My Mommyology

Learning from Motherhood.

September 17, 2018
by mymommyology
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Summer Outdoors

I’d like to think that my seemingly more active lifestyle has inspired the rest of the family to be active as well.

We purposely took away a few of our regular activities to make time to just be outdoors.  My girls love being outdoors anyway, more than I’d care to admit.  Thankfully, I dodged a camping trip this summer.  Whew!  I probably was the only one happy about that though.  But I want to say, we more than made up for it!

We did spend a lot of time at the pool this past summer.

with Maga in the pool!

We had play dates and friends, and all sorts of good fun over the 4th of July weekend.

As my mom says, more summer fun!

On another night, we were able to get them out and bike.

Chasing them down the path.

One of my prouder moments last summer was teaching Sam how to ride her bike.  Jamie has the balance bike and soon hopefully she will join her sister pedaling away.  It’s nice to see she’s not as timid about taking risks.

For our 13th year anniversary, the girls requested to go to the beach.  My children are like me – we love the sand and the sea.

Strong waves, cold water.

Although I’m not particularly too fond of this sea because it is COLD!

We spent a good portion of the day in the cold water and on the sand.  The girls were happy to build their little creations and turn into mermaids.

Then went to visit some of the tide pools.  I have to admit it was fun, although I was mostly worried about the slipping and hitting of the head.  Thankfully there was none of that, but now I have a mental note to buy water shoes for next time.

She’d escape to the sea if she could.

And I didn’t have to worry about cleaning off, we had our trusty portable shower!

We don’t leave home without it.

We did more than one beach clean-up over the summer too (Yes, a True Girl Scout makes the world a better place!).

Separating the plastic and fishing lines from the seaweed.

We pretty much marked all the major holidays this summer and special occasions with some outdoor fun.

Over the Labor Day weekend we went up to Big Bear and did a quick hike around the neighborhood.

Climbing uphill.

Then there was some kayaking fun in the lake filled with moss.  Ewww.  I can’t say the girls didn’t enjoy it though.

At least Dad got some exercise.

As we move into fall, we look back and it still felt like a jam-packed summer.  I think I’m still recovering from it all.  But I can’t deny it was a lot of fun!

September 14, 2018
by mymommyology
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MyMommyology Likes: Orange Theory Fitness

My husband’s frugal mentality has always stopped me from joining a fitness gym.  “Why spend when you can just follow You Tube” he says.  He reiterates this constantly to this day.  But as you know, even with my running, I’m partly motivated by the social aspect of exercise.  So when a friend asked me to try an Orange Theory class with her, I said hey why not.  It may be a good supplement to my sporadic running, I thought.

I’ve seen their signage around town for over a year, I just never understood what it was.  Everything just looked… orange.

Credit: Orange Theory Fitness

 

 

Fast forward to 60 minutes post trial class, I wanted to die.  DIE.  And I finally understood their branding.

The theory behind their workouts is spending 12 or more minutes at 84% of your maximum heart rate.  That’s what they call the orange zone.

 

My motto: just don’t die.

Being here for that amount of time ensures you get the after burn effect where your body continues to burn calories 36 hours after your workout.

For the first session, they lend you a heart rate monitor so that you see your results on the TV screens plastered throughout the studio.

This is how I did, albeit the feeling of “dying” .

At first, I thought I’d be embarrassed and self-conscious since my stats weren’t so great. I realized (as I was dying — or trying very hard not to), that you really only look at your results on the monitor, and that your stats are really the only ones that matter to you.  Plus, with a visual goal, it is truly something you want to get to!

So once my body recovered from the shock and ache, I decided to give Orange Theory a fair shot and sign up.

The sessions don’t carry over to the next month, so I really plan out most of my days to make sure I use it within that time frame.  The classes also book up fast (it’s weird how people are gluttons for punishment, ey?) so sometimes it’s a matter of scheduling 2 weeks in advance.  But, you have to give it to them; they are strict about it because it’s a formula that does generate results.

Orange Theory offers a different circuit each time you go, depending on the day and the coach and the focus, whether it be Endurance, Strength and or Power, or all three.  Gaaah.

This was taped to the treadmill one time. I understood it after the 23 mins when I was out of breath.

I actually like it that they have time on the treadmill, and then at some point during the hour, you move to the rower and the floor.  It’s a total body workout each time.

The other thing I realized was that prior to Orange Theory, I was always afraid of weight training.  Apparently this whole theory of bulking up, injuring myself, it being bad etc, wasn’t exactly true.

It took me a while to move up from using 5-lb weights, and it was only because one of the coaches said to try.  Let me tell you, these coaches are not afraid to push you past your comfort levels because they do get paid to get you into that orange zone!

Thanks to OTF, I invested in my own weights at home!  And I’m no longer afraid of them.  Weights = friends.

I have to say, the formula works.  I think I’m stronger and faster (even just at shorter distances), and my stamina is better too.  I can carry more weights than I did before, and on the days I’m not in OTF, I find that my body looks for it.  I wake up in the mornings to go, because if I don’t, I don’t know where I’m going to get that extra day to make up for the class.

And I’ve come to appreciate it as a time where I just zone out on everything else, and zone in on me (so I don’t fall off the tread).  It’s something we all need every now and then.

August 17, 2018
by mymommyology
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MyMommyology #FieldtripFriday: California Science Center

I love that my girls love Science.  I find that I appreciate it a little bit more too now that I’m an adult, and I enjoy our little exploration trips together.

The California Science Center is always a favorite to go to.  One, because it has the Endeavor housed in it.

Our very first visit here. We’ve gone back multiple times since.

Sam has always been fascinated with the study of space and planets.  For a time being she said she would grow up to be an astronaut.

Meeting Astronaut Col. Mike Mullane, getting their Space book signed and asking a million and one questions about being outer space.

I thought that was pretty cool, until I saw Gravity.  Since then I’ve made it my mission to bring space to her instead (… and maybe slightly change her interests.)  😉

There are a lot of facts about the Endeavor and its missions and its history in that museum, and each time we go, we visit and try to learn something new.

A look inside the Endeavor today.

Beyond that however, there are other parts of the Science center that the girls love — especially all the biological exhibits.  There’s even a rot room (ewwwww), which talks about the decomposition of materials.

Why we have to go back here EVERY time we come is beyond me.

We like to watch the IMAX shows as well.  We’ve seen the one on National Parks, and another one on the Pandas!

They’re as tall as the beaver!

The California Science Center also has roving exhibits.  Up until next month, King Tut is on display.  I remember we took a survey about what it is we’d like to see, and I think my girls did put Egyptian history.  So it’s a nice little perk for them to know that they’re “heard” somehow.

A replica of King Tut’s tomb

There are stations outside the exhibit displayed too, for the kids to learn about ancient Egypt.

Learning hieroglyphics.

King Tut however is a little dark, both in ambiance and in content (it does talk about buring live guards with the king), but somehow the girls had missed all of that in favor of other Egyptian artifacts and pieces.

Listening to the docent explain the actual jewels and gems on display.

The California Science Center is one of many museums located in Exposition Park.  When you exit the back, there is a Rose garden in the middle of that and other museums, like the Museum of National History (we will save this for another #fieldtripfriday)!  We haven’t gone to much more outside of this, as each time we visit, the girls always choose to go back!

***

The gift shop at the California Science Center has some cool STEM-related toys.  Be prepared to spend!  Any purchase of tickets beforehand too will facilitate your entrance to the museum.  Sometimes the ticket lines outside can get long.

July 31, 2018
by mymommyology
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Education via Broadway Musicals

Maybe I’ll blame this one on the Greatest Showman.

Sam spent some time with friends who are Greatest Showman fans.  Soon after she was googling lyrics, learning the songs, and playing them on our Spotify playlist.  We (her parents) tired of listening to the same old songs on repeat for the nth time.  And to cope with the constant This is Me car rides, I had a moment of introspection and realized that when I was her age, this is what I would do too — with Broadway Musicals.

I had a phase in my life when it was all Broadway.  My Grandfather was the one who introduced me to it, when, at the age of 10, he took me to see Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Secret Garden, all in one summer.  I took a liking to the Broadway musicals after that, and learned the songs from Cats, Evita, and Fiddler on the Roof on my own. Like me now, back then my house had Broadway on repeat.  Can anyone say #karma?

I continued to see some local and foreign plays as I grew up, and even though my husband repeats the story of how he traded Phantom of the Opera for a WWF show when he was younger (go figure right?), I’m glad he appreciates the value of this kind of “art”.  Here’s a little secret:  One of our first dates was to a ballet!  *gasp!*

We agreed on the benefits these types of musicals, concerts and more (operas, musical conciertos included), would have on the girls’ upbringing and said that we would consciously include it in our “family to do list” as it came up.

There were little introductions here and there.  I once took Sam to her first show in Manila, Wicked.

I’d love to watch this again!

Like The Greatest Showman, Defying Gravity and For Good were on our playlist for quite some time back then.  And I love to see her perk up when she hears it again and says, “why do I know this song mom?”

Thanks to all their Girl Scout selling efforts, Sam was able to watch Cinderella on stage too.

With her friend at the photo booth op.

Both Sam and Jamie were able to watch Matilda just recently as a prize for selling Nuts and Chocolates.  That was pretty cool, and one of my favorites still to date.

So far the best we’ve seen in a long time.

Segerstrom is within reasonable driving distance from us, and when I checked their calendar, School of Rock the Musical was scheduled.  A friend of mine took her son to see it and in true word-of-mouth fashion, I went ahead and bought tickets because of their review.

I remember the movie and Jack Black being pretty funny, but I could not imagine how they would translate it into a live show on stage.  Then I came across this clip of Andrew Lloyd Webber , and was pretty sold on the idea after that.  I’m not a rock fan, but I know enough of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s past musicals to know, at the very least, the music would be good.

And it was!  The lyrics to the songs were brilliant (no surprise).  And the feel of the entire musical was completely different and interesting.  I am not a rock n’ roll person, and thanks to this musical I was able to appreciate the genre a little bit better.  I think my kids did too.

The kids on the different instruments in the band were awesome.  AWESOME.  However old these children are, they are talented, and I am completely in awe.  I feel like my girls appreciate this better because they both now play instruments.  Sam even laughed at the line “cello feet” because she could relate to it given her more recent encounter with the Cello.

trying out their rock hand signals. Ohhh boy.

The girls had questions about some references and things they picked up in the show, which made our car ride conversation home all the more interesting.  But they appreciated the show over all and I love that they are expanding their palette outside of the usual choices of movies and activities to do.

All in all, the message of the musical was good (just ignore the swear words, but hey, it’s all part of the vibe).  It was great in fact for today’s times, and very relatable from a parent’s perspective.  They kept the jokes relevant and current too, which elicited some cheers from the audience.

As you would imagine, Stick it to the Man and If Only You Would Listen have been added to our car ride playlist, and I can’t complain.

July 20, 2018
by mymommyology
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MyMommyology #FieldTripFriday at La Brea Tarpits

Walking away from LACMA on the right, you’ll find the La Brea Tarpits.  You can’t miss it, you smell the tar and the sulfuric gas as you walk towards it.

Interesting site, stinky smell.

I first heard of tar when we lived in North Carolina, hence the term:  Tar-Heel.  I never would’ve guessed that a whole fossil site was within driving distance from where we now stay!

And fossils — that’s the magic word for my girls.  While they have never watched the Ice Age movies, their books and their love for science and animals have led us to understand a little bit more about the past that is buried beneath our feet.

It’s quite the joyful experience for me when we discover something new together.  The learner in me enjoys taking them to these new places  — and it’s such a treat when I learn something new along with them.

His name is Zed!  So. Cool!

Who know about the vast number of dire wolves in California?  There are 400 on the wall there so far.

Or that a Columbian Mammoth that’s the most complete they’ve found (so far)?!

They all say “so far” — because there are still ongoing excavations.

Paleontologist beware: Curious child in front.

The girls got to ask questions from a paleontologist who was at Project 23, the most recent dig site.  Ever the naiveté, here I thought they’d found everything there was to be found in the last century.  Apparently not!  They claim to have found 3.5 million fossils to date, and the count continues to grow.  It’s a reason to go back — because you never know what’s new to be featured a few months from now, or even a few years from now!

Considering it was a small museum, we spent a good portion of our day there (apart from a quick lunch break across the street), studying a bunch of the fossils they’ve discovered.  Plus, my children like to read all the descriptions.

The Observation Pit where a pile of predators seemed to have gotten caught.

The girls were fascinated as well by the Fossil lab where the scientists were at work on some of their current finds.

Like a scientific fishbowl.

It’s like a big prehistoric jigsaw puzzle with no guide — and they find things out as they go along.  Or they use the parts they find to figure out the story behind why all those fossils are piled one on top of the other!  A predatory kill perhaps?  So much tar has to be cleaned off though!

The Tar is fascinating as much as it is scary.  It’s still bubbling the girls said.  You could still fall in?!  *clutch children closer*

Souvenir photo for the win.

#FieldtripFriday tip:  Buy your tickets ahead of time so you can go straight to the entrance.  Add $5 to attend an Ice Age encounter.  The girls enjoyed it because there was a talking Sabertooth.

And finally, the photo fossil book is a worthy keepsake souvenir.  Thanks Maga! 😉

 

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