SIX

Ava, my first baby, my "tax day baby".  So appropriate for two CPA parents.  The day I met you I was forever changed.  My priorities, my obligations, my responsibilities all became focused on you.  Six whole years is so many yet so few at the same time.  You've changed so much in six years, especially over this past year, and I am so proud of the girl you are becoming.  A wonderful big sister, always ready to organize an activity.  A responsible and reliable daughter, such a big help around the house.  A great friend, someone who can be silly and compassionate.  Nothing makes me happier than to see you run towards school in the morning, so excited for the day.  But I have to admit that I'm pretty excited to have you all to myself this summer!  Love you my Nooch!

Happy 6th Birthday!

Eggstravaganza at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Days like this past Saturday are hard to come by lately in St. Louis.  It was sunny and warm. No coats, no umbrellas, all you needed was an Easter basket.

We spent the morning at Eggstravaganza at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  If you're a member of the Garden and you have little ones, you can't miss this event.  Not only do you get to attend a great Easter egg hunt, but the Children's Garden is open (and free for egg hunters)!  This is our second year attending and our girls have the best time. Here are some pictures from our day:

Pics with the Easter Bunny

Pics with real bunnies!

Each child got to find 10 eggs.

There were plenty of eggs to chose from...

... or you could find leaves instead.

Most eggs had candy inside but some had a ticket that could be redeemed for a prize.

And now we're ready to play in the Children's Garden for the first time this year.

Clara multi-tasking

Happy Easter!

If you're still looking for Easter activities, here is a list events in St. Louis on 
Saturday, April 19th:

- St. Mark Presbyterian Church Bunny Breakfast & Egg Hunt @ 9am - 11:30am in Ballwin ($4/child; $6/adult)

- Salem Church Breakfast with the Bunny @ 9am - 10:30am in Ladue ($3/child; $5/adult)

- Eckert's Annual Egg Hunt @ 10am - 2pm in Belleville ($10/child)

- Easter Eggstravaganza @ 10am - 11am in Hazelwood (FREE)

- Get Hopping Easter Egg Hunt @ 10am in Des Peres Park (FREE)

- Six Flags Egg-cellent Easter Egg Hunt @ 10am - 10:30am in Eureka (Free with admission)

- YMCA Easter Egg Hunt & Activities @ 10:30am - 1pm in Ferguson (FREE)

- Left Bank Books Storytime Easter Egg Hunt @ 10:30am - 12pm in Downtown (FREE)

- Visit with the Easter Bunny at Whole Foods Market @ 12pm - 2pm in Town & Country (FREE) 

- Gold Farm 1st Annual Egg Hunt @ 1:30pm - 6pm in Wildwood (FREE)

- Meet and Eat with the Easter Bunny @2pm - 5pm in Forest Park ($7-$10/child; adults free with paid child)

- Egg Drop STL @ 3pm in Chesterfield (FREE)

Also, this is the last day to visit the Easter Bunny at the malls around St. Louis.  

The Results of my "Day of No Sugar" Challenge

When I was a kid I remember my mom saying she couldn't drink caffeine except in the morning or it would keep her up all night.  She also couldn't eat a big dessert in the daytime or she'd feel tired all day.  {I wonder what would happen if she ate a big dessert in the middle of the day with a big can of soda?}  As a kid, I didn't understand.  I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and it didn't affect my energy.

Now that I'm old-er, I feel the effects of what I consume daily.  At first I thought I was tired all the time because I had little ones to care for all day and night.  My day-to-day activities as a stay at home mom are much more labor intensive than my previous desk job. While this probably does contribute to my tired state, I now realize that my eating habits, which changed after I had kids, are probably also to blame.

Before I had kids I was very conscious of what I ate.  I had a quick, healthy breakfast in the morning before I headed out to work.  I generally packed a healthy lunch that I brought to work.  And for dinner I'd either get take outs (not particularly healthy), eat cereal (not great but better than take outs), or my husband cooked a healthy meal (a BIG thank you goes out to my father-in-law for being the cook in their family and setting a good example for my husband!).  I was always aware of my calories - even if I was blowing it - and tried to make good choices when it came to meals.

Then I had kids and became a stay at home mom.  If I'm not in my car, I'm in the kitchen. That's pretty much what I do all day.  Go from my car to the kitchen over and over and over again.  You'd think that with all that time in the kitchen I'd make myself a decent meal.  But it hasn't worked like that.  I find myself eating bits of food here and there as I prepare a meal for my kids - staving off the hunger until I can find time to eat again. I've become less conscious of what I eat day-to-day. My gauge for how I'm doing is how tight jeans fit.

The truth is that my kids are healthier eaters than I am because I still control what they eat. I hold them to a higher standard of healthy eating than I hold myself.  Very hypocritical.  I always tell my husband that it would be great if one of our girls ended world hunger, but at the end of the day I just want them to be healthy.  For me, healthy = happy.

When I read about the "Day of No Sugar" challenge I knew that I needed to make changes in my eating habits and I was ready.  This was a great opportunity to say "today is the day". While I may make it sound easy, it wasn't.  I was very nervous.  No sugar?  What will I eat all day?  As I looked through my fridge and pantry, I was amazed at how much stuff (especially the pantry stuff) contained sugar.  I was not well prepared and I was being tempted everywhere I went.  I honestly saw this car on the day I couldn't eat sugar!

But I made it through the day and was very surprised to find that I was never very hungry or tired!  Here's what I ate:

Breakfast:
- Banana
- 1/2 apple (left over from making Ava's school lunch)
- Larabar (Chocolate Coconut Chew)
- water

Lunch-ish: (I ate these things over the course of a few hours)
- Bowl of Fiber One cereal (I actually like this stuff!) and skim milk
- Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits (yum! these are good!)
- Cantaloupe
- Mixed nuts
- water

Dinner:
- Omelette with onions, peppers, tomatoes and avocado
- Banana
- water

I normally drink coffee but I didn't have the chance to make it so I didn't have any caffeine all day and I still felt great; never tired!  It helped that the weather yesterday was BEAUTIFUL which meant I was outside with my kids most of the day (and not in the kitchen tempted by food).

While I don't plan to give up sugar entirely (I'm doing major research on how to re-create the Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie), I do plan to make some healthy changes to my diet and be more aware of the foods I eat.  I owe to myself and my family to take care of myself and I'm so thankful for the "Day of No Sugar" challenge.  It has been a great kick-start for me.

Easter Tree Salt Dough Ornaments

With Sidney's birthday in March and Ava's in April, I'm usually too burned out to decorate for Easter.  But the girls insist that there be some decorative acknowledgment that Easter is coming.  They love to party.

My bare minimum decorations seem to satisfy their needs.

There's this:

And this:

Mixed with a few leftover birthday party decorations, this should be enough, right?

During one of the many thunderstorms that we had recently, I caved and did an Easter craft with the girls.

The girls really liked making salt dough ornaments at Christmas so I dug through my cookie cutters and found some Easter-y ones we could use.

I didn't have an oval cookie cutter.  So instead I used the round plastic cup that measures out laundry detergent and squeezed it into an oval shape to make Easter eggs.

Here's what you need to make Easter ornaments:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup table salt
7 Tbsp water
Parchment paper
Cookie cutters
Rolling pin
Drinking straw
Paint
Twine or ribbon

Yield: ~20 ornaments

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix together flour, salt and water and knead with your hands until combined, about 2 minutes.
3. Roll out the dough on parchment paper to ~ 1/4 inch thick and press cookie cutters into dough.
4. Use a drinking straw to poke holes in the ornaments (this is where the twine or ribbon will go).

5. Place the ornaments on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until golden.

6. Wait for the ornaments to cool and then paint as desired.  We painted both sides of the ornaments using outdoor paint or washable glitter paint.

7.  The outdoor paint coated the ornaments better (see pink egg below right) but the girls love their glitter paint and didn't seem to mind how it turned out (see green glitter cross below left).

7. When dry, thread twine or ribbon through the hole and hang on your Easter tree. 

The girls' Easter trees have not moved from their spots at the kitchen table (where Clara cannot reach them!).  They are so proud of their Easter decorations!
PS - If you need a good Easter treat, try these:

YUM!!

Challenge Accepted

Are you ready for a challenge?

On April 9th, Eve O. Schaub, author of Year of No Sugar: A Memoir, is challenging others to take the "Day of No Sugar" Challenge. That means not consuming any foods or drinks that contain any additive sweeteners such as table sugar, honey, molasses, maple syrup, agave, fruit juice, fake sugar or sugar alcohols.

I read an article about her experience and I have to say I'm curious.  I feel tired all the time and I've come with a lot of excuses:
- I have 3 young kids.
- Taking care of kids all day is pretty labor intensive.
- I need to go to bed earlier at night.
- I could afford to eat more healthy.
- I don't exercise like I should.

I like to think that I am health-conscious and make efforts to eat healthy foods.  But I certainly enjoy treats!  I don't think I could deprive myself of sugary treats forever, but I'm curious if I'd see changes if I reduced my sugar intake.  If Eve O. Schaub and her family could do this for A YEAR, I can certainly do this for a day, right?  We'll see I guess!

I just found out about this challenge as I type this so I don't have a well thought-out food plan for April 9th. But I thought I'd share it with you in case anyone else wants to take the "Day of No Sugar" challenge with me.  And if you have any food suggestions, please share!  Otherwise, I'll be eating omelettes and fruit all day!

Update: See my results here!

A - Z Guide for Summer Fun in St. Louis -- 2014 Edition

I'm overwhelmed at the attention my St. Louis Summer Fun Guide posts have received!  It just goes to show that after a long, cold, snowy winter, we are all ready to get out and enjoy a fun summer in St. Louis!  Be sure to check back throughout the summer.  I'll be featuring some of the locations below in my "STL 250 Cake Quest" series.

A
ABC Chefs Cooking Academy – Lots of fun summer cooking camps for kids.
Amtrak Trip – Kids love trains!  Start at the Kirkwood station and take a day trip.  The train stops in Washington, MO, Jefferson City, MO, Lee's Summit, MO, Independence, MO and Kansas City, MO.
Arch – In addition to going to the top of the Arch, the website offers lots of other fun things to do around the Arch grounds.
Art Fairs – The St. Louis African Arts Festival will be held at the World's Fair Pavilion May 25-27.  Art&Air is scheduled for June 6-8 in Webster Groves.  Let them Eat Art is scheduled for July 11th in Maplewood.  The St. Louis Art Fair and Art Outside will be held the first weekend in September.
Art Hill Outdoor Music & Film Series – Come and enjoy free music and movies Fridays in July on Art Hill.
B
Ballpark Village – Check out the Cardinals Hall of Fame & Museum, enjoy some Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and check out Busch-II-Infield for family friendly events and festivals year round.
Big Joel's Safari Petting Zoo – See all types of animals from "wild to mild"
Boathouse Boat Rental – Rent a 4-person paddle boat for $15 an hour.  Also, the boat house has live music most Friday and Saturday nights starting at 7pm throughout the summer.
Bob Kramer's Marionnettes – Get your tickets to see the Summer Follies puppet show.
Boy Scouts – There are lots of great summer camps available.
Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis – Check out their website for summer camp opportunities for kids ages 6-14.
Budweiser Brewery Tour – Everyone is invited (even kids!) to a complimentary tour of the brewery.  Come on Clydesdale Camera Day to get a picture of your family with the Budweiser Clydesdales!
Butterfly House – Come to see the butterflies and check their calendar for special events. The Butterfly House is located in Faust Park with the Carousel and a fun playground.
C
Cardinals at Busch Stadium – Come see a game with the whole family and visit the new Ballpark Village.  Check their website for the special promotions and giveaways.
Cardinals Alumni Kid Clinics – Learn baseball fundamentals the St. Louis Cardinals way! 
Carriage ride at Tower Grove Park – You can rent a 3 0r 4 person carriage and see the park.
Children’s Garden Club – This is a free club focused on getting kids interested in gardening. Click on "Calendar of Events" to see what's going on.
Circus Flora – The circus is in town!  If you have little ones, the one hour Little Top performances at 10am are perfect.  Hurry, it's only here in June!
City Garden – Come on a warm day with a change of clothes and plan to get wet.  Then cool off with a treat from the ice cream truck.
City Museum – The best kids museum in town and it's fun for adults too.
COCA Family Theater Series – Sign up for a summer camp or just enjoy the shows.
Cooking Classes - Schnucks and Dierbergs both offer cooking classes for kids.
Crown Candy Kitchen – Opened in 1913, they are famous for their candy, but also serve lunch and dinner.  They also have the oldest soda fountain in St. Louis!
D
Dramatic License Productions – Now offering plays for kids as well as summer drama camps.
Drive-In Movies @ Skyview – This may be the only drive-in theater left near St. Louis.
E
Eckert’s Farm –  Visit one of their 3 locations to pick your own fruit this summer.
F
Fair St. Louis – Celebrate the Fourth of July in St. Louis!  Sign up for the one mile Family Fun Run to kick off the holiday.
Family Musical Theater – Come see a show with the whole family.
Farmers Markets – Visit one of the many farmers markets around St. Louis for some fresh food straight from the farm.  Click here for a map of farmers markets in your area.
Faust Park – There are lots to do here in the summer including Olden Days of Summer, Historic Village Open House tours, Feast in the Park, Summer Concert Series and the Faust Heritage Festival.  Click here for the 2014 Summer Brochure.
Faust Park’s St. Louis Carousel – This carousel was built in 1920 and nearly lost to a fire in 1963, but it still operates today for $2 a ride.  Also, check the website for special events and summer camps.
Festival of the Little Hills – This festival will be held August 15-17 along Historic Main Street in St. Charles.
Festival of Nations – The festival will be held August 23-24 at Tower Grove Park.
Food Truck Fridays – Bring your picnic blankets to Tower Grove Park and enjoy the food and entertainment with your family.
Fox Theater – The shows continue through the summer, including "The Wizard of Oz" from May 13-18.  You can also take a 1.5 hour backstage tour on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:30am.
Forest Park – Pack a picnic lunch and explore all the park has to offer.
Frisco Train Store - The kids can play with the trains in their free play area while you shop. Be sure to check their calendar for Family Fun Night.
G
Gateway Grizzlies – Come watch a minor league ball game with your family in Illinois.
Girl Scouts – There are lots of summer camp opportunities for Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts.
Grafton Zipline Adventures – 9 zip lines cover 1.75 miles!  Call to reserve your 2 hour tour.
Grant’s Farm – Admission is FREE!  Come see the Budweiser Clydesdale Stables, feed the goats and enjoy complimentary samples of Anheuser-Busch beer (21 and older of course!).
Green Center – Located in Kaufman Park in U City, The Green Center offers classes for kids, guided field trips and summer youth camps.  
H
The Hill – Enjoy the many bakeries and gelaterias as you tour this historic Italian village. You can even play Bocce ball!
Hot Air Balloon Race at Forest Park – The 42nd annual balloon race is September 20th.  And come to Balloon Glow on September 19th to see the inflated balloons up close.  
I
Innsbrook Institute Music Festival – Enjoy Innsbrook and a concert.  The musicians come from all over the US to perform at Innsbrook. 
Innsbrook Summer Camps – Summer camp opportunities are open to kids and grandkids of Innsbrook property owners aged 6-15.
International Children's Film Festival – Check the website for a list of films that will be screened from August 1-10.
J
Jewel Box – Located in Forest Park, the Jewel Box is open after a $3.5M renovation.
K
Katy Trail – Bike the Katy Trail and stop by a winery or two along the way.
Kimmswick Strawberry Festival – Visit Kimmswick for their annual Strawberry Festival on June 7th and 8th.
Kirkwood Peach Festival – Enjoy peach samples from local farmers as well as peach related treats and menu items at Kirkwood Farmers' Market starting at 8am on July 19th.  Check out Kirkwood's Calendar of Events page for more festivals in downtown Kirkwood, such as Mayfest, Tunes at Ten, Summer Concert Series and Sidewalk Sale.
Kirkwood Greentree Festival – The festival will be held September 12-14 in Kirkwood Park. There will also be a parade at 10am on the 13th.
L
Language Camp – French and Spanish language camps are offered for kids ages 5-10.
Laumeier Sculpture Park – Entrance to the park is free and open year round.  Art Fair will be held May 9-11. Also, check out their calendar for a Food Truck Friday schedule.
Lone Elk Park & World Bird Sanctuary – The World Bird Sanctuary is located within Lone Elk Park where you can see bison, turkey, elk, deer and other wildlife.
Lydia Buder Park - Come watch model airplanes take flight.  The park is also located near the World Bird Sanctuary and Lone Elk Park if you have time to visit.
M
Magic House – The first interactive children's museum opened in 1979 and has grown substantially since.  Check their website for special events and free days!
Meramec Caverns – You can take a cave tour or relax on a riverboat among many other things.  They also have a zip line tour.
Missouri Botanical Garden – Visit their website for a list of summer events and classes for kids. From May 24 - September 7 you can see handmade exhibits made with LEGO bricks. And the Whitaker Music Festival continues this summer on Wednesday evenings from June 4 - August 27.  The Children's Garden stays open late on concert days and is free after 5pm.
Missouri History Museum – Check their website for the free Summer Family Fun Series events, including story time, make-and-take workshops, family films and more.
Missouri Wine Country – Most wineries have live music on the weekends starting around 1:00pm - the perfect time to enjoy a picnic lunch with some wine.  Visit Augusta September 19-20 for the 11th Annual Harvest Festival.
Muny Opera – Their summer shows include Billy Elliot, Tarzan, The Addams Family, Seussical and Grease.
Museum of Transportation – Kids 5 and under will love visiting the Creation Station.  You can also explore trains and ride on the Miniature Train.  Check the website for train riding hours.
Myseum - This is like West County's smaller version of the Magic House.
N
The Nest - St. Louis' "stay and play creative cafe" opened in 2013.  They also host birthday parties, mom's groups and baby showers.
O
Old Webster Community Days – Celebrate the Fourth of July in Old Webster.  Visit their website for a schedule of events.
Outdoor Concerts – Outdoor concerts are offered all over St. Louis.  And they are FREE!
Outdoor Summer Movie Series at the Chesterfield Amphitheater – This new amphitheater is showing a free movie each month of the summer.  The 2014 summer movies are: "Planes" (May 30th), "Frozen" (June 13) and "Despicable Me 2"  (July 25).  Movies start at 8pm.
P
Peabody Opera House – Blue Man Group is coming April 25 - 27.  Check their website for other family-friendly events throughout the year.
Pick Your Own Fruit – You can find all the local farms in your area that offer fruit picking.
Piper Palm House Children's Concert Series – Free interactive concerts for kids on Wednesdays at 9:30am.  Click here for their 2014 Calendar of Events.
Play Your Art Out – Hands-on play and crafts using recycled materials.
Playgrounds and Water Parks – This website has a great, comprehensive list of playgrounds and water parks throughout St. Louis with pictures.
Playhouse Productions – Check their website for their summer show schedule.
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center – Explore the interactive exhibits in the Nature Center then hike along the many trails.
Purina Farms – Animal lovers can get up close and personal with barnyard animals and everyday pets.  They also have animal shows.
Q
Queeny Park – There is a fun playground and lots of hiking trails that are paved and good for strollers.
R
Riverboat Rides – Enjoy a guided tour on a replica 19th-century paddle-wheel boat.
River City Rascals – Come watch a fun minor league ball game with your family in O'Fallon. 
RockShow Academy Summer Camp – Check out the website for summer camps for musical kids.
S
Science Center – Fun for kids of all ages and admission is free.
Shakespeare Festival – Henry IV and Henry V will be performed in Forest Park from May 17 - June 15.  Come early for the Green Show at 6:30pm to see musicians, jugglers, singers, crafts artisans, and a 20-minute adaptation of the evening’s mainstage production (except on double feature nights).
Shaw Nature Reserve – The Nature Explore Classroom and the Whitmire Wildflower Garden are perfect for kids.  There are also lots of hiking trails to explore.
The Sheldon – During the summer, The Sheldon has arts and crafts projects for kids in the galleries ($3/child donation).
SLU Summer Camps – There are lots of camps to choose from for kids age Pre-K through high school.
Spraygrounds – Spraygrounds are a fun way to cool off and are great for little ones and big kids. 
St. Louis Art Museum – Summer classes are available for kids ages 3 and up.  Check the website for more family programs.
St. Louis Symphony Family Concerts – The Family Concert series starts back up in September. Check the website for more info on purchasing tickets.
Stages – Purchase tickets to see "Seusiscal Jr." May 9-11 and "Disney's Sleeping Beauty" June 18-29.
STL250 – Celebrate the 250th birthday of St. Louis all year long.  Check out their calendar for upcoming events.  See how many cakes you can find around St. Louis!
Story Time at PBK, the Library and Whole Foods – It's so nice that there are so many options for free story time for kids.
Suson Park and Animal Farm – Farm Fridays start in May from 10am-1pm.  Admission is $8 for kids under 12 (adults free).  Hayrides, pony rides, barn tours and games for kids!
Swim Lessons at the YMCA, Little Fishes Swim School or ASP Kirkwood – Feel more safe with your kids in the pool all summer by enrolling in swim lessons.  I've heard good things about these programs.
T
Taste of Clayton – The event will be held on June 2nd in downtown Clayton and features great food, live music and kids' activities.
Taste of St. Louis – The event will be held September 19-21 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater.  Be sure to visit Kid City!
Ted Drewes – Perfecting frozen custard since 1929.  They just opened their 3rd location in Ballpark Village at Busch Stadium!
The Teacher's Lounge – Check their calendar for storytimes and family events.
U
Union Station – Come celebration National Train Day on May 10th.  Sample fudge from The Fudgery, play mini-golf, visit the Memories Museum or take a ride on a paddle boat.  There is also live music on select Thursday nights.
University City Loop – See the St. Louis Walk of Fame, listen to live music at Blueberry Hill, enjoy a Root Beer Float at Fitz's, browse the shops and enjoy the food.
V
Variety St. Louis – Visit the website for information on camps and events for kids with physical and mental disabilities.
Vintage Baseball – See baseball as it was played in the 1880s as the Perfectos play the St. Louis Brown Stockings.
W
Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Railroad – Take a 30 minute ride on a live steam railroad on Sundays.
Weherenberg Theater Family Summer Series – See 10 great films for $1 each this summer on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10am.
World Aquarium – Explore the wonders of water at the World Aquarium, located within City Museum.
X
XCEL Gymnastics – Lot of fun camps for kids are offered in the summer.
Y
YMCA Book Fair – The 36th annual book fair will be held August 15-20 at the Kennedy Recreation Center.
YMCA Summer Camp – Visit the website for a list of summer camp options for kids.
Z
Zoo – Summer activities include Camp KangaZoo, North Star Summer Zoo Weekends and Jungle Boogie.  Also, the 29th Annual Run/Walk will be held on May 18th.  Kids of all ages can participate.

Click here for your Summer Family Fun Passport too.

Have a fun summer in St. Louis!