LUNCH BOXES THAT THRILL!

I know the school year is almost over, but our kidlets still need to be fed,

whether they are in school or not.

Ever since Will started school way back when, 10 years ago, I have been searching and experimenting with different ways to make good, eatable, healthier sack lunches.

Since my three kids are in private school, tuition is something I will pay, but I refuse to pay the $5 per child for them to eat a hot lunch at school on top of that! I did the math, and it would cost me $4200 a year for them to eat hot lunch every day.

My money tree never took root when I tried planting it years and years ago.

So now I save "hot lunch rewards" for very special occasions, or if I just really didn't want to make lunches the night before. My kids aren't as thrilled as I thought they would be.

SOOOOO...

I made sure to buy Parents, Child, and all those other magazines to see what the "new food" set is making for their kids lunches.

I was not impressed.

I don't like to brag...

(oh heck, who am I kidding, YES I DO! And you do too!)

but my kids have pretty sophisticated palates.

They like standby's but also really enjoy it when I make sandwiches that have a that little something extra. I love it when teachers and parents stop me and say "Are you the Mama that makes all those gourmet sandwiches?" I just smile and say "Heck yeah!"

So the next few days or weeks, this blog will be dedicated to filling your kids lunchboxes and tummies with food that you might not have thought of as lunch box fare. TRUST ME!

I PROMISE YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE MY ADVICE UNLESS YOU LIKE IT!

I am going to tell you what works here in my home, and you can take what you like, and leave the rest behind.

I do want to tell you, that just because your child may not like something this week or month, doesn't mean he/she won't like it at a later date, so in the beginning, buy small amounts of the new food, and try it a couple of different ways. You'll save your money and your sanity if you aren't buying in bulk just yet.

I will be posting on the sidebars, some items I buy and have on hand all the time to make an impromptu lunch in a pinch, and I am going to list some common storage items I have on hand to make lunches easy to pack. Once again, before you buy in the 500 packs of small 2 oz. dip cups like I do, make sure your child likes to eat the food items.

So, on we go... delving into the highly competitive world of school lunch boxes.

Our goal... to make our lunches so nutritious and great tasting, that OTHER kids will be begging your child to trade them, and your child, knowing what a hot commodity he/she has, wouldn't dream of letting go of their lunch.

I have spies at school, making sure my kid don't trade, and I am happy to report, they don't.

Trading is highly comdemned in most schools these days anyway... but being the control freak I am, I placed a few little extra insurances.

I hope you all enjoy the next few posts.

Thanks Kim for suggesting it to me!

Ciao for now!