When my daughter was a baby, I loved to bring her into the kitchen with me every night while I made a nice dinner.  I would dim the lights, pour a glass of wine and watch my baby try to eat her own toes.  It was the highlight of my day.

Then I had another kid.

Things got a little stressful.  I spent a lot of time trying to keep my second child alive and didn’t have a lot of time for leisurely cooking.

I’m ready to get back to the kitchen.

Well, scratch that.  I cook a lot.  I’m a lunch lady now and I’m not talking about your mom’s lunch lady, or even your lunch lady.  I do a lot of real cooking.  Today I made homemade granola to put on top of the strawberry and yogurt parfaits we’re serving tomorrow.  Take that, tater tots!

When I get home I’m tired.  Cooking is the last thing I want to do.  But, come June, I’m going to end my lunch lady career and spend some time in my own kitchen.  I want to have my kids and my husband join me and make it a family affair again.

So, I got to thinking…what better way to restart my culinary plan than to take a cooking class?!  I know! I’ll co-host a cooking class!

That’s right.  I’m taking  my lunch lady skills, incorporating them with luring my husband into the kitchen and my desire to cook for my family again and bringing the whole process to your computer screen.  Here is YOUR invitation:

When: Wednesday, March 16, at 8 p.m. ET

Where: TheMotherhood – here’s the link to the page where the class will be held: http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62137

What: The class I’m co-hosting is called “Cooking with Dad,” and it is hosted by my brother from another mother, Jim Lin, aka BusyDad (The Busy Dad Blog, http://www.busydadblog.com), and my sister from another mister, Shannon, aka Mr Lady (Whiskey in My Sippy Cup, http://www.whiskeyinmysippycup.com). Join us for a fun and hilarious class.  You know, because I’ll be there.

Jim and Shannon will be chatting via live video feed, and the rest of us will be sharing anecdotes and tips for having fun in the kitchen with Dad (and/or the other non-cooks of the family) in the text-based comments below the video!  Don’t miss out on the party!

The class is sponsored by ConAgra and hosted by TheMotherhood.

I hope to see you there!

My other fabulous co-hosts are:

Julie, Angry Julie Monday, http://www.angryjuliemonday.com
Mishelle Lane, Secret Agent Mama, http://secretagentmama.com/blog
Ashley Evans, Schadenfreudette, http://www.schadenfreudette.com
Tanis Miller, Attack of the Redneck Mommy, http://www.theredneckmommy.com
Dan Deguia, Deguia.net, http://www.deguia.net
Lotus Carroll, Sarcastic Mom, http://www.sarcasticmom.com
Melanie Sheridan; Mel, a Dramatic Mommy, http://www.meladramaticmommy.com
PJ Mullen, Real Men Drive Minivans, http://www.pjmullen.com
Robin Sue Joss, Big Red Kitchen, http://www.bigredkitchen.com
Eddie Carroll; Life, One Pixel at a Time, http://onepixelatatime.posterous.com/

Follow

Email

I have a lot of things on my plate. I work two, part-time jobs, I blog, do volunteer work and juggle my children’s sports practices, games, therapy and Scouting activities. I do the laundry, occasionally cook a meal and try my best to keep the house clean . Also, I don’t sleep.

Because I am so busy, I like to be efficient. That means keeping lists (lots of them) and multi-tasking. If I’m on a conference call, I will also be emptying the dishwasher. If I’m sitting in the waiting room at the dentist’s office, I will type a blog post. (This one is brought to you between kid #1’s cleaning and kid #2’s sealants.)

Many years ago, my BFF showed me a new coffee maker she had purchased. It was one of the first single-cup, coffee makers on the market. I was amazed at how she had a steaming, hot cup of coffee ready in seconds, but it seemed too extravagant for me. She has, for nearly a decade, told me that I’m crazy for not owning one.  There is no need to multi-task when you only have to wait about a minute for your coffee.

Now, let’s fast forward to 2009, when my mom purchased a single-cup, coffee maker. This made sense to me. For a single woman, who doesn’t need to make a full pot of coffee, it seemed ideal. Even though I frequently made myself a cup of tea or coffee (and an occasional hot chocolate) when I was visiting her, I still never considered buying one for myself.

When this winter rolled around, I started doing what I always do at this time of year. I retrieved my kettle from its storage shelf so that I could enjoy my green tea, or chai lattes in the evening and more than a few times, I have hit the local coffeehouse for a cup of hot goodness to warm me in the afternoon as I wait for the kids to get out of school.

But, there are a lot of times I boil water, put my tea bag in, then walk away to accomplish a task while it’s soaking, only to return an hour later to find a cold cup of strong tea. Plus, having coffee made by a barista isn’t exactly cheap.  No matter how good my coffee is, it never gets easier to fork out $3.15 for a cup of it. 

So, when Tassimo asked me if I would like to try their Home Brewing System by Bosch, I jumped at the chance. I had heard nothing but good things from my BFF and my mom about having a hot drink ready in seconds. Really, they have done nothing but rave about it.

I hate it when they’re right.

The Tassimo T20 lets you have the drink of your choice in no time at all. It’s so easy that the kids can make their own hot chocolate and I haven’t stopped at the local coffee shop one time since I received it. My husband can enjoy a cup of dark roast, while I enjoy a milder blend and both of us will be sipping away long before our traditional coffee pot would have started dripping.

And, if cappuccino or espresso is your thing, this mighty, little machine can make that too.  To be exact, there are over 40 different beverage and flavor varieties (which, technically, makes my new coffee maker the most diverse single-cupper on the market.  Just sayin’.)

As much as I don’t want to say that my BFF told me so (and has been telling me so for years), I’m going to have to admit it. My Tassimo makes me more efficient. I love it.

And, the best part is that Tassimo wants to give one lucky reader a chance to love it too!

To enter for a chance to win your own Tassimo T20:

1. Leave a comment on this post (make sure you have a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you win).
2. Tweet a link to this contest and leave your tweet URL in a comment here.
3. Blog about this giveaway and leave your blog URL in a comment here.

This contest is open to US residents and ends at 6:00pm EST on 1/7/11.

**Congratulations, Mandibone!  You are the winner!**

Follow

Email

When I was dating my husband, I fell in love with him because he was kind, handsome and funny, but most of all because he had a mean competitive streak.

The two of us would battle against each other each day to see who would be the first to finish the crossword puzzle from our local paper.  It drove him crazy when I beat him.  Often.

Our kids have, naturally, inherited our love of games and the good-natured competition that goes with them.  This was never more evident than when we purchased our Ninendo Wii Video Game Console.

You just haven’t seen a real game until you’ve seen your 76 year old mother bowling against your 11 year old daughter.  Grandma can get a little crazy.

The best part is that we have taken our games off of the dining room table and put them right in the middle of our living room.  We ski, play tennis, fly airplanes, fish and drive race cars and we do it together as a family. 

The kids love the Wii, because it provides constant entertainment.  My husband loves the Wii, because he can occasionally beat our eight year old son at Mario Kart.  I love the Wii, because it keeps everyone moving.

Our latest acquisition is Wii Party.  I love a good party and I wanted to live up to the game’s name, so that’s exactly what we had.  A Wii party!  We invited a few friends and their kids over on Saturday afternoon for some family fun.

First, we needed sustenance.  The pizza went a lot faster than the fruit and veggies though!

We had a TON of laughs creating our Mii characters.  Here, my friend tries to imitate the eyes we gave her before she arrived.



The kids got the party started!



A disco ball and balloons make all parties better!

My son listens for animal sounds during Hide and Hunt.  The Wii Party version of Hide and Seek!  So fun!



The adults enjoy a game of Time Bomb.  They need to work on their skills.  Just sayin’.



Then we handed out trophies!

I can honestly say that we have not had that much fun in a long while!  We had such a great time that our friend sent us an e-mail the next day and said he’s planning a Wii party at his house.  I’m already looking forward to it.  After all, I love a good party.

And, a little, friendly competition.

Follow

Email

My daughter was born premature on December 29, 1998.  She weighed just 2.5 pounds and because she was so fragile, I wasn’t able to hold her in my arms until she was off her respirator two days later.  It was New Year’s Eve.  When I held her that afternoon, I knew the holiday would forever be linked with an amazing memory of cradling my baby for the first time.

Later that night, as the clock approached midnight in the pediatric intensive care unit, my husband and I stood next to our tiny daughter.  We were the only parents on the floor.  As the nurses quietly rang in the New Year at the nurse’s station, my husband and I each reached in and put one hand on our newborn child.  In the other hand, each of us held a glass of sparkling grape juice.  When the countdown to 1999 was complete, we toasted to our little girl.

Every year since then, New Year’s Eve has been a very special celebration for our family.  We make dinner together, then sit down at a candlelit table.  There are usually a couple of lobsters, some steak, veggies, homemade rolls…and there is always a bottle of Welch’s Sparkling Grape Juice. 

In 2002, we had a son who was also premature.  So now, on New Year’s Eve, while the adults are sipping champagne, the two kids have fun drinking bubbly juice from Welch’s in fancy glasses.  We toast to both of them, always remembering the first time we shared this holiday as a family.


That’s my preemie.  She’s not so little any more!

They love the taste!  And, the bubbles!  I love the memories.

Welch’s Sparkling Grape Juice has been helping us celebrate our good fortune for a long time and now BlogHer wants to help you celebrate the holidays by giving one lucky commenter a $100 Visa giftcard!

For a chance to win, simply check out the following drink recipes, leave a comment on this post and tell me which one you would like your family to try (if you don’t sign in with an account, please make sure to leave me a valid e-mail address).

Personally, I like the Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer, because bubbles and cherries!  Oh my! 

Holiday Toasting Cup

Spiced Grape Punch

Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer

After you leave your comment, be sure to check out the eleven other bloggers’ holiday stories for more chances to win!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) Click this link and provide your email address and your response to the sweepstakes prompt

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.  Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.  You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

For Official Rules click here.  Sweepstakes ends 5 PM PST on December 31, 2010.

Good luck and happy holidays from BlogHer, Welch’s and me!

Follow

Email