tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48361293667968092142024-03-13T08:47:22.741-06:00If the fish stink, flush 'em!my life in mexicoKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-7493357925049417962018-05-19T13:53:00.002-05:002018-05-19T13:53:36.902-05:00Hello! Its so hard to write after not writing. There is always some great excuse not to. Like how much I have to do, or somebody needs the computer for doing homework or whatever. But I need to write. Also, I have a problem with the email account I established this blog with...I no longer have access to that account and somehow I miraculously remembered the password on here and got back in, but I have no idea how to connect this blog to my gmail account now. Any ideas? Well...<br />
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MEXICO is going crazy. Its that time again but times a zillion. I'm talking about political campaigns. We are headed toward a presidential election but this time we are electing, at least in Puebla, governor, mayor and a ton of local and national leadership as well. You can hardly listen to the radio at all without hearing five or six political spots every few minutes. Its exhausting, honestly. I have many many opinions and thoughts about what should happen and who people should vote for but I won't be able to express them at the polls since I still am not legal to vote here. <br />
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I am only a legal resident because I have issues with becoming a Mexican. Due to the fact that my husband is highly involved with a political party and was almost a local candidate, he had asked me to start the paperwork so I could support him and also vote. But after a visit to the SRE (foreign relations secretary), I realized that I'm missing a lot of the documents that are required to start the process. I wanted to go back and ask questions but my visit coincided with the worst earthquake I have ever experienced and well, after that, things got crazy and I never did go back. I am sort of in limbo now because I tell people what I think but have no true say in what the outcome of these elections will be. July 1st is voting day and we still have another exhausting month and a half to endure.<br />
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We also switched our kids (FINALLY) to a new school. Honestly I don't know the reason we waited so long because it was obviously time for a change a long time before we made the final decision. I can't remember if I ever wrote about how the old school treated Alex. I guess proximity and familiarity kept us at the school but let me say that those are really bad reasons to stay in a bad situation. As soon as he finished elementary we switched and I so wish it had been after third grade when everything was really awful. It just got worse and worse. So, we decided for sure middle school would be better and moved both kids to a wonderful, very large Jesuit Catholic school. It has made a world of difference in these past two years. Santi is now graduating elementary school with lots of friends he made in fifth and sixth grade and Alex is finishing up year two of middle school.<br />
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Last week was the day the kids bring home their financial packets for the next school year. We pay eight months tuition during the school year and two months of re-enrollment during May and June. Santi brought his paperwork for middle school and I asked Alex where his was. He told me that the following day they were handing his out but it turns out that he didn't receive re-enrollment due to his conduct grade. So, of course I started freaking out because I want Alex in this school. It was difficult for him to get in, but it's been soooo much better for him. I spoke to his adviser and he let me know that Alex is missing two decimal points to have a passing conduct grade of 8.0. I spent a weekend praying, worrying and researching. I was so focused on Alex keeping his academic grades up and above the cut off that I had no idea he was doing so poorly in conduct.<br />
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Alex had been diagnosed adhd a few years back. After that horrible third grade year, with a teacher who lacked compassion, patience and kindness. But we never medicated him and never went further than a bit of therapy for attention and behavior modification. Basically it was a slapped together diagnosis (after two short sessions) from someone who meant well but was not a neuropsychologist.<br />
Now after the shock of not being asked back to school, I am revisiting the issue and I know that I should have helped my son sooner. I feel so guilty for thinking maybe he had outgrown it or was better able to cope. But now he is in testing for adhd or any other problems and I really hope I can help him not only stay in the school he loves, but also be more focused to succeed in school.<br />
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Believe me there is so much guilt and sadness. That is what I feel after not addressing this issue for years. I feel I have failed my son in so many ways and that he has had such a hard time. I wanted to avoid labeling him and instead I avoided helping him. So, after next week and 6-7 hours of testing, we will be meeting with a pediatric neurologist and even though we won't have the diagnosis for a time, they will be helping us with an action plan to help Alex succeed at school. And they will advocate for Alex to stay at his school as well!<br />
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Saludos from Puebla. Hope to keep up the writing!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-4580030415830367582015-11-30T08:52:00.002-06:002015-11-30T08:52:44.322-06:00Thanksgiving in MexicoI really enjoyed Thanksgiving this year. We don't always celebrate, it sort of depends on whether I feel like cooking or not, since I don't really have any American friends here. When we were newlyweds there was a huge Thanksgiving celebration that we'd attend but the families who hosted those moved back to the U.S. a long time ago. So, since then I think I've hosted Thanksgiving five or six times. This year was pretty low-key. I cooked all the food and some friends brought dessert. The menu inclued smoked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet corn on the cob (yay Costco!), herbed carrots, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Instead of green beans, I made poblano pepper rajas with cream and corn and a friend made two loaves of pumpkin bread (no one in my family likes the pie). I used to make a basic bread stuffing but since I didn't want to spend a ton of money on gluten-free bread, I bought a stuffing mix at superama. I couldn't believe they had stove-top stuffing or that it only cost 25 pesos! I also found a can of cranberry sauce for 15 pesos there. Everyone liked both the cranberry sauce and the stuffing and nobody cared that the stuffing wasn't homemade. While reading other mex-pat blogs, I have realized how lucky I am to live in a larger city that has Costco and Sam's and stores that carry many American products. I didn't know how difficult it could be to find a turkey or other traditonal Thanksgiving type foods. <div>
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Really though, the food is secondary when I think about Thanksgiving. It's always more about spending time with my family and friends and remembering all the blessings we have. For me this day will always stand out in my memory because it's the day I found out I was pregnant with my first son. We had been struggling to conceive for more than a year and I remember waking up that morning and just knowing I was pregnant. That was an awesome day, twelve years ago. This boy has blessed me more than I ever imagined. He's got a sense of humor that cracks me up. He's so talented in so many ways and I just enjoy spending time with him. I love him so much! I'm so thankful for him and his brother and their dad! I'm truly bursting at the seams with thankfulness.</div>
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-86543680809846405822015-11-20T08:53:00.002-06:002015-11-20T08:53:44.899-06:00<br />
Friendship between women is an amazing thing. We women care for each other so well, don't we? We listen to each other when our husbands haven't got a clue what to say, or just try to tell us how to fix things. We lean on each other. We care for one another's children. We commiserate about our weight, our hair and much deeper issues, like fidelity (or the opposite). So, I wonder, is there some switch that changes this deep communion between women to bitchy rivlaries? What causes us as women to suddenly act like "mean girls" (like the ones from the movie)? I asked my sister yesterday and she answered simply, "it's science." I actually spent some time reading a few articles that give her answer some credibility. I'll post one at the end.<br />
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This week something untasteful happened. Its something that I learned on Tuesday and really struggled over for a few days and still, I think, will have repercussions for many months, or maybe even years to come. Remember the picture of friends I posted a few years back, from my friend's son's first communion party? Well that group of friends is growing a bit . . . and shrinking too it seems.<br />
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I don't want to go into all the details of the situation, just that some things have come to light that remove the shine. I liked to think of us as a group of women that would have each other's backs in any situations. I thought we were above the gossip and bitchy interactions, at least between us. Yesterday I spent a few hours over coffee with two of the other affected people. As we were expressing our disappointment and hurt over what had happened, we noticed something. In that picture (that I mentioned before), one person was missing. She is a newcomer to our group, maybe we've known her for a couple of years but not more. I won't blame everything on her, but she seems to be sort of a switch in our group. There is a bit more competition when she's around. Her son is always #1 in the group. (Nobody else cares.) She makes comments about other's looks in backhanded derogatory ways. She compares herself to some of us physically. Now, I've been in other groups of women where that was the way women dealt with each other on a regular basis, but I've never dedicated any more time to them than necessary. I used to sit with a group of women while waiting for my sons to finish soccer practice but I would always avoid invitations to meet outside soccer. Why? I could tell that these women were competing and I don't have time for bitchy competitions. Its hard enough being all the things I'm required to be, let alone try to be things I'm not to impress people I don't care about or don't care about me.<br />
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In light of all the things happening in the world, I know this is so not important. But it really bothers me. What is important to me are the friendships I have worked so hard to build over so many years. I hate to see things fall apart. I don't want it to come down to one group against the other. I feel like I got sent back to middle school this week and it's been worse than when I was 12. If I've learned one thing over the years, especially living away from my family and culture, its that I need to have good friends in this life. I can't do this alone. I need to vent and complain to someone who gets what I'm going through, Don't we all need that?<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-11-25/why-are-women-so-bitchy-to-each-other">http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-11-25/why-are-women-so-bitchy-to-each-other</a>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-85719736720236960302015-11-11T08:26:00.001-06:002015-11-11T08:26:33.719-06:00Hi there! I just dropped off my boys at school and the house is cool and quiet. Its very peaceful this morning. I love these moments of quiet in the morning. I don't always get moving very quickly, sometimes I just like to sit and reflect and read a bit or write. I can take the time to do that. We have a retail business, have I mentioned this before? Well, my husband runs a business he's owned since he was right out of college and that makes mornings a little less stressed. It doesn't open until 10 a.m. It's nice to take mornings slow and enjoy a bit of breakfast together while chatting. We have time for a second cup of coffee most days and I love it that we do. <br />
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Recently I've been thinking about our pace of life and the pace of life we might have if we lived in the U.S. We have a unique situation, due to our business. During busy seasons we are very busy and don't get to spend so much time together. In December, my husband will be working a ton and usually even open the store on Christmas day. It took me many years to get used to that. The nice thing about our life is that he is normally with us for lunch at 2:30 p.m. We have very reliable employees so he can be home with us and be present with the boys daily. Of course his mind is always working and planning and many times he stays up late doing managment tasks, but he is here to kiss them goodnight and he is here for soccer games and homework and daily life as well.<br />
I imagine that if we were living in the U.S., we'd both be working full-time and running the rat race. It's hard to say, since we've never lived there as a family. I just know how tough it is to live on one salary there. <br />
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Well, I hope you have a great day! I'm going to go have breakfast with my husband :)<br />
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<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-53693220473625486072015-10-28T08:26:00.001-06:002015-10-28T08:26:28.779-06:00PossibilityHi! I'm just stopping by to take a quick break. I've been working on editing/correcting the English on a thesis that a friend has written for her Master's degree. It has been daunting. She told me that she wrote it by translating from Spanish to English. That makes it very difficult to figure out at times. So, I am hoping to be finished with it by Friday because she is going to have to make a ton of changes and her deadline for the final paper is Monday.<br />
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I've always loved editing really and I've sort of been reflecting on why these past two days. I think it's because I know the rules and I love taking something messy and making it neat or taking something that's unclear and making sense out of it. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm a neat person, just that I'm a stickler for neat and clear writing. But I've also been wondering if I like editing because I lack the courage to write something big that might need to be edited. I have been asking myself that. Its not that I feel the urge to write a book or even a thesis, its more that I'd like to take ideas and make something bigger out of them. Maybe I'm not quite explaining myself. That's ok. I like this feeling because it gives me the sense that there are possibilities that I haven't explored. And in this wonderful, crazy life of lunchboxes and soccer practices and homework and being absorbed into daily activities, it's nice to feel like there are some things I do well that have nothing to do with being a wife and mother. <br />
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My break is over. See you soon!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-73417560921048884072015-10-15T08:51:00.000-05:002015-10-15T08:51:36.106-05:00Gluten Free in MexicoHi again!<br />
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Back in February I was feeling a bit run down and depressed. I had also gained some kilos over the holiday season and they weren't budging. I began to wonder if it had anything to do with my thyroid so I started researching a little online about Hashimoto's thyroiditis and ways to combat it besides using medicine. One thing that kept popping up was the connection between gluten and a long list of auto-immune diseases, including Hashimoto's. I spoke to my sister about it since she was diagnosed with gluten intolerance almost ten years back, and she started sending me specific articles with research linking gluten to Hashimoto's and other thyroid problems. She'd been urging me for years to quit eating gluten but I never really gave it much thought until I started reading all the info.<br />
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Around the same time I ran into a friend who was doing a juice fast. She talked me into doing one too. I still wasn't totally convinced about cutting out gluten but the juice fast helped eliminate it for a week anyway, since I could only have fruit and veggie juices. After I finished the fast I stayed away from gluten for a second week until I acidentally got some. I didn't realize that french fries could be cross contaminated with gluten in a fryer that also fries breaded products like chicken nuggets. I had taken my kids to Carl's Jr to have a hamburger and I stole a fry. One fry. My body started reacting almost immediately. I got a rash on my neck and started feeling dizzy and then got a horrible migraine. At that moment I knew I would never intentionally eat gluten again. <br />
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Its been a long and difficult process since February. At times I have really hated not being able to eat pizza or tortas or any kind of bread, cookies or cake. The list is very very long of things that have gluten in them. I especially have to be careful with things like peanuts or chips or anything packaged, due to how they've been packaged and if there could've been products with gluten packaged nearby. Mexico, at least in this region, has very few products that have the gluten-free symbol and also very few products that explain what possible allergens they may contain.<br />
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Little by little I've been figuring out what has gluten and what is safe. I have seen the headaches diminish to almost zero. I also know that when I've gotten some gluten by accident I will get a headache or rash. I think the most difficult thing has been convincing my husband that this is really what is going on with me and I'm not being paranoid or exagerating the situation. After eight months he finally doesn't suggest we go eat tortas or offer me a slice of pizza or invite me to eat pasta. He finally gets it. I told him, "You know me, you know that I love bread and pizza. Would I really stop eating those things if I wasn't convinced they were harming me?" He just laughs because he knows it's true. The test to show a gluten intolerance or allergy is so hit and miss. Even though I had an allergy test done, it didn't show up. From what I've read, the only certain way to know is to eat about four slices of bread's worth of gluten a day for a month and then have an endoscopy to get a biopsy of the intestine. I don't think I'll go that route.<br />
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So, I am gluten free now. I can still have lots of yummy foods, thankfully and I think I'm finally past lamenting all the things I can't have. Occasionally I will go to the expensive Mega and buy gluten free bread or pizza bases. Well, I've really only bought bread and pizza bases once each. They are super expensive and go bad very quickly. Also, as my sister wisely advised me, "gluten free is never the same as gluten, just get used to it."<br />
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Well, I guess I will go have a tamal :) Hope to post again soon!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-76785802334492260192015-10-12T08:43:00.000-05:002015-10-12T08:43:39.115-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi again.<br />
Did I mention that I turned forty this past summer? My husband and I both have birthdays in July only two days apart. This is a picture of us on his birthday just before we went out for breakfast with the family. Since I turned forty, we had a party! We went to a bar that overlooks the zocalo and had a fun time with lots of friends. I am not at all embarrassed to say that I sang and danced to "All about that bass". Two friends were supposed to dance with me but one chickened out in the end. I hear we bombed but it was really fun. I'm glad there is no video clip as evidence.<br />
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I was sort of dreading the big FOUR OH, but it was a fun time and well, what can I do about it? I'm forty. Ni modo. Life marches on, like Dolly Parton says in Steel Magnolias. Then she says something about realizing that it has marched right on across your face. That's also true. I told my husband, who is eight years older than I am, that I love the lines around his eyes because they show how much he laughs and smiles. I love his lines but I don't reallly want any like them even though I've already got a few.</div>
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<br /><br />Well, I'm on a roll. I hope to post again soon!<br /><div>
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-84131146494032542822015-10-07T11:07:00.001-05:002015-10-09T08:09:56.228-05:00Still Here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello! I'm not sure anyone even looks at this blog anymore. But I'm still here. We still live in Mexico. Life is busy. These are a few pictures of my boys and me and hubby. Its hard to get a picture of all four of us together. Life is good. There is always so much going on with these two boys. I help out at their school when possible. Now they are in fourth and sixth grade! The sixth grader, Alex, is not so excited about me showing up at his school or anything to do with him being seen with me in front of his friends. I hear that's normal :( The fourth grader doesn't mind yet so I will keep hugging him and helping with his class until he asks me to stop!</div>
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I still have gripes with living in Mexico but there are so many good things too! I will try not to complain about the things I don't like. </div>
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Over the past year and a half or so we have been missing two of my closest friends and their families. One got a job at a school in California and the other in Maryland! These are families we have always spent time with and our kids are best friends. That has been difficult. Thankfully one of the families came to visit this summer and the other one will hopefully make it back for a visit in December. It seems so ironic that my two closest Mexican friends both moved to the U.S. and we are still here! I really can't see us leaving Mexico in the near future, though. That desire is on the back burner for now, and we are content with our life here. </div>
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Well, I hope to post again soon!</div>
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-60785156755168541622014-02-13T13:48:00.002-06:002014-02-13T13:48:36.999-06:00Standing in lines....I was just wondering if any expats feel the same way I feel about standing in store lines (or bank/cable/ payment type lines) in Mexico. <br />
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Here's the deal: I would rather go super early, or not at all, than have someone standing almost on top of me, moving up an inch each time I shift, or just staring at everything thing I'm doing, like paying or signing a credit card slip, etc. My thinking is, if someone is touching me, they are way too close! I have come to understand it is a normal thing culturally but it's just one of those things that drive me crazy. I have started using the shopping cart behind me as a barrier or if there's no shopping cart, I stand with one foot back so I control how close people can get. It works ok but still does nothing about the staring.<br />
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I've complained to some Mexican friends and have learned that it is truly cultural. Maybe some don't like it, but it just doesn't bother them as much as it bothers me.<br />
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Does it bother any of you mexpats? Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-54275374485985560242013-12-15T10:44:00.002-06:002013-12-15T10:44:15.251-06:00Friends!It's so good to have friends. When my son Alex began kindergarten, I started meeting lots of other moms. My Spanish was a lot choppier back then but these ladies didn't mind. Over the past six and a half years, some great friendships have developed. I can't even express how thankful I am for them. Even though some have moved on to other schools, we still keep in touch. Yesterday it was great to see them and celebrate a birthday/ primera comunion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top from left: Evelyn, Janine, ME, Vicki, Liz<br />Bottom from left: Connie, Charo</td></tr>
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-15232087317244780582013-12-13T13:05:00.000-06:002013-12-13T13:05:07.343-06:00 just write something!Its been a while. I feel like I'll write this and then take eight more months to write again. I don't want that to happen but its hard for me to just WRITE!<br />
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Life has been so busy with school and soccer... I've barely had time for anything! My boys' teachers give too much homework. Seriously, hours of it! Then we have soccer three to five days a weeks depending on the game schedule for the week. I've been feeling stretched thin.<br />
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I've also had issues with my thyroid since this past summer. It is really going crazy on me. I've known I had hypothyroidism for ten years. Now I've found out I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis...I still don't underestand it exactly. I'm not sure if that has caused an enlargement of my thyroid or something else. What I do know is that it is making me more irritable than usual and it has helped me lose almost 30 pounds. I needed to lose the weight anyway but I hope my thyroid gets back to normal soon.<br />
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Its been seven months since my mother-in-law passed. My husband has had many ups and downs since then. I guess that's normal. I don't feel like I've grieved so much. It was just such a relief not to see her suffer any more. Sometimes I cry a little bit. Sometimes we cry together. Sometimes we remember something funny and laugh together. Life goes on.<br />
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I'm glad we'll have a break from school and soccer for a few weeks starting next week. I need it! I'm sure by January 7th I'll be ready for some active boys to return though. For now I'm just going to feel relieved and allow myself to relax and try to do fun activities with my boys.<br />
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Whats going on with you?<br />
<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-24884417825099086012013-05-08T10:42:00.001-05:002013-05-08T10:42:39.327-05:00Ashes AgainThat burning sensation in your throat and chest? That taste of sulfur in your mouth? No worries, its just ashes from Don Goyo. He has not been happy this past year! Today we awoke to what looked like a fine dusting of snow on the trees, cars, street and roof.. Unfortunately it was a fine dusting of volcanic ash. This is the worst I've ever seen and felt. I hope he will calm down sometime soon, or I might have to go hang out at the beach for a week. That wouldn't be too bad if my kids didn't have to go to school.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-86088105964614405922013-05-04T14:54:00.001-05:002013-05-04T14:54:38.938-05:00SuegraMy mother-in-law, Carmelita, passed away last Friday morning. She had been hospitalized again for internal bleeding and the doctors found that she had stage IV kidney cancer. She came home on Monday and died Friday morning. It was a very hard time but in the end, we're thankful that she is at peace and have faith that we will see her again under much better circumstances.<br />
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I'm sad she suffered so long but glad I had the opportunity to help care for her and love her in that way. I'm also thankful that although she had been sleeping most of the time she was home last week, she woke up on Thursday and was able to smile and laugh and hear our goodbyes. We told her how much we loved her and were going to miss her.<br />
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We had her funeral Friday night and were overwhelmed by the outpouring of kind words from so many friends that came to say goodbye. There was a little more laughter than tears as people shared their memories. It was not a typical funeral. Even a few people came to me at the end and said it was one of the nicest funerals they had ever attended.
I think the most beautiful thing people said was that her life was evidence of God's love. She didn't have to throw her Bible in anyone's face, she showed love through her actions.<br />
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Our friend Victor said that everytime he visited with her, he felt better when he left than when he had arrived. Another friend told of how she always had room in her kitchen and even if there wasn't much to share she would share and that no matter what she made, it was delicious. To this I am also a witness. She was an amazing cook!
I can say she is one of the most generous people I've known. She was always giving her things to others who had less. I guess growing up in poverty could've made her hold on more tightly to things when she had them, but for her, it made her more generous and more aware of the needs of others.
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Maria del Carmen Ocaña, descanse en paz. Te vamos a extrañar. Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-13475201804010968442013-02-07T11:21:00.000-06:002013-02-07T11:21:33.859-06:002012 turned out to be a year with major changes for our family. At the beginning of the school year, my mother-in-law had a very debilitating brainstem stroke. She is still with us but her health has declined so much that she is never going to be able to walk again. She requires constant attention and care as well. This means that someone has to be with her all the time. We have a team of friends and family who have stepped in to help and without them I don't know how we would have survived. Nonetheless, it has been overwhelming many times. My mother-in-law was always used to being independent so it has been so difficult for her to rely on others for everything she needs. She has become very depressed and hopeless at times. <br />
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Also, at the end of the year we began noticing some problems with Alex at school. He has always been a very active boy so we are not suprised when teachers complain about him standing up or walking around during class, but then he started becoming more and more aggressive, explosive and angry towards other classmates and his teachers. Finally there was an incident that caused alarm with his English teacher and I realized we might need to get some outside help. Christmas and New Years came and went and with everything I just let him have a break and tried not to worry about it. But as soon as school started back, his teacher informed me he might need to see a neurologist. That made me angry since she is obviously not qualified to make that kind of comment... but I decided to see a child psychologist that a friend recommended to me. After spending three sessions with Alex she told us that she found him to have attention deficit and hyperkinesis. She told us that he is highly intelligent and has really tried to cope with the things he is dealing with but this year it has just exploded. He has a very strict, old-school teacher who just pressures him too much. She said he is acting out to protect himself and that he is really having a hard time dealing with everything. I was so sad to think about how hard it has been for him to cope, but at the same time I was glad to know that this has a name and a solution. We are starting weekly therapy with her, for Alex and for us as parents to learn how to help him better, to set the right kind of limits for him and to help with his self-esteem and development. <br />
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I know there is no use in worrying about the future, I have too much to do for me to be able to stop and worry about anything, but it has been a rough six months. I guess all I can do is move forward and work hard....but I could sure use a vacation already!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-13197269900142413592012-11-30T11:10:00.000-06:002012-11-30T11:10:26.248-06:00Random thoughts on Mexican CookingOver the years, I've learned a lot about cooking Mexican style. I have learned to make soups, salsas, guisados (stews) and many tomato based dishes. All of these include using a blender. Its probably the most important kitchen appliance that I use on a daily basis. I am always blending tomatoes, cooked or uncooked. The blender is also used for smoothies, juices, and making aguas de frutas too. When I lived in the States, the only thing I used a blender for was making milkshakes.
I love that most food is made from scratch here. <br />
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Before it used to seem like a pain...but now I realize, its so much healthier to cook the Mexican way. Its also gotten much easier over the years. I can whip up some meatballs in guisado de jitomate in fifteen or twenty minutes. You want noodle soup? That takes about the same amount of time. And since I have one little boy who won't eat his vegetables, I can sneak them in using the blender! And he never notices.<br />
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Another important kitchen tool I use on a daily basis is a sieve or strainer with a handle. You need this to keep the tomato seeds and pieces out of what you're making. Or when you add chicken stock (we can't buy it here, we have to make it) to a soup, you have to strain out the pieces. Or if you want little boys to drink fresh juice, you strain the fruit pieces out. Mostly I use mine for making soups, which I make pretty often. I learned the hard way that you need one made of metal and not plastic! Once I poured hot chicken stock into my plastic strainer and all of a sudden, I realized the strainer had melted and was now part of my soup!<br />
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I have my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to thank for the knowledge I have of how to cook. I think the only thing I could really make when I got married was barbecued chicken. Now I have a lot more knowledge under my belt. I am so thankful for all the things they've taught me.
Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-56735198587252828782012-11-29T09:18:00.001-06:002012-11-29T09:18:47.452-06:00Little inconveniences in Mexico become big ones.I don't usually complain about Mexico...I do gripe from time to time but I wouldn't say my blog is a continuous complaint about living here. Ok, maybe the last few posts are but I promise to post something positive....NEXT time.<br />
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Today, though, I need to just vent a little bit. Let's just use running out of gas (for heating water in my home and cooking) as an example here. When you run out of gas....you are out. You have to call the gas people, get them to send a truck and wait all day, or as long as they decide to take depending on their route, etc. If you so much as leave for ten minutes to pick up kids from school or something, you are out of luck and have to call again. Inconvenient is an understatement. This means, no showers, hot breakfasts or anything else until they refill the tank. In the US you just pay your bill and the gas is always there! I miss that. And I know having a dryer is an extreme luxury here. I have one that was given to me as a gift by my uncle and mom when Alex was born. Well, imagine, washing school clothes the night before because you are behind on laundry and everything else due to a situation beyond your control that keeps you from keeping up on housework....and then no gas? And two crying boys telling you that if they don't have the right school uniform, they miss out on the one recess they have a day. Yeah....that's what happened. I hung the uniforms out all night but they were still super damp this morning.<br />
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I feel like I'm ten steps behind on getting ahead on household chores. I feel so overwhelmed right now and then running out of gas or just having to do something outside my normal routine, throws everything off. And housework takes so much more time here. It's so dusty and dirty and I have to mop and dust so many more times a week than I would elsewhere.<br />
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Also, I know what a huge blessing it is to have a few people to sit at night with my mother-in-law. We pay them and everything but it is still such a big deal to have these two ladies come and alternate staying with her every night. It would be exhausting for us to have to do that at this point. Anyway, these sweet ladies DON'T show up at the time I ask them to. Like I said, we pay them...it's a job. I have asked them to please come at 8:30 p.m. at the latest and they come at 9, sometimes even as late as 9:30. This totally screws up the bedtime routine, which is SUPER important and if you're a mom you will know this. Anyway, they don't respect the time of arrival, even though I PAY them and ask them to please arrive earlier. So, I have to sit with my mil while I know my boys are here by themselves, not getting to sleep. But when I don't go straight to her house in the morning when it's time for them to leave, I can see they are upset! In the U.S. most of the time, when you are told to show up to work at a certain time, you GO at that time. End of story or you get fired.<br />
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That's it, I'm glad I could get that off my chest. Hopefully the gas didn't come while I was gone and will arrive soon.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-59239866746844929522012-11-26T17:16:00.002-06:002012-11-26T17:16:20.973-06:00Mexican teachers love to give homework!While I realize this might just be an exageration on my part,(the title of this post, that is) the past few months (since school started) my third grader has had at times up to two and even three hours of homework in one day. He is also expected to read half an hour in English and in Spanish daily. I honestly can't find the time. We've had to skip extracurricular classes that he enjoys just to finish by dinnertime. I feel like it is getting out of hand and many of the other parents have also complained. I have read a few articles (I dont' know how reliable the sources were) that say that homework in elementary school does nothing to help children that are already on the right track, and in fact could even have negative consequences for these children since it takes away important playtime in the after school hours. It seems true for my boy because he takes forever to finish and then has no time to play outside. I guess I could better understand if he were in middle or high school, but not third grade. Its just too much!Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-33561580654453955752012-11-26T08:55:00.000-06:002012-11-26T09:00:05.870-06:00Museo de la RevoluciónYesterday I visited the Casa de los Hermanos Serdan with the family. Alex has to visit two museums a month for a project at school and since Nov 20th was the celebration of the Mexican Revolution, the teacher assigned this museum. These hermanos Serdan helped start the revolution, a movement with Francisco I. Madero to get Porfirio Diaz out of the office of president, which he had held in an oppressive rule for around thirty years. After having lived here for SO long, I can't believe I'd never set foot in this amazing museum. It was inspiring to hear the story of how these two brothers, their mother and sister and one of the brother's wives fought off the police when it was discovered they were involved in the movement to oust Diaz. Both brothers lost their lives that day but it marked the beginning of a revolution that ended the regime of Porfirio Diaz. To this day there are huge bullet holes in the front of the house. The tour guide explained that the house had been covered inside and out by the bullet marks but for a time it was used for housing and the tenants patched up the holes. Now only holes on the outside remain and a mirror that also has huge holes. <br />
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What strikes me as so very sad, is that after the revolution, not too much truly changed. Instead of "el Porfiriato", the Revolutionary Party become the ruling party and had seventy years without competition in which Mexico continued under oppression, now by them. And now after twelve years under a different party, we go back to lo mismo. Some people call the reign of the PRI (revolutionary party) el PRIato. Under the PRI corruption abounded, the poor remained poor, the rich became richer. Now I'm not saying Fox, or Calderon were much better, I'm really not. I'm just saying it saddens me to go back to this party instead of moving forward. But as the tour guide explained yesterday... "There are no more men like the Serdans left." Men who rise up and face their oppresors and are not easily sold out. Obviously I can't vouch for the Serdans or anyone who took part in the revolution. How can I know much except what history books say? I can't. All I know is what I see today, and it's an amazing country treading water with it's boots on. The oppression of the poor and less fortunate is obvious. Corruption touches everyday life from the corrupt officials making money off public works, to the taxi driver paying a bribe to the cops. I have been touched by this corruption too, more than a few times. <br />
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Sometimes when I go to the zocalo or to the museum yesterday, I really just have to stop and look around at this incredible city where I live. The buildings and architecture and colors are amazing. This city is so picturesque, but its the systematic corruption that continues to taint the view for me.<br />
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-76639017065879793082012-11-16T10:43:00.000-06:002012-11-16T10:49:09.603-06:00momento superficial!The commercials for our local cable provider have been so cute lately. Patrick Dempsey's accent is adorable. Every time I see him say "Yo quiero todo contigo", it makes me smile. <br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEHl3MHamA&ytsession=Rsf7JUZFOlxwWC6nzO75-WtlEyC2RQkFUThqHRsBVUMAFo2rtCYE1PLWhPHv761il0qSo-Rsv-RSDk6SNR_0DyZ0vLukLgKCchiVm6Tsm1Hwkl4mRlQtgRH3ZT88ej7Mjil9rfnsqIOOmFedcpRjIsBVx5yfOeGg7bF23IMZZTjlcz3e8ettlboTY2sg_rIKyqzpK65Hz5LlH8n1S4yU4E_3tcU_-o4aOWucStPJA3U">Yo Quiero Todo Contigo</a><br />
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That's my superficial moment....para el dia de hoy :)Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-18440459756291214422012-11-11T23:25:00.000-06:002012-11-11T23:25:07.666-06:00My husband's sister is leaving tomorrow. She has been helping us so much with her mom and I am so thankful for all she's done. It has helped tremendously but she can't stay forever. Her life is somewhere else. Ours is here so we stay. We are going to miss her (and her husband) soooo much. It isn't only that she helped with caring for her mom. She has been a huge moral support and sounding board for us during this time. I really don't think we could've made the transistion from hospital to home without her. Both my husband and I are very sad to see them leave. <div>
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My mother-in-law is on such a roller coaster physically these days. You never know what kind of day she'll have...if she'll be in pain and depressed, or talkative and optimistic. Lately it's been bad days. She doesn't sleep enough and that makes her feel a lot worse. </div>
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I never had any idea at all about what having a stroke could be like for someone, or what it takes to care for that person. I never knew how common it is and how often this happens. It is such a hard situation for the patient and I know many people never recover at all. </div>
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I know my blog is supposed to be about life in Mexico. But right now, this is my life in Mexico. </div>
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Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-82250573411271599262012-10-22T09:38:00.001-05:002012-10-22T09:38:40.143-05:00PeaceIt's been a few weeks. We are learning to take things day by day and trust God to give us strength to face each new day. My suegra is improving. She still cannot move much without help but she is doing better as far as her outlook on life is concerned. She eats now and we are looking into having the surgery to remove the tube in her stomach. She no longer needs it since she can eat and drink on her own. We are also looking into getting a specialized wheelchair for her so we can take her outside a little bit to sit in the sun, or to get inside the shower. She needs one that can lay flat and also that gives support to her head.<br />
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Our lives have completely changed but it no longer feels so disheartening. We are learning to ask for help, and allow others to come in and help when possible. Even so, it is a lot of work to care for someone who needs constant, around the clock care. I don't know what the future holds but I have learned that worrying about it just takes away my peace of mind. I choose to trust God and go day by day. Honestly, I know we could not do this without the constant strength and peace he gives us. My husband and I are making a great team but there have been a lot of adjustments. I can say that I am so thankful to know that God holds us in his hands and gives us the help we need. I also feel closer to my husband through all this and I feel our marriage getting stronger. I don't thank God for what happened, that would be crazy. I thank him that in all this,we are learning to trust more and worry less. Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-50842898047517045592012-09-25T08:37:00.000-05:002012-09-25T08:37:16.594-05:00Life is...I haven't been around lately, too much is going on to even think about writing sometimes. My sweet Santi turned six on August 25th and that same night my mother in law had a brain-stem stroke. At the time we didn't know what was happening, she seemed like she was struggling to breathe so my husband carried her to the car and got her to the hospital as quickly as possible. We live five minutes away thankfully. After doing all the necessary tests the doctors informed us she'd had a stroke. We didn't really know what to expect and in the hospital weren't getting too many answers. One minute it seemed like she would not make it very long and the next they were telling us they were sending her back home. It has been an extremely stressful time for us as a family. My mil is back home now and has been for two weeks. She is bedridden and can only move the right side of her body and she tries to talk. Sometimes we understand her, sometimes we don't. She has a tube that comes out of her stomach for getting nourishment and liquids. She has been ill for the past five years with many different thing but this has been by far the hardest for everyone. She needs constant care, around the clock someone must be with her. My sister-in-law is here from far away to help for now. I don't know how we'll do it when she leaves. I think we'll have to hire someone to help during the nights. <br />
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Sometimes she begs to die. Other times she is candid and even tries to smile and participate in the conversation. During this time, numerous people have come to us to share their stories. "My grandma was like that for years and years." "My mother was bedridden and fed through a tube in her stomach for ten years." "My dad had a stroke and never learned to talk again." Seriously, those are not things I wanted to hear about. I love her, I really do, but to think of her like this for years and years is not encouraging at all. I mean, I know its hard for her, but it is also hard for everyone involved. I try to think of things in a non-selfish way but I always come back to questioning how we are going to do this. How are we going to make it through this? The doctors sent her home with no indications of physical therapy or rehabilitation. They have said its a miracle she is alive and that's it. I don't think they expect improvement.<br />
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For now, all I can do and have been doing is to pray. I pray for help, mercy, wisdom, strength. I pray for my husband. His blood pressure has gone up from all the family drama (between siblings) this has caused. I pray and take care of him and my boys. What else can I do? Reading about the odds of improvement or life expectancy just depress me. Thinking about the future doesn't help. Especially now that we've been talking again about relocating. That is out of the question for now. My husband has always been the one who has been with his mom. We are the ones who live next door. We are the ones who provide what she needs. We will be here with her as long as she's here.<br />
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<br />Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-85962801218104709622012-04-22T15:44:00.000-05:002012-04-22T15:44:40.512-05:00Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!I'm still trying to figure out this picture thing to show you pictures of my house before and after. <div>
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So, in the meantime I will write about Don Goyo. That's the affectionate (and much more easily pronounced) nickname that people have given our friendly neighborhood volcano, Popocatepetl. He has been very active lately, spewing out ashes that have been falling at times like snowflakes. Everything has gotten covered. In the morning I have to turn on the windsheild wipers to clean off the ashes so I can see to take the boys to school. This is the first time I've ever seen so many ashes (or is it much ash??) covering things. In the past they have blown toward Mexico City or even as far away as Oaxaca, but not this time. It has been a couple of ash filled weeks. The sky has been gray and we have stayed inside as much as possible. Thankfully today has been a bit clearer. I hope Don Goyo is happy again and will go back to sleep. </div>
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And I hope I can post pictures soon :( I thought of putting a picture of Don Goyo, but oh yeah, I can't.</div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-50943385319280806242012-04-17T16:14:00.000-05:002012-04-17T16:14:16.553-05:00HelpOk, I was finally trying to post the before pictures from my house and a few after pictures and I can't figure out how to post pictures! Is there some trick I don't know about? I know it's been a while since I've blogged but sheesh. I upload the pictures but then can't get them on the post. Everything just gets stuck. <br /><br />I really want to be better about posting, I'm trying! Any advice?Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836129366796809214.post-24156970382443533422011-10-29T08:23:00.000-05:002011-10-29T08:23:39.150-05:00Taken over by dust!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKgd8otvYUs/Tqv9U5l4mpI/AAAAAAAABgU/eVTYJEi6ph4/s1600/karen+phone+851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKgd8otvYUs/Tqv9U5l4mpI/AAAAAAAABgU/eVTYJEi6ph4/s400/karen+phone+851.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I have lost my camera with the "before" pictures. :( It's somewhere in one of the piles of stuff I'm trying to pack up and get out of my house. We bit off way more than we could chew....or my husband did anyway. The plan was to build on the back of our house before tearing down things on the inside. This would've given us time to move into our friend's house that will be ready in a few weeks. But no, he feels the pressure to get things done. So the construction crew starting tearing things down on Thursday. Now our downstairs looks like a war zone and our upstairs is filling with dust, despite all the things we've done to block off that area of our house. I am thankful for all that is getting accomplished but I feel a lot of pressure to get the heck out of here! Today the plan is to move our stuff to storage and get everything out of the upstairs and figure out where we can stay until the house if available for us sometime in November.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03661863620210597991noreply@blogger.com4