We’ve had our share of summer sickness around this household. If you follow me on Instagram, you know Mckenna has had a handful of summer colds and she just recently got over hand foot and mouth disease. I wouldn’t wish that yucky illness on my worst enemy, that’s for sure! Needless to say, I’m starting to get ready for the inevitable sicknesses that come our way in the colder months here in Wisconsin and making sure we have all of the necessities within arms reach. Some of these necessities will help support our immune systems and others will help to treat when we aren’t feeling so well. It happens, ya know?

1. Thermometer: Sometimes no matter how hard we try, we still get sick. Make sure you have a thermometer on hand with fully charged batteries, so you can check a temperature if needed. 
2. Tissues: I keep a travel-sized package of nice, soft tissues in my purse at all times during the winter. We also have boxes stationed around the house when the sniffles hit. Just don’t forget to wash your hands after blowing or wiping your nose. 
3. Chest Rub: We love using this on our chest to help clear our nasal passages and make it more comfortable for us to sleep at night. 
4. Tea: We also keep herbal teas around to soothe sore throats and provide that added bit of comfort. 
5. Fever Reducing Medication: Along with the thermometer, make sure you have fever reducing medication on hand should a fever hit. We always try to keep our supply well stocked for the adults and littles in our house. 
6. Honey: Honey is proven to be effective in suppressing a cough more so than cough medicine. Of course, it cannot be used for children under the age of one. We love using honey pops and just a spoonful of honey to help calm coughs.

All in all, one of your best defense mechanisms against those nasty germs of winter is to wash your hands lots and lots. Especially after you use the restroom, are in contact with others that are sick and before you eat or touch your face or mouth. Wash, wash, and wash some more!

We also started taking the following Nature Made® supplements too. 

1. Nature Made® Super C Immune Complex: This one’s for Cory and I. It contains zinc as well as vitamins A, C, D & E and helps to support our immune systems.† I take this year round, actually, to help support my immune system, because I feel like I don’t typically get enough Vitamin C in my diet. I feel better knowing I have the extra support for my overall health and wellbeing with the added 900mg of Vitamin C and 15mg of Vitamin E — two nutrients that support immune health.† This supplement also contains 450mcg of Vitamin A, 25mcg of Vitamin D and 11mg of Zinc. Wow! Talk about packing a punch! 
2. Nature Made® Melatonin Gummies: I typically don’t have trouble sleeping unless I workout too late at night, which happens from time to time. Those endorphins get going and my mind just won’t stop. Taking Nature Made® Melatonin Gummies are great tasting and they help support my sleep.†  I’ve been encouraging Cory to use this, as well, because he has more trouble falling asleep at night than I do some nights. This supplement contains 2.5mg of melatonin to help your body reset it’s natural sleep/wake cycle.† 

A well-functioning immune system is foundational for your health! We recognize fully that we can’t protect ourselves 100% from the inevitable germs and bugs that come our way during these winter months, but there are things that we can do to help build up and support our immune systems to give ourselves a fighting chance!

How do you boost your family’s immune system in the winter months?

The post Tips for Staying Healthy This Season appeared first on Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles.

It’s no secret around our house that our new puppy, Abbey, and I have a love-hate relationship. She’s the biggest love bug and the best snuggler, but she’s also known to be a little terror and loves to chew everything in her path. She’s getting better about it, but we’re also still working on potty-training her and goodness sakes has that been a battle over the last 11 months or so.

Our relationship was put to the ultimate test just over a month ago. I was letting her outside and she started wandering off away from me. We never put her on a leash in our backyard which isn’t fenced in, but we’ve never had a problem. I followed her about a mile away from home before I lost sight of her and had to run home to go get my car to start the search. She was gone 11 hours that day before we found her just before a storm hit. I think we all cried lots of tears that day and I was no exception. I realized that little stinker sure had a huge place in my heart and it was absolutely devastating to not know where she was and if she was safe.

It seems silly, but in that moment, I felt the need to ensure that both of our dogs would be with us as long as possible and in order to make that a reality, I knew we would have to make some changes to give them the healthiest life possible.

1. Start with Food: We’re starting to ease Abbey off of puppy food and that’s got me looking at what kind of foods we’re feeding our dogs. We also have a chocolate lab named Bentley. Paying more attention to the ingredients in my own food as also opened my eyes to the ingredients in our dogs food as well. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the quality of Purina ONE®’s food and the difference it can make in your dog. We are currently using Purina ONE® SmartBlend Chicken & Rice Adult Dry Dog Food for both dogs. They believe that every ingredient has a purpose and I couldn’t agree more!

Purina ONE® even encourages you to take their 28-DAY CHALLENGE. After 28 days of Purina ONE® dog food, your dog may see increased energy, a shinier and healthier coat, clear and alert eyes, and positive improvements in your dog’s immune system.

You can find Purina ONE® at Target– that’s where we bought ours. You can get 5% off and free shipping when you subscribe to Purina ONE® at Target.com and if you purchase in-store. You can also print a $3 off coupon HERE and it’ll also give you a personalized food recommendation for your pet! Also from 9/2-9/15: FREE $5 Target GiftCard when you buy any two Purina ONE® Dry Dog Food bags! What a steal of a deal, huh? Mckenna and I had the best time together just the two of us shopping for all of our essentials at Target. We don’t get a lot of time together just the two of us without Alea around so this time at Target together was extra special. I’m not even ashamed to admit that Alea and I have had similar special moments at Target as well– Target is always a place I’ve felt togetherness and had special bonding time with my family at, so it means a lot to do the same with my girls!

2. Hydration is Key: Just like we need adequate fluids, so do our dogs. Don’t forget to give your dog extra fluids when the heat and humidity is high and/or after increased activity.

3. Exercise: This is something we can work on with both of our dogs. We don’t seem to make time to take our dogs for regular walks and it’s definitely something we need to start working on. I know that the extra physical activity would certainly improve Abbey’s behaviors and the extra exercise would help Bentley lose a little bit of the weight he’s put on.

4. Less Human Food: Unless we’re having steak for dinner and there’s scraps our dogs don’t get any table food. And as “mean” as that may sound, it’s really better that way. So much human food isn’t made for dogs to consume and there are a lot of human foods that can be dangerous to dogs such as chocolate and grapes, so it’s best to just avoid those table scraps if possible.

5. Keep Them Groomed: Making sure your pup’s nails are trimmed short but not too short and their coat is brushed thoroughly is a great way to keep your puppy healthy as well.

So maybe I’ve grown to have a bit of a soft spot for the crazy little puppy in our house name Abbey. Bentley won over my heart a long time ago. He’s a gentle giant and the sweetest to our girls. Abbey on the other hand is as hyper as they come and she’s had to convince me a little.

I think it’s safe to say she’s won over all of our hearts, though, and we hope these healthy changes we’re making to both our pups lives will keep them around for many years to come.

How do you ensure your puppy stays healthy?

Hop on over HERE to read other blogs sharing their experience with Purina ONE as well!

The post How to Ensure Your Puppy is Healthy from the Inside Out appeared first on Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles.

It’s no secret by now that Alea is just about the pickiest eater you’ll ever come across. Okay, I’ve got to give her a little credit. She has been trying new things as of late and actually adding a few more foods and drinks to her “approved” list. One thing we do agree on when it comes to food is Pop Secret popcorn. It’s definitely one of Alea’s favorite snacks. She loves the great butter taste and I love that it’s a good filling snack of her now made with better ingredients. In addition to checking things off of our school supply list, buying new shoes (that hopefully don’t get ruined in the first 2 weeks of school), and making sure all of her jeans haven’t turned into capris, we’ve also been brainstorming some lunch box ideas for Alea for the coming year and Pop Secret has certainly made the list– along with a few other ideas we’ll share later on, as well.

And while we’ve been busy getting everything together for school, we’ve also been enjoying the last of our free time and watching the new season of Spirit Riding Free on Netflix– season 6 came out on 8/17/18. It’s been so hot and humid outside that we’ve been spending a lot of time indoors in the comfort of our air conditioning and this show has been a good companion for both of us. I love the problem-solving techniques she learns from the show– especially dealing with struggles with friends– and she just loves the horses! Mckenna is also a huge horse fan, so she doesn’t mind snuggling up to watch Spirit Riding Free with us, too.

As you see above, we had some fun packing a little practice lunch for Alea’s first day of school. She helped me to pack a “ham roll-up,” a cheese stick, crackers, apple sauce, and sparkling water. As a special addition we also popped some Pop Secret Homestyle popcorn and added some cheddar crackers to the popcorn for a little something extra. She’s already asked me to make this lunch for her “every single day.” So, I think we have a winner!

Here are some other lunch box ideas we have prepared for the upcoming school year:

Main Meal:

– Homemade Uncrustable PB&J
– Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich
– Ham & Cheese sandwich
– Crackers with ham & cheese
– Soup (in her thermos)
– Tortilla roll-up
– Peanut butter cracker sandwiches

Sides:

– Pop Secret popcorn — we bought ours at Walmart
– Pop Secret popcorn trail mix (We like to add raisins, chocolate chips, peanuts, and dried fruit).
– Mandarin oranges
– Apples sauce
– Cheese stick
– Banana
– Crackers
– Yogurt
– Peas or Corn (the make little cups similar to fruit cups with veggies)
– Grapes

Drinks:

– Aseptic Milk boxes
– 100% Juice boxes
– Sparkling water
– Water bottle

It certainly doesn’t have to be anything fancy, especially for Alea. As long as I know she’s getting her food groups in throughout the day between breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks I’m a happy mama!

If your child is just as obsessed with Spirit Riding Free as we are, you should also check out these Spirit Riding Free activities!

Funny story: As I’m writing this post, I just realized that Spirit Riding Free is still playing on the TV and Alea’s playing with Mckenna in the other room. Of course, I’m still completely enthralled by the episode… #MomLife.

How are you getting ready for back-to-school?
What are your favorite lunch box ideas?

The post Packing School Lunches for Your Picky Eater appeared first on Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles.