a peek inside the fishbowl

I’m still doing the Daily Lunches thing and I have almost 250 photos under my belt. It’s funny to see them all at once. What do my lunches say about me… other than the fact that I like soup? Hmm.

–

I’ve been walking around the house feeling gross and bloated lately, but then I stepped on the scale for a reality check. Surprise! It was apparently all in my head because it was more or less business as usual down there. EVEN SO, I haven’t been able to shake that feeling. And because of that winter jiggle I’m slowly pulling away from comfort foods of winter, and especially sweets after lunch … which I’ve been reaching for a little more often than usual. Here are a few things I’m trying to munch on instead.

• Fruit (This is a biggie for me. For some reason I am not motivated to grab an apple even though I like apples just fine. Weird.)
• Strawberries dipped in yogurt (and frozen) are pretty good too. See?

• … and so are frozen grapes and banana bites (kinda like these but I’d recommend using less chocolate!)
• A handful of apricots or other dried fruit/nut combo
• Herbal tea (one that’s naturally a little sweeter – David’s Tea is good for this.)
• Sugar-free gum
• Swiss Naturals Chocolate Fudge Brownie calcium/vitamin D chews (YES. REALLY.)
• A small square of really good chocolate (Camino is my fave.)
• A homemade hot chocolate and/or hot vanilla

And when all else fails, I brush my teeth. It works every time.

If you’re on Twitter you may be interested to know about Sobeys next great Twitter party, just in time to celebrate the fresh flavours of Spring. Every tweet gives you a chance to win a Sobeys gift card and up to $1,200.00 in Sobeys gift cards are up for grabs. I’ll be there too, so please mark your calendars!

• Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2013
• Time: 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET (10:00 p.m. AT / 7:00 p.m. MT)
• Where: On Twitter, using the hashtag: #LoveSobeys

Sounds good right! But please note, you must RSVP first. And you can do that right here. :)

* I’m working with a few other Canadian bloggers as part of an ongoing campaign for Sobeys. You can read more about my involvement here. Please note that I am being compensated for my participation, but as always my views and opinions remain my own!

I have a purse that I like to carry around with me, but I think I should stop and call it for what it really is: a bag. A very heavy bag.

I had a meeting yesterday and brought it along with my usual briefcase. (Sidebar: I dropped in to the Art-is-in bakery for a latte – which was surprisingly gross – and bought a loaf of bread, which I carried to my meeting IN my briefcase. Ha!)

So I had the briefcase (with extra loaf) and my bag, and they both hung off my right shoulder. And that’s when I noticed, for the umpteenth time, what a heavy load I was carrying. I was practically hunched over.

I don’t carry a briefcase very often, and it’s really only pen and papers in there anyway. It’s my purse that is the worst offender. There’s a lot of stuff in there, but that’s what moms are supposed to do, right? My internal Guide To Being Mom tells me I must:

• Carry everything and
• Be prepared for hunger pangs, bloody noses, chapped lips, headaches, flossing emergencies, blisters, etc etc. at all times.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find a set of screwdrivers and a package of DD batteries in there.

I think my desire to be prepared stems from our diaper bag days. When I was a new mom I got into the habit of tossing everything in there JUST IN CASE: diapers, bottles, snacks, clothing… and I don’t think I ever recovered. I don’t like to be underprepared for anything.

One of the things I always have with me are pens and notebooks. It is a way for me to jot down my ideas and to entertain my kids. I can’t tell you how many co-operative stories, games of hangman, tic-tac-toe, and doodles we’ve doodled in them.

I would love to be the kind of person who carries nothing but a credit card and my iPhone. I am currently coveting this kind of iPhone wristlet, but that would mean I couldn’t carry my favourite notebooks. Hmm. I need to give this some more thought.

What about you? Are you BIG BAG mom? Or tiny wristlet mom? :)