Tiny Iron Fists

Somebody Loves Seaweed

 

Seaweed! Seaweed! Seaweed... is a very common thing to hear in our house. It's only natural my water-loving tot loves to feast on fruit of the sea AKA Yamamotoyama Teriyaki Nori Seaweed. Although I do limit Lulu's nori-intake, I can't complain. Seaweed is a valuable  source of nutrition packed with proteins, vitamins and minerals (including calcium, phosphorous, iron, sodium, potassium and zinc). These teriyaki seasoned roasted seaweed snacks are a hit in our household and easy on the wallet. Pro tip: always make sure to check that MSG is not added to the seaweed you purchase.

Outfit: Dress (a gift from Japan, Thanks Marxy!)

Baguette Loving Baby

Stripey shirt. Check. Baguette. Check. French citizenship. Still working on it!

Outfit: Mini Boden t-shirt.

Spreading the Love

Lulu loves her Ton Ton Marz and was really excited to pick some toe jam for him. As you can see, Marz was less than excited to accept the personal token from Lulu. Seriously though, you would accept the gift, wouldn't you?

Outfit: Tea Collection baby boy hoodie, babyGap jersey pants and The Children's Place socks.

Art Crawl

Art may be more interesting viewed from the ground up. I know, because I tried.

Outfit: Burberry Girls Babywear, BabyLegs Jolly Jack Leg Warmers and adidas superstar 2 CMF shoes.

Easter Fest

Hope you guys had a hopping good Easter!

Lulu had fun at her first egg hunt even though she she couldn't compete with the other kids who were scattered about, pushing through flowers and grass for little plastic eggs. Lucky for her though, a very friendly parent helped Lulu locate a few surprises (seriously though, you should've seen how quickly the other kids moved once an egg discovery was announced)!

I especially enjoyed meeting other cool parents and eating the many delicious things including these yummy and fun bunny cookies above. I am truly enjoying holidays so much more now, now that I have a kid. Who knew?

Thanks Vanessa, Tobin, and Gabriel for the egg hunt and the fun family afternoon.

Outfit: Burberry Girls Babywear, BabyLegs Jolly Jack Leg Warmers and Robeez Mini Shoez Kids' 3D Little Lamb Mary Jane.

Water Works

On Earth Day, Lulu figured out how to turn on the fountain at the park so she could wash her hands. She was very proud of herself and wanted to play with the water, excessively. I explained as well as I could that water was a precious resource and shouldn't be wasted. Lulu of course, could not understand  what I was saying  and after several failed attempts to get her to walk away from the faucet, I told her that the Nee Nee Man** (someone she made up and is afraid of) would come if she ran the water for too long. She understood that clearly and shut the water off quickly. Oh, Nee Nee Man, you are better than Santa!

** Regarding the Nee Nee Man, a full explanation is coming soon.

Outfit: babyGap hat and Fierce Hugs pirate tee.

From Woods To Waves

I've been talking a lot with friends lately about the backyard I grew up with. It was more a forest than a lawn and it lead me to a most-of-the-time dried creek, that lead me to a pond. My parents kept our yard and garden in immaculate condition with the help of five full-time gardeners (us, kids) and living with our backyard can only be described as idyllic. It was a lush, beautiful garden, yard, and forest. But more importantly, it was the most amazing playground a kid could ever wish for.

My siblings and I (and a bunch of the neighborhood kids) loved exploring our forest. I can't tell you how many leaves I turned, bugs I talked to, waterfalls I built, and how many tunnels I dug in the dirt. I sometimes think about the rocks I once buried with secret messages attached to them. Will another kid ever find them?

The woods gave me access to a science lab -- a big, outdoor, fun one. We watched wild bunnies run in the spring, caught lightning bugs in the summer, collected Woolly Mammoths in the fall, and sled down our hill on upside-down trashcan lids in the winter. When I wasn't laying in the grass daydreaming, I was often rolling, running, laughing, and screaming with others, in the company of old and familiar trees.

I know the backyard forest and Jane Goodall are the reasons why I graduated from college with a degree in environmental science (in 1994). It put me ahead of the curve on all things "green" and it offered me a world of curiosities, nature, and open exploration. It also allowed me to safely, play dangerously. And the lessons learned there, I've taken with me into adulthood.

It's been 20 years since I've lived in Arlington, Virginia (wow)! And although I am far from a forest, the Pacific Ocean is now my front yard. Remembering how much fun I once had with nature as a kid, I make it a point to give Lulu as much of the great outdoors as possible. Lucky for us, she's quite the water rat and loves the beach.

I'm hoping the waves will spark in Lulu what the woods did for me. Do the next generation a favor and let them go outside and play, eh?! For old times sake, say no to nature deficit disorder!

Outfit: American Apparel infant California fleece zip hoodie and babyGap shorts.

Still Life

These are the moments when I am ecstatic to get to spend so much time with Lulu. Budding artist. Exploring mind. Peaceful child. I am the lucky one!

Outfit: DPAM underwear.

'Art in the Streets' Artist Reception

 

Wow! What a crazy night. We attended the star studded 'Art in The Streets' artist reception at MOCA and it was overwhelming. While it was great to see so many friends under one roof at the same time, it was distracting to look at Banksy's work while Jake Gyllenhaal wandered about (too much eye candy)!

Lulu, no stranger to museums, loved the reception. She ran from room to room exploring the artwork and paused to take in a few special pieces with exceptionally bright colors. She had a really good time and people paid her a lot of attention. Not so surpisingly, Lulu lasted an extra couple of hours but was wiped out for the ride home.

If you live in Los Angeles and are looking for a family-friendly activity, I highly recommend visiting 'Art in the Streets' at MOCA. The exhibition is up until August 8.

Outfit: Polarn O. Pyret baby girls top, Circo long-sleeve tee, American Apparel kids shiny leggings, and adidas superstar 2 CMF shoes.

Petit a Petit Pour Ma Petite!

One of the toughest decisions a new parent has to eventually make is, who's going to take care of my kid when I have to go back to work? And unless you have the luxury of being a stay at home parent (yes, I consider it a luxe to be able to afford to raise your own kid), at some point in time, you're going to research childcare, be it a nanny, daycare, preschool or some other gathering of kids and caretakers.

I did a ton of research (that overlapped with my quest for the best preschools in west LA) and eventually stumbled upon a French immersion daycare in Santa Monica that was owned and operated by a friend-of-a-French-friend. I made an appointment to visit and never looked back.

I can't tell you how much Lulu loves her daycare, Petit a Petit. I feel the same and decided to share my Yelp review with you, in hopes that it might help you learn a thing or two about daycare and more importantly, learn about Petit a Petit:

After researching plenty of daycare and nanny options for our daughter, LMPP, we were thrilled to find Petit a Petit via friends who knew the proprietor, Manuela de Sousa.

Upon meeting the two caretakers, Manuela and Gabrielle, I instantly knew that Petit a Petit was the perfect daycare for our daughter - it was structured, yet not stuffy (something most people expect when you mention French-immersion-anything). The atmosphere is friendly, caring and familial.

Even though I didn't know either caretaker personally, I felt as though I was leaving LMPP with "friends" and frankly, didn't worry much at all from the start. They made the home to daycare transition easy for me, explaining weekly how LMPP might react to my leaving. And sooner than I thought, the routine of daycare was normalized for her.

LMPP has thrived at Petit a Petit. She is half French, with a native French-speaking father and although LMPP only spends two days a week at daycare, her language speaking abilities have exploded. The French immersion experience has been a positively awesome experience for her.

Since the number of children to caretakers is also low, LMPP gets a lot of attention and often when I drop her off, I get barely a wave goodbye (she's so happy to be at the daycare)! LMPP knows that she will spend all day with friends playing, singing, and learning French and often talks about "school" and her "classmates" before we arrive.

The French immersion daycare is operated out of a townhouse in Santa Monica close to several freeways for work commuters. For quick drop offs in the morning, we temporarily park in the alley with our hazard lights on and for pick-ups, we park in the alley parking lot a few doors down.

Aside from the terrific food, activities, and company, the best thing about Petit a Petit is their small enrollment size. Because the group is so small, Manuela and Gabrielle really get to know each kid. And they always take the time to tell me how LMPP did that day and fill me in on things parents want to know (Did she poop today? How was her appetite? Did she do anything special? How long did she sleep for? Any accidents?).

And to further explain Manuela and Gabrielle's dedication to our daughter's wellness and progress in hitting milestones, we potty trained LMPP at 20 months. She wears underwear only and although she has had a few accidents here and there, both Manuela and Gabrielle are super patient with her and their eagerness to be consistent with LMPP's underwear at school, allows for her to be accident-free at home and elsewhere, and we REALLY appreciate that!

I've had the pleasure of referring friends to the facility and now my architect friends have their son attending Petit a Petit too.

Good luck getting a spot should one open up!

We were lucky to stumble upon such an amazing program. While it is not a school, I know that Lulu has learned a lot since enrolling. She is thriving at Petit a Petit and we can't thank Manuela and Gabrielle enough for loving her, the way we do.

Outfit: babyGap toddler girls' top and Jaxxwear leggings.

Reading Rainbow

Today Lulu read her Vietnamese copy of Elmer's Colours to her doll. She taught the rainbow in Vietnamese to her multilingual plastic friend. I thought she was a patient and gracious teacher.

Outfit: PUMA Children's toddler dress and American Apparel Infant Cotton Spandex Jersey Legging.

Family Tree

Lulu loves her big cousin Ari and wants to do whatever he does. It won't be long before she'll be climbing this tree with him.

Outfit: Japanese top (gift), Old Navy shorts, and adidas Superstar 2 CMF shoes.

Beach Brunch

We decided to have a beach picnic with friends. The sky was dark, the waves were choppy, the wind was strong, the food was delicious (special shout out to Dana) and the company was warm, despite the cold. Best part? Aside from the dozens of surfers, the sand was pretty much all ours!

sPunky!

Every single time Lulu passes this book she throws up her hands and copies Vivienne Westwood's face. I finally caught Lulu in action. My kid is sPunky!

Outfit: Polarn O. Pyret Baby Girls Top