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Back to School time is one of my favorite times of the year. Actually I think it’s because it’s like a “fresh start”! Even though it comes with lots of hustle and bustle I love receiving the list from the teacher, seeing what changes have been made for the upcoming year, buying new clothes, buying school supplies…and the list goes on!
I know a lot of parents dread this time of year…but I look forward to it and I hope I do as the years go on and my children get older I will continue to love it!
In a couple of weeks my daughter will be entering Pre-K…she attends school at a local elementary which I love because it puts her in the mind frame of attending “regular” school with older kids. The only difference this year is my niece will no longer be attending school with her, she’s going into 5th grade and that comes with promotion to Intermediate Elementary.
So as I prep her for school this year I have to remind her that her big cousin will no longer be there with her. It’s a little bittersweet for the both of us…as I am proud of my niece I hate that Emma won’t get a chance to see her during school anymore.
Another portion of me prepping my daughter for going back to school is prepping the family; getting back on dinner schedule, bedtime schedule and routine, nap-time for the kids, and back to at least one day devoting to therapy (Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy).
Prior to school starting I like to stock up on snacks at Giant Eagle because its actually the closes grocery store to my house and they have EVERYTHING we need…One Stop Shop (this is ALWAYS a bonus with moms)! I can stock up at Giant Eagle and I keep all of our goodies in a bag in my car tucked into one of the compartments in my trunk so they don’t get extremely hot on warmer days.
Our decision on which Oreo Multipack came with a lot of negotiations…mainly on my husbands part! They had so many to choose from; of course he said he was speaking on behalf of the kids but I know him and once we saw the multipack with Lemon Oreos I knew the debate was over, his mind was fixated on them!
After shopping I usually come home and transfer the goodies from their boxes to a smaller bag that will fit in my car without taking up too much room.
I ended up purchasing; Giant Eagle String Cheese, Bolthouse Juice, Oreo Summer Mix Multipack, Capri Sun, Little Bites Blueberry Muffins and Frito Lay Baked and Popped Mix!
When my daughter comes out of school on Wednesdays, we usually head directly to therapy. I usually pack sandwiches for our lunch and we eat a snack along with it like chips or popcorn. Once we leave therapy if it has been a good session, if she ask I may let her have another snack. I love our little snack bag because it comes in handy on the weekends when we are together as a family…it actually saves us money!
When I arrive at school I also come prepared with Bolthouse Juice in a cup for my daughter. Confession: we dont eat as many vegetables as we should so I love that she can get some of her fruit and vegetable servings while on the go! And she thinks its regular juice so its a win for Mommy!!
I love switching the flavors up for my kids…they love them! I even let my daughter pick out the flavors…but if I need more veggies we go with Green Goodness!
Once we are back in our school routine, some evenings or on the weekends when we have been out all day; once we get home and everyone is hungry but dinner isn’t ready I make us a quick family snack. Something for us to grab a few bites quickly to hold us over until dinner. I know many will think this ruins our appetite for dinner, but whatever we don’t eat that particular night can be dinner for the next night…this family believes in left overs!!
Deli Meat & Cheese Roll Ups!!!
This is probably the easiest recipe you will ever make!
Ingredients:
Handful of Salami and Ham*
5 String Cheese Sticks**
Handful of Toothpicks
Directions:
Lay a couple of pieces of salami or ham out, stack a couple on top of each other
Place cheese stick on top of meat and roll it up, secure it with a toothpicks then cut into little pieces
Serve with fresh veggies or fruit
*You can use whatever type of deli meat that you like
**I used regular mozzarella sticks but you can use whatever kind you like
As you can see Giant Eagle is my “go-to” store for stocking up on everything we need for getting back in the routine for school, after school appointments and weekend family errand running or trips.
