local roots.

a great wooster resource for delicious, locally produced foods. but did you know that they have great activities going on all the time? check out the events and education tab found here. while you're there, grab some of uncle tim's chewy peanut butter cookies. yum!!

mom, i'm bored!!

well, there is plenty going on in wooster! find an activity, grab the kiddos and go beat your boredom!

tea party time!

Peter Rabbit Tea Party with Susan Heady and Susan Bowling

Saturday, April 23 at 11:00am at TODAY'S KITCHEN STORE, Wooster, OH

Please join us in a very special children's event at TKS in celebration of Spring, Easter, and everything delicate and child-like. Our resident Tea Connoisseur, Susan Heady, along with her Cupcake Expert friend, Susan Bowling, has put together a wonderful late morning Tea Party for you and your children. You will not only get to enjoy tea and treats, but learn how to put together your own Peter Rabbit Tea Party for special events within your home, or just for fun. Help your child make their very own fondant carrot for the top of their cupcakes while Susan Bowling demonstrates how to make Peter Rabbit's Garden Cake and Susan Heady demonstrates how to put together little sandwiches and the vegetable preparation. Tea will, of course, be served and Beatrix Potter Books will be read!
Skill Level: Any
Menu: Peter’s PB & J Sandwich Mrs. Tittlemouse’s Cheese Sandwich Mopsy’s Mini Spring Quiche Cotton-Tail’s Chicken Tea Sandwich Mr. McGregor’s Garnished Vegetables Benjamin’s Bunny Crackers Carrot Cake Cupcake & Bunny Cupcake (Decorated by Children) Republic of Tea: Flopsy’s Fruit Tea Mrs. Rabbit’s Chamomile-Lemon Tea Mr. Earl Greyer’s Tea $15.00 + tax per parent and $5.00 + tax for each child attending, ages 3 and older, please. To register for this class, please call the store at 330.601.1331, e-mail us at INFO@TodaysKitchenStore.com, or feel free to drop by in person to inquire.

secrest arboretum walk.

go here for details on how to join the walk and view the effects of winter and the tornado. the walk is on feb 28, from 2 to 3:30.

another babylegs post.

i know... i know. you're probably sick to death of hearing about my babylegs addiction. whatever. i am excited to report that they have a half off sale happening right now, right here. put 50 dollars of product into your cart, enter the code IHEARTUSA before you pay, and get some fabulous deals! here's what they said on their facebook page, announcing the sale:

Sorry for the delay everyone! Because we made it to our goal of 150 orders of $25 or more, BabyLegs has got a sale for you! 50% off selected styles NOW! There are a ton of great styles to choose from! Order $50 worth of clearance items and use coupon IHEARTUSA for 50% off! You helped get us here, so you hear it first! ...Shop now before they're gone!

you heard them, shop now!!

what to get the guy who has everything...

a-ha!! where was this post two months ago??? i will be doing this this year for a certain someone who shall remain nameless. please help me keep the secret, and please remind me that i said this when december rolls around and i'm wondering what in the world i can do for his birthday... *<:)

preschool soccer and t-ball.

today, my son's preschool sent home a sheet about signing up for coach chico's soccer and t-ball. they both run for two weeks (tuesdays and thursdays) in may. i thought that maybe some of you might be interested (and you might wanna use it like i do, as a sort of social hour...), so i thought that i'd give you the link to the sign up online. check out the page here, (click register online, then hit activities at the top and pick preschool) as well as how many spots are open in each class. word on the street is that the classes fill quickly, so keep that in mind! hope to see you there!

heartland point.

another crafting post! (i've been bitten hard by the crafting bug!!)

in the most recent edition of the newsletter, beth was kind enough to contribute an article about a little gem in orrville called heartland point. a cafe, a meeting place, and a community classroom, all wrapped up in one. (and btw, their buckeyes are to die for.) i thought that i'd post the latest event schedule through may 2011 for your perusing pleasure. tonight, i am attending the crochet class, and couldn't be more excited! (spring flowers on baby barrettes, here i come!!) they are offering some great classes for adults and kids alike. check it out here! you can register for classes via email or phone. :)

feeding the crafting frenzy!

chalk it up to being trapped inside my house too long because of snow and ice... i'm dying to get out of the house and learn something. more specifically, a creative something. i want to learn to sew and knit and crochet and decorate cakes and all that great creative stuff. are you at all like me? well, there is something that is right up our alley!

at the jo-ann store in fairlawn (i know, rt. 18 feels soooooo far from wooster, but learning a creative way to channel our energy is worth the drive, right??), they offer classes every month. what do you want to learn to do? any of the things above? or maybe quilting or scrapbooking or jewelry making? something seasonal? well, here is the schedule through april in case you are wanting to take a class. the best part? scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out the little blurb about the open house. they discount all their classes 50% on those days, and you can even call in to register! the open house discount days make for very affordable classes! prices aren't listed on that schedule, but are usually between 10 and 20 dollars after the discount.

also, if you have an older child who loves to craft, you can throw a party at jo-ann! see the kind people at customer service to schedule your day and time! :)

snow paint.

need a cute little activity that you can whip up with stuff that you probably already have? today i made snow paint for the kids for later today. what is it? water with food coloring in a spray bottle. to make mine even more cutesy, i bought water bottles today at jo-ann for 50 cents each, one of each color. i put that color "paint" in it, and went outside and sprayed the snow in my front yard. it actually made it really pretty, turning it into pastel shades. you can vary the intensity of your paint by how much food coloring you use. might be fun to paint the face of a snowman, or change what he's wearing after a few days of consecutive snow. or give him a scarf since it's sooooo cold out!

later on this summer, you can use those same water bottles for a chase game, kinda like the idea behind water guns, but without the "gun" shape. we played chase with water bottles last summer, and it was super fun to vary how far the bottle would squirt.

the best time to grab a water bottle (or a few!) is on clearance (llike jo-ann had them for 50 cents) or when they're in a place like the dollar spot at target. maybe even the dollar store.

for pictures and additional ideas, check out this post.

kid concoctions.

This is a line of items i found at pat catan's around christmas. They have videos, books and the ingredients to make some of their concoctions. If you have kids who are really interested in science, this is for you! You can make slime, silly putty, fake messes and other great concoctions from household items. The two things that i recommend are the video for 1.97, which includes demonstrations on how to make 30+ concoctions, and the Kid Concoction Cook Book that just went on clearance for 1.00. The videos are on an end cap at the end of one of the more kid-oriented aisles of stuff (like the craft aisle for kids near the far right hand side of the store), and copies of the book are in the newer clearance aisle, on the back of a rack in the middle of the aisleway. Happy concocting!

woven barrettes.

being a child of the 80's, i remember these barrettes fondly. i had a few, with long pretty streamers of ribbon flowing out of one end. and leave it to family fun magazine to revive my love for them!

check out the tutorial found here.

thanks to pink and green mama for reminding me that i started that project last january!!

in need of a baby sling or nursing cover?

there's a great deal going on over at seven slings, where the coupon code CUPID will deduct 100% of the cost of the sling, and all you pay is shipping. i got a sling a while ago, right before meg started walking, and loved it. super cute fabrics and comfy to wear. thought that maybe some of our new moms might like to try it out! :)

similarly, you can get a nursing cover at udder covers for free (just pay shipping and handling) when the code Thanks is applied at checkout. I have two nursing covers for when/if the need should ever arise again, and love them both.

The slings and the covers would make great gifts for baby showers, if you're in need of gift ideas. They each end up being in the 10-15 dollar range after the discounts are applied.

Oh, and if you wanted to upgrade to the gift packs, you can still use the codes, but each site charges about 5 dollars for the upgrade, and shipping and handling is applied on top of that. Still a great deal...

getting crafty!

so now that i'm not spending all my time on facebook, i'm looking at craft blogs more... it's feeding my desire to create. a few weeks ago, i stumbled across this super cute snowman made of mini-cookies and candy. it's been on my mind lately, and so this afternoon, we attempted it. if you'd like to try it out, it's a great post-lunch activity, as there are lots of broken pieces of cookie and extra "carrot noses" to be eaten. we subbed in some orange tic-tacs for the noses, and should have laid down wax paper on our cutting board. other than those, this is a craft with a definite can-do factor. :)

now to change over from snowman to something for valentine's day... :)

a girly post.

so here's one for all the moms (or aunts!) of little girls, especially if you are bow crazy like me. there are two great online boutiques worth mentioning (or mentioning again, if i have already).

the first is called sydney so sweet. we love them for their great prices and massive selection. and the ribbon art! ohmigosh, just peruse the site and you'll see what i mean. in the "just for moms" section, you can check out the trellis necklaces (i have three and LOVE them) and the headwraps for keeping the winter chill from your tender ears. i have placed what? like 4 orders from there in the last two months... i'm addicted. great quality for the price, and the true test is that my girl is constantly getting compliments on her hats, bows, clippies, headbands, etc. you can use the code FBF10 at any time to get 10% off. if you're a liker on facebook, you also get advance notice of sales. you can also sign up for the newsletter for notice of sales. we love our sydney stuff! and you can meet the owner in person at local craft shows, as she is based out of doylestown! (shipping is also lightning fast, i might add...) shipping is always free for orders over 35 bucks.

the second, i found while combing the internet for more bows (imagine that!). it's called sugar sweet bowtique and is kinda like the above site. super cute bows and boutique hats, hair streamers and korkers. she also has a "made to match gymboree" tab if you're a big gymboree shopper. super cute stuff! sign up for the newsletter for sale notices.

happy shopping! :)

treats for the babes.

every so often, i come across a blog post that is worth it's weight in gold. perusing the side bar of our little blog here, i came across the second installment of healthy snacks and treats by a blog called make it and love it. check it out! i think that i have some banana pureeing to do! :)

Twins Club Sale.

The Wayne County Mothers of Twins Club is having their spring/summer sale on Saturday March 19th at the Ida Sue School Gymnasium from 9am-2pm. This includes gently used baby equipment, toys, books, and clothing sizes infant to teens.

Thanks Christy, Denise and Jen! :)