fun finds: awesome shirts for boys

i am constantly on the lookout for fun shirts for my boys that are not exactly like every other kiddo on the playground are wearing. i love my target, but apparently so does every other mama.....imagine the lost and found at school....it's crazy town.....filled with tons of the same things that you have to dig through. as usual, i turned to my favorite site etsy for unique, fun tees for my little men to wear. support small business and embrace the creative goodness.......happy shopping! xo

chillin with my peeps

back to the future

feel the force

rocky mountain national park badge

electric company

darth vader and storm troopers bike

retro mixtape

chewbacca sketch phonetic spelling

eat. sleep. lego.

hip hop ya don't stop

guess what, chicken...

skateboard

you used to call me on my play phone....

school lunch: tips and tricks for packing the perfect lunch box

it's back to school time and for parents everywhere that means the return of the dreaded school lunch. packing school lunches, although a seemingly easy task, can become overwhelming whether you have one kiddo or five when you are in the mad school morning rush. 

both nellie and myself have found that organization is the key as well as involving the kids in packing their own lunch.

in the pantry, we both keep items for lunches organized and accessible in bins.

yogurt tubes are a stable in both of our houses. nellie keeps them in the fridge while i choose to keep them frozen to use as an ice pack to keep lunches cool until ready to eat. what works best for you?

if you have all of the items for lunches already prepared and ready to go, then all that has to be made is a sandwich or perhaps to pack up leftovers in a small container.

nellie also keeps the school lunch calendar visible on a clipboard so, the night before school her kids can choose if they will be buying a lunch or packing one. 

if you have a place for lunch boxes to go, it makes life so much easier. the kids know that, when they get home from school, they need to clean out their lunch box and return it to the bin, ready to be re-packed that evening for the following day.

i love to use these awesome labels from mabel's labels to clearly label lunch boxes and water bottles. you can order them online, or i found mine at my local target store.

you can also make homemade granola bars from our recipe here: 

homemade granola bars

while looking at some of my favorite blogs and pinterest, i found some other great ideas to help make school lunches fun and interesting. 

i just love this organization from delightful order. if i had an extra fridge in the garage i would be all over this! 

katie at simple bites has some great solutions for picky eaters including awesome smoothie recipes and homemade fruit roll-ups!

love from the oven has some super cute, simple ways to add a little fun into the lunch box.

these stickers from just bento are amazing! 

how does she has some wonderful ideas from cute clips to jokes and other creative goodness.

"donut" sandwiches from super healthy kids 

banana magic trick for perfectly hidden sliced bananas from zakka life--so fun!

apple puzzle from at home with real food

diy lunchbox icepacks from my kitchen escapades

what are *your* favorite lunchbox tips and tricks? please share and help a fellow mama out! 

signing on the dotted line

school officially starts today for my 9, 6, and 5 year olds. if you hear the sound of clinking glasses, it's coming from the party being held at my house. don't get me wrong, i love summer and time with my kids.  there's just something about having them in separate rooms with their own friends occupied all day on someone else's watch that makes me blissfully happy. 

monday we met their teachers and were handed the packets of mindless paperwork to fill out before the first day of school. i've sat for hours doing "mommy homework" and have came across three similar sheets, one for each child. it is the dreaded volunteer sign up sheet...in triplicate.

don't get me wrong, i want to help out in my children's education. i've sent in extra school supplies, party supplies, pretty much any supplies asked for. i try to chaperone one field trip a year. i write checks on what feels like a daily basis. i'll even cut out projects for the kindergarten classes. still, i've never had any commitment beyond what i can accomplish generally within the walls of my home.

this year is much the same. i have two little people at home who are my built in excuse. having a two year old and a six month old in tow is somehow frowned upon when heading in to volunteer in the classroom (can't imagine why). still, this year i'm somehow compelled to try to do more. i think there must be something wrong with me. maybe it's the sadness over sending three of my kids off this year (*see the party reference above...i'm clearly not that upset by it). maybe i just feel guilty that i haven't signed up for anything like it before. maybe i just want my kids to know i've got their backs. 

regardless, this year i'm checking the "room mom" slot. i'm not sure if i'll get it. maybe there's a lot of competition out there for room mom. i have no idea. this is uncharted territory for me. still, i think i can handle it. 

after feeding five kids dinner every night, could it really be *that* difficult? i will definitely keep you posted. if you have room mom experience, help a sister out. if you think i should back out and run for the hills...there may still be time. if you think i'll love every minute of it...i'll take that too. just let me know i can make it to the room mom island and survive. at this point, that's good enough for me.

I'm Signing Up To _____, And Here's Why! I’m joining VolunteerSpot’s Back To School campaign to help raise visibility for parent involvement in schools.

Save time {and stress} and get more parents involved 
at school with VolunteerSpot.com! 

VolunteerSpot's FREE online signup sheets make it easy to organize parents and signup to help for just about anything: classroom helpers, snack schedules, carnivals, library volunteers, parent-teacher conferences and more....  No more 'Reply-All' email chains! Please share with your room mom, teachers and parent leaders…

Plus there's a huge Sweepstakes on VolunteerSpot's Facebook page! 
Win an iPad for YOU and a $500 for your fave School! Enter here

fundraisers suck (guest blogger: ginger from counting caballeros

today’s guest post is from ginger caballero, author of counting caballeros.  ginger is a stay-at-home-mom and has 4 kids ages 9, 7, 4, and 3.  she has aspirations of being a *paid* author, but for now, she writes for her own enjoyment (and ours). we love her and know that you will too. 

fundraisers *suck*

it is fundraising time at my kids' school again.  crap.  so my kids came in all hyped up from the fundraising kick-off pep rally at school this afternoon ready to take on the world with their little selling kits and product flyers.  I really hated to do it, but i had to crush their little fundraising spirits.  i sat them both down and i taught them something.  the way that the school has represented this fundraiser to my kids, they believe that the world will end if they don't sell at least 10 items and that the prizes are priceless artifacts obtainable only through this contest (when you can buy them by the gross from oriental trading company).  i let them know that at the absolute most, that $12.00 item will earn the school $9.00, that the "rewards" could mostly be bought at the dollar store, and that selling things is *very* hard. (i know, i did it for a living before i had kids.)

fundraising is absolutely one of the most asinine practices in public schools today in my opinion.  there are 2 flyers -- the first one has food items ranging from the $11.00 funnel cake mix to the $18.00 for 5 frozen mini pizzas.  then they have plastic cups.  yes, plastic "tumblers" with regional sports teams on them for $15.00 each.  then on the front of the fundraising packet is a list, complete with enticing photos, of all of the "rewards" given for selling the items.  if you sell one item you get a plastic lei.  yep, ONE plastic lei.  if you sell 5 items you get a pair of neon sunglasses AND a plastic lei.  10 items will get you that lei, the sunglasses, AND a plastic LED flying toy.  20 items gets you all of that AND a light-up rubber ring and a rubber digital watch.  it goes on and on like that until you get to the 80 item level where you can get a remote control helicopter (in addition to all of the cheapo plastic crap from the previous levels).  but if you sell 100 items, you get all that AND an electric drum set.  it keeps going up to an iPad.  you have to sell 500 items to get that though.  so just out of curiosity, i did a little research and came up with the following chart and shared it with my kids to get the point across:

if you sell          worth a minimum of           we'll give you a reward worth a maximum of

     1 item                           $11.00                                                                 $0.15
     5 items                         $55.00                                                                 $0.98
   10 items                       $110.00                                                                 $1.46
   20 items                       $220.00                                                                 $2.78
   30 items                       $330.00                                                                 $4.26
   40 items                       $440.00                                                                 $8.97
   50 items                       $550.00                                                                $13.57
   60 items                       $660.00                                                                $19.96
   70 items                       $770.00                                                                $26.33
   80 items                       $880.00                                                                $58.64
  100 items                   $1,100.00                                                               $93.78
  150 items                   $1,650.00                                                               $263.77
  200 items                   $2,200.00                                                               $317.89
  500 items                   $5,500.00                                                               $816.88

does anyone else see how ridiculous this is??  even if the cost of the items that they're selling have a profit margin that makes selling them in the first place worth the effort, most people do not want the stuff your kids are selling and will gladly give you a fraction of that cost just to get you to leave them alone. i know i would.  my kids are not going to do it.  i am going to tell them that if they want to raise money for the school, they can collect money and turn it in.  i will call their relatives and say "hey, it's fundraising time.  do you want to buy some over-priced crappy food items that you don't really want or give me a $5.00 or $10.00 check per kid made out to the school?"  as far as their "incentive" program, i am going to give my kids $0.15 on the dollar that they raise, and they'll STILL come out better.  and so will the school. 

i get that offering the kids incentives gets them to sell more and that it teaches them that hard work is rewarded, but why don't we give them REAL rewards?  why don't we sell stuff that people want at prices that make sense AND make money for the school?  i think that teaching the kids the value of a dollar (yes, even at the tender age of 5 or 6), AND letting them raise money for their school would be awesome.  but for now, does anyone want some funnel cake mix for $11.00?

learning to be alone again

my toddler has started a mother's morning out program. you can tell he's the fourth born. with my first born, i cried when he went off to a three year old program, wondering if i was making a mistake and worrying that i was scarring him forever by sending him off so soon. with the fourth born, i said, "congratulations, son. you are one! you get to go to school!" it's sad but true.

for the past couple of thursdays, i have had things to do, people to see, places to go. with a rainy day today, all of my plans have fallen through and i'm left with three hours to fill and a house that is way too quiet.

for the first time in eight years, i have three hours to myself and all i can think about is how quiet it is. i used to thrive in solitude. when my post college friends were still living in houses with three or four other people, i chose to find a small apartment and live alone. i have no problem seeing a movie by myself. i feel like i'm truly getting my money's worth when the entire theater is empty except for myself. once my kids came along, the adjustment to having someone around me all the time was cripplingly difficult.

now that i've become accustomed to all the noise and chaos, the transition back to solitude is equally hard. i used to ask my girlfriends who had their youngest head off to school how it felt and how the hours were filled. they always listed things they did to fill those hours...they were filled with new workout routines, new volunteer ventures, new jobs. i think i've come to the conclusion that the transition was just as hard for them as it was for me today. we are so used to so many things happening at once that the absence of it all leaves us with a desire to fill up that space again, with whatever we can find.

for me, i'm going to try to learn the art of being alone again. i'm going to try to resist the urge to fill up every minute with activity and instead learn to relish a few moments of quiet. i'm going to catch up on my reading, work on some photo albums, take a shower and turn music up while i spin around. there is no shortage of work when they are all at home. when i have three short hours in a week to myself, i feel like the work can wait. it will still be there three hours from now.

for now, i'm sitting in a starbucks, drinking a latte and typing. here at least the silence isn't quite so deafening. next week, maybe i'll tackle that book. baby steps...baby steps.

first day of school traditions

today is the first day of school here in my little southern town. moms everywhere are filled with a mix of sadness and elation. we're not sure whether to cry because they are growing up so fast or throw a party because we actually survived the summer and will at some point possibly have five minutes to ourselves. first days are a huge deal no matter the grade level your children are entering. here are some ideas from mommy friends of mine as well as some i've used for my own kids. with my second starting kindergarten today, i'm pulling out all the stops.

• make their lunch something special. use cookie cutters to cut their sandwich into a special shape. put in a special 1st day dessert treat. most importantly, write something special on their napkin. a little note from mommy or daddy will mean the world to your child when they are away at school all day.
• if you have a kindergartener or a child with a bit of anxiety when leaving for the first day, cut out some paper hearts and put them into a secret pocket of their backpack. my daughter knows that if she needs an extra hug or a kiss during the day, her backpack holds several of each for her any time she needs them.
• try taking a dry run of the getting ready and going to school process the day before school starts. get the kids up early, get them dressed an out the door, even make the trip to the school car line. this will give your kids a little extra confidence on the first day. after the dry run, go out to a fun "last day of summer" family breakfast.
• get up with your kids and have breakfast together before they head out the door. remind them of who they are and how much you love them. we pray with out kids before they head out to school. investing a little bit into their self-esteem and into them as people can only help them as they have to spend a day with their peers.
• if it's possible, take them to school that first day. they may be fourth graders but they are still little. moms and dads are still important and taking the time to get them to school safely that first day translates into an extra bit of love...even for a 9 year old boy.
• stick an extra little something in their backpack for the first day. this could be as simple as a cute pencil for your little girl or boy or a new book for reading time. something small lets them know you are thinking of them, even in the middle of a crazy first day.
• let your kids pick out a special dinner for the night of their first day. a special dinner will let them continue the momentum of the day and it will also give the family a chance to hear all about how much fun the kids had at school.
• most of all, take lots of pictures. pose with your children before they leave for school. take pictures of them in their classroom, them with their backpacks, them with their friends. they may look at you like you are the most embarrassing person on the planet but you'll be glad you have them. whether they admit it or not, your kids will feel special as you commemorate each passing year in this way.

i'm sure there are some amazing, creative people out there with even more outstanding ideas to share. please, let us know what has worked for you. we're all in this together...and first days can't be avoided, no matter how much we'd love to keep our babies small.

friday fun finds: back to school

i can't believe that it is already time to start talking about back to school! doesn't it seem like summer break just started? the first day of school is right around the corner and here are some fun finds that will make the first day even more fabulous. enjoy!

apple hair clip--$3.50

back to school bow--$7.99

insulated lunch tote with embroidered name---$16

reusable sandwich and snack bags, customize your own set of 4--$24

custom backpack tag --$4

pirate hat monogrammed backpack--$26.95

personalized excuse pads and money envelopes--$16

getting ready for the 1st day of school...

school starts next week for those of us in south carolina. some of my california friends started today. so, in the spirit of back to school, here are some of our favorite back to school reads to enjoy with your kiddos. my second born is starting kindergarten so i've included a few that are especially for her. ready or not...

Kissing Hand

First Day Jitters

Who Will Go To School Today?

Off To Kindergarten

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Splat the Cat: Back to School, Splat!

How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?

Miss Nelson Is Missing!

Miss Nelson Is Back

The Teacher from the Black Lagoon

The Class Pet from the Black Lagoon

The Substitute Teacher from the Black Lagoon

Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School

101 Back To School Jokes

what are *your* favorite back to school books?