Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wishing...

Currently I am surrounded by this:


Now, don't get me wrong. It has its perks; great weather, the suns usually out, I can wear light sweaters with cute sandals and jeans.

But right about now, as October slowly creeps its way in, I can't help but wish I was surrounded by this:


I need some more fall in my life, and since it doesn't like I'm going to get it any time soon, I'll just fake it and drink my coffee, cuddled up on the couch listening to this:



Norah Jones always seems to put me in a seasonal mood.

Friday, September 16, 2011

East Coast Girls... They're so Incredible

I'm a California girl, always have been.

Before moving to Mexico City I had lived in beautiful San Diego my entire 22 years. Pre-school, college, all of it.

When we moved down south I was certain that once we were done with this experience we'd be moving back to sunny San Diego in our old beach bum town of Ocean Beach to raise our little beach bum kids in happy beach bum style.

Fast forward 3 years and here we are still living in Mexico, happily, I might add, with an entirely new plan in mind.

That plan now includes the east coast; Maryland, to be exact. After a very thought filled and revealing visit to both coasts over the summer, we have decided that when we head back to the US, we will be heading in the opposite direction of where we once thought.

Maryland is where my husband spent most of his formative years and is where his family currently resides. As well, there's the added bonus of my sister who lives near-by in D.C.

We've decided this is where we want to lay our family unit's roots. When visiting, it just felt right. It felt good to be there and we realized it was an experience we want our children to have.

So, when it's time to head back north (which is still about a year and a half away) it looks like that's where we'll be headed. East Coast, here we come.

Here are some snapshots of the summer from the east coast.

Our little boater

Maryland crab feast


Fall Foods

It's beginning to look a lot like.....


Fall

Well, as much as Mexico City can look like fall, anyway.; which means a bit of gloom, dark clouds and rain.

And in the spirit of all things fall, I am beginning to gather ideas for some tasty recipes. You know, the ones that you want to curl up on the couch with and breath in deep.

Something that feels warm in your hands.

And I will be starting it off with this:


I got this recipe from my husband's mom and I absolutely love it. It's the most awesome blend of flavors; curry, sweet potato, ginger, rum.... mmmmm, so good. And to top it off, a giant dollop of sour cream.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Am I Thriving?

You hear it all the time from celebrity moms, "My child is my world." "I'm a completely different person." "Everything is perfect now."

I'm not going to lie, I often read those quotes and roll my eyes. They always make motherhood sound all butterflies and rainbows.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are many moments where motherhood is butterflies and rainbows, but there are also the moments where it's rainstorms and thunder as well.

I love my daughter and in more ways than I can count, my life has changed since she was born. I would say that she has genuinely become the center of my husbands and my world. But motherhood isn't all that my life is about.

It is a part.

A very huge part.

But a part.

I am still a wife and a sister; a friend and a teacher.

All of these things still hold precedent in my life.

So now comes the hard part. How do you balance it all.

How do you, and in my case, how do I, as a working mom, make sure that in all of the craziness I am giving my daughter the attention, love and support she needs.

Often times I find myself feeling like I don't give her enough of my energy. I feel guilty for being tired when I get home form work and I feel guilty when all I want to do is curl up and zone out in front of the TV for a bit.

*********

I was sharing these feelings with a new colleague at work and a woman who I am thankful to call a new friend; and she asked something that was so poignant and true.

She asked...

"Well, is your family thriving?"

To which I thought about and answered, yes.

We love each other. My husband and I have a strong healthy relationship, we equally care for and love our daughter and we do the best we can for her. She is healthy and growing, learning and loving.

So, yes, we are thriving. We are growing as individuals and as a family unit.

That's it. That's all you can ask for. On those days when I feel guilty for being tired or for throwing so much energy into my work, I have to ask myself...

Are we thriving?

As long as I can consistently answer yes to that question then I have done all I can.

Family Beach trip to the Outer Banks, NC, Summer 2011

Thursday, September 8, 2011

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'

I've started cooking. It's true. My wonderful husband is usually the cook around here, but I've begun to give him a run for his money.

Before our darling Isa came along we'd cook pretty often; trying out new things and making actual meals. Now with our lives in a constant state of business, tiredness or straight up laziness, we've cooled down a bit with the cooking. Our dinners are pretty standard; maybe a pasta here, some street tacos there, with the occasional chicken something mixed in.

But I've decided to venture out, to try new things. And I've found that while I like the results (aka the eating part) I also enjoy the cooking part.

So, with help from The Pioneer Woman, I've attempted some pretty damn good meals including a chipotle steak salad, a peach whisky BBQ chicken and sesame noodles.

So far, so good.

Next up, I think I might have to try this:


I'm in Love


One word.... yes please.

OK, that's two words.

Not only do I love everything about this bed and bedroom, I especially love this wooden headboard made from old reclaimed window shutters.

This is something I want to do; no, it is something I will do.

Now I've just got to find some wooden shutters.

Teach On


This is my first year teaching. I mean, really teaching.

I was a teacher's assistant for a while, then a long-term substitute, and now I am officially a third grade teacher to a raggamuffin group of 24 8 year-olds.

Yes, 24.

Yes, 8 year-olds.

So far this year has had a handful of awesome days and a majority of so-so days. Oh, and a few want to pull my hair out days. But they say that's normal in this profession.

I'm not going to lie. Teaching is hard. I mean really hard. Some days I'm on top of the world with a killer lesson that has every kid engaged and other days I'm constantly checking the clock to see when the day is over.

But... I'm good at it. I am. I mean that in a non-self-involved-sort-of-way (too many dashes?).

I make kids excited to learn, I somehow manage to get them to listen (some of the time, at least) and I like being the one up there being heard.

So, here I am, 3 weeks into the school year, tired, a bit overwhelmed, and one bad case of the flu under my belt (most likely caused by multiple uncovered sneezes by a student).

And on the days when I want to throw in the towel, I'm thankful for kids like Raul who tell me that the thing they're thankful for most is that their mom hugs them all the time and the thing that makes them sad is global warming.

One word.... Awesome.