happy canada day bento!

Oh my, Kate got smushed overnight in the fridge...

Happy Canada Day everyone! Well, the celebrations won't start until tomorrow (July 1st) but since we're off then, I made this for Keira's lunch today. It's my goofy hommage to Will & Kate who are making their first tour as husband & wife in Canada. They'll be starting their tour in Ottawa, our nation's capital! Guess what? We'll be in the Ottawa area too! But I highly doubt we'll be seeing Will & Kate as we want to avoid the crushing crowds and stay in a quieter area. Boo-a-hoo.

What's in the sammies above? C'mon.. really? It's Keira's fave: minced ham! Old fashion style (with mayonnaise and seasonings). The crown is made up of cheddar and I've added some carrots and heart-shaped cucumbers. Aw.. What you don't see is the mini pot of hummus that she can dip her carrots into and a chocolate pudding. The bento box is newish. I bought it a few months ago and haven't used it til now. It looks small height-wise but I was able to shut the lid down with ease on this bento.

Wishing my fellow Canucks a Happy Canada Day, my american family & friends a Happy 4th of July and to everyone, a very wonderful weekend!

miss ruby sue

Well, after almost 3 weeks Canada Post is up and running again. Please don't ask me my real opinion on the strike/lockout matter. I'm just relieved the service is running again. Look what I found in my mailbox today: our very own Miss Ruby Sue headband! It is so beautiful and well crafted. I had entered a contest over at one of my fave kids blog, Cool Kids and won way back in March. However, with some miscommunication and of course, the postal strike, there was a long delay in delivery. I'm happy to say though, it was worth the wait. 

Lori of Miss Ruby Sue had contacted me to ask me what accessory was my choice but it took me over a  day of perusing her etsy shop to finally choose one. They're all so incredibly beautiful! I finally chose this beauty because it was smaller and purple which is one of Keira's fave colours. It also goes so well with many of her outfits. I love all the little details. Even underneath, the finishing is well made. There was even a little extra surprise in the box, 3 little hairpins and a lollypop!

Thank you so much Betsy (CoolKids blog) and Lori (Miss Ruby Sue)! Keira loves her new headband and fluffy pins (she especially loved the lolly too). She is hoping to wear it to day camp tomorrow. Lol. I tried on the headband and would love to wear it myself. Take a look at Lori's etsy shop, the photography of each of her items is gorgeous as well as the products she makes themselves. There are even headbands for brides and adults! 

The shop: Miss Ruby Sue's: www.etsy.com/shop/missrubysue

You can also read Lori's MRS's blog here: mymissrubysue.blogspot.com and follow her on twitter: @missrubysue. 

To follow Betsy's cool blog: www.thecoolkidsblog.com and follow her on twitter here: @coolkidsmommy

rolos & kisses

I chopped off about 5 inches of Keira's hair the other night. She wanted her hair to be 'like yours mommy!'. Her hair was so long, it reached almost her waist and of course, every time I had to comb or brush it, a lot of 'ouch!' and 'you're hurting me!!' and tears would start. So, chop chop goodbye extra long hair..

Here's Keira doing her best, 'Rolo? What Rolo? I'm not eating any Rolo.. ok only 2 more mommy!' imitation.  Mmhm.. She also has a humungous mosquito bite on her cheek.

Is that a new teddy bear you ask? No. That's my teddy bear! My father gave him to me when I was about Keira's age now and I keep him hidden away to protect him from the crazies (aka kids) but Keira knows where he 'sleeps' and took him out last night. She said he needed hugs and kisses.

where i get creative, an interview on 'and so i whisper'

Today we were featured over at Anabel's beautiful And So I Whisper blog. Thank you so much for this honour Anabel!

a tiki summer bento

Ah yes.. Keira has started summer day camp and y'all know what that means right? I have to make her lunches! And that means I've gone back to trying my hand at bento lunches. After seeing & reading this friend's Hawaiian family life and this friend's recent Hawaiian trip as well as another friend's recent hawaiian voyage meeting up with these 2 amazing bento ladies (Crystal & Susan).. well, can you tell I'm in the hawaiian spirit?

I bought these tiny bread rolls and thought they would make great tiki faces. I just carved out the faces using a knife. The bread is so soft, it was so easy. The filling is a chicken & cranberry spread that is so yummy! And slightly sweet. In the other compartment I've added some steamed broccoli and sweet sugar snap peas. Super crunchy & sweet! Keira's been eating a bit more veggies this year and I know she'll actually eat a bit of these two. The tomatoes are the first from our garden and I seasoned it with a bit of salt & pepper. What's a summer bento without our famous Québec strawberries? They're in season and look how amazing they look. They're a treat to eat too.

Since this is Keira's first week at summer day camp, I should be able to gauge her appetite and adjust accordingly. I've enlisted the help of the Mister to make her lunches this summer so I can take a break and stay sane. hehe.. 2 more months to go..

festival de jazz de montréal, un samedi

Rain, rain, rain... and more rain. A lull and we went off to the Jazz festival downtown for the kid's show. We ate a yummilicious lunch in chinatown, browsed around the sidewalk sale, bought a few trinkets and listened to some terrific fun jazz. The girls had fun outside until the heavens parted again and the downpour started.. sigh

Can't go wrong with Mon Shing or Beijing!

happy friday!

Jem!

KLT kitty tee, you can get yours here: kltworks etsy

What do you do when you're waiting impatiently for your best friend to come over? Why, do your nails of course!

Gold glitter and Essie California Coral mixed with L'Oreal's Sweet Nothings to make a custom pink.

Well, summer has officially started for Keira. I had a post all ready a few days ago but I had problems with Blogger. Then I had a few nights out with friends, tried to catch up with work and you know.. let the posts slide. Keira had 2 amazing days with her Papa! First, an entire morning + afternoon at the local pool and then yesterday, she went off to the museum with her dad and uncle to see the famous Chinese emperor's warriors statues and the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit which she apparently was mesmerized by. In fact, so much so that she made her uncle and dad walk through it no less than 3 times! I'm hoping to go back to see it with her later on as the mister did not take any photos for me to see. Keira chose her outfit yesterday and wore her Gap tutu dress & her fave KLT tee! The mister told me she received many compliments on her outfit and a lot of, 'trop cute!'. hehe..

And now, we're celebrating a long 3 day weekend with le St Jean, Quebec's national holiday. Sadly, it's been raining on and off since last night and it looks like rain for the rest of the weekend. We're off to the movies this afternoon to watch Cars 2 and then, who knows?

Have a happy weekend everyone!

graduation night

Well, the kiddo is finito with school today. Woohoo! Yesterday evening, there was a 'graduation' ceremony for the two kindergarden classes. It was more a end-of-school show than anything else. It was super cute watching these kids sing and do the coordinated moves for each song. It was also pretty dark in the room so my photos & videos didn't turn out so hot. At the end of it all, each child was called down from the stage where they were all sitting (and fidgeting and laughing their heads off) to their teacher on the floor to receive their 'graduation' gift bag. Each child was also described in two words their personality and qualities. Keira was described as "delicate & reserved". Hm. Is that good or bad? I think the delicate part is the way she moves. She'd make a pretty good ballerina! I must admit, in class she does seem more reserved whereas outside of it, she's just.. Keira. Just about everyone seems to like and know this kid, even outside of her grade. lol.

And there you have it. The Keikster finishes toddlerhood and will start next September to the 2nd floor. There are no tears, no time for emotion or reflection right now. Summer officially begins!

waterworks

Had a good weekend everyone? I hope so! The weather here was so amazing. Sunny, slightly windy and so warm. Just perfect. Keira had her last swimming lesson yesterday. Sadly, she was not recommended to move on to Junior 1 level as they were worried about her endurance in the water. It's true, she's like a cheetah: moves really fast at first and then loses energy quickly afterward and needs to catch her breath (would also probably like to snack on some cheese between strokes too, lol). She's improved tremendously during the year but she really does need to work on her endurance as well as keeping her legs up. That said, she will love her summer swim classes that will start up again in July!

Meanwhile, see Keira and friends in the tubes above? They had such a great & fun class yesterday. Full of tubing, foam mats, hula hoops, etc. See the little boy in the tube beside her? He was teasing her all class long and vice versa! I laughed at it while the mister beside me did not like it at all... hehehe...

saturday sun

Ah Saturday.. A day spent over at my sister's place. It was a pretty last minute decision to go. The boys were invited to their friend's birthday party so we decided to crash it and invite ourselves over. haha! Not to worry, I bought a terrific gift for the little birthday kiddo and we kinda know them so.. all good. First off, the cousins playing together and with the neighbors. Ninjago anyone? Yeah, totally new to me too!

We crashed this birthday kiddo's party (below). He's... four. hehe..

There were games to played... food to be eaten and an amazing Star Wars birthday cake to admire and chow down on. It was also the perfect afternoon for a birthday party outdoors!

And after the party, a dip in the pool with Keira diving off the diving board (without her floaters mesdames et monsieurs!), her cousins going wild with the water pistols..

And to end it all, a delicious Father's Day bbq meal by my amazing sister... To celebrate the misters in our lives! A day well spent. sigh...