Sunday, August 31, 2014

Date in the West

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We finally made went through with a date night and didn't fall asleep before and call it off... as has been happening recently. 

We went to a drive-in movie and the baby was nice enough to sleep in her car seat. We ate gross McDonalds... that actually tasted really good at the time. We had to wait for the movie to start... and we actually both fell asleep during that time. But we woke up once it started and then it was great. It was the perfect date. And free! Yay Portugal for having everything be free all the time. 

The movie we saw: 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Video

 This vídeo came out months ago, but I only saw it now. Here I am on "YouCat Minute" talking about why Sunday is importante, in Portuguese:  

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Nigella, Cocaine and Tarts

We are preparing for Addie's baptim here in these parts. I decided to do it "the village way" and have everything be as homemade as possible. Who needs catering for 60 people? Pshaw! Today "the village" consisted of me and my mom plus my sister as babysitter and we made 10 tarts and 3 frittatas. And 48 cookies. I know, pretty impressive. I'm trying not to go overboard, as Martha Stewart went to prison and Nigella Lawson has a cocaine addiction, as my sister kindly pointed out. Luckily, my in-laws are also bringing a truckload of food from their cousin's café. I think it'll be okay.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Article on IgnitumToday

Natural Family Planning is Hard
0 Comments August 20, AD 2014 | Julie Machado

              Our bodies are complex, intricate mysterious things. They are not outer shells or machines that come with a user’s manual. There is a lot going on that we understand, and probably even more going on that we don’t understand.

Continue Reading at: http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2014/08/20/natural-family-planning-hard/

Friday, August 15, 2014

Downtown

Baby Addie took her first trip downtown and definitely enjoyed it. She rides in her stroller like a big girl now. We went to mass at São Nicolau church with some friends... who will sing at her baptism soon! They are oh so nice.


Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Hike!

We went on a mini... very mini.. "family hike", which made my whole week. It's my dream to do a weekly hike. Plus we got some amazing pictures. This is at Lagoa Azul, Sintra.  



Monday, August 11, 2014

A journey in meals


I haven't been feeling very productive these days. But I have been investing in meals. I got a new cookbook from my favorite author, Simply Satisfying, and I'm trying to get through the cookbook to see what my favorite recipes are. I usually stay away from homemade macaroni and cheese (too sickeningly cheesy, I just like the one from a box). But this recipe macaroni and cheese was fabulous... it had cauliflower and chili peppers, plus bread crumbs on top! Here were our pretty meals last week...


 

Friday, August 08, 2014

Struggling with motherhood doubts

I've been kind of depressed about jobs over the last weeks and in a very vulnerable situation with my last employer. Having a baby really does change things and make you question who you are and what your priorities are. I listened to the talks from the Edel gathering here: 


And Marion's talk really helped me realize I'm not alone with my doubts. It seems like in Portugal everyone does the same thing: has one or two children really late, keeps on working at the same job and puts their 5-month-old at daycare or at their grandparents'. Marion, however, talked about the doubts that mothers have and that I really feel like I've been struggling with: 

Do I stay at home? 
Do I work outside the home? 
What are my schooling options? 
What about the bills? 
How do I raise my kids in the faith? 
How do I balance this need for adult interaction and intellectual stimulation with the needs of my kids? 

I also found a new blog, carrotsformichaelmas.com
It is AWESOME and so is the blogger, Haley. She is the "ultimate Catholic hipster" and she is great inspiration. 

haley stewart1 Four amazing talks from the Edel Gathering

Thursday, August 07, 2014

Suitors and dancing

We went to a wedding last weekend and baby Addie was not the (only) center of attention! There were two other babies her age there, which was fun. She had two suitors, but neither invited her to dance. Shame. She danced quite a bit with her daddy though, which I'm sure was fun for her. And was passed around from lap to lap. She barely slept and we went home pretty early, but we were so tired! It felt like we had been gone for a month. 


The cuteness. I die. 

Friday, August 01, 2014

Running with baby

I'm back to being a wannabe runner. This was the second time we did it and it worked out perfectly. We take a walk to this soccer field with a dirt track around it. I rock the baby to sleep in her stroller and when she falls asleep I run a few times around the track... keeping her in eyesight of course to make sure no one kidnaps the cutest baby in town. I know I have thirty minutes from the time she falls asleep because that's how long her sleep cycles are during the day. It all works out. Now just for the self-discipline to keep it up!