When I was a kid I always loved/dreaded the beginning of another school year…I loved seeing my friends, I dreaded homework and deadlines, somewhere inside me I loved having a routine again, but I dreaded waking up before the sun.  To this day I long to buy school supplies, a backpack and new clothes in the fall.  I don’t know what’s so exciting about crayons, pencils, Elmer’s glue all organized in a little pencil pouch arranged just right next to a homemade lunch in a backpack.  But somewhere in all the school supplies and even homework there is the magic of being a kid.

It’s that time again for kids all over – time to head back to school…I’m sure there are kids out there who feel like I do…the bittersweetness of returning to school.  Well…last year, we met someone named Candi Gershon who showed us how to put school on closer to the sweet side.  I can’t imagine a bad day would keep going if you came home to something like this:

{Cherrypillar}

{Made using cherries stuck together with cream cheese.
Use chocolate decorator’s icing for the eyes.  Serve with lettuce. }

Or this:

{Banana Sushi Rolls}

{Flatten a slice of wheat bread, cover it in peanut butter and roll it around a banana.
Slice like sushi and drizzle with honey.}

Kyle (8) and Kailyn (6) are the lucky children of Candi Gershon (contributing editor for Better Homes & Gardens Scrapbooks Etc) who come home to snacks like this every day!  Candi got the idea when her son’s grades started slipping.  She knew she had to do something about it, so she invented “Gershon Unplugged Hours” – 2 hours after school – no video games, no computer, just homework and the rules go for Candi too.  You know how CRAZY we are over here about Unplugged Hours!!!  We loved this idea.

Here’s what Candi said about it:

If they were willing to invest their time so would I.  So, I shut off the computer during those hours and did not take calls.  I started making a special snack to motivate them when they came home and then we would all sit at the table and work on homework together.  The snacks were to lure them into this new “Gershon Unplugged” time…no computers, no video games, just homework.  I am happy to say it worked!  My son started getting A’s again and I could see my time investment made a huge impact on their time investment.  Now they start asking about what the snack is as soon as they get in the car from school.

Candi says the best part about making these snacks has definitely been her kids’ reaction.  They get so excited about it.  One day my son said…

What mother wouldn’t love to hear she is creating a new tradition that will be passed on to future generations? Melted my heart.

Sounds like something we’d all LOVE to hear!  Have fun surprising your kids with these snacks, and since they’re going to love them, you’re going to need more recipes!  Here they are:

{Cereal Initials}

{Use pipe cleaners to form your child’s initial,
give them a bowl of cereal and let them munch while they create…then eat it up after}

{Arthur}

{Use bologna and Mini Babybel cheese to make Arthur. Tomato rind for the mouth.}

{Banana Octopus}

{Banana cut in half (leave peel on and in tact, cut to resemble octopus)…served with goldfish.
I used yogurt covered raisins attached with peanut butter for the eyes.}

About the amazing & talented Candi Gershon:

{Tell us about yourself!}
I am a Contributing Editor for Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooks etc. magazine.  I write and manage articles and I also do scrapbook layouts for the magazine.  When I’m not doing that, I sell ink and toner for a company called Supplies Now.  I use so much ink printing my pictures at home, I thought I better get in the business!  It’s a great fit for me.  I have also done some freelance work for paper companies or other Better Homes and Gardens titles on the side as well…I love the creative outlet.

When I came up with this snack concept, I asked my mother for help thinking up snacks.  She was a tremendous creative resource and loves to send me the cute ideas she comes up with.  She lives in Florida and I am in Texas, so this snack thing truly brought us together despite the miles and continues to do so.  I hope someday to collaborate with her more on future creative endevors.  She is the one who made me the creative thinker I am today and it is exciting to now share that passion with her.

{If you had one whole day all to yourself,  how would you spend it?}
I would start the day at the gym, then have breakfast and coffee with a friend, and then spend the afternoon with a glass of wine, soft music, and a massage….the combination of those three things sends me straight to heaven.  If there was time left over for a pedicure, that would be perfection.

{What does it mean to you to be BRAVE?}
To me, being brave is having the courage to make decisions based on your innermost thoughts, hopes, wishes, and dreams.  To let your inner self guide you.  It’s easy to turn off those voices and forge forward into the normal routine.  It takes a lot more courage to stop and listen and take action in the direction you want to go.  I am a firm believer in following dreams and the whole concept of “thoughts become things”.

Find more of Candi and her work at www.scrapbooksetc.com

We hope you LOVE these ideas as much as we did!!  (Thanks again Candi!)

Kallie