Music that Doesn't Suck

Once my kids reached an age where they could sing along and dance to music I realized that I couldn't stand most of the music that was out there. We listen to music all the time in our house, so over the years I've compiled a list of our favorites. I'll continue to update this list as new finds come along.

Family photos - FAIL!

We do not regularly get professional photographs.  We just take millions of pictures on our phones, like normal people.  But a lot of our friends get professional photos every year, and have beautiful shots of their families to put on holiday cards and Instagram posts or whatever.  And recently, a friend of a friend who is just starting out her photography business was looking for families to photograph for no charge.  She would also come to our house or wherever we wanted to meet.  Since the opportunity presented itself with no effort on our part, we thought, "Why not?" 

I should say right up front, this fail has nothing to do with our photographer.  She was lovely and very capable.  It was all on us. 

Our first mistake was not scheduling the photo shoot for the morning, when the girls are most likely to be in pleasant and cooperative moods.  Instead, we scheduled for a Sunday afternoon.  That morning, we went to a family brunch to celebrate Chris's ex-step-grandmother's 90th birthday.  Junie was in heaven: she got to run around with her cousins and eat cake (frosting), and all kinds of sugary treats that relatives give to children they don't have to bring home with them.    

Consistent with our standard practice, we left the party much later than we intended to, but still with enough time (we thought) for the girls to nap, so they could be well-rested for the afternoon photo session.  Safe assumption, right?  Wrong.  Despite our pleading, singing, story-reading, etc., neither of them slept a wink. 

I did manage to get them into clean clothes.  I'm proud of that.  But, by the time Annie the photographer arrived, Junie was crashing, deep into sugar-withdrawal from the morning binge.  Both of them were overtired, crabby, and in no mood to sit still and smile.  Also, Maizy suddenly had a huge scratch on her cheek from those razor-sharp baby fingernails (I swear I have to clip them every eight hours to keep her from turning into Wolverine).  

Thoughtful poses and natural-looking smiles were out of the question, obviously.  Mainly I was just hoping for a picture of the four of us together that wouldn't end up on a Buzzfeed slideshow of humiliating family photo bloopers, next to one where the whole family is wearing matching starter jackets and mullets. 

So there we were, bouncing the baby, dangling shiny objects, throwing leaves into the air, and cheerfully (frantically) whispering "Maizy, look over here, what's this?  WHAT'S THAT?  MAIZY!"  With Junie we had to resort to blatant treat-bribery and promises of post-photo television watching, just to keep her in the frame. 

The poor photographer made a valiant effort to work in this--um--less-than-ideal artistic environment.  And she did manage to get some really nice candid shots of the girls.  But there is literally not a single photo where we were all looking in the same direction, let alone looking like a perfect, happy, carefree, loving family, just casually enjoying time together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. 

Maybe next time.

  

Rice Krispie Monsters

We made these for a birthday party.  They were really easy, and a big hit with the kids.  

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons salted butter

  • 10 ounce package marshmallows

  • 6 cups Rice Krispies or other puffed rice cereal

  • 4 cups white melting chocolate (we used Ghiradelli, but any brand is fine)

  • 24 edible candy eyes (available at Target, Amazon, and in the baking section of many grocery stores)

  • Food coloring

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

  2. Melt the butter in large saucepan or pot.

  3. Add the marshmallows, turn the heat to low, and stir until the marshmallows have completely melted.

  4. Stir in the Rice Krispies gradually until completely combined with the marshmallow mixture.

  5. Press the Rice Krispie mixture into the greased baking pan. Greasing your hands helps prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.

  6. Allow treats to cool and then cut into 12 rectangles.

  7. Place a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet.

  8. Put 1 cup of the chocolate melts into microwave-safe dish. Microwave, 30 seconds at a time until the candy has melted. Stir in a few drops of food coloring. Repeat for each color that you want to use.

For the kids:

  1. Dip each treat into the colored chocolate, covering about 1/3 of each rectangle. Try dipping them both vertically and horizontally.

  2. Lay each rectangle onto the sheet of parchment paper.

  3. Arrange the candy eyes onto the melted chocolate. Experiment with different arrangements and different numbers of eyes.

  4. Let chocolate cool and harden.

  5. Eat!

white chocolate
monster eyeballs

Birthday Blitz - WIN!

My girls' birthdays are 6 days apart, and fall the week before Thanksgiving, which for us is already full of competing family and friend obligations.  So, it can be pretty exhausting.  We were really proud of ourselves this year, though, because we managed to do celebrations that were fun and felt meaningful, and (for the most part) avoided getting really stressed out. 

For Maizy, who turned one, we just did an intimate family party, with a few balloons and minimal decorations.  My mother-in-law made a big pot of veggie chili (baby looooooves beans), and I just put together a little selection of toppings and sides.  My mom made cupcakes, and also brought a store-bought "smash cake."  I highly recommend the smash cake for a first birthday.  It was pretty amazing to watch Maizy stare at it in wonder, poke it a couple of times, squish it with her fingers, and then take her first taste of SUGAR.  Her eyes lit up, she started waving her arms in the air, and then began shoveling fistfuls of frosting into her little mouth as fast as she could, surrounded by the people who love her most in the world.   

For Junie, who turned four, we had her first ever friend party.  We have been to some pretty spectacular kid celebrations -- with bouncy houses, professional princesses, lots of perfectly matching themed decorations, invite lists with upwards of 20 kids, etc.  I'm sure we'll end up doing that at some point, but I'm holding out as long as I can.  The girl is only four years old, for crying out loud.  Anyway, this is what we did, and it was great:

  • We didn't invite school friends.  I just wasn't ready to deal with questions of whether to invite the whole preschool class, or whether to let her pick and choose.  Instead we just invited a small group of our adult friends who have kids around the same age (whom Junie already knows and loves).  That way, we could hang out with our friends while the kids did party stuff.
  • We came up with a couple of activities that didn't require a PhD in crafting. 
    • The first was rice krispie monsters.  This was so cute and easy.  (Chris did burn some of the chocolate while trying to melt it during the party, so we ended up with three colors to choose from rather than four, but whatever...the kids didn't know that the lime green frosting was missing.)  [Link to post with instructions ADD].  
    • We also made a Pin the Tail on the Mermaid game.  I have to qualify the success of this one, because it did result in me YELLING at Chris at 1:00 in the morning, irrationally angry because he didn't understand why I was so upset about the shape and color of the mermaid's tail that I had just drawn.  But it actually came out pretty cool, and it was fun for the kids.
  • Food-wise, we made it easy on ourselves.  We set out a bunch of kid-friendly snacks, ordered delicious pizza for dinner from Pizza Luce, got a cute store-bought cake, and, perhaps most importantly, provided plenty of alcohol for the parents.              
  • Finally, the one thing that really made it possible for me to enjoy this party.  Instead of paying $200 to have a Disney princess come for one hour, we hired one of the assistant teachers from Junie's school to be there the ENTIRE TIME.  She organized and directed activities, helped kids get food, resolved disagreements about whose turn it was to wander blindfolded through the living room to pin a construction-paper tail on the funky-tailed mermaid.  And she took the kids upstairs to watch Monsters, Inc. while the parents had a final glass of wine and got ready to go.  I cannot stress enough how great it was to have someone else there to shepherd the kids.  So wonderful, and Junie had a ball. 

On her actual birthday (a few days after the party), we went to Junie's "celebration of life" ceremony at Montessori school, took her to the movies, had a special dinner at home with just our little family, and blew out candles again.

And then, somehow, later that week we hosted Thanksgiving for both of our families.  What were we thinking?      

The bottom line is that we survived, I didn't have any major panic attacks, and I think the birthdays felt special and memorable to the girls.  Also, we didn't have to hire princesses to pull it off.  That feels like win to me.

Pin the Tail on the Mermaid (yes this was drawn by an adult)

Pin the Tail on the Mermaid (yes this was drawn by an adult)

Snapology!

Minneapolis is now home to a new interactive, indoor play space for kids who love STEM/STEAM activities. My boys could spend hours building Legos in the basement, but sometimes they just need to get out of the house so I don't have to deal with the cleanup. Snapology is the perfect spot! They have a big play area filled with small tables, each hosting a different STEM-themed activity. Each table has an instruction card with building ideas tiered by difficulty level so all children, no matter what age, can create something cool. The Legos are separated into different colors, themes, and building styles. I really appreciate this since our Legos are all dumped into drawers and lack any creative spark. My kids basically spend hours digging for certain pieces and end up crying when they can't find them.

At Snapology kids are given certain Lego shapes and are asked to build Minecraft characters or they get 1x1 Lego blocks and create portraits. Besides Legos, there are Kinex, Gears!, large building blocks, a giant Connect Four, Polydrons, wall mazes, and much more. This is definitely the kind of place that kept my kids entertained and focused for at least an hour and a half. We can't wait to go back. We'd especially like to try out their birthday packages. 

Snapology's Discovery Center has open play hours Monday thru Thursday (September–May) from 10am-3pm and Monday thru Thursday (June–August) from 9am-5pm. Fridays 10am – 8:30pm and Saturday/Sunday: 9am-5pm.

Located in the Uptown area, Snapology also offers drop-off play for kids 5 and up. For $6/hour you can drop your kids off and grab a kid-free bite to eat or shop at your leisure. Or stay and play with your kids for $8/kid.

They also offer group classes, camps, and birthday party packages. 

https://www.snapology.com/locations/minneapolis

 

Soaring Eagles

My son has an eagle obsession at the moment so I took him down to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. It's about an hour and a half south of the Cities and you drive down along the Mississippi River. 

If you haven't been to the National Eagle Center, I think it's worth a trip. Especially if you have a bird-loving kid. The center takes in non-releasable bald and golden eagles to help them survive and to teach others about these magnificent birds. While it's a small museum, it has a lot to offer. Catch one of their live eagle programs to learn all about these birds and get an up-close visit with one of the four eagles currently residing at the museum. We got to see Was'aka eat a rat for lunch right in front of us!

You can visit all of the eagles on their nesting perches right inside the museum. Sitting along a huge window wall to keep an on the river, these birds are amazing to see in real life. There are activities throughout the museum that allow you compare your skills against the eagles and learn all about their habitat. Step inside the eagles nest to get an idea of their size. 

The museum is nestled right along the Mississippi river and you can walk along the river to spot some of the local eagles and their nests. 

They're open from 10am-5pm everyday except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Easter Sunday. 

Admission: $10
Veterans: $9
Youth (4–17): $7
3 & Under: FREE
MEMBERS: FREE

 

JW Marriot

We stumbled upon this hidden gem in the Mall of America. The JW Marriot has a restaurant on the main level called Cedar & Stone Urban Table. It's a bit on the pricey side but totally worth it. The ambience is nice, the food is delicious, and the service is great. There's an extensive wine list and the drink selection has some pretty tasty, handcrafted cocktails. The best part however, is their kids menu. There are tons of healthy, delicious choices! My kids loved the picking out their meal from the "This + That + The Other" menu. What I really appreciated was the care they put into our kids' experience there. They brought over an activity book with crayons and a cute cup full of water and a fun straw for them right when we sat down. After we ordered they brought over a plate of sliced apples and cheese for the kids and offered skim, 1%, 2%, or whole milk as well. I love that they had all those choices. You can also pick from chocolate milk, juice, or soda. 

My husband and I share the roasted tomato pizza, roasted cauliflower, roasted beet salad, and the Minnesota cheddar cornbread. It was all DELICIOUS! I highly recommend the cauliflower. It had crunchy kale chips sprinkled on top and sweet and spicy peppers mixed in. Yum!!

Sponer!- WIN!

Win!

Do you ever get a sponer after packing your kid's lunch? You know, a sponer, a self-pride-boner. It's when you do something to make yourself so proud. Like a little too proud. 

I don't pack my kids' lunches everyday but when I do I tell myself one of three things:

  1. "What even is that?" I often refer to these lunches as "smorgasbords". It's a fancy word used to blind everyone from the fact that I don't want to go to the grocery store so they'll be eating whatever is left in the fridge. The other day my son had a string cheese, half-an eaten box of raisins, two carrot sticks, a leftover quesadilla slice, and a scoop of peanut butter. I should include a little picture of myself giving the old wink-and-gun with a speech bubble saying, "Look at you eating this fancy dish."
  2. "That'll work." This is for those standard PBJ days. Throw in some carrots, an apple and something crunchy and you're done. 
  3. "Shwing!" Like anyone else cares. But seriously there are some days when I feel like I should probably just open up a little mom-n-pop shop filled with pre-made lunches for kids. The school bus could swing by on its way to school so the kids could pick out their lunches. They'd struggle to decide which one to pick. Little Efron (kids have such weird names these days) would be like, "I don't know Crouton, I feel like these dolmas with a hint of pink Himalayan sea salt might be better than that quinoa and coconut crusted halibut wrap you've selected." Can't you just see it? 

In all seriousness, packing lunches can be pretty annoying. Especially when you're trying to find new and creative ways to get your kids to eat something nutritious. I find it ridiculous to see those Pinterest lunch ideas where the sandwich is cut in the shape of Mickey Mouse or the fruit is in rainbow order along a holiday-themed kabob stick. Who the h-e-double hockey sticks has time for that? Don't get me wrong, if you're doing that you're a rockstar. I just don't have time for it. What makes me feel like a rockstar lunch lady is when my kids have a colorful array of food from every food group in their lunch. The extra gold star comes from when I know that lunch is filled with food they love. Sponer!

Whole(sum) Kitchen

We stopped into this small shop for lunch this week and I was pleasantly surprised. Thinking this was just a smoothy and coffee joint, I was relieved to see a much wider menu that included juices, smoothie bowls, salads, and grain bowls. Everything they offer is healthy and full of energy-boosting ingredients. Totally my kind of food. There isn't a "kids menu" per se but there were items on the menu that kids would like. If your kids like fruit there's overnight oats and chia parfaits that are packed with fruit. There's also a big selection of natural juices and smoothies that are sure to please. Check out their Acai bowls which they claim "look like ice cream". 

My kids would never touch a salad or grain bowl, but I thought they were DELICIOUS! Instead, my boys devoured a fruit and yogurt parfait and an overnights oats bowl with strawberries and bananas. Selfishly, we always try to find lunch spots that have good coffee. Unfortunately, I didn't love their drip coffee. Although I'd like to come back and try their cold press nitro tap which wasn't working that day. 

The space includes a cute cushioned seating area that is fun for kids. I was disappointed that the bathrooms did not have a baby changing station. 

Coming in January they are adding lots of new items to their menu- look for our updated review.