Mocha Mornings: Makings of a Monday!!

Mocha Mornings: Makings of a Monday!!: Making Mondays count is hard, but it doesn't have to be impossible!  Our kids just like most of your kids have a bed time and going back...

Makings of a Monday!!

Making Mondays count is hard, but it doesn't have to be impossible! 

Our kids just like most of your kids have a bed time and going back to school routine is getting ever closer but with daddy off today and fresh groceries in the refrigerator 

it's hard to not see the benefit of doing something a little bit of fun even if that means skewing the bedtime routine just a little. 

I read an article with a recipe for ice cream in a bag in the July issue of San Antonio Our Kids Magazine. 

http://issuu.com/ourkidsmagazine/docs/july_2013_our_kids_magazine?e=6884416/3719056

Got stuck in my head ever since, and I just had to try it With the kids. 

It looked like a very simple recipe very few ingredients and something that my kids would love to try and Make for dessert. 

Turned out to be loads of fun even hubby got into it. 

Although the ice cream consistency did not turn out as I imagined it would and it was a little softer than I had pictured it was nonetheless according to my children a very tasty recipe and definitely a do it again type of Activity. 

Take that Mondays!!! 

Oh how time flies...

Five years ago today July 14th, I was sitting on the love seat in our living room watching my 5 year old son and his speech therapist quietly working while I rubbed my enormous pregnant belly. I was 34 weeks pregnant with twins and had no clue that I was in labor. After a fitful sleep the night before I was spent, which of course was nothing new of late, as good sleep in your third trimester is rare (especially with two precious babies taking up real estate) 

Our third pregnancy was planned, I'm a planner of course, and we were anticipating a smooth pregnancy. We were experienced after all, well seasoned baby makers. Our first child, was a beautiful little girl born 2weeks overdue when we were 19 (and yet only 6lbs 3oz) was absolutely adorable and aside from the typical long labor associated with a first timer went as planned. 

Our son and second born was right on schedule a healthy 7lbs 14 oz almost exactly born on his due date, and the cutest little round cheeks. The kicker was that after a long long labor in the hospital the first time I spent the entire labor with our second in the hot wonderful shower to the point of being nagged out by my loving husband to the hospital just in time because I arrived at 9 centimeters dilated and our son was born an hour later. 

Come to think of it perhaps I should have realized then that my tolerance for pain was unduly high. 

Third time around, we were excited to see if we were getting another little princess or little prince, instead we were given the astounding news that we would be having two. TWINS!! We didn't believe it! Not possible... right?? My sexy latino husband's skin turned five shades lighter and he almost ended up on the floor instead of his chair. Our younger two children started jumping up and down with pure joy!! They had prayed for this, daughter wanted a sister, son of course wanted a brother and they prayed and wished on stars that they could both get what they wanted most! I started laughing telling our very funny doctor that he was too silly and to stop joking around. We both sat jaws to the floor as he very seriously drew a little circle with the end of his pen around the two little bumps on the ultrasound screen not one baby .... But a second baby. We were having twins! They got their wish! 

We floated on a cloud of disbelief for months until ultimately it was clear as my belly expanded beyond the point of reason and I might add beyond the point of maternity wear too, that we were indeed pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. How lucky was that ?? Our daughter and son were elated. I was ever more uncomfortable but they were doing great, growing, and healthy. About the seventh month our ultrasound showed what i already knew and felt was true our littlest boy had turned in my belly from head down like his twin sister to across the pelvic floor hip to hip. I was in such pain all day and night. His little body was nuzzled across, his head pressed into one pelvic bone and feet pushing against the other. It was very painful. Every time the twins stretched I felt as though I would rip in two. The pressure was tremendous so by the time The babies were 34 weeks I had tuned as much of the pain as possible zoning outside of my body when it hurt most like an ethereal experience. The day I went into labor I was in the zone... So much was my concentration on managing the pain that I barely noticed my breathing was getting more and more labored in a rhythmic way. I sat watching my son labor to pronounce his practice words my husband set the coffee pot and began getting ready for work he leaned over the couch and kissed my cheek... "You look flushed honey are you ok" worried he continued getting ready quietly noting the  time on the microwave. Minutes later he was jotting down the time... "That was three minutes ago honey" I was confused. I had not realized until he told me that I was possibly having contractions. My meditation zone slowly became less hazy and I could feel it ... Tightening ... Releasing a little tightening harder... my breathing harder... The pressure like a vise around my body squeezing so hard faster and faster... Oh my god .. I was in labor! Within minutes the speech therapist packed up, our two oldest were gathered with their overnight bags and off to Auntie's house, and we were off to the hospital without making phone calls, completely anticipating and only slightly worried, thinking that we would possibly end up getting medicine to stop it and would be back home again sooner than later. We arrived and within seconds of announcing we were pregnant with twins having contractions we were in a room ultrasound machine going and hurried nurses and doctors reviewing and saying little to us, until someone finally said we would definitely need a c-section immediately. 

We were floored! My husband and I thought we would get sent home false labor or medicine and bed rest... They let us know it would be 45 minutes before the Operating room would be ready. 

We frantically called to let the kids know their babies would be born today they screamed with joy we could hear them jumping up and down, we hurriedly called family and friends and then it was time ..... I won't get into the labor delivery and lengthy hospital stay this post but they arrived! beautiful and fragile. So absolutely precious, as all babies are, a gift, a double blessing and they were perfect tiny angels. Twenty fingers and twenty toes between them, all rosy pink and delicate only slightly longer than our hands just perfect. Our littlest team mates. 

Here we are, healthy and happy. Our twin littles have grown and today they are FIVE! School ready, beautiful and bouncy sweet and smart talkative and totally ready to take on the big kid world hand in hand. Our twins... Are growing up. Happy Birthday Twin Littles!! 

HomeMade Sorbet Anyone??

Feel like having a little sorbet this summer but don't have the cash?? Head to your local dollar tree to get some frozen fruit at rock bottom prices, Then dust off your snowcone maker (mine is a manual turn and shave) and get ready to make some homemade sorbet magic Without a super fancy machine. 

 Pick your favorites. You can also make your own frozen fruit by just popping your favorites into the freezer overnight we chose to freeze some bananas To add to our mix. Our favorite Homemade sorbet Recipe listed below: 

1 pound frozen whole strawberries (washed and remove stems and leaves before freezing)

Two whole peeled frozen bananas

1 pound frozen mango

12 ounce bag frozen chunk pineapple

Pack these into your snowcone maker 

Take care to fill only to the line the ice normally would be filled up to;

and start makin some sorbet Magic. You will need a large mixing bowl to combine ingredients. 

It's definitely not a short process but as you're finished scraping each ingredient add to bowl when done fold gently altogether with your favorite spatula or spoon and enjoy. 

This is enough to make (6) 1 cup servings give or take a little. 

My kids like it  in a bowl but you can certainly serve in a waffle cone or certainly in an ice cream cone. The fruit's natural pectin will hold together well. The consistency appears to be rather like a frozen chutney but dissolves like sorbet. Absolutely Delicious and much cheaper than taking a family of six to the local sorbet chain, Not to mention you know exactly what went into the mix , for those of us with children who have allergies to certain fruits, dairy, and other ingredients this Is an awesome alternative to the unknowns in recipe mixes. Hope your family enjoys this recipe as Much as mine did. Thanks for reading! 

The lights are on but I'm not at home ....

II've written this blog at least three times already and I keep getting stuck. Maybe that's for the best as I have been a little stressed out lately. I'm not sure if its just the summer blues,.. Or if I'm just taking on too much, but I decided to try and shake it off. I was asked the other day what my plans were for Fourth of July..  I replied I don't know and that was the truth. I'm not sure what I want to do... My children want to watch fireworks and have a great time ... Truth is that is going to be tough. I am not feeling very pomp and circumstance ish. I'm very excited about our nation and independence and freedom and fireworks... I'm so grateful for every step I take in our homes kept safe by the brave and strong... But I'm sad. I'm so sad. All I can think about it that care package I've been trying to put together for my brother who's with our army in Afghanistan right now and wondering how he is... if its too hot... if he is feeling ok...  and when he'll come home. I miss seeing my family gathered for the holiday, my parents, my grandparents, my brothers and sister, cousins ..... all the guys excited to blow things up and the ladies in the kitchen getting all our favorite Puerto Rican dishes ready. My grandpa shaking his head about his grass getting burnt and my grama serving up that one spoonful too many my Mom and Dadda playing with the grand kids I miss that even though it was ages ago and everyone lives all over the US .... I just miss it. My grams is having surgery next week, one of my bestie is outta town, My husband works every holiday and I guess I'm just feeling like a dud. Oh we'll. there's lots of stuff to do in SA Texas so I gotta pump up the fun for the kids somehow even though I feel like crawling into a little hole until its over  ;)

Super Duper Saturday and other such myths...

                         

If you have had a Saturday like this.... Million questions, thousand more pleeeeeeeases, a hundred or so "I don't want to's", couple dozen "can I play the game ..... Again"... And about I don't know how many "no!!'s" then you need this as much as I do ..... A.  B R E A K!! So cheers if you drink, Nite if you nap, and ttyl if you are done with the day 

-enough said 

Summer Break??

 

Do you ever wake up wondering who the hell you have become?

Am I the mother that I dreamed I would be? Am I the wife that I planned to be? Do I even know what kind of person I am anymore? Who I really am?I don't feel like I'm having an identity crisis, but maybe I am most days. I do sometimes wonder who I've become and if I'm the person that I wanted to be when I grew up. Am I still the me I remember? I don't even look like me anymore.  I wonder.... are my Husband and  kids proud of me? Is my family back home proud of me? Are my bosses proud of my work?  If not.....  what do I do with that?  I'm not really sure what I want... if I should continue working... if I should just work at home, just stay at home and be mom? I wonder if i'm focusing enough on home and family?  At work I wonder if I'm really doing what I set out to do when I took the position. I wanted to help people. I'm not sure that I'm doing enough. When I have to draw a line between home and work I see the disappointment on the kids' faces. When I have to decide between doing more, or doing what I'm being paid for I get stuck in this lose-lose.. or maybe its win-win between doing too much and not doing enough. Somedays I'm not sure what I was thinking. My husband says I should quit one day, then the next we are both grateful for the money in hand. My kids love and hate my work. They have to share thier mommy a dozen ways and counting. 18 kids enrolled not including mine, and then the parents, and then the classes that I'm required to put together. I see in thier eyes that they feel torn just like I do. We all Love going and helping, serving the kids healthy snacks and summer lunch and being there for them to be able to ask for help, and being someone people can count on, an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, a resource whenever possible. Then, I see the look I know all too well, the one that says: "why can't we just be us,... at home together?"  I wanted so badly to have a nice relaxed summer schedule and go on vacation, hand out with the family, even if it was just nearby. I may still be able to do all that and more but sometimes I am pulled so thin that I feel like I'm going to tear away like a spider's web all delicate and fragile. Simply put, I'm going outta my mind with lists of things yet to be done, reminders, schedules and alarms up the yin-yang. As you have probably read already I have four kiddos a teen, pre-teen, twin soon to be 5year olds and a hard working husband, I work part time at a after school/summer kids program, I babysit a happy little infant full time and I am so tired. ;) I have lots of great ideas musings and fun going on in my head, but I'm so busy I don't have time to get it all out. Is it whining to say it has been a rough day everyday?? I have to be that web. Connected at various points across a vast space. I'm not the spider.. no... everyone else,... they are the spiders. They are all beautiful, tiny, pretty little spiders. They weave me and stretch me, need me over here and over there, send me this way and that and I willingly bend and flex wanting ever so much to be there. Help, holding, supportive and intricately able to do it all. Invisible if your not looking, but strong enough to sustain what is counting on me 2survive. I am the web. Glistening in the sun, planned out, strategic and simple, but beautiful. I am the web. Ever changing in design. Sometimes I may be torn asunder by a passerby who doesn't know I'm there, or stretched too thin by one string too many and break away. Other times I may give and tear from the weight of it all. Always though, I will be again glistening in the sun ready to catch the morning dew, ready to glint and gleam in the first rays of the morning sun, because my little spiders, all of them need me, and that makes me shine.So, with that I leave my hopeful blog again with a promise that I will return to write sooner than later. Back to the lists and schedules ....