Where the surf meets the turf

I love going out with my girlfriends and fellow San Diego bloggers! We don’t do it often enough, but usually, while we’re out snapping photos, tweeting and laughing so loud people actually Shh! us (at a LIVE outdoor event, seriously), we get asked – once or twice – “Who’s birthday is it?” or “What’s the occasion?” because it appears, to the average person, that us ladies don’t really get out all that much.

Let’s just say that us moms don’t really get out all that much. Considering that our “job” is a 24/7 gig, getting out once a month with just the ladies can be, well, exhausting but worthwhile, and yet often a struggle to squeeze into our schedule. Some moms weren’t able to join us last night since issues with the sitter fell through at the last-minute, or didn’t take place at all. We missed you ladies!

Photo courtesy of @Jen_eration_X

Those of us who did make it to the Mom’s Night Out event yesterday at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club spoke, briefly, about our recent parenting challenges or issues that happened during the week that we were happy to step away from.

One of us is in the process of moving, a few are going through renovation hell, and while others are counting down the days until school starts again, there are those who hold bittersweet feelings about their kids leaving for college. One of us (raising hand) is halfway through her pregnancy and another is going to be a Grandma for the first time in just a few months.

While all of these stages that we’re going through are emotional and challenging in their own way, getting to have a Mom’s Night Out last night was the highlight of the week for each of us. Being treated to a VIP tour of the Paddock, petting the horses and mingling with the jockeys was a pretty cool experience. Sitting at the Stretch Run Grill, one of the track side restaurants, and being so close to the turf as the races flew by was exhilarating and of course, standing at the Winner’s Circle after a few races was beyond awesome, not to mention the VIP admission to the Super Diamond concert that took place after the races came to an end.

Photo courtesy of @Jen_eration_X

I’ve been to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club before, on several occasions, and each time I’ve gone the experience has been different. I took my son and my mom to a Family Day event on the infield, where we spent most of the time eating and watching my son play on the kiddie activities. I’ve sat in the shaded seats cheering for my horses among fans who were just as eager to win some cash and last night, for the first time, I got to experience a different atmosphere since we were able to eat, drink and be merry while still rooting for the winning horses.

The ladies I went with definitely made the night what it was, but having a new perspective on the races made me even more excited to head back to the track, with my husband and my son or with whomever can join me – where the turf meets the surf, one of Southern California’s must-experience venues.

Follow the Del Mar Racing staff for updates, event highlights and photos and join their fan page on Facebook.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Silent but Deadly

My son’s summer reading list came in early July. He wasn’t remotely interested in any of the books on the list. They had pictures and words that he could read on his own, and yet I still couldn’t convince him to read any of them with me. Believe me, I tried. He’s stubborn but he also loves books so I did the next best thing I could to get him into reading mode and excited about literature all over again – I snatched up a review copy of Sweet Farts: Rippin’ it Old-School by Raymond Bean since I knew (yes, I knew) that he would be interested in that.

His face lit up when he first held the book in his hands and read the title to me. He burst into hysterics and immediately sat down and demanded (yes, demanded) that we start reading it right away.

Even though it’s the sequel to Sweet Farts, which we hadn’t read, we quickly caught up on what we missed since the author did a great job explaining how (in the original book) the main character’s science fair project became a worldwide success. Keith Emerson, a student at Harborside Elementary, had invented Sweet Fart tablets which cause farts to smell good, rather than horrible. Each flavor delivers a scent just like you would think (cookie dough, for example).

As a mom of a young boy who thinks passing gas and burping are the funniest things in the world (don’t boys of all ages think this?), I couldn’t help but imagine – as we read the book together – how awesome it would be if Sweet Farts tablets were really available. I’d give them to my son every morning, like vitamins!

I stopped counting the number of times the word “fart” appears in the story as we got nearly a third of the way thorough it and I quickly got used to hearing my son laugh out loud every time something disgusting happened (his favorite chapter was the one in which several people throw up).

I won’t tell you what happens in the sequel, but I will say that this book, along with the Captain Underpants series, has led my son to want to read more books and even inspire him to create his own. It’s even inspired him to come up with some great science experiments of his own that would actually serve to help others, like the experiment that Keith comes up with in this sequel.

I want to encourage my son to remain interested in reading and even though the stories he enjoys may also inspire more potty talk and fake fart noises, I know that along with every other phase we go through, we’ll get past this and his love of language and literature is something he won’t outgrow. As he matures (when exactly does that happen again?) so will his taste in subject matter. One can only hope.

His other favorites from when he was younger:
Everyone Poops
The Gas We Pass
All About Scabs
The Holes in Your Nose

Other books for boys can be discovered at GuysRead.com, put together by one of my favorite children’s authors, Jon Scieszka.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Marriage Milestones

My husband flies in today for a whirlwind weekend. We’ll be discussing baby names, visiting the doctor for an ultrasound & check-up and shopping for awesome baby gear when we finally register for items we’ll need when the baby arrives. Oh, and we’ll also spending quality family time with my son. And tonight, just the two of us, we’ll be celebrating our one month wedding anniversary.

As obnoxious as it may sound, I think celebrating our anniversary monthly is a great way to ensure that our relationship remains strong and stable. After all, we celebrate our baby’s milestones by the month and pregnancy by the week. We honor half-birthdays and even when dating, couples often acknowledge their six month anniversary as they journey toward a long-term commitment.

If you’re not setting aside a special Date Night with your partner at least once a month, I highly recommend that you get out your calendars now and start scheduling them. It might not sound romantic to make an appointment with your significant other, but you know as well as I do that when that day or night comes, it’ll make all the difference in the world. My husband and I have the luxury of planning our next weekends together. The time apart is torture but having that date on the calendar to look forward to is quite exciting!

Marriage, these days, is like a marathon. We train in many ways and we have a goal in mind before we even make that commitment although some of us won’t, don’t, or shouldn’t make it across that finish line.

Which is why each mile we pass should be celebrated and with every month that my husband and I can set aside time for each other – just the two of us – there will be yet another reminder that we each have a supportive coach on the sidelines, running  or walking right with us and cheering us on the entire way.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Building a Strong Marriage

I know how this is going to sound to some people, but after seeing Sex and the City 2, I started to feel better about my long-distance marriage and stopped trying to analyze what it could mean for the future of our relationship. I gave up trying to explain it to others while worrying about what they might think.

Without spoiling the film (too much), I am referring to the fact that Carrie and Big have a  heavy discussion about the dynamics of their marriage that has her thinking, doubting, and hoping her friends will understand and support her. Of course, this is the major theme (that I took, at least) throughout the movie as other relationships are examined, judged and discussed as the girls enjoy their adventures in the Middle East (even though these scenes were were filmed in Morocco).

Regardless of the film’s reviews (not so good overall), I do have to say it got me – and many others, I’m sure – thinking about the dynamics of their own relationship with their significant other.

These days, there is no such thing as a traditional marriage and I’m pleased to share my experience with others since we’re all trying to navigate and define our own marriages or try to figure out what makes our relationship work.

Each couple is different. Obviously trust plays a huge role in any situation, but what else? I know for us, humor is a major factor. Being able to laugh together – even from far away – keeps us grounded and reminds us that even though we’re not together every day, there are things we can still build memories around on a regular basis.

What makes your relationship work?

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Rock Star Moms

When I found out I was expecting a baby a few months back, one of the first things I thought was how much has changed since I was pregnant with my son seven years ago.

New and better products are available now and most maternity lines offer styles that are much more hip than the options I had back then (thank goodness).

After doing some research on hip maternity clothes, I discovered RockStarMoms – my new favorite place to peruse for maternity & baby clothing & gear because I get to pretend that I’m still able to keep up with the big boys in the mosh pit or at least look like I put up a good fight!

I am excited to partner with RockStarMoms to introduce you to their super soft Floating Baby © maternity tees and tanks along with the full RockStarMoms line of rock-n-roll inspired maternity wear for the mom-to-be who is a little more hip than most.

One lucky reader (selected at random) will win a Floating Baby © tee or tank of her very own. But, that’s not all! Next Tuesday, August 17th, from 11am – 12pm (Pacific time), I’ll be hosting a Twitter party featuring #RockStarMoms. I encourage you to start making your shopping list now.

During the 60-minute Twitter party, RockStarMoms will be offering 20% off to those participating, so stay tuned for more details, including the coupon code to take advantage of this great discount! If you’re not active on Twitter, that’s OK. We’ll be posting details on Facebook and right back here as well!

Floating Baby © tees and tanks come in several designs. It’s hard to pick my favorite (it’s a toss up between the Cowboy and Rocker), but if you would like to be eligible for a chance to win, simply leave a comment here with your favorite Floating Baby © design and at the end of the Twitter party next Tuesday, the lucky mama will be announced.

In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for the RockStarMoms newsletter. Each month, one lucky subscriber will win some really cool stuff. You can also follow along with the RockStarMoms official Twitter account, Facebook page and MySpace profile. And if video is your thing, you’ll want to check out their YouTube channel for live footage of their maternity wear in action.

Wanna share with the world (or at least the other parents at school) that you’re a RockStarMom? Send your address to RockStarMoms to receive a cool car cling that will be the envy of all the PTA moms behind you in the drop off lane.

Rock On!

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home