Do you ever find yourself at a loss for what to pack in your child's school lunch box? I've been there, believe me. It's definitely not easy trying to come up with creative ideas for the lunch box while juggling work, home, and family every day.

The trick is to keep it simple while making it fun (and keeping it all healthy, of course). I'm always looking for ideas, and came across this wonderful idea for healthy "Lunchables" from Melissa Iwai, the author of a new book called Soup Day, which celebrates the joy of cooking with children.

Since the real versions of this kid-favorite lunch box item is laden with fat, preservatives, and sodium, Melissa came up with a way to make a healthier version, using multigrain tortillas, nitrate-free smoked ham and organic cheese.

For other ideas, check out my ideas for school box lunches. And hang in there! If you can make lunches fun, and get your kids to help make them, it won't feel so much like a chore.

As many as one-third of parents think that playing with their children is boring, says a new study out of Great Britain. The study of 2,000 parents and 2,000 children aged 5 to 15 also revealed that a third of parents play video games with their kids instead of engaging in interactive play such as going to the playground or playing board games with them. But the great majority of kids -- 3/4 of the kids surveyed -- said that they'd prefer to play more interactive games with their parents.

So what does this all mean for parent-child play, and not just in the U.K. where the study was conducted? Parents everywhere are more busy these days, and with high-tech gadgets such as smart phones intruding in on family time, there is less downtime for parents and kids to just, well, be together.

The one thing I've made an effort to do this summer is to spend more time just being with my child. We've read a lot of great books, made meals together, spent time with family playing board games, and just hanging out. Yes, we did watch some kid movies and yes we did play some video games. But there was also a lot of playing with Legos and talking about books and using our imaginations.

If you can't remember the last time you spent a languid afternoon with your child, then think about this British survey. Your child may be one of the 75 percent of children who are wishing for some play time with you.

Nearly 60 percent of people who travel want families with children to fly in a separate section of an airplane, says a new poll released by a Skyscanner, a fare-comparison website. And 20 percent said they'd prefer to board child-free flights altogether.

Putting aside for a second the impracticalities of such a scenario -- creating a family-only section would pose some logistical challenges for airlines since it's impossible to know how many families will be on a given flight; it's difficult to set aside any seats for any reason in this age of overcrowded flights; and it isn't as if putting cranky kids in a separate section will create some kind of magical cone of silence around said children -- I'd say a bigger problem posed by segregating families into a separate section is that not all kids are alike.

That's right: Some kids, no matter what age, might be unruly, loud, and unpleasant traveling companions. Others, like my child, are the kinds of kids who can sit quietly for two or three hours and read a book.

Sure, babies, toddlers, and younger kids naturally have a difficult time sitting still for an extended time. They may feel cranky and tired and just out-of-sorts while on a cramped airplane (hey, we adults can feel this way, too!). And they'll most certainly need distractions to keep them entertained during the flight. So could they -- and their parents and other fellow passengers -- benefit from a separate section? Maybe, especially if there are a lot of kid DVDs and snacks there to keep kids occupied.

But when we are talking about older grade-school age kids -- say age 6 and up -- we are talking about kids who can for the most part sit quietly and watch a movie or read books or play games. Should they, too, be stuck with cranky kids who are screaming and crying?

Perhaps a better solution might be to designate an area of an airplane as a quiet corner, where parents can bring children in case of meltdowns. This area can be outfitted with kid DVDs and perhaps curtained off so that cranky little ones can take naps. Airline cabin crew should be trained on how to handle unruly kids and parents who are disturbing other passengers. And perhaps most important, parents should be considerate and prepare for air travel by reading up on tips on flying with children.

And hey, while we're at it, this could be a great time-out area for unruly grown-ups who get drunk and obnoxious during flights (I've seen that too, and I don't see anyone suggesting separate sections for those folks).

What do you think? Should airlines have separate family sections?

Many younger grade-schoolers love getting a note from mom and/or dad in their lunch box, especially in the beginning of the school year, when they may be experiencing separation anxiety.

An ingenious little device invented by a mom allows parents to actually record a 30-second message to tuck into a school lunch box. These fun and colorful little button-like devices, called Talkatoo, can record messages for kids to play whenever they are away from their parents, either during the school day or when a parent goes away on a business trip. They retail for $16.99 and can also be worn as a pendant or even clipped on to belt loops. For more information, check out Talkatoo.com.