Fitting in the veg

2nd grade, mealtimes, Raising twins

kaleleaf2

 

For the most part, my kids would happily eat a diet that falls within white to beige on the color spectrum – the kind of things that you find repeatedly on nearly every kiddie menu at every casual dining establishment in the country.

It’s been like pulling teeth to get them to try new foods and expand their range of eats. Vegetable matter seems to be the most difficult.

Recently, our two successes have been Low Sodium V8 drinks – for some reason the girls really like this, especially after they’ve finished their swimming lesson, and green smoothies have finally made it onto the menu at home! :D

They used to be pretty good at drinking a smoothie, even if it had powdered greens in it, as long as I added enough blueberries to turn it purple and didn’t mention how healthy it was for them.

But for some reason I just can’t fathom, a few weeks ago they saw me drinking a kale smoothie and begged for a sip. They loved it!

Since then, my NutriBullet blender’s been hard at work churning out frothy green goodness!

Here’s my recipe:
Tasty Green Smoothies

1/3 cup homemade kefir (or you could use LifeWay brand from the store)
1 frozen banana (we use regular bananas but you can use organic if you like)
2 large handfuls rinsed raw organic baby kale/mixed greens
1/2 to 3/4 cup organic applejuice
1/3 cup other organic frozen fruits if there’s room, or even organic frozen peas! (really!)
1 heaping tablespoon powdered greens (optional)

Cover, blend for 1 minute and serve!
(makes 2.5 servings)

Summer Science Project: DIY Self-Watering Planters

1st grade, Fun & Games, Parenting

This summer, in addition to the usual summer-slide-combating schoolwork, we will be attempting two science projects!

Our first project will be to see what happens when we try to grow plants in some DIY Self-Watering Planters! O

ur planters will attempt to re-create the layout of Earthboxes, a self-watering container garden, on a smaller scale to see what happens!  These planters are my own design and we’ve never tried them before, so it’ll be interesting to see what the twins will hypothesize about what will happen, and whether or not it will match up with reality.  (Personally, I think that eventually, maybe the roots will grow out the lid holes and enter the bottom portion, but who knows?)

We used 46oz containers of Low Sodium V8 (it’s higher in Potassium than the regular flavor :D)

Once you’ve planted your seeds or seedlings and watered them the first time, wait until the jar lid has stopped dripping, then CAREFULLY lift out the top portion and fill the bottom portion with water so that when you put the top portion back, the jar lid and pour spout are submerged – be careful not to over-fill or you’ll have a mess on your hands! Then, the water will be wicked up into the top portion’s soil through the holes in the lid.

You won’t need to water everyday (unless your plant is REALLY thirsty or you live somewhere hot and dry and the water evaporates too quickly), but keep an eye on it to re-add water if the waterline falls below the jar lid.

Also if you start getting algae growth just empty and clean out the bottom portion and re-fill again.

Have fun! :D

Feeling the need – the need to READ!!

1st grade, Fun & Games, Parenting, problem solver, Product Recommendations

Both my girls love to read.  But it wasn’t always so.

Zanna took to reading like a duck to water, and whenever her school has a reading incentive program, she’s like a little literary Terminator, just plowing through all available books and diligently recording each book in her reading log.  If there are prizes to be had – she WILL get one, or know the reason why!

Halle, however, has inherited my very low boredom threshold for repetitive tasks.  Unfortunately, most of the things taught in school, such as reading, writing and math, involve tons of repetition to get the foundational skills down.

Trying to teach her to read was like pulling teeth at times.  All the engaging workbooks I bought last summer to catch her up were viewed as though I’d asked her to eat moldy worms.

And then she got into some of the cool things that I like – superheroes, Star Trek and the like. I started showing her some of the cartoons that I’d liked at her age (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), and we’d be geeking out together while Zanna had a ball playing My Little Pony with her father >:D

So I did some amazoning and found a set of phonics books with Scooby Doo.  Halle loved them!  And then I found some local comic book shops that had decently sized “Family Friendly” sections.  While Zanna enjoyed Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, and Peanuts, Halle was thrilled with Scrooge McDuck, Scooby Doo and some Spiderman titles that were on the tamer side.  We fought over who got dibs on the new Star Trek reboot ‘verse comics.  Sometimes I even hear the girls in the backseat of the car squabbling over who gets the next turn with the Smurfs comic.

At first Halle would ask to have everything read to her, but as that depended on a reader having free time, she grew frustrated at having to wait and soon she was making the effort to read her comics all by herself!

She still likes being read to, but mostly it’s for bonding purposes, as she has become a pretty good reader herself!

A few weeks ago, I took Halle to Free Comic Book day at a couple of our local comic shops and she got to meet Spiderman himself!  She was thrilled about it, and about getting a pile of comics for free!  We shared our new stash with Zanna, and now there are several new titles both the girls are interested in:

Monster on the Hill and Maddy Kettle, as well as Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken.

Halle and Zanna both love reading regular books, but this geeky mama is pretty pleased that eventually I’ll have company when I attend comic book or sci-fi conventions in the future :D

Gutsy Chewy and the Case of the Sore Tummy!!

problem solver, Product Recommendations, sickness

Ever since she was a little bitty girl, Zanna has had a tendency to get overwhelmed by outside stimuli.  Unfortunately, school is generally rife with such stimuli and poor little Zanna has been majorly stressed by it nearly every single day.

Every morning while I’m getting the twins ready for school, Zanna’s been complaining about having a sore tummy.  The reason for the soreness is that she works herself up with stressing over all the auditory and visual “noise” that she’ll be having to face in the classroom.  I’m surprised she doesn’t have an ulcer already from all the acid she must be producing!

I’ve learned that I ignore her sore tummy issues at my peril, because she’ll get herself to the point where she’s puking, and then the school has to call me to take her home, take her to the doctor and get an all-clear note, and we’re not allowed to bring her back until the next day.

I’ve tried allowing her special plush toys in the car, smuggling them into school in her backpack, and even working out a deal with the teacher to allow Zanna to wear earmuffs to reduce the noise she hears when things get to be too much for her.

(Her school counselor has been very supportive and makes sure that Zanna has plenty of access to her to discuss the things that cause her stress.)

But the biggest obstacle is getting her out the door and into the school before she reaches the point of nausea.  Anticipation is the largest stressor, it seems.  Because once she’s actually in the classroom, all of our coping mechanisms and strategies seem to work just fine.

So when Moms Meet™  offered me the chance to try Gutsy Chewy out, I was pretty eager!  I wanted to see if it could help Zanna with the pre-schoolday sore tummy.

gutsychewy-product-shot

All the ingredients were natural, and I tried it out on myself first – this mommy has some pretty epic stress-sore tummyaches of her own!  Tasted pretty good, nice fruity flavor, not chemical-y at all.  It foamed a little bit as I chewed on it, and pretty soon after swallowing my stomach felt much better.

So I tried it out with Zanna – as soon as she mentioned the sore tummy, I handed her a Wildberry flavored Gutsy Chewy tablet.  About 20 minutes later, as we were pulling into the school parking lot, I asked her how her stomach felt – no more soreness!  And even better – no queasiness!

I’ve had to give her Gutsy Chewy tablets about 6 times in the past month and each time it’s worked like a charm!  I’ve also used it for my own occasional indigestion, acid reflux and upset stomach, a number of times.

What I like most about Gutsy Chewy is that the ingredients are all-natural, don’t require a prescription, and don’t come with a huge list of potential horrible side-effects, cautions and warnings.  I don’t have to worry that when I give this to my kids (or take it myself) that I’d need to be on the lookout for any side-effects.

There’s a limit of how much we can cushion Zanna from outside stimuli, and with a little help, it’s deal-with-able.  When we went to the movies recently, she wore an eyemask and earplugs and sat happily chomping on popcorn and slurping lemonade while the rest of us watched a movie about bears.  Occasionally, she’d peek out and watch a few minutes here and there, laughing and having a great time like everyone else before cocooning herself again.

You’d never guess that 10 minutes before the movie, she was literally bellyaching about it.  I handed her a Gutsy Chewy, cuddled her until her stomach calmed down, and then she was fine after that.

Now I make sure that I always have a container of Gutsy Chewy tablets on me when I’m with the kids – we’ve got one in the glovebox of our minivan, I’ve also got one stashed in my “mommybag”.  This is something I definitely don’t want to leave home without!

You can connect with Gutsy Chewy online at the following links to see their latest products and get exclusive access to discounts and special offers!

gutsyproducts.com
facebook.com/gutsyproducts
twitter.com/gutsyproducts
youtube.com/user/GutsyProducts

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*Just the facts
• Gutsy Chewy products are available in two delicious flavors: Citrus and
Wildberry.
• Gutsy Chewy supplements are safe, gluten-free, vegan friendly and
lactose-free.
• Gutsy Chewy products are all-natural and made in the U.S.A.
• All Gutsy Chewy supplements contain a proprietary blend of apple cider
vinegar, licorice extract and papaya extract (GiGs®). GiGs®
has been shown to be effective in treating GutBurn™ and GutBloat™.
• Xylitol is used in Gutsy Chewy to aid oral health, while calcium and
magnesium are included to fortify the bodies stores of these important
minerals.
• Gutsy Chewy comes in a handy 8-pack tube that’s easy to travel with.
• The retail price for Gutsy Chewy ranges from $15.99 to $79.99 (2 – 12
tubes), depending on volume purchased. Each order also has a cost of
$4.99 to cover shipping and handling.

**I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms
Meet™ program, May Media Group LLC, who received it
directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meets™ blogger,
I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog.
My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May
Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

***Always check with your physician before starting any
supplement product and specifically Gutsy Products. These
statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease. Consult your healthcare professional prior to use if
you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medication or have a
medical condition. This product contains papaya and should
not be used by people with a latex allergy. Keep out of reach
of children

++ All italicized text was provided by Moms Meet™ , the sponsor of this review post.

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