MamaManagement

If you are married, with kids, then you are likely very familiar with the term "Date Night." Am I right? Well, since we had kids, once a month, my husband and I get a sitter and have date night. Typically we go out to a nice restaurant, oftentimes one a bit farther from home than we are likely to do with children in-tow. Sometimes we'll catch a movie. Every now and then we'll do something with friends. But, more often than not, it's a nice dinner and drinks out, just the two of us. Which is absolutely lovely. However, a few months back, we realized two things: one, there were things we wanted to do with each other, without kids, that couldn't be done after 8pm. Things like shopping for clothes for us, leisurely exploring other small town's shops, playing golf, and the like; and two, it was really hard to share a bottle of wine and get home late and then get up with small children at 6 o'clock the next morning. So we decided to try something new.....

My family and I are blessed in many, many ways. We truly lead charmed lives and are incredibly grateful (though we may not always appear that way!) for all we have--health and happiness abound! Among the gifts we have been given is the gift of talented, creative grandmothers! Both Rolland and I have incredibly gifted, creative moms who love to bestow their talents on our children with amazing creations. I recently took it upon myself to photo-document the many beautiful gifts our moms have created for our kids so far (I fully expect more great stuff in the years to come!). And, as a way of pulling them all together in one location, I thought I'd share them here with you. So, here we go... My mother is an interior designer by trade, but I have always known her as a true creative person. When I was a kid, before she got into interior design, she had her own sewing and applique business with a friend. If it was today, they would have had their own etsy shop! They created all kinds...

Okay, I haven't thrown any recipes your way in a while, so I thought I'd do a quick recipe post...because I love you and want you to eat well. We had this dish again last week and I was reminded how much we all love it (kids too!). I was also reminded how easy it is. And I like that it's easily customizable...you really can do whatever veggies you and your family like, and you can change it up whenever you make it. Plus there's an added bonus...it makes the kitchen smell good when you're cooking it! So here it is... Roasted Vegetable Pasta (adapted from Cooking Light) 8 oz. sliced gourmet mushrooms (baby bellas, shitakes, or a mix of what you like) 1 red pepper, chopped into large bite-size pieces 1 onion (red, yellow or sweet, whatever your preference), quartered and sliced 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 c. dry white wine (whatever you're happy to drink is fine...and pour yourself a glass while you're at it!) 8-12 o...

I continue to marvel at the never-ending, low-level of crazy that permeates my daily life nowadays. Gone are the days of big drama that made up my pre-marriage-and-kids life. Those days were filled with dating drama and trauma (Will he call??? Is he really interested???...Now I'm pretty sure he will and he is.), late-night bar-hopping and crazy antics with friends, lunatic travel schedules and long, stress-filled work days. Not anymore. I don't typically have the stress-level spikes I once had. What I have instead is a constant, easy-flowing stream of chaos. Like my life has become a babbling brook...lots of little ripples, no major water falls. Which is good. Except that I often don't get a break from the constant crazy. Sunday night is a fabulous example. After a wonderful weekend at my brother and sister-in-law's place in Indianapolis, we arrived home late in the afternoon Sunday. We unpacked the car, picked up the dog from the Pooch Palace, then I bustled around u...