7 Quick Takes + A Giveaway!

--1--
A lot of people have a bucket list called "30 before 30" or something similar. I don't have a list like that, but one thing that seems to be a recurring idea is to make sure you go to a concert of a favorite band or artist. As I was reading this point on someone's list, I thought to myself, well, it would have to be someone I really like for me to get to a concert. (Being more of an introvert, not particularly liking huge crowds, plus the issue of babysitting...)

So, to make a long story short...

I am so excited to see The Piano Guys with David! If you haven't heard of them, you should go check them out! I have been a fan of theirs for a long time. I've even played some of Jon Schmidt's piano music. A big thanks to David's parents for gifting us the tickets and offering to babysit our troop while we enjoy an awesome date!

--2--
So my wonderful mother-in-law just got back from a trip to Canada/US and, as always, offered to bring some things back for me. Without thinking I asked for some chocolate chips for baking. (Not available here or cost prohibitive :)) Unfortunately I didn't realize just how hot it was going to be when she came back. Let's just say my chocolate chips are a little less like chips and more like a, um, block? Nothing a little fridge time can't cure though. :) I may just have to eat some of the more melted ones.

--3--
Poor Elena is going through a tough time, being in the middle of the family. Not quite big enough to keep up with Lucas and often bears the brunt of his teasing. Now at times she is also tormented by the twins; they love crawling all over her if she lies down on the floor.

--4--
What do you do when your babies start crying? Especially if you can't pick them up or attend to them right away? In our house there seems to be a special quality to one particular children's song that just quiets my babies down right away. I'm not sure what it is about "The Wheels on the Bus" - but it works like a charm every. single. time. (It also means I sing this song a lot!)

--5--
While many people in the northern hemisphere are suffering through lots of winter storms, we are having a rather hot summer here. And what's better on a hot day than a nice slice of watermelon?

--6--
Did you know this week was Random Acts of Kindness week? Neither did I, until I read a friend's blog. Anyways, do something random and kind for someone today.

--7--

Here's my random act of kindess - a "random" Giveaway for a $15 Amazon Gift card. Use the rafflecopter below to enter. For an extra entry, like us on Facebook. Should a US resident win, they will receive an amazon.com gift card, a Canadian will will an amazon.ca gift card.  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Twilight Zone*

Bright lights overhead, loss of sensation. Dark blue drape cloths, a barrier broken.

New life emerges, cries break the silence of the cold theatre. Time slows, hours slip by drip by drip.

Winding hallways, stark white walls. Rest.

Day becomes night, night becomes day. Snatches of sleep. Glimpses of perfection, awe at the creation of tiny beings.

Long, slow, painful walks. Recovery. Life-sustaining nourishment - one to another.

Life-long bonds created, cherished moments anticipated, the miracle of life celebrated.

Leila and Lisa - 5 days old

*AKA - surviving the first week with twins...

An Open Letter

via

To Whom it may Concern:
Do I really have to clean the house today? You know in five minutes it will be just as messy, if not messier than before.

Why is it so expensive to fly these days? I'd really just love to hop on a plane and visit my parents for a while. Never mind how tricky it would be to fly with my two toddlers across two continents...

Speaking of toddlers, why do mine get up so early? I mean, come on, anytime before 6:00am just isn't cutting it for this mom. What can I do? They go to bed at 8:00 - 8:30...

The best gift I could get right now would be an hour to myself with a grand piano and all my sheet music. Pure. Bliss. (Or 4 plane tickets to Canada, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here...)

On a more realistic note, the phone call from the furniture store this morning totally made my day. Our new sofa is being delivered next week! One tiny little love-seat just can't fit our family any more.

Happy Friday Everyone!

65 Followers, 65 Facts

I have a really hard time writing about myself. You'd think it would be easy since I'm probably the person that knows me the best, but it stumps me every time.

Since I really started blogging regularly and trying to grow my little blog, I've got a lot of new followers who don't know me from Eve. And because I'm still working on a super duper "about me" page, in honor of my 65 followers, here are 65 facts about me. (Don't worry there are also some photos to keep you interested)

1. I do not have citizenship to the country I was born in.

2. I have citizenship from a country I have lived less than half my life in. 

3. I am, however, proud to be Canadian. 

4. I prefer hot weather to cold.

5. The part of my body I like the most: my eyes

6. I studied classical piano from the age of 5 up to university level.

7. I love playing piano in the dark, and something feels missing from my life when I don't have one at home.

8. I used to read books upside down when I was a kid. 

9. I am a serious candy addict. (specifically the gummy varieties, and anything licorice)

10. I hate confrontation. 

11. I am an introvert.

12. I pierced my own ear with only a piercing stud in high school.

13. I love "con" movies like Oceans Eleven and Catch Me if you Can. 

14. I don't really appreciate sarcastic humor. 

15. I have been married for seven years.

16. I hate grammar errors like "your" and "you're". 

17.  I love shopping at thrift stores and finding hidden treasures. 

18.  I would redecorate my house every year if I could. 

19. Hubby and I have moved six times since we got married. 

20. I have been trying to learn Portuguese since 2004.

21. I am seriously jealous of my hubby's bilingualism. 

22. I love wearing scarves.

23. I went to boarding school for seven years. 

24. I love the beach. 

25. We had two wedding ceremonies - Canada and Brazil. 

Brazil      -     Canada

26. I had to have a root canal on my honeymoon. 

27. I was definitely a tomboy growing up.

28. I loved climbing trees and people watching. 

29. I love traveling, and have a log book of almost all my flights. 

30. I am not a good dancer.

31. I love taking naps.

32. I have two amazing, adorable and crazy children.

33. I am having a hard time losing the baby belly. 

34. I wear a toe ring all the time.

35. I would wear flip flops all year round if I could.

36. I am a third generation missionary. 

37. I love Jesus and try to live my life in a way that honors Him. 

38. I go through tea and coffee phases.

39. I don't really like wine. 

40. But I love a good piña colada. 

41. I love swimming. 

42. I would love to be an interior decorator. 

43. I finished my undergrad degree in four years and am done with school.

44. I like to be in control.

45. I am a perfectionist, but by no means a perfect one. 

46. I am a procrastinator. 

47. I have so many words/ideas in my head and they never sound as good on paper as they do in my head.

48. I love symmetry and balance.

49. I don't usually cry at sad shows or movies (unless I'm pregnant)

50. I refuse to watch horror movies.

51. I am having a hard time thinking of more things to write. I should have done this at 50 followers. :)

52. I am a pretty laid back, adaptable person. 

53. I like to know what the plan is, if there is no plan, I'll make one. 

54. I don't feel like a grown up yet, and I'm almost 30!

Playing with the kids and their cousin

55. I love designing all kinds of print material, but am not a really good artist. 

56. I have had stitches twice in the same place on my face. 

57. So far I have only broken one bone in my body. 

58. I love board games like Settlers and Ticket to Ride.

59. My hubby and I can't play the two-player version of Settlers, too much marital strife. But we love other card games. 

60. I don't have a lot of time for reading, but I love books. 

61. I am generally happy and not too moody.

62. I like lists, can you tell?

63. I wear glasses

64. I am extremely impressionable when it comes to food. Just saw a blog with a photo of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and now I'm craving them!

65. I sleep on the right side of the bed.  

Congrats on making it to the end! Aren't you glad I didn't wait until 100 followers? ;)

Children's Week at Pre-School

As I mentioned on Monday, the kids had all kinds of special things planned for them by the teachers at their pre-school to celebrate Children's Day which is tomorrow. Their patience at taking photos only lasted for the first day but I did manage to get a few of them in their various outfits for the different days.

Crazy hair day!

Pyjama day - Lucas in Backyardigans and Elena in a Princess set.
Side note: my kids L.O.V.E. the Backyardigans, they ask to watch it at least twice a day, and I could probably sing you a song from every. single. episode.  

Dress-Up Day - A princess and Superman. You can tell Lucas was really not into taking photos on this day! 

Mismatch day - two very different plaids with mismatched shoes. 

Mismatch day - flowers, dots, stripes and mismatched shoes.

The kids had a great week, and even though I picked out all their clothes, they enjoyed wearing something different each day, and it also gave me a few days to wash all their uniforms. Tomorrow they have the day off school, and hopefully the presents they get in the morning will keep them occupied for a good few hours. I can hope, right?

Meet the Geek

In our family, the title of geek is usually reserved for my hubby, a web developer, sci-fi guy, lover of comics, GI Joes, MMORPGs and the like. Of course, he is also tall, dark, handsome, funny, sensitive and an awesome daddy. But this post is not about him. It's about a little of the geek in me that helped draw us together.

1. I can totally rock the glasses and high-bun librarian chic look.
2. I love spreadsheets and planners.
3. Don't get me started on common grammatical and spelling errors like your and you're.
4. I am a huge perfectionist when it comes to my design work. One pixel off and I will notice if something is off-center.
5. I love playing puzzle games like sudoku.
6. When I wash my kid's plastic colored dishes, they get stacked in the drying rack like a rainbow. Always.
7. I love symmetry. When I open our living room window, each side gets opened the same amount. None of this opening one side or anything.
8. My hubby totally turned me into an Apple convert. Only Macs for me, thanks.
9. I once spent a few hours on a bus learning to sing the alphabet backwards.
10. I love checklists, and sometimes write down things I've already done, just so I can cross them off.

So? Do I give my hubby a run for the title of family geek?

(And yes, I've re-read this post like five times to make sure I have no spelling/grammar errors)

The "Whys"

Yes, we have hit that dreaded stage, the "why" stage, with our oldest. Ack! Mom is supposed to have all the answers, right? At least we are to let them believe that for as long as we possibly can. And how do we do that? By answering all. their. questions.

On average we get about five "whys" in any given conversation. Here's one that happened recently, as we were watching fish, waiting for our car to get pulled out of the parking lot (yay for cheap valet in Brazil - super nice when you have a big car on narrow roads and don't want to try to parallel park.)

via

Lucas: Can I touch it?
Me: No, Lucas.
Lucas: Why?
Me: Because the fish needs to be in water, so you can't take it out.
Lucas: But why?
Me: Because if you take the fish out, it will flop all over the place. Fish need water to live.
Lucas: But why?
Me: Because they swim in the water and if you take it out, it can't swim.
Lucas: But....
Me: No buts, let's get out of here! (distraction technique at it's finest)

Sometimes I think he also has the memory of a fish because I swear we had that conversation at least three times while we waited for our car.

Now, I don't want to brush off my kid and abruptly end every conversation that starts with "why". I want to encourage a love of learning, and it starts with being able to ask questions. I never want my kids to think they can't ask me something. So I try to answer as simply and briefly as possible so he will understand, and stay patient while repeating things over and over and over.

But I don't have all the answers, no surprise there. I do have some questions of my own though.

Why do kids choose the most inopportune moment to have a potty crisis?

Why do kids think the toilet bowl is a good alternative to the sink for washing hands?

Why do kids put everything into their mouth? (including previously mentioned "potty hands")

Why do kids wake up just as you're ready for bed, lights out, teeth brushed and dozing off? It's like they have special radar or something.

Most of these questions remain in my mind, probably never to be answered, but my kids are also the target of "why" questions, usually this one:

"Lucas, why did you do that?"

As my kids get older, develop a better grasp on their language, communication and knowledge, I have an idea as to how to deal with the "whys"...

Lucas: Mommy, why is the sky blue?
Me: Why do you think the sky is blue?
Lucas:...
Me: :)

Share your "why" questions (yours or your kids) in the comments!

Wordless Wednesday - Hair Dilemma

A short hair history

1. At a wedding in Jan 2006

2. Maybe my favorite hair cut ever - Feb 2006 

3. Color faded/grew out - July 2006

Kept my hair pretty short and alternated between natural blond and red, 

then left it to grow out as I was expecting Lucas - 2008

 4. With Lucas (2 months old) - Feb 2009

5. Cut again - July 2009

6. Starting to grow out - November 2009

7. Elena is born, back to the pony tail - Aug 2010

8. At Elena's first birthday - Aug 2011

9. Elena is 18 months - Feb 2012

10. It's getting long and CRAZY! Aug 2012

11. Sept 2012

12. An unusual digression from my usual messy bun.

All this to say - What now? I am a pony-tail girl, but can't stand having my hair against my neck, so it's always pulled into a messy bun. It's getting too long for that now and keeps coming out. I am debating a return to the super short cut (see photo 2). I may even be able to get some money for my (rare in Brazil) long naturally blond hair. 

PS. I don't think I've EVER posted this many photos of me on this blog! 

A Children's Dozen

I'm sure you've all heard the expression, "A Baker's Dozen" - meaning 13 (or rarely 14) instead of the usual 12 we would count in a dozen.

Now I've come to discover that with kids, a dozen is more likely to be only 11 - thus, the "children's dozen".

Let me explain. We have lots of wonderful toys; cars, dolls, stuffed animals, balls, blocks and books. And then there are the toys that come in a set of 12; a set of 12 books, 12 flash cards, 12 stacking cups.

Here's where we run into trouble. These sets of 12 rarely stay that way. Here are three sets that have become a children's dozen:

Dr. Seuss Concept Cards
The fate of the 12th card was sealed when Elena learned she could fold it in half. It didn't last long after that. What color is missing?




















The Stackable Cups
We love this set that Lucas got from Aunt Charissa. While we lost a cup, at least it was the top one so we can still make an awesome tower. I wonder if there is any way to replace the one missing cup?



















The Set of Books

A lovely set of books (and our much-loved monitor nestled in between) with a set of colors and a set of shapes. It pains my perfectionist heart to have five on one side and six on the other. Since we got this as a used set, we have no idea where the lost circle book is. :(










Of course, the kids have no problem with a lost toy here and there, it's really just my problem.
Well, at least we've still got all 26 books from our Baby Einstein Alphabooks set! Let's see how long it lasts (Elena got it for her first birthday)

What I love about our not-so-new apartment

I love that the kids room is right across the hall from ours,

I love that David and I have our own bathroom,

I love that there is a window between the kitchen and dining/living room,

I love that we have a varanda,

I love the quiet street and the bakery across the road,

I love the view and the gorgeous morning sun that streams in through the window,

I love that Lucas' preschool is right next door,

Lots to be thankful for!

One man's trash...

One of my favorite things to do on a sunny, summer Saturday morning is to check out the local garage sales for hidden treasures. There is something so redemptive about being able to take something old, used and battered and find a new purpose for it. That's why I love shopping at used stores; there is always something just waiting to be discovered and given a new lease on life.

So it surprised me when I came to Brasil and couldn't easily find a used store. It was about a year and a half before my mother-in-law's hairdresser mentioned a used household store just down the road from their apartment. It is now almost a bi-weekly stop for me as I walk back from my Portuguese class. The name for this kind of store in Portuguese is "brechó" and now that I've learned that word, I've already seen two stores in our city.

We managed to furnish half our house with furniture found at used furniture stores, and considering that we're not planning to have it forever and we have kids, why bother investing in expensive stuff that will be "used" the minute you set it up at home? The "things" that make you happy are really not "things" at all. It's the experience of shopping with your hubby for your own house; it's the thrill of finding that "perfect" piece that you weren't even looking for; it's the story behind the wood and metal, it's teaching your kids that what really matters is people, relationships and connection and that happiness is not about having new things or filling your life with stuff.

Last weekend we went to a school's annual community sale, where teachers have an opportunity to sell things (we don't have garage sales here) and we had a great time as a family. We pushed through the crowds, enjoyed a snack, and came away with a few treasures.

As we were driving back home, I saw this graffiti on the street and it is just perfect for this post. It's the saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" in Portuguese.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

5 Years Ago Today...

I know you can't tell from the photo above, but that is me receiving my University Diploma on April 29th, 2006. The photo pretty much sums up my memories of the occasion, fuzzy and blurry on the edges. It was, of course, one of the milestones in my life, one I will never repeat. In thinking back to that weekend which seems so long ago, I went through my photos and some great memories popped back into my mind...

My whole family drove over from Calgary to Langley, BC and crashed in our tiny two bedroom basement suite. Hubby and I had been married only 10 months when we graduated together. My parents took the futon and the siblings all slept on the floor. (Can you tell we are a missionary family? ;))

This photo was taken at the annual Grad banquet which takes place a few weeks before Graduation. My two friends and I were all in the same dorm in our first year. The rest, as they say, is history...

Here you can actually tell it's me in the photo, walking down the aisle having received my "diploma" - actually a sheet of paper (inside a beautiful folder) that says "if you really managed to complete all your classes, we'll mail your diploma to you."

All the music majors with our professors.

So, given that momentous occasion, what have I done with my life since? Well, let's see...

I've lived on three continents,

Worked three official jobs and several unofficial ones,

Celebrated 5 years of marriage,

Given birth to two wonderful kids,

Traveled to 10 different countries on four continents

and still only know one language! (well, I'm working on changing that one.)

And I probably thought about Graduation day once or twice. 

In the next five years I hope to...

Finally finish paying off my student loans (!!!)

Travel around this new continent I find myself on,

Achieve a reasonable level of Portuguese,

Watch my kids grow up and start school.

Lots to look back on and lots to look forward to!

Experimental post

I've had a few blog posts running around in my head these past few days, and haven't exactly kept to my "just do it" plan! One of my big reasons (i.e excuses) is that I can't upload photos into my blog posts from my iPad. So, procrastinator extraordinaire that I am, I've been searching for an iPad app that gives me that option! So this is my test post from the Monarch app. Its a free app that I'm trying out. I always try to get away with using a freebie, but I wonder if I bought one, if that would help my inspiration?

Here is painting I found when searching in google for an image to add to this post. I only got a little distracted by reading the article that it came from! Hmmm, distraction is a good theme to blog about in relation to procrastination now, isn't it?

Procrastinator extraordinaire!

Yup, that's me. After all, this post was supposed to happen sometime in January - actually close to the beginning of the month. You know, the one where you write about all the resolutions you're going to keep this year... Well, I wanted to blog more...but it hasn't really worked out so far, but here I go and really, it's only February!

I'm sitting in bed, the kids are asleep and I'm wondering why it has taken me so long to get down to blogging, I mean it's not that hard, right? In fact, it's taken me a good 10 minutes to convince myself that I should just start writing, with my brain coming up with all sorts of random excuses such as; it's getting late, it's hard to type on an iPad, I really need to cut my nails (yes, a super lame excuse) and so on.

This has made me think about other areas of my life and how we can get into habits of procrastinating that seem to build up until it really becomes a problem. You know the things I'm talking about - leaving the dishes overnight, not taking the extra 5 seconds to put your clothes away, checking facebook just once more before settling down to do a task. The more we allow ourselves to "get away with" putting something off, the more we are robbing ourselves of a productive and satisfying life. The days when I am busiest are usually the ones that are the most satisfying.

The other issue I think I have with blogging, for example, is that I think about it too much and build up a huge expectation in my mind - maybe I am a perfectionist too! So when I sit down to write and it doesn't come out the way I have imagined it, I just give up. And again am left with nothing! I see this in other areas of my life, but more on that later,...maybe.

So, procrastinator and perfectionist that I am, this year I will strive to embody the Nike slogan, "just do it" and stop thinking and planning so much.

And now I'm off to cut my nails, because it really is hard to type on an iPad with long nails!

Toddlerhood...

You know you're a mother of a toddler when...

1. You're very glad that you're no taller than 5 foot 8 so you can easily reach that hand that is grabbing up for yours,
2. You never wear heels that are more than an inch and a half because they make you too tall (see #1),
3. You make up songs about pee pee time, bath time, lunch time and every other time in-between,
4. Sleeping in means 7:30,
5. You are ambidextrous by necessity,
6. You cut up your food into bite-sized pieces so you can feed two mouths at the same time (see #5),
7. You could change a diaper with your eyes closed, but don't because it's too dangerous,
8. You've already got in an hour of exercise by 8:00am and you weren't even trying,
9. You can't wait for nap time and hope to keep it going till your kid goes to school,
10. You barely have time to write down a 10 point list, let alone think of #10!