menu plan monday ~ in reverse ~ november 28

I am participating in orgjunkie.com's menu plan monday...menu planning has made a huge difference in our lives. We are eating healthier, there's less stress at dinnertime trying to figure out what to feed everyone and I'm saving money at the grocery because of careful planning.

Last week we had so many family get-togethers that I only had to make dinner once!  It was sooo nice!  I made Lemon Basil Chicken with noodles, and it was delicious as always. 

Here are a few more tasty treats I made throughout the week:
Multigrain Bread
Nana's Stuffing (maybe I'll share this recipe next Thanksgiving)
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Mini Crescent Burgers

What's cooking at your house this week?

henry & the ice cream cone

Snow White at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati

This past week we were treated to a sneak peek performance of Snow White at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.  I can't thank the folks at ETC enough for inviting me and my family to the show, we had a grand afternoon!  We went to the show with some of my blogging friends from Family Friendly Cincinnati and their children. 

It was fun for the kids to get all dressed up and go downtown for a show.  There was such excitement in the air.  We arrived early for the show so we had time to wander up and down Vine Street checking out all of the cool shops & restaurants in Over the Rhine. 

Sam wore his finest attire for the show, his beloved guitar tie & froggie boots.  Such a stylish young man!

The Ensemble Theatre is a relatively small theatre, but I liked that...it made me feel like we were close enough to be a part of the play.  And there's not a bad seat in the house.  For most of the year ETC produces plays for grownups, but for the next month they will be performing Snow White, which is perfect for guests both "tall and small".  Before the show started we were warned to forget about any other renditions of Snow White that we had seen - there will be no dwarves in this show! 

I don't know how to accurately put into words how much I loved this performance.  The set was simply elegant, the costumes were creative, unique, outlandish & beautiful all at once, and the writing, music & dancing were fantastic.  My kids were captivated thoughout the show.  And so was I!  I loved the modernized re-telling of this favorite fairy tale...I can't give you any specifics because I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but they made some interesting changes.  The dwarves may not have been there, but the "halfling" characters were awesome additions to the story.  There were also lessons to be learned about morals & values weaved into the play.  I loved that this play was more Grimm than Disney.     

The performers in this show really brought their characters to life, and made you feel as if you were really in a fairy tale.  They all did a marvelous job.  Kudos to David Kisor and Joseph McDonough for writing & creating such a marvelous show.  It was all around a great show for the family, and I'm so happy we were able to see it.  It made me want to go to more plays at ETC.  We have not been to this theatre since we started dating 17 years ago, but now I'm thinking it'd make a great date - dinner & a show.  So many great restaurants around to choose from, including my favorite...Senate.  

Here are the show's details:

When: November 30th - December 31st

Where: Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine

Tickets: $36-$42. Students (ages 12 and up) $16
513-421-3555 and http://www.cincyetc.com./


***Pictures of the show in the collage were taken by Ryan Kurtz and provided to me by ETC

Holiday Gift Ideas

For the past few years I have made an effort to buy more of our holiday gifts from small businesses.  I myself am a small business owner (Cards by Katie - shameless plug), so I understand the importance of supporting independently owned companies.  I've put together a list for my readers of some of my favorite items I've found on Etsy.com and some of my favorite local small businesses (in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area).

My favorite Etsy finds:

Gorgeous Alphabet prints by Jennifer French ~ we gave these to the kids last year for Christmas

READ Charm Bracelets by Tippy Tumble
Reinbeer Ornaments (always good for a laugh - and eco-friendly!) from Make Shop Live

Felt Hippo shirt by Felt It (she has soooo many cute felt gifts in her shop!)
Cards by Katie (shameless plug!)

Tooth Fairy Pillows by Cosmic Thimble
Coupon Organizers by Grandma's Little Lilly

Personalized Wooden Ornaments by Jeneene
If you crochet, Mamachee has some adorable & reasonably priced patterns in her shop!

My favorite places to shop around town:
Stoney's Gifts All Things Princess & Fairy
Bunches of Bows (my girl loves bows!  And they have so many more gifts here besides bows)
Joseph Beth Booksellers
MK's Totebags and Monogramming
Madelyne Rose Custom Hairbows, It's a Girl Thing

For other great places to shop around Cincy/NKY check out the Local Shopping Guide on Family Friendly Cincinnati!

How do you support small business?

holiday portrait out-takes 2011

I took advantage of an unseasonably warm fall day today to take our Christmas pictures of the kids.  It was nice to have this holiday task scratched off the list.  It's always kind of stressful for me.  I don't know how these photographers do it...getting four kids to look at the camera all at once and smile.  I'm going to share some of our out-takes with you, but you'll have to wait a few weeks to see the official holiday portraits...

And if you'd like another giggle you can check out last year's out-takes here.

This one would have been soooo cute had my youngest monkey looked at the camera.

Playtime between pictures.

Why is this one an out-take you ask?  Well, because Henry is actually standing still and smiling for me.  The problem is, the other three kids were not in the shot.

Nice smirk Sam!  And where is my baby?

Monkeys - I love them so much.

Grouches.

feeling thankful...

i'm thankful for....
~ my four little turkeys
~ my soulmate
~ our amazing families, for reasons innumerable
~ our fantastic friends, each and every one of you
~ cooler weather, blazing fires & warm blankets
~ food aplenty to nourish my family
~ my husband's job and his willingness to work until he drops to provide for us and enable me to stay home
~ crafts & crafty kids
~ the generousity, compassion & kindness of others
~ music
~ my cameras
~ our backyard
~ my note card customers
~ my children's teachers
~ flannel pajamas
~ stay at home mamas who run their own business (especially those of the baking sort - see above)
~ good books & book loving children
~ bourbon (c'mon, did you really think i wouldn't mention it?!?)

the cleaning game

So often people say to me "I don't know how you do it!".  And honestly, I say the same thing to so many other parents.  We all feel overwhelmed some days, spread thin and as if there are simply not enough hours in the day.  Somehow we all "do it" though.  We muddle through the days, meet our family's needs and juggle tasks, activities and commitments.  My big secret to appearing as if I've got a handle on our chaotic life is quite embarrassing to admit.  I don't clean very much.  Sure, I do my best to keep our house tidy, and I can whip it into shape in 15 minutes by piling stuff in the basement & closets, but it's rarely truly CLEAN.  Our bathroom belongs at some dinghy gas station, actually gas station bathrooms are often cleaner than mine.  And I loathe to sweep floors.  Not cleaning your home can save you so much time!  Although, I have to admit I feel shame when I go to other homes that seem to be spotless (especially those spotless homes where young children reside).  Every once in a while I try to take cleaning more seriously, but I never get very far.  I LOVE to organize, but could care less about cleaning.  I keep telling myself that when the children are grown and gone I will have plenty of time for scrubbing, and that I should just relax and enjoy these moments with them because they are growing up way too fast!

I do get serious about cleaning sometimes - for instance, when we are going to have a party.  We always joke that the reason we throw parties is to get our house into shape.  This weekend we are having a get-together and I'm trying to get the house into shape.  What's nice is that now that our children are older they can lend a hand (except for Henry, he is intent on messing everything we clean).  My favorite phrase lately has been "we don't have a maid, clean up your mess!".  One of them jokingly replied once that I was the maid...my reaction was not pretty.  I have to say my kids are pretty good cleaners, and are fairly willing to do tasks & chores.  But cleaning for a party is different than cleaning a bedroom - it's a three-day affair.  So to liven things up (and reduce the amount of whining) I came up with a game today.

First I wrote down all the chores I wanted them to do on small scraps of paper.  I wrote down every single thing I thought they could handle. 

I folded the scraps of paper up, threw them in a bucket and then let them draw one "task" at a time. 

As they finished a task I gave them a tally mark on the score sheet, telling them that the winner would get a bag of skittles (candy is a rare treat).

And let me tell you, they worked their tails off!  The bucket was empty in no time, and my house was decluttered.  It was awesome!  I was so happy I rewarded all of them with a treat. 

How do you get your family to pitch in around the house?

Menu Plan Monday ~ November 21

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com, but unlike most of the other participants who plan their menus and post them that week, I'm always a bit behind, and I post my menus a week later. I do this so that I can let you know if I try a new recipe and it's not that great. I don't want to blog about a recipe if it's no good. I cannot emphasize enough how much menu planning has helped me out. I'm spending less at the grocery store, we are eating out less, and eating healthier foods. I'm not as stressed out at dinner time trying to pull something together with whatever ingredients I have on hand. It takes a bit of time on the weekends to create our menu plan, but all week long I'm thankful that I took the time to get organized and make a plan! I look at my calendar for the week while menu-planning and figure out what kind of meal would be best for each day. Busy evenings call for crock pot cookin' while Friday night family nights are a little more relaxed and I can take my time cooking. Participating in MPM has also inspired me to find new recipes for my family, and I hope that when you read this post you can find new recipes for your family as well!


Here's what was cooking at our house last week:

Chicken Fried Rice
Taco Night
Cincinnati Style Chili
Beef Goulash Soup & Grilled Cheese
Spaghetti & Meatsauce
Oatmeal Cookies
Granola Bars

lazy sunday morning

Balluminaria

 Last night in Eden Park...

Turophilia - eclectic quesadillas - find them in downtown Cincy - they are tantalizingly delicious!

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama:   A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

**I cannot help but say a few words on this one...the boys were at the Aquarium seeing the adorable otters (finally!).  Sam was so happy & awestruck. 

Tape ~ Sam Style

Cub Scouts

My handsome Tiger Scout, and his adoring baby brother.

Alphabet Books Revisited

Are you looking for something fun & educational to do with your young ones?  Try making an ABC book with them!  Read all about it in this post I wrote about making your own alphabet book.  My kids had so much fun creating their books.  And recently I started teaching in a Saturday program and once again my students enjoyed this project.  I love the unique  & interesting ideas the kids come up with for their alphabet book.  And it's simple (and inexpensive) to put together.  

I'd like to add a few new Alphabet book titles to your reading list as well.  Whenever I do the Alphabet book project we always start by reading a few ABC books, and here are a few of our favorites:

Peanut Butter & Jellyfishes by Brian P. Cleary

A is for Astronaut by Traci Todd

The Turn-Around, Upside Down Alphabet Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst

**look closely at this picture, this book is great because it makes the kids really look at the letter

Picture a Letter by Brad Sneed

I love love love the illustrations in this book!

Have fun with this project!  It's perfect for your preschooler who is just learning the letters, or for your older student who is looking for an interesting way to write & illustrate their own book.  The great things about this activity is that the possibilities are countless.

menu plan monday ~ in reverse ~ november 14

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com, but unlike most of the other participants who plan their menus and post them that week, I'm always a bit behind, and I post my menus a week later. I do this so that I can let you know if I try a new recipe and it's not that great. I don't want to blog about a recipe if it's no good. I cannot emphasize enough how much menu planning has helped me out. I'm spending less at the grocery store, we are eating out less, and eating healthier foods. I'm not as stressed out at dinner time trying to pull something together with whatever ingredients I have on hand. It takes a bit of time on the weekends to create our menu plan, but all week long I'm thankful that I took the time to get organized and make a plan! I look at my calendar for the week while menu-planning and figure out what kind of meal would be best for each day. Busy evenings call for crock pot cookin' while Friday night family nights are a little more relaxed and I can take my time cooking. Participating in MPM has also inspired me to find new recipes for my family, and I hope that when you read this post you can find new recipes for your family as well!

Here's what was cooking at our house last week:
Skillet Red Beans and Rice - from the fabulous Kentucky Fresh Cookbook, I made a huge batch of these a while back and froze some.
BBQ Chicken (you know, the easy kind where you marinate the chicken in a ziploc bag with a jar of bbq sauce then bake...super simple!)  Best served with Herb Roasted Potatoes.
Dilled Pot Roast
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Beef & Barley Stoup

What's cooking at your house this week?

for the love of legos

There is a lego obsession at our home.  It's been going on for several years now.  On any given day you can find my munchkins hanging out at the dining room table creating masterpieces.  Even the babe joins them sometimes, he loves the lego cars and the minifigures.

The kids LOVE minifigures.  Sometimes they won't get the Lego blocks out, they will just play with the people.  Hours and hours of fun with these things!

Sometimes they work together and build great cities.

Or pyramids & pharoahs on camels.

Then there's the Baywatch scenario.

And every good city has a jail for the bad guys, like the Wicked Witch & Dracula.  I'm not sure why the mime is in jail...

They've also made some cool things from the Lego kits.  My favorite thing about the Legos is that somehow they all work together so peacefully when the Legos are out.  They may squabble over lots of other things in life, but Legos bring them together.  And while they are busy creating with Legos Mama has a chance to catch up on bills or empty the dishwasher.

Do your children love Legos?  Do they use the kits or create masterpieces on their own?