Mommy FTW

Now that Violet has decided to drop her morning nap (not my idea!) I have found myself with a lot less free time on my hands (hence the slow down in posting) and researching ways to keep her occupied while my son Cameron is in preschool.  I decided to look into all the local (FREE!) story time options near where we live.  As it turns out, there is a story time for every week day – most of them offered by the local libraries.  FYI, the post below is filled with links to the locations as well as the schedules of the events – be sure to click through for more details.  Also, I added my favorite nearby lunch spots in case you happen to be hungry after listening to all those stories.

"I'm totally not napping mom, so make with the entertainment already!"

Monday -

10:30 am Politics and Prose Story Time with BearSong the Guitar man If you need a snack or some lunch, Politics and Prose has a coffee shop, and there is also one of my favorites, Marvelous Market, just down the block.

10:30 am Palisades Library Crafty Tales for Toddlers age 2  Palisades Library is my favorite library for kiddos near me – they have a train table and lots of spots for the kids to draw and do puzzles.  And, FYI, there is a Safeway just around the corner from the Palisades Library which makes really yummy deli sandwiches if you are looking to pick up some lunch while you are around!

11:15 am Palisades Library Baby Lap Time ages birth – 12 months

Tuesday -

10 am Chevy Chase Library Toddler Story Time Stories, songs and so much more ages 1-5

10:30 am National Zoo Bird House Story Time in the Bird Resource Room for special stories featuring our feathered friends. Come for the story time, but stay for the zoo!  There’s so much to see, be sure to make a morning of it!  And, if you are looking for some yummy lunch, check out my favorite Italian Delicatessen Vace just down Connecticut Ave for some to-die-for (and cheap) pizza and sandwiches.

Wednesday -

10 am Cleveland Park Library Terrific Twos Storytime ages 2-3 FYI – Vace is right across the street from the Cleveland Park Library – now you just have to try it!

10:30 am Palisades Library Preschool Story Time ages 2-5

11:15 am Palisades Library Music and Movement Music, dancing and instrument playing ages birth – 5

Thursday -

11 am Chevy Chase Library Toddler Story Time Stories, songs and so much more ages 1-5

10 am Tenley-Friendship Library Bilingual (English/Spanish) Story Time Stories, songs, rhymes and lots of fun with Miss Veronica 2nd and 4th Thursdays only

Friday -

10 am Tenley-Friendship Library Tales for Twos and Three Listen to stories and enjoy music, movement and other fun activities ages 2-3 Whole foods, and a just added Panera Bread are right across the street from the Tenley-Friendship Library.  These are both great spots to grab some snacks or lunch.

11 am Tenley Friendship Library Baby Toddler Lap Time ages birth – 24 months

I realize that a lot of you don’t live near me -  sorry that was so hyper local.  But, I do suggest that you check out your local library and see what they have going.  I am so impressed with the DC Public libraries – they offer so many incredible programs!  And when we were living in Brooklyn, Cameron was a big fan of the story time at Clinton Hill Library.  It’s great that there are so many free options out there to get our little ones interested in books – so be sure to take advantage of them!!

UPDATE! As of this week, story time on Tuesday at the Bird House is on break for the summer, but a new story time is starting up at the Kids Farm.  Check out this post for more information.

Now that I have a daughter to cute-up I have discovered a new fun side of Etsy.  Hopefully in the future I’ll get to a hair clip roundup post, but for now I wanted to share the ones I just got for little miss Violet because for this weekend only the seller is offering 30% off!

Cute clips to match any outfit! Even Violet's Cameron-hand-me-down jammies.

Violet’s hair clips came from Etsy seller Stellina B – I like her clips because they are pretty basic, but come in a varity of colors so you can match any outfit.  Also, there is no exposed metal part on the back (and as a hair clip novice, I admit I have a fear of impaling Violet as I try to wrangle her hair).  Check out her Etsy shop to see more of what she has to offer.  And, I found out by being a fan of her facebook page that until Monday (2/13) you can get 30% off with the code 1000SALES !

If you happen to know that your little one has no egg allergies, then quiche is a great (and easy) way to get them to eat lots of different things (hello, hidden vegetables!) as well as clean out your fridge.  Here’s my simple recipe – but feel free to add anything you like to your quiche!

6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of nutmeg (optional)
A dash of hot sauce (optional)
1 cup shredded cheese (swiss, cheddar, whatever you have on hand)
Options for fillings – choose as many as you want, or get creative!:
1/2 cup cut up ham
1/2 cup broccoli florets (steam first to soften)
1/2 cup cut up asparagus (steam first to soften)
1/2 cup defrosted frozen chopped spinach (squeeze as much water out of it as you can first)
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 (9-inch) frozen pie crust

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and hot sauce in a food processor or blender. (FYI if you only have milk on hand, just use that). Layer the fillings and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. You can really put anything you like in a quiche – get creative! You really can’t go wrong with all that cheesy goodness. The one I made had cheddar and emmentaler cheese, ham, green onions, and broccoli.