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Homemade Happy Meals

“Mommy, I wish I could have a Happy Meal for lunch EVERY DAY!” exclaimed my 6-year-old while frantically waving around the new “Rio” toy she plucked from her McDonald’s bag. “Wouldn’t that be nice?” “It would be nice,” I replied thinking about how it would spare me from getting up even earlier than I already do each day to pack a school lunch that barely gets looked at, let alone consumed. “You told me that you aren’t hungry in school,” I pressed. “Well, I would eat all of my lunch if it had a toy in it,” she countered. Well, … Continue reading →

Let There Be Light

I can see it, smell it, and almost touch it. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. And by tunnel I mean my daughter’s school year. In two weeks I will enjoy a treasured reprieve from the worst mom job ever—packing school lunches. I abhor the near daily ritual, which hurts my brain, as much as it does my wallet. I’ve endured this penitent practice for nearly three years and I still haven’t figured out what I can pack that my now 8-year-old won’t toss into the school’s 80-gallon garbage barrel. Aside from the torment of devising a … Continue reading →

8 Frugal Ideas for the Easter Basket

Pack those Easter baskets for less this year. Here is a list of frugal ideas you can use. Homemade Treats How about some easy-to-make homemade peanut butter cups or bunny-shaped homemade chewy granola bars. These recipes and more can easily be found on Pinterest. Homemade treats are not only less expensive, but they are also free from all of the chemicals that store-bought treats have. Coloring Books Coloring books are so inexpensive, and there are many Easter themed ones out there. The provide a nice foundation for any Easter basket and can be had for a dollar or less. Stuffed … Continue reading →

School Brunch

What time does your child eat lunch at school? The answer to that question created quite a stir among parents in cyberspace last week. Several media outlets, most notably NBC’s Today Show and Nightly News with Brian Williams decided to shine the national spotlight on the fact that some kids eat school lunch as early as 9:30 a.m. Thankfully, my daughter is not one of them. Rather, she dines in the school cafeteria at a more socially “acceptable” hour of 11 a.m. However, she attends a small Catholic elementary school which houses kids from preschool through fifth grade only. If … Continue reading →

Developing a Meal Plan

I have shared in a few blogs my lack of meal planning. Which in turn means I don’t always feed my family well…or at all. In fact, my children are frequently complaining about their mother not preparing dinner and yes, I do feel guilty about that. As a housekeeper, I take my role as caring for the home and family very seriously. But let’s face it…I am human and I am imperfect. There are some areas that I do better in. But I also have those areas I really struggle with. I have had good intentions about changing this but … Continue reading →

Iconic Lunch Box Treat in Jeopardy—What’s a Parent to Do?

HoHos are getting the heave-ho? Say it ain’t so. As you can see by the photo above, clearly, I don’t prohibit my daughter from occasionally wrapping her lips around high calorie, sugary sweets. Everything in moderation, right? My kid is an equal opportunity sweets consumer who rarely encounters a white crystalline carbohydrate-laced confection she doesn’t beg to devour. Given her fondness for fructose, glucose, sucrose and the like, I was a bit incredulous when I learned that Hostess recently filed for bankruptcy protection. How can a company that I’ve financially supported week after week, year after year, satisfying my child’s … Continue reading →

And So It Begins…

You know those moms doing a happy dance in the parking lot on the first day of school, then caravanning together to the nearest Starbucks to toast their freedom with Venti Java Chip Frappuccinos? I’m not one of them. I’m the mom rushing off to get as much work done before I have to navigate the car line for pick-up. I’m also the mom who feels like an amputee walking out of school after three straight months of summer vacation. Three straight months operating as my child’s social activities coordinator and she as my third arm. So, no, I’m won’t … Continue reading →

Food For Thought

Packing school lunches, worst mom job EVER, in my opinion. I’ve been scarred after just a single year on the job. So yeah, me and school lunches—-packed or served-—far from friends. And just as I was reveling in the freedom from prepping and packing that summer affords me I see the Today show’s piece on kids, food poisoning and brown bag school lunches. Greeeeaaaat! Turns out that parents, who try so hard to pack healthy school lunches, are actually making their kids sick. According to new research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, only one measly percent of home lunches … Continue reading →

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

It’s been a year of firsts for my first grader: First time attending all-day school, first time riding a school bus and the first time eating lunch in the cafeteria. Granted, I pack her lunch the majority of the time, but there have been days when she’s opted for the school’s hot lunch. So far she has only done so on the days that feature pepperoni pizza or chicken nuggets, but, hey, it’s a start, and given that it frees me from wracking my brain at 11 at night trying to figure out what to pack in her lunch bag, … Continue reading →

Celebrate

My 6-year-old daughter scored a new board game and a skateboard for her Build-a-Bear Portuguese Water Dog on Thanksgiving morning. Not because Santa got his dates mixed up and not because St. Nick got a jump start on his feast day. Rather, the Thanksgiving Turkey made his annual visit to our home and left the gifts as a calling card of sorts. All right, all right, the truth is I had some extra toys that I didn’t want to give out as Christmas or St. Nick’s Day gifts, so the Thanksgiving Turkey wrapped them up and placed them at the … Continue reading →