Proper English Breakfast

Finding a Proper English Breakfast in California is not easy!  Neither is cooking one.  I did my best to celebrate Father's Day.

Sorry for the blurry iPhone photo!  I need to find my camera....

Veterinarian Party for the Six Year Old!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE a good theme party?   

My daughter is not into princesses (Thank God!) or Barbie or Hello Kitty or any of those other trendy commercial "girly" things that would make planning a birthday party so much easier.  When I asked her what kind of party she would like, she said she did not know.  But she likes animals and she wants to be a Veterinarian, so I came up with this idea for her Sixth birthday.

We invited six girls to M's Animal Hospital.  The Doctor was in!

As girls arrived, I gave them first-aid kit to decorate in the waiting room until all of the guests were assembled.   Then I announced that we had some pets lost in the backyard.  (My husband hid beanie babies before the guests arrived).

Each girl was given a photo of the pet they needed to find.   Some girls asked for a specific pet (we had dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs), other girls traded or just kept the animal I gave them.  The guests then went into the backyard to hunt for their lost animal.  It was fun watching them run all over and help each other locate the pets. 

Once they found their pets, the girls brought them back into the living room. The living room was decorated to look like the Vet's clinic.   A long table covered in blue cloth sat in the middle of the room.   There were a number of medical stations on the table.  We had one for weight/height/BP, one for stethoscopes, ears/nose checks  and one for 
medicine/shots/bandaging injuries.   In addition to having all of the stations,  the medical table had canisters of tongue depressors (popsicle sticks), cotton balls and surgical masks.

The girls gave their pets full check-ups, nursed any injuries and wrote the details in a little medical book.

 The living room was decorated with "x-rays" (black craft paper with chalk outlines) and kennels full of other recovering pets (cardboard boxes with our stuffed animals in them).   I also built an X-ray machine so the girls could check for broken bones. 

After the girls tended to their pets, they went outside to the craft table.  They made comfy beds and blankets for the animals.  The girls also made pet collars (ribbon, jewel stickers and velcro)  and pet tags (shrinky-dinks).    I hired a high school student to help with the party and as an added bonus, she can facepaint yay!! 

    

Then we returned to the dining room for lunch.  The girls ate out of dog and cat bowls.  The menu included hot dogs, fruit, popcorn, chips and juice.  Finally we had cupcakes decorated with dog bones.  

Each girl left with a stuffed pet, a collar, dog bowl, the first aid kit, the blanket and bed and the little medical book they filled out.


I am proud to say, this party was done cheap n cheerful!  Many of the items used were free to me.  I couponed for the first aid kits, band-aids etc, used recycled computer boxes for the beds and decor and used items we already had around the house.  Yes, it is true I am a crazy Asian who saves old wrapping paper and ribbons, but HEY those ribbons came in handy for this party! 

Easter Bento

A quick Easter bento for both kids.  Lunch contains cheese cut-outs on a Hawaiian roll, a hard boiled egg decorated with food safe markers, some grapes and strawberries.

St. Patrick's Day Bento

I know, technically, St. Patrick's Day is on Saturday.  However, I had a cute idea, so I ran with it!

The kids had an open-faced shamrock cheese sandwich, ham rolls secured with a cute pick, cinnamon toast cereal, and a piece of marshmallow rainbow leading to a marshmallow pot of gold!  They also had a yogurt.  

I don't usually give the kids sweet treats in their lunches unless I do themed bento lunches, then they hit the jackpot!

Car Bento

This bento was part of the Valentine bento run, but Mr. W got a Cars theme instead!

I still hadn't learned the "punch the bread out before filling it" lesson. I created the details on McQueen by coloring the raised areas of the cutter with food-safe markers before pressing out the sandwich.

Lunch also consisted of Cars fruit snacks, grapes and a small piece of chocolate for afternoon "junk snack"

A Variety of Valentine Bentos

These bentos were made in the days leading up to Valentine's day.  The kids each got a similar lunch, even if only one is pictured.

I learned a valuable lesson with this bento, press the design before filling the sandwich!  Lunch contains rwo PB&J hearts, grapes, fruit snacks and a small chocolate heart.  I am sure there was something else in her lunch bag too...

 Lunches this day consisted of a a cheese sandwich on a sandwich thin, strawberries and chocolate covered pretzels.

This bento contains chunks of roasted chicken, a slice of homemade bread with butter, a jello heart and my guess is a tasty treat under the heart wrapper!

Sorry for the blurry pic! Lunch here was half a banana (decorated with a sticker), peanut butter sandwiches with heart fruit leather pieces, chocolate pretzels and a chocolate heart.  The kids also got a yogurt. Given the amount of sugar in this lunch, I am guessing this was Valentine's Day!   

Fishy Bento

Identical bentos made in two-tier boxes   The bottom tier consists of a sandwich round with a cheese fish, the word "fish" in gummy letters, and some teriyaki meatballs.  The top tier has strawberries, grapes and goldfish.