The Man of my Dreams

This is on our honeymoon in the Napa Valley of South Africa

Although I frequently mention my husband on these pages I am not sure I have really given my readers a true sense of who I am married to. First of all he is a very talented reality show writer/producer whose new show Wicked Tuna just happens to be debuting this weekend (Sunday night) so here is my plug to check it out. He is not only smart,  funny, a great friend and a wonderful dad to our son Hank but he also is not afraid to be silly when it comes to taking pictures. In five years that we have been together we have been to lots of places - Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Mauritius, etc and everywhere we go he wants to take the silliest photos. Hopefully he won't mind me posting some of them.

Moccasins for summer

On Wednesday afternoons I take Hank to Parent and Me (not mommy and me!) at a local preschool where we might want to send him. So far it's been a really great experience for us. Hank was tentative at first but now he is pretty into having a snack, washing his hands, singing songs and playing with the parachute (well he isn't quite convinced of the parachute yet but hopefully we will get there.) There is one mom in the group who has the best style. For some reason it's always a bit of a relief to me to see parents that seem interesting and original. I don't know if this makes me shallow, it might but sometimes I worry that all of the thirty-something parenting somehow nullifies the interesting things you sought out in your twenties. I am constantly reminded that this isn't true of course. That there are all sorts of examples of interesting parents who manage to still have adventures, find time for culture and their spouse, and even put together a cute outfit (which for better or worse still means something to me). But I digress, back to the mom in my Parent and Me. She is always a style maven but this week she was wearing the moccasins above, along with cute jeans and this amazing Navajoesque big sweater. She told me the moccasins were this company manimals from Brooklyn. Unfortunately that cute style is sold out but I am obsessed by this site. I feel like a lot of the current styles would be cute for spring, a spring moccasin if you will. 

 She also always rocks this Claire Vivier tote that I also have and love. She is way more chic though.

Boot Camp

When I was on maternity leave and sporting a bit of extra weight I joined a friend for two months in a Mommy boot camp. It was really great. We met at a woman's house in my old neighborhood and there was even a babysitter there so I could bring Hank. We would do everything from boxing, to pulling a giant tire up a hill, to Pilates and yoga. I was able to reach a level of fitness that I wasn't even at before I had Hank, and then I returned to work and well it was hard to find time for much of anything beyond my family and work. Recently I decided that I have to find time for fitness. It makes such a difference in my overall mood. Going to the gym once a week isn't enough. So an old boot-camp friend decided to start an Atwater Village group and it's on. I've been going now for only two weeks but I already feel stronger. This morning we had fitness tests - how many push-ups can you do in three minutes, how many sit-ups can you do in three minutes, how long does it take you to run the mile, etc. They even measure your waist, arms, butt, etc all so that hopefully next month you are slimmer, fitter and can run faster than you did when you started. There was a woman there today who has been going to boot-camp for one year. When she started she couldn't do one push-up and today she left us all in the dust. If you live in Los Angeles I highly recommend checking out this bootcamp.  

p.s. we don't really do any sort of human pyramid exercises but I wouldn't put it past the trainers.   

Old Love

I think if you read lots of blogs you are probably familiar with old love. If you aren't, you should check it out pronto because you can lose a good twenty-minutes just perusing all the photos of couples that used to be in love, and it isn't just your run of the mill celebrities either. There is something fascinating about seeing people who used to be so enamored with each other, especially when it feels so far away from where the person currently is.

Chopped

Things have been busy for me lately so I haven't had much time to post of late. I did want to tell you that I took a personal day last Thursday and did a bunch of things I never get to do - took a boot camp class, got a manicure/pedicure (I am pretty sure the women doing my hands was telling the woman doing my toes that my nails frightened them) and got my hair cut. I didn't walk in planning to cut off five inches but I am so glad I did. This is a cut I used to rock a lot in high school and college and then somewhere along the way my hair got pretty long. I enjoyed having it long but it is really fun having it short and easy again.

My Little Ham

When I was in Chicago we took my son to a well known Chicago photographer. Marc Hauser actually took pictures of me and my siblings when we were little. My Mom saw a groupon coupon for him recently and quickly snatched it up so we could take pictures of Hank. I wasn't quite sure how Hank would do. It's strange to be placed in front of a big camera and lots of lights but wow, he did great. In fact the folks who worked there remarked that usually kids freak out, but that Hank was quite the ham. Here are some of the best pics:

I think he might even be smizing in some of these. Tyra would be impressed.

Summer Movies

This all used to be concrete

It has been so cold in Los Angeles this past week. There is nothing I hate more than hearing my family and friends tell me it's warmer in Chicago. I know I should be happy for them, and I sort of am, but also I am not. A day or two of cold, brisk weather is fun here because it's so novel, but I am ready for warm weather to return. In order to get through this cold spell I am dreaming of warm weather gatherings in our backyard. When we purchased our home our big project was tackling the backyard which had one of the ugliest screened in porches I have ever seen and a concrete yard. I still don't know why anyone would want a concrete yard. We demoed the concrete, planted flowers, trees and even a little vegetable box. And we had a good friend build us a beautiful porch that we are currently trying to grow wisteria and bougainvillea on.

When we looked at the house (getting our house was no small task) we would dream about what our finished yard would look like. I would picture Hank romping around outside but I would also dream of watching outdoor movies all summer long. I have always loved this idea of gathering your friends and family in your back yard, throwing down some blankets and watching a movie under the stars. I still haven't gotten a projector but I hope we do this once it warms up here and I can report about it here. Here are some of my inspiration photos for this (I found most of them on Pinterest).  

This one is from Domestic Reflections

Chicago Weekend

Hank and I arrived yesterday and so far it's been so lovely to be home. We went straight from the airport to the Lincoln Park Zoo/Conservatory so Hank could run around a bit and burn off some energy. Somehow I managed to lose one of his shoes and his Lovie (yikes) in less than 24-hours. So far he hasn't really noticed his lovie is gone.

I also saw amazing old friends (that I've known since I was nine!). Hank took a bath with my friend's daughter. It was so fun to see them interact. He's grown quite a bit since the last time these two were together. Looking forward to more family this weekend and a dear friend's baby shower. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Here are a few cute moments from our trip so far:

"Girls"

Besides "Downton Abbey" it's been a WHILE since I have been really excited about a scripted TV show. Have you seen the trailer for "Girls" yet? It looks amazing. I am especially excited for this show since I spent most of my twenties in New York and specifically Brooklyn. I remember how adrift and lost I often felt and how many awkward dating adventures I had. I haven't seen Lena Dunham's first feature "Tiny Furniture" yet, but this is my favorite movie/tv genre ever - talk-heavy, young women figuring things out, talking a LOT, and having adventures. There is the glamorous gay man fantasy version of this in "Sex in the City" (which I also love for different reasons) and then there is the more true to life stuff like this show. I hope it lives up to my hype. Also one of the main actresses was featured in The Glow, a website I can't seem to stop devouring and loving all of these gorgeous mamas' style.

Chitown Bound

I am headed to my hometown for a long weekend getaway just me and Hank. I heart Chicago big time. I think it is truly one of the best cities on Earth. It's a gorgeous town - the architecture, the lake front (it is a great lake people), the museums, etc. I think the people are warm and welcoming. We have some seriously delicious food going on in Chicago too and I am not just talking hot dogs (all though those are delicious). In honor of my trip home I thought I would mention a few of my favorite places (be warned those of you looking for the hip new spots, I don't know them because I don't live here anymore). These are just the places that I either love or I can't wait to show friends and visitors who have never been to Chicago.

I really want my son to grow up knowing and loving the town that his Mamma is from. I hope he does, and I can't wait for his first Cubs game. Here are a few of my favorites:

I think Lula Cafe is hands down my favorite spot to grab lunch or brunch. It's in a neighborhood of Chicago called Logan Square which is just West of Lincoln Park where I grew up. The food is always delicious at this place. They make an amazing turkey sandwich with avocado that's delish. The crowd is pretty hip and for some reason I always run into my old Bio teacher Mr. Sherry here and you probably will too if you go. P.S. They also have a fancier restaurant that I've tried twice which is also amazing called Nightwood in the hip Pilsen neighborhood that is really great too. 

Another lunch favorite is Jane's in Bucktown. The food is really good here and the space is cute. I had my baby shower here and it was a lot of fun. It is a great spot for a shower because the day we had ours there was another shower going on. There are probably great new spots (this one is definitely been around since the nineties) but I love this place. 

People take their hot dogs very seriously in Chicago. My younger brothers literally cried when their favorite hot dog spot in Lincoln Park closed a few years back. I think unless you are a vegetarian you have to indulge while you are in town. People will probably say the place to go is Hot Dougs. I've never actually been because this place opened after I left and whenever I drive by the line is out the door and crazy. You have to be dedicated. Also while this place does a classic Chicago dog (no ketchup, sesame seed bun, etc) they also have some weird ones and they have duck fat fries on the weekend. By all means check this place out and tell me how it is, but if you want a simple, delicious Chicago dog I always head to Murphy's. It's in Lakeview which is the home of Wrigley Field and it's just a simple, classic, delicious hot dog. I always go for the Char dog fyi which they grill. 

Who is this dreamy man? Why it's Paul Kahan and every single one of his restaurants in Chicago are delicious and amazing. I am serious that his food rivals anything you've had in New York or Los Angeles or really anywhere for that matter. He owns Blackbird, Avec, Publican, and he recently just opened Publican Quality Meats for all of your butchering needs. Choose any of these places and you won't be disappointed.

If you are in town and the weather is warm, and you are in the mood for a swanky drink than I love NOMI at the Park Hyatt. It's also great for lunch. You waltz right into their lovely lobby and head for the elevator on your right (like you know exactly what you are doing) and head up to their roof top restaurant/bar. You are right on Michigan Avenue and you have a gorgeous view of the city and you can see the original Water Tower Building (one of only two buildings that survived the Chicago Fire). The hotel is also so lovely and swank if you need a place to stay and the rooms aren't too outrageous. Although be warned my cousin and I once stayed here and we literally got a noise complaint for watching "Enchanted." I think this probably says something about the clientele at the hotel (they do not like noise of any kind) and something about us (that we are super cool since we stay at hotels and watch "Enchanted"). This place just gives visitors a sense of the beauty of Chicago and they make a mean drink. 

If you are more in the mood for a down and dirty drink with a photo-booth on the side than go to Rainbo in Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village. It's classic Chicago and also had lots of cool kids (assume it still does - sorry if you go and it doesn't). This place has some cheap Chicago beers and can make a mean drink and like I said they have a photo-booth. I have already written about my love of the photo booth. Even if you have a terrible night at least you have some cute, fun photos that will perhaps make you think you had an awesome night a year from now. 

The entire Lakefront in Chicago is stunning and worth exploring but I will always be partial to Lincoln Park where we have the Zoo (which is free every day of the year and great) and the Lincoln Park Conservatory pictured left. This place is also free and always open (My family stopped in last year on Christmas day when Hank wasn't even three months yet). It's so lovely here. It also holds a special place in my heart because my old school is just two blocks from here and this is where we would come to time how long it takes you to run the mile (three times around is a mile if you are so inclined). A few years ago I even made my youngest sister time me while I sprinted around the path three times furiously trying to come close to the time I had in sixth grade. I am sad to admit I think I doubled over in pain afterwards and needed my Mom to come pick me up. Perhaps it was the giant coffee I drank before. I am a better runner now I swear. 

The Art Institute of Chicago is an incredible museum. I have a special affinity for this place because my step-grandmother is a docent here. She was recently honored for her fifty plus years of service. She always took us on a tour of every visiting exhibition - John Singer Sargent, Cezanne, Monet, etc. We spent hours exploring the museum. She always challenged me to think about the painting differently and she helped me discover a lifelong love of art history. The permanent collection is incredible as well. There are some big paintings here such as "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" Seurat's pointillism masterpiece, and Marc Chagall's stain glass windows. Be sure to head downstairs and check out the Thorne Miniature Rooms. They are sixty-eight perfect miniature interiors, each representing a different time period and style (Louis XV Boudoir or a 1940's California living room).  Recently they've completed a beautiful modern wing of the museum that I've only scratched the surface of but can't wait to visit again soon. 

There is so many more wonderful things to see in Chicago. Just writing this gets me excited for my visit. 

Frozen Planet Trailer HD

I am the biggest "Planet Earth" fan ever. I can't tell you how many times I have watched it (except for the Caves chapter because let's be honest one only needs to see a mountain of cockroaches once in their lifetime. Especially if they've lived in New York City like I have). Anyway I enjoyed "Life" which came out recently as well, although not quite as much as "Planet Earth." I think part of the problem was the fact that Oprah narrated the U.S. version and let's be honest she is no David Attenborough (and I loves me some Oprah). Just look at him!

He was born to narrate nature documentaries. I actually have a friend who had to call the BBC once to try and get permission to use a clip from one of his films, and they transferred him directly to David and he couldn't have been sweeter. Just as I imagined! Anyway, I think we all ought to tune into this series. It's looks amazing. And I guess Alec Baldwin is narrating the U.S. version. I love him but I still think I will be tuning into the BBC version thank you very much.