CB's Best and Worst

Surely

2010-05-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Collings home is rarely quiet.

It is filled with sounds of action.

The whirl of a power saw, the clicks of crochet needles,

the scratch of a pen doing the crossword, the flap of shuffling cards,

the clink of canning jars,

the applause of a televised tennis match,

the all too familiar tune of Jeopardy.

It is filled with sounds of love.

The patter of grandchildren's feet,

the melody of prayer before a family dinner,

the laughter of Monday night dinner group,

the chatter of an over due phone call,

the songs being practiced on the piano,

the sigh after receiving a much needed hug,

But even in those rare moments of stillness,

when it seemed like nothing was happening

you could usually still hear something.

Humming.

My grandma Shirley Collings loved to hum,

and if she didn’t hum she would whistle.

I can only imagine that a truly happy person could hum or whistle as naturally as Grandma Shirley.

Because making cinnamon rolls or doing cross stitch

wasn’t enough to express her inner joy,

she had to hum a beautiful melody while she did it.

And it makes sense.

She had many things to be happy about,

a husband of 63 years, three kids, sons and daughter in laws,

6 grandkids, 1 great grand son,

and many, many other family members and friends that loved her very much.

She had a fulfilling career as a teacher,

enjoyed her retirement by traveling around the world,

sang her heart out in choir,

and kept many of us warm with crochet blankets.

Her loyalty, strength, understanding, patience, and love were truly angelic.

What’s there not to hum about?

My Grandma Shirley was a truly amazing and wondrous woman.

A woman who loved to hum.

A woman who hummed because she loved.

A woman who hummed because she is and always will be loved.

To my Grandma...I will surely love you forever.

(click)

Sunny Days

2010-03-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Best Babyhead #2 Birthday

“We have to get away with it while we can.” This is what I kept telling Eli about planning Babyhead’s #2 birthday party. What I was trying to get away with was having a simple birthday party at the house, since after this year Tavian will be able to make party requests that can make things complicated like “I want my party at the Zoo and be able to pet the lions.”

The “Sunny Side Up” party idea really came to me out of pure laziness. Reflecting on how nice those weekend mornings are when you stay in your PJ’s till 4pm, watching TV while ladling sugary cereals into your mouth...who wouldn’t want to do that? As a kid I loved building blanket forts in my Grandma’s basement using her dining room table and flower sheets. In my head this party idea was any kid’s dream, but I wasn’t expecting the adults to be just as excited too! Needless to say Tavian’s #2 was super fun, especially with Eli’s home made slide shooting our guests down the stairs and into a pile of pillows, not just the kids either...

I should admit that the party was also maybe, kind of, an excuse to buy boxes and boxes of fun cereal that I normally wasn’t allowed to eat (both as a kid and an adult.) It wasn’t a mistake that there was plenty of cereal left over. So along with all of our wonderful family and friends that came I would also like to thank Lucky Charms, Apple Jacks, and Kix for making this fiesta fabulous, sweet, fun, crunchy, full of love and a part of this complete breakfast.

Click here for the Sunny Side Up Birthday Party slideshow

Worst when-is-Spring-coming weather

I still say “Colorado” when people ask me where I am from even though I have lived in L.A. for over 10 years now. Because it’s true, that’s where I came from, but after living in SoCal for this long I am definitely a California girl. I miss my home state at times, the breath taking Rockies, the slower pace, the friendly smiles, the big open sky. But what I don’t miss and never will is the cold weather.

Living in a warmer climate has made me spoiled. In parts of the country 65 degrees is welcomed with short sleeves and exposed pasty skin that hasn’t seen the sun in 6 months. When I see 65 degrees on my weather app, I whine and huff that Spring is never going to come as I put on another sweater. So annoyed that the wind is chilly when I walk from my car to the store. Seriously...I remember having to chip ice off my windshield just to drive to school. Soooo spoiled now.

The other weekend I awoke and the beach was calling me. Come sit on my soft sand, feel the rays of sunshine, listen to the clash of the waves...yes beach I hear you! But then the whining and huffing began when the weather report read 68 degrees...ugh. But I guess the beach was calling Babyhead too because he was starting to look like a caged animal, freezing or scalding he didn’t care...we just needed to get out.

Bundling up for the beach always feels a little weird to me, but I left my weirdo and spoiled self at home to head for the coast...with 2 jackets, heavy socks, a hat, and a scarf to protect me from that 68 degree chill.

Click here for a little beach day video

Blogidays

2010-02-01T14:44:00.000-08:00

Thirty two days into the new year I’ve forced myself to stop using the “oh it's because of the holidays” excuse as to why little gets accomplished outside of play time. Perhaps it's because this holiday season was so gloriously neutral, not too much going on, but not lacking. Mentally, I want to stay in that blissful neutrality, universally accepted with the simple “holiday” excuse, but the calender moves on and so must I.

But before I do dear Blog, let’s reflect on some highs and lows that brought 2009 to a close.

Best Holiday Party

Every now and then the universe throws you a bone. One of mine is the blessing of our Fabulous Neighbors Russ and Laura Roenick. Not just because they throw a killer holiday party every year where this Momma can get her cheer on and then simply walk two doors down to her own home, but because they are two truly good, fun, and caring peeps.

The night was over the top when my beloved friends Natalie, Melissa, Rusty, and Patrick all showed up to celebrate their holiday spirit in the form of laughter, conversation, and competitive karaoke. As recapped in last year’s blog, the hot spot of the night was in front of the TV with microphone in hand. I toned it down this year to let some of the other guests play, but I still ended up being that last one there begging my tired friends to do just one more song with me.

Fabulous Neighbor Laura totally out did herself with the spread. Her latest party menu additions included BBQ chicken sliders, Mac n’ Cheese cups, Caesar salad shrimp skewers, and sinful Cake Balls (little balls of cake dipped in chocolate) which Eli swore he ate at least 8. As a thank you/Christmas present to my Fabulous Neighbors I contributed Ahi Tuna Tartare (easier to make than you think!) to the menu, which was a nice touch to an already classy party.

To see more Best Holiday Party photos click here!

Worst Photo Shoot

What did we do before digital cameras? Well, we for sure didn’t leave taking photos of a toddler to put on a holiday card till the week before Christmas. So thank God for me that we have digital cameras.

I found myself scrounging through my photo files trying to find a family photo to grace the front of our holiday cards this year. Panic set in, I only had photos of Eli and Tavian together (me being the photographer) or just of Babyhead, but never smiling.

For awhile we had a great stretch of photo taking with Tavian. He was such a ham for the camera, and would give big cheesy smiles long enough to get a few shots. But for some reason that ham and cheese streak stopped, now we only get serious looks. Serious, uninterested, I-know-I-am-cute, toddler looks. Knowing this, the task of trying to get a picture complete with a Babyhead smile, was very daunting. This coupled with running out of time lead to a very stressed out Momma taking her two boys out on a Saturday afternoon for a panicked photo shoot.

Two hours, an unexpected dead camera battery, and 50 photos later we returned home, with no smiley ham and cheese photo for my holiday card. Hoping for a Christmas miracle I looked over the photos on my computer. Wait...this one isn’t so bad...actually it is pretty good! One, one out of 50 photos captured a little toddler Babyhead smile. Hallelujah and lesson learned...no last minute photo shoots!

To see more of our photo shoot click here

Semi-Best Grown Up's Weekend

The last time I was in Las Vegas I was celebrating my college graduation with my best friend Linda. Vegas is a magical world for a 21 year old. Exciting, sexy, delicious, intoxicating, risky, and up all night. When you don’t get hung over and can function off a few hours of sleep you fit right in, but so many years later when two glasses of wine and staying up past 10pm is a “wild night,” Vegas is an alien planet.

So when Eli presented me with a surprise 24 hour whirl wind trip to Las Vegas for our one year anniversary I thought...really? Wine country wasn’t an option? But his intentions were very sweet motivated by the desire to take me to the show Love Cirque de Soleil. The in-laws were scheduled to watch Babyhead and before I knew it we boarded a plane to begin our much needed grown up adventure.

Our upgraded room at The Mirage was awesome! I decided at one point in my life I would need to live in a house with his and her bathrooms. A remote control prompted a TV to rise out of the bench right in front of the bed, another feature I will now dream about. Treating ourselves to a little snack we ventured down to BLT Burger and split an amazing cheeseburger and an equally amazing chocolate milkshake, spiked with Godiva liquor.

Being the worst gambler ever I had no desire to sacrifice any cash to Vegas. But with the promise of only spending our pocket change on penny slots, Eli convinced me to test Lady Luck. Once we entered the casino it wasn’t my bad luck that made me head for our room after 20 minutes, but the cigarette smoke. I HATE SMOKE! And in this short time I vowed to never return to Vegas until it was smoke free. And even though I ended up winning $40 on my last pull of a 2 cent slot, I will be spending my winnings on dry cleaning to get that toxic terrible smell out of our clothes.

Our dinner at Japonais was interesting but not worth the scrilla we threw down for it. I oo-ed over the Orchid martini with it’s floating flower, but the exotic stopped there since it tasted like fruit punch. Moving on to the main event we headed over to the theater to see The Beatles Love. The next two hours were filled with heart thumping acrobatics and dance, soul touching music, and mind blowing sets, lights, costumes, props, and effects. I have never heard The Beatles like I did that night and it stirred an urgency in me to pass it onto Tavian so that the music’s power will be passed on to future generations. Deep for a Vegas show, but true.

Trying to keep the spirit of our grown up’s weekend alive we tried to have a drink after the show. But the cigarette smoke was intensifying with the late night party-ers (probably a bunch of 21 year olds) and I couldn’t ignore the clock that read 11:30 or my very heavy Momma eyelids. Plus my grown up, pointy, high heels (which had to be dusted off for the trip) where torturing my sneaker-wearing feet.

And with that, the adventure was over. A quick flight back to Los Angeles brought me home to my Babyhead and smoke-free house. I was happy to spend the time with Eli, but very happy to be home. As they say “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and even though this was true for my non-21-year-old, early to bed, one glass of wine, Momma life...I don’t think my heart with miss that much about Vegas.

To more of our Grown Up's Weekend click here

Worst Season Starter

There are several wondrous events that make my heart cheer out “Its that time of year again!” The new season of Design Star and 30 Rock, semi annual sales at my favorite stores, the first holiday card received in the mail, taking an evening walk when it is still 80 degrees out. But by far one of the greatest sights that signifies a certain time of year is the table set up outside the grocery store covered in brightly colored boxes housing delicious treats and little girls wearing green sashes chorusing together to the passing shoppers, “would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout Cookies?”

Girl Scout Cookie time, I consider it a very important holiday. I can’t tell you the exact begining and end dates, but the surprise of seeing that table piled with cookie boxes rivals many Christmas mornings. I try to calmly walk (not run) up to the store entrance and wait to be coaxed by the little voices “would you like to buy...” “Yes!” I interrupt. I already know my order, 2 boxes of Samoas, 1 box of Thin Mints, 1 box of Shortbreads. Always convincing myself that this will last me through the season, and when I return a few weeks later for a few more boxes I rationalize that they are only around for a short time, I mean I can’t eat Samoas all year ya know so back off!

In college I hid all my boxes of Girl Scout Cookies under my bed away from the mouths of my roommates. I rationed them for as long as I could because cash was tight and these cookies were like gold. But now as a parent and an example of moral values (like sharing) to Babyhead, having a box to myself is rarely possible. So when Eli brought home a box of Samoas on his own (beating me to the first purchase of the season) my heart melted like the chocolate coating of a Thin Mint...even though it was only one box.

The box was presented after our dinner one night, and I could hardly wait to christen the season with that first chewy, gooey, coconut-y bite of a Samoa. But to my culinary horror my bite was not soft, but very hard! So hard I had to stick it in the back of my mouth and break off a piece with my molars. Speechless I stared at Eli...what did you do to the cookies? What have you done?! “I put them in the freezer,” he said, “I thought they would be good that way. But why aren’t they soft anymore?” Again speechless...I didn’t know how to respond to such a crime or ridiculous question. My husband, the cookie criminal, had ruined the beginning of Girl Scout Cookie season 2010.

This did not hinder me from finishing the cookie, or the second one either...or for the next few nights. The cookie hoarding instinct kicked in, despite their frozen state, I know those delicious darlings won’t last much longer. After a long lecture to Eli about properly preserving Samoas’ signature softness and you only put Thin Mints in the freezer, duh...I was able to recover from the incident with the aide of some hot tea to dip each frozen cookie in, thawing out the goodness I crave all year.

2010-01-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Worst Holiday Tradition

We all have moments of bah-humbug during the holiday season. Stressful moments are interwoven with gleeful moments. You go through the craziness of finding, buying, and wrapping a gift just to then feel the joy of watching your loved one open it. My only hope every year is that I break even, those glorious moments even out the bah-humbug ones.

Standing in line sparks my bah humbug moments. Standing in line is the worst holiday tradition, but one you have to face again and again. Needing some milk one afternoon Babyhead and I ran into Smart and Final. We passed up the carts since we only needed one thing. Milk in one hand and Babyhead’s hand in the other we got in line behind one woman who was already checking out. But since standing in line usually takes longer than .04 seconds, Tavian was over it and wanted to wander off. After yanking his hand from my grip he took off for the wide open aisles. Luckily my reflexes have been sharpened and he only made it 5 feet away.

Once Tavian was back in my grasp I turned around to step back in line, but the woman behind me had stepped up and taken my place. I had literally just moved a few feet out of line for 10 seconds so I could grab my escaping toddler, but yet to this woman it seemed like an opportunity to cut down her wait time. Let me remind you dear Blog, I was only buying milk.

I was so shocked buy this fellow holiday shopper’s rudeness that I didn’t say anything and simply took my place in line again behind her. I still didn’t say anything when the woman turned around to smile and wave at Babyhead commenting on what a cutie he was. As I was buckling Tavian into his car seat, my face flushed with anger I wondered why I still hadn’t said anything.

Driving home the radio played “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and I sang out my “have a hap-py ho-li-day”to a clapping Babybead. I realized perhaps my holiday spirit subconsciously kept me from being rude to an already rude person. I am sure if she is in the habit of making cutting lines, she has gotten more than just a bah humbug from other shoppers. So happy holidays cut-the-mom-with-the-toddler-and-one-thing-to-buy-in-line lady, you might not know it but Christmas came early to you this year.

Then...Christmas 2008

Now...Christmas 2009

Best Holiday Tradition

It was a sad day when Babyhead squirmed uncomfortably in my lap as he tried to drink his cup of milk before bed. This was our routine, our daily tradition since he was born, Sit in the rocker and sing a song till the milk was gone then off to bed. I guess I thought it would last forever, not really thinking what it would be like to have a 13 year old lay in my lap, as Tavian would be some day. But alas the day had come after only 19 months that he no longer fit laying on my lap in our rocker.

So now we skip that part and we do our song and cup of milk already laying the crib. He is nice and comfy, but now momma is a little awkward leaning over the hard rail of the crib so I can still gently rub his tummy and softly sing a song. I admit there are nights where I just feel too tired and imagine him finishing his milk and just throwing the cup out of his crib, I could pick it up in the morning...

But recently I remembered that there were Christmas carols to add into the rotation of songs Babyhead hears before he trots off to dream land. Our favorite is Silent Night. His big brown eyes sparkle at me in the dark whenever I sing it, a sign he is calm and focused (a rarity in our house.) Oh come all yee faithful, a new Babyhead tradition is born! Softly sung carols for Christmas bedtimes, I hope he still likes it when he is 13.

To see more Holiday Babyhead photos click here

And a little Christmas morning video click here

Best TV Shows

This time of year is so busy that flopping on the couch at the end of the day to zone out in front of the tube feels as relaxing as a tropical vaca. Becuase free time in now a precious commodity I have become very picky about what shows I watch, bad TV is a painful waste of my time. So here’s what makes the cut on our TiVo list and worth every second.

Modern Family

Best new half hour comedy that has reached our airways since Tina Fey became an Emmy winner. I find all the jokes even more hilarious now that I am married and have a child...maybe not so much in my younger 20’s when babies were like aliens.

Hoarders

This is not just based on my obsession with all things organized. Normal people have been raving about this show too. You think watching whiney rich housewives is a train wreck you can’t help but watch, wait till you see the guy who spent half a million dollars on a beer can collection, or the woman had to be rescued from paramedics when she fell in her kitchen and was smothered by garbage.

Sesame Street

I am actually thrilled that one of Tavian’s first words is Elmo. It is an amazing site to see your normally non-stop toddler sit and concentrate on something for 10 minuets. Watching Sesame Street as an adult is a whole other experience, it is a mix of nostalgia and parental insight. As a kid you think singing the alphabet along with Big Bird, then again with Elmo, then again with Grover is soooo fun, but as a parent you think “these guys just had my child recite the alphabet 20 times in an hour, genius!!” Hand downs my favorite is still Cookie Monster, that guy is hilarious...with the google eyes, come on! And surprisingly, just like a good Pixar movie, they will throw in a reference only an adult could really appreciate, knowing we are watching too. Holla, Sesame Street, holla...

30 Rock

Still just the funniest, smartest, most entertaining show since Sienfeld. It doesn’t get much better than Liz Lemon having to “cry” out of her mouth because she had cheap Lasik surgery. Only the greatest twisted minds can come up with stuff like that. That one gave me the hiccups.

Worst TV Shows

Community

I gave you 4 episodes of my time Community, 4 episodes I can’t get back. Depsite my excitement to watch Chevy Chase I couldn’t take the boring and predictable “tension building” (eye roll) love story between the two characters. Maybe the show didn’t get the memo that over the top is annoying, not funny.

Any Show About Bad/Crazy Pregnancies

When I was pregnant there were a few shows that Eli watched about emergency births or moms-to-be battling health scares during their pregnancies, but I hated them all. Now two new shows have emerged that I find just beyond disturbing. First, “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant”...women who care babies almost to full term and then surprise...they give birth. What? (blink) What is wrong with these women? The other, “I am Pregnant and...” The rest of the title is filled in according to the topic of the episode. Such as I am Pregnant and Homeless or I am Pregnant and an Addict. Um no thank you, I’ll watch the whining rich housewives instead.

Sweet Emotion

2009-11-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

Shirt...prepare to be stained!

Worst Awkward Fashion Stage

Lunching outside with Babyhead I noticed that his shirt looked rather dingy. Well, that’s putting it lightly, especially if you say “dingy” with an English accent, the shirt was flat out stained. This was not shocking because bibs have become evil in Tavian’s world, but I was a little embarrassed about my failing laundry skills.

Going through his toddler wardrobe later I discovered many more badly stained items, pants that started to look more like leggings, and shirts that revealed his baby belly bottom. The thrill of going shopping for Tay’s new clothes put the trip at the top of my To Do list.

When I was pregnant I loved looking for baby clothes, especially shoes and things that looked like “real” clothes (not jumpers with teddy bears and ducks all over them.) Little man clothes. Now, clothes for Taivan is about ease, comfort, and colors that hide stains. Target and Old Navy are currently my best friends because I just can’t pay $30 for a toddler t-shirt I know will be covered in sand, drool, and apple sauce by the end of the day.

However, the thrill of shopping turned into a chill after a few trips. You see dear Blog, Tavian does not fall into the typical sizing for his age range. Not surprising considering I remember my mom constantly altering my clothes growing up, everything was either too short or too wide...karma, I roll my eyes at you.

But Tavian is right in between two sizes, pants are either too short or too big in the waist, shirts too tight or too baggy. After many purchases and returns I discovered these sweat pants with elastic at the waist and ankles. Yes, just like the ones you see senior citizens sporting on their mall walks. But their genius because they are tight enough not to fall down and he doesn’t trip over the legs...because they are elastic-ed to his ankles.

Oh dearest son, thank goodness you are adorable enough to over power your elastic sweat pants and baggy stained shirts. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel a little guilty every morning dressing you in such awkward outfits. If “lame” was in your vocabulary I know you would be scolding me about your wardrobe.

Playing at the park in his new trip/saggy free sweat pants

Worst/Best Movie

Becoming a mother completely changed my viewing capacity. Anything that has to do with children is a kazillion times more impact-full. I didn’t get why everyone loved Slumdog Millionaire, love story my tush! It was about the horrible living conditions, trauma, and abuse of three innocent children. The other night I saw A.I. on TV and I don’t remember crying that hard back in 2001.

But you don’t have to be a parent to be shocked, shattered, and sobbing while watching the movie Precious. Just ask the guy next to me, I bet he wasn’t counting on gasping and sniffing his way through this movie. Or anyone in the theater for that matter as we all collectively held our breath and cried out “oh no!” scene after heart breaking scene. No seriously, everyone in the sold out theater.

But a movie can only be this awful if it is only that good. Really, really good. The performances were just outstanding, some of the best I have seen in a long time. I personally don’t want to pay money to feel so disturbed for a whole night. Eli and I came home and immediately went into Tavian’s room to watch him sleep, so peaceful, so innocent. If anything I commend this film for being so moving, a slap in the face to make you grateful for what you have and a reminder that things could be worse. But if it’s a night of carefree entertainment you are looking for...skip this one.

Best Trick or Treater

I can justify blogging about Halloween three weeks after the fact because we just ate the last of our trick or treat candy. I say “our” because it really was quite the collaborative effort between the three of us to gather our bag of sweet booty.

Dressed as Evil Knievel Tavian set out to go on a walk with Momma and Dad. But this time we were telling him to go into stores and strange homes with a little bucket to collect candy. How very strange! But we only showed him a few times how to trick or treat before Babyhead had it down cold! I gave him the little paper pail, he would walk up, wait for the bowl of candy to be presented, select a piece, put it in his pail, walk back to Momma and hand it over.

At first I didn’t think we would be out for very long, that he would lose interest. But as the sky got darker, the houses got creepier, and the kids got crazier, we all got into the spirit of trick or treating. Eli and I would cheer when Tavian brought back the good stuff like Snickers or Starbursts and encourage him to try harder when he brought back Tootsie Rolls. After covering four whole blocks we loaded up Evil Knievel and headed home to celebrate our hard work with a Heresy's PB Cup...or two. Holding the little paper bag full of candy I was genuinely proud of Babyhead and his new found talent for taking candy from strangers. As if he had just won the Nobel Peace Prize, but he didn’t he just brought me handfuls of delicious candy, which is just as awesome!

Click here to see more photos!

New Best Trader Joe’s Items

Bogle Merlot

73% Cacao Belgian Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds

Seriously Seedy & Nutty Wafers
Villa Italia Grapefruit Soda

Panko Covered Tilapia Filets

Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips

The Love

2009-11-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

Best 29th Rock Star Birthday Party

The 29th birthday party is a tricky one. You could either show your rising maturirty level with a classy wine and cheese party or you can give one last shot at a good theme party and make all your friends dress up in costumes. I choose the latter which lead to the Rockstar Party.

I have to say I am very proud of all my friends who got into the groove, swiped on the eyeliner, pulled on the leather pants, and let the hairspray fly. We fueled our rocker bodies with champagne and a spread based on food demands of real rockers, such as Jay Z’s desire for PBJ, Taylor Swift’s need for Kraft Mac n’ Cheese, Frank Sinatra’s request for jump shrimp cocktail, and Brittany Spear’s must have Pop Tarts. Guitar Hero was hooked up so everyone could warm up their guitar moves and rocker attitudes. Babyhead was very entertained by us all and Momma let him stay up late but denied his grabs for her champagne glass.

Bedtime was our cue to take the party to a whole new level...and a new location. The party appropriately continued at The Gas Lite karaoke bar. I took note of the stares at my pink curly mohawk, but didn’t care as we gathered around our reserved booth to pick our songs. I think everyone was just jealous that they didn’t have on shredded pleather leggings and glittery scarves tied around their heads.

I so L-O-V-E all my dearest friends for showing up to give me B-day wishes and endure the craziness of a karaoke bar. Our last performance of “Living on a Prayer” had the whole bar dancing and singing their best “Whoooooaaaaa-ooooooh”s into their air mics. Thank you to everyone who came to rock with me, it was a very fitting night to kick off my last year as a 20 something. Next year be prepared to get your wine and cheese on.

To see more rockin' Rock Star Party pics click here

Worst Computer Meltdown

The very wise and talented (and good looking) Mr. J. Timberlake once sang “where is the love?” Just a week after I blogged my praises for all things Mac and the devastation I would feel if anything happened to my little lap topper...something happened. I was in denial for a few days, hoping that maybe if I restarted my computer enough eventually everything on my desktop would come back. This was my technical analysis.

When I caved in and went to the Apple store the Genius Bar guy coldly gave me his analysis. “Your hard drive is dead, you need to be replace it but you will lose all of your data.” Gasp! “Data?” My beloved iTunes playlists, photos of Babyhead’s first day on this earth, slaved over websites, newly scanned paperless home office, my data base of design and DIY ideas, digitally preserved copies of my Grandmother’s hand written recipes, creative future blog ideas...are not JUST data sir!! It was then he told me I had to choose one thing to save from my computer, because he might only have one chance at saving something and I had to choose right then...but all I could think was “where is the love?”

Thank god I was in shock cause I might have started crying right in front of unsympathetic Apple store guy. Finally he said I could take it to a data recovery specialist but it could cost thousands of dollars. I said if there was a chance to save anything I will take it. I spent the next four hours still in shock wandering the earth, like I was homeless...I had lost my digital home. I tried to find some perspective, to empathize with people who really have lost everything in devastating fires or hurricanes. Situations where there are no specialist to take your life so it can be recovered.

The next day I asked my computer genius friend what I should do and he recommended a company called Computech to help my with my data recovery. And it was there...at Computech where I found the love (and it didn’t cost thousands of dollars.) My techy friend sat across the counter from me starring at my lap topper and assured me hope was not lost. Three days later they called and said my Mac had pulled through...a full recovery!

Where is the love? Well for the most part it is in your family, friends, and how you interact with the rest of the world. But in this technical age forms of our love are stored on a hard drive. So show your hard working machine some love and always back up your “data.”

Hello, I'm a Mac

2009-10-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Multi tasking on the Blackberry and Mac

It is scary sometimes to think how much my life is connected to such a small thing. Oh wait I’m not talking about Babyhead (although I heart him too) I'm talking about my little white lap topping Mac. But seriously, the thought of anything happening to my computer gives me a pit in my stomach. I am sure many of you can agree. We have put all our eggs in one hard drive. Our photos, memories, work, ideas, music, home movies, schedules, contacts, everything!! A whole life mixed together like a good margarita in one little machine.

Sorry if this is boring for all you PC’ers out there, but I just wanted to share some of my favorite Mac updates and how a glowing apple has made my life better.

Best Website Builder

iWeb

Two years ago I attempted to design a website through an online program, it was a disaster. So when it came time to design another website I got very nervous. Being a DIY-er and not having the dough to fork over to a web designer I started to explore some options. I clicked on the icon for “iweb” that I've had on my desktop forever, but never bothered with. Ten minutes later I designed my home page, easy as pie. The best thing about iWeb is that you don’t have to be online to build your site. An online program takes forever to load any changes you make, whereas iWeb is live and only publishes when you are completely done.

Once I sat down and really hammered out the site I was done in no time. A site I was actually proud to tell people to visit. I do give it up for real web designers though, now I know what it takes and you people are hard workers! But if you are a Mac-er and want to DIY a website check out iWeb.

Best Mix List-er

iTunes Genuis

What is genius about iTunes is that since each downloaded song is only $1.29-0.99 it’s no biggie to get a song here or there. Where as I distinctly remembering scrimping and saving in high school to buy the new Dave Matthew's Band CD. But before you know it a download here and there adds up people! This is why iTunes is genius cause your spending the scrilla without even knowing it.

What is also genius about iTunes is Genius. You pick a song from your library and then turn on the Genius function and a mix list is instantly created based on that song. I have always loved putting together song mixes, but sometimes it is nice to have someone else do it for you.

Best Web Browser Update

Safari 4 Top Sites

I once worked with a computer genius who could work the function keys like no ones business. Where as the normal person know basics like apple+c = copy and apple+v=paste, this guy knew every short cut for anything he wanted to do. He credited his master keyboard skills to pure laziness, that moving the mouse to a drop down menu and selecting an action was too much work...and one day someone will invent away to control your computer with just your mind. To him that would be the greatest day of his life, when his fingers didn’t have to move.

At the time I thought he was ridiculous and clearly a nerd, but when I updated my operating system and web browser to Safari 4 my own little lazy nerd surfaced. Safari 4 has a new function called Top Sites. With the click of an icon it brings up the last 12 pages that you visited. Why is this so wonderful? Because I no longer have to go to History or Bookmarks, drop down the menu and select the recent page I want. Plus it looks soooo cool, dude. My nerdy, little, tired, mouse clicking finger thanks you Safari 4!

Worst Letter

I didn’t know how hard it could be for a small business until I started one. Sure you know it’s going to take a lot of work, but it’s the American dream! You have a good idea and you think you can make some money off it.

Turns out that even if your business is not booming (or doing anything at all) there is a lot of time and money being spent just to stay legit. In the state of California there is quite a bit of fees and paperwork required just to say you are an LLC. I consider myself a pretty good citizen and wanted to accept the civil responsibility to run a company, so I filed with the state. But imagine if you helped an old lady across the street and then she flipped you off once you got to the other side. That’s what it feel like BOE!

So you could imagine my heart attack when I received two letters stating that my LLC has to pay over $400 in fees to “file” with the state and the money is due in a week. I tried to fall asleep that night, but all could think about was the little old lady (BOE) and all her stupid fees.

The next day before I tearfully wrote the checks I did a little investigating online about these fees. You could only imagine my next heart attack when I discovered that these very official looking letters were a SCAM! Thank the heavens that another good citizen put up a blog to warn people like me. The blog is appropriately called “Business Filings Division” which is the “source” of the very official looking scam letter. The blog linked me to the Secretary of State’s website which has a page dedicated to warning people about this rip off.

Juuuust to be sure I gave the SOS a call to verify that I didn’t owe them money. Yes, they confirmed that I had been a victim and really the LLC filing fee was only $25 and not the $239.00 that was demanded of me in the fake letter. My only hope is that other small (or barely visible) business owners catch this blog off their Google search and save their hard earned pennies to pay the little old lady and not some crook who sits around making up official sounding things like “California Corporations Code Section 17060.”

Blog-a-Thon

2009-09-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

Dearest Blog,

As you probably have suspected from my prolonged absence, I admit I have been spending my time with another website. For the last several weeks any moment I have had outside of chasing Babyhead around, has been creating another site. You should feel jealous because I think it is a good one. But please know that it is purely business and you my dear Blog are for pleasure.

To further my home organization business I created www.brightlivingnow.com

Don't worry it is finished now and I can turn my attention back to you. So to compensate for lost time we'll have a Blog-a-Thon.

Best Trip to Colorado

Summer has always been my favorite time in Colorado. I tend to make more trips there during the winter however to be with family during the holidays. But that ususally has meant a little more stress traveling, finding warm clothes to bring, and

being cooped up inside.Over labor day weekend the three of us headed off for the Mile High City to visit family and I could attend my 10 year high school reunion...go Farmers (yes, the mascot was a farmer.)

We were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather and overall just a fun, relaxing time. Many thanks to my dearest friend Linda for giving us her basement to stay in so we could avoid a stuffy hotel. Plus, even though she works a gazillion hours a week she found time to make us feel special with fresh flowers, sweet candles, and even travel size baby products.

Babyhead had such a great time becuase there is so much more room to run around. Bigger houses, bigger yards, bigger parks and even though he is just a little guy he needs big spaces to run. We also had some real quality time with my family, especially for Tavian to see his Grandpa Al (my dad) and his great grandparents who we call GG and G'pa. It was fun to dig out toys that I remeber playing with at my grandparent's house to entertain Tavian. Despite all the toys however, he really enjoyed placing the drink coasters all over the room and then collecting them, sitting on the lazy susan and spinning around, and plunking on the piano keys.

Grandpa Al and the big tractor.

Swinging with GG

Hanging with G'Pa

Click here to watch Lazy Susan video

One afternoon my dad took us to the Golden Farmer's market. It was such a beautiful day and location. There was a little stream that all the kids were playing in so we took of Babyhead's shoes and let him squish in the mud and feel the cool fresh water. No joke up stream there was a guy panning for gold...for real.

At the market we gathered ingredients to make dinner including handmade garlic penne, colorado poeaches for dessert, fresh basil, garlic, tomatoes, and sweet corn for an interesting twist on a brushetta. Not only did we have a great dinner, but we supported some local vendors and filled our tummies with organic yumminess.

Best New Blog

This blogs creator is my bestest, wonderfulest friend Rachelle and Babyhead's Auntie Rachelle. She has turned her frugal talents into a very entertaining and informative blog. Check it out and subsribe...or don't and just be lame and broke.

Savvy Sexy Saver Blog

Best Summer Cookout

On the Bright side of the family I am the only granddaughter. I spent all our family gatherings with 5 boy cousins and my brother. At times they all had cooties and at times I didn't mind so much. My cousin Aaron is the closest in age to me. We knew each other as kids, but our adult lives have limited our time spent together. My dad has been bragging about the summer cookouts Aaron and his wife Kim would host on the weekends. He would enduce from me "mmmms" and "oh my gosh"s with his deiscriptions of delicious BBQ, homemade ice cream, and sitting around the fire pit. So prior to our trip we arranged to have a cookout at aaron and kim's while we visited. Little did I know what an amazing dinner we were in store for.

Aaron had smoked and slow cooked the brisket and ribs for 8 hrs, that kind of TLC creates amazing flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. He used his custom built meat smoker which he made out of spare parts including an exhaust from a semi truck. I pointed out how eco-frirendly he was, and he said he "just like to make stuff." I laughed as I poured more home made BBQ suace on my fourth helping of brisket.

The rest of my plate was filled with a tomato, cucumber, and onion salad and everything had been grown in their own garden! I cried a little as I took a bite of tomato, happy because it was so sweet and tender, and sad because this is not how my store bought tomatoes taste at all.

Next to my salad was a perfectly baked potato with all the fixings including real bacon pieces and butter infused with parsley. And just when I said "I can't eat another bite" for the 8th time my Uncle Dave busted out the home made ice cream...strawberry, vanilla, chocolate. No more needs to be said, expect compliments to my uncle for mastering my Grandmother's ice cream maker and our master Colorado cookout chef's Aaron and Kim for their home grown and innovative cooking.

Chicken encounter at Aaron and Kim's house

Exploring the coop...no we can't have chickens at our house.

What is a goat? Like a big kitty?

His trucker name is Babyhead Bandit

Click here to watch Fetch & Goats Video

Worst Airline

American Airlines has been our favorite airline. In our pre-Babyhead days we were rolling in the frequent flyer miles, offered warm cookies and milk in our upgraded first class seats, and happily trotted through Platinum Status in the security line. But those days were traded in for the joys of parenthood, and when we did decide to travel I looked to my old friend AA.

Weeks of planning went into making our 2 hour plane ride as easy as possible. There was no way Tavian would sit still so I decided to bring the car seat on the plane. Maybe trick him a little to think he was in the car and not free to about the cabin once the seat belt light was off.

The trip out of LA was executed flawlessly. The gate agent changed our seats to the front row so we could use our car seat, just like AA said was their policy when I called them 2 weeks before our flight. Tay had an OK ride, but what can you do he is a madman.

On our return we expected the same routine at the airport. Oh silly, silly momma who thinks she can travel with her toddler and have no problems. The gate agent would not change our seats to the front row so we could bring on our car seat. Even when we explained to her and her supervisor that their Customer Service and LAX branch followed the policy of moving small children to the front row, these AA workers did not care. The two agents just looked at me blankly I tried to hold my squirming child and beg them to help us make this flight home easy on us and the passengers around us.

Once on the plane sans carseat, I was sweating, stressed, and very frustrated. I asked the flight attendent to help me since the gate agent wouldn't even assign us 3 seats together and there was someone else in our row. Again staring blankly at me as Tavian thrashed in my arms, she assured me the woman would move if I asked her myself. Totally flushed, I asked the woman to change her seat with Eli's so we could sit together. She said no, with some lame excuse about needing to be close to her bag in the overhead.

Needless to say I did not stop Babyhead from throwing his Goldfish in her direction, nor did I apologize when the Hungry Caterpiller book drop and land on her foot. After an hour, she finally traded with Eli. American Airlines, we had a good run...but times are different now and I am breaking up with you. If I wasn't so busy with a madman Babyhead, a new

website, and taking forever to blog...I would write bad reviews about you emphasizing that you are not family friendly!

Best New TJ Items/Store

There are 3 men I love the most in my life, I will not put them in order because sometimes that changes. So listed alphabetically they are Eli, Tavian, and Trader Joes. The latter I have never met in person, but we have weekly encounters. TJ, my life wouldn't be the same without you and now that your brand new store is closer to my house, my life is also complete. Here are just a few of the latest reasons why I really, really, really love you.

Mini Chicken and Cilantro Wontons

Salsa Authentica

Spicy Ranchero Egg White Salad

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Bites

Worst Design Star Season Finale

You had me at the blank room challenge Dan. You were my favorite the whole season. But they don't call it show business for nothing, it is a business. Antonio was just a more exciting TV personality, but his designs weren't even close. For all you who felt the pain during the Design Star season finale as Antonio beat Dan for the chance to have a show on HGTV, I felt it too. The world can be an unfair place, even if you have the perfect color pallette and can build your own entertainment center.

I Heart Babyhead and Bowling

2009-07-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

Best Babyhead

Our days our like roller coaster rides. One hour we are laughing, playing, loving...the next hour...don't touch that, yucky, whining, NO don't touch that! Serious menltdown by flinging down on and crying into the floor. You are ok Babyhead, give Momma a hug she is sorry you got mad, but you are always putting your hands in the grossest stuff. Then...Laughing, playing, loving.

It has to be said our lives are getting more interesting everyday...and more exciting, more exhausting. But the moments in between the fits, the floor flailing, the whining, the refusal to eat, the food throwing, and heart-breaking frowns about not getting his way...Babyhead is a magical, wondorous, love-you-so bad-it-hurts Extravaganza.

Here are some "I Heart You" moments...

Yes dad and son are like twins...we can't go anywhere without multiple people pointing that out. Good thing his hair is coming in more...in cute little blonde curls. HA!

Hello creature. Isn't this world place crazy? Who are all these big people making funny sounds at us all day? I do really like that lady over there, but she keeps saying "Momma" over and over, give it a rest lady sheesh. Hey, where's that paper thing they strap to you butt? Whaaat? You don't have a diaper? OMG. That is so cool, well I'm going to go play in your food now...text me sometime, we'll stay in touch.

I am very busy right now. I still have to fill this bucket with sand, then try to eat some, go down the slide ten times, and randomly run around waving my hands over my head shouting Babyhead babble at everyone in the park.

Please, I am in my pajamas lady. Have some decency with the camera. There is a time and a place.

Worst

We have all laughed at it. You've laughed. I've laughed. We have all seen it. You've seen it. I've seen it. But have you lived it? Have you ever been that person? The person at the bowling alley who gracefully glided up to the lane, bowling ball in hand poised to be sent down to demolish twelve helpless white pins at the end...you let your arm swing back and instead of the bowling ball releasing in front of you...it slips from your fingers and sails behind you. The thud of the ball landing behind you barely drowns out the thud of your ego crashing into the depths of bowler's shame.

As of Saturday night I can say...yes, yes I have been that person.

Best Date Night

Despite the fore mention tale of cheek blushing emabarassment from a misdirected bowling ball...the rest of the night was a blast! Eli and I landed G'ma as a babyhead sitter for the night and we headed to Westside lanes. It was the first time I have ever gone bowling with just one other person. We started the night off right with a few diner-style cheeseburgers while we waited for a lane to open up. Washed down with some french fries of course. Once our multi-colored shoes were tied on and balls selected it was game on.

My favorite part of the night was now relaxing I found bowling to be. I really understand now why The Dude abides. Bowling holds your attention to the task in front of you so you forget about the stresses of the day, did I remember to get more milk, I hope Tavian is sleeping well. Instead you focus on form, get a good swing, release with a straight follow through, go ball, go ball, keep going straight, oh, is it a strike? No the ball is curving, no, don't go in the gutter, ok whew at least I got 7 pins...get the ball again and do it all over. All of my emotions were rolling down that pine floor, hopes hanging on each pin and how many of them will fall. And when it is a good one...its good! Seeing every pin fly through the air brings a rise of excitement and emotion that can only be expressed by pumping your fist in the air and saying "yessssss."

So if you are looking for a diversion from your weekend routine of fancy-schmancy restaurants, over priced wine bars, waiting in line to get into a lame club, or being disappointed with the newest big hollywood release...I recommend ordering up a drink and some fun competition at your local bowling alley.

Best refreshing tip to stay hydrated

Obsessed might be a good word to describe my new relationship with water infused with lemon and cucumber slices. If I make up a pitcher by the end of the day I have consumed the entire thing. So cool and clean, but yet subtly tart and refreshing. Serve at your next gathering and you'll have to refill the water before the beer!

A Willow Deeply Scarred

2009-07-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

It took me awhile to finish this post..."A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart, and a washed out dream."- MJ, Man in the Mirror

WORST

If you have ever took a ride with me in the car, been given a mix CD, attended any party that I threw, heard my ringtone, saw the inside of my high school locker... than you heard, saw and felt the magic of MJ.

I consider my love for Michael Jackson part of my personality. So when I looked at my BB and saw a message from Natalie "OMG poor MJ" my heart dropped to my stomach. As I watched the CNN coverage of the UCLA Medical Center, and could hear the helicopters flying nearby, I realized how much I took MJ's presence for granted. He has always been apart of my life, my culture and I never dreamed that he would be gone.

His immortal range of creativity and talent made him feel, well...immortal.

That day I watched the news for 6 hours and since then the only other day I watched the news for that long was the coverage for Michael Jackson's memorial. I thought my heart couldn't feel any heavier than the day he died, but I was wrong. My splintered heart completely broke in half as I watched the tears of a little girl who just lost her father fall onto the shoulders of her comforting family on national TV. MJ was always a figure of soul, rock, and moves, but that day I realized he was also a father...a parent. The loss of his life was felt by the world, but for his children their father is their world.

On June 25th...when the news was finally over and fans were standing vigilant at memorial sights all over the world...I rocked Babyhead to sleep and sang "Man in the Mirror" softly and sweetly. Taking in the power of the lyrics and replaying the many times over my life I sang my heart out with MJ, every "Uh," "Ow," and "you know it."

All I can say is I love you Michael...rest in peace, I will miss you.

Just a little gem I came across and decided to share. This photo is from the Wheat Ridge High School 1999 Talent Show where I lead a group of girls to an MJ inspired dance routine to "Smooth Criminal." Complete with black fedoras, smoke, laser lights, and even a few pyrotechnics on the final "Ow!" of the routine. Yes, that is a young CB on the far right, hand in the air like ya just don't care. And yes I was that serious about my tribute to MJ dance. I was living the dream of a little girl who watched her "Michael Jackson Moonwalker" video 382 times.

Surf City

2009-06-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

WORST

Eli loves this show called "On Surfari." It is a documentary style show about a couple (who now have two kids) and travel the world to find surf breaks. They are two of the coolest people I have ever seen, especially since both of their babies have been born and raised in this see-the-world-and-surf lifestyle. The couple amerce themselves in the local culture in between surf sessions so you get to learn about different places and people.

Recently they visited a place called the Popoyo Surf Lodge in Los Salinas, Nicaragua. We were watching the episode and Eli said "I'm going to go there." Several weeks later after much more research Eli and his best friend from college were on a plane with their surfboards to Managua.

But he was gone for 5 days and Babyhead and I missed him terribly. So even though I couldn't be happier for him that he was able surf his heart out and experience a new country...it makes the Worst list because 3 isn't a crowd in our house.

BEST

Luckily Eli returned from his trip in time for us to celebrate our second ever Father's Day. Of course he wanted to spend it eating pancakes and playing in the ocean. Especially since he found Tavian a baby wet suit which has been his dream for his son since Babyhead was in the womb.

With tummies full of pancakes we headed to the beach, pulled on our wet suits (yesss I finally fit back into mine...yahoo!) and got our feet wet. Really just our feet, despite the wet suit Babyhead is not quite used to the ocean yet...it was more about wearing them all together!

Eli's parents, Fran and Henry joined us at the beach. Fran bought the two fathers "Dad's' Sodas" and my gift was a home made chocolate cake. Edible gifts are the best!!

Wet suit on and ready...

Eli experimented with Tavian on the boogie board. His mission if for Babyhead to catch a wave before the age of 2. God help me!

A well deserved nap on the way home. Tavian usually rests his hands behind his head when he is in his car seat...hilarious.

Home is where the heart is

2009-05-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got in the Murano and drove up to Pacific Grove in Monterey. A home needed my help and I was on the way. Our good friend the honorable Captain of Special Forces Patrick Flood is taking a break from his deployments to Afghanistan and scored himself a nice little home in PG where he can study hard as he attends the graduate school here.

He was suddenly left on his own to move into a new house and try to make it his own. But they were in need of help...of my help, both Flood and the house.

We are about 42 hrs into the project and it is going well. Flood is able to envision this house as his home with every box we unpack.

Back in LA, where my home is, my heart misses being there. To hold and kiss my two boys and extra kisses to the little one. So before I went to sleep tonight I watched a few movies of Tavian to make me feel better.

BEST

Color coding Patrick's ties and folding them perfectly to fit in his top drawer. When you open it a blast a fabulousness hits you as you stare at all the colors and patterns neatly coordinated. It is just one of those moments in life...

Also I did not junk out on food during my 5 hour drive by myself on Thursday. Usually I convince myself that since I am on the road I deserve an In n Out cheeseburger with fries. It will help me get through the next hour. BUT not this time baby! I made it on packed-from-home strawberries, nectarines, and yogurt.

WORST

It is very cold up here as I am cuddled under three blankets while wearing a hooded sweatshirt to asleep. Another long day tomorrow but the results will be sooo good brotha!

Mother Nature

2009-05-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Lately my attention has been caught by the amazing-ness of nature. And lately I have been making up my own words to describe things by adding "ness" to the end of any word I choose. Since my second Mother's Day is coming up I wanted to reflect on the the reason why I am even a mother in the first place...Mother Nature.

BEST OF MOTHER NATURE

First...obviously the best experience I have had with Mo Nat (my cool abbreviation for Mother Nature.) Tavian Babyhead. Who's latest hobby is sweeping.

PHOTOS

The first time I really took a beating from a wave when I was learning to surf was the beginning of a deep respect for mother nature. The power of that wave crashing down on me, holding me under the water, flipping me over and over again like I was in a dryer, made me realize how helpless us little humans are compared to her. But as you can see in these photos taken by the talented Clark Little...and courtesy of my email-forwarding great aunt Nancy...Mo Nat has such beauty-ness too.

SKIN CARE

Although I tend to give a little eye roll when I hear the term "Recession-ista" I also tend to be proud of myself when I realize I am being one. I love the idea of being glamorous and saving money at the same time. So when I was picking up my fav brown rice spicy tuna roll from Vicente Foods and noticed that the local Pharmaca was having a "spa day" with FREE mini facials and massages...I convinced myself I had time to go. Totally worth it! Yes it was a great facial, yes it was a great massage, and yes it was free!!

My other motivation is that I have been wanting to find a good skin care system that 1) I can stick with the same product and be happy with the results and 2) that I can easily buy again once I run out. The "spa day" also included many-a-product reps to give you many-a-samples. I was waiting for my mini facial turn when a very energetic rep from a company called L'uvalla struck up a lively and educational conversation with me.

She really took the time to explain the process that their products go through that are truly all natural and organic (so I was told...and totally bought into it.) Not to mention they are made in the south of France and Europe has a stricter code for a product to be called organic than the USDA (or so I was told...and totally bought into it.)

What I DO know is that I need to take better care of my skin and I DO know that our skin absorbs whatever we put on it into our systems. So it is just as important to put natural things on my body as it is in my body.

But being the Recession-ista (eye roll) that I am I went with the free samples that the rep offered me before I splurged for the whole system in full size. I hope it is the facial product-ness of my dreams.

WORST OF MOTHER NATURE

Going along with the aforementioned awe and humbleness that comes with the reality check of Mo Nat's power. While we were attending an outdoor birthday party for our adorable friend Myles Wilkas, I forgot to spray myself down with sunscreen. Leaving me with two pink shoulders and a self-smack to my forehead for my forgetful silly-ness. Don't worry Babyhead was completely covered in SPF.

A simple fact I try not to say out loud...is that things are not as physically easy with each passing year. This last passing year since Babyhead has ruled the roost has been even more evident. But yes, working out is harder, yes I am more stiff and soar than ever, and yes you can roll your eyes at me for complaining about this at 28 years old...I would too. Darn you Mo Nat! (fist wave in the air)

HELP by the Beatles

2009-05-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

April 27th - May 2nd

WORST

If you are wondering if saying the term "knock on wood" actually spares you from the topic you are talking about, I would say yes...for about 13 1/2 months. This is exactly how long Tavian has lived without getting sick. And getting me sick for that matter. For the last few days we have battled through congestion and runny noses. Momma is lucky and can take as many drugs as she can think of to feel better, but poor Babyhead has to just "let itself work out" a la our pediatrician. Although we are on the path to wellness it is a road I hope we do not travel again anytime soon.

BEST FRIEND

Even though the Beatles wrote a song about it, asking for "help" is one of the hardest things for me to do. It has become a personal goal to work on this challenge and when you are sick you need a lot of help. Especially if you have a sick baby too. Especially if you have husband who gags every time you blow your very congested nose. Especially if your entire house is a disaterous, germ zone.

Natalie Robuck is a cornerstone in the foundation of my sanity. I wouldn't know what I would do without her freindship... not laugh as much and be very sad. We have the best conversations about every-aspect of life. We offer loving, but honest truth when faced with problems. Understanding. Support. And delicious meals to get our selves through hard times and to feel alive again.

I feel very lucky to have someone like this in my life. Someone I can pick up the phone and in a very congested voice babble though an awkward sentence of needing Help...help me if you can I'm feeling down, Help me get my feet back on the ground.

Without hesitation and a tall non fat latte in hand for me Natalie appears at my front door. She choose to spend her Sunday morning helping me fold laundry, vacuum, and sanitize every inch of our bedrooms. All of a sudden my overwhelming task is brought to life with fun and meaningful conversation because Natalie is there helping. We worked our butts of for two hours and demolished any lurking germs in our house or around Babyhead.

Dearest Auntie Natalie we do appreciate you being around! THANK YOU for being my Help, not just anybody.

Here are some of my favorite shots of my favorite person a la Cost Rica

BEST TRADER JOES'S PRODUCT

Rice pasta and cheddar? I am sorry please don't try to out cheese my regular mac and cheese. It would get messy...spilled milk, burnt cheese,...just ugly. But then gracefully the box with a noodle smile said "do not worry my child, I am Gluten Free." The forks were peacefully lowered. Let's just see how it tasters. So the water boiled on with the delicate noodles bouncing around. Then drained and swirled together with milk and the cheese packet.

Don't worry MnC the RP &C are apart of the family now. Creamy , hearty, cheesy. Tonight I felt a little crazy for the RP&C and it was mixed with tuna, sour cream, spread in a baking dish and topped with Organic bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese. FAB comfort cooking. RP&C you have made the cut!

BEST QUOTATION

"If there's no chocolate in heaven, then I'm not going."

Thanks to Aunt Nancy for that gem of an email forward, simple, but frighteningly true.

I'll have an order of life and the blog on the side...

2009-04-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

I tend to over think things. Blend this with perfectionist tendencies and you have a delicious "I Make Too Big of Deal of Things" Martini that will drown your sorrows with anxiety. This is exactly what happened to my little blog here. I started to take it too seriously. I started to add it to my ever growing To Do List. And if I missed an entry I felt like I was going to class without doing my homework.

This is also why I have never really started a journal because I would feel guilty if I didn't write in it on a regular basis. The good news is that I recognized how this simply just adds more stress to my life than I need, or anyone for that matter. A blog is a journal, just put on the web for everyone to see...so there you go.

I recently read (all the way to the end!) a book called "It Sucked and Then I Cried. How I Had a Baby, a Meltdown, and a Much Needed Margarita" by Heather Armstrong who is also the author of a very famous blog called Dooce. There were nights when I had to shove my face in the pillow I was laughing so hard and didn't want to wake up Eli who was sleeping next to me in the glow of my clip on book light. The book follows Heather through her struggles of becoming a new mom, the good, bad and ugly sides. It was exactly what I needed to read. At the end of her chapters she would write a tear jerking, heart warming, and giggle inducing letter to her daughter. After each one I really, really wished I would have done something similar for Babyhead.

But considering my history with journal writing and a blog that has sat lifeless for the last 4 months I instantly worried if this was just going to be another thing I was adding to my list and going to guilt trip myself about not doing. But I have turned over a new leaf dearest Blog and promised myself to just let things happen and not make such a big deal about everything. So I took an empty sketch book that has been laying around for years and wrote on the first page "One Liners." This is my book to Babyhead, only doing an entry when I feel like it and each entry can only be one (or a few) lines. And now that I have my little fingers typing away on you Blog I am going to incorporate that same style. Short entries, not so heavy topics, and when I get around to it. Except for this one...it is getting pretty long...the next one I promise.

In general, my "One Liners" concept is something I am going to try and incorporate to many aspects of my life. Just see everything on the lighter side.

WORST

Neglecting my blog for 4 months, but thinking about it almost everyday, and feeling like a loser that I wasn't doing it. Lame.

BEST

Starting the blog again

BEST BRENTWOOD GEM

We would pass this odd Chinese restaurant on a daily basis during our walks. Eli and I would always make snobby comments like "Who would eat there?" The simple sign "Chang's"reflected the very simple and outdated decor of this eatery located in the bottom of an office building. But our curiosity grew. And one night right before we ordered Orange Chicken from our regular spot Eli said "Let's try Chang's." I went in and took a gamble on Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pan Fried Chicken Dumplings, and BBQ Pork Fried Rice. As the hostess wrote our order down in Chinese, my stomach got a little excited. It has to be pretty authentic right? Let's just say that from that moment on we have had Chang's almost every week. Tonight I fell in love with the Vegetable Chow Main...I want to marry it.

BEST BABYHEAD MOMENT

After over 6 months of trying to teach Tavian sign language for "more" and "eat" he has finally got the hang of it. He can also sign for "all done" after we ask him. It is so fun to see him understand and communicate with him!

WORST BABYHEAD MOMENT

It finally happened. We have had lots of spills, trips, falls, and bumps, but the one on Saturday night beat them all to pulp. Babyhead was practicing his running back and forth across the family room floor, he tripped on a toy and went flying into the rail of the ottoman. He was crying so hard no sound was coming out until he threw up on me...twice. His right cheek swelled up and instantly turned purple. There is no worse feeling in the world than to see your Babyhead in that much pain I can tell you right now. We finally got him calmed down and laughing again, but I wanted to run screaming from the house. Eli said to get used to it, he is a boy. I know he's right, but every time I look at Tavian and see his purple cheek my heart breaks in half.

Halloween...3 months late

2009-01-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

Believe me...this has been on my mind since October 31st, 2008! I know that it is awful to finally be posting Tavian's Halloween pictures in January, but better late than never. Especially when they are so darn cute!

We took Babyhead Shark to a community Carnival for kids. He was a little young to get it, but he had a chance to swim around.

Next stop was a stroll down Montana Street.

Back to normal?

2009-01-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

January 4th - January 10th

Best

When you have a destination wedding it is kinda indulgent to also go on a honeymoon. But after we returned from our wedding in Costa Rica, I realized why couples go on honeymoons. Because even though your wedding is one of the most amazing events in your life it is exhausting! Plus we got to have so much fun with our friends and family who attended, but we really didn't spend much time alone. So really a honeymoon is more like a recovery-moon from endless fun, laughing, and love for newlyweds who now just need a little rest and quiet time.

But there was no way I was going to out Babyhead on another 6 hour flight to some exotic location, so instead we had a Saturday-Night-Honeymoon.

G'ma Fran came over to be with an already sleeping Babyhead, and Eli and I cleaned ourselves up and headed toward Santa Monica. Our destination didn't require us to take our shoes off and go through security, just a 15 min drive west in the Infinity. But as with most trips a reservation was required and we hadn't made one. So when we arrived at the 2-mo-old restaurant Riva without a reservation we had an hour and half wait for a table for 2.

Since we had all night we went with it and sat down in the lounge and ordered a bottle of wine to last us through the wait. Having a few hours to sit, talk, and enjoy each other's company is something we haven't done in a very long time. So it was awkward at first, but then the conversation started to flow and ended up in non-stop talking, holding hands and loving gazes.

All that time also lead to hungry tummies so we ordered a few things to tide us over, such as Buttata Pepperonata (creamy mozzarella and roasted pepper salad) and Roasted Quail farrao with pistachio pesto.

After our hour and half wait passed we were approached by the hostess to explain that they still didn't have a table for us. Perhaps it was the combination of cozy conversation on the couch mixed with an almost empty bottle of Riesling, tossed together with tummies only being half full...we decided to just go ahead and camp out in the lounge and order dinner. Eli went for the Angus Sirloin with polenta frites, mustard greens, caramelized onions & brandy sauce. I selected the Crispy Salmon Trout (trout that tastes like salmon...weird, but true!) with celery root puree, the most amazing braised artichoke hearts, and lemon brown butter sauce. Dinner wouldn't have been complete however without a side of potato puree and finish it all off with the chocolate bread pudding and seriously real vanilla bean ice cream.

We ate like we had been on vacation for a week and felt refreshed, connected, and in love. Everything you get from a honeymoon, but all in one night.

Worst

Getting back into the swing of things after the holidays is always a challenge. But getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, a wedding, and a vacation is practically impossible. When you spend 8 days in a row with a "To Do" list that includes sipping cafe con leche over a delicious plate of huevos and rice and beans before hitting the beach, then taking a nap to rest up before playing with Babyhead in the pool, catching some waves and then enjoying a fabulous dinner with friends and family...it is VERY difficult to get back to real life.

This week felt like the longest week since the last longest week...which was the first week we brought Tavian home from the hospital. It all started with breakfast on Monday. When I tried to recreate my Costa Rican breakfast at our local Brentwood spot the NY Bagel Company. When they delivered my plate and my huevos were covered in tomoatoes, onions, and cilantro...it hit me that my pura vida living was over. The coffee with non-fat milk was not even close to the creamy cafe con leche I had been downing for days. And where were the chickens that would run around the tables? No, it was all over and now we had to face our normal-running-chicken-less life.

Only the best

2009-01-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

December 28th - January 3rd

BEST

Costa Ricans use the common saying "Pura Vida." The first time Eli took me there he explained that this saying means "Pure Life." But it is more than just a saying, it embodies their way of life, the beauty of their country, and their happy, laid back attitude. Once you experience Pura Vida, you are hooked and want to return to Costa Rica as many times as you can. Which is why Eli and I have traveled there almost every year...which is why we could not think of a better place to get married.

Words cannot describe the amazing week we had in Tamarindo with our friends and family. But hopefully a few amazing pictures can!

I know that I have mentioned my amazing friend Jasmine Star many times and her blog is #1 on my list of favorite websites. And without her talent as a photographer we wouldn't be able to share these amazing moments with all the people in our lives. I was so happy and fortunate to have had her there!

One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was that we included Tavian in our vows. I can't help but get big happy Momma tears in my eyes as I remember promising to Eli that I will always be a loving and patient mother and to always care and provide for Mr. Tavian Babyhead.

Jasmine put a great slideshow together with more pictures. I have watched 100 times and will probably watch 100 more. The images she captured let me relive this amazing day over and over.

Promises

2009-01-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

December 21st - December 27th

Best

For 27 years of my life I have had a Christmas tree to wake up to on December 25th. Beautiful presents tucked away underneath. Ornaments collected over the years dangling from the limbs. Strings of lights shining softly casting a glow around the room. One of my favorite things to do during Christmas time is to sit at night with all the lights off and look at the Christmas tree. But in the 28th year of my life Christmas I did not have a tree. It made me sad, but there was nothing I could do. I just didn't have the extra time or energy to put up Christmas decorations when we would be spending Christmas in LAX anyway.

But what is even sadder than missing out on my 28th Christmas tree, is Tavian missing out on his 1st. I had nightmares of an older Babyhead coming to me and saying that for his 3rd grade art project all the kids had to bring in pictures of their first Christmas. And me trying to explain that Momma just couldn't cut it that year and there is no picture of an adorable baby sitting in front of the tree trying to eat the wrapping paper off his presents.

Luckily, Fabulous Neighbor Laura rescued me from my Christmas-tree-less nightmare. Her and the hubby Russ had a fantastic Christmas tree and suggested I bring Babyhead over with some of his presents, we'll snap some pictures, and boom...Tavian's first Christmas...with a tree!

So from 8:00 am to 8:30 am, Tuesday December 22nd became December 25th at #105 on Chenault St. Not only was it a huge relief, but we captured some great Babyhead moments...and even had a very special visitor. And I promise Babyhead that next

year we will have our own tree!

What is all this stuff? Why is there a tree inside the house?

Are all these presents for me?

But who brought me all these presents?

Hey I really like this Santa guy!

Oh you mean we open the boxes too? I just like to push them around the floor.

My first Elmo from Great Uncle Les and Aunt Terry...yessss!

Mom this one is too big!

Thanks for all my wonderful presents everybody!

Worst

Traveling with a baby can be very challenging. We can all recall the horrible flight Babyhead and I had on our way home from Colorado. As mothers who brave the task of keeping a baby happy for hours on end in a small space surrounded by strangers...we are bound to run into some problems. So conisdering our flight to Costa Rica was departing at 1 am and usually Babyhead would be comfprtably snoozing in his crib, I was expecting the worst.

But I am happy to blog that this was not another sky high nigtmare. Although it took a lot of work, Tavian was very good on the plane and even slept for long periods. This "Worst" is about the other screaming baby on the plane...correction screaming child. Now I know how difficult it can be so I hate to rag on traveling families, but this incident was just wrong in every way. Since it was a red-eye flight everyone was trying to get some sleep as best as they could, but periodically it would be inturrupted by the screams of what I can only desicribe as a demon child. Literally it was the exact same sound as the kid from The Shining in that creepy voice. But instead of "Red Rum, Red Rum" it was "No, no, mommy, no, mommy, etc." I have to think that if your child (this boy had to be at least 5 yrs) is able to verbally communicate at that level than he can also understand what his parents would try to communicate with him. The problem being there was no parental commuicating going on...no trying to find out why he flet the need to scream...no explaining to him that it was time to be quiet now...or no even taking him to the bathroom and giving the rest of the passengers a break from the devlish howls. And as the man in therom in front of me had to order another Jack and Coke in order from going back there and smothering the child and the parents with his airplane pillow, he turned to me and said "my mother would never let me get away with that." To which I replied "Me too, and I won't let him (Babyhead) do it either." And that's a promise! I'm not saying Tavian will never cry or get frustrated that he is uncomfortable and wants to run around and play, but I am promising that I will do everything in my power to make sure we don't drive a plane full of passengers insane.

Bowling and Closets

2009-01-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

December 14th - December 20th

BEST

Bridelorette Sharty. That is what you get when you combine a Bridal Shower and a Bachelorette Party into one fabulous night out with a group of wonderful ladies. And that is how I spent my Sunday night. Strapped into some bowling shoes at Lucky Strike, sipping on cocktails, munching on food that is not so good for me, and overall just letting loose for a little while.

Bestie friend Rachelle planned the whole thing, even down to the cute gift bags with hand sanitizer and colorful socks, perfect for a bowling party. And I couldn't have loved her more than when she brought out a box of mini cupcakes from Yummy Cupcakes...yes I DID eat two of the chocolate peanut butter ones in case you were wondering. Not to mention Rachelle topped it off with a gifted waffle maker, the only item I said I would register for if I did a wedding registry.

Being with good friends and hearing the roll of the bowling ball took me back to my Whittier College days and I reminisced with Natalia and Melissa about the dive bowling alley I would go to back in the day. At the time I wasn't 21 yet so those who were would order my drinks. Not really knowing what to order I remembered that my Grandma liked to drink Kahlua and milk. So this is the only thing I could think of to order. So my 21 year old friend ordered one for me at the bar...but in a dive bowling alley what they pour you is Kahlua and Half and Half. The thought of it now makes me gag a little, but oh boy did I think it was good back then! And I wondered why I gained 20 lbs in college...

And of course after sharing this story with the ladies and having a good giggle as soon as I finished my next turn up to bowl and returned to my seat...sitting on our table was a Kaluha and Cream for me to enjoy, which I did...just like I remember.

I have the bestest girlies in the world! Thanks for a great Bridelorette Sharty.

WORST

Exhaustion can make you desperate. Everyone has had a moment in their lives when they would do anything just to get some rest. If you had a million dollars you would give it away just for one more hour of sleep. This was the level of desperation I felt Friday morning.

It all begins with bargaining. As you lay there listening to the alarm you start to tell yourself "5 more mins and then I will get up." Then "if I skip the workout this morning to sleep in, then I will go for a jog this afternoon," even though you never go for jogs in the afternoon...ever. And the reason you are so tired in the first place is because you have way too many things to get done in one day, so why would you think you would have time to go for a jog later in the day? Irrational bargaining sprouted from desperation.

Even when I was already dressed and driving to the gym to meet my trainer I was till bargaining. "Maybe I could just pull over, tell my trainer he could still charge me for the session, but just let me sleep in my car. One glorious hour of uninterrupted sleep in my car...it would be our little secret, he would totally understand." We laughed as I told him about my temptation to call him on my way to the gym...then he continued to kick my ass in the hardest workout ever.

Then as the exhaustion deepens and the bargaining stops desperation leads to desperate acts. By the time I returned home and Babyhead went down for his nap I was near tears of joy knowing that I too could take a nap now. But looking at the clock I realized that our cleaning lady was going to be here in 20 mins and she would be needing to wash the sheets on the bed I so desperately wanted to crawl into. So desperation leads to creativity and I grabbed a pillow, a blanket, and the baby monitor and laid down in the bedroom closet. Almost as sad and desperate as sleeping in your car, but it was actually nice and dark and pretty quiet. So I slept in the closet for the next 45 mins before I heard little Babyhead sounds coming from the monitor. And even though I felt a little better I knew I had hit a low point.

Tis the season...

2008-12-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

December 7th - December 13th

BEST

Tis the season to have crazy fun at your neighbor's holiday party while G'ma and Pop babysit the Babyhead and mommas and dadas eat, drink and sing their hearts out. Sing? Oh yes...I said sing. As co-planner with Fabulous Neighbor Laura for their holiday party on Saturday night I suggested some tasty treats we could make and activities for the guest to take part in if they felt compelled to do so. One of these activities was Karaoke Caroling...hook up the mic and let the fa la, la, la, la's loose. I knew it would be a big hit.

What I didn't expect was that it would be a big hit with me! To the point where I didn't let go of the mic for several hours and by the next morning I had practically lost my voice. What I also didn't expect was that the karaoke wasn't just your average night of tipsy singing...this was a competition! The culprit is called "Lipz" on Xbox, where it pits singer vs. singer. Game on my friends!

After way too many holiday cocktails I can't tell you what song it was, but I won a round and was crowned a "Hit Maker" by my new friend the Xbox. This is the title they give you if you score over a cool 3 million points during your song. Those who were there will remember it for the rest of their lives...or maybe not because they might have had as many holiday cocktails as I did.

WORST

Tis the season to be the busiest momma ever! This year is not just about present shopping, tree decorating, and card writing...it is all about planning a trip and wedding for 20 people in Costa Rica! The TO DO lists are endless and for every item I cross off a different item is added. Oh and did I mention we are also planning another event for even more people here in LA to celebrate the Costa Rica wedding? Yes that too...so trying to be a good little party planner I decided to send out Save The Dates just to give our party people the heads up (and to buy myself a little more time!)

But here is what happens when you try to do a million things at one time...you make a mistake. And sometimes I forget that I am human and therefore am prone to making mistakes so when they happen it is meltdown time. I ordered the Save the Dates custom made online awhile ago and then spent the last month addressing, stamping, and labeling them in order to send them out before we left on our trip. As I was putting the last few stamps on I noticed that there was a misspelled word on our custom printed message.

Now I have never claimed to be the world's best speller. In fact I am the werst. But I couldn't believe that I hadn't caught my typo before I confirmed my order and now I have 150 Save the Dates that I am sending to all our friends and family that shows what a harrible speller I am. Meltdown time commencing. It took me three days to get over the blow. I decided to still send them out to a few people who would probably think the typo was funny. As I started to go through them...a light from above beamed down on me and angelic voices sang a harmonious chord...there was only 40 Save the Dates with the misspelling on them!!! The rest were perfect. I had know idea how it happened, but I didn't care...it was a holiday-way-too-busy-for-her-own-good-humbling miracle!

Ya win some and lose some

2008-12-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

November 23rd- November 29th

Happy Thanksgiving

BEST

"I'll make the turkey." As soon as I said it I instantly became nervous. Why did I say that? I have never cooked a turkey before in my life and as a witness to the many experiences the other women in my family have had with cooking the turkey on Thanksgiving...I knew I was in over my head. There is so much pressure being the Turkey cooker. It is the star of the show and if you mess it up, people will remember, oh yes they remember. Then you become the bad Turkey cooker.

Enter stage right "Google search: How to cook a turkey." Which also lead to "How to thaw a turkey" and "How to brine a turkey." After gaining some courage through my conversations with our friend Melissa, who's family was attending our T-Day dinner, I went to the store to buy the frozen bird. The smallest one they had was 15 lbs, way more than what we needed but it was go time.

I brought the sucker home and had to clear out the fridge so I could wedge it in there to thaw. I was pretty nervous about the thawing process because most of the research online mentioned that improper thawing could basically breed bacteria and give all your turkey eating guests salmonella. The next morning my little bird felt nice and soft, but I knew some of those 15 lbs were still probably a little icy. So into a sink full of water it went to finish off the thawing.

6 hours till dinner it was time to step it up. Feeling very fancy pants I began to brine my turkey. Which is really just a culinary term for soaking the bird in salt, herbs, lemon, orange, onion and water. After a nice long soak and the preheated oven ready to go, the turkey found a new home in a cozy little roasting pan. So far, so good...could this be too easy? I guess the hardest part it the actual cooking part so I shouldn't get too confident. Into the oven you go my little turkey!

Every hour I opened up the oven and gave little turkey a rinse in our delicious brine water. Ding! Four and half hours later it was time to whip out the thermometer and check the temperature inside to make sure we cooked off all those nasty little dinner ruining bacteria. I have to say the outside looked picture perfect. Golden brown and juicy. If I had to pose for Norman Rockwell I could have. And when the thermometer showed we had a perfect internal temperature I was on my way to a home run. Of course the ultimate test is how does my first little turkey taste? I can proudly say...just as good as it looked. I thought about snapping a picture to capture the moment...and as I write this I wish I would have, but I didn't. Except the one I have locked away in my mind along with the confidence that...yes I can cook a turkey.

Worst

We are just about to be launched into the craziest shopping time of the year. Consumers are attacked from all directions by businesses competing for their money. Sales, discounts, and coupons oh my! One of the newest tactics for these businesses is rewards programs. Stores offer you "reward points" for every dollar you spend with them. Which helps us consumers rationalize spending more money because we just get more points and therefore more rewards.

Babies R Us is now a staple in my life...one stop shopping for all the Babyhead supplies we need to stock up on. So when BRU began a rewards program not too long ago I signed up hoping to get a little something back for my continual bulk purchases of diapers and formula. So the day finally arrived when the magical envelope came in the mail from BRU with all my fabulous "rewards." Here is what I received:

-Earn $5 for every $150 spent from Dec 12th to Dec 25th...5 bucks for every 150? That doesn't even cover the tax, or the amount of gas it would cost me to drive out there and spend $150.

-Buy 9 Value boxes of Pampers and get the 10th free...mind you Value boxes have like 100 diapers in them and already cost around $45. So why would I spend 400 bucks on diapers just to save 45? And where on earth would I store 1,000 diapers?

-Member shopping Night on Dec 10th 8 pm -11 pm save 20% on one item but excludes diapers and formula... I guess this would be worth it if you were buying a big ticket item like a stroller or car seat, but the last thing I want to do between 8pm and 11 pm is be at BRU with crowds of bargain shopping parents. You couldn't give your "Members" just a whole day? Just 3 hours...really?

Be wary my friends. Even though these rewards programs are free... the cost of aggravation from reading through your "rewards points" and asking why these businesses think we are all a big bunch of suckers...comes at a high price.

Good Intentions

2008-11-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

November 16th - November 22nd

BEST

When I became pregnant I spent 9 months planning, reading, browsing, researching, conversing, about what kind of mom I wanted to be. Among the day dreams of nursing in the glow of sunlight sitting in the rocker in my perfect baby room, starring lovingly into my baby's eyes as he gazes back and wraps his little fingers around mine, was making pure, organic, home-made baby food. And here we are almost 9 months later...nursing in the sunlight turned into just barely surviving 6 months of being hooked up to a pump like a cow, mother and baby gazing at each other turned into figuring out how to change a diaper with one hand because you have to use the other one to pin him down so he won't crawl off the changing table, and home-made baby food turned into one disastrous attempt which ended up in dirtying two pots and every slicer, dicer, blender thing I have in my kitchen. Guns and Roses had it right...welcome to the jungle!

So I picked up the pieces of my broken day dreams and headed to Whole Foods to see what mooshed up food in a jar they had to offer my Babyhead. Thank God for Earth's Best...totally organic baby food, each ingredient label reading "organic sweet potatoes, water" or "organic winter squash, water" etc. It put my guilty-momma heart at ease that I was not up to doing the task myself. So the refrigerator shelf got stocked with many, many little jars and a little tummy got full of yummy, good baby food.

Then my Fabulous Neighbor Laura saved her William Sonoma catalog for me with a page rabbit-eared. "Beaba Babycook." European baby food maker finally sold in the US. Reading through the description I became very excited...steam basket, yes...self timer, yes...powerful blender, yes...all in one counter top device...YESSSSS!!! This is exactly what I need to bring the momma day dream of home-made baby food alive. 4 weeks later (because everything takes longer with a baby) I finally made it to WillSo to purchase the Babycook. 2 weeks later I actually took it out of the box. And a few days later I actually tried it. Now my life is changed forever. It is the best thing a new mom could have in her kitchen. The first time Tavian tried my home-made yams, cooked and blended with love just for him, his eyes lit up and he opened his toothy little mouth waiting for more. Like a little bird being fed by a momma bird. Dear Beaba Babycook...I heart you!

WORST

Saturday night used to be incredible dinners at new, hip restaurants. Saturday night used to be fun bars and lots of dancing to the latest releases. Saturday night used to be hitting a great wine bar before seeing the next Oscar nominated movie. Saturday night used to be ordering in our favorite pizza, cuddling on the couch, and not even giving it a second thought to start a movie after 9:30. Saturday night used to be just the two of us...Eli and me.

Saturday night is now Eli, me, and the buzz of the baby monitor while our beautiful son is sleeping. Saturday night is now eating left over delivered Thai food and being too tired to have even a semi-stimulating conversation. Saturday night is now only being able to watch one episode of The Office on the TiVo because some how it is already 9:00 and we have to get ready for bed soon. If this sounds like complaining, I'm not (well maybe a little) it's just that life has changed in so many ways with the Babyhead and sometimes it is hard for me to realize it.

This particular Saturday night Tavian and I were sitting in our living room with Fabulous Neighbor Laura and she mentioned she didn't really have any plans for the evening. Thinking she would be great company to help me pass the time until Eli came home I offered to make us all dinner and maybe we can see if there is anything good on PayPer View. She kinda laughed and said "No, I mean why don't I babysit and you and Eli can go out." It took me a second to realize that yes, we actually could leave the house on a Saturday night! I called Eli and he was excited for the opportunity too. He would head home soon, I would get Tavian in the bath and into bed, Laura would come over and listen to the baby monitor buzz while we went to a movie.

The sudden shock of being able to go out numbed our ability to realize that there is no way you can go out on a Saturday night at 8:00 and expect to not sit in the very front row of a movie you might not want to see, but it was the earliest one playing. We stood at the movie theater counter debating on whether we should try to stay up to see a 10:00 movie, but just thinking about it made us tired. I made a few calls to other theaters near by...same story everything sold out until 10:00. Defeated we decided to just head home.

We needed to drown our sorrows, but couldn't risk a hangover so we opted for chocolate milkshakes. We headed toward Cold Stone to get the real deal, instead of our usual non-fat frozen yogurt. As I was sampling the gingerbread ice cream, Eli order his milk shake only to be slapped in the face with a "sorry our blenders are broken we can't make milk shakes." Two strikes for our "night out" and we promptly headed home to the buzz of the baby monitor before we ran into strike number 3.

Feeling grateful

2008-11-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

November 9th-November 15th

His name is Bret Anthony. But I have been calling him Bretski for so long that he should think about officially changing it. He is our very funny and very good friend...who we get a chance to see every 6 months or so. Because when you are a very funny and wonderful person your social calender is usually full, as is Bretski's. On this particular visit he showed up with an amazing story involving a friend's weird brother, a junked out car that was towed, and a mysterious backpack which resulted in him now owning a very expensive and professional looking camera. He brought it along to visit Mr. Tavian Babyhead and used us as test subjects to learn about his new treasure. So not only did we get a very fun afternoon with our favorite Bretski, but we got some pretty good pics out of it too. Thank you dearest Bretski...to a new mom adorable photos of her little baby are better than diamonds!

BEST

We had an incident...there were crocodile tears, but they quickly turned to...

Scrunchy-Nose-Smiley-Face!

Imagine Bruce Willis is saying this a la Look Who's Talking...

"Can I help you? I am trying to crawl here."

"Yes I agree...this IS my good side."

"Did you say bottle? No seriously..."

"I got places to go people!"

"Ahhhhh bath time. Bathe me, bathe meeee!"

"No photos please, this is a private bath session."

"Momma, bottle, jammies...this is the Babyhead life."

Best thing to do with a self-timed camera shot

Our fore mentioned dear friend Bret Anthony has developed the next hottest trend since blogging. You have to check out his website "SelfTimerJump" to get the full explanation, but it is fun, fun, fun! Oh and do not skip the video demonstration!!! This is such a great tradition to start with your friends and family. We'll be setting our timers on our upcoming trip to Costa Rica for sure!

WORST

In an attempt to get through a very early morning I flipped on the news as I was watching Tavain crawl around in search of something to chew on. I was feeling a little grouchy and a little sorry for myself due to lack of sleep from our too early wake up that morning, but as I watched the news I realized how petty I was being. The segment was covering a community in the Eastern San Fernando Valley that was completely demolished by the fires. The journalist went on to describe how more than 500 homes were completely destroyed as the cameraman panned around the street they were standing on. It looked like a scene out of a epic movie, but it was real. Real homes, real people. Real ashes of people's treasured possessions. Real fears of what they are all going to do? Where to they sleep, eat, shower, play, cry, love, live? Although my heart ached for those who had been affected by the fires, I felt very lucky. I might be tired, but I only have to try and imagine what it would feel like to lose everything, to lose not just a house, but a home. Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers as well as the brave men and women in the fire, police, and emergency services who are doing there best to stop this horrible tragedy.

Bitter Sweet

2008-11-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

November 2nd - November 8th

BEST

Barak Obama WINS!

WORST

Prop 8 Passes

BTW...not only did CA voters decided to pass Prop 8 the majority voted against Prop 4. So even though gay people can't get married, 14 year old girls can get as many abortions as they want without their parents or legal guardian ever knowing. Mind you Prop 4 was not about parental consent, but just to require notification. As a Pro-Choice supporter I don't believe that Prop 4 is about restricting a woman's right to choose, but a child's right to choose.

Rant and Rave

2008-11-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

October 26th - November 1st

BEST

It almost didn't happen. I believe the word is ironic. When everyday for the last 6 months have been sunny and beautiful and then the one day we plan a specific event outside the weather becomes an issue. Yes it rains in LA. Which is why at 3:00 pm on Saturday Jasmine Star and I were in a slightly panicked phone conversation. At 3:30 Eli, Tavian, and I were supposed to meet her outside to have a family photo shoot and after all our preparation and planning...it was raining. So it almost didn't happen, but we decided to go for it! And thank the heavens we did.

I know this is so cliche but I don't know a better way to say it. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I want to let these pictures do tall the talking. Not only do they express why our shoot with Jasmine is this week's "best," but they also say a little something about how talented and amazing the photographer is...oh and she also happens to be a fabulous friend too.

Click here to read Jasmine's blog about our shoot and a slide show of the pictures.

WORST

I know that many people have been worried about the issue of taxes because of the election. But what some people might not realize is that whether or not your taxes go up the governement needs money to function, and also now to pay off the massive national debt...oh and don't forget the bail out... with tax payer money. The money has to come from some where and it happens to be from the taxes we pay. The big issue seems to be, who should pay more? If you make more should you pay more? But this is really a trick question because the reality is The Man will get his money no matter what. So even if your taxes don't go up, instead traffic fines will go up, and those weird fees listed on your phone bill will go up...or in the example I witnessed this week, parking meters will go up. Now any parking meter in the Brentwood area is $2.00 for 1 hour. Come on people! I might as well valet, at least I usually have dollars bills on me as opposed to 16 quarters!! So let's say our taxes don't go up...honestly whoop-di-do cause now I am paying $75 for a parking ticket cause I could only dig up $1.15 in change which only gave me 23 min on the meter which therefore expired.

Best week ever...oh wait.

2008-10-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...happy biiiirthday dear meeee-eee,

happy birthday to me!

October 19th-October 25th

Best "Human Car Wash"

My dear momma friend Natalia also had a birthday this week so we treated ourselves to a day of relaxation and beyond delicious greek food. Our destinations were Burke Williams in Santa Monica and Taverna Tony's in Malibu. At the spa we each had the "Hunter's Retreat" spa treatment and basically it was like a human car wash. I laid down on a message table that was surrounded by a shower head for every part of your body. And as warm water soothed my whole body I was scrubbed, rubbed, and suds-ed. Heavenly and much needed.

Best Birthday Breakfast with Babyhead

At The New York Bagel Company...where else!

Best Surprise Birthday Mani/Pedi from Auntie Rachelle

Best Birthday visit to the Duck Park!

Best Momma Birthday ever!

Best ladies night out at a cooking class

The gals gathered. It was a cute west Hollywood bungalow transformed into a cooking haven. We diced, wrapped, sauteed, joked, laughed, winked, and of course ate and drank till our bellies were as happy as we were. Highlights...fresh squeezed lemon whisky sours, stuffed grape leaves, creamy pumpkin martinis, and proscuitto wrapped figs with blue cheese.

Worst

This week I was sure I was going to have too many "Bests" to mention. Not only cause of the big 2-8- bday, but also because I was scheduled to have LASIK surgery this week. The excitement of having the ability to see without glasses or contacts is something that only a fellow blind-as-a-bat-for-most-of-my-life person can truly understand. It is life changing.

I was so excited all week knowing that never again will I need my glasses to see an alarm clock that reads 4:32 am. Never again having to paddle in because the last wave that took me out, also took out one of my contacts. Never again will I frantically search for my glasses as Eli tells me to "come quick, this is really funny" when watching AFV, right as I took out my contacts...and once I shove my glasses on my face to watch he says "oh, you missed it." Never again...

So why dearest CB is this under your "worst" this week? Because despite all my excitement the one thing that can trump that feeling is pain. When I went for my consultation at the Jules Stein Eye Institute I was assured there would be no pain during the surgery, just some pressure. And if you listen to the radio, you hear adds all the time abut people getting LASIK and how easy and painless it was. Well, I took the bait my friends.

Actually they were right, during the surgery they give you numbing drops so you don't feel any pain. But what happens when those numbing drops wear off? The worst burning in my eyes I have ever felt and you cannot touch or rub your eyes AT ALL. You must just sit and live through the burning until the pain meds and Tylenol PM you just took kicks in (which takes about 45 min) and you can be knocked out for the next 6 hours.

Almost as bad as the burning, is the battle with your natural instincts to protect your eyes. Since sight is very important to our basic survival, we have major alarm bells that goes off whenever something funky happens to our eyes. Even though the surgery itself only lasted about 15 min, the entire time I was laying there my brain was freaking out trying to get my body to protect my precious eyes. Sending signals to my arms to reach up and yank out those clamps that hold your eyelids open. Signals to my legs to get up and flee from the surgery room. All systems code red...code red!! I tried to breathe deep and fight these insticts but it was very, very intense. So when I was escorted out to the car where Eli was waiting to take me home, as he closed the door I burst into tears. Partly because of the burning and partly because I was freaking out! There was a moment when I regreted doing the surgery, but a few days and a great recovery later, when I opened Tavian's door to check on him peacefully sleeping and could do it standing from across the room...glasses and contact free...I knew it was worth it.

Surprises

2008-10-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

Life is full of surprises. What else can I say...

October 12th to October 18th

BEST

I have the feeling that I will call Tavian "Babyhead" long after he stops being a baby and is growing into a little boy, an awkward teenager, a young man, an actual adult, etc. There are some days when I have to consionusly tell myslef to say Tavian instead of Babyhead because he will start to think that my favorite nickname for him is his actual name. But once you start saying it you can't stop, it just makes me smile...Babyhead, Babyhead, Babyhead!

This week, however, I witnessed an event that slapped me in the face with a cold hand of reality that babies grow up and grow up fast. No matter what you call them. This event was a little thing called crawling. Yes, a human's first attempt at becoming independently mobile. Tay has been up on his hands and knees rocking back and forth for several weeks. Then he graduated to a flopping type motion which actual gave him the ability to move form point A to point B. But this week he actually put one hand out, one knee up, the other hand out, the other knee up. Then he got distracted by Mom's gasping, squealing, and clapping so he stopped.

Another grown up moment for Babyhea-oh I mean Tavian was actually something we have been working on for awhile. Holding his own bottle. I have not been shy about the fact that I am jealous of our friend's Natalia and Wyatt. When it is Wyatt's meal time Natalia simply hands over the bottle and you couldn't pry it out of his hands if you tried. Since Wyatt is only 5 weeks older than Tavian I figured we were on our way to bring good little bottle holding eaters. After a few days of holding his hands to the bottle with my hands as he eats...I finally took a deep breath and let go of the bottle. And he did it! For about 2 minutes Tavian held his own bottle. Good job Babyhead...I love you soooo much!

WORST

"I really miss baking." I said this to Rachelle the other day during a conversation about nutritionists, dieting, working out, and trying to get back to my pre-baby weight. I love to bake. Mix up all the ingredients, add in some TLC, fill the house with yummy smells, and then soothe your soul with something warm, soft, gooey,moist,sweet, and delicious. However, having a whole batch of baked goods for only you and your loved one to eat does not help with the waistline issues. And even worse is how tired and soar I am from working out gets totally trumped.

Later I was on the Obama website looking for local events to volunteer for...and came across the posting "Need donations for Obama Bake Sale fundraiser." I didn't even think twice before I strapped Tavian in the stroller and trotted out the door to the local market to get my ingredients for the best cupcakes that fundraiser will ever see (or taste!) Then I came up with a great idea...red velvet cupcakes, but make them "blue velvet" in honor of our democratic color. I pictured biting in to the delicious little cake revealing a deep blue color topped with classic white cream cheese frosting. At the store I had trouble finding individual blue food coloring...they only had packs of four primary colors. So I figured I would use the blue one and then if I needed to I can mix red and green for blue...or is it mix green an

d yellow? Shoot I should have paid more attention in 2nd grade art class...oh well I'll figure it out.

So here is a little lesson for the rest of you bakers out there...adding blue to chocolate cake batter does not make blue batter. And then mixing red and green food coloring and then adding it to the batter, does not make blue batter either. And to this day I still do not know how to make blue cake batter. I DO however know how to make "poo green" cake batter. And when I say "poo green" I mean the exact same shade that I see (and smell) everyday in Mr. Babyhead's diapers. I also now know how to turn tasty cupcakes into something completely unappetizing purely because of the unsightly color. I am so sorry Obama...your fundraising cupcakes went right into the garbage

Good People

2008-10-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

"The good people sleep much better at night than the bad people. Of course, the bad people enjoy the waking hours much more." - Woody Allen

October 5th-October 11th

BEST

Saturday night. The baby just went to sleep. Sitting on the couch. The phone rings. It is Natalie, Sue Jean, and Lisa. There was no choice in the matter, when the WC girls call it is time to throw on something cute and grab the lip gloss as you skip out the door.

On our drive over to Bev Hil we indulged in an old school mix CD and no joke when Sue Jean heard that beloved chorus of "can I get a toot, toot, can I get a beep, beep" she said she wanted to cry. We did our best car dancing as we pulled up to Lucky Fish where we filled our tummies with tuna and some special they had with yellowtail, parmesan, and truffle oil. I would eat anything with truffle oil on it...seriously anything.

Once our soy sauce dishes were empty and our cucumber martinis drained, we headed out to a spot down the block that Nat said had a very fun piano bar. Although I do give the musician props for busting out the jazz flute to accompany his piano playing...what Nat failed to mention was that the place was the HOT spot for Bev Hil's hippest over 50 crowd. We promptly left.

Back to our hood where we rolled up to a little joint called Liquid Kitty. Very dark and loud inside, but one taste from any of there creative martinis (served in extra large glasses) makes it worth a short stop. I sipped on one called Almost Blue and was a crisp, refreshing mixture of blueberry and other things...but most importantly blueberry. Sue Jean had the second runner up which was a Key Lime Martini, wait I just drooled a little remembering the taste.

The night ended with after an hour or so of dancing our tushies off at The Arsenal. Of course the four of us were the first ones on the dance floor, but it started to get filled up and by the time the DJ played Thriller it was way too crowded to bust out my MJ moves. Which was my sign that it was time to get going...oh and it was 1 AM!! Funny thing is that as my wonderful girlies walked me to the mommy mobile and we hugged our goodbyes, they did not head home to put there pretty heads to bed like I so desperately needed to do, no they scooted themselves into another bar. Ahhh to be young...

BEST Conversation - My treasured and beautiful friend Rachelle Wood told me a fabulous story this week. She is a hottite hotness model and had a casting for a print job for Paige Premium Denim. As she is a real woman, she always dreads going on auditions for jeans because the sample size they have the models try on is usually a 0-2...and Rachelle is slightly bigger. So she goes to the appointment and discovers that the designer Paige Adams-Geller herself is there for the casting.

Rachelle takes the jeans to try on already dreading the awkward conversation she will have to have explaining that the sample size doesn't fit. But as she slips the jeans on they fit her perfectly! She told me she was shocked because the other girls she saw waiting for the audition would be swimming in them. When Rachelle came out, Paige was so impressed on how well the jeans fit her. Rachelle explained she was a little surprised because normally sample sizes are too small for her. Then Paige says "I always make my sample sizes 27 or 28...don't you know my story?" Click here to find out what it is...trust me it is worth the time. Now I can't wait to go buy my first pair of Paige Premium Jeans because I know I am supporting a company that advocates for women to have a healthier body image.

WORST

Finding a babysitter for my precious Babyhead is very stressful and so far unsuccessful. I was given a good recommendation to try out this service called SitterCity. So I go on to the site, sign up, pay up, and start my search. I found several good candidates and began the emailing ping pong game. After almost 4 weeks I finally had two interviews. The first girl was sweet, a little naive, but had good experience. However her schedule wasn't ideal, but I was willing to make it work. The second interview was even better. She was very nice, had a completely open schedule, and had just helped a new mom take care of a her first baby for three months. During the interview I wanted to make sure that they were comfortable with doing some vacuuming, bottle washing, toy cleaning, etc. while Tavian was taking a nap.

I guess I am just from the school of thought that if I am paying someone per hour that they would actually be working during that time. So if the baby was sleeping they could still be productive. I wasn't looking for someone to clean my house, just willing to do some baby related chores. My first interviewee was fine with it, but the second girly was a little hesitant. I reassured her that I wasn't looking for an assistant, and she seemed to better understand what I was asking of her. I told them both I would just check their references and get back to them.

A few hours later the second girl saved me the time, when she actually emailed me and said she wouldn't be flexible on doing the chores I had mentioned and felt it was better to be honest up front. As much as I appreciated the honesty, I was confused as to what she expected to be doing while Tavian was sleeping. I guess I wouldn't be flexible with paying someone to catch up on Paris Hilton's be my BFF for two hours until nap time was over.

Disappointed I decided to go with my first interviewee who was actually me second choice. So I called her references. My first call revealed that her only fault with the babysitter was that she spends too much time texting and talking on her BB while she is with the kids...oh and a few times she was over 45 mins late and didn't call. Ughhhhh well I would have problems with those things too!

Hard to believe in such a big city that no only is a good man hard to find...but so is a good babysitter! The search never ends ladies, you just change what you are looking for.

Day for Night dreams

2008-10-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

September 28th to October 4th

WORST

It is 10:32 pm. I finally make it into bed, thank GOD I made it before 11! Have to get up for the gym at 6:30 am and if there are few sleep interruptions from the Babyhead then I should be in good shape. But as I so desperately want to drift off to Dreamland my very busy Momma-brian starts to run. Now all I can do is go through all the things I need to try and get done then worry about the fact that I remember now...but will I remember in the morning? Is there something important that I am forgetting? What about all those emails I have piling up in my inbox? What about all the unfinished projects? What about the laundry? Oh yeah, and what about my child? Am I giving him enough attention? Am I feeding him the right foods? Why does he seem to smile and laugh more with Eli then with me? Does he know how much I love him? What about that baby food maker I wanted to get? What about his college fund? What if we start one and then loose all the money because of our country's financial crisis? (Then I started worrying about what would happen if McCain won...don't even get me started.)

Look at the clock...12:05 am. ugh. Look at the clock...1:45 am UGH! I really, really need to sleep, why can't I shut down? I know some of you have probably gone through the same situation. But when you become a parent the desperation and frustration doubles because even if you don't sleep the baby needs you to on your A-game...and if you try to explain to him that Momma didn't get much sleep last night and could we please take it easy today, he will just look at you and blow slobber bubbles.

I didn't fall asleep until 3 am only to wake up a few hours later to start another busy day...definitely the worst!!

BEST

Eli and I have been working on creating our own little business...a t-shirt company to be exact. Yes, in my attempt to bring home the bacon and cook it too I decided to create a fun, simple line of t-shirts for the whole family. Our little project of love is called Symbolik.

Being a first time small business owner I have been feeling my way through the fog of becoming a legitimate business owner. I actually HAD to because I want to sell at the local farmer's market and they are being all fancy-pants requiring seller's permits and tax ID numbers. So I did what every 21st century small time entrepreneur is doing and went to LegalZoom. Let's just say LegalZoom and I have had a love-hate relationship. Forming the LLC was a breeze, but I went ahead and paid for them to set up all my other needs like State Tax ID, Seller's Permit, and Business License because I am a very busy mommalicious.

They said it was all going to take about 30 days...but 2 months later I still have not received my seller's permit, which I need to get my business license, which I need to open a business bank account, which I need to order my inventory, etc. In the meantime the summer is slipping away and so are my CFM crowds.

After several phone calls to "Customer Service" for my-so-called-friend LegalZoom I discovered that somehow some application wasn't completed so they couldn't process the permit. But why wasn't I notified that I needed finish the application? I don't know Ma'am...So what can I do now to get the permit as quick as possible? File it yourself I suppose, you can go on the Board of Equalization website and get the application...You mean all this time I could have gone to the website and filed it myself? Yes Ma'am...So what was I paying you for? To fill out the application for you based of the questionnaire you should have completed and sent to us...But the questions on the questionnaire are the same ones on the application? Yes Ma'am...So I was paying you to copy my answers onto another piece of paper and then mail it for me...Um, yes.

As I was driving down to the local BOE office to turn in my seller's permit application that I filled out MYSELF I was thinking about how this was for sure this week's blog WORST. I have been waiting for 2 months for a little piece of paper to get Symbolik going when all I had to do was go online, fill it out, and drive it over...BOOM 2 hours later seller's permit in hand. But as I walked out of the office building a deep feeling of excitement came over me...it really sunk in that I was going to have my own little business.

All the mini daydreams of watching families and expecting couples ooo-ing over my fun designs under the shade of a canopy adorned by a banner with my logo confidently reading SYMBOLIK down on Gretna Green Way during a warm Sunday afternoon as other CFM shoppers fill their bags with organic goodies...was about to come true.

I let my old friend LegalZoom off the hook a little bit, I probably could have done a little research over the past 2 months and figured it out myself instead of damning the institution and the Man for keeping a working girl down. I drove home with the yellow piece of paper beautifully titled California Seller's Permit sitting next to me...and felt such a wave of pride, excitement, accomplishment, hope, and relief!

Summer lovin'... happened so fast

2008-10-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

Where has the summer gone? Eli and I have been asking ourselves this question a lot lately. Well for 1) we had a baby and for 2) we had a baby. But in these last few remaining weeks we are trying to soak up the last few remaining days of sunshine and warm weather...oh wait we live in LA.

September 22nd to September 28th.

WORST

Here we are. A very happy looking family enjoying a day at the beach.

We went with our friends Natalia, Mike, and Wyatt...take the babies to the beach day. It was actually Tavian and Wyatt's first trip to the beach ever! Natalia and I have been been talking about taking this trip for months and finally at the END of the summer we made it. It was actually a very nice day, not too hot, but a little windy...which turned out to be very relaxing as the ocean breeze poured over us. After lugging all the gear out to the shoreline we set up camp and sat down to enjoy a picnic. We slathered our babies in sunscreen, little hats, and I even brought a baby tent for them to hang out in... all to protect their precious, brand new skin from sun damage. What you might not see in this picture is that since momma was so worried about protecting all the baby skin, she forgot about her own. Which was so inanely stupid since I have been obsessed about putting sunscreen on my pale skin for most of my life. I can get sunburned driving to the Valley on a sunny day, it happens so fast...let alone sitting out on the beach for several hours without a spritz of sunscreen. So if you were to see the same picture a few hours later the woman on the left would somewhat resemble a lobster.

BEST

Two wedding weekends in a row. Eli cringes, but I smile with excitement. Being apart of a day that two people will remember for the rest of their lives is such an honor. I can't describe the feeling of watching our friends stare into each other's eyes as they share in their first dance as man and wife. The energy of love is simply overwhelming, which is why I have to break open the tissues.

In the beginning of the year two fabulous people moved into our building, Unit 105. Russ and Laura immediately threw a great house warming party and generously invited the inhabitants of the other 8 units to attend. Very pregnant I waddled myself down and introduced myself to the tall, raven haired cutie (actually that describes Russ too, but I mean Laura.) I couldn't stay long, but I left very excited because I knew that we would be great friends. 6 months and one Babyhead later, our dear neighbors tied the knot and invited us to be there.

The wedding was intimate, beautiful, fun and classy. They stood under a gazebo elegantly decorated with

white flowers back dropped by a shoreline view of Palos Verdes. Laura's gorgeous white dress was even more striking as she stood next to her bridesmaids dressed in perfect little black dresses. Over all the color scheme was black and white...opposites beautifully complimenting each other. Just like Laura and Russ. The groom delivered one of the best speeches I have ever heard regarding his love and excitement to spend the rest of his life with his best friend. Followed by Laura choking back her tears to recite her very sincere vows to

spend the rest of her life with her best friend.

Dinner was delish, and they started it off right during cocktail hour serving fabulous appetizers like "Surf and Turf" (slices of grilled prawn and filet nestled between two hinged chopsticks that you can easily grab and gobble down in one amazing bite.) The champaign flowed and the laughter was never ending. With a "let's boogie" from the groom we all made our way to the dance floor. We watched a great slideshow with images of Russ and Laura over the years growing up and falling in love. Leading into the infamous first dance, very sweet and romantic...only to be followed by the theme song from "Ghost Busters"as requested by the groom. More dancing, drinking, smiling, kissing, loving and by 11:00 this momma was happily exhausted. Just in time to toss a handful of fresh white rose petals over the love birds and they escaped into their limo...and into the summer night.

Rocky Mountain High

2008-09-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

I find myself constantly looking at the sky when I am in Colorado. It is just so darn big, blue, and beautiful! I never really noticed this when I was growing up there, but realized it after living in LA for awhile, which can feel sky-less sometimes. My trip to Denver last week was no different and not only did I get to enjoy the great wide open, but experienced many other highs and one big low!

September 15th - September 22nd

BEST

Taking Mr. Tavian Babyhead to visit the family in good ol' Wheat Ridge was very important. He met his Great Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, for the first time, and had some QT with Grandma and Grandpa Bright. We also stayed in my dearest friend Linda's house which was so welcoming. Even though she had to run her family restaurant all weekend (the amazing Mexico City Cafe) we enjoyed our mornings together waking up to baby smiles and taking turns getting coffee. But as blissful as all that sounds, surprisingly it is not this weeks BEST.

The best and greatest was seeing all my Whittier College girls at Erin Hurley's fabulous wedding. And if I had to narrow it down even more I would say the highlights happened on the dance floor during the reception. Maybe it was because there was uncontrollable laughter for hours mixed in with unbelievable dance moves fueled by mojitos, white wine, and vodka sodas. Maybe it was because Tavian was sleeping soundly in the hotel room with Grandma and Grandpa watching over him, so Momma could freely break out the MJ moves to Billy Jean and Beat it. Maybe it was the love that we all felt for our beautiful friend Er Bear as we watched her dance with her new hubby. And maybe it was because I was surrounded by amazing, talented, diverse, intelligent, and gorgeous women that I am honored and proud to call my friends...as we all shook our booties in a circle singing "I ain't no holla back girl" at the top of our lungs.

The amazing Jasmine Star took some great photos of the event, click and enjoy.

WORST

Flying to Denver was Tavian's third airplane ride in the 6 months that he has been out in the world. The trip to Seattle at three months was nerve racking, but flawless thanks to my Baby Sherpa Sue Jean who was on our same flight. Next to NYC, but this time Dad was in tow and we made it just fine. Going out to Denver International Airport was just fine too, so this traveling Momma's confidence was very high as we made it through security all by ourselves and readied to board the plane for home. The key to all past flights was that I had an extra seat next to me and Tay could have his own seat in his infant carrier. When I checked in I was informed that the only extra seat on our flight was in the very last row, and the airline-check-er-in lady said she blocked off the seat for us. As we boarded and I felt my biceps burning from carrying the baby in one arm and the massive diaper bag in another, I apologized to every person I bumped into allllllll the way back to row 32. I squeezed his baby carrier in the seat next to the window and let out a sigh of relief as I sat down next to him. Even though the last row of seats don't recline and we would be scrunched in there, we were on our way home.

Suddenly I hear "Miss! Miss! You are going to have to move that baby seat." This was from the woman who was sitting in the middle seat and the man standing next to her nodding in agreement had the aisle seat of row 32...which meant the baby and I had to share the window seat. As we pow-wowed with the flight attendant the doom set in. This was a full flight, no extra seat. I fearfully watched as she took my baby carrier away to stow in a closet at the front of the plane. I looked at Babyhead, and he looked at me...so innocent and unaware of how unhappy he was going to be.

We made it about 30 mins. Tavian is becoming so active and mobile that he does not like to be held for very long. Who can blame him? The world is new and needs to be discovered. So the fussiness began which I was able to control with silly faces and teether toys. But then he got tired. We have all been there...when you are just so overly tired that you can't get to sleep and frustration sets in and we toss and turn. This is what the little man was going through, but his translation was in the form of screams and cries. Yes, we had a totally meltdown. Yes, I was the mother with the screaming child on the plane. Yes, I was panicking and sweating. Yes, I can see all you people glaring at me. And yes, I apologized to the woman in front of me who finally whipped her head around and gave me those salty looks...Lawry's.

This went on for almost 3o mins when I finally forced the people in my row to get up so I could walk around and try to calm him down. But basically it was too late and he needed to just cry himself to sleep...which he did, on my shoulder, and a man staring at us gave me the thumbs up. As the beverage cart passed I told the flight attendant that if anyone in the last five rows wanted a drink it was on me. No one took me up on the offer, but as I returned to my seat oh-so-careful not to wake Tay up, everyone around me said how sweet it was for me to want to do that. Nothing like free alcohol and a sleeping baby to make people look nicely at you again.

Finding time.

2008-09-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

With a 6 month old baby you would think that I have enough on my hands, why on earth would I want to start a blog? Who has the time? Well, as most new mothers might admit, taking care of our amazing, cute, and growing creations day in and day out...you start to feel a little out of touch with the world. This is my attempt to reconnect, to get the cob webs out of my mommy brain and get the creative juices flowing once again. Plus it is a great tool to update everyone on the latest and greatest Tavian Makai moments by posting pictures and video links.

What about this "Best and Worst"thing? Basically I thought just blogging about our daily lives would be LAME! Haven't you ever gone through your day and thought "Wow that is the best ___ever" or "Ew that is the worst ___ eve?" Me too!! So this is my blog theme, best and worst moments, places, people, foods, experiences, you-name-it of each week. Perhaps it will even encourage you to take a little time and reflect on your week!

September 7th - September 14th

BEST

I had my first caffeinated beverage in over a year! Now I was never a big coffee drinker and I never NEEDED it to get through the day. Coffee was always more of a treat so when I became

pregnant it was no biggie to give it up. However, there have been many-a-mornings after a rough night with the babyhead that a nice hot cup of Joe would have

been very helpful. So the other morning I strapped Tay into the infant carrier and marched down to Coffee Bean. We ordered a small hazelnut non-fat latte and on the way home I sipped the creamy, warm, sweet beverage knowing the very soon I was going to get the kick of caffeine that would help make this momma's day a little more productive.

WORST

Meeting up with my friend Natalie rarely leads to a "worst" moment. But the other night we met at the local-too-trendy-for-its-own-good coffee house The Coral Tree Cafe. As we started to catch up on our week we paused to place our order which included one very delicious looking chocolate cupcake. When it was brought to our table we eagerly plunged our forks into the dark frosting covered in chocolate curls. But then tragedy struck upon the first taste...it was one of the worst cupcakes I ever had. Which in my book is a crime that should have some sort of punishment associated with it...like forcing the baker to eat every one of those dry, bland, over-frosted monstrosities.