2 little things that are making me smile

It's the little things... I tell ya!

I am not one to take the time to write consumer reviews on items we buy.  I always wish I had the time because I LOVE reading others' reviews prior to making purchases.  Today, however,  I am making the time to share about two items that have been putting a smile on my face since we started school.

1.  The trodar printy-dater 4820 :)

The name alone makes me giggle.  I bought this because the school papers/crafts/projects pile up quickly and when the time comes to organize, file or put the work in binders (more on that later) I have no clue when said paper was done.  I can normally figure out who did it but I've also gotten in the habit of putting the name by the date. I realize this is not such a big deal in kindergarten but in future years when it's more important to keep good school records and transcripts it will be a bigger deal.  Now, here's what I didn't anticipate would happen... our date stamper has become the equivalent of a happy face :) sticker.  As soon as the kids are done with with a paper they beg to date stamp it.  It's the biggest treat for them.  Go Figure.

2.  The next item that I have fallen head over heels for is the lunch box from easylunchesboxes.com.  I  know, I hear ya!  I don't send my kids to school so why purchase a device to pack a lunch.  Well.  I'll tell you why.  My kids (just like their Mom) go from zero to STARVING in the span of 2 minutes.  The process of making lunches and healthy ones at that is not as easy and quick as it used to be with 2 kiddos.  Lunch was becoming a 2-hour long process when you included picking up the kitchen afterwards and there was just too much room for options, for negotiating food items, for whining about things.  

Packing an individual lunch box for each child in the morning (or the night before if I'm feeling productive) saves me tons of time and makes the kids feel all special and happy.   Don't ask me why... something about getting their own color lid and having compartments for their sweet, their salty, their sandwich.  I know.  Poor homeschooled children.  They get amused by the darnest things! ;)

Did I say I pack a lunch for myself as well?  I do.  And you know what the coolest thing is?  If we decide to make it a picnic for lunch, we are ready to go in a moment's notice.  There's a little lunchbag that fits the boxes snugly without room for them to wiggle around but with enough room on top to add drinks.  Perfection.

Have I talked you into ordering some of these yet?  No?  Did I mention they won Amazon.com product of the year award?   Still no?  What if I told you they are only $14 for a set of 4. 

Yep.  I knew that would seal the deal! ;)

BTW... if you dig around in their website you will find out there is a whole "bento" box lunch culture out there.  There are moms with blogs dedicated only to sharing their super creative lunch box ideas.  It's insane!