Don’t look now, but school’s here! Are you ready for one of the biggest challenges for Moms of school-age kids – preparing school lunches day after day?

There’s hope and help for you yet. Here are 7 back-to-school lunch tips. Hey, I can’t come over and make your kids’ lunches for you, but these tips will surely make it much easier:

1. Make dinner do double-duty

You’re already in the kitchen preparing your family’s dinner, why not use that time to get a head-start on the next day’s brown bag lunches?

Make a double batch of meals that taste just as good “the morning after,” you know, like fried chicken. Or cook dishes that can be transformed into something “new”, such as pasta sauce that’s just as yummy as pizza topping (on ready-made crust of course).

To make meal planning easier, take a look at Dine Without Whine. It’s a monthly service for planning your family’s meals and grocery shopping.

2. Include lunches when meal planning

To do tip #1, you need to be more organized. This means including your kids’ lunches when planning your family dinners.

3. Let the kids participate

Lighten your load and teach your children some important life skills at the same time. Even small children can help prepare their lunches.

If morning is too stressful, then make this an after-dinner activity – which brings us to…

4. Make advance preparations

Do whatever you can do ahead of time. For example, cook in batches on the weekend, or put leftovers in packable containers the night before.

5. DIY fast food

Commercial packed lunches are attractive but unhealthy. But who says you can’t make your own? Buy your own colorful and attractive lunch boxes, such as a bento-style lunchbox.

Fill it up with a variety of healthy food. Think of mixing up foods with different textures and colors. And cut them up into small pieces so they’re easy and fast to eat.

6. Soup it Up

Soup makes a quick and healthy lunch. You can cook a large pot in the weekend and pack it in a thermos for a warm and satisfying lunch. Serve with whole wheat bread and some fresh fruit and you’ve got a complete meal!

7. Sprinkle in some fun

Sneak a little surprise into your child’s lunchbox once in a while. It could be a little chocolate treat, stickers, or a sweet note from you. Getting something unexpected makes lunch fun.

With planning and creativity, your children can have healthy, delicious lunches without too much work for you.

For meal planning help, go to Dine Without Whine. It makes meal planning a breeze, while helping you save time and money.

Then you’ll have time and energy for those school lunches.

So, it’s time to let go of the family wagon…..I just listed it to eBay this morning and I’m hoping for a successful sale.  I’ve sold cars on eBay before and have had no problem.  But, I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about this one.  It’s a great car.  Perfect for packing the kids and cruising around.  The cargo space alone is something you’ll never find in today’s standards.  So why am I letting go of this classic car when I have a growing family of four?  Well, a few reasons.  I know in my gut, it’s time to let it go to a new owner who can give it the attention I just haven’t been able to this year.  I can’t stand to see it sit!  We’ve gone through a few changes in our lives and it’s just not fitting into our lifestyle anymore, so it must go! 

No regrets.   

Check it out >>> Chevrolet : Impala Wagon 1966 Chevy Impala Wagon (SOLD – this auction is over, thank you!)

Is school really just around the corner? You know what that means – early morning scrambles, after-school tizzies and ragged nerves at dinnertime. PLUS, my daughter has Karate class 3 nights a week – and she’ll be starting Religious Education classes. That’s FOUR nights a week, I’ll be running around with an infant and a six year old before stepping my tired feet in the door to make dinner….YIKES!

Is it still possible to get your eBay listings ready and still have pleasant family mealtimes even after school has begun?

YES – Check out these back-to-school dinner tips for busy Moms:

1. Have a meal plan.

The most important key to having relaxed family dinners, even on school nights is having a meal plan. This will simplify both food shopping (one of my least favorite things to do), meal preparation, and help you save money to boot.

If you need help, check out Dine Without Whine’s meal and grocery planning service.

2. Try freezer meals. – These are especially helpful when it’s Toy Season on eBay!  If you’re heavy into selling toys, you can relate!

Cut down on cooking time by cooking large batches and then freezing them for future use. I do this a lot, it’s so easy to pull out a frozen meal and know you don’t have to scurry to feed a hungry family.

3. Simplify your schedule.

With school comes extracurricular activities that could have you running – or driving around – like a headless chicken. Keep things to a minimum. Overloading children with too many after-school activities is not good for them. They need downtime too. I think we’ll be cutting back on the amount of time we spend on Karate until we see how her grades are progressing, plus she’s starting a brand new school. That’s a whole whirlwind of emotions to deal with!

4. Get the kids involved in cooking.

Get some help by mobilizing your own troops – your husband and children – as your kitchen helpers. Cooking is an important life skill and now it’s bonding time as well. My daughter helps set the table. She love to bread the chicken and help make meatballs. Making desert is something else she likes to do.

5. Have an emergency plan.

No matter how well you plan in advance, something always comes up. Plan for that as well. Always have emergency supplies in the pantry so you can throw together a home-cooked meal at a moment’s notice.

It could be a frozen dinner you prepared during the weekend. Mine is pasta, there’s always a spare container of frozen home made gravy in the freezer ready to go.

6. Post your family schedule.

Keep a large calendar on the wall where you can see every family member’s schedule at a glance. It will also help you plan activities around your family dinner times.

7. Set a routine.

Decide on an earlier dinner time, bedtime and wake up time and start following them a few days before school officially begins. This way, everybody’s adjusted when the real thing comes. We’re teaching our daughter how to use her alarm clock this year.

8. Stay flexible.

Sometimes you just can’t afford disruptions to your meal times. An occasional missed family dinner is no big deal – when you know you’ll have more throughout the week.

9. Consider school schedules.

Take note of school events and other activities in your family calendar – so you can plan your family dinners with them in mind.

10. Cook once, eat twice.

Every so often, cook a double batch of meals that can easily be transformed into another entree or side dish. For example, roast 2 chickens. Have one for tonight’s dinner. Chop up the other for chicken salad for later in the week. I know I can stretch 2 pounds of ground beef – one pound for meatballs, one pound for a meatloaf.  Then I can make a pot of gravy (I know, some of you call it sauce) – use half for the meatballs and the other half for chicken parm when I take out chicken breast to make chicken cutlet.   

11. Organize your kitchen.

If you haven’t done so yet, now’s the time to take stock of your kitchen. Make sure the items you use most often are accessible from your food prep area. Replace the tools that are broken, and get those gadgets that will help you get dinner ready faster.  My tupperware cabinet is just out of control!  Time to thin it out.

12. Have a special meal.

Make Friday night Teen’s night – which means they plan and prepare the meal. That is, if you have teens or any child old enough to prepare meals. They’ll learn how to cook, you get the night off (from cooking), and everybody has fun. The only condition is: everybody has to eat what’s prepared.

13. Make it educational.

This idea is for preschool-age kids. Make or buy a special placemat with letter or numbers. Laminate it with Con-Tact paper so it becomes a wipe-off board. Use it only for dinnertimes.

14. More mealtime learning opportunities.

Plan some meals to coincide with specific topics your child is studying in school. For example, on the night after a field trip to a pioneer town, have a pioneer-style meal.

15. Celebrate school successes at dinner.

Celebrate school successes with a special family meal. Prepare the child’s favorite meal and prepare a nice dessert. It’s more important to have a meal that’s relaxed and delicious, than one that tool hours to prepare.

16. Nurture school relationships.

Get to know your children’s closest school friends by inviting them to dinner once in a while.

Follow these tips to make family mealtimes simpler, easier and more fun. For meal planning and grocery shopping help, go to Dine Without Whine.

Your monthly subscription includes a weekly meal plan with recipes for main dishes, side dishes, 2 desserts and 2 brunches.

You’ll also get a weekly grocery shopping list of everything you need to create the recipes. The list is categorized according to grocery sections, so your shopping will be easier and faster.  Some Grocery stores allow you to shop online and pick up your order or even have it delivered to your home for a small fee – might be worth checking into!!    I do this from time to time as a special treat to myself, it’s a REAL time saver….now if I can only get them to put it away for me. LOL!

For a limited time, you can try Dine Without Whine for a penny. Click here to find out how.

Halloween sales are really starting to pick up on eBay!

I just listed my last 2 Childs size Indiana Jones Fendora Hats.

This has been SOLD!

I’m hoping for a hopping Halloween season to bring me into the Toy Season seamlessly.  Of course, listing Halloween only means…the end of summer officially