April 25, 2014

Just Because and The Beauty of Living Energy

It’s the little things that matter “Just Because”.  My dad started a tradition a couple years ago where he would take one of my boys for some “papa and me” time.  With Andy my 4 year old, they would always go to Trader Joes and bring home a little something special for everyone. The typically brought me flowers and everyone else got some type of food or drink. For the longest time, this used to be a weekly event, but lives got busy and its been quite a few months since they have had this special time together.

Flowers from AndyEarlier this week, my husband and son went to the store to pick up a few things.   I gave them a list of a some things I needed, but was pleasantly surprised when they brought me home flowers (which were not on my list).  I heard the garage door and the pitter patter of little footsteps down the hall.  Andy then peaked into my office.  His little face was so cute with a big smile as he was trying to hide this nice surprise behind his back.

He said “These are for you mommy, I love you!”.  I melted.  It wasn’t my birthday, anniversary or mothers day, it was JUST BECAUSE.

There was a point in my life where I thought flowers were a waste of money.  I thought, while they are beautiful, they die so quickly, so why waste the money.  Why not just buy some fake ones and they will always be there.  But I have learned that the entire experience of receiving and enjoying the flowers was so amazing,

Taking in my son’s positive energy, along with seeing my husband being so proud of his little guy who came up with the idea himself and feeling the living energy in the flowers themselves, I was in total joy, awe and amazement.  It was just one of those really divine moments in life where I was literally able to “Stop and smell the roses”.

In this beautiful springtime, I encourage you to take the time to appreciate the beauty and tranquility of nature, JUST BECAUSE.  Whether it be a walk in the park, sitting on your front porch swing, buying yourself flowers, being in your gardening, watching a sunrise/sunset etc… I am truly amazed at the energy I receive by being in the presence of nature and God’s living creatures.

I would love to hear any ways that you get in touch with and experience the beauty of nature.

April 15, 2014

Egg Hunt Ideas for Teens

When my kids were younger they love Easter time.  Coloring eggs and going on an egg hunt was always so much fun.  However, I have noticed the past couple of years my older boys have said that Easter hunts are boring.  They are too old for that “kiddie” stuff.  So I have been on a mission to come up with some new fun creative ideas that they will think are fun.

 Sunset Egg Hunt

Rather than doing a hunt during the day, wait until the evening to create an unforgettable Sunset Egg hunt.   Make your eggs glow in the dark by painting them with glow in the dark paint or use glow stick bracelets which you can find at the dollar store really cheap.  Hide the eggs outside and pass out flashlights or glow sticks to aid in finding the eggs to let the fun begin.  You can make it more exciting by putting on some fun music to aid in the fun.

Easter Hunt

Ticket Egg Hunt

While filling eggs with candy is great, look beyond the sugary snacks for your next hunt.  Fill plastic eggs with tickets and hide them all over the house or yard.   Allow the teens to “cash in” the tickets for prizes just like they would at the arcade.   You could even use play money from a monopoly game for an added bonus for special prizes or claiming “extra tickets”.  I know my boys always liked finding “The GOLDEN EGG”.  Maybe you can have “THE GOLDEN TICKET”.  I like to buy a roll of tickets at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.  You could choose to put a number on the ticket, so that each one represents more than just 1 ticket.  Then offer prizes in exchange for the tickets.  Some ideas could be gift cards to their favorite restaurant, itunes, or money are usually good ideas. For something that doesn’t cost much, offer some options like adding extra time to the curfew or staying up late

 Would love to hear any other fun creative ideas you have done in your family.

 

 

 

April 7, 2014

Are your kids getting enough fiber?

When it comes to eating better many of us are focusing on making healthier choices by adding in more REAL non-processed foods and starting to eliminate the toxins, by removing sugars, dyes, partially hydrogentated oils, GMO’s etc… but how many of you focus on how much fiber you are consuming?

Fiber is an integral part of our daily diet and studies have shown that most people are not consuming the daily recommended amounts of fiber. The average dietary fiber intake among kids is much lower than the recommendations. Many kids (let alone adults) get less then 50% of their daily recommended fiber per day.

Here are some stats from (www.superkidsnutrition.com)

  • Children 1-3 years: 19 grams of fiber per day
  • Children 4-8 years: 25 grams of fiber per day
  • Boys 9-13 years: 31 grams of fiber per day
  • Girls 9-13 years: 26 grams of fiber per day
  • Boys 14-19: 38 grams of fiber per day
  • Girls 14-19: 26 grams of fiber per day

Here is a comparison of the amount of foods you would need to eat in order to consume approximately 12 grams of fiber in a day. If our kids are not getting enough fruits, veggies and whole grains, they are not getting enough fiber which have many benefits, one being to assist in elimination of the toxins in their bodies.

  • 1 Avacado
  • 1 1/2 c Oatmeal
  • 2 Tbsp Chia Seed
  • 3 Apples
  • 7 Slices of Whole wheat bread
  • 18 Prunes
  • 5 Cups Broccoli
  • 18 Cups Spinach
  • 40 Baby Carrots
  • 79 Almonds

I encourage you to pay closer attention and become more aware of whether or not your family is getting enough fiber in their diet. Lack of fiber could be a factor in some of the health issues your family may be facing.