Birch Aquarium

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 Google'd the babysitter

On the list of things to do when we move is to find a new babysitter. That's a tough task because I don't want just some totally random person. I want someone who comes recommended by someone, and that means I first have to meet and get to know that first someone.

Here in San Diego, I lucked into TWO babysitters in one day! Just amazing!

The local high school has a child development program that I happened to learn about when on my grand tour of local preschools. I figured its a good place to start.

When I called the director, she wasn't very optimistic that anyone would answer my posting on her bulletin board. Most of the students have other jobs, she told me. On the other hand, she also told me that the going rate is $10/hour. Not too shabby!

So, two girls from the program responded. I was able to get a reference from the child development program director and then I decided to Google them.

And, look for them on MySpace and Facebook.

No wild stories came up. No drunken, half-naked party shots with sleeping or dancing toddlers in the background. Actually, nothing exceptional at all. Neither were on MySpace. Both were in Facebook with nice photos. One of the girls is evidently into drama as her name came up on a couple of local theater billets.

I feel better.

50% Chance

Peanut is a clothes horse and loves to dress, undress, dress, partially undress, partially dress, etc, etc herself.

I've arranged a few piles in her drawer of pants (which are NEVER touched), skirts (which are always in short supply), t-shirts and long-sleeve shirts for her to make her own combinations. Usually they don't match in the usual sense, but since virtually everything is a variant of pink, its not that far off.

The funniest part is that everything seems to be put on backwards. Always.

Starting with her underwear. And, ending with her shoes.

We've talked about how tags go in the back and she even searches for the tags, but opts to put them in the front. With shoes, we've talked about putting the flowers on the outside and she knows, but they always end up on the inside.

Shouldn't there really be a 50/50 chance of her clothes sometimes facing the right direction?? Somehow the rules of statistics don't seem to apply to toddler dressing.

I'm glad to see January go

Hurray for February!

I suppose this makes me superstitious, but January was a month of bad health news for our family and I couldn't wait for February 1st to roll around to give us a fresh start. I feel somewhat safer on this page of the calendar.

My mom's dear little doggie, Geisha, passed away last week. She had been ill and lived a life where she was loved, cared for and definitely spoiled. As my mom became an empty-nester, I know that Geisha's companionship was more important than ever. She was always there to offer a bark, or fluffy cuddle. My mom is a friend of all animals and her mothering instincts never faded. Geisha gave her a way to continue sharing that warmth and nurturing when her daughters flew out into the world. I hope that our kitties, Miuku & Mauku, who moved in with Grandma as we started our moves this year, are keeping my mom good company.

Early in the month we got the news that my dad's cancer had resurfaced even though he had had surgery, radiation treatment and hormone treatment two years ago for prostate cancer. We don't yet know the details of what is happening or where, but lab tests show that something is happening. Thankfully, my dad is otherwise as healthy as a man his age can be and has a positive attitude to match.


We also heard that a long-wished for addition the family would have to wait.

And, so, I am happy to see that its February 1st.