Wasteful Picky Eater :-)

I wouldn't call myself a picky eater, per se, but I have a preference for certain foods over others. My theory is that because my mom, grandmothers, and all my aunts are/were great cooks, I was exposed only to the best dishes (mostly Mexican) growing up. Thus, I now only prefer to eat good food. Growing up, I wasn't exposed to an eclectic variety of food mostly because Asian and cultural foods weren't readily available in Laredo. When we moved to Houston, my parents were so use to our repertoire that we didn't really stray from our usual suspects: mole, tacos, roast, baked chicken, etc.

Now that I suffer from severe food allergies, venturing out to try new foods isn't really an option (doctor's orders.) So, I'm trying to be more adventurous with my cooking at home. My mother-in-law (shout out Mary) was over here this weekend, and she asked me, "What are you going to do with that pumpkin?" My immediate response was, "We're gonna carve it, duh." Mary said, "Oh, Henry would make me do something with it, make empanadas or something." That made me realize again, another way that I can stop being so wasteful. If there's one thing my father-in-law, Henry, isn't, it's wasteful. We can all take a thing or two from a page in Henry's book of life, and one of those things is STOP BEING WASTEFUL!

I was such a food snob growing up that I refused to eat leftovers. Now, I embrace leftovers, provided they reheat well. *Any Mexican knows that Mexican rice does not reheat well.* I don't consider myself a culinary artist, but I can cook up some pretty awesome Mexican dishes, thanks to my Tia Nina's cookbook and self expirimentation. I can't tell you how much money we've saved by eating home cooked meals 70% of the time.

In the spirit of Pumpkin season, check out Alex at the Pumpkin Patch in Medina, TX.

If Alex had a facebook

Alejandro Eduardo Contreras
Networks: Mommy & Daddy
Sex: Male
Birthday: September 19, 2007
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Relationship Status: single
Political Views: whatever mommy says I am
Religious Views: baptized a Catholic man

Interests: eating cheerios, eating mac & cheese, eating every kind of vegetable, drinking milk, walking around the house, biting the furniture, playing with Tupperware, screaming, playing with Bubba, taking baths, going for walks with my mommy and daddy in my wagon, sleeping

Favorite Music: Baby Classical Traveling Melodies, Fisher Price Sing-A-Longs

Favorite TV Shows: Dora the Explorer, The Wonder Pets

Favorite Movies: n/a

Favorite Books: The Little Engine That Could, Book of Colors, Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you see?, Fisher Price Farm Book, Where is Baby's Belly Button, Goodnight moon

Favorite Quotes: "We do not bite mommy!" -Mommy

About Me: I'm a 1 year old that likes to eat and have fun.

Baby budget

One can't help feel the pressure of the economic downturn after watching the news and reading Newsweek articles. Having been a loan officer before starting grad school, I made sure that we purchased a home that we could afford on Eddy's salary alone. Also, both Eddy and I are frugal with our spending. When it comes to Alex, though, as many parents probably understand, we tend to spend ridiculous amounts of money on things that our son doesn't really need. So, I am taking it upon myself, as difficult as it is for me, to purchase only the things Alex really needs.

I buy Alex a few outfits a month (okay more than a few) because I just can't help how freakin cute he's gonna look. That mentality just needs to stop...I know it...you know it! More clothes for Alex = less clothes for mommy and daddy. I haven't purchased a new outfit since I can't even remember...now that's a sacrifice I make staying at home to raise my son, but sometimes a girl just wants to shop!

After tracking our spending in July by dividing everything into categories, I realized that a ridiculous amount of our budget goes toward Alex, including necessities and extras. For those who don't have kids, here's how it breaks down:

Diapers: $80-120/month (more expensive when babies are younger)
Formula (at the time he was on formula): $90-120/month (again, more expensive when the babies are younger)
Baby food (at the time he was on baby food): $50/month
Clothes: $75
Toys: $100
Doctor's appt (copays, meds etc...we had a sick month): $155

Kinda ridiculous, huh? Yeah, I know. This budget doesn't show the $300 increase we saw in our insurance premium for adding a child to the mix...yeah...fun times!

Now that Alex is older, we still purchase about the same in diapers, but we no longer use formula. Organic whole milk runs us about $27/month, but now that he's eating stricly table food, our grocery bill has gone up significantly to account for snacks, healthy food, frozen veggies, etc.

Having a child is expensive! If you have one, and you have money saving tips, please share. If you don't, thank your parents again for providing for you. :-) I somtimes want to go back and slap some sense into my middle school self for wanting name brand clothes and only the coolest most expensive Doc Martens and Nikes. Does anyone have a chancla?