For my last special lunch before Christmas break, I had to give my kids A Christmas Story lunch! This is our favorite Christmas movie and we watched it as a family last Sunday night. It is seriously a classic and I don't think that there is any Christmas movie that surpasses it. Here is my Christmas geek confession. I even have a lighted Christmas village that is all scenes from this movie. It is my favorite decoration to put out every year. All that to say, I had a ton of fun putting this lunch together.

I created the lunch in an Easy Lunch Boxes container. Of course I had to include the pink nightmare bunny suit, leg lamp, and secret decoder pin. Read below to find out how to make it!

Your Kids Can Build Their Own Nacho Bar in a Lunchbox (Plus Have Dinner Too)!

This is a sponsored post in partnership with CHI-CHI'S. All opinions are my own.

One of the biggest complaints I get about making kids' lunches is that it takes too much time and energy. But what if you could have your kids assemble their own lunch and also have dinner done at the same time? My wife and I were wondering how to accomplish exactly this. How do you prep once, somehow get your kids to make their own lunch, and have dinner almost ready, all by the time your children leave for school? All you need are my directions below, a few minutes to slice up some vegetables, and some CHI-CHI'S chips, salsa snackers, and tortillas!

When my wife and I came up with this idea, we knew nachos would be the perfect lunch, especially for older kids. The thing that makes nachos great is that they give your kids the opportunity to make their own choices in constructing their meal. All you have to do is provide them with those choices. I'll give you some ideas below. The other thing that makes nachos the perfect choice is that with a few extra ingredients, the lunch can turn into dinner. I'll show you how to do that below as well!

Star Wars Rogue One Darth Vader Lunch

Darth Vader. The name conjures up a hundred pictures and a thousand quotes. He is one of the greatest villains of all time and one of my kids' favorite movie characters. We are so excited for the new Star Wars Rogue One movie, I am going to see it on opening night. I'm sure my kids will see it sometime after Christmas. We are a Star Wars family. From clothes, to movies, to toys, Star Wars rules it all for us. If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know that I have made a ton of Star Wars lunches. I'm sure I will continue to make many more.

I made this dark side lunch in a Planetbox lunchbox. It's my favorite metal lunchbox around and it complements the industrial look of the Empire pretty well. Of course I had to add a TIE Fighter in too. Too find out how I made it, keep reading below!

10 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays With Your Family!

This is a sponsored post in partnership with The Quaker Oats Company®. All opinions are my own.

The holidays are here and they are a great time for families to spend some much needed time together without driving each other crazy. With school vacation almost upon us, you don't need ideas that kill time, you need ideas that bring your family memories that will be talked about year after year. Here are some of my favorite holiday ideas!

1. Setup the holiday decorations, and even let the kids help.

I believe it should be illegal to adorn your house with lights and obnoxious inflatable lawn ornaments until the day after Thanksgiving. For that matter Christmas songs should be off limits until then as well. In our family, we always decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving and leave them up until the first week of January. Let your kids help decorate as well. Not only will it give you some bonding time, but you really didn't want to unknot that string of lights yourself anyway did you?

2. Build a blanket fort.

When I was growing up my brother and I would build forts out of anything we could find around the house. We would use heavy books, trophies, and lamps to hold our hideouts up. However, it was only a matter of time before it would all come tumbling down on our heads. I recommend using clothespins or some small clamps. These work much better and will exponentially reduce the amount of pain received. Remember to spend a night with your kids in the fort as well. The next day with a stiff back will be worth the memories that you all will have.

3. Get in the kitchen and bake together. 

In my experience, getting in the kitchen with your kids for an hour is a great way to bond as a family. You don't have to take yourselves seriously, you can get a little messy, and the kids are sometimes better at baking than the adults. If you need a recipe idea, check out my Brown Sugar Raspberry Oatmeal bake with Quaker® Oats. It's perfect for breakfast treat, or even dessert!

Christmas Tree Quesadilla Lunch

Sometimes you just need a simple lunch that is still fun. We are in the middle of planning a Christmas party, planning leaving for Christmas vacation, finishing up a gingerbread house, and doing about 5,000 other things. I'm sure you can relate. This is why I needed to put together a fun Christmas lunch for my kids that only took a few minutes to create. I think my kids are so focused on Christmas that they probably will enjoy this just as much as many of their other special lunches. I hope you have a great week and your holidays are going great!

Family Travel Hacks: How to Pack Your Bags While Saving Space

If you have ever thought that having kids fills your house up with stuff, try going on a trip with them. Sometimes it feels like you are taking more kids items with you than you are actually leaving at the house! Packing smart has become even a bigger issue now that airlines are starting to charge more and more to check baggage. I have even seen where one airline is now charging to use overhead bin space! It is getting harder and harder as a parent to pack what your family needs for a trip. Hopefully these family travel hacks can save you time, sanity, and money!

1. Pack small toys in sealable containers with compartments.
When your child insists on bringing little toys on a trip, it can be the stuff of nightmares. Many times the toy gets lost on the floor or at a rest stop. Then you know what happens when your kid sees that it is gone. Whether you traveling by plane or by car, pack items like Legos or small action figures in a sealable container with compartments. We like Easy Lunch Boxes. They keep the items organized, save space in baggage, and the lid stays on tight when carried in a backpack.

2. Have presents shipped to where you are traveling to.
Many times when you are traveling you will be celebrating holidays like Christmas or birthdays. I am not suggesting packing the present up yourself, heading to the Post Office, and shipping them. I am telling you that it pays to think ahead. Order the present online and have it shipped directly to the address that you are staying at. Chances are you will be ordering the present online anyway, so save a step, and some space in your luggage by having it shipped. One time, we even bought a Pack-N-Play off of Amazon and had it shipped to the place where we were staying because it was cheaper than bringing ours with us!