Happy Holidays!

James parents came over for 3 days, over Christmas. Since they don’t travel well due to health and diet restriction reasons, we stayed home during their visit. The kids loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa.

For Christmas, I got James 3 shirts, and he bought me Angel perfume (my favorite) and 2 lens caps for my camera (I always lose them.) Zachary received a new bike, lots of books, and a fish gem art project. Calista got a Barbie with battery-operated horse, Chinese New Year activity book,  and play cash register. Both kids also received cash/gift cards from both sets of Grandparents. The favorite toy this year was the cash register.

James and I escaped two out of three nights to catch a movie. We watched Skyfall (excellent, reminded me of Silence of the Lambs) and The Hobbit (meh. Reminded me of  Army or Darkness, Twilight, and Winnie-the-Pooh). Funny how $21 for movies seems like a great deal when you don’t have to pay for babysitters!

On Friday, we went to Mikunis for dinner. I love their barbecue tuna with red sauce … and of course, I had to order a specialty roll … and a tako appetizer. It was fortunate I got my Mikunis fix, because there restaurant caught on fire and closed (temporarily) a few days later.

Saturday, I met up with Sara and Rachel for ice skating. Going later in the day (after 4pm) meant fun lights with music. It was a bit too crowded, so for those who can, I recommend going during the work day.  After skating, we went to Red Robin for dinner. 45 minute wait (ugh!) but the kids love that place so it was worth it.

Sunday, we ventured to Soda Springs for snow play and boarding. We’ve taken Zach a few times when he was younger, and we’ve always had a good time. There was no traffic on the way, so I was hopeful. As it turns out, it’s just because we get up earlier than most people. By the time, we got our rentals, the line for tickets was out the door. Since we missed the 10am lessons, we had to take a noon class. While waiting,  Zach and I did 2 runs on a green slope. We both fell a lot, and yes, the lift had to be stopped when we got on/off.  At noon, we gathered for our lesson … with about 30 other people. It took about 10 minutes to get everyone strapped into their boards. Then one by one, people would try moves and topple over, and the instructor would come by to help. It was a comedy of errors, and a colossal waste of time; We were freezing just standing there, waiting. Zach and I bailed half way into the lesson. James and Calista had met up with her friend Cassie at the snow play area, and they had had enough as well. The later it got, the more crowded the resort became.

I’m glad we got there early, otherwise we wouldn’t have even gotten that one hour of snowboarding. My advice … go early to beat the crowd, buy your own equipment or rent somewhere else (I’ve heard sports store will sometimes rent them), get private lessons (if you need lessons), and stay a few nights to amortize the drive time. Oh, and don’t go to the cheapest place in town because that’s where everyone else is. Or at least all the beginners, who take forever figuring out what package they want to buy, trying on equipment, and asking a billion questions. At the end, it took us 6.5 hours (almost 4 hrs to get there/back, 1 hour to get rentals, 45 minute lesson, 1 hour of real action) FAIL!

What better way to ring in the new year than with best friends? When spent New Years eve with Melissa and her family. Dinner had no theme … with time on my hands (no work,) I wanted to try a few recipes. We served baked honey mustard chicken, baked pesto chicken, summer squash casserole, and tikka butter masala. Side of store bought samosas and naan completed the meal, and dessert was fruit and cupcakes! We played a lot of new board games. It was awesome how the adults could compete in games while the kids played independently (and also joined us sometime for the games).

New Year’s day, Zachary and I ran a local charity 5k fun at 1pm. I ran a 10k that same morning, which was a bad idea (if I were trying for time), as my legs felt tired as soon as I started running. I finished at an astonishing poor 34 minutes … pretty sure I was the last runner in. And that was with my new sneakers too! After wearing $39 cross trainers since forever, I finally made it out to Fleet Feet and had them recommend a shoe for me. Since I had some heel pain and needed to train for a half marathon, I splurged on $100 Brooks Ravenna 3s and running socks.  The most valuable part? I found out I’m  a size 8 in sneakers! I’ve been wearing the wrong size for years, assuming dress shoes and sneaker sizes were the same. They’re NOT! Anyway, I digress. Zach ran the 5k in 26:22. Which was also just okay for him, as his PR is ~24.

It was definitely one of our lower key holidays … with no travel and lots of time at home. That meant jogging more (logged 40k in 8 days), playing  games, talking walks and bike rides, and trying new recipes.

Calista is now the same age as Zachary was when she was born. When Zach was 4, we started over with a new baby (and I mean ‘start over’ in the best possible sense). Now I feel we are moving forward again. I intentionally spaced my kids as far as I did (over 4 years) because I wanted to make baby/toddlerhood last. It’s such a fleeting moment in life, being a parent of young children, that I wanted to stretch it as long as possible. In 2103, that phase of my life will be over. I’ll have school-aged children when Calista starts kindergarten next year. While I’ll always look back this time with fondness, I’m excited to start another phase in life. For sure, there will be more travel, preferably international.  Happy New Year everyone!

Okay, I love this time of year, which translates to me taking lots of pictures. James already figured that out about me – the happier I am, the more photos I take. I think it’s because I want to remember as much of it as I can. And do re-live the moments to some extent when I blog about my life or read my entries at a later date. So anyway, hopefully it’s not too much!

Friday, 2 weeks ago, Calista had her annual holiday program. It’s amazing how quickly kids grow and learn from year to year. I still remember Calista in the baby class, where they shook jingle bells and looked frightened up on stage. She is now in preK, belting out songs with (semi) coordinated dancing; her class was the “grand finale.”

Saturday, we went to one of our favorite holiday traditions: Alex and Nicole’s pajamas party! Calie had dance lessons right before, so ironically, she had to change back into pajamas for the party! The kids played games, and decorated gingerbread and sugar cookies. Of course, we also had lunch … roast turkey sandwiches. I still can’t understand why no one else likes the dark meat and crispy skin, that’s the best part! Finger lick’in good! (I’m classy like that)

The Xbox dance competitions were hilarious to watch! Sigh … I just love lounging around in comfy clothes with close friends.

In the evening, we went to our other favorite holiday party: Sara and Joe’s annual Christmas potluck. Complete with caroling and crazy white elephant gift exchange. I love how Sara can just pick out any song and play it on the piano … I have no musical talent (despite 4 years of torture, I mean classical training) and I’m really impressed by those who do.

It was a child-free party, so thanks to Sam for watching our kids!

Sunday, after swim lessons, I took both kids to Busy Kidz for a playdate with Cassie. Busy Kidz is an indoor city play area near our home, and for $10/child, kids could pretend play to their heart’s content. For older kids, they had a stack of games we like to play: Carcasonne, Stratego, Ticket to Ride etc. Adults are free admission, and they have a sitting area with wi-fi, tea, coffee, and magazines. Unfortunately, I had to use their free wi-fi, as there was another escalation at work. (Working on the weekends is really getting old.)

Right after the playdate, we went to Tabitha’s gingerbread house making potluck. Since their house is not big enough (that’s what they say), they use the meeting rooms at work. With movies playing on the big screen, I gorged on spicy salt and pepper pork chops, sushi, and red velvet cake. There was also pizza and spaghetti, but really, why eat anything else when there’s raw fish?

The kids had fun decorating, although they were no competition for the adults. I had never seen such a huge variety of gingerbread house building materials. I’ll have to ask them for the recipe for the frosting, as it was far better than the ones that come in the store bought kits. I’m inspired to bring back the haunted house making activity for my annual Halloween party. As the event was at work, I was able to quickly run into the lab upstairs. In the parking lot, I ran into someone from my team and we talked about the escalation. The kids were in the car, but the door was open. On the way to our next event, Calie said,”You yell at people and people yell back. And you say bad words.” (BTW, she means words like dumb and stupid) Me: “But am I nice at home?” Calie: “Yes, but Santa is also watching when you’re at work.”  What can I say.

Off to what next event? Anish’s 8th birthday party at SkyHigh! Unlike most birthday parties for Zach’s friends, most (all?) of the parents stayed for dinner. The best part was that it wasn’t just pizza – but Indian food catered from one of my favorite Indian restaurants.

Happy 8th Birthday Anish!

With all the holiday gorging, I was grateful that it didn’t rain and I ran 10k both Saturday and Sunday with my running group. Boy, I am out of shape, huffing and puffing after only a few miles. I just need to maintain for now … training for my half-marathon starts in January. I probably need to pick up some running shoes too, as I’ve been wearing cross trainers and my heels hurt when I run more than 2-3 miles. Maybe it would also help if I dropped a few pounds!

Wednesday, I had my annual team potluck. My team is now 35 people. And while not all could make it, we also had some special guests (people we work closely with) and spouses/kids. I bought a ~$100 rib-eye roast from Costco, and worked from home in the afternoon to make sure my house didn’t burn down. After all that work and expense, my meat thermometer failed me and the roast was well-done. I’m thinking it’s time to start using a catering service! I love this party despite how crowded it is (James counted over 50 guests.) I ask for so much from my team and, indirectly, their families, that I’ll always want to thank them personally.

Best. Team. Ever.

This weekend, we had planned to go up to Tahoe, as both kids are now old enough for full day ski/snowboarding lessons. Alas, mother nature had different plans and the entire weekend was raining. Not just drizzling, but real rain and wind … our neighbors on both side had their front yard Christmas decor knocked over into a pile of jumbled lights. So we stayed home. Calie went to dance class. I took a yoga class. We went to Busy Kids again.

In the evening, we went to Linus and Jess’ Christmas party. There were so many people, they rented out a clubhouse. Our samosa appetizers were a hit (all gone) and the set a colorful Asian bowls we contributed to the gift exchange were highly sought after. The gift exchange was a deviation of the usual “draw numbers, steal N times, N+1 owner keeps the gift” drill. It was faster paced and more suited for a larger group … hmmm… I may have to subject my team to that game next year. Thanks to Jess/Linus, Tabitha/Chigme, Sam/Melissa, Joe/Sara for hosting holiday parties this winter - I know how much effort goes into hosting a party, and we really appreciate getting an invitation! (Bummed to miss 3 other holiday parties this year, hopefully the dates and times will work out for us next year!)

We also played lots of games all weekend. And had Tabitha and her family over for an impromptu lunch playdate. They were coming to Folsom for some shopping, and I had a new Indian dish I wanted to make (Ok, it’s from a packet … but I still had to fry the paneer, stir the spice mix into milk, and sautee tomatoes! For me, that counts!) Indian food was perfect for a rainy day. After they left, I napped on the couch for 2.5 hours! I rarely nap unless I’m sick, so I’m thinking it must be the combination of Typhoid medication (for an upcoming trip to Bangalore) and all the yummy comfort food!

Hurray! It’s Sunday and I don’t have to go to work tomorrow … 2 more days off! I could get used to this!

Two weekends ago, we went to visit James’ parents for the day. We were originally going to spend Thanksgiving with them, but with my parents flying in from the east coast, we moved our trip (and they spent Thanksgiving with James’ sister instead). The kids fun playing with trains and dolls. With both kids entertained and no Internet, I flipped through catalogs until I fell asleep.

It was raining pretty hard Sunday morning, so we skipped out on our CIM (California International Marathon) fun run. I’m sure if I were running the actual marathon, I would have braved the storm, but it wasn’t worth a 2.63 mile route. Instead, we went to Melissa’s house for a play date and lunch. Much cozier! Plus, they served their award winning empanadas – yum.

In the late afternoon, Calista met up with her friend Cassie for a local production of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’ It was super cute, only 30 minutes and $7/ticket. We had Cassie and her parents over for dinner after the show.

Mid-week, Zachary’s school had a ‘Festival of Lights’ event, where each grade had displays of how people around the world celebrate the holidays. There were samples of food (the room for India was the yummiest!) and Santa was in the North Pole room. Zach asked Santa for a bike since his knees hit the handle bars of his current bike. Calie asked for a toy horse and new shoes.

Last Saturday was SUPER busy! Zach and I went on a 6.3 mile jog with friends while James took Calie to dance class. We met up at the annual Santa event at our workplace, where there were crafts, stations to write letters to Santa, movies, and animal stuffing.

And the obligatory family photo with Santa … complete with badge (Ugh!)

Then I took Calista to Aubrey and Courtney’s birthday party (Happy 6th Birthday!) In the afternoon, I went to 2 yoga classes (Calie came with me to one.)

10k jog + over 2 hours of yoga in one day = sooo sore! Call me crazy but I think I’m more motivated to exercise because my Lululemon exercise outfits are so comfortable and cute. I’m a huge fan. I think their clothes are perfect for middle-aged women/moms … high quality, flattering, and not too revealing. Let’s face it. “Pink” and “Juicy” don’t belong on my 38-year-old backside.

Saturday evening, Melissa had a work holiday party, so we babysat their kids … which was super easy since they’re well behaved and my kids like playing with them.

I had to work unexpectedly over the weekend … 7am meetings, 11pm sync ups, texts, phone calls, IMs. I was pretty much online all Sunday. Skipped my morning jog, James took both kids to swim lessons. I planned a get-together to see ‘Madeline’s Christmas’ show that day, and had to miss the pre-show lunch at Red Robin. Bah! I was able to sneak away for the actual performance though (yes, I did check my work email during intermission  ) Annoying as it is when work gets in the way of life, escalations inject a sense of urgency and energy that I somewhat thrive on. I may be one of those crazy people that need stress in my life, so I can’t complain too much.

(Kids: Alex, Nicole, Calie, Zach, Khloe, Jason, Kelly) ‘Madeline’s Christmas’ was a fun, sold-out show and we had front row seats. I think Calista prefers the smaller theatres, as she likes meeting the characters after the performance.

Other non-kids activities the past 2 weeks included a date night with James … we watched ‘Life of Pi’, which was very good but boat in the storm made me feel nauseated. At one point, I actually had to walk out of the theater. It’s possible I just ate too much popcorn too, as it seems everyone else was fine. We had appetizers at Chops before heading home. My team and I took my awesome admin (now ex-admin… *sniff!*) Marissa out for lunch to thank her for all she’s done for us. Because of a re-org at work, I was assigned a different admin. I will definitely miss the awesome support I got from Marissa! My team also went on our Q4 quarterly … an hour at SkyHigh playing dodge-ball and jumping into foam pits. I actually did a flip! I can’t wait to take the kids to show them – they are going to be so impressed.

We then went to Samauri Sushi and received such bad service that we walked out. Upon discovering we were on a company expensed Happy Hour, the owner claimed our group was too big to get the discounted prices. We ended up going to Chicago Fire, which was a crowd pleaser. Can’t beat their deep dish pizzas – best crust ever! (My Yelp warning: http://www.yelp.com/biz/samurai-sushi-rancho-cordova)

Speaking of work (again), do you ever question your choice of industry? I am really a girl’s girl. I grew up with sisters. I was a girl scout (and girl scout leader.) My best friends are women. Today I trimmed my nails using wire cutters … and when I cut myself, I glued the wound with super glue. I think it’s a sign that I’m around men too much all day.

The morning after I flew back from Houston, James left for a week conference in Costa Rica. I love that we can both manage the household on our own – I definitely can’t say I’m the “family CEO”, as we are both equally good homemakers! On Friday, I went to Calista’s pre-K class for a harvest feast. I read her a book after lunch and attracted a bunch of other kids … a few of them tried to get me to read more books. And Calista said (with quite a bit of authority I might add),”No, my mom has to get back to work now.” What a big difference compared to last year, when she’d want me to stay for the rest of the day.

Calista and her teachers – who are super awesome; she’s made great strides academically this year!

Friday night was miserable. I had food poisoning and was up all night. Top it off, the was pouring rain and Zach had 2 soccer matches. I cancelled Calie’s dance lesson, and had to ask another parent to take Zach to his games. The kids pretty much fed themselves cereal (and whatever else they could find around the house) all day. My admin was also sick, and rescheduled her twin’s birthday party – so at least we didn’t have to miss that. We did miss Sandy’s annual Cooking Contest though, which was a real bummer, as it’s one of my favorite dinner parties to attend. Congrats Sam and Melissa on their winning dish (beef empanadas).  James got back later that night and put the kids to bed.

On Sunday, I took both kids to Zach’s end-of-season soccer party at SkyHigh, a trampoline place. The coaches handed out participation trophies, and then the kids were set free to bounce off the walls (literally!). I bought an hour of jumping, but due to some confusion ended up with 3. Both kids played the full 3 hours; lots of  jumping, dodge ball, and rope swings!

Tuesday, my family met up with Melissa’s for dinner at Chicago Fire with cupcakes for dessert to celebrate Melissa’s birthday. Then our husbands took the kids home, and we went to watch “Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2.” It was entertaining, but I liked part 1 much better. Happy Birthday Melissa!

Thanksgiving morning, my running friends and I gathered together for a 10k race. I think the last 10k I ran was in 1998 (it was definitely pre-kids), and I had not run in a few weeks due to work travel and illness, so I was a bit concerned. Zachary also ran the 10k; his first ever. Final results? We both did great. I finished in 1 hr and 3 minutes, which was about the same time I ran in 1998. And Zach finished in 52 minutes, which placed him first in his age groups (under 11)!  Yay!

After a quick shower, we hopped into the car, and drove to Bay area to celebrate Thanksgiving with my sisters, my parents (visiting from the east coast), and my cousin Spencer (plus his new girlfriend with daughter). It was a great meal … a feast really! Sophie has a terrific Alton Brown recipe that rebukes the dry turkey stereotype. Instead of watching sports after dinner, we played video games.

The next day, we went to Muir Woods National Monument. The parking was pretty terrible, and the main loop was indeed very crowded. However, we took a detour to Fern Creek trail, which ended up being eerily isolated. Most of the time, it was just our family. What a pleasant, leisurely 3-hour hike amongst the coastal redwoods! Everyone walked the whole way, from the almost 70-year-olds to the 4-year-old. We had Chinese buffet for dinner before heading home.

Saturday, all of us (minus Sophie and Eddie) went to the California Science Academy. The last time we were there, Calista was barely walking, so it was definitely time to visit again. Plus, my parents had never been there. We took advantage of our ability to hustle in the morning, and got in line before they opened (9:30am.) No crowds!  New exhibits include an Earthquake simulation, Earthquake-themed planetarium movie, live reindeers, and a running pen with 3-week-old baby ostriches.

There was also a fun under-5 play area that I didn’t remember seeing last time – I’m glad we got to visit it before Calie got too old. She played there for quite some time, as Zach was busy exploring the aquarium she deemed “boring”. I don’t think it was really boring, but Zach was there for hours, which really tested her patience. Our kids had  a lot of questions, which prompted one docent to say, ”You guys are going to be here until midnight!” Pretty close – we stayed until past 5pm … which makes it a pretty full day!

We met up with everyone for a Korean BBQ dinner, complete with a crazy huge shaved ice dessert. I loved the banchan (and was glad we didn’t have to do all the dishes!) One of my kids had white rice while the other indulged in beef tongue. They are so predictable. Eyeing the sizzling meat, Calie said,”Let me try a no-thank-you bite”, took a bite, widened her eyes and exclaimed “YES thank-you bite!” She definitely has my gluttony gene.

Sunday, we hung out at Alice’s house. We took the kids to a nearby park and did some window shopping before heading home. No traffic – Wowowow! Thanks to my sisters for hosting us! So awesome to have the whole family together like that … it’s really what Thanksgiving is about. I definitely feel like I’ve been given a good hand in life.

And now that we’re back … work week activities included putting up the Christmas tree, a make-up swim lesson for the kids (while I took yoga!), and a late night movie ‘The Sessions’ with JP and a few of his friends ($5 Tuesday!)

One day I’m going to have that perfect Christmas tree like the ones you see in store windows  … and look back and miss our hodge podge tree weighed down with all the kid-made ornaments (all on the bottom half of course). Walking into our house, you can definitely tell we have kids … and in this phase of my life, that’s exactly what I want.

On Sunday, I woke up before the sun to participate in a half-marathon relay with my friends. Since the roads closed for the run, I had to be at my relay station pretty early … and wait. My leg of the race was the final one, and 5.3 miles up hill. The last mile was especially torturous, as spectators were cheering while I jogged in slow motion up the switchbacks. Er-jia, Andy, and I completed the relay in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Coworkers James C, Lisa, Jaybal, and Chris ran the whole race … and actually so did Er-jia, as he paced me and Andy during our legs of the relay. My friend Bev came to meet me at the finish line. Aw.  

James took the kids to run the 1 mile fun run, and met up with Tabitha (and her group of friends). It seems borderline insane to get up so early and pay (a non-trivial amount) to run, but there’s something about participating in a race with a group of friends with spectators cheering you on. And call me a sap, but it was really touching seeing kids hold up posters as their parents ran by.

In the evening, JP and my family went to Melissa’s house for Asian 5-spice pork with slaw. (Is it sad if non-Asians can cook better Asian food than me?) The kids carved pumpkins. It was the first year Zach was not completely disgusted by the ‘guts.’ He was really digging in hard, reminding me of a liposuction documentary I watched many years ago. Then I took the kids home for bed while James and JP went to see ‘The Evil Dead’ musical at a small local theatre.

Wednesday was Halloween. Zach’s friend John, from his soccer team came over to trick-or-treat with him. Despite setting up a few tombstones and a bubble fog machine, we didn’t get much traffic. I think it’s because we’re not in the main loop of houses on the block … or maybe our reputation for recycling crappy candy* has caught up with us. Calie lasted 4 houses before she got scared and decided to call it a night. Zach and John ran all the way around the neighborhood. (I still remember when Zach was a toddler and just our street took all night.) After they traded candies, and John went home,  Zach hit another neighborhood with me. Two hours of trick-or-treating (until 8pm) equals a huge pillowcase full of candy. As he pretty much only likes M&Ms, Kit-Kats, and Hershey bars, he has to go to a  lot of houses to get enough of the kind he wants.

*We bought 2 new bags of chocolate candies, but add cheap stuff we don’t want (like Tootsie rolls) from the kids’ loot

On Friday, Rachel, Dana, Kathy, and I celebrated Melissa, Sandy, and Karen’s birthday with dancing and Thai food. Happy birthday(s)! What a good reason for a ladies’ night out.

This weekend I got lots of exercise, which makes me happy. I ran 2 10ks (once with coworkers and once myself) and went to 2 yoga classes (one by myself, and one with Calie.) The kids also got a good workout with  dance, swim lessons, backyard badminton, and riding trikes.  Good thing, as we went to Red Robin for dinner Saturday night and splurged on some extra calories! Sunday after dinner, I headed to Redmond for work. Oh – and over the weekend, I also signed for my first ever half marathon. I have quite a few friends who both work full time and parent young children … and dance competitively or teach exercise classes. They inspire me to be a healthier, more well-rounded person! No excuses!

After coming back home Monday night, I headed out again to Houston for the SWE (Society of Women Engineers) national conference. I roomed with my coworker Divya, which was super fun. We had dinner with the other women from our company, attended sessions, talked, and watched a lot of late night TV in our hotel room. 

Divya was honored with the ‘Emerging Leaders Award’ (congratulations!), and I was a speaker at the conference. I was worried that no one would come to my presentation (Writing Effective Self-Evaluations) but the room was full. The presentation took 30 minutes and the rest of the hour was spent answering questions and having audience members share their before/after write ups. Based on what they shared, I’d say the presentation was a success … and I received great feedback afterwards. In fact, 12 people asked for a copy of my presentation to take back to their coworkers.  I’m not a confident public speaker as I’m a natural introvert (trained extrovert), so the question/answer and discussion section was much more comfortable for me. It was very rewarding to share my learnings from ~15 years of working in the tech industry with young professional women. Post presentation, I took advantage of some free time with some celebratory shopping. TV *and* shopping all in one day, what a rare treat! 

I’m now back home … no planned work travel for the rest of the year. Whew! Went to Zach’s soccer game and took the kids to swim class and just relaxed at home the rest of the weekend.

We stayed up until past 1am last Friday for dinner and games with Melissa’s family. The adults played a new (very complicated) game while the kids had a “sleepover.” (In quotes because they were actually dragged up and taken home at 1am). It took every ounce of discipline to pull myself out of bed at 7am for a 10k run with my coworkers. And between dance, and a later soccer game, James and I prepped for our Halloween party. Speaking of soccer … did you know that baseball cleats and soccer cleats are different? We didn’t. I thought I got a great deal at Walmart ($7.50!) for soccer shoes beginning of this season. The referee noticed and disqualified Zach from the game. (James had to run home and bring back sneakers.) With only a few games left this season, instead of buying new shoes, we just sawed off the front cleat.

On the school front, I had to have a talk with Zach about classwork. He aces all the exams, but struggles with getting his classwork done. We talked about how on a multi-step project, it was better to get 90% (even 80%) on all the steps instead of over-perfecting a few sections but not having enough time to even start on some other sections. I also asked him for ways to calculate whether he was on track to finish an assignment on time.  Then I added that it was good to get assignments done early instead of waiting until the last minute, in case a new assignment (or some fun activity) came up midweek. I compared kids playing before doing school work to adults buying toys before paying utility and mortgage bills. And I reminded him that he belonged in a family with strong discipline – when James and I don’t ‘finish’ our work, we log in at night when the kids are in bed. The next morning, I woke up at 7am and did not hear any Wii games (he plays Saturday and Sunday mornings until everyone else gets up … the modern day version of Saturday morning cartoons, I suppose) I went to Zach’s room and he was doing the classwork he didn’t finish the previous week. He said he was up since 5:58am, and he only had 1 more page left.  I have no idea how long this will last, but I’m hopeful.

Saturday evening was our annual Halloween party. We had some crafts put out: fuzzy Halloween bookmarks and magnets to color. But mostly the kids played soccer and on the play structure outside. The weather was ideal. When it got dark, we played a balloon popping game I made up (but was a hit!) There were 30 balloons all over the yard and 5 of them had dollar bills inside. The kids ran around running popping balloons and screaming! (I wonder what the neighbors thought?)

I tried to make the food options a bit more healthy this year …  changes included using whole wheat pasta, nothing with icing, and veggie chips. That was a mistake, as a lot of the food was leftover (vs. running out last year!) Fortunately Chigme brought a huge platter of sushi, and my cheese platter (love that triple cream brie!) was a crowd pleaser. Winners of the People’s Choice Costume Contest were the Clue Family (best overall), Spidergirl (cutest), and sleepover zombie (scariest.) Thanks to everyone who came and contributed to the Halloween *spirit*! 

Sunday, I woke up with a sore throat, which quickly turned into a cold. We had a low key day. I took the kids to swim class. Calie now willingly jumps in and glides with her head underwater … this is a big deal because for the longest time, she despised getting her face wet. She did complain that her eyes got  “soggy” afterwards though. Zach worked on his book report poster a little more, and then I took the kids to a Harvest festival at a local outdoor mall.

The kids made ceramic handprints and decorated pumpkins, but we opted out of face painting, balloon animals, and the hay ride due to long lines. I convinced them that playing in the Whole Foods kids’ area would be more fun.

In the evening, we went to Sellend’s for dinner. I love The Kitchen and Ella, from the same chain of restaurants. The ambiance was great … I liked the casual, artisan market feel. And my tuna sandwich was pretty tasty. But the kids gave their mac cheese and cupcake a thumbs down, and James found the turkey sandwich bland.  Zach did a Haunted House walk-through, that my friend Bev’s sons helped put together. The tickets were $7 and went to a local charity. He said it was pretty scary!

This Friday, both Zachary and Calista’s schools held Harvest Festivals. Bounce houses, carnival games, face painting (yuck), cake walks, dancing and singing, and just general running around in costumes with friends.

After the school event, we went to the city’s celebration. The streets were lined with jack-o-lanterns, and stores along the road handed out candy to trick-or-treaters. We had dinner at Chicago Fire (it seems to be a tradition) before heading back home close to 10pm. When we got to the garage, there were only a few cars left, ours being one of them. And the passenger door was wide open! And guess what? James’ briefcase with work laptop was untouched. Whew. And wow, either we live in a really safe city or no one wants laptops anymore.  

Between the school and city event, the kids brought home lots of trinkets and candy. Way too much for kids to consume, and I’m anti chewy/sticky candies which are terrible for teeth. Overhead Calie complain to Zach,”I don’t know why we even go trick-or-treating because mom just takes away our candy!” That’s exactly what siblings are for. Commiserating with. Who else could truly understand what it’s like to live with such an evil mom.

This morning, I took Calie to her dance class. She was able to invite a friend, so she picked Abigail … who might be signing up and joining her in future classes … yay! While I was out, Zach finished his book report poster, and I think it looks pretty good!

Then I took both kids to a local outdoor mall for a safety fair. The kids won 3 Chick-Fil-A sandwiches playing a plinko game, built/painted Home Depot helicopters, jumped in bounce houses, and played with rubber-band guns. (Whether guns are really ‘safety’ items is debatable.)

I also got in a quick cardio workout (2.7 mile jog) and an hour of core strengthening/stretching (vinyasa flow yoga) today … so I’m as ready as I can be for my 3-person half marathon relay tomorrow! My leg of the race is the last 5 mile uphill climb, so wish me luck!

Ending this post with deep thoughts from Calista. While folding laundry/clothes: “Some cookies also have tags. But they are on the inside. And they don’t tell you what size they are.”

But wait! Before a fun-filled family weekend, I went out to Heat Shabu with my girlfriends. Highly recommended! We picked the all-you-can-eat option, and given how much we ate … it was a financially savvy choice. The lamb was my favorite, and the sauces were SO good. After a long work week, a night of talking, laughing, and eating was just what I needed!

Saturday morning was a typical exercise in schedule coordination. I ran a 10k with my coworkers, while James got the kids ready for the day. He took Calie to dance class as soon as I returned. Right after dance class, he took Zach to his soccer game (won 2-0) while I took Calista to Hannah and Hayden’s bounce house birthday party. Happy 4^th Birthday Hannah and Hayden!

 In the evening, I took Zach to the exact same venue for a Laser Tag party. Happy 8^th Birthday Vikranth!

Sunday … the annual Intel 5k. Both kids ran the kids’ fun run. Calie ran the ¼ mile 0-5 yrs heat, lost her sneaker right at the beginning, and almost got trampled trying to reclaim her shoe. Zach ran the ½ mile 6-10 yrs  heat and came in 4^th place. James, Zach, my running group (Erjia, Jaybal, Bev, Sam, James C.), and I ran the 5k. Thanks Melissa for walking it with Calie so that both James and I could run! I ran it in 31:45 which is my post-kids PR (sadly, pre-kids, I was able to run 5ks in ~26min). Zach finished in 24:22, his all-time PR. Sam won 1^st place in his age group (40-49) with a time of ~21 minutes! Way to go, Sam! Before the race, the kids decorated pumpkins and trick-or-treat bags.

After the run, Melissa and my family drove to Bishop’s Farm. It was the most crowded I have ever seen it. Luckily, our kids didn’t care to partake in the train ride, ‘Coyote Mountain’ slides, and marble panning … which had huge lines, and quite frankly are boring to me too. They just did the play structures (tag is always fun, right?), sunflower labyrinth, the corn maze (much harder than I remembered it was … maybe my spatial skills are declining as I age…), and hayride to pick out pumpkins. Calie also went on a pony ride. The line was not too bad, as some parents may have been deterred by the $6 ticket price.

To end the day, we had grilled burgers and salad at Melissa’s house, with shoo-fly pie and ice cream for dessert. Thank goodness for the morning run!

Tuesday evening, Zach played hooky from soccer practice so that we could attend Stephanie’s good-bye party. After spending a few months (sabbatical from work) travelling and staying with John, she was flying back home to Australia. A yummy barbecue, and a great reason to get friends together! Safe travels Stephanie!

Ending the post with a few more pictures of Calista … opening a birthday present from Larisa (James’ sister.) It was a super glittery butterfly costume, and we opened it in the morning. I literally dazzled them at work that day.  (I crack myself up! )

And here are the pictures from my Grace Hopper conference trip to Baltimore:

Sophia and I representing our company at the career fair. And lunch at Phillips with my sister, roommate Kathy, and coworkers Galina and Aafreen. Maryland blue crabs + Old Bay Seasoning = yum. Better than the big Dungeness crabs we get in the west coast, but 10x harder to pick out the crab meat.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not “odditorium” … totally worth the $27 admission. The 4-D movie was very fun (although you may not like it if you’re prone to motion sickness), and my favorite was the hall of mirrors maze. Good entertainment for ~an  hour, maybe longer if you have curious kids (there was a room of hands on experiments/activities)

Friday evening, there was a celebration at the Baltimore Science Museum (great place to take kids), and then my parents picked Sophie and I up to go home. We visited my cousin Greg and his wife Haiying in Virginia, and met their kids Jesse and Effie for the first time. I was impressed how much Mandarin Jesse knew. I think if I had to do it over again, I would have hired a Chinese speaking nanny for my kids, like they did. Plus their nanny cooks for them, so when they come home from work, they can fully engage in family time vs. wrestling with getting dinner on the table. Smart!

We went out for dim sum afterwards, and then visited Dutch Country Farmer’s Market, which is owned/run by the Amish. A lot of the baked goods were made right in the store. The pretzel sticks were terrific … so much better than the mall Pretzel places. Their chicken is famously good, but we were way too full to eat any. Of course, I had to pick up a freshly baked shoo-fly pie for my friends Melissa and Kathy. A trip home would not be complete without my mom’s home cooking, and this was no exception.

And while I was out? Zachary won an life skills award at school, which was announced at the school assembly. He’s usually (one of) the last kids to get it during the school year, which translates to most poorly behaved. So it was a surprise that he was selected so early in the school year. I wonder if the teachers are encouraging the kids who struggle the most by using positive reinforcement and a heavy dose of wishful thinking.  Zachary also went to Jackson’s video-game-bus + sleepover birthday party, and Alex’s Minute-to-Win-it birthday party. Happy 9^th birthday Jackson and Happy 8^th birthday Alex!

So James was in Vegas for 4 days immediately followed by my 5 day east coast trip. Looking forward to this weekend, where we actually get to do things as an intact family!

Greetings from Baltimore! The time difference is giving me some time to update my blog. Of course, I’ll be paying for it dearly tomorrow when I get up for a 7am (4am Pacific time) meeting.

About 2 weeks ago, James and I went on a double date with Bev and Mike at Tapa the World. Lots of tapas and seafood paella … capped the night off watching some belly dancing at the hookah bar next door.

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

  

 

  

 

  

While James was out of town, I had the kids watch some shows while I cooked. Zach would always chose a BBC documentary, much to Calie’s dismay. She knows more about the artic and coral sea than most 4-year-olds, and it’s not by choice! Calie selected a Charlie Brown cartoon. I walked by at one point, and Calie said, wrinking her nose in disgust: “She (Lucy) is mean. And why are they (other characters) all laughing?” I laughed, and she continued with,”Why are you laughing, Mommy? It is not funny.” She is so anti-bullying. I could have really used a friend like her in middle/high school. I never taught her about how bad bullying is … so maybe it came naturally or maybe she learned it from school. I’m pretty sure it was at least reinforced at school. So my wise friend Sandy was very right, when she said “It takes a village”. I’m glad my daughter had good teachers, and regular exposure to positive role models outside of just her parents. Ultimately, I’m proud of her for recognizing that something is wrong, and having the confidence to speak up. I’ve had 2 families at school come thank me for her actions the past few months: The mom of a classmate with autism that Calie sticks up for, and the parents of a new boy that she actively seeks to include in group games. She pretty much rocks. (Her brother is pretty neat too, but I’ll save further bragging for another post. I don’t want to annoy and lose my readership )

A quick fly-by update on the last 2 weeks. We went to the Barnum & Bailey’s Circus with Melissa and her family. It was quite good. Not comparable to a Cirque show, but entertaining for the kids and a good value. We got there early to see the animals and partake in some pre-show activities.

We went to Marine World. Using our season passes from work, we were able to get Melissa’s whole family in for free – yay! The kids have so much more fun when we go with another family. We went to Mustards in Napa for dinner (and walked around their gardens) afterwards. I love going out to eat at a nice sit down place; there’s something so pleasent about enjoying a good meal with family (and/or with friends) without worrying about preparing the food or washing dishes afterwards. Yummy.

I was sick the last weekend, so it was pretty low key. James took Calista to Art Beast per her request. 

I took the kids to the local library to play with Legos and check out books. Zach had soccer photos followed a playdate at our house with his teammate John. 

We’ve been trying a lot more recipes lately as the kids play more and more on their own. And Zachary finally figured out how to swing by himself. Dance, swim, soccer, jog, rinse and repeat. The baby and toddler years seemed to last forever, while the school age years are flying by. I’m thinking it’s because there’s so much of a regular routine, that all the weeks feel the same. I have still not figured out how to slow time down.