It's not that we didn't know it was coming. I'm talking about my mom, Luza. She was, after all, 102 years old - going on 103, mind you. My sisters and I had often discussed things like, "this might be her last - *Birthday, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas." *(__________) fill in the blank* We started throwing her birthday parties when ...
My Big, Fat, Cuban Family
Family is everything to me. I love them more than words can describe.
Saying Yes To the Dress
When my husband, Eric proposed to me back in 1992, the first thing I did was go out and buy a couple of those big, fat bridal magazines. I pored over the perfection of the gowns that promised to fulfill every blushing bride's dream. *sigh* The styles back then were both the poufy ballgown type and the closer fitting "mermaid" look. Fitted through ...
Born to Be Wild
{This post is a review of the superMOPI Toddler Motorbike (there's no motor). I was not compensated in any way for writing this. I received a toddler size superMOPI for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.} My grandson, Sebastian - you may call him Bash - is a super-active, high energy kid. He's been walking since before his 8th ...
Mami Always Knows
For years - many more years than I'd care to admit to - I would call my mom with cooking questions. I remember my first attempt at Arroz con Pollo. "Do I have to use the pressure cooker?" (I got over my fear of pressure cooking pretty quickly, but that's not important right now.) "Canned asparagus. Really?" and "Is the beer at the end really ...
Celebrating a Life
I realize I've spent a bit of time now writing about how losing my mom, Luza has affected me. I'm not saying that apologetically. She was a tremendous part of my life and for so many years. And I have a lot to say on this particular subject, but today I want to share how we went about organizing a Celebration of Life. How do you go about ...
At Long Last…
Here in Southern California, the news came to us on Friday night, November 25th. I've been chewing on everything that's happened and taking in the scenes unfolding, particularly on social media, since that night. That night began like any other around my home. My girls, along with some family and friends were settled in to watch the Gilmore ...
The Mandatory “Things I’m Grateful For” Post
Okay, so it's not really mandatory to do this, but I can't help but want to share all the things I'm grateful for as we approach Thanksgiving Day. I have to start with my family. Because, pretty much my life begins and ends with them. From their smiles to their crazy-making messes, they are the people who keep me engaged and moving forward. And ...
Saving for College – Too Soon?
Have you seen how quickly our grandsons are growing up? Asher is now 2 years old and in love with horses and dinosaurs - playing with and pretending to be - it's a delight to watch him grow. (Thank you, Skype!) Sebastian is now 5 months old. His latest activity is rolling over and pushing himself up to a Yoga-ish Downward Dog. It's endlessly ...
A Decade of Blogging – There Should be Cake
It's hard to think of things I've been doing consistently for 10 years. Well, besides personal grooming, like brushing my teeth, or cooking meals for my family or doing laundry. Okay, so I guess I've been doing lot of things for the past decade, but that's not important right now. I'm celebrating my occupation of this particular space of the ...
National College Savings Month
I know you want to know, so here goes: The grandsons are both growing and changing. It's happening so super quickly. Whoever first said, "Time flies" was obviously watching as their children (or grandchildren) grew and changed before their very eyes. Sweet Asher (in Virginia) just celebrated his 2nd birthday. Also, look at those curls! He ...
Cuban Baby Bling
Every now and then, I'll share something that we Cubans are used to doing because it's been so ingrained into our culture and lives - see 8 Rules to Getting Your House Cuban Clean®. Or I'll casually mention a thing we do that appears superstitious to the untrained observer - see 10 Cuban Superstitions That Helped You Survive. It takes me a beat ...
Starting Small and Dreaming Big
The new grandson, Sebastian (call him "Bash"), has us all nutty in the best possible way. I seriously cannot get enough of holding him and just staring. And as I do, I'm aware of how quickly time is going by. People, he's already a month old! Maybe it's because I have this guy in such close proximity that I'm barely aware of how much he's grown ...
Meet The Baby Bash – it’s a Party!
My newest grandson, Sebastian (we call him Bash) was born a month ago. During the months leading up to his birth my life got a little crazy-busy and I couldn't see myself organizing a baby shower for Amy. I know. Mom fail. But, in my defense, we did get everything she needed for her first few weeks including a rocking chair, diapers, and receiving ...
Hi Mom.
For those of you loyal readers, by know you've figured out that almost every Mother's Day, we (the children of MBFCF) have proudly hijacked our mom's blog with some adorable photos and commentary about how much we love and adore our mom. The first year, we wrote THIS. The following, THIS. You get the idea. This year, ...
And…they’re off!
This is not the way I pictured it. I'm talking about my life as Eric and I approach our Twilight Years. Which are really more of a pale yellow at this point, but that's not important right now. Here's how I pictured it: My kids would all be grown and gone. I have never had any illusions that they'd stay home forever. That ...
The Quinceañera Story and A Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe
My mom just recently celebrated her 101st birthday. (It's still weird to say that.) As people do when they get older, she repeats stories that she particularly likes or maybe it's that the memory gets fresher as time passes. Either way, as her birthday approached, she would tell the story of her 15th birthday. In Cuba, as in other ...
My Mom is 101
I keep repeating it to myself and to anyone who will listen. "My mom is one-hundred-and-one." It's not the number of years that strikes me as odd. It's the amount of life still left in her at 101. "My mom is one-hundred-and-one." I try to explain to people what she is like. What it's like to have a 101 year ...
