Luiza Arrives

Baby booties for the long awaited arrival of Luiza! Welcome little one!

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!

I Heart Maria

Happy 2nd Birthday Maria! I hear your Mommy is going to fill the house with heart balloons!

Boa Festa!

New Favorite

My new favorite flavor: carrot cake under a marzipan rose.

For Michela's Mom--traveling to town from Italy.

Happy Birthday!

Is there room for me?

Tetsuo turns one!

I can hardly believe Tetsuo is one. I did his moustache inspired baby shower last year. This time: his ever inventive parents selected Japanimation Totoro as the theme of the party.

Happy Birthday Tetsuo!

Alyssa and Dexter

Alyssa celebrated her first birthday yesterday. Her Mommy is not sure what she liked more, her doggie Dexter on top of the cake or her first taste of chocolate frosting!

Happy Birthday Alyssa!

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.

Cookies for Cousin

Sebastian and Georgia are eagerly awaiting their cousin Martim's arrival!
Boa Hora Flavia! xo

Where the Wild Things Are...

The update.

Copy Cake

On a recent outing with another couple, my friend's husband asked me if I could replicate a rather well known carrot cake from a NYC restaurant he frequented when he was living in the city. I knew exactly which cake he was talking about...I'd eaten it.

And when his wife called me to see if I could bake that cake for his birthday on Wednesday, I was ready for the challenge. So here is my replica of the carrot cake with raisins and pecans in the batter and cream cheese based frosting. I added some marzipan carrots on top for fun and made two sweets. My husband liked his.

I hope Rodrigo does, too. Happy Birthday!

Helena is 4!

Helena turns four and celebrates with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Happy Day Helena!

Five and Under

As an American living in Brazil, I am always amazed at the plethora of holidays. I have learned to get into the spirit of these usually extended weekends. (Thursday is the actual holiday but let's add Friday and keep "holiday-ing" until Sunday.) So my friend Tati and I headed to the beach as soon as the final school bell rang on Wednesday, five carseats for five children five and under--husbands scheduled to join the following day.

Highlights:

1. I often just write in my calendar "holiday" on these days off from school and work, never stopping to research the significance of the day. So this morning I googled the date: Corpus Christi. In parenthesis I see the word "feast". Could that be why we ate ten days worth of calories in five days?

2. Or maybe we ate so much because of the cold? There isn't much to do at the beach when it is chilly. So the moments we managed to keep the children (all with runny noses) from shivering on the beach and threatening to enter into the cold ocean current (they entered), we barbecued daily.

3. Or perhaps we ate so much because of the kids? As much as we love all five of them, at times we decided that distilled spirits and snacks would help in dealing with strong little personalities. We couldn't help but notice that at every moment of the day 1 of 5 was crying, whining, or fighting with their buddy. ("Mommy, Mathias told me he will never be my friend again or go to my birthday party.") Negotiate. Compromise. Soothe. Munch. Inbibe.

4. "Tonight is Gonna Be a Good Good Night Oooooh Ooooh!" The soundtrack of the holiday weekend. Little voices singing and shaking pint size parts to the Black Eyed Peas. The adults changing the words for the mini crew: "Tonight I am going to sleep in my own bed all night Ooooh Oooooh!" The children thinking it hilarious. (And me relieved to know that I am not the only one whose children love to swap beds throughout the night.)

We all came back tired and refreshed....already scheming the next holiday.

Leo, 2 Anos!

Back at our favorite party place, Manioca. This time to celebrate Leo's second birthday. Transportation was the theme!

Vroom Vroom! Happy Birthday Leo!

Pietro is 1

We delivered a party kit for Pietro's Mommy...decoration and sweets...to turn the party center into the Backyardigan's backyard. Fun!

Gabi and Felipe: 2

A barnyard bonanza for Gabi and Felipe, twins turning two today!

Parabéns!

Orders Filled

Butterflies and femininity continue for an important Hermes meeting and for Cool Baby's trade show participation.

The last orders have been somewhat of a blur between Sebastian's teething (two teeth at once plus fever) and non-stop baking. I can't promise that I have photographed everything but I have survived the sugar rush.

All I want to do this holiday week is enjoy my family, clean my purse out, and read the newspaper. Am I capable of not turning on the kitchen aid at 2 am?

Luiza

Flowers, hearts, and butterflies for Luiza's birthday! Her little brother was responsible for carrying the cake home (carefully on his lap) when Mommy came to pick up the sweets and salty snacks for the afternoon party, Luiza waiting anxiously at home for the festivities to begin.

Happy Birthday Luiza!

Pepeu's Choice

Pepeu turned four. He couldn't decide what he liked better: cars or robots.

Why not celebrate with both?

Happy birthday Pepeu!