by Andrea on September 2, 2010
I'm glad you're here! Grab a cup of coffee and stay a while. And don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed! Thanks for visiting!
Blogging is a funny thing. Usually, it begins with a post or two about some random act of kindness or stories about a growing family. Sometimes a blog starts out of a business’ need to branch out and connect with potential clients. And sometimes a blog full of connections turns into a business. The really amazing thing about it is that there really isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. It’s like tying your shoes. You can start with one loop or two but the end result is the same. A blog is a blog and I have said it before, there is a market for everyone.
So when I decided to branch out and see what else was out there for me, I started with conferences. Last year I learned about as many of them as I could. I loved the idea of a personal connection between bloggers, authors, brands, and tech gurus. It seemed like the ultimate meeting of the minds. And boy was I right.
This year I was fortunate to attend BlogHer in NYC. But I have also met an amazing group of local bloggers whom I love and now can really call my friends. I feel really blessed to have this community.
I hadn’t planned on going to any other conferences since BlogHer pretty much tapped out the small income I make from this blog, but I remained hopeful about one small but growing conference here in North Carolina called the Type-A-Mom Conference. Not only is it close, but it is specifically for blogging MOMS. It seemed too close to be so far away.
And to my utter delight, one of the brands I connected with at BlogHer has decided to sponsor me to go! As you know I attended an event with the folks from Flatout Bread while in the City and they have graciously decided to be my official sponsor! I love their products and look forward to sharing some recipes and links in the coming months on Lilkidthings. I am humbled daily by the people I am connecting with through and because of this blog. It’s pretty amazing.
Every session at Type-A-Mom is packed with valuable knowledge! I am so excited to go and I can’t wait! And don’t forget Asheville! As if it weren’t beautiful enough already, it will be FALL. Oh Fall. How I love thee.
Will you be at the Type-A-Mom Conference?
Disclosure: I am being Sponsored by Flatout Bread to promote their product on this blog and within conference guidelines at the Type-A-Mom Conference. However, any opinions expressed on this blog are mine alone and in no way influenced by company sponsorship. Follow @FlatoutBread on Twitter!
by Andrea on September 2, 2010
Well this boy seems to keep on growing! I don’t think he got the memo that he is supposed to stay my widdle baby forever, but even if he did I am sure he would love to put it right in the trash! Oscar is on the move! And as it turns out, he seems to be showing all the signs of being ready for potty training.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I had no intention of really doing any actual training for at least another year. However, in the past couple of weeks in addition to being interested in the potty, wanting to sit on the potty and staying dry after naps, my son now knows exactly what he is doing and when. And he would like some privacy please!
This is a window and I think I should try and seize it.
I had purchased a couple pair of training pants on sale a while back so I broke them out the other day. They are basically a cloth diaper pull-up so I don’t know that he really cared or noticed a difference…but he sure looked cute! I think my plan of attack will be to take a weekend and really focus on it. I want to be consistent and see how he reacts to consistent prompts. If he responds well, we will soldier on!
If not? I don’t mind keeping my baby a bit longer.
by Andrea on September 1, 2010
Last week I was looking through my first ever copy of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine. I had never really taken the time to look at it because honestly, I often find food magazines to be pretentious and out of reach for the average cook (ahem, me). I mean it’s not that I can’t follow a fancy recipe, but that would be on a special occasion. What I need is every day food…wait! There’s a magazine for that? (this is me coming out from under my rock)
So, I found their 5 meals: 1 list feature and liked the looks of ALL 5 recipes. Not only that, there is a pre-printed shopping list that just tears right out! Genius! Can you tell it doesn’t take much to please me? And if you really know me, you will instantly understand how excited I got when I saw that the list had boxes for me to check off! Double win!
I decided to take on this 5 meals challenge not only for the ease, but also to see if it REALLY made enough for 4 people as it claimed (it did), AND to see if it would break the bank (it didn’t). Unfortunately, despite my efforts to find these exact meals online, I came up empty. But if you want a recipe, just let me know and I will be happy to email it to you! Here is a link to some other Grocery Bag Meal Plans that I can’t wait to try! These meals came from the Jul/Aug 2010 issue. I loved them so much that I immediately bought the September issue and plan to do the 5 meals challenge with this month’s menu!
Monday: Sesame Chicken Salad
(main ingredients Chicken, Bok Choy, Cucumber, Sesame Seeds, Sesame Oil)
This was probably the most complicated meal out of the 5, but it was SO worth it. I had never cooked with Toasted Sesame Oil or Bok Choy before and just those 2 things really made this dish amazing. Will definitely make it again! 
Tuesday: Summer Pasta Salad with Shrimp
(main ingredients, shrimp, pasta, spinach, squash)
Another winner, this one was really yummy! Oscar liked it (other than the shrimp) which was a plus. This made a LOT of food. Plenty for leftovers!
Wednesday: Steak and Egg Salad
(main ingredients, thinly sliced steak, eggs, raddichio, romaine, red onion)
This meal was definitely a stretch for me and I honestly didn’t expect to care for it all that much. But, I loved it! The combination of flavors was really yummy. Next time I would definitely half the recipe because we had WAY too many leftovers!
Thursday: CousCous Salad with Black Beans, Mushrooms, and Corn
(main ingredients listed plus avocado)
OH ok. This is where we couldn’t get enough. We ate THE. WHOLE. BOWL between the 2 of us. Oscar didn’t care for this one but we didn’t mind. We loved it. And I mean LOVED it. Definitely going into heavy rotation at the Updyke ranch. I am really excited about this one because I feel like it is a really healthy meatless option.
Next step, portion control.
Friday: Tomato Panzanella with Ricotta
(main ingredients, bread, tomatoes, basil, red onion, ricotta)
This was delicious but I really should have made a half recipe because it doesn’t really store well. I was able to eat leftovers the next day for lunch but that was pushing it as the bread got a little soggy. We used our own bread that Jerry had baked earlier in the week so that was really fun! This recipe is basically Bruschetta in a bowl. Or as I like to call it, heaven.
And finally I just want to give a shout out to my awesome husband! A couple months ago he decided he was going to start baking bread. He found a starter recipe and got to work making his own starter from scratch. He’s been tending to it and growing it over the weeks and we have had fresh bread ever since! I LOVE that he does this and seriously, who could resist a slice of this goodness?
Navigating Motherhood One Baby Step at a Time!
