What We’re Loving Now (October 2015)

Can you believe we’re just two days away from the spookiest night of the year?! I mean, really, how is it Halloween already??? At this rate, Thanksgiving is going to be like, next week 🙂

But you know what they say– time flies when you’re having fun. And if there’s one thing we know how to do well over here at OAAM, it’s have some fun!

This month my family got Halloween-ready with giant pumpkins from the Burke Ridge Farms Pumpkin Picking Hayride in Ellington, CT.

Mandy gave us a sneak peek at a popular trick-or-treating event at The Shoppes at Farmington Valley in Canton, CT. (That one took place last week, but if you’re looking for a similar event to try out, you can take your little ghouls and goblins to the Center-wide Trick-or-Treat at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor on Friday, October 30th from 4pm-6pm.)

We put together our annual list of family-friendly Halloween Happenings (many of which are happening on Saturday so it’s not too late to check it out!).

And we brought you a fantastic giveaway for a family four-pack of tickets to see two beloved children’s books come to life on the Bushnell stage in a super family-friendly performance.

You also may want to take another look at our 2015 Fall Bucket List and work in one last fall-themed outing before most close up shop this weekend.

Of course, once again we have to thank our wonderful sponsors who help us keep our site up and running with their financial support. It is not an exaggeration to say that without them, this site would not exist– especially those like our longtime partner, the Mandell JCC in West Hartford.

So if you love our site, do your part to help support the sponsors that keep us “scouting your outing.” Please help spread the sponsor love! If you know friends, family, neighbors, coworkers or anyone else who might be interested in what our fabulous sponsors have to offer, please share.

And last but not least, despite our busy schedules, Mandy and I still found time to discover a few new tidbits to share from our everyday lives. So keep reading to find out everything we’ve been loving this October!

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This Month’s Premium Sponsor:

THE MANDELL JCC, West Hartford, CT

Now in its Centennial year, the Mandell JCC serves people of all backgrounds and at every age and stage of life. It is a gathering place and resource for the Hartford region, providing recreational, cultural, educational, and social programs designed to promote physical, intellectual, and spiritual well-being of its members and others who participate. As a center where all are welcome, our mission is rooted in a fundamental commitment to inclusivity and in universal Jewish values. For more information on the Mandell JCC, contact the Member Services Center, 860-236-4571 or visit www.mandelljcc.org.

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We would also like to thank the following businesses/organizations for supporting our site via sponsorship:

• The Bushnell Theater–Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny
• The Bushnell Theater–Giada De Laurentiis Happy Cooking Tour
• Meet N Mickey Disney Travel Agency
• Quincy Limited Car Sun Shades

This month we’re also loving…

Shawna’s loving…

1. Back in February I mentioned a new addition to my cookbook collection: the first cookbook from the blogger behind the popular Skinnytaste website. Well, it’s taken me almost a year to finally get to cooking some of the recipes in this book, but it was worth the wait! We are really enjoying these lightened up versions of some of our favorite foods. And lucky for you, a handful of these recipes are already available online, so you can cook them right now! Try: Baked Potato Soup; Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls; Chicken Caprese Pasta; and Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup.

2. After that unexpected (and super early!) freeze a couple weeks ago, my window boxes went from gorgeous to ghastly overnight. I was worried about investing in a bunch of new potted plants (like mums) just in case the frost was here to stay (thank goodness it didn’t!), so I was delighted to discover these beautiful “blooming” kale plants at Scott’s Orchard and Nursery here in Glastonbury. Believe it or not, they will survive a total freeze and can even keep on going long into the winter months! Imagine that! Window boxes that will survive through the holidays. And at around 7 bucks each they were a bargain too. I got one for every pot on my porch 🙂

3. I host Thanksgiving for my extended family each year (which can be quite a crowd!), so every fall I try to spend a little time reorganizing my kitchen in preparation for cooking the giant feast. This year, my favorite kitchen hack (which I am sure I saw somewhere on Pinterest) is to simply use those Command stick-on hooks to hang your measuring spoons on the inside of the cabinet door where you store your spices. It’s been such a time-saver! The measuring spoons are exactly where I need them and there’s no more fishing around in a drawer to find the right size. Just be sure to pay close attention to the little holes on your set of spoons and be sure to get hooks that are narrow enough to fit– I had one set that was too narrow for these particular hooks.

Mandy’s loving…

4. My kids were so excited to dress up for a Halloween event last weekend and I was excited to finally find a costume that Bruiser would wear! He’s a tough customer when it comes to costumes and the way they feel, but I was able to find a set of Darth Vader pajamas at the Disney Store that would work. Plus now his costume doubles as winter pajamas. Yay!

5. Method All Purpose Cleaner is my absolute new favorite cleaning product. It smells amazing, cleans well, and can be used on all types of surfaces including stone.

6. I recently mentioned on Instagram my slight obsession with pumpkin pie mix. This time of year I like to keep some in the fridge and add it to pretty much everything. Currently, my family is enjoying the addition of pumpkin pie mix to our favorite pancake recipe!

Once again, a great big “thank you” to our current sponsors. We are very proud to showcase them here on our site, and we look forward to introducing you to even more family-friendly businesses and organizations in the future.

And thank you to our readers for supporting the businesses and organizations that make our site possible!

Shawna & Mandy