Hello friends! It's me!
It has been three long years since I've posted. Wow, what a long time. Scrolling back through my old posts is a real trip down memory lane. The girls, so young... Me, barely into my mid-thirties. A lot has changed in three years for this old gal. I got a new phone! Chipotle has become a ghost town! My mailbox got vandalized! So. Much. The biggest change of course would be the arrival of our little Paige. Back when I started the blog, Natalie was about 2 years old, which is how old Paige is now. Gosh, how time flies when you're living by the seat of your pants.
So much time has passed, what made you think of this old blog, you might be asking? Well, out of the blue yesterday, my number one most faithful reader asked me whether I'd ever be blogging again. At that moment, I knew I could not disappoint. And so, I'm giving it another go, and we'll see if I can manage to throw something up here every week....
Friday, January 20, 2017
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Celebrity Corner
The blog has been quiet but my celebrity radar is still working overtime.
Back in November, I had a close encounter with one of my current favorite celebs. Camille takes a gymnastics class once a week, in a fairly industrial neighborhood in northern Sherman Oaks. This is the same place I spotted Francie from Alias. The place is packed with little girls and their mommies. So one day at gymnastics class, Camille and I arrive late and rushed into the bathroom to get changed into a leotard (for Camille, not me). There are a couple of moms standing in the bathroom. I see the stalls are occupied so I say something loony and frazzled like "please excuse us because we must change right there in the middle of the bathroom," and then I make eye contact with one of the moms. I believe my eyes pop open when I realized it is Maya Rudolph. Apparently her 9-year old daughter Pearl in a different class and is a regular. I think she's pretty amazing in everything I've seen her in, but is usually being some over-the-top character, so it was funny to see her as a plain old Mom in a bun. Other people in the place basically fell over themselves the whole time. One gal made some comment about how she needed to move her purse to make room for Maya to sit, one mom who is there all the time deliberately went up to say "Hi Maya" to which Maya was all like "hey", I barely know you. I later learned that Maya Rudolph has 4 kids, which is humanizing but kind of makes me think what's the point of that. It does explain why she's looked slightly chubby and maybe pregnant for the past 5 years straight.
I had another celeb sighting at the zoo earlier this week. A friend and I were watching our little ones at the zoo playground, when a very minor but very recognizable celebrity walked past: Rodger Berman. For those of you who don't know, RoDger is Rachel Zoe's bizarre husband. His hair was, as usual, carefully tucked behind his ears, and he was wearing a signature too-tight leather necklace (which was the item that made me notice him, because what normal dude wears those). We then noticed he was hovering behind little Sky-Sky, who was wearing an odd one-piece outfit (possibly sleeper?) and his long, curly locks. Rachel was nowhere in sight, but we all know, they have a newborn so she's probably snoozing at home.
Back in November, I had a close encounter with one of my current favorite celebs. Camille takes a gymnastics class once a week, in a fairly industrial neighborhood in northern Sherman Oaks. This is the same place I spotted Francie from Alias. The place is packed with little girls and their mommies. So one day at gymnastics class, Camille and I arrive late and rushed into the bathroom to get changed into a leotard (for Camille, not me). There are a couple of moms standing in the bathroom. I see the stalls are occupied so I say something loony and frazzled like "please excuse us because we must change right there in the middle of the bathroom," and then I make eye contact with one of the moms. I believe my eyes pop open when I realized it is Maya Rudolph. Apparently her 9-year old daughter Pearl in a different class and is a regular. I think she's pretty amazing in everything I've seen her in, but is usually being some over-the-top character, so it was funny to see her as a plain old Mom in a bun. Other people in the place basically fell over themselves the whole time. One gal made some comment about how she needed to move her purse to make room for Maya to sit, one mom who is there all the time deliberately went up to say "Hi Maya" to which Maya was all like "hey", I barely know you. I later learned that Maya Rudolph has 4 kids, which is humanizing but kind of makes me think what's the point of that. It does explain why she's looked slightly chubby and maybe pregnant for the past 5 years straight.
Maya Rudolph, looking glam
I had another celeb sighting at the zoo earlier this week. A friend and I were watching our little ones at the zoo playground, when a very minor but very recognizable celebrity walked past: Rodger Berman. For those of you who don't know, RoDger is Rachel Zoe's bizarre husband. His hair was, as usual, carefully tucked behind his ears, and he was wearing a signature too-tight leather necklace (which was the item that made me notice him, because what normal dude wears those). We then noticed he was hovering behind little Sky-Sky, who was wearing an odd one-piece outfit (possibly sleeper?) and his long, curly locks. Rachel was nowhere in sight, but we all know, they have a newborn so she's probably snoozing at home.
Rodger and signature leather choker, with Rachel Zoe
Another Rodger shot, clearly years later but sporting a different leather necklace (because you can't have too many)
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year!
Hi friends, and Happy New Year! I've been a bit MIA over the last couple of months for a variety of boring reasons. Work has gotten busier, the kids have had colds (requiring the dreaded early "your kid has a fever" pickup which is 50% annoying and 50% embarrassing), and we hired a new nanny who is terrible. It takes her about 3 days to get through the laundry, she lets the kids watch TV, she feeds them way too many dinosaur chickens, and I'm pretty sure she's checking her iPhone all the time when she should be playing with them. I'm not sure if we're better off without her, but at least she's really cheap. This is her:
Yes, surprise, it's me! So I've been pretty busy anyway.
Like most people, we've been enjoying a break from school for the last couple weeks. It's actually been one of the best school breaks we've ever had. My husband took a week off from work which was key. We spent our first week off in San Diego, where we hit up Legoland (one of our favorite places), visited the park in Coronado a bunch, tooled around in my parents' electric car, made Christmas desserts and ate Christmas desserts, spent time with a friend and her super fun kids, and generally hung out with the family. Back in Los Angeles this week, we went to the zoo with friends who we haven't seen in forever and had a playdate with friends from school. Both days we hung out with boy friends (as opposed to girl friends) and Camille remarked several times on wanting to look cute and I caught her checking herself out in the oven reflection a few times. Scare-y.....
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Celebrity Corner
Folks, I lead a glamorous life. Recently I wrote about celebrities spotted about town (here and here), and since my friends say I have a real knack for spotting barely-celebs in particular, I've decided to make my celebrity sightings a regular topic. Welcome to Celebrity Corner.
This week, I have several sightings to report. I know, I know, three sightings in two weeks, and you spend most of your time between preschool and work? Let's just say, I'm very good at what I do. And I'll let you in on some of my celebrity-spotting secrets, so you can try them at home. Three telltale signs that a person is "somebody": #1 they walk around like they own the joint, wherever it may be, and/or #2 they look around with a furtive glance, kind of like a scared animal (paranoid someone is staring at them, which I am), and/or #3 they make deadlock eye contact with you, daring you to look at them. I'm not sure if they're trying to get your attention or figure out if you have recognized them. For #3, this is often an F-lister. Once you see one of these three red flags, it's time to furiously rack your brain for who the person might resemble.
For my three celebrity sightings in the past two weeks, I had one of each type.
Oh and another helpful tip. Once you think someone might be "somebody," start intently eavesdropping on their conversation for clues and/or get going on your iPhone for background research. Sadly, this might be to the detriment of whatever friend/person you are actually spending time with, but if they are really a friend, they will know how important this is to you, and will be equally interested in your research.
#1: The type who owns the joint
Last week, my husband and I went out for date night. We usually stay close to home, but this time we ventured out to Sugar Fish in Studio City, which is a real hot spot these days. We arrived at 5:45, which you may know promises an evening filled with senior citizens and/or families. We were not disappointed. Soon after we were seated, a youngish guy shows up in a white t-shirt and jeans with two kids in tow. The guy seats his kids and starts milling about, striking up conversation with a waiter, walking back and forth in the middle of the restaurant, that sort of thing. I vaguely think, this guy looks like Cyclops from X-Men. Quick Google search, and I recall his name is James Marsden. Then, time for the eavesdropping, I hear him introduce his children and confirm it is him. In the process, I learned some background on James Marsden, and there is quite a juicy tale about his marriage and children, if you're interested in that type of thing. Also if you're wondering, James Marsden might be 5'10" on a good day, as reported on IMDB, and his arms were a little thin. My husband weighed in that he's had a lot of ripped photo shoots lately, and you have to be pretty thin for your abs to look really ripped.
#2: The scared animal
A couple weeks ago, I went to New Orleans for a bankruptcy conference. Stop now, don't be jealous. Actually, it was a fun trip and was a dual purpose work trip slash birthday celebration. So there we are, on a Delta flight out of LAX. As long as you're not flying Southwest, you pretty much have an 80% chance of seeing a celebrity while traveling in and out of LAX. Hot tip: check first class as you board the plane, that's where you'll see them, and they board first (Score for you!). My sister and I hit our seats very close to first class, and we start to see some buzzing from other passengers walking through the first class section. We hear something like "it's the Captain," quite cryptic and titillating. We imagine it's some athlete we won't recognize, but we're hopeful. Four hours later, we reach New Orleans and people start going for their bags. And who pops out of Seat 4A, giving that furtive scared animal look, but Angela Bassett. (Hence "the Captain" to our old ears.) Quick IMDB search confirms she's on the show American Horror Story which films in New Orleans. Ms. Bassett was quite short and not rail thin, probably as you would imagine.
#3: F-lister with direct eye contact
And finally, today. So I'm out to lunch with a couple of co-workers, in a stripmall in Encino. I must say, my defenses are a bit down when I'm at stripmalls in Encino, but in actuality that's where I get my F-list sightings. So we're sitting at lunch, and through the front window, I see a petite blond crossing the parking lot, bee-lining to the salad spot next door. It's literally called "Chop Stop" and only does salads. I bet it's a regular hot spot for famous ladies. I immediately know that it's Kendra from Girls Next Door, and later, Kendra on Top. She is probably 50 feet away, and keep in mind she is in the parking lot, and I am a few tables in at the restaurant looking through the front glass, but I swear she was making dead eye contact with me. She was a hot mess, in a messy top bun, her typically frown-y scowl, pretty frumpy attire. After leaving the lunch spot, we glanced in at Chop Stop (from which she had not yet emerged). Again, I am looking through the glass at the door, and she is 20 feet away, all the way across the restaurant, but dead eye contact staring at me. Kendra came out of the Chop Stop a few minutes later and got in the passenger side of a car. Of course Kendra from Girls Next Door and Kendra on Top has a chauffeur. Mental note: need chauffeur.
This week, I have several sightings to report. I know, I know, three sightings in two weeks, and you spend most of your time between preschool and work? Let's just say, I'm very good at what I do. And I'll let you in on some of my celebrity-spotting secrets, so you can try them at home. Three telltale signs that a person is "somebody": #1 they walk around like they own the joint, wherever it may be, and/or #2 they look around with a furtive glance, kind of like a scared animal (paranoid someone is staring at them, which I am), and/or #3 they make deadlock eye contact with you, daring you to look at them. I'm not sure if they're trying to get your attention or figure out if you have recognized them. For #3, this is often an F-lister. Once you see one of these three red flags, it's time to furiously rack your brain for who the person might resemble.
For my three celebrity sightings in the past two weeks, I had one of each type.
Oh and another helpful tip. Once you think someone might be "somebody," start intently eavesdropping on their conversation for clues and/or get going on your iPhone for background research. Sadly, this might be to the detriment of whatever friend/person you are actually spending time with, but if they are really a friend, they will know how important this is to you, and will be equally interested in your research.
#1: The type who owns the joint
Last week, my husband and I went out for date night. We usually stay close to home, but this time we ventured out to Sugar Fish in Studio City, which is a real hot spot these days. We arrived at 5:45, which you may know promises an evening filled with senior citizens and/or families. We were not disappointed. Soon after we were seated, a youngish guy shows up in a white t-shirt and jeans with two kids in tow. The guy seats his kids and starts milling about, striking up conversation with a waiter, walking back and forth in the middle of the restaurant, that sort of thing. I vaguely think, this guy looks like Cyclops from X-Men. Quick Google search, and I recall his name is James Marsden. Then, time for the eavesdropping, I hear him introduce his children and confirm it is him. In the process, I learned some background on James Marsden, and there is quite a juicy tale about his marriage and children, if you're interested in that type of thing. Also if you're wondering, James Marsden might be 5'10" on a good day, as reported on IMDB, and his arms were a little thin. My husband weighed in that he's had a lot of ripped photo shoots lately, and you have to be pretty thin for your abs to look really ripped.
Pictured two days later at the Studio City Farmers Market
#2: The scared animal
A couple weeks ago, I went to New Orleans for a bankruptcy conference. Stop now, don't be jealous. Actually, it was a fun trip and was a dual purpose work trip slash birthday celebration. So there we are, on a Delta flight out of LAX. As long as you're not flying Southwest, you pretty much have an 80% chance of seeing a celebrity while traveling in and out of LAX. Hot tip: check first class as you board the plane, that's where you'll see them, and they board first (Score for you!). My sister and I hit our seats very close to first class, and we start to see some buzzing from other passengers walking through the first class section. We hear something like "it's the Captain," quite cryptic and titillating. We imagine it's some athlete we won't recognize, but we're hopeful. Four hours later, we reach New Orleans and people start going for their bags. And who pops out of Seat 4A, giving that furtive scared animal look, but Angela Bassett. (Hence "the Captain" to our old ears.) Quick IMDB search confirms she's on the show American Horror Story which films in New Orleans. Ms. Bassett was quite short and not rail thin, probably as you would imagine.
Stella getting her groove back
#3: F-lister with direct eye contact
And finally, today. So I'm out to lunch with a couple of co-workers, in a stripmall in Encino. I must say, my defenses are a bit down when I'm at stripmalls in Encino, but in actuality that's where I get my F-list sightings. So we're sitting at lunch, and through the front window, I see a petite blond crossing the parking lot, bee-lining to the salad spot next door. It's literally called "Chop Stop" and only does salads. I bet it's a regular hot spot for famous ladies. I immediately know that it's Kendra from Girls Next Door, and later, Kendra on Top. She is probably 50 feet away, and keep in mind she is in the parking lot, and I am a few tables in at the restaurant looking through the front glass, but I swear she was making dead eye contact with me. She was a hot mess, in a messy top bun, her typically frown-y scowl, pretty frumpy attire. After leaving the lunch spot, we glanced in at Chop Stop (from which she had not yet emerged). Again, I am looking through the glass at the door, and she is 20 feet away, all the way across the restaurant, but dead eye contact staring at me. Kendra came out of the Chop Stop a few minutes later and got in the passenger side of a car. Of course Kendra from Girls Next Door and Kendra on Top has a chauffeur. Mental note: need chauffeur.
Imagine this dead eye contact being made at you from 50 feet
Monday, November 4, 2013
Overheard around the house
I'm realizing more and more we have two full-blown kids at this house. The "baby" (who we still refer to as the baby... hmmm maybe time to stop doing that) turns 2 years old this week. I don't know when "toddler" ends and "child" begins, but we've reached it for sure. Life used to be about entertaining Camille with more advanced activities, like coloring or books, while Natalie experimented with toys and grunted. We operated in separate worlds, which took a lot more effort and twice as many stimulating activities.
Now, they are developing a little relationship, and they happily play together more like peers. I think the change relates to Natalie's ability to talk and, more importantly, follow directions. Most importantly, Camille's directions. Here are some episodes I've observed in the last few days:
(1) RIGHT NOW: Camille has built a "birdie nest" in the family room consisting of blankets and stuffed animals on the floor. She has declared it naptime for both of them. She's laying on a pillow humming a song, and every few minutes, calls out "Natalie, lay down! It's naptime!" and Natalie yells"Ok Eel!"
(2) 10 MINUTES AGO: Camille declared she had to go potty and started heading toward the bathroom. She instructed Natalie to come with her, and of course Natalie happily trailed along. From the bathroom, I overheard: "Natalie, I have a boyfriend at school. He is a boy at school and his name is Eli." Silly me. In recent years I had heard other 4 and 5 year olds mention boyfriends and girlfriends, which I thought was fairly creepy, and I'd been feeling a bit smug that Camille hadn't gotten involved in that whole game. But apparently she's just hiding it from me and telling her sister about it instead.
(3) THIS MORNING: This morning, around 8:00am (I know, late!) I hear Camille in her room. "Mommy, I'm up!" Then, from Natalie's room (her door is closed, and she is in her crib), I hear "Me too, Mommy!" Then Camille "Natalie, come in here! Natalie!" And Natalie responds, urgently, "Ok Eel! Coming!" From her crib. Behind a closed door. Natalie often acts with a sense of urgency like Camille's going to drop her if she doesn't move fast enough. Smart girl.
(4) LAST WEEK: Last week, Natalie got a princess horse set for her birthday, and she and Camille have fought over the blue princess since the minute it came out of the box. Yesterday, Camille was busily coloring, which is the one activity Natalie doesn't care as much about. Camille can color for hours, and not surprisingly, Natalie can only last about 10 minutes. I guess that's how long you can scribble in circles before it starts to get old. After some time coloring, Natalie was getting really desperate for Camille's attention, saying "Eel, play! Eel, play!" When it was clear that Camille was too busy coloring to play, Natalie went over to the toy area, fished out the blue princess, marched over to Camille and said "Eel, blue pri-cess, I got first." Clearly baiting a fight from her sister to get some attention. I must say nice skills, Natalie, nice skills.
Now, they are developing a little relationship, and they happily play together more like peers. I think the change relates to Natalie's ability to talk and, more importantly, follow directions. Most importantly, Camille's directions. Here are some episodes I've observed in the last few days:
(1) RIGHT NOW: Camille has built a "birdie nest" in the family room consisting of blankets and stuffed animals on the floor. She has declared it naptime for both of them. She's laying on a pillow humming a song, and every few minutes, calls out "Natalie, lay down! It's naptime!" and Natalie yells"Ok Eel!"
(2) 10 MINUTES AGO: Camille declared she had to go potty and started heading toward the bathroom. She instructed Natalie to come with her, and of course Natalie happily trailed along. From the bathroom, I overheard: "Natalie, I have a boyfriend at school. He is a boy at school and his name is Eli." Silly me. In recent years I had heard other 4 and 5 year olds mention boyfriends and girlfriends, which I thought was fairly creepy, and I'd been feeling a bit smug that Camille hadn't gotten involved in that whole game. But apparently she's just hiding it from me and telling her sister about it instead.
(3) THIS MORNING: This morning, around 8:00am (I know, late!) I hear Camille in her room. "Mommy, I'm up!" Then, from Natalie's room (her door is closed, and she is in her crib), I hear "Me too, Mommy!" Then Camille "Natalie, come in here! Natalie!" And Natalie responds, urgently, "Ok Eel! Coming!" From her crib. Behind a closed door. Natalie often acts with a sense of urgency like Camille's going to drop her if she doesn't move fast enough. Smart girl.
(4) LAST WEEK: Last week, Natalie got a princess horse set for her birthday, and she and Camille have fought over the blue princess since the minute it came out of the box. Yesterday, Camille was busily coloring, which is the one activity Natalie doesn't care as much about. Camille can color for hours, and not surprisingly, Natalie can only last about 10 minutes. I guess that's how long you can scribble in circles before it starts to get old. After some time coloring, Natalie was getting really desperate for Camille's attention, saying "Eel, play! Eel, play!" When it was clear that Camille was too busy coloring to play, Natalie went over to the toy area, fished out the blue princess, marched over to Camille and said "Eel, blue pri-cess, I got first." Clearly baiting a fight from her sister to get some attention. I must say nice skills, Natalie, nice skills.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Fall Finds
There is a morning chill around here and it's starting to feel like Fall! I'm doing some Fall window shopping...
4. The crossbody
Not really fall-related, but a new style of purse has emerged: the crossbody. It's for gals on the go who only want to bring a phone, a credit card, a $20, maybe one key. I definitely carry way too much stuff around and have been trying to lighten my load. So this is on my radar now. (It won't fit any diapers with all my stuff in it, so I might need to get a second one for Natalie to haul her own...)
1. Carryall purse
Gosh just think of all the kid paraphernalia you could hide in this bad boy, cracker crumbs and all, and still look like a million bucks!
Tory Burch Robinson Tote
2. Sweater jacket
I believe sweater jackets are a new thing, or maybe I've just never noticed them before. I've never owned one, but I think the sweater jacket may be the perfect alternative to the cardigan I typically carry all the time in case it gets chilly.
Jacquard Sweater Jacket from Anthropologie
3. Cashmere drape
Another variation on the sweater jacket but less structured. I just love the cabling and the rich color. So cozy!
Ribbed Drape by Autumn Cashmere
4. The crossbody
Not really fall-related, but a new style of purse has emerged: the crossbody. It's for gals on the go who only want to bring a phone, a credit card, a $20, maybe one key. I definitely carry way too much stuff around and have been trying to lighten my load. So this is on my radar now. (It won't fit any diapers with all my stuff in it, so I might need to get a second one for Natalie to haul her own...)
Friday, October 11, 2013
Five on Friday
TGIF! Wow this week has hit me like a ton of bricks. Just the thought of thinking of 5 things for Friday makes my head hurt. But, I am nothing if not a determined SOB, so here we go for our linkup with Darci at The Good Life for Five on Friday!
[ONE] Farm Time
We have official pumpkin patch plans, people! On Sunday, the family will be bundling up for a foggy morning over at Underwood Farms. Look out goats, Natalie's a-comin'!
[TWO] Columbus Day
[ONE] Farm Time
We have official pumpkin patch plans, people! On Sunday, the family will be bundling up for a foggy morning over at Underwood Farms. Look out goats, Natalie's a-comin'!
[TWO] Columbus Day
Nothing like a three-day weekend, y'all. It's very possible I will have to do work on Monday, or at least be plugged in for things that come up, but I still love me a good 3 consecutive days off. Oddly enough, Camille's preschool - which takes vacation days like nobody's business - has a regular school day. My number one goal is to get to the gym, and I think I can make that happen at the very least.
[THREE] Boots, Baby
Today was downright chilly and I was thrilled to sport my brand-new fall boots. That is all.
[FOUR] Playoff Baseball
I don't mind a little baseball once in awhile. The hubby likes it, he doesn't make me watch it too often, and the Dodgers are in the playoffs so okay I'll watch a few games. This is what I tell myself earlier this week. Then I see the Pirates playing the Cardinals, okay fine. But now Detroit and someone else are still playing?? So apparently while I thought we were down to the playoffs, like 4 teams left, there are actually multiple playoffs still going, to get to other playoffs, and we are truly mid-season baseball and I'm dragged in. Oh well...
[FIVE] Vons Grocery Delivery
And now I'd like to vent on one more thing, which I think is not the point of 5 on Friday but whatevs. I get my groceries delivered by Vons, which sounds like such a shameful hoity-toity thing, but really if you buy baby wipes you get free delivery! So, it's not more expensive than going to the store. The problem, I've discovered, is that they are inevitably out of one to two items, and it's completely random and unpredictable. But, more often than not, it seems like they are out of the one thing I need. Like, the chicken that is the main ingredient in the dinner entree. This week, no salmon, so my husband had to make a post-work run to the store. Darn you, Vons!
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