Multi-tasking

 I left my children 30 seconds in the tub to heat up their dinner in the microwave.

 They told me they wanted to be Santa Claus.

A month passes

Another week passes. Monday. Sunday. Monday. Sunday.
A Month: Gone.

 Acknowledgements:

 1. Thank you Cyndi for asking me to post.
 2. Georgia draws hearts better than I do. She told me.
 3. Sebastian is speaking English and Portuguese, non-stop. All words missing the letter "R." And I cannot, for anything, get him to part with brooms, squeegees and dustpans. I have to put them next to his bedside, lest he wake up and finds them amiss.
 4. Would it be possible to book a month of play dates for my children who do not have front yards and cannot scream to the neighbor kid....please?

In case your curious, the parties and crafts continue. I just can't seem to squeeze in the posts lately...xo

Happy Easter 2012

The bunny ate all but a bite of the carrot we left him last night. And he hid ten chocolate eggs in our living room. Georgia finding 9 and Sebastian stumbling casually on one. The day starting at 6:45 am and still going as I watch my husband clean the fish tank (Stonsey, our new brick red pet)...

Our family celebrated Easter in town as we avoided the crowds heading out for a full moon weekend at the local beaches.

I'm so happy I don't have to unpack suitcases tonight.

Happy Easter!

Highlights from the last 31 Days

Milestones

Our vacation continues, the sun burning prickles of heat on our shoulders. Georgia's creamy white skin is turning the color of oat flour, while Sebastian toasts like a roasted almond. And both blonder than ever...

We swat at mosquitos and run in the afternoon showers. Sleeping at night to the whir of the fan competing with the thunder of waves crashing the shore. Fruit popsicles and lots of rice and beans, keeping it simple and avoiding the stove, my camera, blogging (sorry) and baking. With 2011 behind me, I've never felt like I needed a vacation so much.

My children seem to grow and develop much faster at the shore.

My son is walking...

Vacation

Scrub a Dub...

Will they hate me for posting this later? Bathtime. The benefit of not yet renovating an old apartment....huge tubs. Big enough for pool size floaties....

6:45 am Tuesday

In one year...

I was worried when when I was expecting my second child. I actually wondered if my heart had room for more love.

I cannot explain how much it has stretched in a year. Bursting.

Happy First Birthday, Sebastian. You complete our family.

Halloween Munchkins

Happy Halloween!

Why I haven't Posted....

I intended to post while we were away for the holiday weekend. But the internet signal was weak and the sun was bright. And I am happy for the excuse. My children needed to eat sand and lick salty ocean water from their lips, shed the city kid shell and forget their parents have jobs.

A few highlights:

1. Georgia screaming (at the resort pool): "Daddy, I peed in the pool!"

2. Sebastian is in his "Mommy might disappear phase" and earned the nickname agarradinho. Think of those fuzzy, adorable animals that hug your pencil. (I am the pencil.) And I'm not complaining.

3. My husband babysat while I got a my first facial since I became a Mom, the ever observant Georgia asking me why my skin was glowing.

4. I am not sure what makes my son look more mischievious. The gap between his upper two teeth or the (already) chip in the upper right tooth?

And we drank buckets of coconut water and went to sleep at the same time as our children: down at dusk and up at dawn. Ready to play all day.

Afternoon Delight

Day in the Country

The weekend was simple. I delivered my orders Saturday morning and we hit the road with friends, peeling off the extra layers as the tires rolled out of town and the sun boiled the tops of our thighs through the windshield. Countryside. Peace from car alarms and smog, from securing Georgia's wrist at stop lights--letting her run free.

I think I could leave the citylife behind...for a while anyway.

Sorry Mommy!

Sorry Mommy. In the last few hours, I didn't mean to:

1. Pull the placemat at breakfast and break your dishes.

2. Throw the top to the juice maker (and break it).

3. Tear the leaves off your houseplant.

4. Put a handful of my sister's jelly beans in my mouth. Wow...sugar, huh?

5. Pull the computer cord when your photos from the weekend's events were downloading. You really lost everything?

But I am all boy...small, mighty, and non-stop.

The Stats

First word: Ma ma

Second word: Gee Gee (Georgia)

Crawling style: Army and the " seated scoot"

Teeth: Bottom two standing proud, swollen upper gums

I can clap my hands and wave bye bye. I cannot sleep through the night. I've learned to defend myself from my big sister by pulling her hair (and screaming, too). The houseplants shudder when I approach. And I smile at everyone.

Vacation Ends

Vacation is officially over today. The cell phone alarm serving its second most useful function this morning and the rush to get to school on time prevailed. Thank goodness for sand spilling from my sneakers, reminding me of long walks on the beach and resolutions for a calmer second semester.

My children are growing before my eyes...vacations are bittersweet.

Thank you Vella family!

Is there room for me?

Cookie Sale

I have been invited to write a monthly column for a Brazilian magazine's website called Pais e Filhos. Here is the link for my first column (below in English) and translated on the site...

COOKIES FOR SALE

My daughter Georgia recently squirted through an entire bottle of shampoo while bathing, simply enjoying the lathering bubbles without a care. Waste was the last thing on her mind. When I noticed, I became rather cross and explained that we do not waste in our home. I asked her how we were going to wash our hair tomorrow night. To which she replied, "We can buy more tomorrow at the supermarket." And when I asked her who would pay for it, she replied. "We can use the money in your wallet." "But what if I don't have any money?" I asked. "We can use your credit card!" She proudly proclaimed. "But where do we get money, Georgia?" I asked. To which she replied we "pick it up" in an airplane.

PIck it up? If it were only that simple. And that is when I decided it would be great for my three year old to understand the merits of work and compensation. Perhaps it would help her understand more why her Daddy arrives home at her bedtime Monday through Friday. And why, at times, I cannot spend the entire afternoon in the playroom. Does she realize how lucky she is that her parent's hard work provides her with so many wonderful things? I want her to understand the satisfaction of purchasing something with her own hard earned cash. She will enjoy her toys more. (maybe?) Waste less? (I hope.)

My girlfriend Tati thought it would be a good lesson for her three children as well. So during our shared holiday vacation, we decided to have the kids operate a cookie stand on the beach. They participated in the baking, sign making, and selling. We told them they could each pick a toy with the proceeds from their sales. To which all three screamed loudly their desires. Georgia and Mathias wanted play dough. Lorena wanted a doll. Little Thereza wanted candy and ice cream. The sale was a success. At dinner we talked about the experiences of working and earning. We told them that instead of buying toys and candy, we could buy more ingredients and make more cookies, earning more money for bigger toys or even saving for the future. They thought about it a little. "Nah!" They screamed in unison, the money burning a hole in their little pockets.

Happy little consumers. Hard little workers. Tomorrow we are going to the toy store with their earnings. We're learning.