Part 1: Adventure on the new Light Rail Expo Line

On Sunday we had an exciting adventure that ended with a hospital trip but started out innocently enough.  Lauren had been begging me to take her on a ride on the new Expo Line.  There's now a Culver City exit at Jefferson and La Cienega, only a few miles from our home, and we decided to finally visit the Science Center.   So I took the kids and the Maclaren and headed out on Sunday morning.

We drove over to the stop, parked in the large free parking lot (which was mostly empty), paid $1.50 x 2 for one-way tickets and hopped on the light rail.  (They leave "every 15 minutes or more often".)  Lauren's face lit up, she probably caught my excitement at mass public transit finally coming to the westside.

It was clean, fast, efficient, and nearly empty on a Sunday morning.  We got off at Expo Park/USC and landed directly across the street from the Science Center.

There is a beautiful rose garden in front and Lauren grabbed my phone and took this picture.  

Inside, it was a smorgasbord of science delights, so many exhibits and bright and shiny moving objects that the kids didn't know where to focus first.  It was a little bit hard running after William and when I bent down to put him back in his stroller, I thought I might have pulled a muscle.  It hurt near my hip.

The kids' favorite part was the Ecosystems exhibit, where there was an aquarium with a clear tunnel in the middle that they could walk through, while fish swam overhead.  Lauren also wanted to explore the gift shop but by then, but we'd promised Ryan to be home in time for lunch (note, they have a Cafe and a McDonald's) plus my hip/abdomen was hurting so much that I just wanted to urgently get home and off of my feet.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
We left and caught a train back, drove home, and I had an agonizing 10 minutes waiting to turn right onto La Cienega into an endless stream of cars, which made the driving the longest portion of the trip.

Finally got home, went directly upstairs and into bed.  I had a 99 fever.  I put a heating pad on my abdomen, curled up into a fetal position and tried to rest but the pain got worse.  Finally around 4:00, I asked Ryan to take me to the emergency room...

(To be continued in Part 2)

  If You Go: 

Light Rail Expo Line Info:

• La Cienega Station is the westernmost station that's currently open.  Parking is free.
• Light Rail Tickets: $1.50 for ages 5 and up, per one-way segment (if you change lines, pay another $1.50) or $5 for an all-day pass.  Credit cards are accepted.
• Schedule: Trains run every 15 minutes or more frequently
  La Cienega Station
• Strollers and bikes are allowed on board 

•                 California Science Center Info:

•  Hours: Open daily 10-5
• Admission: FREE!  (Donation suggested) 

• 
  

Fun at the Skirball

In January, I took the kids to the Skirball Center on a Friday afternoon.  It was Lauren's 3rd time and Willie's first.  They had so much fun running around in the very photogenic garden outside that they would have been satisfied even if we hadn't gone in!









But once we did, we got assigned to the 3:00 group, were given time stickers, and we waited downstairs, where Willie tried to infiltrate the display's security system to smash some ancient pots and pans.

Once inside the exhibit, the animal sculptures made of recycled materials are fascinating!

They loved running around playing with the stuffed animals (2 of each, of course)

Their favorite part, by far, was sweeping the rubber fake poop.  I would post a photo of that, but it looks so realistic, it's the kind of thing that might really embarrass them someday, so you'll just have to go there to see for yourselves!  

If you go:

Noah's Ark at the Skirball

   Hours

• Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–5:00 p.m.  
• Saturday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Closed Mondays
  
  

  Admission

  $10 General

• $7 Seniors and Full-Time Students
• $5 Children 2–12
• Free to Members and Children under 2
• Free to all on Thursdays

Included with Museum admission

Disclosure: We were provided with free passes to get in this trip (thanks, MomsLA!), and we have also been there several previous times on Thursdays when it is always free. 

My Go-To Recipe: Spinach Souffle

Hard to believe from the name, but this recipe is my family’s most-requested dish, the one that has my kids begging for second and third helpings! 

Recipe: Spinach Souffle, adopted from Sundays at the Moosewood Restaurant

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Get out a 9 x 13 glass Pyrex pan and oil bottom and sides with approx. 1/8 cup olive oil, then sprinkle 1/3 cup breadcrumbs on bottom.

Mix in KitchenAid mixer: 

• 6 eggs
• ½ pounds frozen spinach, defrosted and pressed to remove excess water
• 1 pound of cottage cheese (can use feta, ricotta or a combination of all 3)
• ½ cup Romano/Parmesan blend
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (or almond meal if you are doing gluten-free)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 ¾ cups shredded extra-sharp New York cheddar (you can cheapen out and use other cheddar if your other cheese are sharp)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Mix and pour into pan.  Sprinkle ¼ cup of grated extra-sharp NY cheddar on top. 

Bake at 350 for approx 1 hour until golden brown on top

Serve warm or chilled.  The recipe is very forgiving, can swap other kinds of sharp cheeses.  Just keep the spinach/egg ratio and have fun experimenting! Great brunch food but we also have it often for dinner!

Disney, baby!

Last week I was invited to an event for Disneybaby.com. I'm not normally someone who goes nuts for Mickey Mouse insignia.  So I was surprised at how much I actually liked their new baby line.  The company seems to take the reputation of their name very seriously and only work with high quality brands.  Their new offerings are more reminiscent of Disney than "in your face" Disney.  They've put together Disneybaby.com as a magnet site that pulls all of their officially licensed baby products into one place.  So if, say, you're at a baby shower and see someone open a Pooh mobile that you had your eye on, you will find out exactly where to buy it by searching Disneybaby, from there you can buy it on Amazon, Target, Babies R' Us, Giggle, etc. with just one click.

I was able to see and touch the new items from the spring line, and here were my favorites:

•  "Lion King" changing pad.  It felt soooo soft and plush.  I loved how it reminded me of Lion King yet could also fit into the decor of anyone who just liked animal prints.  From Disney: "Turn baby's nursery into a sleeptime safari with the new Disney Baby The Lion King Nursery Collection. The collection furnishes parents with everything they need to outfit a nursery, including a 4-piece crib bedding set, modern canvas wall art, a musical mobile and an animal print window valance, among other wildly adorable items."

• Their new bodysuits which have 2 sets of snaps so baby can wear them longer or as Disney puts it "The only infant bodysuit with a patent-pending design that "grows" with baby, the DISNEY CUDDLY BODYSUIT™ features a second row of snaps for an inch of longer wear." Great idea! These 101 Dalmations bodysuits were especially cute.

• Lavender and Chamomile scented baby wash. I had a chance to wash my hands with it and it smelled like baby perfume, mmm!  Not overpowering, but a sweet and innocent fragrance.   These Winnie the Pooh Water Activated Disposable Washcloths are a great idea for clean-ups on the go, when you want a sweet smelling babe.

For more Disney Baby, visit Disneybaby.com

Disclaimer: I was provided with lunch and a gift bag.  The opinions expressed are my own.

The Wrong Kind of Red on Valentine's Day

Around here, we heart Valentine’s Day.  Pink!  Red!  Chocolate!   Baking treats!  Paper scraps!  What’s not to love?!­­­

I wanted to blog about the cute heart-shaped cheesy pretzels we were going to make, or post some photos of the cards Lauren made for her class.  But alas, I unexpectedly spent the entire day at the pediatrician’s office, the emergency room and then the pharmacy.

The full William ER story: A few months ago he cut himself just above the eye, on the corner of our nightstand,  I took him to the doctor and was told that he did not need stitches.  We left with ophthalmic ointment. 

 On Sunday he got a small cut in the exact same spot after sliding off of Lauren's bed. It looked the same as before, so I just applied the same ointment.

Then on Wednesday morning, he tripped and fell and hit his face on the side table and somehow split open the same cut in the exact same spot, only deeper. I took him to his doctor's office and they said he needed stitches, and so off we went to the ER.

We went to UCLA Westwood and got fast-tracked into the pediatric exam room, but then waited for a long time.  I was left to entertain a hungry toddler (yay for breastfeeding at least!) while shut up for hours in a small room full of expensive medical equipment that he desperately wanted to break!  Then they finally brought in the "papoose" and strapped him in, screaming, and they injected him with lidocaine and attempted to stitch the cut.

Three ER doctors saw him, plus they consulted with a plastic surgeon.  They were torn on whether to give stitching so close to the eye, could risk infection.

They said it was a really freak thing for him to injure the same place again so soon.  After 5 hours there, we left with an open wound and prescriptions for more opthalmic ointment and an oral antibiotic. Now if we can only keep him from reinjuring himself!

And if there is a lesson in all of this (besides "go to UCLA Santa Monica, they are quicker") it is that I am so lucky to be one of the people who gets to wait 5 hours.  I know people whose children have serious chronic health problems, for whom hospitals are a way of life.  We're really fortunate we only go for occasional scrapes.  For us to be ignored meant that doctors were busy looking after graver cases than ours.  And for that, on this day of love and roses, I am grateful!

The Time I Almost Got Sent to Los Calinas Women’s Detention Center

It was a dark and stormy night…oh wait, wrong story.  Okay, maybe it was storming a little but it was daytime.  It was 1999 and it was the last summer of college.  I was taking one class and working at my university’s catering sales office.  I was living at my parents’ house and commuting 38 miles each way, but often crashed at a friend’s place, who lived close to campus. 

One morning I’d spent the night at the friend’s house but had car problems so I ended up having to walk to work.  I had a brick-like cell phone so as I walked, I called the office to tell them I was going to be late, and to get my friend/co-worker Felicia’s sympathy for the long uphill trek.  She felt sorry for me and relayed this to my boss Julia who decided to let Felicia leave and pick me up.

You’d have to understand this about where we went to college-the parking situation at the time was terrible for students.  There were no parking garages, only massive parking lots on the outskirts of campus, and to get in to the center, you’d wait for a shuttle bus or take roller blades or skateboard to get yourself in.  There weren’t assigned lots, just assigned lot types where, as Julia put it, the parking permit was really a hunting license.  So if Felicia had a car parked in one of the yellow student lots, it would have taken her a good half hour each way just to commute to her own car. 

Instead, Julia tossed her the keys and told her to use her white Dodge parked in the green lot nearby. 

A few minutes later, a car that I didn’t recognize pulled up next to me as I walked.  Felicia rolled down the window and told me to get in.  I was happy to see her but somewhat surprised at the vehicle-an old Dodge hatchback. 

  “Whose car did you borrow?”, I asked.

“Julia’s!  Isn’t she nice, she lent me her car to come get you!”

“Really?  Because I thought Julia had a Dodge caravan.”  I looked around the interior of this Dodge hatchback with its piles of papers and fast food wrapper.   Julia came from a family of interior designers and she did event catering for a living.  Her car was kept pretty clean and I couldn’t imagine her wolfing down Big Macs on the way to work.

“Well maybe it’s Karl’s car.”  Karl was her teenaged son.  His father was a chef.  He may have been a secret slob and fast food fan but somehow I didn’t think so.   I glanced at the piles of papers on the floor and saw an envelope addressed to the phone company with strange name written on the return address. 

“Um, Felicia?”  It dawned on both of us at once that we were somehow in a stranger’s car.  The key to Julia’s Dodge Caravan somehow fit in this hatchback’s lock.  We then attempted to return the hatchback to the green parking lot but by then the space it came from was taken by another car, so Felicia had to park in an adjacent lot.

We ran upstairs to check with Julia, in case this was really her car.  She got a very puzzled look on her face and told us that no, she had only the Caravan.  We ran back outside to the parking space the hatchback had come from, to find one worried looking grad student and 5 UC policemen scratching their heads. 

Felicia meekly approached.  “Um, I think I can explain…”

The grad student was so relieved to have her car safely back and the police got a good laugh out of it.  But they did tell us that, had they spotted the car in motion, protocol would have been to arrest us at gunpoint and take us directly to Los Calinas Women’s Detention Center. 

And that, my friends, is the story of how I almost got arrested for grand theft auto!  

Haven’t told that story in a few years but every time I do, other people seem to have stories of keys fitting more than one lock.  What’s yours?

Quick & Easy Fudge: Another Recipe without Words