When I got an email from my sons' school teacher requesting that I bring in 2 bags of individually wrapped chocolate eggs for the class Easter egg hunt, I happily agreed to.. little did I know! I went to 4 different grocery stores before I found them. A
small container of chocolate foil wrapped eggs, literally enough to fit in the palm of my hand. The price tag? R$40 (roughly $25)!!! First thought: Those must be some AMAZING chocolate eggs! Second thought: Where is a darn dollar store when you need one?! Finally I was told that a small American goods store had them for much less, and away I went (skipping actually). They came in a ten pack for R$5 (about $3), which isn't the dollar store, but MUCH more doable!
Now, I know what you're thinking.. don't they have Easter in Brazil? Of course! It's just different from your average traditional American, "fill plastic eggs and run like crazy before your siblings or friends snatch them first" gig. They don't color eggs here either.. unless of course you happened to grab 10 coloring kits after last years went on clearance for 90% off (and to think my husband called me overzealous!). They DO have eggs here, but they aren't plastic, and they are FAR from mini! The stores are decked to the brim with makeshift arches covered with these gigantic chocolate eggs.
Not one to be left out of a new tradition, (especially one that involves a piece of chocolate the size of a football!), naturally I
had to get one! :) Isn't it a beauty??:
I purchased it for my sweet husband, and chose a more sophisticated looking brand even though it may not look very
authentic Brazilian.. there were MANY to choose from, and depending on who you were purchasing it for, you could select an egg with a toy surprise inside, or other types of chocolate depending on your taste. This beautifully wrapped work of chocolate egg art sat on my kitchen shelf for 3 days after Easter, just begging to be opened. THREE DAYS!!! Doesn't my husband know who he's married to?! On day four, I snapped. Without even a courtesy phone call or text, I broke into the sucker, blocking out all feelings of guilt or remorse.
Encased in a firm plastic shell, the egg just screamed "EAT ME".. I opened it further, but just to get a picture. This was, after all,
my husbands egg.
It really was lovely. Even more lovely out of the wrapping.. and it smelled just divine too!
Inside the egg sat some perfectly packaged goodies.. I concluded that those were what my husband would want most, and realized that the only way they would last until he returned home was if I ate part of the egg. Deprivation is simply just not healthy! I told myself that a lot as I entered the happy land of chocolate brain bliss.. I ate half of the egg and set the rest aside for him, giving myself a pat on the back for such remarkable self control. But, as time went on, I realized that he would get sick if he ate all 8 of those little morsels - we both know I'm the one with endurance for sweets - so really, I would be doing him a favor if I ate just a couple of them.. The trouble is, I seemed to have lost count as to how many were left, and may possibly have eaten them all.
1/2 of the egg remained. Thank goodness! Then I realized I was in a predicament:
if he comes home and realizes that I haven't shared with anyone, I am so not going to hear the end of it! I quickly grabbed the two kids that were home and broke them off a piece, but it broke all crooked and pointed and just wasn't very pretty, so I had to break off some more so it looked presentable and forced myself to eat it since everyone knows any good mother wouldn't overload their children like that.. they could get sick! When the hubster came home, I presented him with a splendid dinner before I gave him the remaining 1/4 of the egg. it's a good thing he has a sense of humor, because there is a very slight possibility that I may have issues with self control. But hey, I'm not confessing to anything!
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!! :)
After we returned home, it was into the birthday tutu set I made her and off to the park to snap some pictures! She LOVED strutting her cute lil self all over the place while waving, shouting, and blowing kisses at all the onlookers. :) What a ham!
It's a bit hard to shop for a 4th child birthday girl. There isn't much she hasn't already inherited from her older siblings.. but alas, like any typical 2 year old, she was more into tearing paper than toys so it worked out just splendidly! The push popper was a source of intense jealousy for Sir L, but the little princess held to her guns and staked her claim on it. Suddenly it became her favorite toy as she pushed it in circles around her older brother! :P
Two years old marks a very special milestone here in our condominium, where you can enter all the classes offered at the main club. This meant new *adorable* swim and ballet clothes, and one teary eyed, proud mama! When did she get so big?!
And just for smiles and giggles, here's a short clip of the little prima ballerina :)
