How to Make School Lunch without Losing Your Mind

Now that school has been in session a few months, the newness of packing lunches has worn off, and the (potential) drudgery has set in.

I would love to be a school lunch wizard like local blogger Wendolonia, who photographs he two sons' lunches each day. She does crazy-amazing things with bento boxes, alphabet punches, and edible markers.

Instead, I'm just trying to make my mornings run more smoothly, and try to remember who needs to ear a PE shirt, and who has art today (which means clothes that can get really messy). So, in my juggling act with 4 kids, I aim to make lunches for the week ahead of time on Sunday, and put them in the fridge all ready to go for the week.

I use these super simple containers for the lunches, with occasional silicon cupcake molds for dividing the main compartment, and plastic ball jars (see my post here) for snacks.

My go-to lunches?

• PB&J sandwiches
• Apples with peanut butter
• Smoked Salmon roll-ups in a whole wheat tortilla (for one kid)
• Leftover pancakes with pb&j
• waffles with cream cheese and strawberries
• apple "sandwiches" with peanut butter and raisins
• carrots and hummus
• mini-pita pizzas
• overnight oatmeal
• homemade granola
• trail mix (we make our own)

I also adore baking, so we usually make one or two batches of muffins (or really anything that is cooked in a muffin pan) for weekly snacks. Some recipes are totally made up, some are from 100 Days of Real Food (either the blog or the book), or from my favorite cookbooks.

• Chocolate avocado banana muffins (made up with help from the 3 year old)
• Gluten Free Apple Spice Muffins
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
• Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• Banana Raisin Muffins
• Oatmeal chocolate chip muffins (or cookies)

Tips:

• Adding some cocoa powder or chocolate chips to *anything* makes it more appealing
• vary the size, mini muffins or regular size
• try to keep fruit and veggies small and cut up so kids can eat them easier
• let your kids help you decide which items will be for lunch this week
• almost any baked good can be frozen, then defrosted overnight in the fridge
• mini-pizzas can be frozen (after baking), and defrost in the fridge. My kids will eat them cold!
• vary the fruits each week (or every day)

I've written about a week of kindergarten lunches, what I learned after 1 year of lunch packing, how to pack a zero waste lunch, and you can also check out what I packed the first week of school in first grade. So clearly, this is something I've spent  lot of time thinking about!

Jessica

Products that make lunch-packing easier. As always, these affiliate links are only for products that I've already purchased and loved!

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Shoe Storage

Because, who are we kidding, by the end of a pregnancy, my feet only fit into 1 pair of flats or flip flops!

While sitting around waiting for baby, I decided to address my shoe storage needs with these mesh storage boxes from Ikea. I think they were $7 for 3 or something equally ridiculous and inexpensive. So now one corner of my closet is more neat and organized. 

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Let's Bring Back Stationery

And nice letterpress cards,

but without the hassle.

Which is where Nicely Noted (who has no idea I'm writing this) comes in. Every month they send me 3 beautiful cards along with postage, so I can send thank-you notes, birthday wishes, and friendship messages in style.

Maybe a last-minute gift? Or a gift for yourself?

Let's bring back stationery, shall we?

Jessica

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One Tip per Room: Quick and Easy Ways to Organize Your Home

Having just done a massive closet clean-out, this guest post seemed particularly timely. Plus, just for fun I'll show you my hidden trash can with a link to my third ever post on this blog. I know, look how far we've come!

Plus, I'm just in the beginning of the Jewish holiday season, so after hosting 10 adults to a plated (which means fancy) meal on Wednesday night, attending lunches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, oh, and hosting more people Friday night, I *might* be a tad burned out:) 

One Tip per Room: Quick and Easy Ways to Organize Your Home

Organizing your entire home can be a daunting task. And in households with children, messes and clutter can accumulate with in the blink of an eye. To make the clutter more manageable, try to break down your tasks room by room and focus on one task at a time. Focus on the rooms that are used more frequently, where clutter and mess are inevitable. Start and complete one task before you move onto the next.

Here are a few homeorganization ideas, tips and tricks to keep the clutter away. With one tip per room, it will make the organization process seem a little less daunting.

In the Kitchen

·       Pantries can become messy and unorganized rather quickly. Utilize plastic food storage containers to avoid the mess. Store homemade goods in slider bags and half used boxes of pasta in plastic containers. It’s a simple way to stack food items and you will be able to easily see what is in each container.  

In the Garage

·       Our garages often become a place for clutter, junk and disorganization. One way to feel more organized in the garage is to open up floor space. Utilize wall hooks and mounts to hang gardening tools, helmets, un-used hoses and even bikes on the wall. This will create the illusion that there is more space within your garage.

In Your Closet

·       Purses, hats, scarves and belts can add unnecessary clutter to your closet floor and shelves. Hanging shower curtain hooks in your closet is a cheap and simple solution for this. Do your closets have a door? Over-the-door coat racks can also be used to store handbags, towels, scarves and more!

In the Living Room

·       Extra blankets and pillows sitting around the living room add un-needed clutter to the space. Utilize decorative storage bins to store blankets and pillows while they aren’t being used. Look for furniture that serves a dual purpose. Wicker baskets make for cheap storage options while adding a little bit of decorative flair and sturdy storage furniture can be used as extra seating!

In the Kids Rooms

·       Take advantage of under-bed and under-couch storage. Buy long, thin storagebins and place them underneath any bed or couch that’s high enough off the ground.  You’ll create lots of storage space but keep everything out of sight. This is a great way to store kids clothing that is out of season!

Home organization can be a daunting task. Break down your organization tasks room by room and it becomes a little easier. How do you tackle home organization? Leave your own tips below!

Author Bio: These tips were provided by Katie F. on behalf of Hefty®. For other simple tips and cleaning products like trash bags, visit www.hefty.com.

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Easy Gift Wrapping Strategies

It's possible that this is the easiest gift wrapping strategy ever.

You know, other than putting it in a bag, which I also use (especially for my pre-made art supply birthday bags from last year).





This year, my kindergartener had a triple birthday party, so each boy received a variation on a theme. A puzzle. A nice puzzle. In a tin, so it felt like it had some heft to it:)

I simply wrapped each up in brown craft paper. The same brown craft paper I used to cover my table with for an art-doodling dinner party.




Then I closed them up with washi tape and stickers from Trader Joe's. Use what you got, people.






I then "fancied them up", with some stamps, which I picked up at Target. I love stamping To and From on the gift paper, no need to make a card!





All done!

Jessica

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Hiding my "monthly supplies"

Just warning you, this is a post about how to contain those "monthly" supplies, not sure you (DAD), really need to keep on reading.

Just saying...

 sanitary supplies runneth over...

This "before" is not pretty. It's like a walk down the sanitary products aisle at your local drugstore.

Needless to say, my husband was not so happy to see this on the back of our toilet tank once a month:)

Enter, a lovely box from West Elm (not available anymore, but similar to these).

Everything is neatly corraled, including the tampons and pads,

a place for everything, everything in it's place, and *hidden* from view!

Problem solved!

Jessica

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How to Save 10 Hours a Week

Here is my big secret for how to save yourself 10 hours each week.

We all know I love to save time. I double sheet the cribs to avoid changing sheets in the middle of the night, pre-make birthday gifts, and keep my kids in bed until it's time to wake up. Most of that is so that I can sleep, read trashy romance novels that I then stash on our mantle, and so I can spend time with my husband.

So here is how I can carve out a little "me" time to be a better parent as well.


Amazon Prime.

What? That's not what you thought it was? Well, let me assure you, that for me, I save not only 10 hours a week, but probably $200 as well.


Here is how my typical week plays out.

Sunday: Meal Plan. Receive giant package of toilet paper that I subscribe to on Amazon, it just shows up monthly, so I never run out. Brilliant! Save 1 hour of drive and shopping time.

Monday morning: Grocery Shop.

Monday afternoon: My 5 year old has outgrown her PE shoes, and needs new ones. For this week. Order a new pair of Sauconys in the next size up. They will be delivered Wednesday. Save 3 hours in driving time and shopping time at Nordstrom, my favorite shoe store, and $100 by not getting makeup for me.

Monday night: realize I forgot something (olive oil). Order from Amazon. Save 45 minutes trip to grocery store, plus $20 dollars and hundreds of calories by not buying chocolate covered raisins while there alone at night:)

Tuesday: Cook, mommy, drive kids to and from school.

Tuesday afternoon: My 5 year old needs 100 "somethings" by Friday for the 100th day of school. She wants paper clips but after looking all around discover we only have 48 in the house. Order from Amazon. Save 1 hour trip to Office Supply Store, plus $100 if I had sent my husband and he bought the latest gadget or gizmo while he was there.

Wednesday: gym, cook, mommy, drive...

Thursday: Wake up to discover we have half a pack of diapers left, not enough to get us through the weekend. Order from Amazon. Save 1-2 hour trip to Babies R Us, countless minutes of whining when my kids see toys they like, and $50 in un-bought toys.

While online remember birthday party on Sunday. Order a book and paints (see my favorite birthday gifts for kids here) from Amazon. Save 1.5 hour trip to Target and $100 I would have spent on other adorable things Target carries.

Friday: relax and enjoy the weekend! Save 3 hours and avoid random "errands" on Sunday that I know I can do with Amazon.


Total time saved: 11.25 hours

Total Dollars saved: $370


Amazon Prime, lets me order almost anything off their site, with free 2 day delivery. Returns are super easy if you make a mistake or something doesn't fit, they will even schedule a pickup form your house. Can you see my plan to never, ever leave the house? Of course the kids and school don't really play a part in this plan, but when I was nursing the baby for hour son end, I could still do all the shopping with Amazon, so smart.

Jessica

Thanks for stopping by! 

Please feel free to follow me with all those nifty buttons in the sidebar:)

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I link to these awesome parties:

Monday: DIY Showoff,  Thrifty Decor Chick, Home Stories A to Z  Tuesday: Nest for Less,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Centsational Girl Wednesday: Savvy Southern Style Thursday: House of Hepworths, the 36th Avenue,  Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Friday:  Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello

This post contains affiliate links for products and services that I use and love!

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How to Pack for a Trip with Kids

This winter we are trying really, really hard to achieve my personal goals of 2013, which include 20 ski days for me (30 for my husband). I've got 12 down, so 8 more days to go and I've achieved it. Hurray! 

Of course, this is only possible if I can pack all 5 of us in an efficient way, and boy oh boy, are ski clothes (really all winter clothes) hard to pack.

Since I've written off air travel this year (although you can see my tips for plane travel with kids here), we are now down to car travel with kids.

These lovely "before" shots show just how unwieldy our previous method of stuff-it-all-into-a-suitcase-and-pray was.

Enter: Amazon (my favorite store of all time) and these awesome eBags Packing Cubes . One for each kid, 2 for each adult, and they make life a million bazillion times easier.

After each trip I just wash the ski clothes, then repack them into their given cubes. Tada! I'm all packed, right now, as we speak, blog, read  sit here for our next trip.

Any amazing other packing tips I should know about?

Jessica

Thanks for stopping by! 

Please feel free to follow me with all those nifty buttons in the sidebar:)

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS Feed

I link to these awesome parties:

Monday: DIY Showoff,  Thrifty Decor Chick, Home Stories A to Z  Tuesday: Nest for Less,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Centsational Girl Wednesday: Savvy Southern Style Thursday: House of Hepworths, the 36th Avenue,  Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Friday:  Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello

This post contains affiliate links to products I own and love!

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Closet Clean Out

As 2012 drew to a close, we went through our usual end-of year things: gifts to charity, deciding if we even want to think about resolutions this year, organizing all our 2012 financial information so we don't have to file an extension come April 15th, cursing whoever invented "vacations" and wondering when school would start again...

We also went through our master closet and got rid of 5 bags worth of clothes that we never wear.

I save all the kid clothes in space bags labeled by size for future use, so it was just the grown up clothes that needed a quick vetting.

Don't forget to make a lis tof the clothes you are giving away and get a receipt for your taxes! I just jot it all down in a notebook so I have it for future reference.

Hopefully, this is the first step in organzing in 2013. Doesn't it seem like we were *just* organizing last winter?

Jessica

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Groceries in a Wagon

Just in case you have a hard time juggling your groceries with say, that crawling baby in the background...

I use an awesome meant-for-the-garden Gorilla cart, to get my groceries out of the car, up the elevator (I know how lucky I am to have one of those!) and into the kitchen.

Back in the day, when we lived in the tiny 2-bedroom bungalow where our son slept in a closet, we used this for trips to the farmer's market. Now, we've gone all pseudo-suburban, so it's up and down inside our house now:)

Jessica

Thanks for stopping by! I love to keep in touch. 

    

I link to these awesome parties:

Monday: DIY Showoff,  Thrifty Decor Chick, Home Stories A to Z  Tuesday: Nest for Less,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Centsational Girl Wednesday: Savvy Southern Style Thursday: House of Hepworths, the 36th Avenue,  Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Friday:  Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello

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An Organizing Habit- Success and a Giveaway

I do not have the organizing habit. I might have the organizing gene, which means I do like to organize, but I'm leanring that there are a few key "hot spots" where I'm just not cutting it day-to-day. Enter the kitchen counter.

It's not as bad as it was when I was organizing our pantry, when everything under the sun was on it, but the pile has gotten bigger and bigger.

When I was approached by Chloe Wilson of GetSetOrganize.com to review her new book The Staying Organized Survival Guide: Organize Your Home and Get Rid of Clutter, I knew it was just right for me.

I'm not going to give everything away, but it does have something to do with this:

and actually taking action. Here I am at 4 minutes in...





How did all of this random debris accumulate here? And is that a charger, no 2 chargers, for a computer that doesn't even turn on? Oy vey!




At 13 seconds left,




I was here. A million times better.

I can tell you that reading this book made me actually *do* something about this counter situation, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to carve out time to make organizing a habit by the time I'm done reading it (which should be later today, if all kids stay healthy and in school).

3 Lucky readers will win their own digital copies of the book, which is available on Amazon for your Kindle, iPad, or you can just read it on your computer. Believe me, getting the copy is the least of it (it's super simple), actually standing up, off the chair, off the couch! That's the hard part.

All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me which hot spot you would tackle first. Your kitchen counter? Bathroom drawer, junk drawer, kid's landing area?

Random.org will pick winners in a few days.

***This Giveaway is now over. The winners are commenters 4, 22 and 21. I'm emailing them now***

This is a part of my 31 Days of Free Fun series, click on the image below to get to the entire list of free activities!

Jessica

Thanks for stopping by! I love to keep in touch. 

    

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