Date Night

When you have 4 kids, it can seem almost impossible to carve out time for Mom and Dad to get ANY alone time, so when we do find the time, it's something we never take for granted.
I think the last time we went out on a date together was for an hour in August. No joke. How lame are we?
So when Nakturnal emailed me and asked if I wanted to enjoy a tasting at a Pittsburgh Restaurant in exchange for me writing about my experience, I jumped on it. It meant a date! With my husband! WITHOUT THE KIDS!
When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the place was really warm and inviting, and there were tons of staff milling about taking care of their tables. The very first thing I noticed about this place was the positive vibe. It always makes the food taste better, don't you think?

We were greeted by a fantastic Server who explained what the company is all about was all about; how they became what they are, how they choose to operate, and about the integrity of the company. I really resonated with their ideas, as it was all sustainable, eco-friendly, organic choices, and using local foods/growers/farms whenever possible.
We were told that we were in for a surprise AND a treat, according to the management. We sipped on Organic Merlot (which was delicious!) and settled in to enjoy our experience. BTW, the wine list is extensive. I am not sure that I had ever seen so many wines available before. Many are local, and several from the Pacific Northwest (YAY!), and California.
We started with an appetizer, but seriously? This dish was displayed beautifully, and artfully.We ate:
TAPAS PLATTER* FOR TWOIndonesian Chicken Satay with Thai Peanut Sauce
Smoked Pulled Local Pork Sliders, Apple-Ancho BBQ, Slaw, Potato Roll
Jerked Wild Caught Shrimp, Citrus Salsa, Plantain Chip, Toasted
Papaya Seed Dressing
Spicy Ahi Tuna Maki, Black Sesame, Kabocha Slaw, Sweet Soy
Beef Tenderloin Crostini, Roasted Tomato, Sweet and Sour Onion
Marmalade, Dijon Aioli, Dry Jack Cheese

Every single thing was amazing. I especially loved the shrimp, and probably could have eaten an entire plate full.  
After our appetizer we then shared a salad, and when I saw it I had reserves. It looked beautiful, and probably quite tasty, but it was a salad made of Brussell Sprouts. I have only eaten them a few times, and wasn't 100% sold on the idea that we would get along. But I promised to be open minded and O.M.G. it was delicious. 

BRUSSEL SPROUT WEDGE     Grana Padano and Potato Basket, Shaved Red Onion, Spicy
Candied Bacon, Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing 

It was fresh, crisp, and tasted light. I pretty much need to make this recipe for myself every day from now on. I wonder if they would be willing to share it?
Next came our main course and remember, we were not privy to what we were about to eat. Had we had the option to choose beforehand, we probably would not have ordered what we were given. I am SO glad we didn't get a choice because? The dishes were AWESOME.

CIOPPINO   
Market Fresh Fish, Clams, Mussels, Wild Caught Shrimp, Fennel,
Carrots, Onion, Celery, Spicy Saffron and Tomato Broth, Grilled
Sourdough

CHAR SU DUCK     Steamed Sticky Rice, Cashews, Red Chili, Cilantro, Daikon,
Broccoli Rabe Stir-Fry

What's interesting is that Glenn had had duck once before and it was made in a way that he had sworn it off forever. So he was really hesitant to try it. He loved it. It was delicious. On the other hand, I was a little hesitant to try the seafood dish because I have never been a fan of Clams and Mussels. It was good. The broth was a little spicy, but it rounded out the bowl beautifully.
The portions were huge. I am really glad we shared our dishes because I would have never been able to finish my own portion off.
I didn't think that I could eat another bite, until the waiter brought in organic farmed cheesecake. I had never ever tasted anything like it. Amazing. Then there was the Creme Brulee. Oh, people. This was a piece of heaven in each bite. Worth every pound that I gained enjoying it. 
Of course we thought we were done at that point. Until the server started chatting with us about the NEXT time we came in, that we would have to try the homemade chocolate ice cream. He likened it to a chocolate pudding pop from our childhood days. "sounds wonderful!" we replied. To which he held up his finger and said "hang on, I will be right back!", and brought back 2 tiny scoops of deliciousness.
Did I mention that our server was awesome? He was. The next time I dine there, I hope he is there as well.

In addition to the ambiance, the taste, the values that this place has to offer, It is also in a great location in the Cultural District, and would be a great place to head to before or after a show, for happy hour after work with coworkers, or a date night with your partner.

I think what I love most about this place is their commitment. And I quote :
"OUR COMMITMENT TO THE EARTH AND PLATE
At Sonoma, the path from earth to plate is simple and pure, altered just enough to make the plate shine.  We believe that the integrity of our ingredients is what defines our dishes. Each month, the creation of these dishes is driven by the flavors of the season, the exceptional local, sustainable and organic products harvested at their peak. We meticulously choose purveyors and farmers that inspire us. Those that treat the earth and their food with the same passion and love that we have are our partners in creating a beautiful, gratifying meal; Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance, Jamison Farms Lamb, Firefly Farms Cheese, and Ron Gargasz organic grass fed cattle rancher, to list just a few."

I'm really excited to also share that I am going to be giving away a $25.00 gift card to eat at The Sonoma Grille. All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog. You can tell me what one dish you want to try. You can tell me your ideal date night. You can tell me that you promise to take me with you when you decide to check this place out! :) (Just kidding!.. kinda) You can enter as many times as you like. I will randomly draw a winner on Friday, January 7th. Make sure that I have a way to get a hold of you in case you win! Enjoy~ 

** I need to mention that I was compensated for writing this review by Nakturnal  and The Sonoma Grille. I also want to mention that Liz from Nakturnal was so nice to work with, and I am very appreciative that I got to have the opportunity. I hope I get the chance to work with them again!**

Wishing on a falling snowflake.....

Do you remember when you were a kid during the winter holiday season, and you decided it would be great fun to make snowflakes to make your house "festive"? So you grabbed out the scissors, and construction paper, printer paper, whatever you had and you folded each piece up as tightly as you could in a triangle of sorts, and then you hacked at it with the scissors to create a masterpiece of a snowflake?  Remember all the "oops!" snowflakes that became double small mistakes when you cut the wrong part of the paper triangle? Remember when you had the cutting down to a science and your snowflakes turned out awesome? Remember when you would hang them on the window, walls, from the ceiling, everywhere? Or it that just me? Ahem....

As I got older, I would experiment, painting the paper with watercolors before I made snowflakes, or using tinfoil to make "shiny" flakes. 

And the mess I made. Oh man, my mom would get so annoyed. But I didn't care. I also never lost the joy of crafting the tiny paper snowflakes, and now every year my kids and I will go through a stack of paper designing, creating, and bringing to life a perfect snowflake. They get hung all over the house. 

Now, I know some of you don't like the messes, but still want the fun. So 77 Kids, a crazy awesome clothing store for kidlings created a microsite to make digital snowflakes. There's a cool catch to making these digital art masterpieces. An incentive, if you will. If enough people go online to make one of their digital snowflakes and 100,000 get created, 77 kids will DONATE $25,000 to the local Children's Hospitals! Way cool. Really, it's a win win situation. You go play online, create as many snowflakes as you want, and it helps out a great cause in the process. Sweet! Plus, when you create a snowflake, you become eligible to win a $77.00 gift card, AND an opportunity to win a block party with 77 of your friends. Do I even have 77 friends here in Pittsburgh? Hmm. I bet I could find a few! 

Today I had the opportunity to head over to 77 Kids at the mall to see the new holiday line that they launched. My daughters both love the clothes.. well, Julia and I both love the clothing, Bella just looks adorable in it, and therefore she has to automatically love it too, right? Right. 

They created this cool Holiday Magic Window that was interactive for the kids to play with. I wish the geniuses that created these kinds of things were around when I was a kid... in the 70's. 

They had this race set up between 2 birds, and when you pressed the buttons to make them go, the birds skied down the hill. Fun!

 They had the store all decked out in a wintry wonderland, with trees, and snowflakes and some kind of winter monster guy for the boys. It was pretty cool.

 Of course Isabella had a blast in the store, watching the bigger kidlings play, and getting a ton of attention from well, everyone.

 I picked out some adorable little finds for both Isabella and Julia, and later my son Kayce picked out a few things that he would like online. Score! I also was able to donate to the Children's hospital right there in the store, and they put up snowflakes on the blizzard wall with my kid's names on them.

I'm sure you could find something for just about any kidling there, and you should visit, and check it out!
So, as an incentive for you to go check them out, they have decided to let me give away a $50.00 gift card. Woohoo!! You just have to work a tiny bit for it. But just think! Someone WILL get that gift card! Wouldn't it be cool if it were you?
So here's what you have to do:
 Create a snowflake on the 77kids microsite and leave me a comment telling me what you wished for. I will get a widget thingy to link them and update soon. Remember, the goal is 100,000 snowflakes to give the Children's hospitals $25K. So go make a bunch!

For more opportunities to win, let me know that you Follow 77kids on Facebook or on Twitter with a URL in a second comment.

A Random Winner will be chosen soon! 

Oh yes. I must mention that this event is sponsored by The Motherhood, and 77Kids.  They were awesome and I received compensation from them, which I am sure Julia and Isabella will appreciate, because you know it will go right back into the store, and out into their closets. heh. 

Anyway, Fun stuff! So ready set, Go!

Update! Drawing was Tuesday Morning December 7.
We have a winner!!

And The Winner is @Tehamy! Congratulations. Please Email me your address to Soulfulleoness at gmail dot com!

DO Good Day

Today was THE big day. Bella and I headed down to the Science Center for DO Good Day, sponsored by 77kids, and The Motherhood.
The premise was that if something nice happens to you, maybe you will do good for someone else. And so.
So I was lucky enough to participate in this event with 6 other amazing women who also just happen to be fantastic bloggers.

Michelle from Burgh Baby

Allison from Allison Says

Gina from My Very Last Nerve

Jenna from Stop Drop and Blog

Laura from With love from Pittsburgh

Virginia from That's Church

We all received a "Do Good" Box from 77kids, and inside were splendid surprises. Like 77 $1.00 bills with a note to attach with it, for ways to do a random act of kindness. (I swear there were more than $77.00 in that box.) There were postcards, 100 coupons for a discount at the new 77kids store, post it notes, bubble gum, whistles, t-shirts for our kidlings, buttons to wear, and stickers!

Additionally, we were given $200.00 to purchase some kind of fantastical do goodery. WOOHOO! 100 backpacks for kids were purchased filled with school supplies, bubbles, silly bandz and mini missions for others to pay it forward. There were also bubbles, and necklaces to hand out.
Now I ask you. How cool is that?
We got to GIVE THE STUFF AWAY! To random people. We had so much fun doing it too! Some people were quite skeptical, and refused to take our freebies. 'Cuz you know, there is ALWAYS a catch. Like: do something nice for others!!!!
One man told me when I handed out a mini packet of a dollar, coupon and postcard "I don't accept money from women." True story.
The silly bandz were a huge hit.  Every kid crowded around whoever had the bag of those magical bracelets and begged for them.

I got to meet some great people, make people smile, and spend time doing something worthy. It also made me deeply respect 77kids. I will definitely be checking out their store on Saturday when it opens!

The sad part, is that I got sunburned horribly, even while wearing sunscreen, as did poor baby Bella. :(

But it was totally worth it. Shenanigans will be happening again.



This post is NOT sponsored in anyway. I am being compensated for my participation. I really wish they would have made it a non sunburny day. Then it would have been perfect. 

Do Goodery on a Coffee Cup

This morning I met a friend for coffee at Caribou down on the Southside. I had grabbed a cup of coffee, and really didn't pay too much attention to the cup, until way after my date with my friend was over. When I took a look at it, I marveled. 

There were bits of advice, positive quotes, and do goodery written all over it: 

*Send your Grandma a card* 

*Give a kid some Crayons* *Pick up the check* 

*Tell someone you love them* 

*Say 5 things about the person next to you* 

*Surprise your BFF with a cup of coffee*

It had feel good "goodery" on it as well :

Re-read your favorite book. Dream big, act bigger. 

Read poetry. 

Sleep under the stars. Hold hands, not grudges. 

Kiss slowly and forgive quickly.

 Take the stairs. Remember where you came from. 

Life is short- Stay awake for it. 

Do the Hokey Pokey. 

You are as wonderful as your dog thinks you are.

Run your feet, not your mouth. 

Go home early and play with your kids.

 Max out your passport. 

Technology is good, but people are better. 

Needless to say, I Loved the general message. Full of Do Goodery, which I really am quite fond of. It reminds of this cool event that is happening next week, called Do Good Day.  It is sponsored by 77kids- a brand new children's clothing store by American Eagle, who is having its Grand Opening in certain malls throughout the country! (I have to admit, I am excited to check them out. Both of my daughters will likely go nuts. :)

To me, It's all in the way you present yourself, and 77kids is kicking off their new adventure by presenting themselves in an amazing way. They believe in paying it forward. This is what I believe should be trend setting. This should catch on like wildfire. It should. I hope it does. 

A group of AWESOME co-shenanigan-conspirators-bloggers are teaming up along with The Motherhood to help 77kids make this happen in the most fun possible way. I am beyond excited to be a part of it. 

It's kind of a blessing. To be able to give. To be able to make someone smile. To have fun doing it! 

Just got word that boxes full of awesomeness for the July 14th event arrived. I know your jealous. :) You want to give stuff away too! You want to do random acts of kindness. You want to pay it forward. 

So, What's stopping you? 

 I suppose I must end my post with this:*While I am being compensated for participating in the 77kids Do Good Day, I wrote this post all on my own accord, because I am looking forward to being a part of something fun. Something bigger than little ol' me. 77kids didn't have anything to do with it. 

Oh yeah. But look at the cuteness!!