Category — kids

When you combine the cost of school hot lunches with the sheer lack of nutrition parents are looking for a better way to feed their children. Enter the lunchbox! When you pack a healthy, nutritious lunch for your kids, you know that they are getting the good stuff that they need – and you can save some money! For our 2 girls it would cost $100 per month to pay for the school-provided lunch of pizza, hot dogs or chicken nuggets. Why pay for junk food when you can send them to school with something healthy for less?

To this end I have been looking for a good lunchbox that would cut down on the about of waste that a typical cold lunch can create – ziploc baggies to keep everything seperate, aluminum foil, wax paper or plastic wrappers for the foods inside, etc. Did you know that it has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year? That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school!

In my searching for a solution I recently discovered a new kind of lunchbox for my girls – one that cuts down on the amount of waste each day.

They are called the Laptop Lunchbox, and they are available online, or in many health food & eco-concious stores around the country.

What is a laptop lunchbox you ask? A very nice way to pack a lunch for your child – or your self!

Each laptop lunchbox comes with 5 containers inside – 2 with lids. They all fit together perfectly into the case, and they make you think about the lunch that you are preparing for your kids.

There are 2 large containers – one with a lid. They fit a sandwich cut in half very nicely, and I usually put some applesauce & granola in the one with a lid. There are also 2 smaller containers that are perfect for trail mix, carrot sticks, mandarine orange wedges, etc, and a mini container with a lid that is perfect for your child’s favorite dip. And they come with a fork & spoon.

All of the pieces go into the dishwasher – yay! – and clean up very easily.

My girls use these every day – I just wash out the containers in the sink & dry them to be ready to use the next day.

Things I love about the Laptop Lunchbox:
- multiple containers make me think about how to fill them with healthy food
- a dip container that holds just enough, but not too much
- a specific place for everything
- fun color combinations
- the recipe/lunch ideas book that comes with it

Things I think can be improved:
- I wish one of the small containers had a lid – they are the perfect size for yogurt or applesauce
- it took the girls a bit to figure out how to open them, but once they figured out “their way” it hasn’t been a problem
- if the cutlery section was a tiny bit bigger you could fit a cloth napkin in too

I have gotten each of the girls a small tote bag that their laptop lunchbox fits down inside – along with their water bottle or juice and an ice pack to keep the contents cold. They slip these into their backpacks and they have an easy way to carry their lunch over to the lunchroom.

Because everything has a specific place inside, it is obvious if something is missing. They have been using their lunchboxes for almost a month now, and we haven’t lost a single piece – pretty good for a kindergardener and a first grader!

If you are looking for a lunch time solution, I urge you to take a look at the Laptop Lunchbox. They have 4 different color combinations to appeal to a variety of tastes, and your kids will have fun putting their lunchbox puzzle back together after they have eaten a healthy, nutirtious lunch!

To order your sets, please visit LaptopLunches.com

Autumn is my favorite time of year… the air is crisp, the leaves are changing, the nights are cooling off. What better time is there to get out and enjoy God’s creation! Here are a few of our family’s favorite Autumn Activities…

1. Take a Hike
No, I really mean it! Pick a Saturday & head to the hills, desert, beach, whatever is accessible to you and your family. The leaves are changing colors, the animals are storing up for the cold Winter months, bushes & trees that normally hide behind everything else are starting to come out of hiding. Be sure to dress in layers and take along both water and something warm to drink – apple cider or cocoa work great. To make it more interesting, pick out 1 or 2 leaves or animals to look for & see how many your family can find!

2. Rake those Leaves
…and then jump into the pile! This is one of my favorite childhood fall-time activities. My cousin & I used to create boats, mountains, horses… you name it, we built it out of leaves & then destroyed it by jumping into the middle! I introduced our girls to this activity a couple of years ago… now they look forward to it whenever we go to the park!

3. Make a changing leaf garland
Gather some leaves in different colors and string them on some fishing line or ribbon for a beautiful & inexpensive Autumn decoration! It also works well for teaching younger kids about how and why the leaves change color and fall off of the trees.

4. Go to a farm
The crowds have most likely gotten smaller, and the produce is getting ready for harvest. One of our favorite traditions is to go pumpkin picking. The fields of bright orange pumpkins are beautiful to look at, and the girls love the chance to actually “pick” their pumpkin! If there are animals there, let the kids have a chance to pet them or just watch them. Most farms that are open to the public offer ways for kids to take part in feeding or care of the animals too.

5. Attend a Festival
Depending on where you live, the produce will differ. Before kids, my hubby & I went to the Cedaredge Apple Fest every year… yummy apple treats, farmer’s market, and best of all, apples! Now the apples are on the other side of the mountains, so we find other fun festivals to attend. Kids love the excitement, and you get a chance for a change of scenery… and usually some very tasty treats!

These are just a few of our favorite family traditions. I hope they helped get your creative juices flowing to create a few more fun traditions for yours!

Happy Autumn!

Well, having spent Monday at the hospital with me eldest, I am glad to report that she was only recommended to take 1 medication – daily. I think the Dr. got the general impression that she would NOT be going back on some of the useless/dangerous meds that she had been put on – and made her sick.

Then today I was emailed the following cartoon – and I just had to share! (just click on it to read)

www.artmargin.com © Emma Holister 2005

There are lots of other great ones that seem so fitting – and quite true…

If you want to take a look, head over to http://www.artmargin.com/doctoringcolversion.htm

All in all I have to say that I am generally very pleased with our Dr – I ust be if I’m willing to drive 35 miles each way when there are others just around the corner. She is very good about looking at alternatives to “drugs” and using diet to help solve issues.

So now we just wait to see if allergies are the cause of all of this coughing after all… meaning that the nasty steriods were pointless (as formerly suspected..)

This is so spot on in so many ways… I simply HAD to share it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

Head over and take a look…

and if you don’t get it, you don’t have kids in school, teenagers, OR you just have perfect children!

I recieved this from my beutiful Sister-in-law today… and it was too cute not to share with everyone!

Prettiest Moms on my Friends list! Once you have been hit, you have to hit 15 pretty Moms. If you get hit again, You will know you are REALLY pretty!

So hit 15 pretty moms on your friends list to let them know they are pretty

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom – I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put them down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom – I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom – I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Send this to someone who you think is a special Mom. I just did!

While some places may still be feeling the heat, it seems that fall is officially taken up residence in the Pacific Northwest – FINALLY!

This was the frosty dandelion that greeted me last week when I returned from taking the girls to school – the delicate seeds were clumped with little ice crystals – it was so beautiful (I know, the pic doesn’t do it justice).

Then there were the apples by the bushel – granny smith, gala, honey crisp, you name them, they are finally HERE. When one can get Honey Crisp apples for 74 CENTS a pound, you buy the box… and make applesauce of course!

Pumpkins will be about soon too… time for pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake roll, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup… hey, I warned you that this blog would have food in it!

We will be making banana bread today too – I promised the little one that we would bake today. Might even get to pumpkin cookies… but that might be too much goodness for one day (I still need to work too!).

We turned the fireplace on this morning too – we have gray skies and a chilly breeze to keep the air cooled down and crisp. The cheering that I received for the fire was a bit frightening – they have been wanting to use it since early May when we moved.

In other news, I officially look like a married woman again! I picked up my newly-shined ring yesterday, and I’m terrified that I’m going to lose it! I had them re-size it when they repaired it (only a 1/2 size up) and it feels so loose! It’s slipping & sliding around my finger & all wibbly-wobbly. but the sparkle! I haven’t seen it sparkle like this for 10 years! Even the little ones are sparkly! I will miss the men in stores being so helpful, but I’m so glad to have it back and be able to wear it!

Kid Update!
I’m still waiting to hear what the Dr’s think is going on with M’s lungs – the inhaler was making her worse (tasting blood can’t be good, right?) so they moved to the next test – she had a CT scan yesterday, so we are waiting for the results on that, then possibly off to the allergist, pulmonary specialist, etc. I just want my baby to be well! Oh well, I guess I need to have patience. I don’t have much patience…

The other one is doing better most of the time. Then her sister says something mean & it’s off to throw a tantrum – which brings about the tummy aches. We are trying the NO DAIRY thing, and the good news is that she loves the chocolate almond milk… the bad news is the cost of milk replacements! This could be a problem for pumpkin cookies too (1 lb. of butter anyone?) I really need to find a replacement for butter!

Any thoughts on foods or ways to treat tummy issues or lung issues are appreciated!

Well, it’s off to the sewing maching for me… I have bags to finish!
oh yeah, and bread to bake…

I have recently joined this group, and I must say that it is a great idea! I found my husband a book that he was getting ready to buy, and we were able to pass on a few well-loved books of our own – the bookshelf downstairs is big, but we still have too many books!

If you love to read – or know someone who does – you should take a look! Go quickly – if you join before October 5th you get 3 free book credits for the 1st 9 books you post – after that you will get 2 cedits for the 1st 10 books.

Each credit allows you to get a free book from another member – you get a credit for each book that you send out.

Check it out!

This is a great resource for those who enjoy reading, but don’t want to pay the high prices that the bookstores often want. Basically, you post books that you have and want to get rid of, and others browse through the available books and order the ones that they want.

For every book that you send out, you get a credit for a book to order. The only cost at this time is to ship the books – and they get the media mail discount. They provide you with the label, you just wrap it around the book & ship it out.

We have posted some books, and one of them was requested the next day. I shipped it out, she received it, and I got a credit applied to my account that I used to order a book for my husband. This is great! It saves money, as he can get books for free to read when he travels instead of buying them at epensive airport bookstores, and I am clearing out our over-filled library one book at a time – and I don’t feel bad for throwing books away.

If you have too many books laying around, or you want to get some new-to-you books, check out PaperBackSwap.com