Your Kids Will Never Have a Boring Lunch Box Ever Again

It's quite challenging to feed our little members of the family, let alone cook food and present it in a way that would look appetizing enough for them to pick and eat. With that being said, If you happen to be a parent in a desperate search for new and exciting ways to prepare your kid's  lunchbox, you came to the right place! Here's a fresh take on how to revamp your kiddie meals, bento style!

THE THINGS YOU WILL NEED

• Box: You don't need to have an expensive lunch box for this. If your kid's lunchbox is still as colorful and as it was the first time you bought it, you can reuse it! What's important is that you have a container for all those beautiful recipes you prepared for the day.
• Silicone Baking Cups: These colorful cups are not only attractive to the eyes but they are also great for keeping wet, oily and dry things separated like green peas, biscuits and whatnot.
• Knife: A sharp knife can do you wonders to your presentation. You can spruce up your ingredients into strips, squares, cube and whatnot.
• Cookie Cutters: These baking accessories are not only good for creating the perfectly shaped desserts you can ever come up with, but it can also turn your food presentation to a whole new level. Heart shaped eggs? Sun shaped tarts? You got it!

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING A BENTO BOX

1. Food should look neat

To be able to achieve this, you have to make sure that the food you prepare are stacked properly. A neat presentation is a clean presentation.

2. Cut shapes

This is where your cookie cutter accessory comes in. Make fun shapes and add personality to you dish that your kids would love to munch on. Cheese made of hearts? Ham cut into strips? Vegetable hearts? The choice is yours!

3. Roll-ups

Roll-ups are signature pieces of a bento box meal. Make a simple concoction of your favorite deli meat strips, cheese, and spices rolled into one mouthwatering bite-size piece that is not only packed with flavor but is also aesthetically appealing.

PACK IT ALL IN!

This is the fun part! Here's where you would organize all your edible masterpieces and fit them into your bento box lined with your colorful silicone baking cups. Always put in mind that when making a bento box, make sure that you fill it completely so that food would not go run around and spill to all the compartments you made.

After packing everything in, don't forget to garnish your creation with small bite-size pieces like grapes, berries, cubes of cheese, cherries, tomatoes and all other colorful goodies to fill-in the little gaps of your meal box.

Once everything is in place, show your kid what he/she will be having for lunch and see your child’s face filled with excitement over the delectable masterpiece you have created.

Don’t have a child? No problem! You can make one for yourself or for your partner as a gesture of your appreciation for having him/her in your life!

What are you waiting for? Make one today!


-XoXo

Welcome!

Travel Smart With The Best Tech Gear for Traveling

Traveling can be the best thing that could ever happen to you. Not only can you learn new experiences but you also get to get the thrill of seeing the world with your very own eyes. With that being said, here are smart ways that can help you make your traveling escapade worth the jet-lag!

Laptop bag or backpack:

You’ll need something to carry all your gadgetalia. Checkpoint-friendly bags let you zoom through airport security without having to remove your laptop--just open the bag, place it on the conveyor belt, and let the TSA’s X-ray machines do the rest. Be a fan of light, easy-to-carry backpacks. 

Laptop:

Weight and size are typically a traveler’s most pressing concerns. A solid netbook addresses both issues, giving you all the computer you need without hurting your back. Compact components also mean that the machine has less room for parts to wiggle around, which means there’s less to break while you’re trekking around the world.

Ethernet cable:

Many hotels have ethernet jacks that allow you to bypass all of the potential flakiness of so many wireless connections. Many airports (hint, hint: JFK) don’t advertise that they too have their fair share of jacks hiding around certain terminals, opening up the possibility of free Internet via wire. A handy little retractable ethernet cable could be just what you need. 

Power Bank:

Need to use a backup battery during the day? Have to recharge your phone when it’s out of juice? A portable battery can charge up to five USB devices at one time, even when you have no access to a plug.

USB drive:

Keep all of your important digital documents and files in a separate USB drive (16GB should cover you) in case your laptop's hard drive dies on the road. You should encrypt passport scans, client documents, and the like to protect yourself even further. On USB drives you can also carry around portable operating systems, which give you a safe virtual environment in many Internet cafés.

Microfiber cloth:

The world is a dusty place; unless you regularly clean your devices, they’ll accumulate grime quickly, increasing the chance that a rogue dust particle will ruin your best gadgets. A proper microfiber cloth and cleaning solution (less than 3 ounces, of course) are the only things you should use to wipe down your sensitive screens.

All-in-one plug adapter:

Rather than wasting your time looking up outlet types or taking the risk of forgetting an outlet adapter altogether, throw one of these in your bag and leave it there. It will cover you for plugging in just about anywhere in the world.

USB light:

A lightweight, LED light illuminates your e-reader or laptop--it's a useful accessory, since you’ll never know what kind of lighting conditions you’ll encounter.

USB travel charger adapter:

Chances are, your laptop doesn’t have more than a few USB ports. These adapters let you plug in your USB-charged devices directly into a wall socket. Another benefit: faster charge times.

Individual power adapters:

Why do you need these if you already have an all-in-one adapter? Because sometimes you’ll need to plug in more than one device. Also, many wall sockets aren’t completely firm, and individual adapters are usually light enough to prevent your charger from continually falling out of the outlet.

Unlocked mobile phone:

Though unlocking a phone will typically break your manufacturer’s warranty, a locked phone means you’ll pay for roaming charges internationally. An unlocked phone allows you to swap out any old SIM card around the world, saving you considerable money for talking and browsing the Web anywhere.

Extra SD Card for your camera:

SD Cards, like all other storage devices, have a limited life span, and like many electronic devices they tend to go bad at the worst possible time. An extra, emergency card will set you back about $10 to $20, but it could save you the nightmare of missing wonderful opportunities to catch, say, a sunset in Fiji. 

 -XoXo

3 Things Every Techy Should Keep in Their Bag

Finding yourself out and about with a smudgy screen or a drained battery is like the tech embodiment of "up a creek without a paddle." Be ready for anything with an arsenal of tech-cessories. Here are the 3 things we always recommend you should keep handy in your laptop bag, camera bag or purse.

1. Screen Wipes

Your phone's screen touches your face like a thousand times a day, so give it some love with portable screen wipes. It's way better for your gear than that paper napkin from the deli down the street, and there's no excuse not to carry a few around when they look this good.

2. Cord Organizers & Shorteners

Whether you need to keep your USB chargers from taking over the inside of your bag or the tiny table at Starbucks, there's a product out there to tackle it. Keep a short iPhone cable handy, or a "core" piece of gear that keeps loose wires under wraps.

3. A Spare Battery

If your tablet or phone battery is in the red by the end of your day, you need a backup battery. Keep a sleek battery pack always wrapped around your phone, or stash an external power station into your messenger bag.

-XoXo

Hack Your Car Interior in 9 Ways

Misplaced cup holders, insufficient storage space, no place to put your phone—for places where we spend so much of our time, car interiors leave a lot to be desired. So we gathered a few gadgets and DIY tricks to improve the quality of your drive time.

1. USB Car Charger

 Tablet computer and smartphones are replacing paper maps and directories, which is great, except that iPads and iPhones gulp down battery power on a long trip. Most cars have just one USB power point for recharging your gizmos, and that's not going to be enough for a 12-hour road trip, or if you have a carload of people playing Angry Birds.

You can, however, add two additional (and more powerful) USB points to a cigarette lighter socket. Cigarette lighter sockets can handle more than 10 amps, so this is a convenient way to make sure your camera, video game, MP3 player, and tablet computer stay charged during hours on the road.

2. Homemade Electronics Dock

Bean-bag-style dashboard electronics holders don't work well in the corners. And the suction windshield mounts that come with most GPS navigators can block your view of the road (in some places you can even get ticketed for this). So we thought up a better way.

Buy a small sheet of dark gray or black plastic at a hobby shop and cut out about a 6-inch square. Then on one side stick self-adhesive strips of hook-and-loop fasteners (Velcro), hook side only. On your dashboard stick the loop (softer) side of smaller strips to hold the plastic square in place. Finally, on the side of the plastic that faces the driver, stick on small pieces of hook-and-loop to hold your iPod, smartphone, or other gadgets in place.

3. A Not-So-Terrible Coat Rack

Car coat hooks are lousy, especially if you have rear seat passengers who don't want your bomber jacket in their faces. Our solution is to use a mesh bungee that you can find at a motorcycle shop. These 18-inch-square stretchy nets are intended to hold a spare helmet onto the rear seat or fender of a motorcycle. We attached their four corners to the four grab handles on the ceilings of cars with wire ties, stretching the bungees until they are taut. The result is a sort of hammock to hold coats, hats, gloves, and whatever else you want to keep off the car's floor. Most vehicles have enough of a curved ceiling that your stuff will remain higher than a person's line of sight out the rear window.

4. Floating Phone Holder

If you use your phone's controls often while driving (and you live somewhere where this is legal), then keep the phone within reach to limit the time your eyes are off the road. The best way we've found is to use a dedicated phone mount on a gooseneck, similar to the placement of a console shifter. Some of these mounts use flexible hydraulic tubing, but the ones we like use true gooseneck tubing. Some of them even have plastic conduit that can cover wires.

5. Cup Holders

Most cars these days can't host quite so big of a party, and the cup holders they have are annoying: Center-console-located cup holders block your arm during shifting, and door-pocket cup holders are too low to reach. Boating and marine stores have gimballed drink holders that you can mount high on the door panels of your car, which we find is the most convenient place while you're driving. Just be careful not to slam the door with a Starbucks Trenta there.

6. Enhanced Door Pocket

If you're carrying an assortment of stuff such as pens, notepads, or small cameras, keep it all organized with cordura toolbelt pouches, which you can buy at big box stores. Screwdriver sleeves are perfect for tire pressure gauges, and larger tool pouches can hold sunglasses and flashlights.

You can use hook-and-loop adhesive fasteners to attach them by their top sleeves to the door panels, although during off-road and pre-runner truck trips we've actually riveted the pouches to the doors with fender washers.

7. Remote CB and Radar Detector

There was a time in the late 1970s when no self-respecting driving enthusiast got behind the wheel without a radar detector and a CB radio. These days, due to the outlawing of radar detectors in large trucks, the good 'ol CB radio is still a valuable source of information passed on by commercial truckers, typically including traffic delays, accident locations, and, yes, the locations of speed traps. Truckers depend upon large radios, but we've found that discreet handheld units can be mounted almost out of sight and still provide clear sound and the ability to transmit.

8. Moveable Shade

No matter how large and flexible the visors in your car or truck may be, there always seems to be that gap somewhere, during sunset or sunrise, where light can temporarily blind you and you just can't block it. Pilots use a windshield's surface static to hold tinted plastic sheets to areas where the sun is shining in. You can place these small, moveable sheets on the windshield or side windows to knock down the intensity of sunlight and save your eyes some strain.

9. Cockpit Cargo Carriers

There can never be too many bins and cubbies to hold all the gadgets, snacks, notepads, and other miscellany you want at the ready during a road trip. One handy area for keeping extra stuff accessible is just under your knees; trunk cargo bins are too big for this space, but the kind of covered cargo carriers meant for the tiny cockpits of small airplanes fit perfectly here.


-XoXo

The Ultimate Camping Checklist for Halloween Campers

1. Important Permits

It's very important for Halloween campers to consider camping safely and legally. Make sure that you get all passes you need when you intend to go camp on protected places - camping, fishing, hunting, what have you.

2. First-Aid Kit

It's important for any camper to come prepared. Camping on Halloween may be the best thing that could ever happen to every person's sedentary lifestyle but joining the bandwagon unprepared is something every person should be mindful about.

3. Flashlight and Extra Batteries

This is a no-brainer. Any camper should bring a flashlight and extra batteries for nights so dark.

4. Sunscreen

Sunscreen is needed for those hiking trips that would take almost forever to reach.

5. Rain Gear

No one wants to be wet or let alone spend the damp Halloween night inside the car. That would totally defeat the purpose of driving miles away from the city and get in touch with nature.

6. Insect Repellent

Please don't harbor a death wish and go buy yourself one. No one wants to be a host to legions of bugs and unidentifiable insects.

7. Campfire Starters

Toilet paper rolls, dryer lint, wood chips, you name it!

8. Matches

Aside from campfire starters, you also need to make actual fire. If you happen to forget to bring your own matches, you can also use your car's cigarette lighter to start a fire.

9. Tent

You can't just squat anywhere. Tent's protect you from many harsh elements on the outback.

10. Sleeping Bag

You don't need fancy sleeping gears to get a good night's rest. A soft, and thick sleeping bag would do just the trick.

11. Mallet

If the ground you'd be settling in is soft, you'll be fine but if the ground's dry, it's as hard as a rock. Bring a mallet with you and exercise those muscles in setting up your tent.

12. Lantern

There may be less hours in a day but if you find yourself bored in the middle of the night you can always pull out your trusty lantern and get all the light that you need for reading or for doing anything that involves sight.

13. Toiletries

No one want's to go home smelling like a caveman right? Toiletries are a must.

14. Water

Always important to keep yourself hydrated.

15. Ice Cooler

Because it's always important to store your food in a cool dry place.

16. Can Openers

Unless you have mastered the art of opening cans without a can opener, you can leave this out of the list.

17. Dining Utensils

Again, feeling hungry and not having any place to put your food is not only depressing but it's also irritating.

18. Dish-washing Liquid

You need to wash everything before putting it in your mouth.

19. Aluminum Foil, Paper Towels, and Garbage Bag

Not only is it important to keep yourself organized but it's also important that you keep yourself clean and neat at the same time. This is a must most especially if you brought kids with you.

20. USB Car Charger

Your handy dandy car cigarette lighter has many uses. Not only can it start fire but it can also allow you to charge your smartphone devices and any other usb operated device.

Now, you are all set! Have a fun filled Halloween camping escapade with your family and friends!

-XoXo