The return of the poofs

Back when my brothers and I were kids, my dad used to put baby powder in his sneakers.  Totally normal, right?  Well, let me explain a little further.  He had holes in the toes of one particular pair of sneakers, and always put just a little too much baby powder in them.  So when he walked for the first few minutes, tiny poofs of baby powder would come out the fronts.  This quickly turned into a family joke, and a good family friend who has an incredible talent for writing and making us laugh turned it into a monthly comic strip for our family newsletter at the time.  We still read those and laugh so hard we cry.

How it all began....

Today was one of those days.

One of those toddler days.

You know, those days you see pictures of and read blogs about, but you never actually see in real life.

We are trying to teach Little L. that after lunch, everybody needs quiet time.  I have been especially tired lately, so when she actually falls asleep during Quiet Time, sometimes I'm lucky enough to get a catnap in too.  When she doesn't fall asleep, it's a constant battle of "Go back to your room!" and her trying to get out before we say she can.  I keep hoping it will get better and easier.

Yesterday she was pretty quiet, even though she didn't sleep, and I ended up taking a nap.  When I woke up, the house was in order, nothing was broken, and she was content playing quietly by herself in the living room.

Today, after not hearing her for a while, I just figured I'd be able to take another quick nap.  And I did. I heard her off in the distance, but she was quiet again.  Not too quiet, to be suspicious, but quiet while playing with some toys I recognized the sounds of.  No problem.  I woke up to her taking pictures of me sleeping (yes, she got ahold of the camera.....that should have been the first sign of trouble). So I took the camera away, and realized something was wrong....there was some clay stuck in a few crevices.  Then I realized a thin white film covering it.  And then realized that same white film was covering Little L.'s nose...and face...and in her hair...and all over her clothes....suddenly I was up, realizing that disaster had struck while I was in dreamland.

I followed the white trail out of my room and found piles in the living room.  On the floor, on the couch, on the TV stand, in her snack bowl, in a water bottle, mixed with her clay.

I kept following the trail (no, it didn't stop there).  Her room was like a white snowy explosion.

The kitchen was a little less white, but there were toddler footprints all over the place.

ALL.  OVER.  THE.  HOUSE.

Like...even in the fan.  And the electrical sockets.  And the doors and walls.  And in the snot running down Little L.'s face (she has a cold).  Under the couches.  On the baseboards.  Smeared on the glass door.  On the bathroom sink board.  In her bed.

I ordered her to the bathroom and told her to strip down to her diaper.  I had no idea where to begin.  First I picked up the baby powder bottle....yeah, it was totally empty. 

YOU GUYS.  I HAD JUST CLEANED THE HOUSE THIS MORNING.

Also, you'd think baby powder would be easier to clean up from tile than from carpet.  IT'S NOT.  It's impossible on any surface.  First I swept.  Then I mopped.  Then when the floor dried, I realized....there was still a ton on the floor.

So I tossed some of Little L.'s toys in the shower, and put her in there too, with the order that she was to clean the toys.  Figured I'd kill two birds with one stone....she needed a shower too, and she'd get one while she cleaned the toys.  Meanwhile, I stripped her bed and tossed all that in the wash.  Then I took some time to try to regroup, while she was playing merrily in the shower.  

Not gonna lie...I was mad.  I was so mad.  You'd think the house would smell good after all that....but I learned that baby powder in large quantities is overpowering and smells terrible.  I opened all the windows and doors, and even that didn't get rid of the smell.

Anyway, I got over it and am already laughing about it.  There's still baby powder residue in the living room that I'll deal with tomorrow with the daily sweep.  My students got a good laugh out of this tonight.

But hey, two things came out of this:

One....one of my first thoughts was "at least it isn't poop!!!"

And two....Little L. has taken the poofs to a new level.  So I guess we have a new family champion!!

So this is Christmas...2017

Christmas this year was different than expected, but enjoyable nonetheless.  It was a long weekend of family, friends, laughter and missed bedtimes. 

O natal este ano foi diferente que eu esperava, mas foi ótimo mesmo assim.  Foi um final da semana longo, cheio de família, amigos, risada, e noites que Little L. dormiu tarde demais.

In our house, we mix our two cultures as much as we can.  The bulk of Christmas here in Brazil in on December 24.  And in the States it is on December 25.  So we celebrate two days of Christmas around here!  Christmas Eve was an odd Sunday, actually.  We only had a little over an hour of church, and then came home and spent the rest of the day getting things ready for the family dinner.  We had it at our house this year, which was a LOT of fun.  Husband's siblings and parents came over with their families, and we spent a few hours in each other's company before everyone went to their in-laws' houses for Dinner Round Two.  The kids all played miraculously well together, and Husband and his family were all in tears of laughter for a good chunk of the night!  I had thought it was going to be a little more stressful and less relaxing, but it ended up being just....awesome.

Em nossa casa, temos uma mistura legal de 2 culturas.  A maioria do Natal aqui no Brasil é no dia 24 de dezembro.  E nos EUA, é no dia 25.  Então, nós comemoramos 2 dias de Natal aqui!  Dia 24 foi um domingo estranho, na verdade.  Tivemos apenas uma hora de igreja, e viemos para casa e passamos o resto do dia preparando para a ceia de Natal em família.  Este ano, tivemos a ceia da família aqui em casa, que foi MUITO divertido!  Os irmãos e pais de Husband vieram aqui com suas famílias, e passamos algumas horas juntos antes que saíram para as outras famílias para Ceia Round 2.  As crianças brincaram bem juntos, e Husband e sua família estavam todos chorando de tanto rir juntos!  Eu tinha pensado que seria mais estressante e menos relaxante, mas acabou sendo apenas....ótimo!

Christmas Day was going to be a day spent as a family, and then we were going to have Family Home Evening with some friends.  Christmas Eve, Husband got called into work for Christmas day.  Let me explain....with his job, he works a chunk of time, and then gets another chunk off (I can't write more details than that, sorry it's vague!).  He has been looking for a second job for a while, one that would work with his schedule.  He finally got one a few days before Christmas, and was called in for the first time on Christmas.  That's why he couldn't say no, because it was an answer to a lot of prayers, and we didn't want him to lose this opportunity.

Íamos passar o dia 25 juntos (eu, Husband, e Little L.), e depois íamos ter Noite Familiar com alguns amigos.  Na véspera de Natal, Husband foi escalado para trabalhar no dia 25.  Vou explicar...Com o emprego dele, ele trabalha um tempo, e depois folga um tempo (não posso entrar em mais detalhes, perdoem-me!).  Ele tem procurando um segundo emprego por um tempinho, um que daria com a escala dele.  Ele finalmente conseguiu, alguns dias antes de Natal, e foi escalado pela primeira vez no Natal.  Por isso ele não podia recusar, porque foi uma resposta a muitas orações, e não queríamos perder essa oportunidade.

So how was Christmas Day actually spent?  Well, we got up at 5:30 as always....No matter what time she goes to bed, Little L. ALWAYS wakes up at the same time.  It's kind of frustrating, actually, because then she is grumpy for days.  Anyway, in this case, it was good.  Husband didn't have to be at work until 7, so he got to see her open her presents.  That was so much fun!!!!  She was so excited!  She just got a few simple things, and a plastic tricycle, but she was over the moon.  I'm pretty sure that she'd sleep with her trike if she could!  The rest of the day....well, if I'm being honest, it was just another day.  I cleaned the house.  Tried to get Little L. into bed early, but that turned into a small disaster.

No fim das contas, como passamos dia 25? Acordamos e levantamos às 5:30, como sempre....Não importa o horário que ela dorme, Little L. SEMPRE acorda no mesmo horário.  É chato, na verdade, porque depois, ela fica irritada durante alguns dias.  Mas nesse caso, foi bom.  Husband não precisava estar no trabalho até as 7h, então ele estava aqui para ver ela abrir os presentes.   Nossa, isso foi divertido demais!!! Ela ficou tão animada!  Ela ganhou alguns brinquedos simples, e também um velotró, mas ela achou que tinha ganhado a loteria! Acho que se pudesse, ela dormiria com seu velotró!  O resto do dia....bem, se estou sendo sincera, foi apenas mais um dia.  Limpei a casa.  Tentei colocar Little L. para dormir cedo, mas isso acabou sendo um pequeno desastre.

And now Husband is at work again for another several days.  He picked up some extra shifts over New Years, which is also a blessing.  Unfortunately, it means that an exhausted me is here alone with an overtired Little L. for several days.  When I say unfortunately, I mean that I am not good at hiding my grumpiness, which makes for a difficult situation.  What amazes me every time I hear Little L. say "I love you" or "I sowwy Mommy" or hug me or anything else she does to show she loves me....what amazes me is that she CAN still love me even with all my imperfections, short temper, etc.  Anyway, another post for another time.

E agora, Husband voltou a trabalhar mais alguns dias.  Ele pegou  mais serviço no Ano Novo, que também é uma bênção.  Infelizmente, significa que uma EU exausta estou aqui sozinha com uma Little L. exausta por alguns dias.  Quando digo "infelizmente", quero dizer que não sou boa em esconder quando não estou me sentindo bem, que dá numa situação difícil.  O que me impressiona cada vez que escuto Little L. dizer "Eu te amo" ou "desculpa Mommy" ou me abraçar ou qualquer coisa que ela faz para mostrar que me ama....o que me impressiona é que ela CONSEGUE me amar mesmo com todas as minhas imperfeições, impaciência, etc.  Em fim, uma outra post para um outro dia. 

Now I'm just trying to get back to a normal routine for the next few days before Little L. loses another TON of sleep over New Years again.  I like Christmas and all, but I can't wait til January when life goes back to normal...

Agora estou apenas tentando reestabelecer a rotina normal nos próximos dias, antes de Little L. perder mais um monte de sono no Ano Novo.  Eu gosto de Natal e todas as festas e tudo, mas não vejo a hora de janeiro chegar, quando a vida volta a normal...

Thanksgiving update!

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday.  I certainly did!  The day was so jam-packed busy, I don't even know where to start!  Well, I'm sure you probably don't want to read all the details about cleaning my house and washing a million dishes, but I'll cover the highlights!

We set up our Christmas tree, and Little L. was BESIDE HERSELF excited!  She kept going "wowwwww!!!!!" and she got all the ornaments out of the box, arranged them and sorted them on the floor, and then was beyond thrilled to help put them on the tree.  She found a train one, and it has yet to go on the tree....she keeps driving it around the floor going "choo choo!"

Olá gente!  Espero que todos tiveram um feliz Ação de Graças ontem.  Eu tive!  O dia foi tão cheio e corrido que nem sei onde começar!  Bem, acho que vocês não gostariam de ler todos os detalhes de como limpei a casa e lavei um milhão de louças, mas falarei das melhores partes!

Montamos nossa árvore de Natal, e Little L. estava TÃO animada!  Ela ficou olhando, apontando, e dizendo "uauuuu!!!!!" e ela tirou todos or ornamentos da caixa e organizou eles no chão, e depois ficou mais animada ainda que ela podia ajudar a colocá-los na árvore.  Ela achou um ornamento de um trenzinho, e até agora não foi parar na árvore....ela fica brincando com ele no chão dizendo "choo choo!"

 The afternoon was spent cooking (we didn't have dinner until around 7pm) and rearranging the house.  We took our couch out and put it on our front porch, shoved our table up against the wall, and opened up the whole space to be able to shove together a few plastic tables, which would be our big Thanksgiving table.  The turkey took almost twice as long as it was supposed to, so we ended up running a little late with dinner.  It worked out okay; we played some games until it was dinner time.  The people who came were enthralled with Little L., and she loved all the attention.  She spent the whole time showing off the Christmas tree and running around giggling and squealing.  Our guests included four of my current students, and two people who became my students during the activity!

Passamos a tarde cozinhando (o jantar não foi servido até depois das 19h) e reorganizando a casa.  Tiramos nosso sofá e deixamos ele na varanda, encostamos a mesa no balcão, e abrimos o espaço para juntar as mesas de plástico, para ser nossa mesa grande de Thanksgiving.  O peru demorou quase 2 vezes o tempo esperado para cozinhar, então atrasamos um pouco o jantar.  Mas deu tudo certo; tivemos algumas brincadeiras até terminar tudo.  As pessoas que vieram se apaixonaram por Little L., e ela adorou a atenção.  Ela passou o tempo todo mostrando a árvore de Natal a todo mundo e correndo para lá e para cá, dando risada e gritando de alegria.  Nossos convidados foram 4 dos meus alunos atuais, e mais 2 que se tornaram alunas durante o evento!

I won't say it was perfect, because it wasn't.  My dinner rolls didn't end up happening because I ran out of flour right in the middle of the recipe and had no more time to run and get some more.  Husband was on a table run, picking up tables for us to use, so I couldn't even ask him to run to the store!  The turkey took a long time, the music wasn't as perfect as I was hoping (it was Christmas music though, so that's gotta count for something!).  Even though it wasn't perfect, it was my kind of perfect.  Before we served ourselves dinner, we all said three things we were grateful for, I told them about the history of Thanksgiving in the USA, and some of my family's traditions, and Husband said a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing on the food.  It was the perfect Thanksgiving for this year, and even with the craziness, I wouldn't change a thing!

Não direi que foi perfeito, porque não foi.  Meus pãezinhos não aconteceram porque acabou a farinha de trigo no meio da receita, e não tive mais tempo para ir comprar mais.  Husband estava buscando as mesas, então não pude nem pedir para ele correr ao mercado rapidinho.  O peru demorou demais, a música não foi tão perfeita como eu esperava (mas foi música de Natal, então isso deve valer alguma coisa!).  Mesmo com todas as imperfeições, foi o meu tipo de perfeito.  Antes de nos servir, todo mundo falou 3 coisas pelas quais são gratos, eu contei a história de Thanksgiving nos EUA, e algumas tradições da minha família.  Husband fez uma oração de gratidão e uma bênção na comida.  Foi o Thanksgiving perfeito para esse ano, e mesmo com a loucura, eu não mudaria nada!

Everyone who was there (except Husband!)....yes, I am actually in this picture with Little L.!
Todo mundo que estava presente (menos Husband!)....sim, eu saí na foto com Little L.!

I forgot to take a "before" picture, so here's looking at the leftovers (aka, lunch the next few days)
Esqueci de tirar uma foto "antes", então aqui vai o que sobrou (ou seja, almoço durante os próximos dias)

So that was Thanksgiving, in a nutshell.  We are skipping December for another conversation class, but stay tuned for the flier for January!

Então, aí foi Thanksgiving, resumido.  Vamos pular o evento de conversação em dezembro, mas fiquem atentos para o anúncio para a aula de conversação de janeiro!

On a more personal note, I just wanted to say how grateful I am for a Husband who supports me in everything I am doing.  Back in college, when Husband and I decided we'd get married and live down here, a lot of my friends and colleagues asked me what I planned to do in Brazil.  I always laughed and told them I'd have babies and teach English.  I never imagined that I'd essentially start a home business that just keeps growing (without even trying, really), and that I'd really enjoy teaching English.  I love it, and even though I am exhausted by the end of the day, I wouldn't change it.  I feel like I am doing something to help my family, and to help all my students and friends.  And Husband has been by my side through it all, supporting me, cheering me on, and encouraging me to keep putting myself out there, building up my reputation and always looking for new things to do for my students.  He has been by my side 100%, and especially in the last year when things have REALLY picked up.  And I am so grateful for Little L. being so patient with all my classes!  She loves my students, and even though this is the only thing she's ever known (Mommy teaching classes at home, I mean), she is a really good sport about it, even on really busy days when I can't play with her as much as we'd both like.  My family is everything, and I am so grateful for them.  And along with that, I am grateful for my STUDENTS, who understand that sometimes my attention is split between them and Little L., and yet they still keep coming back!  They are wonderful people, and I feel privileged to be their teacher. 

Agora falando mais pessoal, eu só queria dizer o quanto sou grata por meu Husband que me apoia em tudo que estou fazendo.  Quando eu estava na faculdade, quando Husband e eu decidimos que iríamos casa e morar aqui no Brasil, muitos amigos e colegas meus me perguntaram o que eu faria no Brasil.  Eu sempre dava risada e respondia que eu teria bebês e ensinaria inglês.  Eu nunca imaginei que eu basicamente abriria um negócio em casa que está crescendo mais e mais (sem muito esforço, na verdade), e que eu acabaria gostando muito de ensinar inglês.  Eu amo isso, e mesmo que eu esteja totalmente exausta no final do dia, eu não o mudaria.  Sinto que estou ajudando minha família, e ajudando meus alunos e amigos.  E Husband está ao meu lado o tempo todo, me apoiando e encorajando, sempre me ajudando a melhorar e ver coisas novas que posso fazer para meus alunos.  Ele está ao meu lado 100% desde o início, e principalmente no último ano, quando as coisas cresceram muito.  E também sou tão grata por Little L., por ela ser tão paciente com todas minhas aulas!  Ela adora meus alunos, e mesmo que essa seja a única vida que ela conhece (Mommy dando aulas em casa, quero dizer), ela está muito tranquila, mesmo nos dias mais corridos quando não posso brincar com ela o quanto nós gostaríamos.  Minha família é tudo, e sou tão grata por eles.  E mais sobre isso, sou grata por meus ALUNOS, que entendem que às vezes minha atenção está dividida entre eles e Little L., e mesmo assim ainda voltam!  São pessoas incríveis, e sinto privilegiada por ser sua professora!

Little L.'s first (real[ish]) Halloween

Wow, I haven't written in a while!  Things have been pretty busy around here.

So remember how I mentioned a Halloween Party?  That happened this week.  There was a lot of planning and organizing involved, and it took up a lot of my spare time.  I had to plan decorations, food, games, etc.  And it turned out really great!

I dressed Little L. up as a ballerina, and she absolutely loved wearing a tutu for 3 hours!  Many of my current, former and future students attended said party.  It was a party, but it was actually a conversation class.  Husband and I made a bunch of American sweets for it (cheesecake, brownies, a couple kinds of cookies), and we had pizza that a friend of ours made.  I borrowed the decorations from another friend who already had them, so that worked out well.  I put on some Halloween music in the background, and we had a grand old time playing games to motivate conversation (in English, of course), and stuffing our faces.  I met some new people, and have two new students because of it!

This event was the first in a series we are doing, of big conversation classes.  So this was the test, and it did pretty well.  Everyone loved it, and I know better how to plan the next one (specifically how to divide games between beginners and advanced English speakers).  So the next one will be on Thanksgiving, and we will have a real Thanksgiving dinner.  I'm finishing up the logistics of it now, and the invitation will go out probably tomorrow.

Little L. loved wearing her costume, and talking to all her "titios" and "titias" (who she already knew from my classes), and having them all here at once.  She ate a TON of candy and went to bed late, as every kid should on Halloween!  It was a great event for English and for my students, but for me the best part was being able to give Little L. a somewhat real Halloween, even if we didn't go trick-or-treating.  Halloween isn't really a thing here, and trick-or-treating definitely doesn't exist, so we had to make it happen ourselves.  I loved seeing how excited she was by all of the festivities!

(Almost) everyone who came!
(Quase) todo mundo que veio! 

Little L. "teaching" Thais
Little L. "ensinando" Thais

Nossa, faz tempo que não escrevo!  Tem sido uma correria aqui.

Então, lembra como falei de uma Halloween Party?  Aconteceu essa semana.  Tinha muito planejamento e organização antes, e tomou muito do meu tempo livre.  Tive que planejar as decorações, comida, brincadeiras, etc.  E deu muito certo!

Fantasiei Little L. como uma bailarina, e ela adorou usar um tutu por 3 horas!  Muitos dos meus alunos atuais, antigos, e futuros vieram para a festa.  Foi uma festa, mas na verdade foi uma aula de conversação.  Eu e Husband fizemos vários doces americanos (cheesecake, brownies, 2 tipos de cookies), e uma amiga nossa fez pizza.  Peguei as decorações emprestadas de uma outra amiga.  Coloquei música de Halloween, e divertimo-nos muito fazendo brincadeiras para incentivar a conversação (em inglês, claro), e comendo para caramba.  Conheci algumas pessoas novas e tenho 2 alunas novas devido à aula!

Este evento foi o primeiro de uma série que estamos fazendo, de grandes aulas de conversação.  Então este foi o teste, e foi bom.  Todo mundo amou, e agora sei melhor como planejar o próximo (especificamente, como dividir as brincadeiras entre iniciantes e quem já fala bem o inglês).  Então o próximo será Thanksgiving, e teremos um jantar real de Thanksgiving.  Estou terminando os detalhes agora, e o convite será enviado provavelmente amanhã.

Little L. adorou usar a fantasia, e adorou falar com seus "titios" e "titias" (que ela já conhece das aulas que dou), e ter todos aqui ao mesmo tempo.  Ela comeu um MONTE de doces e dormiu tarde, como toda criança deve fazer no Halloween!  Foi um evento muito legal para inglês e para meus alunos, mas para mim a melhor parte foi poder dar um quase-verdadeiro Halloween para Little L.  Só não fomos "trick-or-treating".  Halloween não é um feriado aqui, e "trick-or-treating" com certeza não existe, então tivemos que fazer nós mesmos.  Eu adorei ver o quanto ela estava animada com tudo!

4 Little Words

"I love you, Mommy."

Those 4 little words, from my favorite little person, have changed my life and the way I see the world.  I live to hear them.  They reassure me, they uplift me, they make any negative feelings disappear.

Little L. has been saying "I love you" for a few months now, repeating it when we ask her to.  For the last few weeks, she has been saying it on her own, and she has added the names of people after. (I love you Papai, I love you Mommy, I love you Oma, etc.)  When I am having a particularly rough day and feel like the worst mother in the history of mothers, out of nowhere she hugs me and says "I love you, Mommy", and it changes everything.  At night before bed, she says "I love you Mommy."  When I leave the house or she leaves with Husband, "I love you Mommy."  Randomly throughout the day, "I love you Mommy."

These four little words have taught me so much about
Love
Forgiveness
Family
Trying harder
Happiness
Perfection
Jesus Christ

And it makes me think...if Little L. can love me this easily and this purely, even with my SO MANY flaws, and she is a little human...how much more can the Lord love each one of us, even though He sees all our flaws?  He is a perfect Being, so He loves perfectly.  I understand in a whole new way now why Christ said to be like little children (Matthew 18:3; Mosiah 3:19; among other references).  If Little L. is an example of children as a whole group, they are quick to forgive and forget, and quick to love.  And their forgiveness and love are so pure...they don't keep digging up the past.  Little L. can be mad at me for a minute and then literally 10 seconds later she is laughing her head off, hugging me and saying "I love you, Mommy".

Life is not easy.  I am trying to keep this blog 100% honest about the ups and downs of life, even though some things are harder to open up about than others.  But I never want to paint a picture of a fictional world where every day is sunshine and rainbows, with my house in order and me perfectly calm and happy all the time.  That's just not my reality.  My reality is full of crying and laughing, a house that I clean but becomes messy again 10 minutes later, dirty dishes that always pile up no matter how often I wash them, the ongoing mountains of laundry, forever trying to come up with something new to cook (recipe ideas are always welcome!!!!), a to-do list that literally has "drink water" on it because otherwise I forget....etc.  My life seems like chaos sometimes.

But then Little L. says "I love you Mommy" and everything is okay.  Suddenly it doesn't matter how much I "have to do"....it can wait.  I need to just take the moment to love my Little L., just as she does.

Those 4 little words have changed me, and I am sure they will continue to change me forever now.  They make me want to be a better person, want to be the great mother she sees in me.  I know I can't change overnight, so I am working on that change over....well, over a lifetime.  But her encouraging "I love you Mommy", day after imperfect day, is what fuels me to keep at it.




"I love you Mommy."

Aquelas 4 pequenas palavras, de minha pessoinha preferida, têm mudado a minha vida e a minha visão do mundo.  Eu vivo para ouvir essas palavras.  Elas me apoiam, me elevam, e fazem quaisquer sentimentos negativos sumirem. 

Little L. está falando "I love you" por alguns meses já, repetindo quando pedimos.  Mas durante as últimas semanas, ela tem falado sozinha, e até acrescentado o nome das pessoas depois (I love you Papai, I love you Mommy, I love you Oma, etc.).  Quando estou tendo um dia difícil e sentindo como a pior mãe na história de mães, do nada ela me abraça e diz "I love you, Mommy", e isso muda tudo. À noite, antes de dormir, ela diz "I love you Mommy."  Quando saio da casa ou ela sai com Husband, "I love you Mommy."  Do nada ao longo do dia, "I love you Mommy."

Essa palavrinhas têm me ensinado tanto sobre
Amor
Perdão
Família
Não desistir
Felicidade
Perfeição
Jesus Cristo

E faz-me pensar....se Little L. consegue me amar com tanta facilidade e pureza, mesmo com minhas MUITAS falhas, e ela é uma pequena humana....quanto mais o Senhor pode amar cada um de nós, mesmo vendo todas as nossas falhas?  Ele é um Ser perfeito, então Ele nos ama perfeitamente.  Eu entendo de uma forma nova agora por que Cristo disse para sermos como criancinhas (Mateus 18:3; Mosias 3:19; entre outras escrituras).  Se Little L. é um exemplo de crianças como um grupo inteiro, elas são rápidas para perdoar e esquecer.  E seu perdão e amor são tão puros....elas não ficam olhando para o passado.  Little L. pode ficar brava comigo mas depois de 10 segundo ela está se acabando de rir, me abraçando e dizendo "I love you, Mommy".

A vida não é fácil.  Estou tentando manter esse blog 100% honesto sobre os altos e baixos da vida, mesmo que algumas coisas sejam mais difíceis de escrever que outras.  Mas eu nunca quero deixar entendido que minha vida é um mundo fictício, com todos os dias perfeitos e felizes, e a casa toda sempre em ordem, e eu sempre calma e feliz.  Essa não é minha realidade.  Minha realidade está cheia de choro e risada, uma casa que acabo de limpar e já está bagunçada novamente, louças sujas que nunca acabam apesar de eu estar sempre lavando, as montanhas de roupas para lavar sempre, sempre tentando ser criativa na cozinha e cozinhar algo novo no almoço (receitas são sempre bem-vindas!!!!), uma lista de coisas para fazer que literalmente tem "beber água" porque se não, eu esqueço....etc.  Minha vida às vezes parece caos. 

Mas aí vem Little L., dizendo "I love you Mommy" e tudo fica bem.  De repente, não importa o quanto "tenho que fazer"....tudo isso pode esperar.  Só preciso parar no momento para amar minha filha, como ela faz.

Aquelas pequenas palavras têm me mudado, e tenho certeza que continuarão a me mudar para sempre.  Elas me fazem querer ser uma pessoa melhor, querer ser a ótima mãe que ela enxerga em mim.  Sei que não posso mudar de um dia para outro, então estou me esforçando para mudar durante....bem, durante a vida toda.  Mas as palavras encorajadoras "I love you Mommy", dia após imperfeito dia, são o que me dá a força para continuar e não desistir.

Projects, Parties, and Plans

So I'm sitting down to write this post, and if I'm being perfectly honest with you and with myself, I'm not sure what direction it's going to take.  I have been pretty busy lately with several projects.  So today's post is going to really be just ramblings...

At church, I am the institute teacher, and have been for 3 years.  (For those unfamiliar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, let me explain... all the local leadership, teachers, etc. are non-paid.  We members get what are called "callings", which is an opportunity to serve in  a specific position.  There's no time limit; so I don't know how long I will be in this position.  Institute is a religious study program.  It follows the local university semesters, and each semester is one course, worth two credits.  A person needs 14 credits to graduate.  Missed classes can be made up, as in any secular course.  There are reading assignments associated with each class, and an evaluation at the end of the semester.  This semester, the course we are doing is called The Eternal Family.)  I absolutely love this calling.  I have learned so much, and I hope I have been able to help someone else along the way.  This is a busy calling; more than just what my students see on Saturday nights in class.  Especially now where there is only a month left in the semester, I have a lot to do before the end, especially because graduation is in December, and I need to see who of my students is going to (or potentially could, with some extra work) graduate this year.  So I am always studying for classes, making up make-up exercises for missed classes, reading make-up work that has been done and turned in, working with students who are doing home-study because they can't make it to class on Saturdays, working with students who are missing just a few classes before they can graduate, etc.  Oh, and I have monthly training meetings.  So there ya have it; a small window into the life of an institute teacher.  But I love it.  And I have a couple students who help me out with the paperwork part, which takes a load off me.

One of my other projects.  So I'm sure most of you know that I am trying to light a fire under my business here.  You've all seen the Instagram and Facebook posts, with terrible-quality cell phone pictures (and some actually good pictures) of sweets I've been making.  Husband and I felt that we should really get this business moving, so we have started to do just that this month.  I will be making some mini apple pies for a party in a couple weeks.  I have a student (an angel, really!) who brings my sweets to work with her and sells them there for me.  I am designing a business card, which will be one of those "buy 8 get the ninth free" cards, to try to bring in some more business.  I already have a few places in mind that I could leave my card; I need to talk to the business owners (It's nice living in a small enough city that I actually know several business owners).  Right now I am just trying to get the word out!

And lastly, I am planning a Halloween Party/Giant Conversation Class for October 31, here at home. I am going to invite all my past, present, and potential students.  Obviously, I will be making the snacks for that, which will help the business get out there too.  I am still teaching a bunch, but this month has been a little slower due to holidays and work trips.  I am hoping that things will pick up again next week, but I also know the tendency is to die down from now until mid-February or so.  Which is why I really need the sweets to pick up!

In other news, Little L. is hysterical.  I can't even begin to describe all the hilarious things she does every day.  She cracks us up so much, and I love (99% of the time) her constant chatter, narrating her entire life to anyone who will listen.  It's adorable when either Husband or I are out, and then come home....she has to tell about everything that happened!  And now while we can't understand her babble, because her babble is splattered with actual words (both English and Portuguese!), we can get the gist of what she's talking about.  It's adorable.  Plus she is just so sweet.  I had a rough day a few days ago, and she noticed...she came over and hugged me and just kept telling me "it's okay" ("passou").  That brought other tears to my eyes, seeing just how loving this little person is.  She is such a blessing in our life.

Então, estou aqui escrevendo essa post, mas se estou sendo sincera com vocês e comigo mesma, não tenho a mínima idéia qual direção vai tomar.  Tenho andado bastante ocupada ultimamente com vários projetos.  Então a post de hoje vai ser só meus pensamentos sem sentido mesmo...

Na Igreja, sou a professora do Instituto, e tenho sido por 3 anos.  (Para vocês que não conhecem a Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos dias, vou explicar...toda a liderança local, professores, etc. são voluntários.  Nós membros recebemos "chamados", que são oportunidades para servir em uma posição específica.  Não há um limite de tempo; então eu não sei até quando vou ficar nessa posição.  O Instituto é um programa de estudo religioso.  Segue os semestres das universidades locais, e cada semestre é um curso, valendo 2 créditos.  A pessoa precisa de 14 créditos para se formar.  Aulas perdidas podem ser recuperadas, como qualquer curso secular.  Tem designações de leitura para acompanhar cada aula, e uma avaliação no final do semestre.  Esse semestre, o nosso curso aqui é A Família Eterna.)  Eu adoro esse chamado.  Tenho aprendido tanto, e espero poder ter ajudado alguém ao longo do caminho.  É um chamado bastante corrido; mais que meus alunos vêem nas aulas nos sábados.  Principalmente agora, onde falta apenas 1 mês no semestre, e tenho muito a fazer antes do final, ainda mais porque a formatura vai ser em dezembro, e preciso ver quem de meus alunos vai (ou poderia, com um pouco mais de trabalho) formar-se esse ano.  Estou sempre estudando para a próxima aula, elaborando atividades de recuperação para aulas perdidas, lendo recuperações já feitas e entregues, trabalhando com alunos que estudam em casa por não poderem comparecer aos sábados, trabalhando com alunos que faltam pouco para se formar, etc.  Ah, também tenho treinamentos cada mês.  Aí está, uma janelinha para a vida de uma professora do Instituto!  Mas eu adoro isso.  E tenho alguns alunos que me ajudam, que me alivia um pouco,

Um dos meus outros projetos.  Tenho certeza que todos já sabem que estou tentando melhorar meu negócio aqui.  Vocês todos já viram as posts no Facebook e Instagram, com as fotos de qualidade baixa do celular (e algumas fotos boas também!) dos doces que tenho feito.  Husband e eu sentimos que devíamos focar mais nesse negócio, então temos começado isso esse mês de outubro.  Estarei fazendo umas tortinhas de maçã para uma festa daqui a 2 semanas.  Tenho uma aluna (um anjo, na verdade!) que leva meus doces para o trabalho dela e vende lá.  Eu estou fazendo cartões de visita, que também serão cartões de fidelidade daqueles "compre 8 e ganhe o nono", para tentar atrair mais clientes.  Já tenho algumas idéias de onde posso deixar os cartões; só preciso falar com os empresários (É bom morar numa cidadezinha onde conheço vários donos de empresas ou negócios locais!). 

E por último, estou planejando uma festa de Halloween/Aulão de conversação para dia 31 de outubro, aqui em casa.  Irei convidar todos meus alunos atuais, antigos, e em potencial.  Claro, estarei fazendo doces para isso também, para o negócio ficar mais conhecido.  Ainda estou dando bastante aulas, mas esse último mês, várias aulas têm caído, devido a feriados e viagens.  Espero que as coisas melhorem semana que vem, mas também sei que a tendência é cair bastante até o meio de fevereiro.  Por isso preciso mesmo vender mais doces!

Em outras novidades, Little L. é hilária.  Não consigo nem começar a descrever todas as coisas engraçadas que ela faz todos os dias.  Dou tanto risada com ela, e adoro (99% do tempo) a conversa constante dela, narrando a vida toda a qualquer pessoa que queira escutar.  É bonitinho quando ou eu ou Husband está fora, e chega em casa....ela tem que contar tudo que aconteceu!  E enquanto não entendamos a língua dela, agora a conversa dela também tem palavras (tanto inglês quanto português) misturadas, e dá para entendermos basicamente o que ela está dizendo.  Além disso, ela é amorosa.  Alguns dias atrás, tive um dia difícil, e ela percebeu....ela veio e me abraçou e só ficava falando "passou".  Isso me trouxe outras lágrimas, vendo o quanto essa pessoinha é perfeita e amorosa.  Ela é uma enorme bênção em nossa vida.  

This whole "Growing up" thing.

I'm not sure how I feel about it.  Today Little L. is clingier than she has been for a while...she is not feeling well.  While it drives me nuts sometimes during the day, I also love that she wants to sit and cuddle with me.  She's so active, it rarely happens anymore!

About 10 days or so ago, Little L. starting putting herself to bed.  She had already been going to sleep on her own for several months, but usually after a few minutes of cuddling.  One night out of the blue, she just pointed to her crib right after bedtime prayer, and went to sleep all by herself.  I was in shock...it was a bittersweet day!  That happened every day after that, for both naps and bedtime, except for like once where she actually wanted to cuddle.

I love seeing Little L. turn into an independent little girl.  I guess that means Husband and I are doing something right!  The whole point of raising children is to teach them to be independent adults, right? 

I guess the Growing Up part is just coming a lot faster than I expected.  Little L. feeds herself, helps herself to snacks, drinks out of a cup a lot of the time, runs around like crazy, talks ALL THE TIME, is learning to use the potty, picks out her own clothes, helps with the household chores....it's all happening so fast!  My dad always says that he wishes we could've stayed 4 years old forever.  With every day that passes and every 10 new words that Little L. learns, I understand more and more this sentiment.  

I love seeing Little L. become the sweet, kind, affectionate little girl she is, but I also miss my little baby.  It is all happening so fast!  It feels like just yesterday I was in labor, just yesterday she spent hours in my arms every day, just yesterday we celebrated her first birthday (and even THAT came too fast!), and all of a sudden, here we are.  She will be 2 in a few short months. 

I thank God every single day for the opportunity to be Little L.'s mommy.  She has taught me so much about unconditional love, trust, and forgiveness.  I just wish that for just one moment, time could stand still so I could enjoy her being this little before I blink and she's grown up!



Não sei como estou sentindo sobre esse negócio de Little L. crescer!  Hoje ela está mais grudada em mim que tem ficado ultimamente...ela não está se sentindo bem.  Enquanto isso me deixa doida em alguns momentos no dia, também adoro que ela quer sentar e ficar juntinha a mim.  Ela é tão ativa, raramente acontece isso!

Uns 10 dias atrás, Little L. começou a se colocar para dormir.  Ela já estava dormindo sozinha por alguns meses, mas sempre depois de ficar no colo uns minutinhos.  Uma noite, do nada, ela apontou para o berço depois de orarmos, e foi dormir sozinha.  Eu fiquei tão surpresa....foi um dia feliz e triste!  Isso aconteceu todos os dias depois daquela noite, tanto para dormir de tarde quanto para dormir à noite, menos uma vez que ela queria ficar um pouco no colo.

Eu adoro ver Little L. tornar-se uma menina independente.  Isso quer dizer que Husband e eu estamos fazendo alguma coisa certa!  O propósito de criar filhos é ensiná-los a serem adultos independents, não é?

Acho que a parte de "crescer e amadurecer" está vindo mais rápido que eu esperava.  Little L. come sozinha, pega merenda sozinha, bebe de um copo normal muitas vezes, corre para todo canto, fala o tempo todo, está aprendendo a usar o vazo sanitário, escolhe suas próprias roupas, ajuda com as tarefas aqui em casa....está acontecendo tudo tão rápido!  Meu pai sempre diz que queria que nós ficássemos com 4 anos para sempre.  Com cada dia que passa e cada 10 palavras novas que Little L. aprende, eu entendo melhor esse sentimento!

Amo ver Little L. ficar essa menininha carinhosa, amorosa, e doce que ela é, mas também sinto falta de minha bebezinha!  Está acontecendo tudo tão rápido!  Sinto como se fosse ontem que eu estava na maternidade, ontem que ela passava horas e horas em meus braços todos os dias, ontem que comemoramos o primeiro aniversário dela (que também chegou rápido demais!), e de repente aqui estamos.  Ela vai fazer 2 aninhos daqui uns meses.

Dou graças a Deus todos os dias pela oportunidade de ser a mamãe de Little L.  Ela me ensina tanto sobre amor incondicional, confiança, e perdão.  Só queria que por apenas um momento, o tempo pudesse parar para que eu pudesse curtir o tamaninho dela antes de eu piscar os olhos e ela crescer!

Sometimes Being Strong Means Crying

Tonight there was a lot of crying.  Not because Little L. was resisting bedtime.  She's in a good phase now where she goes to bed without a problem.

No, tonight's crying was because Daddy was leaving for work.  He has a job where he doesn't work 9-5.  He works for one day and then has a few days off.  But sometimes that one day is extended, plus there's travel time.  So he won't be back until a couple days from now.  This is actually a great schedule...a year ago he was working a week at a time and only got to be home for a couple days before starting over.  Now, though, he's home just long enough for us girls to get used to him being home...and then off to work again.  It's hard on me; I can't even imagine how hard it is on Little L., not knowing when she will see Daddy again.  Because even explaining it, she doesn't yet have the same concept of time that we do.

She sobbed and sobbed and held him like there was no tomorrow.  And when he left, she kept sobbing uncontrollably and calling "Papaiiiii" over and over again.

It was heartbreaking.

I tried to hold it together; I always do.  But tonight I just couldn't.  And there we were, crying together and wiping each other's tears and just hugging while missing Daddy.

Sometimes I feel very tired.  Exhausted.  I have to be the strong one a lot of the time, and show Little L. that it's okay; Daddy is coming home.  But sometimes I just don't have the strength for that anymore.  And just like Little L., sometimes I just want to cry on my mommy's shoulder when Husband is gone.


Hoje à noite teve muito choro.  Não porque Little L. estava resistindo a hora de dormir.  Ela está numa fase boa agora em que ela dorme sem problema.  

Não, o choro de hoje foi porque Papai estava saindo para trabalhar.  Ele tem um emprego onde ele não trabalha das 9h às 17h todos os dias.  Ele trabalha um dia e folga alguns dias.  Mas às vezes aquelas 24 horas são estendidas, e também tem o tempo da viagem.  Na verdade é uma escala ótima....um ano atrás, ele estava trabalhando uma semana direta, e voltava para casa por apenas 2 ou 3 dias, e aí começava de novo.  Agora, ele está em casa para a gente acostumar com ele aqui....e aí chega a hora dele ter que sair para trabalhar.  É difícil para mim; nem imagino como é difícil para Little L., sem saber quando vai ver Papai de novo.  Porque mesmo explicando, ela ainda não tem o mesmo conceito de tempo que nós temos. 

Ela chorou e chorou e segurou nele como se nunca fosse largar.  E quando ele saiu, ela chorou incontrolavelmente chamando "Papaiiiii" vez após vez.

Partiu o meu coração.

Eu tentei me segurar e me manter firme; sempre faço isso.  Mas hoje eu não consegui.  E lá estávamos nós, chorando juntas e limpando as lágrimas uma da outra, e se abraçando enquanto sentindo falta de Papai.

Às vezes me sinto muito cansada.  Exausta.  Eu tenho que ser forte, para mostrar a Little L. que está tudo bem; Papai volta.  Mas às vezes eu não tenho mais a força para isso.  E como Little L., às vezes só quero chorar no ombro de minha mamãe quando Husband não está em casa.

Having a Sick Toddler

Everyone says "sick babies are no fun"....

Little L. is sick today.  She started having a runny nose a few days ago, but nothing else.  Yesterday the coughing and sneezing picked up, and then the sore throat came into the picture.  While I was finishing up one of my evening classes last night, Little L. woke herself up with a coughing fit.  I went to put her back to sleep after giving her some more medicine, and she fell asleep quickly in my arms (it's been a while since she did that last...).  And I just held on to her.  As I held her helpless, sleeping little body, I couldn't help but be overcome by love for this precious little girl God has entrusted to me and Husband.

I know that everyone gets coughs, everyone gets sore throats, and I know I'll face this forever throughout her life, but right now it feels like something is terrible wrong.  She has never had a sore throat like this, nor has she ever been able to really tell us about it before this time.  There was no more guessing yesterday afternoon as she put her hands on her throat while she coughed, and left them there even after the coughing stopped.  It is heartbreaking to see, because I want to take away her pain, her discomfort...but I can't.  We take care of her and wait.  It will go away; I know that.  It is part of life; I know that too.  But I'm sure all you parents out there will agree with me that it is a terrible feeling to see your small child sick.

After putting her back to sleep again last night, Husband went and got some medications that his mother (a nurse) recommended, and we got those ready for the next time she woke up.  She woke up again around midnight, burning up with  a fever.  I took her shirt and socks off, turned the fan on low in her room, and we gave her her medicine, which she willingly took.  She fell asleep again quickly.  It was a long night....every time she shifted in her crib or coughed, I think Husband and I both woke up.  And at least for me, I had a hard time getting back to sleep each time.  

Little L. woke up this morning at her usual time, despite me hoping she'd sleep in!  She woke up happy, though less chatty than normal.  That was explained by her hoarse voice, when she finally did start chattering away.  She is happy today, though tired.  I put her down for a nap over 2 hours earlier than normal, so I am hoping she will end up taking two naps today, and try to sleep this thing away!  

I guess this is me just trying to vent my emotion-filled, overtired feelings out for the WWW to see...you know, being a first-time mom and all.  Sure, Little L. is over a year and a half old, but I still feel like so much is new to me.  She's been sick before, but it is heartbreaking every time.  

As for medications....I prefer natural; I've never liked taking medicine except when necessary.  But I don't know much about home remedies for different things, plus this was late at night and I just wanted to get something into her that would help her get better.  I know lemon and honey help with a sore throat.  What else are good home remedies, for all kinds of illnesses??  Help me out here, guys! :)  I know she'll get sick in the future and I want to know what to do, without having to depend solely on medications.

Sleep methods...and Little L.'s method

Today, a new friend asked me for advice.  I still feel like I am a new mom, always scouring the internet for advice and answers.  Anyway, my friend has a daughter about 2 months younger than Little L.  She came over venting about how her daughter wakes up a bunch at night again, even though she had been sleeping through the night just fine.  Sounds like a sleep regression to me.  I'm not sure if that's a well-known phrase in Portuguese....anyway, I told her about Little L.'s ups and downs, and how we handled them.  And that it's completely normal for a 16-month old to be regressing!

After my conversation with her, I got to thinking about Little L. and her sleep habits.  Let me say right away that I don't believe in any specific methods, or that any of them even work all the time.  Yeah, my experience is limited, but not so limited that I don't know that every child is different.  Parents need to do their research, but they also need to adapt.  I read several things that got me thinking, and what I ended up doing was nothing like any of them, in the end.  One thing I DO believe in, though, is ROUTINE.

As a newborn, she was pretty easy, actually.  Yeah, she woke up every two hours to eat, but that's normal and because it was routine, it was okay.  My Mom was here for the first 4 weeks, so she helped us get Little L. into a regular sleeping pattern, so that she'd sleep all night (except for feedings).  At that point, Little L. went to bed around 7:30 or 8pm, and slept until about 5:30, when she'd wake up and eat and lie in bed with me just being awake for a little while.  Her first nap of the day was around 7, which is when I would eat, shower, etc.  It was a nice morning routine.

This continued until Little L. was about 4 months old.  Then...regression!  Because Husband was gone a lot for work, I spent a lot of days and nights alone with Little L.  She got into the habit of nursing herself to sleep around this time (before that, she'd sleep with anyone), which was actually fine with me.  I worked at home anyway, so it was okay.  Plus there is nothing like a holding a perfectly innocent, sweet, sleeping baby. <3

Skipping forward a few months, when Little L. was about 10 or 11 months old, we decided to try sleep training.  We hadn't done it previously, because when Little L. was 5 months old, she and I spent 2 months visiting family in the USA...so it was pointless to me to try right before, or during that trip.  She was sleeping okay when we got home, but it went downhill.  I got to the point where I was just a big grump all the time, and pretty unhappy (also, another post for another day), and I didn't feel like I could handle it anymore, especially with being alone with her half the time.  So Husband and I tried letting her cry it out.  That night was awful.  She cried for like 3 hours, slept for about 45 minutes, and then started over.  IT. WAS. AWFUL!  We gave up around 3am and I nursed her to sleep.

I had done a TON of research about sleep training, sleep methods, etc.  We also talked to her pediatrician.  She told us this was normal, and to start putting Little L. to bed later, to see if she'd wake up later in the morning.  That failed too.  As I mentioned earlier, Little L. has been an early riser from the start...that hasn't changed.  She has always woken up around 5:30am, except for a short time where she kept creeping that back to 4:30 until we had to put a stop to it.  When we followed the pediatrician's advice, Little L. slept less, waking still at the crack of dawn, and was grumpy ALL DAY.  So we gave up on that too, and stuck to her 7pm bedtime.

Fast forward again, around 1 year old, she started sleeping through the night.  That lasted about 2 or 3 months.  Then, regression.  Of course.  She woke up several times  each night, though this time I didn't nurse her back to sleep.  We had already been down that road, and I wanted things to get better, not worse.  So I would just go in and sit with her until she fell asleep again, in her crib, by herself.  Sometimes rubbing her back, sometimes "shhh-ing", sometimes just being there was enough.  I didn't try too hard, because this happened only a few weeks before our next trip back to the USA.  She didn't need much of a push, though, and began sleeping again just fine.  She was still relying on nursing to GET to sleep initially, though.  And I still had no problem with it; I still work at home and have a pretty flexible schedule, and honestly...I love those special moments with her.  She is growing up too fast, and I know this phase will end all too quickly too, so I want to enjoy it all while I can!

While in the USA, she slept surprisingly well for the first few weeks, even with changing schedules and time zones a bit.  She even slept in because of all the traveling....there was one day where she went to bed around 6:30 and didn't wake up until after 8am, the next day!  That was the best night's sleep I'd gotten in a long time!

Halfway through our trip, it began again.  The waking up.  And refusing to go back to sleep.  My Mom was so helpful with getting over that bump in the road.  She sat with Little L. when I just couldn't handle it anymore.  It was during all this that Little L. just decided she could fall asleep on her own.  Nothing in our bedtime routine changed; she just decided that after nursing and a cuddle, she was ready to fall asleep on her own in her crib.  The first few days, I was amazed.  I actually still am, a few months later. Since that first day she fell asleep on her own, she hasn't turned back!  And that was about the same time she went back to sleeping all night.  We did have to give her a push, though. Several long nights were spent listening to her cry in the middle of the night, checking on her, calming her down enough that she could fall back asleep, etc.  But we got through it.  And she doesn't hate me for letting her cry, which is a miracle to me!

So like I said from the start...I didn't follow any specific method.  Yeah it was a long road, and I know that there will be more regressions, but it was good in the end to let her decide when she was ready to fall asleep on her own.  I guess what I learned is that sleep training isn't always necessary.  Little people learn to sleep on their own even without it.

Little L. still goes to bed at 7pm, and wakes up around 5:30am.  Right now we are working on changing her wake-up time to somewhere around 6.... I guess I'll come back and report how we did that, when it happens! :)  I am just glad she is sleeping better.  She is happier, and I am too!

I never knew

I never knew that having a toddler would mean constantly throwing out half-eaten food. Does anybody else feel like they waste a ton of food because their toddler is hungry, and then suddenly not--halfway through chewing?

From my little experience with toddlers, their appetites oscillate.  And we never know what kind of day it's going to be, until there is half-eaten food being spit back out, or not. Sometimes Little L. eats so much, it appears she hasn't eaten in a week.  Other times, she eats maybe one slice of bread all morning.  I wake up and the guessing games begin, day after day.

This morning, I made banana pancakes for breakfast.  I was tired of the usual options we always have for breakfast.  And not having maple syrup means you get pretty creative with pancakes.  I sometimes make German pancakes and then make apple-type syrup for them, but that just seemed like a lot of work today.  And I had some overripe bananas that I wanted to use.  I used this recipe as a base, and then tweaked it a little.  It's a hit!  After eating a whole banana while I was making them, Little L. is now downing her second (big, fluffy) pancake!  And I didn't put anything on them- I just fried them up in a little butter, and they are delicious plain, without any toppings or syrup!  I'll definitely come back to this idea in the future, to switch things up a bit.