Our first baby (Peanut) arrived in Helsinki, Finland, little brother (Tex) joined us in Dallas, TX, we spent a few months in Boston and are now in San Diego, where little sister (Bibi) was born. We are working out all the usual things parents have to -- while balancing between a European view and the US view to health care, baby customs, gear, weather, etc!
"Many people come here for vacation to see the sun, palm trees, beach and water....and, we get to live here.....wow!" kept running through our minds as we spent Father's Day on San Diego Bay.
It was another typically gorgeous San Diego Sunday. Sunshine, ocean breezes and minimal crowds in the morning.
We were out on Coronado Island at the Ferry Landing complex to catch the Coronado-San Diego ferry. Its a bare bones ferry that reminded me of the ships plowing out to Suomenlinna in Helsinki. Only the adults needed the $6 round-trip ticket. The "cruise" takes about 15 minutes, but it gave us some great views on the city, the Midway, Seaport Village and Coronado Bridge.
Peanut and Tex got to pretend they were on a big boat and enjoyed spotting all the sailboats, motor boats and real Harbor Excursion ships.
Its a 20 minute drive away. Its just like spending the day at a gorgeous park. Its full of unique experiences every time we visit. Peanut and Tex can't get enough AND both their parents enjoy it just as much - a rare combination in child amusements :-)
We worked out the best season-pass combination for us: > one adult and Peanut picked up the "Fun Pass" early in the year giving entry through 2008 for the price of a single day > the other adult upgraded to the "Silver Passport", which includes free parking (otherwise its $10/visit or $12/visit during summer) and discounts on guest passes among other benefits > little Tex is free until he turns three
This insider info came in handy this past weekend as we sloshed through the massive crowds of vacationeers. We managed to hit all the major shows (Shamu's Believe and the Dolphin Show) and exhibits as well as a "no-line, no-waiting" lunch pit stop and shopping in under four hours!
Here are our favorite Sea World San Diego hints:
Buy your passes online - skip the ticket lines and get access to the best-priced deals.
Arrive by 10:00 am for great parking and a chance to look around before the Shamu Show.
Check the map for Show times.
First Shamu Show is almost always at 11:00 am. Get there at least 15 mins before the show.
For Shamu - use the back entrance to the stadium. Go around toward Shipwreck Rapids to see it. Plenty of stroller parking, very little foot traffic so you can really get in and out quickly. We usually sit on the sides since the center stage seats are too loud for the kiddos.
Dolphin feeding is often right after Shamu so you can go straight there or head for lunch along with most of the park :-)
Lunch in the back of the park at Coconut Bay Cafe is a good way to dodge crowds and get a great view of Mission Bay.
The Shark exhibit is nearby. You can choose to skip the viewing pool at the entrance as the real view is in the Shark Tunnel underneath.
For the Dolphin Show, park your stroller to the LEFT of the entrance where there are less strollers parked and puts you in the right direction to head for the Arctic Adventure. This show is always packed so if you want a seat - get there early! We have also stood at the top and had the children sit on the railing space. The stadium seems to be facing the sun at all show times, so it will be hot and sunny - bring drinks & sunscreen!
Risky Rescue show is one we had to leave because it had a mime that terrified both children. Grandy and Nana say its a fun show.
The Arctic Adventure is one of our favorites. Similar to the Shark Exhibit, if you are in a hurry, you can walk past the first above water viewing station as the beluga whales are visible later from an underwater station.
If possible - bring your own drinks, snacks and food for the kids. Save some money and have it all available when you need it. Though officially not sanctioned, we've never been asked to not bring it in and we've never hidden the fact we have it with us.
Oh, and there's free beer samplers at the Anheuser-Busch Hospitality Center -- or so Gandy and Nana tell us :-)
Tex -- who loves to eat above all -- must have thought that an International Food Festival is the best kind of event ever!!! Booth after booth of food! More food! and more food!
Hungary seemed to pop up on every corner -- the hot dishes here, a few tents down - desserts, at their house - a whole patio full and as we walked by they were bringing out a portable table of more sweets. So, how could we not try something? The Langos bread topped with cheese, sour cream and melted garlic butter went fast. Everyone kept trying to grab another bite. Papa & Tex stayed behind to savor a sausage roll while Peanut & I went for a bathroom break.
Palestine and Lebanon offered delicious shawarma. We picked up some empanadas Argentina to see what Dora the Explorer eats at her abuela's luncheon.
While Tex hungarily glupped down anything offered, Peanut soon decided she just wanted a hamburger. Luckily, the America House was nearby. They didn't have hamburgers, but a hot dog made an acceptable substitute.
We saved some space for dessert from the House of Finland -- freshly made lettu (pancakes) with whipped cream and strawberries. Peanut wanted to go back for a second round of desserts so we picked up some pulla and other pasteries. The House of Finland organizes a number of annual events and the hostesses were all keen to tell us about the upcoming Juhannus festivities at Mission Beach. While the group can't sleep out on the beach, they promised a bonfire and plenty of action into the night.
I had a very nice Mother's Day -- a collection of cards were part of my wake-up, papa had brought home flowers & pastries from the Swedish Royal Bakery and we spent the day among the flowers at Carlsbad's Flower Fields.
Ever since I had Peanut & Tex I've gained a new perspective on my mom, my upbringing and who I am today.
My mom raised two children mostly as a single parent which I now can imagine was an exhausting role. She did it without a family network around her since we lived in Florida far away from her connections in Finland at a time when an international phone call was only for emergencies and very special occassions.
As we all as parents must do at some point or another - I find myself channeling my mom. But, I hope more for the positive values she modeled and the self confidence she instilled.
I want Peanut & Tex to be nature lovers who feel responsible for maintaining and contributing to the Earth's well being. I always knew that I wanted my children to grow up running bare foot outdoors searching for ladybugs, snails and other creatures. I hope they grow up admiring the beauty around us and wondering about the amazing events of nature.
I want my children to respect themselves and others in their actions, words and intentions.
I want to encourage my children to be creative thinkers able to express themselves in arts, crafts, music, words and any other channel they can imagine. I hope they will believe in what they create and feel passionate about its value.
I want them to fall in love with books, stories, poems, tales, newspapers, magazines -- and the Internet as a way to discover new places, ideas and answers to their questions.
I want them to value education.
Its a long list and I could go on, but in these areas I am thankful to have a mother who has shown me how to teach these things. And, most of all, I'm thankful to her for raising me surrounded by these beliefs.
Now that Tex has more/less (sometimes less) eating sand, we spend many mornings and afternoons at the many parks around our home. Here in California, most parks are filled with white sand -- its like being at the beach! The Texas parks usually had a mulchy-type of bark filling which I thought could easily give you splinters and really didn't provide a soft landing. The few Boston-area parks we visited also had bark.
I love the sand. The entire park is one giant sandbox and many children leave their shoes behind as they race around and climb on the equipment. We haven't found any nasty surprises hidden in the sand outside of discarded bandaids and the occasional piece of unidentifiable plastic.
Peanut and Tex both have a good time digging, shoveling and rolling around in the sand. Most of the area parks are known to us by the animals that live there - Camel Park, Whale Park, Shark Park.
I do find it strange that many people bring their dogs to the parks and then let their young children take the leash and run the animals in the sand. Or force them up the equipment and down the slides. It worries me since you never know how dogs may react to the rowdy children and perhaps their younger owners can't control them. Maybe its just me - I'm not a big dog person. At most parks there is always at least one little child who I think of as the California Wildchild. Its always a girl, barefoot, very tanned with long tussled hair and often in a cotton sundress - no matter what the weather. A parent is not easy to identify as the child races around freely, taking an uncommon approach to climbing, swinging or what else she's doing.
Grandy and Nana spent a wonderful week with us around Easter. We took the chance to visit Sea World - our first theme-park outting!
To be honest, I was dreading it a bit. Tex is one a year so I thought there wouldn't be much to hold his attention and once he is done with something, the little guys wants to MOVE! I thought we'd be floating in a sea of people, standing in endless lines and looking for the exit in no time at all. Our Peanut is very sensitive to noisy, large and electronic things like rides, characters, talking trash cans and quickly hides under her blanket when they frighten her. I imagined us having to carry her through the park shielding her eyes half the time.
But, none of it was true. We all had a fabulous time. Tex and Peanut could not have been more enthralled the 45 mins we spent at the Shamu show (OK, at first the loud music got Peanut anxious, but once the whales appeared all was good), the 30 mins at the dolphin show and the hours we strolled around looking at the exhibits. Both little ones got a stuffed Shamu and now P
It wasn't crowded. It wasn't loud or obnoxious anywhere. There were no characters to run and hide from. Just a beautifully landscaped, breezy, very large park that happened to be full of opportunities to get close to wonderous and amusing marine life.
The only glitch in the system was the entry-point where eveyone was finger-printed which slowed the line. When I asked why we had to be finger printed, the Sea World employee tried to explain it wasn't finger printing, but a "biometric scan capturing five uniquely identifying characteristics of your finger". Really. You could opt to show your photo ID.
My Hairdresser. I never understood people who went on about their hairdressers until I met Juletha. Ah, Juletha, who transformed my disobedient and ordinary do into glamour hair with a few swift swipes of her steady razor. Juletha, who brought extraordinary color to my dark tresses. She'd been trained in Bumble & Bumble salons and was a downtown salon lady until she had her son and wanted to work more flexible hours closer to home. Fate brought her to Green Tangerine in Burlington and then fate so cruelly tore us apart. *sniff*
A decent local paper. The San Diego Union Tribune hardly rises above the Pensacola News Journal in their content or lack of biased coverage. Its great to keep up with local issues and events, but their adoration of Qualcomm is not even slightly hidden as is their disdain of Nokia. Its tough to compete with the Boston Globe.
The lack of creepy crawlies. Its been warm recently and it seems the big black beetles, their hairy legged friends and other tiny critters are testing to see if Spring has arrived. Even though I grew up in Florida surrounded by a bounty of tropical bugs, they make me squirm -- and, I'm really trying not to so Peanut doesn't become as squimish.
Verizon FIOS. Oh how the lame and outrageously overpriced monopoly of Time Warner Cable here annoys me. And, don't get me started on the outages.
And, for the little ones: Ms. Gina's Little Acorns preschool that Peanut loved and the Burlington library which had a great puzzle, block and puppet playspace.
If there's one thing I've learned from the three major moves I've made in the past three years, its making friends is hard work!
But, since having friends is so important to making a new place feel like home, there's nothing else to do than get out, get out, get out, get out. Having children has got to be the best way into many groups in the fastest way. You immediately have some common ground to start on and a topic than can easily wind you in and out of many areas of conversation.
Finding new friends via the web has been one of my latest ventures. The website Meet Up coordinates people around an interest or geography to find each other, plan meetings and introduce members to each other.
I've joined a couple of Meet Up groups in San Diego - some mom's groups in my suburb and a Dutch culture group. (The Finnish ladies have their own group coordinated via the fantabulous and information saturated San Diego Finns website.)
My main Meet Up group has 3 - 4 activities organized each week. Park playdates, lunches, outtings to local attractions and even birth story sharing sessions number among the events. When we're available, I make an effort to get us out to the Meet Up. Sometimes its a great event where I get to meet several moms. Other times, its a total dud because I can't find the members and after asking 5 -6 random people if they are here for a Meet Up and getting that oh-my-god-ewww-creepy-internet-lady look, I call it quits.
Still, I keep going knowing that friendships form only after many, many meetings. First, you have to become a familiar face, then, perhaps get to know a handful of people and eventually, you find your connection grows beyond just the fact that 'hey, we are both moms, let's chat about diapers, food, preschool, lack of sleep, where did you buy that stroller?!'
It all makes me love my lifelong friends just a little bit more :-)
Opa & Oma were visiting us last week so we took them on a grand tour of the area. One day we headed up for the mountains to the town of Julian, briefly a gold rush town, but now the local economy seems to depend on pies.
The main street is the central lure in town with its old wooden buildings housing gift shops, pie parlors and restaurants (with their own speciality pies). The elevation allows Julian to harvest a plentiful crop in apples which are the main ingredient in the town's pies. Though I didn't see it advertised, there must be a heated Apple Pie competition each year with probably all sorts of scandals involved from bribed judges, stolen recipes and sabotaged apples.
We sampled a couple - as one must. The Boysenberry-Apple (flaky not crumbly) from Mom's Pies got the family vote.
Outside the town's limits we saw some of the first signs of singed earth and scorched trees from the Fall's brush fires.
Since I posted about Mission Beach, I thought I should also add the pictures from the nearby Sunset Cliffs.
There isn't much to the story -- just an awe-inspiring stop along the highway. Massive waves pounding and bursting against cliffs that seem to crumble into the Pacific Ocean.
In contrast to the $20 parking lots of the East Coast, its so wonderful here to find plenty of available and FREE parking along the coasts. Yesterday, an story in the San Diego Union Tribune said some communities, including La Jolla and Pacific Beach, were debating adding their first parking meters for beach parking.
First, we parked right next to a fun park for a picnic lunch while watching a group of children in scuba-diving school run squeling and splashing into the water.
After lunch, we drove to the Pacific Ocean-side thinking we'd just catch a glimpse from a jam-packed parking lot. To our surprise, we snagged a spot just along the boat channel heading out from the harbor to the ocean.
Tex spotted the surfers way out in the ocean with great excitement. He gleefully jabbed his little pointer finger toward them and made sounds of intent. He was even more thrilled by the riskier surfers who caught waves in the boat lane lined by massive boulders.
Peanut always loves the beach. Even though the water was positively frigid, she skipped along the shore gathering shells.
Many years ago when I worked in Atlanta, our company sponsored an evening cocktail party at the most beautifully located aquarium - the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.
When I heard we were moving to San Diego, it was one of the first places I wanted to take the children to.
The Aquarium was just the right size for a short outing and lunch on the outdoor patio.
We walked in past the explorer submarine which gave us a chance to look at a real one after singing "Yellow Submarine" at home so many times and recently reading the Adventures of Polo were a segment takes place in one.
Lunch was enjoyable except for the talking trashcan next to us which scared Peanut. We had to move tables and unfortunately, it remains one of the most memorable parts of the day for her.
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the Aquarium deck are three tide pools filled with local marine life - vibrant orange, purple and pink starfish, Pacific lobsters without claws, shy octopus, lush sea weed - all for the touching. Water flows in and out, mimicking the ebb and flow of the tides to show how the ecosystem works. Inside, we toured the dark hallways dappled by glowing tanks of sea creatures. We paused for a long time at the Kelp Forest wall to watch the sharks, halibut and other finned friends swim by as the kelp swayed in the underwater breezes.
The little ones were running into nap-time as we quickly swung past the shark tank and pools of water, tides and sand where children can experiment with these powers of nature.
I'm back! I've thought about my blog often, but never seemed to get myself in front of the
computer to turn those imaginery posts into text & photos.
I was a bit busy - we packed up and left Boston shortly before Christmas and having been settling into our new home in San Diego over the past month. This blog, like all other things for myself, have taken a back seat to finding new preschools, doctors, parks, insurance & service providers, libraries, grocery stores and friends for the little ones. It just all eats into my energy and will to do anything when I get a moment to rest.
Now, a month or so into this move, we seem to be finding our groove.
San Diego's a treat all around. Beautiful scenery, easy to navigate, good weather and a seemingly endless list of things to do. We're very happy to be here.
Coronado-San Diego ferry. Its a bare bones ferry that reminded me of the ships plowing out to Suomenlinna in Helsinki. Only the adults needed the $6 round-trip ticket. The "cruise" takes about 15 minutes, but it gave us some great views on the city, the 
Midway, Seaport Village and Coronado Bridge.
