LilSugar

Back-to-School Supplies For Grown-Ups

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:13:39 PDT

The days are getting shorter and yellow buses fill city streets; two clear signs that it's back-to-school time! Remember the special shopping trips to pick up specialized supplies to help your studies run smoothly? Well those goodies aren't just for kids these days: locks, sneakers, hoodies, lunch totes - we love it all. To celebrate the season we've picked a few adult versions of these September staples.

10 Ways to Keep Lunch Fresh and Safe at School

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:15:39 PDT

Picking an eco-friendly, BPA, and phthalate-free lunch box isn't all mom needs to do to keep her tot safe in the cafeteria this school year. According to a new study in Pediatrics, 9 out of 10 lunches packed by mom aren't safe to eat by the time kids get to their lunch period. Researchers tested the temperatures of 705 home-packed lunch bags at nine Texas child care centers and found that even those with an ice pack were too warm to be considered safe to eat.

Foods such as milk, meat, and sliced fruit need to be kept under 40 degrees to be considered safe. To create a safer lunch, freeze items like juice boxes, water, and milk, as well as soft cheeses, chicken salad, and other perishable items. Packing them in an insulated lunch box (or bag), including two ice packs, and ensuring that the bag is sealed tight will also help. When doing your back-to-school shopping, consider adding some of these 10 safer lunch box items to your list - your lil one's stomach will thank you!

The Best Lunch Bags For Back to School

babysugar — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:00 PDT

Bye-bye brown bags! Reusable lunch sacks are better for the environment and keep midday meals intact and cool. From bags that have space for mama to leave her tot a note to bento-inspired options, we've rounded up some of the best lunch totes on the market.

Girls: 1. So Young Mother Pink Giraffe ($30), 2. Four Peas Fair Lunch Bag ($18), 3. Built Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote ($23), 4. Go Green Bento Lunch Box System ($30), 5. SugarBooger Vintage Alphabet Lunch Sack ($15).

Boys: 1. Doodlebugz Crayola Chalkboard Lunch Tote ($24), 2. Dabba Walla British Invasion Union Jack - Kids Lunch Bag ($30), 3. Em Tanner Designs Insulted SuperBoy Lunch Tote ($34), 4. Fleurville Lunch Pak ($32), 5. Safari Explorers Lunch Box ($14).

Back to School! 7 Awesome Girl-Power Lunch Boxes

TresSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:00:00 PDT

When I was a kid, right about now was the time my mom would round me up and take me to Target for some good old-fashioned back to school shopping. Out of all the things a kid has to buy before she heads back to the classroom, the lunch box offers a great opportunity for personal expression. Take a look at seven girl-power lunch pails that I would trade my brown bag for even today!

School Year's Resolutions: Eco-Friendly Lunch Boxes

LilSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:00 PDT

Brown paper bags are so passe. Make sure your child isn't outcasted at the earth-friendly lunch table by buying them an eco-friendly lunch box that helps reduce waste. Unlike the green lunch carriers of years past, today's bags are cute, kid-friendly, and serve many purposes. Check out a few of our favorites:

Kids Konserve lunch kit comes with a stainless-steel bottle, two stainless-steel containers with leak-proof plastic lids, a reusable baggie, a cloth napkin, and both a recycled aluminum name tag and recycled cotton lunch sack all made from nonleaching, BPA-free, lead-free and phthalate-free materials.
Munchlers Backpacks come in three cute polypropylene designs that unzip right into a place mat. The insulated bags easily fit lunch and a beverage.
The Lunchsense Lunchbox Set is BPA, PVC, and phthalate free, and comes with four food containers, a drink bottle, and a reusable ice pack. It opens up flat so it can be used as a place mat as well.
The lead, PVC, BPA and phthalate free Gator Tots Lunch Bag is large enough for a large lunch and keeps foods cool throughout the day. Its retro fabrics make it fun to look at too.
Cartoon and movie-loving tots will love Zak Design's phthalate-free lunch totes that feature every character from Spiderman to High School Musical.
Crocodile Creek's fun designs are a great alternative to character-driven ones. The eco-friendly bags even have an outside pocket for notes, utensils, or extra lunch money.
The Land's End Critter Lunch Box is a classic that has been lead and PVC-free for years.
Fleurville's Lunch Pak functions like a backpack that is insulated and ready to hold a midday meal. The lean and PVC-free bag also has storage compartments for holding projects from school.

Enter to win a $1,000 wardrobe for your child from Tea Collection!

Ecotot: Kids Konserve

LilSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:00:01 PDT

Think about all the disposable goods that go into a packed school lunch - plastic baggies, aluminum foil, wrappers and often times, a paper bag. Children each generate an average of 67 pounds of lunchtime trash every year. Chance Claxton and Lynn Julian, founders of Kids Konserve, were appalled when they read that statistic. Taking lunch into their own hands, they created a re-usable and waste-free lunch system that appealed to both parents and kids.

Their Signature Waste-Free Lunch Kit ($40) comes with a stainless steel bottle, two stainless steel containers with leak proof plastic lids, a reusable baggie for items like sandwiches, cheese and cut apples, a cloth napkin, and both a recycled aluminum name tag and recycled cotton lunch sack. All of the kits products are made from non-leaching, BPA-free, lead-free and phthalate-free materials. To continue educating tots about the benefits of recycling, the company has also launched the Waste-Free Lunch Challenge, offering schools the opportunity to sell the kits and earn 25 percent of each sale. With Earth Day just two days away, switching to a reusable lunch kit may be the easiest way to begin greening your life.

A Few of Lil's Favorite Things: September

LilSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:00:00 PDT

Send your kids back to school with a hardy lunch in hand. While your children may be focused on hitting the books, there's no time like the present to make sure they are mindful of the world around them. Help them choose an Eco-friendly lunch box or lunch sack to tote and store their mid-day meal. These reusable options are economical as you won't have to invest in any brown paper bags and environmentally conscious since they make for limited debris. Don't forget to tell your tots to toss their leftovers in the compost bin.

Lil Tip: Cool Lunches

babysugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:08 PDT

When you send your tot off to school with a sack lunch, your goal is to give your babe the best eats possible.

While those cute lunch totes may appear to do the job, use an old baby toy for extra insurance.

Toss old teething rings (cleaned off of course!) into the freezer. When it's time to send princess off to school, grab one of the iced toys and place it into her lunch box. She'll be pleasantly surprised when her yogurt and apple slices are just as chilled as they are at home.
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Valentine's Day Breakfast Ideas For Tots

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:03:04 PST

You already have your Valentine's Day lunch box planned for your tot, but how will you start their day? A touch of love for the first meal of the day is the perfect way to send kids off to school knowing that mama has them in her heart all day long. These Valentine's Day breakfast ideas make the most important meal of the day the most special. Check them out!

4 Savvy Things to Do This Weekend

Emily Co — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

We usually come up with plenty of fun, social activities for you to do over the weekend, but let's get savvy and down to business this weekend. It may feel like a chore to complete these tasks, but you'll feel so much better after you're done with them!

Do Your Taxes: Crank that music up and get to it! If you've been procrastinating on filing your tax returns, pull up your sleeves and tackle them this weekend. It's better to do them on the weekends when you're relaxed rather than a workday when you're all weary from working the 9 to 5. Set aside Sunday night to do them, and you'll thank me for it!.
Organize Your Receipts: Dump all the receipts out from your bag, wallet, and pocket, and put them in a designated box or folder. You can also test out Shoeboxed, which is a free online service that can automatically track and organize your online and offline purchases. All you need to do is snap pictures of receipts on your cell and email them to Shoebox or mail in paper receipts to the company, and they will organize the information for you.
Plan Your Work Lunches: If you're resolving to bring your lunch to work every day, you need to craft your meal plan on the weekend so you won't be rummaging around your fridge for scraps during the early mornings.
De-clutter Your Home: Spend the weekend de-cluttering your home and getting rid of the excess things that you don't need. First figure out what areas you need to tackle and take a look at a list of my suggestions.