epic photo contest, yo!

once again ian has been entered by his loving mother into the modern bird photo contest.  you can vote for our little guy here.  the winner gets their photo transformed as only modern bird can do it.  i'm not liking our odds so far, but i'm keeping the faith!

besides, how can you not giggle when you see this!?

review & giveaway! dinner revolution!

if you know anything about me, you know i love to cook.  i live for it.  it's my greatest source of relaxation & frustration!  i also tend not to cook a lot of the same things over & over- i always want to try something new.  i do have favorites, but i love being adventurous- always trying something new!  i was so thrilled when i got the opportunity to review & share with you a fabulous new cookbook- dinner revolution.

cooking has become less of a joy & more of a frustration since having ian.  it's hard to cook when you're chasing a baby.  whether it's stopping him from breaking dishes or going through all our cabinets, or having him pull at my leg screaming for me to feed him what i'm attempting to cook- when i can't even get it in the pan!  i tend to go for the complicated when i need to go for the simple.

chef jeff's dinner revolution is full of family friendly recipes (over 200!), with 10 ingredients (or less) and they take 30 minutes or less to prepare (really)!  i wanted to prepare a couple recipes before i shared this with you- and i can't wait to prepare more....  oh, and the simplicity of these dishes means less dishes (to wash).  boy is dave happy about that!

in our house, monday & thursday are pizza/corndogs/easy food night.  i have to work, and don't have time to cook.  i was actually able to make a dinner revolution meal- sit down & eat with my family- and get out the door to work- so much better than the same old frozen pizza.  added bonus- ian ate these meals with us!  we're in the picky toddler stage now- so anything i can get him to eat is points in my book!!

what i made: palak paneer & apricot chicken!  palak paneer:  i've dabbled in indian cooking once or twice before, but i've never made palak paneer.  i've had it as a frozen meal though, so i wasn't expecting much.  well, it was really good- and this was one that really shocked me when ian ate it- dave enjoyed it as well.  plus, it made so much that we had leftovers.  apricot chicken:  sweet chili sauce is a favorite in our house, so i was immediately drawn to this recipe- plus, i seriously couldn't believe that i would be finished making chicken in 20 minutes.  add in a simple side- and i had dinner ready when dave was walking in the door from work!

 (palak paneer with whole wheat naan)

next up in our kitchen:  buffalo chicken & bleu cheese meatloaf, and from there, i can't decide, there are so many delicious options, and if you know me, i'm going to try them all!!

so i know you want a copy of this too!  well, one of you all of you are winners!!!  chef jeff has been gracious enough to allow me to share this cookbook with all of my readers!!  all you have to do is click here for your free copy of dinner revolution!  there's something for everyone in your family in this book and i know you will all find recipes that you love!  i hope that you guys will enjoy it as much as i have!  now get in the kitchen!

baby gourmet winner!

Congratulations to Shannon!  I'll be in touch with you on how to get your prize!!  Enjoy!

petting zoo - and a winner!

the weather has actually started getting to be spring-esque here in illinois, so i have dusted off all my skirts, dresses & sandals and have been trying to spend as much time as possible outdoors!  wednesday, ian & i met friends from our mom/baby group at the randall oaks barnyard zoo for some animal fun and a picnic.

so there aren't really many animals you can "pet" at the petting zoo, but we had a good time seeing the animals and walking through.  it's not too packed with animals, which is good for short attention spans and the price is really good.  ian definitely showed some interest in the animals too.  once we walked through the zoo, we all put out our blankets for a picnic.  ian and i enjoyed a sandwich, homemade potato salad, string cheese and a cookie.  i'm so glad i have such a good eater.  he sat in one spot on the grass and ate all of his food!

after we finished our picnic lunch ian randomly started saying "bye" and not just any bye, it was a mommy bye b\c it was just dripping with southern drawl.  it was more like "baiiiiiii."  he rarely says bye to people (mostly waves), but once he started, i couldn't get him to stop.  he was saying "baiiiii" up until we put him in bed.  hilarious.  i'm definitely glad warmer weather is finally here, because i can't wait for all the things that summer has in store for me and my little guy.  there are plenty of summer adventures to be had!

and congratulations to the winner of the cio prints giveaway.  random.org chose commenter #2-

Jessica B!  What cute products!  I like the ones with little tents. 

Congratulations, Jessica!  Email me to find out how to claim your prize!!  You have until Sunday night.

My 1st Giveaway!- ENDED

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!

I'm so excited to be hosting my very 1st giveaway after nearly 2 years of blogging!!  This weekend i attended Vera Bradley's annual outlet sale.  This is my 3rd year attending- my mother-in-law goes every year- and it's a really fun thing for me & her to do together!  She manages to outspend me every year though- and that's probably a very good thing!  Anyway, they have amazing deals, and with such amazing deals, I couldn't resist picking up something for you guys!  So here's what i'm giving away!

Vera Bradley metal reusable water bottle in Simply Violet. A great alternative to plastic bottles!  

Vera Bradley Shopper Tote.  Sturdy reusable bag!  Stop bringing home grocery store plastic bags!  I'll let you choose which color you want!

Vera Bradley Birdie Wallet

One lucky reader will walk away with ALL of these items! 

So easy to enter (2 ways):

1.  be a follower of my blog via Google Reader or Bloglovin' (required- leave your follower name).  new followers are welcome- but i'd love you to actually read my blog!

and for an additional entry

2.  Tweet, Facebook or Blog about this giveaway (link back to your blog- or leave your twitter name)

make sure you leave a separate comment for each!

I will announce the winner, which i will let random.org choose- on monday or tuesday after we are back from atlanta!  i will stop taking entries sunday @ 11:59 pm.

good luck!!

this giveaway is not sponsored by vera bradley.  i am not affiliated with vera bradley in any way.  the gifts were bought with my own money!

vote for our pic to win!

as you are reading this we are entered into a contest hosted by modern bird studios on their facebook page.  we had ian's 1 year pics made a few weekends ago and i can't wait to share them with you... but for now... here is a preview... this is the photo i chose for the contest...

seriously, he is so cute you'll wanna slap yo mama....

we would really love this picture to be made into a beautiful modern bird piece... and that's where we need your help!!  it's so easy.

1.  like modern bird on facebook
2.  find our little guy's picture and like it!  update:  we're photo #110

easy!!

i'd love you forever if you voted, but i already do...

beautiful boy

so, totally on a whim, we enter ian in a beautiful baby contest b\c a friend suggests it to us.  it's online, there are over 14,000 entrants, it's insanity. plus, only 1 winner gets picked per market (27 total) to move on to the national competition.  i thought it would at least be fun...

well, wouldn't you  know it... HE WON! 

we are now one of 26 finalists for the national beautiful baby contest with a prize of $5,000!!!!  of course, it seems crazy that we beat out so many people, but 26 other babies to beat now seems impossible. 

YOU can help!!

please, please vote for ian if you have the time.  you can vote 1x per day, per email address!! 

help our cutie if you can!!!

vote HERE

piggies in a blanket

so, it's march 9th, and it's finally starting to get warm enough to go outside here. by "warm enough" i sadly mean 40-50 degrees. i'd love to start taking ian out for strolls around the block once it gets slightly warmer, but i worry about him being cold (we have 4 month old snow on the ground still).

so although this wouldn't really work for him now, i totally see it working this fall perhaps, and definitely this spring. what is it? this adorable baby stroller blanket. it's got a pocket for baby's feet so he/she is all cocooned in. it's like a baby snuggie, but with feet, and for your stroller. this is pretty awesome for anywhere you'd be taking your little one outdoors, especially before summer gets here.

i'd like to win one. you can too. just head to Chronicles of a Babywise Mom. you have up to 7 chances to enter. btw, i love this blog. it's saved me from many a baby meltdown.