Return to LA

I realized I don't travel through Los Angeles when I visit my parents.  It's wild to see my old haunts with Michael.  What a lifetime ago it was!  We just passed Hollywood and we're headed to San Fernando Valley.

Cousins Together Again!

The three musketeers are together again!  And so are their devices.

But so is the fun!

Christmas Moon

On Christmas Eve, there was a full moon and a strange halo surrounding it!  Upon closer inspection it looked as if the halo was a rainbow because there seemed to be a faint spectrum of colors!

Motherlode

I hit the mother lode of tea this Christmas!  

Michael got me so many different types.  My favorite so far is the chamomile and lavender, but I also enjoyed the white tea earl gray.

Hole Investigator

Max saw a tiny hole at the knee of his sweatpants and he just had to investigate.   The hole had been as large as his little finger so he set out to see if he could fit his entire hand through it. 

Results:  He can. 

Slow Cooker Success

I used to associate slow cookers with working mothers who need to efficiently get their family home and get dinner ready at a reasonable hour.  I never think of stay-at-home moms who are home to watch the pot as the yummy ingredients simmer to perfection.

But I have changed my perception of who uses a slow cooker.  I prepared a chicken enchilada soup at 10 am.  I left and came home at 2 and it was complete.   My day suddenly opened up!   No more did I dread the arrival of 4pm which is when I usually start fretting over dinner.  You know what I did at 4pm?  I went to the store with the kids and did some shopping.  F. U. N!

I don't think I've ever seen a recipe for Sinigang (tamarind soup) in a slow cooker, but I think I'm going to develop it and right a cookbook all dedicated to my new friend the slow cooker.

Queens and Princes

I was looking for the kids the other day. And I found them playing near the woods. I asked them, "What are you doing?" Simone said,  "Queens and princes!  We just tortured a guy. He died so we buried him and put a headstone on his grave."  As if it were a regular day at work for queens and princes ...

"See that little orange  (maple) leaf, Mommy? ... That's his headstone!"

Lovely.

Michael's Serenade

I heard Michael singing in the shower.   By the tone and rhythm, i thought he was singing a rat pack song a la Frank Sinatra.  But his lyrics were peculiar, 

"I would pay your rent ...
If you'd wear some deodorant ..."

Simone's Heaven

We were all sitting around this morning,  slowly waking up.  Simone said,  "What if heaven were real, and some ancestor like Grandpa Bear would write a note and drop it down and then we would read it and it would say,  'Heaven is real.  From Grandpa Bear.'"

I was so touched by Simone's thinking of her grandpa.  Max joined in with his special brand of imagination, "What if Grandpa Bear came down and he was only wearing his underwear and white wings?"

It's Still Fall!

Today's high was 71°!  That sounds plausible in Los Angeles or in Tampa at this time of the year, but not in DC! 

Chapped Lips

Now that it's colder, the kids bundle up when they play outside.   Rain will stop them, but not mere lower temperatures.   They wear poofy jackets,  gloves, beanies, and scarves. 

One part of their bodies,  however,  that does not get protected is their face.   Max's cheeks get so pink from wind exposure.   Simone's upper lips in particular get very raw. 

Last night she needed Eucerin to soothe her lips.  Max mocked his sister's mustache so I slathered my lips to show solidarity against the plight of the dry. 

Max ended up doing it too.

Inquiring Minds ...

Simone is drawing and just asked,

"Does God have a mustache?"

Good question.

The Imaginations on These Ones!

I came back from a run and Simone ran up to me frantically. 

"What year were you born, Mommy?"

I told her it was 1973.

She then explains that she and her friends are playing make believe.   Gabe is a dinosaur; Roman is a German.  Simone is a 1970s Colombian version of Francis Scott Key, composer of the Star Spangled Banner.  Max is an Irish caveman. 

Michael thinks Max's title is redundant.

Asian Ice Cream

The kids and I had Japanese food for lunch.  Max was intrigued with what looked like chocolate ice cream.   I informed him or was red bean and he wanted to try some.   Simone food too, but also wanted to try green tea. 

The verdict: Max liked neither but Simone approves of green tea.   She thought the red bean had a weird aftertaste. 

No Number

Max said this morning,  "I don't have a number,  so don't call me ... maybe."