Long time no post.

Hi Everyone. I know it's been so long since I last wrote anything. I decided to dust off my computer and take a break since my son is on a long break from school. I am sure some fellow parents can understand a picture of a lunch is worth more than 500 words. The weather is getting cooler here in Southern Arizona and I love it. With the cooler temps setting in, we are coming out of our homes to go to the park, taking walks, and having picnics. What for other parts of the US feels in May we are feeling now, the excitement to go outside. Going to the park is a lot different at 90 degrees in October as opposed to 115 degrees in early August. I don't mind going outside to eat breakfast, it's even slightly chilly out. The weather cooling off means more options for me to pack for my son's lunch. When it's hot outside, no one wants to eat soup and then go run around in the 100+ temps for 20-30 minutes. So my menu planning is getting some variety to it, finally. As I said, we have a long break from school that was scheduled. We have 1 week left and it's back to the daily grind. I have been off social media a little due to a small health hiccup. I am on the mend and will be posting some fun picnic lunches. I also have a review of a new product Leaf and Love Lemonade. I am really excited, it's a BRAND NEW company. I am really excited for this because it's juice that uses Stevia so it is friendly for kids and adults who have Type 1 Diabetes. I am also in love with the packaging on the box. I don't know why, but when I think of Lemonade for kids, this box is just to perfect. If you want to read more about their product go to www.leafandlove.com I hope everyone is doing great at school, I am sure Fall Breaks and the end to the 1st quarter is coming around for some!

Change of Name and Directions

Hi Readers! I am sure you are trying to figure out where "One Happy Momma of Two" went. It's still here, just going in a different direction. I have actually have been thinking of doing this for a while and I just decided it was leap or wonder. Since I did the change last night I have been feeling better about this. I have ideas bubbling in my head and I it feels great. So I am really excited about this change. I will mostly be focusing on packing lunches that are healthy, natural, and organic as much as possible while on a budget. I am not a Bento Lunch so there won't be any fancy pictures made of food. I might do a special Christmas Sandwich or something for Holidays. I want to start by talking about why I pack my son's breakfasts and lunches. I want to say first, I am actually really impressed with my son's school. The fresh vegetables and fruits are like nothing I would ever have expected at a school. When I grew up, we had canned fruits and veggies from a questionable place. Fruit ices were considered a fruit serving, I doubt there was any fruit in it. My son in the 2nd Grade started having some stomach issues from the lunches. Turns out, some of the preservatives in the meats were upsetting his stomach. Plus, he wasn't eating his full lunch because he didn't like the main course. I would get a kid from school who would eat the dashboard of my car since he was staving. So, I decided it's time to pack some lunches. I packed my lunches all last year but I didn't start my Instagram account (@Lunchesby1Happymommaof2) until towards the end of the school year. I thought maybe I would get 50 followers, but I am almost to 500 and extremely excited and nervous. There are so many parents who are looking for meal ideas. Not just for their kids, but for themselves. I hope you will stick with me and enjoy the new direction that my blog is heading. I will part with you tonight with this little bit of Organic Savings. If you check your Whole Foods Flyer, at my local store, Brown Cow Greek Yogurt singles are on sale 10 for $10.00. Organic, no additives, and has live cultures to help aid in digestion and your immune system.

Next Big Project for our Family

Well School is in Session and has been for a little over a month now. I am now focusing on the Holidays and other major things we need to get ready for. Especially the MOVE! My wonderful husband has so much happening at work that it is changing day to day at this point. So I am working on organizing and getting things figured out to make sure we know what goes where. At this point, it is just organizing a game plan that can easily change. As you read in my previous post we had some craziness and then my Parents just Surprised us out of the blue! Which was a perfect spirit pick me up that my family needed. The best part of my parents visiting was coming up with the plan that we have now. Best part, is we came up with a few what if scenarios so if one thing falls through, we have a back up! I did want to share an idea that I think is going to help me and my family. Duct Tape! If you haven't noticed, Duct Tape has all sorts of wonderful Designs, Colors, and Patterns besides the typical Grey I grew up with. I decided to color code our boxes. Each room, will have a color or pattern. My kid's are going to choose theirs this week. I just plan on buying 2 of each pattern, then buying one or two rolls a week until we have what we need. That way if I see a Gold Taped Box, I know, it's the Kitchen. I think my kitchen will need 5 rolls, just based on, what we will be taking. I have also called each place like our HOA (turn in our pool keys), Post Office for our Box Keys, the trash department, and I have our moving truck and trailer booked. Next up, will be our moving binder. This will all take place over the next 5 months, my goal is to list our home in early February. I will post as we go and when I accomplish something new to share with you.

Hi everyone!

I am still here I promise. I am working on so much fun stuff, including FINALLY doing a Video Blog on Youtube. I know everyone is back in school or will be this week. I hope all your families are adjusting well! It's so much fun to start with new classmates and a new teacher. If you are waiting to start school still, I hope you are enjoying the last few days of your summer break. I do have family in town so I will update next week. Have a good weekend everyone! Megan

Back to School Series! My new favorite cookbook and I have one for you!

So, I don't know about anyone else, but my Thursday has been awful! My husband is holding our pool key hostage and I was stung by a Desert Centipede. I decided a little pick me up was needed for me! As you know as part of our Back to School Series, I have been talking about packing lunches. If you want some lunch ideas please follow me on Instagram for my lunches @lunchesby1happymommaof2. I want to tell you about a book that has made lunch packing and breakfast packing a little easier.

I pre-ordered a new cookbook about a month ago "The Best Homemade Kids' Lunches on the Planet". It is by Laura Fuentes who owns Momables and in it is over 200 RECIPES for lunch ideas. Seriously, you could pack a new lunch every day and not repeat one idea. It is that amazing!

The moment it arrived I curled up on my couch and read it cover to cover! I tabbed all the recipes I would love to make. So now it looks a little like this! 

If you already have this book, I am sure you can say, it's really awesome! What I love best, as I was reading it, I had a lot of the ingredients in my kitchen already. I made the "Boy Meets Girl" sandwich for a fun dessert for our kids the night it arrived. NO special grocery list was needed to utilize this book the next day. If you need something like Ricotta Cheese, which we don't use often, there are multiple recipes that use it. So plan both recipes and there is no wasting of food. It's real recipes, that were kid tested, super healthy, and so great for a family on a budget. We are a single income family and I want to make healthy lunches that aren't always Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches and I want new and fun ideas. This book was the answer to my prayers!

This is a lunch I made my son earlier this week that had her PB&J sushi. You can use Sun Butter if your school is a Nut Free school.

I made this for a trip to the pool alone as in KID FREE and my book. It is the Peach Cobbler. I used White Peaches and it was amazing! 

This is the "Lady Bug" and it's delicious and divine and the easiest sweet snack to make. It has become a regular at our Movie Nights. 

There are just so many awesome recipes and the ideas she has to prepare and plan ahead are awesome. I freeze smoothies all the time in my Ball Plastic Jars and the idea came from Laura. Her Jam, yes there is Jam in this cookbook! Even immune boosting recipes like her Vitamin C Cubes, which I drank all last week in the hot Arizona summer to fight off whatever I was starting to come down with. 

At the end of her book I found a rating system! Laura is a mom who knows what every mom needs, a rating system of the a recipe. Before the index all the recipes are listed in order they appear in the book. Starts are next to each recipe so you can rate them if they are now in the regular rotation or a once in a Blue Moon type occurrence. 

A little about Laura, she is a mom of 3. In her family, she does have food allergies/intolerance diets to plan for. Her website Momables just announced their Grain Free Meal plan and her most of her meal plans start at $6.50 a month. It's an inexpensive solution to have someone do the meal planning for you. There are tons of recipe ideas on Momables as well  and you can sign up to receive a free meal plan as an example.

So to Boost my Spirits and help jump start the weekend on a better note, I am giving away a copy of Laura's Cookbook "The Best Homemade Kid's Lunches on the Planet" Enter Below :) 

***Disclaimer, This is NOT a SPONSORED post. I was not and will not be compensated for this post in anyway. All views are my own and what I feel genuinely about this product. Thank you. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back to School Series "Lunches! Packing, Planning, and a book that was an eye opener"

Hi everyone, thanks for being so understanding about taking a week off from the blog and the Back to School series. I really was just sick and really not feeling well the whole week. Sorry, I am almost back to 100%.

So I wanted to talk with you about lunches. So if you follow me on my Instagram devoted to lunches, you will see we are now starting our 2nd week of school. I have to admit, I am in a rut on what to pack. Partially because it is SO HOT in Southern Arizona. I don't want to make my son sick because I packed soup, with crackers, and cheese, and a cookie. I mean who wants that when it's 110 and humid out, yuck. So right now, you are seeing a lot of sandwiches and such. I am not packing any heavy dairy products like yogurt or even milk. I might do cheese and that is it. I have gone and done some chicken breasts with bar b que sauce and such. My son did indicate it was to heavy and he felt icky after lunch. So for now, bear with me as I try to navigate the heat a little.


However, for those of you have actually have 4 seasons, this will help. Planning lunches, I do it for the week. I also STICK to what I plan. I might switch some days around depending on how my day goes, but other than that, I don't sub anything. It helps for me to have a stocked freezer on days where it's like I am sick or my daughter is sick to get lunches together. I might unfreeze some waffle sticks I made or cook some meatballs. Those are really the only days I deviate from the plan. I like to include a day or two of left overs if I can. My son is a Stir Fry fanatic so I love when I get to pack that for him to take. Macaroni and cheese, so much to list.

What I suggest doing is writing out foods your child or children like. I don't have two taking lunches so combining to make life easier, I would look on Pinterest. It might just be doing an overlapping list of Mains, fruits, veggies, and snacks. Maybe they get one fruit, veggie, and or snack they like to have that week, the rest is shared stuff.

If you meal plan as it is, go back through and high light stuff you think would make great for lunches. I always had the hardest time last year because my son really didn't like a lot of fruit and veggies. I got him on nectarines, snap peas, and such this summer. So bonus for me, they are in season and inexpensive! If you are worried about budget, I would say less is more. Start out what you think you might need and if you need more, have a friend grab it at the store when she goes.

I will do a little Mom Confession, I totally buy my cantaloupe and watermelon pre-cut in the produce section. I still have to cut them to smaller squares, but It's so worth my time. I never would cut up a whole melon because I hated the mess. So I spend not even 2.00 and buy the pre-cut stuff. It's worth it to me and some weeks like the next few months, it's money well spent. (I don't get my nails done, or even color my hair at all so for me it's my splurge)

Lunches now a days and I know I am dipping my foot into the Political Pool here. However, I don't think the Lunch program is at all over the past 40 years something to brag about. I like how Michelle Obama is trying to get healthier stuff in there, but at the expense of it all. It's really a waste, kids don't like it and school's are losing MAJOR MONEY.  I don't even like half the stuff I have tasted to be honest. Some schools are fairing well, ours is wonderful at the fresh fruits and veggies selections. The selection is AMAZING and if my son would eat the main course we might be okay. However, he still isn't into it and I am saving money by using what we have. So this is a win win for our family.

Last year I read a book called "Fed up with Lunch" find it here. It was written by Sarah Wu and before the overhaul of the lunch program started, you can read about what was served. Sarah taught at an urban Chicago school and her points are well on target with any child in America. I remember the frozen fruit icees she talks about that were in a triangle, those were considered a fruit back in the day. Juice is still considered a fruit I believe last I checked. The book moved me SO MUCH. I really got motivated to show pictures of my son's lunches on that Instagram account. I might do some cute fun stuff for holidays, but I can't do the Bento route, I don't have time. They are cute, but, my son is growing and he just scarfs it all down anyways. I just wanted what he would eat, cheap, and healthy.

Long story short from the book, I saw a difference last year when I started packing the lunches full time. My son was no longer starving when he came home. He said he felt better the second part of the day and wasn't counting down the hours until he could come home. The year before, he would eat constantly the moment we got home. Sandwiches, fruits, etc, and when I saw him at school he barely touched his food. The protein he wasn't getting and his behavior showed it. I was also so upset, at the money we were wasting, he would eat constantly at home and the lunch money was wasted because he barely ate sometimes.

To sum it up, it took some time to find out what would work for our family. Containers, foods, lunch boxes, drinks, etc. If you have a day where they hated the lunch, it's okay, cross the food off and don't pack it. Experiment on the weekends or maybe dinner. Never with the lunches at school. Summer is a great time to get the list of stuff you want to try and try it. Make a special day of the week like "Try it on Fridays", lunches are new foods to see if we like or don't like.

Back to School Series...Postponed for this week

Hi All, so it's now Wednesday and I haven't posted AT ALL. I am under the weather and with school in it's first week and also a toddler, I haven't had the energy. I won't lie, there has been time, but I am resting when my husband takes over. Sorry everyone and I am making it up by having an extra giveaway at the end of the series.

I will still draw the Katie Daisy Planner, you have just a couple of days to enter in that. It's so wonderful and Purse friendly. :)

Thanks
Megan

Back to School Series and a Katie Daisy Live Simply Planner Giveaway!

If you have been following I have been looking for the cutest planner! I wanted something that was small, fun, and perfect for on the go! Voila! I came across this cute planner on Etsy from Katie Daisy. It was so cute and it looked perfect for what I was needing. Unfortunately, they sold out faster than a Free TV on Black Friday :(

Seriously, isn't it pretty???

Don't worry the story get's better! One fateful trip to Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago, there it was on the shelf! They had one beautiful planner left and I grabbed it! A little 17 month planner from August 2014 to December 2015. It was perfect for what I was needing, appointments with little details. My huge at home binder is filled with stuff that needs to be done by the month with bills, meal planning, etc. It's the brain of the family really. This would just help me keep track of appointments, PTO meetings, Doctor Appointments, afternoons out with friends, and so forth. 

One thing I found was, it had ALL the Months first and then after that it had the Weekly days for the 17 months. From what I am understanding this is the new trend now?

It also changes color schemes and designs as the seasons change through out the calendar

I bought some of her notebooks at Target after finding her on Etsy. I was worried about them not being spiral bound, but being a Left Handed person, I love them so much more because they aren't

Through out the book there are these wonderful spreads

Right now I have mine in my night stand. I write the appointments as I go in it. School hasn't really picked up since yesterday was our first day back. However, I got to write some PTO dates and our Open House in there. 

Seriously, it is super small and super cute! 

So to finish this story about this planner. I bought the one at Barnes and Noble, I then ordered 2 more online. I passed one along to a friend as she was dying to get back into having a planner. So that leaves 1 for you all to WIN!

Enter Below

DISCLAIMER! Barnes and Noble, Katie Daisy, Orange Circle Studio or any of it's subsidiaries are affiliated with this raffle or post. This is NOT a sponsored post and all views, opinions, and so forth are my own. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back To School Series and Organizing Schedules the Electronic Way - The Cozi App

I am going to air some family secrets here and please, if you know and see my husband smile as if you know nothing. It is true that EVERY SINGLE one of our closest friends know that if you want to make plans with us, you need to contact me. I am the scheduler of the madness in our family, birthdays, sports, PTO functions, work schedules, vacations, etc. I do it. I was often having the hardest time with my husband in trying to get him to understand "Yes honey, we are booked 6 Saturdays from now, it's YOUR BIRTHDAY!". Seriously, that is how clueless my wonderful husband could be, he forgot the day he was born.

I took to a smart phone immediately. I was a Blackberry addict and from there my love of technology grew. Another family secret, if you know me, I love cell phones. I could tell you the best on the market for what you would need based on your personality :). I still miss my Blackberry, it now belongs to my 3 year old, who lovingly makes play calls to Grandma and Papa. It wasn't until almost 2011 when my husband got a smart phone. He got the most basic one he could get of a Blackberry, which was obsolete at that point. Finally a year later I got him into an iPhone 4 and with that came the Cozi App for me. FINALLY, I could sync calendars with our home computer and phones that we would know what was going on. 

I took my planning seriously too! Sunday evenings I got out my paper planner (I tried the exclusive electronic way and it got crazier as the years went by. More on that later) and would type all the new update information I could. 

I loved Cozi because it was Free, it synced, and also was color coded! Each Family member had a color, all 4 of use had our events highlighted in our designated color. I could include anyone in the family I wanted or just one to highlight "Jacob's Doctor Appt" Which it was me taking him, but I often excluded myself so my husband would pay attention a little more to the colors. 

I love Cozi because I do little Albums for the kids of things the say and they also have a Journal part of the App. I could open it and write something Anna or Jake said to put in their albums later. 

I have always used the free version of Cozi on our phones and haven't purchased the Gold Membership. It is a nice app to have for your family to sync and go. 

In a way our life is a little easier because I no longer get the phone calls or the sentences that start with "This weekend we are having Johnny over for dinner" yup, never mind that Suzie invited us over after Jake's soccer game. Those situations are NO MORE! 

What is the best for me, I get my PTO (Parent Teacher Organization, AKA a PTA) schedule a year in advance and I set up special warnings 2 weeks before for the both of us. Just in case if I need him to take a day of work for a major event, we both get the reminder. I have my schedule for School events well in advance for him to be there too.

Download it, try it, and see if it helps. I still have a paper planner because I am just that weird personality. One extra reminder for myself and for my husband goes a long way.

As the school year progresses, schedules get crazy. Use it as an extra reminder during the holidays too! Holiday cards and shopping can never start to early in my book. 

Have an awesome Wednesday! 

*****This post was not sponsored by Cozi or the Time Inc Corporation (owner of Cozi) or any affiliated company. I have used the Cozi application for a few years now. I have not been given monetary or a membership to write this post. All content and views are mine and of my own choice*****

No Excuses

Okay! It's Monday, I like Mondays, call me weird. I feel like it's time to get down to business I feel my most motivated on Mondays, well most of the time. So today, despite the horrible sleep due to Thunderstorms, I got a lot done. With my son heading back to school Thursday and I start homeschooling my toddler on Monday there is tons to do. Plus, we had a lazy Staycation last week and I have a lot to kind of catch up on.


I will not lie to you, I woke up with dread as my alarm went off at 6:15 AM. I mean just a measly 4 hours total of sleep. UGH. However, I had stuff I had to do! Not just my daily mom and wife duties, I had so much to get done and organized. I want the start of the school year to go off as best as I can and my time is dwindling.

I want you this week to focus on a task! Maybe more than one task and I want you to DO IT! Just Do it! Look at the clock and then say okay I am going to unload and load the dishes. When you are done, look at the clock again. You will see minutes, not even 10 minutes to do that task (I hate dishes and folding laundry). Laundry will be more time consuming than unloading and loading the dishwasher.

So today was my day of "Just Do It" (my husband thinks I made a mess). I FINALLY sorted my son's school work by year and it's ready to get filed. 4 years of drawings, funny stories he wrote, Mother's Day cards, etc. I organized them by school year in stacks and they are ready to go in their filers when I go shopping later this week.

I organized my pantry as well, cleaned a little, and did some other odds and ends.

Tomorrow I am tackling the fridge. EEEK

So today, GO! Just do what you need to do! Tackle the closets, tackle the garage , tackle tackle tackle. Go forth and be positive! Think of the end, when you are done!

If you are going back to school look at the thing you are dreading. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill. It seems like yeah, it might not be fun, but it has to be done.  Once you get some of the stuff done you will know where you stand. Like cleaning out the closets, do it, and you will say "OH Suzie, you need new skirts" :)

Don't focus on the negative, focus on the positive and just do the task you need to do.

Happy Task Attacking!

Back to School Series The Homework Box and a GIVEAWAY!!!!!

So, I started this idea for my son in the middle of the 1st grade. I am sure other's have something similar, but for my son, it was genius. What you are going to see here is a base, after the school year starts I will add to it.

The homework box has everything so far my son will need. 

****Crayola, Target, Fiskars, nor Webster is sponsoring this giveaway or post.****

So, let's start with the basics. Pencils and a pencil sharpener, large erasers, crayons (24 count), colored pencils, a ruler, scissors, glue sticks, paper, a dictionary, and a thesaurus. 

Yes, I get we live in a digital age, but these two little books I  have my son use no matter what. It will reinforce spelling skills, help them understand the words, or not sound redundant in writing a book report. These are important to have to me... if they have to sound it out and look for the meaning. They will most likely remember it more than if they used a computer. Google is not a homework tool for us, these are.

We had to get Jake a new box this year. We found out how easily the old one could be broken into by his sister. It took 4 incidents of writing on herself with markers for me to be like "OHHHH" So this has latches!

As you can see, everything fits in there nicely! I hope if I have to add anything extra it will all still fit. 

Now for the FUN!

I will add, this is my first giveaway and using rafflecopter. So please be patient and kind. You will have a chance to win your own base supplied homework box. Everything in this picture will be given to one lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back to School Series ... Planning now for the 1st day

So my 1st post was loaded with information on what I was planning and had also started doing to prepare for myself and my family for the new school year. I am going to cover in this post planning and making some lists.

First, and this might sound kind of harsh. I can't stand going to shop for school supplies when it is so darn busy and overhear a parent say "Gosh, I hate when the 1st day of school comes. It's like la la la and then BAM from the school we need THIS THIS AND THIS" Sorry, this Momma isn't buying that line. As the sun sets each day, you know the 1st day of school is coming.  You wouldn't take a road trip with out putting gas in your car would you? Planning ahead can be amazing and wonderful. Right now, if you are itching to get shopping For the week of 7/6/14 Staples and Office Max had some great stuff going on. Toys R Us is still doing the Buy a Backpack and get a free lunch box. It's summer yes, but deals start the moment it rings Midnight on July 5th. If you have an awesome deal, please share with all the other readers in the comments, we all want to save some money. :)

I can understand it can be a financial burden for some to purchase the supplies. There are school drives, churches, and even talking with your child's teacher about it. I actually spoke to a teacher and she tries to minimize the impact on parents. She buys HALF of the supplies she needs for EACH STUDENT so the parents will only have to buy the other half. She also plans on buying 10 Extra items the parents need in case of a student is in need or ther is a new student transfer. I was amazed by her wonderful generosity towards her classroom and her understanding of some families having financial burdens.

Let's talk lunches! I had the HARDEST time some weeks with my son who was a picky eater. Grapes and carrots. Those were ALL HE WANTED. If you follow my Instagram account devoted to lunches, you saw a lot of those. I worked super hard this summer to open his taste buds up to new things and I will continue to do so. Peaches, nectarines, snap peas, green beans, summer squash varieties etc. This will help my budget in the long run. Grapes can be expensive these days I mean $4.99 a lb, nope, time to try a new fruit.

With lunches, start doing a special day where they try new foods. The rule is "Once to try, twice to decide" so 2 bites. Don't go crazy like if they are a PB & J all the time sort of child and go have them try Escargot. Small steps (This is something that you will want to stick with me through the series. HINT)

When you get an idea of what it is you want, create a lunch list on your computer to print out. Pinterest has a ton, but if you make one customized to your family it might make it easier for you. I presently don't have a list, but I am working on ours. I do menu plan for each meal almost down to snacks and right now it looks a little sloppy since I don't have a planner.

See, it's hideous!

However, as hideous as it looks, it's ours and it's what we like. It don't follow it to a "T" but it does help a lot. When I finally get a planner, it will be planned out by the day and I can get ready. Less stress for a parent is the best "less" you can have. 

I know I hopped from supplies to lunches. So I have some homework for you (don't moan and groan, it will help you)

Assignment A- Make a list of your child's favorite foods. Organize it by category and also snacks. Hang it in your pantry, put it in your meal planning binder, or even on your phone. 

Assignment B- Call your child's/children's school and get their supply lists. Start now stocking up for the rest of summer. 

If you need any other lists, start working on those. School clothes, a list of "Who needs What", maybe if you need to get yourself some things. Like I need a new planner, so I am presently looking for one. Recipe ideas for dinners, a camera to take pictures, a fun sign announcing the grade your little one is going into... there is so much that can be done now to ease your stress.

REMEMBER, if you stress the week before, the night before, or on the 1st day of school. Your child will stress too. Their nerves are already rattled I am sure, having a stressed parent won't help either person. 

Welcome to the Start of my "Back to School" Series

Today is my first post of my "Back to School" Series so welcome and I hope you enjoy the next few weeks. I am going to have a few giveaways and also hope to get everyone ready for the next phase of summer... SCHOOL PREP.

This first post is going to sound about as crazy as when Ben Franklin decided to fly a kit in a lightening storm. I want to talk to all to all of the parents, this is about you first and foremost.

It's about your HABITS and your GOALS. Yes, right now you most likely have about 1 to 2 months before school is back in session. I on the other hand have less than 2 weeks and have been trying to get my habits down and my goals set.

I look forward to a new school year, it's like New Year's Day to me. I start my habits and goals now rather than January 1st. For New Year's, I love the clean slate and look forward to the new adventures of the Numerical Year. I also at the same time look forward to the new adventures in a School Year and I also make goals for myself as a parent. To reach those goals I want to start the habits early in the summer so I am ready to go and to start my goals.

My first goal is to be an early riser. I love to sleep, I could sleep in until noon if I didn't have kids. I did when I was single too, it drove my parents crazy. So about 2 weeks ago, I active tried to rise early. I haven't been successful at times, but I am constantly trying. It helps to take a shower and do a chore for me. I get up shower and then I unload the dishes while my children sleep. It works, I am alert and  the dishes are done and it makes the day start so much smoother. I knocked something off my list to do list. It actually helps in my motivation to do more. After I do the dishes then I read a few chapters in a book and after that, the kids are up and going.

This goal of being an early riser is to help our mornings not to be crazy. I want to have enough time for my son and daughter to get up and not feel rushed. My son especially, he as I do likes to go at his own pace. Sometimes he wakes up on his own and the mornings that I have to go and get him up, he is a bear. This goal of me being up earlier, will wake him up earlier to help shake the morning moodiness off.


My second goal is to have a stocked freezer of lunches for my husband. It has been great just making one lunch for one person. If you follow my Instagram account devoted to lunches, you have not seen as many posts or what I have is kind of to me "blah". My husband is simple and leftovers suffice for him. Also, his job is crazy busy so sometimes he doesn't get to eat lunch. When my son goes back to school I will be packing both of them a lunch and also breakfast and a snack for my son. I have been stocking our freezer with Sloppy Joe's, Broccoli and cheddar soup, cooked shredded chicken for quesadillas, and all of my husband's favorites. I will soon have breakfast items in there like waffles, crepes, muffins, and breakfast breads for them both to have.

My Third Goal is to stock up on snack items. If you pay attention, some of the crackers, granola bars and such are on sale. Reason it, it's pool season. You need fun stuff to take to the pool but for me, I see Lunch and snack stuff. I feel these sales can be better than the Back to School stock ups that will happen over the latter part of July. I do like making homemade snack items, but sometimes, especially as a PTO mom I don't have the time.

********Word of Caution******** If you are going to do a stock up and haven't done it before. Get a piece of note book paper or make a print out on your computer. List what you have and how many of that item and write the expiration date of that item next to the number. That way you don't forget about it and use what is set to expire first. Pay attention to this list each week when you plan your lunches so you know if you should make or use your stock.

 My Fourth Goal is to make sure I am organized myself. I plan out in my day planner all the days when my son is off or has a half day. Activities for the first few weeks and get it all ready so I am set.

I read somewhere it can take 21 days to form a habit... I am one of the ones that it takes longer. So a good month is what I needed. If you sleep in or something, don't beat yourself up. It's okay, just try again tomorrow. If you have your habits ready to start working towards the goals you set for yourself.

The best part about doing this now, is the first day of school will be relaxed. I will already be use to getting up early and not a cranky mom. I will be smiling and happy for pictures (be prepared, my son is not a picture kid. He will have grump faces on)

I will touch on each of my goals through this series in a more in depth scope as we go through the next few weeks.

My Social Media

So in starting this blog, I had a good idea of Facebook and Instagram. I don't like how Facebook is making changes constantly and I am trying to figure out the best way to deal with that. Unfortunately when I post, not a lot of you see it. I only have 18 likes, but dang, only 2 see a post 24 hours after I post it.

I started having fun, but I realized my original Instagram account wasn't going to cut it as far as posting the lunch ideas. I use to post a ton, but I had some complaints from family "We don't want to see food, we want to see your family". So in starting this blog, I set up a separate Instagram account that is devoted to Lunches. Sometimes some other stuff sneaks in, but mostly it is lunches that I pack. So for my Lunch ideas I am on Instagram as "Lunchesby1happymommaof2" my main account is "1Happymommaof2" and that is private so you would have to request to follow me.


For this blog site, it has been a challenge. I did it because it is all integrated in one with Google+, my email, and also this blogsite. I have learned to hack HTML codes to get Instagram and also Good Reads on here for you to see. This reading habit I have developed has taken a mind of it's own. I am like a kid in a candy store. It is also horrible now that books can be E-Delivered to my tablet, I have really had to practice self control. My library system doesn't have a good selection of Non-Fiction so I have to buy or borrow from a friend.

Google Plus is a whole new dimension of Outer Space to me. I don't get it and it's weird. If anyone has advice, please help me.

Buying a Planner

Okay, so If you follow me on Facebook you know I have been on the hunt for the PERFECT PLANNER. It's been the hardest search so far since I have needs and wants. I am high maintenance in keeping my life in ONE SPOT. I have done the electronic thing, but for me and the changes we have coming. It's going to be really crazy.

I did make a homemade planner in a binder and OHH NO, it was to big. I had the hardest time with the planner. It didn't find in the binder since I didn't do double sided printing (I just pressed the print button and went with it) I now do love the binder that I got out of it and I ordered 2.


So MOM'S WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ATTRIBUTES or FEATURE IN A PLANNER? Do you like a holiday organizer for the holidays? Spiral bound? Book type bound? Pretty? Functional? Price? Customizable?

Comment Below

My Interruption

So as I said in one of my previous posts, I stumbled upon a blog called Raising Up Stones and a post she had written about how God could be interrupting our day. I am a planner, I like things to go on time, I am a type A Personality in that. I understand kid's and such effect things and I have become very relaxed in understanding kid's might have different needs for the day. If you want to read her post you can find it here.


My husband and I just celebrated our 10 year anniversary and it was Amazing. I had been boiling a few weeks on thinking how certain things in my life had made me unhappy. It wasn't my marriage or my family it was a feeling of being stuck in away. So slowly I started going through thing by thing in my life to see what was creating the dark cloud over my blessed life. It wasn't long before I found it and then it was time for me to see "is this what I want or do I need something different" My son was actually one who said "Hey mom, this I have an issue with" It was in that moment God had been trying but I wasn't paying attention. So it was my son who he had show me the way. I will keep the subject private as for my son, he is still struggling and I am trying so hard to show him "HEY, this is okay to talk to me or your dad"

I cried a lot after his initial start of this long conversation. It at the time felt like I was adding one more thing to the pile, my child was having an issue and I didn't see it. For a few weeks I enclosed myself in and really thought long and hard. I have prayed and still I haven't found an answer so I am going to keep going. I can see that I have identified what is creating the dark cloud and I am happier day to day. My husband can see it and I can feel it.

In our lives the day to day can bog us down. Kids, jobs, daily commute, the home, chores, everything. If you find you are sad and feel alone, something needs to change. I was so unhappy and had been for a LONG LONG TIME. My husband and I are getting ready for another major change and being unhappy through it will make it 10 times harder.

I feel now that I am ready for somethings and this change I am working through is still a work in progress and might be for a little while. Which is totally okay and it's not a small one.

I am grateful now for my interruption it opened my eyes to something and I feel happier.

My post isn't related fully to Raising Up Stone's post but if I had really been in-tune with my faith, I bet I would have seen his interruptions a long time ago.

Quesadilla Recipe

Okay so if you follow me on Instagram under my Lunch account you saw my husband's lunch if you haven't see it here

So being in AZ I can get some Authentic Corn or Flour Tortillas. I have tried to replicate them, but decided it's worth my time to buy them. I don't have gas so I can't use a cast iron skillet.

The quesadilla was made in a panini maker.

I had left over chicken. I keep some in the freezer and it's cooked in my skillet with some taco or fajita seasoning. I shred it in my kitchen aid and freeze it about 1/4 or 1/2 a cup servings

I used a red onion diced, some salsa, taco cheese, and some of the chicken. I toasted it on the panini maker.

I presently have this Hamilton Beach which Amazon has marked HIGH. If you shop at Walmart, order it online and ship to the store, it was only $17.00 for me at the time. It get's the job done for me and I love it.

For this Quesadilla it all depends on taste. Add some of your own touches, green pepper, a jalapeno, whatever you want for the South West Flavor. Even the cheese.

My specific one

1/4 cup of pre-cooked chicken
Enough cheese to cover the chicken and 1/2 of the quesadilla (I used Organic Valley's Taco cheese)
1/3 cup of red onion
1 and 1/2 Tablespoon of Trader Joe's Hot Chipolte Salsa
If I had some green pepper it would be in this quesadilla.

My quesadillas were 13-14.75 inches. Since they were made at a small Taco Stand they vary in size. I grilled it on the panini maker and sliced with a pizza cutter.

Enjoy and mix it up to give it what you love.

Sorry readers

Sorry I have been MIA, we have been having a super fun summer and unfortunately for us, it's almost over. I hope everyone is having a fun fun fun summer. I am still posting some lunches not as often on Instagram - Lunchesby1Happymommaof2   and I am on Twitter @1happymommaof2. Catch me on Facebook here I am going to be starting my back to school series the week after the 4th of July. Be ready!

Have a fun one
Megan

It has been 11 days

I am so sorry, I took a week off from blogging for the first part of summer break. I am back and I have a product review. I just got this product and used it for the first time today, however, I am a huge fan already.

I hope everyone is having a great summer break! I have had so much fun with the kids and all the free time I have has allowed me to really evaluate somethings in my life and for my family. It has been amazing and a new blog I found had a post about finding pause in your day from a higher power. It was titled "Is God Interrupting My Day?" and it spoke to me. I realized I have been lacking in some areas in my love. I am refocusing and some awesome changes are coming thanks to a dear friend who has offered some amazing advice.

Back to the product review. I am sure you have heard me mention Momables on my blog and or social media from time to time. I first came across her blog via a twitter giveaway maybe a year ago. I was looking through her amazing recipes. I tweeted a few questions and she so graciously answered back (sorry, I am one who loves it when a blogger  interacts with their readers. It's a huge plus in my book to be friendly and engage with them as much as you can). The ONE question I asked was if she was using Ziploc containers to pack her lunches and she said "No, I am using EasyLunchboxes by Kelly Lester they are more kid friendly and durable" I thought ohhhh okay, I will keep using my ziploc containers for my husband and myself. So fast forward almost 11 months to last Wednesday and I was on my last container. The lids were no longer clicking into place and my lunch was no longer fresh. My husband killed our very last one by leaving it in his car, the dash read 125 (UGH AZ HEAT) and the container just warped. So using my Amazon Prime, I placed an order and Friday came

For $21.95 (your shipping and totals may vary) I ordered 4 containers and a set of dip containers (8 come in a package) I was so excited (Yes, lunch containers I get super excited over because I love a variety). The moment I opened them, I was impressed! They are super durable (I mean husband proof). I packed them on Sunday for the first time one for my husband and one for myself

(My husband have Vegetarian Taquitos (recipe via Weelicious), homemade Organic Guacamole, and Organic Tortilla chips)

I had Toasted Oat & Honey bread, PB2, cheddar cheese, strawberries, a peach, and blueberries)

I love these containers and will be placing a new order soon for their Brights line and a cooling bag.

If you are looking for an economical way to pack lunches and don't want to worry about the containers being weak or your kids (or in my case husband) losing them. I HIGHLY recommend EasyLunchboxes! I immediately tweeted Momables and said I should have listened to her a year ago.  I am able now to pack a week's worth of lunches in one day and my husband just grabs them and goes. When school starts back up and I am running here and there, I can pack lunches for me to go. 

Disclosure - *This product review is NOT A SPONSORED review. I ordered the product and paid for any and all product, taxes, fees, and shipping. Kelly Lester or EasyLunchboxes did not ask me to review or provide the product. I often love to share products I use in hopes of helping another person in what they might need or works for them. 

Sick kids and a nail to the tire

It has really really really been a crazy for the past 3 days. My poor daughter has been sick with a stuffed up head. The poor thing, she has been miserable and hasn't been able to go to and have fun with her friends. I have been up for 2 nights straight. Literally the total amount if sleep I have had in 2 nights is 6 hrs. Last I checked, it was summer break and I was suppose to be getting all sorts of sleep.

Today, I decided it was time to take my baby girl to get her ears checked. Thankfully, no ear infections, she has a slight case of vertigo. So it explains everything she has been doing the past 2 days. We have some bumps and bruises and a sick tummy. It has been a few interesting days around here with this illness.

I was so happy I loaded my kids into the van and all the sudden I see it. THIS HUGE metal object in the tread of my tires. I had a bolt in my tire, I of course immediately get upset. I don't know a lot about cars, except that they don't have blinker fluid or muffler bearings. (Inside joke from my high school days). I got my sleepy self to call my husband and to just take it to the auto shop. I have to say how happy I am we got a Road Hazard Policy for our tires. It was free, but having a toddler with vertigo and no stroller a trip to the mall well... This experience is going to be a fun one well, not that, but interesting for sure.

The gentleman behind the counter told me 2.5 hours, so off we went. I tried so hard to get my daughter to stay seated as much as possible. With an almost 3 year old that lasted maybe 2 minutes total. We had to go to the princess store, absolutely had to go. We managed to go to a few stores and it was, in all honestly heavenly. My kids were so well behaved, for 2.5 hours going all over the mall. I got my glasses adjusted, I tried on shoes for both kids, I got a lot done. It was super amazingly a smooth trip, I signed our work orders and left. We went and ran the rest of our errands and it was great, I rewarded with cookies.

Chores and your kids

I have a 9 year old and a 3 year old in one week. Hold on while I shed a tear that our baby is getting bigger and bigger. My husband and I are pretty much mostly on the same page when it comes to chores. The weirdest thing we do is, we don't pay an allowance. We are teaching our kids about money but we have standard chores and then I am guess what would be "commission" chores.

Standard being the obvious, clean your room, pick up your clothes, clear the table, be respectful and so forth. When we offer commission chores it's things like cleaning baseboards weekly, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the pans from dinner, laundry, and so forth. I saw a pin on Pinterest (where ALL mom's get their ideas) that had a board with the money attached. It has been the BEST idea, my son picks a chore and collects his "commission" immediately. The hardest part is my son NEVER SPENDS A PENNY, birthday, tooth fairy, commissions and so forth. We love that he saves, but getting him to splurge is hard for us to get him to understand. He says he is saving for a house, in 9 years. We love that he is wanting to save, we also just hope that he learns to get a treat for himself every now and then.

How do you plan chores for your kids?

Summer Projects

I have a list of various Summer Projects I want to get started. My first one is getting a better morning routine. I am horrible at mornings. I want to be better because at my age, the late nights are no longer my friend. I follow this blog called Money Saving Mom. I am a huge huge fan of Crystal's, first, she has quadrupled my Kindle Library in a month with her links to free books. She posts update daily that save me money and offers so much more.

I purchased her book Say Goodbye to Survival Mode and I obviously being a poor time manager, haven't found the time to read it. I have a lot of different blogs that I follow, some of them share their morning routine. As I sit trying to wake up after I run my son to school, I am jealous of their time management. I have to say, I do not know where to start. So, my goal is to have this book read in a week. Maybe, I will have a system down and I will find more down time for me.

I would love to watch a movie start to finish in ONE sitting. Devote more time to my daily devotionals and Bible Reading. Who knows, maybe I could paint my bathroom in an afternoon.

My biggest issue is my and I know you see the memes, I have ADD cleaning. I will literally change the laundry and half way through the process, clean the kitchen and my master bathroom. Hours later, the washer is still half way filled with wet clothes.

So hopefully, this book will jump start a new morning routine

Murphy's law

So if you follow me on Instagram you saw that today was our last day of school. My relief was nonexistent as I was so tired from the day before, well really this whole week. I had been pushing the envelope so much to get all this end of the year stuff done on top of a few projects my husband and I were working on. We had our 8th grade promotion ceremony, a Sundae Bar for a 2nd grade class, errands, grocery shopping, putting away said groceries, and still home work, and making lunches. I did about half of this with my toddler on my hip towards the middle to end as she was very very tired. DID I MENTION I was in HIGH HEELS for 13 hours straight?

The day started off pretty good, but as it wore on, little things started happening. There was the sugar crash of my daughter who had an ice cream sundae. Grocery shopping with the after work crowd (not my favorite thing to do). I was so thrown off on my schedule, I left my list at home and did it from memory. I forgot some key items. So that is another trip I have to make soon.

Naps were not taken so of course crying and I am guilty of bribing to get through all the errands. A mom has to do what a mom has to do. She had been so wonderful, but running after the big school kids all day, she needed rest. She decided to fall asleep at 6 PM so that meant her bed time was going to be WAY LATER than normal.

Then comes the biggest incident... the HOMEWORK incident. It is the night before the last day of school. Their Big Math test was already done, but NO, NO NO NO. We are going to do a double sided division work sheet. Just for fun. I am trying not to crab to much, but come on, they are done. The Honor Roll assembly was the next day at 8:30 Grades are done. So my son is doing his homework at 9 PM way past his bed time and it starts. He literally finishes and here comes the worst nose bleed ever. If you have been following Arizona, it is REALLY DRY HERE. We have a lot of wildfires happening and the side of the highways with the dry landscapes are literally bursting into flames. So 20 minutes later, there is a mess from the dining room to the kitchen. His homework is not in any condition to be turned in.

My son is a serious 3rd (now 4th grader), I knew the teacher would understand. NOPE, he had to have his homework. I promised him, I would take care of it. I get everyone in bed, lunches made, groceries put away, kitchen cleaned. I grab my wonderful little pint of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food (best stuff ever) and I sit to get the work sheet from the Math Site. I press Print at 11:39 pm... NOTHING. I press print again... NOTHING. My printer was disconnected from the network. So after working with the horrible Windows 8, I get it back online. I press print again at 12:04 AM... a message appears (ink is low).

At this point, I am willing to take the F for the grade. I get out my legal pad and start writing all the math problems.... I messed up 3 times. On my 4th attempt to create the work sheet, I wrote the last problem wrong. I decided OHH Well.

BY 12:49 AM, my tired, hungry, sore self went to bed. I woke up deader than a Zombie and could barely walk. I went to the Awards Ceremony to see my son get the Honor Roll. I some how finagled a 3 hr nap from my daughter so I slept in a blissful Advil aided state. I woke up not feeling fully awake, but I was awake enough to go to Pack Meeting.

My son did get an "A" in Math... I guess Murphy wanted me to really earn my Summer Break

Wexy Lunch and Munch Bags Review

Long time no write, the past week and next week are going to be SO CRAZY. It's our last day of school a week from TODAY! Between end of the year activities, Baseball Championships, PTO events, and our regular routine. I am finding no time for writing and I find myself counting the days to May 23rd when we can finally sleep in.

With our hectic schedule, I have found there is NO TIME for constantly washing our snack containers and such that I pack for when we are going to be gone. I was emailed last week by Wexy Bags to do a review and I thought to myself "Perfect Timing". I knew I was going to be running all over and I would have a chance to use the product A LOT!

When I find out about a new company, I love to read their About Us story. You find so much out about the founders especially what drove them to create their brand. In reading about Wexy Bags I read about Carie and her needs to provide lunches and snacks for her son who had a Gluten Intolerance and various food allergies. Tracey believed in providing foods that weren't processed or filled with GMO's to her family. Immediately you can see just like most mom's out there they have wants and needs for their kids. In creating this product they felt kids needed to get excited about healthy foods. You see so many foods that are overly processed with fun characters on it. My daughter sees them and wants them too, but cartoons don't fool mom. Carie and Tracey felt that kids need to get excited about their food, along came WEXY bags! They have 4 adorable Monsters Sammy the Surfer, Scout the Soccer Player, Bailey the Bubble Maker, and Dusty the Diver

My daughter has fallen in love with Bailey the Bubble Maker, she took all the bags to her room at one point. They are super cute and SUPER fun and you can read more about the monsters here. 

I used these bags non stop since I got them, if you follow me on instagram you have seen them there in some of my posts. 

I am loving Wexy Bags for a lot more than just their cute monsters. They are also Bisphenol A (BPA) free, which as we all know is a major concern these days with our exposure to this chemical especially in kids. BPA has been known to cause cancer, asthma, heart disease, thyroid problems, even obesity. These bags are 100% BPA free! 

If you are concerned about recycling or post consumer waste, Wexy Bags are 100% biodegradable. When thinking about health, Carie and Tracey thought of everything. That includes the effects on the enviorment! Their product box is also 100% recycled cardboard and made in the USA! As Moses Henry Cass said "We don't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" I love this product so much that it honors a quote I love so much. 

I have fallen in love with these bags and as a mom on the go they support my ideals. I love that I have bags that are fun for my kids and friendly to the environment. With our summer activities too such as swim practice 2 times a day, we will be needing a ton of on the go snacks!

If you go to Wexy Bags you will find out all sorts of information, including placing an order. I found a small little something that ANY PARENT can use, and that is a FREE E-BOOK! In this little bonus are snack and meal ideas! The recipes are allergy friendly as well, and they explain the nutritional benefits to each recipe. I have recipe #12 planned which is Bailey's French Toast Bites planned for our first Breakfast of Summer Break and Recipe #4 Frozen Grapes is going now since Grapes were on sale this week! 

I included a few pictures from my instagram, as you can see, the bags add some fun to snack time. 

 

Disclaimer: This was a sponsored post by  Wexy Bags. Wexy Bags AKA Two Moms on the Go, LLC provided the product for my review as compensation. All opinions and photos are mine and of my own views. Please ask to use pictures or an context from this blog If you have any questions please feel free to email me HERE 

Sources: Wexy Bags and Wikipedia Bisphenol A (BPA)

Summer is a comin

So my son can count on small but fun things I plan at home for the last day of school before Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. I get a movie we have never seen, Root Beer Floats are a MUST, and a fun dinner. For us this year I am having to improvise since we have Pack Meeting for Boy Scouts and we won't be home until 8. I am so bummed we look forward to this every year. Pity Party Over!

However, I have 6 weeks (we are year round remember) to plan and keep my kids happy and distracted. The pool and the ever obvious Swim Team will keep us going. However, when we are what hose who gets them. I call Water Logged. I need more ideas. That is where Pinterest comes in. Now, we are all prone to a Pinterest Fail, myself is for sure a Mom who has had A LOT of those.

I am planning weekly trips to the library, science experiments (2 a week), cooking fun (I suggest doing this during different times of day for different meals). My son wants to help with dinner first, so he will be in charge of planning the menu. I will guide him for budget purposes, slicing if needed, etc. We are planning a few mother and son dates nights to talk about books we are reading.

I am super excited that Harkins does a summer movie program and I can get 10 movies for 5 bucks. That is a Friday thing so I can't wait. Check your local theater, at 10 AM they do a showing of a repeat kid's movie and the tickets are SUPER CHEAP. Great way to escape the heat for us (In AZ it will be a scorcher this summer)

What ideas do yo have for summer break. All mom's need help in this area because when you hit that wall, you need reinforcements!

Have a great eveing!

Plastic bags vs Containers in packing a lunch

My son's school is a year round school. We start in July so I am ahead of all the "Back to School" bargains that the stores offer. I made a promise to myself in the summer of 2013 to pack my son's lunch and see how far I could go before I caved and had him buy lunch at school. I am proud to say I only have 15 days left in this school year. I have packed lunches and breakfasts for him all year. This is a huge commitment, I wanted to pack fun meals that weren't just sandwiches every day.

After the 1st quarter we get a 3 week Fall Break. I began to get irritated at all the plastic bags in his lunch box after 2 weeks. So my research began on containers to pack his lunch in that I can wash and reuse. I decided to get the ziploc 3 compartment containers... those are now my "EMERGENCY" or "FIELD TRIP" go to. They gave up, where the line divider is on the width part, it gets and odd shape after you pull it off. Mine were done after a week, It couldn't latch on at all. So I began to look at what people call "Bento". 

I found Laptop Lunches due to their price $23.99 for their Bento Box!!!. I got my bento set the last day of school before break. I was super excited to see it in the mail box (fast fast shipping). I got up 3 weeks later and packed my son an awesome lunch in his new lunch container. I loved it and it paid itself off in 1 month compared to plastic bags. I was super sad to lose the container month later. So back to plastic bags for me and griping about the costs.

I decided to try a Planet box bento system next. This was an expense I wrestled with for a few months actually. I wanted the Rover Complete which is $59.95.  I had to do the math to justify the cost associated with it. The container came with a 5 year warranty which I was super excited to have

Here is my break down. 

Let's go off a 4 week month of 20 days of school. I bought the Target brand sandwich ziploc bags and 100 came to a box which were $2.64. I packed 4 bags a lunch (sandwich, fruit, veggie, and a small treat or snack) So I got 25 lunches a box and at 9 months a year (just lunches not anything extra and breakfasts it was getting costly) I kept losing track so then I just starting writing the dates on the boxes when I got them. I was getting a box every 1.5 weeks! So 2 a month, it was costing me $47.52 a school year ( 9 months and that doesn't include summer). 

So now that the boring stuff is over, I broke down and ordered the Rover from Planet Box. I am super happy with the container again like the Laptop Bento. I love each container for their own individual reasons, it really depends on the meal and the purpose I need it for.  I can say financially, there is major major advantages to using containers over plastic bags. If you follow me on Instagram with what I post for my son's lunches you can see sandwiches are there but not often. My son loves getting meals from home that he loves. Stir Fry is his favorite, macaroni and cheese, and Turkey Meatballs. His lunches are famous with a few of the teachers they have to see what he has. For me, I know what he is eating and he eats it all. 

There are a TON of lunch containers. Ziploc, Laptop Lunches, Planet Box, Yumbox, Easy Lunch Containers, Lunch Bots I haven't used all of these, but I have read reviews. I know tons of bloggers who use different containers. I am building my collection, it depends on your needs and wants. it also depends on your child's age. Some coordination is needed to open some of the containers, keep in mind if your school will help. (Yes, some won't help open a lunch container... shocking to me)

If you are on the fence on ordering containers, take into account your costs and number of kids. I only have 1 whom I pack lunch and breakfast for. Keep track in your own way for your budget. I am not a couponer so I can't get all the bags on sale. I don't have the patience with potty training of my toddler. Keep in mind what works for you and if you don't like it... there is Ebay or a friend who you can give it to. 

If you have any questions please feel free to comment here or use the email me link. 

The RESET BUTTON and our Toddler

So, if you know me personally, you have heard the EPIC stories of my daughter. I love her with ever fiber of my being and that she is so spirited and wonderful. She by the time she hits kindergarten, will turn every hair on my head grey. My children are 6 years apart, and we always say my son is like having an old cat. He is easy going, chill, and has so much patience for his little sister. Which with our little princess, she is chaos bottled up 2.5 feet of girl. There is a saying "Let her sleep for when she wakes she will move mountains" which is so true.

The most recent case was when she robbed the Easter Bunny, she ate all 14 chocolate eggs, and shoved all the money in the oven of her play kitchen. She didn't know, but she did out the Easter Bunny to my son, I think he was teetering, but this pushed it all over the edge. I am so sad on this transition for my son and we have chatted about the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy. He still loves the idea and is now excited to help carry the tradition for his little sister. (IE, he can hide the Easter Eggs).

I am getting to a point, I promise!!!!!!!!

I realize, I got caught up in the madness of life when I looked at my planner and can't remember the last time I used it. I got a printable planner from The Handmade Home and I love love love it.  I just haven't actually used it in a month. It is amazing how a month can change your WHOLE SCHEDULE and the way your run your home. This generation of kids won't know a 9-5 job for their parents and weekends off. With technology especially there are many ways to connect to the office. I mismanaged everything and lost our structure so that means our schedule is FLAILING.

With our toddler who is challenging as it is, we like to have structure so she knows what is coming and it makes teaching behavior expectations so much better. I kept trying to figure out why the temper tantrums were coming more frequent and it hit on Tuesday evening. So now I have to tighten the ship and and press our RESET BUTTON.  This is going to be hard for me because she will defy it and the moment it is back on schedule Summer Break starts.

Time to start buying... SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Yes, you read the title right. Now before you start throwing stuff at the computer mad because summer is literally almost here. Hear me out on my thoughts, as a PTO/PTA mom and also the VP for now 5 years running, you get to know the teachers. By January and especially February, this is what I hear... "I am almost out of copy paper. " "I need sanitizer, I am on empty" and things of this nature. Before you go "I bought them supplies at the beginning of the school year" I want you to think long and hard about what some schools are able to pay their teachers. For my son's school, and we are 1 RURAL school. I know our school budget isn't much and they make do on so little. I know we grew up hearing "The schools have no money" and it was true then and even more now. Think about the rising costs of living and how little a teacher's salary has gone up. I am not trying to guilt any parent here. At the end of the school year think about how little they have to work with.

So, my solution. The 1st day of school comes every year, same time every year. You know your kid is going to school and supplies are needed.The supply lists come out at various times maybe the 1st day of schools like ours. Other schools may mail it with your teacher assignment a few weeks before school starts. I long ago decided to divide and conquer. There are specifics you can not get until the list is in your hands, paper, markers, number of folders, etc. So I start buying now what I KNOW I will need.

Here is my list I am literally stock piling for the teacher
Tissues
Sanitizer
Sanitizer wipes,
Box of copy paper (some schools demand teachers supply their own)
Colored copy paper (2 or 3 reams)
Pencils
Crayons
Dry Erase Markers
Pencil Sharpeners (for your kid)

These are items that you can get some good deals on slowly to stock up. If they can't use it, there is another teacher who can. Sharing is caring for them or they will be trading Kleenexes for Sanitizer.

I am also stock piling for myself AKA buying clothes on clearance. Plus we order our backpacks and lunch boxes from Amazon. It is their downtime, so I want to get a good deal. Our favorite sports teams are from our home town, so Amazon has the best deals for us.

My list,
Backpack (My son goes through these once a year, this year we had 2)
Lunchbox (Another one of those things that gets a lot of wear and tear)
Thermos (for drinks)
I am shopping for a new lunch box system to have a variety depending on the meals. (Another blog idea)
Wide Ruled Paper (homework)
Homework Box supplies (I will post on this later)
Clothes you know your child will need (Shorts, school uniform items, sweaters, etc)

Start a list on your planner or on your phone. Add things as you think of them, stuff like this you NEED. If you can get a bargain or stock up to help the teachers it is a Dollar well spent