kids
Compensation for this picnic post provided by Snack Pack® via Mode Media
Across the country many kids are heading back to school. I’m happy that our school district doesn’t resume classes until Labor Day. I’ve been trying to make the most of our last few days together at home.
We love to do little picnics in our yard here, tea parties, lunch, and brunch. We’ve done them all – but we’ve never done a sweet treat afternoon Snack Pack® picnic before!
This shop for road trip snacks has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripHacks #CollectiveBias #Albertsons
I feel like we’ve been traveling a lot lately and for our family I guess we have. We began the month with a 5 day road trip to see family in southern Oregon. Afterwards I jetted off to New York for another 5 days. This week we are planning to drive down to the beach and spend three nights camping in a yurt.
#BackToClean #CollectiveBias
- An extra jacket: “Just in case! Sometimes it’s easy to forget to bring a jacket, and sometimes the weather can change on you pretty quick!”
- Extra pencils (that are already sharpened): “Sometimes your pencils can break in class and it’s nice to have extra ones all ready to go for your next period.”
- Tissues: “Because there will be one day; and you will have a runny nose, and it will be faster if you have some in your locker all ready to use!”
- Extra folders, paper, binders, etc.: “Everyone will need extra supplies at some point – better to have them now than be sorry!”
- Plastic zip up bags: “It’s great to have a couple of these in your locker in case your crayon box gets ruined, or you need to keep paper clips or pencils together in one spot.”
- Clorox Disinfecting Wipes: “ You should definitely keep these in you locker because when you are going from class to class you don’t have a lot of time, so if you get something sticky or just need to wipe something clean, you don’t have to waste any time – so you won’t have to worry about being late for class!”
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DadsMyHero #CollectiveBias
Hello everyone! Can you believe that Father’s Day is now less than a month away? I know I’ve said this many times, but I still cannot believe just how fast this year is flying by!
I always make sure that we do something special for Wayne on Father’s Day. I think it’s very important to teach the kids to give back, be kind, and downright spoil their Dad at least one day out of the year. Some of you may not know, but Wayne isn’t Anika’s biological father – though he has raised her since she was 18 months old, and to him, she is his. Family doesn’t always equal blood – it’s who is there for you no matter what.
Thanks to Tree Top for sponsoring this conversation! All opinions are of my own.
After helping prepare the school garden, the kids (especially Noah and Emma) were even more excited to plant our own garden. You may remember that last summer was the first year we had planted a raised garden of our own in our side yard. Noah is just now really old enough to full understand how planting a garden works and the work that goes into making it a success – and all of that comes from hands on education and awareness – it makes it so much more exciting for young kids, and they are more eager to try new vegetables’ after they’ve put the work into caring for the plants.
We’ve got about half of our little garden finished at this point and Noah is proud to have his first “garden” barrel of his very own this year.
- The giveaway will be open from April 7, 2015 to May 15, 2015 at midnight PST and will be sponsored by Sway Group.
- Forty winners (from all 40 giveaways) will be selected to receive a gardening set valued at $60.
- Sway Group will select the winners on or about May 18, 2015 and we will follow up with the prizewinners. No further action will be needed from the campaign participants.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AvengersUnite #CollectiveBias
Yesterday Noah and I did something a little bit different. It was a gorgeous day outside and I had recently bought half of the flat of strawberries, knowing that I was going to make strawberry shortcake soon.
Noah had been wanting me to play with him for quite a while, but I’ve been so busy lately that I, unfortunately, hadn’t taken a couple of hours out of my day to just play pretend with him – and I felt bad.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SidelineHero #CollectiveBias
You guys – tomorrow it officially starts – all three of the kids are now in sports and at the same time! This should be an interesting journey that we are beginning! While Emma and Noah are doing a new sport, Anika is still happily busy with soccer.
I was a little leery putting her on a club because I knew there would be more driving involved and the seasons were a little different (her games continue through Memorial weekend so there’s a month of overlapping sports), but so far it hasn’t been too bad and she loves her coach. Our babysitter’s husband is actually the girls high school soccer coach, and Anika really wants to play with him in a few years, so we knew she needed to continue playing in middle school if she wanted a shot, so she’s chosen soccer as ‘her sport’.
Since I’ve been doing this ‘soccer mom’ thing for quite a few years now (and I have a few more to go!), I’ve learned a trick or two, especially with having younger kids who tag along and are sideline heroes for every game.
We’ve all spent hours cheering Anika on from the sideline over the years, handing out POWERADE® and snacks when needed. I prefer to give the kids good snacks that will keep them happy and full until the next meal time, so I keep a lunch cooler that the kids bought for me stocked with things to keep everyone happy.
These are 5 must have snacks that you need to pack before soccer games:
1. Drinks – we always have cold water on hand, but we also like to have POWERADE® for everyone too – POWERADE® is formulated with Vitamins B3, B6, & B12 to support energy metabolism, and a 6% carbohydrate solution to help provide energy to working muscles.
2. Fresh Produce – there’s nothing better than munching on some fresh fruit and veggies – and next time you are shopping look for a coupon on the 12-pack 12 oz POWERADE® packages and you can get $1 off Walmart fresh produce when you buy two 12-pack 12 oz POWERADE®. (Hurry this deal is only available while supplies last!)
3. Cheese – cheese sticks or slices are always a favorite with the kids.
4. Nuts and crackers – mixed nuts and crackers are good because they don’t need refrigerated and can be kept in the car for emergencies (like if the game goes over or you run out of other snacks)
5. Yogurt – kids love a sweet treat, and yogurt satisfies their cravings. There is a lot of options for yogurt nowadays, from yogurt in squeeze tubes to drinkable yogurt, you don’t always have to pack a spoon if you don’t want to.
You can find the 12 pack (12 ounces each) POWERADE® in the beverage aisle at Walmart – they are the perfect size for thirsty players!
My kids – oh how I love them – those crazy little beings. We fight, we argue, but I’ll never forget these silly little moments when they are in their element – playing outside in all of the glorious dirt and mud and having fun.
A video posted by Melissa Kaylene (@melissakaylene) on Apr 7, 2015 at 2:27pm PDT
You guys know that I’m a nurse, so I know all about germs – but thankfully I don’t let them get the best of me. If I worried about germs all of the time I would go crazy! Thankfully, I too was raised playing in the outdoors and my imagination ran wild in the grassy fields and beneath old plum trees – and you know what? For the most part the saying is true, ‘dirt don’t hurt.’