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Boost Kid Essentials

Posted on March 9, 2009 9:45 am by TheAngelForever

As a parent, I always worry about my children getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diets. My husband and I have gone out of our way with different cook books to try to sneak them into our meals at times. Unfortunately, doing that is not always practical.

This worry was amplified a few months back when I took my youngest for his 18 month well check up. JSL is a picky eater to say the least. There are days that he will barely eat anything. The exception to the rule would be cheese. Most days I can get him to eat at least that once during the day. Of course, a diet of only cheese does not fulfill the daily recommended amounts of vitamins and other important nutrients in his diet. Our doctor expressed her concern that day. Her main point was the lack of steady protein in his diet. Since JSL did not drink a set amount of cows milk (he is still nursing) we were not sure what his daily intake is. We eat a lot of soy products, but she wanted to make sure additional protein was added to his diet.

We were worried about starting milk and or peanut butter too early. Our oldest son had a milk allergy (only to plain cows milk), so waiting as long as possible to introduce that was key. When we went shopping we kept eyeballing the different nutritional drink supplements for children and wondered about them. At about the same time, I was given the opportunity from the Family Review Network and Nestle Nutrition to try Boost Kid Essentials Nutritionally Complete Drink.

Important Facts about Boost Kid Essentials:

BOOST Kid Essentials Drink is the only nutritionally complete drink that provides kids ages 1 through 13 with immune-strengthening probiotics plus complete, balanced nutrition. A daily serving of the probiotic found in the BOOST Kid Essentials Drink straw has been clinically shown to help strengthen the immune system. Whether a child is having trouble gaining weight, is below growth percentiles, resists eating enough nutritious foods, or needs extra nutrition to maintain an active lifestyle, BOOST Kid Essentials Drink can fill in nutritional gaps.

Additional facts for parents:

Contains 25 essentials vitamins and minerals
Provides 7 grams of protein
Includes antioxidants
Lactose and Gluten free
Does NOT contain high fructose corn syrup
Available in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry
More information about the benefits of the probiotic straw can be found on the parent page on the Boost website.

Our Review:

Both of my boys were very intrigued with the Boost Kid Essentials package when it arrived at our house. I placed the boxes into the refrigerator so they would be chilled for the boys. The other morning, the little guy refused to eat breakfast. We were heading out for a lot of errands and I did not want him to be hungry. This was the perfect opportunity to try the new Boost Kid Essentials product. As soon as I put the box onto his tray, he grabbed it.

His little hands had a hard time holding it, so I assisted him. JSL really seemed to like it. He kept asking for more and finished most of the 8.25 ounce drink.

My five year old son also wanted to try. He was immediately in awe of the larger extended straw that is on the box. Little did he know that it contained live active cultures to help boost his immune system. This thrilled me since kindergarten, and all classrooms in general, tend to breed a lot of germs.

NHL immediately told me that it tasted like a milk shake to him. He liked the flavor and asked what other kinds they had. When I told him chocolate, he asked if we could get some of that to try one day. I told him sure since both of the boys really enjoyed it. Of course, I had to take a taste. It had a very nice vanilla flavor and was smooth. I know a lot of the other nutritional drinks can be gritty, but this was not.

We will definitely be purchasing more Boost Kid Essentials for our boys. It is a good thing for us to have on hand for those days when the kids need a little something extra. At least I know my little guy will drink this and not toss it on the ground like most of the foods that we try during these tough toddler days.

If you are interested in trying Boost Kid Essentials for your child, head over to their website for a $5.00 off coupon if you register your e-mail address. Then head to a retailer near you to find it nationwide.

Categories:
jsl nhl photos Product review

Purim Mask-Hat

Posted on March 8, 2009 5:01 pm by TheAngelForever

About a month ago, the principal of NHL’s Hebrew School sent home an e-mail to parents. We were asked to help the kids make a mask-hat for a Purim contest. There were little or no directions. The mask-hat was to stay above the eyes and had to be worn the entire time the kids were in class.

I kvetched about what I basically considered an assignment for the parents, since the kids are only in kindergarten and 1st grade in NHL’s class. Still, JL and I opted to figure something out . We did not want NHL to be the only child at Hebrew School without their own mask-hat.

We went to the craft store and found a foam hat. I flipped it around and put it on NHL’s head. Bingo! It looked like a mask-hat to us. We thought about themes that we could do. Perhaps an ark with the animals going two by two on the blue hat. We walked over to the scarpbook stickers and nothing would work for that idea. NHL saw some ocean animals that he thought were cool. We agreed that they would be perfect for the blue mask-hat that would now be the ocean.

When we went home it was time to make the project. Here is the completed mask hat on NHL when we were finished.

Now we need to find the Halloween costumes that the boys wore so we can attempt to go to the Purim Carnival tomorrow night at our temple. Should be an interesting time to say the least. Photos the boys from Purim last year are here and here.

Categories:
holidays nhl photos school

Nature’s Source Review & Giveaway

Posted on March 5, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I will be the first one to admit that I detest cleaning the bathroom. Of course, I doubt many people really like cleaning them. Through the years, we have found that the best products to clean our tub and other items were with those cute Scrubbing Bubbles. Although it does a great job, I could not do the cleaning because the fumes and scent bothered my asthma. Thank goodness hubby is sweet and has done it for us through the years.

Recently, I was given the chance by Family Review Network to try out Nature’s Source Natural Bathroom Cleaner.

Here are some facts about the product that made me excited to try it for my family:

Nature’s Source products use plant-based, biodegradable cleaners and they have the cleaning power of Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles, brand names you already know and trust. They clean naturally and effectively, leaving nothing behind but a fresh scent. The cleaners are more than 99 percent natural, packaged in recyclable bottles, partly produced by renewable energy from a local landfill, and recognized for safer chemistry by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program.

My Review with photos:

I decided to test out the Nature’s Source Natural Bathroom cleaner myself. Hubby had recently cleaned the tub, so I opted to use the sink. If you are a parent, you know that when you have kids that use the bathroom on their own, the sink is a grime magnet. Below is what the sink area looked like before my cleaning began.

Next, I sprayed the Nature’s Source Natural Bathroom cleaner into the sink and on the faucet itself. The first thing I noticed was the foam that formed and the little bubbles moving around the area. As I continued to let it work, it suddenly dawned on me. What you ask? There was barely any scent and certainly no harsh fumes. I had no issues breathing and continued to clean without any problem. Here are the bubbles doing their magic.

Before I knew it, it was time to rinse off the suds and reveal a clean faucet and sink.

I immediately ran to my husband to show him the photos. We will definitely continue to use this product. It is not only good for the planet, safe for my kids, but does an amazing job on soap scrum and hard water stains.

A Chance for you to win!

Thanks to SC Johnson, one lucky winner (US addresses only) has a chance to win their own bottle of Nature’s Source Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Visit the Nature’s Source website and then come back and leave a comment telling me something you learned about any of their products.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1-2 Bonus Entries – Stumble this post and/or my main blog page and leave your Stumble name in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and tweet the line below and leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment.
Win a Nature’s Source Cleaner from @TheAngelForever http://tinyurl.com/ba55jg
1 Bonus Entry – Add TheAngelForever to your blog roll and leave a separate comment.
3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra credit.

To enter, just follow the rules above within the comment section. Be sure that I have an e-mail address that I can contact you for a mailing address to forward to the sponsor once the giveaway is over. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Monday March 9, 2009. I will pick the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, another winner will be selected.

Enjoy and happy cleaning!

“This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program by SC Johnson, who also supplied the product for review and giveaway.”

Categories:
giveaway photos Product review

Goodbye to a long time car

Posted on March 2, 2009 9:17 am by TheAngelForever

Our 1998 Toyota Corolla has a lot of memories that go with the 104,000+ miles. This is the car that JL had when we met. The trusty little car is the one that would make the treks to meet me at the outlets, or come here when we were still dating. The car is pretty much the last big item that we own from before getting married, almost eight years ago.

This morning, JL and NHL ventured off to kindergarten and work in the Corolla for what will likely be the last time. As they made their way to the snow coated car I went outside to take some photos. Yes, I am being sentimental.

As ~~terrifying~~ exciting as it is to be getting a new car, it is like saying goodbye to an old friend. NHL would always go into the Corolla with JL on their way to daycare back in the day. It has also been the main mode of transportation to kindergarten each morning. Thanks to this, I felt it was fitting to have a photo of the big guy with the car that transported some of my precious cargo each day.

Tomorrow I hope to be able to share photos of the boys making their way to school in our new car. What can you say, we are just doing our part to help and stimulate the economy.

Categories:
decisions jl looking back nhl photos school

Is being an adult overrated?

Posted on February 27, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There are days that I wonder, why do kids always wish they were adults? Seriously, kids do not have to think about the never ending home repairs and expenses. There are no worries about buying new cars. They do not have to work out budgets for groceries, utilities, insurance, vacation, car expenses and the other items needed for life in the so called real world. The list just gets more complex and "interesting" when you add in loans, mortgages and the cost of raising a family. Of course, not everything has to do with money. As an adult, the responsibilities are endless. You need to schedule time to do laundry, get car repairs, clean, organize and perhaps even try to relax.

The last few months have made me wonder why being an adult was something I always longed for. As a child, I do not remember my parents worrying about so much. Is it the recession that is the culprit of all of my fears, or did the adults in my life simply hide everything? Of course, the reality of so many things happening at once made me think about being an adult and taking care of all of the "things" in life.

Today hubby’s car decided it may be giving up. His car is a 1998 Corolla and has 104,000 on it. In the scheme of things, we have hardly done any major repairs on it. Clearly, the car does not owe us anything. The cost of a major repair, assuming it has anything to do with the transmission, is not worth it. We went to test drive a car and may make a final decision after getting some price quotes.

So my question for this week is inspired by all of these adult decisions being made around here lately:

What three things do you wish you did not have to worry about as an adult? If you would like to explain why feel free, if not that is fine.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.