While kids in some parts of the country are already out of school, many others (including my own) have a couple of weeks left. That means their parents (including me) have a couple of weeks left to pack school lunches. And then, of cours…
With long, busy weekdays—for both me and my kids—I'm always looking for snacks to healthfully fuel the time between meals, but it can be hard to find ones that give us an even, lasting energy. As much as we can all easily chow down on ca…
With four kids—ages 12, 9, 7, and 5—in school all day, four school lunches need to be made every night. (Or once I get past the first few weeks of being prepared, every morning.) Given that my kids can make their own snacks and even some…
My youngest child is still learning to tie his shoes. He can get it right about 50% of the time -- just enough to be absolutely confident he can do it himself with no help from me thankyouverymuch. As you can imagine, this makes it hard …
I love granola bars. When you find the right ones, they are nutritious, delicious, and a super convenient snack. Pack one for before track practice and your daughter will be sprinting like Flo Jo. Well, unless your kid has a peanut and t…
Way back when my mom packed lunch for me, the brown paper bag always came adorned with a smiley face, a heart, or on days she was feeling really ambitious, a rough portrait of our dog, Maggie. And as a kid, it made such a difference, esp…
More and more families are grappling with the need to pack allergy-friendly lunches, either because one of their own has been diagnosed with a food allergy or because their kids' school or daycare is a designated allergen-free zone. Eith…
I know a little something about dealing with separation anxiety when it comes to young kids and school . Back when my kids were in preschool, this was my routine: drop them off at the classroom, peel around the corner and press my back a…
While there are all kinds of kids lunch bags and boxes that I find are really durable and effective, I've long been a fan of the lunch bags from Built NY -- in no small part because the size and styling means I can borrow them from my ki…
When we lived in a big city, my kids loved to watch teens skateboarding to school. There was this effortless coolness to gliding along, flipping the board, tossing it over a shoulder, and hopping on a bus. If you think your kids might be…
Packing vegetables for school lunch doesn’t have to be boring. Well, at least not all of the time. It’s easy to fall into a baby carrot rut when filling lunch box after lunch box (after lunch box), but there are plenty of creative ways t…
I am not a morning person. At all. So, as much as the idea of waking up early and scrambling eggs, frying bacon, and whipping up a batch of biscuits for my kids sounds lovely, history has shown that it just isn't going to happen. But tha…
We love pencil cases! They're where we put all our pencils! And pens, and earbuds, and erasers, and... pretty much anything that'll fit. As our kids head back to school , we're getting serious about corralling clutter, and if we can do i…
If you've done any back-to-school shopping lately, you may have noticed, like we have, that llamas are taking over the world. Quietly. And with deceptive cuteness because let me tell you, llamas mean business. The takeover may be inevita…
We've been binging on the Olympics at our house, and it has us seeing gold, silver, and bronze. (Go Team USA!) Now, our love for the medals is spilling over into our closets too, because a little metallic accent is always a good thing. A…
Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind. ― Henry James You stocked up on school supplies, bought your kid a cool new lunch box and backpack , and purchased …
You've probably heard of Lululemon , but did you know that they have a special line for girls? Yep, the company ( formerly ivivia, now under the Lululemon brand name ) offers cool activewear for girls , including a new Lululemon backpack…
One of the great joys of raising older kids is being able to hand over tasks or, uh, sharing responsibilities with them. And I'm not just talking about tweens. Given an age appropriate cooking task, kids as young as 4 and 5 can assist in…
We've always made it our mission to encourage kids to keep the art of handwriting alive, and to help parents looking to do the same. So we've put together some really terrific handwriting practice printables for kids of all ages . Yes, e…
I can't believe that we're already thinking back-to-school, and that in some parts of the country kids are already in their classrooms. Whoa! Those early morning wake-ups are going to be brutal, and my kids are going to need all the ener…
I am definitely a fan of no-tie sneakers. I mean, even though my 9-year old son knows how to lace up his sneakers perfectly fine, he much prefers being able to slip his shoes on in the morning right before he runs out the door. And I'm a…
We're all for making those crazy school mornings as un-crazy as possible, which is why we're big fans of having our kids pack their own lunches the night before. Yes, even our little ones! It can be done, promise. Not only does having ki…
So once you've gotten the hand sanitizer, the tissue boxes, and everything else on that classroom shopping list , it's time to have a little fun with some colorful school supplies! We always recommend getting a little goodie or two for t…
Every family cook has their go-to ingredients, the ones that they know how to use in all different ways to save dinner. Well, if you pack school lunch for your kids, it's important to have those go-to ingredients for school lunch too. Th…