My Square Meal Lunch Boxes

It is true summer is almost over and it is time to start the back to school shopping. One of my least favorite things to do is shop for back to school items. Most items I feel are cheaply made thus the need to purchase a new one each year. I purchased this eco-friendly lunch box last year for my son and I am happy to say it is still in great condition. My Square Meal lunch boxes are beautifully made and the bento box is dish washer safe. The cool thing about these lunch boxes is you get a menu card with ideas of how to fill your lunch box. I LOVE THAT! So many times I was stumped for what to pack and the menu card was my savior. Would love to hear your back to school secrets.

Kids-In-Mind

Here is another great find...love google. I was trying to decide if a movie would be appropriate for my 7 year old son and came across Kids-In-Mind:Movie Ratings. This cool site list every movie you can think of and gives a rating based on Sex/Nudity, Violence/Gore and Profanity. The complete content analysis gives you insight into the movie and possible questions that may arise from your child. The best part about it is there is an App for this site KidsInMindApp.com so you can check movie ratings on the go.

Teething Necklace

New moms know that wearing jewelry with a newborn is a challenge. The baby immediately grabs it and puts it right in their mouth. With Teething Bling you can still be that fashionable mommy we all want to be and keep your baby safe. Teething Bling is the hottest "bling" with celebrity mommies. The best thing about these beautiful teething necklaces is that the don't look like a teething ring, they look like a fashionable necklace. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Summer Safety

Found this amazing informative article that I thought I would share with you. Thank goodness for me I read this before our outing on 4th of July when my little one decided to "swim" without her floaties. It was the look on her face that let me know she needed help. To everyone else around us it looked like she was kicking and keeping her head above water. After we pulled her out she started crying and saying she was scared. Please read Drowning looks different than you think....it may save someones life.

Stinkin Cute Designs

As you may know I am a little obsessed with Etsy. I am always looking for "crafty moms" there. I found this "crafty mom" and fell in love with her work. I just ordered this dress for my little girl and I am waiting for it to arrived. Stinkin Cute Designs has great gifts for all ages. If you know of any great Etsy stores you frequent please let me know.

Parenting Blues

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Saw this story this morning on the Today Show and thought I would open this up for discussion. Some days I find myself in a "funk" and all I want to do is shower quickly and get out of the house to have a little peace and quiet. I feel guilty, but after seeing this piece it is nice to know I am not alone. Parenting is hard and no one can prepare you for the 24 hour job, the rewards are great but do we have to lose our identity for new one.."parent." Please leave comments and let me know what you think.

Fill in the Blankie

I have been looking for fun and unique gifts for friends and I came across this wonderful gift idea. Fill in the Blankie is a fabulous gift for that special occasion. One of my dear friends is expecting and I purchased a blankie that fits her style. The fun thing about these blankies is you can personalize them with your own sweet messages. They are a little pricey but well worth it.

EWG's 2010 Sunscreen Guide

Thought I would share this information given to me by our pediatrician. It is a detailed list from the Environmental Working Group rating sunscreen. You can even type in your current sunscreen and see its rating. Remember that any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen so make sure you and your family stay safe in the sun this summer.

4th of July Twirlers

Found this fun and easy 4th of July craft. Who doesn't have plastic lids lying around the house. It is a simple and fun activity for kids of all ages.

Thank You?

We just celebrated my kid's birthdays in our household and I am trying to teach them the importance of writing thank you notes. I started to realize though that we have been to several birthdays this year and was wondering do people still write thank you notes? I know that growing up we wrote thank you notes for every gift we were given, have times changed, is simply saying thank you enough? I LOVE receiving thank you notes and think it is important to teach our children these simple manners of appreciation. I found this great little book The Thank You Book for Kids, there are over hundreds of creative ways to say thank you. What a great resource for children. You can get it a an amazing discount at Lillian Vernon. Please let me know how you feel about thank you notes...am I old fashion in expecting my children to write them?

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Spring is officially started and what do you think of other than flowers...flying a kite. I found these cool friendship kites at S&S Worldwide. They make great party favors. They are a little pricey but well worth it. Get out and enjoy the spring weather and let's go fly a kite!

Homemade Bathtub Crayons

It has been an really cold winter here in Texas and the snow continues to fall on the first day of Spring. So why not make some homemade bathtub crayons to pass the time. It is easy and fun.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 cups of ivory snow powder
• food coloring
  
• 1/4 cup of water
• ice cube tray
  

In a large bowl, combine the water and ivory soap, add food color until you reach the desired color. Blend well. Add more water if needed. Fill the ice tray with the soap mixture. You may want to use a knife to spread the mixture out. Leave to dry until hardened. Remove the crayons from the tray. Kids can color on the tub, or on themselves during bath time! For a little more fun you can add a few drops of food color to the bath water. We love blue to make the ocean.

Baby Legs

So I received these cute little leg warmers from a friend for my daughters birthday and I love the. I remember wearing leg warmers in the 80' s and thought I was so cool, well now they are back and cuter and cooler than ever. You can find a lot of cute tights, leggings and leg warmers at BabyLegs. Now I am a little sad that winter is almost over.

St. Patrick's Day

Found this cute little rhyming book and thought I would share. Follow this leprechaun family as they march through the St. Patrick's Day parade.

For a fun St. Patty's Day craft you can make this cute kissed blarney stone. Legend has it that anyone who kissed the Blarney Stone of Ireland would be blessed with eloquence. All you need is a rock, white and green paint. A little gold glitter makes it sparkle.

Patent Leather Picture Key Chain

A friend of mine was carrying this cute little patent leather picture key chain and I fell in love with it. What mom doesn't want to carry pictures of their children around with them at all times. I had to know where she found this cute key chain. To my surprise it was from Land's End. The best part about this cute little key chain is the price. It was just $4.99! What a bargain! I ordered several as gifts for my mommy friends.

Too Much of a Good Thing

I thought I would share this book with you that I read with my mommy book club. I feel that many of us can relate to the title. We all want to raise children with good moral fiber, but how do we do that in the instant gratification world we live in? I want my children to have more than I did growing up but where do you draw the line. Are we teaching are children the life lessons they need to be successful or is our indulgence crippling them? This book helps us through all those tough questions. This book is on my parent reference shelf.

Please share any parenting books you have enjoyed. I will post them on the blog. We all need any help we can get.

Chinese New Year

Celebrate Chinese New Year with this Chinese paper lantern craft. It is really fun and easy.
Here is what you will need:

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• ruler
• tape
• stapler
• pencil
• glitter, sequins or anything to decorate lantern

Fold your paper length wise and use your ruler to draw a line one inch across from unfolded end. Measure and mark lines one inch apart starting at folded end toward the stop cutting line. (see diagram below) Cut along lines to the stop cutting line. Unfold paper and tape lantern together. Add a handle and decorate.

Valentine's Day

Start your Valentine's Day off right with heart-shaped pancakes. You can find the pancake molds here. Make your Valentine breakfast all red and pink by using strawberries and raspberries. You can also make strawberry milk.

Check out this fun Valentine craft. Lollipops as the center for a flower. I just love this! You can give them to all your friends. Get all the details on how to make the craft here. Happy Valentine's Day!

Preserving Your Children's Clothing

Sometimes it is hard to give away your child's baby clothes when they grow out of them...their coming home outfit, blessing/commitment outfit or your favorite little outfit...they are just to cute to let go.

Why not turn those special outfits into a special blanket. If you are a sewer then check out Ticche and Bea for a kit to get started on your own blanket. If you are not a sewer check out Willow Creek Studio and let them create a blanket for you.

Cabin Fever

I has been really cold out lately, too cold to do anything. We have had our fair share of play-dates, we finger painted, played dress up, made things with clay; we have done every activity there is and now we are going crazy! Are you feeling that way too? Maybe it is the cold weather that has me down or it could be cabin fever. So I decided to bundled the kids up and we ventured out to one of our favorite free activities...Storytime. Most book stores offer a storytime with a little activity to follow. We had been trapped in our cave for so long we forgot how much we loved storytime. To find a storytime in your area check out Barnes and Nobles and Borders. Happy Reading!

Family Time

As our children are getting older we are finding it harder and harder to have family time. We find ourselves running from soccer, basketball, and dance, we are consistently on the go. Because we are always on the go we have made a commitment to having dinner as a family every night. During dinner we share our favorite part of our day. It is really fun to see what the kids will say. Plus they are really interested in what our favorite part was as well. We also ask what the lowest part of their day was. This is a great way for you to find out if anything is bothering your children. It is comforting to children to know that even their parents have hard days and you can teach them how to cope with any issues they share. If "playing" favorite part/lowest part of the day doesn't get the conversation going their are fun dinner card games. Remember the best gift you can give your family is your time.

Sports

With the new year many of us have a resolution to work-out, lose weight and be healthy. Most of us do this for ourselves but think of the message this gives to your child. You are showing them the value of leading a healthy life. Remember that children learn from example so be the healthy example for your child. I know that getting started on a new work-out plan can be a little overwhelming and for some going to a gym may be scary. I know that I would prefer to work-out at home but don't have all the equipment I need. Here is my favorite place to go for sporting equipment...Play it Again Sports. It is a great place to go to find gentle used sports equipment. They have everything from jogging strollers to the bowflex. It is also a wonderful place to buy your child's sporting equipment they need...we know all how quickly they grow.

If you gave a place that has great prices on sporting equipment please share with us. Also send in any healthy recipes you might have.

New Year's Resolution

What is your new year resolution? Is it to lose weight, get organized, eat healthy, spend more time with your family? Share your resolution here and what you plan to do to stick with it. Maybe we can help each other reach our goal.