What's in your Lunchbox?

One of the things I was most nervous for as the boys started public school this past fall was the Lunchbox Debate.  I queried every mom I knew.  What do you put in?  What do your kids actually eat?  How are the hot lunches?  The answers were quite varied.  Now that we're 1/2 way through the year, I can share with you what I've learned about my kids and for myself.  

• FIRST, if they are hungry, kids will eat whatever you pack.  

• SECOND, they DO NOT mind eating the same thing every day - as long as it's their favorite.  

• THIRD, they like different things.  And that's ok.  It's not something to stress over, and yet it's not something to ignore either.  You can choose to make two different lunches OR you can choose to recognize that some meals Collin will eat; others Owen will eat.  [*We only make one dinner a night.  Half the kids dig it.  The next night we make a meal the other half will love.  But if they are hungry, everyone will eat it.]  When it comes to lunches, I most often make double everything, and the boys have the same lunch.  But some days, I cater.   Sometimes Collin has turkey two (or three) days in a row because he's happy with that (and because it's easy for me - no real "thinking" involved!).  On those same days, Owen has PB+J two (or three) days in a row, and he loves it.

• FOURTH, a little creativity REALLY goes a long way!!

Thanks to Pinterest (love it!), with hardly any extra effort, I turned a basic turkey sandwich into the boys' favorite cartoon character this morning!  The meal was made in the same amount of time as it always takes me BUT it was eaten lickity-split!

I know this because I was at the school volunteering this morning, and when I walked outside during Owen's morning recess - when they are allowed to grab a snack from their pack - he was giddily showing Ferb off to his friends.  It was super cute!  He devoured his whole lunch before the bell rang (by 10:15)!  This was somewhat shocking to me - and a good reminder about presentation!  He - of my two school-agers - has a tendency to skip the morning snack in favor of chatter and a race so fast for the soccer field.  Likewise, he gets so anxious to get to recess "after lunch" that he typically eats two of three bites then claims he's "done" so he can sprint out the door to play!  He winds up finishing his lunch on the school bus or within moments of getting home each afternoon (which doesn' t really bug me, but I think he'd learn more in school - or have a better time - if he had a full belly all day).  BUT ... turn a sandwich into fun and lunch is "game on!"


UPDATE 1.23.11 - Owen asks me at least once a week now if his lunchbox has "Ferb" in it!


If you do a search on Pinterest, you'll find all kinds of creative ways to display lunch food as well as some creative items to eat for lunch.  For my kids, the reality though is, it's all about the presentation.  Here's another way I took a basic sandwich and "broke it down:"

• FIFTH, you don't have to give them candy bars and Twinkies for them to be the Talk of the Lunch Table.  Cut a cherry tomato in two to create monster eyes and use pretzel sticks  to add a silly mouth (easy sandwich adaptation!).  Or, if they say "everyone else has chocolate" (which I acknowledge is some days true), take a whole grain cereal and turn it into a "special treat" with mini mallows and chips.  They're sure to say, "May I have s'more, please!"

• LASTLY, the hot lunch is not all it's cracked up to be.  My kids do opt for hot lunch on most pizza days, but not all.  The truth for them is that they'd rather eat something mom or dad made with love - even if it's just a cup of water and crust of bread.  (J/K ... sort of.  Hhmmm ... that'd be a fun test!  ; )