despite our best efforts

last time we were at the pediatrician my kids were the grungy kids. the ones you look at and wonder geez, doesn't this woman bathe her children or even put clean clothes on them before they leave the house. and me, with my hair still wet, pulled back in a pony tail, jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers. no make-up, i'm lucky i remembered to brush my teeth. in my defense, the appointment was scheduled only an hour before i had to be there. and as i've learned, it takes twice as long to pack up 2 kids and get in the car than it does 1. so an hour is nothing.

but i digress.

we had julia belén's 2 month well visit today and i was determined to redeem myself. both kids were bathed last night. and i was very careful about what they wore today. julia belén in a a dress and tights and antonio with a dressy sweater and courdoroy pants. i put on a nicer sweater and put on make-up. we were lookin' good. but wouldn't you know that antonio found the cookie i had secretly packed in the diaper bag in case he got bored (and i got desperate). and sure enough, the doctor walks in when antonio is mid-cookie and his face and hands are completely covered in chocolate.

still the grungy kids after all.

Stell Homestead

This year is going to be the first year I attempt to grow a lot more food than the normal one or two tomato plants on top of the lemon tree and blueberry bush I have had for a few years already. I don't seem to be alone in this idea, there are many grass-root movements of people realizing that they miss the joy of gardening and growing their own food, and people who realize that it is much more sustainable eating local, and nothing is more local than your own garden. Some are doing it so they know exactly what goes into their food (or what does not go into the food). Some people see this as a means of insurance against the possibility of worse financial times, which is becoming a reality for many. To make things interesting, and to help promote the popularity of growing your own food, I have joined the Freedom Harvest Collective Growing Challenge. I'll let everyone know how it goes.
-Andres

couscous

i have a love-hate relationship with couscous.
antonio loves it. but there lies the problem. do you know how hard it is to clean up couscous?

Notes on "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

I am currently reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and am thoroughly enjoying it. Like Nina Planck's "Real Food" it dives into the history and make up of what we eat. I know I am biased, since I am an avid meat eater (although can't always afford to be), but small things like the fact that we (humans) produce in our stomachs an enzyme specifically designed to break down elastin, a type of protein found in meat and now where else, and that our metabolism requires specific chemical compounds that can only be gotten from animals (like vitamin B-12) confirms my belief (or preference) that eating meat in moderation is natural and healthy. One thing that I am learning from "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is that the difference of grass fed and grain fed meat, may be the difference between it being healthy or not. Studies show that grass fed meats and poultry do not have the same problems leading to cardiovascular disease, and have a higher content of omega-3, which plays an indispensable role in human health, especially in the growth and health of brain cells. It makes me wonder how many of our health problems are really ones that we can easily avoid if we pay more attention to what we eat, and eat more naturally in ways that God intended for us to. He obviously created us this way, why fight it?
-Andres

the 12 days of Christmas

what a holiday season for us! we enjoyed pretty much all of advent with the abuelos in town. the abuelos villa were here the first week of decemeber and the abuelos stell arrived the 19th and were here for about 10 days. and then tío carlos and jenn arrived just in time to celebrate the new year with us. antonio (and the rest of us) miss everyone so much! we couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate this christmas season than surrounded by our loved ones.

on the first day of christmas, our nephew john david was born! he was over 5 weeks early but is doing GREAT! he was never even admitted to the nicu and was able to go home with my sister 2 days after being born. he is evidence of the power of prayer. for weeks my sister had been struggling with cholestasis and they had already planned on inducing her 2 weeks early. we all prayed very hard that little john continue to grow and thrive. i guess 2 weeks early was not early enough it turns out. we are all very excited to meet the newest tiny little miracle in our family!

we only wish the 12th day of christmas was as joyful as the first. a dear family friend suffered a massive heart attack on new year's eve and the doctors have given him a worse than poor prognosis. but we all saw the power of prayer when it came to john. and miracles do happen. so we continue to pray.

take that!

for weeks and weeks our wiifit has been lecturing me on my weight gain, asking me why i think i might be gaining. the thing even spies on me and asks andres about me, asking if i look any slimmer. every time i would get it on i had gained at least 2 pounds. i know why i was gaining weight, but it never occured to anyone over at nintendo to have a pregnancy setting. no, instead i reached obese according to my BMI and my mii just kept getting fatter and fatter and my shirt kept rising higher and higher.

well, it gave me great joy to step on the wiifit yesterday and have a 14 pound weight loss from 2 weeks ago. it's gonna love me for the next few weeks.

life with antonio

having an 18 month old son means life is never boring. there are so many things i've learned from my little toddler.

for example, the 5 basic food groups have been redefined. they are as follows:
1. milk
2. yogurt
3. rice
4. cheese
5. ketchup

i've also learned that when you keep an 18 month old couped up inside for 4 days because you have a newborn, he turns into the tasmanian devil. running, laughing, and screaming in circles, not even cornflower can handle his energy. which makes her hide, and him seek her out even more.

he's discovered he can pick his nose, that he can fake burp, and that he can take off his clothes. he's even become quite the little exhibitionist. all wrapped up in his towel after his bath, he grabs the ends and opens the towel wide and screams, "hola!".

but the best thing i've learned is that no matter how tired you are, or how crazy he can make you, that that all disappears with his hugs, kisses, and laughter. there is no better feeling.

i'm so happy i'll now get double the love and laughter.