Every year from mid-May to mid-June our lucky children get to celebrate their parents, almost non-stop. From Mother’s Day to my birthday to Bart’s birthday to Father’s Day, we just party all the time, party all the time, party all the time. Some may call this efficient, others, a really long month.
Since most of the actual planning falls on the very parents who get celebrated, we’ll have to see how “Parental Appreciation Window” (aka PAW) stands up over time. But for now, let’s enjoy!
MOTHER’S DAY
This year I was treated to a fabulous brunch at home with some of my favorites, lots of hugs. and some gorgeous hydrangeas. My awesome family followed that up by taking me a movie, Thunderbolts, at an iPic Theater in Pasadena, where you can order “real food” right to your fancy chair during the movie. I love going to movies –though usually to the local not-fancy theater, so the blankets, privacy and really comfy seats at iPic make this theater a treat!
MOM’S BIRTHDAY
Cover your eyes, Mom. My birthday gift this year was another tattoo, this one hand drawn by Zoe in her lovely handwriting. I chose the message and the dandelion, and she turned that vision into this:
She’s still in shock that I was willing to put something she designed on my body, permanently. I think it’s the very best one and love to see her light up when I tell people she created it. Before you ask, yes, Ella wants to know when she gets to design my next one… (You can open your eyes now, Mom).
As an extra special treat on my special day, I got to attend a high school dance showcase featuring Zoe, who is featured holding a pose I got to see several times in the living room. It’s even better on stage! Check it out, and watch her “moment” at 3 mins, 20 secs. She’s very proud (and so am I).
Last but not least, Bart treated me to a birthday dinner out at The Six, while Zoe hung out with Ella (parents unite!) Upon hearing it was a birthday celebration, the server brought me a delicious, candlelit Banana Cream Pie dessert, very well presented:
DAD’S BIRTHDAY
Poor Dad regularly comes up with his own great ideas for his birthday–and other special moments. He’s generally the most creative and spontaneous of our Johnson family crew, and we always enjoy his picks. This year Zoe had plans on his special day, ironically celebrating a friend’s birthday at Universal Studios, so Ella and I got him all to ourselves.
We treated him to a delicious rooftop lunch at Terra, the sophisticated, seated Italian restaurant at Eataly in Century City (see picture at top of post). Yum. After that, he chose an Escape Room. Let’s stop here for a moment. My twin sister LOVES escape rooms, and together in a room, we are unstoppable. It’s like ONE brain at work (in fact, maybe it IS one brain, since identical twins are just ONE egg?).
She got the science/math brain half, while I got the language/people half, so when the clock starts its countdown in an escape room, I touch EVERYTHING and call out what I see and where as she finds the tricky puzzles to solve–and solves them. This experience is not the same in a room with my husband. Don’t get me wrong, we work well together, but NOT in an escape room.
Worse still, he doesn’t like to ask for hints… I don’t either, but I’m addicted to winning, so when necessary, I’m not afraid to ask. For his birthday, he chose what is apparently the “The Disney World of escape rooms“, which is more about the fun than the puzzle, offering unlimited hints. So before the game master left the Only Murders in the Building room, I made her reiterate that we MUST ask for hints. To which she responded, “Oh yeah. Most people need a minimum of 10 hints to get out.”
My sister will say that unlimited hints are a sign of a poorly designed game–and I would agree. Add to my family birthday escape room a 10-year-old who loves to play with things and a more-than-10-year-old man who isn’t the world’s best communicator, and I quickly realized I was doomed. Sure, I like to be in charge, but picture this: In the FIRST room we had to clear, there were sticks hidden around the space that needed to be organized in a certain way based on their location. Ella instantly started collecting them, without us noticing or her remembering where she got them…
In interest of time (literally), I’ll skip to the end: We got out, but you can imagine the rest. If not for game master Chloe, we’d still be in that room.
And now, I’m about to brag. My husband loves dogs. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’d be happier with one, except for the fact he’d have to see my face when it peed on the rug, needed to be rushed to the vet to clear a Lego brick, or barked (apparently they all do that). And so, we have a surly cat instead.
For his birthday, I found a (temporary) fix: Puppy Yoga. It’s a thing. In fact, there’s probably one in your very own town! Fortunately, I like dogs, too–just OPD (other people’s dogs) that don’t live at my house or cost thousands of dollars to care for and maintain.
Here’s the brag: Not only did I find Puppy Yoga and book it for his birthday, I was able to get two kids in on the surprise and keep it a secret for a MONTH. We made it all the way to the door of the unmarked studio without him knowing, and only when he heard a bark did he admit he thought we were going to Goat Yoga (also a thing) because I made him wear comfy clothes.
Here’s how it works: The puppies are in a kiddie pen in the corner while we participants are guided through 30 minutes of light yoga. Then they arrange us in a circle on our mats and bring those cuties into the center, while we block their exit. Ironically, Bart ended up seated at the point in the circle that led to their pen (and food), so he was very, very popular.
The photos you’ll see here feature the real winners of this event, though I remain pleased that a) I was able to surprise my husband, b) he loved it, and c) we did not leave there with a puppy. Turns out I missed the fine print: The cute puppies are all up for adoption. Oops? Oh, and they do not do yoga, but they don’t mind peeing on the mats.
FATHER’S DAY
And the grand PAW finale: Father’s Day! On the third Sunday of every June, we girls give Bart something weird that he sometimes uses but often doesn’t. I’m a terrible gift-getter, yet a generous person: a dangerous combination. This year was no different.
Thankfully, I have two cute children who can make ANY gift fun, and who love to tease my husband with Bernedoodles, the dog he wishes he had. In case you’re curious (I am), these dogs are bred by mixing a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Poodle. Apparently that’s a magical combo, though because of the size of the first one (70–115 pounds), it’s challenging to know how big your dog will get. But I digress.
Below you’ll find a carefully wrapped set of grilling accessories, which he hasn’t used yet. But the custom art wrapping paper makes the whole gift worthwhile:
Lest you think a crappy gift is all Bart gets for Father’s Day, we also took him to P.F. Chang’s, a Chinese restaurant he enjoys, where I captured this video that sums up how we all feel at the end of PAW.
There you have it: Parental Appreciation Window. The best part about PAW? Everybody wins. I honestly can’t believe I haven’t blogged about it, but in hopes that our girls will one day read the blog and desire to pick up old habits, maybe they’ll find this post and revive the tradition. I’m nearly 100% certain that once delivering on this magical window is entirely in their hands, the stories will be, well, different. HA!
Emphasis on Joy 