Lunchtime and a Promotion (?)

Lunch rolls around early for me. School starts at 7, and I've taught four classes and homeroom by the time the bell rings at 10:35 and my lunch starts. I can not handle sassy teenagers on an empty stomach, so I stocked up on Luna bars and frozen burritos and keep them at school in case I don't have time to pack a lunch. However, thankfully, I live with M and he doesn't just pack a lunch, he makes it pretty and delicious. These lunches are packed in the bento tradition, which in Japan is traditionally rice or fish with small cuts of vegetables. You can read more about it here. M's version this week was made up of what we had on hand...but he made use of the fancy waffle cut blade on the mandoline. At first, I thought it was kind of a waste of time...I generally just slop some leftovers in a tupperware and call it a day. But I have to admit, it was really fun to eat, and more fun to show off. You might be wondering how M has time to make such elaborate lunches with all of his other commitments. Well, I'm not really sure, but he has also managed to make a batch of soap and is milling some wheat berries that he sprouted and dehydrated. (And it's only Tuesday!)

In other exciting news, Laurel is trying out the young toddler room this week. Basically they send the kids upstairs to the toddler room for a couple of hours at a time to see how they handle a new room and a new schedule. She loved it. Today I went to pick her up at 3 and she was sitting at the table having a snack with all the "big kids". Then she showed me her new coat hook and mail box. She even took a nap on a cot today. But one of the changes we have to make is to send food that she can eat herself. So bento is a perfect approach to packing her lunch. For anyone who is searching for foods to give to their toddlers visit this website for some great ideas. The blogger has a four year old and tons of ideas for foods to give a little one that are not goldfish crackers or cheese, which I must admit, I fall back on from time to time. I think the only thing you need to be cautious about for the under 2 crowd would be choking hazards...nuts, chewy dried fruit, etc.