On the lunch menu for Thursday

Turkey sandwiches in the shape of a bat and a ghost, almonds, kiwi, carrots and cucumber with fat free ranch, string cheese, 1/2 a granola bar, a few candy corns. 

Tuesdays Bento Style lunches

Scott's Lunch Oven roasted turkey sandwich, colby cheese, celery and peanutbutter, Cocoa roasted almonds, a apple, activa yogurt for a snack during the day and a 90 cal brownie for desert. I refrained from cutting his stuff into little shapes for fear that he'd get made fun of at work.  (I was gonna cut his sandwich into the shape of a heart)

Bella and Noah's Lunch
Peanutbutter and Nutella Sandwich, Colby cheese, 1/2 lowfat string cheese, cocoa roasted almonds, apple slices, Noah- carrots, Bella celery with peanutbutter.

Bella eats a late lunch at school so I sent her some apple slices with a little bit of peanutbutter.  Left over from lunches

Kids Lunch box ideas------ Bento Style My newest Lens on squidoo

This is my favorite thing right now. I saw this healthy kids lunch box idea online at this lunch box rox. I was totally in love with the idea. In this day and age huge amounts of food is the norm. We live in a culture of over indulgence. This is a great way to break down food into kids portions with variety. There are so many great lunch boxes out there now a days but I love the one from Pottery Barn. They are overly expensive but are well made. I also love the simple plastic containers you can get from Walmart with 3 dividers. It started by me wanting to make my kids lunch boxes healthier.


Another favorite website I frequent is http://mariahealth.blogspot.com she has great recipes on how to healthify your kids favorite snacks by making them yourself. Love it, love it, love it! Things like fruit roll ups, granola bars, snack cakes just like little Debbie snacks, and almond flour cookies. Another great site http://www.healthyindulgences.net wonderful recipes. My kids have no idea that these are healthier options.



Children are not immune to the obesity crisis in america. It isn't as hard feeding our children healthier food options. It's teaching them to make good food chioces and helping them to develop self control by encouraging good habits. I believe eating food in the recommended quantities is the key. I can tell you that I know and understand the right ways to eat and be healthy with my nursing background but that doesn't mean that it's any easier following guidlines. I have realized only recently that I could feed my kids healthy foods and encourage them to eat healthier snacks but if I don't model self control then how could they understand.

Pumpkin Lunch For My Pumpkins----- Happy Monday!

Todays Lunch for Noah and Bella.  Homemade Apple Butter and Peanutbutter on totilla's cut into the shape of Pumpkins, cucumber, carrots with fat free ranch, half of a string cheese, few cocoa roasted almonds, 1/2 of a fiber bar, and kiwi.

Photo Blogging--- Another article I wrote for my squidoo page

at  http://www.squidoo.com/photo-blogging2

Many people feel that photo blogging is the most exciting kind of blogging that exists.. Building and maintaining a photo blog is no more difficult than creating and updating a text-based blog, and many people feel that the internet's high speed, full-color technology reaches the pinnacle of its appeal with the transmission of images. Posting photographs in a blog format on a daily, weekly, or occasional basis is a great way to express yourself while reaching viewers in an emotionally charged and aesthetically engaging way, and surfing photo blogs can help you to get a whole new perspective on the world in which we live. Many people who run image blogs are photographers by trade, but photo blogging is also very popular among hobbyists and amateur shutterbugs. To be certain, a lot of the most popular photo blogs have gained attention because the pictures on them are of the highest artistic caliber, and a lot of the people who run these striking blogs are graduates of prestigious art schools and have impressive professional portfolios. However, some of the most well known and most often visited photo blogs are as notable for their concepts as for the pictures themselves. Certain photo blogs, like the popular "Cute Overload" which features picture after picture of adorable animals, are more about the thematic content of the pictures than they are about the style in which the snapshots are taken.
The fact that photo blogs range from forums to display the work of highly skilled artisans to playful collections of curiosities shows that photo blogging is a truly diverse form. The fact that photo blogs are so easy to build and to update makes this kind of visual communication very democratic, and enables people at all skill levels to become a part of the global conversation about the nature and value of photography today.


Whether you are an artist or hobbyist who wants to create a photo blog, or whether you are just somebody who enjoys learning about new places and things, spending some time looking at the most popular photography blogs on the internet can be a very rewarding endeavor. You can travel to another place or another time by seeing pictures of faraway locations and long-gone eras. You can see your own neighborhood with fresh eyes by discover how local artists have photographed the town or city in which you live. Photo blogging allows people to communicate all of these things and more, which makes it a very exciting part of the modern blogosphere. If the best thing about web technology is that it allows people to reach each other in a very personal way from across great distances, then in many ways photo blogs are the most successful kind of web sites.

The Power of dazzle by Sheree Valentine

See Article on my squidoo page as well http://www.squidoo.com/sherees-creations

Who does not like to look good? Imagine all eyes on you as you enter a room. The sparkling earrings that you are wearing suddenly become the topic of discussion. Throughout history jewelry is essential for complementing or adding personality to any outfit. Jewelry adds an element of class, beauty, and poise to any woman.

The sparkling array of designs for every mood and personality from wild sensuality to serene gracefulness, from divine beauty to alluring sexuality and much more is available from all over the world. The glamour of trinkets and jewelry will continue to mezmerize men and woman for many years to come.

The importance of Jewelry has opened up many avenues for original jewelry designs. Fluctuations in fashion trends strongly influence jewelry designing. Each gemstone and piece taking on a different look when in the hands of a crative jewelry designer. Each gemstone has a story to tell.

Natural Beauty Secrets--- Article I wrote for my squidoo lens

 at http://www.squidoo.com/natural-beauty-secrets2

Women everywhere around the world are literally dying to know natural beauty secrets. As women go under the knife for one plastic surgery after another, they risk their lives and their bodies in an attempt to appear naturally beautiful. Little thought is given to how a botched surgery can affect them or their loved ones down the road. All they can think of is this unrealistic image of what’s considered beautiful that they have in the heads thanks to the media and advertising.


The truth is, natural beauty secrets are not really all that secret. Everywhere a woman looks, she can find all natural ways to become someone that is truly beautiful instead of trying to imitate a digitally airbrushed and otherwise changed photograph from an ad in a magazine. A couple of the biggest secrets entail nothing more than loving yourself for precisely who you are, perceived imperfections and all.



There are so many benefits of natural beauty secrets. If you make the decision to love yourself for exactly who you are and make an effort to do so daily, your self confidence will soar. If you are happy with who you are, you will be a happier person.



If you’re a happier person, your interactions with others will be more pleasant. If you treat others more kindly, they will also be happier. The world could literally be a better place if women decided to love themselves; instead of aspiring to be something no normal woman could ever be.



Everyone wants a better quality of life. For some women, they feel that if they just looked like that model or such-and-such celebrity, they would have everything they could possibly want and more. They feel that sort of beauty will open doors for them. In reality, while beauty might open a few doors, those doors will quickly be shut if you’re ugly on the inside. A woman who is dedicated to getting what she wants and feels she deserves will go much farther in this world than one who relies on her good looks alone.



Another benefit of the natural beauty secret of being happy with who you are is, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, you only have yourself. If you don’t like yourself as a person, you can’t expect anyone else to like you, either. While some may immediately be drawn to you because of your perceived beauty, they will quickly leave once they realize how poisonous your personality is. You’ll wind up alone, with only a mirror for company.



Stop letting others dictate what you should wear, how you should look, or how you should act! Don’t let people who don’t even know you tell you what to do with your life and body! The media and advertising executives don’t know who you are. They don’t even know you exist. Make the choice to do what’s best for you. That is the real natural beauty secret.