The Blog of cindee08

Hello, everyone!

Any other moms like me out there feeling the back-to-school whirlwind? For the first time, I have two little ones in school now. My youngest just officially started preschool this year, and having them at the same school has been a total game-changer. Drop-offs and pickups are so much easier! It was one of the best decisions we’ve made, and it has simplified our mornings and afternoons in a big way.

Egg and cheese sandwich, oatmeal cookies, banana and apple slices.

Homemade oatmeal banana cupcake, tuna sandwich, rice and roasted chicken, grapes.

Homemade graham ball, cheese pandesal, banana grapes, banana slices and mixed nuts.

But with two kids comes a new challenge: packing two sets of snacks every morning. Our family has been trying to cut back on heavily processed foods like frozen hotdogs, ham, and chicken nuggets. While those are so convenient, I’ve been trying to find healthier options for them. This means I've been getting more creative in the kitchen, which also means I have to wake up a little earlier. I usually set my alarm to give myself enough time to prep their bento boxes and get our family's breakfast ready before the kids wake up and the morning rush begins.

Egg and cheese sandwich, homemade graham balls, grapes and banana, mixed nuts.

Pandesal, apple slices, cashew nuts and brownies.

Liver spread sandwich, banana peanut butter roll, grapes, biscuits.

It might seem like a lot of extra work, but I've found that making their bento boxes colorful and fun gets them genuinely excited about their food. I call them "bento baons," and they're a great way to introduce them to new fruits and veggies. It even helps with a different kind of struggle—waking up my preschooler! The other morning, he was being super stubborn, but once I showed him a picture of his fun bento box, he popped out of bed like a rocket.

Japanese cheesecake, peanut butter roll, boiled egg and marsmallows.

Airfried potato fries, fried banana.

Chocolate waffle, egg roll, oatmeal cookies, banana slices.

My eldest spends his whole day at school, and I bring his lunch in time to fetch my preschooler. Most of the time, I'm in a hurry, so I forget to take photos of his lunch, but here are some snaps of his lunchbox.

Homemade chicken nuggets, buttered broccoli and rice.

Pork belly bulgogi, lettuce and bitesize brownies.

For the homemade treats and dishes I prepare for them, I usually make them ahead of time in batches. I store them frozen and chilled to keep their freshness. For example, these homemade chicken nuggets are more nutritious because I added moringa leaves. The homemade oatmeal banana cupcakes are loaded with ground flax and chia seeds. The kids specially requested these graham balls, so I made them without adding more sugar or sweetened milk because the marshmallows and graham crackers are already sweet. To make the graham cracker powder sticky, I just used a little fresh milk.

I'm really enjoying this new routine and seeing them get so happy about their healthy snacks. It makes all the early mornings worth it! It’s a small thing, but watching them look forward to what's in their lunchbox is a big win for me. It’s all part of the crazy, wonderful journey of being a mom to school kids.

That's a little update on what's been keeping me busy lately. Before I go, I wanted to mention that since it's the first day of August, it's also Hive Power Up Day! I'm happy to be joining in on the fun and powering up some of my Hive. Don't miss out—join in on the fun, too!

Thanks for reading and see you on my next one!

❤️❤️❤️ _{All photos are my own, unless stated otherwise. The lead image was edited using Canva.}