I can hardly believe it, but next week my little man starts kindergarten. I’m excited for him because he’s looking forward to making new friends and doing all the things “big kids” do.

On the other hand, along with all the excitement, I’m left with yet a new job description: school lunch maker. Yes, the school offers a lunch program, and they say it’s healthy, but….

Well, I want to know exactly what he’s eating everyday.

I quickly realized I’ve got to do a little preparation to make sure I’m not just throwing his lunch together as we’re running out the door each morning. The main thing I have to remember is that there is no refrigerator to keep items cold, nor a microwave for warming foods up.

So, here’s the way I see it.

I plan our dinners for the following week ahead of time and put them on my calendar so I’m prepared each night when it’s time to start dinner.

Why not plan for David’s school lunches and snacks the same way?

• I started by listing out several nutritious foods I know he will actually eat for both lunches and snacks.
• Then I added a lunch and snack plan to my calendar for each day of the week, which included drinks.
• Finally, I included on my grocery list anything needed to make his lunches and snacks for next week.

You see, it’s just like menu planning for dinner.

My goal is to create about two weeks worth of ideas and then repeat them every two weeks. This way he’s only eating the same lunch twice per month.

Trust me, if I didn’t have a plan, he would end up with a PB&J every other day. Therefore, I really believe this is going to work for me.

Are any of you experienced school lunch makers? What are your kids’ favorite healthy lunchbox foods?

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1. The Lunchbox Plan for My Very Picky Eater If you read my post Hey Mom, What's for Lunch? last week, then you know I've been working on planning...

In the past few months, I’ve really become a couponing mama. I’m loving couponing because it’s saving us tons of money on so many things, and I plan to continue it for a long time. Therefore, this means I currently print, and will continue to print, a lot of coupons from the internet, thus using huge amounts of paper.

The Problem:

Many of the coupons print out with just one to a page and the whole bottom part of the sheet of paper is blank - and wasted. Or at least it used to be wasted.

The Solution:

I put aside the blank page bottoms until I get a pretty good little stack. Then using my paper cutter (you could also just use a pair of scissors) I cut the paper to a uniform width. Once the paper has been cut, I divide it up and make little notepads by simply putting a couple of staple across the top.

Yes, I know this really is a super easy idea, but it works, saves paper and saves you money since you’re not buying extra notepads.

Here are a few ways I use my notepads:

• Making notes of any coupons/sales I want to take advantage of each week
• My to-do list
• Doodle pads for the kids

Really, you can use the notepad for any reason you would normally go out and buy one.

This can be done with any extra paper you have around the house. I just used the coupons as an example because that’s where most of my excess paper comes from these days.

What extra papers can you find around your house to make notepads out of?

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2. A Very Practical, Yet Inexpensive Housewarming Gift I'm so excited! I have a close family member who is in the process of buying his first home. I...
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Whew! I almost missed it - the Blog Hop ‘09 party. I, like so many others, didn’t make it to the BlogHer Conference, but I’m in good company. Thanks to Pensieve, we don’t have to miss out on all the fun.

A BIG welcome to all you Blog Hop participants!! If you’ve never visited my site before, please just make yourself at home and take your time looking around.

Let me just take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Amanda and I created Mommy’s Idea Book to provide helpful tips, ideas and encouragement to moms and homemakers.

To give you a better idea of what this blog is all about, here are a few of my favorite posts.

• 14 Family Activities to Do Before the End of the Year
• Tip for Family Vacation Planning
• How to Easily Keep Track of Your Monthly Bills
• 16 Ways to Rejuvenate

For more information on the Blog Hop, or if you’re interested in joining us, please click here to go over and check it out.

Thanks for stopping by!!

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