Back to School, Back to Lunch

Tomorrow marks the start of the 2012-13 schoolyear.  We will send off one 4th grader, one 7th grader and one 10th grader.  That blows my mind.  Seems like yesterday we were shopping around for our very first preschool.  All those people who've said it are right ~ time flies when you're having fun.  we have a lot of fun around here.

This year, we are focussing on getting and staying organized, keeping the house uncluttered and peaceful, and trying to keep stress to a minimum.  Sure, they might get stressed about school (as will we, about work...and maybe about school, too, sometimes), but I feel like, if we can keep from stressing out about things like not being able to find things, not having enough food int he house to pack a lunch, forgetting to sign permission slips, etc., we can at least reduce the level of stress here at home (and probably at school, too).  To that end, we sat down and did some planning.  We reorganized our home, got rid of tons of clutter, and created a quiet area for reading/creating/relaxing.   We also put the kids in charge of what they will eat and wear on school days.

All of the girls have been doing their own laundry for some time, and they have always offered to fix their own lunches, but that has never worked out very well.  We have a tiny little kitchen, and it has just been too busy in the mornings to have three kids in there making lunches.  So, we have decided to have them prepare as much as possible the night before, pack their lunchboxes, and stash them in the fridge.  They have all chosen and laid out all of their outfits for the week, too, and their bookbags are packed and ready to go.  We are hoping all of these changes will take the stress out of our morning routine, and maybe even buy us all a little more sleep time (wouldn't that be dreamy?).  We also made sure to have lots of quick breakfast options available.  For instance, we prepared eggs in muffin cups ~ adding veggies, cheese, soy sausage, rice, etc. to suit different palates ~ to be heated up and tucked inside whole wheat English muffins.  I will keep hardboiled eggs in the fridge for Kaia, who only eats eggs hardboiled, and there is always cereal, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit available.

In oder to make sure that there will always be plenty of choices available to them when they pack their lunches, we created the lists that appeared in my last post.  Also, as has become our tradition, we let the girls choose whatever they wanted for their first-day-of-school lunches.  I feel it gets the year off to a good start, if they get to enjoy a favourite lunch on the first day.  Sort of helps them settle into the school routine, I think.  So, I made sure everything they needed was available (I made pesto and pumpkin muffins, since those were on their lists), and set them to work this evening.  Having each girl pack her own bag worked like a charm.  Below, I have posted pics of the results.  I am so proud of them all.  As you can see, three very different girls pack three very different lunches, but they all made healthy, reasonable choices, with an eye to keeping it nutritionally balanced, which I appreciate.

Look what a great job they did:

This is the way Kaia's lunch looks when it's all packed up and ready to go in to her new lunch bag.  Pumpkin muffin, Super V juice pouch, and a homemade "lunchable."

And here's what's inside that box ~ soy turkey slices, Coastal cheddar (her favourite cheese) and 12-grain crackers.

Here's Hallie's meal, neatly packed in the great new containers I found at Target the other day (Lunch Blox - check 'em out!).  See how the pieces all snap together?  Cool, huh?

Here's what's inside: Two slices of Italian bread, pesto, tomato slices and fresh spinach leaves (she'll assemble these ingredients to make a sandwich at lunch time, but packing them this way keeps them from getting soggy) and a trail mix she threw together with almonds, dried cherries, raisins, pretzels and just a few chocolate chips.

Above is Justice's fare.  She chose coconut water for her beverage, and packed it all up in those neat little containers.

A peek inside reveals gnocchi w/ pesto, ingredients for one of her favourite snacks, ants on a log, and almonds, just in case she needs an extra snack.

While we are on the subject of packing lunches, how stinkin' cute are the new lunch bags?  We love them.  They came in a 3-pack for $9.99 (at Target).  Can't beat that price, and we love things that come in 3-packs.  It's like they saw us coming. (Wow! They're cheaper online!)

Now, the girls are all nestled in their beds, trying to rest, despite the excitement (and jitters) that go along with the first day of school.  Shane and I gave each a bamboo plant in a tiny pot (one blue, one orange & one green), for luck.  Here's to a great year!