Back To School ~ Friday Treats

Along the same lines of prepping freezer meals, 1 month at a time. I’m deciding now what Friday Treats we will have to help me watch for fun seasonal treats or ingredients on sale. 

Some of our Favorite Friday Treats for September 

 S’more Bark/Campfire Bars 

Apple Nachos 

Apple/zucchini/ banana bread 

Caramel Apple hand pies  

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Kids Clothes- Managed -Back To School

This is such a struggle for me. Every year it gets a little easier as the kids get pickier and have specific things they want.  The clothes! So much clothes! 

I grew up getting pretty much a whole wardrobe before school started and we kind of continued that.  As the kids have gotten older and I have become a fan of minimalism, that’s faded.  Don’t get me wrong, they still get a few things because it’s fun and there is usually some need between growth and damage.  

Before I even consider looking for clothes, I try and go through everything they have. Stuff they don’t love and I don’t love, goes. Stained, ripped or too small? It allll goes!  I don’t want to keep stuff in their drawers they are just going to skip over every day. 

Then I grab the bin of hand me downs/sale finds for the next size, whatever size they are growing into. Grab things from it that are weather appropriate and put things back in their drawers. 

We keep stuff that is more than 1 year out in the Laundry Room, and stuff likely to be needed soon is in the closet top shelf. I need to label these someway that isn't permanent. I'll add that to my Fall Deep Cleaning/Organizing. 

I like making a note of things they need, socks and underwear are almost always a guarantee, in my checklist app. I also add sizes for tops and bottoms because it can be easy to mix up with 4. It’s broken down by kiddo. I do this because sometimes I’ll find an unexpected deal while I am out and don’t want to grab the wrong size or socks for the wrong kid. 

And because our younger 2 are especially rough on clothes, I keep the new stuff in their backpack put up until the day before school. 

I don’t try to manage the teens clothes anymore, outside of making sure they aren’t keeping things they won’t be able to wear in public 🤪

For the younger 2, I have a rough list of what I like to keep for them. It looks about like this

7 underwear

7 socks 

3 pair jeans 

3 pair of other pants (joggers etc) 

7 T shirts

3-5 hoodies

3-6 pair of athletic shorts (older one needs a pair everyday for sports) 

1-2 pair casual shorts 

Church clothes 

3 pair pajamas 

1 jacket

1 heavier coat 

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Muffin Tops

 

Muffin Top Cookies? Just plain ol' Muffin Tops?

There isn't more sugar like in a cookie, but they are shaped like a BIG cookie. Call them what you want, they are easy and delicious and the kids will like them! They aren't dense like a cookie, lighter, like a muffin but the oatmeal in these ones gives them oomph!

 

 

I've made multiple varieties but don't always track what I add.

For these I did though! Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.

 

I just used my basic muffin dry ingredients

1 3/4 AP Flour

1/3C Sugar

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

 

 

Then I just added about 1C ish of liquids + 1 egg for the basic recipe.

 

For this one I added

1 BIG ripe banana all mashed up

2 Eggs

and 1/2 C Oats for bit of texture

1/4 C Mini Chocolate Chips

 

***The batter should be about muffin batter consistency, maybe slightly thicker***

Play around and try some different combos.

 

Bake 13-15 Minutes at 350 on a greased cookie sheet

I use a big cookie scoop to measure them equally

 

 

 

 

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Back to School Organization~Chore Cards

Sorry, sorry, sorry for even bringing it up. But today IS August 1st which means school will be in session before we know it :( I don't love that at all, but I do want to make sure it all goes smooth!

Honestly, the last 2 years or so have kind of had me/us in a funk! Baby, re-doing a home, health issues and overall busyness just have not worked in our favor.  To combat that busyness that isn't going away I need routine, and scheduling and structure. No way can I just toss that on the kids the first day of school.  I haven't updated our CHORE CARDS in years, those need an overhaul, and our weekly and daily routines need an overhaul too. We don't expect them to be followed 100% every single day, but having a plan in place that we hopefully meet 80% of the time still REALLY makes a difference. 

We are starting by adding chore packs again, and hopefully practice morning routines in the next couple weeks.

So this is the new chore cards. They are more work because the kids are a lot older now, I mean it's been 5 years!!! And these are all things that *might* need to be done. I promise we don't expect them to clean the coop everyday :) I left some blank because I laminated mine and wet erase markers work great on them! Sometimes we have chores that are just for a season, or a few weeks and I like to have the option.

Happy to share these printable sheets! Just email me (FolkHollow@gmail.com) and I will send you the file! I just had mine printed on card stock (using the floral as a back side), laminated them and then used these rings and a hole punch to keep them handy and together!

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Updated Homework Setup

I have no idea if any of our older 3 will have homework. I am assuming the 6th grader will and probably the 1st grader, going to set up for that and change it if we need to. Oh how I miss the last time I shared our work set up. 2 tiny elementary students and a pre-preschooler :(

We already have a drawer for colored pencils, crayons, art supplies and that kind of stuff. It's just not very conducive to homework, too many fun distractions. I don't want to do anything TOO over the top or crazy. I'm just tidying the drawer that already has all their other stuff. Journals, devotionals and such, stuff we ideally use everyday. Added a little basket with plain pencils (no one comes looking for those) and a few crayons. I might add their workbooks, once we know who has homework and how much. 

This is also where we will keep their reading logs and folders, if it's like years past where they bring them home Monday and return Friday. 

I don't know if there is anything worse than a frantic type A kiddo who doesn't know where their homework folder is and it's time to go. I'd love to eliminate that whole dilemma with this! 

 It's not a huge drawer, but I am also hoping to have room for 1st grade library books. He is NOT of the type A variety and really has no desire to keep track of anything.

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Snack Prep to Save Time & Money

This has been my most pinned thing ever!

It's been 5 long, but fast, years and SO much has changed!
For 1, none of that would last a week anymore! These growing kids and growing appetites!
Also, the actual snacks have changed a bit as well as the containers.

Now I snag these and give myself a little time, usually on Monday's when I am working in the kitchen quite a bit anyway. 

I just fill while I can, between reading to the baby and coloring or Skip Bo with the big kids. It doesn't take a terribly long time, just repetitive. I have been doing a terrible job at it all Summer. Working on making the school year as smooth running as I can though, getting back in to the habit!

And we use a whole drawer in the fridge. This fridge is new, so I am not sure if this is how this set up will stay. We aren't used to it yet. Let me get a couple times of grocery shopping in and see what happens.

Normally I wouldn't buy individual apple sauce or yogurts, both were less than big containers at our outlet. 

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Weekly Outfits for Kids

Now that I have all their stuff organized, gonna straight ruin that and make a week + worth of outfits.

Last year I was too tired to care much about what they wore, wasn't worth the battles. 

This year I have had a bit more sleep. I don't want it to be a battle, but I'd also like some more of her clothes to see sunlight.

These fancy schmancy dollar tree hangers are perfect! 5 slots to hang outfits. I am planning on doing 2 weeks at a time and adding this task to my Sunday night routine until I either burn out or feel like she can do a little better job not wearing her 4 favorites. I haven't found the hangers lately, but amazon has some HERE

I also just clipped the matching hair bow or headband right onto the shirt or hanger! 

This will probably save me a few minutes each morning. Once the weather is more varied I might have a little bit of hard time getting her to choose the weather appropriate one.


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Real Life For 6~ Kids Clothes Part 1

 It's about that time when we are bombarded with ads telling us we need to buy our kids NEW clothes. I don't know about you, but our kids still have a ton of clothes from last year that aren't worn out and some even still fit.  As part of our effort to have a fresh perspective on everything, giving kids clothes a new look and doing some reducing, absolutely not buying as much as last year which was already a huge reduction from years past. We obviously didn't need that many if there are 5-6 shirts that were only worn 1 or 2 times. Part of this is due to the struggle with our tween. He is very picky with his clothes all of a sudden, too bad for me because I was still in the habit of buying ahead. T Shirts just won't cut it anymore, he really only likes the athletic style shirts, as much as I don't like them :) choosing my battles on that one.

I am sure there are a few things our kids do actually need for the next school year, socks come to mind, but I can't tell you what that is, or watch for deals on it, if I haven't done a good job of knowing what we have vs. what we NEED (that need vs. want thing is still a work in progress here).

Sooo, first thing first, what do they actually NEED for the next 6 months. This is going to be different for everyone, depending on uniforms, what shoes are or aren't allowed at school, activities, etc.  Make your lists for your family. I am trying to be as harsh as possible and keep things limited.

Here is our list 

Shoes: Athletic, Casual, Rain boots, Dressy for the girly too.

Socks and Underwear: 7 days worth

Pants: 4 Pair of Jeans (our everyday staple) 1 alternate pair, 1 Dress Pants

Shirts:  T-Shirts 7 (long and short sleeve), 2 Dress Shirts

Sweater/Sweatshirts: 3 and at least 1 with a hood

Jacket/Coat: 1 of each, with a hood

Dresses: 3 Casual/1 Dressy

Gym/Sports stuff: 2 full outfits

Now this hasn't changed much since I talked about this 2 years ago here! I haven't really bought a whole lot of anything in the last 2 years, well not for the big kids anyway. I HAVE  done a much better job of sticking to necessities. We still have TOO MUCH. 

Part 2 coming up. How we keep it all organized and easy to access. 

*May contain affiliated links* I participate in Amazon Associates Program occasionally. I won't recommend a product I wasn't myself interested in trying or have tried. I may receive monetary compensation for participating. This does not change the price for you.

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Summer Bucket List

There are a million bucket lists, to do lists etc all over Pinterest.  I do ours a little different.

Kids will be coming home to a big bucket with our list! We have a budget, and buying all this stuff all at once would not work for us. I started a few weeks ago collecting stuff that won't go bad.  Hopefully that is a bit more exciting than just a list. I can't wait to share it with y'all.

Here is our list, some of these will be multiple times and others not so much. Pretty much every other day we pick berries while they are in season. The Library gets a lot of our time too.

I also LOVE the weekly plans that some folks do. We don't have that much structure during the week but I love the idea!

 And this could be fun too!

 
What is on your list for the summer? 
When is summer break for you?

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{Fresh} Morning Routine Part 4

Ya know who else needs a routine? Kids! 

I can tell you first hand that when we don't have one going on, life is rough in the mornings!

Some things we do here that aren't actually part of our morning routine..

~ Here the kids have a few things they can do at night to make the morning smoother.

Backpacks, outfits and lunch can all be prepped the night before.

~Streamline necessities in the morning with baskets!

We have (and love) our Good Morning Basket

Gloves and umbrellas are all in 1 basket, so no hunting for them.

I think a visual checklist of some sort helps kids stay on task, which will help you! Less time

directing, more time doing what needs to be done.

We have used these CHORE PACKS for years now. They are going to be getting and overhaul soon!

How do your kids do mornings?

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Thanksgiving Treats {Kids Table}

I just love how whimsical these are! Not to mention super easy to bust out, 3 at a time.

And these would be perfect for caramel apples!
Little Branch looking pop sticks!

Adorable! Donut holes and pretzels!

I made some of these for our cupcakes a couple years ago! One of my favorites! 

All super easy and time still to get supplies from amazon ;)

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I took my kids toys away {Week 18}

**First, I want to say I am not judging anyone for what they do or don't do for their kids. Just in case this strikes a nerve in the wrong way to someone.

I want to talk about STUFF! Specifically toys. We have been buying toys for over 10 years now and it's been an issue getting kids to pick up, keep tidy, care at all, for the last 7 years. At first I wouldn't say our kids were spoiled, I felt like spoiled can be taken as a mean label for a kid. I rationalized that they were privileged and lucky to have lots of folks in their lives that enjoy blessing them with a toy here and there. It rarely seemed like overdoing it, just something to make them smile. That's been going on for 10 years! It's about time I acknowledge our kids ARE SPOILED and it's all MY fault.
I should have done this a long time ago and it wouldn't have gotten out of hand or to this point.

old picture but we have the same issue, just didn't take another picture 
 

I think we have gone too far and it's overwhelming for them and insanely frustrating for me. I feel like everyday is a fight to get them to pick up after themselves. I got drastic this week and took 90% of the Lego's and put them in a bin for the garage. This was after I gave them 2 hours, plenty of direction, the ability to clean up, and they chose not to. I really think the mess was just too overwhelming. When I started putting the Lego's away there wasn't a single complaint, and I actually got some help.

Before the Lego's I had slowly been taking things away, just putting them in the garage, after I ask them to put them away and it's not done. Not a single thing has been missed! I haven't been loud about it, just picking it up and into a bin, not telling them. Barbies, clothes, random toys that all had a place they belong but weren't valued enough to be put away. They haven't asked about any of it!!

While we haven't been home as much because we have been at the ball fields every night, when we have been home the kids have been playing together better. Asking them to tidy isn't the instant meltdown it had become. I get a little nauseous thinking about the $$ that is sitting in the garage. I don't have plans to get rid of it right now. I just feel like we probably could have had some good family experiences rather than more stuff. Live and learn I guess. I really think we were doing a disservice to our kids. I am hoping that we can scale back and learn from it. I don't want them to expect toys and stuff, nor do I want them to feel like it's acceptable to not clean up after themselves.

Is this something that is a struggle at your house too? Finding a good balance with responsibility, appreciation and stuff? I feel like it will be a slow process to get there but we are on our way.

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Seasonal Clothes Swapping

First I will say that I do not enjoy this task but thankfully it only has to be done 2 times a year.  Transitioning from tank tops and shorts at the end of summer and the packing away of long sleeves and heavy coats at the end of winter. By the end of the season I am so over seeing the same clothes on the kids anyway, I guess that part I do enjoy, along with having it done!

First things first, make sure you have enough time. Don't rush it, make it 2 separate times if you need to but don't try to rush through it all.

Prep your boxes or bins, baskets or whatever you are using to sort.

I have 6 bins I use.

~ Keep in drawers

~Keep for next year

~Hand Down

~Donate

~Sell

~Scrap

Keep in drawer is something that is going right back in.

Keep for next year, stuff that will likely still fit in 6 months and is in good shape

Hand Down, outgrown by this kiddo but in good shape for the next

Donate/Sell. Honestly, sometimes I never want to see something again and if it's not worth it to sell we will donate it or hand down to another family that can use it.

Scrap, there is only so much you can do with a shirt that was put over chubby thighs and stretched out. If it's cotton I will keep it to clean stuff up, or use it to stain wood.

Once the current stuff is sorted. More prep. Get the kiddo ready! I can't tell you how much this part of the project will determine how it ends. In smiles and probably some mama tears or tears of frustration from everyone! Bathroom, snack and then distractions put away just sets the stage for a smooth transition. We have a speedy try on everything questionable session. Sometimes it's hard to know if something is going to fit without trying it on. Sizes on labels can be very different from brand to brand.

TIPS
~If you are a momma of more than 1, do 1 child at a time. It's already daunting, don't make it harder on yourself with more stuff than you have to have out at once.
~Keep 1 top and 1 bottom from the sell or donate pile handy. Just in case there is a weird weather day. You don't want to have to dig through a bin for them in the mad rush before school or bed the night before.
~Get the stuff that is going out, OUT as soon as you can!
~Label your bins/boxes with a label you can see easily

I have found that the more often I do this, the more often I buy less the following year. Seeing stuff that was not worn much before it was outgrown is a sure sign that our kids have too much.

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Organizing Friday {Week 13}

 

Spring Break Week!

I didn't really plan to do much this week.

I did go through all the kids clothes, pack up the long sleeve T's and get the short sleeve T's out.

We keep 1 bin under each kiddo's bed for out of season clothes that fit.

Slowly working our way towards having just the 1 bin, I was buying way way too many clothes, so each kid also had 1 bin under our bed of stuff that is too big. After this go around of clothes swap there might only be 1 bin under our bed! I am getting better about not over buying and letting stuff go. I used to have a whole bunch of hand me downs from our oldest for our 5 year old. I did such a good job last summer that the 5 yo has 1 tank top this year as a hand me down. All of the others were worn out or stained. 

Since I don't have much to share today from our house, I thought I would share these super ideas I have seen around for storing kid clothes!

 So smart to use the page protectors on the inside of the bins! We have used duct tape and written directly on the bin, neither of those ended well.

Here are some free printables too!

If you don't have room, or the budget, for plastic bins, there is this option.

a 2 pack from Dollar Tree of sweater bags. They aren't hard plastic, so if you have a smaller or awkward space under a bed, a corner closet etc. You just might be able to shove some of these in there.

These are the ones we use

How do you store out of season or out of size clothes?

I will share my process for season clothes swapping soon!

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No Candy Easter Basket Stuffers!

With Easter just 5 weeks away I thought now would be the perfect time to share some of the stuff we are filling baskets with this year.

Call me cheap, but I take this time to buy essentials for the upcoming season! Also, we are avoiding excess so it won't be a list of stickers or toys that no one will be playing with in 2 months.No stuffed animals to collect dust or sit on a shelf.

Sharing a list of some of our past and current stuffers. Something for babies, bigger kids and teens!
My top 50 non budget busting items that won't be in the donate pile or garbage in 6 months.

Sandals
Sunglasses
Beach Towel
Beach Toys
 Gardening Gloves
Seed Packets
Little Pots
Tooth Brush
Books
Children's Bible
 Shampoo, Lotion or Body Wash
Flash Cards
Underwear
Socks
Swim Suit
Baby Food/Fruit Veggie Pouches
Headphones/Earbuds
Itunes Gift Cards
Bubble Liquid
Pacifier for Baby
Pacifier Holders
Hair Pretties
Sippy Cup
Travel Cup
Bibs
Blanket
Harmonica
Baseball Mitt
Baseball Helmet
Hand Tattoos
Pack of Gum
Summer Hat
Teething Toys
Baby Puff Snacks
Amber Necklace
Suck Pads for Baby Carrier
Jewelry
Pajamas
Experiences: Movie, Zoo, Aquarium, Trampoline Park
Jamberry Nail Wraps
Kid Silverware
Baby Spoons
Beef Jerky
Band Aids
Fun Straws
Fancy Soft Drink
Jump Rope
Tank Top/Shirt
Golf Balls
Washi Tape

I have a big list of EGG fillers coming up too!

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Our Favorite After School Snacks

In an effort to make home the place kids can't wait to come home to, I need to put a little more into our after school snacks.  Don't get me wrong, they aren't starving but snacks have been kinda ho hum around here lately.

We aren't big on sugary snacks, these kids are sweet enough already, but I might let it happen once in a while. On that note, not all of these are going to be as healthy as I would like. But they WILL be delicious!

Graham Cracker Sandwich w/marshmallow

Chocolate Dipped Ritz

 

Smoothies

Pina Colada~Frozen Pineapple, Coconut milk, Greek Yogurt, ice w/roasted coconut chips on top

PB Chocolate~We use PB2, yogurt, ice and chocolate almond milk

My FAVE ~Orange juice, Spinach, ice and some frozen strawberries

Ritz & Sunbutter sandwich

Pretzels and PB

Rainbow Fruit Cup

Frozen Grapes

Ants on a log

Cucumber and crackers

Apple Pie Energy Poppers

Caramel Apple Snack Mix

Banana nut mini muffins
Made with Spinach

Pumpkin Muffins

Banana nut bread bars

Cream Cheese/veggie roll up

cream cheese/cinnamon roll up

PB Banana Mini Muffins

Cream Cheese/Strawberry Sandwich toasted

Apple Ham and Cheese toothpicks

 Apple Cheddar quesadilla

Banana Nutella Egg Rolls!

Big Hunk Dip

  Mini Pizza Calzones

Chocolate dipped frozen banana bites

Zucchini Bread

mini nilla wafer/banana sandwich
Cookie Dough Fake Out
Muffin Top Cookies

Those won't be an everyday thing. We will still have our usual snacks. We don't keep a lot of options on hand, that can get expensive and wasteful pretty quickly.

We pretty much always have

Popcorn

Fruit

Veggies

Cheese Sticks

Pretzels

Dried Fruit

Granola Bars

What are your favorite kid snacks? I am always looking for more ideas!

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