Long Live Netflix!

I moved out of my mom's house six months ago and I still don't have cable. And let me say right now that being completely tv-less ain't easy! I totally miss it and so does my daughter. She doesn't watch much TV, I don't want her to be one of those kids who just sits in front of a TV for hours and doesn't get out and play or read books but when she's at my mom's she gets to watch (for a span of about 5 minutes at a time) what ever she wants. She's gotten accustomed to taking breaks from wreaking havoc to have some down time with Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming, but once she gets home it's all DVD's and after 6 months -- she's pretty much seen them all. So, ultimately down-time at home for her can be pretty boring.

When we first moved out, when we were bored, my boyfriend and I pretty much hijacked my sister's Netflix account so that we'd all be able to watch NEW things. Then two short months after moving in, my apartment was robbed. They took the laptop, the Wii, the TVs, the PS3...you get the gist. We lost everything and really had no way to replace it all in one go. Slowly and, lately, thanks to our income tax returns we've started the process of restoring what we'd lost. I bought a Nook for myself in January and we had fun with that -- I read, a lot and solved crossword puzzles,. Isabella had some Read to Me books read to her and my boyfriend used Pandora and played chess (he's more of a gamer than a reader). Then the novelty wore off  for them (mainly because I kind of became addicted and couldn't STOP reading). Around this time, I had expressed my interest in writing for GeekMom and I was contacted shortly thereafter to be a blogger for them (yes, I'm still totally geeked-out over that!). Which meant I would need better access to the internet and more often that every other weekend.

When I got my tax return, I went ahead and purchased a netbook for myself from Walmart.com. I knew at the time that my boyfriend would get his grimy boy paws all over it (even though I bought a girly-patterned one), so I offered to buy him his own, he shrugged it off saying he wouldn't need one. Fast forward to now and he's on it more often than I am and I've reverted back to using the internet on my phone or my Nook. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind sharing my toys, and I'll totally let him use it for as long as he likes and for what ever he likes with no nagging, just like he'll need to surrender it to me when I need to use it for an indefinite amount of time to post my blogs or if I get to it first and just want to do what ever I want.. I even refer to it as "the netbook" instead of "my netbook," so that he doesn't get all touchy about using "my" things. However, more than anything I like it when we can enjoy things as a family. Which is why when I got an offer in the mail from Netflix for a free one month trial, I jumped on it. We get both the DVD (note, not plural we opted for the just 1 DVD at a time deal because we'd lose them if we had more than one in our home at a time) and the watch it instantly selections that we can stream immediately on the netbook. Now we get to sit down as a family, stare at this tiny screen and get entertained for an hour and a half or two. When Isabella is asleep, we watch things we actually want to watch instead of Dora or the Wonder Pets. Sometimes we'll even stay up late watching movies that we wanted to see when they arrived in theatres but were unable to with a tantrum-throwing toddler in tow.

While having a netflix account with it's one DVD at a time and decent selection of watch it now movies and TV shows can't replace cable altogether it has provided a good few hours of fun diversion until we decide whether or not we're going to get cable in our house (I'm still iffy, since it's pretty expensive and I'd rather spend my weekends off taking Isabella to museums and libraries). On that note, it's doing a great job of keeping us from killing each other.

The Things You Know

As a mom, you know your kids will get hurt. Inevitably something is going to happen to them that will cause some sort of physical harm to them. However, simply knowing this fact doesn't make it any easier when something actually happens.

Isabella had her first big fall today, causing a HUGE bump just above her eye. It happened while under my mom's care but I don't blame my mom. Isabella is 15 months old, bumps and bruises come with the toddler territory. Frankly, it sucks and I can't quite explain how it makes me feel to see her facial features being altered by a puffy eye (sad doesn't quite cut it, more like freaked out, I'm still freaked out. She's acting normal but I still feel helpless like I don't know what to do for her and I'm her mom and there's this huge bump over her eye so I should do SOMETHING, right? Right?! But, what?! WHAT?!) but truth be told we're lucky that it didn't happen sooner! So to blame my mom seems nonsensical to me.

Speaking of blaming my mom (or rather not blaming in this case) now that this has happened to Isabella while under my mom's care I can honestly say that I can't relate or understand my brother or sister-in-law. I'm only further puzzled by their reaction to my mother accidentally pulling out an IV, at the time attached to my nephew's foot, while carrying him when he was hospitalized with a severe UTI. Did Shawn cry? Yes. Did it hurt? Of course! Did she MEAN it? Definitely not. I knew that then, just as surely as I know now that she genuinely means it when (describing Isabella's accident today) she says "creo que yo llore mas que ella!"

The great IV Catastrophe seems to be the root of all of the current inter-family awkwardness that exists between my brother and his in-laws and us, his one-time close-knit immediate family. My brother doesn't bring my nephew over to my mom's house. She always has to go over to their place to see him. Mind you, the IV incident happened when my nephew was months old, he's now 14 months old. Thankfully he recovered from the UTI and wasn't left with any lasting emotional or mental trauma from my mom yanking out that IV, I'm almost 100% positive of this. Even so, I feel like my brother and sister-in-law hold a grudge against my mom for the whole thing. As a result contact between "us" (my parents, sister and I) and "them" (my brother, sister-in-law and nephew) dwindled down into non-existence. The lack of contact caused yet another problem in the form of my family (sometimes overtly) favoring Isabella. My sister makes no apologies and (maybe it's because I'm Isabella's mother) I agree with her point that their favoritism was bound to happen because they NEVER see Shawn. As I stated previously, my brother does not bring him to see my mom. They've never been to my sister's apartment and they only made a fleeting appearance at Isabella's first birthday party.

I don't think my mom meant to pull out that IV. I know Isabella's accident today was in no way her fault. I know my brother is a big dummy who will live to regret cutting us off from his life. I just don't think HE knows...

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Queso Frito...

Growing up, the best Sunday mornings consisted of my mom blasting cumbia music while cleaning and making breakfast. The memory of waking up to the mouth-watering smell of platanos fritos (fried plantains, with salty sour cream, YUM!) , huevos estrellados (huevos rancheros to some, basically sunnyside up eggs with a homemade tomato sauce, YUM!), or queso frito (fried cheese, YUM!) remains indelibly etched in my mind.

This morning I woke up in the mood to recreate one of those mornings for Isabella. When she woke up, I picked her up out of her crib, changed her diaper and took her to the living room, while I went to rummage in my fridge. All I had in there that resembled a proper Sunday morning at my mom's was eggs and queso tropical (that's troh-pee-cahl not trop-ih-kil). Queso tropical is a fresh white cheese for frying and it ended up winning by default because I definitely CANNOT make my mom's tomato sauce for the huevos estrellados...not to mention there was no bread in the house.

So, I put on the Sonora Dinamita station on my Pandora radio while frying up some slices of cheese. As the female vocalist crooned about an old man hitting on and honking his horn at her, the oil in the pan popped and little drops landed on my arms causing sharp little bursts of pain. I yelped a small "ouch!" with each drop that sizzled on my skin but the slices of cheese browned nicely and the fantastic smell of fried cheese filled my kitchen. I was only able to fry up two slices of cheese because Isabella walked in and I didn't want any of the popping oil to burn her. So, I took my two slices of fried cheese, got a glass of juice and shuffled back to our bedroom.

My boyfriend woke up when I came in with a steaming plate and mumbled "mmmm...food! What are we eating?" "Queso frito!" I exclaimed, he pulled a face and retorted with a drawn out "ewwwww."  To which I replied "that's fine, I didn't make any for you! Just me and Isabella." At the mention of her name, Isabella started in with her "mum-mum-mum" babbling signaling her eagerness to dig in. I cut off a small portion of the cheese and popped it into her awaiting little mouth. She chewed for a bit almost as if she was mulling over the taste before finally deciding that she was not a fan and spitting out the chewed up bits of yummy cheese all the while pulling a face remarkably similar to her dad's. I sighed, gave her a bottle while I finished my cheese, then returned to the kitchen and got her a bowl of fruit loops, which she gobbled up.

So, maybe I haven't got Sundays at my mom's down to an exact science (what with Isabella hating the fried cheese) but I can at least create my own version. As long as it includes breakfast and some really great tunes, we'll be set! After all she did shimmy and wiggle to the sounds of El Viejo del Sombreron and why wouldn't she with lyrics as awesome as these?!

Enjoy!!!:

Dicen que es vino tinto

Pero es un rojo uva mi carrito

Es un último modelo

Que siempre va conmigo a donde quiera voy mi carrito

Por que el es mi compañero ese carrito es mi vida

De el nunca he tenido quejas

Cuando consigo a una chica

El me lleva a donde quiera

Cuando consigo a una chica

El me lleva a donde quiera.



¡Señorita a la orden la llevo!

No gracias estoy esperando al viejo del sombreron

Uy no me diga que tipo tan afortunado

Ay llego vera.



¡El viejo de sombreron!

Ese viejo si es rebuena

¡El viejo de sombreron!

Para conseguir mujeres

¡El viejo de sombreron!

Será que tiene secreto

¡El viejo de sombreron!

Ese viejo si la mueve.



Voy a comprarme un sombrero

Un sombreo bien jalón

Pa' hacerle la competencia

Al viejo del sombreron

Señorita de mi alma

Tengo una preocupación

¿Por que esta tan entregada al viejo del sombreron?


Lo que pasa es que una gota de agua sobre una piedra hace un orificio

Ese viejo tiene su carrito y cada vez que pasa se sonríe conmigo

Va de largo, se regresa si me encuentra parada en la puerta

Me lanza un piropo y me toca el pito

Va de largo, se regresa si me encuentra parada en la puerta

Me lanza un piropo y me toca el pito

Pipipi es a cada ratito que pasa el viejito y me toca el pito

Pipipi es a cada ratito que pasa el viejito y me toca el pito

Pipipi siempre vivo pendiente

Pipi cuando el viejo me toca

Pipipi siempre vivo pendiente pi pi cuando el viejo me toca

Pipipi ya me tiene mareada con el pi pi con el pi pi con el pi pi

Con el pi pi me toca el pito pi pi me tiene mareada con el pi pi.

Bi-weekend-ly...(and the wonder that is my NOOK Color)

So, it seems like this blog will be updated bi-weekend-ly. It's the ONLY time I really have to myself, because I'm not at work (well, actually I am at work but not doing my regular work, which takes up much more than my allotted 8 hours per day and would NEVER allow time for blogging) or at home therefore my daughter isn't around to crawl/walk/climb all over me or knock anything out of my hands. Also, my boyfriend isn't around to suddenly attack me in need of "business time" ... which, naturally isn't always a bad thing. Except for when I'm sound asleep and a cold hand startles me awake...that's just not sexy, I'm sorry. I love him to bits but he has the WORST timing...but this blog isn't about him. *sigh*

What is this blog about?

Nothing, really I just felt like writing. That happens to me a lot when I've been reading incessantly (that and I start to narrate my daily life in my own head, I'm a bit of a weirdo). And since purchasing my Nook Color I haven't been able to STOP reading. Which, of course is fantastic -- I know, I know as a self-proclaimed bibliophile an e-reader goes against everything I stand for but, damn it all! I LOVE MY NOOK!!!!! I have downloaded 71 e-books since January (a special shout out to Barnes & Noble's "Free Friday," which has definitely contributed to the increase of my library). Granted, some are samples and some are short stories but it's still exponentially more reading than I did last year.

I mean the fact is that since becoming a mom I don't have the energy (let alone the space what with carrying around a diaper bag more often than a purse for myself) to carry around any books, with the Nook I can carry around 71 books in ONE slim little device. Plus, I get to read in the dark because of the fantastic backlit screen. I've always been, what my sister lovingly refers to as, a book-eater, which means once a book lures me in, I'm hooked and I can't stop reading until I've devoured every last morsel of a word. This has led to many a night spent squinting at tiny fonts with nothing more than my cell phone to illuminate the pages and at 27 years old, that's really not cutting it anymore. Because let's face it my eyesight definitely isn't what it used to be (on a different and ironic note, I think I need glasses now, whereas in the past I wore them as a fashion accessory).

In addition to all the wonderful stuff the NOOK color has for me (oh, did I forget to mention the other features? Oh, well let's see it has crossword puzzles, chess, Pandora radio and sudoku. Plus it's not only for reading books you can read magazines and newspapers too! Also it runs on Android and I've been on Team Android since the G1 came out -- which, incidentally I still own! But I digress...) it also has kid's books with a "Read To Me" feature, which will be so incredible when Isabella is a little older. And, don't worry the Read to Me books do have a Read by Myself option so I can read the book to Izzie, or when she's old enough she can read them by herself...if I let her touch my Nook, which I don't...not often...not yet.

So, all in all, while an e-reader can never truly replace the wonder that is reading a book (i.e. the intoxicating SMELL of a book), it's still a great little device and I'm simply in love with it.

Maybe Barnes & Noble can invent a Nook case that smells like an actual book...hmmm...

My ultimate search for the perfect umbrella stroller...

This all started when my lovely boyfriend and I went out for the day and he thought he could handle carrying our (at the time) 11 month old daughter around in her BABY carrier. I warned him it would put some serious strain on his back (which is already giving him trouble, he blames it on turning 28) and his shoulders. I explained I had taken her out with her carrier when she was 8 months old and she was already way too heavy for it. But he insisted and with all the macho-bravado he could muster he gave me his signature half-smile raised an eyebrow and said "c'mon, babe, I can handle it." Needless to say, we got two blocks from our building and he was already huffing and puffing all the while a string of giggles spilled out of our daughter's mouth with each bounce that resulted from her dad trying to re-adjust her into a comfortable position for him. When I saw him in distress I instantly started suggesting buying a cheap 99 cent store variety umbrella stroller. About four blocks from our building, he conceded. We stopped at a Shopper's World, spotted a Disney-princess themed super cheapo umbrella stroller and purchased it just to put my boyfriend out of his misery. It was supposed to be a temporary thing but now it's 4 months later and we're still using it.

This contraption has definitively become the BANE of my existence. I use it every morning to take my daughter to my mom's for the day while her dad and I go to work. And every day I struggle with it because it's so low that her JJ Cole Bundle Me automatically gets caught under the wheels. Her Bundle Me is constantly filthy, it's digusting and I'm so tired of it. Not to mention the flimsy canopy that has gotten all bent out of shape. The time has definitely come to invest in a better, sturdier umbrella stroller, especially since I'm walking in the March of Dimes March for Babies walk and the AIDS walk both in May.

So, for the past few weeks I've been researching better umbrella strollers on Babies R Us.com and Target.com to name a few. Thus far I really like The First Years Ignite Stroller (ranging from $38.99-$48.00 depending on the store and the theme of the stroller), Babies R Us' Butterfly stroller ($54.99) and the Maclaren Volo Stroller (a splurge at $98.00). My first two choices rank higher than the Maclaren because they take us parents into consideration in the form of a large parent console with the First Years Ignite stroller and a cup holder with the BRU Butterfly stroller. The Maclaren offers nothing for the parents other than a lower storage basket, though to be fair that's more than I can say for that disaster of an umbrella stroller that we're currently using.

All in all, I'm slowly but surely coming to the conclusion that the final decision can't be made by just perusing different strollers online, I have to go to the store and actually test them out!

Three Years Later...

Wow, it has been three years since I've posted a blog! It's not so much that I've had nothing to write about as much as it's I've had absolutely NO time to myself. You see, I've become a mommy, and as many mothers will tell you mommyhood is all-encompassing...

My daughter was born in 2009 and I feel as if I spent the whole of 2010 looking and feeling utterly bedraggled. The introduction of a baby into my life has provided me with endless experiences (funny and scary alike) that would amount to tons writing material but with zero time to actually put a pen to paper (or a finger to keyboard). The thing is, I strongly believe that to be a good mother you have to be dedicated and devote as much of your time and energy to your child possible. So, that's precisely what I did however, 2011 has signaled the arrival of a new revelation for me...dedication and devotion to your child does NOT mean letting yourself go to pot. I've dyed my hair and bought some new clothes and I'm not stopping there. I'm going to lose this baby weight if it's the last thing I do (you know, with 2012 around the corner it may very well be). Furthermore, I will make a strong and diligent effort to not let my brain detoriorate. I've been reading a lot more (something I never had the energy for during pregnancy or for the first year of my daughter's life) and now I'll be writing more too...the only difference is now I'll be writing from the point of view of my life as a mom. What am I ultimately but a writer who had a baby and became a mommy? Having my daughter hasn't made me any less of a writer and so I need to make serious changes in my life to improve it and ultimately to provide better for Isabella...ah, yes that's her name by the way. The absolute love of my life, Isabella Yamileth. Her birth story and naming story have already been written down, now let's move on to her LIFE and my life as her mom!

leprosy...

I was just thinking…well I wasn’t really thinking as much as I was browsing myspace and, you know…my sis and i are some SERIOUS outcasts in our neighborhood! Let me explain…

I was on a family member’s page simply because her status message intrigued me, so curiosity got the best of me and I decided to check if she had any new pics up. No, she had none but the pic she had as her default had been commented on by plenty of people. Including this girl in the neighborhood who is disabled… Anyhoosen! I went on her page…she has a substantial amount of friends. Including my family, of course!

And it just got me to thinking, of course this sounds cruel but it’s true damn it!, how much must everyone hate us that they actually accept and hang out with a little armless girl but not my sister and me?! I mean don’t get me wrong I think it’s great that people like her and hang out with her and they accept and hang out with that lesbodian that used to look at me funny (like she wanted to hump me) and they accept and hang out with that girl who is a closet lezzer (not only accept actually but one of the neighborhood dudes impregnated)!!!

I mean if life was a game of elementary school baseball you would think we’d get picked before them…but no. I mean at this point we might as well be lepers!

LOL…I have too much time on my hands…