The nightly ritual of making the packed lunches does my bloody nut. I always seem to forget about them until about 10pm, when I’m just about to go to bed, by which point I’m in no fit state* to hunt around for dinosaur cutters and employ actual imagination or thought.
When the guilt of leaving my kids in childcare whilst I go to work gets too much, I do occasionally go through a brief phase of putting effort in (going a little “Alpha Mummy”, if you will), before sliding inevitably back into the usual Grab-Anything-I-Can-Find-And-Sling-In-A-Box method.
I really WANT to be better at this. I really WANT to be more organised, so that I actually remember packed lunch stuff when I do the weekly shop, and don’t have to scrabble around for suitable fodder. Have you seen the amazing photos of bento-type lunches on Instagram and Pinterest?! I really WANT to want to make hedgehog-shaped melon pieces and unicorn-inspired wraps. I really want my kids to be those that merrily munch down on cucumber sticks as a favourite snack, and willingly choose grapes over biscuits. But fact is, I have other shit to do. Like watching repeats of Sherlock and writing this pointless and self-indulgent blog. Besides, I know full well that the fruit will come back either untouched, or slightly mangled. Ditto the sandwich. I may as well chew it up a little bit myself, to save my kids the bother.
As for yoghurt…is there anything more disgusting than a yoghurt-smeared lunchbox forgotten about until Sunday night?! Yes! Yes there is, dear reader. More disgusting than a yoghurt-smeared lunchbox forgotten about until Sunday night, is a yoghurt-smeared lunchbox forgotten about until after the school holidays. *vom*
* On reading this back I realise that this part makes me sound like I get fall-down drunk every night. This is not true. (Only some nights).
Plan B – change childcare provider, mine gets fed his 3 meals a day at nursery = result! ??
Going to be a shock to the system when he starts school next year!
Now there’s a good idea! 🙂
YES! I will say that I don’t think the kids give two hoots though what is in their lunchbox as long as it is edible. I used to drag the dinosaur, bear, train, you name it I had it cutter but it made no difference. I have been known to dash to the shop late at night to get a reduced sarnie for lunchbox too. Oh the shame!
Haha yep, I’m definitely more like Beta mummy! My kids take a sandwich, a yoghurt and a cheese string. Every single day. No fruit (I gave up on that as I know it wont get eaten) as I like to tell myself there must be at least one strawberry in their yoghurt, and when they come home I can try and camaflage a few vegetables in their tea! #bigpinklink
I like your style! 😉 x
Ahah love this! My sister avoids this by getting hers to have school dinner haha. My mum always moaned about packed lunches and I can kind of see why. The school she works at though has banned loads of unhealthy stuff so I reckon some kids must just starve!! #bigpinklink
Haha I love it! Your drawings are amazing. I used to have pack lunches at school, Warm yogurt is not good! xx
#tribal x
your material is the best! You literally make me cry with laughter – the remembered spoon! The mould off of the bread, the uneaten banana, the ice cream tub – Oh I know what why don’t I just repeat everything you’ve just said! But seriously – everything makes me laugh so much – you are super funny lovely xx
Thanks 🙂 x x
Genius especially the mound bit. Thanks god my kids come home for lunch and on the rare occasion they have a trip and need a packed lunch there’s like a mad competition as to who has the most inventive one. Does my nut in! When I do anything different or try to be healthy they won’t eat it. Stick to the chocolate sprinkles on bread!
Yes! I am not the only one who uses old ice cream containers! #winning brilliant once again lady xx
I’m far from the lunch packing stage yet, but I can imagine this is how it’ll go for me. I enjoy your drawings a lot. Fantastic. 🙂 #chucklemums
Oh god, this post just reminded me of what is to come. Yoghurt smeared lunchboxes just made me upchuck a little!
aww fab to look at this again from #chucklemums!
Nothing wrong with crisps and a sandwich. It was fine for literally a whole generation of kids. Bloody Jamie Oliver 😉
Part of me is sad that RJ’s school only allow school dinners, but then a bigger part of me just thinks “Thank Eff” 😀 #chucklemums
I think you should be proud of yourself for getting organised enough to sort out packed lunches the night before. When I get to having packed lunches, I won’t care what’s in them, as long as there’s food there! 😉 #chucklemums
Pahahaaa, oh yes the old mould check!? Is that mould, or is it a squashed seed thing? Or paint? (yes paint, I may have dropped a loaf in the sink when I was washing his paint brushes…non toxic surely?). Ah well, he doesn’t eat the crusts anyway! Funny as ever #chucklemums
Ha! The Popple isn’t at the packed lunch stage, but I feel the same way about feeding her. I intend to make her fresh, veg-packed meals from scratch, but sometimes she gets Ella’s Kitchen on a piece of stale toast. I think she’s cool with it. #chucklemums
Haha, who has time for dinosaur sandwiches in packed lunches?! I have, I think once made shaped sarnies for their lunch but that was a very very alpha day, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since! 😉 Thanks for linking up! #bigpinklink
Glad I’m not the only one tearing round the kitchen on a Sunday night swearing about packed lunches! The eldest mostly has school dinners but still insists on sandwiches on certain days (curry and mince “cobbler” days). I have little patience and imagination so tend to resort to cheese sandwiches, Apple (must be peeled and chopped) with crisps thrown in too. #Chucklemums
This is me too. Every morning when I go to make O’s sandwich it’s like “do you want cheese or jam?” “Neither.” “How about cheese spread?” “Yeah, okay.” And that’s it. A choice of three sandwich fillings. Total fail over here! #chucklemums
Ha ha, love this! Mine are 8 & 5 and you would think I would have had enough years experience by know on how to create the most edible packed lunch, but no. It still comes home with a half eaten sandwich, one mouth sized bite out of the pear and the crisps all gone!! #bloggerclubuk
This looks pretty similar tot he lunch box I went to school with and my kids will undoubtedly being going to school with in a few months – I am rocking the Beta Mummy (and who doesn’t pick the occasional bit of mould off the bread?!) #chucklemums
Loved this! At least in the second version there’s crisps so you know they’ll eat something lol
Thanks for linking up to #BloggerClubUK 🙂
Debbie
hahaha I think this is awesome. At the moment I am kind of a mix between Alpha and Beta depending on what time I have available. I have also been accused of packing the kitchen sink too… but I always think with the amount she will chuck on the floor I need to be prepaared!
#chucklemums
Ahh, I aspire to be a beta mummy! I too will use an ice cream lunch box. I’ll never, repeat, never put a note in my sons lunch box! #triballove
haha brilliant! My lunchboxes are alpha mummy to some extent haha – anything I do create doesn’t typically take too long! 😉 #BloggerClubUK
My son will be taking a packed lunch to pre-school next year and his lunchbox will definitely not resemble the first pic!! He’d be happy if he just had crisps and a frube for lunch! x #bloggerclubuk
Haha packed lunches drive me crazy! Trying to keep there lunches slightly healthy without using the same food all the times! By Friday I’ve given up and I’ll give them whatever I’ve got left in the cupboard lol!
This is hilarious. So true. Packed lunches are THE WORST part of parenting after toilet-training and before travelling with kids. ‘Old ice-cream tub!’ Nailed it! ??