Plan A’s are Overrated

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, July 23, 2012

By now most of you have caught on to the fact that I like to plan things out. I like being prepared.  Sure, I can do spur of the moment… sometimes, if the Moon is in the right sign.  No, seriously, I can be spontaneous on some events, but a whole month of them?  
 

Welcome to our July.

plan b
Source
We have by way of events beyond our control had to be adaptable, flexible.

 We have had to look for the silver lining as our 4th of July party plans were squashed by a no burn- no fireworks of any kind ordinance.

 We had to buck up when our road trip was put off because my husband, who was already b-u-s-y was asked to fill in for another person.  

We made peace with staying put and swimming, until our pool grew some nasty algae and needed to be treated with some major chemicals.

We completely understood when our sitter cancelled the night before our special date night at a lovely restaurant. Yes, reservations were required and I cancelled them without complaint.

Some would say this was a streak of bad luck, but I say July was a flexibility test.  And I’m happy to say, we all passed with flying colors. Who needs Plan A’s all the time? They are so boring, having every detail planned out.

I have watched with admiration and love as our daughters have taken all of this is stride and still come out happy.  A little disappointed here and there, but always game for one of our Plan B’s. They even came up with some stellar and fun ideas on their own.

They reminded me that a little spontaneity is a very good thing.

I hope your July has been all you hoped and planned for, but if not, look around for a Plan B. Ask your kids/friends/family for input.  I bet you will have fun too!

Wordless Wednesday

in , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, July 11, 2012

As I mentioned in my last post Catching Up, we have been coming up with road trip destination ideas.

We've narrowed it down and we think we want to visit...

 here again. Anybody recognize this river?

Catching Up

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, July 05, 2012

Ah… this is happiness and contentment my soul whispered just the other day.   I am so thankful that I was able feel that special moment and recognize my body and mind sending up Thank yous!
Beautiful Summer, the season to relax and slow things down. Well, the girls and I slow down.  For my hubby- summer is the busiest season of all.  Work is abundant. Nobody wants to gut a kitchen right before the holidays now do they?
So our family does things a bit differently. We don’t over-book. We don’t take a week-long vacation.  We don’t rush through every day.  We allow the word bored to be uttered.
And then we look for simple solutions.

Like:

watermelon

Enjoying the bounty of summer fruits.


pool

Taking a dip in the pool.



Enjoying summer evenings. Complete with sunsets and fireflies.


summer sky

Going on weekend Road trips.

In fact, the girls and I are busy researching our next road trip destination. Yep, we are relaxed and living our American Dream.  We are thankful to have enjoyed a happy, safe 4th of July at home.

How is your summer going?  Are you relaxed and truly enjoying this season?
If not, maybe it’s time to slow things down. Do less. Connect more. I promise, the feeling is well worth the effort!

Are you a Runner?

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Ever thought about entering the 2012 ING New York City Marathon, but needed a little extra inspiration to get you there?  Or, maybe you tried to get into the NYC marathon through the lottery, but were one of the thousands who didn't get selected?




Well, today might be your lucky day!  The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, dedicated to curing spinal cord injury and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis, is looking for enthusiastic, inspiring and committed people to run in honor of those who cannot.

 The Foundation has 30 coveted spots available on Team Reeve for the 2012 ING New York City Marathon, taking place on November 4, 2012.  Participants are required to raise a minimum of $4,000 for the Foundation.

To apply for a spot, simply visit http://tinyurl.com/82auwxs to fill out the application.  Applications will be vetted by the Foundation, with winners being notified within approximately one week of submission. 

Additionally, Team Reeve has teamed up with exclusive training facility La Palestra in New York City, which will provide free coaching, strength training, nutrition counseling and training runs to all Team Reeve members.  If you live outside of New York, the staff at La Palestra will provide tele-coaching.


So, to all you runners out there...Go Far.  Be Inspirational. Do Good.



This information was provided by The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation through MyBlogSpark.



Bon Appetit meals are a hit!

I served 2 of the Bon Appetit parchment meals recently for my family’s dinner.  Along with a garden salad and garlic bread, this was a quick and easy way to get a healthy meal on the table quickly.
The meals are very easy to prepare, just place on a pan and pop in the oven.

Our choices were Beef in Red Wine Sauce and the Chicken Florentine.

Both got rave reviews!

Both parchment meals provided more than enough entree.  My husband was stuffed after his meal . The rest of us had to save some of ours!



The Beef in Wine Sauce was our clear favorite! 


Bon Appetit Beef in Wine Sauce

A few statements from my family:

This is almost as good as yours Mommy! Serve this again! Or from my hubby: if a guy doesn’t cook but wants to impress a lady, he could pass this off as homemade! 

Neither my husband nor I could detect any attributes usually imparted by the use of wine (subtle earthiness in sauce/flavor or darkening of sauce), but we will definitely buy this again to keep on hand for busy nights. We are also recommending this to friends. Especially those who may be single, pressed for time or simply don’t enjoy cooking.


We give this meal an A +++!





The Chicken Florentine, while very good, didn’t get quite the same rave reviews.


Bon Appetit Chicken Florentine



We loved the healthy amount of spinach used in the creamy Parmesan sauce, which was outstanding!
We liked that the chicken remained moist and tender, but felt it required a bit more seasoning, even just salt and pepper and wished would could have seasoned prior to cooking.

My daughters both enjoyed this dish and even said it was better than some restaurants’ Chicken Florentine they’ve had!



For my husband and myself, there was just something off about the pasta. It tasted like frozen pasta.

Overall we would still recommend this product and give it an A!

Thank you Bon Appetit and BZZ Agent for the opportunity to try these products. 

Update: 6-22-12
 I'm adding a link to Bon Appetit's store locator so you can find these in your area.
 Bon Appetit Parchment meals store locator

I found mine at Walmart. :-)


A New Breakfast Snack: Quaker Soft Baked Bars

by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, June 07, 2012
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats. All opinions are 100% mine.

As I said in my May Days post, life is pretty busy here these days. So I thought I'd be fine running to the store without eating a complete breakfast. Coffee and a big glass of milk should do.
 Big mistake!
I knew I was in trouble when I started looking for cookie samples in the bakery department, so I left in search of a healthier alternative.  Enter Quaker Soft Baked Bar

QSBB Yum Image high res.jpg

That picture on the box had me salivating, but label reader that I am;  I turned the box over and read the nutrition facts:
Wow, I was pleasantly surprised to find these numbers on a  breakfast snack

These snacks look and sound good with:
• 140 calories 
• 5g of Fiber 
• 6g of Protein 
• Excellent source of 5 B-Vitamins
Still, I resisted the urge to put the box of Cinnamon Pecan Bread Soft Baked Bars in my cart without a coupon.
 Once I find some coupons,  I will probably buy one box of each flavor: Cinnamon Pecan Bread and Banana nut Bread.  I know my girls would love these for breakfast!  And I'll feel good about serving them this wholesome food.
In the end, I popped a piece of gum in my mouth and hurried to finish shopping. Lesson re-learned: never go shopping on an empty stomach, or at the very least pack your own healthy snack in your purse! 
All my coupon blogging buddies: if you have seen a coupon for these, please let me know! 
Thank you!

Update: A coupon is available! Just click the visit sponsor's site button below.

Visit Sponsor's Site
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