Andrea is a mom to a 3-year-old daughter who loves the beach, and cooking and baking with her girl.
Where are you from originally?
I was born in Phoenix, AZ and moved to Costa Mesa the weekend before my freshman year at Newport Harbor High School.
How long have you lived in Costa Mesa or Newport Beach? How many kids do you have and what are their age(s)?
I have lived in Costa Mesa, then Newport Beach, and then back to Costa Mesa for the past 23 years. We have only one child at the great age of threenager (3).
What are your favorite things to do with your daughter in general or in town?
My favorite thing to do with my little girl is cooking and baking. Our favorite thing to make is a paleo, vegan, gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. See Recipe below.
When we need to get out of the house it’s to places she calls “Blippi Places” like We Play Loud, Pump It Up, or any park.
Name 3 things in town you can’t live without.
1. The beach
2. Vibe Organic Kitchen
3. My bike / Bounce Society
What’s your favorite restaurant in town for a family date? Why?
The Crack Shack is fabulous for good food and room for the kids to play on the corn-hole area, and dad is entertained by the sports on the big screens.
What is your favorite kid-friendly recipe?
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond flour
2 tbsp arrowroot starch
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup chocolate chunks
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot, salt, and baking soda. Mix to combine.
- Combine, vanilla, maple syrup, and ghee in a small bowl and mix.
- Add maple syrup mixture to almond flour mixture and stir well until completely combined.
- Fold in chocolate chunks.
- Use a tablespoon to portion dough onto prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each portion.
- Bake 10-15 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges. They will be lighter in color than regular chocolate chip cookies.
- Remove cookies from oven and allow them to cool slightly before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe from Paleo Sweets by Kelsey Ale
What is your local go-to store for children’s clothes? Yourself? Furniture?
Target, Old Navy, H&M. Yea right I don’t buy new furniture and won’t until after the kid moves out. Lol!
What are your favorite events in Costa Mesa or Newport Beach?
Fav, fav event is Costa Mesa’s concerts in the park in July. The event is so much fun for the kids as well as the parents. We ride our bikes over so it’s always a great sunset ride home.
Do you have a favorite destination for family trips? Why?
North Shore Oahu, HI as we have friends out there we stay with and it’s like going to our second home.
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time?
Most difficult to date would have to be day three as that was the day they sent us home from Hoag Hospital. We have adjusted to not being newbie parents, but man is that first time go-round a doozie. I kept waking up just to make sure she was still breathing.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms?
If delivering at Hoag, use their nursery so you can catch up on some much needed sleep before you go home. Never again, unless you’re super fortunate, will you have 24hr nursing care for your newborn so you can rest easy at least for 2-3 nights.
Also, bring cards in your purse to restaurants, like Uno or Go Fish or Old Maid. I have found that it is great for learning numbers, colors and even social concepts while waiting for dinner.
What do you most value in your friends?
Follow through. There are the moments that sickness and/or other things keep us from being able to do the girls’ night or date night out, but it’s essential to everyone’s health and happiness to have those times away from the kids that doesn’t include work. I would say my friends and I try and make plans that we almost always follow through on.
What was your career before having children? If it’s the same, how do you balance career & motherhood?
I work at Hoag Hospital and have so for almost 10 years, but I also used to teach spin and yoga at YAS on 17th St. I taught up until two weeks prior to delivering. I kept up teaching for a while but have since put the teaching on pause to have more time while my little is still little. I’m only a student now for my workouts, and I love the ease with which I can sneak in and out of class to get it in!!!
How do you relax and unwind? IF and when you get time to yourself, what’s your favorite thing to do?
My perfect day looks something likes this: Make a healthy smoothie breakfast for my husband, kid and myself.
Dad takes Cora to daycare. Mom gets in a Bounce and yoga class, come home, shower, shave and redress with no distractions. Get my nails done, massage and then hair done, and go shopping for at least one new look including a pair of shoes. Dad picks up the kid to come home to a home-cooked meal. The kiddo goes to bed early and there’s still time to watch TV with my husband or read a book. If I could get all this done in one day that is my #MOMGOAL for life.
Thanks Andrea!