There have been a lot of firsts in our house this month. First day of school, first time being in school full day and the first time packing lunch for school, every single day. Last year Jack stayed late at school one day of the week, so packing lunch was a bit of a novelty. But now that he packs lunch every day the novelty has worn off rather quickly.
While I’m not the type of mom to make cute lunch time creations or come up with elaborate meals, I do have a few lunchtime hacks that work well for my family.
Leftovers are the new Lunch
I love leftovers my family doesn’t always feel the same way. Though I can get them to eat leftovers for lunch. When I’m making dinner, if it’s a meal I know Jack loves (mac and cheese, ravioli, tacos) I make extra and save a portion for him to have for lunch the next day.
Do It The Night Before
So I know the general rule is to make lunches the night before but this doesn’t work for me. I usually like to be done with all “mom” related chores by 7 pm, so I make lunches in the morning and I think they taste fresher that way. However I do ask Jackson what he wants each night so that in the morning I already know what I’m making.
Let Them Decide
I generally let Jackson decide what he wants for lunch though there are some guidelines. Everyday he has to pick a fruit as one of his two snacks and we I try not to let him take the same thing every day.
Keep it Fun
I let Jack pick out his lunch box which has him excited about packing lunch for school. We both love the Drink In A Box and Snack In A Box. Jack loves the fun design and color of the items and I love that I can send him to school with water in the Drink in a Box and he doesn’t complain about not having a juice box. He also loves that all of the kids think his water bottle is pretty cool. I like that Drink in a Box is completely leak proof so I can lay it flat in his lunch box without worrying that it will leak. Snack in a Box helps keep his snacks fresh and spill proof. With its easy open and close lid, he doesn’t need help from the teacher to open it. We also have fun with the Scribble on the Box reusable labels. I have Jack write his name on them everyday so everyone knows which one is his and it gets him to practice writing.
Having lunch at school is a big part of growing up and getting adjusted to a full day school schedule. I like to think outside the box when it comes to what I offer Jackson for lunch and I’m trying to keep it fun. We have enough to argue about in the morning, that I would like to keep what he packs for lunch argument free.
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