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How to Find Your Own Natural Beauty… #7dayjourney

“I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.” – Audrey Hepburn… You hear the term “natural beauty” a lot – but what does that really mean? Does it mean just skipping make-up? Is it about living organically? Do you connect the term with the beauty of nature that surrounds us? To me, it means living life in a way that is authentic, where your heart is happy, and you feel at peace. Being comfortable and confident in your own skin and being able to see the everyday joy in life is what makes someone beautiful – a relaxed smile on their face, good posture as they stand tall and walk with purpose, a glow that comes from being content with what you have and where you’re at. Since becoming a mother, I’ve gotten better at feeling as though I have “just enough” – who cares if I don’t have the latest handbag, when I have little toddler snuggles and smiles? And children grow so amazingly quickly, that it kind of forces you to slow down, to live “in the moment,” and to cherish the little things.

Kids have natural beauty [Read more…]

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Top 10 Toddler Mealtime Rules for Healthy Eating

This list of top 10 toddler mealtime rules come to you from the amazing founder behind Mom Made Meals – an absolute must-have at my home since I was introduced to them! Abby loves to eat {have you seen the size of her chunky baby legs lately? Oh my…. Lol} – and I struggle sometimes with having enough time to make really good, healthy meals & snacks for her. When she was really little, we LOVED using the Baby Brezza {have you seen us in the new Baby Brezza Cookbook: 47 Mom-Tested Recipes and Tips?} But now that she’s out of that stage, and into eating “big girl foods”, it gets a bit tougher. I still use the Baby Brezza to make rice or steamed veggies quickly, and I’m lucky to have a big garden filled with fresh fruits and vegetables too. But there are nights where I’m tempted to throw in a frozen pizza because I’m short on time. Instead – I now turn to Mom Made meals for a quick, super healthy, and totally yummy dinner in just a couple of minutes!

Mom Made Meals Freezer Foods

Convenience Foods that are still super nutritious

How great is this? A freezer filled with simple meals to make in minutes, packed with good stuff for my fast-growing toddler – just as easy as a frozen pizza, but a heck of a lot better for you. A little more about where Mom Made started: “I created Mom Made Foods because I believe in convenient meals that do not sacrifice quality or nutrition, and that kids should be able to eat delicious foods without added junk. Inspired by kids and the familiar recipes they love, we use only the freshest quality ingredients, such as organic products and meats raised without antibiotics, all sourced in the USA.” Other than growing it fresh yourself, this is as good as it gets, right?

Top Ten “Rules” for Successful and Positive Mealtimes with Your Kids
  1. Keep meals and snack times consistent and regular.
  2. Eat as a family. Model good food habits and table manners. They will follow.
  3. Sit down to eat and drink – don’t take meals on the run!
  4. Keep a distraction-free eating area – no T.V., toys, or other distractions such as cell phones, laptops, or newspapers.
  5. Provide a balance and variety of foods to keep kids interested satisfied.
  6. Empower your child to make healthy choices about what to eat and how much. They will feel empowered, for example, if you offer them the option of healthy choice #1 or healthy choice #2, such as peas or carrots.
  7. Don’t pressure your child to eat – this will backfire!
  8. Respect your child’s choices and trust their natural ability to self regulate their food intake.
  9. Set limits on age appropriate behavior at the table and stick to your boundaries.
  10. Have fun! The less you stress at mealtimes, the more fun all of you will have!

Mom Made - the healthiest mac n cheese ever

The healthiest Mac n’ Cheese you’ll ever find

When I first made this Cheesy Mac for Abby, I was just impressed with the idea of adding peas – What a smart & simple way to add some veggies, right? But read more about what all is packed in there: Mom Made organic Cheesy Mac is packed with organic butternut squash, organic sweet potato, and fresh organic green peas. Honestly – I had tasted it, and didn’t even realize it wasn’t just a basic mac n’ cheese. This is one of our absolute favorites – but you’ll also find choices like Turkey Meatballs, Cheese Pizza Munchies, Fiesta Rice – and even a super yummy Apple Pie dessert Munchie!

Learn more and find them today

You can search on their site to find out where these great toddler meal options are available locally – But if you’re in an area like mine that doesn’t have any local stores to buy them at, no worries. You can also order Mom Made Foods on Amazon. And be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter – to stay updated on the newest products and promotions!

Mom Made takes the foods kid love, and makes it healthier!

{Disclaimer: I was provided with samples of this product from Mom Made Foods and RMD Advertising, so that I could evaluate and share with you – But only the best products for busy moms and their families make it onto this site! All photos and opinions are my own, as always.}

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How to Change a Squirmy Baby

“Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn’t music.” – William Stafford… It’s funny. Everyone thinks that the infant days are the hardest. And yes, they are exhausting… The total lack of sleep, the stress of feeding time, and if it’s your first baby it takes awhile to build confidence in what you’re doing – that baby is so teeny tiny! But those first few months pass by in a blur, and it gets easier. Now that my little one is a toddler {she just turned 2 at the end of July} – I’m starting to miss those Baby-Days. You know – where if you set her on a blanket on the floor, she was still there even if you turned away for 2 seconds. {Unlike a toddler who is attempting to climb into the fish tank, or some other equally fun activity, as soon as you so much as blink….} Even once they’re slightly mobile, you can keep baby safe and occupied in a bouncy seat, playpen, or a saucer with bells and whistles to push. But not so much with a toddler – they are MOVERS. Our little dog Deuce follows Abby all day, and they explore every inch of this house like they’re Lewis & Clark on an adventure to find, touch, and examine every.single.item. in their path. Ah, motherhood…..

toddler playing in the mud

“Having a two-year-old is like having a blender that you don’t have the top for.” – Jerry Seinfeld

As you can see – turning your back for even a moment can lead to total shenanigans when you’ve got a little mover around. She’s learned how to open the sliding glass door that leads to the patio {I installed an alarm, so I’ll know. But she thinks that the alarm is super funny, so it doesn’t stop her. I just can’t win…} – I heard the beeping, but in less than a minute she’d used her toddler super powers to find the one spot of mud in the whole garden. Lovely. But – she was smiling, so I decided to just roll with it and let her mud it up. I try to pick my battles wisely. With an adventurous toddler, you’ll have a rough life if you can’t laugh most it off each day, am I right?

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” – Franklin P Jones

Once your baby starts getting mobile – diaper changes start getting tougher! No worries – Huggies comes to the rescue with another Smart Mom Solution – Slip-On style diapers. Abby has started the whole potty training adventure already – but we’re still using Pull-Ups. But before we started this phase, the Slip-Ons from Huggies were seriously a life saver. They’re actually really similar to the ease of getting Pull-Ups on and off – as you see in the video, you can put them on the traditional way, if your little one wants to lay down and hold still {right, lol} – or you can just grab ’em, slip ’em on, and pull ’em up fast. How helpful is that, right?

huggies diaper coupons

 Take the Huggies – Easy-On, Easy-Off Challenge

If you’re ready to try out the Huggies Slip-On diapers too, check out this fun new way to save big – Click through to the Easy-On, Easy-Off Challenge tab on the Huggies Facebook page. You can “Check In” there each time you do a diaper change, or even sign up to check in via text message. Once you’ve done 5 squirmy baby diaper change check-ins, you’ll get a free coupon to help you try out the new Slip-On diapers, so you can see how much easier they make your daily diaper time. You will love them, promise. Once I used them, I wondered how I’d been getting along without them – seriously. Motherhood is a challenge – we need all of the help we can get!

Huggies Slip-On Diapers – A Smart Mom Solution

how to change a squirmy babyHuggies® Slip-On® Diapers were made with squirmy babies in mind, providing stretchy sides to let you quickly slip on the diaper for a close, comfy fit and trusted leakage protection. Plus, they have easy open tabs so they are easy to take off, making changing easy for you and your squirmy little one.

{Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Huggies via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Huggies.}

 

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