Monday, June 9, 2008

Woo hoo! They're here!

Ok, I am one crazy lady! I know this, I accept it, and I thank my husband for loving me anyway.
I am excited because, after waiting a week for them to get here from California, my kids' new lunchboxes have arrived! I bet know what you are thinking, "Lunchboxes? Ok, so I knew she had her own little '-isms', but I am now sure that she has lost it. Totally. How does he trust her to raise his children?!?"

Well, they are not just any lunchboxes - they are Laptop Lunch Systems! And I'm excited because they are an important part of achieving a few of my current goals:

1) save money by eating out less
2) eat healthier meals
3) help my kids to eat a wider variety of foods



In our efforts to save money, we have cut eating out to once or twice a week (most weeks). I am, of course, buying more groceries since we are eating at home more. I have been buying lots of fresh fruits, serving fewer processed foods, and reading labels much more closely. I'm expanding the kids' diets slowly, starting with the fun stuff (fruit and healthier snacks) and trying out new recipes. Jonah will also be helping me out in the kitchen more. I know that my biggest challenge this summer will come as we start going to more storytimes and playdates. The temptation is always to grab lunch at a convenient drive-thru or a restaurant with an indoor playground, but at $12-15 to feed an adult and 2 kids, that really adds up! I'm hoping that in addition to saving money, the kids will think it's fun to eat from their new lunchboxes and be willing to try out the new foods they find inside. As added bonus, I can get rid of all of the random lunchbags stashed in my pantry and all of the assorted containers and lids (that didn't fit well into the lunch bags, anyway). There will be more room in the pantry for all of those groceries! And, I'll be using fewer plastic baggies, pre-packaged single-serve items, and juice boxes - which helps me feel better about doing my part for the environment (I could write a whole post about that!).

In an effort to stay true to these goals, look for posts and pictures about our latest mealtime advenutres - triumphs and flops. I'm excited to start on this new lunchtime (mealtime) adventure!

PS - Aren't those lunch boxes CUTE and COLORFUL? Jonah wanted to take his upstairs at naptime! I think we will try to use them at lunch tomorrow, even though we will be eating at home, just to see what the kids think and to practice packing them!

2 comments:

Georgia said...

Hey Ryan Leigh- those are really cute- where did you order them from? We are also trying to save some money and stop eating out- in an effort to do this and to help me with planning- I am using www.e-mealz.com as a tool to help me save, organize and cook at home. We too need to expand Ellie's nutrition level of snack/meal time- so maybe we can help each other out!

RLR said...

Just check out that Laptop Lunches link in the post - that'll take you to their website. You may be able to find a retailer in your area, or you can just order them online and have them shipped. I'll check out emealz - anything to make it easier! BTW, the Laptop Lunch System comes with a "User's Guide" that has lots of suggestions - I just didn't put that in the picture ;)