womanthismonth.com | SEPTEMBER 2025 PARENTING 8 THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE Back-to-School Olympics It’s official. The calendar has turned, the school supply list has been conquered (mostly) and the crisp air of a new season is upon us. As a mum and a teacher, I know this season all too well. It’s a glorious time of day-to-day routines, scheduled activities and a certain kind of peace that can only come from a house that is quiet before 3pm. But with the return of structure comes the return of the most daunting athletic event of the school year: The Lunchbox Olympics. This is not a casual stroll in the park. This is a highly competitive, multi-event challenge that tests our creativity, our patience and our ability to make a sandwich that looks like it hasn’t been sat on. And as someone who has seen first-hand what gets traded, discarded and mysteriously forgotten at the bottom of a backpack, I’ve developed a few strategies for victory. This year, let’s not just survive the Lunchbox Olympics; let’s win them. Here are a few tips to help you go for the gold. The Meal Prep Marathon The first hurdle is the sheer exhaustion of having to think about one more thing. The secret to this event is planning. Go All In on One Day: Instead of frantically packing a lunch every morning, declare a ‘Lunch Prep Saturday.’ It’s like meal prep for adults but with significantly more tiny compartments and less quinoa. Hard-boil a dozen eggs, wash and chop all the veggies for the week and bake a batch of homemade muffins. You’ll thank yourself on Tuesday when you’re running on three hours of sleep and suddenly realise it’s your turn to drop off the class pet. Embrace the Bento Box Buffet: My biggest sanity saver is the bento box. But the real hack is to pre-fill the little compartments with ‘building blocks.’ Fill a few with a protein source (cubed cheese, a hard-boiled egg), a few with a fruit (grapes, berries) and a few with a carb (pretzels, As the new school year begins, Ouiam El Hassani shares clever tips and strategies to help parents master lunchbox preparation, keep children happy and healthy, and succeed in the Lunchbox Olympics.
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