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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Members' Nights at the Missouri Botanical Garden

I just discovered something HUGE at the Missouri Botanical Garden - Members' Nights!  On Tuesday nights through August 27, 2013 the Garden is open from 5–8 pm for members only.  The best part is that the Children's Garden is open from 5-7 pm and it's FREE!  Even better - there were only 5 families in the entire Children's Garden.  We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.  Apparently, very few people have discovered this little gem!

There is usually a line at this slide.

Crossing the rope bridge

 The best part was the spray ground - perfect on a hot night.

 Next time we'll bring a swimsuit or a change of clothes.


Sidney thinks she's got it all figured out...
 Whoops!
 Surprise!

Cafe Flora Wine Bar is also serving small plates, drinks and desserts.  And the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will be on Linnean Plaza ready to provide chess instruction for anyone wanting to learn.

I wish we had discovered this earlier in the summer.  There are only 4 Tuesday's left.  If you're a member of the Garden, be sure to check it out!

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Monday, July 29, 2013

How To Stop Nursing

I hope I'm not sharing too much personal information, but I recently stopped nursing.  I don't know how, but somehow I forgot how painful it is to dry up your milk supply.  It was bad - just ask Tim.  For a couple of days I was MEAN.  I had read that I'd be in pain for about 48 hours (which was pretty accurate) so I chose a Saturday and Sunday when I knew Tim would be around to help with the girls, especially Clara.  It was very painful to hold her.  

On Monday, I was feeling much better (not 100% but well enough) so I took the girls to the History Museum for arts and crafts.  Afterwards we went to Ted Drewes and I brought some home for Tim.  He asked if I bought it for him because I'd been so mean to him the past couple of days!  Next time I looked in the freezer I saw this:

That is not my handwriting.  Tim calls this his "Apology Cream".

Anyway, I thought I'd share some tips with you to help ease the pain of drying up your milk supply.  I'm not going to lie to you ladies, it hurts and there's not much you can do about it. You'll likely be in pain for about 48 hours assuming there are no complications.  Here you go:

1.  Ween - Don't just stop cold turkey.  This can lead to complications (see below).
2.  Wear a comfy bra and nursing pads even when sleeping.  You don't want to bind your breasts.  This can also lead to complications (see below).  I wore this nursing bra that I bought at Mimi Maternity through all three of my kids.  I know it's not at all sexy but it's very comfy, especially at night.
3.  Motrin and lots of it.
4.  Warm shower but don't stimulate your milk to let down.  Sometimes I wore my bra in the shower to avoid a let down.
5.  Use a cold compress or frozen vegetables
6.  Drink lots of water. If you become dehydrated, you will actually start producing more milk, and your discomfort will increase.
7.  Sleep with pillow support.  Sleeping is the hardest because no position feels comfortable.  If you use a pillow (or several) you can get some relief.

And these are a couple of unverified home remedies:
1.  Apply cold cabbage leaves to your breast.
2.  Drink sage tea

Possible Complications:
If you start running a fever or have flu-like symptoms, contact your doctor as it may be mastitis or plugged ducts. Mastitis and plugged ducts can be caused by:
- Binding your breasts (wear a comfortable bra)
- Not weaning properly
- Breast infection

Hang in there ladies!

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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Weekend Wish List: July 26-28, 2013

I'm so sad that July is almost over.  This summer is going by way too fast.  I hope you can find something fun to do this weekend.  If you have older kids (10+), Go Ape just opened in Creve Coeur Park.

FRIDAY, JULY 26th
St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival - See website for showtimes and locations

Farmers Markets

Prairie Farms Summer Zoo Weekends: Friday - Sunday @ 8am - 7pm

Picture Book Walk at Quail Ridge Park @ 8am - Dusk

The Stork Lady Baby & Kids Consignment Sale at 125 Kenrick Plaza @ 9am - 7pm

National Zookeeper Week at the St. Louis Zoo @ 9:30am - 12pm

St. Charles County Fair at Rotary Park in Wentzville, MO @ 10am

Pick Your Own Peaches & Blackberries at Eckert's Belleville Farm @ 8am - 7pm

Pick Your Own Peaches & Blackberries at Eckert's Grafton Farm @ 9am - 5pm

Marvin's Musical Revue at Bob Kramer's Marionnette Theatre @ 10am and 1pm

Storytelling and Crafts at the Missouri History Museum @ 10:30am

Hot Dog Days in Kirkwood at Meacham Memorial Park @ 11:30am -  1:00pm

Jungle Boogie Friday Night Concert Series at the Zoo @ 5pm - 8pm

Sunset Fridays Concert Series at Lakeside Park in St. Peters @ 6:30pm

Family Night Hike Adventure at Shaw Nature Reserve @ 6:30pm - 9pm

Hula-pool-ooza at The Heights @ 7pm - 9pm

Outdoor Film Series on Art Hill Plaza @ 7pm

Live Music at the Boathouse @ 7pm - 11pm

Summer Concert Fest at Eckert's (Belleville) @ 7pm - 9pm

Citywalk Concert Series at Ferguson Citywalk @ 7pm - 9pm

The Music Man at the Alton Little Theater @ 7:30pm

Starlight Movie Series at Eureka City Hall @ 7:45pm

The Wiz at the St Louis Black Repertory @ 8pm

Oklahoma! at The Ivory Theater @ 8pm

Mary Poppins at The Muny @ 8:15pm

Skyview Drive-In Movie Theater

SATURDAY, JULY 27th
St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival - See website for showtimes and locations

Farmers Markets

Prairie Farms Summer Zoo Weekends: Friday - Sunday @ 8am - 7pm

Picture Book Walk at Quail Ridge Park @ 8am - Dusk

Pick Your Own Peaches & Blackberries at Eckert's Belleville Farm @ 8am - 7pm

Pick Your Own Peaches & Blackberries at Eckert's Grafton Farm @ 9am - 5pm

St. Charles County Fair at Rotary Park in Wentzville, MO @ 9am

Family Food Saturdays at the MO Botanical Garden @ 9am - 4pm

National Zookeeper Week at the St. Louis Zoo @ 9:30am - 12pm

Purina Farms Summer Sieger International Dog Show at The Great Hall at Purina Farms @ 9:30am - 4pm

Lowe's Build & Grow Kids Workshop @ 10am

Marvin's Musical Revue at Bob Kramer's Marionnette Theatre @ 10am and 1pm

The Stork Lady Baby & Kids Consignment Sale at 125 Kenrick Plaza @ 10am - 3pm

Delta Dental Health Theatre Summer Fun Health Series @ 11am - 1:30pm

Shiver Me Timbers Towboat Festival at the Grafton Harbor @ 11am - 4pm

Professional Bull Riding Family Event at Bass Pro Shop @ 12pm - 4pm

Live Music at Missouri Wineries in Augusta @ 1pm - 5pm

The Wiz at the St Louis Black Repertory @ 2pm and 8pm

Making Music Series in Kirkwood Park @ 7pm

Summer Concert Fest at Eckert's (Belleville) @ 7pm - 9pm

The Music Man at the Alton Little Theater @ 7:30pm

Oklahoma! at The Ivory Theater @ 8pm

Mary Poppins at The Muny @ 8:15pm

Movies in the Park at Edwardsville City Park @ 8:25pm

Skyview Drive-In Movie Theater

SUNDAY, JULY 28th
St. Louis International Children’s Film Festival - See website for showtimes and locations

Farmers Markets

Prairie Farms Summer Zoo Weekends: Friday - Sunday @ 8am - 7pm

Picture Book Walk at Quail Ridge Park @ 8am - Dusk

Pick Your Own Peaches & Blackberries at Eckert's Belleville Farm @ 8am - 7pm

Pick Your Own Peaches & Blackberries at Eckert's Grafton Farm @ 9am - 5pm

Purina Farms Summer Sieger International Dog Show at The Great Hall at Purina Farms @ 9:30am - 4pm

Wabash Frisco and Pacific Railroad @ 11am - 4:15pm

Shiver Me Timbers Towboat Festival at the Grafton Harbor @ 11am - 4pm

Professional Bull Riding Family Event at Bass Pro Shop @ 12pm - 4pm

Family Sundays at St. Louis Art Museum @ 1pm - 4pm

Marvin's Musical Revue at Bob Kramer's Marionnette Theatre @ 1pm

Live Music at Missouri Wineries in Augusta @ 1pm - 5pm

Lowe's Build & Grow Kids Workshop @ 2pm

The Wiz at the St Louis Black Repertory @ 2pm

The Music Man at the Alton Little Theater @ 2pm

Oklahoma! at The Ivory Theater @ 2pm

Musical Nights in Oak Knoll Park @ 5pm - 7pm

River City Rascals vs. Slammers @ 6:05pm

Gateway Grizzlies vs. Frontier Greys @ 6:05pm

Mary Poppins at The Muny @ 8:15pm

Skyview Drive-In Movie Theater


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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Chandler Hill Vineyards


The girls are finally getting to an age where we can take them to restaurants.  Don't be confused - Tim and I aren't kicked back enjoying a meaningful conversation and an adult beverage while our kids eat their food and color quietly on a paper table cloth.  It's a lot of work.  There are coloring books, crayons and stickers strewn all over the table requiring us to sit a table much larger than necessary for a family of five.  The floor surrounding our table is covered with food and it's not uncommon for a cup of water to be spilled.  Tim and I usually eat at separate times while the other is feeding/holding Clara.  I'm sure the servers LOVE us.  We are sure to leave a good tip.

For the longest time we never took the girls to restaurants because it was just such a spectacle and so much work.  But now, my desire to not cook trumps almost everything.

Recently, we ate lunch with the girls at Chandler Hill Vineyards.  They have live music on their patio on the weekends and a small farmer's market on Sundays.




The live music was a lot of fun for the girls.  I love that kids are totally uninhibited in public (except when they're throwing a temper tantrum in public - I don't love that).  Even Clara sat in her stroller and listened to the band.  And I should add that the food is amazing!  

After lunch we walked to the farmer's market which is next to the vineyard.  After bee-lining for the fresh-baked cookie booth, the girls headed to the vineyards and took off running.





It was a really fun afternoon that I highly recommend!  Missouri Wine Country is a great website for searching the wineries near you.

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Monday, July 22, 2013

Grilled Goat Cheese & Cucumber Sandwich

We have had a lot of rain this summer.  We planted our garden at the end of May - eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes, basil, cilantro and sage - and it has grown amazingly well without much help from us!

This is what it looked like right after we planted everything:

We barely watered it because it rained so much:

Then on July 4th we came back to check on it and this is what it looked like:
!!!!!!

There were already FIVE full grown cucumbers ready to be picked:

The easiest yummy thing to do with cucumber is add it to ice water.  It makes it so much easier to drink water throughout the day when it tastes so good.



I could never drink enough cucumber water before they all went bad so I found some new recipes to try out.  My favorite was the Grilled Goat Cheese & Cucumber Sandwich.

Ingredients:
Sourdough bread (or your bread of choice)
1 small package plain goat cheese — leave this out for an hour or so to reach room temperature
1 cucumber
Olive oil

Instructions:
1.  Slice the bread about 1/2" thick.

2.  Cut the cucumber into 1/8" slices.

3.  Heat a skillet over the stove — first at high heat to get the pan very hot, but then reduce the flame all the way to low.
4.  Using a pastry brush, lightly coat one side of each slice of bread.

5.  Spread a healthy layer of goat cheese on the dry side of the bottom slice and a thin layer on the dry side of the top slice.

6.  Arrange your cucumber slices on top of the goat cheese on one slice of bread.

7.  Place the first half of your sandwich on the skillet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if you like.  Our cheese was a "three pepper blend" so I didn't add any additional.



8.  Place the top slice of bread on top (cheese side down) and let it sit on the stove for about five minutes — make sure your heat is LOW.
9.  Use a spatula to lift the bottom slice — if it’s nice and golden, go ahead and flip your sandwich.

10.  Let that side sit for four to five minutes.  When the second side is just as golden, go ahead and remove the sandwich from the pan. 
11.  Slice and serve!

This makes a great summer sandwich!

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Weekend Wish List: July 19-21, 2013

Hope you all have a great weekend!  There is plenty of fun things to pick from.  It is supposed to be hot and sunny on Friday but there is a chance of rain on Saturday and maybe Sunday too.  At least the clouds will give us a break from the heat!

FRIDAY, JULY 19th
Farmers Markets

Prairie Farms Summer Zoo Weekends: Friday - Sunday @ 8am - 7pm

Pick Your Own Blackberries at Eckert's Belleville Farm @ 8am - 12pm

Picture Book Walk at Quail Ridge Park @ 8am - Dusk

Pick Your Own Blackberries at Eckert's Grafton Farm @ 9am - 5pm

Marvin's Musical Revue at Bob Kramer's Marionnette Theatre @ 10am and 1pm

Storytelling and Crafts at the Missouri History Museum @ 10:30am

Hot Dog Days in Kirkwood at Fillmore Park @ 11:30am -  1:00pm

Free Summer Concert at Citygarden @ 11:45am - 12:45pm

Jungle Boogie Friday Night Concert Series at the Zoo @ 5pm - 8pm

Emerson Free Family Night at The Magic House @ 5:30pm - 9pm

Summer Party for Kids at the Youth Activity Center in Clayton @ 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Third Friday Free Party at Third Degree Glass Factory @ 6pm - 10pm

Sunset Fridays Concert Series at Lakeside Park in St. Peters @ 6:30pm

Outdoor Film Series on Art Hill Plaza @ 7pm

Charlotte's Web at Nerinx Hall @ 7pm

Live Music at the Boathouse @ 7pm - 11pm

Summer Concert Fest at Eckert's (Belleville) @ 7pm - 9pm

River City Rascals vs. Florence Freedom @ 7:05pm

Gateway Grizzlies vs. Lake Erie Crushers @ 7:05pm

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres @ 7:15pm

The Music Man at the Alton Little Theater @ 7:30pm

Oklahoma! at The Ivory Theater @ 8pm

Celebrate St. Louis Summer Concerts at Soldiers Memorial @ 8pm

Movie Night in the Park in Sykes Field at Wilson Park @ 8pm

Movie Mania at the Lake at Town & Country Crossing @ 8pm

Dive-In Movie at the Lodge of Des Peres @ 8:30pm - 10:30pm

Skyview Drive-In Movie Theater

SATURDAY, JULY 20th
Farmers Markets

Prairie Farms Summer Zoo Weekends: Friday - Sunday @ 8am - 7pm

Picture Book Walk at Quail Ridge Park @ 8am - Dusk

Pick Your Own Peaches at Eckert's Belleville Farm @ 8am - 6:30pm

Pick Your Own Blackberries at Eckert's Grafton Farm @ 9am - 5pm

Family Food Saturdays at the MO Botanical Garden @ 9am - 4pm

Marvin's Musical Revue at Bob Kramer's Marionnette Theatre @ 10am and 1pm

Pet-A-Palooza at Purina Farms @ 10am - 4pm

Bug Hunt at The Butterfly House @ 11am - 2pm

Delta Dental Health Theatre Summer Fun Health Series @ 11am - 1:30pm

Charlotte's Web at Nerinx Hall @ 11am and 2pm

Foodology Family Food Saturdays at the Botanical Garden @ 1pm - 3pm

Live Music at Missouri Wineries in Augusta @ 1pm - 5pm

Alton Block Party in Downtown Alton @ 4pm - 10pm

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres @ 6:15pm

Summer Concert Fest at Eckert's (Belleville) @ 7pm - 9pm

River City Rascals vs. Florence Freedom @ 7:05pm

Gateway Grizzlies vs. Lake Erie Crushers @ 7:05pm

The Music Man at the Alton Little Theater @ 7:30pm

Fenton Flick N' Float Movie at RiverChase @ 7:45pm - 10pm

Oklahoma! at The Ivory Theater @ 8pm

Celebrate St. Louis Summer Concerts at Soldiers Memorial @ 8pm

Chesterfield City Park Amphitheater Concert Series @ 8pm

Skyview Drive-In Movie Theater

SUNDAY, JULY 21st
Farmers Markets

Prairie Farms Summer Zoo Weekends: Friday - Sunday @ 8am - 7pm

Picture Book Walk at Quail Ridge Park @ 8am - Dusk

Pick Your Own Peaches at Eckert's Belleville Farm @ 8am - 6:30pm

Pick Your Own Blackberries at Eckert's Grafton Farm @ 9am - 5pm

Wabash Frisco and Pacific Railroad @ 11am - 4:15pm

Bug Hunt at The Butterfly House @ 11am - 2pm

Charlotte's Web at Nerinx Hall @ 11am and 2pm

Shipwrecked Pirate Day and the 4th Annual Cardboard Boat Race at Alligator's Creek Aquatic Center @ 12pm - 7pm

Family Sundays at St. Louis Art Museum @ 1pm - 4pm

Marvin's Musical Revue at Bob Kramer's Marionnette Theatre @ 1pm

Live Music at Missouri Wineries in Augusta @ 1pm - 5pm

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres @ 1:15pm

The Music Man at the Alton Little Theater @ 2pm

Oklahoma! at The Ivory Theater @ 2pm

River City Rascals vs. Florence Freedom @ 6:05pm

Gateway Grizzlies vs. Lake Erie Crushers @ 6:05pm

Dive-In Movie at Alligator's Creek Aquatic Center @ 8:30pm - 10pm

Skyview Drive-In Movie Theater


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