Hen23's Journal~Goodbye

[Henrietta23]

We are back from feeding and watering kitties and putting sheep to bed for the night. Adam did NOT cooperate until I found the container with food pellets of some sort in it and bribed him. Then he followed me right in. The mosquitos were brutal. I must have 10 new bites. We only have to let them out tomorrow. That is SO much easier. They are very sweet sheep though and make me want more room to have some of my own.
I will post the bagel recipe tomorrow. I'm exhausted!

 

[Henrietta23]

One week from tomorrow I am back at work full time. DS goes back to school the 26th. It is crunch time. My plan for today is to make a list. I'm not planning any further out than that. It's 90 million degrees and humid. I went to the BIG farmers' market with my mom, son and puppy. No shade beastly hot people stopping us every 2 seconds to meet and pet the pup. Fun but hot! Got some good veggies including a HUGE bunch of red leaf lettuce. Dinner with be a salad with that, tomatoes, the goat cheese I bought yesterday at a different farmers' market, and grilled shrimp. I'm feeling very not ready for school, totally behind in my organization efforts, an absolute mess. I should be thrilled that for the first time in many years I have a full time job at the beginning of the year. So the plan is the list. What needs to be done before 8/24 for me to feel ready to go back. I want that plus a weekly schedule to keep me making as much healthy fresh food as I can. "Friday evening prepare bread dough ingredients. Saturday afternoon, combine bread ingredients and rise. Saturday evening bake bread. Thursday evening make yogurt...etc." It's the only way it will get done regularly. Making meals for the freezer so we're not ordering pizza. That kind of thing.
So, I'm off to make a list. A brainstorming list first, then a prioritized list. Maybe a nap first. It's hot. I was up early with the puppy. That's it; a nap, then a list.....

 

[Henrietta23]

My back to school gift to myself:

 

[Farmfresh]

I LOVE that lunch pail!

Where ever did you find it?

 

[Henrietta23]

I LOVE that lunch pail!

Where ever did you find it?

They had them at our food co-op! I've been eyeing them for a while. Now with school starting up and lunches to bring I had an excuse. They're available on line too. http://www.happytiffin.com/
Check out the pyramid ones!!! Mine is the medium two tiered model. It all latches together and includes a small container for salad dressing or other condiment. For a few years I brought a lot of my lunches in bento boxes. There was even a thread on BYC dedicated to them that just resurfaced. I've gotten used to comments on my unusual lunch boxes and lunches too. Oh well! This year I have shiny! And I will proudly carry it in my lead free lunch bag made from cloth with a frog pattern all over it. With my new bamboo utensil set that includes spoon, fork, knife and chopsticks in a handy carrying case.
DS and I just had a conversation about school lunches. I confess I got lazy last year and let him buy school lunch whenever it was something he wanted. I am determined to fight that this year. Our current compromise is that he can get hot lunch on Fridays (his favorite meals plus a popsicle) but has to eat some healthy protein in his snack. Fridays' lunches alternate between pizza and mozzarella sticks. He will not eat the salad that comes with it. He will not eat the "fruit cup" or the carrot sticks that come with it. So his lunch consists of a piece of cheese pizza or three mozzarella sticks. And he won't even dip them in the marinara sauce they come with. Aaaaah! How is a kid supposed to learn eating junk like that and nothing else???? So snack will be a hard boiled egg, peanut butter on homemade bread, grilled chicken or turkey chunks with cheese, etc. I hope to get a little time to collect some ideas on line this week. He has a bento box too but it has the Japanese anime character Totoro on it and he's worried it may be too babyish for 2nd grade. We live in a tough town. Kids can be nasty. Sigh. I may order him one of the small tiffin boxes. Then if he gets teased he can bonk the offender on the head with it... j/k!

Gotta go check on my pullets who have just joined the main flock. I'm hoping they've put themselves to bed and I can count beaks and bills and lock up. I took a few pictures while everyone was out but they stink so I may or may not post them. Everyone is molting and muddy because nothing will dry out here! Don't think I have much to show off right now!

 

[Farmfresh]

Wow I love the look of those and very practical too! I have to take my lunch due to my celiac. One of these might just make it more fun!

My sissy would love one as well. Also they are much cheaper than I thought they would be. Thanks!

 

[Henrietta23]

Wow I love the look of those and very practical too! I have to take my lunch due to my celiac. One of these might just make it more fun!

My sissy would love one as well. Also they are much cheaper than I thought they would be. Thanks!

No problem! I'm excited that they're not plastic. My bento boxes are cool and fun and reusable but I'm not sure about plastic anymore. I don't microwave in them but still....
I plan to keep a plate at each of my schools so if I do have food I want to reheat I can carry it in the tiffin and reheat it on a plate. People are either going to think I'm a really unique individual or NUTS. Any bets?

 

[Farmfresh]

Since part of what we teach is basic life skills, like cooking a snack, we have a refrigerator, microwave and plates available. I just need a good "toater" to get the lunch to school. This one looks like it would fit in our crowded fridge well too.

 

[Henrietta23]

Since part of what we teach is basic life skills, like cooking a snack, we have a refrigerator, microwave and plates available. I just need a good "toater" to get the lunch to school. This one looks like it would fit in our crowded fridge well too.

It is pretty compact and will hold quite a bit. I don't know what facilities are available at my two new schools. The high school is so big I'm not sure I'll be able to find anything anyway! I do know there's no room in the room I'll be using to have one in there. I've always just used ice packs to keep things cool. In staff room fridges things disappear....

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I love the lunch pail!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't seen anything like that around our parts.

Goodluck with the beginning of school!