Second Day!

And the week is already almost over. Princess had a bit of an 'incident' at recess today. She was playing with a new friend in a shady area to escape the heat, and neither of them noticed when recess ended and the rest of the class went back to the classroom. She was so scared when she realized they were alone outside. They were discovered pretty quickly and delivered to their teacher. And then she was crying during circle time, because she was still very upset, and the other kids were asking her why she was upset and that made her cry harder. They had to take her down to the office so she could calm down. She burst into tears again as soon as I arrived after school to pick her up, and she hugged me tight and hard and didn't let go for over five minutes. Poor sweetheart. I remember the same thing happening to me when I was probably around her age, and I reacted the same way. It can be so scary to suddenly discover that you're all alone and not where you're supposed to be, especially when you are so very small. By bedtime she was doing better. We talked about what signs to watch and listen for to know when recess is over and what to do if something like that happens again, or if she is ever scared for any reason at school. Tomorrow will be a better day!

I had a great plan for lunches tomorrow using the leftovers from dinner tonight (tacos), but the kids all vetoed that idea. Brick didn't want to pack a lunch (apparently it is not cool to bring your meal when you're an 8th grader) and none of the other kids wanted tacos. *sniff* The cool mini taco bar take out idea will have to be shelved for a later date, and the taco leftovers will be chili for the weekend instead.


G-man didn't want to take his lunch today - he fell to the siren song of cafeteria pizza. And no lunch needed for Dude the husband either. Just three lunches to put together, and it went pretty quick!

First, Brick's: plum slices and grapes, raspberry yogurt with a fresh raspberry pressed in the center, chocolate mini cupcake, and two ham-and-cheese rolls in a bed of lettuce.

Bean's doesn't really like yogurt much and she put in a special request for pickles, so her lunch is different. The white funky stuff in the cup below the cupcake is Pirate's Booty, which is... um, puffed corn, I think. Beaker is a Pirate's Booty fiend and I did a big happy dance right in the store when Costco started carrying big bags. Anyway, in her lunch Bean has the aforementioned Pirate's Booty, a mini chocolate cupcake, a turkey caesar wrap, plum slices with green grapes, and a side of homegrown, home canned dill pickles. To keep the pickles from leaking juice everywhere, I used a small square of Press 'n Seal. It comes in a big roll for under $5 at Fred Meyers and lasts ages. I just cut a square to about the size I needed and pressed it carefully over the section of the Easy Lunchbox which held the pickles and voila - no leaking! Great solution for keeping gooey or juicy foods from mixing with the rest of the meal or making a mess in the lunch bag.

Princess also took Pirate's Booty, a ham and cheese caesar wrap ("I love the little burrito sandwich thing you put in my lunch box today, but not the cheese. Make more of those with no cheese, please!"), a mini chocolate cupcake, and green grapes tucked into gaps to keep things from shifting. In a separate dish is raspberry yogurt with two vaguely heart shaped raspberries pressed in.

I promise I won't post photos of them every day... they were just too cute to resist this morning. Princess was prancing and posing around to show off her cuteness to the max exposure. She is full of drama and loves to be center stage (and at the same time, she is also very shy in new situations and can be super emotional when she is upset). Bean even tolerated photos happily enough! You can see the tooth-baring grin - it's her "Okay, I'm smiling, are you done now?" smile. The basket Princess is toting held blueberry crumb cupcakes which the two girls and Beaker helped me bake on Tuesday. Bean gave a similar basket to her teacher on the first day, but Princess forgot hers.

If I remember, tomorrow I will post some tips and links for places I like to buy dishes and supplies for cute packed bento lunches. And also the super cute itsy bitsy teeny tiny sandwiches I made tonight for Bean and Princess to take to lunch. Beaker ate the extras as I was making them and pronounced them "Really nummy in my mouf!"