Busy day,grocery shopping and lunch time!

My kids and i were in a major hurry on Tuesday. I usually do my grocery shopping on Sunday. Alone. With coffee. I like to take my time. Well I was busy running a marathon and the last thing on my mind was grocery shopping on Sunday night or even anytime on Monday for that matter!
This brings us to Tuesday. The kids and I went to the gym and at the last minute I decided to chance it go to the grocery store. The problem was that Amara still had to eat lunch before going to school.
We ran home so I could throw her lunch together and raced to the store.
She and Miles shared a rather large baggie of grapes from isle 1-5. This was her appetizer! I also packed her a sippy cup with a lid. I was not sure she would drink out of it because it was not a "big girl cup", but she thought it was kind of fun. Whew--crisis averted!
Isle 6-8 was a few breakfast cookies. I am not sure why they are called breakfast cookies, but they are made with oats, whole wheat flour, almonds and cranberries and taste really good. She and Miles just call them cookies. They had fun figuring out the animal shapes since most of these were broken.
After that she finished her water and we were in line with about 15 minutes to go before she had to be at school ( which was 3 minutes from the grocery store!) I had the cashier ring up the 2 kids Clif bars that I bought so they could munch on them while in line. Miles was a chocolate mess! Amara was actually FULL from her grocery store lunch!
I am glad I decided to do this instead of cop out and go to the drive thru as I almost did!
Sometimes it's not the most conventional thing, but as busy parents we have to do what works!

School is in session!! How to start the day off successfully

Now that Amara is in school everyday I need to make sure she has a good breakfast and a hearty lunch. She attends school Monday-Friday from 12:30-3:35.
Lunch time will come about an hour earlier than usual in our home now. There are things that, we as parents can do to raise the chances of school success. A full night's rest and breakfast are a good start to the day. Carbohydrates give the brain energy yo work, so choosing cereals and breads made with whole grains and add protein rich foods ( milk, peanut butter, eggs and turkey) for staying power. Research also shows that physically active students get better grades. "You can't play until you've finished your homework." may no longer be considered good parenting. Ongoing research from the American College of Sports Medicine has determined a link between kids' exercise and kids' academic success. Exercise increases memory capacity, cognitive thinking and stimulates the mind. Free play is the best type of exercise!

I am glad that Amara has time to play before school to get the blood flowing to her brain!

She does get a little snack during her short day, but I know that it is not something she would get at home ( Teddy Grahams--eek!). We are phasing out high fructose corn syrups in our home. I guess I have to loosen my control reigns for the time being. At least the HFCS was not the first ingredient! There is a positive! And Amara was quite excited to receive them. I might add she dropped more than half on the ground. I felt bad that I smiled when this happened!

Kind of....