Featured Archives | Yvonne Condes

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

Two Good Eggs and Melissa's Produce

mom blogger los angeles yvonne condes melissa's produce

Two MomsLA bloggers, Nicole Presley of Presley’s Pantry and Ericka Sanchez of Nibbles and Feasts, started a breakfast blog called Two Good Eggs. It’s fabulous with beautiful pictures and great recipes. They have been working with Los Angeles company, Melissa’s Produce, and invited bloggers to brunch recently.

Here are my pictures from the day.

melissa's produce yvonne condes — The dark red grapes were the best I’ve ever had

Plate of food from Melissa's Produce (Photo by Yvonne Condes) — Brunch prepared by a Melissa’s Produce chef that included a pork tamale, roasted butternut squash, and potatoes with soyriso.

melissa's produce squash mom blogger los angeles yvonne condes — Roasted butternut squash

Vegetables and packaged food from Melissa's Produce (photo by Yvonne Condes) — Products from Melissa’s Produce

new mexican green chiles mom blogger los angeles — The Hatch chile season is on August and they only grow in from New Mexico

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!

September 14, 2012

It's Time To Go To Sleep

One of my claims to fame with my circle of friends was that I could get my kids to go to bed every night at 7. I’m not much of a routine person; they never had a nap schedule that I kept to, but bedtime was a different story. Every night, my husband or I would read a story to our boys and they would climb into bed and go to sleep.

Well, I knew that it couldn’t last forever and over the last year, bedtime has gotten harder and harder. My boys are 7 and 8 now and they go to bed between 8 or 8:30. And sometimes they go to sleep and sometimes they get up 10 times because they’re hungry, want a glass of water, or want to see what we’re doing. Even the nights they’ve gone to bed late, one of them will stay up and call “Mama…mama….mama..mamamamamamamamammama…MAMA!” I’m at my wits end and I’m about to turn to an old fashioned remedy to see if it works.

The California Milk Processor’s board has an adorable new commercial about getting kids to sleep. Having a glass of milk before bed may help kids to sleep better and be more alert the next day. In researching this, it appears that there it could be a psychological reason that it helps. It’s comforting like a warm blanket. And milk is a protein rich food that will satiate their hunger.

We’ll see what happens, but in the meantime check out the “Ya es hora de ir a la cama” (it’s time to go to bed) television spot that is airing on Univsion and Telemundo between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the west coast. It’s so cute.

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

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 20, 2012

'Raising Kids to Love Science' Twitter Chat

My boys love science and nature. I love the outdoors so while it may be easy for me to get them excited about nature, I’m at a loss when it comes to science and math.

That’s why I’m so happy about Tuesday night’s Twitter chat hosted by The Maker Mom, aka Kim Moldofsky. She is starting a monthly #STEMchat and this Tuesday’s is about “How to Raise Kids Who Love Science.”

I’ll be on the chat’s panel along with Liz Heinecke of The Kitchen Pantry Scientist and Joanne Manaster of Joanne Loves Science. I’m already intimidated. Liz is a microbiologist and Kid Science App developer. Joanne is part of the Scientific American Blog Network.

I hope that what I lack in scientific knowledge I can make up for with enthusiasm for STEM education.

The chat will happen on Twitter with the hashtag #STEMchat this Tuesday evening, August 21, from 8-9 PM Central (6 Pacific, 9 Eastern). What’s a Twitter Party? Click here to find out.

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.

August 10, 2012

The View From The Trail

July 25, 2012

Summer of Feminista, Downton Abbey, and the Difficulty of Being a Mother

gluten free cherry pie yvonne condes mom blogger los angeles

My relatives have been asking me why I haven’t posted here as much. That’s because I’ve been over at MomsLA, where I am editor and co-founder, writing up a storm and making videos. Plus I had a post on Viva La Feminista today and a post on Tiki Tiki Blog a few weeks ago.

Here’s what I’ve been up to –

Where Is My Money Going? on Viva La Feminista –

Downton Abbey; Me and Mr. Bates on MomsLA

Motherhood is Hard; From the Aurora Colorado Shooting to Everyday Life on MomsLA

To The Mexican Beach on Tiki Tiki Blog

A Recipe – Gluten Free Cherry Blueberry Pie on MomsLA

Video – Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM on YouTube

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.