Monday, April 25, 2011
Egg Hunt
Leyla is such a smarty. She found the eggs all by herself! She learned really quickly what the point of the game was. It was fun!
Semana Santa
This past week was Semana Santa, or "Holy Week" in Honduras. Since our family is not Catholic, all we did of course was take the vacation days and relax or go swimming. Easter Sunday we went to church and then out to eat lunch with family. It was odd because the Sunday sermon was not about the Resurrection...things are a little different here I guess.
eating her favorite snack - popcorn!
before heading to the river!
At the lake on Sunday. Leyla loved walking around and playing in the sand!
Here are the eggs we dyed Sunday afternoon. Nobody dyes eggs here so I just kind of forgot about it! Then I was talking to my mom and I thought, well duh, I boil some eggs and dye them even if we don't have plastic eggs!
We didn't get to have a hunt yet because it got too late. Maybe this afternoon we'll try one!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Cinnamon Rolls
My latest attempt at baking turned out super delicious. I was looking for a bread recipe to and came across this recipe for cinnamon rolls that looked so tempting I just had to try it. I made the bread (just plain white bread) and honey butter to go with it (delicious as well!) and then this morning tried the cinnamon rolls. I was very proud of myself because both the bread and the cinnamon rolls came out perfectly, for a first-time non-professional baker who had never used yeast or kneaded dough in her life! Oh and did I mention I made both from scratch - without a bread machine?? :) Here's how they looked:
Here's the recipe: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/CinnamonRollsFantastic.htm
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Learning to Read!
Carne Sudada
What's for lunch? My friend Dania taught me how to make "carne sudada" and this is my version I made for lunch today on my own. It's almost like making a pot roast. "Sudada" means sweaty. So it literally means "sweaty meat" - not very appetizing, haha. It is pretty easy to make: just cook the beef in water with vegetables (carrots, onions, green peppers) and seasonings, and then after it has boiled down, add the tomatoes to make a tomato sauce, and let it cook in the sauce. I used tomato paste and tomatoes. Then eat it over rice! Yummmmm.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Happy Anniversary!
Our 2 year anniversary was yesterday, April 14th. It was nice to go out and "celebrate." Although there's not much to do here, we managed to have some fun - we went to the Juan Carlos for dinner and had an anafre, a pincho, and a churrasco...yummmm :) Then we went to the bakery and got some cheesecake! I haven't had cheesecake in Honduras before so this was a treat. It actually had a pumpkin pie taste to the crust! It was good. Then we drove around awhile and wasted time. We took a few pictures eating dinner - here's the best one.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Potty Training: Day 3
Leyla woke up this morning completely dry and when I took her to go pee, she didn't want to sit on the potty. Then she started peeing, I rushed her to it, and she finished on the potty. So, in spite of the hit-and-miss, we applauded for what did make it in the potty.
When I got home from school, Maria gave me the same report - no accidents! And, apparently, she sat on the potty to read and play, too. Hard to believe when as soon as I walk in the door she pitches a fit over sitting on it! I wonder if it's just me, being her mommy, because later I took a break and Maria had her sitting on the potty for a good 30 minutes just sitting there!
So, I was a little discouraged all day, not to mention exhausted, and Leyla had 1 hit when I got home and then 2 accidents and then wouldn't sit or pee. At about 6:30 I took her with me to the bathroom and she peed! That made it all better - to have one good experience finally at the end of the day and then brush her teeth, diaper her up, and put her to bed.
Now comes the time when I determine the success or failure of the 3-day potty training. I had begun to think it wasn't worth it and she wasn't understanding, but at the same time I was so confused because she learned in half a day to wipe herself and flush the toilet, she says "pee pee" and she knows the potty is "potty." So I thought, why won't she sit on it by herself??? She seems to understand the rest of the process! So I took a count: 7 hits to 2 misses - that's a 77% success rate! That tells me she's actually doing pretty well. AND the fewer accidents today tell me that she's learned to "hold it" for longer periods of time. I think that means we will keep trying at least the rest of the week and hopefully she will sit on it on her own in the next couple of days. I am going to go to bed and rest up for the long day ahead! Wish me luck.
When I got home from school, Maria gave me the same report - no accidents! And, apparently, she sat on the potty to read and play, too. Hard to believe when as soon as I walk in the door she pitches a fit over sitting on it! I wonder if it's just me, being her mommy, because later I took a break and Maria had her sitting on the potty for a good 30 minutes just sitting there!
So, I was a little discouraged all day, not to mention exhausted, and Leyla had 1 hit when I got home and then 2 accidents and then wouldn't sit or pee. At about 6:30 I took her with me to the bathroom and she peed! That made it all better - to have one good experience finally at the end of the day and then brush her teeth, diaper her up, and put her to bed.
Now comes the time when I determine the success or failure of the 3-day potty training. I had begun to think it wasn't worth it and she wasn't understanding, but at the same time I was so confused because she learned in half a day to wipe herself and flush the toilet, she says "pee pee" and she knows the potty is "potty." So I thought, why won't she sit on it by herself??? She seems to understand the rest of the process! So I took a count: 7 hits to 2 misses - that's a 77% success rate! That tells me she's actually doing pretty well. AND the fewer accidents today tell me that she's learned to "hold it" for longer periods of time. I think that means we will keep trying at least the rest of the week and hopefully she will sit on it on her own in the next couple of days. I am going to go to bed and rest up for the long day ahead! Wish me luck.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Potty Training: Day 2
Well, Day 2 didn't end as well as I had expected. Leyla did really well in the morning, as I mentioned in the last post. But, when I got home, she had several accidents. She seems to pee more in the afternoon. But, it is exhausting following her around and putting her on the potty every 5 minutes!! Anyway, all day I think she had 4-5 hits in the potty. I did some reading and it seems like for most families, the 3rd day is the most successful day, so here's hoping tomorrow's better :)
Potty Training: Day 1
Success!!
The first day of potty training was a fairly good day. We started after her middday nap on Monday, when I got home from school. She had about 5-6 accidents in 5 hours and ONE SUCCESS! We followed her around with the potty and sat her on it every 5-10 minutes (this was the problem in the beginning, we got bored and tired of waiting so we missed it every time she peed) and when she finally went, we all jumped and hollered and clapped and made a big deal. Her face lit up :) Then I bribed her with cereal, just to hit it home. She didn't do it again the whole evening, but, we kept trying and practicing and reinforcing the idea.
This morning, I went to school and Maria took over for the day. I called around 9:00 to the joyous news of 3 pee-pees IN the potty and NO accidents!!! AND she sat on the potty once all by herself!! Maria did a very good job of bribing her too - I think I heard that Leyla sat on the potty just to see if she'd get some sugar cereal =) She is asleep right now so I can't wait to give her a big hug when she wakes up and see how well she does the rest of the day!
The first day of potty training was a fairly good day. We started after her middday nap on Monday, when I got home from school. She had about 5-6 accidents in 5 hours and ONE SUCCESS! We followed her around with the potty and sat her on it every 5-10 minutes (this was the problem in the beginning, we got bored and tired of waiting so we missed it every time she peed) and when she finally went, we all jumped and hollered and clapped and made a big deal. Her face lit up :) Then I bribed her with cereal, just to hit it home. She didn't do it again the whole evening, but, we kept trying and practicing and reinforcing the idea.
This morning, I went to school and Maria took over for the day. I called around 9:00 to the joyous news of 3 pee-pees IN the potty and NO accidents!!! AND she sat on the potty once all by herself!! Maria did a very good job of bribing her too - I think I heard that Leyla sat on the potty just to see if she'd get some sugar cereal =) She is asleep right now so I can't wait to give her a big hug when she wakes up and see how well she does the rest of the day!
Monday, April 11, 2011
LOVE this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACETEKhw2QQ
This is her favorite video :) She loves the songs and has learned the moves to several!
This is her favorite video :) She loves the songs and has learned the moves to several!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Potty Training Time
That's right....next week, I have decided, will be the week!! I read a couple methods and need to read some more, but one that I like is potty training in 3 days! You have to let the child go completely naked and buy those little toilets for every room and rush her to one if she starts to pee - then make a huge deal out of it and have a "potty dance" so that she wants to do it. So basically, you let the diapers run out and tell her every time that once the diapers are gone, she will get to go to the bathroom like a big girl! and you take her with you to the bathroom so she sees you using it and then when the diapers are gone....never again :) It says the method is perfect for Leyla's age, and since she has started waking up with dry diapers, and says "pee pee," I think she is ready. I think she will learn really fast. I'm kind of excited about it! Hope it works :) Will keep updating on her progress :)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Summer so far...
It's summer here in Honduras and it is HOT. Really, it's hot...probably in the 90s. It is tough trying not to suffocate. Usually it cools down at night or rains at least once a week - but not now! Nope! Don't count on any of that! Just blazing heat and sticky skin constantly.
First semester exams are coming up by the end of the week and I am feeling good about my classes. I have done really well sticking to my plans and feel on track for finishing the units (or the whole book) I need to finish by November. Most of my students are passing all the classes so far (without their exam grade totaled in) except a few of the younger students who just haven't adjusted to high school yet. Hopefully next semester things will turn around for them.
The puppies are getting so big and cute! I will take pictures as soon as I can - Marcos borrowed my camera so it will be a week before I can take any. The puppies are 4 weeks old now and all are walking around and come to the door when you open it, or come to the food bowl when you feed Lizzy. We've started giving them a little puppy food mush a couple times a day and they are eating it pretty well. They are all good and healthy and very playful :)
Leyla has learned some new words: she says "puh-puh" (purple) and "boo" (blue). She tilts her little head when you say "vamos!" saying, "C'mon!" She says "pee-pee" if I sit her on the toilet (although she won't pee IN the toilet) and she loooooves to dance to Father Abraham on her Bible Action Songs DVD. She says "mamamamama" when we read "Llama Llama Red Pajama" - her new favorite book. And sometimes I catch her playing hide-and-seek! She is really sweet too and gives everyone a hug and a kiss before saying goodnight :)
First semester exams are coming up by the end of the week and I am feeling good about my classes. I have done really well sticking to my plans and feel on track for finishing the units (or the whole book) I need to finish by November. Most of my students are passing all the classes so far (without their exam grade totaled in) except a few of the younger students who just haven't adjusted to high school yet. Hopefully next semester things will turn around for them.
The puppies are getting so big and cute! I will take pictures as soon as I can - Marcos borrowed my camera so it will be a week before I can take any. The puppies are 4 weeks old now and all are walking around and come to the door when you open it, or come to the food bowl when you feed Lizzy. We've started giving them a little puppy food mush a couple times a day and they are eating it pretty well. They are all good and healthy and very playful :)
Leyla has learned some new words: she says "puh-puh" (purple) and "boo" (blue). She tilts her little head when you say "vamos!" saying, "C'mon!" She says "pee-pee" if I sit her on the toilet (although she won't pee IN the toilet) and she loooooves to dance to Father Abraham on her Bible Action Songs DVD. She says "mamamamama" when we read "Llama Llama Red Pajama" - her new favorite book. And sometimes I catch her playing hide-and-seek! She is really sweet too and gives everyone a hug and a kiss before saying goodnight :)
