Life in San Diego
Showing posts with label Life in San Diego. Show all posts

Top 3 Things I Miss About San Diego


I am going going back back to Cali Cali! Next month we will be going back to San Diego for a visit! Besides the obvious things I miss like my family and friends and the SUNSHINE, I am looking forward to the following things that I miss so so much...

(By the way, the irregular sized photos in this post are from a "Guide to San Diego" post that had been sitting in my Drafts folder for YEARS and will now, sadly, ever happen.)

1. The Mexican Food: Yes, there is Mexican food here, and it is OK. Kind of weird actually. All the burritos are "wet." Like you have to eat them with fork and knife. I don't wanna do that! (Rancho's in San Diego serves them wet, but you have to request it that way and you have a choice of sauces.) And yes, I have had Mexican food in Mexico (Mexico City to be exact), and it was great, but the type of Mexican food I miss is SoCal Mexican food. Fish tacos!! The restaurants in Old Town!! Taco shops that end in "-berto's"!!

2. The Year-round Farmers' Markets: The Little Italy farmers' market is one of my favorites. Whenever I go there, there is something yummy to eat, sunshine to soak up, and plenty of locally grown produce. I get that the climate in Seattle makes it tricky to have farmers' markets in the winter, so I am not complaining. It's just that I think it's awesome that so many crops grow well in So Cal all year long!

3. The Beach Communities: Luckily, I live near a giant lake, so there are beaches here. And the Pugent Sound isn't far either, so there is salt water nearby, but what I love love love about San Diego is the variety of beach communities. You want laid back and diverse? Go to Imperial Beach. Hippy and quirky scene? Ocean Beach. College night life? Pacific Beach. Kid-friendly? La Jolla Shores. Upscale? Del Mar. Crunchy? Leucadia and Encinitas. Maybe that exisits here too, I just haven't figured it out yet.

Honorable Mention: Balboa Park! One thing I love about Balboa Park is most of the museums I want to visit in San Diego are all located in that park. Having them all clustered together just makes it easier to find them, park, and visit more than one. Museums in Seattle are spread out all over the place!

See you soon, San Diego!

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New Month's Resolutions: May


Better late than never, right?

April was a good month, friends. I celebrated my 35th birthday and did NOT freak out about getting older. Hunter went with his papi to Pennsylvania to visit my MIL and SIL. We went to the New Children's Museum. I finished reading This Raging Light, and it was really good. I love the author's voice. I actually started jotting down a few ideas for my own book. I also started reading a parenting book that my friend Carla recommended called Siblings Without Rivalry. That book is a total game changer. Best parenting resource I have read so far. I will be posting about it once I am finished, for sure. I also started writing for Red Tricycle again. I submitted one story so far and am almost finished with another. I love writing for them because it gets me out and about exploring my city (like in the photo above of Crab Carillon at the 25th Street overpass -- hit the chimes to play a musical palindrome). Finally, we enjoyed Hunter's school performance called "An Afternoon at the Movies." As for exercising, yeah, that didn't really happen. Oops. I did keep up with my cleaning schedule, more or less, and I have been doing more "special time" with Hunter.

My goals for May aren't too different from the last few months...

MIND
Write, write, write. I resolve to submit my art story to my Red Tri editor, pitch at least one story for the summer, and write one chapter of my book.

BODY
Walk, walk, walk. I can't seem to get myself motivated to do my core exercises this month, so I am going to give myself a little break and hit the reset button. I will give it more commitment next month, so this month I will just focus on taking Paloma out for a walk every morning after dropping Hunter off at school. I have found that it's easier to get motivated to do this when I plan for it. For example, if I need to return a book to the library, drop something off at the post office, or stop by CVS I will walk there instead of drive and spread out those errands over the week. The main objective is to actually get us out in the fresh air, so if going to the park or visiting Isaiah at work are on the agenda, those count as "walks."

SOUL
Balance, balance, balance. I have been so focused on being a better mami to Hunter that I have forgotten that Paloma has some important needs too, like, hey, maybe I should read to her daily instead of every now and again. I checked out some board books from the library for her which has helped remind me to read to her. I need to sing to her more, too. I will finish reading Siblings Without Rivalry and continue to use the tips I've learned so far to be better at communicating with Hunter.

That's all! Here are some more photos from April... (By the way, the ones in which Hunter is wearing his Avengers shirt were not all taken on the same day -- he is just obsessed with that shirt.)















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Frugal Family Fun Day with Membership Passes


One of the best ways to have a budget-friendly fun day with the family is to take advantage of membership passes to local museums or the zoo. Of course, there is the initial investment that is costly, but after a couple of visits, the pass has usually paid for itself, and then the rest of your visits are free. 

Right before Hunter turned one, my mother-in-law came to visit. We headed to Balboa Park so we could visit the Natural History Museum. For all three of us adults to enter, we would have paid $55 for single day admission, but for $24 more we got membership passes which included 4 free guest passes. Basically, if Isaiah and I visited the museum 3 times in one year, we would have already started saving money on admission. From then on, any time we were wondering what to do at the weekend, we could just pop in to the museum and watch an IMAX movie or see what was new. It was the same idea with membership passes to the San Diego Zoo, which we've had for two years now. 

What if your budget won't allow for the high cost of a membership pass? At least in San Diego, we have a few options:

1. Resident Tuesdays: Many museums in the park offer free admission to residents on Tuesdays. It's on a rotating schedule, so check here for participating organizations.

2. Kids Free October: Over 40 museums as well as the zoo participate in this event. Usually, a child's admission ticket is free with a paid adult ticket. Check back here in August for the line-up. Also, most places are already free for children under the age of three, so take advantage of that while you can! A similar program sponsored by Macy's (Macy's Museum Month) happens in February and offers visitors 50% off admission. Click here for details.

3. Library Passes: Libraries in San Diego carry special museum membership passes that you can borrow just like books. The passes are good for up to two adult admissions and up to four children's admissions. They oftentimes give you membership privileges on the day of your visit, such as discounts at the museum shop and special events. The city library has passes for the San Diego Museum of Art, Children's Museum, and the Museum of Man. 

That's what we did this past weekend. We borrowed a pass for the Museum of Man. We had a full day of fun by starting out with a walk on some local trails, a mid-morning snack at home, and a visit to the museum at Balboa Park. We loved watching Hunter explore the exhibits. Afterward, since we saved money on admission fees, we treated ourselves to a late lunch at Panama 66 (outside the San Diego Museum of Art), which has a great grab-and-go option that is less expensive than the regular restaurant menu.


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Picking Apples and Pears in Julian


As a San Diego resident, what do you do when apple-picking season comes around and you want that quintessential fall experience? Well, you head to Julian, of course! Although apple-picking season in San Diego County, even in the mountains, does not mean cooler autumn temperatures, it is still loads of fun for the family. 

For the second year in a row (click here for photos from last year), we headed to Apple Starr Orchard during Labor Day weekend. It's the only certified organic orchard out there, and it's worth the extra cash for that bag of delicious organic goodies. After an hour of picking fruit in the sweltering heat of late summer, followed by a picnic lunch, we headed to Julian Pie Co. for pie and ice cream -- a special treat for all that hard work!







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San Diego Hidden Treasure: Queen Califia's Magic Circle Sculpture Garden

(Please note: All photos are copyright and courtesy of Julie Rings Photography)

The city of Escondido, located within San Diego County, is home to an unusual, yet stunning collection of sculptures created by artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The sculptures are centered around a mythical warrior queen, also known as Calafia. The garden has recently undergone renovations, but there is still more work to be done, so opening times are limited. Visit the second Saturday of each month from 10 am to 2 pm or click here for information about a large-group visit by reservation only.

Getting there: The garden is located inside Kit Carson Park. When you enter at the corner of Bear Valley Parkway and Mary Lane, follow signs toward the Arboretum and park in the Arboretum lot. 




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What's New?

In the temp apt. He's happy anywhere. Glad someone is ;)

Gosh! Where to begin? The last post I wrote, we were still in our little white house, and now we are in a furnished apartment -- temporary accommodations -- that we can't wait to get out of! Ugh. Just a few happenings to report...

As I mentioned, Hunter and I both started school. He has adapted really well to the Montessori environment, and we had the opportunity to observe him for a bit last week. It was so neat to watch him navigate his classroom and receive a lesson from his teacher. I was so happy to see him focused, engaged, and independent (you know, as much as you can expect from an almost 2-year-old).

My training program has been amazing. Being a preschool teacher/educator of children 6 and under is such an important job -- something I am not taking lightly. My heart and mind are transforming in the best way possible. I've learned so much about children, ideas that will help me as a teacher and mother. I don't know where I will be this time next year, but I sure hope it will be working with children and using my training.

We sold our house, but oh boy was escrow a very trying time. The buyer was making some unreasonable requests -- we thought we might have to start all over! We also needed to figure out where to move... and for about a month we thought it might be New York! Isaiah flew out there for a job interview, but in the end he turned down the offer. Since we weren't sure where we'd be living, we moved to this temporary apartment and put all our stuff in storage. It looks like we'll be in San Diego for a while longer, so the hunt for a new place begins.

In the meantime, there was some apple picking, a school field trip to the pumpkin patch for Hunter, lots of studying for me, and we booked a family trip to SICILY! We'll be heading there for spring break, using lots of recs from this blog. Also, I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving! Where did the year go?







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Backyard Garden

Strawberry

One of the things I am going to miss about owning our home* is the backyard. Although we haven't done much with it during the two years we've been here, it has so much potential. We had dreams of an herb garden, veggie garden, pergola, etc. Despite our lack of landscaping, Hunter has enjoyed playing in the dirt, digging around the dead grass, and pulling weeds. Isaiah has used the space to work on projects around the house.

I, on the other hand, have enjoyed tending a small garden for the last couple of months, and I couldn't have done it without my mom's help. She and my stepfather have an amazing garden. (She even makes how-to videos!) The strawberry, mint, parsley, kale, and Swiss chard all started from seed. My mom sprouted them for me, brought them over, and helped me transplant them in some small existing beds on the side of our yard. 

The blackberry started as a branch Mom cut from her blackberry bush, and we have already had a mini-harvest that yielded about a dozen berries over about 2 weeks. Every day, Hunter would go out there to check for ripe berries, "Baby, baby, baby!" The zucchini and cucumber started as small plants my mom bought at Home Depot and planted for me because she wanted Hunter to enjoy zucchini from his garden (his fav veggie).  I am really impressed with myself that I have remembered to water everything ;)

Mint
Parsley
Kale
Swiss chard
Blackberry
Zucchini flower
Zucchini
Swiss chard and Cucumber
We also planted a small cactus garden in the front yard. Check out our home renovation blog for some photos.

*Long story short, we're selling our house because we need the cash! With the capital gains from the sale of our home, we plan to pay off our student loan debt, pay for my training program (I am going back to school in a couple of weeks to become a Montessori primary teacher), and pay for Hunter's first year of Montessori school.

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Fountain Fun







I forgot to post these photos from a few weeks ago. We spent the afternoon at the zoo and Balboa Park, and I just happened to have swim trunks in my bag for Hunter. I am realizing that it is now a MUST to keep extra clothes and swim trunks in my bag because you never know when the mood for wading in a public fountain will strike. He loves the water! Happy summer!

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