I Resolve to Drink More in 2010

Like a lot of bloggers posting in the new year, I too have eliminated resolutions from my vocabulary. However, I want need to do something to improve my life in this start of this new millennium. I really wanted to jump on the bandwagon saying goodbye to the awfulness that was 09 and hello new start. I have to admit, though, that 2009 was great for me in many ways. I had my first summer off in 20 years, in fact, spent a huge amount of time with the kids, going days sometimes without yelling. I spent a wonderful summer without going overboard on spending, and even managed to snag a job right when my severance pay ran out.

The last month of the year, though, was so sucky even Mexico made me cranky, and that is just wrong. I felt so out of control when it came to solving my most pressing problems. Weighing heavily was the lack of regular employment for either of us. Funnily, a friend called me "the most famous unemployed person [she] new." Us bloggers really get around don't we. There was the photo shoot by Joe Claus, an unemployed photographer did a photo spread called "Let Go-Photographs of talented people in Silicon Valley who’ve been dumped by local businesses"

I heard about this when I responded to another request by Patrick May, San Jose Mercury journalist, from another blogger, and got on his mailing list. He wrote an article on the photo shoot, and I got a lot of comments at school the next day. He sends the occasional request for his pinkslipped series, and he published a quote about holidays without a paycheck. The best was when I was interviewed for The California Report about COBRA at the subsidy, was called a "goddess" by a wonderful friend. Thank goodness they've extended the subsidy, since I still don't have benefits with my job.

So what's in store for 2010? I'm going to find the things I can control that makes me happy. Some people are giving up alcohol, I resolve to drink more in 2010. How will I accomplish this?

• Planning regular mom's nights out, even if we end up with only two moms


• Joined a co-ed soccer team who's main reason for existence is drinking beer after the games ("beer practices" when it rains)


• Hand-made Kahlua and amaretto from a small Mexican distillery, party at my place.

In 2009 I switched to real food, started a few exercise programs and lost weight with a cleanse, 2010 is the year of feeding my emotional side.

Holiday Recap and Happy New Year

So one of my new years resolutions will be to start blogging more, every day perhaps, and in a more timely manner. How hard could that be (I'll let ya know later). This is all starting tomorrow, it's not even new years yet, thank goodness, since I've already ruined one pumpkin pie (oven set to broil gosh darnit), and made a Mexican version of these scrumptious things (note, even though carnitas are marinated in orange juice, they still will not work for an Asian type dish, and you should really use a bamboo steamer). Perhaps I'll start a Pioneer Woman and me blog, ala Julie and Julia, 365 days of ruining the recipes posted on her lovely blog. Tomorrow I'm attempting the Leftover Turkey Pot Pie, with my dad's leftover smoked turkey. A prepared Trader Joes foods blog might also be in the works, as in addition to the carnitas, I used their buttermilk biscuits and have frozen veggies and pie crust for said pot pie - scratch that idea.

Now that I've wished you all a Happy New Years (of if not, consider it done), it's back to the holiday recap. We all had two full weeks off, where we tried not to stress too much about the fact that our future employment prospects are a bit grim. Think this was my first unpaid holiday in about 15 years, yikes.

I tried to reintroduce Hanukkah, lighting the menorahs nearly every night and getting gifts for the kids for the first time in a few years. Having never had that Christmas morning feeling, I've been living that through my kids and ignoring this fun but frankly pretty low key holiday. I actually didn't get any gifts, so good think I'd finally bought myself the coat I've always wanted and some cute boots.

I brought these scrumptious things into the classroom, and gave each class a little lesson in Hanukkah.

This color-your-own ornament was one of their Hanukkah gifts. Not surprisingly, it's much easier to find little Christmas themed items than Hanukkah. I refused to spend $10 on a snow globe with a dreidel inside.

Sad as Pelota was after losing her brother, she got into the spirit with a jaunty holiday scarf.

We were very fortunate to get to spend the holidays in Mexico. This is something I did a number of times as a child, and it's not quite as fun when you're the parent. We did have a wonderful time, although I missed the snow we saw the last two Christmas's.

You can see the boys had tons of fun, hardly even complaining during the day long "Jungle tour" which was actually a bus trip to a restaurant, cliff diver and tequila distillery (why yes, there were free tastings).

I have to say, wearing a bikini did not turn me back into the flirty teenager that I remember. They actually had tequila volleyball every day at the pool, but without a co-hort to join in, or a husband that drinks, I just could not get in the spirit.

No worries, though, I had plenty to drink. The owner of their restaurant brought over a tequila slammer at the beginning of the meal, and finished us off with this Kahlua and Bailys concoction. Too bad I had to drink both.

The most fun we had was the Pirate cruise, and there you see our personal pirate, Choco - yum.

Happy New Year, everyone, from the Pachuka boys!

2008 New Years Resolutions - for the kids

I am not a big fan of revolutions. I know goals are the way to achieve things, and that's been drilled into me by my athlete of a husband, but I am just not good with goals that are more than a couple days out. It's no wonder I never finished my thesis and have plateaued at work. But that doesn't meet I can't set goals for my kids, right? So without further ado, here are my resolutions for my kids in 2007 - is it wrong to have them for these two buggers and not for me?

1. I will be out of my pull-ups, and stop having accidents, even if I'm playing a really fun game or in the car I'll stop (or ask to stop) to pee...D


2. I will tell stop blaming everyone at the Y for not giving me the lego I need. I've seriously got to let that lego complex go this year...K


3. I will stop coming in at 5:30 AM and wake everyone up getting comfortable in mommy and daddy's bed, taking a note from my brother that sneaking in without waking everyone up is the key to being allowed to sleep in the "family" bed...D


4. On that note, we will do our best to actually stay in our own beds all night - ya right, in their dreams.


5. I will learn to sleep in until 7, maybe even 8 on weekends. Or at least learn to turn the TV on by myself...D


6. 2008 will be the year I stop being afraid of going in my room alone. And I will stop manipulating mommy with my "I'm not afraid, I just want you with me because I love you" line...K


7. Provided I discover things I actually don't know, I will stop claiming that I know everything...K


8. I will clean up my toys, or at least not make up 37 reasons why I can't possibly clean them up, am too tired, or blame someone else for the mess...D And I will stop using cleaning as an excuse for delaying getting dressed, going to bed, getting ready for school, etc...K


9. We will do our best to keep the loving/fighting ratio at a positive ratio.


10. And most importantly, we will stay cute and adorable.

To be truthful, I've got a couple that I don't want to publish here, but also guess it's only fair that I write some of my own...

1. I will go to bed before midnight, and admit the kids are going to get up early no matter what they promise at night. And I'm not getting any younger and this lack of sleep is so not good for my youthful complexion.


2. I will be less of a bitch in the morning when woken up before 6:30am. Donning the mean mommy hat has not succeeded in getting the kids to pull daddy out of bed instead of mommy, or venture down to the scary living room alone, so we'll all be better off if I just accept my fate for the next 10 or so years.


3. I will start to exercise, again, I swear, if I have to hire a trainer to drag me to the gym.


4. I will stop the midnight snacking, tomorrow first (or last) thing.


5. I will stop procrastinating - oops, too late, what day is it?

Soon to be cross-posted on Silicon Valley Moms Blog