5 Things Monday (on a Tuesday)

This post was supposed to go up last night, but I got home exhausted from my flamenco dance class… so please forgive me!

My little one turned six months yesterday, so the 5 things post this week is dedicated to him!

Here are some random things about my Julián:

1. His name comes from Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s novel, La Sombra del Viento. I had other names in mind but Julián was the only one my boyfriend and I agreed on. He chose the middle name Nathaniel, but his first name sounds better of course ;)
2. Recently he’s been babbling more, sometimes we wake up to hear him talking to his seahorse. Too cute!! And sometimes he goes “mamamamamama” I LOVE IT! and yes, I consider it to be his first word =]
3. He loves watching Futurama with his dad. As soon as he hears the music he turns to the TV and watches the entire show. He’s becoming a TV/Movie freak like his daddy… I can see it already…
4. He’s becoming more independent every day but still loves to fall asleep on my chest and reaches out to his mommy and daddy when he wants to be held.
5. I love it when he wakes up in the morning and smiles at me as soon as he sees me. I forget about everything and become the happiest woman on Earth just with one smile. I feel complete and loved and all warm and fussy inside!

Words can’t express how amazing these past six months have been! My little one is the best thing that has happened to me in my life!

Hope you’re having a great week,

MJ 

I’m bringing SEXY back

Today I woke up in such a good mood that I took the time to do my hair, I wore a new shirt, and actually worked on my makeup… and you know what, I felt sexy for the first time since I got pregnant and… big…

The fact that I have stretch marks everywhere or that I have to wear a medium size now didn’t matter because I felt good about myself. I really did. And it showed, making me look a hundred times better than what I really did. I actually got a few complements today, the best one being that motherhood made me more beautiful!

As soon as I started getting big with the pregnancy I started loosing my self-esteem. I felt fat and ugly, and it didn’t matter that people told me I looked good because I simply didn’t believe them. And when the kid was born it got even worse. I thought I would bounce right back to my pre-pregnancy shape but that dream suddenly died when I discover my extra small shirts would barely get pass my shoulders. I remember breaking down in tears when the baby was about a month old because none of my clothes would fit, I even decided to stay home that day thinking I would never get to feel like myself again. 

I could only fit into my yoga pants and old large tees, and that didn’t really help get my self-esteem back up. Later someone told me that it was ok for me to look and dress the way I did, I am a mom now and apparently expected to not look nice. But I refuse to live in yoga pants and big tees; I refuse to not feel good about myself. Having a baby takes up all my time but I will not let that bring me down, because I know I look good even if I only get to put my hair up in a ponytail and a bit of eye liner. My kid deserves a sexy momma to go with all that cuteness! And how we feel about ourselves is 99.9% of sexy, the clothes and the rest are only complementary.

I got to see the new me today and I really liked it. Yes, I’m wearing clothes that are two sizes bigger, yes I’m still 12 pounds over my weight, and I know that the baby threw up all over my new outfit but I feel beautiful and happy. Those stretch marks, those tired eyes, and that extra skin around my waist couldn’t be sexier!

Have a very happy weekend!

MJ

5 Things Monday (on a Tuesday)

[via]

Summer has been so busy around here!! I haven’t had a lot of free time but I’m making the effort to read more, hoping I will get through the big stack of unread books on my shelf by the end of this year.

I picked out my favorite 5 to share with you, these are the ones I plan/hope to read this summer!

1. El Juego del Ángel (The Angel’s Game): I read Zafón´s first novel a while back and started this one not too long after. But well, life got a bit hectic and I didn’t get past the first part. I’m almost done with it, I have like 6 more chapters to go and I’m really enjoying it!! Although I think I liked the first one a bit more…
2. The Madonnas of Echo Park: I have been reading good reviews about this book everywhere!!! So I went and bought it a few weeks ago and can’t wait to read it!
3. Caramelo: I love Sandra Cisneros and bought this book back when it came out and sadly it made it to my big pile of unread books… but that will change this summer!!
4. La Fiesta del Chivo: Got it as a graduation present by my dearest high school professor/friend/mentor. Mario Vargas Llosa is an amazing author and I’m sure this won’t be disappointing.
5. Cantora: one of my Chicano Literature professors in college recommended this book to me during my last semester while I was doing my senior thesis. My sister actually read it for her class and couldn’t put the book down! Another book that has gotten great reviews and that I can´t wait to read!

Getting back into my reading mode has been hard now that I’m a mom/housewife, have to study for the LSAT’s at least 15 hours a week, and working part time. I miss those days where I would just sit down with a good book and wouldn’t get up until I finished it. However, there is something that helps me read faster and better: AUDIO BOOKS! As a Latin American Literature major in college I had to read at least 10 books per class!! And I triple majored so on top of that I had to read tons of books for my political science classes and Chicano Studies… and that’s when audio books became my best friends. There are some websites that will offer free downloads and I know libraries also have CDs you can check out.

Some people don’t like audio books because they think it’s hard to keep paying attention but in my case it helps me read so much faster and I actually pay more attention! I downloaded El Juego del Angel and play it while I’m doing the dishes or cleaning the house or walking to the library. I listen and read at the same time when possible, and when is not I can always go back to the book and highlight the parts I liked (yes, I highlight while I read… it’s the lit major in me!). I think they’re a great option for busy people that are not able to sit down and read a book from beginning to end.

There is definitely not an excuse anymore for me not to finish my big pile of unread books….

What are you reading this summer? Is there anything you do to read faster?

MJ 

World Cup 2010: Thank You!!!

Julián's face in the background is priceless!

Have you been following the World Cup??? It's been an INTENSE month for me, following the games, rooting for my favorite teams, losing my voice for screaming so loud when they scored, almost cried when most of them lost... and today, OMG I ALMOST GOT A HEART ATTACK!!!!

SPAIN PASSED TO THE FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!

España has been my second favorite team since day 1 (México was my first, and still is... even if they got kicked out).

I spent an awesome year studying abroad in Madrid, Spain! One of the most awesome years of my life! I made life long friends, experienced so many things, and fell deeply in love with the country, its people and its culture!

And today I almost died when Puyol scored that beautiful goal! Happy for a country I love so much!

And then I really cried when I realized I would be at work during the final match.... really sad... I'm so close to calling in sick just so I can watch the game... but no, I won't...

So from this little corner of the world I send all my love and good vibes to España, hoping they get that Cup!!

¡A por ellos España!

MJ

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Frida Kahlo!

Today we celebrate the birthday of one of the most amazing artists in the world! Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón who was born 103 years ago in the beautiful city of Coyoacán, México.

It's been more than 15 years since I first met Frida and thought today was perfect to tell you all the story of how I fell in love with her. =) Well, more like the short version of the story because it took years for me to fall in love with her and her art!

Wile I was growing up in México, I used to follow my aunties everywhere! I was their chaperon when they went on dates, their little helper when they went shopping, and they would even take me to their college classes as their lucky charm. One of my aunties, the artist, was studying architecture at another state and I loved hanging out with her when she came home every weekend because she would take me to her painting classes and her meet ups with the other artists of the town. It was at one of these artist gatherings that I first saw the amazing art of Frida Kahlo, as my auntie and her friends discussed the suffering she expressed on her paintings.

It wasn't love at first sight, as you can imagine, my 8 year old mind didn't really understand Frida's art and I couldn't get pass the naked bodies and the blood. Luckily, I was surrounded by so many Frida lovers that took the time to teach me about her life and her art! My auntie's friends would give me short art history lessons on her whenever they had the chance, and I remember being really fascinated by the way all of them explained Kahlo's paintings. I checked out a kids biography on the artist at our local library and couldn't believe how strong and brave she was. I actually did a project on her when I was in 6th grade and my teacher was really amazed that I chose Frida Kahlo.

I believe It wasn't until I was about 14 years old that I really fell completely in love with Frida Kahlo. It was about the same time that I really started appreciating and embracing my culture and Kahlo is a really strong cultural figure and I admired the way she always celebrated her mestizaje. Something that makes Mexican culture so special and different is our strong indigenous heritage, and Frida Kahlo fully embraced it and inspired so many other to do so. I loved her art and her life was so inspiring that she soon became one of my favorite people. I believe she was a really strong mujer, and I truly admire her for being so brave to express her life on her paintings and simply living to the fullest even though she went trough very harsh experiences.

I was lucky to attend a lecture on Frida Kahlo by Gregorio Luke last month where two of her students and closer friends, Arturo Garcia Bustos and Rina Lazo,  shared so many wonderful memories that just made me feel closer to the artist!

With Arturo Garcia. I look like a mess here :P

They also brought personal objects of Frida, like her now famous dress:

 I've become completely obsessed with Frida Kahlo! She left behind a very strong legacy for all of us to enjoy and learn from, and I encourage all of you to take advantage of it! I'm surprised at the amount of Frida Kahlo material out there available today, specially when her art wasn't really appreciated until a few years ago. It makes me a little bit sad to think that Frida did not get to see the impact her life and art have had in so many people, although she would probably be really shocked if she saw someone wearing a t-shirt of her ;)

Talking about the impact she has made, have you guys gone to google today?  Frida Kahlo has been on their page all day today... I wish it always looked like this!!

Happy Birthday Frida! I'm sure the world will continue to be amazed by you for years and years to come!

MJ