Bento kids lunch ideas!

Back to school is here and I wanted to share some of my favorite ways to pack a kids lunch! I will start off by saying I have one SUPER picky eater and one that is much more adventurous with the foods. So for my picky eater, we do a lot of the same on repeats!

The time has come...school is starting! I cannot believe the summer has flown by but here we are. Which also means, time for school lunches! It has been nice to have a break from packing lunches regularly lol!

But I'm going to show you a different way to pack for lunch besides the traditional way. I have used the bento style lunch inserts for the past two years and have continued to love it! I love giving a little of everything for variety and this is the perfect way. We use the bento insert from  STUCK ON YOU, and while it is a little pricey, it's great quality and durable!

You can also find similar ones on amazon that might be a touch cheaper!

I'm going to mostly show you my daughter's lunches because she's the one who eats more variety of foods ; ) The bottom of Landon's bento box has a suggestion for each compartment, like grain, fruit, protein etc... But you can't see it in any of these pictures.

The one above is a PB&J sandwich, cheese, strawberries, cinnamon apple straws from TJ's, scooby doo snacks (not dog treats lol!) and Annie's fruit snacks.

I do one Annie's fruit snack pack between the two kids so they just get a couple sweet bites : )

The one above is Landon's and he has the same except he's super picky and only eats a certain type of cheese stick lol!

The one below is deli turkey, vanilla yogurt, cheddar cheese, grapes and strawberries mixed, fruit snacks, and a homemade banana muffin.

The kids love the banana muffins from Simple Mills, and so do I since the ingredients are not full of crap! You can find it HERE.

Below is deli turkey (he didn't eat it) yogurt, shredded cheese (supposed to go in his deli turkey), grapes, fruit snacks and a banana muffin.

On the left: PB&J, shredded cheese, banana muffin, cinnamon apple straws, grapes and fruit snacks.

On the right: turkey and cheese rollups in a tortilla, applesauce, banana muffin, cinnamon apple straws, grapes, and fruit snacks.

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Below: deli turkey, hummus with bagel to dip into it, banana muffin, strawberries and Annie's chocolate trail mix.

Most of these pictures from last year were taken within the same month or so , so you see a lot of repeats lol!

Below: bagel with deli turkey and cheese ( I think, or it may be cream cheese!), snap peas, Annie's chocolate trail mix, grapes, applesauce and fruit snacks.

Below: Chobani yogurt, cheesestick, yogurt raisins, Annie's bunny snacks, homemade banana bread and fruit.

Above: cold pasta with Italian dressing and olives and rotisserie chicken, sliced cheese, hardboiled egg, Annie's snacks, fruit snacks and fruit.

Below: the same except yogurt instead of hardboiled egg.

The pirates booty is one of Quinn's favorite so that became a staple in her lunchbox.

I post a lot on my IG stories, and always shared more of their lunch pics last through there there then actually saving pictures of them. So if you wanna see more ideas this upcoming year, make sure to follow me on there and watch my stories for more ideas!

Number one life hack for a tidy home

To start off with, this title is misleading...I in fact do not always have a tidy home. Let's just put that out there! I know this title may make it seem like it, but I am far from having a tidy home all the time. I have school aged kids who still like to cause messes and not clean up after themselves. (We're working on it).

BUT I do have my moments, and recently when I flew threw the house tidying up, I thought, "wow, this is going fast." And then it clicked WHY. I've done this for a while, but I've tweaked and perfected it to my home. And I'm sure I'll continue to tweak it, but here's my secret to help the tidy up process along...

May seem simple enough, because it is!

Everything must have a place. I'm talking EVERYTHING. I'll show some examples here in a second, but let me explain.
Sometimes we hate tidying up because we have no place to put things. So we procrastinate because we know we'll look at things and have no idea where to put it. Or we end up throwing things in piles off to the side somewhere.
But if we categorize things and everything has a place (whether it be a bin, or a designated spot in the house) then it's just a matter of putting the things where they go.
For example, Quinn has a lot of random little toys that can't really be put into a category. But she also has a TON of baby dolls and baby doll accessories. They get their own bins. She also has a good amount of barbies, my little ponies, and legos. They get their own bins. I also have a place in her room designated for purses/bags, jojo bows, books, blankets etc...

Even with the junk drawers, this idea can be used. But this does mean going through your junk drawer and throwing out what you don't need. From there categorize things. Common categories are pens, cables and chargers, scissors, notepads, keys, receipts...

In our "junk area" I have a place to put the ipads, a bowl for chargers and bigger knick knacks. On the counter I have a place for receipts, gift cards, loose change...
And in the actual junk drawer where no one really looks i got a cheap plastic organizer that houses spare keys, extra cables, pens and a whole bunch of randomness.

But I like using kids rooms and playrooms as an example because that's what people have most trouble with.

If Quinn's room is covered with random items from her bedroom, I know that I can rush through quickly and pick up because each thing has a designated spot. I can throw her shoes where they go, baby dolls in a bin, books where they belong, pens in her pen cup, purses in the designated hanging spot, stuffed animals in their bin etc...

Pictured below Is a bin just for her barbie dolls and accessories (top bin).

She went through a phase of LOL doll obsession, so the bottom one is all her LOL pieces and also other little toys around the same size.

I'm ashamed to say my kids have ALOT of toys, and i've even donated or sold many toys along the way. Only to make room for new toys. One category she has ton of are baby dolls and accessories. Clothes, bath tubs, brushes, shoes, feeding supplies etc...all for baby dolls. She has some of it in her room and some in the upstairs playroom. The ones pictured below are just her baby doll accessories. She has other bins for the baby dolls themselves. 

The container below is something I got as a baby shower gift when I was pregnant with her. I've used it many different ways throughout the years. It started out as a place to hold diapers and wipes. Now it sits on her dresser and holds her sunglasses, JoJo bows, and headphones.

My kids have bookshelves in their rooms and a reading nook upstairs. But below, I found this cute item at Target (around $8). You can hang it on the wall, but right now I choose to place it on his dresser. It houses his library books so we can keep track of them, and his notebooks.

I LOVE organizing bathroom drawers, and below is the one in the kid's bathroom. I have a section for brushes, one for hair accessoies, one for brushing (flossies, toothpaste), and one for misc like the thermometer and covers, vaseline and nail clippers. I have Quinn's plastic hair ties in it's own bin too.

Below is an ikea shelf in the playroom. We have a reading nook, and this is where this shelving unit is. I recently just organized it because it was looking all sorts of messy!

On the left is where all the board games are. Then there are sections for puzzles, books, and electronic pieces.

Below is a picture of a bin in the upstairs playroom that houses Quinn's "random girly things" collection! 

Their little kitchen area is pictured below.

I used a fruit/veggie basket I got from hobby lobby and it houses all the play food and accessories.

This won't happen in a day, or even maybe weeks. I did each room little by little. And I'm still working on rooms (like the laundry room). Bins and containers can be expensive so that's why it's ok to do it room by room and budget for it.

Cheaper alternatives are finding organizers at the dollar store. They have quite a big selection. I used organizers from there to organize my pantry.
Other stores I like to get bins are Target (of course), Marshalls, home goods, tj maxx.

So what room are you going to do first?! I'd love to know!

That summer glow...

I feel like each summer has a different vibe for me. Last year it was a lot of white. Other years I'm all about those bright vibrant colors. Some years I love the beachy feel. Actually, all years I love that beachy feel lol!
This summer I've been OB-SESSED with that dewy skin glow. This post is going to give you some of my current favorite products for just that.
Some of these products I've just recently started trying, some I've used for a while, and some in between.
I live in the PNW and we have cold winters and hot hot summers and all the seasons in between. This past winter was hard for everyone I feel. We had a lot of snow days and lots of gloom and cold. Winter seemed to drag on forever and by March-April I'm pretty sure I had a touch of SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I was dreaming of sun and tanned skin and something other then beanies and winter coats. So I started self tanning right then and there lol in hopes of lifting my spirits!

It did help, which brings me to my first product love, my favorite self tanner!

1. Tarte Brazillance

I used this last summer and loved the instant results and the smell wasn't bad like some of the other ones! I use both the body tanner with mitt and the face wipes. For the body you just wipe on with a mitt and leave for 10 minutes and go on with your day, and it gets darker as the day goes on. Plus it lasts me a while! I haven't found it in the stores, but super easy to get online here HERE

The face wipes are super easy to use and also one that gets darker as the day goes on. You can find it HERE


Continuing on with the face tanning theme, I am also obsessed with this...

2. St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mist

I bought this last year sometime and never really used it (I don't know why!). But a few months ago, I went through this stage of going through all my beauty things and either using them or throwing them out. And I'm so glad I did because it quickly became a current fave. I use it daily just as a refreshing mist with no makeup, or I use it to help set my makeup after. It's a bit pricey but I promise you it will last a long time!

3. Thayer's witch hazel facial toner

If there's ONE thing I recommend out of all these products, it's this! A facial toner is a game changer and I didn't realize it till last year! I committed to it every day and now I can't wait till I use it when I wake up lol. A toner has many benefits- it' can help remove excess dirt and makeup, shrink pores, correct and balance the pH of your skin, and can help control acne if you're prone to that. This specific one you can find at Target for under $4 if you get the small size. And the small one lasted me a long time and I used it daily! Seriously guys, try it. You need to commit to it daily though to really see the difference!

4.  Dew drops

This specific one is Marc Jacobs, but I've seen a ton of other dew drops on the market! A few months ago I got a sample kit from Sephora for the perfect summer glow and this was included. You can add it as a highlighter or can mix it in with your foundation, which is what I do! It's a perfect add in for the perfect dew! This one is kinda pricey, but again, I've seen some other dew drops out there if you're trying it for the first time!

5. OGX Sugar High Tousle Spray

I don't know I think of this when I think of summer faves. Maybe it's because the smell reminds me of summer haha! Who knows, but I've used this for a while and still am obsessed with it! I don't use hair spray, but since I don't wash my hair everyday I needed something to help tame the mane! This helps control my ends specifically and is really affordable! I spray it on my mid to end section of my hair to finish it off and again, it smells so good!

You can find it HERE

6. FITISH Dewing It

FITISH is such a cute brand and if you've ever seen founder Jenna Page on IG, you've probably obsessed over her perfect skin! This moisturizer feels so amazing going on, and a little bit goes a long way! It's a bit pricey, but again, it's worth the money for the quality you get!

I will put a disclaimer out there, this is a CBD based skin care line. When I first tried it, I admit, I did a double take. But after doing some research I felt more comfortable with my decision! Their IG page posts a lot of links to back up the science behind it if you're interested!

You can find this amazing THC free moisturizer HERE

7. Becca Highlighter

I know you probably shouldn't throw the highlighter on like confetti but I admit, I do. I can't get enough and I'm obsessed lol. I love Becca highlighters, and use the rose gold one and LOVE it. But i've used less expensive highlighters and they're good too. But Becca products are such great quality and you can find it HERE

8. Kopari Coconut Lip Glossy

Okurrrr last but not least, my bae of lip glosses! I admit, I don't like the Kopari skin care line at all lol, but this lip gloss makes up for it. It's my favorite lip gloss to date! Plus I'm basic in that I love  pretty packaging ; ) I've been loving the birthday suit one, and you can find it 

HERE

Since coming up with this list, I've found some new loves...let's face it, I'm always finding new obsessions! I'll share some on my IG soon, so make sure you're following me on there too!

If you try any of these products listed, please tell me if you love it as much as I do!