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Camp 101

Camp 101 – Easy Like Monday Morning

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In our house, getting out the door on time in the morning is an exercise in futility.  If everyone is awake more than 30 minutes before we have to walk out the door, there is a chance we will make it, but that is a real rarity.

Then there is the getting dressed, the brushing teeth and maybe hair, the breakfast thing, making sure bags and lunches are packed, putting shoes on (I know, I’m terrible for asking them to wear shoes) and then if you are lucky, walking out the door without forgetting anything.

It’s a lot!

Since I like to keep things simple, let’s try to make Monday mornings (every morning for that matter) easier with these tricks for getting out of the house on time and with as few tears as possible (adults included).

1. Pack lunches the night before

“This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.”

Start by putting all of the non-perishable items into the lunch bag the night before.  Leave it on the counter and open. Gather the items that need to stay cold overnight and put them together in the fridge, ready to go.  That way, in the morning, you are trying to assemble lunch, you are merely placing items into the bag.

yellow container with lunch idea of carrots, grapes and peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Looking for more lunch ideas? Check out this post. You’ll find 11 simple lunch ideas ready to go!

2. Pre-make all your sandwiches for the week

Want another trick to make packing lunches even easier?  Credit to Danielle Renov of Peas, Love and Carrots for this incredible hack for making sandwiches ahead of time.  Make your favorite sandwich:

  • Peanut butter and jelly
  • Just Jelly
  • Peanut butter and honey
  • Chocolate spread
  • Nutella
  • Cheese of any sort
  • Hummus and provolone

Now freeze them in individual labeled zip top bags.  In the morning, pull it out of the freezer and plop into the toaster or your sandwich maker, warm through, wrap it in foil and plop into lunch bag.  You can also just plop them in their lunches frozen. They will defrost by lunchtime.

Remember those easy breakfast sandwiches I shared with you a few weeks ago?  These work the same way! Use them for lunch or breakfast. They are simple, healthy and quick to prep.

This really is a genius idea and I can’t wait to try it out!

3. Use the weekend to prep for the week

On Sunday, have the kiddo’s help portion out their snacks for the week.  Then it’s just grab and go when it’s time to make lunches. This works for crunchy dry snacks, fruits and veggies.  Having your kids help with this, also helps ensure that they will eat what you pack them.

If you are using the frozen sandwich hack from above, prep all the sandwiches over the weekend as well.  I still can’t get over how genius this is!

4. Make ahead breakfasts

Again, get the family involved.  Ask what they would like to have for breakfast in the upcoming week and prep and freeze these items.  Want to go a step further. Label each breakfast item by the day and then when its crazy in the morning, everyone knows what is for who and then they can almost take care of themselves. Well, almost…maybe….kinda?

One my favorite muffin recipes (carrot-zucchini muffins) freezes great and two of those muffins make a great breakfast.

big and little carrot zucchini muffinis on a cooling rack.

Some other ideas for make ahead breakfasts include:

5. Energy Bites

Don’t know what to pack your kid to round out their lunch.  Do they seem like they need a little pick me up first thing in the morning but aren’t quite ready for breakfast yet?  Keep a batch (or two) of these energy bites in your fridge on a shelf kids can reach. They are delicious, but healthy and filling so everyone wins.  

6. Label, label, label

Label everything.  I really mean it. Label everything and your mornings (and most other things you set out to tackle will be easier).  Some things that I label to make things simpler for me.

pair of shorts with a name label on the tag
  • Lunches
  • What day of the week each snack bag is for
  • Type of sandwich in freezer
  • Type of smoothie in freezer (although mostly I just tell ask them if they want red, orange or green)
  • All the clothes going to camp and school (I use these labels for all the “stuff”)
  • And the list goes on…

I use Mabel’s Labels for my kids clothes, sharpies for labeling zip-top bags and a label maker for stuff around the house. But, I want you to use whatever method works for you.  The only thing that matters is that stuff is labeled!

7. Unpack and repack backpacks when they get home from camp, not in the morning

The worst thing ever is when you go to put a lunch in a bag in the morning and there is still old lunch, wet towel, wet bathing suits and unidentified art projects rolling around in a big mess from the day before.

My tip:  Have your kids unpack their bag as soon as they walk in the door and take off their shoes.  Have them put the wet stuff in the laundry, the lunch box in the sink, art projects on the table, etc.  Not only does this start teaching responsibility, it’s a huge help to you. Then, as soon as that bag is empty, go ahead and repack it for the next day (towel, dry bathing suit, extra clothes, etc), and place it in it’s spot.  Then in the morning, you just drop in a lunch and off you go!

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful.  Try doing just one or two of them for the summer and see if it helps your Monday mornings

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Camp 101- What’s for Lunch?

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11 Ideas to Answer the Question “What’s for Lunch?”

You’ve come to the right place to find easy ideas to pack for camp (or road trip, picnic, school) lunch for your you kiddos.

pancakes, snap peas, strawberries, hard boiled eggs in a lunch box

Now, I like to cook, I like to putter in the kitchen and I like to think that my kids are good eaters (but that TOTALLY depends on the day).  I also like being creative and as you may have guessed by now, I’m a bit of a planner.

Okay you got me. I’m totally a planner.

I love a fresh calendar in January that needs filling in, I meal plan by the month (see more on that here), but I digress.

Let’s talk about getting lunch together for the kiddos without making yourself crazy. Whether you don’t love being in the kitchen or just don’t know what to pack, this is for you!

pesto pasta with kiwi slices and carrot sticks in a lunch box

In full transparency, both my munchkins have been in school full time where they provide daily lunch and snacks, so packing lunches will be new for me this summer as the big one heads off to camp (eeek, I couldn’t be more excited about this!).

But, I’m looking forward to the task!

Why you ask? Because I’m excited to pack her a fun, healthy lunch that I know she will eat. I want to make sure you are equipped to do the same thing. Get ready to send your munchkin off to camp, school, on a picnic or a road trip without thinking to hard or spending too much time prepping the night before.

Use these ideas in whatever way will simplify your life.  Mix and match, prep for the week (do this!), make your partner help, pick 5 and send them the same thing each day of the week for the whole summer…it’s really up to you.

Since (our) camp is 33 days long this summer, here are 11 days of lunch ideas for you. (I also really like prime numbers).

Use them each three times and you are good to go.

If you want your little one to have a say in the matter, use this free printable to have them select what they want each week.  

Lunch planner for kids with choices for their meals.

Talk about simple.

Laminate the sheet with this handy home laminator. Use colorful dry erase makers to have your kiddos circle what choice they want for the week, and add these items your shopping list. Erase the planner at the end of the week and repeat each weekend.

No more pouting about lunch since they got to chose what goes in it…even the most selective of eaters won’t have much to complain about!

cheese stick, crackers, raisins, blueberries and brownie in a lunch box

Here are a couple of tips and tricks to get started:

  • Try to stick to include one food they are guaranteed to eat (for my kids it’s fruit), so I tend to put more of that in.
  • Snacky lunches sometimes are the biggest hits.  Kids are super social during lunch and sometime a “main” is just too much to focus on when they are busy chatting with their friends.
  • Keep it simple.  Try to include only things that are already put together for them.  (I would stay away from MYO or DYI anything in a lunchbox).
  • Pack in containers/bags that are easy to open. I know it’s not great for the environment, but plastic zip tops bags are sometimes the easiest for camp, another great alternative are these portion cups. They are reusable, but it’s not a bummer when they get lost.

Here they are…11 Camp Lunches ready to go!

  1. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich, carrots, grapes, pretzels
  2. Grilled Cheese Sandwich, pickles, berries, veggie chips
  3. Soup (yep, soup in a thermos), crackers, sugar snap peas
  4. Veggie Burger, roasted sweet potatoes, pickles, potato chips
  5. Pesto pasta (good at room temp), mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, watermelon
  6. Quesadillas, guacamole, tortilla chips, mango
  7. Mac ‘n cheese (in a thermos), strawberries, cucumber slices
  8. Salami Sandwich (insert your favorite deli meat), chips, carrot sticks
  9. French Toast (or a chunk of baked french toast), applesauce, grapes
  10. Bagel and cream cheese, lox, berries
  11. Tuna sandwich, cheese puffs, apple slices with cinnamon

I ALWAYS include a sweet treat for my kids. Like I said, they think fruit is dessert, so a cookie, a few m&m’s or a homemade muffin is really the bee’s knees in their eyes.

I’m working on an even longer list for the school year.  Just wait to see what I have in store for you early fall as the kidlets go back to school…

Simple as your favorite gray t-shirt, right?

peanut butter and jelly sandwich with grapes and carrot sticks in a lunch box.
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Camp 101 – Camp Clothes Made Simple

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Are you getting ready to send your munchkin off to camp soon? I know I am (eeek)! I know it seems early to talk about camp and camp clothes. What if it told you that

It’s really not too early to think about it!

Camp starts in the Midwest, mid-June, but all over the country by the end of May summer camp is getting into full swing! And all of those campers are going to need to be dressed and out the door each morning ready for their awesome summers!

Let me give you simple way to get your campers up and out the door to “the best place on earth” aka camp, each morning. Take it from a former camp director, this is the way to go!

First, shop early.

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Go, right now, (I mean it, just follow the links below) and buy 5 pair of shorts and 7 shirts that you don’t mind them destroying at camp.  DO NOT spend more than $100 on all of it. These items will come home covered in tie-dye, paint, grass stains, not to mention sweat and chlorine.

Additionally, be sure that these items are easy for your camper to get on and off themselves. No extra buttons, snaps, ties unless absolutely necessary.

My two favorite places to get camp clothes (coming from a former camp director who has bought A LOT of extra camp clothes over the years) are Target and Old Navy.

Here are some of my favorite items for kids at camp (and what my camper will be wearing this summer):

Simple camp clothes. Gray t-shirt and black sporty shorts

Next, you’ll need bathing suits, these DO NOT need to be expensive.

I like to buy them at Target or the Children’s Place. Try to get them on sale in the winter (good tip for next year), but I find these stores have the best prices no matter when you are looking.

Camp clothes. Two piece bathing suit with smiley face

Depending on how many times your camper swims each day and how often you do laundry, I would consider getting one for each day with a spare. Sounds like a lot, but it makes life so much easier.

For my camper, I’ll actually buy 7 swim suits, since we don’t have laundry in our home. I like to keep it simple, it’s worth the few extra dollars to have things always ready to go.

Theme Days are Real!

If I can make an educated guess, your camp director is hard at work planning some super special theme days and dress up days…which has the potential to make your life more difficult, but I’m here to help!

Trust me, ask and plan in advance.

Click here to get an email that you can copy and paste and send to your camp director right now!

Email Template with picture of camp color days

Use this email to find out in advance what your camper will need in the way of theme days/dress up day gear. When you get the response, here’s what to do:

  • Look around the house
  • Find items that will match the themes/dress up days camp has planned
  • Put those items in a zip top bag
  • Label with what theme and date it goes with and forget about it.  
When that email comes reminding you Crazy Sock Day is tomorrow, you’ll be ready!

Okay, one last step, and the one that will make your mornings the easiest!

  • Go find an empty plastic bin or empty drawer.  
  • Label it camp clothes.
  • Find 5 – gallon sized zip top bags
  • Label them Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.  
  • Put these bags in the designated storage space.
  • As you accumulate clothes for camp, put them in the storage place as well.

ONLY CAMP CLOTHES go in the designated spot!

Now to make each day as simple as possible. Sit down with your camper on Sunday evenings and let them pick out their clothes for the week.  You’ll already know if there is a dress up day, so factor that in.

Then pick outfits. Put them in the day of the week bag, put the bags in order and voila, you are ready to go with clothes for camp!  

Repeat weekly.

When you are doing laundry, separate these clothes out from the rest, do one load of them and back to the bin they go.

Simple as your favorite gray t-shirt, right?

Please leave a comment or send me an email and let me know if this was helpful. Would also love to hear what theme day your camper is most excited about and which one you dread most as a parent. I’ll share this info with some of my favorite camp directors…

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