children

How to Expand your Picky Eater’s Food Horizons (Without Tears)!

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Do you have a picky eater? There are ways to tackle that whole picky eating thing and find success with new foods for your child!

It seems like every family has a picky eater. For us, the worst part is a picky eater like my brother, who changes his preferences every few months (he hated onions, now he loves them; he loved spaghetti, and now he hates it, for example). It seems like there’s no rhyme or reason to what a lot of kids don’t like, and it starts to make me think that all kids are walking around with a little Disgust from Inside Out in their brains, hoping to prevent them from being poisoned, physically and socially. But here’s the deal… broccoli won’t kill them… but there ARE ways to make sure picky eaters are branching out while still getting the nutrition they need.

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Dental Care Tips for Kids– WITH GIVEAWAY!

- Mama 10 Comments

It can be really hard to encourage good dental care habits in kids. For far too many, teeth brushing time becomes a fight. I have 7 great tips to help keep teeth clean and shiny without fuss or fight. Don’t forget to keep scrolling to the bottom of this post for a chance to win the entire product line from Tanner’s Tasty Paste, a great-tasting toothpaste for little giggles and grown-up grins!

Brushing your teeth with your child is a great way to promote healthy brushing habits! When you brush together, you’re showing them the proper way to brush, spit, and rinse, and open the door for conversation about good dental care being a lifelong process. If you and your child use separate bathrooms, try moving your dental care items into their bathroom so you can join in on their brushing fun. It’s a great way to start good dental care habits early.

Find time to add brushing into a certain part of your routine in the morning, for example, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, putting on shoes, and then going about the rest of your day, to be sure you never miss a brushing! Do the same before bed, such as picking up toys, taking a bath, having a night snack, brushing teeth, and then reading a story together. When you do this routine on a regular basis, it becomes a can’t-miss habit and children will look forward to that part of their routine. Additionally, find a fun brushing song that lasts about two minutes, or set a timer. The one that we love is part of the Daniel Tiger Day and Night app, available from PBS kids, in the Amazon and iTunes app stores. You can set it for 2 minutes and it’ll play a catchy tune. However, any egg timer or 2-minute-ish song will work!

Never make dentists a source of fear by creating threats (like “If you don’t brush your teeth, the dentist will have to fix your cavities with a drill!”) When you make dentists a source of fear, dental visits will start causing some anxiety. Instead, praise your child for a good set of brushing habits, and try a reward for cavity-free dental checkups!

Play pretend with stuffed animals or baby dolls, acting out brushing their teeth with an old toothbrush used for play to encourage more healthy toothbrushing habits. In the same way that you demonstrate healthy brushing habits to your child, they can demonstrate healthy dental care to their stuffed animals. By picking up a worn out toothbrush or a cheap one at a dollar store, they can introduce dental play into their play routine, too.

It is never too early to start discussing the tooth fairy, even though most kids don’t start losing teeth until they’re around 6, and share that the tooth fairy likes clean teeth. You can check out a great book like No Tooth, No Quarter, or a fun movie like the Tooth Fairy, to encourage this conversation, depending on your child’s age and stage. By sharing that the tooth fairy likes clean teeth, and helping kids learn about the process of losing teeth, it encourages an exciting dialogue about dental care!

Start cleaning teeth as soon as teeth start coming in, using a baby-friendly paste and a baby-friendly brush. Early dental care will prevent problems down the road, and establish a pattern of good dental care. Even before teeth come to the surface, it’s good to wipe gums with a clean washcloth or gauze pad to clear off plaque that builds up on the gums.

Help kids anticipate tooth brushing time by letting your child pick out their own toothbrush. Let them choose a color or character they love and have them select a brush they’ll look forward to using.

Also choose a really yummy toothpaste, like Tanner’s Tasty Paste. With flavors like Cha Cha Chocolate, you’ll never have a toothbrushing fight on your hands again. In fact, you might end up trying to use your kids’ toothpaste, too, it’s that tasty! I’ll be honest, when Tanner’s Tasty Paste approached me about trying out their line of toothpaste, I was really skeptical as to whether or not the flavors would be any good, and if they were any good, if they’d taste even remotely like chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Now, my son and I use Tanner’s Toothpaste every day. It really does taste spot-on to chocolate and vanilla flavors and is a great way to get Zach excited about dental care.

One thing I especially love about Tanner’s Tasty Paste is that, beyond listing the ingredients on their website, they tell you what each ingredient does for the paste, so you know exactly what you and your child are putting in your mouth– it’s a great way to feel a little safer about the product you’re using.

Check out the Tanner’s Tasty Paste website here, and see the three flavors they have available! Click Here

Don’t forget to connect with Tanner’s Tasty Paste on Facebook and Twitter!

 

Now, here’s the big part… a giveaway! Tanner’s Tasty Paste wants to give one of my lucky readers all three of their products: the Cha Cha Chocolate Tasty Paste, the Banilla Bling Tasty Paste, and finally, the Baby Bling tooth paste that is swallow-safe and fluoride free for even the littlest smiles. Would you like to win the product lineup? It’s incredibly easy to enter! Just leave a comment below sharing your top tip for getting kids to brush their teeth, OR let me know which of the Tanner’s Tasty Paste toothpastes you or your kids would most like to try!

The giveaway is open until 4/18/14 at 11:59pm CDT. After that, I’ll email the randomly selected winner!

 

 

Disclaimer: Tanner’s Tasty Paste sent me product to try, which is featured in this post. However, all opinions are my own honest views.

 

My Heart for Homeschooling: Part 1

- Mama 2 Comments

I’ve shared on here about homeschooling a few times, and talked about why it’s been important to me. But I will say, it’s one of those topics that I get a lot of questions about. People ask me “Isn’t it time consuming?” Yeah, it is. “Don’t you ever want a break from your kid?” I know I might be weird, but no, I really don’t. There are those times where I’m really craving a hot shower without hearing “Mommy!!!” but for the most part, I love being with my kiddo all the time. “Aren’t you afraid he won’t be a social kid?” Yeah, to some degree. But there are ways around that.

So now, I’ve decided to put all of it on the table and spell out why homeschooling is important to me. If you’re considering homeschooling, this may help make things clearer for you. If you’re not considering it, but you’re curious about it, this will answer some questions, I’m sure. If you’re not into homeschooling, then this might be eye-opening and show you a little bit of my reasoning for doing it.

But first, what is homeschooling? Basically, it is teaching children in your own home. Long before there were schools in buildings kids would go to, there were home schools, where parents taught their children essential skills like money management, clothing repair, cooking, and trades, as well as tasks like how to read (typically to read the Bible or other religious texts).

Schools have a habit of dumbing things down for kids.

Yes, this may be my opinion, but I have to share that kids who are homeschooled tend to be grade levels ahead of children who are public or private schooled, and have higher logic and reasoning skills. Additionally, schools tend to teach towards the test. Do some homeschools teach towards the tests? Absolutely. But I think you’ll find, through digging, that homeschool largely teaches towards practicality. I was public schooled, and so was my brother (much more recently). I cannot tell you the number of hours spent solely preparing to get good scores on standardized tests, to the point that kids learn materials that are beyond their comprehension level, recite them on the test (basic parroting) and then forget them just as quickly as they learned them, only to repeat the cycle again and again. How many times did I start the school year in American History at the beginning of time, only to wind up in the industrial revolution every time? With homeschooling, since it is more individualized, it’s very easy to study and then pick up where you left off, meaning you move from ancient history to modern day and study history in a chronological order, rather than studying parts of history being tested on and moving on.

Schools tend to pigeonhole kids and go with the idea that all kids go through post-secondary education.

Not every student is going to go on to college, be a doctor, or use advanced calculus. Some students are learning those skills that they aren’t likely to use, to the point that they’re not taught skills they need. How many times have you been in line at the checkout somewhere and handed someone cash for your purchase, only to discover that, without a machine telling them, they can’t count change back to you, or even know how much change you’re owed? I’m not saying it’s that way in every case, but you can’t deny it’s probably happened to you. Further, how many of those teens do you think have taken algebra, geometry, trig, but have no idea how to budget or count money? I’d reckon that most of them fall into that category. They’re being prepared for an education they may or may not move on to, but not being taught how to manage their lives.

My boyfriend and I were chatting not too long ago about budget, and about how it was important to him to find out all of the costs, including utilities, and the costs of what furniture he needed, before settling on what apartment to live in. He wanted to make sure that, between rent, bills, and other life expenses (like groceries) that he was choosing an apartment that was affordable, considering his income. He wanted to be sure that he wasn’t choosing an unreasonable apartment, or that he wasn’t skimping where he could afford something more comfortable, so he compared prices.

At the store, it’s something I do regularly… sometimes, with coupons, a name brand is cheaper than an off-brand. Sometimes a big package looks like a great deal, until you end up pricing it out per unit, and find out it’s actually not a better deal at all!

Unfortunately, because school goes with a college-focus, some kids get lost in the cracks. By pushing kids into advanced math and science, some kids are falling behind, despite the fact that they’ll not be using that math in the future. Am I calling for schools to do away with advanced math and science? Absolutely not. It is GREAT… for the kids who will use that in future professions. For others, it’s taking focus away from other things they could be studying that will benefit their future.

There is a local high school here, and yes, a public school (I’ve never said public school is bad, just simply stated that homeschooling is right for my family), that allows students to select a “track.” For example, if you pick the track that you’d like to learn to work in a restaurant, you’ll take classes that relate directly to that and learn everything from front-end (waiting tables, etc) to budgeting and inventory, all the way to the back of the restaurant. Students go on to work in careers in food service, and often become management at these places based on their time at this high school, teaching them hands-on skills that they need for a trade that interests them. Unfortunately, that school is the exception, not the norm.

Because of one-on-one (or one-on-handful, depending on your family size), as opposed to one-on-twenty learning, kids can pick up skills faster. By no fault of their own, teachers are at a disadvantage. Teachers have to teach large amounts of children- sometimes in excess of 20 in a classroom, and when they do, it means that they’re having their attention drawn a minimum of 20 different ways. Teachers not only have to deal with an abundance of learners at different levels, but also with outside forces. When my brother was in school, in a very safe, small-town neighborhood, one student in his classroom was arrested, multiple times, IN class, as early as first grade. When that happens, the entire class stops. And even after the student is removed, the chatter continues. Do you really think significant learning is happening during this time? During homeschooling, you’re streamlining the number of students.  You have only your children, which allows for less distractions. Unless your family is up to something I can’t fathom, I highly doubt any of your students would be arrested during class in their homeschool setting. I think it’s important to also consider that by having a smaller class size, it’s easier to tailor studies to your students. Have a student who is racing ahead in reading? Great! Encourage that with more challenging books and further opportunities to read. Perhaps they’re a bit behind in math? No problem. You have the time and ability to work with them as needed to help boost their math knowledge, or you can go over the problem set as long as they have questions.

In most public school settings, a teacher has a limited amount of time to get a lot of information in. That means they can answer a handful of questions about a task, and then they must move on to the next task. It doesn’t allow children to ask questions until they understand, but rather, allows them to ask just until time is up before being forced to move on.

With a homeschooling setting, you’re able to take the pace that you need to. Even if you have multiple children, you likely have fewer students to divide between than most teachers, and are able to tailor some time to making sure your child firmly grasps an entire concept before moving on.

Food allergies are a big concern for many families. While it isn’t a primary reason that we’ve chosen to homeschool, I know many families who homeschool, at least in part, due to special food needs by their family members. Enter a public school cafeteria and look at some of the choices available. If you have an intolerance to gluten, a peanut allergy, and a handful of other allergies, you’re going to have a very bad time. One perk of homeschooling (but certainly not a primary reason for my family personally) is that anything I’m interested in feeding my son, I can. It means that I can create a well-balanced menu catered to his particular tastes and dietary needs. I can imagine that families who have very specific needs when it comes to diet find this even more appealing.

Homeschoolers have a tendency to finish school early. Once finished with high school, students often have the option of going to many schools around the nation, or even getting an online college degree. In some cases, homeschool students can earn a two- or four-year degree before their public or private schooled counterparts, allowing them a chance to get ahead in a job market and earn experience in the “real world” while their peers are still in college. While obviously this won’t happen in all cases, I’ve seen many examples of this happening personally, including friends I interacted with in college. Mind you, in public school, I was able to graduate a full year early, which meant that I was one of the youngest people in my university. However, I clearly wasn’t the youngest; everyone younger than me was homeschooled. It just opens a lot of doors that might not otherwise get opened.

You’re able to set your own goals for homeschooling. Homeschooling can be tailored to your child’s interests. My brother is a very hands-on learner, so rather than reading about electricity, he’s able to experience it firsthand by assembling his own circuits. To learn fractions, he can use cooking or other hands-on examples. His goals, along with my mother’s goals for him, allow him to achieve great results. I can set specific goals for my son, like mastery of alphabet and numbers, and then when we achieve those goals, we can plan new goals and build upon what we’ve learned. Because we’re able to do individualized education and paying attention to personalized needs moreso than in a public school setting, you’re able to meet goals more quickly.

 

I hope this shows you a little bit of my heart for homeschooling. I have a lot more reasons to discuss, so this will be the first in a multi-part series. Please stay tuned for the next part, and definitely feel free to share it with your friends who may be considering homeschooling!

Dirt Won’t Hurt Them

- Mama 2 Comments

I had another post planned for today, but yesterday, I saw my son explore something he’d never gotten to explore before, and it changed my mind on what to write about. I felt this topic was so important, weighing on my heart so much, that I really need to share it with you.

I remember a few years ago, before my son was born, when the Crayola colored bubbles first came out. I was excited about them. When it turned out that they stained, I was okay with that. You know what? That’s why we have some stained hand-me-downs. No big deal. Another mom and I got into a discussion, and at one point, it got fairly heated. She said that she was absolutely not okay with her children playing with things that would get them dirty; she went on to say that destroying clothing, even old ones, was a waste of resources, and it was a waste of energy to clean up after the mess. I always said I wouldn’t be “that mom.” When I was little, my mom frequently allowed me a roll in the mud. She firmly maintained the stance that both children and clothing were washable.

So, when the new Crayola colored bubbles were released (still staining, but not quite like the original), I bought them. And honestly, Zach loves them. The thing is, I can’t tell you how many times Zach has come to me with a new marker tattoo when the pen strayed off of the page. I can’t tell you how many bubble-and-sand hairdos we’ve had.

One particularly fond memory was an evening when I gave Zach some chocolate pudding. I handed him a spoon, and he started eating it, the same way he does with his yogurt. Suddenly, though, that spoon was not enough, and before I knew it, he had chocolate pudding all over. His face, his ear, his hair, it had pudding. Chocolate, smeary pudding.

As soon as I saw him, I shouted “Zach! What are you doing?” Then, I saw him look down, ashamed, and I thought… wait a second. It’s not getting on anything. (Well, except for Zach). So I opened up another pudding cup, and began eating it directly out of the cup. Before I knew it, I had pudding on my nose to match his.

So yesterday, when Zach and I were playing outside, and I noticed a large stream of water flowing through a muddy path in the backyard, instead of keeping him out… I opened the gate and said “Go for it.”

He splashed. He slid. He used it kind of as a slip-n-slide. He went mud skating. He mushed it in his fingers. All of this is important. It’s a texture that he’s never felt before, a feeling he’s never experienced. And this was one more step in his learning process.

Sure. His clothing got muddy and wet. His hands were icky and mucky. If you look closely, you can even see some green marker from an incident earlier in the day.

As Zach grows, naturally, he will learn that there is a time for messy play and a time for clean play. Dressy clothes aren’t for mud pies, and mud pie clothes aren’t for church. But for now, these experiences mold and shape him. They make him who he is. They help him learn about different consistencies and textures, as well as the thought that dirt and water combine to create something that isn’t really dirt or water, but some sort of substance in between.

Obviously, as soon as his mud play was over, he went straight into a bath. And, within 30 minutes, you couldn’t even see a speck of evidence of the mud or the marker.

In some ways, I have to compare this to my journey in faith. I go through life. I sit there, and I get all of this muck, and filth, and dirt, and grime, and it’s everywhere. It’s in every nook and cranny, under my nails and between my toes. And I am gross. Disgusting. And then, I get this healing water, this Holy washing, basically, and I am made clean. I’m renewed. I’m a NEW creation in Christ. And all of that filth, that dirt, that grime, is gone. Washed down the drain, out of sight. Just like the mud on Zach’s skin. It’s just… gone.

I love that. I love when life provides me with a metaphor that helps me so clearly relate what happens in my life to what has happened to me spiritually, what is STILL happening to me spiritually. I still sin. And even then, God washes me and makes me new.

In the end, I really have no control, and no desire to have control, over whether or not another parent will let her kids play in the dirt and mud. In many ways, I kind of feel like they will anyway. Dirt, mud… it isn’t for everyone.

But as for me and my son, we’re going to be stocking up on a lot of stained clothing, colored bubbles, and pudding cups, because I see a LOT of messy days in our future.

(Products in the layout above are from www.designhousedigital.com)

Citrus Lane: Fun With Food Review

- Mama 1 Comment

It is no secret that I’m a huge fan of Citrus Lane and the companies it introduces me to. With that said, all opinions are my own, and Citrus Lane and the brands mentioned below have not compensated me in any way for my honest review.

As soon as I heard that the Citrus Lane box for November would be Fun With Food, I knew that I was going to love the box. If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you’ll know that I’ve always maintained the stance that I’m a casual foodie, and I love introducing Zach to fun new things at mealtimes. This month’s Citrus Lane box did not disappoint.

This box came with several full-sized items plus a couple of smaller trial items.

The first two items I noticed in the box was a set of four Green Eats snack bowls and a Goodbyn Small Meals container.

The Green Eats snack bowls are awesome. I’ve been a fan of Green Toys for quite awhile, and Green Eats is a division of their company. These bowls are USA-made, plus they’re from recyclable milk jugs. Not only that, but they’re BPA free, of course, plus melamine-free, phthalate-free, and PVC-free, and they’re dishwasher safe (top rack). Since we got our box earlier this month, this has been the one item that has gotten the most use. They’re durable, and they’re the perfect size for Zach’s small meals. From oatmeal with pomegranate at breakfast to lasagna soup at night, these bowls dish up every food that he needs. I love that they’re tough, and I love that they’re dishwasher safe, because I’m sorry, but I do not have time to handwash dishes if I don’t have to! My box this month also came with a code for 10% off at GreenToys.com, which means I can order more items that Zach and I can use at a special price. (Green Eats set of four snack bowls, $6.99, available from www.greentoys.com)

The second item was another hit with us, a Goodbyn Small Meals container. It is big enough to hold a full sandwich, as well as snacks, which means right now, it’s still a little too big for Zach’s appetite. However, it makes a perfect snack container for on-the-go. As with all of the containers that Citrus Lane provides, they’re BPA free. The one thing that really threw me off is that you actually seal it by pressing the indentations on the middle of the container instead of pressing the sides… for some reason, I always feel unsure that it got a decent seal. After I figured it out, it became a favorite. Goodbyn has a huge selection of waste-free lunch containers, which is awesome because Citrus Lane subscribers got a code for 25% off of their order! There’s even a flickr feed with ideas for foods to put in the lunch container. Overall, the container is probably getting the least amount of use out of all of the items that came in this box, but that’s mostly because we really don’t go anywhere that we need a traveling container for. (Goodbyn Red Small Meal Container, $7.00, available from www.goodbyn.com)

Zach and I both love PlumOrganics and the philosophies they stand behind. In fact, just today we got an order of tons of PlumOrganics snacks we love… it truly ranks right up there in my top 5 favorite brands for Zach’s age group. We hadn’t had the opportunity to try their Training Meals yet, so it was an exciting opportunity to try it out with this delicious apple cinnamon oatmeal. It can be warmed up once it’s put into a bowl (I served it in one of our Green Eats snack bowls!) The nice thing about this meal is that it has protein, with lots of complex flavor (I tasted it…. and it was REALLY good). The only issue I had with it is that Zach is so used to regular oatmeal that the texture of this was very thin for him. It would be great for younger kids (the packaging indicates it’s for 8m+!) but it still is suitable for adults and older children, too. (This box contained 1 packet to try. (12-pack of PlumOrganics Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, $17.88, from www.ecomom.com)

The Juice Beauty Moisturizer was a great gift for mom… until I lost it. Oops. I’m terrible at reviewing products like this because I tend to either forget I have them, or I lose them, so I feel like I can’t comment too much on how well this worked, since I only used it once. I can tell you that it smelled fantastic. This Nutrient Moisturizer is supposed to bring back pregnancy glow, even when your child is growing up. It’s packed with natural oils and antioxidants, to help nurture skin. Citrus Lane subscribers got a code for $10 off a $40 order, so maybe if I don’t find mine, I’ll be able to order more to try it out! This Citrus Lane box contained a small trial-sized tube valued at $9.00, but full-size products are available on Juice Beauty’s website. (2 ounces of Juice Beauty Nutrient Moisturizer, $36.00, from www.juicebeauty.com)

Even though this Citrus Lane box was food-themed, Citrus Lane didn’t forget to include a great toy for Zach, too! This month, it was fish (which is, by the way, technically a food). These Plan Toys Fish Castanets are perfect for making fun music for kids. What I love is that they fit his hands just right… which means he and I can play the music together. We spent about 15 minutes playing with our fish castanets tonight! It’s fun to clack the castanets and dance along to the rhythms we create. They’re so fun to look at, too! Zach is already such a musical kiddo that I love being able to encourage his musical tendencies, and these toys fit right in. I also love that they’re painted with natural, non-toxic waterbased dyes, with non-formaldehyde glues, from rubber trees that are no longer able to produce latex. They’re earth-friendly and they’re fun to play with! The fish castanets are sold individually; Citrus Lane subscribers got a pair of them so mom and tot could play together. (Plan Toys Fish Castanets, $4.00 each, from www.ecomom.com)

Finally, Citrus Lane decided to help subscribers get a jump start on their holiday cards with a 20% off code for TinyPrints, plus free shipping. Tiny Prints have premium photo prints with fun designs and an easy to use website. Check out the image below, from their website:

Oh my gosh… so cute! Too many gorgeous options on their website to choose from, meaning that it’ll be hard to decide exactly how to use this discount!

Overall, our top pick this month was the Green Eats bowls, but the entire box was a hit!

Want to receive Citrus Lane boxes each month? You can subscribe on their website at CitrusLane.com! The boxes are only $25 per month, and as you can see, you get quite a bit more than that in terms of value. Not only do the boxes give you more than $25 worth of product, they also give you exclusive discounts each month, plus they introduce you to amazing brands. As a new mom, I knew that there were a lot of great products out there, but I had a lot of trouble weeding through the clutter to find the brands that truly worked for me. Citrus Lane allowed me to try out a lot of brands in the beginning that I never would have been able to find. Because they curate the best of the best for their boxes, it really showed me exactly what brands worked for me, and which ones didn’t. Now, even though I’m no longer a “new” mom, I’m still able to find brands I love and also find new products from brands I already know and love. For me, there’s no other truly affordable way to try out a variety of products that I know work for my personality and style, as well as meeting Zach’s needs. And, because I pre-purchase a multi-month subscription, I don’t have to worry about each and every month– it just automatically arrives since I’ve paid in advance.

So, have I convinced you yet? Head here to subscribe, or click on the link in the sidebar.