First Day of School Bento

I feel like everyone is posting about bento lunches this week, but I decided to go ahead and throw in a post of my own anyway :) Today was a big day... my oldest started first grade, her first ever day of full-day school. So I got to make her first ever school lunch. I couldn't resist the bento craze, so we bought some supplies over the summer and have been practicing. Here's what she found in her lunchbox today...

A ham and provolone panda sandwich, a sliced up cheese stick, mandarin oranges, baby carrots, and some ranch dressing for dipping. Total cuteness. I keep reading that bentos don't take any more time to put together than non-bento lunches. I can't say that I agree with that yet. Maybe when I get a little more practice it will go together more quickly for me. For now, I don't mind the extra time. It lets me have a little fun and puts a smile on my girl's face at lunchtime. I don't plan to go crazy and share bento lunches on the blog every day, but I will be posting some of the extra cute ones as I get more ideas and find more inspiration online :)

Hope everyone's school year is off to a good start!