Sunday, February 11, 2007

Bento-riffic!




I discovered bento some time ago. I love making them for my two boys. Even at 20 months, Monkey appreciates his little lunch. He opens it slowly and stares at it for a few moments. Then he turns those big brown eyes on me and gives me a grin that stretches from here to Mississippi. B loves his as well. If I have a lazy day and pack him a sandwich, he meets me in front of school downcast. He then spends the ride home waxing poetic about the joys of hot dog sushi.

I never understood how people are too busy to do things such as this. I work, I keep my house reasonably clean, I cook every meal we eat. No convenience food, rarely eating out, everything from scratch the hard way. I have my garden though right now it is still winter and most of my gardening time is staring longingly at seed catalogues. We visit parks, mountains, farms, cities, towns, oceans, lakes and anywhere else one can imagine as often as we can. Yet I still usually have more hours in the day than things to do. Not always, harvest time is back to school time and visit the upick farm time as well. Winter is mellow, even the Christmas season, which I think is because we don't overdue Christmas and the majority of our gifts are purchased or made several months in advance. Spring is a bit busier. School plays and activities are taking up an evening a week, planting time, cleaning up everything from winter, but still I have 30 minutes to devote to a special lunch and an hour to devote to myself. Summer is fun, except for the 5 days in July when we hang out at the kid's free park in the mall all day because we don't have AC and it is HOT in that house. We would plan a vacation for that week, but the garden wouldn't survive. With no school B helps out alot and we have plenty of time to enjoy the long days and short nights.

I am very lucky to lead the life I do and I am thankful for it most times, but sometimes I wish for a bit more, and others I wish for a bit less. Thank all the faeries and pixies, deities and sprites, that I have the will and ability to choose my own life 99% of the time.

2 comments:

Judypatooote said...

What a nice post.....you sound like a special mom....a couple of my daughters always made lunches special for their kids....I remember slipping a note in my grandsons lunch one time, he was probably in the 2nd grade, and it said, "Love YOu honey bug"....and one of his friends seen it, and made fun of him....so I guess that is a no no.....only 2nd grade, hummmmmm.....but those special creative touches are great and what a great memory for your kids.... judy

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