Miss B the Philosopher

In retrospect, I know that the most interesting conversations we have  had take place while I am combing her hair to go to school in the mornings. This morning was no different. She started the conversation by saying out of the blue: “Mommy, life is not about what we want, but what our parents can do for us. It’s about having fun. And we have more fun if we don’t whine about everything all the time.” Surprised I then asked her: “Who taught you this?”. She replies: “Nobody. I know because I’m 5 and I’m growing and learning things. The more we grow, the more things we know!” At least that line I recognized (sort of!) thanks Dr. Seuss!

When Will We Stop Having Days?

Bianca is graduating next Tuesday. As much as I am happy to see the excitement  in her voice telling she went on a bus to rehearse at the church and to hear her sing  from the top of her lungs "I've got a feeling that tonight is gonna be a good night",  I can't hide I am rather melancholic about the whole thing.

It seems like only yesterday she was my pink tiny baby and now here we are: She is five and she is going to Kindergarten!!! I could  already picture this two years ago but now the day is coming for real.The day in which she will get on the big yellow bus to school, say a quick good-bye and run excited up the stairs without even looking back while leaving me in there heartbroken crying  my eyes  out through my sunglasses at the bus stop.

As I was telling a colleague at work, it's not about the fact that I'm getting old. With or without kids this is inevitably our fate: we will get old no matter what. It is more about the enchantment of having a baby and then a toddler around that is about to be lost. To appreciate their innocence, to see the newness of the world  again through their eyes, to experience the joy of discoveries with them, to teach them and finally to hear newly learned words repeatedly and inadequately and some times funny word mixes up (Mommy - we can't put stuff in the potty because it will overfloat!). Oh  and the many puzzling questions...

A couple of months ago and curiously today again she asked me: "Mom, when will we stop having days?". Completely caught off-guard, first I answered: "when we die." After thinking that was too harsh and giving actually a better thought I told her that in fact we would never stop having days. Before and after we existed days will be starting and finishing. She further asked me where she was when I was a kid. I explained to her she did not exist and talked about the my timeline: growing up, meeting her daddy, getting married, being pregnant etc. She finalized with her remark: "Maybe I was on another planet!" And we left as that.

These innocent remarks, a non-ordinary way of looking at things, these will cease to exist  with time. It will be replaced by smart remarks (sometimes smarter than ours in fact!), by critical thinking some times to our detriment as parents.

Oh how do I wish we would actually stop having days so that I could forever have my Miss B as innocent, curious, funny, little and sweet as she is today!

Memory Lane

This past week was May 4th - the Jedi Day. May the 4th be with you! One of my favorite memories from my childhood was going on a field trip with my school to watch Star Wars at a Navy base. I think I was around 6.

Thinking back how far back I can remember, I came up with memories from my big 5th birthday bash, I could also remember my Indian friend in 1st grade, I can still smell the playdough smell from my kindergarten. I can remember the house I was born in and the first time I tied a bow. 

Bianca can remember her friend Juju from Charlotte (she left there when she was 2.5!), She even remembers she had an outside kitcher in her house! She remember we lived in a white house in there.Amazingly, she even remembered my mom's floor when it had been a year since last time we were there. 

I hope that as we build our fun routines together (movies on Sunday afternoon etc), do different and fun things together she can look back when she becomes an adult and have sweet memories of the tastes, sounds and happenings of her childhood!

Happy Earth Day!

Miss  B in the picture she drew picking up trash. She sorted the pictures
 that had to do with bad practices and good stuff related with the Earth Day.

I am sure I could be greener. I'm sure I could have a smaller house (I"ll get there!), a car that did not use so much gas etc. I know, though, I will never ever get to the level of for instance the lady on this blog, who uses menstrual cups instead of tampons, brings her own containers when she orders something from the grocery store or does not use any plastic for in her trash cans.

But I'm taking baby steps...

I am becoming more conscious about the trash that I generate and recycle as much as I can. I'm also being thoughtful about all kinds of waste: while cooking, while taking a shower etc.

Finally, I am teaching Miss B as much as I can and she has learned a lot at her school as well. She tells me things like: "Mommy, let's turn the lights off, so that we don't waste power!".  And today she told me while making her project that if we didn't pick up trash, the world would be dirty and polluted (!). She at her age is a  lot more conscious  than I was even as a teenager or an early adult! Let's hope that her generation creates solutions for a greener and sustainable planet Earth!

Happy Earth Day!

Our town only collects cans, glass and plastic containers for recycling.
This time we did our weekly trip to recycle paper on  Earth Day!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not." 

(Dr. Seuss - The Lorax - 1971)

The Voice!

Miss B's musical taste has improved and our ears are thankful. She went from liking Justin Bieber to now liking Kelly Clarkson and loves Adele! I'm thrilled. Below are some of her clips. She is my American Idol!

Of Love and Little Girls

Some time ago Miss B was nearly 4 had her first fling with a Indian Little Boy called Arnav from preschool. She would speak about him day and night. They both had been inside each other’s cars (Mine and his dad’s – apparently part of the courtship ritual) and she talked about when they would have a playdate.  One day I started noticing she no longer spoke about him and asked subtly whether she had been playing with him. She told me they had a fight because she liked Emily’s drawing better than his and he said he would not invite her for his birthday anymore. And they “broke up”… J Arnav eventually went to another school, but she some times mentions him. It was her first “love”.

After that, she would say for months and months that the only boys she liked was Papaya, Antonio and Mendoim. Just like we do after we break up on bad terms. I found it amusing, but was actually relieved!

More recently, she got infatuated with Cooper.  She wanted to have a playdate with him so bad. She would talk about him all the time and finally decided to draw her house and write him her number (my cell) so that he could call her and invite her over for a playdate and even talked about a sleepover!!! The next morning she woke up and said: “Mom, Cooper did not call me last night!” I was thinking to myself: “Really??? Already suffering over a boy at this age?” I felt like telling her that she should not sit down and wait for any boy’s phone call, but the last thing I wanted was to exacerbate this boyfriend/girlfriend thing. Instead, I told her that Cooper’s mom might not have seen her phone or something.

After that night, she spoke about Cooper for a couple of days and it was the end of their “romance” apparently.

I was relieved to know that with no strings attached,  she would be back to being the girly girl she was. I could not be more wrong…

We got invited to Gavin’s birthday party a month ago at his Grandma’s house. She opened the door for us and led us to the backyard where the rest of the kids and some of the family members were gathering. She then  announced that Bianca had arrived and that Bianca was the one that had asked Gavin if he wanted to marry her when they are grown ups. I was mortified! They apparently thought it was very funny.   As we were leaving, she actually went to ask Gavin’s mom and asked if she could set up a play date for them the next day! Me, mortified again…Gavin has been in her class since the beginning. He was actually the one whose mom came up to me last year and said that Bianca had hurt his feelings. She would not allow him to sit next to her because she wanted to sit by Emily and Madison.  He was brokenhearted, but I guess he won her over.

Now, less than a month later she does not talk so much about Gavin. A couple of days ago, she began taking she wanted to have play dates with the new boy in the classroom - Rijul.

Clearly, I was not aware that boys and girls games would start as early as 4!! If anything, I hope that these funny “romantic” stories teach her to be resilient about her many broken heart stories to follow but also that they empower her to decide what’s best for her and  to go after it. I don’t see the latter  being a problem at this point, let’s just hope she is a little bit decisive…

P.S 4/9/2012: Since this post she has gotten more and more interested in Rijul. Last week she came home and spent a considerable amount of time drawing a picture for him with the map of her house instead of watching her cartoons as she does every night. She drew a couple of pictures with  her house and herself and Rijul in the picture and even another one with hearts, oh My!!! Here we go again...

Bloco da Bianca - Ano V

Bianca aos 5 anos continua a ser uma alegria irradiante que acorda com o maior bom humor e ja ligada no 220 volts! Unlike her Momma!

Ela adora conhecer gente nova e ir a lugares diferentes. Assim como o Papaya e Dona Vitalina ela fala demais da conta. Assim como seu Vovô, ela puxa conversa com qualquer um na rua. 

Ela eh uma  menina cheia de confianca, as vezes ate demais porque se acha a mais, bonita, a mais veloz  e tudo mais. Logo se ve que ela eh muito competitiva... Acho que por isso ama esportes. Ela ta se dando super bem no futebol e adora basquete e gosta de correr tambem.

Bianca conta até 100 em inglês e até 20 em português e espanhol. Ela sabe as cores primarias em portugues e espanhol. Ela  ja nao acha graca em so colorir e prefere  fazer as puzzles que envolvam numeros, comparacoes ou shapes. Ela ama brincar com meu iphone e o LeapPad. Ela copia todos os nomes e le os nomes de todos os seus amiguinhos e adora fingir que le tudo, mas na verdade le so algumas palavras. Ela decorou quase todas as palavras do livro Hop on Pop do Dr. Seuss! E o Portugues progrediu substancialmente tambem, conseguindo se comunicar com outros quando fomos no Brasil.

Ela tem medo de fogo, mas adora agua e agora ja boia e nada de costas. Ela ama nadar e estar na agua. Claro, como boa aquariana! 

Vaidosa como ninguem, ela gosta de passar brilho nos labios e ate pede para passal rimel! Ela sempre escolhe uma bolsa para sair e adora usar botas, saias, vestidos e chapeus. 

Ela fala que quando crescer quer ser uma cowgirl, mas outro dia falou pra Pediatra que quer ser uma fotografa! 

Ela nao gosta de tomate ou chocolate. Tambem nao liga muito para mac n cheese, refrigerante e chicken nuggets (adorava o ano passado!). Ela detesta agua fria e nao suporta dormir cedo. Ela fica uma arara quando alguem rir dela.


Abaixo segue as listas dos Faves dela:
Cor Favorita: Rosa e roxo
Comida/Bebida Favorita: Spaguetti & Meatballs, Pepperoni pizza,  Meatloaf, Ham sandwich, jelly beans, frutas em geral, crackers, arroz e salad, leite, suco de melancia e agua de coco.
Desenho Favorito: Team Umizumi, Olivia, Mickey Mouse and Jake & the Neverland Pirate and Cat in the Hat.
BFFs: Emily, Madison e também gosta do Gavin e do Cooper.
Brinquedo favorito: Seus bichinhos de pelucia (principalment o Charlie - o ursinho rosa dado por Ms. Bumbera, coisas de cozinha, Legos e o meu Iphone.
Programa favorito: ir ao cinema e comer pipoca e , brincar lá fora com bolas de sabão e correr.
Música favorita: Rolling in the Deep e outras da Adele, Alo Fevereiro (Roberta Sá),  Extra-Extra (Xmas Church music), Popstar (Fresh Beat Band) e Pique Alto (Xuxa)
O que quer ser quando crescer: "A cowgirl"

Obvio que nada eh perfeito. Ela nao toma um nao como resposta e argumenta ("But Mommy") ate! Ela passa horas para comer a comida dela e quando esta com fome ou com sono fica num mal humor insuportavel e chora sem motivo (normal!).

Contudo, para nos, nossa Lolinha eh perfeitinha. Uma nenem carinhosa que adora dar beijo e abracos. Abracos e beijos esses que eu treasure each day porque sei que nao vou poder  levar no braco , botar no colo  ou fazer dengo depois que ela estiver maiorzinha. Enquanto fico ansiosa para ver a menina linda em que ela vai ser tornar, queria que o tempo parasse e conservasse nossa nenem assim para sempre.

Minha mae tinha mesmo razao, nao existe amor assim. Um amor que se multiplica a cada dia quando pensamos que nao cabe mais amor no peito. Infinito eh o amor por minha Lolinha, Jururuzinha, Pirutulinha, Jerimumzinha da Mamae. 

Let the Memories Begin...

I treasure memories and firmly believe they are an essential part of our happiness. Memories of “good ole times” help us cope when life is not at its best track or when we are old. For this reason, I try hard so that Bianca has a  lot of good memories of her childhood as time flies by.

It was for this reason that I delayed our trip to Disney World, for which she had asked last year. At the time, most of her classmates had already gone. However, I did not want to make her first time to Disney World a normal weekend trip thing as if a trip to Disney had the same of value of going to Chuck ‘n ‘Cheese. I want it to make an unforgettable and memorable experience. A rite of passage to her 5 years of existence!

 Wish #1 was granted on her birthday when we sang happy birthday in the morning of February 17 with a pink cupcake with white frosting for breakfast (Red velvet with white “vanilla” chocolate, as she would say).

 Wish#2 was granted going to a “pizza parlor”. So we all went to Red Elephant so that she could have her fave Pepperoni Pizza.

Happy at the Red Elephant

Wish #3 was a given: a birthday party at school:

Bianca, Olivia, Avery, JD, Lainey and Fischer

On Saturday, we had a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party with her friends from school, soccer and church at a gymnastics place. They had a blast with so much space to run, jump and hang upside down. Wish#4 was now crossed off her list. Little did she know that Mickey Mouse was going to be part of a much bigger plan!

From top to bottom, left to right: David, JD,Matthew S., Lainey,  Bianca,  Lucas, Madison, Fischer, Cooper, Hannah,  Emily, Anna, Lauren, Matthew K., Kensley.

Blowing the candles of her Mickey Mouse Cake!

Wish#5 here we go!!!!! We woke up on Monday as if she was going to school. The only change was that she was not wearing uniforms. She asked me intrigued and I gave very little explanation. She also noticed I was taking her to school! She usually says “Bye, bye escolinha!” as we go by her school but that day  she was obsessed with her nails and did not even notice. When we were almost in Orlando she told me: : “Mommy, it’s taking a long time to get to school today!”. So I decided to break the news! I told her we were not going to school today, we were going to somewhere special. As we were very close and we started to see the Mickey Mouse signs everywhere, I blindfolded her.

She had no clue where we were. She thought it was taking a long time to get to her school. Hahaha!

She agreed to be blindfolded!

When we arrived at the parking lot, I told her she could now look around for clues, just like  in the Blue’s Clues cartoon. She quickly spotted the parking sign with a picture of Captain Hook. When I asked her if she knew where she was. She said with a puzzled look in her face: “We are at Pirate Island?”.  I told her that we were not at the “Pirate Island” just as we were boarding the train to get to the Admissions gate. As we were riding the train, she finally started to see the flags, the castle and “signs all over the place” and I asked her again: “So where are we?” She says: “I don’t know yet, but maybe we are at somewhere special.. Maybe we are… at Disney World! WE ARE AT DISNEY WORLD!” She screamed so excited! I had tears in my eyes at that point… Silly Mommy...

As we got in, reality hit that there were a lot of people and a lot of lines to get through so we picked the classics and the stuff she liked: the Mickey Mouse  PhillarMagic 3-D Movie, The Mad Teat Party and It’s a Small World and obviously, the parade!

On our way to Fantasyland!

She was thrilled to see all of her favorite characters in the3D movie and only after the first ride on the Mickey’s 3D I too was a kid again!

She was in awe with It’s a Small World. She said she had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. As were parading through the countries.

The last ride we went was the Mad Tea Party. She said that that was the ride she had liked the most. We spin around with our hands up and had the time of our lives!

However, none of the rides compared to what we were about to experience during the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade.

We were lucky to sit in a place right at the front with only two people behind us. With few people, a lot of the characters came around to shake hands: Woody and Jessie from Toy Story, Abu the monkey from Aladdin, Cinderella’s Step Mother and others.

Woody and Jessie

Abu

Cinderella's Stepmom

From the floats up above the Beast bowed to the Birthday girl.

The Cinderella’s Prince Charming even said Happy Birthday!!!!!

But nothing really compared to hearing a Happy Birthday from your favorite Disney Princess: the mermaid Ariel,  as she waved to the Birthday Girl. For us as parents it was as if time had stopped and it was only Ariel and our little Princess.

I broke down in tears and so did Papaya. It was a magical! Like little kids say Disney World is!  Of course we were in MAGIC Kingdom, where dreams do come true!

I had been to Disney World 2 times before and more recently to Busch Gardens with Miss B and Universal Studios when she was not even born. I remember being very impatient at Universal Studios with the 15 minute-line and we even had a Fast Past! However, going to Magic Kingdom this time was very different. I could easily endure the minimum 25 minute-lines just to see the big smile and excitement on Miss B’s face. It was as if I too was 5 again and was getting to see the Magic Kingdom for the first time.

We left around 6.00 pm having only been to 3 rides, 1 parade and 1 show and we also bought special things for her. Bianca was tired and seemed content to go home since she had no idea that much much more was out there. It was sure for us a day to remember! I hope she also will always remember her Big 5 Bash celebrations and her first time at Disney with a smile on her face. If she does our mission was accomplished. And these memories at Magic Kingdom have just began, I’m ready for more and there is no denying she too is ready.

The three of us on the train heading back to the parking lot.

Let the memories begin and shall they last a lifetime…

One Day Away

Tomorrow is the birthday of my one and only Miss B! Beyond thanking God for the gift of a healthy child, there’s much more to be thankful for. She is the sunshine of my life. She is everything I’ve always wanted in a daughter: she’s social, confident, competitive, compassionate, assertive and happy. She has taught me to appreciate cucumbers, lettuce and healthy food. She has taught me about being content with little things and being spontaneous. Further, she has taught me never to take the hot air balloons in our backyard or the beautiful sunny sky of the butterland and all nature things for granted. She reminds me of our nightly prayers. She hugs, she kisses, she loves. She thinks we're her idol because “we do everything for her “. Little does she know how much she has taught us and what an inspiration she really is. Thank you Lolinha because you exist. Love you to the moon and back, to the stars and back and to the infinity and back. Mommy.

Miss B the Drama Queen

Miss B and I went to Michael's. She first wanted a coloring book, then changed her mind to a lollipop and went back and forth several times until it was time to pay. Then I finally I said that she could not change her mind anymore and got her the coloring book. Shewalked to the car visibly upset and hurt. She got in the car,  sunk in her seat and sighed: "This is the worst day of my life!"

What a drama queen! I had heard from others there was a lot of drama going on in a house with little girls, differently from boys. I am realizing that the drama is just getting started!

Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

You read a lot of stuff about children's upbringing. Few things stuck with me and I try to live by: 1) Be consistent on your orders and timeouts; 2) Don't promise what you can't keep; 3) Be simplistic, but be sincere and, most importantly: 4) Be a role model!

While I do believe in all of them, the challenge is actually to put them into practice every single time. For instance, there are days that I'm tired, I don't want to deal with Miss B crying and being annoying, so I give her a free pass instead of putting her in timeout when she didn't speak to me properly. I guess all moms have these moments, or so I hope.

However, for me the most challenging one as she grows and takes notice of my actions is #4 - Be a role model. And believe me, she does not miss anything!

I want her to eat veggies and fruits and not to eat candy during the week. The other day she saw me eating candy (chocolate) during the week and called me out saying: " You said I can't eat candy, but isn't  this candy?"

The other Saturday her Blue Team was playing against the weakest team of the Soccer Team: the Red Team. The Blue Team had a great advantage, something like 8 goals against 0 from the Red Team. We are all moms, screaming and being insane at the sidelines, but we do feel sorry for the other little kids. So we, the Moms of the Blue Team, started to cheer for the little boy to finally open the score for his Red Team. He scored and we all cheered for him. Bianca saw me cheering for him and called me out immediately: " Mom, why are you cheering for the Red Team, you're not supposed to cheer for the Red Team, you're supposed to cheer for the Blue Team!"And she was right!

This pretty much sums up the importance of living by what you're teaching them as well. If you teach them that they should be playing and cheering for their team, you're not supposed to do otherwise.

In the process of educating children, we learn a lot and not only from other parents, magazines and books, but specially from the children themselves. If we all grew up taking these childhood lessons to heart and thus being more sincere and simple, the world would be a much better place.

Ser Criança nos Anos 70 e 80

Ta bom, podem dizer que estou nostalgica! Depois do meu posting passado  fiquei relembrando as coisas da minha infancia.

Ser criança dos Anos 70 e 80 era:

1. Trocar figurinhas e papeis de carta
2. Colecionar borrachas perfumadas e fofoletes
3. Usar tenis Conga ou Melissinha que vem na bolsinha, voila!
4. Saber as letras de todas as musicas das Melindrosas e mais tarde do  Balao Magico
5. Achar Genius e Merlin jogos de ultima geracao
6. Ler revistinhas:, Luluzinha, Bolinha, Brotoeja, Riquinho, Monica, Cebolinha, Almanaque Disney
7. Assitir o Globinho e Barbapapa
8. Ter uma Amiguinha
9. Ver o show da Miss Lane
10. Escrever para o Papai Noel para nao ele esquecer a sua Caloi (de preferencia uma Caloi Cei!) ou trazer a  ultima sensacao entre os brinquedos da Estrela
11. Jamais usar um par de Havaianas
12. Cheirar o alcool dos planos de dever de casa que acabaram de sair do mimeografo
13. Brincar de elastico,  pega vareta, "To no Poço", Policia e Ladrao, linha na mao, queimada, "Duas almas se encontraram", geleca ou bambole
14. Adorar Grapette Uva e pedir mais uma porque quem bebe Grapette repete!
15. Gritar bem alto quando descrobrir o criminoso:"Coronel Mustarda com o candelabro na biblioteca!"
16. Esperar o ano inteiro so para ver o comercial de fim de ano da Varig, Varig, Varig - Cruzeiro, Cruzeiro ou aquele da musica  Quero ver voce nao chorar... E sempre chorar!
17. Sonhar em ser a Cinderela do Boa Noite Cinderela no programa de Silvio Santos 
18. Se acabar de  rir quando um moleque respondia "siiiim!" quando o Silvio Santo perguntava "Voce troca uma bicicleta nova por uma par de meias furadas???"
19. Concordar com sua mae e achar Ronnie Von um "pao!"
20.  Ficar com medo dos criminosos locais (Natal): Mao Branca e Brinquedo do Cao

A Nossa Velha Infancia

Gosto e abraco o novo: comportamentos, moda, tecnologia etc. Entretanto, acho que tivemos uma melhor infancia sem a metade das restricoes, atividades obrigatorias e gadgets que as criancas de hoje em dia sao expostas. Verdade que pode parecer saudosismo porque nossos pais e avos tambem diziam: "Boa era a infancia no meu tempo!", mas desconfio que nao...

De forma geral (nao necessariamente o meu caso!), eramos mais livres, leves e soltos. Naquela epoca iamos para rua  andar de bicicleta, jogar queimada, policia e ladrao, academia ou futebol etc e so voltavamos quando escurecia. Nao havia a paranoia de pedofilos e, diga-se de passagem, nao havia nem celular!!! Subiamos em pe de arvores sem ter medo de cair e comiamos frutas do pe sem lavar a mao e nem as frutas e nem pensavamos em germes ou alergias. Brigavamos na escola, mas nao era bullying.A TV e o Atari eram passa-tempos de 2 horas, nao de um dia inteiro. Tomavamos banho de mar sozinhos na mare mais alta do ano. E apesar de todos os "perigos" sobrevivemos ilesos!

Sei que nao posso voltar ao tempo para dar a Miss B essa infancia, mas procuro me vigiar para nao ser neurotica demais, assim deixo ela correr certos "perigos". Quero que ela corra, pule, suba em arvore,  caia e se levante. Quero que ela, se lambuze de doce ou de tinta  ou se molhe inteira.Que ela pule no pula-pula imundo do parque de diversoes tambem (minha mae nao deixava!) ! E que brinque na vizinhanca porque aqui eh possivel.

No fundo, quero nao so que ela seja feliz, livre, leve e solta, mas, sendo um pouquinho egoista,  tambem quero voltar a infancia! Porque ser mae eh poder voltar a ser crianca de novo sem ter medo do ridiculo. Adoro poder ir pro cinema ver desenho animado, andar de carrosel, fazer guerra de travesseiros, ouvir uma gargalhada brincando de cadeirinha mole, tomar banho de chuva e chupar pirulito. Ser crianca eh bom demais!!!

Feliz Dia das Criancas atrasado!

I have a terrific soccer player!

Juro que nunca vou ser uma daquelas maes que vai por um daqueles bumper stickers: "I have a terrific kid"ou "I have an honor roll student" no carro! Isto porque acho que colar esses adesivos eh quase dizer que outras criancas nao sao tao boas como a sua, o que nao reflete a realidade.

Dito isso,  nao posso esconder o meu orgulho, torcida e corujice mesmo ao ver a Bianca se transformar na mais nova jogadora de futebol da casa!

Matriculei-a no futebol, pois a nossa ideia foi sempre expor-la a diferentes atividades para que ela no futuro possa ter bases para escolher a que atividade deseja dedicar-se. Embora esporte nao seja item obrigatorio (natacao somente o eh por uma questao de seguranca), nosso pensamento sempre foi o de incentiva-la no esporte, que so traz beneficios.

Ja havia tentado Ginastica Olimpica quando ela tinha 3 anos sem muito sucesso, ja que ela nao parava quieta. Dai pensei que ela iria gostar de futebol, pois ela adora correr. Assim, quando surgiu uma liga aqui mesmo no condominio, perguntei se ela queria participar. Papai levou-a para que ela escolhesse  sua bola, chuteira, caneleira etc  ( a cor favorita da semana era azul). E la fomos nos para o primeiro treino.

O meu chefe, que eh tecnico de futebol de criancas, havia me falado que o essencial nessa idade era que ela fosse atras da bola e se divertisse. Nesses termos, achei que ela havia se saido bem no primeiro treino com varias criancas ate bem mais velhas que ela. O segundo treino,  porem, foi revelador!

No segundo treino, ja se havia dividido os times por cores. Coincidentemente, ela caiu no time azul ("Blue Team") com o Matthew (4.5 anos) , a Charlie (3.5 anos), o Tyler (4.5 anos) e o irmao de 2.5 anos. Esses dois ultimos logo desertaram, pois o tecnico do nosso time era o pai e nao tinha o menor controle sobre eles. Assim, o Blue Team resumiu-se a 3 jogadores.  Eu nao lembrava, mas a mae do Matthew me contou que a Bianca havia tentado ajuda-lo e consola-lo  no treino passado, quando ele estava super timido e nao queria jogar. Assim, quando recebemos o email com a lista dos times e ele ficou sabendo que  a Bianca estaria no mesmo time,  ele imediatamente  lembrou-se dela  e ficou feliz. E assim,  e foi para o segundo treino com outra atitude. Parecia de fato outra crianca, jogando com confianca.

O Blue Team teve um jogo treino contra o Green Team. Mesmo com 2 jogadores a menos,  o Blue Team ganhou com larga vantagem. Isto  apesar de um  gol contra feito pelo Tyler. Dos gols, Bianca fez a grande maioria: uns 4! So dava ela no jogo, eu juro! Ela vibrava tanto quando fazia um gol, pulava, socava o ar e tudo mais. Dava alegria ve-la jogando! . O pior era quando ela tentava roubar a bola de outra pessoa do mesmo time!  Expliquei para ela e  ja no final ela e o Matthew ja se entrosavam e passavam bola entra eles.  Engracado tambem foi quando todo o time foi jogar no campo de outros dois times porque estavam atras da bola.

Enquanto eu assistia das laterais, o avo da Charlie foi comentar com a mae de outra crianca sobre as habilidades atleticas da Bianca sem saber que eu era sua mae. Enquanto outra mae veio me perguntar se ela ja havia jogado antes. Expliquei que suas habilidades deveriam ser creditadas ao sangue de brasileirinha, mas principalmente a heranca genetica do seu Vovo -  craque de bola. Depois do jogo-treino,  o tecnico chamou ela para ficar passando a bola para outras criancas baterem para o gol.

Em sintese, so deu a Lolinha! Adesivo eu ano boto nao, mas nao ha como negar que no momento "I have a terrific soccer player!"

Ferias!!!!

Viajamos para Punta Cana, Republica Dominicana. Incrivel a diferenca que faz, da ultima viagem para o Brasil para essa. Nessa viagem, aos 4 anos, Miss B foi de fato uma companheira incrivel de viagem. Nao tinha reclamacao, nem tantrums. Ao contrario, uma simpatia irradiante e definitivamente a nossa PR, pois viramos meros acessorios: " os pais da Bianca".

Logo que chegamos expliquei para ela que la se falava a mesma lingua que a Dora. Pronto, foi o suficiente para no jantar ela soltar o primeiro "Vamonos!". Dai ela aprendeu direitinho e dizia " Gacias", dizia " hola"  para todos e ainda se saia com um "muy bien" quando alguem perguntava  "como estas?".

Ela brincou com o Felipe, filho de brasileiros, na mesma facilidade que na noite anterior brincara com a Julia, filha de russos ou no dia seguinte viria a brincar com o Matthew ou com o Brian no primeira dia. Lingua realmente nao era um problema. Ate com uma francesinha ela sob minhas i
instrucoes falou um " bonjour" no segundo dia de viagem. Descolada essa garota!!!

Ferias felizes essas!

A Menina que Calculava

A facilidade com que crianças aprendem novos conceitos científicos para mim é espantoso. 

Episodio 1

Do nada ela me começa a falar: "Mommy, did you know that the bones inside  of you  make your skeleton?"Quase cai dura!

Episodio 2

Outro dia descobri por acaso, enquanto penteava seu cabelo que Bianca entendia o conceito de soma. Comecei com números pequenos tipo 1+1 e fui aumentado até que a soma desse 10. Espantou-me o fato que ela realmente pensava para dar a resposta, e não se tratava de decoreba porque mudei a sequencia.  Perguntei a professora da escolinha se eles já estavam ensinando e ela me falou que não. Mas que havia um aluna que tinha sido ensinada em casa e estava falando disso na classe e que ela nao se admiraria se Bianca tivesse entao pegado. Fiquei mais chocada ainda, mas feliz obvio!

Episodio 3

Outro dia parei para por gasolina e comecou a seguinte conversa: "Mommy, we need to put gas in the go-go (= car) because if we don't, the car can't move." Ate ai tudo bem... Ela prosseguiu: "Mommy, you know, I really want to have a car". Dai respondi: Se voce quiser um carro voce tem que ter 16 anos, estudar muito e trabalhar para poder ter dinheiro para poder comprar um carro. Ela: But, Mommy I'm only 4, 16 is a long time!" . Dai expliquei que nem a Morena ainda sabia dirigir e que fora ter idade precisava estudar e ter seu proprio dinheiro. Ela: But Mommy I have money in my armadillo bank (o piggy bank dela eh em forma de um tato de pelucia)! Dai respondi que o dinheiro que ela tinha nao dava para o carro e que um carro era muito caro. Ela me pergunta: How much. Respondi em ingles: "Around $15,000". Ela se admira com quanto dinheiro. Dai falo pra ela em ingles e traduzo: You have to save your money to buy a car, voce tem que economizar para comprar um carro. E perguntei: Bianca, do you know what "save/economizar" means? Para minha surpresa ela me responde sem titubear: "Mommy, to save money is to 'guardar' your money in your armadillo bank to buy something later". Eu, por essa, nao esperava!

Episodio 4


Eu mostrava a Lolinha a margarida que tinha nascido no nosso gramado e assim comecou a conversa. - Look, Mommy! A butterfly, I love butterflies!. Eu falei que tambem gostava. Ela continuou: - Look, Mommy, the butterfly is drinking the honey from the flower - the polen!


Da para se ver que a escolinha realmente tem muita serventia! 


Episodio 5


Durante a viagem para Punta Cana a Lolinha me conta: "Mommy, did you know that a lot of planets together form the solar system?" Entao perguntei se ela sabia em qual planetas viviamos. Sem titubear ela responde: "Yes, I know it's the planet Earth. And there is also Mercury, that is the hotest planet and Jupiter is the biggest". Wow, chocada em ouvir que eles ja aprendem essas coisas na escolinha!


P.S: Gracas a professora de Geografia Ivany, ate hoje sei a ordem dos planetas: Minha velha traga meu jantar, sopa, uva, nozes, pao!

Pequenos Momentos, Grandes Tesouros

Nao so a Lolinha pilota helicopteros, como carros tambem! Lolinha no volante, perigo constante! Essa foto foi Carlos que tirou e me mandou para eu matar as saudades enquanto estava em NY a trabalho.

Carlos pos ela para "dirigir" aqui de casa ate a casa da Marcia que fica pertinho de casa na continuacao da nossa rua. Quando cheguei mais tarde, a primeira coisa que ela me disse foi que o Papai dela tinha ensinado ela a dirigir e que agora ela era uma "big girl" e sabia dirigir. Depois de ja ter falado que queria dinheiro para comprar o carro e agora ja "sabendo dirigir", vai ficar cada vez mais dificil argumentar porque ela ainda nao tem um carro, kkkkk!

Mudando de assunto...Engracado como certos instantes de sua infancia podem lhe trazer tao boas recordacoes. Lembro-me de quando Tio Adauto botava a gente no colo e saia dirigindo perto la de casa. Lembro de como me sentia o maximo ao descer dirigindo a ladeira perto do quartel da PM na Rodrigues Alves.

Os carros hoje sao bem mais rapidos e as pessoas ocupadas, atividades como essas vao ser tornando impensaveis,dado o perigo. Espero, porem, poder proporcionar de outra forma muitas boas memorias a Lolinha!

Amor de Mae

Poucos dias apos ter postado sobre a mae do Max e sua batalha, nasceu a Helena filha de um casal mais do que querido: minha amiga-irma  Ana Carolina (ou Carole, como a chamo)  e de um libriano gemeo (tambem nasceu em 13/10/71) do bem – o Juliano. Como o Max, a Helena nasceu com problemas serios no coracao e vai passar por diversas cirurgias. Sexta passada, com menos de uma semana de vida, a Helena se submeteu a sua primeira e mais dificil cirurgia e segue se recuperando conforme previsto, gracas a Deus!

Em conversa com minha irma, eu externava minha indignacao sobre  o que estavam passando a Carole e o Juliano. Me questionava se era justo que pessoas tao boas como a Carole e o Juliano  merecessem passar por essas dificuldades. Minha irma sabiamente respondeu que nao seria uma questao de merecimento.  Na verdade, essas pessoas talvez teriam sido justamente escolhidas por serem comprometidas, desprendidas e por saberem amar um bebe tao especial e que requer tanto cuidado como a Helena. Minha irma estava certa. Essa certeza veio com o lindo  e-mail da mae da Helena que recebi hoje, cuja passagem tomo a liberdade de compartilhar com voces logo abaixo:

O caminho ainda é longo e a batalha é diária. A cada passo, comemoramos mais uma etapa vencida.

Vê-la completamente sedada e cheia de tubos e drenos é difícil, mas conversamos com ela falando o quanto a amamos e a quisemos, agradecemos por ela ter nos  escolhido... Dizemos que vamos aproveitar cada segundo fora da UTI e nos maravilhar com seu primeiro passeio ao sol, com a primeira fralda que trocarmos,  com o primeiro abraço, ... sobre como vai ser bom correr, pular, conhecer o mar,... Sobre o beijinho de boa noite antes de dormir,...  Enfim: todas coisas simples que fazemos todos os dias - só que conscientes da alegria de tê-la saudável ao nosso lado.

Continuamos pedindo a Deus e a Nossa Senhora pelo milagre de um "coração novo" para ela e que esta e as futuras cirurgias sejam um sucesso, apesar de todos os prognósticos.

Muito obrigada pela corrente de oração! Tenho certeza que Deus está atento a nossa pequenina! Nós também sairemos transformados desta experiência...

Esse e o mais puro e supremo sentimento: o amor incondicional de mae. A Helena hoje tem tudo o que ela mais precisa: uma mae como a  Carole.

Peco a todos os leitores do meu blog que juntem-se a nos nessa corrente de prece e que a seu modo orem e torcam pela Helena, pela sua familia e  seus medicos. Vamos Helena, estamos com voce!

Pimenta nos Olhos do Outros é Refresco

Nao contive os risos ao ler a noticia sobre as 2 criancas de 5 anos que escaparam do Colegio Damas em Recife e foram parar na Jaqueira, ha muitas quadras do colegio. E claro, muito preocupante e imagino a aflicao dos pais, mas nao posso esconder minha admiracao pelas astutas criancas que conseguiram escapar do colegio, ate porque consigo perfeitamente imaginar a Bianca sendo uma dessas criancas.

Veio a lembranca do episodio do berco da Bianca quando ela tinha acabado de completar 1 ano. Moravamos em Harrisburg, NC e o quarto dela ficava em frente ao nosso. Acordo de manha com uma vozinha no meu ouvido que julguei ser do monitor da baba eletronica. Abri os olhos, com  uma preguica de ir ate la pega-la. Quando olhei, me deparo com a Lolinha do meu lado da cama me falando qualquer coisa. Assim, sem o menor aviso, com 1 ano de idade, ela escala e pula o berco. Dei um pulo da cama do susto. Ficamos eu e Carlos incredulos!

Na foto acima ela ja tinha uns 2.5 anos e deixavamos ela entrar e sair do berco quando quisesse. Ela adorava escalar para o berco, assim como com 1 ano ela tambem adorava escalar a cerca da escolinha para ver os coelhinhos la fora. Por essa razao, nao pude me conter e pensar que uma dessas criancas poderia ser ela na sua coragem, auto-confianca e curiosidade. Ainda bem que as escolas aqui sao seguras no suburbio!!!

Goodnight Moon

It is so late and I'm still awake. As I'm saying my goodbyes in Facebook, I thought of my favorite children's book: Good Night Moon. Below is the text. I love reading it to Miss B at night with an increasingly soft voice.

...Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Good night cow jumping over the moon
Goodnight light
And the red balloon
Goodnight bears
Goodnight chairs
Goodnight kittens
And goodnight mittens
Goodnight clocks
And goodnight socks
Goodnight little house
And goodnight mouse
Goodnight comb
And goodnight brush
Goodnight nobody
Goodnight mush
And goodnight to the old lady
whispering "hush" (from thereon, read it very sofly!)
Goodnight stars
Goodnight air, 
Goodnight noises everywhere

Margaret Wise Brown