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I know that sounds strange and fruitless in this world in which we have much less control than we want, but sometimes I can’t help myself. I find myself getting a bit nervous about the start of school, because we were all four hit so hard by viruses last season. And with it still being warm out, we are subject to cuts, bruises and insect stings. In fact, Des got stung by a wasp yesterday! My kids do get their fair share of injuries and illnesses, but mostly, they are hearty, glowing and energetic kids.
True to form, I get nervous at their back-to-school checkups every summer, but I always walk away knowing what I’ve always known. We are doing something right. What are we doing? We are trying to focus on our emotional, social and physical health.
– Take care of yourself first. I know it sounds selfish, but it’s the opposite. I have struggled with situational anxiety here and there, and I have vowed not to let it affect my parenting. I’m also a much better family member when I’m well-rested, eating balanced meals, and getting some alone time too. Another important thing, that I’m not saying we’re perfect at – by any means – but it’s important to model love and respect for Cassidy in front of the kids. We’re their role models, odd as that is!
– Outdoors times! We are lucky to have four acres at home, so the kids can run around and not worry about cars in the road or nosy neighbors. We do have to worry about bears, skunks and coyotes, though! It’s also fun to go to the large dog park.
– We have a sense of humor! I mean, come on. This is hard work. Marriage is good hard work, and parenting is good hard work. We try to get by with our senses of humor, and a lot of patience. I don’t have a lot of that stuff, but I’m working on it.
– Time with other loved ones! We all need ample time with our friends and relatives. The kids have six grandparents!
– Scarlet calls it a “feast.” I call it dinner together, with conversation and balanced meals. Let’s be honest – getting kids to eat their vegetables isn’t easy with every kid, but it’s such a victory when it happens naturally and effectively.
– Teach them what we love to do, don’t push it when they may not love it the way we do, and nurture and support what they love to do. Scarlet loves to do photography with me, and she loves to help Cassidy in the vegetable/fruit garden we have.
– Teach age-appropriate life skills – manners, chores, good hygiene habits. It pays off in the end!
– Participate in the rewards program at your local Walgreens, so that you can buy the right products for your family when needed. Every time I go to the cash register and see how much I’ve saved, I say aloud that it’s a no-brainer to have a rewards program. Especially with two active kids, and wanting to take care of ourselves too!
Walgreens has a Balance Rewards program for healthy choices app that lets you earn points for completing activities that you are ALREADY doing for your health and fitness lifestyle. With back to school coming, this healthy choices app will help you stay on track with achieving your health and fitness goals through the school year. I stop by the Johnson & Johnson display:
Like I said before, it’s a no-brainer for us. Staying healthy is so important to us, and life is about to get a lot busier. We use these products to support our everyday health and wellness routines all summer long, and during back-to school time. Des seems to need a Band-Aid and Neosporin daily, and both kids are learning more about oral hygiene, so we always keep mouthwash on hand.
Earn 2,000 Walgreens Balance Rewards points ($2 reward) when you buy any two J&J Healthy Essentials participating products from 7/26/15 – 8/29/15. Check out more information about the Walgreens Balance Rewards for healthy choices app HERE.
I love Walgreens and that is seriously the only pharmacy I use and am so going to do this now. Thanks for sharing, Tamara 🙂
My brother used to work there! We always loved the holiday aisle. In fact, my mom and I still wax poetic about it!
I love the idea of a feast! Who wouldn’t want that everyday? That Scarlet is too cute! The summer here is hard, because it so hot and going outside for too long can be dangerous. So we do lots of early morning play and dusk swims. I love the Walgreens reward program!
A feast fit for a royal family!
She is very, very cute.
And the heat must be hard. We had a series of hot days but it’s mostly 80 degrees with 55 overnight. Scarlet hates the cool mornings. She says, “Don’t we get this enough the rest of the year?”
Indeed we do.
We’ve been busy, busy, busy this summer, but we’ve also tried really hard to keep up with our sleep schedule. NO one feels good operating on too little sleep and my kids’ internal alarms wake them at the same time every day, regardless of how tired they are. That means we’ve got to stick to a bedtime, even when there are fireflies to catch.
Des gets incredibly cranky when he stays up late! And he recently gave up the nap but sometimes he still needs one and then he’s up until 10:00pm being obnoxious!
Agh!!
One of the first things I do before summer officially starts is to purchase Band-Aids. I swear it never fails during summer that there are rough knees and battered elbows.
XOXO
Oh, never! And kids kinda love them, no? It’s like wearing your battle wounds proudly.
Love Walgreens!! I think we all try our hardest to keep kids as healthy as possible because schools tend to have so many germs!!
So many! I was heartened that Scarlet only got sick twice or so last winter. Des? Five times. FIVE!!
So important to take care of yourself. I learned that the hard way. Those sweet, healthy, energetic kids need parents who can keep up with them :)! Love all these suggestions.
They certainly do! And it’s hard to keep up with them.
Thanks so much!
I’m so with you on getting them to eat veg. I’ve been lucky (or persistent) and all of my kids are willing to try new foods.
And I agree on modelling a healthy relationship. It’s so important that they see what a good relationship is. Without that model, you can end up in trouble.
Des will eat anything. i mean anything. His daycare teacher would tell me all that he’d eat – lentils, tomatoes, kale, broccoli, blueberries, tempeh. I believed her too because the proof.. was in the digestion.
I imagine your kids are seeing a strong woman with a (current) strong marriage, and they’re benefitting every day.
These are all great ways to keep up with a healthy and active lifestyle. Your kids are simply adorable! [client]
Thank you so much! They are so energetic and ready for anything. And that often includes a trip to the drugstore for first aid supplies.
You’re so very right on all of these points–especially modeling good behavior in front of the kids. I can’t imagine how difficult/challenging that must be at all times, but it shows that you are both doing a great job 🙂 AND I CAN’T HANDLE THE CUTENESS OF YOUR BOY IN THAT JIMMY SHIRT!!! EEEEEP!!!! Scarlet is adorable and I love the photo of her running–how amazing that you have 4 acres for your kids to play in!
Well you can totally have that shirt as a hand-me-down, should you want it! It was Scarlet’s first. It’s 12 month size so it got smaller and smaller, but we loved it.
Ooh, you’re in the cornfields too? It’s easy to stay active when you live in a playground. I lost 10lbs when we moved here, just because we live here. There’s lots of outside fun to keep us moving.
That photo is actually my in-law’s house but we are in the country too!
I love the outside fun – it really makes a difference!
Yes, we need to stay healthy! This is the perfect time of year to stock up on things we will need in the coming months. We have a whole cabinet-full of items like this.
We do too! Now anyway. Actually it’s part of a linen closet and it comes so in handy in the fall/winter!
I love the rewards program at Walgreens. I usually try to save my rewards until Christmas, but this year I had to use some when we got locked out of the house.
I remember that story! I like to save up my rewards too. I’m a rewards hoarder!
Good tips! We don’t have Walgreens by us – I used to love the store in Florida, though.
Oh, boo! My brother worked at one when I was in high school and we loved to visit the holiday aisle – pretty much year-round. It’s still fun for me!
Love that you have so much room for them to run and play on! They will always get their exercise!
Always! And if not here, they run around everywhere! It’s so cute.. and exhausting for me.
Can you believe I’ve never been to Walgreens? But I always keep a stocked medicine cabinet with plenty of bandaids and first aid supplies – I have one in the car too!
I can’t believe it! You have to go! Their holiday aisle is fun year round.
My brother worked there in high school and I do find it more fun than a lot of other pharmacies. A different feel.
I finally got enough points to use them on something last week – lol
good tips and really cute pics 🙂
Oh fun, I hope you had a great shopping expedition using the points!
A sense of humor is so important! It’s the only way to get through the crazy times 🙂
So true! I remember doing an interview with my grandmother right before she died. It was a college assignment. And her wisdom was about using humor to cope with dark times.
Poor Des, another wasp got him? I do have the Walgreen’s app and rewards card. Walgreen’s is closer to us than any other place so that’s usually my go to for meds, ointments etc if I need them in a hurry. I haven’t checked lately to see if I have any rewards. It comes in handy though. Unfortunately they stopped taking our insurance (military retiree) so I have to go elsewhere for prescriptions.
Yes! Second wasp sting of the season. He’s very brave about them. Scarlet.. not so much.
That’s sad about the insurance, though!
School season is so much easier. I offer veggies at dinner and fruit during the day. It’s easier during the year because a tight schedule means that they have to eat what I serve or they get nothing. On the other hand, during the summer, the whining and complaining wears on me and all my healthy sense goes out the door.
That’s a good idea. I think we do the same. It’s also easier for me to to focus on fruit with breakfast and then veggies with lunch or dinner.
The whining.. I get it. The struggle is so real with that.
Neosporin and Band-Aids are a staple in our house. My boys are always getting scrapes and cuts.
I used to use Neosporin for pimples when I was younger! It sounds gross but it totally worked on ones I scratched in my sleep. Totally TMI, I’m sure, but I’ll never forget how powerful it was.
We don’t have Walgreen’s in Canada! But staying healthy and keeping the house stocked with bandaids etc is a must!
Aw, that’s sad! I could have sworn there was Walgreens in Canada, but I think I’m thinking of Walmart Canada!
I always make sure I have a good supply of Band-Aids and Neosporin on hand. Between my son and my husband someone is always getting hurt.
ha, your husband too?? I find I’m the only one not getting a lot of cuts and bruises in my house.
What a beautiful family! I agree, marriage and raising children are such hard work and constantly require shifting and change. Taking care of us is so important! We are big Walgreeen’s fans in our home too. I love the reward program
That shifting and change – I so wasn’t prepared.
Self-care is so important for family care! The rewards program is great.
We use many of these products ourselves. Listerine is a must for healthy gums and teeth!
It so is! I’ve used it for decades now.
I always make sure to stock up on Band-Aids, Emergen-C, tissues, etc before school starts. My daughter always catches a cold in September and with soccer, there are bound to be scrapes and cuts.
My daughter got sick last year.. a week into kindergarten. I was like, “Man, it happens fast.”
Stocking up seems key.
We hit Walgreen at the beginning of the school year and stock up. Son is alway catching something in school from colds to sore throats.
Yup, here too. In fact, I mourn the loss of summer mainly because the kids haven’t been sick in ages. It was one after the other for the whole winter.
As a mom of 2 boys we always keep bandaids in all sizes and Neosporin in stock!
Oh, so much! I can’t get over how much we need, and how often we restock.
I was so glad to see a Walgreens open near us. They are the best.
Ooh, yes. We had one open within the last five years and it was a game changer for us.
It’s so cool that we can earn points on things we’ll be stocking up on anyway. I’ll have to pop into Walgreens!
I really love the program and the app. It’s like being rewarded.. for doing what you do!
These are great products to help ensure family health. It can be so stressful when it comes to keeping everyone healthy!
So stressful! I sort of get a break from that in spring, summer and most of fall. I’m loving that right now. Winter was hard on us.
Focusing on overall health is always a good idea. And I always keep a little first aid kit in my purse…just in case. 🙂
VERY smart! And I always had one in my diaper bag. Now that we’re finally past those days, it’s time to put one in my purse.
Oh boo! We don’t have a walgreens here… love visiting that store when we are in the states.
We have 6 people in our family so keeping us all safe and healthy is a MUST. Wash those hands people!!
Big families! I get it. I’m from one of five kids.
Sad there’s no Walgreens where you are! It’s a fun store.
I get giddy when I get rewards or points! We don’t have Walgreens here though. Luckily, Reiko seems to have a strong immune system. He doesn’t get sick that easily. He’s also proactive in cleaning and washing his hands. Win! It’s so hard and annoying to get sick!
hah! I get giddy too. I’m so glad to hear that there are rewards and points at the places you have there.
Awesome about Reiko and his hand washing. Des is the same, now that he’s no longer in diapers.
Beautiful pictures! Walgreens is a little out of the way for me but so worth the drive!
That used to be the case with us, but they opened one in town finally!
Thanks about the photos!
band-aids part of summer , part of our life, just like walgreens we can always depend on them
Rightly so!
By the way, I’m totally wearing a Band-aid right now. I had to raid my kids’ first aid cabinet.
We all want what’s best for our families .. Band Aid and Neosporin are important things to have
Absolutely!
I am actually a hot mess in the summer of unhealthy eating. The school year is when I get my but in gear
Me too. Me too! I don’t even eat pasta usually. I think I ate it three times in the last three days. I ate ice cream just as many times too!
Always good to strive to healthy life. Love their rewards program.
Me too! Thanks so much.
Poor Des! Wasp stings are no joke. Staying healthy is definitely a mind-body thing, and I love that you included modeling healthy relationships as a healthy part of life. Keep it up!
Totally! You get it. It all matters. For health and everything else.
Wasp stings are sad. He’s had three!
Staying healthy in the summer requires having lots of fruits and veggies in the house. Thanks for letting me know about the discount.
No problem! It helps.
I agree about the fruits and veggies. We have a CSA so we get them weekly.
a very well stocked first aid kit, fruit, vegetable trays and snack pantry…. and lots of good discussion around the deck table, or even better: a bonfire. and Laughter… lots of laughter. especially if your kids all gang up on daddy and push him off the raft. that’s just golden right there. 🙂
I need a snack pantry.. right… now.
And a bonfire! Although it’s 90 degrees today. Help.
no help here… we are under the same hellish fiery orb today my friend! I could actually hear my mascara melting.
Oh man! Was it a snap, crackle, pop sound?
more like a sizzle and a drip. think of the face melting scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I still can’t watch that part!!
Can’t live without that Neosporin!