Snapshots From The Weekend

 

 

[This was my hearty veggie omelette at Opera Cafe. It was POURING outside Saturday morning. We dashed in and about in between the down pours. ]

 

 

[Parker hanging out on the floor in his Old Navy pea coat and Gap jeans.]

 

 

[My co worker introduced me to Koon Thai Kitchen last week and I loved it so much I made everyone go there for lunch/dinner on Saturday. So good! Consider yourself warned that this place makes everything pretty spicy. Loan and Minh didn't listen to me and they had spicy bellies all night. Ha!]

 

 

 

[Parker keeping an eye on Frank and Beans.]

 

 

[MMMmmmocha from Bino's Bistro & Creperie. I'm really glad they have a location in Hillcrest now. Their Coronado location was a bit far of a drive.]

 

 

[Bread basket at Bino's. Their fresh baguettes are the best!]

 

[After breakfast at Bino's, we stopped by Toys R Us to buy Parker a new toy. He did not enjoy riding in this space shuttle while Tuan paid.]



[Parker and his new baby dyson! So cute. He loves it.]

 

 

 

 

French Cuisine at Bleu Boheme

Years ago Tuan and I went to Paris and fell in love with French cuisine. There was something magical about that trip that we are reminded of everytime we go to a French restuarant. Bleu Boheme in Kensington is one of our favorites in San Diego and has become a special place for us. We came here for our last date before Parker was born and for our 2nd anniversary. Let me start by saying that the food is delicious. Our favorites are the boeuf bourguignon, mussels with roasted garlic shallots which come with a basket of fragrant lavender fries and the onion soup. If you go for brunch, I highly recommend the creme brulee waffle as a dessert, or entree if you are feeling indulgent. In the evening, the restuarant is dimly light and each table is adorned with long white taper candles whose hours of melted wax have formed eye watching shapes. For brunch, the dining room is bright and inviting. I've spied other diners sipping on lavender mimosas that look very tempting.  We have received excellent service everytime we've come to dine and the waitresses are always very accomodating of Parker. I can't wait to go back again and eat more of their fantastic crusty bread. If any of my readers have recommendations for other good French places in San Diego, please leave a comment!

 

Bleu Boheme

4090 Adams Avenue

San Diego, CA 92116

http://bleuboheme.com/

 





[Tartine de Steak Hache. Just an example of how generous the portions are at Bleu Boheme.]

[Gauffre Creme Brulee. A belgian waffle, topped with bananas, covered in vanilla custard and crusted with brown sugar. Need I say more? The surface of the waffle is so big you can crack the sugar at least 3 times.]

 

[I would love to visit Paris again once Parker is older. This giant coloring page map of Paris would be a fun way to get him excited about the city of lights.]

A Birthday Celebration at SeaWorld San Diego

Last Thursday we celebrated my birthday by spending a day at SeaWorld. The highlight of my day was having breakfast with Shamu. While we ate breakfast, Ulysses the killer whale performed a private show full of jumps, waves and water splashing. Parker loved it! After breakfast we visited the  dolphins, watched the Shamu show and walked around while Parker napped in the stroller. We have invested in annual passes so I'm sure we will be back to SeaWorld soon. Parking was easy, everything is stroller and kid friendly and Parker loves fish! There are no hills like at the San Diego Zoo.  FYI, I'm so glad SeaWorld is breastfeeding friendly. I saw no less than 3 nursing rooms while we walked around the park. The rooms made it really convenient for me to feed Parker throughout the day. On our way out, we bought Parks a stuffed toy penguin whom we've named "Macaroni".

After SeaWorld, we went home for a family nap and then headed to Extraordinary Desserts for dinner and cake with a few of our friends. I want to say a special thank you to Tuan for planning a fun day for me!

 

[Wearing my new gap always skinny jeans. First pair of jeans that I did not have the hem. It's a short person miracle!]

 

[A daddy and Parker moment]

[I'm not sure who was more excited about the whale. I'm pretty sure it was Tuan.]

 

[Our seats at breakfast with Shamu were amazing. Good job, husband!]

 

[Nursing Parker behind a closed cafe. This was before we learned that there were lactation rooms located throughout the park.]

 

 

[I was almost attacked by a seagull while feeding the sea lions. Good thing my ninja skills kicked in and I avoided getting fish jacked.]

Celebrating the Holidays in San Diego

Here are my top picks of festive ways to celebrate the season locally. Super mom status is achieved if you can accomplish half of this list! I will be adding a few of these as fun things to do for Parker's advent calendar. Hope to see you out and about!

1. Visit a Christmas tree farm
Nothing reminds me of the holidays more than the smell of a fresh pine tree. This year I want to take Parker to a Christmas tree farm so he can pick out his own mini tree to decorate. There are plenty of lots that sell pre cut trees but just 3 legit Christmas tree farms.

Family Christmas Tree Farm
300 Pepper Drive
El Cajon, CA 92021
619-448-5331
www.familychristmastreefarm.com

House Evergreen Forest
3036 N. Victoria Drive
Alpine, CA 91901
619-445-8300
ttrreeffaarrmm@cox.net (worst email address eevveerr)

Pine Tree Acres
620 Haverford Road
Ramona, CA 92065
760-788-5524
pinetreeacres@roadrunner.com

2. Have a snow day
It may not snow in San Diego but every year there seems to be snow around San Diego. Your best bet is to wait for the weatherman to announce that there is snow falling in Laguna Mountain, Julian or Palomar Mountain. Don't want to wait? Just head to Big Bear for a snow day.

3. December Nights
Balboa Park December Nights, the nation’s premier holiday festival, will take place for the 35th consecutive year on Friday, Dec. 6, 3-11pm, and Saturday, Dec. 7, noon-11pm. As always, the event brings families and friends together to spread holiday joy, learn more about the cultural value of Balboa Park and kick-off the “most wonderful time of the year.”

Participating Balboa Park museums open their doors free of charge from 5-9 pm both evenings and more than 350,000 visitors are expected to experience the joy of San Diego’s largest free community festival. Those who attend will participate in a truly multicultural experience, enjoying food, music and entertainment from around the world.

4. Go ice skating...by the sea
Every year the Hotel Del Coronado transforms Windsor Lawn into an outdoor ice skating rink adjacent to Coronado Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The rink will be open from November 27 to January 5. For more information, visit Hotel Del Coronado's website.

5. Attend a Christmas Tree Lighting
There are a number of tree lighting celebrations throughout San Diego every holiday season. I would love to be able to go to the one in Coronado or Balboa Park. For a complete list, check out this article on Red Tricycle.

6. Check out some Christmas lights
Some people take their Christmas lights seriously. I'm not one of those people but I do enjoy driving through nicely decorated neighborhoods. Here is the link to a list of some of the best Christmas light displays in San Diego. Wanna be super fancy about your Christmas light viewing? Book a tour with Masterpiece Limos. Other options for checking out light displays is the Holiday of Lights at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights.

7. Take photos with Santa at Seaport Village
The Santa's available for photo ops in Seaport Village this year look legit! Much better than the mall Santa I saw at Fashion Valley. I'm top of that, I'm sure Seaport Village will be decked out for the holidays. Can't wait for Parker's first crying photo with Santa.

8. Make an ornament
These handprint ornaments are a simple way to capture how small Parker's hands are at this first Christmas. Visit You're So Martha for full instructions. Too lazy? You can buy this kit from Pearhead. These would make great holiday gifts for gushing grandparents.

9. Make a nativity scene
Help your little one get into the real spirit of Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus but making a baby friendly nativity scene. I love this simple wooden project available from Caravan Shoppe. Don't have time to make this project? Target has some cute wooden peg doll nativity characters available in store too!

10. Jungle Bells
For a wild twist to holiday festivities, take in the Zoo's annual Jungle Bells celebration. Starting Saturday, Dec. 15 through January 6 2013, families can put a wild-animal twist on familiar holiday traditions during the Zoo's 2012 Jungle Bells celebration. The Zoo will stay open until 8 p.m. each night except Dec. 24 - when it will close at 5 p.m.

Kid Friendly Events - Oct 26 & 27

This weekend is Halloween weekend and there are a ton of events happening in San Diego. Here are my picks for things to do this weekend with the family! We will be hitting one of these activities on Saturday but Sunday is reserved for the 6th Annual Chu Family Pumpkin Carving Contest! Our annual carving contest has gotten more and more serious over the years and this year I'm determined to win with my giant squid design. Can't wait to post photos!!

Saturday, Oct 26

Halloween Bash on the Bay - 1 PM-5 PM -Seaport Village
Celebrate the arrival of fall at Seaport Village, where San Diegans are invited to join the fun at Seaport’s third annual Halloween Bash on the Bay on Saturday, October 26, from 1 to 5 p.m. A week of deals and events leading up to the fall festival will honor San Diego locals from October 21-26.
The third annual celebration invites little monsters, pirates, witches and superheroes out to the village for an afternoon of fall festivities, including photos with a living scarecrow, costume contest for kids and pets, a brand new mask making area, scavenger hunt, music including a monster mash band and Thriller DJ, and games for kids.

Enjoy 2 hours of validated parking for $3 in the Seaport Village lot with a minimum purchase of $10. $2 every 30 minutes thereafter or part thereof. Non validated parking is $8 an hour.

For more information, visit http://www.seaportvillage.com/entertainment/halloween-bash-on-the-bay

Sunday, Oct 27

First Annual Good Food Community Fair - 10 AM-2 PM - San Diego Public Market
Meet and mingle with San Diegans working towards a sustainable & delicious San Diego. This is a FREE community event open to the public. There will be prizes, a schnazzy Slow-photobooth, and of course... food! How cool is their website? RSVP today on their facebook page!
http://www.goodfoodfair.com/

Halloween Family Festival Day at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion - 1:30PM-3:00PM - Balboa Park
The Spreckels Organ Society invites little ghosts and ghouls of all ages and their families and friends to a free, special Halloween-themed Family Festival Day at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Enjoy some spooky tunes and pumpkin carols played on the historic Spreckels Organ by former San Diego Civic Organist Jared Jacobsen and the San Diego Children’s Choir. Move to the music with hula hoop dancing by Spin Yang Hoops, strut in a kazoo parade, sit right up on stage for an up-close and personal look at the organist in action, then visit activity booths by San Diego Junior Theatre, the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, the San Diego Humane Society and the San Diego Choristers Guild. Bring your friends and your friendly pets on leash. Costumes welcomed!
http://sosorgan.org/

None of these events excite you? Then we can't be friends anymore. Just kidding! Visit the events calendars on Red Tricycle or San Diego Family Magazine for more Halloween fun.




http://redtri.com/events/socal/

Bates Nut Farm - Pumpkin Patch

We've officially checked off two of the fall outings I posted about earlier this month which makes me feel like supermom! Yesterday, we headed to Bates Nut Farm to check out their famous pumpkin patch and take some photos of Parker because we all know he doesn't take enough photos. My friend Christina had told me that the place would be a "total fucking mess" if we didn't get there right when they open so we arrived around 9:30 AM to beat the crowds. Bates did not disappoint! The fields of Big Macs was amazing and Parker had a great time patting the pumpkins. We didn't buy a pumpkin this year because none of them were the right size/shape for the giant squid design I'll be doing but we had a lot of fun taking photos, eating kettle corn, checking out the animals and people watching. We will definitely be back next year, probably even earlier than this year because Bates was a total zoo by the time we left. It was hard to get good photos once it got crowded and the traffic was horrendous and backed up all the way to the main road (about 3 miles). Don't say I didn't warn you!

 

Bates Nut Farm

15954 Woods Valley Road

Valley Center, CA 92082

 

 Thanks for taking these photos, Husband!



 

[One of my favorites]

[That gust of wind really messed up Parker's hair]

[I sent my sisters a text of this picture captioned 'He likes them big']

 



[Too bad Parker was sleeping and missed out on this photo]

 



[Goats, alpacas, peacocks, geese, pigs, ponies, emus..]

 

 

[We learned from the apple orchard debacle and remembered to bring the boba air this time]

Celebrating Fall in Socal

It's finally starting to feel like Fall in San Diego which is very exciting considering how hot it has been for the past two weeks. Pre Parker, fall didn't seem like that big of a deal and the thing I looked forward to most was getting to wear boots again. Post Parker, everything is celebrated (!) and everything is new (!) and fantastic. It's amazing how having a baby changes your outlook on life. I've compiled a list of family friendly outings for us to celebrate fall. If we can check just 2 of these off the list, I would consider it a success.
 
1. Visit Bates Nut Farm to pick out a pumpkin. There are a lot of pumpkin patches in San Diego but I think I want to take Parker to Bates Nut Farm. We need to pick out a winning pumpkin for the Chu Family Annual Carving Contest!

Shop for pumpkins, squash and gourds. Also, a farm zoo, pony rides, hay rides and a straw maze. Sept. 25-Oct. 31; visit website for hours. Free admission.
15954 Woods Valley Rd., Valley Center
760-749-3333
www.batesnutfarm.biz
 
More info on pumpkin patches in San Diego is available here.

2. Take a day trip to Julian, where the leaves actually change color. For more info, visit http://www.julianca.com/
 
While we are in Julian, we'll probably visit...

 

Apple Starr Orchards - U-Pick - August 24, Start of the 2013 Season!!
Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends - By appointment weekdays.
Certified Organic Orchard (CCOF) since 2000 growing Apples (delicious, fuji, gala, granny & jonagold) and Pears (bartlett, bosc, anjou). We are open for u-pick on weekends through October. Groups should email to schedule appointments.
(760) 305-2169
1287 Julian Orchards Drive, Julian, CA 92036
www.apple-starr.com

Mom’s Pies
Stand outside and let your kids watch pies being assembled through the large storefront window—they are sure to get a smile and a wave from the friendly bakers. Come inside for a slice or take home a whole pie.
2119 Main Street.
760-765-2472
www.momspiesjulian.com
 
Miner’s Diner
Original olde-fashioned soda fountain and diner with full breakfast and lunch menu. Daily specials.
(760) 765-3753
2134 Main Street, P.O. Box 1027, Julian, CA 92036

3. Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland. We celebrated Halloween at Disneyland the first year they offered it and had such a fun time! I would love to go again though we probably could not do it without having some of my sisters come along to help or dropping Parks off with a sitter in the OC area (hint hint).
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/halloween-time-at-the-disneyland-resort/

4. Old Town San Diego's Dia De Los Muertos Festival, November 1-2
This event celebrates the unity of life and death, considered by many to be the most important holiday of the year in Mexico and other Latin American countries. The primary focus of the celebration will be on the altars or ofrendas. A Tour of Altars is available; a map and way-finding signage throughout the town will guide you to over 50 Old Town businesses, museums, and historic sites that are participating in the event. A ton of free crafts, face painting, entertainment, food and drink specials and art exhibits will also be available.
http://sddayofthedead.org/index.htm

 

There are a ton of other events happening in and around San Diego this fall. Be sure to check out the events calendars on San Diego Family, Red Tricycle and the City of San Diego website for more info on all the art festivals, food festivals, beer festivals and Oktoberfests!





 
 

Living Coast Discovery Center

This past Saturday, we took a trip down to the Living Coast Discovery Center for family day. I can't recall where I first heard about the Center but I've been wanting to check it out for a while now. Admission was $14/person for adults and Parker was free.  The Center focuses on highlighting animals that can be found living in our local waters, skies and marshes including Moray eels, Leopard sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, rescued owls, hawks, falcons and eagles. Parker really enjoyed the fact that most of the exhibits had a seating platform for little ones to sit and watch the animals swim around. Even on a Saturday afternoon, the Center was not busy and we didn't have to fight any crowds to get a good view of the exhibits (like the zoo). The Center is located in the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge and offers beautiful views of the surrounding marshland, bay, shipyard and Coronado Bridge. Parking is located right off the main road and free of charge. After you park, take the complimentary shuttle to the Center. The Center is very stroller friendly. The one thing we did not have the chance to do was hike through the marshlands but I would definitely do that the next time we visit.

[Across the street from the parking lot "Beat the heat and chill with our hotties". Keeping it classy Chula Vista!]

[Spiny urchin]

[Parker was obsessed with this tank]

[Mantis shrimp]

[View of the shipyard]

[Too busy watching the sharks to take a picture with mom]

[Burrowing owl]

[My handsome boy in his Zara plaid shirt, Gap fedora, H&M leggings and Old Sole shoes]

[Time to go home!]

Side note! We had lunch at El Gordo's before we went to see the animals. One of my favorite taco places in San Diego.

[Al pastor taco. Almost everything on the menu is $2]

Living Coast Discovery Center
http://www.thelivingcoast.org/
1000 Gunpowder Point Drive
Chula Vista, CA 91910
619.409.5900