MommyBlueprint Blog

Packing a waste free lunch for your kids (and yourself) is not only going to save you money, it will also help you and your children learn eco friendly habits together!  Here are some great tips to get you started.  And be sure to watch this video to see it in action!

DO Include:

· Sandwiches in reusable containers.

· Whole fruits without packaging.

· Drinks in containers that can be reused, such as a thermos, or recycled, such as a can.

· Snacks purchased in bulk and brought in reusable containers.

· Reusable cutlery.

· Reusable ice packs.

DON’T Include:

· Individually wrapped snacks

· Plastic baggies that are not reusable

· Disposable forks and spoons

· Straws

These beverages are — without exception — delicious. Some are creamy and thick. Some will chill you on a hot summer day. Others will warm you from the inside out. So what’s not to love? All of them are really, really bad for you.

Men’s Health magazine has uncovered the unhealthiest beverages we regularly consume. And the worst of them all? It’s the Cold Stone PB&C in the “Gotta Have It” size of 24 oz. It has 2,010 calories, 131 grams of fat, of which 68 grams are saturated, and 153 grams of sugar. If those numbers mean nothing, consider this: Drinking one of these is the sugar equivalent of eating 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies. The saturated fat in one drink is the same as 68 strips of bacon.

The Worst Hot Chocolate
Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fluid ounces)
It has 520 calories, 16 grams fat (11 grams saturated) and 75 grams of sugar.
The sugar equivalent: 9 Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

The Worst Kids’ Drink
Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister (1 bottle, 20 fluid ounces)
It has 340 calories, 0 grams fat and 60 grams of sugar.
The sugar equivalent: Two 7-ounce canisters Reddi-wip

The Worst Drive-Thru Shake
McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fluid ounces)
It has 1,160 calories, 27 grams fat (16 grams saturated, 2 grams trans fat) and 168 grams of sugar.
The sugar equivalent: 13 McDonald’s Baked Hot Apple Pies

To see the full list of 10 click here. After reading that list, please  go directly to see the FULL list of 20 Worst Drinks in America which included  Number  11. Worst Chocolate Milk (details below.)

Nesquik (16 oz bottle)

400 calories
10 g fat (6 g saturated)
60 g sugar

Quik and other chocolate milk manufacturers try to sell parents on the bone-building calcium found in their product, but what they don’t talk about is the fact that a single bottle of this stuff contains as much sugar as three Haagen Dazs Vanilla and Almond ice cream bars. Yikes. Make it yourself at home with 2 percent milk and a scoop of real powdered cocoa-you’ll save about 150 calories, plus get the antioxidant benefits of cacao without the high-fructose corn syrup.

“Do you neglect housework to spend more time online? Are you frequently checking your e-mail? Do you often lose sleep because you log in late at night?  Has high-speed Internet made you impatient with slow-speed children?  Do you sometimes think about reaching for the fast-forward button, only to realize that life does not come with a remote control?  If you answered yes to any of those questions, exposure to technology may be slowly reshaping your personality.”  After reading this, the beginnings of a series of NY Times articles on how technology affects our brains and behavior, I had to keep reading… I totally agreed with everything and that is BAD (for everyone!)  It is time to unplug.

To read the rest of  this eye opening article click here and to read the other relate articles on this topic from the NY Times click the links below.

The Risks of Parenting While Plugged In

First Steps to Digital Detox

Kids need at least 60 minutes of active and vigorous play each day, and one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to meet this goal is by playing outside.  Let’s Move Outside! gives parents the tools they need to get their families moving outdoors. By linking parents to nearby parks, trails and waters – and providing tips and ideas – Let’s Move Outside! will help families become healthier and develop a more active lifestyle.

The U.S. Departments of the Interior (DOI) and Agriculture (USDA) are leading a coordinated Federal effort to get kids moving outside.  Together, these agencies oversee more than one-fifth of the nation’s landmass, including nearly 200 million acres of National Forest, 84 million acres of National Parks, and over 60,000 miles of National Trails.

Join First Lady Michelle Obama, along with doctors, teachers, land managers, community leaders, and others in this nationwide campaign to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity by unplugging and reconnecting outside.  Click here to read more about First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets Move OUTSIDE Initiative!

If your child is using a crib or you are in the market for a crib the numerous recalls this past year can leave you feeling concerned.  Just last week Senator Gillibrand of New York called for the ban of drop side cribs because of the number of recalls associated with this type of crib and the number of infant deaths.

So before you purchase, borrow, or lend a crib, please read this announcement and visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission for the most current recalls.

Do you ever look at your children with amazement over how fast they are growing? Over how fast the time is passing?  In the moment the things our kids are doing and saying are foremost on our minds.  We aren’t always mindful that if we flash forward two years many of the details may escape us.

A simple and easy way to create a record of some of these wonderful tidbits is to start a journal.  Many years ago, my son’s first teacher gave all of the children in her class journals.  Over the years we’ve sporadically remembered to write in it.  Reading over the entries to my son I’m amazed at how much he enjoys reading about what he did when he was 3, 4, and so on.

You can make this an annual entry that coincides with your child’s birthday,  a vacation journal to document special times you’ve spent together as a family, or an any time journal.   The idea is to put something down that captures the day in the life of your child in real time.

Happy Memory Making!

Studies are confirming that good old-fashioned play is becoming an endangered pastime for today’s kids.  Just look at these statistics from the article by Michele Borba, Ed.D:

• Since the late 1970s there’s been a 25 percent drop in free play

• In the same time there has been a 50 percent drop in unstructured outdoor activities while at the same time kids spend in organized sports have doubled and the number of minutes kids devote each week to passive leisure, not including watching television, has increased from 30 minutes to more than three hours

• The average[i] U.S. child is now “plugged-in” to some kind of digital device–not including cell phone and text–71/2 hours a day

• More than 30,000 schools across the United States have cut recess

If you want to know why free play is so important to your child’s development, click here to read the rest of this great article. I did.

Have some great free play ideas you want to share with other moms, please join in the discussion on MommyBlueprint Facebook page.  We are all learning from each other, right!

Get Caught Reading your favorite book this month, and help remind kids and adults alike how much fun it is to read!  If you are having a hard time getting your kids interested in reading, click here to read 10 easy tips you can do today that will help encourage a love of reading from the start! (FYI- Oh The Places You’ll Go is a favorite Dr. Seuss book at our house!

To celebrate Spring, why not try reading these wonderful seasonal books with your kids.  Remember kids learn by doing, so after you read these great books, take the opportunity to “experience” the stories by exploring nature and gardening together.  It will be FUN… Make an afternoon of it!  If you need suggestions for follow up activities to any of these books send us your comments here.  We are glad to help!

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Spring by Gerda Muller

The Sun Egg by Elsa Beskow

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Here are a few book lists for more great reading suggestions.  Click the links below for each category.

MommyBlueprint Favorite Children’s Books Age 0-3

MommyBlueprint Favorite Children’s Books Age 3-5

MommyBlueprint Favorite Worklife/Family Life Balance Books

MommyBlueprint Favorite Managing Your Love Life Books

MommyBlueprint Favorite Parenting Books

If you have some great books to share with us, let us know here.

My Favorite Book Accessory:  Bookplates! Click the links below to download adorable and FREE bookplates to personalize the books in your home library.  My kids love them and I just think sticking one (with a little note) to the inside cover of books given away as gifts to friends and family adds a nice finishing touch!

Wide Open Spaces

My Home Library

If you want to make your own bookplates, check out Martha Stewart’s step by step directions, here.

Mom’s, now is the time to put ourselves first.  I know it is hard, with everything we have to do everyday, squeezing any time for ourselves is a challenge.  But, it is so important.  When we put ourselves first and love ourselves, we are able love our families and come much closer to leading more balanced, happy and healthy lives.  So, if you didn’t already know already,this week is National Women’s Health Week.  If you haven’t done so yet, take this week to start showing yourself some love and making your health a priority.

With the theme “It’s Your Time,” the nationwide health initiative encourages women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life. Important steps include:

• Getting at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week
• Eating a nutritious diet
• Visiting a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings
• Avoiding risky behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt
• Paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress

To learn more about National Women’s Health Week or to find local events in your area click here.

To share some things you are doing for yourself or to see what other mom’s are doing for themselves, please join in the discussion here.

Soon after the birth of my first child, I came across this story in BrainChild Magazine that gave me more smiles than anything else and continues to make me laugh on the inside every time I think of it or read it.  So for my mother’s day gift to you, here is If You Give a Mom a Nap, by Katherine Almy. (with apologies to Laura Numeroff) I hope you like it as much as I do!

If you give a mom a nap, she’ll probably wake up refreshed and in a good mood.  She’ll probably let you bounce on the bed as she’s getting up.  After you’ve bounced her out of bed, she’ll be ready to play hide-and-seek with you.

Playing hide-and-seek will make her hot, and she’ll want to go outside.  She’ll be happy to trudge up and down the street with you while you zoom around on your toy fire truck.  When you fall off your truck and skin your knee, she’ll pick you up very gently and kiss your tenderly on the boo-boo.

After she’s kissed your boo-boo, it’ll feel better and you’ll see the swing in the neighbor’s tree.  Mom will joyfully push you on the swing for 15 minutes.

All of the pushing will make her hungry, so you’ll run inside and she’ll fix you a snack.  Just as she’s sitting down to eat her snack, you’ll remember that you’re thirsty, too, so she’ll jump up to get you a glass of milk.

As she’s settling down to take a bite of her snack, you’ll spill your entire glass of milk.  She’ll give you a look, but she’ll get up and get a rag for you to clean up your mess. You’ll push the rag around a bit and she’ll clean up the rest.

When she sits down to finally eat her snack, you’ll remind her that your glass is now empty and you need some more milk.  With a sigh, she’ll get up to get it for you.

When you’re done with your snack, you’ll hop down from your chair and run to the electrical outlets in the living room.  Mom will leave her mostly uneaten snack to make sure that you don’t electrocute yourself.  You’ll run away into the other room, giggling and looking over your shoulder to see if she’s chasing you.

While you’re running and not looking where you are going, you’ll run smack into a chair.  You’ll scream and holler.  Mom will roll her eyes and tell you it was your own damn fault, but then she’ll feel bad and kiss your boo-boo.  She’ll suggest that you do something quiet for a little while, like reading a book.

You’ll pick out a Thomas the Tank Engine book.  Listening to the story will remind you of your train set, and you’ll ask her to pull it out for you.  She’ll get the train set and help you set up a track.  You’ll ask her to run the track all the way into the bedroom.  You don’t have nearly enough track pieces for that, but when she looks into the bedroom, she’ll see the bed.

And chances are, when she sees the bed, she’ll want to take a nap.

So with that, Happy Mother’s Day, ladies.  Thank you for all that you do and enjoy a restful day!

Love,

MommyBlueprint