Hot Tamale!

Every year the women in my family (and sometimes a fella or two) get together to make Christmas Tamales.  This tradition comes from the Perez side of the family and we have been doing it for as far back as I can remember.


We gather volunteers, set a date and make as many tamales as we can until we are tired or the ingredients run out.  But it's usually just us 4 girls: Mom, Grandma, Jamie and myself.  Over the years we have adjusted the recipe, tried different versions, different meats, and even sweet tamales.  But it seems that we have come back to the tried and true favorites: chicken in a red chili sauce, pork in a similar sauce and cheese/jalapeno.  Every time we make them they taste better, so all of our tinkering has made improvements over the years.

Since it's only a once-a-year event, so we always forget how to assemble them, but a few minutes in to the process we all remember.   We get into the groove of things; Jamie washes the corn husks, we spread masa on the rough side of the husk (an annual argument; rough or smooth side?), Grandma likes to spread the masa and pile up those corn husks for us to fill with meat, pile the made tamales in groups together, olive with pork, tie a string around the cheese ones (or was it chicken - ha!).  We gab and eat lunch.  We talk Christmas presents and what's happening on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.


Like all traditions, it's much more than just making tamales - it's bonding, it's 3 generations of women coming together to keep a family custom alive, to remember family that is no longer around to partake in the days events, to look towards future Christmases teaching another generation how to make a delicious tamale.  And to me that's the best thing about Christmas Tamales.


Let's eat!

San Jose Tradition - Christmas in the Park

A few pictures of our trip to Downtown San Jose.  Christmas in the Park was in full swing and we had a fun adventure out.  It was great to see how Noah & Julian reacted to the different displays and trees.  The especially loved displays with elves and all the displays that moved.  Noah liked the trees with pirate ornaments and a Mario Bros tree.  Julian liked the skydiving penguins.  Noah danced to the music we could hear throughout the park.  But the highlight of the trip was riding the light rail there and back.  The boys loved the "train."  Guess I'll have to take them somewhere else on the "train" again soon.

Merry Christmas Month

It's finally here!  DECEMBER!  The month all us kids wait for because we were all so "nice" we plan on getting loads of gifts from Santa.  Ok, so I'm still a kid at heart and love getting presents.  But now that I'm older, I love giving presents equally as much as receiving them.  There's nothing better than seeing the joy in someone's face when they open your gift and it's perfect...exactly what they wanted (even if they didn't know it).  In fact I love and am so gifted at shopping that there are times I think I should get me a job as a personal shopper.  But that's another blog for another day.


I like to say my favorite season is Fall and my favorite holiday is Halloween.  But this year I have more of a heart-swelling excitement for Christmas.  I couldn't wait to get my decorations up and start playing Christmas music.  I'm looking forward to finishing up my shopping list.  I can't wait to start baking cookies and wrapping presents.  But deep down I know it's more than gifts, decorations, and desserts.  It's a feeling of awe as I see my kids excited for celebrations this year.  A sentimental feeling towards family and friends.  A gratefulness for all that I have.  You'll likely see me trying to shake a lump out of my throat or hold back a tear when some silly holiday commercial or song is on....because I'm really thinking about someone special to me. 

Here are my little Who's with Santa.

Brothers don't shake hands...

After a wrestling bout with the kids on my bed (mostly them jumping and crawling all over me, and once in a while I would toss them off) I needed a break.  My break was doing the dishes and cleaning up from dinner - yay me.  About 20 minutes had passed and I had not heard a peep from the kids.  Knowing that silence from kids can be likened to a natural disaster I decided to check on them.  This is what I saw...and I thought to myself, "Self, these are the moments to remember."  Content and relaxed sitting next to each other and watching a cartoon, laughing at the funny parts together.  And then it passed in the blink of an eye.

Private Spa

Growing up I never experienced any type of construction or remodeling inside the houses we lived in.  When Leo and I decided to remodel our 1 and only bathroom, I was completely unprepared for what lay in store.  

We had talked about a remodel for a while and decided that sometime after Julian's 2nd birthday we would start.  Little did I know Leo meant immediately following the party.  It seems the dishes were barely washed and put away when Leo started to demo the bathroom.  The shower and bathtub were dismantled in 1 day and the 4 of us quickly found out just how inconvenient it is to have no way to bathe at home.  Fortunately our relatives didn't mind having us over frequently to visit and wash up (a huge thanks to everyone who was so gracious to let use use their facilities and to all those who put the offer out there).  Thank goodness we had the clarity of mind to keep the toilet.  Aside from having no shower or bath, the house was constantly covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt from the materials being cut outside.  When I say this I mean the entire house from the kids rooms to the kitchen was dirty.  Even the grass in the back yard was dusty.  And no matter how many times I dusted, swept and mopped it was still dirty.  Yuck.

But little by little things started coming together.  Leo had a vision and I pitched in with my own ideas when I saw fit (the metallic paint was all me).  All the stone and tile went in, a new window, plumbing and electrical work.  Then the tub.  Next the shelves and cabinets followed by the counter, sink and fixtures.  At this point I am excited to shop for new bathroom accessories.  New toilet (yay).  We find a nice new mirror, but can't decide what to put behind the sink.  We settle on just paint instead of backsplash tile and we love our decision.  And finally...just yesterday...we get our shower doors.  Exactly 4 weeks later our bathroom is DONE!  

And now that I know what it feels like to live "under construction" I realize it's something I can do without.  I am in absolutely no rush to tackle the kitchen, or any other additions Leo and I like to imagine up.  Of course we will do more one day - but I think that day is far off.  So for now I am going to enjoy my own personal private spa and let the zen wash over me as I imagine I am at the Qua Spa in Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas.  Oh yea.

And just for your enjoyment - here is how we resorted to washing the kids during the remodel.

Dust off the old soccer cleats

Today was the first time I played soccer since August 2005. That was when I found out I was pregnant with Noah. Since then I have always found a reason (ok - excuse) to not get back on the field. After some gentle prodding from an old friend and teammate I decided to stop finding reasons not to play and just get out there to do it! Plus I don't want to set a bad example for my kids by being a lazy quitter.

Thankfully soccer is like riding a bicycle. Your skills may be rusty, you may not kick as hard or accurately and you may not be as fast as you were when you were 18 - but you never forget how to play.

One change I did notice was the crowd. 5 years ago it was young couples and singles playing at night, going out for drinks afterwards. Fans on the sideline were a rare species. When I looked at the sidelines from the field today all I saw was a sea of husbands and kids. And it made me smile to see my friends families and my own out there to support us soccer moms!

My new job

For the past 2 & 1/2 months I have been trying my hand at a new job. It's probably the toughest, most patience and creativity using, and manual laboring one that I've ever had. You probably guessed it - I am a stay at home mom. This happened partially by luck, but mostly as the result of a horribly ill-matched job that I had for a portion of this year.

I have to say that I don't mind all the cleaning, laundry & dish washing, or meal cooking. I love getting to do "homework" with Noah through out the day and thinking of art projects for the kids. I enjoy trips to the library, the stores when it's time for groceries or to run errands. I can take the kids to visit family during the day, and plan dinner with more than 20 minutes to get it done.

What I don't love is that I have zero time for myself. No lunch break for me. I'm a mommy on call for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On a day I can get both kids to nap at the same time it's like a small slice of peacefully quiet heaven. Of course those days are few and far between, but who am I to question this fortuitious time in my life, besides - I did ask for it.

Part of me is still in the career-mom mind set though. And I send my resume to open positions daily because it feels like the thing to do. I guess now that I have had a taste of both worlds I can see the pros/cons of both sides of the argument. So I guess I am still a look-e-lou from the middle of the fence.

In the meantime, sign me up for a mini-van because this mom's got soccer practice to get to.