Homemade, that is. I love being Mexican American for so many reasons, but perhaps the #1 reason is because of the food. Good homemade Mexican food makes me proud! I have tried hard to single out my favorite dish but can’t seem to do so. I love it all: arroz con pollo, carne guisada, enchiladas…the list goes on! Unfortunately, the art of cooking homemade traditional Mexican meals is a dying art. For so many reasons this makes me sad.

Not only are the flavors of Mexican and Latin foods my absolute favorite, but the tradition and preparation process of these foods are what make me crave it. Meal time in my family growing up was family time. Over a spread of rice, beans, tortillas, carne guisada, and salsa we would discuss our days, politics, religion, etc. We would sit together as one family and talk. Now that I have moved away from home and started a family of my own, meal time isn’t the same. Actually, it doesn’t even compare. IF I cook dinner it is a fast meal that requires just one or two steps and sometimes just one pot. I don’t use comino or cilantro in my foods. I don’t own a molcajete. I don’t even have a bag of beans in my pantry. For so many reasons this makes me sad AND nostalgic.

Whether it be lack of time or lack of technical skill, my generation of 30 somethings doesn’t seem to know how to cook like our mothers and grandmothers do. I’ve seen and lived the trend. So I ask myself this “Do I deserve to be proud of homemade Mexican food if I can’t cook any of it?”.

The answer to that question will temporarily remain unanswered. For now,  I am on a search for true, authentic, Mexican food recipes. Do you have a recipe from your mama, abuelita, or tia you would like to share with me? With your recipe, I promise I will make a serious effort to learn to turn “meal time” into “family time” in my house…and I invite you to do the same.

-Victoria

Have you ever wondered just how clean those public changing tables are?! I think about it everytime I am out in public with my son and have to change his diaper. I always struggle…should I actually lay him on that disgusting and germ-ridden table or should I just let him sit with a dirty diaper? Up until recently, what I started doing was either change his diaper while he laid in the stroller or, if I was really desperate, I would change him while he was standing up. Neither way is easy at all!

It wasn’t until just recently that I discovered the most amazing changing pad out on the market!! It is called the Plush Pad and is true to its name. We started carrying them at our online store but honestly, the Internet doesn’t do the Plush Pad any justice. This changing pad is worlds better than any pad you get free in your diaper bag. It is SO soft and actually has memory foam that your baby lays on while you change him/her. (I only wish my bed were this soft and comfortable!) But perhaps the best part of this all, is that the changing pad is compact and fits in your diaper bag AND is machine washable!

Since purchasing this changing pad I have never had to struggle again with public changing tables!  This is my new favorite gift to give at baby showers, too. You have to take me word on this….It is worth EVERY PENNY! This changing pad and wipees are my diaper bag “must haves” and should be yours too!!

Click on the following link to see the styles offered by Baby Besos: http://www.babybesos.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/?q=plush+pad

-Victoria

Last week was my 31st birthday (gulp!) and thanks to my husband, family, and friends, I was showered and pampered for a whole entire week! One of the gifts I received was a book titled “It’s a Mom Thing. Real-World Insight for Proudly Imperfect Mothers.”. I didn’t know what to expect when I first opened the gift. Was the gift-giver trying to tell me something? Did I have some self reflecting to do? I opened the book…

And couldn’t stop laughing from the moment I read page 1 to the moment I hit the end. I saw myself in every single one of the pages. You see, it’s not a story book, it’s a book of 1-2 line phrases/sentences that the author, Tina Neidlein, has to say about motherhood. If you ask me, I would say she has secretly been living in my house since we first brought my son home from the hospital 17 months ago! Some of my favorites are “When you’re in public and you’re singing to yourself about a spider or a teapot or finding a peanut, then yes…You are such a mom.”, “Relax! Nowhere on your gravestone is it gonna say, ‘She gave her kids too much soda’.”, and “They call it a baby “shower” because it may be the last shower you ever get to enjoy again.”.

I must say it was rather comforting reading this book because there is so much pressure out there, especially for stay-at-home-moms, like myself, to be perfect at motherhood and staying home. Well, I am far from perfect. Goodness, my son didn’t even have a Christmas tree or stocking up this year. That’s bad, I know. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love him. I did, afterall, give up my career to care for him…And I have 25 extra pounds of “stuff” on my body because of him and for once in my life I don’t mind it. Ok, maybe I mind a little, but I wouldn’t trade it for him if I was given the opportunity. And there is no one else in this world (sorry, husband) that I would do this for!

So, in the end, I am content knowing that although I wish I was hard-wired to be like Martha Stewart, I am not and never will be Martha Stewart. For the 2% out there who ARE Martha’s…you are doing a great job! And to the 98% of you out there who are NOT Martha’s…you are doing a great job! Now go ahead and repeat after me…”I am proud to say that I am NOT a perfect mom!” See, doesn’t it feel good to let it out?

-Victoria