Life Lately

Well my friends, there are only 11 wonderful days left in 2014 and i don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for it to be over.  Not that it was a bad year really, but to be honest, the last three months have been nothing but exhausting.  What with holiday parties, Christmas shopping, full time work, and sleep training a toddler, my body and mind seem to have officially checked out.  Life with a toddler or any child is truly a ginormous blessing, it really is.  But MY GOD, is it EXHAUSTING!  How people do it with 2 or 3, blows my mind and that is coming from someone who has the help and support from a village of people.  Lately I’ve been too tired to work out and I’ve noticed that these dark circles have found a permanent home underneath my eyes.  Not cool!  I’m also beyond sick and tired of hearing of all these horrendous acts of violence occurring everyday around the world, especially those committed under the guise of some sort of religion/faith, or acts of violence against women.  When will it stop?

But enough about that.  On a brighter note,  I bought this perfect purple dress for my company holiday party and I love it so much I’ve been wearing it every chance i get. I never really thought  purple and brown paired well together but since I was going for a casual look for dinner in Little Tokyo (Fuga) the other day, I decided to throw on my little brown jacket and knit scarf over it and VOILA, it worked (or so i think?).

2015, you have a lot to live up to and I have many expectations.  But i beg you, please bring with you some energy, positive energy, continued health for my family, friends, and loved ones, and we’re good!

Dress: Forever 21

Scarf: Nordstroms

Jacket and boots:  Oldies but goodies

Hailey thinks its hilarious to photobomb my photoshoots!

Saturdays at Kidspace Children’s Museum

I don’t know about you, but I love my Saturdays.  I cherish them.   It is the one day when it’s just Hailey and I, and I don’t have to share her with anybody.  Now I’m not gonna lie, my solo days with Hailey are hectic and utterly exhausting.  And even though I want to yank all my hair out at the end of the day, i still look forward to it all week.  Why, because I’m a crazy mom and I love her to death and it is my mission to give this kid the best darn childhood I can and that means being present and creating fun and loving memories. That’s why I’m always on the hunt for fun kid friendly activities.  Thankfully, LA has tons of fun places for the kiddos.
One of my favorite places to visit on a Saturday is Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena. It’s perfect for your little ones to explore, learn, and have fun. Most of the exhibits are tailored for 4 year olds and older but there is plenty to entertain even your 15 month old, as long as they are walking. Hailey has a blast every time we go. And since its been hotter than the devil’s armpit here in LA, its been great going to Kidspace for all their water features.  We usually play in the splash pad area for a little bit before moving on to Kirby’s corner, a bright and colorful play structure perfect for toddlers. For those with bigger kids, say 2, they have a great little area for them to ride tricycles called Trike Tracks.  It’s pretty cool and I can’t wait until Hailey is a little older so she could ride one.

 
One of my favorite places at the museum is the little creek and wet play area up the hill. The creek is a mini model of Pasadena’ Arroyo Seco and allows the kids to explore and get wet. 

Oh yeah, they also have an early childhood learning center for children under 3.  It’s the perfect spot to let the little ones run around, socialize, practice their crawling or walking and a great place to meet other mommies.

If you’re thinking of heading out to Kidspace, here are some tips:

1) Make sure you and the kiddos wear a hat and sunblock as most of the museum is outdoors.
2) Do your wallet a favor and pack your own lunch and snacks. There is only one food concession stand and it is PRICEY!!
3) If your little one plans on riding the tricycles, make sure you bring your own helmet.  Otherwise, they’ll using a shared helmet.
4) Your kid will get wet, so make sure to bring an extra set of clothes and shoes.

Where’s your favorite place to take your little one in LA?

xoxo

Regina

Hailey loves Santa Monica

Things have changed quite a bit since the last time I was in Santa Monica.  For starters, it was so freaking crowded and traffic getting there was almost unbearable. So much so,  that halfway there I could feel my anxiety and a headache creeping up on me.  Ever been stuck in traffic with a crying/screaming child in the backseat?  Yeah, it’s not fun.   Hailey did quite well the entire ride there but somewhere along Bundy Drive on the 10 fwy she got hysterical and we had to pull over to get her out of that car seat.  A quick little bite at Teddy’s Cafe and 30 minutes later we were back en route to our Sunday Funday destination, the Santa Monica Pier.

When Flavio and I were just dating one of our favorite places to go to was Santa Monica.  We loved walking down the 3rd street promenade, shopping, eating, and drinking to our heart’s content.  After downing a couple of beers at Barney’s Beanery we’d take a nice stroll down to the beach where we’d snuggle down on a blanket, nibble on some strawberries and watch the sun disappear behind the beautiful California ocean line.  Oh, life was GRAND!

But those days are long gone folks.  We are now a party of 3 and our whole world now revolves around this tiny beautiful spunky little girl, who much to our surprise LOVES Santa Monica just as much as we do.

  

 

Here is how our day went with our little one in tow:

1.Traffic on the streets wasn’t any better and I could sense another meltdown coming, (Mine, not Hailey!) so I made Flavio park in the first parking structure we could find.  $20 dollars later two happy girls and one super annoyed daddy were strolling down Broadway on the way to the beach.

2.Once we got to the Pier, we took Hailey to Pacifc Park where we all enjoyed people watching and taking pictures.  Hailey loves people watching and quite frankly she loves it when people shower her with attention.  She is constantly waving at strangers and smiling at them and will continue to do so until they acknowledge how cute she is.  This happens everywhere we go.

3.  We walked around the famous carousel and watched as other children and their parents got on and off.  Hailey prefers to watch and not actually go on the carousel.

4. We visited the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium which is set up by Heal the Bay and is located underneath the carousel at the Pier.  It is a tiny little aquarium but surprisingly Hailey enjoyed this place the most.  I think because she is starting to love animals and enjoyed pretending to touch the fish, eels, and small sharks that were on display.  It was only $5 for adult admission, so if you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a look for the little ones.

5.  For dinner, Flavio and I were craving sushi so we went to one of our old favorite spots, Sushi Roku, and enjoyed some of their specialty rolls before heading home.

These days romantic dinners have been replaced with messy meals that have to be eaten or swallowed at lightning speed, and snuggles on the beach, well, those are a thing of the past.  But, though things have dramatically changed, as cliche as it may sound, we couldn’t be happier.  The amount of joy, love, and laughter that she brings to our lives just couldn’t be measured and put into words.  She makes my life worthwhile, and all that matters is this smile.