Bump and Beyond

Let your children gobble up all of their Halloween candy in one sitting? 

Yes, says an article in Medical News Today by Christian Nordqvist. It is better than rationing it out. Does this go against everything you learned as a child? Check out the full article here.

Meal time is a very important part of our lives. It is a great time to talk, discuss everyone’s day, and connect as a family. However, whether you work full-time, stay at home or fall somewhere in between, ensuring that your family gets quality meal time can be a challenge. When it comes to providing your family with healthy meals, planning is key. 

• Pick a day of the week to do your planning. You shouldn’t need more than an hour uninterrupted and you will become more efficient with practice. 
• Use cookbooks for ideas, along with websites like www.allrecipes.com and www.epicurious.com that have thousands of free recipes.
• Use a full menu planner to cover all meals and snacks - not just dinner. This will ensure that you create a complete grocery list, which will minimize store runs and ultimately save money by eating out less.
• As you choose recipes, add the ingredients to your grocery list. I encourage families to incorporate a lot of fresh ingredients in their meals and limit processed items. Get a good mix of recipes and ingredients so you don’t get bored.
• Working parents in particular find it useful to do all their cooking on one day (or bulk cook). 
• Schedule your grocery shopping trip so that you cook no more than one day later. You want your ingredients to be as fresh as possible. You can then freeze meals, and you do not have to worry about cooking for the remainder of the week.
• Even if not always possible, try to include the entire family when cooking. Parents set a great example when cooking as a family. You may not realize it, but you are teaching your children how to cook and to be self-sufficient. Furthermore, children become more open to trying new foods and eating vegetables when they are involved in the process. 

Be patient in the beginning and don’t feel discouraged if planning takes a little longer. Once you get into the meal planning routine, you will find it gets easier and may actually be therapeutic!

Eventually, you will be saving money, time and providing your family with delicious healthy meals.

Check out Southwest Houston Macaroni Kid for the full article.

Download meal planner here. 

Download custom grocery list here. 

Last night was absolutely exhausting. This morning was worse! My son had a nightmare about 1 hour after he fell asleep. My hubby and I took turns holding him because he screamed each time we would put him back to bed. He said he was scared. This is extremely unusual so we just wanted to comfort him as much as possible. Thankfully, we still have our very comfy rocking chair!  We purchased the Best Home Furnishing Storytime Series for our nursery and it has to have been one of the best investments ever! 

• Swivels - I can turn the chair to avoid sunlight from the window if necessary
• Recliner - Perfect for sleeping in babies room when you don’t have space for an extra bed for yourself. It reclines, but doesn’t convert unto a completely flat bed making it safer.
• Colors - LOVE the neutral color selection

Looking for an easy way to keep your diaper pail smelling fresh? Try adding tea tree oil to your routine. Tea tree oil is a natural anticeptic, germicide, and antibacterial essential oil that has a fresh odor.

If you are using cloth diapers, tear a rag into small pieces, dab tea tree oil on a piece and toss it into the pail once a day. If you are using disposable diaper you can still use tea tree oil to keep the pail from smelling. Simply dab tea tree oil on a small piece of tissue instead.

Be sure to wash your hands after handling tea tree oil. While it is a safe ingredient, it should not come in direct contact with baby's skin.

Have a tip you want to share? Submit it to info@premierbabyplanning.com for a chance to have it featured in our Balanced Family newsletter!