Category: Children

Categories
Children christian mom Family

Fish Oil Supplements for Kids


I received this product for free from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.                  My Full Disclosure policy

Every day I give my children a fish oil for kids, a multi-vitamin, and prebiotic.  These supplements provide me with peace of mind when it comes to my children’s nutrition.  Often, I fight with one of my girls on eating well and nourishing food. Although, I am a personal trainer, my children didn’t catch the memo that they need to eat all things healthy.  Instead, they opt for something like pizza and boxed mac n cheese any day.  Don’t get me wrong they eat fruits and vegetables too, but I don’t think they get enough to meet their essential vitamin needs.

Supplements are a great tool to help kids get what they need

When you say you give your kids supplements, you often get a dirty look. I know as a child, I took supplements.  My Mom gave my Flintstone vitamins daily.  I thought it was a fun candy treat. I didn’t realize it was filling in the gaps for where my nutrition was lacking.  I never considered giving my daughter a supplement for omega-3s until I heard all the positive benefits. I give my children supplements because it gives me peace of mind; they are getting all they need daily.

fish oil for kids

Benefits of Fish Oil for Kids

There are many benefits to people who take a supplement for Omega-3, which is an excellent addition to a balanced diet.  The Omega 3’s and 6s found in quality fish oil can help nurture and maintain healthy brain function.  It’s great to improve and maintain eye health as well as nervous system health.  There have also been studies that show an association with behavior and temperant in children and their consumption of fish oil.

Bioglan Fish Oil for Kids

Finding a Quality Fish Oil for kids

I try to be aware and make informed choices on supplements for my girls and myself.  I have recently been introduced to Bioglan Kids Smart High DHA Fish Oil.  My girls love the fun Burstlets. Each burstlet is shaped like little “fishies,” as my daughter calls them as she requests to take hers daily.  When you twist the tail and squeeze, you get tasty fish oil. There is no fishy taste because Kids Smart Chewable Burstlets are micro-encapsulated. , so there is no fish taste! Instead, it tastes like Grape, Orange, and other fun flavors.  They’re so tasty Milah always wants more Burstlets.

Why are Kids Smart High DHA Fish Oil Chewable Burstlets better than other Fish Oil Supplements for Kids?

Kids Smart Chewable Burstlets provides more than ten times the fish oil than most kids supplements on the market.  They are gluten, yeast, wheat, and dairy-free supplements.  Kids Smart High DHA fish oil chewable burstlets also contains two essential omega-3 fatty acids called docosahexaenoic known as (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid known as EPA. Both of these fatty acids are essential because the body does not produce them on their own.  The only way to get these essential fatty acids is through foods high in them or supplements.  Most kids won’t eat enough fish to get the benefits of DHA and EPA.  That’s why I supplement mine with these fun chewable capsules that have a tasty berry flavor.

Where can I find Kids Smart High DHA fish oil chewable burstlets?

If you’re looking to give your children a better quality, higher potency, and tasty chewable supplement, I want to recommend Kids Smart High DHA Fish Oil Chewable Burstlets.  They come in a 30 count bottle or 180 counts.  Use this link to purchase yours today?

Do you give your children fish oil?

Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares
Categories
Battle of Motherhood Children christian mom

Workbooks help avoid Summer Slump with TinkerActive Workbooks

This post is sponsored by TinkerActive Workbooks, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. My full Disclosure Policy

TinkerActive Workbooks are a fun way to avoid the summer slump

There are those last days of summer when the kids are bored of being home, and the school has not yet begun.  Its the perfect time to refresh on skills to get ready for back to school with some engaging interactive workbooks.  I have three children for the first time going back to school, and my kindergartner is beyond excited.  She can’t wait to ride the school bus that she has watched her sisters get on for many years.

Ready for Back to School

We are ready to begin school all we need is for it to open. So, while we wait, I thought it would be a great time to explore TinkerActive Workbooks.   These workbooks are comprehensive, curriculum-based workbooks.  Each lesson has an interactive “tinkering,” creating and engineering project connected.  These activities improve your child’s ability to reinforce the skill learned in the experience.  The lessons are also very simple and don’t always involve lots of materials you don’t already own.   We had fun, refreshing math and science skills that she will expand in kindergarten this year.

Interactive Learning

Introducing these tinkering activities was a great way to pass the time until kindergarten began.  It also increased her excitement to learn new things and skills.  I am so impressed with the TInkerActive Workbooks. We are exploring foundational skills in STEM, Common Core. The lessons in the workbook for math covered themes like classifying and sorting, counting and quantities, counting by 100 by tens, measurement, 2D & 3D shapes and basics like addition, subtraction, and place value.

 

Built-In Motivation

Every child wants recognition, and for Mimi, it’s a great motivator.  In the TinkerActive Workbook, it includes progress recognition stickers and a Final “Secret Magnetic Merit Badge” for your child once they complete the book. It was fun to find the “hidden treasure” as a reward for completing the workbook. Mimi told everyone who would listen about her “hidden treasure.”  What a fun way to reward all her explorative work.

Sending my Baby off to School

The activities were just as fun for me as it was for Mimi and an excellent way for us to bond before school begins.  My last baby is leaving the house, and I know the time will fly.  I also have a tenth grader starting school this year, and I remember the days of teaching her to read and write.  It’s bittersweet preparing my baby for school, but I know that she is going thrive this year.  Exploring with our hands and minds is fun with TinkerActive Workbook.  We just began the science workbook, and we both are excited to complete it in the afternoons after morning Kindergarten.

TinkerActive Workbooks are great education Support

If you’re looking for an activity workbook for your kindergartner, I highly recommend you check these workbooks out. It’s an excellent opportunity to engage with your child through learning and a great supplement or support for school or to avoid the summer slump. TinkerActive Workbooks can be purchased wherever books are sold. If they decide to purchase on Amazon, share your thoughts, and submit a review for TinkerActive Workbooks. 

 

How do you bridge the gap in the summer?  Does your child learn better with play-based curriculums and tinkering?

Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares
Categories
Children christian mom Fitness and Health Mealtime Monday Product Review

Sport Snacks Ideas For Active Kids

 

I don’t remember a time I didn’t have active kids whether it was busy playing, going to the park these little divas have always been on the move.  Maybe this post should just be a snack for kids but I have some tips of especially what to snack on pre- and post activity.  For those who don’t know, I am the Mama of three little diva’s which aren’t so little anymore. The older they get the more places I have to drive them and when I am trying to think of snacks not only for my kids but for myself as well I have a small criterion.

Snacks before activity

  • Snacks should not me mindless choices to keep you occupied.
  • Pre Workout Snacks should be intentional small meals to fuel your body for the demands of the activity.
  • You should also account for proper hydration and the consumption of fluid pre and post meal and their effect on their performance.
  • Everything we put in our body has a purpose to nourish our body you should be making intentional decisions.  

What kind of snack should active kids have?

Including more than one light snack daily with an active kid is recommended.  These “light snacks” should provide a significant amount of carbohydrates which is known to be one of the primary fuel sources for highly active cells and helps to avoid gastrointestinal  (GI) issues that occur with very large meals to meet calorie needs. (Kerksic, C, Harvey T, Stout J, et al. 2015)

Your snack should also contain a protein source.  Studies reveal an improvement in both strength and body composition with frequent protein intake throughout the day; in comparison, not enough doses of protein intake.4  (Mamerow MM, Mettler JA, English KL, et al. 2014)

Things to eat pre and post workout:

The snacks that you choose pre and post workout need to help optimize glycogen stores and maintain glucose levels so the body is ready to adapt to the needs of training.  The closer you get to your training session the meal should be smaller and less protein, fat and fiber but not too small that you get hungry during your workout.

You also don’t want a snack that is too large because it can give you those gastrointestinal issues (GI) during your training.  Snacks should also be high in carbohydrates. You want foods that are high-glycemic because they are easier to digest and enters the bloodstream faster.7

Pre- Activity

30-60 minutes Prior:

Eating too heavy can put your child’s digestive system on overload. It’s best to leave the heavy meal hours prior to activity or afterward.

Drinks that are Ideal for Pre Activity

Some better choices in Pre and post-activity drinks are drinks that are high in dietary nitrates. For example, beet and cherry (for the flavor) juice prior to a workout is a better alternative to drinks on the market. Beet juice is a high source of nitrates, polyphenols (a great source of great source antioxidants). Cherry juice is also a common pre-workout for the positive performance benefits it has during exercise activity.  (Jones AM, Vanhatalo A, Bailey SJ.2013) 

Can you snack during exercise?

Most children don’t need to snack for the workout are moderate intensity and last up to 90 minutes. Endurance-type or high-intensity sports lasting longer than 60 to 90 minutes you need to try to get in at least 30-60g of protein within the hour to help extend endurance performance but again that is dependent on your child’s activity.  It also acceptable to consume carbohydrates during exercises for children who are not well-nourished or didn’t have a pre-workout snack.  That is also something that you should speak to your pediatrician. 

Ideas of during-exercise snacks, as tolerated:

  1. MomSanity Branch Chain Amino Acids 
  2. Applesauce Pouches
  3. Bananas
  4. Crackers

What do I feed my active kids after a “workout”?

After a workout, I want to get protein and carbohydrates in at least 30-45 minutes after the girls finish their activity. It is very important to help them recover and I think what they eat is important. It’s also larger than their pre-workout snack because they just burned lots of calories and are usually feisty hungry. 

Ideas of post-exercise snacks:

  • Momsanity CRAVE in  Milk
  • Nuzest Fruit and Veg Smoothie
  • Greek yogurt with banana
  • Cottage Cheese and Apple
  • High protein cereal with milk and fruit
  • Egg on English muffin, fruit
  • Lean meat or peanut butter sandwich,
  • Raisins
  • Dates and Almond Butter
  • Hard Boiled Eggs and Baby Carrots

The Worst Snacks for Active Kids

I think that it can be really simple to fuel your active kids. Ultimately, when considering choosing snacks for your active child not to choose only processed sports foods as snacks. When only highly processed sports foods replace whole foods at snack time, a great opportunity to consume fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals is missed. Eat real food and limit the junk.

My biggest tip would be when thinking of nutrition be intentional, not mindless. Eat well and eat often and try to make quality, intentional nutrition choices.

What are some snacks that you serve your active kids?

You can grab your Nuzest products here! Click on the coupon and enter “FAITHFUELED” in the promo/coupon code to receive 15% off any regular priced items. Cannot be used on Bundles.

I am a Nuzest Ambassador and I make a commission from my affiliate link as well as other affiliate links that I am partnered.  I recommend this product but if I didn’t I would tell you. My full disclosure policy is here. 

Reference:
  1. Burke L. Practical Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics; 2007. Print
  2. Kerksic, C, Harvey T, Stout J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Nutrient timing. J Intl Soc Sports Nutr. 2008;17. Accessed January 5, 2015.
  3. Carlsohn A, Nippe S, Heydenreich J, Meyer F. Carbohydrate intake and food sources of junior triathletes during a moderate and an intensive training period. Int J of Sports Nutr Exerc Metab. 2012;22:438-443. Print
  4. Mamerow MM, Mettler JA, English KL, et al. Dietary protein distribution positively influences 24-h muscle protein synthesis in healthy adults. J Nutr. 2014;144::876-880. Print.
  5. Phillips S, Bandini LG, Naumova EN, et al. Energy-dense snack food intake in adolescence: longitudinal relationship to weight and fatness obesity research. Obesity Res. 2004;12:461-472. Print.
6.Andrea Q. Vintro, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, owner of Nutrition Logic, LLD in Portland, OR.
  1. Burke LM, Hawley JA, Wong SHS, Jeukendrup AE. “Carbohydrates for training and competition. J Sports Sci, 2011;29 (suppl1): S17-S27. Print.
  2. van Loon LJC. Role of dietary protein in post-exercise muscle reconditioning. Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser. 2013;75:73-83. Print.
  3. Spiegel K, Tasali E, Leproult R, van Cauter E. Effects of poor and short sleep on glucose metabolism and obesity risk. Nature Rev Endocrinol. 2009;5:253-261, Print
Share
Pin6
Share
6 Shares
Categories
Children Family Family Projects

A Night to Dare to Dream

My Full Disclosure Policy

Dare to dream!

What happens to a dream deferred? When you were a child, I am sure that you had a lot of dreams for your adult life. Some were nonsensical like you want to live in a house made out of chocolate. As you got older your dreams became more realistic, you want to be a celebrity athlete or president of the United States.  We all are dreamers at some point in our lives. Some people are bold enough to pursue those dreams, others forget their dreams or defer them because they let their current situation get in the way and then there are those who dream for their entire lives and never put it into action.

Why is that? Why do some people have the freedom pursue while others get stuck just dreaming? Is it that they never received the skills to dream? Is it that no one gave them the resources they needed to attempt their dream. Or someone in their life told them that dreamers were for nighttime sleep and once the sun comes out they need to put those dream back to bed.

 

A Night to Dream

Last Thursday was one of those nights that are good for the soul. I was invited to the Disney Social media Mom celebration, and as soon as I RSVP’d, I was excited I had no idea what to expect but to be in a room full of Magic was all I needed to look forward.  The night was great to see other bloggers I hadn’t seen in a while and some that I had just hung out with in Vegas for the last few days.  It was a great room of familiar faces one face that stood out from the crowd immediately in a room of mostly women was a young well dressed young man whom I later got to know as Jordan.  He was well poised but very young, so I was immediately curious to meet him.

Disney Dreamer Alum Are Making Dreams Come True

Some people’s presence simply shines, and Jordan is one of those people.  I later found out that he is the alum of a decade old organization called Disney Dreamer’s Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine.  Have you ever heard of the DDA? Until Thursday I was unaware of the opportunities that Disney has been providing our youth to dream. Steve Harvey himself has a very active role in speaking and working with the Disney Dreamer Academy Participants.

The Disney Dreamer’s Academy is something that my daughter Kyhia will be applying for before October 31, 2017, and I encourage you to share this with any dreamer that you may know the ages of 13-17 or high school student.  Dreams are not meant to be contained in dream catchers. In our world of technology, dreams are leading to significant innovations in our society as well as easing hardship for many people all over the world.  Containing a dream is a dangerous thing these days, and that’s why hearing what Walt Disney World has been doing for the last decade needs to be shared with everyone.

Word from an Alum

Jordan Williams owner of Young Mogul Brand according to their website is “an urban clothing line that promotes teen entrepreneurship with positivity through clothing wear.” Jordan is a great example of the potential that is happening with our youth and the encouragement and influence that they can have on our world. Jordan comes from Atlanta, Georgia where from a young age he inherited his father entrepreneurial ambitions. By the time he was a senior in High School not only was he an excellent student but he had three business’ under his belt and currently the owner of a brand for youth entrepreneurs.

Jordan applied for the Disney Dreamers Academy after seeing the effect of the program on his best friend and business partner returned motivated and inspired to follow his dream. Brandon (Jordan’s best friend) encouraged Jordan to apply.  Thousands of teens apply every year, and Walt Disney World and Steve Harvey chooses 100 applicants to attend Disney Dreamers Academy.

 

What happens at Disney Dreamer Academy?

These candidates go to Walt Disney World for four days and learn how to dream; they have a full itinerary working with DDA Alum, professional dreamers, and networking among each other. Exploring what it is to dream truly and how to make those dreams come true. Discovering potential career opportunities in all fields from computers, animations, culinary whatever your little dreamer is dreaming WDW is providing hands on experiences for these high school student.  Walt Disney along with Steve Harvey is empowering our youth to look past what they are given and see what they aspire to have and be.  I love that this 10-year organization has this opportunity for any highschooler with a dream to apply.

Can anyone apply?

The application process is seamless and straightforward. It has three questions for the applicant to share their dream. No high school transcripts required, no letter of recommendations the screening criteria is if you have a dream and if you can articulate those dreams. I am a big dreamer my husband not so much he often gets grounded in reality. I think this opportunity to show my thirteen-year-old Kyhia that not only is it okay to dream but there are other dreamers out there like you.  I want her to get the opportunity to begin to meet the dreamers and the doers of our future. I also want her to know what and how to accomplish her dreams.  We have applied for this year, and it’s not too late for you too.  Application deadlines are October 31, 2017, and you can begin by applying here.

A great night full of laughs

It was so nice to get dressed up have a delicious meal and meet people who are dreamers and doers. It is also exciting to think that my daughter has an opportunity to meet 99 other dreamers who are going to eventually make an impact on our world.  We must encourage our children to dream big, bold and without limits. It’s been proven that dreams do come true for those who only dare to dream.  What are you cultivating in your little dreamer’s life? Fulfillment?

Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares
Categories
Children christian mom Family

Teens and Money

Parenting is getting real, hard!

This school year has been a huge transition for the Bolton’ family. My husband and I are transitioning from parents of littles to parents of biggins and our roles as parents are expounding. We are no longer caring for our children’s safety and teaching them the laws of the land.  We now have to deal with another set of issues such as other children, social cues, independence, and responsibility.

It’s hard raising children in this world that are grateful and aren’t entitled.  I feel that children are handed a lot of things that we had to earn.  Tomorrow my in between diva will be nine and my twelve years old will be thirteen in April.  We are at a point especially with my twelve-year-old that we are asking to go beyond our at home playdates. We want to go places, do things and spend money.

Creating entitle diva’s

This is becoming a serious problem in my house, and I have complained about it before but like anything without consistency and follow through my best efforts have been without success. That just means I need a readjustment right? Well, I am starting to realize that as I affectionately call my daughters’ ill diva’s which I intend it to mean (Divine Inspired Virtuous and Anointed) sometimes they are actually what pop culture would refer to high maintenance lil women.  I have no one to blame but myself.  I have been a stay at home mom for going on 13 years. I have catered to the two of my girls every whim leaving them with little to no responsibilities. Although, I have taught them gratitude they often have to be reminded and can be entitled.

Since I was the one who created this poor work ethic and these little girls who “believing they are inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment” without any labor.  My aha moment as I was folding my nine-year-olds (who if I remember my childhood correctly was a skill I had mastered by this age). It dawned on me, these girls need more responsibilities and need to earn their keep. It was either a brilliant idea or my way of lessening my load, but I needed a better chore management system, maybe an app?

We need a solution

In a few weeks, I will have both a nine-year-old and thirteen-year-old. As we approach the lil diva’s Birthday’s, I am starting to see the need to give my girls more responsibility.  At this age, the focus is no longer taking as much care of these independent souls and more teaching them skills to use in life.

At least once a week my husband Ed and I admit we have no clue to what we are doing and this parenting thing has reached a climax. It’s gotten real hard now, the solutions to the problems are more thought provoking and creativity is a necessary.  I am not an expert parent, I know there are those who claim to be out there, and I am very grateful the next generation has a few experts raising them because I know I fail daily.

Benefits of Showing Kid’s Financial Responsibility

Last year, we explored a new app to make chores seem more enjoyable and easily monitored by me without nagging. Well, Homey App (Check out my Original review of Homey App) has revamped and given us parents, even more, option.

I know it’s been a year so let me give you a basic breakdown of what Homey App used to do and what they do now?|

 

Parents Capabilities:

  • Create a household name and password.
  • Invite your family members to join and set up an account with family members names, pictures/avatars, and passwords.
  • Once that is all setup then you (the parent) can start assigning chores and value.
  • You can take a picture of their messy room and create as detailed of a description of what you expect from them to complete the task.

How it works now?

I love the new upgrades that Homey App has made it now has:

  • An allowance management functions teaching children the value of labor and future life skills.
  • Create savings goals for your child whether they be a short term want like going skating or a long term goal an electronic or game.  It helps them see their effort and their money accumulating.
  • You can transfer money! Say what? I don’t even have to got to the ATM to remember allowance. I am an online shopper and use my debit card often. I have bank accounts set up for the girls (not Mimi yet which is a reminder poor third child) and the difference between paying them in cash and going directly to their bank.  They collect interest at the bank, and they will be more likely to use it wisely if it’s not in their hands.

Chore Management Upgrades

Some of the things I suggested before are now available, YAY!

  • I like the reward/deduction feature.
  • Skip chores
  •  undo completed tasks in case they weren’t done up to standards
  • can add or take away points and coins
  • add photos of the child’s rewards that they are seeking to earn
  • edit templates that Homey App has available for you and make them your customer chore pack
  • You can also change the family dynamics too. However, they fit your household for example Grandparents raising children or other family members that aren’t the child’s biological parents..


The free version of  Homey App is still available, but this new premium feature will have a subscription fee which covers the bank transfer fees and compliance to enhance your capabilities. You should give this a try for yourself.  We have been using it for a few weeks, and it has made the enthusiasm and reminder for my nine-year-old of her compensation for effort.  She gets points my oldest receives coins and now knows what she needs to do to go to special places with friends.  Now if I am consistent this just may be what the Bolton’s need.

Right now, if you register for Homey Premium, you get a complimentary trial of all the features.  This is a great trial to check out all the features and customize it to work for your family.  Creating an environment that not only encourages good work ethic but gives my lil diva’s some financial responsibility and management skills I think that’s a good thing. If you’re interested go visit my peeps at Homey App and find out more information.

What do you think?

 

Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares