Where the Mommy Things Are

Tricia from Once-a-Month Mom hosted an amazing giveaway and cooking demonstration last night -- I went with my main-blogger friend, Erin. (Erin of $5 Dinners fame Erin? If you're one of the like, two people in the frugal blogosphere who isn't familiar with her site you must check it out. Now.) Erin is the reason I even knew about the event... So many great blogs out there, so hard to keep track of them all!

Once-a-Month Cooking

And this once-a-month cooking, Thang? I'm just not so sure about it... for myself. Has anyone tried it? Once-a-month cooking is when you get together with a friend (or two) and spend one solid day cooking a month's worth of meals to freeze and eat... Well, over the course of a month!

The whole process sounds exhausting to me. I haven't tried it, obviously. Though I know women who have and they do declare it is a long day. One that gets easier month after month, as you become more efficient with the process...

Apparently it's like childbirth: never ask a woman immediately after that long day of cooking if she'd do it again. Give her a few days for the soreness to wear off and she's had some time to enjoy the fruits of her labors, so to speak. Then she'll declare it was more than worth it.

I think it could be a godsend for mothers who work outside the home. Some of the women at the event have been following once-a-month mom and this system for awhile. They testified that the day of work does get faster with practice, and the convenience of having dinner pre-made in their busy lifestyles with work schedules and family is a lifesaver and allows them so much more time with their children and husbands during the week at a time when they would normally be cooking dinner.

In preparation for this event, Tricia contacted several merchants to petition for products to use and give away. Sooo many giveaways. And I won not. one. *Sigh* Story of my life. But she also gave everyone a great back of goodies, so I can't shouldn't complain...

"Blend-Off"

Aside from all the yummies we got to munch on throughout the night, we got to try out a bunch of products from various sponsors. Two of the faves were a couple of blenders -- one a Breville blender priced about $300, the other a Ninja Master Prep blender priced about $60...

After testing each of the products, we weren't convinced that the Breville was worth the extra cost, so we decided to have a duel -- a "Blend-off", if you will.

Marianne from The New Frugal Mom worked the Breville, and Katie from Domestic Debacle took on the Ninja... The consensus? See for yourself.


(It would seem that Katie came by her blog title quite honestly... heh-heh.) (Hi, Katie!)

Loft Lust

The party was in Dayton's Oregon District -- the Forge Headquarters office space in a downtown loft. Love. It. All that exposed brick, original trim, high ceilings, skylights and archways, floor-to-ceiling windows... I was having me some Loft Lust, I tell you what. Try to look beyond my point-and-shoot photo quality and take a glimpse below. (Hi, Erin!)

Where the Wild Mommies Are

Before I headed out for the evening, I told Olivia and Peter I was going out with some Mommy friends, so I wouldn't be home at bedtime. As I was leaving, Peter said, "Are you going... Where the Mommy Things are?"

Conner started laughing from the next room. "Yea, mom. Are you going where the Wild Mommies Are?"

You betcha. We're just crazy. Bunch of women. Bunch of food. Bunch of giveaways. You just never know what might happen. But I'm still not sure how wild I am about the idea of cooking a whole month's worth of food in one day. That might just make me crazy. Feel free to chime in and try to convince me.