AllYou's Back to School Special Issue

Me posing with my AllYou Magazine

I am a relatively new fan of AllYou, but it has quickly become one of my favorite resources for bargain shopping, product samples, and DIY projects.  I received a copy of their Back to School Special Issue to read and review - so here it goes . . . 

As the wife of a college professor, going back to school is something that I am very familiar with, but this is the first year that I have been a mother sending her child to school.  My son started kindergarten this fall, and honestly I have been quite overwhelmed throughout the whole process.  What back to school supplies are necessities? How do I manage my time with one child in school and one child at home? What can I do to help my son be the best student he can be  without being a helicopter parent?  These are just some of the concerns that I've been facing over the past couple of months.  AllYou's Back to School Special Issue has helped answer a few of these questions and hopefully has helped reduce my stress as my son has started school this fall.

Angel Hair with Shrimp and Peas

The magazine has many articles that I have enjoyed reading, and some yummy looking recipes.  This issue has been broken up into four sections that have articles that address the following concerns for parents and children: Be Prepared, Living Healthy, Eating Well, and Learn Together.  From the section on being prepared my favorite article is "Your shopping and saving syllabus." School supplies can be expensive and I always hate having to pay full price for anything.  Although I had already purchased school supplies before I read this article, it's advice matches some of my already established saving habits and has ideas that will be help me save for years to come.

Mini Chocolate-Chip Cupcakes

Whenever I have a child that is acting sick I always wonder whether I should keep them home or if it is okay for them to go about their normal daily activities.  The "Know when to keep your sick child home" chart from the the Living Healthy section of this issue of AllYou is a wonderful set of guidelines to help me answer these questions (especially since this is the first time I've had a child in public school). I wish that my pediatrician had thought of giving me guidelines like this years ago.

My son with his illustrated shopping list

The Eating Well section of AllYou's Back to School Special Issue is currently my family's favorite section.  When my husband saw the magazine sitting on the table the first thing he did was turn to the recipes and see if there was anything that he wanted me to make (see the picture of Angel Hair with Shrimp and Peas - he loved it).  My son enjoyed the tips from the "Turn the grocery store into your classroom" article (see him here with the shopping list he helped me create). My daughter has enjoyed the Mini Chocolate-Chip Cupcakes that I made for snack times.  I've enjoyed being able to try out new recipes and getting my family more involved with the process. It's made meals and snacks more enjoyable for the whole family.

As a parent I want to be involved in my child's life, but I don't want to be a helicopter parent who doesn't let her children be themselves or learn on their own.  The article "Homework for parents: The dos and don'ts of raising competent, confident kids" in the Learn Together section has really good ideas and suggestions on how I can develop parenting habits that can keep me involved in my children's lives without overdoing it.

This whole magazine is chock-full of good ideas and tips on how to help parents and kids adjust to going back to school.  The advertising targets reading and healthy eating, and there are coupons to help save on back to school type foods.  I really enjoyed reviewing it, and I look forward to keeping it around as a good resource for recipes and advice as the school year progresses.  I've also started following AllYou on Facebook and I enjoy reading their online articles and following their daily posts and tips. Thanks AllYou for helping make my back to school season more enjoyable!

**Product samples and program incentives were received as compensation for this product review. Product testing and review were performed in compliance with guidelines provided by Crowdtap and AllYou.**

LUNCHABLES JR. - Little Snacks for Little Boys

It's always fun to get a package in the mail. My son helped me open it, and asked me what it was. "It's a couple packages of snacks," I told him. "You get to have a friend come over and try them with you."

He was excited to have a play-date and try something new. I was excited to try my first product sampling and review. So we scheduled a play-date. The boys would get to play and then when they got hungry they would each get a package of LUNCHABLES JR. snacks to eat and a juice box to drink. We also created a simple tic-tac-toe board that they could use to play a game with.

The boys had fun playing with each other and could hardly wait for snack time. When it did arrive, they had their first debate: who was going to get which package of snacks. They had two flavors to choose from: "Ants on a Log" (Honey Graham Sticks, Sun-Maid Raisins, and a small cup of peanut butter) and "Very Beary Crunch" (Teddy Grahams Honey Graham Snacks, Ritz Bits Cheese Cracker Sandwiches, and Strawberry flavored dried apple pieces). My son chose the "Ants on a Log" because he loves peanut butter and his friend doesn't so he chose the "Very Beary Crunch." Once the choice was made quickly and the food and fun continued.

The boys then tried to play a game of tic-tac-toe using the snacks and the game board that I made, but they were much more interested in eating the snacks than they were in playing the game. So after they obligingly took a couple of pictures of their game, they worked on the primary purpose of this snack time: eating the snacks and figuring out what they liked best about them. It's not always easy to get young boys to tell you what they like and don't like about food, but through observation and the few answers I was able to get the some feedback about the snacks. The crackers were a hit with both boys. They both preferred the graham crackers to the cheese crackers. My son liked the peanut butter and the raisins on the his Honey Graham Sticks, but his friend didn't like either the apple pieces, raisins, or the peanut butter. Neither one of them was hungry enough that afternoon to eat all of their snacks though and I was left with left-over snacks.

From a parent's point of view, the LUNCHABLES JR.snacks are a great idea. They are healthy snacks in compact packaging and they are fun to both eat and to play with. They will fit easily into a purse or diaper bag and I can definitely see myself using them again the future. It would have been nice to have the packages resealable - maybe a separated pouch or something - so it would have been easier to save them for later, but that is something I can plan for in the future.

On another note, although the boys didn't necessarily like all of the choices, my 18 month old daughter thought that they were the best thing ever. She quickly devoured all of the remaining Teddy Grahams and ate quite a few of the dried apple pieces and raisins with very little prompting.

Overall, my kids and I really enjoyed this experience. The LUNCHABLES JR. snacks were fun and my kids really enjoyed them. It's also nice that there are a few varieties to choose from. That way I can match my child's preference to the type of snacks that are being purchased. I probably wouldn't purchase them very often, but they would work well for a planned outing or a longer drive in the car.

**Product samples and program incentives were received as compensation for this product review. Product testing and review were performed in compliance with guidelines provided by Crowdtap and JUNCHABLES JR.**