Best Buys
My kids love visiting Starbucks for their cold-coffee sweet treats, but I’ve found myself preferring the bitter side of things as I get older. When a friend praised local roaster Dark Horse Coffee’s cold brew, …
My ten-year-old has birds on the brain ever since she got a pet parakeet, and she’s eager to see some that don’t live in cages. Natalie at Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Del Mar …
Bills need to be paid, the kids need to eat, and the bank account is light after a round of expensive dentistry for the family. (If booze is the number-one curse of the Irish, bad …
Where did the summer go? I blinked and it was suddenly August. Another blink, and August was gone too. As I shared a cocktail last night with a couple friends at Polite Provisions — I …
It’s hot: time to gather the family and taste limeade. We started with the straight stuff. Simply Limeade ($2.99 for 59 oz. at Sprouts) can be found in most grocery stores. “It smells like lime …
The leisure days of summer make my mind wander to all the extras I can’t find time to do the rest of the year. One such activity is bowling. The whole family enjoys it but …
My friend Sophie’s eyeliner is permanently perfect — because it’s permanent. “Permanent makeup is a tattoo,” explained Jeanee Lusby, owner of Natural Look of Permanent Cosmetics in La Jolla (866-550-LOOK), “but it isn’t really permanent …
Sometimes, there’s no homemade chicken stock in the freezer. So I zipped around San Diego and gathered up a bunch of chicken juice — mostly broths, but also a few boxed stocks — from the …
Uncle Max wants to go swimming with sharks when he visits this year. “It’s a metaphor made literal!” he marvels. Shark Diver (855-987-4275) runs several adventures, including a five-day trip to Guadalupe Island, about 175 …
On the hottest day of last summer, we hosted a wedding reception in our backyard. The thermometer hit 103 degrees as the guests arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon. Our guests clustered in the shady …
My daughter likes to bake at home, so when her birthday comes along, she likes to make it special by bringing in professional confections. But this year, she has begged off cake — including cake …
“It is not mandatory to give or receive a hug, but we have not had any recipients deny one yet.”
My teens participated in the Color in Motion 5K chalk run last month with a bunch of their friends. They returned triumphant after the jaunt around Qualcomm Stadium, looking as if they had returned from …