November 25-29 lunches

Back to school this week. The break was fun but it's time to get back to our routine, and that morning alarm. So what's for lunch? I got some new cookie cutters this week, and new Americolor markers to play with too.

Monday - Dave our Minion Elf on the Shelf - Ham and cheddar sandwich, green fruit roll up jumper, fruit leather goggles, babybel cheese hat. Surrounded by Captain Crunch cereal...because that's where he was hiding this morning in the cereal box on the table after writing I love you on the monkeys place mats in cereal.

Tuesday - Green monkey requested Fix it Felix Jr. from Wreck it Ralph...I can't draw at all so  I tested out a technique I saw on Pinterest for decorating cakes using a coloring page and wax paper...but I did it the lazy way. Basically I pulled up a free coloring page on my laptop, held up a piece of wax paper, traced it with the Americolor writers, slapped a piece of cheese on it, and it transferred the outline to the cheese then I just colored them in and cut them out. Felix is in front of a turkey Apartment building sandwich and holds his golden hammer. As a treat I took a candy bracelet from their Halloween stash and cut a salt water taffy in half to make a candy medal. Served it with strawberries and Salad and he loved it.

Blue Monkey wanted Ralph so I used the same technique to trace and transfer, color and cut. I cut one cucumber with a star and used it in his to hold the ranch dressing and the other went to the other lunch as he didn't want dressing on his.

Moey's Heart & Hearth has a great tutorial doing this for cakes. I just simplified it since I was working with markers not icing.

Wednesday - Robot Squirrel and the Monkeys lunch - I found a squirrel cookie cutter at that bake shop, and since he was too tired to request a theme I self indulged and made us. Veggie straw tree, turkey and cheese monkey and squirrel. Chocolate dipped fall peep, grapes and cucumber slices for a nice fall lunch.

Thursday - Frosty the Snowman - We haven't even watched it yet this year but since he unpacked the window decals Green Monkey requested Frosty. So Let it snow here we go...Turkey and cheese Frosty sandwich, with carrot stick nose. I ended up using decorating gel for the hat to get a dark black. I dusted the lunch box in powder sugar and added mini marshmallows. The snowkids are cheese sticks and pretzels. Carrots and strawberries with a little sugar on the berries. The marshmallow snowman dessert has mini chocolate chip buttons and gummy mittens on pretzel arms and fruit strip scarf.

 Green Monkey drew on the green scarf on his own sandwich. I love it when he helps out and gets excited about the details.

Mommy's Lunch - A Christmas Story is my favorite Christmas movie and I couldn't in good conscience send this to school with a 5yo...so I made myself a fun lunch.A top a tuna salad (my usual go to lunch) Fra-gee-lay pretzels, stamped bread title using cookie cutter and food gel, and two cheesed the leg lamp.

 

Popped in my movie, and enjoyed a little Ohh...FFFFFFudge for dessert. I may need to start making myself a pretty lunch once a week, why should they have all the fun ;)

I hope you all had a fun week!

Dave - An Unexpected Elf Journey : Part 1

Thanksgiving is done and so on we trot to the next holiday...Christmas. I know it's still November and usually I don't even think Christmas until December 1st....I like to give each holiday their fair turn. But as most of our family was together for Thanksgiving and won't be for Christmas we kind of sprinkled it in and began Thankmas. The day after Thanksgiving Dave our minion elf returned from the North Pole to watch over our boys for Santa.

A little elf history. I had seen many many Elf on the Shelf posts on Facebook and Pinterest, and thought they were funny, but kind of expensive for a 6" doll and a book for ~$30. It's a relatively new tradition where a scout elf reports back to the North Pole each night so Santa knows if you've been naughty or nice each day. Then you find him or her in all kinds of crazy situations in the morning. So last year while leaving the grocery store I played one of those claw machines for 50 cents and actually won. But not just any toy, a Despicable Me minion in an elf costume.Now this version I could totally see causing some mischief in our house. We watched the Elf Story on CBS together as a family and then the next morning they met Dave our Minion Elf. We all love Dave, the monkeys can't wait to find him, and between me and pinterest he gets into some funny situations.

Day 1 - Welcome back breakfast
Our thoughtful elf made breakfast, hot cocoa with marshmallows with fun crazy straws, and red and green waffles with trees or swirls, sprinkles, and powdered sugar. He also gave each child a notebook with a little pen so they could write down what they want to ask Santa for this year.

 Dave of course got thirsty and hungry so he drank his cocoa and saved a waffle for himself.

Day 2 - Locked out!
Poor Dave forgot his magical key, and he didn't want to get all dirty going down the chimney because he was carrying a very special package from Santa. So he rang the doorbell like crazy until all 3 kids came running down the stairs to answer the door. Covered in snow from the North Pole he brought a gift, inside were a set of Angry Bird Christmas PJs for each of them.

Day 3 - Graffiti 
It's hard being good all the time, especially for an elf. Looks like he got a hold of the kids markers and had some fun with their pictures.

Day 4 - Cereal Offender
Dave left a little message in their cereal. What a nice gesture to send them back to school after Thanksgiving break.
* Bonus feature, I also themed green monkey's lunch featuring Dave so he could bring him to school and show his friends.

Day 5 - Bending Space and Time
Our little whovians were most pleased to find Dave had his very own TARDIS and it was here! Dave dressed up in a very nice bow tie, because bow ties are cool. He rappelled down a cord as the TARDIS was having trouble landing.

To make the TARDIS I covered a shoe box that conveniently had been sitting next to my couch since ... ok awhile, covered it in blue construction paper. Printed up some police box signs and with some glue and scotch tape a TARDIS was born. The monkeys loved it so much it is still hanging from the ceiling fan and Green monkey has requested to save it for his birthday party. They even equipped it with a hanger so he can get out easier on a zipline.

I wonder what Dave will do next?

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving shared with friends or family and a large feast. We had a fun filled week at my brother's house. Of course what kind of Aunt would I be if I hadn't played with his food at least once....

So we made Turkey PB&J sandwiches, yes I know I made a turkey last week, this one is different and I made one for each ...technically 2 for my nephew as he did not want peanut butter just jelly...and yes I did ask him first but he wants to be like is cousins.

Next came the confectionery assortments for our family Thanksgiving feast. I made the oreo turkeys and Pilgrim hat cookies we tried last week, with the help of my nephew and mother. My brother then got my 2 monkeys and mother to help him make turkey cake pops.

For the tutorial on how to make the turkey and pilgrim cookies go back one post. For the cake pops, he bakes a cake (any cake mix will do) crumble that up, add half a can of frosting, and roll into balls. Next melt some baker's chocolate or almond bark and dip. Now they are ready to decorate for our turkeys we used candy corn, sprinkles, and a flattened tootsie rolls for wings. delicious and adorable. My brother is the cake pop king, it's just not a party without them.

Thanks to Daily Messes for the great idea for a turkey fruit bowl. I had a small watermelon and wanted to make it fun and this was perfect. He had a waddle...but tiny hands snitched it before I got a picture of it.








We also did one craft project, a place mat with our little turkey, pilgrim, and Indian.

Oh ad the background is the extra cool table cloth I found at Walmart for our kids table at Thanksgiving...all kinds of activities kept them busy so adults could actually eat their dinners :).

A great week off school spent with family and friends...now what to make for tomorrow's lunch?

A week of Thanksgiving

I hope everyone enjoyed the BBF - What are you thankful for blog hop yesterday. If you missed it please go back one post and click through those fabulous lunches. I am so thankful to have been accepted into this group. They are a wonderful, creative, witty group of bento-ologists :) I am thankful for all of them and the inspiration they have given me.

This past weekend I sat the monkeys down and asked them each what they were thankful for, we wrote them down on a feather then attached them to a turkey mad from their hand prints.

 Green Monkey's answers in the order he thought of them.

Blue Monkey's answers in the order he thought of them.

We also found a great tutorial on Our Best Bites for turkey and pilgrim cookies and had to test them before Thanksgiving. Adorable and delicious, as long as you use a little patience to let the frosting set up they are really easy too.

Monday - We kicked off our last week of school before Thanksgiving break with a Gobble gobble gobble Turkey lunch. 

Turkey with cheddar and monterrey jack cheese, apples (I thought of carving them into a bird like I did for pirate day but only after I had sent him off to school), and a Turkey cookie for dessert. The cookie/candy turkeys were a huge hit.

Tuesday - And who was thankful for that turkey...the Pilgrims of course. Normally I make 2 lunches on tue/th but this week the monkeys have their Thanksgiving feasts and Blue monkey had his today so I ate with him at school.

Wednesday - Another of my favorite childhood memories is watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles M. Schulz every year. So Here's snoopy serving the fun feast.

Thursday - How did those pilgrims get here? Well on the Mayflower of course! Blue monkey's lunch is a turkey and cheese mayflower with pretzel and monterrey cheese sails, carrots and grapes, and an oreo turkey cookie. Green monkey had his Thanksgiving luncheon today so we get to have lunch together at school.

Friday - Last but not least the Pilgrims enjoyed food due to the kindness and generosity of the Indians. Let us be kind to one another at all times, not just during the holiday. Turkey and cheese Indian, fruit leather hair, almond nose, candy eyes, cheddar and monterrey jack cheese headdress, surrounded by cornucopias of food (bugles), apple slices, and an oreo turkey dessert.

All month we have been thinking of things we are thankful for, and on facebook I post a new reason daily. Some are funny, some are sentimental, but the truth is I am thankful every day. I have a wonderful family. I am blessed to have this time with my children....yes even when they drive me nuts. We have everything we need and most of what we want. I am thankful for good friends both online and in real life who help me navigate this crazy parenting roller coaster. So to everyone in my life I want to say Thank you as i would not be as happy or fulfilled as I am without each and everyone of you.

Have a great Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful and kind year-round.

What Are You Thankful For Bento Hop

Bento Bloggers & Friends Thanksgiving Hop - What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for many things, but the most thankful for my family. I love sharing my favorite childhood memories with them. 

So last week we visited the land of Oz. One of my most treasured Thanksgiving memories is watching this movie every year, and now I'm sharing that experience with my monkeys. Reading The Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum with them is priceless. Below is the Cowardly Lion lunch I did for Green Monkey. To check out the rest of their friends along the yellow brick road, check out last week's post here.

  Courage pretzels, Ham and cheese cowardly lion sandwich, grapes and PB celery spelling out Oz.

My second favorite Thanksgiving movie is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles M. Schulz. So this week I made Snoopy serving the Peanuts gang Popcorn, Pretzels, Jellybeans, and 2 pieces of buttered toast (Leftover turkey and cheese sandwich). Snoopy is a turkey and cheese sandwich with a cute pilgrim cookie hat. A friend directed me to a great tutorial on Our Best Bites, they are so adorable and delicious I couldn't help but make a batch.

*Bonus points when green monkey came home from school he said, "Guess what we watched at school today momma? The Charlie Brown show" Score one for me and lucky timing.

This wonderful group of  bloggers have come together to bring you a taste of Thanksgiving to inspire you for next week's lunches. By clicking the link below you'll continue your journey on to Feeling a little lunchy, once you check out her lunches keep clicking through the blogs until you come full circle to where you started. I am honored and thankful to be participating in my very first hop with these wonderful, creative, and artistic, bento friends.

 

Feeling a little Lunchy

November 5-8

Halloween is officially over and so it's time to be Thankful for all we have and who we have to share it with. We recently picked up The Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum through the Kohl's Cares program. I have watched it every year since I can remember at Thanksgiving. I can't wait for it to come on and watch it with my boys. This week we're visiting our friends in Oz....ok and we snuck in a Batman but big green Monkey had asked for him a few thousand times so what can I do but spoil him rotten :)

Monday - Batman - I know he's not in the Wizard of Oz but to be fair they hadn't started reading the book until Monday night and he had been wanting Batman for a long time. PB&J Batman and Bat sandwiches with fruit leather mask. B M cantaloup, and salad with Monterrey cheese action bubbles on top.

Tuesday - We began reading The Wizard of Oz last night. Today I sent both monkeys off with Ham and cheese Toto and Dorothy at the farm house as the twister gets closer.

Wednesday - The first friend she meets is the Ham and Cheese Cowardly Lion who just needs some pretzel courage. The grapes and PB celery are spelling out OZ.

Thursday - We meet 2 more friends along the yellow brick cheese road today green monkey will open his lunch to find the turkey and cheese Scarecrow and a broccoli forest. I also made apple and marshmallow smile, missing a few teeth he lost tooth #4 yesterday and we had a visit from good our favorite tooth fairy.

Little blue money  will open his lunch to meet the turkey and cheese Tinman on the cheddar yellow brick road with grapes and PB celery OZ.

Our Toothfairy tradition is to have him write a note to the tooth fairy, tuck it with his tooth (cleaned and in a baggy) into the yoda tooth pillow I made and hang it on his door. So much easier to do the exchange this way. Then Tooth fairy comes and makes the exchange leaving behind fairy dust covered tooth receipt, letter, and $1.

The first tooth was $5 he and his brother had been fighting in the grocery cart, and the little guy won pushing him overboard and landing face first on the concrete. As he was only 4 and his adult teeth were nowhere near ready to come in we opted to have him wear a partial until his first baby tooth fell out on its own. We were unprepared for the 1st tooth fairy visit, so we just put it in the plastic tooth chest the dentist gave him, tucked it under his pillow, and swapped it for a 5 dollar bill once he was asleep.

A full year later on the 4th of July, he lost his 1st bottom tooth eating an ear of corn. She came to visit a little late because fairies don't' work on holidays ;) but the sparkly pinterest tradition was born. The next bottom tooth wasn't far behind and he wiggled it out 2 weeks later. Last night his front incisor, already wiggly, fell out when he bumped his face on his Ironman mask while climbing into my chair for an afternoon nap.

I found a great tooth pillow tutorial on mmmcrafts then used my imagination and embroidery machine to make his into Yoda.

Next we needed the paper goods so again searched pinterest for something clever and found the tooth fairy receipt by Scrappin' with my bug.

Then the glue stick and glittered money and letter and just wrote our own using these free printables as inspiration.Some use hairspray and I find it let's go too quick, but then I don't have mega hold hairspray so it may work for you. I prefer glue sticks because I can't draw and then sprinkle the glitter and shake well in a gallon sized ziplock bag, no mess I mean evidence :)

He loves the fairy dust and has tried to fly jumping on his bed or off the couch, hey at least he can't get on the roof right? So now he has decided to start collecting all fairy dust items in a jar until he can gather enough to fly.

When I was growing up mom made us each a pillow with a pocket for our tooth, then in the morning we'd find it replaced with a quarter. My how inflation has gone up :)