Letter from Los Angeles |
Friday | 6 April 2018 |
Back on Duty
Los Angeles, California: Dave and I left
Indio the morning after the Mexican Fiesta to drive to Los Angeles. We are now
on babysitting duty for four nights while Lisa and Lenny take a short
(long-planned) escape. We love to stay with the grandchildren, especially while
their parents are away. We always have a lot of fun, and maybe... quite
possibly... okay, no doubt, a few rules are broken.
Since Lisa and Lenny left for the airport very early Thursday morning, Bubba and
I had to get both kids to two different schools at two different times using two
different cars. There is more choreography delivering these two to school than
there is in Swan Lake. Not to mention lunches, snacks, changes of
clothing - and homework.
In the afternoon, the entire process is repeated in reverse... except the kids
have afterschool activities several days a week and are never on a regular
schedule. There is some-sort of flow-chart detailing their activities. How in
the heck my mom - with five kids - handled all of this, I can never imagine!
Plus, she was always a Den Mother or troop leader, baking for a school function,
and my Dad was President of the PTA. My Dear Husband often reminds me that I did
it all. All! With one child - and live-in help... and a driver - in The
Philippines and Taiwan.
Bloom Where You Are Planted!
Either way, parenthood is an exhausting job. But one day you will be rewarded
with grandchildren... and you can relive those early days when your grown
children run off on a business trip or holiday, and ask you to watch their
kids... except you are no longer in your 20s or 30s. You are in your 60s or 70s.
Dave and I go to bed about 15 seconds after Leo and Lucy are down each evening,
but we wouldn't give up these special few days alone with them for anything.
Leo and Lucy were invited to a birthday party Thursday at 5p. Their friend,
Emma, turned 4 and had a
Peppa Pig party at a local pizza place,
Desano. We have been
to the restaurant before and - wow - do they turn-out a fine pie.

Very traditional. Super chewy crust. On weeknights, if you
order two pizzas, they give you a bottle of wine. Decent wine!
Emma's had Peppa Pig cupcakes! So cute. The kids (and their grandparents)
had so much fun at the party.



After the party, it was fairly easy to get the rugrats into the
bath and bed, and both were delivered to school on time this morning with
breakfasts in their bellies, clean teeth, combed hair, lunches, backpacks, and
completed homework. Nobel prize?
The Grandparents rewarded ourselves with a wonderful breakfast of migas at
Homestate:

Oh gosh, we just love this place. Though famous for their
breakfast tacos - the #1 item (according to me) is the Lonestar
migas - crispy corn tortilla strips with scrambled eggs, topped with
shredded beef brisket and pico de gallo. Ten bucks.
After fetching the kids from school, we took them to ice cream (because it
is Friday... because why not?) at
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.
This week Jeni is featuring popcorn with sweet and salty peanuts ice cream.
So unusual. Yes, they have vanilla (single-sourced from a vanilla grower in
Uganda), but nothing is ordinary about an ice cream from Jeni's Splendid.
I asked the kids to smile so I could snap a photo for their parents:

They gave me fake smiles... so I asked them to stop smiling:

Too serious!


Someone loved her two fruit-flavored (if lavender is a fruit?) ice creams.
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the kids outside in the
beautiful warm sunshine. Later, they video-chatted with their parents. After
a bit of crying from Lucy - because Leo always gets to hold the phone!
- they had a nice visit with each other. The kids had asked me to make
macaroni and cheese for dinner. Lisa said she had a box of
Annie's
mac & cheese in the cupboard.

Her children had another brand in mind: Bubbe's. We had a big salad, which
included tomatoes from our little garden in Indio before baths and a movie.
Leo is modeling a new tee shirt:

And why would a six year old boy have this shirt?

Guess who starts T-Ball tomorrow? They grow up so fast...
and I won't be able to attend. I will be with Lucy at her ballet class.
Hopefully DT will take many photos?
I will leave you with a photo of two very rested parents:

Until my next update, I remain, your busy correspondent.
Comments
Sign Up is NOT required! Anyone may comment. Sign
up only if you would like to add an avatar, or if you wish to be emailed when someone responds to your comment.
(Sign-up will take you to my safe and secure comment server, Pnyxe.)