Drew Gets Braces for 2 Years

For those that don't know I have had my braces for over 4 months now and it turns out Drew will need his for two years unlike me who only needs them for 1 year. Good Luck Drew!

Drew's First Game

Drew's team the Knicks got beat big time but it was fun seeing him play with a team.

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Xbox Got Taken Away

Drew's grades started slipping and he had to face the consequences; goodbye xbox!

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Now You Got Me Mad!

I have been raving about the movie 'Now You See Me' forever now! I have wanting to see it ever since i saw the first trailer but sadly on the day it premiered i had plans, but guess who saw it without me!? Drew and Diana! Thanks guys.

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Fast 6

Diana, Drew, and I went to the premiere of the 6th movie of the Fast & Furious. I had popcorn while Drew had nachos and Diana just had a sprite and ice cream. Great movie night!

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Home Made Tortillas

This weekend I learned how to make homemade tortillas thanks to my  grandmother Meema! Drew ate most of them!

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Churros Churros!

Ever since i was little i enjoyed eating these Mexican treats; I call them Churros and eat them with lemon juice and spicy Tapatio sauce. Diana got them for me!

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Mexican Food!

After mass Diana took Drew and I to a Mexican restaurant. It was delicious!

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Confirm!

This past Saturday I received my Confirmation! The mass was over 3 hours long but we all enjoyed a great lunch after at Olive Garden! Drew and Diana couldn't wait until the mass ended since they arrived an hour earlier than me.

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The Dogs are going to DIE!

Lately Drew has not done his chores, one of them being feeding the dogs! We have two dogs that the family just loves like crazy but mister lazy pants Drew doesn't seem to love them as much as we do.

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Do your chores!

Drew only has two major chores around the house which are: feed the dogs and take out the trashcans. Every Thursday the trash gets picked up at our house at around 6am - our trash has not been picked up in a week; get my point. This kid forgets to do it!

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Who are these kids!

Just last night Drew had friends over! This kid has NEVER had friends over. Apparently they were the neighbors kids. They were all playing XBOX in Drew's room.
 
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Drew is a basketball player!

My step-brother Drew has always loved the sport basketball and now he is part of a team. He plays at our local community center and seems to really enjoy it!


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Sleeping in his room!

Last night we had a lot of family stay over at our house; I lend my bedroom to my granparents and Drew slept with my parents and i stayed in his!!! Not a fun night sleeping in a 12-year-ols bedroom.


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Planting with Meema

Drew and my grandmother Meema went to a plant nursery recently and bought a few plants.

AXE Obsessed

Lately Drew has been obsedded with the "AXE" products, the kid is 12 years old OK. He had Diana buy him this full collection.

Present for the Parentals

This past weekend my good friend Alex came over for dinner and brought dessert for the family!
My dad's favorite; Mexican Flan!

Movie Night

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Pearl Made Posole!

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A Parental Date Night

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This week my parents went out on a date! Just the cutest thing; they saw Iron Man 3 and grabbed dinner after. Diana said they went to a sea food restaurant and didn't really enjoy it.

Drew's New Request

After picking up Drew from school. I over heard him signing to this song like there was no tomorrow. He requested for me to play the full album the whole way back home. Thank you JT!

Taking Pearl to the Doctor

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A Gift from my BFF

Diana recently ordered these Isaac Mizrahi Live! Python Embossed Leather Moccasins from QVC and sadly did not fit her well so she gave them to me! Thank You BFF!

Tan Gone Wrong

I have been taking swimming classes this semester and Diana says I should apply sun screen daily.

Diana's Infamous Spaghetti

Chocolate Lava Cake for Mother's Day

Drew's First Communion

Emergency Beauty Bag

 

Diana is always borrowing my stuff because she is always on the go, so I introduced to her my Emergency Beauty Bag !

-Travel size tooth brush

-Travel size tooth paste

-Travel size deodorant

-Travel size lotion

-Travel size or mini fragrance of your choice

-Lip stick or lip balm

-At least two band-aids

-At least $5 cash

-Any feminine products of your choice

A Hairy Situation

Most Hair/Nail/Spa Salons price their upper lip waxing at around $9 and up. After having it done so many times, I feel like the upper lip is the easiest to wax and a process one can do from home. The best part is that it saves you money and it is quick to do.

Diana and I have a small waxing pot at home. We mainly use it to wax our upper lip. Just recently I noticed Diana needed some maintenance on her upper lip so I brought to her attention. The next day she wakes me up at 6 a.m. to help her wax it off before work. The silly things us women have to go through.

Why Are Guys Picky

My step-brother Drew is turning 13-years-old soon and he is now starting to get picky on who cuts his hair. He has a hair lady he likes to go to all  the time and will only go to her. If she is not working on the day we go, he will not cut his hair. If there is a long line, he will wait.

I do not understand the big deal so I asked my good friend Andy who is 23-years-old why guys are like this. He said the longest time he has waited for his barber has been one hour to one hour and a half. If the waiting time exceeds that, he will come back another day. No one else but his barber will cut his hair because he feels like not everyone knows how to do it right. He has been going to the same barber for the past four years.

Eating Out Of A Trash Bag

 

Recently my family bought a new car. It is a 2013 white Chevy Travers. A great family car I would say; it has a lot of room and it is very comfortable.

Diana's number one rule is to not eat in the car. Just this Sunday before church, Diana pulls into a Jack in the Box to get us all breakfast. I was confused because we are not allowed to eat in the car. Before I know it, Diana brings out a bundle of grocery bags and tells Drew and me that we will be eating our breakfast over these bags.

Is this hilarious or what?

Delicates Only

Jackets, coats, and dresses are typically the clothing items I take to the cleaners. Diana and Drew on the other hand take everything!

Last week Diana asked me to drop off her clothes at the dry cleaners after school. The bag she gave me probably weigh around 20 pounds. There was so much clothes I could not believe it. Most of it was her work clothes but then I see Drew's T-shirts. Who gets random t-shirts dry cleaned?

Lunch Gone Wrong

This past Friday I picked up Drew from school. I was busy that whole day and didn't have the chance to make him lunch. Diana suggested we should get take-out. The closest fast food restaurant by our house is Jack in the Box, so I immediately thought of getting something from there.

Drew asked me to bring him his usual which include: a cheeseburger plain (just the meat. cheese, and bun), fries, and strawberry milk shake. A minute later Diana calls me from work and asks what we decided to get, and the second she heard Jack in the Box she says "No get something healthier like Subway but don't get the meal because Drew gets the Hot-Cheetos and those aren't good for him." I was fine getting Subway but I knew Drew was not going to be happy.

Once I got home Drew asked where his strawberry milk shake was; like I predicted he wasn't so happy.

Drew and His Shoes

Some of my obsessions are food, the ABC show Pretty Little Liars, and theater plays but once again Drew is on another level. Recently I have realized that Drew sometimes spends more time cleaning his shoes than doing his homework. Now don't get me wrong he has good grades, but I find it interesting how much time this 12-year-old spends cleaning his shoes. He cleans his shoes everyday and uses over ten moist wipes. We have to constantly go to Target and get more because he does this so frequently; we now buy the super pack to avoid going every week. Teenagers now a days.

Cleaning Team Work

They say the meaning behind the word TEAM is Together Everyone Achieves More.

This past week was a hectic week because Diana had a lot of work at her job and it was midterm week for me. In simplier words, we were both too busy to clean around the house and the dishes were pilling up. Finally this weekened we both teamed up and cleaned the house. She washed the dishes as I dryed them and put them away. What I like about our little team work routine is that we chat as we are cleaning so time goes by faster.

Drew and His Backpack

To me something fragile would be flowers, a baby, or glass. Drew is on another level. Lately he has been driving me crazy with these new ideas he has come up with.

Every now and then I pick Drew up from school and when he gets in my car her carefully slides his backpack in. Then he carefully sets it on the seat next to him making sure it is facing forward and nothing is around it. If I drive over a bump or don't make a smooth stop and the backpack falls down he gets upset. Who gets upset by this!? I would understand if he was carrying something fragile inside the backpack but he isn't; I've asked. I don't know what the big deal is, it's just a backpack, a plain black Jansport backpack. Teenagers these days.

Gel Manicure Fun

What in the world is a gel manicure? According to wisegeek.com, a gel manicure is a type of nail treatment in which a nail technician uses gel to bind synthetic fingernails to natural ones and color them. The gel can also be applied over natural nails like regular polish; they are long lasting and do not chip.

This weekend Diana and I went to our nail place to get our nails and eye brows done. We both got a gel manicure, I picked a nude color and Diana picked a baby pink color. We like getting gel manicures because the nail polish does not chip and it makes your nails thicker so they do not break and they just look prettier.

Drew's New Love

For the past year Drew has been into basketball. He plays it at the house, he buys basketball jerseys and doesn't wear them, he watches every Laker game, you get the picture. But recently he has had this weird crave with Gatorade products. Before he goes outside to play basketball with my father he has to have these specific items. Teenagers these days!

Breakfast With Pearl

This morning the family woke up early to go to church. I am not really a morning person but I was up. After mass was over the family went to a local Mexican Restaurant. Grandmother Pearl ordered a menudo. A great Mexican soup; perfect for today's weather - it seemed like it wanted to rain.

New Phones for the Parentals

Ever since last Christmas my father has been wanting a Galaxy phone and Diana has been wanting an iPhone but sadly they were on a two-year contract and I guess it's more convenient to get a new phone once your contract is over so they have just been working with what they have. Lately both phones have been acting up and Diana just got tired of it so they decided to get new phones! Conrad is so happy he finally has his Galaxy SIII and Diana is very impressed with her iPhone 5 camera.

What kind of phone do you have?

Movie Night

There are a lot of great movies out this month. Diana, Drew, and I recently saw The Croods starring Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds. According to the IMDb website, "After their cave is destroyed, a caveman family must trek through an unfamiliar fantastical world with the help of an inventive boy." It is very funny and a great movie to see with the whole family.

Dinner for Dad

Conrad is always on the road working so on the few days he is home I like to make my father food. Diana knows how to cook a few dishes but prefers I do the cooking anyway. My favorite dish to make are Enchiladas. For those that have never heard of Enchiladas let me try my best to describe this delicious meal. It is a rolled up tortilla typically stuffed with either cheese or meat or chicken. I stuff half of them with mashed potatoes and the other half with cheese and finely chopped onion. They are served with lettuce, sour cream, and cheese on top. Everyone has their own way to make them but this is what i like on mind. They are fairly easy to make and super delicious. A great meal to enjoy with family and friends; Diana helped me stuff them making the process go faster and more fun as we chatted. 

Chinese Buffet

Recently Diana, Drew, and I went to our local car wash and discovered a Chinese Restaurant close by. We were pretty hungry so we decided to eat there.

Drew doesn't really like Chinese Food but luckily they served pizza and french fries as well! I was surprised by the number of different types of food they offered. I got my usual; chow mein, broccoli beef, and spring rolls. As we ate, Diana and I talked about school and graduation. Did I mention I'm graduating from college next month! I'm pretty excited!

Overall it was a great experience and a fun chat paired with yummy food.

 

Where is the Old Drew?

Normally every Friday I pick Drew up from school since I don't have class. I usually make him something to eat at home but I was really busy this past Friday and didn't have the chance to make anything so I got him something from our local El Pollo Loco. He always orders two large side orders of mac 'n' cheese and mashed potatoes. I wouldn't call that a meal but that's what he likes. Once I arrived home Drew asked me if I wanted some of his food. Now this is very shocking, Drew has never offered me some of his food before so I didn't know how to react. I simply said, "No I'm OK, Thank You." Once Diana got home I told her Drew had offered me some of his food and she said that was shocking for her as well.

What is going on with this teenager?

Sunday Breakfast

Last Sunday the family met up at church and went to breakfast after. We all decided to go somewhere new. We came across this Mexican Restaurant that was fairly close to our house. We ordered this baked cheese appetizer that was amazingly good as well as these well known Mexican dishes; sopes and menudo!





Cooking With Pearl

As most of you know, Pearl is Diana's mother. Pearl loves to cook as do I, so this past weekend I helped her cook a delicious Mexican dish. We made Chiles Rellenos! For those that are not aware of this dish, Chiles Rellenos are poblano peppers that we toast and then remove the skin. This process makes them soft and tender making it easier to cook. We then remove all the seeds from inside the pepper and stuff it with fresh cheese. Later the pepper is coated with a thin layer of flour and then a thick layer of egg we had previously whipped making it super fluffy. After you fry your stuffed poblano pepper evenly on both sides, you are ready to eat! It sounds like a lot of work but it is really fun, easy and delicious.

Car Ride With Drew

This week I had to pick up Drew from school. Normally when I pick him up, we don't talk much on the car ride home. But something changed this day.

I was listening to "Northern Lights" by Cider Sky. A very up beat song, and all of the sudden Drew tells me that he can play the piano portion of that song. He says this semester he is taking a piano class and really enjoys it.

Grocery Shopping Stress

Grocery shopping is not fun for me. If I have to go grocery shopping I prefer to go early in the morning or late at night. The reason why, there are less people during these times and I don't feel rushed.

As you guys may know grandmother Pearl is staying for a couple of weeks at my house so I thought it would be fun to go grocery shopping with her as I usually go alone. I always ask Diana what our budget is so I am aware of what to get; it keeps me organize. I quickly made a list of the essentials we needed and discussed to Pearl what our budget was.

Once we get to the store, Pearl is getting things that are neither on the list nor essentials. She said she needed to grab this because she was craving it the other day, had to get this because her grandson Drew might like them, had to take these because there are her daughter Diana's favorite etc. Bottom line I was freaking out because we were not staying on budget. And as I guessed it we indeed went over our budget but for Pearl and Diana it wasn't a big deal.

Why give me a budget if it doesn't make a difference?

She Cannot Wait to Leave

So these past two weeks have been Drew's spring break. Sadly my college did not give us a spring break so I have been attending class as usual; Diana has work and my father is always on the road working as well. Bottom line, there wasn't anyone to take care of Drew during this time so Diana invited her mother over; introducing to you all grandmother Pearl.

Pearl enjoys staying weekends at our house because she sees her favorite grandson Drew and helps us cook. But after staying here for the past two weeks, she is counting the days to go back home. I don't blame her; it can get boring at times. But I try to make her stays fun by talking to her; I ask her about Mexico and how she grew up.

What is your grandmother like?         

Nails and Lunch

Getting pampered is always a treat. Recently Diana and I went to the nail salon because she needed an emergency manicure. Her nail polish was chipping badly; not a cute look.

As I waited for Diana, she asked me to get us both something from Juice it Up. I got us the same combo as last time; a regular size smoothie with a pretzel. A great lunch on a hot day!

What kind of smoothies do you like? 

Getting Creative

Yesterday the whole family went to the store to grab a few things. I needed goggles for my swimming class and Diana wanted to get a new blouse.

Drew has been in the hunt for a funny movie and found the movies Despicable Me and The Lorax. Diana told him he could only get one so he picked Despicable Me. For those that are not familiar with the this movie Despicable Me is about "a criminal mastermind [who] uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds their love is profoundly changing him for the better", according to the IMDb website. It is a really funny kids movie.

Once we arrived home, Drew found a few plastic wrappers that came with the movie. The plastic wrappers were for egg decorations for Easter. I thought they were pretty funny.

What is your favorite funny movie?

Our Car Rides

This morning on our way to Diana's work, Diana and I were listening to Ryan Seacrest on the radio. Janel Parrish from Pretty Little Liars was on. According to ABC Family, "Pretty Little Liars is an American teen drama mystery-thriller television series loosely based on the popular series of novels written by Sara Shepard."

Pretty Little Liars has been one of my favorite shows to watch and from time to time Diana and Conrad have had the chance to see it, and trust me they get hooked on the show. Each episode keeps you on the edge of your seat. I think that's why my parents like it as well.

What is your favorite television show?

Even on Bad Days

Although times are tough, my family came together for dinner. Because our schedules are all different it is hard getting everyone together but this Monday we managed to do so and it was great. We had Chinese Food! Diana and I picked kung pao chicken, Drew picked fried rice and orange chicken and well Conrad likes anything. During dinner we had healthy conversation.

I have been having so many problems with my car lately. After so many attempts, my family has came to the conclusion of selling the car and buying me a new one. This made me happy but not so much for Conrad. These past couple of days he has been stressing out about the car, trying to figure out the problem but the car is so old I think that should be the answer. Diana said we should take it to the mechanic one last time, sell it, and then buy me a new car.

What kind of problems have you experienced with your car?

Sunday Bond Day

This Sunday was so  much fun! Drew spent the day with my father Conrad and I spent the day with Diana.

Drew and Conrad enjoy going to the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store. The store is huge and carries everything you can imagine one would need for hunting, fishing, camping, boating etc. Drew says they played in the arcade section practicing on their shooting and ate McDonald's later.

Diana and I went to Juice It Up and tried a new combo they have which is a regular size smoothie and a pretzel. I then wanted to get my nails done, so Diana and I headed to our nail place. I got a gel manicure while Diana got her eyebrows waxed. Diana was also really excited that the new movie OZ The Great and Powerful in 3D had come out so we went to see it. The movie was amazing!

What activities do you do with your family?

Dealing With An Attitude

So recently I have been having problems with my car. I need my car to go to school so it's a big necessity for me. While my car is being fixed at the shop, for the past two weeks, I drive Diana's car.

On weekdays our schedule looks like this: I drop off Diana at work, drop off Drew at school and finally drive myself to school. Once I get out of my last class I drive to our aunt's house where Drew walks to after school and pick him up from there. Then I go back to Diana's work to pick her up. By the time we get home it is usually 6 p.m.

Just yesterday after picking up Drew from our aunt's house, I asked him "what did you do at school today?" and his response was, "what does it matter to you." Now keep in mind he is 12 years old. I felt disrespected but Diana says it is just a phase.

How long do phases last?

The Pilot

Family can sometimes be embarrassing, loud, dysfunctional as well as loving, respectful, and loyal. Each family has their own qualities, but for the purpose of this blog I would like to share with you my family. I live at home with my father Conrad, my stepmother Diana, and stepbrother Drew who will be turning 13 years old very soon.

Because I am fairly close to my family and get along with my stepmother so well, I thought of focusing this blog around my family and our relationship. Throughout the years, I have noticed people get shocked when they see my stepmother and me get along so well. My stepmother is my best friend and a wonderful mother figure. This blog will show you what my everyday life looks like living with a stepmother and stepbrother. I will share the good times, bad times, and fun times!