by Melissa Willets posted in Parenting

Upon seeing a few too many perfect-looking school lunches shared online, and reading way too many stories about school lunch shaming, I wanted to share what my kids' lunches look like, in reality.
Their midday meals are far from picture-ready. They're also not always 100 percent healthy or well planned, and they consist of a lot of snack food instead of artfully prepared sandwiches or Thermos creations meant to stay hot for hours. But I'm still not ashamed.
After all, I have to make three lunches every night. That is no joke, people. I'm pretty proud of myself for buying these bento boxes, because they look cool.

But other than these bentos, there's nothing too impressive about what I fix my kids for lunch. Like most moms, I have like five minutes to throw whatever we have in our kitchen into their lunch boxes. When I see photos of sandwiches pressed into shapes with seasonal cookie cutters, or fruits skewers, I can't help but wonder where do these people find the time"!" I'm barely holding it together each night as I race against the clock to get the kids to and from their activities, make dinner, help with homework, do baths, and read bedtime stories, let alone make their lunches for the next day.
In reality, this is my best take on preparing a themed lunch. Happy Halloween, kids!

I try to add fresh fruit when I can, to ease my mom guilt, but sometimes all you've got is green bananas.

So fruit snacks will have to c...