Walking Home . . .ALONE!

I love that I get to take my kids to school everyday and I can be there to pick them up after school. When they were little I would carry or push one, pull one on a bike and the oldest would walk. Now on nice days we walk through the forest looking for squirrels and flowers instead of taking the long sidewalk home. On cold days we all pile in the van and we battle car seats & snowsuits, seat belts and winter gloves. Over the years it has gotten more fun on the warm days as we walk and stop to catch fish in the creek and easier now on the winter days as the kids can all buckle into their boosters on their own.

Isn’t it great when the kids get older? You breathe, you can think, you sleep. You get that secure feeling of . . ahhhh . . .I made it.

And then one day your oldest will announce, “I’m walking home . . . .ALONE.”

Ha Ha Ha. Good one. In my head I'm saying “oh no you're not!” but to her I just smiled. She has done this before, usually by the time we get to the van, she jumps in. But today her determination was stronger, she kept saying it, “I mean it. I’m walking” and looking at me . . . challenging me to stop her. She walked faster, to show me she was serious. She passed our van parked at the side of the road and kept walking.

My middle daughter contemplated walking with her, but jumped in the van as she passed. My youngest cried, thinking her sister was gone from our family forever.

I still didn’t say anything. I smiled. Part of me was super proud of my 9 year old for her independence and wanting to forge out on her own, she still cries often in new situations so this new found bravery looks good on her! Part of me was super scared that I was already facing the fact that my little girl wanted to grow up and forge out on her own! There is no way I want her walking that long stretch of open road on her own. It’s not as safe out there for young girls walking alone. Her sisters are too young to protect her. She’s not ready yet. I’m not ready yet! But today I didn’t stop her. I couldn’t. She was so insistent. She was so proud. She was walking home . . . .ALONE.

So I did what any awesome mom would do. I got in the van with my other 2 children and we drove home doing 3km an hour staying right behind my little girl and shouting encouragements out the window as she walked home . . . ALONE!!

When did your kids walk home alone from school for the first time? Would you have done anything differently?

It's an Ultimate Blog Party!

Welcome to 5Minutes for Mom 2011 Ultimate Blog Party

What a great way to meet more moms and bloggers that share our passion for Raising Healthy Kids! I look forward to reading your awesome blogs this week and I hope you will take some time to look around mine.

I'm an active trail running mom of 3 blonde girls and wife of one smart husband. He makes IronKids Gummy Vitamins to give kids the extra nutrition they need and I blog, tweet and post on Facebook easy ways to keep our kids active and healthy through playing and helping in the kitchen!!

We invite everyone to contribute to our website and blogs . . have a look around and I hope you'll share your tips and tricks for raising your healthy kids!!

Is an Apple a Grain?

Do your kids know if an apple is a grain?

Should they?

As parents, we have so many things to teach our children, and for me, teaching them as much as I can about the food we choose to eat is very important. From the age of 3 or 4 I discuss with them what I put in their lunches and why. Soon enough they will be the ones choosing what to pack and eat for lunch and if I don't give them the information they need, how can I expect them to make healthy decisions?

They see their friends with packaged snacks at school and they get those treats at soccer games and birthday parties when they are being handed out, but I use every opportunity I can to talk to them about making healthy choices. In the grocery store we look at labels - recently we've been checking out the sugar content of everything. We compare sugar in milk to that in juice and then look at a can of soda . .they get it when they can see it themselves.

Canada's Food Guide is a good teaching tool, but kids will may learn more at

the dinner table and from cutting apart weekly grocery store flyers, or helping pack their own lunch! All great places to start to talk about the food you are eating. My 5 year old came home from Kindergarten with some great work she had done in art. Gluing pictures of food from the flyers into its proper food group!! How fun! And what a great way to teach them that we need to eat foods from all the food groups . . . and wait . . candy isn't a food group??

My kids understand that we eat 'brown' bread and whole wheat pasta's because it is better for us . . even though that starchy white stuff might taste good I explain why we choose not to eat it. They know that at each meal we should try to eat something from all the food groups and sometimes we take turns at dinner to see who can name the food groups on our plates.

From all these conversations, they are learning what Protein, Fruits, Vegetables, Diary and Grains are. They know these are the 'healthy' foods. They are also normal kids that would rather have ice cream and jelly beans for dinner so we do make 'treat' food a part of our day too. . .but the kids are learning to choose healthy food first!

It takes more than a glass of milk and gummy vitamins to raise healthy kids! Do you talk about the food you make with your kids and what the food groups are? Do you think understanding this now will help them as teens and as adults?

Kids in the Kitchen!

I'm a Mom who believes there will be rewards if I teach my kids to cook at an early age. I have the same belief about sleep training, feeding themselves, getting dressed, packing their own stuff and putting away laundry. My theory is if I give them the tools and the lessons now, I can kick back and finally enjoy that coffee one day in the near future (a girl can dream!).

However, sometimes the thought of cooking with my three kids is way more fun than the actual cooking with my kids!!! The extra patience required, the equal dividing into 3 of all the tasks, the extra mess (flour flies!) and the extra time . . .and somehow there is no extra help with the dishes !!!

No matter what the cost in time and patience, I still think it is important to cook with our kids, for so many reasons. The kids love the time with Mom, and for Mom its a chance to teach them about so much more than just cooking. The measuring that is involved in baking is a giant math lesson. . .finding 1/2 and adding 1/4 is big stuff! The mixing of different ingredients and how they change shape & texture in the oven is science at a level they can relate to, and teaching them the difference between folding, stirring, and whipping is like a gym workout for little arms !

Then there is cracking eggs, how much fun is that . . . who doesn't enjoy a crunchy scrambled egg!! That got me thinking of a few tips that make Kids in the Kitchen a little more fun . . .

Tip #1 Crack eggs into a little dish on its own . . makes getting the shells out a whole lot easier!

Tip #2 One hand on the bowl! Especially stainless steel bowls, they spin right off the counter!

Tip #3 Wash their hands . . .obvious I know, but forgetting is yucky!

Tip #4 Teach the difference between stirring liquid (small circles) and stirring dry ingredients (big circles) . . .and have towels and a vacuum nearby!

Tip #5 Let 'em make a mess!! They will learn eventually, but expect messes!

Tip #6 Make it FUN! Anyone can stir chocolate chips into the batter, how about using the chips to decorate the top of the muffins? Make smiley faces, add a circle, or practice counting 1,2,3 chips on each cookie.

Tip #7 No sharp knives or hot ovens for little cooks . . but you knew that!

Tip #8 Get them their own supplies - mini rollers, hot pink PLASTIC measuring cups and a personalize apron all makes it more FUN!

Tip #9 Take lots of pictures - nothing is as cute as kids at the kitchen counter!

The pride the kids feel when the family sits down to a meal they helped make is immeasurable. My 4 year old recently made an entire chicken & veggie lasagna. I cooked the noodles and the meat and shredded cheese while she did all the stirring and assembly. Look at all the vegetables! She was so proud at dinner!

A little extra effort from us to include the kids in doing what we consider 'chores' can create valuable lessons for them. The kids are far more capable then we sometimes think and who knows, a couple lessons in the kitchen, might just turn into breakfast in bed!! I am such a dreamer!

What gerat things do your kids make at home?

The Capital of Canada is . . .

We had planned this all winter . . . this was the year we could finally take the kids to experience Winterlude in Ottawa. Our youngest had just turned 5 and I’d taken her skating every week to practice so she could keep up with her older sister. We even incorporated a bit of our family business into the trip by having IronKids team up with the YummyMummyClub to promote Winterlude and families getting outside and being active together. Our trip to Ottawa was going to be an event full outdoor fun and learning about a new City! Was I in for a surprise, I had no idea how much they had to learn!!

I went to university back in the late 80’s in Ottawa and fell in love with the city. I skated from my little apartment to my classes and spent many winter weekends on the canal. I loved the old buildings in the downtown and on Parliament Hill. I got used to the cold and enjoyed many of the outdoor patio’s and the Canadian pride on Canada Day! I couldn’t wait to take my kids and show them all the great sites, the canal, the BeaverTails, Jacque Cartier Park, the Mint and the stray cats that still live behind the Parliament buildings as they had 23 years ago.

Imagine my surprise when I asked my kids as we drove down the 417 approaching Ottawa, “What is the Capital of Canada?” . . . . and from my 9 year old in the back seat, “C!”

Once we stopped laughing (it was a great answer!!) I couldn’t help but wonder why my 9 year old, who is in grade 3, didn’t seem to know much about Canada. How did I miss that? I am a pretty involved parent. I volunteer in their classrooms, I make their science project booklets, I study spelling with them, I help with math homework and I test them when a quiz comes up. I read over everything that comes home in that zippy bag and I guess I hadn’t realized that I hadn't seen much come home about Canada. My kids sing Oh Canada at school and know about pioneers and bartering, they know about the 4 states of matter, about Indians and holiday traditions around the world, but they know very little about the country they live in!

It became my mission that weekend to teach my children about the Parliament Buildings and Canada! We talked about voting and government, counted dozens of Canadian flags atop every building, studied the flags from every Province flying in a row near the canal, toured the Mint and we talked at length about Quebec as we crossed the bridge into Gatineau. What started out as a fun family trip to skate on the Rideau Canal turned into a lesson in history, geography and social studies.

I always wanted to travel as much as possible with my children and show them the world. I am a firm believer that they can learn as much on a family vacation to a foreign country as they can in the classroom . . .I just didn’t think I would start teaching them in Ottawa !!

What do your children know about the country you live in?

The Family Getaway

One of the perks of being a work at home mom is being able to make my own hours and take Fridays off to go away for long weekends and family getaways. I want my kids to experience everything they can and I am not against taking them out of school for a day or a week if it means we can explore a new town or culture together.

The impending longer than usual road trip got me to thinking though . . .of just what it takes to travel anywhere with small children. My kids are well past strollers, pack'n play's and bottles, but I do remember those days well. . .there were a lot of tears involved, and I'm not just talking about the kids!!

Now that they are older, I somehow thought it would be easier . . .but as I write out my To Do list I am seeing that for Moms, a family getaway of any kind is a big trade off! Accomplish an exhaustive amount of planning & preparation in exchange for a day or two of bliss & memory making. Sometimes you have to wonder if the trade off is worth it! The kids and the Dad seem to win . . . no wonder us moms are done by the time we get anywhere!

My To Do lists for our Family Getaway

The Kids Jobs
Bring me 1 pair of Pj's, a sleep toy, a book and a bathing suit
(the rest I will do to ensure everyone has at least 1 pair of pants & underwear!)

Moms Jobs
Make hotel/event reservations
Get Maps to all destinations
Snacks to feed mouths every 20 minutes after the inevitable "I'm hungry"
Drinks, but not too many-depends on distance desired between each pee break
Rent in car DVD's - ones that won't scare the youngest or bore the oldest
Medical supplies packed in case of surprise runny nose or allergic reaction
Underwear, hats, mitts, socks, sunglasses etc etc etc pack for all occasions
Swim/Beach bag with goggles & favorite mermaid toys
Skate/Ski bag with helmets for everyone
Kids favorite sleep toy that you asked them to get and they forgot to give you
Homework that won't get done but is due the morning after you get home
A book for mom that she won't get time to read but is nice to have . . just in case
Fully charged DS for each child and EARPUGS . . .its a long trip
Digital Camera, Movie camera, plugs, chargers, spare tapes/batteries to record every awesome moment
Wine . . .lots of wine
iPhone so I can tweet the entire time about all the fun I am having
and finally . . .the grace to smile when I am reminded of the toothbrush "I" forgot to pack

Dads Jobs
Get Gas
Drive

Thank goodness for Dads! This mom plans on tweeting her way thru her next family road trip . . .all 5 hours of it. . .follow along with @KidsGummyMum!

What do family getaways look like with your family . . .memories and mayhem?!! Just remember, life is better when it is fully lived . . .TO Do lists and all!!

Good-bye Soccer Mom

It's been nice washing you soccer jerseys, been fun sitting with you soccer chair, been a treat slicing you soccer snacks, been a blast in the rain soccer games and it's been an absolute joy watching you get kicked around soccer ball. However, after 6 years, its seems that this summer I will be hanging up my "Soccer Mom" cleats.

February is when you start looking ahead to the summer schedule, the camps, the vacations, the kids activities and making sure it will all work out. So I asked the kids "Who wants to play soccer?" and I got a big fat "NOT ME" from all 3 girls!!! Whaaaat . . . isn't soccer just part of summer? Don't ALL your friends play soccer? isn't this just what we do in our family?? . . . Apparently not. The kids are 5, 7, and 9 now, old enough to make their own decisions when it comes to organized sports. As much as it pains me, I am thinking we won't be seeing the soccer field this summer or stuffing kids into the van with bagels and glass a milk to make it there on time!

It's like another one of those stages . .first it was bottles, then diapers, then high chairs and naps . . all things the kids eventually grow out of. Didn't really see the end of the soccer thing coming, but I am getting used to the idea.

I checked out the schedule and apparently my kids are in 3 different age groups and that would mean one would play on Monday nights, one on Tuesday nights and one on Thursday nights and then add in the activity they already have Wednesday nights all summer! We were looking at a summer of crappy (I mean joyful) evenings spent out of the house and out of our new inground pool!

On second thought, I am really warming up to this idea!

Any changes or stages your kids decide on before you are totally prepared for it?