Bento-ware

I'm certainly not leading the way in living an eco-friendly lifestyle, or in preparing my family healthy, organic meals. But something I AM good at is taking baby steps. My kids prefer crackers and cookies over carrots and tofu (and I kind of prefer them myself). But for every fruit loop Anna eats, she balances it with a broccoli floret. We're getting there!

I recently found Bentobloggy (thanks Heather!), and am totally inspired to get creative with my kids' meals. I love how her presentation makes asparagus look downright tempting. And check out her collection of picks - forks are for suckers! Holly would go to town with this stuff. I just need the willpower to serve them with cheese and spinach ravioli instead of chicken nuggets...

And for an adult meal (yes, I still make 2, sometimes 3 meals for dinner...baby steps...) I will definitely be trying this Stuffed Chicken Valentino.

One of my favorite things about serving food bento-style is that it encourages sustainability. We're trying to create less waste and use fewer disposable items, and this offers some kid-friendly ideas. Holly uses the Laptop Lunchbox for school, which helps me make her well-rounded meals while eliminating the need for a ton of Ziploc bags and individually wrapped items.

My other favorite thing - it's really, really cute.

Where My Kids At?

Welcome to my world.

Happy Days

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This makes me laugh...

Holly Visits the Dentist

There's a pretty important event that I've been putting off for a while now. The American Dental Association recommends that children visit the dentist by one year of age. Holly is 3 1/2, and has never been to the dentist. Have I mentioned that she was born with a tooth? Yeah, I know, not getting Mother of the Year for that one.

But here's my rationalization... 1) Holly is nervous around new people 2) Holly is even more nervous when her space is invaded 3) Holly is in near panic attack mode when new people invade her space. Not to mention the fact that she has what I consider a rather normal fear of doctors and machines that spin and buzz - especially in her mouth while a giant light blinds her sweet, sensitive eyes (I don't think her eyes are actually sensitive, but didn't it make you go "Aw!"?).

So, my plan has been to brush her teeth as thoroughly as I can and pray for the best. Until she turns, maybe, 10. Just kidding. Sort of.

But then she had to go and fall on her top front teeth a few weeks ago. After a day or two of extreme sensitivity, they seemed fine. Until they started turning a lovely shade of gray. I realized that she had injured them and that they were at best bruised, and at worst, dying. Ugh. Time to make the call...

I'm super picky about dentists, and it seems that Holly will be as well. She insisted it had to be a girl dentist. So I found a "girl" that came highly recommended, and called yesterday. They were able to get her in at 10 this morning. Score 1 for the dentist.

We walked in and saw a marker board with all today's patients' names written in really fun colors on a big marker board. Holly loved seeing her name on the board. Score 2.

The movie Cars was playing in the waiting rooms. 3.

The movie Cars was playing on the ceiling above the exam chair. I'm losing count.

There was an aquarium across from the exam chair and huge picture windows overlooking some woods to the side. Holly loved it.

The hygienists were wonderful, taking lots of care and time with Holly, never pushing her beyond her comfort zone. They explained everything, even trying the instruments out in her hand before putting them in her mouth. Holly, who I was expecting to have to sedate, was awesome. They gained her trust quickly, which says a lot. She walked out with 2 stickers, a bouncy ball, and a new Winnie the Pooh toothbrush. Holly racked up. The best part? When she got in the car and said, "I'm so proud of myself!"

And the top teeth should be just fine - we just need to watch for infection, and they should return to normal over time.

So maybe all along, I was the nervous one and Holly would have been just fine. I don't know. I'm just glad we got this first visit down - x-rays and all - and I have a feeling we'll both be looking forward to the next one.