Wouldn’t it be nice if kids were born with everything they needed? Well, that is one of our jobs as parents, to make sure they have everything they need and then some, right? Well, one of the hardest times to travel with the kiddos is during the holiday season. You are trying to remember everything you need for your travels. I have prepared an awesome post to help make traveling easier with young kids during the holidays. Let’s check out this awesome gear.

Ju Ju Be Be Prepared – $180

This is like the mother of all diaper bags. I have found that this Be Prepared diaper bag from Ju Ju Be can fit all of my kids’ stuff, plus mine own. How awesome is that? Oh and let’s talk about the fashion forward designs for a moment, simply awesome! There are pockets to organize everything. I like to refer to this as my Mary Poppins bag because I can seriously carry everything I need for myself and the kids! It’s got insulated bottle pockets, crumb drains (yes that is a real thing), structured feet on the bottom, and anti-microbial lining to keep nasty germs away. Now you can be prepared and stylish during your holiday travels with little ones.

Quinny Yezz – $279.99

Traveling can be tough if you don’t have the right equipment, which is why the Quinny Yezz is a must have for travel with littles. This is an easy to use buggy, it’s light (12lbs), compact, and even comes with a carry strap so you can just toss it on your back and still be hands free! Or it can stand on it’s own when it’s folded (again to keep your hands free.) The hammock style seat is super comfy, and you can seriously push this stroller with ONE finger!! Your kid will stay comfy and you’ll have no worries about carrying a bulky stroller around. Go mom go!

Lillebaby COMPLETE – $120+

Are you ready to carry your baby in style? Now you can with this baby carrier. The Lillebaby COMPLETE is a 6 in 1 baby carrier and it’s adjustable for both baby and his/her parents. Plus the lumbar support is a must have especially when you are carrying everything else and running through airports! With no infant insert needed you won’t have to get anything extra to go with this carrier!

Traveling with young kids? Check out this list of gear to make it SO MUCH easier!! #travel #family
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Britax Car Seat Travel Car – $79.99

Are you ready to make travel really easy on yourself? The Car Seat Travel Cart from Britax is pure genius. You don’t have to carry around your car seat as you travel anymore! Just strap it on and pull it behind you like a suitcase! You can store the cart in the overhead compartment and use the seat on the plane!

Cares Harness – $74.95

First and foremost, a car seat is always your safest bet, but if you decide not to bring one with you the Cares Harness is awesome. This harness is great for kids ages 22-44 pounds and is ideal when they’re sitting in their own seat. I love this as this helps to keep them safe and keeps some of the wiggles at bay. That’s my little man when he was 2 in this harness. We have used it so many times!

Baby Travel Play – $24.95

No one wants to put their baby on those gross floors, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. Well, now you can start using the Rume Baby Travel Play. This device is perfect for travel. You simply spread it out and baby can play on it. Genius in my opinion. Plus it folds up into nearly nothing and you can store it in your diaper bag!

Covered Goods 4-in-1 Cover – $34.99

This is a great option to help keep the germs away from your precious little one. I love that you can use the Covered Goods 4-in-1 Cover in so many ways. You can use it as a nursing cover, blanket, car seat cover, or on grocery carts. Plus it too folds into nearly nothing taking up practically no space in your diaper bag!

Each one of these items are great for traveling with little ones. I encourage you to check them out and maybe even purchase them for your holiday travels.

Do you have a suggestion for must-have travel gear with young kids? Let me know!

Taking a toddler out to dinner can be a fun, but also very stressful experience. Taking a toddler out to dinner who has allergies, oral aversions, and sensory issues… Well let’s just say the thought of it exhausted me for a long time. When he threw up not once, but THREE times at one of our favorite family friendly dining spots – I thought our days of eating outside the home were numbered.

My son has FPIES and sensory processing disorder, the two of these combined means that eating has become a challenge for him, let alone eating at a restaurant. However, with a few tips, and some time we have actually been able to have quite a few successful family dinners in public. With all the recent press about kids and dining out, I thought I’d share a few mom tips that have worked for my family when it comes to dining out with a toddler.

Pack Your Own Food. Yes, I realize you are going to a restaurant, but I have found that by bringing some foods that we know our toddler loves – like these awesome and convenience organic Sprout pouches, we are able to fend off any meltdowns that may happen due to waiting, or if he just isn’t happy with what I ordered for him to eat.

Both my boys have had and enjoyed Sprout pouches and snacks. They tend to be my go-to for convenient pouches. I know the quality is always good and the ingredients are organic which is important to me. You can find these Sprout Organic Baby & Toddler Purees at many retailers – we got ours at Albertsons which is where I always stock up on them when there is a sale. Plus they are organic and made with fun ingredients which both my boys love.

Bring an activity pouch. This has been something I have carried around with me since my oldest was a toddler. I love having this for dining out or even unexpected issues/delays when you are stuck in a place you weren’t expected to be. I try to swap out the toys and coloring sheets for their current favorites to keep things exciting. Included in my activity pouch is:

• Printed Coloring/Activity Sheets – Currently the favorites are superhero coloring pages or mazes. (I print them from my computer so I can keep current with their new favorite characters/show, but also so the back is blank for other activities.)
• Tape – To tape the paper to the table so they don’t have to worry about holding it down or it falling on the ground.
• Toys – Small characters or cars. Depending on the type or restaurant we use the salt/pepper shakers and sugars to make obstacle courses for the cars. On the blank side of the paper we often draw roads to race on as well!
• Crayons/colored pencils
• Stickers
• Small set of memory matching cards.

Don’t Forget the Tablet. Yes, I realize this one is not a favorite of everyone, but when all else fails sometimes his favorite game or favorite show is enough to let the rest of us enjoy our food and some quick conversation.

Pick a Family-Friendly Restaurant. Think loud, casual, and fun. There will come a time when your kids grow up and you will be able to go back to your favorite places as a family, but picking a place that is used to accommodating children let’s your kid learn to dine in public without the pressure you might feel from other diners.

Be Ready to Walk Around or Even Leave. When all the above fails, chalk it up to a learning experience and be ready to move. This could mean taking turns eating food while one adult walks outside or around the waiting area with your toddler, or this could mean asking for to-go boxes and calling it quits. Dining out with toddlers can be hit or miss. While I believe it should be done to help them learn how to act in public or in different environments, I refuse to do it at the expense of someone else’s meal. If your toddler just can’t hang that day – it’s okay to try another time, but don’t leave them to scream and fuss while you try to slam you meal down. My toddler often needs to get up and roam around, and you can usually find us at the door greeting other customers as they come in to dine. He loves waving and saying Hi to everyone.

Do you have any other tips for dining out with young children? Let me know. Be sure to check out Sprout complete line of Toddler and Baby food products to learn more about the company!

And please enjoy this coupon as well! It’s good for any Albertsons or Harris Teeter location.

$1 Off 2 Sprout® Baby/Toddler food products! – Get Coupon!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sprout® Organic Baby Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.

I can’t believe my little man started 1st grade this week! I swear it seems like yesterday I was up late at night wondering if I was doing this “parenting” thing right or not. While this year wasn’t as rough emotionally as starting kindergarten was, the truth is I still spend a lot of time wondering if I’m doing the whole parenting thing right. Except instead of worrying about when we should starting solids or what high chair to buy, I worry about if I sent enough food for lunch, or if he will make new friends.

In typical fashion, I managed to leave some things for the very last minute, but instead of making it a rushed errand, I left my younger son at home with my husband and took my almost 1st grader for a fun adventure to the store. The one thing I have learned in the past 6 years is that even the small moments count. I have learned even trips that are on our “to do lists” can be used as one-on-one time if we want it to be.

Getting Ready for Back To School with my 1st Grader!

So I grabbed my list and we headed over to Walmart to pick up a few school supplies, some lunch stuff, and snacks. Instead of rushing through my list, I gave it to my son and he loved going through the aisles until we found what we were looking for, and a few things we weren’t!  First stop was the snack aisle. I don’t know what it is about the Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers, but both my boys love them! Normally, we buy the big bulk box of goldfish, but my son wanted to mix it up and picked out 4 different flavors to try in his lunch box. How could I say no to a sweet smile like that?

After crossing off a few breakfast items on our list, K pushed the cart and narrowly avoided crashing into displays found his way across the whole store to the back to school items – with a detour over in the toy section to browse and look at Legos of course!  I picked up a ruler, and he picked out his pencil case, and we made one last stop to pick up some Wet Ones singles. I LOVE Wet Ones. I have packages of them in my diaper bags and car, canisters in our kitchen, and I wanted to pick up some singles so that K could wipe his hands of before and after he ate lunch.  It’s easy enough for him to do on his own, and I like knowing that he’s wiping off some of those back to school germs before he shovels all his food into his mouth.

Since we didn’t have too much in our cart, I decided to do another one of my son’s favorite things – the self check out lane. I helped, but he loves doing the swiping and bagging all by himself. So often I’m in a rush to get our errands done, that I don’t stop to think of asking my kids to help, but when I remember to slow down, we always end up having so much fun.

Getting Ready for #BackToSchool with my 1st Grader!
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When we got home it was dinner time, then bath time, books, and bed. As I was tucking my son into bed he told me that he really liked having our special shopping date. That made me smile. Sure, I could have planned better and had everything we needed for the first day of school, but honestly, this worked out perfectly. Instead of the tears I had on my face the night before Kindergarten, I packed his lunch and backpack with a smile on my face.

Sometimes it really is the little things like buying 4 flavors of Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish Crackers when you only have one on your list, or turning a mundane errand into a fun adventure, can not only make a difference in the day – you might just make some awesome memories.

My son survived his first day of 1st grade! When I asked him what the best part of his day was, I guess I couldn’t have been too shocked when he replied: LUNCH!

Since he loves lunch so much I have planned to take pictures of his lunches for the next week and share them. I love finding inspiration for new lunch ideas, so I thought this would be a fun way to share what we love packing in our lunch box!

Do you love Wet Ones as much as I do? Check out their website http://www.wishihadwetones.com/ for a chance to win a years supply of Wet Ones for you and your child’s classroom PLUS $1000 cash!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones® + Pepperidge Farm® . The opinions and text are all mine.

My husband has been deploying overseas for his job since our first son was born. Former Air National Guard he now works as a civilian defense contractor. While his deployments are a little bit different than a strict military deployment, it’s still hard on our boys and navigating them can be tricky. Over the years we have found a few things that help them understand that no matter how far away Daddy is they are still very loved by him.

Understanding a deployment can be hard on a child. A major issue that children have during a military deployment is the void that opens when they lose their parent’s daily affection and love. Recordable teddy bears, along with other battery-powered devices such as recordable storybooks provide reliable comfort no matter when or where their parent is deployed.

Here are 5 ways to keep kids connected during a deployment.

1. Skype or Facetime.

Our children are fortunate enough to grow up during a time when technology does just about everything. When the internet allows we try very hard to connect via skype or facetime chats. My boys love showing Daddy what they have been up to at home and get the biggest kick out of him interacting with them. After the initial hellos and updates I just follow them around the house with the video and let them just do what they would normally be doing. It’s fun for them, and very heart-healing for Daddy. He loves seeing them play, dance, put on singing shows, or show of their latest stunt moves.

2. Books

There are a few ways we use books during deployments. We have a few recordable books that the boys have easy access to and they can pull them down and listen to their daddy read to them. We also have some books that we read on nights when they are just really missing Daddy. Here are a few of our favorites:

• I Love You Near or Far – Written from a child’s point of view this sweet rhyming story about how no matter the distance you are always loved.
• Night Catch – A story about a father and son playing catch with the North Star while Dad is deployed.
• The Invisible String – Tells kids that no matter who they are missing whenever they think about them it tugs on an invisible heart string and keeps them connected.
• I Wish Daddy Was Here – A simple book about continuing life while Daddy is away. Teaches children it’s okay to do the things that they usually do with Daddy and it’s okay to miss him anytime.
• For Mom’s Who Deploy – My Mom Is Going Away – It’s not just Dads who deploy. If you know a child with a mom deploying this is a good book to help explain why they are gone and how to keep in touch.

3. Videos

Videos can be helpful for kids, but also for the deployed parent. We’ve done weekly recap videos where I take the time to put short little clips from our week together and upload them to YouTube. We’ve done message videos when my boys just really want to share exciting news and can’t wait for a phone call. I’ve also take video of important events… Baseball games, graduations, swimming lessons etc. If you can’t send them via email or your phone you can upload them to a private YouTube channel and send the links to only the people you want to have them.

4. Countdowns

Depending on the length of a deployment, countdowns can be super helpful to children. Visually seeing the days tick off on a calendar help them understand that Daddy will be coming home sooner. If you have a longer deployment I suggest celebrating milestones. Maybe each month you have a mini celebration where you show your kids the calendar and celebrate another month closer to coming home.

I know families that have counted exactly the number of days the parent is to be gone and filled a jar with marbles. Each day that passes the child gets to move the marbles over to another jar. It gets real exciting when there are more marbles in the second jar than the first. When you get close to their return date doing a countdown chain also helps to ease anxiety in children. 30 days is usually what we do. My boys love creating the chain, and then tearing it down as the days get closer.

5. Recordable Bears

My husband actually made my boys bear for me when we were dating and he was on a military deployment. It says “Hi Babe, I love you and miss you. Goodnight.”  Back then technology wasn’t as great so hearing his voice was few and far between. But even now there are times in a deployment where the internet is down or they simply aren’t allowed to communicate back home. This recordable heart can go into any animal and won’t delete the recording for a battery change.

Recordable deployment teddy bears are great for helping fill this void. Recently I saw a commercial from Duracell that featured a . When I saw it – I was a mess. My boys have each taken turns sleeping with Air Force Bear and listening to their daddy’s voice as they fall asleep. for me it was so much more than a commercial…

My boys are just two in millions of American children who have had a deployed parent.  Like us many of them have seen multiple deployments:  3, 4, or even 5 family separations.

In honor of all of the families who stand beside our troops, Duracell wants to power more comforting moments for loved ones through a donation of $100,000 to USO’s Comfort Crew for Military Kids. Continue the conversation by sharing the film and find out how you can donate to the cause through the USO at http://www.uso.org/donate.

Follow Duracell on Facebook and Twitter for even more information.

I hope my tips were helpful for you. If you have more tips – let me know in the comments below.

5 Ways To Keep Kids Connected During a Deployment #TheTeddyBear #ConnectDuracell #spon
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This post was made possible by iConnect and Duracell. I was provided compensation to facilitate this post, but all opinions are 100% mine.

You guys, I know I have not updated our FPIES journey on my blog in a really really long time. In fact I never even shared how our Food Trials at Denver’s National Jewish Health Hospital went. I will try to be better about it in the future. I know I have turned to other people in social media for help and answers. It can be a really encouraging and helpful source of information when you are limited in resources (since FPIES is still pretty rare).

I should say I am usually much better about giving quick updates on Facebook and Instagram – so if you aren’t following me there and you want more frequent updates – please do.

• Catch Up Here: FPIES – Diagnosis and More
• Learn About What FPIES is: FPIES Foundation

Here is the “as short as I could make it” update on what’s been going on with us.

Food Trials

D trying eggs (and passing), with his awesome nurses, and Doctors at National Jewish Health in Denver CO.

One year ago exactly we were in Denver for Food Trial. We spent 3 weeks living in a hotel (just me and both boys since the hubby was overseas), and we didn’t get nearly the amount of answers we had hoped for. Our first week D was SO sick so we couldn’t trial anything. It became apparent on our 2nd week as we started trials that D has severe oral aversions. This was something I had suspected because apples are a safe food for him, but he can’t tolerate the texture of applesauce. He’d gag at the first touch of it on his tongue.

We tested:

• Eggs – PASS!
• Rice – Possible Pass (He didn’t take as much as they’d have liked him too, but since that one is usually a high reactor and he didn’t at all they called it a pass. I would love to re-trial this one.
• Soy – Fail. Doctors at NJH did not want to call this an FPIES fail because his throw up happened hours after it was supposed to. We re-trialed while we were there and had the same hours after vomiting. I know my child enough to say this was a non-typical FPIES fail, but the doctors weren’t willing to say FPIES with it at all because it didn’t happen within their prescribed time frame. We did however both agree we should avoid this food.
• Chicken – Texture Fail. *NOT FPIES fail. He wouldn’t tolerate it.
• Peas – Texture Fail.

After the Pea fail due to textures I decided, and the staff agreed that we were done. Further testing only stressed his the severity of his oral aversions. I will say I was very happy with the staff at National Jewish Health and their FPIES/food allergy program. They were really awesome to us and both of my boys.

Speech/Food Therapy:

We came home and met with our Allergist who refereed us to a speech and food therapy place. To this DAY they couldn’t fit us in.  I will be super honest here. I tried really hard for 5 months to get him in for appointments. Then we had some big breakthroughs and life got in the way. I am back on the proactive band wagon and I’m exploring state assistance now.

Endoscopy:

We changed GI doctors after our visit to National Jewish Health because I couldn’t stand the staff at the office we were at. Two months after our hospital stay they called to ask where they should send D’s medical chart to!! I had them promise me it would be sent before we went to our Food Trials – but they didn’t “Get To It…”. Our new GI wanted to do an endoscopy to rule out one additional issue. During that test we were told two things:

• When D lays down his tonsils touch – Our GI doctor was a bit concerned about that.
• The Endoscopy showed no issues in his esophagus like the new GI was concerned about. It did show some irritation in his stomach (mild gastritis and duodenum inflammation. The GI said he’d really only expect to see that if the child had been retching recently. He had not. So it’s a bit concerning, and he wants to put him on acid reflux meds.

FYI – I opted out of them because he hasn’t be experiencing pain, and in the past the only frustrated him and usually ended up with him throwing up due to his oral issues. However, I am now hoping to ask for a prescription so that he can have some comfort with newer foods he’s been eating.

The Elecare Issue:

One of the reasons I couldn’t put all my attention into speech therapy was because for about 4 months I fought tooth and nail to get his Elecare covered. Our insurance refused to cover it. We had an awesome Doctor who helped us with samples, but eventually those ran out too. If you are fighting with your insurance – all I can tell you is KEEP DOING IT. It took me so long to finally get someone to listen, and once I did we started to move in the right direction. No one will tell me why it’s covered now. But it is. And that’s a great thing because out of pocket it would cost nearly $1200 a month! If you are reading this and need help – feel free to email me. I can’t promise I will have any information you don’t already have, but I’m happy to help.

Breakthroughs:

I don’t know what happened or why, but right before his 2nd birthday D started to eat some pureed foods. (He likes the pouches.) At first we were pretty nervous, and we did have our fair share of gagging pukey messes, but each day seemed a little bit better. Now he will eat 1-2 pouches a day. Nothing with extra texture.

So we have lots of new veggies and fruits that are passes!! He loves strawberries and blueberries. He loves mango and spinach. He likes really smooth hummus, and he ADORES hot sauce and mustard. (Obviously the last two are not very full of nutritional value, but a step in the right direction.)

After he began to eat pouches he also began to want to suck on big kid foods. He can no swallow solid food without puking, but he loves to hold it in his mouth and then spit it out when he’s done. This often triggers his gag reflex, but he loves it.

Because of this we have re-affirmed that dairy – while not an FPIES reaction gives him HORRIBLE eczema. I also believe that wheat causes the same reaction, but we have time to figure that out.

Someone said that when their molars come through it triggers a change in their saliva and they are better able to process food. Someone else mentioned that using a vibrating toothbrush helps to desensitize their mouth and allows them to eat more. We had both things happen at once – but whatever it was – I am excited to see him eating more. He typically has 1-2 pouches a day.

We have had NO additional fails at this point. So that is really really awesome. Our Doctors at NJH hospital said reactions to fruits and veggies at this point would be pretty unlikely.

What’s Next?

Tomorrow I will be sharing more about it – but D is going to have his tonsils removed. The GI, Allergist, and Pediatrician all recommend we check with an ENT about the size of his tonsils. They will be removing them this week and we hope that will begin to allow him to swallow food better.

If I can say one thing to any parent who suspects or has a child diagnosed with FPIES. It’s not easy, but it does get better. You will learn and adapt as your child does. There are a lot of amazing resources available.

But most of all – DO NOT be afraid to continue to push until all your questions are answered, and do not be afraid to ask a million questions. FPIES has no “test” so it can be really frustrating to watch your child have to rule out lots of other issues. It will be okay, and you are doing awesome.

Well, that was as short as I could make this post. If you made it reading all the way through here… Bravo and thank you. Please consider sharing our post so that others who are also struggling might find it and maybe take something away from it that they wouldn’t or didn’t previously already know.

A long overdue FPIES Update: What’s New at 2+ Years?
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If you looked at my race schedule (before today) you won’t see the Las Vegas Veteran’s Day 5k run scheduled. I’ve been sick for the past 2 weeks (which has totally put a damper on my half marathon training), and I hadn’t planned to do another race until my first half marathon Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas.  However, my 5 year old son has been BEGGING me to let him run a race with me, so when I saw the living social deal of an $18 entry for this run I couldn’t pass it up.

I bought the living social entry on Tuesday night, and while I wasn’t feeling great yet I thought I was on the mend from the sticky crappy horrible head cold I had been dealing with. I was still planning to get at least 8 miles in on Saturday, so I thought we’d walk most of this race and let my son enjoy his first race experience.  The Veteran’s Day run was a perfect race for this, as my husband (who is currently overseas as an aviation defense contractor) is a Veteran and served 2 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a nice way to honor him and all the others who have given service to our country.

Saturday rolled around and instead of feeling better I was feeling worse. After getting on the treadmill and attempting to get my training miles in, it became very clear I was a lot worse. My sinuses, head, ears… All hurt bad! I got a slow 3.1 miles done before calling it quits and deciding I had better go to the urgent care. I ended up with antibiotics and steroids for a sinus infection AND an ear infection.

I wanted to cancel the run on Sunday, but I had already told my son about it and he was SO EXCITED. So from the urgent care we headed over to the packet pick up.  For some reason our registrations weren’t showing (I had registered both boys for free in the 12 and under category). The Race Director was super nice, and after seeing the confirmation on my phone, she gave us all our numbers and finisher pins. K was so excited to get the pin.

Thankfully we’d just gotten the new BOB Revolution Flex Duallie jogging stroller (aka a double jogger) to review. I was so excited to bring it to the race. With my husband overseas I knew that with a double jogger I’d have no excuses not to get in training miles, but also that it would be perfect for family races. K is 5, but still under the weight limit for the stroller so I knew he could run, and when he got tired he would have a place to sit.

We got to the park where the Las Vegas Veteran’s Day 5k, 11k, and 1 mile fun run was being held, took out the BOB Flex Duallie. Even with both boys in it, I was surprised at how maneuverable it was. You can hold up to 100lbs inside, and my boys combined weigh 83 lbs so we were putting it to a good test. There was no way I could tell that I was pushing a total of 117 lbs around, although I wish I had stopped and added air to the tires because with both boys inside they were a little flat.

After the national anthem was played, the color guard presented the flag, and we thanked all the running Veteran’s and those currently serving it was time to run. I have to admit I got pretty emotional during the beautiful ceremony. Like so many there I know those who have lost their lives, and I also know the toll that service can take on a family. It truly is a sacrifice we should all be more grateful for.

The race was an 11k/5k/1m fun run. The 11k’s went first. Both boys started the race in the stroller. I tried to get K out, but I think he was feeling a little overwhelmed with the crowds. Once we’d run around the corner he realized other kids were running and he wanted out and he took off.

I’d planned to walk most of this race as I was still not feeling very well, but that was out the door. Turns out K kept us on a pretty good slow and steady pace. He ran the first 1.5 miles with no problems. He’d sprint ahead of me and then sit on the park benches as I caught up – LOL! (I’m a slow runner with a jogger on a good day.)

Every time we were passed by the return runners (some serious runners on this course) they would cheer him on with a kind words. It was a very friendly group of families and it was cool for him to have so many people encouraging him.

At the turnaround he was asking to get back into the stroller. I told him we could walk, but he wanted to get back in – so we did. This also happened to be the main incline of the run. Once we got done with all the inclines, he decided he was ready to get out and run again!  He kept asking where the finish line was and was ready for it to be over with until he saw the finish line. I had thought we’d hold hands and all cross together – but he had a different idea!

He took off for that finish line. Threw his hands up in the air when he crossed it, got his medal (VERY cool that they gave him one), and asked me when we could race again.

Baby D loved the jogger, but was not happy when the race was over.

Since he was registered he too got a medal, and once he was free to play in the grass he was happy again.

I am so proud of my 5 year old. I can’t believe he pretty much ran almost the whole 5k. (I’m guessing he ran about 2.5 miles). This was his first race, and he did great. He’s so proud of his medal. He even took it to show and tell this week at school.

The race was one we will for sure run again. Although, we will have to register way earlier. I don’t know if it’s because we weren’t in the computer at the packet pickup, but when I went to check our times we weren’t in the results field at all. I think we crossed at just over 46 minutes. I didn’t even remember to stop my watch I was so caught up in taking my son’s first finish line picture!

As we left, K went over to the soldier who was emceeing the event and thanked him for his service. He was super kind to my son and told him he did a great job. K was beaming.

When we got home, I tucked my son in for his nap (yes, I know I’m lucky he still naps…) and I asked him if he’d like to do a weekly fun run with me. He smiled huge, and asked if we could go do one after his nap. I foresee lots of family fun 5ks in our future!

Check out this site for more information on this run here in Las Vegas, as well as many other cities and they even have a virtual run! Proceeds from the 2014 races went to Operation Gratitude.

Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and hand-made items, plus personal letters of support, to Veterans, New Recruits, First Responders, Wounded Warriors, Care Givers and to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed overseas. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 1.1 Million Care Packages.

Happy Veteran’s Day. Thank you to all families and military members for your time, sacrifice, and service.

I know many people say that all you need to run is a good pair of shoes, but training for my first half marathon wouldn’t have been possible without a jogging stroller. My husband is overseas, and in order to get my weekly miles in I either had to head to the gym, or hit up the pavement with my baby. Going to the gym is nice, but it doesn’t always work out. (No pun intended!) I can’t take him to the gym daycare when he’s not feeling well, but fresh air is fine so the jogging stroller was a must have for my training.

Running with a stroller sounds easy, but there are a few things you need to know for safety.  If you have a brand new baby and your are a first time jogging stroller user, you should know that baby should not be in a jogging stroller until they are able to sit and hold their head up unassisted. For most babies this is 6 months of age. Many joggers are now compatible with infant car seats. While this will help keep baby from bouncing around while you are running at a younger age, it does change the stability of the jogger. I personally would not run with an infant seat in my jogger, but a light jog on a flat smooth surface and certainly long walks would be fine.

Here are 10 Tips for Running with a Jogging Stroller!

1. Safety First
When you are running with your jogger you should always be sure to lock your front wheel. This will help keep the stroller from running our of control if you hit a rock or big crack. I didn’t think this was necessary, until it happened to me once. Now I always lock my front wheel.

Don’t forget to use the jogging strap. I know it’s not ideal, but it is really so much safer. If you fall or hit a rock, you don’t want the stroller running away with your baby in it.

Before you run, check the weather. If it’s going to be really hot and sunny pack extra sunscreen, spray bottles to keep baby cool (also a fun toy for older toddlers), and a hat. If it’s possibly going to rain, it doesn’t hurt to have your rain protector in the basket of your stroller.

2. Check the Handle Bar Height
You want to make sure your elbows are bent 90 degrees. That is one of the main reasons I switched to the Mountain Buggy Terrain. I had a different stroller, but the handle bar wasn’t adjustable. I ended up with shoulder and neck pain because I had to bend over slightly to get the right angle.

3. Your Hands
While you might want to use both hand on a downhill for safety reasons, when the path is flat be sure to alternate which arm is holding/pushing your stroller. Try switching every other minute. Or picking objects in the distance and switch when you reach them. It’s also temping to use both hands when pushing up hill, but try alternating here to challenge your body!

4. Switch Up Your Workouts

Sure it’s nice to just grab your jogger and go for a run, but to keep it interesting for you and your baby try adding in a circuit workout or even a HIIT workout.

I like this circuit stroller workout. (It’s great for beginners and experienced runners alike!)

5. Find a Few Good Routes
Finding a great stroller run is like striking gold. I have 3 go to places for running with my stroller depending on the day. I have a 5 miles loop around my home. We like to run this one when I’m not sure if baby is going to last the whole time so we aren’t very far away if he gets really upset. We found a 1.7 mile loop with 2 playgrounds along side the loop. I can do 2-3 laps (3-5 miles) and stop by after our run, or if I have a longer run scheduled I can stop after a few loops to let my son take a break.

I also found a place that Baby D loves to explore. We go and I can get my run on, and we finish with him playing in the rocks, or following the peacocks around for a while!  Don’t be afraid to ask your mom friends or local groups for suggestions on where to run!

6. Happy Baby = Happy Run

Don’t try to squeeze in a run during a time when your child is easily agitated. Some parents can run around nap times and others can’t. I try to go 1-2 hours before nap time. I know that is when my son is the happiest. We will run, then play, then he goes down for his nap when we get home.  If you do try to plan a run around nap time, be sure to bring your child’s comfort objects.

7. Take A Break
If baby is having a rough day, try taking a break. Stop your run at a park, or just let baby out and play for a little while. Like I mentioned above, if I have a long run and I know I am going to have Baby D with me, I plan on taking a break during it.  When he starts getting antsy and wanting out, we stop and play for a while, then we get back in and I continue my run. Once you’ve been running with your child for a while you will know what their limits are. For instance I know that anything over 5-6 miles will require me to stop and give D a break. He just doesn’t want to sit that long.

8. Play Games
If you can’t take a break try playing games. My toddler is obsessed with dogs. He loves them, and so when he’s getting fussy we count dogs we see on our run. Singing is a great distraction. I honestly don’t care who hears me singing silly nursery rhymes with my son if it means I get to finish my run.  I Spy is another great game for babies and toddlers. I ask him is he can spy different objects on our run. Bonus, this helps pass time on the run for you too!

9. Bring Snacks and Toys
This is an important step that shouldn’t be missed. Bottles, sippy cups, snacks, and toys are a must for older babies and toddlers. Some parents even have stroller only toys so that they know their child will be interested in them.  Snacks and bottles are a great way to extend your run when baby/toddler gets fussy.  Also don’t forget the water! Just like you need water when running, so does your child. They may not be working out, but it helps to distract them and keep them cool.

10. Any Workout is Better Than No Workout
It will happen to you, it happens to everyone. You have a certain amount of miles planned, but even with all the tips above, your child is just not having the run that day. Getting out and getting any run in is better than not getting out there at all. I’ve often had to call it quits at 3 miles when I had 5 planned. It happens.

I love running with my sons. My older son who is 5 just started running with me. I plan on taking him on several 5ks this season. I imagine he will run most of them, but has the option to jump back in the jogger for the remainder.   Getting out and active with your kids helps teach them healthy habits!

Happy Running and Happy National Stroller Running Day!

Do you have any tips for running with a jogging stroller?

I recently was watching one of my favorite reality TV shows Extreme Weight Loss, and one of the contestants wrote in and talked about wanting to live authentically. Something about that really struck a cord with me.

Not that I haven’t been honest with myself or my readers in anyway, but more that excuses pile up and sometimes it seems easier to give into the excuse then to tackle the problem.  Sometimes I have a hard time staying on track with what I want to accomplish. I’m a first class procrastinator and I can justify just about anything if I talk it over in my mind long enough! I think I can be more accountable and authentic if I set goals and work towards them one by one.

In an effort to change that, I thought each month I’d set a few achievable goals for myself in different areas of my life.  Not only would they be written down for the world to see, but I think that when we physically take the time to write something down, we tend to work harder to accomplish the task.

I will also be scheduling them into my day planner, (I like this super affordable yet cute day planner from Bloom) so that I have two places I check in with regularly to keep me focused.

September Goals

Get Organized:

• Re-organize playroom and go through toys.

  

• Pull boys fall/winter clothing and re-organize their clothing.

Fitness:

• Get more outdoor runs in – hoping to get at least my Tues/Thurs runs done outdoors.
• Get more yoga in.
• Cut my 3 mile time.
• My first “real” 5k.
• Lose 8lbs (I have a diet bet starting on Sept. 16th if you want to join in with me!)
• Less “Cheats”

Blogging/Social Media:

• Be Authentic. In the beginning I used to post so much about our week, how I was doing solo parenting, etc. Now I feel lost in the scheduled and other content. I’m not sure where that will lead, but I do want to try!
• Vlog more – Try for 2 videos per week.
• Finally get K’s 5th birthday party post up!

Parenting:

• Take K on a one-on-one mommy/son date.
• Wake up 15 minutes earlier to avoid stressful mornings.
• Establish a library day with Baby D.

 Do you set monthly goals? How do you make sure you accomplish them? What is one big goal you’d like to accomplish this month?

I’ve decided to try something new on Wednesdays.  Every Wednesday I will upload a video to my YouTube channel that is exactly one Week In The Life of Our Knight Life!

I just found that I had so many little videos of my kids on my iPhone that I wanted to put them together as a way to look back and remember what is going on in our life at this exact moment.  I guess it’s because I feel like the kids are growing so fast. I just don’t want to miss anything!

Then I will post the video plus 7 of my favorite pictures from the week here! – Hope you enjoy!

 7 Days 7 Pictures!

How cute are these shirts from Carters!! Love matchy stuff!

Loving our new stroller (Phil&Teds Smart Lux – review coming next month!!) – It was perfect for the Sham-walkathon at my son’s school.

You may remember K took Rockin’ Railroad and Summer Camp at Kidville? I was so excited that Baby D started his first Rockin’ Railroad class at Kidville Tivoli Village here in Las Vegas.  It’s fun to be able to experience the class again with my younger son.  He is a big fan of Izzy!

Is there anything sweeter than seeing your children video chat with Daddy?  Hubs is currently out on a deployment for his job as a avaiation defense contractor.  This particular call woke both boys up.  First K, then we snuck into D’s room and Daddy was the first thing he saw in the am.

Nope! Not a pregnancy announcement! Ha (I got asked that on Instagram!) Just a couple of cute kids in their super cute Big Brother/Little Brother t-shirts.  Can you believe this is the first time I put them in something like this?

Speaking of being in something… Silly Baby D!  The box is apparently more fun than the blocks!

Well, that is a Week In The Life of Our Knight Life!  Hope you had a wonderful week!!

I Support You: The Conversation We Should Be Having About Breastfeeding and Formula.

I was so immediately touched by the article that I wrote and shared this via Instagram and my other social media channels.

I know it says a lot. But the reality is this. I do support you. All moms. No matter what choice you made. I believe all parents should do the research, and then make the choice that is best for their family. I AM a breastfeeding activist. I share facts and information with those I can and through my blog, and other social media channels. I put pictures up on my IG account of me breastfeeding my infant to help normalize breastfeeding. I want the stigma and judging to end… It’s not my place to judge. How could I possibly support one mom less than the next? How is that my place?

I will not use the hashtag #BreastIsBest. Breast IS Best. Clearly the research out there supports that, but it isn’t always best for every mom. I will continue to share the awesome benefits of breastfeeding, but I refuse to be another person to add to mommy guilt that’s already there. I have watched my friends cry when breastfeeding didn’t work out, and fearfully admit they use formula to me as they thought I might be yet another mommy to judge them. I won’t do that. For me it isn’t about breastfeeding or formula feeding. For me it’s about making sure that the information is out there, and no matter what all moms feel supported.

I Support ALL MOMS. I Support YOU!