MEA break in duluth.

We had the BEST time in Duluth over MEA Break in October. My Dad was receiving the Minnesota State Fire Officer of the Year (2019) award, so we went there to watch him accept the award, and have some family fun along the way! The North Shore is one of our favorite Minnesota destinations, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect during our visit.

We stayed at The Inn on Lake Superior (Canal Park), which is incredibly family-friendly. They had a bonfire and s'mores every night while we were there, a HEATED rooftop pool, and it's in a fantastic location. We booked a two-bedroom suite, so Mama and Papa Saigh could actually enjoy ourselves when the kids went to bed. Our room had a gorgeous view of Lake Superior, with a balcony that the kids could watch the big ships come in.

We also drove up to Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors (about an hour drive from Duluth). Papa Saigh and I have been there before, but the kids loved checking out the views and historic landmarks for the first time. Again, the weather couldn't have been more perfect, and we were able to take in all the changing colors on the trees!

If you want to book a family-getaway, our friends at The Inn on Lake Superior have a special deal for our friends! Reserve a room online, and save 20% through June 18th, 2020, using the code MNBaby (subject to availability, and not valid with any other discount, promotion, or group). Enjoy!

Check out our videos of our visit to Duluth on our Instagram page in our InstaStories (@MelissaSaigh).

Our kiddos with their Bompa, who was awarded the Minnesota
State Fire Officer of 2019 Award!

We met up with one of Papa Saigh's best childhood friends in Duluth,
and they now have FIVE kiddos between the two of them!

Linna (age 8) with her Nana and Bompa.

Traveling is tough, LOL! Our kiddos with their Nana.

Our family: Linna (age 8), Jimmy (age 3.5), and Tony (age 1).

Exploring Canal Park.

Hoops Brewing in Duluth is a great spot in Canal Park
for parents with kiddos.

Mama Saigh and her Bigs.

Jimmy, along the shoreline of Lake Superior.

Baby Tony, loving all the rocks on the shore.

Brave boy! Papa Saigh was down there with him.

Papa Saigh and his kiddos.

Split Rock Lighthouse.

Jimmy.

Obsessed with the subway tile and black staircase.

Baby Tony's first trip to the North Shore.

Jimmy’s final thoughts as a 3-year-old.

Jimmy’s final thoughts as a 3-year-old.

Jimmy’s final thoughts as a 2-year-old.

Aldi haul.

Wow. I’m almost ashamed of myself for never heeding to the advice from countless friends, to start shopping at Aldi. My in-laws are avid Aldi shoppers, my friend’s son works for Aldi, and a group of Moms in my neighborhood have told me over and over, “The only way you can really save money on groceries is by shopping at Aldi”. So, why did it take me so long to discover this incredible, money-saving gem of a grocery store, first-hand?!

Good question.

But now that I’ve shopped at Aldi, there’s no turning back. A brand new Aldi recently opened in Chaska, and this Minnesota Mom is now a frequent shopper. It’s clean, organized, and the selection of low-price, organic, minimal-ingredient, fresh and packaged foods is pretty impressive. When Aldi’s produce goes on sale, their prices are unbeatable. The amount of groceries I can fill my cart with for under $200 is seriously shocking. Check out our first Aldi Haul, ever...

Fresh fruits and veggies, meats, fish, snacks, dairy, packages, baby products... The list goes on and on! Some of our favorites include Aldi’s gluten-free pretzels (we aren’t a gluten-free family, but some gluten-free items just taste better), puréed baby-food pouches, deli pizzas, frozen veggie-stuffed chicken, salmon (Papa Saigh’s favorite), and coconut and almond milk prices (we have one kiddo with a dairy allergy/sensitivity). Seriously, if you’re someone with a gluten and/or dairy allergy/sensitivity, or you’re someone who prefers to buy all things organic, Aldi should be on your next shopping list. This is NOT an ad. We aren’t partnered with Aldi. It’s just THAT good.

The BEST Aldi find of all time;)

But there’s always a catch right?! I mean, this Aldi place kind of sounds too good to be true. Well, there are a couple things you should know before getting too excited...

1. Aldi doesn’t have “cart” people. If you want to use a shopping cart, you need to pop in a quarter to release the cart, and you’ll get your quarter back when you return it.

2. You bag your own groceries.

3. And don’t forget to bring your own bags. You can purchase bags at the store, but that kind of goes against the whole point of saving money;)

Some of our favorite Aldi finds...

1. Spinach/Artichoke Dip in the refrigerator section
2. Baby food pouches (they’re organic, in transparent packaging, and under $.80 a piece!)
3. Kale & Pepperjack Stuffed Chicken in the freezer section
4. Bubble water (under $3 for 12 cans)
5. Cheese sticks and pizzas (refrigerator section)

You can also find things like shoes for the family, women’s leggings, swimsuits, bath mats, flowers, etc. I’m often shocked at some of the things I find at Aldi. What’s your favorite Aldi find?

DIY with mama saigh: Halloween decor.

Monday, I was back on The Jason Show with some DIY Halloween Decor ideas. Let's start with these beautiful velvet pumpkins...

In case you haven't noticed, velvet pumpkins are all the rage this fall. But at around $20 a piece, decorating with these beauties can get expensive. I figured out a way to make them at home for a fraction of the price!


VELVET PUMPKINS

Start by cutting a circle out of a stretchy piece of velvet fabric. I found a black and a white fabric
at JoAnn Fabrics for under $5/yard (they always have 40-50% off coupons online).
You can make the circle as big or as small as you'd like, and don't worry about cutting the
"perfect" circle (it doesn't matter - as you can see with the shape above).

Using a "heavier duty" thread and sewing needle (longer needle for larger pumpkins), sew a "simple stitch"
along the edge of the fabric. Again, don't worry too much about making it "pretty" (it won't matter).

Leave a space big enough to fill half of your pumpkin up with dry rice.
Then, fill the rest of the pumpkin with a Poly-Fil.

Secure and close the hole with your needle and thread.

Next, take your needle down the center of your pumpkin, and then back up through
he bottom of your pumpkin. Do this a couple times to make sure it's secure.
Then, super-glue a stem from a gourd/pumpkin in the center of the top. Ta dah!

CONCRETE PUMPKINS

Give me ALL the concrete EVERYTHING! I love the look of concrete countertops, home-decor, and when I saw concrete pumpkins at a store for almost $50/piece... I knew I had to figure out a way to make them for less. With the help of my husband ("Papa Saigh"), we made these beauties for a little over $1 each!

Papa Saigh mixed up some concrete using a cement-mixer drill attachment to get the air bubbles out, and poured it into a plastic pumpkin that we found at Target for $1 (the kind that kids use to go trick-or-treating). Fill the pumpkin about 3/4 of the way full. Before the cement sets, take a mason jar and spray the outside with cooking spray, and gently set the mason jar into the cement in the plastic pumpkin. Let this dry for at least 48 hours. Remove the plastic pumpkin with a carpenter's knife (be careful!). Gently wriggle the mason jar out of the concrete, and fill that hole with candy, succulent, etc. (get creative!).

We found some small succulents at IKEA, and placed them in the concrete pumpkins to
add some color to our fall table-scape. I added the DIY velvet pumpkins, antlers and
candles to complete the look. The LOHALS Rug, birdcage, black feather, decorative balls,
and decorative birds on the hutch are also from IKEA. We love shopping at IKEA for
inexpensive home-decor that looks high-end.

RUG LAYERING

I am obsessed with our new fall doormat by Oh Trendy Baby. They have tons of custom doormat options with super funny and cute sayings. I ordered a black and white buffalo plaid rug from Amazon, to add some layer and color to our front porch this fall.

GIVEAWAY: Snow white at the children's theatre company.

TICKET GIVEAWAY

We are giving away 4 TICKETS to the Children's Theatre Company's performance of Snow White, running through December 8th, 2019 in Minneapolis! For your chance to win, follow us on Instagram (@MelissaSaigh), "like" this contest post on Instagram, and "tag" at least one friend who you think would want to see this show. You must do all three in order to be entered for your chance to win. One winner will be randomly selected on Sunday, October 6th at 8 p.m. to win 4 tickets to Snow White at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Show dates and times subject to availability. Good luck!

Tickets to the show are available for purchase. Get yours before the shows sell out! Our full review of this show will be posted later this week.

Happy golden birthday, linna.

Our “original” Minnesota Baby is 8 years old today! Linna Jane, you are our favorite daughter, and we couldn’t be more proud of the young lady you’re becoming. You still have the same “cry face” that you did when you were a newborn, and I still get choked up thinking about the day you were born. You changed our lives for the better, and you gave me the gift of becoming a Mom. You’re an amazing big sister to your two little brothers, and we can’t wait to watch you grow up. I can’t believe you’re 8! Happy birthday, sweet girl.

(I’ve recorded these videos every year since she was two, right before she goes to bed on the eve of her birthday. Here are Linna’s last words as a 7-year-old.)

(Linna’s last words as a 3-year-old)

Baby tony is finally walking.

The baby of the family is finally walking at 15 months old! Baby Tony mastered the “butt scoot” around a year old, and that has been his preferred mode of transportation ever since. He never crawled. While I wasn’t worried, his pediatrician was a little concerned at Tony’s 12-month wellness visit, and recommended that he see a physical therapist to help him learn to crawl, squat, and walk. We had a few appointments at Gillette Children’s in Minnetonka (love them!), and just as they expected, Tony decided to stand up and walk when he was ready!

Recipe: Energy bites.

Per the 7-year-old's request, we made Energy Bites this morning. This is a super easy recipe that makes a pretty big batch of bite-size balls that you can pop in the fridge, for a quick snack!

Ingredients:

2 cups oats
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with your hands, form into bite-size balls, and store in the fridge for a go-to energy snack!

Linna in mama saigh’s wedding dress.

Cue the waterworks. My mom found my wedding dress in their house this week (I thought it was long-gone), and she brought it over to our house. Our oldest (and only daughter) tried it on. I’m going to be a basket case when she gets married!

Linna, age 7, in my wedding dress.

Our wedding day: October 2nd, 2010.