Monday, October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween 2016!

A fireman, a cake, and a police officer
 We've been partying, carving pumpkins, and eating candy like it's nobody's business for the last couple of weeks. We're looking forward to a great night trick or treating with friends tonight, too. Man it's a good time to be a kid (or mom)!

Travel down Memory Lane with these Halloween posts from the past:

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Pie in the Sky

http://pieinthesky.org/event/pies/seller.cfm?ID=9107

Have you heard of Community Servings' Pie in the Sky? Community Servings provides medically-tailored meals to 1,525 sick people a day in 20 communities throughout Massachusetts. For $30, you can have a delicious Apple, Sweet Potato, Pecan, or Pumpkin pie baked from one of Greater Boston's best bakers (who donate their time to this cause!). You then pick up your pie on Wednesday, November 23rd (the day before Thanksgiving) at one of 80 convenient pick up sites throughout Greater Boston. For those local to Foxboro, there are locations in Sharon, Walpole, Canton, and Dedham. No matter where you live in the greater Boston area there is most likely a location near you. You can check out their Pick Up Site Locator HERE.

Wait...wait...you haven't even heard the best part yet. Each pie that is sold provides one week's worth of nutritious, made from scratch, home delivered meals to someone who is too sick to shop or cook for themselves and their family. $0.93 of every $1 raised goes directly to individuals in need so you can rest assured that your money is going directly to good use.

This year when you sit down to eat pie on Thanksgiving you can feel extra awesome because your good deed is helping someone else enjoy their Thanksgiving as well. Don't like pie (is that possible?) or you wont be around for the holiday? You can still purchase a pie and it will be donated to a Community Servings' client to enjoy.

Ready to buy? Click HERE to be directed to my personal page. Thanks for your consideration!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Happy 9th Birthday, Isabelle!


Today's the big day - Isabelle is NINE! Crazy town.

In lieu of a birthday party, she and I celebrated a special day just us last Saturday. We started at the American Girl store in Natick which she had never been to. We then walked through the mall going in every store that she wanted to. We followed that up by going out to dinner. It was a really great day to share with her. She also picked out a couple of new things at the American Girl store that she LOVES for her doll Kit.

 
 
 
Each year I ask the kids the same questions on their birthday. We love to see how their answers change (or stay the same!) each year. These are Isabelle's 9 year old answers...

Isabelle's 9th Birthday - 10/27/16
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Show: Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Favorite Thing to do Inside: Play with Kit, Piggy Poo-Poo, and Mr. Cow
Favorite Thing to do Outside: Go on the flip bar
Favorite Snack: Chocolate Teddy Grahams and Cheez Its
Favorite Meal: Pizza
Favorite Song: Shake It Off (Taylor Swift) and What Do You Mean? (Justin Bieber)
Favorite Thing to do with Dadda: Make the garden
Favorite Thing to do with Mamma: Go to the American Girl doll store
Favorite Thing to do as a Family: Go to Friendly's
When I Grow Up I Want to be a: Baker and a Teacher
If I Had Lots of Money: I'd buy a house for Kit, Piggy Poo-Poo, and Mr. Cow that I could go in, too.

*Note: Kit is her American Girl doll. Piggy Poo-Poo and Mr. Cow are stuffed animals that go everywhere with us :)

Want to check out her answers from years past? Here's when she turned EIGHT, SEVEN, and SIX. When she turned FIVE I put up pictures through the years. Oh, my baby!! It really does go by so fast.

Friday, October 7, 2016

Lunch Packing Tips from Stop and Shop

Packing 3 lunches in the mornings for the kids sometimes feels like torture. I feel like it takes up a ridiculous amount of time each morning for me. Which kid likes this? Who doesn't like this? WHERE IS HENRY'S WATER BOTTLE?? I do try to get things ready the night before as much as possible but with activities at night and my recent commitment to re-watching every episode of Ally McBeal, I only have so much time :)


Therefore, I'm always on the hunt for ways to make packing lunches easier. Stop and Shop Nutritionist, Julie Hersey, recently shared these lunch packing tips:

  1. Create a personalized lunch shopping list. Take a trip to the grocery store or simply begin the conversation about building their own lunch. Get your child's input. What foods do they like? What new foods do they want to try this year? 
  2.  Stock up on accessories for a smooth assembly. Gather all the non-food items needed for the year like an insulated lunchbox, ice packs, small containers and a reusable water bottle. Store in an easy to reach place. 
  3.  Go kiddie-sized. Avoid food waste by reaching for portioned tubes of yogurt, boxes of milk, packaged nuts, fruit cups, or simply use snack sized bags.
  4.  Make it easy to eat. Kids have limited lunch time so save every minute by washing, peeling, and cutting foods into smaller pieces. Also limit hard to open packages.
  5.  Plan and pack around a theme. Together brainstorm themes for different days of the week - food on a stick, breakfast for lunch, rainbow colors, etc.
  6.  Pack together. Start packing a week of lunches with your child until they pick up on the routine, then slowly limit your guidance. This is a great time to start packing lunch for yourself too!
 As a mom and as a Preschool Teacher I think number 4 is SUPER important. Kids don't have a lot of time for snack or lunch so I definitely try to make it as easy as possible on them. If I sent Henry in with an unpeeled mandarin orange it would literally take him the entire lunch period just to unpeel it!

What great lunch packing tips do you have to share? You can also check out Stop and Shop's Healthy Kid Ideas for all kinds of wellness tips, recipes, and resources. Click HERE for more info!

*Stop and Shop sent me a package of lunchtime essentials. As always, all opinions are my own. If you're ever looking for me, check my local Stop and Shop. I'm there at least 3 times a week (maybe more picking up something!
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