12 DAYS OF MOMMY: WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD

Day 7

Well... I had every intention of taking little J to see "Tangled" this morning (his first movie in a theater), but I figured the other moms/children would not appreciate sneezes and snot rocketed in to the air without any attempt to shield from others. And since it was the morning of Christmas Eve, I worried that his cold might eventually reveal itself as a rip roaring infection of some sort-- so I decided it would be best if we went to the doctor just in case.

Yup. Just a bad cold.

So, we ended up spending the day at home relaxing and were later joined by family and friends for some traditional Christmas Eve chili. (I just made that up. I suppose there's nothing traditional about chili on Xmas Eve whatsoever. But it at least deserves a mention because it was topped with Frito's... and anything topped with Frito's deserves a mention).

So at some point in the last week or so, "Wizard of Oz" happened to be on TV and I guess Jonah caught a glimpse.... Well, I guess our days of Elmo, Sid, Wyatt and Clifford are done. Those guys are bor-ing. Right now my boy is enamored by Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and even the Wicked Witch. Oddly, nothing in this movie scares him except the Lion.... which basically means there's only about 3 scenes we can watch in the entire movie. Nonetheless, I'm enjoying watching this with him. Perhaps we'll try "The Wiz" in a few weeks.... NOT.

Day 8

Christmas day and LA is a ghost town. Great day again with family and friends. Finished it off with a movie-- "The Fighter." SO good. Christian Bale's performance was so incredible that it kind of makes up for the fact that he went bonkers on a crew member last year.

In other news, I haven't stopped eating since the 17th and I fear that my yoga pants will have to be surgically removed from my body as 12 Days of Mommy has rapidly become 12 Days of about 5 showers and 2 changes of clothes.

Oh, yes.... I am the ghost of disheveled past....

12 DAYS OF MOMMY: TRICIA'S RED BEANS, AND RICE

Day 6

When Jonah's nanny Tricia (AKA the Jonah whisperer and my savior) first started working with us (6 plus months ago), I told her that I had only a few staples that I knew how to cook and could whip up easily. Of course, there's only so much turkey meatloaf, pasta and lemon chicken a child can take...

Anyway Tricia, who is originally from Grenada, told me that she had a few recipes of her own that Jonah would probably like.

One of the recipes she told me about was her family's recipe for Red Beans and Rice.... Well, after months of Tricia's recipe pinned to my bulletin board, I decided yesterday would be a perfect opportunity to make it. After all, in addition to sauteed onions, sizzling bacon and of course love, nothing makes a recipe better than a 3-year olds sneezes and coughs!

It turned out delish. Here's the recipe. Note the coconut milk! YUM.

Tricia's Red Beans & Rice

4oz Bacon (About 6 slices), Chopped

1 Large Onion chopped

4 Garlic cloves minced

1 -28oz can of Diced Tomatoes, Drained

1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro, Finely chopped

3 cups Long-Grain Rice

2 -14oz Cans of Coconut Milk

1 cup Water

4 tbsp Salt

2 -15.5 oz cans of Red Kidney Beans, Drained

Brown bacon for approx. 3 min. Add onions and garlic. Saute for 5 more min. Then add drained tomatoes, kidney beans, cilantro, rice and salt. Mix gently until well blended. Add coconut milk, water and mix again. Bring to a boil and cover. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 35-40 min, or until rice is tender.

HOPE EVERYONE'S HAVING A DELICIOUS HOLIDAY!

12 DAYS OF MOMMY: SUGAR COOKIES

Day 5

We did it. We made Sugar cookies. I planned on using the mixture/ cookie kit from Trader Joe's, but of course at the last minute discovered I needed parchment paper which I didn't have. Fortunately, I remembered I had an old Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix in the cabinet (see, I do have intentions of being a good (divorced) housewife).

My shirtless sous chef was a delight to work with.... And very good with his hands....

But not so into the decorating part.... He lost interest pretty quickly and was more than ready to try the goods.

Why do I find it so ironic that the Christmas tree is decorated and the menorah gets a little "shmear.....?"

Oh, well.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL! XOXO, Jenny

12 DAYS OF MOMMY: THE LAKE SHOW

Day 4

Back to Staples Center... this time sans child and characters skating (and falling) on ice. It was an adult night... A night to see Kobe, Lamar, D-Fish and crew take on the Milwaukee something or other.... Apparently it was a terrible game. An atrocity (the Bucks won by like 20 something points), and Kobe even got thrown out for two technicals. BUT I had a blast as a) our seats were incredible and I was in good company, b) I made Charlie O'Connell (the drunken/Bachelor/brother to hot Jerry O'Connell) laugh while in line for a French dip sandwich and c) like any good Laker game, having nothing to do with how they play, there were some good celebrity sightings. No Jack Nicholson, but I'll take "Jack Dawson" over him any day anyway....

*Sports fanatics and great wives/girlfriends who claim to "like" watching Sports Center (Nooooo, you do. You really really do!): Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the Lakers for more than their pretty faces and wives with addicting reality shows, I do. BUT, the cheerleader (that never was) and truck driver swearing/ true sports fan thing doesn't really kick in until May/playoffs. That is... if they make it to the playoffs or finals. If they don't, well... then....ehh. Sorry NBA... I'll be "Keeping Up" with a different kind of season finale...

Spoken like a true LA native... ;-)

12 DAYS OF MOMMY: BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Day 3

I think yesterday was the first time I realized how different my life will be raising a kid with certain behaviors... Lately, it's been hard to know what is just 3 year old behavior vs. circumstantial/reactionary behavior. But yesterday, I got a glimpse of the kind of a behavior that generally makes up and defines my kid:

BOY BEHAVIOR.

Another rainy, rainy day here in Los Angeles... We met my dear friend Carin Goldstein of BeTheSmartWife and her son E at an indoor playroom. I think the highlight for Jonah was discovering an air hockey table and really trying his hardest to play. Watching him wait eagerly for his turn, and being told by an older boy that he was ruining the game (as he kept purposely shooting the puck in his own goal because it was funny), touched me in some way....

After the playroom we went downstairs for a bite to eat .... well, Carin, E, and I ate.... Jonah was on a "poo poo/ pee pee" song and jibberish kick in an effort to make E laugh.... And boy did he ever! The two of them were as silly as can be. Initially, there was an effort on my and Carin's part to curb their behavior ("we're in a restaurant!") but at a certain point, it was just too plain funny and well, at 4:45 on a Monday, the place was empty... and I'm on kind of on vacation. Sometimes it's okay to just let things slide.... right??

Have at it boys!

12 DAYS OF MOMMY: TO GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE WE GO

Day 2

On most mornings, trying to rally the kid to get dressed and get out the door is an extraordinary feat. But tell him we need to get dressed so we can go visit his grandparents???

6:10am he's raring to go. Jerk.

It was a rainy and chilly day here in LA, so stuffed french toast and coffee at Grandma L and Grandpa B's house was the perfect way to spend the morning...

Not sure if he's picking up on my 12 Days of Mommy/ Relaxed vibe, but he wasn't up for a lot of playing or running around... Instead J sort of chilled, cuddled and lounged... entertaining us all (from the floor) with his version of "Knock Knock" jokes....

As an aside, when it comes to Jonah's "Knock Knock" jokes, he demands that a) everyone says "who's there," and I mean everyone ... and b) when he finishes, everyone must laugh---no matter what the joke is or "who" is actually there.... which, at this point, a "lamp post" is always who's there. Don't ask).

On our way out, J got on his rain boots and splashed in some puddles with Grandma....

We ended the day with dinner at my all time favorite restaurant- El Coyote. This LA landmark and institution is well, for lack of a better word, a dump. In fact, most people go there for the margaritas only and think the food is crap. BUT I LOVE IT. Seriously, I don't care that they offer spaghetti with their tacos and thousand island with their tostadas. I LOVE IT. And crave it. So it was fun to have an early dinner there with one of my bf's who loves it like I do and her husband and son.

Alas, Day 3 needs to be a little lighter on the food front.... or I need 12 pairs of sweat pants.

12 DAYS OF MOMMY: DISNEY ON ICE

Day 1

It was a lazy, lazy morning. The kind that was so comfy and so perfect, I wondered if i was doing something wrong. I could get used to this...

The big event of the day: taking Jonah Downtown to Staples Center to see Disney on Ice. Not quite understanding the concept of "a show," he kept asking if he would get to skate at the "ice skating school." (Apparently his only understanding of ice skating at this point is from Murray on Ses. Street going to skating school. LOL).

My bf and I were so excited to tell him that this was where the Lakers play. "Kobe DRYant?" he asked.

"Yup, Kobe DRYant." (Incidentally, am I the only parent who actively chooses to let their child pronounce/say things wrong because it sounds so cute?)

The minute we walked through the doors of Staples Center, the yellow, purple and Jack Nicholson-filled stadium was no where to be found. Oh no, it was all things Disney--- and they get ya at the door. Literally. We didn't take more than 15 steps until J spotted a vendor selling an overpriced plastic chatchke that lights up and turns children in to "gimmee now" zombies. Equally enamored, and apparently made of money, his every wish was my command. Thankfully he settled on a pair of Mickey binoculars, cotton candy that came with Mickey ears, and a bucket of popcorn. $42 later, we were off to our seats.

Then the magic happened....

Watching Jonah's eyes pop when the characters emerged on to the ice was priceless. He marveled, waved and cheered and... holy shit: he sat still for two hours!!!

Though he did love seeing his favorites like Mickey, Buzz, and Woody dancing and singing... on ice... I would say Jonah was mostly enthralled with the set changes and curious about where the characters were disappearing to when they skated off the ice behind the curtain...

For me, I'll be honest, though beyond excited to be sharing something special like this with my son for the first time, as a whole, it was hard for me to not think about what "Mulan" or "Snow White" really wanted to be when they grew up. Watching them lip sync to the songs and stumble/fall every now and again, reminded me of a cruise ship performance. In fact, I wondered how many of these actors even spoke English. I don't mean to sound critical or cynical-- it was fun! I'm just saying, "Aladdin" didn't exactly skate like Johnny Weir that's all.

There were definitely some "scary" parts for little J.... Like the dancing brooms during Fantasia... or the spooky skeleton greeting other evil characters like Captain Hook and Cruella De Villa. Much like his first time on Pirates of the Caribbean, I held him tight, told him that it was all pretend and delighted in knowing that these would be the memories shaping his imagination and boyhood....

All in all it was a fun day and a great way to start 12 Days of Mommy.

PS. Minute by minute, I think this is quickly turning into 12 Days of Eating. Yikes.