{Get Organized!} School Lunches

If I don't do this soon, I will cry.

Source: here @ Echoes of Laughter

Source here @ IHeart Organizing

How smart is this?!  My kids are just now starting to ask for school lunch, but it is only about 50% of the time.  Which is fine with me.  I do enjoy the break from packing lunches, too.  I make the lunches the night before and so this idea would help make that process even faster.  I could have all the baby carrots in baggies ready to grab.  However, things like apples that brown, will still need to be cut up the night before.  Even so, there is even the option of asking the kids to "pack" their own lunch if I make it this easy.

And speaking of kids lunches...I need to get some new tricks in this department.  My 6yr old "claims" to dislike peanut butter and any bread that is brown (wheat).  Ok.  Great.  I will try and work within those narrow guidelines.  And my 4yr old asked me (again) today for a butterfly sandwich.  An assignment which I have already failed once.

I spent some time here at Laptop Lunches to find some better ideas.  I do think presenting the food in these cute bento boxes could also help raise my kids' interest in eating the lunch.  I did find four "anti-sandwhich lunches" to start with:

1.  Crunch and Munch
I think this whole lunch might be a hit with both kids.  Might sub out the tomatoes for red pepper or carrots. I believe there is a spinach dip in that foil section.

 2.  Pizza With Pizazz
No one in this family will deny pizza, so this should work perfectly!  I will need another idea for the soup (will be cold).  I could probably leave it out entirely because I am feeding young kids with small bellies.




3.  It's A Wrap
I could use any fruit or veggie on hand.  Changing the bread to a fun wrap sandwich might boost the enthusiasm about lunch.  And opting for pretzel "nuggets" vs. the traditional twist might be novel as well!





4.  Breakfast for Lunch
We eat breakfast for dinner A LOT, so why not for lunch!??!  I should have thought of this long ago.  Again, my kids should eat all of this.

Do you have any suggestions for my anti-sandwich kids?  I would love to hear them! 

Leave me a comment/link.  If I get a bunch, I will do a post of all the anti-sandwhich ideas here on my blog!

Between naptime and school pick up...

And just as I was getting ready to write a new post, the little man wakes up.  Darn it!  But I guess since I am here I will chat for a minute.  I have not forgotten about you, little crafty blog and my hundred or so readers, I am just flying solo right now while my husband is out of town and I haven't been able to squeeze in the blog.

I know many of you probably manage just fine when the hubby's gone, but I am pretty certain I barely get by even when he is here.  I know, I only have 3 kids and I don't homeschool or run an etsy shop (at least for the past year) so I am sure you are wondering what my problem is on why I can't find time to craft and blog.  I am wondering the same thing!  ha!  Hang on now, I am not looking for pity, I am just telling ya that I am still here.  Not complaining, just babbling.  We are doing laundry, and homework, going to the gym and soccer practices, and potty training (which is going like textbook- or better!!).  And I have learned that an hour is not enough time for me to get everybody bathed and ready for bed and teeth brushed and stories read each night.  Do I really need to start getting the kids ready for bed at 6:30?  And I know that my youngest is going to get out of bed 15 times before finally staying there.  And if I stand up in his doorway, it will speed up the falling asleep time.  And I won't get to the kitchen to pack lunches until 9:30.  Doesn't Supernanny say the bedtime routine should be much shorter than that?  I agree.  I must be doing something wrong.  And I know that there is plenty of time from 10pm to ?? to make stuff, but I am just so exhausted that my eyes barely stay open.  You don't want me operating a sewing machine or glue gun when I can't see straight. 

I did finish my project for my friend, took pics, and can't wait to share!  

Also an update on that butterfly sandwich...she hated it and told me I made it wrong.  I only own one cookie cutter, a very small heart.  I had to turn the butterfly into a few small heart sandwiches. Maybe I need a butterfly cookie cutter?

Gotta get the kids from school.  Such a loud part of my day.

   

Butterfly Sandwich + Potty Train + Features = a bunch of Whatever

I just made a butterfly sandwich.

I don't even know if I made it correctly. I thought about taking a picture, but you would just make fun. It was one of those, "you really need to use your imagination" kind of things. My daughter asked me specifically for a butterfly sandwich in her lunch tomorrow. I had to ask her what that was. She described that is was a sandwich in the shape of a butterfly. She said I didn't have to worry about the head. (How kind.) I just cut the bread in a couple of triangles and stuck some toothpicks in a sugar snap pea to make antennae and also to hold the butterfly together. I don't know. Maybe she'll fall for it. Obviously some awesome mom to one of her lucky classmates knows all about these sandwiches. I will have to find out who she is, I guess.

I did not make this.  I found it here. 

Other than that, I started potty training my son, Henry. He is two. He has been running around in his underwear much of this week. You can see he is a Thomas the Train fan. He refers to this process as the Potty Train.



Hey by the way, did you notice my sidebar? Over there ---------> (and up near the top...)


Three more blogs that have featured a craft from my blog!
Can.you.believe.it? I can't!


It was funny, last night I was scrolling through a blog and I was like, "Hey that's Stella's arm!"
I saw the picture but it didn't click in my head right away what my photo was doing elsewhere!
Very cool.

I do have a few new projects that I want to make. Picked up some supplies today, in fact! Me and Mr. Potty Train ran some errands. He suffered through a trip to Hobby Lobby and Hancock Fabrics. He paid me back at naptime. However, these new projects will have to wait. I just started a new-new project today- it was something that I envisioned in my head and now am trying to bring it to reality. So far so good. I can't say what it is though. It is going to be a gift so I can't blow the surprise! I smell my glue gun heating up...that's all I can say!  

{Recipe} :: Pumpkin Everything Cookies (Free printable recipe card)

I signed up to bring the snacks for Stella's preK class this week. Lucky me, I got a short week (and didn't even realize it when I signed up). Since we were out of town this weekend, I had to stick to my old reliables for healthy school snacks.

1. Fruit.  Today I sent bananas and a plastic knife so the teacher can cut each banana in half.
2. String Cheese.
3. A "mix". I just use a few items. These are the 4 I used today: chex cereal, pretzels, yogurt covered raisins, and mini marshmallows.
4. My Pumpkin Everything Cookies. I know they are cookies, but they are made with some good-for-you ingredients.

Since it is so close to fall, I was eager to make my first (of many) batches of these this year. They are fully customizable, too!  I just use whatever "everythings" I have on hand.

...Here is my recipe for a very ADAPTABLE pumpkin cookie that FREEZES very well, too!...

{Recipe} Pumpkin Everything Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves

And the "everything" part:
1 cup chips - -chocolate, white, mini, peanut butter, etc.
1 cup crunch - - oats, granola
1 cup nuts - - slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, pecans
1 cup dried fruit - - cranberries, golden raisins, raisins, etc.

1.  In a large bowl, mix butter and sugars. Beat in egg and pumpkin.

2.  In another bowl, combine flours, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves. Gradually add this to the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the "everything" ingredients.

3.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet. They don't really spread out when you bake them, so about 2 inches apart is good. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Cool on wire racks. These cookies also freeze very well!!

The recipe made about 48 cookies.  So after I bagged up all the cookies for Stella's classmates, I was left with just four.  What is four cookies?!  A snack for me.  I had opened one of those huge cans of pumpkin to make these and just froze the leftover pumpkin for future cookies.  (There is about 3 cups of pumpkin in one of the big cans. I divided the pumpkin into two ziplocs and put into the freezer.)


These are just my favorite go-to cookie that I don't feel bad giving to my kids.  I always over measure the pumpkin, too.  Today I used craisins, mini choc chips, and oats.  I didn't know if the kids would eat them if I put a nut in them.  No allergies in the class, I just thought they would freak out and not eat them.  They may not eat them anyway, I realize that.  These kids are 4.

If you would like to print out this recipe to keep, click below and print.  

Linking here:

{Tutorial: Kid Craft} STELLA CUFF BRACELET (made by a 4yr old!)

I think I might have created a monster.

My daughter, who is four, loves. to. sew.  And she especially likes to sew with my machine.  I finally gave in and let her try.  I had to prop up the pedal on a box of copy paper with a book and sticky shelf liner just so she could reach it.  I also put the speed down to the very slowest that the machine would go.

She was just begging to sew. How could I refuse?!  So I made up this little craft that turned out to be a great idea!  I think these little cuff bracelets would also make cute gifts.  I could also make, say a coaster or key fob, and let her decorate it with different stitches.  Easy gift ideas that aunties would love...just sayin!

All I did was sew up (super quickly) a rectangle of fabric.  Then I turned her loose on my machine.  She was mainly interested in the different kinds of stitches, so I showed her how to type in the numbers.

I was really nervous about letting a four year old use my machine, but she surprised me!  She really tried to make something nice.  And because she enjoyed using the big grown-up machine, she was a very, very good listener about it.  

I learned to give my kids a chance.  They are capable of surprising me- in a good way.

:::::HOW TO MAKE THE STELLA CUFF BRACELET:::::

Step 1.

Step 2.  Choose a colored thread.  Also a GREAT way to use up some of those funky colors you bought a long time ago.

Step 3.  Sew away.  Change thread colors.  Change stitches.  Let her go.  Whatever she wants.

Step 4.  Add a button/button hole.  She helped hand stitch the button.  

Yes, it is a little crooked, but it looks perfect!!!!  All sewn by her four-yr old self!!  

Step 5.  Admire...  I know you are so proud because you made it!!

And now, I hear everyday on the way home from school, "Mommy can I sew when I get home?"  Every day.

Linking here: