Lunches Packed with Love

Three nights a week I have to pack lunches for the boys. I order them hot lunches Monday and Tuesday, but send them our own food for the remainder of the week. It's not one of my favorite tasks. I don't have a particularly inspired list of lunch options for them, despite the fact that I always read the "think outside the sandwich in the lunchbox" articles that appear in magazines and on the web, especially during back to school season. But many of those would be better suited to older children who could assemble foods on their own. Things like fruit kebobs and whatnot.

Then there are the rules and the fact that the teachers see the lunches, which makes me feel like they probably judge. You can't send peanut butter (this is annoying since I could probably send Robby a PB sandwich every day without fuss). You can't send cookies; I'm not entirely sure what the teachers define as "healthy" -- fruit juices are not allowed, but those fruit chewy snacks are. Cookies aren't allowed, but I've sent chocolate chip mini muffins with no problems. Since I'm too unsure and don't want anyone thinking I don't send a good "square" meal, I stick to fruits, cheese and crackers, and pretzels or goldfish.

Usual lunch options:

• turkey sandwich
• leftovers (usually a rice or pasta with veggies and chicken)
• chicken nuggets
• leftover pizza slices (this is a recent addition that Robby has especially liked)
• mac and cheese (cold)
• sometimes a cream cheese and strawberry slices sandwich or a regular cheese sandwich

accompanied by any of the following alone or in combination, depending what's on hand:

• strawberries
• grapes
• blueberries
• sliced apples
• bananas
• pre-packed pineapple bits
• pretzels
• goldfish
• mini muffins
• yogurt drinks
• cheese and crackers
• cheez it crackers
• watermelon
• corn
• broccoli
• zucchini

As much as I usually dread making lunch -- especially if I already had to make dinner -- when I do it, I usually experience a small sense of satisfaction, like I really have packed a little bit of love for them. I carefully wash all the fruit, then slice it. Grapes are a choking hazard so I slice them in half for Robby and in quarters for Joey. I cut off the tops and core strawberries, then slice into thin slices or quarters. Sometimes I do a little trick so the thin slices look like hearts. I have been known to cut slices of cheese with tiny cookie cutters into animal or alphabet shapes and sandwiches into a star shape. Occasionally I draw hearts or write Robby's name on the napkins or send a leftover party theme napkin in their box. Then everything goes into the fridge organized so Bob can tell who gets what.

When I make this kind of lunch, which surprisingly is the norm, I do feel like I did it right. Like I would actually deserve a few "good-Mom points." And I look forward to them eating what I have prepared for them with love.

Someday I'll figure out how to start incorporating all those great magazine lunch ideas with soups and breadsticks or smiley face sandwiches the kids make or salads they shake in a tube, but for now, I think I have something that works.

Birthday Moments

Favorite moment during Joey's birthday celebrations: at the family party Saturday night when we started to sing Happy Birthday to him. Beth sat Robby down in the chair with Joey, and Joey looked back, saw it was Robby, and smiled a huge smile and even leaned in to Robby a little. Then went back to his serious face looking at the cake. But there was this great flash of smile at his big brother where it was so obvious that he liked having Robby there with him. Love when they are showing their brotherly love.


The minute we finished singing and clapping, Joey would yell, "Cut it Mommy!" pointing at the cake. Waste no time getting to the cake that one. (We did this at school on Aug. 14, at home on Aug. 14, then twice the next day at the parties.)

This is the face of someone who is loving his birthday cake:
Afterall, when we'd ask him what kind of party did he want, he'd say, "Cake!" There you are little man, 4 cake/singing sessions in all -- 24 store-bought cupcakes, a small ice cream cake, 48 home-baked cupcakes, a large ice cream cake printed with Brown Bear, and 1 home-baked bear cake.

Today I...

1. Am marveling at the fact that Joey will turn 2 on Friday. Looking at a pic from his party last year, I can't believe how quickly a year has passed and how much Joey has grown up.
2. Had a "dude" that needed a "wife" (Joey-speak for "food" that needed a "knife").
3. Enjoyed a lunch break at work with my friend Danielle (as we usually do).
4. Finally launched a project at work that I have procrastinating on because it's not one of my favorites. (A bi-weekly publication for posting in the restrooms -- yeah, not exactly what I thought I'd be writing when I dreamed of being a writer some day, and not exactly something I \ see myself bringing in my portfolio for a job interview either.)
5. Watched the boys play in the tent together, then move on to the play food and then end with the Lego pirates. I spent a lot of time gathering tiny Lego pieces off the floor and trying to put pieces back in place.
6. Went grocery shopping, mostly for lunch stuff and some things to get us through till the party on Saturday. I bought sandwich bread and then forgot the deli turkey, which was my main item in my plan for the kids' lunches. Isn't that usually the way?
7. Still have to do the shopping for the party food and the favors.
8. Watched Robby enjoy the movie Peter Pan. At the end, he was acting out the sword fight between Peter and Captain Hook with his sword and enthusiastically striking his sword against our bedroom wall in his imaginary battle. He usually pretends to be Captain Hook. Can't wait to see Robby at Disney with Peter and Hook!

Overall, just an ordinary day, but nonetheless special.

Things I Am Grateful for

Just a random list, in no particular order, of the things I am thankful for right now (Bob and the boys are a given).

The beautiful summer weather -- 80s, no humidity and cool evenings -- you couldn't ask for better.
A boss who is flexible about letting me work from home.
An appointment for a much-needed haircut tomorrow.
An extended family that is very fun and close, and especially my Mom, Dad and brother.
Good health for myself and my loved ones.
Digital cameras so I can take limitless photos.
Books -- they can be an adventure, an escape, a stress-reducer -- all this and more.
The way Robby and Joey generally get along so well together, playing together, looking out for eac other and sharing.
Starbucks and caffeine in general.

Hmm, not particularly deep or inspiring, but of the moment.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten random facts about our current lives...

1. We finally picked out glasses for Robby tonight. They're on order and should arrive in the next 2 weeks. It still bothers me to think of him wearing them, but he's unfazed and even noted that he'll have glasses like me.

2. Joey is picking up so many more words now and really getting the hang of stringing them together. Love his sentences and some of the unusual words he can correctly use, like "empty." Big sentence this past weekend -- Indy. Bite. Dor. (Indy bite dinosaur.) He's still telling this story 3 days later.

3. We handed out the invitations to Robby and Desi's pirates and mermaids birthday party today. I think this is going to be such a cute and fun party. Looking forward starting to shop for the party favors tomorrow with Robby.

4. Bought Joey his own pair of flip flops today so he can stop stealing Robby's and having a meltdown when we take them away. For some reason, he loves them. Is obsessed in fact. And he happily chants "flip flops" (which he pronounces very much like the way he says ketchup, which he is also obsessed with). His chubby little toes look so cute in them too.

5. I'm reading the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and really enjoying it. Not sure how much is fiction and how much is based on the facts of German occupation, but it's fascinating. I have a passion for Depression and WWII history (as seen in my choice of History classes in college and my senior thesis topic). I can't read this book fast enough and may have to find some follow up books on this subject.

6. Finished re-reading Persausion a few days ago. That book is almost tied with Pride and Prejudice as my all-time favorite, but alas, it is just not P&P. Anne does not have the spirit of Elizabeth. Anne is so good and patient; Elizabeth more lively and sharp-witted. And something about Mr. Darcy's haughtiness and misunderstood nature is so attractive. I am well able to fall in love with Captain Wentworth, but I think Mr. Darcy's character, set off by Elizabeth, perhaps make for more tension/friction in the story. Or perhaps it's my favorite because it was my first Jane Austen.

7. Bob and I have agreed to try a new plan for getting our house cleaned up -- 15 minutes of clean-up work every night. I made a nerdy chart in Excel to give ourselves checks for completing our 15 minutes. I guess it's the grown-up version of the star chart.

8. In preparation for our Disney trip, I need to do some major shopping to stock up on some summer clothes for all of us. Otherwise, by the time I'm ready to shop, there will only be sweaters and cordouroys in the stores. Good luck finding a bathing suit then! Looking for lots of bright t-shirts for the boys so it'll be easier to spot them.

9. We've had 3 weeks (more??) of more rainy days than sunny days. It's like Ireland's weather (and meanwhile, they are enjoying hot, sunny, summer weather there). Barely a day goes by without some rain. Everything's been so wet that even when we get a sunny day, the ground is so soaked that we can't really go to the park and such. And ugh, being inside so much and this dreary gray weather is dampening my mood.

10. I am a bit tense about how much of our summer is already booked. The weekend of Robby's party, we have 2 other parties and the weekend after is Krista's baby shower. Then I need to schedule Joey's party. It makes me feel like September will be here much too fast, followed quickly by our Disney trip in October. I need to find a few extra hours (or weekends) to slow things down a little!

Signs of Summer

Couple of things that make me realize summer is here:

1. Watermelon: yum, sweet and cool and the mess makes them ideal for eating outside

2. Ice cream cones (ok, we eat these even in freezing, snowy weather, but still, ice cream cones really say summer)

3. Cool little dudes in sunglasses

4. The sound of lawn mowers: the open windows make it easier to hear the mowers and this noise always sounds like summer to me. Then the smell of freshly cut grass enhances it.

5. The Greek Fair: always around the last week of May/first week of June, and just as the weather starts to heat up. I love that from our open bedroom windows you can hear the shouts and screams of people on the rides.

Happy summer!