Favorite Meal to Prepare For My Children

Macaroni and cheese. They love it! of course, its not the whole meal - but that is the one thing I know everyone in my house loves. In fact I haven't made that in awhile, i think I'll do that tonight. thanks! My daughter "helps" as best as she can. Usually I'm too nervous about her touching raw meat. I know I'm crazy but it freaks me out. I don't know why. Although she does help me make cookies. She is an excellent stirrer.

Style made easy with No nonsense!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of No nonsense for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My day to day style is pretty relaxed but I do like to look ‘put together’.  At my day job that has a ‘business casual’ dress code, and just around town, I try to look stylish, while not sacrificing comfort. Likewise, No nonsense was kind enough to send me a few pairs of No nonsense tights and leggings to wear. Thank goodness, because I've absolutely used them anytime I've needed to wear a skirt or dress.

I got both the cable knit tights and the brown leggings and have been coming up with infinite ways to wear 'em. I love that an outfit looks cozier and more fashion-forward with tights -- I think it's the texture that does it. I tend to dress preppy and they're perfect with boot socks and a skirt for casual wear and so I don't freeze my legs off.

Check out some of the looks you can create:

So, where can I find No nonsense tights and leggings?

They are available at food and drug stores as well as all those big retail stores. (Places you already go.) And you will love how affordable they are!

Check out the latest from No nonsense on Facebook and Twitter @benononsense.

As part of brand modernization and new product launch No nonsense has named fashion expert Jill Martin as ambassador for the launch of the new No nonsense leggings and tights. This fall Jill will be educating women on how to wear the brand’s new colorful and high-impact tights and leggings through a series of online vignettes as well as several other exciting initiatives. In case you are not familar with Jill Martin, she is the New York Correspondent for Access Hollywood as well as an Emmy Award-winning TV personality and co-author of the New York Times bestselling style guide “I Have Nothing to Wear!”

You can find her fashion advice on how to wear the latest trends (including leggings and tights!) on No nonsense's Twitter and Facebook pages.

I just love all those funky colored tights she shows off in the video. The mustard is kind of to die for!

Blue Shield of CA

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of © Blue Shield of California for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When it comes to taking good care of our health, I am glad that I am on the process of learning now with Dr. Jim and Bob's Fun & Helpful Health Advice. Dr. Jim and Bob of Blue Shield of California are two cool guys who provide health information in an entertaining approach.

What they do is that they browse the internet looking for questions regarding health concerns then create a video to answer those questions that they post in their Facebook page called Blue Shield of California. From Diarrhea to insomina, all your burning questions they have them answered! From snoring to blisters, they really try and help with a bunch of little problems like this.

 

They have really funny videos but also informative ones, too.

I have already watched many of their videos and I find them really helpful aside from being entertaining. They discuss many things such as hiccups, bad breath, or they can answer queries about constipation or any other uncomfortable feeling not only for adult but also for a child at a young age. For sure when you’ll meet them, you’ll love them as much as I do.

Anyways, I find the guys from the Blue Shield of CA commercials, hilarious. Don't you just love a health company that thinks humor is the best medicine?

 

Blue Shield is a non-profit company that offers easy access to alternative care, like chiropractors and acupuncture. Aside from that, they also provide easy access to great doctors and they also offer a wide range of affordable health plans.

 

You can visit their Facebook page if you want to know these guys or if you have any questions about insomnia, diarrhea, hiccups among other things.

How To Raise A Smart and Happy Child From Zero To Five

Parents, both newbies and experienced ones, are totally dedicated to their children. It does not matter much if they can spend hours on end with them, or if they can only share a couple of hours during the week days and then enjoy them fully on Saturdays or Sundays: the truth is that mums and dads enjoy being with their kids. This is especially true with children from zero to five.

During these years, children are eager to explore the world around them and learn new things, develop new skills and grow as more independent human beings. Experts in child development agree on the fact that from the moment the child is born until he reaches the fifth year of age, he accomplishes some of the most significant milestones of his growing up process. He learns how to speak, starts interacting with other children, learns to control when and where to toilet, learns how to walk and develop a wide variety of both motor and mental gross and fine skills that he will then have to put into practice later on in his life.

Parents are devoted to ensuring their child is both smart and happy. However, many of them don't know how or where to start in order to raise children that are both intellectually sharp but also happy and with a positive outlook towards life. Hopefully, these tips will be very useful for them.

Make your child embrace the idea of learning in a positive way even if he cannot grasp the concept at all. He does not need to understand it from an intellectual or academic point of view as he is still too young for that. Provide him with plenty of learning opportunities and learning challenges every day and repeat those experiences on a regular basis.
Remember that learning should be and needs to be fun for a child from zero to five. Children that age mostly learn through playing so it is extremely important that you provide him or her with a wide variety of games and toys that allow the child to let his imagination fly, express his creativity, solve conflicts, make decisions, discover things by himself and feel both challenged and rewarded. Educational toys are definitely the best option, but you have to make sure they are not only suitable for his or her age range but also attractive to the child.
Feed your child properly. Make sure the child enjoys a well balanced and nutritious diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and diverse sources of protein. Parents should not only worry about making the dishes visually attractive but also tasteful.
A smart and happy child is also the result of the experiences he is offered to enjoy. Make sure he is actively engaged in recreational activities he or she likes, even if he is a very little baby. In fact, even a short walk round the nearby park in a trolley can be a great learning and funny experience for a baby!

The educational development of your child is an incredible journey, one that begins before birth! And it's a difficult journey, wading through the mountain of information on not only the educational, but the social / emotional development of your child.

That's where we come in. CleverStuff offers outstanding quality children's educational toys, wooden toys and sensory toys. Toys that are exploratory, educational, tactile, functional, fun and funky. And we reckon that's pretty clever!

View the original article here

5 Ways to Make Children's Books More Fun

Reading books to children is not just a privilege but an opportunity as well to cultivate a wonderful bond. At times, encouraging kids to read can be difficult especially with the presence of so many distractions like television cartoons and virtual games. Still, you should not lose hope because there are a lot of means in which you can make a book exciting.

Create activity pages related to the book

A child will feel eager to finish a book if he or she knows that a thrilling activity awaits him. The key to creating activity pages is to first read the book and come up with concepts that are relevant to the tale. For example, if the book is about a new chicken in a farm, why not create an activity page wherein a child has to match which animals correspond to the words "oink", "meow" and "moo"? You may also try creating mazes, puzzle words, and coloring pages. If a child successfully finishes an activity, you can give him a small reward like an ice cream, extra TV time or even a new book of his choice.

Photocopy illustration to make character puppets

With their imaginative minds, kids can truly find joy in playing make-believe games with their toys. It is easy to transform a page character to a tangible toy by simply photocopying the picture of the character and cutting it. After finishing the book, engage your child in a conversation wherein you will talk about the story characters, plot, and moral lesson. Afterwards, let the child choose which character he or she wants to have as a puppet. Other than photocopies, used socks, tissue tubes, construction papers, and strings are useful materials for making creative puppets.

Create decorations related to the book

It is very seldom for a children's book to have merchandises but you can always come up with your own. You can create lanterns, key chains, makeshift snow globes, pinwheels, posters, and paper arts that will represent the story. Ask your child if he or she wants to join your craft session. Displaying book-related decors is an effective way for a child to remember the stories that touched him.

Re-enact the story as a play

Role playing is a tried-and-tested method of stimulating a child's creativity. Not only will you make reading more fun but your child will likewise have instant speech training. Allow your child to pick the character he wants to play and instruct him to deliver his lines clearly. For a more realistic "show", throw in some costumes that are fit for your storybook characters.

Ask questions throughout the story

Reading can be interactive if you will raise questions per page. As you go along the lines of the narrative, don't hesitate to connect with your child by saying things like, "How many ___ are in this page?", "Where do you think the character is going?", and "Do you think what she did is right?" These questions will surely stir the interest of your young reader.

By making note of these ideas, expect that the book will leave a lasting impression in your child's heart.

Miho Suzuki is a children's story book author who has worked with preschool children in Canada and Japan. She has a children's site called Animal Adventure which is filled with fun activities and coloring pages for kids.

View the original article here