We're so super excited. His fiancee is already part of the family and now its officially official for real. We have another wedding on the horizon! (Deep breaths, Mom-who-is-still-looking-for-a-dress-to-the-first-wedding! We've time to shop!)
The girls are beyond thrilled and we're running around their room screaming when they told them – so super cute! Husband and I are so happy for them and now I just need to see them in person to deliver hugs (for my brother) and jumping-up-and-down-while-screaming-and-crying (for his fiancee).
I know what you're thinking… "Brussel sprouts?" But really – these are so, so very good. My sister made these on New Years Eve and they were a huge hit – even with the non-brussel sprout fans. Gracie loves them – and I think they might be my new favorite veggie!
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 1/2 lbs brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved Olive oil Kosher salt Seasoned pepper 5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of foil on a cookie sheet and spray with Pam or drizzle with olive oil.
Place brussel sprouts in a bowl, cover with olive oil and season
with kosher salt, seasoned pepper and minced garlic. Mix and spread
onto cookie sheet.
Bake 10 minutes then turn. Bake another 5-10 minutes. Sprouts should be slightly brown on the edges.
Yesterday we returned from 5 fun-filled days at the Walt Disney World Resort, where I had the privilege of attending the Disney Social Media Moms Conference (#DisneySMMoms).
I've been to many a bloggy event and I must say, this was the event to end all events. It was not only tons of fun, but it was also intimate, very well-organized, offered inspiring and informative speakers and it included my whole family. There is no way to cut down all that we did into a post that is less than 5 pages long, so here are just a few quick highlights…
the Disney touch: When I say this conference was well-organized, I am not kidding. They thought of everything. Events started and ended right on schedule, buses were waiting to take us directly back and forth to the hotel and they were handing out umbrellas when it rained. Even little details, like the media fast pass or the activities for the kids during meals or serving the kiddos hot chocolate at a chilly outdoor event or handing out hand warmers at the evening concert… Disney does it right and this conference was no different!
the speakers: I don't know who was in charge of lining up speakers for this conference, but who ever you are, you did a fantastic job. Maxine Clark, the founder and CEO of Build-A-Bear was inspired us to chase our dreams, Tony award winner Marissa Winokur encouraged us to find humor in balancing work and motherhood, Kathy Ireland challenged us to never give up and find our passion. Guy Kawasaki gave us tips on how to harness the power of Twitter for our sites while Chris Brogan gave us some common sense advice on marketing — both were terrific for busy moms who are always trying to make the most of our time!
the people: I got to see many old friends and meet some fabulous new bloggers! I could not even list alltheterrificpeopleImetifItried. I loved hanging out with Colleen from Classy Mommy and Whitney from Mommies with Style (my Philly girls!) It was great to see Audrey from Mom Generations again and Danielle from Extraordinary Mommy was so lovely. It was a diverse group of moms (with a few dads thrown in 🙂 and they were such a great bunch. People were so friendly and genuine – it really made the conference for me!
my family: This was the first conference that I've seen that included my entire family. Like most other moms, my main struggle in attending conferences and events is arranging childcare. So to be able to bring them along was perfect. It was such an amazing event and being able to share the magic with my husband and children was priceless. Plus, it was great to meet everyone else's kids! As Mommy bloggers, so many of us write about our kids every day, so it was fun to meet the stars of all the blogs I read 🙂
There's so much more to share… but it will take a while it get it all down! I'll be posting more soon!
We made it home safely from Disney today – the exhausted kids slept through most of the flight – and even all our luggage arrived!
We pulled into our driveway to find that our wonderful neighbors had shoveled a spot for our car and a path to our door. (Bear in mind, we got like 20 inches of snow, so this was a big deal!!)We were so thankful!!!
We gathered the kids and opened the door… and saw that the thermostat was set at a balmy 41 degrees. Humm…. That could be problem. 7 hours and $413.59 later, there is finally warm air coming through the vents. Its heaven. However, we apparently are going to need a new oil tank. We'll find out for sure this week but I see dollar signs.
I can hardly type because my fingers are so cold, so I'm signing off!! Hopefully I will be blogging about Disney in warmth tomorrow morning 🙂
Now we all know that "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize." And the quickest (and cheapest) way to update your wardrobe is with accessories — even something as comfy as a t-shirt can be super cute with just a scarf or necklace. So here are some of my recent favorites!
1. I am 100% completely in LOVE with this necklace. And its only $6.80 – I love when I fall in love with something affordable!!
2. This gold and black cluster necklace is so gorgeous and would be so versatile. The filigree detailing is beautiful! I love the cluster necklace look and this color combo would look fabulous with my favorite color clothing… black 🙂 (I'm trying to wear more colors! Really!)
3. I bought this Seed-Bead necklace the other week and when I tried it on… I didn't like it. So it went back. But this bubble-cluster necklace would add a great punch of color to any outfit.
5. SCARVES! They're here to stay, girls, so embrace it. Old Navy has some super cute ones this season for under $15, but if you want something a little nicer, Loft has a few todieforscarves!
6. And its not just jewelry – a great way to dress up a t-shirt is with a cute vest! So cute!
Please notice Colin running into the wall at the end. Its not surprising he has been to the hospital so many times in his life already!
As you might have noticed, today we're heading to Disney World for the Social Media Moms Conference! Frankly, I'd go to Disney for a Really Boring Conference about Physics, but this??? Blogging + Disney = Melissa heaven!
Luckily, we were able to change our flight to hopefully beat the coming snow storm *fingers crossed* — that was all my husband. He called up the airline on Sunday and switched the flight after watching the weather report. And my crushed face as I realized the storm was scheduled to hit exactly when our flight was scheduled to take off. So he's my hero of the day!
Hopefully flying with three kids won't be as terrible as I'm anticipating. Ellie and Grace will be totally fine, but the boy is NOT a fan of such activities as Sitting Still or Being Quiet. So we apologize in advance if you are on our flight. Especially if you are sitting near us.
Yesterday at 1pm, Colin fell off the bed and landed on his head. This is not unusual. He falls down alot, walks into walls and generally injures himself quite frequently. He has a dangerous combination of strength, daring and no concept of self preservation, so I generally only worry when blood is involved.
All that to say, he fell off the bed and I didn't really give it a second thought. I cuddled him and put him to bed for his nap. He work up 2 hours later, VERY cranky. He kept crying and whining… and driving me crazy. Finally, around 4:30, I noticed that while he was crying he was rubbing the back of his head – right where he fell.
That sent off warning bells in my head.
I called the doctor and she said to take him in to the ER if he was still in pain hours after falling. So off we went! We were admitted with zero wait (miracle!) They said he had a concussion, but they wanted to do a CT Scan just to make sure that's all it was. You can imagine how well that went. They tried to strap him down, but he was freaking out and wouldn't stay still. He was looking at us with terror in his eyes… clearly wondering why we were letting this happen to him. When they asked me to leave the room, I was in tears.
They had to give up. When they gave hm back to us, he was hysterical. He wouldn't cuddle with either me or Husband. I think he was so traumatized that we let that happen to him. It took almost ten minutes for him to relax and snuggle up to me quietly. They told us we had two options: go home and observe him or drive into Philly to Children's Hospital and have him sedated so they could do the scan. The doctor told us that Colin didn't have signs of neurological problems and seemed to be improving, so it was up to us. Husband and I talked it over and we decided that there was probably greater risk having him sedated than there was that they would find something beyond a serious concussion on the scan.
We came home – just as the snow started – and watched him, gave him Tylenol and had a looong night of waking him up every 2 hours. (You know that saying "Never wake a sleeping baby"? VERY TRUE)
This morning we woke up (kind of) to a much happier Colin and a good 2 feet of snow outside our house. CRAZY! The snow at the bottom of the driveway was up to my husband's waist. It took us (mostly Husband) over 3 hours to shovel the driveway. Then our van got stuck, so we (Husband) had to push it while I drove. I can barely move my arms and my back is killing me, despite having taken Advil & a mojito. (Not at the same time.)
Well, I don't have a theme today. What can I say… I need more coffee this week. But here's just a few things to share!
1. Well, its supposed to RAIN while we're at Disney next week. BOO!!! So now I"m doing a serious re-design of the clothing plan. I may need to get this for me. Because I'm sorry, I REFUSE to wear a poncho.
2. I bought these shoes for Disney. They arrived two weeks ago and I have barely taken them off. These are the most comfy shoes I've ever worn! Really!! I still love my pumas, though, and I'll bring those too. We just got these for Ellie and she loves them. Sneakers are a must for the kiddos at Disney!!
3. How much will Colin love this Cars shirt for our trip?? Gracie got a princess one and Ellie's has Lady and the Tramp. Disney store's graphic tees are only 3 for $20 — doubt we'll find those prices in the parks! (Oh my word, I LOVE this mechanics shirt for Colin! Wish I has seen it sooner!)
4. For me, I'm still completely hemming and hawing about what to wear! Such a big decision, I know. Poor me! 🙂 The only thing I've decided on for sure is shoes (my privos and my pumas) and wearing my favoritejeans every day. With the weather, we're going to be layering up a storm. (Ha ha! Storm! Get it?) I'm probably end up in tshirts under sweaters under a raincoat!
5.I almost bought this today at Target. Isn't it cute? And LOOK AT THIS DRESS!! Too cute! I wish we had an excuse to wear a cute dress at Disney – I have the cutest dress that I snagged at LOFT in the fall for only $9.99 (REALLY!) and I've been dying to wear it! Can I just say "cute" again? CUTE!
That is all. Go shopping now – if you're not buried in snow, that is!
