Knitting Zeal

Dial for kids to keep them squeaky clean!

With the warm weather now, there is a lot of outdoor playing going on, which means the kiddo is digging in the dirt and sandbox, sliding across the lawn for fun, and getting all sweaty. It also means he is taking lots more baths to get clean.  As a Purex Insider, I had the chance to try out a new bath product for kids, Dial Kids Body & Hair Wash.  I let my son pick which scent to try out, and he chose the Peachy Clean scent that is formulated for kids ages 2+.  There are versions for kids ages 6+ in Watery Melon and Berry Cool scents, too.  The Peachy Clean version is specially formulated for sensitive skin.  I am really glad that we were able to try that version out, as everyone in my family has sensitive skin. 
My son used to fight getting a bath, especially having is hair washed.  Switching to a kids' body wash combined with a shampoo really helped and made him feel like a big kid.  He was excited to try out the Dial Kids Body & Hair Wash, as it was also a combo product.  I love that it is tear free, hypoallergenic, free of artificial dyes or added parabens and Ph balanced.  With his sensitive skin, having a very mild cleanser is really important.  We both really like the peach scent, as it has a light fresh soap scent.  His hair smells lightly of peaches the day after washing, which I just love!  So far we are really loving this new kids' body wash!  My son has not had any skin reactions to it and he has not complained about it bothering his eyes when having it rinsed off his hair.  It gets all the little boy dirt off easily and without a fight. This is a product we will continue to use in the future!

For more information and to stay up to date with Dial products, check out their Facebook page. 

Disclosure:  As a Purex Insider, the Dial brand provided me with a sample of Dial Kids Body & Hair Wash in exchange for this product review.  The opinions expressed here are honest and based upon my (and my son's) experience with the product.   

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Springtime in New York

For at least a year and a half now, my five year old son has been asking to visit New York City.  He knows about it from a.) Curious George lives there and b.) his daddy works there about once a week.  Christmas 2012 I gave him a book for kids about visiting NYC, but we delayed going because it just seemed so overwhelming.  Back in March, I had the chance to go to NYC with my husband for a fun night out to celebrate a friend's graduation and move at Café Boulud, near Central Park West.  It was a fun night and I realized how easy it would be to get to the city via NJ Transit, as long as the kiddo was ok with taking a very long train ride. 

Since being a train conductor is one of his life goals, we decided it was a great time to try a day trip to the big apple.  Plus, the weather has been BEAUTIFUL for walking around a city.  We surprised the little guy on Thursday night and told him that we would be getting up early the next day and heading to the train for our day in New York.  He was so excited!  (OK, he still says he really thought he'd get to ride on an Amtrak train, but I promised that will happen some day...)

After a quick taxi ride, we made our first stop at the Central Park Zoo, which despite the movie, does not have the same animals that appeared in the Madagascar movies!  We brought a picnic lunch with us from home and enjoyed our lunch watching the Sea Lions kiss!  The penguins put on quite a show, while the polar bear was snoozing in the shade.  The zoo was really tiny and completely manageable.  We saw every exhibit, including the children's zoo that was a block away, in about two hours. 

We spent the rest of the day visiting toy stores.  First up, the Apple Store on 5th Avenue.  The store is that glass structure.  There is a round elevator and a circular staircase  that goes down to the actual store.  It was mobbed.  Then we headed to FAO Schwartz, which was in the building behind the Apple Store.  In my memory it was much more amazing.  I forgot that Toys R Us owns it.  They did have a massive amount of toys for sale, along with some unique things, like live superheros available for photos.  I let my kiddo pick out a toy as his souvenir.  He chose an NYPD car set and a model Taxi car. 
We walked many many many blocks that day.  We visited M & M World, which was an overpriced candy store that played too loud music and was too crowded (I felt so old there...it was so annoying!)  We had dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp in Time's Square, which was really good and had great views of the Good Morning America building.  Time's Square itself was packed.  It was about 4:30 on Friday afternoon and the area was filled with so many people and sights.  It was overwhelming.  The digital ad displays are amazing and overly abundant.  We didn't know where to look first. 
We concluded our trip with a ride on the ginormous, 60-foot high ferris wheel inside the Toys R Us in Times Square.  That toy store was really impressive!  Needless to say, the kiddo found even more NYPD cars that he wanted.  (Other than train conductors, he loves police and firefighters!)  The ferris wheel made be feel queasy, but I survived!  We got to ride in a taxi made out of Megablocks.  My favorite one was the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe gondola! Isn't it cute?
Someone also got to meet the "real" Geoffrey!  The kid's favorite animal is the giraffe.  The zoo didn't have any, but I think this one made him just as happy!
It was a great first trip to NYC for the kiddo.  He can't wait until we go back!  Next time we'll have to visit the Empire State Building.

Menu Plan Monday, 4/29/13

I completely forgot/ran out of time last week and never typed up my menu plan.  Oh well, the nice weather had something to do with it!

I tried out a new way to cook pizza, based upon an awesome video tutorial by Steph at Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom.  I had heard about grilling pizza, but was always fearful of the dough falling through the grates of the grill and catching on fire or worse.  She made it look so easy so I decided to test out our grill and the method.  It was easy and everyone loved the results!  I did slightly overcook the one pizza, but that was just a timing and temperature issue that I'll work out next time.  Since we make pizza almost every Friday, this will be a great way to bake it in the hot weather without heating up my house!  I think it would even be fun to make individual sized pizzas with different toppings for a BBQ or summer party.

Menu plan for dinners this week:

Monday: Chicken Stir Fry with brown rice

Tuesday: Skinnytaste Flounder Piccata, salad

Wednesday: Lemon-Ricotta Pasta with Peas and Seared Scallops

Thursday: Salsa Chicken in the slow cooker, with tortillas or rice and salad. This recipe is ridiculously easy and really tasty!  Perfect for soccer night!

Friday: Taco Pizza, salad

Weekend: TBD!

 

I'm linking up to Organizing Junkie, where there will be many more menu plans to check out!

 

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Spring fun for mom at the Mom Mixer

Last weekend my spring fun was going to the Spring into Summer Mom Mixer with my local blogging friends.  It was a blast.  I have to thank all of the brands that participated and those who provided some samples for me to try: Lands End, Lee, Koru Yoghurt, QVC, Send the Trend, McDonalds, Johnson's Baby Cares, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Hershey's, Clean & Clear, and Neutragena.

I enjoyed learning about so many of the brands, besides Lands End, of which I was already a fan!  Seeing the folks from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation was a highlight.  Besides having the chance to chat with a friend who works for the Foundation, I was able to pick up info about hosting a lemonade stand.  My son loves lemonade and even held his own little stand last summer after seeing a Curious George episode about it.  He wants to hold another one this summer and I think we'll look into hosting one to benefit Alex's Lemonade.  I have already introduced the idea of it to him and tried to gently explain why Alex started her stand without getting into too many details that a five year old couldn't understand.  He really wants to make money for Legos, but I think donating it will be a more valuable lesson!

Hershey's sent home in my bag a really cute craft kit for making a Kisses case.  The case holds four or five kisses perfectly and will protect them from being crushed in my purse.  I managed to keep it away from my son too so that it is mine!  (OK, I'll share probably since Kisses are one of our favorite treats!)  Hershey's also sent me some info to share about their Moderation Nation program, that includes a fun website filled with tips to live a balanced lifestyle. They mentioned that one Hershey Kiss is only 25 calories, making it a nice little treat.  My son's dentist also recommends them as opposed to sticky candy that can cause cavities. 

Another fun treat discovered at the Mom Mixer was Koru Yoghurt, from Koru Dairy.  It's a new brand of creamery-style yogurt in our area.  They gave out samples to try and even sent me home with some samples to share with my family.  My son has declared it to be his new favorite yogurt!  It really is delicious.  Our favorite flavors were the peach and the strawberry + goji.  It isn't sold in my local grocery store yet, so I'll have to request it! 
Thanks again to Whitney and Colleen, along with all the brands, for a fun and social morning!!

Disclosure:  As a participant of the Mom Mixer I received a bag of samples and information from the different brands.  I was not required to write about my experience.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for participating. 

Spring has sprung with fun!

So now that it's starting to feel like spring weather, my family has jumped into spring mode and has been participating in fun outdoor weather activities.  Here's a little wrap up of some of the fun things we've been up to with the kiddo:

We vistited the Morris Arborteum to check out the cherry blossoms and the Big Bugs exhibit.  The trees were beautiful!!  Someone had fun climbing a few and running around.  He loved following the map to find all of the 11 bugs throughout the gardens.  From giant ants to a floating dragonfly, we found them all.  This huge ladybug was particularly cute.  All of the sculptures were made out of fallen trees and willow branches by an artist from Long Island.  They will be there all summer, so I'm sure we will be back to see them again.
We took my son's favorite form of transportaion, the train and subway, and caught a Sunday afternoon Phillies game on opening weekend.  It was a rather boring game, which they lost, but it was a nice day.  My husband even won a baseball from the opening game! My son made his own homemade sign to cheer on the team.  He loves that he has learned how to print and copies the spelling of words he doesn't know.  I can't always read what he writes, but its wonderful to see his skills emerge.

We have tickets for some summer games, so hopefully we'll see a winning game then!

We visited a local playground with a friend.  Can you see the absolute joy in his face as he ferociously rocks in that little car?

We took the train into Philadelphia for a "surprise" visit to see Daddy at work and have lunch.  We snapped a few photos at the train station for a school project.  He will be star of the week this week at school and we made a poster describing him.  For his favorite place, he said it was SEPTA's Suburban Station.  Not Disney World or Sesame Place.  No, the train station in underground Center City Philadelphia.  He wanted a photo of himself in front of the name of the station.  This is his new smile...his Lego Man smile!  (He even showed me the Lego minifigure he is trying to imitate!)

We had fun at lunch and then walked over to Sister Cities Park near the Parkway, along with a walk to Logan Square/Circle's fountain. 
He had the chance to go back to the Parkway the next day with Daddy for the Philadelphia Science Festival.  He checked out the Philadelphia CSI truck, did some science experiments and even got to climb on a real SEPTA bus, something that he has wanted to do for weeks!  (He has a planned bus route he wants to go on in our neighborhood.  He is obsessed!)

This week spring soccer starts.  It will be his first time playing for our Township.  He didn't want to do the intramural team, so I found an instructional soccer group for preschoolers.  I hope he meets some local kids that he'll be in Kindergarten with next fall!

Happy Spring!

 

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Lands End and the Spring into Summer Mom Mixer!

Last weekend I had the fun opportunity to join some of my blogging mom friends at the Spring into Summer Mom Mixer hosted by Whitney of Mommies With Style and Colleen of Classy Mommy, along with a number of incredible brands. 

Photo courtesy of Sherry Aikens @Babypop

Held at the Bellvue Hotel's XIX Restaurant in Philadelphia, it was a fun morning spent socializing with other bloggers, meeting some wonderful people who work for the brands who participated in the event, and learning. 

I really enjoyed the presentation by Lands End, who make at least half of my wardrobe.  They focused on their 2013 Swimwear line and described all the new features, including great tips on how to get a perfect fit in a bathing suit.  Something that I absolutely loved was learning that they are now selling swim shirts with SPF protection for women that do not look like surfer rash guards.  My son and husband have been wearing rash guards for sun protection at the beach, but I never found one for women that was flattering or feminine.  This season, Lands End is offering their swim tees that have SPF 50 protection, are lightweight, and fast drying.  They come in lots of colors and patterns and I hope that they are popular so that they continue to offer them in the future.  I went home that day with plans to purchase one for our upcoming beach vacation, since I am really tired of sitting on the beach with a sweatshirt on to protect me from burning.  I ordered the violet colored one, because I love purple! 

The Beach Living swim tee!

Ordering a swimsuit online without trying it on can be a challenge.  I learned that Lands End offers fitting and style advice via online chat or by phone.  If the person you are chatting with can't answer a question you have, they agent contacts one of the fashion consultants for more information and will get back to you.  They also have a great swim resource guide online to find your perfect fit and style.  I also learned that all those comments online that customers leave, the ones under the description for each item for sale....they actually read them and pay attention to what their customers say!  If they receive enough similar feedback about an item, they take that into consideration for the future designs.  I am glad to hear that leaving feedback actually counts! 

I have been a Lands End customer for years.  My son has a thing for fabrics.  He loves how my cotton clothing from Lands End feels.  In fact, if I'm not wearing a Lands End item, he tells me I'm not feeling snuggly enough.  (He is a slightly crazy and cuddly five year old!!)  He has many LE items too, as their kids clothes are awesome!  His winter coat for the past four years has been from LE. 

Disclosure:  I did not receive any monetary compensation for attending or writing about the Mom Mixer.  I really have been a LE customer for years and the opinions expressed here are honest.  I did recieve a tote bag from LE. I was not required to write about the brands or event. 

Menu plan Monday, 4/15/13, and a recipe

It's been just lovely weather this past week, aside from some needed rain on Friday, we have been enjoying being outside as much as possible.  In fact, I actually received a sunburn last week on my face after too many days in the sun playing wiffle ball and playground visits!  I stocked up on sunscreen this weekend, so I'm protected now!

We spent Sunday afternoon visiting the Morris Arboretum.  The cherry trees were in blossom and were just spectacular!  We were there late, until closing, so by the time we got home it was late to start making dinner.  I put together a simple Tortellini and Spinach soup that I learned to make years ago from a recipe my mom brought home from work.  I adjusted the recipe to match what I had on hand.  My son won't eat soup (!) but he ate parts of it without the broth.  

Tortellini and Spinach soup

• 3-4 cloves of crushed or minced garlic
• One Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 cups of chicken broth
• one carrot, cleaned and shredded 
• one bag of frozen cheese tortellini (about 12 oz to a pound)
• 1 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 pound mini turkey meatballs (I make my favorite meatball recipe and just make the meatballs very small using a small cookie scoop)

Saute garlic in olive oil in a large stock pot or soup pot for about a minute or two.  Slowly add the chicken broth to the pot.  Add carrot.  Cover pot and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cool according to package directions.  Once tender, add cooked meatballs and spinach leaves to the pot and gently stir.  Serve with slices of a crusty French baguette.  This would serve about 6.  It's great for keeping for leftovers for lunches!

Here is my dinner menu plan for the week:

Monday: teriyaki chicken and rice bowls with veggies

Tuesday: Super Salmon Cakes (recipe from the May 2013 issue of Kiwi Magazine, not online!), veggies, salad

Wednesday: Mediterranean Skillet and salad

Thursday: Sweet and Sour Sloppy Joes (made with ground turkey) and sesame slaw (Real Simple Magazine, May 2013)

Friday: Taco night!  My son loves to make cheese tacos, the kind with the crunchy shell.  No meat, no heat.  Just cold cheese and lettuce. The grown ups will have some kind of added protein!

Weekend: TBD

I'm linking up to Organizing Junkie's menu plan Monday link up!  

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What to eat for spring?  Does your menu plan change seasonally?  I find myself eating more asparagus in the spring and making less soups, but not much else has changed.  I am trying to eat more fish and learn how to cook it properly.  I plan to learn how to properly cook it on the grill this summer!

On the menu for this week's dinners:

Monday: Black Bean Soup

Tuesday: Mahi Mahi with cous cous and veggies

Wednesday: Honey Sesame Chicken in the slow cooker, brown rice

Thursday: Creamy slow cooker tortellini soup  and salad

Friday: Pizza and salad night

Weekend: TBD!

Lunches:

Often lunches are leftovers.  This week I have leftover sticky chicken that is the kiddo's favorite chicken dish currently.  He'll be eating some of that and I'll make some chicken salad from it too.  I've also been a bit addicted to Oikos yogurt, and will have that for lunch once I replenish the fridge!  

What's on your menu for the week?  Check out all the menu plans at Organizing Junkie! 

How to make a candy bouquet

For Valentine's Day this past February, I made my husband this candy bouquet, filled with his favorite candy, Reese's peanut butter cups!  We were all sick during February, so I never got around to posting this.  I think it would be a fun gift for anytime of year and would make a fun birthday gift or hostess gift.  

I started with a clear glass vase that I already owned.  I large drinking glass would even work.  I wanted the vessel to be clear so that the foil hearts would be seen, but a solid container with some floral foam inside would work as well to stabilize the skewers.

I bought different sizes of peanut butter cups...some singles, some double packs and peanut butter hearts.  I also picked up a multi pack of iTunes gift cards and some vitamin drink mixes since we were all battling colds that month! I used two sizes of wood skewers, the kind I use for the grill.  Thin wood dowels would work too.  I secured each of the wrapped PB cups and the gift cards on a skewer using clear packing tape.  This seem to work really well.  I slipped the end of the skewer into the inside of the candy wrapper to keep it from sliding down the skewer.  After filling the vase with the foil wrapped hearts, I arranged the skeweres into the vase, much like flower arranging.  I adding some red curling ribbon to jazz it up.  Since it was for my husband, I kept it minimal.  I added some foam heart stickers to the packaging to make it Valentine's themed.  

It was a hit!  And enjoyed!  Thankfully we are all healthier now that it's time for spring allergy season!  

 

Carmex skin care review and giveaway

As part of the Carmex Blog Squad, I received these two skin care lotions to test out and review.  This past winter has been particularly tough on my skin and my five year old's skin.  It really bothered my son to find his hands sore, dried out and sometimes bleeding from the constant hand washing and cold weather.  I let him use these two Carmex products, the hand lotion and the hand cream, to see if it would help.  He reported that he really liked the smell of the products and that they smelled like vanilla to him, one of his favorite flavors. I personally prefer unscented products, but the scent of these skin care products dissipated fairly quickly, which I liked.  

Overall they seemed to hydrate our skin. The hand cream is obviously thicker than the lotion and works great to put on at night before bed. We used the hand lotion during the day.  My son did not protest using either product and was happy with the relief he felt from having hand lotion on his dry skin. I think they would have worked even better if we had been using them prior to the chapped skin, as they might have given us a layer of protection.  (Something to remember for next winter!)

Want to try out these skin care products yourself?  Leave me a comment on this post by April 12th.  A winning comment will be chosen using Random.org and will be contacted via email.  Carmex will send the winner the prize directly.  

Disclosure: Carmex sent me these complimentary products for the purpose of facilitating this review.  Opinions expressed are mine based on my experience.  No monetary compensation was received.