Once a month Princess’s school offers Tacos as an entree.
Princess LOVES Mexican food, and while burritos and quesidillas are easy to make and pack along for lunch, hard shell tacos are pretty easily destroyed in a 5 year old’s lunchbox. So when we get the school lunch calendar at the beginning of the month, I make sure to mark down “TACO DAY” on the family calendar and highlight it in yellow, so when we get to that day I just send in lunch money.
We can afford the $1.45, she gets a lunch that she loves, and it helps to continue to “sell” her on the entire “bring in your lunch” thing. She really is the only child who brings in her lunch every day (except for pizza Thursday). Occasionally another child brings a lunch for various reasons-but she has commented several times about how she is the only one.
On the other hand, when I make an effort and send in “cool” stuff, she has commented that she has a “cooler” lunch. So we keep working at it.
The whole lunchbox issue is a combination of frugality and health for me-although they follow dietary guidelines at the school, I’m not thrilled with the nutritional value of the meals. At least when I send in a lunch I know exactly what she is eating. Because I’ve trained her (and the teachers) to bring back what she doesn’t eat I can see exactly how much she is eating and of what. When she gets hot lunch I have no idea.
You know, that’s something I noticed when I started substitute teaching. I’m amazed at how few kids bring lunch! Many times, I’ve taught in elementary classes that nobody brought a lunch, or maybe one person. At first I thought it was because I often teach in high risk schools, where most kids get free lunch, but it’s true in the lower risk schools as well. I’m 26, and I brought lunch everyday until high school, and I know I was not the only one who did. I also went to 10 different schools before college in four states and two countries, so I know I was not at the one school that had lunch bringers. I just find it interesting. No wonder so few people bring lunch to work or think that packing lunches is a hard thing to do. Almost nobody does it anymore!
I know, isn’t it weird?
And as I said, the nutritional value thing gets me. When deep fried mozzerrella cheese sticks are offered as an entree. . . . well, even a bologna sandwich with mayo on plain old white bread probably beats that out for health (although it may be close). . . .