Raising A Healthy Family 2009-06-28T13:30:26Z WordPress http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/feed/atom/ RaisingAHealthyFamilyhttp://feedburner.google.com Char http:// <![CDATA[Planning for a Patriotic July 4th Weekend]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=330 2009-06-28T13:30:26Z 2009-06-28T13:30:26Z flagsHappy Birthday USA! With July 4th falling on a weekend this year, the parades, picnics and celebrations will be spread out over a full two days – and there will most likely be something for everyone. Here are some links to resources, ideas and activities to make your fourth of July weekend even more fun!

Get the party started with some free printable Fourth of July party invitations created by me for my new site, Celebrate It!

Then grab some of these July 4th printable activities to get the kids excited about the holiday

Make some crafts

Play some fun July 4th Picnic and summer party games

And don’t forget to stay safe!!

Have a fantastic week and a safe July 4th weekend!!

]]> 3 Char http:// <![CDATA[100 Free or Almost Free Things for the Kids to Do This Summer]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=327 2009-06-20T12:55:44Z 2009-06-20T12:55:44Z sunSummer’s here and I’ve already shared with you the free kids bowling tip and the free weekends at the National Parks, but the team at Girl, Get Strong have compiled a serious list of things for the kids to do! Some of the highlights of the list include:

35.Find new parks in your area and explore them

36.Leave a message on your driveway for a special visitor with chalk-even for dad coming home!

37.Take a day hike on local trails

38.Go watch a baseball game

39.Attend local art festivals

40.Attend local farmers markets

41.Go to the local  water/ sprinkler park

42.Visit your local parks – take along a picnic

43.Visit your local school playgrounds

Get the complete list of 100 Free or Almost Free Activities for your Kids to do this Summer! This is definitely worth printing and hanging on the fridge!

]]> 0 Char http:// <![CDATA[Free Back to School Checklist for Mom’s]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=324 2009-06-18T16:24:51Z 2009-06-18T16:24:51Z Back to School Checklist for momsI can hear it already, you are saying the kids just got out ouf school and you are already talking about a back to school checklist?? Yep, because even though summer vacation just started for many of us, kids across the country will start going back to school before we know it. With three kids, the whole back  to school process leaves me stressed out and often caught off guard financially over the sheet amount of stuff I have to get.

Enter my favorite Mom, Nina from MomAgenda! She has already got a FREE printable Back to School Checklist ready for us so we can approach the back to school frenzy with calm, calculated actions and avoid the craziness!  Examples:

  • 2 months before school starts – schedule physicals, sign up for fall activities and sports, go over summer reading lists
  • 1 month before school starts – watch for sales and purchase backpacks, lunchboxes and basic wardrobe essentials
  • 1 week before school starts – schedule haircuts, do bulk shopping for basics like sandwich bags, pens, pencils, paper, etc.

Those are just a FEW of the great details she has listed in the checklist. Get your free checklist at the MomAgenda site – and don’t forget to check out their other tools for keeping Moms of busy families on track and organized!

While you are thinking about back to school, start watching the local stores for sales and pick up the basics you know you will need as you go – it will be easier on your wallet and your nerves!  Better yet, take advantage of online resources for affordable school supplies:

]]> 0 Char http:// <![CDATA[Visit National Parks for Free – 3 Weekends This Summer]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=321 2009-06-03T14:33:55Z 2009-06-03T14:33:55Z yosemite-national-park

Our National Parks are not only true gems of our country, but they make perfect backdrops for some of the most memorable family vacations. The U.S. National Park Service wants more of us to take time to enjoy our national parks, spend time together as families and save money in the process – they are lifting admission fees at 147 parks this summer on three separate weekends. And many of the parks do not charge admission fees any time of the year – which makes them great, affordable family destinations.

The weekends for free admission to the national parks will be:

  • June 20-21
  • July 18-19
  • August 15-16

Most of us have at least one national park within a reasonable driving distance making them perfect for affordable day trips, camping trips or stops along vacation itineraries. Kids love hiking, exploring nature and visiting historical sites. Some of my best childhood memories include a trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce National Park, Mount Vernon, and Mount Rushmore.

Among the parks included in the Free Weekend promotion are true landmarks such as:

For a complete listing of all the National Parks and Monuments included in this promotion, visit the U.S. National Park Service website.

Photo: Flickr

]]> 1 Char http:// <![CDATA[Raggs Rockin’ Kids Search Seeks 100 Kids to Appear in TV Show]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=314 2009-05-31T14:48:42Z 2009-05-31T14:09:31Z castcall-rags-rockin“Raggs”, the hit public television preschool series, announced today that it will hold auditions from June 1-30 at Raggs.com.

The team at Raggs are looking for 100 kids ages 4-8  to appear in a special talk show segment of the series.

The winners will be selected based on video submissions, which parents can upload to the Raggs.com website.

The goal is to find really animated, talkative and clever kids who represent a diverse sampling of families across the country.

If your child is chosen the Raggs team will fly them with one adult and bring them into the studio for a rare opportunity to experience the behind-the-scenes making of a TV series & the excitement of being involved in the production.

]]> 1 Char http:// <![CDATA[Summer’s Here – Stay Safe]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=308 2009-05-22T19:12:38Z 2009-05-22T19:07:23Z Summer makes its official debut for 2009 this weekend, which typically means cookouts, family gatherings, swimming pools are open and school is just about out.

Keep your family safe this summer by reviewing some basic safety tips:

Last but not least, always keep a family safety kit on hand. Emergency kits are affordable and customizable. Stay Safe!

]]> 0 Char http:// <![CDATA[Free Bowling for Kids This Summer]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=305 2009-05-19T11:32:10Z 2009-05-19T11:32:10Z kids bowl free

School is almost out and parents across the country will be looking for inexpensive activities to do with the kids all summer. KidsBowlFree.com is a program sponsored by bowling alleys across the US. The program allows you to register your children and receive coupons for up to 2 FREE games of bowling a DAY per child all summer long. All you pay for is the shoe rental.  For a nominal fee you can add up to 4 adults as well.

Bowling is one of our family’s favorite activities – whether we play it on the Wii at home or make an event of it and go to the bowling alley.

As summer nears, I will be looking out for more inexpensive, family friendly activities to highlight here. If you hear of anything or have activities that your kids have enjoyed in the past, please leave a comment!

]]> 0 Char http:// <![CDATA[No, Seriously, My Daughter Sent Me 106 Text Messages in 3 Days]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=297 2009-05-12T20:45:39Z 2009-05-12T20:45:39Z cell-phoneSo that is not a typical post title, but she really did! Now I am sure that there are parents everywhere shocked that I would give my 10 year old a cell phone of her own, and even more shocked that I don’t have a problem with the fact that she really did send me 106 text messages in 3 days. Why, you ask?

A few weeks ago I was scheduled to go to a very cool conference in Chicago. As fate would have it (as it does every time I try to do something exciting), I get a phone call at 2 p.m. the day before I was scheduled to leave that my 10 year old daughter – let’s call her Miss M – was in the clinic at school with a sore throat.

I took her into the doctor and as suspected, she had strep throat. Talk about throwing a wrench in my plans! She couldn’t go to school the next day. We had carefully planned everything out so the 3 kids would go to a friend’s house before school and that same friend would pick them up from school then take them to another friend’s house who would then have them until the next day when they would go to my parents’ house for the remainder of our trip. With Miss M unable to go to school I had to take her to my parents’ house before we left and she would be there until her siblings caught up with her the next day.

So here is where the fun starts. First thing Friday morning I get a text from Miss M as to our whereabouts. Are we on the plane yet? How is the airport? Etc, etc. The string of texts continued throughout the day. Everything from what she was doing to questions about our hotel, what we ate, what we were going to bring back for them, to a simple Goodnight.

At the time I really didn’t think much of it. I was really happy to know what she was up to, give her a sense of connection to us, and some of her texts were pretty amusing (like the one where she told me she was swinging on the swing at my parent’s house and it broke and she fell in dog poo!). But on the ride home I decided to count the number of messages I got from her in one weekend and I was shocked to find out that it was 106!

After I had been home a few days I decided to use it as an opportunity to discuss responsible cell phone use. We are a very technology comfortable family and we all use texts to communicate with each other – its convenient and doesn’t have to be disruptive at all. For that reason we chose to get a family plan with unlimited texting. But there are guidelines.

girl-cell-phoneMy kids know that I can and will pick up their phones and review their calls and texts – its not really a matter of privacy as far as I am concerned. The same rules go for computer and email use too. We have discussed at length the dangers related to technology (phone, text, web, email and even real life) and we have set very clear guidelines and expectations. We talked about the reasons they don’t need to take their phones to their rooms at night (they need sleep and so do their friends), along with how it is a waste of a text when they just text a friend “hi” or jibberish. And we talked about how it was great to be able to stay in touch with parents while they were away, but that a text every few minutes was a little extreme.

So far just my two older kids – 12 and 10 – have cell phones and so far, they have been pretty responsible (ok, 106 text messages in 3 days is a bit much – but they served their purpose in many ways). I’m not sure when our youngest will get a phone of her own – as she is always with me or one of her siblings.

What are your thoughts on kids and cell phones or texting? What are your family guidelines or rules for cell phone use?

Here are a few more resources on kids and cell phones that you might find interesting:

]]> 0 Char http:// <![CDATA[The Military Wives’ Cookbook]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=294 2009-05-08T19:27:14Z 2009-05-08T19:27:14Z

Today is Military Spouse Day! As a military wife who also grew up in a military family, I learned at an early age that gatherings, from formal ceremonies to backyard picnics, all have special meaning to military families. The recipes, traditions and fellowship are something to be cherished and passed down.

Author Carolyn Quick Tillery, who currently manages the United States Central Command Family Readiness Program, has pulled together an amazing collection of  recipes, anecdotal stories, and vintage photographs tracing the history and unique contributions of American military wives inThe Military Wives’ Cookbook: 200 Years of Traditions, Recipes, and Remembrances. Beginning with an Independence Tea Party featuring the foods served by the women of Edenton, North Carolina, at a party on October 25, 1774, it recreates the scenes and foods that recount the stories of the commitments and sacrifice that military wives have given the nation for more than two hundred years.

Presented in menu format, each chapter includes a story related to the recipes of the period (“A Colonial Thanksgiving” and “Christmas in the Confederate White House”) and feature foods from around the world, including places like Morocco, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Japan, and Korea.

One of my absolute favorite recipes featured in the book, Texas Sheet Cake, is one treat I remember being at so many picnics, gatherings and teas. A true classic.

Recipe for Texas Sheet Cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 tbsp cocoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Greas and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan and set asid. In a large mixing bowl sift together the sugar, flour and salt then set aside. In a small saucepan combine the butter, cocoa, and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Immediately pour into the flour mixture; using an electric mixer, beat for 3 to 5 minutes until well blended. Pour the batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into its center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes but frost while warm.

Frosting for Texas Sheet Cake

  • 6 tbsp milk
  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 tbsp cocoa
  • 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pound confectioners sugar
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (opt.)

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat combine the milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to boil taking care not to burn, and remove from the heat. Add the vanilla. Add the confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, add the nuts and beat until smooth. Pour over warm cake.

The Military Wives’ Cookbook: 200 Years of Traditions, Recipes, and Remembrances is a perfect gift for any military spouse – any time of the year. The stories behind the recipes make this a true keepsake as well.

]]> 0 Char http:// <![CDATA[Allergen Free and Special Needs School and Art Supplies]]> http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/?p=290 2009-04-28T14:41:15Z 2009-04-28T14:41:15Z
When you have a child with allergies the first thing you focus your attention on is food and environmental elements, but what about all the supplies they use at school?  Many art products such as paint, glue, markers, playdough and clay contain common allergens such as dairy, soy, egg, gluten, latex and even peanuts.

gluten-free-play-doughDiscount School Supplies is the best resource for all of your art/school supplies, however, if you have a child with allergies or special needs, they are the first place you should look. They have the largest selection of Common-Allergen-Free Products and make it easy to shop by allergy-free product you need. From gluten-free playdough to dairy/casein free glue, latex free craft supplies and kits, and soy free paints Discount School Supplies will help you select products you can be sure are safe for your child.

Additionally if you have a special needs child, shop Special Needs at Discount School Supply to find over 500 products specifically selected to enhance and develop learning and independence.

Looking for printables and crafts your kids will LOVE? We recommend:

Right now you can take 10% Off In-Stock Orders – Use Code SHOPDSS. It is a perfect opportunity to stock up for summer activities, summer camps, bible school, homeschooling and vacations.

]]> 0