Can you believe the holidays are officially here? I am super excited! We kicked off the holiday season last night making pies as a family and watching a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. So fun. Today, Eben and I spent the morning getting our home ready and putting together the tablescape. We think it turned out pretty great! We are calling it a success.  The mister does all of the cooking and we are drooling over all of the amazing smells and sights coming from the kitchen. Yay!
I hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving Day full of family, friends and amazing food! I hope you get to spend the weekend doing whatever makes you smile (relaxing, sleeping in, reading a great book, shopping or like us, heading to the beach!)
We have been celebrating Halloween all weekend long! We started by surprising the mister for his birthday by taking him to four haunted houses on Saturday night! Tonight, we are heading out for pizza and a scary movie at the theater! Hooray for Halloween.
What are your plans for tonight? Maybe some trick or treating with the littles? An adult costume party? Staying home in your jammies handing out treats? Whatever it is, I hope you and your family have a spooky, fun and safe Halloween.
xo,
Sweet Greens
p.s. The photo above is of some of my favorite Halloween decorations. I will be so sad to pack them up for the year!Â
Today is Mr. Sweet Greensâ Birthday! Hooray! Eben and I have all kinds of surprises for him this weekend. He is worth it! He is the best husband and father, we are pretty darn lucky!
As parents, the most important lessons we can impress upon our kids are the sorts of healthy habits that will stick with them throughout life, especially once theyâre off on their own for the first time. Healthy lifelong habits can include eating well and exercising, but also extend to things like keeping their living space clean and following good hygiene practices. Today I want to talk about the latter, as no parent wants to see their kid end up as a stereotypically smelly, unkempt teenager!
Of course, kids have to be given freedom to explore their identities and express themselves creatively with their clothing and hair choices. I think itâs only natural for kids developing their sense of self to explore those avenues. But good hygiene is simpler than that, and important for everyone. Teaching kids to maintain healthy habits and take good care of their bodies starts at home, and is something the mister and I have tried to approach in a positive way.
Personal hygiene is also an area fraught with marketing campaigns (some of which rely on shaming tactics or other nasty approaches to selling their products) surrounding the products we supposedly need to use in order to keep clean. Many of these are full of synthetic scents, untested ingredients, or are otherwise not very eco-friendly, being tested on animals or produced in unsustainable ways. So even our choices of hygiene products can be a big influence on our kids, and what they choose to use in the future. One of my favorite brands of natural personal hygiene products is Tomâs of Maine, who never use artificial colors, flavors, fragrances, preservatives, or animal testing.
Youâve probably seen Tomâs at your local drug store or grocery, and theyâve been around since the â70s. I would bet that theyâre the most recognizable brand of natural body products around today, not just relegated to health stores or other specialty retailers. I think Tomâs of Maine is great because they aim to operate sustainably and care for both the environment and the communities we live in.
I would say that three of the most important hygiene habits to build with your kids are the following:
Brushing Teeth: Keeping teeth and gums in good shape is important to overall health and maintaining good breath. It can also be a task which kids (especially young ones) are more likely to shirk or do a half-hearted job of. Being a good role model by brushing and flossing with your children can go a long way to building good dental hygiene habits. Tomâs makes a wide range of oral care products including all-natural toothpaste that my family loves using.
Washing Up: Whether weâre talking regular hand washing to prevent the spread of germs, washing your face each day to help with teenage skin concerns, or getting active kids into the shower to rinse off sweat and dirt after theyâve been out playing, washing up is a huge part of personal hygiene.
Using Deodorant: This one can be a little more controversial, as depending on how you were raised, you might not think of deodorizing products as a necessity. However, in modern society theyâre a pretty prevalent part of personal hygiene, and even if you choose not to use antiperspirants due to health concerns, a simple, natural deodorant is a good choice. Tomâs is probably best known for their extensive line of natural deodorants, for men, women, and children. If youâre looking for a healthy, natural deodorant, I donât think these ones can be beat. My whole family uses them, and weâve been really impressed by the quality and effectiveness.
Iâd love to hear your tricks for helping your kids develop healthy hygiene habits, or your experiences trying natural body products. Have you successfully swapped your conventional hygiene products for eco-friendlier options? How do you teach your kids about the importance of taking good care of their bodies? Have you tried any Tomâs of Maine products that I havenât mentioned? Let me know in the comments!
This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield. Â All opinions are always my own.
With the school year in full swing, itâs important to remember that our kids need regular playtime to remain happy and healthy. Balancing playtime with homework can sometimes seem like a difficult task, but the creativity that play allows for helps kids develop in ways that arenât always focused on at school. I know I always try my best to keep playtime at the forefront of Ebenâs life despite his busy school schedule and my own work picking up at this time of year. Today I want to talk about how I help incorporate play into our daily lives, and keep Eben fueled so he can do his best at school and have energy for fun activities afterward.
Our favorite after school activities include taking the dogs for an evening walk around the lake or taking a stroll on the beach to chat about his week. Itâs a great way for us to connect and helps me stay in the loop with whatâs going on in his life. We also have family game night at least once a week and the two of us also spend every Friday night doing a mom-and-son “date night”. This usually means that we go out for sushi and then we hit the bookstore or a movie.
To keep him fueled at school, I always tuck a CLIF Kid ZbarÂŽ in his backpack. (In fact, he has a late-start school day today – so I slipped an apple and CLIF Kid Zbar in!) It is perfect for late afternoons when he gets hungry, or for after school when he stays later to work on a project or study for a test. The bars are great to snack on during class too, since they are easy to eat without having to pull out his whole lunch box. I also have a few approved snacks always available in the refrigerator and on the counter top. That way when Eben gets hungry during homework time or a video game session, he has easy access to healthy snacks! He loves their flavor, and I love that theyâre made with organic ingredients, and no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, or synthetic preservatives. Theyâre also made in appropriate portion sizes for growing kids, which a lot of snack bars aimed at adults are not, and have important nutrients for active kids.
Eben also incorporates playtime into his busy schedule in a number of ways. He rides his bike to and from school, which is a great way to get kids energized and focused for a day of studying. We slip in family time whenever possible by having family game nights, making organic milkshakes together, and having make-your-own-pizza and movie nights on the weekend. We also do a lot of cooking together âespecially Mr. Sweet Greens and Eben, which is a great way for him to learn life skills and healthy eating habits.
We like to take a fall vacation each year, to get some hiking in when the weather is beautiful and thereâs a lot to see. Itâs a great way to make family memoriesâI have lots of pictures from these trips that are great to look at again later! Â Of course, CLIF Kid Zbars ÂŽ are Eben’s fave hiking treat, because theyâre just the right combination of sweet treat and satisfying fuel without feeling too heavy when being physically active. We do a lot of outdoor stuff together as a family, including paddleboarding, bike riding, walking, hiking, and more depending on the season and location. Making sure we all have the energy to live an active lifestyle is one of my priorities, packing in CLIF bars is just part of our routine!
Playtime is important for a kidâs growth all year long, and shouldnât be pushed to the side during the school year. Unfortunately, as our society gets busier and we spend more time in the digital world, active play is disappearing at home, in school, and in communities. 70% of moms (like me, and probably you, too!) played outside when they were kids, but only 31% of our kids play outside today. Thatâs something we should all be focused on changing. CLIF Kid understands the importance of keeping kids active, and have a great video on getting your kids outside to push their boundaries and have adventures while staying properly fueled. take the initiative in this post to combine school activities and play.
What about your kids? How do you incorporate active and creative play into their lives? Iâm always interested in hearing how my readers balance their busy lives to prioritize healthy habits!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
