It's School Bake-Sale Season: Be Prepared With These Tips

School is only days-old, and already notes have come home asking for contributions for the first bake sale of the year. I bet my house isn't the only one that has been hit already by bake-sale fever, and if yours hasn't, don't think you're getting off easy. You WILL be hit and hit hard if you have a child between the ages of 9-14, at least once this year! And if you have younger children, read on; the tips below also work for class parties. And take it from a mother who has been doing this for over 10 years: It is a no-fail solution to that age-old cry, "Mom, there's a bake sale tomorrow, and I don't know what to take!"

The first thing to do is take a deep breath. My solution for the bake sale woes won't necessitate a trip to the store in the dead of night, nor will it call for breaking the bank or spending long hours in the kitchen whipping up the perfect treat. Nope, mine only takes a little bit of imagination and a thorough scavenger hunt of sorts through your cupboards.

The idea that works fantastically for my kids is a creation we call "GORP". What this stands for is anyone's guess, but basically it is "anything and everything that is in your cupboard that hasn't hit it's expiration date or needs refrigeration is fair play".

To begin your GORP, get a large bowl. Open your cupboard and reach deep inside finding all those bits of left over Captain Crunch, trix, and even Reeces peanut butter cereal. Dump them (minus the sugar dust of course) into the bowl. Move onto the small boxes of raisins, craisins and even nuts you have in various containers. Mix those in as well. If you have any small bags of M&M's or skittles, feel free to dump those into the mix as well. And don't forget those miniature marshmallows or caramel popcorn bits. They are fantastic in GORP, especially if they are colored or have fun shapes too! Kids love them! Add in anything else you may come across, bags of gummies, small packages of granola bits, even some pretzel sticks if you have them, into the mix. Using a large spoon, gently combine the ingredients until it seems well mixed. You now have GORP!

This is easily bagged into small snack size ziplocks (make sure you have a box or two of them around at all times) or in a pinch you can use sandwich size bags. Count out enough for your child's class and add a couple more to the stack. There you are, a quick bake sale item that takes mere minutes to create with items you already have around.

AND if you want less of a sweet treat and more of a salty one, do the same thing with snack crackers, nuts, chips, cheetoes, popcorn and even pretzels. This makes for a different sort of GORP but one that kids love just the same. And again, you most likely already have the items you need at home anyway.

Good luck with your GORP and remember, the sky is the limit! Use your imagination and the kids will be thrilled and you will be the hero! What can be better?!?

School is only days old and already notes have come home announcing "the first bake sale of the year". I'll just about bet that my house isn't the only one that has been hit already by bake sale fever and if yours hasn't, don't think you're getting off easy. You WILL be hit and hit hard if you have a child between the ages of 9-14 at least once this year! And if you have younger children, read on, the tips below also work for class parties and take it from a mother who has been doing this for over 10 years, it is a no fail solution to a that age old cry, "Mom, there's a bake sale tomorrow and I don't know what to take!"

The first thing to do is take a deep breath. My solution for the bake sale woes won't necessitate a trip to the store in the dead of night, nor will it call for breaking the bank or spending long hours in the kitchen whipping up the perfect treat. Nope, mine only takes a little bit of imagination and a thorough scavenger hunt of sorts through your cupboards.

The idea that works fantastically for my kids is a creation we call "GORP". What this stands for is anyone's guess but basically it is "anything and everything that is in your cupboard that hasn't hit it's expiration date or needs refrigeration is fair play".

To begin your GORP, get a large bow. Open your cupboard and reach deep inside finding all those bits of left over Captain Crunch, Trix, and even Reeces peanut butter cereal. Dump them (minus the sugar dust of course) into the bowl. Move onto small boxes of raisins, craisins and even nuts you have in various containers. Mix those in as well. If you have any small bags of M&M's or skittles, feel free to dump those into the mix as well. And don't forget those miniature marshmallows or caramel popcorn bits. They are fantastic in GORP, especially if they are colored or have fun shapes too! Kids love them! Add in anything else you may come across, bags of gummies, small packages of granola bits, even some pretzel sticks if you have them, into the mix. Using a large spoon, gently combine the ingredients until it seems well mixed. You now have GORP!

This concoction is easily bagged into small snack size ziplocks (make sure you have a box or two of them around at all times) or in a pinch you can use sandwich size bag, (just fill them about half full). Count out enough for your child's class and add a couple more to the stack. There you are, a quick bake sale item that takes mere minutes to create with items you already have around. And a bake sale item that kids go for immediately upon placing them on the bake sale table. It is a sure fire winner for any age, group or class, crossing all boundaries and ages. It's a sure fire winner and a no brainer to boot!

AND if you want less of a sweet treat and more of a salty one, do the same thing with snack crackers, nuts, chips, cheetoes, popcorn and even pretzels. This makes for a different sort of GORP but one that kids love just the same. And again, you most likely already have the items you need at home anyway.

Good luck with your GORP and remember, the sky is the limit! Use your imagination and the kids will be thrilled and you will be the hero! What can be better?!?

can be better?!?