So every last Friday of the month the Mexican Government or more precisely the SEP makes each school close down in order for the teachers to have a training day.
Good concept, except Mexico doesn't have 5 weeks if vacay. But only a few days a year - so what happens with the kids. I don't know.
Luckily I am at home on maternity leave so Sophia and I can calmly continue with our tea party.
Sleep more!
My eyes are burning and I feel a nap would do wonders. But I am sacred I wouldn't wake up - again today. And I need to go pick up the monster in an hour and a half.
I thought I had slept well.
Here is how Sophia's room looks.
There is a bench-shelf missing, and then I am happy with how it looks.
Saw this article about how someone started this thing on twitter yesterday - show my fridge day. I don't have twitter and I realize it was yesterday. But here comes our fridge and freezer.
They are both small. The fridge is perfect for us, but I would have wanted a bigger freezer.
Nothing too exciting.
I have had quite the morning.
I had to go back to Abastos - I got some orders for Granola and I noticed I had run out of packaging.
While there I also checked this Papeleria out - yesterday as I was leaving I saw they had Papel Picado, and I wanted to go buy some for our party in March.
I also found a baking store that sells all types chocolate and creams and most importantly - fresh yeast.
Great, have been looking for that for 4 years.
Coming home I started making Granola and also prepared some caramalizes pecan nuts for us - not to sell. Just set a dough for making 'pink cookies' and am waiting for it to be 'ready' - needs to rest an hour in the fridge.
While waiting I am enjoying some down town, Leon finally fell asleep and I can read up on some news and the blogs I follow.
Ciao
It used to be so easy to put Sophia to bed.
* read a book or four
* sing a song
* turn on her iPod with either a story or a playlist with lullabies.
*leave the room
*she will sleep all night
And that is it.
Now...
*read a book or four
*sing for a bit
- stopped with the iPod because she would start playing with it
* dare to try to say good night and leave - she will have a breakdown worthy of a Hollywood drama.
*sit next to her
*she will want me to hold her foot (don't know why)
*she will start to breath heavily and I will try to leave - she will start to cry
*process starts again *10
*my back will hurt and I will lay down
*she will basically lay on top of me
*she will fall asleep
*I will take 30 min to sneak out
*a few hours later she will come running into our room.
This is the famous market. This is actually just one 'street', there are many more.
The streets are specialized in a type of product.
I also bought some packaging for the cookies I make, and that is in street 1.
There is also a candy street and so on.
It's dirty and full of kids that should be in school - it breaks your heart.
But I like to shop our greens here - cheap and good quality.
There are three seasons in Mexico - according to me.
Summer/winter - implies cold mornings and warm (Swedish standard) days. You can walk around in t-shirt, pants and shoes - I usually bring a cardigan in case of.
Summer/dry - it's warm. All the time. There is always sun. I never wear full shoes or pants these months. And if I do, I suffer the entire time. No rain for months.
This is how it is right now, started this week.
Summer/wet - rain season. It is warm. Very warm, but it will most likely rain in the afternoon. I still live in shorts/dresses and sandals. Might bring a cardigan if I am out at night or early in the morning.
I say that a million times a day.
Say it in Swedish.
Sophia - obviously - feels more comfortable with Spanish than Swedish. She hears it a lot more and more people speak it.
Sophia is trilingual.
She understands and speaks Swedish well, also Spanish and she understands English - she also speaks it a bit.
For example; colors, numbers and basic sentences (directions, ask for things and so on) she knows in all three.
She makes longer sentences, explains things in Swedish and Spanish.
Her Swedish is quite funny and she says things the way she hears them - it sometimes comes out hilariously. She says 'mi Lille' for 'jag har gjort illa mig'
When she is in a hurry she mixes Spanish and Swedish.
Ex; ya vamos a dagis? (Are we going to school)
Ya färdig maten (is food ready).
Quiero kissa ( wants to pee)
Quiero gå till parken (want to go to the park).
Sometimes she says a sentence purely in Spanish and I need to ask her to try in Swedish - if she can she quickly does. Otherwise I notice she doesn't and I ask her to repeat what I say.
I only speak to her in Swedish. Sometimes when I ask her to ask her dad or English teacher something (that I know she won't translate herself), I do this:
(In Swedish)
Can you ask your dad to give you an apple?
She says yes and asks him in Swedish - I then tell her how to ask in Spanish.
Hopefully all the hard work pays off. Hopefully it will be easier with Leon since he will hear Sophia and I speak it all the time.
As always. Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and oven baked carrots - of course accompanied by Swedish mustard.
Oh yeah, Sophia set the table.
I have been rather busy these days baking. Have had orders of chocolate chip cookies and the ones on the picture.
I am starting to prepare for the arrival of my family (2 and a half weeks left). EXCITING. Haven't seen them in 2 (!) years - yikes.
So I will intent to make a list/Menu of what we eat this week.
This is mostly for myself so that I can come back and see what we can have for lunch those days that the imagination is off.
Monday: chicken with roasted pepper and Parmesan sauce, cheese ravioli.
This was tasty - I will use Greek yogurt in stead of cream next time.
Tuesday: Steak and Egg sandwich on full wheat bread. Very tasty and fast for days when the baby is fussy.
Wednesday: Chicken Pad Thai.
Thursday: Swedish meatballs, stuvade makaroner and oven roasted carrots.
Friday: Mini burgers with oven roasted potatos and beetroot.
Now a picture of the veggies and fruits I got at the market.
