Six Months in SoCal

We arrived here in California just over six months ago. I thought I'd take the occasion to reflect on life here in my new state.

I loved it when we got here, and half a year later, I still love it! Perhaps I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase? We'll have to check back later to see how I'm feeling. What do I like about California? Glad you asked!

The Weather/Climate
I hate to be so cliché, but it's just lovely here. It's almost always sunny with a gentle breeze. We're currently going through a cold snap where it's been dipping down into the 30s at night and only hitting 60 for a high temperature, but I don't even mind because I know it'll be scorching hot in a few months. When it does get hot, it's not humid, so you can still, you know, breathe outside. There are hardly any mosquitoes either, and it cools down in the evenings so you can open your windows without inviting an insect invasion.

This is my first time living in an area that's so sunny. It is awesome! I really don't know how all the Californians who have moved to the PNW survive in the gray winters. Maybe they still have friends/family down here and escape to soak up some Vitamin D on the weekends.

Geography
Living in a region with mountains makes me smile. Sure, some days it's too smoggy to see them, but lately the full San Gabriel Range has been on display. And then there's the other foothills and such that I don't know the names of yet, but they are also scenic. Nearby us there is a place called the Arroyo, which as far as I can tell means a dry canyon. It's rugged and rocky and makes you feel like you've escaped the city when you go there.

And then, don't forget the beach! Depending on traffic, it's about 45-60 minutes for us to get to a beach. By LA standards, that's far away but by Memphis standards, it's awesome :)

I know people also talk about skiing/mountain activities here. We haven't ventured North/East yet, but when we do, I'll be sure to blog about it.

Activities
This part's a bit overwhelming, actually. In Memphis it was kind of straightforward. If you have little kids, you want a membership to the zoo, children's museum, and/or botanic garden. Around here, sheesh! There are about 1,000 options, it seems like! I mean, there are the classic big theme parks, like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Knotts Berry Farm. You've got too many museums to count, zoos, aquariums, gardens, science centers, theaters, and I don't even know how many other choices of things to do. Plus since the weather is almost always nice, you can explore all the various parks and outdoor spaces. If you ever hear me saying I'm bored, that's just crazy talk. I could live here for the rest of my life and still not do everything.

Food/Dietary Options
Since arriving in CA, I've decided to go dairy-free. Although I didn't test as allergic to milk, I just feel so much better without dairy. It's been a pretty easy transition thanks to all of the vegan options around here, both in grocery stores and at restaurants. And if you ask the waitstaff, "Does that have dairy?" you don't get a strange look or anything. Meanwhile, in Memphis, I once got a total eye roll for ordering enchiladas with no cheese at a Mexican restaurant.

Speaking of Mexican food, taco trucks here are legit and delicious. There are so many different types of food available here that it's impossible to list them all. Ever had Indonesian bone broth? There's a place just a couple blocks away from us with a simmering vat full! I want to go out to eat all the time. But my children aren't very adventurous eaters, so sometimes we opt for take-out for the grownups and chicken nuggets for the kids...

Closer to Relatives
My parents and siblings all live in Oregon. It's really nice to be close to them - just a quick 2 hour flight, instead of a whole-day travel ordeal, and you don't have to change time zones!

Public Services
I'm just starting to learn about this topic, but I guess all those personal income tax funds we're paying to the state are getting used for stuff! I've been attending a free weekly parent education class offered at a local community college. They have 10 or 15 different classes going every week, all free! It's my understanding that a combo of state funding and private fundraising covers the cost. The class is like a preschool where parents and children are there together. So cool!

And now, for the things that have been harder to cope with...

Huge Metropolis
I can't really explain to you how gigantic the Los Angeles metro area is. Apparently it's the second-largest metro area in the country. There are like 60 cities in the region, depending on how you define "city." I'm always having to check Google Maps to see where places are, because I'll read a blog or something about a fun weekend activity only to find out it's down in Orange County (an hour+ away). Short of hanging a giant regional map on the wall and studying it daily, I don't know how I'll ever wrap my head around the megalopolis that is Los Angeles.

Tons of People
Remember all those things I listed above that I like about SoCal? Yeah, a bunch of other people also like those things, so they all want to live here, too. Traffic is intense. You really do have to plan your trips around traffic if you don't want to spend your whole life sitting on a freeway. And then when you go places and do things, a bunch of other people are also there at the same places wanting to do the same things. We went to the zoo on President's Day and it was packed to the gills! I have never been to a zoo that was so busy before. I suppose it being a school holiday, parents were looking for a way to entertain their kids, but still, we had to wait in the members line for like 10-15 minutes just to get through the front gate!

Cost of Living
Really, this one hasn't bothered me too much because I knew what we were getting into, but I feel compelled to mention it. It is certainly more expensive to live here than Memphis. It seems more expensive than Seattle, too, though we left that city nearly 5 years ago so my mental price list is probably outdated. The cost of housing around LA is shockingly high. We keep debating if we should buy a place here. Then we look at the prices and say, "it's got to be a bubble, right? It'll pop soon." But the prices just keep on rising...!

Winter Weather

Apparently it does get cold in Southern California. Who knew?! Yesterday my phone said it was 34 degrees in the morning. Brrrr!

I've noticed that people really dress for the weather here. When it rains, I see lots of folks in galoshes, both kids and adults. I am confused by this because it very rarely rains here. We've had maybe 10 days of rain that I can recall since we moved here 5 months ago. Why do so many people have galoshes? My theory is that splashing in puddles is fun, and you don't get to do it very often here, so when puddles abound, you should splash with gusto.

When the temperature drops below 70, people bundle up. I remember observing this phenomenon here over a decade ago when I came to visit my sister, who was living in the area. It was January or February. There was a light rain falling, but the temperature felt warm to me so I was shocked to see everyone wrapped in scarves and hats like a snowstorm was coming! It seems not much has changed as I witnessed a lady walking down the street cocooned in a coat with a fur-trimmed hood. The temperature was maybe 65 at that point, and the sun was shining. Shortly thereafter I noticed a guy in shorts and flip flops. I guess the fashion is still variable, depending on one's definition of "cold."

Last weekend, though, we all did get chilly at an outdoor birthday party. It was a clear, sunny day but the wind really picked up. I was glad we keep some emergency jackets in the van for the kids (and parents)! Maybe we are morphing into Californians already :)

Cue the Nostalgia

We're preparing to depart from Memphis in just about 2 weeks! Predictably, I'm getting all sentimental about what we'll leave behind...

Sounds
Memphis, the home of the blues. The birthplace of rock 'n' roll. The city's got a great vibe!

• WEVL, our local volunteer radio station. They place a huge variety of music, from bluegrass to swing to trippy electronica. I especially like their old-timey gospel music show on Sunday AM.
• The music at church (not just the choir, lol) - so many talented musicians play there!
• Cicadas, nature's buzzing harmonicas
• Thunderstorms, although my kids are starting to be scared of thunder so perhaps that's not a super sad one to bid farewell

Sights
To be honest, I've had to adjust my field of vision living here - I've never spent so long in a place that's so flat! When we first came here and I'd be driving on a overpass, I'd look around to see the mountains. But there are none. It's different, but I got used to it eventually. Here are some views I'll miss:

• The mighty Mississippi River flowing under wide bridges
• Crepe myrtle trees blooming for months on end
• The huge leafy trees in my neighborhood, especially as they change colors in the fall

Tastes
Everything. All the food. Seriously, Southern cuisine is the best ever! I hope that some Southern transplants to CA have restaurants where I can fill my cravings for turnip greens, smoked meats, fried okra, banana pudding, etc etc etc

Smells
The scents of tasty food fill our neighborhood, such as:

• The smoke from Corkys BBQ as you drive down Poplar. Smoked meat should be one of Memphis's official scents :)
• The aroma of Gibson's Donuts wafting over to the Kroger parking lot 

Touch?
I'm not sure I have anything specific for this last sense that I'll actually miss. I'm just fine with leaving behind the sticky summers, where you feel the sweat pool on your skin after a few minutes outside...

Oh, I know I'll miss the feeling of hugging our Memphis friends! Does that count?

Friendly Neighbors

Southerners really are sweet. Even after four years living here, I'm still surprised by how kind people can be! Here's a conversation I had the other day.

Setting: taking the boys for their inaugural leash walk, going around the block. We've stopped to examine some fascinating sticks on the sidewalk.

60s-ish Neighbor Lady: <waving as she walks down the driveway> Hi there! Oh, how sweet! You have twins?
Me: Yes, they're twins
Neighbor: How old are they?
Me: Almost two
Neighbor: So you must live around the corner?
Me: Yes, we live over on Heron Way (that's a pseudonym street name for blogging purposes)
Neighbor: <starts pointing out all the nearby houses where families have young kids/grandkids, and suggests we can become friends with them>
Me: Good to know!
Neighbor: Well, I just live right across the street here. If y'all are ever out for a walk and get caught in a downpour, please come knock on my door!
Me: Oh, ok thank you
Neighbor: And if I'm not home, see that door through the carport? It opens up to the back patio that's all covered, and we've got a table and chairs there where you could wait.
Me: <looking surprised> Wow, well that's nice of you! We will certainly keep it in mind if it starts to rain on us.

END SCENE

I mean, come on Northwesterners, have you ever had a conversation like this with a neighbor who you literally just met? (I mean, set aside for a moment the fact that people in the PNW just keep walking when it rains...) Wasn't that nice of her? We're totally in thunderstorm season in Memphis, and sometimes the skies just open up on you. It's nice to know we've got a place to take shelter, even if we never use it. But I bet if we did stop by, Neighbor Lady would just be tickled pink :)

These Are the Days

Sun shining
Gentle breezes blowing
Grass growing
Flowers blooming
Birds chirping
Squirrels scampering
Sticks-and-rocks-a-plenty
Kids playing
Mom smiling

A Day in the Life, Year 2

Last year, I got the idea to record a whole day's activities on the first Friday of January. It seemed like a good tradition, so I did it again yesterday. Since the boys are so much more active this year, I also recorded what they did. That made for a complicated log with three people, but I guess our lives are just kind of like that now!

I recorded the day as accurately as I could, and I didn't do anything special just because I was writing things down for posterity :)

12:00a everyone asleep (DF and I think that maybe we heard a kid crying at some point during the night, but it didn't go on very long so we didn't get up to check on anyone.)

6:25a DF's alarm goes off. I try to go back to sleep, but then I remember that snow had been predicted so I open Facebook to see what people are saying. Sounds like we have some flakes!

6:45a Get up and look out the window. Hmm, looks pretty slippery out there. Turn on TV to check the news and find that most schools in the area are closed. Too bad DF's office is still open! I tell him to drive carefully.

7:20a Boys get up. They seem semi-interested in observing the snow out the window. We have about an inch in the yard.

7:35a Breakfast time for kids. Gus drops his "spill-proof" cup and spills milk all over the floor, but I don't notice at first so it turns into a huge puddle. Oops!

8:00a I make coffee and eat breakfast while the boys play with the contents of the recycling bin. Fight breaks out over identical yogurt cups.

8:30a Get boys dressed, aka I wrestle two wriggling piglets into shirts, pants, sweatshirts, socks, and shoes.

Morning playtime includes: climb on little chairs to look out the window, fill up containers with blocks and dump them out (hilarious!), sing songs, and wipe snotty noses. I am teaching them to wipe their own noses - they are getting better at it!

I consider if I should take them outside to play in the snow. But after assessing our lack of kid-sized cold weather gear, the disadvantageous adult:child ratio, and the very high likelihood of screaming tantrums (either from cold, having to come inside, or both), I decide against it. Instead, I take pictures of them looking out the window longingly at the snow...

9:15a Snack time. I'm tired of sweeping up cracker crumbs, so I put them in their high chairs for snack in an attempt to contain the mess. They mostly crush up their crackers and fling them off their trays. Ha ha, good try, Mom! I want to eat a brownie, which means I give them some bites too. (I can't eat anything in front of them if I don't share it or they throw a fit.) They appreciate the brownie and do not toss it overboard.

9:30a Sesame Street is on. They sort of watch it, but mostly fight with their toy brooms. They like stomping along with Count to the "Number of the Day" song.

10:00a (Usually, this is when we'd go on an outing of some sort, like the zoo, park, grocery store, etc. Although they are 18 months old, it's still tough for them to stay up all morning. If I let them take a nap now, though, they might not take a second one, and that's just not a good plan for anyone.) Accept reality that we are going to stay home all day b/c I am not taking the risk of driving in this weather. Give them pacifiers to stop the squawking. Snuggle up on the couch to watch more TV. When they get bored of TV, they hop down and chase each other around the house. We build blocks. I try to teach them "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," but they aren't grasping the concept of that song. Play tackle Mommy (I lay on the floor; they jump/crawl on me).

11:00a Lunch time. They don't seem very hungry as they mainly throw their sandwich pieces on the floor and spread yogurt all over their trays. Then Gibson wipes kiwi juice in his eye and starts screaming. I wonder how we are all going to last until nap time...

11:30a Mommy snack time. I turn on the Toddler Tunes music channel. Peace! The calm lasted literally 4 minutes until a tackling fight broke out.

12:00p We made it! Nap time! As I try to tuck them in, Gus gets burst of energy and runs back and forth giggling in his crib. But they fall asleep before too long.

Whenever it's nap time, I try to spring into action right away and get essential things done because I never know how long they are going to sleep. If I start to dawdle, an expected three-hour nap will turn into 1.5 and I'll be up a creek. So while they sleep, I do these things: wash my face/put in contacts (decide not to bother showering as I have no plans to leave the house), get dressed, eat lunch, clean up the remnants of boys' lunch, load/run dishwasher (which I can only do when they are asleep b/c they are obsessed with pushing the buttons on the dishwasher and I don't think it's good for the machine to be constantly switching from "temp boost" to "normal"...), fold some laundry, pick up toys, sweep the house, wonder if I hallucinated about mopping yesterday because the dining room floor looks rather dirty, put some chicken on to cook for boys, pay a bill online, check our online bank accounts to make sure there's no unusual activity, shop for reusable sandwich bags, send FB birthday greetings, try to borrow an e-book from the library but have to get on the waiting list, and check out another book (Half the Sky) instead to start reading.

DF gets home at 1:45p. His office closed early due to weather. He tells me about the adventures he had while driving in the snow and helping stranded motorists.

3:00p Boys wake up. What a nice, long nap! I think they were tired from MDO yesterday because they only slept an hour there.

3:20p Snack time followed by fighting over toys. Toys get sent to toy timeout (in the playpen). Boys do not approve of this consequence.

4:00p Boys knock over the coat rack and scare themselves. Much screaming follows. Guess we need to figure out a new barricade method...

4:30p Put pizza in the oven for dinner. Boys are fascinated when I turn on the oven light and spend most of the next half hour watching the pizza cook.

5:00p Dinner time. Gibson refuses to eat veggies, as usual. Gus eats some peas at least. I decide to live on the edge and feed the boys pizza along with their chicken, even though dairy doesn't always agree with them. (Note from the future: it turned out fine! No screaming gas incidents later that night!) I had meant to slice up some veggies for the parents, but I forget until we are nearly done eating. Oh well, there is tomato sauce on the pizza...

5:40p DF and I are sitting in the living room talking. I notice the boys are playing happily together and not fighting. I predict it will last 5 minutes, tops. Instead, they carry on nicely for 20 minutes! They come through the living room sometimes to say hi, then go back to playing elsewhere. The joy ends when they both try to wedge themselves into a too-small toy box and get stuck.

6:40p Getting sleepy, but it's not bedtime yet. (This is another time of day when we often take an outing to Target or Kroger, but the temperature is still below freezing and we don't want to venture out on icy roads.) Instead they get their pacifiers again and we turn on the TV.

7:00p Bedtime snack time, then they play with their brooms. Not really eating much snack.

7:30p Put on PJs. The boys help me carry some dirty clothes out to the washing machine, and I start a load of laundry. Then they eat more crackers and drink some water.

8:00p Time for bed. Brush teeth - we let them try to brush their own teeth, and then I finish them off, which they hate; read a story; sing a song. I forget to check their diapers until I've already tucked them in, so then I have to get them out of bed to change them. They seem confused about this aberration in the bedtime routine.

8:15p Lights out! I think they are asleep by 8:25p or so. I transfer laundry to dryer, unload/load dishwasher, clean off high chairs, debate sweeping again but decide it's not that bad. Have a snack and take an Emergen-C because my throat is scratchy. Then, it's time to relax. I check Facebook/Instagram, read some blogs and news sites. I sometimes play this phone game called Juice Jam, but I've been stuck on the same level for more than a week and it's too annoying so I decide to install a new game called Toy Blast. Seems fun enough.

10:00p Bedtime for Salmonista. Put away laundry and get myself ready for bed. Hope that the snow melts soon so we can escape the house tomorrow!

Post-Thanksgiving Lull

My brain isn't working today. I didn't get enough sleep last night - I think the boys wanted me to take them Black Friday shopping or something from the way they kept squawking in their cribs. So instead of trying to string sentences together, I tried to take a short video of leaves falling from the tree in our front yard. But now I can't get it to upload, so just imagine yellow leaves falling on top of other leaves already on the grass. Thrilling!! Does it make it more dramatic if I tell you I was holding Gus while filming, because he refused to take a nap this afternoon?

Here's a random picture of leaves in the neighborhood, just so I don't leaf you hanging...

Coziness

As the weather finally cools down in the mid-South, I'm enjoying this cozy season of the year. It's time to break out our boots, scarves, and puffy vests. I put flannel sheets on the bed, and now I can go to sleep more easily because I'm not cold! When I opened my sweater drawer the other day, I felt like I was saying hello to old friends who I hadn't seen in months.

Oh, and slippers! I almost forgot about my toasty toes. Last year, I received these excellent slippers as a Christmas present (the brand is Haflinger, if you're curious). They are perfect for our house with hardwood floors because they are made of wool (for warmth), plus they have these texturized dots on the bottom to provide traction without being noisy. My previous slippers had plastic (?) soles, so I was always clacking around, and I'd kick them off in the hallway before going in to bedroom to check on sleeping babies.

Summer lasted too long this year, in my opinion. I was tired of being hot and sweaty all the time. Does this love of cold weather make me not a Southerner? Or, does the fact that I feel like 60 degrees is cold mean I have adapted to my current climate?

Hello, fall!

p.s. Stay tuned for March when I start whining with, "Brr, I'm cold! I'm tired of sleeping on flannel sheets! When is spring going to get here??"