La Plata - Day One

For Father's Day, (which happened to fall on an Argentine holiday weekend), we headed to La Plata. La Plata is a city of 550,000 people about an hour south of Buenos Aires. It was a planned city which is home to a large number of Federal Government offices. Besides the government work, the city relies on tourism.

Here is the hotel that we stayed in. I do NOT recommend staying here. The lobby is nice, but the rooms were in desperate need of renovation, which might be an understatement. However in front of the hotel, in yet another small park, there was a small children's carousel. Although it was absolutely freezing, as evidenced by the photo of Peyton on the horse, they rode it over and over and over.




After our time on the carousel, we headed to see the Cathedral and City Hall, which large located on the opposites end of a large plaza..In the plaza, there is a small trains than circle the outer perimeter. There are many vendors selling bubbles and other knick knacks, as well as mini toddler go carts for rent.

Airline Fees

I just stumbled on a small article about airline fees. A friend had mentioned that American Airlines has instituted a new charge for your first bag of $15, as well as a second bag for $25. I was surprised by this new cost-saving strategy by the airline, considering that there are few trips (with or without children) that can be made without luggage. I suppose that is the point. 150 seats times $15 is about the equivalent as adding 8-10 more payed passengers to each flight without the overhead.

However, I was taken back a little by the following article. We all knew that it was a matter of time, but now it looks as though they (at least US Airways and Spirit Air, for now) are going to charge us $2 for soft drinks, juice and water. Maybe this means that they will be more willing to relinquish the entire can, I mean we did pay for it. Some additional fees seem reasonable, considering that not everyone uses all of the services, however this seems unfair considering that you can not bring liquids through security. We are usually well stocked with snacks, knowing that food service is limited and that we are traveling with toddlers. We have the opportunity to pack lunch outside of the ridiculously over-priced terminal.

Other fees include: Seat assignment (no, not class preference - we all know that we pay too much for this upgrade), lap infants, headphones, "comfort kits" for a pillow and blanket, snack boxes and over-the-phone booking.

So here is my question... Would you rather pay the additional "amenity" charges for each flight or have the fees bundled into the fare?

P.S. We will be posting our Mexico photos soon...

Nighttime Rituals

Each night, the kids go to bed in their own beds in their respective rooms. I spend time with each to help them get in the mood to fall asleep quickly. Once I leave, I often hear chatter between them as they call out to talk to the other. Then there is silence. I expect that they are each soundly sleeping alone and yet more than 50% of the time, I find them like this...


When I ask Abe why he is sleeping with Peyton or vice versa, he replies, "I just needed someone to cuddle."

Disclaimer: No, Peyton is not taller than Abe... yet.

Class of '08

Congratulations to our newest college graduate! My sister, Cristi, is one of the hardest working, talented people that I know. She is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out.

We are SO proud of you! You have many wonderful years ahead of you and we can't wait to see where life takes you.

Puerto Vallarta 2008

Biannually, all of the Barlows head to Mexico for a activity-packed week at Paradise Village in Puerto Vallarta. We played games, took pictures, swam with the dolphins (some of us even swam with sea lions), dove for candy beneath the pinatas, built a sand castle, spent hours on water slides, played more games, took more pictures, ate, laughed, danced and enjoyed spending quality time together as an extended family.

This year we totaled 21. We were 12 adults and 9 children, of whom the oldest is 7 with 3 more on the way. In our attempt to document the vacation, we managed to take hundreds (if not a thousand, literally) of pictures combined between families. We will continue to post our favorites throughout the week.

Fire

On another adventure, a friend and I were driving down a major road when we were cutoff by a fire truck, who proceeded to pull in front of us and stop. I happened to have my camera to capture what we saw.

Antiques

Last week, my friend took me downtown to an area of Buenos Aires filled with antiques. She found a shop that sold hundreds of antique chandeliers and was headed to pick up her newly refurbished gem. It was an wonderful area and a place that I will definitely go back to. There was an area filled with the works of local artists and many shops with perfectly aged furniture. There were plenty of deals to be had if I really had an idea of their value.

This is just one aisle of the store. This woman was selling some of the most beautiful chandeliers, but I am afraid that she really needs a display manager and a marketing specialist. It really was hard to decipher one from another. With a good eye, you really can find a steal. Her prices were a little more than half of the neighboring shops, but they only displayed a few at a time, already rewired with the lights on.


I found these paintings and have been thinking about them since we left. I prefer the 19th century tango men to the right.



This is a quick picture of the cafe we stopped in for a "must have food" pregnancy stop, where I found a fantastic pastry-like pie filled with mozzarella, tomato and basil.

We are patiently awaiting...

... another girl!

Our Own American Gladiator

Japanese Train Loaders

Although it is not quite this rough and formalized, sometimes the trains here in Buenos Aires feel pretty close to this.

Dia del Trabajador

May 1st is Dia del Trabajador in Latin America. The US Embassy was closed, so we took advantage of the day and headed to San Antonio de Areco which is about a hour and a half north of where we live. Many of the shops and restaurants were closed, but we enjoyed the park, ate at an authentic Argentine restaurant and convinced Steve to ride a horse for the very first time!

Our Bikes

We have had quite a few "colder-than-you'd-expect" kind of days, but all in all it has been really nice.

Steve bought this bike from a friend who recently moved back to the States for $50 pesos. It was originally owned by someone who was tall and came with a bike seat for the kids. I then took my bike into a local shop and had a seat installed, as well as a basket on the front for carrying a few extra things. I couldn't look more like a mom on my comfort Schwinn, adored with "Mom Gear", but I LOVE it. Steve and I have been able to take the kids out on quite a few weekend rides around the neighborhood. It is also easier to run an errand or two in the area on a bike rather than navigate the one-way roads. As I continue to get more and more pregnant, I am grateful that the weather will also be less permitting of this fun outdoor family activity, however I have a feeling that the boys will be out riding well into the mild winter.

Kraft Mac and Cheese

Having lived in Argentina just slightly shy of 6 months, we have finally run out of the Costco 12 pack of Mac and Cheese that we had packed with our household goods. Now, I know that this does not sound like such a travesty to the majority of you, however this was the final source of cheddar (or the flavor that is) cheese. I have often said that of all of the foods that I miss, Cheddar Cheese ranks #1. I love cheddar alone, but I really love Mexican food. Good 'ole Tex Mex just isn't the same topped with a mozzarella-like variation. This however brings up a very controversial question in the Foreign Service circles. It could probably be debated for hours...

Should you hold on to American customs or embrace the country that you live in? Or can you have a little bit of both?

This is fun...

81

and Steve...

126

Just a Teaser...

Don't forget that you also have a great place to stay!

Without Meat Once More?

Again, we are headed to the supermarkets and preparing our food storage because it appears that after a 30 day "peace period" between Argentine Farmers and the President, no progress has been made. For 3 weeks in March, Farmers protested and went on strike by not allowing delivery trucks from the provinces into the city with food. Major grocery stores were barren and meat was something to be pulled from your freezer. Many restaurants, including well-known grills, did not have meat to serve to its guests. The farmers were well organized when they cut off these truck routes, but the government is hoping that the farmers will not be as successful at mobilizing this time. She has cancelled scheduled meetings with grain farmers and will not budge on her stand with the meat farmers after making promises of compromise in order to get the farmers to back down for the past month. Kirchner is losing major public support.

Inflation here is out-of-control and is affecting us greatly. Caps are held on prices of items monitored by foreign investment banks, however independent organizations speculate that inflation is somewhere between 20-35%. Just since our arrival in November, prices have soared. The kids are in local Argentine schools where the year begins in March. Both school have increased prices (the more expensive one by 12.5%) since school began to make up for increased operating costs. The only thing that softens the blow is the increasing value of the dollar to the peso.

Here is an interesting article with further explanation from the New York Times:

In Argentina’s Grain Belt, Farmers Revolt Over Taxes

Halloween 2007

Steve has finished cutting and editing our home videos from the past year. This was our last night with friends before we moved and the only one small enough to actually post. Thanks for a fun night and way too much candy!



For those of you bored by 4 minutes of trick or treating, skip through about halfway to the Dancing Pumpkin. :)

The Mormon Truths

My friend Laura had this link to The Truth About Mormons on her blog, which she found on Tiffany's blog. (I don't know Tiffany, but man would I like to know Gabriele, the author of the noted post!)

For more information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

Newsroom: The Official Resource for News Media, Opinion Leaders, and the Public

Mormon.org

Family Day with Our Tiger

We spent the afternoon at Abe's school, getting our faces painted, jumping on inflatables, eating chorizo, fishing, doing the army crawl and supporting the PTO. It was a beautiful day and a great excuse to be outside!

Abasto Mall Children's Museum

This is one of, if the the most, beautiful children's museum that I have ever been to. It is jam packed with so many fun interactive activities for the kids. There is a mini-Mcdonalds, mini-grocery store and mini gas station for the kids to make sandwiches and use fake money to buy items from the store. On the other side of the mall, there is also an indoor carnival and amusement park rides. The rides are well-done, but not as impressive as the amount of rides that they have been able to fit into a small space. The mall also boasts the only Kosher McDonalds outside of Israel. I wish that I had more photos to share, but we were too busy playing and running after the kids to have much time for the camera. Therefore, the pictures without the kids are ones that I found on flickr and have linked back to the photographer as not to take credit for their work.


At the entrance

Playing in the Gas Station

Riding on the Ferris Wheel

Friends

Yerba Mate

Mate is not just a warm soothing tea-like drink, it is a national pastime for Argentines. I have heard it referred to as the drink of "Health and Friendship". In Buenos Aires, the gourds are carved from wood or made of leather with a special silver straw which contains a filter and are carried around for use throughout the day. Public trash cans are often lined with the leftover herbs. Although local members and Argentines reassure me that there are far more health benefits than that of coffee and tea, I do not see this as one of our new daily indulgences.

The first time that I heard of Mate Cocido was when Steve went to Youth Conference with our church the weekend of Semana Santa. Mate Cocido is made in large batches with "tea-bag" like packs and hot water and is not as concentrated as it is in the other form.

I give you this short cultural background as to explain the following conversation I had with Peyton today when I picked her up from school.

M: How was school today, sweetheart?
P: I don't want the hot juice.
M: Was it yummy?
P: No, I don't like it.
M: Did you have water instead?
P: No, I just want it warm. (a.k.a. I don't like it)

Today was first day of Mate for the class of 2 year olds. This is what they will have for snack most days, coupled with crackers or cookies. Apparently, they begin helping them to acquire the taste when they are young. I still am not sure how I feel about a toddlers daily consumption of the mate, but we are in Argentina.

Updated: Here is a brief video from the Today Show.

Shift in the wind

The wind has changed directions (which is extremely unfortunate for Rosario). The smoke is no longer billowing down our streets (causing the majority of us painful headaches) and all of my windows are open! I don't know how long it will stay away as the fires are still out-of-control, but for today, I count my blessings.

Wild Fires

Brush fires north of Buenos Aires have created a hazy, smoke filled city. Some speculate that it may have been the Farm Protesters who set the fires, but no one knows how they were caused. The city continues to send more fireman to the Northern Province. Don't let me give you the wrong idea, they are not in our backyard, but the southernly winds are blowing right in our direction.

We just received this warning from the Embassy:

Land fires generate a complex mixture of many pollutants which have acutely irritating health effects which can exacerbate existing health conditions and/or bring on symptoms in healthy people. The pollutants generated by fires, unlike normal everyday activities, are particularly difficult to remove from the air stream due to their chemical and physical properties (extremely small sizes, gaseous) and concentration in the outdoor air. Because of this they are permeating into occupied spaces like housing units and office buildings. A very important step in dealing with this is to minimize exposure to the outdoor air and minimize infiltration of the outdoor air into the indoor environment.

All post personnel are advised of the following methods to minimize exposure to air pollution during this event, those with respiratory problems such as asthma should take particular care:

Limiting time and activity outdoors;
Reducing the air exchange rate between the indoor and outdoor environment by closing windows and implementing weatherizing techniques such as taping up windows, doors, and any openings to the outside, limiting the use of household exhaust fans in the bathroom and the kitchen range hood;
Staying in air conditioning spaces with the unit set on recirculation;
Refraining from exercise - exercise leads to increased respiration, bypasses the effective filtering of the nose and results in increased lung exposure;
Reducing use of tobacco products and other smokeable items;
Minimize children's outdoor play;
Driving with the air conditioning on in automobiles with the air supply set on recirculation.

You should also drink plenty of liquids and use eye drops for eye irritation. Those with respiratory problems should ensure they have an adequate supply of medications on hand. The use of disposable dust masks is not recommended due to their inability to adequaltely provide protection in this type of event.

Where Is He?

... there is a trail of clothes through the house - underwear, pants, socks, shirt, and a sweatshirt, but no Abe.

She continues to call his name, but no awswer. She pretends that she is playing his game, hoping that he is hiding under the bed or in a closet. He won't be able to contain his laughter which will give away his location. Finally, she looks in the backyard to find the gates locked and then, her stomach sinks and she can hardly control her own laughter because she knows that he is in the only place she hasn't checked... the front yard. He is stark naked climbing on the rod iron fence in 60 degree weather.

As if the neighbors don't think that we were the crazy Americans already...

Abe's Latest Sandwich

Danbo Cheese
Mustard
Honey

It could makes sense, but somehow it just doesn't...

Toddler Adaptation

I am ceasingly intrigued by human interaction and the why's and how's of why we act the way that we do. What is even more interesting is watching the interactions of children in large group and their tendencies of gravitation. Living as a foreigner in a non-english speaking country brings this issue to light weekly, if not daily.

Abe is in a class of 24 children which is taught in English (instruction is more often than not bilingual because 21 of the children are learning English for the first time and speak spanish at home), yet all of the play is in spanish including recess, physical education and music class. We are impressed with Abe's ability and interest in learning spanish. However, back to my original point, it is incredible to see how he has gravitated to the two other children he can communicate with. Now I know that this is not surprising, but what is surprising is that he has become really good friends with a little British girl who is ALL girl. I might add that she is one of the cutest little girls that I have ever seen. For the two of them, it is the language that has brought them together and requires them to find other common interests such as books and make believe.

In Peyton's class, there are 11 children all within 6 months of age. All of her instruction and play is in spanish. As a matter of fact, the teachers speak such limited english that I am forced to really work when trying to get a 'childhood development' point across. It is a good opportunity for me as well to really express what I am thinking because I need to communicate effectively. There is one other American boy in her class. Everyday when I ask her about her morning, I get a report about the other boy and according to her teachers, they always play together. His mom made an interesting comment as well about the fact that he finally was willing to part with her in morning since Peyton began. These children communicate in spanish better than the older ones as the learning is easier for them and yet, they still 'stick' together.

Language and human interaction really are incredibly fascinating...

What To Buy On Amazon...

I have rediscovered fictional novels. In college, we read hundreds of pages a week for classes which left little desire to read "for fun." After college, I had children, a house to take care of, a traveling husband, church obligations and a business to run. Obviously, this did not leave me with leisurely time to read. For the most part, I was limited to TIME magazine and online articles.

Now... I have time. Actually, it has been quite an adjustment. Granted, I still have children which occupy the greater part of my day, but I no longer have housework or a business. This means that there is time for me... and for books. I no longer have access to a public library, and am forced to buy them online. Are amazon book reviews reliable? I do not want to shop blindly.

What do you suggest? Are there any novels that you could not put down or consider a 'must read'? I am really looking forward to your responses.

Update: Thanks for your responses. I have now joined GoodReads. I have just ordered: The Secret Life of Bees, These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901, Outlander, The Giver, Gathering Blue, and The Book of a Thousand Days based on reviews by friends that I trust. Maybe this will keep me busy for a while...

Guerra de Malvinas

Today is a National Argentine Holiday in commemoration of the Malvinas War (a.k.a Falklands War). This was a war between Argentina and the United Kingdom where 655 Argentine soldiers lost their lives trying to defend a group of islands that they believe is part of their country, yet ultimately lost. If you are interested in a deeper history, you can read about it here. Argentina has recently made a plea to the UK return the islands.

Our Little Chef

Today was the first day of Peyton's one-hour weekly Cooking Workshop at school. Peyton loves to cook and wants to help whenever she sees anyone in the kitchen. She occasionally even tries to add "ingredients" together that are either 1)non-consummable or 2)should never be eaten together!

Here is a picture from Sunday afternoon. Peyton and I made a chocolate cake with homemade chocolate frosting. I think that she ate/wore more than made it into the pan. :) Then Nina called to say hi...

Abe just swallowed...

...now we patiently await the encore performance.

Feliz Pascual

Argentina is a predominantly Catholic nation and Easter is a a largely celebrated holiday. Friday and Monday were Argentine National Days (most Argentines head out of the city for the entire week) which means the the embassy was closed and Steve was afforded a nice long weekend. The weekend was packed with activities. We kicked it off with the annual Easter Egg Hunt in the garden of the Ambassador's Residence, which also included the egg roll and egg toss contests pictured below. Steve went to Youth Conference, we enjoyed two Easter gatherings with friends, one of which lasted from immediately after church until bedtime (literally, Peyton fell asleep on my arm while we were packing to go home), and another that included swimming and more great company.

The kids had learned by the 4th Easter Egg Hunt this weekend, that Mom quickly puts the eggs to the side to ration the candy intake. For them, this meant that they needed to get the candy eaten as quickly as they could find it before I would notice that it was gone. Once the gig was up, they enjoyed searching for the 70 remaining eggs. Peyton woke up after her nap yesterday, once we we home for good and started looking for eggs again. Steve tried to convince her that they were all gone, but she just kept looking around. She was even dreaming (sleep talking) about them when she went to bed last night.

Peyton was such a joy yesterday. She spent two hours sitting on the counter helping me cook in the morning. I was trying to make deviled eggs and recreate Costco Broccoli salad. They both turned out wonderful once I convinced Peyton to stop eating all of my hard-boiled eggs, broccoli and raisins. She love, love, loves to cook and we try to give her every opportunity. The best part is, she also enjoys eating to food. We have even signed her up for a little cooking class at school once a week. She also loves to sing and has begun to hum her own tunes. And when the music is on, she can't help but dance.

Abe was so anxious about the Easter Bunny coming this year, that he woke up every hour beginning at 2am to check to see if he had come. He had a reason to be excited... the Easter Bunny left behind a new Wii (although he was more interested in the lion slippers pictured below.) Besides a little extra sleep, we couldn't have asked for better company, better weather or time together.

The Little Fish Can Swim

When Abe was one and a half, we gave him a Speedo vest that made it possible for him to cruise around the pool independently and and helped him to keep up with the older boys at the community pool. By 2, he was begging for water slides and bridges to jump off of. He was fearless when he wore the vest. After 3 summers of threatening his life if he ever jumped in a pool without his vest on, it was a hard sell otherwise. We decided that since we have a pool in our backward and another summer to work with him due to our hemisheric move, it was time to try and retire the vest. This was no small feat. Often times, it is more difficult to teach someone else how to do something or rid them of their fears than learning ourselves.

Abe is stubborn... and he does things on his own time. If he wants to learn how to do something, he will. Obviously, this requires us to find ingenuitive ways of helping him to believe that he really wants to learn what we think he is ready for. He walked when he was 9 months old and began reading at 3, but we still were having much difficulty convincing him that he really could swim. If he felt like he could touch the bottom of the pool, he would swim, play and float. This has been going on for some time. It has taken months to help him understand that if he is swimming on the top of the water, it does not matter how deep it is underneath him.

The point is... our little fish can finally swim! In the picture above form last week, he jumped in and swam to the other side where the water was deep enough that he could not touch. He has continued to swim without the vest ever since and hopefully, it can be packed away for someone else. GO ABE!

Kindergarten

On February 27th, Abe began Kinder 4. In Argentina, Kindergarten is a formal program for 3-5 year olds. 3 and 4 year old children attend 5 mornings or afternoons a week. When they turn 5, they begin going to school all day from 8am - 4pm.

He absolutely LOVES it! Look at the photo below from the school website. They painted telescopes, pirate ships and bandanas to prepare for the treasure hunt outside. Apparently, they were successful because they found the treasure in a pile of leaves on the soccer field.


Abe is checking out the teacher with his green telescope. When he described the project to me before I saw it, he told me that he painted a telescope that looked like a Froot Loops Straw - thanks Grandma!

Lemonade from Lemons

Last week, we all managed to come down with a little more than a cold, which turned into Bronchitis for poor Peyton. Sitting around the house with the kids and no where to go (obviously we did not want to pass it on) left us with A LOT of time to find new activities for the kids. The backyard or a walk was ruled out by the nonstop rain. So instead of acting like a bunch of sour lemons, we made lemonade. The juicer almost keeps Abe as occupied as the computer... okay, not really.

Texas Flour Tortillas

Found on Homesick Texan

Lidia and I just made these tortillas - and they are FANTASTIC! We tripled the recipe and only made 6 per batch in lieu of 8. We used them to make Chicken Enchiladas (with my one and only beloved can of Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce). These are much better than a similar recipe that I tried a few weeks ago. And of course, it is worth mentioning that we choose this one because they do not contain lard. They are extremely easy and the kids loved to help!

Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)

Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes eight tortillas.

Buen Provecho!