Back to School

Registering the girls for school this year was a chaotic process.  I probably shouldn’t expect any less, but I guess I was being optimistic that it would be a smooth transition.

Meet the Teacher Night for the elementary school was while I was in NY, and Aaron didn’t go.  Not that I blame him, first of all he was working nights, so the evening it took place he was at work.  Secondly, I’d have felt like a weird creeper if I were a man going to open house with no kids.

The the kids and I went over to the school several days before it started.  I was hoping to register the girls and get all the paperwork out of the way if at all possible.  We were told to come back on the first day of school to enroll them.  OK, no big deal.

The first day of school we show up and wait around for ages in the office, while people came in and out.  I told the lady at the front desk why we were there when we arrived, and she ducked into an office.  25-30 minutes later, someone else came out and asked me why I was there.  I told her.  She points to another lady at a desk to the side of the front desk who was chatting with a cafeteria worker the entire time I was there.  Because of how small the office was, I can assure you this was not an important school-related discussion.

Another 15 minutes goes by and they wrap up their conversation and decide to help me.  Now, before I go on, I want to remind you that I have all four kids with me in this tiny office, and let you know that that there is a sign out front:

I probably don’t have to tell you how frazzled I was at this point or that I had absolutely no patience left.

When I finally talk to the woman who is to enroll my girls, she hands me two giant folders of papers, one for each kid- that need to be filled out before they can attend.  I KNEW I needed to do something like this to register them!  That’s why I tried to go BEFORE school started.

Then there was the storm, and with it power outages.  We live just a couple blocks from the school and I believe they were affected for almost as long as we were.  I know for a few days it was closed, and then they had a two hour delay for at least one day.  Then there was Labor Day weekend.

BUT school is now in session and in full swing, so here is my official, albeit late, ‘First Day of School’ post!

Lili’s first day of 4th grade………..Mia’s first day of 1st grade

The girls both like their new school, and even knew some of the kids in their classes already.  There are several little girls in the neighborhood in Mia’s class, and a girl Lili’s played with on the playground in hers.
lunchday1I packed their lunches, like always.  They are using their Easy LunchBoxes again, but I did get them new SIGG water bottles this year.  We went to the commissary the day before and I let the girls pick what they wanted in their lunches.  They had bologna & cheese sandwiches that I cut with a puzzle sandwich cutter, carrots and dip in the small container, Teddy Grahams and yogurt covered raisins, a frozen Go-Gurt, and a little gummy candy.

The boys REALLY miss the girls while they are at school all day.  And I really miss the extra hands!  We have yet to get into a good routine, but I’m sure it will happen soon.  They get very excited to pick their sisters up each afternoon.

This is getting long, and I haven’t even touched on the hair dying adventures of the night before school started… I’ll save that for another entry!

Ryan helping Lili with her things after the first day of school.


Bento Oct 4 – 13

October 4:

For the girls:
Turkey & cheese sandwich with fruit strip butterflies, trail mix, chocolate covered sunflower seeds and a Halloween sugar cookie, frozen peas and corn and half of a hard boiled egg shaped like a bunny and dipped in soy sauce.

October 8:

For the girls:
The girls have salads with carrots, cheese and croutons.  Ranch in the little containers.  Applesauce in the lidded section, turkey on the picks, and veggie wheat thins… all in their new Sassy containers.

October 12:

For the girls:
The girls have salads with ranch, biscuit pizzas, fruit snacks and a Halloween cookie.
Recipe for the biscuit pizzas here.

October 13:

For the girls:
Crust-less PB&J decorated with fruit strips, Goldfish crackers, and a few chocolate covered sunflower seeds and tropical trail mix.


Bento: Sept 26 – 30

September 26:

For the girls:
Egg salad in a whole wheat mini pita, Baby Bel cheese, carrots, and ranch in the dip container.
In the side car, a cream filled cake, vanilla yogurt covered raisins, raisins, and banana chips.

For Aaron:
Car shaped hard boiled egg, mini turkey pepperoni, carrots.
Two mini whole wheat pitas stuffed with egg salad, Baby Bel, ranch in the dip container.
Yogos, candy pumpkins, and Fritos.

September 27:

The girls have a whole wheat bagel with honey nut cream cheese, half of a hard boiled egg, string cheese, candy pumpkins, Wheat Thin Stix, fruitt snacks, dried apricots, cashews, and raisins.

Aaron also has a whole wheat bagel with honey nut cream cheese, cashews, candy pumpkins, peppered turkey, two hard boiled eggs, string cheese, two mini cupcakes, dried apricots and Yogos.

September 29:

The girls each have half of an egg salad sandwich with fruit strip decorations, Goldfish crackers, Baby Bel cheese, Mandarin oranges, a mini cupcake, vanilla yogurt covered raisins, and Wheat Thin Stix.

Aaron has an egg salad sandwich with fruit strips as decoration, Baby Bel cheese, Mandarin oranges, mini turkey pepperoni, Goldfish crackers, cashews, and a cupcake.

School has already been canceled for tomorrow because of flooding, and Aaron doesn’t work, so no lunches will be made tonight :)


Yet another update to the Bento Giveaway!

The response to my Bento Lunch Giveaway has been overwhelming!  I love you guys!  I’ve added a couple more items to the loot- go check it out!

I’ve also added another way to enter to win, so you have even more chances!


Bento: Sept 20 – 22

September 2o:

Aaron’s:
Ranch in the dip container, carrots
YoGos, candy  pumpkins, dried apricots, banana chips.
Blueberry bagel with honey nut cream cheese, goldfish, veggie wheat crackers, mini turkey pepperoni and a cheese stick.
I also sent him with strawberry yogurt and a Reese’s Peanutbutter Cup.

For the girls-
Blueberry bagel with honey nut cream cheese, carrots, mini turkey pepperoni, cheese stick, veggie wheat crackers, gold fish, vanilla yogurt covered raisins, dried berries, dried apricot, banana chips, candy pumpkins.

Also, but not shown, a frozen Go-Gurt.

September 21: Bento by Insomnia

In addition to packing lunches in the middle of the night, I also boiled up a dozen eggs and turned half into egg salad and put the other 6 into my egg molds for future lunches…

Aaron’s lunch has two PB&J flowers decorated with fruit strips that I cut out… it’s supposed to be a car driving in the sun with the little exhaust smoke out the back and a forest.  He also has goldfish, cashews, YoGos, candy pumpkins, banana chips, and dried apricot in the smallest section and cheese stick slices, mini turkey pepperoni and carrots in the last section.

The girls have PB&J decorated with fruit strip cutouts, goldfish, sliced cheese stick, a pumpkin candy, cashews, mixed dried fruit, banana chips and yogurt covered raisins.  Under the sandwiches is a granola bar to hold the one side up on an angle.

September 22:

For lunch tomorrow, Aaron has a sliced apple, turkey and muenster on a sandwich thin, mini turkey pepperoni, a cheese stick, carrots and a hard boiled egg shaped like a fish.  The sandwich  is supposed to be a butterfly, but it’s pretty pathetic!

The girls have a granola bar, half of a bologna & cheese on a sandwich thin, a few pieces of Aaron’s string cheese, half an apple sliced up, carrots, and half of a bunny shaped hard boiled egg.