This is all you have to do… get a multi-colored pack of post-it notes (or not, you can use the pale yellow ones if you want) and write twenty messages on them. Put one in your kid’s lunch box (or backpack) each day.
That’s it.
Why do them all at once? Because if you’re like me, the creative juices aren’t exactly flowing at 5:30 AM. I like to sit down and write out a month’s worth at once and then I’m ready to roll when I’m packing lunches. I actually keep mine posted inside the cabinet door I store all the school lunch stuff so that I can quickly scan them and pick one.
Done and done.
And if you've got writer’s block, here are some of mine. Help yourself!
UPDATE: If you ever feel bad because you're not Perfect Mommy, just read this... When I opened Angel Baby's lunchbox last night, I noticed that Brutus' note was in it. I asked why...
AB: You put the notes in the wrong lunch boxes.
Me: Oh no!! BAHAhahahaaaaa… I bet y’all thought I’d lost my mind!
AB: You musta BEEN lost your mind.
Me: HAhahahaaa….. right?! Wait. What?
AB: You do that all the time.
Me: I DO?!
AB: Yeah, the teachers let us go to each other's table and switch them. And the sandwich boxes. You mix those up too. It’s OK… the teachers all (ALL??) think it’s funny.
Me: No, the teachers think your mama’s a drunk.
Lunchbox Notes:
1. I can’t wait to see you later so we can ketchup!AB: You put the notes in the wrong lunch boxes.
Me: Oh no!! BAHAhahahaaaaa… I bet y’all thought I’d lost my mind!
AB: You musta BEEN lost your mind.
Me: HAhahahaaa….. right?! Wait. What?
AB: You do that all the time.
Me: I DO?!
AB: Yeah, the teachers let us go to each other's table and switch them. And the sandwich boxes. You mix those up too. It’s OK… the teachers all (ALL??) think it’s funny.
Me: No, the teachers think your mama’s a drunk.
Lunchbox Notes:
2. Be a LEADER today.
3. Did you know that sometimes I kiss your cheek when you’re sleeping at night? Well I do!
4. If someone drew a picture of “awesome” it would look just like you.
5. You know what happens when I think of your smile? I smile too.
6. If the world were a sundae, you would be the cherry on top!
7. Just do your best and let God handle the rest.
8. You are just so NEAT! I think about you all the time.
9. You think of me and I’ll think of you and it will be like we’re having lunch together.
10. You are kind. You are smart. You are important.
11. I dreamed of the perfect child and got one – you!
12. Someone must have dipped you in AWESOMESAUCE!
13. I can’t wait to see you and hear all about your day.
14. Guess what? I’m thinking about you right now.
15. Be kind to someone who’s sad today.
16. I’m so proud of who you are.
17. When I count my blessings, I count you first.
18. Did you feel that? I just hugged you in my mind.
19. You get a special dessert tonight! Just because!
20. I love how hard you always try to do your best.
PRINTABLE LIST
I think somebody dipped you in awesomesauce. These are great and I will definitely be using some of them this school year! Thank you
ReplyDeleteLOL! Thanks FWM!
Deletethis is just wonderful! I always put a little note in my girls lunches and it never fails to make them smile. It got so that other kids at the lunch table were asking "What did your mom say today??" :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Angel Baby's teacher told me that she looks forward to seeing what the note says and also what's in the lunch box. I think it makes the onions proud :)
DeleteI used to do this with the girls when they were younger and they still talk about it and tell me how much they appreciated the notes! It's these sweet little nothings that keep us close as a family!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is in the 5th grade now, but I started writing her little love notes when she started to read and there was a time when she asked me to stop writing her these notes because there was a girl picking on her about them. (talk about break my heart....her's too apparently) But I did as she asked and stopped but soon after she said to me...."Mommy, I really don't care if I get picked on because you are my mommy and I love the notes you give to me!" So to this day I continue to write her little love notes and will continue until she asks me to stop. They're only little once! <3
ReplyDeleteAwww! I would have written that other kid a note... one that would make her have nightmares :)
DeleteHurting people, hurt people. That little girl probably was jealous and needed a note, too. I would have written her one, too...a nice one. Who knows if her parents were getting divorced or if her mom was just diagnosed with cancer or her dog just died. "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake hath forgiven you!" Eph. 4:32 :)
DeleteAny ideas for PreK kids who aren't reading yet. I do fun stickers and "I heart u" but need more ideas!
ReplyDeleteI started with mine when they were in kindergarten and, though I knew they couldn't read all of it, their teachers always helped them. And the teachers REALLY love them. Several have told me they always look forward to seeing what they will say every day :)
DeleteThanks SO much! I am gonna start now for all those kindergarten lunches :)
DeleteWhen my son was in pre-K I would write things like:
DeleteI ♥ U (or I would draw and eye then the heart and the letter U)
Draw an owl and in the speech bubble write HOO then ♥'s U?
U R my ♥
U R cute
and so on. The teacher may have needed to finish reading the note for him but he at least could start reading it himself.
I have a reuable note and in kindergarten I would draw a little picture, like a car or baseball, something he would like.
DeleteI love these notes, but if I was the teacher and helping the students read them, I would start to cry! They are soooo sweet!!!
DeleteMine are 18, 15 and 13...they are precious when they're little and starting out but when you realize that your time making lunches and hearing every detail of their lives will soon be over, this seems like a great way to make sure they still know how special they are to us!
ReplyDeleteWas just thinking the same!! I have a 7yr old that LOVES her 'lunch notes', but I also have 2- 14yr olds & a 17yr old that I don't even pack a lunch for...but these would make good text messages ;)
DeleteI think I will make a pad of these notes and put them in my adult kids' Christmas stockings. They can peel one off every day. Your kids are never too old to let you know that you love them and think of them every day even if they don't live in your house.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!
DeleteMy husband travels Monday through Friday, and I of course pack his travel bags. I can't wait to do some of these for him and sneak them into his bag!! We just got married a week ago, so this is a new tradition I can start. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the idea!! AWESOMESAUCE!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! I hope he likes them!
DeleteThis is one of the sweetest things I have ever read! I send a note every day but love the idea of pre-writing them. I'll admit that I cried a little... my kids just left for school and I already miss them!
ReplyDeleteAwww... thanks!
DeleteAww...I love these! Do you mind if I share some of these on my FB page? I tell my daughter she's awesome every morning when she gets out of the car to go into her school. Now I can tell her she was dipped in AWESOMESAUCE! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind one bit! Share away! That's why they're here. And THANK YOU!
DeleteShould I post a link back to your blog? :-)
DeleteThat'd be nice!
DeleteOh wow! Thank you so much for sharing - can't wait to use these with my boys!
ReplyDeleteI am 29 and my mommma still gives me lil love notes everytime I visit! I always send them to my daughter, but I don't send them everyday....just sporadically. She looks forward to them. Maybe I should start doing them everyday!
ReplyDeleteMy dad always wrote us lunchbox notes, so now I do it for my daughter. This year (2nd grade) she started writing back! Each day she returns the note to me with something written on the back. I think I get just as excited as her :)
ReplyDeleteI love that your daughter returns the notes back to you with something just for you. That a awesome kid you got there. Wow
ReplyDeleteMy kids are young adults starting out in their chosen careers and I still put little notes in their lunches. :-)
ReplyDeleteI get plain old paper lunch sacks and then I make an original drawing in Sharpie for each of my two daughters on their lunch sack that is inspired either by them or something that they have going on that day or the season. Each drawing always has their name incorporated into it in some way.
ReplyDeletewow! There are some fantastic Mums out there! Keep up the good work. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful idea. My daughter's 4 and has just learned all her phonics-I'm so proud! So she'll be able to sound them out. Although I already got a comment from a mum about how I shouldn't use cookie cutters for her sandwiches (butterflies are her favorite) so not sure how it'll ho down amongst parents :-( why can't some mums just let their children be children and not focus solely on academics? Anyway rant over sorry about that...I'm off to favorite this page x thankyou so much xxx
ReplyDeletewhy not use cookie cutters? some people...( jealous much?) I learned phonices with a story about Alphabet Elementary. Eating, learning, living...it needs to be fun, interesting, pretty, creative as often as possible. Ignore the haters. You keep on doing what makes you & your child happy.
DeleteI have been putting love notes in my son's lunch for a couple of years now. One morning last week, thanks to poor time management on my part, i missed that step. That afternoon he told me he had a crummy day mainly because there was no note. Awwwww.......
ReplyDeleteI'll be the first to admit... I accidentally switch my boys' lunch stuff all the time! The problem is that one boy is VERY picky and the other eats everything! They've "traded back" at school many times over the years, but it only works when their classes have lunch at the same time. Hey, at least we don't forget to pack a lunch entirely (oh wait, I did that once too).
ReplyDeleteLove your sweet note idea. I'm definitely stealing. Thanks!
I'm SO glad I'm not the only one!!
DeleteWhen my youngest was in diapers my parents watched her. Somedays I would get little notes written on her diaper from my Mom <3. Always put a smile on my face:)
ReplyDeleteI have a thirteen year old son. I think I will start putting them on his bathroom mirror so he can see them when he is brushing his teeth before school!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ideas!
I've regularly put notes in my daughter's lunch but feel like I say the same thing over and over b/c, you're right, the creative juices aren't flowing at 5:30! Thanks for the great ideas! Now my daughter can stop writing her own notes (yes, she does this when I forget or don't have time)!
ReplyDeleteI put notes in my 6 yr old's lunch, only I scratch it in his bannana peel like a secret message. By the time lunch comes around, the scratched part is black and he can read it.
ReplyDeleteI have never put a note in my sons lunches because they pack their own, but I literally teared up reading the list!! Because what you wrote I think daily while they are gone!!! Thanks!! I might have to find a way to slip those sayings in the lunchbox without them knowing. They are 10 and 8!!!
ReplyDeleteI put a joke in the lunch boxes every day. The first grader's teacher lets her read her joke to the class and reports that she is gaining lots of confidence by having that moment each day to shine. My fourth grader shares the jokes with his friends and they look forward to hearing it each day. I try and add a sweet note at the bottom most days, but I was getting repetitive. These are great ideas!
ReplyDeleteMy kids are all grown up and now with young children of their own...I am going to copy a bunch of these little notes and mail them to them throughout the year just to remind them how much I love them, cutest ideas ever! I used to always send 'I love you' notes in their lunches wishing them a great day, letting them know I was thinking of them, but these are positively Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing them!!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of prewriting them out, and your list. As I was reading the comments the thought hit me. I've "pinned" many quotes on pinterest and hope my Daughters/Sons may read them. I'm going to start writing them on the post-it notes. Along with a few jokes....Thanks for the ideas.
ReplyDeleteI teach at the high school my kids attend. Last year our middle - a daughter - was a senior, and our youngest - a son - was a freshman. To make her last year of high school and his first year special - about once a week, I would "break into" their lockers and leave them a love note and a little treat from Mom. Sometimes a pair of socks, or a car air freshener, a lint roller (don't ask...), gift card for coffee or a sandwich, fake mustaches at Homecoming, or just candy or a soda. They LOVED it! I decided to continue this year for our son. I love it and I think it makes having Mom around at school all the time more of a joy to them and hopefully a little less of a pain. Thanks for this post - gave me some more awesome ideas!
ReplyDeleteUp until this year, I used to write notes to my boys, who are now 12 and 10 years old. Then came the day when my oldest asked me to stop the note-writing because kids at school were trying to grab the notes and tease him about them. So, one day, I wrote the following and instructed my son to let his friends grab the note: "Dear [my son's] Classmates, I'm sorry that you feel the need to make fun of [my son] for having a mom who loves him. I thought maybe were are feeling left out, so I thought today I'd write a note to you guys instead. Have a Terrific Tuesday! Sincerely, Mrs. Howell." My son reported that they thought it was very funny and that they now felt that I was a "cool mom." I did the same thing when my younger son began having classmates who teased him. ☺ I love the idea posted by someone above who said she puts jokes in her child's lunch. I'm totally trying that!
ReplyDeleteSupposed to say *you* were feeling left out..... Also, I forgot to say that I just write the notes on their napkin. Saves paper.... ☺
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about putting notes in a jar as a gift to my daughter who is away at school and instructing her to pull one out each Monday for encouragement to start her week. Any suggestions on what to write on the jar?
ReplyDeleteMom's Monday Messages?
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