I am dying. This kid is rad. I am sending these to Calvin Klein now. Guys, she is only FIVE YEARS OLD!!
YAY!! I’m so stoked with how gorgeous they turned out.
Liv’s new headshots
Photos of Paris
I was going through my photos yesterday and realized there are so many photos I took during my trip to visit Aimee last March that I never uploaded. For example, Aimee and I spent an afternoon in the Latin Quarter and Ile de la cité which is the island that houses Notre-Dame Cathedral. Back on our first trip to Paris, we climbed over 250 steps in a narrow spiral to the top so we could see the bell tower. We aren’t as limber as we were in our 20s so I took photos of the exterior of the cathedral to see it from a different angle.
I can’t believe I never blogged about our favorite place to eat! Aimee’s apartment was right around the corner from the best restaurant in le Marais, Cafe Charlot.
We ate there so often we became regulars and I am kicking myself for forgetting our sweet waiter’s name.
I felt contractually obligated to take my Bestie on a tour of Pere Lachaise cemetery. It was still crowded even though the weather was much colder than our visit in June.
I plan to be cremated when I go but if I could, I would love to be buried here in such a magical place.
I was able to get a better shot of Jim Morrison’s grave.
I took this gorgeous shot at sunrise on my last day in Paris. It was so bittersweet. I was so sad to be leaving my absolute favorite place on Earth but I missed my Antz and Liv terribly. They really were the only reason I came back to LA!
On my way back home, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Charles de Gaulle airport. This trip really allowed me the freedom to open my eyes and take in every little detail without having to tend to a five year old or a grumpy, luggage toting hubby. I first traveled to Charles de Gaulle airport back in 1997 when Antz and I took our first trip together to Venice, Italy, that I won on the Price is Right. I remember not being too impressed back then but we were only there for a layover. I had just enough time to buy some postcards but I did get a killer view of the Eiffel Tower from our plane. I’ll never forget during our flight from Paris to Italy we had a delay due to wild rabbits on the runway!
I love how many European airports are old in age, yet have been modernized in a beautiful way. Hint, hurry up with that upgrade LAX!
I spent two hours in the airport wandering around before my flight and was excited to see Ladurée! Every time I have visited Paris I have wanted to go to the shop on Champs Elysées. I’m not a huge macaron fan but they are so pretty and it’s such a Parisian delicacy that I want to buy some just for the pretty package. I didn’t have any Euros on me so I just window shopped this time but the store reminds of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette.
I can’t put into words how eager I am to take our next trip. This slide at a park in Gothenburg, Sweden has our names written all over it!
A Piano in the house
Growing up in the golden age of awesome television commercials during the 1980’s has left me with a catalog of catchy jingles. If you lived in Southern California you were graced with this Colton’s piano song
Well, who would have thought that someone in my Facebook Mom’s group was giving away a beautiful upright piano and I was lucky number one to claim it?! I hired piano movers and it came into our home within a week.
The best part is my next door neighbor is a keyboardist for the band Sea Wolf. She is so talented and cool so I called her and asked if she would give Liv weekly lessons. How amazing that everything came aligned in just one week?! I have wanted a vintage piano since we bought our house but I was sure it would cost a fortune. Another concern was where the heck was it going to fit in our small space? The night before it was scheduled to arrive I shoved our bookcase into another spot, dispersed a few things throughout the house and moved some boxes of photos into our garage and… Voila, it fit like a glove!
I am so fortunate to have this lovely piano present itself into our lives!
I played piano for two years as a child so I’m proficient but definitely rusty.
Liv has a keyboard that she learned her scales on but I am hoping she will learn how to play songs from the Amelie soundtrack.
I did some research on our new piano and the brand is Hobart M. Cable which was founded in 1900 in Indiana. The company made upright pianos until the 1960s. The company was purchased by a Korean company in the 1990s so my piano has history.
I am guessing ours was made in 1951 based on photos I’ve seen of other Cable pianos with the same spindle legs as ours. I hope to find out our piano’s birthday and possibly more information when we have a professional come over to tune it. I resisted the urge to paint it yellow because of it’s age and the wood has grown on me in the last few days.
I’m thinking of christening her as Penelope the piano for no other reason other than I want to tell Olivia “Hey, go play Penny!”
Guns, I’m just saying.
Liv doing her homework which is singing in French, j’adore!
Have you ever tried to hold in barf? I have, and despite me holding my lips shut and trying to run to the bathroom in time, it came up (re-routing out of my nose!) I know this is a graphic image but I watched the CNN Guns in America: Obama Town Hall tonight and the entire time I felt the urge to barf. It wasn’t vomit though, it’s outrage, sadness and frustration. I am shaking with anger and despair that today, the one year anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo tragedy in Paris, our country is no safer or capable of using common sense.
Of course, I am a democrat, LA liberal so my views and politics are a contradiction to gun owners. My outrage and fist shaking is inconsequential. We live in an age of constant opinion with no listening or reason, constant information and speaking loudly in anonymity online yet living in blissful ignorance and inaction in real life. No, I’m not trying to sound deep here. I am just tired of tolerating things from online “friends and family” that I would never tolerate in real life. I am feeling like a hypocrite when I politely ignore the obnoxious drivel for the sake of not wanting to engage online. I spent most of my twenties not caring about politics or ever watching the news (pretty much my protest of the Bush administration). I can’t stand hearing all the horror on the news and shitty things going on in the world but when I became a parent, and became more involved in my community, I could no longer turn a blind eye to the shitty state of the world. I grew up and began to acknowledge awful things exist so I have be prepared and participate in the solutions. Terrorism is still new for me, I was deeply effected by 9/11 but it felt so far from sunny, safe California. I always knew the helicopter flying over my neighborhood at night was chasing a criminal but I haven’t been a victim yet so it’s been the luck of the draw. That doesn’t mean I’m going to arm myself like a militia. I don’t have a problem with gun owners. I have a problem with people who own semi-automatic weapons, anyone who owns a silencer, or hobbyist/collectors who own functioning weapons. There is absolutely no reason to go there. The only word I can think of to describe the NRA and the folks who support them is IMBECILE!
We now have a daughter. She has changed my life to an enormous degree. I am going to be honest, if my daughter was ever a victim of violence or tragedy, you wouldn’t see me on TV crying, wearing a pin to honor her memory. I would be in a jail or an insane asylum. A few weeks ago there was a threat to LAUSD which caused a mandatory closure of all public schools. Liv’s school was still open and at first I thought, she’ll be fine, her school is safe and I can’t raise her to be fearful. Then on my drive to school, I had a pit in my stomach so I just turned around and decided that nothing is worth my child’s life. I trusted my instinct and kept her home with me. The whole day I knew it would be a false alarm and I thought she could have gone to school but lately I have adapted to this “Better safe than sorry” existence. The assholes have the upper hand.
There’s no way I could even think of something happening to her so when I read articles, tweets or see on TV anyone advocating for the NRA or making ridiculous statements about “Their rights to bear arms” or “If I had a gun, I could have prevented a crime” I get angry. I am always talking about wanting to move from this country that has more gun deaths in a day than other countries have in an entire year. However, after two attacks in Paris, nowhere is truly safe. Yet, the lack of common sense I heard during this Town Hall was infuriating. The facts are so disturbing. For most honest, law-abiding citizens who are responsible gun-owners, by making it harder for them to buy a gun will not stop shootings or deter crime. So what else can we do??!! Anything is better than nothing. I was waiting for our President to say what I’m screaming at the TV for 34 minutes. Then he finally started saying what I agree with most.
- No one is taking your guns or your right to bear arms away but making restrictions on gun purchases to make it harder for convicts, mentally ill or bad guys to access them. You know, I get so pissed when I hear the dumbs spouting about their constitution rights. Back when the dudes wrote it, they owned PEOPLE like property!! Women couldn’t vote!! You needed a gun to keep the British away!! It’s not the end of the world if the Constitution gets updated.
- If you are a law-abiding citizen, then why are you upset if there are more mandatory background checks? You still can buy guns but why shouldn’t it be harder and more training required? LIKE MAYBE IT WON’T HURT IF IT’S TO HELP PROTECT OUR KIDS!! I’m even all for smart guns. If it saves even one accidental gun death, it’s worth it.
- Just because you can’t stop every crime doesn’t mean you should stop trying to DO SOMETHING to stop potential crimes (or accidents or suicides!!). How can we just continue to do nothing and say a prayer for every innocent victim.
- We have restrictions and safety laws on a majority of our products (cars – seat belts/pills – childproof /etc.) that are in place to prevent deaths and yet guns are the only fatal item that causes resistance to making them safer!
I could go on but no matter how much I or anyone argues or try to apply common sense on this matter, there seems to be nothing stopping criminals, mentally ill people or terrorists from killing. Nor does it stop the FOX news to profit off of fear and their propaganda of having more guns make us safe. Then on top of all this we got Douchebag Trump’s smug potato face everywhere saying he’s going to be our next President. I can’t.
No matter how much I rant, get worked up and comment, I am just another jerk on the internet voicing my opinion and I’m fully aware that Nobody really gives a shit!
**UPDATE: I have slept on my feelings and today I feel I need a break from my computer. Particularly The Facebook. I don’t know why I feed into the negativity and stupidity willingly. I really get bothered by folks who publicly announce they are leaving social media. To me it seems like they are doing it for attention or even vaguely hoping people will beg them to return but I feel like I’m not participating in a community of inspiration or creativity. Or maybe I’m overwhelmed by the nonstop news about shootings, the injustice I feel from watching Making a Murderer and the presidential race. I have to go with my instinct on this and bury my head in the sand for the sake of my sanity. It’s the comments on articles like this that have me tearing my hair out. My reality is, I am a happy person who is grateful for the life I have so I don’t want to stifle my happiness with the world’s drama. It’s a pity I am starting off the year like this but maybe it’s for the best. So Au revoir in dramatic fashion. It’s you not me!
Bonne Année 2016!
Bonjour new year! I am so stoked for 2016 mostly because my life has a weird pattern of incredible years being even-numbered (Antz and I met in 1996, got engaged in 2000, got married in 2002, bought our house in 2006, had Liv in 2010) As crazy as it sounds, it’s been a trend that my best years have been even ones. So…what’s my plan for twenty sixteen?
My awesome agenda and pen is from Ban.do
No more new year resolutions!!
I am adopting a new system this year of making more reasonable monthly goals. I am much more inspired to commit on a smaller scale.
January’s Goals
Exercise three times a week (swim/jog/cardio)
Only drink water Monday – Friday (no more soda!)
Go on a family hike once a month
No credit cards (I am no longer on plastic!)
Save weekly (feels more do-able than monthly)
And what are we saving for…? A trip to Europe, of course!
Bruges, Belgium looks dreamy.
My wanderlust is at it’s worst. I was speaking to Antz today and mentioned that our trip to Europe was already two years ago. It feels like a million years ago. There are so many rad cities I’d love to visit so it’s been impossible putting together an itinerary. I signed up for a membership on a house swap website so we can swap with someone and save money on accommodations. I’ve been thinking about our options for what time of year we’ll travel. Low gas prices means there is ridiculously inexpensive airfare now (shout out to my new fave Norwegian Air!) so this spring is my top choice. We would have more time to travel during the summer (however it’s the most expensive time to travel) and I don’t want to go during the Europe Cup and be miserable and hot. Spring has nicer weather, less crowds and everything looks so gorgeous. Liv has been saying we need to return to Amsterdam since we missed the tulip fields.
I am excited that I can change my monthly goals as I achieve them and also maintain my goals all year long rather than forget about them in a few months. We took a lovely family walk around the neighborhood this afternoon. I downloaded this app to incorporate into our daily routine once Liv goes back to school. It feels like a gentle reminder to incorporate our goals into our life rather than feel stressed to complete something I’m not in the mood to do.
Olivia’s Godparents gave our family a membership to the Aquarium of the Pacific for Christmas so we are looking forward to spending more time with the penguins. Liv is all about the jellyfish and I could sit and watch the otters play all day. We took a trip during her Christmas break and I was so happy to enjoy our time without feeling we need to rush to see everything in one day. Knowing we can always come back allows us to spend more time focusing on a our favorite exhibits.
We called this guy Bruce of course, he kept smiling for the camera.
There was a glass enclosed space that only a few people could fit in and see the penguins up close. I wish we could have stayed in there all day but other kids were impatiently waiting for us to move.
Otters are the best! We plan to go at least twice a month. Merci Padrinos!
Here’s to a fabulous New Year full of travel, creating memories, experiencing new, exciting places and filling our house with photos not clutter.
Cirque du Soleil Kurios
Last April I bought tickets for the Christmas Eve performance of Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios. Antz and I have been to three Cirque du Soleil shows (we saw O during our honeymoon in 2002, Kà with our friends in 2005 and our first show back in 1997, Quidam) So we are huge fans of the productions. I was so excited that the theme was steampunk. I love all things turn of the Century; the fancy attire, creepy freak shows and Victorian gadgets. I managed to get pretty awesome seats four rows back on the left side of the stage. However, I made the biggest goof ever and for some dumb reason I set the time of the show in my iPhone for 1:30 pm.
We left the house around 12:45 since it was at Dodger Stadium which is about 15 minutes from our house, plus I know a shortcut so we got to the gate in 10 minutes. The gate we arrived at was closed so we had to drive all the way to Echo Park for the Sunset entrance, I was a little concerned since it was only 1pm and hardly anyone was at the gate. I kept telling Antz, we are so early we beat the crowds. Then we got to the show and it was completely empty, ok, weird but we strolled around taking our time. All the people working at the doors were commenting on how cute Liv was dressed. Then we showed our tickets to the security guard and he told us the doors were locked, the show started at 1:00pm.
My heart dropped! I have never been late to a show before and I had tears in my eyes. I had been anticipating the show since April and it was already 1:09! The guard tried to reassure us all we missed were the characters walking down the aisles to the stage but they couldn’t allow us in until they got to the stage for safety reasons. LAME! I couldn’t even make eye contact with Antz. The 10 minutes we missed are a mystery but the ladies sitting behind us told me we only missed them walking in.
I learned a huge lesson (from now on I’m always giving myself an extra half an hour for arrival!) However, the show was, I can’t seem to think of the right word to describe it…mesmerizing? Magical? Breath-taking! The entire time I had knots in my stomach from them the death-defying stunts. I was like, these fools are going to fall and die and I will see it and be traumatized for life. Kurios was incredible and insane. Of all the Cirque du Soleil performances we’ve seen, this one was by far the best! The band was my favorite. They reminded me of a mix of Pink Martini and Squirrel Nut Zippers. The costumes! Brilliant doesn’t describe them enough. The show felt like I walked into Terry Gilliam and Guillermo del Toro‘s dreams. I apologize for the quality of these photos. Although I’m sure I missed the announcements about no photography during the show, I couldn’t resist taking some. I didn’t want to disturb anyone so I set my phone to the lowest brightness and discretely snapped photos without looking at the screen. I’m kind of an expert of getting shots while covering my screen.
This lovely little lady, Mini Lili stole my heart. I am obsessed with her! Here is ten fascinating facts about the show.
This guy was like, oh I’m going to balance on top of a round cylinder and plastic buckets but wait…next I’ll stack it taller than I am and swing twenty feet in the air!
These fish guys were ridiculous. This is why I was sick during the show, the trampoline was right in front of us so when they jumped it looked like they were going to land on top of us. Just looking at the performer landing in the trampoline just inches from the floor stressed me out (but in a good way). Our hands were sore from clapping. Bravo you magnificent nuts!
During the intermission I bought this beautiful hardcover Kurios souvenir book. Aside from the stunning photography, it’s both in English and French! I would pay extra if they allowed me to photograph the show with my Nikon but I understand it’s too disruptive also it’s better to just enjoy the show.
This is one of the best Christmas gifts I’ve received and is a great start to our year without plastic. I hope to take Liv to see the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson tribute One next year.
2015: Our Year in Pictures
It’s been a long year for me. 2015 had it’s highs and lows but when I look back at all the photos I took this year, I must say it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. I wish we travelled outside the country more but I can’t complain since I was able to visit my bestie in Paris for my thirty-eighth birthday. I am also happy we drove up to visit our friends Story, Chris and their bebe in Portland. Liv was so excited to take a road trip.
Back in January, my sweet filmmaker friend Paul asked me to play a small role in his movie, Black Eyed Angels. I was nervous but I loved acting with the awesome and talented crew!
It feels like ages ago when Liv booked her first paid acting job. You can watch her five seconds of fame in a vaccination skit on the Jimmel Kimmel Show.
I chaperoned Liv’s class on a field trip to the Los Angeles Zoo.
We took a family trip with my Mom to the Museum of Natural History.
We also stopped at the new Commissary for a drink at the rad Line hotel in Koreatown. Maybe we’ll book a room for a weekend staycation next year?
To celebrate big Liv’s television job, we took her to California Adventure.
We absolutely LOVED Radiator Springs Racers, hands down the best ride in the park.
We celebrated Valentine’s day at LA Cake Club.
Giovanni Ribisi happened to be at the event and he sweetly obliged a selfie with me!
After nearly two years of waiting, Highland Park turned a deserted gas station into awesome York Park. We attended the opening event.
March was MAJOR. My best friend Aimee fulfilled a lifelong dream of going to makeup school in Paris. She begged me to come visit her but Antz and I both knew we couldn’t afford it. Then Antz did a quick freelance job and told me to go ahead and buy my plane ticket for my birthday present. I was so excited but I decided to surprise Aimee and just show up. We Face-timed each other almost everyday and she would tell me how much she wished I was there with her. It was the hardest secret I ever kept.
Merci beaucoup sweet hubby, best birthday present ever!
It was my first time flying alone and I drank more wine than I should have so I ended up fainting on the flight! The crew was so kind but I was embarrassed.
Aimee’s apartment was so tiny but Parisian pretty in the coolest part of town!
While Aimee was walking home from school, I hid out in this patisserie with these lovely ladies. They didn’t speak any English but I explained in my broken French my big surprise.
We ate at Café Charlot almost every night. I played tourist during the day while Aimee was in class.
I am always the brightest (and tallest) person in Paris!
This was one of the most fun nights during our week together! Salut Fred.
Antz made these rad masks for me. We are self-professed dorks!
We loved shopping at Le BHV, they even have Anthropologie!
We had the world’s best crepes made by our friend Monsieur Alain at my favorite farmers market! You must visit him for lunch if you are in the 3rd.
Aimee’s crepe was as big as her head!
I spent hours walking around the city alone. I felt so independent and comfortable. Paris was beginning to feel like home to me. Je voulais y vivre!
It was sobering to visit la Republique after the Charlie Hedbo tragedy.
We had a bestie lunch together just like we do in LA.
I fucking love this girl!
I faced a huge fear of heights by walking on the glass floor of the Eiffel Tower. Despite peeing my pants, I was in sheer heaven.
I woke up to find this waiting for me on my anniversaire. Aimee ordered my favorite ice cream cake for me before she left for her trip. Antz kept it in the freezer for me.
The week in Paris with Aimee was magnificent. I was able to spend time in Paris alone and I fell in love with the city all over again. I am counting the hours until I return. As much fun as we had, I missed Liv and Antz terribly!
When I returned, we attended our 4th Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards show.
I pranked Liv good for April Fool’s day!
We spent our Easter at Liv’s Godparents house for their annual Easter family brunch. Confetti eggs will never get old for me!
Liv started swimming lessons. I love that tummy!
On weekends we like to drive in random directions until we figure out what we want to do. Balboa Island is always a fun day trip.We took a boat cruise along Newport Beach harbor and of course ate corn dogs and cotton candy.
Liv’s class took a field trip to the local Fire station. The firemen were so sweet and funny!
I was feeling down in the dumps about missing Paris so Antz had a fun idea to make a scavenger hunt for us to complete in one day. We started the hunt in Chinatown.
Finding a meter with three hours still on it counts as finding free money!
We zigzagged all over the city for our hunt, searching for a fountain we ended up in north Glendale.
This Japanese tea house and koi pond is beautiful. This park is a treasure!
The fifth item on our list was actually the last thing we ending up finishing and the hardest to figure out. I started the day welcoming the challenge of trying a new food. However when we looked at Russian, Ethiopian, and Moroccan I lost my nerve. Then I realized Wurstküche had food we have never tired and I wasn’t so afraid of rattlesnake in sausage form. Washing it down with Belgian fries and beer helped!
I actually felt guilty for popping this mattress store’s balloon! What a jerk.
My friend Christina always posts the coolest photos on her Instagram. When I saw her photos from a velvet art gallery, I had to check it out. Lucky for us, it was located in Chinatown and helped us check off #9.
This was an easy one thanks to Antz quick thinking of stopping by an optometry mall!
Finding a live chicken in Los Angeles was a little more tricky. We called a friend of ours who used to have chickens at their house. She told us to try the college near our house. Lucky for us they had a chicken coup on campus!
Bets were against us we would find a live chicken by the end of the day. I can’t wait for our next Scavenger Adventure.
In May, Liv got her first pair of roller-skates so of course we had to teach her how to roller boogie for a family fun Friday at Moonlight Rollerway in 80’s fashion!
Liv’s last Pre K field trip was a two day camping trip in the woods.
Before the end of school Grandma Bobbye was invited to Liv’s school for a music performance for her class. Everyone loved seeing Liv and her Grammy play together, they were a hit!
May was a busy month, Liv performed in her first ballet recital.
Just as Pre-K was wrapping up, Liv’s fifth birthday was approaching. She spent all her previous birthdays traveling, so this year she wanted a party with all her friends. I had to negotiate with her to allow us to choose the party theme (so I wouldn’t lose my sanity with another Frozen party!) I found Alice’s Traveling Tea Party, Antz and I created some party favors and hired my talented friend Jennifer to work her magic behind the camera and a very merry unbirthday it was!
I picked up a cake from Porto’s bakery and added an Alice in Wonderland Pop vinyl toy.
On Tuesday, she turned FIVE! I smuggled a sparkler candle home from Paris just for her birthday.
We took weekly photos of Liv and Totoro for her first year, then we took monthly photos. Now we take them yearly.
We bought her a Linus bike for her birthday present. Since she’s such a giant for her age, we had to test out the height just to be sure she fit.
We were so lucky to bond with everyone in our rad Pre-K class this year. Liv had amazing teachers which I know will have a lasting impact on her life. I asked them to sign her Oh! The Places You’ll Go book.
The whole class got together for a last Pre-K class wine tasting picnic at Barnsdall Park. At Liv’s school the students are switched around every year so we didn’t know who would be in her Kindergarten class in the fall.
The school year ended with the Lilapalooza celebration. It’s already been two years since we attended our first Lilapalooza as prospective parents.
Summer began with an exciting visit by President Barack Obama! He visited Highland Park to be interviewed by local resident, Marc Maron for his WTF?! Podcast. Liv was interviewed on the news about the historic event.
Liv got a sneak peek of the summer hit movie Inside Out.
Liv had her annual pediatrician and dentist visits. She loves seeing Dr. Wang and Dr. Chess but fortunately they don’t see her often as she would like.
I helped my friend, Jihan, run the pom pom booth at her stellar DIY Camp.
Of course I had my adorable mini-helper. I bumped into Liv’s nursery school teacher and my beautiful friend Maricris!
My Antzy turned FORTY!!! I love you old man.
I discovered my new favorite brunch spot, Dinette in Echo Park. Their avocado toast is superb! This is now my go-to Sunday morning routine.
To celebrate the 4th of July, we made red, white and blue shortcakes.
Aimee and I celebrated Bastille day with our French club and I finally tried delicious beef bourguignon. Vive la France!!
Olivia is now a ComicCon veteran. This year we booked a hotel so we didn’t have to drive back in the same day and we could space out the convention over two days. It was so much easier being able to walk from the hotel and take turns hanging out in the room.
Antz was on a mission to collect all the Adventure Time minis. However, they are sold in blind boxes (which is a concept made by Satan!) so it was hard to find Finn, Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. Aren’t they cute?
Liv loved swimming at the hotel while Dad geeked out at the convention center. We were so happy to drive back after brunch on Sunday with hardly any traffic.
Liv went on a ton of auditions this year and since she turned five, it was time to update her headshots. I was so excited to have her photographed by Olesja Mueller. She captured Liv’s spirit brilliantly.
Our favorite niece and nephew visited from New York. We laugh so hard we cry when they are around!
We took our annual trip to the beach. Liv made some new friends, Antz built the entire city of King’s Landing in the sand and I ended up getting the worst sunburn of my life! **I tried Honest sunscreen instead of my usual Neutragena 🙁
Antz entered a few pieces in a charity art show to raise money for North Central animal shelter. So many of our friends were a part of the show and his adorable lions sold right away.
We checked out the new Churro place in Los Feliz. They make churro ice cream sandwiches!
My lovely bestie turned forty (like pratically everyone I know did this year!) so we stuffed her with oysters. I discovered the most incredible clam chowder in LA!
My nickname for Antz is Macgyver because he can take common items and create magic. When I told Liv it was Harry Potter’s birthday, of course she wanted to dress up as a Hogwarts student. Antz safety pinned a patch to her blazer, I loaned her my faux spectacles and we gave her a chopstick for a wand. Now that she’s started reading on her own, I bought her this updated version of the novel.
I bought this adorable Hugo Loves Tiki romper for Liv so I had to buy some balloons and have an impromptu photo shoot at the dots mural in the arts district.
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I was fortunate enough to take Olivia to a Bernie Sanders rally with a friend of mine and her daughter. An extra special treat was Sarah Silverman opened for him. Crazy, old Bernie is my favorite! I agree with a majority of his stances. With so many ridiculous candidates, I sure do hope he wins.
So the summer that never seemed to end was coming to a close. I was so bummed about not taking a trip to Europe that I decided we have to get out of town. I have been wanting to visit our friends who moved to Portland last year so we planned a week long road trip during our anniversary. Since we were driving, I thought Liv would love to spend a day in Santa Cruz. I haven’t been to the boardwalk since I was a kid. It was amazing that much little has changed. We felt like extras in the movie The Lost Boys (which I watched thousands of times when I was 11!).
I heard about the Roaring Camp railroad that has an old steam engine train ride through the redwood forest. I knew Liv would love it so we booked it for our first stop in Santa Cruz.
It was a long but beautiful eight hour drive to Oregon and we arrived around 3 pm.
On our second day, we had the raddest breakfast at Slappy Cakes, a cook your own pancakes restaurant. After we fueled up, we drove to Multnomah Falls. I wish we could have stayed there all day but I wanted to head downtown to check out VooDoo Doughnuts.
As big fans of the movie The Goonies we had to take a trip to Astoria, a charming, small town where most of the movie was filmed. With my rotten luck the owners of the Goondocks house decided they had enough of the rude tourists so they blocked off the house. Again we had bad timing, the beautiful Astoria column was also closed for repairs. At least the view was lovely.
Portland definitely won us over with it’s friendly folks, no-sales tax and lush greenery. Bye guys,!
We said our goodbyes and drove the endless fifteen hour trek back to LA and dove headfirst into the busiest week of our year. Liv began Kindergarten.
Hooray! She’s still the tallest kid in her class and homegirl is speaking fluent French now.
After finding out at the last minute, we attended the second Le Dîner en Blanc! My Mother in law helped me sew my tulle skirt. This year was held in Pershing Square in Downtown LA.
Through all the chaos, my best friend got married!! Liv was an adorable ring bearer in her H & M boy’s suit and bow tie.
The very next day Olivia had a modeling job for our friends at Quinn & Fox.
Liv took these amazing photos back in March for their AW15 Colorless Campaign.
My Bff wanted to recreate an iconic photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. She’s weird but I love her!
Liv added Taekwondo lessons to her repertoire. She earned a gold star on her third day of class!
Kindergarten is such a different experience than Pre-K. We no longer have our priority parking at drop off in the mornings. The bright side is we don’t have to sign her in so we can just drop her off curbside. Since we drop her off at the playground now we haven’t been in the classroom much this year. I usually stay in the morning and watch her play. She shares a playground with the 1st graders so she has made friends with some of the older kids.
Antzy’s Mommy turned seventy so his sister threw a big, wonderful party.
Liv had a playdate with her bestie, Stella. She is the sweetest girl!
The Broad museum opened this fall and I made reservations right away. It is now Olivia’s favorite museum, we’ve been twice already!
A friend of ours generously gave us passes to Universal Studios. Even though the weather was scorching, we had the best time!
Once a year, the Jet Propulsion Lab in La Cañada hosts an open house for the public to see demos of what they have been working on all year. I thought it would be fascinating for us to experience. However, so did 20,000 other folks so we sat in an hour of traffic just to get to the freeway exit. Luckily, we found parking but we still had to walk a mile! It didn’t help that it was over 100 degrees and because of the crowds everything was a long, miserable wait. We only stayed for two hours but we learned a lot and hope to return again (with less people!).
Olivia was a flowergirl in Antz nephew’s wedding. It was so lovely, Liv danced all night.
I went PINK!
Liv is a fan of special effects makeup, so I found a Zombie makeup class in Highland Park for her and her Dad to take. She loves watching Face Off (she’s seen every season!)
It was impossible to narrow down Olivia’s requests for Halloween this year. She was adamant about being Alice because she loves wearing her birthday costume. Antz was all for it because there was no messy makeup and we already had everything we needed. I, on the other hand, felt like she wore it for her birthday and to ComicCon so I wanted her to be something else. After going back and forth for weeks we finally decided why not go as our favorite character of all time? Pippi Longstocking, the strongest girl in the world!
We used orange spray paint and a dry cleaner hanger to hold up her braids. Our friend Aura gave Liv the Pippi costume (she bought in Sweden!) three years ago. My friend Terry gave us a book of photos from the original Pippi on the Run film. Antz and I grew up as huge Pippi Longstocking fans and we have all the movies on DVD so this costume is so meaningful to me. My friends are rad!
I made it a goal to have Liv represented by Zuri Model and Talent and we finally did it! I gave Liv a blowout (which we both cried) and took some photos in our backyard to add to her portfolio.
We had our annual Crabsgiving with my Mom at The Boiling Crab. Liv was excited to try oysters but decided crawfish and shrimp were more her taste.
Liv had a French Thanksgiving at school. After school we took a trip to the mall to listen to carolers. Then we went to see the soap “snow” at the Americana.
One of the most memorable events of the year was our trip to LACMA’s Rain Room. I bought tickets two months in advance and was lucky to grab a spot just after school.
Liv spent a weekend with Backpack Bear from her school and she went on many adventures with him. They visited her Grammy in Apple Valley. They got dressed up for the symphony at a field trip with her class at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. She also took him on a tour of Highland Park, they played at York Park and of course had donuts at Donut Friend. Backpack Bear even pitched in to help Liv paint her new big girl’s room!
Once Liv’s new room was complete, she hosted her first sleepover with her cousin. We made gingerbread houses and drove to Candy Cane Lane to see the Christmas Lights (Hasting Ranch had an amazing display!) I took the girls to see The Nutcracker, performed by Liv’s ballet school. It was a magnificent performance and I hope Liv gets a part in next year’s production.
This was a fun and exhausting night for Antz and I. We had our first taste of life with more than one kid and I know I am not cut out for it!
My pink mermaid hair was becoming too high maintenance so I went gray!
Our friend and neighbor Rene (you may remember him from our kitchen remodel!) invited us over to meet his turkey, Mork. Yes, you heard me right, he has three pet turkeys! Along with several chickens and three dogs. Mork was so rad.
So that pretty much wraps up our year so far. This has been my longest post to date. I am in awe of how much we did this year. I definitely can’t wait for next year and all the adventures I plan to have with this lovely family of mine. I know it’s cheesy but I am a lucky girl to have such a terrific husband and daughter. Love you nerds!!
Happy Holidays!
Less Plastic, more experiences!
This post is a good follow up to Liv’s bedroom makeover since that was a result of my new mind-set after having an epiphany from reading the (seriously) Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I love to shop; from finding the perfect item, to getting best online bargain and that high from discovering packages on my porch. Olivia definitely has gotten the shopaholic bug from me now. She asks me, “Is that a package for me?” almost daily. However when I hear her asking for toys she sees on commercials or from youtube videos, I feel gross. Half the things are pure junk or she doesn’t even know what it is, she just knows she has to have it. Last summer I was feeling overwhelmed during our house tidying weekend, I was forced to think about what was really important to me. I was finding things I never even used once or I bought on an impulse. I was angry at myself for allowing so much clutter to accumulate in our house but my reasoning was always, we really need this stuff, our house is just too small.
My closet is all the evidence I needed that I’ve been overdoing it. I could hardly close the door and I never wore half the stuff crammed in the back. The Before & After shot.
Then I realized, our house is actually fine. When I think of what matters most to me it’s our memories from the fun times we’ve had. If my house was on fire and I could save only a few things, I would grab our photo books. Those books contain the priceless experiences we have shared as a family. Everything else are just replaceable things. So in that moment I decided to let go of the things. We totally have enough things.
Our precious “things” headed off to be donated or trashed!
I have proposed 2016 will be spent doing more and shopping less. I would much rather save our money for a lovely vacation than buy more Barbies or cute kick-knacks for the house. Now that Liv’s room is finished, I am all set to stop acquiring more stuff. I am making an exception for clothes, books and a few Christmas (not going overboard like last year) and birthday gifts but I’m ready to crack down. I can’t remember one trip to Target that we haven’t come home with things we don’t really need (I’m raising my hand here. Totally my lack of cuteness willpower!). Who isn’t guilty of shopping just because something was on sale but then later realized did I really need that? I did buy a few Christmas gifts on Black Friday (eye rolling at myself here but I couldn’t resist, they were on sale!) that I’ve been wanting all year, but I honestly purchased them out of necessity for next year’s travel plans.
Last weekend we took a field trip with her class to see the symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was such an inspiring performance that I would love to subscribe for next year’s season.
She brought Backpack Bear from school as her date. I love this photo of her sweet BFF I snapped after the show.
I am also joining her school’s book club so every month she will get new books in French! Instead of writing her usual list of toys for Santa, I’ve asked Liv what things would she like to accomplish next year. We are joining LACMA and the Broad for sure. More concerts are on our to-do list. I would like her to take a skateboarding lesson with a friend of ours. I think a trip to Glaze Fire would be fun. My Mom mentioned a family camping trip would be fun. We definitely have to make to trip to the Safari Park in San Diego.
During the summer we finally made a trip to the LA Public Library in downtown. However, we didn’t plan for the parking to be cash only so we ended up parking at a meter for only 20 minutes. It was the fastest visit you could ever imagine.
The interior was magnificent!
The murals and painted wood ceilings are so dreamy!
It was very reminiscent of a Wes Anderson movie set. I forget we are so lucky to have fun things to do all the time. Next time we’ll be sure to have parking cash handy.
Liv has made her travel wishlist
Iceland – sleep in an igloo to see the Northern Lights, swim in the Blue Lagoon and see puffins!
China – she wants to see the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and buy a dragon kite.
Japan – to see the Mizayaki museum, sing karaoke and take the Hello Kitty airplane.
Sweden – visit the Pippi Longstocking museum/Junibacken park, go on a Viking ship and see Vasamuseum
Belgium – to eat chocolate and waffles and see Mannekin Pis
Mom’s travel wishlist (the short version)
Copenhagen, Denmark – Tivoli Gardens (one of the oldest theme parks in the world), Louisana Museum and canal boat tour to photograph Nyhavn.
(since I’m already in Scandinavia, I have to visit my friends in…)
Helsinki, Finland – see the textiles at the Marimekko store, visit the Design museum and take a sauna in the country.
Amalfi Coast, Italy – soak up the sun and lounge on the beaches of Naples, Capri, Positano, Sorrento, I’m dying to see the Azure Window in Malta!
Strasbourg, France – an adorable city that looks like the village from Beauty & the Beast.
Vienna/Salzburg, Austria – my dream Christmas vacation. I need to go on the Sound of Music tour, see the Halstatt Salt Mines and eat apple strudel.
Sydney/Melbourne, Australia – it seems that all my favorite Instagram feeds are from down under. The beaches look awesome and the fun things to do there blows my mind (would I dare to try this?!)
I’m with Liv, we must go to Iceland for obvious reasons!!
Antz travel wishlist
Anywhere I don’t have to carry tons of luggage, with good food and has air conditioning!
Best husband response ever.
So as this year comes to an end, we are excited with the unlimited possibilities for 2016. We have been studying our Maps book together as a family to research future travel ideas.
Olivia’s Big Kid Bedroom Makeover
The time has come for my bebe to graduate from a nursery to a kid’s room. It was weird to see her giant body cram into her toddler bed every night so we figured it was time to makeover her room. Plus her Yo Gabba Gabba toys were taking up too much space on the tiny bed.
Let me keep it real, her room was overloaded with stuff! We cleared out a ton of old toys, clothes that no longer fit and clutter when we did our Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up weekend during the summer. Tip to any parents who may want to do the same, send your kids away so they can’t interfere with the clean up. Liv has been known to hoard birthday party favors (I call them junk toys) and dig them out of the recycle bin! I have bought baskets, bins and bookshelves to store Liv’s things and no matter how much I donate, her room still looks like a toy store exploded. The best piece of wisdom I read in the Tidying book was that the more storage solutions we purchase to control our stuff, the more clutter we create. If something is not useful or pretty, get rid of it. This is why I am planning to do less toy shopping next year (more on that soon!)
I asked my creative director hubby to lend his talents to help me visualize my design in a mood board. The theme was white and birch with a dash of pink. I was inspired by these Miffy-themed rooms I found on Pinterest. I was worried that the room was looking too beige and boring so I added more color in the accessories. I kept the glider because it’s my favorite place to sit and read her stories and it’s such a great chair. We also couldn’t part with the handmade mobile Antz made for her nursery, she’ll have it forever. It did break my heart to get rid of the kitchen (after only two years) but it was collecting dust and she didn’t play with it that often.
This was before we chose a wall color
Liv has been wanting bunk beds so she could have sleepovers. That was my main focus of the room. I wanted to find a bed that wasn’t made of metal and she could climb up without giving me a heart attack. I originally wanted to stick with the Oeuf brand and almost bought this Perch bunk bed but it was too large for her tiny room.
I will definitely reconsider getting it when she’s a few years older and I finally get rid of the brown chair. Hopefully, I’ll have a larger house by then!
Her walls could use a new color. Gone is the orange/cream and brown nursery palette. As most little girls are, Liv is an avid fan of pink, so we found a princess pink (that wasn’t too obnoxious) for the majority of the room.
I love the black paint trend but since it’s a kid’s room we chose one wall for chalkboard paint so she can have some creative fun.
I bought two Michael Sowa prints (from my fave movie) a few years ago. I intended to hang them in our bedroom but there isn’t enough wall space so they sat rolled up. I thought it would be cool to give Liv’s new room some new art so we searched for frames that were similar to the movie. We heard Aaron Bros was having a major Black Friday sale so we checked it out but they did not have a large selection of gold frames. We found one that was perfect for the Dog in Cone but I really wanted an old, ornate frame for the Fowl with Pearls.
Luckily, I had a trick up my sleeve and his name is Antz. He is the master of finding treasures on the cheap. He searched all Thanksgiving weekend with no luck. Then he sent me a photo of the steal of the century.
The frame looked like he stole it directly from Amelie’s apartment and he only paid $12!! I spent more on the prints than the frames. Yay!
So next was a trip to Ikea. I am always wary of their furniture because of their well-know reputation for not being the most sturdy. However, I was interested in the Kura bed because of it’s low height, versatility and popularity for Ikea hacks found on Pinterest. The price was so reasonable and I can style it so many different ways, I didn’t hesitate.
Olivia approved
Once again, I scored a great deal on Cyber Monday shopping on adorable bedding from Typo Shop. It was perfect timing since I now have to buy bedding in pairs for the bunk beds.
Liv has began reading by herself so I wanted to create a nook for her to be comfy. We found a darling reading lamp at Ikea and I ordered a strand of Brightlab lights in peony pinks for a pop of color. I bought a book ledge from Land of Nod and it turned out so cute, now I wish I bought two.
I had a terrible time finding the right rug. Antz was adamant about not getting anything too light and he wanted something soft that she could lay on. Yet my picks were either too expensive or made of scratchy material. I was excited to attend the Lulu & Georgia Pop Up shop in West Hollywood. I’ve been wanting their Elodie rug forever but even the sale price tag stings. $$$
I fell hard for the sweet pink Elodie rug and I was already headed to the cashier to buy it when I realized, it really was too expensive for a kid’s room and it was a high maintenance rug. I still want it for our bedroom but I had to be an adult and not throw a tantrum on the floor.
Even though they had all my favorite things and lovely Eliza Gran baskets on sale, I left empty-handed. We are prioritizing our travel budget now so I needed to find something within our budget. Back to Ikea we went and picked out a reasonably priced neutral rug that I won’t feel terrible if it needs replacing at some point. Plus a sheepskin rug is the best solution for coziness.
We bought a larger shelf unit for her books and hide her dress-up clothes and tea party dishes in baskets. The Kallax unit was a perfect fit on the chalkboard wall.
Antz installed a floating shelf to display her My Little Pony and P.O.P. toy collection (which is getting out of hand, although I admit, I am guilty of adding new ones when I can’t resist the cuteness!)
I tried to contain the kid’s avalanche of toys as best as I could. She does have some pretty awesome stuff though.
She enforces a strict no no shoes policy in her new room. I am smitten with the pink cheeky Yeti & Friends monster who resides over her bed.
The piece de resistance is this adorable petit biscuit pillow made by French designer Annabel Kern which plays music from Amelie!
I must say, for such a small space this is a dreamy kid’s room. My husband deserves all the credit for making my concept come to life. He worked tirelessly to have the room finished so Liv could have her first sleepover this weekend. I have a few more finishing touches to work on (I’m waiting for the photo to be printed for the oval frame and I am searching everywhere for this Miffy cushion) but I am so pleased with the outcome. At the rate she’s growing, we’ll have to give her our bedroom soon!
LACMA Rain Room
I was so excited to hear that the Rain Room exhibit is coming to Los Angeles. I was so bummed I missed out on seeing it at MOMA in New York a few years ago. I bought tickets for the earliest date which was a month in advance. Olivia always gets excited to visit LACMA so she happily ran around the Urban Lights exhibit and wrap herself in spaghetti noodles (I don’t know the name of that one!) Of course I am reminded of the last time we were there for the incredible Stanley Kubrick exhibit nearly three years ago.
It was impossible to get her to leave the noodle display!
We arrived an hour earlier than our Rain Room reservation so we meandered (such a great word I don’t use enough) through the Japanese screen exhibit and checked out the beautiful Matisse.
Liv got soaked! They told us to move slowly, she didn’t listen.
This photo was a happy accident, I was trying to get Liv’s silhoutte but I got her profile instead. This child is effortlessly stunning.
Across the street from LACMA is the Wende museum which has an exhibit of segments of the actual Berlin Wall. Liv and I have been studying US Presidents so it was fun to discuss JFK and Ronald Reagan.
I think she loves her new Bobo Choses skirt. It’s hard not to buy all their rad clothes.
I wish I was half as cool as Liv is at five years old.
The rain room will be at LACMA until March 6th. Reservations go fast so get your tickets today!
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
A bientôt!