We share ideas for how to make nutritious lunches your kids will eat and not throw away as well as ways to keep the environment healthy with less lunch waste including green alternatives to lunch bags and juice boxes as well as fun ways to make your kids interested in lunch! This is a MOM Podcast show.

Great containers we LOVE:

Lunchskins: Reusable sandwich and snack bags made from cute pastry bag fabrics–they saved more than 12 million plastic bags from being in landfills last year.    These can be washed in the dish washer or washing machine.

Other options are available from people on Etsy, but they may not be made of food grade materials.

KlipIt by Sistema: A cool container that holds a sandwich in one place and two sides in the other side.  Available at The Container Store or in Old Navy stores for a limited time.  They also make other cool containers you will want to check out.

Recycled Sandwich Wrap (Original idea from Family Fun)

1. Find a sturdy food grade bag (Large cereal bags, candy bags, cracker bags, Pirate’s Booty bag).  The best bags are thick and have some silver lining in them–or they may be completely silver like the cereal bags inside the Costco Kirkland brand cereal boxes.
2. Cut the bottom from the bag, open the side seam, and clean the bag.
3. Cut it into a 10 or 12-inch square.
4. Attach self-adhesive hook-and-loop dots at two opposite corners of the square, one on the front and the other on the back of the bag.

Love Notes for the Lunch Box:

You can write your own notes for your kids lunches, get some online, or get these totally cute ones with great kid-fun facts along with your note.  We like “Did you Know that a Turtle breathes through is Butt?  OThey are called Lunchbox Love by SayPlease.com.

Ideas for Great Lunches:

Remember to think power snack instead of full lunch since they don’t have time to eat a large meal.

• Peanut butter and crackers
• Bagel sandwich
• Rollup with cucumber, bell pepper and salad dressing
• Tortilla, spread with PB, wrapped around a banana—can add a drizzle of honey
• Tuna salad and crackers
• Quesadilla (just cheese, or add some ground beef) serve with salsa
• Hard boiled egg, roll, fruit or veggie
• Fruit smoothie: I love this trick—make several smoothies, freeze in 8 oz containers and pop them in your child’s lunch. They will defrost and be ready to stir or spoon up by lunch
• Cold pizza
• Baked chips (whole grain/healthy versions)—dips or sauces if you like
• Pretzel, cheese stick, apple/grapes
• Crackers, lunchmeat, cheese (homemade lunchable)
• Waffle
• Plain tortilla (dip in salsa or spaghetti sauce—or nothing)
• Bagel (loads of different flavors), apple
• Granola bar and a piece of fruit or a vegetable
• Muffins and a fruit smoothie
• Soup in a thermos
• Pasta. Fun bite sized shapes. Toss with parmesan cheese, include some sauce to dip it in. Eat like chicken nuggets!
• Dry cereal (not the sugary stuff—how did that EVER make it to our breakfast tables?)
• Biscuits and jam, stick the two sides together.
• Cookies: make with smashed beans instead of butter, applesauce for half the sugar, add raisens and nuts. Keep in freezer)

If they have a microwave:

• left over dinner
• Macaroni and cheese (add a little milk in the container so it won’t be dry when reheated)
• Soup (homemade or from a can)
• Pizza

Sides:

• Nuts
• Cheese sticks/slices
• Snap peas
• Canned fruit
• Carrot sticks
• Dried apples
• Broccoli and ranch
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Bell pepper slices

DRINK:

Water. Really. No fruit drinks. It is a lot of money and they really need to rehydrate with some good old water.  Check out the Kleen Kanteen or the SubZero Stainless steel containers instead of the plastic ones.

Cowboy Cookies (with healthy alternatives)

1 c butter OR 1 cup mashed white beans
*1 c sugar
*1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla or 1/2 t almond extract
**2 c flour
**2 c oatmeal
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla or almond extract.  Add dry ingredients, then chocolate chips.  Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

* You can decrease the sugar or alter with sugar substitutes. If using agave, you will need to increase the flour and oatmeal until the batter is not too runny.

**For Gluten Free cookies, use gluten free flour, xanthum gum and gluten free oatmeal.  Follow the instructions on your gluten free flour for quantities.  I found that I had to add another 1/3 c to the recipe to make it work.

If you use beans instead of butter, you are created a “perfect protein” mix with the oatmeal.  My kids could not taste the difference in the cookies and I felt less guilty about giving them something tasty.

I make a separate batch for me and lessen the sugar, use agave or xylitol and add some protein powder to make a protein cookie that I can eat on the go.

 

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Free education might not be so free when you see the fees and other things you may be required to pay for your child in public schools.  Shelly shares tips on how to deal with this expense which all seems to hit at the same time.  We also chat about the new little bag we found and love–the Lilly May Bag. Check it out at www.lillymaebags.com This is a MOM Podcast show.

Update: Nancy spent over $100 paying for extra things and fees for her son’s free education!

 

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Listeners,

We’ve taken the month of August off and are having some shake-ups.  One host is moving, another host has a family matter to attend to.  So, we will be posting shows from the MOM Podcast for a few weeks while we get our lives in gear.

 

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Losing weight is hard and sometimes we stop trying for reasons that may or may not be worth it.  Hear how to overcome stinkin thinkin and get back on track.  Stacey kindly shares her struggles and lets Kristi lead her in a Breakthrough.

Want to try the Free 7 Day Trial?  Go to Free 7 Day Trial

Look for Part 2–some incredible material is in Part 2 as well!

 

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Sleep Expert Jami Kent is back with us to discuss toddler sleep. Jami gives us some suggestions on how to preserve and reinstate the toddler nap.

For more information on sleep consulting with Jami, visit her website BB Sleep Solutions.

 

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Claire Lerner, director of parent resources at Zero to Three and psychotherapist, discusses the struggles and joys of being a single mother. She shares tips on how to make single motherhood enjoyable and successful.

****Due to the Independence Day Holiday and Lindsay and Nancy’s birthday, this is a show from The MOM Podcast. Lindsay will post new shows soon.

 

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Lindsay shares feedback about some products for parents that were very useful for the new baby and for travel.

For more information on the products:

The Peanut Shell Hospital Gown

Peekaru Baby Carrier Cover

Glamourmom Nursing Bra Tank

Okkatots Travel Baby Depot Bag

 

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Chrissy Cianflone from Safe Kids USA shares information about the recent sling recall.

For more information about Safe Kids, visit safekids.org.

 

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It’s been three weeks now so how is Live the Life going for Nancy and Stacey and what have they learned? Have they lost any weight?  Do they feel better? Listen and learn to the tips and advice that they have after using Live the Life for a while.

If you are interested in trying the free 7-day trial, click here to get connected!

 

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We ask a trusted Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Dr. Brandy Garrett, some of our most embarrassing questions.  We discuss post-partum intimacy challenges, anxiety-provoking decisions about preparing for your annual exam, if shaving or waxing can be harmful and other questions that generally do not come up in a standard medical office visit.

This is the first of a recurring series so if you have any questions for Dr. Garrett, please send them our way!

 

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If you tried to log into iTunes or the site in the last week, you would have gotten a scary message or garbled gook.

All is well!  Nancy gritted her teeth and got it working!

Meet our two new hosts, Sarah and Ali, as we review 3 baby products that you won’t find at your standard chain baby store, 2 of which are specially designed for preemies but are also great for full-term babies.

Tummy Tub

The Zaky & Kangaroo Zak

 

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The creators of Kristi Approved, a program that includes all of Stacey’s rules for getting healthy and losing weight, chat with us.  If you are struggling to get back you body, listen up and learn how to Live the Life.  This show is packed with 7 Keys for Success and how you can start right now using the Life the Life FREE 7-day start plan.

The MOM Podcast hosts will be using this program and will be reporting on their successes in upcoming shows.   If you are interested in this topic, email us and join our Fit Moms discussion by email.  We email to each other with results every Friday.

 

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Nancy, Shelly and Stacey are now the hosts of a great new podcast called The MOM Podcast.  This show discusses the MOM Podcast and what is coming up!  Be sure to tune in–now you have two great podcasts to listen to! Please rate our podcasts in iTunes so other moms will see them and iTunes will feature them!

Link to MOM Podcast in iTunes

 

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Claire Lerner from Zero to Three joins us to talk about what to do when you kids fight and how to help that one child who seems to always stir up the issues.  This is a MOM Podcast show.

 

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We’ve got our new podcast up and running.  Check it out at www.themompodcast.com or search for us on iTunes (MOM Podcast) or use this iTunes Feed. The show now starts having new topics (we’ve been posting the MOM Podcast on Babies and Moms while Lindsay took care of sick kids and Tricia had her baby).  So, check out our topics:

• Claire Lerner talks about sibling squabbles
•  Digital Nation and how our children’s lives will be different
• When to start an instrument
• Ending homework struggles
• The best way to lose weight
• Attachment Parenting
• Protecting your child’s motivation
• What to do with your parenting partner parents differently

Join Shelly, Stacey and Nancy for exciting shows!

Laura Wellington, creator of the Wumblers, discusses how to talk to children about death and how she turned tragedy into triumph. Laura’s story of personal tragedy and how she helped her children through the experience will give you insight into how you might deal with a similar situation.  Being prepared to know how to talk with your children (even though we hope you never have to) can ease the burden you might face. Also, learn how Laura’s creation, the Wumblers, is helping teach values to children!

 

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Sleep Consultant Jami Kent discusses common questions related to baby sleep, including how to transition from swaddling.  She also shares with us the importance of customizing sleep schedules for each individual child’s sleep needs.

To learn more from Jami or to arrange a personal sleep consultation visit B.B. Sleep Solutions at http://www.bbsleepsolutions.com.

 

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Shelly discusses how to look at things in a different way and spell your family name with things around your house or in a building.  Nancy interviews an expert on taking beach photos.  Make sure you check out the photos on the website to see the great results and read comments from Steffani on her reactions!

These are Shelly’s Results:

These are our friend Steffani’s results and her comments about how this has helped her kids:

“I let them each child take the camera and find things around the house that could look like the letters in their first name. After they took the pictures, we edited them on our computer, cropping them so that the most important part was revealing the letter.  It was a ton of fun.  I have our last name one printed up in a small oblong frame and underneath “Packer” it says, “Home is where the most important things happen” because all of the things we used for our letters were found in our own home. I want to have their first names printed out in 4×6 and deco-page them to wooden blocks to put in their room.  That part hasn’t happened yet.  But . . .  I have noticed that the kids (after doing this–even CY) are always pointing things out as we drive or go places.  ”Hey, that looks like an M! or  K!”  I think it is helpful in their brain development and creativity to think outside the box.

 

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Stacey talks about her courageous decision to bring one child home from school.  This is a great discussion about listening to the needs of your child and helping them become the best person they can be.

 

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Kathy Peel, America’s Family Manager,  discusses how do couples divvy up laundry, kitchen duty and other household jobs— fairly and without resentment. Kathy’s new book is a great follow-up to her Busy Mom’s Guide (we consider it our moms bible).

 

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Shelly, MOM Podcast (Moms on a Mission) host discuss how to make fast meals and how to get your kids involved in the work.  She the amazing video of her kids helping.

 

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Organizing expert Laura Lawrence and the MOM Podcast (Moms on a Mission) hosts discuss how to get your pantry organized.  Laura is the host of The Organized Woman show. Check out Nancy’s Before and After Pantry Pictures. (more…)

 

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If you happen to be caught in Snowmageddon, you might need a super-duper snow removal tool.  Even if you are not in Snowmageddon, if you get snow each year, you need a good tool because let’s face it, more often than not a woman removes the snow (don’t know how that happened, but it is always that way around here).

Last year, Nancy started the search for the perfect tool and this year, she found one–a bit pricy, but worth every penny:  The Masi Nova Snow Pusher.  This innovative baby comes from Finland where they get tons of snow and it works WONDERS!   First off, I used it on a day when we got 6 inches of snow and I was able to clean off my 4-car driveway and do the sidewalks in less time than my neighbor could snow-blow his 3 car driveway.

It takes a bit of a learning curve because you never lift the snow like with a shovel:  You push it with your body weight to a location and dump it.  So, my back never hurt.  But, I designated a location to move the snow (we were building a sledding hill) and easily moved the snow to one location (the plow slides easily so you can move a large amount of snow without breaking a sweat). There is a so-so YouTube Video, but it shows you how it works.

Honestly, the Masi Nova is so much fun, that my hubby came out and tried it AFTER I finished the entire driveway, walk and sidewalk.  He liked it so much that he did our neighbor’s driveway and the rest of the sidewalk to the end of the street. Then, the next day when it snowed, he got up early to be the first one to use it (no exaggeration).  Now that is worth the $80 price tag right there if your hubby gets up early to shovel!

The snow does not stick to this plow and I hardly got a workout from using it because it was so easy.  And it stored in our shed easily even though it moves about 5 times more snow in each pass as a shovel (it almost clears the entire sidewalk width in one pass).

You can purchase from the US-based Masi dealer (kari.t@finnsmart.com /  Cell  917-518-4791 / Adress  Kari Tikkanen / 138W 4th Str / West Islip / NY 11795) or you can search online and find it at several online stores (see Primo Shop for more info and pictures) .

There are other snow plows (also called scoops) made by other companies but I like this one for its size and durability.  Even though it costs more, the construction means it will last longer than the cheaper ones.  Also, other people use it for other yard chores like scooping the horse poop or gathering up branches.   You will see in their comments (you can do a Google search for more info).

Shelly also liked the Masi Nova.  She has a shovel she likes as well called the Blizzard Buster.  

Getting your hands on this shovel is really hard to do, but Shelly swears it is wortht he $30-40 price.  You have to know the model number to find one online ( SEY PP100).   She likes it because it easily pushes snow out of the way without back pain.  When Nancy tried it, it was very good for a shovel, but she is in love with the Masi Nova and won’t go back.

The MOM Podcast (Moms on a Mission) hosts discuss the importance of documenting your family life for your children and for yourself.   Stacey has great ideas even for the slacker mom.

 

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I wanted to get the word out about a real program that several of my friends have participated in: AFLAC insurance that covers you after you have a baby.

The program is ending on Feb 12, 2010 so if you are planning on having a baby this year or you know someone, please forward this info to them along with contact info… for a great person who can help them understand the program. For a monthly payment of $117, AFLAC pays out $3-4,000 in benefits but you must start the policy BEFORE you become pregnant.IMPORTANT: THIS IS A REAL PROGRAM AND I GET NO MONEY FOR PASSING THIS INFO ON TO YOU.

You can set up an appointment by contacting Julie Ellis directly at: 801-735-9691 or by sending an email at julie_ellis@us.aflac.com.

Please let Julie know that you got the info from me so that she knows we sent this email out. If you already have this insurance, then you are OK. Your coverage will remain in force. However, if you decide to cancel this policy, then you will be unable to get this again.The number one way couples have learned about this insurance is from a friend sharing the news that Aflac pays cash after having a baby! The problem is that we don’t know if our friends and family are trying to have a baby until it’s too late. So, PLEASE forward this email to them, so they can take advantage of this insurance before it’s gone.

The MOM Podcast (Moms on a Mission) hosts discuss how to choose the right school for your child.

Here are some additional  ideas from a mother who founded a Charter school with other parents that wanted more choices: (more…)

 

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Isa Herrera, author of Ending Female Pain dedicated her career to helping women find relief from conditions that arise from pregnancy, labor and birth. She discusses her book, common problems and a special Webinar being held January 24, 2010 on C-Section issues.

 

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All marital relationships go through changes when children enter the picture.  Sometimes, as women we set aside our personal needs or the needs of our spouse because we think the kids have to come first.   Dr. Juli Slattery, author of No More Headaches: Enjoying Sex and Intimacy in Marriage takes a loving and intimate relationship-oriented look at how to increase our marital strength through our sexual relationships.

 

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Sometimes what you expect to happen in life is not what you get.   We discuss how we have dealt with these times in our own lives and what we have learned from the experiences.

 

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