Tag: Latina

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Time for Mom

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Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight.

Finding time for myself is not easy these days, which is why I’m so glad that I’m training for the LA Marathon.

It doesn’t seem like running 4, 10, 20 miles counts as time to yourself, but it really does. I’m a work at home mom and for me that means that work never stops and neither does being a parent. If there’s a spare minute, I’m at the computer or putting in a load of laundry. Because I don’t have a set schedule, I have to work in time for me and I oftentimes feel guilty when I do.

But when I’m out on the road, I can’t feel that guilt. I have to make this time for myself because if I don’t, I’ll be hurting on the next long run. Or worse, I won’t be able to complete the marathon. And, not only that, I signed up to run for the non-profit Help a Mother Out on Crowdrise. So not only am I running for me, but hundreds of babies who need diapers.

I get so much out of this time. I don’t take my phone with me when I go jogging, just my Ipod. Four times a week for 30 minutes to an hour, I have uninterrupted time to myself. I listen to podcasts, music, or my own thoughts. How often does that happen? I can actually pick a song to listen to without my kids yelling, “I hate this song, turn it off, ahhhhh!” or “Why is that lady saying that she’s gotta shake her ass?”

And when I’m running I don’t feel like a chubby middle-aged mom. I’m Sydney Bristow, or Diana Prince or me at 19. It’s liberating to run like a kid or a crazy person. And it’s fun to be outside or in a gym.

Running can be hard on your body, I’ll admit, but it could be worse. When I don’t exercise, my body aches. My hips, knees, ankles just don’t feel as good as when I’m exercising. It’s not just my body that feels good. If I’m in a bad mood and I go on a run, I almost always feel at least a little bit better when I get back.

And when I feel good, when I have time to take care of myself, I’m a much better mom.

Here are some tips to help get you to make time for yourself and exercise:

1)    Sign up for an event – a marathon, a 10K, or a walk can really help get you motivated to start a routine.

2)    Join a group –  Meetup.com has walking groups or if you sign up for a marathon or bike ride through Team in Training, they train you along the way. If you live in LA, see my post for CBS about how to start running in Los Angeles.

3)    Make it an adventure – Map out a new walk, run, or hike every time you leave your house.

4)    Pick an activity that’s fun for you –  If running isn’t your thing, try swimming, walking, biking, yoga, pilates, bar workouts or any other sport that works for you. Check out your local YMCA to find out what it offers.

Remember, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

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The True Meaning of Valentine's Day

There’s a running joke around my house about Valentine’s Day and See’s Candy. My birthday is a couple of days before Valentine’s Day and I’ve always said that the only thing I’ve ever wanted on Valentine’s Day or my birthday was a box of See’s Candy.

Well, I mentioned it a lot, but my husband never took the bait. He would always come up with something else, like flowers or a card. Flowers are lovely, but they aren’t covered in chocolate or filled with coconut cream. Instead my friends would show up with a box of See’s for me. There’s nothing that says Valentine’s Day better than making fun of one’s husband.

I always thought that the best gift for Valentine’s Day was chocolate, but this Valentine’s Day I found out that the best gift of all is holding the kids back while you throw up at Disney’s California Adventure. And even better is to take them to school while you lay in bed with terrible stomach pains.

Nope, no See’s Candy this year because the thought of it is making me feel queasy. I finally got the stomach flu that tormented my two boys and husband last week. Luckily, I didn’t get it until the day after I did a 20-mile run for marathon training. Unluckily, I got in while on my son’s birthday trip to Disneyland.

This Valentine’s Day I’m reminded of what love really means. It’s not about candy or flowers or jewelry. It’s about having someone who’s wonderful enough to take care of you when you’re at your most disgusting.

I love you my fabulous husband. Happy Valentine’s Day.

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I'm 40!!! How the Hell Did That Happen?

Well, it happened. I’m 40. I know that everyone says they can’t believe it when they turn 40, but I really can’t believe it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great. I have a wonderful husband, 2 fantastic kids, and a new career that I’m excited about. But I thought that at 40 I would feel differently, more mature maybe. Well, that’s definitely not the case. I spent most of Saturday making jokes revolving around the word “blow” after having my hair done at Blo Blow Dry Bar where their slogan is “Because You Can’t Blow Yourself.”

I don’t feel much differently than I did when I was 15 and hanging yvonne elise and sara yvonne and friendsaround my best friend’s Lara’s house watching Oprah. That same friend came all the way from Tucson to celebrate my 40th birthday with me last weekend. And so did three other of my closest friends. Maybe the reason why I don’t feel mature is because I have friends that make me feel so young. They are fabulous. Smart, incredibly funny, and genuinely good people. I’m so lucky to have them in my life.

And all of my friends really. My new friends in Los Angeles are also fabulous. Maybe one of the better parts of getting older is that you’ve gained the wisdom to pick great friends and stick with only the ones that are good to you.

Another thing about 40 that is shocking to me is how good I feel. I’m training for the LA Marathon and other than the days where we run 18+ miles, I feel pretty good. No, I feel really good. I don’t drink too much, or eat too much, or complain too much.

Basically, what I’m getting at is that 40 is ok. Whether it’s the new 30 or even the new 20, I’m kind of loving it.

yvonne and friend
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Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Cake

Since shutting down my gluten-free baking business I haven’t done a whole lot of baking. Part of it is because I’m swamped and part of it is because I feel a little sad about it. When something turns out great, I instantly think about how I could sell it at the farmers market; until I remember that I’m not doing the farmers’ market anymore.

I felt that way with the cake I made last week. One glance at our pantry told me I need to do a lot of baking before my leftover flour goes bad so I decided to make a cake a week until it’s gone. For the first one, I googled blueberries and cake and saw a recipe from one of my favorite recipe sites, “Simply Recipes.”

It wasn’t gluten-free so I changed the ingredients and came up with this. It was delightful. So delightful that my husband, who has sampled enough gluten-free baked goods to fill a Whole Foods, had 3 pieces. I made it again when friends came over and the three of us nearly finished it off. My husband thought it would be best served as a breakfast cake, but I thought it was nice after dinner. The baking soda and the flour-sugar ratio make it an airy, sweet cake.

If you’re serving this for guests you can use a springform pan, which is what Simply Recipe’s did, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Cake
1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour plus 1 teaspoon (King Arthur Gluten Free Multipurpose flour or TJ’s GF Flour
¾ teaspoon xantham gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter, softened (or Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained or thawed frozen
1 teaspoon lime juice (or lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with canola oil spray.
Combine the flours, xantham gum, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine blueberries, 1 tsp. gluten-free flour, and lime juice.
Beat butter in a mixing bowl for 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until well blended. Add flour and mix until blended.
The batter will be a little thick, but don’t worry. Spread it evenly in the pan. Pour blueberry mixture evenly over the batter.
Bake on the middle over rack for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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Gold Rush: Alaska

All I remember about the time we went looking for gold was that it was hot. Extremely hot because it was the dead of summer in Tucson.

My dad brought me along on one of his “prospecting” hikes. Times were tough and he had been reading about the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine in the Superstition Mountains 40 miles east of Phoenix. Legend has it that Apache Indians killed the Peralta family gold miners in those mountains in the 1840s. In the 1870s, “the Dutchman,” said he found the mine and hid gold in the mountain. He was killed and since then scores of people, including my dad, have gone looking for it.

If this sounds crazy, it’s because it is. Putting all of your hopes and dreams into finding the mother lode is a little crazy. But my dad isn’t the only one hoping for the big score.

The highest rated new cable show right now is “Gold Rush: Alaska” on the Discovery Channel on Friday nights. The stars of the reality show were at the Television Critics Association press panel on Thursday talking about how their show exemplifies the American dream.

The show is about a father and son, Jack and Todd Hoffman, and their crew as they attempt to find gold in the Alaska wilderness. The group from Oregon is new to gold mining and they fight, get hurt, and even find gold on the series.

Jack Hoffman told the group of reporters that he turned to gold mining after his business putting in sewers slowed down. His son, Todd, said, “We were in the brown business, now we’re in the gold business.”

They are like many Americans that are finding unique ways to make it in this brutal economy. And that’s why the show has struck a cord with people, Todd said.

“What we have and what my dad has is the American spirit,” he said. They are like a lot of Americans trying to make it and not afraid to dream. “Even in our imperfect way we’re touching people.”

Hard times drive people to extremes. And the show illustrates that as you watch the crew fighting each other and sometimes risking their safety. But it’s compelling to watch ordinary people go after a crazy dream.

The last time I was in Tucson, my dad went with me and my kids on a hike. He told my kids the story about the caves and how there could be gold in the mountains. And maybe he could have found that gold with the help of a ragtag crew and a reality cable show.

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Tragedy in Tucson

Saturday morning I was working on a post about Arizona’s new law that makes it illegal to teach Mexican-American studies in Tucson’s public schools. It is shocking, racist, and like the Arizona immigration law, horrible foreshadowing to what’s possible in a country so divided.

But then something happened that I never would have imagined in my hometown. Jared L. Loughner allegedly shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in front of a Safeway where Gifford was holding a mini town hall. Nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green who wanted to meet her congresswoman was killed along with a Federal Judge John M. Roll and 4 other people.

What is going on in Arizona and what is next? Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnick, who I consider a vocal voice of reason in the state after calling Arizona’s immigration law “racist” and initially refusing to enforce it, had a grim analysis. He said in a news conference Saturday, “The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately I think Arizona has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

What’s so shocking to me is not that the shooting happened in Arizona, but that it happened in Tucson. Like Rep. Raul Grijalva said on Meet the Press Sunday, Tucson has a million people, but it’s a small town.

For example, when my dad was in the hospital a couple of years ago, I called a random flower shop to order a bouquet. The woman who answered knew my brother and she was genuinely concerned for our family. Even though I oppose the state’s immigration law and am baffled by how Arizona Governor Jan Brewer got elected, whenever I go home I come back feeling good about the world.

I took my kids to Tucson 3 weeks ago to see family and friends. The weather was perfect and we had such a great time seeing all of the people we love. The friends and family I grew up with in Tucson are reasonable, generous people and I feel for the sadness and conflict they are going through. One friend said an email to me that the state is so backward, “I sometimes can’t believe I live here.”

But I can. I always thought that if Los Angeles got to be too much I could just move us home. Back to the easy life that Tucson affords. Nice people, affordable housing, and family and friends. My friends who live there say that in spite of all of the political craziness in the state, Tucson is a great place to raise a family.

That sounds hard to believe of a city in a state called the capital of hatred and bigotry by one of its own law enforcement leaders. But deep down I always felt like Tucson, my home, was the one safe place in the world left to go. But after this tragedy, I don’t think that’s true anymore.

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Family Finds

It’s a new year so I’m trying something new. I’m working with the deal website, Family Finds, which provides experiences for you and your family. The deals are great and some include yoga classes, rock climbing classes, a night at a local restaurant, and kids clothing. I receive a portion of all the deals that my readers buy. 

My first deal runs today. Let me know what you think. 

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Trader Joe's

When the cashier picked up the last blueberry, I remembered why I swore to never again take my kids with me to the grocery store.

Monday started out badly. The kids didn’t get enough sleep because it was the last day of Thanksgiving break. After much struggle I dragged them both to school. I had so much work to catch up on, I was late picking them both up that afternoon and they were not happy about it. They were also not happy about the after school trip to Trader Joe’s.

“We’re going to the store to buy gum and Toaster Pastries!” I told them. They cheered loudly so for a minute I thought it was a good plan.

Once we got to the store I knew it was not, in fact, a good plan.

Late afternoon is not a good time for 5 and 6-year-old boys. The older one kept running around with the cart and I had to put my body in front of it to stop it from hitting anyone. There was a woman who seemed to be right next to us the entire time sighing loudly. My pleas for my kids to stop jumping around, yelling, and sneaking things into the cart were heard only by the sighing woman and everyone else within 2 aisles of us.

When we walked past the meat section I grabbed a whole chicken and boys both yelled, “chicken!!” and started poking at the bloody part of the packaging. I warned them that it would be really bad if the bag broke.

When we went to the checkout I noticed something dripping from the packed cart. They had poked a hole in the chicken bag and blood and goo was oozing all over the seat of the cart.

I asked the cashier for plastic bag and a paper towel and in record time she grabbed the chicken, wrapped it, cleaned the seat, and sprayed all of us with antibacterial spray. After both boys rubbed their hands together they took a big sniff and yelled, “Ewwww. It’s burning.”

They recovered quickly and started helping her with the groceries. The younger one handed her a yogurt and it fell to the ground breaking. I saw this happening and yelled, “NOOOO!!” and knocked over a container of blueberries.

The cashier told us to go get a new yogurt and blueberries. I sent the boys off and I bagged the groceries while the cashier picked up the blueberries one by one.

After a while I thought, “Hmmm, I hope the boys come back.” Then I heard, “We’re back!!!”

At this point the lines were 5 people deep and everyone was looking at us. I desperately tried to avoid eye contact. We were finally ready to go and as we pushed the cart away the cashier stopped us.

“You have really nice boys,” she said and handed them both a row of stickers. She took them back fast and asked, “Are you going to listen to mom?” They looked up at her and the older one said, “Of course!”

Then I had a flashback of the time we were at Trader Joe’s and both boys were sitting in the cart and when I turned around I heard a “plunk, plunk.” I looked over to see them dropping eggs through squares in the bottom of the cart. There was also the time the younger one pulled a lemon from the bottom of the pile and dozens of lemons tumbled to the floor. Or the time when they were fighting over a container of berries and it went flying up in the air scattering berries all over the produce aisle.

Yep, they may listen to mom sometimes, but not at the grocery store.

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No Gluten, Please

Dear Los Angeles Restaurants,

Celiac Disease is real. It’s not a fad or a preference. It’s an auto-immune disorder where the immune system attacks gluten, and in doing so, damages the small intestines. If the sufferer ingests gluten it could lead to stomach pain and inability to absorb nutrients.

In my husband’s case it could lead to much more. He’s also a Type 1 Diabetic. If he doesn’t absorb nutrients his ability to control his blood sugars is compromised.

Now I don’t expect every restaurant to be an authority on all of the food allergies, but if a customer says they can’t have gluten, which is wheat, barley or rye, please don’t give us gluten.

I bring this up because my husband and I had such a bad experience at a restaurant recently. We went to highly recommended spot for a rare night out without our kids.

I told the waiter that my husband couldn’t have any gluten and asked if the dish he ordered was okay. The waiter said it was. After my husband took a few bites of the dish he realized that the stuff sprinkled on top wasn’t nuts or cornmeal, it was barley.

When the waiter came back, he said, oh, it’s roasted barley and took the plate. I asked him for a new plate and to please not just take the old meal and scrape off the barley and give it back to us. I’ve heard of some Celiac’s refusing to give up their plate until a new meal comes, but I didn’t think it was necessary.

I was a server in a restaurant for many years and I know people make mistakes. I thought he either didn’t know what gluten was or didn’t tell the kitchen to make it without gluten. I get that, but what happened next was inexcusable.

After my husband finished the meal we looked at the plate and noticed that there was still barley on it. And underneath a piece of chard was the half eaten piece of meat that my husband had eaten before.

When I pointed it out to the waiter he said it was impossible because he gave our plate to another customer and he pointed to the guy sitting in the table next to us. So he either gave our plate to someone else after we’d eaten food off of it or he had the kitchen scrape off the barley. Either scenario is bad.

Needless to say, we’ll never go back there. But there are restaurants that care that their diners have a good experience.

After an awful first half of the evening, we tried to salvage the rest of it and went for dessert at Bouchon in Beverly Hills. We talked to the bartender about what happened and he pulled the chef over to tell us about the desserts. The chef knew exactly what gluten was and told us what we could and couldn’t have.

Again, I don’t expect restaurants to know about every allergy, just listen when we tell you we have one.

Note: When I tell servers that my husband can’t have gluten, I say “no gluten, which is wheat, barley, or rye.” At dinner that night, the waiter stopped me after I said “no gluten” and said that he understood because his mother is gluten intolerant. I mention it because a few people have asked.

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Beyond Shelter Cancels Adopt-A-Family Program

A few years ago some friends and I adopted a family for the holidays from the organization Beyond Shelter. Each person bought a present for one family member, which consisted of a mother and her 3 children. We never found out her or her kids’ names because she was on the run from her abusive husband. She had escaped one night with her kids and as much as she could carry. We just knew her age and age of the children, including a list of things she really needed.

It was a great feeling helping out a woman in a horrible situation. My friends and I made sure to explain to our kids why we were buying toys that wouldn’t end up under our own trees. They really got into it and picked out some nice presents. We bought the mother things she really needed like pots and pans, but also a nice pair of earrings and a warm jacket. I hope we made her holidays a little special in spite of her circumstances.

I love this program so much I really wanted to do it again this year. I called up Beyond Shelter, but instead of information about this feel-good program I got some bad news and a reality check.

The Adopt-a-Family program was cancelled this year so the organization can take care of more pressing needs for families.

Beyond Shelter is undergoing an emergency campaign to help people get into housing. The financial crisis has been devastating for families and they need more than just presents under the tree.

“Where are they going to put their gifts if they don’t have a roof over their heads?” said Beyond Shelter’s Director of Community Relations and Private Donors, Maxine Moshay.

“We need to help families year round not just at the holidays,” she said. “This has been a very difficult year for everyone.”

Beyond Shelter is a non-profit that works to help the homeless get housing, acquire life skills, find work, and receive help with childcare. They used to mostly serve single mothers, but because of the financial crisis they are seeing single dads, entire families, and aunts and uncles and grandparents who have been called upon to care for children when they don’t have the resources.

“We have people who have never experienced financial problems being evicted,” she said. They have nowhere to go and no one to help them.

“We do what we can,” Moshay said. They provide hotel vouchers for families that have been evicted and try to get them into transitional housing. But there are so many more people that need help this year.

Beyond Shelter is trying to help, but it needs money. Donating cash might not be as fun as buying gifts for a mom on the run, but it’s important right now.

For more information about how you can help Beyond Shelter or to donate to the annual toy drive visit the website. Beyond Shelter also has a gift registry where you can sign up to buy essentials for families who are moving into apartments, but have no furnishings, no dishes, no drapes.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Many months ago I started talking about making my Yvonne’s Gluten-Free Goodies website a blog. Last night, I finally did. I posted a recipe for gluten-free pumpkin bread that I made from sugar pie pumpkins.

The pumpkins were left over after I made the Food Network Magazine’s Butternut Squash Soup in a Pumpkin Bowl. I tried making soup in a pumpkin bowl last Halloween, but the pumpkin concoction I came up with wasn’t really soup, it was more like pumpkin cream. This time I followed a real recipe from Food Network Magazine. Much better, fabulous in fact. I used the leftover pumpkin to make the bread.

Ingredients
1 cup gluten-free flour mix (TJ’s Gluten Free All Purpose Mix or King Arthur GF Blend)
½ cup brown rice
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp guar gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup canola oil
2 beaten eggs
¼ cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray with canola oil spray a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, sift the flours, sugar, salt, guar gum, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl. In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs. Mix in the pumpkin, oil, water, and vanilla with the egg. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Pour into loaf pan. Bake for an 50 minutes to an hour or until a knife through the center of the loaf comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack.