This afternoon we grabbed some greek food with Kimber & Abe and headed straight for the market where they had the most gorgeous produce, kettle corn (a must), and a musical serenade for Abe & Charlie. It's supposed to be 80 degrees by Friday. 80 in January. As much as I miss having 'real seasons' here in L.A., I am totally over it when January rolls around. Bring on the warmer weather!
I know I've blogged about the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball before, but really, it's that amazing. For you locals, the first Thurs. of every month is FREE. I thought it would be a lot more crowded (it's usually a zoo on free days) but it was surprisingly light in the traffic department. 
I always get so inspired when I come here. It makes me want to get my craft on and start whipping up animals made out of macaroni noodles and whatnot. These Kiwi Birds bodies are made from boxing gloves and the beaks are badminton birdies. Amazing. 
This red cowboy boot was transformed into a rooster. When wheeled around, the head bopped up & down. 
If you exit out the back end of the exhibit and head downstairs (outside, using the ampitheatre stairs) there is a children's art room that is open during holiday breaks and I think the Summer.. anyway we cut & glued and used wire and wood to make our own little creations. 
On your way to the Noah's Ark exhibit, you pass the "1,000 Journals" room which is this amazing room with 1,000 journals. They encourage you to write a little something in an assortment of journals that have been provided. There is a great space for kids in this room to color and add their own little mark : )
We also hit the Maira Kalman exhibit. It was accidental, but Henry noticed an oversized poster of the dog "Max" hanging from the ceiling. We own a handful of her books and the kids love them. In 2004 we took a trip up to Montreal from Boston with some friends for a weekend getaway. I always buy a children's book when we go on vacation and when we went to Montreal, I bought "What Pete Ate" by Maira Kalman. This was long before we had children, but I wanted to get a little collection of books going. If it was available, I'd try to purchase a children's book written by a local author or have the content be about the place we were visiting. Anyway- I don't think Maira is from Canada but we love her books all the same. Ironically, we would find out about a month later that we were pregnant with Henry (he was conceived on our trip to Montreal- I know, too much information. Thank you Ritz Carlton!) Here's my inscription in the book: 
And now, here I am 3 children later at Maira's exhibit. Isn't that funny? Henry was born 3 months after I wrote this. I remember writing this like it was yesterday. I was so anxious for that baby of mine to arrive! So there you go- we came full circle today at the Skirball! xoxo
Happy 2011! Chris went back to work this week after being off for 2 and I've got my last week with Henry home. He's been off for 3 weeks which has been heaven. I'm really dreading having him start back up with school next week. I took the children to the California ScienCenter this morning which was a hoot. It was good to get out and do some fun things. We've mostly spent this week being lazy homebodies which has also been equally enjoyable because who doesn't love being in p.j's all day? 
So how are your New Years Resolutions coming along? Did you make any? I never, ever make resolutions. I overheard on the radio this week that it's a bad idea to make resolutions but I didn't hear why (that would have been helpful.) I/We made a few big resolutions this year and I'm/We're feeling good about them. I think it's just getting into a good routine. If we can get some good routines going I think we'll have some success here. What do they say it takes 21 days or something for a routine to stick? So by the end of January we should be going strong. 
I'm taking advantage of these last few days of Henry's Winter break and think we'll hit the Skirball tomorrow and maybe, just maybe I'll brave Disneyland on Friday with all 3…
Happy New Year and here's to successful resolutions!
xo
The children rang it in east coast time, blowing horns & wearing crowns. 
As these last few minutes of 2010 go by, I wanted to thank you for being here & sharing in all the bits & pieces of 2010. 2011 is going to be a good one. I just know it. We have big plans, big goals that are going to effect every member of our family. We are committed to making it work. Yes, it absolutely will work. 
This is Henry "Leaping into a new year" as the ball dropped in New York City.
Here's to leaping into the unknown, working towards big things and lots and lots of happiness!
Happy New Year to You & Yours!
xoxo
Christmas just isn't Christmas without paperwhites blooming around the house. There is something about the way they smell. I close my eyes (I am a little dramatic, I know) and am instantly transported back to our apartment in Boston; being snowed in & and the cold, hard floors. We had these great old floors. They were huge planks of wood, maybe 8-10" wide. Anyway, I would be lying if I said I wasn't secretly wishing that I was snowed in back in that old apartment this week. I'm really missing Boston. 
I had a lot of paperwhites this year and not quite enough containers for all of them so the remaining 8 were placed in baby jars (which I always keep around and usually have tea lights burning in.) I put a few large pebbles, maybe 2 or 3, in each jar. I think the pebbles were purchased from a craft store years ago but I use them every year with the paperwhites. The bulbs were placed right on top, making sure there was just enough room for me to water them with. They are all lined up on my kitchen window sill. 
The only bummer about these flowers is that they get a bit unruly when they get so long. I read somewhere years ago that you can stunt their growth by adding alcohol or something but I always forget to do it and then (I'm feeling like I've blogged about this before…I probably have!!) they grow too long and get out of control.
Late at night we can hear the flowers 'popping' as they emerge from their little pod's. 
I also read somewhere about cutting off all the greens once they've bloomed and placing the bulbs in a shoebox and tucking them away for a year or so & then replanting…sound familiar? I'll have to look into it. Until then, I'll just stand next to them and deeply breathe them in.
Happy Holiday Week!
All the scenes that were set up around the house and how I was asked to photograph all of them (from every possible angle… 'get on the floor Mom') Let me introduce you to "King Henry." 
I loved how Kate insists that her dolls hair remain in "messy buns" and had a minor meltdown when Charlie pulled one side out. No names yet for this new doll- but somehow Abby has emerged as a front runner. 
I loved seeing my baby bathing in the kitchen sink (pink eye is on the mend!) 
I loved seeing the little bits and pieces of Christmas sprinkled around the house. 
I loved how Henry, who has been getting to stay up later than usual, gathered up his new crayons & started coloring while I was on the computer. 
I loved his drawing and even more how much he loves his sister (as long as she's not bossing him around.)
I finished the doll! Kate loves it and her new dollhouse (the doll doesn't actually fit in the house but it wasn't meant to). Charlie woke up with the gift of a Christmas pink eye and Henry, well he woke up at 5:30- SO excited to see what Santa brought. We got the gift of some Christmas theft to our bank account, we got jelly-of-the-month-club'ed and well, I'm coming down with a bit of something. We are a barrel of fun! I'm taking a few days off and will see you here next week. Merry Christmas!! xoxo
The sheep's wool finally arrived last night and the little doll body was ready & waiting. She was filled. Tonight I am tacking the head (I'm very scared about that part) and sewing on the limbs. That little girl of mine really wants a doll for Christmas. The pressure is on. 4 more evenings to finish it. I can do it!! 
I was asked if I wanted to participate in a 'stocking swap' for Christmas this year. I initially didn't because I just didn't think I could make 13 gifts along with everything else that was happening in my life but, in the end, I decided to do it. And to SIMPLIFY. Everyone posted who their kids were (I only knew one other Mama out of 5) their ages and if it was for a boy or girl. It was a range in ages from about 1-10? So I start thinking what I can make for that age group. And then it came to me: crayon pouches. Because who doesn't love crayons or pouches for that matter? 
The boys got the groovey green corderoy (on top) and the girls got this vintage green fabric with the yellow lining. I thought I was being all sorts of clever you know, it's like 2 gifts in one. The gift that keeps on giving. And then….I saw what all the other mama's were making and it wasn't looking good for me or my pouches. They each made individual, personalized gifts for every child. Now I start looking like I took the easy way out (I totally did.) So then I try to make up for it (sort of): 
by putting on clever Christmas ribbon and a big jingley bell…something tells me they will not be fooled. Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about doing it all again next year.
For those who purchased the Holiday Essentials Studio- the step by step tutorial on how to make these pouches is listed there. AND it's never too late to sign up! You've got a whole week ahead of you to get your craft on 🙂 Click the sidebar link at the top over there —————–>
Want to see some of the cleverness? Check it out here. I am going to go & crawl under a rock now.
