This Sunday and next are the last two Jazz on the Lawn’s in Stewart Park!
You can take a picnic, lawn chairs and drinks to Stewart Park from 5-7 to hear live music. It’s REALLY fun and takes care of Sunday dinner/entertainment if you have little ones. This year they have added food trucks too in case you want to take it easy re: shopping, cooking & lugging dinner that inevitably no one will eat anyway.
WHERE: Stewart Park (where 28th turns into Stewart by 10 FWY in Santa Monica.
WHEN: Sundays in August 5-7PM
WHAT: Live music (This week: Cats with Class) & food trucks (This week: Dogtown Dogs & Sweet Lucie’s Organic Ice Cream.)
BRING: Picnic blanket, chairs & beverages (Both discrete & non-discrete types…)
There is a play structure just next to the stage so kids will be doubly or triply entertained!
I’ve been gone but miss writing my blog. Our family has needed us this year. Also, I’m trying to get some kind of third career going so that by the time the kids are in school I can make a little income.
In the midst of “being busy” (and wondering how much of this busy-ness is a choice?) I remember working crazy hours the year my mom got sick. I worked so much that if I ever got home “early” (like at 9PM) I had no idea what to do with myself. I worked most weekends too. Unless it was a client dinner I had no idea how to socialize or have fun. One night I had an anxiety dream in which my family was driving away from me and I couldn’t get to the car to get in before they left. Shortly after that my mom’s cancer was diagnosed and three months later she was gone.
Our friends have just suffered a huge loss – of a young mom/wife. We are in shock. Our hearts are broken and keep breaking for them.
By December I should have some free time back and I plan to protect it for important things.
Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or of a season?
-Robert Frost
From “Reluctance”
My mom in New Jersey
My mom died 12 years ago on September 19th. I still miss her.
We know another mom, a young one, who died today. We are hurting for our friends.
Remember this poster?
That kitten = my family right now. We are struggling this past month or so. My dear father in law has been in the ICU for several weeks from a brain hemorrhage. In addition to that, add 2 ER visits, a nasty cough/bronchitis, a car accident (no injuries but car is totaled), stomach flu, and asthma.
Besides my father in law, things could be a lot worse. Even his situation could probably be a lot worse. Lucky for Medicare – an efficient government-run national healthcare program that works really well, he’s been receiving top notch care at UCLA. If he had been relying on private insurance my in-laws would be bankrupt by now.
Every spring I look forward to a newish tradition: our Easter Egg Hunt & Brunch. I have enjoyed planning & executing it for the friends we don’t see enough. It’s a really fun day for us and I’ve been wracking my brain every night trying to figure out how I can do it this year. But I finally concluded that it’s just not do-able this year. G’s turning 40 the day before Easter and I don’t want to be totally stressed during his birthday. I’d rather take the kids and let him go off on a bike ride that day. So it’s with great regret that I cancel our 3 year old tradition for this year. However, we’ll be back next year!! Mark your calendar for Easter 2014!
As for that adorable kitten, HANG IN THERE!
People who know me know I hate driving. The more you don’t drive, the less you want to drive. Also, I think my eyesight is going and I’m dreading that puff-of-air-on-the-eyeball test at the optometrist. Regardless of my first world (non)issues, I heard about the Noah’s Ark Exhibit at the Skirball Center from loads of people and decided that, since M might be in school full time next year, I’d better get her over there while I still could.
You need to make a reservation ahead of time. This can be done online and is great as it keeps it from being too crowded.
Here’s the link to the ticket info ($5 for kids over 2, $10 for adults).
Thursdays are free but since Thursday didn’t work out for us that week, we went on Friday after M’s Spanish class.
I was worried about braving the 405 only to find a crowded, hot & sweaty indoor playground covered with whatever the kids had for lunch. I also dreaded the parking situation which is a rational fear when you live in LA. All my fears were for naught!
It was a Friday afternoon around 12:45PM. When we pulled up, ours was the only car. There were plenty of parking spots. Parking is FREE!!! Parking is easy. You won’t lose your car here!
We shared a quick sandwich on the patio.
M is wearing her Aunt Charlotte’s vintage dress. How cute is that?
What is Noah’s Ark, you ask? Just what it sounds like – a massive wooden ark in the basement of the Skirball Center. It’s amazing!
Kids can rotate, slide, turn, pull levers, gears, wheels and stuffed animals (though not necessarily in that order!)
There’s a mini ark inside the big ark!
Comfy walrus chairs to rest on.
On the other side of the ark, children can make crafts. Today they were weaving.
Sometimes the animals …ahem…poop.
They have little brooms & dustpans to clean it up.
You can climb the ladder to the second floor.
And head back down on the walkway.
The tickets are for 2 hours. Which is perfect.
Noah’s Ark Exhibit
Skirball Cultural Center
$10 General
$7 Seniors
$5 Children 2-12
Free to all visitors on Thursdays
(Be sure to read the website for more info – for example: tickets much be purchased ahead of time online for Thursdays and other days.)
There’s a cafe and sandwich/salad cart. Parking is free!!
