One of my favorite things to do as a parent is to make the kids a hot breakfast. The joy it brings far outweighs the effort it takes to make. Right now, the go-to is:
- 1 Everything bagel
- 1 Farm fresh egg
- 1 Piece of ham
- 1 Piece of cheddar cheese
Number 3 likes it with strawberry jelly (my favorite), and Number 4 likes it with cream cheese. When I make their breakfast, it reminds me of my Mom. Mom worked the afternoon shift, 2:00 to 10:30, and usually got home at about 10:35/10:40. Even though we didn’t always see her before bed, every morning, she was up and there to send us off to school. A hot breakfast wasn’t always on the menu either, just Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (we definitely had a routine), but it was her presence. Showing up for your kids has an impact that will last forever. Mom turns 90 this year. I can’t wait to get back home. I should probably give her a call later today.
As a reminder, Lunch Box Quotes are notes I include in the kids’ lunches every day. Number 1 gets a text, but 2-4 get handwritten napkins.
Visual credits to: Featured image @EchoesofWarYT – Quotes: @MericaCulture @realAtlasPress @sfliberty @newstart_2024
Quotes:
1. “America did not exist. Four centuries of work, bloodshed, loneliness, and fear created this land. We built America, and the process made us Americans.” – John Steinbeck
2. “A civilization is not destroyed by wicked men; it is destroyed by weak men who cannot defend what is good.” – G. K. Chesterton
3. “You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.” – Ayn Rand
4. “What makes life mean something is purpose, a goal, the battle, the struggle—even if you don’t win it.” – Richard Nixon
Sources:
“America did not exist. Four centuries of work, bloodshed, loneliness, and fear created this land. We built America and the process made us Americans”
-John Steinbeck https://t.co/KTDOyDQYAK pic.twitter.com/hwIZrAoGc7
— 🇺🇸 The American Culturist 🇺🇸 (@MericaCulture) February 9, 2026
“A civilization is not destroyed by wicked men; it is destroyed by weak men who cannot defend what is good.”
—G. K. Chesterton
We will not let this happen. pic.twitter.com/y9uHujCCsk
— Atlas Press (@realAtlasPress) February 9, 2026
“You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.”
— Ayn Rand pic.twitter.com/feTr2eS3JN
— Students For Liberty (@sfliberty) February 9, 2026
Richard Nixon’s brutal truth on happiness that hits harder in 2026:
“The unhappiest people in the world are those in the watering places—south coast of France, Newport, Palm Springs, Palm Beach—parties every night, golf every afternoon, bridge, too much drinking, too much… pic.twitter.com/5Wprj0tIsc
— Camus (@newstart_2024) February 9, 2026
1938 poster promoting Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world pic.twitter.com/qyipzoYOew
— Echoes of War (@EchoesofWarYT) February 8, 2026