Aren't Visitors the Best?

G-Mom is coming today!! We can't wait to spend a long weekend with her. Counting down the hours 'til her LAX pick up. Happy Weekend!

(This photo taken during her visit last summer... look at my little kids.)

A Movie To Think About

I've been glued to the TV (unexpectedly) twice this week when Oprah did two shows on the documentary Waiting for Superman. Very interesting stuff. Tyler's Pre-K is part of our local elementary school and LAUSD. It's our first venture into public school-land (as parents). So far our experience has been fantastic, especially thanks to his wonderful teacher, and I have high hopes for his elementary school. But nonetheless, I still worry. I want the best for my kids (like we all do), and I want to do my part to make that happen. This film seems to be pushing all sorts of buttons, and looks to even help change come about. Personally I would love class sizes to shrink, for one. We're on the brink of being a public school-involved family, an adventure I truly welcome. Gotta see this film.

Speaking of documentaries, I still haven't seen this one:My mom will be here this weekend. I'm thinking it'll be the perfect movie for us to watch one night when the kids fall asleep.

Tyler Road

This is what we made this weekend (inspired by an episode of Curious George):We call it Tyler Road (Tyler calls it his "road system"). It takes you everywhere, like to the park or the zoo.

Nice parking lot. Really who needs toys when you have construction paper and crayons?

He made this tunnel while I was exercising yesterday.

Audrey tried to build a road, too, but she's a little better at destroying the neighborhood...

...and is content to lounge around the house in her Ladybug rainboots eating string cheese.

This is how we played this weekend.

Breathe

De-stress and breathe. Breathe. How do you de-stress? Do tell. I need to let go of a little yuckiness with the apartment building, which is pretty much all I will say about that because I do not blog about the building, or post on facebook about the building. But that's not to say there aren't times it gets to me. And when it gets to me I need to breathe and compartmentalize because this is where I live. I love where I live. I am grateful for this job. And I will never. ever. have ill will or awkwardness with anyone here (maybe moments of it, but nothing permanent). If I did this job would eat me alive. Okay, 'nuff said. But really... how do you de-stress, because all my usual ways aren't working and I have two big ol' knots on my back that kill. I think this crapola is just the icing on the cake after a week of new school, new Ladybug schedule, church primary music program coming up (I'm in charge of the kids learning their songs), add in a little personal life drama and there you have it. Good thing Adam is on hiatus otherwise I would have a hard time juggling all this (and lucky for me he is a great co-apartment manager).

Last week I shared a couple messages back and forth with my Aunt Wendy on facebook. One thing she said really struck me. She said something like, it's not whether or not you will experience stress in life, because you will. It's how you handle the stress that matters. That really hit me because I think I'm a person who sometimes waits for the stressful moments to be over so I can finally relax, instead of embracing them and saying, "yep - today is stressful", then channeling the stress so I deal with it in the best possible way. Sure some days it'll get the best of me (dangit!). But if I accept that stress is a part of life, the focus can instead be on what is the best way to handle it. Like if I expect stress to be a natural part of things, then I'm better equipped to deal when those days come. Does that make sense? Because I'm still trying to breathe over here. I think the rest of this weekend I am de-stressing by staying home with my family, not putting anything else on my to-do list, staying on top of my current list, letting go of the things I cannot control, and having Adam give me a nice massage later while catching up on fall shows (after he picks up some take-out on the way home from acting class). Sound good? And of course I always have my easy button.

What are your sure fire ways to de-stress?

Sneak Peek

The preparations have begun. Are you getting Halloween ready at your house, too?

First Day

First day of Pre-K for Tyler. Everything went so well. He was excited, smiled, no tears (except from me at this one part where all the kids lined up so their teacher could walk them to the classroom - they were adorable). I can't believe this is our last year before school is an all-day thing. Time flies. Couldn't be more proud of our little man. (And don't worry about Audrey, she had a great morning and we even took her for ice cream - so she felt very special indeed).

Farewell Summer and Bring On Fall

Like I mentioned in the last post, we are back to routine tomorrow. Tyler starts school. The Ladybug Music fall session has begun. Adam is on hiatus. Audrey is just plain lucky because she's two and gets to play all day long. As I look back at this list, I feel pretty good - we had a wonderful summer and went on all sorts of adventures. Flew to Virginia, had a surprise visitor for six weeks - Adriana, and a spur-or-the-moment family wedding celebration in Oakland. Both kids took swim class, and we swam a lot. Beach trips, music class, play dates with a bunch of different friends, the aquarium. One thing we did a lot this summer was go to the library. We found Olivia (this one was our favorite. I found it used and stashed it in the closet for the holidays), Angelina, Charlie & Lola, The Kissing Hand, Truck Town. I love going to the library with my kids. Don't worry, we also had a lot of movie nights to even things out. Adam and I went on a bunch of dates. The summer was so nice.

And here comes fall. We have a visit from G-Mom to look forward to at the end of September. Hopefully getting some family photos in October. Halloween feels like it's sneaking up as I get Audrey's costume pulled together, (thankfully Tyler wants to be the same thing as last year - wahoo!). I'm ready to bake some cookies, stop at the local pumpkin patches. We are trying to redecorate the kids' bedroom and possibly put in bunk beds.

What are your back to school traditions? Not quite sure what ours are yet. I think some sort of out-to-dinner, or post-first day celebration (we might mini-golf on Monday afternoon, or head to Yogurtland - or both). And I'm all for the back to school shopping. We hit the Old Navy sale pretty hard. And Gap. Picked up cute dresses and leggings for Audrey. Shirts for Tyler. Jeans for both. When it came time to get Tyler some shoes, he told me he wanted red shoes (his favorite color). Wasn't sure about that, but then I found these and they're perfect... look great with jeans.

Here's Tyler playing with his buddy Josie, at Pre-K. So glad they'll be in class together: And here he's getting comfortable on the big kid playground on campus:

I couldn't be more excited for Tyler's school year to begin. His teacher is wonderful. Tyler's brain seems like it's exploding as he puts letters together and has begun to read simple words. He's on fire. Bring on Pre-K!

Photos for the Weekend

Seeing that it feels like our last weekend of summer (I started work today, and Tyler starts Pre-K on Monday), here are a couple photos of one our favorite outings, visiting the children's garden at the Huntington Library. Photos courtesy Lyndsay, who came to the rescue after my camera battery died.

Tyler and Audrey giving Maya and Penny a lesson in drinking from the water fountain.

On this particular outing I left the house feeling pretty grouchy, but once we got to the gardens it was so incredibly peaceful and beautiful. My kids could run in the open grass, the flowers were bright, we explored the chinese garden. I was happy. Kids were happy. Well worth the 25 minute drive to Pasadena. I think we are going to enjoy our membership this year.

PS - I can get another adult in for free (and I believe their kids, too), so give a shout out when you want to join us.

Friday's Lunch

I got this recipe from Trainer Momma, have you checked her out? I really enjoy her site. It's healthy but practical. I need to remember to make her health(ier) chocolate chip cookies, too, this fall. (And her edible playdough recipe for Audrey). Here is lunch today, it reminds me a lot of this salad (which I love and you must try, too):
Southwestern Pinto Bean and Brown Rice Salad

1 cup brown rice, cooked and cooled (after it is cooked it should end up to be around 2 cups)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, or 1 teaspoon ground cumin (I used ground)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (I used rice vinegar because that's what I had on hand)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 large clove garlic, crushed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed
8 scallions, trimmed and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium bell pepper, (green, yellow, orange or red), chopped (about 1 cup)

Toast cumin in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes for seeds, 1 minute for ground cumin. Transfer to a blender or food processor and let cool for several minutes. Add oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper and process until the garlic is finely chopped.

Transfer the rice to a large bowl and toss with beans, scallions and bell pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. I squeezed fresh lime on top (which I highly recommend), or you could add grape tomatoes, or chopped mango. You could wrap it in a tortilla, or serve it over mixed greens or fresh spinach. A Delicious, easy, vegetarian lunch or dinner, and it will feed you all week. Enjoy!

One Fish, Two Fish

Our day spent with the fishes:

Loved this star fish...

And this beautiful seahorse.

These two were ready for their close up.

Studying the fish... finding out all their names.

I just love this girl...

And this little man, (who purposely wore his aquarium t-shirt from Grandpa Faust).

We touched tiny sharks and not-so-tiny stingrays.

Happiness is one of Audrey's peanut butter and jelly kisses. Mmmmm.This is Zen Tyler, pondering the meaning of life after a long day at the aquarium.

The area around the aquarium is so beautiful. The kids spent time running around, chasing birds, and watching boats go by.Pretty girl. We're thinking of celebrating Audrey's 3rd birthday at the aquarium, since as long as we go before she turns three she's still free. I love spending time down there, but it's expensive. Until next time.

My Heart

We spent the morning at the aquarium and it was an absolutely beautiful day in every possible way. Photos to come, but I had to post this one of my two loves. On days like today I feel so lucky that this is how I spend my time, and these little people are the ones that fill my hours.

Apple Delicious

'Tis the season to cook delicious food. Tonight I attempted to use up all the apples Adam's parents gave us from the trees in their back yard. Made this homemade applesauce in the crock pot. Fantastic. And my whole family was gobbling it up by the spoonful. I've only made applesauce before as baby food, so this time I kept it nice and chunky. The best part about this recipe is it uses very little sugar. I doubled the amount of apples, kept the skins on about half of them, and it was ready in 2 1/2 hours. Easy.

I still have about 5 apples left. I'm thinking of making these for dessert, or here's another version for breakfast, with some plain greek yogurt... sounds deeeelish. Definitely ready to embrace some fall cooking.

On My Mind Tonight

Tonight I am pensive. Always this time of year. My heart is with a city I love, and life is feeling a little fragile since hearing about a dear friend's loss. Hugging my family tight tonight. Trying to remember that every night. Each moment together is truly a gift. Speaking of my little family, lately I can't stop thinking about this girl: Man she is a handful in the best way. The past couple days I've been watching her a lot. Wednesday we were at the park with great friends who have a six or seven year old, Monica. Audrey is in love with Monica, and I watched as Monica pushed her on the swings, carried her around the park. Audrey was in heaven. She kept telling me, "I want to go to her", pointing to Monica. Then there came a point when Monica wanted to play with the big kids and Audrey didn't know what to do with herself. So she started hitting Monica... and Monica's little brother... and Tyler... and other random children passing by. At first I was aggravated. Then I thought, she doesn't know how to really play yet. The attention from Monica was suddenly gone, and Audrey didn't know how to do what the big kids were doing. She couldn't quite keep up, as has hard as she tried. I helped her dig in the sand with them. But she's two. And they're all four or older. It was fine and to be expected - different kids at different stages of life. I think the reason I've been thinking about it so much is it was the clearest example I've seen in a while of why exactly Audrey hits so much. Sometimes I think it's for my attention (and maybe that's true at times), but she is #2 and she hangs out with big kids (friends of Tyler's), but doesn't really know how to play with them. This is what I saw so clearly on Wednesday. It made me so happy to have my time with her again in another week, when Tyler's at school and we can do things - just Mommy and Audrey. It's been too long.

I am deep in love with my little girl, and when life feels fragile this kiss feels incredible. I think Audrey just might be the best two year old kisser in town.

September's Diet

We're going vegetarian again. Gonna try to keep it up until my mom comes to visit at the end of the month. Wanna join us? I'm finding some good (and way easy) recipes on The Scramble, and I'm excited to busy out my Alicia Silverstone cookbook. Everything I've tried in this book has been delicious. I highly recommend grabbing a copy, or finding one used on Amazon or Ebay. And I plan on making a ton of soups if this weather keeps up.

Also, these pretzel crisps might be my new favorite snack (unless I end up eating the whole bag in one day). I found them at Ralph's, but I'm sure they're available in most grocery stores. Oh my, they are so tasty for a healthier snack. Just gotta portion control. We tried the Buffalo Wing, and the Garlic Parmesan, but I'm sure all the flavors are delicious.

Lastly, this was one year ago last summer. Look at my Audrey... so little. So starting to be a big girl now. Time sure does fly.

So Long Summer

Why does Labor Day Weekend always feel like the end of summer? Even here in LA where the weather will stay around 80, or hotter, through Halloween (visiting a pumpkin patch = sweat, sweat, and more sweat out here). Today we spent the morning in the pool. Grandma and Grandpa Tait rented a hotel room down here for the long weekend. We swam a lot, went out to dinner, took nice walks, bought our last huge 'ol watermelon of the season, and enjoyed what feels like the final days of summer. I have the next two weeks off of music class, and Tyler doesn't start school 'til the 20th - so it still kinda feels like vacation. We hope to hit the Long Beach Aquarium, maybe The Skirball if I feel like forking out the money for Noah's Ark, the Old Navy baby sale (which starts this weekend), and we'll head to The Huntington Library to get our membership started. Let me know if you wanna join.

Comment of the Year

My wonderful friend Kerry has a post on her blog called Comment of the Year. I'm copying her. And yes, its her comment that I'm declaring My So-Called Blog's Comment of the Year. (Because she rocks, and so does this comment). She made it in response to my recent birthday post. 33! It is excellent advice, and something I'm going to work on during my 34th year on Earth. I just have to share:

Happy Birthday, dear sweet girl! A note on the aging process: EMBRACE IT. Put on a bikini right now and don't take it off until you're 60. (That's my plan.) Love every line and crease and wrinkle and sag. I know so many women who get older, then look at younger pictures of themselves and say "I was so beautiful! Why didn't I feel that way!"

I've found that life is just more fun when the ONLY thing you say when you look in the mirror is "I am beautiful." No exceptions. Say it again. When you see a picture of yourself. When you catch your reflection in the window of a store. When you see your face in the rear view mirror. "I AM BEAUTIFUL!" I forced myself to do that for so long - whether I felt that way or not - that now it's the first thing I think. It's a reflex. AND A GOOD ONE. Show that baby girl how it's done.

I think it also helps that you and I are getting hotter every year. Eye cream or not! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

There you go. Perfect. (I especially appreciate that last part). Admittedly I don't have the best body image in the world, and it's something I struggle with and try to work on. Sadly (even though my life is filled with the most gorgeous women anyone will ever meet, inside and out), I don't think I'm alone on this. This year I'm gonna say, "I am beautiful" and end it right there. It's gonna be hard (I can already hear the fight in my head tomorrow morning when I'm in the pilates studio with all those mirrors), but I'm gonna try. Maybe I'll be able to make it a habit, just like Kerry. If I'm gonna copy someone, it should be a chick as cool as her. If you need a little less of that negative, nagging voice in your head - do it with me. I'm starting today... and might need a little support.

Funny

Did you watch the Emmys last Sunday night? It was one of the best award shows I've seen in a while (even though I still fast-forwarded through a bunch of stuff). The opening number was awesome! Here it is, enjoy: