Snack Attack

I have a hard time getting my kids to eat healthy snacks. Technically, it is me that has a hard time putting out a healthy and easy snack. It just seems so time consuming, and much easier to just unwrap a granola bar.

Last Sunday I started "Snack Bags". So far the system is working INCREDIBLY well, I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier.

I took a box of the small size snack bags (the ones that zip, not the ones for sandwiches) and our haul of produce and snacky type items I had purchased that day. Then I set to dividing it all up.

Here are some examples of our snack bags:

-3 or 4 carrot sticks, a few broccoli trees, a few cucumber slices
-A handful of grapes, 1/4 of a sliced peach, kiwi chunks
-2 slices of cheese, a handful of grapes
-1/2 of a sliced apple (A little bit of lemon juice to avoid brownness), cucumber slices
-5 ritz crackers, 2 cheese slices
-A scoop of dry cereal
-2 graham crackers, 1/2 a banana

And on and on. Together, Chloe and I cleared 1/2 of a shelf in the fridge and filled it with the snack bags. She had a great time helping me prepare them too.

Throughout the week, when it is time for a snack, both girls can grab a bag then sit down and eat. I can also snag a snack bag on my way out the door for school. No clean up, no preparation, no fuss, no junk. Although I did throw in a couple of "special" bags which aren't the healthiest, but once those are gone they are gone. I think this will help Chloe learn the value of eating healthy and having an occasional treat.

This was a bit time consuming when I put them together last Sunday. But I just tried to remember it will foster a bit of independence in Chloe (since she can get her own snacks now) and will eliminate me giving them junk because I am too tired to cut up fresh veggies. We are also reusing the snack bags, I just give them a quick rinse and put them aside for next week.

The Outside Box

We live in a fourplex, on the upstairs level. We have a sidewalk in front of us, and a small grassy area. Both girls like to draw on the sidewalk, blow bubbles, play in the grass, etc. We live next to a horse corral, so we always like to go visit the horsies, go on short walks, and visit the park a few blocks over.

One problem I have found is that Chloe always wants to bring a ton of toys downstairs to play with, a big bucket of sidewalk chalk, a large bottle of bubbles, assorted sizes of balls, a water bottle, etc etc etc. This means I am lugging stuff (and kids) up and down the stairs repeatedly. Then, the outside stuff doesn't really have a set place to go when we get inside.

I store the girls' outgrown clothes in containers like this one from Rubbermaid. I recently went through and emptied one of the boxes (most of the clothes will go to charity). So now the box is our Outside Box.

Right now it is has:
-A large bucket of super cool sidewalk chalk.
-Two jump ropes
-A small first aid kit
-2 bottles of bubbles
-A roll of paper towels for snot, blood, dirt, etc (they are kids, ya know?)
-A shovel and bucket
-An assortment of small toys
-2 bottles of water
-granola bars
-Tennis ball, bouncy ball, big bouncy ball, etc
-A magnifying glass so Chloe can check out bugs right before she stomps on them.
-Before we go outside I also throw in my cell phone and camera.

Now that the weather is FINALLY nice, we have started playing outside more. Which is great to help pass the time since my kids have started waking up at the buttcrackofdawn.

So, now I only have to carry one big thing and it stays by the door ready to go! Voila!

The Journal

The day after I found out I was pregnant with Chloe, I went to the store and bought a journal. My first entry was a little unsure and hesitant, as my emotions were so raw and new. I wrote as if I was writing to a teenaged Chloe, and I planned on giving it to her on her 12th birthday. I put my thoughts, advice, dreams, and fears down on the pages of the journal, and I wrote it in faithfully every night. Towards the end of my pregnancy as things got busier, I wrote in it once a week. Then after she was born it tapered down to once a month, then once every few months. When cleaning out our bedroom on Sunday, I found the journal; the last entry I wrote was December 24th, 2005, two years ago. I couldn't believe I let so much time go by without writing to her. That night I wrote several pages in her journal, writing about the changes in our lives, and a few funny stories about her.

I also started a journal for Alivia. I wish I had started it when I was pregnant, but time just flew by too quickly. Her new journal is already filled with several pages, words of wisdom from her mom, advice, chit chat, stories and jokes. I can just picture her as a pre teen or teen, reading the journal and thinking about what her mom must have been like so many years ago. It's also a great place to write down all the cute mannerisms of the girls. I hope it is something they will treasure forever.

If I look back at my childhood, I think ages 12-14 were the toughest for me. So many changes occur, physical and emotional, the boy crazies set in, parents are annoying, friends cause drama, it's such a rough time for a girl! I know how much I would treasure something like that from my mother, and I truly hope my girls will feel the same about my words to them.