mom-mode post #92 - on hot days and cooking

let me tell ya, these days the weather in our city has been extremely hot. And like I've said before, there are no beaches around here. We also don't have a neighborhood pool. There's no breeze during the day. And did I mention there's no AC in our apartment? But who's complaining? Hubby and have done the occasional "escape the heat" trip to the mall. But most days we just turn on all the fans, plop O on his super duper pool and just hope for night time to come.
Needless to say, I have been doing very minimal cooking on the stove. So here are some recipes we have been enjoying these hot days:

Chicken Pesto Croissant Sandwich:

1. 1 chicken breast cooked, shredded and seasoned to taste
2. 1 1/2 tablespoon of pesto sauce ( you can make it yourself, but since I've killed my basil plant, I bought it ready at the grocery store)
3. Cheese of your preference
4. 4 Croissants or I guess you could get a tortilla and make a wrap out of it.

Assemble the sandwiches and enjoy!

I've also tried out my mom-in-law's frozen coffee drink, but I've forgotten the recipe so I made it like this:

1 cup of brewed coffee
2 tablespoons of sugar
3-4 scoops of chocolate ice cream.
Throw everything in a blender. Done.

mom- mode post #91 - on (what do you know!) my first award.

I received The Versatile Blogger Award from Sofia's World

My first award, how exciting!In order to fully accept the award I must:

1) Thank the person who gave me the award. Thanks Sofia!! I write this little blog for my friends and family to get an insight on what life has been like as a new mommy. Glad you have enjoyed the read.

2) Share seven things about ourselves.

3) Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs, and let the nominees know about the award.

Seven things about me: 

• I live in a far far away country away from everyone I love and it hurts everyday.
• I speak Portuguese, English, Spanish, I've forgotten all of my German and Turkish is kicking my butt ( can I say butt on a family blog? Maybe I should say behind. Kicking my behind.)
• I miss teaching. Well, I miss my kiddos I used to teach. Most of them are in Middle School now. I pray and wish that they are defying all the odds and are being successful. 
• Speaking of things I miss, I miss Target. Lame I know, but I do.
• Another thing I miss? Summer days in my beautiful hometown. 
• I love fashion and I love going shopping with people and helping them find their style.
• I'm still trying to figure out life here and some days culture shock still gets the best of me.

And...I would like to nominate the blogs below because they are on my blogfeed and I read them often... Unfortunately I do not know of 15 new blogs to nominate, so I nominate 8  :


1. Momfessions
2. Saco de Farinha

3. Gringuinhos
5. Comer para Crescer
6. Aventuras de uma familia na Europa
7. My busy home
8. The Lewii



Congrats!

mom-mode post # 90 - on a little growing perspective

O @ 2 weeks of life (and then)

O @ 5 months (now)

Now and then:
Boy oh boy how life has changed. Os is a growing, active, smiling little baby boy. No longer a sleepy, hungry little newborn.
Then he used to eat every two hours, was still learning the difference between night and day and I felt like so inadequate as a new mommy. Learning everything from taking care of a belly button, giving him a bath and what was the most adequate feeding position.
Now he eats some solids ( with gusto!), thrives on his daily routine and I don't feel quite so inadequate anymore. We are on a groove, O and I. I know him more and more each day. And with every new week hew develops a new little cry, a new little trick, a sweet new smile.:) Hubby and I are just so in love with this little guy with his chubby legs and toothless smile.

Here's to what five months can bring. A new perspective in life. Life is most definitely different, most definitely challenging, most definitely wonderful.

mom-mode post # 89 - on daddy's birthday

So I'm a month late on this post. Life has been... busy, challenging, exciting.
We celebrated hubby's birthday with a simple lunch out at a new western restaurant with found in town that sells burgers and that doesn't start with Burger and end with king ( see pic)
A couple of weeks later we celebrated with an all out american cook out with turks, canadians, a brazilian (moir!) and the guest of honor, an american.:)
I even busted out a special yellow cake mix and cream cheese frosting. I wish I had taken a picture of how I decorated it, but like I said life has been busier than usual.

To the man of my life, man of my dreams, I hope you had a lovely little birthday. O and I love you!

Here O is working on slightly bored look that most kids only master when they are teenagers. My kid is smart like that.:)

mom-mode post # 88 - on fake beaches, real islands and whatnot

If you are not going to the beach.Bring the beach to you. Or something like that.
These hot summer days have got me longing to take O ( and myself) to the beach. Given that we are as landlocked as "landlockedness" gets (which makes this long lost island girl incredibly sad), I took matters into my own hands. I am determined to make O into a little fish like I was when I was a little girl. So we went to Carrefour, bought the one pool that could fit into our balcony and voila, instant beach sans sand. O actually felt quite relaxed, enthralled in his must-have summer read: "Water, water everywhere".

All the while I kept reassuring him ( or myself?): One of these days O, mama will introduce you to a real beach on a island far far away... One of these days.

mom-mode post # 86 - on mommy guilt

If there is one thing about motherhood no one warned me about was this: guilt. Stemming from your own high standards, from other moms in your family, from that friend just seems to have it together,  from your nosy neighbor, from that craft blog, from the parenting magazines... Mommy guilt set in before O was even  a month old. It starts with a little bit of second guessing yourself: Am I doing this right? Should I be doing something different? And it escalates to full blown guilt, keeping you awake at night ( as if your baby wasn't already doing a great job at that), making you feel less of a mommy, a wife, a person.

If you are a young mom and are being eaten alive by mommy guilt, I share with you this article. Hope it is a refreshing to you as it was to me. This has been one of the most to-the-point articles I've ever read on the subject.

If you have not come to this stage in life or have long passed it, would you do me a favor? Would you be willing to say a little prayer for me? Pray that I'll "be all here" and my ministry to O will be my biggest expression of love for him. So I can live "mommy-guilt" free, knowing that I am right where I'm supposed to be.

Much love,

P.

mom-mode post # 86 - on beautifying sleep

It's as if every morning he wakes up just a little bit cuter. And I fall for him just a little bit harder. :)