Lunchtime Traditions: Making Lunch Special

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Smuckers.

We have our winner! Comment #306 – Kimbly! Congratulations and thank you!

winner

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…

lunch notes

lunch notes

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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338 Responses to Lunchtime Traditions: Making Lunch Special

  1. 338
    Mya Brooks says:

    My mom used to let us put our own topping on personal pizzas she made!

  2. 337
    Debbie says:

    I always pack a surprise on test days.

  3. 336
    Sand says:

    My mom used to pack an extra treat on Fridays for us.

  4. 335
    Sharon Seneker says:

    We like to picnic at local parks! Thanks! senekers@comcast.net

  5. 334
    Henria O. says:

    I like to give my children choices. They pick the foods they like and then get to help me make lunch and/or set the table!
    sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

  6. 333
    Elizabeth DeHart says:

    sneaking a homemade baked treat

  7. 332
    Kimberley W says:

    I wouldn’t say we have a lunchtime ritual, but I always make sure my family has what they want for their lunches. My husband and teen daughter usually like lunchmeat sandwiches (though sometimes she gets a hankering for tuna!), and I usually have a bagel and some yogurt. If I can help it, I don’t want them ever thinking they have to settle for whatever’s available instead of what they want!

    Many thanks!!

  8. 331
    Amy Delong says:

    Well lunch is there pick,so whatever within reason they want i will make to order!
    ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

  9. 330
    dorothy l says:

    when we shop for lunch items I let them pick out something different each week

  10. 329
    R Hicks says:

    We do leave little notes in their lunches when they are in school

    ardy22 at earthlink dot net

  11. 328
    sarah says:

    I put “just because” notes for no particular reason or holiday specific treats, I draw faces on the bananas, etc.

  12. 327
    valancia says:

    We have pizza alot for lunch and to us thats special.

  13. 326
    barbara wright says:

    I tweeted http://twitter.com/bsw529/status/22104789063

    Hmmm – if they are going to take away the name and email fields, but welcome me back, then why are they giving me an error that I need to fill in the fields that aren’t there?

  14. 325
    barbara wright says:

    My son eats peanut butter every lunch of his life. So sometimes I put chocolate syrup in the sandwich, sometimes marshmallows, sometimes marshmallow cream, and sometimes a combination of both. He seems to enjoy it

  15. 324
    Roxann says:

    When we have sandwiches at home I always cut them into butterfly shapes.

  16. 323
    susitravl says:

    Our family sits down and eats together – breakfast, lunch & dinner – whenever we are home, but no real “rituals”.

  17. 322
  18. 321
    Susan Smith says:

    I like to put a note and a special treat in my daughters lunch box.

  19. 320
    Nicole says:

    tweet
    http://twitter.com/maybaby522/status/22097926200
    nbalogh522 at gmail dot com

  20. 319
    Nicole says:

    I like to let me daughter be involved in making lunch. She helps make sandwiches or chooses what we have. I also like to do fun things like cutting cheese in to fun shapes with cookie cutters.

    nbalogh522 at gmail dot com

  21. 318
    Lisa G. says:

    I Tweeted this giveaway. http://twitter.com/lisalmg/status/22096910235
    lisalmg25 at gmail dot com

  22. 317
    Lisa G. says:

    My children love my peanut butter chocolate cookies so I love sneaking them into their lunch boxes as a surprise.
    lisalmg25 at gmail dot com

  23. 316
    loni says:

    Growing up, my Grandpa and I would be out working, Grandma would make a big lunch, we would come in, eat like pigs, and fall asleep for an afternoon nap on the couch!

  24. 315
  25. 314
    Deci Worland says:

    We make raisin faces on our peanut butter toast.

  26. 313
    Joanne Schultz says:

    no fun lunch rituals in our household.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  27. 312
    Terri L says:

    I have to say that lunchtime is not the meal that I ever try to make special. During school my kids take hot lunch and during the summer they are with my husband. If I am going to make something special it is usually dinner and I try to make things that my kids really like and do dinners up really nice.

  28. 311
    Coleen says:

    I love to leave my daughter notes in places she is not expecting to find them including in her lunch, notebook, etc. She likes to do the same for me as well.

  29. 310
    diane Baum says:

    Creating lunches from around the world….simple stuff, like french food with french toast

  30. 309
    kimbly says:

    My mother also left notes in our lunch and was really creative when making our lunch – cut the sandwiches into shapes, etc

    She really made us feel loved

  31. 308
  32. 307
    Geoff K says:

    In addition to notes that I often will leave in the lunchbox, I sometimes like to throw in a little surprise gift, especially when it looks like the kids start the day in a grumpy or stressed-out mood – things like gift cards to the local movie theater or arcade or things they like, such as baseball cards or books. Thanks!

  33. 306
    Nadine L says:

    When I was young, my Mom always made us be home at lunchtime to sit and eat and have some time with the family to talk about our days so far. I continued that tradition with my daughter, family time is so important and lunch and dinner are both great times for that

  34. 305
    Justine says:

    I make lunchtime special by cutting up the sandwich in 4 squares, kids love those!….and I also present it in a cute way, with a pickle on the side :D

  35. 304
    Jennifer gersch says:

    we put a big colored marshmallow in the lunch pail

  36. 303
    Marilyn L says:

    no rituals yet but I just might steal this

    jdmimi at gmail dot com

  37. 302
    Michelle H. says:

    Sometimes I will do something for the younger kids, such as making hearts or smiley faces with their food, but usually I just try to get them fed with something good to eat.

  38. 301
    Crystal F says:

    My girls don’t take packed lunches to school so no cute little notes in the lunch. But this did make me think of putting them in their bookbags. I’m going to go get some sticky notes and put notes on their folders. Thanks for the giveaway!