Italian Update
I have learned 5 different sections in Italian including the basics, plurals, food, and helpful phrases. I try to practice speaking these words or sentences when I first learn them because pronunciation is an important part of learning a language. I still need to talk to my grandmother's neighbor and ask her if I am pronouncing the words correctly. Right now, I have filled in 4 of my 10 pages for my personal Italian to English dictionary. I may have to get extra pages for the words section because I am learning so many.
Portuguese Update
In my Portuguese learning, I have completed 4 different sections about the basics, food, and common phrases that would help for conversations when in the country and for my book. I have not yet begun researching any cultural background yet, but I plan to do it in about a month. It is a little more difficult for me to learn Portuguese because it is super similar to Spanish. It is so similar that I sometimes confuse words when I practice speaking it. If I feel it is way too difficult, I will just focus on Italian. Right now, I can handle it, though.