A Bunch o' Lunches!

I take the photos, but I can never get on the computer to update my blog (blame Paul).  Here are some of Hailey's lunches from the past week.

A wheat and cheese palm tree, some goldfish, carrots and ranch, yogurt with blue sprinkles, strawberries, and a few jelly beans.

Peaches, carrots, ranch, cheddar cheese, crackers, grapes, and a cookie.

This was the start of T week at school.  I thought I'd have Hailey search for T things in her lunch. :)

Cheese on wheat (like mommy like daughter!) in triangle shapes - with a little turtle pick to hold it together, cheese-itz, a teddy bear container with mayo, grapes, toy story gummies, and some vanilla pudding with the letter T spelled out.  

Cookies!

Last day of February, and I've met my goal of finding 20 followers!  I think for March, I'll look for 5 more. :)

Cailyn has mastered a word - cookie.  It was originally cute: every time she would pass through the kitchen, she would say in her cute little angel voice "cookie?".  She was obviously good....we all gave in every.single.time.  Well, then it became funny.  Each time the pantry would open, no matter where she was, her little feet would come running, no longer asking for a cookie, but demanding "Cookie!".  I stopped giving in, but Paul wouldn't.  I found it was becoming a problem when I told her no one day, and she flopped on her belly kicking, banging the floor, and crying while panting the word over and over.  Who would have thought I would have a 15 month old terror!  The final straw came just last week, while in the grocery story, she screamed the word in every aisle we were in.  

I never thought I would have to do the "cry it out" method over a cookie.  The pediatrician's office said it would be a rough couple of days (um, yes, very!), but then the habit would be broken.  Well, it is.  She is perfectly satisfied with a few animal crackers after dinner.  Occasionally, I will catch her looking at me with that coy smile as she walks by the pantry.  Now, when I hear "cookie?" it is followed by a little giggle as she walks away.

Cailyn's lunch for tomorrow: peas and carrots, quartered grapes, chicken nuggets (diced), and mozzarella cheese.  There are a few animal crackers in there, too. ;-)

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow: wheat thins, a cheese stick, goldfish, chicken nuggets (with a turtle pick), a container of ketchup, celery, grapes, vanilla pudding with sprinkles, and some Toy Story gummies.

Monday!

"This is going to be a good week" is going to be my mantra.  I figure, if I keep chanting it, it is bound to be a good week, right?

Cailyn's lunch for tomorrow: half an open-faced grilled cheese, cut into bite sized pieces, grapes (cut into quarters), a few animal crackers, and applesauce.  I'm also sending some yogurt in case she is overly hungry.  She is feeling much better now, but is now unpredictable with how much she will (or will not!) eat.

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow: Half a grilled cheese, minus the crusts, with a little cupid pick, pirate's booty, pudding with sprinkles, grapes, and some animal crackers.



How Many Days of Work This Week?

The snow is comical at this point.  I can't do anything about it, so I had better just be able to laugh about it!  They weather icons are either snow, ice, or freezing rain for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday of this week.  Absolutely nuts!! 

Cailyn spent the weekend recovering from bronchiolitis and pneumonia...my poor baby!  Fortunately, she responded really well to the antibiotics, and she seems to be her happy, smiley self again.  The downside is that she still hasn't seemed to regain her pig-like appetite yet.  I'll see how she does with lunch tomorrow.

Cailyn's lunch is an open-face grilled cheese, grapes, pirate's booty, and applesauce (in the container).  I'm hoping she eats it all, though I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of it comes home.  I will certainly keep my fingrs crossed.

Hailey helped pack her lunch this evening.  She chose every item that went into this lunch - even the salad!!  Good choices, Hailey!! :)

Cheese and crackers, salad, a container of ranch, grapes, pirate's booty, applesauce, and a little chocolate candy treat.



Snow!

There was no snow on the ground when I left my house, so I was shocked when I saw snow on the ground in the town where I work!  I loved seeing all the flurries outside my classroom window today, and it made me really want to get hit with a BIG storm right about now. I will keep my fingers crossed. :)

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow:

Ham and cheese on sandwich thins, with an extra cheese santa on top, grape tomatoes and a container of ranch, a clementine, mini pretzels, and a marshmallow snowman.

Cailyn's lunch isn't colorful, but I know she'll think it is yummy!  She is having homemade mac and cheese, applesauce, clementine, cheese, and some animal crackers.  I'm sending some yogurt also.

Oh Christmas Tree.....

I'm so excited for this weekend.  We are going to get our Christmas tree, decorate the house, maybe even get the lights up outside (Paul...yes??).  I absolutely love this time of the year - from the cold weather, to the smells of festive candles, to the hustle and bustle of the shops....so much more.  I'm loving making holiday themed lunches for Hailey.  I hope she doesn't get sick of them by the time Christmas is actually here!!!

Hailey's lunch:

A ham and cheese Christmas tree with a cheese star on top, cheddar cheese gifts, cherry yogurt, strawberries and blueberries, cinnamon goldfish, mini marshmallows, a teddy bear of raisins, and some chocolate candy treats.

Hailey asked for blueberries and strawberries when I went grocery shopping last weekend.  Those two items cost over nine dollars!!!  Hence, the reason Hailey has had strawberries and blueberries this week....every.single.day.

Cailyn's lunch for tomorrow:

Chicken and peas, cherry yogurt, cheddar cheese, blueberries, and some animal crackers.

December is almost here!!

I've been listening to the Christmas music for a few days, the nativity, stockings, and advent wreath are in their special places, and my shopping is just about finished.  I feel like I'm actually a bit late starting to get into the holidays this year!  Well, my husband said we weren't going to "get into Christmas" until December 1st.  Well, you can bet that my girls will be up later than normal tomorrow so we can start putting more Christmas in this house!! 

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow:

A cream cheese and jelly santa, a babybel cheese with a star cut out, some strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, and carrots (I told her these were reindeer snacks!), a rudolph shaped rice krispie treat (even stuck on a little red "nose"), and some vanilla yogurt with holiday sprinkles.  There are some mini marshmallows for an extra treat.

Cailyn's lunch is much less festive.  Let's face it....she doesn't care.  As long as she has her favorites, she is happy.

Cream cheese and jelly, blueberries, cheddar cheese, vanilla yogurt, and some animal crackers

Nice holiday break with the family

It was so nice to have the extra time home with my family over Thanksgiving break.  I've decided the work stress just isn't worth getting worked up over.  I was determined to have a relaxing 4 day weekend, and boy did I!  It got to the point where I just sat in complete silence reading a magazine for a good hour and a half on Saturday. I can't remember the last time that happened!!  I also did get some shopping done, visited with family, ate lots of yummy food, and spent quality time with the best little girls one could ask for.  And, yes, I did manage to get a teeny bit of work done too. :)

Lunch for tomorrow:

Cailyn will have a half of a cream cheese and jelly sandwich, strawberries and blueberries, vanilla pudding, and some animal crackers.  

Hailey's lunch is ham and cheese on a mini bagel, veggie sticks, a container of raisins, vanilla pudding with some heart sprinkles, strawberries and blueberries, and a couple of shortbread cookies.

Full week ahead...

I'm beyond excited that we have a full week of school this week.  Well, no, not really.  But, it is the last full week of classes before Thanksgiving.  That is certainly something to be excited about!! Also, this is the week my baby girl Cailyn is going to be ONE.  Where did the time go?!?!?  Friday (her birthday) can stay away for the time being....I'm not ready to have her turn one!

I took pictures of our three bentos for tomorrow.  Enjoy.

Cailyn's lunch: Diced ham and cheese, diced blueberries, yogurt, peas, and a few animal crackers.

Hailey's lunch: Ham and cheese on honey wheat sandwich bread, mayo in the little container with a spoon for spreading, Pirate's Booty, blueberries, yogurt, and some marshmallows and raisins.

My lunch: Ham and cheese on the honey wheat sandwich bread, celery and carrot sticks with a container of blue cheese, Pirate's Booty, and a mini Snickers bar for dessert.  Hey...I should help get rid of the Halloween candy, right?? ;-)

I forgot to post Hailey's Friday lunch.  Often, I take the picture, and then get sidetracked, forgetting to update my blog.  Here was Friday....

Cheddar cheese with a little pick, wheat thins, grape tomatoes with a container of ranch, applesauce (I stuck a little blue spoon in there also), whole wheat goldfish, and a little fish container of M&Ms.

Busy weekend...back to the grind tomorrow!

Paul surprised us with a trip to New Hampshire this weekend.  We went to Santa's Village, and then traveled to VT to eat ice cream and lots of cheese on Sunday!!  Needless to say, we are all so sleepy...and I'm certainly NOT wanting to go to work tomorrow!  Hailey's lunch is just okay, but I am tired, and haven't been to the grocery store.  Hopefully Paul goes for me tomorrow (hint hint!).

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow is  heart shaped ham and cheese sandwich (with a penguin pick for fun), grape tomatoes with a container of ranch, grapes, vanilla yogurt with heart sprinkles, animal crackers, and some candy corn.

Determined to get back into this!

 going to try my best to post 5 bento lunches this week - for both girls.  Let's see if I can do it! :)

For Cailyn:

Diced chicken nuggets, cheese stick - cut into little pieces, grapes - again diced, and some vanilla yogurt.  Hopefully that is a decent lunch for her!

For Hailey:

Ham and cheese roll up, a few crackers, grape tomatoes and a little container of ranch, grapes, "s'mores" goldfish, and vanilla yogurt with a few heart sprinkles.

First Day of School Bento

So here it is: my first blog entry.  I've decided to begin to document the beginning of my Bento making.  I started trying experimenting with Bentos a bit this summer so Hailey would eat more of a variety during lunch.  She now asks for "cool lunches" each day, and gobbles them right up.  Boring? Maybe to some. A waste of time? I've gotten that also. However, Hailey LOVES them.  Let's face it.  If I'm putting a big smile on my little girl's face as she eats her lunch during her day at pre-school, then this little "experiment" is totally worth it.

This summer, I bought food containers and lunch bags from Easy Lunch Boxes.  So convenient, easy to pack, and big enough without being too bulky for my 3 year old.

I'll have to take some better pictures (the first two are taken with my cell phone), and of course will have to update on a regular basis, but here is Hailey's 1st Bento of the school year.

Hailey's lunch: turkey, and cheese on wheat bread (cut into heart shapes), baby carrots with a container of ranch dressing, strawberries and grapes, vanilla yogurt, and a few animal crackers for dessert.

Day #2

Hailey's Bento today is mozzerella cheese in mini heart shapes with wheat crackers, grapes, applesauce, grape tomatoes and baby carrots with a container of ranch dressing, and two mini chocolate chip cookies.

The rest of the week I'll be on a bit of a hiatus!  Pipe leak at work = no school until after Labor Day!!