Thank you to all who have made operating Eastern Panhandle Moms a success and a joy!

For local resources I encourage you to visit Tina Pearson’s blog, Mama’s Like Me.

To keep up with me, you can visit my personal blog and Facebook page or follow me on Twitter.

Thanks again for all your support!  I love living in the Eastern Panhandle!

Melissa

1. The phrase “it seemed like a good idea at the time”- what has been your worse idea?
2. Worst subject in school?
3. What subject did you excel at it school?

I enjoyed answering the questions and I hope you do too!

Answer any or all of the questions in the comments or join us at www.eightymphmom.com.

If you watch the video and want to do something about this , click here to join the online petition!

Thank you!

The three questions for this Monday Mingle are:

1. Do you quote any movies on a regular basis?  If so, which quotes/movies?
2. What was the worst thing that happened to you in 2011?
3. You are creating the ultimate ice cream sundae…what would you put on it?

Here are my answers:

I would love to hear your answers as well…leave the answer to one, two or all of the questions in the comment section or join in the fun at Eighty MPH Mom.

1. Visit Wonderment Puppet Theater in Martinsburg.
2. Watch the horse races at Charles Town Races and Slots.
3. Attend Pickin’ in the Panhandle BBQ and Blue Grass Festival.
4. Take the Morgan County driving tour of Washington Heritage Trail.
5. Play at JayDee’s Family Fun Center in Inwood. Lots of indoor and outdoor fun!
6. Enroll in KinderPraise classes with your child.
7. Go strawberry picking at Orr’s Farm Market.
8. Watch the big bubbling cauldron of apple butter in the square at the Apple Butter Festival in Berkeley Springs.
9. Hit the rink at Galaxy Skateland in Martinsburg.
10. Swim at the lake and play on the beach at Cacapon State Park.
11. Pick an activity (fishing, hiking, camping, biking) at Sleepy Creek Wildlife Preserve.
12. Learn and explore at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Winchester, VA.
13. Bowling is great family fun and you can do it in Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties!
14. Feed the animals at Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Winchester, VA.
15. Paint your own pottery (and get delicious ice cream) at Skipper’s in Charles Town.
16. Ride bikes on the C & O Canal.
17. Cheer on the team at a Hagerstown Suns game.
18. Get a funnel cake or cotton candy at a local county fair.
19. Step into the prehistoric era at Dinosaur Land in Winchester, VA.
20. Play soccer or walk the trail at Morgan’s Grove Park in Shepherdstown.
21. Have some indoor fun (and a milkshake) at Chick-fil-A.  Locations in Martinsburg and Ranson.
22. Feed the ducks at Hagerstown’s City Park.
23. Run off some energy at Open Gym through Berkeley County Parks and Rec.
24. Take your fishing poles to Zett’s Fish Hatchery in Inwood.
25. Play miniature golf at War Memorial Park in Martinsburg.

What keeps your family busy in the Eastern Panhandle?

Running from Mimi instead of letting me finish her hair

Organizing all the hair bows and bands can be a challenge so I thought I would share what works for me and her mama.

I found this idea on Pinterest and thought it was genius.  Simply a toilet paper tube and you can carry the bows and hair bands with you wherever you happen to be doing your childs hair.  Love it!

Then, we have a basket for all her headbands and hair creme.  The bow holder fits nicely in there when not being used in another room.

Then we have a cute little jar that a friend made that holds all her teeny tiny barettes (sorry, the picture is fuzzy)

I love cute storage solutions!  And, I intend to buy her many more adorable hair products so we may even need to come up with new storage solutions in the future.

Any suggestions?

Here is one of the quickest I know {and one I frequently fall back on when short on time and ingredients}

Ingredients

bag of frozen chicken breasts

1 bottle BBQ sauce

1/2 C. italian dressing

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Directions

Mix the last three ingredients.  Place chicken in a baking dish.  Pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the chicken.

Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes, until chicken is cooked and juices run clear.

So easy and good!

What is your favorite go to recipe?

This post is linked to

Now, it’s your turn. In the comments answer one of the Monday Mingle questions {or all three!}
1. How did you ring in the New Year?
2. What song title would best describe your life right now?
3. What is the bravest {most courageous} thing that you have done?

• Cartoon Fest. Weinberg Center for the Arts, Frederick, MD.  Saturday 1/7 at 2pm. Adults $7, Kids $5.  Contact info@weinbergcenter.org for more information or to purchase tickets.
• Bath-Romney 150th Civil War Commemoration.  Berkeley Springs State Park.  Saturday and Sunday, 1/7-1/8.  10am-10pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday.  Free.  For more information visit www.bathromneycampaign.webs.com.

Also, if you and the hubby are looking for a date night idea, consider attending Taste of the Panhandle.  Saturday, January 21st at 6pm.  Want2Dish in Frederick has written a great article about the event.  Tickets are limited so if you are interested in attending reserve your ticket(s) today by emailing me at kmelissasmallwood@gmail.com.

Image via Wikipedia

~Invest in some clear stackable shoeboxes.  This is what I use for the majority of my shoes in my closet.  They stack nicely so they maximize storage space and it is easy to see what you have.

~Put out of season shoes away.  Just like it is not necessary to have your Christmas sweaters out in April, it is not necessary for flip flops to be taking up room in your closet in January.  When you put out of season clothes away, put the shoes away too.

~For the pile of shoes that inevitably ends up near your entryway you need an attractive storage solution.  Try a bench that opens where the kids can stow away their cleats and play shoes when not wearing them.  A nice big basket works well too, provided it is not too deep.

~Keep the shoes you wear the most easily accessible.  My husband and I have a stackable shoe rack in the bottom of our walk-in closet where we keep our sneakers and slippers.

What are some of the ways you keep shoes organized? Feel free to share in the comments.