School Lunch Planning

We send our boys with a packed lunch to school 90% of the time.  For the month of September, the boys and I all bought lunch at school each day but then I really did start to understand that although buying a school lunch is cheaper than sending a Lunchable, it's not cheaper than sending a sandwich.  And in my case, my school lunch wasn't appetizing enough to justify the cost.  For the boys, it costs $2.25 for lunch, and I have to pay $3.25 as a teacher.  Buying lunch at school also meant that I had to go to the lunchroom during one of the three lunch times.  Lunch time falls during my planning period and having to pause a stream of planning efficiency to go to the lunchroom is somewhat of an annoyance.  So I began packing lunches again in October and I think the boys and I have only bought a school lunch on one day since then-- they each chose a random day and I chose the day that the cafeteria was serving their Thanksgiving lunch which was pretty good.

Packing lunches, although cheaper, is certainly more of a hassle.  It requires careful grocery lists to make sure that I actually get things that are suitable for lunch.  I pack a lunch and a snack for them. I always packed their snacks, even when they bought lunch, because the snacks sold at PE (which is always right before snack time) are solely candy-ish items. It takes some planning to pick out the items I want my kiddos to have for lunch and snack, which also means that I am specific in where I shop since not every store carries what I have come to rely on for their midday meal and snacks.  When I pack lunch, I have to write the carb amount of every item packed for Michael so this takes extra time.  Over the weeks, I've developed some time savers.  I try to pack up any pre-packaged and non-refrigerated items the night before, then I just have to pack the sandwiches, yogurts, or any other refrigerated items in the morning.

Here's some examples of what I pack.

The Pirate's Booty Cheese puffs, strawberry applesauce pouch, Slim Jim and one juice pouch (Koolaid Jammers or Capri Sun Roaring Waters since those two types are the lowest in carb count) are snack items.  The raisins, chips, other juice pouch, sandwich, and sugar free Jello pudding are lunch items.

Noah's food just has to be labeled as "lunch" or "snack."  Similar to Michael, Noah took Pirate's Booty Cheese puffs, strawberry applesauce and a juice pouch for snack.  For lunch, he took Fritos, pudding, 2 small Chips Ahoy, another juice pouch and two pepperoni-wrapped cheese sticks instead of a sandwich.

On this day, I took a photo the night before the lunches were packed which is why I don't have a picture of the sandwich.  Michael is pretty consistent with what he wants for lunch-- which is typically a PBJ sandwich.  We use Polaner's or Smucker's sugar free grape or blackberry jam, Jif peanut butter, and Sara Lee "45 Calories and Delightful" bread which is very low in carb count.  On this day, Michael would be having a sandwich along with 2 mini Chips Ahoy cookies, some Cheetos puffs, and a juice pouch.

For snack on this day, he would be having roughly 21 Goldfish, a juice pouch, Slim Jim, and a strawberry applesauce.

I also include a little joke/note for Michael.  On one side is a little Knock Knock joke, and on the other side is a spot for me to write a little encouraging note to him.  (When Noah reads with more ease, I will include notes for him too).

Sometimes it is hard to remember all the items I could use for lunch making, so I made myself a little list on the fridge that includes main dish ideas (PBJ, pepperoni cheese sticks, ham sandwich) and side item options so it's not so overwhelming.  I make sure my grocery list includes most of these items each week to make the lunch packing easier.

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Festive Things to Do This Month

Tomorrow officially begins Christmas break and I am so ready for it!  Not because I long to be finished with work-- I truly do love my job.  I'm looking forward to this break mainly because it's one of the things I worked most hard for and one of the main reasons I switched careers; so I would be home with my kids when they were off of school.  To think that I get a whole two weeks off with them and it doesn't cost me any "leave time" or "PTO" is amazing!

I remember when I was pregnant with Michael and someone told me to cherish each moment because the years go by so quickly.  I didn't fully understand just how fast they could fly until I found myself as the mom of a toddler and not knowing how I got there!  Also, I hardly have any memories of my life from August 2014 through August 2015-- the first year after Michael was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes.  I took a lot of pictures during that year which is how I remember that I survived, and I wrote some blog posts during that time which reminds me of what I was feeling.  Mostly, I was numb and so very sad.  I look back at those pictures and wish I could return to that scared twenty-six year old woman and tell her it really would all be okay.  I would also scoop up those two little boys (two year old Michael and one year old Noah) and squeeze their little cheeks and race around the house with them.  I feel like I missed out on a year of life and it makes me want to hold on desperately to the time I have now.

So while I'm off for Christmas break with my kids, I'm determined to make it the most joyful, coziest, warmest time of year for them.  I want them to grow up remembering how their parents made holidays extra special because of the time we spent together-- not because of the money we had or the jam-packed things we did.  Time, to me, is best spent with hardly a schedule.  Too many activities stress me out and keep me from fully enjoying my time.  I'm so excited that these next two weeks are hardly full of a schedule at all!  During this time, I plan to do a lot of simple things that make my kiddos feel like it was the best holiday break ever!

Some of these things we've already been doing for the past month or so. Here are some ideas:

• Let the kids decorate the tree!  My kiddos LOVE doing this, which really means that most of my ornaments are in the middle of my tree-- multiple ornaments on same branches.  I do not go behind them and rearrange the tree.  I leave it just as they put it.  They redecorate it themselves over the weeks and it's completely fine with me.  The breakable ornaments I put at the very top section of the tree or I don't put them on at all.  There will come a day when I can hang the ornaments wherever, and I'll know that no one will pull them off and hide them.  Unfortunately, that also means that I'll be decorating the tree alone since my kids will be too cool-- so I'm fully soaking in these years when they want to help!
• Play Christmas music!  Bonus if you play songs from their favorite movies!  If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can download an app called "Amazon Music" and can download tons of songs for Free onto your phone and make playlists.  Just be careful not to select "Amazon Unlimited" because that's an extra fee.  I have a playlist called "Christmas" and it includes all Christmas music that we love to listen to as we ride in the car and I can also play it at home for impromptu dance parties and upbeat motivation in the mornings as we get ready!  We have traditional songs on the list as well as songs purposely directing our attention to Jesus and the reason for the season. 
• Elf on the Shelf.  This doesn't have to be intense.  It can be simple and nearly cost free to come up with ideas for the elf to do each night.  I wrote about it here.
• Put up some outside Christmas lights.  I picked up some Command hooks a few weeks ago and just got around to putting them up around our front door last week!  I hung one strings of lights around our front door, and I just strung a few other strands on the ground in front of our bushes and my kids literally think it's the best thing ever because now they feel a part of the "Christmas lights" houses and I think it's fun for them to know that they can play a role in bringing joy to someone else who might be driving through our neighborhood. Speaking of lights...
• Go driving around and look at Christmas lights!  We've done this two or three times already.  We try to go through different neighborhoods and it's a good activity while we wait for Aaron to get home in the evenings. We play Christmas music and marvel at how talented some of these neighbors can be, but we also appreciate all attempts at Christmas lighting (including our own!).
• Make hot chocolate!  We like the Swiss Miss Light hot chocolate packets because they're only 4 or 5 grams of carbs per serving.  I heat up water in a normal cup and add the hot chocolate mix, then I squirt some whipped cream on the top.  They LOVE it!  It's so simple but it makes them feel special and that's what counts. 
• Watch Christmas movies!  I spent the last several years collecting Christmas movies since we don't have cable and can't always rely on the streaming services having the movies we want to watch.  We try to choose a movie a day, but lately we've only been able to watch a movie a couple nights a week.  Now that we'll be on break, my hope is to watch most or all of what we have while we go about our business in the house each day (playing with toys, doing laundry, etc.). 

I hope this list gives you a little peek into what we're up to this holiday break and I hope it inspires you to focus on the meaning of the season and not get wrapped up in the stress that can so easily overtake! 

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Gift Guide: 5-7 Year Old Boys

I'm enjoying the ages my sons are, where they get joy out of writing (or dictating) their own Christmas lists. I know that they probably wont always find it easy to come up with things to ask for, so it's fun for me as the parent to see just a piece of their imaginations and dreams of what they could do with the things they request. We tell our kids that they can put anything on their list and that they'll get some of the things on it. I'll include some items that they actually put on their lists and I'll also mention things they've received in the past that might not have been on their lists but that they ended up really liking! I'll also add in some things I hope to include this year.

5 year old: He's very into municipal vehicles and has kind of kept that running theme for a couple of years.

Sidewalk cop police car (this is in reference to a show, I think and I'm guessing it's kind of like those "power wheels" ride-on cars. We did not purchase this.)

Bus with yellow lights and red lights (harder to find than you may think. It's very important to read reviews on items like these if you are buying online. After reading reviews about certain versions of this, we chose to go with one we found at Wal-Mart that we could actually test.)

Firetruck toy (He told us he didn't have a specific style or size in mind for this which made it easy.  We went pretty big so that he could play in tandem with garbage trucks he'd received in the past.)

Ambulance toy (This is also an item I recommend trying to find in a store. We lucked out at Wal-Mart again for this one!)

Bike. (None of my kiddos have bikes. This is the first year someone has asked for one. I'm going back and forth with whether I should get one or not but if I do, I'd choose one with optional training wheels from Academy.)



7 year old: He is our inside toy kid and would prefer to play any type of game or read than to have structured outside activities. When he's playing outside, he absolutely prefers free imaginative play (usually meaning he takes stuffed animals outside or creates make believe games with his brother).


Pokemon sword game and Pokemon shield game: These are two separate new video games (he won't be getting both but could use Christmas money if he wanted) and I'm not even sure which game system they're for (Switch, DS, Wii-U).

Pokemon battle royale for Wii-U- yet another game. Again, he can use Christmas money for this if he really wants to.

Pokemon sword and shield cards elite pack and the Mewtwo card pack - These are for two separate Pokemon card packs. He likes looking through all the various characters included in each set. At the moment, he doesn't do much beyond admire the cards and sometimes play a modified version of the cards with us. He does draw his own comics and sometimes uses these cards as reference points. These two packs he mentioned are specialized versions which cost a bit more, but the smaller packs (near check out lanes) are just as fun and are about $5 per pack (includes about 10-20 cards).

Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon 3DS & Switch - and another game. He likes the Nintendo Land version of Luigi's Ghost Mansion and likes to play that with us. I'm not too wild about having a second version of the game, so we're skipping this one. But it's certainly a popular item for boys this year.

Tanuki Luigi toy- These themed stuffed animals are a real treasure to him and he constantly plays with the ones he has.  He asked for this different character and I'm not beyond getting this or passing the word on to Santa.

Dr mario toy- This is a plastic toy that I've discovered is very hard to find. But again, it's a toy he would use in imaginative play which is a plus.

Minecraft Encyclopedia- He loves reading his Mario and Pokemon encyclopedias so I know this will be a hit!

Minecraft Activity Book- This includes lots of activities to do, which enables him to be doing something related to a favorite video game while not actually being a game itself which is nice! It includes word searches, coloring pages, word scrambles, hints for higher levels, etc.

Hot Wheels toys and loop-de-loop tracks-  Bonus if the cars are themed! They make lots of Mario themed versions.


Hopefully if you have a 5 year old or 7 year old to shop for, this list might offer some hints for popular items for this young crowd!

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Trim Up the Tree

This year I'm choosing to take a semi-minimalist approach to Christmas decorations.  This is partly because in the back of my mind I know that the more things I take out, the more things I'll have to put away at the end of the month.  I curated all of the decorations that I wanted to display so that I know what is actually out for us to see is what I felt like we could benefit from the most this season.  The rest of my decorations are tucked away safely in the storage bins (which, until the end of the month, I actually stored in my hallway bathtub since my kids use my garden tub for their baths).

First off-- our living room tree corner.  This year we put our tree back in its usual corner position next to the fire place.  In years past, we have moved the yellow chair between the tree and the fire place, but this year we chose to scoot the yellow chair closer to the couch so that the tree could be closer to the mantle.  I really like how it came out and it's nice to feel extra cozy while Aaron sits in the yellow chair most evenings and I'm on the couch!

Our mantle includes the kiddos' stockings (all from Pottery Barn-- watch for sales!) and a wool ball garland (Etsy) and monogram wooden letters (Target Dollar Spot this fall).  The stockings are held in place with Command hooks which also hold the garland and letters.  Previously, I used metal J-O-Y stocking holders, but they're so super heavy that I was afraid Avery might pull one down on herself or a brother, so I opted just to hang stockings from the Command hooks this year while she's still so young and unpredictable. On the mantle, I have my Fontanini nativity set.  I hope to add another shepherd this year.  I have scattered around some bottle brush trees (Target Dollar Spot, last Christmas) and I added a strand of warm white Christmas battery-operated lights this year.  Avery spotted a blush colored bottle brush tree for half off at Hobby Lobby this weekend, so I indulged her and the tree came home with us.  After her two year old hands molded it into a version of a tree from Whoville, it's now resting neatly beside our Christmas lyric print.  On this day, Q.E. (our Elf) was scouting from the mantle.

In the dining room, I have a kitchen cart set up with two smaller trees.  I added some tiny ornaments, as well as some vehicle-themed ornaments (and some random small Pokemon characters) to create a kid's tree scene.  One strand of colored battery-operated Christmas lights easily covers both trees.  I strung up a battery operated globe light strand (Target Dollar Spot a few years ago) along my picture frame window, and I'll continually add in some Christmas artwork that the kids do this month.

I have my most beloved placemats out-- my Nana sewed these as a "First Home" present for Aaron and me almost 10 years ago.  Noah's Grinch coloring page is on display (crinkles added by Avery).  The wreath in the window is hand prints from the boys from several years ago.  My mother-in-law made the wreath as a Christmas gift to me. I love pulling it out to display each year!

In the kitchen, my favorite Christmas dishtowel is at the ready.  Aaron and I bought this after Christmas last year and I love it so so much.  I just bought two new dishtowels this week that I'm washing before using, so I'll show you those after they're laundered.  I forgot to take a picture of my Christmas wreath, but it is happily adorning my laundry room door in my kitchen.

In the eat-in area of the kitchen, we have our shoe bench and I like to hang a seasonal wreath in the window overlooking our side yard.  This wreath is one that Noah's daycare teacher made when he was in daycare for a super short amount of time when he was just barely one year old.

In the foyer, I have a wall-hanging that belonged to my mom.  I remember loving that wall-hanging when I was a little girl and it's so fun to see my boys look at it now and imagine that the little character in the picture is them or their sister.

And of course, I have a few festive kids around.  On this day, Noah was watching Frosty and testing out a new Santa hat that he'll get to wear to school in about a week or so.

What's your favorite Christmas decoration to display?  Do you add new pieces each year? 

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Gift Guide: Toddler GIrl

It's so fun to assemble lists of potential gifts for my kiddos.  Of course the older two can write their own lists, but let's be honest-- sometimes their massive lists need to be pared down slightly in order for parents to afford them!  I like to keep a running tally of things I see that I think they'll like.  This certainly helps when it gets time to start buying the gifts.  Sometimes, their most prized gifts weren't actually on their list at all!


Here's my round-up of gifts suitable for a toddler girl!


PAW Patrol plush dogs:  Avery has the Skye plush doll already, but I know she'd love this set which includes Marshall and Chase-- two of her favorites.  She also wouldn't be upset to get a second Skye!

Play kitchen set: Several years ago, I bought my boys a very cheap (like $20) plastic kitchen.  It's so super small and totally crooked thanks to my screw-driving skills upon assembly.  :)  The boys played with it for years and now Avery plays with it.  However, I knew she could use an upgrade and I've been eyeing this one particular kitchen for a very long time. Any little girl who loves pretending to make and bake things would love this and I really feel like it will get years of use.  And, it's aesthetically pleasing which is nice since it most likely will be played with in common areas of the house rather than a bedroom.

Coffee Set:  I read about this toy coffee set on another blogger's site and it looked so cute that I just had to look it up!  One of Avery's all time favorite things is making us pretend cups of coffee or hot tea. After looking at this set, I realized it is made by LeapFrog and incorporates learning activities into the play pieces!  I absolutely cannot WAIT for her to open this up and create so many fun memories and pretend drinks!

Flicka Ricka and Dicka book:  I remember reading my mom's version of this book and was so excited to find it on Amazon!  I love for my kids to open a book on Christmas morning and this "bake a cake" version of the Flicka Ricka and Dicka books is one I think Avery (and the boys too!) will love.


Grinch DVD:  Avery discovered this updated version of the Grinch on Netflix about three weeks ago and has watched it at least twice a day since then.  We don't plan to keep Netflix past the holidays, so I decided to include this DVD in her Christmas stash.  She has completely decided that the Grinch is her favorite Christmas character and I'm guessing if she has made this decision, then other toddlers might have as well.  I enjoy all versions of the Grinch movies, but I can absolutely say that this latest version will entertain a two year old or an 82 year old! 

Avery would also enjoy new colors of Play-doh and some new Play-doh accessories (cookie cutters, rolling pins, etc.).  A new coloring book (possibly Grinch?) would also be a hit.

I hope this list has inspired you if you have a toddler girl to buy gifts for this Christmas.

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Elf on the Shelf

Hello, December!  I'm trying so super hard to take every day in stride and really cherish these days with my kiddos.  I cannot believe that Michael is already seven (which is basically ten!) and I know my days of having all three of my kids believe in Santa and Christmas magic and the Elf of the Shelf is limited.

In 2016, we started doing the Elf on the Shelf tradition.  I've kept a running list for the past two years on all of the antics that our elf, Q.E., gets into.  This makes it SO EASY to recreate some of the ideas each year and I usually add two or three (or four!) new ideas each year.

Also, I set an alarm in my phone (last year it was 8:00pm, this year it's 9:00pm) that just says "elf" and that is my daily reminder to relocate the elf before I go to bed.  By setting an alarm, I don't have to devote brain space to remembering to move the elf on my own and by referencing my notes, I don't have to worry about trying to figure out what to do or where to place him.

Here's some of our past ideas and some things we've done new this year-- and some things I'm planning to do in the coming weeks.

2017 Elf

Hanging from dining room fan with Christmas ribbon, holding a note 12-1-17
Diapers in stockings 12-2-17
On top of garbage truck 12-3-17
Putting on Christmas tree star 12-4-17
Bathroom items (wrapped up a new soap dispenser, hand towel, and toothbrush holder) 12-5-17
In the fridge 12-6-17
Snowball fight w/ cotton balls 12-7-17
Bath of cotton balls & baby soap 12-8-17
Milkbone "cookies" with "yuck" nots 12-9-17
Sleeping in tissue box 12-10-17
Toilet papered Christmas tree 12-11-17
Riding the sleigh 12-12-17
Sitting on pie safe reading books 12-13-17
Hand broom & dustpan. "Santa likes a clean house" 12-14-17
Shoe train 12-15-17
Gingerbread house kit 12-16-17
Peeking through stocking holder 12-17-17
Sitting at nativity 12-18-17
Coloring 12-19-17
In the lantern 12-20-17
Bringing ornaments & paint 12-21-17
Hanging on battery lights @ advent calendar 12-22-17
Giving a book 12-23-17
Hanging from high window in living room 12-24-17

2018 Elf:

12-01-18: welcome letter with funfetti cupcakes & frosting
12-02-18: playing Switch on top of entertainment center
12-03-18: in the fridge
12-04-18: on top of fridge with hot cocoa
12-05-18: in the tree
12-06-18: sticking through the O in JOY(our stocking holders)
12-07-18: sitting on mantle
12-08-18: inside of a Christmas jar
12-09-18: inside hall bath cabinet
12-10-18: drawing minions on bananas with Sharpie
12-11-18: bubble bath with cotton balls
12-12-18: sitting at nativity
12-13-18--12-14-18: toilet papered the Christmas tree
12-15-18: sticking out of stocking
12-16-18: sticking out of red bowl
12-17-18: sticking out of empty wipes box
12-18-18: wrapped in Christmas paper & a bow, sitting on the mantle
12-19-18: taking a nap next to tissue box, with a tissue blanket & pillow
12-20-18: underwear & diaper in stockings
12-21-18: coloring, rhyming page with snow
12-22-18: with toy nativity. Holding baby Jesus
12-23-18: In Christmas pottery mug in pie safe
12-24-18: in a high window sill of living room

2019 Elf:

12-1-19- intro letter, reindeer,book (We bought this set to go along with the Elf on the Shelf line.  It includes a book showing kids how they can hug and snuggle the elf's pet since they can't touch the elf.  Our kids named their reindeer Sam.  The boys have taken turns letting Sam sleep in their beds; it's so sweet!)

12-2-19- bringing ornaments (Mario for Michael, a school bus for Noah, and a Grinch and Max for Avery)
12-3-19- in fridge wrapped up in a washcloth
12-4-19- toilet papered tree
12-5-19- rock concert (This was another set from Elf on the Shelf.  It included a pair of sunglasses, a tshirt that says "Christmas Rocks" and an electric guitar shaped like a Christmas tree)
12-6-19- cotton ball bubble bath
12-07-19- Kinderjoy candies and note

Tonight, I expect that our elf might color in  coloring book or perhaps put some clean pairs of underwear hanging out of their stockings.

I also plan on having the elf hide some candy canes around the room for the boys (and probably Avery) to find one morning.  That'll be a weekend thing for sure because I don't want to forge through the argument of "no candy in the morning before school."  We also have one more elf costume set that I'll put on the elf probably on the 22nd or 23rd (I'm trying to spread out the use of these new items).  This last set is a stick with a marshmallow on the end for the elf to hold, along with a little campfire and a little Christmas tree.  The boys keep asking me if the Kinder Joy little egg shaped candies are on sale on Publix so I figured the elf could bring them some of these little treats one morning.  I also spotted a red plastic plate in the Target Dollar Spot that says "Cookies for Santa and Carrots for Reindeer" that I will have the elf use one day.  I plan to have some mini dog Milkbones (which we already have for Akuna) on the plate with a note that says "Here is a new plate for Santa's cookies.  BUT I tried out these cookies I found.  GROSS!  Do NOT leave for Santa!"

The boys love searching for the elf each morning and it's so fun for me as the parent to be a part of this magic.

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba