My "Real World"

Today is Tuesday, right? I'm so lost.

I just re-discovered Tuesday Tell All! I thought it had disappeared.

I want to do today's topic because it was submitted by my awesome friend Vanessa. Vanessa is my coupon shopping hero. She also throws awesome parties and has the cutest little boy!

Okay, today's topic is "Your Real World". Real world vs. the blogging world (the daily chaos that your blog never reveals).

I think my blog paints a pretty good picture of my real world. I try to keep it lighter and brighter than my real world because, well, no one likes a whiny pants. I spare my readers (all 3 of them) the gory details of my life. You know, like the period of time where Diego would use his own poop as fingerpaint and get it all over the wall in his room, or how Diego pukes at least once a week because he has the weakest gag reflex ever (thanks for that Tio Dabit), or how unbelievably messy my room is right now as I sit here and choose to ignore it (okay, I leave that out so that my mother-in-law thinks I'm a great housewife...hi Necha!), or how completely miserable I was in March and April when I had my cracked rib and pulled muscles, or how it's now June and my health issues still haven't ended, orrrrrr how my title of "Mommy" has been changed to "Referee" now that my boys are constantly HITTING each other and fighting. See? No fun.

Instead I try to focus on happy things and funny things. I put down the more "raw" emotions in my regular journal. That's also where I write long lists of words my kids are saying or things they've learned to do, or ways they've amazed me with their sheer brilliance. Because, really, how much do you care about that? See? You don't. But the 70 year old version of me that has alzheimers will care.

Tuesday Tell All Catch up

I'm sick with some kind of sinus infection or something equally miserable, so my mom took the boys today. Well, she had been planning on doing that anyway, and then I got sick, so it worked out perfectly. I've been alone for the past 3 hours. As much as I wanted to just curl up in bed and go to sleep, I felt like I needed to take advantage of my time, so I cleaned and cleaned until I couldn't take the runny nose and pressure in my face anymore. My sinus headache is coming back now, so I'm taking a little break. The boys should be home soon anyway.

So here's a little Tuesday Tell All catch up.

Topic for Tuesday, December 2: Christmas Cards
Do you make your cards? Do you buy your cards? Do you even send cards?

Ever since having Diego, I've made my own Christmas cards. I usually mail out a few, and personally hand out the rest. But this year, I may be doing e-cards. We'll see. Here are our cards from years past:

This was last year -

And the year before -


Topic for Tuesday, December 9: Christmas Carols
What is your favorite Christmas carol and why do you like it?

There are so many beautiful Christmas songs. I always get excited to sing the Christmas hymns at church. But for some reason, the people who choose the hymns haven't gotten the memo that it's time to start singing those hymns yet.

I can't pick just one song, so here are a few favorites:
1. O Holy Night - especially the Josh Groban version. Actually there are a lot of really good versions.
2. Carol of the Bells - Version by the Trans Siberian Orchestra with Metallica.
3. Believe - Josh Groban
4. Who doesn't love a little All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey?
5. Christas Canon - Trans Siberian Orchestra
6. Where are you Christmas - Faith Hill
7. Jingle Bells - Sung by my very own Diego. So cute!!

There are so many more, but those were the first that came to mind. Some really beautiful ones and just some fun ones. Okay, now I'm off to listen to Christmas songs.

Tuesday-Tell-All Catch up

I've missed Tuesday-Tell-All for the past few weeks, but I want to get caught up. So this will be a long post. I just haven't been in a blogging mood lately.

Today's Topic: What is your favorite Thanksgiving pie?

I'm not a huge fan of pie. Especially not pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin bread, cookies, and other treats, but not pie. I really can't think of a pie that I really love. But I do like apple pie, pecan pie, and banana cream pie. (<--But only that exact recipe.)

There are other desserts that I absolutely looooove. But pie isn't one of them, sorry.

Topic for Nov. 11th: Tell us about the last book you read.

The last book I read was A Prayer for Owen Meany. It was different than I expected, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. It just had some weird parts. It made me want to see the movie Simon Birch. Before that I read Breaking Dawn, the last of the Twilight series. I'm easy to please, and I'm all about happy endings, so as WEIRD as it was (and it was very very weird), I enjoyed it.

Topic for Nov. 4th: Tell us what you think of the new President of the United States.

President Obama was not my choice. I mean, I didn't think McCain was the greatest either, but I agreed with a lot of his views, way more than I agree with Obama's ideas for our country. For instance, I believe in small government, versus Obama who is into big government. At first I was pretty bummed and kind of scared as to what kind of turn our nation is going to take, now that the dems are pretty much running everything. But now that I've gotten used to the idea, I can't help but feel a little excited to see what kind of changes will take place. And I really do think President Obama is a good person and wants to change things for the better. I just don't agree with a lot of his ideas of "better". We'll see what happens. I do have to say, it's pretty cool to see history happening before our eyes.

Okay, now I'm all caught up!

Tuesday Tell All - Halloween

Describe the Halloween traditions you had as a child growing up. Share the traditions you have created now. Do you watch certain scary movies? Do you eat something specific for dinner? Do you decorate your house and yard? Spill your Halloween Guts!

For as long as I can remember, my parents have dressed up for Halloween. They were always as into it as us kids were, and that always made it even more fun. It was always cool to see how creative they could be in creating their costumes. They have been some really funny things through the years. I wish I could remember them all, but these are the first ones that come to mind: "cereal" killers, an old couple, cavemen, jailbirds, a Jamaican couple, and scarecrows. Their halloween costumes have always been a joint collaboration. Seeing my dad behind a sewing machine still cracks me up.

When we were younger we would just dress up and go trick-or-treating. And once a big group of our extended family moved here, we started having annual halloween parties. (Be on the lookout for pictures from this year's.)

As for traditions, we don't really have any besides getting all the cousins together to go trick-or-treating. And I think I'm going to start doing the "Switch Witch" or Great Pumpkin, or whatever you want to call it. That's pretty much it.

Tuesday Tell All - Scary

In the spirit of Halloween, tell us about a scary experience in your life. How did you overcome it? How did it make you the person you are today?
I'll tell two.

Diego's first bad reaction to milk and eggs was one of the scariest moments of my life. He had eaten some pasta at a family get-together that had sour cream and mayo in it. He threw it up, and we left the party. On the way home he wouldn't stop crying. When we got to my parents' house, (I can't even remember why we were going there) he was still crying, but we couldn't really hear his cries. It began to dawn on us that his throat was closing up or swelling or something, because no sound would come out when he tried to cry. We were sooo scared. We put him in the bathtub with warm water and shut the bathroom door, praying that the steam would help. After a few minutes, he was a lot more calm, and seemed to be getting better. The rash that had broken out on his face started to go away. It took awhile for all the symptoms to go away completely. It was a few more months before we found out that the list of foods he's allergic to was much longer than we thought. But I'm glad we know, because I'm able to avoid those foods, and avoid another reaction like that first one when he was not even 11 months old.

Scary Experience #2 - When I was about 14, my brother David and I were home alone one night. I don't remember the details of if it was my dad or my mom that had left something on the stove and had told us to turn off the heat in a little while. Either way, it didn't register with either of us, and we forgot all about the hot oil sitting on the stove. A little while after our parents had left, the hot oil exploded into flames. My brother leapt into action, trying to move the pan. When he did, the oil spilled out onto the counters and onto the floor. There were now flames on the kitchen counter, and on the floor all around my brother. I was standing in front of the pantry, and David started yelling, "Get the thing! Get the thing!" I froze. I completely froze in fear, and couldn't think straight. I didn't "get the thing". I ran to the front door and opened it, looking out into the night. For no reason. I really don't know what I was hoping to find out there. Help? I don't know. While I stood there like an idiot, David jumped the flames and went to the pantry. The "thing" that was in the pantry, was the fire extinguisher. He extinguished the fire, and I came back to the kitchen staring at the mess in disbelief. Because the flames were coming out of the oil, nothing got burned. We cleaned up the kitchen like nothing had happened, and didn't tell my parents until long after the incident. Once I came out of my frozen state of fear, I cried and cried while David consoled me. We told all our friends at school, and a few kids in our chorus class gave him a certificate calling him a hero or something. I'm sure he would remember those details more than I would, but I have memory loss issues. For real.

Don't worry, I no longer freeze in scary situations.

Tuesday Tell All - Reality TV

I know it's Saturday, but I haven't had time to blog all week. And I still want to do the Tuesday Tell All, so here it is.

Which reality TV show would you want to be on and why?

Top Model, hands down.

Hahahaha, just kidding. Although, I *am* really good at smiling with my eyes, Tyra.

As much as I would love to say The Amazing Race, I know I wouldn't do well on it. Which is too bad, because I love to travel. Marcelo almost applied once, but you pretty much have to sign your life away, and you have to be able to leave your job for like 3 months, so that was a no. But I've told him a million times that even though I have no doubt that he would do great in all the challenges, he wouldn't win. Why? Because he's nice. Really nice. Like, "Oh, it's okay, just go ahead of me" nice. And it's a race.

If I lived in a different neighborhood, I'd say Extreme Makeover Home Edition. But, I don't want to live here forever, so that's another no. Soooo, I would have to choose What Not to Wear. Who doesn't want a $5,000 shopping spree? And I would love for them to teach me new ways to do my hair and make-up.

BUT, I just want to throw it out there that I really think they should have a show like Dancing with the Stars for normal people. Like, Dancing with the Average Joes, or something. I would love love LOVE to learn how to ballroom dance.

Tuesday Tell All - Celebrity Showdown

List your top five favorite celebrities and why you like them. It can be someone from the past, present, or anywhere in between.

It's so hard to choose just five!! So I'm cheating.

FIVE FAVORITE COMEDIANS
Steve Carrell - He doesn't even have to say anything and he has me laughing.
Amy Poehler - Ditto the Steve Carrell comment
Ben Stiller - Everyone says Marcelo looks just like him. Not true, but he still cracks me up.
Joel McHale- From The Soup. This guy is hilarious.
Ellen DeGeneres - I'm just now starting to like her more and more. She's funny and I think she has a big heart.

FIVE FAVORITE ACTORS/ACTRESSES
Meryl Streep - She is just an amazing actress. And something about her reminds me of a younger version of my grandma.
Johnny Depp - He's also an amazing actor. A bit of a weirdo in real life, but an amazing actor nonetheless.
Shia LaBeouf- Such a good actor!! He's going places.
Reese Witherspoon - Great and seems down to earth.
Will Smith - Not even really for his acting ability. I just like him and his wife because they seem like great people.

FIVE FAVORITE SINGERS
Carrie Underwood - Her voice gives me chills. Amazing.
Faith Hill - Also a great voice and the fact that she's married to Tim McGraw (another favorite) doesn't hurt.
Michael Bublé - Love his voice! Very soothing. "Everything" is currently my ringtone.
Josh Groban - Same as Carrie Underwood.
Bono - I like his music and his hummanitarian work.

FIVE FAVORITE PEOPLE FROM HISTORY
Jesus Christ - This one just goes without saying.
Joseph Smith - I am forever grateful to him for his life of sacrifice.
Gordon B. Hinckley - He'll always have a special place in my heart for being the "prophet of my youth".
Anne Frank - Her story has always touched me.
Abraham Lincoln - I like everything I read about him.

Tuesday Tell All

Can you feel it? Fall is in the air. What do you like about fall and the changing seasons? Is there something you don't like about it?

Well, I live in Florida, where there are no seasons. So I don't get to enjoy the gorgeous changing colors of leaves, and the change of temperature. No, it'll still be hot here for awhile. Maybe we'll start to get a couple of cool days in November this year. We'll see. My favorite weather is typical fall weather that other people experience in the rest of the country. If I could choose, I would live somewhere where I could wear sweaters on a frequent basis. I love "sweater weather".

Even though I don't get to enjoy those typical fall things, there are still lots of things I love about fall. First of all, I love the colors that come out during this time in all the stores (to make up for the fact that we're not seeing those colors on the trees). Fall colors are my favorite colors. In the spring, when all the stores are getting ready for easter, I really can't stand all the pastel colors everywhere.

I love the holidays during this season. My family is big on Halloween. Every year we have a big Halloween bash and everyone dresses up. Poor Marcelo isn't much of a fan. Especially because I always want us to dress up in a theme so we kind of match. I admit, I've taken it too far on a few occasions. Like the year we were Aladdin and Jasmin. But Caesar and Cleopatra wasn't that bad. And the couple from the 20s wasn't terrible. The bee and bee catcher....was that so bad? Tarzan and Jane and a little monkey wasn't the most fun for Marcelo, I admit. But last year we were a family of skunks. Yes, I asked him to wear a headband with little ears on it, but was that really such a big deal? Okay, okay, I guess I do owe him. He's such a good sport. We'll see what I can get away with this year.

Another fall favorite is the food! I don't really like pumpkin pie, but my oh my how I love pumpkin bread. And just that smell! Cinnamonny, spicy smells....mmmmm. Delicious. And even though it's still pretty hot during this time, I pretend it's cold enough to eat soup.

Speaking of food, who doesn't love a good Thanksgiving meal? Between the food at my side of the family's get together, and Marcelo's family's get together, it's a wonder we don't gain 10 pounds in one day. Sweet potatoes with marshmellows or pecans (I'm not picky, I love both), my mom's stuffing (my absolute favorite part of our Thanksgiving meal), green beans, deep fried and smoked turkey, gravy, cranberries, and the delicious desserts made by Marcelo's sister or cousins....love it! Now I'm hungry.

Yes, fall is a great time. Going to the pumpkin patch with the kids, dressing them up, eating yummy treats, watching Conference, what's not to love?

Tuesday Tell All

Natural Disasters

I've spent most of my life in Florida, and have therefore experienced a lot of hurricanes. The only other natural disaster I've ever been in was a tiny earthquake in Colombia. It was barely noticeable, though, so I don't think it really counts.

The worst storm season I've been in was in 2004. First, Charley hit us as a category 1. Then, 2 weeks later, Frances hit us as a category 2, and stayed in the same spot for a couple of days, dumping rain and heavy winds. We evacuated for that one. Marcelo's whole family, my parents, and my cousin and her husband all went and stayed in a hotel across the state. When we came back, there were trees, signs, and power lines down everywhere. A lot of businesses got hit really hard and had to shut down. A church on the coast was majorly damaged when it's own steeple ripped off and slammed through the roof:

Just 3 weeks later, Jeanne hit us as a category 3. But it didn't hit us directly, so we stayed put that time and rode out the storm. For all three storms, our families were blessed to not have major damage to our homes. But a few of our family members were out of power for weeks! I think my sister-in-law didn't have power about 2 weeks. The college I was working at at the time lost power for a week, and it was quite miserable. Our office was so hot and humid, even with 3 fans going, and the place smelled so bad from the water that had seeped into the carpet. As you can imagine, there were a lot of cranky people around. Myself included.

If I had to pick a natural disaster to be in, it would definitely be a hurricane. Maybe that's because I already know what to expect. But these are my thoughts on all the options:

Earthquake - Definitely the scariest. You don't know when it's going to hit, and the fact that the ground could just open up and swallow me is pretty terrifying.
Tornado - Also very scary. Not much warning on that one either. I've always been really scared of these. Just looking at pictures of them freaks me out.
Tsunami - These things are so powerful, they could shatter my limbs. And sometimes they give no warning at all, and come in at a speed so fast, that it would be impossible to outrun it. And I run slow. So, no thanks.
Hurricane - Yeah, it could spring up tornadoes, which is scary, but with a hurricane, you get a lot of notice, so if it's going to be bad, you just get out of town.

So far this hurricane season, we've been alright. We just had a tropical storm a few weeks ago, that poured down a lot of rain and kept us indoors for a few days. I can honestly say I was prepared for it. We had just had an activity at church a few months prior, where I taught about food storage. In preparation to teach that class, I bought a lot of food storage. So when it came time to get last minute preparations for the tropical storm, I only needed to get things like milk for the boys. It felt so good to be prepared. Of course, I still have a long way to go (especially now that 72 hour kits have been upped to, what....144? I'm not even sure.). But I'll get there....one can at a time.

Tuesday Tell All

Thanks to the recommendation from my friend, Vanessa, I joined this group called Tuesday Tell All, and today is my first tell-all post. They basically give you a topic to blog about every Tuesday. It's like a little journaling jumpstart.

This week's subject is September 11th.

"Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?" -- Alan Jackson

I was in my dorm room in Miami. I had just walked back from my early morning class, and on my way to my dorm, I saw people wheeling a giant TV into the lobby. I didn't give it much thought, and just went upstairs to my dorm to take a nap. (I hated having to get up to make it to an 8 o'clock class.) I was awoken from my nap by the answering machine on my roommate's phone. She was from New York, and the phone call was from her mom. She said, "I'm sure you've heard about the bombings. Everyone's okay. Just stay in your room and call me later." Since she said, "Just stay in your room," my first thought was, "What? A bombing where? Here?" My instinct told me to turn on the TV. So I did, just as the first tower started to collapse. It didn't register right away. It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV, stopping only to go get some dinner.

There were a lot of kids from New York at my school. In my dorm, on one floor alone, 6 people lost their parents. In other dorms, those numbers were higher. And at one of my best friend's dorms in Boston, those numbers were much much higher. It was devastating.

Seven years later, I still haven't been able to watch United 93 or World Trade Center. I'm just not ready to feel that sadness all over again.

Seven years later, I'm grateful for the heightened airport security. Yes, even though it's annoying to take off my shoes and get my kids' expensive sunscreen and my favorite lipgloss confiscated because I forgot to put them in a little baggy and they surpassed the 3 oz limit. And yes, I think the new x-ray machines that can see you naked are an invasion of privacy. But if it's going to keep something like 9/11 from happening again, so be it. (Well....I'm not quite sure about those x-ray machines yet.)

Seven years later, I still don't think we're very safe. I still think there are big holes in our homeland security and we're still vulnerable. But I'm grateful that I live in a country where security isn't AS big an issue as it is in many countries around the world.