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Since having kids we've pretty much ignored Valentine's Day. Who has time for romance when you have to change diapers, wipe snot, vacuum cookie crumbs, and yell at someone about spitting food everywhere, not all the folks being yelled at are human at times. But this year is different, this is our very first diaper-free year. The other stuff still applies but not having to deal with diapers is big. So Mr. BAW managed to convince me that it is ok to leave the kids with grandparents so we can take a little overnight trip. What better time to do so than over a four-day weekend?! So we headed down to the charming coastal town of San Clemente only around an hour and a half south of us.

We stayed at a little B&B, my very first time at a B&B, very centrally located called Always Inn. The place is small and basic. But the location is awesome and the lady who runs it is super friendly and a great cook. The best part is that she let me raid her extensive succulent garden and I brought back some exotic succulents to my collection. The two days were amazing. We browsed antique shops, fancy home decor stores, and ate at fancy restaurants. The whole experience was so luxurious without the stress of chasing after two hyper, though highly adorable, kids. I made two purchases I was mighty proud of, a jade fish and a vintage Kate Spade purse, both for $15 each. So we had a wonderful Valentine's Day thanks to my In-Laws for watching the kids. But I did miss the kids by the second day. Haha, glad we only did an overnight trip. But baby steps right? Hope you had a wonderful Presidents' and Valentine's Day weekend.

Me, very relaxed at Casa Romantica.

The strand by the pier.

San Clemente Pier.

Seaside dining.

The fog was dissipating as we strolled the pier.

Browsing the shops of San Clemente.

Charming.

My proud antique find.

Free succulents!!

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Posted February 20, 2016

The new Year of the Monkey started out pretty crazy. Days continue to blend in. Even my six year old comments on how quickly the weekends come, much to his delight! Each night I'm lucky if I get into bed by 930pm. But as we approach Spring, my garden is growing, the kids are having fun, and life is more beautiful. Here are a few things I've been meaning to share with you but I keep forgetting:

1) I've discovered, quite a while ago (maybe almost a year now), that if you mix pink toothpaste and blue toothpaste together it makes light purple toothpaste! It's especially fun if you put both toothpaste on the toothbrush and just let the colors mix in their mouths as they brush. Of course, it's usually just Ahgoo who likes to do that because Buzz neither wants pink nor purple toothpaste.
2) A few nights ago, the kids got to watch a little TV after dinner. Buzz got to pick the show because he finished his dinner first. He decided that he wanted to watch Lego Batman. I asked Mr. BAW, "Is this appropriate for the kids?" I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be too scary for Ahgoo. Buzz responded quickly, " Yes, they don't take their clothes off." Mr. BAW and I just looked at each other like..."Where did he get that from??!!" I wanted to laugh so hard!
3) Toby had been experiencing signs of a bladder infection, his urine had some mucus. So I searched the internet and discovered a home remedy of feeding him a tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar with his meal twice a day. It worked!! He felt much more comforatable after a few days of treatment. So much better than giving him antibiotics.

There, that's life in a nutshell for now. At the end of January, our lovely cousin and favorite pediatrician came to visit us from Colorado. She grew up in San Juan Capistrano but haven't visited LA in more than twenty years. So we had a blast showing her arount Downtown LA. Of course we took her to the usual places like the Grand Central Market and Little Tokyo. It also happened to be museum free day but we didn't want to wait in line for an hour to get into MOCA. Anyway, I'd like to share a few pictures of DTLA I've not shown before in my previous DTLA posts. Enjoy!

The Million Dollar Theater. We are eagerly awaiting for them to finish renovation.

Tent city LA. I won't lie, there are still sketchy parts of DTLA. But they are becoming smaller.

Historic Olvera Street.

Shops along Olvera Street.

Beautiful mural.

The Grand Park with City Hall in the back. I love the 70's feel of this picture. But with the bright pink chairs, you're reminded that it's 2016! :-)

MOCA.

Urban play park.

General goofiness.

Happy Chinese New Year!! It's the year of the Monkey and apparently it's been predicted to be a turbulent year, just like the mischievous monkey. So I'm going to rely on gardening to bring me peace. :-) So my love of succulents didn't quite start out with a spark. It took a while for me to see the beauty in these interesting shapes. Mr. BAW's aunt has an assortment in her yard, my parents have a random assortment in their yard as well. Over the past year, I just kind of "stole" a few plants from them here and there. They are extremely easy to propagate and they seem to do well in my yard, even over winter. Also, Pinterest has been very instrumental in the growth of my love of succulents. There are so many beautiful arrangements on Pinterest that I can't help but fall in love with these hardy plants. I especially love the ones that look like little roses. But I am also like the stringy ones too. I'm hoping to grow them more this summer season. We're currently going through a week-long heatwave after a rainy couple of weeks so my plants are very happy.

Lovely.

My pot of little flowers.

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Posted February 8, 2016