Here, We Wear Purple in October

I know pink is the popular colour in October.  Breast cancer awareness is, of course, very important, in addition to all other kinds of cancer.

October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

I have a few statistics I'd like to share with you.

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.

Men who as children witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.

Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.

Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.

 (Source : Domestic Violence Statistics)

Fortunately, there are some wonderful organizations that are working to put a stop to the violence, and to help the victims.  This month, I am highlighting Shepherd's Gate (of Miracle Hill Ministries).  They are local to me here in the upstate, and they do a lot of good for a lot of people.  I am also running a fundraiser.  A minimum of 15% of ALL sales from this fundraiser party will go directly to Miracle Hill.  (Up to a possible 30%, depending on how well the fundraiser does.)  These accessories make great gifts, so get some of your Christmas shopping done early and help a great cause while you are at it.  

Lilla Rose DVA Fundraiser 

Please consider spreading the word even if you cannot order at this time.  

Build A Menu Back to School SALE!

Tonight's dinner is in the oven right now, and smells absolutely AMAZING.  It's  Curried Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole, and it's a Trim Healthy Mama (E)nergizing meal, which means it's healthy carb and low fat.  I added frozen peas and carrots to ours, so it's truly a one dish meal.  

Build A Menu now has 2 different ways to help you meal plan.  The "Classic" still lets you peruse recipes and choose your own, while it keeps a running grocery total for you.  (Did I mention that this is my favourite feature of BAM?)  The "Done for You" option gives you a week's worth of menus in a pdf file, no guesswork and SO much of a timesaver!  Both options are on sale right now.

Book Review : "Questions Jesus Asks" by Israel Wayne

I am currently reading Questions Jesus Asks: Where Divinity Meets Humanity by Israel Wayne.  I have not finished yet, I don't have nearly the time to devote to reading that I wish I did.
The chapters are all titled with different questions that Jesus asked in the New Testament, such as "Who Do People Say That I Am?", "What Are You Seeking?", "Do You Want To Get Well?", etc.  He goes into the reasons Jesus asks questions in the first place.  (You didn't really think it was because there are things He doesn't know, right?)  He talks about the purpose of each individual question and how the situations relate to us today, not just their historical context.

So far, the one most convicting to me has been, "Do You Want to Get Well?".  I have struggled with clinical depression and anxiety for many years, as I have talked about on this blog a few times in the past.  How often do our current circumstances, however unpleasant, become comfortable?  We cling to the status quo, even as it makes us miserable.

This book provides excellent insight, and new perspectives on familiar stories.  I highly recommend it.

I received a copy for review purposes, but my opinions are my own.

Menu Planning for Busy... Everyone

I am honestly not quite sure if anyone pays attention to the links on my sidebar or not, but just in case someone very observant is wondering why I have two different menu planning sites over there, here is the answer!

I am terrible at menu planning.  Abysmal, really.  It hurts our time management for the family, it hurts our budget, and it hurts our health.

Several years ago, I discovered Menu Planning Central (to be honest, I don't remember exactly where I first saw it.)  I downloaded a sample menu, saw how well everything was laid out, and noticed they were having a sale, so I signed up.  Amazing!!  It took a couple of weeks to figure out how it best worked for me.  (I only bought 3 days worth of groceries at a time, and made sure to use up leftovers before the next shopping trip.  My kids were much smaller then, and we never ate all of anything.)   It saved us a lot, and the recipes were really simple to follow.  You downloaded 2 different pdf files for each week, depending on which type of menu you want (family friendly, healthy, money saving), and the new menus come out at the beginning of the month.  You can mix and match.  One pdf file is all the recipes for the week, including side dishes nicely paired with their main meals, and a couple of weekend brunches, and some desserts.  The other pdf file is the shopping list, organized by the different sections of the grocery store.  Each day's recipes have a letter, so you can easily tell which things on the shopping list are which.

A little over 2 years ago, I was introduced to the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan.  The principals of the plan make SO much sense to me, and after a bit of a learning curve, it really is simple.  MPC did not include THM menus, and so I muddled through with book recipes and combing different blogs.

THEN, the sisters at Build A Menu posted in one of the THM FaceBook groups.  Their service works a bit differently.  They have several different categories (breakfast, lunch, sides, dinners, snacks, desserts, etc).  Each category has new recipes each week, and you pick and choose which ones you want to use, and which ones you wish to pair together.  The site has a sidebar which lists which recipes you've chosen, and even keeps a running total of your estimated grocery cost.  They have several different types of recipes, including Paleo, THM, Family Friendly, etc.

Now, MPC has recently been purchased.  Christine is going back to school, and felt it was time to move on from MPC.  I don't know if any of you remember SuperMom's Health & Wellness, but I sure do!  I was very happy to read that none other than SuperMom herself, Erica Johns, was the new captain at the helm of MPC.

So this is a brief history of my time with meal planning, and why there are two different services linked in my sidebar.  Feel free to ask any questions, look them over, and see which method will work best for your family!

Alzheimer's Awareness, Bicycle Riding, and Water

Chances are good that you know someone suffering from Alzheimer's or another cognitive disorder.  It is a hard, hard thing to go through, both as a patient and as a caregiver.  It is a terrible disease, and while there have been some exciting studies (also this one), we are not close enough to a true cure yet.

In order to raise money, both for research and for support for caregivers & patients, my family is involved in A Ride to Remember.  We participated last year, and are greatly looking forward to the event again this year.  My husband donates his sweat, muscle soreness, and sometimes blood for the cause.  He will ride his bicycle for 252 miles (from Simpsonville all the way to Charleston) over 3 days in the stifling July heat, with over 260 other cyclists.  It's grueling, but rewarding.  (Check out his experiences in his own words.)

Our daughters and I volunteer on the trip, as well.  Last year, we followed along behind all the cyclists and picked up all the directional signs on the first day.  This was an extremely long day, but a lot of fun.  The second and third days, we staffed one of the water stops along the route.  We felt a lot more connected this way.  We got to interact with most of the cyclists, providing water, snacks, and encouragement during a long, hot day.  We have not gotten our assignments for this year's ride yet, but I am sure it will be another amazing experience.

You can help!   This year, my husband's fundraising goal is $2,520, or $10 for each mile they ride.  If you can sponsor a mile or 2, or even just a half, it would be greatly appreciated.  EVERY bit helps, no matter how small.  The vast majority of supplies for the event are donated, and each rider & volunteer pays their own travel expenses, so all the fundraising goes directly to helping people.
If you can't afford to donate right now, would you consider helping to spread the word?

We also will be writing the names of loved ones who have passed, or are currently suffering from this or related diseases, on Brian's numbered bib for the ride.  If you would like to have someone remembered in this way, send me a message or leave a comment.  We would be honoured to include as many people as we can.

Let's help #endALZ together.

Getting ready to ride on Day 1 (Brian is 2nd from left)

Donation Link

Some of the Ways Depression Lies

I cried myself to sleep Friday night.  I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, but the tears came.  I cried quietly, so I wouldn't wake my sleeping husband.  This was partly because he needed his rest, he had a big cycling event Saturday, but largely it was because I didn't want him to ask what was wrong.  I didn't have anything significant with which to answer.  The sudden, unexplained tears are not typical of my depression.  It only happens rarely.  Mine is usually much less visible.

My particular "brand" of depression steals my energy, saps my ability to make decisions, keeps me from reaching out.  It couples with my social anxiety to make phone calls nearly impossible.  (Honestly, face to face is easier, how weird is that?)  So not only do I not have the energy to get up and clean "something", there are too many different things that need attention, so my decision-making shuts down.  I know, I know... you're thinking, "You're just lazy, pick one thing and just do it!"  Believe me, you can't lecture me with anything I haven't already said to myself a thousand times.

It is isolating.  I am finally finding myself able to connect, however superficially, with other PTA Moms, go to events, volunteer for things.  When the kids were little, I did all my volunteering from home.  (Teachers would send things home for me to do, typing, etc.)  Real connections, though... those are difficult.  I find a few, here and there, but eventually they pull away and I am disconnected from everything again.  (There is a caveat here... one of my dearest friends right now is desperately trying to get prepared to go to see her dying father.  This is not the kind of "pulling away" that I am talking about.)  I get it, I do.  Some people just don't know how to deal with how I am.  It doesn't make it easier, but I understand it.  My depression tells me this is how it has always been, and this is how it always will be.  I struggle not to believe it.

Next time I want to discuss some of the popular "cures" people try to suggest for depression.  Will you join me?  Do you know someone suffering, who would benefit from knowing they're not alone?  Bring them along with you.  I'll be here.

Introducing the September Flexi of the Month (FOTM)

I have to say, I am very partial to this month's flexi of the month.  How could they go wrong with purple, I ask you?  It is gorgeous!



If you haven't heard of Lilla Rose before, allow me to tell you how AMAZING these products are.  I am very prone to headaches, especially when using traditional headbands, or "claw" clips, or even a standard ponytail.  I can wear my hair up in a flexi-clip all day with no discomfort.  They stay in so well, I've even worn mine swimming with no slippage.


They are available at http://www.lillarose.biz/ChristyLube/, please feel free to browse, and let me know if you have any questions! 

Musings on Depression...

With the passing of Robin Williams, a large part of social media is ablaze with discussions on mental illness.  Mostly, I see this discussion as a good thing.  Discuss it, put it in the open, stigmatize it less, encourage people to seek help.  All good.

I have seen a few people calling out suicide victims as being selfish, foolish, attention-seeking, weak, and a host of other bad things.  How is this helping?  I suppose it helps the poster feel better about themselves, temporarily.  I don't know.  I know that a person suffering from depression who reads such comments will not be helped by that.  Even the ones who claim to have been depressed in the past make comments that belie their claims.  (Hint: if you felt really sad once, and got over it?   You haven't suffered from depression.)  Even if you have actually struggled with depression, each case is different.  Each person is different.  Just because you feel you had the "strength" to not commit suicide when the thought crossed your mind doesn't make the victim weaker.  It means their personal hell is different from yours.

I have seen more people, well-meaning people, saying things like "if only he had accepted the gift of salvation...", "If only he had the hope we have in Christ...", "True joy only comes through relationship with God, if only he had discovered that."  Where do I start with how damaging this can be?  No matter the intention, this implies being a Christian makes you immune to depression.  It implies that you aren't a "real Christian" if you struggle with mental illness, that you simply don't have "enough faith".

The longer we perpetuate these myths, the longer we deny the chemical and physical nature of mental illnesses, the more people will die.  Yes, that's harsh, it's meant to be.  The ones who don't commit suicide will still largely suffer in silence, alone, afraid to seek help because of these myths.

It has to stop.  We have to be more careful of how we say what we say.

If YOU are struggling today, please know you are not alone.  Seek help and do not let the naysayers convince you otherwise.  You are loved, you are valued, and you CAN feel better.

If you don't feel you have anywhere else to turn, here is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

July FLEXI giveaway!

My birthday is this month, and to celebrate, I am hosting a giveaway on Facebook.  If you've been wanting to try out a flexi-clip, and your birthday happens to be in July, this is a great opportunity!

Details of the giveaway are on Facebook.

And the winner is....

The winner of the 6-month membership to Build A Menu  is ...


Pat S.!

View the Giveaway 

Congratulations!

Build-A-Menu GIVEAWAY! -- CLOSED

Have you been fascinated by Build A Menu, but didn't quite want to bite the bullet and buy a membership?  I have GREAT NEWS!  I have a 6 month membership to give away!  For the next 6 months, you can enjoy less stress over menu planning and budgetary concerns with Build A Menu.  The service is easy to use, versatile, and SO helpful.

Step 1: Choose your store.  They have many stores to choose from, and are working to add more all the time.  They added Aldi in January, which is awesome!  They also include an "Any store" option, which still gives you average prices for your chosen meals.

Step 2: Select your recipes.  There are so many different options here!  Does someone in your family have allergies?  Following a specific diet plan?  (Any Trim Healthy Mamas out there need help with menu planning?  Yep, they've got that, too!)  Paleo?  Gluten Free?  It's all here!
My favourite part of this section is that as you select recipes, there's a side bar that keeps track of your spending at the grocery store for the chosen meals.  "Hmm, we're creeping up on $100, I better save that salmon recipe for next week."  Easy Peasy!

Step 3: Print your shopping list (and/or menus).  You can click and drag your chosen recipes to specific dates on the handy-dandy calendar if you like, or you can just print out the list of recipes and the shopping list.  BAM sorts your list for you into convenient grocery store categories (meats, produce, etc.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Snickers Protein Shake -- Build a Menu SALE

I just ate the most yummy, satisfying lunch. Decadent, delicious, and HEALTHY. I know that sounds farfetched, but it is true! This Snickers Protein Shake has an unexpected ingredient (that I normally do NOT like), but it is fantastic.

I will admit, I only added the whipped cream for photographic purposes, it is wonderful without it. (It's fat-free Reddi-Whip, for those wondering.)

 This recipe is a Fuel-Pull for my fellow Trim Healthy Mamas, so you shouldn't have it this way TOO often, but it's a great changeup. You could also substitute natural peanut butter for the peanut flour in order to make it an S.

 I got this recipe from a fantastic service called Build A Menu. They offer several different kinds of recipes, from THM to gluten-free to Paleo and a whole host of others. Dinners, breakfasts, lunches, desserts, side dishes, even snacks and seasonal recipes are included. You start by choosing the grocery store you prefer to shop, and then selecting the recipes that look good to try. My favourite feature is that as you choose recipes, it keeps a running total in the side bar, so you can see exactly where you are in your budget. Then you can put each recipe on a calendar, or you can just print them all out at once, and print out your shopping list. Right now, Build A Menu is having a big sale.  For the entire month of May, you can get a full year subscription for MORE than half off.  Use the coupon code "May35" (without the quotation marks), and your full year will only cost you $35, instead of the regular price of $76.  This is the perfect time to get help with menu planning and budgeting all in one fell swoop.

Now for the recipe :

Snickers Protein Shake

Ingredients 
1/2 cup cottage cheese (low fat or fat-free)
1 scoop protein powder (I use Swanson Premium Whey Protein Powder)
sweetener to taste (xylitol, erythritol, stevia, or some combination)
6 ice cubes (or more for a thicker consistency)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp defatted peanut flour (I use Protein Plus)
1/2 tsp caramel extract (I use Watkins, which is sometimes hard to find.  I eventually found mine at WalMart, but not all of them carry it.)

Directions
Put cottage cheese, cocoa, peanut flour, extract, and water into your blender container.  Blend until smooth.  Add ice cubes, blend, test consistency and add more ice if necessary.  Add protein powder, blend again.  (Putting the protein powder in last gives it a fluffier, more creamy consistency.)

Enjoy!

(And, in case you hadn't guessed, it's cottage cheese that I don't like, but THM has got me eating it and enjoying it in several different recipes.)

Shrove Tuesday -- PANCAKES!

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day... today has a lot of names. When I was growing up, our church almost always hosted a pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday. It was a tremendous social event, and also quite delicious. Since starting Trim Healthy Mama, regular pancakes are definitely not on the menu! This does not mean we can't still celebrate with tradition and deliciousness.

My husband handled cooking the bacon :


We chose two different (S)atisfying pancake recipes. (This means they are extremely low in carb, but have yummy healthy fats.)
The first is a baked German pancake recipe, adapted from these Almond Flour German Pancakes.
I either really like flavour combinations, or I'm terribly indecisive, you may draw your own conclusions. I used a combination of coconut oil and butter to melt in the pie pans (I also doubled the recipe). I used half almond flour and half cashew flour. Cashew flour is a recent find from my local Trader Joe's, and it is quite yummy. I used unsweetened almond milk for the liquid. They turned out amazing!


Fresh out of the oven.


We also used a peanut butter pancake recipe from Build A Menu. (This site is WONDERFUL! Expect another post about that soon.)
I also added a few sugar-free chocolate chips to some of the pancakes. Omgoodness! They were incredible. I still used a combination of almond and cashew flours, as well as the flax meal. Otherwise, the recipe is unaltered.

Peanut Butter Pancakes (THM S)

• Ingredients :
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter (natural, no sugar)
• 1/4 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup cashew flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• Stevia powder, a few "shakes" (approx. equiv. to 1 Tbsp TruVia)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt (use a good one! I use RealSalt.)
• Sugar-Free chocolate chips, optional.

Directions :
Mix together the wet ingredients, then add the dry. Spray or grease your griddle. These are easier to handle as small pancakes, around 1/8 cup of batter each. If desired, scatter a few sugar-free chocolate chips into the batter when it's almost time to flip them.

We served them with a pat of butter on top, and they were delicious.



On the griddle.


With the chocolate chips.

These are all within the tradition of using up the fats and eggs before Lent, but they will not make you fat on Fat Tuesday. Enjoy!

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Don't forget the giveaway I have going on currently! Be sure to enter before 18 March.

"The Spark of a Feudling" Puzzle Piece #6 Reveal + Giveaway!

I am so excited! This is my first EVER giveaway, and it's a mystery! Well, okay, the cover is a mystery, slowly being revealed, puzzle piece by puzzle piece.
First 5 puzzle pieces :



The first 6 required tasks have been completed, so I am honoured to reveal the 6th piece for you!

---

There are a few tasks left to see the rest of the puzzle :


Task 7 - Join in on the Feudlings Discussion event on Facebook - We would like to get to 75 attendees. https://www.facebook.com/events/1385792431665296

Task 8 - Get 2000 likes for Wendy's FB page -https://www.facebook.com/AuthorWendyKnight

Task 9 - Get Wendy followers on Twitter - We want at LEAST 900! https://twitter.com/wjk8099



Now for the giveaway! It will be open until 18 March, and the "Tweet about this giveaway" entry is available daily until then.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I realize I haven't posted in forever. Don't take this as an indication that it's going to be a regular occurrence or anything =P I've just got things jumbling around in my head, and I thought typing them out might help. What I have gleaned from my reading today is that : 1) Sarah Palin is horrible for NOT staying home with her children. 2) Ann Romney is lazy for staying home with hers. 1) Any support for Rosen's comments are just because Ann Romney is so rich. 2) Being a stay at home mother is a luxury and only rich people do it. 1) Ann Romney opens herself up for criticism by deciding to be in the public eye. 2) Sandra Fluke decided to be in the public eye but should not be criticized. 1) Rosen apologized, so everything should be hunky dory. 2) Limbaugh apologized, but that's not good enough. Let me start by saying I am no fan of Mitt Romney. He speaks with a forked tongue. If he IS a better president than Obama, it would only be marginally. I *may* vote for him, if it comes down to it, but only because he is a different evil, not because he is a lesser one. This stuff I've read today, though... wow. I am baffled. I know a lot of stay at home mothers, myself included. Yes, having more money would help smooth things out sometimes, but staying at home with kids 24/7 is a sacrifice and a struggle beyond financial hardships. The whole tit-for-tat thing is ridiculous. Each and every family has their own set of struggles, their own particular cocktail. I have heard it said that if everyone dumped their troubles in a big pile, we'd all see everyone else's and snatch our own back. Discounting what sacrifices and struggles she had to deal with just because she's rich is... I can't think of a suitable word right now. The idea that a woman who is "just a mom" can't speak intelligently about politics or the economy or any other subject she chooses is amazingly ignorant. Most of the stay at home mothers I know (or know of) understand a lot more about the economy than congress seems to. Mothers know that when they get to the end of the money, that's it, they don't get to just keep spending for the heck of it. They don't take their "salaries" first and give the rest of the family and household their leftovers. (Yes, I understand there are differences between a home and a government, and that there are times when deficit spending is required, but these clowns deficit spend ALL THE TIME with no regard for anything but their own pockets.) Neither side of the political arena has it "right", by any stretch. I do, in general, line up with one side more than the other. I also get terribly annoyed with the pundits who perpetuate the "us and them" mentality, with their "All liberals think XYZ!" and "All conservatives are this, that, and the other!" The blatant hypocrisy I've seen today, though...it just leaves me baffled and sad and shaking my head.

Not really an update...

I know, my blogging is exceedingly sporadic. My topics are completely inconsistent. Anyone who used to read probably isn't anymore, so if you're here... um... why? =P

This isn't much of an udpate, really. I just added a few links to my "other blogs" section and wanted to make an official note of that fact. I think Scipio is my new favourite blogger. Be aware that the Gunslinger's Journal has some foul language. Most of it is very fitting, but it is still there, so if you're going to be offended, just don't click on it. Don't bother reading it and then contacting me to tell me how horrid it is. One of these days I may even be inspired to blog about politics... you should be so lucky =P.

2 Days worth of Bentos

DH didn't take Bentos Friday, partly because it's his weekly "go out to lunch with the guys" day, and partly because he let me sleep in :D
The kids and I had Bentos, though. We had a picnic in the living room.

Boiled egg, in various shapes... let's see... 1 bunny, 1 fish, and 1 car. They were cut in half for ease of eating. DD4 had soy sauce to go with hers, DD9 and DD5 had salt. Ants on a Log, carrots with dip, strawberries and cherries, and the little mini jello-type cups that I found at Dong-A on Thursday. Pocky in the lid! (I was so excited that I actually found Pocky! Of course, I didn't think about it when we found a place to stop and eat lunch, and it stayed in the car..... and melted.... *sigh*)


In the tiny Lock & Lock (which was too tall to put inside the square one, so I used the big rectangular one instead.) is some leftover orange chicken that DH whipped up the other night, and some brown rice. The two sauce containers to the right of it are more of the orange sauce from the chicken. There's broccoli and carrots, plus a few grape tomatoes, and some dip in the T/W Smidget container. A car-shaped hard boiled egg, cut in half for ease of eating, and a small bottle of soy sauce for it. Ants on a Log, and some strawberries and cherries. Quite yummy, if I do say so myself =P

DH's from today... microwave scrambled egg; buttered, toasted English muffin; strawberries and blueberries, all for breakfast. Lunch is leftover Mongolian BBQ from BD's, a hard-boiled egg shaped like a fish, a small container of soy sauce, and a T/W s&p shaker. Other tier has green grapes, carrots, and some Bacon Ranch dip. Oreos in the lid for dessert :D

Mine and the kids for today. The kids have sandwiches, heart-shaped... DD9 has ham and muenster cheese, DD5 and DD4 have turkey and American. They all have multi-coloured Goldfish crackers. Baby carrots, 3-cheese Ranch, and a heart-shaped piece of pound cake with sliced strawberries on it.
Mine is leftover Mongolian BBQ from BD's, two soy sauce fishies (I only ended up using one of them.), carrots with 3-cheese Ranch dip, and a couple of grape tomatoes for space filler. Pound cake with sliced strawberries in the side car. This box seems small, or I haven't figured out the best way to pack it yet. I'm still ravenous after finishing lunch o.O

I braved the Asian Market!

Well, one of them. There's one that got GREAT reviews on the search site that I found, and it's nearer my house than most of them. I was very excited! And they were not there anymore
So, we had packed Bento lunches for me and the kids, to go on a shopping expedition... and by gosh, shopping we were going to go! Oh, I suppose you'll want to see the Bentos

The kids had hard-boiled eggs molded in the shape of teddy bear heads, a small pink angel pig of soy sauce in lieu of salt. (DD9 decided she would much rather have salt... the other two loved the soy sauce, but I think it was because they had fun dripping it onto stuff =P ) They had baby carrots, a small sauce container of 3-Cheese Ranch, some "Ants on a log", crackers with cheese, grapes, cherries, and some Veggie-Tales fruit snacks for space filler. Voortman's wafer cookies in the lid for dessert, and we're golden!

So, we headed down toward the intersection of 50 and Mills, or "Little Viet Nam" as it is unofficially known. Parking SUCKS down there... the places that look safe are marked "so-and-so customers ONLY, others towed at owner's expense". Well, I finally found a little Asian supermarket that had its own parking lot, small though it was. It wasn't full, so that's where we went. It was such a cute place! DD4 complained of the smell, and DD5, while she didn't say anything, pulled her shirt up over her nose =P There wasn't anything WRONG with the smell, mind you, they're just little. It smelled of a mix of spices, not all that surprising. The kids had fun looking at the fish in the fish tank. I enjoyed browsing the shelves, with SO much stuff that I had very little idea what any of it was. A few things had descriptions in English, but not many. I did find some Agar agar, they had a lot of flavoured ones, and coloured ones, but I managed to find one that the instructions said to add sugar to, even though sugar is listed as an ingredient... I figured maybe that's the "plain" one, and agar agar has to have sugar to work right? I dunno. Anyway, I bought a box, so as soon as I find some little molds, I shall experiment with making some gummies for the kids. (Thank you to another livejournal Bento blogger Melanie for the recipe!)

I also found these adorable little mini-jello-like cups. (Click for larger view) (This is what a couple of them look like out of the package)
When we got up to the cashier, I asked if they had tiny pudding the same way, because I hadn't seen any in the store, but I had seen it a bunch online. She pointed me to this bear.... it's SO cute! A plastic bear full of tiny pudding cups. I'm hoping another Asian grocery nearby will have them without the bear, because I really don't want to buy a new bear every time I run out of pudding. These don't look quite the same as the ones I've seen pictured online, either, so maybe I'll find the other kind next time I go hunting. (Which will probably be after the kids start school .)


So now, everyone is getting quite hungry (we got a later start than I intended, and then that first store wasn't there), so we wanted to find a suitable place to eat our yummy Bentos. I thought... Hey! There's a mall on 50, that we don't go to much, and it has a food court! Multiple tables, shared by multiple restaurants, so they don't care if you bought the food there or not. Perfect! As we were driving to the mall, we passed a huge, stand-alone Dollar Tree store. Oooo.... now that has potential! It's down here near the Asian stores, and also quite a bit larger than the Dollar Trees near my house... so maybe it will have those adorable Hello Kitty Bento boxes! Alas, wrong side of the street, and we are all starving, so it will have to wait.
We got to the mall, found the bathrooms, then found a table and ate lunch. Then I discovered 2 stores in the mall, side by side, while looking at the directory. One is called "JapanHQ", and the other is called "Kitty & Friends"... and I think... hmmmmm... that sounds promising! So off we go to find them. They're actually one store with two entrances, connected in the middle. The "JapanHQ" side has mostly anime stuff, I recognized a little of it but not much. The Kitty side is all Sanrio! And they had BENTO BOXES! Not lots... and no accessories... but, they had boxes. They had 2 different Hello Kitty ones, both square, with a space in the lid for a fork and spoon (and they came with them). One was pink and the other red. They had a Cinnamaroll shaped box, a Keroppi collapsible sandwich box with a belt, AND.... the square Chococat box. Woo hoo! They had another square one similar in style to the Chococat one, but I don't remember who was on it. I was very good! I didn't buy them! The Hello Kitty boxes were $6 each, and the Chococat one was about $10. Not horrid, but not in the budget right now. (I really want that Chococat box... lol.) I did end up buying a Chi Chai Monchan kitchen towel and oven mitt that they had in their clearance basket. SO cute!!

Time to leave the mall and head home. I did decide to stop at the Dollar Tree on the way home. No Hello Kitty :( However, they did have magic towels, and each DD picked one out. I hope to use them as oshigiri. They had little Pooh-bear character ice packs, so I got some of those. I've seen them for sale on eBay for gobs of money as Bento ice packs, but they're actually supposed to be for bumps and bruises and such. So that was our shopping adventure! More Bentos below...




My lunch was very similar. I had no "Ants on a Log", and my egg had to be cut in half because it was too tall for the box. (Also, it's a bunny.) I had a different kind of cookies, too. I had a couple of Nestle Treasures in there for space fillers, but I ended up sharing them with the kids instead of eating them myself.


Brian's breakfast and lunch. He wasn't very hungry, as he hasn't been feeling well. (He stayed home sick on Wednesday, hence no Bento post.) So breakfast is just a microwave scrambled egg, with a cheddar star on top, and a star-shaped "Grits-nigiri". Lunch is a turkey, ham, and cheddar wrap, some carrots with dip, crackers and Babybel cheese, a few grape tomatoes for space filler, and of course, Oreos in the lid for dessert!

Goodness, if you actually got this far, thanks for reading! :D

Last Day for Bento Contest!

I'm submitting something for this contest, I just LOVE that it doesn't have to be all about the cute to win! I mean, I LOVE the very uber cute Bentos, I think they're awesome... but so many contests are character contests already.... I'm just very appreciative that there is a chance for "the rest of us" to win some cool Bento stuff.
(Also, my oldest daughter is completely MAD for Pooh Bear, so since there's a good amount of Pooh stuff in the winning package, I really have my fingers crossed.... makes it hard to type, but oh well =P )

The Amazing blurry Bento Breakfast of 25 July

Sounds like a great movie title, huh? =P
I dunno what happened to the picture, but it's blurry, as you can see.


Fridays are his "going out to lunch with the guys" days, so no lunch Bento, just breakfast.
Two scrambled eggs, with cheddar cheese hearts on top. Blueberries, sliced strawberries, T/W salt & pepper shaker, and buttered toast cut into soldiers.