This post is sponsored by Mini Babybel®
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and with Mazen in school for the good part of the day and with Matt several times a week, I try to make the afternoons we spend together extra special. I have set hours to work and set hours to play, so I am trying to focus on Mazen when we’re together. Recently we had a really nice, sort-of-warm day, and I decided to pack up some snacks and take a trip to the library. I picked Mazen up from school and surprised him with an adventure.
Knowing he’d be hungry after school, I packed a bento box of snacks for us to share. Mini Babybel, today’s sponsor, is one of my favorite lunchbox staples. Whether I’m packing snacks or a lunch, I try to include a protein, a fruit, a veggie, and a whole grain. The Mini Babybel varieties are a good source of calcium and protein, and what I love most about them is they are so easy to toss in. A great addition to any lunch or snack box!
Here we are!
We went inside for reading first. Mazen chose a fairy tale to start.
Then we decided to look on the shelves for Grammie’s book, Purple Mountain Majesty, which is the story of Katharine Lee Bates and the trip up Pike’s Peak that inspired her to write the poem “America The Beautiful”. It took a little hunting down, using the library’s computer search categorization system and refreshing my alphabetizing memory, but we found it!
Mazey was very proud!
After a few more books, we went outside for our picnic.
He went right for the cheese!! Unwrapping the cool red wax is a four-year-old’s dream job.
And we were all fueled up for the bike ride / walk home : )
Thanks to Mini Babybel for sponsoring this post!
My two and four year old boys have a small obsession with “circle cheese.” =) And I’m just glad they like a snack that is not straight carbs! Nice to give them some protein
Circle cheese! Mazen calls it red cheese : )
How funny, we call it “red circle cheese” in our house. 🙂
haha, “round cheese” here 🙂
This brings me back to my childhood when my Dad would bring me to the public library once a week. I was a HUGE bookworm (still am!) and loved the outings.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
My friend and I visited that library for a bathroom break on our trip to Cville last year. It’s a block or two uphill from the downtown mall, right? It was insanely hot that day and that air conditioning was so aaaaaahhhhhhh! LOL!
Yup! It’s nice. We love the weekly scavenger hunts they have in the kids section on a very hot or very cold day 🙂
It’s a beautiful library. Quite large!
What a fun afternoon! Library dates have been one of the first regular outings I enjoy with my baby, and it is exciting to imagine how they will change as he grows. Mazen is such a cutie 🙂
p.s. I loved reading all of your BERF posts when I was pregnant!
Aw yay! Yes, I love snuggling up in the chair to read.
Was this Mazen’s first time to the library? I bring my daughter every week and she LOVES it! So cool to find your Mom’s book there.
Nope!
Isn’t the enthusiasm in a child’s eyes when finding books one of the best things? (I mean, aside from snuggling, kisses, giggles, sleeping, …) Looks like a fun day for you two
I would love to hear more about these dates. I always try to do fun things with my son on the weekends since I work full time during the week. 🙂
What brand bento box is that?
I believe it’s the same as this one per the photos. I have this one too and like it a lot more because it’s collapsible and can fit bigger things (like a kids yogurt)
Looks like such a fun “alone date” (as my mom used to call them)!!
Alone date? You mean like “just me and you alone?” That’s cute
Yep, exactly! I see how that could be misinterpreted lol. Maybe she meant “alone” because I had an older sister ?
How fun that you found my book at your library! Maybe with some luck, some more will appear in a few years.
Do you have any ideas for increasing fiber for kiddos in a non medical, real food sort of way? My daughter needs help in that regards.
Hi Elizabeth, I found a few good lists online – fresh fruit, whole grains, and foods prepared with beans are good places to start.