The Emmy's Go Nude! And You Can, Too!

Don't you ever wonder what's in those Emmy Swag Bags? I do! And this year, I know some of the awesome products that were in there. And you know the best thing? They were lunch gear from my FAVORITE company NUDE FOOD MOVERS. AND they will soon be available here in the States. BOOM!

I mean a Brekky aka Breakfast mover, cool snack tubes and drink bottles? Sign me up!

I will follow this closely and will let you know AS SOON AS these awesome Nude Food Movers product are available here!!

Bella's Fall Coat - a Literary Lunch

I love all things fall (PSL - anyone?) just like Bella in BELLA'S FALL COAT written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by Susan Gal.

Meet Bella and her favorite coat. Bella loves everything about fall: the leaves, the crisp apples, the geese AND her fall coat. It is getting worn out and old but she wants everything "fall" to last forever. Can Grams help keep Bella warm before the first snowfall? 

We packed a fall inspired lunch to celebrate Bella's love of fall:

• spinach and apple leaves
• chex mix to keep the geese from leaving
• cheese crackers in Bella's favorite fall color
• and a Bella chocolate and cherry sandwich

The Infamous Ratsos - a Literary Lunch

This lunch is also posted over at The Little Crooked Cottage as a Literary Lunch. Head over to the fabulous blog of three children's book authors and check out the wonderful Literary Interviews with Mr. Pig himself!

Meet Louie and Ralphie Ratso from Kara LaReau's new book THE INFAMOUS RATSOS, illustrated by Matt Myers:

Louie and Ralphie Ratso want to be TOUGH just like their Dad after their Mom dies. And they will show everybody how tough they are! The only problem is that every time they try to be tough and hard, they actually end up doing a good deed and show kindness and friendship. What will their Dad think when he hears what they have done? Would he want them to be more like him?

We packed an infamously tough lunch to accompany the book:

• Tiny Crawley's hat on cheese crackers
• Mrs. Porcupini's cereal bar soap 
• Mr. O'Hare's hot chocolate pudding
• and the Infamous Ratso Sandwich for Florinda Rabbitski : grilled cheddar with beets and pickled mushrooms! Yum-O!

Race Car Dreams - Blog Tour

I am part of a wonderful blog tour today, introducing RACE CAR DREAMS by the fabulous Sharon Chriscoe. My kids immediately fell in love with this sweet story of a little race car getting ready for bed!

My kids love cars, especially race cars and it is so fun to read this rhyming book to them. Going through our all too familiar bedtime routine in car terms is simply delightful and such a fun change to regular bedtime books.

To match this fun book we made a sleeping peanut butter and jelly race car sandwich with melted chocolate and jelly decorations. Served with a warm glass of bed, the best toddler food to guarantee race car filled dreams!

To see and read more about RACE CAR DREAMS follow along in our Blog Book Tour:

9/6 My Word Playground

9/7 MomReadIt

9/8 Unleashing Readers

9/9 Once Upon a Time…

9/10 Stacking Books

9/11 Geo Librarian

9/12 Flowering Minds

9/13 Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books

9/14 Little Crooked Cottage

9/14 MamaBelly

9/15 #kidlit Book of the Day

9/16 Just Kidding

Beautiful - Literary Blog Tour

This post contains affiliate links.

BEAUTIFUL written by Stacy McAnulty is an amazing book for young girls! It redefines beauty as something already inside of everyone. EVERY girl is beautiful! It encourages girls to embrace who they are and reach for the stars!

I particularly love that the words itself might not sound any different to what girls hear every day. But paired with the beautiful illustrations by Joanne Lew Vriethoff, the words suddenly mean so much more!

I loved reading this book to my daughter and see her eyes widen when she realized what the words really meant! Every girl should have this book!

If you want to read more about BEAUTIFUL, check out the Blog Tour below:

BEAUTIFUL Blog Tour

8/29 Flowering Minds

8/30 Kids’ Book Review

8/31 My Word Playground

9/1 Stacking Books

9/2 Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books

9/3 MomReadIt

9/5 Enjoy Embrace Learning

9/6 Geo Librarian

9/7 A Foodie Bibliophile

9/8 MamaBelly

9/10 Diapers and Daydreams

9/11 The Late Bloomer’s Book Blog

9/12 Unconventional Librarian

Lunch for your High School Athlete (with THERMOS)

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Thermos provided the Hydration Bottle but all opinions are my own.

Back to School is in full swing but the heat index is still almost in the triple digits here. For the first time, I am packing lunch for a high schooler and one who also plays football and practices for 3+ hours every day after school. With some trial and error we found what works for us for lunch and I wanted to share our finds with you!

1. WATER 

Water (and I mean lots of it) was our first priority with temperatures still in the high 90s. Thermos sent us their 64 Ounce Foam Insulated Hydration Bottle and believe me: it is the best water jug we have EVER tried! Even in 100 degree weather, standing on the football field for more than 3 hours, the jug kept the water cold (even the ice was not completely melted!!).

On a few milder days, the Hydration bottle kept the water cold from 5 am all the way until the afternoon. This is really one of those finds that was a huge help during the double sessions (7 am to 3 pm practices). I could always be sure that his water was cold!

We love the safety features that prevent accidental spilling:

Hygienic push-button, flip-up lid with hygienic hard spout

Locking latch for extra security

And of course the convenient carrying handle that folds down when not in use!

2. FOOD - WHAT'S FOR LUNCH

Now that we had found a great water jug solution, I was trying to find lunch ideas that would keep him field during school and for practice. I discovered the amazing cookbook FEED ZONE and there are so many amazing recipes for athletes. I eventually purchased FEED ZONE PORTABLES and especially the rice cakes have worked great for my family. Packed in our trusted Easylunchboxes!

Here is a video on how to make the rice cakes:



We make them with whatever we have in the house, although I do follow the original recipe most times. This time however, I added turkey, spinach, and onions only and topped it with a little bit of cheese.

We have tried them with white and brown rice and once they cool down, they will stay compact and transport well.

Review: Goodbyn Bynto and Hero {with GIVEAWAY}

If you read my blog regularly, you know that we love our Goodbyn lunch containers! They were the very first containers I bought for my kids and they have proven to be one of our favorites over time. 

Besides the obvious plus points of the Goodbyn (carrying handle, dishwasher safe and leak proof), I love that the Bynto is easy to open for my kids even though it is still leak proof and my kids love the bright colors and convenience of being able to carry it without a lunch bag.

We packed this lovely purple Bynto with;

• a peanut butter sandwich on multi grain bread
• grapes and a stamped banana
• mini peppers

The Goodbyn Hero is truly a Hero! We love that it comes with two dippers which makes packing a breakfast style lunchbox a breeze. Just like the Bynto, this lunchbox is so versatile. You can pack a lot or a little and there is even room for a Goodbyn bottle!

Why do we love these Goodbyn containers?

• They are easy to wash (Top rack dishwasher safe)
• made FDA-approved Materials
• BPA- and phthalate free
• easy to open for little kids
• fun and colorful
• hold up throughout the school year! We had ours for years!
• 100% Recyclable

  This Goodbyn Hero contains:

• grapes
• cheese
• vanilla yogurt
• peanut butter sushi
• a Larabar and
• a few pieces of cereal to eat with the yogurt

WANT A CHANCE TO WIN THESE TWO? Enter my giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Disclaimer: 

Open to US residents only. Winners will be notified via email. Winners have 24h to respond before a new winner is drawn. Good luck!

Goodbyn sent me a Goodbyn Bynto and Hero to review. All opinions are my own.