Family Movie Night: Monsters Vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens.  Menu: Monstermallows, popcorn, Shirley Temples

Our latest Family Movie Night featured last year's popular Dreamworks hit, Monsters Vs. Aliens.  In our house, we just love Monsters, Inc.  So, when searching for the "perfect" film for our movie night last weekend, this film immediately came to mind.  I had heard of it when it was in the theater but since we never get to the actual movie theater, I noted that I wanted to rent it when it was released on DVD.  It did not disappoint!  Monsters vs. Aliens was adorable, funny, entertaining for adults and the children, and just an overall good flick.  Everyone in our family had his/her favorite monster by the middle of the movie and, like Monsters, Inc., each character was so cleverly created and developed.  I would highly, highly recommend it to anyone, adult and/or family with children.  What a fun night!

As has become our usual recent trend, I sometimes pick movies for our Family Movie Nights based on the fun treat idea I can come up with to make for our family to enjoy during our screentime.  Other times, I wrack my brain trying to come up with a fun treat to go along with the theme of a movie on which we decide.  This time, I knew I wanted us to see this movie and then I immediately recalled a fun treat that would be perfect, both theme-wise and the fact that the kids could help create them:  MONSTERMALLOWS!

Ta-da!  Introducing monstermallows....in other words, a chocolate covered marshmallow decorated to look like fun, friendly monsters.  These are actually quite simple to make:

Melt chocolate chips and/or candy melts in the microwave or over a double boiler.  Dip the lollipop stick in the chocolate or candy melt, insert into the pop, and then dip the whole pop into the mixture to coat.  When still wet, decorate with assorted candies, presing lightly into the coating.  I like to prop my pops up in the grids of my cooling rack so that the chcolate doesn't get flat on one side as it dries off. 

Introducing our own creations...

October MOPS Coordinator's Article

Fall is a time for change. The leaves change colors; the laid-back summertime routines change to accommodate school schedules; and the way you spend your Saturday mornings certainly change (soccer anyone?).  Above all, let’s not forget about that big change that likes to mess with our bedtime routines two times a year: daylight savings time.

Change can be frustrating! It takes what we have worked hard to establish and leaves us to figure out a new solution. And for mothers of preschoolers, we have to find this new solution while changing diapers, cleaning up highchairs and getting by on years of interrupted sleep. It’s no wonder that as a mom, it’s so easy to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, more often than not. Add to that the stress of the upcoming holiday season and it’s amazing that any of us even manage to get out of bed at all most mornings!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” God has pre-ordained each of our life’s happenings, both big and small. He knows the day on which He will return for judgment, just as much as he knows the exact timing and duration of seasonal changes in our own families. There is a time for everything and only God knows this timing. We have to trust that He will walk us through these periods of change and that we will get through, no matter how unmanageable life may feel at times. It is during those times when we feel most vulnerable, most out of control, and most overwhelmed that we really learn to rely on Him and put our trust and faith into His judgment and timing.

So as the leaves turn crisp and red; as you sit on the sidelines watching the umpteenth soccer game this season, thinking about all of the other things you should be doing; and as you listen to your child whine when bedtime is an hour earlier now that school has started, know that God has all of this in His master plans. Turning over your calendar and your black pen to Him so that He can do all of His glorious planning, submits your changing life to the only one who will carry you through these changes. With God in charge and doing what is in His will, these seemingly stressful life changes can be fully embraced and will soon become, dare I say it, comfortable. So go ahead and savor this wonderful season of change and any path on which it takes you, knowing that there is no path God would rather walk with you.

Happy fall!

Make-Your-Own Pizza Night

We love pizza at our house and that love is amplified in my mind by the fact that my kids will all eat pizza without the word "yucky" ever leaving their mouths.  So, that's a definite plus to me!  In fact, be it pizza of the restaurant, take-out, frozen, or homemade variety, it makes no difference.  There are always smiles and squeals of delight when I announce that we'll be eating it.

When I knew I'd be heading out the door for a committment soon after dinnertime tonight, I knew I had to make something fast and easy, that I could easily put together with the kids around.  So, the idea of having a Make-Your-Own Pizza Night popped into my head.  What could be more fun than getting to eat pizza for dinner?  Getting to assemble it, of course!   I always love something that doubles as something useful (dinner) and something fun (afternoon craft). 

Our pizza night started with good 'ole Mr. Breadman.  Some people have mixed thoughts on bread machines, especially compared to traditional homemade bread, but we love it.  The breads we have tried have been moist and yummy and the best part about the Breadman is that it frees my hands up to do other tasks, which is always a bonus in my book.

So, enter Breadman pizza dough recipe.  We use all-purpose white flour or semolina flour, but you can certainly use whole wheat flour if you'd prefer.

Pizza Dough (for two 12" pies)
1-1/2c. warm water
2T. olive oil
2tsp kosher salt
4-1/4c. flour
2tsp. sugar
2tsp. yeast

Set the machine to the Dough cycle.  Add ingredients in order listed, or in the order in which your bread machine tells you to add ingredients.  When it is finished, place in a bowl brushed with olive oil and brush the top of the dough with olive oil, too, before covering with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 

When ready to use, knead lightly and divide into two pieces.  With lightly floured hands, spread the dough on an oil brushed pizza stone, sprinkled lightly with cornmeal. Spread dough to within 1/4" of the end of the round stone.  Or, we actually opted for two personal pizzas in lieu of one larger pizza with one half of our dough.  This seemed like the best option for two little boys who each wanted to put toppings on their own personal pizza.  Bake crust for 20 minutes at 375.

Remove crust, brush with olive oil, add toppings and cook for an additional 25 minutes, until lightly browned and the toppings are bubbly.

Voila, time for the oven.  Looks yummy, doesn't it?

And to the table we go!  Dinner is served and it looks just as yummy as Pizza Mia at the end of your road, doesn't it?  (Disregard the excess cheese oozing off the side of the personal pizzas.  Apparently, the kids had a little too much fun adding cheese to their pies.  Now...mangia!

My Favorite Chicken Marsala

My husband and I just love a good Chicken Marsala.  In fact, I'd be so daring as to say that this could be both of our favorite food.  Well, at least it's mine and for my husband, it comes as close to a favorite as something that's not beef possibly could.

The secret to a good Chicken Marsala is...(drumroll)...the Marsala wine.  I didn't say that this was going to be rocket science!  Seriously, the most important ingredient is the Marsala wine so if you are serving it for a special occasion or for company, I'd splurge on a bottle of Marsala wine for your cooking.  For other times, cooking Marsala wine (found in the supermarket) works fine and is, in fact, what I usually use when we have this for a weeknight meal.  Just note that cooking wines are high in sodium so you may want to cut the additional salt that is added, until after you have taste-tested it.  You could always add more.

I have tried many Chicken Marsalas and this one is our favorite because it is flavorful and light; there is no flour in the sauce so it won't get clumpy.  It really enables you to taste the chicken, mushrooms and the sauce without hiding the flavors in extra flour. It's delicious served atop some wide egg noodles, some angel hair or other pasta or with rice.  We go heavy on the mushrooms since we love them, but you can reduce those as well.  Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala

3 large chicken breasts, cut in half to form 6 pieces

1-1/2T olive oil

3-1/2T butter

1/2c. flour seasoned with salt and pepper

1 onion, sliced very thin

1lb. mushrooms, sliced thin

1c. Marsala wine

1c. chicken broth

1T. lemon juice

2T. freshly chopped parsley (or 1tsp. dried parsley)

Combine flour with salt and pepper to taste.  Pat chicken dry, place between two pieces of wax paper and pound with a meat mallet.  Cover in flour mixture.  Heat 1-1/2T butter and oil in skillet.  Add chicken, turning once until cooked through and lightly browned.  Transfer chicken to a platter.  Saute onions and mushrooms.  Add Marsala and cook until almost evaporated.  Add chicken broth and lemon juice.

Simmer sauce until liquid is reduced to about 1C.  Remove skillet from heat and add remaining 2T butter and any additional salt and pepper (to taste).  Spoon sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

*Note:  You certainly can make this a gluten-free meal by omitting the flour coating on the chicken and just seasoning the plain breasts with salt and pepper, then sauteing in the skillet until very lightly browned.

Happy cooking!

Unique Children's Gifts

Selecting the perfect gift for a family who has just had a new baby or for a child's birthday or holiday gift can become quite a chore.  It seems as if children these days have so many toys and even worse, there are tons more out there for your personal toy-store-shopping confusion.  So how do you know what to pick when you want to give something that the child will love and Mom and Dad will not immediately banish to the garage or the re-gift bin?  I personally know that I love a good useful gift and as innocent as they are, it's often easy to pull the wool over your child's eyes and make him see that gift as something fun at the same time.  So, here are a few suggestions I have, things we have been given or have given to others.  This isn't to say that we don't love toys or other gifts when we recieve them; these are just some unique ideas that I have seen go over well throughout my years of giving and receiving gifts.  Leave a comment if you have any other ideas.  I love hearing new ideas!

A series of name books.  I just can't say enough about this idea.  It was actually one that was given to us by a librarian friend when both of our sons were born.  Select a series of children's books with the child's name either in the title or as the main character of the book.  This is a fun idea because you can certainly select books (style and quantity) based on your budget.  Also, as a baby gift, you can give some books that can be used sooner and some books that may be used later on, when the child is a preschooler.  I know I love having books on hand already as my child matures and is ready for different types of books.  For an older child to have the most fun with this, the books should probably be ones he/she can read now or can easily understand when someone reads them aloud.  You can get ideas by searching online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble for books containing a certain name.  As an example, here are what we received for our sons:

Benjamin:  The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter; Benjamin Bigfoot by Mary Serfozo; What's the Time? Benjamin Bear Learns to Tell Time by Anne LeBlanc; and Benjamin Bear Says Please by Claire Freedman.

Nathaniel (Nate): Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat; But Not Nate!: A Book About Opposites by Andrew Gutelle; and Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly by Judith Mathews.

Goodnight gift set.  This is another fun idea we have received and I have the generous and the more generous variations on this theme.  Basically, what this goodnight set will include is a children's book with a coordinating pair of pajamas in the child's size.  So, combine a fun book in a theme the child loves with a pair of pajamas in a coordinating fun print and you go from the dull gift of clothing to an exciting gift that is also practical.  You could find Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow and combine it with a pair of cute pajamas with monkeys on it.  Go crazy and see if you can find a coordinating pair of slippers or a blanket to give a more elaborate gift.  I'm telling you, if someone gave my son Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel with a pair of pajamas with steam shovels on them, he'd be one happy camper!  And along those lines, I don't see why you couldn't substitute a movie for a book instead.  Just don't tell our librarian friend that I suggested this. :)

Now what I have described is the generous version of this theme.  If you opt to be even more generous (and you want to save some time) visit Books to Bed , where you can find pre-packaged book and pajama combinations with actual characters from the books on the jammies.  These are super cute.  I think I'd have so much fun wearing Corduroy the bear pajamas to bed!  Do these come in adult sizes?? :)

Sheets, blankets, or towels.  No, this is not a typo.  Maybe this is just my children, but I can't even describe how excited they get when they see their fun bed sheets, comforters and throw blankets.  My one son has sheets with trucks on them (our construction worker) and the other son has sheets with sports balls on them (our jock).  They were uber excited to first get their fun printed sheets and immediately starting ripping them out of the packaging to put on their beds!  The same level of excitement is there for comforters with large trucks on them, throw blankets in a Thomas the Tank Engine theme, and bath towels with large monkeys all over them.  Call them strange, but these items have invoked more excitement than many of the toys they have received and nothing could be more useful.

Personalized books.  I See Me! is a really fun web site that specializes in personalized children's books.  You provide the child's full name and birth date and they make you any one of many personalized books.  We have received one for each of our children - Benjamin has My Very Own Name, which spells his name out with animals beginning with the same letters; Nate has My Very Own ABCs, which is a board book that creates an ABC book written just for him; and Abigail has My Very Own Fairy Tale, which makes our princess the star of her own fairy tale.  My kids love to read these books that are personalized just for them.

Baby gift-wrapping.  One unique way of selecting and packaging new baby gifts is to select several outfits and individually wrap them up in tissue paper and then place them all in a large box together.  Label them, "Something old; something new; something borrowed; something blue" and include sentimental, heirloom and newly purchased items.  Another labeling could be "Something for now; something for later," and you could include a newborn outfit in the first package and a 12 or 18 month outfit in the other one.

A lunchbox or backpack.  Especially if your child is in daycare or school, this could be something incredibly useful that they will also be excited about.  Select one that is very pretty for girls, is rugged and tough for boys and has fun motifs on it in themes such as princesses, trucks or sports.  Make a big deal about your child's new backpack or lunchbox when you take it out to pack it up for school or daycare the next day.  I guarantee she'll be showing her friends her new cool accessories!

September MOPS Coordinator's Article

I am the Coordinator for my church's MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program, so every month I have a Coordinator's article in our newsletter.  This is something that is relevant to the time of year or the topic that day in MOPS.  Knowing that many of you in my audience are mothers of young children and many of you may not attend our MOPS program, I thought you may enjoy reading my monthly MOPS musings.  I'll be posting this every month after our meeting, so as not to give a spoiler for the upcoming newsletter for those MOPS attendees who are followers of my blog.  Enjoy!

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As a new mom, you rock your small child late at night, wondering why she isn’t sleeping for three hours at a time as all of the books state. Your three and a half year old has no desire to use the potty like all of your friends’ children seem to do. What’s worse is that preschool starts in two weeks and well, we all know that preschool and changing diapers just don’t mesh. Your two year old bit his sister. Again. And those time-outs that are supposed to cure every form of naughtiness seem nothing but humorous to your pint-sized patient.

Parenting is hard work! It is a journey filled with trials, tribulations, happiness, tears and sacrifice. Everyday, we moms sacrifice a little bit of ourselves for the good of our family. Our time. Our patience. Our energy. And often, our sanity. You may feel alone in this world of mothering, a lost soul amidst a sea of dirty diapers, whining toddlers and defiant preschoolers. But you aren’t.

Psalm 139:10 tells us, “Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” God is every where present.  He can see us always, even when we cannot see Him. He is holding our hand, guiding us through all of life’s choices and giving us strength through the trying times. He will never desert us.

This 2010-2011 year at MOPS we will be studying Momology: the Art and Science of Mothering. Through this, we will together see how mothering is both art and science.  It combines all of who we are—our Inner self, our experiences, our circle of support and our skills –to shape healthy and resilient children. It requires the scientific part of our brain to systematically determine which principles will work in our own family. And just as much, it requires an artistry, which creatively intertwines the very person we are to help clarify our decisions. Through Momology, as Psalm 139:10 reminds us, we will be guided by a God who will never leave or forsake us. A Father who has his gentle hand upon our shoulder as we encounter our daily struggles and decisions.

I am looking forward to beginning my first year as MOPS Coordinator. Already, I have felt the presence of God within our ministry in the form of a phenomenal Steering Team he has hand-picked; in the familiar and the new faces I have corresponded with all summer; and in the love and support I have witnessed between you, my sisters in Christ.

So, as you sit here this morning, whether for the first time, the 100th time, or as a mentor mom, know that you are not alone. Every woman in this room has had days when she feels as if she just will not make it as a mom. But she does. Every one of us has had moments when we go outside the norm to do what really is best for our own families. And then second-guesses it. Every woman sitting here has sacrificed sleep, patience and energy for the sake of her child’s well-being. We all probably have a few more grey hairs than we would have had if we did not have children. But we are all in this together. Most importantly, we have a loving, omnipresent God who is offering us his hand. So, go ahead and reach for it, knowing that in this crazy course of Momology, our God wants nothing more than to hold our hand tightly, and to ease our mind and our burdens.

Blessings!

Family Movie Nights

 This year we have jumped on-board the Movie Night train and have started this tradition in our household with our four-year-old and two-year-old.  It's something that the kids really look forward to and something that my husband and I also anticipate throughout the week, since usually we are watching a movie that is either a new children's release or something that we both remember from our own childhoods and can now introduce to our children.  We've watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Benji, Up, The Wizard of Oz, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, among others.  Tonight we decided on The Land Before Time since both boys really seem to have a penchant for dinosaurs lately.  I actually remember watching this movie with my brother one night when my parents had company in 1988 (or thereabouts, considering movies used to take much longer to be released on VHS when we "dinosars," or parents, were little).



We definitely don't do Movie Night every week in our house, but usually get one to two times per month on our schedule, usually a Friday or Sunday evening.  We have actual tickets for Martin Family Movie Night that magically "appear" on the refrigerator one morning and this is indication that it will be Movie Night that evening.  This certainly invokes good behavior since everyone wants to be able to come to Movie Night and God forbid if your brother can attend and you cannot! 

At dinnertime, everyone who has been well behaved is issued a ticket and must turn it in to Daddy after we have had baths and put the baby to bed.  You wouldn't believe how excited two little boys get when they are handed their official Movie Night ticket.  Yes, I'm talking about dancing, squealing, grinning from ear to ear, the whole package.  You'd have thought they just won the lottery!!  Of course, by the actual Movie Night start time, I have usually been asked about 500 times if it is Movie Night time yet since the anticipation for two young children is so great, almost overwelming.

My friend Julia told me about a great blog that has wonderful Movie Night ideas so I have been following that and trying my hand at having a fun, themed treat for us to enjoy in our house on Movie Night.  So far, I have only done this for three movies but I do plan to do it going forward. 

Here is a link to this wonderful blog, My Creative Life, by Heather Ann Melzer. 

Below are two ideas I have come up with on my own for our family's Movie Nights and one cute idea, courtesy of Family Fun magazine, that I did for a Movie Night with friends during the day.  Of course, we also have the obligatory popcorn at every Movie Night since it is a favorite treat around here.  So, usually we have popcorn, the special treat and as another treat the kids can either have chocolate milk or Shirley Temples. 

Hope you enjoy my ideas and they inspire you to get out your red carpet, grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the silver screen with your loved ones!

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The Land Before Time. Menu: Popcorn, Shirley Temples and Jello Jiggler dinosaurs and dinosaur eggs in a shredded paper nest.

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The Wizard of Oz.  Menu: Popcorn, chocolate milk, Yellow Brick Road cupcakes with fondant Emerald City and ruby red slippers.

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Toy Story 2. Menu: Popcorn, Apple juice, alien cupcakes.

Chicken Cacciatore

This is what the Martin family ate for dinner tonight and it's one of our favorites so I thought I'd share it.  I just love zucchini; I find it so flavorful and good thing since we had about 200 of them in our garden this past summer.  So, we enjoyed them all summer long and I have many of them blanched and frozen as well, for when it is cold and snowy outside and we just feel like a little taste of summer again.

Now this recipe is a Scarcella specialty from my mom, which means that there were hardly any measurements involved since we all know that Italian moms know how to cook and do it well, even without measuring.  I have had great success adding my own portions of spices whenever I make this so do a little experimenting with flavor as you cook and add more spice where it's needed.  However, so as not to stress anyone out who relies heavily on their little set of measuring spoons, I have estimated amounts for the recipe.  So go ahead and give this delicious meal a try.  It's fast, easy and a great week night idea that can be on the table within 30 minutes.  It's also a great dish to bring to a friend who is ill or has just had a baby.  Buon appetito!

Chicken Cacciatore

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts -OR- assorted chicken parts on the bone

1/2c. flour

1/2tsp. salt

1/4tsp. pepper

1/2tsp. garlic powder

2T. olive oil

2-3 small zucchninis, sliced 1/4" thick

1 large onion, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

1tsp. Italian seasoning

1 clove minced fresh garlic

Combine flour, pepper, salt and garlic powder on a piece of wax paper.  Wash chicken and slice boneless breasts in half, if you are using those.  Heat olive oil over med-hi heat in large skillet.  Coat chicken pieces in the flour mixture and place in skillet.  Brown chicken pieces on all sides and remove to a plate.  Add zucchini and onion to the skillet and saute until tender.  You may add a little extra olive oil to the skillet, if needed.  Once tender, add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning and garlic to the skillet.  Saute for several minutes, adding a little extra salt, pepper and garlic powder, if desired.  Add chicken back to the skillet, cover with vegetables and turn to lo-med heat to simmer steadily. Cover your skillet and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes for boneless breasts or 30-45 minutes for bone-in chicken parts.  Serve over pasta, rice or couscous.  Enjoy!

Slow Down and Enjoy!

Well, here we are in October.  October 1, to be exact.  Yesterday was still September.  Oh what a lifetime ago that seems already - Labor Day, the start of school, our church's annual peach festival.  September is always such an exciting month, so many happenings that really seem to just blend in with the rest of summer.  But now it is October.  And given the brisk mornings, cool evenings and the stack of warm-weather clothing in a pile at the bottom of the stairs at my house, waiting to go up to the attic, I think it's safe to say that summer is officially over. 

Every year, it seems as if we have one final stint of humid, summer weather before the cooler weather slowly seeps in.  And every year, I continue to wear my flip-flops and short sleeves, secretly wanting to hold on to those carefree summer days, as if they will magically return if I just ignore the fact that school has started and the garden has turned to a dried out remnant of what it was only several weeks earlier.


It is usually just around this time every year - early October - that I wistfully dream of being once again on the beach, having cookouts and picking garden-fresh vegetables.  And then suddenly I panic.  I'm not sure if this is the realization when I look at my calendar that it is actually October, only two months before Christmastime...only one month before Thanksgiving...only weeks before Halloween...and add to that one of our children's birthdays in only 24 days as well! (But who's counting?)  Oh my gosh, what I am sitting around reminiscing about summer for when there is so much more to get done in the fall!  How ever could I have let myself waste so much time already, dreaming of lemonades on the patio when, in fact, I should be planning holiday menus and going apple picking and going on hayrides with the children and saving up my Giant Bonuscard points to redeem for my free turkey!  What was I thinking??!!

And then I stop.  I take a deep breath to let go of this anxiety and busyness that is eating away at me and distorting my whole outlook on life.  I am being Martha.  No, not Martha Stewart ( But I do wonder if she uses Bonuscard points to redeem for a free turkey? That's for another post...).  Martha of Bethany from the Bible, the preoccupied woman who is so caught up in the preparations and tasks to prepare for Jesus' visit to her and her sister Mary's home, that she misses the true meaning of His visit.  She is so busy preparing for His visit that she actually misses His visit! 

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Don't be a Martha.  There are so many wonderful experiences for every season and I am blessed to live in an area of the country whose changing weather makes the difference in seasons even more tangible.  If you are too busy thinking about what needs to be done and what didn't get done, you will miss these sweet seasonal changes as they occur right around you.  The world will pass you by and next thing you know, you will be entering a new season without any memories of the season past to reminisce about. 

So slow down and enjoy!  As I sit here typing, watching the leaves on the trees outside blow; as I spot my patio furniture outside bungeed up for the season; as I reach for that extra sweater to put on because I'm a bit chilly; and as I pay my electric bill and rejoice that the air-conditioning charges were almost non-existent this past month, I will embrace this new change.  So scrapbook your summer memories, eat those last few ice pops in the freezer and pack away the summer clothing until next year.  Just sit back and enjoy the fall and all that it has to offer.  You will be glad that you did.