I’ve been toting around Em’s Canon EOS camera trying to get a picture for Ara’s birthday invitations.  Nothing has been great so far so I’ll try again tomorrow!  Ara has been pretending things are cameras and taking pictures too!  A suggested we think about getting her a kid digital cam for her birthday.  She wants a big girl bike but we are skeptical that she would actually ride it.  I’ve carried her tricycle around too many parks on too many days to not have some doubt! 

Look how tall Ara is compared to her cousin!  They almost look like 6 and 7 instead of 3 and 7. 

A helper at the YMCA complimented me on Ara’s lunch and then asked if I was some sort of food designer!  On the one hand I am flattered… on the other, what’s a food designer?  Is that what I am?  I didn’t quite no how to answer, I stammered something about admiring Japanese bento style cold lunches.  I could see she expected a more interesting answer. 

No, I don’t just have too much time on my hands! 

I usually make the lunches right after Ara is in bed.  It’s relaxing and fun.  Plus it makes my days so much easier when I don’t have to think about what to make for lunch.  On top of that, we are eating healthier lunches!  An awesome by-product of packing colorful food arrangements is that the food is much better for you.  Take a look at your average lunch.  Unless you eat a salad everyday chances are it’s  fairly monochrome.  Chips and a sandwich?  Burger and fries? 

Forget the frankenfood and go quazi-bento!  Yay!

Oh, as a side note… I exceeded my workout goal today.  My favorite elliptical was taken so I hopped on another that automatically set me on a 60 minute program.  It was taunting me.  “You USED to do an hour, what happened to you?”.  I couldn’t let it win, so I stayed on past my goal of 45 minutes just to spite the machine!  I just kept repeating my little mantra, “I can endure anything for 15 minutes!”.  It’s overly dramatic  but it works!  After that I ran through the strength workout and then savored an extra long, hot shower before picking the kids up (I had joey today). 

Joey was kind of hilarious on the bus ride home.

“(gasp) Did you tell the bus driver where we need to go?!”

“Can buses turn, or do they always go straight?”

“Have we been on this bus for 14 hours already?”

I told Em that her kid thought the bus was some kind of chauffer deal.  He is too high falutin to be riding the city bus!  Haha fun stuff.

<~ This is what Joey and Ara will see when they open their lunches at the YMCA tomorrow!  Or.. a version of this after it’s taken a ride in my bag.  I hid another 1/4 quesadilla (wheat tortilla, fresh whole milk queso) under the Babel cheese and gold fish cracker.  Berry-wise there are blackberry, strawberry, and cherry.  There are green edamame marching in a row and a laughing cow square to top it off. 

Back to the elliptical tomorrow, my feet are ready and my soreness is gone!  The goal this week is 45 minutes elliptical and strength (MWF).

    Berry good lunches!

The Mommy lunch ~>
See the laughing cow cheese wedge?  So very yum!  Three crackers, berries, edamame, and cheese square.  Pretty much the same as the kids but bigger.  For breakfast I’ve been eating berries and nuts.  I used to swear by cereal but this seems to be working fine and it’s portable for those late mornings! 

Click “more” to see crazy bug!  I didn’t want his pic near the food on my front page!

(more…)

And.. we’re back to the YMCA! 

A dropped us off at the Y before going to work, it adds about 10 minutes to his drive so I will have to start packing things ahead of time so we don’t make him late.  Ara was excited to join the kids again and she rushed ahead of me to the child watch room.  I was surprised to see that the helpers remembered Ara’s name and they seemed genuinely glad to see her again.  I stayed in the room for 5 minutes to help her get settled and when I left, she followed me to the door looking sad but she let me go without tears.  After a few set backs (I can’t recall the combination to my lock, and couldn’t locate my iPod or my sweat headband thing) I was back on my old friend, the elliptical.  Since I didn’t bring my iPod I plopped my Half Blood Prince book on the stand and delved into the world of Harry Potter.  It was glorious.  Time to read, yay!  I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes on the resistance circuit, and a 30 minute shower!  The shower was the best part… 

I am all packed for tomorrow.  Three cute lunches and one baggie lunch (A doesn’t care for food art).  The picture above is a kid lunch.  It has a cheese wedge, wheat crackers, a quesadilla (hidden under the crackers, wheat tortilla, fresh queso cheese), baby carrots (I know I’m getting monotonous with the veggies, I bought some edamame though), black berries, and cherries.  Included will be apple juice boxes (let’s hope no one scrapes their corneas with the straws!).

This is the mommy lunch.  I have trouble sticking to low carb when I work out.  I blame Eegees!  The problem is that I never feel like eating in the morning and when I’m finished working out, I’m starving.  So, I have a baggie filled with my favorite nuts and this delicious cheese and berry lunch(and 3 crackers but don’t tell anyone, at least they’re whole wheat).

After the Y, Ara and I walked to the bus stop and rode home.  The bus ride is pretty painless, it’s a straight shot, no transfers.  I did become very aware that my gym bag is in need of a lightening though.  Since I stopped going to the gym it became the swimming/long trip bag and it is filled with many random (and heavy) things! 

The weather was amazing.  Yesterday it was 105 outside, today it was cloudy with sprinkles and a lovely breeze! 

We were home for about an hour, then we walked over to one of my favorite restaurants to meet A for lunch!  We have decided that July will be “eat-out-free” so we can put aside some money for the furlough his work is requiring in November.  In preparation for that we have been eating out a lot this week (counter productive, we know).  We have had all of my favorite places.  I have really enjoyed being able to sit down with the A and Ara and relax without dinner dishes looming over my head.  If only we could eat bento style for dinner!  I love eating the fresh (non-cooked) foods! 

On Saturday, Em has agreed to watch Ara while A and I have a date-day.  I am really looking forward to some time alone with A.  We want to make date night/day a regular occurrence to bring some balance to the force!  Of course it will all depend on how often we can impose on my family to watch Ara since we don’t use babysitters. 

Ara’s lunch for the YMCA tomorrow.

Ara + Mama sandwich’s lying on a bed of apple + orange slices, and baby carrots, cow cheese, wheat crackers, graham crackers.

Ara is a shoeholic!  She also wants this pink cowboy hat because it looks like Miley, her new hero.  After shoe shopping we had a play date that started with McD’s lunch and play place, then moved over to the tumbling gym.  Ara is in a phase lately that causes her to constantly test my patience and my patience is getting tired!  She is out right ignoring me and talking back.  Usually, she tries so hard to do the right thing so this has thrown me a curve ball. 

“Ara, we are leaving put your shoes back on please.”

“Mama, YOU put your shoes on!”

I can feel I am wearing thin, I am losing patience.  So I decided it was time to do something.  I reactivated my YMCA membership!  Ara was so pleased, and she was good as gold the whole time we were there.  Maybe this was all she needed, a change of scenery and a chance to play with other kids.  I have her lunch all packed for tomorrow and I am looking forward to working out again.