Making the Lunch Box Special (5 unique ways show the love)

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With summer coming to an end it’s time to start preparing for back to school. Every parent wants to make sure their children feel loved when they are at school. Not being there with them can make it hard to help brighten their day. But don’t worry; you can still bring a smile to your child’s face by being fun and creative with their lunch!

Today I am teaming up with Shamrock Farms and Walmart to promote their back-to-school initiative for healthy and fun lunches, by packing one of three great milk flavors for your child’s midday protein punch – strawberry, chocolate or white milk!

Shamrock Farms has created Roxie’s Midday Menu to help inspire new lunch ideas for busy moms. To keep the inspiration flowing, they also launched Roxie’s Ultimate Back-To-School Sweepstakes, where one (1) lucky winner will win up to $5,000 in gift cards to stock up on back to school supplies, groceries, and a brand new wardrobe! Hurry up and enter for your chance to win.

 I recently tried their Banana Rolls with my two little ones and they were a big hit! (Fruit Bars and Healthy S’more are going on our must-try list!) I LOVE #3!!

Making the Lunch Box Special

School lunches can be both fun to make and fun for your child to eat. Now that Roxie’s Midday Menu has given you some delicious food ideas, here are some great ideas that can light up your child’s lunch by showing the love in other ways:

  1. Write a message! One idea for this is to draw or write a message in the side of a banana with a butter knife. By lunch time your child will be able to read the message! (Knock, knock jokes make a perfect banana message. ;))
  2. Create lunch themes! Use a car theme by cutting the sandwich into a rectangle, use an apple slice for the windshield, and banana slices for the wheels.
  3. Educate them! Include a note in each lunch with a “fun fact,” like “Did you know that the planet Mars is home to the tallest mountain in the solar system?”
  4. Make paper fortune cookies! You can create special fortunes about something fun planed for after school or that weekend. For example, if you are going to the zoo that weekend your child’s fortune could read “A day filled with fun and animals is in your future.”
  5. Give them a gift! If your child is a fan of trading cards like baseball or football cards, you could give them a fairly inexpensive gift every day. Just buy few packs of the cards and put one card, not the whole pack so you can space them out more, in their lunch each day!

Another worry for most parents is whether their child is getting the right nutrition. A well-rounded meal includes fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, protein, and dairy. I found that I wasn’t giving my children the correct daily serving of dairy as I was putting juice boxes into their lunches. One way to resolve this was to switch from juice boxes to milk since I always included fruit for them to eat. A great brand for milk is Shamrock Farms on-the-go mmmmilk.

Shamrock Farms on-the-go mmmmilks  are pure, fresh, and nutritious with no added hormones. They come in the perfect serving size of 12-oz, they are great tasting, and they also come in a great variety of flavors: 2% or whole chocolate milk, 2% strawberry milk, and whole milk. Each variety offers more than 25% of the daily recommended value of protein too!

You can find them in select Walmarts nationwide. This summer Walmart will be offering 12-oz on-the-go milks in white, chocolate, and strawberry for a low price of $1 each, so you will have plenty of inexpensive and healthy choices for your child’s lunch. You can find them in the dairy section and in some locations in promotional display cooler.

You can also enter for a chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card by leaving a comment on this post telling us your favorite way to add a little love to the lunch box.

You can find more info on Shamrock Farms at the following sites: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Entry Instructions:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

  1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
  2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
  3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
  4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher.com email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/27/15 – 9/4/15.

Be sure to visit the Shamrock Farms brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Alice Lunsford is a freelance writer and mother of three. She has been writing professionally since 2012 on a variety of topics, ranging from parenting to business, and enjoys writing projects that creative, fun, and educational. She lives in Riverside County in Southern California with her family.

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253 Comments

  3. I love to ad lunch box notes with fun comments that will brighten my child’s day when he opens his box he will see a special message from me! It helps me feel connected during the day!

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  7. I like to add encouraging quotes or sayings or Bible verses to my daughter’s lunchbox. For an extra treat, I pack her a small piece of chocolate.

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  17. When my daughter was younger, I used to cut food in fun shapes and leave a love you bunches note near the napkin. Now that she is older, I sneaker a sticky note in a pocket of her lunch bag, so she can read a positive or motivational quote each day in a more private moment.

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  21. I usually do a (unique) drawing on the sandwich bag (someone refuses to bring tupperware back home). Recently, I drew a sandwich guardian to protect the PB&J 🙂

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  31. I try to add some special touch such as a drawing or note to our lunches. Anything that lets them know I am thinking about them.

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  32. I normally just leave a little love note, but these ideas are fun, I will start incorporating some of those as well! 🙂

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  34. My favorite way to add a little love to my sons lunch box is to write him a note telling him how special he is to me.

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  44. I like to write or draw a picture for my granddaughters lunch. I leave a mint sometimes or a small piece of candy.

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  45. My mom used to write notes sometimes on our paper napkins. I’d forgotten about that, and how much I loved it. I need to do that with my boys.

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  46. Another fun way to add some love at lunch time is to include a joke or a riddle to your child’s lunchbox. Laughter adds a light touch to their day!

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  47. My favorite way to add a little love to my kids’ lunch boxes is by adding sticky pad notes and/or a cute tiny toy.

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  51. I draw a funny face on their napkins with a note of encouragement or prayer…with I love you or Chester the raccoon sign. ;0)
    Thank you for all the knock knock jokes! I use them in our lunch boxes too!

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  52. I like to make my kids some type of homemade treat, be it monster cookies or cereal bars. I usually make up a large batch and keep them in the freezer.

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  54. My favorite way to add a little love to my son’s lunch is with a sheet of stickers or putting a little piece of candy in the lunch.

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  58. My favorite way to add a little love to the lunch box is to hide a note with lollipop or cake pop for my family.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

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  60. My favorite way to add a little love to their school lunches is by making sure they have a well-balanced meal. Usually they will have a sandwich, some sort of fruit (like apple slices or mandarin orange wedges), a veggie (they LOVE baby carrots!), and either milk (our usual go-to is Horizon individual boxed milks; haven’t seen Shamrock Farms, but will be on the look out now!) or a water bottle, and a sweet treat like cookies or a couple Hershey Kisses. Also, we love creating new shapes with our sandwiches, so every morning they pick out which shape they want, and when the sandwich is prepared, they get to cut out the shape!

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  61. I like to add a little note or a sticker and sometimes a small special sweet treat.
    cshell090869 at aol dot com

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  69. Not writing Duplicate answers is very hard to do. I’m following contest rules, and adding something new. I sometimes would add new school supplies throughout the year, as a surprise in their Lunch box. such as (new pencil, pen, note pad, markers, & highlighters.)

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  70. I like putting little notes in my son’s lunch box. I like the “carve a note into a banana” idea – I’ll have to try that when school starts.

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  72. I like to make little homemade games and quizzes relating to popular cartoons and also add printable coloring pages for during/after lunch.

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  73. My daughter likes to get notes from mom in her lunchbox, but I find it especially nice when an older sibling writes a lunchbox not for a younger sibling.

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  75. I don’t have any kids, so the only lunch I’m packing is usually my own and the only thing I care about is that it’s yummy and filling! If I had a child I was packing lunch for, I think a little note would be enough.

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  76. One unique way that I show love is by using Valentine’s chocolates as surprise treats during the year. I also like to cut sandwiches in hearts. 🙂

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  77. I like to add a little note in the lunchbox, I always hide it under something different. (Not that there’s much space to hide it. Lol!)

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  79. My kids don’t usually bring lunch to school…they buy it there. But when they DO need to bring a lunch, I like to add in a little goodie…maybe a tootsie rolls, or some Swedish fish, or some goldfish crackers.

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  81. I love to add cute little notes and I “theme” the lunches based on holidays/seasons. It’s just a fun way to make lunches fun! I saw someone said they add stickers that’s a great idea as well! I’ll have to start doing that.

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  88. should not use chocolates or cookies in lunch to show love … a carefully made sandwich with fresh veggies and a nice cut up fruit pieces on the side … health is happiness … teach your children well

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  89. I used to put little love notes or money to buy a chocolate milk in her lunch box. She loved it! Thank you for the chance 🙂

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  90. So many awesome ideas. I love the idea of writing on the bananas. I love to add little notes and cute snacks. They are always so fun to hear once they tell me what was in their box.

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  94. Used to stock up on little trinket things like erasers, rings, little toys, etc. after the holidays and put them in their lunch boxes.

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  96. Pingback: How to get your Family Ready for the First Day of School

  100. Even though my daughter is out of high school, she still lives with me and loves it when I sneak homemade treats into her lunch bag.

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  113. I can’t wait to find the 12-oz on-the-go milks at my local walmart!! my kiddos will love taking these in their lunchboxes each day!!

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  114. My middle daughter is a senior at HS this year and I hope to be packing more lunches for her as she makes poor choices when packing her own. I like to leave a little note in the lunch.

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  119. I like bento boxes with a colorful array of foods or themed lunches. That alone makes it fun without having to “give them something extra” every day like a treat or a note – which then becomes normal and expected, not extra or special.

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  121. I like to stock up on valentines after valentine’s day, and put one in the kids lunches. They’re my valentines every day! 🙂

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  135. Pingback: The ultimate back to school tips guide! - onecreativemommy.com

  144. I add stickers and a small treat, like a Hershey’s kiss. I also like to cut his food in fun shapes for him.

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  145. I like to cut shapes in the sandwiches with cookie cutters. And put a special treat in for each child. Something that only that child likes.

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  148. I’ve always liked to do what my mom did for me in my lunch box. She would always leave me a little note every day, which always made me feel special and loved when I would get it every day.

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  153. Because we homeschool, we don’t typically have to pack lunch boxes. However, when we do (because we’ll be out all day), I like to add a treat that I don’t normally buy, like Goldfish crackers or Teddy Grahams :-).

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  158. I add a little love to the lunchbox with notes for the kids on their napkins. My mom did it for me, and it always made me smile.

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  173. I like to put notes in my daughters’ lunch. Little words of encouragment…notes to let them know I’m thinking of them, or just to let them know I love them.

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  179. I like to add little notes and trinkets to my kids lunches. I will also draw them cute little things.

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  180. I love to leave notes in my school lunch to help them feel good for the day. I want the to know that I love them and thinking about them.

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  183. I add a little love with a little happy note everyday and food wise I buy lots of fruits that she loves and have her pick out what she would like that day

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  185. I love post it notes!! I also just saw how to put notes in a banana that darken throughout the day. Love it!

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  188. My daughter just started first grade and I have been trying to be the “cool ” mom and find fun ideas for her lunch boxes and so happy I found this! So far I have purchased a box of little notes and jokes and I add stickers, I also use google eyes and draw faces on her zip lock bags so it looks like her sand which has a face ! She loves it!

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  191. I am always searching for fun lunch ideas for my children, so they know I took the time to think about them! I also always leave notes in their lunchboxes!

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  205. I like to draw them a little cartoon or a doodle of their favorite things (Pokemon, Minecraft, My Little Pony) along with a message of love. It’s something similar to what my mother used to do for me.

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  210. I had 3 daughters and always put notes in their lunches. Now, my grandson started preschool and my daughter put notes, (mostly smiley faces and pictures since he can’t read). I think it is a sweet family tradition she is carrying on!

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  212. My mom always gave me a plain lunch, and I was jealous of the kids with fruit roll ups. I am happy that she instilled those healthy eating habits now.

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  215. That is too cute and funny because just this morning I put a strip of paper in his lunchbox that told him to keep having a GREAT day and I love you. I love writing him small messages, helps his reading, helps us connect more. Keeps me reminding him to stay focused! I love the other ideas as well and I will use!

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  217. Sometimes i add a cute joke or a little note to my boys’ lunchboxes. they love the jokes and will tell it to all their friends.

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  230. My sons and I make taffy together. I like coloring and flavoring it and they love to stretch it. So every Friday I put a couple pieces in each lunch box; one for them and one for a friend. It never fails to please!

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  243. I use the lunch box notes when I have then with “I love you” or “Eat your lunch :)”

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  248. I like to leave a clue, or even a coupon for something fun… like, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for __________________________________????” Guess where we are going tonight???

    The kids get excited, and love to guess.

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  249. I add little love by cutting their sandwiches into hearts and by adding a special not but mostly by making sure I give the best healthiest food I can!

    Reply

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