No Pressure!



Homemade Keroppi goody bags.
All the planning & prepping is worth it to see
how excited she is about her upcoming party.



The kid is having a small-ish (school friends & immediate family) birthday party at the park. To reduce party-planning stress, I have been methodically tackling a little party prep each night.
Then, yesterday:

"Mommy, I asked my Magic 8 Ball if this is going to be the best party ever & it answered, DEFINITELY!"

Oh yeah. No pressure.

The Great Snail Rescue



When you are 8 years old, nothing can interrupt the fun of zipping around the house on a toddler-sized car with your little cousin, taking turns being the pusher and the passenger. Not your mother hollerin' at you, not the aroma of pizza hot from the oven, not the yelp from your little cousin when you accidentally run over her foot... nothing, that is, except for the sight of a microscopic-sized baby snail in your path. How it somehow survived that car turbo-ing around and little feet running past it at a hundred miles an hour, we'll never know.

The kid immediately launched herself from the car, enlisted the help of her cousin, picked up the snail, ooh-ed and aah-ed over its cuteness, contemplated keeping it as a pet, then finally took it outside to release it into the wild. Under the lemon tree? Too exposed- birds might see it as a snack. Around and around they went until they found the perfect spot. Then back inside to terrorize the adults continue the fun.

Kiddo Loves Her Mama

This cheery little card appeared on my nightstand recently. Colorful hand-cut paper confetti hearts spilled out upon opening it. The kiddo confessed that her big plan was to build a micro machine that would make the paper hearts explode like fireworks when I opened the card. To her dismay, she wasn't able to figure out the making-a-machine part of it, so I received a slightly lower-tech version. Don't you just love lower-tech?

Ciao, ragazzi!



A sampling of hoarded letters from the Italians

My grandma used to tell me about her decades-long "pen friendship" with a woman from a land far, far away. It fascinated me that she considered this woman a friend even though they had never met.



In college, I saw a flyer for a penpal service and decided to give it a whirl. Soon my mailbox was bursting with a jumble of letters from around the world. What a wonderful time I had peeking into daily life in England, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Egypt, & the West Indies. Most of these penpals fell to the wayside after a year or so. But not those Italians! I had a real connection with both of my Italian penpals.

Through only ink & paper for years, we revealed much about our lives to each other. I found that writing to someone half a world away allowed me to open up more than I might have in person. Almost 20 years later, I call them "sister" and "brother". I've been in one friend's wedding, visited Italy twice, & hosted visits by "the Italians" (as my family affectionately calls them). I'm delighted that our children get along like best buddies - language barrier be damned! This summer, we'll share a new experience together - vacationing in Hawaii.

Investing a book of stamps & a little of my time has allowed me to reap the rewards of these two very special friendships. To my grandma who inspired me to reach out to strangers across the sea... grazie mille!

Staying Connected

When the kiddo was in pre-school, I began including daily notes with her lunch. Not only did this serve as a reminder that I was thinking about her, it also provided an opportunity to strengthen her reading skills.

Fast forward to 3rd grade. I continue to pack lunch notes a few times each week. I've told her that on days when she doesn't find a note, I've blown kisses into her lunchbox. Sappy, but it works for us. On lunch note days, one of the first things she says when I pick her up is, "I liked the note today!"

I want the extra special people in my life to know that they are always on my mind. So I also keep in touch daily with my...

Hubs: texting little love darts a few times a day,

Baby Bro: snarky random emails to make each other laugh,

BFF: hilarious no-holds barred online chats or phone calls,

Parentals: nightly phone calls that give me & the kiddo a chance to recount the day's adventures with them.

A few minutes each day is all it takes to keep us feeling connected. After moving from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles 5 years ago, I initially felt quite isolated. I was angry at the heat, angry at the traffic, and angry at my homesickness. Developing these daily check-ins kept me going through that rough patch. What's better than sharing a daily dose of laughter & good wishes with your family and friends?

Bright, Sunshiny Days

I love people who exude lightness and joy. Thank goodness for these bright, sunshiny people who make being happy seem so effortless. They don't allow others' negativity to stick to them and weigh them down. Why shouldn't it be that way for everyone? The world has too many crazy-makers and drama-lovers. While I may not be one of those lucky sunshine people (can you tell I lived in Berkeley for awhile?), I strive to become more like them and I am lucky to have many people in my life who are this way.

Besides bright, sunshiny people, what things instantly lift your mood? Here's my first-5-things-that-come-to-mind list:
1) meyer lemons from my in-laws' tree
2) a brisk walk in not-too-warm weather
3) ice cold water
4) pretty paper
5) happy music

After visiting my in-laws yesterday, I have pounds & pounds of freshly-picked lemony goodness waiting to be transformed into minty lemonade & mini lemon-ricotta cakes. Last night they brightened up our guacamole and marinade. Bonus: they look so pretty in a big white bowl on my kitchen counter!