Summer 2011, Part 2- We Gave In

A few days after returning from our camping trip, we decided to take a trip down to Del Rio to visit family before Julio started his summer work. It's always nice to go when we have a little bit more time and aren't rushed. But even then, we aren't able to see everyone (extended family).

One evening, Julio's sister, Selina, took us to this place out in Cienegas (you have to be from Del Rio to know what I'm talking about) called La Lomita where they have all of these crazy food and drink combinations. The owners have converted a small side house into their little store. I ordered a drink called Piña Loca, which is basically pureed pineapple. It was deliciously, refreshing! Julio and Selina ordered something called a Mangolada, with is basically a frozen mango puree with added chile. This isn't the kind of place you want to frequent for their food, as it will all probably lead you to a heart attack, but it's a good place to visit from time to time or you can just stick to their drinks, which can be a healthier option. All together, a pretty interesting place.

Yum!

While in Del Rio, we were able to get some swimming in at my parents' house. Allow me to sidetrack briefly. Julio and I are kinda "tough love" parents. We don't baby Elan a whole lot. For example, with potty training, it didn't take us long when we decided to get serious about it. We went through 1.5 packs of pull-ups, and they were used mainly at night. We just took away the "safety net" as soon as possible, so he would learn to rely on this own abilities and instincts, rather than the pull-ups. Same goes for learning to ride a bike. He uses a balance bike and we refuse to ever get him a tricycle or a bike with training wheels. He will learn to balance on this bike, and then the pedals come in later. Supposedly, he will learn to ride his bike quicker this way. Again- relying on his own abilities and instincts, rather than any other forms of balance. Ok, back to swimming. We thought the same thing about swimming- NO FLOATIES! Well...... we gave in while in Del Rio. For some reason, Elan has not taken on to swimming like we thought he would. He likes the water, likes the pool, but isn't comfortable swimming. We've tried the gentle approach, the "sink or swim" approach (he chooses to sink), but nothing has worked to get him comfortable. So, when we go swimming, he spends most of the time attached to one of us. This can get tiresome. So, while we were at my parents house, we found a pair of arm floats, and let him try them. He loved them! It gave him freedom and he was all over the pool. So, while we like to think we're tough, I guess we're really not.

Practicing his swim techniques.

Jumping in

On his own!

Summer 2011, Part 1

I have a lot of catching up to do. Luckily we aren't world travelers, so it's not like this will be in 10 parts.

I guess I'll begin by telling you about our camping trip. We met up with my brother Turis and sister-in-law Dacia at Tyler State Park the second week of June for a 3 day camping trip. It was very hot, but lots of fun. Elan especially had a good time. Believe it or not, this was his first camping trip. I don't know how we've gone this long without ever taking him. So, everything was new and exciting for him and it was great watching him experience it all for the first time.

A view of the lake about 5 steps away from our campsite.

A view of sun shining through the trees. Only Julio could capture this.

 We each had a good time enjoying the different things the park had to offer. Julio and Turis got to enjoy the park's expansive mountain bike trails. I almost forgot, I also got to go mountain biking (after 3 years of my mountain bike collecting spider webs)! Turis and Dacia got to go out on the lake on the pedal boats with their dogs, Hiro and Emma. Elan got to enjoy the swimming area, hiking, and his first go at fishing. And I got a chance to go for a jog around the tree-shaded trail around the lake.

I hope I don't go overboard with these pictures, but I think it'll give you a better idea of what Elan got to experience during the trip.

Making sure ALL of OUR bikes are secure before heading out on a hike.

Testing the waters.

 

 

A short climb during our hike.

Going for a ride.

Even the pros fall every now and then.

Gone fishing.

Casting.

Casting again.

Waiting for a bite.

Waiting patiently.

Taking a break from swimming. Of course, this is the only pic taken from my phone. Sorry.

After a nice shower.

Snacking, waiting for dinner.

Sunset

Sleeping in the tent. It was so hot, so we didn't dare use the sleeping bags, and all we had to serve as "a sheet" was a cloth table cloth! Oh, and we forgot the pillows, too! We survived, anyway.

So, that was our camping trip. We'd like to go camping more regularly, but it's been so hot the last few weeks, so we probably won't be doing it again until the Fall. 

Writer's Block

Photo courtesy of:

Lucid Dreams and Saturn Skies

The Life (and Writing) of Andrew Kincaid

It's been 20 days since I last posted. And it's not that I haven't had things to say, but rather I've had writer's block. Not for the blog, though. I recently decided to apply to grad school and I had to submit an essay as part of the application process. It had to be 3-5 pages and meet the guidelines provided. So, I got started and I made one rule for myself. No blogging until it was done. It didn't take me 20 days to complete it, but pretty close to it. Plus, my time to write has been limited. I can only write when Elan is napping, since Julio is back at work (Summer work). And there were some days where all I added was 2 lines because I just couldn't put my thoughts into words. It was so frustrating writing for school again. I know what you're thinking, "Get used to it."

So, that's been a small part of what we've been up to. I have a lot of updating to do! Four weeks of summer have gone by and we've done a lot. More on that later. :)

More writer's block humor:

Comic courtesy of everparent.com

Comic courtesy of steven-dean.com

Tyler Florence

If any of you were friends with me on Myspace (remember that?), you might remember my "about me" section. Somewhere in there I mentioned that I'd like to meet Tyler Florence, the chef. There was a time in my life when I was a Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, and TLC junkie. I could watch these channels for hours. We no longer have these channels since we just have basic cable, so I don't know who the "in people" are now. But I was am a fan of Tyler Florence. Back then, it was because of his good looks and I thought his recipes were good. As a matter of fact, my Thanksgiving turkey recipe which I use every year, and happens to get tons of great reviews, comes from him.... along with my cranberry sauce and green bean recipes.

Anyway, today, I am a fan because of his newest book, Start Fresh. It's about getting kids to eat healthy right from the start, by feeding them fresh foods from your very own kitchen and avoiding the jarred stuff. If I have one regret in parenting, it's that I used the jarred stuff and didn't experiment in the kitchen when preparing Elan's meals. That could be a whole other post. Anyway, after a long battle with pickiness, Elan now eats well and he gets a good variety of foods. I'm happy to say, he's never been a "chicken nugget, grilled cheese, macacroni- eating" kid. He eats what we eat (finally) and we stay away from the kids menu at restaurants because it's usually all junk and it almost never resembles what the rest of the adult menu looks like.

Well, yesterday, I got to meet Tyler Florence at Whole Foods. He was there for a book signing, promoting his new book. So, even though I'm not one to be star struck, nor do I chase around celebrities, I had to go to this. I'm a fan and I completely agree with everything in his book and what he is trying to promote. What I love most about this book, is that once your child is old enough, he/she eats what you eat. The recipes are for you, and then you put the child portion in the food processor to get it to whatever consistency your child can eat (depending on their age).

For Elan, we can skip the single ingredient purees and pretty much all of the things listed in the first few months of the book. And of course, there is no food processing for us either. Thank goodness, we can cook and serve as is. Even though Elan is a pretty healthy eater, I'm always looking ways to make things better and expose Elan to new things, since I am a picky eater and can still be that "chicken nugget, grilled cheese, and macaroni" eating kid sometimes. I will say, I have become a better, healthier eater since having Elan. If I want him to eat his veggies, I have to, too.

So, we have already started using the recipes and if I'm lucky enough, I'll get my chance to start the book from the very beginning one day with baby #2 (if we ever have a #2). We shall see.

Not the greatest picture, but it's the only one I have, so I just had to post it. :)

P.S. Elan is not completely deprived. He gets his share of desserts and not-so-healthy foods sometimes. It's just not an everyday thing.

Getting better

Things are finally on the upside around here. Since my last post Elan got worse. Congestion and fever reared their ugly heads and really got the best of him. Tuesday night was pretty bad and we kept him home on Wednesday. Well, Julio stayed home with him most of the day, till I could leave work early. It was really heartbreaking to see him just mope around. He didn't play AT ALL that day and he was pretty much in and out of sleep all day, either on the sofa or in his bed. He didn't want to eat anything- not even a cookie! So, you know he was feeling really bad. Poor thing. Wednesday was probably the worst of it. He was able to go to the sitter on Thursday and he's been getting better by the day. Thank goodness!

Julio was able to wrap things up at work on Thursday and he's done till the end of June, when he goes back for summer work. I was supposed to be done by this point, but the PTA account has taken a lot of my time and having to stay with Elan on Wednesday kinda set me back. So, I'll be going in on Monday to finish packing the last of my stuff. I'm sure the custodians will be relieved once I get it done.

So, in a way summer has begun. YAY! I'm looking forward to relaxing a bit, getting to exercise more, and just spend time with family. So far, no major plans. I'll keep you posted.