The Doctor's Wife

Can you hear it? The loud squealing of millions of fans as we gear up for the premiere of the biggest Doctor Who episode ever. The 50th Anniversary!

How many other shows can say that they are still going strong, with world wide popularity and a deeply loyal fan base, after fifty years? Doctor Who has stood through time and tide, and today is loved more than ever. Because? The Doctor is awesome.

And who has been his most loyal friend, from the very begining? The one shining constant on a show which has spanned five decades, the only face which has always been there. Companions have come and gone, the Doctor has changed his face again and again, but the leading lady has always been there.

Obviously I am talking about the TARDIS.

Time And Relative Dimension In Space - T A R D I S. Occasionally known as the Doctor's wife. The constant companion. Or as the Doctor calls her... Sexy.

My lunch for the big day is a tasty TARDIS open faced sandwich with half a plum, cheese, and grapes.

The Doctor has said that he 'borrowed' the TARDIS from a museum, always intending to return her when he was done. But did he steal the TARDIS... or did the TARDIS steal him? As Idris says in The Doctor's Wife, "I wanted to see the universe so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away." Who chose whom, we may never truly know. Maybe it will be among the answers revealed in the big episode today!

I have to work, so the Dude is DVRing the episode so that we can all watch it together tonight when I get home. The kids are every bit as excited as we are - they're even planning snacks out for the show. The youngest three even dressed as Doctor Who characters for Halloween this year.

My little Whovians <3 Beaker was the Eleventh Doctor, Bean was the TARDIS, and Lulu was a (very abstract) Dalek.

Keep following the hop by clicking the pretty button to see what wonders await from Blame it on the Bento and the rest of the group!

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Autumn Leaves

A simple and easy warm lunch for a cool, crisp fall day.

Leaf picks make these honeydew melon balls a little more fun, and easier for a little hand to grasp without dropping.

Jumbo muffin cups are great for holding a serving of gluten-free, extra cheesy rice-mac and cheese.

A mini silicone cup of allergy friendly autumn trail mix makes a perfect treat. To make the trail mix, I toss together shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips.

To round out the lunch, Beaker has rolls of ham on colorful autumn leaf picks and a little bit of shredded raw broccoli.

I love these four section plates for meals at home. They make it easy to keep food separate (which my preschooler and sensory-sensitive kids tell me is VERY important) and to portion appropriately. They're also fun, with a variety of cute designs. I found this one, with a little robot theme, for $1. Yesterday I found a few Halloween and Thanksgiving themed four-section plates for half off in the Target dollar bins for 50 cents each. I keep an eye out for new ones each new season and holiday, and for clearance when the new designs roll out. They're easy to find and inexpensive, which I like. I have also seen stainless steel section plates on Amazon, and those are perfect for those who prefer to reduce use of plastic.

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Happy Pandas

Beaker requested bologna pandas for lunch recently, with about fifteen minutes to spare before we had to run out of the house to meet Lulu for lunch at her school. This is what I whipped together on the super-fly!

Cucumber and shredded lettuce salad, kettle corn, allergy safe trail mix, mango and peach chunks, cold buckwheat pasta salad with peas and carrots, and a bologna panda.

This lunch is gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, garlic-free, nut and peanut free, and Beaker proclaimed it his "very favorite today!" The cuteness factor was also pretty popular at the lunch table.

The best part are these sweet little panda picks. Happy little pandas dance and play, holding the rolled up scraps of bologna and adding a cute little touch to the lunch.

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