Picture Day (2014)

After much heated debate, lots of tears and one hysterical meltdown, Mrs. Yeti and I finally got Greta out the front door today in an outfit we both approved of. And it's a good thing, because today was Greta's first picture day at school. Hooray!

I'll try and post a few of the official studio portraits when we get them back, but for now, here is my favorite new picture of my favorite kindergartner in the world. Enjoy!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Moms Demand Action’s cool new “Groceries not Guns” ad campaign

Like most people I know I tend to save my overtly political musings for Facebook (suck it Hobby Lobby!), but, the latest ad campaign from the Michael Bloomberg-backed gun control group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was just too good not to share with you.

Highlighting the fact that the Krogers grocery store chain bans shirtless people, outside food and drink and skateboards from their stores but allows their patrons to carry loaded firearms while shopping, the bold, striking images in these ads say it all. This is one completely ass-backward policy, amigos! Crazy town! I only wish there was a Krogers near me that I could boycott or ride my skateboard in. And I don't even own a skateboard! Grrrr!

And while some might argue that the ads (which began running in newspapers today) are preaching to the choir, the fact that similar campaigns by the group have been effective in reversing the gun policy at national retail and restaurant chains like Chipotle, Sonic, Target and Starbucks gives me hope. So, rock on, Moms Demand Action. Dads demand it too!

To learn more about the group's “groceries not guns” campaign check out this super cool piece on today's Huffington Post.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Kindergarten Week One: The New World Order

Yesterday marked the end of the first full week of kindergarten and let me tell ya, whoever said I’d have more time on my hands once Greta started school is full of shit. I haven’t felt this frazzled and out-of-my-element since those first few days after we brought Greta home from the hospital. Seriously, it’s been non-stop since Monday morning.

One of my new mom friends equated this week with starting a new job, and she’s not far off. I was anxious, way too concerned with my hair and what I was wearing, tired as fuck (sorry, but my usual F-word substitute, “fudge,” just didn’t seem to express how truly exhausting this week has been) and completely overwhelmed with paperwork. Insanity!

And though there have been definite highlights and I’ve made fast friends with several very chill moms and dads of students in Greta’s class, I think all three of us are a little overwhelmed by the sweeping sea change washing over us right now.

So far, Greta has been loving school but it’s the getting up in the morning and going there that kills her. However, aside from Wednesday morning, which was just horrific — at one point I was literally dragging her to class! — she really loves her teacher and each new day was better than the last. So, that’s progress in my book.

Personally, I found myself finally getting into the groove around Thursday, which is great because it ended up being one of the longest days of my life. I got up at 7:15 (which, believe it or not, has been my start time all week!), got Greta ready, dropped her off at school at 8:25 and then headed to my first PTA meeting at 8:30. Luckily for me, I managed to squeeze in some breakfast, because it turned out to be a three hour meeting! Yikes…who knew?

Fortunately, the meeting got out a little early (at around 11:00) so I had time to run to Costco and Trader Joe’s before heading back to school to pick up Greta at 1:30. We then headed to the park for a mini reunion with some of our old friends from Greta’s pre-school days, and then headed from there straight to ballet class, where we shared an emotional goodbye with Greta’s beloved ballet teacher who started her maternity leave today.

After ballet, we ran home to change and pick up Mrs. Yeti and then hurried back to Greta’s school for a massive “Back-to-School” picnic. They had food trucks, music, a farmer’s market selling produce grown at the school’s onsite garden (!) and again, many chances to meet new parent friends. Simply put, it was awesome. If all the parents at Stevenson are as hip, artsy and totally diverse as the ones we met this week, this new world order might not be so bad after all!

Now, if we could just get a handle on the constant flow of paperwork coming our way, I think we might be ready to face week two. Wish us luck!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

“Country: Portraits of an American Sound” at the Annenberg Space for Photography

Last weekend, we headed to the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City to check out their spanking new exhibit, “Country: Portraits of an American Sound” and lemme tell ya, it kicked ass. Seriously, even people who don’t like country music will enjoy the very cool array of photographs on display. And if you love old school Grand Ole Opry stars like Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn, George Jones and Patsy Cline as much as we do, well, prepare to be dazzled.

Featuring work from a number of photographers covering the country music scene in Nashville and beyond, the show spans the post WWII period straight on through to today. One of Greta’s favorite shots was a very recent portrait of that little firecracker Kasey Musgraves. Musgraves took home the Grammy for Best Country Album earlier this year for her boot-stompingly good major label debut “Same Trailer Different Park.” And of you haven’t heard her music yet, well…you will!

My favorite pic was the insanely cool Tammy Wynette shot featured on the poster below and an action pic of Loretta Lynn jumping for joy after hearing that she’d been asked to join the regular cast at the Opry. Classic! And if you love Johnny Cash like we do, there are some great photos of him through the years as well. Honestly, every photo in the show is amazing and the documentary the Annenberg produced in conjunction with The Country Music Hall of Fame is positively riveting. Seriously good stuff all around.

And those with wee ones will appreciate the show’s super cool hidden item game which encourages kids to find items from a brochure in the photos on display. Greta loved it and actually, it was fun for adults too. In fact, some of the items were so difficult to find that we had to ask for help.

So, if you live in the area (and even if you don’t!) get thee to the Annenberg Space for Photography and check out this little gem of a show for yourself. The cost of admission is free and parking, with museum validation, is only one dollar. So, how can you lose?

I should warn you though, this show will fuel your desire for country jams like never before, we’ve been playing nothing but Dolly, Emmylou Harris and Porter Wagoner all week…it’s been awesome!

Greta’s glasses: Update

Sorry for not posting for a while, but work and the rigors of raising a tiny human being have been keeping me on my toes more than normal. I don’t know if it’s the pre-summer rush or what, but, life around the Yeti household has been pretty insane of late and, for better or worse, time has been flying by these days.

That said, I wanted to take a minute to give you an update on Greta’s eyeglass situation. We had our one month follow-up appointment with her eye doctor yesterday and not only did Greta do better on every vision test she took, but, the doctor said her eyesight has improved almost three times over since she started wearing glasses! Yay!

I know we still have a long way to go, but, I could not have been prouder of my little bespeckled biscuit that day. Hearing her rattle off the shapes on the eye chart — most of which were too blurry for her to identify last time — filled my old withered heart with joy. Seriously, it was really cool, especially considering the fact that she’s only been wearing glasses for a little over a month!

But perhaps even cooler than the results of her most recent eye test is the fact that Greta genuinely enjoys wearing her little green and black Hello Kitty glasses now. And if I needed any further proof of that, her response to a little girl at the park, who asked why Greta was wearing glasses, totally sealed the deal. “My glasses help me see better.” Greta proudly replied.

And who can argue with that?

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

“Love is an Open Door” clip goes viral

If you thought the pop-culture juggernaut that is Frozen peaked with the film’s two big wins at the Academy Awards or yesterday’s eagerly-awaited home video release, think again.

Proving that Frozen mania is here to stay, a new wave of videos featuring people singing and/or lip-syncing songs from the movie have gone totally viral. And this time, they’re singing something new. So, move over Adele Dazeem (aka Idina Menzel) because “Love is an Open Door” is definitely having a moment.

And while it may have all started with the charming, “good-looking couple” in the first clip shown above, the list of spoofs and imitators on YouTube is growing by the second. There are even imitators of the imitators…it’s crazy! But also, kind of totally awesome.

Long live the Frozen phenomenon!

Greta’s Princess Birthday Party Pics (2014)

Here, as promised, are some of the best pics from Greta’s fifth birthday party at the log cabin in Verdugo Park. As you can see, it was a Princess-themed party with the guests (and their parents!) encouraged to come in costume as their favorite princess or pirate and a royal good time was had by all. Enjoy the pics…and happy birthday, sweetie!

Gingerbread House 101: How to stay sane while decorating with candy, gingerbread and a very willful four-year-old!

Despite the fact that Mrs. Yeti and I created an award-winning gingerbread house in 2008, this year’s casa de gingerbread was a totally different story. To start with, we had a very opinionated four-and-a-half year old at the helm and an even more opinionated construction crew helping her.

To complicate matters further, we started the project when we were all very hungry, for, you know, real food, which is never wise. And though the candy involved in the making of our house was tasty, one can only eat so many M&M’s and sour gummy worms before true holiday madness sets in. So, as you can imagine, the hunger-fueled sniping and arguing came on pretty fast and furious like.

Mrs. Yeti, who had already been baking all weekend, dropped out first, followed quickly by our master junior architect who got bored and left the table in a huff after assembling the roof. That left my mom and I to finish up the sides of the house and the yard. And despite some major artistic differences (I still say we need a wreath or something over that back window!), overall, I think we did a pretty good job. And as the pictures prove, we all came together again at the end to share in the glory of our crooked little candy house. So, there’s always that.

Anyway, if you’re interested in making a gingerbread house with your kids this season, I highly recommend using Trader Joe’s tasty Deep Dark Gingerbread Cake and Baking Mix (a house mold our size takes two boxes) and one of Nordic Ware’s amazing Gingerbread Cake Pans. Both will save you loads of time and heartache in the early stages of making your house.

And, trust me, anything that saves you time and heartache when you’re creating Christmas memories with a four-year-old is a very good thing. Enjoy!

Brenda Schmitz’s Christmas Wish

Move over KOST 103.5, there is another radio station granting Christmas Wishes out there these days, and they even answer wish requests from beyond the grave! You may have already heard about this online or seen the accompanying video clip, but, the late Brenda Schnitz’s story is too beautiful not to share with you guys, especially in these last fleeting days before Christmas.

The clip itself is a little long, but totally worth watching from start to finish, so, I’ll save the good stuff for the video. All you need to know is that just before losing her battle with Ovarian Cancer in 2011, Brenda Schmitz gave one of her friends a letter and made her promise to deliver it to the local radio station’s Christmas Wishes program only after her husband fell in love with someone else.

Two years later, the radio station got the letter and invited the stunned widower down to the station to read it to him and tell him the story of his late wife’s dying Christmas Wish for the family and husband she left behind. So, click on the YouTube link below and prepare to be terribly moved. Seriously, I don’t even know how the DJ finished reading the entire letter. This one is a real tearjerker!

The Library Store on Wheels @ Renegade Craft Fair L.A. (Dec. 14-15)

We will probably be too busy decorating our Christmas tree and working on getting our cards in the mail to be able to attend, but, the super fun Renegade Craft Fair is in town this weekend. And this year, which marks the fourth year that Renegade has come to Los Angeles, the Library Store’s rocking Library Store on Wheels will be there as well, so, how can you lose?

So, if you live in the area and are craving some unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for the folks on your Christmas list or, hell, even for yourself, get thee to the Los Angeles State Historic Park and get shopping! Tell them the Yeti sent you…