Muffin Tin Monday
Ever heard of this?? I had seen/heard of using a muffin tin to serve lunch to toddlers. You filled all of the cups (using very small portion sizes) with foods from all of the different food groups, and then let your child 'graze' over the tin, sampling here and there. The idea was that they ended up eating more than they likely would otherwise, and it would end up being a pretty balance meal. Intriguing theory...
Well, the over-achieving, too-much-time-on-their-hands Bento Box crowd got wind of this and just went nuts! Now there are entire blogs DEVOTED to this little foodie art form. Yeah for voyeurs like me who have run out of ideas on what to serve their kids. Just take a look.... Muffin Tin Mom has the most amazing and creative ideas - and touts the creation of the idea, so this is where the credit is due. I don't know if I can copy any of her pictures, so go take a look. Now. I'll wait! Wow - see what I mean? I feel so inadequate. Sugary Flower has the prettiest web page I have ever seen! Her ideas are amazing as well - and all of her other baked goods just make you swoon. Bonus that she is an Aussie.
So here is my feeble attempt that I made on Monday...
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| Clockwise: Cinnamon applesauce, corn, dinosaur nuggets, grape jelly sandwiches, yellow bell pepper, ketchup |
'After' shot. Notice that they are in a stack. As Owen finished with each cup (one at a time - he eats just like me!!), he added to the stack. OCD I tell you....
Rylan's 'before'...
And her 'after'. She had three helpings... which was kind of a pain because I had to keep refilling the cups, but she ate more than she ever typically does at lunch time, which is a very good thing.
The upside: the kids eat!!! I don't waste any of the "extras" when I use the tiny cutters - Colin just gets the scraps, cut into smaller pieces.
The downside: add another half-hour to meal-prep time, and raise the expectation that we need to eat EVERY meal this way! I think just doing it 2-3 times a week is fine with me!
Review Box
We use All About Spelling in these here parts. Part of the system is the review box. This homeschooling mom had an excellent alternative/extended use for this system.
Ohhh... this has my wheels turning... just think of the possibilities. I wish I could make a beeline to Office Max right now. The organizer in me says, "Yes! Yes!" The reality maven says 'What are you kidding me??? Review?? Why don't you actually COMPLETE a lesson and then we'll talk". Sigh.
Just putting this post together and going through and linking everything took an additional hour of time (because I found even more stuff to look at) I don't really have. See what I mean about a Rabbit Hole?? Happy wandering!
