BBQ Bento 09.13.10

It was all in a box before I took it out and plated it! Yummy homemade BBQ.

TGIF Bento 09.10.10

Yup. It's the same thing as before... *sigh*














BTW, my co-worker Michael got me back today for a practical joke I played on him last month. I came in this morning to 24 cups FILLED WITH WATER on my desk! I see escalation in our future!

Doumar's!

Tiste & I have a friend moving to Albuquerque, NM and on her way out of town she wanted to eat at Doumar's -- she'd lived here 6 years and NEVER been but had recently seen it featured on the Travel Channel.

So, last night Tiste and I packed up MJ and off to the ol' drive-in we went. I haven't eaten there in years but I got my usual - BBQ & fries and Tiste & I split a Strawberry shake. YUM. I even put MJ in a onsie that said "Little Sweetie" to celebrate her first trip to the historic location. :)

As we were leaving waffle cones were being made out front... Man, I miss Ghent. These were some good ol' stompin' grounds for me "back-in-the-day". Tiste and I did a quick ride through Ghent before turning for home and reminisced about it all. We wish we could afford to live back there... Until that day, we'll just try to visit a little more often.

Bento 09.09.10 (w/Surprise Picture)

***

SURPRISE!

Is it Bento 09.08.10

Not really. But, it's lunch!

Money's Tight Bento 09.03.10

Money's tight and I was feeling lazy. Hey, at least I brought my lunch.

A few ounces of pasta with olive oil, garlic and black pepper along with 5 slices of turkey lunch meat.

...Working for the Weekend...

I sit here staring at my computer screen wondering what I did to deserve this torture. Being a full-time worker and a Mom sucks. I can't even describe the amount of suck that goes into it. My amazing splendiferous daughter is at home and, probably, now awake. She might even be done with breakfast and playing on the floor with Daddy. But, I wouldn't know.

I see my daughter for approximately 30 minutes before I go to work. I might change a diaper and I usually feed her. I wake up an extra hour early for work in the hopes of spending at least that 30 minutes with her. On days like today, I don't get to see her or hold her at all before I leave.

When I get home from work -- she's just down for a nap or on her way down for a nap. I may get to spend 15-20 minutes with her before she's out for 2-3 hours. Then she's up again when Mommy's cooking dinner and not available for playtime. After dinner I get to feed her a bottle, snuggle her and play with her for 1 to 2 hours before it's time to start getting her ready for bed or she's already on her way out.

This is my life Sunday evening through Friday evening... And it's breaking my heart.

Slacker Bento 09.02.10

I was running out the door this morning and didn't like the sides I'd picked for lunch when the time came. So, here's my cheap Chop Suey Vegetables from the local Chinese Delivery. They were pretty good.

Wow, That Looks So Healthy Bento 08.31.10

That's actually what someone said about my lunch. Was she surprised because she thought I ate junk? Or, was she exclaiming because she thought it looked yum?

The world will never know.

Egg & Bacon Sammie, Salad w/ a little bit of cheese, Strawberry yogurt.

Don't Look at Me Bento 08.30.10

This was all I could manage even though I woke-up at 4am this morning. I'll strive to do better!

...Sappy Moments...

I love my parents. That's right - LOVE them. They're the most awesome people I would be friends with even if I wasn't related to them! Thankfully they have been able to come up to visit MJ this weekend -- it's been TWO MONTHS since they've seen her. They live to far away (or I do)... Either way, I was so happy to see them and spend time with them, Tiste and MJ. I'm looking forward to today!

Here's a little Grandparent & Baby Love for you to enjoy.































Now, go hug your Mother and give your Pops a snuggle (YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD).

Bunches of Bentos Bento 08.27.10

Lamb Tikka Masala, basmati rice, fruit & nuts, chocolate mint cookies. The gap in the top half of my bento is from where I had my Jasmine Tea tea bag.

Been So Long Bento 08.26.10

I know, I know - the pizza seems out of place.

Twice In One Week Bento 08.25.10

Spicy Mustard Chicken, Sugar Snap Peas & Rice along with a *cough* "few" chocolate cover Strawberries (courtesy of the roommate's girlfriend)

Been So Long Bento 08.24.10

Lunch and Snacks for the day.

...MJ hits 11 weeks...

Is this really the little girl I gave birth to in May? She's so big now (almost if not already 11 pounds). She can still wear some newborn outfits but she's moving on up to 0-3 month wear!
















Being a mom is better than sliced bread!

...Being Mom...

Being Mom
Is
Hard / Easy / Amazing

Being Mom
Is
Interesting / Weird

Being Mom
Is
Special / Unique

Being Mom
Is
Fascinating

In 1 hour and 27 minutes... It will be 5 weeks since MJ was born and I still have trouble sleeping on Thursday nights into Friday mornings. The memory of every detail fades quickly but the overall experience stays with you. I appreciate so much from the people that were there when MJ was born and I can't even say how amazing it was to have my parents there for her birth.

I'm still amazed she's mine (ours).

...Rain brings Flowers...

I have good friends. Rain brought me these today to cheer me up!

...Here's to Hope...

Here's to hoping that 2010 will bring an upswing for so many of us out there with unemployed spouses, bills to pay and mouths to feed. I wake up some times in the middle of the night wondering what Little Girl was thinking getting conceived last year, but then I remind myself that life is hard and if we waited for tomorrow then tomorrow would never come.

Meanwhile, we plug along.

There are so many decisions that are fraught with guilt -- Why did I buy this house? Why didn't I sell it during the boom? Why didn't I sell it after the divorce even? Why didn't I save more? Why... The ever open-ended question.

That being said, it brought me to today... for better or worse.

I still daydream about a storage unit for my things and a one bedroom studio apartment in NYC. Now, I think I would settle for just a few calculated do-overs. LOL

Meanwhile, I stick out my chin and shine on...