Alaric Turns Three + Construction Site Birthday Party
Published March 11, 2018

Alaric Turns Three + Construction Site Birthday Party

I was tempted to start off this post by saying I can’t believe how time flies but had to stop myself cause duh! My baby boy just turned three years old! The age between two and three was probably my favorite so far despite the notorious terrible twos. I actually think it wasn’t that bad and all the funny and cute moments outweigh the tantrums which did not spare our family by any means. The past year has been a wild ride with so much progress, challenges and difficult choices along with the impossible love, laughter and fun. I’ve got the best kid ever and I am so happy and proud to be his mama.

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Monthly Favorites. Things I liked in February.
Published March 3, 2017

Monthly Favorites. Things I liked in February.

 Favorites of this month

1. Fitbit. First thing on my list of February favorites is Fitbit. I got a Fitbit for a Valentine’s Day and I am super excited to have it. It’s interesting to see how simple habit of walking home from work makes a big difference in contributing to the daily goal. Turns out that 10,000 steps on a regular work day is a very easy task for me if just take that trip to work and back. I like this particular activity tracker because it tracks sleep automatically. I generally like all things measurable and I like to see trends and statistics. It was fun to find out that it only takes me 1-2 min to fall asleep. The Fitbit app is really easy to use and has a lot of fun stuff like challenges, food tracker and other things.

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Snowboarding in California: Mountain High
Published February 10, 2017

Snowboarding in California: Mountain High

Russian/Русский

Seeing the snow in California was on my unofficial wish list for a while. California is a huge state and there are plenty of opportunities to see snow if you live up north. But for a SoCal resident like me it was never a priority or rather, it’s not the first thing that comes to mind when I think about how to spend my weekend.

This winter had a lot of rain which apparently means that there’s a lot of snowfall in the mountains. It seemed like a good enough reason to finally explore local snowboarding opportunities. Recently, we  organized a Fit Club at work and for our second outing (first was a hike along the ocean) we decided to do a Snow Day. It was such a great idea! Not only did we get a chance to hang out outdoors but we also had a really fun road trip.

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In Search of Fall: Escape to Big Bear Lake, CA
Published December 2, 2016

In Search of Fall: Escape to Big Bear Lake, CA

Russian/Русский

I miss season change. Even though it is actually awesome to always have great weather as it happens to be in Southern California, there is definitely something special about the feeling of a fresh start every few months. In search of fall we recently took a trip to Big Bear Lake.

Big Bear has such a different vibe from LA. Beautiful scenery, fresh air, quietness and cozy cabins make it a perfect weekend getaway. To me, Big Bear is also special because it reminds me so much of Russia, particularly Altai – a beautiful region not too far from my hometown. Going out of town in the fall is a wonderful change of scenery.

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Flying with a Toddler Under 2: Preparation + Packing List
Published November 4, 2016

Flying with a Toddler Under 2: Preparation + Packing List

 Russian/Русский

Traveling with kids might sound scary and traveling alone with a toddler might seem like a crazy idea. However, it is an amazing bonding opportunity as you get to see your child experience new things and explore. The adventure hasn’t even started but your baby is already fascinated by the  airport, plane, and all the fun things inside.

A few months ago, I got a crazy idea to fly to Russia for my mom’s 50th birthday without telling her. Surprise! Since I’ve had my son, coming to visit without him is obviously not an option, my family would just stare at me in silence and then would say: “Why did you even bother coming alone?” I am kidding, kind of. Anyways, it was clear it was going to be me and Alaric taking on world travel and so we did.

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In the Kitchen with Michelin Star Chef Cristina Bowerman
Published September 27, 2016

In the Kitchen with Michelin Star Chef Cristina Bowerman

Recently I was invited to attend a fun event at Todd Reed’s on Abbot Kinney with Crateful Catering.  I have mentioned Crateful before in this post. From the uniform to the serving trays to, of course, the food, everything was beautiful.  The team was professional and friendly and they worked together efficiently. I was very curious to see the behind the scenes and it was a true pleasure to watch the Crateful Catering team, led by the Michelin Star Chef Cristina Bowerman, do their magic.

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Cristina, who is native to Italy, was kind enough to meet me the next day and answer a few questions I had about the real chef life.

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5 Steps to Improving Your Daily Life
Published August 13, 2016

5 Steps to Improving Your Daily Life

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Palm Springs
Published July 22, 2016

Palm Springs

Russian/Русский

Even living in LA which has so much to offer, it is really good sometimes to change the scenery and get out of town for a little bit. Few weeks ago we went to Palm Springs and it was so nice! It it so close to LA yet so different. I was super excited about the dry desert heat, warm nights and cocktails by the pool.

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I was a little nervous because this would be the first “road trip” for our little traveler but he did great! I think the key here is to plan around the nap time, if possible. Alaric pretty much slept the whole way there waking up right before we arrived all fresh and ready for adventure.

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We got a suite room again which I think is the best living arrangement for traveling with baby because you have a full kitchen and/or another room. There were no cribs available at the hotel (which I researched in advance) so we brought our play yard and it worked great.

After settling in we went straight to the pool and hung out there all the way through the golden hour, it was so relaxing! The best part of this short-vacation was the nights out on a patio. Baby’s asleep while we are outside in the air soft as a warm milk, surrounded by the darkness of the desert and bright stars above us, talking and dreaming, aaaah so so good.

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