I’ve discovered the perfect workout that incorporates mind, body and soul. It uses every part of one’s being; there’s movement, there’s memory stimulation, there’s creativity, there’s cardio benefits…you name it, it has it all. It keeps your body young and your brain strong.
It’s called making snack and lunches for your kids to take to school.
Of course every mom knows that to be most efficient, snacks and lunches are to be made the night before school. It’s not rocket science; it’s common sense.
But despite that, I often still don’t do it in advance.
Quite frankly, by the time everyone is in bed and supper is (more or less) cleaned up, the last thing I want to do is get back in the kitchen and start all over again.
I’d much rather plop on the couch and do nothing.
Or sit down with my husband and have a tea.
Or make a list of all the things I didn’t get to on that day.
But I definitely do not want to make snacks and lunches.
I just want a break.
And so I willingly choose the inefficient way.
And it really is the best all body and mind workout you can ask for.
The day starts bright and early and I begin the marathon routine as soon as I get into the kitchen.
“I don’t want a sandwhich.”
“You have to have a lunch.”
“Ok, cheese and ketchup, open in the oven.”
“I want cheese and ketchup closed in the sandwhich maker.”
“Make sure the ketchup reaches the edge of the bread.”
“I want just the cheese, not the ketchup.”
“But yesterday you wanted with ketchup, you sure you don’t want that again?”
“That was yesterday, today I don’t want it.”
“Ok guys, do I have it right,” I ask for the fifth time, as I rotate between the fridge, oven and counters.
“Two open sandwiches no ketchup, one closed sandwich lots of ketchup, three bagels and cream cheese, one closed sandwich only cheese ?”
“No!”
Grr… I gotta work on my memory…
And so we go through it all again.
My hands move, my mouth talks, my brain calculates and dictates and my feet keep running.
“Everyone likes baby carrots, right?”
“Yeah!”
“No!”
“Maybe.”
“Not today.”
“Only yesterday.”
I quietly sneak them into everyone’s lunches anyway, hoping I won’t get caught.
They tell me they need 5 snacks because they get sooooo hungry.
I tell them it’s ok to be hungry.
Pretzels.
“Only the skinny ones!”
“Do we have the big ones?”
“Can I taste some?”
“You guys eat breakfast; this stuff is for school.”
“Hey, what’s that?”
“You’ll see it in your lunch; go eat breakfast.”
It’s my latest experiment recipe of well disguised banana muffins…I know I’ll get caught but I still casually add them to the lunchbags.
Chummus or gaucamole…I can’t seem to remember who wants which one.
Granola bars.
Three want peanut butter, two want regular, two don’t want.
Chips.
Three want plain, two want hot and spicy and two want both – well today we are giving out plain.
There.
One sandwhich.
5 snacks.
7 lunchbags in all different colors, standing straight like soldiers, hoping not to be left at home.
They’ll still tell me they were hungry.
I’ll tell them it’s ok to be hungry.
They’ll tell me they were starving.
I’ll say that’s fine; starving people eat whatever food they have, even if it’s their granola bar that they refuse to touch.
There’s a rhythm to it all, and my workout finally winds down.
Cardio, check.
Muscle toning, check.
Brain stimulation, check.
Creativity, check.
Strengthening memory, check.
Hand-eye coordination, check
True, it’s not the most efficient system.
But who says everything in life has to be done efficiently.
Little Yellow Notepad 
Brilliant!
And that’s why even my first grader makes her own lunch!
Hey thanks goldie — I learned something. “It’s OK to be hungry”. Love it! I used to get lectures about our relatives in concentration camps or starving children around the world from my family. Gulp. Trying to avoid that but all I could come up with was “we eat three meals per day; no need to clean your plate”. Or there was the opposite grandparent favorite: “eat eat eat you are going to waste away you are too skinny!” Hahaha We are very lucky though and so are our kids.