Pampers Gifts to Grow Program

Are you participating in the Pampers Gifts to Grow program? If not, go here and sign up today. I just redeemed points (30) for a sweepstakes entry to win a 5-night Spa & Resort Getaway for two in the Marriott® Summer Sweepstakes! This sweepstakes ends 10/31/2010 so you still have plenty of time to enter.
I also had enough points (500) for a Shutterfly package that consists of 25 4 x 6, 2 5 x7 and 1 8 x 10. If you choose this reward, Pampers e-mails you the promotion code to use upon checkout at Shutterfly.com. This will give me the perfect opportunity to print out our summer memories!

It is easy to participate. Simply create an account and enter codes from Pampers products and keep your eye out for codes circulating on the Internet. I find most of my codes at Freebies for Mom and For the Mommas.Go check out their lovely blogs for other freebies, deals and coupons as well!


Happy Tuesday!


ps

There's actually a new code on Freebies for Mom right now! Plus you get 50 points just for signing up.

Music Monday

This week's choice is Michael Buble's Everything because Matty is my everything.

Matty adores Mr. Buble. His voice is powerful and will immediately grab baby's attention. His songs are upbeat and energetic and will get your baby moving!

Although this is a love song for a significant other, the majority of the lyrics perfectly describes a parent/child relationship as well! 

Homework

I have been researching everything and anything about air travel with a toddler. There is a plethora of information on the web from parents who have been in my shoes.  I've learned what toys to bring, what snacks to pack and how to deal with meanies who despise children.

Homework though, is equally as important as the big exam. That said, I will be ordering Byron Barton's Planes board book:

I can tell already that we'll love it.  The vibrant colors are sure to stimulate Matty's desire to learn and the simplistic narration will make it easy for him to comprehend. I can already picture us on a picnic blanket reading it and Matty looking up at the sky as he excitedly declares, "plane!"

i know it's early but...

dear santa,

this would be perfect for me because i know mama and dada love pac man. i know mama doesn't mean it when she throws the controller at dada. he can't help it that he's so good at winning.

♥

matty

handmade by allie craft

Families Only Section

While on Facebook this evening, I came across a post by Examiner.com asking for opinions on "Families Only" sections on airplanes. Ironically, I just booked a flight last night and will be flying alone with my Matty at the end of September. I have a lot of anxiety about this because I envision the worst. He hasn't been on a plane since he was 4-months-old. Then, he was a perfect angel, but at 4-months-old, babies are content most of the time.

Matty is always on the go and doesn't like to be restrained for long periods of time, so I am pretty positive that there is going to be kicking and screaming. My only comfort comes in thinking that hopefully there will be a child who is slightly more miserable than my own. I will give a look to that parent that says "I feel for you deeply, but THANK YOU."

Back to the issue: I feel like it's a good idea for no reason other than it allows parents the ability to avoid evil glares from people who may be annoyed by their child. On the other hand, it aggravates me that it is even a debate. I mean, where is the "section" for miserable, cranky adults? Those types of passengers make me far more uncomfortable than any child ever has on a flight.

What do you think? Yay or nay to "families only" sections on planes?

Also, those of you who have traveled with an 18-month-old before, any advice?

"What's for Dinner?" Wednesday

I had a pack of chicken legs in the refrigerator and had no idea what to do with them, so I quickly googled a recipe and adapted it a tad.

Maple Garlic Chicken



Ingredients

4 tbsp. butter
12 chicken legs
8-10 medium potatoes (I used fingerlings and sweet)
24 garlic cloves (I only used 10)
1 large onion (I added this.)
salt and pepper
2 C chicken broth (I added this.)
1/2 C maple syrup

1. In a large roasting pan, in 400 degree oven, melt butter. 
2. While butter is melting, cut potatoes and onions to desired size. 
3. Remove pan from oven. 
4. Add chicken and potatoes. 
5. Season with salt and pepper. 
6. Turn to coat with melted butter. 
7. Arrange chicken skin up. 
8. Add chicken broth. 
9. Bake for 40 minutes, occasionally basting chicken and potatoes with pan juices. 
10. Brush chicken with maple syrup and add onions to roasting pan. 
11. Bake 20 minutes longer.

It turned out really well!

Introducing Music Monday

As I mentioned here, I love music. Often times, I find myself singing nick jr. tunes while I'm driving alone in my car or in line at the grocery store. I do actually like some of the music on nick jr. I mean, they play Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, so they obviously know good music. But even the most patient mama can lose her composure after hours of standard "children's" songs. Here's a remedy: it's never too early to introduce them to the kind of music YOU prefer!  Matty and I listen to a lot of music that is appealing to both of us.

That said, each Monday, I will share a song with you that both mama and little one can enjoy together.

Today I chose Prince's Starfish and Coffee.  Not only does this song have a fun piano driven beat that is perfect for dancing, but it has a great message about a little girl with autism.  It encourages imagination and acceptance of others.

Grab your little guy or gal and go listen to Starfish and Coffee :) Let me know what you think!

"if you set your mind free baby, maybe you'd understand..."

I like the sound of persimmon.

We recently remodeled our dining room, and on a spur of the moment trip to the thrift store on Friday, I stumbled upon a great vintage find: Mikasa International Nature's Song Persimmon plates that were only made from 1974 -1976. They are in mint condition and compliment my dining room perfectly! We didn't need plates but I couldn't pass them up; I bought 8 dinner plates and 8 salad plates for $14! Also bought a few other fun vintage items and spent a total of $23.

Oh my, I want these.

If you or someone you know is expecting or has a newborn to 9-month-old, you have to go check out Pleasantly plump [knits.] I am very tempted to buy those sweet brown moccasins and squish Matty's 17-month-old feet into them! Simply adorable. Bleubird is having a giveaway that includes winning a pair of these custom made booties, so your homework for tonight is to go here and enter =)

"What's for Dinner?" Wednesday

Tonight we had leftovers. Last night I made spinach, shrimp and cheese quiche, which is absolutely delish! You know how there are some leftovers that you just dread? I mean the dish is good, but once is enough? This is not one of those dishes! We love leftovers of this recipe:

Ingredients

1 frozen pie shell (let thaw on counter for 15 minutes)
2 cups chopped spinach
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
5 eggs
1 C heavy cream
1 Tablespoon of Tabasco Sauce
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 C grated Parmesan
1 C shredded mozzarella or cheddar 1/2 C of each!
10 medium cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined.

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in pan.
3. Add spinach and cook on medium heat until wilted.
4. Mix together all ingredients except for shrimp.
5. Pour into pie shell.
6. Place shrimp into pie shell, distributing evenly.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

What did you have for dinner?

Border Be Gone!

I was able to eliminate the annoying border and also changed my siggy already; decided to check out My Live Signature and came up with a better one!

Signature

Learned to make a signature tonight! Yay me! I'm a dork, I know.

Now, about that box around it; how do I make that disappear?

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge

This week's challenge is "orange." The photo I entered was taken this past weekend on our camping trip. Matty's first word after Mama and Dada was ball. If you ask him where the ball is, he will stop whatever it is that he is doing and walk around looking for it, calling, "ball, ball." That said, I made sure to pack his basketball for our trip!

Welcome Wednesday 8/18

Come say hi!

Bleubird Vintage

Bleubird is one of my favorite blogs. It's author, Miss James, is owner of Bleubird Vintage and they are having a sale on all "lady bird" clothing of up to 50% off! And Miss James is about to have a baby any second now, so go send her some love and buy something cute!

Page Look

I'm experimenting with my page design, so if it looks awful at any given time, don't let that scare you away; I promise I'm trying to make it pretty! Do you like my new header? Be nice because I think it's cute! I'm not sure though if it is weird because it isn't centered? Haven't figured that out yet, so if you know, tell me. Pretty please. Thanks.

This one too...

This is my first week participing in Tuesday Tag-Along. I am looking forward to meeting many new folks and discovering some fab new blogs!

It's That Time Again!

Some R & R...or Not

We're testing out Peterson this weekend before we take him all the way to Indiana at the end of September. I was looking forward to a peaceful and relaxing getaway, but then I remembered we have a 16-month-old...lol. Seriously, can't wait to be surrounded by nature and to make the first of many family memories in our camper!

Here's Matty getting acquainted with Peterson.




Have a great weekend everyone!

"What's for Dinner?" Wednesday

Tonight we had spaghetti and meatballs. I've never made homemade meatballs before so I thought I would give it a whirl. I'm not one for measuring accurately, but I'll try and lay it out for you:

1 pound of 80/20 ground beef
2 eggs
1 C of Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 C of french fried onions (crushed)
1 T of low sodium soy sauce
1 T of dijon
1 T chopped garlic
salt and pepper

Mix thoroughly and roll into balls.



Cook in olive oil on medium heat.

I didn't get any shots of the finished product because my camera battery died. (Matty and I had a little photo shoot this afternoon, which killed it!)

They were pretty tasty for my first try!
I was going to attempt my own sauce as well, but my tomatoes had spoiled. I doctored up a jar of sauce with fresh basil and honey, but it was eh.

Your turn...

National Parks Free This Weekend

Although many National Parks offer free admission all year long, this weekend, all 392 will waive their entrance fee! In addition, some have other free offerings and special happenings this weekend. Go here to check them out.

Welcome Wednesday 8/11

Wednesday is my favorite day of the week (besides the weekend) for many reasons. One of them is that it's Welcome Wednesday! Check it out and discover some great new blogs.

Happy hump day!

Our New Addition

No Musikfest for us tonight. Matty was a bit off today, so we thought it was best to stay home. We had a nice night watching television, playing and cuddling.

Now that both my big and lil guy are asleep, just wanted to vent. I've been struggling here tonight with my page design. I am clueless when it comes right down to it, so I just chose a different prepackaged blogger design until I have more time. I did download Gimp the other night, and tried editing a header in it from The Cutest Blog on the Block, but I gave up after a while. Plus, my pc has been on the slow slide lately and that doesn't help with the frustration. Any tips anyone has would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

On the upside, remember that pop-up camper? We bought it! I simply cannot emphasize enough how excited I am about this! I'm giddy just thinking about the family memories that will be made in it! Hubby has been hard at work prepping it for our first trip that will take place at the end of September. We even agreed on a name. Hubby said that since the brand is "The Viking," that we should name him Adrian, after Adrian Peterson, the best player on the Minnesota Vikings. Then I threw out that we should name him Peterson instead so that it would also be after my grandpa who passed away 8 years ago this past May. We agreed and there you have it! Meet Peterson...







Nighty night.

To Go or Not To Go...

Matty's not sure if he is in the mood to deal with crowds and humidity, but he is super excited about hearing his Aunt Italia's papa's band, The Lou Franco Project, play at Musikfest this evening. If we go, I'll be sure to post pictures of my dancing man!



*This photo was taken when Matty was about 3 weeks old. Oh my, he was (and still is, of course) such a doll. I wonder what he was pondering then?!

Follow Me Back Tuesday!

Come play!

Meetup Monday

Head on over to Just Another Manic Momday's blog for Meetup Monday!

Water Revisited

After entering my photo in The Paper Mama's photo challenge, I was reminded of a poem I wrote back in 2007 for a poetry course I took while in college. The assignment was to write a poem about one or more of the four elements: earth, air, fire or water:

Facedown in Yesterday

I am swimming and sinking,

laughing and crying,

embracing and denying.

The zodiac points to Air—

my ancestors disagree,

but Water makes sense:

my mother’s fist pound glass,

alerting the YMCA instructor.

At night, you bead on my forehead and under my arms,

soaking the bed sheets.

That summer at J & M’s in Point Pleasant,

Grandma teaches me to conquer fear

while Grandpa does

the dead man’s float

and I keep him there

although he became Earth

almost 4 years ago.

If I flow over him,

perhaps he will wake up

and I will be free of this child.

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge

For the first time, I am entering The Paper Mama Photo Challenge and I am very excited! This week's photo submissions are to be centered around water. I came across The Paper Mama, via Skinned Knees, so thanks Christy! Here is my entry:

Pop....Goes the Camper

Hubby is on his way to check out a pop-up camper! It's a 1984, but it is in nice condition. We have a road trip planned at the end of September and if we buy this, the pop-up camper will pay for itself in just that one trip! We love to get away, but like many families these days, we're on a tight budget. It will bring us plenty of family fun and relaxation at a low cost. Yay!

"What's for Dinner?" Wednesday (I know it's Thursday)

Last night, while I was preparing dinner, I decided to start "Whats for Dinner?" Wednesdays. The evening got away from me and I didn't get to post, so I'm doing it today.

Tomato, mozzarella and basil drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Zucchini Pie

4 cups of thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini
1 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup of chopped parsley (fresh) or 2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sweet basil
3/4 stick light butter
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 eggs
1 crescent dinner rolls (light)
dijon mustard
Preheat Oven to 375.
Melt butter in skillet. Add zucchini and onions. Simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until soft. Add parsley, pepper, salt,
oregano, garlic powder, basil and mix well in pan. Simmer for a
little while (3-4 burner settings) about 5-10 minutes while you
prepare the following:
In large bowl, beat eggs and then stir in mozzarella cheese and mix well.
In quiche or pie plate, line with crescent rolls, pressing them
together to make a crust. Lightly spread dijon mustard over the
rolls.
Bake in oven 25-35 minutes until browned.

Grilled Salmon

The marinade consists of 3 Tablespoons of dijon, 2 Tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce, and 4 - 5 Tablespoons of olive oil.

If I may say so myself, last night's dinner rocked!


What did you make for dinner last night?

Thirsty Thursday Blog Hop

I'm participating in the Thirsty Thursday blog hop hosted by Obviously MARvelous and For the Love of 4. Come join in on the fun!