Easy Doughnut Holes

If you're missing those yummy doughnut holes from your local bakery (that's closed due to the pandemic), or if you're bored and have done every single Quarantine activity that you can think of, then try this super easy and 3-ingredient recipe. No lie. One, two, THREE ingredients.

What You Will Need:

- 1 can of biscuits from the freezer section (I personally like the "flaky" kinds best)

- Canola/vegetable oil for frying

- Powdered sugar or whatever toppings you like on your donuts!

Step 1: Get out your ingredients. Start heating your oil on medium heat - it needs to reach 350 degrees. I use a big nonstick skillet with about 1 - 1.5 inches of oil.

Step 2: While your oil is heating up, open the can of biscuits, and separate them.

Step 3: Cut each biscuit in quarters, and roll them into little balls. If you fry them as is (pictured), then they could puff out like an accordion because of the layers. They still taste delicious though. ;)

(Note the lone piece that isn't rolled...just so you could see what it looks like fried.)

Step 4: Time to fry! If you don't have a candy thermometer to tell you how hot your oil is, no worries! I don't have one either! Take a wooden spoon, and carefully place the bottom of the handle in the oil. If bubbles are steadily forming, then it's good to go. If bubbles look violent, then lower the heat a bit. When all else fails, test a small piece of dough.

In small batches, gently place the dough in the oil. Once they're golden brown on one side, then it's time to flip! (I'm hoping you're smart enough to know NOT to do this part with your bare hands; but just in case, DON'T USE YOUR BARE HANDS.)

Quick side story: when I was a little girl (and money was tight), my mom would make these doughnuts for me - mini doughnuts and teeny tinier doughnut holes. I would get so excited watching her peel the paper from the can and hearing that "POP" when it would burst open. (It was definitely a lot scarier back then.) Then I'd help her cut out the holes from the center, and she'd tell me to stay back as she plopped them in hot oil.

Whenever I start frying and the smell of fried dough begins filling my own kitchen, I'm automatically brought back 25 years to our kitchen in our small apartment in the Valley (that's San Fernando Valley in Southern California for you non-SoCal folks). Those were some of the best days I've had with my mom.

Fry, my little pretties. Fry! FRY!

 Step 5: Once they're done, place them on a paper towel to remove the excess oil and to cool.

Step 6: Add your coat/glaze/toppings! My favorite is cinnamon sugar, which was what my mom always coated our doughnuts in. Ralph's is glaze, Owen's is glaze with sprinkles PLUS chocolate sauce for dipping (he's so extra), Henry's is powdered sugar, and Grace's is...all of the above.

Strawberries added for "balance".

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or, my favorite, iced coffee!

I love how the kids went for the strawberries first. I give them strawberries every freaking morning with their waffles, and they never. touch. the. strawberries. WHY?

And that's it! Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy recipe. Mom, if you're reading this, I love you very much! (Sorry, ya'll. It's been 21 days since I've physically seen my mom and dad, and they live down the street from me. Missing them so much that I'm making food that reminds me of them and my childhood.)

Gracie Gets Pierced!

I've thought about getting Grace's ears pierced ever since she was born, and I figured we'd get it done on my birthday (for two reasons) - 1) She'd be 6 months old and would be sitting up on her own, and 2) I'd get my birthday present at the same time - get my nose pierced.

WHAAAT!

I know. I'll be 32. Why in the world would I get my nose pierced now. I don't know, okay? It's something that I've wanted to do for a looong time but could never get myself to go; but since I was going to take Gracie to get her ears pierced, why not get my nose done too?

But last week, something was nagging me to get it done sooner. I asked around, and I even Googled, "When to get baby's ears pierced?" The results were all over the place.

"When she was a newborn."

"I'll wait until she asks."

"6 months, but I wish I had it done sooner."

"Before 4 months."

"After 1 year."

So many different answers! However, I decided to get it done right away because I read that babies start to localize pain at around 6 months (Grace will be 4 months old on the 18th). I also wanted to do it before she could start playing with her ears; and I knew that if I waited, there was no way I'd take her at 1 year. We'd have to wait until she was old enough to follow instructions and/or until she asked for it.

We looked for a local piercing salon and booked an appointment right away.

Grace was asleep when we arrived, and she stayed asleep when we put her down on the exam table. We looked at the earrings and decided on a pair of simple gold studs. When we looked back over to her, she was wide awake. Fortunately, she was all smiles when the lady (Cleo) did the prep.

Ms. Cleo marking where the piercings would go.

Look at Grace's happy face! Poor thing had NO idea what was coming.

Ears are getting prepped...

Here comes the needle...!

Annnd I'll spare you from all the screaming/crying photos that Ralph took. I'll just share this one.

The look of betrayal.

But once we picked her up, she was totally fine. She was even smiling and cooing at herself in the mirror. So vain, Gracie!

Yay! We survived!

And just like that, she looks a lot older. This is equivalent to when the boys got their first haircut.

Good job, Gracie girl! We're so proud of you! As for me and my nose piercing...we'll see. Maybe I won't do it after all. (Breathe, Mom and Dad!)

Going to the Beach with Lassig

This is definitely the Monday-est of Mondays because Ralph goes back to work today after being off the whole week last week. He always requests Memorial Day week off, and we always do these three things: 1) Trip(s) to Disneyland/California Adventure, 2) Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen, and 3) A trip to the beach.

The first time we went to the beach as a family of five was on Mother's Day, and we had NO IDEA what the heck we were getting ourselves into. For one, we weren't prepared. At all. We basically said, "Let's go get coffee and donuts and go to Huntington Beach Dog Park," and did just that. We didn't dress the kids in swimwear, we didn't bring towels, and the beach we chose was a bit of a walk from the parking lot...and all the dogs kept coming up to us because of the donuts. *Face palm* (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE dogs, but I don't love it when they come trampling all over me, my kids, and our stuff with wet sandy paws.)

But yesterday, beach day, we were prepared. We ordered some products from Lassig, and they definitely made the trip a lot better. (We also went to Laguna Beach, and the walk from our car was MUCH easier/closer. And it's not a beach for dogs. Heh.)

This is Gracie's second time at the beach (first was Mother's Day), and she was less than thrilled. Ralph and I kept telling her that the "ocean sounds" were loud and clear, but I think she prefers the synthetic kind, haha. But look at her in her first bathing suit (from Lassig)! It is a two-piece tankini, and I cannot wait until she gets a little bit bigger and her belly pokes out!

Henry also wasn't having it (in the beginning). It's entirely our fault, honestly... We live in Southern California, less than 20 minutes away from the beach, and we don't go as often as we should. The last time we had a full beach experience was when we went to Aulani in October, but can you blame me? It was "winter" (lame excuse, I know), and I was the size of a whale (good excuse, I was pregnant with Gracie).

I feel like Henry's going to be more of a pool person, but once we sat him on the sand and gave him a few toys to play with, he was totally fine. From Lassig, we got Henry a simple rashguard. Perfect for matching with any of his swim trunks!

Now Owen, well, he was born to be in the water. He'll jump at the chance to take a bubble bath, go to the pool, play with his water table... This kid just loves the water.

My favorite thing that we ordered from Lassig was this beach poncho/towel. You can use it as a towel, but the boys mainly used it to keep warm and to protect themselves from the sun.

The boys had so much fun playing in the sand. They even dared to go with their dad at one point to play in the water; but the waves were so unpredictable yesterday, so that was short-lived. And even though it was beach day, we still got our donuts because...Sunday.

No donuts for you, Gracie Girl. Just milk!

It was a fun day, and we're so bummed that it's time to get back into our normal routine. But now that we have some sweet swimwear and beach ponchos, I see us going back to the beach a lot more frequently.

Here are the links to the Lassig products in this post:

Tankini Girls, Sailor Navy

Rashguard Short Sleeve Boys, White

Beach Poncho Boys, Submarine

You can use the code "PITC15" to get 15% off your purchase!

***Disclaimer: The products showcased in this post were gifted to us by Lassig. All opinions are 100% my own.***

Handful of Herreras

This blog has gone through a lot of changes over the years, but I'm happy to announce that this piece of the internet is officially named "Handful of Herreras"!

Formally, it was just "Page Herrera", but this space isn't just about me. Heck, the reason why I created this blog in the first place was to document my pregnancy journey; but now, I use it to share my experiences as a mother of three!

Three kids, my husband, and myself...we make the Herrera five. Five fingers on a hand. We're a "Handful of Herreras".

Grace Celeste's Birth Story

April is C-Section Awareness Month, so I figured it was a perfect time to recap Grace's birth story and my last caesarean section.

During one of my prenatal visits, my OB-GYN told me - with the way the baby was growing - that my due date was changed to February 25th, Owen's birthday. He said the earliest I could schedule my repeat c-section was at 39 weeks and asked if I wanted to book it for the 18th. To be honest with you, I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to wait out the 40 weeks and attempt a VBAC because I knew that it was most likely going to be my last pregnancy and my last chance to experience a vaginal birth. However, I already knew of the complications associated with a VBAC and figured the risks of these complications would be even higher after TWO c-sections.

I felt like I was taking too long to answer my doctor, so I said the 18th was fine. And then he brought up birth control; he asked me if I wanted to have anymore kids. If I didn't, he suggested that I get a tubal removal during my c-section - not a ligation where I got my tubes "tied" - a complete removal of my tubes. No chance of reversal. No more kids.

I stared at him for a while, and he could tell that I was having a hard time wrapping my head around such a thought. He smiled and said, "You don't need to make a decision today; and even if you consented to it, you could change your mind right up to the point when we're about to remove your tubes."

I didn't want to be done having children, but I knew in my heart that was it - it was my last pregnancy, and Grace was going to be my last baby. I signed the consent for both, the repeat c-section and the tubal removal, and went home.

Now, I'm not going to lie - I thought about cancelling the surgery many times, not just for the sterilization but also to try for a vaginal birth. With Owen, I endured labor for 12 hours and ended up having an emergency c-section due to complications. With Henry, I didn't want to relive the same events, so we scheduled a repeat c-section without hesitation. But with Grace, my last baby, it was a tough decision. I wanted to labor. I wanted to push. I cried many nights because I knew it just wasn't meant to be. I didn't want to risk having complications. It wasn't worth it to me, to my husband, or to my children.

I made it to February 18th without any issues or any signs of labor. We checked into the L&D unit at 7am, two hours before my scheduled surgery, and waited...

...and waited and waited and waited...and waited some more. My surgery was bumped, not one, not two, but THREE TIMES. One mother was laboring and having issues, so she needed to have an emergency c-section; and then two women with high-risk pregnancies were transferred from the E.R. and also needed emergency c-sections. 

When the nurse told me about the first delay, I was fine. I totally understood because I was that mother when I had Owen 4 years ago. With the second delay, I was slightly upset because I was starving and thirsty (had nothing to eat or drink for 14+ hours at that point), but I was STILL okay. I smiled and said I was aaall good.

At 3:00pm, one of the surgeons came in to tell me about bumping me again, and I was absolutely devastated. I fought back tears as she offered to reschedule me for another day, but there was no way I was leaving the hospital without a baby in my arms. And even if they did reschedule me, there would be no guarantee that this wouldn't happen again. I told her I'd wait. The second she left, tears just ran down my cheeks. Honestly, I could have waited another 10 hours...I really just wanted to eat. Haha!

A couple of hours later, a different nurse came in and gave me the wonderful news that they were preparing the O.R. for...meeee! I was so happy, but I almost didn't believe it. I made a joke to the nurse that I wasn't going to celebrate until I was being cut open. She laughed and told me that all the nurses and doctors felt so bad for me but were very grateful for my patience. I'm not sure why, but that made me feel pretty proud of myself.

A little while later, I was being wheeled into the operating room.

I was actually pretty nervous about the surgery. During my first c-section, I passed out. With the second, I was shivering uncontrollably, and I threw up. I have no idea what they did the third time around because I felt amazing the entire time. Even Ralph commented how "chipper" I was. If having the smoothest c-section was the payoff for delaying my surgery almost 9 hours, I'd say it was worth it.

At 6:21pm, Grace Celeste Herrera was born. The very first thing I asked the doctor was, "Is it still a girl?" She laughed and held Grace over the curtain for me to see her. She looked just like her big brother Owen (still does, actually).

Once she was in my arms, nothing mattered. I wasn't hungry anymore. I wasn't sad that I didn't push her out. I wasn't hesitant about the doctors performing the tubal removal. I was content because I brought three beautiful children into this world.

Our first selfie in our room.

I can't believe it's been 8 weeks since we were in the hospital. It seems just like yesterday we were in that room, getting to know our Gracie girl. I remember cherishing every moment while we were there, the good and the bad, because it was the last time we were ever going to experience it. I already miss it, mesh underwear and all.

Grace Celeste Herrera // 2.18.2019 at 6:21pm // 7lbs 7oz // 19.25in

The Biggest Surprise of Our Lives

Before Summer 2018 began, Henry was just turning 9 months old and beginning to be more independent. He was eating solid foods and feeding himself; and sure enough, this led to a dip in my breast milk production. No big deal, I thought. It was bound to happen.

I also noticed that I was feeling more tired than usual, but I figured it was just due to chasing a very active toddler and a crawling baby (as well as another active toddler at my home health job). But then I was also getting light-headed, and I couldn't quite figure out why. 

One night, before I was about to head upstairs for bed, I realized that it had been a while since I had my period. I looked at my phone's calendar, and I was right - it had been 4 weeks and 5 days. I thought, I'm still breastfeeding. My cycle is probably still off. I bet I'll get it tomorrow. Still, something was telling me, Take a test before you take your pill. (I always take my birth control pill before I go to bed.)

I went to the downstairs restroom and took out a leftover standard pregnancy test that I had from when we tried getting pregnant with Henry. It turned positive right away, and I just cried.

I ran upstairs and shook Ralph awake as quietly as possible (Henry was sleeping in his crib which was still in our room at the time). Ralph followed me outside to the stairwell, closed the door, and looked at the test with the sleepiest/most confused look you can imagine. I can't remember what he said. I just remember being back downstairs and crying my eyes out and saying stuff like...

"How did this happen?"

"What are we going to do?"

"Poor Henry. We didn't give him enough time to be our baby."

"My mom can't watch three kids. I won't be able to work."

"We can't live here. We need to move, but we can't afford to move."

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU JOKE ABOUT HOW YOUR SPERM IS 'SUPER' OR THAT YOUR SEMEN NEEDS TO BE DONATED FOR SCIENCE."

I really did say this while sobbing uncontrollably.

I was beside myself. After several more outbursts, Ralph just held me and assured me that everything was going to work out, that everything was going to be okay. I obviously didn't sleep right away that night, but it didn't take too long for me to realize one thing - God's timing is always perfect. A couple of hours later, I finally fell asleep.

The following morning, I did something that I hadn't done in a long time - I prayed. I felt terrible for reacting the way I did, so I prayed for God's forgiveness and guidance and thanked him for all my blessings (especially the one that was growing inside me). Shortly after, I called Kaiser to schedule my first pre-natal appointment.

Baby's first ultrasound.

The baby looked healthy and was growing on schedule with a projected due date of February 23rd, Owen's original due date. Funny, right? About 8 weeks later, we publicly announced the pregnancy. 2 weeks after that, right at 14 weeks, we scheduled an ultrasound to find out the gender.

During the ultrasound, the baby did not want to cooperate at first. I actually had to drink some soda AND use the restroom before the ultrasound tech was able to tell us the results; but before she even said what we were having, I knew. I have two boys, so I can spot boy parts in an ultrasound right away. This time, I saw nothing.

Technician: So...guess what?

Me: It's a girl? Are you sure? (Ultrasound techs must HATE this question.)

Technician: Yup! You're having a girl!

Excited that they don't have to share their toy cars with another boy. HA. So they think...

Honestly, we couldn't believe it, and I STILL didn't believe the other ultrasound technician who performed the 20-week anatomy scan 6 weeks later; however, we prepared for a girl, though I didn't really start doing anything until way into the 3rd trimester.

Preparing for a girl was super strange but super fun!

On February 18th, we welcomed Grace Celeste - our first and only daughter, our smallest and last baby.

Photo courtesy of Christina Cho Photography

Up next...her birth story!

The Last Year in a Nutshell + A BABY?!

Oh my goodness...where do I begin?! I haven't blogged in almost a year! To be honest, I had certain goals for this space (as well as other social media outlets); however, I realized that it was just too much for me. So...I'll go back to using this blog as I had originally intended for it to be used - a way to document and share my motherhood journey.

SO! A lot has happened since my last blog post in March 2018! Actually, looking at my blog, most of the recent posts were sponsored ones...I guess I haven't really shared any updates since Henry was born in September 2017. Yikes.

Here's a quick overview:

Owen turned 4 years old this past Monday. 4! Can you believe that? He's still wild, silly, and strong-willed as ever. He talks a LOT and asks about 10 billion questions a day (most, of which, he already knows the answers to). He also continues to be obsessed with anything with wheels, but Pooh Bear is still his favorite toy.

Henry is a full-fledged toddler and is never too far from Owen. He loves anything and everything that has to do with Mickey Mouse ("Mow Mow"), Toy Story, and Puppy Dog Pals. Henry is also our little foodie and likes trying out new foods - he's definitely not as picky as his dad and brother. He also started sleeping in the boys' shared room about 6 months ago (before that, he was sleeping in his crib in our bedroom), and we cannot be more grateful with how well he AND Owen have handled the transition.

Ralph hasn't changed a bit. He still works for the county and continues to train for marathons and Brazilian jiu jitsu. He also reads his novels, collects his comic books, and trains to become a Pokémon master (hahaha, yeah, the game made a huge comeback). Ralph does all that and still finds the time to be the best daddy and husband.

As for me, I cut down my hours at the urology clinic and got a second job as a home health pediatric nurse for a good portion of 2018 (it fit my family's schedule better). I worked with only one patient and her family until September when I got the heartbreaking news that they were moving out of state. Honestly, I could not have asked for a better family to work for, and I do think of them often. Luckily, we still keep in touch every once in a while. I resigned from the home health company shortly after my last shift and returned to working at the urology clinic per diem.

The BIGGEST update of 2018 (for the whole family) was that we found we were expecting our third baby. To say that we were surprised is a complete understatement, but I'll save that story for another post.

A week before Owen's 4th birthday, we welcomed a baby girl - Grace Celeste Herrera. She was born on February 18th at 6:21pm, measuring 19.25 inches long and weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces. (The following photos are courtesy of Christina Cho Photography.)

We've been home as a family of five for over a week now, and we are enjoying every minute. Yes, it is super crazy, loud, and exhausting; but we are so blessed and so happy.

Until next time! Let's hope it doesn't take another year for me to post something!