In this day and age it can be hard to eat healthy. With your busy schedule, especially if you have children, many people find it easier to grab whatever is available and the quickest and deal with the health consequences later. With the following tips for soups on the go you’ll learn how to make sure that the food you grab is of the healthy variety.

The problem with dealing with the consequences of unhealthy eating habits is that later is actually closer than you might think. Later is right now. Sadly, we are a nation of obese adults and just as many, if not more, obese children. Our unhealthy eating choices have caught up with us. You might be asking yourself, “How can I eat healthy when I’m crunched for time already?”

One way is to make foods that can be taken with you on the go. One of those foods is soup. Soup is tasty, filling, and good for you anytime, but especially on a cold fall or winter day. There are hot soups and believe it or not even cold soups. Many of the warm soups are even good eaten cold or lukewarm.

First, choose your favorite soup. A popular choice of many is the infamous chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing better when you are under the weather than the warm chicken broth soothing your throat. Campbell’s has a wonderful soup in a microwave container perfect for eating on the go, but we are going to make our own soup for an even healthier choice.

The one thing that is best about homemade food is that you know what is and is not in it. Since we are concerned with health, preparing your own soup creations at home is the best way to go. No matter which type of soup you choose to make, be sure to use fresh ingredients. The other items you’ll need are plenty of cups with lids and a blender.

Now it’s time to actually create your time saving soup. A good soup always starts with the stock. For chicken soup, make the broth by boiling the remains of the chicken you had for dinner. Add the herbs and seasonings of your choice and boil until the chicken bones come out clean. Any remaining meat will be included in the broth. Once the broth cools completely, ladle it into air-tight jars or containers for storing.

If you’re more of a beef and vegetable soup lover, you can use commercial canned broths or bouillon cubes for the base of your soup. Season the stock really well and boil before adding any other ingredients. Once the stock is ready, all that is left to do is toss in your favorite veggies. Again, wait until the soup is completely cooled before pouring into storage or serving containers.

Now, what about that blender? It’s a bit difficult to eat soup the traditional way while driving and if you are serving to your kids, the combination of a car and soup in a bowl is a disaster waiting to happen. Here’s where the blender comes into the picture.

Pour some of the soup into the blender and blend until the pieces are small enough for you to swallow without choking. You can even puree the soup completely if you’d prefer. For a thicker texture, add a bit of cream soup. Now, your soup is ready for distributing in your to-go cups.

The ideal cup would be a coffee mug with a lid. These types of cups have a wide opening perfect for drinking soups from. Be sure to prepare enough soup for the entire week. You can take the soup with you while you’re out shopping, working in the garden or to work. A cup of soup is packed with healthy nutrients and it won’t mess up the car or cramp your busy lifestyle. The next time you don’t have time to eat, reach for a cup of healthy homemade soup instead of pulling into that fast food drive thru.

Thanksgiving is a week or so away and Christmas is just around the corner. What better time to browse through the family photo and memento box for Christmas ideas and creating a family scapbook or memory book can be a delightful family past time.

If you don’t consider yourself particularly crafty, the idea of making a scrapbook or memory book can seem like a huge chore. You might even doubt your ability to be creative.

This doesn’t have to be the case! There are ways to create your own memory books with ease, no matter what your level of creativity happens to be. The only things you need are your family photos and the will to succeed.

Use these eight strategies to make your own scrapbooks and memory books:

1. Work on one page at a time. Sometimes, the task of a scrapbook seems like a huge amount of work. Instead of thinking about the project as a whole, break it into small, manageable pieces. Work on one page at a time and enjoy the process until your memories are organized and your scrapbook is complete.
2. Collect embellishments. The embellishments are the parts of the book that aren’t your actual photos. You can use other paper type memories and other designs to mount in your book of memories. Scrapbook and craft stores offer specific embellishments in all sorts of colors and themes. You can also save money by designing your own. Use construction paper to come up with your own designs. You can even print embellishments from your home computer.
3. Decide on a theme or motif. Pick a theme that you’ll carry out throughout your book. For example, you might want to do a book that represents the last year. Or you might choose to create a scrapbook of your summer vacation. This will help you to focus and narrow down your ideas.
4. Choose a color scheme. Pick a color scheme that you like and stick to it. You can make a wacky book with all different kinds of pages, but better results usually come from sticking with a certain color choice just to keep things looking neat.
5. Design a cover. Your cover can also be a nice place to get creative with your book. You might want to include a picture and some kind of description of the book’s theme.
6. Decide on a size. You can make scrapbooks of all different sizes. You may want one that’s small so you can carry it around. A larger scrapbook can hold more photos and provide longer, more fulfilling trips down memory lane later.
7. Utilize a free online graphics design program such as Picnik. Here you can upload your pictures and add frames, create collages and just have a great time making gorgeous images. They have a free option, but if you really want to get creative their Premium Option is only $24.95 per year. Computer graphics programs offer many customization options for your photos and embellishments. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll love expressing yourself and creating a special memory book you can be proud of. (Hint: The image on this post was created in Picnik! We call it Pumpkin Patch Memories.)
8. Digitize your scrapbook. If you familiarize yourself with a computer graphics program, you can create all of your memory books on your computer and have them printed like regular press printed photo books. All you have to do is submit your final design pages and cover to the print company of your choice.

Scrapbooking is a special way to ensure that the most treasured moments of your past are always easy to recall. Instead of allowing the process of creating a scrapbook to overwhelm you, take small steps and enjoy the journey as you relive the most treasured moments of your life.

Summer is a time that most kids look forward to. Free from the burden of school, kids love the free time and fun activities of summer. When it’s all over and it’s time to return to school, however, you can ease the transition by taking an active role in helping your children cope with the life change that’s about to take place.

Try these eight tips to help your children transition from the leisurely days of summer to the challenges of an upcoming school year:

• Talk about it. Keep an open dialogue with your children. If they have certain anxieties or reservations about attending school, help them ease their fears by giving them the opportunity to talk about it.
  • Help your children adopt a different perspective by pointing out the positives about school. School allows them to discover and develop new strengths. And they’ll be able to see their friends every day!
• Establish a school routine early. If you’ve lost your routine over the summer, try to get back on track as early as possible. If you go into the school year with a routine, you can avoid many difficult days and stressful situations.
• Throw a party. The end of summer can be a happy time. Celebrate the beginning of the school year by throwing a party or barbeque. This way, your children won’t dread school. Instead, they might look forward to the party and the school year.
• Continue hobbies. It’s important to remind your children that they’ll still have free time after school and on weekends. If they played most of the day during the summer, they’ll still have plenty of playtimes after school lets out. The hobbies that they enjoyed during the summer can continue on through the school year.
• Continue learning over the summer. One way to make the new beginning easier on your children is to limit their completely free time over the summer months. You can continue their education by providing educational activities and outings.
• Pick out first day outfits. Your children will be nervous and excited on the first day of school. They may even want to spend more time on their appearance. You can help them look forward to the first day of school by picking out special outfits to wear. Help them dress for success by helping them choose the perfect outfit.
• Shop for school supplies. Another activity that may get your kids excited about school is shopping for school supplies. Children sometimes have a specific list of items they’ll need. Let your child choose their own pens, paper and folders in their favorite colors.
• Take a trip to school. Often, fear of the new experiences to come can swallow a child’s enthusiasm for the new school year. If your child is attending a new school, bring him to school a day before the first official day of class. That way, he’ll know what to expect and feel more relaxed on the big day.

The new school year can be an exciting time for all. Stress always goes along with new situations. But if you put these tips into practice, your children will be better prepared and may even look forward to the first day of school.

Visit us at Operation Letters to Santa for almost 1000 pages of Holiday Activities, Christmas Carols, Christmas Sheet Music, Holiday recipes, Free gifts and downloads and so much more!

When the end of the summer rolls around, it’s time to get ready to go back to school. Before the summer officially ends, and autumn begins celebrate this time with an event that’s fun for the whole family. Take part in family activities that create unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime.

Try these nine family activities for an exciting end to your summer:  

1. Make a memory book. Have everyone in the family get together and make a memory book or scrapbook. Collect photos from your summer or other scraps and artwork that would fit into a book of memories. This will give you a lasting memento of the good times you had over the summer.
2. Have a splashing good time. The summer usually means a good time around water. Throw a pool party or play around in the sprinklers. Have a water balloon fight with your family. Involve water while you still can, before the cold days of winter arrive.
3. Make summertime recipes. Pick out your favorite summertime recipes and make food and drinks with your family. Start with drinks like iced tea and lemonade, or pick another family favorite that you associate with summer. Then, make summer treats or throw a barbeque.
4. Throw a end-of-summer party. Get together with your family and throw an end of the summer bash for all of your friends. Your family can plan the party together, cook the food and make decorations. Take lots of photos of your party so you can remember the good time you had.
5. Go to the zoo. Summer is a great time to enjoy the zoo during your free time. Go to the zoo with your family one last time before school takes away much of that free time. It’s also a great way to learn about many different kinds of animals.
6. Play video games. Video games can be fun for the whole family. Some game consoles, like the Nintendo Wii even have games that’ll get the whole family active. Choose a sports game, a family board game or a racing game and compete against your family for an exciting time together.
7. Go to the beach. The end of the summer might be one of your last opportunities to hit the beach this year. Wear sunscreen to protect your skin. Bring plenty of towels and beach toys. Build a sand castle with your kids. Bury one of your family members in the sand.
8. Get ready for school. Enjoy getting ready for the school year with your family. Find the fun in shopping for clothing and school supplies. Get the whole family involved. Allow your kids to make some of the clothing decisions and to pick out some of their favorite school supplies.
9. Relax at home. Enjoy some quiet time at home before the craziness of the school year starts. Order takeout and talk around the dinner table. Rent some family friendly movies to enjoy while you beat the heat together.

Pick one or more of these, or come up with your own end of summer activity ideas. The most important thing is that you take the time to enjoy your family. The end of summer can be an exciting time for your family to bond and experience priceless memories.

Visit us at Operation Letters to Santa for almost 1000 pages of Holiday Activities, Christmas Carols, Christmas Sheet Music, Holiday recipes, Free gifts and downloads and so much more!