This post was sponsored by iögo, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
When three o’clock rolls around a buzz begins to start in our house. The dog begins pacing and racing to the door, the peacefulness in the house begins to vanish and the calmness I was enjoying slowly begins to slip away. The kids are on their way home from school.
After school is my favourite and least favourite time of the day. I love having my kids’ home, I can’t wait to give them hugs and kids and I enjoy hearing about their day at school. What I don’t love is when three kids come in from the bus, full of energy, all talking at the same time, scattering mitts, hats and shoes around the house, and throwing their agenda’s and homework at me demanding me to sign this and help them with this. It use to drive me nuts! I would get so overwhelmed and my kids would get so competitive (vying for my attention) that I would begin yelling and someone was bound to stomp off in frustration!
After doing the “after school” thing for 6 years now, I have finally found a way to make this time of the day easier for everyone.
Steps for a successful after school reunion:
- On the way home from the bus, I ask the kids to each tell me one thing they did at school. This avoids the overload when we walk in the door.
- When they first enter the house, they wash their hands, place their hats and mitts in the correspond bins and line their agenda and lunch on the counter.
- I call each child up individually and go through their agenda, hand out their homework and ask them to make their own lunch.
- Once all three kids have had their agenda’s signed and their lunches made, we sit around the table, complete any outstanding homework and share a snack where we can unwind and catch up.
One of our favourite after school snacks is Apple Pie Parfait. Iögo new big format pouches allows for easy manipulation and very convenient. They allow you to selection how much you want and reseal the rest, keeping it fresh for the next time you need it. The cool, freshening taste pairs great with fresh fruit, cakes, or simply by itself. I am proud to serve this yogurt to my kids because there are no preservatives, gelatin or artificial flavours. These big format pouches make snack time a breeze and are available in iögo Original, iögo Probio and iögo Greek.
Gluten Free iögo Apple Pie Parfait
Ingredients:
1 /2 Cup of Gluten Free Granola – 3 cups quick oats, 1 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup honey, 2 teaspoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup of Apple Pie Filling – 2 tablespoons butter, 2 diced apples, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Iögo new big format pouches Vanilla
- Prepare the Granola – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oats and sunflower seeds in a glass dish and cook for 10 mins. Mix in honey, butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Place on cookie sheet and back into hot oven that is turned off. Roast for 5 mins.
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Prepare Apple Pie filling. Melt butter in pan over low heat. Add in apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Heat for 5-6 minutes.
- Prepare parfait – Fill the bottom of the glass with 1/3 of the iögo yogurt top with 1/3 granola and 1/3 apple pie filling. Repeat 3 Times.
- Sit Around kitchen table and enjoy the calm after the storm!
That Apple Pie Parfait sounds so good, I am definitely going to be trying it. Great after school advice!
Oooh this sounds delicious! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe
You have to be the most organized mom I’ve ever heard of. I absolutely LOVE that you have an entire after school routine laid out for the kids. It’s so important to give kids structure, especially when it comes to school work. It’s far too easy to let things get crazy, and then everything becomes a circus, and mom is the star! LOL
I’m right there with you — after school time can be so chaotic! So much information and noise to process all at one time! Pretty sure that the Apple Pie Parfait will keep them quiet long enough that we can have a few moments to talk without interruption.
I remember the days of elementary school kids coming home and sitting around the table with me having a snack! Now that I homeschool, they snack throughout the day.
This sounds like something a few of them would LOVE to eat. So would I!
I totally feel ya on the dog pacing thing. I swear my guy can read the clock! He knows when to expect the kiddos home and he knows when to expect his dad to walk in the door. My kiddos immediately want to get snack when they come in, and that might be why the dog is so excited about them coming home LOL They always feed him!
These snacks look delicious and would be great for after school and before dinner. These are great tips also for after school because that can be just as hectic as getting them out the door to school.
It sounds like you have a great system, and one that your children will remember fondly when they’re older. I find teenagers so much easier! I don’t have the patience for little kids and I’m forever grateful to have acquired my stepson as a teenager because I find it so easy to relate to him.
I’ve been encouraged to go gluten free. This tasty treat will help make the transition not so bland. I might even share with the kiddos when they get home from school.
Wow, I’ve never heard of Iögo, but I would love to try it. It looks like it would be incredible in a smoothie. Bonus points for being gluten free. I’m starting to consider going gluten free. Thanks for sharing!
Thats some great after school advice,i bet its delicious in a smoothie
We’ve recently become big fans of iogo products…..my girl especially loves the pouches! We’ll have to try the Apple Pie Parfait recipe, sounds yummy!
Okay I’ve never heard of Iogo, but it sure looks and sounds great! I mean Apple Pie Parfait – how can you go wrong with that?! I love that it’s gluten free as well so you’re safe to serve it to pretty much anyone.
Sounds delicious! I haven’t tried Iogo before but I see it in stores all the time!
I have been buying the Iogo pouches and the kids just love them!
Thanks for the great tips !