I wasn't planning on posting again today, but I just finished reading the latest entry on my favorite blogger's blog and feel inspired to write about our experience so far with school.

Dooce speaks of her daughter's first day of Kindergarten and of her fear toward introducing Leta's strange and pretty un-nutritional (not a word, I know) eating habit to the new teacher. Before reading this, I was talking with Mike about Benjamin's eating habits of late. A new feature to his schooling is that we now pack a lunch everyday for him to bring along. Mike spent weeks looking through recipes and gathering ideas of things we could pack that would be tasty enough for Benjamin to eat and nutritional enough to pass the school's request that we not pack high sugar or high fat foods. It has been interesting and enlightening to see exactly what is left behind when he brings his lunchbox home in the afternoon.

Benjamin so far has not enjoyed eating any bread, slightly yellowed broccoli, more than 3 baby carrots, pasta salad, squishy or unsightly grapes, or cheese sticks. He has enjoyed eating the insides of a turkey sandwich, most of a pizza quesadilla, apple sauce and teddy grahams. Because of his allergies we have to stay far away from the standard lunchbox fare of peanut butter-anything and we can't pack anything that needs to be reheated, at least not until the kids get a presentation (Montessori word for lesson) on how to use the microwave.

So keeping all of this in mind, we are very limited in our lunchbox options. And frankly, his picky eating isn't limited to school, he also hasn't been eating much of anything we make at home. A child cannot live on apple sauce and teddy grahams alone, so what are we to do? Hopefully we will find the magic combination one day!