Movies for Moms, and the Littles

Summer Discount Movies  - kids movies (G and PG) for $1.00 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:00am, at select theaters throughout the summer.  


McMenamins Matinees - Every week, McMenamins Kennedy School Theater hosts a family matinee and a mommy matinee for just $3.00.  Little ones under the age of 3 are FREE.  They've created an understanding and welcoming environment for moms (and dads, and nannies, and grandmas....) to bring their newborns and young children to.  

• Family matinees are family-friendly movies, aimed toward entertaining the kids.  
• Mommy matinees are generally geared towards the moms, giving us an escape to the land of adult entertainment (rated R and under). 

See their website for days, times, and movie selections.


I've taken my littles to both matinees at McMenamins.  I think the mommy matinee is one of the best resources for moms who need a place to go without feeling guilty or nervous about their baby crying in public.  My baby cried, lots of babies cried, but it's a comfortable, dark movie theater and no one cares.  And... the food is yummy!  Or, keep yourself on a budget and pack your own snack.  If that's not enough to entice you, they serve a wide variety of adult beverages including my favorite Ruby raspberry ale.  You can find me there about once a month with a ginger ale, Cajun tater tots, and two happy kiddos in tow.  I'll be the one making silly faces at the kiddo in front of me who's peaking over the back of his seat.   
OH! And breastfeeding moms, this is one of the best places for you to get out and relax.  The seats are all couches and chairs, very comfortable and perfect for snuggling and nursing your baby.  
(The St. John's Pub also has a mommy matinee.  I've only been to the Kennedy School but I'm sure it's just as wonderful at the other McMenamins location). 


If you're brave, I have not yet been crave enough to do this, just take your infant to the movies with you.  They are too little to understand what's happening in the movie, so you can choose one you REALLY want to see.  It's dark and they will probably fall asleep.  If you go during less crowded showings, you may be the only person in the theater any ways...  It's worth a try.  


Get out there and do something fun.  You're a mom, not a rock... so don't let yourself sit around. 


-Mommy Du Jour

Lunch and Munch - Mac and Cheese

I saw a segment on my local new station's morning show about healthy, kid-friendly places to eat in Portland: Kids and Restaurants Video.  It got me thinking, what are the healthy things my kids like to eat?  Melina, who is now two months old, prefers breast milk from one and only one source... mom.  She won't even take it from a bottle, although we've tried since she was three weeks old.  Caden, my two year old, has a much wider range of yummies he likes.  

He's always been a good veggie eater.  He even likes it mixed into foods.  Mac and Trees, made with Kraft Veggie Pasta Macaroni and Cheese, is one quick fix.  

  Just add broccoli to the "healthier" version of the classic Mac and Cheese in the blue box.  More healthy eating ideas for Kraft foods can be found here:  Kraft Recipes.

I'll admit, Kraft is NOT my favorite, but it's fast and leaves little cleanup at the end of the meal...  If I could, I'd make my Mac from scratch every time.  My basic recipe comes out of my mother's old Betty Crocker cookbook:

1 1/2

cups uncooked elbow macaroni (5 oz)  (I use shells and penne pasta sometimes, too)

2

tablespoons butter

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon pepper (substitute with white pepper for more zip and add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

1/4

cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 3/4

cups milk

6

oz American cheese loaf, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  (I use Tillamook sharp or medium cheddar, or Velveeta depending on how "classy" I want it to be...) 

• Step 1
• Heat oven to 375°F. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package using minimum cook time.
• Step 2
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
• Step 3
• In small bowl, mix flour and milk until smooth; stir into butter. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted. Stir in macaroni. Into ungreased 9 by 9 glass casserole pan, spoon macaroni mixture.
• Step 4
• Bake about 30 minutes or until bubbly and light brown.
• This recipe is modified from the one found here: Mom's Macaroni and Cheese

Another Recipe:  Martha Stewart "World's Best Mac and Cheese"

What do your kids like to eat?

What's your favorite way to make Mac and Cheese?

Multitasking and Burnt Grilled Cheese

My mother told me, just 2 days ago, that multitasking doesn't mean you're accomplishing two tasks at once, it means you aren't giving your full attention to either task.  So, there I was burning my grilled cheese sandwich as I checked my e-mail for maternity clothing donations and contacted the venue I want for the swap... OOPS!  I was so excited to have my hands free for a moment that I forgot I was making lunch and burned my grilled cheese on Nuts and Grains by Dave's Killer Bread.  This is a tragedy if you're a mom with limited time for making and eating lunch, and for those who know how amazingly delicious this bread is.  I buy mine at Fred Meyer's because it's convenient, but a mommy friend of mine said she went straight to the source and got way more bang for her buck.  She got five loaves of the 21 Whole Grains, five bags of Blues Buns, and two bags of Good Seed HalOs for $20.00.  That's a steal!  


Swap News:  So far, I've contacted the venue that I'd like to host the swap at.  It's my number one choice and I think the date I want to do the swap is available.  We'll see how much they want to charge and if I can book with them.  My hope is to get a space with as small a fee as possible so that I can keep the cost of clothing very low.  The lower my overhead is, the more I can help get clothing to women who need it.  
I've also published a post on Craigslist asking for donations of maternity clothing for the swap.  I've also posted an event on Facebook and invited several friends who have either had babies recently or know other recent moms who may have clothes they can donate.  I'm not getting the best response and I think I know why.  
When we spend so much money on our maternity clothes, we don't want to just give them up.  I held onto mine after having our first child even though I wasn't sure if we would have another baby.  I didn't want to lose the investment I'd made in that clothing.  This time, I'm pretty sure we're done creating beautiful babies (for at least 4 years... at least) and I'm ready to share what I have with those who need it.  I've already passed on most of my baby-bump clothing to a friend who is due in November and is starting to need comfortable clothing to accommodate her growing baby girl.  The rest of it I either still wear because it's cute and comfy, or will be donating to the swap.  
So... I understand not wanting to give up clothing for "nothing."  When there's nothing given to you in return, it might be hard to donate something so expensive.  Is there some kid of incentive I can offer?   Here's what I currently have to offer: I will do my best to show you how your donations impact and help other women through my words and through pictures of this upcoming event.  Is a little warmth in your heart enough to inspire you to donate? If so, contact me here on the blog, through the Facebook event, or through the e-mail link on the craigslist post.

Resources:  Dave's Killer Bread   5209 Southeast International Way  Milwaukie, OR 97222 (503) 335-8077

Day One - Getting Down to Business

With my seven-week-old daughter on my lap, fast asleep thankfully, I'm starting a new adventure.  I've thought about blogging before but never had a purpose or mission behind it.  During my last pregnancy, the one that created and grew this beautiful baby on my lap, I found passion in pregnancy, birth, babies, and helping pregnant women find resources that can help create positive birth experiences and smooth transitions into motherhood.  This will be the purpose behind my blog.

I'm no expert, I have no formal training, but I love research and I love sharing my knowledge of all things mommy with the women in my life, which often includes women I've just met for the first time... 

Basically, I could talk about women, babies, and boobies all day long.  Pregnancy, including the "fourth trimester" (the transition time after birth spent acclimating to life as a mom), is a thrilling time and I love learning about it, talking about it, and sharing what I learn.  The goal of this blog will be to share the things I learned during my pregnancies, share my stories and experiences, and to research new things along the way that may be helpful to other moms.  I'm open to all topic suggestions, even if it's not something I support.  I'd love to open up conversations about all things baby. Why not explore all of the beautiful, cool, weird, fun, interesting, and sometimes gross and icky things that happen when we're becoming moms?

My first goal: Set up a maternity clothing sale/swap

Timeline: about 2 months   by September 1st

I want to plan and execute a successful sale or swap that allows pregnant women to get new/gently-used maternity clothing with the change in their pockets.  We can spend hundreds of dollars to replace our entire wardrobes while pregnant; that's hundreds of dollars on clothes we only wear for a few months.  It can be expensive to dress well while pregnant, and I want to make it more affordable for the women in my community.  

Spread the Word, clothing collection starts today!  craigslist link for clothing collection
I will be collecting maternity clothes between now and August 24th.  I'll announce a September date for the clothing swap in the month of July once I know the scale of clothing supply and demand.


Planning resources: these sites have articles on planning and attending clothing swaps

 Frugal-Mama.com

 GetButtonedUp.com

Here I go, I'm getting down to business.  By September 1st, all interested moms-to-be should be able to attend a newly-organized, hopefully ongoing, mama-friendly clothing swap or sale of maternity clothes in the Portland, OR metro area.   

Is this a lot to take on as a mother of two?  I won't know if I don't try...

Cheers!  -Taryn, your Mommy DuJour