If your dh regularly takes lunch to work, who packs it?

[mom31257]

I make dh breakfast and pack his lunch which is usually leftovers from the night before. I have not always done this and feel badly that I have not because I've been home since we had our dd who is 15. I always made sure he had things that were very quick to fix for breakfast, but I didn't get up and fix it. Dh's school system changed to a much earlier start time to save on bus route costs. I started doing it then because dh has insomnia issues, and I knew he needed every minute of sleep that he could get. I get up at 6:35 every school morning and see him off. Sometimes I go back to sleep for 30-45 minutes when I feel I really need it, but most days I stay up. It's nice to have a little time to myself before I have to get the kids up, too.

[jenn-]

I don't even see my DH in the morning before he leaves, so if he wants to eat, he packs it himself.

[Jen in PA]

I make him a hot breakfast and pack his lunch. If it's a day I'm heading out the door with him (heading to co-op or the Y), I pack a small breakfast along with his lunch.

[J-rap]

My husband hasn't needed a packed lunch for a long time, since our town is small enough that he'd come home for lunch. But when he did need a packed lunch, I usually made it. He loved leftovers so that was pretty easy to do. He didn't expect it, and he always thanked me. He's very good about things being equal at home, even though my time was a little more flexible as a stay at home mom. He ironed his own shirts, made the bed, and often made dinner. (For the first part of our marriage, he made dinner every day; he was a much better cook!)

 

Nowadays, I wish I had done more for him. I wish I had thanked him more, just for getting up early and going to work every morning and never complaining about it. It's easy to take all of that for granted, and I know he would have preferred to stay home with the children! :)

[happypamama]

Um, combination? DH usually takes leftovers; if there aren't leftovers, he picks something up somewhere. I pack his leftovers in a container and put them in the fridge at night. One of us makes sure the iced tea pitcher is filled (haha, there's a great plan for a happy marriage -- make sure the tea and teA pitchers are filled!), and that could be either of us, depending on who notices that it's low (DH drinks more of it than I do). In the morning, DH (who gets up at oh'dark thirty, way before I do) makes his breakfast and coffee, puts his leftovers and utensils in his lunchbag, and fills his iced tea bottle.

 

He is not bothered by doing it himself; I just get in the way of his routine. He does not feel unloved because I don't pack his lunch; conversely, he feels loved if I make dinner. :) (When we were first married, he was going to school, and I was working 50+ hours a week, so we made quick breakfasts for ourselves, I made dinner during the week, and he made nice breakfasts on the weekend. He still makes way better french toast and waffles than I do. But dinner on the table right after he arrives home, even a humble meal, says "We love you" to him like nothing else does.)

[TranquilMind]

I'm just curious. I make dh breakfast and lunch every morning. He takes both with him to work. (Ok, he probably eats his breakfast in the car on the way, but that's not something I'm very supportive of, so, let's gloss over that, LOL.)

 

I've always sorta wondered if it's the norm for the wife to pack the lunch, or if husbands do it for themselves. Pretty much our whole marriage, even when I worked (before I had my boys), I packed his lunch. Basically if I don't pack it, he either doesn't eat or he eats out; neither of which he likes to do.

 

I'm not complaining, just wondering. I've actaully gotten to a place where I'm glad to be able to bless dh by packing his lunch. But that statement does NOT mean I judge other wives who don't feel the same. :001_smile:

 

Poll to come. If you're a dh who packs your own lunch, vote that dh packs his lunch. :D And there's no 'other'; this is just for those that do pack a lunch, no matter if it's every day or not. If a lunch is packed, who packed it; that's how you vote.

 

I'm always a bit curious how other families negotiate things, which is why I'm asking. I know what some of my friends do, but I'd love to hear from a wider variety of wives, if that makes sense.

It would be a very small thing to do for my husband. I'd do it in a heartbeat if he took his lunch, but he buys it.

 

He never asks for anything, so I would happily do this. Besides, I am more careful. We still laugh about the time that he packed the kids' lunches - all in the same large baggie! It was a soggy mess by the time they wanted to eat it. Brilliant minds don't notice "small" details like this. ;)

[Ohdanigirl]

I make it. Dh gets up between 2:45-3AM and leaves by 3.15AM. I usually pack him some leftovers from dinner, and then make something else before I go to bed. I also add in snacks, like fruit, some cookies, flan, pudding, granola, etc. I just wrap/package everything, and he tosses it in his lunch tote if it is not already there.

 

Once we no longer have a co-sleeper with us, I will get up before him and make him a hot breakfast he can take in his thermos.

 

I don't mind doing this at all. Dh gets up at an unearthly hour and crosses an international border, so that we can live close to my mother and afford to raise all his siblings over the years.

 

Danielle

[Lizzie in Ma]

My Mom always made my Dad's. I thought it was stupid until I grew up and realized it was an act of love and devotion.

I have always packed my husband's lunch. :)

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm voting "any of the above," but the kids never do it. I pack dh's lunch with about the same frequency that he packs his own lunch. It just depends upon the day. But, he never *expects* me to do it and is always thankful. I think *I* (this is *just me*) would resent it a little if he had an expectation and wasn't so nice about it.

[kewb]

If I don't do it and put it in his hands as he walks out the door it just won't happen.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Our deal when we got married was that I would cook and he would clean up (which ended up being he puts the leftovers away, and nothing else :glare:) Because he's putting the dinner away, he puts some in a plastic container for his lunch. Then in the mornings (he wakes up earlier than the kids and I do) he puts it in his lunch pail and takes off. He has a instant breakfast powder in milk for breakfast.

[KrissiK]

I put :"me", but it's not like I get up early and make him a sandwhich every morning. He takes leftovers every day for lunch. I just make sure I make enough dinner so there's leftovers. Then, when I'm cleaning up from dinner, I just put a lunch-sized portion in a container and put that in the fridge, which he grabs the next morning. If there are no leftovers, for some reason, he's on his own, though. And he usually makes a sandwich. However, there are usually leftovers of some sort in the fridge.

[Running the race]

My dh always packs his own meals. He knows which meals he will be eating where and what he feels like eating that day.

[cjzimmer1]

I voted that I pack but I realized that technically speaking he packs it, in that he takes the items from the fridge and puts them in his lunch container.

 

However, I'm the one who portions the food into lunch containers, prepares breakfasts (breakfast burritos, muffins etc) puts them in single serving portions placed directly on the lunch container and makes flavored iced tea every night and puts it in the containers he takes with him to work. I also portion out whatever snacks he is taking for the day and either put that directly in his lunch bag or on top of the stack in the fridge of his lunch and breakfast.

 

So if you want to know who puts the food in the lunch bag - it's him.

If you want to know who gets everything ready to go into the lunch bag - it's me.

[Jenny in Florida]

I voted that it was me, but I almost didn't participate. My husband takes lunch with him roughly twice a week, which I wasn't sure qualifies as "regular."

 

When he does take lunch, it's because I packed leftovers for him.

 

I also keep his desk drawer stocked with easy-to-grab snacks like microwave popcorn, peanuts and instant oatmeal.

 

Several years ago, he took lunch almost every day, and I packed for him then, too.

[Cricket]

I pack it, and view it as an opportunity to bless him. My dh really, really, really, really, really dislikes having to figure out what to eat, so he really appreciates that I do this for him.

 

This is my dh. When he worked in construction, I always packed his lunch. Fruit for a morning snack and usually soup in a thermos plus other things. Construction is hard work and he needed lots of food. He was so thankful and would tell me how the other guys on the job would comment on how good his lunches looked. Most of the other guys would have their wives or girlfriends make their lunches but usually at least one guy would have a sandwich made of cardboard or something because the wife was mad at him. How sad is that.

[ocelotmom]

I'm the one who works outside the home... so answering in the spirit of the question...

 

I make my own breakfast and lunch. This is usually leftovers, not a time-intensive process.

 

Once in a while there are no appropriate leftovers, in which case DH will bring me something later (we don't live far from work, and he frequently brings the baby to nurse mid-day anyways).

 

When DH was the one working, he generally did the same, or ate out (we ate out more back then).

Edited March 20, 2012 by ocelotmom

[brett_ashley]

I'm endeavoring to raise my boys to be the kind of husband that remembers to thank his wife for something small like packing his lunch. :001_smile:

 

While you're at it, go ahead and teach them to make their own lunches! Our daughters thank you! :)

[gardening momma]

If dh takes lunch to work, he usually takes a Hungry Man dinner. So he grabs it out of the freezer himself and puts it in his insulated bag. Occasionally when we have leftovers from supper, if it's something that'll work well for taking to work, I'll ask him if he wants to take it to work. If he says yes, I'll put it in a rubbermaid container and put it in the fridge. It's his job to get it out in the morning and put it in his insulated bag, as he leaves before I'm up in the morning.

[JFSinIL]

Here, a teen or grown adult is perfectly capable of making their own b'fast and lunch. My Dad always made his, too. I make sure there is food on hand - granola, Cheerios, fruit, eggs, bread, etc. since I have the time and do the shopping.

[eternalknot]

My husband packs his own lunch, or eats out. Lunch has always been his opportunity to eat/make/enjoy all of his favorites, which for a variety of reasons aren't acceptable options for eating at home. We come from different cultures with different foods, and also I'm a lifelong veg*n but he grew up slaughtering his own food. Our home is meat-free, including take-out.

 

He'd appreciate it if I did make his lunch, but he appreciates it more that I don't :D LOL.

[Ohdanigirl]

He'd appreciate it if I did make his lunch, but he appreciates it more that I don't :D LOL.

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[EmilyinND]

My husband packs his own lunch. He knows what he wants. If I brought my lunch everyday I would prefer to pack my own because, well, who knows what I would get!:lol: Growing up, though, my mom packed my dad's lunch as well as mine (& my brother's). I know that my mil packed my fil's lunch as well as her kids'.

[mo2]

Always me. He never wakes up early enough to pack his own lunch. He's one of those running-out-the-door-at-the-last-possible-moment people. :)

[Tarreymere]

My husband has odd food fetishes that come and go. He prefers to pack his own so that he can have whatever it is that he feels like having that day. Often even he doesn't know what he wants until he starts looking around in the kitchen. I would certainly be happy to pack for him if he wanted.

[AdventureMoms]

I answered that "he does" though my DW really usually only has to grap a leftovers container. I stick the leftovers in a container when I'm cleaning up. If I don't she figures something out.

[Aelwydd]

While you're at it, go ahead and teach them to make their own lunches! Our daughters thank you! :)

 

 

Ah, yes. :lol:

[tntgoodwin]

Hmmm...

 

I bring a lunch to work most days. My wife prepares it most nights before bed. Sometimes she doesn't for whatever reason, and then I prepare it in the morning before I go.

 

I don't know how to vote in your poll.

[Aelwydd]

My dh is a SAHD right now, and head teacher/ bossman to ds. :)

 

He's a talented cook, and I'm the lucky gal who benefits. He packs my lunch for me almost every day. Also, he makes a fantastic latte using a French press.

 

He has ruined me for Starbucks and most other coffee shops! I love my dh. :)

[catz]

He packs his lunch. He leaves pretty early in the morning and I'm not firing on all cylinders that early.

 

:iagree: He often packages up left overs I've made if that counts for anything. :D

[mlktwins]

DH is out the door at 6 am during the week, so I don't make him breakfast. I do get up and make his lunch, see him out the door with a kiss, and go back to bed :-). He has, on very few occasions, put everything into his lunch bag in the morning if I have it all together the night before -- LOL. He is very bad about getting out to pick up lunch if I don't make one for him.

 

I do it out of love and like knowing he is eating throughout the day.

[duckabell]

My husband works from home now, but I used to pack his lunch because he would be so busy in the morning he would forget and then spend money eating out, which was okay every now and then but not every day. He now makes his own lunches at home and I think he likes it better because judging by the way he makes sandwiches, I skimp way too much on the peanut butter and jelly.

[LMD]

I pack lunch for my DH everyday. He hates going to that place but does it for us, to allow me to stay home and homeschool our children - something he feels equally strongly about. It's the least I can do! (not to say I don't resent it sometimes in my weaker moments, but today I adore him! ;) )

[Element]

It just depends on the day. Dh usually packs his own lunch, just because he has plenty of time to do so and knows what he wants to eat. If he has an early morning or something out of the ordinary causes him to be rushed, I don't mind doing it. Dh doesn't expect me to do it for him, I just know that if I don't, he won't eat (or he'll eat something :ack2: like a fast-food burger.)

[Thea]

Dh packs his lunch. I don't know what he wants to eat every day-- AND, he's not always in the office--sometimes he is out in the field without access to a microwave or fridge.

[BoZeeCo's Mom]

I do! I actually like doing it - especially when it's leftovers! It's the only way I can get him to eat left overs.

[Dandelion]

DH takes lunch to work every day, and he packs it himself. I do always make sure there are leftovers available for him to take to work though (and if there aren't, I'll fix something extra just for his lunch the next day).

[Joyofsixreboot]

The rule of the house for anyone. "He who eats it makes it."

[LucyStoner]

I usually pack his lunches and any other lunches (until recently I was a WOHM). I cook dinner most nights too. He gets up with the kids so I can sleep or exercise and makes all of us breakfast most of the time and keeps the kitchen super clean. We are lucky to have each other.

Edited March 21, 2012 by kijipt

[Mimmy]

I pack his lunch. If I don't he goes to taco bell ;)

[Dustybug]

I pack DH's lunch 99% of the time. Every once in a great while, he will pack his own. Generally he takes leftovers from the previous night's dinner, so I will go ahead and pack his lunch when I dish out our dinner plates (yes, I typically make everyone's meal plates too :D).

[trailofsparks]

Depends on the day.

 

If it's leftovers, I pack it the night before since I clean off the table while he does the dishes.

 

If it's not leftovers, he packs it himself in the morning before he leaves.

 

:iagree: this is exactly how it works here :D

[PollyOR]

DH pays 13yo to make his lunch. :)