Back-to-School Must-Haves: Pottery Barn Kids' Stainless Nesting Trio

Jumping from one child in grade school to having three has been quite a transition for me.  It was so much easier when I only had one set of homework to check, just one lunch to pack, one set of emergency forms to fill out, and one outfit for picture day to pick out.  I could go on all day.  Really.

One of the things that I am dealing with now that I did not have a problem with when my oldest was in kindergarten is that the twins sometimes get their morning snacks mixed up with their lunchtime snacks.  It is important that they keep them straight because their classrooms need to be peanut-free, where the cafeteria does not.  This is where our Stainless Nesting Trio from Pottery Barn Kids comes in.

My husband and I try to use the 3-1/2" diameter stainless steel containers for the twins' morning snacks as often as we can.  That way, they do not have to try to remember which snack they are supposed to eat in the classroom. For the days when the twins receive a packaged snack, such as a mini bag of pretzels, we put a small sticker on the bag so they can easily identify it as their morning snack.

This trio is leak proof, so we are able to pack much more than just dry snacks in them.  These containers are BPA, lead, and phthalate-free.  I have used a medium size (4" diameter) container for my oldest son for years.  This year for back-to-school, Pottery Barn Kids sent the Nesting Trio for our daughter in pink, which  may be a PBK exclusive.  I have not seen these containers in the pink, blue, green, or turquoise anywhere else.  I ended up buying another set for her twin brother because I love them so much.  The large size container has a 4-3/4" diameter and is perfect for larger items, like peanut butter graham crackers or a bunch of grapes.


The PBK Stainless Nesting Trio sells for $29 and currently ships free!  Visit PotteryBarnKids.com for more information about this item and to see what other items are on their free shipping list.


Thank you to Pottery Barn Kids for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Snyder’s of Hanover and Lance Sandwich Crackers Crunch Time

Our twin kindergartners and our 3rd grader all go back to school at the end of August.  Needless to say, this has been a crazy busy week between making sure we have all the requested supplies, the all-important first day outfits, enough food to pack for morning snacks and lunches, and much more.  Some of our 8 year old's favorite snacks to take to school are pretzels and sandwich crackers.  We much prefer to pack these items for him over things we normally consider to be treats, like chips and cookies.  We intend to continue this tradition with our 5 year old twins.

In the past, I have heard the "againnnnnnn?" question from our oldest regarding his lunch and snack options more than once.  I must say that variety is key.  That is something that both Snyder's of Hanover and Lance Sandwich Crackers offer our children in their handy snack-size packs.  Snyder's of Hanover even offers gluten-free pretzels and 100-calorie packs.  Also, not all the Lance products have peanut butter in them, so you have snack options even if your child's classroom is peanut-free.

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Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels are not limited to just morning time or lunchtime snacks.  They are also perfect for after school snacks, as well as desserts.  For some unique ideas and recipes, checkout the pretzel recipes on their website and on their Facebook page.


Look at these adorable Owl Minis made with Snyder's of Hanover pretzel minis and pretzel sticks . . .

Also checkout this Sea Salt Almond Caramel Pretzel Bites recipe I recently shared, which uses Snyder's of Hanover pretzel snaps . . . 

Thank you to Snyder's of Hanover and Lance Sandwich Crackers for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon and for providing additional product for our contest prize.

The Crunch Time Prize Pack includes:

• 2 Boxes of 100-Calorie Packs Pretzel Minis
• 2 Boxes of 100-Calorie Packs Pretzel Sticks
• 2 Boxes of 100-Calorie Packs Pretzel Snaps
• 2 Boxes of Whole Grain Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• 2 Boxes of Toast Chee Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• 2 Variety Boxes of Sandwich Crackers
• 2 Bags of 8 Gluten-free Pretzel Stick 100 Calorie Snack Packs

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

Back-to-School Must-Haves: Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle

Now that our oldest is entering the 3rd grade this fall, I think he is old enough to start taking soup to school for lunch during the colder months.  He is all excited about that idea.  The only thing I had to do was find the right type of container to transport the soup.  I need something that is kid-friendly, would keep the soup hot from the time it was prepared in the morning until lunchtime, and something that would fit in our son's lunch box.  Rather than opting for a thermos, it looked like the more compact 16oz Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle would work out perfectly for us.

In order to find out if the Insulated Klean Kanteen bottle would keep soup warm for 5 hours, approximately the length of time between packing the soup in the morning until lunchtime at school, I filled the bottle with piping hot water.  Then I allowed the bottle to sit for slightly longer than 5 hours.  When I went back to check the temperature of the water, I was very pleased to find that it was still hot.  The water was no longer piping hot, but rather the perfect temperature at which to serve hot soup.

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This BPA-free stainless steel vacuum insulated bottle can be used for both hot or cold liquids.  It does need to be handwashed, but I think it is worth the bit of extra work if it means that our son can have hot soup for lunch during the school week.  All I would need to do is include a covered container (in which he can pour the soup), a spoon, and some oyster crackers to give our son one of his favorite things to eat . . . hot soup.

To learn more about this and other Klean Kanteen products, visit www.kleankanteen.com, where you can also learn more about Klean Kanteen's many charitable partnerships with organizations, such as 1% For the Planet and the Breast Cancer Fund.  This 16oz insulated bottle retails for $25.95 in stainless steel and is built to last a lifetime.


Thank you to Klean Kanteen for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Review: New Wholesome Additions to the Lunchables Line

We receive the school lunch menu for the upcoming month in advanced, so our 1st grader can decide ahead of time if he would like the school lunch for a particular day. He really only opts to buy lunch one or two days per week. The rest of the time he usually takes either a sandwich, juice, and a snack, or he takes a Lunchables.

Our son just loves Lunchables and he will eat almost every variety available. I, on the other hand, prefer some Lunchables varieties over others for him. For example, I prefer the lunch kits containing bottled water rather than juice, so he has the option of drinking plain water or adding the drink mix. I also try to avoid the kits that include candy for dessert, although they are fine for a treat once in awhile.

I have to say that I am pretty impressed with the new additions to the Lunchables line. I am loving that the Deep Dish Cheese Pizza and the new Chicken Strips varieties come with Dole Mandarin Oranges for dessert. I am also glad to see a Chicken and American Cheese Sub added because our son will only eat American Cheese and I personally think the sub lunch kits are more filling than the ones containing crackers. Since our son is a fan of cold pizza, he really enjoys the cheese pizza with the Mandarin oranges.

To view all the different varieties of Lunchables available and to learn more about the contents of each kit, visit Lunchables.com .

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Lunchables and received the products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Giveaway & Review: "WaterWeek Kids" Reusable Bottles by Reduce [CLOSED]

As I have mentioned in the past, I have been looking for easy ways to teach our kindergartner to be a little more green. We already have reusable snack containers and just added a water filtration system to our kitchen, so these BPA free WaterWeek Kids reusable bottles seem like a logical next step.

Since our son needs to take a snack to school everyday, this set of bottles is perfect because there is one for each school day. We chose the boy's set to try out, but there are also a girl's set and a sports themed set available.

What I thought about these WaterWeek Kids bottles:

1) My initial concern about drinking from reusable bottles is whether they will give off a chemical or plastic taste when my son drinks from them. I am happy to report that he did not detect any taste from the bottle and he is pretty picky about taste. He even pointed out the difference the first day when I tried to give him filtered water instead of spring water.

2) I very much like that this set comes with a tray. It makes it very easy to store neatly, as well as easy to notice when there is a bottle unaccounted for.

3) I like that the tops screw on just as they do on a regular water bottle. This is what my son was use to, so it's good that he can go a little greener without making a huge change. We use to buy him the short Poland Spring Pods and these WaterWeek Kids bottles fit just as well into his snack cube.

4) My son very much likes all the bold designs. Although it is a little ominous, his favorite is the red one with the skull and crossbones. He calls it his pirate bottle.

5) We've washed these bottles in the dishwasher on the top rack many times. We put the caps in a basket to keep them safe while being washed. We have not had any problems with the bottles warping or the designs wearing off the outside.

These WaterWeek Kids bottles have not only been great for my son to take to school, but he uses them at home as well. He always keeps a bottle by his bed and one handy while he is playing. I am even thinking about getting a set of full size WaterWeek bottles for use around the house.

To learn more about the eco-friendly kitchen products offered by Reduce, visit ReduceEveryday.com . The Reduce Compactor Can is one of their newest products, which I think would be extremely smart for a larger family like mine.

Thank you to Reduce for providing a WaterWeek Kids set for this review and a second set for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive their choice of one WaterWeek Kids sets of reusable bottles. (Winner may choose between the girls, sports, or boys themes.)


Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.


How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of Reduce eco-friendly kitchen products. Then leave a comment telling me what product (other than the WaterWeek Kids) would be something you could use to make your kitchen a little more eco-friendly. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND ReduceEveryday.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 2 extra entries, share the link to this contest post on Facebook. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Review: Looney Tunes Eating Right Kids School Lunches

As busy parents of school-aged children, we are torn between healthy snacks/lunches and convenience. If you are packing food for a picky eater, that just makes things even more complicated. To solve this common problem, Safeway and WB's Looney Tunes have joined forces to offer portable convenient foods that are also healthy and appealing to children. This new Eating Right Kids line is an offshoot of Safeway's existing Eating Right line for adults.

The items my children were able to try were the Eating Right Kids Fruit Cups, 100% Apple Juice, the Chewy Bars, and Kids Canned Pasta in a microwavable container. Other items available from the Eating Right Kids line are Watermelon Applesauce, Special Recipe White Bread, Fat Free Pudding, Fruits & Vegetable Snack Packs, various shaped Pastas, Frozen Entrees, and more. Eventually, these products will be replacing previously available products offered by Warner Bros. Consumer Products that do not meet the "better-for-you" standard, which was derived from the input of federal and state agencies regarding the dietary needs of children.




The big test for whether this new line of children's products is a good fit for my family is if my children will actually eat it. The Chewy Bar and the Fruit Cup were pretty much guaranteed to be a hit. The two items I was concerned about were the 100% apple juice and the microwavable pasta bowl. Those two items could go either way depending on their taste.

I am happy to report that my son thought that the apple juice tasted exactly as it should. He had no complaints about it being too bitter or too sour. Although, he said that he liked the pasta with meatballs very much, I have to conclude that it may be too saucy? He was not able to finish the whole container even though we split it up between two days.

Overall, I think the new Eating Right Kids line is on the right track. I look forward to seeing the selection of products grow. They do need to keep in mind that most schools do not have the capabilities of heating up lunches brought from home and anything chilled is only kept cold with an insulated lunch bag.

Look for Eating Right Kids products at Safeway locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.


Thank you to Team Mom, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, and Safeway for providing us with these review products free of charge.