These pictures were taken during a camping trip to El Capitan State Beach recently.

I’ve always wanted a Le Creuset caste iron pot and finally got one for my birthday earlier this month (my husband got it at an outlet for half the price!). I’m in love with it. The first thing I cooked was this roast chicken and it came out incredibly tender and delicious. I bought the chicken at Trader Joe’s and it was brined, which made it even better in my opinion. So did the Cravon frozen potatoes and rainbow carrots that were cooked in the pot with the chicken. Here is the very easy recipe.

Also exciting, CBS Los Angeles interviewed my MomsLA.com partner, Sarah Auerswald, and I for a piece about Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s decision to ban telecommuting for employees at the company. We both thought that was a bad idea. Here’s the interview.

We decided to stay in and watch the Oscars on Sunday so I made a roast chicken with rainbow carrots and broccoli on the side. It seemed wrong not to follow a lovely dinner like that with a special dessert. I had a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Cake mix and a couple of lemons and came up with this delightful lemon bundt cake. It was easy and delicious.

This picture was taken at Tar & Roses in Santa Monica last weekend. My husband and I had a date night and I have been dying to try this restaurant. Our meal was fantastic and it was so worth waiting months for a date night to have it. The fish above was a Whole Fried Snapper for 2 with cold soba noodles and chili dipping sauce. We also had baby broccoli with parmesan pudding and king trumpet mushrooms with a soft egg and chili de arbol. Amazing.

The picture above is from the video “El Camion de la Leche.”  It was shot in the Blogger Nicole Presley’s East Los Angeles neighborhood and you can see her and her son in part of the video. It’s really sweet and I love that it recalls the days when milk trucks would deliver bottles to your door. More than 50 of Nicole’s friends and neighbors came out for the video to enjoy a glass of milk before bed.

One of the things I’ve loved about working with the California Milk Advisory Board and the Latina Mom Bloggers is that the other bloggers and I have been able to talk about our children’s bedtime routines. It’s been so bittersweet for me because I wrote a post about the difficulty getting my boys to go to bed now that they’re 7 and 8. We’ve tried milk before bedtime in the hopes it would help them sleep and we’ve really enjoyed reading the bilingual bedtime stories like Las Olas de La Luna, which you can find and download here. 

Then the other night my boys put on their pajamas, brushed their teeth, turned off the light, and went to bed. I did nothing. I didn’t have to tell them that it was time to go to bed. I didn’t have to tell them 10 times to put on their pajamas. And I didn’t get a chance to read them a story. It made me happy and sad at the same time. I love reading to them and playing songs like this one from the adorable Milk  bedtime commercial. And I love to give them a hug before bed. But on the other hand it made me happy that they were able to get themselves to sleep on their own and get a good night’s sleep, which is the goal, right?

If you’re looking for a little Positivismo, stay connected with El Maestro del Vaso Medio Lleno on Facebookand Twitter.

This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor Board and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

When I was a little girl I never wanted to go to bed. Ever. I would sneak out of my room, tiptoe down the hallway and sit in the corner not making a sound. My parents would watch Johnny Carson or reruns of the Dick Van Dyke show (I was obsessed with Rob and Laura Petri and their perfect house in New Rochelle and Rob’s comedy writing job in Manhattan so far away from Tucson).

Sometimes my parents would find me asleep in the hall and carry me to bed. Other times they would see me and drag me back to bed. My mom would tell me it was time for “Mimi’s” and she would sing the “Mimi Lu Lu” song and I would drift off to sleep.

I thought that everyone had this experience and everyone knew this song. I would mention it to other kids and they thought I was crazy. From then on I thought my mom had made it up. Then in my 20s I met a woman who knew the song. She even had lyrics.

My version has no lyrics and when I sing it to my boys. They know it as “Mimi mimi mimi lu lu, mimi mimi mimi lu lu.” I’m not terribly creative so it just goes like that until they fall asleep. They seem to love it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our bedtime routine and how it can create special memories for kids. Latina Mom Bloggers and the California Milk Processor Board sent me the adorable bedtime story “Las Olas de La Luna” that I’ve been reading to my boys in both English and Spanish. There is an entire collection of bedtime stories here that you can read to your kids while they sip on a glass of milk before bed.

I hope that when my boys get older, they think of the crazy song their mom sang to them and ask their friends if they’ve heard about the Mimis and the Lu Lus.

This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor Board and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

If you’re looking for a little Positivismo, stay connected with El Maestro del Vaso Medio Lleno on Facebook and Twitter.

Bedtime at my house usually involves my two boys running around the dining room table yelling that they’re not tired. Like I mentioned before, we have a pretty solid bedtime routine even if it sometimes doesn’t work.

After they’ve run themselves out, my boys put on their pajamas and then we read a story. Well, now that they’re 7 and 8-years-old the stories are very different than the sweet and calming “Goodnight Moon” or my favorite, “Snuggle Puppy.” Now it’s “Superhero Squad” or any book with man in the title; “Batman, “ “Spiderman,” “Ironman.”

We are always on the lookout for new books and I was thrilled when Latina Mom Bloggers and the California Milk Processor Board sent me the adorable bedtime story “Las Olas de La Luna.” It’s about a girl who thinks the moon is made of milk. I love it not only because it’s sweet, but it’s in Spanish and English.

I recently enrolled my boys in Spanish classes so I’ve been on the lookout for Spanish/English books. (Any recommendations appreciated!) We read this book together and it was great to see how my older son could make out some of the Spanish words before I read them in English. My younger son is a reluctant Spanish learner so he complained a little and then fell right to sleep.

You can now download Las Olas de La Luna and many other adorable stories at  www.otroscuentos.com. Then grab a glass of milk and sit down with your babies and read. Milk at bedtime can be a comforting ritual that may help your child sleep better.

If you’d like the books plus milk sent to your home, just enter this contest for a chance to win. I’m giving away one (1) Two month supply of milk via a $40 Walmart Gift Card, and a hard copy of the Bedtime Stories Book Collection. (Please note that the book will be sent within 4-6 weeks from the conclusion of the giveaway.)

To enter, please visit www.otroscuentos.com and leave a comment below telling me the name of your favorite bedtime story before midnight Oct. 8.  To enter, you must live in the United States and be 18 years of age and up. Good luck!

If you’re looking for a little Positivismo, stay connected with El Maestro del Vaso Medio Lleno on Facebookand Twitter.

This is part of a sponsored campaign with the California Milk Processor Board and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Here are my pictures from the day.

This is a rambutan, similar to a lychee, which tastes like a grape.

The dark red grapes were the best I’ve ever had

Brunch prepared by a Melissa’s Produce chef that included a pork tamale, roasted butternut squash, and potatoes with soyriso.

Roasted butternut squash

Products from Melissa’s Produce

The Hatch chile season is on August and they only grow in from New Mexico