Going back to work

So, I have gone back to work. It wasn't a fun decision to make since I have been home with my kiddos for several years now and LOVE it. I tried putting off going back to work for as long as utterly possible, for the simple fact that I have been dealing with this hypothyroidism. I wish I could be like, I take my pill and it is magic....ALL BETTER! As I have mentioned before, for some people that have this, taking the pill is the magic that repairs everything. I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE LUCKY PEOPLE. Turns out untreated, it causes anemia (for which I had a blood transfusion) severe stomach issues for which I have been to the emergency multiple times. I can say that those issues are gone! YAY! Okay, wait....not completely gone. I mean it just hasn't been bad enough to send me to the hospital....but, hahaha, THAT IS AN IMPROVEMENT. No more paleness and looking like my body has been drained by a vampire.....hoorah! Gone is the bone shivering cold I used to feel in the middle of summer. I can actually MOVE! I can have a day where I clean my house! As much as I HATE, DESPISE, LOATH, DETEST....(uh, you get the pic?) cleaning....I have the energy to do it sometimes. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love for my house to be clean! Love it, love it, love it! Makes me feel GRRRRRREAT for the few seconds it is clean! I can't think right, when it's dirty. I am in a bad mood, if it's dirty. I snap at people, when it's dirty. But don't be all thinking that it is clean all the time. See, I am one person in this 6 person army and the subordinates (is it wrong to include my hubby in the subordinates....hehehe...okay, fine, he is an equal...you guys are no fun. Hahahaha.) do not share my love for a clean abode. I mean, I think they like it to be clean, but don't want to do the work. I understand, I mean there are so many other fun things to do with your time.......say like sitting on the couch like a lump on a log scrolling through Netflix trying to find yet another show that has 5 season worth of espisodes THAT YOU NEED to watch NOW! Yeah, there are important things that can be done with "cleaning time". (Is that where the period goes?) Does anyone know where I can take Freshman English? As you can tell, not enough attention was paid by yours truly during that time of my vida. MAYBE I can just show up and sit by my daughter in her class....THAT WOULD BE FUN! NOT! Ugh, who wants to go back to high school...not me! So for now you shall be perturbed by my misuse of the English language and its mechanics. Anyhoooo, oh yeah....so cleaning, like the end result...hate the process. Oh yeah, I have a new lovely symptom from this hypothyroidism that has been disrupting what should be a peaceful life....JOINT PAIN. OMG, it is so bad. I have never experienced this so severely in my life until several months ago. I was like and old arthritic dog begging to be put out of my misery. The Dr.'s gave me pain meds that didn't help! It is so funny, they gave me this medicine and it was a topical ointment......DIDN'T HELP WORTH A DAMN! However when the hubby hurt his back and used it, took him OUT! He was asleep well over half the day. So, I am 106 lbs and he is over 250....what is wrong with this picture??? So yeah, I have been in pain. WHAT DOES THIS have to do with work? Well, let me share.......see, I got this job thang, where like they give you money for walking......basically...hahaha. No really, it is called picking. Ever done it before? No? Well, for the average person, it is kinda cool. You get your fitness on WHILE at work and COULD IT GET ANY SIMPLER THAN WALKING? DO NOT BE FOOLED PEOPLE! This job is BUHRUTAHL!!!!!! (that means brutal with lots of dramatic intonation.) They (the boss man/lady) are all like, this is like, such a fun playyyce to work! WHERE IS THE FUN??? Because after my shift and during, I must take body numbing medications to make this body fit for mobility. Walking 9 hrs a day....solid. Sounds like a breeze. Talk to my feet. I am talking like 9.5 hrs NO sitting, this is not a joke or an over exaggeration. I could probably walk to L.A. I would be a great hunter gatherer cave woman with these walking skills....lol. My body is BARELY starting to adjust, (or is that the meds.....dunno...lol.) I get home and I am WIPED! BUT, BUT, BUT...........wait there is a reason why I haven't thrown in the towel just yet. See, while I have worked in offices wearing suits and talking to the major decision makers for some great companies, I worked 5 days a week. I had to beg for time off. One time, I didn't get to see my baby girl on her first day of Kinder. I know....boo hoo, there are many Mommies out there that don't get to see these milestones. I was so used to doing that....wahhh. In this job however it is very flexible in terms of days off and there are even days where they are like hey, you want tomorrow off? Hellz yeah, that is what I scream in my head! I have 3 days off and I LOOOOOVE THAT! I am trying to hang in there, I really am. Plus, I kinda thought that by getting a job where I was moving all the time, that my body would have to surrender and be like, get over it joints, she wins. These joints are putting up a hell of a fight I gotta say, but I am giving them the finger with the meds. So who is winning now? Really, I don't know hahaha. Oh well, so that is the situation for now. I am writing this on my day off, sitting in my bed, still in my jammies and still having pain even though there is no amount of walking that shall be done today.....well, for now anyways, because I hear Costco calling my name, I hear pecans (for pecan pies)and massive pounds of cheese (for mashed potatoes)and random samples of food....should I answer their call?

Swap meet fun!

Who loves the Swap Meet? Meeeeeeeee! Okay, well, I love it and hate it. I love it because it is the one place in life I can guarantee a churro will be waiting for me all nice and warm and covered in cinnamon sugar deliciousness. It's the absolute best!!!! There are however tons and tons of people. Sometimes I am in the mood for people and sometimes....NOT!

 

As you can see, I was able to take care of my churro craving as soon as we got there. Yay!

Churro cheers!

So, if you are having a party, this is definitely the place to go to get the most awesome Mexican candies and a glorious assortment of piñatas. The candy is sure to provide you with your daily allowance of lead. Hey, lead tastes great!

You can see a Hello Kitty one in the background. They always have Spiderman and any cartoon character that is "hot" at the moment.

Oh and if you have a craving for Tostilocos, you can get one of those too. Don't know what it is? Well let me fix that for you....it's pretty disgusting actually. Lol, well at least to me. However, I find that I am in the minority as I see a small crowd forming around the Tostilocos stand. Okay here is the list of ingredients, first you begin with a bag of Tostitos chips, add these little nuggets of tamarindo candy, chopped up cucumber bits, Japanese peanuts, pickled pigs skins, (I shiver as I say that) chamoy, lime and some Mexican hot sauce like Cholula, oh yeah and those little crispy things they give you to put on your wonton soup at a Chinese restaurant. So far we have involved the Japanese, Chinese and Mexicans. I guess this is what happens when world cuisines collaborate......MADNESS!! It's like anything, you add what you like. Some people add other stuff too. My interest in this stops at pickled pig skins!!! Why??? Whyyyy??? Whooo?? Who??? Really, ewwww!

Errrrr mahh gerrrrrd.........looks all wormy and sooooo NOT like something I want to partake in. Can I offer you some worms and larvae.....mmmmm!

This guy looks pretty happy!

Okay, so let's get to the other reason I go to the swampmeet, (as my precious daughter likes to call it) you can find ANYTHING THERE! Look at this wonderful variety of stuffed animals.

Need a back pack? We have 20 million different combos of Hello Kitty to choose from.

 

You are sure to find a blankie that will satisfy you or your kid or White Goodman. (Ben Stillers totally cheesy character from Dodgeball.) I mean there is a serious demand for these majestic animals on blankets the size of a house....they have been making them as long as I can remember. Yes, of course, I have even owned one. Teheee!

If you wanna be all healthy n stuff, you can buy and O.G. style juicer y todo.

This is what I wanted to buy, but they didn't have one in my size. I love those shirts with all the flowers embroidered. So purrrrty!

Mexican art at it finest. So colorful!

Of course we cannot forget the knock offs, lol! I almost bought some Super Markers.

The Swap Meet is where we go when I have a churro craving, need some glasses or Mexican candy. It's a fun place to search for treasures. Let me give you the run down on what we got. I wish I would have taken a photo, but at some point, I was tuckered out from walking on what was my day off. (I walk enough at work......believe me, I have a blog post rant in regards to that coming soon....lol.) Okay, we got glasses, nail polish pens that retail for MORE than the $2 we paid, Sally Hansen nail strip things, lots of hair bows, shoes for the kids, makeup, I got this cool as seen on tv speaker for my iPhone, an as seen on tv garden hose......can't wait to see if all my goodies work! Ha! That is the thing about the swampmeet, sometimes you take a gamble.......lol! Always good times at the swamp meet.

30 Days of Thanks ~ Days15 and 16

 I am thankful, that I have a car. I am also thankful for planes and trains and all those ways we get from A to B. It is a way for us to see the rest of this wonderful world. Without these things, I would never have seen the blue waters of Cancun, Hawaii and Manzanillo. I have also seen my father's hometown. It is these things that will one day take me to my dream destination of Italy!

I am thankful for hugs. I am always up for a good hug from my hubby or my kids.

Hope you guys are all finding things to be thankful for!!!

30 days of Thanks~ Day 7-13

So, I have been a slacker and have not been staying on track with my grateful postings. Believe me, it is not for lack of moments of gratitude in my life! I have just been so, so, so busy. I don't want to just forget this and toss it to the way side though, so I am going to play some catch up....story of my life...lol.

So today, I am going to post a weeks worth of thanks....get ready! Actually, I think I better try and make this short so I don't fall asleep.....ahhhh sleep.

Let me begin with sleep....yes, I am thankful for sleep. You know the kind where you wake up on your own and feel refreshed? Oh, those days are divine. Not enough of them, but when they happen, it is for sure the start of a great day!

I am also thankful for coffee. I don't LOVE the flavor, but I love the smell. I drink a cup almost every morning, but it's the smell that makes me crave it. Oh and of course, I love the fact that it helps me on the mornings that sleep was not as restorative as I would have hoped.

I am thankful for the sun. I love the feeling of the sun on my skin as it makes me feel all toasty. I could NEVER live in a place like Washington....I NEED THE SUN. It makes me feel alive!

I am so incredibly thankful that I have a home to shelter my family and I from the forces of nature. I always think of this on days when it is so cold and windy or rainy outside. It makes me sad to know that there are people out there who are not as fortunate.

I am also SOOOOOOO GRATEFUL for water. I don't even like it that much because it makes me stay glued to the nearest bathroom, but when I see the devastation in the Philippines and how hard clean water is to come by, it breaks my heart and I say my thanks to God.

I am thankful for a good book. I love to read, but I also go through times when I am sad that a book ended and so I take a break. Why can't every good book go on for ever and ever....t.v shows last years!!!! So should a good book!

And to close I am grateful for the medicines that are keeping my body functioning. Without my medicine I would be a pool of goo on the floor unable to move. I never thought I would have to take meds for the rest of my life, but whatever...I do and I am happy they exist to keep me well. Yay for meds!!!


Yay, I am caught up! Woohoo for me and not just abandoning this because I got behind....that is what I would have done before. I am trying to stop that kinda behavior.

Good night, sweet dreams!

30 Days of Thanks ~ Day 6

Today I am thankful for the Internet...lol. I know a lot of people think that social media is ruining communication, but I love it. I love all the information that we have at our finger tips and well, it is just flat out entertaining/ You can also learn so much!

I am writing this in a state of exhaustion, so please forgive me if I don't make sense...lol. In today's information age you can keep in touch with friends and family that are a million miles away and not get charged an arm and a leg. Back in my day, lol, when I used the phone to call my friends that lived a measly 1 hr away the phone bill would be GINORMOUS!! If I sent a letter, I truly believe that a snail delivered it! It would take WEEKS for a letter to get to my bff in Oklahoma. Well, I remember those days!

Thankful for the Internet!

can't write anymore....tired.....maybe tomorrow I will be thankful for my bed


Buenas noches

30 days of Thanks ~ Day 5

This one might sound a little odd....but I am thankful for my hair. I always have had curly hair. Of course, I hated it as a child, but learned to appreciate it as I got older. Well, now, my hair is all jacked up....hahahaha. It is half curly, half straight, and the texture is horrible. You know how if you get a strand of hair and turn run it between your fingers from the tip of it to the root? Well, if you do that it will feel rough. Well, my hair feels like that even if you do that from root to tip.

Most people don't know what a hot mess my hair is unless I tell them because a curling iron and straight iron are my best friends. OR, they do know and are kind enough to let me think I am pulling the wool over their eyes. :)

 The other day I was sitting outside for my sons soccer game really early in the morning and I was cold and I had my crappy hair in a ponytail. I had to put my hair down to cover my ears and it totally helped. So that is one reason that I am happy for my locks.

The other is reason is just for vanity and I cannot find an angle to make it sound good. Hair is fun! Curly, straight, braids, updo's, and dyeing...the list is endless! I don't know what I would do without my hair. I don't know if I would feel beautiful. I know, shallow. I hate to admit this, because I know  there are warriors out there fighting cancer. People who don't have a choice. I know there are people with other illnesses that make them lose their hair. They have a strength and courage that is AMAZING! Besides, I know that underneath this hair is a square shaped head...hahahaha.

So, I am thankful for my hair, because it is there and it helps me feel purrty and keeps my cabeza warm.

I must not end this however, without saying again, I see individuals who have lost their hair due to illness, not as a choice they were happy to make and to them I say you are brave souls who have a courage that I have not found yet. You are an inspiration and when I grow up, I want to be like you.....love your shallow crappy haired friend..

30 days of Thanks ~ Day 4

Why, oh why am I always late? Anyways, I have another thing to add to my 30 days of thanks. I am thankful for having stayed home with my babies for the past few years. I have loved every second of picking them up from school, or the bus stop. I love their little faces as they tell me about the day that just ended for them. I also love to go and pick up my older kids and hear about what happened to them at school. I love to make them breakfast in the mornings. I love it ALL! I love being able to make them a little snack and relax with them before we get them all ready to start on homework. I am so thankful that for the past several years, I have been able to stay home with these 4 kids that I love so, so much. Our mornings are crazy, but I will always treasure the chaos! Lol ;)

How to make Arroz Con Leche

 

 

 

 

Arroz con leche is one of my kids favorite desserts to eat. I rarely make it because when they have a craving for it, usually my mother in law makes it for them. So last night, I thought I would make some for them as a little surprise. It is a very simple thing to make!

 

So here are the things you will need to make this warm, comforting desert! Now just to let you know, I made a lot! So you can just take the recipe and half it so that you don't make so much. OR, make it and take some to work, or share it with someone you know who loves it!

 

You will need :

2 cups of rice
6 Cups of water
4 cups of milk
1 can of evaporated milk
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
1-2 sticks of cinnamon
ground cinnamon to taste

So to get started on this dish, you want to combine the water, cinnamon sticks, and sugar in a large stock pot. Bring this to a boil. Once it has boiled, add your rice to the water. Now cook until the rice is soft and most of the water has been absorbed by the rice. When rice is nice and tender, add your milk and vanilla. This is a dish that has to kind of be baby sat. You can't just leave it alone. You have to constantly be stirring it to make sure that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. once you have added your milk you can reduce the heat to medium and just keep stirring, just keep stirring. Once you see that the milk has absorbed into the rice some, you can add your can of evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. AND again, keep stirring that rice. You want to make sure the rice doesn't break into a mush, but that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Have I mentioned that enough times? Lol! So once you have seen that a lot of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is nice and tender....YOU ARE SO DONE! :) Now taste your dish and if you are like my kids and you enjoy a stronger cinnamon flavor, add some ground cinnamon until you are satisfied with the flavor.

ENJOY YOUR ARROZ CON LECHE!

30 days of Thanks~ Day 3

Time to play catch up...here is day 3 and today I am grateful for my health even though it isn't quite where I want it to be, I am still a functional human being mostly every day. I don't have a terminal illness. I know I complain about not being able to remember things, tummy troubles and the joint pain BUT, I have faith that someday soon, I will be restored to a state that can be a shining example of good health. My Dr. says no, but screw her! Hahaha. I guess there is no better way to be truly grateful of ones health, other than to be unhealthy for a period of time. Hard lesson to learn, but it sure makes the good days GREAT! I have been feeling way better and good days have been outnumbering the bad....so.....here's to good health.

I am thankful for my health.

30 Days of Thanks ~ Day 2

So yesterday I went to a Dia De Los Muertos celebration and it was so awesome. We went to one last year and loved the sugar skulls, the Ballet Folklorico, the art and the food. It was a wonderful time celebrating the circle of life and remembering loved ones that have passed on. The colors used in these commemorations of loved ones are vibrant, the music so full of emotion and the food is delicious. (We were to lazy this time to stand in line for elotes or tacos. Lol, shame on us, we went to Farmer Boys..lol) As I walked the streets of this festival, I realized how grateful I was to be in possession of all my five senses. I could smell the incense burning from the altars, see the day light dissipate and the night begin to take over, feel the sugar skulls in my hands, I could hear the band as they played their traditional music and at the end of the night, I could taste the food that we ate.

 I am lucky, I am blessed! I know what it sounds like to hear my children say my name. I know what they sound like when they are scared, happy or sad. I can hear music.

 I can feel what it's like to walk, jump and run. Sadly the latter of the two NEVER HAPPEN....BUT, if I was being chased by zombies, I am sure I could manage to do both. (I hope.) I know what it feels like to hold my kids' hands, what it feels like to hug my hubby and what my hubby's face feels like when he feebly attempts to join in on Movember but will never fully be a part of because I am not a fan of facial hair. ( Mainly though, because his facial hair is very patchy and he couldn't grow a moustache or a beard to save his life. Thank God! Lol.)

 I can TASTE!!! My belly may reject the scrumptious things that I send its way, but before it tries to reject it I can relish the flavors.

I can smell. I can smell flowers, food, popcorn at the movie theatre, kettle corn....YUM! I do wish there was an off button for the stinky smells though...lol.

I can see. I can see my kids play sports. I can see their faces when they succeed, fail and when they are determined. I can also tell when my little angels are lying...lol. I can see the beauty in this life through my eyes and I am grateful for that.

I am thankful for the ability to fully experience this life.

30 days of Thanks ~ Day 1 ....LATE

As many of you, I see people joining in on this 30 days of thanks bandwagon. I have done it before, but on a little note pad that I kept on my bedside table. I liked the way that it reminded me on a daily that there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for! Always! Today, being day 1....well, technically day 2 because I wasn't sure if I should do this on my blog....I find myself with so many things to be thankful for that I don't know what to put as day one. That is not to say that life is a bed of roses, because it is not. That is why doing this is so important, it gives you a chance to look beyond the weeds that try to suffocate the roses and blind your heart to the little gems that exist beyond the weeds.

Let's begin! I am sitting here at this very moment and every one of my children is in this very same room, including my oldest, my husband....Ahhhhahaahaha! Really though, it is my husband and our 4 kids. One of which is 17 yrs old. Why does this surprise me? I thought the 17yr had his fill of us...lol. I say this because we ALL saw these movies at the theater, they all watched it last night together and here we are again. I am enjoying watching them all repeat lines from the movie and hearing them laugh. My heart is happy....that is an INCREDIBLE UNDERSTATEMENT!

See, if you had asked me when I was my oldest sons age, how many kids I was going to have, the answer would have been a BIG FAT ZERO! I wanted nothing to do with diapers, drooling, feeding, bathing and OMG the endless list that goes with the care of a helpless precious little creature. In my mind, I was going to set off to some big city like New York and be a nurse and have fun being free as a bird. Lol, who was I kidding. The second I met my husband my world was turned upside down. The second I saw the plus sign on that pregnancy test, I was scared, but soooo excited. What was happening to me????

Moving forward, the second I held my son in my arms, my world changed AGAIN! That was when I was sure that I knew NOT A THING!!! When I held the precious little creature I helped create, (mind you, I had spent my childhood avoiding these lil guys. Even going to the extent of walking in to another room, from fear that someone might ask me to hold a little drool monster...lol) my heart literally exploded with a love that I never knew existed. I felt like the Grinch, when is heart grows a million times because he feels the joy of the spirit of Christmas. I loved this lil one, my lil one, with an all consuming love. I can only THANK GOD FOR BLESSING ME FOUR TIMES OVER, TO EXPERIENCE this love!!! When I became pregnant with my second child, I worried. See, in my small mind, I secretly wondered where would I find the capacity to love another child when I felt the love I had for my son was so all consuming. It seemed that every last ounce of love was directed to my son. Where would I find the love???

Moving forward again, the second I held my daughter in my arms, my heart grew to include the ability to love this little baby girl as much as I loved my son!!! After the birth of my daughter, I never doubted the fact that there was enough love in my heart to love each and every child that I was blessed with!

I have been blessed with 4 wonderful, amazing children. They have taught me how to love someone unconditionally beyond my measly and flawed self. So, do you see where day one is going? I am so thankful!! Thankful to infinity and beyond. There are limitations on this language we use to try and express what is felt inside so that others can relate. I can't find the words to accurately tell what is in my heart, my heart that never wanted to be a part of this mommy world, yet would be empty without. Thankfully, I don't have to explain, there are many mothers in this world who are blessed as I am and can share my feelings!

Dear God, I thank you with my entire being, for the opportunity to love these children and care for them when they are sick and when they are well, when they are little angels and little terrors, when they are happy with me and when they are mad at me. Their little hearts are part of my heart....

I AM THANKFUL FOR THESE 4 CHILDREN THAT GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH!