Garden Tomato Bento

Carrots; cantaloupe; tomatoes from our garden; cheese and spinach on a whole grain mini-Sandwich Thin; chocolate covered cashews.

Summer Fruit Bento

Cherries; Tuscan cantaloupe; cole slaw with purple cabbage, broccoli, and carrots; chicken salad with spinach, apples, grapes and pistachios in phyllo cups; yellow pepper heart; gingerbread Scottie dog. Lots of colors means lots of antioxidants!

Love Bento

Watermelon; leftover birthday cake; carrots; whole wheat sausage, spinach, carrot and cheddar pinwheels; yellow peppers.

8th Birthday Party

Happy Birthday to our R!

Her kid party is in two weeks, but we had a family party on her actual birthday. She requested popcorn chicken, watermelon, Caesar salad, and sparkling grape juice.

First she had to finish her homework. Sad!

Lots of tulle hides how crooked the cake is. I was rushing to finish it before school pick-up.

Cookies & Cream ice cream!

Calico Critters for her dollhouse.


She fell in love with this stuffed raccoon from the grocery store. She begged us for it for a month.

Turning eight is momentous. She said, "I feel like a different person. I am in third grade and I am eight, all in the same week."

Birthday Bento

My R is 8 today! Here is her birthday bento for school: Watermelon cut-outs with oranges and watermelon in the middle; homemade whole-grain cornmeal, parmesan and flax cracker flowers; same crackers for the "happy birthday" letters; ranch dip and imitation crab legs (she loves those); Caesar salad (another favorite); and white Toblerone chocolate in the middle.

Butterfly cookies to bring to school for her class treat. I used this King Arthur Flour recipe for whole wheat & oatmeal cookies.

Happy birthday little one. Your Dad and I love you so.