Joelito's Mama

Chicago Dog at Wise Guys - Harker Heights

2010-02-27T12:09:00.001-08:00

Chicago Dog at Wise Guys - Harker Heights
Originally uploaded by shelnew19

YES

Snow in Texas!

2010-02-23T08:58:00.001-08:00

IMAG0255
Originally uploaded by shelnew19

This is the first time Joelito has ever seen snow! <3

Joelito sings Super Cat

2010-02-03T10:03:00.001-08:00

Joelito sings Super Cat
Originally uploaded by shelnew19

Cute Overload

Mexican Coke!

2010-01-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

For Mona: 25 things you may or may not know about me

2009-01-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

1. I have 3 brothers and one sister, and 4 out of 5 of us have served in the military.

2. I am sarcastic to the point where it annoys my friends and family.

3. I am not tech savvy at all. I am always about a step away from using my DVD drive as a cup holder.

4. I love to cook.

5. I tend to be oversensitive.

6. I never wear makeup, ever.

7. I am a huge introvert. Huge.

8. My best friend is my mom.

9. I hate breakfast cereal and mac and cheese.

10. I refer to Google as "the Google".

11. I have an extremely short attention span.

12. I never go to the movies, I hate sitting still for 2 hours.

13. I could eat some form of potatoes for every meal, every day.

14. I still play Pac-Man.

15. I am never late.

16. I briefed an entire Army division command group in Kuwait. (A big deal for an E4)

17. I miss the Army, but I would never rejoin.

18. My mouth always gets me in trouble, I never know when to shut up.

19. Very loyal.

20. I am constantly resisting the urge to brightkite every place I go. Including gas stations, doctor's offices, rest areas. etc.

21. I am such a nerd that I have a "Momocrats" bumper sticker on my car.

22. I am seriously addicted to my BlackBerry, even though I barely know how to use it.

23. I can be a little too judgmental.

24. I can be a naive.

25. I can't believe how hard it was to make this list!

Book Review, "The Paper Bag Christmas"

2008-12-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

The holidays can terribly stressful, with all of the shopping, the cooking and the planning. The stress makes it easy to lose sight of what is truly important during the holidays. Sometimes I even have to take a step back and recognize what is important, and why we celebrate. I took a short break this holiday season to read
"The Paper Bag Christmas" and it really put the whole thing into perspective.

The book centers around two young boys, Molar and Aaron, whom are forced by their parents to visit Santa at the local mall. The boys don't believe in Santa, but they begrudgingly go. The boys are given paper to make lists for Santa, which they fill with anything and everything. When they finally get to Santa, he looks at their list and tells them they are probably not going to get everything on their list, but he can give them a gift "better than everything they have ever written down." He asks the boys to meet him at a local address a couple days later.

When they arrive at the address, they see that they are at a children's hospital, and being asked to volunteer for the holidays. This begins a journey for the boys, and shows them the real meaning of Christmas.

I really enjoyed this book. It was heart warming and honest. The book really made me stop and think about the true meaning of Christmas and what really is important. One thing I particularly liked about this book is the fact that it is long enough to tell a great story, but not so long that I start and never go back to it.

I would suggest if anyone has a few free minutes to check out "The Paper Bag Christmas," especially if you are feeling down or are tired of the commercialization. It was a great book and I plan to read it every year at Christmas. You can read an excerpt of the book here.

Thanksgiving....

2008-12-03T12:23:00.001-08:00

We had a very nice Thanksgiving, but it went by much faster than I would have liked. Joel and I ate meals out, gasp, at least three times. Joelito spent the entire trip attached to Abuelita's hip. Joel and I have become used to being chopped liver when the Abuelito's are around, and we are fine with it.

In other news, we have decided to drive to West Virginia to see my parents for Christmas. 18 hours. 18 hours. That is a ridiculously long time to be in the car with a 2 year old. I am going to try to muster as much patience as I possibly can for this trip. I think we are crazy, but we are going to do it anyway. I still do not know how we will entertain this child in a car for at least 18 hours. Does anyone have any ideas?

We need a break...

2008-11-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

So yesterday hubby was talking to my mother in law.

Mother in Law: "I can't wait to see Joelito over Thanksgiving!"

Hubby: "We can't wait to dump him on you!"

Yes, we very much need a break. Preferably at least one toddler free night on the town. Thank goodness for Thanksgiving.

So it has been 3 months..

2008-11-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been 3 months since I last updated. I have terribly lax about posting, life has really getting in the way. I can't believe it is November already! Sheesh, where did all the time go?

We are doing well, Joelito is growing by leaps and bounds. He knows how to count to 12, which is pretty big deal to us. He loves letters and numbers. He is very inquisitive about the world around him. He is starting to speak in sentences and tell us what he wants. Next thing you know we will be sending him off to school.

Today he decided he needed to vacuum. Despite the fact that the vacuum is twice his size and very heavy. I suppose I should be happy he enjoys vacuuming and I can only hope he enjoys it later. But I doubt it.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2008-08-19T11:52:00.001-07:00

Happy 2nd birthday my beautiful little boy! I love you!

Mini Batman

2008-08-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

I love my little Batman. How could you not love this kid? Muah!

My Friday Vent

2008-08-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today I just want to vent. It hasn't been a particularly good week. I am really missing my family, I am tired of being a maid, and I am absolutely sick of this weather here in Texas.

The gas prices have me irate. Last year at this time we had already flown home to see my family twice. This year, nada. The ticket prices have skyrocketed, they are about $200 more expensive this year than last. To make matters worse, we will now have to pay for Joelito. He is almost 2 and holding him in our laps is not an option. We would have to bring a car seat and possibly a stroller. There is no way I could do this on my own. Driving isn't an option either. 20 hours in the car with a toddler will not happen.

And yes, I am sick of being a maid. This week as felt like Groundhog Day to me. Everyday has been the same exact routine. I normally like routine, but it is getting to be too much. I used to love making dinner, I love to cook, but this week, ughhh. It is just a chore I would rather not partake in. I am annoyed with laundry, vacuuming, picking up toys, doing dishes, the list goes on and on.

The weather here, for lack of a better word, sucks. Ninety-nine to 100 degrees everyday. To top it off, a heat index of 110. Ridiculous. I don't even like to take Joelito to the park because he gets overheated so quickly. And rain?! Forget it! Once a month now.

Even though I am irritated, angry and somewhat morose, I have tried to put everything into perspective. Life could be much, much worse. I think I have just hit a little bump in the road. I will surpass it. It's just nice to get it out every now and then.

Hugs and the IRR

2008-07-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of writing a post today about the little irritations I have had since Joelito has nearly entered his "terrible two's" It was going to be full of vents of all these frivolous little things in life as a stay-at-home-mom. Than I got word today that one of our friends is getting recalled into the IRR.

For those who don't know, the IRR is the "Individual Ready Reserve." Basically, when you sign a contract, you serve a total of 8 years. For example, I served 4 years on active duty, and 4 years in the IRR, where I am free to live as a civilian, but can be recalled at the Army's whim at any time.

When I heard the news today, it really put everything into perspective. All of life's little nuisances and annoyances mean very little. I am not facing the potential of 15 months away from my child and husband, I am not facing the potential to return to Iraq.

I know it may sound cliche, but hug and kiss your family today. Tell them you love them and think about those like my friend whom are facing at least a year in Iraq with out family and all of life's little conveniences. The little annoyances in life mean so little.

Happy Father's Day, Joel!

2008-06-15T09:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day, Joel! Thank you for being the best dad ever! We love you!

The Great Parenting Failure

2008-06-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Joelito has been very difficult since he came back from his one week stint with the grandparents. Everything in the house has become a platform, he has zero concept of the word no, and he hasn't been sleeping through the night anymore. And just when I thought that this took the cake in great parenting failures, I was once again proven wrong.

Today was a very rough day. Joelito emptied an entire salt shaker on the floor, dumped his juice everywhere, and used his Mega Wagon to stand on top of, right next to the stove. I was exhausted by 10am, I swear. Right after lunch I stepped outside, and with in a matter of a minute or so, Joelito stood on an empty office trashcan we use for his toys, and locked the deadbolt. Yes, he locked the bloody door. I had no keys, no cell phone, nothing. I was an absolute mess, old ratty shorts and t-shirt, frizzy hair, and flip flops.

The first thing I did was tear the screen off one of the windows and try to open it, no luck. This was of course after I shook the door repeatedly thinking he would unlock it. Duh, he is 21 months old. It's like when you are locked out of the house and you can see and hear your dog, but you know the dog can't unlock the door. It was frustrating.

I ran to the side of the house and tried those windows, no luck. I ran back to the front. What the hell do I do? Call the police? I don't have a phone! Should I go to the neighbors? I was at a loss. I was also freaking out wondering what he was doing. The stupid blinds were down, I couldn't see a thing inside the house. What was he getting into? Oh my gosh, what if he gets hurt? This truly put the lost baby episode to shame.

So I am standing on the patio near the front door wondering, what is my next move? I need to do something. I took off and ran as fast as I could next door, panting, face all red, frizz flying everywhere. Hopped over their baby gate and rang the doorbell, thinking please answer, please.

Bless the neighbors heart. She let me use her phone to call Joel, who almost didn't pick up. She was very nice and I felt tremendously guilty that I didn't even know her name. I told Joel to "bust his butt" home with a key. I thanked the neighbor, and ran back to the house.

You see, we have three windows looking out to our patio. At that point, I had only tried to open one of those windows, because I was ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE I had locked the other two. POSITIVE. But I figured, let me try to open the other windows anyway. I tore off the screen, chucked it on the ground and pushed the window up. SUCCESS! The window opened. There have been few times in my life that I have felt as much relief as I did at that moment. I crawled through the window, pushed away the blinds, and fell on the floor of the living room.

Next thing you know, stinky butt comes strutting up the hallway in his little wife beater, with a huge smile on his face. It was the funniest thing in the world for him to see Mommy crawl through the window. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The whole episode was terribly exhausting. I certainly learned my lesson, if I need to go outside, no matter how quick, unlock a window, bring keys, and my cell phone. I'm just happy it's over.

Back to Full on Mommy Mode

2008-06-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

After a nice week off from child care, we finally saw the little man Friday afternoon. He looked like he had grown a foot, I swear. We missed him much, much more than we had imagined we would. I'll post more on the visit later, now I am trying to get used to going back to Mommy mode all over again. It has not been easy.

I'm not going to do a menu this week, we have decided to cook whatever we find in our freezer. I will go back to normal next week, after I recover from our mini vacation.

Inconsistent McCain

2008-05-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to hop on my political soapbox. I was already angry this morning listening to John McCain berate Barack Obama about Iraq. McCain claims that Obama does not understand Iraq, (yes, like McCain even knows the difference between Sunnis and Shiites), and is too inexperienced with foreign policy to make the right decisions. Then I saw this. (Be sure to watch the video, very telling).

You see, I have no problem with someone who changes their position. Some days I'm not even sure what I believe. But McCain's flipitty-floppityness goes beyond simply changing ones position. He is ridiculously inconsistent. I could even understand if the inconsistencies were over long periods of time, but they aren't. I can't always remember everything I say one day to the next, but I also don't have a team of advisor's around me at all times, and I'm not running for president. A presidential candidate should be held to a higher standard.

My personal favorite has always been McCain's trip to the market in Baghdad. He tried to have us all believe it was safe, and attempted to hide all of the extra security measures he had scattered around him. Mmmmkay.

I am angry. I am angry that at least part of the American Public isn't seeing these things. McCain is dangerous. Who knows what his inconsistencies really mean? I can only hope everyone sees him for who is really is before it is too late. Off my soapbox.

The BBQ

2008-05-26T11:11:00.001-07:00

We had our little cook out yesterday, and just about everything came out great. We had ribs, sausage, corn on the cob, grilled zucchini and yellow squash, and hubby had baked beans (I can't stand them.) We had purchased a small charcoal grill because our large gas grill had some serious issues. It had been a long time since Joel or I had cooked with charcoal, so we were pretty nervous.

Joel marinated the ribs about an hour before he lit the grill. He used soy sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Goya Sazon, thyme, cumin, paprika, salt, black pepper, diced onions, green peppers and garlic. They smelled amazing before he even put them on the grill.
They took much longer than we thought they would, and cooking with charcoal was so different than gas. We also soaked some mesquite chips in water, and threw them on coals, which also created another taste dimension. We used Jack Daniel's Hickory Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce, and were impressed. It had the right amount of sweetness and the perfect amount of thickness.

The final product was absolutely amazing! These were by far the best ribs Joel had ever made. They were cooked perfectly, juicy, and ridiculously flavorful.

Before the ribs were done, Joel threw on the sausage. The flavor of the sausage was incredible. This would have been awesome by itself in a hard roll with some mustard. I also heated some corn and instead of plain old butter, I threw together cilantro butter. The butter was great, but I would have used unsalted butter the next time.

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the zucchini and squash. I am missing a part of my mandolin, so I had to slice it lengthwise by hand, and that did not go well. I tossed the slices with olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. The thinner slices I put in a foil packet and the thicker pieces I placed directly on the grill rack. They were way over cooked, too mushy for my liking. Next time I will slice them much thicker, and leave them on the grill half the time I did this time.

All in all, we were very pleased with results. The whole meal took at least two hours from start to finish, but definitely worth the time and effort.

Weekly Menu

2008-05-26T10:16:00.001-07:00

This week's menu is going to be short because we are planning to head to San Antonio on Friday to pick up baby boy and spend some time with family. I also decided not to make this week as structured as normal since it is just Joel and I.

Monday – Leftover BBQ grub – We decided to cook out a day early so hubby could rest up before he has to go back to work on Tuesday. The cook out went awesome, we did very well.

Tuesday – Panini's - Mother-in-Law gave us a Panini Press that I am dying to try out. I am going to pick up some hard rolls, mozzarella, ham, salami, pepperoni, and fresh basil and hope for the best. I'll probably throw together a small salad to go with these.

Wednesday – Brinner (Breakfast for dinner) – We'll have eggs, bacon, and home fried potatoes. We are big brinner eaters in this house.

Thursday – Grilled Pizza – I have always wanted to try grilled pizza, but I have been too scared. I am just going to buy premade bread dough as my baking skills leave something to be desired.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – We will be away in San Antonio, so no cooking for me. Looking forward to the awesomeness of Mother-in-Law's food, she is the best cook ever.

Baby to Big Boy

2008-05-21T17:19:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe this

is now this. Awwwww.....

Breakthrough!

2008-05-21T16:43:00.001-07:00

We had a huge breakthrough today. See, we have a child that has eating issues. It seems like it took him forever to eat any solid foods. Then, once he started eating more solid foods, he only wanted junk, cookies and the like. We had an awful time trying to get him to eat meat, with the exception of chicken nuggets, (of course). I think we are finally breaking down that wall, and I am absolutely ecstatic.

For the past two weeks, to my horror, Joelito has been climbing on the kitchen chairs. I am constantly trying to keep him off the table, and away from the napkins, condiments, etc. Of course he had a rude awakening a couple weeks ago when he grabbed Daddy's habanero hot sauce and took a small taste, but that's another story. Anyway, today during "adult dinner," we put him up on the chair, gave him a baby fork, and a plate of meaty spaghetti sauce.

Guess what?!? He ate it! He sat there, at the table, like a big boy, and ate spaghetti sauce, with a fork. He made a big mess, but he maneuvered the fork much better than I had imagined he would. We were so proud! From now on we are going to sit him at the table with us, and keep trying!

Weekly Menu

2008-05-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

I am going to to try to post my weekly menu starting today. I usually create a menu plan/shopping list every two weeks and do one large shopping trip. We noticed the doing the shopping biweekly reduces the urge (at least a little), to impulse buy. We also generally make one dish every two days and have the leftovers the second day.

Monday - Leftover oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes - Joel made an awesome oven fried chicken yesterday. We were going to try this recipe from Paula Deen, but it was hot, I was cranky, and I didn't want to fry. Our fried chicken never quite comes out the way we want it. I made the mashed potatoes, and I thought they came out awesome. I used red potatoes for a change, and I was too lazy to peel them.

Tuesday - Spaghetti with meat sauce - I have some homemade sauce that I made in my slow cooker a couple weeks ago, and froze. This is a great recipe, and so easy.

Wednesday - Hot Dogs and ? - This will be plain old hot dogs, we love Hebrew National.

Thursday - Probably hot dogs, and various other leftovers from the fridge

Friday - Since the Grandparents are coming in I will probably make tacos. I just brown a couple pounds of ground meat, with some cumin, seasoned salt, thyme, Goya Sazon, ground black pepper, and chili powder. I also make a cabbage salad on the side with red onion, tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. I love the cabbage salad, and it will also work with tortilla chips.

Saturday - This will probably be a going out to eat day since Joelito will be with the grandparents.

Sunday - Not sure about this day yet

Monday - I want to do a cookout for Memorial Day, hopefully it won't rain.

Pre-Summer Fun

2008-05-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a rather uneventful week or so here in Casa Martinez. Summer is rolling around in Texas, and it's already hot. I cleaned up our little patio, (emphasis on little), so that I can set up a little pool for Joelito. Our patio hadn't been thoroughly cleaned since Joel and I's pre-baby partying days. We took Joelito out and let him play in the water hose, he had a blast.

We're getting pretty excited because Joel's parents are coming in soon and we will be baby free for a week! Although we
claim we will spend a lot of time doing this, we will probably actually be doing this. None the less, we are excited, and looking forward to a little more mommy and daddy time.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day today! My mom lives 16 hours away, and I really miss her this year for Mother's Day. On that note, I decided to list 5 things I love about my mom.

Top 5 Things I love about my Mom:

5. She never gives up. When faced with challenges, my mom fights to the end. She taught me to never stop fighting for what I want.

4. She is an eternal optimist. She can see the bright side of everything. It doesn't matter what happens, she always feels like something good can come out of it.

3. She is an awesome grandmother. Seeing my mother with my son has been life altering for me. Joelito can do no wrong in her eyes. She lights up when she plays with him, and she loves him in a way no one else ever could.

2. She is incredibly kind. This woman would give you the shirt off your back if you asked her. I've seen her give money to bums, give rides to strangers and goodness knows she has helped me out on more than one occasion.

1. She is the absolute best friend I have ever had. I can tell her virtually anything, she doesn't judge, she just listens. I could never ask for her a better friend than my mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you!

Lost

2008-05-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

So I lost my baby today. Lost, you say? Yes, lost. You see, I was using the restroom with the door open, (because apparently when you become a mommy, privacy is a thing of the past), and Joelito was playing in the living room. I could hear him talking, and nothing crashing, so I assumed everything was fine.

When I finished in the restroom, I washed my hands, turned out the lights and shut the door. I walked through the bedroom, picked up an old sippy cup and headed to the living room. No baby. Walked into the kitchen. No baby. Ran to the second bathroom, the bedroom. No baby. Checked the bedroom closet, the cabinets, the bed. No baby. At this point, I am in full on panic mode. Absolutely, positively, freaking out. I am running around the house screaming "Joelito," and he is not answering me. I saw visions of his face on milk cartons, or him pushing his dump truck down the driveway. In a last ditch effort, I decided to check the bathroom I was just using. And there he was, sitting on the floor, in the dark.

So somehow, this little stinky butt walked in behind me, and I managed to shut him in the bathroom. I have been on convoys in Iraq, and I have never been as scared as I was this morning. After I found him, I sat on the floor and cried my eyes out. To add insult to injury, he laughed at me. Yes, mommy was a blubbering mess, and Joelito laughed. I have no idea how I am going to get through the next 18 years!

Changes

2008-05-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

I think I want to change the focus of my blog. I had written a couple posts about my baby, and my intent was for this blog to serve as a record to him later on, as he grew. I stopped updating after a couple posts because I got caught up in the little things. I figured since I have a million pictures, a scrapbook, and a totspot.com page for him, I don't need this blog as a record, necessarily.

I have decided to talk about whatever. I don't have a specific focus, nor an agenda. I will still probably spend the bulk of my time talking about my baby, and other mommy concerns, but I am interested in a lot of different things from reggae music to cooking, so anything goes.

You are famous!

2007-02-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

You made the newspaper! You and daddy went to church for
Ash Wednesday and you were on the front page of the newspaper.
It was such a beautiful picture!

You are basically sitting up on your own now. You will occasionally
wobble from side to side, but your back is pretty strong.
The sleep thing, not so good. We tried the crib last Monday....
big mistake. It did not go well at all. You like to cuddle with
mommy and daddy in the big people bed.

Oh my goodness, I almost forgot! You went to the doctor's office last week, and whew, are you chubby! 21 pounds! You are at the 90th percentile for height and weight! Gramma N bought you a new car seat, the days of the baby carrier are over. Mommy is dreading the 25 pound mark, because she will have to give up the baby Bjorn. That will be sad day at our house.

Things are going pretty well, thought. Mommy's car is acting up, so we haven't been going out a lot. The weather is getting so nice, though. It was in the 80's all last week. Tia Cardeen is coming down next weekend, hooray!

I love you!

Pure Love

2007-02-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Playing with Daddy

Dear Joelito,

Today we went to a video teleconference so daddy and mommy could see 2 of their friends in Iraq.

This is you in your new outfit from Aunt Courtney. You were a pretty good little boy today.

Daddy and Joelito

I wish you understood how much daddy and I love you. You are so perfect, everything about you is beautiful. I love waking up seeing you next to me...I love your infectious laugh when daddy tickles you...You are such a fabulous little boy.

Please go to sleep

2007-02-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Watching the Super Bowl with Daddy

Dear Joelito,

You are getting so big! Daddy and I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday you were this little 8 pound thing. I think sometimes we already miss how little you were just 6 short months ago. Now you are grabbing everything, (and putting it right into your mouth), babbling, eating solid foods, and nearly crawling.

Now let me just say, this waking up every hour has got to stop. Last night you decided sleep was for suckers. Mommy and daddy spent most of the night turning you over, and putting the pacifier back in your mouth. You will spend half of the night rolling over to your belly, and then get furious that you ended up that way. Gramma and Grampa have spoken to you about this, but to no avail. I guess your two new teeth hurt.

You are waking up from your nap right now....Mommy needs to go.

I love you!

Dear Joelito

2007-02-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Joelito,

I am creating this blog for you, so one day you can look back and see how you grew and advanced. I want you look at this one day and see the joy you brought your family. I also want you to see it through our eyes.

I love you,
Mommy