Feeling a Little Horse

Like many little girls, I used to daydream about a life filled with horses. I would ride my wagon through the yard, imagining the long, flowing mane of my trusty steed blowing in the wind. My imaginary horse was gray and long-legged, sleek and fast, and we rode many adventures together.

Seeing Cavalia in Burbank brought those romantic images of my youth to life in living, galloping color – and with a beautiful soundtrack, too. As the audience files into the gleaming-white tent that houses the show, anticipation builds, and there's a certain horsey giddiness that fills the stands. Then, when the first mustangs sprint across the sand-covered stage, the audience gasps in unison, followed by a chorus of "Awwws."

If you're not around horses a lot – and even if you are – it's easy to forget how striking and elegant these creatures are. And when you bring them together with elegant riders in beautiful costumes, acrobats soaring overhead and a score filled with haunting music, the experience of Cavalia delivers a truly special form of entertainment (and in my case, a flashback to my youth).

As the show gallops along, the live cellist, vocalist and other musicians weave together a horse-infused acrobatic stream of consciousness with influences ranging from Native American to Argentinean, with a dash of Medieval princess thrown in for good measure. The flowing curtains and billowy backdrops breathe 3-D life to the show's many scenes, which feature everything from dance and trick riding to traditional dressage and trampoline acrobatics. At times, all eyes are on the amazing aerialists and acrobats, who bounce, flip and twirl from the big-top ceiling using the elegant equines as a backdrop to their feats of physical prowress. But then there are those amazing moments when all eyes are fixed on the animals, who reveal their power, grace and beauty in various ways.

There was plenty of action for horse lovers, but I preferred the quieter moments when the horses were just standing together, nuzzling each other, rolling in the dirt and just being. That way, I could recapture those days when it was just a horse – and a romantic imagination.

Cavalia appears under the White Big Top in Burbank through Feb. 12. Ticket prices start at $49, $69 for weekends (packages that include refreshments and a visit to the stables are available, too). The show is long – almost two hours with a 20-minute intermission. And plan ahead for potty breaks; the restroom tent can be a bit of a trek, depending on where you're seated.

Having the Resolve

I'm a Capricorn (a New Year's Day one, in fact), so it will come as no surprise that I like lists. They're not only great for groceries and party planning, they work perfectly on blogs. However, I hate New Year's Resolutions. And those cheesy retrospectives that the local news stations and other insidious sources put us through.

But for parents, sometimes it's good to take stock of the year you've just survived in a retrospective list. We need to calculate our accomplishments as moms and dads, and neatly file those little snapshots of your life in a mental scrapbook. That way, when you're exhausted from some parental exercise and wondering aloud, "Why am I doing this?" those little retrospectives serve to remind you why you do all those things.

Here's a look back on a few parenting milestones for 2010, tossed in with some resolutions, all sewn up in a handy list!

1) Get in the game. We stuffed ourselves with Dodger Dogs and left promptly after the Seventh Inning Stretch. But hey, we made it – and we even found our car again. The Resolution: Make memories. A Broadway musical, even though I don't like musicals. The beach, even if it means spending the next day vacuuming sand out of the car. A Dodger game, even whey the team is not doing that great, is something the kids will remember way into adulthood.

2) Remember the love. This last year, 6-year-old Jack fell hard for all things Star Wars, thus trading his Thomas the Tank trains for his TIE Fighter and beloved Clone Wars jammies. Out with the old; in with the new. The Resolution: Keep a good scrapbook, write down the funny things the kids say, hug the stuffing out of them as often as I can, even when they're bugging me.

3) Get the picture. Kate, at age 10, can now appreciate the subtleties of art, understand the struggles of artists, grasp their vision and their plan. She can learn and visualize and emulate and empathize and soak up the paint and the pain. Jack spent his time at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena obsessed with the electronic gadget that spews forth the guided tour – and the museum offers one that's recorded just for kids. Kate chose the more "adult" versions of the interpretations and hung on every word. The art is knowing that they're both taking away what they like, and to get out of the way of that. The Resolution: Guide them to soak up as much culture as they can squeeze into their little brains. Then, get the heck out of their way and let the glue and paint and sparkles spill.

4) Ditch the list. The irony is not wasted here, believe me. But I do tend to schedule tightly, attempt to keep things in order, follow a regimen and keep to a schedule. So when the kids plead, "Mom, can we sleep outside tonight?" I invariably scrunch up my face in a That Is Not The Plan grimace. But they love it, especially when they wake up in the morning and can hang in their tent, sharing Pop Tarts with the dog. The Resolution: Be more spontaneous, and let the kids do more nutty kid stuff.

5) Stop and smell the flowers. As an adult, it's easy to forget how wondrous the world is. But as we're zooming along from one place to the next, Jack will stop me dead in our tracks to stare at a crack in the sidewalk. Kate will pick up a pretty rock, make a dress for it and build a special home for it to "sleep" next to her on the pillow. The two of them will run INTO the rain instead of recoiling as though acid is being dropped on them, as most of us adults do. The Resolution: Remember to see the world through a child's eyes. Be a little less jaded, Carolyn. The world's a pretty cool place.

Now, onto to the next item on the list.

Through the Eyes...

My 6-year-old Jack discovered my camera recently, and the results were funny ... and telling.

Here's a sampling, unedited. I've done my best to interpret his thoughts as he photographically progressed through the house.

Yay! Bacon!

Do pickles go with wine? (Oh, wait, that's me wondering that ...)

This is a picture of the box the big turkey plate came in. Why didn't our turkey look like that?

This is my mom cooking. I had to take a photo because I don't see that very often.

What's the toothpaste doing in the kitchen? (Oh, wait, that's me again.)

Yep, not proud of that.

Someone should really put those away.

The dog. She's easily distracted.

Quite the handsome couple, don't you think?

I don't think I even need to explain this one.

Photos by Jack. Call for an appointment.

"Ears" To the Holidays

When I was growing up – a long way away from Southern California in more ways than one – I went to Disneyland twice. That's two times. In about 30 years. And on my first trip, I was 6 months old. My dad traded his driver's license for one of the park's strollers, which was a relatively new invention back then. My second? I was a junior in high school.

So my life as a Southern Californian began as a Disneyland-starved adult, never quite getting my fill of swirling tea cups, space-themed roller coasters and over-the-top parades. My kids have the life I used to daydream about: Living within 60 miles of the Happiest Place on Earth. Of course, as an L.A. family we are also on a tight budget and don't always have the time or wherewithall to brave the 5 on a Saturday morning. So our treks to the park are carefully planned and quite measured. We've settled upon the holidays as our favorite time to make our big annual trek: When I need a dose of extreme holiday spirit and the kids feel as though they've been transported to our own version of the North Pole.

The park gets a holly-and-big-bow makeover this time of year, and the mood everywhere is infectious. The Haunted Mansion has enough Christmas "spirit" to haunt even the Scroogiest of visitors. The "A Christmas Fantasy" Parade routinely brings tears to my eyes, even when those silly reindeer walk by on two legs instead of four. The "Believe ... In Holiday Magic" show mixes fireworks and snow, and I still can't figure out how they get Tinkerbell to flit above Sleeping Beauty Castle. It's a Small World remains my all-time fave, and this DL standard gets decked out with snowflakes and Feliz Navidads-aplenty.

So part of your "tax" as a Southland family is to make the pilgrimage to this hallowed ground in Orange County. I recommend the holidays, but you have to find your own special schedule and create your own traditions.

In case you're in need of motivation, Disneyland Ambassador Danielle DuBois took a moment during my family's trip last weekend to chat with me about some of her favorite holiday treats and treasures in both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Watch this, and see if you can resist (she had me at "giant, handmade candy canes.").

What's Cookin'

I've made no secret of the fact that I have a love-hate relationship with the kitchen. Sometimes I can't wait to whip up something semi-exotic and new, while on other days I can scarcely be bothered to open a can of tuna and set it front of my disgruntled pair of kids.

But where I really excel is in watching cooking shows. Now, I know that sounds lazy and like I might be avoiding some actual kitchen work. OK, maybe there's a shred (a chunk) of truth to that. But I really love to learn about food and how amazing meals are made. That's why I was excited about my chat this week with Jeffrey Saad, a runner-up on The Next Food Network Star (season 5) and now the star of United Tastes of America, which debuts Tuesday, Nov. 16, on the Cooking Channel.

These TV chefs are passionate about what goes on those plates, which is why it's fun to watch them – and talk to them. Saad, who has a 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, is really fired up about his new show, which explores American favorites – such as hotdogs, pizza and doughnuts – and how they're given treatments by different chefs and kitchens throughout the U.S.

"You're seeing the most cutting-edge version – sushi pizza – to the classic version. Then it goes to something in-between," says the Bay Area-based chef.

His primary passion seems to be about bringing his own kids into his culinary world – and inspiring other parents to do the same.

"Cooking with kids is a way to get closer," Saad says. And teaching them about cooking helps kids learn about where our food comes from so that they "continue to eat well."

But how do you do that? Especially if you're like me and would rather watch than dive in with your own spatula?

Here are a few of his tips:

• Allow kids to drive the process. Let them do more than stir. Ask them to taste the food and give their opinions. "Does this need more salt?"


• Find recipes that are theatrical. "Kids are very visual," he says, so pick recipes in which the food rises dramatically (like his family's puffy pancakes) or has a strong visual element.


• Let them create. Take out all the leftovers and let them put together a meal, like construct their own quesadillas or pasta fillings.


• Beverages. "Make more smoothies!" Use up those spotted bananas.


• When your kids get "kitchen weary," create a fun meal for their friends for play dates or sleepovers. It makes the visitor – and your child – feel special.


• Get them to taste stuff, even if they try to turn their noses up at it. Saad uses the "Two-Bite Rule": "One to get over your attitude and then one to find out if you really like it."


• Allow them to "eat like the adults." Always. Don't make two or three meals for everyone in the family.


• Use spices and allow kids to explore flavors. If you want to ease into it, then add spices you like to their favorite foods. If your child likes tomato soup, then incorporate some spice into it.

Hungry for more? My daughter's always wanting to put together Sunday breakfast for the family, so Saad's video about how to make quick, easy and fluffy scrambled eggs is a keeper: