January 31st 2012

ME AGAIN!

It's as though the part of me that is a "journal writer" is a good friend that comes and goes. Luckily, the visits are always nice and my "audience" in journal writing is myself, so no one is left waiting.

So here we are, January once again, and Costa Rica still. My declaration to be focused on family has played out well. Fitness has come with walking, but life has gotten busy and surfing has been put on hold. Finally though, my board is in the shop getting the hole repaired and I won't be able to resist it once it is back in sight. Learning to surf once again will be, yet again, a joyful experience!

In June I felt anxious about waiting, "doing nothing", but I embraced that and grew and am growing. Today we are riding a wave! In fact I have lots of program writing to be doing at this moment, yet if I were to take every second as an opportunity to "work" I would have learned nothing from the forced time of quiet and peaceful meditation on life. We all need those times throughout our lives and are given them in phases it seems. Most of us have difficulty recognizing it as a blessing, but rather we see it as being "stuck"; not sure which way to turn now? Like a fork in the road. If I were the scare crow you came across down your yellow brick road, I might suggest just waiting to see which road presents itself to your heart... that is "if I only had a brain". And he does go on and on about "whiling away the hours", "conversing with the flowers" and sitting just to think! HA! Just imagine if the whole world moved a tad bit slower and took time to sit in quiet meditation.... we just might receive the blessings awaiting our pause!

LA PURA VIDA

Today for lunch and other small joys of life

June 23rd 2011
I seem to go back in forth, up and down or maybe just around in circles when it comes to cooking good food. But today when I sat down for lunch I cherished every bite. The kids and I went grocery shopping today and filled our cart with fruits and vegetables, so I was inspired. I bought chicken tenders and fried them in a flour/oatmeal coating with chopped onion, garlic and rosemary. I served it with a shell pasta tossed in a simple garlic, onion, tomato, salt and milk sauce & a spinach salad. The salad was my favorite; spinach, tomato, chopped red pepper, chopped mango, lime juice and olive oil.  Good food just makes you feel good.

June 26th
I started out not feeling like cooking anything, but ended up really excited about what I did. I threw some pasta in and then thought for a second about what kind of sauce to throw together. Since I got a huge head of cauliflower during the last grocery run, I decide to do the cauliflower sauce I've been working on perfecting for a while now. Before beginning that, I threw some dough together. I used the recipe I've been using for pizza, but with a little more baking powder and extra olive oil. Then I threw in some chopped garlic and after kneading I cut it in three long pieces, rolled them out and braided them. All this probably took about 10 mins. Then I threw it in the oven for 20 mins on a greased baking sheet.

While that baked I peeled, sliced and put to steam covered over medium heat some "shu shu" or coyote squash. Then I set out to make my sauce. I will describe it in three options, since I think it's a great recipe for different types of diet.

Raw foods diet- option one or step one:
In a food processor (I use the magic bullet) add cauliflower pieces, salt, olive oil and water if needed.
Blend until smooth and creamy. Onion is also an option, depending on your taste preferences.

Option two:
If you eat dairy, add milk.




Option three:

Chop a large onion and garlic and cook covered in a saucepan. Follow option/step one and/or two, then add the mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat. Add mozzarella cheese if desired.

This recipe can be used over pasta, as a dip or a spread, or as an alternative to mashed potatoes. It is a great way to get vegetable nutrients into children or spouses that prefer not to eat vegetables or to keep on a healthy diet even when craving a creamy pasta sauce. If your child picks out vegetables from his/her food, I would recommend leaving out the chopped onion.

 June 27th 2011

Monday, Monday and back to our home schooling adventures. The sun was shining so we took a walk down to the water and I sent the kids out to find 5 things they liked. Kaila is a huge fan of the many hermit crabs and likes to find the smallest one she can.

 They searched along the rocks, in the sand, under the branches and Kalani even climbed a tree to see what he could find.

We then sat down on a perfect little bench/table to draw out what we found and take a few pictures. The sun came shining through and we were able to get some neat shadow shots. 

Just before heading back, the local version of an ice cream truck came by; a tico with a cooler full of "pipas frias" (cold coconuts). He pops the top off and sticks a straw in it, and if you drink the coconut water fast enough, he will also break it open so you can scoop out the yummy coconut pieces. Kaila loves it, Kalani just drinks the water, but decided carrot sticks would be a good snack for him. I think any mama would be just fine with that :)

 After our snack and discussion time, the kids took a break while I wrote up their worksheets for the day. I introduced some lower case letters to Kalani and had Kaila trace her name and fill in the missing letters. 

 

Now to laundry and dishes while they play.

Mr. Abrahao's Birthday

June 7th 2011
Today is Mr. Abrahao's birthday and I am enjoying his decision to relax at home with good food and our little family. I made Banana Chunk Chocolate Cake- considering calling it Monkey Cake -this morning. It was a little too sweet at breakfast time from the chocolate frosting I put on it (the only thing pre-made so far today!). The cake itself was fluffy and definitely still edible, so I'm enjoying another "small" piece with my afternoon coffee.

Breakfast was an "old fashion" veggies scramble with toast, and of course coffee.

For lunch, homemade pizza! Dough, sauce and toppings all from scratch. I really wish I had had some good olive oil, but I still managed to create a healthy and yummy tasting red pepper, onion and garlic pizza; steamed broccoli on the side. Heitor asked if I could make more pizza for dinner. I haven't figured out how to do that without going to the store, but that's the fun of "creatively cooking". Possibly a fun story and some images to add to this post by the end of the night.

We haven't done any school today (so far), but the kids did a fun project for their dad's birthday. First they created a book out of old surf magazine pages and I helped them write down their story about surfer kids. Then this afternoon Kalani decided to decorate his puzzle as a birthday gift. I guess the "gift" is time doing the puzzle together :) Which Heitor will LOVE as all he has wanted to do today is play with them. I helped Kaila create a friendship bracelet and she picked out a few beads and a shell to put on it.

June 9th 2011
Today I made pizza again and remembered to take pictures. It was extra yummy thanks to a gift of fresh basil leafs a neighbor friend brought over last night. I think for this version, "the secrets in the sauce". It's a simple recipe- tomato, onion, garlic, salt, fresh herbs and a thickener-, but the chunky fresh flavors are enough on their own to spread over a simple, homemade crust.

Here is am image of the sauce before I spread it over my crust. I didn't worry about making it a smooth tomato sauce because again, I love the chunks of onion and garlic flavor we get from the final product.

I made two pizzas. I topped one with slices of tomato & fresh basil and the other with onion & red pepper. Both sprinkled with grated mozzarella cheese.

This is the tomato & basil pizza before           This is the onion & red pepper pizza
it went in the oven.                                        after coming out of the oven. I had some
                                                                    left over tomato slices, so I added them to
                                                                    this pizza.

HOME SCHOOL
Today we did math with raisins, creative story telling and short reading/writing work sheets.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
We walked down to the beach and played with hermit crabs and searched the tide pools as we walked along the rocks that are exposed at low tide.
The kids are headed out for a swim with their Papai, and Kalani has Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in a couple hours.

That's about all for our "Abrahao Adventures" today!

Six months into it

We are quickly coming up to our six month mark in Costa Rica and our "adventure" is far from over. We've had lots of visitors, a lot of beach time and are all working on our surfing. We've decided we have about another year until we need to make a more permanent decision. Sounds like a blessing, and it is, yet I'm feeling a sort of sea sickness as we sit on our boards and WAIT for the big wave that will push us forward to where we are suppose to be next. I'm trying to figure out how to be comfortable in a quiet and beautiful life. Sounds funny I know. I haven't figured out exactly why I feel anxious at times, lying in bed wondering how each piece of life will fall together. I've always had a strong faith that things will go as they should, so maybe it's just a season of growth. What is so great though is that I have time to focus on the kids and explore all the little details of their character and assist in their growth and development. Also exciting is the chance to develop myself as a mother, wife and homemaker. I find that the Lord places me in situations that cater to my deepest desires; the ones that I myself would ignore. For example, I've always dreamed of being really good at stuff like cooking, cleaning, teaching my kids, arts & crafts, projects, sewing and being resourceful. But I think the anxiety shows that I would probably fill my life with other things to keep me busy; resort myself to getting a job rather than deepening the way I value my job of being a mother and a wife.
Other things I will be working on that I've always wished for myself.

• Read more
• Be physically fit, strong and healthy
• Be my kids greatest teacher & biggest fan
• Cook gourmet meals & have "specialties" the family loves
• Write more
• Be more organized and consistent 
• Be a joyful presence to those around me (especially my kids and husband)

So, as I work on these things, I plan to post kids projects & achievements, my own recipes & thoughts, family goals and family fun and in doing so I can go back and review our journey and adjust where needed. 

One of the many aspects that I deeply appreciate about my husband is his family values. He is dedicated to having a healthy and loving family, and knows that our relationship has a deep impact. We've been blessed with signs of fate's great work and an understanding in our hearts that it wasn't by accident that our paths crossed. From the beginning we made a commitment to one another to do as all spouses/parents should do and learn from our parents, recognizing the great work they did, while also learning from their mistakes. I hope my children will do the same.

In conclusion, it appears that our "Abrahao Adventures" will be more beach days, home schooling excitement,  surfing fun, and good food; all as part of building strong family values and possibly a few new traditions!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & a conversation on sacrifice...

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I recently posted on a facebook page called "Simple Ideas That Can Change The World" the following;

"Make a selfless sacrifice, large or small for friends, family or strangers everyday".

I was then challenged to explain why sacrifice is necessary. Below is the conversation that followed:
I choose to leave these words without names for now. I am attaching a link for the sake of giving credit where credit is due.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_175035972535614

"What does a sacrifice achieve?"

"sacrifice... Reminds us to think about others, how we are all connected, and what a difference we can make in the world"

"Oh I understand. Wouldn't it be easier to just keep that in mind? Or do something good for someone else every day? I don't see how sacrifice ties in.."

"sacrifice and doing something good for someone else aren't always synonyms, however they can be. whether it's letting someone else take a seat on the bus though you could have taken it yourself, or perhaps NOT buying alcohol this weekend in order to save money to buy a birthday present for your great aunt Thelma...either way, you can sacrifice and do good, be it a physical action or your own mental attitude, it all counts."

"Oh I mean I see how sacrifice can be good. Don't get me wrong. But idk, wouldn't just do something nice work?"

"Doing something nice is nice... but many people stop themselves from doing anything nice unless it will benefit them, or as long as they don't have to give up anything, such as their time. Plenty of people have good hearts and want to help. By making a choice to put someone else's need(s) in front of our own desires, we can begin to realize what is truly important in life."

Today people have been posting MLK quotes to remember the difficult, but necessary contribution King made in an effort to create a more just, equal and peaceful world for ALL people. A couple of these fit well with the above conversation.

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity"-MLK

Your thoughts?

One month anniversary - thoughts on socializing/networking

Today completes a month of being in our new location. I am so grateful and amazed at life. I believe more and more everyday, in the importance of being a life learner and open to new people and new experiences. But also to cherish those people and experiences that are already dear to us. There is a balance, as there is in almost everything, between living in the present day, but also remembering where we came from and recognizing how those experiences have shaped who we are today. For our experiences today of course, will be those memories of the past. They are the same, only change with time from one thing into the other.

In seven days I will see friends I haven’t seen in almost ten years. I believe that seeing them again will renew our devotion to one another and develop our friendship, once again changing and shaping our lives and how we grow as people. After they leave, we will have a string of visitors from both the United States and Brazil, and from various circles of friends we have been blessed with. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these important people again, and further our friendships. I’m sure our lives will continue to cross paths with beautiful people, and I am excited for each new day!

This foundation of relationship and the fruit that comes out of developing relationships is what business people recognize and call networking, and possibly what party goers call socializing. While young people are often scolded for doing too much of it, socializing is a skill that can change our lives beyond imagination. Now to encourage our youth to socialize and work together in community with others, to value each relationship as an opportunity to learn and to grow, and to move forward with this skill in a healthy manner to a productive life.

This is what I hope to teach my children. 

Leather back turtles

September through March, these amazing turtles crawl ashore to lay their eggs, then slowly make their way back into the ocean. Heitor was lucky enough to stumble upon a bunch of them as he and some friendly neighbors searched for a good wave to ride. Hopefully we can have such luck with the kiddos! They really want to see these beautiful creatures.