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We have our winner! Comment #306 – Kimbly! Congratulations and thank you!
Lunch.
It happens everyday.
Every. Day.
*insert excitement here*
Can I be honest? The school-lunch-making process can be, shall we say… mundane. But when I put a pen to napkin… the food feeds the belly, but the words feed the heart. While the kids pack their fruit, snacks and drink — I make their sandwiches and often, a note…
Somewhere in my boxes of childhood memorabilia, are several notes… written on napkins and torn pieces of paper… from MY dad. I remember reading those short words of silliness and reminders of love from him… I remember how much those little surprises meant.
Now it’s my turn… to surprise my kiddos. With a little joke, a “you rock” or just a “Love you, Mom”… I am carrying on, well, a family tradition!
I was sorting through piles OF piles in my son’s room recently. Can you guess what I found? A couple of my lunch notes to him. I figured he’d toss ‘em. Nope. Looks like he’ll have a few notes from mom is his childhood box of memorabilia too.
Is there anything that you do, as part of a lunch time ritual, or to make lunchtime special in your family? If you do, share it here for a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card. But this isn;t only place to join in on the lunchtime conversation — 9 other bloggers giving away a $200 Visa gift card, and there is also a sweepstakes on the round-up page for a $400 Visa Gift Card! Follow this link to go to there! Contest runs from 8/5 to 8/25/2010.
Rules:
- No duplicate comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
- This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
- Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
- You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
- BlogHer.com Smuckers roundup page. You can find the official rules here.
Create a Kidvitation — Home can be a busy place with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. That’s why it’s important to set time aside to spend with your kids. Use Smuckers® Kidvitations to invite your kids to share a moment with you over a perfect PB&J. Check it out HERE! Also, I invite you to visit the Smuckers official page!
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if we have lunch together we take turns in picking out our favorite meals
Lunch time is also story time and keeps the little ones entertained.
I dont have any kids, but I try to make lil notes for my little brothers!
Over the summer with the kids at home, we got our mail right before lunchtime. We often are able to pass out cards and interesting junk mail to the kids – they got a kick out of it.
My husband and I are lucky that we work just a few blocks apart and get to have lunch together every day. It’s a great chance to talk about whatever problems we may be facing at work and make plans together.
I used to put the love notes in the lunch box, but the kids are too old now. For the littlest one I use the dinosaur cut-out for the bread and he loves that.
we like to make th elunches together and they select what goes in them
I like to make my daughters lunch special by cutting her sandwich into different shapes – I like to incorporate seasonal/ holiday cookie cutters. Also I will include 2 quarters in her lunchbox- My daughter gets happy because then she has ice cream money.
I like to close the plastic sandwich bags with a fun sticker
singermagic1(at)yahoo(dot)com
Tweeted.
http://twitter.com/csaulpaugh89/status/22056732684
We play games during lunchtime on the weekends. The kids are the waiters and I am a customer at a restaurant. They show me a menu of simple things they can make and I pick what I want. Its a lot of fun!
I don’t have any kids! But I like to put notes in my husband’s lunch
My son is all about rituals with his school lunch. If I don’t pack it properly, he tells me about it! Thanks.
I always cut the sandwiches in to fun animal shapes, they love it.
Sometimes I make “camdle salads” a pineapple ring, half a banana standing in the center, and a cherry on top
nblexp at gmail dot com
blogged about the giveaway: http://deegee13.xanga.com/732005484/smuckers-visa-gift-card-giveaways/
Thanks!
We try to go to the park to eat lunch as much as the weather permits.
tweeted http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/22050954015
thanks!
When I bring my nieces lunch every Friday I always include a guilty pleasure snack just like my used to do for me
Believe it or not I do the note thing in hubby’s lunch, though not daily, but when I know he needs a little pick me up. Though now it is kind of hard to do because he is normally standing over my shoulder when I make his lunch. I plan on putting little notes, stickers, fun things in my daughter’s lunch bag.
Thanks for the chance at winning.
i usually add a piece of my sons favorite candy to his lunchbox, makes for a happy kid
My neice and I pick out veggies and snacks on sunday and we chop an divide into small snack bags for the week. so when we make lunch for school she picks out the snack bags that she wants to go with her sandwich
tweeted
https://twitter.com/lpauld68/status/22035256751
pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Our lunchtime ritual on the weekends is to sit on the porch if its warm and enjoy the scenery as we barbeque and drink lemonade.
pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com
We don’t have any special rituals, but it’s always a treat when everyone in the family gets to sit down together for lunch and catch up with each other
I send notes with hubby to work. Our kiddos are grown and out on their own but I have no doubt that they will send notes with their kids one day too.
Usually the kids make their own lunches. However, once in a while DH will make sandwiches, wrap them in foil, and write love notes on the foil with a Sharpie. We love it!
I love to write notes to my boys in their lunch boxes
The new rice krispie treats are fun to write notes on!
jillk77 at aol dot com
One of our lunchtime rituals is to pray and hold hands before we eat.
lwoods297@centurytel.net
My granddaughter is home schooled, so lunch time is a shared event, her mom is usually pulling things out of the frige as Alex gets the plates and drinks. It is a pleasant downtime, and refresher before finishing the days work.
We really don’t have any rituals because I’ve always worked during the day, then they started school so they’re not home at lunch anymore.
I let the kids pick out what they want from the grocery store to go in their lunch box. That way it’s harder for them to say that there wasn’t anything they like in their lunch.
I homeschool. Sometimes for lunch, I like to light candles and grt out “the good plates”. The kids love this. I also like to make a lunch a picnic outside in the backyard.
My mom always put little notes and special snacks in our school lunches, and now I do the same for my kids
I make his favorite sandwich, either PB&J or bologna with the red plastic around the edges. (You have to leave this red strip of plastic on or else the sandwich will be totally ruined and unedible!)
haha
tesashel225 (@) aol (dotcom)
I’ll put a toy or something they’ve wanted in their lunch bag after a big accomplishment.
I do write notes and place them in my children’s lunch boxes…not everyday, then it wouldn’t be a surprise. I also glue a Hershey’s kiss to the note….a sweet kiss from mom.
Thank you.
Lunches are hard as we are all in different spots – it does get harder as they get older, but when they were younger, I would sneak notes and treats into their lunches. Now, as they are older, when things are getting to them, I will sneak a note into their bags – simple – an I Love You! or Let’s go to the park soon! Sure enough, I get a text message back when they see it – always seems to make them smile
Me too 
janicecrespo@gmail.com
Following you on twitter
@mb11fb
We have “Special” days during the summer where we all go into the yard and have a ice cream social and picnic with blankets and pillows.
My daughter likes her sandwiches cut in really little bite size pieces.
kaspencer50@yahoo.com
Make them the weekend before and have the kids help. They can decide what choice of items go into the lunches and they will be able to just grab and go when it is time. You can sneak in notes and other fun items (joke cards, comic strips) later for a surprise for them.
http://twitter.com/miriama59/status/21978648496
My daughter is 15 and she doesn’t take lunches any more. She eats at school. However, I sometimes sneak a treat in her backpack.
During summer camp, I would make some pasta or funky sandwiches for my son to try out. Most of them were a big hit (I also had a few losers!) but he always informed me that he had very popular lunches!
nope, no ritual or anything
During the summer we enjoy taking out the little charcoal grill and cooking hamburgers and hot dogs in for lunch.
To my children it makes lunch feel extra special and when daddy comes home for lunch they can surprise him as well with what they have cooked, with supervision and lots of help
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
I make fun shape sandwiches and I usually let the kids help me we have a blast
I like to add silly things to the lunch bag. Maybe an old photo of them or me or one of their siblings being funny. Maybe a little trinket like a shape bracelet or some little doo-dad they already had, but may not have noticed lately.
WE eat lunch together when we’re home.