Quick Meals for Parents

Has this happened to you? It's a weekday morning, you are running around trying to get ready for work and your kids off to school or day care, you open the fridge and realize you don't have anything for their lunches? Or you just came home from a hectic day at the office only to realize you didn't plan a dinner and there is nothing in the fridge.

Stock-up on quick and easy back-up meals, sides, lunch foods, and ingredients (especially when they are on sale). Examples are mac-n-cheese, individual apple sauce servings, frozen fruit, cereal, juice boxes (only 100% juice!), granola or power bars, peanut or soy butter, soups, and frozen pasta. Pick things your family likes. These items can make a last minute meal in a snap.

On a recent grocery trip, I came across some organic canned ravioli on sale and stocked up. Next time we get caught with no dinner planned, I can heat this up, serve it with some fruit, and know my kids are getting a healthy, nutritious meal quickly (and with very few dishes!).

Watch Our DVD Intro and Meet Us!

Watch the introduction to our new DVD, "Traveling with Kids - Flying Made Easy", and meet us! Our intro is live on YouTube. We're two moms with plenty of frequent flier miles. In our upcoming DVD we show you all our travel secrets that save parents time and keep kids happy.

Our DVD Trailer is Live on YouTube!

We are excited to have our DVD trailer ready and live on YouTube. We are working night and day on final production of the video and editing is going really well. We are looking forward to having our video ready Summer 2008 right in time for Summer Break with the kids!

Check out our trailer and stay tuned for more on the offiical launch date of "Traveling with Kids - Flying Made Easy."

Less Night Coughing and More Sleep for Everyone

Can’t sleep because your sick child is coughing all night and you don’t want to give medicine (that doesn’t work anyway!). After your kid falls asleep, prop them up with extra pillows into an almost sitting position. It’s best if you have a wall as support on one side, but not critical.

How to Make Yourself Exercise

Most people postpone daily exercise. Why? They don’t have a routine. My husband, a physical therapist, recommends picking a set time and sticking to that daily. If you are someone who really can’t get to it, start with a low time commitment. Even 15 minutes per day is better than nothing.

Choose a time that you are most likely to succeed. If you are not an early-riser don’t decide to get up 30 minutes early every day to fit in exercise. Instead go for a walk on your lunch break or exercise in the afternoon when you are more likely to stick with it. The key is making it into a routine and to be successful. Try to go 2 weeks, 15 minutes per day, at the same time each day and work up from there.

Make Your Morning Count

The first hour of your work day sets the tone for the rest of the day. Make it action oriented rather than spending time socializing. Save the socializing for later in the morning during a coffee break. Try this a couple of times and see instant results!

Groundbreaking Spot On Ideas

We are so excited to launch the Spot On Ideas blog today. This is new territory for us, but the idea of being able to provide Spot On Ideas in a format that allows you to submit your comments and feedback here, gives us a whole new opportunity to reach out and create conversation over Spot On Ideas.

We look forward to sharing our tips with you and provide guidance on how to translate our tips into action. We explore ways to plan for the day-to-day activities we all engage in from around the house to typical experiences in work life and career. Use our tips to streamline your life.

Remember our mantra: Plan | Relax | Enjoy™.

By Beverly & Amara, Spot On Ideas Founders