Packed Lunches....ARGH!!!!!

Packed Lunches….Aaargh!!!

With the kids heading back to school next week…Yay! I look forward to NOT hearing, “Moooom, I’m bored!” What I DON’T look forward to, is packing lunches. Healthy, Creative, NUT-Free lunches!
In a quest to make my life a little easier, I did some research on the subject of packed lunches and talked it over with my “Mommy Friends” and my co-workers….this is what I came up with….

Make their food smaller: kids love anything bite-sized. Instead of a sandwich try a roll-up!

Hard Boiled Eggs: you can make the eggs in advance!

Soups: It’s Healthy and again, you can make it in advance. Throw it in a thermos to keep it warm. (My daughter’s school has microwaves to heat food up, so you can send the soup cold if that’s an option at your school)!

Give ‘em leftovers from the night before: need I say more?

Cream Cheese and Jelly: most schools are peanut-free zones now….replace the peanut butter with cream cheese!

Think “outside” the Bread!: Chicken Fingers, Burritos, Kabobs and Quesadillas!

And, from my co-workers:


**My mom made the BEST nut-free lunches that were simple and easy!
Here's one of her favorite recipes:

Ingredients:
One 20 dollar bill

Directions:
Exchange 20 dollar bill for plate of chicken fingers and fries to the nice cafeteria workers.
Use leftover change in the vending machine to purchase a bottle of nut-free orange juice.
Sit and enjoy!
Ian MacKinnon
Morning Show Producer
The Freeway and Meg Morning Show


**Left over cold pizza
Shalini/Energy Promotions


**Applesauce was (and still is) a hot commodity in my lunch bag J
Monica/Energy Sales


**My mom used to pack me tinned spam sandwiches with no toppings except margarine. I used to trade with a kid whose mom used to pack prime rib sandwiches...I'm still in therapy.
Gavin Mortimer General Sales Manager


**slice of bread, cheese wiz, slice of bread.
no kid wants that.. therefore, no trading!
Zack/Energy Announcer

**I remember i used to always get wagon wheels with my lunch, which was awesome. i'd never trade with the other kids cause they never had anything better than wagon wheels.
Besides that, just the basics really, a good ham sandwich and maybe some leftovers from last nights dinner are what i usually had in my lunches.
Rob Kealy Production & Imaging Director


**No sales input...everyone in our dept is nuts! Conan/Energy Sales


**Guacamole or hummus with pita (be sneaky and blend veggies in with the hummus)
bake homemade chicken fingers and real potatoes fries with salsa instead of ketchup (unless homemade ketchup)
Jenn Hruby Business Administrator



Happy, Healthy Lunch Packing! Now we can look forward to mastering “Litterless Lunches”…….that’s a whole other blog! Enjoy your long weekend.

Erin

Our Pets Quirky Ways:

I’ve lived with pets my entire life….(I grew up with cats)……but, it was only after my marriage to Jamie, that I brought home my first dog. She was 9 weeks home when I brought her home. She is a gorgeous, 9 year old Black Lab….her name, is Hyack! I love her to bits and often refer to her as my “first” child.

Over the years with Hyack, I’ve observed (like humans), our pets exhibit some pretty quirky habits/rituals. Three come to mind for my pooch Hyack….

I think this one is common for most dogs-
I’ll leave the house for 3 minutes to grab the mail and walk back into the house to be greeted by a wagging tail and panting, as if I hadn’t seen her for a week! I wonder if dogs have short term memory OR, do they love us that much? I hope it’s the latter!

Hyack’s second quirky habit always cracks me up. Whenever I walk through the door, she’ll find whatever is layin’ on the ground (toys, socks, shoes) and bring them to me. She won’t calm down until I tell her to “drop it” OR pull it out of her mouth. I wonder if this is a form of seeking approval?

Finally, the habit that Hyack has been doing since she was a pup. If it’s a hot day, whenever I fill up her water dish, she dips her entire face in the bowl and then proceeds to slap all of the water out of the bowl with her paws.
I’ve recently learned that dogs’ noses are their “cooling systems”-face in the water now makes sense. Paws slapping water out of her bowl? Guess she’s just playing!

I look forward to hearing the quirks of your pets. Not just dogs……but cats, canaries, horses, pigs-whatever you have!

Till next Friday, have a great week.

Erin

Music Motivates.....

Wow, my first “blog”…..a pink Blackberry, Facebook and now, this! I know, I know, welcome to 2008.

A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to start working at getting my body AND my mind in shape so, I’ve recently started running. It’s tough. My legs hurt and there are days I haven’t felt like hitting the pavement. I’ve found that once I DO head out for my nightly run, the thing that keeps me going is the music playing in my ears. I’m convinced, if it weren’t for the latest Jordin Sparks track, “One Step At A Time”, there would have been a few nights I could have easily given up. According to a recent “Men’s Health” article on “Mental Fake Outs To Improve Your Mood”, some of what you feel has to do with your brain’s response to outside stimuli. Change the stimuli and you can change your mood…..hearing your favorite tracks can energize and motivate you! No Kidding! I’ve compiled a list of tracks I have playing on my I-Pod for my nightly run.

Erin Wilde’s List of Music Motivators:

Metro Station “Shake It”
Expose “Point of No Return”
Eric Prydz “Call On Me”
C&C Music Factory “Gonna Make You Sweat”
Go Go’s “We Got the Beat”
Blur “Song 2”
Quad City DJ’s “C’Mon Ride It (The Train)
Prince “Let’s Go Crazy”
David Bowie “Modern Love”
Outkast “Hey Ya”
Survivor “Eye of the Tiger”
Green Day “American Idiot”
Toni Basil “Mickey”
Sir Mix A Lot “Baby Got Back”
Madonna “Holiday”
Jordin Sparks “One Step At a Time”

What are yours?????

Look forward to hearing from you….Erin