5.30.2009

Biking Mama

So it's official, I'm now the proud owner of and Electra bike :0) I love it so very much! It's perfect for cruising around my little neighborhood or to the grocery store or to the park. After much thought I decided not to get the coveted Bobike Mini. I realized I was a tad too klutzy to put the extra weight on my bike, and I picked up a trailer from a friend instead. This turned out to be a good decision since I can haul the kids in the trailer and my stuff in the front tray.

I was told I can now be the neighborhood bread girl since in Europe it's a very common style of bike for bakers to deliver bread ;0)

This morning we all did a family bike trip to Hobees for breakfast. So loving this new found mode of transportation :0)

I also picked up a Wordlock bike lock since I'm notorious for forgetting my combination. This is so much simpler since it's just a 4 letter word...much easier to remember!


And lastly, I've asked The Hubster to get me a Yakkay bike helmet as an anniversary gift, lol. Sure it doesn't sparkle, but it's way cute as far as bike helmets go. Safty first!

Electra bikes can be purchased from The Off Ramp in Santa Clara and Mountain View. Wordlocks can be found at all Targets. Yakkay helmets are only available internationally, but are sold on-line through a UK retailer called 50cycles.

5.27.2009

Tie Ts

Look what I just picked up for Alexi! Designer Tie T-shirts are all the rage right now, but the designer price made me want to faint. Check out this swank Etsy shop that sells a huge variety of Tie T's for a great price!

5.26.2009

Vintage Finds!


While down in Los Angeles I scored some really cool looking sake cups while perusing inside a vintage clothing store. What's weirder is they were found and purchased from a vintage wholesaler in Oakland! Since we don't actually drink sake I figured they'll make great egg cups, or shot glasses, or maybe a nifty spot to put all Math's microscopic Lego bits...

Succulents

What I wouldn't give for the vertical masterpiece above! It was created by a San Francisco artist named Flora Grubb (that's her real name!). She owns and runs a garden nursery, and specializes in works of art made from succulents and other cacti variations. And I'm oh, so smitten!

I'm no green thumb. In fact, I kill almost every plant I touch which is why I find succulents so fascinating! They are hearty little buggers, and beautiful, and require almost no botanical know-how to survive. Plus, since this is mounted on a wall, it would be up and away from my kids (who would invariably try to rip up each of those little suckers as cargo fodder for their toy trucks)! I have dreams of owning such a work of art someday *sigh*

5.19.2009

Haven't Disappeared...

Thing have been busy and haven't been able to give the blog proper attention of late! I will get back to being a faithful blogger in the near future, hopefully as soon as things settle down a bit.

Preparing for a trip to LA starting tomorrow! Dinner at Bazaar, Disney delirium, Sister in Law's graduation, and then chillaxin' with the family! Good times, good times :0) Updates when I return!

I think we need to get one of these...

It's swim season already here in The Valley. Alexi has become fearless when it comes to the pool, but he's not a huge fan of swim lessons atm. He regularly likes to get in and out of the pool making me a sopping mess most of the time running in and out after him. He mostly just likes to stand on the stairs, and I've got about 5 pairs of eyes besides my own always on him, but I need something that gives me a tiny piece of mind just in case he falls in. I think it's time to invest in one of these. He hates his infant float because his mobility is severely obstructed, and he's not strong enough to stay afloat with the regular arm swimmies. I'm not touting floats as life saving devices, but they might give you a few extra seconds to jump in after them...



This thing just might do the trick!

5.12.2009

I wonder if my kids would eat these...

It's ice cream, but it looks like fruits and veggies! I want to try it...Yum!

5.08.2009

Community School of Music and Art

The Community School of Music and Art in Mountain View is by far the most amazing place! I signed Math up for a comic book drawing class last month and he's been digging it big time! The class has some classic components like learning basic anatomy drawing and pen and ink filling, but it's also very fun and laid back. Math is learning a lot, but having a blast all the while. I have a feeling we are going to be here a lot for the foreseeable future.

If you're not sure your wee-one is ready for a full fledged series of classes you can sign-up ahead of time to take part in a One-Day Saturday Funshop class. For $35 you and Junior can enjoy a two part music and art session with some of the finest early childhood education facilities around. The class is broken into two 45 minute sessions with a snack break in-between. Classes are developmentally appropriate, and is wonderful hands on exploration for any youngster.

Here's some photos of Alexander chilling at CSMA while we waited for Math's class to be over.

5.06.2009

For the mom in your life

I love my mom. In many ways she's a lot like me which is probably why we are able to piss each other off so completely at times, but she's the one who made me who I am for better and for worse. Being adopted I appreciate so much more the power to love another person despite birth or circumstance. I understand unconditional love without prejudice or discretion. Being a mother, I appreciate the visceral possession of a child who will forever be irrecoverably yours no matter how old they get. And being a daughter, I understand that no rules apply when it comes to what your mom can and can't say to you!

With Mother's Day it seems almost unfathomable that a gift could represent or convey the aforementioned feelings. But since it is fast approaching I suppose it's time to think about what to bestow Mom. Can a gift even begin to scratch the surface of your appreciation for her? Heck no! But you gotta get something for the woman who mothered you (and a nice card, too!).

Here's some options:

I love this tea set from Teavana! It's got just a touch of Euro-chic and comes with a removable infuser insert.

For the mom who loves a nice soak why not these amazing smelling bath cubes by Fresh (lychee is my favorite)?

All moms love reminicing about memories past. How about a wonderful photo book? If you have a Mac it's easy...or you can use Snapfish, too!

And lastly, for the mom who loves to give back how about a donation in her name? Charity Choice offers over a hundred different reputable organizations to choose from!

5.01.2009

Fun with Firefighters!!!

Hey, if you live in the South Bay area come to Rivermark's Red Robin this Monday to chill with some Firefighters! They'll have a vintage and giant fire truck for the kiddies to play on. There will be REAL firefighters around to answer questions, show kids their gear, and a raffle to win a private tour of the fire station!

The event is to raise money for a wonderful FF volunteer program, Santa Clara Firefighters Foundation. These amazing men, who's job is to risk their lives on a regular basis, VOLUNTEER to help other local charities in a variety of ways. Some of these works would include Senior Assist programs (like helping older folks clear out their back yards of debris and possible fire hazards), disaster relief, mentoring and leadership programs, and outreach for the disabled.

Rivermark Moms
and The SC Firefighters have partnered with Red Robin, who will be hosting this event. All proceeds are tax-deductible, and will go to the Firefighter's Foundation! So come enjoy the trucks, eat some dinner with the fam, and support a great cause!

Flipping Indiana Jones!

My son's kindof (okay, really really really) obsessed with Indiana Jones. He can be regularly found sporting a fedora, brown corduroy jacket, and spouting off Harrison Ford one-liners. When his birthday came around it was no surprise he wanted an Indiana Jones themed party.

Besides scrounging e-bay for archeological themed favors and decorations I ran across a post on Craigslist. His name was Dustin, and this was his ad "Indiana Jones! At your Store or event !!!!" I mean, come on...what are the chances, right? Indiana Jones lives in my backyard? And he's for hire? I contacted Dustin right away, and he got back to me promptly. He was very professional and easy going (even when it rained on the day of our event and everything got moved to our hideously disorganized garage!). He arrived with his partner, and the two of them put on a FANTASTIC adventure complete with life-size props and stunts! The kids went wild over the show. After the skit, Indiana and Elizabeth Sweet stayed in character and took the kids on a treasure hunt around the house (it was raining else we'd have done it at the park), and played some games. It was a day my son will never forget :0) He still asks if Indiana Jones will come back looking for his idol.

Dustin has a company called DeadmanFX up in Marin County. He's a stuntman who spent time down in LA working in movie industry. He now runs a company that specializes in cast molds and special effect artistry here. He also does a very convincing Indiana Jones, complete with whip demonstrations. The kids went gaga...so did quite a few of the moms ;0)

Per Matthew's request, his birthday gift was a Flip MinoHD. He said he wanted to make movies of himself on tv (we have hours of him bouncing around with a light saber finding treasures meant for museums, and lengthy clips of his Lego creations). In a lot of ways though, this was a gift for myself (shhh, he still thinks it's all his!). I've enjoyed shooting video of the kids, and documenting their cute sayings and new accomplishments. I also appreciate how EASY it is to use! So here's a little movie of the birthday using his (my) new Flip. I editied using iMovie.


Flipping Indiana Jones from Bay Area Baby Blog on Vimeo.