by Monika Briggs | Mar 13, 2018 | VEGGIES |
One of my favorite childhood memories is of sitting in my grandmom’s garden, grubby kneed, picking snow peas for late spring/early summer salads. Naturally, only a few that passed through my fingers actually made it into the basket. By the time March rolls around, after months spent hunkered down inside with sweaters, blankets, and hot tea, I am impatient for those warm summer days. I want my garden to start growing and I want my kids to snack on peas each time they pass by the plants… which is why I spent Saturday morning shoveling snow and then planting some peas! (more…)
by Monika Briggs | Feb 6, 2018 | CRAFTS, things to SHARE |
I kind of hate Valentine’s Day. Supposedly, Valentine’s Day is an annual celebration of love. Right? Well, I’m not so sure our children would agree. Valentine’s Day is all about red, white and pink decorations and heart-embellished handouts. If your kids are in school or daycare, you buy boxes of character-themed cards to share with friends (preferably with candy or stickers attached). However, these cards should have no names on them lest handing them out in class takes too long! The kids have class parties where they play heart-themed games and eat heart-themed foods. They receive red, white, and pink pencils, erasers, and of course more candy to take home. I mean, yes, our kids can clearly see Valentine’s Day is a love-themed holiday, because of all the red, white and pink hearts, but… hmmm… are you thinking love right now? Or are you thinking stuff? I am not a fan of all the stuff!
However, the main message of Valentine’s Day is love: celebrating those we love, giving them little gifts to show we care. I can totally get behind this concept. The day is an opportunity to teach our kids that they can (and should) take a few minutes of their day to make someone happy. In this case, we can show our love by sending a personal note. Grandparents, cousins, friends: whoever the special people are in your life surely deserve a bit of happy in theirs. So, step away from the red, white and pink aisle at CVS, take out your arts and crafts supplies, because it’s time to make some valentines.
Today I wanted to share a simple Valentine’s Day craft which we did last weekend. It is ridiculously easy and appropriate for every age group. We cut out simple hearts in various colors. Each child then picked a few and decorated them for loved ones. At the end, we packed them up and sent an envelope to each set of grandparents and a few other friends. Total time? I think we made it under an hour. Total smiles created: so many!
You can cut out your own hearts, or use the pdf template below. We used letter-sized cardstock and pastel colors, but there are no rules. There is no need to buy special envelopes. We had leftovers from Christmas cards, but the hearts will fit in any envelope (just fold any hearts that are too large). Grab your crayons, markers, stickers, and stamps and have some fun!
Do you have any ideas for making Valentine’s day a bit less commercialized? Share below.
by Monika Briggs | Jan 30, 2018 | LOVE + RELATIONSHIPS, things for ME |
Close your eyes and think back to the time when you and your significant other were first dating. I will venture a guess that both of you were desperate to be together. As you counted down the minutes to your next rendezvous, you each thought of creative ways to spend the time. Planning fun and exciting dates was almost as fun as the dates themselves. Imagining each other’s reactions, what you would wear, the fun you would have, it was all part of the package.
Today, if you are like most couples with children, your only time alone together is at the end of the day, when the kids are asleep. In my house, we usually pass that time in two very unromantic ways: either we tackle household chores, side by side (so I make the week’s lunches while my husband picks up the kids’ toys in the living room) or we sit down together on the couch to watch our favorite TV shows. (more…)
by Monika Briggs | Jan 24, 2018 | SOUP, things to EAT |
To continue the soup topic from yesterday, I thought I would share my broccoli soup recipe… because it is DELICIOUS and SO EASY and an absolute favorite.
Now, my broccoli soup is no ordinary soup. It is super easy to make, healthy and nutritious, and absolutely beloved by children and adults alike. Let me start by saying that my 5-year-old son HATES broccoli. There is seriously no way I can convince him to put broccoli in his mouth and try it (he has tried it, it is disgusting). Sadly, my toddler will not eat broccoli either, despite it’s gorgeous color and resemblance to trees. And yet, despite this widespread aversion for broccoli, the most beloved soup in my household is broccoli soup. The kids come downstairs for dinner and whoop in delight every time I make it, and I make it often. This is the one dish that pleases absolutely everyone in my house – no complaining, no dawdling. They all gobble it up and ask for more… including me. I love that it is essentially a puree of veggies – full of goodness, low on calories. Try it for yourself, you will not be sorry you did. (more…)
by Monika Briggs | Jan 23, 2018 | SOUP, things to EAT |
I grew up in Poland, a place where dinner is always a two-course affair, and the first course is always soup. Knowing what little I know of Polish history, I can conjecture that this tradition of soup as starter has humble beginnings. Way back when, when winters were bitterly cold and food was scarce, soup was a way to extend a few simple ingredients, to add water and make them more. But even today, when our homes are warm and we can buy any ingredient regardless of the temperature outside, soup remains delicious and warming and comforting. (more…)
