Mocha Java Latte Love {make your own mocha recipe}

It’s no secret around here that I love coffee.

Like, a LOT.

And I adore a good iced mocha. But I don’t so much adore the cost when getting one at the oh-so-convenient drive-thru around the corner….

I’ve attempted to make my own here and there over the years and never could get it quite like I liked it.

Then, one day I decided to try it again and was determined to get it right this time! So, I thought I’d share my discovery with you…

Now, there is something you should know about me. I don’t like super sweet anything. I don’t even like sweet tea.

{Gasp. I know…and I’m a native Texan….}

I drink my coffee black at home. And if I’m out and about, you might see me add cream and sugar. Just depends on my mood and how strong/bitter the coffee is.

My mochas? I don’t like too sweet. So, just FYI, this is not a super sweet mocha syrup, but you can adjust it to your liking….that’s the beauty of making it yourself, right?! Right.

Basically, you take some unsweetened cocoa powder, strong brewed coffee and a little sugar and whisk it all together in a sauce pot….

bring it to a low boil and whisk it while it thickens….

{not quite ready yet}

{done!}

Then let it cool and place in a jar and then pop in the fridge for when you want to make up your own mocha!

{Now when you make this, be sure to lick the chocolate off the whisk (obviously for taste testing purposes), but do it just before a neighbor knocks at your door, so that when you answer, you have just a little something on your face and your neighbor is staring at you, and you’re all wondering why, and then you check the mirror later….It’ll be awesome.

Not that I’ve…ahem….done that or anything}

Want to kick it up a notch and make it mocha valencia syrup? Just zest an orange into the mix while whisking the ingredients together. YUM!

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Recipe recap for DIY Mocha Syrup:

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INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup strong brewed coffee (I kick it up a notch in my french press for this) or coffee concentrate.
1/4 cup sugar (I use organic cane sugar and sometimes coconut sugar)

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk all ingredients together in a pot on low heat
Bring to a low boil, whisking often until it begins to thicken
Once thicknened, remove from heat and let cool.
Place in glass jar {like a mason jar} and refrigerate.

Easy Peasy!

Here’s the fun and delicious part…..

To make yourself an iced mocha, simply pour one cup of your favorite milk {I use coconut, but almond, cow’s, whatever you like kind, would work well too} into a sauce pot and place it on the stove on medium-ish heat. While that’s heating up, take your favorite glass or mason jar and add in a couple tablespoons of the mocha syrup.

By the time you finish doing that, your milk should be warmed up enough, so go ahead and pour it right over the mocha syrup in your glass and stir it up!

{if you like your mochas warm, just do the same, but add it to your favorite coffee cup and enjoy a nice hot mocha!}

You could add in a little extra coffee at this part, or leave as is. You could add some ice cubes (or some coffee ice cubes ), grab a straw and drink it up! Or, as I like to do, at about 10-ish in the morning I make this up, then place it in the fridge. Then when the littles go down for a nap, I grab my already made mocha, toss in some ice, add a straw and take a deep breath and enjoy my iced coffee for the two seconds the house is quiet.

{happy sigh}

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go do that right now….

Day Dates…..What You Have When Night Dates Don’t Always Work Well for Your Family

Sometimes we go on “day dates”, the husband and I.

When the bigs are at school and it’s just the littlest littles with us. Sometimes we’re able to get someone to watch the twinnies, and sometimes they join us.

{The funny thing is, when you have four kiddos, only having two with you seems almost easy…sometimes…}

When you’re not fielding bigger kid questions and special needs situations and arguments and LOUDNESS with all four kiddos in the van all at the same time, well, it can definitely feel a little more relaxing!

And sometimes, when you have four kiddos, one with special needs and the youngest being twin toddlers, finding affordable child care can be difficult. And sometimes night dates just don’t work out as well….especially not in our current season. “Date Nights” can almost be more stressful than helpful and can be more time spent trying to get OUT the door than you actually spend time being out TOGETHER.

So, “day dates” happen. And they’re pretty awesome.

Like this last week, we ended up with an impromptu Day Date, the twinnies were doing great, we had some errands to run, and well, we decided to make it a mini date! Sometimes, that is just the way it works. And sometimes, the way it works, is the way it needs to happen to stay connected.

On our “mini day date”, we had to drop off some books to the library. We used the book drop off that’s on the outside of the library, but my littlest little knows that THERE ARE BOOKS IN THAT BUILDING. She loves books. LOVES them.

She didn’t stop asking “can we go get books?” for the rest of the morning and again after nap time.

{she really really really likes books}

So, after our “day date” of running errands and enjoying some quiet, the bigs arrived home from school. I decided to take the oldest (that also really really likes books and was wanting to go pick some up that had been reserved) and the youngest with me on what turned into a mama and kid date.

Two dates with my people in one day….well, three out of the 5 of them at least.

{don’t worry…the other two will get their mama time too. Promise}

I don’t always have “big black” with me (what I lovingly call my DSLR), but there were some moments I was quick to grab my phone and used it’s handy dandy camera.

{seriously…WHAT did we ever do without those? Oh yeah, we used point and shoots..and had a phone…and…too many other things to juggle and balance…}

The photos above captured two of my kiddos perfectly in their element. My oldest and my youngest. My book lovers.

I loved standing back and just watching them navigate the isles of books. M and I exploring some books for her, then going to find her big brother and her running to him when she found him.

Having four kiddos spanning a fairly wide range in ages can be crazy and difficult and chaotic at times, but days and moments like these bring it home and remind me just how amazing it all really is.

The Coffee Dates I Miss The Most

Coffee.

I love coffee for all it’s amazing a wonderful benefits and how it helps make my bloodshot zombie mom-ness dissipate when my body fully finishes caffeinating.

But there is more to the story of my love of coffee.

My Gramms.

My Gramms introduced me to coffee. She always had her cup all day, every day full of the dark goodness.

She drank it black. Always. So do I….perhaps because that is how I learned to drink it.

As I got older and was able to enjoy a cup along with her, we would sit at the kitchen table and chat about life as we drank our coffee.

It was our time together. We were the only coffee drinkers in the house.

I grew up, got married, had a family….but, we still almost daily got together for coffee.

It was our thing. Whether taking her to a doctors appointment and grabbing some as a treat at the coffee shop, or her making some in the percolator, knowing I would be coming over soon….we always had our coffee dates to keep us connected.

My Gramms also loved cardinals. She even had a little porcelain one sitting on a side table. I remember it always being on that table growing up.

When my Gramms passed away unexpectedly almost five years ago, I spoke at her memorial about how I would miss those coffee dates….I learned so much about my Gramms through those moments shared over a cup of coffee.

It wasn’t too long after she had died, that I got a new phone. I had a message saved on my old one from her….the last one she ever left, wishing me a Happy New Year. I never wanted that message to fade. Ever. When things were changed over, that message got lost.

I’m pretty sure I cried until I couldn’t any longer. I know it was only a message, but it was my message, to me, from MY GRAMMS only a few weeks before she passed away.

I was devastated.

When we moved a little over a year ago to our current house, I remember seeing a cardinal here and there. It wasn’t until we were well settled that I began to notice them daily.

She has never been to this house, but I know she’d love it. When I cook in my kitchen or bake apple and pumpkin pies for the holidays, I think about how much fun we’d have in this kitchen. We had so many laughs in my last one that was tiny and she, my sister, and I would somehow cram in there and bake pies for our families on what became our annual “Pie Day”.

Sometimes, when there is a (very brief) moment when the big kids have left for school and the twinnies are happily occupied for five seconds, and I am able to sit at the table and drink my (amazingly still) hot coffee….it’s not uncommon to look out the window and see one or two cardinals.

And I smile. And sometimes I cry…because I miss those coffee dates with my Gramms the most.

I sometimes imagine what we would be talking about these days…so much has changed in the past 4, almost 5, years. Three more kids and seemingly a lifetime of change has occurred in that short time. And there are days I want to talk to her so badly about it all….

Over coffee. At the kitchen table.

Loving It Tuesday!

I don’t always talk about it, but I am a sorta crunchy gal.

Like a baby wearing, cloth diapering mama and all. But! I’m totally cool if you’re not. Sometimes you just really need to do what works best for your family. Really.

And total confession? I sometimes use disposable diapers too. Life happens. It’s totally okay. Promise. Our double stroller is also a favorite sanity saving item too.

{see, only sorta on the crunchy…}

Last year I also stopped using antiperspirant and switched to a more natural, not so scary ingredient list, deodorant.

But here’s the deal…when I work out, I don’t glisten or sparkle, I sweat. Like a lot. And kickboxing pretty much is the most intense and sweaty workout ever for me.

Sooo….I’m not gonna lie. I was worried the more natural stuff wasn’t going to cut it and keep me from stinking up the kickboxing studio.

I had already been using this one deodorant that I LOVED and it worked great for both the hubs and I. But, I started having some irritation with it and, through trial and error, discovered it was the baking soda. Apparently that isn’t uncommon. My hubs still uses it and it works great…even for extra stinky worked in the yard man sweat.

{As always, in full disclosure, this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something through them, I get a tiny percentage at absolutely no additional cost to you}

One day as I was searching for an alternative natural deodorant that wouldn’t irritate my under the arms area, and stumbled upon this really fun little online shop called Meow Meow Tweet. I saw they had a baking soda free cream deodorant…..hmmmm, I was intrigued. So I read through some of the reviews and decided to take a chance.

You guys. I LOVE this deodorant. Like, it’s amazing and awesome and WORKS! It smells good, but not overpowering and keeps the stank at bay. Regular, everyday wear it’s awesome….then, I tried it out at kickboxing….

FABULOUS! Seriously, it works. But, I decided to keep trying it to make sure it was going to stand the test of sweaty workouts and stank.

Guess what?

It totally still works. It’s been almost 3 months using this now, and I am definitely going to keep using it. I raved about it so much, my sister tried it. She said she’s sold on it too. Totally win.

They have more than just deodorant…lots of goodies I haven’t tried yet, but all look fabulous.

Oh, and this company has absolutely no idea who I am. I just love this product so much, I wanted to share it with you. It’s just so awesome.

Do you have a favorite natural deodorant you love?? Please share!

Over Here In Between All That……Is Me. I Think.

In the current state of the stage of life I am in, I seem to fall somewhere in-between “I really want to look put together” and “I totally do NOT have my crap together, I’m a total mess”…..

Haven’t quite figured out where that somewhere is yet.

Coming out of the last two years of “twinfant turned twinadoe toddler” stage, and actually taken a breath and been able to keep my head above water for more than 3 seconds, I finally feel more like getting into jeans and a nice-ish {read, not covered in snot and goldfish crackers} t-shirt and maybe even some {gasp!} makeup and actually brush my hair out of it’s usual pulled back pony.

Now, let me say, I am a huge fan of my yoga pants. I love them. AND? I actually do workout in them…and then just keep them on, because: twin toddlers. For real.

However, in this wanting to be more put together when leaving the house, I almost feel like I’m TOO dressed by having some lip color and earrings in. And my kids notice…even the littlest littles. And then it makes me more self conscious, like, am I trying too hard here or something?!

Naturally, then I just totally overthink things. Because that is just totally WHAT I DO. It’s a terrible habit.

But then people notice I am wearing non snot covered, non sticky like clothing…..and then I think to myself, “so do I always look like a slob?”….cue that blasted overthinking again.

I want to look put together. But I don’t want to look like I care TOO much. But, I also don’t want to look like I am a completely ridiculous person who totally doesn’t have her crap together.

You get me?

Yeah. I know…I totally don’t have it all together. I’m not really sure I ever will.

Then there are those days that I am totally rocking it, lunches packed, homework signed, clean laundry for all my people, and actually have clean clothes on ME TOO. And it’s awesome.

Then other days, well, opposite of all that.

Balance.

Does this actually exist? Because I’m truly beginning to wonder.

{Le Sigh}

SO, I’m a little in between right now. Perhaps for longer than I wish. Also? Learning to except that sometimes it’s absolutely perfectly OK to not have it all together.

But I still want to.

How about you? You ever feel in-between the put together and not so much so? What do you find helps to balance it all out?

First Week of School Shenanigans….

First week of school shenanigans….err….recap.

No. Shenanigans.

Last week was our first week back to school. I know several that have already started back, and some that have yet to start…and we seem to be somewhere in the middle of all that.

So it was our turn.

It seemed to start off pretty good. I mean, except for the missing teacher packet deal and the potentially very scary backpack situation.

But, other than that, I felt we were SURE to be starting off right!

Hahahahaha….haha.

Apparently, the magical bus people that do the bus scheduling for the special needs bus, scheduled us twice. But, the second call said there was no drop off time listed….

It was too late on Monday (day BEFORE school) to call back by the time we’d gotten the message, so we figured we’d just check it out the next day.

My brilliant husband (no really…brilliant!) thankfully thought to ask WHAT school the bus was headed to.

WHA?? Hadn’t actually thought that it MIGHT BE TO THE WRONG SCHOOL!

(See? brilliant he is. SO smart. Me?….shh.)

A little backstory: she was transferred to a different school than last year, same district, so instead of the magical bus people communicating this to one another, they scheduled two different buses for the same child. Apparently, they are NOT so magical after all.

Bummer.

So, bus #1 was sent on it’s way WITHOUT our child. Bus #2….bus #2?

It never showed. We called. It was SUPPOSED to have picked her up. It did not.

(this is the part where we go Oh C R A P and shove two kids into the car, drop one off smidge early at middle school and then dash the other to her school)

Oh yeah. Middle School. My oldest’s FIRST DAY at Middle School.

::blink::blink::

I had planned this awesome breakfast and stuff. The babies slept in and I baked muffins for the Sunshine, and my oldest requested his favorite eggs.

I was TOTALLY going to be on this and make sending my kiddlings off to their first day of school AWESOME.

Instead, it was more like, quick! grab and apple and let’s jet!

(or something like that)

My husband (the really awesome brilliant one) was taking them, so I said “please, oh, please! DO NOT let the man child be LATE on his FIRST DAY!”.He promised and set off.

Texted me (from the parking lot. While parked. Not in a school zone…safety first you guys!) to let me know both big kids had been successfully dropped off ON TIME to their destinations.

WHEW!

By then, the littlest little were waking. I was enjoying my still hot coffee, letting them chat a bit, set my coffee down (that was one of my first mistakes…) and went up to get them.

First thing out my littlest littles mouth “my tummy hurts”…

Ohhhh

Clearly my twinnies didn’t want me to miss my bigs too much. Nope, they were so very thoughtful and decided to BOTH be sick.

Yes. Both.

By noon, both were sporting a fever, one with snottiness, the other with “tummy hurts”.

{End of productivity for the foreseeable future…}

Get a text from the husband saying drop off for Sunshine is going to be the same time as oldest child gets out of school. And since he did NOT want to take the bus the first day, this was going to be a bit challenging.

I can do this. Surely….maybe the magical bus people will drop off early like last year??

Maybe.

Just kidding….they were late and thankfully the hubby made it home to meet her bus while I took the not so feeling well twinnies to get their big brother.

Yeah. That was NOT the best plan. Remember “tummy hurts?” I will not go into great detail here, but she puked.

Twice.

My only child to have never tossed any cookies did so. TWICE. Once on the way there and once on the way back.

(I kinda lied about not giving details there, huh? At least you weren’t in the car with me…)

By the end of the day, I wasn’t quite sure if I should laugh or cry or both.

And that was only day one.

Day TWO:

correct bus shows up.

YAY!

Sent wrong lunch with wrong child

Boo!

Twinnies still not so great, make doctors appointments. Decide to take the missing sammie to child missing it on the way to take the twinnies to the doctor. Forget sammie.

{can I PLEASE get a do-over yet?!}

Decide there’s just enough time AFTER appointments to race home and get it to child at school JUST IN TIME for lunch.

Whew.

By day three, things were starting to even out. Twinnies were finally on the upswing and no other children caught whatever the viral bug from hell was.

That was, until Friday when mama got hit. Yes, me, I got sick.

Let’s just say, we were dragging across the finish of the last day of school….of only the first week.

I’m not even sure I want to look at this week yet. But, here it is…

Someone tell me that this means that this year is gonna ROCK. Like, that the harder the first day or week is, just means AWESOMENESS is right around the corner?

The Potentially Very Scary Backpack

It was the day before school started.

That really should say enough, right?

I was going over the checklists and making sure things were in order and ready to head off with the big kids to school.

lunch boxes? check.
lunches made? mostly…
water bottles? washed and ready, check!
clean clothes ready and set out? yup.

(interrupted by email checking…see an email from daughter’s teacher…something about Meet the Teacher packet and don’t forget all those fabulous forms, change of clothes, etc….)

Hmm…Meet the Teacher packet. I don’t remember getting one.

(text husband, reminds me where he thinks he saw me put it after the insane back to school night…okay, located)

Get change of clothes ready and enthusiastically go to put them in the backpack I SWORE I’d cleaned out and made sure was ready for another year….

c r a p

I pick it up and notice it’s pretty heavy.

It’s still packed. From last school year.

::blink::blink::

I set it down on the kitchen table and just sorta stared at it.

(to be honest…I was a little scared of what might be lurking about behind those zipped up tight spaces…)

And it was at that moment I realized I’d become THAT mom.

Whatever THAT might actually mean, I’m not entirely sure.

What I know? I used to totally be that mom that seemingly had it together. School supplies taken care of by way of the handy-dandy “school supply order form” that I could order all needed supplies by simply checking a box and writing a check, and then doing a little happy dance thinking of all.that.time it was going to save me!

And I was totally that mom that made those lunches and had clothes ready and helped encourage my child learn to be more self sufficient during those school mornings so things weren’t as chaotic.

I am still that mom that color coordinates my oldest daughters clothes so that she can more easily pick things out and try her best to put them away with as little frustration on her part. Oh, and it helps her remember her colors because she forgets things easily…

(that’s a whole other blog post…)

And I am STILL that mom that makes ahead most of the weeks lunches for my daughter because she needs help in that area and I make sure she gets the needed nutrients in them as much as I can. My oldest? He’s totally rocking it on his own with his lunches. Mostly.

But, in becoming a mom of four and one of those four being a child with special needs, I’ve realized something….I’m the mom that sometimes forgets what my daughter cannot do.

My oldest? He knows to go through and empty his backpack and make sure it’s still able to make it through another year. And as long as he does so within the first month, I’m all good…usually don’t have to remind too often.

But my daughter? She needs many verbal cues and reminding. And sometimes in all the encouraging and cheering her on and hoping for more and seeing her reach new goals and do amazing, albeit small from the outside perspective, but amazing leaps in her world….well, I forget that she still needs reminding.

So, her backpack sat unzipped and unpacked all summer. And I’m nervous about what’s in there…

I’ve become that mom. Not completely scattered (although I’m sure there’s a good argument there that I absolutely can be), but that mom that has realized that there are things that take priority over others.

That making sure my kids are fed and have clean clothes and a mom that’s available versus a perfectly organized life with everything in place, is more important.

Because, let’s be honest, nothing is remotely perfect around here. I’m a constant work in progress.

So, I’m that mom. And I’m OK with it.

(sorta)

P.S.
I opened the backpack. And other than a broken fairy wand and some papers with random coloring on them, there was nothing that jumped out to eat me. Thankfully. Whew.

It’s Just Different This Year

We’re on the eve of the first day of school and it just all feels different this year.

My kids sense it too.

New grades and new schools. One heading to middle school and one starting at a new school closer to home that has a more specialized special education class.

And it’s been a mix of unspoken emotions in the house.

This summer is the only summer that will ever be like this. Every summer really is that way, but this year it just feels…different.

We’re embarking on a new chapter and life stage with our kiddos. Emerging from the trenches of the first two years with twins, in addition to already having two older kiddos and learning more about our oldest daughters special needs.

It’s been a journey for sure.

This summer was the longest and shortest ever. I cannot lie that I have not been counting down for school to start. And as anxious as my spunky Sunshine girl can be about new situations, she is loving knowing that a school bus is arriving JUST FOR HER tomorrow morning. She said she’s looking forward to coloring….

(uninterrupted coloring that her younger siblings cannot just come up and take the colors and run off with them…and I’m certain her creations will be amazing. They always are)

And my oldest is calmly processing this new adventure of middle school.

(I know he’s totally going to rock this year)

But, oh, how this mama heart is also aching knowing how fast this time is passing and how fast this year will go. They do seem to go faster each year….I don’t look forward to the new school year quite like I used to. At the same time, I’ve loved each new phase.

This year feels different. It is different.

The change is felt by all of us….in the extra hugs asked for and offered, in the requests for mama made lunches and “are you going to make granola bars like you usually do for us?”, knowing in the asking is the subtle longing of something known. Something comforting and familiar.

I wasn’t planning on making them, but seeing it for what it was, I made them. And snacks will be familiar and comforting for two kids going through some very new and unfamiliar adventures this week.

So….

To my big kids,

You are going to do amazing things this year. I am excited and nervous for you…and I will be your biggest cheerleader in all the obstacles faced and overcome, accomplishments made and seeing your perseverance shine through. YOU ARE AMAZING and amazingly LOVED.

Go out there and rock this school year!

(And please try to not eat a months worth of snacks in the first week….)

Much Love,
Mom

Where’s Fluffy Mommy?

I mentioned a while back that I signed up for a kickboxing session.

(and how I almost puked)

So, I did something crazy and signed up to KEEP GOING.

(I know. I think I’m crazy too)

They have this thing called “flex friday”, and I remembered when I was taking my oldest to basketball and jokingly said “hey, it’s flex friday! how is this?”, flexing my arm. He looked at me with this look of horror and was all WHAAA?

I said, “man, is it THAT bad?!” (meaning, I’m totally wimpy looking, right?)

He responded, “where’s my comfy mom?!”. I was thinking he’d lost his mind. What ever did he mean?

He said, “mom, you’re STRONG! I like my comfy mom…”

And it hit me. All the effort and work put into being healthy and making healthy choices and wanting to be a better example for my kids….and, honestly, they don’t care.

But not in a bad way. In a good way.

{And I’m no where as near to my personal goals as I’d like to be, but I am getting there. And I will in time, but meanwhile I love how much stronger I’m getting. And that is my main focus}

I know we’ve all heard it before, that being present and joining our kids and entering into their worlds is so important. And it absolutely is! That our kids don’t care what we look like and they just want us to be there with them. And they absolutely don’t care.

They just want us.

My kids love when I ride bikes and go to the park and splash along with them in the water at the pool. They want me to “watch mom!” a bazillion times while they jump in or off or climb or draw a picture. They like it when I take the time to read with them, to color with them, to PLAY and enter their world.

They honestly don’t care what mom “looks like”. They care that mom is there.

It got me to thinking back through my childhood. I don’t remember what my mom looked like. Not in the sense that we are seemingly always wondering ourselves (stretch marks, cellulite, wrinkles, tanned or not tanned skin, what size our clothing label says….). I remember, before depression took over and my parents emotionally checked out on my sister and I, the times when my mom baked my favorite cake and would go swimming with me. I remember her teaching me tennis and going for jogs and bike rides. And that she had a red swimsuit.

I don’t remember what she looked like. I remember when she entered my world.

When DO we start noticing?

I think, for me, it was when I hit middle school age and learned what a size zero meant and looked like. When I learned that those things apparently matter.

Even then, I don’t think I ever noticed my mom for what size she was or wasn’t. I noticed when she was there.

So, it seems, my oldest notices too. Notices when mom is present. How often we go out on Mother/Son dates and when we get to watch the next season of Doctor Who. Notices when I’m listening and how often I make sure to add in his favorites when I’m meal planning.

Kids definitely notice. But they don’t seem to notice looks like we do.

My oldest daughter notices when I wear new earrings or a different color lipstick. My youngest daughter notices when I change the color on my nails and wants “some too!”. My boys seem to think I’m always pretty and tell me so, even when I’m having a “messy hair don’t care” kinda day. Hearing “mom, you’re awesome” and “HUG!!!” always makes this mama’s heart happy.

Something they all seem to care about the most? Mom being huggable and available.

I find it comical that here I am being concerned about what I look like or how I feel and my children are mostly concerned that mom is still “comfortable”.

I told my oldest, “I am still COMFORTING! And I’m not stopping kickboxing anytime soon”….

But I get it. I understand what he’s saying. And I can still “be comfy” and not necessarily fluffy.

And perhaps us mamas need to start seeing ourselves more like our children do. Not by shape or size or (insert whatever it is here), but by our being present, available and “comfy”. By entering their world and being their person.

It’s amazing how often I think I take for granted the job I have. The absolute importance of being their mama and what that means.

SO, let’s do it mamas (and dads). Through the tired, the late nights, homework assignments, early mornings, spilled coffee, special needs, therapy appointments, tantrums, meltdowns, hugs, kisses, cheering them on, our hearts breaking when they hurt, cooking dinner, packing lunches, sporting/dance/chess club (or whatever it is our kiddos do) events and ALL THE THINGS in between….let’s see us the way they see us….

Being present. Being available. Being comfy.

Back To….Already?!

I know, I know.

It’s August. Already.

I know some have already started heading back to school, but where we are, we’re starting to wind down the last couple weeks of summer.

{counting down, if I’m being completely honest. This summer has kicked my butt!}

And in just a couple weeks, my two oldest kiddos will be heading back to school. One to middle and one to second grade.

{I might still be in a bit of denial about the middle school thing…}

Which, of course means thinking about getting all that school gear together and checked over and assess what will still work and what needs to be replaced.

And lunches. Lunch containers and bags are pretty well used around here, so durable is a must.

I have to say, as far as lunch containers go, THESE have been a favorite. We’ve actually used them for the past three years and they have been FABULOUS! Especially for my little one with special needs. I get asked about them often, so I figured I’d just write a post about them and share why we love them so much.

{and in absolute full disclosure, this is not a sponsored post, just me simply sharing things I love that have been helpful for my family…there are some affiliate links, but it costs you nothing to click and helps add a little extra to my sanity…err…coffee fund}

These actually fit well in the pottery barn kids lunch box my daughter uses. She’s pretty hard on her lunch bag and backpack and we’re about to enter year three on the same backpack AND lunch box, so I have to say it’s been worth the investment. And the Easy Lunch Box containers have endured as well. Bonus!

Probably one of my favorite things, other than that my daughter can open and close them easily herself, is that I can make up her lunches for the week and stack them neatly in the fridge and VOILA! Lunches made for the week easy peasy. They store well, too, when not in use and don’t take up much room. The lids stack nicely and then I stack the bottom part of the containers on top of those. Seriously makes school lunches way easier for us.

And I am ALL for things that help simplify my life!

Here are my Real Life pics of how I store them when not in use:

And when in use ready for the week:

I’m actually able to stack two rows of these for both my big kids. My oldest makes his own lunches (woohoo!) and stacks his up in the fridge.

And, thankfully, these lovelies helping to simplify things a bit more, leaves me more time to try and finish my hot coffee before my twin toddlers tackle me!

Haha! Just kidding. I’ll still be reheating my coffee for a few more {ever} years….