Book reviews are back! Kicking things off is a book that fits in nicely with my Back-To-School series, Love Notes in Lunchboxes by Linda Jeffords Gilden.
I’ve been making lunches for my kids for several years now, starting with Mother’s Day Out and preschool programs and during that time I’ve read here and there that including little notes in their lunchboxes can really brighten a day. When they were smaller and couldn’t read I would just include a little card with a fun sticker and my name at the bottom. Now that they can read, I can get a little more elaborate on my notes. Maybe a a few words of encouragement on the day of a big test or just a note to let them know I’m thinking of them.
I’m still not super regular about including notes but hope to change that this school year! I’ve got a special part of my Lunch Launch Pad drawer for notes…the idea is that I make up a few ahead of time to easily drop into their lunchbags. Or just having a few blank cards with some rubberstamps or stickers to easily decorate the card and add a quick note.
Love Notes with Lunchboxes takes lunch note writing one step further, providing inspiration for all sorts of situations like the First Day of School, Holidays or other fun times. The author even offers tips on how to take notewriting beyond the lunchbox and keep a positive dialogue going between you and your children. Also included in the book are lots of testimonies from kids who received notes in their lunches over the years–girls AND boys–and how much it meant to them and how the little notes, no matter how simple, let them know that they were loved and thought about even when they were apart from those that they loved. The appendix includes a nice resource of descriptive words to use on your notes. There’s also a section of blank note templates with fun borders and designs that you can photocopy and cut out to help jazz up your notes.
Of note, the tone of the book does have a Christian theme but it is not overwhelming and still has tons of terrific inspiration…thought that was worth mentioning as it may make a difference either way for readers.
Need a few more ideas but not feeling overly creative? Check out these totally cute tags from Alphamom’s site that you can print out and put in your kids’ lunches! I love the play on words and the little nudge to make eating fruit a bit more fun too! The site also offers custom lunch box notes that you can print out too…fun!
Love the idea but need something a little simpler? I found these fun lunchbox note sets last school year (and periodically since then) at the $1 section at my local Michael’s store. Each card has a fun or encouraging phrase (like I love spending time with you) or did you know? question (like Did You Know? There are more chickens than people in the world?”) that makes lunch time fun. My daughter especially loves the fun fact cards!
If you can’t find them locally, you can also buy sets of the cards online (there are tons to choose from–you can even customize some!)
I hope you’re encouraged to add a little extra love to the lunches you make for your kids (or any other loved one!) Enjoy!
