Author Archives: MB

The Change was Good

At the beginning of February,  Zander started attending a new daycare.  The first week was good, but it was also a little rocky. He got a few sad faces towards the end of the week because he had trouble listening and following directions. I think that was still part of the adjustment to a new environment and actually having some rules to follow.

Since he’s been in Childrens’ Discovery Center, he’s learned new letters and numbers, improved on his writing, and even made a few awesome crafts, like a sock puppet and a palm tree. I attended the class Valentine Party and was very impressed that 24 4-year olds could sit still for that long, while valentines were handed out.

I’ve even started noticing changes while he’s at home. Continue reading

Time for New Discoveries

Zander started daycare when he was 7 weeks old—we knew one day we might  have to choose another school to help prepare him for kindergarten.  That time arrived last week…

I wasn’t convinced that Zander was learning everything he could while at school. I started to wonder if he would be ready for kindergarten this Fall.  If we sat down to go over the alphabet, he would guess at letters or just decide he didn’t want to review them.  I also noticed that he was having trouble writing letters and became easily frustrated when he didn’t know a letter.

To make sure I wasn’t the problem, I asked my sister to sit down with Zander and test him to find out what he knows.  As a first grade teacher, she has more patience and experience dealing with young children than I do.  Continue reading

Country Style Beef Ribs

I was at the grocery store the other day and saw these beautiful boneless beef ribs.  I love ribs but since Jason doesn’t eat pork I only have ribs when we go out.  I thought I couldn’t lose with buying beef ribs because they were, well, beef.  I also thought these would be great to have while tailgating for the NC State vs Cincinnati game.  Once I got home with these beautiful ribs, I realized I had no idea how to cook them.  Continue reading

30 Minute Meal Challenge #1

Monday night was the first challenge – will the recipe I selected be liked by the family?

Spicy and Sweet Chicken and Couscous Pot with Minty Cilantro Sauce

One of the main ingredients in this dish was one I have only eaten once and have never cooked/prepared – couscous.  I was also curious to find out how Zander would react to this weird looking food. Continue reading

Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week

I love food and I love exploring new restaurants in downtown Raleigh.  Beginning today, Aug. 23, 2010  through Sunday Aug. 29, 2010, several downtown Raleigh restaurants will be showcasing their menu’s during Downtown Raleigh Restaurant week.  Participating restaurants are offering a 3-course prix fixe dinner for either $20 or $30 – the menu includes an appetizer, entree and dessert (tip, taxes and beverages are not included). Continue reading