Memorial Day Weekend in Carmel

We lucked out with a beautiful weekend for our trip to Carmel - we got to spend lots of time outdoors and enjoy all the sights of the Monterey Peninsula and road to Big Sur -

The Lone Cypress on 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach!

Seals! (sea otters, too, but they were out of focus)

Twee little cottages selling soap!

We enjoyed some indoor sight-seeing as well, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Brennan particularly enjoyed standing inside the wave.
He also really liked the penguins -

After naptime Saturday, the warm, sunny weather induced temporary insanity and I suggested taking Brennan to the beach, forgetting a few key things: 1) the Pacific Ocean is still really cold; 2) Bren makes a high speed bee-line for the waves;

and 3) he gets a bit sandy -

Sunday we drove to Big Sur for lunch. One advantage to traveling with a toddler is you get a really early start. Also, your stops are generally pretty short. There's no getting out for a hike. So the drive I remember taking forever was actually over with in, oh, 37 minutes. We had time for a few family portraits-

Some jumping with Daddy -

Admiring a pretty view of the coast and the Bixby bridge -

Also we stopped at Pfieffer Beach, AND we still made it to Nepenthé before they opened for lunch. Here's the lovely view from their deck:

Despite the heat, we were lucky to nab an outside table, since there was so much for Brennan to look at. He was really good, and he quite enjoyed the California Artisanal Cheese Platter.

The "I'm a Good Boy in Restaurants" streak continued that evening, when we had a lovely (early) dinner at La Bicyclette in Carmel. It probably helped that all the servers were pretty young women willing to let him toddler-flirt with them. And he liked his mini grilled cheese and tomato soup starter.

Bye-bye Carmel! We had a nice stay at the Monte Verde Inn, even if SOMEONE needed to get into the big bed in the middle of the night each night. SOMEONE also really enjoyed going to the Cottage of Sweets for licorice, but that someone might actually have been Daddy. We want to come back soon!

More Fun with San Francisco Preschools

It's been a busy month - on top of my normal stuff (job, gym, toddler-wrangling), I've added Long Distance Slumlord and Preschool Investigation to my list of jobs. The latter makes me feel a bit like this, minus the chocolate mouth:

In addition to my "late" start in this search, another problem is my schedule - most working parents want 9-5, M-F; most stay-at-home's want about 3 mornings a week. There aren't a ton of options for us part-time, full day, flex-schedule parents, which I guess gives me fewer places to get rejected by. As maddening as this preschool stuff is, it's still pretty hard to lose my sense of humor over it, given how ridiculous it is. Plus, in San Francisco there's an extra element of the bizarre - for instance, how many preschools give directions that start with "our entrance is by the Yoda fountain"?
And here is Yoda, looking out for the young Jedi at the Bright Horizons Center in the Letterman Digital Arts complex. It's actually a beautiful little school, right in the Presidio, with tons of windows and a great outside play area, and the "curriculum" seems really fun - certainly geared toward children of creative types. They have long hours and easy car access, and all of Lucas's hired goons keep the place secure. The cons? Admissions go first to Lucas employees, then Presidio residents, then Presidio employees, then The Rest of Us. Also, we can't afford it.
So, let's bounce on over to our next contender, Tiny Giants. This place is also cute & fun, if a little more cramped and minus all the huge windows. They do offer part-time full-day care, and are just minutes from where I work. The costs are pretty reasonable, the kids seem happy, the directors are kind and unpretentious. So, where's the downside? Well, their wait-list is about a year long and their 3 year old program is usually full with the kids who were already admitted to their 2 year old program. There were 3 - count 'em, 3! - visibly pregnant women at the tour I attended (and they have them monthly), which means I am about 20 months behind by comparison. I sat next to a woman who took 3 PAGES! OF! NOTES! during the director's talk before the tour. Obviously, I am waaay too slack to ever get into this place.
Meanwhile, Brennan is perfecting his fork use skills.
He needs a little work in the "giving the fork back" department.
Let's look into our next option, then: Chibi Chan. Actually, this one is my favorite, since it's walking distance from work and has schedule options that mesh almost perfectly with what we need. It has a great outdoor play area in a pretty garden. The kids take field trips. They don't seem to care that Brennan isn't remotely Japanese. It's the least expensive option I've seen so far. Cons: I don't want to jinx it by talking any crap about it all. So I won't.
Where are we, 6 weeks and $275 into this process? Well, there's a newly arrived confirmation from the Montessori House of Children, which only requires another $400 to hold a spot starting next June. It's a nice enough place - plenty of windows (what is it with my natural light obsession? I think I'm starting to confuse toddlers with plants) and a nice play structure in a central courtyard. The hours work, it's safely tucked in among a handful of churches, and I can get to work in 5 minutes. As for the Montessori approach - um, sure? I'm reasonably confident the Montessori approach doesn't allow sticking forks into electrical outlets, which has been my main preschool curriculum requirement. Cons? They only have a 5 day option, it's more than I was hoping to spend, and I now have 12 months to get Brennan potty-trained.

Additionally, I think we have a 2 day part-time spot at the new Kangaroo Play & Learn Center in Noe Valley starting in August. They cashed my check, anyway. It will buy Mommy 2 mornings of peace per week on her days off and hopefully help Grunty McWhinesalot learn to use actual words for what he wants. But the real truth is they had me at, "we help with potty training."

OK, enough of this school nonsense. On to the fun!

Daddy bought Bren a completely age-inappropriate pedal car that he's obsessed with - just what everyone who lives on top of a giant hill needs! The minute the garage door goes up, he hurtles toward the car and hops in like he's the tiniest cousin of Hazzard County. I've learned to cover it with a blanket.
One warm Saturday, we took a field trip to Daddy's old neighborhood, Russian Hill. Brennan was a big hit at Zarzuela, and he loved the asparagus!

We also have made some visits to the big playground in Golden Gate Park. The swings are still a big hit, and Bren is fascinated with the carousel. He holds on by himself and seems to take his ride very seriously.

Next up - Memorial Day Weekend in Carmel. Stay tuned.