But how? I made some changes of my own (cutting work hours, exercising more, that type of stuff…) but the main changes we’re making have to do with the kids. You can’t have a good day if you aren’t taking good care of yourself, and that’s something kids should learn early on. The tricky part is putting that concept into words they’ll understand (mine are 6 and 3, so that can be a challenge.)
So here’s what I did: I sat them down and told them that we are about to start a new adventure, and it’s going to be our best yet. But in order to stay happy and healthy in first grade (and preschool, to loop in the little one) we have to focus on 1.) eating good food to fuel our bodies and our brains, and 2.) getting good sleep so our bodies can feel good, stay strong and grow. And if we do both of those things, it will be much easier to be happy throughout the day, follow rules and be kind to our family and friends.
In a nutshell, we developed a new back to school motto: Good sleep. Good food. Good mood.
We say it every morning, and you know what? It works as a quick, gentle reminder when the kids start giving me trouble about going to bed or eating a breakfast that is not gummies or ice cream. (I don’t let them, but oh how they try.)
Good sleep. Good food. Good mood. Try it. It just might work for you, too! To make it easier, I created a couple of fun printables that can be framed, put into a lunchbox, or simply hung on the fridge to keep self-care and good habits top of mind.
Click the blue links below to print them out for your kids, too.
One Way We’re Sticking to Our Motto
With long, busy school days and lots of soccer practice, walking the walk when it comes to “good food” can be tough. We have our share of pizza nights, but all in all, we stick with lots of whole foods, fruits, veggies and lean meats. The fruit always goes over best, so we eat a lot of it, but there are times when fresh just isn’t ideal.
When you need a shelf-stable snack that packs and travels well, new DOLE® Mixations™ are definitely a mom’s BFF. Have you seen the cute new packaging in stores? It just screams “Back to School Snack!”
Our Mom Blog Tour Team got a sneak peek at these new back-to-school snacks during our trip to NY, and it was instant love for me. DOLE has been making it fun and easy for families to eat well for eight generations, and they’ve definitely still got it when it comes to innovation. DOLE MIXATIONS may look like a simple fruit cup, but when you look a little more closely…
You’ll see that each flavor is a one-of-a-kind fruit fusion that’s basically a mix of two tried-and-true classics: applesauce cups and fruit cups. Each of the 4 varieties is a fruity sauce mixed with chunks of real apple or pineapple. Choose from:
- Apple Raspberry
- Apple Strawberry
- Pineapple Mango
- Pineapple Peach Apple
DOLE MIXATIONS are just the right amount of “different” to keep kids interested, and there’s no worry about quality here. Each cup is made with non-GMO fruit, no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors. Plus, they are naturally gluten-free and rich in Vitamin C.
An average everyday lunch for my kids might include turkey and spinach on a whole wheat wrap, popcorn, cheese curds and tiny tomatoes. For an afternoon classroom snack, we’ve been sending along a DOLE MIXATIONS cup, which works perfectly because my son has to keep it in his backpack all day.
And I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’ve been taking them in my lunch, too. The apple strawberry is my favorite, and it really helps keep me away from the candy bowl at 3pm!
A Fun Bonus to Notice: Each DOLE Mixations peel-off lid is designed especially for writing messages! Pens and markers write perfectly on the little white clouds, and they don’t smudge. Who doesn’t love a quick pick-me-up note at lunchtime, right? Nice detail, DOLE!
Get Connected
DOLE is a sponsor of #MomBlogTourFF. When our team met with them, they told us that they’re really excited to get better-for-you snacks out and into the lunchboxes of kids everywhere. Like us, they’re passionate about that 2nd line of our motto! That’s why they’re offering one lucky winner a month’s supply of DOLE MIXATIONS Fruit and Sauce cups! (Flavors based on availability.) Enter using the easy Rafflecopter form below.
Don’t forget – Good sleep. Good food. Good mood!
18 and Over. US only. Ends 9/15. Retail value approx. $33. One winner per household, email address, or home address. If you have won this prize on another blog you are ineligible to win again.
I would definitely dig into the Pineapple Mango first. What a great combination….
pineapple mango blend sounds good!
The pineapple mango
I would try the Pineapple Mango first
apple raspberry is unique
Pineapple mango
Love the pineapple – mango . . just got into that combination.
apple raspberry
I really want to try the pineapple mango!
Pineapple mango for sure
apple raspberry
Apple/Raspberry would be my first try.
Pineapple mango! YUM!
Pineapple mango
I would dig into an apple strawberry first.
We’d love to try the Apple Strawberry and the Pineapple Mango first!
Pineapple mango
Apple Raspberry would be my favorite DOLE Fixations flavor.
Apple strawberry
yeah,I go with peach mango
Pineapple Mango for sure!
pineapple mango blend sounds yummy!
Pineapple mango
I can’t wait to try these. My kids love fruit and it will be a great new lunch box snack or after school snack!
Love this printable! I often write sweet notes on the cup lids. They are perfect for that!
Alyssa @ Arts and Crackers recently posted…Paper Leaf Wreath with Paper Owl | Fall Paper Craft Tutorial
VERY COOL printables!! My kids loved the mixations in their lunchbox
Tiffany @ Living Sweet Moments recently posted…Chocolate Covered Apple Cider Caramels
I’d dig into pineapple mango first.
Edye recently posted…Home Style Egg Scramble Feat. Pete And Gerry’s Eggs + Giveaway
Pineapple mango.
pineapple mango
I think pineapple peach apple sounds delicious.
I want to try pineapple mango
Definitely the pineapple mango!
Pineapple mango, two of my favs!
I would try the Apple Raspberry.
Pineapple mango would be my choice
I like apple rasberry one
Apple rasberry gets my vote.
I would love to try the pineapple mango the most
I would try the apple strawberry 1st 🙂