A Couple of Bentos from the Week!

This is my crazy time of year - after April vacation until the last day of school.  Concerts, general performances, report cards (before I know it!!), daily classes, and then room clean up.  I feel like the end of June will be here before I know it....and I'm so overwhelmed already!

I still make Hailey's "cool lunches" every day, bu I know I'm a slacker with taking the photos and posting.

Here are a few from this week:

This one has cheese, a mini potato roll, kielbasa, goldfish, grapes, and a small piece of my homemade vanilla mousse cheesecake. :-)

For tomorrow: grilled cheese, grape tomatoes with ranch, goldfish, grapes, and a brownie with vanilla frosting (yum!).

Beautiful Day!!

It was so nice to come home from work to see the sun shining in my town.  Who woulda thought that the temperature would be 15 degrees cooler, and the sky filled with clouds just 25 minutes away from my house.  That said, I was hoping to get a really yummy "spring" lunch to go along with Hailey's "Spring week" at school.  I'm too tired, and still recovering from this past weekend. I had good intentions!

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow: A butterfly-shaped cream cheese and jelly sandwich, grape tomatoes with a turtle pick, flower-shaped cucumbers (and the ever necessary container of ranch - she won't eat the veggies without the ranch!), strawberries, and chocolate pudding with sprinkles.

Couple Bentos

In this lunch, Hailey had ham and cheese roll-ups, grapes, carrots with ranch, strawberries, popcorn, and a little debbie easter snack cake thingie.  

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow is much less colorful, but I simply can't be bothered.  My DVR is calling my name this evening. ;-)

A heart shaped grilled cheese (looks more like a broken heart though!!!!), grape tomatoes with ranch, cheez-its, cantaloupe, applesauce, and some pez. 

I know I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.  I'm going to have to go through my pictures though, because I know I have some that I must just not have gotten around to.

Lately, Hailey is wanting to help out with cooking meals, preparing her lunch on the weekends, and now be a part of packing her lunch for school.  I'm fine with that!  So, here are Hailey's choices for lunch tomorrow.

Cream cheese and jelly on wheat, grape tomatoes with ranch, cheez-its, blueberry yogurt, cantaloupe, and a mini kitkat.  

I think she did a good job!!! :)

One more for this week!

I forgot to post Hailey's lunch from today, so here it is.  Tomorrow is leftover day.

Hailey's lunch: Half a soynut butter and jelly sandwich, grapes, a cheese stick (cut in half), a container of yogurt raisins, strawberry cheesecake yogurt (um, the best yogurt I've even tasted - I'm not a yogurt fan, either!), and some chocolate rice cake minis.

There MUST be an easier way to upload a picture from Facebook.  I have my "bento" folder.  Well, FB has messed with how pictures are displayed, and now it is taking me too long to be able to update my blog.  Any ideas on how to make the photo uploading process easier (I'm using my droid and sending to FB)?

Anyways, things are well for all of us.  It is weird to lose our February break next week, but I don't mind too much.  I'm certainly looking forward to a three day weekend!!!

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow: half a soynut butter and jelly sandwich, grape tomatoes with a container of ranch, blueberries, pirate's booty, applesauce, and a mini 3 musketeers.

Valentine's Day - a little early.....

Hailey has been a bit sad this week, and having a hard time with going to bed because "mommy is leaving."  I tried to explain to her that I will always be in her heart.  I figured I would give her some extra hearts tomorrow.

She has two heart shaped grilled cheese sandwiches, grape tomatoes (forgot the ranch again!!! darn!!!), chocolate rice cake minis, pirate's booty, mixed berry yogurt, and a hershey mini candy.

Breaking out the Love

Since Valentine's Day is sneaking right up on me (ummm, hello? I feel like January never existed this year!!!!), I figured I'd start introducing hearts, pink, red, cupid, etc. now.  Hailey loves Valentine's Day, so I hope she enjoys.

Hailey's lunch: two mini cheese sandwiches (heart shaped), some grape tomatoes (oops!!! I just realized I forgot ranch....I wonder if she will eat them anyways??), parmesan flavored goldfish, a fruit roll-up, mandarin oranges (in honor of "o" week at school) with a little heart pick,  and vanilla yogurt with pink sprinkles.

No Bentos Today (for the girls anyways)

I've been sick all weekend, and truly had difficulty having enough energy to make lunches at all.  I love my Easy Lunch Boxes, but I can't heat leftovers in them (well, not if I have cold items in there as well).  Tomorrow will be a leftover day for my little ladies.  Baked rigatoni (from dinner this evening), grapes, and pudding.  I have my lunch ready to go in my ELB container.

Cheese and crackers, celery with a container of blue cheese, grapes, and a 100 calorie pack of chocolate covered pretzels.  Yum!

Is anyone looking at this?

To an extent, I'm doing this for myself.  I like getting some ideas when Hailey says "I don't know what I want..." or just putting this bookmark down as a time when I was somewhat creative (well, in this manner anyways!).  I figure, Hailey won't like these lunches forever.  Quite honestly, she may decide that she hates them as soon as she enters kindergarten.  But, for now, she loves them, and I'm going to continue making these bentos, taking pictures of them, and posting for the whole world (umm....me?) to see. 

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow: Cheese and crackers, grape tomatoes on a bed of baby carrots with a container of ranch (the carrots can't really be seen in this picture), vanilla yogurt, pineapple cubes (frozen...will thaw in time for lunch, of course), a small container of raisins, and a mini candy for a treat. 

Baby It's Cold Outside

I love the cold weather.  I don't mind walking to my car when it is cold, the wind whipping against my cheeks and ears, my girls don't cry or complain about the weather (as a matter of fact, Hailey loves it!).  It gives me the perfect opportunity to crank the heat on our ride to work/school, wear lots of layers, or snuggle with my girls under a blanket at home.  I can't do anything about the freezing temperatures, so I may as well look at the positives!!

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow: ham and cheese with present skewers, grape tomatoes and ranch, cinnamon goldfish, diced pineapple, and marshmallows (REALLY hoping for a snowy weekend....maybe this is just as good as doing a snow dance??) under a Christmas tree. :)

I cannot get enough Christmas right now.

Hailey is starting to get SO excited about her upcoming birthday and Christmas.  I figured I'd play into it.  Well, let's face it.  I'm super excited too. :)  I know of some coworkers who wouldn't mind getting this lunch tomorrow either. :)  Let's see if they are reading tonight!!

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow is:

A cream cheese and jelly gingerbread man, grape tomatoes and ranch, cheddar cheese cubes with a Santa Claus pick, blueberries, vanilla pudding with holiday sprinkles, and two marshmallows on a present pick.  

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.

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

I think this lunch looks yummy - and colorful!  I'm hoping is brings a smile to my cutie's face tomorrow.

Hailey's lunch: Wheat Thins, a babybel cheese with an H cutout in the center, blueberries, pirate's booty, a few carrots and grape tomatoes (the ranch is in the little yellow container), marshmallow halves held in place by a little pick, and some vanilla pudding with "fairy dust."

One day down....

Four more to go!  I'm pretty excited that Hailey liked the Arnold Honey Wheat sandwich thins.  She hasn't really been eating the bread of her sammies anymore....regardless of the way they are cut (hence the regular "cheese and cracker" lunches!).  These are pretty tasty though, if I do say so myself.  She asked for another tomorrow.  I'll be interested to see if she does indeed eat it, or if she picks the meat and cheese out of the middle.

Hailey's lunch is a half of Arnold's Sandwich Thins with ham and cheese (and a turtle pick for some fun), some pirate's booty, grape tomatoes (I did add a small container of ranch after the picture was taken), applesauce, and some cute little treats for dessert....mini twizzlers, two hershey squares, and rice krispie flowers (the stems are just green toothpicks).

And This Makes Three!

I'm SO happy tomorrow is Wednesday.  One day closer to Thursday, which we happen to have off from school.  Therefore, no bento photos tomorrow...but, three days in a row? I haven't done that in a while (ever??).  Here is Hailey's lunch for tomorrow.



A bagel with cream cheese and jelly (her new favorite?!?!), mini pretzel sticks, raisins, tomatoes with a container of ranch, and chocolate pudding with flower sprinkles.

Two days in a row....

Well, I'm pretty impressed with myself.  I actually am remembering to post bento photos two days in a row!  Cailyn's lunch for tomorrow is nothing interesting (unless you take into account the amount of food!), so I have pictures of Hailey's lunch and my lunch.

Hailey: Cheese on a mini potato roll (with mayo in a small container, and a little fork for her to spead it on), some whole grain goldfish, grape tomatoes, strawberry cheesecake yogurt, Disney princess snacks, and two mini rice krispie treat hearts.

My lunch: Cheddar cheese, a mini potato roll, grape tomatoes, carrots and celery sticks (I have a little container of blue cheese also), and some chips with salsa.

Snow?!?

I'm sure it won't hit my section of CT, but it is kind of exciting to think snow (even just a little bit) is on its way!  I love getting all bundled up and going to work.  Well, I like the getting dressed in warm clothes, but I sure would prefer to cuddle with my little ladies at home. :)

Here are lunches for tomorrow.

For Cailyn: A 1/2  of a cream cheese and grape jelly sandwich (cut into bite sized pieces) on whole wheat bread, peach yogurt, and baby peas.

For Hailey: The other half of the cream cheese/jelly sandwich (just in triangles....but, I noticed I left the crusts on.  Oops.  I'll see if she notices....), a Babybel cheese (with a little heart carved into the top), grape tomatoes and a container of ranch, a little bear filled with raisins, whole grain goldfish, and two marshmallows and a mini kit-kat for dessert.

I also found this photo of Hailey's Friday lunch....

Cheese and wheat thins, slices of kiwi (...that also ended up coming home. She told me to send them to Cailyn instead). Heart shaped cucumber, and some grape tomatoes with a container of ranch, mini preztels, and some marshmallows.

Midweek!!!!!

Not much to say today - it's been a looooooong one!!

Hailey's lunch for tomorrow:

Soynut butter and jelly on a potato roll (her request.....), grape tomatoes (and I'm just realizing I forgot ranch.  Maybe I'll add some later!!), mini pretzels, raisins, strawberry yogurt, and some mini fudge stripe cookies.