Candy Land Lessons

For Christmas, I got Jayden Candy Land. Growing up, my dad always played board games with us. I loved it and I still love to play games now. I intend to teach my kids the same way. I am sad that Esteban doesn’t care for games, but like I told him. He's going to have to learn to deal cause I'm going to teach the kids to LOVE them. hehehe

As Jayden and I played together tonight, I realized that in addition to learning colors (and the fact that there are an infinite number of candy selections out there) I was teaching Jayden important life lessons.

1) We start at the beginning and work our way to the end. There’s always a goal in sight. Sometimes we move forwards and sometimes we move backwards. We might get lucky and find a shortcut, or we could end up stuck on Licorice Space, but we always keep our eyes set on the prize. The goal is to get to King Kandy and the Candy Castle, no matter how long it takes. He’s not ready for this lesson yet, but I always remind him that we need to find our way to the castle so that we can win the prize.

2) We take turns. Everyone wants to participate. Jayden likes to help mommy move her pawn, and help mommy draw her card. I try to explain to him that everyone wants to have fun and play the game. So we share and take turns.

3) We don’t jump ahead. After all, that wouldn’t be fair. Sometimes Jayden draws the card with two purple blocks, but really he feels like moving ahead 3 or 4 purple blocks. So I share with Jayden that his card only had 2 purples and so he should only move 2 purples. OooooK! He says…

4) And a final thought…Do you let them win the game, or do you play fair and square? Candy Land is not a game of skill. It’s more of a game of chance. But as I played with Jayden, I found myself wondering…What do other parents do?

I lost his attention just before the end of the second game, but that’s ok. We managed to finish the game and that was good enough for me.

A Visit from Annie and the Girls

My girlfriend Annie was here for a visit from Pennsylvania. We got to visit twice, which was really cool. Our kids are the same age, which is awesome and we didn't even plan it that way. LOL! Anyway, we took the kids for some Chick-fil-a and had a blast in the play area afterwards. Here's Annie with Ava.
Maya had such a blast. I never imagined she'd be ready for something like this, but once she got the hang of it, she was a riot to watch.

Here's Jayden and Dani, taking 5!

Maya came down the slide. I was shocked to see her this way, but she was having such a good time, I quickly put my worry aside.

Jayden follows quickly after!

Cheese!

Here's Ava venturing out on her own. Such a cutie!

Trying to get them together for a picture was harder than expected. This was the best we could do. We wanted to do a pile-up, but they were like, whatever partner! We got to go!

Look at crazy Jayden. He's so silly. I love that goof-ball!

A little blurry, but atleast I had Jayden and Maya together in one picture.

Chill time, or as Annie calls it, Purell time! Everyone got their wipes and cleaned hands and feet and had a drink. Then they demanded ice cream, but they were too crazy as it was. No more sugar! Sorry kids. Maybe next time.

Merry Belated Christmas

Because Mari was in New Jersey for Christmas, we decided to wait to do the kid's gift exchange until she was back. Originally, that would have been the day before Three Kings Day, but the restaurant opening was delayed a bit. But that's ok. It turned out great anyways.

I wish that this was a better picture. I had no idea what was in the box that Mari brought back from my sister Leslie. Had I known, I would have been more prepared. Inside the box was a Geo Trax set that Jayden has been wanting so badly. A few months ago, he got a promotional GeoTrax DVD and it's all he talks about. He watches it over and over again. During the holidays, he discovered the track set in a toy magazine and he brought me the magazine every 5 minutes for most of the morning. I wasn't able to swing it for Christmas, but Titi Leslie made it happen. You might be able to see his gasping for air in this shot.
I love this picture. Pure mayhem. Chooch's got his Handy Manny tools and he was out. Sergio and Sebi are playing with the Crayola Beginnings toy, which turned out to be a big hit among all the kids. Maya is doing who knows what and Jayden is opening up his Magnadoodle.

Maya shows Titi her creation.

Chooch breaks in his Aquadoodle.

Sebi and Maya check out the baby doll.

The boys check out the tools.

Jayden shares with Sebi.

Maya found a new use for the Aquadoodle. As soon as I got home, we had to put this thing together so he could play. He was obsessed with it!

A Weekend of Babysitting...

After alot of blood, sweat and tears, Mari and Sergio opened the Rock N Pineapple to the public on Thursday, January 8th. It's a really unique concept. Stone cooking. We really enjoyed it and are very proud of them. We pray that they be blessed in many ways and their business is a huge success!

Anyway, I felt bad because the boys were at daycare all day and then spending evenings with babysitters so I packed up the family and went down to babysit for her for three nights. It was quite an experience to care for a 14 month old, a 21 month old, a 2 1/2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old. There was alot of biting, hitting, pushing, pow-pow, time-outs and crying going on. And there was alot of diaper changing, spills, and messes to clean up. Thankfully, Esteban went with me and helped on Friday and Saturday nights, but Sunday night I was on my own and I was going crazy! LOL We did have some good moments though. It wasn't all mayhem. Take a look...

My favorite time of night. Just before bedtime, they all settle down so nicely.
How could they not? Wubbzy is on!

A little play outside the house... Here's Sebi looking all cute!

Maya loves to play with cars and trucks just as much as Jayden loves to push the stroller around! LOL Meanwhile, believe it or not, there is evidence in the background that Chooch and Jayden CAN share. Look how they roll the car back and forth to each other.

Don't believe me? Take a closer look!

Awww! They CAN be nice to each other!

I love this picture of Sebastian with the ball. W-I-L-S-O-N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello, Tom & Jerry marathon on Cartoon Network! How could they not have enjoyed this?

Ok, here they are taking a chill pill while they have a quick snack.

Yummy! Breakfast!

I love these two characters. They are very much alike. Very colorful and lots of personality.

These two are filled with love and the need to take whatever the other one has... LOL They are actually funny to watch, when I'm not busy pulling my hair out...

The GPS

On Black Friday, I picked up a GPS. It sat in the package for about 2 weeks before Esteban and I agreed to go ahead and keep it and it was put to use right away. The next day, I used it to get to a friend’s house who had recently moved to the next town over. We used it to find a short cut road from my friend’s house to Hwy 50. And once, Esteban was meeting some friends and he had no idea where he was going so I programmed it for him. Esteban gets lost very easily so I felt relieved that he made it. For New Year’s Eve, we used it to get to a friend’s mom’s house in the deeps of Kissimmee. And then we used it to get us from there to my cousin’s house in St. Augustine. On the way back from my cousin’s, we followed the GPS and it took us on a different route that we’d never taken before and we really liked it. Just last week, we used it to get to my sister’s new restaurant and tomorrow I will program it so that Esteban can get from my sister’s house to his job.

So I’m glad we decided to keep it. It’s made my life so much easier, especially when Esteban is driving. He has a tendency to zone off and miss turns. Thanks to the GPS, I can clip my coupons or fool around on my iPhone without looking up to discover that we never got on I-4, that we’re still on the 408 and almost to the airport!

My Christmas Gift!

Every year, I dread Christmas because I will inevitable receive a present from my beloved husband that I’m going to have to return. Last year, I was afraid to open the present and when I did, I thought “Here we go again.” This year, I tried to have no expectations whatsoever, which is very hard, but guess what. He scored!

First he gave me a most beautiful card and then a second envelope. I thought it might be a gift card, but it turned out to be a gift certificate to my favorite nail spa for a manicure and pedicure. Excellent idea, darling. Then he said, “Hold on, I have to go get something.” He came back with a small box. I was curious what it could be and when he gave it to me, I knew it had to be cast iron. It was heavy and on my wish list. But the box was small so it couldn’t be the dutch oven I asked for. What could it be?

I opened the box and found that it was a beautiful, Food Network brand, red enamel, 2 qt. dutch oven. It even came with the wooden spoon!

It wasn’t the size I hoped for, but I had to forget that because my man finally got it right! I just hugged on him. And if that wasn’t enough, he excused himself to get something else. When he came back, he had an even bigger box and he said it was my bonus gift. I was smiling from ear to ear. In the box was a matching 5 qt. dutch oven. My Esteban did it! I was so thrilled.

In the end, Esteban wasn’t happy with the finish on the pots and we couldn't find any product reviews or ratings so we returned them. We then went on a wild goose chase looking for replacement pots. We picked up the Chefmate pots from Target, but they were clearanced and banged up quite a bit and when we got them home, the lids didn’t fit properly. Return #2! I looked at the Lodge pieces, but the lid didn’t fit as securely as I thought it would. Then I found out the Walmart in Haines City carried the Tramontina dutch oven, which was rated as best buy by Cooks Illustrated, and therefore sold out in most Walmart stores and out of stock online. So we went there and happily I found the 6.5 quart dutch oven. Unfortunately, there are no matching pieces available so Esteban wanted us to continue looking, but after all we had been through, I was holding on to my Tramontina. It only comes in this green color, but the finish is really beautiful and the color gradiates. It reminds me of avocados.

We spent several hours online searching for a matching piece and when that wasn’t possible, we searched for a complimentary piece. No luck. We were running out of affordable options and this being a piece I'll have for a lifetime, well I didn’t want to mess around and get something that I would regret. You know what they say. Buy cheap, buy twice! So then we found a Le Crueset outlet store and decide to go take a look around. Side note: the Tramontina is like the Corolla, but Le Crueset is the Rolls Royce. Huge investment for us so I’m not really getting my hopes up. But I’m open to going and taking a look.

After looking at the pieces and seeing their quality, we decide to make the investment. This was not an easy decision and since I never considered this option, I was not prepared to choose a color. After a couple of hours, I picked two small pieces in the red color. But I started to second guess. I felt rushed, the kids were carrying on and Esteban was hungry and I was trying to stall, but before you knew it the cashier was ringing us up. While we were getting a bite to eat, I quickly did an online search to verify the prices and they were not only cheaper than what was available online, but they were an extra 25% off. So that part was good, but I was back to the color. Red and blue seemed to be readily available by most brands. And I wanted something different. I was really liking the Dijon Yellow, so after lunch we went back but the Dijon was only available in second quality (which I didn’t mind one bit), but not in the sizes or styles I was looking for. I ended settling on the Orange Flame color. Beautiful. I picked the 3 1/2 quart braiser,

and the 3 1/2 quart oval dutch oven!

I start to look at the enameling and I start to see little flaws and imperfections. Now, I must say that each piece is hand made and it’s not unusual to find such flaws in the finish. They do not alter the quality of the pot. They are merely cosmetic flaws. But I am so damn picky that I’m there for what seems like an eternity. In the end, I’m thinking the red ones had better finishes but how could I possibly walk out of the store at this point with the same exact pots after being there for an hour, in the color I wasn't excited about to begin with? Esteban will kill me.

So I bought the orange ones, but I didn’t feel happy. I felt awful. I never felt so bad buying something I wanted so much. Esteban didn’t’ understand, but I’ve NEVER bought real pots before. I have 3 calderos (aluminum pots) in small, medium and large and a couple of those cheap frying pans you have to throw away every 3 or 4 years. That’s it! I never registered for pots and pans and I never bought a good set for myself. And I sure as hell never made such an investment before in my life so I was extremely stressed out. How ironic that it was El Dia De Los Reyes, or Three Kings Day.

Later that night, I told him I would go back by myself and return the pots. Getting such a fabulous gift should never feel that bad, right? But after some sleep and some thought, he said “You work so hard all year long and you deserve them. And the color you picked is really beautiful. I want you to keep them and I can’t for you to make me something in them.” So, I’m keeping them.

But I still want to go back and double check the finishes. For that price, they should be near perfect, just like me! LOL (That was a joke.) And I'm not getting rid of my Tramontina either. ha!

A Christmas to Remember

On Christmas Eve, I made the traditional pernil (roast pork) along with arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas). I'd like to eventually get to the point where I'm making a grand feast, like for Thanksgiving, but I'm not there yet. Anyway, I messed up the timing for the pork and we ended up rushing through dinner in order to make it to church. I was hurrying the kids and they clearly didn't want to eat. It was awful! Under normal circumstances, I would have suggested eating dinner after the service, but Esteban had to work at 8pm (graveyard) so that wasn't an option.

Because of dinner, we were late by 25 minutes to the service. I hate that. The Christmas Eve service is usually so beautiful and I love the music. It's usually an outdoor candlelight service, so I was extremely disappointed when they didn't do the candles this year. And then, as if we weren't the last ones there, we had to be the first ones to leave since Esteban had to go to work. I came home and was so disappointed. This is nothing like what I'm used to when I was growing up in Jersey. I really needed an attitude adjustment at this point cause I was not happy. I went to my room to change and I put on my pretty pajamas. I call them this cause I always feel so dainty when I wear them. And Jayden walked in and said "Mommy, you look beautiful." That's all it took. Attitude adjustment - complete!

I came out to the living room and read to them from the books of Luke and Matthew and followed up the reading with the birth of Christ from the kid's animated children's bible. It might have been a bit heavy for Maya, but Jayden was into most of it and he kept asking where the little drummer boy was. LOL Afterwards, it was time for bed. I had a glass of wine while I waited for them to fall asleep. I didn't have to wait long for Maya. She was knocked out.

Jayden was another story. I had to tuck him in 6 times. Finally I threatened to put up the baby gate.

Afterwards, I went to work on embellishing the presents with bows and ribbons. Plus, I had two last minute arrivals to wrap and one gift to put together. Before you know it, it was close to midnight so I went back to my room and caught the Midnight Mass. I fell asleep at some point until Esteban came home around 5am. So I got up again and we started to load up the tree and put some stuff out in the play room.

When Jayden woke up, the first thing he noticed was the stocking on his door handle. He grabbed it and came running out to the screen room. Didn't even notice the tree. Maya came right after. He was thrilled with his workbench and tools and Maya was taken with the vanity set, but she was more into the stocking.

It took some convincing, but we finally got them to go out to see the tree and the first thing they spoted was the little tykes car.

It took some convincing, but finally Jayden realized that the car was for Maya and the motorcycle was for him.

After gifts, I jumped into the kitchen to make my Christmas Breakfast, which is stuffed french toast with chocolate chips, strawberries and bananas. After breakfast, Esteban went to bed. I don't blame him, after working an all-nighter. I had quite the disaster in the kitchen. After cleaning that up, I had this to look forward to. The scene of the crime...Jayden pulls up a chair and gets to work with his tools!

While I was cleaning up the kitchen and the living room, almost two hours by the way, Jayden and Maya were entertained outside, but I had quite the disaster waiting for me out there after a couple of hours on their own. After all that, I put them down for nap and went down myself. Now that was exhausting, but a wonderful Christmas morning, if I do say so myself.