Fall in South Florida

Even though this week was the official start of fall season, it doesn't feel like it at all here. It is still hot (93F today) and rains almost every day. But to celebrate autumn and explore what this season has to offer, we ventured out today and visited a fall festival at a local nursery. There were hayrides, a big pumpkin patch, a kids' corn maze, and seasonal delights such as frozen apple ciders, roasted corn, caramel apples and popcorn.

When we arrived an antique tractor pulling a hayride was waiting for us to chauffeur us around the nursery. It was sunny and hot but a great ride. And at the turning point, they served us with fresh pressed apple cider. Yummy.

After the hayride, we went to see the pumpkin patch. They had pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes there. Elliot enjoyed his first time visiting the pumpkin patch very much, especially feeling and tasting the hay.

 A stop to see Tow-Mater from the movies "Cars" was a must as well.

Resting in front of the harvest market where they sell plants, hay bales, cornstalks, scarecrows and anything else one needs to decorate for fall. They also have a farmer's market with fresh and organic produce, specialty foods, and baked goods.

We even bought some fresh fish, oven-baked baguette and Halloween cookie from the  market and enjoyed a delicious lunch at home. It was hot for sure but the kids and even the adults had fun.  I love those little outings with my family and experiencing different things each season has to offer. Even though there is no crisp fall weather here or change of leaves, there are still a lot of fun activities to do and to enjoy them together.  

Learning is Fun!

It has been a few weeks since the new school year has started and with that, we have been doing some fun learning activities with Amelia too. She enjoys learning a lot and constantly asks us about letters or numbers or how to spell something. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have bought the book: "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and we have been using it daily. It is a great tool and Amelia is really learning to read. She likes doing her daily reading sessions, which last only about 15 minutes. And I'm very proud of her accomplishments so far. After 30 lessons, she can read 2 full sentences with 3- and 4 letter words. Her favorite words are: rat, cat and sock.

Reading session (She loves standing next to me while reading). And her Lammies are right by her side

 

Each session also includes writing some letters. Amelia likes to write her letters with me and then practices a couple of times on her own. The other day, we sent a thank-you card to my mother in Germany and Amelia addressed it by herself to "OMA". Oma was very surprised when she opened it and saw that Amelia had written it. And today, she wrote "dad" for the first time. We are so proud of you, little girl.

After each reading/writing session, Amelia chooses a sticker for her reward chart and happily puts it on there. As you can see, we only missed a couple of days so far. It really doesn't take much time to practice our reading every day and we most often do it while Elliot naps in the mornings. That way, the house is nice and quiet and Amelia's concentrations is the best. And I love having this one-on-one time with her. It's just us girls and a little learning and a lot of love.

Next to reading, we have also been doing some math activities. Her favorite part has been to practice her math skills with these reusable Elmo booklets. She loves that you can do the activities over and over again since they wipe off easily after each use.

I also printed a few worksheets from the internet and we have been playing quite a few matching games: roll a dice, count the numbers on the dice and then cover the matching numbers on the sheet with stickers. As you can see, Amelia loves stickers and using them wherever possible. She also loves doing her ABC floor puzzles and singing the ABC sing while doing it.

 



Now you must think we doing a lot of school related activities, but honestly we don't. It's only 20 minutes a day and the rest of the day we play, run around,  meet friends or do other fun activities. Just trying to keep those two busy, takes a lot of energy and patience. Lately so, the cat helps out and has some daily cuddle/ patting sessions with the kids.

 

 

Fun Facts about Costa Rica, Part I

I accumulated some fun and interesting facts about Costa Rica and wanted to share them with you. Once we are living there, I probably have more fun facts to share. So stay tuned :)

 

1. Costa Rica is sometimes referred to as the "Switzerland of Latin America" because it has a peaceful democracy without a military for more than 60 years, offers free education through the 11th grade as well as health care for all citizens.

2. Costa Rica is a relatively small country with 19,700 square miles and ranking only 129th in worldwide landmass. It is slightly smaller than Lake Michigan or can be compared to West Virginia or Denmark.

3. Costa Ricans are commonly called "Ticos" and "Ticas".

4. Within a single day, one can see a volcano, go zip lining in the rainforest, hike in one of the many nature parks, and swim at the beach.

5. Costa Rica has the most diverse environment relative to it size in the entire world while covering only 0.01% of the surface of the Earth and containing five percent of the planet’s plant and animal species: With 850 species of bird, 209 mammal species, 13,000 plant species (including 1,500 trees and 1,400 orchids), 220 species of reptile and 163 species of amphibians.

6. Costa Rica also has the highest percentage of protected land (more than 25%) in the world so seeing wildlife in it natural environment is only a question of will. Costa Rica has preserved these lands and natural habitats in such a way that they are more accessible to tourists than those of any other country in the region

7. The average Tico earns $6,810 per year compared to $47,390 in the U.S. But to purchase a new car in Costa Rica (2011 Toyota RAV4 is $36, 000) costs 40% more than in the U.S (only $22,475).

8. The average life expectancy in Costa Rica is 79 years (32 rank in the world), pretty much the same as in the U.S.

9. Costa Ricans are famous for observing Tico time, known locally as "la hora tica." Costa Ricans habitually arrive late, often by 30 minutes or more, to dinner, appointments, and get-togethers – anything but the movies or the appointments at the public health clinics, for which they line up hours in advance. Many Costa Ricans do not view late arrivals as rude – and their tardiness is not meant to offend – so it's best to adjust your expectations and tell your friends to arrive earlier than you'd like. 

10. It is common to say hello and goodbye to friends and acquaintances with a light kiss on the cheek – or an air kiss accompanied by a kissing sound.  

11. Costa Rica has one major brewery named Cerveceria de Costa Rica which, unfortunately, is now a conglomerate of Florida Ice and Farm Company. Eight different beers are brewed there. Imperial is the most popular. It is similar to an American Pilsner. The company has been brewing this all-natural beer since 1924 and has now started distributing it in the US, Australia, and Gran Cayman.

12. Road conditions throughout the country are quite variable. With the tropical climate and mountainous terrain, many roads are difficult to maintain, and many have never been paved. Relatively short distances can take many hours due to poor road conditions or traffic, and some roads are simply inaccessible during the rainy season when rivers swell.

 13. Supposedly if one gets pulled over in Costa Rica, the police may be paid off for around $40.  

References:
http://www.anywherecostarica.com/questions/geography-weather/how-big-is-costa-rica
http://costarica.com/culture/customs-etiquette/
http://www.anywherecostarica.com/travel-guide/vacations
http://costarica.com/relocation/cost-of-living/
http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/country-health-profile/

My Little Mermaid Amelia

For the past two months, Amelia has taken private swim lessons at the YMCA. Yesterday, after 15 lessons each 30 minutes, she finished with them. Since our little girl loves the water and wants to constantly swim in the big pool, we decided that it is necessary for her to know how to survive in the water in case she ever falls in to a pool. Thus, the private lessons. And I must say, she does very well. She definitely learned a lot and can swim across a medium sized pool all by herself now. Her swim instructor was very helpful too and pushed her to make sure she learns how to come up for air and use her arms in the water.

 

 

So for the past few weeks, we were at the pool every Tuesday and Thursday morning and sometimes even on Fridays. The great thing about taking swim lessons at the YMCA is that they have a kids' club on site, where they babysit all children under the age of 5. So, while Amelia and I were in the pool, Elliot was well taken care of inside. Before each swim lesson, I played with my little girl in the pool for a few minutes and then swam some laps while she had her lessons. That way, I was able to exercise instead of sitting in that Florida heat watching her swim. 

 

I'm very proud of my little mermaid and the progress she made. She definitely is on her way to become a great swimmer one day. Here are a couple of video clips of her last swim lesson.

 

Raising a Boy vs. Girl Part 1

Even though my kids are still young and I'm a mom of a boy only for the past 9 months, I can already tell a lot of differences between raising a boy and a girl.

Amelia walked already at age of 9 months and didn't crawl till she was 10+ months old and I only had to childproof my outlets for her. She didn't really care about the glass vases on the table or the picture frames. But her brother on the other hand is crawling since he is 7 months old and it's his mission to get in to everything. He climbs up on the furniture (which scares me often), pulls himself up to the table and pulls everything down that is in his reach. He also tries to open every drawer near his reach and so far he has been successful a few times. Of course, an adventurous boy wouldn't be complete without any bruises on his face. And we had several of those already.  We have also lowered his crib mattress twice already as he is standing up in bed and trying to get out. Amelia was never inclined to do that. She rather cried for her staff, aka mom or dad, to get her out.

 

Elliot is such a boy. He is in to everything electronic:  trying to pull all kinds of cable from behind the tv or computer and when I vacuum clean the house, he would love to ride on top of the vacuum cleaner whereas Amelia still doesn't like the vacuum near her. For that matter, she doesn't like any noises, such as lawn mowers, blow dryers, or other household items.  Also, he loves watching the washing machine or dryer do it's work and can sit in front of my front loaders for 10 to 15 minutes just watching them spin. He is in to cars and says vroom, vroom while she is a girly girl and loves dressing up and playing with her horses. Also, Amelia is quite the drama queen and sometimes I feel like I'm having an argument with a 13 year old girl instead of a toddler. She is constantly pushing my buttons and I'm not looking forward to puberty. It will be a rough road.

 

Elliot, 8 1/2 months old

Amelia, 9 months old





Princess Amelia

On the other hand, Amelia ate mostly pureed foods till she was two years old (except for snacks) whereas Elliot doesn't care much about pureed foods and rather eats Leberwurststulle (bread with liver pate), apple cake and other chunky food he feeds himself. Of course, making a mess is a must for a boy but not so much for a girl. She doesn't like to be dirty or have food stuck to her fingers. My little princess loves her napkin and constantly wipes her fingers and mouth during mealtime.  While Amelia stopped nursing on her own when she was 21 weeks old, Elliot still loves his breast milk and is a true Momma's boy whereas Amelia is very independent and Daddy's girl for sure. He always loved to cuddle way more than his sister and loves being held and kissed and rocked to sleep.

Amelia eating by herself at 8 months



Elliot eating yogurt by himself at 8 months



For sure we can see the difference between a boy and a girl already. Even though I'm sure some of the things I described are not gender typical but rather based on their individual personality. But man, he is so much more active (it may also has something to do that he is kid #2 and wants to do everything his bigger sibling is doing), and in to everything. I constantly have to pull him away from something (he loves my flower pots) and I can't wait to see how much more trouble he can get in to once he starts walking. It shouldn't take too much longer. But either way, boy or girl, I love them just as much. And they love each other.

MOTHERHOOD

I have been a mother for 3 years and a mother of two children for almost 9 months. I love my children and I love being their mother. It is everything that I imagined and more. And still, it is totally different than I ever have thought it would be. When I was younger I imagined having kids, but I never imagined the daily life with them. To be a mother can't be explained really until your are one. It is not so much that I feel like I gave up my life to be a mother. I always knew I wanted to be one and my life wouldn't be complete without being a mother. Even though it has been over 3 years that I'm a mommy, I'm still learning every day something new and each kid is so different that I can't always apply what I learned while raising my first one to raising the second one. Thus, every day of motherhood is a new adventure and challenge. It is everything I never knew to hope for and also the most rewarding job in the world.

But I have to be honest here, because not every day feels great being a mom. It is hard, hard work and very exhausting, straining and can drive one crazy. Especially if you are a stay-at-home Mom like me. There is no break during the day or for that matter during the night. It is a 24/7 job. For the past 9 months, I have been up every 2 to 3 hours at night and I feel exhausted. However, it doesn't mean I don't love being a mom or hold a grudge against my kids for waking me up nights. Not at all. I love my kids to death and it is true, when they are sick I wish it was me being sick instead of them. But sometimes I feel like I'm a total failure and not very good at that Mommy-thing. Yes, I do loose my patience (I got much better at it but Amelia is really trying me sometimes) and I regret certain things I tell my children. So often it hurts me more than them. They may cry for a bit because I put them in time-out, but they'll forget quickly. For me on the other hand, I keep thinking about my failure to communicate properly with them and that I once again lost my patience and screamed at my child. Then I feel like I failed them, the mother that should protect and love them, and I pray to God that he forgives me and to guide me to react differently the next time a similar situation occurs. Motherhood is very trying....and I want to do it right.

But often I don't even know what is the right thing to do. I'm as much learning to be a good mother as they are learning to be a "good" child. My kids and I are in this together and I believe that even though I'm far from being the perfect mother, I'm the best mother for my children and I love them as no one other than me can love them. And I will protect my kids like a lioness protects her cubs.

Since I'm a mother, I finally can understand what my mom went thru and when she said: "You'll never understand how much I love you till you have your own children.  It is a whole different kind of love that is fierce." She is so right! And a mother constantly worries, but no one will understand that until they have kids of their own.  It is just one of those mommy-things. My mom kept saying: "Small kids, small worries. Big kids, big worries." I guess, I will see if that holds true. But being a mother now makes me appreciate my own mom so much more and I truly love her for all she has done for me and the way she raised me. There were times when I said that I will do lots of things differently with my kids than she did raising us. But now I realize, I'm doing most of those things exactly as she did. They don't seem wrong at all at this point. I just needed to become a mother before I understood what she meant.

Now, every day I wake up and I thank God for my children and that I'm allowed to be their mother. I know I'm not the perfect mother, and I never will be, but I try my very best and for now, my kids think I'm the greatest singer, dancer, lover, playmate, artist, cook and supporter there is in the world. And that is enough for me :)

A "Wiggly" Good Time

I never have heard of the Wiggles until I came to the U.S. to be a nanny. Now, most of their songs are ingrained in to my brain and I can do their dance moves too. The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group that consists of 4 key members (Emma- yellow, Lachy- purple, Simon- red, and Anthony- blue), a friendly green dinosaur named Dorothy, Henry the Octopus, a friendly pirate with a feather sword (Captain Feathersword) and Wags the Dog.        

Their songs are sung and played in pre-schools all around the world and so it is no wonder that they are watched and listen to in our house as well. When the opportunity came up to see them live in concert in our area, I jumped at it and bought 2 tickets. Amelia was so thrilled when she found out that we are going to see the Wiggles. So yesterday Amelia

and Mommy went to the show while Daddy stayed home with Elliot. All day long she talked about seeing the Wiggles and even on the car ride there, she was constantly asking when we will be there.

 

Mommy- and Daughter-date
 



She is so excited to see the show



 

 

The show was at the Coral Springs Art Center and only a 25 minute drive from our house. We arrived with plenty of time to spare, purchased a hair bow like Emma wears and ate some Popcorn. Even though our seats on the Balcony weren't bad but since the show wasn't sold out, we had the chance to move closer to the action and had a great front row seat on the Mezzanine.

 

Captain Feathersword and the 4 Wiggles take the stage



Once the show started, Amelia was first pretty quiet and just kept watching them perform and clap but soon she danced and participated and was so happy to be there. She hugged me several times during the show and told me she loves the Wiggles.

Fascinated and taking it all in

We both really enjoyed the 80-minute performance, which was filled with dancing, singing, and some games.





Emma and Henry the Octopus and Dorothy the Dinosaur



The Wiggles and their big red car

During the show, Simon and Captain Feathersword came up to our seating area and collected roses, dog bones and posters kids had made for the Wiggles and their entourage. Even though there was no time to take pictures with them, Amelia did score a High 5 from Simon.  



High 5's with Simon and Captain Feathersword



After the show, Amelia kept talking about giving the Wiggles a hug so we went down to the stage to see if she can meet one of them. Unfortunately, we were told that the Wiggles had already left and couldn't come back out. They usually don't do meet-and-greet after the shows. But as we were about to leave the stage area, we saw Anthony (the blue and original founding member of the Wiggles) and I called out his name and asked if Amelia can give him a hug. He came out and she hugged him and we got that once in a lifetime picture. It truly made her evening. And she was the only kid getting to hug one of the Wiggles :)

Amelia and Anthony

 

All that excitement and joy made for one sleepy toddler on the way home. But I was so glad to have been able to share that fun evening with my little daughter , make some great memories and to have some quality time with her.

 

Weekday Fun

Having two kids means we are never, ever bored. Even a dull week at home can be fun and exciting (and sometimes also stressful, tiring, and long). But as those pictures show, even lame household chores, such as folding laundry and bath time, are more fun when we do them together. And when Daddy gets home early from work, we even wash the cars after dinner and have some fun in the sun. 

My laundry helper

Sorting and counting sticks and drawing lines




Tubby Time

 

So pretty with all her jewelry

Just being cute

Feeding a wild animal in his cage :)

Washing cars is fun.

 

Although our week is pretty busy, there is always some time for love and kisses.