Mom's Best Naturals® Blog Archive

Now that school is back in session and fall activities are underway, how do you spend quality time as a family?

September 7th, 2010

Elizabeth: I use a mom agenda and before the week begins, everyone’s schedules and appointments are plugged into it. If I see a weekend day or an evening meal period when everyone is free, I block it off from new activities and those are the times when the family has a chance to spend time together catching up and enjoying each others’ company!

Jyl: Back-to-School can be such an exciting time…or dreaded. We love back-to-school time here in our house. The reason? We homeschool and for us that means that all of the things we have planned to do this year begin. We wait until the public schools are back in session so that things are not as crowded giving us ample opportunity to spend some quality family time while enjoying the attractions. That is really the only thing that changes for us. We continue to make family meals a priority and we continue to make it a priority to keep up with all of the going ons in everyone’s lives.

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Back-to-School, Back to Fall! – From Guest Blogger Jyl Nipper

September 7th, 2010

Summer is winding down, kids are going back to school and the cool air is coming. I love fall weather. It is my favorite time of the year for many reasons, and this year I am especially looking forward to it. We have had several months with extremely hot temperatures this year, over 100 degrees most days, and that crisp cool air that smells of fall will be greeted with open arms. I love the changing of the leaves — all of the bright oranges, yellows and reds – and pumpkins dotting fields, ripe for picking, while children get excited to pick out their costume for a night of trick or treating.

I am not sure about most families but we officially end our summer on Labor Day weekend. We all gather together at my uncle’s place in the mountains and celebrate with great food, family and friends. People from all over migrate to this small town carrying a covered dish and most also bring a musical instrument. While there will be some sitting around making music, some will be making food however all will be making memories.

With the beginning of fall we start planning our trip to the pumpkin farm. The kids talking excitedly about what kind of pumpkin they want that year, what costume they will wear and what parties they hope to attend and most of all what kind of treat we will prepare the day after Halloween. We started this tradition several years ago when the kids were little and they would bring in way more candy than they needed. “What do you do with all of the candy?” was something that we were always asking. So, we started making bar cookies the day after. Each child gets to pick out a cereal and some candy to make their bars with — things like Mom’s Best Naturals Oats & Honey Blend and Snickers, or Mom’s Best Naturals Honey Nut Toasty O’s and M&Ms. The possibilities are endless in the types of combinations you can come up with and the bars never turn out the same.

The time spent in the kitchen together is priceless. My kitchen is the hub of our home. It is well used and looks it. I remember once my son was asked what his favorite food was, and his answer? Anything my Mom makes. That makes me proud. It also swells my heart to know that my kids would rather come home for a meal than to eat out with their friends and that most of their friends would also rather be in the kitchen with us. So as our summer comes to a close and we draw together as a family and embrace our friends along with us I hope that you will join together as we prepare for many more days of “making memories” that lie ahead.

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Check out the sights and sounds of BlogHer ‘10!

August 27th, 2010

One of our favorite bloggers and a member of our Mom Panel, Elizabeth from A Nut in a Nutshell, headed out to New York City last weekend for BlogHer 2010, an annual conference that gives bloggers the opportunity to learn more about their craft, network, and interact with their favorite brands. (Like Mom’s Best Naturals!)

Elizabeth landed in NYC armed with her Mom’s Best Flip Cam, and spent the weekend chatting with bloggers about their favorite parts of the famed conference. Here are some of their responses:

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Back-to-School VIDEO Tips – Start the Day off Right!

August 25th, 2010

The new school year is quickly approaching – and has already begun, for some of you – which means getting back into the routine of getting up early, making it to the bus stop on time, and most importantly, making sure your best-laid plans for eating healthy translate to the school cafeteria.

Dietitian Elizabeth Ward recommends making sure your kids keep their energy and brain power up by going back to basics. She suggests starting the day with a mix of complex carbs and protein – think whole grain cereal with milk – and including additional proteins and fruit in their lunch bag.

Check out the video below for more of Elizabeth’s tips on packing nutrient-rich lunches and snacks to ensure that healthy eating will last all year long!

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What’s your favorite back-to-school ritual?

August 19th, 2010

Elizabeth: When the kids come home from their first day of school, they always find a treasure hunt clue as they walk in the door. They then follow a series of clues to different locations in the house. The final clue leads them to a spot where I’m hiding for a giant welcome home hug and small surprise gift for each of them!

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What do you do to prepare your kids for getting back into the school routine?

August 9th, 2010

Mariana: My daughter is starting Kindergarten in two weeks (and didn’t go to preschool) so this ‘back to school’ routine is new to us. To prepare, I’m being more strict about bedtime, mine included, and am also trying to enforce a daily schedule for mealtimes, outside play, TV, etc.

Jyl: Our back-to-school routine is a little different than most families for we are never really “out” of school. You see, we homeschool. Sure, we take a few days off here and there but we are always learning. Since we don’t officially take the summer off there isn’t really an official back-to-school for us.

Some of the reasons that we school through the summer: It is too hot to do much else and we like to take time off for vacations when everyone else is “in” school because it is less crowded and usually less expensive and we can take school with us where ever we go. So, while most are preparing to return to a classroom, we never left ours.

Elizabeth: I’ve always included them in school supply shopping trips so that they begin to get excited about it, and they tend to develop more interest if the supplies they choose are customized to their particular styles.

I also gradually ease forward bedtimes in the couple of weeks before the onset of school so that they become accustomed to the time schedule change.

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Boost Your Child’s Brain Power

August 5th, 2010

Want your child to get the most out of school this year?  Help him to fuel his body and brain with good nutrition all day long.

Breakfast

Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day.  Your child’s brain requires a constant flow of energy, also known as glucose. Breakfast helps replenish the nutrients the body called upon during the night to keep it running, and jump starts your child’s day.

Eating breakfast also prevents hunger that distracts kids from learning in the classroom.  Research shows that children who eat breakfast tend to have better short-term memory than their counterparts who do not eat the morning meal. But it’s not just any old breakfast that bolsters brain function in kids – studies suggest that consuming very high-calorie meals in the morning impairs concentration.

Use the morning meal as an opportunity to work in at least one of the three suggested daily servings of whole grains, which are relatively lower in calories and richer in fiber than their highly refined counterparts, such as doughnuts and packaged breakfast pastries.

A serving of whole grain cereals, such as those found in Mom’s Best Naturals cereals, keeps calories under control and helps the body to better regulate blood glucose levels, providing your child’s brain with a steady energy supply. Whole grains are also rich in B vitamins, necessary for constructing brain cells, and for the production of neurotransmitters, compounds in the brain that help nerve cells to communicate with each other.

Since children typically douse their cereal with milk, breakfast is a way to include dairy products. Dairy foods are packed with protein, which helps to keep kids fuller for longer, and they provide B vitamins.  Eggs are also an excellent protein source and a top supplier of choline, a compound associated with better memory.

Lunch

Your child loves PB&J sandwiches and wants one in his lunch box every day. How does the All-American sandwich fare as brain food? Pretty well, actually.

Nut butters, and seed butters, such as sunflower seed butter, are great sources of healthy fats, and they supply vitamin E, which protects cells, including those in the nervous system and brain, from damage. To boost nutrition, make nut and seed butter sandwiches with grated carrots, California raisins, or sliced bananas, and whole grain bread.

Your mother told you fish was brain food (well, my mother did, anyway) and she was right. Fish is an excellent source of the omega-3 fat DHA, which is essential to brain development. Research suggests that people who consume higher amounts of omega-3 fats perform better on tests of their mental skills. Canned light tuna is a safe, nutritious choice for kids, but how about trying salmon instead? Salmon is a stellar source of DHA.  Prepare salmon salad sandwiches on whole grain rolls for a change of pace.

Lean roast beef is an excellent sandwich filling choice. It’s filled with protein, and with a form of iron that is highly absorbable by the body. Iron helps kids stay energized and is crucial to nervous system and brain health.

Snacks

It’s tempting to rely on snack chips and sugary beverages when you’re packing snacks during the hectic morning rush or when your child insists on these low-nutrient goodies.  Mom, resist the urge!

Children get about 25 percent of their calories from snacks. That’s why snacks should be regarded as mini meals, and not as treats.

Send snacks to school that combine complex carbohydrate and protein so that your child’s brain gets the energy it needs, and he stays fuller for longer. Here are some suggestions:

Happy Eating!

Liz Ward

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When did you let your children start preparing their own lunch and snacks? Do you worry that they’re not selecting the healthiest options?

August 3rd, 2010

Jyl: My children have always been very involved in the kitchen, whether we are fixing super, preparing lunches or simply fixing a snack, so from a very early age I had them involved in what they would take for lunch. Within reason I would always let them decide what we would prepare. There have been times that their selection wouldn’t be the healthiest of options but I also felt it was important to let them learn to make decisions on their own. If those decisions weren’t wise, they would be the one to pay the consequence, which they learned quickly.

Now, they are solely responsible for preparing their lunches and for the most part make healthy choices just because they learned that they feel better when they have good wholesome food to eat instead of junk.

Elizabeth: I actually enjoyed preparing my kids’ lunches so I did it all the way until they got to high school. Once they drove themselves to school and I didn’t need to wake up, they began to make their own lunches.

When I first started packing lunches, I always worried about making them balanced and healthy. However, neither of my kids liked sandwiches at that time, so it was really difficult. At some point I just decided that if their bellies were full and satisfied, they’d be able to get through the school day, and knowing that dinner was always balanced and nutritious made up for a sometimes less than perfect school lunch.

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How do you convince your older kids to spend time with family, when all they want to do is hang out with their friends?

July 20th, 2010

Elizabeth: When we realized how busy the kids were getting and that it was becoming increasingly more difficult to spend time as a family, we began to call Sunday our Family Day. It’s the one day of the week when the entire family knows we spend the whole day together. We also take turns planning the day’s activities. Each week a different family member gets to decide what we’re doing that day. It works out perfectly and nobody complains!

Mariana: Like Elizabeth, we dedicate one weekend day to family. My husband and I take the girls out for breakfast, then we head to a museum or to the movies for a couple of hours, and meet up with the in-laws for a big lunch. Sometimes we’ll even hang out at their house until dinnertime. My daughters look forward to this day all week!

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Summer Activities – Keep it Creative! – From Guest Blogger Elizabeth Mays

July 20th, 2010

I have always loved having the kids home for the summer, and I’m a person who never gets bored, so I’ve found ways to keep my kids busy and having fun. There are a myriad of scheduled activities for kids to participate in outside the home, such as summer reading clubs at the library and bookstores, day camps, and swimming lessons, but today I want to focus on simple, everyday activities at home.

I have always encouraged imagination and creativity through play, as it’s not only fun, but educational too. If you give the kids a few supplies and a starter activity, and then just let them take it where they want it, they’ll have a blast!

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