before and afters…haircut :-P

Bananas over Bento

When I was a kid, my mom used to make lunchtime fun.

It’s one of my favorite memories-sitting at the kitchen table munching away on some veggie/fruit/PB hybrid that had been transformed into “toad in a hole” or “ants on a log” or “ladybugs” or a “soccer ball”. She rocked and it was fun.

I struggle at making toddler lunches everyday, and had forgotten that little trick until I came across something the other day that sparked warm fuzzy memories. “Bento” is a the Japanese tradition of “cute cooking”, and now mom’s lunches have a official title, lol.

This totally appeals to my creative side that’s been pining away during the endless, repetitive nature of mommy chores. I just get bored. (I really struggle with 3 square meals a day, and have a rotten tenancy to let the day slide by on rice cakes and raisins. )

Here is excitement! Here is playful pizazz!! Here is something nostalgic that I can pass on to my girls, as goofy as it may be. Heh heh.

A gluten free muffin becomes a chocolate-banana flavored monkey!
Kiwis are served in silly muffin liners.
Hippos are invited to take a dip in the smoothie pond (Essie’s own unique spin on things, lol!)

Funny thing I’ve noticed is that E. is eating her food more slowly, and seems to be consuming and enjoying more. (score!) I’m more motivated to put a really decent lunch together, so it works out for everybody. It’s nice when needs and personality quirks collide.

So here’s to you, mom. <3

Mama’s getting a haircut!

My hair.

I like it’s color-an even nutty brown with warm tones. It’s got a mind of it’s own. It’s wavy in the back with curls in the front that I can sometimes coax into being ringlets. It’s not very thick, but not too thin, either.

And it lives in the long haired “mom do”, with a ponytail tucked into itself with the ends poking out. It rarely comes out to play, and all my crazy PP hormones are causing it to dump itself around the house. Grrrrr.

It’s time for a cut!! Mom feels the hair cut itch, and this time my sage husband insists that I get it done professionally. I’m giddy and nervous, and I think I’m going to go slightly above shoulder length.

My theory is, finding short hairs around the shower will be less annoying than long ones.

Kitchen Fun

It only took me a whole month to realize that my daughter’s propensity for dumping canisters of teff flour all over the counter and pouring spices all over my dirty dishes stemmed from her love of cooking. *Cue Home Simpson-esque “Doh!!”*

Time has a way of creeping up on you as a parent, and often I forget how grown up my big baby girl has really become. I see her as a toddler, and, in reality, she’s speeding towards preschool independence and all the creative exploration that comes with it. She *needs* to get her hands dirty, and cooking is the perfect way to do it!

So, I took a deep breath and stuffed my OCD tenancies into a deep dark corner of an obscure cabinet…somewhere between the tarragon and the BIG bottle of chill pills. Essie has been ecstatic that I’m letting her help out, and I’ve been surprised to find myself delighted at the results! She actually *does* make it easier sometimes and it’s a fun way for us to reconnect on a tough day.

She’s digging threading veggie kabobs, washing fruit, dropping things into a blender, patting raw vegan cookies into form, mixing, dumping in measured portions of spices, along with generous sampling of the goods. She’s pretty darn good at it, if a mama may brag.

I’m so grateful for that particular “aha!” moment, because now she’s getting the message, “Look! This is how to be constructive. You’re so capable!” as opposed to my previous (and unfortunate)response of, “Awww, man!! No!! You wrecked something else!”. Anywho.

Here are a few of our favorite things to make together lately:

ChocobananaBerry Smoothies (our breakfast of choice lately…yummm!)

-2oz silken tofu
-1 C frozen/fresh mixed berries
-handful of raw almonds
-1banana
-3 heaping teaspoons of carob powder
-a little flax seed oil
-1 stalk celery
-hand full of spinach/kale
-2 packets of stevia
-a little PB
-and, of course, a southern summer’s salvation, ice

Essie adores giving herself “smoovie moustache”, and tries to give her sister one too, when I’m not looking. Nomi, who is teething, adores getting sips from her Sissie’s cup, and likes to gum the cold dish.

“Essie’s Favorite Cookies”, by Esther

-one handful blended soaked dates
-a handful of any nuts or seeds we have on hand
-2 TB of PB
-some raisins
-a squirt of honey
-a TB of carob powder
-a small bit of tahini

mix and pat into small edible circles and enjoy. They are *really* yummy.

And now, a few odds and ends.

Esther recently responded to her dad’s offer to give her more juice by smiling and saying,
“That’s OK, daddy. It won’t be necessary.”

I’m currently doing the Cool Runnings ‘Couch to 5K’ program, and it’s really kicking my hiney. I feel *great*, despite the huge challenge of running when I’ve never been very good at it. I’ve been running/quickly walking about 2 miles every other day, interposed by my usual TTAP and pilates. It’s been fun, and I’m feeling good. Mostly, my mood and energy have been really nice.

Hubby Man is accepting a new job in a different dept. of his current company. He’ll be learning programming, which is a nifty addition to his skill set. He seems happy about it, so I’m happy, too.

I’m thinking about going back to school…more on that later.

My brother is getting married in 2 weeks! I’m so excited for him.