Teaching our Children
Organized Chaos: Lunch Box Items
I found a great spot for lunch box items in our kitchen!
Since the majority of our family packs a lunch for school and work nearly everyday of the week it is important that the items for packing lunches are accessible as well as our time spent putting them together is used efficiently. As I was brainstorming the different ways to make the lunch packing task more streamlined for our family I came up with a solution that has been really successful for our family. I found a perfect location for all the non-perishable lunch box items in our kitchen and before long had a lunch box making system that has worked really well.
Even though these drawers are organized in our kitchen the kids do not get something from each drawer every day. The idea is to keep a small stockpile of items necessary for lunches handy so when I need something to put in their lunch I can get to it easily. I purchase items for the drawers only when they go on sale so it stays within family’s grocery budget.
The majority of the week they get fresh fruits & vegetables, water bottles, and no dessert. I do however try to give them one snack item every day in their lunch whether it be a granola bar or pretzels or something similar in their lunches. Every day I make a lunch I use these drawers for something whether it is to grab a sandwich container, lunch bag, granola bar or another item!
Below are the labels I have for the drawers as well as pictures to show you what I put in them:
- Granola Bars / Snacks
- Sandwich Containers / Bags
- Cookies / Desserts
- Fruit Snacks
- Drinks
- Miscellaneous Snacks
Granola Bar & Snack Drawer
I put all the sandwich containers and brown bags into the container drawer. Even the two new ones I picked up fit well, we had the perfect number of sandwich containers for the drawer!
Toy Story brown lunch bags (picked up at the Dollar Tree) are fun to occasionally use for your kids lunch plus they fit nicely beside the sandwich containers in the drawer.
Sandwich Containers & Bags Drawer
Cookies & Desserts Drawer
Placed the fruit in the drawer (applesauce, raisins, cup of fruit).
Fruit Snack Drawer
Placed lunch box drinks (with exception to their water bottles) in this drawer (Chocolate Milk, Gatorade, Juice Bags, Juice Bottles, etc…).
Drink Drawer
Miscellaneous Snacks Drawer (includes items like pudding or jello cups, teddy grahams, pretzels or other bagged snack item)
The last several months we have been using this system and it has been very beneficial for the entire family. Plus if the kids want a snack they can grab a granola bar from the drawer instead of digging through the pantry trying to find a snack. I do try to keep the drawers stocked and rotate (the newer items go in back so the older items get eaten first) the products in the drawers.
My best piece of advice is that you find a system that works well for you, if what you are doing is not going smoothly or you want to find a better way to do it try something different and you may be surprised at how more efficient it is for your family. I already had the items on hand all I did was pick up the two containers on clearance around the beginning of the school year. I would love to hear your tips on keeping all your lunch box items organized and accessible.
- Granola Bars / Snacks
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week we made a quick trip out to the midwest, Nebraska & Kansas, to attend a Pro Ag conference with my family. The girls had a blast with Grandma while Jake and I (along with other family and friends) attended the conference. We learned a lot of great information (still processing all of it) they covered a lot in a short period of time. We were also able to squeeze in some time to spend with extended family during the trip too. It was a quick and busy trip but we were able to fit in some fun along the way! 🙂 Now that I am back home I have a pretty big week planned out, praying I will be able to tackle the majority of the items on the list for the week!
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday – I was not able to do this with the conference last week
- Read a book to the girls everyday- during the conference they were with Grandma so they probably had books read to them but I didn’t read them
Spend some time with extended family
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – did well until all the traveling
Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
Business Goals
Attend the Pro Ag ConferencePay all bills that come in the mail this week
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – still working on this one
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week
- Schedule a Date Night with the Girls & Re-Schedule My Date Night with Jake
- Finalize the Girls Birthday Party Items
- Set up a dentist appointment for the girls
- Pick up the girls new glasses
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday
- Finish reading Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
- Set up an appointment to get updated on shots / vaccinations
- Finalize Upcoming Travel Plans – dates set / plane tickets purchased / visa
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the Master Bedroom & Bathroom
- Get the majority of our 2011 Personal Taxes completed
Business Goals
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Write a Guest Blog Post
- Schedule Meeting with Accountant for Business Taxes
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email Alms & Legs Ministry Team regarding our upcoming meeting
- Put together the Alms & Legs Meeting Agenda
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
- Start working on our personal 2011 taxes
- Put money aside for upcoming trips
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Book: “Dining On A Dime” Cookbook by Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper
If you could save $10,000 a year on food without cutting coupons would you be interested? I had the privilege of receiving Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper’s newest edition, November 2011, of their Dining On A Dime Cookbook Eat Better, Spend Less! The authors packed in more than 1200 great recipes and money saving tips in this cookbook. One of the challenges they gave is to see how much you could save in one year by cutting out just one thing. For example, by reducing the amount of meat you eat each week by 1.5 pounds you could save over $400 a year. They cover a variety of recipes and tips in their book, here are a few:
- How It Adds Up
- Basics of Frugal Cooking
- Beverages
- Breakfast
- Breads
- Soups & Sandwiches
- Vegetables, Beans, Pasta, & Rice
- Salads, Dressings, Pickles, and Dips
- Meats & Main Dishes
- Cakes, Pies, Candy, Cookies, & Desserts
- Mixes, Gift Baskets, & Jars
- Kids
- Cleaning Cents
- Pretty for Pennies
The authors challenge you to take small steps to change your life. Whether you start with planning your meals, organizing your home, or saving money it is the little steps over time that give you results. Their menu planning ideas include recipes you can make for picky eaters or quick dinners for those busy days. I like that they have sections on using up your leftovers, making your own cleaning & beauty supplies, gift baskets, and more. They use a good mix of great information and light hearted humor.
Here are a couple of quotes / tips that made me smile:
If you want to see a cup runneth over, let a child pour his own soda.
When your house looks like a bomb hit it and company calls from a block away set your vacuum by the front door and say, “Come on in! I was just cleaning”
You have two choices for dinner. Take it or leave it.
The problem – how to get 2 pounds of chocolate home in a hot car. The solution – eat it in the parking lot.
Some of the information and recipes made me laugh out loud…..”Elephant Soup” simply hilarious! One of my favorite non-food recipes was their “Recipe for a Happy Marriage” (loved that one). While they may not have convince me to try “Liver and Onions” again Tawra and Jill did a wonderful job putting together a useful and entertaining cookbook to have in your kitchen. The best part is their recipes only require a handful of ingredients and most (if not all) of the items you will find in your kitchen pantry.
At the end of the book they have separate indexes for looking up tips, leftovers, and recipes making it easy to look up what you want. I look forward to trying more of the recipes, tips, and seeing if these help our family save even more. This cookbook would be a great wedding gift or birthday gift for those who are beginning to cook or a novice. It offers practical tips, great recipes, and may even make you smile!
Please visit Dining on a Dime Cookbook’s website if you want to learn more about this book.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Box Tops for School
The girls are always on the look out for Box Tops for their school! A couple months ago I spent an evening with the girls gluing all our box tops onto the sheets. Every full box top sheet (50 box tops per sheet) gave the girls an entry into a drawing and a little special toy.Since I have two kids I wanted to fill at least two sheets. Each box top gives $0.10 cents to your child’s school so by filling up two pages our family would be helping the school get $10 to use. Since it takes our family awhile to build up our stash of box tops I typically do this activity once a year, but when the girls went to bed we only had 88 box tops, we were still 12 short of filling up 2 sheets (100 box tops). They were disappointed that we didn’t have enough for both sheets but went to bed hopeful.
After the girls went to bed I went through the pantry looking for all the extra box tops still on the boxes of food. And guess what!? I found 12 more to put onto the sheet for them to take to school. The girls were so excited to see the completed box top sheet on their bar stools at breakfast the next morning. Love being able to make my girls smile, even if it means removing the box tops off the items still in the pantry.
To get more information on Box Tops and how you (and your school can participate) can be found at Box Tops for Education.
Tips on Making Lunch Box Meals Fun & Healthy!
School Lunch – PB&J, Chocolate Milk, Yogurt, Jello, Strawberries, Banana Pepper and Tomatoes
This year we made the decision to pack school lunches for the girls in effort to make sure they are eating a well balanced meal at lunch and to save a little extra in the budget. Since Jake and I have pretty much as taken lunches to work the girls thought it was a great idea. They now take their lunch bags to school every day but Friday, on Friday they eat the school lunch (usually it is a special meal like pizza or hamburgers or something else). Brina and Karlie have enjoyed being able to bring a lunch and most days they pick out the majority of the items they are going to take.
Here’s what I pack:
- Meat or Protein – PB&J, Soup, Sandwich or something easy to eat)
- Diary – Yogurt or Cheese Stick
- Fruit – Fresh Fruit or Applesauce
- Vegetable – Fresh Vegetable
- Snack – Pretzels, Teddy Grahams, Jello, etc…
- Drink – Water, Chocolate Milk, Milk, Juice, Box / Bag
School Lunch – PB&J, Cheese Stick, Jello, Fresh Strawberries, Juice Bag, Fresh Tomates & Banana Pepper
It is important to me that the girls get a well balanced meal at lunch time. One of the fun parts about packing lunches for your spouse and kids is you get to add in what our family calls a “special surprise”! Typically the girls / Jake do not know that the surprise has been added because they were not there when I was putting the finishing touches on the lunches or I put it in later that evening.
Special Surprises for lunch boxes:
- Something Sweet – about 1 or 2 times a week I will put in a homemade cookie, piece of candy or something sweet.
- Love Note – usually on a sticky note and sometimes written on a bag or sandwich container
- Random Shapes – sandwiches cut into shapes (squares, triangles, hearts, etc…)
- Special Drink – occasionally I will get a special drink (like one that fizzes when they add it to their water, chocolate milk, or something Jake enjoys)
- Mystery Smiles – I try to sneak mystery smiles into their lunches by using food, sometimes a random smile on a bag or other ways of sharing a smile (see picture below)
The key is to let your family know that you are thinking about them. Special surprises do not need to take up a huge amount of extra time. I keep a dry erase marker on the fridge and a sticky pad in the kitchen so they are handy for writing a quick note. If I make cookies I just bag some up when putting them away to stick in their lunches. Or if you find a special drink on sale stick that in the lunch box for them to enjoy. The girls express great joy in discovering and sharing their goodies. It doesn’t take me long to do it but it makes them feel loved and appreciated.
A banana pepper and two small tomatoes in a snack bag make the perfect mystery smile for a kids school lunch.
What items do you put in your spouse or kids lunches (food or special surprises)?
Your life is your message…..
Family Activities: Enjoying the Simple Things in Life……
Jake pulling Brina and Karlie in the wagon (Brina’s waving at me).
When the weather is beautiful you’ll often see our family outside. After more than a year without the mower we finally were able to get it fixed. My Dad and Grandpa actually found a local mower repairman that fixes older lawn mowers in his garage (we were thankful for the help in locating someone to get the mower repaired for a reasonable price, isn’t family awesome). You don’t realize how much you use a mower until it is broken.
When there isn’t the extra funds to fix it or to buy a new one you make do with what you have. We did purchase a walk behind cylinder mower (the one with just the blades, no motor) for a $6 dollars at a yard sale that helped hold us over until the mower could be fixed. With the push mower (and you really had to push with all the weeds in our yard) and weed eater we were able to keep the weeds down and made the front yard presentable which bought us some time.
Since the mower was working again and the girls had been helping they were given a ride in the wagon. It is amazing how just a simple ride in the wagon can bring out the giggles in the kids. If you take a simple activity like pulling the wagon behind the mower and make it an adventure the kids will have fun.
It didn’t take much of Jake’s time to give them a ride around the yard but it meant a lot to the kids. Even if you cannot do something big or fancy for your kids taking a walk, pulling them in the wagon, collecting funny looking sticks, or playing catch can be great opportunities to spend time together. The point is to deliberately spend quality time with your kids everyday. These precious memories are ones that you will look back and smile at because before long they will be all grown up. What are some fun activities that you do together in the yard?
Family Activities: Yard Clean Up Day
Karlie Kool Kat bringing down the compost and helping in the yard. Both girls are wonderful helpers (for the most part) when it comes to doing chores around the house and yard. Karlie picked out her “outdoor” outfit complete with her fancy hat. She cracks me up….peeking out from underneath her hat!
Brina Bee bringing down some drink refills! It is amazing how thirsty you can get when working out in the yard hauling branches.
The fire was too big and hot to cook over so Jake cooked up some yummy hot dogs for everyone to enjoy.
We have had some funky weather over the last several months in South Carolina. One afternoon we had a tree and several branches come down in the yard and our neighbor had one of his trees fall on the edge of his workshop. We gave away all the good fire burning wood to a local family for the winter since they had a wood burning stove. When all that wood was picked up we still had all the limbs down so it was decided to have a family yard clean up day. The girls helped pick up all the branches so we could burn them in the fire. As it got dark and cooled off we rounded out the night with marshmallows and hot chocolate around the fire. I love being able to work and rest together with my family. We got a lot done working in the yard that day!
Family Outings: A Walk in the Park
Brina and Karlie pausing “briefly” on our walk so I can snap a picture!
Every once in awhile when the girls are off school and it is a beautiful day we get to meet Daddy for a quick picnic and walk in the park. Legacy Park is pretty close to Jake’s work so he can pop over and meet us over his lunch hour. I think the girls get more excited about going for a walk around the park then eating, ha!
Legacy Park has paved paths for walking, biking or jogging plus a playground for the kids, beach volleyball, and a big open field perfect for flying kites or playing soccer. On those hot days they have plenty of shade and restrooms (which are very nice for little kids). I treasure these moments when we get get together over the lunch hour to grab a bite to eat, walk, talk, and play together as a family. I think it is important to have some relaxing times built into our schedules. Not only do we get a few extra minutes together as a family we get fresh air and some exercise which is beneficial for all of us!
Do you have a park you enjoy going to for a picnic or to play?
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was busy with Jake having a couple travel days with work and everyone fully back into the regular schedule with work and school. As we move into the middle of the first month of 2012 I am reminded of all the goals that I want to accomplish this year. The best part about staying on top of the goals (weekly check ins) is it points me back to my true priorities and provides stepping stones to where I want to be in the next year, 5 years, and more.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everyday- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week – we did four nights so not quite 5 this week
Set up a Date Night for Jake & Iand a Date Night for the Kids – got Jake’s set up but need to get a date on the calendar for the girlsThank You notes written and sent for the Christmas Gifts– written, stamped, and addressed will go in the mail Tuesday 1/17
Personal Goals
Exercise – walk at least 5 days this weekYAY! I stuck with it this week and did it!!! 🙂- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday – need to work on getting better on this one
Finish reading The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie KayRead and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseDinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the office
Business Goals
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog postsSpend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk- Plan new implementations for blog – just didn’t get to it this week with all the other activities
Schedule client meetings at least 2 weeks in advance
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchWrite and send out Meeting Notes from our January Alms & Legs Team Ministry meeting
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over $40 budget but had enough cash to cover the groceries
- Emergency Fund – start saving 3 months worth of living expenses – started working on it this week but not completed yet
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week
- Go on my Date Night with Jake (we got free movie tickets so excited to enjoy some time away together)
- Get the girls Birthday Party Details Started
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday
- Finish reading Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
- Get my Travel Visa Application Sent
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the office
- Update Family & Friends Contact Information
Business Goals
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Plan new implementations for blog
- Work on 2011 business taxes
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
- Start working on our personal 2011 taxes
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
