Minutes for Mama: June 2012

6.10.2012

All About Me

May. It's my month baby! Mother's Day AND my birthday.. you just can't go wrong! It's major OD on "spoil mom" time and I must say, I kinda like it. ;) Mother's Day 2012 started of with breakfast in bed and a whole bunch of kids to share it with! Don't mind the turban, I had barely jumped out of the shower..

At church, the 3 oldest got up with the Primary and I was serenaded in both Portuguese and English song. Did I cry? Yes I did. Upon arriving home, the kids bombarded me with presents, cards, homemade pictures and LOTS of sweet sweet kisses! :)

My word I love these crazy kids!

A mere week and a half later we celebrated my birthday. This time, breakfast in bed came as I was getting ready to jump in the shower.. The kids were too excited to wait and gave me all my gifts right then and there! Lol

For dinner? Pizza baby! The REAL kind! It costs a pretty penny out here too (R$50 EACH!), so this is a very rare and special treat!

My lovely brigadeiro cake with candles that read the secret number.. ;) Can you see it?

YES, I held the camera and took pictures of my hubby walking toward me singing..

But how else would I have gotten this oh-so-classic "get away from your mother's cake!" shot?! :D

I wonder if every mother has as many eager volunteers as I do?

Trying to get a picture with the kiddos proved very candid and true. This is the Hooley family. And I love 'em JUST the way they are! :)

And there is no better gift than that!

Instituto Butantan

Sometimes living in one of the largest cities in the world with 4 small kids poses a problem.. there just aren't a ton of things to do that, #1- won't break the bank, #2- aren't so over populated that the chances of you not losing a kid are slim to none, and #3- with traffic, don't take ALL DAY just to get there! But alas, there are gems just waiting to be discovered, and we were fortunate enough to find a beauty on a fairly recent family outing (okay, it was the end of April.. so I'm a smidgen behind.. whatcha gonna do?!).

Instituto Butantan.

From it's impressive serpentarium, museums, and GORGEOUS "I don't think we're in Sao Paulo anymore" lush park grounds complete with nature trails and fresh(er) city air, it was the perfect afternoon retreat! There are hooded cobras from Africa and India, boa constrictors, and South American anacondas. Besides serums against venoms of snakes, spiders and scorpions, the institute manufactures vaccines against tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria, rabies, and tuberculosis, thanks to the rather depressing "monkey house" residents. The institute has a hospital, Hospital Vital Brasil, open 24hrs, where free treatment is offered to anyone who has been stung by poisonous animals... great to know we have options just in case a rattlesnake takes the elevator to the 14th floor again!

The snakes were cool, but watching these cute little faces was definitely better! :)

On each species description, there were pictures of what they like to eat.. when we got to the anaconda, and the pictures were of large animals (antelope, etc), the kids quickly realized that that sucker could easily make a snack of them too!