Sponsored by General Mills Cereals

Happy almost Mother’s Day! To celebrate I have a fun and EASY craft idea for the kids in your life as well as some love for TO THE MARKET, one of my most favorite companies. And a beautiful giveaway that will have 20 winners (woohoo!).

As you know I’ve worked with General Mills Cereals in the past. They approached me recently about coming up with a fun craft idea using up-cycled cereal boxes with my kids. I AM NOT A CRAFTY PERSON. But when I told my kids about the project they were all in. You see, they are crafty people. I’m not entirely sure they are my children. Anyway, my kids were doubly in when they learned they would have to eat some of their favorite, yummy cereals, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Nut Cheerios, in order to make the craft happen (empty cereal boxes are a necessity!). Basically, this is their favorite post on my blog ever.

As a lovely Mother’s Day gift, General Mills Cereals sent me a necklace and bracelet set from TO THE MARKET. TO THE MARKET is a company that sells survivor-made goods from around the world. I’ve written about TO THE MARKET before and founder and CEO Jane Mosbacher Morris is one of my favorite people. She was even on my podcast at one point! (It’s one of my favorite episodes, by the way. Jane is the BEST.) Anyway, TO THE MARKET is helping SO MANY WOMEN and their products are beyond lovely. I have a very special place in my heart for their work.

The jewelry that General Mills Cereals sent was created by Haitian TO THE MARKET artists, with beads made from up-cycled cereal boxes. The beads are gorgeous. You simply cannot believe they are made from cereal boxes. Both my girls are enamored with the jewelry (I think Anna might steal it) and felt very inspired for their own cereal box crafting!

Which brings us to today’s craft. For real this is the best craft ever because the parent doesn’t have to do ANYTHING. Just give the kids some empty cereal boxes (the more colorful the better!), scotch tape and colorful straws. Then say, “Go make flowers!” All three of my kids, from ages 5 to 12, had a blast cutting up the boxes and getting creative. Anna’s flower ended up being three dimensional, Cate made an adorable bumblebee for the bouquet, and Owen went completely off book and made a ladybug with a heart to show that the ladybug loves me. I consider it all a crafting success! And I didn’t lift a finger. (Well, okay, I helped clean up the billions of cereal box cuttings strewn about the kitchen. But it was worth it.)

Lucky for our family my beloved mother will be here for Mother’s Day this year. She will be taking home the best bouquet ever!

Giveaway time! General Mills Cereals and TO THE MARKET are providing TWENTY of you lucky people with your own necklace made with upcycled cereal box beads. You can’t buy these necklaces, so this is the only way to get one! Here is how to enter: (Comments must be posted by Midnight PT May 25, 2017.)

• Simply leave a comment on this post!
• Bonus entry (leave a separate comment): Sign up for TO THE MARKET’s email newsletter! (If you are already signed up, just let us know and it counts!)
• Bonus entry (leave a separate comment): Sign up for the This Week for Dinner’s email newsletter! (If you are already signed up, just let us know and it counts!)

BONUS BONUS BONUS: If you head on over to TO THE MARKET’S Stories Blog, they are also giving away these necklaces and you can enter there, too! Yippee! Winners were randomly selected and have been notified via email. Thank you!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I partnered with General Mills for this post because they are committed to strengthening communities around the world through remarkable initiatives, nonprofits and causes that help strength people and the planet. General Mills Cereals partnered with TO THE MARKET to create these handcrafted pieces of jewelry from up-cycled cereal boxes as part of this commitment and to celebrate all the moms, caregivers, aunts, sisters and special heroes who fill the world with love.

Learn more about General Mills Cereals and its delicious line of cereals including Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charm, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and many more at www.generalmills.com/cereal.

The giveaway described below is now closed. Thank you to all who entered! Winners are listed below!

Today is a big milestone for my blog. It’s my 500th weekly menu post. FIVE HUNDRED. Five hundred Sundays in a row I have posted. No matter what. Yes, some of those posts didn’t have menus (like when I had babies or traveled to Africa or whatever). But most of those posts did include a weekly dinner plan and, more importantly, a place where our little community could come together to support and help one another get dinner on the table each week! I know these weekly posts have helped our family immensely over the years. I hope that it has helped some of you, too! In related news, I looked up the Week 1 Menu post. Oh man, we’ve come a long way from half a menu and only one comment from my friend Margo (thank you, Margo!).

I think it’s time to celebrate the big 5-0-0, don’t you? We’re doing two special things this week in honor of the big occasion.

Celebratory Act #1: Menu #500

First, I need to post a menu! This week’s menu is completely, totally, 100% UNrealistic and is actually a list of some (although not all) of my most favorite recipes on the blog. This seems like the best 500th menu I could pull together and is most certainly my dream menu (I would never in a million years make all of these recipes in one week, but it sure would be delicious!) Here are the links to all the recipes (links are also included in the downloadable PDF, which you can access by clicking the menu image above or by clicking here). As usual, please share your own weekly menu in the comments! (In fact, when you share, well, see celebratory act #2 below!)

• Island Pork with Sticky Rice
• Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
• Grilled Salmon Tacos with Zesty Cilantro Slaw
• Aaron & Lindsay’s Chicken Tortilla Soup Extravaganza
• Honey Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Pizza
• Indian Burritos
• Chicken Kai Pa Lo
• Cilantro Sour Cream Enchiladas
• Carnitas
• Stuffed Peppers
• Slow Cooker Sweet Korean BBQ Beef
• Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Celebratory Act #2: An awesome GIVEAWAY that you all need to enter!

You guys. For real. Today’s giveaway is golden. I was able to get some of my favorite kitchen brands to donate all kinds of wonderful items for the 500th menu giveaway. AND we’re going to have three winners! Winner #1 will receive every last thing you see listed below. (Winner #1 is a lucky dog.) Winners #2 and #3 will each receive the first item on the list below (that beautiful 6-quart casserole from KitchenAid, which we will get to in a moment). Not too shabby, my friends!

Here is how to enter the giveaway (prizes must be shipped within the US):

• Leave a comment, any comment, on this post before Midnight PT on Sunday 8/28/16. That’s it!
• BONUS ENTRY: Leave an additional comment with your menu for the week! (You must leave a separate comment to get the bonus entry.)
• BONUS ENTRY: Follow This Week for Dinner on Facebook! (If you already follow, that counts! You must leave a separate comment to get the bonus entry.)
• BONUS ENTRY: Follow This Week for Dinner on Pinterest! (If you already follow, that counts! You must leave a separate comment to get the bonus entry.)

This giveaway is now closed. Here are the winners!

• Ana was our grand prize giveaway winner! Her Pinterest bonus entry (#82) is what got her the prize, but here is her initial comment! “Jane, congrats on reaching 500! I’m in awe of you! What a generous prize!! Would absolutely love to win!!”
• KitchenAid Casserole Winner #1: Nora B (#214), who said: “Wonderful giveaway!”
• KitchenAid Casserole Winner #2: Barbara (#118), who said: “Congrats on your 500th menu. They are a huge help to me on those weeks when I just can’t think of anything to cook.”

You may be wondering what the giveaway actually is.  Here we go!

• KitchenAid Professional Cast Iron 6-Quart Casserole (retail value $249.99): I love KitchenAid and they are always willing to provide the most wonderful gifts to celebrate my blog’s milestones. This cast iron casserole (with a lid that also works as a cast iron grill pan) is GORGEOUS and I love it so much. As I  mentioned, all three winners of the giveaway will receive one of these for their very own (you get to pick the color, but I gotta tell you, you’d be crazy not to pick Fiesta Blue. Really, it is so pretty.)

• Steamboy 200CU Steam Floor Mop from Reliable (retail value $99.00): I’ve had my Steamboy since the start of the summer and it is my new favorite. It is just so easy to clean the kitchen floor and my 9-year-old Anna loves cleaning with it, which has actually been very helpful! I also love that there are zero chemicals involved. I use it once or twice a week and am so happy this steam mop is in my life.

• Force of Nature Kit (retail value $89.99): This is another new green cleaning tool we have in our home that is really cool. I actually just got mine, so I don’t have a lot of experience with it yet, but so far I love it. Basically you make a cleaning agent that is powerful, effective, chemical-free and safe. I’ve really tried to cut back on chemical use in our home for many reasons and this gadget will help tremendously.

• Le Creuset Butter Crock: You should all own one of these by now because I talk about it enough. But I have a sneaking suspicion a few of you may still need one. Into the giveaway it goes!

• Silpat Baking Mat (Half Sheet Size): This is another item I use ALL THE TIME. In fact I own four of them.

• Q Squared NYC’s Knoll Gardens Serving Bowl with Provence White Salad Servers: Q Squared makes the best melamine dishware around and their new Knoll Gardens pattern has stolen my heart. (Note: the salad servers are not pictured above but are included in this giveaway.)

• Magic Chef Microwave Cookware Set: Earlier this year I worked with Magic Chef to do recipe demos at a huge housewares show in Chicago to show off their new microwave cookware, which just hit the market! My favorite thing about this cookware is how it allows you to harness the steaming power of the microwave to cook all kinds of things, like perfectly tender chicken and heavenly chocolate lava cakes.

(Better Zester photo credit: KitchenIQ)

• Better Zester from KitchenIQ: Everyone needs a good zester in their life, and everything I’ve ever gotten from KitchenIQ has been awesome (including their knife sharpener, which I use every day!).

(Smood photo credit: Dreamfarm)

• Smood from Dreamfarm: Dreamfarm makes incredibly fun kitchen gadgets, many of which I own and love, and this one is no exception!

• ONE Beaded Bracelet, ONE T-Shirt and a fashionABLE Scarf: One of the very best things that has come out of having my blog is working with ONE. The work they do is inspiring and really making a difference and I am grateful to be a part of that work. Go ONE! And fashionABLE! (fashionABLE is a company I discovered through ONE and the work they do is amazing. And I love their scarves and have like a bazillion of them.)

A huge THANK YOU to all of these companies for making this giveaway possible!

Here’s to another 500 menus! (Oh man, can you imagine? Am I going to be posting these until I die? That would not be a bad thing, actually. ;))

Forget PB&J. Or PB&H. Today I give you PB&P! And it has nothing to do with peanut butter. But it is a sandwich. And it has everything to do with savory pear sauce, brie and prosciutto. That’s right, pear brie prosciutto grilled cheese sandwiches…PB&P! And this sandwich is scrumptious.

It’s springtime, so fruit is in the air. (Along with love, but that’s another blog post for another blog, really.) Libby’s hired me to develop a recipe using one of their canned fruits to celebrate the spring season. I immediately thought of canned pears (one of my favorite foods growing up!) and wanted to try out a fun savory twist. Enter the PB&P.

I love brie in a melted state. And I love the combination of salty prosciutto with sweet fruit. And I love bread. So, basically, today’s sandwich is the love of my life. The sandwich itself is quite simple – bread, sliced brie and prosciutto with a smattering of savory pear sauce. The layers of flavor are delicious, and the texture is perfect. Oh, and by the way, the savory pear sauce is so good and beyond easy to make. And, even though this is a great sandwich for springtime, by using canned pears it not only simplifies the recipe, but you can make this any time of year!

Before we get to the recipe, Libby’s has a giveaway for you today! One lucky winner will receive this super cute Crate & Barrel Six Bottle Spice Box along with an assortment of Libby’s Fruit, so you can get creative in the kitchen, too! Simply leave a comment on this post to enter! Comments must be posted by midnight PT on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 and prize must be shipped within the U.S.

Good luck to all on the giveaway…and now for the recipes! Enjoy!

PB&P Sandwiches (aka Pear Brie Prosciutto Grilled Cheese)

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 2 slices good quality bread
• 1 thin slice prosciutto
• About 4 thin slices brie
• 1-2 tablespoons savory pear sauce (see recipe below)
• Butter

Instructions

1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat about 5 minutes.
2. While pan is heating up, spread pear sauce on 1 slice of bread.
3. On the second slice of bread, place the brie slices evenly to cover then top with prosciutto.
4. Put the sandwich together, then butter the top.
5. Place sandwich butter side down in the pan, then butter the other side (that is now facing up).
6. Cook sandwich over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

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Savory Pear Sauce

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can Libby's pear halves, drained but reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced onions (about ⅛ of a small onion)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
• Couple shakes of ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the pear juice to the pan, then the drained pears. Break the pears up with a spatula a bit. Add salt, ginger and pepper and stir well.
3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to about medium-low, making sure to maintain a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and smashing up the pears each time you stir. The final consistency should be saucy with lumps.

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Last year I had all kinds of giveaways set up for the holidays, but this year I took it easy. But I think we need a little bit of giveaway fun around here, don’t you?

On Friday I mentioned an Etsy shop that I recently discovered that I am loving. Chelsea Harp Designs sells hand-drawn prints, featuring quotes and sayings perfect for many places in the home and the holidays!

Chelsea graciously sent me my favorite Christmas print of hers, Oh Come Let Us Adore Him. It looks beautiful on our Christmas mantel, and I’m even thinking of framing it to hang all year.

Be sure to check out Chelsea’s shop – her prints are perfect for gifting!

Giveaway time! For this giveaway we will have three winners! Each winner will receive the “Cook Eat Be Happy” print, which I absolutely LOVE. Simply leave a comment on this post to enter the giveaway!* The 3 random winners for this giveaway were comments #30, #40 and #41. Congratulations, ladies!

Happy Holidays!

*Comments must be made by Midnight PT on Monday, December 28, 2015. 

Happy Friday, everyone! Before we get to the usual Show and Tell portion of our program, I have to tell you about my friend’s new book!

Amy Mascott (my friend!) and Allison McDonald are just published their new book Raising a Rock-Star Reader and it’s wonderful! I received an advanced copy and it is filled with all kinds of wonderful tips, recommendations and resources for getting your children to be great readers. Years I ago I had the chance to hear a lecture from a UC Berkeley professor who specialized in early education. She talked at length about why it is so beneficial to read to children from a very early age – the very act of hearing varied language and many words helps children’s brains develop in tremendous ways. It was fascinating and something I’ve thought about a lot as we’ve raised our children.

Anna and Cate are both rock-star readers (I am grateful every day for this) and will probably be as excited to read Amy and Allison’s book as I am. Owen is still a wee thing and the tips in this book are fabulous. I can’t wait to start implementing the ideas with all three of our kids!

Of course you know I love giveaways! So, let’s give away a copy of Amy and Allison’s book! To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment telling us your most favorite children’s book. That’s it! Comments must be posted by Midnight PT 11/13/15 and prize must be shipped within the U.S.

Congratulations to Amy and Allison for a job very well done on their wonderful book! Here’s to happy readers!

And, since it’s Friday, a few links to share!

• On Cool Mom Eats: Scrumptious side dishes made with frozen vegetables to make life easy.
• On Babble: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes that are amaaaaaazing.

One last thing! Nate and I discovered Les Revenants (The Returned) on Netflix and it’s AWESOME. I’m always looking out for your TV watching. It’s because I care.

Okay, so, be sure to leave a comment to enter the giveaway above! And, as always, feel free to share whatever you want for Show and Tell!

I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team, which means they send me cool stuff from time to time. For the record, I would be addicted to Netflix in spite of said cool stuff.

I love vintage cookbooks. Like cutting boards, vintage cookbooks are fast becoming an obsession of mine. For example, when I visited Portland, OR last year, I ended up spending oodles of time (and an undisclosed amount of money!) in the cookbook section at Powell’s Books with my friend Deseree, pouring over the many old and out-of-print cookbooks that lined the shelves. Those books are so delightful for so many reasons, from fun inscriptions to interesting ingredients to vintage illustrations and photographs…I love it all!

Today I am channeling that love for older cookbooks with a really fun giveaway. Dover Publications has re-released a cookbook that has been out of print for quite some time. Of course I had to check it out…that kind of thing is right up my alley!

Coincidentally, during the spookiest time of year, the cookbook in question is written by the Master of Menace himself, Vincent Price, along with his wife Mary, a costume designer. Mary and Vincent Price published A Treasury of Great Recipes 50 years ago and Dover just released the anniversary edition. I have had so much fun reading through this book!

The 50th anniversary edition still has the same feel as the original publication, with all the original illustrations and photography, and includes a lovely retrospective written by their daughter Victoria Price, where you learn that Vincent Price’s grandfather invented cream of tartar baking powder, was the first person to patent extracts of vanilla, lemon and other flavorings, and also wrote many cookbooks. Food runs in the family! The cookbook follows the Price’s travels through Europe, Mexico and the United States and features the menus of restaurants they visited and loved, along with recipes from those menus. As both a food lover and a graphic designer, I especially love that the actual menus are reproduced in the book. The Prices also include many of their family’s recipes and, in true vintage cookbook fashion, there is a section dedicated to (can you guess?)…napkin folding! I just love this stuff! I told you I’m a vintage cookbook junkie!

While Vincent may have been a master at horror, he was also a master at sharing wonderful food with people. So, this Halloween week, we are giving away a copy of Vincent and Mary’s beautiful, classic book. Here is how to enter!

• Simply leave a comment, any comment, on this post! If you would like to share your favorite restaurant with us in your comment, that would be very fun and in the spirit of the book!
• Bonus entry: Like Dover Publications on Facebook. Leave a separate comment indicating you have done so.
• Bonus entry: Follow Dover Publications on Pinterest. Leave a separate comment indicating you have done so.
• Bonus entry: Tweet this post and giveaway using the hashtag #CookingwithVincent. Leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet.

One comment will be randomly selected to choose the winner. Comments must be posted by Midnight PT on Thursday 11/5/2015 and prize must be shipped to an address in the continental United States.

The winner of the giveaway was Comment #18 Heather B, who said, “I had no idea this edition existed, I’ve been meaning to find a copy of the original for my cookbook collection forever.” I love that she knows the book and has been keeping an eye out for it! Congratulations, Heather! I know it’s not an original edition, but I know you’ll still love it!

To buy the book, visit Dover Publications and be sure to use the code WRAQ to get 25% of your purchase before 12/07/2015.  If you have any cookbook lovers in your life (or you are one yourself!), this is a very fun book, I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Dover Publications for sponsoring this post and giveaway!

Happy Friday, everybody! Today I have a few links to share, but first we need to talk Tillamookies.

When I visited Tillamook last summer, we had the chance to sample a few ice cream products that weren’t yet released to market. I have been waiting for those two products to come out and one of them finally has! I would like to introduce to you the Tillamookie! What’s a Tillamookie? Why it’s an ice cream sandwich made with waffle cone cookies with a dark chocolate coating and Tillamook ice cream or gelato. They come in vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, mint chocolate chip and strawberry flavors and they are SO GOOD. I’m not just saying this because I met the cows where the cream came from. Seriously, best ice cream sandwiches ever.

Tillamook kindly mailed some samples to our family (yes, we did eat them right before dinner yesterday…the kids were delighted). Tillamook is ready to mail Tillamookie samples to one of you lucky people, too! This may not be a high-retail-value giveaway, but it’s one of my all-time favorite giveaways yet! To enter, just do the following!*

• Leave a comment on this post! That’s it! If you want, tell us which flavor you think will be your favorite – vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, strawberry or mint chocolate chip. (Mine is strawberry!) It’s also our weekly show and tell post, so feel free to share anything you like!
• Bonus entry: Follow This Week for Dinner on Facebook (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)
• Bonus entry: Follow me on Instagram (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)
• Bonus entry: Follow me on Pinterest (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)
• Bonus entry: Follow Tillamook on Facebook (leave a separate comment indicating you follow)

*Comments must be posted by Thursday, 3/27/15 at Midnight PT. Prize must be shipped to an address in the continental United States. Winner will receive one box of each of the four flavors and will be randomly selected.

The giveaway winner was Comment #3 Lindsay R, who said, “I love this giveaway. Especially if you give it away to me.” 

Food link time!

This week on Babble:

• My Journey from Hamburger Helper to Homemade Cook

And this week on Parade’s Community Table:

• 16 Wonderfully White Desserts for Spring! (or maybe your first day of spring is filled with snow, in which case white is still appropriate!)

Show and Tell time! I know I just turned the comment section into a giveaway entry extravaganza, but feel free to share whatever you want in the comments anyway – it will count as your freebie entry for the giveaway!

Today’s Gifts & Giveaways post is pretty much completely and totally awesome. Are you ready? Brace yourself!

I have partnered up with some of my most favorite blogging friends (and in-real-life friends) EVER, Christine Koh (Boston Mamas), Audrey McClelland (Mom Generations), Allison Czarnecki (Petit Elefant), Heather Flett (Rookie Moms), Morgan Shanahan (The 818), Rachael Herrscher (Today’s Mama), and Sarah James (Whoorl), to offer one lucky follower a 128GB wi-fi iPad Air 2 ($699 value)!

Enter to win between November 10-21 via the Rafflecopter widget below; you have 8 entry options and of course we encourage you to enter all 8 ways to maximize your chance to win! Once the giveaway ends, the winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by email, with 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Southwest Summer Getaway Giveaway. Say THAT 5 times fast! If you do, you win the giveaway. Okay, not true. But you’ll be cool like me, mumbling words under your breath to see if you can do it.

Okay, so, it’s summer. You want to go have some fun. Or see family. Or escape to the Carribbean. Whatever it is you want to do, I think some round-trip tickets from Southwest would certainly help, right?

Giveaway time! Southwest is giving away 4 round-trip tickets to anywhere Southwest flies, valued at $2,000. To enter, be sure to use the rafflecopter form below. I’m teaming up with Today’s Mama and a bunch of fabulous bloggers to give you lots of chances to enter! The giveaway is open until Midnight MST on June 10.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! And big thanks to Southwest for sponsoring this giveaway!

Please note: the giveaway in this post is now closed.

It’s Saturday. And I’m kind of feeling like a movie. And a giveaway. Let’s do it!

First off, we love Netflix in our house. The kids especially love Netflix. It’s actually a little terrifying how adept they are at using the iPad. Even little 2-year-old Owen can find his way around an iPad, inevitably landing himself on the Netflix app watching an episode of Thomas the Train. In fact, if the house is ever a little too quiet, I usually find him hidden away in a corner with a stolen iPad cuddling with Netflix. It would be cute if it wasn’t so naughty!

So, you know, I have to be the mean mom who says “no” like twenty times a day when the kids ask if they can “watch a show on the iPad.” It’s not that I never let them watch shows, it’s just that they would seriously go onto Netflix 24 hours a day if they could. But, when I think back to my own childhood, I realize I must have watched way more TV than my kids do. I mean, I have about 3 billion movies completely memorized. Not to mention all the TV shows I remember watching. I’m not saying my mom just stuck me in front of the TV all the time. I also remember roaming with friends outside everyday, too. (Ah, the good old days.) But what I am saying is that I think I can cut my kids some slack.

But I have decided it’s time that the kids don’t always get to choose what they watch. (I told you I was a mean mom.) There are just so many great movies from back in the day that they have never seen. They prefer watching shorter shows like Wild Kratts (which I actually think is fabulous). But, kind of like our music education, I think it’s my responsibility as a parent to make sure my kids see all the awesome, especially the awesome that takes me back to my own childhood.

So, whenever I tell them “Movie Time!” they get excited. And then when I tell them “And you’re watching this!” they groan at me. They say things like, “I only like watching what I’ve seen already.” Or “That’s going to be too SCARY.” (We have wimpy kids. The Little Engine That Could was too scary for them, even our 3rd grader. Wimps, I tell ya.) But I hold my ground and insist that they are watching what I’ve chosen. And I tell them they will love it, just like I did when I was a kid. And, you know what, they always do. And then I say, “I told you so.” (Okay, not really, but I want to.)

Today I decided it was time for them to watch The Sword in the Stone. I LOVED that movie when I was little and it turns out Nate did, too. The kids complained so much when I started to put it on, it was like I was torturing them. (Silly kids.) But I persevered. I made them cuddle on the couch and suck it up. And they loved the movie. Owen honestly guffawed through the whole thing. It was awesome.

In celebration of my victory over my children, I think a Netflix giveaway is in order! One randomly-selected person will win a 3-month subscription to Netflix streaming! To enter, simply leave a comment telling us your favorite tv show or movie from childhood. I can’t wait to read all your comments and take a little walk down memory lane with you! (Comments must be posted by Midnight, PT on Thursday 5/1.)

The giveaway winner was Karen G., who said, “The Jetsons was good! My brother and I would fight over a time slot that showed GI Joes on one channel and Jem and the Holograms on another. Jem is outrageous! :)”

I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team, which means they send me cool stuff from time to time. For the record, I would be addicted to Netflix in spite of said cool stuff.