Twitter party is tonight 8 PM CST/ 9PM EST — Let’s get ready to chat about school lunch! Here’s a the Tweet Grid again so you can watch in real-time what people are saying using hashtags #schoollunch or #lunchrevolution or anything tweeted to @fedupwithlunch or @scatteredmom. That’s one of the ways I’ll be tracking your tweets. Chat with you tonight!

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How is “Back to School” going for your family?
Well, it hasn’t started yet. I go back next week and the kids come back after Labor Day.

Is school lunch important part of your child’s day?
Our son goes to day care and obviously we pay for meals (it is included in the fee). We send our own organic milk with him even though regular whole milk is normally provided. Last year I sent the occasional additional menu item to supplement his lunch. It’s leftovers from the previous night’s dinner: one time it was salmon and another time carbonara pasta. His childcare providers told me the other kids wanted the food and how delicious it smelled. They high-chair-fed before so it was easy to segment out small, individual portions. But now he’s in a different room with older kids and they sit at a table. I need to find out how it would work to bring in additional food when other kids could easily reach over and grab what I bring. I don’t care if they eat it, but I’m sure their parents wouldn’t want that especially if there is an allergy. I’ve got to have a chat with them right away.

What is school lunch like at your school or your child’s school?
At my son’s daycare they have a cook and certainly provide better food them I eat at school for the project. However I pay substantially more money for everything there so I expect that. Things I like on the menu include scrambled eggs, ground beef and pasta, rice, and soup. Last year was his first year at this particular day care. On the menu they had fish nuggets. I asked, “What kind of fish is it?” When they couldn’t find the answer I knew I had to provide something on the days they offered fish nuggets (they have since changed that menu item). I also asked about the tuna that they offer to make sure it wasn’t albacore (it’s chunk light). I think they are looking closely at their menu as early last year they switched to all whole grains in breads and pastas. The director told me that there was not even a single complaint from any child after that change. They still have a way to go, but I have seen baby steps.

Does school lunch need to be reformed?
Absolutely. It’s the kids who come from homes where they don’t have access to good food who rely on the school to provide their best meal of the day. For example at my son’s day care, his best meal is not lunch. Every morning I feed him breakfast at home even though I could take him to daycare and they would feed him a breakfast of cereal and milk. During the winter he gets oatmeal (actually today he requested oatmeal!) I like him to have a hot breakfast on cold days. And then dinner at home is nutritious and planned by me. Last night it was ground turkey in tandoori sauce (delicious sauce from a jar) with a wild rice, lentil, and black bean dish. Simple and nutritious. I feel for kids who don’t get good meals at home.

Do you write notes in your kid’s lunches and what do you write?
Too young for notes, but I liked this question because when I was a girl, I loved getting notes from my mother.

How much time should kids get to eat lunch?
Kids should get at least 30 minutes. In the business world an hour is common. That’s because many important deals happen over lunch. And they need a break. Kids are learning how to eat especially the really little guys and they need help with everything. Plus they need a break from academics. They need to value the meal.

What are some products that you use when you pack lunch?
I use Corelle products with little Rubbermaid lids. They are microwaveable.

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Check out all of the prizes on yesterday’s post as well as on Notes from the Cookie Jar.

Welcome to the Back to School Blog and Twitter party!

I’m partnering with Notes from the Cookie Jar for a fun weekend of blogging and tweeting. Here’s how to participate:

1) Answer any, all or one of the following questions in a blog post on your blog, flickr account, or youtube video:

• How is “Back to School” going for your family?
• Is school lunch important part of your child’s day?
• What is school lunch like at your school or your child’s school?
• Does school lunch need to be reformed?
• Do you pack lunch for your kids and what do you pack?
• Do you write notes in your kid’s lunches and what do you write?
• What are some of your favorite lunch recipes (kid-friendly or adult-friendly)?
• What are some great beverages for kids and adults?
• What is a traditional food item that you have made even more healthy and how did you do it?
• How much time should kids get to eat lunch?
• What are some products that you use when you pack lunch?

2) Link your blog post to the linky widget below (at the very bottom of this post).

3) Come back over the next couple days and review the links of other bloggers (as well as those on Karen’s blog: Notes from a Cookie Jar) and make ONE comment citing THREE things you found interesting. If you can’t find three things you learned from the other blogger’s blogs, please note that. One of the three things can be that you signed Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution petition for better food in schools.

4) I’ll close the blog party on midnight on Sunday August 29th. You have the entire weekend!

Blog Party Prizes:

Sponsor: Whole Foods Market

Prize: Blog banner redesign valued at $250
Open to: International bloggers

About the sponsor: DesignFaire provides full service consulting, from domain registration, hosting, web design, development, search engine optimization, to training. Our goal is to build compelling, easy-to-use websites. Their process is collaborative and client-centered. Expect an engaging development process that has you in mind.

Sponsor: Sprig Toys, @sprigtoys
Prize: Dolphin Explorer Boat
Open to: US mailing addresses only

About the sponsor: Sprig Toys, Inc., is an eco-friendly company dedicated to making the best toys the right way. Inspired by our collective desire to keep kids active and the planet healthy, Team Sprig is dedicated to infusing creativity, smart design, quality manufacturing, earth-friendly materials, product satisfaction and responsible business practices into a superior line of fun, kid-powered toys. We help make the world a better place and we get kids off the couch.

Sponsor: Mrs. Q
Prizes: $15 iTunes giftcard and $25 Target giftcard
Open to: US and Canadian mailing addresses

Prizes to be given out randomly every 15 minutes to those with thought-provoking tweets. It’s my sincere hope that the prizes offered reflect the broad scope of readers who have different interests including parents, teachers, students, nutritionists, bloggers, and foodies from various age groups. I can’t wait to hear all about what you think about school lunch. Don’t forget to use one or both of the hashtags #schoollunch or #lunchrevolution so that I can see what you are saying.

I have teamed up with Canadian blogger Karen from Notes from the Cookie Jar to host a Back-to-School party! It started as a Twitter party exclusively and now it’s an official Blog party too. We will have too much fun chatting, sharing ideas for change, and … there will be giveaways for participants.

Current prizes are brand-new lunch-related books (still finalizing my list so there may be more) with a personalized note from me: