GrAb BoWl/BaSkEt!

How many of you moms need an easier way to pack lunches, or provide snacks in a rush, or are busy with a baby/toddler while another kid is pulling at your leg saying "I'm Hungry"?
I'm just preparing for baby #2 and can already see myself pulling my hair out when I'm trying to feed or change or provide for the baby and my 4 year old is tugging at me for a snack. And right now at 4:30 in the morning my pantry gets raided when I'm scrambling for some snacks to take with me to work to get me through the next 12 hours. And being hypoglycemic with this pregnancy, snacks are a must throughout the day. This was the best thing I've added to my pantry, it's making work mornings a lot less stressful, it makes my 4 year old feel like he can be more independent when he's asking for a snack, he can just go in and pick one out. It adds a lot of space getting rid of the boxes that all these things are in. And yes, I bagged those animal crackers individually, and it was totally worth the 7 minutes it took me to separate a 2 pound bag because now my 4 year old will actually eat them. When they are in the huge bag, they go stale sooner because the bag is not sealed, and I was always putting them in a little bag or bowl for him anyway. This way, they are already prepared and we can grab them on the way out the door or whatever. Things in my "Grab Bowl" this week:

Fruit Snacks
Animal Crackers
Goldfish Crackers (you can buy the big box and separate them the same as the animal crackers, or buy the snack bags like I did)
Fruit Roll Ups
Granola Bars

I'm going to throw together some "trail mix" in those snack sized baggies as well sometime in the next week or so. You can put whatever you'd like in the trail mix, or buy the already made trail mix and separate it into the baggies. I'll be using:
Nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds)
Raisins or Craisins
M&M's
Marshmallows
Maybe some chex corn cereal or cheerios?

It doesn't take much time or effort at all to just throw some items in a bowl or basket for your kids or even yourself to be able to grab instead of standing in the pantry hunting. Especially when you've got things like 2 pound bags of animal crackers, goldfish, or a bag of trail mix. It's just easier if it's separated into snack sized portions and ready to go! And honestly you can do it in a half hour while your kids are at school, napping, or at bed time =) It's easy and worth it!