I get up at 5:45 a.m. every morning (ok, sometimes I doze until 6:08 or so) to make the kids' lunches. I totally dread this chore and lament it every single night when I go to bed too late, but there are many reasons why I do it. For one thing, with four kids, buying school lunch every day would cost about $160 a month. For another, the kids don't like ALL the school lunches (although at the jr. and sr. high levels lunch is like a food court at the mall these days - geesh!). Also, Hannah spent $50 in just the first eleven days of seventh grade because she was like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory with all the choices available at the jr. high level and she had a seemingly unlimited supply of funds with which to purchase cookies, Gatorade and Cup'o'Noodles. So, I decided to resign myself to waking up earlier than I EVER want to in order to put together four lunches. Why not have the kids make them? Well, I tried that, too. Four bustling, bickering kids in the kitchen making questionable choices for lunch, wasting an hour or so (by the time they all got up for their various buses), and leaving the kitchen in total disarray just didn't make my morning so sweet. I can make their four lunches in about ten minutes. But here's the thing. I'm not exactly June Cleaver when it comes to the whole morning routine. I'm not up making scrambled eggs and toast for my children. The idea of a "hot breakfast" to my kids means eating out at a restaurant once or twice a year on vacation. They're lucky if I remember to fling a Flintstone's vitamin on the counter for them before they rush off. So, the whole "hot lunch" option is also out the window (that's what school lunch is for, right?). Let's just say I'm not always "prepared" to make a delicious school lunch for my kids. Some days there's no bread. Sometimes the "fruit" is a couple of withered oranges divided four ways. But I swear these kids are happy with a half a stale bagel and a couple of pretzel sticks. The horror of having to buy lunch far outweighs having a lame mom-packed lunch. On those sneaky days I've tried to shirk my mom duties and suggest they buy lunch "for once" I'm met with horrified stares and a "nooooo" wailed to a mournful tune. So, I rise early, spend ten minutes throwing together whatever's at hand, and send them off happy. Ahh......the taste of love!
4 comments:
Have you tried making them the night before? I never used to eat breakfast or pack a lunch before I got pregnant, but suddenly they seemed a lot more important so I made lunches for Stu and I the night before and my ten-minutes between the alarm going off and me leaving the house wasn't wasted by staring into the fridge. :)
My kids also pack lunches everyday. CheyAnn is allowed to buy on two pizza days a month and that's it. Elementary school lunch costs me $3 a day that they buy, and I know I can pack a healthier lunch with lots more food for $3 for two kids. Chase doesn't buy because he doesn't get enough to eat. I already told you they use a thermos to take warm food when they want it, but luckily they aren't at the brown bag stage yet so we can still do that. Chase took a cheeseburger yesterday that was left over from dinner a few nights earlier. I nuked it and wrapped it in foil, he said it was still warm at lunch time. There have been a few days this year when they have taken cheese and crackers for lunch because I didn't have any bread or buns. Chase took PB&J on a hot dog bun one day. LOL!!! I only have two to pack a lunch for and I know how tough it can be somedays.
I always made the lunches as I was cooking dinner and it was in the fridge in the morning. Also, if they forgot their lunch, the school would give them an apple and milk. I paid for it later. The trick is to train them that if they forget the lunch, they will not eat - I do not go to the school to do any "deliveries". With only 2 kids left, I do have them buy lunch from the school with a strict limit of 3 dollars a day. Hayden ran out too quick and had to do for himself for a couple of months (I didn't make anything)He learned fast! :-)
I was going to say what Sydney said about the night before. I use to do that formy own lunches once upon a time.
MAMMA does it right too:)How else are they going to learn?
Also, I just wanted to add that the effort doesn't go unappreciated:)
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