Lunch boxes

Well, I'm back to packing lunches for the younger kids, and everybody is happy about it. The kids had been buying lunch at school, and it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Here's why I've begun making their lunches again, illustrated through a conversation at the dinner table. This nightly conversation rarely varies.

"What did you guys have for lunch today?"

"Steak. Chicken. Meatballs."

"Pasta, pao de queijo, french fries, and potatoes!" (Pao de queijo is cheese bread.)

"Lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots. I was so hungry at Art Club!"

"Henry, why don't you have anything besides meat?"

"Because I hate the idea of all that meat sitting there and me not eating it."

There was an actual whoop of happiness from them when they woke to this:

Now poor Henry won't have to stress out about all that meat he should be eating. I probably shouldn't even worry about the kids getting the right amount of food to eat, what with the Cheez-it currency they've got going at snack time. Cheez-its aren't available in Brazil, so I ordered some online and I was surprised when Olivia kept picking them for her snack, since she doesn't like crackers.

"Every time I open a bag of Cheez-its, my desk is crowded with kids. I got a whole apple and a piece of candy for ONE cheez-it!"

"I got half a sandwich and three chocolate wafers for two Cheez-its!" Exclaimed Grace, who never met a salty snack she didn't like.

Hmm. Maybe I should just pack them a big bag of Cheez-its every day and let them barter their way to a well-balanced lunch.