Friday Things #345
1. Isabelle turned 19 months old this week! This girl has become SO animated and so full of personality recently (and she has also taken to climbing up onto the kitchen chairs and standing on them, which is awesome #sarcasm). It’s so fun to watch her play and explore and interact with her brothers :)
2. Joseph absolutely melted my heart this week. A week or two ago he was eating Chex Mix and he said that he liked the little brown chips the best, and I said they were my favorite, too. Fast forward to this past Tuesday, sitting as his allergy appointment with him while he was snacking on some Chex Mix. He held out one of those little brown chips to me and said, “Here, Mommy, a chip!” I thanked him but told him I knew they were his favorite and that he should eat it, to which he replied with a smile, “No, Mommy, I want to share it with you.” He absolutely, positively made my day.
3. Dominic has been obsessed with finding the moon in the sky, both before bed and when we wake up in the morning. He also loves looking at the stars and asking which ones are planets. My favorite thing, however, is that when he sees the moon in the night sky, he says that “the moon’s light is on”. I never, ever want to forget that he says that because it’s basically the most adorable thing in the whole wide world.
4. I typically do my grocery shopping during the week, but last week was crazy; by Saturday afternoon we were low on bread, milk, and fruit, so I loaded up all three kids and headed to Costco. When we went to bed, I told my husband that under no circumstances should he ever allow me to go to Costco on a Saturday ever again. Man alive, it was insanity.
5. Speaking of Costco, can we discuss the new carts that showed up in our Costco a few months ago? The part where kids can sit facing you is up higher now, and I am absolutely convinced that they did zero testing with people shorter than 5’4. I CANNOT SEE WHERE I’M GOING! If both Dominic and Isabelle are sitting up there, I’m constantly pushing the cart, craning around both sides of them, to make sure I’m not going to run into someone or something. Poor design for the vertically challenged, for sure.
6. Okay, now let’s talk slow cookers. I’m in the market for a new one and have read approximately one gazillion reviews (it’s been a long time since I’ve had a new one!). Cook’s Illustrated rated KitchenAid as #1, Consumer Reports rated Hamilton Beach as #1 and I have friends who swear by Cuisinart and All-Clad. Which do you use and love??!
7. I am 10000000% convinced that the people who decided to change the clocks was a good idea did NOT, in fact, have small children. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME we have to struggle through 5am wakeups for one to two weeks. Gah. The plus side is that I mysteriously feel more rested in the morning and it being light earlier helps, but we’ve got a lot of over-tired kids here, haaaaaaaaa.
8. This is absolutely fascinating! >> 13 Surprisingly Weird Reasons Why Crows and Ravens Are the Best Birds
9. We finished all seasons of DCI Banks (good show!) then binged the new season of Jack Ryan and it was amazing; I felt like some of the episodes this season were very Jason Bourne-esque, which I loved, of course.
10. TGIF! I hope you have a snuggly weekend!
This is very timely for me. I had a large Crock Pot for only a few years when cooking a pot roast I heard a loud cracking sound and found the glass top shattered over my roast. I got another Crock Pot. I only used it a few times when I again heard a loud cracking sound and found the whole bottom had completely shattered. When you lift up the pot the bottom was completely gone. Very interested in other people’s opinions of slow cookers.
I live seeing and hearing about your little family; so adorable. As far as slow cookers, I was gifted a Rival as a wedding gift. Well it’s going on 36 years and I use all the time during winter. 36 years! Cannot beat it
Hi Michele. For once I am planning my Christmas baking and cooking in advance.
I purchased some silicone candy molds. I was looking today for a dispenser for filling the silicone molds with caramel and chocolate. I wonder if you or anyone else might have an opinion if dispensers work and if anyone can make a recommendation about which to buy. They are similar to pancake batter dispensers.
Also have you ever made
French Canelé
Mousseline cream
Douberge cake
Smith Island 10 layer cake
Also I made the Chocolate chocolate chip meringue cookies. Since I wanted to pipe the meringue, I put the chips on as decoration. Between the chocolate meringue flavor 3 Tablespoons Hersheys unsweetened cocoa and chips on top they were delicious, Next batch will be coffee meringue with chocolate chips.
I don’t like the new carts at Costco either. And I’m tall. Not sure what they were thinking.
Here’s a vote for the Kitchen Aid slow cooker. I’ve used mine for 2 years and love it. Best feature is slow, medium, and high as well as keep warm heat settings. Will not boil your food on low as was a problem with several other cookers I tried. I researched all clad and found too many negative reviews to justify the higher cost.
I love my All-Clad slow cooker! I’ve made entree’s to candy and all have come out perfectly.
When my nieces were little they loved “Good Night Moon.” They would climb up on the back of the sofa to see the moon. I remember one night one of them said tearfully “Where the moon go?” Still remember this 30 yrs later. So precious.
Do you have a planetarium close by? Bring the kids to Kansas City – we have one! BTW – the brown garlic chips are my favorite too!
I think my comment got lost! Crock-Pot SCCPVL400-S 4-Quart Cook and Carry Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel – this is the crockpot I just bought from Amazon. I’ve only used it once, but everything came out fabulous! Chuck roast with carrot and onions and gravy. I’m happy with it – inexpensive, simple, worked well.
For what it’s worth I just bought a new crockpot and have only used it once so far – to make roast beef (chuck roast) with cooked carrots and onions and gravy. Everything came out fabulous. I went cheap and simple and am happy with it: Crock-Pot SCCPVL400-S 4-Quart Cook and Carry Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel. Bought from Amazon.
you made the mistake of not just going to Costco on a Saturday, you went the first Saturday of the month. that is the one time i flat out refuse to go anywhere near a Costco. i value my sanity too much.
Hi. That clock change thing gets me every year – Sunday I was asleep before 8pm (or was it midnight) and was not up super early on Monday. It seems waaaay darker out after we change the clock even though it just shifted an hour.
I binge watched Jack Ryan over the weekend – I thought it was lacking – something that I can’t put my finger on. Not as good as the first season I thought. I really wanted to know what happened when the new widow found out Reyes killed her husband the General.
I just LOVE your Friday Things. Been reading your blog before you were married! Alway a treat.
I had this slow Cooker for about 10 years. It broke and I got an all clad one for free from a friend. Both are very good I think. The all clad one is on sale! https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-slow-cooker/?te=1&nl=cooking&emc=edit_ck_20191108?campaign_id=58&instance_id=13683&segment_id=18641&user_id=baf5d085a6df38e85620126b3b9f62fd®i_id=6176748920191108
#6 slow cooker = Cuisinart for sure!
I recently installed the app “Sky Map” on my phone and have had fun with it. You simply hold it up to the sky and it labels what you are seeing. Moon, planet, stars, constellations. Sky Map is for Androids but I’m fairly certain there is something comparable for iPhone. Takes a few moments to calibrate by following the screen directions but then you’re good to go.
I have the app “Sky View” on ,my iPhone and I am obsessed with it. I love it and the kids do too.
I’m convinced Target never consulted moms who still have babies in car carriers. I tried putting my baby one and the seat was floating up in the air. ONly choice is to put the baby carrier inside the cart – and then pile all your purchases on top of baby! Dumb!
And yes….I’ve had four days of waking up to a creepy shadow figure next to my bed at 4 am and only after I jump or shriek does he whisper “Is it time to get up yet???”
I had a friend buy one of the sunrise/ light up alarm clocks and told her kids they could only get out of bed when the clock was lit up. She said it worked really well for keeping them in bed.
I have an All-Clad and I love it. I feel it does not over cook my food. I noticed they have changed a bit since mine is probably 5 or so years old. I feel I can not speak to the new models, but I hope they only improved on what I currently have.
I have been debating for several years now on whether to purchase the All Clad slow cooker . . . . still undecided. I LOVE my All Clad cookware and have slowly been replacing my pots, pans, & skillets piece by piece with All Clad. It’s been a very worthwhile investment. I assume their slow cooker would be the same, but just haven’t pulled the trigger.
When my son was 4, we were driving home one night and the moon was full and beautiful – the craters were visible. Actually it was about this time of year. He said, “Mommy, Mr. Moon is home.” When I asked him how he knew that, he replied “He has all his lights on!”. I will never forget that, and he’s 29 now. How quickly these last 25 years have gone. Sometimes in my mind he’s still that sweet 4 year old and then I look at him and see a handsome married man . . . . makes me grateful for precious memories and at the same time grateful to have a son who has grown into a wonderful Godly man.
Have you shared the Frank Asch books with Dominic? He writes books about a bear, one of which is searching for the moon.
Honestly after a week of those horrific early wakings (our kids are like the exact same ages) this boosted my mood a lot :) hahahaha. It’s funny what validates you in the toddler stage. And as somebody under 5-foot considering renewing my Costco membership, the cart info is all too helpful :)
Making your triple chocolate mousse cake for a friend today!
It’s always fun to get a recap on the kids each week. They are so adorable. We are in the midst of watching “Silent Witness”, a forensic pathologist story from the UK. You might want to give it a try. We are watching it on Amazon Prime and finding it fascinating. There are something like 21 seasons. (It is still an active show.)
Please post when you finally purchase a new crock pot that you love! I’m in the market for one too but wonder if it’s worth it to drop some dough $$ on the All Clad which I gave to my daughter a few years ago for Christmas. She loves it and it was a gift from me, but I’m a little more hesitant to spend that on myself 🤷🏻♀️
You’re such a champ to not only tackle Costco on a Saturday, but, to also do it with three kids in tow!
Re slow-cookers & speaking of Costco—I bought mine at Costco (it’s a name brand but I can’t remember the name), about 8 years ago & it’s still going strong. Good size & it came with a smaller crock pot for dips.
Hi Michelle
Thank you for consistently balancing your content with laughter, family and food. You really have a gift and I hope we continue hearing from you thru the college years and weddings! (I have been here since the dating years!)
Being a private /personal chef, I have had some serious experience with slow cookers and I will share what I have discovered. NEVER buy a Crock-Pot, over the years they have degraded the standard of the thermostats and you can overcook at TOO HIGH of a temp in a heartbeat. I bought a Cuisinart and to tell you the truth I believe my $99 Instant Pot Aura does a much better job and has a sous vide feature which I use more and more every week. None of the other slow cooker models have the consistency that the Arua has shown and the fact that it has a heavy-duty stainless steel insert that is a breeze to clean, just makes it even better!
Just my humble opinion, keep up the beautiful family and the beautiful blog. I can not even imagine how full and busy your life is now a days!
Susan
As soon as I read your comment about Dominic’s fascination with the moon, I thought of a wonderful book written by Eric Carle titled “Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me” . It is about a child who loves the moon so her dad climbs a ladder up to the sky to try to get the moon…there is actually a page that folds out to accommodate the long, long ladder. The problem is, the moon keeps changing as it goes through the phases.
It is a super fun story and is also educational…there is a page showing the various phased the moon goes through. I just checked Amazon and it is still in print and available. I had the paperback version in my classroom but it comes in a board boob version as well. Another great story is “Owl Moon” By Jane Yolen …about a child who goes out “owling” with his dad when the moon is full searching quietly together for the elusive owls in the forest. The language is beautiful and the story is sweet and soothing. It is fun to make to make to owl sounds as you read the book.
Needless to say, I was very addicted to childrens’ picture books as a kindergarten teacher. I had a personal collection of well over 500 books for my classroom. I recently donated the whole collection to school very much in need of books for classrooms and for kids to take home to read. It felt great …sending my very beloved collection off to inspire many more children.
I love seeing the kids in the laundry basket…ours did that too, what fun! We love looking at the night sky, and one of the best apps is called Sky Guide…it’s great, you just hold your phone up to the stars/planets and it mirrors the sky so you can know exactly what planet/star you’ re looking at. I highly recommend it!
P.s.s. I’m with you on the time change. It’s taken me almost a week to sleep “normally”. I was waking up at 4..or even earlier and paying the price later. I actually think I like the losing an hour time change better…now THAT is definitely a sign I’m getting older. At least with that time change you get light later. But overall I say let’s stop with changing the clocks. Crock pots…I got a gift of a programmable crockpot from costco. I use it all the time. I think they offer one programmable kind. That feature alone is the best part😊
You get the best pictures of your babies and furry babies. Love the chex mix story about Joseph..just melts your heart when they are so lovely like this. I’d say write it all down but you did lol😊 today is my Mom’s bday. Thank you Lord for Moms that love their children so much like Michelle..and my sweet Mommy too. Blessings greater than any words.
P.s. as I scroll on my phone I cant wait for the final pic of doggies and this one was sooooo adorable. Dominic and doggie sitting there smiling away. This blog brought good touching tears. Such love.
Please post when you buy a slow cooker. I’ve been on the hunt for one too!
The criteria for a good crock pot, in my opinion, is one with a lid that fits! Don’t pay any attention to the brand…..just find one with a lid that fits and doesn’t wobble or allow a lot of heat to escape. After trying several, I settled with All-Clad only because of the lid. It is a wonderful, dependable slow cooker.
I have a 6-quart nonstick Nesco which I love. I can slow cook, roast, whatever I want to do with it. The oval shape is perfect. I highly recommend you check them out.
When my kids still had to ride the bus to school it was DARK out during daylight savings. It wasn’t safe. While I hate this time change, I felt that my kids were safer waiting for the bus in the morning because it was lighter out. My kids are grown now. I get up at 4 to go to work. But now I’m automatically waking up at 3!!!! It’s awful!!
Saturday is a crazy busy day at any of the “super” stores- they are definitely best avoided on Saturdays! Kids are looking great as usual-Joseph sounds so sweet. My sister swears it’s her mission in life to do away with daylight savings…lol