Children learn by watching their parents. Even though there are many things competing for our children’s attention and devotion in the end parental influence reigns supreme. Parental influence is the greatest factor in how a child behaves and the choices he comes to make. Sure there are exceptions to every rule and this is not a blame on parents for mislead children. However, parents must heed warning that children are always watching and looking to use for guidance in all things. As such what do parents teach their children about weight and body image? Children of overweight parents are twice … Continue reading →

Have you ever wanted to bottle up a child’s energy? You can always find a kid moving and playing actively, right? I have four kids and three of the four never stop moving. Wait! Yes, they will stop moving when there is a screen in front of their face. It could be a TV screen or a computer screen but if they can see it they are in a seated position and time will be lost. So even the most active children can have moments of lazy times in front of the TV or playing a video game. This becomes … Continue reading →

It has been estimated that 1 out of 5 children is overweight. That is alarming. Childhood obesity is becoming the norm rather than the exception. As a mom of a child who is “at risk of being overweight”, I know how quickly this can happen and how diligent we need to be with portion control and what foods our children eat. My pediatrician told me on my child’s annual visit that he has the talk about childhood obesity at least five times or more a day. The Obesity Society says that childhood obesity is regarded as the most common prevalent … Continue reading →

We all have heard the breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not being a breakfast person, I was hoping there was no truth to that. However, the statement is not your mom’s way of getting you to eat a healthy breakfast or making you get up earlier to get ready for school, it is pure truth. Eating breakfast helps maintain a healthy body weight and increases your metabolic rate. If you eat a healthy breakfast it will keep you from mindlessly snacking throughout the day. There’s no two ways about it what you eat for breakfast is … Continue reading →

Breakfast in my house equals a bowl of cereal on most days. It is not unusual to find a few of my kids eating cereal as a snack during the day as well. With all this cereal eating going on, I have to be sure I am feeding them quality cereal that is low in sugar and high in nutrition. I have searched the grocery store aisles for the most nutritious but still delicious cereal my kids will eat. One of my family favorites is Barbara’s Bakery’s Puffins cereal. Barbara’s Bakery was generous enough to allow me to review some … Continue reading →