quinta-feira, 15 de maio de 2014

Yo No Espiko!

I walked in Walmart at 9:30 PM.  I look ahead and I hear Spanish.  Two isles down, more Spanish.  

Then I go get food for the babies, more Spanish.  

I'm in the check out line. 

Ahead of me, Spanish.

Behind me, Spanish.

I'm sure if I didn't look Asian, the cashier would have spoken to me in, Spanish.

In the little square I live right now, I think 80% speak Spanish.

Conclusion, I need to polish up my Spanish! Oh, and I need to stop saying "hi" to people I don't know, especially males...

domingo, 4 de maio de 2014

Happy Working Song

So, those that I have on Facebook and have been reading my updates you know how much I hate my current living quarters right now... 

From dust under furnitures, panties around the house (that are not mine and who knows if they're dirty [ew]), the owner's half eaten foods in the pantry and fridge, full closet with her crap so I can't put away mine properly, and the odds of being shot by flying bullets, etc etc I hate this condo.

I mean, the inside is fine in terms of how it's updated. But the negatives are so negative that it overwrites any positives it may have.  

Anyway, I was thinking today that I should try to have a better positive attitude towards this whole thing. I served my mission in this state and I have wonderful memories of people and places. 

The chapel we go for church is where my mission used to have mission conferences. I mean, how lucky can you get?! How many people would like to have the opportunity to walk where they walked as missionaries and to actually live there.

Saturday we went to Boulder, my first area. We went by the apartment I lived, the chapel we met, the street I used to walk all the time. So many wonderful memories....

So, as I was pondering about all this, and this song came to my head and it made me giggle. The making off the director said that this scene was to portray that although she was in this weird land, she decided to make the most of it while she waited.  Isn't it kind of fitting?


This part is the part that came to my mind

Oh, how strange a place to be
Till Edward comes for me 
My heart is sighing
Still, as long as I am here
I guess a new experience 
Could be worth trying

So, I will try VERY hard to change my attitude about all this.  Sam said he will dedicate the condo.  I can clean it all and dispose of the underwear under our bed wearing two pairs of cleaning gloves (wink wink). I think these two things will address safety issues and cleanliness issues.

I also thought about taking some evening classes of whatever. Last week I found out that there is a Hobby Lobby 8 mins from here and they have gum paste and fondant classes... I am so taking them if Sam can get his schedule approved! :)


terça-feira, 29 de abril de 2014

Fruits and Babies

When I was about to start feeding solids to my babies, I heard that fruit should be last because of the sugar.  So there I went with rice cereal, then cooked veggies (starting with yellow), and so on. I even massed produced because I needed to get going with the packing and the last thing I wanted to do was to make food every time the babies needed to eat.

It was hard to feed them.  Thomas a little less than Lawrence. Lawrence, what can I say about him... I foresee a picky eater.  Both of them were having bad spit ups and sometimes throwing up. They drink formula 5 times a day and during 3 of the 5 solids are included.  Sometimes, after their solid meal, I would wake them up for their formula feeding and they would sometimes throw up what they had eaten the feeding before.

I'm no physiologist or biologist but the little I remember about digestion, food shouldn't sit for that long in the stomach...

One day I got an email from my mom. She told she met with our naturalpathologist. No worries though, he's accredited and really intelligent (he even owns a naturalpathologist university - accredited and recognized). He was wondering how the boys and I were doing. So my mom told him that we were doing well and the boys were now eating.  He advised her to let me know that I should only feed the boys foods that didn't have to be cooked because of the enzymes contained in them that help with digestion.  In other words, fruits.  He went on to explain that when we cook foods, the enzymes are cooked off so the baby's body is not ready to digest this kind of food and it's hard on their bodies.

I was a little hesitant and skeptical because everything I've read and everything the pedi has said was that fruits should be given last because of the sugar (although everything he has said to me so far have worked and proved to be true). So I started to observe whenever I fed the boys cooked food and raw food (fruits).

And tah dah, there was a pattern indeed. The boys would fight against eating cooked food, but once they did, they would either spit or throw up a bunch.  Either right after eating or hours later (their cribs were turning into a mess).  Whenever I feed fruits, they would devour it and don't spit any.  When I get them to eat after 3 hrs as usual, they don't spit up their food anymore (they just don't spit up).  So it's true, feeding fruits is better and it makes sense that enzymes are still there and help with digestion.  I think That's why they say to eat salad before eating a cooked meal...

This is one of the best things I learned because I know they are not going to get sick and fixing their food is easy for now.  I don't have to mass produce, I just have to blend fruits when it's time to eat. :)

domingo, 27 de abril de 2014

FRIENDS and "Friends"

So, a couple of weeks ago, I was ticked off because of so called "friends".  A "friend" to me, is one of those that are your "friends" but they hide in the corner of your life and they show up only to send you negative vibe. They show up to say negative things about what you're feeling instead of building you up when you feel broken down. I think these "friends" are only possible because of social media because if you were to let your feelings out to them they wouldn't say nearly half of what they write you on social media.

As I was tired because of current life events, I was roaming and dwelling on this issue... I think if I was stronger (more like rested) it wouldn't bother me, but oh, it did bother me A LOT.  But then, something magical happened.

FRIENDS stepped up and made a huge difference in my life.

We may have "friends" in the shadow of our lives, but we have way more FRIENDS all over our lives. Wednesday and Thursday were the real proof of this.

My pregnant FRIEND washed all the dishes in my sink as I was late to go out with her. Another FRIEND helped me book a hotel room at the last minute and she just seemed thrilled to be able to help. My other FRIEND stayed at my house all day doing all the things I needed to get done including taking care of both babies while I was packing. Another FRIEND helped Sam load the car and take care of babies. Another FRIEND family came over and watched the boys while the other FRIENDS were helping Sam.

I'd like to say that these FRIENDS are like FAMILY. And I guess the point of this post is, I want to be a FRIEND like the ones I have are to my family and I.  I don't want to ever be a "friend," this one is boring and serves for nothing, well, I guess they serve for helping us develop patience and Christ-like love. :)

domingo, 20 de abril de 2014

Because of Him:

- I know my potential
- I know how much our Father loves me
- I know who I am
- I know who my children are
- My family can be together forever
- No matter what happens in the world, we can always smell the flowers
- My life is possible
- "Sunday" will always come
- I can always repent and start over
- I have the life I have


sexta-feira, 18 de abril de 2014

Insônia!

Hoje foi um dia daqueles bem compridos e cansativos. Tão cansativos que o cansaço não me deixa dormir. Por isso que é 2AM e eu estou escrevendo este post...

Hoje o relógio parou de fazer tic-tac, a lista de afazeres era quilométrica, tanta coisa que a gente até esquece de comer e, para completar, os bebês não querem comer, não querem dormir e estão fussy porque os dois estão tendo um milestone week por isso querem colo toda hora e chorar é o novo normal. 

E eles só dormem quando desmaiam, uma vez foi no chão.


Mas o outro ainda está aceso e se você não está com ele, ele chora...


Daí quando o aceso dorme. O que estava dormindo acorda e quer ficar no colo.


E daí a lista quilométrica fica de lado. Isso significa que se eu não conseguir fazer tudo que eu preciso, quinta-feira, que é quando saimos de UT para o verão, eu vou estar correndo que nem uma galinha sem cabeça tentando terminar de empacotar a casa.  (O Sam está em época de provas então não está podendo ajudar muito e eu nem quero. As notas dele ajudam o currículo e fora que mesmo assim, ele faz muito quando chega em casa.  Vamos viajar assim que ele sair da última prova)


E daí, os dois estão acesos de novo e com fome porque está na hr de mamar pela terceira vez (with two more to go). Ainda bem que o Thomas já sabe segurar a mamadeira, nem que seja por um minuto. Uma hora e quarenta e oito minutos depois, eu termino de alimentar os dois (geralmente é 30-45 mins, mas dada as circunstâncias, hj demorou demais). 

Algo que nem eu sabia até recentemente é que pre-term babies não sabem sugar direito. Isso explica porque demorava entre uma hora e uma hora e meia para alimentar os dois até os 4 mêses (mind you, eles comem de 3 em 3 horas...) mesmo com dois adultos dando de mamá ao mesmo tempo, imagina um só dando mamá pros dois... Depois que voltei do hospital, eu cuidei deles uma vez durante a noite sozinha. Demorei 3 horas para alimentar os dois, trocar fralda, etc porque a dor era tanta, que eu só conseguia fazer um de cada vez. Minha sogra e meu marido estavam tão mortos que eu fiquei com dó e não pedi ajuda. Eu estava de bedrest então os dois estavam cuidando dos bebês e de mim. Quando eu coloquei baby2 na cama, eu tive que acordar eles para começar tudo de novo com baby1 pq eles eram pequenos ainda e tinham que comer de 3-3  hrs. Nunca vou esquecer tudo que minha sogra e meu marido fizeram por mim.

Agora que os bebês estão mais velhos, eles sugam direitinho, ufa! Feeding é 45 mins max! Quem sabe um dia vou poder ter um do-over e poder breastfeed meu bebê em 15-20 mins como minhas amigas me contam. Parece um sonho!

Enfim, depois da loucura, quando eu estou para arrancar os cabelos, eu ganho esse sorrizinho e me derreto toda e esqueço como o dia está sendo difícil.


E além de tudo, eu tenho amigos que são mais que família. Eu gritei por ajuda e o nosso amigo se disponibilizou de imediato e veio no meio da tarde cuidar dos meninos enquanto eu terminava os To Dos mais dificeis da minha lista que requeriam tempo e uninterruption. Eu alimentei os bebês e ele ficou com os bebês quando eles queriam atenção.

Meus amigos são anjos do Pai Celestial!!!

sábado, 12 de abril de 2014

Bolo de Fubá de Liquidificador

Outra receita que postaram no Faceook



Bolo de fubá cremoso de liquidificador

Ingredientes:

2 xícaras de açúcar
1 1/2 xícara de fubá
1 1/2 colher de farinha
2 colheres de manteiga
1 colher de fermento em pó
4 ovos
3 copos de leite
5 colheres de (sopa) de queijo parmesão
2 colheres (sopa) de requeijão cremoso

Modo de preparo:

Coloque todos os ingredientes no liquidificador e bata bem até que se forme uma massa bem homogênea.
Unte uma forma e leve o mesmo ao forno até dourar bem.
Bom Apetite

segunda-feira, 7 de abril de 2014

Can I Sit on Them?

Today I got teary eyed when I cut the tags off and put in the wash the 6-9 Months clothes I bought the boys even before they were born (I blame hormones... Can I still pull this card?).  Have they really grown this much and this fast? Where have the months and days gone?

I foresee the future, I will cry when I will be helping them pack their mission suitcases... Or when I help them pack because they have found their sweetheart and will be married forever so they're moving out.

They are 6 months... 6 m o n t h s.... I have not encouraged them to start flipping on their backs or belly, pulling and pushing themselves, sliding on their tummies... None of that... I had a lot of friends tell me to just enjoy each phase and, once they start flipping, I should sit on them because after that they will soon start crawling.

Well, I haven't sat on them, but sometimes I wish I could just stop the clock and enjoy them being just babies.  Enjoy this time when I know they need me and they will be ok if I hold them close to me.

I think this time is slipping by.  I hold them, but they want to explore.  I have been reading this book about baby development and it's been so good to know what's next and when. The book has been right on a lot of things.  But that makes me sad, because soon they will want to be even more independent.

When I was younger and realized that my future children would live with me only 19 years of their lives, I was so terribly sad.  And to realize that I only lived with my parents for 21 yrs is also sad (in Brazil kids live with their parents until they get married or go to college. But, if they finish college and are not married, they can move in with parents again. It's totally culturally acceptable).  Now with the age change for missionaries, I will have my children until they're 18 years old, and then they're off on their own.

I have asked Sam to go live in Brazil, so I could have them with me longer... hehehehe....

Ah life, can you stop happening for a few months?