Long Weekend

Since my parents are visiting for the month from the snowy east coast, B and I have been doing all sorts of things in OC with them! It's been so much fun to revisit some of our favorite spots and check out some new places.

We went to 4th Street Market in Santa Ana for dinner one night. I loved going there for dinner, because last time I went was for brunch and it was pretty quiet. At night though--wow. Santa Ana is such a vibrant little city! There's live music, street vendors selling jewelry and art, along with so many cool bars, restaurants and theaters!

We took my mom and dad to Taco Maria for my mom's birthday dinner. Taco Maria is BY FAR the best restaurant in Orange County--it should be, since Carlos Salgado was on 2015's list of Food & Wine's best new chefs! B and I first went there for my birthday dinner about 5 days after we moved to Orange County. Once I had a bite of the first dish (calamari tacos), I knew this was a place I would need to visit again and again! Seriously---we have used any excuse to go, especially with out of town guests :)

Taco Maria's amazing spicy peanut and grilled calamari tacos on a homemade blue corn tortilla. Delicioso! 

Fortunately, the weather has been amazing while my parents have been here. In the 80's and sunny most days! We took advantage of the great weather and the long weekend to go for a beautiful walk along the bluffs in Newport.

This beautiful weather has me thinking all summer-like! I couldn't help myself from getting some bright pink toes (OPI Strawberry Margarita) when my mom and I went to get mani/pedis!

My husband and I aren't super in to Valentine's Day, so it was nice to just chill with my parents. We went to Sherman Library and Gardens, which is walking distance from my parent's rental cottage in Corona del Mar, for an evening illuminated walk through the beautiful gardens before having a BBQ at home.

It is definitely going to be rough getting back to work tomorrow, but I am excited because this coming weekend we are taking a weekend trip to Catalina Island! I love this CA living!

Working Out with Groupon

Back in Philly and New York, I was dedicated to my gym schedule-- sometimes to a fault. I figured out right after college that in order to actually work-out during a workout, I would have to join fitness classes. Sure, I would do the elliptical or the bike every day, but no one was there telling me to increase my speed or amp up my resistance, so as a result I never really saw much improvement.

I quickly got super in to spin, yoga and Zumba classes when I joined a gym in NYC. In Philly, I started going to barre classes and finally felt like I had a varied, fun workout plan. I had my favorite instructors and times. If a conflict arose and I couldn't get to a class, I almost had a panic attack!

When I first moved to California, I was definitely in a fitness rut. I was hesitant to join a gym when we first arrived because we were in temporary housing for a few weeks, and I seriously missed my gym and classes back in Philly. Once we moved into our permanent place, I thought that I didn't need to join a gym because our complex fitness center had classes. Unfortunately, the class times didn't match with my work schedule, and I found myself back in the routine of simply doing the bare minimum on the cardio machines.

Eventually I got settled into work and decided to check out some gyms in the area. I was disappointed because the gym right across the street from our complex had a terrible class schedule. Other gyms seemed good but were pricey.

One day, I was on Groupon looking for a painting and wine class that my friends and I were planning on doing and I came across a Groupon for Bike 2 the Beat spin studio. $20 for 8 classes! Most spin studios charge $20-30 for ONE CLASS! The studio was a bit farther from my apartment but how could I pass that up? I'm glad I didn't, because OMG these classes are amazing! Great music, really fun instructors and a great ambience in the studio (glow lights, disco balls, the works). I'm almost done with my 8 classes and may just have to bite the bullet and buy the monthly pass for $180 :(

Groupon steered me in the right direction with Bike 2 the Beat, so I decided to see what other fitness deals they had. I was so happy to see that there was an awesome deal for Cardio Barre (10 classes for $49). I just used up my last class yesterday, and I am also very tempted to just go for the monthly there as well. I guess that's how they get ya! Still, I have been trolling Groupon daily to see if any other deals for spin, yoga or barre studios come up!

Here's hoping that I either come into a lot more money in the next week so I can pay for these monthlies, or Groupon gets a new batch of good deals- hint, hint Groupon ;) 

Jewish Christmas

Happy holidays everyone! Of course, being Jews, Hanukkah has already come and gone for us...

Wolfie was a bit apprehensive about his first Hanukkah (you can probably tell by the way he is tentatively staring at the lights on the menorah). But then he got a squeaky dreidel rope toy and he was sold on the holiday!

Every year at Hanukkah I make traditional latkes (potato pancakes) for dinner at least one of the nights. Although homemade latkes are certainly the best, I wasn't in the mood to peel and shred potatoes, so I went the lazy route this year and made Trader Joe's baked latkes, along with some BBQ chicken drumsticks and roasted brussels sprouts.

I like my latkes with applesauce AND sour cream (I know, I live on the edge!) My husband is a latke purist and likes them plain. 

A week before Hanukkah was Thanksgiving, and hubs and I went back east to celebrate with family. My mom was so excited to buy Hanukkah presents for my niece and nephew, and they were definitely excited to open them!

So, Hanukkah has been over for a couple of weeks. Now everyone wants to know: What do you do on Christmas?

As a kid, my family would typically go to the movies and then out for Chinese food on Christmas Eve with other members of the tribe. On Christmas day, our Christmas-celebrating friends would have us over for Christmas lunch.

I've discovered that many of the fine people of Orange County are unfamiliar with the old "Jews and Chinese Food" tradition. Still, that won't hinder our plans for tomorrow-- there are several excellent Chinese restaurants that will be open! Hubby and I will be dining at Capital Dim Sum tomorrow evening, and Friday we will most likely hit up the movies to see The Big Short or Joy. 

Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, I still enjoy all of the spirit of the holiday season. I may even try to make these egg nog pancakes  on Friday morning to enjoy while watching one of the various Christmas movies on my DVR!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday weekend, whether or not you are celebrating! And happy belated Hanukkah to all my peeps!!!!

Winter Break Bucket List

Ahh. Big sigh. It's almost time for winter break!

I had been feeling very stressed over the past few months. And not just with the move cross-country and figuring out how to raise and train a new puppy! When we first got out to California from Philly, I was very nervous that I wouldn't find a teaching job. I was offered a great part-time position in a project-based charter school, which I love and wish were full time!

To fill in the gaps on the days I didn't teach, I began working at a tutoring center. I had some doubts about what was expected of me as a tutor. After about a month at the tutoring center, I realized it wasn't the right fit for me. I decided that it was in my own best interest to resign. Soon after I resigned, I asked a few wonderful parents from the charter school if they wouldn't mind posting my services for independent tutoring on their various neighborhood list-serves, and within days I was booked with new tutoring gigs! I now have a much more manageable tutoring schedule and am having a blast working with my new students :)

 That immediately lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. But the emotional stress I felt during that time at the tutoring center definitely did a number on me, so I am looking forward to spending the break vegging out and catching up on all of the fun things!

WINTER BREAK BUCKET LIST (In no particular order):

1. Watch Christmas movies (every year I stock my DVR with the classics-- Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Elf, Love Actually, The Holiday, Miracle on 34th Street...)
2. Bake something-- this looks appealing!
3. Go to IN-N-OUT Burger-- apparently I'm not a true Californian until I do



4. Write more blog posts (yeaaaa...sorry about the 2 month hiatus!)
5. Deep clean our apartment (new puppy, new stains!)
6.  Spend New Year's in Santa Barbara (we booked a very cute B&B that allows pups!), and get there by driving the PCH.



7. Buy patio furniture--our terrace is currently a dumping ground for all of the extra stuff we don't know where to put (a garage of sorts) but I actually want to enjoy it and know that I will if I put some effort into making it a special space! I love this look:

image via

That's just the short list. I'm sure there will be more I want to accomplish over the vacation, but right now I'm just too darn tired to remember! Like I said, I definitely need a vacation!

4th Street Market

I've been having a ton of fun exploring my new surroundings in Orange County. After only living in big cities post-college, I was worried that there wouldn't be as much to do in a more suburban area, but I am glad I was wrong!

When I first moved out here, I knew that I had to find a way to meet some new friends, since my husband and I did not know a soul in California. I decided to join Meetup and joined a few groups that appealed to me. My favorites groups are transplants new to California (lots of fellow East Coasters!), a 20-30 something women's book club, and a young couples meet up. Through these groups I've actually developed some really wonderful new friendships and find myself busy most weekends with some fun activity with the girls!

This weekend, some meetup friends and I went to 4th Street Market in downtown Santa Ana for brunch. Santa Ana is an area of OC that I haven't been to yet, so I was really excited to check it out. Downtown is great! It has the feel of a city, with lots of people walking around, cafes, and food carts on the street. The 4th Street Market is located in a warehouse that has been converted into an awesome foodie haven!

My friend and I decided to hit up Portola Coffee Lab first for some caffeine. We then split up and ordered our brunches. I opted for the pulled pork egg sandwich from Stockyard Sandwich Co. 

We sat outside on the patio so we could listen to the live music. There are also ping-pong tables out there! 

I couldn't leave without tasting something sweet. There were a couple of great options, but I was especially torn between an ice cream sammy from Chunk-N-Chip or a s'more from Torch S'more Co. Ultimately I went with a s'more with a homemade espresso marshmallow, chocolate graham crackers and melty dark chocolate. It was ah-maze. I can't wait to come back and get the chai marshmallow s'more.

4th Street Market is a place I will no doubt be visiting again. I want to try everything! If you are in the OC area, it is somewhere I would highly recommend!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere...

We wrapped up our gardening project this week. I am really enjoying having these project blocks to focus entirely on one theme or topic!

Fall is definitely on people's mind-- simply look at the amount of pumpkin-laced items at Trader Joe's! My first Autumn in California has been strange, and it still feels like summer to me, but I decided to embrace the fact that it is actually October and end our month long project with some pumpkin fun!

We did some brainstorming of adjectives to describe pumpkins, along with some things we already know about pumpkins.

 After that, we watched a video about the life cycle of a pumpkin:

 

 Since we were now experts on the life cycle of a pumpkin, we then practiced sequencing the events and making Pumpkin Life Cycle Mini Books!

Then came the fun part! Actually dissecting and examining our pumpkin!

 

We talked about some of the parts of the pumpkin we saw and identified their "scientific" names. Then, the kids filled out diagrams of the inside of a pumpkin.

 

 Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo-- but we ended up toasting the seeds from the pumpkin for a special end of the day snack! We did one batch with salt and one without. The kids (and I) definitely preferred the salted seeds! Yummy! 

California Teachin'

As the kids were coming in on the first day, they worked on this "get to know you" bingo game :)

 I can't believe that this past week began my 5th year of teaching! Obviously, I was very worried about moving to California because I was afraid I wouldn't find a new teaching job. Fortunately, I was able to secure a head teaching position at a new project based charter school. It is definitely going to be a change from the schools I have worked in the past (it is a part-time schedule, so I am also tutoring on my days off), but I am excited for the challenge! I was very drawn to the school's philosophy, where experiential, real-world learning is valued. The calendar year is broken up into 8-9 project themes. Language arts, math, science and social studies are integrated throughout each approximately eight week project session.

The first project theme we are working on in my group (which is a mixed age class of 7/8 year olds) is planting a garden. I introduced the project by reading aloud The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. We then recorded everything we know about seeds through the essential question What is a Seed?

After recording some initial thoughts on seeds, we dissected lima beans. I soaked the beans overnight so they were easy to peel and split apart. The kids used magnifying glasses to get "up close and personal" with the bean and see what parts of the seed they could identify based on the key words we previewed together (seed coat, root, leaves, food). After they observed the lima beans for a bit, the kids completed a diagram of a lima bean and labeled the picture with the key words.

We continued our seed investigation by "planting" kidney beans in small jars (we used damp paper towels). The kids made predictions in their seed journals about what they think will happen to their beans over the next few days:



 Over the next couple of days, students will watch their beans and record their observations of any sprouting or roots! It should be very exciting!