Month: January 2018

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What’s for lunch: Poké Lab

I’ll never turn down the opportunity for a ladies lunch, so when my friend Linda asked if I wanted to meet up with her for a lunch date, it was a resounding yes. After the days we’ve been having, it felt great to have plans to get out of the house for a bit.

Linda suggested we try Poké Lab in East Lansing, a newer restaurant near campus that opened this past fall. Poké bowls have been a trendy food item for the last couple of years, so I was excited to give this place a try.

Armed with my sidekick Margot, we visited Poké Lab for lunch with Linda yesterday, and it was delicious!

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The bad days are the longest

I’ve seen a quote about parenthood floating around in mommy groups: “The days are long, but the years are short.” It’s from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, and as a mom it rings pretty true. Heck, as a human, it rings true.

However, I would like to make an addendum: The bad days are the longest.

Cue some vintage 2005 Daniel Powter, because yesterday was a really bad day. In the scheme of the things that can happen in a bad day — an accident, a death, losing a job, a major crisis of the mind and/or body — yesterday would barely move the needle on the Worst Days Richter Scale.

And I feel silly even complaining about it. But I also think this feeling is something so many moms (and dads) face and ultimately internalize because, well, not all days can be diamonds. Every parent deals with bad moments; most times, even good days have them. And sometimes bad days have a couple of bright spots.

With everything going on in the world, in our country, heck, right here in mid-Michigan, who cares that some days, I’m not floating on a Valencia-tinted lily pad of motherhood?

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Annmarie Walker is the best newborn photographer in Michigan

In a recent list of the 50 Best Newborn Photographers by State from Bored Panda, Annmarie Walker Photography is featured as the best of Michigan. This comes as no surprise to me, as I’ve admired and enjoyed Annmarie’s beautiful work for years.

Margot, Photography by Annmarie Walker

When two of my cousins had their daughters in 2012, they did newborn sessions with Annmarie, and I fell in love with her photography. The early weeks in a newborn’s life are so precious and fleeting, and Annmarie preserves that time in her gorgeous photos. I knew that whenever I had a baby, I would want to schedule a session with her.

We did just that in 2013 when our daughter Stella was born. In fact, shortly after I found out I was pregnant and due in March, I contacted Annmarie right away to get on her calendar.

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Review: ‘Waitress’ has all of the right ingredients

I had my first taste of “Waitress” when I saw the 2007 film, written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly. Nearly a decade later, I fell in love with the Broadway adaptation when I saw the show in New York in 2016.

So it’s only fitting that this year, National Pie Day fell on opening night of “Waitress” at East Lansing’s Wharton Center — a timely opportunity to revisit the diner.

What’s inside this tasty delight of a musical? It’s bust a gut and break your heart, with a dreamy chiffon filling and drizzles of bittersweet chocolate.

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Favorite Costco finds in January

Costco is a magical place. For years, Zack and I have had a membership, but our visits were limited to the location near my parents’ house. Despite great reviews about their freshly prepped foods and prices on staples like eggs and milk, we often stuck with frozen foods and paper products due to the distance from home. That, and treating ourselves to the $1.50 hot dog combo, obviously.

That is, until this past year.

Finally, the Lansing area was blessed with a Costco this past fall, and we’ve been able to enjoy frequent visits ever since. While weekends are very busy, I’ve enjoyed a couple of low-key visits with Margot on weekday afternoons, and it is eerily quiet in there. Margot also doesn’t have to throw elbows when it comes to grabbing samples, so that’s a plus.

Our proximity to the new Costco has opened up a world of possibilities as far as trying out fresh food products, and even venturing into the center aisles of clothing items. Wow there’s a whole new world in there.

Here are some of my favorite Costco finds from this month, including a ready-to-make meat Korean BBQ dish that I’ve turned a few friends onto the last couple of weeks.

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Escape to Margot-ritaville: Margot’s first birthday party

I am pretty notorious for planning and dreaming ahead, from Halloween costumes to birthday parties. I’m also a big fan of puns. So at some point last summer, it dawned on me that Margot’s first birthday party would absolutely have to be a Jimmy Buffett-themed extravaganza called Margot-ritaville.

As a lifelong Parrothead thanks to my mom, I’ve seen Jimmy in concert dozens of times. His songs are tied to so many memories made on boats, in the sand, in the pouring rain, under the summer sun, and everywhere in between.

First birthday parties are usually when the parents can get away with something a little more adult-orientated since the guest of honor doesn’t really know what’s going on anyway — hence why Stella’s first birthday party was Academy Awards-themed with a faux red carpet and caramel corn for favors.

As a Michigan-born January baby, Margot is sort of doomed to celebrate her birthday parties in the winter cold. But being able to ignore the freezing cold for just a day made having a Buffett paradise party that much more fun.

Here are some of my favorite details and how things all came together for Margot’s birthday party.  Continue reading “Escape to Margot-ritaville: Margot’s first birthday party”

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Snowy days are perfect for making paper snowflakes

Is it possible that just yesterday I was running errands with Margot wearing just a sweater and not rushing to get her buckled up in the car? We live in Michigan, so of course it’s possible that all of the lingering Christmas snow would melt on a Thursday in January and here we are on Friday, trapped in a snow globe.

Other than picking up Margot’s birthday cupcakes, there’s nowhere we really need to be today, and I’m very thankful for that. Stella enjoys doing projects and crafts, so during Margot’s nap this morning, I brushed up my elementary school craft skills to make paper snowflakes.

Much like my crochet skills, my memories of how to properly make paper snowflakes were a little rusty. I needed to do some Google-fu to remember exactly how to make them, and thankfully I found a very helpful step-by-step guide from Instructables. It turns out I forgot about a couple of steps, but once I made one snowflake, it was very easy, and addictive.

Forget adult coloring books. For me, making paper snowflakes was so methodical and therapeutic — if you don’t mind dozens of little pieces of paper scattered everywhere. I’m sort of obsessed now, so much so that the only job I gave Stella (actually, one that she demanded for herself) was the unfolding part. Which, let’s face it, is the best part of all, and a lot safer than trying to maneuver scissors in a very precise, small fashion.

Here’s how I made my paper snowflakes.

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Yep, I asked for a shower cap for Christmas

When I was a kid, coming up with a Christmas list was the easiest and most fun thing to do in the world. This doll, that art set, the leather hat that Alisa Reyes wore in the original “All That” intro:

The fact that my mom found me a hat like this made it one of the best Christmases ever!

As an adult, a homeowner, and a mama, that has changed dramatically. Sometimes, stuff can become overwhelming.

A couple of years ago, Zack became big a fan of the KonMari Method and, just as Marie says, I was inspired to get organized without Zack even mentioning it to me. Even just yesterday I donated a huge bag of clothes and shoes and it felt incredible.

So when it came to giving my family Christmas gift ideas, I tried to err on the side of practicality. Things like new black TOMS to replace the ones I’ve worn into the ground, literally.

And, quite possibly one of the most random and practical gifts I’ve ever asked for, a shower cap. But not just any shower cap.

The SHHHOWERCAP.

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Interview: A slice of life with Lenne Klingaman of ‘Waitress’

Sugar, butter, flour.

In a couple of weeks, things are going to get a lot sweeter in East Lansing with the arrival of “Waitress.” The national tour of the popular Broadway musical featuring original music from Sara Bareilles will stop at the Wharton Center January 23-28, 2018.

Inspired by the 2007 Adrienne Shelly film, “Waitress” tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and talented pie maker who is looking to make her dreams come true while living in a small town in an unhappy marriage. Jenna has the support of her friends and fellow waitresses Dawn and Becky as she deals with obstacles and unexpected life changes along the way.

Actress and singer/songwriter Lenne Klingaman currently stars as the lovable Dawn in the national tour of “Waitress.” I spoke with Lenne about her previous acting experiences, the lessons she hopes audiences will take with them from the show, and what kind of pie she would be.

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Okay, I finally get it. Kroger ClickList is amazing.

It would be obvious to say that it’s been absolutely freezing outside the last week, with little sign of relief anytime soon. And while times like these mean bunkering down at home with the girls and slowly going stir crazy, some things still need to get done. Namely, grocery shopping.

In that time between getting married and having kids, grocery shopping could be an enjoyable adventure. I could adult and stock our pantry and refrigerator with whatever our hearts desired, lingering in the aisles, deciding what to make for dinner.

But with our little gals, it’s like Supermarket Sweep. I’ve gotta get in and out of there quickly before a meltdown or begging for fruit snacks. I prefer our nearby Kroger because I have the layout and the location of all of our usual list items committed to memory. Nothing annoys me more in a shopping trip than forgetting to get something back in produce, and doubling back over my counter-clockwise path.

I’ve been able to conquer the grocery store or just about any other shopping experience with the girls at my side or in my arms, because necessity of the mother of mothers getting stuff done because it’s gotta get done.

But this week, after the holidays depleted our grocery resources and a vacation away from home, I needed reinforcements. There was no way I wanted to deal with taking the girls out into the freezing cold, stocking up a cart with groceries, loading and unloading. Mama needed some help.

Enter Kroger ClickList. I’ve heard about this magical service (as well as Meijer Curbside and Shipt) from so many friends, but I hadn’t indulged until earlier this week. The truth is I still do like going to the grocery store. I know that even with my list of items, I end up remembering something else we need, or decide to get ingredients for dinner on the fly.

But because of my mini shopping partners and the cold, I tried ClickList this week. And it was amazing.

My only complaint is that our Kroger five minutes away doesn’t participate, but it was worth the 20 minute drive to pull up and have bags of groceries stored in the back within minutes.

The first three times with Kroger ClickList, the service fee is waived. And heck, for days when the high is in the single digits, I will pay that five bucks when my free ones are up.

The Meijer near our house does offer Curbside, but I’ve noticed that the same-day pickup times are often much later in the day than what Kroger has been offering. Because even with convenience and time saved, I still need to be considering naps and temperaments.

My friend Tessa has been singing the praises about Shipt, which I admit I am interested in checking out sometime in the future. But really, if I didn’t go pick up my ClickList order the other day or have one scheduled for this afternoon, I wouldn’t be leaving the house at all. I do still need that (bitterly cold) fresh air and some drive time to feel a little bit alive on days like today.

If you’re considering checking out ClickList or another similar service, my advice is DO IT. Don’t hesitate like I did. It’s been amazing so far.