Summer Camp

This week my kids are in summer day camps for the week for the first time so I have been packing their lunches. On Monday they both got maple ham and swiss on whole wheat bread, animal crackers, chips, raisins, lemonade and watermelon. I had a typical summer picnic lunch in mind for them, so that's what they got. Of course my son got his Transformers napkin in lieu of Tinkerbell and a drink container with a blue lid instead of purple. Normally I wouldn't give them chips, but they have them so rarely that it's ok. Plus, I can't imagine having a ham sandwich without chips!

The only garbage generated was their toothpicks for the watermelon, which they ended up eating with their fingers anyway. (I included mini bottles of Germ-X in their lunch boxes).

As for the day camps, this is a new experience for them. The little one, who is turning five in one week, is in our town's rec department camp along with some of her preschool pals. She came home the first day dirty, exhausted, but with the biggest smile on her face. They rode the bus to camp like big kids, played games, ran around, had "icicle" pops. The older one is in a science camp for geeky little tech heads along with his friend and the brother of one of their friends. The activities in this camp range from exploring technology, discussing jet propulsion and rocket motion, learning about how to solve environmental issues, all disguised as fun and games. My friend drove carpool yesterday and said that the three little scientists sat in the back discussing technology, robotics, and physics (frisbee motion) on the whole ride home. They were all so happy being geeky with one another. Maybe this will encourage them to solve the world's real problems.

Summer snack

We had our normal Monday after school routine in which I have to work and Z has two 45-minute sessions of practice. Add thirty-five minute rides each way and it's 7:30 before we have dinner. Although the brutally hot weather has subsided, for now, it was quite warm today, so I made today's snacks with all of that in mind.

I gave them some amazing, super sweet watermelon chunks and fruit punch flavored G2 Gatorade. In the middle row are Trader Joe's Oat 'n Wheat Bran Swirls - think mini oatmeal cookies with a hint of toasted coconut - oh my are they good! In the next container are raisins and some Omega-3 packed walnuts. Some pretzels, green bell pepper slices, and some Trader Joe's Veggie Sticks finished things off. Toss in a reusable fork and a Tinkerbell napkin and we were good to go. I gave Z the identical snack, with a Transformers napkin instead of Tinkerbell.

They were both so happy about the cool watermelon and green peppers and were surprised to find the G2 to drink. Usually it's milk or soy milk, although lately I have been giving them water as well in the afternoon. We are all loving the TJ's Oat 'n Wheat Bran Swirls - thanks for the tip on those, Jeannine! Z asked if he could have them for breakfast tomorrow and I had to think of a good reason why he can't. The best I could come up with on the fly was that they are not high enough in protein. He bought it, for the moment. We'll see what happens in the morning.