Make Some Back to School Memories!
This is the last week in July…..Ahhhh! Summer is running through the lawn sprinkler, down the street and out of my reach much too quickly. Okay, it’s hot, but it’s supposed to be, isn’t it? 🙂 It’s hot so we can swim, wade in the creek, go to the lake, eat ice cream, Popsicles, and cold slices of watermelon!
I understand that the schools in our area are starting up a about two weeks. For those of you who are having to begin thinking about school routines, I thought I’d share a few ideas good ideas with you that I’ve recently come across.
While culling through all my stuff in the basement (it’s going well, by the way!), I found folders of articles that I’ve clipped from magazines. I came across some great ideas on school lunches and snack ideas. Let’s face it, lunch is a much anticipated time for students, no matter their age, so why not make it really special?
A special Message
One fun way to transform the inside of your child’s lunch box lid into a message center or game board is to stick white Con-tact paper there. It instantly turns it into a dry-erase board. Start a tic-tac-toe game and include a marker so they can make the next move. Or write a message to them to let them know you’re praying for their day!
Include a picture or a joke written on a post it note.
What to fix for lunch?
I read about one mom who really went extreme with her menu and planned themed meals. She began cooking up menus for pioneer adventures and cowboy cookouts, ocean voyages and circus parties. She’s packed tiny tea parties (finger sandwiches, grapes, and mini muffins on doll dishes), round meals (a bagel with cream cheese, an orange, carrot rounds), and a backward lunch (a sandwich with meat and cheese on the outside and a note written in reverse telling the child to eat dessert first). On the first day of winter, she sends a snowman shaped sandwich, carrot noses, and hot chocolate, while the first of spring nets fruit soup, bunny biscuits, and a flower. She also themed lunches around colors, holidays, and a slew of shapes and nationalities. I believe she would get the most creative lunch award! What child wouldn’t be excited about lunchtime with that kind of creativity?
Picky Eater?
One mom struck a deal with her daughter – she upped her allowance to $10 a week. She could either buy lunch at school and pay for it herself, or she could pack it at home and pocket the money. The daughter never bought lunch! 🙂
Instead of regular bread, make turkey and PB&J sandwiches on pita, bagels, English muffins hot dog rolls or hamburger buns. Another option is a tortilla rolled up and sliced into pinwheels.
A good idea to help simplify your life is to let your child help pack their lunch. One mom had three plastic baskets and filled one with fruits, another with vegetables, and a third with snacks and desserts. She lets her boys choose one item from each basket for their lunch, then she adds a sandwich.
Recycled Book Bag
This picture is a little shiny, but I had to show you this cute idea!
As this article says, it’s never easy to part with a favorite pair of jeans, but this sewing project makes it a cinch to recycle them into a book bag.
1. Zip the jeans and turn them inside out. With a pair of fabric scissors, cut off both legs 3 inches from the crotch.
2. Fold the cutoff jeans, matching up the side seams as you would to press front and back leg pleats.
3. Using a sewing machine, sew closed each leg opening 1 inch from the cut edge. Then, trim the denim 1/2 inch from the stitching.
4. Turn jeans right side out. for a handle, thread a cotton belt through the belt loops and tie the ends together.
Whether you’re sending your children off to school or keeping them home to teach them there, these can be special days. It will take a little bit more effort to be creative with the meals, routine, or supplies, but it will be worth it all to create in them a connection with a mom who loves them!
Do you have a special memory of something that your mom did for you while you were in school? I’d love to hear about it!
I mentioned earlier this week that I usually always sit in the front of the church during services – greatly because of my lack of being able to stay focused. When there are lots of people in front of me my mind often wanders.
Do you have something you do for others that have shared with you from their garden? What is it? What’s been cooking in your kitchen this week?
RefreshHer 
