A happy mommy's Weblog

Kids Bento Lunch Menu Idea

kcmunda — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:43:19 +0000

Monday
Chicken Nuggets, Asian Pear and String Cheese

Tuesday
Pizza Bites, Strawberries, Blueberries and Celery Sticks

Wednesday
Fish Cake, Corn and Carrots

Thursday
Dumplings, Cauliflower and Apple Slices

Friday
Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Apple Slices, Baby Carrots and a Cookie

Free Valentine’s Day Download

kcmunda — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:34:31 +0000

Happy HEARTS day Everyone!

I just finished drawing a valentine’s card and I made a FREE downloadable 5×7 version.

weee!

Follow the link here

Getting started with bento lunches

kcmunda — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:21:09 +0000

I haven’t felt my 100% lately and I wanted to make sure I get to still do something for my kids on the days that I don’t feel as bad.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I started making them lunches. I just stumbled upon bento lunches when I saw how cute they were and figured my kids would be more excited about their food if it looked fun.

Today, I’m sharing a few things you will need to think about if you want to start making bento lunches for your children.

1) Foods your child like to eat
2) Menu planning and shopping
3) Time for food preparation
4) Temperature control of the food
5) Containers and decorating

1 Foods your child like to eat
The lunch you will make for your child has to be something that they will enjoy and eat even when you’re not around. Sure you can come up with a great lunch box with an egg salad and cookies but if your child doesn’t enjoy these foods, you have just wasted both your time and money.

To avoid upset kids and parents…
a) Consider your child’s favorite foods
b) Introduce new foods to your child before putting them in their lunch box
c) Gain commitment and reinforce your child for trying new foods.

2 Menu planning and shopping
I normally make a menu plan and purchase 2 weeks worth of supplies to make lunches. I have to make sure I switch them up a bit to keep the kids from getting bored. There’s always something different to do whether it’s good preparation to containers or food combinations.

3 Time for food preparation
Some moms can spend hours perfecting the most creative lunch box. Some moms spend the same time making their meals from scratch. I’m the kind that can’t spend too much time preparing lunches. I always find a way to make things faster and easier even it it means the lunchbox isn’t as cute as I hoped it would be.

4 Temperature control of the food
When choosing what lunches to make your children, you may want to consider how long the food will stay out before it gets eaten or gets bad. Keep in mind the time your child will have lunch and make sure that his food will stay fresh till then. You might have to purchase a thermos container for soups and cold packs for some lunches.

5 Containers and decorating
When doing bentos, it’s important to consider the types of food and amount of food you want to use when choosing containers.
There are many stores locally or online that sells bento supplies. You don’t have to buy the expensive ones. I say invest in a couple of good pieces and stay practical.
Silicone cups are perfect food dividers and bento picks are easy decorations for your lunches. You always have the option to do fancier decorations like shaping your food into characters and other things.

Bento lunches are fun and can be a memorable part of your children’s childhood. Have a great time using your creativity in making them. Share your enthusiasm with your child and they will be so grateful and feel extra special!

Valentine’s Day Music with Sara Music Video

kcmunda — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 02:30:33 +0000

Our dear friend, Music with Sara has written a new song, just in time for Valentine’s Day! The song is titled El Dia del Amor y la Amistad. My husband and I are so privileged for the opportunity to work on the music video. I worked on the paper cut outs and my hubby did the awesome animation.

Hope you enjoy it!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Goodbye 2012

kcmunda — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 09:54:05 +0000

I apologize for the lack of update. Let me recap the last few months of 2012 that I have completely missed blogging about.

Okay, let me see…

We attended a Halloween Party at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills.

Daffy Duck, Scooby Doo and Bug’s Bunny were there. There were tons of activities for children, things to see and freebies. Even hubby and I had so much fun!

We used our second visit to Legoland and it was so worth it! I love it there!

My Grandma came to visit and the children fell in love with her immediately. I miss her already.

More than ever, I’m learning to be even more thankful of every single thing that I have, no matter how small. It was a great Thanksgiving!

The hubby took the kids to an amazing park called Vincent Lugo Park. The kids had a blast!

The hubby and I got to dress up to attend a cocktail party in Studio City.

I turned 35 and decided to celebrate at work by wearing Hello Kitty for a day LOL

The kid’s watched The Fresh Beat Band live in concert as an early Christmas present.

We moved…

My daughter was the STAR in their Christmas play.

My son received an Academic Effort Award in school.

He was also a hit in his School Talent Show.

We were able to enjoy Christmas in our new home.

The kid’s had an after Christmas treat in Kidspace.

My parents took the kids to San Francisco to watch Lion King the Musical

My hubby turned 35 as well.

Hubby was home for New Year’s Eve to celebrate with us, yay!

We were able to go to see the Rose Parade floats for a close up view on New Year’s Day!

And the kid’s made their first Aaron and Elle show for 2013!

First Lutheran Fall Festival

kcmunda — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:11:08 +0000

We attended a Fall Festival at my daughter’s school yesterday.

They had games, crafts, food and pony rides.

My daughter got to see some of her classmates.

I was able to play with some face paint as well.

DD and DS got to play in the playground too.

We got to enjoy a great family day out together!

When we got home, I asked the kids…
“What was your favorite part of the Fall Festival?” They answered, “You Mommy! Because we don’t get to spend too much time with you cause you have to be at work for a long time.”
Awww I love my babies! and I’m so grateful with every opportunity to spend time with them.

Bento Lunches

kcmunda — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 12:59:55 +0000

Last Week’s Bento Lunches

Monday
Dumplings, broccoli, bagel rings and watermelon

Tuesday
Mini Corn Dogs, oranges and carrot sticks

Wednesday
Ham and Cheese sandwich, grapes, chicken bites and cheese

Thursday

BBQ, rice, corn and mini apples

Friday
Chicken Nuggets, crackers and pluot

Bento Lunches

kcmunda — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:31:39 +0000

Here are this past week’s bento lunches

Fried Tofu Sticks, Pears and Edamame.

Hardboiled Eggs, Peas and Carrots and Watermelon.

Ham and Cheese Rolls, Grapes and Yogurt

Cream cheese on toast, Cheese, Tomatoes and Persimmon

Rice Cakes, Ham Rolls, Carrots and Peaches

Kids Halloween Video

kcmunda — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 06:08:23 +0000

Here’s the most recent http://www.ahappymommy.com and Music with Sara collaboration project.

Presenting Los Monstros Music Video.
Song by Music with Sara, illustration by yours truly and animation by hubby.

I hope you enjoy it!

Bento Lunches

kcmunda — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 05:50:13 +0000

Hello! I know I haven’t been posting much lately, it’s been quite a hectic last few weeks especially with both kiddies now in school.

Now there’s getting ready both kids early in the morning and doing the homework the night before.

Like that’s not crazy enough, I decided to start making the kids lunch everyday for school.

Why? Well, Aaron’s school charges $2 a day for lunch and Elle’s school charges $3.75. I can afford Aaron’s lunch but Elle, hmnn, she doesn’t eat a lot and that’s way too much if you ask me.

And since I’m determined to make Elle lunches, I wanted to make lunches for Aaron as well =)

So, I started making them lunch everyday since Elle’s school started, 2 weeks later than Aaron’s. I came across a few samples of Bento lunches and thought it would be a cute idea for the kids.

I like making these lunches for them because it allows for me to be creative with my the food ideas. I’m also being challenged to incorporate fruits and vegetables in their daily lunch. The fact that bento lunches are in compartments and in cute presentation helps the kiddies have fun with their lunch as well.

Here are my bentos from this week…

Monday
Quesadillas, cheese, carrots and strawberries

Tuesday
Fish Cake, rice, broccoli, carrots and mangos

Wednesday
Pasta, hotdogs and white peach

Thursday
Chicken Nuggets, fish crackers, grapes and mangos

Friday
Egg, crab meat, rice and watermelon

Its not easy to try to come up with NON boring food combinations, however, it always put a smile on my face that my kids say they love their lunch.