Vacation in pictures

Needless to say, our vacation was a success. More details to come after we recover.

Summer Bucket List 2014

Our summer is going to be quite full. I have a post coming regarding our house plans, but we are planning on doing quite a bit of work to our exterior and yard this year. My husband jokes that by the time we get done we will be celebrating our 80th birthdays.

But despite all of our yard work and exterior projects, we love to spend time doing things as a family. At the beginning of the year we made a pact that we would budget in money each month to do special family fun days with our kids. Not all of them are expensive, but some can add up. We’ve been doing this ever since and those are some of my favorite memories since the 1st of the year. It’s just a way to keep us on track and we really do love doing things together.

SO this year our list isn’t that long and I know we may miss out on some of these. Either way it’s fun to have a list to look forward to and cross things off of as we make our way through. Between all the fun and work this summer I’m sure the end of this pregnancy will fly by!

 

1. Edina Pool days (we have a pass so I’m sure we will be there multiple times a week)

2. Farmer’s Market Saturdays

3. Minnesota Zoo

4. Como Zoo

5. Red Barn Pizza Farm in Northfield. (I cannot wait to do this one!!)

6. Picnic at the park

7. Gale Woods Farm Saturdays

8. Beach day at Bryant Lake Beach

9. Brainerd vacation (scheduled for early June)

10. Alexandria vacation in August with family

11. State Fair

12. Sprinkler

13. Playgrounds

14. Izzy’s for ice cream

15. Twins Game

16. Raspberry & Strawberry picking (maybe Blueberries?)

17. Homemade popsicles and ice cream

18. Outdoor barbecues

19. Splash pad

20. Hiking down by the river

What are some of your favorite things to do in the summertime in the Twin Cities?

Chicago bound

We’ve decided to take a trip.

Without Elizabeth.

My heart started racing just writing that. Somehow, like all little ones, she’s wrapped herself around my heart strings and I just don’t want to let her out of my sight…except for nursery at church of course.

But I know it’s time and I really want to go away. With Alex. Just the two of us. We’ve done a couple of longer dates being gone most of the day. And she’ll be fine. I know she will and maybe that’s part of the letting go. But seriously, we both just love being around her. Apparently too much. I think it’s so interesting all the things that go on inside the heart. We long for time away from our kids so we can get a break and then we go ahead and plan something and all of a sudden being away sounds like torture:) That’s parenthood for you.

And so, with my heart strings pulling, I know I can’t go too far away for the first trip. A flight away but still in the Midwest. So we chose Chicago. 3 days, 2 nights. And neither of us have been there in years.

So that’s where all of you come in. Where to stay, where to eat, what to do?

I want to eat my way through Chicago. Seriously. Anything and everything amazing please chime in. Giordano’s, Gino’s, Lou Malnati’s?

Things to do? Navy Pier, concerts in the park, sightseeing must see’s?

And for those who have gone before tips on taking the first trip away and really enjoying it for all it is?

Thanks friends:)

Enjoying the summer

In my book, summer is best enjoyed by doing. Whether it be the pool, the park, the zoo, the sprinkler in the backyard, or what have you, spending time outside and within the community screams summer to me.

Most days between 11-2pm you will not find us at home. Or if we are at home we are most likely outside. I know, worst sun hours ever, but what’s a mom to do when that’s prime awake time?

We.must.get.outside.to.wear.her.out. Amen?

Plus Elizabeth yearns to be outside. She seriously is on the verge of throwing tantrums when we are inside. So out we go. I remember when I nannied having to force the boys outside on some days…not so with this one. She’s forcing me outside.

And so I learned that in order to go out and not be frantic, rushing all around trying to remember everything, I came up with a plan.  A way for mom’s to enjoy the summer. Because I know sometimes that getting out of the house seems like more work than its worth some days.

I learned while nannying that being prepared is a great way to set yourself up for success and ultimately means more summer enjoyment all around. So here’s how I’ve tried to set myself up for success…so far it’s working because we’re getting out and momma is not stressed about a thing. I created two main stations that for the most part remain in our car. The “pool” bag (basically my summer diaper bag) and the “car” tote.

Pool Bag:

This bag resides on my passenger seat and gets last minute things thrown in like my wallet, snacks, and lunches. I tend to wear my swimsuit to the pool and just throw in undergarments for afterwards. For E, since she’s not potty trained, I change her at the pool.

Inside: Snack (cheerios/raisins), sunscreen, hat/sunglasses, onesies, swim diaper, E’s towel, my towel, E’s swimsuit, swim toy bag, diaper pouch w/ diapers,wipes, diaper cream and a pacifier, plastic baggies (for wet items), and a toiletry bag.

Toiletry bag contents: bug spray, hand sanitizer, kleenex, tylenol, face and hand wipes, clorox wipes, and alcohol wipes.

I tend to be in and out of this bag all throughout the day no matter our activities. Because it stays on my seat or the floor in front of the seat I normally just throw in our last minute items when I hop in. The diaper pouch has been my most loved item…on Sundays we just grab it out for nursery and if I’m running in somewhere I just toss it in the stroller or my purse. I also always keep a swimsuit in this bag. That way if we happen to be somewhere and a suit is needed we have one. I also keep cheerio/raisin snacks in here. Obviously if your kids were older, granola bars, etc. would work. But raisins and cheerios, while not so exciting, fill the need when hunger grows rampant and do not melt in the sun.

When I nannied we had a similar system at their house. But as soon as they got a bit older they were all in charge of their own sling bag. They were in charge of their undergarments for after the pool, goggles, swimsuit, and towel. It worked great and helped them learn to take some responsibility for their own things.

Car tote:

This bag has been a lifesaver this summer. In my absentmindedness we’ve been places and realized we have no diapers, we needed a blanket, or we forgot a sippy. Thank goodness this was in our trunk. My mom gave me the super cute 31 Tote as a fun gift and it has worked perfectly. This bag shares trunk space with our stroller, fits perfectly above the wheels and always stays in the car. Always.

Inside: Diapers, swim diapers, wipes, first aid kit, snacks (cheerios/raisins), bib, extra sippy cup, pool float, sand toys, and a blanket.

This is so handy for last minute trips and for remembering where things are. Going to the park and need a toy, great…sand toys in the trunk. Heading to someone’s pool and need a float…great in the trunk. Going to a concert in the park and need a blanket, check…got it. We’ve used everything in here this summer so far while we were out exploring the city and it worked perfectly. Especially the extra diapers/wipes and the blanket. Who knew how many times you might need a large blanket to spread out?

Keeping things organized and in the same place has really allowed us to enjoy the summer more fully with less stress. We get out more, we’re not trying to remember a hundred things at the last minute, and we’re covered when we forget.

Obviously the contents will look differently for everyone but it’s helped us so much this summer that I thought I ought to share. I’m sure I’m forgetting some important things we should have in our bags…

So tell me, how do you keep organized in the summer?

Foodie Friday-CSA

It’s CSA season!

We’re really excited to be back in a CSA (community supported agriculture) this year as we tend to consume more vegetables when we are. Eventually we hope to have a garden in our backyard but it will be a year or two before that happens. We just had a landscape plan put together (because we both have NO vision for that stuff) and will be implementing it little by little as time and money allow. So building container gardens would not be a good decision until the other pieces are in place. But enough of that talk.

CSA…this year we joined Fazenda Boa Terra on the great reviews of friends AND because they drop at our local farmer’s market just a couple of miles from our house. Best part about this is that we do not have to lug a box back and forth. Picking up at the market is so convenient as we just pick our organic produce and pop it in our bag. Easy peasy.

This week our bag was filled with:

Rainbow chard  /  kale  /  arugula  /  mixed greens  /  salad greens  /  broccoli rabe  /  leaf lettuce  /  Radishes  /  Parsley  /  Bok Choy

How did we use all these greens?

Like this:

Kale – morning smoothies  (Kale, berries, yogurt, splash of OJ, flax, banana)

Chard – Swiss Chard, Onion, and Cheese Frittata

Broccoli Rabe – Orechiette w/ Broccoli Rabe & Sausage via Ina Garten’s Foolproof

Arugula: White Pizzas via Ina Garten

Bok Choy: Braised Soy-ginger Chicken w/ Bok Choy

Salad green were used for salads and radishes for eating:)

I love how getting produce in our CSA forces us to go outside our comfort box, enjoy amazing, good for you, vegetables, and it definitely makes me get creative in the kitchen. All of the above were loved by all three of us, especially Elizabeth!

Strawberry Picking

Oh yes we did.
It’s been on our bucket list since we were dating. Over 7 years. Leave it to us to wait until I’m nine months pregnant to go. Either way, we finally crossed it off this weekend. Neither one of us can remember if we ever went as kids; we probably would have been like the little ones who were in the fields with us “I’m tired.” “Are we done yet?” “Mmm these berries are good.” It was hilarious!
Needless to say, our morning out picking in the fields was perfect. In the end we left with 7 pounds of berries and my hands are now pink. I couldn’t wait to get to work making jam. My grandmother made the best strawberry jam. Chunky, slightly runny, and perfectly sweet. It’s probably what all grandmother’s made; straight off the sure-gel box! So Sunday afternoon I made a quick batch, stored some berries for eating this week and I made some very delicious strawberry muffins bright and early Monday morning.
It was the perfect morning for picking; warm but not too balmy. You learn a lot about a person by the way they pick berries. Alex was so meticulous; only picking the big, bright red berries, taking his time. I, on the other hand, grabbed any size berry as long as they were bright red. Maybe it’s because squatting was more difficult? We spent almost an hour and the berries we picked at Lorence’s Berry Farm near Northfield, were big, ripe and plump! They are so delicious. I’m pretty sure the baby loved them too!
It was the perfect way to end the weekend and I’m sure by this coming weekend you will find us in a berry coma. All’s well that ends well! Anyone else have plans for berry picking? We can’t wait for raspberries and blueberries. We might need a babysitter when those are ready!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

This past weekend Alex and I headed out to the fields to pick strawberries. It was a gorgeous morning, full of sunshine, and the crops were bountiful thanks to an early spring and summer. We had our pick of rows and thankfully the row we picked was full of fat, ripe berries.
With our box full, visions of strawberry goodies were already running through my mind as the car wandered through the country on our way home. I knew strawberry jam was a given…the recipe straight off the box. But what to do with the other berries. I checked all my starred recipes in google reader and came across this one for muffins.

I quickly threw them together this morning before I headed out to the chiropractor and they did not disappoint. Moist, filling, and bursting with strawberry goodness, these were a winner. I did cut the recipe in half and came out with 11 muffins so had I made the full recipe I’m sure my yield would have been more like 22 as opposed to 18. Either way, they are a great way to use up some berries you picked from the ground or up from the store.

Fresh Strawberry Muffins
yield: 11-12
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C of Flour, + 1/2 T

1/2 T baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup + 2T sugar

1 large eggs

1 1/4 t vanilla

3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (I used 1/2 C yogurt and 1/4 C Sour Cream b/c I didn’t have enough

Generous 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 400

-Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in medium bowl; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition followed by the vanilla and almond extract.

-

Beat in half of dry ingredients, followed by a third of the yogurt.

Add remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, until incorporated.

-Toss strawberries with the remaining 1/2 Tbsp flour and add to the mixer, mixing for just a few more seconds to distribute evenly (the batter will be very thick).

-

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with paper liners.

Divide the batter evenly among cup

-

Bake for 8 minutes and then decrease oven temperature to 375 and bake for ~12 more minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

-

Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely.