A day in the life of my kids' lunchboxes

Here at home, I do everything routinely. It makes life SO...MUCH... EASIER. My kids know routine, and they thrive off of it. It also equips them to take responsibility for themselves, because they have learned things in an organized fashion, they now know exactly what they need to do in the day and therefore can handle the few days we aren't so organized and still be responsible for themselves. It's almost like learning the ABC's in order, we would probably never remember if it was scrambled everytime we heard it, and therefore would forget SOME letter at some point. I have lunch in the exact same place in the fridge always made and ready the night before. I have their homework on the table so they can put it in their bags. I even usually have breakfast out on the table before they get up so I can hop back in bed until it's time to leave. Having a schedule or organized routine helps them make a list in their mind of the things they need:

Teeth brushed.
Hair brushed.
Lunch put in backpack.
Homework put in backpack.
Socks on.
Coat and shoes on with backpack ready to go.


But they have also learned to not EXPECT routine. This equips them to handle change very well. It's a win-win.


But the routine I haven't ever strayed from is what they get for lunch. So here's a look at the lunch of a Nash kid (this was last night's):

Every lunch has a: piece of fruit, string cheese, vegetable (usually carrots), dried fruit (raisins or prune), crackers (usually Annie's), and main course (usually a sandwich made with Dave's bread). 

Packing the same things for my kids' lunches makes my shopping routine incredibly easy. I never browse to see what I want to get them for lunches, I stick with the same things. They get leftovers (as you can see above) if I have a lot of food left from dinner, or else a sandwich. I switch up their veggies and fruits to give them rounded nutrition, as well as some of the ingredients I put into the sandwiches. For our little man, he gets smaller portions or sometimes I eliminate the crackers, but as for older brother, he just might eat me out of house and home! He never has any food left in his lunch and comes home starving every day!