My Kids.

It must be birthday party season around here, as the kids have been able to attend one once a week for the past three weeks. Last weeks party was at Safari Sam's, which is a slice of heaven for children. Jungle Gyms, miniature golf, pizza and ice cream, bounce houses, and a variety of ticket machine games, where you spend so much money purchasing coins for the games, then collect the tickets you win for prizes. The kids LOVE it, but the prizes are junk (in my opinion) as you end up spending 10x what the prize really costs just playing. But hey, the kids have fun.

Anyways, it was on one of those games that Anika won the bonus round. 1,000 tickets spit out at her and greedy little kid eyes stared from all directions. She proudly turned in all 1,152 of her tickets and bought a variety of prizes....one of them being a magic eight ball. You know, those balls that you shake and ask it a question and an answer pops up.

The next morning I woke up and came into the living room to find this: Anika dressed up like a gypsy with her fortune telling station set up, where she had a list of prices for fortunes, and then a price for games, which also included things she won at the party. Emma and Noah were eating it up...and spending all of their pennies.

So who dug into the bottom of her purse and coughed up a couple dollars in change, just because they were playing so well and not bothering me? Yup. Hey, it worked for like an hour before the fighting began. :)

Three birthday parties in three weeks....and tomorrow will be number four and the biggest birthday party of them yet: Anika's. Her actual birthday isn't until the 12th, but we are celebrating it a week early. She is turning the big 10 and instead of a party, I am taking her and her two best friends for an overnight in a hotel suite. It's what she wanted. Pool, hot tub, pizza, pedicures,....wish me luck! You know I'll share pictures with you along the way on my Instagram.

 

~Melissa

5 Ways to Simplify Stress

We get busy. A lot. It seems like everyday is filled up with schedules and lists and chaos! We drop into bed every night (or morning!) and can't shut our minds off, so we lay there and think some more.

Having three kids of my own, a husband, mortgage, job, and all the other extra-curricular activities life brings, I get it. I'm there too.

Last winter though, things spiraled out of control for me. The normally I-can-handle-it-all-wonder-woman had a bit of a breakdown. There was too much outside craziness and distractions getting into our own home. And I was unconsciously letting this happen, and eventually it had to end. I had to learn to cut ties with some things, and some people that I just couldn't help. It was all causing me to loose way to much of my own precious sleep.

It wasn't pretty, but I freed myself (mostly) and I'm getting back to a simpler kind of normal everyday chaos. Along the way I've learned a few things that will help you simplify too.

1. Take a deep breath and figure out what is important and what's not worth the stress. Does the benefit of the added stress over weigh the negative for you and your family?

2. Make a top ten list everyday. Write down the most important things that need to be accomplished.

3. Cut back. Take a day or at least an afternoon every week that you just say no to everything and stay at home. Wear your pajamas if you want and tidy up the house, or tackle a project you've been threatening to for the last six months. You'll feel better having a cleaner home, and will have a block of time that you don't feel rushed.

4. Say no to negativity. This is a tough one. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in news, whether it be national or all the way to down-right gossip we get sucked into. Then that stressful, gloomy feeling begins to take over. So take a step backwards and cut yourself off for a while. Limit TV, phone conversations with Negative Nancy, and read something inspiring. A weight will begin to magically lift off of your shoulders.

5. When in doubt, talk it out - just not too much. My husband and I do this quite frequently about people or things that bother us. It's great to have someone else to converse with but you have to be careful not to continuously talk about it, because then it becomes counter-productive and can start to stress you out more. Make sure you have a limit to the topics that frustrate you or tie your stomach in knots, then change the subject.

These are just a few of the ways I've learned to simplify my stress. What are some of your ideas??

~Melissa

Create.Simplify.Inspire. #28

Welcome to August already! Can you believe it? Four short weeks of summer left for us, then its back to school for the kids, and back to soccer games, PTSO, and all of the countless other fall activities!

If you are new and haven't linked up before, this is a page where we can share some of our favorite things we created, or things that inspire us. If you are a blogger, link up to your post. If you aren't a blogger you can also link up from your Instagram or other social media page that you share on. This is a weekly post for us all to share our inspirations. Thanks so much for helping me make this happen!

 

                                                                                 ~Melissa

 

Create.Simplify.Inspire. #28

  

<a href="http://www.willamettevalleywonderwoman.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss203/anikalene/Untitled-2.jpg" alt="Willamette Valley Wonder Woman" width="250" height="250" /></a>

Local Event // The Bite of Oregon

 

 

 (source)

 

 

The Bite is Coming.

 

Have you ever attended The Bite of Oregon before? It's a fun event held every year at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, and it benefits the Special Olympics of Oregon.

 

What is it exactly? It's a collaboration of delectable food and drinks from some of the best restaurants, wineries, and breweries around. The Bite has something for everyone and I guarantee you will find something that pleases you palate! There is also a variety of entertainment including two live stages, a kids area stage, and an Iron Chef competition.

 

This year is The Bite of Oregon's 30 celebration, and with an average of nearly 50,000 attendees each year, The Bite is definitely the place to be on August 9-11th!  This year there is also a new event going on called Oregon's Bountiful Table, which brings Farm to Table food to a new level as attendees can actually meet the farmer, rancher, and fisher who grew, raised or caught the food which was prepared!

 

 My husband and I were lucky enough to drive up for the afternoon a couple years ago, and I'm excited to head back this year and share our adventure with you!

 

To find out more information on this culinary event, including times and prices, check out their website:

 

The Bite of Oregon

 

Come on out, have some fun, and help benefit a great organization!

~Melissa

 

 

 

full disclosure: I have been gifted admission tickets in exchange for this post and any related posts. All opinions are my own.

A Local Plate Dinner Party

Last Friday we had a few friends over for dinner. But not just any dinner. We made them come over and cook with us. You see, there is a new dinner idea in the Portland area and it's called Local Plate. If you like the idea of fresh, local food this concept is awesome. They offer a variety of dinner meal kits, and all of the ingredients come from our own local farms. All of the meat they use is antibiotic and hormone free, and everything comes pre-measured and the directions are easy to use. The food is fresh, simple, and delicious.

 I know I've often walked past the array of beautiful greens at farmer's markets but really had no creativity on how to prepare them together to create a meal. After cooking these recipes, I realize how easy it really is. We tried two of their current meals, Herb-Roasted Chicken, Potatoes and Chard, with Shallot Mint Vinaigrette and Flat Iron Steak Salad with Herbed Rice. We all jumped in and started rinsing, slicing, dicing, mincing, and mixing. The kids even got excited over greens and helped out. (They were in awe of how colorful the chard was!) We managed to get both recipes finished at the same time because it was so much easier having everything pre-measured. Of course it wouldn't be a dinner party without appetizers and wine, so I made fruit, cheese and cracker platters to nibble on while we put our guests to work!

We sat down and tasted the fruits of our not-so-hard work. Having two meals offered a good variety so that everyone would find something that would please their palate. We sat their catching up with friends, while the kids all played together. We finished the evening up with slices of apple pie.

Normally having people over for dinner is a little stressful to say the least. You have to cook extra, plan more, have extra shopping trips, and although I absolutely love doing it, this was a fun new twist on a dinner party. The best part is since everything at Local Plate is fresh, their selection of meal kits changes seasonally! I can't wait to see what new recipes come up next, and they offer delivery in the Portland area, or have the meals available for pick up also.

Have you ever had a dinner party where everyone chipped in and cooked the meal? I'd love to hear about it! And if you are local to the area, check out their site and tell them Melissa sent ya! ;)

Local Plate

~Melissa

Our dinner kits were c/o Local Plate in exchange for an article. All opinions are my own.