summer bucket list.

welcome summer solstice! the longest day of the year and also father's day! happy father's day to all the wonderful dads out there who make raising their children a beautiful priority, and especially to all the dad's pulling both roles, i have more respect for you than you know. i am so lucky to have such a wonderful father, father-in-law, and husband who constantly show me what hard work and love can do. celebrating dads is something we don't do often enough, so it's especially nice to have a special day set aside to celebrate what they mean to us.

with today being the first day of summer, i thought it would be fun to compile a short list of little activities i want to complete before summer kicks the bucket. i really tried to write only attainable things because let's face it, between starting my own business & towing a toddler, one can only take on so much!

i've had my eye on this anne of green gable lemonade recipe for some time, and now with the heat rising in temperature, i finally have a reason to get squeezing!

i'm planning a bonfire at moonlight beach in encinitas sometime this month, and upon that fire i'm going to attempt these take em and go s'mores i found on food gawker.

my reading load has taken a seat on the back burner lately, but i'm feeling motivated to read these four books by summer's end: you are a badass, rich bitch, crush it, & overcoming under earning. <<all self-motivating & business oriented books (as if you couldn't tell from the titles!).

i've not the slightest idea as to how i will make this garden thing work, but this diy makes it seem doable. still, i'm not feeling too confident...

last year, i bought this popsicle maker on amazon, but never ended up using it, so i'm hoping to make some healthy frozen treats soon!

the long beach flea market was referred to us a long time ago by my dad's interior designer, and i really want to attempt getting lucky with some unique pieces & good buys!

when i was a little girl, it was a summer ritual to take the metro link down to L.A. lu is obsessed with "choo choo" trains, as all two year old boys seem to be, and i think he'll have the best time getting to ride in a train & i won't have to drive in that traffic!

my picnic will be inspired by little baby garvin's blog from a post dating a few years back. i've been an avid reader of jessica's for quite a few years now, and this girl is the queen of entertaining so following her picnic tips shouldn't lead me astray.

puzzles! oh lord! this is a pastime i don't know if i should be proud to admit i love! but anyway, with all the boys in my house, i need my fix of pink. i found this charles wysocki puzzle called "confection street." i'm such a puzzle addict, i actually have favorite brands & artists i cling to and wysocki's art is one of them! ha!

lastly, i'd like to take a mini road trip. the destination has yet to be decided, but i'd love to trek up to big sur or the redwoods and camp for a few days!

what are some of your favorite summertime activities? what am i missing out on?!

our favorite apps for the babe in your life.

miles and i try and keep screen time, whether tv, iPad, or iPhone to a minimum, as do most parents. in small doses though, we don't see any harm. something we do try to incorporate into anything electronic is trying to pick & choose apps or television programs that are interactive & educational. before L was first born, we read all types of articles that said "absolutely no screen time before the age of two!" yeah, that one went out the window real quick...we were so peculiar, and, at times, completely ridiculous about the types of activities we would never let our child partake in. as time went on, and we became a little more seasoned, we loosened up a bit, and found that some things are simply unavoidable. now, i'm not advocating you use the television as your babysitter, but a little bit of the tube here and there, under your supervision, certainly isn't going to ruin your children. i remember taking lu to his 20 month appointment and reading a questionnaire that asked "do you put your child in front of a tv or any other electronic device?" i felt so guilty, i'm ashamed to admit, but i lied checked no! and then i pulled the whole "so i have a friend who let's her kid watch a little tv sometimes & even play with an iPad, but she is totally cautious & frugal about it, is that a total no-no?" she looked at me, half laughing, and said "chelsie, it's totally fine if luca watches a little sesame street, just don't overdo it." "oh, ok, i'll let my friend know, thanks," i said sheepishly & annoyed.  i was so embarrassed! i was also completely relieved, but mostly just embarrassed. but i got over that little bind, and stuck with the "everything in moderation rule," and it hasn't proved me wrong yet. if something changes, i'll let you know, but in the mean time i've listed a couple of our family's favorite apps below.

peekaboo barn: this game is a perfect game for an introductory app. it teaches children the names and sounds of animals all the while playing the timeless favorite game for babies, peekaboo! it's been so amazing to see luca grow with this app. he was only able to tap the barn doors when we first downloaded it, and now he can identify & say each animal by sound or name. it's grown with him & we even purchased the expansion pack (the safari edition) because lu so enjoyed the barnyard version. 

sago mini toolbox is one of the newer apps i've purchased. i took a risk in buying it since the description wasn't super informative. i thought the little photo was cute, and that ultimately swayed my purchase, but we're happy about it because it's such a fun & colorful little app that has your little one cut with scissors, hand sew, use measuring tape, and so much more! i like that at the end of the activities, you get to see what you created whether it be a boxcar or a seesaw. luca is still getting the hang of it, but he has the drill and hammer down! the rest, he just hands off to me, but luckily i think it's pretty fun too! i'm really happy we stumbled upon this little gem.


drawnimal is a really fun interactive hybrid app that brings together art & education. lu loves watching me draw all the animals of the alphabet onto a paper turning my phone into a cat or elephant. this is a great app for involving both the parent and child while using fine motor skills. i find myself doodling around with this app when i'm at work sometimes & six or seven animals in, i realize luca isn't even playing with me!


storybook rhymes (volume 1) if your little one is into music, you have to download the free storybook series! there's a couple different volumes, although lu likes the original volume best which includes "the itsy bits spider" & "one, two, buckle my shoe." i like that he can have the app read to him, while he flips the pages, like a book, or have the app sing to him the original tunes. the adorable fisher price dog makes an appearance throughout, and short animations illustrate the different sections of the song, helping your baby to better understand what the lyrics to the song mean. the wood family loves us some music, even if it falls in the form of nursery rhymes!

are there any children apps that you love? do you have any favorites i should know about?! do share!

HOLY MOLY, WHOLE 30.

whole 30, otherwise known as the double-edged sword of "starving" & "feeling better than ever," is what i have been up to lately. i was feeling sluggish and uninspired after working out consistently and not seeing any less of my "thunder thighs" (i know i sound dramatic, but i'm having a personal crisis here, bare with me).  the sun had come out & so did my shorts (that, by the way, fit uncomfortably snug). i started thinking about how i would soon have to slip on a bathing suit and, in that moment, i immediately regretted all those sweater season decisions i had made--decisions such as donuts, seconds, and loving carbs as much as they love me, a lot. more than physically, i needed a drastic lifestyle change as i was feeling sluggish and tired and irritable and even more tired (which i am starting to think is unavoidable). i was feeling pretty blah when whole 30 hopped into my lap via the advice of a good friend. i wasted no time saying yes to a process which promised so much in return. so, you can google it and get all the details & more fluff than you could ever want, along with an endless amount of resources, but to me whole 30 is this: it is everything & nothing. it's liberating, yet controlling. you hate it almost as much as you adore it, almost. in the literal sense whole 30 is this: cutting out all processed foods of any type from your diet. no sugar (real or fake), no dairy, no grains, no carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites, & no legumes/soy. the idea seems hard, but i'm on day 14 and i have a high that is addictive. as much as i miss pasta, beans, and sugar, i haven't felt this good in a really long time. yeah, sure, sometimes i want to burry my face in a pile of churros, but mostly i just want to keep up with all that i've benefited from this. i'm thinking on day 30, i'll indulge in my most missed sweets, but in reality, i hope to keep with the whole foods and nibble on things only like my sweetest lu. i've included some of my favorite recipes from my trials below, i do hope you enjoy!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
take a package of trader joe's shaved brussel sprouts and sprinkle them across a baking sheet (i like to line mine with tin foil--less mess later).
drizzle extra virgin olive oil & sprinkle with salt and pepper.
pop in the oven for 10-14 minutes & remove once slightly blackened & crisp.
toss with lime juice, garlic powder, and annie's dijon mustard.
serve immediately.

Zucchini Fritters
take 2 medium sized zucchinis and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins.
take a cheese grater and grate them over a colander.
let sit in sink for about 10 minutes, then take a kitchen towel and wring out excess liquid.
transfer into a mixing bowl and add 1/2 tsp of salt, pepper to taste, half a chopped onion, 3 tablespoons of chives, sprinkle of onion powder, 1/4 cup of almond flour, and 1 whisked egg.
mix well.
coat a medium skillet with avocado oil and turn burner up to medium high. 
once oil is heated through spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan & flatten with a spatula. repeat. 
allow to cook until golden brown and then flip, cooking the alternate side through. 
remove from heat & place on a paper towel-lined plate allowing excess oil to collect.
serve warm.

Dill Dressing
combine 1/2 cup of full fat canned coconut milk, 1 cup of light oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3/4 tsp garlic powder, and 3/4 tsp onion powder in a blender.
mix on medium high speed for 1 minute. 
add a handful of dill to the dressing and pulsate until herb is well combined. serve with fritters above, or keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP & SOME FRIDAY FAVORITES

guyyysss, how are you?! long time no talk. how are you?! great i hope? i mean it is  friday after all! thank the lord. I headed back to work after a wonderful spring break and i am happy to see my "kids," but miss being home with my baby. does that make any sense? being so close to summer, i am literally becoming delusional. i feel like my response to everything is "why not?"  "mrs. wood, can i sit under my desk and do my work?" "why not?""can i practice my headstand in the corner?""why the heck not?!" it's getting ridiculous.
 it is becoming crunch time over here because there are only five weeks left in my school year and then i'm off for summer, which also means no pay for me. you could say i'm feeling a little stressed. somehow, i know things will work out aka i'll hustle it out, but i wish i could see into the future as to the whole "how it's going to work out" is gonna go down. i'm a planner, and not knowing where my future paycheck will be coming from or how my bills will get paid has me feeling super anxious. thanks for bearing with me through this entire journey, and as promised, i do have some really exciting news, in regards to this little blog of mine, to share with you really soon! i hope i can keep my mouth shut! soon enough, soon enough... 

well there you have it, our weekly roundup and here are a few of our favorite things from this week: 

i'm loving this article about how to snack responsibly by the coveteur. my family and i have been trying to maintain healthier eating habits as well as staying active. with all the calories were burning, we need to make sure to have small meals throughout the day. this article spells it all out for you, and makes eating responsibly seem far less intimidating and much more doable, and i like that. 

in talking about healthy lifestyle choices, have you checked out simple green smoothies' website yet? they share an abundance of green smoothies that will keep you feeling energized and less sluggish. if you sign up for their mailing list, they'll send you recipes and challenges accompanied by grocery store lists and all that jazz. i'm a mom, i like need easy & tangible! you'll have to check them out!
in wrapping up all this food talk, we ate brunch last sunday at the mission inn. it was by total coincidence. i had found a gift card to the hotel when going through some of my mom's old things & miles suggested we try it. i was born and raised in this town and somehow this little secret had escaped me! it's probably for the better considering i may or may not have eaten multiple waffles. breakfast is welcome morning, noon, and night, so brunch is just pretty much my favorite invention of all time. if you're ever in my area, you must check it out! brunch buffet. seriously, what more must i say? and if you go on a saturday, be sure to hit the local farmer's market afterward! fun stuff!

ok, so before you gain five pounds from reading this, i have to talk about this podcast i stumbled upon.  have you heard of serial? oh em gee. this is too much, i became totally addicted to the series and finished all the episodes within a week. it's a murder mystery, and i cannot say anymore except comment me when you get into it and we can talk it up!
hope you have a wonderful weekend! i'll try to get our easter photos up this weekend! well, you'll see them before may, that i can promise!
xo

TACO NIGHT, VEGAN STYLE

so i promised a recipe for the beer-battered avocado tacos we enjoyed for dinner & as tired as i was, i stayed up to until the recipe was posted and ready to go for you to enjoy this weekend. trust me, even if you aren't vegetarian, these are a hit with both vegans & carnivores alike. 

my sister and her boyfriend came out & i knew we wanted to eat in, but didn't know what to make. i feel like when you have guests, you always go to the same two or three dishes to really showcase your best chef's hand. tacos are a favorite around here, and while we usually go half-ass and cook up some pre made trader joe's soyrizo, i decided to try and imitate a recipe from one of our favorite restaurants in orange county. i would say they were a total success, based on the lack of leftovers. 

my sister, carlie, and i got busy in the kitchen while the boys played in lu's teepee. it was so nice to have an extra set of hands for once! now, don't be intimidated, even though there are quite a few ingredients, the recipe is a cinch to prepare, but tastes like you slaved away for hours.

 quick notes: if you are new to the frying world, make sure you use vegetable or canola oil. 

this recipe is for 4 servings. if you need more than four tacos, just double up on the avocados (you won't need to make any extra beer batter or cilantro sauce, you'll have plenty).

ingredients:

1 hass avocado

1 cup panko bread crumbs

beer batter (recipe follows below)

cilantro lime sauce (recipe follows below)

8 corn tortillas

shredded green cabbage

diced red onion

fresh lime wedges for garnish

beer batter:
2 cups of mexican beer (i like to use carona brand)
2 cups of all-purpose flour (i use unbleached)
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons of Siracha
combine all of these ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. you may need to take a spatula to scrape the sides and get all the flour blended in. place in a bowl when finished.

cilantro lime sauce:
1 jar of veganaise (i like to use the purple colored jar/the grapeseed kind, but the original will do fine)
1 large handful of fresh cilantro
2 jalapeños (seeded)
pinch of salt
4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
juice of 2 limes
combine all ingredients, with the exception of the veganaise into a food processor and process until combined. next, add veganaise and pulse until your sauce comes together. pour about half into a jar & into the refrigerator to save for another day, and pour the other half into a bowl and place on the table with a spoon to allow guests to ladle their own sauce over their tacos. 

• fill a medium sized pan with 3-4 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 375 degrees.
• cut your avocado into sixths.
• toss your avocado pieces in the panko breadcrumbs.
• dip your coated avocado into the beer batter and (carefully!) drop into hot oil. fry your avocado pieces in batches, for about 4 minutes. you'll know they're done when they turn golden brown in color. use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and drain them on a paper towel lined plate. 
• preheat your oven on its broil setting and wrap up your corn tortillas in tin foil. two tortillas per foil wrap. then place your foil wrapped tortillas in the oven to warm them (so they are pliable) until you are ready to assemble your tacos. 
• lastly, assemble your tacos. layer two warm tortillas per taco and place two to three pieces of fried avocado on your tortillas. sprinkle with shredded cabbage and diced red onion & drizzle your cilantro lime sauce all over (I personally like a lot of sauce, so be as conservative or liberal with it as you'd like, that's the beauty of these tacos). plate two to three tacos per person and garnish each plate with a few fresh lime wedges. serve your tacos immediately and enjoy!

UNDER THE WEATHER

it's been a craaazy week! i've been on spring break (from my job), and all it has done is made me realize how much i want to be home with lu. we've been hanging really mellow starting before easter break because lu was recovering from a cold, and little naive mom me didn't think babies were contagious. i thought we all had super mom immunity (which i was totally wrong about) & kissing all over little L gave me a crazy cold. i lost my voice completely & i'm finally starting to feel like myself again other than the hoarse man voice i'm still sporting. then to top things off, tuesday night luca was just rolling around like he couldn't get comfortable, and in the midst of me rubbing his back, he sat up and started projectile vomiting. i'm usually the biggest baby when it comes to these types of situations, but it's so true what they say, when it comes to your own children your motherly nurturing instincts kick in & all you care about is making sure your little one is ok. luckily it was just something he had eaten, and all was fine yesterday, even though i still kept him on a bland diet & we hung low around the house. i'm happy to announce he's back to his perky ol' self today and we are ready to take on the last few days of this vaca starting with beer battered avocado tacos tonight (recipe to follow) and fun in the sun for the weekend. i'm happy my only plans for spring break were to have no plans, and that is what we've stuck to. i needed this r&r more than i knew & i'm really proud of myself for actually taking it (of course, by default, i had a little guilt, but nothing i couldn't get over). hope your spring break was, is, or will be fabulous, and i promise to get our easter photos out by this weekend! i wish you each a wonderful rest of your week! & if you live in southern california, slather on that spf, you're gonna need it! 

xx

A LITTLE EASTER FILM

here's a little film i threw together of our easter yesterday! i'll post more photos soon, but until then, we hope you enjoy!

hope each and every one of you had a blessed easter filled with lots of love, family, & of course a boat load of chocolate eggs! 

love and hugs,

The Wood Family

date night, snow cones & why i love my husband.

hello friends! it's been some time, but last week was filled with a plethora of non ideal events and i was totally consumed by what was happening. i'll get into a little bit of that next time, but i don't entirely feel like reliving it, so i hope you'll understand my brevity. also, i apologize for the quality of the photos, the lighting, although romantic, was not ideal for the iPhone and i had forgotten my good camera at home (bad blogger! i know). anyhow, miles and i went on a long overdue date with a few friends of ours, jake and abby. we decided to try a restaurant in west hollywood i had heard about on the local news called gracias madre. if we're being honest here, i really wanted to go because i heard they had adult snow cones. i don't even drink, but i made an exception for this occasion because, well, i love snow cones. if you are ever in the L.A. area, you must try "the quinceañera" at gracias madre. my theory on why it's called "the quinceañera" is because you it makes you giggle like a fifteen year old and it calls for a celebration. even if you aren't celebrating, a few of these and you'll be celebrating something. a boozy snow cone, i mean, come on! it just doesn't get better than that, especially when you've had the week i've had. i had only about one and a half (so a quinceñera and a quince), but that was about all i needed to drift away, just ask my husband, i was floating on cloud nine for the rest of the night. alcohol isn't really my thing--i don't judge anyone who likes to drink, it's just something i've let go over the years. while, for me, alcohol is a habit of the past, sometimes you have to let loose a little, especially with all the chaos and calamity in this crazy life, and if there is ever an excuse to let loose, let a boozy snow cone be your cause. plain and simple. 

anyway, to wrap up this extremely long post about a snow cone, dinner and the food was amazing (it's vegan mexican food) so you know my veggie-self loved every bite. miles (who didn't order the waitresses suggestion like i did), said he liked our other vegan hang out (seabird's in orange county) better, but i'd say they are two different restaurants, but equally delicious. maybe the snow cones helped?! miles and i have both been running around like chickens with our heads cut off, and when there is stress like that in your life,  it tends to spill into your relationship. the best analogy i can think of is marriage being like a garden. you have to water your plants or they will slowly start to shrivel up-- overwater them, and they will drown. there has to be a happy medium, with lots of sunlight and, of course, lots and lots of love. marriage, like a garden, requires a lot of attention as well as continuous work. you have to manicure your hedges and pull out all the weeds. the work you put in, determines what you will get out of it.

 miles read an article the other day which explained why so many marriages fail. and to my surprise, it was because each party becomes self-consumed and no longer yearns to learn  about and become involved in the interests of the other. it's true what they say, "the family that ________ together stays together" (insert interest in blank). when one person feels as though they aren't being heard or tended to, they begin to feel insignificant. their interests feel boring and that seems to be when people begin to grow apart or look for what they're lacking elsewhere. this was so eye opening for me. when i sat and really reflected on what interests of miles i've really taken part in lately, my list was looking grim & that made me sad. miles likes to birdwatch (oh yes, you read that right. he likes to birdwatch. he bird watches like that old man at the park staring out into the abyss--the one you think is a total lurker/weirdo--yeah, that's my husband). anyway, he gets all into buying special feed to reel in some exotic species & gets a total kick out of watching them eat. he's the peeping tom of birds. he once named a couple of the regulars neiman & markus. i'll walk into the kitchen and catch him staring through a crack in the blinds, not blinking, with a huge grin draped across his face. then, i'll go in for a peep and the sucker flies off, and i'm left with my husband totally annoyed at my lack of disguise. to be honest with you, i couldn't care less about birds and the watching of them, but my husband loves birds and the entirety of the bird watching experience, and so i'm taking an oath in which i will do my absolute best to be a little more engaged (with the watching & the birds & being more incognito) and i'll be more mindful in showing some interest in his interests.

i love that miles longs to learn, and i love that he shares these things with me--that he cares enough to read articles about how relationships thrive, and i love that i chose to make this intelligent man my husband. anyway, since miles' reading & my reflection of the article, i've felt like both of us are really taking it upon ourselves to really try and engage in each others enjoyments. it feels good to feel heard, and even better to feel like something you love is being appreciated by someone you admire. whatever it is that's been happening, it's been working. and i think marriage is that way. I think it is a constant ebb and flow of ups and downs. and in this great companionship, you'll find yourself falling in love over and over and over again, for different reasons, at different times...and in this season of our lives, i'm falling in love all over again. this candid photo of us, reminds me of that. this is what survival looks like, what hard work and an abundance of love look like. and i like it.