Riding on a Seesaw

The kids and I spend a lot of time outside. One of their favorite spots is the park. We are lucky to live so close to many different parks including a few in walking distance. My children are typical siblings – they love each other and play great together usually – but they also fight and drive each other crazy.

Lately I have seen Matteo tormenting Malina to the point that she begins to cry. We tell her that he is a ‘baby’ still and that she should ignore his comments, but she does not. We talk to him as well about his behavior, but he continues to do it. 10 minutes later they will be playing together as if an argument never happened. Their relationship is a bit lit a seesaw, it goes both up and down. By chance I caught them having a great time on a seesaw at the park recently.

(day 357)

Thanksgiving at Knott’s Berry Farm

We had planned on spending Thanksgiving at Knott’s Berry Farm a few weeks ago… and then rain came into the forecast. A few days prior to the holiday the rain prediction disappeared. We do not have much family in the Los Angeles area and usually head down to San Diego to be with friends.

This year we decided to stay at home and spend the day doing something local that the kids would enjoy. It was a great day. My feet were a little sore from the walk in flip flops the day prior, but I survived. We headed home after a successful day at Knott’s Berry Farm – and even better I purchased season passes so we can visit whenever we want in 2014! Yeah!!

The kids went on many rides and when we first arrived we did not have to wait long to ride anything. It was great. I even went on a somewhat “super spinny” ride which I usually avoid – since those rides can make me sick! I had to do it or the kids would not be able to go on the ride. I survived.. as did the kids. Always something fun to ride at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Now this is a Thanksgiving lunch!

Wandering around the park

(day 354)

Malina Donatella

I have noticed something lately- my 7 year old is no longer a baby. She is little lady. She already wants to be a teenager and loves to watch preteen shows on the television. She pretends to be talking on the phone all the time with her friends and likes to spend time away from her brother. She no longer likes watching the show “Dora The Explorer” and actually now calls the cartoon “Dora the Exploder” laughing the whole time. She now brushes her teeth and washes her face in the morning without help – although at night we still brush her teeth and floss them too. She likes to take care of her brother (when they are not fighting) and has taken to playing volleyball quite well. So many accomplishments for a 7 year old girl. As much as I would like to keep her at this age forever I look forward to seeing her continue to grow and mature.

(day 344)

Milk and cookies for breakfast

I think my kids are becoming more Italian as each day passes. The other morning Matteo asked to have milk and Italian cookies for breakfast. It was the first time that he has ever made this request. Cookies and milk are a very popular breakfast choice in Italy. Max eats this meal 80% of the time- when he is tired he will eat cereal and milk. I had to check in the cupboard to see what we had available and we were completely stocked with goodies.

I myself am a fan of the Ringo brand cookies with vanilla filling while everyone else prefers the chocolate filling. I also love the Mulino Biano brand, and I absolutely loved our Mulino Biano themed beach towel that Malina had from her nonna (grandmother) until this past summer when she lost it. There were lots of little characters, similar characters to the minions from “Despicable Me”, running around doing activities.

Both kids ended up with cookies and milk for breakfast and were fueled for the big bike ride we later took with Max.

(day 342)

She is feeling better!

We have been very lucky the last year or so. The kids have not been sick or missed school. The few times that they have been sick it was over the weekend so we have not had to miss any work. Our luck ended this past Tuesday. Malina said she did not feel well after school and by the time she went to bed I noticed that she was indeed warm, very warm.

I began texting away looking for a babysitter to look after her on the first afternoon when Max was not available to look after her. Four people later one of my friends was available to spend the afternoon with her. On the second afternoon Matteo and I spent the afternoon with her. She was feeling much better and ready to leave the house. After picking up a gigantic packet of home work from school we went to the beach. What is better than a little fresh ocean air? Nothing.

We lucked out finding a parking spot with 2 free hours of parking by chance, and we stayed that whole time! By the way the weather has been very hot the last few days. I’m not sure if it is global warming or what, but it was almost 80 degrees at the beach and closer to 90 degrees by where I work. At the beach we played a little volleyball, smash ball, football, snacked, tried to fly a kite (not enough wind) and just relaxed. It was a great afternoon with the bonus of seeing the sun set as the kids sat on the hood of my car. Life truly is good.

(day 340)

Bonding with the kids

I was very excited to take the kids out the other evening. On the agenda was shopping and catching a free concert while watching an annual tree lighting ceremony. All of this was taking place at the outlets. Apparently many other people had this idea too. The outlets were packed! We were so lucky to find parking on the first try.

We ended up buying lots of great items from the trip, but the highlight of the evening was feeling the energy from the crowd there to watch the concert. I will admit it now – I knew no one playing, but I did recognize songs that one singer/songwriter played. Malina on the other hand was in her element dancing around and telling us who people were. The band R5 were the main attraction, and we discovered that the lead singer was also was an actor from a television show called “Austin and Ally”. Malina recognized Ross Lynch (the singer) immediately and told us who he was. It was great fun going out with the kids enjoying time together. Let’s see what I come up with next….

(day 336)

Family Hike: Del Cerro Park (Rancho Palos Verdes)

I had planned on doing a hike in the Palos Verdes area yesterday with the kids since we had the afternoon free. We were on the verge of finally doing a hike down to the ocean and exploring tide pools when a friend told me she had availability to go hiking with us – along with her two sons that are similar in age to my kids. She suggested we go to Del Cerro Park to hike in Rancho Palos Verdes. I did an internet search on the park and it looked pretty calm and simple – and knowing I would not have to find the trail head I quickly agreed to the new location.

WOW! This spot is spectacular. The views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island are great. I could spend a whole day here wandering around. Our hike was around 2 hours – and extended into the evening. Yes, we even saw the sun set!! I was a little nervous about possibly seeing rattlesnakes (a warning from internet reviews), but the only wildlife I saw on this trail were bunnies, three of them to be exact. At one point one of the kids said they were going on a jungle gym. I was absolutely shocked that a jungle gym could be out here in the middle of nowhere – until I saw that the jungle gym was a tree! We had so much fun with my girlfriend and her kids on this hike, and their French bulldog. Group hikes are definitely fun and I look forward to checking out another trail in Palos Verdes with them.

The trail that starts at Del Cerro Park was such a winner that we will bring Max here too. For anyone local interested in checking it out all you have to do is take Crenshaw Boulevard to the end and walk just south of the park to the dead end street which will take you to Portuguese Bend Nature Reserve. I am so bad with directions, but even I can find my way back here without any issues. I will say that I could see myself becoming a little confused on all the paths that you can take here though – although I believe they are basically a loop. I definitely give a “thumbs up” to Del Cerro Park and trails. These trails are by far the best views of the Pacific Ocean that I have seen yet on our family hikes over the last year.

(day 327)

School pictures

One evening last week Malina pulled out an envelope from her backpack. It was her school pictures. My first thought was fear. Last year school pictures were a nightmare. I immediately became very nervous about looking at the pictures. Before flipping over the package the flashbacks began.

Last fall we spent over one month trying to get a decent pose for her 1st grade photo. At her old school they had used a new photographer and they were horrible! On her first picture her headband was on her head like a tennis player and she looked really bad. How could someone take a photo like that? We returned the photos and signed up for retakes. The retakes came out really bad! The studio lighting was so bright that she had tears in her eyes on her photo. Oh my goodness.

I could have given up, but that is not my style. Instead of requesting a refund I opted to go in person to the photo studio to have her photos taken for the third time. The drive was almost an hour in rush hour traffic, but we made it, and I picked her final shot. That photo did not make it to the yearbook (it was the second shot in the book) but on the third try her school photo turned out great. It sure helped that I picked it out myself.

So – here I was about to look at 2nd grade photos. I held my breath as I flipped over the envelope to reveal …… gorgeous photos! Yes, we would not have to go through multiple retakes again this year. I looked at the photo even closer and saw that it was done by a local professional studio that obviously took great pride in their work. I was so impressed with their work that I consider taking Matteo there for his 5 year old shots in January instead of the Sears Portrait Studio where I have gone for other photo sessions for more than the last 7 years!

I wonder what the next thirteen years of school photos will reveal! (oh my goodness- do I really have 13 years until my kids are both off to college?).

(day 325)

They Might Be Giants

I had the pleasure of checking out two very cool musicians from Brooklyn, New York yesterday afternoon with Max and the kids on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus. The two musicians, who by chance have the same first name of John, have a band named They Might Be Giants (TMBG).

I listened to their music quite frequently in the early 1990’s, especially when I was in college. I started listening them again a few years back when I discovered that they make children’s music! I am always looking for good music to listen to with my kids, and welcomed the chance to listen to a band that both the kids and I could enjoy.

A few weeks back I saw that They Might Be Giants would be playing a family concert at UCLA. I jumped at the opportunity to go since we had the afternoon free. My last concert with Max was Van Halen and this was the first time everyone in the family watched live music in a theatre together. The show was incredible. The venue was kid friendly and the music was great! I was surprised to hear their first song was one from my teenager days – ” Istanbul ( Not Constantinople)” and they later played another hit from the 1990’s that I knew quite well too – “Birdhouse in Your Soul”. As for the kids music that they played we knew many of those songs. At one point I was dancing in the aisle with the kids, and at another point Malilna and I were sitting in another aisle in front of the stage.

I forgot the battery for my camera at home – so all I had available was my cell phone for photos, but I took shots anyways. They Might Be Giants threw out all the rules from the beginning of the show encouraging you to dance in the aisles, sit wherever there was a spot, and crowd the stage. These guys put on a great family show. When the concert ended they gave away TMBG stickers and stayed on stage handing them out until everyone had a handful of stickers. It was truly enjoyable being able to go up to the stage after the show and tell John how much that my family enjoyed the show. I look forward to them returning to Los Angeles next year so we can go see them again – yes, yet another family tradition!

Some of my favorite moments of the concert: Photo 1: John letting the kids play his guitar, Photo 2: the confetti going everywhere, Photo 3: sticker handout at the end of the show.

(day 321)

The kids heading back to the car after a great concert!

The Tooth Fairy Strikes Again

It is so much fun when your kids are young. Over the past few weeks I have been the witness to Malina losing two teeth. I had fun watching her wiggle them wondering when they might fall out. Flossing became challenging and I often forgot that there was a loose tooth. She lost both teeth at school and was the hero of the 2nd grade each time one fell out.

With the first tooth I had little difficulty remembering to pick up the tooth and leave money. That was not the case with the second tooth. It was the morning after she lost the tooth and I was sitting at the computer working on my blog. I saw a photo of her with both teeth out and realized that I had not done the switcheroo the night before. I quickly jumped up and quietly headed to her room. I slipped $5 under her pillow and walked out.

She was up 30 minutes later jumping around because the tooth fairy had left her $5. In her other hand she held her tooth in the baggie. She casually mentioned that the tooth fairy had forgotten to take her tooth. Crap, I forgot that part! I quickly came up with an answer replying, “That was so nice of the tooth fairy to finally leave a tooth for mommy. She always takes them with her.” End of story- the explanation worked. Next time I will remember to search for the tooth too!

(day 320)