Trayvon Martin could have been my son…or yours!

I just finished signing the Change.org petition to bring the murder of Trayvon Martin, Neighborhood Watch Capt. George Zimmerman to justice for approaching the teenager as he walked back to a family members house from a convenience store, and shooting against the advice of the police. George Zimmerman’s job as Neighborhood Watch Captain was to keep teenagers like Trayvon safe as they walked around the neighborhood in the evening. He followed and called police on the unarmed teenager and against the advice of the police this grown man approached and shot this 17-year-old boy who was holding a pack of skittles. From what I understand about the Neighborhood Watch program, it is not a substitute for police or meant for someone to fulfill childhood super hero vigilante dreams. It’s to empower neighbors in protecting their homes and community from criminals. They are to keep a watchful eye out and report suspicious activity immediately. I didn’t know we still lived in a world where being a 17-year-old black male child walking down the street was considered conducting suspicious behavior. And where does this man get off shooting this kid without cause and is then able to claim self-defense. Last time I checked self-defense is defending yourself from harm. This child was not on his property, he had not approached Zimmerman or attacked him…the child didn’t have a weapon on him at all.

This is just unacceptable! So now we are allowed to just go shooting random people because we fear them or suspect them of crime? Isn’t that murder? We have gangbangers running up and down neighborhoods randomly shooting kids walking down the street. We believe them to be monsters and scum of society and treat them as such, prosecuting them to the full extent of the law without thought. But Zimmerman takes a child life without cause, goes against police orders to stay away from the child and shoots him dead in the street…he goes free? Why? How? This young man could be anyone of our sons walking down the street at night minding their own business and being targeted by the color of their skin or the way they wear the clothes on their back. They are tried and convicted to death before they can open their mouth from an assumption & ignorance. This cannot be tolerated! How are we to progress as a society if we are still killing of our children based on things they cannot help. You cannot help the color of your skin. And you can’t help that someone fears or hates you because of the color of your skin. What can be helped is how we deal with those ignorant monsters! How do you know that this Zimmerman won’t do it again? We don’t know his motives for targeting this child! And what about justice for Trayvon Martin who lost his life for nothing? What about the Martin’s who lost their son, brother, grandchild, nephew, cousin and friend?

If we stand around and not do anything we are sending a message that it is okay to just take justice in your own hands and just shoot folks because you feel like it! It’s not okay! I urge you to sign this petition! I urge you to start calling Sanford, Florida mayor’s office and demand justice! I urge you to call and write to the Florida State Attorney, Norm Wolfinger who has taken over the case! This man hasn’t been investigated! It’s ridiculous! We have to protect our children! They can’t live in fear of walking down the street and being killed just because of the color of their skin! We have to do more than wear ribbons and retweet! We talk about the war on terrorism overseas while our children are being terrorized on our home turf! Stand up for your fellow Americans! Stop talking about it and be about it! We can’t expect change if we don’t make change!

PLEASE SIGN AND PASS ALONG!!!

Tags: African-American, Brooke Abbott, brooklynbites, Change.org, changing the world, Crazy Creole Mommy, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, education, family, Florida, George Zimmerman, Jeff Triplett, justice, Justice for Trayvon Martin, love, Murder of Teen, Neighborhood Watch Program, Norm Wolfinger, Prosecute George Zimmerman, Sanford, Trayvon Martin, Unlawful killing

I Think I Was A Woman…Once…!

Do you ever just wake up and look in the mirror and see…a mom?! And not the beautiful, skinny, multi-tasking, baking from scratch mom with perfectly behaved children. The bags under the eyes, sweat pant wearing, over grown cuticle having. eau de spoiled milk scented mom! I mean once upon a time you were a woman. Like a real woman who was cute and dare I say sexy. You got the proper amount of sleep. You ate food while it was warm. There were no toys popping out of your purse. The only thing in your back seat was an extra pair of stilettos and a blazer in case you were gonna meet your girlfriend for drinks after work. A glass of wine was a luxury, not a necessity. There were no pacifiers hiding in your pair of vintage Charles David boots.

How did this happen? When you’re single and childless you wonder why people want to wrap themselves up in this new identity and forget their old life. Well I’m here to tell ya, it isn’t by choice! Now don’t get me wrong. I LOVE being a mommy! Nothing can compare to the joy I get just from thinking of my son! However there are times that I miss being a woman! There are days when I just don’t want to be seen as someone’s mother! There are days when I would like to put on a sexy dress, go out with my girlfriends and get carded! Sometimes I’d like to have a glass of Opus One without calculating how many Pull-Ups I’m drinking. I’d like to go to dinner without having to watch the clock making sure I’m not late for the babysitter. Slowly but surely you will find yourself in a rut. With the lack of sleep, the pressure of making all the proper decisions for another human being and… lack of sleep, it’s very easy to forget that you also have an identity. You have an identity, your mate has an identity and you both deserve a life! Every once in a while it would be nice to relive being a human being who is interested in more than carpools & Yo Gabba Gabba. Is that selfish? I don’t think so. It’s pretty human. Actually it’s pretty fair!

So it’s Friday. Take some time this weekend at some point to do something for yourself, by yourself or with your mate. I think I might dust off some stilettos and drag a fellow mom out and see if we can keep our eyes open past 9pm!

Tags: Brooke Abbott, brooklynbites, couple, Crazy Creole Mommy, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, Date Night, family, Mommy, parenting, single dad, Single Mommy, single woman

Brookie Brookie Tasty Chili

The weather is finally getting cool out here on the southern west coast and it’s about that time to break out Mama’s famous chili! My mother and father were both very good at making chili in two totally different ways. My mother was more of the organic, less fat and natural salt chili and my father’s requires bread and milk to get you through his fiery bites! I like to experiment with meat and fixin’s with mine! I like to use ground meat (beef, pork, turkey or vegan) as well as brisket or pot roast. I don’t use beans in mine, and your spiciness level is optional based on personal taste. I like my chili hearty, warm and heavy to keep me warm on a cold day with a big piece of buttery cornbread and an ice cold beer. I’m gonna share my most complicated recipe with you so that you can take it down for convenience or taste if you’d like! This is definitely crock pot friendly. Remember, chili is best served from a low and slow method!

Ingredients:

Beef Short Ribs

Ground Beef

Chuck Roast (I like bone-in to get the flavor, and then remove it once it’s done cooking)

Olive Oil

Whole Peeled Tomatoes (Canned)

Tomato Water (from Whole Peeled Tomatoes)

Tomato Paste (a small can or 2 tbsp)

White Onion

Fresh Garlic

Green Olives

Better Than Bouillon (Chicken)

Low Sodium Chicken Stock

Red Kidney Beans (if you like beans in your chili. I’m a no beans type of girl)

Fresh Italian Parsley

White Corn (On the cob preferably. But frozen kernels will do also)

Jalapenos or Serrano Chilies

Chili Powder

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Cumin

Dried Oregano

Rice Flour (I use rice flour because it’s a little lighter than the AP flour, but you can use AP flour if you like)

 

Salt & Pepper your Beef Short Ribs & Chuck Roast. Lightly coat them in the Rice flour. Roast your Jalapeno or Serrano Chilies over an open flame until the outside is nicely charred. Remove the outside, remove seeds & stems, dice and set aside. Oil pot or crock pot you will use for chili with Olive Oil. Brown your Short Ribs and Chuck Roast. Once brown, remove and set aside. While browning your meat, you can chop your White Onions, Garlic and Parsley. In the pan where you browned the meat, add your White Onions, Garlic and a little of the chopped Parsley. Saute together until translucent, then add your Ground Beef (or whatever ground meat you plan on using) and brown together. Season with Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Chili Powder, Dried Oregano & Garlic Powder Remove Peeled Tomatoes from can. Keep water and set aside. Rough chop tomatoes and add to the ground meat and onions/garlic/parsley trinity. Stir in Chilies. Add Tomato Water from can of Peeled Tomatoes, tomato paste, and a tsp of the Better Than Bouillon and stir in. Add in your Beef Short Ribs & Chuck Roast. If adding beans, add now. Cover with Chicken Stock. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 3-4 hours before checking. I usually let my chili cook for about 6 hours or until the Beef Short Ribs and Chuck Roast have cooked throughly, is falling off the bone and can be shredded. Once the meat is cooked through, remove from chili, shred and de-bone and then place back in chili. 10 minutes before serving, remove kernels from cob and place in chili. Then roughly chop your green olives and place in chili.

 

Fixin’s:

In my house we use:

Grated Pepper Jack and Colby cheese

Sour Cream

Diced Onions

Avocado

Rice

Shiner Bock or Fat Tire Beer

 

Instead of beef you can use shredded chicken or turkey along with ground turkey, chicken or vegetarian meat. In order to use a shredded poultry, you will have to roast a chicken or turkey breast or thigh and then add into your chili an hour or so before serving. You can also add the juice from the roasting to your chili for extra flavor!

 

Tags: African-American, Brooke Abbott, cooking, Crazy Creole Mommy, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, Date Night, dinner party, family dinner, good chili, good food, home cooked meals, kid friendly, parenting, picky eater, recipes, single, single dad, Single Mommy, single woman, winter recipes

Our Own Seuss-mazing Weekend!

So on Friday I posted some ideas and information on how to have your own Seuss-tastical weekend with your wee one(s), I’d like to now report on me and Jax’s Seuss-mazing weekend. We didn’t do a whole lot, but we did incorporate a little Seuss in everything we did over the weekend.

Friday: This was more of a prep day. I printed out some coloring and activity pages and stapled them together for some random fun throughout the day. I put his name and a picture of The Lorax (one of his favorite characters) on the front for some personalization. I printed all the pages out from Seussville & PBSKids. We watched part of The Cat In The Hat Knows About That marathon on PBSKids that morning. I didn’t have star cookie cutters or green food coloring, but I did have gold fish! So it was a 1 fish 2 fish snack bowl after his nap. We didn’t get to make it down to Century City to Giggles N Hugs for their Seuss Play Day, but I did find some fun Dr. Seuss cupcakes from my favorite local bakery, BigSugar Bakeshop! BigSugar is owned by two moms, and they have the most delicious treats ever! In fact the last piece of food I had to have before I went into the hospital to have my son was a BigSugar Red Velvet cupcake!! YUM-MERS! They usually have some kind of themed treat for almost every event. You can’t go wrong with any other their stuff, so a cupcake was a must! Target was next on the list. I had heard that previous Saturday they had a Lorax reading for the kids and that all Dr. Seuss items were on sale. Well when I got there Friday I found that all the smaller Dr. Seuss books were on sale 2 for $10 & the larger books were on sale 2 for $20! I think I did a little happy jig!! The selection at my local Target wasn’t that great as it had been picked over and a lot of the ones they had left were books that Jax already had, but we were able to get some new ones to add to his collection. My grandmother (who taught me how to read) was kind enough to buy Jax 6 new book. So titles: The Thinks You Can Think, Are You My Mother, Fox In Socks, I Am Not Going To Get Up Today, My Book About Me and The Lorax came home with us all for $40! Thank you Target!! So, we added to our Seuss library collection this weekend. So before bed we started with one of my personal favorites, Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. Technically it was not written by Dr. Seuss, but it is apart of the Beginners Books series and P.D. Eastman worked very closely with Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) for a long time. Books like this, Go Dog Go, Hop On Pop & Fox In Socks are great books for kids Jax’s age or kids that are just starting to reading because they can read most of the words all by themselves.

Saturday: I decided to go all out for breakfast! I added green eggs & my Cat In The Hat parfait to the biscuit, ham & egg breakfast. Jax specifically asked for bananas that morning, so instead of smashing berries at the bottom of the parfait I smashed some bananas a the bottom and added plain cheerios to the top for some crunch. I thought that he might get a kick out of the green cheese eggs. And he did…until he realized he had to eat them! Then he wanted to know who put colors in his eggs and politely declined the lime green breakfast food. I might have put a teensy bit too much green food coloring!! The eggs were kinda glowing!!! The parfait was devoured quickly, as were the biscuits & ham! Nevertheless, we had fun at breakfast! On a side note, I’m sure you see single Horizon Milk in the picture. I would just like to go on record and proclaim my LOVE for these single organic milk boxes!! They come in four different flavors; strawberry, plain, chocolate, & vanilla. They are not only great for travelling, lunches or emergencies, but great when you are trying to throw some stuff together and you need to make life a little easier on yourself or spouse! Most stores will often have them on sale 10 for $10, worth the investment and stocking up! They don’t have to be stored in the refrigerator if they have not been opened, so they are easy to store and keep until needed!

We then colored and did some activities in his homemade Seuss activity book and continued to read through, Are You My Mother? Before nap time I set aside some time to watch, “Horton Hears A Who?!” with a popcorn/goldfish snack. Once lunchtime came around, I still didn’t have a star cookie cutter, so dinosaur chicken nuggets & sweet potato fries were the ticket. However, I did something I rarely do, I allowed treats in the middle of the day! Once he finished his lunch, I pulled out the red velvet Seuss cupcake, we lit a birthday candle for Dr. Seuss and enjoyed the cupcake! Now, this provided a slight moment of frustration for Jax as he began to wonder why were having a pseudo party for Seuss, but he wasn’t showing up! In fact, at one point Jax began looking around the house saying, “Doc Seuss…wheeeere arrrre yoooou?!” HIs response to my, he isn’t going to come babe, was an arms folded, frowned brow “AWW MAN!” We also began reading The Lorax to prep for our big Seuss-tastical weekend closing of seeing the movie!

Sunday: And so we come to the conclusion of our great Seuss-tastical weekend by enjoying a showing of The Lorax at the ArcLight Cinema. The great thing about the ArcLight Cinemas is that it’s assigned seating, so you don’t have to spend a bunch of time searching for a seat in the dark. They have a full coffee bar, a café with a liquor bar, some the best carmel corn, and a good variety of treats to choose from. The only one I haven’t been to yet is the one in Pasadena, but I always have a good experience. They are clean, never a problem with picture or sound quality, an overall enjoyable experience. They are a nice little date night central. You can have a quick bite in the café and then go see a flick without having to go to far. If you are visiting the Sherman Oaks ArcLight and are visiting the Cafe ask to be seated in Kirby’s section. He’s really good, friendly and fast! If he’s in the coffee bar, ask him to make you his special spiced latte! YUM! I have to say that I, personally, enjoyed this movie. It was on a Lion King/Toy Story/UP type of scale! You know the scale where you don’t feel embarrassed if you go see it without a child, because it’s just that good. The writing was good, the characters were funny & entertaining, the message was great, and the music was fun! Jax danced for most of the movie and my mom and I laughed hysterically. I say run, don’t walk to go see this film!! They did an AMAZING job with this one! I can only imagine what it looks like in 3D. And listen there is no shame in my game… I might go and see it all by myself in 3D!!! Laugh if you want to, I bet I won’t be the only childless adult in the theatre though!!

 

Tags: African-American, ArcLight Cinemas, baby, BigSugar Bakeshop, Crazy Creole Mommy, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, Dr. Seuss, education, family, family fun, giggles n hugs, Green Eggs And Ham, Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss, Horizon Milk, jax, kid friendly, kid fun, living green, parenting, PBS KIDS, Seuss Activities, Seuss Snacks, Seussville, Sherman Oaks movie theater, single dad, Single Mommy, stay at home mom, The Cat In The Hat, The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That, The Lorax, toddler

A Seuss-Tacular Weekend!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

I am so excited about this weekend! I love the wonderful of Dr. Seuss and so does my son, so this year for Dr. Seuss’ birthday we are at an age where we can really do some fun celebratory things! I’ve started putting together a little list of things to possibly do this weekend that my little Hooligan will enjoy to honor the man who has brought the joy of reading into his life.

The first thing of course is visiting Seussville & PBS KIDS for some very cool coloring & activity print outs. Create a coloring activity book from these fun pages to enjoy during snack time. It’s as easy as print, stack & staple! Seussville also has a lot of printouts and ideas for outdoor/indoor games for various ages and groups of kids. PBS Kids is also have a Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That marathon today. Jaxon absolutely LOVES this show… and I have to admit I do too! It’s got all the essential characters from the original story, (the only addition is the little boy from the story is now black on the show, can’t be mad at the diversity) and they go on daily nature/science adventures where they discover new animals and their habitats. I’ve also downloaded a couple more interactive Dr. Seuss classic story apps on the iPad. Jaxon loves these because the words light up as the narrator reads so that he can read along. The pages also give a description of items on the page when you touch them. I’ve also download Seuss Band which is a great little musical app that uses Seuss-struments in an interactive play for tiny fingers. Jax really lives up to his namesake with this app (One of Jax’s middle names is Coltrane).

There is an endless list of fun budget friendly options you can do with your munchkins this weekend to get them excited about Seuss and reading, below are some of my ideas!

Food:

1. Green Eggs & Ham: Of course this is a given!

2. Sneeches Sandwiches: Take your hooligan’s favorite type of sandwich and cut it out with a star cookie cutter

3. Cat In The Hat Yummy Yogurt: Take a clear glass or cup and make a fun parfait in the colors of the Cat’s Hat. Fill the bottom of the cup with their favorite berry cut or mashed up. Add a spoonful of strawberry yogurt, then vanilla yogurt, then strawberry, then vanilla until you’ve almost reached the top. For a little crunch on top you can add Cheerios or Rice Krispies

4. Roast Beast & Who Tater Pudding: Mashed Potatoes & their favorite Meat or Non-Meat item

5. Noodle Poodle Salad: Spaghetti & sauce. If he/she isn’t to keene on red or white sauce, try warming the pasta in a little olive oil, lemon juice and a grated parmesan or vegan cheese w/ a little lemon pepper.

6. One Fish Two Fish: Get some of the colored Goldfish and in a muffin tin or cupcake holders count out 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Blue Fish, Red Fish. You can also do a fun sweet/savory movie treat. Pop some popcorn and to the popcorn add colored goldfish, graham cracker goldfish and if your child is old enough, some swedish fish!

7. Visit Big Sugar Bakeshop: Big Sugar Bakeshop in Studio City usually have great themed items for special days like today because they are owned by two moms…so they get it! LOL! I’ll probably get a couple of Dr. Seuss items from them this weekend depending on what they have.

Crafts:

1. Face-painting: Painting your hooligan’s face like a cat to watch The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That or to read The Cat In The Hat will definitely make them giggle. Add daddy’s red tie or bow tie and some short white gloves and let their imagination go! For a different character add a shiny star to their cheek or stomach to read The Sneeches. Personally my kid likes walking around the house, belly to the wind so it might be a Sneeches day!

Now I’m not the most crafty person, but I found this online and will be trying some of this stuff out! Seuss Crafts

READ!!!

Dr. Seuss was all about reading and education! So this weekend try to get through at least 2 new Dr. Seuss books with your little one! I believe Target is having a sale on Dr. Seuss books this week, so pick up a couple if you don’t have any in your library. They are also always available at your local library. Grab a blanket, a nice spot in the house and cuddle up to your hooligan and enjoy the wonderful world of reading & Seuss.

Local Los Angeles Events:

Friday March 2:

Giggles N Hugs: Dr. Seuss all day! They will have The Cat In The Hat, Story time, open play and more! I LOVE this place and we will try our best to get there. It’s one of the cleanest indoor playgrounds I’ve ever seen! They also have great food, very secure, a coffee bar and… *drum roll* WINE! LOL! We had Jax’s birthday party here and just fell in love. If you’d like to shop in the mall while your kid enjoys story time today, you can do the drop off for an extra price where your child will be under the watchful eye of a sitter at the facility who will make sure they eat, have a great time and are safe while you shop.

~All Day Long

Saturday March 3:

Central Library Downtown: Dr. Seuss on the loose. Story time and live puppet show at the KLOS Story Theater.

~2pm-3pm

Sunday March 4:

Zimmer Children’s Museum: Dr. Seuss Sunday. Stories, crafts and more at the children’s museum.

~3pm-4pm

And then of course there is the opening of the LORAX today!! I think Hooligan and I will close our weekend with Seuss with that movie on Sunday! If you have any ideas or know of any other events happening, please please share! Have a Seuss-mazing weekend!

Tags: autism, baby, Budget, Central Library Los Angeles, cooking, crafts, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, deals, Dr. Seuss, education, family night, family time, giggles n hugs, Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss, kid friendly, kid museum los angeles, kids, Los Angeles Fun, Mommy, organic, parenting, PBS KIDS, reading, Seuss Activities, Seuss Snacks, single dad, Single Mommy, Snacks, The Cat In The Hat, The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That, The Lorax, toddler, Zimmer Children's Museum

A Call To Action~ Protecting Our Babies From Themselves

Yesterday in Chardon, Ohio five sets of parents sent their children to school, today three of those sets are visiting mortuaries and the other two are praying over their children because they victims of a shooting spree in their school’s cafeteria. Yesterday, a young man went to school with a weapon instead of his books with intention to kill and terrorize his classmates. I am beyond sadden by all of this. But really just sad by all of the destruction happening every single day! What is happening to this country?

For the last few years we have seen the education system all over the united states take a deep plunge into the toilet. We have our own citizens going to school in war zones draped with bars, metal detectors, books with pages missing, teachers who would rather sleep with them than teach them and drug trafficking. Students walk halls in fear of being taunted and bullied by peers because of the way they are dressed, their sexual orientation, the color of their skin or their intelligence with Adults standing around oblivious because they are focused on how many zero’s are on their checks! Do you really believe that our children believe us when we tell them we care? We use our children’s destruction as examples for own political agendas, but when it comes down to actually fixing the problem we don’t. We are so interested in creating and stopping wars overseas to protect our borders, but what the hell is going on within the border?

Babies are shooting each other on the street because of the color they wear. Babies are humiliating babies on the internet because of sexual orientation. Babies are defending themselves with guns at school instead of their words or fists. It’s gotten out of control! This isn’t normal! It isn’t okay! And why are we letting this happen?? Why are there children going to school with holes in the roofs & bars on the windows? Why are parents receiving texts that the school they just dropped their child off at is on lockdown because of a shooting spree? Why are innocent children being targeted as apart of an initiation into a gang? Why are children being tormented via text, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace simply because they look, think or act different? Why and how has it gotten this far? There has always been teasing. There has always been a slight difference in educational standards in various communities. But this is now just ridiculous! Can really keep blaming the violent video games if we continue to buy them? Can we really blame the school district about these poor teachers if we never take the time to even meet the teachers? Can we really blame the gang members for harassing our children if we don’t even build a safe community with our neighbors? Can we really blame the kids sending harassing texts if we don’t monitor our children’s phone use? Can we really blame the kid who snaps if we don’t talk to our kids about not being rude?

I feel like at some point, we as parents have to start pointing the finger at ourselves. We have to take a stand and be heard for our children! No one can protect your kids better than you! Yes, you can’t prevent every single little incident, but I feel like our kids don’t even have a fighting chance. Kids don’t even know another option except to pick up a gun! We need to take it back to the old school. Get in touch with your children. Talk to them. You don’t have to grill them, but engage them. Let them feel you and know that you are there. Make yourself available for the great stuff and the bad stuff. Get involved! Invest in your children! Investing in your child, could save another child’s life!

Tags: African-American, baby, Brooke Abbott, brooklynbites, bullying, changing the world, Chardon, columbine killings, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, education, family, harassment, high school violence, Ohio, Ohio Highschool killings, parenting, school safety, sexting, teenagers

Pits, Tar, Dinosaur Bones with a side of Soul Food

Football free Sundays are reserved for Church, Love, Food & Family. Something about being able to just go to breakfast and then end up at a park or a festival, museum or farmer’s market is just the absolute best. I mean usually I am a planner of all planners. I like things organized, mapped out and evenly timed out! But then there are those days when you just take a breath and let the wind take you on a little journey. You may do a lot, you may do very little. And when that happens, that’s when you experience the most magic! Yesterday was one of those magical days!

Hippo, UmMa (my mother) and I decided to trek over the hill for a little brunch at CJ’s Cafe on Pico. Now if you don’t know about eating Catfish, Grits & Cheese Eggs w/ a coffee & fresh squeezed carrot/celery/apple/ginger juice after church on Sundays at CJ’s  than you’re not a true Los Angeles Angel! Roscoe’s ain’t the only thang on Pico Blvd! CJ’s Cafe is one of those local food gems like King Taco, Hugo’s, The Griddle Cafe, Toi On Sunset, Mom’s BBQ, Johnny’s Pastrami on Adams, Vivian’s Millenium Cafe or Bay Cities. These places make up the food fabric of Los Angeles. On any given day you may visit a place like this and you will definitely see someone you know or knew. Places like this make it seem like our little city is nothing more than the little orange grove town it started out to be. So yesterday seemed like the day for a little CJ’s catfish and grits. However when we got there the line was out the door, it was more packed than Roscoes! So we decided to head to the one in Baldwin Hills which has less café feel, but still all the great food and drinks from the original cafe’s menu! I went in with my heart set on Catfish and grits, as usual, but then something made me change to the chicken wings & waffle! I guess a little switch up never hurt nobody! A little chicken wing and waffle and some greens hit the spot! Jax had chicken wings as well and french toast with mama’s MacGuyver vanilla milk. All I did was add 1.5 Vanilla creamers to his milk and then stirred it up. It went as fast as that french toast he inhaled.

Afterward, we had planned on just coming back over the hill and taking a relaxing day on the couch so we could watch the Oscars. The Oscars for me are an inspiration, for her (the hairstylist) they’re homework! On the way, I asked if she could drive by the LaBrea TarPits so Jax could see the Mammoth Statues on the outside. But when we drove by, it was a little hard to see, so we decided to park and play in the outside park so we could get up close to the outdoor pit. What a great idea! The park was filled with families, kids, kites, laughter and sunshine! Jax took off from the energy around him. Once outside the museum, Jax followed the tracks to the big tarpit that faces Wilshire Blvd. and found himself staring at the big Mammoth display! Little did I know that that would only lead to a string of questions. “Was that?” “That Dinosaur?” “Where Dinosaur, Mommy?” “Where Teef-Wex (T-Rex)” “That Dinosaur Train?” By that point my mother and I realized this kid wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw some more dinosaurs and with a kid’s free admission price, we decided to take a stroll around The Page Museum.

I’ve never heard so many “WHOA!’s” and “COOL!’s” come out of my kid! He was beyond excited about all that was happening in that small museum. The first thing you’re hit with is the Saber-Tooth Tiger hologram. It’s a hologram of a Saber-Tooth tiger that will change into the bone structure of the Saber Tooth tiger. It’s a sweet quaint interesting place. It’s actually the first place I ever went to on a school field trip waaay back in 198…*Cough*! To Jax’s dismay, there was no T-Rex! The exhibits are made up of the fossils that have bubbled up in the tar that lives below the surface in that area. Apparently the Mid-Wilshire district was the real setting of ICE AGE! It would seem that Saber-Tooth tigers, Sloths & Wooly Mammoths were chasing each other up and down Fairfax Blvd. It had been some time since I had been in the museum and they had some pretty cool stuff. The animatronics reminded me a little of the old It’s A Small Small World, where you’re kinda wishing you had brought your can of WD40 with you, but Jax didn’t mind. He was blown away by each exhibit big and small. He ran around pointing and reading all the signs out loud, dragging my mom around back and forth with glee! We didn’t sit in the theatre for whatever the presentation was because Jax just had too much energy and he was also on a quest for this Teef-Wex he was sure would be here with the rest of the prehistoric creatures. One of my favorite parts was the area where the scientists bring the bones back to the lab, restoring and prepping them for exhibition. In that area they had the large leg bones, skull and vertebrae of Zed the Mammoth! I’m not sure how much Jax absorbed when I tried to explain to him that the vertebrae fossil was apart of a Mammoth’s back, but the part he did understand I think blew his mind. He kept looking at it and then reach back to feel his own spine! Yea, kid, his is definitely bigger! I still get amazed when I see things like that. Any kind of document, or fossil or artifact that’s over 100′s of 1000′s of years old! That’s definitely the nerd coming out in me!

Once we circled the museum, the three of us went back outside and Jax took off running on the grass, up and down the giant hill. Across the park is their observation pit where you can see the original digging site where they began gathering fossils from the raw tar years ago. It went from an 8ft. dig to a 15ft excavation dig. Between the Page Museum and the Observation 91 Pit is a great landscaped park with some fun statues, nice trees and trails with fun animal tracks. Jax ran, skipped, hopped and danced all the way over to the observation pit, greeting other kids along the way. Once we got to the Observation 91 Pit and he got to see the bones coming out of the Tar and some of the tar bubbling we were pretty much done. The food in his belly had settled, he had danced until his legs were exhausted and the missing nap time came to a head! It was time to go!! The carriage was turning into a pumpkin and the dress back to rags, it was midnight, honey! Poof! But, my kid had explored, dance, run and read every word until his heart exploded with glee! And he jump started a little life into UmMa & Mommy with his infectious laughs. It was an amazing day! Even through a small colitis flare up, with another person there, I was able to enjoy myself because the place is small enough to walk through, but has plenty of places to sit! Another great thing about that museum and area is that it’s in a really great family friendly/art friendly area. The LACMA butts up against The Tarpits, The Petersen Automotive Museum across the street and the Grove & Farmer’s Market is just down the street on Fairfax. Then further east on Wilshire there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops and stores. Such an amazing little area to live in and/or spend a lazy afternoon with the family or your sweetie. The great thing about LA is that the weather usually allows you to lead an outdoor lifestyle, so we should start taking advantage more often! Take one of your weekend days to get out and just walk or drive. You’ll be surprised at what adventures await you!

 

Tags: Autism Friendly, baby, Bay Cities Italian Deli, Breakfast, breakfast time with your kids, Brooke Abbott, Budget, CJ's Cafe, CJ's Cafe on Pico, Colitis Friendly, couple, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, deals, education, family, family fun, Family restaurants, Hugo's Restaurant, jax, Johnny's Pastrami, kid friendly, kid fun, King Taco, LA Museums, Local LA Eats, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Fun, Mid Wilshire District, Mom's BBQ, Mommy, Outdoor Fun, picky eater, Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, single, single dad, Single Mommy, Soul Food, Sunday Brunch, The Griddle Cafe, toddler, Toi On Sunset, Vivian's Millenium Cafe

Immersion Preschooling

When we moved to San Antonio, Jax had just turned a year old. In my own way I had been homeschooling him since he was born, but Steven and I decided that it was time for him to be around children and have a better education. We really wanted to find a school that was diverse in race, included art & music, a Montessori style of teaching and second language education. A friend of mine introduced me to immersion schools here in Los Angeles when she enrolled her son in a French Immersion Preschool. The idea sounded great to me and Steven. It would be a very efficient way of learning a second language. We also read that children who become fluent in a second language at a very young age tend to score higher in Math & Science. The common fear is that children will lose their primary language or not have the ability to learn in their native language. This is untrue. Children have a greater capacity for learning and comprehension than we really know. Children can’t lose their native language if they are at home speaking their native language.

Being fluent in a second language that is commonly used such as Spanish or French, will help your child in any field they choose to go into as we become immersed in a fast-moving global economy where we are no longer on top. It’s time to broaden our horizons and embrace other cultures. So, I did the very hollywood thing and decided to enroll my kid in a private full spanish immersion school. For this adventure, Steven and I chose The Pineapple School in NW San Antonio, Tx. This place was truly a little piece of heaven in the south surrounded by churches and drive thru bbq restaurants.

The Pineapple School is a small school that is family owned in a partial green facility that not only opens children up to the language of Spanish, but the latino culture in a whole! The teachers are amazing women that are warm, friendly, communicative and fun! The moment Steven and I walked in, we were sold. Krisiana, is the principle of the school, and her son also attends. Her mother Susan runs it along with her, her father built the facility and her sister helps create the curriculum. From the large flat screen in the front where all the classrooms are being monitored 247, the organic latino themed lunches & snacks, the cleanliness, to the daily notes from the teacher about what your child learned, how they slept, how they ate and words they learned… We couldn’t get our son enrolled fast enough. they go from 6 months to 4/5 years old. I was just impressed with how CLEAN and secure this place was. And once you were there it was like all the teachers and staff knew who you were and who you’re kid was, so you never felt like someone could get through the monitored door, sign your kid out with their finger prints, walk to their classroom, and sign them out again with a code when they left, because the woman at the front door knew that that person was not Jax’s parents!

So how did Jaxon do in the program? He flourished! I truly believe that it not only helped him with his social skills and of course he learned things in spanish, but I know that it has been direct influence on how he has moved along in his education. They way he comprehends things and picks up on things is exactly how children I read about who had been involved in learning in a second language. But I also believe that the environment they have created at The Pineapple school was a big deal. Jax fell in love with his teacher, Ms.Nanis right away! In fact he would associate spanish with her. He was allowed to dance and encouraged to sing. By the end of the first week, he was able to tell me and Steven where his Head, Eyes, Nose & Mouth were in spanish. He also would greet us in Spanish everyday and looked forward to going to school! IT WORKS I TELL YA! IT WORKS!!!

One of the hardest things about leaving San Antonio was leaving the Pineapple School and trying to find its replacement here in Los Angeles! The way he learned and things he learned while there, were just amazing! They teach in a very social, Montessori way with songs, interaction, expression and art! Well, I am on the hunt for my little Pineapple School equivalent here in Los Angeles… Can anyone help me? I mean I know it won’t compare to my first love… but I’m sure I can love again, if it’s the right fit! Qualifications? Spanish Immersion, Montessori Style Teaching, Clean, Small Staff, Monitored Rooms, Organic lunches & snacks, Music & Arts Programs. That’s it! That’s all! I’m not asking for much, just the perfect preschool for a reasonable price! LOL! Okay… maybe I am asking for too much!

So if you live in San Antonio or New Braunfels and are looking for a great preschool please check out the Pineapple School and tell Krisiana that Jax & Brooke sent you! And if you’re in LA… got any suggestions?! LOL!

The Pineapple School

(210) 694-0740
info@pineappleschool.com

Tags: African-American, baby, Brooke Abbott, Budget, Childcare in San Antonio, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, education, family, Good Preschools in San Antonio, Infant Childcare, jax, kid friendly, Krisiana Puccio, living green, Mommy, Reasonably priced preschool, San Antonio Preschool, Second Language, single, single dad, Single Mommy, single woman, Spanish Immersion, Spanish Immersion Preschool, Spanish speaking toddler, teaching latin culture, Texas Preschool, The Pineapple School, toddler

Happy Valentine’s Day To Me

This year was a different kind of Valentine’s Day. For the first time I was without some sort of date, card or flowers. Well, actually I did get a couple of nice Happy Valentine’s Day messages from some special folk, haha! But for the most part it was quiet. It’s my first Valentine in three years without Steven, being in love and no card from my little munchkin Jax. It wasn’t like a sad, eat a bunch of ice cream and drown in tears type of day, either. But my perspective on Valentine’s Day completely changed.

Before I met Steven, Valentine’s Day was for me as it is for most women. A day to expect a nice dinner, frivolous thoughtless gifts, and a perfunctory bunch of flowers and romantic cards from someone you like a little more than the other guys you talk to. But then three years ago I had my first Valentine’s Day as someone really in love with someone and it kind of made all those Valentine’s Day that happened before seem trivial and mute. Spending Valentine’s Day in love with the one you love just doesn’t compare to anything else. Then when you expand on that by adding a baby in there, it just adds an element of romance you can’t compare. This year I am single and dating and enjoying liking and being free. But spending Valentine’s Day fawning over someone I am in like with just didn’t seem like a top priority. Does it sound ridiculous to not want to spend another Valentine’s Day in like, but in love? I mean it just seems like you’re going backwards. Why do something half assed, when you know how great it can be on the other side? It almost seems like a waste of money on one day.

So how did I spend my Valentine’s Day? I spent it with my family. My small little family of Jax and BamBam. I got cards and candy for my siblings from Jax. Spoke with Jax about Valentine’s Day, had family dinner with my mom and brothers. Did a little decorating with a blue heart-shaped place mat for Jax and cards and heart-shaped candy for Jax. Then we snuggled and watched The Charlie Brown Valentine’s Day special, shared laughed and popcorn!

Now I’m not trying to sound like a sappy old maid, I did go out and have some adult time. My younger brothers of Jake&Papa had a show celebrating the release of their mixtape “Somethin’ Soulful” in Los Angeles at The Mint. So I pulled out my sexy shoes, Kai Fragrance, greased up my legs and enjoyed the evening laughing with girlfriends and watching my brother put on one of their best performances. A night of music, wine, sexy texts and harmless flirting made my first Valentine’s Day as a single mom peaceful and fun. A stark difference from last year. Last year was a day of being driven around in a chauffeured car to get my nails done, an amazing massage, an amazing dinner of foie gras, scallops, champagne and chocolates gifted to me because I had been a good mother & partner. We shared dreams and hopes for the future, practiced our characters, “Retired Steven” & “Retired Brooke”. Then we went home, made love, cuddled and woke up the next morning to a happy smiling baby we shared Kolaches & donuts with while we watched a new episode of Olivia together as a family. How could a date out based on the need to have one for the simple fact it was Valentine’s Day compare to sharing love and a family with a partner? How can it compare to giving a piece of yourself, sharing love and showing your appreciation to this person on this day as much as you do or should on any other day? It doesn’t. So, I’m holding out on Valentine’s until cupid pricks me on the tushy again! Could be next year, could be the year after next. Until then, Jax and I will continue our tradition of wonderfully home cooked dinners, popcorn & heart shaped candies, warm milkies and laughing at Charlie Brown’s Valentine’s Day misery!

Not to say that I will turn down a dinner or drinks on this day… but until the words I Love You cross my lips and fall on another man’s ears, you probably won’t catch my house decorated in candles, flowers & hearts from the Martha Stewarts Arts & Crafts kits. Next time I celebrate Valentine’s Day, I’m looking forward to enjoying it with my mate. I guess I’m in a place where it’s time for some substance. I’d like things to mean things and go places and be something real. Is that too much? I don’t know. It’s like all of a sudden I’m standing and looking at 30 with a child holding my hand and realizing that there are things I want out of life and it’s time to start living for those things. I feel like it’s time to start dating for love. I’m kind too old to keep window shopping, don’t you think?

Tags: baby, break up, Charlie Brown Valentine's Day, couple, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, Date Night, family, Hot Dates, Jake&Papa, Jakeandpapa.com, love, Martha Stewart's Arts & Craft's, Mommy, single, single dad, Single Mommy, Single Valentine's Day, single woman, Somethin' Soulful, The Mint Los Angeles, toddler, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day with family

Embarrassed Much?!

If there’s one thing I learned about raising a toddler, is that outside of joy and glee, you tend to stay in a state of embarrassment. I believe that toddlers find it secretly amusing to make their parents turn the shade of red they turn when they shout out that they’ve just pooped in a restaurant full of people. Or they way you fall over yourself trying to prevent them from eating out of your friend’s cat’s bowl. The sound of the high pitch “NOOOO!!” you scream when they coming running out of their room naked with your purse, a cowboy hat and their yo gabba gabba vans on their feet to greet your dinner guests! Embarrassment! Usually everyday they find a way to top themselves too! Seriously! I feel like my kid is in competition with himself on how he can embarrass me the most in front of people!

Over the past year we’ve gone past the farting in someone’s face, spraying someone while they change him, pull my shirt down and expose me to the masses. We’ve raised the bar with such doozies as going to eat Sushi in his doctor’s costume & Brobee knit cap. Announcing to that same restaurant that he just pooped in the potty. There has been the barking at people passing him by while he rides on his bike. Or the dropping his spoon of ice cream and yelling out, “OH SH*T!! I drop it! F**K!” And lets not forget him licking my friend like he was a puppy! However last night……oh last night! I think last night takes the cake! You see it wasn’t just embarrassing. It was also correct in context! Funny! Confusing! And to be honest, I didn’t know if I scold him, laugh at him, change the subject or run away screaming!

So lately Jax has been obsessed with babies. He’s starting to understand that he is no longer a baby, but a big boy and with all the small babies around him, he has just become obsessed. He tells me babies poop in diaper and big boys poop in potty. Babies have bottle, big boys eat coffee… I know, I know, don’t ask! Okay, so you get it. He knows the difference between big boys and babies. And now because he’s around all these new babies, he will sometimes like to say he is a baby. He’ll crawl into my lap, create this little whiny voice, inform me he is a baby and then start doing this cry that sounds more like a meow while asking for a bottle. Last night was no different. He crawled into my lap, I rocked him and he did his little baby act. Then I put him to bed. After asking God to bless Mommy, Daddy, UmMa, BamBam and Daddy’s Car he crawled into bed.

About 20 minutes later the bedtime stall song and dance began. “Mommy, I water pee-shh!” Mommy I poop!” “Mommy I watch George?” “Mommy, finger!” Then came the mama-jama of them all. He comes out again and comes over like a baby. And in his baby voice he tells me he’s hungry. I start laughing and say, “You’re hungry? Now you’re hungry?” He says, “Yea. I hungry, mommy…” and then he gives me a solution to curb his baby hunger…wait for it…wait for it… “…I some boobie. I hungry.” My sister and brother were with me sitting on the couch and it seems like the needle scratched on the record and time moved incredibly slow as we all looked at the toddler who couldn’t have just said what I think he said.

“What did you say?” I could hear myself say. “I hungry. Some Boobie, pee-ssh?” Yes, yes, you read that right! My two-year old son who is the first-born, only child who hasn’t been breastfed in over 16 months informed me that he was a baby who needed to be fed from and I quote, “Some Boobie”… Some…BOOBIE!! First thought is, why and how does he know what a BOOBIE is?!? You’re probably wondering why does my 2-year-old who is the first-born and only child associate breasts with a infant’s nutrition. Well I’m come from a household where parents answered questions with an age appropriate honest answer. So I’ve continued that tradition with my son. A non answer or confusion can lead to frustration. So I’ve always tried to answer questions and make things clear. And when he saw some pictures of me breastfeeding him and asked what was Baby Jaxon doing, I tried to answer as best I could. I told him that little little babies get milk from their mommy’s breasts and baby bottles. Then when they get bigger they start eating regular food. So I’m guessing that he understand all that I said because last night, while he was pretending he was a baby he figured he could stall going to sleep by pretending to be hungry and eating some boobie!! I honestly blacked out after that and mumbled something about, “No you can’t! Go to bed, Jax!”

That definitely tops it!! I think he embarrassed me in front of MYself! HAHAHAHA!!! I’m still shell-shocked! I think it also sterilized my brother and sister! They were still reeling by some of the “WHY” questions he had asked earlier that day. I remember my mom saying that she hadn’t laughed as much and prayed as much as she did until she started having children! Well, Mother, I co-sign!

End Scene!

Tags: baby, bedtime, bedtime blues, breastfeeding, Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles, embarrassing toddler moments, family, jax, regressing back to a baby, toddler