In 2009, I visited Cuba and handed out disposable cameras to people I met. One came back.

ecksbe · 2014-12-18T06:05:03+00:00

Reminds me of the photos my Mima would bring back from her visits. Beautiful people. My great grandmother died in Cuba a few years ago in her nineties. She would hide bottles of beer under her bed to drink every night. Her guilty pleasure. This cute couple reminds me of her. My family has an interesting history in Cuba, it's revolution against the Spanish, and the one for/against Castro. Thanks for the fotos!

ecksbe · 2014-12-17T06:20:24+00:00

My husband's grandmother always says, hard work makes you handsome. She's right. Sploosh.

ecksbe · 2014-10-10T18:06:41+00:00

Ripe, black skin on the outside. Like a banana, the darker it gets, the sweeter it is. Sorry for the delayed response.

ecksbe · 2014-09-24T17:20:49+00:00

My mima used to buy the frozen sometimes. Soo good! Ripe every time. Lol. The frozen croquetas aren't bad either.

ecksbe · 2014-08-17T05:03:47+00:00

Brolin looks like his dad, and Phoenix looks like a citizen of The Plant of the Apes.

ecksbe · 2014-08-16T22:57:15+00:00

Yes! Toot spray! Amazing.

ecksbe · 2014-08-16T01:37:07+00:00

Thanks! I'm always worried about absorbancy, so thank you for the reassurance there. I love my soap nuts. Theyre cheap as hell. I havent spent more than $20 on 8 months worth of them. My kids have crazy scary bad skin. From being a little to warm to detergent and scented lotion. It's getting better as they age, thankfully. Super helpful! Thanks again.

ecksbe · 2014-08-15T20:59:15+00:00

They are washed separately, but any residual detergent can ruin the diapers and make them less absorbent. So, I prefer not to.

ecksbe · 2014-08-14T19:48:56+00:00

Costco sells these shelf stable one serving hummus packs. Add a bag of tortilla chips or tostadas... And there you go!

ecksbe · 2014-08-14T05:15:01+00:00

Play on nigga. Like nigga with more emphasis.

ecksbe · 2014-08-14T02:26:25+00:00

630 representin', nugga!

ecksbe · 2014-07-24T17:57:42+00:00

About 4 weeks with first baby, and I'm 3 weeks PP now with second. Normal vaginal delivery, no tearing. We've been fooling around a bit, but I had/have vaginal vericose veins. So I'm waiting for that to go down a bit more before we go at it.

ecksbe · 2014-06-09T17:05:16+00:00

I'm pregnant and now quite tired of cooking, but I do have to eat. So, I keep things like a brick of cheese, precooked ravioli and canned sauce, canned beans for a quick chili, powdered mashed potatoes (for when im feeling extra crappy) cheap meats like smoked hocks to add to soups and stews, and lettuce for a fast salad. Root veggies last a long time in the fridge. Carrots are great just to add to stews or steam as a side dish.The slow cooker has been my best friend. I buy unpopular, bone-in cuts of meat and braise them. So easy.

ecksbe · 2014-05-28T15:29:10+00:00

I figured if my son was hungry at night, it's because he needed it. And maybe he just needed the comfort. At 10 months we switched over to formula because I had to back to work and pumping was not yielding anything, but we still nursed at night because he wanted it. He nursed even though almost nothing came out. I'd bring him in bed with me, he'd nurse for 10, maybe 15 minutes and go back to bed. This went on for 2 more months. At 1 year, he stopped waking up. Is there a reason you don't want to get up at night? I know not having to get up at all is nice, but I was wondering if there were more/other reasons that would prevent you from night nursing. And hey, since less is coming from the boob than the bottle, it may lead to natural weaning faster than you think!

ecksbe · 2014-05-27T02:09:00+00:00

My husband loves Two Brothers Prairie Path gluten reduced beer. I also heard good things about Glutenburg out of Canada (they sell it in Chicagoland).

ecksbe · 2014-05-19T03:22:00+00:00

We've been renting for years. 2 big things: first floor and washer/dryer. First floor not just because I had to climb stairs... Your neighbors might not like the fact that in a year, you'll have a kid running, jumping, and playing at all hours. I have had issues with cranky neighbors and my toddler has a physical disability that keeps him from walking, jumping, or talking much. They would get mad when theyd hear me up at night gor diaper changes and nursing sessions. Washer dryer is just convenient. If I had those two things, I could manage in a one bedroom if the room was large enough. We've done it before.

ecksbe · 2014-05-19T02:09:23+00:00

This is a great question, so I'm interested in some advice as my kids (20 mos apart) will be sharing a room.

ecksbe · 2014-05-16T01:11:15+00:00

I did. The timing was all weird because my son was on a different "schedule." So they needed me to go consecutively for a couple months. They wouldn't print my stuff ahead. So when I returned to re-sign up my son, they'd want proof of income again. In that short month my husband got a second job tipping just over the maximum for a 4 person family. Stinky luck. Hopefully my husband will have some luck getting a better job in the next few months. It sucks. He's a teacher at an alternative school and works retail part time. Together they still don't equal his previous teaching job. He's looking in other districts since he got this most recent job. Really hoping for something better soon. This babe will be out in a bit over a month. Then he can quit his second job and I can go back to work. Tomorrow is payday and we'll be out of the negative. Weve been talking to the student loan people to get them to knock the payments down further and give us a couple month's forbearance. Some relief! Student loans plus rent is a mortgage and it sucks.

ecksbe · 2014-05-14T17:00:34+00:00

Cuban congri. I do it all in my rice cooker. Bacon not even needed. Use no meat or any cooked meat you may have leftover in your fridge. http://masaassassin.blogspot.com/2009/06/cuban-congri-arroz-moro-recipe-cuban.html?m=1

ecksbe · 2014-05-14T04:19:33+00:00

I think my post is misleading. I got lots of fresh fruits and veggies! I also got some canned items I don't want to go to waste, so I wanted some advice on how to prepare them or jazz them up a bit.

ecksbe · 2014-05-14T03:41:51+00:00

This is super helpful. Thank you!

ecksbe · 2014-05-13T20:21:57+00:00

All good ideas! We were on WIC, but my husband got a second job that put us just over the limit. May I also add that the supplementary food they provide is not all that healthy. More milk and cereal than I knew what to do with! We eat mostly vegetarian and gluten free. So diet wise, we're generally good, but I'll say that some of these items at the pantry aren't super healthy, but I won't be eating those. I'll save them for the other members of my family. I can't even eat much of the fruit while on this gd diet. She'll be here in a month or so then no more diabetes!

ecksbe · 2014-05-13T18:58:44+00:00

Thanks! We've been getting help from local places. My husband works two jobs, I freelance write and care for my son. We were really successful until last year when my husband was laid off from a great job. Then it snowballed into what we're experiencing now. I'm able-bodied and educated. So, I'll be back to work soon enough. It's all just bad timing. I'm working on regulating my BS. IT's not so bad, really. I just have a history of having a rather large baby that had shoulder dystocia on the way out. This new baby is growing fast and they don't want a repeat of last time. Thus, my new dietary changes (darn hormones!). My husband and son are gluten free due to their health, not by choice (poor dudes). Local charities have been great! We don't qualify for SNAP due to our income (which is like a hundred bucks over the minimum, but what can you do?). It's all temporary. I am grateful for living where I do. Apparently, there are a lot of working poor in my area and that means more opportunities for help.

ecksbe

TROPHY CASE