St. Patrick's Day Arts & Crafts

Last day of February!  Someone posted this super fun, inexpensive Get It Done Tip for St. Pat's arts and crafts*. I am so going to do this with my boys -- so fun!  Enjoy!

 

Half day of school for my oldest today.  All the boys will stay home tonight for movie night while I hit the town with two friends.  We're going to eveyone's favorite Irish pub in Westchester, which I haven't been to in over a year.  So excited!

Let the weekend begin!

*source - Mom's Got Ink

Quick Breakfast - Chia Seed Pudding

Here's a Get It Done breakfast recipe we love.  My husband has been making this chia seed pudding recipe for breakfast and we love it. 

 

It is a no fuss breakfast since it is prepped in advance and chia seeds have tons of health benefits....and it gets you full faster! 

 

I highly recommend this for a quick, healthy and filling breakfast!

Slow Cooker Chicken Provencale + Staying Organized in the Office

Major score!  I introduced the "pasta" to my kids last night made with a single ingredient - red lentils.  Long story short - I didn't even have a bite because there wasn't one noodle left.  They ate a bowl full of red lentils and didn't even know it - muahahah!  Love it!! Can't wait to try the black bean fettuccine next from the Tolerant pasta line!

Tonight's dinner is Cooking Light's Chicken Provencale in the slow cooker.  

 

 

There is chicken buried underneath here somewhere!

 

I will report back on how everyone likes it.

I noticed I have given a ton of tips about how to balance the life part of the work/life balance equation.  I realize I need to start giving some thought to tips about the work end of the equation.  I am going to think about how I juggle work and will focus on that in the coming weeks.

In the mean time I wanted to share this Get It Done Tip for the office from the site money.howstuffworks.com.  They give a few good tips ranging from how you can make your office space work better for you to how to stay organized.

Family Dinner

Today's Get It Done Tip comes compliments from my cousin-in-law, whom I adore.  She is a working mom, amazing chef and has the tightest knit family ever. 

Over time she and her siblings have spread out and some are a little further away than others. To ensure they all stay connected and their kids get to build relationships with their cousins they recently kicked off a new tradition of a monthly themed family dinner.

For example in January my cousin hosted her siblings and their families at her home.  Her dinner theme was based on the children's book "Dragons Love Tacos".  She made tacos and Spanish rice and got Mexican decorations from Oriental Trading.   They read the book to the kids, did arts and crafts and had a great dinner and drinks session.

 

February's theme at her sister's house was "Family Sundae"....on a Sunday.  At the end of the dinner they had a make your own sundae ice cream bar set up.   The cupcake tin below was filled with toppings for the ice cream. 

They also had a game where a cherry was hid on a plate of whipped cream and the kids had to eat their way through the cream to find the cherry -- no hands allowed. They had a blast!!

 

Everyone in the family has their month scheduled -- one has St. Pat's for Feb, another Easter for April, someone else has May - theme TBD.

My cousin wrote "It's great because it gives us a chance to connect at least once a month. Everyone is so busy, but we decided we can all gather at least once a month to make some memories and what better way than to do it over a great meal!"

What a fabulous idea to schedule in time so you can ensure you stay connected to those who matter most!  Thanks you Cousin A for your fabulous tip!!

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast

Here's another Get It Done Tip as it relates to picky eaters.  If you aren't a fan of feeding your kids pasta like me here's a cool alternative.  Tolerant Pasta made entirely with black beans and a version made with only red lentils! I picked up both boxes the other week at Whole Foods and plan to try them out and will report back on whether or not the kids like it!

This week's dinner menu is entirely from Cooking Light Magazine.  Today's recipe is slow cooker Char Siu Pork Roast - the Chinese version of barbecue.

This will slow cook all day and I plan to serve it with brown rice and fresh steamed vegetables. 

 

UPDATE: Kids LOVED it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lego Movie

Took the kids to piano, Toys R Us for some gift cards and a present and Whole Foods.   I gave the big boys a quarter for each day they dressed themselves without my help so they got to pick out something from the dollar bin at Toys R Us so that was exciting to them.

My husband took the two big kids to the 12:30 showing of the Lego Movie and they liked it.
On the way home they picked up Nana and she came over for dinner.    Tried a new recipe out for my middle one's upcoming birthday.

Right after dinner the baby was crying about his ear and said the middle one hit him.  None of us saw anything and we're skeptical this happened but the middle one when pushed said he did hit him. But they are both at the age where you cant believe them so who knows! 

Soon baths and bed for all.  The kids had a long break from school so getting them up tomorrow isn't going to be pretty!

Playdates!

Had the day off yesterday and took the kids to visit my grandmother quick and then we met a friend and her son at BJ's for a quick shopping trip.

Had a fun evening playdate with my son's two friends.  I made these little chocolate car cakes (with snow on them!) and served them with ice cream and fruit.   They had fun.

Today was spent one last time checking out cars.  I was over this topic before it even started, so here's hoping a winner is selected asap!

Getting ready for our friends and their kids to come over tonight for dinner.   Should be fun!

Picky Eaters Part II

Here's another Get It Done Tip for those with picky eaters.  When all else fails hide the vegetables!  Puree almost any type of vegetable and put it in pasta sauce, meatloaf, etc. to sneak in some added nutrition.  Here are some recipe ideas.

Last night my friend and I went with a Groupon to farm to table called Hudson at Haymount House.  Dear Lord. I never heard of it before, but it was up there on one of the best dining experiences ever.  The place was so, so beautiful - apparently it is a hot spot for weddings - amazing food and they had live music that was fantastic.

We were cracking up that we were out at this uber fancy, romantic restaurant together - we had no idea it would be like this!

If you are in Westchester run - don't walk - to this place! Spectacular!

Picky Eaters

I had someone ask if I could give tips on how to get your kids to eat a variety of foods.  I am fortunate that I have 2 kids who willingly try and like most anything.  It's my middle one who is picky so I feel the pain of those who have picky eaters.

I think different tactics work for different kids, so not sure there is one universal tip to give.    However, here are a few of my Get It Done Tips that have worked for my picky eater and ensure my good eaters continue to try new, healthy foods.

My middle one as an infant made faces and spit out all the homemade pureed baby food I gave him....so I got his number from the start.  As he got bigger I noticed he wouldn't eat dinner and then would beg for cheddar bunny crackers. 

So I stopped buying the crackers and went down the tough love route.

The kids know that whatever I make for dinner is what they are having and they can eat it or they can eat nothing.  To encourage them to eat I do on occasion make a competition over who tries a food first and the one who does it gets a ton of applause ...which annoys the others and then they show how fabulous they are too by eating their food.  :)

 

We also have made up a game where we put the food on the fork as if we are going to eat it and then look away and one of the kids eat it and when we turn back we are shocked that the food is missing. 

 

Whatever works is my motto!  Although as time goes on we really don't have to do those games anymore.

I think my biggest trick is getting them when they are hungry and not after they have filled up on snacks.  When you catch them at the right time and they know you aren't going to budge and make them pasta, chicken nuggets or some other kid food, you may have more luck getting them to eat what's on their plate.  It won't happen overnight is my experience, but it should get you to a better place down the road.  More on this topic tomorrow!

 

In adult food news - omg - Gramercy Tavern was a-ma-zing last night.  Apparently the chef at Gramercy Tavern used to work at my favorite restaurant in the whole world - Blue Hill at Stone Barns - so no surprise that I loved it.

 

One of my besties and I did the seasonal tasting menu and here are the photos (minus the lobster salad which we forgot to take a photo of)...!

 

 

The waiter noticed a 'happy birthday' bag so brought us this mini coconut birthday cake with our cheese course/dessert.   My friend and I are born a week apart so this was our annual birthday dinner together - we never would have asked for a cake and made a scene - especially at such a fancy place -but we were impressed by the attentiveness of the waiter! 

Easy Weeknight Meal

I use my slow cooker during the week out of necessity. It certainly isn't my preferred method of cooking, but in the winter there is nothing better than putting soup ingredients in the crock pot and coming home to a hot cooked delicious meal. 

Every so often I will make a big chicken like I did this past Sunday and roast a ton of vegetables.  Whatever is leftover (roasted vegetables included) gets tossed in with some chicken broth and ladled over a few noodles or brown rice for a hearty soup.

However, things didn't go as planned this week -- my boys ate the entire chicken and devoured all the roasted vegetables (brussel sprouts included - score!) so I had nada for Monday's soup.

 

Sunday night I went in search of other ingredients in the fridge to create a new soup for dinner Monday night.  I found a bag of parsley that was from a different recipe that I chopped up, tons of carrots, onions and in the pantry cannellini beans.  Monday morning I tossed that all in with  bionaturae tomatoes and chicken stock.  When I got home I tossed in spinach ravioli that I had in the freezer and had a complete meal the kids loved.

 

Get It Done Tip Monday slow cooker soup night is a great way to clean out your fridge.  In addition to chicken you can use beef and ground meat and almost any vegetable you have on hand - tomatoes, leeks, etc.  Right before serving toss in some peas, chopped spinach, kale or parsley to brighten up the dish. Enjoy!

Memories

I just saw this on facebook and loved it to so much that I am pushing my scheduled Get It Done Tip to tomorrow.  How fun is this?!

President's Day

President's Day reminds me there is a long dry spell of Federal Holidays until Memorial Day.

Trying to suck it up.

Had a great date with my mini me ice skating today.  He LOVED it.  I grew up ice skating on a pond in the woods behind my parent's house and I swear give him long hair and a pink coat and he is the mirror image of a video of me at that age. 

Kids are playing with legos and rocking out to Imagine Dragons.  I just put in the oven a chicken with vegetables.  Will use the leftovers for soup tomorrow. 

 

The easiest one-two punch meal out there in my opinion.

 

Need to get the house in order for the short week ahead.  My Dad is coming down tonight because of the snowstorm.  The kids are off from school all week so since there isn't bedtime and homework to worry about I scheduled dinner Wed at Gramercy Tavern (psyched!) with one of my friends and Thursday with another at Hudson at Haymount House.  Can't wait!!

PS - I made Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread for the kids to snack on. Left out the pumpkin pie spice and they love it.  They already downed more than 1/2 a loaf so not sure what is going to make it to the freezer for another day!

Circus!

Had a great day with the kids and my niece.  We started off early to see the circus at 10 AM.

 

Dropped the gang off at home for lunch and ran to Whole Foods quick. 

When I came home I made cookies with the kids and started dinner....

Which was delish!

Quiet Day

A quiet day...for me at least.

My husband took the big kids to Monster Trucks.

Baby is napping.

And it's 5:00 somewhere....!

No Regrets

My commute home yesterday took 4 1/2 hours.  That is all I have to say about that.

Today's Get It Done Tip is about getting what you want out of life.  I was texting with someone yesterday who told me she was put into a new role at work.  She mentioned she was happy to have a snow day because she isn't happy in her new job...but has a problem standing up for herself and telling her company how she feels.

This is such a common problem if you ask me and I struggle with it too on occasion.  We either suck it up to keep the peace or because we feel it is perceived as the right thing to do.  Or we have self doubt and hope somehow magically we'll get what we're hoping for out of life by wishing for it. 

When we are in a situation like this - whether professionally or personally - we have to remember that people around us aren't mind readers.  So say what's on your mind - no matter how difficult it may be - you won't know the outcome unless you try and your happiness is worth the effort.

No regrets is my motto!
 

The training I am attending next month should provide strategies to help address this in the workplace which I will share, but in the mean time I felt like musing about this topic. :) 

Happy vday all!

 

Planning for School Snow Days

A million dollar view from my office...

 

 

Gorgeous!

Yes, I headed into the city.  My Dad is with the kids, my husband's office is closed and all 3 kids were going bananas at 6 AM so I needed to get out for a bit. :)   I'll head home after lunch when it is supposed to change to rain.

Here's an article filled with Get It Done tips and ideas for how to juggle a school snow day if you are a working parent.

Stay safe and warm!

 

The Working Mom's Career

I count my lucky stars every day that I work for an incredible company that values me and allows me to make sure I can take my kids to a weekday birthday party, class trips, doctor appointments and anything else that takes place during the workday.

I think some companies are better than others at flexibility, sure, but really if you work your ass off for a company in most cases you'll have "chips in the bank" and you'll get what you need to help juggle both work and home (assuming your career allows for remote working/flexability). 

All that said today's Get It Done Tip is about making sure you’re not slipping at work.

"This applies no matter how many times you had to get up in the middle of the night the previous evening to tend to an inexplicably crying kid. In rare cases — cases that involve an unusually empathetic boss — you can talk to your employer about what’s upending your personal life and making you so bleary-eyed. In general, though, it’s typically best to keep that sort of soul-baring to a minimum and throw your shoulder into the work at hand. Otherwise, you may get branded the wrong way in the workplace and your advancement could suffer for it.

What are you supposed to do, though, if you’re feeling a nervous breakdown coming on? Here are some ideas:

Take a personal day every few months. That’s the whole point of personal days: to meet your personal needs. While the kids are at school and you don’t have to pay for a babysitter, spend an entire day in bed if necessary.

Use break times and lunch breaks to play catch-up. Be extremely careful about handling personal business — making pediatrician appointments, checking the school district’s calendar online and so forth — during your regular work hours. Your activities may be monitored. Take on such tasks only during designated break times.

Find allies where you can. Fellow moms at work may understand what you’re going through and prove to be excellent confidantes. If you have genuinely trustworthy friends at work, vent to them about your travails — not to your boss."*

 

Speaking of work I am psyched that my CEO nominated me for a prestigious women in leadership training program. The trainer was on the cover of Fortune a few years back and titled the most powerful woman in the advertising industry.  The goal of the training is to help develop high-potential women with 10-15 years of experience to further advance them within the organization. Only a handful of people in my holding company of over 170,000 (well take out any men from that number, of course!) were selected. 

 

Many years ago who would think a mom of 3 would get such an honor?  So exciting!  Only problem is I just got an email that it will be postponed from tomorrow to March 17th because of more snow/ice tomorrow....bummer!!

 

Hope everyone has a good day!

 

*Source Today Show.

Getting a Morning Routine

Mornings are exceptionally rough for many working moms. It can be hard enough to get yourself ready, out the door and off to work on time, right? Well, that whole process becomes exponentially harder when you have to wake, feed, clothe, pack for and transport a small human being in addition to yourself. Here are some ideas for helping you wrest control of your mornings and arrive to work on time, despite all the challenges involved:

Do as much as you possibly can the night before. Set out clothes for the next day — both for yourself and for your child. Pack lunches. Make sure diaper bags, backpacks and work satchels are completely packed and ready to go.

Wake up one full hour before your child does. This will allow you to drink coffee, get dressed, take care of your own pre-work tasks and get breakfast staged before the kids get moving. Once they do wake up, you’ll feel less harried because you’ll be able to focus your attention on them.

Plan to arrive everywhere 30 minutes early. (Note: You’ll probably never arrive anywhere 30 minutes early.) But this mindset of trying to arrive early will give you a much better shot at showing up where you’re supposed to be on time.

This Get It Done Tip from Today summarizes what I have written in the past about my routine. No matter how tired you are keep the routine.  There is nothing worse then being tired and on top of it have to deal with racing against the clock  on a weekday morning with screaming kids!

 

  

 

Tonight's dinner is Quick & Healthy Shephard's Pie. I will report back if it is good!

 

 

 



What's For Dinner?

Stumped on what to make for dinner tonight?    Here's how you can Get It Done! 

Check out myfridgefood.com.   All you have to do is check off the ingridients you have on hand and it'll show you a list of recipes to chose from using some or all of the ingridients.

Check it out!

Mediterranean Chicken

Took the big boys to piano bright and early.  When we were in the car my middle one asked if he could have his lesson first since he loves it so much.  He can't play on his own yet so "takes a ride" on the piano teacher's hands and they sing songs. 

Usually it is baa baa black sheep, but today it was "Say Something" (my pick) and "Locked out of Heaven" (my middle one's pick).  Very lively for 9 AM on a Sunday and super fun to have our own little concert!

My husband ran out for most of the day so the kids and I did arts and crafts, played and watched a movie.  

We also organized all of our school Valentine's Day cards.  I bought the cards a few weeks back and just now noticed 1/2 the cards are missing in the spiderman box.

So much for being organized. ugh.

Dinner tonight was pretty good.  I made Mediterranean chicken, steamed broccoli and a big salad for dinner.   Everyone liked it.

Off to organize tomorrow's clothes for me and the kids so we're organized for the morning.  Goodnight!

Happy Saturday!

Piano recital was a success!   

My middle one is in rare form today and two bloody noses later (one for each of his brothers), we got him down for a nap. Oy. 

We are invited over to my husband's friend's house for dinner and a magic show so I am going to make that yummy Hazelnut Crunch Cake again.  Fingers crossed it turns out good.

Enjoy the rest of the day!

Throwing the Perfect Party

TGIF!

Today's Get It Done Tip is compliments of The Salonniere, an awesome new blog focused on throwing the perfect party, started by a former colleague of mine. 

 

Since I love to to entertain I found this post about Dinner Party Seating to be really informative and fun.  Enjoy! 
 

 

 

 

Have a great weekend!

How to Start a Project + Spinach Artichoke Rigatoni

How do you really Get It Done?  Besides having a great support system you have to be action-oriented.  I am sharing this little article from All You which summarizes just what you have to do to Get It Done!

"Break to-dos into actionable steps.

Most people have a hard time launching projects because they can’t figure out where to begin. This will force you to put the wheels in motion.

How to do it: Say you’re planning a book club. Instead of simply writing “Organize book club,” jot down every action you need to take, like “Browse Web for book ideas” and “Pick a date.” Can’t figure out what that first step is? Choose a task so quick and simple you can’t help but get started."

Try this system and use your calendar like always to set deadlines for when you need to get each step of the process completed by.  You'll start to make things happen!

Tonight's dinner is spinach artichoke rigatoni.  I pulled it together in under 10 minutes.  When I get home all I have to do is pop it in the oven.  Looks good!

Capturing Your Social Media into a Memory Book

I woke up to the train whistling in the distance so decided to take a walk in the snow to make my way to the city.  Surprisingly no problems with the commute.

Last night, like millions of others, for Facebook's 10 year anniversary I made my "Facebook movie". It was so sweet photos from when each of my kids were babies and my most liked posts - like when my sweet baby Joe was born.

I spoke to one mom who uses Facebook almost as an archive of what she does with her kids so when they grow up they have a listing of special things they did together.  She'll list when they go to the movies, the city, etc.  I never looked at Facebook like that, but it makes sense. 

 

A Get It Done Tip for the paranoid, like me, who worry what happens if the site closes down forever...you can buy My Social Book - which allows you to create a beautiful memory book of your social timeline....an easy way to captures those memories for your children and grandchildren to cherish forever!

Portable Chargers

Snow. Again. Tonight.

Stop it.

My Dad is sleeping over yet again so we have childcare; therefore, my meal plan needs to be tossed and we'll pick up pizza or Chinese food for dinner tonight.

I found a great Get It Done Tip from my friend who I went out to dinner with last week.  She was running all day - got the kids off to school, put in a full day of work and then came out for our girl's night. As soon as she sat down she whipped out this contraption and started charging her phone.

This portable charger is capable of quickly charging virtually any USB device in the world, including the iPad, iPhone and other power-hungry tablets and smart phones with ease. 

Perfect for the working mom on the go to ensure she never misses the inevitable call or email that will help her husband make it through the nightime routine with the kids on his own. ;)

Portable Humidifier

Another snow day for the kids! Thankfully my Dad came over last night so we have someone to watch them.  I decided to head in because whenever they are all home it's a madhouse + I need my Starbucks!  I will likely leave after lunch to go home and finish out the day from there.

Today's Get It Done Tip I saw in a magazine and I thought it was cool for the working mom who has to travel a lot.  We all know how recycled air on the plane can dry out your skin and circulate the germs.  This portable humidifier hooks on to a bottle of water and will provide relief to cold, cough, and flu symptoms, itchy dry skin, congested sinuses, chapped lips, and headaches by adding moisture to dry air. 

 

 

 

You can also add liquid fragrances or essential oils to the water for the ultimate relaxing environment.

 

 

 

Pretty cool!

Super Bowl Sunday

My oldest had a friend over for a play date while my husband took the little two to visit our grandmas and drop off a birthday gift to his goddaughter.

 

Since the kids liked chili so much the other week and considering it is Super Bowl Sunday, I made "The Best Damn Chili" which is aptly named because it was the best I've had!  I left out the spicy ingredients and it was still fantastic.  I let the kids use corn chips as a treat to dip into the chili.

 

My husband also made a healthy taco bowl using plain yogurt for the dressing.

I'm taking leftovers of this with me for lunch - it was good!

 

Sadly my dessert didn't turn out as well as everything else....

 

 

It's still stuck in the pan and won't come out!!!

Appetizers - Union Square Cafe Nuts + Hot Spinach Dip

We were invited to a friend's house for dinner tonight and I was in charge of appetizers.

I made Union Square Cafe Nuts

and Hot Spinach Dip.  I forgot to take a picture of it, so here is Martha Stewart's pic of it.

 

Yum!