Brown Baggin' It - Minus the Brown Bag

A long time ago, almost a whole year ago, though it seems like just yesterday, I was at the park with Oscar's preschool class celebrating his final school day before summer break. A little bring your own lunch had just been consumed. The remnants were being packed up, and folks were heading back over to the equipment for more action oriented entertainment.

But whose lunch was this?

Several of us mothers peered over at the lunch. Not ours. It was just a pile of food with no identifying box.

Then the preschool teacher wandered over to take a look. "Oh, that's Joey's," she said.

I looked at her in amazement. "How do you know?" I asked.

"I can usually tell the owner by the food contents," she answered.

Who knew the preschool teacher was also an archaeologist?

Patterns of behavior. Patterns in brand, packaging, preparation, and contents...

Here is what is often in Oscar's lunch box:

Water
Clementine Orange
Grapes
Strawberries
Raisins
Carrot stick
Celery with cream cheese
Hard-boiled egg
Cheese and crackers
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Peanuts
Peanut butter crackers
Left-over pizza
Popcorn
Pretzels
Cheerios
Tortilla chips and salsa
Sesame sticks
Graham crackers
Yogurt covered raisins
Cookie for a special treat

Now you might think I am crazy for sharing this information as the school year is winding down, but think again. I am posting this list so I might have something to reference next fall when I peer in the cupboards and wonder how in the world I used to fill up a box with nourishing food for a child to devour away from my supervision.

Wow! It is almost time to celebrate Oscar's graduation from preschool!