This is a sponsored post in partnership with Hewlett Packard. I received compensation for participating in this campaign but all opinions are my own.

Holiday breaks and weekends are fantastic times for families to spend special moments together and to work on creative ideas with each other. If you want to take this time to the next level, try some of these fun and out of the box ideas that I recently worked on with my family. 

All that was needed was our Sprout by HP, a Dremel 3D printer, and a few other small materials. These ideas can take a boring weekend and turn it into one filled with a ton of memories.

If you aren't familiar with the Sprout or 3D printer, let me tell you about how I used them. The Sprout is a computer workstation that, besides being a great all around family computer, is able to easily scan objects in 3D. The Dremel 3D printer can then print out those objects using a plastic like filament to create whatever you can think up. 

These two machines are so much fun to work with for the whole family. Basically, you and your kids can let your imagination run wild! For more information on The Sprout by HP and the Dremel 3D printer, make sure and click HERE. 

When you are done creating, share your family's work on social media using #GoMakeThings to give others some inspiration (and get some more of your own)!

1. Create a 3D Lithophane From a Standard Photo.

What is a lithophane? It is a 3D copy of a photograph that is made to be seen when light shines through from behind. It is a really fun window decoration for your house as well! I

5 Festive Ways That We Celebrate Christmas

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Campbell's Soup. I received compensation but all opinions are solely my own.

I love the holiday season. I know many people say this, but if it became socially acceptable to leave copious amounts of twinkle lights up, and adorn yourself in ugly Christmas sweaters all year long, I would be the first in line to sign up. Christmas carols? Turn up the volume. Egg Nog? Another glass please. Holiday feasts? I'll deep fry the turkey for every single party. Because it is always better to give than receive, I thought I would pass on some holiday ideas from my own family.

Because of my undying affection for all of the season's merriment, I also love hearing about what other families do to celebrate. It helps give me ideas for how to take my family's yuletide joy to previously unknown heights. Tell me in the comments below how you celebrate the holidays and remember to share your pictures and stories on social media using #realreallife! 

1. We unapologetically celebrate the genius that is A Christmas Story.
I recently read about a backlash against this holiday movie treasure. I couldn't disagree more. My kid's actually begged to watch it last night, so we did. Guess what? If they ask again tonight, my answer is yes, yes, a thousand times yes! For me it brings back the childhood wonder of Christmas and everything surrounding it. Every year we actually set up a legit A Christmas Story lighted village in our house. It is the centerpiece of our decorating. And yes, being the Lunchbox Dad I have even made my kids A Christmas Story lunch. Besides, what's Christmas at school without a pink bunny suit and leg lamp?

2. We encourage our kids to give back.
We want our kids to realize that even though they don't have everything that they want, there are other kids who don't have everything that they need. If my kids can learn to see

How to Make Gooey Almond Honey Cinnamon Rolls

This is a sponsored post in partnership with honey.com. I received compensation but all opinions are my own.

You probably shouldn't make these Almond Honey Cinnamon Rolls. You will become instantly addicted and normal cinnamon rolls will no longer satisfy your ravenous craving for this sweet breakfast treat. The problem isn't just that they taste like heaven on a plate, it's that they are so easy to make that even your kids can do it. Seriously, my nine-year-old daughter made these with me the first time and now she can do it on her own (pictured below). We found this recipe for Almond Honey Topping on honey.com and combined it with cinnamon rolls to create something that should be illegal because it's so tasty and addicting. Honey adds a boost of natural sweetness and also helps bind the topping ingredients in this recipe. 

If you need a simple but stunning recipe for the holidays, a party, or just because it's Saturday morning, try out our new take on this classic. Remember to follow me on all my social media channels to get more ideas like this and also check out honey.com for amazing recipes for just about any dish you can imagine!

Ingredients
Almond Honey Topping:
Sliced Almonds
Honey

15 Radical Lunchboxes Every 80's Kid Had To Have

If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know I have an affinity, or maybe an obssession, for the 80's. I grew up then and loved it. The movies, toys, and pop culture icons were amazing. So when I heard that Netflix was bringing back The Care Bears and The Popples, I was excited to introduce my kids to these symbols of the decade that has brought me so much joy. However, I started thinking about the sometimes forgotten but always important childhood status symbol.

In the 1980's the elementary school lunchbox defined who you were and what you were about. Some kids showed their affection for E.T. while others rocked the Rainbow Brite box. Whatever direction you went with your lunchtime paraphernalia, there were certain lunchboxes that were at the top of every kids' back to school list. In no particular order, here is the definitive list of the top 15 lunchboxes that every 80's kid had to have. 

image source: etsy.com

15. Cabbage Patch Kids

How to Make a Star Wars Christmas Lunch

With Star Wars The Force Awakens coming out this week I knew it was time for a Star Wars Christmas mashup. I know, I know, the last time Star Wars was mixed with Christmas you got The Star Wars Holiday Special. This lunch is much better than that, I promise. As a huge Stars Wars fan, it pained me a little to put a Santa hat on the R2D2 sandwich, but times like this call for sacrifice. Plus, since my kids are beyond excited for both Christmas and Star Wars, I thought it would be the best of both worlds for them. 

This did take much longer than usual to make, but I thought it was worth it. I made the lunch in an Easy Lunch Boxes container and used a Christmas Lunchbox Love note. I hope you have a great holiday season, and remember to follow me on here and on my social media channels so that you don't miss any of my great holiday posts coming up!

Ingredients: Whole wheat bread slices, flour tortilla, favorite sandwich filling, Wilton's

This Is The Only Gift You Will Need For Your Whole Family

This is a sponsored post in partnership with HP. I was compensated but all opinions are solely my own.

Every year there is the hottest this, or coolest that, present to give for Christmas. Trying to decipher what all the perfect Christmas gifts are is enough to make your head spin and cause you to curl up in the corner while sending you to your happy place. Maybe you haven't even finished shopping yet because you are paralyzed to set foot in the store, or you just don't feel like playing the game of "race to the last parking spot before that other guy goes down the lane the wrong way and beats you to it." 

I totally understand. Let me put you at ease. I have an idea for one Christmas gift for your whole family. This is in addition to love. And chocolate. Because those are always in the running. Especially love. Ok especially chocolate too. You can order this gift online and it has something for everyone. There are interactive apps for the kids, design tools for the creative types, and hardware power for the gamers in your life. It's the Sprout by HP. You have heard me talk about it for the past year and I want to recommend it again. Here are four reasons why.

1. With the exception of doing the dishes, you can accomplish almost any task on it.
I still haven't found the app for creating a robot that changes diapers, but the Sprout still does some amazing things. We have loved the 3D scan feature that also makes it easy to

How to Make a Joyful Christmas Tree Lunch

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Smarty Pants Vitamins. I was compensated but all opinions are solely my own.

Many times in marriage you need to compromise, even when it's difficult. There was a time a few years ago that I finally agreed to such a compromise. I didn't like it, but I knew it was time to give adjust my viewpoint. I agreed that we could buy an artificial Christmas tree. Ever since then I have missed our natural trees. My kids will not know the magic of going and picking out the tree, the excitement of setting it up, or the scent of needles in the morning. I have to admit, however, that the artificial tree is less labor intensive.

Since I am now a low maintenance holiday tree decorator, I decided to put together an easy to make Christmas tree lunch. I assembled this in a matter of minutes. Unlike my artificial tree this one has natural ingredients. I used Smarty Pants Gummy Vitamins for the ornaments which are all-natural and much more tasty than regular glass ball ornaments. My kids love them! 

See how to make this festive lunch using the directions below and remember to follow Lunchbox Dad and Smarty Pants Vitamins on all of our social media channels!

Ingredients: Smarty Pants Gummy Vitamins, green spinach wrap tortilla, sliced cheese,

Lunchbox Dad's Huge 2015 Holiday Gift Guide!

The holidays are stressful enough without having to worry about what gifts are winners and which presents are epic failures. Don't worry, here at Lunchbox Dad I have you covered. After all, part of the mission of this blog is to bring you ideas and tools that make your life easier. I have sifted through many of the hottest products out there and brought to you all the greatest holiday offerings that are perfect for parents and kids. As always with my gift guides, I have not been paid by any of these companies and I have personally been hands on with every single gift listed here. So rest assured that I have already done the hard work for you. Your most difficult job will now be to choose which toy, tech, or book, snack, or suit is right for your family!

Toys

GoldiBlox
Toys that encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning are some of the hottest out there right now and Goldiblox is one of the originals. My daughter has loved their toys for awhile and I love that it encourages imagination and engineering by building a multitude of different objects and structures. They also regularly release new toys that are continually empowering young girls.

Star Wars Remote Controlled BB-8
You might have heard that there's a little movie coming out this month about a galaxy far, far, away. There's also a few toys being released. Ok there might be a ton of toys being released for Star Wars, but this Hasbro BB-8 droid is one of the coolest remote controlled toys I've ever played with. The head spins independently of the body and it is amazing how it moves. It's also much less expensive than the similar Sphero model.