Back To School, Bento Day 1!

This morning I was half asleep in bed when I heard Sj casually say to me, "Mom wake up before Dad makes me a boring old lunch." I laughed thinking, this is the life of a soon to be eight year old, with a mom who loves packing lunch. Now, let me defend my husband, he lets me sleep in, he makes breakfast, he packs lunch, with no complaints!

But there's a little nugget of wisdom in my daughter's request this morning. I LOVE packing lunch, especially if my refrigerator is freshly stocked with plenty of options. I love fitting everything just perfectly into a bento, cutting fruit into new shapes, figuring out what vegetables and fruits would compliment the flavors in her sandwich. My husband, he gets the job done and apparently there's a noticeable difference.

If you think of lunch packing as a burden, just another thing "I HAVE TO DO", then your lunches will bear that sentiment. Many of us pack lunch five days a week, just embrace it, it's not going away.

I pack bentos because their creativity naturally lends itself to the notion of joy. It's a process filled with kind hearted pleasure for me and rather than having to write my daughter a note in her lunch, I feel like the way I pack her food conveys how I love her.

I did get out of bed in plenty of time, to pack her First Day Bento in a Laptop Lunches.

Rudi's Organic Whole Wheat Bread, Applegate Farms turkey, sharp cheddar cheese, mustard

365 Brand Veggie Straws

Picked from our garden this morning, cherry tomatoes

Organic Champagne grapes (aren't they adorable?)

Cantaloupe sliced thin