This week was a bit strange for us, so I did my best to keep Wyatt’s lunches simple. Tuesday was his first day back at preschool after a two week break and it was also the day our new baby was due. Not knowing exactly when I would go into labor, I tried to make Wyatt’s lunch in advance each night so his aunt and uncle wouldn’t have to worry about it if they got a call to come over in the middle of the night.

Since Tuesday was Wyatt’s first day back at preschool after his time off, so I decided to keep his lunch pretty simple and full of his favorites. There were blueberries, of course, chicken-apple-gouda sausage with catsup for dipping and half of a hamburger bun.

Wednesday, Wyatt really, really wanted me to send broccoli in his thermous so he could run fast and jump high at preschool. He had actually asked for it on Tuesday too, but we were out! Needless to say, when your 3-year-old is begging you to put broccoli in his lunch, you make a trip to the store to get some. The rest of the lunch consisted of: farmer’s market strawberries and raspberries, low-fat salami and saltines. I put the berries and salami together the night before, then added the saltines and heated the broccoli up in the morning. By the way, he only ate about half the broccoli. I still count that as a success.

Thursday I basically sent the same lunch as the one Wyatt took to school on Tuesday. More blueberries (frozen when I put them in the box) with a strawberry for color, chicken-apple-gouda sausage and a hot dog bun.

Friday’s lunch was also a repeat: Strawberries and blueberries, pretzel thins and salami.

No baby yet! But he should be here by the end of next week.

Yessiree Bob! I am super duper pregnant. Tomorrow is my due date, in fact.

I’ve been hecka sick with a head cold for the last three days. Saturday I was so miserable that I barely left my bed all day. I’m definitely feeling better today, but I’m hoping this kid holds off a few days longer before he decides to come so I can make a full recovery. I can’t imagine trying to do labor and delivery all stuffed up and coughing like I have been.  I’m thinking Thursday would be good….

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

A few weeks ago, on the way home from work, I heard this story about hanging laundry out to dry. I thought it was an interesting story over all, but the part that really struck me was the second half of the piece where they discuss how millions of Americans are banned from hanging their laundry out to dry by their homeowners associations because it looks “low class” and it’s “unsightly.”

Unbelievable.

I’ve written about hanging laundry out to dry before but that was before I fell totally and completely in love with it, so I think the time is right for me to write about it again.

I love hanging our laundry out to dry.

I love it.

I find it to be calming and pleasant and almost meditative.

I love being outside in the fresh air and sunshine when I’m doing a chore that should be drudgery.

I love the system I’ve worked out with the best way to hang each type of clothing. Shirts are hung upside down so that there aren’t clothes pin pinches at the shoulders. Socks are hung by the toes so the elastic doesn’t stretch out.

I love giving each damp item a sharp snap to get the wrinkles out before I hang it. And I love that when I pull the clothes off the line they don’t need to be ironed. And don’t forget that fresh, clean smell.

I love that we save money on our electricity bill. That it usually takes less time to dry a load on the line than it does in our dryer. I love that it’s green.

I love the connection it makes me feel to the past. Whenever I hang clothes it makes me think of my grandma doing the same thing 50 or 60 years ago and all the other women who have hung laundry through the years. And though I know they would likely envy my electric dryer — especially in the winters and on rainy days — I kind of think that maybe this was one chore they didn’t mind so much because I don’t mind it so much myself.

And I love how it looks. I love to see the clothes drifting up and down in the breeze. I love how our porch feels like a cozy little room when we hang up big sheets and towels that make “walls” (as Wyatt calls them).  I love hanging like items up all in a row (yeah, I know it’s compulsive — I’m like that) and how it looks neat and orderly. I love seeing my family’s clothes hanging up like little pieces of their personalities. Caring for the clothes they like is one way I show my love for them. And how can I see a robot ninja t-shirt or a fuzzy monkey suit or a geek t-shirt without thinking about the fellas who wear them and how much I love them?

That woman who said that hanging laundry out to dry is “unsightly” must be cold and hard and miserable.

I do still hate the crunchy towels though.

My maternity leave began today.

I suppose if you want to get technical, it officially began on Saturday, the first day after my last day of work. But Saturday felt like a regular Saturday and it took a weekday to make me realize I’m really and truly off work for awhile. When you add in that Wyatt is on his preschool vacation and that Zach is working his booty off trying to rack up contract hours, I got a real taste of what life would be like if I was a full-time stay-at-home mom.

So here’s how it went:

8:00 am: We all got up at the same time which was odd, because usually one of us gets up with Wyatt and the other sleeps a little longer.

8:15 am: Zach fixes Wyatt a bun and some fruit for breakfast, then makes eggs and toast for us while I drink tea, read the comics and do a sudoku.

8:55 am: I read my email and realize that on a normal day, I would be rushing out the door right now to get to work only a little bit late.

9:00 – 10:20 am: Various play and getting ready for the day activities.

10:20 – 10:30 am: Drive to the park for playgroup. Wyatt shouts at me the whole time, telling me that I’m going the wrong way and that he won’t get to play with Little Rachel because I’m going to get us lost and everyone will go home before we even get there. I’ve got the GPS and I’m pretty confident that I’m going to the right place, but the three-year-old in the back seat actually manages to shake my confidence in my typically great sense of direction. I also try to ignore him repeatedly telling me, “I am right and you are wrong.” but I fail and start to argue with him. Sigh.

10:30 am: When we arrive at the playground, we are the first ones there. Wyatt says “I told you we are at the wrong park!” several times but is soon distracted by the slide.  Soon afterward, the other parents start arriving and I am vindicated.  I chat with the other parents about sleep, leaving the house with a newborn, sleep, weight loss and more sleep while the kids play. I feel my focus shifting from my stressful web development job to parenting and greatly enjoy it.

12:30 pm: Leave the park and head to Costco. On Zach’s advice, I buy Wyatt a slice of pizza and a lemonade when we first arrive and he happily sits in the cart eating his lunch and trying various samples as we do our shopping. I buy an insane amount of stuff in preparation for the impending arrival of a newborn, including diapers and wipes for the new baby. One more thing to cross off my pre-baby to-do list.

2:00 pm: Back at home, Zach laughs out loud at the amount of stuff I bought, but I assure him that you really need a 60-pack of taquitos when you have a tiny baby in the house (easy to eat one-handed and we can send them in Wyatt’s lunch).

2:30 pm: Zach and Wyatt build a blanket fort while I sit on the couch with my feet up and give advice on how best to ensure the structural integrity of their house.

3:00 – 4:00 pm: Wyatt and I participate in various relaxational activities while Zach does more programming.

4:00 pm: Wyatt and I decide we want to have a nap and lay down on the bed with a pile of books to read. Despite several attempts by Wyatt to steal my pillow (“Mama! You have to share!”), I manage to hang on to it, but neither of us fall asleep. Still, we enjoy reading about Frances and her adventures.

5:00 pm: Wyatt and I make banana bread, then do puzzles and have a blueberry snack at the kitchen table.

6:00 pm: I clean off the top of my dresser, my nesting activity of the day. Because you really need to have a clean dresser when you have a new baby in the house.

6:30 – 8:00 pm: Zach and Wyatt go to the gym. I finish cleaning off my dresser, start this blog post and make dinner.

8:00 pm: We all eat dinner. Wyatt is super good at the table, but we’re running late for bed time.

8:30 – 9:30 pm: Clean the kitchen and start the dishwasher. Bath, jammies, tooth brushing, “hot tea” and stories.

10:00 pm: Wyatt is finally asleep. Time for Generation Kill and a foot rub from my dearest.

All in all a good day. I think I could use a few more of these before the baby comes, though.

It’s back to school week here on Wendolonia and I’m going to focus on lunch-packing (of course!).

Today’s topic: what to pack in the lunch box!

The same scene plays out every weekday morning in kitchens across the country: a tired parent leans forward with one arm holding the refrigerator door open, eyes scanning the shelves for something to pack into a lunch box. What do we have in the house? What do we have that’s healthy? What do we have that he will eat?

I’m faced with the same daily questions and after months of starting from scratch — and getting into ruts — I finally decided to write down all the foods my sons like that can be eaten cold or at room temperature. I asked friends and blog readers to send me their suggestions as well and came up with a fairly comprehensive list.

Not all kids will eat everything on here of course (my son wouldn’t touch carrot sticks if his life depended on it) but even the pickiest eaters will find some things on this list that they’ll enjoy.

Make your life easier on hectic mornings Download a printable version of this list, print it and stick it to your fridge for instant inspiration:

Wendolonia Lunch Box Idea List – PDF

Carbs/Tummy-fillers

• whole grain crackers
• pretzel sticks
• mini-muffins
• goldfish crackers, cheddar bunnies or other snack crackers
• pretzel thins
• bagel chips
• mini-rice cakes or rice crackers
• cooked ball of rice
• leftover pasta — toss with some chopped veggies and vinaigrette or a little olive oil, garlic salt and parmesan.
• granola bars
• banana bread, zucchini bread, or other quick breads
• cereal bars
• dry cereal
• mini-bagels
• hot dog buns, hamburger buns or dinner rolls
• garlic toast
• pita bread — I usually toast these so they don’t get soggy. Mini pitas are fun or you can cut a big one into wedges.
• leftover pancakes or toaster waffles — mini-waffles go over especially well.

Fruits

• apples slices or chunks (dip in pineapple juice to prevent browning)
• berries — strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• cherries
• grapes
• bananas
• melon chunks — watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe
• dried fruit — raisins, dried cranberries, dried apples, banana chips, etc.
• canned peaches or pears — drain and rinse with water to remove excess sugar.
• applesauce
• pineapple chunks
• orange or clementine wedges

Veggies

• carrot sticks
• sugar snap peas
• red bell pepper strips
• cucumber slices
• celery sticks
• grape tomatoes
• steamed green beans
• steamed broccoli spears
• frozen peas — run them quickly under warm water to start them thawing
• frozen corn

Proteins

• leftover meat from dinner cut into chunks — you can send almost anything: roast chicken, pork roast, chicken legs and carne asada leftover from tacos are all things my kids have enjoyed.
• chicken or turkey sausage with bbq sauce or catsup for dipping
• deli meats — turkey, ham, salami
• beans
• peanut butter “sandwiches” made with crackers or graham crackers
• taquitos with salsa for dipping
• baked tofu
• quesadillas
• mini-burritos
• mini-pizzas — top mini-pitas with sauce, cheese and pepperoni
• hard boiled eggs

Dairy

• yogurt
• cheese cubes
• cheese slices
• cottage cheese
• string cheese, Laughing Cow, Babybel or other small single-serving cheeses

And then there are sandwiches, of course! But we’ll talk about those more later in the week.

Don’t forget to download and print this list! I’ve made it easy for you:

Wendolonia Lunch Box Idea List – PDF

What do you send in your kid’s lunch? Do you send something with your kids that I’ve left off this list?

This was a short week at preschool because their summer vacation starts on Friday.

Monday night, I finally made some home made blueberry muffins. I subbed in whole wheat flour for a quarter of the flour called for in the recipe and they came out sooooooo good. So of course Wyatt got a mini-muffin in his lunch on Tuesday. I also sent a rice ball, turkey roll-ups and a bunch of grapes.

Wednesday I sent crackers (hidden under the salami), salami, strawberries and another muffin.

Thursday’s lunch was super fruity. I sent some fresh peach chunks, a bunch of strawberries and a strawberry jam sandwich cut into a little man shape. I was going to send PB&J, but when I pulled out the peanut butter jar, Wyatt announced that he doesn’t eat peanut butter any more. Great.

I’m probably not going to be posting any bento photos for the next couple of weeks because Wyatt won’t be going to preschool, but I do have a couple of bento related posts I’m hoping to pull together during that time that illustrate some answers to questions I get asked a lot. Stay tuned!