Brazilian Steak House and Fantastic Four

Last weekend, I went to the Brazilian chain-steak house: Fogo de Chão for the first time.

[from left: Michelle, Christy, Ivy, Me, and Zhongyan from Shanghai]

I've been to a couple of those Brazilian steak houses numerous times before, but this one, by far, was the best! Salad bar was not limited to usual items like ceaser and macaroni salad. They had dishes like marinated artichokes, fresh mozzarella cheese, grilled asparagas and smoked salmon.
The service was so excellent--not to mention how stunningly handsome those servers were!

For someone of my size, the whole "all you can eat" scene never pays off. You add drink, appetizers, all the breads and sides that completely fill you up, there's very little room for the actual steaks. However, this was the first Brazilian place that made me feel that I received great value. Fillet mignion on the stick (what not to like?), bacon-wrapped fillet (even better!), and oh... the garlic-rubbed fillet was just simply out of this world.

They were originally started in my home country, Brazil, but they have many locations throughout the US and seem to be expanding rather quickly! Check out their location here.





On a different subject...
While Russ is out visiting San Diego, Parker has turned into the rock guy from Fantastic 4!

He took such a hard fall right on our drive way, receiving painful, aweful, and everlasting pebble imprints on his forehead. Can you believe it?

Considentally, I was on the phone with Meredith in San Diego the night before, where she was telling me all about the fall her daughter Ellie took in a store. If I didn't believe that things always happened for a reason before, I am a complete believer now. Because of the information she shared with me, I was very well prepared!

I iced his ouchie with a popcicle while he sucked on one to keep him calm. After he felt much better, he asked me if he could eat the one that I was using as an ice bag, which kept him in active conversation to prevent him from passing out. After he chowed that one down, he asked if he'd be able to get "just one more." When I refused, he got very upset, telling me how badly he was hurt and how it made him sad that I did not care about him at all.

That's when I knew for sure that his brain was functioning properly and that I had nothing to worry about.

Breakfast That Rocks!

Some of you know that Russ "gets into" things very easily.
He would find his thing, do his thing, perfect his thing, and then move onto his new thing.

His thing at the moment: Æbleskiver!
It's a Danish (I believe?) pancake puffs with fruit filling.

We love it when "his thing" coincides with "our thing."
This morning, the whole Schroader clan had a very sweet start.

For those of you who are in Japan, you can definitely use your Takoyaki-pan.

Fresh blueberries instead of pie filling would be yummy too!

2 egg whites

2C all-purpose flour

2tsp baking powder

1TBSP white sugar

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

4TBSP butter, melted

2C buttermilk

fruit pie filling

The Source of My Power

Man, I miss Russ so much!

He's only been gone for a week, but it's the second weekend that always get you, ya know!?

I've been moping around all day, like a Power Wheel that is almost out of battery...

It Has Only Just Begun...

Yay, we did it! (Insert Dora's theme song here.)
After a long day of playing I Spy's and Rush Hour games, we've successfully transported our entire family and an extra teenager to the other side of the world.

Shanghai is such an amazing city.
Every time I'm here, I am just taken back with the amount of desires, opportunities, and more than anything, the passion that move this place.

They don't bat an eye if a banana from the market around the corner has a bug in it.
Who cares if the cans of sodas on the displays are all so smashed that they no longer retain the cylinder shapes.
You get what you pay for, and let's not worry about minor details like the gutted chickens that have been piled up in a plastic bin, sitting out unrefridgerated for hours waiting for a prospect.


As I watched my boys poke around their fruit plate, making sure that thier pieces of fruits are wing-free, in the corner of my eyes, I caught myself passionately wishing for them that they too would take away from this trip some passion for life that seems to infect this energetic place so so much.

The Reason Why We Shouldn't Let Kids Watch Scary Movies

Late last night, I discovered that we had a major tornado warning in our area.
I was sitting out on the patio with Irene trying to relax and watch the crazy thunder storm at the same time, when Colon called me to warn us, knowing that I have no TV in the house.
Since Rachid was out of town on a business trip (of course, these things always happen when he's away), my next-door neighbor came over and parked his car in our garage.


I was so thankful to have such great friends around me at times like this since I had no idea what I was supposed to do!
He told me to get the boys from upstairs (roofs would be the first to go) and stay in the laundry room, which is located in the center of our home and has no window.
While we were sitting there, I was rethinking the room choice though--it really should have been the wine closet. I could have used a little something to take my edge off!


It wouldn't have been so, so bad if it wasn't for the fact that we just watched...Twister with the boys just last weekend! (True story!!)
Pucker was really worried about being blown away by the tornado. Since he was ready to burst into tears any minute, I knew that I had to take control of the situation quick. I told him that only cows and cars were blown away but not kids! He thought about it for a second and seemed to have agreed with me. He was glad that Daddy was not there with us because Dads are in danger too. (Remember the opening scene in the underground escape hole?)


After I was forced into an all-night slumber party, Pucker had an all-day "last-day-of-preschool party" today as well. Moonwalk, gift exchange, and cupcakes! I really could not have asked for a better school for that boy. Loved the teachers, loved the kids/parents, and more than anything, I just loved the whole atmosphere that provided such safe learning experiences.

Pucker's teacher, Ms. Laura, gave each kid a binder full of scrapbook pages that recorded their year. On the first page, she included a letter for the students and it read as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pucker-


You're a very special person,
And I wanted you to know,
How much I enjoyed being your teacher,
How fast the year did go!


Please come back to visit me
As through the grades you grow,
Try hard to learn all that you can
There is so much to know!


The one thing I tried to teach you
To last your whole life through,
Is to know that you are special
There is no one like you.


With much love,
Ms. Laura
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Public kindergarten is a much tougher place.
I hope that he takes what he learned at this school with him for the years to come.

The Power of Continuous Efforts

It has been 9 months since Jay started to swim with his swim team.
While he still maintains his enthusiasm for swimming (especially now that it's so d*mn hot in TX!), I find myself not so excited to make the 20-minute trip down to the swim center every other day.

While I was researching something on the web today, I came across a quote from Elbert Hubbard that said, "Genius is only the power of making continuous efforts." Besides whether Jay will ever turn into a swimming genius in his future, life is interesting because this stranger's wisdom was all I needed today.

We Are Moving On!

Today was Pucker's preschool graduation.

As Rachid and I watched him perform songs and go through the commensement, we could not help but to be amazed by just how much he's grown in the last 2 years.

When you really think about it, that's almost half of his life, so I guess I shouldn't even be moved by it. But just this last year, he wouldn't have been able to sing songs with everyone else (he would have been the pouty one refusing to perticipate) or nicely greet and shake director's hand (he would have snatched the diploma out of her hand) or say goodbye and leave the school (he would have firmly planted his two feet declaring to stay there forever).

All of a sudden, I remembered the first day of preschool 2 years ago.
I went to pick him up a bit early, worried about him not doing too well without me, only to find him get very upset that I came to pick him up at all. He just wanted to live there, he said.

My little boy is growing up, with the same sets of personality traits and temperament still, but with the ability to maturely control his emotions and to clearly verbalize his thoughts. As proud as I was to see him be a functional member of his little community, I could not help but to feel a little bit sad.

Click here to cheer me up!

My Special Mediocrities

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!
Hope your day was a special one.

As for me, ever since I was blessed with my boy(s), each year seems more and more special.
Rachid and I have long decided that we were not going to have gifts for each other on Mother's /Father's Day since we're not each other's mother or father.

We've always tried to guide and influence our boys so that they understand the importance of giving thanks on those days. However, despite our effort, these surprises have leaped to a whole new level of creativity since they started school!


This year, I received a teapot craft with the Tazo tea from Pucker and a book of appreciation and a fridge magnet from Jay. Pucker was so excited about his present that he must have shown it to me at least 30 times before the actual day. He'd go hide it in his room, get too anxious about having to wait for so long and bring it down to show me, change his mind and go hide it again after making me promise that I saw nothing at all. This happened at least several times a day for the past week!

It's hard to see on the picture, but Jay's book contained messages like "You're the best mom (thumbs up)," and "Thank you for my life," as well as a poem that read "Roses are red, Violets are blue, I can't wait To play with you!" The most heart-felt message from Jay said "My mother is as pretty as (fill in the blank)her inside." ....I need to get my act together QUICK!



Today was a graduation day from my MOPS group.
Since Pucker will be starting kindergarten this fall, he went through a graduation ceremony as well.

In Disney's Incredibles, Mr. Incredible says "They keep finding new ways to celebrate mediocrity," regarding his son's graduation ceremony from 4th grade. This happens to be one of Rachid's favorite quotes of all time, but when it actually happens to you, man, mediocrity can be so extraordinary!

I am just so thankful that I was given this opportunity to be a mother. I've learned and grown so much through this experience, and I've received so much joy and happiness just watching my boys grow for the last several years. To be thanked for being a mother, when it benefits me so much more than I could ever benefit my boys, makes me refocus on what I need to be doing with them.

It is so true, as my mentor mom quoted during today's meeting, that there is no way to be a perfect mother but a million ways to be a good mother. I quietly renewed my resolution to be the best version of myself as constantly as possible.

Bloggers Need More Hours In a Day

I used to have a girlfriend that was really into videotaping everything that she did.
We always teased her that she spent half of her life videotaping and the other half watching her footages!

Now that I've been blogging for a while, I realize that the same thing can be said about bloggers.

Not enough hours in a day to live and reflect on our lives...

I attended two fieldtrips last week.

Jay's school went to a little farm called Crow's Nest Farm.

Notice Jay is nowhere near the actual animals?

He probably spent most of his time worrying about being bitten by those animals...

For the last-of-preschool fieldtrip, Pucker's school selected bowling alley.

It is so great and rewarding to visit your children in a school setting.

It gives you a little glimpse of who they're going to be as a member of the society.

How Do You Determine What's Fair?

Today, Pucker had his kindergarten assessment test.

Pucker happens to be a very bright child--I know, I know... Every parent believes that thier child is gifted (as they should!), but as a mother of two boys (same gender here and my eldest is doing just fine), I can tell you this one is quite intelligent.


After blasting through the placement test, the counselor started to give him a little more advanced material. The thing with Pucker is that he can read very well. Now, that's very different from "understanding" the story. He just reads well. Nevertheless, he managed to impress the counselor and is able to start the kindergarten come September.


The thing that made me think, at least about the Texas education system, was that they told me they were doing this to equal out each class room environment. They do not group equally-leveld children together; they spread them out equally so that each class becomes more balanced. Their belief behind it is that children learn so much from each other and that it would not be fair for anyone to have a different experience.


I'm not trying to start a debate here, but is it really not fair? Doesn't it all depend on where your child place on the scale? If he's as advanced as the counselor led me to believe today, then would it be fair for him to have to go through all the material he's already mastered and sit idle so that other children can learn from him? I'm not even talking about a genius that's out there--he's a normal, but rather an intelligent student.


Many of you might wonder why I'm not putting him in a specialized, private gifted and talented childrens' school instead. If I believe that academic performance in elementary school had anything to do with how successful/happy they would be in their lives, I would be lining up at the crack of dawn, signing him up for that prestegious children's academy. But realistically, those who succeed in the real world are not necessarily the best students. They just happen to be those people who can figure out things. That's all.

A Celebrity Comes To Our House!

A couple of weeks ago, Rachid's company car got dropped off in front of our house.

We have never had our cars transported on those big trucks before, and my boys (including Rachid) were quite fascinated by how they arrange the ramps and juggle all those cars in order to bring the right car down for the drop-off.

After sitting outside oohing and ahhing for a while, we decided to take the thing for a spin.
We got the boys to somehow squeeze in the back--it's a coupe--and started to open up the convertable top.

We were expecting them to freak out! ...Or to show a bit of enthusiasm at the least.
We heard nothing, so we looked over and realized they were looking up, just amazed by the whole thing.

As soon as the black top was neatly tucked into the trunk space, our little Pucker shouted with such an intense excitement: "Daddy! How did you get a Transformer?"

He still insists on going out to the garage every morning to greet him...

I'm a Survivor ♪

We went to see Jay perform in the 1st grade musical tonight.
This year's theme was the cultures of the world (...I think), and they musically explored cultures through different animals that live in different parts of the world.

They opened the performance with It's a Small World, and it just filled me with this incredible joy to see all those children singing such a powerful message.

Students were instructed to dress in their own ethnic attire that reflected their heritage. This is always a tricky one for a multi-cultural family like ours because it does not feel quite right to me to ignore the other side and have Jay only display his Japanese heritage. We thought about having him wear his kimono with the viking hat, but we decided it's best to go with the most dominant trait when you are a mutt.

It's hard to see in this picture, but it was truly incredible to see all those heritage being displayed on the stage. We saw a Japanese kimono (of course!), a Korean Hanbok, Mexican dresses and Sombreros. We saw Indian Saris, a Swedish Dirndl, and an African Kanga. We also saw lots of cowboy hats, some Uncle Sam's hats, and even a full-on Harley Davidson outfit!

It was an emotionally overwhelming site for someone like me, who grew up in such a mono-ethnic culture. I have always been fascinated with other cultures of the world ever since I was little, and to witness the wonderful diversity my children are afforded to experience first hand (in the middle of Texas, may I add!) was just incredible.

As I watched the children sing pharases in many languages that I have never heard before, I could not help but to remember some of the harder time I've experienced in this country. And all of a sudden, it became clear to me that this is why I stuck with it and did not run home when I so wanted to. I am a survivor, and my children are the proof.

Birthdays, Birthdays, and Birthdays!

The whole month of March always makes me feel like the grasshopper in the Aesop's Ant and Grasshopper fable...

It just seems like we don't do anything but going around and celebrate!

Maybe I can publish a book about our laziness--how about Eat, Love, and Celebrate? Anybody interested?

As a starter, my sweetie, Rachid's, birthday is 3/28, and one of the awesomest people on earth who also happens to be my sis-in-law was born on 3/26.

My dear friend Irene's birthday is 3/15, and my mentor Miranda celebrates her birthday a couple days before Irene.

And you can't forget our own Baby Master Beater's big day on 3/29 and our laid-back neighborhood officer Joel shares Anabel's 3/26 birthday...

Out of curiosity, I googled "the busiest birthday month," thinking it may very well be March. I guess Jezebel's world is pretty small after all... August happens to be the winner with October running behind it.

Anyways, as I was saying earlier, this month went by so quickly between the Spring Break and birthday lunchons, dinners, BBQs, and whatever birthday spin-offs that we could come up with.

I love our social circle--everyone is pretty easy-going and up for anything at any given time. Even if that means playing Guessture and having to hop around like a bunny although you are a V.P. of a flourishing corporation by day!

The only issue with month like this is the weight control ...or the lack thereof! 4 pounds in 3 weeks.... Good thing April is a slow month for us.