Parenting Healthy

Comment: I was sent crackers for this feature. Thank you to Mary’s Gone Crackers for collaborating with Parenting Healthy

Mary’s Gone Crackers uses only whole, plant-based ingredients

With a new school year paired with these new normals some of us go back to the classroom and some will learn from home – all will still need nutritious snacks. Mary’s Gone Crackers doesn’t just have a fun name, but Gluten-free, plant-based, organic and non-GMO crackers. Great for those in need of a better cracker that is allergen-friendly.

Mary’s Gone Crackers have plant-based ingredients

The crackers actually taste good and are made using only whole, plant-based ingredients you can see within each cracker. Most flavors are good right out of the box and to pair them with good cheese or spreads makes them even better. I really love the herb crackers!

My 7th grader will be home and I have this shopping rule of “if I don’t buy it, he can’t eat it”. Some popular cookies and crackers I will buy as an occasional treat and for daily snacking I look for better, plant-based ingredients brands but they have to taste good or I am tossing uneaten boxes of food and that is a waste. My son discovered the REAL Thin Crackers over the weekend and he loves them. It is honestly the first brand of ‘better’ crackers he has ever eaten.

I was so happy and then I remembered, I had taken them out of the box and put them on a tray to serve for family coming over for dinner and he snuck into the appetizers right before they arrived- I think he related boxes of healthier crackers in the cupboard to not tasting very good but these were away from the box -out on the counter. In this little psychological trick I set the box aside so he never saw these were healthier snacks and ate what ‘looked’ like a good, hearty cracker and loved them. I will forever remember that trick – these sacks I prefer to buy can be removed from the ‘healthy-looking’ box and put in a bowl on the counter and suddenly they get eaten. Brilliant!

Visit Mary’s Gone Crackers to see all of the varieties of plant-based ingredients and find recipes too that pair great with their products. You can find them at grocery stores near you. I have them at my local Walmart, Safeway and Fred Meyer stores.

Brands with a Cause, Fashion, Parenting, Tips and Tricks

Bleuet First Bras for Girls – Shopping for her first bra

August 11, 2020August 9, 2020 Erin Sluka

Comment: I received a package from Bleuet for this post. Thank you to Bleuet for partnering with Paenting Healthy

Bleuet First Bras for Girls - Growing Up with Confidence

We all remember the pressures of growing up, experiencing puberty and constantly comparing ourselves to others. Sadly, tweens and teens do that especially as kids hit puberty and experience change sooner than others or later than most. How we talk to our tweens (boys and girls) through puberty is important. If we feel awkward so will they. If we avoid the topic they may get the wrong information elsewhere from others.

Finding tools, advice, books and videos help tremendously. Then there are brands like Bleuet who know how to help us through the ‘firsts’ with our tweens such as their first bra. Bleuet knows that girls bodies are unique. Their apparel should give them both comfort & confidence and they offer sizes for all girls. Now they can feel good in a bra that works with their bodies = confidence!

Each bra comes packaged with beautiful colors and extra touches. But it’s in the bra itself and you have to feel it to know its comfort. I immediately wanted one for my adult self. The material of this Bleum Bra for everyday wear is made of 90% Polyester / 10% Spandex and so soft and double-lined for smooth coverage.

For your girls first bra there is the Bleum First Bra. The sizes start at 7/8 up to size 18. When she starts to bud and is looking for self-confidence in her changing body, it’s time for a Bleuet First Bra.

Double-lined for smooth coverage
Reversible: two colors in each bra!
Adjustable straps for the perfect fit
Minimal seams and tag free for comfort
Performance, moisture-wicking fabric
Ultra-soft and stretches to fit her growing body

Because we need to get to know and feel confident in our bodies there may be trial and error in finding the best fit for her body so Bleuet offers free returns and exchanges. You will find that they want to stay in this all day. It is minimally stitched and no tags for comfort for that reason.

Aside from finding the best bra for your daughter, Bleuet offers Parenting Resources for you both. Their blog, Blueprint is for her also. If you are ready to take her bra shopping, take her to Bluet online and she will love all the organized information and images to guide her into shopping for her first bra and you get that topic help you need.

I also love this book, Love Your Body: A Self Love Book for Girls. We need all the tools we can get to make sure they become confident in their bodies and with the subject of change and growth.

Visit Bleuet.com today!

College Bound, Home, Infant Toddler Products, Reviews

Name Stories personalized name print

August 10, 2020August 10, 2020 Erin Sluka

Comment: I was sent a print for this feature. Thank you to Name Stories for collaborating with Parenting Healthy

Last week we tore up our tweens game room and to reorganize that room it meant using his bedroom for extra storage. We are distance learning to start the school year in most of Wa. state so we needed to create him a home learning space. He is 12 and heading into the 7th grade so we did our final sweep of toys and little boy ‘stuff’ – he wants sports and gaming. I would love to hold onto the memories and toys and prints that meant so much to him at different times in his life, now he says, “Mom. Just toss it”.

Aside from basketballs and gaming themes I hung my piece of special, his Name Stories personalized name print so that he remembers exactly who he is and meant to be by his name. Anthony – it means Son of Hercules, strong, independent, wise. A strong Italian name connecting him to his genealogy and defining his spirit. This is a keeper and will stay with him on a wall forever.

These name prints are available at Name Stories and I was even able to personalize it by adding the top line, Our Amazing Son…Anthony. I chose the white on red as red is his favorite color. His personalized name print came wrapped well and undamaged, ready for a frame.

Whether for baby’s room or to add something special to your teen’s space, this personalized name print will remind them of the meaning of their name. When we are rearranging the home and our lives around distance learning or perhaps you will switch to homeschooling to keep social distancing, this can be a special personalized name print to hang in this space.

At a time of new normals and a huge shift in schooling or even for the teen heading to College on top of a virus which adds worry, perhaps this gentle reminder to ground them in the meaning of their name and who they stand for is needed more than ever. Name Stories has your child’s name and meaning ready to print and send. Customize your child’s personalized name print today at NameStories.com

Education, Reviews, Toy Reviews

EXIT The Game brings the escape room experience to your home (ages 10+)

August 5, 2020August 9, 2020 Erin Sluka

Comment: I was sent these games. Thank you to Thames & Kosmos for collaborating with Parenting Healthy

EXIT: The Game brings the escape room experience to your home

Have you ever experienced an escape room event? If you have teens and need a party gathering idea, I challenge you to try an actual escape room. Its puzzles and riddles that get you out of the rooms and the faster you solve them the faster you move to the Exit. EXIT The Game are games for ages 10+ (depending on the version as some are 12+ and 16+). These bring the escape room to your home!

Anthony is 12 and we first learned about EXIT The Game from Thames and Kosmos when we visited Sweet Suite Toy Fair in NYC a few years back. Anthony was a tad young, had never experienced an escape room but I thought these looked so fun. Now he is a few years older and I finally got my hands on a few to try.

Once we realized how to solve page 1 riddle we began to make more sense and moved through the rest – yes, we had to use all 3 hint cards but this was our first attempt. We played House of Riddles rated for his age and it was challenging, a good thing! See how hard he is contemplating below…

I have not dug into The Catacombs of Horror as that is an expert level ages 16+ but we will graduate to that soon enough. The riddles are fun and perhaps there is a bit of a theme to the set of riddles as you turn each page.

The instruction booklet worked well for us, but the best way to learn to play EXIT The Game is to download the Kosmos Helper App. In the app, you can find animated explanations of the instructions and other helpful features for a selection of Kosmos games. Available on iOS and Android devices,

This is such a great sleepover game for tweens and teens. If you like challenging games and to witness your older child’s level of problem solving the family game nights will surely be fun and challenged with any of the EXIT The Game sets. Available from Thames & Kosmos as well as retailers such as Amazon.