BumpNews

Top 5 School Lunch Nutritional Hacks

Posted on September 8, 2014

This school year, parents will be challenged on getting their kids to eat nutritional lunches. Shane Griffin, the CEO of Whole Life Balance – an international nutritional coaching company – has worked with many parents who have faced this same struggle and offers the following 5 lunch nutritional hacks!

1. Utilize Powdered foods: Powdered whole foods have recently made their way into the market, and they are an excellent tool for parents whose kids are picky eaters. Say your kid craves Mac n’ Cheese every week – the boxed versions have little nutrition on their own. By adding Activz’s powdered carrots and pumpkin into your own creation, you’re giving your kid a tasty treat while greatly boosting the nutritional value of an otherwise unhealthy meal. Check out this delicious recipe here.

2. Embrace the superfruit fad: “Superfruit” is an overused term these days, but it came to light for a good reason: Some fruits just pack a bigger nutritional punch than others. One of my favorite newcomers is camu camu, a fruit straight out the Amazon Rainforest with 30X the Vitamin C of an orange and 10X the antioxidant capacity of acai. Immune-boosting Vitamin C is especially important with kids headed back into the classroom, as research shows that 164 million school days are missed yearly due to infectious diseases. So parents, try sneaking vitamin C into this tasty salad with some Amaçari – a 100% whole food camu camu supplement – to support their good health.

3. Go lean or go home: Not all meats are created equal, but they are a great source of protein that every growing body craves. A great way to boost the nutritional value of any school lunch is to substitute leaner meats into the mix. Try using ground turkey instead of beef in your meatloaf or meatballs, or if you’re making tacos try substituting pork ribs for the ground beef you’re accustomed to. If your kid loves chicken, skip the fried version for a nice organic boneless, skinless alternative. Remember, proper seasoning is important to keep the flavor consistent!

4. Bake in the goodness: Most kids are fans of baked treats, but they don’t have to know how the cookie is made – they just care how it tastes! If you’re cooking muffins or cookies, try using organic applesauce as the base. Then, toss in some ground flaxseed or wheat germ into the batter to boost the nutritional content. If you’re feeling extra bold, adding in pureed squash, zucchini or banana to really give it a healthy lift. Substituting healthy alternatives like these will teach your kids that tasty doesn’t have to mean unhealthy!

5. Blend in a nutritional boost: Smoothies can be your best friend, and give you a chance to really provide whole food nutrients in the tastiest way possible. As a base, use organic milk or a dairy alternative like rice or almond milk. Load up the smoothie with spinach, berries, and a banana for sweetness. Remember, Omega-3’s are a vital part of your kid’s brain development, so add in some of Karlene Karst’s Sea-liocous Omega-3’s to create the ultimate powerhouse smoothie!

Good luck, parents!

0 comments

BumpNews

How to set up a distraction-free homework station

Posted on September 8, 2014

Choose a designated area for the homework station. Ideally the homework station will be located in an area that is free from noise and distractions. According to educator Dennis Mitchell, a child’s room is an ideal space for his homework station because there will be fewer distractions from people and noises. However, if there isn’t space in his bedroom, look for a nook or corner in the living or dining room where you could fit a desk or a small table and chair. When choosing your space, be sure to select an area that has bright lighting and is free from clutter and distraction triggers. While the dining room table may seem like a great place to have a homework station, since he typically eats while sitting there you may find he complains he’s hungry and is unable to focus on his assignments.

Create the homework station. Set up a desk lamp so he has adequate lighting to see his work. You’ll also want to make sure he has enough room to spread out. If you are using an area where others could walk by, you may want to create a screen. Purchase a tri-fold display board from a craft or discount store for a few dollars and paint it or cover it with paper in his favorite color. Hot glue some clothes pins on it to hang folders, homework, and any other important information. Be sure to find him a comfortable desk chair to use.

Stock the station with the supplies he will need to do his homework. Make sure he has plenty of pencils, erasers, paper, scissors, tape, and a stapler handy. What is needed will vary by the child’s age so make sure to stock it with age-appropriate supplies. If he has everything he needs he won’t be tempted to get up to sharpen his pencil or be forced to look for what he needs to get his assignment done. The fewer distractions and interruptions he has, the better he’ll be able to focus on his homework.

Provide a way for him to stay organized. Now that he has all of the supplies, he needs them to be organized in a way that he can find and access them at a moment’s notice. If he is using a tri-fold display board, these items can be stored in folders hanging from clothespins. A small rolling set of drawers can also be used to store all of the items he needs and is portable enough that he can move it out of the way if necessary. Make sure there is a folder for completed homework so that it can be checked over by a parent and it won’t be misplaced.

Share

|

0 comments

BumpNews

10 ways to save money on child care

Posted on September 3, 2014

Hard economic times have forced many households to make tough financial adjustments, and families in need of childcare services have thus been presented with a daunting challenge: how do you cut expenses while still maintaining a high level of childcare? For those who find themselves in that predicament, there is some good news: there are several ways to cut back on the expense of childcare without sacrificing the quality.

Nanny Share – It’s becoming more common for dual income families to share the services of a single nanny. The cost of her service is also shared, and the nanny alternates care of the kids in one of the families’ homes. This allows both families to maintain the quality of care their kids receive, at half the cost.
Split Shift Care – A family with school-age children can reduce their childcare expenses by paying a nanny to work only the hours that the kids are home from school, giving her the rest of the time off. The family could save 35-40 hours’ worth of salary each week.
Alternative Compensation – A nanny’s salary can be structured so that non-monetary benefits are substituted for financial compensation. In other words, some nannies may be willing to accept less of a wage if their salary package includes a gym membership or some other desirable benefit. Some benefits, like contributions to health insurance premiums, can also save employers money because those contributions are tax-free.
Telecommute – Working parents who have the option should consider working from home when they can. Since education and experience influence a nanny’s salary, opting for a less educated or experienced nanny when you’ll be in the home may reduce your childcare costs.
Flexible Hours – Alternately, some companies offer flex time to their employees, allowing them to work non-traditional hours. This can allow parents to work a schedule that reduces the need for child care. Filling in the gaps with part-time nanny care, rather than having full-time coverage, can cut childcare costs significantly.
Budget – Assign a strict budget to your household expenses and make sure your caregiver adheres to it. Buy food in bulk, use coupons wherever possible, and cut out expensive snacks in favor of much more affordable ones, like celery sticks and peanut butter.
Live-in/Live-out – If you are presently employing a live-out nanny, you may want to re-think your options. A live-in arrangement might save you some money if you add in the accommodations to your nanny’s compensation at a lower salary.
Reduce Duties – Families whose nannies are doing double duty as cooks or tutors or who have taken on other additional responsibilities may consider working up a new job description and contract. Sticking with essential child care duties could save you a bit in salary.
Referrals – Some nanny placement agencies offer discounts or rebates when families who contract with them provide them with referrals. If you can find some families who need quality affordable child care, send them to your agency. Securing and screening a caregiver on your own can also save you costly fees associated with using a placement agency.
Flex Accounts – Companies frequently offer their employees a flex account that provides the family an annual sum that they can apply toward any health care – or childcare – expenses they incur that aren’t covered under their insurance plans. Take advantage of those dollars and apply them toward paying your nanny.

0 comments

BumpNews

Back to School: 10 ways to organize the kids’ closet for the school year

Posted on September 1, 2014

As you prep to send the kids back to school, you may want to reassess what’s in their closet now and consolidate uneeded clothes, give away some, fold away some for younger children and basically get organized. Here are 10 tips to help you do that from a past post:

1.Take inventory: Go through the clothes that you already have for your child and see which items fit and which items don’t. Take the items that they have out grown to a resale shop or donate them to a worthy cause.

2.Assess how your child dresses: Don’t buy a bunch of dresses if you have a tomboy who doesn’t like to wear dresses. This may seem like common sense, but for some reason people love to buy pretty dresses and then they hang in the closet with the tags on them. Or they are worn once for that special occasion and that’s it.

3.Buy separates: Instead of buying a bunch of dresses you need to buy separates so that you can mix and match tops and skirts. You can also wear the tops with jeans or other pants. A dress is one outfit, but if you buy three skirts and three tops that can be mixed and matched then you can get nine outfits out of those items.

4.Buy basic colors: When buying pants or skirts think about buying basic colors, black, blue and brown. Those will go with a lot of different things you may already own. The more combinations that you can make the better off you will be.

5.Don’t buy outfits: Stores are great about putting together outfits, like pink and green striped leggings with a matching pink and green top. This is a one trick pony. You might be able to wear the top with jeans, but otherwise you can wear the pants with that one top and that’s it. Plus it’s such a bold color choice that you don’t want to repeat it in the same week.

6.Teach them to wear things more than once: The biggest thing that they can wear more than once is pajamas. There is no need to have seven pairs of pajamas. They can get up in the morning and fold them up and put them under their pillow for the next night. Having three to four pairs of pajamas should be plenty.

7.Add leggings to an outgrown dress: Do you have some dresses that are getting too short but they fit otherwise? Just add a pair of leggings and you can still get some more mileage out of those dresses.

8.Jeans, jeans, jeans: Most of the time jeans can be worn more than once in a week so teach your child to hang or fold them up after the first wearing unless they know they got a stain on them. Jeans are very versatile and can be worn dressed up with a nice shirt or sweater or worn with a T-shirt.

9.Buy basics: Buy a sweater in white so that you can take those short-sleeved dresses into Fall and Winter. Buy a white shirt that will go with anything or under any sweater to make an outfit warmer for winter. Black pants are always a good idea because they can be worn with any shirt and can be dressed up or down depending on the circumstances.

10.Take pictures and make a fashion book: Boys are especially bad about grabbing the shirt that is on the top in their drawer and wearing it over and over. For boys you might want to hang shirts so that they can all be seen. With girls, make a fashion book. Take pictures of all of the separate pieces and then mix and match them in a fashion book to show the different outfits that can be put together. Even young children can pick out an outfit and pull the pieces out of their closet and put a matching outfit together. Accessories for girls are also great to stretch a wardrobe. A great colorful scarf can be added to a basic black or brown top and you have a completely different look that how you wore it last week. Accessories are cheap and this is a good place to allow your kids to follow the trends, but not break that bank.

0 comments

BumpNews

Back to School: 10 Tips for managing digital device access during the school year

Posted on September 1, 2014

It’s back to school time for many households around the nation and globe. The transition from summer mode to school work mode can be a challenge. Our friends at Remo MORE, a smart home app for families, offers tips for parents to use smart home technologies to prepare kids for the start of the school year.

1. Make rules and stick to them. Set time limits on kids’ daily device usage for entertainment, and hold them to it. There are device management solutions that allow you to restrict online time, which can help you enforce the rules.

2. Make sure kids can handle the device. These days, some kids get smartphones in kindergarten, while other parents make their children wait until middle or high school. You know your kids best, so make the right choice for them.

3. Password protect all devices. Set up a password for every device, and make sure you create separate profiles for each child who uses them. Different ages may require different restrictions, and this will enable you to manage them all.

4. Set restrictions on apps and TV channels. Not all apps or television channels are appropriate for children, and if you have a good device management solution, you can easily block inappropriate content.

5. Filter web content. To protect kids from inappropriate web content, you can set filters, such as under age 18 content only. You can also block content from sites that contain certain words or themes.

6. Set blocks on outgoing content. Kids don’t always know what is appropriate to share, such as videos or pictures. One instance of bad judgment can cause endless trouble. You can block specific types of outgoing content to keep kids safe.

7. Monitor online activities. You can’t be there every minute, but there are tools available that allow you to monitor online activities across all device types. As a parent, you monitor what they do in the real world; it makes sense to keep tabs virtually too.

8. Talk to children about how to protect themselves online. Kids need to understand that there are real dangers in cyberspace. Talk to them about cyber-bullying, danger from online predators and other hazards.

9. “Friend” your kids online. If your children are on social media, you can keep an eye on their activities if you “friend” them of Facebook and follow them on Twitter or other platforms. It’s also a good idea to play online games with them and interact via apps.

10. Don’t be afraid to use parental control tools. Being a parent has never been an easy job, but in some ways, connected devices make it even harder. Luckily, there are parental control solutions you can use to manage it all.

0 comments

BumpNews

8 Home Decor Celeb Style Tips on a shoestring budget

Posted on August 31, 2014

Bellyitch Rewind

What sets a celebrity’s home apart? Is it the millions of dollars worth of stuff that they contain? No, it is simply the execution of a plan, meticulous detail and a whole load of imagination. Your home too could look like that of a celebrity, and what’s more, it won’t cost you the world!

Here are 8 tips for updating your home, celeb style!

1) Let’s talk theme: A little known fact is that most celebrities have a common theme running throughout their home. That theme could be the Wild West, as in Mel Gibson’s ranch or lilac and peach, in Halle Berry’s Paris flat. Either way, the benefit of a theme is dual fold, one it is easier to know what kind of home furnishing, accessories and general home decor pieces to go with. And secondly it keeps cost down. How so? Read on…

2) Elegant yet inexpensive: Many celebrities are fixated on a particular color, texture or print. Do the same, when painting your walls, use subtle variants of the same shade to bring about the semblance of a theme throughout the home. One trick to break from the monotony is combining artifacts with the wall paint to create a signature space.

3) Go antique: Remember, vintage never goes out of fashion. To give your home a serious face lift, invest in antiques. Now we don’t mean you break the bank pursuing a statue or painting at auction, we simply mean visit websites for online home accessories. Most such websites have home decoration pieces that look antiquated, but are relatively inexpensive.

4) In the bathroom: Go looking for faucets and fixtures that are vintage. Unlike accessories, you could find these old fixtures rather cheaply at a plumbing supplies store. Make sure they are in a good condition, and aren’t rusted or weathered in any way.

5) Get online for great pieces of art: If you’d like to hang a renowned artwork like the Mona Lisa on your walls, there is a way to do it, for absolutely free. Download a high resolution image of the art from the internet, print it out, and frame it. There, a world famous art work and it didn’t cost you a thing!

6) Make your bath, your Nirvana room: Your bathroom, either big or small can be your oasis of serenity in the maddening world you live in. Invest in small pieces of art work like a Buddha statue, votive scented candles and incense, to make your bathroom, a tranquil oasis of peace, not unlike many celebrities.

7) Fill your bookshelves with rare tomes: If you have a study in your home, ensure that you have some rare books in them. Make the room a regal one where you can escape and enjoy reading a rare book. A coffee table, a nice lush carpet and a curio or two, and you’re sorted.

8) Reupholster/Reuse/Recycle: If you have an old couch, bring it up to speed with a reupholstering, instead of purchasing a new one. Reuse some of your tees, once you’ve sewn them together as pillowcases or comforters. Recycle old milk bottles and tinted beer bottles as ashtrays or flower vases. Put your own unique spin on things. In truth that’s what makes a celeb’s home stand out.

Noureen Almeida, is a trendy indoor stylist who loves consulting with clients about avenues of purchasing home decoration online. She also designs spaces for clients with home furnishing bought exclusively online.

0 comments

BumpNews

Eco-Friday: End of Summer Eco-Fun Tips

Posted on August 29, 2014

I’m digging the wonderful eco-friendly tips that HuffPo recently shared. I’m constantly struggling to find fun environmentally-friendly activities to do with the kids in the summer. It is a HUGE challenge to keep them entertained and their brains stimulated all summer. That’s why I loved seeing these eco-summer tips and ideas:

1) Grow a garden

Sunflower Playhouses & Mazes

Sunflowers are inexpensive and easy to grow. Certain varieties like “Sunzilla,” “Mammoth,” and “California Greystripe” can grow between 12-20 feet tall which makes them a great plant to use to make an outdoor playhouse or maze. All it takes is a couple packages of seeds and a little watering and in 8 weeks you will have a bright and cheerful “nature made” play area.

Pizza Garden

If space is an issue or you have older children, a pizza garden is a lot fun and keeps them really engaged. In a small bed or pots, plant a few tomato plants, basil and oregano — all of the garden ingredients that you need for a pizza. After you harvest at the end of the summer, make pizza sauce with the ingredients from your garden.

2) Use Nature’s Art Box

Go on a stroll in your yard, neighborhood or nearest park and collect leaves, small twigs, and flowers to use as materials in a translucent garden window or mobile. All you need are the materials that you have collected, translucent contact paper and string.

For older kids, it is fun to collect rocks and pebbles from your yard or neighborhood and paint them. It is great to show your child pictures of ancient cave art for inspirations. You can even try making your own natural pigment paints using egg white and ochre (blush) for reds and charcoal for black.

3) Recycled Box Crafts

Boxes are by far the best item to let the imagination nation run wild. Refrigerator and wardrobe boxes make a great playhouse or puppet theaters. You can take them outside and let your child color or paint them. You can help them cut windows and doors into them. One way to make the decorating easy and fun is to use a paper cup to hold the paint and tape it to the outside of the box right at your child’s arm level.

Medium-size boxes that may be gathering dust in the attic or garage are great for toy train tunnels and matchbox car tracks/highways. Help your child cut the tunnel hole in the box and then help them put tape highways across the tops and sides, then take a marker and add the line for the road.

You can also combine several medium size boxes with multi-colored masking tape to make a fun play tunnel for your child to crawl though. Another option would be to have your child color or paint the tunnel to look like a caterpillar.

Share |

0 comments

BumpNews

Back-to-School Checklist: 5 things you need to Do Soon!

Posted on August 26, 2014

As summer winds to a close, parents are scrambling to get school supplies, do last minute shopping and scheduling hair appointments and hair cuts for their little ones. But there are other tasks that are less tangible but are key to a successful school here.

Here is a list of things to get set, regulated or purchased before or during the first few days of the new school year.

1. Whip Your Immune System into Shape Schools are hot beds for illness- especially during the first few days of the school-year. Make sure your children are current on all their important vaccinations to protect them as flu season begins.

Do it the natural way: Eat foods high in vitamin C. According to Dr. DeSilva, of Amazon Origins, “foods high in Vitamin C provide help the body produce Collagen, which promotes the body’s natural healing process.”

– Foods with the highest Vitamin C levels? Camu Camu berries, Red/Green peppers, and Guavas.

2. Visit the Eye Doctor According to Vision Council of America, “One in four American children has an uncorrected vision issue.. [and] more than 10 million children suffer from vision problems that may cause them to fail in school.”

With statistics like these, it’s important to visit an eye doctor, so that problems with you and your children’s vision can be detected in its early stages. Ophthalmologist Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler also adds, “It’s important to correct these issues, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, before they create more serious complications such as difficulty learning or the development of recurrent headaches.”

3. Update Emergency and Medical contact Information

In the event of an emergency, finding necessary contact information could be the difference between a small problem and a huge disaster. Here is a free template.

4. Retrain Your Sleep Cycle Make waking up early for school a little less dreadful by training your body to wake up at the time you’re supposed to. While you may still need the boost of an alarm clock, not taking naps throughout the day, avoiding nightlights, and even trying melatonin (consult with your doctor) can help you get, and stick to your school sleep schedule.

5. Get Organized Getting organized ahead of time can save you time, but it can also save you money and potential stressful situations. Anticipate things you will need ahead of time. Things like outfits, lunches, and school/office can all be prepared the night before you need them, leaving you with significantly less stress in the morning.

Good luck!

0 comments

BumpNews

Back to School: 8 Tips for dealing with Separation Anxiety

Posted on August 23, 2014

Few things tug at a parent’s heartstrings like the cries and pleas of a child in the throes of a separation anxiety attack; still, they are a normal (if distressing) part of childhood development. With proper coping strategies and plenty of love, the worst of your child’s anxieties can be managed until he’s older, at which point most children tend to outgrow their fears of being separated from a parent or familiar adult.

Managing your child’s separation anxiety and helping her to cope with the necessary but painful routine of parting is a matter of being patient, for the most part. Keeping your composure and maintaining a grip on your patience is absolutely necessary in order for you to successfully employ other management techniques.

Establish a Goodbye Ritual – Sharing a special goodbye ritual with your little one is both comforting and reassuring to her, letting her know that staying at school, daycare, or under the care of a nanny is a new part of her routine. Because structure and repetition are so important to young children, establishing a ritual that accompanies every separation can help normalize that separation, making it less stressful for her over time.
Stay Calm – Kids react to the emotional state of a parent or loved one, so allowing yourself to become overly emotional or anxious in her presence is likely to only exacerbate the anxiety and fear that she’s already feeling. Maintain your composure as best you can, saving the emotional moments for a time when you’re out of her sight.
Don’t Hover or Linger – While it might seem that your hysterical child will never calm down after you leave, childcare providers will almost always reassure you that their emotional state will improve dramatically once you’re gone. Lingering around and hovering over her will only prolong the process, stretching out both her suffering and your own.
Speak with Caregivers and Teachers – Experienced childcare providers and preschool or kindergarten teachers are well-versed in reassuring both hysterical children and their concerned parents, so don’t hesitate to speak with them about how your child is adjusting. When normal separation anxiety is particularly difficult for a child to shake, or persists after a significant adjustment period, these people are your best allies in combating your little one’s fears and helping her learn to cope with separation in a calm, healthy way.
Resist the Temptation to Sneak Away – It can be very tempting to wait until your child is distracted and slip quietly from the room, but this may not be the most productive method of dealing with her separation anxiety. Looking up to find you inexplicably gone, without any sort of a goodbye, can lead to a panic that she’s been abandoned or, at the very least, to feel that she can’t always trust that you’ll be where you should be.
Communicate With Your Child – You can help prepare your child for preschool, kindergarten, or childcare by talking about the upcoming change, practicing separation on a small scale, and answering any questions that she has. These methods can be very effective in preventing the worst of her anxiety before it starts, and maintaining that open line of communication as she adjusts to her new environment and has new experiences is vital.
Be Firm and Consistent – Don’t waver or bring your child home after a particularly bad outburst, as it sends the message that a tantrum will yield the desired result of either leaving daycare or school with you or sending your nanny home, rather than being separated. Focus on maintaining a firm but gentle demeanor, and a strong grip on your resolve.
Know When Separation Anxiety Indicates Something More Serious – While separation anxiety is a very natural, normal part of growing up for many children, there are times when it could indicate something more serious. If a previously happy, well-adjusted child begins to regress and show signs of anxiety again, or if existing anxiety is severe and does not lessen with time, you should contact your pediatrician or medical provider for advice.

Share |

0 comments

BumpNews

Celebrity Photographer Amateur photography tips

Posted on August 20, 2014

With over 4 million babies born in North America each year, more and more parents are taking it up on themselves to save money on a professional photographer and are grabbing their cameras and taking amateur pics on their own.

Top celebrity newborn photographers Keri Meyers and Jennifer Blakely, who have photographed Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox‘s son Noah, Ian Ziering and his wife’s new baby and Donald Trump Jr‘s newborn, took notice and started a website to help guide new parents.

“In the current economy and with the easy availability of advanced cameras, a lot of new parents are looking to take their own pictures of their newborn baby, so although we always recommend you hire a professional newborn photographer,” Meyers said. “We have developed some tips for those looking to handle the photo shoot independently.”

Here are 5 simple ones:

Babies can be “jumpy”, so have someone within arm’s reach of baby at all times.
Turn off your camera’s flash and use a large window with indirect sunlight.
Make sure the room is very warm. Use a space heater if needed, but avoid having heat directly on the baby.
Use white noise (i.e. hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, or iPhone app).
Keep it simple – dress the baby in a neutral sleeper or diaper cover.

“With the low cost and availability of SLR cameras these days, more and more amateur photographers are starting their own home-based photography businesses; however, what’s alarming is the number of these photographers who haven’t been formally trained or mentored in newborn photography,” said Jennifer Blakeley, who recently launched newbornphotography.com, a website dedicated to helping new parents find the industries top photographers.

Not only does their site address a wide-variety of safety issues around amateur photographers handling babies for the first time, it also has a search function that enables new parents to easily view and find a reputable newborn photography in their area.

0 comments

parenting tips