First Time Baking Pumpkin Pies | Episode 3

Episode 3  of “Building Immunity and Community” with me and Maiya attempting pumpkin pie and bad puns with guest food critic Tony, edited by Maiya on Tony’s iPad Pro. 

Year of the Dragon, that's me!

Year of the Dragon, that's Me!

Year of the Dragon:  Notice the growing out first-time cellophaned, but fading red hair and the grey roots poking out?  See the tiny wrinkles?  Actually, my eyes are open.  I am literally (I can't say literally without thinking of Rob Lowe on Parks and Recreation, a show I am enjoying nightly on Netflix at the moment) serious that my eyes are open in this picture.  Anyways, I am getting a Metro TAP card for the train/bus pass and I needed a picture.  I think that me, Maiya and several coworkers tried to take pictures of me, dozens over the last few days for me to submit, and they all turned out goofy.  This one, has got to be the goofiest, and no, this one won't be on the train pass.

Anyways, as usual, I digress, again.  It is Year of the Dragon, and no, sweet and naive of you to guess that I am 36, but yes, as of today, I am 48 years old.  When I talk about childhood friends, then we start saying, "oh yeah, we've been friends for 40 something years."  Anyways, I'm in much better health than I was at 46 (Blog Post Forty-sicks!) and for that I am extremely grateful.  Grateful to my dear friend Victor Shibata, who passed away earlier this year, who helped me with health and energy issues ranging from fertility to asthma and many other ailments over the last 15 years or so.  I miss you Victor.

Picture taken with the Iha's, a Cuban Japanese family we visited in Cuba in 2001
 (me far left, Tony seated, and Victor far right)

So on my birthday, one of my "wishes" and my "hopes," is that I can stay healthy and be lucky enough to keep watching my beautiful, funny, spunky, smart kid grow up.

Peace, out.
NaBloPoMo12 #2

Thxgiving 2010 (#25)

Went to my mom and dad's house for Thanksgiving after watching Scott Pilgrim, not a movie about the pilgrims.  Tony & Maiya went to see Uncle Bill, then went over to his Aunt Janice's house for Turkey Day.  Auntie Keiko and I went to my mom's, then Tony & Maiya came later as we were just finishing up eating.  After, we went to the Ayala-Vera's (Letty & Paul's new house).  Didn't break out the camera there, but it was nice to see everyone.

 There's always an adults table 

 And of course the kids table.  My generation's table was in between the two

 Gayle's MIL Diane and her sister Aunt Marge

Kids had a lot of fun with oldest cousins Shannon & Ryan

Maiya with Auntie Keiko

Kuida's

And for those who read my blog yesterday and wondered what I ate, here it is.  Breakfast/lunch:  carrots  and hummus.  Appetizers:  about 3 tortilla chips with salsa, carrots with brie (instead of bread), olives.  Dinner: Mashed potatoes, green beans, ruttabaga (sp?), Italian sausage, broccoli & asparagus, corn, fruits (then back for seconds).  No turkey, I don't usually eat turkey anyways... it's the gravy and stuffing I really missed this year.  Dessert:  one bite of Maiya's banana cream pie and one bite of pumpkin pie.  Then at Letty's had one tiny slice of pumpkin roll cake with cream cheese (she said she made it for me because I LOVE it... ahh I could have eaten 10 slices).

Oh, and for the dorkiness... it's the Turkey Singalong.  Don't you wish you were there?

There you have it.  NaBloPoMo#Turkey#25.

Just in time--for health (#24)

So, I've been dealing with asthma since the end of August.  I used to have it when I was a kid.  It seems like I always had some form of exercise-induced asthma during my lifetime.  But in the past few years it has emerged every time after having a cold, which tends to drag on way too long.  This time, it has stayed around for almost 3 months.  I went to my doctor a couple of times and was prescribed two inhalers, given Prednisone, which didn't work, and then when I had to keep coming in for treatments and getting new medications, I got a nebulizer which helped.  But I wanted to wean off the nebulizer when it seemed like I was getting it under control.  But the coughing attacks, phlegm and wheezing didn't end.  I was still taking the daily inhaler, and the "emergency" inhaler several times a day and I don't know how many bags of cough drops I have gone through in the past few months.

I started going back to yoga after a 5 year break.  While I don't have energy to do the treadmill right now, a beginner Hatha class at the Y, I can handle.  After a bad week, I emailed my doctor again asking some questions and looking for advice.  Her suggestion was to do another round of steroids and switch to a different asthma medication.  More of the same, which hasn't really helped.  That did it.

Finally, a week ago, I went back to see my friend Victor Shibata, an amazing chiropractor and healer who does energetic work.  He has always been able to help... my back, allergies, the many times I have been unable to move my neck or head, when I wanted to get pregnant, when I was low on energy, when I had a bad cold, when my sciatica was out, when asthma kicked in... combining chiropractic with ART, autonomic response testing, which is a pretty interesting.

He does sort of a nutritional analysis and is able to pinpoint what is going on with some pretty mind-boggling precision.    He has been able to diagnose issues with thyroid, digestion and heavy metals such as lead and aluminum.  When we were in Cuba ten years ago and I was suffering from hammer to the head headaches from the heat and humidity, he did acupuncture and cleared it up.

I had a feeling Victor would tell me to cut back on my wheat.  Years ago, and I can't remember what for, he took me off of wheat.  My symptoms went away, and I felt much lighter, more energy, more focused.  And when I was better, I asked if I could go back to my beloved pastas and breads.  He said if you're feeling better why would you?  But of course, I did.

This time, he took me off not only wheat, but sugar as well.  I was expecting the wheat, I had been cutting back on pastas and breads as well as dairy products to reduce the phlegm.  No wheat AND sugar?  Just in time for the holidays.  While I do like licorice and an occasional sweet, muffin or donut, I do eat pretty healthy most of the time, eating a lot of salads and not a lot of junk food.  But of course now that it is off limits, it is everywhere and I am craving it big time.

In addition, he gave me instructions to drink 70 ounces of water a day (when I usually drink about 7 ounces a day if I'm not paying attention).  Not only that, but I am drinking water with INTENTION asking it to heal my lungs, actually my left lung to be exact, and to help me be healthier.  He also gave me occipital therapy, little accupunture pins to put in my ears, which he has me going in every 2-3 days to replace.  He also gave me vitamin supplements for my lungs, kidneys, liver (which showed weaknesses affecting my central nervous system), and 21 Vitamin B supplements a day, since apparently stress is depleting my Vitamin B (I have stress?  Really?).

While the dietary restrictions are not easy, living with asthma sucks and I am ready to move on.  So, definitely something I am willing to try.  I went back to Victor yesterday, while I am still having a lot of coughing and wheezing especially at night and in the mornings, I am feeling a little better.  He did some energy work to help me breathe better, a bit of acupuncture to open up my chest and lungs, got me to breathe from the diaphragm instead of the chest, and reminded me about stress and emotions being the root cause of my asthma and breathing issues.

So, watch me this Thanksgiving.  I won't be eating any stuffing or gravy rolls or pies or cookies or junkies.  But, I am grateful for this gluten-free life and thankful for the chance to work on making things better for me, my family, and the community.

NaBloPoMo#24

Turkey Day #26

We had a good Thanksgiving yesterday. In the morning, we hung out at the house, I was playing a little Farmville, and then made 2 broccoli bacon nut salads. Then we went over to Tony's Aunt Janice & Uncle Meg's house. This year, Maiya had two kids to run around and play with, so she had a nice time. It was also nice to see Nina & Danika, who entertained us with funny stories. I didn't eat any turkey as often I don't, but I had my fill of salads, salmon, stuffing, potatoes and gravy, and one bite each of four yummy desserts. Maiya started getting overtired, so then we headed back towards home, stopped at the grocery store, put together another salad, then went over to the Ayala's, where we usually go on Thanksgiving night. Had a nice time there as well.

Tony fitting in his high school football jersey!

Danika, Nina, Tina, Nori, Uncle Bill & Tony

Daniel, Kayla and Maiya

Back at home after a busy Thanksgiving Day

As always, thankful for health, family and friends this Thanksgiving. Lots of plentifullness in our lives. NaBloPoMo#26

NaBloPoMo the end, and a recipe! (#30)

Finally, we've come to the end of the month. I'm so relieved. I didn't miss any NaBloPoMo days this year, posting 30 blogs in 30 days. I've tried to keep it interesting, but some of those days all I had in me was to just post a few photos and be done. Next time if I'm taking an online class, I won't do this. Just too much stuff going on this month.

I've enjoyed the time off this long holiday weekend to do catchup. It was a low key Thanksgiving for me. I stayed home while Tony took Maiya and his dad to Thanksgiving at Tony's uncle's house. I did laundry, homework and dishes. That night, we went to the Ayala's as usual for dinner and played games, that was a lot of fun. Friday, I stayed home and wrote a paper, finishing up about 4-5 loads of laundry. Tony took Maiya out for errands. Then yesterday, we went to visit Laura and kids in their new house, then drove up to the mountains to clean and organize Tony's dad's house. I worked on the kitchen and the laundry room, sorting things to give away, tossing old food and clearing the cupboards and fridge, while Maiya watched a DVD. Tony was on the roof clearing the raingutters and trimming overgrown pine trees, I have never been so scared in my life. Today, on my agenda is the last 2 homework assignments in my class, Farmer's Market, Trader Joe's, more laundry (ugh), the gym and play with Maiya.

***

Anyways, I just saw a cool recipe on my stickies, and I don't think I've ever put it on here. It's the easiest oatmeal cookies you will ever make, just 5 ingredients, and I found it on the bax of an oatmeal box. It's one of those easy recipes that a small child can do with you.

Easy Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
4 TBS veggie oil
2 TBS maple syrup (i used a low sugar one)

I also added 1 TBS honey, just because i like honey.

So we mixed it all up real well, waited 15 minutes for everything to soak into the oatmeal. Then, drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet into rounds, flatten with a wet fork, then put in oven for 10-12 minutes at 375. Cool, then transfer with a spatula. Need to store in a tight container.

They tasted like soft granola bars. I think some might like them harder, but I liked em kind of soft. It made about 12 cookies. I never knew how easy they were to make.

***

Okay, well, don't look for me to blog tomorrow. I think I might take a few days off.

Thanks-giving (#27)

JK: Happy Thanksgiving Maiya!
MG: I thank-for my mommy and my daddy.

That about sums it up for me.

Here's a little something that showed up on our lunch table at work. It's a cream puff turkey with a coffee flavored tiramisu-like cake inside. It's a good vegetarian alternative!

Happy Thanksgiving

Read-A-Thon Brings Tears All Around

Today, I went to our Mommy & Me class for our Family Literacy program, the day before Thanksgiving. It's one of the fantastic programs that I manage. It was exciting because we were celebrating National Family Literacy Month and revealing the winner of our Read-A-Thon contest.

When I got there, there were about 10 mommies, and 20-25 children ranging from newborn infants, mostly preschoolers to about 10 years old. They were doing circle time, and singing and dancing together some songs in Spanish. Then, Meliza, our Family Literacy Cordinator, passed out yellow paper shaped like corn or a flower, for people to write down what they were thankful for, and then she was posting them on the bulletin board. Then they moved to lunch, where they talked about things they were thankful for. We ate baloney sandwiches, mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes, and corn. They also had centers for playing with playdough, fall leaves and Thanksgiving foam art, computer games for children, and a cozy reading area.

Then, we all gathered around for the Read-A-Thon, a challenge to read the most number of books during a 3 week period of November. The mommies had to complete a log with the book name, time spent reading the book, and write a report on each book in order to receive credit. They borrowed the books from our Lending Library, the local public library, and from our preschool. They had to write a paragraph what the book was about, then there was a space for the child to scribble or draw a picture related to the story. Meliza had put together a beautiful gift basket for the winner with books, games, gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, makeup kit, and we got these great canvas book bags from our funder First5LA for everyone, with free books and other supplies and gifts inside, with treat bags and balloons for each child.

The winner read 123 books in the last few weeks. When Cecilia and her 4 children were announced the winners, her oldest boy, about 10 years old, started yelling, and doing some crazy break dance moves right there on the floor, like he was a caterpillar, shocking everyone with his excitement. He started crying, and then Cecilia started crying and smiling, and then the 2nd son maybe 8-9 years old started to cry, and then the older girl, maybe 5 years old also started to cry. And then, the entire room was crying. I couldn't understand a word of what was happening, but happy tears were streaming down my face.

Cecilia came to this country about a year ago with her 4 children, and joined our Family Literacy program. Her oldest son forgot how to read shortly after arriving and during a difficult adjustment to a new culture and a new life. Cecilia explained how her son couldn't read, but then through this Read-A-Thon and being in the Family Literacy program, of which one of the 4 components is to engage in literacy activities with your children, he remembered how to read, and that is what she was thankful for. (Adriana, the preschool director explained to me that this is common when children are trying to learn a new language, that they forget how to read in the home language.) She said that the time they spent reading brought their family together. So it was far more important than the prize, but how it changed and changes their family.

As a group, our mommies read 559 books in just 3 weeks. For our mommies, who attend English, computer and parenting classes with us 5 days a week, engage in interactive literacy activities at home, and send their children to our preschool or our family child care providers, it is indeed these success stories that make our work so meaningful.

Thx

Tonight at Grandma & Grandpa's house with the cousins

Giving thanks for family, friends, good food... I don't eat turkey, but that doesn't mean I didn't stuff myself. I can make a delicious meal out of all the yummy fixins. And tomorrow, I plan to participate in "Buy Nothing Day." Also, my sister's in-law's family decided to cancel their gift exchange. They're going to do "kids only" gifts. Instead, they are donating money to a needy family--a family at our childcare center with 3 daughters who just lost their apartment in a fire. I thought that was pretty cool.
Ok, I'm tired tonight so I'm going to keep it short. NaBloPoMo#22.

Winding down November

For Thanksgiving, we went over to Uncle Meg, Aunt Janice and cousin Tina's house. Afterwards, we went to the Ayala's. Nice day.

Maiya on Thanksgiving at the Ayala's.

On Saturday, I had a yard sale, after clearing out some of the things we just don't need. I decided to donate the sales to Great Leap. $90 is not bad, considering that most of the things I sold between 50 cents and a dollar. I was practically giving things away. Afterwards, we donated about 5 boxes of leftovers to the Boys and Girls Club. It was nice that both my sister and brother's families came over to lend a hand and hang out during the yard sale.

Anyone want to buy some stuff?

From left: Jenni, Maiya, Kyle, Saori, Kevin, Tony hanging out at the yard sale.

After the Yard Sale was over, Mike, Laura and Amani came over and Tony made a delicious meal in the new kitchen. We've been having a lot of great meals this past few weeks. Tony's been outdoing himself meal after meal, and I've been happily washing dishes and keeping the kitchen clean.

Mike handling two at once!

Maiya and Amani coloring at Maiya's new activity table.

It's been so nice to be doing dishes and laundry at home. What a luxury! I've never spent so much time in the kitchen before. This morning, I even baked pumpkin muffins. Hope your weekend is going well. I can't believe we finished up November and are now into December!

Winding Down November

Can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I've blogged. November has been a blur in some ways, and we've had lots of changes this month. I started working part-time, as the Admin Director of the childcare programs for Little Tokyo Service Center CDC. I am in charge of the fiscal operations of an infant/toddler center, a preschool in Angelina Heights (near Echo Park), a family literacy program, and a network of home family childcare providers. The preschool and childcare programs serve almost 200 children a day, the majority of which are eligible for free or very affordable childcare, and includes free ESL classes, computer classes and parenting education classes. I am still volunteering once a week at Great Leap.

Maiya started child care when I started my new job. She got the croup after the first week, and with 3 holidays in November, she hasn't been there a whole lot. Lately, she cries when I leave, but the great part is that I am able to nurse her 4 times throughout the day, before and after work, mid-morning and afternoon. Maiya's primary caregiver feeds her lunch, which I bring for her. She is "learning" how to sleep in a crib, which I really had my doubts about. And, when I went to pick her up yesterday, she was playing the tambourine and having a great time.


Maiya with cousin Tina on Turkey Day
For Thanksgiving, we went to Tony's aunt and uncle's house. Tony made 5 dozen deviled eggs, and they were delicious. Afterwards we went to Juana & Francisco's house at played Lotteria and had dessert (although I think Tony might have had another plate of turkey).


Wilbur and Mary, the happy couple
Also this weekend, we went to our friend Wilbur and Mary' s wedding reception. It was so touching--Mitsuye Yamada, known for camp poetry, wrote a poem for them about how they bring hope for us that love can come again, even when you're in your 70s! They had a great slide show. My favorite part was that they went to the same high school and same graduating class at Dorsey High (Class of 47), and they both were at UCLA at the same time, but didn't get married until almost 60 years later. I found myself a bit emotional and so happy for the newlyweds!

Finally, congrats to my cousin's daughter Jen, who also got married this weekend!!! (Jackie, send me a picture and I'll put it up!)

When next you hear from me, it'll be December!