How We Wednesday: Pack School Lunches

It's time for the monthly link up! To check out the previous months, see the links below:

Recaps
February: How We Take Care Of Ourselves
March: Mom Fail
April: Spring Cleaning
June: How We Plan Summer Vacations
July: How We Motivate Our Kids

August. School. Lunch. WHAT!
My name is Katie and I REALLY despise packing lunches (for my kids and myself). In the past, Jaxon would ask to take his own lunch to school a few times a month. When he was in kindergarten and I was really on the ball, we would go through the menu, and he would get to select one meal a week to replace with a lunch from home. It worked for about two weeks and then we forgot.

In first and second grade, he would randomly remember days that he wanted to bring his own lunch to school. It was sometimes because he didn't care for the choice that day and sometimes because him and his friends would all plan on doing it the same day.

So, here is how I handle lunches + random thoughts:
1. Jaxon always remembered while we were supposed to be heading out the door this past year.
SOLUTION: I am running around like a maniac every morning and so he would go pack his own lunch. I would ask him what he is packing and he got pretty creative. His main things were: peanut butter and jelly (the one thing we almost always have in stock), meat/cheese/crackers, bologna sandwich, cold noodles, or an uncrustable. I would tell him he needs to grab a fruit and veggie and something of substance (especially with an uncrustable) like crackers or yogurt. He would bring one treat/candy and a water bottle.
2. If he remembered the night before, I would help him but he doesn't mind packing his own lunch and I think he is at the age where it is good for him to take charge of packing his lunch (he is 9).
3. We rarely have cold lunch stuff on hand. Occasionally I will have stuff for sandwiches but often we have warm leftovers which he can't bring to school. Thankful for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
4. He is also responsible (with reminders) to clean out his lunch box when he gets home. He has not yet mastered the art of throwing his wrappers, scraps, uneaten food in the garbage at school. His lunchbox is always a mess but has a hard plastic liner so I can scrub it with soap and run it under water.
5. The school has great lunches and they always have 2 choices so I prefer he eat that lunch as it is healthy and easy.
6. As a school counselor, I only have a 30 minute lunch so I have to bring my own lunch to school every day, too (but I get a hot lunch).  At the start of the school, I am always organized and have my lunch packed the night before. An easy way for me to do it is to pack it right after supper as I usually bring leftovers. But, by May, I am so over packing lunches and when I get home, unpacking our lunches.
7. Also by May, I am scrambling to find food to put my own lunch together. Hello peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for me, too!

As for lunchbox, I just got this new one last week at TJ Maxx. I am excited about it!

Jaxon has this Under Armour (lots of cute styles) one. The nice thing about this one is it has a plastic inside and so it is easy to rinse out.

Jace is an easy eater and so I am hoping to just avoid the lunch thing with him this year as much as possible :)

If you have ANY ideas about packing lunches for either of us, PLEASE let me know!

Next month, we will be talking how we Fall (what we do in the fall/decorate/etc). Have a great Wednesday!