School officially starts Monday for my kiddos and I think they are finally getting excited! We finished all our preparations and they are even back on track routine wise. But after a trip to the grocery store yesterday, I realized I was less prepared to begin packing healthy lunches again.
I stocked up on fresh fruit, veggies like baby carrots and celery, V8 Fusion drinks, and nuts. But I still have that nagging fear in the back of my mind that the kids will get bored eating the same ole healthy foods. So I decided to do what I do best - research!! I found a great food chart I had to share:
Decided maybe a food rainbow instead of the old food pyramid might be more entertaining to look at on the fridge! I even found another food plate, I love these!
And then of course, down to business! Disney's Family Fun Magazine offered a ton of good tips:
http://familyfun.go.com/back-to-school/back-to-school-lunches-snacks/
The ideas here are amazing! Everything from quick and healthy sandwiches in clever shapes to dressing up lunch boxes with Con-Tact paper to make an instant dry erase board! One of my favorite ideas was from a reader submission, she offered her daughter $10 a week to either buy a lunch at school or if she wanted to make a lunch at home she could keep the money every week! What a great idea to assist with older kids who would prefer to have a little say in what is going on in their life!
Another great site I found was http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/kid-friendly/lunchbox-ideas.aspx
Love all these ideas! The best part, they are all easy to do and the "lunch box jokes" will be a great surprise for the kiddos!
So I have concluded that after a few minutes of jotting down some fun and healthy recipes, a few cool new lunch box surprises (let's face it, us mums need new inspiration too) I think this years lunch box race will be a great success!
Another great aspect of back to school time, the cooler weather! Here in StL we are currently enjoying mild temps in the eighty degree range, and that means more time outside! Here are a few of our families favorite activities;
1. Backyard scavenger hunts - sometimes we hide things for them to find and other times we simply let them find the usual backyard bugs or plants, etc. Even better at night!
2. Family walks after school. Simple and funner than you might expect, family walks provide time for me and my husband to reconnect and talk about our day, the kids to burn off some extra energy, and very de stressing for everyone!
3. After school activities and sports. School is a great way for your entire family to become more involved, whether it's volunteering at special events or school provided sports, it can help the whole family become more active, so let the signing up begin! Just remember, you don't want to over do it, so set the limits on how many activities to keep everyone happy ahead of time.
4. Wednesday game nights. Pick a day of the week when everyone is going to be home and reserve that night for family game night. Not video games either! We bust out the board games or play tag in the backyard. Board games are great to teach kiddos important skills that video or computer games can not accomplish, mainly because kids play these games alone!
5. Bed time stories. How simple of a tradition is that? Knowingly, we all lead busy lives and at the end of a crazy day we just want to climb into bed in a pitch black room with soundproofing. But something as simple as reading to your child every night (even if not at bed time, do what works for your family) can help with everything from a good routine, reading skills for them, and better sleeping habits. Plus, you'll be creating memories they'll never forget!
Hope these ideas are helpful to you and yours! What are some of your secrets to a successful packed lunch?
