Please take note of the new page listed under "Pea Pie Xtras", titled "Donation and Volunteer Opportunites." I will be posting opportunities once per month. If you have any that you would like to share, please email me at peapiecolumbia@gmail.com Thanks!
Sometimes it's just hard to get into the dinner groove. You've either spent the day at work being drained by pestering phone calls and sour-toned emails or dealing with stinky diapers, finger painting, and the swimming pool. The next thing you know, it 5:30 and you have know idea what to put on the table, let alone what you can rustle up that your kids will actually eat! And, if your are anything like me, it gets even worse when on those weeks when you weren't exactly on top of your game when you went to the grocery store. Yes, I tend to be a list-forgetter. I'll end up with three packages of butter and no fruit. Brilliant.
Well, there are some services out there that can help with the dinnertime dilemma.
Dream Dinners (located in the Forest Drive Piggly Wiggly) is an easy way to plan ahead and you can bring a friend to catch up on chatter while you go. Basically, you sign up for a session and show up with a cooler assembly stations are set up with all of the ingredients needed for you to have fun preparing your meals. Then just take them home and throw them in the freezer, and now you have an active backup plan!
Do you have trouble getting everyone on the same page? Is everyone splitting off to go to soccer camp, swimming lessons, and golf too quickly for you to clearly lay everything out? Cozi is a FREE (I couldn't believe it either!) online service that organizes shopping and to-do lists, chore schedules, and family calendars. It will even sync to Outlook and your PDA or smart phone, so you don't just have to leave it at home. Think GroupShare for families! My absolute favorite feature is that if you forget your shopping list (cough, cough, ahem), you can call their toll-free number and they will text it to you!
So now, what's for dinner again?
Oh, how I wish growth spurts would stop for the summer! Such is the life of a mom, constantly having to buy new clothes for the bambinos! Tickled Pink (2850D Devine Street) makes it so fun and easy, though. The store has the cutest clothing and nursery gear! And don't forget that Caroline will do custom work for the nursery and custom clothing! Burp cloths, dust ruffles, jon-jons, curtains, you name it! And those adorable reversible bubbles! Oh me oh my (been watching too much Bunny Town, excuse me)! Some of my favorite things to show off at church and parties (come on, we all do it!) were my custom embroidered burp cloths that she did for my little guy. I'm still trying to figure out a new use for them now that he's given up on spit up and has moved on to dump trucks in the sandbox! Make sure you stop in this week, because everything in stock is 25% off!
I'm laughing at myself as I'm typing this because I'm trying to write about relaxation while my toddler is in the next room screaming, "Mama!!!! MAMA!!! Ahmo!!" (Ahmo meaning Elmo, of course) "AHHHHH-MOOOOO!!!" Such has been our bedtime routine lately. Sigh.
Days like these deserve a little reward. A bad day in the life of a mother of a young child often involves getting spit on, pooped on, bled on, hit, and yelled at, just to name a few! Yes, it's stressful. Yes, it reduces us to tears every now and then. But it does not make us any weaker in character or conviction, and it does not make us love our jobs as mothers any less. It's what we do, with more love than any other job could ever evoke or require! So, just like with any other job, damn right we deserve a glass of wine with our feet up sometimes!
Tonight, when Pea Pie, Jr. finally gives up on wanting to read his 800th Elmo story of the day to go to sleep, I plan on having a glass of a nice little World Market find with my husband. Here is the quote from the label, before I tell you what it is:
"Decadent layers of butter cream, bright citrus and vanilla melt into a balance of oak and subtle spice. In other words: Sinful."
Does that deserve an ad award or what? Cupcake Vineyards 2006 Central Coast Chardonnay ($9.99) is a genuine treat, and yes, it really does remind you of a cupcake! It's perfect for this time of year when you can get the kids down and still have enough light out to enjoy a quiet moment on the patio with hubby. Pair it with some Fromager D'affinois or Morbier from The Gourmet Shop and you will feel the day melt away with two sips. Yum, yum, yum!
This weekend we celebrate those special guys in our lives. The ones who are the best tickle monsters, who can't seem to realize that the sink is for washing dishes, not storing them. They are our cheerleaders, strong shoulders, our comedians... you get it... the DADS!
What are you going to do for your hubby this weekend? If you haven't started shopping for him yet, head over to The Shop Tart to start getting ideas! And don't forget the handmade crafts from the kids! I'm planning on having our little guy scribble on a homemade card that has a picture of the two of them on the inside!
As for where to go, I highly suggest DiPrato's for brunch on Sunday. They have something for everyone, and a Triple Decker Corned Beef Reuben that will make him drool. Or, opt for a backyard BBQ. For some reason that is beyond me (probably because he doesn't have to cook day in and day out) my hubby finds cooking on the grill to be relaxing! Prepare the hamburger patties and marinades ahead of time for him and make his favorite side items. Have a bucket full of ice and beer (and drinks for the kids!) on the patio for him, and watch him get a kick out of the kids waiting on him hand and foot!
Happy Father's Day!!
Hello Pea Pie fans! Did you miss me? Did you notice that you have gotten no feeds or emails from the blog in the past couple of days? I could give you a whole list of excuses, but you are not here to read about that! In sum, sick child + malfunctioning computer program (thank you, Firefox) = Pea Pie dropped the ball! Please accept my apologies!
Friday night I packed Jr. up and went to meet hubby the Columbia Museum of Art for Family Fun Night. It was a great time! There was an art project for the kids, Chik-Fil-A for dinner, a puppet show by Hobey Ford, and jammin' music by Lunch Money (in no particular order, here!). The kids had a blast, singing "They go up, and up, and up, and up, and up, and up, and AAAAAIIIIGGGGHHHH!!!!" So fun! Their latest album, Silly Reflection, is available for purchase on their website for $12. It will definitely be a household favorite!
Other news in the wonderful world of kids and babies... Method Baby has finally arrived at Target at
Woodhill Mall! Check the baby shampoo aisle for delicious-smelling Method Squeaky Green products such as Bubbly Bath, Body Lotion, and Diaper Cream (all $6.49). These products are chemical-free and pediatrician tested. We especially like the body lotion for Jr.'s dry skin when we don't use Aquaphor (ever tried getting a squirmy toddler into his jammies when he's covered head to toe in that stuff? Sometimes you just need a break!).
Check Pea Pie, Columbia tomorrow for a special Father's Day Edition!!
Holy egg fryer it's hot outside! What is going on? Did someone forget to tell the "certified friendly" city that it's June? Do they not realize that moms across the city are going insane when the witching hour comes? Do they know that some of us have only hit the pool TWICE and now it's too hot to go? Oh my gosh!!!
Okay, now that my vent is out of the way, what are we going to do to get out of the house with the kids and not vaporize as soon as our feet hit the concrete?
-The first of two Family Fun Night's is TONIGHT at the Columbia Museum of Art
from 5:30 to 8pm. Kiddie favorite Lunch Money will be playing and the
Kid's Cafe will serve dinner for purchase! Every kid in your household
(yourself included) will have the best time rockin' it out and perusing
the galleries! Cost is free with admission or membership.
-If your kids have an extra build up of energy than usual, go straight to Leapin' Lizards (3250 Forest Drive, next to Miyo's on Forest). This indoor play space has inflatable climb-on toys, slides, balls, dress up... it's like a mini amusement park where the moms can sit on a sofa in the center and sip a cold drink! Pop-in and Play is $6.99 per child, and free for those who aren't walking yet!
-You scream, I scream "Ben and Jerry's NOW!" Don't you just love the sweet sound of nothing when your sweet child is completely absorbed in his ice cream cone? Sometimes you just have to chunk the fact that dinner's in two hours out the window. Sometimes. It also makes a great get-sticky-before-bath-time option!
How are you all staying cool during our early heat wave? Email stories and pictures to peapiecolumbia@gmail.com!
One topic that often arises in a group of moms with children of any age is babysitters. Finding the perfect sitter is difficult, even in a university town that is so family friendly. You have to worry about things such as cost per hour, whether or not they are CPR certified, the extent of their experience, and of course... if they get along with you kids. It took my family months to find a great babysitter. Before we were able to build a solid list, we went through a couple of doozies. The one who decided to tell me that she had spent the previous weekend getting drunk and shaving her roommate's Pomeranian to the skin really sticks out in my mind! It was almost enough to make me want to forget about ever going out to dinner again. But soon we were able to get a couple in rotation who were responsible and had nanny experience! If you keep looking, there are plenty of great sitters out there.
So, how do you find the one (or three)? Check out the tips below!
- Church! If your church has a day care or nursery workers, quiz them on if they babysit after hours. Also, ask your friends who go to church with you. You know that you share at least some of the same values, so you may share the same sense of what you want in a sitter. Two of our favorites were found through church!
- Work colleagues: Does someone whom you know well at the office have a teenage or college-age child? You know the person well and you see them every day. Also, if you have a coworker who does not have children or is an empty-nester, these make great sitters who are going to want to do well for you because you see them daily. One of our last-minute go-to's is my husband's former cubicle-mate who is unmarried, but settled. She knows us well enough to know what we want for our son!
-Get bold! The Starbuck's near my house is my son's favorite stop. All of the employees drop what they are doing to say hi to him and make him feel famous! One barista in particular was so good with him, I finally asked her if she babysat. It turned out that she's a CPR certified babysitter who has taken care of children of friends of mine, therefore she automatically had tons of references I could trust. Columbia isn't that big a place, so you never know unless you ask!
-Services: There are some trusted nanny services around town that are run by people who just genuinely love children and understand the plight of finding a quality sitter. Ask other mothers if they have tried one. Generally you pay a per-hour fee, a portion of which goes to the service, or you pay the service a monthly fee and then pay the sitter directly. One service of note is Child Minders (803.787.7009). For services, you want to give at least a week's notice the first time you call.
The next question is, how much are you going to pay? In general in Columbia, the going rate is $7 to $15 an hour for a single child, and you can add $3 to $5 for that for additional. We pay our high schoolers $7 and our college girls $10, with tips when necessary (special circumstances like running late or coming home to find a sick baby).
It really all comes down to networking. You ask around and trust the judgment of those you trust for any other personal service you use in your life, the same is true here. Just make sure to check references and give your child the chance to meet the sitter before you leave them with her. It takes time, but you will eventually have a great list of people to call on!
So, how much fun was Fire Truck Day last week? My little guy thought he had won the lottery when he got to eat a cookie before lunch AND sit in a fire truck at the same time! Thank you, Little Lambs and Ivy II!!
Meanwhile, there are still great deals to be had on summer clothing at Little Lambs and Ivy, II. Stop by to say hi to the wonderful staff and pick up some adorable clothing at 25% to 50% off!
On another note, we've all been wondering, on some level, about the safety of BPA in our baby bottles and sippy cups. I know especially some of you new moms out there are wondering what to do with those plastic baby bottles. If you are on the Harbison side of town, take them over to Babies R Us, where they are having a bottle exchange! Turn in your plastic baby bottles for store credit. Pea Pie has heard of people getting up to $100 in credit at the store, so go, NOW! Put the credit towards any of that baby gear you are still needing, or some Dr. Brown's glass baby bottles.
