The Berry House

Planning life’s most delightful moments!

Notes on Sweeter Kid Lunches!

We’re all fans of the packed lunch here at Cheree Berry Paper, but that doesn’t mean making them everyday isn’t a slog. Thankfully, we’ve found some inspiration to keep us motivated. Wanna see?!

Thank you, Jenna Bush Hager! When we debuted our lunch box notes for packing in your kid’s school lunches last year, we loved how they were an easy way to show you’re thinking about your child. And we’re thrilled that they’ve turned out to be a hit with so many moms and dads. In fact, on Mom Brain, a hilarious podcast hosted by Hilaria Baldwin and Daphne Oz, CBP friend Jenna Bush Hager recently described them as one of her favorite parenting things! Or check out these surprise notes that contains confidence-boosting messages likes “knock their socks off,” and “I love your personali-tee.” We first designed these notes for packing in your little camper’s sleep away luggage, but parents tell us they love them for big days at school too!

Try jokes and trivia. If you want ideas on what to write, especially for kids who are old enough to read, don’t miss Elisabeth Egan’s essay on Dinner: A Love Story about going from dreading packing her kids’ lunches to adoring it after she started including handwritten postcards that delighted her kids. Some of her great ideas:

Daily themes are fun for everyone. Think Trivia Tuesday (The average American eats 20 pounds of onions per year!) and Wacky Wednesday (Did you know that the strongest muscle in your body is your tongue?!), suggests Egan. Your kid may loving sharing these facts at the lunch table too!

Bookmark a handful of websites featuring weird facts and G-rated jokes to make your wacky research easier, she says. We like National Geographic’s Weird But True‘s kid-friendly facts.

Writing notes may give you delight. Egan writes: “I do know that the postcards lend an organizing principle to the most hectic moments of my day. They give me something to think about while I jockey Oreos and baby carrots, claw my way into a Ziploc pack of provolone and scrub grape jelly off the sash of my bathrobe. Of course, there are plenty of other things I should be thinking about first thing in the morning…”   PS: Dinner: A Love Story is the most inspiring guide to feeding your family!

OMG, #dictator lunches! And for ultimate laughs, please do follow actress and writer Jenny Mollen and her husband Jason Biggs document packing their son’s school lunches at @dictatorlunches.  Beware: It’s a “bunny bento rice” rabbit hole of cheddar dolphins and funny-face hardboiled eggs that you won’t be able to quit. You’re welcome!

xoxo

Team CBP