The end is in sight. Soon I’ll be done packing school lunches.
Last September I had really good intentions. If you opened my cabinets you would see neatly stacked rows of reusable containers. I kept a marker right next to the napkins so I could write uplifting messages. “Mom loves you! Have a great day!” I even bought a sandwich shaper so I could cut bread into a beehive and a cute little bumblebee. Every night I packed organic fruit, crudités and filtered water into monogramed lunch bags.
Now it’s June and my standards have dived off the deep end.
I wish I could rip open a bag of Kiddie Kibble and pour it into a bowl for my children next to their water dish. Why has nobody invented that yet? The kibble would come in different flavors like macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and faux-peanut butter and jelly that would be acceptable in allergy aware classrooms. There would be an alternative brand called Organic Child Chow that would be a lot more expensive.
Until then, I need to compromise. So on my last visit to Costco, I loaded up the cart with items I don’t normally purchase because they involve processed food and individually wrapped portions.
“Go-Gurt?” my son shrieked when he came home from school that afternoon. “You want me to eat from a tube?” His farm-to-table sensitivities were acutely offended. He also refused to eat string cheese, Naked Juice (because it’s owned by PepsiCo) and fruit snacks.
I must admit I felt guilty about the fruit snacks. Would a cave man recognize them? Heck no. But the thing was my daughter had been eating fruit snacks every day for weeks. I knew this because she packed the wrappers home with her. I was unsure if she traded with her friend at school, or if that friend’s mother provided double because she thought my daughter was deprived.
It was a sticky situation.
Then the embarrassing event happened. One day after half-day kindergarten got out, my daughter and I headed down to a local Edmonds park to play with friends. We happened to sit at a picnic table with Erica Strauss, author of the extremely popular blog Northwest Edible Life. Erica regularly posts pictures of homegrown food preserved in beautiful mason jars and cute pictures of her baby ducks. She is the master of environmentally friendly living.
Imagine my horror when my daughter opened up her lunch to reveal Go-Gurt, a bag of Cheetos and a juice box. As my daughter’s hands streaked orange, my face flushed bright red.
When I got home I turned to Reshma Seetharam’s blog My Foodarama for inspiration. I stared at Reshma’s pictures of fresh fruits and vegetables and creative main courses until I mustered the energy to do better.
Summer is almost here and I only have a few more days to pack Pinterest-worthy lunches.
Get out the napkins and pass me a marker. “Happy eating, kids! Love, Mom.”
Jennifer Bardsley is an Edmonds mom of two. Find her on Twitter @jennbardsley and at www.heraldnet.com/ibrakeformoms and teachingmybabytoread.com.
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