Different Shades of Friendship

Another week gone in an instant!  They just go so fast for me. We started Monday with a little pink eye on Santi and then on Tuesday Diego had two pink eyes. Jordi has been congested all week and I continue to be sleep deprived.  Another bad case of the Thursdays ensued once again…but it’s FRIDAY y’all! And I couldn’t be happier! We have great friends and family arriving next week Tuesday from Chicago and they are bringing tortillas, chicharrones, and guess what else????? Pequod’s Pizza!!!! Yippee!

The past seven weeks have been rough, no doubt. Jordi is our latest little blessing that has turned our house upside down. I hate to blame it on him! He sleeps all the time! My little sweet boy. And not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate my friends and family back home. This small group of BFFs are always my life savers. Despite it being postpartum week number seven, gifts still came in the mail for Jordi, I keep getting checking-up-on-you texts by friends and even flowers from Jose. Another BFF rescued me this week by simply answering the phone and demanding I call her back as soon as I could. The best gift this week was a good hearty laugh I had when I opened up a box that came for me in the mail. [Read more...]

Thoughtful (Thirsty) Thursday


It’s hot here in Jersey! What are you doing to stay cool? Dreaming of a nice cold beer? I’m hydrating with tons of water since I am the only supervisor on duty of three little munchkins who are already a little “too happy”. I’m still only sipping a little of this or a little of that but I am dreaming of nice cold alcoholic beverages today! You are definitely thinking by now that I really need an intervention. No need to worry! Just trying to relax a bit. Remember my rant from earlier this week? Working on it all! So I’m trying to stay positive and visualize happy things and today I am dreaming of Chicago and a nice cold beverage (or three). [Read more...]

I Judged A Book By Its Cover

A couple of weeks ago I came across a list from Daily Candy highlighting 20 titles of newly released picture books. I have to say that the minute I read about Dragons Love Tacos and Chico the Brave, I had to order them just based on the title and cover of the books! So I judged a book by its cover. But guess what? Just like my selections of wine based on the labels…I judged correctly! [Read more...]

Not Enough Hours in a Day

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend. I didn’t get to sign off and wish you well last Friday! Let’s just say things got a little hectic around here.

I always feel very humble when friends say such kind things about me as a mother. But the truth is, there are times I feel like things are falling apart all around me. Last week was my first week alone with the three boys. I had just hit the five week postpartum date and started feeling better from my surgery. Jordi is still sleeping a nice stretch at night, my body is starting to feel “normal” again, and Diego started half day camp at his new school. Things were going smoothly. I was handling it…then I wasn’t. [Read more...]

Noteworthy Picture Books

Our summer reading project is well underway! I know my dear friend and comadre Tiz is reading my blog because she wanted to know about that 14 page list of book suggestions that Diego’s future librarian provided. I love it! Tiz specifically wanted to know about picture books. Here are some of the suggestions that we already read (we own some and we checked some out from our town’s library). I will post more reviews on new books we discover throughout the summer. In the mean time, read below and click on a book for more info and order a couple! Or visit your library! It’s going to be a long and hot summer!!


We own City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems (one of my favorite authors). His books are usually super funny but this one…get the tissue box out and ready FOR YOU. A great story about friendship and loss. The watercolors in this book are stunning!
[Read more...]

Colores en la Mesa

Happy Tuesday everyone! I’m feeling upbeat and wanted to share with you my colorful Mexican table setting I put together a couple of weekends ago for friends who came over for their first carne asada. They arrived in time to help me bring everything back inside because it was one of those days where it started to rain while the sun was out! Can you believe that!? It’s like mother nature doesn’t want me to set out these multi-color place mats and napkins I bought for our outdoor Easter celebration! Oh well. I took pics before the rain and before the arrachera (grilled skirt steak) was ready. Enjoy!

Little tips: Add a fresh fruit to your water. Beautiful and extra refreshing.  I added lime as many Mexican households are usually stocked with limes! But lemons or cucumbers would do of course!

The bright orange serving bowls and pitcher are all from Crate and Barrel…wedding gifts that are almost eight years old! The white china serving bowls are from our stay in Singapore. Always pick up a little something useful for your home while traveling!

Helpful hints: Group things together for easy serving. I placed the guacamole, salsa and chips together and then grouped the sour cream, cheese and a pico de gallo for fast taco making! Oh and don’t forget to set out the serving spoons! I always forget and have to keep running back and forth to the kitchen.

I think a runner at the center of the table would have made the table look a bit better or maybe a whole table cloth? What do you think? Are you looking forward to entertaining this summer? I kept it very simple and basic with the ingredients but spruced it up with lots of color! No need to overdo everything at once right?

Your friend,

Betty

Big Weekend for DREAMers

June 25, 2012 issue

Just as President Obama was making a huge announcement on Friday, I was pulling out the latest issue of Time from my mailbox. This was a pretty big weekend for young undocumented immigrants in the U.S as the government will no longer deport young people under the age of 30 who came into this country before the age of 16, been here five consecutive years, have received a high school diploma or GED or served in the military and have no criminal record. There are about 800,000 people who meet this criteria; but it’s important to understand that although they won’t be deported, there is still a rough road ahead of them to become U.S. citizens.

I never write about politics or discuss it much outside my home but I really wanted to be part of this discussion by providing some information that I myself  wasn’t completely sure about. Friday was a historic event that affects people in our everyday lives. It affects families, many who have at least one undocumented person in their family and who worry about being split up one day. It’s also important for people who don’t know how hard it is to live in fear, who say, “send them home”, and accuse of undocumented immigrants of taking jobs away from citizens and using up government resources to understand a few facts.  I wanted to share a bit from the article, “Not Legal Not Leaving”, in this current issue of Time. [Read more...]

Awesome Daddy: Father’s Day is Sunday!

I’m still a little sleep deprived and this past month (five weeks actually!) has been no joke. But THIS week has been really tough.  Santi, my precious 18 month old, was really sick with an ear infection, high fever and a very congested little nose. Diego’s summer vacation started this week as well. Keeping Diego busy all day at home was challenging with baby Jordi nursing ’round the clock. Thank goodness for my amazing mother-in-law arriving last Saturday to help me stay afloat! But she does have to go back to Chicago this Saturday and we will all miss her dearly ( I will curl up in a corner somewhere and cry). Reality hits me on Monday as I will be completely alone with the three boys!  For now,  I will focus on this weekend first. I will thank my mother-in-law for her wonderful help, the amazing meals and her companionship. I will also thank her for raising such a great man. I look forward to Jose being home all weekend as there is nothing like daddy’s complete attention solely focused on our little family.

It is also Father’s Day weekend and as you can already imagine, we will be staying put this Sunday, treating Jose with cold beers and firing up the grill! Lately, our favorite things to do on the weekend take place in our very own backyard. I love to watch the boys play soccer with Jose. He loves to turn on the sprinklers and the boys simply love to be around the man they absolutely adore. I know it’s a day children celebrate their fathers but I am personally looking forward to Jose starting up the fire pit and roasting marshmallows for some S’mores after the boys have gone to bed.

What are your plans for Father’s Day? I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Your friend,

Betty

Postcards to the Library

Last week we received a summer reading list from Diego’s new school. He is about to enter Kindergarten in the fall and they are already preparing him for academic life! Haha! I was impressed by the 14 pages worth of wonderful books to pick from! Everything from notable picture books to biographies to non-fiction, and award winning ones too! There is definitely something for every little reader on the list. We were excited to head to the library right away to start reading and dive into the postcard activity also required by the school librarian.

For every book that Diego reads, he is to send in a postcard to his school’s library documenting a little bit of his summer activities and a quick summary of the book. I explained to Diego that even though we are not traveling this summer, the directions were clear that we could send postcards from home. It will be fun to pick up postcards around town for him to send out. Today he documented Grace for President by Kelly S. DiPucchio on a postcard depicting Diego Rivera’s art work we happen to have bought during our trip to the MoMA a few months ago.

I’m grateful for new reading suggestions and for the “homework” Diego is to do over the summer. As the long, hot summer days lie ahead of us, and with a new baby in tow, planned activities such as this one is a life saver for me. Diego enjoys reading and I love introducing him to new topics, ideas and adventures through books. This all coincides with our babysitter working in France right now and Diego receiving a few postcards from her travels! So many teachable moments already!! How nice to grab a book after a long day at the pool?

Does your school provide a summer reading list? If you are a teacher, isn’t this a great idea to implement for your students?

Your friend,

Betty

Wordless Wednesday

No words from me today, just Diego’s. (Found this in the art pile as I have started my collage project).

Happy Wednesday!

Your friend,

Betty