7 Quick Takes: This, That and the Other Thing

— 1 —

It’s National School Lunch Week, so what did I do on Wednesday? I forgot to pack Little Brother’s lunch. (Bad mama!) At his school, you have to order hot lunches a month at a time, and Wednesday was the first day in a while that he hadn’t ordered. I don’t know if I looked at the wrong date on the lunch calendar or just went on autopilot as if he had ordered lunch, but he had the snacks I packed him, and no entree. (“Hot lunch” at his school gives you an entree and nothing else, so I make sure he gets an apple, a yogurt and a treat each day–plus 50 cents for the snack sale. He has something at snack time midmorning, then has whatever’s for lunch on top of that.) When I realized this on Thursday morning, I apologized. Profusely. Now, he didn’t mention it at all on Wednesday, but once I acknowledged my mistake on Thursday, he sulked all morning long.

— 2 —

Do you pack lunches for your kids? I’ve discovered a pretty good way to get apples to school in lunchboxes without bruising. After washing the apple, I wrap it in a paper towel and then put it into a round plastic container that’s *just* big enough to hold it. Any 1 1/2-cup container will do the job.

— 3 —

I updated the iPad to iOS 7 and really liked it! As I write this, I’m doing the same with my phone. It’s taking FOR.EV.ER.

— 4 —

Yesterday I used one of my “work” blogs to rant about a traffic-safety issue. What do you think? Am I wrong? (No, I’m not in trouble for saying this.)

…why do we abandon all other safety concerns once the car is parked? As I was coming home the other day, I rounded the corner and slammed on the brakes–because a toddler had jumped out of the cab of the pickup truck parked across the street, right into the middle of the road. Her dad followed her, with an infant in his arms.

Seriously. Why would you have a child get out on the street side when there’s a perfectly good sidewalk available?

— 5 —

Want to read a good book? My friend Erin McCole-Cupp’s second novel was just published for Kindle. Titled Don’t You Forget About Me, it’s a murder mystery with a scientific twist and ’80s pop songs for each chapter title. It even made me cry–and it made me crave Italian food. If you don’t have a Kindle, the print version will be available on November 1.

— 6 —

Erin’s book is the reason I learned about Tomato Pie. You don’t have to be from Philly to eat it. I liked it so much, I learned how to make it! Erin and I are kicking around the idea of a Tomato Pie Taste Test one of these days, but you can try my recipe now.

— 7 —

I got an upgraded inhaler this week, since that sinus infection has kicked off my asthma. While I was at the doctor, he gave me a flu shot. I hope the sore arm is worth it, and I hope the $65 inhaler does the job. (What am I breathing in here? Solid gold?) And that’s with a prescription plan. All I know is, I’d better be able to sing on Sunday without having an asthma attack at the end of each verse.

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