white rice

B. just finished his first morning of preschool and rocked it like a star. Except when it came to lunchtime. Of the rice, turkey hot dogs, carrots and apples on his plate, he ate only the white rice. I'm perversely proud of him for sticking to his guns and not being swayed by peer pressure. Sure, all the other kids ate their balanced meals but my kid is picky and not about to change to make a group of toddlers happy. Sorta lame but I gotta look at the bright side. Instead we came home and he had a fluffernutter sandwich on whole wheat bread, which I first sold to him last week as a "frosting" sandwich. So now we've got a new meal on the repertoire and I'm trying to be less precious about the idea that my kid is eating marshmallow fluff for lunch.

the happy dance

B. will do almost anything for applause, especially if I promise to also do the happy dance which is me hopping around - sort of like Irene Cara or her body double dancing to "Maniac" in Flashdance. Yesterday I made grilled halibut, roast potatoes and corn and got B. to eat a little corn with the promise of a happy dance. And then today we had lunch with Amy at the Counter and roped her into the hoopla in exchange for 3 bites of cheeseburger. She obviously thinks we're nuts. But when it comes to B. eating outside his comfort zone there is nothing too lame or embarrassing that I wouldn't do. Really, the best form of birth control is spending time with other people and their kids.

random thoughts

Some days are easy and some days are just getting by. The last week feels like we've just been surviving. But B. starts preschool tomorrow and there's a bunch of random thoughts I want to get down before our lives change completely. 
We had to babysit the neighbor's newborn last week and, I gotta be honest, it was the most boring thing ever. I've gotten really used to all the activities I do with B. Plus the back and forth conversation is really nice - even if he says "No" most of the time. And since I didn't feel comfortable taking her anywhere since she's really brand spanking new we all sat in the livingroom, shhh'd her, changed her pukey outfit and rocked her until she went to sleep and then B. and I hid in his room and played quietly lest we wake the sleeping beast. I've been wondering if we should have another, even though I was pretty sure one was the perfect number and this experience pretty much sealed the deal for me. At least for the next few years. I really like focusing 100% of my scattered-as-it-is attention on B. and juggling another baby would make that almost impossible. And then I'd also feel like I was short-changing the other kid of having all the experiences and attention that B. got. Yep, one and I think I'm done.
And preschool tomorrow. Gah. I think B. will love it because it'll mean playing with a bunch of kids all morning, which is just about his favorite thing to do with our little neighbors. But I'm slightly freaked out at the idea he'll be away almost every day. If I could just keep alternating between spending time with my favorite little person in the world at the beach and the Natural History Museum every morning for the rest of my life I think it would be a happy life. This summer's been a perfect bubble of bliss but it's time for him to make friends his own age and I think he's done with babysitters coming over when mommy has to work (or maybe I'm just sick of interviewing candidates). Anyway, I can't wait to see what happens - especially at lunchtime/snacktime. I don't think I saw anything on their menu that he eats at the moment. So will he cave and start trying to new things or will I just pick up on ravenous kid every day? Crystal ball, I need you!

vacation = good food

We're away in Montreal which usually brings out the best in B. and while he's slightly more picky than previous visits he has eaten ham sandwiches every day here. And pasta bolognese on two nights. It's sort of repetitive but I'm hoping the consistency hammers it home and he'll keep eating the ham sammies when we get back to L.A. I think there must be something about the saltiness 'cause they're going down much better than turkey. And the kid ain't hurting in the dessert category either, so far it's been chocolate crepes @ Jean Talon market, a chocolate dinosaur from Premiere Moisson, ice cream after his cousin's soccer game at Dairy Queen (more vile than I remember) and a cupcake from Juliette et Chocolat. Vacation is good for everybody.

books & cookies on a friday afternoon

Cookie decorating class rocked! Five bucks buys two cookies, unlimited toppings and one crazy sugar rush.

snack attack

B. wouldn't go to sleep last night so he sat with us while we watched Take Me Home Tonight. Awesome '80s soundtrack. And started eating our Peruvian corn snack. They're huge, roasted, salted kernels of corn. LMAO. So random for the kid who won't try anything new. And doesn't eat corn. Like tonight we took him and Gran out for In 'N' Out -- sort of a birthright for any kid born in California, especially one who's obsessed with bowling. (T. made some joke about the In 'N' Out on Radford which I know somehow relates to the Big Lebowski but I'm terrible with movie quotes.) And B. wouldn't eat the fries because they're not sweet potato and he wouldn't eat the  cheeseburger because...well, who knows? But roasted Peruvian corn kernels are A-OK. Funny little man.

stuff to try this weekend

• OMG, it's banana, it's Nutella, it's Bananatella. I am so making this today. Banana slices already in the freezer.
  via Baby Center
• I need to revisit this blueberry buckle. I was obsessed with buckles and coffee cakes a couple of years ago (B. was just an infant and I wasn't thinking about the nutritional value of anything!) especially with the addition of berries. There's something so pleasing about a rich, buttery cake paired with tart, juicy berries.
  via Savory Sweet Life
• And once I started poking around Savory Sweet Life, I found this watermelon feta salad than seems right up my alley. Score.
  

there's hope after all

For reasons that make no sense, B. tried and liked Cheddar Bunnies this week. I've tried Goldfish before but until now he's refused almost any sort of snack food. Give me an inch and I'll take a mile. Feeling daring, I spread a sheer layer of mustard and honey on his turkey sandwich today and called it a "sweet turkey sandwich." He actually ate a couple of bites and seemed to like it. Granted, there's nothing nutritional about any of this but it's been so long since he tried anything new I'm considering it a major victory.

For the record Ben's entire diet these days consists of: oatmeal (& applesauce), Cheerios, pancakes (& sweet potato or applesauce), mac & cheese (& cauliflower), pasta bolognese, turkey sandwiches, bean & cheese quesedillas with avocado (& chicken or pork) and pizza. That gives me exactly 8 options to choose from.

well, that backfired

We never gave B. fruit juice since he used to eat plenty of fruit and seemed to have no problem with water at every meal. Now that he's cut out ALL fruits in any shape or form (no raisins, no berries, no applesauce, nada!) I'm desperate to get some fruity goodness into him so we bought some Martinelli's apple juice this week. Only, instead of turning into a juice junkie like we worried might happen, he won't even try it. Not even when we diluted it with water and tried to trick him into tasting some. Or when I offered him a juice box with its own little straw. Crap. We missed the juice window and I don't know when we'll get there again.

best toddler fun in santa monica & beyond

Based on the advice of a neighbor we checked out Virginia Ave. Park on Pico Blvd. yesterday. One word. Awesome! The playground is nothing special but they have water jets running all day long. It was a blast to watch B. run in and out of the fountains and it didn't cost a thing!
Also on the free list (ONLY because we have a family membership) was the dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum. The curators have done such a good job of the new hall and unlike NYC's Natural History Museum where you have to elbow your way through to see anything, the crowd here is manageable. It's like the less flashy, less fancy cousin who's a lot more fun to hang out with. Plus they open at 9:30, unlike everything else in L.A. that opens at 10 or 11.

In case anyone's looking for more ideas, here are the other places we've loved to visit this summer:
Annenberg Beach House on the PCH. Two words: heated pool!
Bay Shore Lanes bowling alley on Pico (just off Main St.): A little grungy but they went out of their way to set us up with bumpers and a ramp.
Long Beach Aquarium: Expensive but worth it.
Will Rogers Beach on the PCH: The shortest distance from the parking lot to the beach.
The Farmers Market Sundays on Main St.: Ponies and produce.
Aidan's Place playground on Sepulveda: Just a great place to play.
Venice Canal: No ducks the day we visited but still just nice to walk around.

Up next on our to-do list: Cookie decorating at Books and Cookies and the wading pool at Stoner Park.