Lucas Turns 3!

My little man Lucas turned the big 3 this month! We had a small party for him and his closest buddies - watch this space for more on that - but we couldn't let his actual birthday pass without some fanfare.

Breakfast was a huge treat, a decadent donut cake piled high for the birthday boy!

Not your every day breakfast!

Huffing and puffing

Make a wish

In his birthday suit!

As luck would have it, both Cruz and my nieces had minimum days at school, so we picked them all up and had a birthday lunch at CPK.

Cousins

And because the donut cake just wasn't enough sugar, we stopped at CREAM for dessert.

Strawberry ice cream AND a cookie for the 3 year old

Here's wishing my baby boy a very happy 3rd birthday. He is a ray of light and sunshine in our lives and his smiles, twinkling eyes and laughter are infectious. He makes Randy, Cruz and I laugh every single day and shows us so much love and affection - we are so blessed to have this bundle of joy in our family and I am so thankful that God picked us to give Lucas to!

Carmel Valley Ranch

This year I decided to splurge for my birthday and we spent the weekend at the amazing Carmel Valley Ranch resort and what a treat it was! It was relaxing, rejuvenating and great for the entire family. 

After checking in, and to my kids' delight, we were escorted to our guest room in a golf cart - look at the smiles on those faces!

Excited!

Upon arrival in our room, it was my turn to smile with the complimentary champagne and a birthday card from the hotel.

Bubbly!

Our room was practically a one-bedroom apartment with a living room, large bathroom and comfortable bedroom. 

Home for the weekend

We kicked off our shoes, poured some champagne, and exhaled on our balcony while absorbing the beautiful scenery of the Carmel Valley. 

We finished off the evening with a great meal at the hotel's restaurant, followed by all-you-can-eat s'mores by a roaring campfire poolside! The kids were over the moon when they spotted the wagon piled high with marshmallows, whole chocolate bars and graham crackers. Ok, maybe Randy and I were too :)

The next morning we kicked off our day with a visit to the resort's organic garden and chicken coop. One of the farmer's assistants was on hand to teach kids about the different kinds of hens living at the ranch, their eating habits and how to care for them. The boys picked cherry tomatoes off the vine and fed the hungry hens. 

Up close and personal

After the "chicken chat" (as it's called at the resort), we walked down to the Clubhouse for breakfast, admiring the beautiful grounds of Carmel Valley Ranch along the way. In addition to the organic garden, the resort also boasts their own lavender fields. Guests can even sign up for classes on making your own lavender products like oils, hand lotions and soaps. We also ran into lots of wild turkeys throughout the resort!

Natural beauty

After a hearty breakfast, we headed on to our next activity - geocaching - a first for all of us! Geocaching is a real-life, hide and seek treasure hunt that happens all over the world. Participants use a GPS device to locate treasures hidden anywhere and everywhere, and log their finds online. The Ranch has their own version that is restricted to their property, and so we went ahead and tried our hands at it. Armed with written clues and a handheld GPS device provided by the Resort, we were off!

Cruz the navigator

Found a cache hidden in a pine tree

The caches are usually hidden and camouflaged. Once you find it, you open up the container, pull out the paper log, enter the date and your initials so you can show that you've been there. Then you can either take the "treasure" (in our case, little trinkets like beads, erasers, tiny toys) or leave something of equal value. Then you re-hide the cache for the next person to find.

It was a fun activity that the whole family was able to enjoy, and it also allowed us to explore the sprawling acres of the resort. Luckily it was a gorgeous sunny day, which made it even better. To cool down from traipsing all over the resort, we then hit the pool! We spent the remainder of the afternoon there and it was by far the best part of the weekend for me. Aside from swimming with the kiddos, I read a book, enjoyed a glass of wine, napped and sunbathed. It was the ultimate way to de-stress, unplug and just...be. 

Sweet escape

That evening, we ventured into town and had dinner at a yummy Korean restaurant. Once we again, we enjoyed a nightcap of s'mores by the fire!

Sunday was my actual birthday, and Randy surprised me with a spa reservation for even more pampering. I indulged in the 80 minute massage and relaxed even more in the spa lounge with some tea, and munched on dried fruit and nuts. Boy was it hard to leave!

Reluctantly we packed up and hit the road for home. As a final celebration of my 36th birthday, our awesome neighbors called us over and treated us to more champagne and freshly baked chocolate cheesecake! 

Cheers!

I knew last year's birthday would be hard to top (we were at a lobster bake in Maine), but I must say, this year's celebration did not disappoint. It was the perfect respite from our hectic lives, and I was surrounded by the people I love most - what more could a birthday girl ask for?

Household Chores

Anyone who knew my mother, knew she ran a tight ship in our household. Friends and family who visited our home often joked that she ran a boot camp, because my sister and I were taught at a very early age about household chores. We were told that helping around the house was our way of contributing to the family, along with doing well in school. I believe I was 6 years old when I began doing chores; my job was to set and clear the dinner table every night, wipe down and Windex the glass top. Every Saturday (and I do mean every Saturday), my sister and I cleaned our entire house from top to bottom. We weren't allowed to watch TV, play outside or visit with friends until the house was sparkling.

Growing up I resented the Saturday drill, and envied my friends who barely lifted a finger around their houses. And yet, now that I'm a parent, I can see the value in teaching this type of responsibility to kids. My kids are growing up with far more privileges than I ever did, and I worry about them developing a sense of entitlement or ingratitude. Now that Cruz is 6 years old, we've started implementing regular chores for him. They are pretty simple and straightforward:

• Make bed every morning
• Set the table for dinner every night
• Clear your and Lucas' dishes from the table every night
• Put away toys every night
• Every Sunday, empty garbages throughout the house

At this stage, Cruz mostly thinks the chores are fun, especially changing the garbages (go figure!). And because Lucas wants to do everything his big brother does, he ends up helping out too - win win!

Teamwork emptying garbages

Getting utensils on tippy toes

Pulling placemats

Setting the table together

Vacuuming

I think my mom would be proud that I am teaching my boys in the same fashion that she taught me, albeit I'm not quite as strict! It also makes me feel good that I am teaching them some life skills and beginning what I hope is a foundation of responsibility and hard work.

My 36th Birthday

I type this on the eve of my 36th birthday, on the balcony of my hilltop hotel room, overlooking the beautiful Carmel Valley. I don't hear anything but the rustle of leaves, an occasional bird call and the gentle swish of the wind. It is so peaceful and serene that it's easy to relax and move into reflection. I am grateful for so many things. I have an incredible amount of things to be thankful for and I try to be mindful of them every single day. But the saying goes, with age comes wisdom; here's what I've learned: My life is not without the ups and downs, stress, worry, negativity or difficult situations. But I have reached a place in my life that I have grown enough as a person to know that those things do not control me. I choose how to respond to the things life presents me and I can choose positivity and to be happy. I have learned that with the exception of extreme circumstances, we generally always have the option to be happy, and that is a basic yet very powerful idea to me. I hope that I will always have the strength, courage and clarity to choose happiness.

I don't actually worry about my age very much, because I think as the years go by, life gets sweeter for me. I don't mind that extra candle on the cake as long as I have friends, family and love. I look forward to the experiences, adventure and memory-making that await me!



Blue Apron

I started seeing Blue Apron being mentioned in various blogs that I read, and it had an occasional appearance in my Facebook newsfeed when someone 'liked' it. Because I spend what feels like 80% of my weeks meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking, I figured I'd check them out. 

I read through their website and decided to give them a shot - I am all for simplifying my life on the weekdays. This is how it works: you sign up for how many meals you'd like to receive each week (minimum is 3) and for how many people (minimum is 2). You can add your dietary restrictions here as well, so the meals will work around these. You choose what day of the week you'd like to receive your shipment, and that's about it. The shipment arrives with all the ingredients and recipes for all your meals. Caveat: you can't really be a picky eater because you don't choose your meals, each week is already pre-determined. 

I started off with 3x a week, for 2 people. Looking ahead at the types of meals they have, some were kid-friendly and some were not. Since this was a trial run, I figured I could make separate meals for the boys if necessary. Otherwise, I was going to try and just tweak what I got so they could eat it too.

My first shipment arrived in this large, refrigerated box.

I opened it up and saw everything neatly packaged and labeled.

This part I absolutely love about Blue Apron: everything you need for a recipe is already pre-portioned, and measured out specifically in the amounts you need. So when it's time to cook, you can just throw the ingredients in without measuring. That's one of their selling points - you reduce the amount of food and money wasted because you are only getting what you need.

One blogger wrote that the 2-person option was enough for 2 adults and 2 small kids, but I disagree. Here is the protein we received, and it's literally just for two people. For example, we received 2 chicken thighs for one dish, 4 small pork cutlets for another and 2 pieces of fish for the third. I think a 3-person option would be ideal for our family, but the only other option for us would be 4 people. That would be too much food and also quite pricey.

Good variety of protein for the week

These are the awesome recipe cards that come in your shipment. There are clear, easy to follow instructions, and lots of photographs to illustrate each step. 

The three meals we had were really delicious and each took only about 30-35 minutes to cook, which even included some minimal prep (washing and slicing veggies). The meals are definitely healthier than getting take-out because you control the amount of oil and salt. I also like that there is a vegetable component to every dish so you feel like you are getting a balanced meal. The kids did eat 2 out of the 3 dishes we made, but the pork was a little too spicy for them. 

Chicken thighs with roasted eggplant and heirloom tomato salad

Seared cod with roasted parmesan squash and potatoes

Spiced pork medallions, peach salsa, green bean rice

3 meals for 2 people costs $60/week, so $10 per person each meal. Excluding fast food meals, that is cheaper and far healthier than getting take-out. However, for someone like me, who lives in the suburbs (land of chain restaurants) and cooks regularly, I know I can cook meals for the entire family for less (most of the time). I won't be using Blue Apron every week, however I do plan to utilize them when I have those crazy busy weeks when I don't have time to grocery shop, let alone come up with a meal plan. Blue Apron will be my go-to when I need a pseudo-break from the kitchen and want someone else to do all the thinking for me. Overall I think it's a great service that could be beneficial to lots of people. 

Screen Printing Saturday

As a full time working mom in corporate America, I don't always get a chance to learn new creative things; so when the opportunity presents itself, I'm all over it! Recently I took a craft night class at the Oh Happy Day studio and learned the basics of screen printing, and boy was it fun! I had zero experience with screen printing and only had a vague idea of what it even was, but I was eager to learn and the class was perfect for newbies. 

I've seen pictures of the studio's famous balloon window on their blog, but seeing it in person was even better. And the icing on the cake: a joyful PopNation cart welcoming students to the class. 

Such a happy little spot

Yummy options

I've been following the Oh Happy Day blog for a few years now so it was really nice to meet Jordan and visit their super cute studio.

Front door welcome

Words to live by

The class started with about 30 minutes of screen printing 101 and then we were off to get our hands dirty. I brought tons of kid shirts to print on and plan to give them as Christmas gifts (I know, I know, it's only August, but I'm neurotic like that).

One of the printing stations

Ready for printing

The actual technique was not terribly hard, but very nuanced. You had to master just the right amount of pressure to ensure even, rich, ink distribution. 

Lining up the shirt

Applying the ink

These are some of the adorable samples they had on display, simple but so cute!

As a craft night attendee, you even get some swag to take home. We got these chic little office supplies which will help glam up my cubicle life a little!

I took the class by myself which was another nice alternative to "me time". It also made me realize that I need to find more ways to stimulate the ol' right brain on a more regular basis. Let the creative juices flow!

Boy Meets 1st Grade

Another school year is upon us, and my big boy is now a "grader" as the former kindergartener would say. This year's first day of school picture was a lot of fun to do - thanks to Pinterest for the idea, and thanks to the hubby for executing (he did the drawing and writing!).

August 20, 2014

Randy took some test shots and here's one of the outtakes that I think is hilarious! Lucas never wants to be left out.

This melts my heart

Standing outside his new classroom

Lucas couldn't stop hugging his Kuya

Proud parents

Due to some last minute changes and an increase in first-graders throughout the school district, another 1st grade class was added just days before school started. Cruz was switched to the new class and ironically, his teacher is the same one he had in kindergarten! He was happy about that since that calmed some of his first-day-of-school butterflies.

Found his new desk, with Lucas sticking close

One more goodbye hug

At the end of the last school year, our school was evaluated for and subsequently awarded as a California Distinguished School. That is certainly a feather in the cap for the school and it's community, and we are proud to be a part of it. 

Before leaving campus, we took advantage of the free espresso bar and mini donuts cooked on the spot, hosted by the school's PTA. Who can say no to free java and donuts??

We can't wait to see what the new school year has in store for our little guy. Hope the first day of school was/is a smooth and happy one for all of you as well!