Up Close and Personal with Animation

July 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

One of my friends told me about a new exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science that she thought my boys would be interested to see so last Monday, Leao and I took them to the museum to see it. It is called, “The Science Behind Pixar”. The boys were so thrilled when I told them we were going to see this exhibit. They both love Pixar movies and looked forward to some hands-on experiences.  I too, was excited to learn more about the people behind the magic.

pixar2The boys loved it and I was very impressed with the layout and organization of this exhibit. There was so much to see and learn that honestly, I think we could go again and learn more.  I liked that they had hands-on activities. It help to break up the amount of information for the boys. I know that Leao and I definitely found the video segments with different staff people facinating. The boys watched a few but loved the hands-on. That’s why I think there is plenty more for them to learn.

pixar3We arrived around 1 and it was actually perfect. No huge crowds and after all of our exhibits we headed to the cafe and had a great window seat overlooking the Charles River.  What a treat. Then of course they boys had to go to the gift shop.  Despite some of the overpriced goods, I do enjoy seeing the things they have in stock.

pixar1There was a good amount of life-size characters to pose with. I of course found Sully from Monster’s University and Apollo found Dory. We even renewed our membership so that we will be better about going more frequently. Summer is so special because it takes away some of our crazy scheduling to allow for more fun outings. I look forward to many more.

Have a blessed day friends!

Belinda

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Beach Day!

July 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment

beachjuly12b

Hello my friends!! It has been way too long. Summer is so tricky for me. I never seem to sit down to update my blog as often as I would like. So pardon the infrequency.

We decided to get up early today and head on over to Crane Beach in Ipswich. There’s still something special about the whole beach experience. First you have the preparation – What to bring? In what? Seating? Towels? What to read? Is it reasonable to tote across the sand? Then there is the packing. This time around I took a totally different approach. I was busy yesterday so running to the store wasn’t an option for snacks. So we packed the cooler this morning with a bunch of water bottles I had put in the refrigerator the night before, bread, and a few pieces of fruit. On our way we stopped at Trader Joes and picked up some fruit, turkey and some chips. Then off we went to the beach. On one occasion, last year, we arrived late and had to park and take the shuttle. This time we went early so that we could park in the lot. Then there is the choosing of the ideal place to set up your stuff at the beach.

beachjuly12aMy current read was hardcover and I didn’t want to bring a hardcover to the beach so I brought a new book and and old one from my shelf to consider for my beach read. I ended up starting The Hypnotist’s Love Story. I get more reading in when it’s only Leao and I but I don’t let that stop me from bringing a book. It just wouldn’t be right for me not to bring a book.

beachjuly12eNicholas took a comic and a graphic novel with him to read. After we played in the water for a bit which in my opinion, is still too cold, we came back and had a snack then began reading. Apollo brought his word search book and did a little but he enjoys playing in the sand more than reading.

beachjuly12fApollo had a scone after his sandwich and he got more crumbs on the towel than sand!  Did he offer his mom any of his yummy scone? No, absolutely not! I tried to pretend it didn’t hurt.

beachjuly12cWhen I was younger I didn’t care much for beach hats. Now I love wearing them. They provide the extra shade I need and protect my hair.  So I all for them. Last year we bought a beach cart and boy does it make life so much easier at the beach.

Now we are home and Leao is preparing the grill so we can have a quick dinner that doesn’t heat the house up!! Yeah!  I love weekends! I hope you had a great one too.

Belinda

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Birthday blessings!

June 17, 2015 by 5 Comments

 

packagesThis year, I hijacked my birthday by telling Leao and the boys I knew exactly what I wanted for my birthday.  I wanted books, craft products, lunch at my favorite Japanese restaurant and to adopt two elephants.  Once they were on board, I ordered my goodies and as each package arrived I put them in a bag and set them aside.  This required a lot of strength that I really didn’t know I had until yesterday.

Leao took the day off to spend with me so after we dropped the kids off, we went for tea at Starbucks. Then we came back to open my presents.

pencilssketchbooknotebooksI love pretty notebooks and this cute trio set make me smile so I can’t wait to use them.  I have also always wanted a Copic sketchbook. I have made my own but this one is already bound on Copic paper and it’s the perfect size to carry around. The pencils are so cute. They say things like “Don’t Steal this pencil”.

books

You know I love books and I am great at finding them at low prices. I ordered some from Amazon marketplace, Bookoutlet and Book Depository.  I really had to sit on my hands at times as they arrived over the past week. This has to be the largest book haul I’ve ever had. I’m set for summer reading.  The books are a mixture of Japanese fiction, new fiction, fantasy, poetry, mystery and I think a contemporary.

craftgoodiesThen I received some craft supplies that I have had my eyes on. Can’t wait to play with them. There are actually a few more craft goodies that haven’t arrived yet.

Then we attended Nicholas Science fair at his school. It was so much fun seeing all the different projects. After that Leao took me to my favorite Japanese restaurant.

lunch1 I love sushi and miso soup for starters.

lunch3Leao always tries to convinced me to eat the raw ones. But I am still whimpy. I like avocado rolls and shrimp tempura sushi but the raw – nope.

lunch2I had my first glass of alcohol since my cleanse and I was a light weight before but I think it hit me even harder this time!

lunch4

I had fun and then I even squeezed in some reading before pick up.

My best friend, Natana called and we talked a while which was a treat because the past few weeks we have been playing phone tag trying to catch eachother with the 3-hour time difference. So it was great to catch up.

Earlier this month I adopted two elephants from an Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. I received the adoption papers on my birthday. How cool is that? I will be writing a post with photos and sharing more with you soon.

The second half of my day was spent with the boys while Leao went to a Red Sox game with friends from work. So the boys and I ate dinner and we went to an exclusive viewing of Disney’s Inside Out movie, 3 days before the movie is released to the general public. It was so much fun and the movie was excellent.

The final gift I received was an order from my Etsy store while we were at the movies.  What a great day right?

I am grateful for all the blessings and I hope you are having a great day today.

Belinda

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Hello Everyone!!

May 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment

No, I haven’t fallen off the edge of the earth. I can’t believe how long it has been since I have written a post.  This time of year is usually a bit crazy but this year even more so with my oldest getting ready to graduate from elementary school. I feel like I am inside a tornado and occasionally I get peeks out to see the possibilities and then I am swept back inside.

I had every intention of posting regularly even if I had to cut back on a few posts but boom… time was not on my side.

So let’s catch-up!  The last time we were together, I was sharing the beginning of my 21-day cleanse.  I am proud to say I am down to the last few days (4 to be exact) and I did not cheat and stuck to my exercise routine and sleep routine throughout. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process. I feel great and I have re-united with my love for cooking with real food.  I love that I have only fed myself whole organic foods throughout this process. That is no easy feat particularly financially. I have been shopping Trader Joes more frequently and I am pretty sure they know me now at Whole Foods. But cooking with fresh vegetables,eating paster-raised organic eggs, and humanly treated meats has really been eye-opening. I enjoyed all the meals I had except for 3 and that’s pretty good in my eyes. I definitely intend on keeping many of the recipes moving forward. I am also going to stick to clean eating in general and limit my processed foods. Here are some pictures of some of my meals over the past few weeks:

Overview1

This cleanse by no means was a deprivation diet where I ate crackers and yucky stuff. I had hearty delicious meals that included fish and meat.  So I don’t feel like I am missing out on much.

Overview2One of my favorite meals was the zucchini noodles with a homemade beef bolognese sauce. I could have eaten this every day. And Apollo loves using my spiralizer to make the noodles for me!

Overview3One of my favorite snacks was slices of cumber with avocado spread on top with a dash of salt.  Pure yummy. After I complete this cleanse, I will slowly reintroduce the trigger foods to help to determine any problems.  What a facinating journey that I found daunting as I approached the start date but now reflect and know that this was right for me and will help me to continue on my goal of great health.

I will probably resume my normal posting schedule next week, as I try desperately to grab the reins to this extremely active time. I hope that you all are well and hope you have been crafting, reading and finding time with nature now that the weather has warmed.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

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