Fact is: I've been single since a month before my youngest son was born. More than 8 years now...
Some might think that that makes me feel lonely but it couldn't be farther from the truth.
I'm actually quite content with the single life. I have 4 kiddos, one of which is all grown up and even moved out and back to Ireland, while the other three are well on their way.

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This also gives me more freedom these last few years.
At 14 (going on 40) and 13, my two teens are well able to take care of themselves, and their 8-year-old brother.
Not that he needs a lot of taking care of, to be honest, because he's very independent. He always was.
As long as he has food within reach, something to play with, and the odd time when one of his siblings brings him to the pool, he's quite content.

I do love my kids, and I love spending time with them but I have to say that I am also quite happy with my newly found freedom.

I think I feel more free than Braveheart on the battlefield though but I just had to throw it in there.
I can go meet up with friends for a few hours, take a stroll into town, or get some groceries without having to drag the whole bunch with me, and I love my little mini-vacations haha.

However, there's something I've been missing for a while now. It was time to find something new...

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The path to my new Love

I've missed being active!
Not that the kids don't keep me busy. They may be very independent, but they each still enjoy hanging out with their mother sometimes.
I make it a point to bring each of them out on mommy-kiddo dates sometimes. Even if it's just a walk to the beach.
Especially my youngest enjoys those moments, and, of course, I do too because I know it won't always be like that.
Before I know it, he'll be a teenager and have his own friends to hang out with.

I used to work out a lot. And I mean: A LOT!
If you see me now, you really wouldn't be able to tell because I am not in the best shape.
I gained quite a few of those dreaded lock-down pounds but was lucky to also lose a few of them again too just before we moved here.

However, my belly still looks like I'm carrying twins...
There's nothing wrong with my legs. They're still in their teenage years. Something I'm quite proud of.
My arms are quite alright too, even though they have become a little more flabby than they used to be.
But all in all, I can't really complain.
The belly though. That one has to go.
I'm sick of it.

I swim as much as I can but I don't always feel like swimming a big number of laps once I'm in the pool.
Most of the time, I just like to float around a bit.
I'm kinda lazy like that.

A gym won't be an option for me, as my finances aren't the best at the moment so there's no money for anything like that now.

Working out at home works for me for about a week...
Then I lose interest.

And then this came on my path...

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My Love: Found

One of the ladies in one of the Playa del Carmen groups told us about this Salsa cardio class this man does at the stadium not too far from us.
He has his classes every Monday to Friday evening from 7 pm till 8 pm.
That's an ideal time for me because I can manage to feed the kids before I leave and get some work done as well.
And the best of it all?
It's only 25 pesos, which comes down to around $1.25.
Awesome, right?
Even on my tight budget, this means I can go at least a few times a week.
Especially if I ride the bicycle rather than taking the Colectivo (mini-van used for public transport), which would be another 20 pesos, so I'd survive that too.

So yesterday I went to my first class.
The teacher came in a few minutes after 7 pm, totally Mexican style haha.
This is nice to know because then he won't mind it if I come running in a few minutes late either.
He started his music, and basically just showed us what to do and we followed.

In the beginning, it's a warm-up and stretch, and then the real work starts. Some are easy to follow, some weren't quite, and before I knew it my feet would be tangled up.😆
But I don't think I did too badly either.

I thought the music would all be salsa based but to my delight, we also did a little bit of cha-cha, rumba, and my all-time favorite: the Merengue.
As a teen, I used to be part of a dance school doing ballroom dancing and Latin American dancing. I was actually quite serious about it and entered quite a few competitions as well. I was part of that school from age 13 until I was almost 18 when I had to quit because I started college in Belgium. But I always missed it, and always loved dancing.
The Latin American part was my favorite, and especially the faster dances like the cha-cha and the samba.
I later learned the Merengue when I lived in St. Martin, and I fell hard for the intense form of dance.

These dances came right back to me and I was overjoyed to see that for me, it was like riding a bike: you just do it and it's like you've never left it.

One hour went by in a snap, and before the end, I already made up my mind: I will try my very best to be there every day.

Belly fat begone!

It was the best 25 pesos I've ever spent.

Later, the woman in the group told me that the same teacher also teaches Cuban Salsa (ai ai ai!) elsewhere twice a week, so the guy might just have found his new biggest fan haha.

Anyway, if you have no idea what Merengue is, I have a video to show you. And trust me, I've seen it much faster!
I love this dance, it has such amazing energy, and I was quite proud of myself that I still managed to keep up with it even after all these years.
Enjoy!