Filling Their Lunch Box

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With the school year upon us, many of us have prepared for the upcoming year with excitement (or dread!). If you homeschool your children, you have prepared lesson plans, bought books or maybe decided what co-op group you will be involved in this year.

We send our children to school for the first time in first grade, having kept them home for preschool and kindergarten. I am about ready to send off our third child, Cade, for the first time. I will miss him terribly. I am determined, however, not to cry in front of him when I drop him off. Let’s see if I can accomplish that.

Whether you homeschool your children or send them to public school, there is a common thread between the two. The children have to eat lunch.

Think about lunchtime, will you?  No matter the school system our children are in, lunchtime is looked forward to with great anticipation. Our children know the day is half over.  It is time for a break. If they are at school, they can sit and talk with their friends and maybe pass a cookie or two to each other.

If they are homeschooled, Mom gets a break as well as the children. They can text their friends, maybe watch a short show on tv. They can go outside and stretch their legs or read a book of their choosing.

No matter where your children are, whether at home or at school, lunchtime is the perfect time for filling their lunch box. I don’t necessarily mean with carrot sticks or Gooey Strawberry Cookies.  I mean filling their lunch box to get them through the rest of the day.

:: Refresh

Your child has just conquered the first half of their day. Whether you homeschool your children or they are at school, write a note and put it in their lunch box or on their plate. I like to send a note to school that simply says “Love You. Have a great rest of the day!”. I don’t do it all the time but usually the recipient of that note tells me thank you with a hug when they get home. They love to know I am thinking of them and their day.

You can also plan ahead for lunchtime. If you know you have an extra hard project to work on with them, maybe have their favorite cookies for dessert. Maybe your child has a hard test in class that day. Pick up special treat for them and run it to the school at lunch time. Help your children to feel refreshed after their morning and ready to tackle the afternoon.

:: Regroup

Do your children have the harder classes in the morning? Encourage them to use lunch time to relax and regroup to be ready to for the afternoon. Suggest to them to talk with their friends, go to their room to read or go for a walk. Teach them to pray and ask God for strength, wisdom and grace to get through the rest of their day. {Mom’s, make sure you pray for the same!}

:: Renew

Remind your children to treat lunch time as a start of a new day. A new day means new chances and a new start. Just as “His mercies are new each morning”, your mercies need to be as well. Did something happen during schooling in the morning? If the situation allows, move on and start new. If they are in school, tell them to try to forget negatives from the morning and search for positives the rest of the day.

Lunchtime isn’t just about nutrients. It is also about being prepared for the rest of the day. Encourage your child to take a breath, focus on what’s to come and be sure to do your part in encouraging a great rest of the day.

Sarah is a believer in Christ, wife of a great husband and mom of 4 kids. She blogs at Bakingwithmom.com where simple recipes for busy families is the focus. Cookies are highlighted often. 🙂 You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram