Monday, February 27, 2006

SONY METREON

Heading down to 4th and Mission the other day to see Ruth's first big-screen flick, Curious George, we first had to kill time in the lobby to avoid the 20 minutes of commercials they show these days. Ruth had an excellent time, gasping with surprise that George could move and all that. We were both disappointed the Man in the Yellow Hat talked so much, but George was great. The cookies helped.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Chow


Right by Market and Church, we find the delightful and delicious Chow, where the food is varied and (relatively) cheap, and (relatively) kid-friendly. Ruth is shown here furiously mixing her water with chopsticks. "Cookin'," as she is wont to do while given chopsticks.

This is also just down the way from Duboce Park, a long-time favorite and right next door from Aardvark Books, where the books are (relatively) inexpensive and the aisles are -- miracle of miracles -- big enough for a stroller. MoR also reports that they have a complete set of Andrew Lang's Fairy Tales for those looking to be transported to a dreamworld of magic.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

PRECITA EYES



You may think 18 months is too young to paint a picture. We thought so too, and waited until the budding artist reached 23 months to take her first art class.
This usage of the word class may stretch the definition of instruction, but for $12 (yeah, kind of steep) your toddler can move from station to station creating masterpieces of extraordinary vision. (OK, so they go on the fridge for a month, vision is in the eye of the cranium.) Ruth painted and decorated two pirate hats, one valentine's heart, and several large works including the study in green, shown. She also smashed some clay. It was worth every penny, and she concentrated for a full 50 minutes before announcing, "all done."

Monday, February 13, 2006

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!


It is a good time for everyone to take a moment and review their animal year horoscope, just to give yourself a fair chance to either ward off (or anticipate) upcoming surprises. Mother rooster has been prophesied a birth (that one was easy, unless she's been toting around a medicine ball) and the power to shape her destiny, despite being tied town to the diaper pail. Young monkey Ruth has been warned not to speculate, her technical expertise will come in handy. The much anticipated dog of the family has been foreseen to have a difficult year, with constant competition. Well, we could have told her as much. Her big sister is already talking to mythical beasts. "Dragons! Hello!"

Friday, February 10, 2006

Tartine Bakery


When nearing the food mecca that is the 18th St. Corridor, we stopped in to the delicious Tartine and had some "tweets." Delicious.

In unrelated news: Ruth today was found touching her nose and when asked what she was doing she said, "My nose. I found it." And what is there to say to that?

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Mitchell's Ice Cream



When heading down Guerrero with 40 minutes left on the City Car Share, where else is there to go but

Mitchell's?

Ice Cream. Or, as Ruth calls it "Auschiee."

Ain't it just?

Monday, February 06, 2006

The Carousel at Zeum



Leaping plastic horses can be alarming, as you can see. The Carousel at Zeum is an excellent cheap thrill ($2 a rider, but they usually only charge the one in the fuzzy pink jacket) for rainy or sunny days. The park across the quad at Yerba Buena Gardens is a blast as well. Ruth is trying to give her nap to the chagrin of her loved ones, but the battle rages on. Who shall prevail? We suspect the tiny pink thing soon to arrive.