Welcome to my lunchbox

AMAZING!!!

2009-08-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday I can be found here...it is something I look forward to every week. I know getting up early on Saturday? To be with kids? After being with kids all week? But seriously once you go...you get addicted and the kids mean too much to me NOT to go...regulars get it everyone else...well that's ok :)

So two Saturdays ago we had the annual backpack day where kids from grades pre-k to 12th grade get backpacks full of school supplies. My church had donated 600 backpacks. But it wasn't enough. There were around 900 kids there that day. I am also a bus monitor on my bus that hold 58 there were 92 people. Usually I have around 20-35 boys in my pre-k/k class and there were over 70. It was a hot, sticky, chaotic and exhausting day. We had to do two bus routes on the way home so everyone could ride more safely. I left feeling discouraged and overwhelmed but at the same time amazed at what God could do. 300 kids going away empty handed, most of them regulars BROKE my heart at its core. But seeing how many kids got to experience the LOVE that is OCC left me AMAZED at God.

This past Saturday we had backpacks round 2. I am happy to say as far as I know EVERY kid walked away with a backpack. It was HOT, STICKY, and a little chaotic still (but not as much). I saw how God just has his own timing and how He will meet all of our needs. Maybe not how we want but how He sees fit. After all He is ALL knowing, NOT us. Sometimes, He says look at my power I can bring 900 kids out to hear about my love. Then, He follows that up with LEAN into me and I will provide for all of those kids.

And look at those smiles, these are regulars that got backpacks the second time around...don't think they'll remember that they didn't get the 1st time but they WILL remember how people provided for them...how GOD provided for them

Back to life...back to reality

2009-08-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Back to school means back to bentos...which I haven't done in forever...here's a quick and easy one...pasta salad and salad...just lacking some protein...but one step at a time :)

Not Me Monday

2009-08-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

I've always loved reading "Not Me Mondays" at My Charming Kids. So here it goes my first not me post:

I most certainly did not eat steal granola off of the lunch plate of one of my preschoolers because I was STARVING and my lunch break was not for another 1.5 hours and I didn't bring any food to school. I would NEVER take food from a small child, even if she wasn't eating it.

I would never volunteer to get refill the water pitcher for my class just so I could get some left over pastry in the kitchen and leave my assistant on the playground while I enjoyed some peace inside.

I would never eat almost a half of bag of challah bread...I would certainly show some restraint, especially since the loaf of bread is our morning snack.

I would never hope that the beta fish I inherited in my class would die. I love all of God's creatures and would never want to even hurt a house fly. Even if he is almost half dead and the kids don't even notice him...no I consider him a valuable part of God's creation.

Right now they are all about school because it has been a rough start but thankful things are getting better! I know it's not where I am going to be forever but I am SO thankful I am not back at my old school and to be working with children.

Wonderful Wednesday

2009-08-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

So somethings in my life are less than ideal:

1. I'm in transition
2. My new job is ROUGH...I've never worked with this age group and they are really young and just not my ideal.
3. I'm working more hours for less money...not fun :)
4. I don't have a camera or a computer of my own.
5. I've had a lot of struggles with people in the church...but I believe that the church is a hospital...everyone there is sick in their own way...and I am choosing to think what faith lesson can I learn and move on...life's too short to live wounded

But I've come to believe lately that 95% of happiness is your state of mind. And in this phase of my life I am choosing to be happy and a lot of times that means listing my blessings because sometimes it can be hard to see the light through all of the stuff going on. That's why I want to do Wonderful Wednesday....

I wish I could make a header for this but I can't no computer= no photoshop so here is my very ghetto header

1. I have some WONDERFUL friends who are so sweet to me :)
2. I have a job when other people don't
3. I spend my Saturdays at the best possible place ... these kids saved me spiritually in a way that they'll NEVER know
4. I have this girl in my class, Hope and she adores me. She loves to hug me and hold my hand and walk around the playground. I love making her smile :)
5. I have a REALLY sweet family :)
6. I love that NCIS marathons are on all the time...it sucks me in like a vortex :)
7. I get a FREE gym membership at my new job... SWEET :)
8. I am reading this AMAZING book. I've wanted to read this book for 2 years and finally bought it with a gift card I got for my birthday. It has also sucked me in like a vortex :)
9. I love the generosity of my church...they are people who truly live like Jesus...they collect 600 backpacks for OCC in just two weeks.
10. This less than ideal job has put a fire under my butt to get where I need to belong...in the classroom :)

So what's wonderful about your life now?

I'm Back :)

2009-08-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

A lot of things have changed in my life since I stopped posting.

1. I got a NEW job! I no longer work at the crazy school. I am still teaching preschool but in a MUCH better environment. Although I REALLY miss kindergarten.

2.My brother did get married :)

3. I have added one nephew and one niece to my family :) I haven't met my nephew yet but I can't wait :) I saw my niece when she was born and it was AMAZING :)

4. Defected from my old book club because we just have different taste in books...so me and some girls started our own book club and now we have a nice size :)

5. Cut my hair short...I've had long hair for at least 7 years...can't wait to get it reshaped on Saturday...I'll post a picture then because now it is just gross.

My Brother's Wedding (part one)

2008-11-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow is my baby brother's wedding. Tonight was the rehearsal dinner. My brother is one very blessed boy. (Actually, we were all born into an awesome family) But tonight was all about Andrew and Erin. My mom graciously opened up her house to 85 people. Yup, 85 people! And most of them were from Erin's side of the family. We ate outside and it was beautiful. Here's my photomentary.

Getting ready

Look at all of the homemade rolls...YUMMY!

Some of the yummy homemade pies

This is my parent's garage that was transformed into the serving area

This is the driveway where we all ate (see the 1st picture)

Cousins Isabella and Gracie Jane meet for the 1st time

My dad giving a speech

Cutest baby ever!
All of the people
The happy couple
A.I. +E.B. (it looked better in person)

The Human Spirit

2008-11-14T14:36:00.001-08:00

I am often amazed by the power of the human spirit and how people overcome tragedy or withstand adversities that come their way. Many of you know about Ellie the strength of Ellie during her fight and her family today amazes me. Now there are some more people who are in need of prayer. Watching ER I was brought to tears once again as Angela Basset said

"When your parents are gone you're an orphan.
Spouse dies you're a widow or widower.
But when you lose your baby there's no words for that"

Wow! What an amazing statement. Losing a child is so unnatural. Parents should go first.
Melanie and Nick went through an awful struggle only to lose their precious Anna. Please go before God on their behalf and ask him to comfort them. Melanie was such a warrior for her little girl.

A lot of people have heard about Nie Nie. I love Stephanie's appreciation of the small things and how happy she was in her life. Please pray for Stephanie, Christian, and their 3 children. Stephanie's sisters have been awesome warriors on her behalf, stepping in to care for their nieces/nephew as their own.

I am not a big fan of religion or religious people. I truly believe with all my heart that the truly religious follow this verse:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father
means caring for orphans and widows in their distress
and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
James 1:27

Have a great weekend!

Some quickies

2008-11-12T18:03:00.001-08:00

I love quickies :)....quick lunches that is...since I'm a working girl who has to get up o so early I LOVE food that is healthy and quick. So here are some quickies.

Egg roll (baked, no MSG) strawberry and raspberry salad(organic)
and snap peas.

Chicken salad (veganaise, chicken, celery, and LOTS of dill)
on whole wheat with organic pears.

Organic peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat
with organic kiwi and tangerine. (sorry about the flash)

Gratitudes

2008-11-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

I try to do this every week in my journal so I thought I would start sharing my gratitudes here. It's also part of my quest to be a more authentic person :)

1. A great church where I have heard God speak to me volumes. It's not perfect.But neither am I. And I'm learning to listen to God's voice and obey and let go of what I want.

2. Even though times are tough and even though my boss is crazy I have a job. And its an awesome job. I have the sweetest classes and I love every single minute (of working with the kids) That's me being brave an holding a baby chick. (I'm scared of birds)

3. Spending every Thursday with my sister, Nick, and the cutest baby ever.

4. Having a best friend who keeps it real.

5. Realizing that no matter what I do and who I am I matter to God and He cares about me.

6. Cheap new shiny shoes. My little girls love these shoes too :)

One word meme

2008-11-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

For some reason I like these things...a lot...maybe too much...especially reading other people's

Where is your mobile phone?purse
Your hair colour? brown
Your mother? caring
Your father? kind
Your favourite thing? fries
Your dream last night? never remember them
Your dream goal? authenticity
The room you're in? comfy
Your hobby? reading
Your fear? the unknown
Where do you want to be in 6 years? house
Where were you last night? bed
What you're not? materialistic
One of your wish-list items? community
Where you grew up? safe
The last thing you did? facebook
What are you wearing? favorite dress
Your TV? addicted
Your pets? sick :(
Your computer? apple
Your mood? stressed
Missing someone? katie
Your car? blessed (to have one)
Something you're not wearing? shoes
Favourite shop? target
Your summer? birthday
Love someone? really
Your favourite colour? green
When is the last time you laughed? today
When is the last time you cried? yesterday

Young Amercians

2008-11-05T03:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was so excited on my almost hour commute I saw the longest lines to vote as the polls opened. I feel like apathy is disappearing. I was excited all day long because people were voting, even if they didn't vote for my guy. In kindergarten, we have been working on elections for over a week. Learning about the candidates, how voting works, and learning to be young Americans. We also had our own "heated" election.

The candidates : The Velveteen Rabbit: sweet, caring, and "real"
Paddington Bear: loves marmalade , lots of worldly experience

Campaign Posters and necklaces were made

Each child had a state and different electoral votes...the ballots were cast

and the winner is....

The Velveteen Rabbit...which was not my candidate but the people have spoken :)

The preschool had a less involved election...we just made posters
It was duck vs dog (see them in the background)...dog won :)

Off the farm today:)

I'm sad :(

2008-11-03T03:38:00.000-08:00

I am sad that we live in a great country and people are so ugly. It makes me more sad that a lot of the ugliness comes from Christians. Who said we had to agree on everything?

"Respect everyone, and love your
Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king."
1 Peter 2:17

Respect and love goes a long way. I heard the best message at church yesterday. What if Christian republicans/democrats said, " You know I know Susie and she's a (insert political party) and she's not so bad. In fact, she's a nice person" And we as Christians REFUSED to talk smack about the party. Disagreement is fine, being ugly goes against our core values. It goes against who Jesus is. When Jesus walked this earth he loved everyone. He sat, dined, and made friends with those were the least worthy. Today, he does the same. I am one of those...who does not deserve his love but his mercy is poured down on me. So what can I do in return... LOVE ALL

John 14:34 &35-Words from my master

"A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

I LOVE Halloween!

2008-10-31T17:21:00.001-07:00

Kindergarten theme is always "When I Grow Up" I don't like the theme but my hands are tied :( Once I changed it to "Fairytale" which I think is more creative and fun and I got in "trouble". The bad thing about my school is the principal/owner is all about tradition. I had a train engineer, business man, teacher (doesn't she look like Sarah Palin), author/ballerina (cute!), bat (I think her mom forgot...oh well) and a taxi cab driver. I was the tooth fairy. Heather do you recognize the dress? We had a lot of fun.

This is my costume for preschool dress up. The theme was Time Machine so I used a leftover Fiona costume sans ears and was a Medieval (or as the preschoolers said a mean and evil) princess!

This girl HATES costumes so she'll never get a new one. Oh how I wish she did!

My kindergartners sewed these owls. I think they are SO adorable! I think we'll be doing a lot more sewing projects. We all had a lot of fun making these!

These kids are the sweetest!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

2008-10-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

So I really wanted to go to the Obama rally today which was held like 7 minutes from my work. I don't want to talk politics or debate with anyone, but he's my boy and I wanted to see him. Sadly, work doesn't get done until 4 and shuttle service started at 1 and by the time I got off it was way TOO crowded. This is Florida and even if we are having beautiful "fall" weather my idea of fun is not standing smooshed with a bunch of sweating people who have been standing in the hot sun since 1 and didn't wear deorderant. So I did what I do every Monday and Wednesday I went to Zumba! And I got all sweaty, but I burned calories too :)

Zumba is high cardio Latin dance workout and it is SO much fun! I've done the DVDs off and on for years, but the instructor, Sharon at the Y is SO awesome! The hour goes by so quick!

Since we are learning about careers we had to make cookies in Kindergarten. Baker...career...yummiest job EVER! I found this great sugar cookie recipe. I'm not even a huge fan of sugar cookies and these were really good! Hence, another reason why I had to go to Zumba instead of Obama is I ate 3 cookies (YIKES!)

Mixing is always their favorite part :) That and
I let them taste the batter :)

And a nice end to my day was 2 great parents doing career presentations. I wish I had offspring just to put in Monica's drama class. She is so kid-friendly and high energy. And a dad who brings Universal swag isn't so bad either :)

Now I'm going to end my day with one of the funniest shows on tv....The Big Bang Theory. Seriously, this show is so great and keeps getting better. It's these nerdy scientists who live across the hall from a cute waitress wannabe actress. The interaction between the two worlds is REALLY funny! The actor who plays Sheldon is SO great that if I saw him in real life I'd have a hard time believing he wasn't this quirky guy. Tomorrow is bookclub and I'm giving away our book either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

2008-10-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend the weather was GORGEOUS! So I did one of my favorite things...went to Sea World. Clyde and Seamore make me so happy :) The only problem was it was one of the trick or treating weekends so it was a little (well maybe a lot) crowded. But all the kids in their costumes were SO adorable. They also have a new cirque show...still in the Natilus Theater but new show. I liked to the storyline better, but there was too much going on at once.

Then, I spent sometime at IKEA and Super Target. I really wanted to get this lamp but they were out :(

That just means I'll have to go back. Actually, I'm going to do a little room makeover...maybe a $200 IKEA challenge.

Congrats to KatieD she's the winner of the book giveaway. There will be another one this week.

Nights in Rodanthe GIVEAWAY

2008-10-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love books. Nothing makes me happier than a REALLY good story. A story where you feel for the characters and fall in love with them. Nights in Rodanthe is a REALLY good story. If you are a person with a decent heart you probably cried as much as me in the Notebook. Nights in Rodanthe is written by Nicholas Sparks, the same author of the Notebook.

I'm not going to give too much away, but this is the story of a mother and a daughter, father and a son, father and a daughter, and two lovers. Yeah some of these are the same people. But all of the interesting character dynamics and relationships are AMAZING! Yeah it is some what predictable at times, but it is a story of life, love, loss, and redemption. It's a book that will make you feel warm and happy, sad and tearful all in 200 short pages.

Now for some bad news...the movie is HORRIBLE...it is nothing like the book and I wanted to walk out in the first 10 minutes. But its kinda good news because I just saved you $10.

Now here is AWESOME news...I love this story so much that I want to pass it on so others can share in my love. So if you would love to read this AMAZING story just leave a comment. I'll do a drawing next week. And just for a little side note I'll be doing a book give away like every week or two so keep checking back!

Please Pray

2008-07-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

A while ago I told you about my favorite blog...well Nate and Tricia are in need of prayer. She has developed cancer on her transplanted lungs. They tried a "chemo light" and it didn't work. So now she has to go for the big stuff. Please pray for Nate and Tricia and the wisdom of the doctors. Sometimes when stuff like this happens it's hard to see where God is...when that happens I think of this song :

Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
- - -
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Win this quilt

2008-07-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

You could be the owner of this beautiful quilt. I really hope I'm the winner, but you can be too. Just go to here to enter.

Love this game

2008-06-23T05:32:00.001-07:00

Today on Google there were how to instructions on how to play MASH. I must have played this game for hours, maybe even a day or two, if you add up all the time together. In case, in your childhood years you missed out here are the instructions.

I hope you all get mansions :)

Bad Week :(

2008-06-19T16:34:00.001-07:00

So far this week my hard drive on my Mac crashed :( I have a horrible on its last leg PC that I am using. I HATE PCs :( Hopefully, I can get a good deal on a new Mac off ebay. Refrigdgerator was leaking water into the neighbors and I had to deal with my idiot landlord. That meant I couldn't cook my meals for the week when I had planned-so that has been all off. And I've lost my camera. I know its somewhere, but I have no idea where. So I can't take pictures on bentos. But on a happy note...we all thought my grandfather was on the brink of death but he seems to be making a great recovery! He is one VERY tough guy :) Well the oven is blaring at me...I have an old oven-it doesn't beep...it blairs. Hopefully, bentos will be back up next week.

PS-I changed my inspiration to green/healthy living...I'll try to put up more sites...if you have any good ones let me know.

One Word Meme

2008-06-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another site...

You’re feeling: productive

To your left: a snoring Roxie

On your mind: completing my purging (of stuff...not lunch :) )

Last meal included: Pepperoni Pizza

You sometimes find it hard to: not to buy SO many books

The weather: steamy

Something you have a collection of: shot glasses

A smell that cheers you up: my mom's cooking

A smell that can ruin your mood: eggs

How long since you last shaved: today

The current state of your hair: wavy

The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): organizers

Your skill with chopsticks: moderate

Which section you head for first in a bookstore: bargain/fiction

Something you’re craving: First Watch Blueberry Pancakes

Your general thoughts on the presidential race: We Can Do It :)

How many times have you been hospitalized this year: none

Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: outside

You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: doula

Something that freaks you out a little: heights

Something you’ve eaten too much of lately: Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Chewy Cookies

You have never: watched a Star Wars Movie (not interested)

You never want to: live where it snows

Twilight

2008-06-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This coming Tuesday I start my summer job and will resume bento postings :) Stay tuned :)

This is the second in my series of alternatives to Harry Potter. If you are a girl especially you have to read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I know it's about high school, but the series is SO addictive. It's about a girl named Bella who moves to Washington to live with her dad. Bella is typical, unassuming, and clumsy. Bella meets a beautiful boy named Edward and beautiful family the Cullens. Bella soon learns that Edward and his family are vampires. And the plot thickens and expands to 4 books (the 4th and final will be release on August 2nd). When you start reading Twilight it is a little slow, but just keep with it. If anyone local wants to borrow my copies let me know :)

Quick Review:
Stars: ***** out 5

Summary: Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy, rainy Olympic Peninsula live with her father, Charlie. At school, she meets a group of five extremely beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. She meets Edward and starts to like him. It is then that she learns their secret they are all rescued vampires. The head of the family, Carlisle, trained them to reject human prey for animals. The Cullens welcome Bella, but the family is divided when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on Bella. The Cullens must protect the fragile human in their midst.

If you like: Harry Potter, Vampires, Anne of Green Gables meets

Smut Rating: I would rate Twilight PG for the violence and high school themes. The other books I would rate PG -13 because they have a little bit more adult themes.

Best Blog EVER!!!!

2008-05-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you the best blog I have ever read. It's about a couple in North Carolina (Nate and Tricia) and their little baby Gywneth. It's isn't because of the great writing, although I think Nate writes pretty well and is even humorous. It isn't because they have ultra glamorous and chic lives. It's because daily their lives reaffirm for me the beauty of God's grace. Read this post to get caught up on everything and not have to spend hours reading to get the background, although I'm sure eventually you will. Everyday this blog brings a smile to my face :)

Please Do It-It's Free!!!!

2008-05-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Please, please, please join the National Bone Marrow Registry. It's quick, easy, and painless! And if you join through the 19th-it's free! It never costs for you to give bone marrow- the cost is with processing your kit. If you sign up online it takes about 10 minutes and then they'll send a kit to your house and you swab your cheeks with a Q-Tip and send it back to them. And best of all you could save someone's life!

This is SO me!

2008-04-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

WHITES are motivated by PEACE. They seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. To them, feeling good is more important than being good. They are typically quiet by nature, process things very deeply and objectively with great clarity. Of all the colors, WHITES are the best listeners. They respect people who are direct but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle.

WHITES need their "alone time" and refuse to be controlled by others. WHITES want to do things their own way and in their own time. They ask little of others and resent others demanding much of them. WHITES are much stronger than people think, but are not often seen for their strength because they don't easily reveal their feelings. WHITES are even-tempered, diplomatic, and the voice of reason; but can also be indecisive, inexpressive, and silently stubborn. When you deal with a WHITE, be kind, accept and support their individuality, and look for non-verbal clues to understand their feelings.

What color are you?

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-23T03:18:00.000-07:00

I know it's a tad late. I had a fun day watching the Lorax (it was perfect for the kindergarteners) and talking about helping the Earth. We made recycled crafts. In preschool we just made the bugs which are from lids to juice bottles. And the kindergarteners actually used those spoons for snack so it was true recycling. And yes I let 3 and 5 year olds use a low temp glue gun :) I squirt the glue and they place the stuff on.

Reading challenge

2008-04-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ok wow three posts in one day and NONE of them bento related :( Well right after I hit post I discovered a cool reading challenge here. And there is nothing I love more than a challenge. I am going for Quest the third. Why not? So here are my four books:

1. Mythology-undetermined yet
2. Fantasy-Peter Pan
3. Folklore-The Romance of Tristan and Iseult-Loved the movie so I am going to try to read this book
4. Fairytale- Princess Bride-I've had this book on my shelf for a long time and can't wait to read it
5. Midsummer's Night Dream

As I was making my list I realized the ones I had so far were movies so I decided to keep with that theme.

For Harry Potter Fans (part one)

2008-04-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

So if you are a Harry Potter fan and you are wondering what to read now that Harry Potter is over- I am going to offer you three choices. These books are not like Harry Potter in the sense that none of them are about kids going to magic school. All three of these books are very different in writing styles and themes. Only one of them is suitable for grade school readers. I am recommending these three books because they are 1. All of them are a series (two are trilogies) 2. All of them promote the same kind of friendship as Harry Potter 3. All of the main characters are outcasts in their own way 4. All of the books contain some kind of magical or fantasy element.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart is the story of 12 year old Meggie. I love Meggie so much because she loves books. In fact I would say she more than loves books, she adores them. Cornelia Funke's writing in this book is amazing. As it draws you in as you learn that Meggie's father Mo can read characters to life from stories. It is obvious from her writing that the author respects and adores books as much as Meggie does. She even starts each chapter out with a quote about words or books. I love this story because as they set off to find the author of Inkheart the story becomes a world within a world. The suspense in this book is from the start and keeps you going until the end. The imagery in this book is amazing and will make you excited to read the second book, Inkspell (the third is not release yet). This is by far the most magical of the three and the least realistic. A book about the occult and sorcery it is not (although the villains are pure evil).

Quick Review:
Stars: **** out 5

Summary: Meggie is a 12 year old girl who loves books and lives alone with her father Mo. When a strange visitor, Dustfinger, shows up at Meggie's house-Meggie learns that Mo can read characters to life. Mo read Dustfinger out of the story Inkheart and read Meggie's mother into the story. Mo also release Capricorn, a villain who likes to murder people. Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger and Meggie's great aunt Elinor set off on an adventure to find the author of the book Inkheart so that he might re-write the ending. On their pursuit to find the author they are hunted and captured by Capricorn's henchmen.

If you like: Harry Potter and other magical stories, The Book Thief (Meggie and Liesel are the same in some ways) , If you share a great love for books.

Smut Rating: I would rate this book a PG for the violence in this book. I would compare it to the violence in any fantasy type book. I would for sure recommend this book for grades 4 and up because Capricorn the villain is just a wee too violent for younger ones. There are also some minor cuss words in the book.

Bento Free Week

2008-04-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

So it's my Spring Break and while I've been having fun I realize that my body needs routine and I am kinda looking forward to getting back to school. I know in two weeks I'll regret saying that. So here's what I've been up to:

New Smyrna Beach
My opinion is this is the best beach in the Central Florida Area. The only down side is there isn't much beach-well there is, but no a lot of dry sitting part.

Frozen Gold
A trip to New Smyrna requires Frozen Gold. Skip the banana splits and the other stuff and just get some soft serve. My favorite is swirl. If you are a chocolate lover you could always get it dipped, but I think au natural is the best!

If you want to take some local flavor down to the beach for lunch try Heavenly Sandwiches. (Sorry for the bad picture)They have salads, wraps, sandwiches and smoothies. You can get anything to go. My advice: this place is run by true Southern beach people, which means they don't work very fast...okay they are S L O W. So make sure you aren't in a rush. Also if you are getting it to go tell them to go light on any sauce or dressing. There was way too much dressing on mine and it made my wrapper soggy :( Overall , the food was pretty good. Oh and the wraps are HUGE you could probably split one with your beach going companion.

Roxie and I have been spending a lot of time at Pawmosa Dog Park, which I think is the best dog park in Orlando, especially for small dogs. Sadly, for us there haven't been any small dogs.

My Favorite Day of the Year

2008-03-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite day of kindergarten is the Ant Picnic. We conclude our insect study with a picnic, bug hunt and lots of playing. It is at one of the BEST parks in Orlando-Langford Park. Langford Park is downtown-off Central in the Thornton Park neighborhood. It has a huge field perfect for flying kites or water balloon fights (see below). It also has a nice size gazebo perfect for eating lunch. There are two playgrounds (one is for kids under 7), large sidewalks perfect for riding bikes, covered tables and not covered tables. They even have an inside area with VERY clean bathrooms that has kids nature classes during the summer. I LOVE Langford Park! Too bad I had a cold and didn't feel to well. I had a lot of fun, but I didn't play with the kids as much as I normally do. Reminding myself-you can't be 100% all the time :)

Decorating bug boxes

Hunting for bugs-on the right one of my kids is using a bug vacuum. If you ever go on a bug hunt you must have one-even I have my own :)

Water balloon fight!!!! No getting the teacher :)

Bubbles are just so fun!

Perfect ending to a VERY fun day :)

My Week

2008-03-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

So I've been sick this past week, like cold of the century sick :( Because of my sickness I only made 2 bentos.
Contents of bento: Enchilada, orange, grapes and apple

I am really unsatisfied with so many things about this bento, but part of me needs to accept that I can do everything 100% all the time.

Contents: Tangelo, apple slices, caprese salad and lemon pepper chicken

Lesson from this bento: Don't try to be all decorative when you don't feel well. I really hate the way the lettuce looks under the chicken.

On the school front:

This week was full of lots of fun!

Super cute art work done by one of my preschoolers. I wish I could have a room FULL of children's art work.

Some of my kindergarteners really love learning to spell. I have a bunch of clip art glued on to construction paper and they practice spelling words. This is done in their free time when they could be playing toys or computer. I love kids who love to learn.

My kindergarteners are learning about insects. I had a create your own bug project. I only had two that were student done. It makes me so mad that parents don 't give their children the experience of doing their own project. How does a child learn? I could on about this subject for at least another 4,000 words. But I'll stop :) PS. This bug eats monsters :)

I Heart Popcorn Flicks

2008-03-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Once a month Enzian puts on Popcorn Flicks in Winter Park's Central Park. I love it. I bring dinner and dessert and watch a fun movie with about 300 other people. This month's movie was Casablanca. On April 1st they are showing Gigi, which I've never seen and I can't wait! If you live in Orlando or ever visit you should definitely come. It's so much fun!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

What Easter means to me:

What can take a dying man and raise him up to life again?

What can heal a wounded soul?
What can make us white as snow?
What can fill the emptiness?
What can mend our brokenness?

Mighty, awesome, wonderful
Is the holy cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life
To lift us from the fall
Mighty is the power of the cross

What restores our faith in God?
What reveals the Father's love?
What can lead the wayward home?
What can melt a heart of stone?
What can free the guilty ones
What can save and overcome?
Overcome

It's a miracle to me
And It's still a mystery
It's a miracle to me
The power of God
For those who believe

Mighty, awesome, wonderful
Is the holy cross
Where the Lamb laid down His life
To lift us from the fall

Mighty is the power of the cross

Worship You Jesus
By your wounds we are healed
By your wounds we are saved
Mighty is the power of the cross
Thank You Jesus for the Holy cross

My week:

So it was Easter week at my school. Which involves A LOT of activities. My least favorite is the Egg Hunt because my principal insists on using real eggs. This upsets me for many reasons 1. I feel it is a waste of food 2. I hate the smell of eggs, especially when they are boiling 3. I love the surprise of opening a plastic egg to see what's inside.

Another thing I like to do is make Easter bonnets for the boys and the girls. From Discount School Supply you can get HUGE coffee filters that the children spray with watercolors. Then, I tape them around their heads. (Press the filter flat so it covers their entire head, have the children hold the sides with their hands, and tape all around the head at a wide point)

The next thing we do is make Bunny Bread. It's cute and the kids love it.

The last picture is something that turned out really pretty. My younger children made stained glass eggs out of wax paper and streamers. The kindergarteners made stained glass scenes. Wax paper and cut up streamers. Their scenes were Easter eggs in grass. Trust me it looked a lot better in person :)

Pillars of the Earth

2008-03-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

There is NOTHING I love more than a good book. I have always been a fast and voracious reader since I could read. I have such fond memories of books. Every Valentine's Day my mom would give us a book for a present. I still average one to two books a week. How do I do it? I try to cut out as much television as possible. I am even in a book club, which is so much fun! Since I read so much I'm going to try and post some book reviews.

Pillars of the Earth (how do you underline on this thing?) was recommended at my book club. When the book was first explained the girl said she couldn't stop reading it and that it was one of her most favorite books. Okay, I was intrigued. Then, she said it was about Medieval Times and I was put off. When she added that it was close to 1000 pages two things happened: 1. I was put off 2. I felt challenged. So I bought the book from Amazon.

I have to say it was one of the MOST amazing stories I have ever read. Even if you are not interested in Medieval Times, like me. Pillars is a story of family, friendship, and survival. There are so many strong and likable characters, as well as, characters that you love to hate. And like the girl at book club said I could not put it down and finished the book in a week. Yup 1000 pages in a week.

And while the author does describe things he does not go into boring monologues or over describe things, which often happens in period books.

Pillars is not a recently written book...it was written in 1989 (which while some of you may like to think was recent...its close to 20 years ago). However, Pillars recently soared in fame from being an Oprah selection. The author was right in his forward...Pillars is a word of mouth book. You love it and you spread the word. And there is a "sequel". I put sequel in quotes because it takes place 200-300 years later, but the characters are related to the ones in Pillars.

Quick Review:
Stars: ***** out 5

Summary: Pillars of the Earth is about Prior Phillip's quest to build a huge Gothic cathedral in 12th century England, Tom Builder who is Phillip's architect, and Aliena a wealthy girl with a shameful secret. This epic novel is about the struggle for survival and family during a time when England was war-torn and the impact the feudal system and the Catholic church had over the people.

If you like: There is really nothing I have read like this book.

Smut Rating: I would rate this book a solid M for mature audiences. There are graphic sex scenes and disturbing scenes of violence. Although I must clarify this book is more centrally based on the struggle for survival and following dreams
then smut.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

So I'm not Irish and of all the holidays I celebrate at school St. Patrick's has to be my least favorite. The best thing for me is the leprechauns. Every year we make a leprechaun costume and a leprechaun trap. The kids usually bring things for the trap (either green, shiny, or rainbow) well this year only one kid brought something . So this year's trap is the least creative and my least favorite. It didn't help that St. Patrick's Day was on a Monday so even though they wrote messages to their parents I couldn't remind them, which helps a lot. Hey, I know parents are busy! It was still lots of fun! The leprechaun left us stickers, necklaces, Lucky Charms to do a counting activity with, and and green coins. The leprechaun costumes look super cute! Sorry for the blurred face I don't want to post my students. Tomorrow is preschool Egg Hunt!

On the Bento front: I've been making a lot of repeats for lack of recipe inspiration, but I've ordered a new cookbook so hopefully in the next week or two I'll have some new recipes...this from the girl who used to eat the same thing for a two weeks then switch...so new things every day is a change for me.

Future Starving Artists

2008-03-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

If you are in the Orlando area and are attending the Winter Park Art Festival be sure to stop by the student art exhibit, specifically tent number 9. My kindergarten students will have art work on display. And while I am not an artist, some how I have been given the ability to break down art and teach young ones how to recreate it. Here's a sneak peak of my favorite piece:

No the picture is not crooked. It is framed, but who cares about the frame. I guess this is my favorite because penguins are so dang cute and every penguin deserves an igloo, right? Here's one final sneak peak:

Now I am not a cat lover by any means, but what girl doesn't love a pink cat? Kinda reminds me of Hello Kitty. Actually, now that I think about it there is something that I really love about every piece. Maybe after the show I'll post the rest, but if I post them all now my Orlando readers will have no reason to check it out.

Now on to bento stuff. I LOVE LOVE LOVE lasagna. I didn't discover this love until around 1-2 years ago. I've always had lasagna, but was so so about it. Now my passion for lasagna runs so deep I have eaten it THREE times this week, including lunch today. So here's my lasagna bento:
Pretty easy. I think prep time was like 10 minutes (including making the salad and cutting the apple). Lasagna, mango, tangerine, apple, salad with balsamic dressing.

Caprese Chicken Bento

2008-03-12T16:11:00.001-07:00

Today's bento was not that good...I mean it was tasty, but it was rushed and I wasn't thrilled with it. So this is one from my absence. This is one of my favorite recipes and I am proud to say I invented it. I'm not claiming that no one has ever made it before I am just saying I made it up from my head. I call it Caprese Chicken. It's so easy peasy it should be criminal.

Here's what you need:
Chicken Breast
Bread Crumbs (I use Italian)
Tomato Slices (cut to fit the size of the chicken breast)
Mozzarella Cheese (sliced to fit the chicken)
Olive Oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Cut chicken breast to desired size. For the bento I cut it smaller. Pour olive oil and bread crumbs into separate cereal bowls. Dip chicken in olive oil then in bread crumbs. Place on pan lined with tin foil (makes for easy clean up). Place tomato, then cheese on top of chicken. Cook until chicken is done...maybe 20-30 minutes...maybe more depending on how thick your chicken is.

Also in this bento: Underneath the chicken is ravioli, in the bear is pasta sauce for the ravioli, green beans with balsamic dressing, grapes, kiwi, tangerine

Meet my little girl

2008-03-11T19:19:00.001-07:00

I would like to introduce my little girl, Roxie.

Roxie was a birthday gift from my siblings 2 years ago. She is half pug/half chihuahua. And I realize she is not a real person and only a pet, but for 13 pounds she has A LOT of personality.
Roxie loves going for runs and playing fetch. She is also VERY sneaky and steals markers, pens, paper towels, pencils, food wrappers. I am much better at human discipline then doggie discipline.

Roxie has very unusual eating habits. She is on a raw diet and she LOVES vegetables.
Your eyes do not deceive you. Those are peas she is eating.

The cutest thing about Roxie is her "lovies". I am a sucker for human children and their lovies. I think it is the cutest thing. Meet Roxie's 4th lovie, Bernie (The previous 3 were duplicates of the same lovie, Smokey. Smokey was a Siberian Huskey that Roxie "conquered" aka destroyed...yes all three of them in less than 2 years)

It's obvious Bernie has been loved lots and lots. The sweetest thing ever is while she is sleeping, Roxie will suck on Bernie's face. Hence, the missing face. Here's the two of them together:

So now you have meet, Roxie.

My favorite bento

2008-03-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for falling off the planet! I was sick and had to throw my sister a baby shower and then last week I was just too tired. This is one of my favorite bentos. On the left is organic yogurt (it's plain, which is for sure an acquired taste) with mangoes. I buy a HUGE bag of frozen mangoes and just plop them in the yogurt frozen.

Frozen fruit is a working girl's best bento friend. It is SO nice not to have to chop up fruit and deal with that mess. Frozen fruit is perfect for bentos whether you refrigerate or not. You can just plop them and they'll be ready by lunch time.

On the other half is cherry crepe. Ohhhhh SO delicious. It's SO easy. And crepes are a moderately healthy "pastry". With hardly any fat or sugar. To keep it healthy in a small sauce pan add whatever frozen fruit your little heart desires and put the heat on medium and "melt" the fruit. (This week I had cherry and last week I had mixed fruit, both were SUPER yummy.) You DON'T want to make a sauce. You want to keep most of the fruit "in tact", meaning only let about 1/8th-1/4th of the fruit become a sauce. To make a bento sized crepe cut the crepe in half and layer them on top of each other. This also makes your crepe extra sturdy. Also in this bento are strawberries and grapes.

Ha ha ha!

2008-02-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

Last week I was told by my principal that one of my students might be late to kindergarten because her parents were going out of town. So during free time I asked Evie about her parents being away. I said, "Evie did your parents go away?" "Well," said Evie, "they are still on this planet!! My mom just had to go with my dad on a business trip to Her-Ami!" Get it? The mom had said she was going to Miami (my-ami) Kids just say the funniest things! I love my job!

Wednesday and Thursday Bento

2008-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe I am a little obsessed with Mediterranean inspired bentos. Wednesday's bento was steak gyros, kiwi, caprese salad, green beans, and strawberries. Thursday's bento was Greek pasta salad, tomato, mozzarella, and green bean salad with Balsamic dressing, and grapes.

Here's the recipe for the pasta salad which is SUPER yummy!

You'll need:
chopped garlic
olive oil (to coat the fry pan)
1/2 box of pasta- I used whole wheat rotini
3 chicken breast-chopped
3/4 cup of Feta cheese
2/3 cup of tomatoes-chopped
Dill
Lemon

In a pan simmer chopped garlic and olive oil. Add chopped chicken and cook throughly (about 6 minutes). While you are cooking the chicken in a pot boil water. When the water is boiling add pasta. I used whole wheat rotini. Cook the pasta al dente. (If you don't know how to cook pasta-CALL YOUR MOTHER!!!!) After the chicken is cooked at the feta cheese and tomatoes and cook until the cheese is melted. While it's cooking add dill. I LOVE dill so I add a ton. After, it's all done squeeze some lemon juice over your chicken creation. I am a weekend cooker-meaning I cook on the weekend for the rest of the week-so I let it all cool down and popped in the fridge. Since there is no sauce with this, you'll need to eat it hot. If you want to eat it cold I suggest tossing with Greek dressing or making a sauce maybe with Feta cheese and tomatoes, and a tiny bit of Greek dressing. Enjoy!

Field Trip Bento

2008-02-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

So on Tuesday my class took a trip to the Orlando Science Center. This was to correlate with our unit on Space. Since I was going on a field trip and would have no morning snack and no water I wanted a lunch that was healthy and hearty. I made the most WONDERFUL salad-grilled chicken, apples, golden raisins, and walnuts topped with a poppy seed dressing. I need to find a low fat recipe for poppy seed dressing because the label has a little too much fat for my liking. Added to the salad were a blood orange, kiwi, and strawberries. YUMMY!!! This was the perfect field trip bento and provided me with the energy I needed to chaperone energetic kindergarteners. In my 5 years of teaching I have learned that on a trip the teacher is the only chaperone, no matter how many parents come.

Time out for a tip from a teacher: If you are a chaperone please remember that the teacher has spent a lot of time planning this field trip so your child can have an active learning experience. A field trip is NOT a time to chat with the other parents. Please conduct your socializing at happy hour, play dates, birthday parties, ect.

Though the science center is no MOSI it was my first time experiencing it with kids since I was a kid. It was really awesome. They have a really fun place for ages 3-8 called Kids Town that has a lot of really neat stuff that is totally kids sized and interactive and not over their heads. There was also a sports area that has the science of sports, but is totally interactive and fun. We had an awesome lab with a super instructor and 4 hands on space demonstrations. She even had a mini projector (about 2 feet in diameter) of picture number 4 so we got to learn a lot about all the planets in a 1:7 experience.

Picture one: They had a really awesome robots exhibit based on the movie robots. The best part of this exhibit for kindergarteners was make your own robot. My boys totally loved it.

Pictures two/three: They had a dinosaur exhibit. What 5 year old doesn't get blown away by seeing huge dinosaurs. They had a place to "dust" for fossils. Surprisingly, my girls loved dusting.

Picture four: A brand new exhibit is about the Gas Giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). This Earth is actually a 6 foot projector that shows surface images of all the planets. They have bleachers you can sit on to watch and learn. SO amazing!

I would have to say that my kids favorite was probably the sports room, petting a baby alligator and the hurricane experience. They have a cylinder that around 3-6 people can go in and experience 77 mile an hour winds. Since we live in hurricane central the kids really related.

Teacher tip: If you live in the Orlando area and are planning a field trip make sure you go the beginning of the week and arrive at 9. For an hour and a half we had the whole place to ourselves (OSC opens to the public at 10, but hardly any people were there until after lunch)

Monday's Lunch

2008-02-21T16:12:00.001-08:00

This is an Indian bento...and I mean Indian like Diwali day, Mumbai, and Bollywood type Indian...It's kinda an Indian flag or at least in Indian flag colors and order.

Contents of bento: star Nectarines, Tandoori chicken (hence the India theme), kiwi covered in coconut to keep the colors of the Indian flag, and peas.

The Tandoori chicken was pretty good. Here's the recipe:

In a crockpot put in the chicken breast ( I did 3) . In a small bowl add olive oil about 1/4-1/2 cup... then add 1/4 teaspoon of the following spices: tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, and paprika. Then, add 1/2 teaspoon of the following spices: curry and red pepper. Mix well then pour over chicken in the crockpot. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on low. Enjoy!

Just a little note

2008-02-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow you will see three lunchboxes...i'm too tired from my field trip to post tonight :(

Italian Bento

2008-02-16T04:36:00.001-08:00

I guess this bento has kinda an Italian flair to it. Whole wheat pasta with garlic chicken, green beans, caprese salad skewers, kiwi, Clementine orange, nectarine stars, and pasta sauce in the puppy.

Overall this was pretty yummy! Although it's hard to mess up leftover pasta! Have a great weekend see you on Monday!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T19:48:00.001-08:00

So my Valentine's Day at school was totally exhausting! In preschool we passed out valentines, make chocolate chip cookies, I received BEAUTIFUL tulips, and they finished their Valentines to their moms. It was so cute. It's picture number 5 and it's a bug and it says I'm your lovebug! Happy Valentine's Day. My Japanese student made those awesome dog origami Valentines all by himself and he's only 3!!! He's so sweet and amazing. Then, they passed out their Valentines and everyone got a TON of candy!!! In kindergarten, we made pizza, mini chocolate cakes for their moms, played outside some, and passed out Valentines. Everyone made their own Valentine keepsake book and they glued their Valentines in those. It was such a fun and fast paced day, but I am totally exhausted :( It was totally worth it when "Elle" came up to me and gave me a hug and said this is for all your hard work! AWWW!!! I also got some really sweet gifts...LOTS of candy, pretty pink towels, pretty pink mixing bowls, "pearl" earrings that are pretty cute, a nice smelling soy candle, and heart shaped post its. It was a great Valentine's Day!

Glass Container!

2008-02-14T15:44:00.001-08:00

100_0219
Originally uploaded by thebentogirl

I found this glass "bento" (it's really Pyrex) at Walmart for just under $4! I am so excited! I just eat my cold stuff first and then microwave and feel safe. And it is exactly the recommended bento size for a woman! I am SO excited. Sadly, I still haven't visited the asian stores, but I did get my big ebay box :)

Valentine Bento

2008-02-14T15:41:00.001-08:00

100_0218
Originally uploaded by thebentogirl

This is a super healthy bento! Flax seed whole wheat waffles, fat free organic Stoneyfield yogurt with mango, pineapple, kiwi, organic chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were from a mix I bought at Whole Foods. They were some of the most disgusting cookies ever. At least they looked cute in the bento! Happy Valentine's Day!

Mexican Bento #2

2008-02-14T15:30:00.001-08:00

100_0217
Originally uploaded by thebentogirl

This is Wednesday's bento and it was SUPER yummy! Mexican soup I made in the crockpot. Kiwi, mango, grapes, banana, caprese salad skewers with mozzarella bunny cheese, and green beans.

The soup is so easy. In a crockpot combine salsa, chicken broth (I prefer Pacific brand, organic, low sodium), corn, chicken breast (I put it in frozen), cumin, red pepper flakes and chili powder. How much you add of each will depend on how many people you are making it for. If you put in 32 oz of broth (which is one Pacific box) then I would do around a cup and half of salsa, 1/2 cup to 3/4 of a cup of corn, and one or two chicken breast. Then, add spices to your taste. I think I cooked it on high for around 6 hours. I know it's done when you can easily shred the chicken with your hands.

Woo-Woo

2008-02-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

I copied the owl from this bento. Hers is much better :) I don't eat eggs so I had to be creative with the eyes and my temporary bento is square and hers is rectangle. The "nest" is udon noodles and chicken, the eyes are mango, nori wings. In the bunny is organic peanut sauce. The other side is kiwi, Clementine orange, grapes and blueberries. My prep time is like 10 minutes. I cook all my meals for the week on the weekend. I have a rotating schedule so I don't eat the same thing for lunch and dinner in the same day.

I've also been really trying to expand what I eat. My first experience with udon noodles was NOT good at all. I got some from the Asian Super Duper Market (as it is called by my Asian students) and they were horrible. I found some organic udon noodles at whole foods and mixed them with peanut sauce...MUCH better!

On another note, one of my favorite bento blogs posted today about glass vs plastic. I'm glad she posted some ideas because I don't microwave my plastic. I am stopping by one of the Asian stores by work tomorrow to see if they have some glass containers (I was going to stop today but didn't want to get caught in the rain). Hopefully, they'll have something for cheap :) I don't even like to put my plastic in the dishwasher.

Tomorrow's clue: USA meets Mexico

Bento Means Cram It In There

2008-02-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

Okay after looking at a lot of different bento blogs my brain finally got it. Bento means fill every available space. So hopefully, today's bento is more bento than my previous bentos (if that makes any sense). Today's bento has mango, kiwi, grapes, rice, green beans, soy sauce in the bunny and the best steak I've ever made, but sadly forgot the recipe.

Also EVERY single container here was purchased at the dollar store!!! I am still anxiously awaiting the opening of Ichiban Kan website in April. So I can buy bento stuff for cheap, cheap, cheap! I have two more stores I am going to check out this week to see if I can find one scrap of bento stuff in Orlando.

Tomorrow's bento clue: Konnichiwa

Celebrating Chinese New Year

2008-02-09T11:52:00.002-08:00

One of the things I love about working at a secular private school is that 1. I don't have to worry about teaching to a test and 2. I get to introduce my kids to a variety of cultural experiences.

Chinese New Year is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. And every year the students really get into it. The little dragons are my preschool class. Aren't they the cutest little dragons ever? We had a lot of fun having a parade playing drums and saying Gung Hay Fat Choy...which sadly is the extent of my Chinese.

The other two are my kindergarten class who had a two day celebration (in China it's 15 days so I didn't think 2 days was too much :) ) The first day was more scholastic based...making a mini book and learning about the celebration. Day two was pure celebration. We had a chopstick race, where they had to move counters from one bowl to another, made the dragon (picture 3), made their own dragon masks like the preschoolers, and had a Chinese feast (rice, tea, mandarin oranges, ramen noodles and fortune cookies. I am really proud of the kids they tasted everything and most of them discovered they really liked it, especially the noodles and oranges :)

Every year I made a dragon dancer and every year after the parade the kids play with the dragon for almost an hour. Proving once again that handmade things go a lot farther than technology with kids. And what is better than kids playing and laughing outside? Nothing :)

Happy Year of the Rat

2008-02-09T11:52:00.001-08:00

chinese bento
Originally uploaded by thebentogirl

In honor of Chinese New Year I had Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad with oranges (dressing in the bunny). I made a rat with nori and banana, some oranges, and topped it off with a fortune cookie...which I know are not Chinese and more Chinese-American.

Mexican Bento

2008-02-07T15:02:00.001-08:00

Meixcan Bento
Originally uploaded by thebentogirl

This is a Mexican Bento...adobo flavored grilled chicken (one is a bunny :)) homemade pico de gallo...bunny and chick cheese...homemade "mexican rice" flavored with chili pepper, red pepper and cumin...pretty kiwi, orange, and pineapple. It was VERY yummy :) Tomorrow's bento: Gung Hay Fat Choy :)

My first bento part 2

2008-02-06T19:02:00.001-08:00

medbento2
Originally uploaded by kelleyirv

I forgot to add that there is also rice-(basil and something else...i forget) yes I am making myself eat rice because it's very Japanese and very healthy. Now all I need is some nori so I can make my rice into cute faces.

My First Bento!

2008-02-06T19:00:00.001-08:00

medbento
Originally uploaded by kelleyirv

Okay I hope my mom has my baby book out because here is my very first bento! I spent WAY too much money ordering bento stuff off ebay but it's coming from Japan so while I wait I am using stuff I picked up at the dollar store. This bento has a Mediterranean theme. Caprese salad (cute little mozzarella bunnies) inside the pink bunny is the dressing. Then, some not so Mediterranean fruit-kiwi and bananas. Part two is dill chicken for the chicken gyros, hummus with pita triangles and bunny pitas (so cute!!! i could just eat the little boogers...oh wait i did :) ) and gyro sauce. Hasta manana (that's also a clue about tomorrow's bento)

What is Bento?

2008-02-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

Bento is a Japanese word. Basically, bento is a home packed lunch or take out box. But like a lot of Japanese things bentos are more artistic and aesthetically pleasing than typical American brown bags. This is my journal of my attempt at bentos. Since I am not a seafood eater, my bentos will contain more "American " food, but I hope they are just as pretty.