Want a beverage for you & your family that is honest?

Honest Teas of course!

I am not a juice advocate by any means, but once in a while I do let my children have it.

Honest Tea’s have amazing products that are low calorie, low in sugar, as well as made with natural & Organic ingredients too!- Love that!

Go to their website, www.honestteas.com to view all of the amazing products they carry.

My fave is the Green Tea with honey, and my kids loved the fruit punch!

Enjoy!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows

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Want to do something memorable the last weekend of summer?

Go to the beach!

Pack chairs, towels, a blanket, snacks, beverages, extra sunscreen, lunch, a camera, your kids beach items, watercolor paints & paintbrushes to paint seashells, umbrella & have a family fun day!

Out of all the places we take our children, the most memorable places are the beaches we go to.

The beach is a place where children can discover nature and the world around them, as well as make some new friends for the day.

It is a time to RELAX, enjoy the salty air, and enjoy being together.

So pick a day this weekend to go to the beach, whether it be for a few hours, or for the entire day & enjoy!

Take a few pictures throughout the day, & capture priceless moments!

Enjoy!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows

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Want to get your children ready for bed earlier?

Start by getting your children to bed earlier this week for starters.

Summer is a time of fun, doings things we don’t normally get to do all year long, as well as letting your kids stay up a bit later.

With school starting next week, it is a great idea to decrease their sleep time the week before I feel.

Start 15 minutes earlier tonight, and continue to add on a few more minutes each night, until you get to the desired bedtime.

It makes such a difference to start the week before school, versus a few days before school begins. Mainly because it is better to ease your routine back to their normal sleep schedule.

There are so many things to do the week before school, as well as when the week starts, so it will be one less thing to take care of! 🙂

I have a simple system called the 5 B’s: Bath, Brush teeth, Bathroom, Book, & Bedtime. It has worked for close to nine years in our household, & it is simple…

Enjoy, & and start tonight!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows!

Want a great calendar for your kids?

Melissa & Doug make a wooden, colorful calendar which I love!

Children are visual learners, and it is wonderful for them to know what is going on for the week, as well as for the month.

The night before the next month, my children and I set up the next month’s days, events, and it is a great way for them to know what their schedule will be.

Children who are on a schedule, know what to expect, and it makes life a bit easier!

The calendar is about $20, and can be purchased through Melissa & Doug directly at www.melissaanddoug.com (use the code FS50 for free shipping for orders over $50).

Also it is sold at www.diapers.com, Target, Toys R Us, KMart, www.amazon.com, and most toy stores.

I also purchased wipe off board markers to write in other events for the month too. It comes with magnetic numbers, years, months, events, and it can be used year after year, unlike paper calendars, which I LOVE!

Check it out, and enjoy setting up your calendar with your children today!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows!

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Want a great first aid on the go?

Medibuddy of-course!

It is a small kit that comes with Kid-friendly stickers & bandages, a knee & elbow bandage, sting relief pad, 2 packs of gauze pads, antibiotic ointment, sting relief pad, burn relief pad & all comes in a recycled carrying case!

Last night I was out with my husband, & believe it or not another, “Mom” was in need!

She cut her ankle, & took my kit out and gave her the first aid supplies she needed, and voila~, good as new!

I have one in my car, my pocketbook, the children’s playground bag, use to have one under my carriage, diaper bag, & beach bag too!

The only thing I have added are 2 lollipops, because it makes things easier, when the tears are rolling.

Check out their website for all of the AMAZING products they carry:

www.me4kidz.com

Stay safe!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows!

Want to keep your baby or toddler’s food in their bowl, versus the floor?

Use a suction cup bowl, for their high chair, or tabletop that is!

As a mother of two, I have tried many products, & continue to do so.

The two bowls that I like are by, “Munchkin” Stay Put Suction Bowls. They come in a set of three, are BPA-Free, and are for ages 6+ months. These are great to take to a restaurant because they come with lids! 🙂

My other fave, are made by the company, “Tommee Tippee” Explora bowls. They are also BPA-Free, come in blue or pink, are a bit larger, for ages 9+ months.

It is important for babies & toddlers to explore eating with their hands, because they develop their pincer grasp, as well as letting them feed some things by themselves. (All with supervision of course!)

Babies R Us, Target & Buy Buy Baby all sell a mat to put under your child’s eating area by the company, “Neat Solutions Mess Mat”.  They come in a variety of colors & characters too.

Or you can go the old school way, just a simple towel will do too ;)!

Enjoy your clean floor!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows

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Want to organize your children’s arts & crafts, toys & more?

From my past years of being an educator, I have found that being organized makes life EASIER!

The photo of my hallway closet below, gets many compliments and I wanted to share it with you!

I purchased bins from Lowes, Target & the Container Store in various sizes to put all of my children’s supplies. (Measure the space in a closet if you have shelves, so you know approximately how many bins you will need. I always purchase a few more, because it is easy to return, than go back & forth.)

I decided to use our small coat closet to store all of the kids supplies, which is close by the kitchen, & easy to get to! My mother in law bought a shoe holder and bolted it to the door one day, and it has been so helpful!

Put all glue, permanent markers, scissors in the top pockets, as well as any other materials you don’t want little hands getting to, lol!

With small or large spaces, this is an AMAZING way to utilize space, using a shoe pocket holder! Love this!

Get your children involved putting supplies in the bins, then invest in a Brother P Touch another fave, & label away!

By organizing supplies, games, it makes things easy to find, and teaches your children to be self sufficient, because they know where everything is!

Want a great spelling tool for all ages?

BANANAGRAMS that is!

I was in Southampton at a store named, “Hildreth’s”, and found another great product!

BANANAGRAMS is a company that created small tiles, in which the object of the game is to make crossword grids to spell words.

What I LOVE is that it comes in a small, zippered pouch, which is perfect to take to a restaurant, friends house, etc.  It makes a great gift, favor, and is under $15!

All of the BANANAGRAMS products have won countless awards, and rightfully so!

This tool is a fabulous way to review your child’s sight or spelling words for the week, without pulling teeth too, lol!

The following games are some of the BANAGRAMS products:

*Apple Letters is for ages 4 and up (larger tiles)

*Pairs in Pears is for ages 5 and up

*Bananagrams is for ages 5 and up

*Double Bananagrams (comes with 288 tiles) -Love this versus the above.

*Zip It is a game of speed 2 player game to build a word grid against their opponent

*Fruitominoes is a fun way to play the traditional dominoes

I suggest going to their website, www.bananagrams.com to learn more information, & Amazon.com sells a trio set!

This is one of my favorites, so check it out!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows

Want a fun idea for the last week of summer?

Have a picnic for dinner!

One day I decided to cook dinner early, and we had dinner in a local park. I didn’t tell the children where we were going, & when we got there, they were so surprised!

I packed a blanket, water, dinner, plastic utensils, napkins, plastic plates, 1 white garbage bag, hand-wipes, cut up fruit, bug spray, & flashlights for the kids.

It was such a great evening, & even better when the Ice Cream truck came by!

For the working mom, as long as you have an address, order dinner from a local pizzeria, or restaurant you love that delivers!  Ask them to pack utensils, napkins & condiments & just pack a blanket. Note, most parks have picnic or chess tables to sit at too, which can turn into your own personal dinner table.

I have learned that it is the, “little” things in life that are what is most memorable.  Spending time with your child & doing something special, is priceless!

Enjoy your picnic!

Take it from a Mom Who Knows