September should be all about unwinding, especially if you get to have a day at home alone! Now, I know you don’t need advice…but, inspo is always welcome, no? Here are my tips for How To Have The Best Spa Day At Home The main feature of any Spa Day for me is a long hot soak […]
Archive | Holidays
September Unplugged [2] : Seven MORE Ways to Take it Easy this Month
Last year, we gave you seven bits of advice for Self-Care in September: Trust Your Own Memory, Use Social Media Wisely, Schedule Stuff, Buy Stamps, Take Care of Your Body, Play Cards, and Re-Read! This year, we present, September Unplugged 2: Seven MORE Ways to Take it Easy This Month! I. Make Space Make space for […]
A Few Non-Traditional Takes on Traditional Mother’s Day Gifts
I have to admit, until the kids started bringing home hand-made gifts from school, we didn’t really celebrate Mother’s Day. The extra affection in recent years, however, has worn down my heebee-geebees over the manufactured nature of the holiday, at least as we celebrate it in our unit of four. We’ve developed a little routine everyone seems to […]
Best of March Break!!!
It’s been five years here on The Lunchbox Season! To celebrate, we’re passing along our favourite March Break or, as we call it, March BreACK! must-do’s and must-makes! Here’s the cream of the crop to help you survive another one to two weeks of staycation, or March BreACK! Madness! Galactic Mint Brownies Finger-Walking Bear Puppets […]
10 Things to Try on Leap Day
This Monday, February 29, 2016 is a Leap Day! I’ve come to see leap day as a kind of “second chance” day, 24 extra hours in the year in which to rest, renew and discover. At the outset of the month, in order to inspire the rest of the family, I decided that I would try […]
Be Mine: Deep Red Velvet Cupcakes with Chocolate Arrows and Hearts
Every once and a while, you’ve got to wrestle with a classic recipe in order to make it your own. When Bea wanted red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing for an event, I have to say, I shrugged my shoulders a little. Red velvet cakes and cupcakes have always been one of those “Dorito effect” treats […]
Year of the Monkey Graffiti Resolutions [Free Printables]
Each year, we leave off our resolution making until Chinese New Year. And, each year, we present our resolutions “graffiti style” by filling in an image of the new year’s spirit animal. On February 8, 2016, we begin the Year of the Monkey. So, we’ve got a little Year of the Monkey Graffiti Resolutions Free […]
A New Year’s Thin Man Movie Marathon
You saw what a marathon our Christmas Season was!! Let’s get on with the New Year’s celebrations! Let’s knock this one out of the park! For the past four years, we’ve been ringing in the New Year with a movie marathon: Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey, Dr. Who, and Alfred Hitchcock. This year, to top off an amazing […]
Christmas Eve Checklist
It’s Christmas Eve! Oh my word!! You know what that means…. The Lunchbox Season’s Christmas Eve Checklist □ Bake more cookies for Santa! □ Feast on the bowtie pasta and simple sauce we made together! □ Make clove oranges! □ Drink hot chocolate and sing carols by the fire! □ Listen to Jon Solomon’s 27th Annual 25-Hour Christmas Radio […]
Picnic Beneath the Christmas Tree
Today is pure and simple joy! We’re going to have a picnic beneath the Christmas tree! That’s right…. We’re going to order our favourite take-out, turn on the fire, and use the Christmas tree skirt as our tablecloth. Heck, we might even throw a few holiday films on the “big screen” while we munch! Aaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnd…That […]
Family Advent Calendar : Family Book Exchange
Today is the first day of December, and, for many, the easiest day to think of as the first day in Advent. Of course, we started our annual online Family Advent Calendar on Sunday. But, there’s nothing wrong with having a second kick-off event on December 1st, is there? And, what would be better for […]
Our Top Picks from the One of a Kind Show and Sale, or, The 12 Crushes of #OOAKX15
Toronto’s One of a Kind Show and Sale is upon us! That’s right, THE SHOW IS ON at the Enercare Centre, at Exhibition Place, Toronto, from November 26 to December 6! Show hours are Weekdays and Saturdays, 10am-9pm, Sundays 10am-6pm, with a late night shopping festivus on December 3, from 10am-11pm! Yesterday, I went to the […]
Scary Scrabble Stories
It’s the SPOOKY installment of our Monday Game Night! This month’s game night is a two part venture. First, we’re going to play “Scary Scrabble.” Then, we’re going to improvise stories from the words on the board. 1. Play Scary Scrabble Tonight, we’re going to play Scrabble, but we’ll award double the points for a scary/Halloween […]
Secret Scary Book Swap : All Hallows Read
Give a Scary Book, Share the Joy, Spread the Terror! We are in love, love, love with an amazing concept we only heard about last year: All Hallows Read. It’s a simple and beautiful project. The deal is, on Halloween, or therabouts, you give a kid a scary book or comic book – an appropriate “scary” book or […]
Thanksgiving Unplugged : Seven Ways to Take it Easy this Holiday
Following on the heels of our very relaxing September Unplugged, we thought we’d share with you our Fall Holiday edition… Thanksgiving Unplugged : Seven Ways to Take it Easy This Holiday 1. Follow a Magazine Menu from Start to Finish If you’re stuck for ideas or looking for something new, or if you simply want to opt […]
Family Pinochle Night
Tonight is Family Pinochle Night! When the kids and I were planning our “September Unplugged,” they said that they wanted to learn a new card game. I immediately thought of Euchre, which was an amazingly popular game in my dorm in University, but which I thought I had never learned. When we got out our […]
September Unplugged : 7 Ways to Take it Easy this Month
September Unplugged You probably thought that this was going to be a post about limiting the kids’ screen-time for the start of school, right? Or, maybe, you figured I was going to go all Puritan on you and suggest that parents turn off their cell phones and “lose” the wifi password just at the time when everybody is […]
Year of the Goat Graffiti Resolutions [Free Printables]
Our famous Graffiti Resolution Sheets are BACK!!! As I said before, we don’t usually make our New Year’s Resolutions until Chinese New Year! Last year’s Year of the Horse Graffiti Resolution sheets were such a hit with the kids that we’ve come up with a copy-cat version for Bea’s special year, The Year of the Goat […]