Walk with my besties and celebrating mine and Carol's birthdays.
Would you believe we've been best friends for 40 years? 40!
One of my greatest treasures are friends who I've loved and who've loved me for so long.
I made a lunch for the plane today and was reminded that I haven't made lunches this school year (or last year, when Nick was a senior.) My first thought was, "I'm SO glad I don't have to make lunches anymore!"
But I caught myself. Because I actually loved making lunches for my kids.
I loved that they sat at the counter each morning eating breakfast
while I made sandwiches and we started off our mornings all together.
(I LOVE when I get them back at my counter when they're home.)
So why was my first reaction relief?
It's nice not to set an alarm and get up when I'm ready and not think about lunch at breakfast-time.
And like my mom always said, "it's wonderful to have newborns, but you wouldn't want them to be newborns forever." So I guess my thought is I'm glad my kids have launched and I'm glad I won't be making lunches forever.
But I LOVED it while it lasted.
My mindset was mornings are hard enough for kids.
Waking up, practicing, being on time for school... it's hard to make time for one more thing.
(I stopped eating breakfast or making lunches in high school because I simply didn't want to spend the time to do it. And I was sick to death of cheese sandwiches and an apple.)
Lunch memories: Courtney and Chris both liked tomatoes. Not Marty.
When I made peanut butter sandwiches, Marty got a jam sandwich and if I had them, a baggy of peanuts.
Because he liked peanuts, but not peanut butter.
Marty refused to eat wheat bread when he was a Senior and I remember that feeling of being so dang sick of homemade lunches so we started buying him white bread.
But I made Chris and Nick still have whole wheat.
I really tried to have different sandwiches or main meal each day:
lunch meat and cheese; peanut butter; tuna fish (or canned chicken); Amy's pizza bites
(sometimes bean & cheese, sometimes pizza flavor).
What was the 5th day? I can't remember. Sushi when Nick and Chris were older.
If we were out of bread, triscuits and cheese like homemade lunchables.
I always felt like I was letting them down on those days, but I think they liked it.
Like the one time I made eggs for dinner and I was so sorry we weren't having a real meal and it turns out everyone was SO excited!
I cut oranges and apples into slices generally. I think we even peeled the apples at one time.
(That was probably going too far. But on the other hand, I really wanted them to eat their fruit or veggies, so wanted to make them as desirable as possible.)
I always cut the oranges into slices because I hated having to peel oranges when I was a kid.
Mainly when they didn't peel easily and you got juice all over. Or the peel under your fingernails.
Ranch dip in little portion cups for the veggies. Always.
Chips, because I never got chips in my lunches.
Juice because I wanted something healthy, but also a drink.
Again, motivated by the fact I never got drinks in my lunch.
Sometimes 100% juice Capri Suns. Mostly the little cans of apple or pineapple juice or juice boxes.
I think Marty like orange and Courtney liked apple.
Someone really liked grape when I could get it in the cans.
It's funny I don't remember Chris and Nick's likes/dislikes as much.
I honestly think it was because they just went with the flow.
I'm sure there were much better chips by the time they came along too!
Courtney and Marty mainly had goldfish or pretzels or veggie stiks.
The Annie's mini ritz crackers with peanut butter or cheese centers were a favorite.
This would be fun to explore with all the kids --
lunch box memories.
***
This afternoon Chris gave me a ride to the airport. Isn't he sweet?
I'm meeting Dan in New York for the next 10 days.
I really like flights and that uninterrupted do whatever I want time!
And all the seatback pockets to organize my trip activities
makes it that much better.
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