Simple Things Sunday: Clementine Creatures

Some times it's all about the simple things you can do for your kids just to make their day a little brighter.  Especially when they're in school all day long, trying so hard to do a good job.  So I've tried every day to take an extra a minute or three to add a little something extra to his lunch box just to make him smile.  Either I use a cookie cutter to give him a fun shape, attached mini pickle halves to roll ups to make snail or make creatures out of his clementines.  I saw the snail idea all over the internet and the turtle I came up with spur of the moment.  Nice part is that I could use any old marker since he doesn't eat the skin anyway.

The snail was a surprise and he refused to eat it at school.  He said it was too cute to eat and insisted that I had to get a picture first.

The turtle I took a picture of beforehand and informed him of that so he would eat his lunch.

They aren't the most perfect little things but he loves when they show up in his lunchbox.  It serves as a reminder to me that I should make more of an effort to do little things every day for him.  An extra story at bedtime, extra cuddle time, fun shapes at lunch, stop what I'm doing and really listen even when there are 15 things to get done.  We forget sometimes that kids don't need grand gestures to show that they are loved, respected, appreciated.  They just need little moments here and there and simple little surprises to brighten their day.

Fancy Dancy Lunches

i just realized tonight that I haven't taken any photos this week.  My camera and I are not on good terms right now. Completely my fault, of course, so it's been waiting patiently on the shelf for me to get over myself and fix whatever issues I've been having lately.  It did get to come out and play only once and that was just to snap a quick pic (or 3) of one of Mr. No's fancy lunches this week.  I had to resort to fancy lunches about a year ago when Mr. No decided that food was not necessary for survival...even pb&j and mac-a-cheese was ignored.  I disagreed and, after fighting, begging and even bribing (to no avail), I found the idea to make whatever meals I could cute.  He now realizes that food is important and there are fewer struggles but he still likes his lunches to be "fancy dancy", which are his words not mine.   So this week we had a little animal parade on a plate for lunch.

 Just a simple pb&j with cheese animals, grape and grape tomato stones and jellybeans but he was so happy. 

 And of course he went for the jellybeans first...

I need to attempt to get my camera out this week.  Maybe something good will come out of it but, looking at what I've been taking lately, I'm not holding my breath.