Bento Bento

Now that Emilia is in school, I've had several discussions with co-workers about the little details that I never thought about. Apparently every single item that Emilia brings to school needs to be labeled if we want to ensure that we get it back. Yes, EVERYTHING. Socks, shoes, eating utensils, undies, hair clips, etc. The other thing that I've learned is that if I pack too much food with too many choices, she will not eat. Also, kids don't want to be different and she has been asking for the types of food that the other kids are eating - sandwiches. Yikes! What's a health-nut mom suppose to do?! And hence my new obsession... bento-ing. In fact, it's so darn cute I may just have to bento for myself too. Yup.. this parenting thing introduces me to a whole new world of activities to try in my not-so-free-time.

OKay, so my creations are not as good as the book.. but not bad for starting out...

This is a caterpillar (in case you couldn't tell.. =P )

On a side note, I came across this recent article in the Washington Post that analyzes school lunches in the US in comparison to that of Japan.