Thanks for all the responses about making sandwiches at night versus in the morning.

I'm working on a plan b which is BUY the SCHOOL LUNCH. It's $1.75 a day. Two of my kids are eating one of the school lunch choices (they have at least three choices per day!!) 2 to 4 times a week.

Less work for me. More choice for them. It even seems to be expanding what one of my kids is willing to eat. The lunches sound pretty good - always deli sandwiches (they bake the bread each day!), and a vegetarian choice (like Fiesta Couscous) and a meatish choice (turkey corn dogs).

But my narrow eater is still stuck in straight PB sandwich with grapes and Oreos. But two less lunches is a good thing.

What do you think of the school lunches available to your kids?

Nancy

mom to beautiful BBG triplets, born February 2002 at 33 wks, 4 days

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Our school has a garden, and part of the school week is for the kids to go help in the garden. They grow a lot of the food that ends up on the salad bar. I think this is really cool.I love that the school has the salad bar option. And they pick the salad bar over the hot lunch when they do buy a lunch. Our school lunch is $2.50 and I can pack a lunch cheaper for them, and that's why they take a lunch more often then buying. If you can save money and give them more healthy choices by them buying a lunch then I would go for that option! Good Luck.

Lora

trio born on 8-1-00 at 29 weeks
Our Website: http://www.myspace.com/loralynnh

www.marchforbabies.org/lorahun

Let me preface by saying I HATE FOOD! The planning, shopping, cooking, & constant cleaning up drive me nuts. Now add in whining kids, or kids who will not eat and I am way over the top. Of course, I have one who won't eat butter, one won't have pb, one won't eat cheese, and one won't eat lunch meat. GRRRRRR.

This is what worked for me, and I started back when my kids learned how to read. I made them responsible for their lunches. I printed the lunch menu each month and let them each put their initials by 10 days a month they could buy lunch. I didn't want buying lunch to be routine and boring, I wanted them to learn how to choose, plus our lunches cost a bit more than yours. Then I bot a wine fridge, took the racks out, and set it on the kitchen counter. You can see through the window, so you can tell when the lunch boxes are in there. I taped a guide line to the lunch box fridge stating what they had to put in their lunch box each nite - drink (i reuse h20 bottles putting h20 or milk in them and kept them in the regular fridge so they could grab), something that grows (veggie or fruit), snack (they know that one), carb (bread or crackers), and finally protein (meat, cheese, or nuts). I did use those Smuckers frozen sandwiches til they started getting other ideas. Now my trips are 9, and my ds turns 12 tomorrow! yikes! But lunches, homework, and permission slips are a breeze.

If I could just stop the whining!!!

Good luck, hope you can find something u can use in here!

doreen

They come home from school. Get a snack, then unpack backpacks, make lunches and do homework. In the mornings they put in ice packs. I will not sign anything in the morning - they know that now. If they forget their lunch, then it counts as one of their 10 days.

Consider yourself lucky. The elementary school that my trio attends does not have a "cafeteria." The hot lunches that are provided by the school is delivered. I've heard from various moms in my circle that some of the delivered lunches are ok, but others look horrible by the end of the lunch periods (5th graders eat last). I've ordered pizza for my trio only because it is delivered 2x during the lunch periods in insulated boxes. The other lunches I frown upon. I'm still brown bagging their lunches the other 4 days a week. In a way I prefer it; this way I know they'll eat what they like!

Trio Di Mio
BGG born @ 36 weeks

My DS is allowed to buy once a week. Our lunch is $2.30.

Like PP, we can pack for much less. We could permit more often but I started the rule from the beginning so that next year when I have 5 kids eating at school, we don't go broke.

My DS could live on PB&J, sometimes switching up to honey or if we have good bananas he'll have "Elvis Lunch". On occasion he has asked for ham & cheese. He gets a crunchy snacky thing. I'll occasionally cut up apples or cantalope for him (the only fruit he'll eat and needs it cut b/c of braces). But he often brings a good portion home and eats it when he walks in the door.

He sometimes gets a juice pouch, but it's 100% juice only. We started using Honest Kids Juice which has less sugar than most juice box/pouches. Otherwise he gets water. He doesn't buy milk on his packing days, which is fine with me. We usually only have milk at breakfast and water for other meals, anyway.

The school offers 2 hot entrees (pizza day is only pizza and either pepperoni or cheese), a deli style sandwich with other healthy yummy stuff in a bag, or a bag with yogurt, bagel, string cheese, and fruit. When they buy, they can also hit the salad bar but I'm pretty sure that my DS doesn't go near it. So they have 4 relatively healthy options, and I see my girls enjoying the variety. In a pinch I'll tell him he's buying today and to get one of the bags. He's becoming a little less picky lately and has bought on chicken nugget or cheesburger day.

I really just prefer him to pack, because I know if he eats and he can finish at home. I remmeber tossing most of my hot lunch when I was a kid and only having the option of what come on the tray or packing.

MonsterMom6
10 year old ^b^ b twins @ 30w5d (1 survivor) and
8 year old gggg quads @ 32w0d

We do the school lunches almost every day. It forces my picky eater to try new things. When we started K the school went nut free so she couldn't bring her diet staple of BP&J anyway. She wouldn't eat lunch meats or anything else so packing lunch was a nightmare. So fine pick a school lunch. It really helped her branch out and made her willing to at least try new things at home too. Now when we do have to pack we have more choices on what she will eat.

Half way through 1st they lifted the nut ban when the child with the allergy moved. Now they offer BP&J at every meal now as an alternative. So we have had a set back and have to say no more PB. Try new things. But other than that we are happy with school lunch.

Tasha
Have children afraid of monsters or just looking for a fun kids app? http://www.goawaymonster.com/

I have mixed feelings here - when I taught full time - I saw how much the kids threw away and therefore didn;t eat. They complained alot about the lunches. let me add though that this was 6 years ago and i would hope it has gotten better. My son who is now in 1st won't even go near those lunches but he is picky. He is working his nerve up to try the pizza - but not yet! do they give you a menu? We get a monthly one and can pick that day to get the lunch or not - it seems with his school there is always the choice of pizza or fresh SALAD IF they dont like the main choices. Plus it seems nutritous as well - giving a veggie and fruit with each choice! If mine liked it I would do it!

super mom of 4 under 6!
Joseph - 6 yrs
Emma, Mark and Anna 4.5

The school lunches are decent at my dds' school. There's always a vegetable and fruit along with the main dish. Students 2nd grade and up can choose a salad if they don't like the regular lunch (they sign up in the morning for the salad). Drink choices are milk, chocolate milk, and strawberry milk.

IMO the breakfasts could use some improvement. Half of the time it's cereal, cereal bars, and breakfast cookies (healthier than regular cookies but still it's cookies!). Some of the better choices are a breakfast pizza, bagel with cheese, yogurt, sausage roll, breakfast taco, and p/b uncrustable sandwich. Last year they also served french toast and pancakes (packaged), but I don't see it on the menu this school year. All are served with milk and orange juice.

The school district has free lunch for everyone due to having a high economically disadvantaged population. Once my dds start middle school, they'll be paying for school lunch because they will be enrolled in another school district. Right now they attend school in the school district where I'm employed.

I like that, 'my narrow eater'... I have never heard that expression before.

When my kids attended a school in the US for a couple of days, they were raving about lunch. They could choose a milk flavor, the lunch ladies asked them what they wanted (or not), and they could buy ice cream. My kids were so envious of those kids.

In our neck of Japan, school lunch is technically mandatory for all kids. It costs about $50 a month per kid. It is very heavy on local produce, lots of fish, rice and usually just fruit for dessert. It seems quite healthy. There is no choice- the kids just get what they get and are encouraged to finish their meals- the teachers also each the same meals with the kids in the classroom.

American school lunches (or just being able to bring your own lunch) is one of the many reasons my kids want to go to school in the US.

"

Hi,

Very interesting - having the teachers eat together with the children. Our Slovenian au pair told us that was what happened in her school too, a teacher sat at the table with the kids and ate lunch. That sounds so reasonable.

And in Japan, do your children help clean the classroom? I visited a Japanese high school around 20 years ago and the kids had daily responsibilities for cleaning. It would seem to make the school less institutional and more 'family-like'.

I am going to try to get the children more involved in cooking. Supposedly that makes kids more willing to try stuff they've helped cook. I'll report back on how it goes.

Nancy

mom to beautiful BBG triplets, born February 2002 at 33 wks, 4 days

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Hi,

I wonder how many other countries have the teacher eat with the kids...

Yes, the kids have to clean the whole school- even the bathroom- toilets and all... ick ! Kids rotate the tasks after two months. I like the idea of the kids taking a few minutes every day to clean. Kids aren't going to be making a huge mess when they will have to be cleaning it, I think.

Good luck on getting your kids to try new foods! Do let us know how it goes.

"

Well you can tell your kids it isn't all ice cream and cookies over here either. my kids don't have that offered at our public school. Dessert is only fruit here also. Except for their "holiday" meals (the thanksgiving meal they serve before the Thanksgiving break) they offer a cookie or brownie in addition to fruit.

now they do have choices on everything else. Kids are offered not required to take foods. They have 2 entrees, 2 veggies, 2 fruits and 3 or 4 drink choices (3 types of milk. At breakfast they get a juice in addition to the milk.) But the kids only have to take 3 items, the entree, milk and another. Or they can take up to 6 items.

I am in school enough they know I will come check what they eat. LOL A few favorites now are the 'fried' chicken (it is really baked like shake n bake) and green beans. Items they never would have touched before I said they had to eat the school lunch.

Tasha
Have children afraid of monsters or just looking for a fun kids app? http://www.goawaymonster.com/

Thanks, I will let my kids know about the dessert thing.

Amazing what kids will eat with their friends, huh?

"

My girls go to an international school in Japan. Their lunch costs 570 yen per day (I always convert to dollars - $5.70 per child), and they "prefer" that I put at least 10,000 (100.00) yen in each account per payment! Their lunches ARE really nice, but we can't afford for them to eat at school everyday I LOVE Japan, but this is one of the things that makes me miss the States so much I can order specialty foods for their lunch cheaper than letting them eat at school, but they do eat school lunches once or twice a week.
~Michelle
mommy to: Gracie, Sophie, & Izzy
(4/12/03) The best day of my life!
http://theglennfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/

Forgot to add, the teachers also eat with the students
~Michelle
mommy to: Gracie, Sophie, & Izzy
(4/12/03) The best day of my life!
http://theglennfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/

I suppose international schools give you some choice, but at 570 yen per day that is one expensive choice! Here in the hinterlands we pay about 5000 yen a month per child. Parents here in Nagano would have a fit at those prices you have.
Don't you find making a Japanese lunch (obento) can get pretty pricey? No simple sandwich will do...

"

It is ridiculous, especially for kindergarteners They can eat, but not 570 yen worth! What's funny is they even have all these extras the kids can buy. Fortunately, they don't let the kinders do this, and we send healthy snacks for them. But I'm guessing in the next year or two, I'm going to have to put restrictions on their accounts

I go to Max Valu (spelling) a lot. Do you have those in Nagano? I can get a juice box for under 100 yen, and I make them ham, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches, or peanut butter and jelly. It sure would be nice to have turkey breast Overall, food in Japan is so much more expensive! I guess the cost of the school lunch makes me not feel so bad for ordering a few "luxury" items from the Flying Pig or Foreign Buyers I love Japanese food, except for eel. I actually liked the taste of the eel, until they showed me the menu of what I was eating :0 The girls are getting to where they will eat more Japanese foods. DH will eat it, if he goes out with his Japanese co-workers, but at home he wants me to cook American-style foods

Catherine, we really do need to get together sometime. I always love reading your perspectives of Japan. It's really difficult for me knowing that we won't be here forever. I love it here, but I also look forward to returning to the States. It's such a good challenge for us here - the States are easy, but here, everything is a challenge. We're hoping we will be here for another 2-3 years. I think I've asked you this before, but I bet you know Erin Sakikabara. I've met her once here - she's so awesome! I actually know of two other triplet moms here in Nagoya. DH has gotten into snowboarding, so maybe I can talk him into making a trip to some slopes in Nagano sometime.

I'm so excited about fall coming - it's my favorite season in Japan!

~Michelle
mommy to: Gracie, Sophie, & Izzy
(4/12/03) The best day of my life!
http://theglennfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/

Michelle,

I am still reeling from the 570 yen lunches!

I am glad that you are loving Japan. It is a nice place to live. It is so far from home though. Have you had family out to visit yet? My parents love coming here.

We do have to get together. Nagano is the place for skiing and snowboarding, it seems. I don't do it myself but everyone else seems too. The kids will even have a school skiing trip this winter.

Oh yes, we have MaxValu. I agree, food is simply insanely expensive here. I have found a supermarket that caters to restaurants. I so, so wish we had a Costco nearby but in the meantime... One thing is that I think we eat healthier because it is expensive to buy things like meat. Lots of tofu, local fish... Still though, food prices are horrible. I imagine they are worse in your city though so I shouldn't complain too much.

I did meet Erin this past winter. She is so cool and her daughters are accomplished, polite and beautiful. It was an inspiration to meet her.

Catherine

"

WOW!! I can't believe how expensive some of the lunches in the schools are. Ours is only $1.35 but I am scared that it will go up real soon. My girls usually bring but 2 of them usually buy 1 time a week at most. I make all their lunches in the morning at around 6am!!

Khrissys3girls

Mommy to Lindsey, Kaylee, & Carly born 8/30/01 at 31 weeks
AND John Thomas born 1/17/06 at 39w3d

http://lilypie.com>

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We would love a $1.35 lunch. For us $2.50 day it comes to $37.50 a week just in lunch for my trio.

trio born on 8-1-00 at 29 weeks
Our Website: http://www.myspace.com/loralynnh

www.marchforbabies.org/lorahun