Good Eats

13 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Momma J in Meal Plans, The Family, vegan

Tags

We’ve been eating home a lot more lately, and it’s been pretty boring. We have had a few fun splurges over the past few weeks though that I thought I’d share.

Loaded baked potato soup, with chives, daiya cheese, and tempeh bacon:

Little T had vegan chili from Native Foods:

Salad for Momma:

And a portobello and “sausage” burger for Big T:

From Linx! In honor of Octoberfest, a pretzel roll with a soy dog, beer infused mustard, and Vidalia onions:

And a plain vegan dog with ketsup for Little T:

And for A spooky Halloween night, we made pumpkins, had dairy free vanilla almond I’ve cream with sautéed apples, figs, and cranberries on top!

About Little T…..

11 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by Momma J in life, Quick Snippets, The Family

≈ 4 Comments

Little T had his back to school night this week. When we were there, the teacher pulled us aside to mention how well-liked he was. We nodded and said we were glad to hear it, and she said, “No, I don’t think you understand. He knows everybody in this school. He knows the cafeteria ladies, he knows all of the teachers, he knows all of the receptionists, the office people. He says hello to everyone as he passes by, and he plays with all the kids. The cafeteria lady plays basketball with him, the kids in the other classes all know him, everyone loves him. He’s just a happy and friendly kid”. Of course, there are things for him to work on. He has zero interest in any of the projects that require him to sit down for more than a minute at a time. Big T and I laugh because we can always tell which art projects are his because they are the one with the least stuff-or maybe he’s just a minimalist. 😉 His voice is very loud, he’s one of the more…errrr, energetic kids in the class, and he doesn’t always sit patiently in circle time. I don’t think he’ll ever be one of those kids who sits quietly in the corner, but I’m glad that he’s kind and friendly. It’s a good quality to have.

This and That

06 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Momma J in life, Quick Snippets, The Family, this and that

≈ 1 Comment

Putting up the sign!!! (!!!)

The last vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookie:

Doggy kisses:

Sparkly nails to celebrate fall:

Stumbling upon Stonehenge:

Kiddy Rock Concerts:

Hay Rides at Riley’s Farm:

Little T’s there somewhere….

A trip to the barber shop:

Telling the barber about all of his daycare woes:

Couscous, roasted green beans and mushrooms, and fresh baked olive rolls:

Take your kitty to work day:

Just another photo bomb:

Daddy hugs make everything better:

Disneyland Vs. Disneyworld, Who Does it Best

01 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Momma J in All Others

≈ 2 Comments

It would have been impossible not to compare, right?

Pirates of the Carribbean: Disneyland~we thought Disneyland was longer, better themed, and more charming.

Thunder Mountain: Disney World~maybe because it was a new experience?

Splash Mountain: Disney World~we thought the animation was a little better and we liked the seating.

Haunted Mansion: We liked the Disneyland attraction, but we preferred the Disney World queue.

Peter Pan: Disney World~the animation was nicer.

Space Mountain~Disneyland~we missed the music and the atmosphere of Space in California.

Tower of Terror: Disney World~there was more to the attraction than California Adventure.

Rapids at Animal Kingdom: Disneyland, or California Adventure~this really was no comparison. The attraction at Animal Kingdom was so short!

Midway Mania: Toss up!

Disney World Vs: Disneyland

We loved them both, but we have to say Disneyland. We liked that it was all in one place and that you were immersed in Disney from the moment you walked in the door. At Disney World, it was so spread apart that you could always tell you were in Florida, which broke the show a bit for me.

Favorite Parks at Disney World:

Momma J: World of Harry Potter, then Animal Kingdom

Big T: Animal Kingdom and Epcot

Little T: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney World Days 5 and 6

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by Momma J in All Others

≈ 3 Comments

Our last two days at Disneyworld were hard ones, because we knew the trip was coming to a close.

We started out Day 5 at Epcot on Test Track, one of Little T’s favorites. Obviously, the bigger the car, the better. 😉

Afterward, we explored the World Showcase. We had delicious couscous in Morocco, and found some nice treats in Paris. We couldn’t pull Little T away from the train in….wherever that place was, I kind of can’t remember now. :p

After exploring, we took Little T back for a nap, then dropped him off at Simba’s Kids Club so we could have a date night. I’m not going to lie, we felt really guilty, so we called thirty minutes after we left. He was having too much fun to say hi on the phone, which was a huge relief, and we felt like we could really enjoy our date after that call. We went back to Paris at Epcot, and I had wine while Big T had chocolate croissants and crepes.

When we got back to the kids club, Little T introduces us to all of his new friends. He talked about a little boy named Devin for the rest of the trip, so I think he really did have a great time.

More Epcot photos:

The next day, we went to the Magic Kingdom. We took a boat from the Polynesian, which Little T liked a lot.

We did all the rides we hadn’t gone on yet. We started out with Belle’s Enchanted Tales, then went on the Stitch show, and did a few others befor going on Thunder, Splash, and Pirates again. We ended the day with a vegan root beer float on Main Street.

After Little T’s nap, we has dinner at Sanaa, then let him play in the arcade. It was raining too hard for the pool, which he was pretty sad about. We promised we’d take him to the pool the next morning.

I forgot to mention it, but I did have a moment to sneak over to the wedding pavilion. 🙂

On our last day, we played at the playground and the pool until it was time to go home.

Little T had a bit of a meltdown when it was time to go. I kind of can’t blame him. 😉

The trip home was hard, but we kept telling Little T that we’ll be back someday. We made a memory book for him to remember everything he did, and told him he’d definitely earned a basketball hoop for when we got home. (We told him we’d get a big boy basketball hoop for the yard when he is potty trained, woohoo)! So that’s it! Now were back at the house. As much as I miss it, it is nice to be home. 🙂

Disneyworld Days 3 and 4

22 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Momma J in All Others

≈ 1 Comment

I have to admit, we were all pretty tired after our first two days, so we moved a lot slower on day 3. We started out by going to Downtown Disney, it was an unexpectedly challenging trip for us because Little T was not patient at the shuttle. He was tired and ready to explore and despite our best efforts, we couldn’t keep him entertained. The shuttle took over 30 minutes to arrive, so it was rough on him. Then it took another 45 minutes to get there. By the time we arrived at Downtown Disney, it was close to Little T’s nap time. We went to Babycakes for vegan goodies, ordered vegan chili from the place next door, then enjoyed some desserts from Babycakes. We got Little T’s pirate costume for the Halloween party, then decided the trip was a bust for Little T. Big T took him back for a nap and the rest of us stayed to look around. We had a nice time wandering around after that, and decided to use a taxi for our trip tonight instead of the shuttle. When he’s older, I think the shuttle should be fine.

Little T took a long nap, and woke up in a much better mood. We had leftover vegan chili for dinner and leftover corn bread from Babycakes. Our decision to take a taxi to the park and use the shuttle on the way back, started the trip on a much better foot. We dressed Little T like a pirate and took him to Mickey’s Halloween Party at the magic kingdom. He had a blast!

The coolest thing about the trip so far has been the magic bands. They’re so easy to use. At the Magic Kingdom, we used them for a special pirate scavenger hunt. We had to find places on the map and use our magic bands to activate them. Little T thought this was the neatest thing ever.

Some of us were better at the scavenger hunt than others. :p

Speaking of Magic Bands, we can use them for dining, getting into our hotel room, fast pass, and purchasing items at the stores. We have a special code to enter when we buy things, so there isn’t the chance of losing it and having it being used by anyone else. They’re also water proof, which makes it a lot easier for adults to buy a glass of wine at the pool (heh heh). Overall, Magic Bands have been pretty magical. I hope they give them to AP’s at Disneyland, it’s so easy.

Other fun things:

When we got back to the hotel, we had a few fun surprised waiting for us. An elephant had gotten a hold of Little T’s paci:

And the family of one of my brides had arranged to leave us a very special gift, full of lots of snacks and goodies! It was the nicest surprise, and we all sat around and tried different goodies from the bag, instead of saving them for the rest of our trip, teehee.

The next morning, we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was in heaven. I wish I could live there, or at least stay there for maybe a week or two. 😉 The butter beer was amazing, the decor was amazing, and the people and rides were amazing.

Little T didn’t want to take off his pirate hat:

At Harry Potter:

There was a point where I had to leave the group and run to our stroller. As I walked around Hogsmeade, I could hear the Harry Potter music playing and I had this really happy feeling. I just felt like I was in that world. It was heaven for this Harry Potter fan, I hope they do justice in the new park they’re building in California, and maybe expand it to be larger. Or maybe just have an entire park on it’s own! Okay, I’m just getting greedy now, but I don’t think I could ever have enough Harry Potter. 😉

Dr. suess area:

We ended the day at the pool in Kidani Village. Little T had the best time. I think it felt good on his little muscles, and he went on the water slide over and over again. We took turns going with him while the others stayed back in the jacuzzi. It really was heaven.

OH! And vegan eatings:

Breakfast: Soy milk and Cereal and Instant Oatmeal for Little T.

Lunch at Harry potter: Baked potatoes

Snacks: Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, and Popcorn

Dinner: Burritos from universal, and white rice from Panda Express, but we mixed it with lemon and hummus for Little T. 🙂

Dessert: Vegan Babycake Brownies, which we could find in the lobby of our hotel. A deliciously dangerous discovery!

That’s it! Onto day 5!

Disneyworld Days 1 and 2

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by Momma J in The Adventures of Little T, The Family, The Travels

≈ 6 Comments

As a thank you for some of the work I’ve been partnering with Disney on, they were gracious enough to host our family on a trip to Disney World. So far it’s been unbelievable, and I can’t even begin to say what a great time we are having.

The plane trip was our biggest concern with Little T, but it was actually very smooth. To prepare him, we told him that when we get to the airport, mommy and Little T would be in charge of taking care of each other while Daddy took care of the bags. Little T kept checking up on me during the airport trip because of this and it was pretty adorable. He also started telling me good job every time I use the potty. I love how supportive that little dude is. 😉

For vegan traveling, we packed dry oatmeal for breakfast. Starbucks was kind enough to give us hot water, and all we had to do was mix the oatmeal into the hot water cup. For lunch on the plane, we packed:

Trail Mix
Kind Bars
Burritos with rice, lemon, olives, and hot sauce
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Pears (packed in a plastic bag with a napkin to reduce mess)

We also packed tons of activities for Little T, but all he wanted to do was play with the Virgin America screen in front of the seat. So….that was easy, lol.

When we arrived in Florida, Little T could hardly contain himself. He was happy to see my mom and step dad were there, and he was so excited to be at Disney World. When we arrived at our hotel (the Animal Kingdom Lodge), it really hit home for him that this trip was going to be special.

The view from our room:

After we’d explored the resort a little bit, we ate at Boma. The chef made us an amazing vegan meal, and even brought us dessert.

We ended the night by playing in the pool and spa, it was a relaxing way to end a long journey.

The next morning, we had a surprise gift on the bed for Little T that was from Tinkerbell (teehee), saying she was so proud of him for being a good boy on the plane~an idea I found while reading about Disneyworld with toddlers. Little T loved it, and we told him if he was good for the rest of the trip, maybe Tinkerbell would bring something every day. These were gifts we purchased in the dollar bin at Target and Michaels, except for the first day because we gave him a pretty cool Star Wars book.

When we finished looking through the book, we had breakfast (soy milk and cereal), and went downstairs to meet our guide, Angel. He took us to the Magic Kingdom first. We hadn’t had any time to plan our trip, so we told him we were up for anything.

Our first stop was to see Tinkerbell. I don’t know how this happened, but when she saw Little T, she ran up to him and asked, “did you get it? Did you get it?” She knew all about the book. I’m thinking that Angel must have worked his Disney Magic. 🙂 It was pretty special.

Little T’s favorite rides were Splash Mountain and Thunder mountain. We definitely have a daredevil in the making. :p Little T was a little scared about going on pirates, but we told him Angel also fought pirates for a living. He held Angel’s hand after that, I think It was a smart move on his part. 😉

After the Magic Kingdom, we went to Epcot. Little T loved the race track ride, and designed this very sturdy pink race car. Kid has style.

For dinner, we were able to see Little T’s foster momma. She took good care of him for the first few days of his life until we were able to get to Florida. I think she loved being able to see how we’ll Little T is doing and to give him hugs again.

When dinner was over, my parents stayed at Epcot for a bit and we went back to the resort to give Little T a good bedtime. He’d had a very busy day, after all.

The next morning, Little T woke up and stumbled over to the stroller in his pajamas. I think he was ready to go back to Disney World.

We met Angel again in the morning, and he took us to the Animal Kingdom Park. Big T and I loved it there, but discovered that Little T was more of a roller coasters fan than an animal fan. At least for now, anyway.

Little T’s favorite was the dinosaur ride. We told him Angel was a dinosaur fighter, so he felt safe. We thought it would scare him, but he wanted to do it again. Go figure!

Vegan eats:

~Hot and Sour rice and vegetables at the Animal Kingdom

~Mickey Mouse Pretzel

~Blood Orange Margarita (party party)

~Coconut milk ice cream in Hollywood Studios

~Pizza with Daiya cheese at the Pizza Planet

~Veggie Burgers in Disneyworld at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe

After a few bad attraction photos, we convinced Angel to tell us where all the cameras are for the attractions:

And he became very skilled at pushing strollers and carrying Mickey backpacks.

After Animal Kingdom, we went to Hollywood. Little T was laughing with pure happiness on the Tower of Terror, which boggles my mind, because you can’t pay me enough to go on that ride. Little T also loved Star Tours and was picked as the rebel spy, teehee. At the end of the day, Angel drove us home and we said goodbye. We’re going to miss him, he really made the trip special. 🙂

A few more random photos from the past few days:

And that’s our trip so far! We have a few more exciting things in store for us and we can’t wait for them to happen. 🙂

Little T’s Summer Summary

03 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Momma J in All Others

≈ 1 Comment

My mom spent last weekend with us, and as she left she gave me an exhausted hug and said, “man, your life is crazy.”

I think she’s onto something there.

I really wanted to make individual posts for everything we did over the summer, but I keep putting it off until I have more time. That day may never come, so I’ll do a summary of Little T’s summer instead.

A big part of our summer was Little T’s physical and occupational therapy. He just finished with the regional center and will be moving to our insurance. We already miss his therapists (Kelly and Dahlia). They’ve been with us for the last two and a half years!

Little T was officially diagnosed by the neurologist with mild cerebral palsy on his right side. It wasn’t a surprise for us, and it was more validation of what we’ve been noticing than anything. It is very mild and it only shows up when he’s tired, wakes up in the morning, or is sick. Our orders are to keep him active so he continues to do well. He’s a smart cookie with a lot of support, so we are very confident that he is going to be fine. 🙂

Theo at physical therapy:

In addition to the PT and OT, we had lots of adventures:

Family vacation at the beach! There were more kids than I can count on both fingers, in other words: Little T was in heaven.

The OC Fair:

We found new ways to travel:

Camped at the beach:

Engaged in epic battles at D23:

Turned three and had a birthday party at Ridemakerz!

Was fitted for a suit:

Then declared he needed a motorcycle. I don’t know what this means, but it worries me… 😉

Pinned the tail on the donkey at Arsh’s first birthday:

And got the appropriate tools to help mom build her studio.

Are we there yet?

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by Momma J in life, Photography, The Family, The Travels

≈ 3 Comments

This was one of those unusually busy weeks, where Big T becomes Mr. Mom while I hop from one event to the next. It was a lot easier this time around, physically and mentally. I think this means it’s starting to become a normal for us to have crazy lives. 😉

Wednesday: Wedding at the Grand that had me genuinely surprised when I turned around and saw everyone had formed a giant pyramid…

Thursday, the family checked into the Grand and back I was back for another wedding. The details were gorgeous and Heather did most of them herself!

Friday: Working for the Mouse!

And taking a quick break at D23 to see my family. Little T had a lightsaber and was determined to take Darth Vader down a notch or two.

My sweet mother in law may not look so sweet in this photo, but she did spend the weekend with us at the Grand to help out. 😉

Even though I had carried two cameras and a heavy back pack all over the place, I was back at 7:00am Saturday morning. I’m not going to lie, I was super excited to be there. :p

I finished around noon and drove to Pasadena for wedding #3! They had a big Band playing and Louise and I felt like we were at a concert, it was magical!

The next day, we took Little T to Disneyland for his birthday. He has now discovered Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and he thinks it is incredible.

I was so exhausted, that when I got home and parked in the driveway, I fell asleep in the car. Big T had to come wake me up and get me. He’s good like that.

The next day, I was back working for the mouse, and on Tuesday I was in Pasadena again for an e-shoot. Today I’m off to Newport. Tomorrow? I sleep.