mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

Hispanicize 2012: Why I want to go

As I was sifting through my emails in my inbox today, I came across one from one of my most-visited PR blogs, hispanicPRblog.  The headline grabbed me immediately:

Univision Communications Becomes Presenting Media Partner & Sponsor of Hispanicize 2012

Just upon reading the brand "Univision", I was instantly taken back to my youth when I would spend hours and hours at my grandma's house while my parents were at work during the summer or just out running errands.  I *LOVED* spending time with my grandma.  She was just cutest little old lady you'd ever seen.  Well don't take my word for it, look for yourself.

{This was taken at my bridal shower in 2001 after the make-a-wedding-dress-out-of-toilet-paper game. Not sure if she was laughing harder or I was!}

{My grandma and me at my bridal shower.}

So there I would sit on the big, creaky recliner in the living room of her humble one-bedroom abode in East Austin (Texas).  This was the house that she gave birth to 10 children - 5 boys (one of them being my dad) + 5 girls - in and the house all of those children grew up in.  Yes, you read that right.  ONE bedroom.  And while I would sit and rock in this comfy but old recliner, my grandma would have her TV tuned to her favorite station - Univision.  I was subjected to her outrageous and loud laughs at every funny prank or joke they'd show during their Sabado Gigante program and I couldn't help but laugh right along with her.  My grandma had one of the best laughs ever!! Just a smile that lit up the dark, gray skies and just made me feel like I was home.  It's true.  I've even written to her before here on my blog. 

We'd sit and watch this channel for HOURS, literally!  If it wasn't some outrageously funny program then it was a novela -- a Spanish soap opera that would make One Life to Live or The Young & the Restless look like children's theater.  Oh, yeah this is where it really got good!  Thankfully for me, I could understand most of the Spanish soap and ALL the drama that came along with it.  I've never been much of a great Spanish speaker, but I can definitely comprehend when it's being spoken. 

Yeah, sitting with my grandma at her house watching Univision while sharing belly laughs and dramatic gasps is one of my fondest memories as a child.  And for this reason, I want to attend Hispanicize 2012. 

You see, in that email I talked about recieving earlier, I learned that the presenting media sponsor for this year's Hispanicize 2012 is none other than (my grandma's fave) Univision.  I've always wanted to attend the annual event for Latinos in social media, but never before like this!  I have to credit my recent work with the Latina Smart campaign and my wonderful experiences with Latina Mom Bloggers and Verizon Wireless when they sent me to the Vive La Hispanidad Event for igniting a fire within me to become more grounded in my Hispanic heritage and culture. 

Hispanicize 2012 is the premier event for Latino media, bloggers, and press and is in its 3rd year.  I know that with a partnership like this it will not disappoint!  This February it will have been 9 years since my grandma passed away.  I was pregnant with my first-born when that happened and I have always been so sad at the fact that my kids have not been able to know her and what a wonderful spirit she was here on earth.  But they do know about her.  They see her photos and I talk about her and describe what it was like being around her and have her as my grandma.  What a full-circle experience it would be to attend this event and get to learn more about a brand that I feel so connected to.  I'm sure my grandma would have LOVED to be my special guest and attend with me if she were still here and even if she couldn't, she'd probably whisper to me not to forget to get her some sort of "swaggy" item from Univision at the event!  So here's hoping that she'll be my angel in heaven and intervene some way, somehow so that it's possible for me to go.  Fingers crossed, grandma!

Recipe: authentic homemade flour tortillas

Pin It

So clearly, my tortilla rolling skills are lacking. But who really cares about the shape of them when their yummy goodness is all that matters?!

During a recent visit, my wonderful mother not only cooked up some of her down-home traditional Mexican dishes for me and my family, but she allowed me to film her during parts of the cooking fiesta! One of the things she finally shared with me was the recipe (which was handed down by my grandmothers) for original, authentic, homemade Mexican flour tortillas. I promise you do. not. need. any. other. recipe. And if "healthy" is what you're looking for, you might as well stop reading. We Mexicans don't do healthy. Ok, well maybe that's a stretch but what I am saying is that if you're going through all the trouble to indulge in something, it might as well be authentic. Nothing bugs me more than when people try to mess with a good thing. For example, applesauce in brownies? No, thank you!

My great grandmother lived 106 years and ate refried beans and tortillas probably at least daily! If you're going to cook Mexican food, cook it like a Mexican! So, without further ado, here's my a no-fail recipe for authentic homemade flour tortillas, courtesy of my mom!

{click here to watch on YouTube}

I'd love for you to comment if you enjoyed the video and/or if you made these! Thanks for watching.

What you need:

1 3/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. shortening (i.e., Crisco vegetable shortening)

approx. 1 c. hot (but not boiling) water (add a little at a time)

-Makes 8 to 10 flour tortillas

What to do:

Mix all ingredients together, using (clean) hands to mix and knead.

Ball up the dough and place it in a bowl covered so it won't dry out. Let rest for approximately 10 - 15 minutes.

Tear off small rounds of dough and curl them up from the sides (see video).

Roll out the dough rounds onto a lightly floured surface using single strokes with a rolling pin. (I also find it helpful to lightly flour your rolling pin before rolling out each tortilla)

Place onto a preheated 400 - 425 degree griddle or comal and brown on each side, flipping once.

This is my favorite step:

--Optional - take one and slather it with butter, roll up and enjoy the fruits of your labor. You just made tortillas from scratch!

Pin It

This post is shared over at TidyMom in the weekly "I'm Lovin' It" series.

Memorial Day weekend recap

This was by far the BEST Memorial Day weekend to date! Jacob is finally old enough to really get a kick out of our annual KC Jiggle Jam tradition, and we got to hang out with several of our great friends, which have become more like family!

I {humbly} serve on the Board for the festival and we were able to make a staycation out of the weekend and stayed on-site at a hotel for the weekend to enjoy the festivities!  The kids were so excited to see and hear all their favorite local kid rockers like Jim Cosgrove, Funky Mama, Dinosaur O'Dell & The T-Rex Allstars, and new on the KC scene -- Rockin' Rob!  Equally as impressive, however, were the great national acts that Jiggle Jam has become known for -- pretty much the reason it's considered to be the largest independent family music festival in the country! 

The kids and I have been listening to peeps like Justin Roberts, Brady Rymer, and The Verve Pipe for several months now so it was quite surreal to meet them and hear them in person this past weekend!  A little fun side note, one of my fellow Board members and buddies, was able to get the lead singer of The Verve Pipe, Brian Vander Ark, to sing a few lines from the group's most famous song, The Freshman, while we were back in the green room after the show.  It was quite cool!

And, of course the kids were stoked again this year about seeing Choo Choo Soul.  I was excited as all get-out to get to intro them to the main stage on Sunday's show and LOVED their show of course!  Such great peeps to hang with and support!  They've got a new album coming out soon and I can't wait to hear the fun tracks that will be on that one!

So while Saturday & Sunday were filled with lots of music and outdoor festivities, Monday we all headed out for a fun ballgame of minor league baseball.  The kids enjoyed the game, snacks and then the fireworks show.  I'm exhausted but I have NO regrets!  This weekend was super fun and I am so excited about summer finally being here!

Here are a few weekend photo picks:

 







 

 

Valentiney lunch

Pin It

 
For a while now, I've had a new best friend when it comes to packing lunches.  EasyLunchboxes are just that!  Not only do my kids LOVE to eat out of them but I have little washing to do each day because these trays and coordinating lids are so easy to take care of!

So my little sweeethearts were treated to a neatly-packed and fun lunch for Valentine's Day yesterday.  I love when they come home after school and are excited to talk about their day and include lunch in that discussion!

EasyLunchboxes come in a set of 4 containers and lids for just $13.95 (a steal!!) and are durable, even for my boys!

 

Pin It

February

So half the month is over and it's whizzed by, yet again!  I had an awesome time celebrating my birthday last Thursday with my family.  My wonderful hubby treated me to a tasty strawberry cheescake and my boys gave me the royal treatment all day long!

It's so funny to see kids' reactions to grown-ups' birthdays, especially parents!  I remember at one point during the day, William asked me if I was 18 yet.  I was like, "uh, yeah! I am like DOUBLE 18 NOW!".  He sort of just looked at me with a puzzled stare.

I was treated to dinner and endless hugs and kisses for my birthday, which of course is always nice!  Then later, as I started to think about my birthday, I realized that I have reached the point where I have officially been with my husband for over half of my life!!!  Crazy.  But, even crazier is how fast the past 18+ years have gone by.  I'm so not ready to be getting any older.  I am so not ready for my kids to be getting any older!

Fast forward to today, Valentine's Day.  It was a busy day, as I had a meeting to attend this afternoon and William had a playdate.  On the way home from my meeting, I stopped by Cheesecake Factory and picked up two GINORMOUS slices of red velvet cheesecake for David and I to celebrate with and enjoy tonight once the kids went to bed.  I had to be sneaky to keep the goodies under wraps and in the fridge until tonight!

This morning William's preschool hosted a Dads & Donuts event and since I was one of the mom volunteers, I was able to get a peek at what a great time they all had together!

 

After school, it was homework time and we let the kids run around and play a bit before taking them out for a fun dinner at Red Robin.  We came home, let the kids watch an episode of Inspector Gadget (their new favorite throwback cartoon) on Netflix, then it was time for showers, stories, and sleep!

And then.....the cheesecake! YUM!

See I don't even have any pictures of it because we downed it so fast that I forgot to snap a pic.  It was good.  Trust me. 

 

Family medicine

My what a whirlwind week it has been.  This past week I have spent praying harder I think, than I ever have.  I've witnessed compassion and love like I've never seen before.  With my dad undergoing his surgery, I have been moved to look at life in a whole different light.

Where to begin.  Let's see.  Seeing my father the way I did, bidding him farewell as he was wheeled into an operating room for major surgery -- THIS is something I will never forget.  I will never forget how it felt to kiss him on his head and tell him I loved him and that I would see him after surgery...all the while not truly KNOWING I would see him again.  There's something very surreal about waiting in a cheery, bright waiting room complete with a coffee machine, television, and several neat couches, all while picturing your dad getting his chest split wide open and insides exposed.  It's heart-wrenching.

The day follwing my father's surgery was one of the hardest days of my life.  Seeing him there, lying with a breathing tube down his throat -- weak, glassy-eyed, twitching, trying to move but then everyone telling him not to, seeing his lips mouth something as they suddenly are interrupted by the tube in his mouth......it was SO hard seeing my dad like this.  I felt so helpless and scared.  But mostly, I felt scared for HIM!  Would he ever be able to be "normal" again? 

Through this time, I was grateful to have had my sister and my brother beside me as we cried through this together.  The uncertainty and fear was very much a part of our time.

But through it all, I witnessed compassion.  Compassion from just about the BEST and most hospitable medical team I have ever come in contact with.  Compassion from my family members - some whom I hadn't seen in decades - who made the the trek to see my father, and show their support for what me and my siblings were going through.  Compassion from my mom's side of the family, who took the reigns and were the brain children being  creating a wonderful medical fundraiser for my dad -- who is, by the way, divorced from my mother!  To them, it doesn't matter.  They don't want anyone to suffer or experience this kind of trial alone.  For that, I am grateful.

One of my uncles who was visiting from Houston was in the waiting room with us just the other day and as he walked toward the door to go out to the hall for a walk, he turned and looked at me and said, "This is what it's all about.  Family medicine.  It's all your dad needs right now."

And boy, was he EVER spot on!

My dad is making great strides and is progressing so fast with his recovery.  Even the medical team is surprised!  Don't get me wrong, he still has a very long way to go, but I know that he will be alright.

This week, for me, has been all about family medicine.  I am so grateful for family and the blessings we can be for each other at times like this.

 

 

My heart is in Texas.

My heart's in Texas. Last Wednesday my dad suffered a heart attack and thankfully although he was alone at the time, was able to drive himself to the emergency room.  Doctors determined that he had major blockage in at least one artery which warranted putting a stent in.  They also found a tear on one of his main arteries.  This, was not so good.  On Friday it was determined that he would indeed need triple bypass open heart surgery. As you can imagine, I have been a mess ever since finding out. I love my father and feel that as his oldest child, my place is to be with him right now during his time of need.   My father is the kind of man who, over the course of his 57 years of life, has not taken the best care of himself.  Beer, cigarettes, greasy (albeit, yummy!) Tex-Mex, fast food, and a labor-intensive line of work, have all contributed to his declining health.  But, he's the kind of man that I am used seeing always on the go and always busy with something.  He is one of the most intelligent people I know and has wicked street smarts. His favorite motto is "Think". So, it is hard for me to know he is in this condition and that he probably feels helpless about it all.  But it is time for me, along with my three other siblings, to step in and take care of him and make sure he gets through this all. As such, I will be taking a short blog hiatus until I can get through this with my dad.  I would so appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers at this time. Thanks so much!

Family portrait.

This past weekend we spent celebrating my mother-in-law's 60th birthday.  Her one wish was to take a family picture - kids, spouses, grandkids -- the whole crew! 

So yesterday we headed out for family pics at a local portrait place.  And, although they aren't the style of photos I would necessarily go for, I am pretty pleased with how they turned out and we were able to get some really, really, really cute shots of the boys, together and separately!

And then, here's one of the whole crew:

 
Hope ya'll had a fun and productive weekend as well! :)

 

 

Is it Valentine's Day yet?

I have never been more ready for little red hearts and the month of February!  Yes, I know, we just entered into the month of January but I can't wait to zoom right through it into the most loving month of the year!

I love February for tons of reasons.....one being it's my birthday month and the kids have already started talking about where they can take me for dinner so that we can get a "big brownie sundae" to share.  Yeah, right.  I see where this is going.

Also, I happen to love - okay, adore-- Valentine's Day!  It's such a lighthearted (no pun intended) and whimsical holiday but the kids and I love to bake and make hearts as it gets closer. 

I also love February for the simple fact that it's a shorter month, and hey, who doesn't want a shorter month in the dead of winter?? It only means that we get to the warmer months much more quickly! 

We've already begun researching and planning our family vacation, so I am super excited about that!  This summer will be full of fun with our impending 10 year anniversary.  We are planning on taking the kids on a fun family getaway!  Of course, everyone has their own opinions on where they want to go, but I am optimistic we'll have fun no matter where we end up!

So here's to warmer weather (soon!) and Valentine's Day!

 

All of my loves.

As 2010 draws to an end, I am evermore thankful for the four loves in my life.  I have a wonderful husband and three healthy & happy sons that I'm proud of.  2011 is going to be an exciting year for our family, as David and I get ready to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary this June.  We've also got lots of other cool stuff brewing and I'm excited to be done and over with 2010!  Happy New Year to all of you!