Venezuelan elections: dreams are shattered

Most of you know that I'm originally from Venezuela; one of the most beautiful countries in the world... at least until Chavez took office almost 14 years ago...

Even though I have lived in the United States for 16 years, Venezuela is still my home country, where I lived for half my life and where I had the most wonderful childhood anyone can ask for...

Yesterday, Venezuela hosted one of the most historic elections in modern history.. an election where the opposition tried to vote president Chavez out, after 14 years of crime, corruption and terror...

The opposition's candidate was Henrique Capriles, a wonderful alternative for those Venezuelans who dream of a country free of crime and full of opportunities...

Many Venezuelans all over the world traveled great distances in order to vote at different precincts located in several cities...with the hope that their country would be, once and for all, be put back in the path of progress and abundance...

But once again, just like in 2006, dreams were shattered when it was announced that Chavez had won with 54% of the popular vote, which will make him the president of Venezuela for another 6 years... 

I'm still in shock, completely disappointed and depressed... I feel for my country.. the place which was once full of opportunities and from which I hold so many great memories...

I still can't fathom the idea of Chavez being in power for 20 years (he took office in 1998).. It saddens me to think that I will never be able to show my kids the place I grew up in, that they will never be able to taste the happiness I once tasted there..

I saddens me even more to think that so many people who I love will continue to be subdued by an evil government and that they will not be able to live their lives with hope and brightness...

I can only pray that God will protect everyone in Venezuela and that He will give Chavez the wisdom to lead the country where it belongs....
If you don't know who Hugo Chavez is, I strongly suggest you "google him", because his evilness is so powerful that it affects most countries in the world (Including the United States).. His policies are extreme and his cash (Venezuela's money) is limitless...

God bless Venezuela and everyone that lives there... especially our friends and family!

Some day, it will all be right!

Movie Review: "Frankenweenie"

With Halloween right around the corner, all the monster themed movies are very popular.. and it shows!
This weekend we took the girls to see "Frankenweenie" (although I must admit our original idea was to watch Hotel Transylvania, but it was sold out).. Oh well, we ended up seeing this one and I don't think it was entirely worth it...
Let's start by saying that the film is a typical Tim Burton film, so if you're not a fan of Burton's creepy and twisted outlook, this is NOT the movie for you!
The story revolves around a kid (Victor), whose dog and best friend (Sparky) dies after being ran over by a car.  In the middle of his desperation and sadness over the loss of his dog, Victor performs a scientific experiment that brings Sparky back to life.. The story takes on from there and explores the dangers of scientific ambition as well as the envy that comes from it...
"Frankenweenie" develops in a dark city and all of the characters are creepy looking.. The movie is all in black and white, which Olivia didn't seem to enjoy much...
At some point, I thought the story was a bit complex, with some of the storyline derailing a bit and getting too macabre for what a kid can handle.. but then again.. it's a Burton film, so it's expected...
The ending is happy and the drama is overcome with the message, but I thought it was a bit dense...
I'd give this one 2 out of 5 stars...not the best, somewhat entertaining and definitely not entirely "kid-friendly"...

"Feeding South Florida"

Feeding South Florida is an awesome organization which has a mission of feeding South Florida's hungry in order to improve their lives.  They distribute over 1.5 million tons of food per month and assist needy families and whoever can benefit from their work.

This past Saturday, I had the great opportunity at volunteering at "Feeding South Florida" and let me just say that it was one of the most humbling experience I've ever lived...

We (a few co-workers and I) spent about 3 hours sorting all kinds of food, groceries and toiletries that will help tons of families in South Florida...

I wish everyone got to do that at least once in their lifetime.. such a great experience...

Here are some pictures of the wonderful volunteer day!

"Imagine going hungry, right here, in the wealthiest country in the world. It hardly seems possible but it's true. The reasons are many. Job losses. Stagnant or declining wages. Escalating costs and high medical expenses. The fact is, 49 million Americans are at risk of hunger^*. That's one in six Americans, and many of them are children and the elderly.

Here's another fact that might shock you, 20% of all food produced in the United States goes to waste.

And that's where Feeding South Florida comes in"

Flu season...

...along with all the fun that the Fall season brings, also comes the dreaded "Flu Season"...
Since I work in the healthcare industry, I'm always promoting the flu shot and constantly educating people about the dangers of influenza...
Flu season runs from September thru March, with its peak hitting in January or later.. Most doctors start vaccinating as early as September and go as late as December...
According to information by the CDC, the flu can cause mild to moderate symptoms in to otherwise healthy people, however it can lead to serious and sometimes fatal complications...
It is important that everyone is well informed about the dangers of the flu and furthermore about the importance of the flu vaccine...
In my experience, many people decline the flu shot based on past experiences or urban myths..and while I do recognize that the flu shot may not be for everyone, it is key that everyone at least considers taking precautions to prevent influenza during the peak season...
For more information about the flu shot, visit THIS LINK.

Halloween, anyone??

I will say that October is my least favorite month of the year.. for me, it's just "blah" (I'm sorry if your birthday happens to be in October!)...

With that said, it's always fun to see all the Halloween/Fall decorations come out, especially when people go wild...!

Today, for example, I drove by a house and I had to stop to take some pictures... wow!

Thankfully the owner was super friendly and even encouraged me to take pictures of his creation.. 

I don't think I've EVER seen a house so decked out.. It was a bit overwhelming and kind of creepy!!!

Here are some of the pictures I took

...and in honor of October, which is the official month for Halloween, I've gone back a few years and wanted to share a picture of Olivia's first Halloween (bak in 2007).. She was 3 months old so her costume wasn't all that, but it was cute still.. She was a Pink Kitty.. Here she is with her cousin Erika, who went as a bumble bee! Too cute!

.. so here's to another fun October!! I will post some old Halloween pictures in the weeks to come..

What a weekend....

Gosh, what a long weekend this has been.. I'm seriously going to need an extra day to recover from it! Wow..

On Friday we went to Emily's 5th birthday party.. It was celebrated at Jumpin' Jamboree in Doral.. the girls played, jumped and ate cake (lots of it!).. so needless to say it was a wild night!

The next day we went to another birthday party.. This time it was for Mariana's 2nd birthday... She is the only daughter of Olivia's tennis coach, so we couldn't miss the party.. 

The girls played in the kiddie pools and sprinklers and had such a blast.. Again.. lots and lots of cake.. and let's not mention the piñata candy! OMG!

Last night, we went out (sans kids) to celebrate my best friend's 32nd birthday.. We had dinner at Barrio Latino Restaurant and then we went out for drinks.. It was a fun night, and it was great to see Martyna (who's actual birthday is tomorrow) go all out to celebrate another year of life! What fun!

... and finally today was the not so fun part of our weekend.. Olivia woke up with a fever and complaining of headaches, sore throat and a few other things..

Her fever spiked to 104 degrees and we took her to urgent care.. It turns out she has strep throat and was prescribed a load of antibiotics... My poor baby was so ill she didn't even want to eat.. They gave her Advil at the Urgent Care and she seemed to get a little better.. She also started her antibiotics so I hope she gets better soon!

..and last but not least, after Oli felt a little better, she asked me for a Halloween cookie and I gave her this.. it was cute and tasty...

..she managed to smile for the picture..but don't be fooled..she's still sick.. she's now laying down in bed and under her covers.. I hope she feels better by tomorrow!

..and to top off my weekend.. I PASSED MY COMP EXAM!!! Woo Hoo!! I'm officially the holder of a Master of Science degree... I'm so done with grad school.. for now, at least.. I'm so excited this stage is over with!  Now, to celebrate next weekend! ;)

Wait...."I'm not a crafty mom!"

Ever since Olivia started Kindergarten, one of my biggest fears, or most dreaded moments (however you want to call it) has always been the days where she comes home with crazy art assignments that require mad craft skills and a creative perspective...ahh!!
Well.. it has started.. the crazy assignments, insane requests and demanding projects...and of course, me, being the least crafty person on earth and the most uncreative mind out there, have been incredibly stressed out it.. (silly, I know!..but that's me!)...
The other day she got an assignment called "Patchwork Pumpkin", where she was asked to decorate a cut out pumpkin with whatever material she wanted, making it look like a patchwork quilt...
Many times in the past, I've let her do her own projects only to find that all the crafty moms from her classroom make their kids' projects look like a project out of a magazine... NOT COOL!!  The other day, after she made a Family Tree, Olivia came home and told me "mommy, my project was the ugliest of all!".. She said all the "Family Trees" had been put out on a board and she felt embarrassed about hers..It broke my heart but I explained to her that the important part was that she had done it by herself and she should be proud about it...
So.. this time around, the assignment came with a note that said "Remember that your child's grade depends on the effort that he/she independently puts into it" (thank you, Mrs. S).. Olivia was VERY concerned about her pumpkin project so I took her to Michael's and she picked out a bunch of materials.. And like I always say.. my kids never cease to amaze me.. She put SO MUCH EFFORT into her project and came up with this wonderful Patchwork Pumpkin, which she named "Patty P.".. She spent 3 days working on it and was so proud of her little pumpkin.. She asked me to take a picture of it so we could remember her special craft...
...and the best thing??  She did it BY HERSELF....with little to no help from mommy...
So, even though I'm not a crafty mom, I know my kid got it covered..and she rocks!!
I love you, Olivia.. you're my little artist and your pumpkin is so beautiful!!!!