Married... With Children

OK, I've made no secret of the fact that my husband Steve and I can't have a "date." Our anniversary is no exception.

Our wedding anniversary was June 1, and I was excited at the prospect of an afternoon and/or evening together when we could recall our carefree, childless days of meandering among museums, eating when we felt like it and driving without having to worry about whether someone needed a drink or go potty.

But all Steve could think about were the logistics of getting those aforementioned needs attended to with the help of the ever-elusive babysitter. Our usual options were booked for the day and evening, so we would have to relegate our long-awaited time alone to 4 hours on Sunday evening. His response? "If you just want to stay home and hang out, I'm totally fine with that."

You can imagine how well that went over with the Misses.

I "settled" for the designated and narrow Sunday time slot, but I'm happy to report that in that amount of time, I was able to recall why I married that sweet, if a bit weary of logistics, man. We had an amazing dinner at A/O/C on Third Street in L.A. and topped it off with fresh ice cream and decaf at Milk on Beverly nearby.

Happy 17th, sweetie.

Panda Monium

Jack and Kate and I ventured to the Universal CityWalk IMAX last week to check out Kung Fu Panda in gigantic clear detail. It was my first time in this theater since the big renovation ... and was a great way to introduce my youngsters to the amazing massive movie screens of IMAX. I almost forgot that the lumpy panda voiced by Jack Black was animated. The IMAX movies of my youth involved much clunkier technology and were mostly documentaries that dumped you off cliffs and over mountaintops. Today's IMAX brings the audience into the action (often through 3-D) but in comfy seats and with incredible sound. Kung Fu Panda starts June 5 at Universal CityWalk Cinemas. 

Gum in the Works

So yesterday as I drove up to the gate to pick up Kate from school, she trotted out into the middle of the parking lot, passed in front of me in the lane, walked behind a car that was about to pull out, and forced me to stop an entire line of traffic while she tapped on the car window to stop and let her in.

The ensuing high-pitched parental lecture poured out of me as I watched a mom behind me huff and tap her steering wheel.

After I was through turning every shade of purple and warning this otherwise smart child of the dangers of parking lots and crazed parents in a hurry to grab their children and go, I presumed I'd get at least a second or two of remorse – or at least a passing "oops."

But instead?

"Mom, can I have some gum?"

Holiday Recovery

How did you spend your Memorial Day Weekend? Typically, we run ourselves ragged and flop into a heap on Monday night. But this time, we actually stayed home most of the time, taking care of some of those exciting tasks that I never have time for, such as replacing light bulbs and hand-washing my delicates. 

And because we didn't overdo it, I actually found that I enjoyed our little outings we did make even more (that includes an evening run to Target when everyone was home watching the Laker game).

But the highlight was Friday afternoon, when we braved the traffic on the 5 for a mission to the Discovery Science Center's new Bob the Builder exhibit (which runs through September). Little boys clamored for a glimpse at the almighty god among toddlers that is Bob, and my 3-year-old Jack was equally star struck. He also enjoyed the Animal Grossology exhibit on everything from penguin poop to fly vomit, which was educating for us all.

 

Kids Who Make Things

My husband has some serious geek tendencies, so when he suggested a trek to San Mateo in early May to the Maker Faire, I was more than skeptical. He assured me I'd enjoy the crazy contraptions, zany science exhibits and captivating games made from scratch, but I was completely unprepared for this spectacle. By the end of the day  I had ridden a bicycle with nine-foot wheels, helped my son make a car out of wood, witnessed the power of harnessed lightning and was amazed by the overall creativity and ingenuity that exists out there.

And my kids were hooked.

If you have a young engineer, scientist, fashion designer or architect on your hands, this is the place to go. Started by the creative folks at Make: magazine, this event is intellectually stimulating to the geek in all of us.