Copy my husband's favorite local band

If you want some good rock n' roll tunes, check out Bloomfield Underground. According to their myspace page, they say they're influenced by: Big Star, Zep, Thin Lizzy, Stones, Badfinger, and Kings of Leon. I would add The Allman Brothers to that list. I like all four of the songs on their myspace page and had fun seeing them live a few months ago. Somebody sign this band already.

Copy Ella's new dress/play shoes

Call me cheap, but I like when Ella's shoes serve two purposes. When I go shoe shopping for her, I look for shoes that she can wear to the park and to church. They also have to be around 10 bucks. Today I found these at the Gap. Kind of fancy for the park, but cute. They were about 8 bucks cheaper at the store than they are online. I've noticed that to be the case with most clothes/shoes for sale online these days. What's with that?

Copy Westfield Shopping Center's attention to detail

I didn't go to the Family Lounge yesterday at the grand opening of the downtown mall, but I should have. It's so cool. I didn't take any pics, so you'll just have to believe me when I say that it's equipped with a flat screen TV that is permanently on ABC family, couches, cool toys, books, magazines, changing tables, private nursing rooms, diaper warmers, and even a microwave oven. Dads are also welcome at the lounge. When I was there, they had free pacifiers and rattles for all the kids. I don't know if they are always going to have them or it's just something for the grand opening. I gave Ella two breaks at the lounge during my intense day of window-shopping. She was happier for it and I got my shopping fix for a while.

Copy my little chicken nugget

It's official, Ella's going to be a chick for Halloween. Just in case I change my mind or find a better deal on a costume before then, I put the reciept nicely in my wallet. PS I tried the costume on in the store and HAD to get it--it looks so much cuter in real life than in the picture above. I'll take some pictures of her at the Picture People as soon as I get brave enough to take all the tags off!

Copy my idea for a weekend read

If you haven't noticed already, I pretty much only read young adult lit. It's my favorite genre and if I can show one person that there's more to young adult lit than just Harry Potty, then I'll be happier for it. I just finished reading Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos. A reviewer from the Boston Globe said, "The book draws the reader inside its world like nothing I've seen since the first-person narrative of the Catcher in the Rye." I wouldn't go that far, or even have the guts to compare this book to the Catcher in the Rye, but I do have to say that it does a good job getting you inside the mind of a boy with ADHD. If you know anyone who has this disorder, than read this book because it will give you a glimpse of what they might have to go through on a daily basis. Just so you know: it's 195 pages, but again it's young adult lit, so it reads super fast. Bonus: It's a Newbery Honor Book.

Copy everything about the SF Cheerleading squad

I didn't know the city San Francisco had their very own cheerleading squad! Who's idea was that? Brilliant! They were my favorite discovery at the Westfield San Francisco Centre grand opening.

Copy Jon's outlook on beauty

I go to this blog a lot (I especially like to check out his Blue Monday posts). Jon, the maker of the blog, prides himself on celebrating the unusual and the ordinary, happy colors, good design of any kind, and takes a moment to appreciate some things that get overlooked in the everyday. You know, it's kind of like seeing the world the way a one year old does. So today when I went to the San Francisco Zoo, I tried to celebrate all the things Ella found interesting and spend as much time as she wanted to on them. I mean, did I really need to see the lion's feeding at 2pm? No, even though I really wanted to. Oh, well. The day was about her and it turned out just fine. Here are some of the things she found interesting:
She hung out in this cave for about a half hour screaming and shouting because it made her voice echo.
For some reason, she had to get out of her stroller to touch this frog sculpture. Here's a picture of her making her barking sound because I think she thought it was a dog.
Her favorite animals at the zoo were the Prairie dogs. She met a boy named Luke here that I think she had a crush on. She followed him all the way to the petting zoo. I love the way her leg is bent in this picture.
Ella was so excited about riding the carousel, and then got bored before it even started.
Here's Ella back at the Prairie dog exhibit.

Copy my new crush

Isn't he dreamy? These Banana Republic ads are posted up everywhere around the city.

Don't copy my new favorite girl name

I'm not pregnant or plan on being for a long time, but I just wanted to call dibs on the name Roxanne before any of my friends/family snatch in up before me.

Copy anything made in Italy

I heart my stroller. I think its the best of it's kind on the market. I bought it right before I moved to San Francisco because I knew I wanted something fashionable yet functional. So materialistic, I know. I know. It's only ten pounds and has all the features I want--it leans back, folds easily, light weight, snack tray, and it's cool. Plus it doesn't blend in with all the Maclarens I see around the city. Find out more about them here.
PS
I got mine at Babies R Us on a big discount because I think they used it at Baby Expo. It looked brand new to me! That's my tip for the day--if you see a baby expo coming to town, hit up the Babies R Us that Monday for all the "used" stuff.

Copy these ideas to make a toddler happy in San Francisco

Liz asked me to write about the things I do with Ella--"fun playdates in San Francisco" was how she put it. A playdate can be defined as places you go with your kids and then meet up with other moms/kids, right? If I'm correct in my interpetation of a playdate, then here's my list. It really isn't anything special or unique, but it's some of my good old stand-bys, and one thing I've never tried before.
1. The South Beach Playground (It's located on the the Embarcadero--right next to SBC Park)
I love this park because it's made for toddlers. They don't have a jungle gym or anything that Ella can fall more than a foot off the ground. It's always sunny (sometimes a little too sunny) and it's completely fenced in. I go to this park allll the time.
2. Watch a Giants baseball game
I just did an entire blog about this one. For some reason, Ella loves this place. And I can't wait for her to get a little older so she can go down the huge slides in the CocaCola Bottle or play baseball in their minature field. If you buys tickets after the national anthem starts, you can get them 2 for 10 bucks. It's worth it.
3. Ocean Beach
I like this beach because I can take the N-Judah line there without making any transfers. And with the weather being so great, I should go more often. I heard Sept-Nov are the best months in San Francisco when it comes to weather.
4. San Francisco Zoo
Totally easy to get there by public transportation and plus they have a discounted price for San Francisco residents. I think it's 3 bucks cheaper, plus I get that rush of excitement knowing that, yes, I live in San Francisco! Ella's finally starting to notice that dogs and birds are interesting so I bet she's like this if I went once a week.
5. Reel Moms at the Metreon
I've never actually done this, but I'll give it a try tomorrow if I can get out of the house on time. Every week, at participating theatres around the country, moms and their babies get together at AMC for a first-run movie. They give you a special theatre environment: the lights are dimmed and the sound level is reduced so you can see and hear your baby throughout the show. You have to pay full price for the ticket. I don't know if it's going to be worth it. I'll see and update this blog tomorrow.

Copy the San Francisco Giant's idea for family night

We went to a Giants game. Our neighbor gave us a free ticket and Rob's work gave us 30 Giant's bucks to buy dinner. The only thing we bought was a 10 dollar ticket from a scalper on our walk to the field.
I always forget that I married a guy who likes sports. The only way I can desribe him is if I compare him to Woody Allen's character in Annie Hall. Remember the scene when Woody Allen's watching the basketball game instead of socializing at the party? That's how my husband gets when a good game is on. He doesn't come across as your typical sports fan, but he is.
Despite his love for the game, he walked around with me and Ella. (Notice how I'm not wearing that grey sweater, I was going to, but then changed my mind)
Then Ella got tired so we left. I assume the Giants lost.

Copy Tonia who copied Martha Stewart

I was reading through Tonia's blog called Clemantine and loved the pumkins she copied from marthastewart.com. They're so easy to make. Click here if you want to learn how to use Christmas lights to make your pumkin awesome. And click here if you want to learn how cookie cutters can make your pumkin look great. I can see Lindsay Wetzel (Brown) making her pumkins look like these, can't you Margaret?

Copy this design mom who lives in New York

I think I could make this cat if I realllly wanted to. I would have to have Grandma Patty hold my hand through the whole process, even though the pattern looks so simple. It's cute, huh? Design mom linked me here for free patterns to all sorts of things.

Try not to copy Angela from the Office

I was so dissappointed when I watched the season premeire of the Office and saw that Angela wearing one of the shirts I own. I don't want to come across as the uptight mean person that she is. Now everytime I wear it, I'll think of her and worse, her boyfriend. Why couldn't the show's stylist put Pam in that shirt?

Copy Maria Sansome

I don't own a TV because I love it too much. I get suckered into all the TV shows and Ella feels abandoned. I talked to some of my friends this weekend and they claim that TiVo would solve my TV addiction. But I'm not convinced yet. You know why? Even though I don't have a TV, I still find ways to watch it by buying The Office on iTunes or watching clips of the Daily Show on Youtube.com. Plus I watch The 9 everyday with Ella. At first Maria Sansome bugged me, but she grew on me after a while. I like her teeth.

Copy JT's dance skillz

JT's new album reminds me of a poppier version of Beck's Midnight Vultures. I downloaded the clean version of Sexyback, and I'm mildly happy with it. I liked the song better when he preformed it for the VMA's a couple weeks ago.

Copy Miss Manners

I'm so embarassed that I don't know how to set a table. No matter how many times someone teaches me, I always forget which side everything goes on. I blame it on the fact that I'm left handed, and it doesn't make sense to put the glass on the right. Hopefully now that I'm blogging about it, I will always remember.

Copy me if you want to learn about lighthouses

I read Gifts from the Sea, by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock last night. It wasn't anything grand, but it did teach me to have an appreciation for lighthouses. Some people have a thing for lighthouses, and I never knew why until I read this book. The story takes place in the 1850's on a remote Maine lighthouse where twelve-year-old Quila shares some of her experiences. The book is inspired by a true event that happened off of Hendricks Head Lighthouse in mid-1800. It's only 112 pages. I promise you won't take long to read it, not because it's sooo good, but because it's so short.

Copy Rob's patience

Last night I bonked Ella's head on the table at a sushi restaurant and she started screaming before we could even sit down. It was my fault and I was so mad at myself. So we continued walking while I was making an ugly sad face and saying thing I didn't mean like being a mom sucks because I always mess things up and having a kid is so hard because we can't do anything anymore, blah blah blah, and Rob was listening and leading the way as we walked down the streets until we came to a restaurant called Primo Patio Cafe which ended up being so much more interesting than that sushi restaurant. It was a shack in the middle of the city. When we sat down, I felt like I was back in Hawaii eating at that restaurant on the North Shore with the good poppy seed salad dressing--does anyone know the restaurant I'm talking about? Primo Patio didn't have much of a roof so I was happy the weather was perfect. I was surprise I could read the menu because they only had two lights shining on the patio. I order the Upside-Down Chicken; it's sautéed with garlic & wine, served with garlic yogurt sauce. The chicken was unlike anything I've ever eaten before and I loved it. I thought the veggies were over cooked and the beans tasted plain, but Ella seemed to like them. You have to try their chicken, though, it's sooo good. I'm glad I bonked Ella's head because I don't think we would have ever eaten at this place otherwise. Everything seemed to work itself out last night and I think it's because of Rob's patience with me. I love him.

Copy Gene M. Benedetti, the founder of Clover Stornetta Farms

I've been suckered into the organic culture. One day when I don't mind spending an extra 50 bucks on groceries, I'm buying nothing but organic stuff. Yesterday I sprulged and bought Clover Organic Farm's milk and looked down on everyone who bought regular. I just hope I wasn't being scammed. I realize that organic food isn't perfect, but it's a step in the right direction.

Copy my favorite look from fashion week

I promise I didn't look at everything from fashion week, but from what I saw, this look by Jay McCarroll was my favorite, mostly because I think I could pull it off. I hope the designers at H&M make a look something like this and make it fast. One reveiwer said Jay would make a good guest designer from H&M. I agree.
I also loved this look by him maybe even more:

Copy my uniform

A few weeks ago I wrote about Madonna's uniform that she wore for two weeks, and then I thought of a few pieces I would buy if I had have one. Forget what I wrote. I had a uniform all along and didn't realize it until I was looking through pictures. Just about everytime I've had my picture taken since June, I've been wearing this sweatshirt.Years from now I'm going to think I had one fantastic day.

And now you can have it too for half price and in a different color (black is the only color they have left).

Copy my husband's idea for a Sunday drive

A few Sunday's ago, Rob drove us to Half Moon Bay and he took one of my favotire pictures of me and Ella. I guess it's always overcast like it was that day. We past nursury after nursury on our drive. Rows and rows of every flower in every color. I will go back.

Copy this look Lindsey Slagle

Ever since Lindsey Slagle told me I looked frumpy when I was in ninth grade, I've tried to put my act together. I found this jacket today at Wet Seal. It's so slimming and made me look so unfrumpy that I had to get it. If only Lindsay Slagle could see me now.

Copy my luck

I went into the Steve Maddon store on whim today, just to browse because I know I can't afford his shoes, but I got lucky and scored these for 20 bucks. The girl who helped me try them on said that she owns like 5 pairs of these shoes (in a bunch of colors), and said, "I will wear them for the next four months, put them in my closet and wear them again in five years." I'll think I'll just wear them for the next five years.

Copy my favorite love story

It starts again this Thursday at 8:30. I can't wait!

Copy my idea for a good weekend read

I just finished reading Heaven by Angela Johnson. It's about a fourteen year old girl and her life in Heaven, Ohio. I couldn't put it down and with it being around 100 pages, I didn't have to. And for those of you who think books are more credible by awards they've won (like I am), it won the Coretta Scott King Author Award. I started it Weds and finished it by Thursday, so if you check it out from the library right this second, you'll finish it before the weekend's over. Have fun!

Don't copy how long it's taken me to get Ella a new carseat

Technically, Ella can still ride in an infant carseat, despite that fact that she's 14 months old. It's another bonus of having a shrimp for a daughter. But it's time, and tomorrow I'm getting her a new carseat from Target. This one is one sale for 74 bucks and looks pretty comfortable to sit in. We rarely drive now that we live in the city, so I'm hoping it's comfortable enough to sit in for those trips to Grandma and Grandpa's in San Jose.

Copy me and don't wrap

I love wrapping paper as much as anyone, and I really try to make my gifts look nice for weddings and baby showers. But yesterday I discovered that when going to a toddlers party, it's best to ditch the wrapping and bring the gift with only a big bow attached to it. I did this yesterday for a two year old's birthday party and he loved it. I gave him a tow truck and a book about tow trucks. Then, I held it together with a simple red bow. He quickly took the bow off and played with the tow truck for awhile. And his friend read the book like 5 times in a row. I watched him look at the pictures over and over again. So give it a try and you'll feel all happy that you got the birthday girl/boy something you know they used at least once before getting bored with it.

Copy Jordan again

Ever since Jordan has shown me cool house after another from Salt Lake, I've changed my mind about that city. I'm tempted to really move there someday. What's it like growing up or living in Salt Lake? Here's this 3bed/1bath I found for 275,000.

Copy or download Rebekah Jordan

She does an amazing cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. I've been listening to it over the last six months and haven't gotten sick of it once. Download it for free on her myspace page.

Copy me

I didn't blog yesterday because I was doing nine loads of laundry. And today I put together a cute outfit using clothes I haven't seen for months, maybe years. Copy me and do all your laundry today so that tomorrow you can wear something new!
PS
I love Roy Lichtenstein

Copy this dog (I did)

Sometimes personality quizs can be a little stale, but this one wasn't. I found out I'm most like a Tibetan Terrier. Doesn't our hair kind of look similar? Checkout what you are here. Click on games to take the quiz.

Copy another girl named Sharon

I always like it when designers make things that I can afford. Yeah, I love their handbags or pillows, but I don't have 70 bucks to shell out. So I love that Sharon, of Sharon Spain Textiles, makes greeting cards featuring her glorious designs. This one is six bucks, which is pricey for a greeting card, but you know, it's worth it. And I also like a shirt she makes for 30 bucks:

Copy my ending

Someday I'll stop writing on this blog, and when that day comes, my last entry will include this picture:

Copy and paste Daily Candy's artwork

The artwork on dailycandy.com makes me want to watercolor. Out of all the mediums, I'm always a sucker for watercolor. I like that it's the sort of thing that the more you overwork, the worse it looks. So then you just have to do it right the first time.

Copy your friend's huge shoe collection

I have never been one of those woman who owns a million pairs of shoes. But if I was, I would buy shoes from this website. I like that their prices rage from about $17 to $72 and sometimes you can't tell the difference between ones that are 20 or 50 bucks, at least in the pictures. I'm sure the quality of these shoes aren't the greatest, but at least I would look cool the five time I wore them! Here are some of my favorites:23 bucks

39 bucks

71 bucks

64 bucks

you get the idea