My thoughts on Instagram

I remember when everyone was getting the iPhone and started using Instagram. I wanted to upgrade just to have the fun photo filters as well as my own page to share them. The thing is that I love my DROID 3 and would be too nervous to go all touchscreen. My phone has the best of both worlds with a huge touchscreen and a 5 row pull-out keyboard. I'm old school and as my friend Tanyetta would say, I love buttons! When Instagram became available on Android phones I was so excited! Finally, I could use the cool features and not have to change phones. I honestly did not understand how to use it at first and I think it was causing my phone to malfunction. I believe I have it under control now and have figured out how to use to for the most part. Knowing me, I am still doing something wrong :)

Fun at the playground. 

I don't have thousands of photos like some people do but I expect my Instagram photo account will grow. If you care to follow me you can find me under the name momfiles. I would love to follow you back! I am really enjoying looking at my friends both in real life and online share fun parts of their day through photos.

A typical Guyanese breakfast

I often times get a lot of questions about my Guyanese heritage. So many want to know what language is spoken in Guyana, what types of food is eaten and what some customs might be. Although I was born in Guyana, I left when I was 3. My parents did bring me and my siblings up with a lot of Guyanese culture. I wanted to show you what a typical breakfast in a Guyanese household might looks like.

This dish is what we would call "Channa and boiled egg". It is very simple and is nothing more than heavily seasoned chick peas/garbanzo beans and a boiled egg. I make it by starting off with some sliced onion, scallion and tomato. I saute my veggies in a splash of oil for a few and add one can of chick peas with the liquid. I season with Spanish style seasonings, Creole seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin and hot pepper sauce. I cook it until it gets tender. I serve it with fresh, sliced scallion on top and a boiled egg cut in half. Simple, filling and flavorful. I made this dish today because I had a taste for it. 

I will periodically share recipes and interesting facts from my culture. If there is anything you are curious about please leave me a comment or you can always email me. Have a great weekend! :)

Old school JELL-O treat

I wanted to share one of my most favorite desserts that is so easy to make and only requires 3 ingredients. Some of you might remember this classic JELL-O treat from back in the day...

What you need:
3 cups of boiling water
1 6 ounce box of JELL-O (any flavor)
1 small container of COOL WHIP

How to make it:
Add boiling water to JELL-O and stir until dissolved. Stir in COOL WHIP until completely mixed in. Pour into glasses or cups (I like using little "crystal cut" plastic cups) I recommend using a measuring cup with a spout to pour even amounts in your glasses/cups. Chill until firm at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Have you ever tried this recipe before? My favorites are the raspberry and pineapple flavors. These are so good during the warm weather months! Let me know if you try it.

Looking back

I came across this photo today and it made me smile. This was taken before Will turned 2.

I See Me! Contest

I wanted to share this with you guys...

I See Me! is having a contest. They will choose TWO (2) GRAND PRIZE Winners! (open to US residents only) Winner 1 will receive a girls wooden bookcase and 10 I See Me! personalized storybooks and Winner 2 a boys wooden bookcase and 10 I See Me! personalized storybooks. Each grand prize is valued at approximately $500 retail value. 10 runners up will receive an I See Me! gift certificate valued at $32.95 plus standard shipping (good for 1 storybook). The Promotion begins on April 17, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on May 17, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Go enter here

Can you lose weight without trying?

Last year around this time, I was going through something I never imagined I would have to deal with... my weight. For most of my life I have been very underweight. As a child I was so underweight that I was teased and ridiculed about it. It was very hard and I spent many nights crying myself to sleep feeling a lot of shame and pain.  Nobody knows how much I longed to gain weight. Fast forward to after having William... I weighed what would be called a healthy weight. I was the average for my height and weight for the first time in my life (without being pregnant). Then it came to a point that I was at the top of that average weight. It started to freak me out because my wedding rings no longer fit and all of my clothes were too small. I figured that maybe it was my time. I finally gained the weight I desired my entire life.

I think I came to a point when I started to break down after trying on swimwear and finding that I was no longer in Junior's sizes. Last year at this time, I became very interested in reading about health and nutrition. Although I have heard it before, I read an article about drinking diet sodas and my favorite Crystal Light. I found out how they trick your body and make you crave bad foods. I have always been a sweets freak and junk food addict since childhood.  Could this be true? I used to drink about 2-3 packets of Crystal Light everyday especially during the Summer months and exclusively purchased diet soft drinks. I figured zero calories made sense. I couldn't have been more WRONG! I stopped all of the diet beverages and replaced them with water and indulged in the occasional soda. As a matter of fact, I switched from using margarine and butter spreads to real butter. I noticed almost right away that I slowed down tremendously on eating sweets and junk food. I wasn't having as many cravings to eat bad stuff.  It's as if I was changing my naughty ways. I started to find that my pants were fitting less snug. I had to start wearing a belt with my jeans and even had to tighten it on occasion. So one year later I am finally able to put on my wedding rings and I can wear things that were too small very easily. As a matter of fact, I can't wear most of the clothing I have since they are too big. I need to buy all new stuff. I stepped on the scale at the gym last week and could not believe it. I don't weigh much more than my teenagers!  My advice to you if you are trying to lose weight is to kick the diet drinks!