Mamahood Styled



10/13/2011

Tick...tock...

As I sit in this dark, quiet corner of my oversized couch, I can only hear the tick tock of G's maneki neko. Every swipe of its arm reminds me of how fast life passes me by. Every now and then, the constant ticking takes a halted yet unexpected break- as if gasping for air or a second of relaxation. Yet the speed picks up as quickly as it left off and on it continues, making note of each second that passes by. I look up and see his assorted collection of these Japanese cats adorning the top of that piece of furniture. The gold one glistens in the corner, as the sliver of light from the hallway reflects on its shiny metal-flake exterior. As its squeaky arm waves back and forth, I notice it is not the one with the bigger stance making the loudest noise- it is the meek, small, white one that seems to fill the room with its loud presence. Life is happening right now.

Today is one of those days where I feel like I'm constantly [more often than not], waiting on everyone else. Whether it's at work, waiting for students to settle down so I can teach the next word or phrase; at practice, waiting for my runners to get back so we can continue forth; at home, waiting for my husband to finally come home; waiting on calls from the contractors to tell us when and/or if our house will ever get repaired; socially, to find out how I can include myself in friends' lives; or waiting on a call back from family members...just waiting.

Waiting would be great if I wasn't so impatient. However, I am one of the most impatient people I know. A virtue at times, as it has enabled me to set goals and steadily approach the marks of accomplishment. Yet, other times my impatience renders ineffective. It surfaces frustration and the inability to cohesively put my life together. In haste, I can scapegoat and exclaim that if it wasn't for somebody else, I'd have everything I need or want completed. Albeit, that being true half of the time, the other half belongs only to me. No one can claim it nor can I dispose of it on someone else's conscience.

This idea of time ticking me by, and my impatience being a constant variable in the equation of my life creates a conundrum. I am able to conquer so much in my life...notwithstanding I do not have the ability to enjoy and relax. Relaxation is limited, as there is a constant tick tocking in my mind that constantly reminds me of the unremitting list of tasks at hand.

My recently developed challenge in life is finding an equilibrium I most certainly yearn for in my life. The people-pleaser in me constantly devotes any amount of free time to visiting those I cherish that I do not get to spend time with due to everyday obligations. I am a yes person and constantly acquire new duties to add to my professional role. The times for just myself are rare...extremely rare. I have unfortunately also noticed that the times that I am sought for have steadily depleted, as well. I strive to be better, yet often fail. Despite the constant falls, I know I must keep going. I may not be the shiny, gold cat that has such a presence, however, I refuse to give up my voice for personal renewal and strength.

As life passes by, I want to soar in its greatness and relax in its existence; rather than pondering the next obstacle to conquer without ever just...breathing it all in.

10/09/2011

Cross Country and Beyond

This weekend has wrapped up quickly. I suppose there's still one full day left of it and I am trying to make a conscious effort to stop viewing Sundays as the end of my weekend. Instead, I want to start feeling as Sunday is my day to re-energize by doing limited activities! This weekend may or may not include that! My house remains a mess...I am SO uncomfortable being home right now. I cannot stand everything being so disorganized. :/ But enough about that, as I do not want to focus on the stuff that does not need to consume the limited space in my mind for worries! :]

This weekend, we had our biggest invitational for CC- in Huntington Beach, CA. There were 85 schools competing and over 4,400 students. AMAZING! It was the longest meet yet and the one with nicest weather, as well. Talk about lucking out in SoCal weather! It was such a gorgeous day! My weekend with my kiddos started Friday at noon and lasted until late tonight. There's something so amazingly awesome about going out of town with such great teenagers- so much bonding, understanding and insights take place that leave one in awe in reflection and retrospect. I love learning new antics, experiences and personality traits that make my kiddos who they are. I love being a coach! It's such a rewarding experience! No matter how they perform, nothing beats teaching and motivating another human being to push themselves, believe in themselves, and find inner strength beyond preset expectations. It is an unworldly experience to see those who trust you, believe in themselves to push their mental and physical strength to the limits and beyond.

Cali-Caliente


I felt especially proud to be competing in Southern California, my first love. Seeing high schools that I competed against when I was in my secondary education phase was nostalgic and exciting. Even more so, was seeing parts of me there. In other words, my CC kiddos were all wearing our new team shirts. The super rad part was that not only were we easily identifiable as a team, but SO many other teams paid us compliments. I couldn't help but feel pride and a sense of accomplishment, as I designed our shirts this year, and my wonderful husband created the designs for us. Another one bites the dust! So rad. I also got tons of compliments on my new Vans- compliments to the same awesome guy- via my own Cinnamon designs. :)



My running partner & Mirror, Bre and I, really enjoyed out trip this weekend! Not only did we get to further bond with our team, but we also got to do some shopping (hello, my faved H&M & UO); rock waterfall braids; get my homecoming dress (I was going for a gold sequin dress I saw on Pinterest, but it was not to any avail- but found a cute black sequined alternative I'm hoping to be able to rock well); & still make it back home for a celebratory night of Cuba Libres and Darts! <3


waterfall braid


 

 

 



A trip to SoCal cannot be complimented better than a trip to Yogurtland- especially when Pumpkin froyo is being offered with breast cancer awareness ribbons!


A special and absolutely HUGE thank you to my Roomie, Mritz, who went above and beyond to find me among 4,400+ people to visit me for literally 10 minutes max, in between a long drive and a wedding! What an amazing, beautiful soul you are!!! <3 Thank you for making me feel so loved and special!!!!

My Is & BBB- I KNOW you were there in spirit and I am 10000000% sure of that!! <3

While I enjoyed working in SoCal, my husband took a road trip to NorCal to an awards ceremony. He was a finalist in a media award competition against major cities and states on this side of the U.S....Absolutely amazing! What a talented guy I married! He deserves all the recognition in the world for his hard work and dedication! <3 But he's not due to be home for another 24 hours and I couldn't be missing him more. Being home when it's a mess and you're lonely, makes one feel like a mess. I don't like it! Bahhumbug!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/06/2011

Changing weather & upside down home.

On Jefe's birthday [over a month ago], it rained so hard! It was the perfect birthday celebration for him; he ADORES the rain!
Playing in the September Rain
I've found a new appreciation for it because prior to moving to the desert, I used to despise it. I'm sure when we move back to California I'll despise it still but the weather in the Desert Southwest is some of the hottest temperatures I have ever experienced in my entire life. Sure, other places have horrid humidity, & that in my opinion, can be worst at times. But, in reality, when I think about my little students (not the big ones, my prior ones) and my future children, I just can't imagine them enjoying their days outdoors. My former second graders would be drenched in sweat and come to the pick-up line early and fight for the little space of shade during recess! I want my future kiddos to run around and enjoy sunshine and all things outdoors. Granted, the winters here are gooorgeous but I don't know if I can settle for half indoors, half outdoors. With the horrid Cancer now in our family, I would want somewhere with a more moderate climate to raise a family. I don't comprehend why it must feel so HOT! haha! However, I must say that one can learn to survive in it. Now that I started coaching Cross Country and actually RUNNING alongside my students, I can say that one can survive 115-120 degree weather at 4pm (the hottest part of the day). Whenever I see people running outside during the day, I no longer think they are crazy; I high-five them [silently, through my car window] and become encouraged to do the same...


However, both yesterday and today have been a drastic change when it comes to climate. Yesterday was very pleasant and I even thought to myself that a light cardigan would have been nice to wear! Today, when I introduced and taught weather to my students, they described it as "Hace frio y viento!" {translation: "it's cold and windy!"} I hadn't been outside since sunrise and luckily by the time 4pm hit and practice started, all was pleasant again. Now, if only my groin would heal so I could run properly...sigh...

Anyway, the reason I wrote about it raining on Jefe's birthday over a month ago, is because we suffered water damage in our house. Apparently, a roof leak caused damage that was evident in our kitchen and both walk-in closets (we each have our own- mine in the master bedroom, and his in the gym...& for the record, his is bigger than mine)!! Well, since certain parts of our house are insured through our HOA, it has taken thiiiiiiis long to get anything to happen. Yesterday was Day 1 of the demolition....& all that happened was that they wrapped each area. I came home to this:
Hi, formerly pretty kitchen.
Ummm...yeah...Our entire living room was also covered, as well as the doors to our closets. I had a rough day because I felt like I was getting sick. All I wanted was to come home, cook some comfort food, and RELAX! hahaha! Was I for this surprise! I had brought all the ingredients to cook our meal and after 30 minutes of trying to decide what to do, I went to work. I cooked on the floor in one of our portable grill pans. It gave us a great excuse to enjoy the nice weather with a glass of Argentinian red wine and a homecooked delicious comfort food meal:
Homemade green curry shrimp over basmati rice, greek salad, & hummus!


Today, I awoke to the workers coming in for Day 2. When I came home, I found actual demolition and a new found pipe leak! Really?! They had to stop demolishing until tomorrow at 6am- when a new inspector can come in and go into our attic to try to figure out what's going on. Meanwhile, both G & I had to pack for our weekends [both leaving for different things], and our home is upside down... All my closet things are divided into three rooms. Clothes is by my bed, jackets, belts and scarves in the gym, and 100+ pairs of shoes (I know, I know) and all my accessories in the office. Ugh. If you know me, you know how organized I like having everything. If things aren't, I feel like a mess. Well, let's just say I am a HUGE mess right now and cannot wait until everything has found it's place again. The main positive out of all of this, is that we have been trying to declutter and this is the perfect way to do it. I'm going to go through ALL my clothes and make piles for eBay/yard sales; keep; throw away; donate; recycle party. Yes, I'm going to have a recycle party and teach my friends how to make new clothes out of old ones. Back in high school I learned how to sew and became accustomed to making my own weird creations. In college, I went crazy with it and started recycling clothes for my friends, too. Once out of college, I started my own little DIY clothing company, "Cinnamon Clothing Co." I'm a huge DIYer with eeeverything I do and enjoy making things instead of buying them. But I think that'll be another post on its own. ;)

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of what I'm dealing with:


Poopy Times

10/05/2011

Palm Springs, Fitness, Food & Sock Buns.

I've been meaning to update my blog for quite some time now, but life has gotten the best of me. In between work, coaching, maintaining my home, relationship, training for a half marathon and limited social life, I find simple pleasures out of thinking what I should be blogging about. So far, I have blogged only about my recipes but lately I've been slacking off in that department. I still cook tons but forget to take pictures or update this. A few weeks ago my Facebook status read, "I wish I were a professional blogger!" I really do! I was up for a job in communications that would allow me to do this but opted for a different one. I figured I would still get my fix with our CaringBridge blog, FB updates, and this! But just like everything in my life, my attention span goes from one thing to another and never settles. I've done so much in my life that most people complete in their entire lives, yet I can never seem to settle. Which is definitely a good thing but can be tiring and sometimes I just wish I would just have it in me to relax and just breathe! From clothing company [currently in hiatus since Jefe got sick], to photography [also on hiatus], to careers, three degrees, cooking clean, etc., etc.....Pshhhh! Soo much, too much at times, and yet not enough! I'm simply too complicated!

Anyway, I decided that I could include all things I'm currently obsessed with in my blog! This includes my travels, style, food, and fitness! I'll try to include a bit of everything in this post!

Jefe and I have been very fortunate to travel A LOT throughout our almost nine year old relationship. From many major cities around the U.S. to different countries all over the world, we have come to appreciate any time we get to escape our busy schedules and just make time for ourselves. We always return refreshed in our relationship and reconnected, which to us, is very important to the success of our love. Back in May, I got a LivingSocial deal for a weekend getaway in Palm Springs at a condo resort for really cheap! I immediately tried to get a group of us to go together but just like us, everyone else's schedule is really hectic so I went ahead and got one for us anyway. I surprised Geoff with it for his birthday this last month and we were able to go this last weekend!

We stayed at the Oasis Resort in Palm Springs. It was really clean and the staff was really nice; the premises were a bit outdated but perfect for our little weekend. We arrived Friday night and once we checked in and unpacked, we were starving for dinner! We found a nearby Chipotle and of course, Jefe wanted a burrito from there! We contemplated going bar hopping downtown but opted for staying in and relaxing instead! Great choice! We hit up a local Ralph's (thank goodness my savings card is still activated from my UCLA days)! We shopped for breakfast and lunch for the next day! It was so fun! It almost felt like playing house, minus all the real world responsibilities of actually owning a house [ahem, rook leak, anyone?]


The next morning, we made breakfast and ate on our balcony- we're lucky enough to have one at home and get to use it when the weather gets better; but since the weather was nicer there, we were happy to use it! We made mimosas with peach champagne and ended up just drinking the champagne as is! So delish! We then went for a 5 mile bike ride- sooo fun/funny!

We went back home and relaxed then made lunch. Greek salads & grilled outdoors! We ate inside and I watched SATC2, while Geoff watched baseball in between commercials. We lounged around and relaxed then went out to the pool. We took naps and really enjoyed our time. Then we showered, hung out some more, and then decided to play tennis! We hit up the courts, I kicked Geoff's butt [4-2] and then we went out to get take-out from Native Foods! I hadn't been there since my UCLA days when I would go with my roommate, Ally all the time! I didn't even realize it was a franchise! We ordered nachos, sweet potato tacos and quinoa mac n cheese. Holy moly, everything was SO good! Better than I remembered! I was immediately inspired to make the tacos with the sweet potatoes sitting in my fridge! On our way back home, we stopped at Trader Joe's and stocked up on our faves- we found some awesome corn and flour tortillas that would be perfect for the tacos! Trying them tomorrow- stay tuned!

Cruisin' along!


Today I feel like such a fatty (not in the actual sense of the word but in the I-just-ate-junk-food-and-didn't-work-out-type-of-way! Nothing a glass or two of wine can't fix! Fitness is something that has become extremely important to me. Not necessarily because of weight or anything [I'm lucky enough to be pretty comfortable with my body], but mainly for the health benefits. I also have always been stronger than the average girl my size and I LOVE feeling strong and tough. I get so happy when my body (especially my arms and abs) look strong. It's really motivating to see that the majority of my girlfriends are into fitness as well! I love it because we always bounce ideas and workouts back and forth with each other. Back in March of 2010, [my Linda Cochina] Becca, had told me about Jillian Michael's "The Shred." At the time I had started doing some Biggest Loser workouts at school [thanks to Leah and my Salida homies], so I was already familiar with the style. The rad thing about "The Shred" was that it was ONLY 20 minutes and left you feeling like you had just spent 45 doing it! I fell in love immediately and used it along with my regular workouts. I then tried "Insanity" for three weeks then moved to P90x (Thanks, Josh)! With all of these workouts, I felt like I was in the best shape EVER! I loved it! So strong and fit! When JM came out with the "Ripped in 30" DVD, I did the full 30 days straight with my mirror, Bre! It was so awesome and in between these 30 days, we decided we needed to add cardio to our workouts. We began in June with 2 miles. Now we're up to 9! It's pretty insane and we are 5 weeks away from our first half marathon! I even started coaching cross country! For the record, I don't LIKE running. But it's the ONLY thing that pushes me, and only me, to my limits. Mind, matter, life...love it! Is it November 13th, yet?!

Which brings me to today...back in the daily grind. Work was....interesting to say the least. I didn't feel motivated to run so I opted for coming home early and hanging out since Jefe is not home until late tonight (and counting 8pm...). This morning I wore a sock bun to work and Geoff shook his head, laughed and said "seriously!?" haha! Yes, I'm weird but love being me! Some things I pull off, others I don't, but damnit, I'm going to give it my own steeze! Mind you, rocking your own personal style that tends to be slightly off can be critical in front of hundreds of high schoolers a day...but whatev, got tons of compliments and decided I should do a tutorial! Upcoming post, I think yes!

Sock bun a la Canela

Blogger Tips and TricksLatest Tips And TricksBlogger Tricks