I had never heard of Frecklebox until my daughter’s second birthday. A friend had given her the lunchbox with her name on it and a personalized ABC book. Since then I too have bought many Frecklebox birthday presents and printed many-a-coloring pages for my little girl and her friends.

The lunchbox my daughter got has been a blessing as we have found a unique way to
use it. Our lunchbox has become our restaurant box.

The Restaurant Box

We bring our daughter out to eat with us at least once a week and have been doing so since she was a little girl. It has been a goal of ours to make sure she knows how to behave, no matter the age, at a restaurant or just out in public in general. But going to a restaurant before the lunchbox was annoying. I’d fill my purse with some books and other things to keep her little hands occupied. We also agreed as parents that we wouldn’t have children who sit at dinner playing a video game or on a phone playing. It would be family time.

Enter the Frecklebox lunchbox.

“the perfect size for all our restaurant needs”

It was so cute and the perfect size for all our restaurant needs. I have it filled and kept in the car at all times so it’s available when we need it.

Items within the restaurant box

Currently our restaurtant box includes:

1. A book (sometimes two or three!)
2. Mini puzzles. These are a God send! My inlaws in England sent over a box of these mini puzzles though I’ve not seen them here in the US yet. They are great for on the go and the perfect size to do at a table while we wait for our food.
3. A mini magnetic writer/eraser keeps her busy; especially when we play Pictionary.
4. Paper and pen to practice our writing.
5. Snacks and wet wipes just in case.
6. Crayons and activity book. We use all the crayons that are given out at the restaurant and keep them to reuse.

All these little things fit perfectly in our lunchbox and my daughter happily totes it to and from the car. We get many compliments on this adorable box and many moms love the
restaurant box idea.

So the next time your little one is fussing at a restaurant, pick up your own restaurant box and fill it with their favorite goodies!

—

Jessie D’Amato Ford is a full-time mom, a Director of Events & Educational Programs for a Connecticut company, and writer. Working from home with her 2½ year old daughter provides a lot of entertainment, stress, and crazy stories. Jessie loves to write about them on her blog, These are Days… 

Are you a fan of Frecklebox and are itching to say something to our community? Do you have any amazing stories or awesome ideas that you want to share? Shoot us an email at info@frecklebox.com.

]]> http://www.frecklebox.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=647 0 http://www.frecklebox.com/blog/?p=640 http://www.frecklebox.com/blog/?p=640#comments Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:15:38 +0000 mark http://www.frecklebox.com/blog/?p=640 I just read through an article on Parents.com on the 10 best family movies for Thanksgiving. I must admit I agree with some. The Princess Bride, The Iron Giant, and a few more but they missed some classics with our family. My two favorite family movies are Holes and Second Hand Lions. How could they have missed these two? What are your favorites for your family?

Making Halloween the best that it can be is not nearly as hard as everyone assumes, we just have to think out of the box! Games, snacks, books, and parties can reach a whole new level with our awesomely scary, fun ideas!

Our Top Ghostly Games

Mummy Madness

This game will be a hit at your next Halloween party!

All it takes are rolls of toilet paper or white crepe paper.

1. Divide kids up into teams of two
2. One will wrap, one will be the mummy
3. Start up the Halloween music and let the kids wrap their partner!
4. Once the whole toilet roll is used, the mummies race to the finish line of your choosing, trying not to rip the mummy wrapping of course!
5. Switch mummies, and do it again!

Skeleton Scavenger Hunt

This game takes treasure hunts to a new level, where kids have to find limbs instead of boring old treasure!

1. Trace a large skeleton on paper or plastic
2. Cut skeleton into just limbs
3. Hide around the backyard, house, or neighborhood
4. As kids find pieces, put them back together to create full skeleton!

(Clues may be made to find pieces!)

Zany Zombies

This game is goofy and fun for any zombie lover. Plus, you don’t need any supplies. It will be a hit at the classroom party!

1. One person is “it”
2. All other kids sit or lay down (zombies)
3. “It” tries to get each of the zombies to smile, laugh, giggle, or move
4. Whenever a zombie smiles, laughs, giggles, or moves, they then join “it” and try to get the other zombies to do the same!
5. The last zombie left wins!

Each of these games will add spooky fun to any Halloween party!

Our Top Spooky snacks

Cup ‘O Dirt

This snack screams scary with it’s worms sticking out and delicious dirt at the bottom! These wiggly worms will slither down your children’s throats, creating a great Halloween snack!

You can find the recipe at:

http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t–2693/wiggle-worm-dirt-pudding.asp

Finger food

These delicious snacks are not only healthy, but are also actual finger food! What kid doesn’t want to eat a finger? All you need is mozzarella string cheese, green bell peppers, and cream cheese!

You can find the recipe at:

http://spoonful.com/recipes/cheese-finger-food

Mummy Pizza

These scrumptiously scary snacks will be your kid’s favorite at the next Halloween party! Not only is pizza one of the best foods ever, but now you get to eat a mummy face, and have it taste like pizza! We don’t think it gets much better than that.

You can find the recipe at:

http://spoonful.com/recipes/pizza-mummies

Our Top Scaaaary Stories

The Hallo-Wiener

BY: Dav Pilkey

This hilarious Halloween book will entertain and delight your kids with its fun imagery and creative illustrations! Oscar is a cute wiener dog, but the other dogs make fun of him for being short, until he shows how heroic he really is.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

BY: Alvin Schwartz

This haunting Halloween book of short stories will be fun and scary for kids, without being too much. We recommend this book highly for slightly older kids. It will knock your Halloween socks off with its thrillingly spooky stories!

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

BY: Linda Williams

This book shows just how scary Halloween can be. The little old lady who was not afraid of anything even gets scared in this fun, spooky story. When she has the scare of her life, she may learn to take Halloween a little bit more seriously.

Goodnight Goon

BY: Michael Rex

This hilarious hair-raising tale is sure to be your kid’s favorite this Halloween! With its creative illustrations and fun take on monsters, your kids will be dying to have their own goon!

Room on the Broom

BY: Julia Donaldson

When some friendly animals help a witch recover some items she has lost, there may not be room on the broom! This fun-filled book will delight with its hilarious story and fun witchy theme!

Our Top Petrifying Party Decor and Favors

Coloring Pages

Our spooky coloring pages can decorate the walls of any party, and give the kids a fun way to get into the holiday spirit! With their fun, frightening designs, they will inspire any child to get creative with their Halloween decorations!

Stickers

What can decorate almost any surface with our Halloween fun? Personalized stickers of course! Our Halloween stickers will decorate the party and the party favors!

Placemats

Our personalized Halloween placemats will spook up any party or meal with their fun, creepy designs! Your child will feel like Halloween was made for them with their name set right in place!

Just pick one of these ideas and try it today. Which idea will you try today?

I just read this article in the Metro West Daily News. Maybe I like it because it speaks about something I believe in. It tells that sending our kids outside without a plan is good for their health. I think this is a great idea. For younger children it could be a trip to the local park without a plan or toys to direct their activities. Going into the yard without a plan might cause them to play in the leaves, draw items with a stick, or play in the sand.

I am not a fan of over scheduling my kids.

What are your your thoughts on this article?

Drawing in the sand….

Playing in the leaves

Thanks to our friends at Cool Mom Picks for letting us know about this and they even have a promotion code going with them. Use CMPJuly30 until July 31st to get 30% off.

I hope this helps.

Use this to make sure you get your date nights.

An awesome read for kids AND parents!

School is out and summer’s here! No homework, tests, or projects (that are as much work for parents as their kids) it’s the perfect time of year. However, school will come again, and the staff at Frecklebox.com thinks reading is an awesome summer activity and a fun way to stay ready for school. Here are our top picks of children’s books that every kid should get a chance to read!

10. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

This classic children’s book takes a child’s imagination to a whole new level with it’s exciting story and awesome monsters. This tale is beautifully illustrated and will make your kids excited to go to bed so that they can begin their own adventures! Max, the main character, is a boy that discovers the land of the wild things, and gets himself into action, adventure, and a whole lot of fun!

9. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

This great children’s story will take your child through a baby bat’s life when she loses her mother. She is found by a mother bird and told that everything she does that is like a bat is wrong, until she finds her mother and learns that her instincts are right. This book has great illustrations and will teach your kid about the birds and the bats!

8. Holes by Louis Sachar

This classic tale is for children a bit older, and will make holes take on a whole new meaning! Stanley Yelnats, the main character, may be the unluckiest person alive. As he tries to conquer his bad luck he is faced with all kinds of adventures, including mystery and a family curse from years ago. This adventurous book is imaginative and funny, creating an intriguing story that any kid will love!

7. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

This adorable classic will show all of the things that could happen by sharing a cookie with the mouse in the house. The sweet illustrations are fun and entertaining, making this a must read! This cute tale will teach the ideas of cause and effect, while taking your child on a fun adventure only fit for a boy and his mouse!

6. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Alexander T. Wolf

This quirky tale takes you through the story of the three little pigs, but from the wolf’s perspective. The wolf simply had a cold and needed to borrow sugar, he wasn’t trying to blow the houses down! This book is fun and very different, showing there are two sides to every story! Every child should get to read this funny tale that takes on a whole different meaning when you hear the tale of the three little pigs.

5. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

This great story teaches kids how important it is to help the less fortunate. When Opal, the main character, and her father move to a new place, she finds a big, ugly, ratty looking dog in the Winn-Dixie supermarket. This sweet, funny, ugly dog teaches Opal that making friends is easy, and that people shouldn’t be judged by their looks. Opal learns about her mother and herself, and realizes that friendship can be found anywhere. This book is beautifully written and any child will love it!

4. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfizer

This fantastically illustrated book teaches kids that what counts in a person is on the inside. The rainbow fish is beautiful, and because of his beauty, he gets cocky and even rude. All of his friends stop being friends with him, and he can’t seem to figure out why. When he asks the wise octopus, he tells him to share his beauty with others. This story has a great message, is beautifully illustrated, and will take your child on an adventure of learning what beauty truly is.

3. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

This classic story shows kids today that the environment is important. The Lorax is the protector of the trees, but when the Onceler shows up, he starts taking the trees for himself for money. In no time at all, the trees are gone and the land is polluted, and though the Onceler had made a lot of money, he had nothing left. When the Lorax leaves, he writes one word for the Onceler to remember…”unless.” This amazing tale teaches the importance of caring for the environment and shows that money isn’t everything. We pretty much recommend ALL of Dr. Seuss’ books, the website is a lot of fun too! http://www.seussville.com/

2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

This classic tale follows an unyielding friendship between a boy and his tree. Throughout the boy’s life, the tree will always help him, and will always give him anything he asks. Even when the boy asks to cut down the tree to build a boat, the tree agrees. The boy comes back to the tree, which is now a stump, as an old man and sits, the tree’s last wish. This book shows a beautiful friendship, and teaches any kid what a true friendship really means!

1. Captain Underpants by Dav Pilky

This is is a hilarious series about the adventures of a couple of grade school boys. The humor appeals to kids and their parents so if you have a younger child, this is a great one to read together. Kids who don’t like to read like reading these books! Take a surf through the author’s website to get a very good sense of his style and humor, http://www.pilkey.com/.

These are some great books that are not only classics, but perfect for your child’s summer reading! There are many other fantastic reads to choose from, and some awesome sites for these include http://childrensbooksguide.com/top-100, http://www.teachersfirst.com/100books.cfm, and http://www.ivillage.com/best-childrens-books-age-age/6-a-364926. A great way to escape the summer heat is going to your local library, where they have all kinds of books, and sometimes have author visits and fun events! Whatever the book, wherever the reading happens, get out and read this summer!