my symphony

thatkindofwoman

toddler-approved recipe: pizza bread

For days when we just have too many activties and not enough time to cook, here is one quick and easy open face sandwich that Bud is sure to eat.

Today's Lunch:

PIZZA BREAD

1 slice of wheat bread

1 slice of american cheese

1 tbsp marinara sauce ( I used Prego traditional recipe)

In an oven toaster, toast the bread with the cheese. Once the cheese is soft, spread sauce over the cheese and swirl together so they mix. Put back in the oven toaster until cheese and sauce mixture is bubbly. Slice diagonally into quarters and serve.

Try this with some ham and pineapple for a Hawaiian Pizza Bread.

style crush: Jenna Lyons

Jenna Lyons, president and executive creative director of J. Crew, is my ultimate style hero. Her style is really a study in contrast - mixing utilitarian staples with sparkly, glittery pieces.

She has inspired me to look at my closet in a different way and come up with excting ensembles using existing pieces that I wouldn't have otherwise thought would go well together.

I am totally channeling Jenna's tomboy chic look for spring!




photos from here, here, here and here

edible table setting

parents.com

This makes me want to host a playdate.

Have a playful weekend, bunnies!

festive weekend

oh happy day

I'm looking forward to celebring Easter Sunday with our MN foster family. We're having a potluck and I volunteered to decorate the venue with these easy-to-do colorful streamers.

I'm also thinking about making these tissue pompoms. Aren't they the cutest?

Now I have to get back to filling up the plastic eggs with candies.

How are you celebrating Easter?

good housekeeping

Here's how I justify the current state of our humble abode.

Let's just say I'm living my life to the fullest these days.

Speaking of trying keeping the house in order, the Mister found The Good Wife's Guide from a Good Housekeeping issue published in 1955. It's crazy!

I'm grateful for my husband who lovingly prepares our meals and who makes time to read to our little boy every night before we put him to sleep.

i got told by a six year old

Yes, I just got told by a six year old at the playground!

We brought Bud to the playground the other day. Usually it's just me and the little guy who go but that day the Mister went with us and so I brought a bag of Cheetos to snack on while I watched them play.

I admit, I really have low EQ when it comes to food. We haven't even been at the park more than 10 minutes and I already brought out the bag of Cheetos. Naturally, Bud saw the bag and wanted to have what I was having. He was climbing up the slide and I told him "I will give you some when you slide down". Because I always follow through with what I say, I gave him a piece when he reached the bottom of the slide. I didn't realize there was a six year old boy watching us and I got surprised when he blurted "You give your baby Cheetos?".

I suddenly found myself looking for the right words to justify my actions to a kid. I said "It's his first time to taste Cheetos", which was the truth. It was the first time I let him taste Cheetos and now I wish I could take it back. You should have seen the look on that little boy's face. I felt so guilty!

I felt even worse was when he said "Our baby only eats fruits." I got a lecture on nutrition from a six year old!

But wait, look who else is giving her kiddos Cheetos.

a bud's life: cardboard truck

This morning was spent driving around in a makeshift fire truck.

Systems check.

Vroom, vroom!

ree-ruu-ree-ruu...

This is fun! Want to drive, mom?

the denim jacket

Spring has finally sprung here in our part of the world, yipee! We've had wonderful weather since last week. I keep on checking the forecast if the temperatures will still go down but it seems like it only gets warmer from now on.

With the weather not too cold but not warm either, it's really neccessary to have that transitional jacket. One that's not too heavy and can be worn on top of light layers. There's a whole array of spring jackets to choose from: trench, utility, cropped blazer, and the list goes on. But if, like me, you're only looking to buy one versitile piece to add to your wardrobe for the season, my personal pick is the classic denim jacket.

The denim jacket is great for those of us who are always following a casual Friday dress code. It can be worn with just about any outfit. It's very relaxed and casual but still packs a lot of style.

I already got myself one last weekend and here are some ideas on how we can wear it.

when running errands

to the playrgound and playdates

weekend brunches

If you're still not convinced, here for more style ideas. Now, if you are already thinking about getting yourself one, here for some reasonably priced jackets.

Have lovely day, bunnies!

photos from celebritystyleguide and WDW

toddler-approved recipes: Blini

It's Saturday, hooray! One of the best things about the weekend is I have more time to experiment and be creative with breakfast as we are not in a hurry to get out the door to be somewhere.

We were out of bread this morning so it was a perfect opportunity to give my Blini recipe another try. Blini are traditional Russian pancakes or crepes usually made with yeast. Yeast? I know, yeast sounds so intimidating, right? But before you close this window, I'm letting you know this Blini recipe does not use yeast so please read on.

You're probably wondering why make a Blini instead of a crepe then? Well, because I have very fond memories of eating Blini when we lived in Siberia 3 years ago and I want to share the experience with Bud. In my opinion, Blini is best eaten with some lax salmon and sour cream. But just like crepe, it's also great with sweet filling/topping.

TODAY'S BREAKFAST:

BLINI with BACON & CHEESE

1 egg

2 tsp white sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

vegetable oil

2 slices canadian bacon

cream cheese

strawberry jam

Beat egg with salt and sugar. Fold in the flour to egg mixture. Add milk and blend well.

Heat pan with some vegetable oil. Make sure your pan has a little bit of oil so that the batter won't stick to the pan and it would be easier to flip the Blini. Cook batter 2 minutes on each side on medium heat.

To assemble, spread cream cheese and strawberry jam on the blini. Add 2 pcs of Candian Bacon on one side. Fold the Blini in half then fold again to make a triangle.

I also made some with butter and cinnamon sugar then rolled them up, yum!

Have a yummy weekend, bunnies!

home improvement: dining shelves

Here's the latest development in our dining room project.

The Mister had installed new shelves.



We really needed space to put our books, DVDs, magazines and other whatnots out of reach from Bud so the shelves are intended to be both functional and decorative.



We've had the shelves for a while now but it's still a work in progress. We're taking our time hunting down decorative pieces that resonate with us. The Mister and I have different personal styles so we have to choose pieces that appeal to us both. So far, the theme of our collaboration is eclectic Asian, if that makes any sense.

Here's a great guide for accessorizing your tabletops.

Happy nesting, bunnies!

toddler-approved recipe: egg and asparagus sandwich

I'm very excited for today. Bud and his classmates are going to visit the firestation this morning. Lucky for us, the father of one of Bud's classmates is a fire fighter and he arranged for the kids to come to the station and ride the fire trucks while the kids are on spring break.

We're all meeting at the station at 11am and for sure the kids will be playing past lunchtime. I'm planning to pack a substantial snack for Bud in case he falls asleep in the car on the way home.

TODAY"S LUNCH:

Egg and Asparagus Salad Sandwich

1 egg, boiled

1 tbsp mayonnaise

4-5 asparagus stalks, choppped to tiny pieces

dash of salt

Mash the boiled egg and blend in the mayonnaise. In a hot pan, saute the chopped asparagus in a little olive oil. Once cooked, add to the egg salad. Season with salt.

Spread generously on toast.