacalar, Mexico called Las Flamboyanes.

Our partner Jorge Penkoff just left this morning to do 3 evenings of presentations on the project in Mexico City. (Jorge is fluent in English and Spanish).

The dates are the 26, 27 and 28th of November at 7:30 PM and the location is The Hotel Marquis Reforma, Salon Paseo, Paseo de la Reforma 465, Col. Cuauhtemoc.

Now is the best time to get involved because the introductory prices are so low

If you get a chance to go see Jorge, please tell him Suzanne sent you. How fun that would be!

Online details about the project are here.

Watch for an anouncement of presentations in Vernon and Kelowna in the Okanagan coming in the new year.

Enjoy the Adventure! Suzanne

Suzanne Marie Bandick

Live your Dreams Life Coach

P.S. My book: Only in Mexico You Say? The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico is available now on my site http://www.onlyinmexicoyousay.com/.

Would you like help to visit or live in Mexico? Visit http://www.liveyourdreamscoaching.com/.

Mexico and my paved road

I’m getting a paved road in front of my house!

Isn’t that cool? Funny that I would be excited about that isn’t it?
Do you have a paved road and take it for granted? I used to.

This is an odd and rambling story but in its way it does depict life sometimes in Mexico. It is a life I love by the way, often because of the fact that it is different.

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you will note that several times I have mentioned my road that used to be paved five years ago when we bought our house. Then you may have read my mentioning that four years ago they tore it up to put in underground sewer. That part was great but they never did repave it so the potholes grew and mini lakes formed in rainy season. It was all very adventurous!

What is my news now? Three weeks ago they graded it and compacted it. I must admit it is looking pretty good even with just that – it is certainly easier and more pleasurable to drive on.

The littlest glitch is that now my road workers have disappeared. My neighbors and I cannot find them. However, I know they will return – I am an optimist. So I am going to tell you my road is almost paved. It is so close that it is almost paved and that makes me happy.

Just another little glimpse of living in Mexico.

Enjoy the Adventure! Suzanne

Suzanne Marie Bandick
Live your Dreams Life Coach

P.S. My book: Only in Mexico You Say? The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico is available now on my site http://www.onlyinmexicoyousay.com/.

Would you like help to visit or live in Mexico? Visit http://www.liveyourdreamscoaching.com/.

Bacalar, Mexico - want to own there?

Here’s a quick update for you on my husband’s Los Flamboyanes Bacalar project in case you are thinking of owning property in Mexico.

Have you seen the site http://www.losflamboyanesbacalar.com/ since they marked the Sold/reserved lots? Their office has been working with clients from all over the USA, Canada, and Mexico and it has been amazing to see the different points of view people have during this time.

Many people see this as a time of great opportunity; others get scared of the future and become paralyzed. I can totally understand how this can happen. We were recently in Florida and it was shocking the amount of bad news on the radio, TV, and bill boards, basically you were bombarded with the negative side of every possible situation – it can be hard to think differently.

Moving forward into the unknown future can be difficult but those who keep their focus are the winners. I know for sure tomorrow will come, and then the day will come that we will want to move or even retire and have an easy life in a beautiful location where we can afford to live a great lifestyle. We’ll be in Bacalar.

If we live life looking for the positive side wherever we can find it we will have a clear point of view that will ultimately lead us to the goal we are looking for. What is your goal? The actions we take today are going to ensure we achieve those goals tomorrow.

Have a look at the site. They have done a great job.

Enjoy the Adventure! Suzanne

Suzanne Marie Bandick
Live your Dreams Life Coach

P.S. My book: Only in Mexico You Say? The Humorous Side of Living in Mexico is available now on my site http://www.onlyinmexicoyousay.com/.

Would you like help to visit or live in Mexico? Visit http://www.liveyourdreamscoaching.com/.