Snow Day in April

Snow in April, it really should be illegal. It's safe to say most Minnesotans are sick and tired of the chilly temps and flying snow flakes - and Thursday night our nightmare started. We woke up Friday morning to 8 fresh inches of heavy wet snow covering the streets, yards and driveways. Our yard was barely snow free for a week before Mother Nature decided we needed other dose of winter.

Luckily I had arranged to have the day off, so I didn't have to fight the morning commuters traveling in the slush. The snow also ruined my "fun day out" with Harper. I thought maybe we'd head to St. Paul and check out the Children's or Science Museum or brave the crowds at Mall of America - but waking up to snow really put a damper on things. It made me lazy and upset, so Harper and I decided to have our own "fun day in." 

We both got to sleep in a little, and lounged in bed reading books until our bellies were rumbling for breakfast. For our "snow day" it seemed like a special occasion, so we decided it was the perfect morning to make Mickey Mouse pancakes. After breakfast we popped in a movie, and gave Harper her very first manicure. She was pretty excited about her purple nails, and cried when her thumb got smudged. We repainted the damaged nail, and she sat so still letting them dry afterwards. Since it's Piggy Paint, I knew it wasn't going to last the day. Harper came up to me later that morning with a worried face, and said "oh no Mom, my finger." Her polish was chipping, and she was not happy about it. I explained we could re-paint them some other time, and surprising that answer satisfied her.  We were on to the next activity.

The rest of our day was spent putting together LOTS of puzzles, building big towers with blocks and I even managed to get some laundry done and clean the kitchen. As crappy as it was to have a snow day in April, spending it with Harper at home made it pretty perfect.

Friday night Mitch and Harper had a Daddy/Daughter date at Chuck E. Cheese, while I headed to Robbinsdale for my very first dinner club. Jennie, Amanda and myself have been vowing to start this since the first of the year. Like usual, schedules get busy and time goes too fast but we finally had our first dinner club monthly outing. It was only 4 months in the making. 

The rule of dinner club is, each month someone chooses a place they've never been. They arrange a time and date and reservations if needed. I took on our 1st month, because I've been dying to try Pig Ate My Pizza in Robbinsdale. I've heard nothing but praise about this restaurant and it has two of my favorite things in the name - pigs and pizza! 

We opted for the tasting menu so would could get a little taste of multiple dishes. We had a little leek soup with pork belly, a take on fries and gravy which was absolutely incredible and two amazing pizzas. One pizza called the "Piggy Pie" was their homemade brioche for the crust, and just about any type of meat they could find. The second pizza, the "OG Part Deux" was thin crust with shrimp and chorizo. To top off the amazing meal, they brought out my favorite part - dessert! They set down six chocolate and graham cracker bars in front of us and said, "I'll be back with the campfire and marshmallows." Within seconds he was back table side with a stainless steel bowl filled with wood chips, a blowtorch and marshmallows. He started our fire so we could roast them and create the ultimate smore. Holy moley, was that incredible. I'd go back in a heartbeat for the dessert alone. 

First dinner club was a total success, and I'm hoping to head back to Pig Ate My Pizza sooner than later. I'm looking forward to our upcoming May outing!

This weekend we were a busy little shopping family. Mitch and I decided it was finally time to upgrade our sleeping situation. We're still using the bed I had growing up, which happens to be a full size mattress. I know, I know people tell us all the time we're weird for sleeping in such a small bed - but we've never really needed anything else. Since our mattress is entirely too old, we decided it was time to be grown ups and getting a matching bedroom set and upgrade to a queen! Our first stop was Becker Furniture since it's literally a block from our house. We immediately found a set we loved that wasn't breaking the bank. It didn't take long to realize furniture shopping with a 2-year old can be difficult. Harper was running around trying to jump on every bed and touching everything she could get those lil' hands on. After talking to an employee, we got her card and the prices of everything on our wish list. 

We ran a few additional errands and decided to drop Harper off at my parents. That way our furniture shopping trip would be more productive and would take half as long. Mitch and I walked through the doors at Becker for the second time ready to seal the deal. Not only did we need to purchase the bedroom set, but a new mattress too. Within a hour we were walking out with a brand new bedroom. Unfortunately we have to wait until mid-May for the delivery. Only another month, and we'll be living big in our queen bed! :)

A few weeks ago I explained both Harper and I are OBSESSED with the movie Frozen. It's a classic in the Helleen household, and we were on a mission this weekend to find a Frozen doll. I quickly realized Frozen toys are a hot commodity right now, since the store shelves were slim pickings. Finally at Target we found a Anna and Elsa doll with matching dress for Harper. After a little deliberation, Princess Anna was in our cart. I immediately ripped that box open when we got home, and Harper put on her "pretty dress." She was beyond excited and refused to take it off the rest of the day. We went for a wagon ride in the dress, played outside in the dress, ate dinner in the dress and even sat by the bonfire in the dress. The Princess Anna doll was tucked under her arm most of the day, and it was truly just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Since I'm a crazy person, and a 4-year old at heart - I might be going back to Target this week to buy the Elsa doll. I figure Easter is coming up, and it gives Harper another outfit to dress up in! :) 

After our fun snow day and weekend, I'm happy to report the white stuff is gone! With a high of 72 tomorrow, I'm hoping we can officially say - SPRING IS HERE!

Until next time...

The Helleen's