When I was little, my mother would surprise me by leaving little surprises and notes in my brown bag lunches. She would leave me a note when I had a hard test and she wanted to remind me how proud she was of me. Or, if I had to talk in front of the class, which I hated, she would write the sweetest note that helped me relax.
There were times she would just leave me notes just, or throw in some stickers or some trinket toys for me to share with my friends at recess, or as an ice breaker to meet a new friend. I loved these little surprises in my lunch bags, and they were always random, so I never knew when they would come, which made these notes and surprises that much more special.
Now that I have girls of my own, I am continuing this tradition with them. Even though I homeschool my girls, they still attend classes outside of the house, and with some, have to bring lunch or snack bags. I take advantage of these times to leave notes for my girls, and will include little surprises for them, to remind them I am thinking of them, even though I am not there, or as a way for them to approach a child and make a new friend, by offering them up a little gift.
I remember the first time I left the girls a note. They were both in a nature class and were going to be there for four hours. They were both scared at first, as they were never away from me for that long, and this was a new class so they didn't no anyone. I wrote a little note, and their daddy drew them a picture of their favorite television character with a note of his own. I let them help me make up their lunch/snack bags the night before, and then in the AM before they came downstairs to get ready, I slid the notes and pictures into their bags. Then, when it was time for lunch, they both found their notes and picture and couldn't help but smile, and they felt more at ease at this new class, as they knew we were thinking of them and were proud of them, and that we would be back to get them soon. The pictures were also great ice breakers as the kids sitting with them asked to see them, and the girls found that these kids enjoyed the same show, and they now had something in common and spent the rest of lunch talking about their favorite episodes. That day when I went to pick up the girls, they were all smiles, and I had to wait so that they could say their good-byes to all their new friends.
I love being able to surprise the girls with notes and little gifts/surprises, just like my mom used to do with me. And, kids these days are all about blind bags and surprise toys. So, I make a point to pick them up at the store and stash them away. Then, when I write a note for the girls for an outside class, I will include a little surprise. Usually when the girls have a presentation to give, or will be tested on a topic they have been studying, I will include a surprise as a little reward for trying their best, or doing a good job, even though they felt a little uncomfortable about the task at hand.
Recently, I was sent a sampling of new blind bags/surprise toys from the folks at Bulls-i-Toy. I was running low on my stash, so these came at just the right time. And, both of my girls love L.O.L Surprise!, JoJo Siwa, squishy toys and the new Jurassic World movie, so I knew they would get excited when they opened their lunch totes and saw a few surprises for them.
Check out these fun new surprise packs, your kids will love (available now through popular retailers and in stores):
This are the Jurassic World trading cards pack, which includes 7 cards per pack. And, be on the look out for authentic costume cards!
Bella was all smiles when she saw the cards she got. She loves this morning, and now is on a mission to collect all the cards. :-) There are 88 cards in the set to collect!
These are what the trading cards look like. There is a picture scene from the movie on the front, and fun dinosaur facts on the back.
Facts on the back of each trading card.
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My girls really liked the L.O.L Surprise! Fashion Tags packs as they come with 1 fashion tag, 1 checklist and 1 surprise inside...
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The JoJo Siwa Mystery Bows Series 3 Blind Bag was also a hit with my girls, as they love this YouTube sensation. I have lost count of how many of the big JoJo Siwa bows the girls own. Now, they are all about collecting the mini bows (which are way cheaper than the big bows and are cuter)...
Savannah opened this package and shared a bow with her sister, so they could be twins! :-)
And, these were the bows Bella got and shared with two of her friends. :-)
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If you kids like the squish toys, then they will love the new Squish'Ums! Skull Series. These would also be perfect to hand out at a Halloween party, or to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.
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They told me they gave their friends a few Jurassic World cards, so that they could all start a collection, and talked about the movie and their favorite parts.
And, for the Jo-Jo bow surprise bag, they were happy that there were two bows included in the package -- one for them, and one to share with a friend.
My oldest daughter made a new friend with a girl who was just starting class and was nervous, just like she was when she started a few years back. She approached her as she was wearing a bow shirt, and asked her if she wanted to be her friend, and then handed her a bow, so that they could be the same. The girl smiled and felt more at ease, thanks to the kindness of my daughter. And, when my daughter got home that night, she couldn't stop sharing about her new friend, and asking when class would be again so she could see her, or if we could schedule a play date soon.
Do you share little notes of love or add little surprises to your child's lunch bags? If so, and you are looking for new ideas for little gifts to pick up and stash to add with your notes, why not check out the above mentioned surprise bags and packages from bulls i toys.
You can learn more about these by visiting http://www.bullsitoy.com/. They have some great products including Chibi Snapsz, Shopkins, Animal Jam, Paw Patrol, Squish 'ums!, Hatchimals and DC Super Girls and Dc Justice League, to name a few.
Even if you don't leave little surprises in your child's lunch or backpack, these surprise bags/toys would make for a great stocking stuffer this holiday season, or even better...a great non-candy Halloween gift. Last year, we had the girls choose a few of their favorite candies from the Halloween loot, and then exchange the rest (which we donated to the dentist who was shipping the candy overseas to the armed forces) for a few blind bags I had picked up. It was a win-win for everyone, as the girls are all about the blind/surprise bags, and I didn't have to worry about cavities or sugar highs with the girls.
It is always nice to have a stash of little goodies to have on hand, to surprise your child with, with a job well done, to cheer them up, or just because. And, Bulls-i-Toy has a great assortment of products your kids will love!
Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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