mommyapolis

Ben had to work on V-Day night so when the boys and I got home from school he had this for us for lunch…

Extra points because I was running a 103.7 fever and we would have had pb&j if it were left to me!

Pinstripes is a new bowling & bocce bistro  that recently  opened in the Centennial Lakes Shopping Area in Edina.  It is located next to The Container Store…  They have 18 bowling lanes and indoor/outdoor bocce courts; a beautiful outdoor patio and fireplace; live music on Friday and Saturday nights, a beautiful view of the skating rink (winter) or p0nd (summer) and you can even rent the “ballroom” for weddings and events!

Their menu seems to have  a wide variety of options, including gluten free, Sunday Brunch, and carry-out.  You can view the menu options online for more information.

Check their website for details on hours, prices and specials.  On Sunday’s after 5pm KIDS ages 12 and under EAT FREE.  On Monday-Friday, from 10am-Noon is Mom & Tots Time; Kids can bowl for $5 and Mom gets to bowl for free! (limit of 4 kids per adult).

Address: 3849 Gallagher Drive: Edina, MN 55435

Phone: 952-835-6440

BULLYING is such a hot topic in our world right now.  It’s a huge problem in schools, neighborhoods, parks, etc..  I often find myself in conversation with friends about how we can “protect” our young ones from bullying.  I’m not sure that we can, but we CERTAINLY can teach them to be respectable, caring young people who do not bully others.  We can make them feel secure, valued and LOVED every day so that they will not feel the need to bully others…  We can talk about how to treat others and lead by example.

A great friend of ours gave us this book and I have recommended it to so many people.  It is about how we all have an invisible bucket that we carry around with us.  We can fill other people’s buckets by saying kind things to them or doing nice things for them.  It also talks about being a “bucket dipper” and how that makes people feel.  It is one of those books that you read and then you find yourself using their language to speak to your children.  My husband and I find ourselves saying “Are you filling his bucket?”   My boys even say “Hey, thanks for filling my bucket” to each other now!  When they draw pictures for Granny they say, “We are filling Granny’s bucket today”… It really is adorable!

Today I went so far as reading this book to my Kindergarten class.  They loved it.  They were giving all sorts of ways to fill buckets, it was so thoughtful!  I also recommended it to our school social worker and she was going to purchase it right away!  Needless to say, I feel it’s a MUST OWN, but you make the call!  Thank you Kai and Ella for giving us such a great gift!

We’ve been busy decorating our house for our “Valentine Brunch” that we are hosting this weekend for some of our best buddies!  We have a “craft cupboard” that, as you can imagine, is more of a craft disaster…  Needless to say my boys invented their own decorations and I think they are absolutely adorable…  Here is what they did….

1.  They dug out some white coffee filters…

2.  They used water paint to paint them all over (similar to what we did for our turkey feathers)

3.  They let them dry and then we cut them into heart shapes!

4.  OF COURSE THEY GLUED SPARKLES (confetti) ALL OVER THEIR HEARTS< WHY WOULDN’T THEY????

5.  We hung them up in all their perfectness…  A craft invented by my preschoolers!

Here is a last minute crowd pleaser for your Super Bowl Bash courtesy of Rachel Ray!  I’ve made it several times and it is very yummy!  Serve it with crackers, carrots, chips, bread etc…

This is for my friends caught in the crazy blizzard that spans across the USA…  Here in Minnesota we were socked with 24 inches of snow back in December but today it is sunny and negative something degrees (I figure after 0 it’s all down hill)…

Here are some quick ideas….

1.  Snow Ice Cream:  Click here for my post on making this yummy treat from the fresh fallen white stuff!

2.  Bowl of Snow:  Click here for a way to play with the snow indoors

3.  Dig out your Sand Toys:  Click here for an easy way to play for hours…

HAVE FUN!

Today the boys and I are getting out our Valentine decorations and beginning to get a little “February Festive”…  This is one of my favorite activities we do all year!  For the first 14 days of February we are going to do one “Love Job” a day. I type out each of the jobs and put them in the jar.  We then pick one piece of paper out of the jar each day and complete that job!   You can see a list of last years “jobs” on the right hand side of this blog.  This year we are doing some of the same jobs as last year and some new jobs, as well. Here is a list of what we are going to do for our Love Jobs 2011!  Please share any different jobs you are doing in the comments section!

1*  Fill a grocery bag with food items from our pantry and deliver it to a food shelf!

2*  Make a list of three people you will pray for each night this week!

3*  Find one toy of your own that you would like to give to a child who may not have many of their own.

4*  Choose one book from your collection that you would like to give away to a child who may not have many of their own.

5*  Bring a homemade gift to your teacher and tell her you appreciate her.

6*  Make a special treat for a neighbor!

7*  Help make a meal for some friends.  Invite them over to enjoy it with us or help deliver it to their house!

8*  Draw a picture for a friend or family member and mail it to them!

9*  Take some money from your piggy bank and give to the children’s offering at church.

10*Bring lunch to Daddy and eat it with him at his office!

11*Buy flowers for someone who might need their day brightened!

12*Help clean something in our home!

13*Write down three things you love about your brother and give it to him!

14*Host a Valentines Day Brunch for your friends and/or neighbors!  (This one is date specific so I will put it in the jar on that day)

Today I brought the boys to a new trampoline park in the area called Skyzone (click for website)…  It’s located in an industrial park just off of 494  in Plymouth.  All I can say is “AWESOME”.  I am not sure who had more fun, me or my boys!  It was a BLAST, and I’m pretty sure I got a workout too…  We attended what they call “Toddler Time” which is on Tuesday’s and Friday’s from 9:30-11:30.  The cost is $8.00 per FAMILY and that includes your shoe rental.  They offer a variety of other fun activities for older children and teens, as well.  You can find that information on their website but here is the jist…   They offer birthday parties, corporate team-building events, church camps, field trips,  fitness classes, 3-D Dodgeball, as well as cross-training for athletes of all ages and levels.  They also offer open jump time for all ages!

My boys had a blast jumping from square to square, tossing balls at each other and jumping into the big foam pit!  After about an hour of jumping they were exhausted so we took a little water break and went right back at it.  All I will say is they both took great naps today when we got home!  A tidbit you’ll want to know:   You need to fill out a waiver the first time you go.  You can print the waiver out and bring it with you (to save time) or you can fill it out online. Once they have you in their system the waiver is good for one year!  I can’t wait to go back, it really was so much fun!  I think we really needed this in Minnesota, it gives us something to do on those cold winter days (or hot summer days).  I highly recommend it!