SPT- Aurora Park

Stop number two on the Summer Park Tour is Aurora Park.

I have to give Patrick credit for this one. He told me a few weeks ago that he had seen this park from a far and though we should try it out. Since he was the one who discovered it, I thought it was only fair that we go on the weekend when he could be with us.

Then, if I hated it I could tell him immediately...repeatedly...and vehemently...that he was a complete parenting amateur and could never again be trusted to make decisions for the family.

Luckily for Patrick, this park is amazing!

We picked up bagels and coffee (lots of coffee) and drove over. This park is tucked into an older neighborhood and is absolutely beautiful. It is a big park, with lots to do, but feels intimate. There are four sets of coffee style tables with benches around three sides of them, kind of like a living room. You can see the kids playing from just about everywhere in the park.

There are two play structures (one for little kids and one for older kids), a half basketball court, a small field, and an adjacent hiking trail.

When we first got there the park was empty, but for a couple teenagers shooting hoops. As the morning wore on, it got busier.

There seemed to be a lot of grandparents with grandchildren that walked over from the neighborhood homes. This thrilled me because not only was there a nice sense of community, but the children were all supervised.

I know I am going to sound like an old woman, but what is it nowadays with parents who don’t supervise their kids???

PROS

• Two play structures
• Six slides
• Three rock walls
• Swings
• Lots of places to sit
• Sand
• Rubber playground material
• Easy parking
• Play area away from the street
• Great visibility
• Peaceful

CONS

• No bathrooms

Franklin "waiting to catch” Coco on the slide.

Vincent hits a rock wall.

Colette and Franklin were on the swings for a long time. None of my kids have really ever liked to swing until the last few months. When Vinny was younger he would fall asleep in them. I wish getting him to sleep nowadays was that easy!

A rare photo of myself with the kids. I tell Patrick he has to take the photos occasionally so that when they are older they know that I did stuff with them...and wasn’t home alone...drinking. This triple slide was so much fun.

Aurora Park has taken over the top spot on the Summer Park Tour. If you are keeping track, here is the current ranking:

1. Aurora Park

2. Seaview Park

Thanks for reading!

Summer Kick Off Party

Vincent has been chomping at the bit to start working on our Summer Bucket List. On the last day of school, I though we would usher in summer with a new family tradition and have a Summer Kick Off Party.

We all got ready for bed early, before Patrick got home from work. The Southern California “June gloom” is lingering this year so we couldn't eat outside, but we did get out our summer place mats. We had pizza and melon for dinner and talked about the best parts of the school year.

For dessert we had a Sand Cake.

Franklin was concerned it was real sand- so he put his tongue in it. This is why we don’t invite non-family members to our parties.

Once it was determined that this sand was edible everyone rejoiced.

Nothing says, “summer is here” like sand and umbrellas.

Then we read each item on our Summer Bucket List. After every item Vincent would say, “Ohh, I hope we can do that one tomorrow.”

The boys folded each one and placed them in the bucket, which is permanently displayed on the kitchen table until the end of summer.

Let the summer fun begin!

Baseball and Cracker Jacks

We have a friend of the family that I will call Randy...because his name is Randy.

He is from New Jersey, is old enough to have grand children, studies the racing forms, and loves to irritate conservatives. Basically, we have nothing in common with him. Still, he is one of our dearest friends.

Randy got two tickets for the Angels game Saturday night... because his Yankees were in town, and naturally he invited Patrick. I guess this would be considered a date. I don’t ask questions.

Since Patrick was abandoning us on a perfectly good Saturday night, I though the boys and I would have a little baseball fun of our own, and watch an evening game on TV. Much to my delight, the Padres were playing the Astros. While I am an Angels fan, my first love is, and always will be, the Padres.

I took this opportunity to start teaching the boys the rules of the game. They just finished up a 5-week baseball session offered through the city for young guys not yet old enough for little league. They loved it.

Vincent has a pretty decent attention span and loved practicing “groundies”.

Franklin bats both left and right handed...then runs directly to second base...no matter how many times you tell him to go to first. It’s a good thing he has such cute hair to look at as he runs the wrong way.

After getting Colette tucked in for the evening, we got into our pajamas and tore open some Cracker Jacks.

The prize was found.

Upon careful examination we all decided it would have been better if it were a tattoo.

I didn’t want to overwhelm them with too much information so I kept it simple and we worked on balls and strikes. By the end of the first few innings both boys could identify both as well as foul balls.

Vincent picked up on the fact that strikes were good when the Padres were pitching, but bad when they were at bat. Franklin kept repeating, “I like the Angels better.” He does this to spite me. He is the middle child...and a lot like his mother.

We cheered and high-fived when San Diego scored, and got anxious when Houston had runners on base. After the Padres won 6-3, the boys climbed into their beds and talked about baseball until they fell asleep.

It is too bad Patrick had a hot date.

Banana Bread for Kim

I have a great group of girlfriends. I think it is rare nowadays to find one or two really solid female friends, especially once you have kids. I am blessed to have four. Three of us were teachers together “back in the day”, and the other two were introduced to us by Kim.

Kim has the ability to talk to anyone- not just small talk, but a real conversation. She is always genuine and kind. She has more friends than I have purses and she is a fan of wine- both fine and from a box. We teased her for months when Michael Jackson died. She hadn’t heard the news and was having the hardest time figuring out why were talking about MJ so much at girl’s night.

She recently abandoned us and moved to Texas. She rudely did this without consulting anyone. Texas is lucky to have her.

So, this post is for Kim. Her kids love this banana bread recipe. We are in a vicious cycle with it. I give her the recipe. She forgets the recipe. She asks for it again. I forget to give it to her. I figured if I posted it here she could check whenever she needed it.

Here’s a picture of the five of us. That’s Kim in the back left. Katherine has the baseball cap on in front. Katherine is “allergic” to bananas. She probably saw the title of this post and dry heaved. That’s Zumba-machine Bridget in the middle. Until she joined the clan I was the youngest of the lot. I try not to hold it against her. Crazy Audrey is on the far right. Like myself, Audrey has three kids...but that is not why she is crazy.

And here is the Banana Bread Recipe. I have been making it for about ten years and I think it is originally from Cooking Light Magazine. Sorry, Katherine!

2 cups baking mix (I use Bisquick)

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 (8oz) package of cream cheese.

Cream together the sugar and cream cheese. Add the bananas and eggs- mix well. Add the baking mix and stir until combined. Bake in a greased loaf pan in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, then tent with tin foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

My oven stinks so I always bake it for an extra 15 minutes- just make sure a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean and you are good to go.

You can add nuts, or chocolate chips. A splash of almond extract would be yummy. I like butter or cream cheese slathered on it.

Alternatively, you can make this healthier by using low fat cream cheese and “Heart Smart” Bisquick, if that floats you boat...or in the case of our Texas friend, hitches your chuck wagon...drives your cattle...rattles your boots.

You know what I mean.

Summer Park Tour: Sea View Park

Our Summer Park Tour started last week with a stop at Sea View Park.

It was just Franklin, Coco and I, as Vincent was at school with Patrick for Daddy’s Pizza Night. I have driven past this park countless times when schlepping V to school so it worked out well to take the little one there for a quick picnic and play before doing the car/child switch-a-roo with Patrick so that I could help clean up after the event.

Here’s a tip mom’s: when there is an evening event at your children’s school, volunteer for clean up. You get to hang out with a bunch of other moms who are equally exhausted, there is no timeline or pressure to make anything perfect, your husband is doing all the before bed duties, and the kids are asleep by the time you get home. It is almost like a mini vacation.

Back to the park.

This is a tiny park, tucked into a neighborhood, with one tall play structure.

The boys love rock walls. There are two here. Vincent would be so bummed if he knew what he was missing.

I’m lucky that Coco has Vincent’s sweet temperament. She is patient and kind and cautious. Until she hits the playground....then she is fearless...like Franklin. Lord help me.

The spiral slide was at least 8 feet tall. Franklin caught Coco at the bottom, while I helped her at the top. Have I told you I am not a fan of heights?

And here is the view from the park.

Despite the outrageous taxes, high cost of living, horrific traffic and incompetent state government, California has a few redeeming qualities.

Franklin and Colette are developing quite a nice little relationship.

I have decided to keep them.

Back to the park.

Pros

• Two rock climbing walls.
• Rubber playground surface.
• Far enough off the street.
• Slide that can be climbed from the bottom (this is big for Frank)
• Easy parking.
• Quiet.
• Empty!
• Ocean view

Cons

• Really high slide.
• Really high everything. (Coco could not go up by herself.)
• No bathroom.

I have debated how to rate the parks on the SPT...because that is what I debate about now...the merits of one park compared to the next. Sometimes I miss criminal law.

I thought about a star system. But that seems so expected. I thought about using the system I use for new recipes- Excellent, Very Good, or into the trash...because if it isn’t very good or excellent, why bother making it again? This could work for parks. What about letter grades? In the words of Franklin, "Nah."

I settled on a ranking system, based on the park as a whole.

So...Congratulations Sea View Park. You are NUMBER ONE!!!! It doesn’t matter that it is because you are the first park on the SPT. Bask in your glory.

How well do you know your friends? A Zumba Story.

I thought I knew my friend Bridget pretty well.

We have children the same age. We have play dates and family dinners at each other’s houses. We visited each other in the hospital after the birth of our babies. Our husband’s get along smashingly. Our children balance out each other’s personalities. I can tell her anything.

We have met each other’s mothers...and they are similar.

I don’t mind that she is always perfectly coifed and she doesn’t mind that I curse a bit. She encourages me to shop, and I encourage her to eat baked goods.

It is a wonderful friendship.

Then, when you think you really know someone, they surprise you.

Since last summer Bridget has been inviting me to Zumba class. I am a little late to the party on this one, as Zumba has been quite the thing to do for the last couple years. I kept telling her that I would think about it, but I have never gone.

Truth be told, I am the solitary runner type. Tell me you’ve found a new course to run, I’m there. I will do a local 10K with you, no problem. I’ve run five half marathons, and one full marathon. I will run.

But Bridget is my friend, and she is so enthusiastic about her Zumba. The kids can play together in the recreation center childcare and I can burn a few extra calories. And it will make Bridget happy. She is so sweet and such a good friend.

How bad can it be?

So, I met Bridget at the rec center. I’m pretty sure she was shocked that I showed up. The orange, tasseled Zumba scarf she was wearing around her waist equally shocked me. The children pretended like they would miss us when we dropped them off at childcare.

I needed a number to ensure my admission to Zumba class. They only allow 49 participants; just enough to make me the laughing stalk of the city. Bridget told me I had to stand in the front so I could follow along. I took the second row. That’s close enough for me.

The instructor said we were warming up with belly dancing. The only belly dancing I am familiar with is the aftermath of jalapeno poppers with an ice-cold Corona. A fantastic lunch, in case you are wondering. “Warm-up” was a misnomer; because it was full throttle from the first Rumba to the last Salsa.

Sufficiently frightened, I looked over at my even-tempered friend who does the second reading at our parishes 10:30 Mass, and isn’t phased by my Franklin catapulting his body into her 21-month-old on the trampoline, and see a woman I have never met before.

Bridget has more energy than the instructor. She doesn’t miss a single step. She claps louder than all the other Zumbies. She is smiling in between songs. I’m a hot mess in my ponytail, meanwhile her hair is keeping a better beat than my whole body. While I get gulps of water between routines, she is bouncing in place. I’m pretty sure she yelled “Zumba” a few times. At one point she turns around and tells me we are about to do her favorite routine- it involved a lot of shaking. Who is this person?

I survived Zumba. It made me concentrate on what I was doing in the moment. This means I was not thinking about folding laundry, or the kids’ college funds, or devising a plan for world peace.

I burned a million and a half calories, and it was only 11:00. The music was so fantastic that I really wanted a margarita when we finished...but when do I not want a margarita? The kids had a blast in childcare.

I’m still not a group exercise person. I am a solitary runner. But I will meet Bridget again next week for Zumba.

I think I could be friends with this crazy woman in the bright orange scarf.

Summer Park Tour: An Introduction

I have a love/hate relationship with parks.

Up until a couple years ago I viewed play structures as germ infested, ill-behaved-children-magnets, where a broken arm and child abduction were waiting to happen. I attribute this to the fact that I don’t remember ever going to the park as a child.

This is understandable. I spent the first years of my life in Los Angeles in the late 70’s, when the crime rate was rising... fast.

Seven years later when we moved “behind the Orange curtain” a healthy fear of strangers (and anything that moved) was already fully ingrained in me. I spent a lot of time reading and playing with my Barbie dolls... which is why I have a JD and fantastic purses. I couldn’t tell you the closest parks to my childhood homes.

Two things have happened to change my view on parks.

First, I need fresh air. I am unsure why this is, as I have always been an indoor gal and homebody. Suddenly, I have to have the windows open year round and need to get outside more than when I was younger. In the early morning and late afternoon you will find me folding laundry on the front porch while the kids play in the courtyard. Yes it is tacky, especially when I am still in my bathrobe and my hair is a hot mess, but I think it does something for my serotonin levels.

Second, I have friends with kids. This means when you get together to see the other moms, it is most likely at a park. I’m not going to lie. I dreaded these get togethers when the boys were younger. While Vincent was content to sit with a bucket and a dump truck in the sand, Franklin was fearlessly trying to climb something too big for him. I would spend most the time protecting Franklin from falling over a ledge and making sure strange men were actually there with a child, and not looking at mine. If I contributed to or heard a conversation the other moms were engaged in it was a banner day.

But slowly, something changed. I started looking forward to watching Franklin’s zest for adventure and seeing Vincent interact with kids other than his brother. The boys could run and play for an hour without squabbling and the fresh air did me good. When Colette was an infant it was easy to park her in the infant carrier or carry her in the sling while we got out of the house for a bit.

Some things have not changed. I still look out for strangers. I throw the kids in the shower as soon as we get home so no one gets meningitis. I fear broken bones. However, I love the park.

We have been in a park rut the last few months. We tend to go the same one over and over again. It is an amazing park, but in the interest of expanding our horizons and finding other great places to play, we are starting the Summer Park Tour. Our maiden adventure was last night. I was going to post about it today, but think I will save it until next time. If you have read this far you are a saint...or don’t want to do the dishes...or go to Zumba class.

So, for now I will leave you with the anticipation of the SPT. It sure beats the NGSS (New Grocery Store Search), which I started this morning!

Have a great Thursday!