Mamapicks Newsletter – Feb. 24th, 2010

DIY CD Case Project

Loved this idea of using plastic CD cases to display a favourite photo.  Check out the Country Living website for more details on how to do this yourself.

What To Do This Weekend (Feb. 27th & 28th)

Toons for Toddlers is a great family cinema experience for little ones (ages 2-5).  Enjoy reduced sound, better lighting and special features.  $5 pp.  This weekend, see In The Night Garden – Fun in the Garden.  For details about various times and locations, check the website.

Saturday is opening day for the new Bat Cave a the ROM.  Bigger, better, scarier.  Families will be able to view more bats and highlights include an audio-visual show that explores cave formation, how bats use echolocation and more, and a spectacular dramatization of bats in flight during a nightly exodus for food.

If your kids are into trains, there is a great opportunity to see the Model Railroad Show at the Model Railroad Club (in Liberty Village) on Sunday, Feb. 28th.

Something to do at home?  Bake cookies with your kids…  always fun, quality time!

Check out more great weekend events on www.mamapicks.com

New To This World

Love this fine art print, personalized for a newborn.  Created by an Australian designer (Freya Art & Design)…found on Etsy, of course.

Free Weekly Meal Plans

What’s for dinner?  Ugh.  It’s not about whether you love to cook…it’s about being organized.  I do like to cook but figuring out what to prepare every day and making sure that the ingredients are in the house overwhelms me sometimes. Not to mention that I prepare separate dinners for my husband (who is a carnivore) and my kids (who have the pickiest palates).

I have been using Wovenfare’s free weekly meal plans for quite a while now and I love the great recipe ideas and the weekly grocery list.  I don’t normally use the whole plan, but pick and choose the recipes that appeal to us.  I am going to start publishing their dinner ideas right here on Mamapicks every Thursday.

Here are this past week’s recipes:

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Cilantro Beef Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce, Roasted Salmon with Butter, Dill and Garlic, German Style Pork Steak with Red Cabbage, Mediterranean Pizza, Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard.

Bon Apetit!

Time to replace your pots & pans?

My mom recently got it into my head after pointing out that some of my pans were scratched and that Teflon is hazardous.  I am not much of a “green” mama so I am no expert on this kind of stuff.  Sometimes I even question recycling because I do want the weather to get warmer, I really, truly do.  However, the thought of Teflon in my kids’ scrambled eggs freaked me out.  I was on the lookout for a new set and found this great deal on Sears.ca.  Save $400 on this Henckel’s 10-piece set of pots & pans.  Regularly priced at $599.   Available for $199 until Feb. 26th.

Best of 2009 Series: Tree House Beds

I think I need to start a new category.  Things I want but can’t have.  These amazingly-amazing loft beds are from a Danish company called Kids Factory.  Their site is in Danish with no English options but I can tell you in very plain English that these tree-house beds are very expensive and that shipping would be a bitch.