the lunchbox war

For anyone without a child the thought of lunchbox packing may be a frivolous or trivial thing but anyone with a child knows just how complicated and exhausting a task this can be at times.

For instance I have 3 children, all different ages- Loghan is 7 and ADHD and therefore we have to include things in his lunchbox that will not only keep him interested but will also be healthy, additive and preservative free.

Gabriel on the other hand has a list of allergies a mile long and this means that there is also a limited amount of options for his lunchbox and finally we have Jesse who is of course still a baby and can only eat certain things he also has a very sensitive gag reflex and this limits what we can pack in for him.




Of course there is also the issue of lunchbox sharing- not that I have an issue with my kids sharing lunch however I do have a problem with my kids giving out their healthy stuff in exchange for things they shouldn't be eating which happens extremely often- I myself remember as a child my best friend always got the most amazing things in her lunchbox all kinds of treat while my mom always packed a sensible and healthy lunch- my friend would happily exchange her treats for my healthy stuff or we would share and being overweight this did me no good at all.

Of course you cannot expect the teachers to police the kids at lunch time nor can you expect to dictate to other mothers what they deem fit for their child's lunchbox and yet try as I might my kids always find a way!

I have tried everything I cut out their sandwiches in interesting shapes- I buy sweets and treats that are actually sugar free and still taste good I try to include their favourite foods and snacks and to pack in a variety so that they have a lot to choose from and yet it still feels like I'm fighting a losing battle.

So what am I and every other mother with the same issue doing wrong.... the answer is nothing I think children are just that way they always want something other than what they have in their own lunchbox no matter what you do its just part of being a child just like they can tell you they want the blue ball but when their best friend Suzie gets a green one suddenly the blue one isn't the one they want anymore.

At the end of the day you can only try your best so this is what we put in the kids lunch boxes baring in mind that this gets them through school and then between lunch and home time at creche because a full breakfast, home cooked lunch and afternoon creche provided snack is not enough for my growing monkeys.

Jesse

Breakfast- provided at the creche
snack- flings, yogurt, 2 x fruit, soft cheese with Tucs and Mari biscuits
lunch- cooked and provided by the creche
afternoon snack- sandwiches usually jam or peanut butter

Loghan
Breakfast- made at home either toast, porridge or yogurt and fruit.
Snack- crackers and cheese, yogurt, 2 x whole fruit, popcorn, raisins and peanuts, dried fruit, sandwich either Jam or peanut butter, sometimes I will do carrot sticks and baby tomatoes or cold meat and cheese or fruit salad or some droewors if I can afford it.
lunch- provided by the creche after school
afternoon snack- fruit and sandwiches

Gabriel
Breakfast- made at home either toast, porridge or yogurt and fruit.
Snack- crackers and cheese, yogurt, 2 x fruit, popcorn, dried fruit, sandwich usually cheese or apricot jam as he cannot have peanut butter or strawberry jam and sweet biscuits, Gabriel wont eat carrots and cant eat raisins/ peanuts or tomatoes but he also likes cold meats and cheese or droewors
lunch- provided by the creche after school
afternoon snack- fruit and sandwiches

At one point I even made motivational letters to stick in Loghan's lunchbox to encourage him daily to make friends be proud try hard etc he loved those and I think I may start those again.

my lunches as a child when I got them which wasn't for very long were often really boring... sorry mom so I try to change it up a bit but I am always looking for new ideas that are inexpensive quick and easy.

Oh and a funky lunchbox helps as well.

Here are some sites I found helpful:

http://happyhomefairy.com/category/lunchbox-ideas/
http://terrellfamilyfun.com/2013/08/fun-school-lunch-ideas-for-kids/

Pinterest also has so many lovely ideas......