Things that I've noticed as of late

Here are just a few things that have been floating around my mind recently. I hope you enjoy my random ramblings:

On Soy Milk:

I don't like soy milk. I think it is too sweet. And too watery. Nasty, nasty stuff. But regular milk? I'm kind of intolerant right now. Well, I should say *I* am quite tolerant, but others around me aren't so much when the bad milk farts start coming. Sorry, husband, about the covered wagon I gave you the other day. Still love me, right? And "lactose free" milk doesn't seem to help the milk toots any. So it's either soy or no cereal. And how am I supposed to go 5 more months with no cereal? Now that's just crazy talk.

On smells around the house:

Our nickel plated shower head smells like maple syrup. Just thought you should know that.

Also, speaking of maple syrup smells: Waffle Crisp cereal smells a lot better than it tastes. That is just my opinion. And when has my opinion ever been off? (Don't answer that, ANYONE, please)

On things that Marcelo does in the bed:

Don't let your mind go to a dirty place. This is strictly a PG post. Here it is: Marcelo ruins sheets. And how does he do this? By his constant feet rubbing in the night. I think it is a nervous habit/twitch, like teeth grinding knuckle popping. But this is the second pair we have had to throw away because there are tears in them right where his feet lay at night. And these are REALLY high quality sheets, which I love! I love climbing into a nice fresh bed with good sheets. But there is no way we can afford nice sheets at the rate he destroys them. So I guess we have to buy the $15 Target flannel sheets in a bag.

And it's not just a little tear that could be remedied with a needle and thread. He rubs them BARE and then they shred. Here is a picture:


He tries to play it off like he has NO IDEA why it's only the area by HIS feet that do this. Like different companies repeatedly make JUST THAT ONE SPOT thinner and more tear-able than others. Yeah right! We both know he has the nervous feet rub twitch all night long rubbing it and wearing it down until it shreds. Maybe I need to get him a monthly pedicure so he can sand off all those rough patches. Hmmmm, it would be worth it to be able to get nice sheets again!

On my pregnancy cravings:

I crave totally different things in this pregnancy. I'm not so much about the fries and milkshakes this time around. It's more about Thai food and Panda Express. But I only let myself have P.E. one time a month- the day after my OBGYN visit. Otherwise I would be there every day, I swear and I would gain 1 million pounds like I did the first pregnancy. Because it's all I want to eat! That and some sweet/spicy curry from Bangkok Grill. Oh my, deliciousness.

Also, chocolate doesn't bother me as much as it did my first pregnancy. I mean, I still don't crave it or lust after a candy bar when I see it in the store. But at least now I can enjoy a bite of a Snickers or a brownie and not have immediate heartburn. Same with "sweet breads" like muffins and such. Again, I don't eat them all the time, but now I can enjoy a blueberry muffin conference morning and not feel sick.

I have also started to enjoy drinkable yogurt again. Just like when I was in Ecuador. Drinking it straight from the bottle. Is there any other way? I mean it *DOES* have the word "drinkable" right in the title, and I'm not allowed to use straws right now (more on that in another post) so what should I do? Of course, I should drink it straight from the carton. And I do. And it's delicious. Just don't come over to my house and ask to have a cup of drinkable yogurt: it's full of my backwash.

And finally, the more startling, Jell-O. I know! This was once one my top 10 lists of things I hate eating. Right up there with bananas and pudding. Those two things I still don't eat, but a combo of orange and some berry (raspberry or strawberry) Jell-O is so heavenly. Try it, you'll love it. Throw some pineapple in it if you would like. Or not. Whatever.

So that is a partial list of some things I have noticed as of late. Now I need to go and take a nap. On a bed with new sheets, of course. Because, seriously, did you see what he did to those others?

Give me my sin again

I'm back off the wagon. The BREAD wagon. Whole boxes of cereal and loaves of bread disappear with startling speed. And my thighs are expanding with that same rapidity.

But I love bread. Great Harvest bread is my current favorite. Picture this: toasted slice of wheat bread, schmer of cream cheese and my mom's homemade blackberry jam on top. I may have had 2 of these yesterday. Which you are thinking "just 2, that's not so bad". To which I reply, "um I didn't tell you about the bowls of cereal or the OTHER slices of bread (and butter) I also ate. Yeah, It's becoming a problem.

But I just love it so much!

I wish salad tasted as good. Or something else healthy and green. I need to eat more green things!

In other sinning news, I ate a whole box of corn Chex in 2 days. That was last week. I hated myself after that one. But is there anything better than a cold bowl of milk and cereal? At least I'm not eating pancakes for 3 meals, anymore. That was a bad time.

It's time for things to heat up so I can get outside again. Yesterday was pretty nice, maybe things are looking up in the weather department!

But seriously, I should just stop buying bread and cereal, right? I mean, if it's not in my house, then I can't eat it, right? That's what my theory was all last year, and it seemed to work well. I really should return to that mode of thinking.

Wow, this post is boring. I kept typing with the hope that some inspiration would strike me and it would get interesting at some point. That did not happen. And I apologize.

You can never get those 4 minutes back, and that is something I will have to live with forever.

I demand a re-count!

Yesterday was the ward Halloween Party. It was a pretty good one. Awesome decorations, sinful cornbread (with honey butter AND raspberry butter!), music and dancing for the kids (and my husband. Yes! Marcelo came! Shocking!) and a chili cook off between ward members. People really participated in this one! There were tons of pots of chili to choose from and you could tell that people really liked showing off their different styles of chili. I bet there were about 25 different kinds of chili, but only 19 of them participated in the "contest".

Andy let me tell you why I participated in the contest: I hate beans. I know most people find them an integral part to chili, but I hate them. And I hate having to meticulously sort through my bowl of chili to pull out all the beans. So I signed up to bring a pot of chili so that I for sure knew that there would be something palatable for myself. And after about 3 minutes of searching online, I found this awesome recipe for a Pumpkin Turkey Chili that I wanted to try. I love pumpkin! I love ground turkey! AND NO BEANS!!! This one was it. I made it really fast (I didn't leave myself enough time to do everything after my run, and taking a shower and getting the baby ready. I'm such a bad procrastinator!) and we ran off to the church for the party.

Like I said, it was a good party. Even if it did start really late. But it let everyone get there on "Mormon Standard Time" and find a place for their chili. So after I had eaten my weight in cornbread (Seriously, I had 6 of them. And while they were quite small-1 1/2 inches squared- that didn't justify the whole cup of honey butter I put on as well) I watched as my child ran around and found her new best friend: The girl dressed up as the Little Mermaid. Seriously, my kid would've followed that little girl into highway traffic, that's how devoted she was to her. Or should I say to the Little Mermaid.

And then it was time to award the prizes for the chili winners. And I don't know how to say this, BUT I WON!!!!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!! Seriously, how did that happen? I demand a recount! There is no way I won! My chili was NOT spicy (but maybe that helped?) nor did it have beans (but again, maybe that helped?) but it was the winner. The only thing i can think that put it over the top was that I added sour cream and cheese to the top of my "judging cup." But I don't think that was cheating. It's what the recipe called for! But seriously, anything with sour cream and cheese on top is going to taste freaking awesome.

We won a $20 gift card to Pastorero, a great taquitoria close to our house that has pictures of Guanajuato inside. It makes me reminisce. Anyway, I think that many MANY people in the ward feel robbed.. Because hardly anyone was like "Oh, congratulations!" I'm sure they were expecting someone else to win. Like the lady in our ward that owns Sweet Tooth Bakery, or the professional caterers in our ward. Yeah, maybe one of them. Not someone who found a recipe off the internet and who had never made chili before in her life. Oh well, I WON!!!!!!

So I know you are all DYING for it, so here is the recipe for the chili:

Pumpkin Turkey Chil
From allrecipes.com
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 pound ground turkey
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 2 cups pumpkin puree
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 dash salt
* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup sour cream

Cooking Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Serves 6
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 303
Total Fat: 18.1g
Cholesterol: 76mg

***My own changes***I actually added more salt than it asked for. I tasted it and it was a little too bland and so I added some more. I also added some of my special blend of spices I call "Alino en Polvo" It has cumin, garlic salt, pepper, salt and onion powder. And a little oregano. I added a bit of that too. Not too much, just like a tablespoon. If you want me to make you a batch of "Alino en Polvo" I will be happy to do it. I add it to EVERYTHING. It's my own creation and it reminds Marcelo of home.

So that's my exciting news. I ousted the whole ward in the chili challenge and made enemies of the whole R.S.BC.

Here is the link for allrecipes.com. So you can see a picture of the food:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Turkey-Chili/Detail.aspx

Go make it! And then tell me how it went for you. What contests did YOU win?

Dear Egg Nog. . .

I happily welcome your Holiday return. I passed you today in the store and I bought not one, but TWO of you. One of you (the pumpkin flavored one) has already been opened and I have have been enjoying your straight from the carton. We are such good friends, (nay I say lovers?) that there is no need to kid ourselves with the pretense of a glass.

I will weep when you leave me again when the holiday season ends. But we both know that you will be back. There is no denying what we have together.

I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early.

Love,
Your Alicia

I've learned my lesson this time. . . . I SWEAR

I do it every time. I say, "This time I'm sure it will be different. This time it won't be so bad. It was an accident, this isn't the norm. I just need to change how I approach the situation, and then everything will be better." But I've finally accepted the truth. And I'm not going back. That's right. I'm breaking up with you, Cafe Rio.

Every time I go there no matter what I eat, I always end up regretting it. I regret it as I'm eating it, and then for the next 12-48 hours. There is no food there that I can eat and the feel good about myself later. It's not the fattiness of the food, per se. It's just the essence, the flavor, the lingering nastiness. And I'm done with it.

So, if you ever suggest that we go to Cafe Rio for lunch or dinner, the answer will be "sure! I'll meet you there and I'll bring my own food to eat while you eat that sludge they call a meal"

I nearly vomited a little in my mouth just writing this post. And you should know that it's been 5 days since I had my last horrible experience there. But that's how long it stays with me. But I'm seriously staying away this time! I'm super SUPER SERIAL!

Dinner Al Fresco

I gave the baby some dinner the other night and this is where she went to go eat it.


She decided an al fresco dinner would be nice this evening. Don't you love how the rabbit is always included in whatever she does?

They were checking out the view of the "Y" this fine summer evening.

The Big Six

"I would totally marry you again, Ali"

What more can you ask for on your 6th wedding anniversary?

Oh, I know! How about a child that isn't sick? I would've really appreciated it if my kid didn't get a hand and mouth virus that has caused blistering hives to break out on her palms, soles, and her ENTIRE "diaper zone." They almost look like festering boils. Yech. And i guess it's pretty contagious the first few days (Which today is) so we felt like we couldn't ask anyone to babysit our HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS and PLAGUE RIDDEN child.

So instead we took her with us to the Red Lobster. We inflicted her borderline infected corpuscles on them. . . . And their lobster tank. . . .Which YES my child stuck her hand into (and almost her face too, if you were wondering)

Did you know that they will take a live lobster out of the tank and bring it around for the kids to "pet" if they would like. Those things give me the creeps out of the water. And I just realized why. They look like spiders with tails! Flailing legs, wandering antennae, a tail that curls up into itself when the manager "tickles" it. Geee geeee geee geeeeeeeesh!! NO THANK YOU!! You can take that thing right back to the kitchen. Boil it up and bring it to me with a side of butter. Otherwise I don't want to see it again. (If you were wondering, I had the Lobster Pizza. It was FREAKING AWESOME. And nothing squirmed at me as I tried to eat it)

And for an anniversary dinner, it wasn't too bad. Even with a tag-along baby. We didn't get into any fights. We didn't let the baby's constant climbing down and getting up bother us. Mostly because we kept feeding her a steady stream of snow crab and lobster pizza. I think she ate about 2 whole legs of crab herself. So I guess we know she likes seafood! We got to talk about being in San Diego (where we were married and where we went just a few months before she was born) and about how Marcelo wants to live somewhere close to the coast so he can eat seafood everyday. And even though it was our anniversary, I don't mind spending it with the sweet, sweet Bibbers.

Because, as Mar says, she is the fruit of our time together.

Happy Anniversary, Amorcito. I would totally marry you again, too!

Make Way For The Birthday Boy!!

Marcelo turned 30 on Saturday. Last year we weren't together for his birthday and that was sad. But this year I remembered 5 days before the big day that not only was it his birthday, but he would be turning 30! Something had to be done, and quickly.

And I decided to go SUPER ambitious and try for a surprise party. I don't know what I was thinking. Marcelo can sniff out a surprise or a secret better than any CIA agent. And once he suspects, there is no going back. He ferrets out the secret and then it is a secret no longer. But he didn't suspect a thing!

I don't know if it's because I planned it at the lat moment. Or because I only invited a very few people. But it was so great. He was 100% surprised and had a great time. For food we had:

Chips and Salsa
BBQ beef
BBQ chicken legs
Carmel corn
Rice

And for dessert we had brownies and ice cream. Instead of a cake I made him a pan of cinnamon rolls because he prefers those. Here are just a FEW pictures. I was really busy barbecuing and making sure that everything was perfect that I didn't really get to take any pictures.

These are the guys that helped me distract Marcelo. Cris kept him working for most of the day so he stayed away, and Juan Carlos made fake plans with him in the afternoon so he would for sure come home on time.















Here are some of the kids having a great time.




























And here he is blowing out his birthday candles. With a little help from the Bibi. Notice how her cheeks are all puffed out ready for blowing? Perfect.

And then we ate and had a great time. We danced a little salsa, ate lots of food and thoroughly hated ourselves the next day. Well, maybe that's just me!

Happy Birthday Amorcito.

Peanut Butter Cup

Ahh Leatherby's. You are so delicious and so evil at the same time. Why do you make your Peanut Butter sauce so delicious? And why do you make your fries so soft and crispy at the same time? Why is your awesome ice cream so addictive? I curse the day I met you, Leatherby's. Or should I say LEATHERFACE'S?

Well, Bahama reunions, however small, are always fun. It was only the BAA of the group, but we still had a good time.

I have no pictures of the event. I got some from Amy, but for some reason they won't upload on my computer. Boo, Blogspot, BOO ON YOU. I did bring my own camera, but my child put her sticky ice cream fingers on my lens and I couldn't clean it fast enough to get cute kid shots of my own. Oh well. Not like you care. I'll let you know they were cute. And I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but my child is the most exotic looking of the whole bunch. Her father must be a G.I.


Oh, I'll make it a tradition. . . .TWICE. Don't you worry your little Leatherface's head about that.

Just like Mom used to make

I have a new cooking secret. Want to know what it is? Well, I'll tell you: I just think about what my mother in law would make.

I know that my husband and his mother don't have the typical "mama's boy" past. Their past is slightly checkered and dark at parts. At one point when he was just 8 years old, he went to live with another family for 2 years because he just couldn't be in his house anymore. But my husband is a great example to me of love and forgiveness. He loves his mother unconditionally and can see the good in her. And she is a great woman. She really is very strong and wonderful. And even though she scares the crap out of me and annoys me when I'm down there, the truth is that I very intimidated by her. And I fear that I will never be as great or as strong as she is. And so maybe some of my fear gets switched to annoyance. Just maybe. . . hmmm. Something else to work out at therapy at a later date. When I start going to therapy, maybe?

However, one of those things that we both love about her? Well, she is an AMAZING cook.

When I was in Ecuador about a year ago, I was not happy. But now that I'm home I'm even less happy because I didn't take advantage of the time I had to learn from her and take notes on different foods. I was more concerned with feeding my baby and the liquid poo that always seemed to be pouring from her diaper. And so at mealtimes, I just sat down and had a bowl of something placed in front of me. (Just so you know, everyone got a bowl placed in front of them. It would've been more strange if I were in the kitchen helping. Her kitchen is HER domain. None shall pass)

But I feel really inferior when it comes to cooking for Marcelo. But ONLY for Marcelo. Like if I had an American husband he would most likely enjoy casseroles and other similar American fare. Mashed potatoes and green salad. But he just doesn't like that. And while he has been trained VERY well to always eat what I make, I can tell that he doesn't like certain things. And so I never make them again. Also, I like to know when Marcelo is coming home because most of my meals are best served fresh from the oven. So if I miss the time, either he has to wait for dinner, or get it cold and not as good. So little by little my bank of recipes has been whittled down to almost nothing.

And then inspiration struck. It happened while Marcelo and I were watching an episode of "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel. Anthony Bourdain was in, (of course) ECUADOR!!! We really enjoyed watching him eating chifles and intestine and seafood and aji. (UMMMM AJI!!! I seriously just salivated typing that. How I miss you, aji) Then Tony said something that struck me he said, "oh, I love anything that's been simmering in a pot all day. Those are the best kinds of meals."

And I realized, that's what Ecuadorian cooking is! It's a lot of "one pot" style soups and sauces. Things that you can cook for 4o minutes or 1 1/2 hours depending on when people arrive home. You don't have to worry about when they will come home exactly, because it will be simmering away when they get there. It just gets better the longer it sits in the pot! You can add the tough cuts of meat with the bone still in there, and it all just dissolves beautifully. (I tried this with a big cross cut of cow leg and Marcelo was in heaven when the marrow was still in the bone and he got to suck it out. Seriously, he was so happy) It's stress free cooking, and I was stressing out about it!! This needed to change.

So now I just try to remember all the meals my mother served us.This is how my thought process works: "Ok, dinner ready around 7:30. What would be good in a pot. Chicken? Yes. What else? Carrots? Sure! Peas? Ok, at the end. . .What would my mother in law put in there? A potato, of course. Maybe a yucca if I have one. . .hmmm. . ." And so it goes.

Meal times around here have gotten much MUCH better and much less stressful. And while I will never EVER compare with the cooking skills of my mother in law, I have stopped worrying about it. We both have our talents and there is no comparison on either end. I mean, I'd like to see her whip up cinnamon rolls (WITH the cream cheese frosting included, of course) in less than an hour like I can.

Game. set and MATCH.

Butter

Today before Marcelo left for school he said, "what is the baby eating"? And I said, "butter". And he jumped up shocked and ran to where she was eating on the counter. As he was running I further clarified, "well, she's eating a piece of bread with butter, but she picks all of the butter off and just eats it plain."

Here is some video attesting to that fact. While I was in the shower, she got into the freezer and found the butter that I keep frozen there. And here is what I found when I got out:



Seriously, if I let this kid eat nothing but dairy all day, she would be in heaven. Cottage cheese, ice cream, yogurt, milk, cream cheese, string cheese, or just plain cheese from the bag. Actually, I buy cheese in bulk and use my food processor to shred it and then I freeze it. And again, while I was taking a shower she got in the freezer and was eating the frozen cheese straight from the bag. That wasn't a problem. I mean how much cheese can a 2 year old eat in 7 minutes?















That is a picture of here enjoying the frozen cheese, and then she's telling me to "back off" so she can eat more. And, if she has an accomplice in the form of a constantly ravenous dog, well, then this is the kind of damage she can do: That whole bag was emptied in 8 minutes. Disgusting.

More food related news: Here is what happened when I was vacuuming the other day.

















She found this little bag of flour and seasonings (some dredging flour) in the freezer. Are you seeing a pattern here? I think we need a freezer lock.

Some cute pictures of a baby in a crock pot? Why yes, I have those too!
















(She's eating cold, day old rice right from the pan. She loves that!)

And finally, my last "food related" presentation is what happens when you decide to make pooping "me time". I still maintain that I should get to poop in peace, but it's difficult to rationalize that when I come out and find scenes like this.



Happy eating!

Here's some extra credit: If your child goes silent for a while, you can assume she has found a tube of chap stick and is trying to eat it slash apply it.















And if it's cherry chap stick it counts as a fruit in your daily food pyramid.


Delicious!

A Real Conversation With My Dear Husband-Session #3

Scene: Our house kitchen, Saturday night. No food prepared, Marcelo hungry

Me: Do you want me to make something? It might take a while, but I can have something ready in about 30 minutes.

Marcelo: Hmmm, thirty minutes? (I can hear in his voice that he is hungry now)

Me: Well, I have fresh rice and salsa. You can have that if you want.

Marcelo: (silence) What?

Me: Rice and salsa. You know like we have when I prepare with meat on the side. Except I don't have any meat.

Marcelo: Just rice and salsa? WHAT?

Me: I LIKE IT!! And it's the best part of the meal anyway. You sure you don't want it?

Marcelo: (Silence, meanwhile looks at me like I am crazy) . . . .Uhhh, no.

AND SCENE

You should know, my salsa is hommade and very much like a "pico de gallo" you will find at other restaurants. But it has no jalapenos, and hence no heat at all. 4 simple ingredients: Cilantro, tomatoes, onion and limes. Oh and salt. But it's how you PREPARE it. Lots of lime. Let the lime soak into the onions after you wash them and scrunch them up. IT'S A PROCESS, I TELL YA!!! It's basically a lime soaked infusion that will make you happy. If you like lime, which we do around here.

And I love it on top of rice. Especially hot rice. The hot rice and cold salsita? SO GOOD. Something like pie ala mode. Hot pie and cold ice cream. So, just, yum. If you are lucky I'll make it for you someday. If not you just have to dream about it from my writings here.

Happy eating!

This is Why You're Fat

I don't know where I found this website, but it's awesome. (Link Here)

It actually reminds me of this old SNL skit:



I especially like the mug made from bacon and entirely filled with cheese.

I worried that subscribing to this blog would be harmful to my diet, but I've changed my mind. Most things are so greasy and over the top that they don't appeal to me at all. Except for those "Velvety Balls" from yesterday. Cake AND frosting together? YES PLEASE!!

YUMMMM.

Sweet Merciful Heavens. . .It's only 1 block away

I found a restaurant only 1 block away.

It sells 1/4 of a 20 inch pizza pie for only $3.75.

Today I went and bought two slices because I couldn't make up my mind. I got the NM Green Chili and the Thai Chicken slice. Made fresh while I waited.

I'm in love. I haven't been in love this much with food since my first visit to Happy Sumo and tasting the RSBC. (It's actually called the BSCR but I always get it wrong. Like just now).

Did I mention it's only $3.75 for a slice the size of a soccer ball? And it's made fresh. And the thin crust? I forgot the crust! It's fire baked and super thin. right from the oven it crunches like a cracker but is still slightly chewy on the edge. And you can fold it over and pretend that you are in NY eating pizza from a street vendor.

Oh my goodness. It's amazing. And it's only 1 block away. How am I ever going to reach my weight loss goals now?

NM Chili? Seriously? Evil proprietors bent on keeping me looking like a beached whale, I curse your very existence.

And I'll see you next week

Just in case you were wondering. . .

Despite their colorful candy shells, cute be-speckled exterior and bargain prices, Whopper Robin Eggs are not delicious.


Look at that thick candy shell. How can that be delicious? Well, it's not. It's like chewing through 3 inches of plastic coating in order to get to the soft center. It taints the whole Whopper experience.

And I bought a whole bag of them. I said to myself, "self, you are allowed on Easter candy treat" and what did I choose? Whopper Eggs, because I am a moron. And because I love regular Whoppers. Stupid false advertising. They should say "Made by the same company but in no way resembles normal Whoppers" and then in bigger letters: "tectonic plate candy shell will promise to crack your dental crown!" on the outside.

Now I have a stomach ache and 7/8 of a bag of Whopper Eggs.

Anyone want them?

Afternoon Delight

What do you give your child as an afternoon snack? Piece of cheese? An apple? Maybe a glass of milk and some crackers? Do you give your child frozen bread?

My child love LOVES frozen bread. See, since the diet started, I've been eating less bread. So I freeze the loaf so it doesn't go bad. (You can easily break off one individual piece and toast it if needed) Another thing about the freezer, we have one of those pull out drawers. Which a 26 pound 20 month old can open with super ease. Especially after she figures out how to use her body weight to open it. So when she wants a piece, she opens the freezer and brings me the bag.

What is it with frozen food? I can't get my child to eat cooked peas, but frozen peas? She'll eat enough to turn her poo green. Berries on her french toast? No way. But frozen berries out of a bag? I have the stained clothes to prove how much she loves them.

Another item of baby business. I have 2 private times to myself. The first one is shower time. I have no problems locking the door and putting on a video and enjoying a nice hot shower. The second "me" time is when I'm pooping. I get to poop in peace!! I do NOT feel badly as I close the door and I hear my little girl knocking on the door while I poop. It's my 3 minutes! I get 3 min of pooping time to myself.

However, one day I forgot to shut the door when I went into the shower. I enjoyed my blissful body cleaning time in peace, even though I could hear her rustling about outside the door. And when I got out, this is what I found:

I'm sure all of you have had moments like this. I'm sure your pictures are much better. And I'm sure just like me (if you are cheap and poor) you spent 7 min rolling it back up onto the roll again.

Next, my little baker. I'm putting her to work and going making some money off of her.



Excuse my horrible voice. I'm much closer to the microphone than she is.

Ok, that's all for now.

Please tell me you agree with my "bathroom time". I know you are considered a "bad mom" if you let your child cry right outside the door. But seriously! I don't need my child pointing to the faults of my naked body. AND THERE ARE SOME HUGE FAULTS.

Cream Cheese

Evi is obsessed with Cream Cheese. If I have her in my arms when I open the fridge and she sees the contain, she whines and grunts and points at it. Sometimes I give her some. Sometimes I don't. This day I did.


Here's the end result:



And here.



And finally, here is a video of her eating chicken pieces off the floor. The best BEST part of this is the look on Raya's face. She's just begging for the release command so she can lick that plate clean. Look at how she licks her chomps. Delish

Currently Reading

So I'm currently reading this book that you see appearing to the right of my words. I'm going to admit that I TOTALLY pick books based on their cover. And this one grabbed me.

I'm only on page 45, but I am SUCKED IN. It's about the first woman who swam the English Channel and how she did it hours faster than any man had ever done it. (At that time, that is)

Anyway, I'm not done yet but I found the funniest story on page 34. Apparently, there was a very "Pro-American" push around the time of the first world war. And many of the immigrants (especially those of German descent) were feeling the pressure to prove their loyalty to America whilst it was fighting against the Motherland.

Anyway, here is a quote:

"Foods such as sauerkraut temporarily became know as 'liberty cabbage,' German measles was referred to as 'liberty measles,' and even the most ubiquitous of American foods with a German heritage-the hamburger-temporarily became know as the 'liberty sandwich.'

Ha!! Does that remind you of the "freedom fries" debacle that was going around a while ago? Anyway, this book is awesome!! I'm not even 15% through it and I'm dying to get back to it right now. So I will leave you so I can go back to reading.

And for dinner tonight? I think I'll have a liberty sandwich with a side of freedom fries. And of course I'll hold on the Benedict Arnold mayonnaise. "

Ecuador Travels & Trevails

I don't know why, but I just couldn't get back in the mood to blog for a long time now. I think I have so many things to blog it's so overwhelming. But I've decided I'm just going to have to start and then if I forget some things and have to come back later and tell you about them I will.

So the last your heard from me, I had a horrible traveling trip but I was finally with my in-laws enjoying the fresh fruits and other tasty foods of Ecuador. Here are a few pictures of some of those tasty foods. These are called Achotillos (they might be achetillos and I'm just pronouncing it incorrectly. Marcelo isn't here to double check so you'll have to forgive me if I'm spelling it incorrectly.) From the first pictures, these little fruits looking menacing















They look spikey and a little hairy all at the same time. That is actually a very good description of them on the outside. However, when you crack into them they look like this:


Yeah, they are like a nice peeled grape inside. You peel of the spiny but soft outer shell, and inside you find a soft flesh not unlike a grape who has married a mango. The taste is very sweet, and the texture is very peeled-grape-ish, but the mango reference comes from how the fruit clings to the large pit inside and how the little strings get caught on your teeth. But these things cold are the best on a hot afternoon or a hot night for that matter.

Here is another food item: Chifles.














Chifles are a gift from Heaven.They are made from "verdes" also known as plantains to you English speaking folk and they are much more related to a potato than to a banana. They look like unripe bananas, but they are completely different. You have to cut off the skins and if you get some of them under your nails it will give you a splinter like you wouldn't believe. That's right, the SKINS will do that! There is no easy peeling going on with these bad boys.

So the reason they are in the bag is because we bought them from the "chifleros" down the street. They do nothing all day but use a mandolin slicer and take these verdes and slice them into big vats of hot oil. They make thousands of them every day. And this whole bag cost like 50 cents. It's good they are so cheep because Marcelo's family loves them with ceviche and 2 of them can finish off a whole bag. Heck! I can finish off a whole bag myself! They taste like potato chips but fresher. Uggh, I'm getting a little salivated just remembering them again!

So enough about the food. You know that the food was good. It was great! But that was one of the only good things about being there. I hate to say it, but it was true!! It was so different being down there. Just so different and more difficult. The heat, the location and the fact that our baby didn't adjust so well all made things so difficult.

A typical day involved the following:
2:00 am, 3:30 am and 4:30 am: The family dog (who's name is León) sleeps up on the roof. However, you need to know that they have a sheet metal roof and he likes to put himself under the edge of it. If you know anything about big metal buildups, you know that the sounds travels EVERYWHERE in them. So when he is under that edge and starts barking, he might as well be inside the house right next to my head. It's honestly that loud. So at those times posted above, León hears other dogs in the neighborhood barking and decides he wants to get in on the action. The barking action I'm always terrified it will wake up Evi, but it actually doesn't! Never! She's used to the craziness already

6:00 am: Marcelo waking up and sweeping the floor in the house. My baby also wakes up at this time. I count the number of mosquito bites I accrued over the night. The number is always in the double digits.

8:00 am: Breakfast. Usually some sort of fried meat. I did not like breakfast. I would avoid it. Much to the annoyance of my mother in law. She hated when I refused food. One day my sister in law made tuna, onions, tomatoes and cilantro in lime juice for breakfast. BREAKFAST!! Again, I would avoid it. While trying to find something my child would eat. She usually didn't want to eat anything.

8:30 am Marcelo leaves to goodness knows where. Honestly, I have no idea where he is or who he goes to see!! But I know he won't be back before 1 pm, sometimes as late as 3 pm. I never go with him. Why is that? Well, we tried it one time and put the baby in the stroller and once we hit the sun she started screaming. It was way too hot for her and all the little bugs kept biting her! It just wouldn't work out. So he just left without me and went to make his visits alone. He had to go alone and I was left in the house alone with my mother in law. . . .

10:30 am: Nap time for me and baby. I LOOOOVED nap time. Especially when I had dengue. Evi and I put the fan on and just slept.

11:30-3 pm. Nothing. Nothing at all. I would maybe listen to my iPod, maybe talk to my sister in law. But usually nothing.

3:00 pm: Lunch. Usually something I didn't want to eat. But what could I do. They never ask you if you are hungry, and they never ask you how much you want of the food. You sit down and a plate of food is in front of you, and you eat it. Those are the rules. Don't like tamarindo juice that tastes like rotten fruit? Then plug your nose and chug it! Seriously, she had this tamarindo paste sitting on her counter for like 3 days and on the 2nd day I lifted the lid and my head snapped back because it was so strong. It smelled very rancid, almost alcoholic in it's rancidness. I asked what it was, and they said it was for the "business" (The business is "health juices". Whatever) And then they put it in front of us to drink!! I did not like it! But like the good daughter in law, I ate it.

Most days I wasn't hungry. It's too hot to eat. Or I only wanted a little something. No luck. You didn't get to choose your portion size. At the beginning I would fight through it, but at the end I was tired trying to make everyone happy and I just left the food that I didn't want.

3-9 pm: More of nothing. Another nap for Evi, maybe another nap for me. Maybe some more hammock time. Marcelo gone visiting people: Me alone.

And that was my day. Over and over again. I was so tired of all of this, it was too long being there.

And my baby was sick. She got persistent diarrhea. And she didn't want to eat. My father in law really got to see how strong willed my baby was. If she doesn't want to eat, she won't. She would go meals and meals without eating. And my mother in law would whine and try to get her to eat something, but she wouldn't have it. There was nothing we could do to make her eat. So that was so nerve racking.

And then she started the vomiting. She would vomit at least once a day. She wouldn't eat anything all day, and then we finally got some food in her, and she would puke it up 4-6 hours later. Everything. I was so nervous. I could see her losing weight in front of me. It was scary. I am so thankful I was still breastfeeding. Sometimes it was the only thing she would eat. And I knew that she was getting it at least 4 times a day. So I at least I had that going through my mind saving me from running to the nearest airport and jumping on a plane directly home!!

And I almost did lots of times. My in-laws have cement floors. That's right, just cement on the floors. The front room is a smooth cement, but quite slippery. The dining room, bedrooms and kitchen all have a rougher uneven cement. Which does not bode well with my baby flinging herself on the floor in the middle of a tantrum. Or slipping out of your arms trying to get away and falling on her face. She did this over and over again. And I got a picture of it:


Nice, right? It was huge for like 4 days, then it went away. And then the very night it went away, she did it again!! I swear people thought that we were smacking her around. On the picture on the right you can see the sheen off the smoother cement in the background.

Anyway, my kid was always smacking herself or trying to eat the dirt off the floor. (No wonder she was so sick all the time!!) It just wasn't an enjoyable trip for me!! I wish it were! I wish I could say it was better! But it was just torturous.

Oh, and I didn't get to go to the beach. YUP, remember how excited I was to do that? Remember how I had never been to a warm beach and I was so excited to go while in Ecuador? Well, it didn't happen. I got dengue fever. What is dengue fever you ask? Well, Healthline.com says:

"Dengue fever is a virus-based disease spread by mosquitoes. Dengue fever begins with a sudden high fever, often to 104-105 degrees Fahrenheit. A flat, red rash may appear over most of the body early during the fever. A second rash, measles-like in appearance, appears later in the disease. Infected people may have increased skin sensitivity and are very uncomfortable. Other symptoms include: Headache, Joint aches, Muscle Aches, Nausea, Swollen Lymph Nodes, Vomiting."

It's basically like mono for a week. With a rash. I had all those symptoms except the vomiting. It did last a week, and I didn't take anything for it. No reason, the recommended medicine is Tylenol! Obviously just for the discomfort. I can stand it, so I didn't want to take anything. It ruined the last week of our time there. I just slept all the time. And I had a rash. And Marcelo had me take like 3 showers a day. I was SOOOO tired of showers.

Did you know my in-laws don't have hot water? So when I say shower I mean cold shower! Cold showers are horrible first thing in the morning. And cold hair first thing in the morning? LESS EFFECTIVE!! I was so done with Ecuador and dengue and just everything in general by the 24th. ALL DONE!! (Say that the way my niece Isabel used to say it with the accompanying sign language. I know most of you don't know it, but you can make it up in your mind)

Ok, that's all I'm going to write for right now. I'm going to leave you with a few more Ecuador pictures. These are the Bibi and I with some chicks that my in-laws bought. I don't know why they bought them. Probably to raise so they could someday eat them. That's usually why they have animals!! But here we are looking at them and I'm trying to keep her from pulling a Lenny and snapping their little heads off. She loved how soft they were!


More Ecuador stories tomorrow!!

Some Clarifications

I have not run a 5K race yet. I'm currently planning on running the 4th of July "Freedom Run" this summer. I hope I'll just be able to finish the thing before they start cleaning up the race behind me. That's the most embarrassing thing!

Next: Those cookies. Here is the basic recipe for them:

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

So that's your basic generic Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. When I usually make these, I'll put in a cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup white. I like my cookies chewy rather than crispy and crunchy and the molasses in the brown sugar does that. (I'm SOOO channeling that cookie episode of "Good Eats" right now). However, last week when I made the cookies, I didn't even have 3/4 cup of brown sugar!! I think I had like barely over 1/2 cup. But I just made up the rest with white sugar. You can do that, it's fine. (Also, if you LIKE crispy crunchy cookies then you SHOULD use more white sugar)

However, I was so happy that they didn't turn out crunchy at all. I think it's because I used the shortening, which I almost never do. ORRRR it could be the fact that I ate them when they were so hot that they still burned my mouth. Any cookie right from the oven is going to be soft and chewy.

Now for the chips. I used a half of a bag of butterscotch chips. And for the semi-sweet chips I used this left-over bar of 80% cocoa chocolate made by Lindt. And that bar of chocolate is actually what inspired the cookies in the first place. See, if you've ever had some chocolate that's over 45% cocoa it's usually just too much. It's bitter and really closely resembles baking chocolate. However, if you take that bar of chocolate and chop it up with your knife, you get little tiny shavings of bitter-sweet chocolate in every bite. And it's not overwhelmingly bitter. The sugar of the cookies and the butterscotch chips makes it all even out.

I would suggest you chop up chips or a bar of chocolate for ALL cookies, whether or not you are trying to get rid of an old chocolate bar or not. The tiny little shavings melt and stay soft and don't really crystallize and it just makes your cookies AWESOME. It's kind of a hassle, but I've always had the best cookies come out when I do this. Try it, you'll thank me later.

So that's my cookie story. Did I mention that these cookies are awesome? I think I still have that 1/2 bag of butterscotch chips around here somewhere. Maybe I should make another batch. . . .