This year we are packing a lunch for school each day. Each Monday through Thursday I pack a family-style picnic with sandwiches, burritos, salads, or wraps. On Friday, though, oh, oh, oh. I let THEM pack whatever they desire for lunch.
If you are not the mom of Very Many Children, you may wonder why I wouldn't let them pack their own lunch each and every day. How can I explain? My entire kitchen would by trashed each and every morning as each individual child searched out sides and sides to their sides and dessert and sauces and dips. It would be mayhem. Trust me.
Jon had the idea of letting them make their own meals once a week. He was thinking I should buy some pre-packaged items that they could grab and stuff in a bag. I did some quick math. If I bought enough baggies for 9 of us to make individual lunches plus lunch bags, that would add a lot of trash and some expense. If I bought individual servings of chips, those frozen pb & js, little juice boxes, and Little Debbies for all, the weekly trash produced by us would raise again, and the expense would go up again.
I'm the type of person who pours all leftover water from the cups into a watering can to use in the garden. I avoid buying paper napkins, paper plates, plastic bags, disposable water bottles, and individual servings of items as much as possible. I do what little I can when possible to help the environment.
This all led me to bentos. The kids can bring rice or leftovers or a sandwich or whatever their heart desires (and our kitchen has at the moment), and I don't have to stock special foods or up our plastic baggie usage. Today was the first Bento Bonanza, and it was cute and sometimes hilarious to see how the kids packed their own lunches. Note that they chose their own bentos, but that Soren is using a container we already had as he waits for his to arrive from some far off land.
The three little guys each got a different one like this. It has been rough keeping them from using them as toys all over the house and in the yard. They love them.
Tobias chose a fashionable one with its own bag.
Zade chose one with a genuine (in his mind) marble top. It was love at first sight. :)
The girls each got a cute one perfect for sushi and rice (Basia) or refried beans (Cassia).
Oh, my, goodness. Zade's lunch had me laughing! He packed rice and waffles and a sandwich with an adorable container of syrup and some chop sticks.
This is for sure the favorite part of our school week for more than one child!
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