Don’t miss the Sixth Annual Brenda Ladun 8k/1 mile Conquer Cancer Run
This Saturday, January 30, 2009 at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen at 8 a.m.
Go to active.com to register, keyword search “brenda ladun”
For more information, view the brochure below!
Droolicious Cuisine at BirminghamMommy: Pseudo-Shepherd's Pie
Mommadrool has done it again! She’s concocted a delicious dinner for us to savor on a cold winter’s night. Enjoy!
Mommadrool’s Pseudo-Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients:
1 pound ground sirloin
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package Simply Potatoes Original Mashed Potatoes (in the egg/milk section at the store)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup A1 Steak Sauce
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add olive oil to a skillet and warm over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 8 minutes over medium heat.
2) Add ground sirloin and heat until cooked through, stirring frequently.
3) Stir in peas, Worcestershire sauce, and A1 Steak Sauce and simmer for 6 minutes.
4)Spread meat mixture into the bottom of a glass baking dish.
5) In a bowl, mix potatoes with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Spread potatoe mixture on top of meat. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheddar cheese on the top of casserole.
6) Bake casserole for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
You can find many more droolicious recipes over at Mommadrools blog “Close Encounters of the Drool Kind”
Winner of the "Rookie Moms Handbook" is…
Amanda Bosque! Congratulations Amanda! We’ll be in touch to get your address! Thanks again for entering everyone!
Stylemommy: January Pick
You know one way to make a “so-so” outfit look show-stopping? Statement jewelry – jewelry that makes a statement. This is the easiest way to dress up even a plain-jane t-shirt into a hot-mama outfit in no time. Look for large (or small) pieces that are unique and interesting! Experiment with bold accessories, such as necklaces or cuff bracelets to stand out in the crowd.
*picture courtesy of Chrissie Larkin Jewelry
Going out (sans kiddos) in Birmingham, AL
Legwork, done. Going (and enjoying yourself), up to you…
~Kristine Gresh
Right off the bat and most importantly, you are not going to enjoy yourself if you are feeling guilty. So, shrug off any of it you’re feeling (I mean, you deserve this) and replace it with a fabulous pair of party shoes. Or that little black dress you haven’t worn in a while. Or your favorite jeans. Just put on something that makes you feel great, yet comfortable.
Now, leave the kids with someone you trust and don’t tell them you’ll be home by 10. A night out’s kiss of death is time-checking all night. Plus, some of the best moments tend to happen when you hang out for that third or fourth “last” cocktail or the end-of-the-night pancake stop.
Ok, time to head out the door. But where to go? Believe it or not, there are plenty of options in Birmingham…the challenge can be discovering them. Well, problem solved. Here are a few ideas, depending on what you’re in the mood for. Let’s skip “places to go for dinner” right now and concentrate on other types of night out options…
Let’s begin. Wine bars are a fabulous destination for either a romantic night with the darling husband, or a girls’ night out with a few of your ‘besties’. You can really chat in this setting, catch up on all things…that means kid stuff and non-kid stuff. Remember that opinions on politics and fashion are important too… not just bedtimes and feeding schedules. So, order a glass of wine or champagne, get comfortable and discuss. Check out one of these local establishments:
Wine Loft (2200 1st Ave North) www.wineloftbirmingham.com
Ultra hip, modern, very “louge-y” and open with comfy couches, try their baked brie appetizer – it has a honey and balsamic drizzle and it’s downright splendid.
Wine’d Down (Patton Creek, Hoover) www.wineddown.com
A tad more casual, this place is great for trying a new wine, meeting up with a few friends last minute or grabbing a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.
26 (1210 20th St South) www.twentysix26.com
Sibling restaurant to George Reis’ Ocean (next door) and not ‘technically’ a wine bar, their wine list is fantastic and they have a neat bar where you can sit and chat (great for a group of two or three), whether you’re waiting for a table or not.
Not in the mood for hip? It happens. Want to throw on a sweatshirt and just have a few chilly beers? You need a casual, not-at-all-intimidating bar. Luckily, they are plentiful in the Birmingham area. A few pretty stellar ones are:
J Clyde (1312 Cobb Lane South) www.jclyde.com
Best beer selection and most knowledgeable “beer staff,” this place will immediately make you feel comfortable and relaxed…as will their amazing selection of high-gravity beers.
Jacksons (1831 28th Ave South) www.sohosquare.info/Jackson.php
Jackson’s is a neat neighborhood bar in SoHo Square with a great appetizer menu, especially the buffalo feathers. Bonus: they have two magnificent drink specials (on Sundays bottles of wine are ½ price, on Tuesdays beer and well drinks (from 5pm to close) are ½ price.
Garage Café (2304 Tenth Terrace South) www.garagecafe.us
The courtyard in the back (where you might see gargoyles, chunks of marble, old iron gates) is one of the funkiest spots in the city…and has helped earn the bar national acclaim. Garage Café is extremely laid back (quite possibly the most casual place on this list), and if you’re hungry, they will custom-make you a delicious sandwich. A real find in Birmingham.
All talked out? Just want to hear some great music in a place that seems made for such a thing? Got that covered too. (See, it’s getting harder to say “Oh, I just don’t know where to go in this city…”) Try on these for size:
Bottletree (3719 3rd Ave South) www.thebottletree.com
Specializing in vegetarian and vegan cuisine (but also offering meat!), this place exudes ‘musician’ and ‘artist’ vibes… and brings in some pretty impressive bands, all of whom seem to come back where they’re on tour again. Something is usually going on at Bottle Tree, so check the website…shows have been known to sell out.
Nana Funks (708 29th St South) www.nanafunks.com
A joint in Lakeview that doesn’t get started until most of our kids have been sleeping for hours. Go here to dance. And dance. And dance. Go here because it’s hard to think “carpool” while doing your thing to Jay-Z.
Rogue Tavern (2312 2nd Ave North) www.roguetavern.com
Rogue boasts a great stage, amazing sound system and a contemporary but comfortable feel. Big enough to not feel “squished” but somehow still warm and cozy, their atmosphere seems tailored to listening to music and hanging out. Also, it’s perfect if you have more than a few people in your posse one night.
Ok, chew on those ideas. And here’s one more: when you wake up with that inevitable headache in the morning because you don’t do this every night…hop over to Cosmos in 5 Points [Cosmos (2010 Magnolia Ave) www.cosmossouthside.com] for some brunch and a little “hair of the dog.” Their make-your-own Bloody Mary bar will make you feel better…
Kristine Gresh is a freelance writer and…let’s say “beverage enthusiast…” (and a mom) who’s always on the hunt for fun things to do in Birmingham and beyond… krisgresh@yahoo.com
Shoes For Haiti
Have some shoes your kids have outgrown but are still in great shape? Don’t throw them out! The earthquake victims in Haiti need our help, and this is an easy way for Birmingham moms to lend a hand.
We are all aware of the tragedy that is happening right now in Haiti. If you are one of the many that feel the need to help but don’t know how, don’t know where to start or maybe you don’t have the extra cash laying around to send, we have the scoop on a way you can help and it’s as simple as an old pair of shoes you know you have in your closet or garage.
MyScoop is setting up drop off locations around the city. Shoes can be new or gently worn. If you have a few bucks, check out a local thrift store,
Drop off locations include Manhattan South off Highway 280 in Cahaba Village next to Whole Foods, Gloss Denim Boutique at The Summit, Swank in Mountain Brook Village next to Starbucks, Ivory and White Boutique in Crestline. They will also be collecting this Saturday night at The Alabama Ballet’s Pointe Ball at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Please email info@myscoop.us for more information.
Etiquette Classes for Kids
The Etiquette School of Birmingham will offer a new children’s etiquette course for second through fifth grade students beginning Sunday, January 24 and running through February 28 (just in time for Spring Break!). Consisting of six one-hour classes, the course will include a dinner at an area restaurant. Classes will begin at 2:00 p.m. and should be finished at 3:00 p.m. or shortly thereafter.
This course is for girls and boys and the class size is limited to six students to ensure that each student receives personal attention. The course curriculum includes dining etiquette, phone etiquette, thank you notes, conversation etiquette and making a positive first impression.
Parents interested in registering a child for the classes, should contact the school at etiquetteschool@bellsouth.net. A $50 deposit will be required to hold the space.
For more information, visit www.etiquettebham.com or call the school at 205-222-0932.
Birmingham Moms Crave Consignment.
Consignment season is here. Bam! Right on top of us again. Moms all over the city are scrambling to find wire hangers and are digging themselves out from
beneath the tubs and tubs of baby clothes they’ve been resisting getting rid of for sentimental reasons, but if you’re like me, resistance is futile. The time has come to start tagging those sweet, sweet infant outfits and reclaiming some of that attic space. Tears optional.
If you’ve never participated in a consignment sale, fear not, we have some advice for the novice consignor, maybe our pro’s will even be able to pick up a tip or two as well. We spoke with Kim Meadows of Kids Market and Mom, one of the largest consignment sales here in the Magic City, and she was happy to give us the lowdown on what you need to know to make the sales successful whether your selling or buying.
Kim believes that consignment sales are so popular among Moms with small children because of the fact that children out grow their clothes so fast. Most of the time children grow out of them before they have a chance to even show a little wear and tear. “It is a small way to recoup some money that you have put into every item that we purchase for our children, and the buyer benefits for gently used clothing and items without paying the high prices.” says Meadows.
If this is your first time to contribute, look thoroughly at each item you plan to sell. Items sell best when they are clean, pressed, in style and have a detailed description. Check for stains, buttons, make sure that zippers are zipping and do your homework on recalled items. Meadows suggests putting yourself in the buyers shoes, “would you want to buy something that you couldn’t use or that might cause harm or danger to your children?”
If you’re just shopping, take a laundry basket to put your items in, some people will even tie a belt or rope to the basket so it’s easy to pull along as they shop. I didn’t know this the first time I shopped, and wished I would have had a place to put the items I ended up carrying around for 2 hours. Take a breath and don’t get overwhelmed, just take it one rack at a time. Kim advises having the measurements of the children you are buying for, with most consignment sales, all sales are final. “Remember that these clothes have been worn and washed, be prepared for shrinkage.” Not all size 3T’s will fit like a new 3T.
Most sales offer shopping perks for consignors or volunteers, but each sale is different. Some sales charge a listing fee in addition to the percentage they keep for items sold. The best way to find out what sale is right for you is to check out each website. Look at the dates, the locations, and the fees involved and see what works best with your schedule. We even know some BirminghamMommy’s that are advantageous enough to plan their sales so that “rejects” from their first sale can be included in a sale that starts a little later in the season. Why not? The items are already tagged, it’s worth a shot.
For more information on these sales and a complete list of dates and locations, make sure to check our Mother of all Consignment Sale Lists
What are you waiting for? Get to tagging and get ready to throw some elbows to get those good deals! Happy Consigning!
A PANK and proud of it.
By Amy Whitfield Richardson
I turned 30 this year. Either something you face with great enthusiasm or great hesitation. I can’t say I faced it with the former, but I got used to the idea slowly and somewhat painfully. After all, being a woman reaching this “pivotal age,” used to be quite intimidating if you hadn’t reached a couple of key milestones by the time the big 3-0 came a knocking. Marriage and kids, and preferably in that order, right?
Being a spinster wasn’t part of my hesitation (okay, maybe more like devastation) over turning 30, since I’m not one, having married at age 27. But here I was turning 30 and that mysterious, scary “biological clock” thing wasn’t ticking yet. And now that I’m a few months past the “ripe” age, it’s still all quiet on the fertility front.
And do you want to know a secret? I’m glad!
Now, when I begin to think about the unease with which I approached thirtyhood, I wonder why I felt the way I did. Things are so different than when our mothers became mothers. In fact, according to a recent National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report, in 1970 one in 100 births was among women ages 35 and older, compared with one in 12 in 2006. In that same time period, the average age for first childbirths went up 3.6 years from 21.4 to 25 years old.
Even though statistics from the 2006 U.S. Census Report show that close to as many women ages 15 to 44 do not have kids (44.5 percent) as do, let’s admit it mommies, there’s a lot less love going around in our society for non-moms, whatever the reason for their “non-mom” status may be.
With this inequality on my mind these days, I was thrilled when my sister, BirminghamMommy.com cofounder and wonderful mother of three of my four beautiful nieces, recently introduced me to the new term PANK. Similar to DINK (Dual Income No Kids), PANK, coined by Melanie Notkin, CEO and founder of the successful online community SavyAuntie.com, stands for “Professional Aunt No Kids.”
A PANK herself, Notkin points out that her online community serves and supports the other half of the female population, the “cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids.”
She also notes, “Without kids of their own, aunts have more discretionary time and income than most moms. That’s why they are most likely to indulge themselves and the children in their lives.” (Hey, that’s not a bad thing is it?)
Let the indulging begin. With the holiday season upon us, “professional aunts” like me, will step into foreign territory braving the local Toys R Us store with a Googled list of this year’s hottest toys. At the mall, we’ll confusingly mull over kid clothing sizes in months and years instead of inches and strictly adhere to the “age 3 and up” labels. We want to safely spoil your kids. Let us. We have the chance to be the “favorite” aunt and we don’t want to screw it up.
I was already feeling better about being 30 sans children. After all, I have four nieces and one nephew to spoil (yea for my sister and sister-in-law for taking the pressure off me!). But I feel even better now knowing that there are many other women, excuse me, PANKs out there who love the children in their family to pieces, but just don’t want their own little ones yet (or ever).
Maybe one day, I’ll hear that tick-tock sound ringing in my ears alarming me that my fertility window is closing. And maybe¸ I’ll get off my uterus and do something about it. But until that day, when or if it ever comes, at least I’ll have a lot of great hands-on training, applicable observation, and sweet memories with my nieces and nephew, all gained during my PANKster years.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db21.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160672.php
Couponing Made Easy
by Holly Syx
Do you like to get products for free or really cheap? I sure do. That’s why I use coupons. Coupons are like cash. You can use them at the store to get that grocery total WAAAY down. There is a little strategy involved, but it’s really easy.
Maybe you’ve seen someone in the store, on the internet or the television buying huge amounts of groceries for pennies on the dollar. You can do it too! Let me show you how easy it is.
Here are 5 steps to easy couponing:
1. Change Your Mindset: Many people are like I used to be in thinking that coupons are just not worth the hassle. Who wants to clip all those coupons just to save a measly few dollars? Not me! To save big with coupons you must change your grocery shopping mindset.
Don’t just see what you’re out of & put it on the list. Stock up when items are dirt cheap or free so you don’t ever run out. If you’re out of something & must buy it just get the smallest & cheapest, and wait for the next deal to stock up again. Don’t worry, It will go on sale!!
2.Get your Coupons: If you’re going to start using coupons then you’ll have to gather up some coupons. Where can you get them?
- The largest source of coupons is the weekly Sunday newspaper. There are typically hundreds of dollars worth of coupons inside. I recommend getting at least 2 per week.
- Get them in the store. Look around when you go in the grocery store & purposefully try to find coupons. There are blinkie machines(the little machine that spits out coupons). There are tearpads and peelies stuck to the product.
- Print your coupons. There are several sites like coupons.com, redplum.com,and smartsource.com, and others that always have many coupons to help you save big!!
- Order them. If you see something that’s going to be free or really cheap and you want to stock up you can almost always go online & order what you need. There are several sites to help with that like Ebay, The Coupon Clippers, and Coupons & Things by Dede.
3.Get Organized: There are so many different ways to organize your coupons. Some people use coupon binders with slip in baseball holder type inserts, some use envelopes, and other ways.
Here’s what I do: I get 10 sets of the inserts each week. I do not clip them. I have a file box I use, and when a new week comes along I file them under the date. I only clip then as I need to use them. You’ll also need a coupon organizer of some sort to keep up with all the other non-insert coupons.
4.Get your list together
Get the sales ad for your local grocery store, and look through it making notice of the items that you are interested in. Especially look for items that are buy 1, get 1 free (BOGO), or 10 for $1.00 or 2 for $3.00, etc. Now look through your coupons to see if you have any that match the sales. Chances are that you do.
Don’t want to do all that? Don’t worry, I do it for you over at Saving For Eight at al.com. Just head over there & click on the store category that you want to shop. You’ll find a list of all the hot sale items that week plus coupon matches.
A Full Cup has a great coupon database. You can use it to find out where the coupon you need is located. Just enter the product name in, hit search and there it is!
5.Go shopping
When you’re matching coupons to the sales make sure you note the coupon policy of the store. If they double & to what amount, do price matching, or take competitor’s coupons.
Let me give you an example, One week at Publix their Mott’s Juice was on sale Buy one Get one free with a regular price of 2.59.
That was 2 Juice bottles for $2.59.
I had 2 coupons for “Save $1.00 when you buy 1 Mott’s Juice”.
I purchased 2 bottles, used both coupons and got $1.00 off of each bottle making the price for 2 64 oz bottles of juice only $.59. That’s 30 cents each!!
“But I just don’t have time to do all that work just to save a few bucks…..”
Trust Me…It’s a lot more than just a few bucks. Here are some numbers from previous trips to the Grocery store: One week I got $425.00 worth of groceries for $113.00. another week my total was $43.50 for $237.00 worth of items. The previous week I spent $36.93 on $145.00 worth. And I have all the receipts to show for it. They all included bread, milk, produce, etc…So you see it is WELL worth it!!
Got Questions? Just ask..I’m here to help. You can find me over at Saving For Eight on AL.com, on Facebook, or shoot me a message on Twitter. You can also email me at Savingforeight@live.com
I will also be teaching couponing workshops starting this month in the Birmingham/Jefferson areas. Register now for the Coupons Made Easy Workshop and see how truly easy it is to save lots of $$$ on Groceries.
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