Lifestyle Archives | Yvonne Condes

February 28, 2013

NPR and CBSLos Angeles

This week has been very exciting. I was interviewed for a piece on NPR called In Many Families, Exercise is by Appointment Only. NPR Reporter Patti Neighmond and photographer David Gilkey spent the day with me, my boys and a couple of their friends as we drove from basketball practice to baseball practice. The piece was very well done. I felt it was an accurate depiction of our lives because I spent most of the time in the car telling the boys to stop it.

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.

February 22, 2013

Photo Friday; Tar & Roses in Santa Monica

Whole Fried Snapper for 2 at Tar & Roses

I haven’t posted anything here in quite a while because most of my content is going to MomsLA.com. But I’m going to change that. I’m starting with Photo Friday.

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.

September 28, 2012

Las Olas de La Luna (The Waves on the Moon) and Milk Giveaway

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.

September 27, 2012

Samuel L. Jackson Obama Ad

This video is too awesome not to share. As you can tell from the title there is some swearing. But it’s time to start swearing, people.

September 25, 2012

It's National Voter Registration Day!

register to vote voto latino yvonne condes mom blogger

And I really mean that exclamation point. This is a crucial election especially in California. There are two ballot measures, Proposition 30 and 38 that would increase taxes resulting in more money for schools, and Prop. 37 that would make manufacturers label food that contains Genetically Modified Organisms. And then of course there’s the presidential election. The president could decide the future of healthcare and immigration in this country. Please take a moment to register to vote.

To register, please fill out the form in the sidebar. October 22 is the last day to register to vote in California. Please register today!

August 31, 2012

Ozomatli Talks About OzoKidz

It’s no secret that one of my favorite bands is LA’s own Ozomatli. Their music helped me get through many a long run and their live performances are a blast. My kids like their music too, especially the new OzoKidz songs that were written just for children.

I interviewed bass player Wil-Dog in February about being a dad in LA and I was thrilled to be invited to talk to him along with the band’s rap singer Justin Poree about the OzoKidz album.

OzoKidz comes out on Sept. 25. In the video, Justin and Wil-Dog explain how it all started.

Find a review of the album next week on MomsLA.com

August 14, 2012

Dinosaur Train at The Natural History Museum

This week is the beginning of “Big Big Dinosaur Week” on PBS Kids and to kick it off PBS SoCal brought Buddy the Dinosaur to The Natural History Museum this past Saturday for Dinosaur Train Day.

My kids have been in love with Dinosaur Train since the very first episode. They are a bit too old for it now, but when I asked them if they wanted to go see Buddy and hear the Dinosaur Train Band (Craig Bartlett’s band who is the show’s creator) they said yes right away.

And they weren’t the only ones. There were long lines to get into the museum, one of our favorite in Los Angeles.

The first thing we did was see Craig Bartlett play. The band was really fun (they did a pre-show performance of Major Tom) and played to a packed room.

We haven’t been to the museum since the Dinosaur Hall was renovated. It was like going to an entirely new museum; there was so much to see. The fossil below was discovered in a dig in Utah three years ago and it’s from a yet unnamed dinosaur. Below that is a photo of a triceratops.

After learning as much as we could about dinosaurs, we went outside to the museum’s Butterfly Pavilion. It’s spectacular if you have ever have the chance to go. The pavilion is open from April to September and hosts more than 50 species of butterflies and moths.

As we left my boys posed for the picture at the top in the Dinosaur Train. This week, August. 13 through 17, there PBS Kids will premiere 4 new episodes and introduce a new flatbed train car. According to PBS Kids “The kick-off episode begins aboard the Dinosaur Train when the Pteranodon family gets the idea to travel around and meet some of the biggest dinosaurs. They even sing the song, ‘The Biggest Dinosaurs’, before meeting Allie Alamosaurus, an enormous and friendly long-necked, plant eating sauropod.”

For more information about Dinosaur Trains’ new episodes visit PBS Kids.

July 12, 2012

How to Make a Rock Climbing Birthday Cake

rock climbing cake mom food blogger los angeles

This Rock climbing cake was a big hit at my son’s 8^th birthday at the rock climbing gym, Rockreation. It was so easy to make and so easy to make look good. (And I’m not crafty and I’m definitely no artist.) I started with this Vanilla cake recipe from Martha Stewart except I used about half white whole wheat flour and half white flour, and I substituted low fat plain yogurt instead of the buttermilk. (You can easily substitute a gluten-free cake.) I made this Vanilla Frosting Recipe, which uses way more butter and vanilla than I normally use, which explains why it tasted so great.

Here are the directions:

Bake the cake in two 9 inch pans lined with parchment paper. Don’t try to make the paper lay flat. You want the edges to be jagged.

Cool the cake completely on a wire rack and then cut in half.

Make the frosting per the directions. Set aside 2 tablespoons. Add a few drops of black food coloring to the rest of the frosting until the color is gray. Dab some frosting on the cake round and place half of one cake near the edge of the round (don’t put it in the center). Frost the top and built up from there leaving one side flat and the other rounded. Cut the other three layers to make each one slightly smaller than the one before it – place frosting between each layer – and use the extra cake for the top. Frost the entire cake using half of the frosting. Try not to make it look smooth, it should look like rock. Don’t worry if the cake doesn’t look perfect or if you have bits of cake showing.

Let the cake frosting set, I let it set overnight. Frost the cake again making sure to leave the edges imperfect like rock. Place jelly beans cut in half or rock candy on the front of the cake to make the rock steps. Take your reserved frosting and color it blue, green, or brown for the ground around the rock wall. Frost a layer around the cake and to the edge of the cake round.

Insert any toys to serve as rock climbers. You can use licorice or string as the rope.

June 30, 2012

Dynamic You Fitness – A West Los Angeles Workout Studio

I love to work out, but I’m not a fan of the gym. That’s not true; I’m not a fan of big LA gyms where the people are Hollywood skinny, the outfits are perfect, and everyone is trying to hook up over their spin bikes.

I thought my gym days were over until I was contacted by Dynamic You Fitness. It’s a small studio that to me felt instantly welcoming. I’ve taken a couple of classes there, Beach Ready Toning and Nike Training Club, and loved them.

Beach Ready Toning was taught by Robin Legat, who was very nice and patient with me considering that moving my arms and legs simultaneously is not one of my strong suits. It was a tough class, but doable and I felt strong days after. The second time I went it was a little different and still great. Not only was Robin a lovely teacher, but she’s my new hero because in addition to teaching fitness she’s in the L.A. Derby Dolls, LA’s roller derby league.

The Nike Training Club was challenging, but fun, too. I did it yesterday with instructor Donna and I’m feeling it today. I’m proud to say I did a minute of burpees, doing full push ups, not on my knees (unfortunately, I did not look the woman in the video linked to here).

Dynamic You has classes in the morning and evening including Zumba, a bootcamp, and Dynamic Core: Kettlebells + TRX, which is a core focused workout that uses resistance bands and kettlebells. It sounds really hard, but it’s the next class I’m going to try.

If you want to try it too, you can enter my giveaway for a free week of classes at Dynamic You plus a $30 credit toward a future class or package. You must live in Los Angeles to win and the prize cannot be redeemed for cash.

All you must do to enter is leave a comment below before the end of the day on July 4. I’ll choose one winner using Random.org and announce it on July 5.

Dynamic You also has personal training that you can do solo or with a friend. For more information, see below.

Dynamic You

310- 287-0943

3500 Overland Avenue, Suite 110

Los Angeles, CA 90034

I was not compensated for this post, but I was given a pass to attend the classes mentioned above.

Update 7/5/2012 – Congratulations, Melissa! Random.org picked you as the winner. I’ll be emailing you shortly.

June 27, 2012

Wordless Wednesday; The View From My Run

santa barbara camping mom blogger los angeles

It’s become a habit of mine to stop and take pictures when I go running. It’s partly because there are so many beautiful things to see when you’re on a trail or in a Southern California neighborhood. And it’s partly because I like to have an excuse to stop and take a break.

I took this picture in Santa Barbara recently while camping with the family at El Capitan State Beach.

June 26, 2012

Dear Husband, Happy Father's Day (A Little Late)

Two Saturdays ago, I was working diligently to finish a Father’s Day video for MomPulse. I had just pressed saved and was sitting back and wondering if my husband would think the video was too sarcastic when the computer went “Poof” and shut off. It actually made that noise.

My computer was dead. So instead of me showing my husband his video on Father’s Day, he spent the morning trying to save the computer’s hard drive. Well, I have to say that my husband is not only a great dad, but a great IT guy and he managed to save everything. At first I couldn’t find the video, but I recovered it yesterday and wanted to share.