I Gave Birth Four Days After My Son Started Kindergarten And He Still Had A Homemade Lunch Every Single Day
This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Sistema®; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Sunday, July 30, 2017, started like any other summer weekend day in our family. We spent the morning at the pool cooling off and then doing some last minute errands before heading home to prepare for the week ahead. Despite the fact that I was two weeks away from my due date with our second child, I don’t think any of us thought this was our last weekend as a family of three.
That is until we came home…
True to his five-year-old spirit, Sesame was still full of energy and decided he wanted to stay outside to ride his bike. I headed inside to drink water and rest because my Braxton Hicks contractions were annoying me. Spoiler Alert: Those weren’t Braxton Hicks contractions. It was during a quick bathroom break during a commercial of that weekend’s Harry Potter marathon when I realized that we probably were going to be a family of four in a few short days.
I waddled to the back door to tell my husband my suspicions and then immediately started getting Sesame’s things ready for school. The next week was his first full week of Kindergarten and I knew that there was a chance I’d miss a few mornings with him. He wears uniforms to school so what to wear wouldn’t be an issue. However, lunch was a different story. This was technically Sesame’s third year of school but Mr. S had never had to make him a lunch. I’d always handled lunches.
The contractions were intensifying at this point but instead of starting to time them or even going to pack my hospital bag, I went into the kitchen and pulled down all our Sistema ® containers. I suddenly remembered that a few months ago when I went out of town for a few days, I’d packed Sesame’s lunches ahead of time for my mother-in-law. I left a note saying what went in his lunch bag for each day. She was impressed with how organized I was and if my mother-in-law liked it, Mr. S should have absolutely no complaints.
I’d been introduced to Sistema when Sesame started preschool two years ago and our collection has slowly grown since that point. The containers are easy for little hands to independently open and close. I also love that Sistema To Go containers are clear, so you don’t have to open each one to know what’s in the container.
For the last two and a half years, we’ve predominately used Sistema® Klip It Collection Small Split Food Storage Containers and the Sandwich boxes. I thought the Split Food Storage Containers were my favorite because it was a quick way to make sure I’d packed a fruit and a vegetable or a protein and a dairy. However, now that I’ve been introduced to the Salad Kit and the Bento from the Sistema® To Go Collection, I think they’re my new favorites.
Sesame enjoys salad, so this container makes it easier to pack them, but you can also pack any meal that needs to be layered, like a chicken bowl with rice and veggies. Sometimes Sesame won’t eat a meal if I mix everything together for him, so the Salad Container helps remind me to separate everything and then he can decide how he wants to eat everything. Plus, there’s a handy container for sauce and it comes with a knife and fork, so I don’t have to remember utensils. Please tell me I’m not the only mom who forgets to pack spoons or forks.
I love the salad container but Sesame is the most excited about the Bento Lunch container. I’m pretty sure this has something to do with him being introduced to the lunches that come in a box at the grocery store. He was so excited when he saw me packing his first lunch for the school year.
Much like the Salad Container, the Bento Lunch container is great for layering in a way that keeps the entire meal separate but easily contained. The first week of school lunches needs to include lots of fruit and vegetables to help him adjust to the long days again. I already know I’ll purchase a few more of these containers before the back to school season ends. They will be perfect for packing lunches ahead of time when I need to travel. Mr. S won’t even have to look in the containers to make sure he’s putting the correct things into the bag. He can just grab one and go.
If Sistema® could help me provide Sesame with homemade lunches daily last year even with a fussy newborn keeping me up all night, I know the Sistema® To Go Collection can help you stay organized too.
Do you use any of the Sistema® To Go Collection for your children’s lunches? If not, what’s stopping you?
