Back to School

Keep the kids happy and fed as they hop back on the school bus

By Khalil Hymore

Kids may not be happy about it, but...it's that time of year again! I'm sure that moms across America are doing back flips right about now. I don't have kids, myself, but I can imagine the appeal of the start of the school year. Scott too is about to head back to school (he's a school psychologist) and as much fun as it's been having him around the house all summer (I work from home, mostly), I'm ready to put him back on the bus--so to speak!

I'll be honest, I don't know how working moms do it. I mean, like I said, I don't have kids, but even I have trouble getting everything done that I need to in a day. As a child I remember our mom getting up super early every morning to make our school lunches until, eventually, we learned to make them ourselves. Making our own school lunches was a huge help to my mom, here are a couple more ideas:

Packing the School Lunch - With childhood obesity at an all time high, use school lunches to teach your kids healthy and responsible eating habits. Encourage youngsters to participate in the lunch making process. Give little ones options for lunchtime, making them a part of the process, and have them pack the food you've prepared for them in lunch pails themselves. My little cousin Nathan, at 3 years old, already helps to decide what he eats (within reason, of course). Older children, should most definitely be packing their own lunch, and be making it too! Gastrokid is a great site devoted to children's cooking, without pandering to them. It's full of recipes and ideas aimed at helping kids in the kitchen.

It's Dinnertime! - A friend of Scott's, who also happens to be a single working mom, recently turned me on to a great site: notakeout.com, devoted to simple menu planning and recipes that can be prepared quickly, using ingredients and flavor combinations that you'd be proud to serve a houseful of company. Best of all, No Takeout provides express line friendly shopping lists too! Cookie magazine has a great site devoted to busy, and stylish mom's, with a surprisingly sophisticated food section featuring recipes the hole family should enjoy. And don't forget my kid friendly recipes.

So tell me, in your house, who's most excited for "back to school"? Moms or kids?