Security & Food Inquiry

It's been a while since my last post and a lot has happened. Scott and I are under contract on a new house in Lutz near the boys' daycare and future schools. We close in a few weeks and we are very excited to have our 'first' house. Only non-first wives will understand the strong desire to get your own house with your husband. It's a special feeling and I think Scott and I both feel it the same way.

Enough of that...on to more exciting things, like making fun of the viejos. I don't know if other Cubans are this way so I can't blame the whole race without further research, but this place is like Fort Knox. There are bars on all the doors and windows and they are always locked. I mean - always! This is supposed to keep out burglars, but the key is hanging by a chain right next to the door. Hopefully there are no thieves reading this or I am in trouble. Scott and I have been sassed, very loudly I might add, on more than one occasion because we left one of the doors open. How can they not remember what I told them 2 hours ago, yet remember to lock the 72 doors before they leave. My aunt and uncle who live 20 feet away don't come over for dinner without locking up their house like they are going away for 2 weeks. I guess there is something to be said for security, but I really don't want to get caught in here during a fire.

As I write this, the boys are eating their dinner. Before the night is out, I guarantee you I will be asked no less than 3 times about their eating for the day. Did they eat lunch? What did they eat for dinner? Did they drink their milk? Ayyyee, they don't eat! Eating is definately a Cuban thing. It's just like that line in My Big Fat Greek Wedding...'you dont eat no meat?.....we make lamb'. Insert "lechon" or "palomilla" and we have the Cuban version of that movie. Everything can be fixed with food and again throwing away food goes against their grain. It doesn't matter if the food in question has been in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, the dog can eat it, or the squirrels can eat it, but it will not go to waste. Cally (our Boxer) has to lose 11 lbs because of this 'don't throw food away' policy. Expiration dates are just guidelines - according to my people, those dates are only put there so that they can sell more. Surree, that mayonnaise is still good. YOU eat it. But again, they've survived and I'm called Flojita. That's ok, I would rather be called Flojita than eat something expired.

PS - I've already been asked one of those food questions as I finished that last paragraph.

Technology

Technology has come a long way in the last 10 years, and usually viejos don't keep up as they should. This is just not true with my peeps. My mom has a cellphone with unlimited texting, a facebook account, DVR, a digital camera, a camcorder, a bluetooth and a Skype account. They all play an important role in her life. I don't get as many phone calls in a week of working than she gets in one day. And the phone cannot be answered if she doesn't have her bluetooth in. Picture it: phone rings, Mom goes running across the house, and instead of answering it, she fumbles for the bluetooth to get it in her ear. Then she says "se callo la llamada" -- the call dropped. Well, it didn't really drop so much as it took her too long to get the damn bluetooth in. JUST ANSWER THE PHONE! It was probably my aunt saying it was time for CAFE.

Texting is another area in which my Mother excels. She wants it to be as instantaneous as phone calls though. She gets mad if she texts you and you don't respond within 30 seconds. We were at Disney the other day in line for Small World and I look behind us and there's Leonor walking at a snail's pace texting. There is a huge crowd forming behind her. She almost caused a riot, but she had to get that text out! Important business awaited - !

All this technology has definately affected the boys. They know about YouTube and want to watch 'Funny Bear' and 'Elephants Jumping' (there is a clip about an elephant jumping on a trampoline...I don't know why...but that's another story). The other day Peyton brought me the mouse while I was in the bathroom and said "Funny Bear?" Really, seriously, come on!

They also know we have access to just about any show they want to watch. There will be none of this just turning the TV on and watching what is currently playing. They will specifically tell you what they want to watch and demand you play it.

All in all, technology is great and I"m glad my mom is on board; I just have to make sure any pictures taken of me are good because they will be on her Facebook account and emailed out to 25 people within 24 hours!

Just keep the line moving, Mom!

Noise

We Cubans are not known for our soft spoken nature. I also happened to marry someone that has a loud voice. So between the boys screaming fests, the telephone ringing, and YO Gabba Gabba in the background, we live in a very loud environment.

As I said before my aunt and uncle live next door. My mom and my aunt talk several times a day, both in person and on the phone. If it's not a call for CAFE! (espresso for the crackers), it's my aunt asking if there's any stale bread for the squirrels (seriously). And as if the constant phone ringing isn't enough, my mom has figured out the speaker phone function. There is no phone that touches her ear becauseshe is also a bluetooth owner. The other day, I heard my aunt dial my mom (on speaker) from the living room of the SAME HOUSE. I couldn't help but laugh at the echo effect of each of their voices talking about.....I dont remember - I'm sure it was something about Tupperware.

Anyone with kids knows how precious a nap is. The viejos believe that noise is good for a sleeping child. "They have to get used to it", they say. This was apparent when I had just gotten the boys down for a nap last weekend and my uncle decided it was a good time to install new shower doors in the bathroom across the hall. Come on people!

Today is Friday and the weekend begins. We will have a full house with Jack and Alaina coming over tonight. I'm sure I will get lots of material for my next post.

Til then.

Twins and Viejos

Hi! I started this blog to write down some of the funny and not so funny happenings over the next 6 months or so as my family lives with my mom. Our family consists of twin 2 year old boys named Peyton and Grayson, a Boxer named Cally, and regular visits by Jack and Alaina, who are 13 and 8. We made two cross country moves and need some time to recover financially. Enter the viejos (for you crackers out there, viejos means old people).

My mom has graciously opened her doors and let us move in until we can get back on our feet. In typical Cuban style, my aunt and uncle live right next door, complete with little stepping stones between the houses. Peyton and Grayson love it because they can call Abi and Tata when they are told 'no' by one of us.

It has been one week that we have been living there and all is going well. Unpacking was very interesting because I found stuff I thought I had thrown away. Those viejos are good - no garbage is safe. If you want to get rid of something that has any semblance of use left, you better burn it, or those viejos will find it and it will be sitting on your dresser when you get home. We relocated many items I didn't even know I had.

I think the best example during our move was the coffee filters. While packing up in Phoenix, there were some coffee filters in the pantry. I told my aunt we didn't need them anymore because our new coffee make used the cone kind. I said "just throw them away" foolishly thinking she would. In Tampa, I'm unpacking the 700th box, and what do I see -- coffee filters. So I take them out and throw them away. The next day I overhear a conversation that included these phrases: "what kind of coffee filters does your coffee maker use", "what about so and so," " let me call around and see," "we just can't throw them away," "someone can use them." After many calls to the Cuban Community to see who had the correct coffee maker, the proud recipient of the $3 package of coffee filters that travelled 2500 miles was the convent!! Of course, we Cubans have connections everywhere!