Rhode Island The Ocean State

Mother's Day weekend on a whim, seriously Thursday night, we decided to head to Rhode Island for a day trip. It is literally and hour to the state line and 30 minutes to the capital, Providence. It has been raining nonstop here for the past month, not to mention in the high 50s low 60s if we are lucky (we've had a slight change in the weather this past week), and I am telling you we are about to go crazy being stuck inside 24/7. Where is SPRING? We decided that we were no longer going to let this nonsense weather put a damper into our exploration of the northeast (seriously we have been waiting for spring because everything shuts down up here from November until it gets warm, which apparently this weather is unusual, I'm not buying it). 

Rhode Island is tiny little state known as the Ocean state. Its the smallest state in the US, the state motto is "Hope," Providence is home to one of top Ivy League schools in the country, Brown University, and the list goes on and on. We set out first thing Saturday morning with our mission being to go to Providence and check out the Children's Museum. 

Our first stop though, was for brunch. Upon reading several blogs about family friendly restaurants I discovered that T's Restaurant in Cranston, RI was ranked as one of the top brunch spots in the state. Cranston is just right outside of Providence. T's did not let us down. The Mr. ordered his go to brunch item a breakfast burrito, which was the best thing that we ordered. I ordered a sampler meal, just so the dictator could have pancakes without having to spend additional money on a children's meal (they can be such a rip off). My meal came with two pancakes, cinnamon apples, an omelet, toast, and bacon (clearly we weren't going to starve). The best thing about T's was the coffee. They feature a seasonal coffee, endless, so the flavors are constantly changing. Apparently their pumpkin flavored coffee is the best but I will say the Maple French Toast coffee was really good. Plus it came in a cute little cup to drink out of. The Mr. ordered hot chocolate, and while it wasn't the best hot chocolate in the world it warmed you up. If you have been reading the blog you know by now that I love brunch, and am on mission to find quirky little brunch joints in New England, which seem to be few and far between (sorry IHOP doesn't count for me). T's hit the mark and didn't let me down. 

Maple French Toast Coffee

Eating all the whip cream off the hot chocolate

After brunch we headed in to Providence. I think we may end up going back to Providence at some point just because the one thing they are most famous for (Water Fire) was not occurring this past weekend. Providence is the state capital and home to Brown University. It is also home to the top thing on our agenda for the weekend, The Children's Muesem. We have been to a couple different children's museums before and while this one certainly was no comparison to the one we visited in Chicago it was a thousand times better than the highly recommended Kid City Museum here in Connecticut. Elin loved it! The one huge perk is that unlike the Chicago Children's Museum everything here was toddler friendly. Chicago has some strictly big kids area (still by far the best one we have been to). On top of all the fun we had at the museum it was Mother's Day weekend so moms got in free. 

Elin's top things at the Children's Muesem were the play area with a slide, pretend boat, and stuffed animals (she loves stuffed animals, I am sure they were full of germs, but oh well). She also loved the shape sorter wall. She has a little Melissa and Doug shape sorter toy at home so this wall was right up her alley. The highlight would be the pretend kitchen. Elin is obsessed with playing what she calls "kitchen." They have one at the library we go to, and I swear we literally go to the library a couple times a week just so she can play "kitchen." (On a side note, we do own a play kitchen but there is just something about toys that aren't at your home, they are just a thousand times better). 

We wrapped up the Children's Muesuem a little earlier than expected (if you go plan for a few hours not the whole day, its pretty small, and eventually you run out of things to do). I had planned on eating dinner in Providence but we were far from dinner time when we finished. We decided to do a drive thru tour of Brown University (when in Rome, plus you can never start to early discussing college with your kids, this is Elin's 3rd college tour in her short 2 years of life). If you look at the picture below you can clearly see that Brown is not in her future (she cried real tears), we still have a couple more on our list of college tours to take while we live in New England so maybe there is hope, my guess is Stamford would be her Ivy League of choice, its warmer there. 

Seriously crying real tears

After our tour of Brown we felt pretty confident we had seen everything there was to see in Providence, minus the Water Fire show. We had only planned to go to Providence but as we were leaving we decided Newport was only 30 minutes away and we had nothing else to do. Elin needed a nap, and we could explore the other area that Rhode Island is known for. We are so thankful that we decided to take this little excursion because it was well worth it. Newport was the highlight of the trip. Newport is known for the famous cliff walk full of beautiful mansions that sit on a cliff and overlook the ocean. It is very breathing taking and probably would have been even better had the weather cooperated. We were only able to do part of the cliff walk before heading back to the car, one because our meter was up, and two because it looked as if the skies would open at any moment. We did do a drive by of all the houses via car and I think it is necessary to do it both ways, you see the front and back of the homes. If you are really adventurous some of the homes are open for tours (we would have been pushing our kids to their limit so we decided against taking a tour). The drive by was pretty cool because on the opposite side of the street there are homes just as large and just as gorgeous, if not more gorgeous, as the ones sitting next to the ocean. Taylor Swift owns a home in this area so for all the Swifty fans out there don't make the mistake I did and miss that, the Mr. proceeded to tell me this info after we had left Rhode Island. 

We were also able to walk on the beach while we were there. The Mr. went a little to far and got soaking wet. Apparently the Atlantic is pretty cold right now, said the man who had to dry his socks out with car vents! It was nice though to smell the salt water and hear the sound of the waves crashing. 

Newport is pretty cool little town. The downtown area by the wharf is what you picture in your head when you think of a little New England town. There were lots of little shops and restaurants. We ate at Nickolas Pizza and I am pretty sure it ranks as one of the top pizza's that we have had since we moved up north. People in Connecticut go on and on about how amazing their pizza is, we have yet to have that amazing pizza, Rhode Island's pizza trumps Connecticut pizza currently, in fact Papa Johns still remains our go to pizza place. We are trying to find this amazing Connecticut pizza everyone talks about, yet can't tell us the name of the place to get it. Luckily we were able to catch the Derby race while here which we were very thankful for because we were both missing the KY this past weekend. Before heading back we stopped into a little fudge shop to get a little treat for the drive home.  

Overall Rhode Island was a great trip, probably one of the best ones thus far. If you are planning a New England visit don't plan to stay here long though. While Newport could be a whole day in itself if you wanted to do some serious shopping and walking, there isn't a whole lot to see in Providence. Other than if you are planning a beach vacation its probably just one of those states you swing through, enjoy for the day, and then head on because if your coming to New England you can cover a lot of ground in a short period, which is awesome. 

Festival Another Word for County Fair

Sorry for the lack of post lately we have had visitors, and been on so many adventures that I have just let the blog slip.

Connecticut loves a festival. I get emails from this awesome site called Mommy Poppins, basically it gives you some ideas of events, attractions, and things to do with kids in the area. I have used it a couple of times now to get the kids out of the house, and its pretty legit, especially for someone who knows nothing about the area. 

Every time I log onto Mommy Poppins and search upcoming events there is always a festival. Connecticut is actually pretty rural,  I know I was just as surprised as some of you reading this post. Every little small town has their own festival at some point during the year on the town green. I am no stranger to loving a festival at home, usually that means crafts and art are involved, which if you know me you know I love a good craft and handmade items. The festivals up here are no different, they are home to crafts but are also really just a county fair with a craft section. The last weekend of April Meridan (a couple towns over from us) was hosting their annual Daffodil festival. They were suppose to have over 600,000 daffodil's, but Connecticut weather being as it is there was a frost and other than the fake daffodil on the stage there was not a single daffodil in that entire park (I was really looking forward to getting some good pictures of the kids). 

Apparently the Connecticut eternal winter hurt the flowers this year

Not only was there a small section of arts and crafts, but there was live music, and fair rides. We tried our hardest to get Elin to go on the Ferris Wheel, but that wasn't happening. The Mr. coworkers told us though that if we were going to a festival we had to get the "Fried Dough with red sauce." Fried Dough is just another term for "funnel cake" (we are going to have an entire blog post on terminology in the Northeast). Now I love funnel cake and all that delicious powdered sugar. I was very hesitant to not get the Fried Dough with powdered sugar. However, we are living in Connecticut and I figured I need to take full advantage of all that this state has to offer, and live like a local, eat the red sauce not the powdered sugar. HUGE mistake! It was absolutely terrible. The Mr. coworkers had told us we would never order the powdered sugar version again, but I hate to break it to them I would never order the red sauce (sort of like marinara) again. The Mr. and I both hated it, we tried to do the best we could to eat around the red sauce just so we could justify literally throwing away $6.00. 

Being the kind patron I am I just wanted to let readers out there know northeastern festivals are a must if you love a county fair (its a fun experience, as are any county fairs, great people watching). If you aren't a county fair person stir clear, it wasn't that great. Northeastern fried dough with red sauce save your money, don't do it! 

Creole Chicken Pasta

If you know the Mr. and I chances are you know two things about us: 

1.) we love to travel (hence one of the reasons we moved to Connecticut) 

2.) our favorite place to travel to is New Orleans, LA

We love everything about New Orleans. We love the culture, music, food, people, and overall vibe of the city. The Mr. has been to just about every state and out of the country and still NOLA ranks as one of his favorite places. While I haven't been to almost every state I have been to more than half of them and out of the country as well and just like the Mr., NOLA is by far my fave. There is just something about it that captures your soul. 

Every now and again we get a craving for one of our favorite restaurants in NOLA, Coops Place (shhh…tourist aren't their favorite people). While I cannot recreate Coops by ANY means this dish at least gives me a little Cajun flavor. By the way if you are visiting NOLA you must stop by Coops Place, and honestly try any of the pastas (my favorite Crawfish and Tasso, the Mr. likes Pasta Jambalaya) or even the pork chop (I know your thinking a pork chop, but it is pretty amazing). Seriously, Coops is the best place in NOLA. Typically we eat there more than once when we go. Be advised though the service is terrible, and you may have to share a table with someone you don't know, but people in NOLA are super friendly and the food is worth every minute of discomfort you may have from eating dinner with a stranger. 

I found this recipe around the time the Mr. and I got married (almost 7 years, time flies when your having fun). I have no idea where I got it so I cannot give credit where credit is due. I can tell you it is quick to make and it is my go to dish when we are having company. Why you ask? It is so good it makes people think that I am a really good cook, when actually I just follow the simple steps of a recipe. Pair it with a salad and some garlic bread and you have yourself a great meal for a dinner party. If its just the Mr. and I we just stick to the pasta, and usually overeat. It does make a lot and I should warn you it does not make good left overs. It also does not sit well on the stove for a long time. Basically it needs to be eaten as soon as it is cooked, or at least don't mix the pasta and sauce until you are ready to eat. 

The recipe is pretty simple. You cook the chicken, make the sauce, and mix it all together. I prefer to use the bow tie noodles but I am sure it would taste just as good with whatever kind of noodles you have on hand. It makes a lot so be prepared. We always have a lot left over if I make the whole recipe and just the Mr. and I eat. You may want to cut it in half if you are feeding only two people. I would say that it feeds between 4 and 6 people, that is also taking in account everyone getting seconds. Prep time is around 10 minutes, I mean seriously you are just cutting the chicken and green onions that how easy the recipe is. Cook time is about 15 minutes, basically as long as it takes to cook the noodles. This recipe is a go to in the Logan household. 

In the words of Chris Rose "you can live in any city but New Orleans is the only city that lives in you." Bon Appetite! 

Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breast (thinly sliced)
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. butter
3 whole green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. creole seasoning
12 oz. heavy cream
1 lb. bowtie noodles (cooked according to package)

Slice chicken into thin strips.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat, then add chicken and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until no longer pink. 
Add in the remaining ingredients (except pasta)
Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes

Once sauce is thickened pour noodles into pasta sauce.
Stir until all noodles are covered in sauce. 

Hippy Momma - Homemade Laundry Detergent

Yep, its official I have either 

a.) lost my mind or 

b.) become a hippy momma and slightly crazy

The Mr. is currently reading this statement and laughing. 

I am now in the homemade laundry detergent making business all thanks to none other than the Internet. Being a part of the educational world prior to staying home I noticed a huge increase in girls and boys starting puberty earlier and earlier. I use to come home and search the Internet to see if research had been conducted to determine if this was a true event occurring or if it was just my imagination.  As a parent to both a sweet little girl and boy this is frightening. I want to preserve their childhood as long as possible. We have all the time in the world to be a grown up, why rush it? 

Literally, I maybe 

I don't know if making my own laundry detergent will make a difference, or if eating only free range chicken is going to stop early onset puberty. I have read countless articles about this topic and in the end I have to trust that God is in control, but I am going to do a few things to maybe help him out a bit. If you think I am crazy you probably just want to stop reading this post (my parents included, I think they were slightly concerned when they visited us and discovered their daughter was becoming a pioneer, not really). No I have not officially jumped aboard the crazy train and stopped wearing deodorant or never letting my children eat a cookie, or McDonald's for that matter (everything in moderation, and plus you can't stop grandparents, just throw in the towel on that one). I am not making every single piece of food we put in our bodies, and while I do read a lot of the labels I am certainly not reading them all. Plus I have read several articles and looked at the Environmental Working Group site to see that laundry detergent contains tons of chemicals that have developmental and reproductive effects along with many other medical conditions. With our skin being the largest organ in our bodies all those chemicals are just getting soaked right up bound to cause problems. 
  Now I am not one to love to do laundry. I do love the fresh smell of clean clothes but I actually despise laundry. Even more so with kids. I feel like I do it 24/7! With that being said laundry detergent is not only full of chemicals but ridiculously expensive. We weren't using anything grand around here prior to me making my own (Purex, told you nothing grand). The switch has been easy for us since it really couldn't get much worse. Now for you Tide Pod lovers out there you may not enjoy this as much, it does require using the cup again (sorry Mom).

If you are an essential oil user, than this right up your alley. I actually got the recipe from Pinterest (imagine that) and the lady who created it used essential oils in her mixture. If you are like me and haven't jumped on that train yet it is fine to make it without the essential oils, I do. 

I just kept one of my old Purex bottles and have been making the laundry detergent and placing it in the bottle. I wish I would have kept 2, because when I make it I end up having to store half of it in Tupperware because it makes more than enough to fill my 200 load Purex bottle. 

Overall the things I like about making my own laundry detergent is I know everything I am putting in it, it smells great, it gets the job done, and it saves me money. It does take a little more time. You aren't just going to be able to pop over to the grocery and pick it up. You are going to have to plan an extra 30 minutes every couple of months to make it, depending on how quickly you go through laundry detergent. 

Some questions you may have:

1.) Is it safe of HE washing machines?
Yes
2.) Does it fight tough stains?
No, but come on neither does the leading laundry detergent. You are still going to have to pre-soak your grass stains, pizza sauce covered clothing.
3.) What does it look like?
Now the lady whose recipe I use has laundry detergent that appears thick, mine is kind of watery. I read on her blog that this completely normal and that it still does the trick. I am here to say that she is completely correct. 
4.) How much does it make?
The last batch I made probably made 400 loads of laundry detergent. I store it in 200 load container and I probably have another 200 loads of laundry detergent stored in Tupperware containers. 
5.) Why didn't you use borax?
Borax is a common ingredient in homemade laundry detergents, but did you know it probably one of the worst chemicals for your skin. Stay away from borax in your laundry detergent! 

*If you have more questions, feel free to comment and I will answer them the best I can. 

Ingredients:
2 gallon bucket
2 gallons water
1/2 cup Super Washing Soda(found at the grocery store, next to the borax) 
1/2 cup baking soda
3/4 cup castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's in lavender, there are other scents)
Large wooden/plastic spoon
2 gallon glass container or reuse a laundry detergent bottle 

Directions

1. Measure half a cup of super washing soda and pour into bucket, use enough hot water to cover the super washing soda, stir well until the super washing soda is dissolved. 
2. Measure 1/2 cup of baking soda and pour into water and washing soda mixture, stir well until dissolved.
3. Fill to bucket all the way to the top with hot tap water, leaving about 1/2 an inch room.
4. Measure 3/4 cup castile soap (if you are using essential oils add them at this point) 
5. Stir until everything is well mixed
6. I used a ladle and funnel to place the mixture in my old Purex bottle.
7. Shake well between each load 

The Super Washing Soda and castile soap has lasted me through making 3 batches thus far, and I am only half way through both of them. The baking soda made it through 3 batches so I am going to have to buy some more before my next laundry detergent making day. If you are using essential oils you will have to account for this in the price. Your still going to end up saving yourself money in the long run, plus just think about all those chemicals you won't be putting on your body now! 

It was really hard to take pictures of the process (I tried) that were worth putting up. Now the lady that I borrowed the recipe from, she is good. You can check her blog out for the pictures, if you are interested in seeing them. Hope you give it a try and jump on board the crazy pioneer train with me.