zing☼day

A Slow Day

I'm still feeling ill.  Though I could do without the sore throat, I didn't mind clearing the calendar or finding a zumba sub.  It was a great day to just be, eat more soup, watch A Midsummer's Night Dream, experiment with instagram and enjoy the kids as they played (thank you God, they're feeling much better).

A day without commitments is like a breath of fresh air for all of us.

Even the kids weren't disturbed about the cancellations.  Is that their way of asking for less?

I think I'll have to schedule some slow days, without the sickness of course!

Chicken Soup-Thai Style

Sniffles.  Coughs. Fevers.  Sore Throats. Oh my!

We're a sick and tired out family indeed.  

A little bit of lingering in pajamas.

A little bit of TV watching.

A little bit of ibuprofen and tea drinking.

And a whole lot of Tom Ka Gai. The Wood family favorite Chicken Soup.

Tom Ka Gai

For  Broth:

1 Whole Chicken

1 Stalk Lemon Grass cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 inches of ginger cut into slices

3 lime leaves

1 onion, quartered

2 celery stalks cut into 1 inch pieces

For soup:

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 inch of ginger, minced

10 ozs shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced

about 5 cups of chicken broth

1 can of coconut milk

2 shallots, sliced

1 bunch of cilantro, minced

 

We start with the broth. Combine a whole chicken with celery, onions, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves and peppercorns.

Simmer until the chicken is falling off the bones.

While broth is simmering, prepare shallots. Slice shallots and sautee in one tbsp vegetable oil until crispy. Careful not to burn them like I so often do.

Separate solids from the broth.  When chicken is cool enough to handle shred.  Discard remaining solids.

Mince garlic, and ginger and sautee in vegetable oil in heavy pot.

Add sliced shiitake mushrooms.  Cook until soft.

Add broth and chicken and bring to a low simmer. Add coconut milk. Simmer for five minutes.

 

Serve over a bed of rice.  Sprinkle with crispy shallots and minced cilantro.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!  Sick or not, it's so good.

Flamenco

I was in my pajamas by five pm and ready for a nap during family movie night but my dear friend Diane, a mother with a grown son who remembers the exhaustion of mommyhood, reminded me sometimes the best remedy for a tired Mommy isn't always a nap but a night out.  

A ladies night out.

Not a zumba night or a homeschool scheduling meeting but a skirt and high heeled boots night out.

I think sometimes I forget it can be fun to dress up!

We went to watch our friend Marisela Fleites perform Flamenco.

Photography wasn't allowed during the show so I'm a little limited with the photos tonight.

I know that Flamenco is rooted in the Spanish gypsy and bullfighting culture but Marisela and her co-performers made me believe I was watching from a seat in a tiny crowded bar in Sevilla, after a hard day's work in the fields.  For there's a rustic, working class quality to their storytelling mixed with strong self-reliance.   There doesn't seem to be any room for innocence but only for those experienced with broken hearts and hardships.  And the music is...raw.  Unlike today's popular music, a single acoustic guitar, hands, feet and a melodious but tormented voice is all that's needed to tell the stories of  tragedy, sensuality and romance.

 "Toma que Toma, Marisela! Bailadora linda!"  "Take it away, Marisela, beautiful dancer!" the vocalist would shout!

After the show, I had the privilege of congratulating the star on a spectacular performance.

And, a big thank you goes to my dear friend who didn't let me miss a good ladies night out.

Olè!

Zing Memoir

Possibly the best part of childhood!

 

Some Days

Some days don't seem as productive as others.

Nothing was checked off my 38 item to-do list. A lot, right? It's my two-year goal. Last year, it was my one year goal.

We didn't go on any special field trips.  Speech therapy, swim lessons and rain kept us indoors.

I didn't knit or crochet.  I have yet to make it to the craft store for more supplies.

I didn't cook a popular or yummy dish so it seems.  I made polenta and nobody liked it but me.  So they made themselves pb&j for dinner!

Nor did I finish Simplicity Parenting, yet.  I'm still reading it one s-l-o-w page at a time.

But it's on these days when nothing is created or newly-experienced that I'm driven to look deeply and appreciate dear moments that are worth far more than a homemade hat or a fancy dish. Moments such as...

Enjoying Daddy during his lunch break and hearing his stories of hide and seek with kids. He'll hear them hide behind the chair he's sitting in yet he'll still get up and look in the closets!

Sorting and donating clothes and reminiscing over their younger years. Time is going by so fast.

Eating mangos, ferociously, with the juice and pulp dripping down the chin and soaking shirts. It was also a three time poopy diaper day.  

Messing with marker and glue. Some people call that creating!

Reading Black Beauty, followed by a narration competition.  Charlotte Mason, you're a genius!

Watching a ballet performance in the living room.

Listening to drums and that ride cymbal with lots of grace and hope.

Admiring the blooming dogwood in the frontyard.

It's the simple things, isn't it?

Have a joyous day!

 

 

 

For Sunny Days (and a Giveaway!)

We have a birthday party coming up soon for one of Nene's friends. Holly is a beautiful girl who loves the outdoors.  So I'm thinking of something that is pretty and pink and something that can be worn outside.

I fell in love with the Shell Edging Crochet Hat from ravelry.com but it didn't include a pattern for a child so I actually made this hat three times in this past week!  Phew!

The first one I ended up unraveling because it was too small.  I managed to do so without crying but I made sure I had a glass of wine in hand like SouleMama suggests!

The second one, was too big.  I didn't have the heart to unravel it because it's perfect for a pink loving adult.  Would anyone here in cyber world like a free hat?

Finally, the third attempt turned out just right.  And that is the story of "Holly-locks and the three hats!"

I hope she enjoys this adorable hat, all thanks to the creative designer Eileen Tepper.  

And I'd like to thank my model and other cast member who didn't want to miss out on any fun!

Happy Birthday Holly!

Weekend Projects-Degreening

We hit seventy degrees here in Seattle-land today. The first for this year. Oh how glorious! 

So did we hike one of our majestic mountains or comb the beaches for more sealife?  Well that is on the list but not just yet. We have lots of spring cleaning keeping us hostage at home just as it is with the rest of the neighborhood it seems. For in the background we could hear the chatter of neighbours planting and the buzz of lawn mowers cutting througout the day.

Today we focused on degreening! Degreening moss and mildew that is!  Never in my years of being a homeowner did I think I'd have to clean the exterior walls of my home.  Please let there be a machine for this! So onto google where there's a site that promises a pressure washer will do the trick! Awesome! With a borrowed pressure washer in hand I'm dismayed to discover it does a lowsy job. It's a fun toy for every member of the family but not an effective tool unless you want to remove your paint off the siding.  Only bleach, a lot scrubbing will get the job done. So much so that the bleach burned away some of my fingerprints. Why am I still not wearing gloves? 

As I tackled the green on one side of the house, Joe removed the moss on the other side of the house.  There's a machine for that I told him! But he wouldn't even consider it! My man, the one who loved living in a high-rise apartment, who dreaded becoming of a homeowner because of the imminent work, has been enjoying the physical labor of the outdoors and the sense of accomplishment from handmade honest to goodness work.  

With all that energy of his, I wonder if I could ever convince him to build me a chicken coop! 

Being held hostage at home on a beautiful day, playing with water and with dirt, crossing one more thing off your to-do list and simply being together is actually a good way to spend a Sunday. 

Hope your weekend was well too!

 

 

 

Instagram

I follow a blog, Pioneer Woman. She is hosting an instagram contest and as I beheld the art and beauty in the photos that poured in I had to take a few moments out of my day to figure out how I could get me some instagram!

I'm loving it!!!

I especially love how instagram filters can take a common function of the day such as waiting in the car while Daddy buys his 10 35lb (my husband tells me I was way off!)  box of oranges from Cash n' Carry, a moment I would have forgotten in time, and turn it into a memorable and relevant moment.

A drive home on a lovely spring evening turns into a radiant piece of art.

A culinary surprise is captured and never forgotten. My friend served me up some homemade olive oil ice cream, served with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt. So rich and so creamy. 

The recipe is by David Lebovitz and can be found here in case you'd like to taste this bite from heaven for yourselves!

Way cool. Next time I forget my camera I won't hesitate to use my Instagram! 

Penrose Point Touch Tank

Penrose Point State Park is about a leisurely Grande White Mocha drive away from home but with about four, "are we there yet's?". 

During low tide, we can find a community of life under every rock, from the ever familiar sea star to the mysterious goo. So a rock turning we must go. But, ouch! Watch out for those barnacles. Let these two cuts in my hands remind us all to bring leather gloves on the next visit.

So back to rock hunting.

I followed Declan's lead as he shouted,  "Mom, Rock"

"Uhhh! Too big Declan! That's a Daddy rock!"

"Mom, Rock" He would command in his deep voice. "I can do this one!" Wow! the life we found.

These crabs cracked me up. They would flip over onto their backs to show off their pincers, as if to say, "beware, I am crab, I WILL PINCH" and pinch they did.  This one caught my boot. It took a couple of jerks to get him unpinched. 

But please don't worry. No harm came to the animals during the making of this blog post.

This one liked being petted.

Huh?

We saw a bunch of crabs in these little pools. Could they be laying eggs?

What is this goo?

And this?

Aaah! The ubiquitous sand dollar. I'm not feeling so ignorant now.

 

Another one of my favorite Declan sayings today, "Nene find sea star." She had to pick up every single one we found and demanded I take a picture of every single one of them. So if you think there's a lot of photos on this post today, please believe me when I say that I didn't upload close to half of them! 

What is this eel like thing? Colin asked me to make sure it didn't emit any electricity! Oh, so it's okay if Mommy gets shocked?!! I'm actually glad to do it for you my son.  No, no shock!  I think Colin was a little disappointed.

This was my favorite find of the day.  A red sea cucumber. What a glorious color!

Sea Vases. What an appropriate name!

Chiton (Black Katy perhaps?)

Turn it over for an orange surprise.

See the water squirting? I think those are either Razor Clams or Geoducks.  Whatever they were, they had some good fun with Colin and Nene. They got pretty wet with all their squirting although I think they enjoyed standing in their path!

Now, that's what I call a Science Class!

Zing Memoir

Our first attempt at seeding! We may have overdone it. Are we not supposed to use the whole packet of seeds?!

A Tulip Garden

The sun was out this morning and I knew it wouldn't last long. So, "quick kids! Everyone in the car! We're going to the park!"  It's a dream of mine to be able to say "quick kids, go play outside!" but since we live in the middle of the city on a quarter of an acre (and a quarter of that is on an unusable slope!), our outside time usually means a drive to a city park where the kids can run, explore and see the vivid signs of spring in bloom.

So today we visited the Rose Garden at Tacoma's Point Defiance Park.  

(We really didn't come to the Rose Garden to see roses though, after all it isn't rose season yet! Yes, I just recently learned that and yes, I was and still am horticulturally challenged.  I remember telling a dear forgiving friend in May how she needs to take better care of her daffodils, they're all dead!)

We did come to the Rose Garden in April to see the spectacular display of daffodils and tulips, though. Oh how lovely they were. Please enjoy them! And if you can imagine, think of a pretty robin chirping a lovely little tune for you. 

Too soon, it started to rain and my camera had to get tucked away in my raincoat.  Can you see the raindrops? Oh, the wetness! Why am I not surprised? April plus Seattle-land equals rain. But at least we made it out here and the soul was well, very well.

Have a joyous day!

 

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

My post, A Second Language, has been included in this month's Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.  The carnival is being hosted by North Laurel Home & School and features posts about how to incorporate Foreign Language into your homeschool curriculum.  Good Reading!

There's Freedom in Decluttering

I've been inspired to do some decluttering around the house lately. I'm decluttering toys, pantry cabinets, my clothes closet, the medicine cabinets, you name it! My motivation came from a book called, Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne.  She is convinced that less toys and less stuff in general creates order and stimulates focus in our childrens life. "Less" in our children's environment helps them (and us too) appreciate and value what we have and "less" even cultivates creative play and activity. That struck a chord with me.   I just can't do this book justice in my few short sentences and I'm only on Chapter 3. I hope at least this tiny description peaks your curiousity and you'd consider opening its pages too.

The last couple of days I tackled the arts and crafts cabinets that had evolved into a hodgepodge of stuff.  It's been so bad I've been avoiding opening the cabinets myself.  When the kids, Nene especially, let their creative juices flow with tape, scissors and papers, which is great, clean up equates to shoving all the materials into the dark corner, a deep abyss where who knows what gets buried for ages.    So with garbage bag in hand, I filled it up with scraps, broken toys, unused magnet Boards, bits and pieces of crayons, loads of half scribbled coloring books that no one has touched in ages, hard and brittle play dough, just to name a few items.  Now, it's a usable space again. We can find the fresh piles of paper and see the containers of crayons and pencils in one clean inviting shelf. 

But it's funny how some of the items I throw away always seem to find their way back out!  A musical car for example, the one with the incessant tra-la-la-la-la, the one with the battery that never ever runs out, unlike the essential flashlight that never works! It found its way back out of the donation bag. Or the one-hundredth dollar store sponge ball (this one still in its wrapper) that we own, it also found its way out when Declan pointed it out to Daddy who gladly retrieved it for him! Maybe they're like me when deciding to throw things away, "I know the jeans are too small but I'm sure I'll be able to fit into them one day! So I can't get rid of it yet!"

A lot of bags were taken out of the house and it truly felt liberating. There's an added energy in the home and I think the children feel it too. With some cleaned out areas and all their toys put away they surprised me with some clever new games and activities.  Does "simplicity therapy" work this fast!?

Nene created a dance partner, Joe Cracker (where did that name come from?!), out of a broom!

And they danced, and they danced, and they danced, and they danced!

Can you say carpet tennis?

Mommy's wooden spoons and a small ball equals at least an hour of fun. 

That little Declan has a mighty strong swing. 

I'm hoping these are just the beginning stages of our clutter-free, airy, peaceful and creative days!

 

A Dainty Pink Handbag

As I was crocheting Nene's Blossoming Hat, I thought the pattern would be a good foundation for a small handbag as well. So I went off on my own (a risk I tell you!) and widened the base until I made this nifty hexagonal shape.

I then crocheted six rows of the double crochet and three single crochets just like the hat but instead of finishing there I added another three double crochet rows with three single crochet rows to make it longer.  I really like how the pattern turned out, nice and simple.

Now to prevent the base from sagging I wanted something sturdy I could sew in. So I went to JoAnn's Fabric Store, all by myself! Joe took the kids to the park so I could roam the store and roam I did until I found some vinyl but the roll cost ten dollars, ten dollars for a six inch diameter circle, I just couldn't do it! But I needed something sturdy and flexible so I scoured the kids toys because I'm always wanting to throw half of them away and came across an empty container made of a workable plastic.  Voilà!  Not bad I say, recycling and pinching pennies all at the same time!

When I was roaming at JoAnns I was searching for some wooden handles but then I found these dainty silvery handles on clearance for just $1.97 ! So a change of plans were in order!

I gave this gift to Nene on the day of her birthday party and she didn't quite leap and bound as I had hoped and wished. I think my gift was competing too much with knitting kits and bohemian wrist bands!  But my little girl did leap and bound when I asked her to model the handbag. It was all worth it just to see my little performer!

 

 

Tea Time

If you ask Nene what her favorite part of the party was she'd tell you the opening of the presents. I'm sure she loved her friends, hosting, singing happy birthday, playing games and dancing too but as you can tell by one of the pictures below opening gifts is a favorite amongst all the girls.

If you were to ask me what my favorite part of the day I would think about seeing my little girl have a fun time with friends, being a polite hostess, watching her blush during the birthday song, letting other girls play the games first and not whining about being last, and dancing her heart out as if no one else was in the room.  But there was one favorite moment of mine.  It was before the party started, the boys had left to do their own thing and Nene and I were alone in the house, working side by side, mopping, vacuuming, setting the tables and curling hair.  And I was so filled and present with just my Nene.  

I can't get enough of that little girl of mine. I think I'll go give her just one more hug for today. 

 

 

 

A Pink Princess Girlie Cake

I've been absent from writing for the past two nights because I've been super-duper, over the top busy with the preparations of my Nene's birthday celebration. I've been planning games, grocery shopping, decorating, grocery shopping again because I just noticed the baking powder container is empty, washing tea cups and running to the grocery store yet again because I forgot the butter. I bet I could have been done last night if it hadn't been for all this trips to the grocery store, and being a Mommy of three I can't quite make these spontaneous trips.  Thank God for my great husband who was willing to help me find a way.  He was so much so a blessing  that here it is on the eve of the party and I'm able to steal a few minutes to visit you!

Last night was cake baking night, an exciting time for everyone evidenced by the fingers that kept finding their way into my bowl and the dibs on licking the spoons and mixers.  Yes, they were sugared out, or should I say sugar filled again. Just what we all needed five days after their Easter candy harvest!  But wait, there's more! Today for afternoon snack we ate pink icing. Oh, I'm such a bad Mommy!!

Nene wanted another Princess for her birthday cake. I had made one before for her 4th birthday celebration and used a marshmallow fondant.  Fondant or marzipan hasn't gone really well in my house, even when I use the professional kind, I get the same reaction, "yuck!" so buttercream icing it is. It may not be the smoothest and silkiest or even the prettiest but it sure does taste a whole lot better!

Here's the first one I made for Nene. I used the Wilton Wonder Mould Doll Pan and it's been collecting dust in the deepest darkest corner of my kitchen cabinet so I was thrilled when she asked for it again. Now I feel like I'm getting my money's worth!

Here is the cake for Nene's 6th birthday party. Thalia and Joe were wondering when I was going to finish it!! But I think it looks lovely and I kind of just want to stare it at after all this work. It's goint to be destroyed in a moment tomorrow and pooff!, my creation will be gone! You don't get that with knitting and crocheting now!

Colin and Nene helped out with the first steps!  Do I detect a couple of finger marks? Sure hope the people who eat this cake tomorrow don't read the blog tonight! Will they want to eat the cake knowing all the fingers (clean might I add) that have been in their food!? Oh, I'm sure it's the same at their house. Maybe we'll just call birthday cake eating spit sharing!

Here I am concentrating with all might to apply a couple hundred dots to this figure, my knees are aching from kneeling and my fingers and hands so cramped I can barely open them during rest time.  But really, I'm having fun! Really! Can't you tell!?

Just one more look at her again. 

Okay, I'm good. I just may let Nene finish her grown. After all, it is her party and her cake. 

 

Zing Memoir

Nene building a fort alongside this Douglas Fir. She didn't want to leave the park today for fear all her hard work (she ended up stacking up a lot more "big ones" but I didn't get a picture at that point) would be tumbled down by the wind. She's demanding we return tomorrow to see the state of her house!

Lessons on Loving our Land

Today loving our land starts with a walk of full hearted appreciation and enjoyment for all this life and growth that surrounds.   We take moments to notice...

❀ the skunk cabbages in beautiful bloom. With a name like that you'd think they would have the fowlest smell in the world but I actually love its aroma...  it's woodsy and homey all at the same time. But not everyone agrees with me. A lot of people have call it skunk cabbage for a purpose!

❀  not just one but a prolific bouquet growing in the swamp...

❀ the stinging nettles popping out of their winter graves, nuisances that they are. Here in the Northwest we don't have to worry about poison ivy but we do have to be vigilant of this bothersome itchy plant.  Still they're pretty to look at.

❀  water leaf...

❀ Aaah...the prelude to a salmonberry. We're all looking forward to snacking on these during our June hikes through the woods.

❀ and the always present false lily of the valley...

And now onto our second part of loving our land.  We have come to Meeker Creek, a tiny waterway that eventually feeds into the Puget Sound and which is surrounded by suburbia.  Pierce County Conservation District has been planting native plants on the edges of this creek to prevent the waterway from erosion and to block off people traffic.  All this is to protect the salmon that make their way up this little stream of all places.  It seems like such a whacky and unexpected spawning ground, doesn't it? It's literally, right in someone's backyard. I'd be okay if it were my backyard!

Our job today is to place mulch around the newly planted, pink ribboned trees and shrubs.  I didn't know this, because I'm a novice gardener but mulch can protect the plants by retaining moisture, minimizing weeds, insulating the soil during winter time, it improves soil fertility and drainage and lots more but I don't want to bore you.  I found it fascinating.

While I acted as a wall to prevent Declan from falling into the stream because he was insistent on playing roly-poly on the banks, the kids worked hard.  They carried these loaded buckets of mulch and dumped them around the plant making a ring in the center as to let the roots breathe.  They were spectacularly filthy with dirt and mulch at the end and I must say they were very proud of volunteering to conserve our lovely land, as their Mommy was too. 

I Met a Sheep Today

Raising children is the greatest self-improvement tool in existence that I know of.

As a Mommy I'm always being challenged to use tact and remain calm, forced to think quickly and judiciously and reminded to deploy my lifeline... prayer and consistency.

As a Mommy, "self" has apparated and now I'm self-lessly obsessed with my children. Obsessed with their safety, obsessed with guarding their hearts and minds. Obsessed with igniting their potential. And, I love it that way. I don't miss "self" in the least because this calling is beyond self-fulfilling.

As a Mommy, I've learned to not only become a morning person but to love those early hours to plan the upcoming day, meditate, pray and refuel and also to prepare so when my little ones wake up, they are greeted with a cheery smile and some warm milk.

As a Mommy, I've metamorphosized from a city girl into a nature lover pointing out every insect, bird or tree, magnifying the outdoor potential within these city limits.

As a Mommy, I've tolerated the painfully cold weather (ok so maybe it was in the thirties but when you're born and raised in Brazil anything under fifty is considered painful!) when hiking in the park or the cold waters in the YMCA during my babies' swim lesson. Never in a million years would I have deliberately swam in those waters if it weren't for the joy of seeing my babe splash, paddle and jump in the pool.

As I raise these three precious children it's ironic how they have been such character-builders for their own Mommy. I'm not the same person I was then and I'm so grateful that through them I've become bolder and more confident and that thanks to them and my relationship with Jesus Christ, I'm discovering life and that more abundantly!  What does that mean to me? Discovering life is all about doing for others and right now my children are in love with the simple things such as eating dough as I'm kneading homemade bread, seeding a vegetable garden, petting a dog or holding chickens and hiking in our state parks.   So these days I find myself dreaming of a more intimate life with God's creation so I can share it with my children. 

It is now close to eight years after the birth of my first child, and  I'm staring at this beautiful black faced sheep and a tad shocked at the thoughts going through my head? "Why in the world would I want a sheep? Didn't I want to be a nine-to-five jet setter a decade ago?  Crud!  Just look at how the kids adore him!"  Perhaps some day...

 

 

Celebrating Life

Happy Ressurection Sunday!  We did a lot of celebrating around here this weekend.  

And, a lot of sliding....

Some training...(if that's not a word, we'll just pretend it is!)

A little bit of waiting...

Some hunting... but mainly a lot of sugaring (another word I'll make up today!)

Alot of spring sunshining.....

A lot of decorating...

And a lot of preparation....(Nene squeezed the mandarin juice on the automatic juicer herself. She's such a great help, sometimes! Other times she tries to be a help, well, if you're a Mommy you know, right?)

 

There was also a lot of eating, family visiting and lots of worshipping on this the most significant day in history.  

Wishing you a wonderful Easter from our family to yours!

Nene's Blossoming Hat

This is one of my many favorite pictures of Nene when she was much smaller. The picture is a tad blurry but her adorable-ness makes up for all of Mommy's photography imperfections.  And, the hat, doesn't it just accentuate her precious little self!

That was four years ago and my Nene has long outgrown the hat.  It was a hand-me-down from someone, I wish I could remember who, and I've been on the lookout for a similar one for a long time.  But now that I know how to crochet (at the time of the picture I didn't know the difference between knitting, crochet or anything else!) it's about time I got making her a hat that's fit for someone so pretty and lovely as she is.

Thanks to Ravelry.com I found this pattern.  I used 100% cotton from "Sugar n' Cream", worsted 4-ply. It's a little tight on her just like I wanted it to be because it will soon stretch a little.  For the flower I used a Easy Pretty Rose Pattern I found on You Tube.

But putting the hat aside for now, I can't help but just looking at her! I love you, baby girl.

 

A Second Language

Wouldn't it be idyllic to learn two or more languages simultaneously, considering each tongue your own, knowing the slang and nuances and claiming them all as your mother tongue?  I was blessed to be brought up in this "perfect" environment. I was born and raised in Brazil where I was introduced to both English and Portuguese concurrently.  I spoke English at home, I attended the American school and I had many American friends. But at home, I also spoke Portuguese with the maids and nannies,and I attended the Brazilian school after my mandatory American schoolday was over, and I also had many Brazilian friends.

In my unique situation learning a second language was natural and even though I can't reproduce that environment for my children now that my home is in the U.S.A, is it still possible to instill a sense of pride and enthusiasm for their heritage and for the Portuguese language?  (Anyone know a Brazilian nanny in the Seattle area? Just kidding! On second thought, that sounds like a great idea!)

Rather than teaching my children a foreign language, I'm hoping for a closer connection. I'm hoping to teach them a second language.  But is this realistic when we're thousands away from the Brazil and we have no plans to visit it in the near future? I do hope so! Thanks to Miss Mason's advice of creating habits and in the case of foreign language study, creating the habit of listening and speaking on a daily basis, I know my children will one day speak fluently. It all comes down to habit, doesn't it?

Firstly, I need to remain committed to speaking Portuguese at home (fortunately my husband doesn't mind, he figures if it's something important I'll translate!).  And for those who don't speak another language fluently, let the word be spoken through media (I'll suggest some resources below).  Starting when your children are infants and toddlers is the best time to do so. We all know how they're such little sponges.  But then when their world starts broadening and they become aware that not everyone around them speaks Portuguese, this is when it starts getting challenging. But stay firm, continue playing the songs or dvds even though it sometimes feels like swimming agains the current! So much so that your muscles ache and you want to give up.  For example, when I started homeschool lessons with my oldest child a couple of years ago, he suddenly realized Mommy can speak English to him! So he started speaking back to me in English even though I continued to speak in Portuguese.  Slowly, I became discouraged and over the years,  I've noticed myself answering back in English and that's when it's time to lay out those rails again like Miss Mason encourages us, to start swimming upstream again and then I find myself back onto easy days of speaking Portuguese with them at the kitchen table, in the car and while tucking them into bed.

Search out friends.  A great way to meet people is through Meetup.com.  We have a group here in Seattle-land that meets at least once a month just to have the opportunity to speak Portuguese.  I have been blessed to develop sincere and close relationships with other Brazilian Moms in the area. They are dear, dear women who have been like an extended family to ours.  Even our children have formed close relationships with each other, but do they speak Portuguese with each other?! Nope! 

One of my favorite ways of keeping Portuguese alive in our house is through music.  And oh, is the music good!  My favorite resource is to use the free radio from itunes.  I can find top 40, bossa nova, and religious channels 24/7.  I used to search out Brazilian radio stations with live streaming but I found the itunes connection much better.

Books! Books! Books! If anyone ever wants to give my kids a present, please, please give them Portuguese books.  There isn't an easy way to buy books directly from Brazil, believe me I've tried! So when my friends or family are visiting Brazil or Portugal I jump (yes, I do! So sorry for the hassle!) on them, give them cash and beg them to bring home books. And of course being a Charlotte Mason devotee, my list is all twaddle-free!

Another avenue for acquiring books is through your local library.  Here in the Northwest we don't have a huge population of Brazilians so there aren't any Portuguese bookstores or a stash of Portuguese children's literature at my local library. But there are tons of Brazilians and Portuguese in the East Coast which means their libraries are stacked with Portuguese stories. I use World Cat to request inter-library loans. Not all requests are processed but for the main part I've had great success with them.

Another approach I take, and I'm sure Miss Mason would approve when used sparingly, is You Tube!  I've been able to find some great TV shows or music videos.  This past Christmas we played Bate o Sino, a Brazilian version of Jingle Bells, so many times my Nene was actually singing it.  I will treasure that memory.

My children dive into the books, dance to the music but it's the food I think they love the most!  Rice and Beans is their all time favorite food, that and brigadeiros (a Brazilian form of truffle).  We are blessed to have a Brazilian grocery store in the Seattle-area, Kitanda where I can pick up typical Brazilian ingredients like farinha and guava jelly.  Hmmm! A taste of home.

Another suggestion is to celebrate the holidays.  In Brazil, we have some historically significant holidays such as "Tiradentes" and then we have some that were always my favorite, "Chidren's Day" and "Bumba-Meu-Boi".  The preparation for some of these holidays can sometimes be as busy and intense as our traditional U.S.A.holidays so I haven't quite committed to these yet.  Maybe if I pick out one a year I'll actually get around to doing it!

With all these efforts, I'm happy to say that even though my children aren't consistently speaking Portuguese they understand me perfectly.  But I have hope, hope that one day they will consider Portuguese their second language and fall in love with Brazil as much as they love their U.S.A.  In the meantime, I'll cherish this advice one my Brazilian friends offered.  Keep speaking to them even if they don't speak back.   She too raised up children who didn't embrace their Brazilian heritage. They refused to speak Portuguese with her but she stayed committed and firm and kept on speaking Portuguese with them. When they were about eighteen they finally visited Brazil and apparently it took them only two weeks!! to pick up the language.  Not only were they speaking it but they were speaking with little to no accent.

That's so inspiring for me and I hope it inspires you too!

 

 

 

 

Pantry Lentil Soup

My dinner ideas for the week have run out and I don't want to go grocery shopping until tomorrow. So what to do....what to do?  We've all this done this, yes? I go through this at least once a week. Think, think, think! But most of the time nothing comes to mind and I'm sorry to admit this but I usually fall back on the old faithful of pb&j. Please tell my you do this too!  But every once in awhile I come up with a keeper like tonight's recipe.

Here is the small story of its conception!

So here I am again. No dinner plans. What's in the fridge? A half eaten roasted chicken.  Hmmmm! I can make some homemade chicken stock.  Soup is in order for tonight then. So what's in the pantry, any noodles? Nope but I have lentils.  Of course lentil soup!  Do I have any fresh looking vegetables hiding in the refrigerator.  Oh thank God for hearty kale. Anything else? Well, these caramelized onions have been begging to be used for over a week. Could it work?

Yes it can and yes it did! OMG this was Deeee-licious. Add a slice of homemade bread and the pot will be clean.

Pantry Lentil Soup

6 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups green lentils (it's all I had left!)

1 cup cooked chicken

1 cup kale (torn into tiny pieces so the kids won't notice them!)

caramelized onions 

sour cream

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and pour in the lentils. Simmer lentils for about an hour, until lentils are soft.  Add chicken and kale and allow to warm through.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with a spoonful of warm caramelized onions and a dollop of sour cream.

I hope you try it and I hope you like it as much as we did!

 

Seeding

As we were planting seeds today Nene said, "Seeding is fun"! I didn't know "seeding" was a word until I heard Nene say it and she's right it is a word and yes, it is fun! Sort of, that is!

I anticipated the excitement and gusto for our little task today so I prepped my kiddos with precise instructions. " We're going to spread the dirt and poke holes with our fingers and place a few seeds in a time.  And, we're working one package at a time so we can label them." Everything was going well. Colin and Thalia had had their fill of writing out the labels, and then they went straight to seeding but I was abruptly distracted by my two year old who had discovered one of the permanent markers and wrote on our courtyard stone...our costly Pennsylvania bluestone that took my husband a whole year to mason and lay!!!  I scrambled to scrub it out before the sun baked it in but in my panic I forgot I had left two pairs of little hands busy at their work.  When I returned this is what I found

whereas this is what I had in mind!

But this is going to be interesting! It looks like a lot of seeds may have been clumped into one hole but we're going to let it germinate for the next few weeks and play some guessing games as to what plant is growing where.

Oh well! I'm just going with the flow here.  How can a Mommy be anything but pleased with her children's zeal and ambition for working with seeds and soil.  

There's never a dull dull moment when you're seeding with kids!  I'll look at it this way, I'm sure to learn sproutling identity!

This Hat Be Stylin'!

I love this design!  I found it through Ravelry on Rachel Iufer's blog.  Girl, you're good!  She starts the base of the hat with the seed stitch, (which of course was another new pattern for me!) and it simply creates a checkerboard by alternating between knit and purl stitches.  Then she completes the hat with the "stockinette" stitch which is another fancy term for the knit stitch when knitting in the round. But the main attraction is the oversize button that makes this a hip hat!

I chose this light blue, 100% Peruvian Wool from Cascade Yarns, because I had this in mind for someone who just celebrated a March birthday and I thought it would look lovely with her blue eyes. If the children cooperate, I'll be mailing it tomorrow. I have to! I'm running out of cool days for it to be worn!