Gratitude

Today while observing Bianca I counted how many times she used the word LOVE.

If she was eating something, she would go ahead and say: "I love my food". Or if I offer her an orange she would shout out: "Oh, yes! I love orange". And throughout the day she kept saying things like: "I love my house", "I love my bed", "I love you", and so forth.

I love her enthusiasm... and her grateful heart. The fact she says she loves so many things around her, it also shows she is grateful for everything she has- her house, her food, her toys, her family. Her inspiring attitude teachs me a lot. I sure should express my gratitude and appreciation for everything I have more often, specially in a moment where I've been feeling so discouraged, and complaining a lot about... pretty much everything.

I love you Bianca. Thank you for brightening my days, for teaching me how to be better, and how to move  forward with a grateful heart and steady faith in a world so wicked. You are a constantly reminder of my divine nature and my eternal purpose.

 Last Sunday Giovanna shared a scripture with her Primary class- Mosiah 2:17:

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of  your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God".

She loves the gospel, and she is truly a special daughter of Heavenly Father. I am so proud!

Some struggles

Next week I'll be attending Giovanna's parent and teacher's conference. I usually know what to expect since I've been constantly in touch with her teachers to ask for extra materials and to talk about her progress. Giovi needs a lot of help in math and reading.

A few days ago Ale and I talked to her English teacher and Spanish teacher about her struggles and about, perhaps, testing her. Giovi is in second grade, and to better help her at home and in class we need to know where her struggles are coming from.

She is a sweet girl, and it makes me sad to get over frustrated on her when we are studying. She also gets frustrated, and that is when she shuts down and I am not able to help her anymore. 

The teachers will start the papers for testing her, and hopefully she will be approved for it. Apparently, it is a long, bureaucratic process, and she might not even qualify. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best!

LDS General Conference

The General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will be held on the first weekend of October. At this time all members of the church have the opportunity to hear through modern prophets and revelators what the Lord wants to speak to His church. It is also a time to have questions answered and receive guidance.

Every year leaders suggest to write down all concerns, questions and desires of our hearts and watch General Conference with spirit of prayer to have them addressed by the Lord. 

This year I've written a few things I need answers for and I've been in need of for a while now. He knows each of them, and as much as I understand the Lord's time is perfect, I need some assurances like... now! Heavenly Father has talked to me through His servants before, I know He can and will do it again as long as I keep my spiritual ears attentive and my heart open.

General Conference is my favorite time of the year. I love the fact I can watch it at home. I love the spirit it brings to our home. I feel like it is the time our home is blessed and nourished for the following six months when Conference happens again. And because General Conference is so special to me, I am trying to come up with a tradition so my children can look forward to Conference too.

I also wanted a tradition we could hold no matter how old my kids are, so I came across with this fun idea: Ice Cream Sundae. After the last session of Sunday Conference our family will enjoy our favorite treat with lots of delicious toppers to choose from! I am sure the kids will love this new tradition!

On Monday before General Conference weekend I will introduce the girls their General Conference kit, and they can only open it on the first session of Saturday. That way they will be excited for Conference (and curious) all week long. Each kit consists in activities and their favorite treats as well.

This year the girls will be using this activity pack by Heap a Hoopla during Conference. 

General Conference live viewing options and time HERE.

Giovanna loses her sixth tooth

Giovi has been having a loose tooth for a long time now and for some reason she can't pull it out, so I scheduled an appointment for her. I remember when I would took forever to pull out my baby tooth and it would harden again, then my permanent one would pop out right behind my tooth, and things would just get out of control. I don't want that to happen to Giovanna.

Today she woke up early to go to school, then around 11am I checked her out and drove her to the dentist. It took literally less than two seconds to pull it out. She didn't feel a thing. She was back to school just in time to start class after lunch break. I bet her new smile was a hit among her classmates. They all get very excited when a tooth comes out.

*Children's Corner Pediatric Dentistry is becoming Burg Children's Dentistry. I am not sure how I feel about that.

Welcome Fall!!!

Our pool is officially close for the season. We had a great summer and lots of  fun trips to the pool. But while we still have sunny days I'll keep taking the girls to play outside. Right now we are having chilly mornings and warm afternoons. I love this time of the year! Fall is my favorite season and I can't wait to see the leaves start falling from the trees.

Everything gets so warm and cozy in the Autumn - the colors, the wind, the smell! Don't you love it too?

Fun moments at the pool this summer here, here and here.

Flying to Vegas

Sooooo I finally bought my ticket to fly to Vegas to pick up my mom and my sister! I can't believe in about a month I'll be reuniting with them! The plan is driving to LaVerkin and spend the night there, then going to Zions National Park first thing in the morning of the next day.

We will be coming back to Orem later that same day,  on the 24th. It will be a quick get away with a lot of driving, but I am SO excited! Excited to see them, to sleep out, and to have a break from my routine and my kids (I love them, but any mom deserves a little break sometimes).

I am so, so excited!!! Please, October 23rd come quickly!

Au Pair Vacation- Cape Cod

I had so much fun on those two weeks off with my mom. I was so excited to show her every place and everything I knew! After our little adventure in New Hampshire, I took her to Cape Cod. After all, what is a trip to MA without visiting Cape, right?

I drove from North Easton to Cape Cod while my mom took a hundred pictures of the views (and her feet). Back in Brazil we used to go on road trips all the time. Something I’ve always loved the most about our road trips is the fact we talk about everything, and we laugh, and we sing. I love my mom so much! She is so much fun, adventurous, easy going, and funny!

Cape Cod is one of those places once you get there you don't want ever leave. It is so calm, and colonial, and warm and beautiful. I haven't been there during winter, but on summertime this city is a dream with all its colors and beauty!

We visited historic sites, parks, and (of course) the lake. The water was so cold!!! But the weather was hot and humid, and the sky was incredibly blue. Everything I love!

Next I'll be posting about our unforgettable trip to New York.

Windsor Carnival 2018

It was that time of the year again... Windsor Carnival! This year I volunteered to help the PTA organize it. When we just show up at the carnival we don't realize how much work it is to put everything up. I think everybody should volunteer on activities and events at their kid's school so people can start value more everything the PTA does. Seriously.

I am glad I was able to help. The carnival was really fun! We were all concerned about the bad weather due the fire in the mountains. PTA even thought in cancelling it. Gladly, it wasn't cancelled and everybody had a great time.

Marito turns 5

I can believe Marito is already five years old! I remember when he was a baby... now he is a big boy who loves super heroes! This weekend we gathered all super heroes and heroines and celebrated his birthday with cake, games and the one and only Spider-Man!

The kids had a blast and loved meeting and greeting Spider-Man. Well, except Bianca who was terrified and started crying once Spider-Man showed up in the living room. For some reason she is afraid of super heroes. Last year she did the same thing when Batman arrived on Dominic's 2nd birthday.

But I think I get it... their weird clothing, masks and all. True, it can be scary.

Fire Updates

The fire continued throughout the weekend and today both fires in The Pole Creek and Bald Mountain have merged and become one big fire. New areas are in mandatory evacuation. Right now more than 2.000 homes and 6.000 people have been evacuated.

Let's keep praying for rain and for all firefighters who's been working tirelessly to contain the fire.

Fire alert

This morning I woke up to a strong smell of smoke. I had gotten an earlier message on my phone that fire weather had been extended to my area, but I didn’t connect the dots until Giovanna came back home from school saying she had inside recess because of the “fire in the mountains”.

A fire had stricken in The Pole Creek and Bald Mountain. About 5000 people have been evacuated in Southern Utah County. Elk Ridge, Woodland Hills and the Covered Bridge area in Spanish Fork Canyon are currently under mandatory evacuation. Parts of Spanish Fork, Payson and Salem are under pre-evacuation advisories. 

With the high wind, low humidity and high temperature, the fire is expected to grow north and east through Sunday. The air is smoggy and my eyes and nose are killing me. Authorities have been urging people to stay inside. I don’t wonder why! Emergency preparation, water and food storage have been also encouraged.

As the fire hasn’t reached Provo and Orem city boundaries, we pray for a change on the weather and RAIN!

*P.S. We also pray for families in North Carolina’s coast who’s been affected by Hurricane Florence. 

May Heavenly Father bless us all. 

Pool time

Pool time with my girls.

Nobody was there, so we had the pool just for ourselves. We jumped in the pool about ten times, and the girls made me carry them on my back at least seven our eight times each. Every time they hopped on my back they would say something like: "Come on boy" or "Giddy up horsey!".

They are so much fun. I love it!

Geladinho

Last time my mom came to visit us she brought some tiny bags to make Brazilian geladinhos. Every summer I tell myself I will finally make them, but in reality they've been sitting on the pantry for a very long time.

Two days ago I called the girls and told them we would be making Brazilian Popsicle and they got all excited. We blended condensed milk and regular milk, then we made three different flavors- Nutella, coconut and strawberry. The kids love them and their favorite is Nutella. I love coconut, but strawberry was really good too!

Tomatoes

I love tomatoes. I love them even more when they are fresh from the garden. Because of that I’ve tried to grow tomatoes a few times before. On my first attempt I got dried tomato seeds and started growing them inside. I must have done something wrong because unfortunately they never really  grew.

On my second attempt I bought tomato transplants, since with seeds didn't really work before. The tomatoes grew and we were able to harvest some. But we didn't get that much. I usually get a bunch of tomatoes from my neighbor's garden, so I wonder what I've done wrong (again).

This summer I took the girls to a class on "How to grow Veggies" at Utah Garden Center. Both girls brought home two cups with seeds to grow. Well, technically, Giovanna brought it home, because Bianca ran around so much she dropped her seed somewhere on the ground. So one day I was eating tomatoes and I put one single seed in the cup and we started watering it.

Surprisingly, the seed grew, and grew, and grew, and that’s how it looks now.

Since I wasn't expecting it to grow I didn't get a bigger pot or more soil. Now, the pot is way too small for the tomatoes and I am not sure if they will keep growing or die. But it was a pleasant surprise! I didn't really have anything in mind when I put the seed there, (besides replacing the seed Bianca had lost) and it just grew! Nature is indeed perfect!

I hope we can harvest them. If not, I'll try next year again. And I'll be more prepared.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Seventeen years ago today. May we never forget.

Not of the world

This past Sunday I taught my Damitas from Young Women about “Being in the world but not of the world”. My whole lesson was based on President Nelson’s message to the youth on this last devotional, July 3rd. I asked them what are some of the things we can do to stay away from the worthless of the world. After some great answers I suggested a few more things we can find on Pres. Nelson's message.

First, seek the influence of the Holy Ghost. About that President Nelson said: “I promise you that, wherever you are in the worls, wherever you are on the covenant path- even if, at this moment, you are not centered on the path- I promise you that if you will sincerely and persistently do the spiritual work needed to develop the crucial, spiritual skill of learning how to hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, you will have all the direction you will ever need in your life”.

Second, prayer and personal revelation. Sometimes we take for granted the great power of prayer and our ability to receive personal revelation. I know if we sincerely talk to our Heavenly Father, He will (always) gives us the light and knowledge needed to make the right decisions.

“(...) Now I plead with each of you to do as the teenaged Joseph did. Take your questions directly to your Heavenly Father in prayer. Ask Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to guide you. You can learn for yourself- right now at your age- how to receive personal revelation. And nothing will make a bigger difference in your life than that”.

Girl's camp when I was a Mia Maid

Third, stop comparing ourselves. The world will always say we are not good enough, not beautiful enough, smart enough, or even worth enough. There will always be someone better, more beautiful, smarter or more worthy to compare ourselves with. And that is when we forget who we truly are and all the potential we all have! 

Sister Nelson also shared some thoughts about that. She said: “Brothers and sisters , it’s time to stol comparing oirseleves with others. It’s time to put away those erroneous views of ourselves and others. The truth is that wr are not as hopelessly flawed as we may think, and others are not as perfect as they may appear- all except, os course, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The only thing that really matters is that you and I are doing exactly what we committed- even covenanted- premortally with our Heavenly Father we would do while we are on earth”.

That came down to another aspect very important which we discussed in class, and it is also mentioned on Pres. Nelson’s message: social media- where everybody is connected and constantly comparing themselves. 

We had a great class with lots of comments and feedback from the girls. They are good kids and I am proud of them! I ended class with these wonderful words from President Nelson:

"(...) Stand out; be different from the world. You and I know that you are to be a light to the world. Therefore, the Lord needs you to look like, sound like, act like, and dress like a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Yes, you are living in the world, but you have very different standards from the world to help you avoid the stain of the world.

With the Holy Ghost as your companion, you can see right through the celebrity culture that has smitten our society. You can be smarter than previous generations have ever been. And if you are sometimes called "weird", wear that distinction as a badge of honor and be happy that you light is shining brightly in this ever-darkening world!

Set a standard for the rest of the world! Embrace being different!"

Then I gave each one of them a chocolate chip cookie and encouraged them to be just like a chocolate chip, which doesn’t melt when exposed to heat, but instead it keeps its true form. Just like chocolate chips we should stay firm in a world of increasing “heat”. I got the idea HERE.

To read the full message of President Nelson go HERE.

Just one of those days

Today was one of those days I literally ran all day to do everything that needed to be done. One of those days I just couldn't be on time for anything no matter how hard I tried. One of those days I wondered and cried.

Cried because I was tired,

Cried because I was late,

Cried because there was a horrible traffic (and I was late!),
Cried because the car’s fuel was nearly empty (and there was traffic and I was late!),

Cried because I realized my bladder was super full on my way back home because I didn’t have time to go to the bathroom,

Cried because I was still disappointed with things that happened the day before.

Then I got home, and before even thinking about resting my tired body I did some more chores. I fed the kids, I helped them get ready for bed, I put them to sleep. Then, and only then, I finally threw myself in bed and realized I was way too tired to easily fall sleep.

Yep. Just one of those days...

I pray for strength so I can keep giving my very best in everything I put myself into. I pray to always remember to be grateful for Heavenly Father's help so I can keep doing all I do, and in occasions allow myself to be sad and cry. Because life is too hard sometimes.

Sadness

Today was supposed to be the happiest of days, but it was a sad one and I don’t want to talk about it.

Splash Pad and Ice Cream

Our family is still enjoying these last warm days before we start putting swimming suits and floaties away and getting the sweaters out of the closet. Although the days are still warm, the water at the splash pad was super cold. But my girls didn't mind at all and played for a long time.

Before going back home we stopped at the creamery to get an ice cream. I love summer nights!