Mrs. Fix-it

I’ve recently found myself in uncharted territory. I’m the rookie amongst veterans, a new fish in a big pond; I’m a first time kindergarten mom.

To some, my description might appear a tad dramatic, and I’ll admit I have had my moments, but I’m sure there are other moms who can relate to me either this very school year or in years past. I knew kindergarten was coming, but I couldn’t prepare my heart for the strain it would feel when I helped my eldest hang his backpack on his hook in his new classroom and kissed him goodbye for the day. I’m his momma so I’m allowing myself these milestones to be emotional.

All emotions aside, we are full into the swing of things and somewhat have a decent routine down. We’ve become accustomed to the schedule at school, and I think we’re doing well for rookies.

I wanted my son to have a sense of ownership over certain things in his routine and allowing him to pack his lunch was one thing I felt he could be responsible for. But I didn’t want him packing Cheetos and fruit snacks only, so there are certain rules he knows he must follow. He knows he must pick a protein and a fruit, but snacks are allowed.

I came up with a creative way to help us all stay organized and prepared for his school lunch the next day through creating a menu that hangs on our wall in the kitchen. With a few easy-to-find items, you too can create your own lunch menu for your child.

I started with a rectangle cookie sheet I found at the Dollar Store. These are great because they are magnetic. I’ve seen several other projects where people use them for sorting and matching with toddlers, and it supposedly keeps them entertained for lengths of time.

Next, I made a list of all the things that are usually on my weekly grocery list and things that are regularly kept in our pantry. Things like strawberries, pretzels, turkey, blueberries, bread, cheeses, crackers, oranges and apples. I then did an Internet search for these images and copied them to a word document. I also gave him the choice of buying a school lunch or a freebee of his choice (something in our pantry that isn’t on the board like maybe a piece of candy, etc.).

Once I had all the food items I could think of, I printed and cut them out and glued a magnet on the back.

Since I don’t have all these items in my pantry or refrigerator all the time, I wanted to come up with an idea for a place to hold the items that aren’t in stock. I knew I wanted the cookie sheet to only have options displayed that were available too. At the Dollar Store, I found a plastic pencil holder/coupon holder (the kind without the dividers). I keep the foods that aren’t available for that week inside the folder while the rest are displayed on the cookies sheet.

When it came to decorating my menu board, I wanted to keep it somewhat simple. You can get as creative as you want, but my idea was to keep it plain and let the pictures of the food to be the attention grabber.

I divided the cookie sheet in half with some yarn I already had on hand that way my son had the choice of pulling food options out from the bottom and up to the top where I would know what he picked for that day. I also already had a small chalkboard on hand and with a chalk pen I wrote, “What’s for lunch?” Chalk pens can be found at any craft store and are amazing. This is a recent discovery of mine and they wrote like sharpies but are erasable like chalk! I love that handwriting look on chalkboard; these pens allow you to do that effortlessly.

I also found a small picture frame from the dollar store and used it to write the day of the week. This helps my son know what day it’s going to be and is just another way of mine to stay organized. It’s not necessary, but I liked the way it looked. To do this, I cut a small piece of scrapbooking paper and put it inside the frame. I broke off the back part that helps it stand up so it would lay flat on the cookie sheet, and I hot glued it down onto the cookie sheet. To write the day of the week, I just use a dry erase marker to write on the glass part of the frame.

So far, my son likes the freedom he has in choosing what goes in his lunch box, and since I’m the one who ultimately puts all the choices on the menu so I know he’s making healthy choices, it’s a win-win for both of us.

Looking for Lunch? Help your kindergartner pick lunch with this menu board.

Sara Thomas is Mrs. Fix-it.

She is originally from Louisiana and is a mother of two, Ryker and Reese. Her husband, Jason, was born and raised in Texas and very proud of that. Email Sara at sara_e_thomas@hotmail.com.