Family garden

It's actually working!  Who knew that sowing seeds in soil, with water and sun would actually work!  It's amazing to see the fruits of our labor.  I can't wait to eat all the goodies from our garden.  Will the boys like beets???

Last day

This is the last day of the strike.  I am so happy to return to the class tomorrow.  10 days out of the classroom is a big deal and I know that everyone is happy to go back to school.  Well, maybe... Micah would rather be out striking still.  Who is this kid???

Day 6

The best picture ever.  Wouldn't you agree???

MLK

How poignant... we have been on strike for the past few days to take a collective break in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Now more than ever, I feel that we have to stand together to make a change.  I hope that Jawsh and I can impart this civic duty and social consciousness to Noah and Micah.  What will they do to change the world???

Day 1- Strike

 The last teacher strike in Los Angeles was in 1989.  Twenty years later, 34,000 educators went on strike.  As a veteran teacher, this was not something that I necessarily wanted but something I had to do.  This was a post I wrote the eve before the strike:

Tomorrow I will go on strike. I will be picketing in the rain with my husband and sons, 20 colleagues from my school site, and 30,000 more teachers from the district. This is not what I hoped would happen, but what has to happen. 

- I am striking to make a difference in the lives of all students. 
- I am striking for students who do not have the educational environment and support systems they need. 
- I am striking for the thousands of students who are sitting in overcrowded classrooms who don’t have desks and sit on the floor or lean on a wall. 
- I am striking for the 80% of the district’s students who live at or near the poverty line and have a right to librarians, nurses, counselors, and psychologists more than one day a week. 
- I am striking in the hopes that we do not break the district into “32 networks” so the haves keep having and the have-nots are left with nothing. I do not want Los Angeles to be the next New Orleans where there are no more neighborhood schools. 

I am not striking against schools but FOR schools. It’s not a cliche, teachers teach because they want to make a difference. And tomorrow, teachers will strike to make a difference.

The box

Jawsh was commissioned by the City of Los Angeles to paint this electric box located in Westchester.  I can't wait to see what he will do.  Any guesses???

Happy New Year's Eve

Happy New Year!!!  What are your New Years' resolutions?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year's Eve!  Our last day of 2018 was spent at Playa del Rey Beach.  Jawsh and I enjoyed a coffee from Playa Provisions and the boys enjoyed a sweet treat.  It was a very relaxing day and we enjoyed the time together.  What will the new year bring???

Santa Monica Pier

One of our gifts to the kids is the gift of time.  We spent the whole day in Santa Monica with the kids riding rides at pier and eating grass-fed burgers at Hiho.  It was a great day and the boys love spending time with their cousins.  At the end of the night, we played Catan as a family.  These are the memories that will last a life time, don't you think???

Adventure awaits!

Kaitlyn spent the tonight and we decided to have an adventure... we took the Playa Vista shuttle to the Fisherman's Wharf in Marina del Rey.  Unfortunately everything was closed and we didn't spend much time there so we walked a few blocks to eat at CPK.  Will we take the shuttle to Venice next time???

Candy Party

Now that Micah is expander free, we celebrated with a candy party and watched Wreck It Ralph.  All of the kids had a great time, eating all the candy they wanted and then playing Chubby Bunny with marshmallows right after.  When will Micah head into Phase 2 treatment???

Community Garden

We spent the morning in the community garden tending to our raised bed.  We dug out at least 200 grubs (yuck) and then tilled the soil so we could plant herbs and root vegetables.  It was a lot of hard work, but satisfying.  The boys had a great time.  When will we reap the fruit of our labor???

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Min Family!  The kids had a wonderful time celebrating Atticus' first Christmas.  There was an abundance of food and presents... what more could anyone else ask for???

Life Cycle

We had a new adventure today!  We went to a museum for the first time called the Marciano Art Foundation.  They are exhibiting Ai Weiwei's project Life Cycle, which is a cultural response to the global refugee crisis.  It was amazing to see the work that he made and the intricate details of his work.  Were the boys as inspired as I was???

LACMA

After Micah's ortho appointment, we went to LACMA for a few hours.  I definitely see a difference when the boys are with their friends versus when they are just with family.  The kids went into the Boone Gallery and did some Korean Brush Painting and Noah made a marvelous tiger and Micah made a wonderful bird.  They have so much talent... will they want to get int o the arts???

Blue Jets

Micah's team, the Blue Jets, came in first place in their region.  Hard work, pays off!  How will they do in the state play-offs???

Candy Cane Lane

Tonight we took a stroll down Candy Cane Lane with the K family.  It's so nice to walk and see all the houses decorated with lights and animatronics.  The boys are of the age, where they walked swiftly and then would stop and stare at their phones.  This was disappointing but I get it.  They are feeling like they are too old.  At least they humored me and got into the sleigh, right???

Winter Concert

Today is Micah's last Winter Concert... his class sang two songs: Christmas in Hollis and This is Me.  The kids did a nice job performing and I can't believe this is his last performance because they do not sing in middle school.  Will Micah want to be in the performing arts next year???

Water Cycle game

Micah's school project to create a Water Cycle game had to be tested before he submitted this into his class and the boys had a great time playing.  He was pretty thoughtful about the game design.  Will Micah become a game developer when he gets older???

Cool Shul

This evening we attended a Hanukkah Party hosted by the Cool Shul.  We were very excited to meet Rabbi Diane and the boys felt very welcomed.  So welcomed that the boys will be taking a class in the Spring.  This is a great time to be doing this as Noah is discovering more about his heritage.  What will his classes be like???

Happy Hanukkah

Spending the 4th night of Hanukkah with the V family was fun!  They all lit the candles and had a rousing game of Dreidel.  What will the next night of Hanukkah bring???

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah!  A friendly game of Dreidel is always fun to play.  Who will win???

Happy Birthday Noah

Happy 12th birthday to Noah!  We landed at LAX at 11:00 AM and at 3:00 PM we were at his party in West LA at Recreation.  He had a nice time celebrating with his friends.  They enjoyed climbing the walls and playing games.  What will 12 be like???

Reno!

Happy Thanksgiving from Reno!  Micah and Noah love playing with the cats and exploring the woods outside.  It was such a nice time to be with family.  When will we come back to Reno???

Hello Atticus

Hello Baby Atticus!  I was so happy to hold a baby!  I can't wait to watch him grow up.  When will I see him again???

Disneyland

What can beat going to Disneyland with your cousins?  Nothing!  The kids had such a great time at Disneyland.  We arrived at 7 AM and left around 10:30 PM.  It was a long day!  Noah's Fitbit calculated over 17,000 steps!  It was a lot of fun hanging with the boys and going on all the fast rides with them since the last time I came with them we primarily stayed in Fantasy Land.  When will we all be together again???

Post-it

Jawsh's 2nd Post-It show is coming up at GR in West LA.  It is such an honor to attend the show and fun to look for Jawsh's art!  Which post-it will be sold first???

12

Happy 12th birthday Noah.  You are almost taller than your mother and like to argue your point to the end!  Sounds like a teenager!  You enjoy playing Fortnite and texting friends.  You are receiving a lot of attention from new friends and taking it all in stride.  You are also doing very well in school, straight A's in a Gifted Magnet is no easy feat.  You apply yourself in many ways from robotics class to Bruin science classes.  We, you parents, are so proud of you and the person you are becoming... kind, intelligent, funny, and loving.  What will this year bring???

Future

We visited a friend at the UCLA Mattel Hospital and afterwards we walked to Ackerman so Noah could purchase a college shirt.  Then we headed to CPK in Westwood where Noah worked on his school work.   This is a glimpse of his future, studying in Westwood, attending UCLA.  Nothing is wrong dreaming big, right???

Date night

Our date night started at Scopa... we enjoyed our usual Honey Gem Salad, side of squash, and fish.  Then we decided to be responsible adults and to clean out one of our storage areas.  Needless to say, I am very happy that we decided to do this because now I can find everything I need.  When will we clean out the other one???

Happy Halloween

I thought this would be the Halloween where we would no longer dress as a family ensemble, but I was wrong!  The boys wanted to be Ringwraiths so Jawsh and I  eagerly jumped on board as Aragon and Arwin.  Lord of the Rings is cherished by Jawsh and Noah is now reading the series.  What will they want to be next year???

milk

Noah and his friend with a sweetmeat from milk.  When will we come back???

Teen Night at LACMA

Glimpses of the future... Noah in a long line to attend a concert!  Only this time, he was in a long line to attend the LACMA Teen Night.  This is a kid only event with food trucks, DJs, and art!  Jawsh and I ate at the cafe on site and when we picked up Noah and his friend, they weren't ready to leave!  Unfortunately they could not re-enter so we headed to West Hollywood and waited in another line at milk.  Independence for Noah is starting... how will I handle it???

Brothers

Sometimes I catch the boys early in the morning just talking.  I have no idea what they are talking about but I like it.  It's their time to be brothers and to have secrets and share their thoughts.  But I do wonder... what are they talking about???

New do!

Noah and his new do!  No longer does he have long hair in the back but it's clipped and shortened.  He looks older.  No wonder he likes it.  When will the changes stop???

Happy Birthday Liam

Happy 7th Birthday Liam!  We hope you have a wonderful birthday.  Wonder what he wished for???

Lake Arrowhead

My annual girls' trip to Lake Arrowhead did not disappoint.  It was a nice time to hang with my mommy friends, free of kids and husbands, to enjoy our friendship over glasses of wine and laughs.  When will we head back???

Happy Birthday Micah!

Happy 10th birthday Micah!  Today we celebrated his birthday with his closest friends.  We went to our first professional soccer game to watch the Galaxy against the Vancouver Whitecaps.  Since it was our first game we didn't know what to expect and it was so much fun.  There were areas of the stadium that were reserved for fan cheering and they chanted the whole game.  We had great seats so we could see the action up close and there were a few penalty kicks that were awesome to watch.  It was such a fun time that we hope we can go again.  When will we go back???

Happy birthday Micah!

Celebrating Micah's birthday with the cousins is a must!  We found ourselves at John's Incredible Pizza where the kids loved playing games and eating as much pizza as they could!  Happy birthday Micah... wonder what you wished for???

Lauryn Hill

If I had a bucket list, tonight would have been on it for sure!  Jawsh took me to see the Queen...  Lauryn Hill!  What an amazing concert and I loved every second of it!  We had great seats and it was so much fun.  It was worth the one hour drive to get there and the one hour wait trying to get out of the parking lot!  Will I ever experience something like this again???

Happy birthday girls!

Happy birthday to my September nieces!  Kaitlyn turned 12 and Emma turned 9 this week.  I can't believe how fats time is going.  They are definitely pre-teens in the ways they act and speak!  I am grateful that our kids are still close and like to spend time with each other.... when will that start to change???

Carpe diem

Micah has surprised me a lot while he was on his trip to Catalina.  He held a sea urchin because he said he may never have the chance to do it again!  He also said that he would stay in Catalina even longer if he could!  Who is this kid???

Middle school angst

While Micah and Jawsh are in Catalina dissecting squid and eating squid eyes, Noah and I are in his stuffy homeroom listening to his teacher explain something at Back to School Night.  Can you tell by Noah's face that he is super excited that I decided to attend???

Meanwhile...

While Micah and Jawsh are eating cafeteria food and discussing zero waste, Noah and I are enjoying some BBQ for dinner.  It's been fun spending time with Noah... I know that he is experiencing a lot of changes in middle school and I'm thankful that he's still talking to me.  That will change in the near future, right???

Snorkeling

Micah is loving his experience in Catalina.  He loved snorkeling and kayaking.  I miss this kid.  I wonder if he enjoyed snorkeling here or in Maui???

Meanwhile...

Noah requested lasagna so tonight we had a nice dinner at Scopa.  This is where Jawsh and I like to have dinner on our date nights so I was happy to share this experience with Noah.  He loved his Shirley Temple and we had a nice evening together.  When will we do a dinner date again???

Kayaking

Micah really enjoyed kayaking with his friends in Catalina.  I know that there takes a lot of control, so I wasn't surprised when I heard he crashed into something!  Will Micah want to kayak again???

Off to Catalina

Goodbye to half my family!  I am so grateful that Jawsh got to experience Catalina with Noah and now with Micah.  I hope they have a wonderful time and I already miss them!  What will Micah enjoy the most???

Congrats Bryan and Yojin

Congratulations to my cousin, Yojin!  She is almost ready to give birth and we are so excited to meet the newest member of our family.  What will she name him???

Happy birthday E!

The tradition continues...  Micah spent the day with his preschool friend E.  We went to the Grammy Museum to see a free screening of a movie and then we headed to Duff's to decorate a cake!  They did a great job manipulating the fondant to make a fox.  They worked really well together.  Will Micah want to come back and make another cake???