Mornings

Everyday I wake up earlier than everyone for some alone time. Used to be I'd have coffee, read magazine, listen to radio/news, and prepare breakfast. Since Sushi started big school, bento fixing takes precedence on my mornings. It’s not always easy. There are mornings of too much brain squeezing, especially when I am running low on supply. Or on bad egg-days (boiled egg too long it’s rubbery or difficult to peel). Or mornings I'd wake up minutes late and I don’t have time to shape the sandwich or carve the apple. Or moments of I-don't-know-what-else-to-put-in-there. This is where the fillers come in. I'd put packets of Bear Paws, Rice Krispies or Gummies, and tell Sushi, “this is not priority.”

But every time I snap close the completed bento, there’s a sense of accomplishment no matter what's inside. If Sushi doesn't finish them in school, he makes it up at home. I don't sweat it anymore. But most days it's emptied, and I'm a happy mom.

Here are the bento boxes out of the good and not-so-good mornings. 

Omelette tortilla, Korean seaweed, mandarin orange, feta cheese phyllo roll, fruit cup

Cheese croissant, fish rolls, apple slice, mozarella nuggets, grape tomatoes

Plum, lychee jello, Spanish bread slice, cheese & omelette on skewer

Cheese, blueberry cupcake, croissant, raspberries, cucumber, gummies

Pizza tortilla, apple, sandwich sushi, gummies

Fruit-jam sandwich, jello, drinkable applesauce, broccoli, siomai w/furikake

Apple, Wheat Stix, Laughing Cow cheese cube, English muffin w/banana, grape tomatoes