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Our Life Group is studying the 5 Love Languages as a way to help one another better understand our spouses and strengthen our marriages.
As I have spent time understanding the basic ways we receive and communicate love, I’ve realized when it comes to my kidlets’ Love Languages, the Little Lady’s are …
- Gifts (which is why she is always making something for somebody)
- Words of Affirmation (“Did you like what I did?” “Did I do a good job,” and “Are your proud of me?” are common questions from my girl)
- Acts of Service (she adores having things done for her — “I really “piss-ciate” that, Mommy.” Yeah — still working on enunciation over here).
It’s this combination of love languages — the ways I can show and tell my daughter I love her — that makes her bento lunches such a big deal to the Little Lady.
She LOVES having a special lunch made for her; to her I am both taking care of a need (serving her) and I am giving her a treat or a gift through the fun, pretty and healthy lunch.
But this bento is her favorite and is nearly a weekly feature. If I ask the Little Lady what she wants in her bento box, without hesitation she answers:
“I Love You Lunch.”
Hearts galore and a cheese cut-out depicting the sign for “Love you.” During the busy preschool day, it’s a brief moment for her to remember Mommy loves her.
It makes her feel special.
And I love it.
Bento Contents:
Roasted Corn (cut off the cob)
Sesame Flour Heart Crackers (I found these around Valentine’s Day and stocked up!)
Fresh Strawberry Hearts (so simple — just cut the tops off and slice)
PB and J Pocket Sandwich (Whole Wheat Bread, freshly ground peanut butter (I’m lucky to be able to do this in my store. There is a machine where you can grind dry roasted or honey roasted nuts into fresh (preservative and additive free) nut butter.), and sugar free and preservative free grape jelly.)
Havarti Cheese “Love You” Cut-out
To make the cheese cut-out:
I have a hand-shaped cookie cutter, which I believe was purchased at either Michael’s or Hobby Lobby.
- Press the cookie cutter into a thick slice of cheese (for bento shapes, I generally have my deli cheese cut on a three).
- Remove the cheese hand from the cutter.
- Carefully fold down the middle and ring “fingers” of the cheese. The cheese will most likely break at the base where the fingers connect to the hand.
- Let the two cheese fingers lay on the palm of the hand to make the “Love You” sign.
- To secure the cheese to the top of the sandwich, dot or spread a little peanut butter (or cream cheese) on the back of the cheese. This will act as a “glue” and keep the cheese safe and secure!
Have you thought about your child’s Love Languages and how you can speak directly to their way of understanding love?
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About Rachel Lacy
My name is Rachel -- I share tales about food and family. I'm a home-cook who focuses on fresh & simple meals to both fuel us and to help us celebrate our family-life. My day starts with coffee. Lots of coffee. 
Monday - Corn Casserole, Pepper Steak, Salad
Tuesday - 
Oh my gosh this is so cute! I love the “I love you” cheese
Lol — that’s definitely my daughter’s favorite part!
I love your Bento box It’s so helpful to know someone’s love language, isn’t it? Also, it’s helpful to know how people learn. We all have different styles. I definitely try to be sensitive to my kids’ love languages, so that I fill my own cup but theirs too!
Yes — becoming aware of love languages has been such a good thing for both my marriage and my parenting. Helps so much to address and love on the individuals around you, rather than expecting they are just like you.
the cheese is my favorite part LOL
Honestly, cheese should always be the favorite part .. of anyone .. ’cause, well … it’s CHEESE!
Yum!
This is the most adorable lunch ever! I’m going to have to make it for my daughter!
Thank you, Beth!
We studied the 5 love languages at our church about a year ago. It was awesome.
I love how you fixed her lunch! That’s an awesome way to remind them how much you love them. I like to write little notes in my sons school planner so when he goes to write his homework down he can read a note from me!
If my daughter was at the reading stage, I would totally do the notes!
Wow, that is so cute. Jake is 15 and eats at school, but if he took his lunch he might be embarrassed with this one, lol. I hope to have my own child someday and this would be their lunch for sure!
LOL, yeah, I’m pretty sure there will come a time all of my toddlers and preschoolers will be embarrassed by this type of stuff too!
Wow, that is so cute. Jake is 15 and eats at school, but if he took his lunch he might be embarrassed with this one, lol. I have a child this is a great idea.
I love themed Bento lunches and this one is adorable. I can see why the Little Lady asks for it often! Thanks for the tip about using peanut butter or cream cheese as “glue”- I would never have thought of that.
I can’t remember where I first learned that tip … I do know that I spent MONTHS trying to figure out how everyone was able to keep decor in place. Lol
This is SO CUTE!
Thanks, Beeb!
This is so creative, I wish I had this talent!
Thank you, but it really doesn’t take any talent — just a few cookie cutters!
Oh my, that is adorable! So fun.
I absolutely love this idea! You are so creative (and loving!)
Thank you!
I love the idea of interpreting love languages and that box is gorgeous!
Ok, this is the cutest bento box! I can’t wait until my son needs a lunch at school!
I definitely want to make a love box
My kids would want me to pack their lunches everyday if it looked like yours!
So cute. I like the hand especially, of course mine would be making a different sign to my husband…lol
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
This is absolutely adorable. I should have done much better with lunches when my kids were little – the poor deprived things
My girls would have LOVED this. Maybe it’s not too late?
what an incredibly cute and loving idea!
That is seriously adorable. I need to do this kind of lunch more instead of the boring lunches.
This has to be one of the sweetest Bento lunches I’ve seen! I love that adorable cheese hand cutout! So cute!
This is simply adorable! How creative!!
That is so cool. I wish I was that cool of a mom. But I’m not.
It is fun and we (my daughter and I) enjoy bento lunches … but they certainly don’t make me a cool mom. It’s just my way of doing something special … we all have a different way of expressing our love. Yours is through your amazing and graceful way you parent your son and stand firm as his advocate.
That is so incredibly cute!!! I love Bento boxes- I have no one to make them for {little dude isn’t even in preschool yet & my fiancee would just make fun of me if I gave him one, lol} but I am obsessed with looking at them
Lol — I spend so much time browsing Pinterest for them.
My son (2 and not in preschool) loves them too; I keep his pretty simple and mainly just stick to cheese shapes. He loves guessing what shape his cheese is in.
Oh my goodness this is so cute! I love bento lunches and the creativity that I see moms like you pouring into them. I REALLY love the cheese “I love you” sign language. That’s just too sweet!
Thank you, Lindsay!
She sounds so cute! You’re such a good Mommy!! I hope we get to meet one day!
I love this Bento box…pinning it right now!!
You’re so creative and fun. That’s the coolest lunch!
Too cute!
Awww! Would it be dorky to make this for Hubs? It’s not his love language, but it’s mine.