Waste-Free Lunches aka Bento

Since elementary school I have been concerned about the environment. I was the kid who really perked up and paid attention when they talked about recycling, planting trees, etc. It pained me to throw things in the trash unless it was absolutely necessary. I was a member of Club Earth in high school and wrote my college thesis about recycling. When we lived in TX I collected all my recyclables for about a month before driving them to the bins located on post. They piled up in my pantry and garage and filled up the back of my Trailblazer. It makes me happy to know I have influenced several friends over the years to start recycling and they now enjoy it!!

Now I have curbside recycling pickup, yay! But if you remember correctly, recycling is just one third of the triangle. There's also the equally important, "reduce" and "reuse."

Here's a catchy tune to remind you...

Recently, a mom at our favorite local nature center mentioned her son's lunchbox, I forget how we even got on the subject but I was intrigued. She explained to me that her son has a Planet Box and admitted it was on the pricey side. I could only kind of picture what she was talking about so I got home and Googled it. They are really quite cool, you can check them out at www.planetbox.com

She had a thing against plastic, but I don't necessarily, so I spent the next couple hours over the next couple days researching other lunch packing options. I quickly came across the term bento. Bento is the Japanese term for a "single-portion, home-packed meal" which are typically quite carefully and artfully prepared (wikipedia). Now most of the Moms I Googled weren't packing sushi and rice balls for their Kindergarteners but the creativity in their lunch prep was definitely impressive and bento is the inspiration. I liked both the artistic, creative fun of the lunches plus the benefit of reducing waste in the lunchroom.

I especially liked easylunchboxes.com and found tons of inspiration on her fan site. My favorites so far from that list are Another Lunch and Wendolonia. If you've never given any thought to how many plastic baggies and snack wrappers are thrown into your childrens' trash cans after lunchtime, now would be the time. There are so many fun, creative, dishwasher safe(!) options out there. Oh and that's just one reason these awesome moms are packing such fun lunches! Check them out, there is a lot to learn about health, nutrition, and the special love your child will feel opening their lunch box each day.

I did purchase the easylunchboxes and probably have used them every day since they arrived, often by the kids' request. I should add that I do not even pack school lunches... yet. I have until August for that, but we do love to have outdoor picnics and pack healthy snacks for when we're out and about. Look forward to photos of my fun lunches and snacks in my next post.

No More Paper Piles

I am a piler. I am not an organized person. I do not like sorting the mail or deciding what to do with each piece of paper that ends up on my kitchen counters and desk tops, but I am working on it. I was recently inspired by the BH&G special issue titled "Secrets of Getting Organized" I found at Sam's Club for about $6.

Simple phrases like "for every scrap of paper there must be a labeled container. If there isn't, create one" make so much sense! Or this gem: "Toss it, file it, but never pile it." And to stem the paper flow in the first place "be mindful of bringing this junk into your home." Go visit DMAchoice.com right now to opt out of all that junk mail!

Before you start your own system make sure to read this article too: 9 Common Home Filing System Mistakes and Their Solutions

Now I have this lovely (and quite empty!) filing system for all the mail and papers that come into the house. Of course many of them will head right for the recycle bin or go into the more permanent files, but no more piles on the counters!

Organizing MY Stuff pt 2

I came across a wonderful "Organize Your Stuff" challenge on Two Peas. It was created specifically for scrapbook supplies and focuses on one area each week. You can either search for it in the Two Peas Message Boards (they are currently on week 10 - Alphas) or visit Wookiemouse's blog where each week is already posted and you can work through it at your own pace.

Week 9 of the challenge focuses on Alphas and I have to admit I organized practically everything but Alphas last night. I am pretty excited about what I did do though. I built something, and it even involved power tools! Ok, one power tool (drill) but other hand-held tools also (hand saw & miter box).

You have probably seen the "Clip It Up" systems sold for a pretty penny online but one incredible person was kind enough to share her homemade version and it is unbelievably cheap and easy to make! For full directions, supplies, photos, etc. visit the Outta This Funk blog.

I'm sure I spent well under $10 just like her version and it was 100% complete in under 30
minutes, including going into the garage to find the right tools.


And once I did that I was on a roll so I tackled a few more problem areas...

Before: my in-progress Disney album, just stashed on an extra desk in the office.


After: All the supplies for my Disney album in one case, other various mini album supplies in the other. Plus that bottom shelf was just a big pile of random cardboard pieces and other junk I never used. Cleared out the junk and stacked up the cardboard nice & neat under the plastic cases. My largest paper cutter was stashed in the middle shelf although it didn't really fit, now I have my extra page protectors neatly stacked and the magazines I still need to go through. Top shelf is a basket of magnets, Xyron, plate I use for making circles :) and the bucket holds little tickets/maps/coins/mementos.


Before: my catch-all for my frequently used tools but was full of all other types of junk including photos.

After: photos all safe & sound in this tidy little case, plus I went through my whole "catch-all" basket and kept nothing but the essentials in there.

And in the process of all that, I found a grand total of 24 various rub-on sticks.

Organizing MY Stuff Pt 1

I came across this wonderful "Organize Your Stuff" challenge on Two Peas last week and although I had already started going through my scrapbooking stuff this was an even bigger motivator. It was created specifically for scrapbook supplies and focuses on one area each week. You can either search for it in the Two Peas Message Boards (they are currently on week 10 - Alphas) or visit Wookiemouse's blog where each week is already posted and you can work through it at your own pace.

I had already purged/organized my scraps and papers and organized my embellishments. Next they talked about storing "ideas" and I had already created my colorful "Ideas & Sketches" notebook but when they mentioned magazines Wookiemouse made an excellent point... "I found it was much easier to flip through an idea book essentially tailor-made for me, rather than several magazines that had a handful of what I was looking for."

So I started grabbing 2 or 3 magazines at a time, when I had time to just sit and flip through... Sitting in front of the tv, sitting by the tub while kids take a bath, sitting down to eat... Luckily I had already gone through each magazine as it came in and marked things with a red pen that caught my interest. Going back now though it was interesting to see how some things I had marked didn't interest me anymore and others that weren't marked did catch my eye.

I stashed the clipped out ideas in a big envelope then went through and separated them by number of photos, I also added a category for layouts that I liked specifically for the title/theme and a category for mini albums/other projects. Next step is to now glue each layout to an index card (I cut 5"x8" cards in half) and file them in a coupon-size accordian
file.

When I'm done with each magazine I stick them all in a box that I will be able to donate or giveaway when I'm done with them all. I'm doing the same with my stack of cooking magazines also, but those will be sorted into a 3-ring binder later.

Kid Art Round-Up

I had piles and piles of the kids' art all over the house. Mostly Cali's. When she does art its not just one page or one project its two or three or four... I got these really nice clear zippered pouches as a giveaway at the Art Fest we went to a couple months ago and kept thinking they'd make great art storage bags. Anyone know where I can get more? The hardest part for me is the purge, but I think I did a pretty good job.


I should point out that the 3rd picture is not the stuff I removed from the wall & fridge, but its own pile in itself. All that art and we've probably sent just as much to Daddy too!

Fish Tail Braid

Another mom at storytime was showing us how to do this the other day. It's way easier than you might think and it was fun for me to learn a new way to do Cali's hair. Instead of trying to explain it I'll just direct you to one of many Youtube tutorials here. I didn't use mousse and this had been in for about 5 hours at this point so it's starting to get messy.

Favorite Things In My House

Inspired by an old challenge I found at Two Peas and also my friend Alexandra's "Where's Home?" inquiry...

Definitely my whole scrap space and all the love my husband put into building the different shelves for me.
Everyone loves their own bed right?

Love the great big walk-in pantry and thankful I am able to keep my shelves well stocked.

Love this shower curtain and the color scheme in the kids' bathroom. Never got around to painting it but kept picturing a nice creamy orange sherbet color.

I am in love with this blanket from Ikea. Adds a great splash of color to my brown couches and tan walls and is so snuggly but not too thick.

Love watching the hummingbirds out my dining room window at every meal.

My favorite houseplant, I've had one ever since 2002.


I've had this radio in 3 houses now, I always walk straight to it and press ON every time I walk into the kitchen.

Doing this challenge made me realize just how few nice, decorative touches I have around my house. Its mostly toys and practical furniture. I think I'll start looking around for more items to love. Any suggestions on good, affordable places to browse?

I'd love to see your favorite things too, post your photos and leave your link in the messages.

Organization

My desire to organize comes in spurts. I like all those various contraptions and doo-dads out there that aim to help you stay organized, I just have a problem keeping choosing the right one or even keeping it organized once I purchase it. I always seem to be inspired though after visiting my friends' houses. You know, those friends that seem to have a place for everything and everything in its place. Let's just say these friends' names are Tish & Emily. They inspire me to attempt to be a bit more organized and since I just got back from vacationing at Tish's this was my first little organizing project.

Before - I love these little bamboo dividers I found at Wal-Mart a couple years ago, but things just don't always stay in the proper box. All those necklaces need a home of their own!


After - An 8-pack of little plastic stick-on tea cup hooks from Target for $1.69, a big blank spot of wall inside my linen closet... that's much better!

Flying with Toddlers

We made it back from our very busy and very fun trip to California. I'm sure you've seen from the pictures what a great time we had. In case you have any trips planned in the near future here are my tips for flying with toddlers....

After numerous cross-country trips with up to 3 layovers each way, this 3 hour non-stop flight was a breeze. First off, we flew Jet Blue which I would highly recommend to anyone. Jet Blue has individual TVs for each seat with 40-some channels from Animal Planet to Nickelodeon to News and Mtv. The crew was nice and friendly and offered a selection of 5 different snacks and didn't hesitate to give you seconds if you asked.

As far as entertaining the little ones... I have two very different kids. Cali is well mannered, sits still very nicely and can be easily entertained with quiet activities. I brought along lots of stickers and notebooks for her. She used a few stickers then told me she needed to save the rest for her scrapbooking. So much for that. She was mostly entertained by the TV and her new Princess gum and a few snacks. On the way back I found a makeup brush set at the $1 bin at Target and kept her entertained putting on pretend make-up, face painting, and even painting tiger stripes up and down her arms (with water).

Now Diego is a different story. As a ramubunctious 2-yr-old boy the concept of sitting still is quite foreign to him. Ideally he'd like to climb over and under all the seats like a giant jungle gym or go running like a maniac down the aisle. So we decided to take his carseat along this time and that worked well for the most part. He didn't love it but at least we were able to contain him. He was entertained by a few stretchy rubber creatures, a Color Wonder marker set, stickers, sometimes the TV but mostly lots and lots and lots of snacks. When choosing airplane snacks go for things that aren't too messy, take a while to eat, aren't too filling, and definitely low in sugar! We had granola bars, cereal, nuts, apples, and fruit snacks. I saved the chewy fruit snacks to help their ears on the descent; on the first flight I gave them suckers and that worked OK too. Not sure the suckesr actually helped their ears pop or just distracted them long enough to get through it.

As far as packing your carry-ons take at least twice as many snacks, books/toys, diapers, wipes, changes of clothes as you think you need (don't forget a set for yourself, because you never know!). They'll probably go through all the entertainment and snacks a lot quicker than you'd expect. For just this 3 hour flight I had an entire backpack filled and they went through just about all of it. Plus, you never know when you might have a delay and you really don't want to be stuck in the airport or on the airplane when you run out of essentials.

Also, if your kids have special "lovies" pack them in a carry-on because you certainly don't want their favorite blankies and babies to get lost with the luggage. They'll probably want to snuggle them on the plane anyway.

"Smelly" Cleaning Tip

As a mom of two little messy munchkins I'd have to say my favorite invention right now is the Dust Buster! I realized about 6 months ago that I needed one and wanted to check around garage sales, etc. for a deal. I found one that same weekend: a nice powerful yet small enough to mount on the wall model, brand-new, never opened. I think I paid $25 or $30. Money well spent! I use it multiple times a day, every day. Well I made a pumpkin pie last week and spilled some nutmeg, actually I think it was Cali but either way I sucked it right up in the Dust Buster. Then after two or three uses I figured out why my house smelled like Nutmeg. It wasn't the house, just the Dust Buster because even though I've emptied it 10 times since then there must be some in the filter so now I get a nice little Nutmeg smell every time I use it!

Make a Book & Water Your Plants

How to make a little book with one sheet of paper. This is amazing, fantastic, so easy and so cool! Thanks to Alexandra S.M. from Art Scrap & More for posting this link to the Hero Arts blog.



Tip that Dave read in a magazine (or somewhere): quickly and easily water your houseplants by placing a few ice cubes on top of the soil. Clever huh?

Getting Gum Out

Some really good-to-know info...
Best way to get gum out of hair: Vegetable Oil

According to the new Food Detectives show on Food Network. They did a trial where four women actually willingly matted a big wad of bubble gum into their own hair to test out the four most common methods: peanut butter, ice, oil, or rubbing alcohol. The vegetable oil was the winner by far, the gum actually slid out in one piece after about 20 minutes. All the others just made a worse mess and broke the gum into itty bitty pieces. Yuck.

Cucumbers, Dry Erase Board, Toll Road

Bitter cucumbers? Cut off the stem end then rub it in circles against the other side (open cut side to open cut side), a foam will form, rinse it off then the cucumber should not be bitter. Source: My friend Tara via her Grandma

Dry Erase Board stained because you didn't erase it for a long time? Use a magic eraser or Clorox Clean-up bleach spray. Source: My friend Shana

Cost of new 130 toll road from Georgetown all the way to the Austin Airport: $4.50. Worth it? Definitely!! No traffic, a little bit scenic and a lot faster.

Do This

• Do you get a million credit card offers a day? I do and it drives me crazy! I kept hearing there are places you can go to get yourself off those lists and I just ran across this one today... Its optoutprescreen.com, just enter your name and address and they should stop completely within a couple months. I chose the 5 year option but there is also an opt-out forever option. If you're nervous about your security and whether this is legit, check out this FTC site for more details.
  

Stains

• To remove stains - Pour boiling water over the stain ASAP. Source: Cookie Magazine.

Supposedly very effective, but not sure how practical it is. I mean who has boiling water handy when you really need it? And as a busy mom I don't even have time to boil some if I am home and happen to notice a stain right away. I usually don't notice them til they're out of the dryer and by then its way too late. I'll let you know if I ever try it, and you let me know if you do.