AnotherLunch.com

Say sayonara to squished sandwiches and plastic baggies, and konichi wa to the bento box. Say what? The bento box mom, duh. Jump on the bandwagon and discover a world of lunches that are stylish, healthy, waste-free and almost too cute to eat.

Even though the bento box originated in the Far East, it comes to us from the West Coast. (Those Californian’s are so hip to the trends.) This craze is transforming lunches into a waste-free work of art. Instead of a mish-mosh of plastic baggies tossed into a lunch bag, the bento box organizes your kiddo’s meal into nifty little compartments, which just beg for creative use.

AnotherLunch.com

To go bento, you’ve gotta start with the box. We dig the GoodByn Lunchbox that is made of 100% recyclable materials that are BPA and Phthalate-Free and dishwasher safe. Plus, it comes with stickers so your artist can totally trick it out. How cute!

If your creative juices need a little spark, we love these mama’s who blog about their adventures with food and the bento - AnotherLunch.com and BentoLunch.blogspot.com. They make it look simply adorable to be green.

Publix Kid's Meal

And for those days when you just don’t have time to make lunch, try Publix’s ready-to-eat kids’ lunches. Its part Bento box, all healthy and made out of the same meats and cheeses you buy at the deli counter. Bye bye fake meat, hello Publix. Priced at just $3.99 they come in five varieties and include a drink.

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Check out these hip helpers every mom needs in her arsenal to prevent a fashion emergency:

• Don’t be caught bouncing out of your strapless top in the bounce house at your tike’s next party. In addition to utter embarrassment, the other mom’s might not let their kiddos come over to play with junior anymore. Try Upsie Daisies instead to make sure your favorite top stays up.
• For that “in-between” time when you are too small for all-out maternity wear but you can quite button your pants there’s Waist Bandit to the rescue. Because pants are another piece of attire you don’t want fallin’ down on the job.
• No more deodorant white streaks, period. Wipe Out should be item number one in every woman’s fashion tool kit. This handy helper erases the white nemeses with ease on all kinds of fabrics. It really works, we tried it. (BTW - works on hubby’s shirts too, go ahead show him. He’ll get over the “pink thing.”)
• Wear your lacy lovelies a little longer before you have to resort to the unflattering nursing bra with the Clear Bra Extender. It will give your girls some more breathing room.

Before you step out of the house in your fav fall trends from the pages of PLAYGROUND’s Fashion issue make sure you are tucked, taped and comfortable. You’ll look and feel like a million bucks. Find even more fashion fixes at Braza.

That’s right, with the support of parents and the school district; Wholesome Tummies isn’t just for the private schools any more. Now moms and dads at select public schools in Seminole County can hop online to order healthy, fresh and delicious lunches for their pupils. The newly added schools include:

• Keeth Elementary School
• Carillon Elementary School
• Heathrow Elementary School
• Sabal Point Elementary School
• Midway Elementary School
• Indian Trails Middle School
• Oviedo High School

Wholesome Tummies offers a variety of lunch options for picky eaters of all types. By sneaking in those good-for-you-veggies, your little one is sure to enjoy the taste and benefits of eating healthy lunches like Cap’n Sunshine Chicken, Nifty Nacho Taco Salad, Turkey & Cheddar Stackers, Lucky LoMein Noodles, French Bread Pizza, and more. Best yet, you and your food critic can pick and choose your custom meal plan online.

Attention Wholesome Mommies (and Daddies) who are passionate about spreading the message of healthy lunches. Wholesome Tummies wants to recruit you. By becoming an ambassador of Wholesome Tummies at your child’s school, your child will receive two free Wholesome Tummies meals per month. You will become the eyes and ears of Wholesome Tummies at the school making sure other moms and dads know how to get involved. Plus, you can earn more free meals just by volunteering to “work” at the school by speaking at a PTA meeting, helping pass out lunches, etc. It’s a win-win-win. You spread the word, Wholesome Tummies grows and your foodie eats healthy.

For more information visit Wholesome Tummies online. You can also “like” them on Facebook to keep up to date about everything new. To learn more about how you can become a Wholesome Mommy or Daddy call 407-536-TUMM (8866).

Date

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 4:0o p.m.

Location: Orange County Convention Center / West Concourse - Valencia Ballroom

Street: 9800 International Drive, Orlando

Join PLAYGROUND for the Orlando Children’s Expo featuring exhibits with priducts and services for families, main stage entertainment, fun activities for kids and information, demonstrations and seminars for parents.

PLUS don’t miss

• FREE Child Safey ID Cards
• Bicycle Helmet Fitting with FREE Bicycle Helemts (while supplies last)
• FREE product samples
• Bring your Winn-Dixie Customer Reaward Card to recieve a $5 off $25 Coupon
• The first 100 pregenant moms receive a special gift bag
• Help your elementary school win a $5,000 gift card from Winn-Dixie
• And more

SPECIAL OFFER - Pre-register at www.ChildrensExpos.com for this FREE event to recieve 50% off parking.

Date

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Location: Peace of Mind Kayak Tours and Outfitters

Street: 390 Ollie Avenue, Winter Park 32789

Drop the kids off at school, skip the gym and come PLAY with us for a morning of kayaking and sight seeing on the beautiful Winter Park Chain of Lakes. PLAYGROUND Magazine and Peace of Mind Kayak Tours are excited to invite you on an exclusive PLAYdate for PLAYGROUND readers. This 2-hour kayaking excursion will launch from the historical Dinky Dock on Lake Virginia… and give you a sneak peak at the luxious mansions along the shore.

To learn more and to RSVP, visit our Facebook invite.

Cost: $35/adult (adults only please)

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Dellagio Town Center

Street: 7940 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando –  on the corner of Sand Lake Road and Della Road in Dr. Phillips.

Join PLAYGROUND for our Fall Fashion Bash at Dellagio.

Event Sponsors Include:

• Kilwin’s
• Petals by design
• Bravo
• Carina Laredo
• Stogies at the Dellagio
• The Pink Chalet
• The Woodhouse Day Spa
• Hypoxi
• Bay Hill Eyecare
• Urban Flats
• Dragofly
• Zou Zou
• Redions
• Geovanni

In Hurry Up, Harry!, Harry is an expert dawdler. The only problem is that everyone is always telling him to “Hurry up, Harry!”… until one day his parents stop telling him to hurry. Oh, joy! Harry is free at last to take all the time he wants to dawdle … until he discovers too many not-so wonderful results. Maybe there are times when he’d better hurry up, after all. And maybe there are other times when sl0-o-w motion dawdling is ju-u-st right.

To help you teach your little dawdler about the importance of being prompt, PLAYGROUND wants to give one reader an autographed copy of Hurry Up Harry!. For your chance to win, leave a comment below telling us about your dawdler or a “timeliness tip” that has worked for your family.

Congrats Zully for winning this giveaway.