How to Save Money on School Lunches

School lunches can get expensive. But never fear money smart mom or dad, Kidzies has some tips to lighten the expense and give your kids some variety as well!

9 Tips to lowering school lunch costs:

1. Never buy pre-packaged snacks and lunch box fillers. These can cost 50-75% more than just portioning out from a larger package.

2. Use leftovers from dinner. Cold pizza, ham made into sandwiches and chicken salad can be great for lunch boxes.

3. Don't buy disposable drink pouches. Instead, opt for a reusable water bottle. If your child doesn't like plain water, try adding a packet of sugar free drink mix. To make sure their drink doesn't get lost, make sure you also invest in a Huggerz at a great price of $6!

4. Don't brown bag it. A reusable lunch bag is much more economical.

5. For sweet treats, spend a day on the weekend and make cookies or something similar for lunches rather than buying some.

6. Buy fruit that is in season to send with your kiddo. This is always a more economical choice.

7. Does your child like fruit snacks? Either buy dried fruit in bulk or make your own in a dehydrator. Much healthier and much more budget friendly.

8. Skip sandwich baggies and go for re-usable containers.

9. Don't forget to make sure your child likes what you are sending. It is a total waste of time and money if what you send with them doesn't get eaten.

Have a happy school year!

Ways to Help Kids Wind Down For BedTime

If bedtime is a crazy time in your house, you are looking for any and all suggestions to make the madness stop. Here are some ways to help bring opn the calm at bedtime in your home.

Depending on your child's age, a journal may help. Kids may enjoy writing down their thoughts about the day in a special book you both pick out at the store. Not only will this help bring the excitement level down, it will sharpen writing and thinking skills. Double score!

What do you want to wind down? Does a back rub sound nice? Your kids may like one, too. Not only is this a great bonding activity, but the soothing and calming wind down can be a great time to quietly discuss school issues.

Give your child an evening snack. Something warm such as oatmeal, or even something cool such as applesauce make great bedtime snacks.

The classic story time is usually pretty good at getting kids to wind down. If you have an older child, try reading a chapter book. Read a chapter nightly and your child may even look forward to this nighttime regimen.

Make sure to make winding down easier by cutting out TV or other electronics right before bed. Instead, allow your child to play imaginatively and quietly with non-electronic toys 1-2 hours before bed.

Get in a routine. When kids know when to expect bedtime, they will naturally start to get tired and calmer when the time draws near. Make sure you always stick to the schedule.

Tips for Getting a Picky Eater to Try New Things

Most kids go through it, some stay in it longer than others. Moms and Dads..you know what I am talking about: Picky eaters.

It can be extremely frustrating to deal with a picky eater. Meal times turn into stressful events spent begging, pleading and getting angry, even. You feel like throwing in the towel and making separate meals for everyone.

Don't give up yet! Here are some tips for getting picky eaters to eat.

1. Don't force your child to eat any foods. Many times, the lack of desire to try new foods is just a way of power struggling with you. Instead, just keep patiently offering.

2. Make sure to introduce only a few new foods every month or so. Don't expect your child to try something new every meal or week, even.

3. Don't bribe with dessert for eating a new food. Make sure to encourage by using phrases such as " I am very proud of you for trying that food you were unsure about" rather than "You are a good girl for eating that asparagus".

4. If you are unsure if your child will try something, offer it in a fun way. Give veggies a fun dip to go with or cut something into fun shapes.

5. Try having your child help make dinner. Many times, children are more interested in something if they have a part in preparing it.

6. Try, try and try again. Don't harp on your child to try something, but don't give up after the first try either. Keep offering the new food periodically and they may get curious about it. Also, Children's taste buds change over time. One year they may not like something, but the next year, it might be a favorite.

7. Most importantly, model a healthy relationship with all kinds of foods. It's OK not to like everything, but just as you want your child to try new things, be willing to do so in front of them as well.

Great Ways to Reveal The Gender of Your Baby

A while ago, Kidzies had a post on Fun Ways To Announce Your Pregnancy. Now, what are some fun ways to announce the gender of your baby when you find out? Everyone has already been driving you bonkers asking if the baby is a boy or a girl and your yourself are also on the edge of your seat wondering. Now, the big gender reveal is there and you want to tell the world! Here are some fun and unique ways to share the news!

1. Invite friends over for coffee and cake. Bake a cake in either pink or blue and cover it well with frosting. When everyone is gathered, cut into the cake to reveal!

2. Do it with balloons. Get a bunch (think; as many can fit!) of balloons and put them into a big box. Pink for girl, blue for boy. Go to an open field and have a photographer snap pictures of you before the reveal, during and after. Then, you can use this as a social media announcement.

3. A fun way to get younger siblings involved is to do a fiesta party. Invite friends with kids over, and have Latino inspired foods and mock margaritas. To reveal the gender, have the kids break open a pinata with either blue or pink candy and prizes in it.

4. Throw a "Guessing Party". Have people wear the color of the gender they guess the baby is. Pink worn for girls, blue for boys. Make it a casual get-together like a BBQ and at the end announce the winning gender. The "team" who guessed right get a small prize each.

5. Have an older sibling announce it with a T shirt that reads, "I am getting a baby _______ (brother, sister)"

6. Have it put on a Onezie from Kidzies! This would be the perfect way to let grandma or your spouse know if they don't already. Just put the gender (or better yet! name you had picked out if the baby was that gender!) and wrap it up as a present for them to reveal. This will also make a great keepsake!

7. If it is YOU that need to know the gender of the baby, have your doctor write the gender on a piece of paper and place it in a sealed envelope. Go shopping for an outfit together for the baby. Pick out an outfit for both genders (one girl and one boy one). Hand them to a sales clerk and ask him or her to ONLY bag, gift wrap and ring up the one that matches the gender in the envelope. Hand the clerk the envelope and say you will be back in a little bit.


How did you announce your pregnancy?

10 Fun Ways To Make Your Child's Birthday Extra Special

Every kid loves to feel special on their birthday. Aside from the normal birthday party and cupcakes to take to school, how can you fill your child's love tank on their birthday?

Here are 10 fun ways to make your birthday boy or girl feel like the day is all about them!

1. Make pancakes with sprinkles and frosting for breakfast. Put a candle in it, even!

2. Before you wake your child for the day, draw on the bathroom mirror a birthday message. Either use dry erase markers or lipstick!

3. Make sure you write a happy birthday note in their lunch if it is a school day. You may even consider packing a really special lunch and including a small gift, wrapped in it.

4. This is probably a given, but make your child feel like the dinner VIP and allow him or her to have the prime seat at the table and pick what you make or where you eat.

5. Make sure you tell them you love them all day. Teaching siblings that it's important to make the person feel loved on their birthday is also very important.

6. Fill the birthday child's room with balloons on the floor so when they get up, they pop them! What a fun way to wake up.

7. Decorate your car with erasable paint for windows with a special message.

8. Measure them every year. Kids like to see how much they have grown.

9. Let them decorate their own birthday cake.

10. Ask you child's siblings to do something special for the birthday kid such as do their chores for the day. If you have an only child, let them off the hook for chores, for example.

Bonus tip!

Get them a personalized Huggerz for their birthday! Personalized products make every kid feel special!

Simple Ways to Make Your Child's Lunch Special

For many parents, sending their child to school with a lunch is a practical way they can send their love with their child. Many moms and dads leave notes in their child's lunch box with a simple, "I love you!", but there are some amazingly creative ways to send that love in fun and interesting avenues.

Four Ways to Save on Back to School Clothes

School shopping can be an enormous expense, but if you know how to get great deals, it can really add up to great savings.

Here at Kidzies, we want to help you by giving you a few tips on shopping for back-to-school clothes that will help you stretch every dollar.

1. Don't be afraid to shop for second hand. Many times, you can find gently used and even new clothing items at thrift stores. Some even have tags and many are expensive brand names.

2. Make a list and stick to it. Don't buy more than you need and don't feel the need to buy all new items for things your children already have. Plan to do a second shop in the Spring as kids often grow out of clothes that quickly.

3. Use clothing from the summer and give it new life. Polos can be worn year round as can skirts and dresses. Just add a set of leggings under skirts and you have them ready for winter. For tank tops, add a t-shirt of long sleeve tee under.

4. Consider doing a clothing shop with other parents. This would be a great way to get rid of hand me downs and get to know new parents in your child's school.

Tips for First Year "School Parents"

It can be quite scary that first year your child enters school in kindergarten. You can't imagine having all that "free time" and your little buddy not hanging out with you all day or taking them to daycare.

Just as your child is probably excited to enter school, you, as a mom or dad are just as nervous. How will YOU survive going into this new phase of childhood with them?

Here are some tips to help you both ease into the school routine and put your mind at ease:

1. Know that you have done an amazing job with your child to begin with. You have raised a little super-hero so far and this phase is just as scary, but also exciting as that first step or first day of daycare. You and your child will be OK.

2. Try not to show how nervous you are as that can run off onto your child and make first day jitters hard on them as well.

3. It will probably help if you and your child tour the school before that first day. It will help calm you to meet administration and teachers and begin to visualize your child in this environment.

4. See if the school has a kindergarten get together for parents of new children entering school. If not, maybe try to plan one? It will help you, as mom and dad, not feel so scared if you know that you are probably not alone.

5. Hold a party for both you and your child. Do something special together as you both enter this phase. Have a "big boy" or "Big Girl" party to prepare yourself and your child for the new adventure.

6. In the weeks leading up to school, get a routine down for bedtime and wake-up time. This will help you ease into it better for both of you.

7. The night before school starts, do a low-key and easy meal..maybe even pizza or takeout. Spend that day and evening with your child and do something fun.

I promise, you will get through this, brave Mom or Dad. All of life and parenthood is so full of exciting changes and you will be so happy to see your child gaining more independence and almost leap for joy when they tell you all about it!

"Boy, You have Your Hands Full!"

I begin my blog today with a simple question…why must random strangers tell me daily I have my hands full?

 I begin my day with dressing my two kids (Jayden-5 and Jude-almost 3) and rushing out the door for work at our Pizza business. Jude goes to “school” for his morning socialization, while Jayden comes to work with mommy. Why not start them as early as possible developing a strong work ethic?

Anyway, finish up my work and pick #2 back up from school and we all head to the grocery. Sister has a cart, which is always an adventure, and the brother must have a giant car. I was maneuvering down the aisles at the speed of lightening, might I add it is 1 hour until naptime. Enough said. I pass by one woman whom you could tell her children were grown and she says, "You have your hands full."

This always leaves me speechless.

 Does it look like I’m out numbered? I guess so. Does this seem like a motivational comment? I would think not. I guess it would not seem to boggle me as much if it wasn’t said mostly daily everywhere I go.

 I discuss with my husband that night how often it is said and vow I will not be that grandma someday. I will send words of encouragement like…”Good job mom!” Mom’s need encouragement and feeling that they have control. Even when, some days it seems you are out numbered. What is said of those that have more than two kiddos?

 I am the first to admit we have ground rule discussions (threats) prior to entering public establishments to be sure everyone remembers how to behave. My 3 year old even recites his own now. I just have to say, remember no..and he finishes with no fighting, no pinching, stay in the cart and no yelling. Yes sir, good boy.

  Imagine if I didn’t lay this ground rules down what the comments would be All those mothers out there.

 Keep your head up, your doing a great job. Take those comments that your hands are full with smiles and fist pumps.



Julie Boyd is an ordinary Pizza Making Mother of two.

Time Out Tips

Anyone who has had a toddler or a young child knows what time outs are all about. Sometimes, though, they can seem so drawn out and hard to manage that they are easy to cave on if they are not effective.

You know what I mean. The screaming, protesting and eventual calm down only to be asked, "Can I get out of time out yet?"

While time out is not supposed to be fun, it also is not supposed to be traumatic, either, for parent or child.

Here are some ideas on how to make time out more effective and easier to administer for parents:

1. Have a specific place in your home for time out. I suggest a corner, or another quiet place in your home that is not a bedroom. A bedroom has too many distracting things in it and the child can begin to associate their room with bad behavior. You want their bedroom to be a place of peace.

2. The general rule is 1 minute for every year of age for the child. So, a 5 year old would get 5 minutes.

3. In my home, time does not start until the child is calm. If you have a child who is very upset, this can take a while. To help calm them quickly, try making a "time out bottle". Simply get a plastic water bottle, add food coloring and glitter and when the child is upset, shake it up and have them watch the glitter settle. It may take a minute or two, but the calming water will help calm them down.

4. Don't ever make threats of time out and not follow through. One of the hardest parts of parenting is being consistent, even when you ware tired. If you tell your child the behavior will get them a time out, follow through in every instance.

5. Time outs do not have to be viewed as punishment. Let you child know that sometimes, even adults need time outs to calm down. Show by example that you do on occasion.

20 Finger Foods For Toddlers

When starting to feed your baby and toddler, it can be scary to not know what to feed them as there are foods you should stay away from (Honey and nuts for example due to potential allergies) and some they could actually choke on easily. You want to feed them the best, most natural foods.

I have created a Top 20 list for foods most toddlers enjoy and are super easy to make and prepare for meals, snacks and in between. What you feed will depend on how far advanced you are in your child eating table foods. Always providing a drink such as milk or water and some 100% juice is a good idea as well with meals and snacks. Attach a Huggerz to the sippy cup and you have one stylish drink :)

Hold Your Own BackYard Water Park!

"Mooommmm..I'm Boreddd!" "Moooommmm..I'm Hoooottt".

How many times have you heard this so far, this summer? I know I have heard it too many times already. The funny thing about summer is kids think it is gonna be great being out of school, but within a couple days, they see how boring life really is when you don't have a schedule or anything you have to do.

6 Fun things to do with Food Coloring

Food coloring is a huge staple that any parent should have in thier cupboards.Not only is it great for making colored frosting for cookies, there is so much you can do with it in play!
Try out these fun things to do with food coloring and yourkid's eyes will just light up!

1. Make "Rainbow Spaghetti". Add cooked noodles to a bowl filled with food dye and water. Let them sit for about 15 minutes.

Children Say The Darndest Things

 

 

 

I'm not sure who coined that phrase but I'm fairly certain that they met my oldest son way before I did.  He is an adorable 10 year old who has no clue that he is well over 5 feet tall and his arms and legs are monstrously long.  Moreover, he has no clue just how smart he is.  We try not to make a really big deal out of it but sometimes, he is just out there in his own world and honestly, his world looks pretty doggone inviting sometimes.  

Tooth Fairy Ideas and Tips

The other night, my daughter lost a tooth. It was a molar and this made me sad because she is 10 and soon all her baby teeth will be gone! I decided to make this visit from the tooth fairy extra special. I fully believe in keeping magic alive as long as you can in a child's life.

It then dawned on me that there really isn't a whole lot of information out there on the Internet.

I decided I would share what I did this time and some other tips if you are slightly more crafty than me as well.

Tooth Fairy Tips:

1. First of all, you will need a container for the tooth. Skip the plastic baggie and go for the "big guns" as they say. It can be something as simple as a mint tin that is decorated or there are containers you can buy for this occasion as well. I personally think even putting them inside a Treasure Bagz would be awesome!

2. Make sure you leave the window cracked for the fairy to come in and tell your child that is the reason. Now, in winter, this may not work, but if the weather is warm enough, this is fun!

3. Tell your child to help you set up a plate of "nibblers" for the fairy. She must get so tired after gathering teeth and want a snack! Make the plate mini-even use a child's dish from a play dish set. Put small morsels on the plate. Make sure you eat them or make the disappear so when you child gets up, they see the fairy "ate" them :)

4. Write a note, of course! Here is a sample note based on the one I wrote for my daughter:

"Dear ______,
Last night, I was in ________ and I saw your wonderful town/city! The kids there sure have some nice teeth! I saw you wiggle that tooth loose last night and place it under your pillow so I made a special stop to see you and pick up the tooth. Let me tell you, it is the PERFECT tooth for making fairy dust-so pearly white and shiny! You must take care of your teeth well!

Thank you so much for leaving me such a great tooth!

Love,

The Tooth Fairy

Ps. You are getting so big!"


5. A magical tip is to put some glitter on the plate the fairy "ate from" and maybe a tiny bit on the child's pillow.

6. To make fairy dust money, take a bill and spray it with hairspray. Quickly sprinkle some fine glitter on it while it is still wet. You don't need much glitter or hairspray. What is great about this method is, it washes off easily. You could also leave a shiny new toothbrush as well.

I hope these tips help you make a visit from the Tooth Fairy magical!

Tugging the Heartstrings of Parenthood

Just as I thought I had overcome the trauma of watching my heart walk around in another human being's body, one of my boys managed to get slighted in recreational league sports and I was the one who cried.  I’ve coached at the high school level, all the way down to these little leaguers and I do my best to be objective.  I can look around and see that my little 45 pound Mini-Me simply can’t hit with those 80 and 90 pound kids that are the same age.

So, what sets him apart in my mind? 

It’s his attitude.  I watch other kids go up to bat and even after a good hit that resulted in an out, they retreat to the dug out in tears.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know some kids are just wired differently but the thing is, those kids don’t take the game any more seriously than my son.  What he sets him apart is just that; his attitude.  I joke about this, but it’s true.  He goes to games and win or lose, hits, homeruns or errors, he has a good time and on our way home, his first question is, “who’s going to throw with me when we get home”.  

And as a former coach, even with my parent blinders on, I want players that can take the bumps and bruises and move on.  Moreover, the life lessons learned from that are enormous. The main reason our kids participate in sports is directly related to their ability to take the good and the bad in stride and move on.  We don’t encourage them to participate so they can be major leaguers one day, we encourage them to participate to learn life skills.

Tips for Traveling with Kids

Since my family seems to always be “on the road,” Amanda suggested my first guest blog be about traveling with small children and I agree. We are constantly traveling. With my husband working swing shift and getting week-long furloughs each month, we are able to take impromptu trips that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do with the standard Monday through Friday job. Our travels include going to visit my husband’s family that lives about 2.5 hours away from us. Our kids LOVE spending time with their grandparents, so we make this trip quite often. Brody has a few health problems that require us to see specialists at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital about once a month. This is a two hour drive for us, as well. Also, we recently returned home from our annual family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. We had a fantastic time!

I wish I had a plethora of proven facts on traveling with young children, but I don’t. I wish I could chalk our smooth trips up to my super-mad parenting skills, but I can’t. First things first, though, I have to give credit where credit is due… My kids are awesome and very laid back which makes traveling with them a breeze.

 I remember the first trip we ever made after our daughter was born… she screamed the entire car ride. By the time we arrived at our destination, we were all miserable. I convinced myself that it was because she was a colicky baby and would eventually grow out of it. After about a year of miserable car rides, it hit me like a ton of bricks… It wasn’t her, it was me! If I changed my expectations and became more flexible, we would have better experiences. And… we did! 

Here are a few things that I always try to keep in mind when traveling… I hope these help!

1.   Don’t rush!  Always allow extra time for trips. If they need to stop every hour to stretch their legs, let them. Being rushed is stressful and confusing for toddlers and preschoolers.

2.   Put their comfort before your own. By this I mean, if they want to sing “The Wheels on the Bus” over and over and over until your throat hurts… Do it. Before you know it, they will be teenagers in the backseat listening to headphones and ignoring you. Embrace the time you have to entertain them, because in the near future, you will be replaced by Justin Beiber and your best impression of the Fresh Beat Band will be less than fresh. 

3.   Pack healthy snacks.

Sunday Fun Day

We enjoyed a beautiful Sunday afternoon hike today.  We have had such cabin fever this spring - long overdue have been these two days in the 70s.  Note:  I use the term "hike" lightly, as we never left our back field.  
 

Jett found his own personal "Grand Canyon"