rocking with the rollergirls!

last night we took the kids (well, 3 of the 4 kids) to cincinnati gardens to watch the cincinnati rollergirls. we went with a fun group of people: the cincinnati womens bloggers (i'm only sorry we missed the big tailgating party beforehand). the kids LOVED the roller derby! and so did we. The kids were entranced by the racing, the lights, the mascot (wooly bully) and all of the activity surrounding them. after the game the fans are welcome to come down to the rink, where max met buckhead betty. if you haven't been to a roller derby i highly recommend it!

star puffs

i am addicted to appetizers...i could eat appetizers for dinner every night of the week. i love making appetizers, and i love looking for new recipes to try. i found a new appetizer recipe this week that i thought i would share. it's a very simple appetizer, and as my husband** said after trying it: "it's good, but there's not much to it". and he's right, but sometimes you need an appetizer that is just simple, not alot of bells and whistles. this was one of my first forays into cooking with puff pastry (i've used the shells a million times, but haven't made much with the dough). and after making these puff stars i am eager to try more recipes with puff pastry...because i love easy appetizers! so if you have a favorite puff pastry appetizer recipe...please share!

here is how i made the star puffs (as found on http://www.foodnetwork.com/)

first, gather your ingredients: puff pastry, parmesan cheese, olive oil & pepper

cut shapes out of the puff pastry, place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with olive oil, and then sprinkle with pepper and parmesan.

bake puffs for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. cool & enjoy!

**disclaimer: my husband enjoys appetizers, but he does not share my obsession with them, he prefers a heartier meal...so his opinion is somewhat biased.

happiest baby this side of the ohio

this week....

~ henry went to the park
~ sam played chess
~ ella climbed a tree
~ max found a book about dinosaurs AND baseball

baby boy

reds vs. cardinals ~ may 2010

catching up on the daily news

sam insisted that henry needed to "read a magazine" and laid the paper out nicely in front of him so he could read (or eat) the news. these are the things that go on while mama is cooking dinner.

on my nightstand...

here's what's on my nightstand -- actually, they are not all on my nightstand at all times, mostly they are strewn about the house, waiting for a stolen moment where i can try to squeeze in a chapter, or even a glance. i am a certified bookworm. i adore the written word, in so many forms. i will read fiction, non-fiction, romance, sci-fi, horror, comedy, cookbooks, craft books, magazines, catalogs, children's books, and the list goes on and on. granted, i do not have as much time for reading as i did years ago. while i never regret where i am, and who i am today, sometimes i remember with longing the days in college when i would come home from work at night and just read for hours.
these days most of my reading is to the children, which i am not bitter about at all...i am working hard to instill a love of reading in them, and so far i think i am succeeding! ella is a voracious reader, she has read some of my favorites this school year, like charlotte's web & some of beverly cleary's books. max is really starting to get into books this year as well. he loves to look at books about volcanoes, sharks, the human body, and other cool non-fiction books like that. and sam...well, with sam it depends on his mood, sometimes he is just too busy for books. but when he does sit down to read he enjoys books where he has to find something...for example: waldo, or i spy. nothing makes mama smile like seeing her babes reading books.
the challenge is finding time for me to read books of my choosing. as you can see, the pile of books is quite high right now. one of my favorite (and quite honestly, one of the few) times i have to read is while nursing prince henry. i have gotten quite good at balancing a book in one hand and the babe in the other arm. sometimes if he is fussy i might even read aloud to him. it is a calm, peaceful & sweet time for me, and i always feel refreshed (and accomplished) after squeezing in a chapter here and there.
my book selections right now (top to bottom):
herbs & spice make everything nice ~ a cookbook that my sister bought for me at findlay market, i cannot wait to delve into this and hopefully garner some new recipes from it!
harry potter & the chamber of secrets ~ this is our family read-along book right now, the three older children love listening to the adventures harry potter and his friends have at hogwarts.
the time traveler's wife ~ i have just begun to read this book (and now will put it down for just a bit, since a long awaited library book came in today) -- and so far, so good. it's an interesting tale, mabye just a tad confusing when reading late at night while sleep deprived, but i cannot wait to pick it back up again!
catching fire ~ this is the 2nd book in the hunger games trilogy by suzanne collins, which i just finished reading, and can't stop thinking about. when someone first recommended the hunger games trilogy to me i kind of shuddered, because (spoiler alert)...it's about children killing each other! but once i read the first book i realized that it is about so much more than that. these books are fascinating, and they really pull you in. i have now passed them on to michael, and he is enjoying them as much as i did.
dead in the family ~ hot off the presses, i just picked this book up at the library today and cannot wait to dive in! it is the 10th book in the sookie stackhouse series by charlaine harris. the true blood series on hbo is based on these books. i am addicted to this series!
the creative family ~ this book was written by amanda soule, author of the blog: soulemama. i have found inspiration in both the book and the blog. i recommend this book for every family, there is much to be learned in reading it.
simple italian sandwiches ~ because the panini press is feeling neglected. i love paging through cookbooks. it's an activity that always makes me hungry.
bend the rules sewing ~ there are sooo many projects in this book that i am dying to do, when the time is right. in the meantime i will continue to flip through this book on a regular basis.

the quest for cake

last week i searched for a chocolate cake recipe for sam's birthday that was egg-free & peanut-free but not taste-free. i had lots of suggestions from friends, but ended up using a recipe i found online at allrecipes.com - and it was delicious! so if you are looking for an allergen free cake, or even just a good chocolate cake recipe i suggest you give this one a try. and sam gives it a thumbs-up! it was an uncomplicated recipe that resulted in a moist and yummy "choplip" cake as sam calls it. so this weekend for his birthday this will be his treat...only i think i might make cupcakes.

this week...

~ ella started reading a book that belonged to her mama when she was a little girl
~ max continued the search for that one elusive lego that always seems to be missing
~ henry came down with a cold that morphed into his first ear infection

~ sam blew bubbles to entertain his daddy while he worked on fixing the truck's brakes

nibbles

i made this pasta salad with roasted red peppers & basil over the weekend...and i have to say, it's just perfect for nibbling. i changed a few things in the recipe (i diced mozzarella instead of using mozzarella balls, and i used regular ol' balsamic vinegar). this pasta salad is ideal for a picnic, or a cookout...or to pack in your child's lunch. ella has been eating it all week at school. so if you are looking for a new spin on pasta for this summer's family gatherings try this!

my big boy

my max graduated from preschool yesterday, he's off to kindergarten in the fall. sigh.

happy mother's day!

i hope that all the mother's out there are having their way today. i certainly am! all i wanted was some quality family time today and that's what i got. cuddling with max while we watched the wizard of oz, sewing with sam, reading a book while holding sweet henry, and making strawberry shortcake with ella rose. and all the while my husband is doing sweet things for me, like making breakfast, planting our vegetables for the summer, and baking french bread for dinner. it truly is a perfect sort of day around here.

granola!

today my assistant chef and i made some very tasty granola. it was simple to put together, and oh soooooo yummy! our family loves to snack, and max loves loves loves granola, so i thought i would give it a try. i found a recipe in Real Simple magazine, but had to doctor it abit according to what we like to eat, and what i had in my cabinets (we used sunflower seeds & slivered almonds). there are so many other things we could have added, but we made a very basic mix. so if you are looking for a new snack to make, try this! max, sam & i give it two thumbs up!

zoo blooms

april 2010

my birthday

Seldom do I post about myself on our family blog, but I had such a fabulous birthday, that I felt the need to share. I think that birthdays are a wonderful thing, not to be ignored. Of course, I may change my tune someday, but for now I love my birthday, and approach the day with glee and excitement, like a child. I prefer a Mardi Gras approach to birthdays…why celebrate for just one day?!? So on the weekend before my big day we began the festivities.

On Friday night I had a date night with my beloved. We went out to dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant. I am a firm believer in date nights. I think it is important to our relationship to have this time just the two of us, and will use any special occasion as an excuse to have some alone time with my husband. Now granted, we do nothing but talk about our children the whole time we are away from them, and our dates seldom last more than a couple of hours, but it is refreshing to have that time together. The remainder of the evening was spent cuddling with Henry and drinking martinis from my fancy new glasses that Michael bought me for my birthday.

For each of our birthdays we have several celebrations. We have dinner with my family to celebrate the April & May birthdays in our family, and we have dinner with my in-laws to celebrate my birthday & Mother’s Day. I love these gatherings of family; there is always a feast to enjoy, stories to tell, and catching up to do.

But one of my favorite birthday traditions is something we do with our children. For each of our birthdays we allow the birthday girl or boy to pick their favorite restaurant and we have a family dinner just the six of us. This year I chose Zip’s Café and had an amazing cheeseburger. But it wasn’t the cheeseburger that made this night special. It was just being with Michael and our children, with the sole focus being each other (well, and maybe a bit of our attention focused on the very muddy derby racetrack on the TV above our heads, or the model train circling the restaurant). We talked to our children, shared funny stories, and just enjoyed being together. It is nice to go out to eat with them and have someone else worry about the cooking and the dishes and just let us relax with our children. This was on the Saturday before my birthday.
And then there was my actual birthday…I took the boys to my parent’s house where my dad made me a very yummy breakfast of champs: hole in one egg, hash browns, goetta & bacon. Yummy. And then we spent the day sorting, cleaning & pricing items for a yard sale. Sounds kind of dull…but it really wasn’t. Even the kids had fun…Sam found an old VCR that he was determined to make work, and Max played with this funky old-fashioned potato masher all day. Oh the adventures they had! And my day ended perfectly…my little sister took me out to dinner to celebrate. I’ve missed that girl, she’s always on the go, as am I, so we have not had time to ourselves in a very long time.
So thank you all for the birthday wishes, and thanks to those that made my birthday such a special celebration. And here’s wishing you a very merry birthday, you should really consider the Mardi Gras approach…make it a celebration that lasts for days on end!

neglect & priorities

i'm not quite sure how many people may be reading our little online family journal, or what it means to those who read it. for me, it is a place to share little tidbits and snapshots from our daily life. a place to share a favorite recipe, or cool craft ideas. a place to direct family & friends for updates on the children (have you seen how big my prince henry is getting?!?!).
i've never been one to keep a diary or a journal, not since childhood that is. i scrapbook obsessively, and document stories through photographs, but even in my scrapbooks the journaling is minimal. so this is my little attempt at a journal, but with the intent to share glimpses of our world with you.
the little things blog has been terribly neglected for a while, put on the back burner so to speak. many things have been put on the back burner around here (still waiting for my house elf to come help out with the chores). but that is ok...cleaning is not a priority, nor is blogging, or returning emails. right now my priority is kissing baby toes.


spring has invigorated me though, i feel like things are changing...the windows are open, the children are (knock on wood) healthy, and we have finally settled into some semblance of a routine. so i hope to be sharing new adventures, recipes, craft ideas, photos, and stories about the wild ones in the months to come.

Family Friendly Cincinnati

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before...but I am a contributing writer for a very cool local blog called "Family Friendly Cincinnati". It's a fabulous resource for families in our area. You can find so many fun things to do around town just by checking out this blog! There are posts about local parks, restaurant reviews, a "what's up this weekend" section every Friday, and so much more!
Right now, Family Friendly Cincinnati is excited to announce that we are partnering with the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau (WCCVB) during the month of May for Ohio Tourism Month. We'll be working with them to help raise awareness of all the great events, activities & places in Warren County.
Each day in May we'll be promoting 31 Prizes in 31 Days. The promotion will include a daily giveaway of fun Warren County related prizes here on www.FamilyFriendlyCincinnati.com. Items up for giveaway will include things like tickets to Ozone Zipline Adventures, The Beach Waterpark, the LM&M Railroad, golf at Shaker Run Golf Club, dinner for two to Valley Vineyards, VIP goodie bag to Cincinnati Premium Outlets and more.
Winners will be announced weekly by the WCCVB on the Warren County CVB Facebook page and via it's Twitter account, @WarrenCountyOH. You can also follow along on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #31Prizes31Days.
Known regionally as “Ohio’s Largest Playground,” Warren County boasts more fun activities locally, and within 30 miles of Warren County, than anywhere else in the state of Ohio!
Starting Saturday May 1st, don't forget to check the Family Friendly site each morning to see what the day's giveaway is and to enter. Also -- be sure to "Like" the Warren County Facebook Page so you don't miss the big news if you win!

3 months old already!