Lunch Life {5.13.2016}

It's Friday the 13th!!!!! Hopefully no bad luck today.  Either way, it's Friday and can't nothing be wrong with that!  Here is the last lunch for the week!

ham and cheese Hawaiian roll sammies// pretzels// oranges// flower cucumbers// daily vitamins 

What's in My Bag {beach bag edition}

We are spending our long 4th of July weekend at the cabins at white beach this year.  We actually go to the beach annually for 4th of July with our Oki Fam.

Here are my essentials in our beach bag::

Bag// Thirty-one Large Utility Tote

I love using this bag because it's a great size for all the stuff we need.  It's water proof and easy to clean.

Towels// I always bring a bunch of towels to the beach.  Something always happens to one and one always ends up super sandy.  Extras are a MUST!!

Sunscreen// Another MUST when spending anytime in the sun. I like to use at least a SPF 50.  We always lather up while putting our suits on and I bring the bottles to reapply while we are at the beach.  For the 4th we usually spend the whole day at the beach and I reapply a couple times throughout the day.  Can't have too much sunscreen on, especially the little ones!

Water Bottles// I like using these water bottles because they keep the water cold for 8-12 hours.  We also bring a cooler of drinks but having the water bottle handy keeps us from using so many plastic water bottles and keeps the kids from constantly getting in the cooler. 

Aloe Gel// This stuff feels the best after long sun exposure.  When leaving he beach we usually rinse off all the salt water and lather the aloe gel on to cool our skin.  After we get home and take real showers I put this on again. It's very soothing and cooling.

Baby Powder// I actually saw this trick on YouTube taking off the sand with baby powder.  When at the beach sand gets everywhere!  No matter how many times you wash off it always finds its way back on you.   Baby powder works like a charm!  

Chapstick// I like to get Chapstick with spf in it to help protect our lips.  I apply this regularly because I hate chapped lips.

Camera// To capture memories, duh!

Snacks// You gotta bring snacks to the beach!  We usually BBQ at the beach and for the 4th we have a big BBQ potluck with our friends.  But the potluck will likely be at our cabins and not down at the sand.  So I like to pack a few snacks in my bag.

Quick Reflection for 2014 and Quick Resolution for 2015...

2014

My favorite experience of 2014 was our staycation with our friends to celebrate Morgan’s Birthday and Memorial Day weekend!  It was such a fun weekend of family and friends!  Made memories for a lifetime!

My biggest accomplishment was all the cooking I did this year!  I’ve always been so terrible and scared of cooking.  When I did cook it was very easy recipes with minimal skill needed.  This year I’ve learned more recipes and even took a couple classes to help me out.   I pushed myself more because I wanted to cook for my family.   I think that I’m finally getting the hang of cooking.

My favorite place to visit was South Korea!  We only went on one vacation this year out of the country and it was Seoul, South Korea.  We had an awesome time!  I was actually a little skeptical because it had never been one of those places I cared for seeing, but Morgan kept saying I would love it.  And he was absolutely right!  We had a great time, I would go again!

The best meal is……. sushi!  I love sushi so much that I took a class in how to make it.  Since being here I’ve branched out more and tried different and exotic kinds!  I am always in the mood for sushi 365 24/7

If I have a free day, I like to relax with the family!  Nothing beats a day of hangin in our jammies , snacking, curling up on the couch and watching movies.

My favorite book, I feel terrible, but I don’t think I finished a book at all this year.  I did read lots of cook books though! lol

My favorite movie this year would have to be Lone Survivor.  I’m actually not sure when it came out, but I know I saw it in 2014.  It was so good and very sad. 

One way I’d like to grow in 2015 is in my faith.  I haven’t been religious in a very long time.  I think that’s why I feel empty sometimes.  I’m going to make it a point to get more in touch with my faith.

2015

I want to continue to strive to be a better mom!

I want to try to learn more about cooking and baking!

I want to stop being impatient.

I’d like to visit the Philippines, Tokyo, and Osaka.

My goals for this year are to be a super mom/wife, eat better, drink more water, pay off debt, read more, and get out more.

I Made it! {Day 5 Eating Clean}

Wahoo!  I've learned a lot these first 5 days.  I should have done more research before starting this journey.  I think after the first 5 days I have a better idea of what I want to eat.  I've made a trip to the grocery store almost everyday.  I'm going to be better at planning this week.  I've been Pinteresting my butt off looking for meal plans and recipes.  Hopefully these next couple weeks will breeze by.  I didn't take many pics today since most of thr food was the norm, but in did make a delish dinner!

Everything I ate today::

Breakfast | protein shake

Snack | 1/2 apple and almonds

Lunch | cilantro lime chicken over greens

Snack | oatmeal 

Dinner |  baked salmon over fried brown rice

 * so tasty I would eat this on the reg*

24 days of clean eating

Welp, the time has come for me to actually go on a diet. Morgan and I have planned this since December, w're going on a 24 day cleanse.  I know what you are thinking.....why are they starting in the middle of the month and not on the 1st??  The reason we are stating this diet in the middle of the month is because my birthday and we planned a cookout for Morgan's junior sailors , taking up the first two weekends in January.  

So here we are on the verge of this diet/ cleanse.  To be honest I have never dieted or worked out.  I've been blessed with an incredibly fast metabolism .  After both kids I just breasted them and the weight literally melted off.  But I know I'm getting older and they way I eat is super unhealthy.  I want to change my lifestyle.  I keep reading about people changing their diets and they feel so much better and their health has improved dramatically.  Morgan was originally going to do this on his own, but I wanted to be supportive and do it with him.  What better time to change things then in January and after your birthday??

Our diet is about eating clean and portion control.  We are going to plan out weekly meals , hopefully that will increase our success.  A couple of my biggest challenges will be soda and wine. Haha sounds nuts?!  During this diet there will be no alcohol, no juice or soda, and only 1 cup black coffee a day.  Just typing that out freaks me out.  I just have to keep in mind that I want to be healthy.  I don't think I can abstaine from those for the rest of my life, but I do want to cut down.

To keep accountability and motivation, I'm going to write a diet journal here.  Maybe even post recipes and meal plans.  Hopefully that we keep me honest.  Wish me luck!

So long to my roaring 20s....

It happened! I turned 30!  Geeze, when I was young it felt like 30 was 2 lifetimes away.  Now it's here....it's really here.  I'm really thankful for this birthday.  First off, thankful I made it to this age.  Tomorrow is never gauranteed so another day is another blessing.  I'm thankful to have a wonderful husband who is loving, helpful, and that provides a comfortable lifestyle that gives me the opportunity to stay at home with our children.  I'm thankful for my 2 beautiful and healthy kids.  Some days they make me want to tear my hair out, but they always find a way to melt my heart. 

Life is good.  I'm at a good place and I'm loving life.  During my 20s. I learned a lot.  I changed so much from 20 to 29!  A lot happened...I learned a lot.  I lived in Washington state, we bought our first home, we short sales our first home, I had Amelia, I moved to Japan, I had Nolan, changed my last name, got into credit card debt, got out of credit card debt, traveled to Hokkaido, traveled to Thailand, traveld to the states, and many more experiences I can't think of.  If you asked me 10 years ago how i thought my life would be at 30, I would haven't even been close to where I am now.   Here I am a full fledge adult!  I understand it's all the rage these days. Haha. I'm really looking forward to the next 30 years of my life.  If time keeps flying at this rate I'm sure it won't be long.

Well the plan for my birthday was pretty low key.  I just wanted to go out to dinner with Morgan and then the night after a dinner out with the ladies.  So I went to my friend Melliza's house to drop off the kids for her to babysit and there it was a SURPRISE PARTY!!!  All our friends were there.  I was so shocked, I didn't expect anything like this.  I even was tearing up.  I'm such a sap.  I had an awesome time, couldn't have asked for more.  It was a great way to bring in my 30s.  

Elf on a Shelf

This was the first year that we used the elves.  The local exchanges don't sell THE elf on a shelf so we bought ours from someone else.  I was interested for a long time but thought Amelia was too young.  She is 4 now and I thought it would be the perfect time to start.   We got the elves, one boy for Nolan and one girl for Amelia.  We got the movie and watched it the night before they made their debut.   It was defiantly a challenge to set them up nightly.  MANY times we forgot and had to think of a quick placement .  I think she loved it though.  Every morning she would race around the house and look for them.  She even cried when she had to say bye.  So final verdict, we are keeping them as a family tradition.  It's fun and who doesn't love elves?

'Twas the Night before Christmas...

Another Christmas down.  Our third one in Oki.  I'm not sure what it was about this year, but I felt a little off.  Christmas wasn't as Christmas as usual?! I just didn't feel so spirited I guess.  I really feel like it just crept up so fast!  Like...I just put up the tree and BAM it's time to open gifts!   Well, this year I added two more traditions to our Christmas season, 1. Elf on a shelf and 2. Jensen cookie bash (cookie decorating party).

Elf on a Shelf

Jensen Cookie Bash

Growing up, Christmas Eve was always the bigger festive day.  We always had our parties on Christmas Eve.  We would go to midnight mass, then open gifts when we got home.  Christmas Day, we would eat all day and play with our new toys.  For my family now it's sorta the same.  We have a party or big dinner on Christmas Eve, then we open gifts after.  On Christmas morning we open gifts from Santa and our stockings.  Essentially we celebrate Christmas in 2 days.  Lol 

Christmas was the usual Oki festivity.  Our Oki fam got together on Christmas eve and had a big potluck in one of the tower rec rooms.  We had a grand old time.  I love getting dressed up and eating to my hearts content. Good thing I wore an outfit that was forgiving if I ate a lil too much.  For our party, each parent brought a gift for their kids from "Santa".The gifts were handed out and the kids went nuts. Lol. Keeps em' occupied for the rest of the evening.  Then the adults do our white elephant.  Always a lot of fun! It's funny to watch grown women fight over gifts. Haha Well no real fighting went on, there were some dirty gift steals tho.  It's all fun and games.

After the party we headed home.  Mills stayed up the whole way because she wanted to open her gifts.  I couldn't believe it!  This year was fun, Nolan got in on the present opening.  Last year he was more interested in the wrapping paper and bows.  Mills , of course, is a pro at opening gifts.  Good thing I decided to just record the present opening, because she just ripped right through them all .  It was so awesome to watch their lil faces light up with joy when the opened their gifts.  I especially loved the squeals from Nolan! We didn't end up sleeping till 2 am that morning.  Too much excitement.  It was a great day.  Now the countdown is on for Christmas 2014 lol

It's All About Tradition!!!

Every year while growing up my parents took us to the mall so we could go see Santa. We would get dressed in our Christmas dresses and wait in line to tell Santa what we wanted for Christmas.  The mall that we went to was indoor, (there aren't many indoor malls in San Diego) so it was pretty awesome we didn't have the wait in the cold.

Now that I have my own family it is no different.  We don't have a mall here but we take our kids to see Santa.  The only thing that did change was Morgan refused to take our kids to see Santa within their first year.  He is in the medical field, more specifically infectious disease.  Since both of our kids were too young to get their flu shots around Christmas time, he didn't want to take that chance.  I think he has seen what the flu can do to someone, especially a young child so he doesn't want to take the risk.   There are so many kids that go through that line, also with all the people , there is just a lot of germs that could be spread.  (I know we probably sound crazy) Totally understandable, so we just took their pics by our tree.  After Amelia's first year, we have taken her ever since.  Since Nolan is now 1 and able to get his flu shot (both of our kids received their flu shots this year) this will be his first year.

This is the first year that we had both our kids in the picture.  The local USO had a Santa set up that you pay $10 per kid and you get the pictures, some of the fee would go towards the USO.  This was the first year Amelia didn't cry.  It was just so precious, the look in her eye when she saw Santa.  She really believed it was him.  Her innocence was just so adorable.  Nolan on the other hand, was screaming bloody murder.  I got to give all the Santas out their a hand, because having probably every other kid cry must be crazy!! Here's to all the Santas out there!!!