the sweet life

The (New) Sweet Life By B.

2010-11-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!! I would like to redirect you to the new, the sweet life by b. Please add the new address to your favorites and continue to enjoy all of the daily happenings of the the sweet life by b. Please also be sure to join me and follow as a friend on Facebook!

Have a great week!!

JK Bake Sale

2010-11-03T21:31:00.005-04:00

Joby and I had some exciting homework to complete this evening! On Friday, his Junior Kindergarten class will have it's second annual JK Bakery. Every family needed to bake or purchase small baked goods to donate towards selling. The only parameters were that everything had to peanut free and no cakes or pies. We were so thrilled to participate! It feels like forever since we have all been in the kitchen baking with the music blaring. Ahh, good times! The only challenge was what to select to bake. Do we do the ubiquitous chocolate chip cookie? The boring banana muffins? This actually was my first choice, however, I planned on waking it up a bit with a layer of Nutella in the center, but then I remembered that Nutella has hazelnuts, so that was out. I scoured my favorite Martha cook books and even searched the website. I had one recipe printed out and in my clippings of "foods to try" the other I thought would be a big hit considering Joby's customers will be children grades kindergarten to fifth grade. Rocky Ledge Bars and Confetti Bars. The Rocky Ledge Bars are a cookie base with marshmallows, butterscotch chips, carmel chunks, chocolate chunks, and white chocolate chunks inside and then layered on top. It is cooked in a rectangle baking pan so it comes out like a bar when removed and cut. The Confetti Bars are really fun. It is basically a play off the traditional Rice Krispy Treat except it has two other cereal favorites combine in- Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops. The kids will love these for sure! They are so playful and colorful. I am sure they are delicious- I wouldn't know. I am still off sugar-f#*@%, s#@%, b@#$*!!!! It's fine...really. Joby loved the baking. He kept telling eager beaver Landon, noooo Landon, it is my project with just Mama. Too cute! Well everything is all ready and waiting to be cut and bagged individually.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T21:15:00.002-04:00

I know that we are two days into November and Halloween should feel like an eternity past, but I still feel compelled to share our Halloween weekend with you. It was far too amazing, beautiful, delicious, and fun not to. On Saturday, we spent the evening with our dear friends, Jeremy, Sherry and their little yummy's, Macie, Jaedon, and Baby Lennox. Sherry made a phenomenal feast of baked fish, baked stuff shells, broccoli, salad, bread, corn on the cob, and rice. It was so, so, so, delicious! The dinner was served on the most beautifully decorated Halloween table. Sherry ALWAYS sets the most creative, inspiring, and gorgeous tables. After dinner, the kids ate sweet little cupcake ghosts. Then... the spooky, scary, fun began. Jeremy and Sherry told super scary stories to the kids and then led them through their home blind folded, feeling different body parts like, eyeballs, tongues, beating hearts, dead fingers, and guts! Macie was completely brave. Jaedon hung in there like the super hero that he is, and all three of our kids were so terrified that they were crying. I am surprised they did not wet their pants!!

On Sunday, the day was equally fun without the scary. We ate another beautiful dinner and then went trick or treating. It was a beautiful night and the kids scored tons of candy! We always have the best times together and we just added another memorable weekend to the collection!

Thank you "O" family for all of your amazing Halloween Hospitality!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Our Halloween Parade at School

2010-10-31T22:52:00.002-04:00

Halloween is a great big deal at our kid's school. The entire school dresses up, including all of the faculty and staff, and then all walk in a parade throughout the campus. It is really a fun and festive celebration! Grace chose to be a Carnival Queen, Joby was a Race Car Driver, and Landon decided to pay homage to our family favorite, Twilight, by being Jacob Black... Bella's Werewolf!

Hope everyone had a great and safe Halloween weekend!

Lot's and lot's of really exciting stuff coming this week and next so please be sure to follow daily!

Park City... On My Mind

2010-10-29T00:38:00.002-04:00

Today while in my car, I started humming a song. What am I humming? I know this song...gosh what is it? Then it dawned on me and then immediately brought me back to an amazing time and place...Park City! Don't you have those sensory alarms that go off that just bring back memories? Lately, there have been all of these "reminders" just popping up. A photo on the computer while walking by, reading about hot chocolate on a blog, or seeing a fire place on television. They are all very weird, but great sign for what is about to come. Now that we are moving through the fall season, we will be swiftly moving into winter and then on to four great months of being in Park City. Incredible! We love everything about it being in this fabulous town, mostly because of all of the fantastic memories that we have created. Take a look at some of some of my favorites... there will be so many more to come!

Have a great weekend and a Happy and Safe Halloween!!

I am the Biggest Loser...for Real!

2010-10-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

I am the Biggest Loser... for real- both figuratively and literally. Now that all three of my littles are in school, I have been trying to burn off some extra poundage as a result of some incredible summer indulgences. It is so crazy to me because I think how in the world did this happen? I had "some" pizza while in New York which really means pizza everyday, sometimes twice a day during a week long vacation. Mexico was spent eating chips, salsa and guacamole, as well as fish tacos and banana splits. Nicaragua? Let's see... oh yeah, tostones and lobster. But still I have the balls to ask myself, where did all this come from? It is no secret- I love food. I mean, I LOVE FOOD and I can put it down like its nobody's business. I write this with pride because I really do love food and I love eating it and always have. Mostly everything in my life revolves around food. When are we eating, what are we eating, where are we eating??? Food is comforting to me it brings me happiness. Does that statement qualify me as having food issues? Probably, but I don't care. What is for sure giving me food issues, is not eating it right now. For everybody's information, hard boiled eggs, fruit, grilled fish, asparagus, and salad does not bring me comfort nor happiness. I just have to take it easy for a little while. So in the meantime, I kiss my babes at each of their classroom doorways, and race out of school to get home for a run or a swim. Afterwards, I feel great and I know that this is just "temporary"!

At this moment, if I could eat anything it would be these two recipes that I found while wandering around The Family Kitchen. Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Bucatini all' Amatriciana...mmm! Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extra

2 eggs

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

30 mini- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a 12-cup mini-muffin tin and set aside.

2. In a bowl whisk together the flour, soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

4. With the mixer on low add the dry ingredients to the bowl slowly, until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Press the dough into the muffin tins until each cup is about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are set in the center. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini-muffin into the center of the cookie. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove cookies and cool completely.

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

serves 4-6

1 lb bucatini (perciatelli or, if you can’t find either, spaghetti work well)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 extra large red onion, cut into 1/2″ slices
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 lb pancetta (or guanciale or plain old bacon) cut 1/4″ thick, diced
1-3 hot peppers, thinly sliced (or 1/2 – 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)*
1 28-oz can high quality whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese, plus extra to top
salt and pepper

1. Put a large pot of salted water on medium-high heat (about 6 qts water to 2 tbs salt). Bring to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, saving about a mug full of cooking water. Set pasta and reserved cooking water aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until transparent.

3. Create a space in the middle of the skillet by pushing onions and garlic to the side. Spread the pancetta in the open space and cook until it starts to brown.

4. Mix together pancetta, onions and garlic, and add peppers. Keep sautéing until everything turns a nice golden brown color.

5. Add tomatoes to onion mixture, breaking each one up with your hands. When all of the tomatoes have been added, pour the sauce from the can into the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste (don’t be shy with the salt). Cook for about 15 minutes, until sauce thickens and all the flavors pull together. This is not meant to be a heavy sauce, rather it should give a nice coating to the pasta.

6. Toss pasta in the skillet with sauce over low-medium heat. Add cheese, an extra drizzle of olive oil and as much cooking water as you need to extend the sauce so that it coats all of the pasta. Keep tossing until all of the pasta is well dressed and heated throughout. Taste and adjust seasoning to get it just right–you may want to add more olive oil, cheese, salt and/or pepper. Enjoy!

Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours

2010-10-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours

If you love the ever popular Sarabeth's of New York City then you will be pleased to learn that a new cookbook entitled, Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours has just been released. We love Sarabeth's it is a perfect restaurant that serves super beautiful, delicious and fresh food. Some of our favorites include: Four Flowers Juice, Sarabeth's Hot Porridge served Three Bears style ( we love baby bear), Eggs Benedict, Fat and Fluffy French Toast, Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Chicken and Apple Sausage. Unfortunately, none of our selections are in her new cook book but that is alright. There are many other recipes for us to test out! Pick up your new copy today!!

Sarabeth's

Joby as David Villa

2010-10-24T21:14:00.000-04:00

Joby just began playing soccer in a recreational league. It is the start of his, well expected, long career in the sport. Soccer is extremely important in our family and the love, as well of the respect, of the sport has been passed along through both our families over time. We could not be more thrilled for him. Not sure how we are going to mange the season with all three littles playing soccer since most of the games are on the same day and same times. Should be interesting! The fun and excitement will definitely outweigh the misery... at least I hope so!

This may need to be continued...

Water Balloon Fight!!!

2010-10-20T23:37:00.001-04:00

Sunday was the best day! We did not leave our house- well, not exactly, Brian played soccer. That doesn't count though. We spent the morning hanging out, listening to music, reading, Sherry and the kiddies popped over (too short!), we had a wonderful lunch, I got a work out in, and then...the kids had their first ever water balloon fight!!! It was great! Brian got all of the balloons ready and then it was bombs away! So much fun. For some reason, lately, Joby and Landon have become this incredible force that unfortunately has the ultimate wrath on Gracie. Part of me is not surprised but enough already Team S. Boys.

Landon: My Lego Genius

2010-10-18T23:15:00.001-04:00

Landon is so creative and smart. When I woke on Sunday morning, I found him eagerly waiting for me. Mama, Mama- I did it! Look what I made! Can I try it, can I try it?? Okay Landon, tell me about it. He said that he used his new Lego book and pieces to create a blender. How cute are you! Combining two of your loves, legos and eggs! Can I try it Mama? So we immediately went to the kitchen to test the new "blender" out. I wasn't really expecting it to work but amazingly it did and for the rest of the day I felt guilty for not believing in my son... no I always believe in Landon, I just didn't think that it would really and truly scramble his eggs. He was so over the moon excited, like a scientist who just made a great discovery. It was fantastic to see. It worked sowell and strong that it actually splattered eggs on his face.

Have a great day! Do something creative, you'll be glad that you tried!

P.S. I do brush my son's hair every now and then. This is him in his "natural form", bed head and all!

Our Halloween "Something"!

2010-10-18T00:34:00.001-04:00

Friday after school, we raced home to put the finishing touches on our Halloween "something" (remember... not the p-word). It was a wonderful get together. All of our friends and some of close family dropped over to help celebrate Halloween. Everyone had a great time eating all sorts of homemade, delicious food and treats. The kids had the best time with the pinata, bobbing for apples, and wrapping each other up into mummies. Our home was filled with laughter and fun. Thank you all for coming!

Lola and Luna

2010-10-13T22:30:00.001-04:00

Lola and Luna. A perfect book. Two dogs. Best friends. Love story. Lola and Luna is the latest book by photographer, Priscilla Rattazzi. Rattazzi captures the love between her two dogs, Lola, a miniature dachshund, and Luna, a golden retriever. Ironically, Rattazzi never wanted to have a dog let alone two. It was due the constant persistence from her children that finally persuaded her to give in. She was immediately taken with her new additions and they were equally smitten with each other.

Lola and Luna is a beautiful book and if you are a dog lover you will certainly appreciate seeing the bond between two friends. Unconditional love. You might want to bring a great pint of ice cream and a box of kleenex.

Disney World The Happiest Place on Earth... I Don't Think So!

2010-10-13T01:13:00.001-04:00

This photo sequence documents me trying to capture the Disney Magic

All of these photos represent me trying to take one simple family photo. Instead I ended

up with seven more memorable Disney Moments!

Okay. We just got home from our annual Disney vacation. It really should be called "experience" as opposed to a vacation- well let me qualify this statement. See what I mean, is that Disney always begins as an exciting vacation but by the end, let's face it we really are left questioning why. Why would do we subject ourself, voluntarily, to endure such brutality? Let's take a look at this, shall we...

Our family has alway's loved going to Disney. It started when I was I was a little girl. My family would visit a couple of times each year. Throughout our pre-baby stage Brian and I would visit and as a family we would go up to four times a year. Then it became two times. Now we are down to only one. To be honest, that is all that we can tolerate. We only go every October because we love celebrating the fall season and we also, traditionally, go to celebrate Grace and Landon's birthdays. We make our reservations in June for the hotel as well as for all the dining. This might seem crazy or extreme, it is, and I know it. But you must understand Disney is a game and in order to win you must know how to play the game. Without dining reservations- forget it. There is no telling what you may eat or consider feeding your children out of desperation.

Before the trip we are all a buzz. Disney! Disney! Disney! We drive up... giddy! We check in...giddy! Ride the monorail...giddy! Walk down main street and see the castle...complete euphoria! By the end of the trip, the cynicism sets in and we have to get the f- out before we kill ourselves. Brian and I that is. Our kids have the best time and overall we do as well. I'm not sure how we get lost from being in complete euphoria to the immediate need of getting the f-out. We are constantly trying to identify the exact moment during the trip of when we become Disney haters. Is it battling and navigating through the crowds? Is it the awful food and feeling like you need to do a juice cleanse to rid yourself of toxins? Is it hearing parents and children fighting with each other? Is it the need to have to go, go, go, and cram every Disney minute in so that you never lose a Disney moment? I really have no idea.

Brian said during the trip that he thought that this has been the best Disney trip yet and I told him that was because we haven't really been at Disney. Background, Bri hates Disney. He is the President of Disney Haters Anonymous. He only goes for us and he will only go in October because he loves the Halloween Parade. During this trip, we made sure to take lots of breaks, naps, and rests so that we were able to keep pace and keep our attitude positive. So much that it felt like we were barely there. Somehow, every time, we break down and fall apart. By the last day we have officially lost our "Disney faces" and we are beyond ready to make the car ride home. But somehow, every year, we manage to forget just miserable we end up and start the cycle all over again. When I asked Brian why do we keep doing this, why don't we remember how awful we feel? He so poignantly stated that takes a whole year to forget and just a short time to remember.

Ultimately, we do this for our kids. People make crazy sacrifices for there littles. Disney is one of our sacrifices. Hey at least we never complain to our them or in front of them. That has to count for something! Now that I am all unpacked, I feel that I have cleansed Disney away. By the end of the week I will have forgotten how rotten it felt and i will be ready to book the trip again in June.

Here's to Disney! May our next "experience" be better than our last!!

Too Much Fresh Air on the Farm!

2010-10-12T23:52:00.001-04:00

We made a pop over trip to my parent's house to check in on my parent's. Check out just how beneficial fresh air and free space is for our kids. I can only hope that my children's misery will put a smile on your face! Happy Day!!!

Our Simple Halloween Invitation!

2010-10-10T23:45:00.002-04:00

Every year we try to squeeze in a Halloween get together but some how our schedule gets the best of us and there are not enough days. This year I am pleased to announce that we defeated the vicious beast and we will be having a little Halloween "something". I am referring to it as a "something" because I am using trickery on myself. I do not want to make myself crazy by self imposing severely high expectations. Also if I call it a "something" and not the p-word then I will be sure to keep it simple, be present, and enjoy. Besides I must pace myself, I am planning back to back birthdays simultaneously next month and those are the P-word!!

In keeping with the "something", simple, present, enjoy theme, I put together a little simple invitation for our little simple "something". Jeepers! These mind tricks are getting tricky!!

These invitations really were simple. To make the invitation, I picked up some really great Halloween craft supplies added some black card stock and a printed information card. I used mini glassine bags as envelopes and Halloween brads to secure closure. Simple!!

Our invitations had special effects!! These were really special because the front had a little button, that when pushed, it would light up!

Landon's Triathlon

2010-10-04T21:36:00.000-04:00

I am in awe of my Landon. Every year he participates in two triathlons, fall and spring, and every year when we ask him if he wants to do the triathlon he answers with an unequivocal yes! Of course I do, Mama! Not a moment of hesitation, not a moment of fear. He could care less if he hasn't swam in a month or hasn't run a mile since the last triathlon. It doesn't matter at all. It is fantastic. If this was me, I would have either floundered like a fish, peed myself, or thrown up- probably one if not all of these. I am so proud of his courage, his strength, his endurance, his happiness, and his love for life. He actually begins the race smiling, swims smiling, transitions smiling, bikes smiling, runs smiling, and crosses the finish line smiling! Immediately after the race, he'd rather provide the hugs and kisses as oppose to receiving them. Landon is so humble, like it is no big deal to swim 50 meters, bike two miles, and run a mile. As soon as he completed the competition all he wanted to do was go to the awesome playground where the triathlon was held and then go get a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. Ridiculous!!!

We all love you LB! You are an incredible kid and I know that we will be watching you one day in Hawaii competing in the Ironman Triathlon!

Not So Scary Halloween Decorations

2010-10-03T20:35:00.003-04:00

I welcomed this past Friday with big open arms!! October 1st was finally here and that meant one thing... Halloween decorations! I had the whole day planned. Pick up the kids, have a special "Fall Holiday Snack", DECORATE, eat pizza, watch some Halloween movies for pizza and movie night, Halloween stories! So perfect! We could not have been more excited to come home from school and start decorating. However, due to the unforeseen, we would have to wait until October 2nd to begin our special session. We eagerly woke on Saturday morning and here is what we accomplished:

Oh, one more thing. I forgot to take photos of the Halloween display on the kitchen island. It is literally eye candy because there is a plethora of different yummies in big glass jars just waiting for little hands and big ones too... Uncle JJ, peanut M&M's.

They Draw & Cook

2010-09-30T21:12:00.004-04:00

They Draw & Cook is a fantastic website that documents recipe renderings by artists and illustrators. It is so ridiculously cool to see how these talented people take a recipe and personalize it. They are all so incredible! The Blog began a while back when a brother and sister experienced a little bit of cause and effect. He tried to recreate a pasta and fig dish, which then led her to buy some figs. The figs were so pretty that she decided to paint them. This experience led her to realize how fun it was to illustrate food, which then led this highly creative brother and sister team to create a recipe book. The project then developed into the They Draw & Cook Blog... voila! Amazing!! All of the recipes submitted will be considered for publication in They Draw & Cook Cookbook. I'm not sure how they are going to select all of the artists and their recipes??? They Draw & Cook also has a "Kids Draw & Cook" category where it is the same concept but by the work of littles. I will definitely let you know if any of my littles' recipes and illustrations get picked up and featured.

A Dunkin' Donuts and Domino's Pizza Day!

2010-09-29T21:18:00.003-04:00

Okay, do not freak out over this blog title. I did not sit home eating Dunkin' Donuts and Domino's pizza... not today anyway... but I did have this "kind" of day and it was fantastic! Let me provide some background info to help put this in perspective. You see, when Brian and I were dating in college we would lock ourselves in my dorm room, with aluminum foil covered windows, and eat Dunkin' Donuts and Domino's pizza all day- every single weekend. We would scrounge up all of our dollars and cents that we could get our hands on and then beg my roomate and her boyfriend to get the doughnuts because we didn't have a car. The ole', I'll buy, you fly! It was great at the time, in retrospect, it was sinfully disgusting!!! Actually, probably both, sinful and disgusting (sshhh! secret from my Dad!!) To this day Brian and I are completely amazed and highly impressed with our rapid metabolisms along with the fact that we had no concept of cheap, bad food... ahh! those were the days!! So you are probably wondering what exactly was the parallel between our routinely weekend glutinous rendezvous' to our day today? We were together. That is it. Plain and simple. There were no doughnuts... maybe 1 or 4 ( not my count). No pizza. No aluminum foil. We just spent the entire day together. It rained all day, we ran a few errands, ate a great lunch, and watched a little bit of "Glee". We picked the kids up, fell into our after school routine, dinner, completed bedtime routines, and now at this very moment I find us still together.

I love, love Brian and nothing makes me happier than being with him. I am constantly "wanting" more time with him and sometimes I find myself traveling down the "Do Not Go There" path when I feel that I am not getting to spend enough time with him so I wind up walking around the house ranting and raving like a true luna- saying things like we need to be together more, our connection, stuff like this. It is really bad and really shameful!!! I know it can seem ridiculous. I know that I am ridiculous. I have never made it a secret to him that I am a needy person- and the only person I NEED is him. I like his time and attention. I can not apologize for it. I mean... I can... but I don't. When he gets impatient with me and says that he has to work, I ask him- do you realize how lucky you are to have such a devoted wife that wants to be with you because she loves so muchand truly enjoys being with you??? I remind him that men would kill for this and that's when he reminds me- not when their wives are CRAZY!!! It's okay... I am crazy. Crazy in love with my B.!! Thanks for another memorable day of nothing but you!

*** All Photos Circa 1991***

Seriously Can Not Wait for Halloween!!

2010-09-28T21:58:00.000-04:00

I am crazy over Halloween! I always have been, always will be. There are many reasons why, but not what you would expect. It is not because I like scary things or want to turn my house into a haunted house. I do not like witches, monsters, or vampires- well that is not entirely true because I do love one in particular, maybe two. Really, it is not because of anything obvious. Halloween is important to me because when I was little, growing up in New York, I loved seeing the seasons change right before my eyes. I would walk home from school and feel the weather, cool and crisp. The leaves, so vivid, and dry. The night darkening earlier and earlier. I loved witnessing fall. It was fantastic. Halloween symbolizes and reminds me of all of these memories. It is also the kick off to the holiday season!

We will be having a little Halloween get together in a few weeks and I seriously can not wait! I spent the evening browsing Martha's website for some Halloween Treats and here is a small sampling of some adorable yummies. I am so excited!!!!

The Owls are Here!

2010-09-27T20:12:00.000-04:00

On Sunday afternoon, our family caught a showing of the new movie, "The Guardians of Ga'Hoole". We had the incredible opportunity to see these beautiful film in IMAX 3D. It was an amazing movie. Since earlier in the summer, when we first saw the trailer, we knew this was one not to be missed. Viewing the trailer created an immediate interest in the kids. Since this movie was inspired and based on a fifteen book series, the kids really wanted to begin reading the books so that they would be ready for the release. Boy were they ready!! This movie is so beautiful and so emotional. I was gasping with every moment, Brian was spilling Coke and candy everywhere (I'm sure from being so emotionally charged as well), Grace and Landon were busy chattering comparing how the books differ from the movies (our real life Siskel and Ebert), and Joby, well he wasn't very interested and actually fell asleep. In defense of the movie, he was a little under the weather. So so amazingly, beautiful. I just could not get over all of the imagery- beautifully crafted! If you have an opportunity to see this fantastic movie in IMAX, then I beg you to please do so. You will really appreciate that you did. The Guardians of Ga'Hoole gets an all around and solid Thumbs Up! Be Sure to check it out!

Also be sure to check back for some awesome "Owl Snacks" just in time to celebrate this wonderful movie and the upcoming Fall Season!!

The Happy List

2010-09-23T12:32:00.004-04:00

By far one of the most entertaining movies. If you are brave enough try "Booty Call". Not a Booty Call

I meant the movie! Though I guess... never mind!!

Check out my Dad's Face!!!

This is pure hilarium for me- yes I am aware that "hilarium is not a real word"-but what makes this visual especially funny is the little animatronic at the bottom blinking at lightning speed as it pounds on the computer!

Everybody has a down moment every now and then-hopefully more then(s) than now(s). It is absolutely inevitable. What is important is how you handle them when they sneak up on you. Whatever you do, do not let these moments define you and who you are. This is not always an easy task, so that is why I have a list of "sure things" to shake the blues and bad moods away. If you do not already have a "happy list" then you can borrow mine. By the way this list is not organized in any particular way... except for number one.

* talking to Brian- by far top of list unless I am sad or mad at him- if so then move on to all others below...

* kisses, squeezes, and chatter with my kids- this always changes my mood because I get so preoccupied with them that I actually forget why I was upset to begin with.

* talking to my girl- just thinking of her puts a smile on my face!

* talking with anyone in my posse ( M., J., A., J., D. T.) Everyone is so special in so many different ways- truly a gift!

* cooking with the music blaring

* driving like a Cullen with the music blaring (alone of course)

* being with Bogart

* working out with the music blaring

* cleaning with the music blaring

* just having music blaring

* organizing anything

* being alone in my closet

* just being home

* ESPA Candles

* Howard Stern

* sushi at Sambal

* running, running, running, with the music blaring (sorry one more)

* being with my best friends anywhere

* the movies

* my dogs, your dogs, any dogs, it doesn't really matter

If all else fails- people not available, do not have any music around, too tired to run, not at home, you get the idea- then I use one of the visuals (see above imagery) for extreme immediate gratification. Sorry for some of the inappropriate content, I also find that to be a mood booster!

Have a Great Day!!!

Happy Birthday to the Amazing and Incredible Mrs. T-F!!!

2010-09-21T23:13:00.004-04:00

Last Friday was the birthday an amazing person that our whole family loves and adores. We worship her and she is the ultimate rock star. She is loving, present, kind, exciting, honest, inspiring, fun, funny, giving, positive, infectiously happy, and a genius. Really the list is endless. She is fantastic and we are so grateful and appreciative to have her in each of our lives. She loves my children like they are her own and that is such a gift for a parent. Brian has actually known her for many years but it wasn't until the last few that she became part of our family. She is the most incredible teacher and my children have learned so much from her dedication and appreciation for teaching. We love you and wish you the Happiest of Birthdays, Mrs. T-F!!! To celebrate Mrs. T-F's birthday we made her these Barefoot Contessa, Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing.

Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Icing

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Waiting for Superman

2010-09-21T00:37:00.006-04:00

Waiting for Superman is new movie documenting the lives of five children desperately hoping for an chance to win a spot for enrollment in a charter school that will provide them with a real education and a true shot for opportunity. This movie also brings attention to the current state of public school systems in America, how they are failing our children, and how our children need a true superhero, like you and I, to help save our failing schools.

Please, check this film out. Please learn about what is really happening in our schools.

Waiting for Superman will be in theaters on Friday.

A Scientific, Special Snack

2010-09-20T01:19:00.003-04:00

Our kids go bananas every Friday with extreme excitement for "Special Snack". This past Friday, I planned something a little different and quite interesting for them.

As we pulled into the driveway, they all jumped out of the car and pushed each other down, fighting to get inside, each wanting to get the first glimpse of this Friday's special snack. I'm not sure who actually made it in first but I did hear them all say at one point or another- Mama, where is the snack? I don't see any special treats!!?? I simply answered, of course you do... they are right here in front of you. This is what they found (please see photo above). Gracie said, but these are just ingredients, there is no snack here. I said... look again. We are using all of these items to create an extra special and somewhat scientific snack. They almost seemed bothered with the activity. I couldn't help but question was it because they have been at school all week and the last thing that they wanted to do was participate in another lesson disguised as a "fun learning experiment" or was it because they just wanted to be taken care of and just wanted to unwind? It was probably both. After a little convincing and a minor pep rally in the kitchen, everyone got on board. As you know by now, our family makes a conscious effort on a daily basis to eat healthy. We try to stay away from anything containing chemicals and processed- basically anything out of a bag or a box. That is not to say that an occasional bag of blue Doritos or Reese's Pieces doesn't slip by- just not regularly! With that, I planned a great snack of making homemade popcorn with with the ease of preparing it in the microwave without all of the yucky stuff that is in a regular bag of microwave popcorn. We also made a homemade chocolate syrup to make chocolate milk. The great part about this was doing a blindfolded taste test in comparison with the powdery Nestle Quick Chocolate Milk.

It was so much fun prepping our own homemade microwave popcorn bags. I was a little worried that the two staples needed to secure the bag was going to cause sparking or fire during the cooking process in the microwave. We all watched with concern. No need to worry, all was fine with this process. The popcorn was great and everyone loved it. As far as the chocolate milk taste test, I have to admit that I was a bit worried that the kids would not be able to resist the sugary, sweet taste of the powdered chocolate milk. I also felt this way because after we prepared the chocolate syrup I tasted it and it tasted more like dark chocolate- not very sweet. As each one of my littles tried both types of chocolate milk blindfolded, I held my breath. Somewhat surprisingly, each one of the kids picked the home made chocolate milk. I literally jumped up and down with extreme blissful feelings of validation!! All of my hard work and efforts to raise healthful eaters is paying off!!! They all said that they did not care for the powdery version because it was too sweet. Yeah!! Yeah!! Yeah!!! How terrific and what a wonderful experience for all of us!

Here are the recipes:

Microwave Popcorn in a Brown Bag
In a brown lunch bag combine:
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of popcorn kernels

Fold bag over and secure with two staples.
Put bag in microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Be sure to take the bag out as the popping slows down so that it doesn't burn.
Eat up. Finish with a little melted butter if you would like.

Homemade Chocolate Milk
In a saucepan combine:
3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa (regular) with
1 cup of water

Cook on low heat, do not let it boil.
After combined, add about 4 tablespoons of sugar (more or less to your liking).
When the mixture looks like syrup, take it off the heat and let it cool completely.
Add a tablespoon or two to a cold glass of milk. Enjoy home made chocolate milk!
Save the rest in little squeeze bottles to store in the fridge for future enjoyment!

Comfort Food at its Finest!

2010-09-16T01:47:00.001-04:00

Let's see...Whoopie Pies or Mac and Cheese? Which should I make tomorrow?? How about BOTH!!!?

That's right. I have been thinking a lot about making whoopie pies simply because: I have never made them before, my children have never eaten a whoopie pie (plus I think they will get a kick out of the name), and because they remind me of Hostess' Devil Dogs- and boy it has been a while since I have had one of those!

Alright, the Macaroni and Cheese seems like a completely obvious choice when thinking about making a comfort food. However, I do have slightly different- but still- highly plausible reasons for choosing this particular food. These reasons include: I LOVE, LOVE Macaroni and Cheese. I grew up on the good old boxed Kraft Mac and Cheese ( I swear I ate it almost every single day while pregnant with Grace- that would explain the "unexplainable" 50+ poundage I gained). Also, my kids have actually never eaten this boxed version- please no judging. And the most important reason for choosing mac and cheese is mainly because my children DO NOT LIKE Macaroni and Cheese! Every time that I have made it for them they do not like it. I mean seriously... what is wrong with them? How can they ever have a complete childhood without liking Mac and Cheese? What kid does not like this delicious dish- let alone all three of my kids? Well, I refuse to give up. Every time there is a "something" with my kids, I inevitably feel like it is a reflection on me. For example, if one of them is having an off day or if they are experiencing something with school I automatically ask myself, what can I do differently to make this situation better? It also applies to Macaroni and Cheese. If all three of them do not like it, well then it must have something to do with me. It has to do with me. Maybe I should have used a more friendlier cheese as opposed to a more sophisticated one, maybe I shouldn't put the bread crumbs on top, maybe I need to make it creamier, or maybe I should just try a different recipe. This time I am planning on trying a different recipe. When I saw this photo and recipe in this month's issue of Everyday Food, it reminded me of the yummy boxed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I thought- simple cheddar, no bread crumbs, nice and creamy. This might be the one! Maybe it won't be me after all. Maybe they will like it. And if they don't... well maybe I should stop beating myself over the head, give up, and just give them the boxed Mac and Cheese after all!

Or maybe I have to give it to them again because they have only tried it seven times and they have at least 10 more times before they can officially declare it as a non-like. Maybe I am crazy... See, here I go again.

I'll let you know how it goes.

To be continued...

Super, Simple Sunday Supper

2010-09-14T18:46:00.002-04:00

We had a very busy Sunday and Brian was out of town so I needed to plan a very simple and speedy Sunday Supper. Hmmm? What meal qualifies as tasty, healthy, has limited preparation, and a short cooking time? Roast Chicken was the perfect candidate! I first butterflied the chicken, rubbed it down with one stick of butter, added about 8 cloves of garlic, squeezed a lemon over it, seasoned it heavily with coarse salt and pepper, and threw a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary on top. I cubed up some yukons, seasoned with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. I added them to the roasting pan with the chicken. I covered the chicken and potatoes with foil and popped it in the oven for 450*F. After 20 minutes, I removed the foil and continued roasting the chicken for 20 minutes more. During the last twenty minutes I made buttered pappardelle as a side. I could have made another vegetable but I already had the roasted potatoes and some fresh raspberries so I took a pass. The chicken was perfect! The whole house smelled fantastic! The kids loved it! Sunday Supper was complete!

When you are in a pinch but do not want to compromise having a healthy meal or loose precious and valuable time with your family, try this Roast Chicken. It will surely leave you feeling so accomplished!

Following Images courtesy of my personal food photographer, Grace Marie

A Wild and Yummy Saturday!

2010-09-13T23:16:00.003-04:00

Saturday was super lazy and super fun! We just hung all morning and did anything and everything that we wanted! We began the morning with a 7:45 ish wake up, we completed all of our chores which basically consists of the care taking of our menagerie. Once all of the domesticated animals were fed, I moved onto feeding the "wild ones". They were actually quite tame this particular Saturday. Lots of reading went on, playmobils, and the ubiquitous legos. After a proper play session, the kids indulged in some Nutella filled Crepes. This was the kids first time eating crepes so I wanted to make sure that it was a pleasant and delicious experience- that's why I had to bust out the Nutella. Ideally, the crepes were going to be filled with bananas and drizzled with the Nutella but we just finished off the bananas the morning before and I had not intention nor motivation to carry myself and my three littles to the grocery to make this breakfast "somewhat" healthy. I chose crepes because it was a "new food" to them, it shares similar characteristics to the pancake, and because I loved making these for my PopPop when I was a tween chef. I would pretend that I had a cooking show with all of my ingredients organized and layed out in tiny prep bowls, he was my attentive audience listening to all of my instruction, and my only interested food taster. My PopPop ate everything I prepared- even the really weird concoctions. One time he ate an omelet with broken pieces of rice cakes in it- I didn't have vegetables and he did not have ANY teeth. I'm sure that you could only imagine. He was so loyal and he was fantastic!! Anyway, he did love my crepes, I'm sure of that. Needless to write, my kids enjoyed them as well. Landon and Gracie had three each. Joby preferred no Nutella- he's not a chocolate guy so he just ate his with a little syrup. Later on I took my real life wilds to the zoo- literally!

After the zoo we popped over to Shae's house to visit with the her and the kids. After another session of play, pool, and one more feeding time, my littles lost all of their tameness and became wilds- literally!!

How Ya Like Them Apples?

2010-09-12T22:52:00.003-04:00

We celebrated the end of our week and the beginning of the fall season with a "special snack". I told the kids that after school on Friday, they would have a great treating waiting for them. I read about this cupcake idea in last month's Family Fun Magazine and just thought it was super-duper cute! It was totally easy to put together and all of the ingredients were a piece of "cupcake" to find! The anticipation of getting home was so terrific because Gracie, Landon, and Joby were just so excited! They were bouncing and cheering all around when they walked in to find their fall apples! Too bad the ole "apple a day keeps the doctor away" expression doesn't apply here!

Have a Great Week!

Ridin' Dirty

2010-09-09T21:11:00.005-04:00

Over the last couple of weeks Landon has been riding at a local skate park with our most awesomely, cool family friend C. Landon loves to skateboard but his experience has been pretty limited, basically just on our street and on his ramps at the house. He has never skated in a real park and has been pretty pumped to learn. C. has always told Landon that he was available to ride with him anytime- whether it be at the house, around town, or when ready, at the skate park. Well about three weeks ago, Landon said he was ready. He called C., and asked if they could start hanging out together and start riding at the park. Landon really wanted to learn how to skate the halfpipe. C. was totally in. Over the last two weeks, C. has been meeting with Landon and really teaching him the true fundamentals of skateboarding. They have only done this four times now and boy was I impressed with how great L.B. is riding. It is so cool because L.B. is starting to ride the boxes, ramps, and the halfpipe. He is learning to pump, drop in, ollie, flip, manual, and so much more. C. told me today he wants Landon to learn something new every time they go. So great!! It is really terrific for Landon to have someone like C. in his life. Someone who really wants to be with him and help him. Thank you so much C.. We love you and really appreciate everything that you have been doing for Landon!!

Nathan Sawaya Exhibition

2010-09-09T01:05:00.002-04:00

In June, while spending a lovely afternoon with our great friends Liz and Ellie, Liz told me about a fantastic exhibit that she was sure Landon would enjoy and appreciate. The name of the traveling exhibit, was "the Art of the Brick" by artist, Nathan Sawaya . What makes Mr. Saway's sculptures so fascinating and captivating is that all of his creations are made with only one form of media, Lego Bricks. Liz was absolutely correct! Landon had the greatest time touring the exhibit. He was so amazed with how something so familiar to him could be used to create something so special and unique and that Mr. Sawaya was just this regular guy that just liked Legos- he has no affiliation with Lego. It was so interesting to learn Nathan Saway's "story" and what led him down this path. Not only was Mr. Sawaya's art incredible, but we found the children's Lego Exhibit at the museum to be most impressive. Children from around South Florida had the opportunity to submit a Lego creation for display at the exhibit as well. The ideas and thoughts behind their creations were positively remarkable. The details... wow! It was truly amazing!!

Thank you, thank you Liz and Ellie! The only bummer was not being able to see it with you both!

SOME of the Children's Lego Creations:

THE MOOOST PERFECT DAY!!!

2010-09-08T06:31:00.000-04:00

It was the Mooost Perfect Day on Monday! How and Why??? Well... Jeremy, Sherry, Macie, Jaedon, and Baby Lennox came over. Now that summer is officially over and all of the kids are back in school, we just have not been able to see our best friends. We have all been missing each other like mad so we arranged for a little breakfast get together. Our reasoning for breakfast was so that we could say goodbye at around 2:00 ish when the kids needed to go down for naps. Ha! Wait till you read how the day progressed!

Breakfast was really delicious! Brian helped me prepare homemade Apple and Sausage patties, Herbed Home Fries, Shiitake Mushroom and Cheese Quiche, Creme Fraiche and Vanilla French Toast, Raspberries, and Mangoes from Sherry. After breakfast we all sat by the table and enjoyed cuddles, kisses, and singing with Lennox. He is just getting so big! It is just amazing how his size is multiplying each and everyday. From this we moved over to the living room and just spent the entire time together. We all talked, listened to music, watched the craziest DVD of the four of us remarrying in Las Vegas by Elvis- (both Sherry and I pregnant nonetheless), played legos and playmobils, listened to the new baby birds sing, discussed and planned all of the monumental Birthday Trips of the year (two 40's and one 35), cuddled, kissed and cooed with Baby Lennox some more, watched Scooby Doo, made home made spa products, ate pistachios and pizza, and visited with Bootsie ( Jeremy's Mom ) while we all watch the rain fall. We were suppose to probably end our visit right around Scooby Doo, but we did not want to say goodbye to each other. Everyone was just having the best time. It was so incredibly awesome to relax on the couch all day with our best friends. The day began at 10:30 and had to end at 7:00. It was the Mooost Perfect Day! Thank you guys!!!

I swear we could all totally live together. It's so Craaazy!!

A Quick Note...

2010-09-07T18:15:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that my "contact" page and "about me" page have been updated. If you ever have any questions, interests, or just simply something that you would like to share with me, then please feel free to use the link to send me a little note. I will make sure to answer all of your emails!

Thanks,

My Love Letter from Landon

2010-09-06T21:22:00.007-04:00

When I returned home from "Back to School Night" on Thursday evening, I found this (see photo above). As I began reading the first sentence of the handwritten note I thought, aww! A Love Letter! Boy was I wrong. It was basically a "honey do list", except in this case a "mommy do list". Either way, I did not mind. It contained an" I love You", recipes, and lots of hearts. Who could deny this?

Landon left me a note on Thursday containing a list of five recipes that he was interested in making together over the course of the three day weekend. He asked me to collect the items with the included cook book, on Friday morning so that we could begin cooking Friday, right after school. I love how he was so organized. Every time my littles want to do something, make something, or to find something, I always ask them to "organize it". I ALWAYS say make a list for Mama and leave it by my computer when they ask me to: order a new Berenstain Bears Book, or I might say write down all of the sights that you are interested in visiting when we are in NYC so that we can build it into the schedule before we go so we don't miss anything. And when they want to make something special I will ask them to make a list of everything that we need so that when I am at the grocery store I can have everything ready. I do not mind facilitating but I need their effort as well. This is mostly for my own sake. I can not remember everything and I never want to disappoint them. There is nothing worse than when they ask me for help with something that they can not do on their own and I have to look into their little eyes and tell them, sorry Mommy forgot. That's yucky. With this process, we are all responsible and it works.

On Friday morning I collected all of the ingredients that Landon needed to make five different recipes from his Star Wars cook book. He was a super chef. Everything was out of this world!

P.S. Our friend C. stayed for a super play date after a family breakfast on Saturday and helped too! I wanted to blog the breakfast but forgot to take pictures of the food!

P.P.S. I currently have a list of ten books Landon asked me to check out on Barnes and Noble.com.

How Easy is That?

2010-09-03T00:05:00.003-04:00

The kids and I were so excited to learn that Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, will be releasing her knew cookbook on October 26, 2010. She is by far our favorite television cooking personality. We are die hard fans. Landon especially. Two years ago he asked if he could skip his Kindergarten Halloween Parade so that we could attend one of her Book signings. Uhh... seriously? We love to gather around, whenever possible, at 5:00 to catch her show. Everything that she does is really fantastic. The food that she prepares is incredible, simple, and elegant. Most importantly, it is "real food". A lot of times I read these cookbooks or watch a cooking show and inevitably ask myself, are they for real? Who makes this stuff? That is the beauty of Ina Garten, everything is just so beautifully approachable. Her latest cook book, "How Easy is That?, based on her coined phrase, is also her seventh cook book. The phrase " How Easy is That?" is highly recognizable to any Barefoot Contessa follower as it is equally to Martha's, "It's a Good Thing". I love all of her books and I have made more than several recipes from all of them . Everything always comes out flawless. In addition to her cook books, you can also check out her cooking features in House and Beautiful Magazine every month. I just cannot wait to receive my copy of the book. I already pre-ordered it at Barnes and Noble.

Once you start cooking some her recipes you too will be walking around your home asking your self, "How Easy is That?"

The Perfect Day

2010-09-01T23:28:00.002-04:00

Need some well deserved R & R? Here is an example of a "Perfect Day", B and B Style.

Wake up and head south to Brickell Key, Miami
Check in to the Mandarin Oriental
Drop your things off and get organized, don't forget to step outside onto the terrace!!
Put on your running clothes and Run as many laps as possible around Brickell Key... it is a 1.3 mile triangle
Do at least three for satisfaction, don't forget to look up and take in the spectacular views
Cool down as you head back up to the room
Shower
Head back downstairs to eat lunch at Cafe Sambal, make sure to get a table outside
Relax while you feast on Wonton Chips with Wasabi Dip, Lobster Dragon Rolls, Spicy Tuna Rolls, and Shu Mai. Finish with two big Bowls of Chocolate Ice Cream with Whipped Cream. Make sure to eat it with a little silver spoon
Check into the Spa for a Couples Massage with Body Brushing and Salt Scrubs
Pass out as you enjoy the most insane euphoria
Wake up feeling depressed that it is over, only to cheer right back up as you are greeted with Cranberry Hibiscus Tea and a Plate of the most enormous Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Buy tons of ESPA oils and candles
Return to your room for some on the terrace sunbathing, please crank the sound system!
Sleep some more
Wake up but stay in bed and be LAZY
Stop feeling LAZY and put on your Running gear for an evening run.
Must do at least two laps
Shower and Primp
Head over to the Arena for some B-Ball (can't wait for Le Bron Bron!!)
Enjoy the incredible energy and excitement of the live game
Cross the 395 to South Beach
Stop over at the Shore Club for some Sushi at Nobu ( I know that there are so many other hot spots but we LOVE SUSHI and it is so solid)
Eat so much you that you can't take it!!!
Cross back over the 395, and head back to the Hotel
Run through the Lobby, to the elevator, down the hall to your room, to your sweet cozy bed
Curse because it sucks being a girl. Your husband is already in bed as you are still washing your face
At last...
Sweet Dreams!!

A Perfect Day!!! It is only more perfect if you can share it with your BFF's!!!

Enjoy and have a Perfect Day!!

Mandarin Oriental Miami 500 Brickell Key Drive Miami, FL 33131 (305) 913-8288

Joby's Honor Pinning Ceremony

2010-08-31T13:52:00.019-04:00

On Monday morning, Joby received his Honor Pin at his new school. It was so exciting for him- can't you just see the excitement in his face? Actually, it was suppose to be an important moment in his school career but from the moment he woke up he wanted nothing to do with anything. In his defense it was a lot. He was sick, it was early Monday morning, he just could not comprehend the thought of having to put on "those fancy clothes", and most of all he spent his entire first weekend after school visiting with Grandma Diane and Grandpa Larry. Little guy was stacked. He barely made it out the door at home and he barely made it in the door to his classroom. It was tough, but we had to leave him at the doorstep of his class, sobbing and begging to go home. There was no rationalizing with him at that point, you know the whole development of the frontal lobe thing. No matter how much we were trying to comfort him it was just not going to to happen. He wanted nothing to do with us or what we had to say. His only interest was in leaving. Needless to write, after his "audience" (that would be Brian and I, Grandma Diane and Grandpa Larry) left, he picked himself up off the ground and marched right on in to class. Having a lovely teacher also helped! Afterwards, Joby did move on to the ceremony and did receive his Honor Pin with pride. As promised, I picked him up after the pinning, Joby then went to the doctor, ditched his fancy clothes for some comfies, rested, ate a couple of huge meals and played with a great big box of new Playmobils. Life was good for little Joby again. It was amazing to witness the metamorphosis! Good thing, because that little angry face was too much!

The Three Little Pigs!

2010-08-30T23:59:00.001-04:00

When I was a little girl it was always my dream to return home from school and be with my Mom. I wanted that milk and cookie moment and to be asked how was my day. Unfortunately, my Mom worked in Brooklyn so her and my Dad had a big commute everyday and understandably did not have the opportunity for this greet and eat. I completely understand the sacrifice that they both made on a daily basis in order to provide us with beautifully enriched lives and for there to be nothing we had to go without. Our parents did an amazing job raising us, taking us on great vacations, celebrating holidays to the fullest, and so much more. I had a great childhood. I just really and truly wanted this. I envied the kids who had this. I always wondered if they realized just how lucky they were to have their Mom's. As a child I always felt guilty for wishing and wanting this and for being angry that I didn't because I knew in my heart that my parents were doing the best that they could and would be there if they could. I still feel guilty about even as an adult because I don't ever want my parents to feel bad or make them feel that they weren't there for me in a way that I wanted them to be or simply that it wasn't good enough. Please don't pity me, I never went home to an empty house. My Nana was always there to welcome us home. It just wasn't my Mom and I only wanted her. As a result of my experience, I knew that when I became a Mother I wanted to be there when my littles got home. I wanted to provide the milk and cookie moment. I am so thankful for my life experiences. I am so thankful and grateful that our family can do this each and everyday. It is such a gift for me and I look forward to this special moment every single day. I Love it and I truly Love my Mom. Mama, thank you for being the best Mother. I love you so much and I just can not get enough of you.

This is a small glimpse into our "Greet and Eat". Joby loves the story of The Three Little Pigs so we did a retelling of the story and had a complimentary snack while talking about all the highs, lows, and sillys of their day. They loved all of the ingredients of the snack and how it represented the story. They loved it and I loved it even more!

2000~2010 Profiteroles

2010-08-30T14:16:00.001-04:00

10~9~8~7~6~5~4~3~2~1, Happy New Year, 2000! We welcomed the new millenium in our teensy tiny little beach cottage with our friends and family. It was a wonderful celebration and a wonderful memory to think back on. The celebration was filled with such happiness, love, and delicious food. For dessert that evening I served Profiteroles. It was a major hit with everyone but with one special person in particular, my brother~in~law, Rich. Since 2000, Rich has graciously asked me to make them for him whenever the family would get together. Horribly, I never did and to this day I am unsure why. Over the years the gracious request slowly transformed into a sarcastic running joke that was perpetuated every time I would see Rich. That was, until, yesterday. Last night after Sunday Supper, I served Profiteroles for dessert, just for Rich. As I handed him his plate, I apologized profusely for making him wait ten long years for these delicious little pastry's filled with ice cream and drizzled with hot fudge. I also promised him that I will never do that to him again. Making the poor guy wait a ridiculously long amount of time for dessert. Poor Rich. Thanks for being so patient after all this time and for not thinking I was a wicked person. I hope the Profiteroles were as scrumptious as you remembered them to be... in 2000!

2010

Oh, One More Thing...

2010-08-25T21:32:00.000-04:00

I wish that I could be with my kids all of the time. I truly enjoy every moment with them. Now that school has begun my home is painfully silent all day long. It is awful. I miss them madly! I am constantly thinking, oh, I wish I told them one more thing before left. Reminders: Joby, Mommy is picking you up early today. Landon, make sure you eat your lunch while you talk to Elle and Kobe. Grace, your P.E. clothes are in the front pocket of your backpack. You know,all those things that you wish that you can remind them one more time as well as a ton of I love you's!!! Well, now I can with the Talkatoo. This mother created product was created for just this reason. These cool clip on charms or necklaces are little button recorders. Simply press the little button to record a message, clip it on a backpack, lunchbox, belt loop, or on the neck of your little one. All they have to do is press the big button to hear the message. Cool right? I ordered one for everyone in our family, even Bri baby! My only fear is that they will forget to push the button. Don't laugh... it will surely happen! There are a select pair of them who need reminders for the reminder!

Talkatoo

Honey! Honey!

2010-08-24T21:06:00.004-04:00

Are you wondering what this photo is about? It represents a family taste test. We have these every so often in our home. It is just another one of my many strategies that I use to get my littles to try something new. This is a really effective strategy for many reasons. It's great because it gives them a chance to try something new and it is fun because it is a game. They also learn many important skills just by doing it. Experiential knowledge, my favorite! They learn to be cooperative and take turns. They get to use most of their senses during the experience. They learn how to compare and contrast verbally as well as the process of decision making. They sometimes even learn background information regarding the foods that they are trying. Overall this strategy is really pretty foolproof because it comes down to this- they each have an opinion and they all like it to be heard. It is so interesting to me because they usually do not want to participate at first. You just have to be cunning enough to recruit one. It's kind of like those rip off carnival games- all you need is to entice one sucker and then you are sure to grab a few more. Here's how it works. After you have your roster of participants, pick a group of related foods. You can then discuss the food and its origin. Have everyone eye it over and check it out. Then for the fun part, you simply let everyone try it and rank it. They have to state reasons of why they like it or why they do not. Also during the taste test, everyone needs to listen and watch each other's turn. Simple.

For this taste test we used honey. Grace will eat honey in her oatmeal but the boys have never had it. We used a grouping of four varieties of honey. They were: Colorado Sweet Yellow Clover, Colorado Star Thistle Honey, Florida Orange Blossom, and Maine Blueberry Honey. This was a really cool grouping because we discussed how and why this honey is considered to be "raw". We talked about the locations of the flowers. How the bees make honey. Why it is important to save the dying population of honeybees and the importance of supporting "artisanal" beekeepers. The kids were able to touch the honey with their fingers and taste it. After this, they said which they liked, which they didn't and why. They then ranked the four types. I even participated in the tasting. It was a lot of fun. Now everyone in the family likes at least one type of honey. Mission completed!

Bee raw Honey

'Twas the Night Before... School!

2010-08-23T21:30:00.003-04:00

I originally thought that I was going to write this really creative adaptation of the traditional version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, but rather it was going to be about school. Yet as I sit here at my computer right now I have decided that I am simply not going to. I am too tired and I need to go to bed. It is only 8 :52 but today was the first day of school and it has already kicked my bum. So therefore, I am going to keep this post short and to the point. No stories and no rambling.

On the night before school, at around 6:45 ish, Brian heard the doggies barking so he went to the door to check it out. As he walked by, he saw a body running stealth like, away from our house and making a get-a-way into a car. What is going on??? When he opened the door he found three adorable, personalized, Back to School Baskets on the door step. He then realized that they can only be from one person, Aunt Danielle!! Danielle, one of our nearest and dearest of almost twenty years, has recently began her new company titled, Color Me Happy. Danielle is extremely passionate about, paper creations, parties, personalization, and people, so naturally she combined all of these interests into an amazing new business. It began as Party Event Planning Company however it has grown wings and has now expanded into a company that offers many other exciting options. These Back to School Baskets are just a teensy sample of her work. She has a tremendous collection of offerings already! She will soon be launching her website but in the meantime she is accepting orders for basically anything party related that you might have in mind. If you have a dream, she can make it come true!

If you would like more information about Color Me Happy, please comment on the end of this post and I can send her contact information to you.

All of the Baskets contained fun school items to celebrate the big day!

The Baskets even had Matching P.J.'s for all of the kids to wear before their big day!

How cute is that???

The First Day of School

How exciting for Joby on his first day of PreK-4 at the "Big School"

Landon was so excited that he ran right in.

The Big Three!!!

Sunday Supper...whoops! I mean Sunday Breakfast!

2010-08-23T14:09:00.002-04:00

On Sunday I wanted to switch our normal mealtime routine up a bit. Instead of our grand Sunday Supper meal that entails cooking the entire afternoon, I decided to make something special for breakfast instead. The same characteristics of a Sunday Supper just earlier. Normally when we plan our supper it usually consists of a few spotlighted foods that no one has ever really had the opportunity to try. I like doing this because it puts my family on the spot to try new foods. Doesn't always work, but it is my motherly duty to expose them to as many great foods as possible. For the record we have a pretty high success rate kickin' right now. It's probably because I have imposed some pretty unfair rules on my entire family...Brian included! These rules are: You may not say that you do not like something if you have never tried it. You are strongly encouraged to try something or you will receive looks of guilt through out the entire meal. If you try it and do not like it that is alright just do not announce to the table how repulsive it tastes and or make severe gagging reflexes- too many impressionable ears around. Oh and also be prepared to have the food at least 16 more times because it is known in our home that you must try something at least 17 times before you can officially denounce it. They aren't too harsh right??? In the end everyone knows that I am not going to serve them anything over the top or disgusting, they know that they are in a safe environment to experiment with new foods, they know that they will never be punished over food, and they know that usually after they try something, they like it. I end up looking like a cooking marvel and they all plead forgiveness with kisses, hugs, and accolades for their over dramatizations at the table.

Our Sunday Breakfast Menu:

Challah Bread French Toast- This was a little new for them because they normally have Brioche. I knew it would be fine because Auntie Shae usually uses this type of bread when they eat it there. I had Rosemary Bread but didn't want to push my luck. Besides Brian completely vetoed it.

Strawberries

and the two new spotlighted foods were:

Creme Anglaise- This food is attached with honeymoon memories because we ate it at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast while on honeymoon. It is so delicious. It is a sweet, vanilla, creme, custardy sauce. So great. NO ONE was willing to try it except maybe Grace who needed some persuasion. Brian was adamant about not having it until he quickly remembered the "rules" as well as our purpose and the importance of everyone trying new foods. Jeez Bri??? You too???

Raspberry Butter- Also totally new to the fam. Joby helped make it. I was surprised that this did not go over well. It had three ingredients that they all love; butter, raspberries, and vanilla sugar. I think they thought I was trying to trick them with yogurt and didn't really believe that it was butter. Either way they all tried it but no one liked it.

Landon later asked me, does this mean that I have to try Raspberry Butter 16 more times??? YES.

You know mom I have tried yogurt almost 17 times now and I still don't like it. I said, well first of all you have only tried it about 13 times, that means you have about 4 more times to try it so too bad so sad my little!!!

The Kid Switch!

2010-08-20T02:46:00.002-04:00

Kid Switch!! Last week my Gracie girl got together for a very special play date with her dear friend K. for some very special girl time. The boys and I have had an on going list of movies that we needed to see before they vacated the theatres so we decided that while Grace and K. painted pottery, we would see The Revenge of Kitty de Ville. Rather than little C. hangin' with the ladies, Aunt D. and I arranged for a kid switch. Little C. for Gracie. The boys and I had the best time together. We ate popcorn and candy while we watched the movie and afterwards we had a great slice of Sazio pizza on the Avenue. It was great having C. with us for the afternoon. I was amazed with the how different the dynamic was with three boys and minus one girl. I know that you are probably thinking it had to have been crazy but it was remarkably peaceful. It was totally easy and fun because C. is one of the the coolest kids around. Everything about him is awesome. It was also great because it gave Landon the opportunity to be the oldest in the group and it gave Joby a playmate close in age. Grace and K. had a wonderful time having their faces painted, chatting, eating, and painting pottery at Picasso's Pottery. The kid switch worked perfectly. Everyone had a great time and no one was left out!

Mexico: One and Only Palmilla -vs- Las Ventanas

2010-08-18T21:29:00.003-04:00

Summer is quickly coming to an end. Not the summer season because in Florida, most days feel like summer. I'm referring to "summer vacation". My littles will return to school on Monday so naturally, as I began to experience anxiety of our precious freedom being ripped away, we planned a vacation. Our family has this insatiable need to travel, always trying to puzzle an itinerary into any available windows of time. This time we had about a five day, four night space of time so we thought Los Cabos, Mexico would be a great fit. Brian and I visited Mexico for my birthday a couple of years ago and we had the best time. Everything about the vacation was fantastic. The hotel, the food, the recreation, everything!! After we returned, we knew that we would love to visit again and wanted our kids to have the opportunity to experience this beautiful country as well. We thought this would be the perfect time. Unfortunately, we could not stay at the same hotel as last time, Las Ventanas, because they have a "strong preference of no littles". AHHHH!!! That totally sucked when we found out. No worries. We had also read a lot about another great stay, One and Only Palmilla. So that is what we decided upon. It is beautiful. The views spectacular. The rooms are comparable (to Las Ventanas). Food, marginal. So much better at Las Ventanas, though Jean-GeorgeVongerichten"s Market Restaurant, at One and Only Palmilla was really incredible. Service is fine. One and Only is so much bigger than Las Ventanas. You will experience great details at both. The overall feel is different. One and Only Palmilla definitely has a more authentic feel and decor while Las Ventanas is more contemporary, sleek and sexy. So what exactly makes one hotel better than another? I am not really sure. It just depends on what you prefer. Take a look at the photos and you decide.

Las Ventanas

Fiesta de Mariposa por mi Madre's Cumpleanos

2010-08-17T23:48:00.001-04:00

On Saturday we celebrated my Mom's 68th Birthday with a delicious Mexican Fiesta. Unlike my Dad's theme, my Mom's was a piece of cake. When I asked her what she would like to eat for her birthday, that she never has the opportunity to have, she first said that she would like for the entire family to go to Flakowitz for Bagels. Really? I told her there was no way that we could accommodate our entire family there. Choice number two, Fish Tacos at home. Again??? My Mama can have anything she wants. She is the sweetest, greatest, most selfless person on the face of the Earth. A real live Angel! Uhhh, the best!! So after she said that she would like Fish Tacos, everything else was easy to plan. I wanted it to be beautiful and girly, but colorful. My sister and I strung strands and strands of Monarch Butterflies from every possible location and attached them to napkins, glasses, and the chandeliers as well. It really turned out amazing. Unfortunately, the photos just can not relay how pretty it looked. All of the grandchildren made a terrific banner made up of drawings of themselves with their Gram. It was really cool to see them work together and how their drawings were reflective of my Mom. Lunch was great. Dessert a bomb! We ordered a special Lady M Crepe de Mille cake but it never arrived. This has happened before. I am convinced that there is someone in Tennessee, at the FedEx Hub, that recognizes those white boxes and eats our cakes. Brian, the dutiful, family superhero, saved the day with a liked by all, Carvel Ice Cream Cake, and I made a Chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. Overall, everything turned out perfect and my Mom was so happy and appreciative of everything. I love you Mama! Happy Birthday 68th Birthday!

Happy 70th Daddy!... Motown Style

2010-08-17T01:49:00.005-04:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been planning my Dad's 70th Birthday Party. It began as just a dinner with all of our family. It was going to be simple but special, just the way my Dad would prefer. Then my kids got involved and then everything went bananas. You have to understand my children. They live for parties, they love planning parties even more, and EVERYTHING is complicated with them. This can be a deadly combination. As soon as they caught wind of the news, the simple but special dinner got a kick in the bum. They started ambushing me with questions like, What's the theme gonna be? What kind of cake is Umpie going to have? Will there be goody bags? I said, listen little over the top party planners, it's dinner, just dinner. What??? But then I started thinking, just dinner for my Dad who is turning 70? No way. Unacceptable. My kids were right. It needed to be a real party, with lots of food, cake, and yes, goody bags- kind of. If this was going to be a party, then I needed some direction, not much, but some from my Dad because I wanted it to be what my Dad wanted. Of course whenever I asked him what he wanted, he would simply say, I don't know Brandi, it doesn't really matter. Jeepers Dad! You must want something for yourself on your 70th Birthday. It was like pulling teeth just getting him to tell me what he wanted for his dinner. I finally asked him to just please tell me what main course, cake, and any particular theme he may be interested in. Theme, oh my gosh, that was that was like torturing him. Finally and thankfully my Mom and Sister stepped in and found out these three main components. Food: Seafood Fra Diavolo. Great. I can totally make that. Cake: none-Cherry Pie instead. Oh man. Cherry Pie, yuck but okay it's not my party. Theme: Motown. Huhhh? How can I plan a theme around an era of music? Motown is one of my Dad's greatest loves and as a result one of all of ours. We have the fondest memories of listening to Motown in our home as we grew up. I was so glad that my Mom, I mean my Dad, thought of it.

It was an incredible evening filled with love, happiness, tears, warm wishes, great food, amazing family and friends, and soulful music! Take a look.

P.S. Sorry about the Blog inconsistencies. I cross my heart to do better!

They are still so in love!! Also, how cute is my Dad in his hat??

These were the goody bags- Custom T-Shirts

We made a mosaic of 20x30 photos on this wall and all around the house of significant moments throughout my Dad's life

Bad Photo but here is what the shirts read. "RR" for my Dad's initials and "70" for his age

He is on his toes! Cheater!!!

Some of the appetizers

Daddy's Plate

Oatmeal Cookies! His favorite!

The Infamous Pie

Happy 70th Birthday Daddy! We all love you so much!!!

The Sour Life

2010-08-12T01:46:00.002-04:00

The other evening I was talking to my best friend, Jeremy, on the phone, via Brian. It's complicated... it's just what we do. We have these amazingly long, but always hysterical, conversations with each other about a whole bunch of nothing every week. Well, during the conversation my blog came up. I was asking the boys about my recent blog postings and what they thought. I am always so interested in learning J's thoughts on things. He always gives great feedback. Brian thinks everything that I do is great so he is obviously not objective. Anyway, Jeremy suggested that maybe I should not always blog about the positive. I told him that I have to- I have a responsibility. My blog is called "The Sweet Life", it is suppose represent the positive and the happy. Remember, life's little blessings? Besides, who wants to read Debbie Downer's Blog? Not I. JJ simply suggested that I do, "The Sour Life" every now and then to mix it up and keep it real. I thought a lot about his suggestion. First, I was completely opposed to it. No way. I don't want my blog to promote negative energy. Like I said earlier, it's name is "The Sweet Life". It just goes against what I believe. I have principles you know. Well, at around 3:00 in the a.m., I was starting to entertain Jeremy's suggestion a bit more. Next thing I knew, I was having this complete conversation with my self. It went something like this: It's alright to write about things or feelings I don't like. Everyone feels this way from time to time. Don't worry, you won't abandon any readers you only have seven and most of those people already know these things about you. It's ok, it's ok, it's ok. Well, if you don't want to read anything considered, somewhat, not positive, then do not read the next paragraph. It will contain very bad and negative feelings. Warning!!!

The Sour Life by B.:

There are a few things that I just do not like. First, I can not stand when people impose their opinions about me on me. Especially when they are not a true part of my life. If you don't really know my deep dark secrets, then you do not have a license to tell me what you think. Oh, and don't even go near my children. Next, now I know that I am a girl and I get that girls and drama are suppose to go together but not with me. I despise drama and I hate when people try to suck me into their vacuum of drama. It is positively exhausting and uncomfortable. Also arguing. Arguing with anyone, in any situation, makes me want to absolutely throw up. I can do it and I can do it well, I just do not like it at all. One other really huge thing is that I despise small talk. You know, that awful, uncomfortable mindless conversation. It's so painful that I would prefer to pull out my eyeballs out of my eye sockets instead.

There. I did it. Well, now that you know some of my top hatreds, please do not think less of me and please do not stop following my blog. It is so weird to write about things that I "hate". It's funny because in our home the "hate" word is a BAD WORD. You may not say that word!!! My little's say "strongly despise" instead. I know that I do have the sweetest life and but I do also know that some days I am going to have somewhat of "the sour life". No day can be completely perfect and that is o.k. It doesn't define me and nor should it you!

Have a Sweet Life!!! I love you JJ!!

Nameless Pancakes...A.K.A "SIlver Dollars"

2010-08-08T19:29:00.003-04:00

I love Silver Dollar Pancakes. As a little girl, I have such fond memories of my entire family going to Perkins Diner for Breakfast. I would always order Silver Dollar Pancakes. I would eat every last one and when I was finished I would go to the big Wishing Well for a prize. What fun! I love Silver Dollar Pancakes- the novelty of the size and its cuteness- but for some reason I never liked the name. I get the whole meaning behind the name, I just prefer to call them something different. This was the topic of Saturday's Breakfast. My little pro-activists decided that we should brainstorm some new names that are much more clever than "Silver Dollars", submit them, and take a vote. The were so busy organizing the voting process that they never actually thought of any names. Actually, Grace did think of a few but they were way too abstract and would never be recognizable as pancakes. We shot down every one of her suggestions. So as of now, we have nameless pancakes. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe I could entice you with a free give-a-way that you always see on other blogs. Nah, I'll just make you the pancakes instead. How does that sound?

Gracie Made Lunch!

2010-08-05T21:19:00.000-04:00

I have to give it to my Gracie girl, she has been such an all-star this entire summer. She really has been working so hard and really growing in every way. Completely successful everyday. It's border line depressing because while I love seeing her blossom, I realize that I am losing more time with her. She keeps reminding me that in less than nine years she will be moving off to college. College. Nine short years. Jeez, my stomach hurts at the thought of this. I can't keep up with all of growing. Gracie has been taking all this initiative in the house as well. Take today for example, she insisted that she make lunch. Not help prepare lunch but truly make it. She decided to make homemade pizza as well as small plates of extras which consisted of mango, roast chicken, corn, pasta, and manchego cheese. She felt so accomplished that she asked if she could make chocolate chip cookies later in the afternoon all by herself. That question made my eyes spin. Uh... no thank you my love, that will be enough growing for today. At least I know that when she does move off to college she will know how to make pizza for herself. See there is always a bright side. I love you Baby G.

Jewels' favorite soup jill makes that Brandi loves

2010-08-05T00:43:00.001-04:00

I am a vegetarian, so I am constantly looking for healthy meat free recipes that feel like a meal and not like a side dish. Though the task can be challenging at times, I can always rely on one of my favorites soups to meet my criteria. It is from a great cookbook named "The Family Chef" by Jewels and Jill Elmore. The name of the soup is "Jewels' favorite soup Jill makes"- I added "that Brandi loves" because I have been making this soup for as long as I have owned this cookbook and it is one of my favorite soups ever. It must be, because who eats a hearty soup in the middle of August in Florida? The cook book was written by two sisters that used to be private chefs for celebrities in LA. It is a really great cookbook. Lot's of great recipes for everyday that have great show appeal. I think that often gets discounted, but to me its pretty important. Who wants to eat something that tastes great but looks likes s**t? I don't. I take a lot of pride in cooking and serving my family healthy, delicious foods that I have prepared with love. I want the food to look good. Really the recipes are terrific. I have many other favorites besides this delicious soup. Here are a few: the formula for 9 kinds of salad dressing, chicken lettuce cups, chicken potstickers, brekkie with your mates, salmon grilled on a sake-marinated cedar plank-Jill's version, smart idea burritos, and delicious, clean and healthy tostada. Pick it up. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Smiling Planet Will Make You Smile!

2010-08-04T01:32:00.001-04:00

I love kids tableware and I am always on the look out for cool new designs. I am not actually sure why I enjoy collecting it so much other than it is pure fun and I know that my kids will be thrilled to have their meals served on such great table talk pieces. It's a really good sign when they fight over who gets the surfer plate or the robot with the buggy green eyes. It can definitely make meal time eventful. In our kitchen we have an entire drawer dedicated to fun and kid friendly kitchen accessories which are all strategically placed so that our littles can access them independently. We really love finding interesting shapes and patterns. Our family tends to lean more towards modern contemporary styles. In addition to the artistic designs, I also try to find items that are completely non-toxic. As you could imagine, I was thrilled find this uber fabulous company and I couldn't wait to add this collection to our infamous drawer. Smiling Planet flatware, our latest find, is made up of 100% recycled polypropylene plastic and is completely non-toxic. All of the items have feature unique artwork by Olivia Haviland di'Albis. The artwork is completely protected because it is placed beneath the surface of the plate. This way you will never startle your children with your gasps as you see all of the beautiful artwork being scratched up from their little forks and spoons. Smiling Planet has complete respect and adoration for the environment. They truly believe that their designs will make the Earth safe and make people smile-because smiles are good for the planet too. How awesome is that?? Smiling Planet offers a great selection of plates and bowls and will soon add placemats, books, and apparel to the line as well.

Be sure to check out Smiling Planet . It will definitely make you smile and make your kids fight over who's getting which plate!

Papery and Cakery

2010-08-03T01:59:00.001-04:00

Last February when I was in Park City, Utah, I began planning my friend's baby shower. As I scoured the internet for ideas, all in relation to our unique theme, there was one name that I kept bumping into. Papery and Cakery. I found this name referenced several times on google searches, business websites, and numerous "blogs". As I took notes throughout this process, I noticed that I wrote this name "Papery and Cakery" down several times so I decided to check it out for myself thinking maybe there was something useful for the party. Little did I know that I was about to have a life changing moment. When I visited the Papery and Cakery website I was so excited and impressed to see a beautiful website representing a company that combined two things that I love about party styling into one business- creative invitations and decorative desserts. I thought to myself, this looks really great. I immediately noticed a sweet picture of a cute girl with her adorable golden retriever assisting with licking envelopes! Awww! As I read on and on I became more enamored with this company. After I read all of the archives of the blog postings, I was completely hooked. At this point in my life, I never even really knew what a blog was. I kept reading and wanted to learn more about this super sweet girl and her dog so I clicked on her profile. This is when I fell over- it read, Papery and Cakery located in Boca Raton, Florida. What??? Boca??? That can not be possible because always when I am sourcing something it is always in New York or California, never in my back yard! Not to mention, I was in Park City finding this great local place. I couldn't believe it! I was so excited! I immediately sent an email to schedule an appointment to visit and discuss invitations with Niki at Papery and Cakery when I returned home.

I was so pleased to meet Niki and visit her beautiful stationary boutique. The studio is so inviting. Warm and cozy with great energy. It was difficult concentrating on our task because I was so captivated with all of the creative displays of Niki's work. Each piece was completely unique. Truly couture! Papery and Cakery offers fantastic custom designs of invitations for weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, holiday cards, personal stationary, showers, baby announcements as well as other detailed paper specialties like menu cards, place cards, programs, calligraphy, and custom stamps. Endless possibilities! Niki can accommodate any of your stationary details. By the way, Niki is so so great. I loved meeting with her. She is so smart and warm, really easy to talk to. I never had that "new girl at school" awkward or uncomfortable feelings with her. You can totally tell that she really loves what she does and is extremely passionate about her work. She took such an enormous interest in my party project and she really supported my ideas and even helped brainstorm other great details. The next day after meeting with Niki, she emailed me some links to resources that she thought may enhance my party. Who does that??

Niki also writes a fantastic blog. It has great balance. It is a super mix of great finds, everything that has to do with paper, unique styling of weddings and parties, decorative details, personal experiences and delicious foods. She has a great eye. The "Cakery" of Papery and Cakery is represented by Niki's sister, Ali. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Ali yet but I love her delicious features. Every Friday on the blog, she shares amazing desserts and recipes. I look forward to reading Niki's blog everyday to see what cool "something" she is going to highlight. It's the first one that I read and its so exciting because she posts her blog around midnight so I check it out before I go to bed. First dibs! I feel like I know so much about Niki just from following her blog. As a result, she is now my "BLIEND", my blog friend!

I wrote earlier that I had a life changing moment after finding Papery and Cakery and meeting Niki. I was completely serious. When I met Niki, I had just started learning about blogs, what they were, and began reading some on a daily basis. Niki's blog, being my first to read and consistently follow. After meeting her, I started looking at things a little differently and began to believe that writing a blog was something that I would like to do and could possibly do by myself. The best part about it was that I did do it. I am so happy and proud to have my blog, The Sweet Life. It brings me such joy and I appreciate it tremendously. I will forever attribute the creation of The Sweet Life with my perfectly timed experience with Papery and Cakery. Thank you so much Niki. Without ever knowing, you have given me such a gift. Thank you.

Check out Papery and Cakery

3701 f.a.u. blvd. studio 300
boca raton, florida, 33431
561.368.5553
info@paperyandcakery.com

Sunday Supper...Shrimp Burgers

2010-08-02T01:44:00.000-04:00

Yesterday evening we ate a fabulous meal. It wasn't the kind of dinner that really showcases well. It's one of those dinners that you eat in the secrecy of your own home- never to be used as meal for entertaining. However in this case, I went against my principles and served it to Jeremy along with my family. It was Shrimp Burgers. I know it has a really bad name and we really should revisit renaming the dish. Because of its peculiar name it really can be interpreted to be something inedible. It's not a some kind of weird patty with ground shrimp and breadcrumbs. It's definitely more tasteful in every respect! Our version of the Shrimp Burgers consists of a fresh, soft hamburger roll with spicy aioli, a few slices of tomatoes and lettuce (if you prefer) and pan fried shrimp. It was really great. I chose it because it's Sunday, summertime, casual, and something that I have never fed Jeremy before. JJ is the absolute best to have for dinner. I have never seen a person so appreciative for a home cooked meal in my life! He makes you feel like you are the next Top Chef- but he is totally honest at the same time. That's one terrific thing about Jeremy. When he gives you a complement, he means it. Numero uno on my dinner guest list by far!!! In addition to the Shrimp Burgers we had wedges of iceberg lettuce with homemade blue cheese dressing, and buttered pasta. Devils food cake with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream frosting was for dessert. Good stuff!!!

Hope you have an AWESOME week!

B.

I am a Blessed Person... My Best Friend Makes Me Ice Cream

2010-07-29T22:06:00.003-04:00

Yesterday did not start off very well but got better as the day progressed. At 3:04 to be exact. That was when all of my little pokes disappeared. I knocked on the door, and there she was, smiling ... my Angel. She is always my Angel, but yesterday she was my Ice Cream Angel! Sherry made some of her incredible, homemade ice cream earlier in the morning and I was the sole beneficiary. Packaged so beautifully, with the most adorable little labels, I received two pints of Sherry's "KoKo-nut" ice cream. Wow!! What a gift! "KoKo-nut" ice cream, homage to our dear friend KoKo, is my absolute favorite! I actually never had eaten coconut ice cream until Sherry started making it. Thank goodness for pregnancy cravings! Those wicked cravings of coconut, during her last pregnancy, inspired her new kitchen pastime- ice creams made with love. Oh the power of cause and effect! Sherry's ice cream is just so good- I should know because I have just consumed two pints in less than 24 hours. One last night while reading blogs and the other this afternoon as I was photographing the ice cream for today's blog. I know, that is gross and I should be ashamed but I'm really not. Pinky Swear not to tell!!!

My Dog May Be a Genius

2010-07-29T01:05:00.004-04:00

My dog may be a genius,

and in fact, there's little doubt.

He recognizes many words,

unless I spell them out.

if I so much whisper "walk",

he hurries off at once

to fetch his leash... it's evident

my dog is not a dunce.

I can't say "food" in front of him,

I spell f-o-o-d,

and he goes wild unless I spell

his t-r-e-a-t.

But recently this tactic

isn't working out too well.

I think my d-o-g has learned

to s-p-e-l-l.

Written by: Jack Prelutsky

this one...Genius

these two... not so much

beauty over brains

Have a great day and remember to hug a dog today!!
I love and miss you like crazy Bogart.

Scribble Press

2010-07-28T00:54:00.002-04:00

Three things I love: Kids, Books, and New York. One place that has them all, Scribble Press. Scribble Press is a new make-you-own book shop located on the Upper East Side. It gives children their very own opportunity to write, illustrate and bind their own books. Scribble Press was created by two mothers who met on a plane one day, shared similar passions, and voila Scribble Press was born. The first location opened in Santa Monica in 2008 and the second, in New York, in April. The book making process at the store is completely easy and exciting. First, your child must select a project. It is not just limited to books. Kids are able to select a paperback or board book, calendars, notebooks, note cards, bookmarks, or even placemats. After this, they must fill their special wooden caddy with as many colors of markers as their little hearts desire. Then the true magic begins. While they sit at drafting tables, they create all of their stories and drawings for each page or project. When they are finished, they simply hand it in to be printed and bound into REAL books on site. After about twenty minutes, their projects are ready to take home.

Scribble Press also offers drop in and play classes, workshops, and birthday parties for all ages. If you can't make it to the Big Apple or to Santa Monica, your child may still have the opportunity to participate in this unique experience by purchasing one of their amazing book/art project kits online. Complete the project at home, then either send it back in or upload it. Scribble Press will then print, bind and return it back to you. They will even make extra copies of the projects so that you can share your little author's work with everyone! So great, right? Check it out!

Scribble Press New York: 1644 First Avenue at 84th Street 212.288.2928
Santa Monica, California: 1109 Montana Avenue 310.899.0495

Ice Cream. It's the New Cupcake.

2010-07-25T21:29:00.015-04:00

Cupcakes OUT. Ice Cream IN. God Bless! Those little devils were definitely contributing to my weight gain over the last five-ish or so years. I mean seriously, how can a person resist those little bits of cake, piled high buttercream frosting, beautifully decorated with colors and sprinkles? So attractive and appealing. Calling your name. I would simply tell myself- it's not a whole piece of cake right? Well thankfully, and thankfully for my bum, the trend is fading out only to be replaced with another decadent treat- Ice Cream. I have to give it up for ice cream. Sweet, simple, historic, loyal, globally recognized . Everything that the cupcake is not. Ice Cream is a beloved favorite by all. If it isn't, well then you have a problem or I just have a problem with you. Kind of like people who don't like dogs- don't waste my time. We will never be friends.

The rebirth of Ice Cream can be seen everywhere. From elaborate Ice Cream Sundae Bars at parties and weddings to Artisanal Ice Cream Pop Up Trucks. What is a Pop Up Truck? So glad you asked but I will have to answer that question in a future blog. That topic is just waaaayyy to involved. Your second question, Artisanal Ice Cream? Well I can definitely answer this one. Artisanal Ice Cream is made by artisanal producers whom are highly passionate, focused and committed people. They take the most extreme care selecting the highest quality all-natural ingredients. We are talking fresh, hormone-free milk and cream from local farmers that they know personally, the freshest eggs and all natural sugar cane, vanilla created from organic Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla orchids in Papua New Guinea, peppermint from the rich volcanic soils of Oregon, exquisite french chocolate, hand picked pistachios from Mount Etna in Sicily. Get it? We are not talking about Ben and Jerry's finest. The ice cream is not mass produced, just a few batches at a time. The ice cream does not contain any stabilizers, preservatives, or unnatural emulsifiers. Artisanal Ice Cream is the real deal.

On our recent trip to NYC, our family finally had the opportunity to try- first find- the well known Van Leeuwen Artisanal Ice Cream at its Pop Up Truck. It is called a "Pop Up" because you just never know where it will pop up. In order to find its secretive location you must commit yourself to the underground cult world that follows them on twitter. This is the only way that you can find one of their exclusive pale yellow trucks. The owner once described it as a rent free store in the best locations of New York. How clever!! I'm not sure what made the experience more sensational? The find or the ice cream. In this case definitely both with the find carrying a bit more weight. Be sure to check them out just be sure to check twitter first!

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

Momofuku....What?

2010-07-24T00:56:00.001-04:00

What is Momofuku? Well its literary translation means "lucky peach" in Japanese, however it is the brain child of Korean-American Chef David Chang. David Chang, opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2004 and has since gone on to open four other hugely successful sister restaurants. These include Momofuku Ssam Bar, Ko, Momofuku Milk Bar, and Ma Peche. David Chang's story goes something like this: born in Northern Virginia, college studied Religion, graduated, didn't know what he wanted to do, moved to London, taught English in Japan, moved to New York and bussed tables as he worked in the finance industry, enrolled in culinary school, worked in some major New York restaurants, moved back to Japan and worked in a small soba shop, then back to New York and worked at Cafe Boulud, then decided to open his own restaurant because he was "completely dissatisfied with the whole fine dining scene" and its pretentiousness. David Chang was awarded the James Beard Foundation rising star award for best new chef in 2007 and is considered to be one of the brightest culinary talents.

Momofuku Noodle Bar is located in the East Village on 1st Avenue between 10th and 11th Street. It is this tiny little space that is just so deeply personal and warm inside. The music is always pumping, the energy is just so cool, and the food is that good. Let's be clear though, Momofuku is not to be considered a ramen shop. David Chang prefers it not be, out of respect to traditional ramen shops, and has created his own Americanized version of ramen instead that consists of pork broth, peas, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and a poached egg. Some of the popular favorites at Momofuku Noodle Bar are: the Steamed Pork Buns which are these little fluffy clouds of dough with braised heirloom pork, hoisin sauce, and pickled cucumbers. Smoked Chicken Wings, Sticky Rice Cakes, and of course the Momofuku Ramen.

We have been there a few times now and just love it- the ramen, the buns, and the vibe. Gracie girl went to town on everything. Be sure to check it out. If you can't get there check out the cookbook. It's this months new cooking read.

Momofuku Noodle Bar located at 171 1st Avenue between 10th and 11th Street, NYC

Nooooo! Sleeep! Til Brooklyn!!

2010-07-23T00:29:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday we walked to Brooklyn. Literally. We walked from Manhattan to Brooklyn on the Brooklyn Bridge. The entire trip to NYC was fantastic but the walk, hands down, was the highlight of my time in the city. What exactly makes the three mile walk so spectacular ? Let's see... Is it because you have the opportunity to see the complete skyline? Is it because you have a gravitational pull to your place of birth? Is it listening to your littles count the bridges on the east side or listening to them losing count of taxis? Is it feeling of the boardwalk rafters under your feet or feeling your heart jump as you get little peeks of the East River between those rafters? Hearing Joby yell "Train!!! Mama a train!!!"? Is looking up and seeing your country's flag waving in the blue skies over the two arches- remembering when they were placed there after 9/11? Is it feeling nervous every time one of your littles cross over into the bike lane and you fear they are going to get run over by a speeding biker or just yelled at by a speeding biker? Seeing the Statue of Liberty in the distance? Amazement over all of the helicopter traffic? It has to be the feeling in your tummy when you really take into consideration of just how cool it is to be walking this beautiful and historic bridge? Definitely the people watching!? Maybe it's the anticipation or anxiety (depending on your outlook) of standing in line for pizza at Grimaldi's ? And then the excitement of eating ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory? Is it walking the new Brooklyn Bridge Park? Oh wait, the yellow Calexico Carne Asada Truck? Hearing all of the Look Mommy-s!... Look Daddy-s! over and over and over! The incredible energy and movement? It has to be seeing your kids faces as they look upon such beautiful architecture surrounding them and knowing that this has to be one of the greatest experiences ever. I love it for all of these reasons and more. What a great gift. New York, there is no place like it!

One for One...TOMS Shoes

2010-07-20T18:32:00.001-04:00

I recently purchased a pair of TOMS Shoes. I had heard of TOMS Shoes a while back, knew the company's premise but never really took that active next step of learning the "Why?" behind the company. The premise behind TOMS Shoes is very simple: One for One. TOMS Shoes will give one new pair of shoes to a child in need when you purchase a pair of TOMS Shoes. It is the "Why?" behind TOMS shoes that I find so fantastic. The company chose shoes because so many children in other countries grow up barefoot. Without shoes, these children are at a severe risk since they can easily contract a soil-transmitted disease through their bare skin. Wearing shoes helps to prevent these diseases which will also help a child live a healthier life. Without shoes, these children are also more vulnerable to get cuts and sores. These sores can then develop into dangerous and infected wounds. Wearing shoes can help to prevent this as well. Also, many schools require that students wear shoes as part of their uniform. Without their shoes they can not attend. Wearing shoes can provide these children with opportunity. I was truly amazed to learn all of this information and highly disappointed in myself that I never took a moment to really think about how something as simple as shoes could be life changing to another little individual. Please count your blessings when you slip your feet into your shoes. Check out TOMS Shoes.

TOMS Shoes offers shoes for women, men, youth and toddlers in great price ranges

Joby Loves NY

2010-07-19T11:01:00.002-04:00

Joby loves New York so very much that we decided to celebrate his 4th Birthday this year with a "Joby Loves NY" themed party. Leading up to most children's birthday parties, parents have the daunting task of having to select an appropriate birthday party theme. It has to be creative because let's face it we go to ALOT of birthday parties and you can easily get sick of celebrating with Dora the Explorer! Plus you want it to be special for your child- there is nothing worse than a pissed off four year old! The investigation usually begins around three months prior to the big date. Parents start having to really use their "Listening Ears" and begin paying close attention to their child's conversations to see if there is (A) an identifiable trend in their likes and (B) is it possible to take any of their likes and transform them into being a stellar birthday party theme. Maybe some of you out there can skip step (A) because you already hang onto everyone of your child's words but I have three children and only two ears so you do the math- one of my littles words do get missed every now and then- hey I try!!!! Using my method, New York was an obvious like for my Jobes because he talked about New York with any attentive listener. It would go something like this: I'm going to go on a jet plane and fly to New York in twenty seconds; I want to go on the ferry boat and see the Statue of Liberty; I gonna eat pizza in New York; I going in a taxi; and the most dominant Joby New York phrase- I'm gonna walk to Brooklyn on the Brooklyn Bridge and eat pizza and ice cream. On the last day of school, as I unpacked his school bag, I found a wishing star that joby made and it read: When I grow up I want to go to Brooklyn! That confirmed everything for me- Joby would be having a "Joby Loves NY" themed party. Now step (B) this was going to be a little bit more tricky. How am I going to plan a birthday party about New York for my four year old and his posse? Well the saying reins true- When you put your mind to something, anything is possible!

The party was colored with "City Black", outfitted with Subway Maps, Taxis, Skyscrapers and Statues of Liberties, and Subway Signs. The kids had a Taxi Pinata and "Took a Bite out of the Big Apple". We feasted on lots of New York foods: Pizza, Meatballs, and Pasta. Dessert consisted of New York cookies, my girl's and B.'s favorite Lady M Crepe de Mille Cake, cupcakes, and Joby's NY cake which was green on the inside and pink on the outside just like my little guy requested. I totally forgot to put out the big, soft, and hot pretzels, as well as the bagels and cream cheese. Oh well! You can't plan everything!

Happy 4th Birthday Joby! We love you!!!