time to chat

Melissa

Time for our weekly chat!

DOING:
Last week was broken up into two (not very fun) parts:
Cleaning like crazy and organizing the basement. I feel like Super Woman! I’m almost, almost done! By the end of this week, I should be 100% done! There is nothing like a super clean house to make you feel energized and ready to take on the world!
Dealing with the stomach bug. Colin threw up at school on Wednesday. He was fine on Thursday, then threw up again on Friday. Then he was fine! Then Sunday night, he said he was sick again. He’s back in school, but it was an insane week! I’m looking forward to working without Jake and the Neverland Pirates on in the background.

FEELING:
Excited! My baby sis is coming to visit this weekend and I can’t WAIT! She hasn’t been to our new house yet – or even to Providence – so we’re so excited to show her around and feed her loads of seafood.

THINKING:
About God. I’m still reading Crazy Love – chapter 5 is called “Serving Leftovers to a Holy God.” Just think about that title for a minute. I give all day… to my family, to my job, to friends, to family… am I only giving what’s left over to God? Is that how its supposed to be? Its time for a change.

EATING:
It was 60 degrees on Saturday so husband grilled his fabulous bison burgers. OHMYWORD, I’ve forgotten how good food tastes grilled! I am so excited for warm weather so we can grill more often.

DRINKING:
Caffe Vergnano -ÈSPRESSO® 1882.  YUM! Caffe Vergnano is a 130 year old coffee company that is now offering their authentic Italian espresso in pods that I can use in my Nespresso machine.  It’s balanced, a bit sweet and just… perfection.

espresso

READING:
Crazy Love. Can’t rush this one.

WATCHING:
Well, since this past week I had a sick kid on the couch, I’ve watched more Disney Junior and animated movies than I have in forever! I’m done for a bit, thankyouverymuch.

THANKFUL FOR:
My job. I love that I can still work when I have a sick kid hanging around.

LOVING:
How cute my dog and son are. We bought this new bed for Winston at Sam’s – and it was HUGE – but we couldn’t take it back. Not when Colin was like “Yay! I can cuddle with him!”

winston

What’s up with you?

 

disclosure: i received complimentary samples of the espresso. i was not compensated or under obligation to post – but loved them and wanted to share!

Let’s Chat

Melissa 3 Comments

Pour yourself a cup of coffee and let’s catch up:

latte and work

DOING:
For the last few days, we’ve been outside as much as humanly possible. Its incredible what a dose of fresh air and sunshine can do for the soul. We’ve been biking, running, playing soccer and basketball, drawing with chalk, taking walks, exploring… and generally just enjoying this burst of spring.
Along with the spring air, I’ve been gripped with a bout of spring cleaning. I decided to (finally) organize the basement. When we moved in last August, it was SO HOT that I just couldn’t organize down there. So we just kind-of closed the door and left it all. Now I’m trying to go through and make sense of everything. The questions that keep popping in my head:
Why did we move this?
Why do we even OWN this?
What is this?
Where did this even come from?
I’m about half way done. I’ve collected about 15 bags of trash/donate and I can’t lose steam now, as we have a truck from Big Brothers Big Sisters coming on Monday to collect our boxes of outgrown clothes, toys, games, books and who knows what else!!

FEELING:
Overwhelmed. Life has gotten extra… something. I’ve feeling like I’m in over my head in a lot of areas – especially parenting. I truly thought that after potty training, nothing could be worse. But I was not prepared for the tween growing pains, getting three children to get along, the sheer volume of nagging involved in getting three little people to get schoolwork done, practice instruments and get out the door on time.

THINKING:
About being apart. We have many wonderful friends here in Rhode Island, but the fact remains that all of our oldest and dearest (and most related) friends are far, far away. We have Skype and texting and chatting and Facebook and phone calls, but I am still craving actual face time. It breaks my heart to see someone struggling and not be able to go visit or help because I’m too far away. I’ve been trying to plan out ways we can see everyone as soon as possible.

EATING:
We went out for Indian food on Sunday and have been eating leftovers for lunch every day. Is there anything better? It was the first time in months we went to an Indian Restaurant. I miss the $8.95 All-You-Can-Eat buffets in West Philly!

DRINKING:
My new favorite wine. Our friends here honeymooned in Portugal and love Portuguese wines. They have me hooked!

READING:
Crazy Love. Only on Chapter 2 and I can already feel this one is a game changer.

WATCHING:
I just finished watching Chuck on Netflix. LOVED IT. I was sad when it was over. I need a new show. Any suggestions?

THANKFUL FOR:
My husband. He got me a ticket to fly out to spend a weekend with my sisters and attend my nephew’s first birthday. Just the therapy my heart needs!

LOVING:
My new boots. They’re even better than I imagined…

What’s up with you?

skating through providence

Melissa 1 Comment

One of our favorite finds in Providence? The Providence Rink downtown!

providence ice rink

 

Even Colin learned to skate!

learning to skate

 

We had so much fun – Colin is begging to go back!

The penguin skate aids were a lifesaver (Only $10 to rent with deposit of a credit card).

RATES:
Adults  $7.00
Children (12 and under)  $4.00
Seniors (65 and older)  $4.00
Military  $4.00
Skate Rental  $5.00

We had a blast and highly recommend!

 

snow

Melissa 1 Comment

Actually, more like snow upon snow upon MORE SNOW!

(Have we set the record for snow days yet? I think we may have…) Our kids are now going to be going to school until almost JULY. FUN!

But we’re still having some fun!

colin sled

there are no perfect parents

Melissa 1 Comment

Currently there are nearly 102,000 children (under 18 years of age) available for adoption from the foster care system in the United States.  Some of them have come through our family. My sister-in-law and her husband have fostered many children – and adopted two! We’ve been so blessed to meet several of them on various family vacations. Its so fun to look back at pictures and remember their little faces. (And, of course, we adore our beautiful nieces who have joined our family permanently!)

Have you ever considered foster care? I know it sounds scary – but there are so many children who need a safe place. I’m not perfect, my sister-in-law isn’t perfect… NO ONE is a perfect parent. But simply being who you are and showing love and compassion to a child in need will MAKE you THEIR perfect parent!
AdoptUS-Myth-Perfect-v5Final

If you’re thinking about expanding your family, why not consider adoption?

AdoptUS-Myth-Expensive-v4Final

There are thousands of kids out there who need a home just like yours.

AdoptUS-Myth-Married-v4Final For more information on the Ad Council’s ongoing campaign with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, visit: AdoptUSKids.

Host an Awesome Superbowl Party

Melissa

By now, every football fan in the United States knows that the Super Bowl is coming up and it’s coming up quickly. However, throwing the perfect party isn’t always easy. Finding the perfect recipe or cocktail, for the occasion, can be a little tough. Over my years of always being volunteered to host for the Super Bowl, I’ve come up with some tips that might help out for your next party…

1. Break Out the Sport Paraphernalia

For many, the Super Bowl is a very special occasion. Lots of fans are die-hard and love to wear their jerseys, hats or even lucky underwear to the game. In my family, we are no different. We love to whip out our favorite team’s customized beer pitcher we bought from this site whenever we entertain for a sporting event.

2. Try a New Appetizer Recipe

A Super bowl party without delicious food isn’t a Super Bowl party at all. Try something different to add a little bit of spice to your party. Each year, I make a bacon wrapped meatball recipe from here. This dish is a great way to get the party talking!

3. Try a New Cocktail Recipe

Cocktails are a great way to liven the party up and getting people excited. While beer is generally the drink of choice for any sports event, cocktails also have their place. They are excellent choices for those that are willing to try new things and they usually taste a little bit better than beer. I like to switch things up and use this recipe for Winter Sangria. It’s a very tasty drink and men tend to love it as well!

4. Activities During the Half Time Show

For a lot of people, the Half Time Show is really just bathroom break time. For those that aren’t into the musical acts performing, a few rounds of your own Karaoke is a great way to liven up the party even more and have a little bit of fun!

5. Commercial Games

While some people watch the Super Bowl for the game, others watch it for the commercials. Having a “Favorite Commercial Contest” includes everyone. Everyone votes for his or her favorite commercial – pick out of a hat and the winner gets a prize!

All in all, having the greatest Super Bowl party is no easy feat. Sometimes breaking out of the same ole’ entertaining mold can be difficult. Hopefully these tips can spark up a new idea this year for the big game!

And – don’t forget – keep your guests safe! Superbowl parties often involve finger foods, people sharing dishes like salsa and dips and food sitting at room temperature for long period of time. FoodSafety.gov highlights four simple steps to food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. These basic actions include cleaning the food well, keeping potential contaminates separated, cooking meats thoroughly and chilling uneaten portions. You don’t want your guests to miss the end of the game because they’re sick, right? Break out the crockpot or warming trays for foods that need to be kept hot and serve cold foods over ice.

post courtesy of the lovely Quinn over at healthylivingbyquinn.blogspot.com.

days off are the best

Melissa 2 Comments

We have time to relax and get outside, seeing as the temps were up in the 40s. Practically balmy.

We feed the ducks in the pond we’re normally rushing past…

feed the ducks

 

Went on an adventure…

geocaching

 

 

Played outside…

bike 2

Ran without wanting to die of cold…run8It was perfection.

date night

Melissa 1 Comment

Last week, we actually had a DATE NIGHT! (Its been a long time since I said those words together…)

date night 2

It was perfection. We had an amazing dinner at Blue Grotto in Federal Hill (seriously, can’t wait to go back!). The food was out of this world – everything was delicious and it was the perfect place for a date night or a special occasion! (Although there were several families in the restaurant, so it is definitely kid friendly.)

blue grotto

Then we saw Wicked, as part of the Broadway series at Providence Performing Arts Center (which was fantastic!!). It was our first time at PPAC and we loved it – its a great theater and we can’t wait to see another show there. The kids were terribly disappointed that they didn’t get to go with us. We’ll have to find a show for us all to go to!

wicked at ppac