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Saturday, October 13th, 2012Dear JSL,
Field trips are a lot of fun to go on and, I have to say, I think they are even better as a parent. I had so much fun going with you on your first kindergarten trip this week. We all went to Indian Ladder Farms. It rained in the morning before we went and was chilly. Thanks to that, we had a lot of layers on. I also broke out your rubber cowboy boots in case it was muddy,
We went for a hike and listened to the leader of the group teach all of you about how the mountain formed. Then she showed you some of the fungus that grows naturally in the area. Once our trek was over, she took us over to meet the animals. You were definitely excited about this since we went here last year with nursery school.
Everyone tried to feed the animals, including Rosie, some grass. You were not too sure about this because of her horns. Then, we saw Eeyore the donkey, who we had to keep away from. There were even some baby animals like big Rosie in the area with different critters. Our leader brought out a special guest for everyone to see up close. I was so happy that you agreed to pet the turkey.
After everyone washed their hands, we went to look at the apple area. The woman explained that because of the weather in the spring, Indian Ladder Farms only had about ten percent of the usual apple crop. This was the reason we could not pick our own apples. We still learned about the trees, went into a giant refrigerator, saw how the apples are checked, and then saw the cider making area.
After this, it was time for your class to have lunch. It was a beautiful view, but some pesky bees were not making it an easy dining experience. They kept trying to dive into the apple cider and all of the delicious lunches.
After battling the bees, we followed your class to the pumpkin patch to pick out one to take home. You picked out a great pumpkin, but then we noticed some areas that were rotting, so we went back to get another one.
Although it was cool, we were lucky that it stopped raining. Thank you for letting me share this adventure with you.
Love,
Fun Times at Snip-its
Saturday, September 1st, 2012Dear NHL and JSL,
Getting hair cuts for the two of you has not exactly been one of my favorite items to accomplish over the years. I think we often wait until your hair is beyond ready to get a trim because it has always been an adventure. Whether it was bad cuts, too many noises, people that were not friendly with children, or our favorite person leaving – something always seemed to happen.
Over the years, I have documented a lot of your hair cut milestones. There was the time NHL decided to be a barber at six years old and we had a hair emergency. There was the photo shoot of JSL’s first hair cut back in November 2008. Thanks to this, it should not be a shock to either one of you that I had to take photos when we finally went to have your hair done at the Snip-Its last weekend (they opened during the winter).
I will admit that I am now kicking myself for not taking both of you here before this time. It was not just a place to get hair cuts, it was an experience. From the moment you walked in, the two of you were mesmerized. Snip-its was bright, beautiful, and beyond kid friendly. The two of you kept busy while I chatted with the owner and filled out some forms to get coupons in the mail. Then, it was time to get your hair done.
Both of you were so quiet the entire time. Neither of you were wiggly, upset, or bothered by the new location. Of course, I do believe I now know the secret of success at Snip-its. Yes, they have a great weapon to keep kids happy and it worked brilliantly.
The two of you were more worried about your gaming than anything else. There was a milestone of sorts on this adventure. JSL, you finally had a haircut that used clippers. Since you are going to kindergarten and the amazing hairstylist showed you not to be afraid you agreed. When we asked if it was too short, you said you wanted more off. I have a feeling you would have kept going until you were bald because you were so happy. When it was finally time to go, you used your passes to get your prize.
I know that we will be back to Snip-its because we all had a wonderful experience. The people there were fantastic with both of you, they get working with kids and that means a lot. Thank goodness Daddy was on his toes. Before we went in, we took a photo of the two of you with the figure outside the store. When your hair cuts were done and paid for, we did another one. Here are the results:
I hope both of you agree that we will be heading back to Snip-its again when your hair needs some attention. We will leave it to the professionals who know what they are doing and work well with kids.
Love,
A Fondue Filled Date
Thursday, August 2nd, 2012Melted, gooey, delicious cheese with items to dip in it. I do believe there are days that I have dreamed about what it would be like to finally head to The Melting Pot. I no longer need to think about it since we went there earlier this week for an early birthday dinner for TechyDad.
We have always been curious and wanted to head there for a nice romantic dinner, but never done it. Thanks to a great Living Social deal I snagged, I asked my parents to watch the kids so we could try this new fondue experience. When we arrived, we were seated in what we later were told is the “Lovers Lane” table. It was secluded, private, and nice to be able to take photos without glaring eyes. As The Melting Pot Twitter account knows, we had fun sending Instagrams during our meal. Kuddos to their social media team for A+ interaction with people as well.
Our server Kim came to our table quickly to explain some options to us. We had originally thought we would simply do a cheese starter and then a dessert. She explained that we could share one of the vegetarian entrees as well since we were talking about ordering salads. We talked it over and thought it was a nice idea to splurge since it was a special occasion.
To begin, we selected the Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue. Here’s the description: “Rich Fontina and Butterkäse cheeses blend perfectly with spinach, artichoke hearts
and garlic.” All of the cheese fondue options are served with rustic artisan breads, fresh vegetables (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower), some tortilla chips, and Granny Smith apples. When Kim arrived at our table she had all of the ingredients and made the deliciousness right in front of our eyes.
There are few words to describe how delicious this was. I think the picture may help to explain it a little more than I can.
Our Caesar Salad to share arrived next. You may think it was just a Caesar Salad. You would be very wrong. The added bonus of Parmesan-encrusted pine nuts were an amazing touch.
Next, it was time to learn something new. The fondue pot was delivered to our table to get ready. Inside was our selected entrée cooking style. TechyDad and I opted for the Court Bouillon which was a vegetable broth hand-seasoned with herbs and spices. This sat for a while filling our little area with an amazing aroma.
When Kim arrived back at our table, she had a lot of items to show us. First was our entrée plate. We selected The Vegetarian which is: “A selection of fresh vegetables including edamame or onion rings, artichoke hearts, Portobello mushrooms and asparagus served with Thai peanut-marinated tofu, spinach artichoke ravioli and our Big Night Out pasta.”
In addition to this, we were given a bowl of vegetables and potatoes, along with all of the entrée sauces to try. 
Kim explained how long to let everything cook in the fondue pot before it would be ready to eat. She also recommended making our own stuffed mushroom caps by cooking up the mushrooms and putting the Green Goddess Sauce (a blend of cream cheese, sour cream, onions, chives and parsley) into them. That was beyond melt in your mouth amazing.
I wish we had taken more photos of the cooked tofu and other vegetables from the first plate, but well we were too busy enjoying our meal. Before we knew it, we had to make a selection from the dessert menu. Since we were celebrating TechyDad’s birthday, it seemed like the right thing to do.
The birthday boy selected the Flaming Turtle. Please prepare yourself for this description: “We consider it Fondue Candy. It’s an irresistible combination of milk chocolate, caramel and candied pecans flambéed tableside.” All of the chocolate fondues are served with a variety of dippers that include fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispy treats, marshmallows, pound cake, and brownies. Are you drooling yet? If not here is what was delivered to our table with a little surprise from Kim for TechyDad’s birthday.
Our meal was delicious and we had an amazing date night out. I think this is a fantastic location for parents to head for a splurge – it is well worth it. Of course, now I am wondering why we have never tried our fondue set that we received years ago. I have a funny feeling it may be coming out of hibernation soon. First up – making vegetables in some broth ….and then perhaps some cheese and chocolate.
Have you ever been to a fondue restaurant? What is your favorite item to use for a dip or dip into it?
Deal E-mails for Savings and Fun
Monday, July 23rd, 2012Raise your hand if you receive daily e-mails from Groupon. My e-mail not only has something from Groupon each and every day, it also has items from Living Social and Double Take Deals. There are probably a few others, but these three seem to have had some great local and national deals in recent weeks.
Just before Passover, I bought the boys subscriptions for the National Wildlife Federation magazines through Living Social. It was a very good deal and was the perfect Afikomen gift. The boys have been keeping up on animals with Big Backyard and Ranger Rick. The best part is they love reading and getting something special in the mail.
In the past, we have also bought deals for local bakeries to have an extra special treat at Fluffalicious or Sweet Temptations. For a while, nothing really caught my eye. A week or so ago, I saw a half off coupon for a local restaurant that we really enjoy. I bought two of those and we used one of them for lunch this weekend.
This weekend, I bought two other deals. TechyDad and I are hoping to go on a date night one day soon. We have never been to The Melting Pot and have always wanted to try it. Thanks to Living Social, I bought a $30 voucher to use for $15. Not too shabby for a fun and different date.
While looking for something to do with the kids, a Groupon for frozen yogurt store that is new to the area caught my eye. My parents told me that they had tried it while visiting my brother once. We bought a deal and used it for something special after shopping on Sunday. Enter Lemon Tree Frozen Yogurt into our lives.
So many options different froyo flavors and lots and lots of toppings.
The boys had a lot of fun experimenting with items since we had the amazing Groupon deal. Check out the fun look at Lemon Tree:
The coupon e-mail deals are a great way to try a new location for fun, food, or something else. What deals have you tried and enjoyed with one of these companies? If you know of other great deal websites, please share below.
A Kermit Sized Surprise
Saturday, July 21st, 2012Dear JSL,
Last Sunday, I decided to head out just with you. Our goal had been to look for a birthday present for NHL. Since the three of us are together every day, it is hard to shop and make things a surprise. When I asked you where you wanted to go, you said to the mall with Build-A-Bear. I agreed to take you there, but told you that we would only look.
When we walked into Build-A-Bear, I watched to see if you noticed the bin of Papa Smurf dolls sitting there. After a while, you stared to ask to make something. You saw Kermit, a cute bear with stars, and then Papa Smurf. You had been asking for Papa Smurf since he came out just after you made Snowflake.
I sent a text message to Daddy. I mentioned that you had some birthday money and perhaps if you really wanted something after your rough week we could let you. When Daddy agreed, you were not sure if it was a trick. Then, you narrowed it down to two choices.
After some time to think about it, you decided that you really wanted to bring Kermit home to your friends. Yes, Kermit had a special place in your heart because he was also a puppet. We both had a lot of fun together during this time. I think to this day you are still shocked that you were able to make him.
In the end, the smiles on your face, the laughter, and the adventures that Kermit has been on have made it even more of a wonderful experience. I can’t wait to watch Kermit continue to bring you comfort. More about our fun making him soon.
Love,
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