It's a fun lunch day!

"It's a fun lunch day!" was the excited cheer in my kitchen this morning. My daughter noticed the fruit snacks (Stickerz) and YooHoo on the counter, and headed off down the hall, skipping on the way to tell her brothers the awesome news.

I'm usually pretty good about packing healthy lunches. Sandwiches on whole wheat or oatmeal bread - homemade bread 80% of the time. (1- Crunchy peanut butter & honey - crusts cut off. 2 - Creamy PB&J. 3 - Creamy PB, just a dot of honey, cut into triangles.) Some days are cheese and crackers, with a small baggie of cashews or almonds, instead of a sandwich. Apples, bananas, grapes, honey tangerines, or dried fruit. Alternate between chips and sliced carrots, so there's always something crunchy. Desserts are vanilla yogurt cups, or home baked oatmeal cookies. Water or a juice box to drink.

I keep a stash of typical lunchbox fare. Not a big stash. A small box of the brightly colored fruit snacks. Rice krispy treats or Oreos. YooHoo drink boxes. Every once in a while, lunches are packed with a couple of these items.

I used to feel guilty about those lunches. Not because I worried about the kidlets eating a little of the bad stuff. I know they eat healthy food at breakfast, lunch and dinner, which far outweighs a once-in-a-while junk food lunch.

"What will people think when they see this?" was what ran through my head. As if a critical glimpse inside a lunchbox could somehow cause a neon "bad mom" sign to appear above my head. (Though, given the increasing number of food rules, that day could be coming.)

I don't know if it's the number of lunches I've packed over the last 10 years, or that I'm finally getting past the insecurity of needing things to always look "proper", but I just don't care anymore.

A fun lunch day?

Yes. Yes, it is.