1.28.2011

{this moment}

A Friday ritual, one pictures, no words, inspired by SouleMama.


 En el pino

1.22.2011

There's nothing like the satisfaction of eating something good for your body, healthy, made by you, it just produces happiness.




Today we started to make pizza from scratch, we use this precious recipe book that also has songs, stories, instructions for building a oven and important information about the effect bread can have on children. I liked the idea from the book that says: the best way to welcome people in your home is with the smell of fresh bread, and everyone will be comfortable, happy and will feel nurtured.


La pizza casera


Another very important thing is the importance of involving children in the preparation of food, and although I do so often, it's wonderful every time.


DSCF7367

It may take longer, but allow us to take a slower pace calm and enjoy and digest better. But the way in which children are involved, see their enthusiasm and pride, and then see how well they eat any vegetables (like eggplant used here) is wonderful, I have not see before my kid eating at such a good speed, without being distracted and left the plate clean.


La pizza

Then he had a streak of happiness, saying a thousand times You have no idea how happy I am, mom. He said that when he grew up he wanted to make pizza for all our friends by himself and then told his grandmother on the phone with pride.

1.21.2011

Healthy habits

I have had a long ugly pain is on the side, thought it was a hernia, they thought it was a bond, they thought it was loose bowel, and they don't seemed to be clear about it, I hate that from the doctors.
Began over a year and sometimes is unbearable, very strong and not fade throughout the day, a couple of days ago suddenly disappeared and I spent like 4 days without pain, nothing. First I was scared, then I enjoyed it.
Now it's back but lighter. What changed?, I'm not sure, but it gets worse with sadness and digestion.
Although it is difficult, I want to improve my health habits, I know it will make a big difference, everyone will have to find their own, but for me this is the most important:

Sleep well and enough.  

I always want to do things at night, I concentrate better and I can continue to run with the same without interruption, but I noticed that my personality is affected and is completely different in periods when I'm sleeping 10 hours each night rather than 7 or less, they are not enough for me.
Not to eat the things that hurt me and keep a consistent schedule.  

In my opinion (informed), no one should not eat dairy, no other animal is taken milk from another species, and is food that is naturally fortified to help growing infants, adults are not growing. But having said that, beyond the level of environmental responsibility who want to take the matter of were your food came, everyone has their own intolerances, and yet sometimes we fall and fall again with this tempting dish, but why?, if we know what comes next. We also all know that what is very processed, fried or refined sugar is bad but these effects are not immediately perceive. And another important point, but difficult to do the same number of meals each day and at the same time, to not have an schedule harms me a lot.
Be quiet

Again, difficult but possible. We must remove from our environment all stressors and then learn to not feel guilty about it, not to I have no formal work, as everyone expects of me, not to see much my family if they dislike me, despise social commitment.
Clean-Simplicity.  

It is easier to be calm, if everything is in order, but it is very difficult to have order if there is too much stuff, we really do not need it , neither our children, so many toys, so much plastic, and it all ends in the trash, at sea, a river, on the banks of the poorest neighborhoods, stuck in the strainer. And it all starts with acquiring or accepting, that is buying or receiving things from others, in this sense I made a resolution that will share soon.
Minewhile the homemade pizza we did today and I will talk about tomorrow.



La pizza

1.10.2011

Going out

I was afraid to publish last post, I tought I mat loose all my readers, but this is a life path, of learning, and that's it, if no one cames back, too bad.


En la carreta

A friend form Mexico came to visit and so we went sightseeing.


Capullos

First day we went to the coffee tour of Café Britt, it one of those turistic things that I never do, and are out of budget, but I'm glad we did it because a learn a couple of things about coffee history, life cycle of the plant and about it's preparation. I didn't knew that you should not make coffee with bowling water because then you will extract some cerum from it which can not be digested and may cause stomachache and/or headache.


Colibrí

In the afternoon we went to the movies, for my son's enjoyment.


Bluejeans frog

Second day we try to go to Poás Volcano,  but it was too clouded so we end up in the La Paz Waterfall park, and it was so nice.

We saw butterflies, monkeys, frogs, snakes, hummingbirds and other birds, even jaguars. The waterfalls are pretty too.


Cascada de la Paz

And after that we went to fish a trout under the rain.

Pescando



The third day we went to the Gold Museum, which was interesting too, and I will recommend it.


Morpho

¿How is your January? ¿slow, hurry?

1.09.2011

And then I clicked

I the beginning of motherhood I was happy, I has wanted to have a son for a while and I just felt that it was easy and soft.

But I was only taking care of him, I did nothing else, and I didn't want to. We had some hard time with the money, because I quited my job when I realized it was too stressing, and that I didn't want that kind of vibe around my baby still we had home and food, but that was it, it was really difficult to get the money for home services, still I was fine, and calm, I use to sleep a lot and only take care of house chores when he was sleep.

Then our life changed, I wanted to become a Doula, so we had to move to an apartment were I had lived from 88 to 95 with my mom and I stopped breastfeeding.

Little by little I started to be more angry, work more, sleep less and I became aggressive to my son. I realized that is kind of a cycle, yo allow your self to be worse, and worse and worse, moving the line from what you had decided not to do ever. And one day I found myself being educating with guilt.

At some point I understand I had to take the road back, but knowing it didn't showed me how.

As guilt inside me grew, also my anger and aggressiveness did, cause I felt that I had failed already as a mom, that I blew it, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I think this is a polluting idea that exist not only in my mind. For example at school, the first hour of the first day, you have an A, and then you just have to keep it that way, because if you fail in any way you'll start to loose pieces of it. But then, you make a mistake, you get late, or miss a homework or a reading, and you panic and that transforms in loosing interest until you may fail the class, because is so discouraging to loose that perfection, which is accented by the other who still posses it. And this, somehow, defines you, as a lazy, looser, etc.

And is my perception that sometimes this happens with parenthood.

So today, after leaving a visiting friend at the bus station. we went to eat, then to the bookstore, then to race each other running, than for a coffee, then we color a book, then back to the bookstore for a long while, then to some errands, then home, then more coloring, then working in our home calendar, dinner, bath, and hunting a roach.

This could be an ordinary day, and yet, it was different, because were are finding balance, I listen and he too, and we understand each other and everything is better, and I am afraid to say it, but I think we are back, and yes, parenthood is so easy, as long as you allow yourself the time and calm to trust your kid, it does come with instructive manual, they are whispering it at us every day, they forgive us as we may not know how to forgive others, and they love us unconditionally as we do to them and we need to let them know every day.

1.07.2011

And I made Chocolate...

For me the fine art of making chocolate from the beans was something selected only for the initiate, but I manage to do it ans I'm so happily surprised with myself. Everybody loved it.

Chocolate
I was almost sure in very step of the entire process that something will be wrong, I have never had so little faith on myself, and come with such a great result.

In the end I didn't even tasted, I just offer it, and then everybody start to said mmm and get happy, you know the magic endorphins of chocolate made the trick., but it tasted really good.
 
I found the beans in Heredia's market, they were a 6 dollars for 2 pounds,

I toasted one of them, this part is very important, if you over toasted the flavor will be bitter, but if you don't toast it enough to it will make you sick (just a little stomachache, but still not good)

Then you have to peel it, my hand got a little hurt on the process.

Then I ground it on a coffee grinder adding almost the same quantity of sugar and a little of cinnamon, it wasn't the best option but what I had on hand.

After that I warm it on a pan and add a little bit of water to make the bars.


Granos de cacao tostados
Cacao

Tablillas de chocolate

Then, you put water in a pot (traditional Mexican cocoa is on water not in milk, and it tastes really good).


The bread was not soft, but they liked any way, here is my little one helping.


La rosca
La rosca

As I was making it, I imagined my beautiful Mexico City, the big lines out of the bakery shops on the cold afternoon, I wish I could see that. I always bought mine at Comercial Mexicana, not because it was the best one, but I love the little figures that they place on it, ceramic and not plastic, and I had the hope of one day complete the Nativity Scene.

Mini nacimiento

1.06.2011

Getting ready for the Magic King's Bread Day

Cacao tostándose
Cacao pelado

We are getting ready for the family visit. Yesterday I toasted, peeled, ground and mold the cacao beans for our hot cocoa, it needs more sugar but I ran out of it, so we need to get out.

Regalo de Reyes

As Magic King's gift my son got a basketball set, it was only a casually, because it was his grand father birthday present, but he had not find it before.


Pantuflitas para el pillo

I made him new sleepers, because the old ones here on the picture are with holes now, but I can't complain, the last a year and I love this style because it adjust to feet shape, making it perfect for growing feet.
The yarn on both is Dolly by Tamm (a Mexican company), which I love because is very cheap, has great quality, and dyes very pretty.
I start them yesterday and finish them today, great quick project details on Ravelry.

I used a yarn that I dyed for the Christmas tree last year, to bad I ran out of green just at the end, but he liked them and they keep his feet warm.


Pantuflitas tejidas Ya con sus esferitas
Pantuflas

1.04.2011

New year and house cleaning

Mar

We spend the new year's eve in a beach house with family, it end up being much more people than planed, I didn't enjoy it, I'm not used to it, I much rather be at home, my son did enjoy the poll and the sea.


Mar

We are back home and I'm grateful, I'm cleaning and leting go stuff, but still having more than what I want.

I hope for an easier and quieter year and I wish to you all, peace and will for changes.


Mar

1.03.2011

Magic kings gift

I'm going to make a Magic Kings Crown bread. I had tried this once, back in 1996, well see if I get good results.

Invitaciones

I'm inviting a lot of people from my family, this tradition is celebrated in Mexico, but not in Costa Rica.
This holiday is very interesting, I think, I love it. Not the consumerism on it, which means that kids can ask for toys to the Kings as well to Santa Claus, so there is a crazy shopping until January 5th.

But the Mexican tradition of cutting the king's crown (made of bread and with fruits and sugar symbolizing the jewels) and find the baby Jesus, and that the lucky one has to make the tamales don February 2nd, that I love, even when I'm religious,

So I tought I could make an invitation as an activity with my son, and then, I tough I could share it with every one,  here it is you can download it.

Invitaciones

We had fun decorating them.