Salsa Sirloin Salad

This is one of our e-mealz from last week and it was delicious!
Ingredients:
1/2 lb to sirloin steak (pound to tenderize)
1/2 bag mixed salad greens
1/2 can chili beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1/2 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup oil&vinegar salad dressing (we used Italian)
package of garlic bread
Directions:
season steak with chili powder & garlic salt. Cook steak over a skillet on medium heat; 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Carve steak into thin strips. Combine salad greens, beans, corn to your liking. Mix salsa and dressing in a seperate bowl. You can either pour over the entire salad or serve individually. Top each with the steak strips and tomato. Serve with garlic bread and enjoy!

Children's Music

I was looking for some new music for Emery that I could enjoy along with her so I asked for tips on Facebook. I got a few great responses and now have some great recommendations for children's music. It's folky and easy on the ears. Here's my top three choices right now:

3. Frances England 'Family Tree'

Her 'Fascinating Creatures' cd is also excellent

2. Renee & Jeremy 'It's a Big World'

The lyrics on this album are so great!

1. Elizabeth Mitchell 'You are my Sunshine'

She might be my new favorite singer. I picked this album but really any of hers, I love.

Umbrella Summer

By Lisa Graff.

Darn those end-caps at the library. The books there always grab my attention and I can't say no! Thankfully, this was a good distraction.

Umbrella Summer is a touching story of a young girl and her family overcoming grief. Her older brother recently died of a freak accident so the heroine is overly cautious. For instance, she wears Band-Aids all over her arms and legs when she has the slightest scrape, she wears Ace bandages 24/7 in the event she may twist her ankle, and she wears all her bicycle safety gear to walk her bike up and down the streets.

Lucky for her a caring, elderly neighbor who is dealing with her own grief opens her heart and home to Emily and the healing process begins.

Emily is endearing and at times, laugh out loud funny. This is a short read yet still manages to captivate the reader and wills you to cheer Emily on.

I don't know what my deal with youth fiction is lately but I can't get enough!

E-Mealz

I was at a mom's conference this past weekend and was introduced to this gem of a website/idea. It's called E-Mealz and it will plan a menu for you, make your shopping list, give you the recipes for each meal, and the meal plans are based on weekly sales! The website will even look for coupons for you!
It costs $1.25 a week but to sign up you have to choose a meal plan (can be changed, I believe) and they will automatically charge you $5 a month for 3 months at a time.
You can choose between a family meal plan or a plan for 2. You can also make a plan that's diet specific: low carb, point systems, low fat, and vegetarian.
It uses sales from stores like Kroger, Aldi, Publix, Ralphs, and Wal-Mart.
We're trying it out for the next few months so I'll let you know how it goes!
If you give it a try, let me know how it works for you!
Here's their website: www.e-mealz.com

Honey Mustard

It just so happened that I felt like spending a couple extra dollars at Walmart one day. It also just so happened that I was in the sauce aisle. Up on the top shelf, nearly out of reach, I saw it.
Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.
I've only recently acquired a taste for Honey Mustard but I've long been a fan of Sweet Baby Ray and his sauces.
As I said before, I was in the spending mood so I grabbed a bottle and didn't look back.
Best $2.50 I've spent. It's delicious and I try to talk Emery into eating chicken nuggets every day so I can devour my new favorite dipping sauce.
I tried to find a picture for you all but it's so new that Google Images can't even help me out! I will direct you to their site though!
Do yourself a favor and head to your local grocer and purchase a bottle! You won't regret it!
Enjoy your weekend!

Love Happens

Starring: Jennifer Aniston & Aaron Eckhart

So I feel a little sheepish reviewing this movie. I got it out of the Redbox yesterday on a whim and I thought that if nothing else, I can write a review about how cheesy and disappointing it was. Chick flicks have been letting me down recently.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Yes of course there is a cheese-factor. It is a romance film, let's keep that in mind. It was surprisingly entertaining and after the movie I looked at Nolan and said, "that's what a chick-flick should be like." Plus the soundtrack was great! Love that!

The subject matter was a bit intense for this genre but I think they did a great job not cheapening it or overselling it. The actors were both charming--my only experience with Aaron Eckhart is in The Dark Knight so it was good to see him more in a leading role (I know he's in Thank You for Smoking but I haven't watched that).

All in all, an enjoyable way to spend a couple hours! Have fun!

Up in the Air

Starring: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, and Jason Bateman

I understand what all the Oscar-buzz was about. Well-cast, well-written, well-acted, well-shot and overall, well-made.
I found the concept of following a person who fires people interesting. What a horrible job. I loved the human aspect of this film. It was easy to enjoy each of these characters (and dislike them to the same degree). Although there were a few predictable parts, the entire movie kept me interested and entertained.
There are some great lines in this movie and I'm still unpacking what all I witnessed. I would highly recommend this film. Just watch out for one nude butt and a lot of the F-word. Consider yourself warned and enjoy the film!

Elbert's Bad Word

Elbert's Bad Word by Audrey Wood; illustrated by Don & Audrey Wood
This was Emery's naptime book of choice this afternoon. I have read other Audrey & Don Wood books but this one was new to me. It's great. The concept of words having their own entity and power is a great theme. Plus, it is completely true that we don't realize bad words can be captured and stored away until the most inopportune times (such as having your big toe smashed by a croquet mallet). The illustrations are great, as always from these two and the vocabulary pushes the 'norm' for children's books. Even though Em fell asleep as I read it, I still enjoyed the story! Some of my other Wood favorites are:
The Napping House (one of Em's latest favorites)
Piggies
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear
Ones I'm going to check out:
Quick as a Cricket
Silly Sally
Heckedy Peg
Weird Parents

Before Green Gables

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

I was skeptical of this book. I generally do not enjoy prequels by different authors than the original classics. Plus, it's been so many years between the original Anne books and this prequel. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed reading the sources of Anne's window friend, Katie Maurice. I also enjoyed imagining where her 'depth of despair' and 'bosom friend' ideas came from.

Parts of this story were heartbreaking but Anne's life was also visited by hope and she never lost her 'light.' She endured a lot and reading about her hardships helps to appreciate the other books more.

Overall I thought the book was well written and most of the time along the same vein as the original classics. If you enjoy the Anne of Green Gables stories, this is a good companion book.

Mo Willems Week: Day 5

Check out Mo's latest books! They're hot off the presses, actually. I have not had a chance to read this first one; it's waiting at the library for me. We were able to read the "Friends Who Fly" though. It's short and sweet but still endearing.

The colors are vivid and the pages are not busy. Emery likes to follow the flight pattern of each animal and make the sound of it's wings flapping.
I loved Mo's inclusion of the pigeon. The pesky pigeon and his cameos! I'm excited to check out the other titles in this series, set to come out later this
year. Another great set of characters from Mo!








Now for the adult portion of this week: You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons:The World On One Cartoon a Day

Less than a week after Mo graduated from NYU he set about on a trip across Europe, Egypt, the MiddleEast, Asia, and part of the US (with one stop in Canada). He only took one change of clothes, some money, paper, and his drawing pens. Each evening he drew a cartoon depicting the image that stuck out to him the most during the day. Then a few years ago he read through these images, added modern-day Mo reflections and put them together in a book for us to enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling around the world through Mo's eyes. It was also interesting to read his reflections after more than a decade had passed. It is smart, perceptive, and very humorous.
(Ian & Bekah I think you would really enjoy this book! You can compare travel adventures!)

Mo Willems Week: Day 4

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

This book makes me happy. Here's why:

1. It's simple but still an entertaining read

2. It accurately depicts a dad's tendency to miss the small details but the mom knows exactly what's wrong

3. It's fun to watch the illustrations say more than the words can

4. I love the mix of illustrations with the black & white photos of New York City

5. Emery loves to read along with it

6. The Scholastic Collection I've mentioned previously has a video of this book, read by the real Mo & daughter Trixie

7. It has a sequel:

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

The sequel is excellent too! I love the relationship dynamics of the two little girls because it's realistic (and funny).

Here's the best part: Mo is releasing a third installment in the fall of this year.

It's called Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion. Can't wait!

Mo Willems Week: Day 3

This is the story of Wilbur. As you may have deduced, he's a naked mole rat who likes to get dressed. As normal as clothes are to us, in Wilbur's realm his affinity for clothing makes him Mr. Social Outcast.
This is a great story about embracing individuality and self-expression. Plus how many stories do you get to see naked mole rats? Not many, I can assure you.

If you're looking for something to help you get through to the end of the week, I encourage you to check out Mo's website. You can find it at http://mowillems.com (easy enough). You can see a list of all his great books and buy merchandise (like a cute Wilbur plushie). Plus, if you click on "The Pigeon Presents" it will take you to a game website. You can help Wilbur get dressed, help the pigeon get lunch, and watch The Elephant & Piggie do fun dances. This last one is Emery's favorite. Go check it out!

Mo Willems Week: Day 2

The Pigeon.

He's a pesky (and hilarious one). Each Pigeon book offers a new adventure but I have to say my favorites are

"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus",

"The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog", and

"Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late."

These stories are creative and mostly silly! The Pigeon attempts to use all the reasons he can think of to convince the reader to be on his side. Stand firm (and enjoy!)

Mo Willems Week: Day 1

Within the last month or so a college friend suggested that I look up Mo Willems' books to share with Emery. I had seen his Pigeon books on the shelves before but sometimes I'm wary of modern kid's literature. It's not always as good as the classics. I was wrong about Mo. My favorite part about reading these books to Em is that they make me laugh so I don't mind reading them repeatedly. Without further ado, let me share a few reasons why Mr. Willems is my new favorite children's author.

Let me introduce you to Leonardo.

Isn't he ugly in the cute kind of way? Leonardo tries very hard to live up to his 'monster' image but it doesn't work out for him. He is not deterred quickly though, he researches until he thinks he's found the perfect candidate to scare. Enter Sam. He's having a rough day and Leonardo's scare tactics are the icing on the cake. After meeting Sam, Leonardo starts to realize there might be an even better vocation for him after all. You'll have to check this book out to see their story!

Enjoy!