Water Safety - If you can't see them, you can't save them

My mom sent me the link to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) "See and Save" initiative web page. It has good water safety tips as well as warnings about the dangers of leaving children unattended in hot cars. While we all try to be vigilant about keeping our children safe around water and in the hot summer heat, it is good to occasionally be reminded of basic safety practices.

Stuff to do this weekend

Two of our DFW area cities are hosting festivals this weekend - Grapevine and Addison.

The Main Street Outdoor Adventure kicks off in Grapevine on Friday and runs through Sunday. If you get there before 5pm on Friday, admission is free! After that, admission runs about $7 for adults, $5 for kids, and kids under age 6 are free.

On the other side of the Metroplex, Taste Addison starts at 6pm on Friday. Admission is $5 before 5pm and jumps to $15 after that ( I guess the cheaper admission applies to Saturday and Sunday only), and kids under 3 are free. You can buy $10 'anytime tickets' at area Albertson's stores.

I've been to both of these festivals, albeit before kiddos, and what I loved was how 'walkable' and open they are. Downtown Grapevine is just a fun place to go and Taste Addison offers a variety of food and music all in a cute outdoor park area. If you go, let us know how it is for the stroller-set!

One note, though, about travel to both festivals. There is major construction going on in Grapevine around the 114/121/635 interchange areas -- especially nights and weekends. Be sure to check the DFW Connector site for construction delays and lane closures so you can plan your route (or alternate routes) carefully!

Book sale

The Friends of the Library book sale is this weekend. Most items, including books, children's books, audio books, and CDs, are $.50 - $1.00. The sale runs Friday, May 14 through Sunday, May 16 and admission is $1 (children under 12 are free.) The sale is being held at the Friends’ Book Store’s Chapter 2 annex, 5318 Trail Lake Drive, three doors north of the book store in Wedgwood Village Shopping Center.

Easter Egg ideas

I admit, sometimes I read my magazines a little late. So, sorry for the "late" post here, but maybe you will remember it for years to come? In the April 2010 edition of Disney's "Family Fun" there are a few creative or different ideas for Easter eggs.

My favorite was this one:

Instead of filling plastic eggs with candy or money, this mom buys a 20-25 piece puzzle and puts pieces of the puzzle in each egg. Then, after the kids hunt all the eggs, they have a 2nd activity to keep them busy (and to do together).

Another helpful hint was this one:

When dying eggs, they tend to fall off the spoon or the wire tool and make a mess. This mom has learned that eggs will fit nicely inside of wire whisks, which can be used as the "dye dipping" tool. She says her youngest child (who in the picture appeared to be 2 years old at the most) was even able to a trusted egg colorer.

30-40% off Shoes @ Neiman Marcus

http://sn125w.snt125.mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0

The email-ad says "30-40% off designer shoes."

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

This is good food for thought…this is Sally Clarkson’s blog, she wrote The Mission of Motherhood,  which is a fantastic book!

http://wholeheart.typepad.com/itakejoy/2010/05/happy-mothers-day-2010.html

Enjoy!

Starbucks Happy Hour: May 7 - 16

"Come to a participating Starbucks between 3 and 5 p.m., and enjoy a half-price Frappuccino® blended beverage.

Feel like getting a head start on happiness? You can create your own favorite Frappuccino® blended beverage right here. Share it with your friends and invite them to meet you. Starbucks is celebrating Happy Hour from now until May 16."

http://www.frappuccino.com/happy-hour

Thoughts on summer cooking

Last night I was searching the web for new recipes that might engage my little one in eating, oh, some veggies for a change, and stumbled across Babble's list of the 50 Best Mom Food Bloggers. I haven't had a chance to check out many of them, but I do feel like there is a possibility that I can try some of these recipes and tips in my own home.

I've been thinking about the summer and what a bounty of fresh food options it brings and have decided to make it a priority to cook fresh, healthy meals. Will it be easy? Probably not. But I know it will be worth it. To that end, I'm going to try to take advantage of the farmers markets and 'pick your own' farms in the area. Navigate to the Texas Farmers Market Association or to Local Harvest to find information about local farmers markets. You can find information on 'pick your own' farms on the Pick Texas site.

Thank you note worthy Brunch Casserole

At one of my bridal showers a friend gave me a 3 ring binder filled with their tried and true recipes - something that was a perfect gift for a new bride with very limited cooking skills. Over the years I've gone back to that notebook time and again for simple, filling home cooked goodness. So recently, when a friend asked if I had a breakfast casserole recipe that would be good for a teacher appreciation breakfast, I said Why yes, yes I do. She reported back to me a few weeks later that, of the three breakfasts she's made dishes for, this one was the first that ranked an actual thank you note! So here it is folks, just in time for Mother's Day. (Did I mention that it is also SUPER easy to put together?)

Brunch Casserole
1lb sausage
1 (8oz) can refrigerator crescent dinner rolls
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I use whatever shredded cheese I have on hand, including Mexican 4 blend, and I use as much as looks good to me!)
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Cook sausage in skillet until brown and crumbly: drain well. (I have cooked the sausage the night before and just stored overnight in a ziplock - works great and is a real time saver in the morning.) Line the bottom of a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish with crescent rolls, sealing perforations. Sprinkle with sausage and cheese. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with milk and seasonings. Pour over sausage & cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until set. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Medicine Recall

My mom sent this to me today, it looks like it is for Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, Zrytec are part of the recall…I hope this helps you to know if any of your medications are effected by the recall.

http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/

Free Movies in Sundance Square

http://sundancesquare.com/NewsletterArticle.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=insider_052010&showpop=0&id=50&aid=163


Once a month, I receive the Sundance Square e-Newsletter. Today's mentioned the 4th Annual (wow- can't believe it's been that many years already) free Movie night...outside, of course. It's the "inside the city" feeling of being at a drive-in, I suppose. The link above will lead you to the article about the movies. It also lists which movies are playing this year.

Hope you can make it!

Recall on McNeil Products (Tylenol, Motrin, etc)

Hi Mommas. Just wanted to post info on the product recall of some McNeil products, including name brand Tylenol and Motrin, Benadryl, and Zyrtec. Check the items in your medicine cabinets against the list posted on the McNeil site. I had three of the four items on hand, and all of mine are on the recall list.