Growing Up Savvy

Published May 5, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: Seeing is Believing

All has been quiet on this blog for a bit and that is due to a few colds we’ve been weathering. Spring colds or warmer weather colds are the worst. You are home, feeling poorly and watching as the rest of the world comes to life and blooms. Thankfully, we’re mostly over them and have moved on to the next worst thing — seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergies though, did not keep us away from visiting my in-laws and attending our good friends’ daughter’s first birthday party. In between of all the driving, and there was quite a bit of it, we did enjoy time at my in-laws and even a dinner out with my sister and her family.

Bubbles, bubbles are all the rage. Who wouldn’t want to squeal with delight trying to catch these bubbles?

… and then there are always care-taking duties to attend to like feeding your baby. You’ll notice, Sophia even put a bib on the baby. Grammie and Pop’s house is like a toy wonderland and she loved it so much, she didn’t want to leave. Hopefully, we’ll get visitors soon. As usual, I will cook in exchange for having Sophia entertained.

FriendsFamily Life Moments

Published May 1, 2014 by Nadya

The World Is Magical

What did you dream about when you were younger? What did you wish you could do? I dreamed about inventing and building things that would do whatever I envisioned. Perhaps my career choice (computer scientist) is apropos in that I can invent and build a software that does a great many things.

Imagination is very important to all of us, but it is essential to early childhood development. Imaginative play and creativity should not be stifled as they let children create their own little worlds with magical powers and it is through those that children learn their place in our world.

I was reminded of this by the Google Doodle contest that is run every year. This year, the contest’s theme is about making the world a better place by inventing something. All of the entries are fascinating and very impressive given the ages of the doodlers.

Now ask yourself this, “What would I design to make the world a better place?”

Food For Thought

Published April 29, 2014 by Nadya

The Mad Dash

The mad dash is what happens when we aren’t home over a weekend. The weekends, you see, are usually designated for me spend a good amount of time cooking and prepping to ensure that I can come home on a weekday, reheat and ~~relax~~ play with Sophia. While we were thrilled to be hosted, unwind and enjoy some great quality time with our friends, we were running around like mad when we got home to bootstrap ourselves for the week, at least a little bit.

Having gotten home at close-to-4-PM, we needed to have dinner on the table within an hour and a half, breakfast and lunch for Sophia (at least) for Monday and tidy up our fairly un-messy home. I won’t keep you in suspense and share that we managed everything we’d planned though I recall collapsing into bed pretty exhausted. One of the ways we are able to manage is that we are each interchangeable with the other for almost any task around the house. For example, on Sunday, Sophia wanted to play with me, so Evan made the most amazing chicken schnitzel, roasted potatoes and asparagus while I unpacked us and started a few loads of laundry for good measure, too.

I couldn’t avoid time at the stove and some pancakes and a chocolate banana bread followed the schnitzel. The wisest decision we made was to pick up a few grocery necessities while visiting our family so that we wouldn’t have to run out to the store as soon as we got in. I am constantly surprised how much variety of food we have to keep at home having Sophia who needs three meals and two snacks a day.

Cookery Hubby Cooks

Published April 28, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: With Balance & Love

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action.” Mother Theresa was right, and this must be the reason Grammie and Pop’s house is so magical for us and especially for Sophia. There is no magic in reality, just an incredible investment of time, attention and love for Sophia and us, too.

Sophia’s social season has begun and we are too happy to tag along to all her soirees. Fortunately, the first event took place close to my in-laws who graciously hosted us. The weather was gorgeous and we were happy to see our friends, get some help with Sophia, rest and unwind in a much quieter setting than offered in our Washington D.C., suburbs.

Sophia loved, loved, loved being on the balance beam, choosing to go on a high one even though she’s never tried a beam before. We should probably sign her up for gymnastics and nurture her budding skills and interest.

Having caught up with our good friends and enjoyed the hospitality of my in-laws, we departed on our journey back satiated and rested wishing the trip didn’t end so quickly and the drive didn’t take so long.

FriendsFamily Life Moments

Published April 25, 2014 by Nadya

Moment

Moments

Published April 24, 2014 by Nadya

Just Because…

There doesn’t always have to be a reason to share something, does there?

Life Moments Style

Published April 23, 2014 by Nadya

Charlottesville with a Toddler

I spent a significant amount of time looking at how to best structure our days with Sophia before embarking on this and our California trips. I am no longer surprised that there are not as many suggested itineraries or places to visit with toddlers; I imagine that most people are not comfortable venturing out with young children especially to historic landmarks or wineries. So in this post, I’m going to detail places to eat, drink, see and enjoy in and around Charlottesville.

See –

Monticello — Thomas Jefferson’s beautiful home. Splendid grounds and views. We tried to visit on Saturday but didn’t realize we could have purchased tickets ahead of time. You can only visit on a guided tour and those were sold out a bit in advance. We ended up purchasing a tour for 9:40 AM the following day (Easter Sunday) and the place was devoid of crazy crowds.
Ash-Lawn Highland — Monroe’s home from the time before he was president. You cannot book tours in advance which is actually a plus. We went to Ash-Lawn Highland right after getting tickets to Monticello and had a lovely morning seeing where he lived and even visiting with resident merino sheep, lambs and chickens.

Eat –

Eppie’s — Fast and casual lunch with children’s (not to be confused with children’s menu) portions. They are known for their chicken and dumplings soup.
Shenandoah Joe Coffee — A great coffee shop with pretty good pastries for a continental breakfast. The pumpkin muffins were great!
Maya — Great eats in more or less relaxed atmosphere with great food that manages to accommodate little mouths. No tablecloths, no cloth napkins, bold, seasonal and fresh menu and excellent m/cocktails.
Hamilton’s at First & Main — Traditional american menu, well-executed. Great Brunch.

Drink –

Jefferson Vineyards — A small winery a stone’s throw away from Monticello that had surprisingly good Pinot Gris and Rose as well as a good Meritage vintage.
Pollack Vineyards –Supposedly worth a visit, though we didn’t make it there.
Veritas Vineyards — Supposedly worth a visit, though we didn’t make it there.

Especially with Kids –

Virginia Discovery Museum — It is only fair that at least one of the attractions be tailored to our tiny traveling companion. The museum was reasonably priced and compact in size. I would say it is best suited for children 9 and younger.

Surrounding towns

Keswick — A small town just ten minutes away from Charlottesville, Keswick is set in the lush, farm-laden countryside offering great views, peace and serenity. Our hotel had hiking trails behind it and even an on-site vegetable garden making it a perfect place to unwind and enjoy and not just spend a night at.
Barboursville — A small town to explore and enjoy once you’ve grown restless in Charlottesville. The esteemed Barboursville Vineyards are also there.

Travel

Published April 21, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: On The Trail of Our Forefathers

Sometimes you just need to get away. Cabin fever, winter’s cold temperatures, and then finally spring blooms are enough to drive us out on a small, weekend-length adventure to Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville stands at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and provides everything Evan and I are interested in: nature, wine, and a bit of history. After being in Maryland for the last three years, we have yet to venture out south or west and this was the perfect opportunity to see what Shenandoah Valley has to offer.

We kicked things off right with a stop at Virginia’s Discovery Museum — a pint-sized Children’s Museum. Sophia was engaged for quite a while and loved her time there. She especially liked the farming and farm stand exhibits. We try to make sure everyone gets to do something fun and since we now have a little traveler with us, we plan activities she will really love.

No trip to Charlottesville is complete without a visit to Monticello — Thomas Jefferson’s grand home. We also stopped by Ash-Lawn Highland: a lesser known presidential home, though it was incredibly charming complete with sheep, lambs, and chickens. Monroe’s home was charming and very personal but nothing prepares you for the splendid home and views of Monticello. Each home had a 40-minute guided tour and much to my surprise, Sophia was a trooper through both. We did a little bit of hiking and even tasted the beautiful wines of the region.