Most kids have headed back to school. Our kids started last week, even though I feel our summer was far too short and cold. In classrooms all over the country are embarking on a new year of academics and activities. Parents like myself know the importance of preparing snacks and lunches that will keep our kids fueled to get them through their busiest days. Luckily, there are a handful of better-for-you snack, meal and beverage options on the market that offer nutritional benefits and taste that kids love and parents can feel great about serving. I am happy 4 easy tips to fuel your kids from RD Mitzi Dulan,
Take your child to the grocery store with you at the beginning of the school year and allow them to choose 2-3 of their favorite fruits to have for their lunches or after school snack. Fruit is important for kids to properly fuel up and making kids part of the decision-making process is a great way to create healthy habits and try new foods!
Try incorporating protein into your kid’s lunch and snacks. Protein is important to a child’s diet to help them grow, build muscle and keep their immune system strong. Mitzi recommends new Juicy Juice + Protein, one of the first juice-protein blends on the market for kids, as an after-school for snack for busy days.
Make sure you include a variety of quality carbs, healthy fats, protein and fiber into your child’s after school snacks for optimal fueling. One of my favorites for kids – my teens love it too – are peanut butter (or almond butter) and banana sandwiches with honey on whole wheat bread. Pro Tip: it’s also delicious toasted!
Lower-sugar juice options are ideal to avoid consuming too much sugar while also hydrating in a tasty way. A favorite of my two girls is new Juicy Juice Fruitifuls Organic, which is made with 45% less sugar than the leading juice while still providing half a cup of fruit in each 8 oz serving. It works well paired with nutritious meals before, during or after the school day.
The new Juicy Juice Fruitifuls Organic, which is made with 45% less sugar than the leading juice, provides a half a cup of fruit in each 8 oz serving and is a better-for-you option that can be paired with meals before, during or after the school day. Check out Juicy Waters, Juicy Juice + Protein and Fruitifuls Organic. Please share some of your favorite tips for kid’s snacks and lunches in the comments.
The 14″ PJ Masks Time To Be A Hero backpack features Owlette, Gekko and Catboy. This backpack is nice and roomy with a padded back and straps. There are side mesh pockets to hold a water bottle and a double zipper for convenience.
This coordinating lunch box features a double zipper for easy access, the padded handle means it is comfortable to carry and your child’s lunch and snack will stay nice and fresh because it is insulated.
Back packs and lunch boxes are available at Toys “R” Us and you can find so many cute clothing options featuring these great little super heroes at Kohl’s. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions.
Looking to save money when back to school shopping? That’s a silly question, who isn’t? I recently discovered a store that has huge and I mean huge savings on quality clothing for kids, women, babies, even school uniforms are majorly discounted. You will find brands like Levis, French Toast, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Limited Too and more.
Check out just how far your money goes at Rainbow Shops, I think you will be amazed! I know I was.If you want to see what I choose and how low the prices are, take a look at my Rainbow Shops Haul Video below.
I would love to know what you think, and if you have any tips for saving money when shopping for back-to-school. I love to read your comments.
Back-To-School shopping for kids is expensive and the more kids you have, the more expensive it can be. New shoes, new clothes, new backpacks and let’s not forget the mile long list of school supplies they need. So with all the spending for back to school, I want to let you know how you can save a little green and make you and your wallet a little happier.
First off, Luvs, the official diaper of experienced moms has a $2 print-at-home coupon off any one diaper pack. This coupon is able to be used at any retailer where Luvs diapers are sold. So turn those printers on and print that coupon!
When you use Luvs diapers you are already saving because they cost less than the premium brands. Don’t let the lower cost make you think you are sacrificing quality. Luvs are softer and more absorbent than ever, with large stretch tabs for easy fastening, ultra-leakge protection and a money-back guarantee! Luvs Ultra Leakguards with NightLock Plus provide the high-quality feature babies and parents need for less cost than the premium brands.
Luvs and Ibotta (a cash back app) are partnering to bring you a limited-time $5 rebate on any boxed variety of Luvs diapers (54 ct box or larger). All you have to do is download the Ibotta app.
How To Save with Ibotta app:
Do you have any special ways you put a little money back in your wallet to help with Back-To-School expenses? Share them in the comments and spread the savings.
Do you have little ones who will be starting school soon? It can be scary heading off to Pre-K or Kindergarten for the first time. Sometimes a reassuring note from mom or dad can make all the difference in a child’s day. That is why I love the Personalized Lunch Boxes from I See Me! No need to waste resources every day to leave your child a lunch box message because there is a chalkboard on the underside of the lid. Now all you need to do is grab a chalk marker or chalk and write your child a special message when packing their lunch. It will be something you both look forward to.
These lunch boxes come in so many great designs for boys and girls and the personalization make them so special. They are so wonderful for way more than just lunch. They make a great new baby gift. You can order the box with the new baby’s name and then tuck some nice things inside. It will definitely be a unique and treasured keepsake. Speaking of which these boxes are great to hold all kinds of collections and treasures. Perfect for traveling to hold some things to keep kids busy in the car or at restaurants. They have so many uses!
My kids love to keep their collections in them. I appreciate how great the look and what an accent they make to their rooms. I See Me! has such a large selection of personalized books and gifts, I enjoy shopping there for unique gifts for family and friends. I must also note that in these days when many parents are naming their children with very unique names it is nice to be able to get them a gift with their name.
Check out the NEW! Personalized Lunch Boxes! Each lunch box features your child’s name on multiple sides! I think you will be impressed. You can see my video below for an in-depth look at these great boxes.
Would you like the chance to win a Personalized Lunch Box? I know you would, enter below for your chance!
I See Me! is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win a Personalized Lunch Box of their choice (subj. to availability)! Thank you to I See Me! for the review product and for sponsoring this Back-To-School giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
I See Me! Personalized Lunch Box Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
School starts for our kids next week. This week we are still enjoying the end of Summer. We even have a road trip planned tomorrow to 6 Flags! Whenever we take a road trip, we are sure to pack snacks for our journey. It saves us time stopping every time hunger hits and cuts down on crabby kids. Dannon® Danimals® Smoothies are something we pack for road trips because they are compact, delicious and curb my kids hunger. We always have a travel cooler stocked with them when we hit the road. Tomorrow is no different.
Another great time of day for Dannon® Danimals® is after school. My kids come home famished. It’s too early for dinner and I don’t want them to eat too much that will spoil their appetite. We found Dannon® Danimals® paired with fresh fruit and vegetables along with some crackers is perfect. It is so easy to do this for your kids and have it prepared a few minutes before they get home.
I was recently in Walmart and saw the Collectors Edition 12-pack of Dannon® Danimals® Smoothies in Strawberry/Cotton Candy flavors. I picked those up along with another 12 pack of Banana Split/Strawberry Explosion. The little bottes are so cute with the different athletes on them!
An easy way to have a great snack to fuel your kids after school is to get out whatever fresh fruit and veggies you have. I had pears, baby carrots, white seedless grapes and bananas. You will also want to add some crackers and those can be whatever your kids like. I used saltines and graham crackers.
Just grab some plates, cut up the fruit, add the crackers and put out an assortment of Dannon® Danimals® Smoothies for them to pick their favorite flavor! Easy Peasy right? Works with any fresh fruit or veggies and you can mix it up so they are never bored.
Other ideas for pairings is to substitute crackers with granola, nuts or a whole grain muffin. You can add some cheese cubes, apple slices with a little peanut butter, add peanut butter to the banana slices. You can really give them something new and different every day and all of it pairs so well with the Dannon® Danimals® Smoothies.
Some added fun for kids is an Play 60 contest – if they find the “Golden Bongo” Dannon® Danimals® bottle (located in specially marked packages) they can win a Play60 Field Day for your school with NFL pros!
As a mom I feel good that Dannon® Danimals® provide “Only the Good Stuff®” with no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors or colors, as well as provides a good source of calcium and vitamin D. They are the perfect on-the-go option for our busy family! helps fuel my kids’ adventures – at school, after school, at sports practice, during homework time or to start the day!
Have you tried Dannon® Danimals® with your kids and what are some of your favorite pairings to go with the delicious yogurt smoothies? I would love to see your ideas in the comments!
After taking a peek around the campus we went to Barnes & Noble. Predictably it was filled with UOB students. I recently learned that Barnes & Noble offers the Barnes & Noble MasterCard®. This is the best credit card for parents and college students who are purchasing textbooks, books and school supplies during the busy back-to-school season and beyond. Card holders earn 5% back when they use the card to purchase school supplies and textbooks at any Barnes & Noble store or at BN.com. This offer even applies to campus Barnes & Noble bookstores.
Given the average price of books and supplies at public colleges last year was $1,225 and private colleges coming in at $1,244, that 5% back adds up fast! There is even an immediate savings of $60 available when you use your Barnes & Noble MasterCard for those purchases at campus Barnes & Noble bookstores or at BN.com. Cardholders receive a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card after their first purchase using the card. Every time cardholders reach 2500 points they receive a $25 gift card. The Barnes & Noble MasterCard has no annual fee.
If you are ready to take advantage of all the great perks being a Barnes & Noble MasterCard holder can bring you, just apply HERE. You can also visit the same link for more information. To find your local Barnes & Noble store or to shop online visit BN.com.
We had a great time looking around at everything. After a stop at the in store Starbucks we set off to explore. The kids were amazed looking at all the great books, toys, games, kits and more! We saw coloring books for adults which were really cute.
The boys finally made their selections, they chose a Magic Set and a Planetarium. We tried out the magic set today and are mastering a few of the tricks! It is so much fun! The Planetarium will be opened and set up tomorrow. We really can’t wait for that. We will be sure and give you an update!
I will leave you with a littler more information on the Barnes & Noble MasterCard I told you about earlier in the post.
Card benefits exclusive to the Barnes & Noble MasterCard
Use your Barnes & Noble MasterCard to purchase any of the following
This post is sponsored by the Barnes & Noble MasterCard, powered by Barclaycard. All opinions are my own.
Back-to-school time is a great time to #LearnWithOrkin about pest prevention. Take the Pest Prevention Pop Quiz to find out if you know how to think like a pest!
Orkin uses the latest technology and unparalleled training to develop an effective treatment that’s right for your needs. To learn more about our pest control based in science or to schedule an inspection, visit orkin.com or call 1-800-800-ORKIN.
Connect with Orkin on Social Media: Orkin on Facebook: |
Back-To-School isn’t just about the kids. Orkin knows that moms are on the go more than ever and wants to make sure you’re all set when driving the kids to soccer practice, racing to make it to school on time or maybe finding a minute for yourself!
The Orkin Back-To-School Prize Pack includes:
One (1) Silver USB Portable Charger – We know you’re on the go from sun up to sun down and you can’t afford not to be accessible. This emergency charger is small, sleek and can help your phone keep up with your busy lifestyle!
One (1) Double Wall Stainless Steel Travel Mug w/ lid – Your car isn’t the only thing that needs fueling up in the morning … this stainless steel travel mug is a great way to ensure your morning coffee is always within arm’s reach.
One (1) Orkin “Protect Your Home” PDF Checklist – This handy checklist from the experts at Orkin will help you think like a pest in order to help protect your home from pests.
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Each household is only eligible to win Back to School Prize Pack via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
This giveaway is sponsored by Orkin. As always my words and views are 100% my own.
One great resource I found was the All Ready for 1st Grade Readiness Kit. This kit from Learning Resources is packed full of colorful, hands-on counters, activities and more to help your child master the skills necessary for 1st grade.
We love this kit! One of my son’s favorite activities are the math cards with the ocean counters The cards give my son a math problem to solve using the counters. So for instance, it could say 4 starfish and 4 crabs went to the park. Each creature brought a friend. How many sea creatures in all went to the park? There are lots of scenarios like the one I just made up on the included cards. Each two-sided card has two problems to solve.
There’s a very complete parent’s guide structured upon an easy-to-follow Ready, Set, Go lesson framework, which eases your child into grade-appropriate subjects through engaging activities and games that progress in difficulty. This gives your child a sense of accomplishment as he masters easier levels and moves on to more difficult levels.
The kit comes with a dry erase marker and a write and wipe Activity book that your child uses for many of the activities. When teaching my son how to tell time the clock manipulative has dry erase capability. This makes it easy for my son to write down a certain time and then erase as we move on to another time for him to figure out.
The writing journal is great as are the writing prompt cards. These cards show a picture of something and then a question of -What could happen next? The word family cubes and measuring fish provide lots of grade appropriate skills activities for kids. My son loves this kit and it’s fun for him. It does not feel like a chore or homework to him but he really has fun with it and so do I!
All Ready For 1st Grade Readiness Kit
Includes:
• 36-Page writing journal
• 20 Double-sided story starter cards
• 20 Ocean counters
• 10 Double-sided word problem cards
• 6 Word family cubes
• 6 Measuring fish
• 1 Write-and-wipe clock
• 32-Page Parent Guide (over 60 leveled activities)
• 24-Page write-and-wipe Activity Book
• Storage box
Storage box measures 10’’L x 3’’W x 12’’H
Learning Resources is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win Readiness Kit int their choice of preschool, kindergarten or 1st grade. Thank you to Learning Resources for the review product and for sponsoring this awesome giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.
Learning Resources, Preschool, Kindergarten or 1st Grade Readiness Kit Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
We are a book loving family. My kids love getting new books even more than new toys! No bedtime routine is complete without us reading aloud together and it’s one of my favorite things. Sharing a great book with my children, the discussions they spur and that quality time we spend reading is priceless.
This time of year has people focusing on Back to School. Thinking about school supplies and clothes shopping as well as getting your pantry and freezer stocked with quick, nutritious breakfast, lunch and after-school snack foods. Kellogg’s has lots of products to choose from to help with that.
I was in Walmart recently and in their seasonal aisle it was stocked with like Nutri-Grain breakfast bars, Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats and more.
Over in the frozen section there were so many boxes of delicious Eggo Waffles to choose from! As I was making my selections, I saw something amazing on the boxes! Each specially marked box was redeemable for a free Scholastic Book!
Great Kellogg’s product and free books made me a very happy camper.
My kids love Eggo Waffles and they are easy to make even on busy school mornings.
Nutri-Grain breakfast bars let you enjoy a nutritious and delicious breakfast on the go! They are a favorite choice for this busy mom. My kids love them for breakfast, in their lunchbox and even as an after school snack.
Rice Krispies Treats are another favorite lunch box snack for my boys. Who can forget one of my favorites growing up, Pop-Tarts! They are still going strong and one my kids choose for a quick snack or after school treat. With Kellogg’s there is never a reason to skip breakfast! After all, it is the most important meal of the day!
This Kellogg’s free Scholastic book promotion is truly the icing on the Kellogg’s cake! Every specially marked box has a code inside redeemable for a Scholastic Book of your choice. This free book promotion is great even if you don’t have little ones. Think about donating the books to less fortunate children and share the gift of reading. Donate them to a school, day care or nursery school in the area. For teachers this is a great way to get books for your classroom. I am so excited about this, can you tell?
It is so easy to redeem the codes for these free books. If you do not have one already you just set up a Kellogg’s Family Rewards Account HERE and then just put your code in and choose from a drop down list the store you purchased the product from. You can then enter more codes and when you’re done order your books.
You can choose hard copy or eBooks with your codes. You can choose to donate a book to the school of your choice online. You can only donate hard copy books. When you donate a book to the school of your choice it will ship in an envelope that says it was generously donated by your family. All codes must be redeemed within 14 days of purchase. All books are shipped free of charge. Spanish titles are also available.
It is easy to choose your books and you can select by reading level. Have your child choose books that interest them. You can easily add all kinds of topics and reading level books to your home library. Having a good variety of books encourages kids to read.
We just redeemed 5 codes and ordered 2 Magic School Bus Books, A Clifford Book, 100 Most Feared Creatures and There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Book! We are excited to get them!
You can also buy direct at Walmart.com and receive free book purchases from purchases made between 7/21/15-9/11/15. Look for Buy Now button HERE for a list of all eligible items. E-commerce redemptions are made via receipt scanning. See full details at the HERE link above. Remember whether purchased in store or online you must redeem your code within 14 days to get your free book!
With all the great books we have and all the new free Scholastic books that are on their way to us, we needed some more book storage. If you’re in the same boat, I want to share an easy, fast, inexpensive book storage solution that looks great too!
These book shelves that my husband and I recently put up in our son’s room are made from inexpensive vinyl rain gutters you can pick up in most home improvement stores.
They are very inexpensive, we purchased a 10′ rain gutter for under $4. You need end caps and they are about $3 a piece and sold in sets of two. We used screws with anchors to attach them to the wall. For less than $10 each we had two 3′ book shelves and another 4′ book shelf we are putting by his bed. We love the results so much we are putting many more of these up. In our music room we plan to put some up to hold all the music books.
I would advise you purchase the vinyl rain gutters over the aluminum for a number of reasons. First and foremost they are safer, no sharp edges for kids or adults to get cut on, no shards of metal from drilling for screws or cutting. They will not get dented or bent the way aluminum gutters will. There is no crimping that needs to be done to attach the end caps as the vinyl end caps fit on easily and cleanly.
We cut the 10 foot gutter up into two 3 ft. pieces and one 4 ft. piece. There are lots of options with these gutters and you can even get connecting pieces to let them wrap a corner.
When we brought them home we just attached the end caps to each 3 foot section.
Next, my husband easily drilled three holes for the screws. We put 1 screw on each end and one in the middle. We used wall anchor screws and we added a washer that you fit under the lip of the gutter on the inside of the shelf and stops the screw from puckering the vinyl on the interior of the shelf.
Then he put the shelf on the wall, leveled it and marked the screw holes. He then put the anchors in the wall. After that he just attached them to the wall with the screws and we were good to go.
These rain gutter shelves are super sturdy, hold lots of book and look great! Let me know what you think? What do you do for your book storage?