Lunchbox Sliders 3 ways

This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I know I say this every July... but I can't believe summer is halfway over. Pretty soon it will be time to start thinking about backpacks and lunchboxes and if you've got a picky kid like mine, that's a stressful line of thinking. This will be the first year I have to pack a lunch for Jacob every single day and the thought is a bit daunting. I've been trying out some new foods on him this summer and thinking of ways I can mix things up and not send the same thing every day. I recently came across Pepperidge Farm® Bakery Classics Slider Buns and I knew it would be a great alternative to sandwiches for Jacob because he LOVES hamburgers, and anything you put on these sliders automatically looks like a mini hamburger! 

The most important thing to keep in mind when packing a lunch is that it needs to be something your kid likes to eat. Without you there, no one is going to make your child eat a lunch they don't like! The lunchbox is not the place to introduce new foods - try them at home first to make sure your child is familiar with them and will willingly eat them. We've taken a few simple sandwich recipes for a test drive and gotten two thumbs up on each one so I thought I'd share them with you here to give you a few ideas! 

1. Pizza sliders. Jacob loves pizza and this combo has all the same flavors - pizza sauce, provolone cheese, and pepperoni. You could add other pizza toppings too like peppers or mushrooms, but Jacob's a plain pepperoni kind of guy. 

2. Peanut Butter and Banana sliders. You could also use jelly, or strawberries, or fluff... whatever floats your kiddo's boat! If you've got a nut allergy in your kids class you can substitute in a nut free butter like sunflower butter or tahini. 

3. Salad sliders. Tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad. All of these are great with a little swiss cheese! 

Here are a few more ideas: 

Ham & Cheese

Chicken or Hamburger patty (cut to size)

BLT

Pulled Pork

Pretty much anything you would put on regular bread you can put on Pepperidge Farm® Bakery Classics Slider Buns, they're super versatile! They are the perfect size to fit inside lunchboxes and in little hands. They're just big enough that I know Jacob will fill up, but not have a lot of extra go to waste. What are you packing in your kids lunchboxes this year? You can see my tips for packing a teacher approved lunch HERE. 

Jumpstarting the Summer

Whew it's been a busy summer so far! Jacob just finished up a week of Jumpstart clinics at Goldfish Swim School in Canton, MI near my parents house. Goldfish offers traditional swim lessons year round where kids go once a week, but during the summer they offer jumpstart clinics where kids can go everyday to build confidence and fast track their skills. 

This was our first experience with Goldfish (but they are opening one near us soon!!!) and we were so impressed. In the words of my brother "I didn't know swim boutiques were a thing!" And he's got a point. The pools we went to for swim lessons as children were cold and sterile, rented from the local high school. Goldfish could not be more different. Everything there is bright, warm, and inviting - 100% designed with the whole child in mind. From the friendly murals on the wall, to the fun surfboard drying stations, to the constant 90 degree temperature in the pool; everything there is just perfect for setting kids at ease and making sure they have a positive experience.

We were usually rushing in for class after dropping my mom at work, so we'd use their changing rooms (designed like cabanas - so cute!) to change and then wait in their large waiting area for them to call his class. The waiting area is huge (and air conditioned!) with big comfy chairs and floor to ceiling walls with a full view of the pool so you can see your little one and note what they are working on the whole time.

Once they called his class I'd drop Jacob off at his lane and then go sit in the waiting area while he had his lesson. Each class has four kids or less so the instructor can really focus on each child and building confidence in their abilities. Jacob has loved all of the instructors that he has had - they are super patient, attentive, well trained, and great with kids! They had Jacob jumping to them without holding on his very first day there - something he never does! My favorite part of the lessons at Goldfish is that they work on not only swimming skills, but safety skills as well. 

The last 5 minutes parents are allowed to go in and observe and the teacher will give you a run down of what they worked on and what they need to practice. This is so helpful for working with your child on your own in between lessons and not something we've experienced at other swim schools. At the end of each Jumpstart week you get a progress report (every 3 months for weekly classes) with the skills they've accomplished checked off and a cute ribbon regardless of whether or not they are moving up a level. Just look at how much progress Jacob made in one week, he is SO proud of that ribbon!

Our first stop after class was always the adjoining showers. I noticed most kids just do a rinse off, but I always took the opportunity to bring shampoo so I wouldn't have to give him a bath later. After his shower we'd hit the changing rooms again to change back into his street clothes, and then his favorite part - the drying station! He loves sitting up on the surf board and using the hair dryer to dry his hair "all by himself." I really appreciate the different settings on the hair dryers that let you control not only the intensity, but also the heat. I could let Jacob go to town with the heat set to low and not have to worry about him accidentally burning himself. I'd always bring a wet bag to throw his wet suit and towel into, but they also have a swimsuit dryer there. 

Besides a beautiful facility and a sound program in place for swim instruction, the staff at Goldfish is so welcoming and accommodating. If your schedule changes they will reschedule you for another date and if you need a makeup due to illness or travel it's no extra charge. We've had such a great experience at Goldfish, that we are now SO excited for the one near us to open up! If you'd like to learn more about Goldfish click HERE to check out all their offerings and find a facility near you. 

*Goldfish provided Jacob with free lessons in order to facilitate this review. As always all opinions are my own and we only promote brands we love. 

Jacob's 4th Birthday Pizza Party

We celebrated Jacob on his birthday with the pizza party of his dreams. He knew exactly what he wanted - chocolate cake, pizza on a plate, and all his friends. We booked a party slot at his favorite Pizza arcade - Peter Piper Pizza and invited all his friends. We picked a dinnertime slot (5-7 pm) because we've heard it can get hectic on weekend days with up to four parties at a time. It ended up being the perfect time - not crowded and everyone was hungry for pizza and cake since it was dinner time. This was the first year Jacob had an opinion on what he wanted at his party and it was so fun to help bring that dream to life. 

I kept to colors inspired by his invitations and classic pizza parlors - silver, red, yellow, green, lilac and white. I knew the kids wouldn't want to do much more than eat and play games so I kept things simple with a party hat craft and then let the arcade provide the entertainment. Besides the pizza hats I also made the token cups and the mini pizza boxes for the cookies. My mom made the favors - pizza chef aprons, and I sewed on pizza patches my friend Jennifer made, then rolled them up with mini rolling pins. The cake was from Publix, and I topped it with a pizza squishy and candles from Amazon. Peter Piper Pizza provides a party assistant who keeps everything running smoothly and she was a God send. She helped us with everything from blowing up all the balloons to ordering the right amount of pizzas for the adults.

 

     

    

     

   

 

     

     

   

Can't wait to see what we dream up for next year's party! Happy birthday sweet boy! You have every "pizza" our hearts!