Menu Plan Monday - Week of 7/20/09

Wouldn't you know that the week of my returning to menu planning is a short week for me at home.  I'll need to stock the kitchen with easy stuff for the family when I am off to Chicago for BlogHer.

I've got a request for you all - can you help me?  My husband and I are hosting the annual family reunion in a few weeks, and we really need to some ideas for frugal food ideas for large groups.  We will be at a public area, and under a big tent...so items also need to be OK for coolers or slow cookers.  We'd like to consider catering...but this is usually more of a potluck affair.  We have a modest budget for food and related expenses, and will be paying for the use of the event location.  Any ideas or tips for us?  I'd like to include your tips in an upcoming post.  Thanks!

Meals for this week include:

• chicken stir fry with veggies and rice
• beef roast with potatoes and carrots 
• annie's mac and cheese, turkey hot dogs, fresh veggies
  
• leftover buffet
• pizza and salad
  
• chicken nuggets, green beans and onion rings
• breakfast for dinner or maybe even a night of take out!

I've got quite a few recipes bookmarked that I want to try, but this week is just not the time to be messing around.  Mama's gotta pack!

One last note:  Many thanks to Lisa at Peppers & Pollywogs for including my Pirate Party Treat on her great kids party planning site! If you haven't been there yet, you should totally check it out.  All sorts of great ideas, links, photos and even giveaways.

Have a wonderful week and check out a whole mess of menus at the OrgJunkie site for inspiration.

Back to the Basics: Current Kids Meal Toys at McDonalds, Wendys and Burger King

I was feeling a bit reflective today, and was remembering why I started blogging in the first place. 

It's been quite some time since I posted an update of what's out there for the "Big 3" drive thru options here in my area, so I wanted to get back to basics.

Here's what you can find with your Happy Kids Meals this weekend:

McDonalds --TY Teenie Beanie Babies (July 17 - August 13) 30 different toys!  And next up:  American Girl and Lego Racers

Burger King -- Transformers  And next up: GI Joe

Wendy's --Magic Tree House Audiobook CDs ***this is one of our absolute favorite goodies!  Connor and Zachary listen  to one of these before bed each night.***  And next up: FunKeys

The last time the boys convinced me to get fast food a few weeks ago, it was for Transformers at Burger King.  I wasn't impressed, and neither were the boys.  I will lobby for Wendy's next time - this group of audiobooks are different than the batch that was offered last time, and now we have nearly 30 Magic Tree House books to read along with! 

If you have access to any additional information that we can share here at Kids Meal Crowd, especially around the dates these toys are being offered or how to get some samples for giveaways, PLEASE contact me - would love to hear from you!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Printable Weight Watchers Yogurt Coupon

I've heard great things from folks about the Weight Watchers (1 point) Yogurt.  Now I will have to try it!  You can find a coupon for 55 cents off 3 yogurt cups or a multipack here.  Click on the link that says "Act now for a special offer".  I printed mine today and expiration date is 8/9/09.  Click the back button on your browser to print out a second copy.

Stumbled upon this ad while reading an article about Eating Healthy & Organic on $7 a Day. 

Sydney Says: "Pets are People Too!"

My heart sinks when I see news like this.  Sydney's love for all things animal makes me oh so aware of things like this.  Since our cat Bingo disappeared one night last October, she has been especially taken with cats...along with her all-time favorites -- little dogs.

I really must reschedule that Girl Scout troop tour of the Upper Valley Humane Society and follow through on the fundraising/wish list collection.

When we do have the details of the collection in place, I will certainly share that information with you.  In the mean time, here's a little reminder to clip those pet food coupons (check out the Coupons.com banner at the top of the Kids Meal Crowd blog for some printables) and pick up extras for your own local Humane Society or ASPCA.

BlogHer Planning: HELP!

OK, so it finally dawned on me that the BlogHer conference in Chicago is nearly here and I'm totally unprepared.  I *am* registered, but have to call to find a room, book my flight and many, many more supporting details.

I'm going for work (did I ever tell you that I love my job?), but will also be meeting lots of online friends from blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc in "real life" and can't tell you how exciting that is.


What does this BlogHer Conference newbie need to keep in mind?
Bring along?
Dress for Chicago?

Seriously, what passes for a so-called summer here in Northern New England can't possibly what I can expect elsewhere...is it?

I've ordered more business cards from work and hope to have those in time.  Should I just go the Vistaprint route to also bring blog/twitter cards?  Where can I get a card holder?

Do I need a big bag for swag? {AWEsome if yes!}

What parties or side events should I plan to attend?  I'm so behind in thinking about this stuff, am I too late to RSVP? I'll be on my own, so I do want to socialize.

Any blog bling I should be adding?

I don't have a PR package or my stats memorized or anything.  Will that be a negative when speaking with other bloggers or vendors?

I'm going to learn more about what is out there in this big bloggy, social-media world.  I'm curious to see how governments and higher education are using the technology to frame and encourage conversations.  I want to meet inspiring people that I read, and see if they might make good speakers on campus or the right people to lead sessions of our student programs.  I  want to understand the tools out there and practice my face-to-face relationship (aka networking) skills.  Hoping to find new people to connect with in my social media life.  Most of all I want to have fun, and come away with new information and contacts that I can follow up with in the future -- in both my professional and personal lives.  Am I crazy to think I can accomplish all of these objectives? 

Seriously, your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 I don't want to be as out of place as this local in NH today:

Camel climbs Mt. Washington

Thanks in advance!  See you in Chicago.

Pirate Party Treats: Easy to make and great for kids parties

Pirates on Parade!

This was a huge hit at Zachary's 4th birthday party two weeks ago.  I would definitely suggest this easy treat to anyone looking for a crowd pleaser that doesn't take tons of time.  

I must also give credit to Nicole at Planning With Kids, a great blog with lots of ideas I've enjoyed.  I saw her post on creating Milky Way Cars and thought it was just adorable.  But as Zach was having a pirate party, I wanted to be sure to adapt the idea to our needs.

Ingredients:

• Teddy Grahams; I used Honey bears
• Snack size candy bars; I experimented with both 3 Musketeers and Milky Ways, see my tip below
• Pringles Sticks; I used cheese flavor because that was all I could find!
• Mini-Fruit Roll Ups; cut into 1/3 sections, rectangle shape works best - portrait orientation []
• Black icing gel
  

Steps:

1. Take all the candy bars out of the wrappers and put onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
2. Use the black icing gel to create the pirate eye patches on each Teddy Graham.  The best way to do so is to use one dab of gel right from the tip for the patch over the teddy's eye, then use a toothpick with a little more black gel to draw in the string (is that what it is called?  or band?) of the eye patch.
3. Push the Teddy Graham pirates into the candy bar, in the front part of the ship (er, candy bar)
4. Cut two small holes in the Fruit Roll Up (the sail) so you can thread the mast in (the Pringle Stick).  If the sail is sagging, just pinch the fruit roll up a little bit.
5. Very carefully, push the mast and sail into the back part of the ship
6. Show off to your kids!  They should oh and ah and say things like "Mom, you are the best party cooker in the world!" (thanks Zach!)

Tips:

• Next time I do this, I will use all all 3 Musketeers.  They were much easier to push things into without breaking.  The Milky Ways had the caramel or whatever goodness inside and it made it more rigid.
• If you are making this for a summer party, or in a hot and muggy location -- you may want to put the cookie sheet full of pirates in the freezer before displaying them at the party.  The roll ups get a bit sticky and the candy bars get a bit soft in the heat.
• You could certainly adapt this idea to other themes as well, be creative!
• I also used a few pirates and a few of these pirate ships on Zach's cake.  I had enough ships in the freezer so that all the kids got their own with their slice of cake - no fighting.

No need to wait for a special occasion to make these, this would be a fun scout troop activity or family fun on a rainy day. I was able to find most of the ingredients either on sale or had a coupon, so it wasn't very costly.  It didn't take allI that much time - I made them on the morning of the party.  And I have to admit, it was a lot of fun making these.

I'd love to see photos of any variations you try on this.  Please be sure to comment with your link!

President Jim Yong Kim's first day at Dartmouth, July 1, 2009 - Community Welcome

President Jim Yong Kim's first day at Dartmouth, July 1, 2009 - Community Welcome
Originally uploaded by Dartmouth Flickr

I'm really impressed with how quickly these photos have been posted!

This is among my favorites of the set...Three of our Rockefeller Center students speak with President Kim about our sophomore summer activities. Can you see the poster for next week's public program with Anna Post near Caroline? The Jim Collins book, Good to Great, was on our table and that seemed to have been a conversation starter as well.

I'm really glad that I had a chance to introduce myself to the new Dartmouth president, and look forward to what lies ahead for the College on the Hill.

I'd encourage you to flip through the photos, and to read more about President Kim's remarks from the day.

Kids Eat Free at 99 Restaurants + Coupons

We were so happy to hear the the 99 Restaurant chain was offering their "Kids Eat Free" when the Boston Red Sox win the day before. I didn't see an online listing of this offer, but I've seen the sign out at the Lebanon, NH site.  Basically, when the Red Sox win you can go to 99 the next day and for each adult meal purchased you can order a kids meal for free.

Yet another reason to cheer for the Red Sox!

We have yet to take advantage of this offer in 2009, but in 2008 our local 99 let us have the offer on take out as well -- which was just great for those nights that I didn't want to cook, but didn't feel like the family was ready for a night out.

I also wanted to mention that there is a coupon available for use at 99 Restaurants.  You can find it here.  Two printable coupons for $5 off $20 order total, valid 6/22/09 - 8/2/09.  It does say that it is not applicable on alcoholic beverages or on tax/gratuity.  You can not use it with the Kids Eat Free promotion.  They have an E-Club that you can sign up for and get an additional $5 off coupon.  As we tend to eat here once a month or so, the coupons are always welcome.

Do you have a favorite family-friendly eatery? 

President Wright at Fenway Park, June 6, 2009

President Wright at Fenway Park, June 6, 2009
Originally uploaded by Dartmouth Flickr

Wish I could have been at Fenway for Saturday night's game. Not only was it a great outing for Lester, retiring Dartmouth president Wright threw out the first pitch. This is one of my favorite photos of the night.

Wishing all the best to President and Mrs. Wright...and to Tito and the boys.

Check out the full Flickr set for more great photos.  Try to guess what my other two favorites are...leave me a comment with your pick.  Have a great week!

Minor League Baseball - Tuesday Night Ticket Deal

As my girl scout troop gets ready for its big outing this Sunday to Manchester, NH...I wanted to pass along a great deal for frugal family fun.  Thanks to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats baseball team for passing this along. 

KRAFT SINGLES TUESDAY NIGHT TICKETS

 

If you love KRAFT Singles and baseball, your summer just got more fun!  KRAFT Singles is teaming up with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Minor League Baseball™ to take families out to the ballgame this summer. 

 

Through September 1, every Tuesday home game is KRAFT Singles day at the ballpark.  Simply bring a KRAFT Singles package wrapper to the ballpark box office, buy one ticket and get one free from KRAFT Singles. 

 

It's a great way to make a family outing a little more affordable! Ticket offer is subject to availability. Visit kraftsingles.com for details. Ticket offer valid at Tuesday home games through September 1. 

 

Our whole family will be attending along with my Brownie troop and some of the other families to Girl Scout Day at the ballpark.  The earlier part of the outing is a party at Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Mall of NH.  Just basic $10/$12 dollar animals -- we are waiting on our craft kits to make the bear vests.

I'm also hoping to take the family to a few more minor league games this summer:  more NH Fisher Cats, maybe a game in Portland, ME to watch the Sea Dogs, and a family favorite from last summer -- the Futures at Fenway minor league double header in Boston.  This year will feature the AAA Red Sox affiliate (Paw Sox) and AA affiliate Sea Dogs.

 

Do you have a favorite sports-related family outing?  Do you attend minor league baseball games -- and if so, what keeps you coming back?