Tuesday Treasury - Hats

No hat, no play, no fun today.
Oh how many times I have said this to the forlorn child that has left their hat at home!
I know nearly all schools have their own hat now (style stealers!) but it doesn't hurt to keep a spare one in the school bag to save the no hat tears!
The hats above have been chosen because;
They have a wide sunsafe brim.
Many have adjustable chin straps, especially handy for little ones who love to pull their hat off.
Affordable
STYLISH!

Top: www.littlefrenchy.com.au

L to R: Hat-Dans mon petit sac - By Berlingot - $19

Hat Des mots doux - By Berlingot - $19

Hat - Vue du Ciel $19

Middle: www.oobi.com.au

L to R: Sunhat Boys

Sunhat Boys

Ava Sunhat

Master O has had two oobi hats since he was born and they still fit his now nearly 4 year old head!!!  This is truly a testament to what great quality they are!  

Bottom: www.milkbottles.com.au

L to R: Little Birdie Reversible Sun Hat - $25.46

Reversible Sun Hat - $ 25.46

Large Dot Reversible Sun Hat - $25.46

These hats are not only reversible but both sides have gorgeous designs!!!!

So which one is my Master 0's  favourite....it has to be the Large Dot Reversible Sun Hat from milkbottles.

Good choice, son.  He likes it because it is dotty and blue.

I like it because it's fun but practical with an exceptionally wide sun safe brim!

Oh how I will savour this moment.  I am sure there are few years left when we will agree on his clothing choices!

Make It Monday - Back to School - Teacher Gifts

PART THREE - TEACHER GIFTS

Teachers are open to bribes.  Well at least I am hoping my sons new kindy teacher will be!

What a better way to start the year, than with a simple but personal homemade gift.

Forget Apples....

The Three Things A Teacher REALLY Needs Are;

1. COFFEE  2. CHOCOLATE 3. HAND SANITIZER

Coffee...especially if you are teacher who is also a Mummy, like me...nothing like facing 25 over enthusiastic little ones after being up all night with a teething baby!

Chocolate...nothing sweetens the deal like chocolate..especially useful for moments when you feel the need to hide from the children in a store room, or to share with upset parents or to bribe other teachers to do your playground duty.

Hand sanitizer...did I mention over enthusiastic little ones..this also applies to their desire to share with you everything including coughs, sneezes, freshly pulled teeth or even better asking you to tie their shoelaces, after they have just walked through the toilets!

Or take a hint from these clever Mummy bloggers.....

Little Pumpkin Grace
These vases are just gorgeous and would make a great Teacher present any time of year!
This blog is also inspiring, with so many clever ideas!

testosterone times three
How have I never thought of this!!!  What a cheap and ingenious present!

Shauna - From my mix of six
You can never have enough pencils!  Or even better fill it with pens!
You could use simple stickers from a dollar store to decorate the jars.

Teacher Gift - Free Printable from Howdoesshe

Simply print and stick to any cute container/box you already have!

Owl Bookmarks - My Delightful Designs

A bookmark for the class!

Teacher NoteCards - Janna Wilson

Ok so I had to have one apple present in their!

But the winner for me is......

PERSONALISED HAND SANITISER!!!!

Just a Girl

With still two weeks until school/kindy goes back you have nothing to loose and everything to gain, including some brownie points (that may or may not come in handy after the teacher has had to tie your childs shoelaces...again!)

Weekend Sneak Peek

A little sneak peak at

what's to come this week!

Weekend Wind Down - Book Tags

I LOVE BOOKS.  Especially children's books.  I love receiving them, I love giving them. I love sharing them with my kids and them sharing them with me!  So now that it's the weekend thats what I intend to do!  Fingers crossed it will be a rainy Saturday,  the house will be immaculate, the kids will both have a daytime sleep at the same time and I will be able to enjoy a good book and a HOT cup of coffee.  I would even settle for a magazine and a warm cup of coffee...A girl can dream can't she.... 

Well incase my dreams don't come true this weekend, I have a back up plan.  We have a zillion books.  Okay maybe a slight overestimation, but we have a lot!  Being a teacher I had many children's books, before I even had children.  Since having children our collection has exploded! Now they have taken over our playroom, study, bedrooms and under the stairs.  I am not a fan of clutter but books are truly one of those things I can not bare to part with!  So I would love to sort them out a bit and....add some book plates!  I just love reading to the kids and being able to tell them who bought them the story and why.  There truly is a book in our house for every occasion!  Baptisms, Birthday's, Starting Kindy, Getting a new sister, Breaking a leg (I did say EVERY occasion!)  In the chaos of life I sometimes forget to write inside the cover.  To make life easier (and more stylish) I am hoping to use some of these gorgeous FREE Printables!

They would be great for making a start on the Back to School books?

Or you could just add them to your own home library to make sure, that favourite book finds it way home! 

What a great way to personalise a gift!

Simply click, download and print these gorgeous designs onto a sticker sheet!  

Or glue them on the front or inside cover of your children's books for some vintage style!

We Love to Illustrate - Free Printable Book Tags

Nina Seven from We Love to Illustrate - Free Book Tags

Book Plates from Image Zoo

Orange You Lucky

Mr Printables

Good Housekeeping

Time to log off the screen and log into life (thanks Sunny Mummy!)

Happy reading.....

"The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you'll go!"  ~Dr Seuss~

Back to School - Pack Your Bags....

PART TWO - PACK YOUR BAGS!

They get dragged along the footpath, stuffed into lockers and on top of bag racks, crammed with paintings and at the bottom you will usually find lunch crumbs, school reports and last months newsletter.  

The School Bag. 

 Long gone are the canvas backpacks of my era, covered with scribbles.  They have been replaced by wipeable, durable, gorgeous and fun designs in every style you can imagine! But before you get carried away drooling over some of these gorgeous products some practicalities.......

SIZE

Check with your daycare/kindergarten/school about the size and style of bag required.

Some will have a recommended size due to where the bags are stored.  

Many schools and even kindergartens have spoiled the fun and now have a standard bag!

Remember, it needs to be small enough for your child to carry but large enough, to fit everything in (including that gorgeous egg carton/cereal box sculpture!)

STYLE

Generally backpacks are best as they are easy to carry. Save the satchel for older children.

Zipped closures are better than flaps but let your child have a trial run to ensure they can open it!!!!

Adding a string or bag tag to the zip will make it easier for little fingers to pull open!

LABEL IT, LABEL IT, LABEL IT

You may think your child will be the only one with the latest "Insert Cartoon Character Here" Backpack but I assure you they wont be!!!

Many companies offer to personalise/embroider your bag for you!

Or you can take it to an embroidery shop and have it done...

even simpler add your own bag tag (see below for some FREE PRINTABLES!)

Anything that helps your child identify their own bag and stops them putting their homework in someone elses bag! (speaking from experience!)

STURDY? WIPEABLE? WASHABLE?

Can you put it in the wash, or hose I mean wipe it out? Will it withstand being tossed about?

That lunchbox may look liquid tight but a few baggy somersaults later you may be finding yesterdays yoghurt floating in the bottom of the bag, could you save your bag? 

(yes that is experience speaking yet again, oh how I love my job!)

DESIGN

School bags rarely last more than a year so don't get to caught up trying to find a design that will remain classic!  School bags are often the last realm of creativity and fun when it comes to back to school supplies so let them enjoy picking out something they like (even if it does come as a result of a few careful hints!)

Ok so there's the tips... so now here's the pics!

The main players here are

Tiger Tribe

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE - Fresh, Modern, Gorgeous - Will be seeing much more of them!

Penny Scallan

Wipeable, Tried and Tested we have had one for two years and it it looks like the day we got it!

Dwell Studio

A little pricey, but oh so funky!

Mooo

I'm a sucker for anything personalised!

Bobble Art

Practical, affordable and a HUGE gorgeous range in all sizes.

Skip Hop

Check out the owl backpack!  Gorgeous animal themed bags!

Check out their sites.

Below are just a very few of the gorgeous designs available via their stockists.

Kinder Kaboodle

Left - Penny Scallan - School Backpack - $49.95

Right - Penny Scallan - Monster School Backpack - $49.95

Dwell Studio - Transport Backpack - $69.95

Checkout the dwell studio website - Products to die for...

Available here via The Hip Infant

www.mooo.com.au

Large Personalised Backpack from $69.95

Haggus and Stookles

Top: Tiger Tribe - Owl in Tree Backpack - $36.95

Left - Bobble Art - Large Backpack - Babushka - $36.95

Right -  Skip Hop Zoo Pack - Little Kids  - Zoo Monkey - $39.95

DID I MENTION LABEL IT?

Here are some very clever FREE printable bag tags!

Click, Download, Print and Stick!

Anders Ruff - Free Printable Bag Tag
Absolutely loving the owls!

Living Locurto - Free Tag
Once again clever Amy, has me in stitches at these lego designs!

Living Locurto - Sweet Cupcake Bag Tags


Start packing those bags.....do you think I could take one of the cute Tiger Tribe ones to work? 
Why should the kids have all the fun?

BACK TO SCHOOL - Thoughtful Thursday - Why didn't I think of that? Lunch Box Ideas

PART ONE - THE LUNCHBOX

The New Breed of Lunch Boxes

I am in mourning.  It appears, my worst fears have been confirmed.  I have officially witnessed, the death of the traditional school lunch.   A peanut butter sandwich, wrapped in cling wrap,  complimented with a packet of chips and a popper full of juice. (To be honest I have never liked peanut butter but anyhow..)  It was not a quick death but more a drawn out process of policies and protocols resulting in  a gradual alienation of the old favourites.  I am not sure where it started.  For the past few years, as a teacher, we have encouraged healthy lunches.    So I guess the "saturated fat in a bag" chips were the first to make their departure.  Then it was the allergies.  We became a "nut free" school.  At first this seemed like an impossible idea.  But now the reality is that 90% of childcare/kindergarten/schools are nut free.  So say goodbye to Peanut Butter (and nuttella, meusli bars and even tiny teddies!).  Now as our planet suffocates under a sea of discarded cling wrap and plastic straws even the humble cling wrapped sandwich has seen its last days. "Rubbish or Litter Free" lunch boxes are now the norm.

I have watched as this has happened, as a teacher, and been baffled by the ability of parents to continue to produce wonderful lunches under such limitations.  But now it's my turn and I am desperatley seeking a life raft!  Reading Master O's Kindy Handbook (again) I am pondering what on earth I am going to pack him for lunch.  It must be

"a healthy lunchbox"

"no youghrt, meusli bars, sweet biscuits, cakes, sweets"

"no packaged drinks"

"no peanut butter, nutella, mixed nuts, foods containing peanut oil"

and due to sustainable practices

"no packaging"!!!

So it is time for me to "keep calm and carry on"  bury my old ideas and resurrect a new style of lunch.

Of course armed with a cyberspace of information this process has not been as hard as I initially thought.

I started with a lunchbox, that would allow me to pack a "litter-free" lunch.

The best options I found are "Bento Style" lunch boxes.  A plastic lunch box that usually has three compartments inside.  As I am not the first Mother on this quest the suppliers were plenty.

Top to Bottom

Tupperware. www.tupperware.com.au- 
The Sandwich Keeper Plus (5). Retails for $28.95.  
Has a large compartment for a sandwich and two smaller compartments. Dishwasher Safe. Life time Guarantee

Nude Food Movers. www.nudefoodmovers.com -
Lunchbox,  with cool skin and Bottle Pack. $27.26

Large 3 Compartment Lunch box with 2 extra round containers.

 

EcoEssentials - www.ecoessentials.com.au

Goodbyn Lunch Box $45 

Many compartments, including a space for a drink bottle. Dishwasher Safe. BPA Free, even comes with stickers to decorate/personalise the drink bottle!

Compartmentalized Lunch Boxes- www.easylunchboxes.com 

 Retail for a pack of 4 for $13.95.

 Dishwasher safe.  Add International Postage to cost of about $16. Which still means 4 containers for around $30.

Check out her blog!  I just love the lunch box ideas and photo gallery!

Now for what to put in them!  Once again a simple google of lunch box ideas gave me more ideas than I could imagine including photos!

From Another Lunch


Left to Right

Lunchbox 1 - homemade pizza pocket, two pieces of butterfly-shaped havarti cheese slices, organic yogurt covered raisins,Garden of Eatin' organic multigrain Popped Tortillas, blackberries in silicone cup with litte kitty mini-fork,pickles and two cherry tomatoes

Lunchbox 2 - A deconstructed Pasta Salad and Yummy Fruit the cut out shapes 

definitely makes fruit and vegies fun! - Love the way she uses silicone muffin cups to contain ingredients!

 

bentolunch.net

This is one clever Mum!!!  Okat so she has a few "tools" you may not have but the ideas are awe inspiring!

Left Lunchbox - Turkey bites (leftovers) you could use mini meatballs, pasta salad, fruit

Right Lunchbox - Under the pirate face is a muffin!  The face is made of cheese and cucumber! add some fruit and carrot and celery slices and there you have it!

This one is for both Master O and Mummy!
Chicken Drumsticks (leftovers), Yoghurt dip, grapes and sliced cucumber and carrot!
Goes beautifully with my high protein, low carb diet and sooo easy to make using last nights leftover chicken!!!
Easy LunchBoxes

and one last one for the Mums of teenage boys who refuse to eat healthy food.....

That is incredible!!!!

The ideas are endless!  You truly have to visit these sites to appreciate the amazing talent of these mummies!

I am now truly motivated to make some "nut, packaging, sugar free" creative lunches that will leave that peanut butter sandwich for dead! Stay tuned......