Month: September 2008

by Allison

last chance!

If you haven’t yet entered the Pine IV Denim Giveaway, do it now because it expires at Midnight tonight! Hurry, you know you want those jeans…


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Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Alma

Well Stocked


One of the greatest things that my house has is a convenient, large pantry. Shortly after marrying Mike and moving into this home, I spent a day organizing the kitchen cupboards and pantry. I designated spaces for everything—plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, large appliances, small appliances… you get the idea. But soon after, with the abundance of wedding gifts we received, the pantry turned into a catch-all place for items without a real home. It turned into an absolute, unorganized mess. I couldn’t see what food we had or what food we needed. And I certainly couldn’t find the dishes that I’d stashed away in there, either.

In addition to this problem, Mike and I had another problem. We were eating out way too often. We were both working full time and I was commuting 2.5 hours every day, in addition to my 9-hour workday. So we fell into a habit of eating out for convenience’s sake and continued that habit even after I started working from home.

With a baby on the way, I figured that now is the right time to get back into the habit of making good, home-cooked meals, like I did in college. But the first … >> find out more…

Alma

by Stephanie

Little Jobs for Little People

I like to work…in fact, I may even love to work…and always have. I gain an incredible sense of satisfaction from hard work, (which actually falls right in line with the self-reward system I’ve created!) and I attribute this to all those family work days growing up.

Every Saturday we did “chores”, accompanied by whatever music (Beatles mostly) my parents blasted throughout the house. Somehow it made everything more fun–even cleaning that messy, messy room I waded through every day as a teenager. While I’m sure I dreaded it at the time and probably gave my parents some flack, I am wholly grateful now as I try to instill the same sense of satisfaction in my own kids. “Try” being the key word here :)

So on Saturday, as the kids and I cleaned the playroom and rocked out to Santana & the Beach Boys, I was very happy reflecting on this childhood tradition. Watching Farmer Brown (with some help from E.) dance on top of the toy bin to “Soul Sacrifice”, while little brother ran around the room with glee, was absolutely priceless. I think the only way to help children learn to work and gain responsibility is to … >> find out more…

Stephanie

by Stephanie

Hello, My Name is Stephanie

I am very happy to be here this week and share a few thoughts with you. Since I love reading little tidbits about other bloggers (even if they are complete strangers), I’ll go ahead and share a bit about myself here; you know…in case there is anyone out there who has a little voyeur in them too :)

I am a mother of 3 and my kids call me “mama”. I love it. I’ve been married to my husband for 9 years (our anniversary is in just a couple of weeks) and we’ve moved 9 times, including two cross country moves. I love a change of scenery and am enjoying rediscovering myself as an adult. Aren’t you? I love to cook, travel, create and am a total sucker for a really good deal.

Allison, thank you for having me! It’s going to be a fun week~

p.s. I’ll also be doing my regular blogging here.


… >> find out more…

Stephanie

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by Allison

stephanie brubaker.


The lovely Stephanie of Stephmodo, {one of my favorite daily blog indulgences} is guest blogging on Petit Elefant this week. Hooray! I recently attended a barbecue hosted by a mutual acquaintance and had the happy opportunity to chat with Stephanie for the evening. What a delight. Steph is a multi-faceted, multi-talented mom of 3 who definitely has all her ducks in a row. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us this week. Let’s give her a warm welcome to Petit Elefant.


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Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Kimberly

homemade apple sauce in the fall.

[photo via martha]
One of the best things about Autumn has to be the food. Apples are among the quintessential fall foods in my book and I try to make the most of them while they are in season. Some of the best varieties are coming on right now: Honeycrisp (if you haven’t tried one please do so), Golden Delicious, Granny Smith are among my favorites. When M was an infant starting solid foods, I started making applesauce for him. Last year I preserved an entire case of apples and my guys savored tasty applesauce all year round. I’ll share my simple version with you:
8-10 medium tart apples. I like to combine mostly Granny Smith with a few Goldens. Jonathon, Cameo and Honeycrisp also work for more mellow sauce. I just prefer mine more tart.
lemon juice
water
1/4 cup sugar (can be omitted for infants)
1 Tbsp. orange zest (omit if making for baby until about age 1)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (less if making for baby until about age 1)
Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Place in a bowl with a sprinkling of lemon juice until ready to cook. Then add to a large pot

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Kimberly

...by day, making a home where the buffalo roam. By night, pretty much the same thing, punctuated by the occasional fantasies of sunny beaches, italian movies and sparkling lemonade.

by Allison

the office is back! shout hooray!

Oh, the awesomeness. The Office is back. Tonight. So, set your Tivos, your DVRs, your *ahem* VCRs. And don’t.call.my.house. I’ll be relishing in the greatness that is: The Office.


I *borrowed* this photo from Black*Eiffel who *borrowed* it from Autumn de Wilde.


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Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Kimberly

halloween costumes for kids.

Halloween will be upon us. For your little ones, this is a big deal. Which means for mommies, finding or creating a stellar costume is a big deal. Making costumes this year? Better get crackin’! Here’s a roundup of some really adorable/super-cool costume tricks sure to result in plenty of treats. (I couldn’t resist).

sweetest spider, from Martha Stewart
(this could probably be adapted for a boy)
a classic scarecrow from Family Fun
(great for boys or girls)
a dramatic, unique matador from Martha Stewart
(great for boys or girls)
dozens more fun ideas at both Martha Stewart and Family Fun: astronauts, jellyfish, monsters, and more!

… >> find out more…

Kimberly

...by day, making a home where the buffalo roam. By night, pretty much the same thing, punctuated by the occasional fantasies of sunny beaches, italian movies and sparkling lemonade.

by Allison

last chance!

If you were a giveaway winner from last week and I still haven’t heard from you, you have until Midnight tonight before you forfeit your prize. Hurry, email me!


… >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

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