interested.

All I will say that I spent way too much time in Michael’s yesterday and I’m pretty sure I smell like the potpourri the store always smells like. I also hit up Target where I got suckered into making my first holiday purchases
. In my own defense, the gingerbread house kit was on sale.

Like last Wednesday. I came home to a yummy dinner waiting for me made by my lovely boyfriend. He made whole wheat penne with grilled chicken in vodka sauce with a side of zucchini. The boy has major cooking skills, the chicken was perfectly moist and yummy. The secret is in the marinade. First he marinated it overnight in Italian dressing and instead of spilling out the marinade and cooking the chicken, he had the chicken stew in the marinade until almost fully cooked, before transferring it to a skillet to give it some color.

Tommy also made up Dirty Hos to go with dinner. Get your mind out of the gutter, Dirty Hos are Hoegaarden beer and Framboise Lambic, a French raspberry beer, mixed together. The drink tastes like a fruity, raspberry beer which I love. Next time you’re at a bar, order a Dirty Ho, not only will you get a great drink, you’ll get some funny looks from the people around you guaranteed.

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The Thankful November list continues!

L is for Love. Everyone wants to love and be loved and I can say that I am a very lucky girl because I have the love of not only my family, but great friends and an amazing boyfriend. I also have the love of a little man which is like no other.

M is for Music. Music is something that can transform your mood and bring you back to a different place in time. I have tons of songs on my iPod and when I put it on shuffle and a song I haven’t listened to in a while comes on, it can bring back so many memories. There are few things in life that can bring you back to a point in time like music.

I’m back to my workshop becuase I’ve got less than 24 hours to finish my surprises. Have a great Thursday!

When do you start the holidays in your house? What’s your favorite drink?

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On Sunday my mom and I made dinner for everyone, but I failed to get any pictures of the good stuff we made.  For dinner we made really yummy ribs and eggplant parm with fried rice, roasted potatoes and a bunch of salads on the side.  For dessert I made molten cakes a la mode. I bought the lava cakes frozen from Trader Joe’s and all I had to do was heat em up in the microwave for 55 seconds.  I will definitely be repurchasing these because they were soo good!

On Monday, Munchkin and I had to wake up bright and early because he had an appointment to get his flu shot at his doctor’s office in Manhattan.  He wasn’t crazy about the shot, but he got a Spongebob sticker that made the tears stop as soon as he saw it.

Over the weekend, I got my first Klout Perk, and it’s not only so yummy, it supports a really great cause.

Two Degrees Bars are made of fruit, nuts and grains and come in three flavors – Apple Pecan, Cherry Almond and Chocolate Peanut.

If the taste alone wasn’t enough to make me want to go out and buy a box or two, for every bar you buy, Two Degrees donates a nutrition pack to a hungry child.

So far, I’ve only tried the fruit flavored bars and they taste like a big peice of fruit leather mixed with nuts and grains for a crunch. I was really surprised by how good they are because sometimes things that are good for you are not all that tasty, but this was not the case.

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Since I missed two posts in my Thankful November list, I’m just going to do I, J and K today.

I is for ice cream.  I think this one is self explanatory, but I will say that Ben and Jerry’s is my favorite brand. I hope to visit the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont one day.

J is for jokes. I am probably one of the least serious people in the world and every other word coming out of my mouth is some kind of joke. I’m also thankful for people who get my jokes because sometimes I’m just left with blank stares.

K is for kitties.  I’m pretty sure if it wasn’t for Tommy and Munchkin, I’d be well on my way to being a crazy cat lady. I’m that person who smothers their friends’ cats and tries to make friends with the strays. A few summers ago, there were 4 or 5 stray kittens that would run around on my block and I was in kitty heaven.

Have a great Tuesday!

What did you do this weekend? What’s your favorite dessert?

The post Some Weekend Stuff appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I love decorating the house for all the holidays. I love pumpkin picking and using them to decorate the house.

There’s nothing better than coming home to a beautifully decorated house and a gorgeous Christmas tree surrounded by presents waiting to be opened.

There is also nothing better than sitting around the table with your family and sharing a holiday meal.

I cannot wait until I have my own house where I can host the holidays.

As much as the holiday season is becoming more commercialized and starting earlier and earlier each year, I love it all the same.

What’s your favorite holiday?

The post H is for Holidays appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Over the weekend, my mom bought a bunch of squash at the farm stand and I’m going to be trying out some recipes for acorn, spaghetti and butternut squash, so stay tuned for more yummy squash recipes!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 2 Acorn Squash
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz package mushrooms, chopped
• 8 oz package ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Cut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds, spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Meanwhile cook quinoa in chicken stock, according to package directions. In a skillet over medium heat, cook onions until translucent and season to taste. Add in garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender, then remove from skillet. In the same skillet, brown the ground turkey.  When turkey is fully cooked add the vegetables, quinoa, mustard and honey to the skillet and combine well.  Stuff the squash with the meat and veggie mixture, top with cheese and put into the oven for 15 more minutes to melt the cheese.

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Another day, another letter. Today is G for Grandparents.

My grandparents came to America shortly after I was born and when I was a kid, they lived with us and were basically my live in babysitters. My father worked nights, and my mom went to school when I was young so I spent my afternoons and evenings with my grandparents.  They may have spoiled me a bit more than my parents would have, who else but your grandparents would give you ice cream money through the window when you came knocking because the ice cream man was waiting on the corner.  I also helped my grandma cook sometimes, her pierogis and paczki were to die for! When I was in my teens, my grandparents moved back to Poland and my grandfather passed away last summer.  They are amazing people and I am very thankful that I get to call them my grandparents.

Have a great weekend!

What’s your favorite kind of squash? Any exciting plans for the weekend?

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I came home from school to a wonderful dinner made by my wonderful boyfriend.

Tommy cooked up delicious steak, which was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had in my life.  He served it with long grain wild rice and edamame on the side. We both agreed that it’s better the get a pricier steak and really enjoy it once in a while, than to get any old steak from the supermarket.

I told him I could get used to coming home to dinner every night, especially if it’s this yummy.

For dessert, we had some Dark Chocolate Pretzel Crisps.  These bad boys taste just like a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, so if you’re a fan of the drink, you will love these. I know I do, maybe a little too much. They taste just like Christmas to me.  I think I might’ve jumped on the crazy early Christmas wagon. I didn’t mean too, but I love Christmas.

Continuing with my Thankful November list, F is for friends and family.

I have a great group of people who I get to call my friends and family, and I know I can always count on them.  I sure as heck wouldn’t be who am I today without them, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Have a great Thursday!

Do you prefer cooking, or having someone cook for you?

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Since it was sunny, Munchkin was wearing his sunglasses and I didn’t realize he fell asleep until we got there.

I didn’t have the heart to wake him up so while he slept, I enjoyed a newborn trip to the park aka sitting on a bench with mandatory coffee, reading a magazine while your child sleeps. It was great.

Since it’s Wednesday, you get to see what I ate, and you’re in luck because it was some gooood stuff!

Breakfast: Whole Wheat Bagel thin with a fried egg, melted Mozzarella cheese and turkey Pastrami. I also had coffee which I poured into my Tervis tumbler to take to the park with me. I bought the top for it at Bed, Bath and Beyond over the weekend.

Post-Park Snack: Nutz Over Chocolate Luna Bar with H2O.

Lunch/Dinner: Stuffed Acorn Squash with ground turkey, quinoa, mushrooms and onions topped with Sargento Four Cheese Italian.[Recipe to follow!]

School Snack: Chobani peach yogurt with Love Grown Foods Raisin Almond Crunch and Mango Peeled Snacks. I also had my first Skinny Peppermint Mocha in a Christmas cup from Starbucks.

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For the letter E, I am thankful for exercise.  I’m thankful that I have the option to get up in the morning and go for a run, lift some weights or ride my bike because so many people are not physically able to do this. There’s nothing like the feeling after a good workout and exercise is something you will never regret.

Now I gotta run because I’m heading out for a run!

Have a great Wednesday!

What’s the best thing you ate yesterday?

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After the park, Munchkin was ready to nap and I got to do some homework, which was oh-so-exciting.  After school, Tommy met me at the subway and we went to get some Mexican for dinner.  We have both been craving Mexican for weeks and have been looking for a good place to go in our area.  We went to a place called San Loco in Williamburg and the food was pretty good. As we were walking up, I told Tommy that we used to hit up this place after a long night on the town in college. The place is open all night long and they also serve alcohol, in case you don’t get enough at all the surrounding bars.

We both got Burrito Grandes which had chipotle chicken, rice, beans, cheese, pico de gallo, onions, sauce and sour cream in a flour tortilla.  They have hot sauces in four levels of spiciness, with the hottest being called stupid.  We opted for just the hot one. The burrito was your basic burrito, but I really liked it.  They use refried beans which are my absolute fav in burritos.

We also shared a side of Macho Nachos that were topped with chili, guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, jalapenos and sour cream. These were good, but the way they were served, left some naked chips on the bottom and there is nothing worse than naked chips. The chilli was also lacking some spice.  We both agreed that the actual chips were better than other nachos, but the topping were a bit lacking.

We still have a few other Mexican places we want to try, but overall San Loco was pretty good and since it’s only three blocks from my subway stop, I might be making pit stops there occasionally.

Continuing with my Thankful November list, D is for dishwasher.  Now I know this seems like a really silly thing to be thankful for and so many people go without one, but our broke over the summer and it really sucked having to constantly hand wash all the dishes. I especially loathed washing all of Munchkin’s cups that have tons of little parts which have to be cleaned thoroughly.

Munchkin and I are going to run to the supermarket because I have a plethora of squash in my kitchen and I want to put them to good use for tonight’s dinner.

If you like Mexican, what’s you favorite dish?

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I woke up on Friday with a really bad stomach ache and spent most of the day lying around, trying to feel better. By the time the afternoon rolled around, I figured it was time to get up and be productive.  First on the list was to take a walk with Munchkin because he had been cooped up inside all day along with me.

After out walk, Munchkin napped and I did some cleaning. After Tommy got back from work, we got some dinner at good old Sakura.  Since my stomach was still a bit off, I passed on the sushi and got a Chicken Teriyaki box which I shared with Munchkin.  The little man is crazy about sushi and ate almost all of the California Roll.

Saturday was a busy day with more apartment decorating tasks.  I woke up with tummy pains again, but this time instead of a constant pain like Friday, this pain came and went, but got really intense at times.  We started the day off at Ikea to pick up some more essentials Tommy was missing.  After Ikea, we headed over to pick up Tommy’s couch which he was getting from his cousins. I got to spend some time with the cutest girl in the world, Arianna.  I can’t believe she’s going to be one in just two weeks!

After we transported the couch, we headed out for some lunch/dinner.  Since I was still feeling not too hot, I opted only for a bowl of chicken noodle soup and stole some fries from Tommy.  After we parted ways, Tommy and I hit up Bed, Bath and Beyond to get a few more things.  There also happens to be a Red Mango in the same mall as Bed, Bath and Beyond, so naturally I had to get some fro yo because my stomach had started feeling a bit better.

On our way home, we stopped at Stop and Shop for some groceries and picked up a DiGiorno frozen pizza to make when we got home.  Neither of us had even tried DiGiorno and we were both really surprised by how good it was.

I also got a really interesting chocolate sample in my Birchbox this month.  It was called Firecracker and it was dark chocolate with pop rocks, sea salt and chipotle.  When I bit into it, the first thing you heard and tasted was the pop rocks, but one I started chewing all I tasted was the chipotle and it was spicy.  Kind of cool and weird all at the same time.

On Sunday, we slept in and decided to get breakfast at Fame Diner. Fame is probably one of the oldest places in our town, and it is pretty much packed every day, but especially on Sundays for breakfast.  I got one of my favorite diner breakfast things, Eggs Benedict.  The stuff is soo good, but so not good for you.

Later on in the afternoon, Munchkin had a birthday party to attend. After his nap, we got changed and ready to head over to Martyna’s 3rd birthday.  What is it with these kids growing up so fast? I remember when this baby girl was born!

Munchkin had an amazing time playing with all the kids and eating his piece of cake all by himself. But, cake at 8 PM is not a good idea and Munchkin was on a total sugar high when we got home.

And last but not least, continuing with my Thankful November list, C is for color.  Color is the word I probably hear more than any other every day, with car coming in a close second. Munchkin is a budding artist and many days color is the first word out of his mouth when I go to get him out of his crib.

What did you do this weekend? What’s your favorite diner dish?

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Luckily for me, I can easily say breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. There’s nothing like the rumble in my tummy when I first wake up in the morning and getting the day started with some yummy food puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

I’ve already done a pretty good job of turning Munchkin into a breakfast lover. When he sees a pancake on his plate, his smile spreads from ear to ear, and as soon as he’s done with one, he’s yelling “more, more!” for me to give him another one.

While I do enjoy the occasional eggs and bacon, my favorite breakfasts are definitely the sweet kind.  Nothing tops pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit or an awesome cereal bowl.

I also can’t forget to mention that breakfast usually goes along side coffee, and without coffee, this momma would probably be passed out by the time noon rolled around.

What’s your favorite meal of the day? What’s your favorite breakfast?

The post B is for breakfast. appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

A – Alex.

He is better known as Munchkin both on the blog and in real life. It’s a nickname that his godmother, Patricia, gave to him when he was born and it just kind of stuck.  Even though it hasn’t always been easy to be a mom to this little guy, I can’t imagine my life without him.

He is the first little face I see each day when I wake, or rather when he wakes me up, and he is the light of my life. Over the past 21 months he has taught me to love unconditionally, put others before me and some really cool dance moves. The boy can booty shake better than Beyonce.

He is good natured, shares like a champ and more often than not, is an absolute joy to be around, minus the ear piercing screams that he lets out from time to time.

He is the best baby in the world and I am lucky to be his mommy. I can’t wait to see what life will bring us in the future and I hope that the bond we share now will only grow stronger. Mommy loves you Munchkin!

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