Owner: Raising California URL:www.RaisingCalifornia.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:14:15 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Discover what it's like to be a kid and to raise a kid in Southern California. The journey begins here! Site statistics:Click here
How to be a California Beauty 2008-03-09 17:13:54 So with all of the bans around here...styrofoam, plastic bags and wood burning fireplaces, I was starting to get a little depressed from all of the negative energy. So here is some positive energy to liven things up a bit!I have been meaning to post my beauty tips since I met a girl at the park who just moved to L.A. from Oregon. She said to me "I thought you were like all the others. Just another pretty mom, someone who wouldn't want to talk to me, but you're not. You are so cool. Every woman in L.A. is beautiful...have you noticed that? I want to be beautiful too...what is your secret?"I told her that I didn't notice that there were so many beautiful women in L.A. I see people on a soul level so in my opinion there are many attractive people, but they don't seem attractive to me u Read more:California
, Beauty
Making Soup 2008-03-09 16:20:06 Here are the pictures that everyone has been waiting for. California loves to pretend to cook. He gets all of the pots and pans out, a nice big spoon to stir it all up with, then he gets into the pantry for ingredients and makes what he calls "soup". Here he is with his main ingredient, an organic cereal called "Panda Puffs".-Later, he added pumpkin seeds, goldfish and raisins. He was so proud of his accomplishment that he immediately got bowls out for Tennessee and I and served us a big helping :) He does this three or four times a week. He loves to pretend to cook so I ordered him this little stove online:Someone in my family, I am not mentioning any names, said to me "Pretend stoves are for girls!" No they are not. Pretend play is important for both boys and girls. The next tim
Wood Burning Fireplaces Banned in SoCal 2008-03-09 01:54:46 Burning wood in fireplaces within homes in Southern California has been banned. According to the LA Times, this ban will only be applied to homeowners about a dozen days throughout the year when air quality is at its worst. Here are the specifics of this ban:1. Builders are banned from installing wood burning fireplaces in new homes2. It will be illegal to buy and install a wood burning fireplace while remodeling a home.3. Gas burning fireplaces will be allowed.4. The ban does not apply to restaurants that use wood burning stoves, like California Pizza Kitchen.5. Homeowners that used a wood burning fireplace as their only source of heat will not be affected.6. Those who live above 3000 feet in elevation will not be affected.7. Beach fires will still be allowed8. Tribal ceremony f Read more:Burning
, Banned
, SoCal
California Mamas are More Likely to Have Ink 2008-03-07 13:38:38 Mamas in California
are more likely to have tattoos according to a semi-recent Harris poll. Their research revealed that 16% of men and 15% of women in the United States have tattoos. The West Coast had the highest percentage of tattoos in the nation...at 20% compared to 14% in the East & Midwest and 15% in the South. Considering the fact that California is the most populous state in the West, then mamas in California are more likely than other mamas on the West Coast to have them. Here is a pic of mine: I am planning my next one. Here is a pic of the tattoo that I am thinking about getting on my left shoulder blade. It's not going to be square of course...a lot of the extraneous details of the background will be removed. I am still trying to decide about my next tattoo though. I wa
Santa Monica BANS Plastic Bags! 2008-03-02 13:44:22 Click HERE to browse through the newspaper.SantaMonica
officials voted unanimously to ban plastic bags on February 26th, 2008. According to HealtheBay.org, Santa Monica
is also considering enacting a charge to use paper bags.L.A. Times blogger, Siel, reports that the ban will most likely go something like this: No free bags, period. The point is to discourage one-use bags and encourage reusable bags. Plastic
bags banned at all retail locations in the city. Biodegradable one-use bags banned at all retail locations in the city, because these bags "present many of the same environmental litter and marine environment problems as plastic bags." Paper bags that contain old growth fiber, or are not 100% recyclable, or contain less than 40% post consumer recycled content banned at all retail loc
Earthquakes R Us 2008-02-26 14:15:34 Come on down and get yourself an earthquake; we have plenty here at Earthquakes R Us because this is earthquake country! We have many different faults to choose from just in the Los Angeles area alone. Here is a diagram of our faults. Each line that you see is a fault, we have them in many different colors :) According to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center, "since these maps show only surface traces of faults, some potentially damaging faults -- namely, blind thrust faults, like the one which caused the Northridge earthquake of 1994 -- are not shown". Wow, thanks for that!Californians are quite used to earthquakes. We are so used to them that we are totally unprepared for the next "BIG ONE"...which has been predicted to happen any day now. Apparently, it has been 300 yea
The Souls of Boys 2008-02-22 01:19:02 I have started another blog called "The Souls
of Boys".Boys are BIG Souls in Little Bodies...Nurture the souls of boys with non-violent, non-toxic, soul-centered resources, activities, toys, books and media.It seems as though society continues to become more violent as each year passes. Unfortunately, the majority of violent offenders are men and boys. We need to nurture our boys and protect them from the violent toys and marketing that they are constantly bombarded with even as toddlers. They need "back to the basics", natural toys to ground them and keep them balanced. They deserve more than what society dishes out to them. They deserve to be recognized as BIG souls in little bodies.As a mom of two boys, I pay close attention to the types of toys that they are exposed to. It is common kn
Lunar Lunacy 2008-02-21 01:46:46 Well, I thought that I would post a blog about our Total Lunar
Lunacy. Here is a pic of L.A. Mama and California BEFORE the Total Lunar Eclipse of 2008:We went down to Santa Monica Beach to watch the eclipse...the ocean was beautiful, but it was a little cloudy. This is the best pic I got of the eclipse:Here is a pic of California and L.A. Mama on the beach during the Total Lunar Eclipse of 2008. Tennessee forgot to brush his hair so we'll see more of him later.
Total Lunar Eclipse 2008 2008-02-19 10:21:07 Tomorrow night will be the first total lunar eclipse for 2008. We will be ready to view the eclipse here at our house, but the Southern California weathermen and women have predicted rain. We hope to get some great pics to share with you, but realize that may not be possible. Here is a diagram of the phases that the lunar eclipse will undergo tomorrow night for Pacific Standard Time:Check the NASA site for information about the TotalLunar
Eclipse for your time zone. You can go there quickly by clicking HERE.
Read more:Total Lunar
, Total Lunar Eclipse
Pizza + Poetry = Love 2008-02-18 00:20:04 We were all still sick with the flu on Valentines Day, so there wasn't much of a celebration at our house. I wanted to show my boys how much their love is important to me, so we made heart shaped pizzas. It was especially fun for Tennessee because he got to choose his toppings, how much of each and each individual placement. He chose fresh basil (homegrown with our Aerogarden...click HERE to see pics), mushrooms, green olives and black olives.We used pre-made, whole wheat 8 inch personal sized Boboli pizza crusts that can be bought at most grocery stores for our heart pizzas. They are easily transformed into hearts (or any other shape) with a sharp knife. Then we added the fresh toppings of our choice. California just wanted cheese.And this poem expresses just how L.A. Mama feels abou Read more:Pizza
, Poetry
Rock Band 2008-02-16 00:04:56 What do Southern California families do for fun you ask?? They play "ROCK BAND"!I finally gave in and let Daddio get an X-Box, but only to play Rock Band. It was one of his Christmas gifts. I know what you are thinking..."oh Miss Holier than Thou Holistic Mama let's her kids play video games". Not true. Video games are still banned from our house unless they are computer games that have educational value. The reason why I agreed to "Rock Band" is because it teaches essential musical skills & concepts and requires teamwork, cooperation and concentration. Yes, it is considered a video game but it is interactive. It isn't braincheese. Rock Band actually teaches the player how to play drums, play guitar/bass and sing vocals. Players use actual instruments to play popular songs precise
The Sky is Falling! (Updated) 2008-02-15 15:55:05 I was going to blog about something delicious for Valentine's Day, but then I read the NEWS. After learning that not only, is a 5,000 ton satellite equipped with nuclear material and powered by rocket fuel out of control and headed straight for Earth, but the Pentagon plans to shoot it down with a long range missile. Something about all of this makes me feel uneasy. Maybe it is because NASA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Defense, the State Department and several other governmental agencies are refusing to say where this satellite will hit, if it does hit the Earth. According to the vice chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, the "window of opportunity" for such a shootdown, presumably to be launched from a Navy ship, will open in the next three or four days and
Santa Monica BANS Styrofoam Containers 2008-02-12 10:39:40 City Container Ban Begins February 9 Hannah Heineman, Mirror Staff Writer Taking a step towards solving the global warming crisis, the City of SantaMonica
has banned the use of non-recyclable food containers. The ban was approved by the City Council due to concern over the polluting effects Styrofoam and other non-recyclable plastic products were having on Santa Monica
’s bay and beaches. The City website states that most beach litter is from these products, which, in addition to causing environmental damage, can be ingested by marine animals and seabirds who mistake them for food. All City facilities and operations, City-managed concessions, and City-sponsored and permitted events began observing the ban last year, on February 9. Restaurants were given until this week so they had ti Read more:Containers
Conversations Overheard from a Homeschool Classroom 2008-02-11 17:31:31 Tennessee (age 8 1/2): "What planet is this?"California (age 2 1/2): "It's MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!"Tennessee: "That's right! Very good. Now what planet is this?"California: "Is it Venus?"Tennessee: "Yes. It's Venus. Good job!"California: "YAAAAAAAAAAY, it's Venuuuuuus!"Tennessee: "Ok, what about this planet. It has rings."California: "MAAAAAARS!!!!"Tennessee: "No, this is Saturn. Can you say Saturn?"California: "Saturn"Tennessee: "GREAT!!! You're cute. Can you say 'I'm cute'"?California: "I'm cute."
Read more:Homeschool
, Classroom
Living with the Flu 2008-02-11 09:09:17 Daddio was first. Last Monday, he began to have a sore throat, lots of sinus pressure, sneezing, congestion, runny nose, coughing, lightheadedness, diarrhea...the list goes on. Then on Wednesday, L.A. Mama and California came down with the same symptoms. We thought that Tennessee was in the clear until he woke up on Friday morning with the same thing. We are all still fighting it, especially California since he aquired a new lung infection due to the flu. I would also like to point out that both Tennessee and California have had their flu shots. So much for that.The shelves of Rite Aid are filled with medications and remedies for the flu...but product testing confirmed that NONE of them worked to ease our misery. The only things that proved to be useful and/or provided some relief we Read more:Living
Cleaning House with Essential Oils 2008-01-31 10:40:34 L.A. Mama is in the process of obtaining certification as a Spiriitual Aromatherapist. Essential
oils are very beneficial for many different areas of life. They are effective in the areas of Mind, Body and Spirit but they can be very beneficial for use in housekeeping. Using essential oils while cleaning helps to bring the home back to a natural state of balance, create a pleasant aroma and kill germs. Essential oils come from plants, and are distilled from the flowers, bark, fruit, leaves and seeds. They are the natural goodness, the soul of the plant that has been extracted to provide you with it's healing benefits. Essential oils are not the same as "fragrance" or "perfume" oils, which are man made in laboratories and do not contain the healing benefits that essential oil provides. H Read more:Cleaning
, House
A Match Made in Heaven? 2008-01-28 23:17:38 Are you having trouble deciding who is the best presidential candidate for the job? I have a pretty good idea of where I am leaning, but I decided to take the Presidential Match
maker Quiz on the Change.org site just for fun. Here are my results. Click on Presidential Matchmaker Quiz above to find out who's the best man or woman for you! Results for L.A. Mama: 79% Hillary ClintonSenator (NY) Democrat 78% Barack ObamaSenator (IL) Democrat 70% John EdwardsPresidential Candidate Democrat 63% Ron PaulRepresentative (TX-14) Republican 55% Rudolph GiulianiPresidential Candidate Republican 51% Mitt RomneyPresidential Candidate Republican 51% John McCainSenator (AZ) Republican 39% Mike HuckabeePresidential Candidate Republican
Read more:Heaven
Vegetarian Food Pyramid 2008-01-28 21:29:58 Just in case you were wondering...yes Vegetarian
s AND Vegans have their own food pyramid that excludes meat. As Tennessee says "Being a Vegetarian doesn't make me an alien!"
Read more:Pyramid
More Storms for L.A. 2008-01-25 02:11:10 This was the view from my bedroom window today. The sky cleared just for a bit to make room for another LASHING...
Read more:Storms
In the Hospital 2008-01-24 23:27:21 This blog is dedicated to California, Tennesee & Daddio!California was rushed to the Emergency Room late Sunday night. This was his third trip to the hospital since March of 2007. This first hospital visit(March 5th, 2007) began with the ER and lasted for 3 additional days in the hospital. He was admitted directly from the Dr's office the second time around on May 21, 2007. That visit lasted 4 days. This time around, we arrived at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center(see photo below) at around 12:30am on January 21, 2008. California was admtted to the hospital a couple of hours later and discharged on Tuesday morning (1/22/08). All because of lung infections.Because California had two previous lung infections, his pediatrician prescribed preventative treatments(Pulimocort & Albuteral)thro
Our Aerogarden 2008-01-22 15:26:49 We received an Aerogarden for Christmas and set it up to start growing herbs on December 20, 2007. It is so easy to set up, that an 8.5 year old can do it without any help. The Aerogarden came with seed pods for herbs so we "planted" these and awaited the arrival of something green. We had sprouts within 3 - 5 days! Other seeds sprouted a bit later...Cilantro was definitely a late bloomer but we can't wait to taste him :)OUR AEROGARDEN PHOTO JOURNALDAY 1DAY 1 (Close Up)DAY 7DAY 12DAY 20DAY 24DAY 28Aerogardens don't take any dirt and you don't have to keep track of watering the plants or feeding them nutrients. A red light comes on to tell you when to add water and nutrients. The nutrients are in the form of a pill. It looks just like a vitamin and all you do is drop it into the wate
California Avocados 2008-03-13 01:26:00 My mother in law sent me an email (THANK YOU to Daddio's Mama) about the health benefits of avocados a couple of weeks ago and I have been waiting to blog about this until I had a good picture to post of California
eating one. He LOVES them so much he can't wait for me to peel them. See?California said: "Two cados! One, two.""Peel dem, Mama? Please." he says.One of the reasons why he loves them so much is that I started him on them as a "first food" when he was 5 months old after I read a book called Super Baby Food. I fed him home made baby food and avocados were so easy to mash and puree. Apparently, avocados are considered a super food. They contain a chemical that kills cancer cells and prevents precancerous cells from forming into cancer. They also contain lutein, zeaxanthin, beta Read more:Avocados
The Astrology of Parenting 2008-03-11 15:21:37 This is just for fun, but a lot of this is true for me as an Aquarius, especially the information in bold.Aquarius and Virgo Virgo and Aquarius might not always see things the same way, but they can discuss their differences and work through them without too much trouble. When Virgo's sensitive nerves go on "overload", Aquarius can usually keep a rational conversation going, and flush out the issues that need to be dealt with. Virgo worries a lot, and begins many, many sentences with the words "What if..." Obviously, this can lead to problems when it comes to taking care of children. Virgo will have trouble trusting Aquarius when the children have to be whisked away to their next life passage. But whether it's the first dentist appointment or the first day of college, Aquarius will try to Read more:Astrology
, Parenting
Open Wide or I will Call the Police 2008-03-10 22:42:06 Tennessee and California went to the dentist today. This was California's first visit. We waited in a room with toys and books while I filled out 10,000 pages of paperwork. Their dentist is in Beverly Hills. She is a very tall, beautiful Japanese woman who wears glittery eyeliner. I like her style...she wears four inch heels and nice jeans like myself (refer to BEAUTY TIP #15 for background information). We looked like two peas in a pod except that I am only 5 feet tall and very blonde. Here is a pic I took from the window. You can see the Hollywood sign on the hill to the left of the palm tree:So the office visit went better than I expected. Tennessee got his x-rays and then his teeth cleaned. He had no cavities but he will probably need braces some day soon. California was very r Read more:Police
It's Not Just an L.A. Thing 2008-03-14 11:37:47 I can't believe, I am writing about this again but did anyone see the news about air quality concerns across the country? (Sorry, I don't make the news...I just pass it along). The EPA says that there are 345 counties in the U.S. with unsafe air quality..air that is "unhealthy" to breathe. According to THIS ARTICLE from Yahoo News, the "Environmental Protection Agency announced it was tightening the amount of ozone, commonly known as smog, that will be allowed in the air. But the lower standard still falls short of what most health experts say is needed to significantly reduce heart and asthma attacks from breathing smog-clogged air".So my big question was "Is Los Angeles on this list?" OF COURSE it was silly! I bet you are wondering if your county is on the list. Well I have the list Read more:Thing
Raising Multilingual Children 2008-03-13 15:00:40 First of all, let me just say that this is the personal opinion of L.A. Mama and an example of the choices that her family has made as a result of living in Southern California. This post is not intended to inflame, harm or offend anyone and it is not up for debate. There are other more appropriate blogs and forums to direct argumentative energies.One of the reasons why we love Los Angeles and surrounding communities so much is because of the rich, cultural diversity that encompasses our everyday lives. According to Wikipedia, the greater Los Angeles area is home to 17,776,000 people from all over the world with more than 100 different languages being spoken. It isn't unusual on any given day in Los Angeles to hear Spanish, French, Italian, Armenian, Hebrew, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and R Read more:Raising
, Multilingual
, Children
Recommend Site To A Friend
