Never too old for a lovingly packed lunch

Harleigh has always liked a packed lunch for school. And I've got to admit that I like making her one — being creative with not only what the lunch contains but also with how it looks. She gets ribbed about it a bit by the kids she sits with, but thinks that deep down inside all the kids wish their moms would do the same for them.

I always give her a cloth napkin. They are usually tied to whatever holiday season we're in. I keep a stash of seasonal stickers close at hand to use for securing the wax wrapper on her sandwich or decorating a piece of tupperware. She takes her lunch in a paper bag or lunchbox, depending on whether what's inside needing to stay cold or not. If she takes a paper bag, that's always an excuse to write her name on it using colored markers and in a fun font. Whenever I go to the grocery store I keep my eye on the gumball machines and fun 50cent treasures. I stick one in her lunch with a note inside, wishing her good luck on a test, to encourage her if she's had a rough week, or to jot down a funny moment we'd had recently that I know will bring a smile to her face.