Lunch Magnets

Do you pack school lunches the night before?

I am not a morning person, so most of the time I get the kids' lunches ready right after cleaning up dinner. And because their nutrition is important to me, I do cater to their preferences. No assembly line for us. A lunch that gets eaten is better than a lunch that gets brought home after school!

One likes spicy mustard. Hold the mayo for another. Another wants bologna and American cheese. One prefers steamed broccoli to grapes and dislikes Gala apples. Two like shredded-carrot salad, or pineapple. One likes Greek yogurt, another only eats yogurt without fruity bits. One takes leftover pepperoni pizza, the others get plain cheese. But how in the world to keep them all straight?

This was my solution at the beginning of the school year, and it has worked beautifully!

Each child has their own magnet. When I make their lunch, I pull their magnet off the fridge and set it with the food. When they pack their lunch coolers, they know which stack of containers is theirs, and they stick their magnet back on the fridge.

What are your organization secrets?