bento box friday!

by april on June 14, 2013

in amelia,bento box,parenting

the past two weeks, i’ve been letting my creative mindset flow a bit more freely outside of my sewing room.  one of my favorite things that i’ve been doing each day is preparing amelia’s school snack in the japanese form of a bento box.

she eats a catered meal each day for lunch [usually rice, veggies, sometimes chicken] but she needs a snack sent from home for the afternoon.  up until last week, i had been sending a couple little pre-packaged snacks & a juice box for a special friday treat.  little bags of cheeze-its or chex mix, a container of applesauce, a box of raisins….

for a couple days in a row, she was coming home with half of her snack left in the bottom of her backpack, so i knew she wasn’t getting her full snack [and she eats like a horse!].  i decided to start boxing it all up together in a little bento box i had purchased for storage purposes so that it would all be safe together & she would get her full snack each day without part of it falling to the bottom of her bag, forgotten & uneaten.

the next day as i was preparing her box full of plastic bag treats it totally hit me that i should “cutie” it up for amelia like the japanese do.  “when in japan….”

i started posting the photos on instagram & my personal facebook page for family + friends to see.  i thought it would be so fun to share them here with you each week! ♥

today will be two weeks combined [sorry for the overload!] but next week will be a bit more condensed :]

bento box 6 by marine parents this was my first bento box that i sent.  it needed more color variation [which i've been working on] and maybe a bit more variety.

i sent mango chunks, goldfish crackers & some pink gogurt yogurt that i squeezed out into a tiny pink container.  i also tossed in a small fork & spoon and a little piggy fork for spearing the fruit!  amelia hated the mango & refused to eat it.  at least i tried….

bento box 9 by marine parents cubed watermelon on tiny flower skewers, multi grain wheat thin toasted crackers & some cheese cubes.

the liners & silicone molds used in bento boxes help keep each individual food to itself — so the watermelon juices wouldn’t make the crackers soggy & the cheese wouldn’t mix with anything else.  we have a good mix of paper muffin liners & reusable silicone molds to mix & match each day.

bento box 8 by marine parents sliced strawberries, carrot sticks [baby carrots quartered length-wise], pretzel rods & some colby + monterrey jack cheese cubes.

she ate every last bite of this snack bento!  her teachers are also very good about returning all of the little forks, picks & skewers each day :]  yay!

bento box 7 by marine parents cherry halves [pitted], grape halves with an adorable lion fork for eating, carrot & cucumber sticks with ranch to dip and a whole grain cookie [since it was for her friday snack -- always a celebration!].

bento box 5 by marine parents last saturday we spent the day at the beach & i wanted amelia to have something yummy but a bit more filling than her usual snack bento.

i packed more carbs than usual for her here since she would be romping about in the water all day — goldfish crackers, nutella sandwiches on whole grain bread [cut into flower shapes], watermelon & strawberry kabobs, cheese cubes.

bento box 11 by marine parents i was so curious to watch her eat her bento since she is normally at school each day & i don’t know how she reacts to the change in her snack presentation.  how pleased was i that she totally appreciated each food in it’s own little section!!

she used the picks & forks appropriately for their little food section & ate each portion before moving on to the next section.  everything was kept so neat & tidy.  i loved this little peek into her daily routine!

bento box 3 by marine parents week two of snacks — strawberry & pineapple chunk kabobs, colby/monterrey jack cheese triangles & a small handful of raisins.

she came home with another totally empty bento at the end of the day!

bento box 4 by marine parents i wasn’t so in love with this pairing of snacks…. alot of light colors going on together.

a small container of applesauce with a sprinkling of craisins, a star silicone mold filled with cantaloupe & honeydew chunks & a side of chex mix.

bento box 2 by marine parents this little square bento was a true test of creativity.  it was like a puzzle to get enough snacks inside!! it’s about an inch or so shorter in size than our usual rectangle bentos & that seemed to make a world of difference in packing!  after about 15 minutes of pulling food out & starting over i finally got it.  longest bento packing process ever….

raspberry & blackberry medley, cheese cubes, carrot sticks & two flower shaped sandwiches filled with whipped cream cheese & raspberry jam [oh my yum!!! i ate all the sandwich scraps!].

bento box 1 by marine parents this one was so much fun — to pack & to photograph!

grape halves speared onto a heart skewer, pineapple chunks, two swiss cheese slices rolled & speared, a muffin liner brimming with cheeze-its & teddy grahams.  oh, those dancing teddies….

bento box 10 by marine parents last, but not least, her friday bento snack box!  strawberry hearts, multi-grain crackers [with peanut butter to dip!] and four cheese & tomato skewered kabobs.  amelia has since informed me that “tomatoes are disgusting, mommy!”  nevertheless, i keep trying the little foods she doesn’t care for.  i like to sneak them in with foods she loves [like cheese!] in hopes that one day she may change her mind.

i pretty much live for every afternoon when we get home from school to unpack her backpack & get started on the next day’s bento box.  i leave it in the refrigerator overnight & then toss it in her backpack before school the next day for a fuss-free morning.  so easy.

if you are on instagram, be sure to say hello & follow along for more bento pictures [plus a whole lot of other really rad stuff].  or just stop by here next friday for a roundup! xo

{ 6 comments }

marine parents studio tour 13 i’ve been itching to show off my sewing room for awhile!  when we moved to japan last year, i was blessed beyond measure to find that we were assigned a three bedroom apartment — because HELLO dedicated work space & goodbye dining room table pack-up every night!

having this special space meant just for Marine Parents + ruffles has been so meaningful to me.  everything in it’s own little space, organized in my own little way.  i’ve been working for the past few months to really decorate the space in a bright, inspirational manner that reflects my love for handmade.  i feel like it’s finally “finished” & ready to show off!

so here’s a little look-see into the room i spend hours in everyday, ruffling pouches & toddler backpacks to send home to you :]

marine parents studio tour 5

 

marine parents studio tour 6

 

marine parents studio tour 4

sew lovely hoop art & mini spool canvas from vintage sunshine.

i keep a short & sweet message written right on my sewing machine – it’s just you & me here now…. — to remind me that everyday i am blessed to sew & fulfill orders because God has granted me the talent & ability to succeed.  without His guidance, Marine Parents wouldn’t be what it is at all.  i want to be fully present in Him as i work FOR Him.

one thing that i love to brag about to others is the fact that my mom & dad actually make all of my sew-in product labels!  i ship all of the supplies to them & let them know when i need a refill of tags :]  how cute is that?  i love how supportive my whole family is & how willing they are to help in different areas!

marine parents studio tour 9

where i spent the most time + effort for inspiration in my sewing studio was this large wall over my cutting table.  i wanted lots of color pops, meaningful pieces & reminders of people that i love [& who inspire me to continue to create].

there’s so much love on this wall!  how about a closer look?

marine parents studio tour 10 clockwise from the left –

embroidery hoop pin cushions made from this tutorial
marine parents license plate art from my dear friend, unique pl8z
set of grey & turquoise yarn wrapped antlers from the fabulous yarn bombed antlers
several canvases + prints from pen & paint
fabric taxidermied deer head from misfit menagerie
around the world: japan cross-stitch made by me!
[pattern by the frosted pumpkin stitchery]
custom order sew sew sew hoho & a little bitty hoho from little bit funky

the fabric in embroidery hoops & scrap garland were pulled from my personal stash.  there are a few little odds & ends hanging about that i purchased from the japanese dollar store [including that teensy tiny pink sewing machine toy!]

marine parents studio tour 11 the fabric wrapped canvases also came from my personal stash [the first japanese fabric i purchased here in okinawa].  another fun hoho by little bit funky that was a birthday gift from jill at 99wpm, ruth 1:16 art quote by unraveled design [another way i work to keep myself focused on God's plan for me], and finally a trio of hoops — two embroidered art pieces from my friend lauren at cottage journal & a swatch of the very first fabric i ever owned.

this wall is a huge scape of happy for me — so many bright colors & funky pairings.  it’s a good thing.

marine parents studio tour 8

marine parents studio tour 3 these are two sweet gifts from my best friend amber at goodnight moon.  she is a huge encouragement to me & always supporting my shop with her praise & kind words.   i love her to pieces!!

the clock is from field treasure designs and i hung a washi tape bunting above it for a little touch of whimsy.  the lego ducks were part of my fun birthday gift from jill at 99wpm and the print/aqua frame also came from amber.  love it all!

marine parents studio tour 2

marine parents studio tour 1 i spend alot alot alot of time at the ironing board pressing out fabrics and making everything beautiful.  about six months ago i decided to fancy up my ironing board with a new cover but couldn’t find one i liked on etsy.  i used one of my all time favorite fabrics & a tutorial i found on pinterest for a quick cover.  it’s gone through the wash several times & still holds up nicely!  i love the extra color & flair.

my friend nicole from unique pl8z painted & distressed this gorgeous vintage frame for me to hang photos from.  caleb strung up some dollar store wire & i found these adorable tiny kokeshi doll clothespins for my mini pictures.  they were all printed out from my instagram account — i’m hoping to run a tutorial on how to print them yourself soon, so stay tuned!

marine parents studio tour 12 this little nook of Marine Parents isn’t located inside my sewing room, but it is dedicated to running the shop.   shipping, emails, etsy convos, photo editing, etc all happens here.  we purchased this amazing shelving unit here in Okinawa as part of their featured furniture sale from Thailand.  it’s amazing — so sturdy, full of storage options & heavy as all get out.  we call it the berenstein bears shelf, because it looks like it belongs in their treehouse :]

it took a long time for me to decide to transfer all of my online work from my macbook to a desktop.  i found that i was spending so much time online during my work hours & i wasn’t actually getting much work done with my laptop in my sewing room.  so we added this little area in our dining room & i am able to really focus on sewing when i’m back in my sewing room.  best decision ever.

so there you have it — a quick little tour of where all the ruffles come alive, where i feel most accomplished & thankful for my gifts.  thank you for tagging along!  ♥

{ 9 comments }

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