That’s why this article was of interest to me. In it, they give a grade to popular “sit down” fast food restaurants. (Places like Unos, Chilis, Outback, etc.) Not surprisingly, those places got very poor grades. (Most of them in the “D” range.)

The silver lining of this article came with this fact that places like McDonald’s actually scored fairly well (in the “B” range.) They’ve been trying to create more and more offerings that are actually good for people. It’s funny, those are truly the “fast food” type of places and they are doing a better job than the sit-down restaurants at providing healthy alternatives.

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Is Fast Food Really That Bad?

I’m going somewhat regularly to my small, all-girl gym and – though I’m not a gym-class kind of girl – I’m taking body pump. The other mums there are sort of cliqued together because they have been taking the class with each other for a while. They all have muscles and lean bods to show for it and they probably worry that if they talk to me they might catch the cottagecheesethighs virus. So I’m cool with just being the quiet girl in the corner. I look a fright anyway. I wear the same look-a-fright black shorts and the same husband-shirt and maybe mascara. So the Lulu will be a welcome addition. I love that Lulu names its clothes like “be still pant” and stuff. I hope Penny sent me an ankle-to-wrist-to-neck body suit. I need everything to be still.

It’s not that I’m fat. The best word might be chubby, I guess. I’m not the size 2 I was two decades ago, or the size 4 I was just one decade ago. Even then I was still disproportionate. Bottom heavy, they call it. Just last week a man stopped me at the grocery store and said, “woo” (that was how he introduced himself to me), “you are built like a brick house,” whatever that means. I credit that to a misjudged bra size (confirmed by a recent bra-fitting) and going up a jeans size (for which obviously my entire community gave a huge sigh of relief with me and for me).

I am waiting by the door for the Lulu. When it gets here, I’ll let you know how it looks. Penny tells me she sent the falsie inserts with it and then said she wanted me to send those back, given my new bra-sizing that confirmed I’m not quite as disproportionate as I thought I was. (Yes, I alerted all my girlfriends to that!) The Lulu is supposed to inspire me to burn-baby-fat-burn. So keep your fingers crossed for me. I’ll be hooking up with Penny and four other of my sorority sisters, the rest of whom are scattered about the South, in May for our annual girls trip. So, I can’t disappoint. Once I get my Lulu, the pressure is on.

Post from: Blisstree

Baby fat makes me – and the people who see me – totally Lulu

During the summer when the kids are out of school I find it easy to slip into lazy snacking. When I pack their lunches during the school year I tend to put more thought into it when I shop ahead, but come summer time we just kind of wing it and that’s not always a good thing!

I’ve made these granola bars by Alton Brown many times and they’re a big hit. The girls all love them and even my husband, who’s not really into granola, enjoys a bar here and there.

They’re delicious on their own or crumbled up over homemade ice cream or yogurt!

I like to ease up just a bit on the wheat germ and put in about three tablespoons of ground flax seed. I also like to use dried cranberries and/or raisins.

Homemade Granola Bars

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, about 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, about 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, about 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, about 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, about 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, about 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Homemade Granola Bars

It costs too much to keep eating like this, because of course cost is the trade for the convenience of pre-packaged and often pre-cooked food.

Worse though, is the list of ingredients. Half the time I can’t even pronounce what’s in those boxes. While there really are some good pre-cooked meals (I’m not confident enough to try cooking Indian food, something I’ve recently discovered I love but am not yet overly familiar with and our grocery store makes a great pre-made Butter Chicken with straight-up ingredients and no weird stuff), most of them are not.

I really need and want to get back to cooking better foods for my family. We don’t eat crap all the time, I do make some very tasty and healthy meals. Also it’s only a supper thing, they’re still getting healthy breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. Still, we’ve gone the convenience route a few too many times in the past month or so.

Enter Ordering Disorder. Chris is a mom to seven kids so if anyone is busy it’s her, but she really hates the pre-packaged convenience meals and so she manages to make delicious meals with real food in them without taking up the entire day to stand in her kitchen. (She also writes one of my favorite blogs.)

Some of the meals on my list to try ASAP include the Pasta with Tomato Vodka Sauce, the Black Bean & Beef Burritos, and the Quiche.

How is your family eating lately? Any recipes for quick and easy but healthy meals that kids will actually eat? I am determined to get out of this bad habit!

(Image: Morguefile)

Post from: Blisstree

Web finds – great food resource

[image: sxc]

Round 1 was a blast and we have a lot of great stuff to give away for kids now! With summer break looming we need all the help we can get keeping the kids entertained and safe at the same time. Below you’ll find some fantastic products to help us out!

To Enter:

To enter, simply leave a comment in this entry. That’s it!

Each prize or prize pack (as specified) will have one winner unless otherwise stated, and your one entry will make you eligible to win any below items!

This giveaway will run until midnight PDT Saturday, June 7th, and winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Sunday, June 8th.

One entry per household, please! We actually had one person from the last round who was chosen as a winner until we discovered she’d entered seven times. WE DO CHECK!

Please make sure you leave a valid email address in the email field so I can contact you if you win.

The Prizes:

In no particular order, here’s what you can win!

Prize #1

Exergen TemporalScanner™

The Exergen TemporalScanner is a a battery-operated infrared thermometer that is transforming the way parents take temperature—without resorting to rectal thermometers or waking sleeping infants. The Exergen TemporalScanner gives a temperature reading with accuracy comparable to a rectal thermometer, but is so gentle, even sleeping babies won’t be awakened. An easy, two-second “swipe” across the forehead is the only action needed to measure temperature. With two dozen studies attesting to its accuracy and reliability, almost 30 percent of hospitals and physicians are currently using the Exergen TemporalScanner and recommending it to their patients.

Prize #2

Funky Monkey Snacks

New Funky Monkey Snacks are freeze dried fruit – all natural, with no added sugar, preservatives, colors or flavors. They are gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free. They come in four delicious flavors: Bananamon (banana and cinnamon), Carnaval Mix (banana, pineapple, apple, papaya and raisins), Jivealime (pineapple and lime juice) and Purple Funk (banana and acai berries). (Açai, a berry from the Brazilian rainforest, is considered to be one of nature’s true superfoods and is loaded with antioxidants, amino acids, essential omegas, fibers and protein.)

Prize #3

Mom’s Summer Survival Pack from CVS/pharmacy

The “Mom’s Summer Survival Pack” from CVS/pharmacy can help mom survive the summer! The pack contains:

~ PLAYSKOOL Wash or Toss Sippy Cups: Great to throw in a bag for wherever your travels take you – restaurants, the playground, family parties and everywhere in between. Plus, you can wash ‘em or toss ‘em without guilt since you can pick up a 6-pack for $4.49!

~ CVS/pharmacy Hand Sanitizing Spray Pen for Kids: If you have an active kid, you never know what they are going to get into – make sure they are prepared for every potentially sticky situation with this kid-friendly solution that is alcohol-free and kills 99% of germs instantly. Plus, its cool design makes it easy to fit into a purse, backpacks, lunchboxes, or even to be clipped onto a kid’s pocket.

~ PLAYSKOOL Cottony Cloths: All moms know that baby wipes aren’t just for babies! Keep a travel pack of Cottony Cloths handy and be prepared for those inevitable spills and messes.

~ CVS/pharmacy Continuous Clear Spray Sunscreen SPF 30: This clear, no-rub spray goes on kids quickly and comes in a 3oz bottle that’s easy to tote. CVS/pharmacy carries additional strengths and formulas to suit the needs of the entire family!

~ CVS/pharmacy Instant Itch Relief Spray: Bug bites are bound to happen in the summertime – be prepared to relieve pain and itching with this Instant Itch Relief Spray for insect bites, scrapes, and even poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac.

Prize #4

SafeEyes Parental Control Software

“Jenna was just beginning to learn how to use the internet and thought it might be fun to see if there was a jenna.com website. When she typed it in, Jenna Jameson’s adult-rated website popped onto her screen.” What parent hasn’t worried about this happening?

Even the most savvy internet parents can have a hard time protecting children from internet dangers such as inappropriate material and cyber bullying. A new software called SafeEyes, (winner of a 2008 Parent’s Choice award and rated #1 in Consumer Reports) can help parents protect their kids by monitoring chatting programs and limiting time spent online!

Prize #5

MEAD Products

Mom’s School Organizer: A new school year isn’t just an organizational challenge for students. A return to school often means added stress on mom, as she has to keep track of everything from soccer games to parent teacher conferences to the days the school cafeteria serves pizza. That’s why this academic-year calendar features 18 months (July ’08-December ’09) of calendar pages incorporating extra-large grids. No more squeezing the day’s events into a tiny space! Plus, the wall calendar is packed with 448 miniature scheduling stickers that incorporate words like assembly, dance, pack, buy, spring break, no school, lesson, game, dentist, doctor and more. An organizing sleeve holds the stickers and other scheduling documents the family needs to stow.

Mead Writing Fundamentals: Developing writing skills is half the battle of literacy, but while it is equally important to develop writing skills as it is to develop reading skills, writing isn’t always sufficiently covered in school. In fact, as little as 10 minutes a day is spent on the subject and typically no instruction is provided past the third grade, leaving as many as 20 percent of children struggling with handwriting.

To help bridge the gap, the experts behind Mead®, one of the most trusted names in school supplies, developed Mead Writing Fundamentals, a line of 15 products guiding parents how to best introduce and develop fundamental writing skills at all handwriting stages. Developed with and endorsed by a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in handwriting, the Writing Fundamentals products feature proven techniques to ensure success, whether used at home or at school, with fun, engaging, multi-sensory activities for children.

Prize #6

Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s “Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden”

Kimberly Williams-Paisley, actress and wife of country music star Brad Paisley, has written a children’s book called “Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden.”

It tells the story of a city kid who learns to love his veggies while on a visit to his aunt and uncle’s farm. It was written in support of the Love Your Veggies Nationwide School Lunch Campaign from the makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings that gave $10,000 nutrition grants to 51 elementary schools across the U.S. this month to help increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Prize #7

The Ladybug Game

Once upon a time in a beautiful rose garden there were four ladybug friends who flew among the leaves, exploring their sweet-smelling home. Although they loved the rosebushes, sometimes they wondered what lay beyond their world. Each ladybug had a different wing color with spots, Ella Yellow, Rickie Red, Tommy Teal, and Olivia Orange.

The Ladybug Game is a game created by a six-year-old girl for her 1st grade science project and is flying off the shelves at Target right now (they sold 25,000 in one week!)!

Prize #8

My Fruit Roll-Ups and Yoplait Kids yogurt coupons

My Fruit Roll-Ups are customizable Fruit Roll-Ups that you can create online with your own text and over 400 images to choose from and are then sent to you in the mail! Yoplait Kids offers drink-able and spoon-able yogurt that now contains the nutrient Omega-3 DHA, an important nutrient to help support healthy brain development. Yoplait Kids also has no artificial flavors or sweeteners and has 25% less sugar than the leading kid’s yogurt.

(NOTE: the Yoplait Kids yogurt coupons are not valid in CA, ID, LA, NV, NJ, ND and TN as they are for a free package of yogurt and those states have a law against free dairy.)

Prize #9

Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kit

Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits are a great party planning product that includes a helium-filled tank, balloons and ribbon all in one box that you can easily transport and store (the box is a little smaller than the average car seat)!

Prize #10

Iron Man Pen Walkie Talkies

Iron Man Pen Walkie Talkies: Keep in touch with your crime fighting team and write down important information with these dual purpose walkie talkie pens!

Prize #11

Shrek the Third Projection Flashlight

Shrek the Third Projection Flashlight: Stay out of the dark with some of your favorite Shrek characters, like Princess Fiona, Donkey, and Shrek! These bright lights have interchanging faceplates that allow your favorite characters to be projected in the room.

Prize #12

Munchkin Products

Bath Squirters: Give your little squirt a SpongeBob™, Dora the Explorer™, or Go, Diego, Go!™ squirter. Moms like to keep their little ones busy in the tub and the pool…so let these fun characters entertain them. They suck up the water and give a gentle squirt that brings lots of giggles. They’re also a gas for making bubbles under the water.

Twisty Fish™: Little bathers love to splash around with our funny, friendly fish. This ingenious new bath toy has fascinating tumble beads and a spinner wheel in the belly that twists and turns as water drains out from holes in the tail. The handle makes it easy to scoop in water from the mouth. The head and tail even rotate around a full 360 degrees to keep small hands even busier while you get your little one sparkling clean!

Caterpillar Spillers™: Your child will love to inspect this friendly insect that links up 7 numbered cups. These brightly colored cups pour and strain water in the bath for endless spilling and scooping fun. The cups also stack up to form a towering paddle wheel. And when bath or pool time are over, they nest compactly to stow away for next time.

Prize #13

WallPops

WallPops are manufactured by Brewster Wallcovering Company, a family-owned and operated fourth generation company. WallPops feature a bright and colorful selection of patterns and solid colors in the form of wall art that are simple, fun and repositionable. Great for tweens, teens, college students, young adults and homeowners alike, these forms of wall art are fun for everyone. WallPops add pizzazz to walls, headboards, picture or poster frames, message boards and almost anything else you want to dress up creatively.

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway Round 2: Lots of Great Stuff for Kids!

[image: sxc]

I love giveaways! I love finding and learning about new products, or discovering fun and beautiful things. I recently put out a request for giveaway prizes and the response was nothing short of amazing!

For this first round we have a great selection of items for mom to be won! The next round will be more kid-centric — you’ve got to put yourself first once in a while, right?

To Enter:

To enter, simply leave a comment in this entry. That’s it!

Each item will have one winner unless otherwise specified, and your one entry will make you eligible to win any below items!

This giveaway will run until Friday, May 30th, and winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Saturday, May 31. One entry per person, and make sure you leave a valid email address in the email field so I can contact you if you win.

The Prizes:

In no particular order, here’s what you can win!

Prize #1

Pearl Tile Pendant
(chain not included)

This beautiful pendant is provided by ILovePhotoGifts.com. It is created from pearl white tile which offers just a slight shimmer that makes your image pop! Tile measures approximately 3/4″ x 1″ and can be created in a vertical or horizontal format. The tile is fired clay with your black & white or color photo showcased in it. This is a special product that is only available with one image that will be reproduced on both sides of the tile. (Chain not included.)

Prize #2

Lierac Laboratories Phytolastil

Lierac Paris’ has been committed to healthy and radiant skin for nearly 30 years. Combining botanical expertise with precise scientific procedures, Lierac’s innovative skincare products were designed to restore and treat the skin’s physiological balance.

Lierac Laboratories developed Phytolastil, a product that employs the active tannoids and flavonoids in alchemilla, ivy and horsetail to stimulate the production of the collagen and elastin. Lierac utilizes this powerful plant synergy in two clinically proven formulas: a gel for preventing stretch marks and solution for reducing them. Unscented and non-greasy, Phytolastil products are easy and pleasant to use.

When applied daily to areas prone to stretch marks (stomach, breast, hips and thighs) from the beginning of the second trimester to the return of regular menstrual flow, Phytolastil gel is 92% effective in preventing stretch marks. (35% alchemilla, horsetail, and ivy.) With unparalleled efficacy, Phytolastil solution offers a cosmetic solution to existing stretch marks. When used for the entire course of treatment (8 weeks), clinical studies show positive results in 86% of cases. (80% alchemilla, horsetail, and ivy)

Prize #3

TrimWater

TrimWater is great for moms looking to shed baby weight, stay in shape and not have to sacrifice something that tastes great!

TrimWater is the ultimate diet drink, with only 10 calories and 3 grams of sugar per bottle, and nutritionally enhanced to help with weight maintenance. TrimWater comes in a myriad of flavors and has no artificial colors, flavors, aspartame, preservatives, or carbonation, but it tastes great with no funky ‘diet aftertaste’.

One winner will win a multipack containing all of the great TrimWater flavors: Pomegranate-Cranberry, Pink Grapefruit-Honey, Peach-Mango, Lemon-Citrus, Blueberry-Pear, Raspberry-Vanilla, Black Cherry-Blackberry, and Passionfruit-Berry.

Prize #4

Dirt Devil KRUZ Vacuum

Dirt Devil’s KRUZ vacuum from the Karim Rashid design series is a great gift for moms everywhere—allowing moms to look stylish while cleaning!

Swerve. Twist. Pivot. Coast. Dirt Devil’s KRUZ cordless floor vac offers easy maneuverability to address your hard surface cleaning needs. The KRUZ’s Soft Glide Technology delivers effortless cleaning of dry hard floor surfaces. This cordless vacuum sweeper’s Soft Touch Bumper maneuvers gently around furniture and along baseboards to quickly and safely clean even hard to reach areas. Designed by Karim Rashid, you can feel comfortable leaving this sleek, modern vac out in any room. KRUZ – The New Shape of Clean.

Prize #5

Billion Dollar Brows Babe Kit

Mother’s love the gift of beauty! Now with Billion Dollar Brows babe kit, mother’s can feel their absolute best! The Brow Babe Kit contains an exclusive mix of Brow Boost, Brow Powder, and Gel.

Brow Boost helps to strengthen and condition brows. The smooth, easy to apply brow powder enhances the brow line, giving brows a beautiful, natural finish. Lock in the look and set brow hairs with the silky Brow Gel. Plus, the angled brush easily applies and blends the brow powder to perfection.

Prize #6

WaterWeek

WaterWeek is a set of five reusable bottles for every day of the work week designed to make it “cool” and safe for people to reuse water bottles while contributing to the reduction of the more 25 millions plastic bottles thrown away each day. Available in five colors and patterns, WaterWeek is made of a BPA-free plastic that his highly durable and ideal for a variety of everyday activities where Moms would typically take a water bottle like the office, gym, play date or sporting events. The set fits in the refrigerator in a specially-designed tray that holds the set securely in place – without taking up a lot of space.

With WaterWeek, Moms can bottle their own tap water – and stop buying huge cases of water at their local grocery or club store! This is just one seamless, economical way to incorporate environmental sustainability into your family’s lifestyle.

Prize #7

Coupons for CVS Personalized Photo Books

CVS/pharmacy, the retail leader in digital imaging services and products now offers high quality hard cover, bound photo books that can be created within minutes and picked up that same day. In-Store Photo Books are available nationwide exclusively at CVS/pharmacy Photo Centers.

Personalized photo books are quick—and easy—to create. Consumers bring digital media such as a memory card, CD or USB flash drive to their local CVS/pharmacy’s photo kiosk and select the “photo book” option, which automatically populates a book template with the selected photos. Pages are customizable by rearranging the pictures, changing the size of the photos, adding text and choosing from a variety of available backgrounds. Each book is ten pages long and beyond the cover page, can feature up to six pictures per page for a total of up to 54 pictures in a 6” x 8” book. Up to ten additional pages also can be purchased and pricing for all sizes are as follows: 4” x 6” holds 36 pictures – $5.99; 6” x 8” holds 54 pictures – $12.99; 8” x 10” holds 72 pictures – $14.99

In-store photo books are printed on premium Kodak paper and are the perfect solution to those last minute gift-giving occasions and holiday parties. From holidays to birthdays, thank you gifts to hostess gifts, photo books from CVS/pharmacy are an ideal choice for any occasion.

Prize #8

1000 Best Baby Bargains

Kimberly Danger is the author of 1000 Best Baby Bargains and the founder and editor of mommysavers.com, an online community for savvy moms. 1000 Best Baby Bargains includes hundreds of tips inspired by the Mommysavers.com newsletter and hints that have appeared on the website over the course of the past several years. It also includes many creative new tips that mothers of kids under two will want to read about!

Prize #9

BookSwim

BookSwim.com, the nation’s first and only hardcover/ paperback book rental club (similar to a “netflix for books”) mails books out with no due dates, no late fees, and unlimited rentals per month. A free three-month membership will be provided for one lucky winner!

Prize #10

21 Day Meditation

The ultimate makeover for your mind! Experience inner peace, joy and increased energy with meditation. 21 day live meditation instruction from the comfort of your own home to help you develop the habit of meditation!

Moms are busy and stressed out and meditation helps combat this stress! Yet most mom’s don’t have time to meditate or learn to meditate. This is a live 21 day meditation instruction for 15 minutes a day that can be done from the comfort of one’s own home. The 21 day program shows moms (and others) how to incorporate meditation into their daily life and form a habit of it! The 21 day program shows moms how to convert waiting time into meditating time! And how to meditate while doing daily activities. Other moms have participated in these calls in the past!

(Please note that while the $197 fee to join the meditation circle will be waived, the participant will be responsible for applicable long distance charges for the 21 days unless they have a carrier that provides free long distance).

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway Round 1: Lots of Great Stuff for Mom!

When I asked her, after getting the pamphlet in the mail, she immediately said yes. So we will go this coming weekend and brave the crowds (soccer is huge here, I had NO idea until I walked into a veritable zoo at last year’s registration!) to pay for another summer of soccer. It’s cheap at her age ($130 which includes two tournaments, the shirt/shorts/socks, a team and individual photo, and a trophy at the end of the season) because it’s not competitive. They play four against four, there are no goalies, and no one really keeps score other than the Really Intense Soccer Parents(tm). It’s more about having fun, learning to play together as a team, learning the rules, and just enjoying being active.

And really, to me, that’s the best part. Twice a week, she runs around for an hour, makes new friends, and learns new skills. Pretty good deal to me!

(Plus I love being a soccer mom. A LOW KEY AND NOT INSANE soccer mom!)

Post from: Blisstree

Soccer sign-ups

It’s generally a no-brainer that kids need healthy food to function well, but sometimes we need to think beyond the basics and break it down a bit. Lately when my daughter has been coming home from school, she’s been eating food like apples or carrots & raisins, maybe a banana.

She would be happy long enough to tell us about her day and then she would melt down and be a mess for the remainder of the afternoon and evening, throwing tantrums that rival any toddler. Since selling her to gypsies wasn’t an option, I started thinking about what might be going on. I came up with food being the issue. The fruits and vegetables were healthy, yes, but they weren’t enough because she needed protein after a long day of school. The choices we were making for her weren’t sustaining her long enough.

I tested the theory yesterday. Since we have a nut-free school, and my daughter loves peanut butter, I made her a peanut butter sandwich, and also sliced an apple for her. She ate the whole plate and even ate a bit of yogurt afterwards. She got cranky early in the evening but overall, she was much better yesterday. Today I gave her another peanut butter and jelly sandwich and she ate an avocado after that, and again she was in better spirits than she had been.

I don’t think two days of testing only one child is enough to say this is the only right choice. However, I do feel comfortable saying that if your young child is having a rough time in the middle of the day but napping doesn’t happen anymore, it wouldn’t hurt to try a bit of protein to prevent the afternoon slump. So far it’s working for us.

Post from: Blisstree

Snack attack

My daughter is a huge fan of peanut butter and jam sandwiches, but the school is a nut-free zone because of allergies. She’s already requested one ham sandwich and one bologna sandwich for her first day and I’ll send her an apple, a cut-up orange, and either yogurt or cheese sticks for snacks, along with a box of apple juice or two.

However, I don’t want to get her into a rut with the same old lunches. My absolute favorite parenting magazine is a Canadian one, called Today’s Parent, and my favorite feature in it is the Cooking With Kids segment by Evelyn Raab. I love the way she writes and her recipes are always easy but tasty. To this day, my favorite Sweet and Sour Meatballs came from her recipe.

She has a list of 25 sandwiches that you can try out which are all perfect for sticking in your child’s lunch box. I plan on trying some of them out, though some will have to be tested first on weekends to make sure they pass a Kindergartener’s taste test. I can’t wait to try out the green eggs and ham style sandwich!

If you’re hoping for lunch box inspiration, you might find some over there. If you have a good sandwich idea, please share!

Post from: Blisstree

School lunches

Our routine tends to involve a bath as needed (usually every second day unless it’s really hot, in which case they get a cool bath without shampoo or soap or anything other than cooling down), changing into pajamas, a snack (usually a small PB&J sandwich or cereal for my oldest and some yogurt for my toddler), a quiet show on Treehouse, a story, teeth, sippy cup of water, and bed.

It’s nothing dramatic or innovative, it’s just what we do.

This site has some bedtime routine information if you’ve been winging it or if your current routine doesn’t seem to be working anymore – that does happen. I used to give my oldest a soothing bath every night as a baby until she hit six months and suddenly bath time revved her up more than it calmed her down. While you’re there, you can create your own personalized ritual logs to keep track of bedtime behaviours, you can check out a message board to discuss tips and tricks with other parents (and share your successes to help someone else too!), play with customizable storybook adventures that star your own kids, and look at a ton of activities. It teaches children the importance of brushing their teeth, washing up, and reading at bedtime while keeping it fun for the family.

While you’re there, parents of school-aged children can enter their elementary school in a contest to win $1000 worth of new books for the school library (US residents only, alas).

Obviously, it’s a corporate site but the activities are fun and if you’re a US resident you can earn rewards like free toothbrushes. If you’re Canadian like I am, you can just pick an arbitrary state and zip code and while you won’t get the rewards, you can still peruse the activities and have fun with the kids!

Enjoy!

Post from: Blisstree

Bedtime routines