7 Back-to-School Lunch Tips

Don't look now, but school's here! Are you ready for one of the biggest challenges for Moms of school-age kids - preparing school lunches day after day?

There's hope and help for you yet. Here are 7 back-to-school lunch tips. Hey, I can't come over and make your kids' lunches for you, but these tips will surely make it much easier:

1. Make dinner do double-duty

You're already in the kitchen preparing your family's dinner, why not use that time to get a head-start on the next day's brown bag lunches?

Make a double batch of meals that taste just as good "the morning after," you know, like fried chicken. Or cook dishes that can be transformed into something "new", such as pasta sauce that's just as yummy as pizza topping (on ready-made crust of course).

To make meal planning easier, take a look at Dine Without Whine. It's a monthly service for planning your family's meals and grocery shopping.

2. Include lunches when meal planning

To do tip #1, you need to be more organized. This means including  your kids' lunches when planning your family dinners.

3. Let the kids participate

Lighten your load and teach your children some important life skills at the same time. Even small children can help  prepare their lunches.

If morning is too stressful, then make this an after-dinner activity - which brings us to...

4. Make advance preparations

Do whatever you can do ahead of time. For example, cook in batches on the weekend, or put leftovers in packable containers the night before.

5. DIY fast food

Commercial packed lunches are attractive but unhealthy. But who says you can't make your own? Buy your own colorful and attractive lunch boxes, such as a bento-style lunchbox.

Fill it up with a variety of healthy food. Think of mixing up foods with different textures and colors. And cut them up into small pieces so they're easy and fast to eat.

6. Soup it Up

Soup makes a quick and healthy lunch. You can cook a large pot in the weekend and pack it in a thermos for a warm and satisfying lunch. Serve with whole wheat bread and some fresh fruit and you've got a complete meal!

7. Sprinkle in some fun

Sneak a little surprise into your child's lunchbox once in a while. It could be a little chocolate treat, stickers, or a sweet note from you. Getting something unexpected makes lunch fun.

With planning and creativity, your children can have healthy, delicious lunches without too much work for you.

For meal planning help, go to Dine Without Whine. It makes meal planning a breeze, while helping you save time and money.

Then you'll have time and energy for those school lunches.

Mom Review: Castle Bounce House

I am writing this while listening to my children hop, jump and squeal.  It's a little distracting...but I can't complain.

I recently purchased a Castle Inflatable Bounce House w/ Slide (12' x 9') from Amazon.com and thought I would share my thoughts with you about this product.

We used it for the first time during our Father's Day BBQ.  My kids (5 & 6 and my *almost* seven year old nephew) played in it for at least an hour.  I used it again at my daughter's birthday party one week later.  All of the children (ages 3-7) had a great time.  The only downfall...they had to take turns because it is only large enough to hold 3-4 children at a time safely.

While I was afraid I would only use the bounce house for big events - my children have been using it at least twice per week.  On rainy days - we bring it indoors and on warmer days they pull it under the shade trees.

Set up for the bounce house is simple. In fact, my 6 year old daughter is able to drag it out of our backyard shed, plug it in and start it up.  It is also fairly light and easy to maneuver.  Just the other day I set it up in our basement when I wanted the kids to get some rainy-day exercise.

What I love most about this particular bounce house is that my children also use it as a playhouse.  They've draped blankets over the top to turn it into a "movie theater" and have loaded it full of stuffed animals to create an "animal hospital".

Overall, I am thrilled with this purchase.  I bought it for $249 at Amazon.com and have since seen lower prices on the internet.  It has been well worth the cost during the summer months and I expect that during the cold winter months it will be a great addition to the basement play area!

Warning: Vinyl Car Stickers May be a Safety Hazard for Families

Have you seen those cute little vinyl car window stickers that usually feature a silly depiction of each family member...and sometimes a name below?  IE: The Andersons...or individual names for family members.

According to a Fox News report, a law enforcement official says that these decals offer too much information about your family to someone who may potentially harm your children.

For example, a child predator could approach your child using their first name (that they saw on the vehicle) leaving the child to trust him / her more.

I am looking for a link to share to the actual report, but thought it was worth mentioning since these stickers are growing in popularity.

Do You Suffer from SAHGS? (Stay at Home Mom Guilt Syndrome)

Do You Suffer from SAHGS? (Stay at Home Mom Guilt Syndrome)
There is a disorder for everything today. Here's one you may suffer from without even knowing it - S.A.H.G.S. (Stay at Home Mom Guilt Syndrome).
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Just What I Needed Today…A Free Household Management Chart

Today was one of those days that seem to be happening all too often lately.  I spend the day frantically running around...cleaning, errands, laundry, more cleaning...more laundry...etc...  only to end the day thinking I got absolutely nothing accomplished.

While surfing the web tonight...I found this site, "Mommyclub.ca" that offers free printable checklists (including my personal favorite which offers a checklist of things to do around the house).

I don't know about you...but sometimes I just like to be told what to do..and when to do it. =)

12 Awesome Tips: How To Be A Great Mom

Obviously, a great mom loves her kids, takes care of their basic physical and emotional needs, and spends quality time with them. But what are the subtler, less obvious ways to become a great mom?

read more | digg story

Simple Child Journaling & Letter Writing Tool

What a great night.   I am in the middle of creating a digital album for my daughter who turned five last week.  The "drag & dropping" of photographs is going fine...but the journaling part - not so much.

So...I threw in the towel for the evening and started "stumbling" (a great firefox tool that lets you click through random websites in topics that you are interested in). 

And..."wa-la" I found this.   A simple "fill in the blank" tool to help you create a treasured journal for your child. 

Here is a highlight...

Dear _____________,
You are now _____ years old. This has been a year of __________________.
Over the past few months you have learned to __________________.
You spend much of your time doing __________. We have lots of fun together, but the thing I like to do with you most is _______.
Your favorite thing to eat is ___________ and you love to play with ____________.
You say and do some of the sweetest and silliest things, such as ________________________________.

My writers block has been cured...back to scrapping!  =)  

 

Loving This! Safety Tats – Adorable Identification Tattoos for your Child

I literally found this website a few hours after scraping a Fourth of July flag tattoo off of my daughter's arm.  The darn thing stayed on for three days!

Now, I am having one of those...slap the forehead - why didn't I think of that?  - moments.  (I think I have a permanent forehead bruised from all of the brilliant things *other* moms have thought of).

Anyway - this one is one of the brilliant-ist by far.   =)

I used to be a social worker and spent much of my summer retrieving young children who wandered from home or who got lost at a park or carnival.

It never failed...even the children who probably rehearsed their name and phone numbers with a parent over...and over...got cases of stage fright.

What's your name?  "um - I don't know".

What's your mommy's name?  "um - mommy".

Where do you live?  "In a blue house".

We always found the rightful owners to the wayward children...however, it is nice not to spare a moment (or a trip to the police station) while looking for a parent.

I am buying a few "tats" as we speak.  They are stinkin' cute, plus - they last over a week.  (If they are anything like the flag tattoo - they'd probably last until the child hits jr. high).

Check it out!

Fresh, Modern & Fun – Skinny Mini Playdate, Business or Mommy Calling Cards

I spent Memorial Day hanging out with adults. Yes - *just* adults. It was wonderful. We ate a little, drank a little...and of course, we talked about our kids. =)

I was especially excited to meet a fellow artist....I am a graphic designer - and she paints.  "Ooohhh you are a *real* artist, I squealed...teach me!"

So - we exchanged numbers. She gave me a beautiful business card complete with her website, contact information and a lovely painting on the front whereas I scrambled to find a piece of napkin that wasn't soaked in BBQ sauce to write my number on.

As a result of my embarrassing first playdate impression...I decided to create my own "mommy card" if you will.

These are small enough to fit in your pocket (about the size of a lipstick)...and large enough to add all of the pertinent information. The come with a cute little dispenser too. I am going to use the first one...but I thought I'd create a few others just for fun. These have a fun backside too....

Enjoy!

Glubble.com – Safe and Fun Website Browsing for Kids

I am not sure if this is a good thing or not, but my kiddos like the computer as much as I do.  My four year old daughter loves online drawing sites and coloring pages and my son is a big fan of "Handy Manny".

While I love to let them play educational and creative games on the internet, I am always afraid that they will run into a site that I don't want them to see.  Not to mention all of the annoying little pop-up ads that seem to be strategically placed for accidental clicks.

I found this site Glubble.com a few months ago and was reminded of it the other day when my son was having a hard time navigating between two sites he loves to play on.   It is a Firefox add-on (meaning you can only use it if you also use the Firefox browser...which I also highly recommend).  Once you install it you create "tabs" for each of your children and small icons called "glubbles" with many of the most popular children's educational and game websites.

What I love most about the site is that it keeps my children from exploring elsewhere on the internet because everything else is password protected by the parent. 

You can also customize the homepage for each of your children.  I filled my daughter's site with Polly Pockets, Girl Scouts  and American Girl type sites while my son gets Bob the Builder and Lego games.  You can also choose age-appropriate sites.

I almost purchased the Fisher Price Easy Link Launchpad for my kids but I wasn't anxious to have yet another toy piled on top of my laptop, desktop, printer, and drawing software.  This has been a much better option for so many reasons.  (Did I mention that it is free too)?

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