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August is Back to School—Are you ready?! 

The best way to send the kids off to school is with healthy snacks from New Zealand to put a smile on their faces! Starting with toothpaste made specially for kids and Manuka Honey soap to clean up the stains and dirt! Then for lunch or snack time there’s honey sticks, lollipops, crisps and honey caramels for a special healthy treat!

Pacific Resources International has been delivering Manuka Honey beauty and health products to Americans for over 25 years. (This includes candy and treats!) Manuka is the gold standard for honey and is produced exclusively in New Zealand from bees and flowers that are environmentally protected. Enjoy these safe and soothing products every day and feel great using them!

Summer may be coming to a close, but that doesn't mean all the outdoor fun and games need to end, too! As a parent of 2 homeschooled kiddos, staying active is something we absolutely focus on. In fact, I allow my little ones to take frequent play breaks throughout the day. I've found that being liberal when it comes to allowing play allows them to get their wiggles out, therefore helping them to focus and learn. It's really a win-win situation. 

The folks at Toysmith understand the importance of active play, too, and recently sent me a package loaded with a few of their best selling outdoor, active toys from their flagship brands, Get Outside, GO!™ and NightZone®. How cool is that?! 

Toysmith brands and products are sold worldwide to specialty toy retailers, education markets, museums, zoos, aquariums, national parks, attractions, theme parks, gift stores, specialty catalogs and internet retailers. Toysmith is proud to present products from signature lines including NightZone®, Get Outside, GO™!, Outdoor Discovery, Our Garden, Playground Classics, Neato!, Retro Classics and Toy Science.  In the United States we distribute diverse brands from world-class partners including: 4M, Helvetiq, Petron, Spin Master, Kids II, Krooom and Can You Imagine.

Sophie is in 2nd Grade this year and Xander is in 1st. We've really enjoyed checking out the tips from Understood.org. Hoping out BTS is easy and painless this year!

These back-to-school tips from the Understood.org website are an invaluable resource for getting on track and starting the year of on the right foot.  They helped my family; hopefully they can help yours too.

• Planning early is important to help relieve stress.  Creating structure and routine around the start of the new school year—with checklists, calendars and other organization systems— helps prepare kids for class expectations. (Mention which tool you found especially helpful and why, e.g.: Back-to-School Countdown Planner, Backpack Checklist, and sample Homework Contract.)
  

You can also take your child on a school tour to help ease fears by showing them how to find their classroom, nearby bathrooms, the cafeteria and other important places the first week of school.  This can be a huge stress relief whether the child is new to the school or not. Just knowing where to go can help them feel more comfortable.  

• Connecting with your child’s teacher early on benefits everyone and creates a great starting point for the new year.  This will give you an opportunity to share your child’s needs or learning style while expressing your support for the teacher and the challenges he/she may be facing with a new classroom full of students.  You will help create an atmosphere of cooperation while speaking up for your child and his or her challenges.
  

• Finally, get support!  Many parents and students are going through the same experience. Understood.org and Understood’s Facebook page connect parents across the country to share information and learn from each other. You can also ask around your community and school to find other parents you can connect with.
  

So, no matter your child’s age or needs, this Back-to-School season can be a seamless transition and positive experience for both you and your children!  
If you could use some help getting started on the right foot this school year, Understood.org is a great place to start.  
All kids learn in different ways and at different paces. With the right support, all kids can thrive in school and in life.

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Summer is coming to a close, and fall is right around the proverbial corner. That means a few different things in my home: The kids will be cranky as they adjust to their schedules, cold and flu are going to creep up on us eventually, but in the meantime, we're definitely at risk for what I call the "Back to School Sickies."

Every year, without fail, we get some sort of bug within a few weeks of school starting. Without FAIL. I think it's all the germs co-mingling in close quarters after taking a blissful summer off. 

I do my best to stay as healthy as possible, especially this time of year. I make sure to clean and disinfect things around the house, I drink loads of water and get plenty of rest, and I also make sure to eat a well-balanced diet. 

Oh, and I take steps to ensure my innards stay healthy and balanced by taking prebiotics. Lately, I've been totally digging the products from Prebiotin. 

Now that Back to School Season is in full swing, I have about 3,592 things that need to get done, and only one ME to do them. Sometimes, I really wish I had a clone or 3...Or maybe an entourage...Or a band of helpful Oompa Loompas. 

Anyway, with 3 kids that are all getting back to their non-summer schedules, I've been more than a wee bit busy. 

Often, like many parents, when my kids need me, I often overlook caring for myself properly. A big way I tend to neglect myself when on the go is by either not eating at all, or by stopping somewhere with a drive-through and grabbing food that I know isn't really that healthy, just so I can keep pushing through my busy day. 

Thankfully, I found a better option, thanks to the folks at Genuine Health. This company offers a wide range of fermented vegan protein products, including fermented vegan protein bars, which are a great on-the-go snack, and much healthier than fast food. Oh! Plus, they don't cause the dreaded bloat. I'm sure you ladies know exactly what demon I speak of. Bloating is not pleasant, nor is it welcomed. 

Ladies, let's talk about something uncomfortable here. Something that as women, we don't want to talk about....Thinning hair. It happens, and it happens to a lot of us. Sometimes it happens as a natural part of aging, and sometimes it happens after things like having a baby. That actually happened to me after my youngest son, Xander, was born. 

Just the normal hormonal changes after having a baby caused my hair to become thinner, and I shed like crazy. I was definitely aware of it, and it made me feel really self-conscious. 

That's why I was so excited about the latest launch from vegan haircare brand ColorProof. This new product tackles one of the most common hair care concerns today; thinning hair, which plagues 40% of American women.

As August is National Hair Loss Awareness Month, ColorProof aims to bring attention to this cause which is affecting more and more women every day.
Jim Markham, CEO and Founder of ColorProof, developed the BioRepair-8 Anti-Aging Scalp & Hair System, a solution-based system for women with aging, thinning, and color-treated hair. This skin-care inspired, scientifically-advanced, three-step system uniquely targets the four main causes of female hair loss at the bio-cellular level to regenerate the scalp, improve strength and density, and deliver noticeably thicker, fuller hair.

My daughter, Sophie, is 7 going on 25. Not even kidding. She's too smart to fool, and uses reasoning that is often surprisingly adult-like and rational. She is a smart cookie, and kind of reminds me of Hermione from Harry Potter. She's incredibly smart, and maybe a little too blatant about displaying it. She has been known to tell people she's smarter than them, and has even corrected the grammar of people. In public.

We're working on modesty and tact. 

​Anyway, as you can probably guess, Sophie's style isn't your typical "kiddie style". She favors Boho or "Hippie" clothes, and doesn't really care for pastels and cutesie cartoons. She's my little mirror reflection, and she's definitely got a style pretty similar to mine. 

So when I learned about the luxury children's watches from Royal + Bright, I was definitely intrigued. These durable, high-quality watches are made to look like Mom or Dad's watch, but also stand up to all the use and abuse an active kiddo can throw its way. Not that I recommend beating it up or throwing watches, of course. I mean kids that fall, bump into things, climb on the playground, etc. You know what I mean, right? Right. 

Anyway, keep reading to learn more about Royal + Bright, as well as a fun GIVEAWAY! 

Does your family like playing games together? Mine sure does. My kids are finally old enough to have graduated from the "baby games", and we've been having an absolute blast expanding our gaming horizons. 

Recently, I got the chance to check out some great spy games from YULU Toys. These awesome games, Break Free and Safe Breaker, have taken the internet by storm lately as players share their super-spy skills. 

Okay, so I recently had a birthday....At MY age, birthdays cause me anxiety. You see, I have this silly fear of aging, because aging means closer to death...And the idea of death scares the pants off of me. 

So anyway, I had a birthday. The number on the proverbial cake was ancient, according to my kids. (I didn't actually get a cake, as I don't have a sweet tooth and try to eat as healthy as possible.) Rather than cry and moan and fall into some weird, mid-life depression, I decided to take my aging process into my own hands. No, I cannot stop time....No one can. I can, however, try to ensure I am as healthy as possible so the aging is done gracefully. 

I eat a well-balanced diet of healthy foods (usually), I stay hydrated, I get plenty of sleep, and I am promising myself to try and get more exercise. I've never really enjoyed working out by myself, and I don't really know anyone where i live to partner up with. 

I also don't drink....That's right. Not at all. I also don't use tobacco, and I stay away from anything addictive. Well, unless you count coffee, cheese, and Bruno Mars. I'd say these things are pretty darn addictive. 

I also take supplements to help ensure I'm the best me I can be, at any age!

TIMEBLOCK® is a daily natural multivitamin and anti-aging supplement for men and women formulated in the Swiss Alps and grown in the Himalayan mountains. This new natural daily superfood supplement provides essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for you to be your best physically and mentally while providing the tools for healthier aging.