Monday, February 23, 2009

Oh Happy Day.... or not? Ask the lunch lady.



My morning can be made or broken by the school lunch program.

Today's lunch is soft shell tacos. It was a good morning.

Let me back up.
I stumble out of bed. Make my mandatory stop at the bathroom
(hey, it's true). V Line for the coffee pot (don't get in my way less you get pushed aside) . The lunch menu is stuck to the fridge beside the coffee pot.

My eyes final formed a small enough slit to peek out of my sleep induced comma. I look, with fear, at what the lunch menu says
(the sound of the coffee pot doing it's job is only slightly helpful at this point of the morn').
How will my morning go?

Today is soft shell tacos - FABULOUS! All three school agers will eat that, and I agree that it has enough nutritional value to work for me too. I can grab my coffee and go about the other morning duties without hesitation or frustration.

However, there are days it does not go so smoothly. For example a Friday morning when lunch is BBQs
(also known as sloppy joe's) with a salad and corn - ugggggg, do I really have to get out of bed?

Fridays can be the worst. This is because Fridays are spelling test day. So not only are we worrying about clothes, backpacks....."did you remember to throw your shoes in", and "......hey you need to brush your teeth better than that!" but there are spelling words to practice one last time. Now, throw in three cold lunches for three very different tastes and it is enough to send me over the edge. On these mornings I think I should be drinking IRISH coffee

You are getting the idea.
Let me elaborate...
Grilled cheese and tomato soup - 2/3 of a bad morn. 2 cold lunches, 1 hot (lunch at school)
Chicken leg with mashed potatoes - good morn' with hestitation.
All three wee ones will eat at school but I wonder if they really will get enough food to keep them full.
Cheese Pizza - 100% sit down at the table and talk, great morning.
I know all three will eat it and be full, and it has enough nutrition to keep me happy (I have low expectations for school lunches)
Cheeseburger with tator tots - This too will be a good morn.

Now, if it is cheeseburgers on a Tuesday it is a happy day. Tuesdays are good mornings I get to stay home, the spelling words aren't calling yet, kids are out of the weekend slump etc.....

This is the kind of happy day where I feel like a choir should shuffle in from the back deck and break out in song leaving the kids dancing out the door on their way to the bus
(which arrives no later than 7am btw) So, bring on the choir the dancing and clapping because today was tacos and it was a HAPPY DAY!





6 comments:

TheChicGeek said...

So cute...lol. I'm impressed you have a list!

julochka said...

i hope you got some of that coffee. :-)

WV word: nonder: a day when there's nothing good on at school lunch. "oh, oh, today's a real nonder."

Delwyn said...

Hi Jules, I am intrigued...where does the lunch list come from... It takes me back to when my 4 were school age - but they, poor deprived children, got nothing more than sandwiches and salads.

Adan said...

this is single handedly the most entertaining story of a morning routine....ever.

i thought i was the only person who had this inner monolouge.

absolutely hilarious.

Just Jules said...

Here is an explaination for those not familiar with the this type of school lunch program:
The school sends out a month long schedule for what they will be serving during lunch at school. It is a district wide menu. The kids have a "lunch account" at school in which money we deposit gets used to buy these lunches. If they do not like what is being served on this menu also known as "hot lunch" they then need to bring their own "cold lunch". This is packed at home and sent along.

So, the tacos, hamburgers, pizza, bbq's, etc. are what the school is serving.

Packing lunches usually includes a sandwich, something crunchy like pretzels, a piece of fruit or yogurt, and then milk is available at the school. Occasionally I will send bowls of cereal and they pour milk over it at school. However each kid likes different things and this means dancing around the kitchen trying to fill three sacks plus keeping them moving on their way to the bus.

Hope that clarifies :)
Jules

P.S. tomorrows lunch is hot dogs, baked beans, fruit choice, and baked chips.... it will be three "hot lunches" with hesitation from me due to the disgustingness of the lunch!

Just Jules said...

julochka - Even in the midst of passing this horrible kidney stone (yes again) I cracked up laughing about the wv - "nonder". It sounds totally right! Funny, thanks for the laugh.