Back to School with Balance Bar mini energy bars (review and giveaway)

Want some tips on ways to balance your Back to School routine?  Balance Bar has them!

August is winding down and families are officially in “Back to School” mode, which includes packing lunches, soccer games, play-dates, homework and so much more! Balance Bar® in partnership with the Macaroni Kid parent network surveyed more than 5,000 parents of school-aged children and found that 61% of parents thought that Fall (aka Back to School) is the busiest time of year for their families.

What else did we find from this survey? Check it out:

• 77% of parents said they have 3 or more activities/events per week on average once school starts.
• 80% of respondents said once school starts, they will be planning more meals and attending more sporting events for their kids.
• And 57% of parents said they try to have one meal together each day as a family to help balance their schedules.
• 79% of parents reported that they pack their kids’ school lunches.

To help parents, Macaroni Kid provided some tips on how to better prepare for a school day and balance everyone’s schedules:

• Do a run through.  Are your kids starting a new school or a new routine? Do a run through. Wake up "school time," brush teeth, get dressed, pack lunch, have a school-appropriate breakfast and maybe even drive or walk to school.  Then, take those packed lunches and head to the park for a final summer break picnic.
• Plan the menus.  Give your kids several options in each category and let them weigh in on what they'd like to find in their lunchboxes... you won't have to guess each morning and they are far more likely to eat it if they've had a hand in selecting it. We love Balance Bar® minis to pack along for snacks!
• Clean your closets! Nothing gets you and the kids ready for smooth mornings like purged, well-organized closets.
• Start a good sleep routine early. Kids love to stay up late in the summer time (and who can blame them) but it makes for tougher mornings if kids are used to going to bed later and sleeping in past "school time" wake up.
• Set goals with your children for the upcoming school year. Whether it's academics, sports, or extracurricular activities it's great to help kids get motivated for success in the new school year.

One of my Back to School challenges is finding snacks that I can pack into their lunchboxes for a quick, healthy mid morning energy boost.  I always have Balance Bars, but they can be pretty filling, so I never quite know whether to pack them as a mid morning snack (too much?) or as a quick lunch (too little?).  That's why I love new Balance Bar mini energy bars.  They come in mini snack sizes (about the same size as the candies people pass out for Halloween -- now there's an idea!), so I can pack one mini energy bar along with a piece of fruit or cheese.  The kids think it's as good a treat as candy, and I know it's healthier than candy, so it works for both of us.  Find healthy snacks.... now that's one thing off my mile-long Back to School checklist!

(For more information about Balance Bar mini energy bars, head to the Balance Bar Facebook page, or follow @BalanceBar on Twitter).






Join the Balance Back To School Twitter Party
Balance is having a Twitter party on August 20th at 2PM EST.  Tweet with hashtag #back2schoolbalance to join and learn about great ways to balance your Back to School routine.

Win a Balance Bar Back to School Prize Pack
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a box of assorted Balance Bar mini energy bars and a reusable snack pouch.

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post with a tip for balancing your back to school routine.

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For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).

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I entered the Balance Bar Back-to-School giveaway! http://ow.ly/o1FQw #back2schoolbalance

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You could win a @BalanceBar Back-to-School gift pack!  Enter on @bonggafinds by 9/1 at http://ow.ly/o1FQw #back2schoolbalance

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The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on September 1, 2013; I will draw a winner at random on September 2 and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.

Disclosure: I received product samples for review. Back to School tips (in italics) were provided by Balance Bar. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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