Back to School Again!

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Aug 142008

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I can’t believe it is already time to send my little monsters sweethearts off to school again! Summertime goes so fast nowadays. And really, that’s true – because, they barely get more than two months, the poor little buggers! It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was posting that they were going back to school last year! Crazy how time flies, isn’t it?

Our schools around here started on the 7th, so the kids have had six days of school so far. Back home, though, they don’t even start until August 25th! And I think some of my friends up north say they start even later than that. They stay in school for some of June and we are usually out by then.

My daughter is in sixth grade and the ‘top of the school’! That is such a fun year! And it is also the year that the kids start switching classes to get ready for high school. So she has six or seven different teachers. She really likes all of her teachers so far, but, she absolutely loves her homeroom teacher! I do, too – she is the reading teacher – so you know I like her! She is really nice, though – it’s not just that she’s the reading teacher – she is very spunky!
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Posted by Mrs.Lisa at 5:53 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

School lunches can get so boring

Back to School No Responses »
Oct 022007

It’s so hard to keep coming up with healthy and fun school lunch ideas. No wonder most parents tend to pack the same foods over and over again. Here are a few ideas to change things up a little.

Change the Bread – Or don’t use bread at all. Kids can get bored with sandwiches so why not try the same fillings but make it a little more exciting by changing the bread. You can try pita bread, bagels, tortilla wraps or even crackers or breadsticks.

Make the old standards fun – On the days where you go for the traditional sandwich try cutting the bread with fun shapes using cookie cutters. You can also cut slices of cheese or ham into fun shapes. You’ll be amazed at how a boring cheese sandwich will get gobbled up when shaped into a flower or dinosaur.

Finger Foods – Sometimes kids, especially younger ones, don’t like to eat a whole sandwich or bowl of food. Instead you can try preparing cut up cubes of cheese, grapes, carrot sticks, pretzels, mini crackers, and ham cubes. Place in a container with individual compartments for a fun lunch.

Dip It – Kids love dipping stuff. For an easy and nutritious lunch snack you can cut apple wedges and serve with a strawberry or peanut butter dip or cut up veggies served with a hummus dip or try a cream cheese dip. For a more substantial lunch add pieces of pita bread, breadsticks or crackers.

Lunch Notes – Write cute little notes once in a while to put a smile on your little one’s face. A simple note with a smiley face saying I love you or miss you can instantly make a child feel better. For older children (who will no doubt be embarrassed by smiley faces and cutsie notes) try a riddle or brain teaser instead. I used to send a definition of one new word on a slip of paper every day in my boys’ lunches. It was a cool, and sometimes funny, new way for them to learn a new word.

Go Read A Book!.bmp

Posted by Mrs.Lisa at 9:38 pm

An excellent way to handle the back to school shopping

Back to School No Responses »
Sep 062007

I guess I’ll have to do a little bragging on my husband on this one, as this was all his doing. He was totally and completely in charge of taking the kids for their back-to-school clothes. (Now ya’ll don’t tell him I’m in here singing his praises – we don’t want him to get a big head, now, do we?) ;)

First of all, we had saved up some money from our tax returns, so that was a big, no – a BIG load off! That really made all of the beginning of the year expenses so much easier to handle!

But the really ingenious thing that he did, was to take them all shopping … one at a time! Just one parent and just one kid – what a great idea! I can’t tell you how confused I get myself trying to shop for all three of them at once … “ok, I got three shirts for you, but, only two for him, but, I got three pairs of pants for her…ad nauseum!” But, of course, you know that story, don’t you?

So he took them one at a time and avoided that whole mess! He took the boys first, and then it came time to take my daughter. My daughter and I discussed it, wondering together, ‘Is Daddy really capable of shopping for clothes for/with a girl?’ I reminded her about the time that he bought her a beautiful Christmas dress on his own, and then we also talked about the two of them shopping for their Daddy/Daughter dinner/dance. And so we decided that it would probably be just fine. And you know what? It was. They got some really cute – yet practical – things. Sammie was so excited and wanted to model all of her clothes for me right away!

I remember that feeling! I loved getting my new school clothes every year! It was an exciting time! And some of our ‘clothes’ back then really helped to make it exciting! For example – anyone else remember Underoos? Oh yeah! It was kind of like we were secret superheroes, because, we had protective underwear, you know? I even found a video of part of one of the old Underoos commercial:

Do you guys remember that? I love it! I think every year at the beginning of the school year, I get all sappy with memories! I drive the kids crazy with my memories. I’m sure they’ll be glad one day, though, that I told them all of this stuff repeatedly – it will help them remember them!

But, I know for sure, if it comes back around to being my chore again to take them school clothes shopping, I will definitely take them one at a time – that just worked too smoothly!

GO READ A BOOK!

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Posted by Mrs.Lisa at 5:50 pm

“Mom! I’m so hungry!”

Back to School No Responses »
Sep 052007

More on the Back to School series:

“Mom! I’m so hungry!” – That is pretty much the first thing I hear when my kids come barreling through the front door after school! And let me tell you, I’m no June Cleaver – hot, fresh cookies are not coming out of the oven every day! ;)

And really, that’s a good thing, because, I want to guide my children to eat healthier snacks. I don’t want them to come home tired and depleted of nutrients from all the hard studying and playing they’ve been doing – and then just fill them up with sugar!

Of course they would probably love to grab an ice cream sandwich, instead of an apple; a bag of chips over a bag of rice cakes. But, we can entice our children to eat nutritious snacks by making the snacks a little more exciting. Here are a few suggestions:

Freeze bite size chunks of fruit. Watermelon, pineapple and apple slices tossed into a bag and then into the freezer make a refreshing, crunchy snack. The trick is that you want to have something convenient. Have it ready to pop into their mouth.

You can make a variety of kabobs. Adults usually like some meat chunks, with a little onion, green pepper and pineapple on their skewer, then onto the grill. Kids want something different. Marshmallows, cheese, grapes, apple wedges, pineapple, banana slices, pretzels, and slices of rolled up ham or turkey are choice ingredients to stack your kabobs. Have those waiting in the refrigerator when the kids get home and you’ll hear no whines of “There’s nothing to eeeeeeeeeat!”

If you’re totally at a loss for creativity, then use some fun bowls, plates or cups. Serve fresh fruit in a margarita glass. Put Goldfish crackers in a goldfish bowl and use a fish net to scoop out the yummy aquatic crackers. Use a new net, of course… not the one you use for Gill! ;)

Imagine the look on your kids’ faces when they come home to find an ice cream cone stuffed with a special salad just for them: Carrots, celery, apple, walnuts, and raisins! They will climb up on those bar stools so quickly to eat that yummy, fun, and delicious snack!

We’ve all heard that variety is the spice of life – so let’s all get to spicing up snack time!

GO READ A BOOK!

Fun mail for children!

Posted by Mrs.Lisa at 1:24 pm

Smooth bedtime routines lead to smooth morning routines

Back to School No Responses »
Aug 252007

More on the Back to School series:

“I can’t believe you forgot to give me your Wednesday folder until this morning! Bring it to me quickly – I don’t want you to miss the bus!”

How smoothly your bedtime routine goes will determine how smoothly your morning goes. It’s important to have routines for bedtime as well as in the morning. The best way to keep track of needed tasks is to use a chart.

If you leave it to your memory, which might not be as sharp as IBM memory, or that of your children, something will slip through the cracks. In this fast paced world we live in, and with children’s developing brains, someone will forget. I don’t know about you, but if something simple at night can make my mornings run smoother, I’m all for it.

There are a couple different options you can use with regard to charts. One method would be to list each item that needs to be completed in a separate line on the chart. You could list tasks such as homework completed, lunch made, backpack packed, clothes picked out, showered, teeth brushed. Whereas the morning chart would be dressed, lunch out of refrigerator, teeth brushed, and dog fed. Each task could get a check mark or a sticker – depending on the age of the children.

Another option would be to list all that needs to be accomplished on a separate piece of paper or chart. Leave that on the refrigerator or some accessible location. Then once the children have completed all their assigned tasks, one gold star, sticker or check mark could be placed on the calendar.

It doesn’t really matter what system you use – as long as it works for your family. You may get some resistance when you introduce it. Or you may be pleasantly surprised and the kids will look forward to not only completing their assignments, but also, seeing the acknowledgment for a job well done.

There may be a transition time necessary for both parents and children. That is to be expected anytime a new routine is introduced. Hold each other accountable. Allow them to remind you if you get “too busy” to follow through with the chart.

Make sure you catch them doing something right. You entire family will benefit from well organized bedtime and morning routines!

GO READ A BOOK!

My Very Own Mail - Fun mail packages for children!

Posted by Mrs.Lisa at 2:42 pm
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