Kindermusik offers classes around West Michigan for young children, hoping to instill a life long love of music.

To find a Kindermusik class near you visit www.kindermusik.com.

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Broadway Grand Rapids is bringing in Shrek the Musical in June to DeVos Performance Hall.  Your family is going to love this children’s favorite, plus we have your chance to win free tickets!

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The Grand Rapids Singing Angels are a quartet of young woman who have learned the art of singing barbershop four part harmony.

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110 bands, seven stages and one ticket.  Big Ticket Festival is coming in June to the Ionia Fairgrounds and you won’t want to miss out!

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Maranda has been talking about ways to save on Where You Live and one of the ways I suggested saving money at the grocery store was to plan your meals.  Although it sounds easy, I realize many of us could use some meal planning help.  Our team of Registered Dietitians at Meijer have made it easy for you!  Simply go to meijermealbox.com and click on the weekly nutritious menu.  You will find an entire week of dinner menus planned out for you using weekly sale items.  In addition, each menu has a nutritional breakdown and a shopping list by department is included. 

See below for a couple of menus on the site for this week.  Starting on May 15 the weekly menu plans will include costing – each dinner menu for a family of 4 will be under $10.00!  Delicious dinners that are EASY, AFFORDABLE AND HEALTHY!

Meatless Monday

Mushroom Quesadilla (recipe below)

Serve with:
Salsa
Earthbound Farm Organic Salad
Marzetti Organic Salad Dressing

Calories 400; Carbohydrate 42g; Total Fat 16g; Fiber 5g

Thursday

Grilled Strip Steak with Meijer Steak Sauce

Serve with:
Baked Potato
Asparagus Spears- NuVal score 100
Seedless Watermelon Slices – NuVal score 94

Calories 419; Carbohydrate 35g; Total Fat 19g; Fiber 6g

Mushroom Quesadilla
Serves 4

2 tbsp. Meijer olive oil
1 small onion sliced
1 jalapeno, stemmed and chopped
10 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/8 tsp. salt
juice of 1 lime
4 (9-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cup Meijer Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the onion and jalapeno and saute until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms, salt and lime juice.  Increase the heat to medium-high and saute for about 5 minutes, or until all of the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated.  Transfer the mushroom mixture to a plate and set aside.
3. Return the same pan used to saute the mushrooms to the stove and place over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tbsp. of the oil and heat for 1 minute.
4. Place 2 tbsp. of the shredded cheese on the bottom half of each tortilla and top with 2 tbsp. of the mushroom mixture.  Fold the tortilla over creating a half moon.
5. Place as many tortillas as will fit in the pan. Cook quesadillas for 1 minute or until develops golden brown crust, flip over, and cook for another minute.

Recipe from Chef Maribel Alchin, MBA, RD, LDN, Meijer Dietitian & Healthy Living Advisor

Calories: 221, Total fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 362mg, Carbohydrate: 17g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 13g

Go to Meijer Mealbox every week and make mealtime easy!

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TaylorSwiftContest It’s Music Mania this weekend on “Where You Live!’  We are super excited to announce a HUGE contest giving you the chance to join me in the WOOD TV 8 Suite for the Taylor Swift “Speak Now” concert coming to the Van Andel Arena in July!  For the next three weeks in “Where You Live” we’ll give you a chance to text in a keyword.  Every week one winner will be randomly selected to win THREE tickets to the big show!  It’s going to be SOOO cool!!!  Also, in this weekend’s show we’ll meet Rock Musician Mark Wood of Trans-Siberian Orchestra who was recently in West Michigan working with students in the Forest Hills Northern Orchestra.  This guy is electrifying!   Plus we’ll talk with folks from Broadway Grand Rapids about the amazing family show “Shrek The Musical” coming to town and meet students involved in Rock Camp and the percussion group “Strike”.   Oh, I can’t forget the “Singing Angels”-four young girls who sing four part harmony that is sure to give you goosebumps!!  It’s going to be an amazing show!  Watch ‘Where You Live” Saturday at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on WOTV 4 and Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

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About two years ago our daughter Sophia came home with some news for my husband and I.  She was excited to tell me that her friends Mars, Joey and Greyson all had moms expecting babies, but she was upset with the fact that she was now going to be the only one in her class without a sibling.  For the past two years I’d hear “Mom, when do I get to get a brother or sister?” on a regular basis.  For a while we’d respond with “you have a dog and that’s kind of like a sibling.”  Or, “don’t you like being the only one and having all of mom and dad’s attention?”  But that didn’t seem to cut it.

For a while, whenever the baby topic came up, my head would quickly flood with thoughts of those long sleepless nights, endless crying and functioning on zero energy.  We just weren’t sure if we were up for the challenge of another one.  But, it’s funny how suddenly your thought pattern just changes one day, almost like a light switch.  I’m sure all you moms know exactly what I’m talking about.  You forget about all the unpleasant parts of having a newborn and start to focus on the amazing parts, like holding your baby for the first time, or watching for that first smile.  For me, probably the best part is picturing how Sophia will interact with a little brother or sister.

Well, the light switch flipped for us and my husband and I (along with a very proud big sister) are happy to announce that we’re expecting our second child this October!  The first 15 weeks have already been filled with the ups and downs of pregnancy, but everyday is so exciting and something new.  Sophia can’t stop rubbing my belly, talking to the baby and already wants to share a room.  Note to self….remind Sophia of this when she is 10 years old and has an annoying five year old little sibling.

I hope to keep you posted on our exciting journey as we experience things for a second time around.  I’d also love any insights from moms on cool baby gear and gadgets, sleeping tricks, etc.  It’s been five years since I’ve done this and I’m sure a lot has changed!

Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anotherpioneer/5252749975/sizes/m/in/photostream/

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Fifth Third Bank is heading into classrooms around West Michigan to educate kids on the importance of saving money.

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We talked to kids to see if they know how much some common household items cost?  Their answers may surprise you.

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We talked with two West Michigan parents to see what they spend on some common family expenses.  Then we went to our experts to see how you can save money on everything from groceries to health care.

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