Three surprising things I miss about LA

When we moved up north I knew without a doubt there were many things I was going to miss, including Jinky’s whole wheat blueberry pancakes, but I never realized that I might miss something as simple as my laundry room (I think this might now be the most suburban thing I’ve ever said).

1. My Pediatrician

I’ll be honest; I didn’t realize how awesome Dr. Santana was until I started seeing our new pediatrician in Walnut Creek. At every visit Dr. Santana was encouraging, sensitive, and provided me with her opinion, plus followed up with written research to any questions I had – vaccines, bilingual education, solid foods, and this disgusting eye goop, eh problem, Daisy had when she was a few weeks old (well, she didn’t provide me with any recent studies on that, but she reassured me when I was in hysterics because I was CERTAIN she was going blind.) She never made me feel rushed or stupid, and always made me feel comfortable. She, as well as all of Kaiser Sunset and its affiliated medical offices are extremely baby friendly, which basically meant that they went above and beyond to ensure that I succeeded in nursing Daisy for as long as we both wished. This is not to say that I do not like the girls’ new pediatrician, I’m, let’s just say, not over the moon about her. But, I’m hoping she grows on me.

2. My Laundry Room

I always hated our laundry room. It was tiny, awkwardly positioned and dimly lit. However, what I didn’t realize was how extremely loud and inconvenient it would be to NOT have a laundry room. Currently, our laundry facilities are in our main hallway, i.e. right in the middle of the house. Gone are the days of starting a load of laundry at night or hiding the dirty linens behind the pocket door. And now, let’s just say I lust after luxurious laundry rooms – a sink, shelves, a door oh my!!

3. My Farmer’s Market

I know, I know; I now live in the land of u-pick orchards and farmer’s market galore. However, I loved, loved everything about our little market. The time, Tuesdays from 3 – 7pm perfectly coincided with Daisy’s afternoon nap and my work schedule. It was small enough that I could let Daisy run loose, but big enough that I would be able to get my eggs, chicken, and beef not to mention any fruits and vegetables we needed for the week. I knew the farmers and the vendors, and they were always happy to give samples to a little pint-sized eater. Plus, my friend Ari had the most amazing, melt-in-your mouth sundried tomatoes and sheep’s cheese that added the perfect zip to my morning scrambled eggs. And as a little bonus, my friends and our gaggle of kids would meet at the market together. We’d swap recipes while the toddlers would burn off excess energy sampling juicy, organic, local fruits and veggies. These days, I’m still learning to love our local market – it’s Saturday mornings, which has made it more of a family affair with a trip to a nearby park. It’s much bigger which means there is a healthy supply of delicious dried fruit, the best carrots I’ve ever tasted, and my new friend Denise who makes the softest cinnamon chip cookies ever.