Lunch Box Love Notes

When Will started Kindergarten and Soph first, I decided to put little notes in their lunches occasionally. Originally my goal was once a week, and I maintained for a while, using nap time to create fun little paper pictures to surprise them with.  It didn't take too long to taper off to once a month.

This was my first. A fox for Sophie.

His tail swishes so you can read the message

Now I make them for all three kids.  Sometimes, they are super complex and meaningful and other times they are just a paper heart with a note.  

Will's First day at Magellan School

A super quick and easy one (read: last minute)

I have even been known, (after discrete hinting and permission from the artist) to use one of the kids' drawings to create notes.

This is Ruby's.  She made the witch, I added the message.

I have made a bunch of these, and the kids always enjoy them.  I expected them to be ruined, stained with food, manhandled by friends or even tossed out.  But they always come home.  I've been saving them for years now, I have a big box that is completely full.  Every once in a while, the girls will thumb through them.

We've moved twice in the past 6 months and it occurred to me that I should go back and photograph them all, just in case.  So they are all here now, not in the right order, I couldn't ever remember that.

We're all a bit crafty here

I am working on something crafty for the kids' easter baskets.  Ruby got an animal pompom kit for christmas that I am riffing off of.  So far I've made three bunnies, two ducklings and a blue bird chick.  

I put them on the top shelf of the book case in my office, thinking the kids would never notice them there (I have actually put gifts FOR THEM in the cart at Target and they haven't noticed-generally, they are not observant little people). But Soph spied them and it was love at first sight. She came into the living room after the other kids had fallen asleep to discuss naming them.  I admitted that I am planning on putting them in easter baskets (no flinch from her), she then requested that the big bunny, Humphrey, she's calling him, be hers.

Yesterday she was secretly inspecting the bluebird, trying to mentally reverse engineer how I made it, when she tugged a bit too hard and the knot holding his head and body together slipped loose.  She came into the kitchen and sorrowfully admitted the mishap.  No biggie, I can stitch them back together, just leave it on my desk. Oops. Ruby spied him sitting there, waiting to be mended. The jig is up. I am still going to put them, in baskets, hopefully this won't lead to the demise of Santa. (Although I'd probably be okay with that pesky shelf elf taking a hike.)