Weekday Update with Stacia Chavez

It's been a while since I've given a little update on the family.  Actually, it's been about 7 months!  So I'll get right to it... (by the way, this is probably going to be interesting only to me and Juan, and maybe the kids when they grow up, so I'm not writing to entertain the occasional reader.  Sorry.)

Ezra has been doing some major developing.  He's finally over his sickness and back to his usual cheery self.  Crawling up stairs has been a favorite activity of his, with much hesitation on my part.  Of course, I'm right there behind him as he does it in case he falls, but I can't help but think the kid is going to figure out a way to ditch Mom and try it without a "safety net".  He's trying to form real words right now.  Don't misunderstand, he's definitely not talking yet, but he's realizing that he can control sounds by forming his mouth a certain way.  It's pretty interesting to see that lightbulb working in his mind as he grows and tries new things.  He's started heading into the Separation Anxiety Stage now, too.  It's not as bad as it was for the girls, I think, but it's enough to make him cry himself to sleep at bedtime.  He loves to be chased and tickled and he's quite the cuddly boy when he wants to be.  He "dances" any time he hears a beat or music.  The kid has rhythm too.  We've got to get him into some kind of music class just as soon as he's old enough.  He's also going through a huge growth spurt right now.  Last night we fed him dinner and a 4 oz. bottle around 6:00.  At 8:00 we fed him an 8 oz. bottle right before he went to bed for the night.  At 11:00 he woke up screaming.  We thought it was just a bad dream, but since we couldn't console him at all, we gave him another 4 oz. bottle.  He inhaled that and then started crying when he realized it was all gone.  We tried another 4 ounces and after that he drifted back off to sleep.  Then again, around 6:45 this morning he woke up, hungry for more.  The kid is a bottomless pit!

Qiana is going through a bunch of changes that have left Juan and me baffled as to what is the cause and what to do about it.  The biggest change is that she's reverted back to wetting herself.  The  interesting thing is that she gets to the bathroom, sometimes even with her pants down and ready to go, but she just goes right there on the floor less than a foot away from the toilet.  I'm at my wits end trying to figure out how to help her.  It's definitely been a learning curve for Juan and me because we have tried getting really upset with her, talking it through gently with her, making it a game, rewarding her, punishing her... you name it.  Nothing seems to work!  I realize that she's gone through a TON of changes lately, what with three moves in the last 9 months, but I guess I just expected that once she learned how easy it was to just GO, she would stick with that.  Oh well, like I said, we're learning.  She is as hilarious as she ever was, begging to be tickled and faking "Sleeping Beauty" whenever she possibly can.  She loves to tease, as usual, but she's finding more and more joy in being silly and getting giggles out of her brother.  I love how those two get along.  The strangest thing happened about a month ago when I gave her a haircut/trim.  She lost her curl!  Her signature curly hair is gone!  I know it's silly, but I was devastated and felt so guilty for taking that part of her away.  She and Siena just finished up their community ed gymnastics class and although neither of them can do a cartwheel still, I think they both benefitted from having something to look forward to together.  They can be so catty to each other, lately.  I am the worst parent because no matter what I do to stop it, fighting always ensues when they play together.  I just try to enjoy the happy parts of their playtime, and in reality, they are the majority of that time.

Siena teaches me very day that there are little observers in the house.  I will see her act fifteen years older and say things to her sister or doll that only a parent would say.  Today, for example, Qiana was pretending that she was pregnant and when the baby was finally "born" Siena was so excited and said in the cutest "mom voice" that she would love to hold the baby, if Qiana would allow it.  Qiana was a gracious new mommy and handed the baby over to Siena who subsequently crooned over the doll as she gingerly cradled it in her arms.  She said things like, "It is just so adorable! Hi Baby, Hi.... So sweet. Is she talking yet?"  It shocked me when I saw them play dolls at how many motherly instincts those girls have.  Another tidbit of news about Siena is that she is progressing extremely well in piano.  She started taking lessons near the end of November, and she's almost done with her first books.  I'm so grateful that she loves it and plays for fun, even after the 40 minutes to 1 hour of practicing  she puts in every day. We just started an herb garden with the girls and she is keeping a very thorough seed journal.  Involving the children in seemingly mundane tasks brings so much whimsy to my life.

Getting along

Writing her seed observations

First day it reached 70 degrees outside, he got naked time 

Planting

...and just a bunch of random sleep pics. I love naps!

Four wheeling in the San Rafael Swell

This past weekend we went to the high desert of Utah. Oh my. It was incredible! I have always loved that place, but this trip reminded me why. If you have never been to a remote enough place that you wonder when the last person (if any) was there, you need to go to the San Rafael Swell.

There is such a powerful message nature sends you when you are at her mercy. First, we followed a trail into the depths of the Swell, then we explored the country from the dry-ish bed of a river. I was apprehensive that we would get lost, but I eventually learned to trust in my dad, who had been there enough to know how to make "breadcrumb trails" of mental marks along the way. One funny thing happened soon after I first voiced my concern that we were going to either get stuck or lost; after heartily (but kindly) rebuking me for thinking we would get stuck, my dad decided to go through a spot of high water on the four-wheeler--you can imagine what happened. He got stuck and the boys had to tow him out. I only relate that story because from the perspective of the entire group, including him, it was just plain funny and perfectly-timed. My mom and I got a really good laugh, for we love the chance to say "I told you so."

We were brave and took the girls with us, which was such a good idea in hindsight. They handled the long ride (7.5 hours!) very well. I think having so many adults to two girls helped a ton. Mom, Dad, Harper, Juan and myself went on the trip, so it was a perfect-sized group for the kind of ride we took. I think Chad really would have liked it.

Siena is learning about habitats in school right now and soon will be focusing on the desert, so I was able to take the opportunity to give her a hands-on introduction. We took a lot of pictures, so I think I'll let them speak the volumes I have to say.

Here's to Being an Adult

Looking back at my high school yearbooks last Wednesday night got me thinking to those bygone days of being young.  Yours truly is turning 29 this month (which I would have forgotten until about a week before the big day,  but thanks to a harsh awakening kind reminder a couple of days ago, it's now on my brain.) I know, I know... I'm still young, but honestly, this is going to be a hard birthday for me since it's my last Hurrah as a Twenty-Something.  These are some my perceptions of the last three decades of my life:

• 1-12 yrs. old: you can act like a child and expect to have fun. Other people will take care of you. Pretending is still okay.
• 13-18 yrs. old: learn how to act around other people through trial and error. Try to impress. Widen your range of skills.
• 19-23 yrs old: buckle down and try to get through school. Live on scraps. Live it up.
• 24- 29 yrs. old: try a new environment. Learn about humanity. Start a family. Live on a budget. Pretending is okay again.

I don't know what 30 will bring, but I'm a little scared that I will have a belated quarter-life crisis when it happens.  My biggest fears are that I will look back and find that I wasted time, that I didn't care enough, and that I cared too much.  Does anyone else fear this?  I see a train wreck of emotions coming with every tick of the clock, but I really don't know how to avoid it.  Meanwhile, I guess I can just keep chugging along somewhat naively like I have my whole life.

Next topic, but remotely related.

Last night Juan and I went to a dinner with the pre-dental club at UVU.  We were there to share our "vast knowledge" with the group.  I didn't feel unqualified, but it was weird being on "the other side".  I couldn't figure out why I was so nervous until we were driving home.  I realized that those students are heading into some difficult next few years and I was trying so hard to prep them as best as I could with all the information I had.  Juan and I talked a lot about what tools/skills they would need during the application process as well as in school; targeting the married students, we focused a lot on setting the right expectations for themselves.  We were fortunate enough to receive that advice from a mentor as undergrads so were a little more aware of that than we would have been otherwise and it helped us incredibly.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that it's good advice to take through every stage of life.  It's good practice to set goals, but even better practice to accomplish them.  If your habit is to try to achieve something without the proper EFFORT and TIME, chances are it's hardly going to happen.  There is a reason why we are called the Entitled Generation.  You hear all these success stories about startups and while it's awesome that it happened for those select few, it is not generally the case.  The fact is that TINSTAAFL: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.  If you want it and if it's good, set the goal (or expectation) and then work for it.  Put in the hours, expect to miss out on things, and keep going.  I just wanted those kids to realize that all the successful dentists they see with their nice cars and fancy lifestyles all had to go through sacrifice at some point, whether it was during dental school, after graduation, or both.

But tying it back to first topic: that made me feel old. And given the fact that I just blogged all the advice, I guess I am old--that's totally something an old person would do. 

(Cue the clip of a train starting to derail.)

Defending Marriage

A recent conversation with a person very dear to me has got me thinking a lot about why I value marriage. Being the topic of a lot of debate, I don't want to get into my views on "who should marry whom," but rather, why I highly recommend the institution in general.

There are so many places to start, so I'll just jump right in with one and we'll go from there.


Marriage is good for you.
To the health fanatics out there, this one is for you. Studies (emphasis on the plural form,) have shown that people who have committed themselves to each other through solemn vows tend to live longer, more balanced lives. HERE is one I recommend reading right now.  Go ahead, I'll wait....
Here's another little tidbit for you:

"What would you say if someone told you that a particular social bond could add years to your life and ensure your children a better education and economic livelihood.... [and] what would you say if you found out that this social bond that was potentially so beneficial to you and your children's health and personal well-being was marriage?"1

In a pamphlet by the Institute for American Values (New York: 2002), "Why Marriage Matters: Twenty-One Conclusions from the Social Sciences", it summarizes articles and research on the matter. For a quick read, go HERE if you are still on the fence if marriage is "really for you." Pay particular attention to Points 3, 4, (5), 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, and 20, which I think apply to both married and single people.

Marriage is practical.
If you think like a businessman, you will like this one. Many, many people who go into business have a partner, someone whom they trust and regard as necessary to the vitality of the company. Having a partner fulfills many purposes, some of which are to spread the workload and ease the burden, use their specific skill set to problem solve when the other is stumped, and to increase supervision of the company. Wouldn't it be nice to have a little help every once in a while? My most-hated chore in the world was doing dishes when I was single. I only had a few dishes in the sink at a time, but it would take every ounce of self-control to make myself wash them. Along came my husband and we made a better situation for ourselves; we each chose the best part of doing dishes and assigned ourselves to the task--"Tag Team" was born. Even though I had double the amount of dishes, I only had to load them in the dishwasher which was soooooo much more bearable to me. My burden had been lightened. It also makes sense to find someone who fills in the gaps where you lack expertise. Give me a person who "knows it all", and I'll give you a failing enterprise. Picture yourself like a puzzle piece. There are parts of your life in which you excel and fill the space of responsibility. However, much to our chagrin, we all have hollow places, areas in which we lack talent. To that I say, Find Your Missing Piece! Moving on to the last point, we are more equipped to be able to keep our lives running in the right direction with someone by our side, wiping off the smudges on our glasses, giving that reality check every so often, and sharing the perspective of one who knows you more than anyone else. It just makes sense to have a partner.


Marriage is fun and makes you happy.
This is really no secret. Just go somewhere you would normally go and look around... what is stopping a married couple from being there? Unless it's Speed Dating, Nothing! Can you still go to concerts? Yes. Can you still run around the house in your pj's and sing at the top of your lungs? Yes! (My bet is that your hubby/honey will be there, singing right along with you anyway.) You can still travel. You can still eat a pint of ice cream in one sitting. You can still get on a zip line. What is the issue, people?! Whatever they say about marriage sucking the fun out of life was made up by a bitter hater, who was probably single. I read an interesting find in 2012 research that there is really no such thing as the Honeymoon Stage.  In their research, they found that most couples who have been married longer, are happier.  You can read it HERE.  I have been happier and had more fun than ever since I've been married, and you can quote me on that. If you're worried about possible difficult times with your spouse, I just want you to think back on all those times you have felt low as a single person. Cut the occurrence of those in half (my wonderful made-up, but still somewhat accurate statistic--I'm sure,) and that is what you will have in marriage. So go, improve your chances and look for love.

Marriage is necessary.
Do you want to make a difference in the world? Do you want to improve lives? Here's how: make a family.  Taken from one of the most important and bold statements in history, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, "[The Family is] a fundamental unit to society."2  Allow me to explain how we just got there. You remember the ubiquitous childhood jeer, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the baby carriage..." well, that was more sage advice than a taunt. First, you allow LOVE to be an option, then you find that someone special (key word being FIND... it is an action word,) then with your excellent ideals and lofty goals you create individuals upon which you can bestow your high morals. They will, in turn, decide to make only good choices and will forever make you proud. (*triumphant music and a wipe of a tear*) Ummmm, yeah... it goes a little bit like that. Sorta. In all seriousness though, you can change a lot of lives through those you create and rear. While still very much a virtuous cause and I would say a highly noble thing to do, humanitarian missions in Africa are NOT the only place to make an important difference.  You can start with the most basic unit: a family, with a mother and a father.

From a religious perspective, I would like to share more on The Proclamation as well as its counterpart philosophies, Secularism and Extreme Individualism. I will let the charts do the 'splaining. 3,4

In conclusion, I firmly stand on the ground that marriage is the product of divine mandate, as well as years and years of human moral evolution.  Whatever doubts or reservations you have about marriage are probably valid concerns, but ultimately not enough to prove that it is an optional institution for the Fittest.  After my research into the matter, I have found that Darwinians as well as Diocese can all agree that the bond of marriage, honored with fidelity, can uphold society and can proliferate generations of effective people.






Notes:

1. D.B. Larson, J.P. Swyers, and S.S. Larson (1995), The Costly Consequences of Divorce: Assessing the Clinical, Economic, and Public Health Impact of Marital Disruption in the United States (Rockville, MD: National Institute for Healthcare Research), 136

2. The Family: A Proclamation to the World (1995, November) Ensign, 25, 102

3. David C. Dollahite, ed., (2000) Comparison of Sacred Truths Taught in Proclamation and Secular Philosophies; Strengthening Our Families: An In-Depth Look at the Proclamation on the Family (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft), 364

4. David C. Dollahite, ed., Comparison of the Degree of Individualism Taught in the Proclamation Versus Extreme Individualism (2000).

Happy V-Day 2013!

I just have to say that Valentine's Day is a lot more fun now that I'm learning to get in the mood for holidays that don't include moist turkey or a juicy ham.

We decided to have fun this year, despite a sleep-deprived Feb. 13th. I had glorious plans to make a pink, heart-shaped breakfast but instead busted out the English muffins, PB, and bananas cut into pathetic hearts. It was a Winner morning, believe me. (*sigh*)

Luckily, all of the rest of the day's prep was completed yesterday, so it wasn't too bad after all. (Siena made culturally appropriate valentines for her class the previous two days. Check... Whew!)

After lunch, the girls made valentines for their cousins and then we hosted a little cousin party at which we decorated heart-shaped mini cakes and played with the dress-ups. It was fun, and thankfully NOT exhausting.

When Juan got home, he presented the girls (& The Ez) with wrapped roses. I'm not gonna lie, it was incredibly cute of him to do that. Our rule for each other this year was ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOOOOOO GIFTS! Last week we finally got ourselves a decent bed (you know, one that doesn't sink in and bulge out in all the wrong places, one without previous owners...gross, but true--we couldn't afford anything else when we first got married--and one that doesn't look as if it had survived through Woodstock.) You don't know what real sleep is until you get a decent mattress. I feel five years younger! (...Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Four and a half years younger!) It was one of the best Valentines gifts we've given each other.

And That, my friends, was V-Day for our fam this year. El Fín.

Bronchiolitis, Round Two

What?! The Ez has caught it again. Don't know if I blogged about this or not, but when he was just two months old, we had a few trips to the doc due to a sick little boy. Turned out he had bronchiolitis and they had to run tubes down his throat to suction the slime from his fighting little body. It was an experience I never wished to repeat, to say the least.

Fast forward to last Sunday night when we started to see a somewhat sick baby go downhill quickly. He was up all night with a fever of 102, and by Monday morning he had lost his appetite as well as his charming personality. He wasn't all that whiny, which scared me; he was just lethargic, like a balloon losing its helium slowly. I was thinking about bringing him in to the doc, but three things held me back: 1.) his fever would go away and his spirits would improve off and on again for three days like a roller coaster ride 2.) my dad's voice resounded in my mind, "parents these days don't let their children grow stronger and fight through sickness like they should...," and 3.) our health insurance had been approved, we just hadn't received our ID cards yet and we weren't sure if the company would think this was a preexisting condition and deny our application after all. (Granted, we wouldn't have kept our child from a doc solely because we are cheap. We are cheap, but not THAT cheap.)

Anyway, I finally was able to see past that crazy list of reasons NOT to take him in due to a 95% sleep-less night last night and we saw a NP this morning. He said that Ezzie has fallen back into his old ways, and that we will need to see a clinic for more suctioning. (Boo!) Luckily, after a dose of amoxicillin and a nice nap this afternoon, he is showing more lasting signs of improvement. (Yay!) The nurse did warn me, however, that frequent situations like this can be signs of something much more serious like Cystic Fibrosis. In retrospect, I wish he hadn't told me that... I function best in naïveté. But for right now, we are giving him all the attention and meds his little self can handle with Go--Fight--Win! as our motto.

And if that "Steve Holt!" confidence doesn't get him feeling better, well, I don't know what will.

art. f o r m s

There is really no better way to relax in conscious-subconscious than to engage oneself in artistic creativity. Often, I find that I am most at peace when I'm creating. Trying to make this a habit really isn't hard, as long as you've got materials and five minutes of spare time. Kids do this all the time--doodling, snipping, gluing, building, collecting--and I think that it is from the halls of their imaginations that a lot of true learning sprouts. Generally, do children have stress? Do they struggle to Find the Time? True, the realm of responsibility hasn't fully been shed on them, but perhaps we could take a page from their book and engage in creative "play" between work breaks or loads of laundry. I wonder what it would do for each individual. Let's just say that it has done wonders for me this week.

Switching It Up Again

Well, because our family likes to move much, we've decided to do it again.

We have lived here with my parents for almost three months now and I'm so grateful to them and sad to leave. They have been so generous in letting us figure out our future while living on their turf that I have to say, who could ask for more? Really, we have such a supportive family and we feel very blessed. The girls are going to hate it when reality sets in again and they have to go with me to run errands and I am probably going to complain at the daily chores I'll be bearing on my own again; however, I'm looking forward to being a responsible adult again.

It actually looks as if it was serendipitous that Juan just happened to meander on over to the KSL classified section that one night to take a peek at homes for rent in the area we had our eye on. A home well within our price range was being rented just a block from the school we wanted to get our children into. We took a look at the house and decided that it would do just fine for us until we decided to buy. We'll be moving on the 2nd of February, so our days in Salem are coming to an end. It's quite bittersweet, actually, because while we are excited for another new adventure we've grown to love a lot of things about this small town.

We have told Siena that, once again, she will be switching schools. This is soooooo not fun to do to your child. Period. I absolutely hate that she has had to go through all of these changes so quickly, but she is just so optimistic that I'm reminded that I should be too. We are just making friends in lots of places, right?

On a separate note, the girls have started a few new activities. They are enrolled in a Community Ed Gymnastics class and are still excited about it after three weeks. Score! Siena has also been taking piano lessons for a couple of months. We have seen her really excel in this and I think it was just what she needed. I love Love LOVE teaching her! The next thing we need to do is get Qiana started on some kind of regimen like Siena; hers has worked wonders for her. The first thing Siena does when she gets home from school is review her homework and backpack contents. Then, after lunch, she starts working on her daily checklist: empty clean dishwasher utensils, read out loud for 15 minutes, write in her journal (which I'm ever so glad I'm making her do,) and practice the piano. She is becoming more responsible, literate, understandable, and focused because of those 4 things, respectively. It's amazing what a little more structure can do!

The Ez has just gotten over a month-long battle with virus after virus. We all have, for that matter. Thank heaven! His bottom two teeth budded a lot earlier than the girls so I am still getting used to how to feed a baby solids. He seems to have hit a growth spurt, so the little guy is eating constantly. We will see if he ends up a beanstalk or a lil' squirt when he's older. My bet is the beanstalk.

I want to write something new about Qiana, believe me, I do. However, she is just the same little teasing cutie pie she has always been. Her temper is still volatile at times, but for the most part she has mellowed. Yay! She is still Ez's number one fan and Grandpa's teasing prodigy. She calls me Grandma sometimes (a humorous hazard of living with her actual grandma) but I don't mind because that means they have a good relationship.

Juan is working at Payson Family Dental, Mountain Ridge Dental, and in the Platinum Dental group. Things are definitely looking bright for our future here in Utah, the land where everyone says it is impossible to successfully practice dentistry. To that, we are saying, "Ha! We'll show you." (Fingers are still crossed, though, in case I ever have to retract that statement.). :)

It's going to be a good year for the Chavez Family, mark my words.

Pics: Ez shopping with me at Stokes, Qiana making Ezra and the rest of us laugh until we cried, making Grandma Peg's Ginger Cookies, reading bedtime stories, the hired help peeling shrimp, ...and doing such a lovely job, matching guapos, and the perfect back porch view.

This is BIG: Flour-based frosting

I love to bake.  I love butter.  I love sugar.  I am a glutton when it comes to cake, cupcakes, pies, breads, cinnamon rolls and pastries.  Luckily, I don't find time enough to bake like I would without los bebes or I would probably be about 400 lbs. heavier.  Basically, I am a could-a would-a baker.

Really, all of that ^^^^ was a bunch of gibberish so I could really get to the point of this post without looking too eager to introduce my latest discovery: flour-based buttercream frosting.

"What?! You mean there is a frosting out there that is free of confectioner's sugar?"

Yes. Yes there is, my friend.

And maybe a lot of people out there know about this already, but I sure didn't.  All it took was a little Google searching and my world was ROCKED.  Mind you, it takes a bit more effort than normal buttercream, but I can assure you that it is worth it.  The result is a light and fluffy frosting with a smooth finish, almost like a whipped cream frosting.  The best part is that it doesn't crust-up after sitting for a little bit like most confectioner's sugar-based frostings.  There are 5 basic ingredients I can almost guarantee you have lying around your refrigerator and pantry: flour, milk, vanilla, butter and granulated sugar.  AND... it's easy peasy lemon-squeezy from start to finish.

The BEST Whipped Frosting 

(taken from Andie @ CanYouStayForDinner; adapted from Missy Dew on TastyKitchen)

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)

In a medium saucepan, whisk one cup of milk with 5 tablespoons of flour. Heat over medium until the mixture begins to sputter, whisking constantly. Continue to stir as the mixture thickens. You will know it’s done when it reaches the consistency of thick cake batter, after about 7 minutes of heating and whisking. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract* and set aside to cool COMPLETELY.

Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or using a hand held mixer, beat 2 sticks of softened butter (1 cup) with 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar until light, fluffy, and white in color, about 3 solid minutes of beating on medium-high speed. You want the sugar to be totally incorporated into the butter.

Be sure that the milk/flour mixture has completely cooled, and add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat all ingredients for about 1 minute on high speed, scraping down the bowl halfway, until they are smooth and well blended. The frosting should be as light and fluffy as whipped cream.**

*I added a little cinnamon to mine for fun, but you could exchange any extract with vanilla to switch it up.  I want to try almond and cherry extracts in the frosting for a chocolate cake next.

**The longer you whip the butter and sugar, the fluffier and whiter it will be.  Also, it will be a lot smoother with no grittiness if you make sure everything is room temperature.  If you find that the texture is still grainy after adding the flour and milk mixture, keep whipping.  It will smooth out, I promise.

The Letter We {Didn't} End Up Using

No Clever Christmas-y Title Presently Available

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and everyone has "settled" into the hustle and bustle of Christmastime, I'm starting to find a growing sense of gifting apathy in me.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am still very keen on the idea of giving gifts to friends and family (possibly even neighbors, if we ever get to meet them;) however, the apathy applies more to the "essentials" or even the "luxury" gifts that one may jot on an annual exchanged gift idea list.  Rather, I feel like giving humorous, sentimental, or even what one might call "cute" gifts this year.

(Aside: I'm noticing that there are a lot of italicized and "quoted" words here... maybe that I'm past the borderline of appropriate sarcasm. Please forgive.)

Back to the point: I want to fill my Christmas check-off list obligations as soon as possible and with as little headache as possible.  This makes it hard because to do both is a Catch-22... either I spend a ridiculous amount of money on presents which I know everyone would love and worry incessantly about the expense of it all, OR I spend hours upon hours of combing through Pinterest for the not-so-original DIY idea that is bound to be a Christmas tradition in every Mormon home by next year.

What to do? What to do?

Well, I'm just going to type and an idea will form on the page that is beyond brilliance for a memorable, appreciated, and thrifty Christmas 2012.  I know it will happen, just you see.

What if I...

• Gift invitations to a big Chavez Family Christmas Party, and kill about 20 birds with one stone.  No, that would mean no headache until a couple of days before the big day, when all of my plans would then have to produce themselves.  Oh, and I think that it would kill the "budget-friendly" idea. That simply won't fit in with my plan.
• Design and print personalized stationery.  Done that, and sadly, no one was pleased with that gift.
• Scheme up a Winter Date package, including ice skating, hot chocolate and a movie.  Now, maybe I'm onto something here.... (If you wouldn't want a gift like this, please stop me!)
• Compile a book of family Christmas memories for the sentimental recipient. (Pretend you didn't see this, Mom.)
• Offer a Service Coupon Book. Let's be honest, in theory--and even in action--this is a great gift; HOWEVER, I don't know of a single soul who would be thrilled at opening a coupon book.  It screams, "I ran out of time and I am cheap, so Here!  Have a book of homemade coupons you'll feel too awkward to ever cash-in."
• Keep it simple and get everyone socks, some kind of chocolate item, and a gift card.  (I love receiving them, but gift cards are the WORST to have to give someone.  Well, maybe not for everyone, but for ME.  I hate it when people know how much money I spent on their gifts.  It regulates the amount of money I can, in good conscience, spend on each person on my list.)

Well, I'm sure there are a bazillion other ideas on Pinterest, but something inside me tells me that I will just sulk into Christmas despair upon dining on those delightfully picture-perfect webpages, realizing that I can attempt, but never quite achieve an original Christmas 2012.  I'll mull it over and come back to report with a more cheery tone.  Promise.

What the Heck?! (In Other Words: We're in Utah Now)

Well, the last time I wrote here I had a plethora of things to say about rodents, and not too long before that was a post on how to prepare cow tongue tacos; I think it's safe to say that everything gross and disgusting I could write about has been written.  It's out of my system and we're moving on.

Ahem. Do I have your attention?  Good.  Here's the scoop: we moved... again.

You may recall that we just recently moved to Dallas, TX.  That was a great choice for us and we have no regrets whatsoever, but when destiny, serendipity, fate--what have you-- comes knocking telling you to move near your family, Carpe Diem!  After a lot (and I mean A LOT) of these serendipitous moments occurred, Juan and I decided that we better not kick against the pricks.  We started looking into moving back to the ONE PLACE we thought we'd NEVER live.  (Now, to all you Utah-folk reading this: do NOT think that was a knock against your beloved state.  Here's the fortune cookie version of our reasoning for moving out-of-state: living in Utah simply was not in line with our long-term goals for our family for various reasons.)  Since deciding to move and even since we've been here, we've realized that in the short four months that we lived in Texas, our long-term goals started to shift and change.  Things that we thought were issues were not, things that we disregarded certainly started looking more important.  There was never an "A-ha!" moment per se, but there were plenty of things that started to fall into place once we made the choice to move.  Juan was offered not one, but four jobs in a state where the dental population is considered past-saturation levels; personal family issues have reassured us that we need to be near enough to actually lend a hand and be caretakers, if needed; and it was no coincidence that both Juan and I, unbeknownst to each other, had distinct impressions at the same time that we should consider moving back to Utah.

I will be the first to say that at first I was convinced that I was just being a baby and wanted to run back to mommy and daddy at the first sign of struggle (Long story short: we didn't get approved for purchasing a home, after multiple lenders said it was a sure thing.  To this day, there is absolutely no technical reason we should have been denied.)  So I was stubborn and determined to be more independent than ever!  I was an adult, for crying out loud.  I could do hard things!  Two weeks later and after lots of prayers, I started to come around the fact that the hard thing would be to move, not to stay.  Maybe that is why I didn't jump on board the Utah Train at first.  Anyway, we put in our due diligence and put out feelers for job possibilities in Utah.  Job prospects came up and we were reassured that we wouldn't need to act irresponsibly and just jump into the Land of the Unemployed.  So here we are: in Utah with job contracts and possibilities for the future.  It's not to say that we will never move again--after this summer, we have learned to Never Say Never (a nod to JB,) but we know we need to be here right now.

Juan is finishing up the last few days of his job contract in Dallas while the kids and I are living with my parents until the details get ironed out.  It's not the ideal situation yet, but we are grateful for the generosity of our family and have hope we'll get our sea legs soon.  There are still a lot of things we have to figure out but I don't feel like the future is too dim.  The move was the first step leap, and now that that is out of the way, we can get started with the rest of our lives... again.

Rat-a-tat-tat

We are ever so lucky to have encountered yet another pest whilst renting.  So far, after 7 years of marriage and 6 different houses, we have racked up quite the list:

• Countless mice
• Cockroaches (short-lived, thank heavens!)
• Bat (one-time gig, you may recall.)
• Garden Beetles (ha! and I thought it was termites. That was a happy ending :)
• Ants (and they march one by one-hundred)
• A regular trash-visiting racoon (oh, but how cute was he?!)

...and now there is another to join the ranks:  Mr. Rat.

That really is the name we've given him over the last few months (yes, months.) Qiana is sure that she will get to meet him someday.  I am sure that she will not.  He has been scratching around for countless weeks, so our landlord had a pest-control company come out to take a look.  Indeed, there was something living in our attic.  Quite possibly many "somethings".  After setting out enough rodenticide to kill 10 rats, the pest guy left us quite un-ready for what was to come.

You see, once the rat finally found and ate the bait, he didn't leave the house like they usually do to find water (the bait leaves them very thirsty.)  He must be trapped in somehow.  I don't even think I can describe the sounds that incredibly large rodent was making today as he was dying a gruesome death.  I wanted to take the kids and run.  Actually, in hindsight I am thinking, "Why didn't I leave?!" It was awful.  So, now I am recording it because this blog seems to be right on track to be the most disgustingly-detailed account of our lives. (People didn't respond well to the Tacos de Lengua.)

So long, Mr. Rat.  We will be encountering you again in a few days when your lovely smell of death starts permeating the house and we have to have the pest guys come back to retrieve your corpse.

Birthday Punch Cuppy Cakes

My one and only idea I will share with Pinterest:

Flavor-boost your plain ol' frosting by lightly sifting Koolaid powder on top and lightly misting with water. You could also skip the hassle and mix the powder right into the frosting. The result is a high-kick of "Woooow!" with a side punch of "Yipee!"

Ladies and Gentlemen... I Bring You Tacos de Lengua!

a.k.a. Cow Tongue Tacos

Caution: this post contains graphic food images much like something you'd find on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  STOP reading if you have a weak stomach!!

Okay, if you insist on reading on...

First, don't let the name throw you off the idea: it's tongue, GET OVER IT.  I will be the first to admit that even biting into a taco de lengua was a huge leap for me a few years ago.  Even after eating it plenty of times, it still took sheer courage to accept Juan's invitation to make it ourselves at home.  You see, Juan has been eating tacos de lengua ever since he was old enough to say "tortilla".  He even remembers sitting his cute little tooshy up to the bar of a taco truck in Mexico ordering tacos de lengua all by himself "Un taco de lengua, po-fa-vo."...But I digress. People, it turns out you don't die from ingesting it!  Prepare yourself: it's actually quite tasty.  For that reason, I decided to give in and attempt the un-attemptable.  

I'll have you know that I was fully prepared to make the tacos de lengua myself.  However, upon seeing my weak constitution at the sight of raw tongue, Juan stepped in and took over.  My hero!   I could have done it.  No, really! (I just wanted to be able to eat it afterwards.)  So instead of touching the taste buds, I took over the camera duties.

5 Simple steps to tacos de lengua:

#1- Clean the tongue thoroughly under cold running water and remove excess fat.  Don't let it touch your disgusting sink that hasn't been cleaned for days anything. We take cross-contamination very seriously here.

#2- Throw it in a crockpot with a medium onion (quartered), three bay leaves, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 beef bouillon cubes.  See? Easy!

#3- Cover it and let cook on high for 5-6 hours or until the meat falls apart.  (It should still be very juicy!)

(You can tell this crockpot has had a hard life.)

#4- Take it out and peel off the outer layer (yep, the one with the tastebuds.) Rip 'em off and move on.  Shred remaining meat. Soooo succulent.

#5- Salt it, sprinkle with lime juice and devour it like there's no tomorrow.  (But no worries, like I said... you will still be alive in the morning.)

This is our version: pure and unadulterated tacos de lengua.  No super-fancy garnishes, just a simple green salsa that hits it out of the park.  Want that recipe too?  Okay, but just because I'm nice: Creamy Green Salsa
(raw version)
4-5 tomatillos, quartered 1 avocado pitted & peeled juice of 1 lime 1 jalapeno, chopped (seed and deveined if you don't like heat) 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 3/4 cup onion, chopped salt and pepper, to taste Puree all together in a blender. Adjust flavor to your liking. You've made it this far through the post.  I'm so proud of you!  For that, I'll give you extra credit: Roasted Garbanzos
canned garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) olive oil ancho chile powder garlic powder sea salt Drain and rinse garbanzos.  Pat dry and lay out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil over the chickpeas and roll them around in it with your hands.  Sprinkle with chile and garlic powders.  Roast at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Eat 'em up like popcorn. (Incidentally, you can use these same spices to jazz up boxed mac and cheese.  Try it and thank me later.) Simply Fruit Salad Canned mandarin oranges (no sugar added is best) kiwi fruit Granny Smith apple lime juice and lime zest Toss. Eat. Repeat.

You're welcome.

First World Problems

Every once in a while I will have one of those days where everything seems to be working against me, but for every day of rain there is one of sunshine. Well... this is not the case where we live, both literally and figuratively. There are plenty more days of sun than rain, and we have countless more blessings than trials.

I was reminded of that today. I learned that the mother of two children in our primary has been incarcerated, and that a father of a different family was just deported. The father of the first two children works from 1 pm to 3 am so he has relied heavily on babysitting from people in the branch. However, the youngest boy, around five years old, had a nervous breakdown yesterday because he just wanted to be home. 

My kids won't ever have that kind of experience... assuming constance. Whatever my worries or fears or even discomforts, they do not compare to what people--even people I associate with every single week-- struggle with.

There is a magnet on the refrigerator here that I see quite often while doing the dishes and wallowing in my sorrow. I love the reminder:

GOD grant me the

Serenity

TO ACCEPT the things

I cannot change;

Courage

TO CHANGE the things

I can; and

Wisdom

TO KNOW the difference.

A Casserole Affair

It's been way too long since I posted about food.

As I was planning the menu for the week last Wednesday, I came across an e-mail from Better Homes and Gardens all about Casseroles.  Sparking my interest, it had around 30 different spins on traditional casseroles.  "It's been a long time since I've made a casserole. This will be fun!," I thought.  So I closed the apps I was referring to previously and decided to return to the ever-comforting casserole.  Casserole Week was born!

And we really did eat casseroles. All. Week. Long.

Why I didn't think it through, I will never know.  I feel like I have a brick in my stomach... and it's only 9:30 in the morning. We did, however, discover some awesome--and not so awesome--recipes in the process and I'm gonna share 'em.

Chicken Taco Casserole

My review: B+

Liked: Sauteed peppers and onions; spinach was a nice twist. Similar to Pastel Azteca

Recommend: Use good salsa, not just the cheapest.  It will make a difference.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

My review: B

Liked: The twist that caught my attention was the dijon mustard added to the roux as well as the celery and the roasted red peppers. Nice textural change to the traditional version.

Recommend: Don't expect a completely new taste.  After this, although it was tasty, I decided that Tuna Noodle Casserole will be Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Cheesy Shell-stuffed Shells

My review: A (with a side of guilt)

Liked: Gruyere, although a Swiss cheese, has the perfect sour-sharpness for this Italian dish.

Recommend: Add a lot of basil! It not only makes it more pleasing to the eye, but your stomach will thank you too.

Pumpkin Black Bean Bake

My review: A+

Liked: This Southwest version of Shepherd's Pie was chock-full o' flavor.  Loved the butternut squash, ground beef instead of ground turkey (which we usually find in "healthy recipes" like this so it was a nice change,) green chiles that gave a little kick, and the surprisingly small addition of cream cheese--anything is better with cream cheese--that didn't overwhelm the dish.

Recommend: If you make this, try it with the jalapeno-olive relish and let me know what you think.  I was feeling a bit lazy so we omitted that.  I regret it because it just screams to be tasted.

Creamy Chicken-Broccoli Bake

My review: ?

We were supposed to eat it but is has to wait because of a kink in dinner plans.  If after eating it I feel the need to write a review, I will post it.  It does look tasty, no?

Well, there you have it.  Casserole Week will probably never happen again because it is just TOO HEAVY; however, it was fun to dive into the world of comfort food again. Check back soon because I'm about to make Tacos de Lengua and am going to document the whole thing.  Oh, you don't know what those are?  Two words: Cow. Tongue.  You're not going to want to miss it!

Color Blind

A Sunday for the Books

Sunday is usually a day of rest.  Bah!  Not when you are in the Primary.

It's totally worth it though, to be able to teach those little cutie-pies.  Our  Spanish Branch just became an independent branch a last week, so everyone is still trying to pick up all the responsibilities until people get official callings.  I am so excited to be in the Primary presidency because learning right along side the little ones is an incredibly profound experience.  As odd as it seems, I learn more about what I personally believe when I am preparing and teaching even the most basic of lessons.

Between Week 1 and Week 2 (today) we have averaged about 25 children total in Primary.  This is far beyond the headcount I was used to in Philly, but pretty close to what we experienced while in the Midvale branch.    We have three classes besides Nursery, with 2 official teachers.  Lacking one teacher is usually not a big deal because one of the presidency can take over the extra class for the week.  As for the way Sharing Time is run, it's not so simple.  We have called a Singing Time leader but not a  pianist.  No problem--I can play the piano in the meantime until we get someone called to the position.  Well, today happened to be the day when all of the responsibilities were left on my plate and it turned out...well, interestingly.

Besides having been called to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting, I was in charge of presenting Sharing Time.  It was a simple lesson, so I wasn't too stressed out with that.  It was just that darn talk....

Last night I discovered an email from our newly-called Singing Time leader which stated that she wasn't planning on going to church today.  So I tried to call in the blogging brigades to help me prepare that too.  Luckily, there are a lot of ideas out there, so I felt in good hands.  It was just that darn talk....

Today, as I was scrambling to translate my already-written talk myself, Juan was honing his own talk.  It was not a terribly rushed morning, but stressful nonetheless so I didn't want to leave that time-consuming task to Juan this time.  I later realized that maybe it would have been easier in the end for him to have done it since he had to correct my poor grammar and sentence structure anyway. Sacrament Meeting was overflowing with stake announcements, branch news and missionary farewell testimonies so our alloted time was cut short.  Usually people are happy when they don't have to speak as long, but I was in a panic.  I wasn't sure what to cut out of my talk!  It was in a different language, so I wasn't speaking comfortably anyway and I stumbled through it. I cut things the best I knew how, but I feel like maybe overall it didn't flow together that well. :( Oh well, life moves on.

Beforehand, as I knew the tasks of the day weren't impossible to accomplish, I was just worried about how well it would go.  Well, it went like I said earlier: interestingly. In the end the Talk was talked, Sharing Time was shared, and Singing Time was sung.  Who knows if anyone got anything out of my talk or presentations.  All I know is that besides learning and reviewing a few doctrinal things, I learned that we can truly take on and accomplish a whole lot more than we feel comfortable with and IT WILL BE OKAY.  IT WILL TURN OUT.  Church callings will come and go, but the methods we learn and skills we develop will be lifelong tools to benefit us and those we serve.

For Siena

'Tis the Night before Kindergarten

And all through our house,

Everyone is stirring

from baby to spouse.

The clothes are laid out,

the backpack is checked,

"Now is there anything,

I just might forget?"

I brought out the bread,

the p.b. and honey.

The lunchbox is packed,

so you don't lose lunch money.

You have spare supplies

and a gift for your teacher.

The classic red apple

is quite a fun feature.

She'll love you, I'm sure

from day one, just you see.

But try to listen, to share

and to sit quietly.

A quick note, I write

in a moment with care,

in hopes that your first day

will be easier to bear.

Not as hard for you

as it will be for me,

you've been anxiously waiting

since you were the age of three.

With a deep breath and a sigh

I turn off the light

and then head off to bed

where I will toss all night.

Kindergarten is fun,

you can't ask for much more.

Good luck! You're most ready

to step out the front door.

Big dreams lie ahead,

many more to discover.

School is just a first step

like it was for your mother.

On a very last note

I hope you'll remember

that I love you so much

apart and together.

Birthday Girl Turns 5?!

What?  Is that 5 year-old my Siena? I refuse to believe she is already that old, despite the many, many reminders I get throughout the day.  "But Moooooommmm, I'm a big girl now.  I'm five!"...and the like.

We tried to make it a fun birthday for her, and she's so easy to please that we were not worried one bit about meeting her expectations.  But I think besides the fact that her friends came over that night for swimming, her favorite part of her birthday was choosing the cake.  I took her to the grocery store on Saturday to choose out a cake.  (This was a first for us since we usually just make it ourselves.)  Flipping through the cake book, she was ecstatic.  As to be expected, she kept changing her mind as she progressed through the book.  Finally, she landed on a page near the end and was set on the design.    I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  This is what she wanted so badly:

I gently reminded her of the first few designs she had really liked and to my relief, she chose this one:

...it's a whole lot easier to plan a party theme around this cake. 

The morning started off right with Surprise Cereal... purple frosted shredded wheat.  The girls were squealing with delight.  (I sat there thinking, "Hmmm, I could be a responsible mother and make a waffle breakfast with the works like my own sweet mom did for us; but I vaguely remember the time I got Cream of Wheat with strawberry jam packets to make my own food design as being the most exciting birthday breakfast ever, so I went with the easier--I mean, more fun--approach.)

Opening presents from Mom, Dad and Qiana with extreme bedhead

 The eraser was her favorite part

Not pictured, but totally worth mentioning are the art easel that my mother gave her, and the cowgirl boots my mother-in-law gave her.  She is in love with both.

The rest of the day progressed as usual until dinner, when I prepared her requested birthday dinner.  The whole time we've been living in this house, Siena has been fascinated with an illustrated cookbook she found on a shelf.  It was printed and distributed in Great Britain, so it has a lot of traditional English recipes.  For some reason, she fixated on a particular recipe of chicken drumsticks with peas (excuse me, petite pois,) and potato crisps (chips.)  So I tried my hardest to accomplish the meal by converting milligrams and milliliters to teaspoons and cups.  It was a task.  I guessed what petite pois meant, since I know absolutely NO french, as well as "double cream"--I just picked out half and half at the store.  It wasn't until after I got to the point in the recipe where I had to add it that I realized it probably was sour cream... or something of that kind of consistency.  Oh well!  I converted 160 degrees Celcius into Farenheit and we were in business.  It actually wasn't that bad tasting.  (Ha!)  Siena was excited to see it come to life (okay, not literally, that would be gross.)  After gobbling up dinner, we headed to the pool to meet our friends for her "beach party."  I'm sad I didn't get a picture of her with all her plastic leis on.  It was cute. 

 Lauren and Qiana (Qiana has acclimatized well because once she got out of the water and into the 85 degree weather, she was cold.)

 The Ez was just hanging out.

 Adrienne with Maddy

 Logan and Madilyn

 Right before singing to her

 Siena invited some friends she had met at the pool a few days earlier. I'm so impressed that they actually came.

 McKenna, Brynlee and Siena

 Making a wish and blowing out the candle. (The one thing she requested for her birthday was a "number 5 candle".  Like I said, so easy to please.)

 "Mor-di-da!" Taking the obligatory first bite, and fully expecting someone to push her face into the cake.

 Half-way cleaned up and basking in the attention

 Just happy to have more cake

Saying goodbye to friends