United Airlines...

BLOWS!!!  We must all come together and take them down!


LAX is the worse airport on the planet (after Madrid)!


I hate pumping in public bathrooms and conference rooms!


BREEEAAATHE!!!

...this was all made better by...my Jenny McCathy sighting at LAX!!  I'm a HUGE fan!  She cracks me up and I think every pregnant woman on the planet should be required to read Belly Laughs.  I didn't have the balls to tell her though :(

Life on the road..

is not what it used to be.

It's been a full year and a month since I have had to travel for work. While I saw the "shift" back then, I didn't fully recognize it until now. As I sit in the 21st floor of my hotel room in sunny San Diego overlooking the marina and bay, I no longer see what I used to love in traveling for work.

...room service
...first class
...free (and good) food
...reading celebrity mags at the airport
...the quiet time on a plane, where no one can reach me
...exploring a new city by foot
...a break from my daily routine
...uninterrupted sleep


Instead, I find myself...


...annoyed at the long lines at the airport
...embarrassed to be pumping in a public bathroom at the airport
...lifting my heavy bags, that no one helps me with
...walking in heels, when I really want to be in flip flops
...wearing my uncomfortable suit
...laughing at the loud kids next door 
...laughing at the loud parents next door
...wishing my kids were the loud kids

Don't get me wrong, I've been loving the fact that I could eat a meal in peace. I even finished a 344 page library book and slept a straight 7 hours! I would've slept longer if I didn't have to pump! At the end of the day though, I miss the kids (and Melvin) more than anything and realized that while I still love to travel...I'd much rather be traveling with them. While I'm glad I've reached this realization, I'm still going to wallow in every minute of "me" time that I have for the rest of the day. Then, tomorrow morning, I'll welcome that 4:30am cry and gladly run to Amélie's room to feed her.


Absence DOES make the heart grow fonder!

SD

I have my first  post-Amélie business trip (San Diego) and am leaving tomorrow very early. It's an easy peasey luncheon at Roy's Restaurant. What more could I ask for in a contract job?

Even though I spend 24/7 with the kids, the mother's guilt never fails. To compensate, I'm doing as much preparation as I can, so it'll be smooth sailing for Melvin.

Every Ounce of Dirty Laundry: Check
Food in the Fridge: Check
Pumped Breast Milk in Freezer: Check (an absurd amount)
Prepared Foods in the Freezer: Check
Library Books for Julian: Check
Amélie's Nap/Food Schedule for Babysitter: Check

In the meantime, since I haven't been working full-time, I feel "slow". For example, I used to be able to pack in less that 5 minutes, even if it was for a 5 day trip. Not anymore! Also, I'm like, hmm, what do I need? Oh crap, I need MS Office on my laptop!  Melvin is working on that right now :)


Request for Melvin: Try to match the kids' clothes, when going out in public.

Ramen Search

I was a regular at NYC's midtown eastside's Menchanko-tei. It was at a perfect location to meet my friends from my old job.  There's nothing like a hot bowl of Shoyu Ramen to slurp up on a cold winter's day...with just the right amount of Ramen noodles in a hot broth, and of course that sliver of tender pork on top to tease the senses.  Totally got me through my pregnancy!

Well, my craving finally got the best of me, so Melvin and I went on a quest last night to find Vancouver's version of "Menchanko-tei".  Yelp stated that Kintaro was the place to go, so off we went! It was a total dive and...we LOVED it!! 

Menu was rather limited, but you could pick what kind of broth you wanted (Shoyu, Shio, Miso), whether you wanted it rich, medium or light AND you could pick whether you wanted your pork fatty or lean...of course, Melvin went with fatty (and woke up with a massive migraine this morning)!

Noodles: Kintaro
Menu Selection: Menchanko-tei (I like how they let you add fried chicken, fish balls, etc. to your soup)
Broth: Kintaro
Pork: Kintaro (I actually had the Veg version, but Menchanko-tei's pork is half the size)
Atmosphere: Kintaro - totally no frills

Looks like Kintaro wins!  We actually passed about 5 other Ramen dives downtown, so we'll be confirming which Vancouver spot really takes that the Ramen crown!

matt, liz and madeline

I started following this blog: matt, liz and madeline, shortly after Julian was born. It captured my attention immediately since I was a new mom at the time and the story was simply mind-blowing. Despite my tough pregnancy and labor/delivery, the blog gave me perspective and made me realize that I am one of the blessed ones.

Matt is the father, Liz the mother and Madeline, the baby.  Liz was on bed rest for 5 weeks, had low amniotic fluid and then had a c-section. Just as she was getting ready to see and hold Madeline for the first time, she collapsed on the ground as a result of a pulmonary embolism. The doctors weren't able to bring her back...The blog is Matt's story and how he got through this unimaginable situation. 

They seemed like such a wonderful couple and they loved to travel.  He took Madeline to a lot of the places he and Liz went to. One of the blog entries that touched my heart was when he took Madeline to the exact spot in India, where he had proposed to her mother.

It's an amazing story and I was excited to hear of his book coming out in April 2011, called Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love.  I am so excited to read it...I'm sure it'll cleanse my tear ducts thoroughly!

the twins

Yesterday, my friend had to work, so we offered to watch her 3-yr old twins.  Julian had a blast and Amelie knows how to hold her own by now; however, it was madness!  Fun, but very nice to give them back at the end of the day. :)

4 kids = no thank you!

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

They transformed the new Vancouver Convention Centre into Bangalore, India to film Tom Cruise's MI IV. Katie & Suri were shopping at our Chapters Bookstore & Whole Foods...supposedly they are in town until March...hoping for a star sighting!

Brunch

We had 4 families over for brunch today. I thought it'd be nice for Julian to have his friends over, meet some hubbies of the moms I've met, as well as expose Amélie to kids as she's been super attached. I took special care in creating a good, but manageable menu, as 2 of the hubbies are trained chefs (one being the executive chef at the Marriott in Vancouver). It came out pretty well, if I must say, and we had a really nice relaxing, kid-crazy day.

What did I make?
Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Spanish Tortilla with Potato, Onion & Yellow Pepper
Baked Maple Bananas
Pork Sausages
Veggie Pancakes


Tidbit: Don't make sausages for a large group. Messes up your pan and sets off the smoke alarm.


Highlight: Found Julian and his friend Alyssa hiding in his bed...and then later in the bathtub.

The Breakfast Sandwich...and the Bialy

One Bialy with a slice of grilled tomato and melted provolone, please...

That is how I started nearly every morning on my work in NYC...with a fresh squeezed OJ, of course. This lasted nearly 10 years.  It worked out well because I traveled pretty often so when I was away, I'd have other things, like a veggie omelet with a side of salsa. (creature of habit) The provolone has to be melted and PAX used to do a nice job of putting the cheese underneath the broiler for me before placing the tomato on top.

I found a decent breakfast sandwich here, which I get every Tues/Thurs after I walk Julian to school, but does not compare. Anyway, the point of this post is that someone NEEDS to open a Bialy joint in Vancouver ASAP. Man, do I miss that outer crust, chewy middle with a hint of garlic/onion/poppy seeds in the center. By far, beats the bagel a million times over in my opinion.

I don't think greater America even knows what a Bialy is or why it's so wonderful. In fact, I don't think most New Yorkers even appreciate the goodness of a true Bialy. (footnote: while the best bagels are in Rockland County, they have fake Bialys)

See, the reason you won't find a Bialy outside of New York really is for a couple reasons:

1) Only NYC has the real thing.

2) Bialys only have a shelf life of SIX hours. Isn't that fascinating?  Therefore, they can't make them and ship them to places and they need to be eaten that day or thrown out.

Bialy, a Yiddish word short for bialystoker kuchen, from Białystok, a city in Poland, is a small roll that is a traditional dish in Polish Ashkenazi cuisine. A traditional bialy has a diameter of up to 15 cm (6 inches) and is a chewy yeast roll similar to a bagel. Unlike a bagel, which is boiled before baking, a bialy is simply baked, and instead of a hole in the middle it has a depression. Before baking, this depression is filled with diced onions and other ingredients, including (depending on the recipe) garlic, poppy seeds, or bread crumbs.

In 2002, former New York Times food writer Mimi Sheraton wrote a book dedicated to the bialy, called The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World.

Naps

Children's naps are like a parent's enemy and best friend, all at the same time. Why do I think this?

Well, to start, they have been a thorn on my side because you're bound to them if you want to get your child on a schedule. You screw with the nap, you screw with your sleep at night...

Therefore, we've been strict with Julian's naps from day one (mama needs her sleep too!). It worked like a charm and was like clockwork, but meant I couldn't really make plans during nap time or had to work around it, be bound to the house or get a babysitter, etc. etc...Then, Julian turned 3 and all of a sudden, he didn't want to nap.  Goodness, now I have to entertain him for 2-3 more hours of the day??  I think I preferred the thorn!! Boy, did I take it for granted!

The past 2 days, however, Julian (and his sister) have given me 3 blissful hours of afternoon peace. How did I get him to sleep?

Well, on Monday, we watched a 4-D version of Polar Express at the aquarium. Loud surround sound, water splashing in face, chair poking our backs and moving to the motion of the train, the works...Julian thoroughly enjoyed it, but got completely freaked out!  Here was my chance!

Julian, if you don't take a nap, the Polar Express will be coming to take you to the North Pole!

Terrible, but hey, whatever works!

Oh no you didn't!

Today was the last day of the holiday season and everyone is back in the office tomorrow.  It's been great having Melvin home the past couple weeks.  In addition to Pender Island, we went snowboarding at Grouse, visited the aquarium, had our own golf/yoga time, Bright Nights at Stanley Park, checked out some restaurants and had quality time with the kids (and I was able to have some alone time, leaving them with Melvin!).

On New Year's Day, Vancouver had its annual Polar Bear Plunge at English Bay Beach.  Basically, a bunch of crazy people, some wearing costumes, dip into the freezing Pacific Ocean and swim 100-yards.  When I say "a bunch", I mean over 2,300.  It was a clear, sunny day, but cold...and I can't even imagine the water.  Everyone was partying all over the beach and throughout the West End.  

What did I think?  It was like one big frat party.


Last night, we went to this wonderful Malaysian & Thai Restaurant called, Chili Garden. It was quite interesting to hear the table next to us bashing on Americans. It was also very amusing listening to a Canadian Brit speak with a southern twang (they must think we all speak that way?).  Oh no you didn't!

What did we do? Bit our tongues, ate our food, and then discussed it in the car!

Happy New Year!

May everyone's year be filled with love, laughter and fun!

I don't do the resolution thing, but am ready for whatever 2011 brings!  2010 brought me most of life's major challenges, so this should be easy...no hopes, wishes or expectations on my end...only the moment.

Perfect Powder

Melvin and I called the babysitter and headed up to Grouse Mountain for some snowboarding.


I came home with...
- bruised knees
- sore muscles
- hurting wrists
- injured bum bones
- wounded pride


...all good, we were smilin' throughout as we don't get snow like that back east (well, maybe New York did this past week)!...all I gotta say is: thank goodness I was wearing my bike helmet!  LOL

Poet's Cove

We just got back from a much needed mini-getaway to the Southern Gulf Islands. We headed out to Pender Island and stayed at beautiful Poet's Cove in South Pender. It was such a retreat-like setting, extremely relaxing and reminded me how important it is to get out of the city every once in awhile and breathe in some fresh air. 

AERIAL VIEW OF POET'S COVE RESORT & BEDWELL HARBOUR

The BC Ferries are a fascinating (and organized) system!  It was our first experience bringing our own car onto a ferry, but it is a common mode of transport here, especially in the summer. The only other time I've done this was in Malta (to and from Gozo), but that was so long ago with someone else's car and I didn't appreciate travel as much then. Anyway, it ran very much like an airport; made a reservation, got into a line, turned off our engine and waited there (just as if we were at a gate) until our ferry docked and it was time to "embark".  The nice part is we were free to roam around, there was a "Kids Zone", cafeteria, etc. on the ferry and we are able to go outside. I spotted a Bald Eagle flying past my window, which was pretty unexpected.  

We are excited to check out some of the other islands, but not too keen on the long line ups I hear about during the summer. When all is said and done, I'm sure it's completely worth it.  What does one expect in the Gulf Islands?  Lots of nature, hiking, random animals, secluded beaches/coves, fresh food and local wine...all one can ask for in a relaxing vacation.

Books to Cooks

I blogged already today, but before I forget, I need to mention this amazing place I found the other day. It is a bookstore in the Armoury District (fast becoming THE design district in Vancouver) called Books to Cooks. It is a bookstore with every cookbook you can imagine and right in the middle towards the back is this island, with a stove and cookware, etc where someone is making items to taste/drink/take away. Ingenious! 

This woman named Barbara Jo opened the store and as I got to the cash register, there she was. I mentioned to her that I love the store and now I'm a bit obsessed at this simple concept. They have a book club called Eating Between the Leaves that meets each week to discuss a book, while eating a gourmet meal inspired by the book. I can't afford to be a part of this amazing club, but just needed to share! LOVE IT!

Merry Christmas

Our first Christmas in Vancouver was super fun!  We enjoyed every bit, including the 51 degree Fahrenheit weather!

On Christmas Eve, after we left Santa Wendel's Organic Power Cookies and his reindeer raw carrots, we went to a friend's party in N. Vancouver. Highlights included:
- piano playing and singing carols
- 11 children/babies
- lots of great food (host is a trained chef)
The mishmosh buffet featured - ham, corn bread, cranberry sauce, collard greens, butternut squash soup, mashed potatoes, shrimp ceviche (made by yours truly), duck and soy chicken, Korean Japchae, spicy crab dip and a range of desserts and beverages.  

Christmas Day was chill, we woke up, marveled at Julian's gifts from Santa.  He insisted on eating Santa's leftover cookies, stating that Santa had some already. It is the first year that Julian understood that it was "Christmas", so we went all out and got him Legos, a scooter, wooden NYC vehicles, and a Thomas the Train sticker/coloring book. All I gotta say is thank goodness Amélie didn't know what was going on, as she would've been disappointed to see her empty stocking.  Hey, at least we got her a stocking, right?  Then, we went to church and continued to spend the day relaxing, with an afternoon in Stanley Park for pictures and so Julian could ride his bike.

Tomorrow (Dec. 26th) is an official holiday called "Boxing Day"...supposedly like Black Friday in the States. I highly doubt it is anything like Black Friday, but we shall see!  We'll be packing up clothes and food for our mini-trip to the Gulf Islands...we have a Monday morning ferry to catch from Tsawwassen to Pender Island and will be staying in S. Pender (links to map) for a few days.  

SO EXCITED TO VEG OUT! Updates on our trip to follow...

Six Months

It has been exactly 6 months since our arrival to Vancouver...the time has completely flown by!  I've been reading some of my past blog entries and it's crazy how things become distant memories. I also can't believe that Amélie was only 2 months when we arrived and now, at 8 months, she is crawling like a mad woman, standing and trying to cruise!  

I think we've all adjusted nicely...Julian is no longer having pee accidents every day and has mastered underwear at night; which we are ecstatic about! He asks about "the old red car" sometimes and asks where some of his old friends (Logan, Nadine, Dylan, Nik, etc) are - we show him pictures often.  Terrible 3s are certainly in effect and I have my days with him!! Melvin is adjusting to his new job and is working from home more often now, which I'm enjoying. He is loving our proximity to the seawall for his bike rides and is more open to alternative medicine (i.e. acupuncture). I'm miraculously breastfeeding still and am loving being at home with the kids (most days!). I have my side gigs, that are just for me and keep me busy, but realized pretty quickly that I don't care to go back to work full days anymore. Don't get me wrong, I miss my paycheck tremendously, but not the stress that came along with it. More than anything, I'm shocked that I don't miss the travel.  Who would've known?  

I have been lazy about it, but I still have to blog about the healthcare process here, as well as  make light on the odd Vancouver weather.  Those are the things people always seem to ask about or have misconceptions on.

All in all, we are loving this chapter and are happy the kids are a part of it. It would've been a lonelier road without them. Now it's time to get ready for Julian's new friend's birthday party and buy some stuff for a Christmas party tomorrow night...can't wait to see what we're doing after our 1-year mark!

New Traditions

In the past, Melvin and I have always been running around before Christmas, finalizing plans (mostly arguing over whose family to see and how much time to spend with either), buying gifts, family drama, etc. etc.  In addition, I somehow often had a huge program with work, which required me to be traveling or be away from home for 3-5 weeks before the week of Christmas.  I mean, how much more stressful could it get? This is probably the first year we had time to think of ourselves and each other.  Last night, we went out for our first Christmas Dinner, without the kids, and we felt it was a nice tradition to try and keep.

We checked out Market by Jean-Georges (clearly, I chose this restaurant), which is located at the Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Vancouver.

I indulged in the tasting menu, which featured a few of my favorite things in life, and had this amazing Portuguese red wine with it.  I must say though that my friend, Aimee, can whip Jean-Georges' chocolate lava cake in a cook-off any day!

Seared Scallops, Caramelized Cauliflower, Caper - Raisin Emulsion

Steamed Shrimp Salad, Tender Greens, Avocado Champagne Dressing

Foie Gras Brulée, Roasted Strawberries, Balsamic Vinegar

Seared Sablefish, Malasian Chili Sauce

Grilled Lamb Chop, Roasted Brussel Sprouts 

Warm Chocolate Lava Cake, Vanilla Ice Cream

Melvin got the Dungeness Crab Cake with Snap Pea Remoulade, Soy Glazed Short Ribs with Apple - Jalapeño Puree and Rosemary Crumbs and for dessert, Homemade Caramel Ice Cream with Salted Candied Popcorn.  His dessert (which he loved) was creative, but not my cup of tea.

New York City has offered us way better restaurants, but it was totally wonderful and if anything, I highly recommend taking some time with a loved one during the hectic schedules the holidays bring us each year....especially if you have kids!

The Peak of Christmas

SANTA'S WORKSHOP

Today was mid-40s and sunny, so we decided to head up to Grouse Mountain's Peak of Christmas to check out the holiday season events.  Much to our surprise, there was a straight up blizzard up at the top of the mountain!  Thank goodness, we had our ski coats on, but I didn't wear a hat, was wearing sneakers and rockin' my Botkier purse. Totally inappropriate. The mountain is only 15 minutes away, so who would've thought???

SANTA'S SLEIGH

To top things off, as we were changing Amélie's diaper in the trunk of our handy dandy 2-door VW, she decided to crap in her pants! Mommy chose today to forget an extra pair, so there she was, in her fresh diaper and leg warmers underneath her snowsuit.  C'est la vie, off to the gondola we went!

REAL REINDEER!!

Life goes on and we had a great time! We checked out Santa's Workshop, his reindeer, and rode on his sleigh.  By the time Julian actually saw Santa, he didn't really care to take a picture with him.  It definitely beat pictures at a mall...I think Julian thought he was actually at the North Pole!

HO HO HO!

Undercover Investigation: Smithfield Foods

What a very sad issue that is going on in the U.S. right now...it's really tough, but it's really important to try to know where your food is coming from!

Undercover Investigation: Smithfield Foods

Female breeding pigs were crammed inside "gestation crates" so small the animals could barely move for virtually their entire lives. The animals engaged in stereotypic behaviors such as biting the bars of crates, indicating poor well-being in the extreme confinement conditions. Some had bitten their bars so incessantly that blood from their mouths coated the fronts of their crates. The breeding pigs also suffered injuries from sharp crate protrusions and open pressure sores that developed from their unyielding confinement.