It’s almost time! Back-to-school time. I actually can’t wait. My kids are “chomping at the bit” and ready to go back. I’ve been getting the school room ready this week and they actually sit at the desk and play pretend school while I organize! hahah. Silly kids.
Back-to-school time means new school supplies. One of my most FAVORITE things in life. I think that my love of school supplies heavily steered my decision of wanting to become a teacher. Well, that and molding the minds of America’s youth, of course. Now that I homeschool instead of teach in the public schools, I still get all giddy at back to school shopping! There’s just something intoxicating about the sweet smell of new crayons and folders. Yeah, I’m that weird. It’s true.
I brought the kids with me to Walmart the other day to pick up some fresh supplies. We also grabbed some lunch box essentials while we were there. Just because we homeschool, doesn’t mean we eat lunch at home! We are always on the go. We are busy, busy, busy and we often eat our meals on the run. We are involved in different STEM classes and music lessons and pay groups all around the city. So, I pack our lunches a lot.
And I love it! I know, some people find it a chore, but I LOVE IT! I really enjoy making creative and interesting lunches almost as much as I love new school supplies! I taught English in Japan for a few years before I was married and I STOCKED UP on cute bento box supplies. I knew I wanted to pack like that for my own kids someday. Seriously, the Japanese really know how to pack a lunch! It’s an art form. (You can get most of the cute bento supplies on Amazon these days. No need to go to Japan, although you should!)
Somedays I put in more effort than others, but my kids get excited about their lunch even if all I did was make their PB & J a cute shape with a simple sandwich cutter. Don’t let lunchtime become repetitive. It’s easier than you think to get creative.
My reasoning is that they’re only little once and for a little while. I might as well make their sandwich look like a train now. 🙂 Why not? Right!?
My Lunch Box Essentials
- Fruit. Bananas never work out. I skip them. We like clementines, apples, grapes, blueberries, cherries or strawberries.
- Veggie. I haven’t found a veggie that didn’t work out yet for a lunch box. My kids favorites are carrots, broccoli and snap peas. Even better if I send a little ranch.
- Something Crunchy. Everyone likes a little crunch and one of the most loved of course is Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers . They are baked with real cheese, which is probably why they’re so stinking good.
- Dairy. I send yogurt tubes unless they have had yogurt for breakfast. Or I send string cheese or cubed cheese, unless they have it on their sandwich.
- Protein. My kids love hard boiled eggs and we have plenty of them since we have chickens! They also like lunch meat, so sometimes I make roll ups. Peanut butter or Almond Butter is always a good choice for us too, since we have no allergy.
- Carbs. Usually this is the bread or tortilla of the sandwich, but sometimes it’s rice or pasta salad.
- Wet Ones® singles. These little babies are awesome. They clean their hands by killing 99.9% of germs and leaving their hands ready to eat. They are ideal to include in their lunch boxes. I keep them in my car too. Just in case.
- Drink. We mostly just do water. Occasionally I get wild and throw in a juice. They go nuts.
- Treats. If I have something on hand, I include a little candy or fruit snack or some cookies. I don’t include them every day, but sometimes as a treat. Which makes them unexpected and fun!
So, that’s what our lunch boxes look like. What do you like to pack?
I’ll be sharing pictures of a few of our fun lunches in a few days. Check back!
Want to a chance to win a years supply of Wet Ones® for your own home and your child’s classroom, plus $1000 cash! Yeah, I thought so! Keep those hands clean and happy. Check it out here.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones® + Pepperidge Farm® . The opinions and text are all mine.
Leave a Reply