It’s 11 PM and I’m half-heartedly shredding the last of the roasted chicken by hand, into a glass bowl with celery cut into a tiny dice, ready to add the mayo, salt and pepper. There’s a reason chicken salad sandwiches cost more than the others – the work of it is painful, yo. (And cubing the chicken is somehow just less delicious – don’t ask me why.)
Fast forward to 4 PM the next day, when I’m opening the lunch boxes after a day of camp, and in it is half a sun-baked mayo sandwich with chicken in it, ready for the trash… again. I’m so annoyed, I can barely stand to look at my kid.
I mean, it’s bad enough that “summer vacation” is not the same for parents as it is for kids. For them, it’s usually pure fun – for us, it’s often the same amount of work (if not more) and with even less downtime, due to the late-day sun and lax bedtimes. I’m still preparing two lunches-to-go most days. I try to make them more “fun” with summer-food varieties, like watermelon slices, and berries, and iced tea in the refillable containers. The nut-free thing is still a pain in the butt, but I know how to get around that.
And it’s not the chicken salad – he enjoys chicken salad perfectly well. My kid eats slowly (like, maddeningly so) and I think he runs out of time each day. And he says he’s not hungry at lunch… just VORACIOUS at the end of the day, and he wants something to eat every 20 minutes or so, I swear.
I feel like I toss out food every day, and it sickens me. Small ripe plums rattling around in lunch boxes against juice boxes and plastic containers become liquefied mush within their own skins. Cut cucumber slices and baby carrots turn into a Hot Soup of Sadness by the day’s end. And of course, anything with mayonnaise needs pitching.
Because the last thing I need is a raging case of food-poisoning in the house. (Please, Universe… that’s a joke, not a challenge.)
Madame just takes two or three bites of everything in her lunch box, and places it back inside – at the end of the day, there’s a half-bitten nectarine leaking it’s sticky juice onto the opened granola bar, the now open-faced sandwich (also missing one or two bites) has lost most of it’s ham, and the cheese stick I packed is also open, also missing a bit or two, but also oily, oozing, and pretzel-shaped from the roasting temps within the carrier.
Sometimes I hate the children.
Martin said, “Why don’t you just pack a smaller lunch?” And that seems like such a smart thing, but have you even seen what half a sandwich inside a seven-year-old’s lunch box looks like? That, and a palm-sized vessel containing five baby carrots and half a Lebanese cucumber? It could make you cry. And, it looks like total Povertyville at the same time. I mean, they need CARBS and PROTEIN when they play soccer in the sun for six hours, don’t they?
SO WHY ARE THE GOLDFISH CRACKERS STILL IN HERE?!
Right. Because they’ve been pulverized into dust by the Thermos, still half-full of pasta with tomatoes, pancetta and bocconcini. Boo! Hiss!!
But I did it. I packed my son half a chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat bread with a wee leaf of lettuce, and a handful of whatever else was around the kitchen this morning. Save for the copious amounts of fluids in two large drink containers, his lunchbox was lighter than I’ve ever felt it to be in the past.
They’re hungry at the end of the day anyhow. I might as well serve a second mini-lunch after camp, since they’re only going to beg me for chips or ice cream, or chocolate-covered anything, and all that junky stuff. Want I want to say YES to more things, but I need them to eat the good stuff first, right?
Also? If I get another kid coming to me at 9:30 PM telling me about how hungry he or she is, I might start punching kids stuff.
What’s in your kid’s lunch box this summer? Do they eat well at camp? Do you have to dump half your lovingly-prepared contents each day?
(Endnote: I don’t really hate the children, of course. It’s their shenanigans that make me insane sometimes every day.)
Catherine, I’m so thrilled that you stopped by to say hello (and via Facebook too!) and I want to thank you so much for your comment. Keep coming back! We’re a good bunch of Urban Moms (and dads!) around these parts…!!
This is the first post I’ve read here, after a recommendation on Facebook, and it made me tear up a little. It’s so encouraging to hear someone else feeling similar frustration with their summer-time monkeys.
My girls are 5 and 7 and happily attending summer day camp, and I have the same lunch time frustrations. At first I thought that their food waste was a commentary on my lunch-making skills, but I soon came to learn that they are simply too busy/excited to eat a full meal most of the time. I waaaay simplified lunches, cut down on portions, and use re-useable containers for EVERYTHING, especially fruit which does get pulverized.
We bought well-rated thermal lunch bags and I usually include an ice pack. After school/camp I have a big glass of water and a snack of nuts waiting for them, or if the remains of their lunch are salvageable they snack on that.
I’ve figured out tricks too – hummus makes eating veggies within the realm of possibility; whatever they love, so long as it’s healthy, they get in rotation and I don’t vary from this. We save the adventure for meals that are shared as a family, where we can make sure they are eating enough.
Another brilliant discovery was realizing that our very fussy 5-year-old loves to cook! Having her help in the kitchen whenever possible has really instilled a pride in her that seems to naturally encourage her to eat the meals that she feels she is part of creating.
Wouldn’t life be boring without them to keep us on our (knees) toes?
I hear all about being annoyed about wasting food. I started putting a cold pack in their lunch bag everyday and I freeze the yogurt too. Careful to keep the sandwich separated by a napkin or it could get soggy by the melting. When my kids get home, they are usually hungry (especially if they have not eaten their lunch) and I make them eat it. Not if its bad but within reason.
My two cents: sometimes heat robs folks of their appetite and often it returns with a v when they cool off or slow down.
I can eat hot minestrone when it is 28 C outside. I can’t if it’s cold food or drinks served on cool days or in A/C. I turn blue (literally). So I could imagine being super hot is just as uncomfortable as being super cold.
Here’s my 5 o’clock special: 4 year old is off to camp for the first time that has cafeteria choices for lunch and despite her agreeing to alternate picking treat food and real food, she still comes home with 1/2 bitten greasy burger and busted fruit cup that spilled in her backpack. Byuk.
She has one more week at this camp, If we do a good job of healthy food presentation at home so she’ll survive regardless of her lunch choices. Now when she is stuck in the washroom, I can hear through the door her muttering to herself “more vegetables’. Impulse control is a learning curve and we hopefully learn though awareness in facing natural consequences.
The same thing happens here with my 2 boys… except I sometimes return the pulverized crackers and bruised fruit back in the lunchbox the next morning. And other times I tell them to eat what’s left in their lunchboxes when they return from school/camp complaining about how hungry they are… I try to make a point, but it’s clearly not registering at their end!!! We’ll never win this battle.
Packing lunches is truly one parenting task I HATE hard!!!
totally relate….sometimes my kids drive me crazy. Had to laugh about the lunch box messes. I’m always puzzled that there is stuff in there that I never sent to school!?!
Tracy that’s too funny and every word is true. You might as well be standing in my kitchen every night… I am doing the exact same thing. I hear you sister. My solution is to get the children to make their own lunch. They holler out to ask if there choices are acceptable (otherwise it would be full of marshmallows and chips) while I clean up after dinner and get the dishes out of the way. This leaves us all a little more free time to enjoy our all too short Canadian summer!
Well, I’m so please that I got you to de-lurk!! Comments always mean so much – thank you!
And yes, it’s such an age-old fight, but I’m hoping one day it won’t be this hard. Maybe if I cross my fingers really, really hard…!
I do believe they’re trying to kill us, Shauna… it’s a good thing they’re so cute, right? It’s the ONLY way I let them stay you know – because they go with the art direction. 😉
Thank you so much for reading, and comments are ALWAYS welcome!!
PS – the meds that take your boy’s appetite away sound like the muther of all slaps in the face… hang in there, lady.
never commented till now because I am desperately trying not to get distracted by these blogs … so much for that! I’m laughing … the age-old “lunches” discussion … there’s not a mother around who doesn’t feel the same way … my friend said it best … “I swear I could love them more if I didn’t have to feed them!”
You rock Tracey! I’ve nevr commented on one of your posts BUT read them all. It’s like you are living in my house and in my head.
I struggle with is on a daily basis & I have to add to the fact my oldest, 5 yrs son, has ADHD & his medication takes away his appetite so getting him to eat is imparative to just maintain his weight!
Sure he’ll sugar and junk but a meal? Forget it.
I get the hungry fit of rage everyday where if I say wait till dinner, I could be plating it as I say it, it’s still too long & bang Hurricane Hayden appears!!
He also has decided to give up most of his favorites, as has his copy cat 2 1/2 yr old brother, so what the hell do I pack everyday? Tried taking him shopping, didn’t work!
Then he blames ME for not buying stuff he likes!!!!!
I say daily they are trying to give me a mental breakdown!
I can tell you right I’ll never chop chicken in a food processor. It’s like with the potato latkes… it just has to be done by hand. It’s not my law – it’s the law of the world. *snickers* Good idea for other things though! I use one of those hand-held pulverizers for lots of other things. Tres handy!
You are so right about the serving sizes, lady – and I swear, I totally don’t over-serve… at dinner, my son has about 3 tablespoons of rice on his plate, and he looks at me in this pained look on his face like he’s being punished, ohmygod. Tiny amounts. Just fricking EAT IT!!
PS – my kids have decided they hate yogurt lately. Man, I wish they could just have a bowl of almonds for lunch…
Word, sistah. 5 PM can totally suck it. Oy.
the lunch thing drives me up the wall… my son no prob (12), he does for himself and eats what he takes. My daughter tho (10) she’s not hungry at lunch, mostly thanks to medication, so she packs her own and it has to be packed “healthy”… meaning don’t miss out on any of the major food groups. Usually ends up being a boiled egg, an apple, a granola bar and a yogurt. She’ll eat the egg and the yogurt, I suspect she chucks the apple (knowing how picky she is at home on how it’s prepared) and usually leaves whatever ‘carb’ is packed. *sigh* the old saying ‘you can lead a horse to water…’ comes to mind. I don’t see the point in spending a lot of time and effort making a fancy lunch if they simply won’t eat it and you’re just wasting the food. I HATE that nuts are banned everywhere, it’s one of the *very* few things she’ll eat at lunch that is healthy, and I can’t send them.
A sneaky trick btw, store your yogurt in the freezer… it’ll be defrosted by the time they go to eat it, it’s still cold by then at least. You *could* worry about the beneficial bacteria being killed by the cold etc, but imho at least it gets eaten…
Oh, btw, don’t sweat the serving sizes… remember that a serving size is smaller for a smaller body… as example: a serving of meat is supposed to be about the size of the palm of your hand, consider the size of a 5 year olds palm… you don’t serve them as much. “standard” serving size assumes a “typical” adult sized person.
mini food processor… they’re like $15 and make awesome *meat* salad sandwiches without quite so much time and energy. Throw bits in dishwasher when done woot!
Awesome. Thanks so much for the laugh this morning. Nice to see I’m not alone in this food battle.
I effing hate hate hate 5pm.
I will make you lovely sammiches and pretty lunches ANY DAY darlin’! No days off for the lunch marm. I’m glad to know I’m not alone in the wastage, even though I loathe it as I do. Grrrrr…
You ARE nuts! But in the good way… I’m gonna come eat at your house.
Tracey – your lunches sound delicious! I’m coming to live with you. I promise to always eat ALL my lunch!
The same happens here. I can’t wait until September when I’m making 3 lunches
And Nancy – oh my word. I think you are a bit nuts! Good luck with that!
Seriously, kudos to you – I can only imagine how well nourished their bodies and spirits will be while they’re with you!
I get nuts when any food is tossed- teenage daughters are funny -one ay they are voracious and the next they survive on chewing gum. I told them their brains won’t work without food and it is a must. But I cannot force. This summer one is working at sleepover camp all summer (boo hoo) – and told me that she will eat the sugared cereal for a week and then go back to that good stuff when it is out of her system. If it makes you feel better I am running 3 weeks of sleepover art camps and doing all the cooking for 10 girls at a time- 3 meals a day- AM I NUTS?
It’s the raging case of The Hongries with a side of bad-attitude that I can’t stand at the end of the day. “Put your sour, pointed face away, son… and eat your effing lunch, tired little boy – no wonder you’re so cross!!”
Lord. These children are going to kill me, I swear.
You know Therese, you’re probably onto something… I agree that kids are capable of MANY things, and independence is such a “prize” for them. The lunch you describe is exactly what I send for each – it’s the tiniest amount of food you’ve ever seen (we’re all small people over here) and everything is a handful of stuff. I never send yogurt as a snack – that could be the whole lunch (and then I’d throw it out every day) and the leftover pasta probably amounts to a 1/2 cup. PALTRY!! A tortilla the size of a salad plate with one slice of ham or turkey *might* get completely eaten. I’m telling you, I could tear my hair out, if I had some.
Your suggestion isn’t a bad one though. Of course, that would mean getting up 15 minutes earlier for the lunch-making… BOO!! 😉
Oh, you know… just pulling into longer “strands” I guess. I can’t go back to chopping the chicken – every time I do, I think, “yeah, shredded is just nicer somehow…” Like I NEED more work to do. Oy.
When my oldest started school, I firmly left lunch-making in Dad’s hands as he was making his own for work anyway. His solution – have the kids make their own lunches. So from the time my kids started first grade, they have made their own. They know it has to contain some main course – usually a sandwich/bagel/wrap or thermos with leftover pasta, a piece of fresh fruit (cut for them if necessary), carrots and no more than 2 cookies/1 square/granola bar. Stuff they can easily handle. They pack what they want in the quantity they want, and I have rarely had anything come home uneaten.
The best piece of mothering advice I have ever received was from a neighbour Katie in Peace River, AB – kids are very capable and given the opportunity, they can be very independent, and that’s a good thing.
wait a minute….you shred chicken?? What are you talking about?? I’m intrigued!
Ditto on the dread of opening the lunchbox in the afternoon to find the decomposing remains. And cleaning the three tupperware containers that typically go in the lunchbox on a daily basis is getting really old. But, our moms did it for us. It’s the circle of life. Or lunchbox, I guess.
Yes, we often have to dump the fruit or veggies at the end of the day, despite numerous lectures and guilt trips on the subject. And yes, he is RAVENOUS after school/camp. If I don’t have a snack on me at pickup time, things get ugly.