D-Tour #1: Arts and Scraps



Proudly toting her treasure




Looking forward to shopping

 

Ever get stuck in a rut with the kids? We're all guilty of doing it. The same park. The same coffee shop. The same play date. The same library. Same same same same…blah! We live in a great metropolitan area with so much to offer in the way of family entertainment. This is the first in a series of "D-Tours" (outings to fun and unique places in the metro-Detroit area). So many of my friends with kids are hesitant to venture into “The City” with the bambinos, so I will try to focus on trips into the D.



Look at all the goodies!



Arts and Scraps

This afternoon, another child-wrangling adult and I headed to the east side of Detroit to visit Arts and Scraps. Our mission was two-fold: stock up on some rainy day supplies and pick up a few activities to keep the wee ones busy at Lincoln’s upcoming birthday party. While he’s only going to be one year old, there will be plenty of kids joining the festivities who will need something to do to keep busy.




I grabbed a big bag and Eleanor got a small sack. The deal is you get to fill each of them with as much “treasure” as you like for $7 and $3.50, respectively. The goodies to choose from consist of donated items that include things like rubbery stickers, pipe cleaners, corks, foamy shapes, fabric swatches, beads, empty oatmeal containers, and who knows what else will show up tomorrow. Barrels and barrels of trash abound just waiting for someone to turn it into a masterpiece. While whatever is created won’t likely

Helpful volunteers

join the ranks of the DIA, watching your little ones express themselves through creativity is priceless. My 2+ year old loved the freedom of “shopping” for whatever she wanted and taking inventory (repeatedly) when we got home. She’s already spent hours packing and unpacking and sticking and un-sticking little foamy circles to paper, herself, her brother…

Aquarium kit

A+S has done an amazing job at putting together project kits with all the fixings for a quick art break. Each package costs $1.50 and if you purchase 10 you get 2 free. We stocked up on kits for Lincoln’s party and picked up a few more for gifts.

This was a great D-Tour, not only because Arts and Scraps was a fun way to spend a solid hour hanging with the kids, but also because what we picked up for about $20 will provide hours upon hours of creative entertainment for the kids.



Kit corner with dozens of projects to take home.



Details

Free entry

Located just south of Cadieux on Harper (read: convenient to the freeway)
16135 Harper

Detroit, MI 48224

www.artsandscraps.org

313-640-4411

Open: Tuesday and Thursday 11-6 and Saturday 11-4

Safe, gated parking

You can check out a Museum Adventure Pass from your local library (FREE) and participate in Scrap Junction (SJ). At SJ, adults and kids create and learn together at 5 interactive stations. This looks like a fun program that we’ll definitely return to enjoy.

Consider the following additional programs offered by A+S

• Workshops-for students or families

• Invite the ScrapMobile to your school
• Events-custom-project at their place or yours

• Birthday parties-kids complete 2 projects and get to “shop” the ScrapMobile

• Adult training and team building

• Volunteer-youth, adult and special needs volunteers are all welcome. Call the store to schedule.



Tuckerd out on the way home







Dinner Drama

As a busy lady who also wears the hats of mom and wife, the question "What's for dinner?" typically makes my head hurt. This question is usually complicated by the fact that both my husband and I are budding foodies. In an effort to make this question less irritating, we have instituted a meal planning strategy that seems to work for us. In a nutshell, here it is:


1. Pick a menu planning day. We usually choose a Friday or a Saturday to go through our tried and true favorite cook books and pick 4-5 recipes we want to prepare for the week. We don't do an entire week because we account for a leftover night and an eating out night. When complete, post the menu in a common family spot. We are flexible with our meals. For example, we may have planned for chicken on Monday, but end up making pork instead. Just agree to make it through your menu before the week is up.

2. Make a shopping list. Based on the menu chosen, we make a list of what we need in order to make the meals a reality. We also add staples and snacks that will get us through the week.

3. Check the coupon file and blog sites. For the casual coupon user this might not happen every time and that’s ok. Make your list, check the file and go. However, if you are more ambitious and a seasoned coupon-er, you’re going to want to check the blogs (Bargains to Bounty is first on my list followed by the coupon database), pull out/print the ones for the items on your list and hit the market. Don’t be discouraged if this takes you a half an hour or more. It will likely pay off with savings at the register.

4. Make it happen. When practical, prep for the next meal the night before (maybe while your spouse does the dishes). And if you don't execute your entire menu in one week, be sure to freeze those valuable ingredients or use them early next week. An unexpected date night or late night at the office is no excuse for letting tenderloin go bad.

5. Keep records. If a recipe sucks, make note in your cookbook to avoid duplicating efforts in a few months. Likewise, if you modify a recipe be sure to make notes.

6. Share! I love sharing a quick, easy, yummy meal find with friends and family. The beauty of sharing your good finds is that your foodie friends will likely return the favor. I'll share some of our tried and true favorites here.

Fine Line

 

Hoping that she’d understand my telepathy, I gave the whistleblower “all-knowing, you-rock, I would have done the same thing if someone cut in front of me” looks while shaking my head reproachfully at the line jumper. 

Has this happened to you?  What is your responsibility if you’re the cashier?  How can these offenders be stopped?