Friday Favorites 03.05.2024

Happy Friday, everyone!

Did you have a good week?

Mine was not bad. My husband went back to work yesterday (after one month off) and so I’m still adjusting to our new routine. I started working again after maternity leave next month and I’m still navigating the changes that come with working part time while taking care of two babies all day long.

My favorite things from this week include:

1. Dalila’s birthday party

This was technically last week, on Saturday, but I’m including it here. Unfortunately, some of our favorite people couldn’t attend so we were a smaller group than last year (about 16 people, instead of 30+) but we still had so much fun. We also ended up having to have the party inside because it was very cold, windy and rainy, but we made it work. I have no idea what we would have done if everyone had come the party as we certainly can’t fit 30+ people in our house. We went with a cat theme since cats are one of Dalila’s favorite things. Here’s some pictures:

Yummy food

Party favors (assorted candy)

The most delicious red velvet cake

More cats!

2. Pizza date with friends

On Monday, we went on an impromptu pizza date with our friends (Olívia’s godparents) and it was really great. The pizza was good and the company was even better.

3. Annie in Paris by Carmen Reid

I’m a huge fan of the Annie Valentine series and I devoured the new book in two days. Annie is a frazzled, busy, fashionable, funny mom of four and I can 100% relate to her (except for the fashionable part).

4. Olívia rolling over and Dalila owning everything around here

So far she’s just rolling front to back (probably because she hates being on her tummy) and it’s the cutest thing. As for Dalila, she has started saying “it’s mine” about everything, especially her sister’s toys. She also tried to brush her sister’s non-existent teeth last night, which was the funniest thing ever.

5. Banana Bread

I have *finally* made a good enough to eat banana bread. I wish I had taken a picture but Rui and I literally ate the whole thing in one afternoon (I’m honestly hopeless around carbs) so it didn’t live long enough to be photographed. Dalila thought it was “yuuuck”, though. I’m definitely making this recipe again next time I need to save a couple of bananas.

Weekend plans include working (only 4-5 hours total), house cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry and celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

See you on Tuesday.

Love,

Cheila

Linking up with Momfessionals

Monday: 15.04.2024 The One Where the Living Room Lamp is Murdered

Today was a good day.

I was up later than I should have been (I had set my alarm for 7 am but hit snooze until 7.45) and had to rush getting dressed, washing my face and drinking some coffee before teaching a private lesson at 8 am. After the lesson, I worked on some things until about noon, while Rui spent time with the girls. I assigned some homework, uploaded some worksheets to Google classroom, scheduled a driving lesson and a dentist appointment, updated my planner and just took care of some online errands.

I joined my husband and the kids in the living room, had Nutella toast for lunch (please someone call the police, this meal should be illegal) and then started my endless cycle of daily laundry and tidying up. I made our bed, vacuumed both bedrooms, put on a load of Olívia’s clothes, then a load of Dalila’s bedding, then a load of delicate laundry. I folded a load of Dalila’s laundry I had washed yesterday put it away, as well as a load of darks.

We all moved to the kitchen for lunch and Rui and I talked while I wrote down a list of things we need to get done before his paternity leave ends. He cooked and managed Dalila’s lunch and tidied the kitchen while I moved to the living room to put Olívia down for her nap. Lunchtime was a little dramatic and tantrum filled because Dalila was bitten by a mosquito (why is there no word for “melga” in English) last night and was scratching her mosquito bites nonstop. We kept trying to get her to stop because she had actually drawn blood on her face but she just wouldn’t stop scratching. I had the brilliant (as usual) idea of trying to put a bandaid on it and she absolutely lost it. Honestly, you haven’t known stress if you’ve never parented a toddler. Eventually, she stopped scratching her face because it was starting to hurt and she figured it would probably be best to leave it alone.

After lunch and cleaning up, Rui took her to our bedroom and tried to get her down for her afternoon nap but she definitely wasn’t having it today. Meanwhile I took a shower while Olívia happily watched from her swing, which I placed near the shower. It’s funny how different my girls are. Dalila used to scream like a banshee if I so much as looked in a different direction but Olívia is content as long as she can see me.

After an unsuccessful nap attempt, Rui went for a run (after we sat for half an hour debating where we’d go for dinner) while I stayed with the babies. Olívia napped in Dalila’s crib while I tidied up the living room and cleaned behind the couch. At some point I looked away for two seconds and Dalila managed to pull a glass lamp from a side table and it broke. It wasn’t a big deal because nobody got hurt and we moved to their bedroom so I could prevent her from getting into the glass shards on the floor. We played while Olívia napped and daddy cleaned up the broken lamp when he came home from his run. He then showered and gave Dalila a bath while I fed and changed Olívia. We all got dressed and went to dinner at this Japanese/Chinese buffet. Olívia slept the entire time and Dalila ate her weight in noodles, crab legs and strawberries.

After dinner, we stopped by the pharmacy to get something for Dalila’s bug bites, fully knowing she wasn’t going to let us actually apply anything to her face. I’m now writing this after getting Olívia down for the night while my husband is putting Dalila to bed (we alternate putting them to bed).

I’m very tired but still have a few things to do before bed and I’d like to read a little and maybe spend some time with my husband. Hopefully, I won’t be too sleepy to do my skincare routine.

Love,

Cheila

Friday Favorites and Weekend Plans 05.04.24

Happy Friday!

It’s supposed to get to 25C today (77F for my American friends) and this mom is in a Spring cleaning mood.

My to-do list is looking XXL right now, so I’m getting on it as soon as I finish this post (and my coffee).

These are my favorite things from this week:

1. My husband is home on paternity leave

My husband has been home with us and will be for the whole month of April. To be honest, this has thrown me off my routine a bit, and I don’t quite know what to do with myself. I’m supposed to be using this time to catch up on work but, instead of working through my long overdue projects, I’ve been either spending time with him or feeling like I should be helping him with the girls because he’s sick (sinusitis) and Olívia is both teething and recovering from her 4 month vaccinations so things are extra challenging right now. Hopefully, we’ll get into a better routine next week and I’ll use this time to actually catch up on work and reestablishing my business.

2. I FINALLY started tackling the garage mess.

I have to start working there tomorrow as it doubles as both our offices, and I could never work there surrounded by all the mess, so I have started to clean and organize it. I can now see my desk again and I intend to spend a few more hours declutterring this afternoon. Honestly, there’s a bunch of things I could probably sell but I feel like just donating or throwing everything away.

3. It feels like Spring.

Have I mentioned how warm it’s going to be today? It’s sunny and beautiful and I wish I could spend the day outside, just laying in the sun and being lazy, but I’ll take what I can get and just dry my laundry outside.

4. We went on a family pizza date on Wednesday

It was only Pizza Hut at the mall but it was convenient and fast, Olívia slept the entire time and Dalila behaved really well, so we got to eat in relative peace for once. I also got a small pizza instead of a medium one because I’m working on my relationship with food and trying to cut back on my portions.

5. I got an email from a blogger friend

Daniela at Mama on the Move and I have just started exchanging emails and it’s so nice to talk to my friend. We had realized we’re kindred spirits while chatting in the comment section of both our blogs and so we decided to become email pen pals (email pals? Keyboard pals? What do you call it?). I’ve always loved to make new friends and to connect with fellow bloggers, so this is extra exciting. Back in the day, I used to exchange letters and postcards with a few blogger friends and I miss that kind of interaction. If you ever feel like chatting, drop me a line at pinkfordays@outlook.pt.

When it comes to weekend plans, I’m working both mornings (two old students are coming back and I have a new one starting tomorrow) and then I plan on tackling some more cleaning and spending time with my husband and babes.

That’s enough for today. I better get on with deep cleaning my bedroom now.

I’ll see you back here on Monday.

Enjoy your weekend!

Love,

Cheila

Linking up with Momfessionals

The Shitty Weekend: A Recap

Hey there, everyone!

How was your Easter? Mine was actually pretty shitty.

We traveled to my husband’s hometown on Friday morning to go spend Easter with my in-laws and it rained the whole weekend. It was freezing and rainy and windy and I didn’t even manage to go for a walk while there.

Dalila was in a funk for two days, throwing major tantrums and being generally grumpy, clingy and moody. We are not sure why, but we think it might have been the daylight saving time change, a different bed and a change in routine. She didn’t want to eat anything, wouldn’t go to sleep and was just super upset for two whole days. She then just snapped back to being her normal, happy self at lunchtime on Monday. I thought she might be teething but I’m pretty sure she has all of her teeth by now and she definitely has the vocabulary to say something if her teeth were hurting. Besides, she wasn’t crying in pain, just generally moody.

Olívia wasn’t super happy either, having a huge crying fit on Saturday. She gets very tired when she’s not on her typical routine and only takes catnaps throughout the day, which makes her exhausted. I think teething might be starting for her too (she’s 4 months old today) because she keeps attempting to chew on everything and nibbling on her hands. To make it even worse, she has been a bit colicky and was clearly in pain at some point.

On the drive home yesterday, we literally had to stop about 4 or 5 times (it’s a 2-hour drive) to soothe Olívia, put her pacifier back on, give Dalila her own pacifier back because it had fallen or she had thrown it (I wonder who she gets her temper from) provide snacks, etc. Honestly, my husband and I would just look at each other, not knowing if we should laugh or cry, wondering if we could maybe just run away together, leave the country and have the grandparents raise the kids but ultimately decided to keep them for now (mostly for the tax benefits) and somehow we made it home and through another day.

Because I wasn’t having a crappy enough few days, my period decided to make an appearance yesterday (right on time, after always being late for the best part of 20 years) giving me a massive headache. Finally, both kids were asleep by 11ish and I made it to bed early (and by early I mean midnight) and slept in this morning because my husband is wonderful and took both girls so I could rest a little.

Anyways, I’m off now. Olívia had her 4-month shots today and I want to go cuddle her.

I hope you have a nice week!

Love,

Cheila

Photo by Pexels

Friday Favorites and Weekend Plans 29.03.2024

Happy Friday, everyone!

It’s a public holiday here (Good Friday) and I’m taking the rest of the day, tomorrow and Sunday off from blogging. I’m focusing on balance and on trying to be more present and enjoying the little things more, so I’m taking the weekend off to focus on nothing but my little family. I’ll see you back here on Monday.

Before I go, I’m leaving you with my favorites from this week.

1. I’m a complete moron. Seriously, you have no idea how big of an idiot I am. I’ve been complaining here about how I only have about a month to do my remaining 16 driving lessons and to pass my driving exam but, it turns out, I actually have until November. The deadline is a year from the theoretical exam and not six months. Major facepalm.

2. Speaking of driving, I actually had two lessons this week (one of them in the rain, no less) and they went so much better than I expected. I feel like I’m improving with every lesson and I’m starting to feel like I might actually be able to drive some day. Before you ask, “how hard can it be”, let me explain that we all learn to drive a stick shift here and automatic cars are very rare, so it is a bit confusing at first to focus on brake, gas, clutch, stick shift, blinkers, steering wheel. There’s so much happening at the same time and I’m honestly not very good at eye-hand-foot coordination. I’ll get there eventually.

3. My husband surprised me (after I begged him to bring me a little something sweet from the store) with a Ferrero Rocher Easter Egg yesterday and, even though I have mixed feelings about it, it is still making my list of favorites.

4. Olívia is now laughing uncontrollably when we tickle her and it’s so cute and funny to watch. It’s even funnier because Dalila has started to try to copy us and tickle her baby sister. I can’t wait to watch their interactions when they’re a bit older. Hopefully, Dalila will grow out of licking her sister and saying “hmm, delicious” (why are toddlers so weird?).

5. I finished reading Ex in the City by Portia MacIntosh and it was just the funny, light read I needed to balance all the non-fiction I’ve been reading. If you’re into rom-coms, I definitely recommend her books.

6. I’m currently and very slowly watching the documentary “Crazy, Not Insane” (this could honestly be the title of my autobiography), which focuses on why people kill and on how brain damage, childhood trauma and sexual abuse can affect people and lead them to violent crime. I’m only about halfway through it but it’s worth watching.

7. I’m still on a bread making kick and I’ve been experimenting with different recipes. My favorite is this rustic white bread, which turns out so crusty and fluffy that I can’t even wait for it to cool down before eating. I’ve also tried a mixed grain bread (white flour and rye flour) and banana bread. I look forward to keep making homemade bread and baking in general. I’ll probably share my very easy bread recipe next week.

That’s it for today. I’m off now.

Enjoy the long weekend and Happy Easter!

Love,

Cheila

As usual, liking up with Momfessionals