One of Caroline's friends is celebrating her 2nd birthday tomorrow and her mom is bringing in cupcakes to mark the occasion. When I first learned about the cupcakes, my immediate reaction was, "No problem. I will make Caroline some blueberry muffins so that she doesn't feel left out." My second reaction was, "What?! I am not going to be one of those crazy moms who sends their kids to a birthday party with their own cake." And I'm not talking about all those moms who lovingly prepare a gluten-free cupcake for their child with wheat allergies. Seriously, though. Even I can't convince myself that a blueberry muffin is the same thing as a chocolate cupcake sitting in a silver foil liner, iced with thick chocolate frosting and sprinkled with multi-colored stars. It's not. And when Caroline sees all of the other kids enjoying cupcakes while she is stuck with her whole-wheat muffin made with local, organic blueberries, she will feel sad. Tomorrow, I am going to skip the muffins and put my obsessive-compulsive tendencies aside. The importance of local, organic, sustainable, low-mercury, Fair Trade, whole-wheat, high fiber food pales in comparison to Caroline's happiness.Caroline's Lunchbox Menu, January 25: Breakfast - ten grain cereal, prunes, D'Anjou pear; Lunch - baked and marinated tofu, brown rice, braised kale with onions, mixed vegetables (frozen, Stahlbush Island Farms); Snacks - cupcake
Childcare Center Menu, January 25: Breakfast - oatmeal, raisins, peaches; Lunch - chicken, brown rice, California vegetables, pears; Snacks - Monkey bread, carrot sticks
