It was two days out from my son starting first grade. I was scouring the shelves trying to find ANYTHING that might help make school lunches a little more exciting and maybeeee simplified. Then I saw IT; there, on the very back of the clearance rack at the Pottery Barn outlet! It was perfect bright blue lidded square, sized perfectly to fit in my son's lunch box. I had heard of these before, and often scoffed at becoming THAT mom. You know, the one trying way too hard for my own good (because they were the only ones who seemed to speak of them!). But with the $4.99 price tag, I figured it might be worth a shot.

Low and behold, I was made a believer that first morning. The six small sections allow for portion control and made you feel really bad for only sending your kid to school with a sandwich and some fruit. It made me WANT to try harder and it made it fun for the both of us. He was able to help by throwing in the fruits and veggies that he wanted without going overboard, and I was able to save money by not having to buy snack bags!

We started designating certain spots for certain things; one for a veggie, one for a fruit, some kind of carb, and then a treat. If he opted out of a sandwich or meal type item, we just allotted two spots for veggies and two for fruits. This way, I always knew that his lunch was balanced without ever actually putting thought into it. By second grade, we were making lunches in about 3 minutes. By third grade, he's ready to take on the BENTO by himself, and I can actually trust him!

As a working mom with 2 other kids, this thing has absolutely saved. my. life. It truly offers everything a mother could want, and still looks cool for those of us who can't make bugs out of food!