Keeping Kids Cool and Hydrated During Summer

I was on Fox 40 News in the morning to share about Keeping Kids Cool & Hydrated you can view the segment here: http://bit.ly/2sTgsb0

This past week in Sacramento we had a week of over 100 degree temperatures.  It is important to stay hydrated all the time but I know during summer with swimming, summer camps, vacation or beach trips it is easy to forget the importance of staying hydrated.  We get caught up in swimming and having fun that we don’t remember the last time we drank water.  Even if you are just hanging out at home with the kids playing in the backyard jumping on the trampoline these tips can help you stay hydrated.

Although summer is a time of fun, be mindful of summer safety.  Just last week we went to the beach with friends and since it was breezy and overcast I did not even think about putting on sunscreen.  We ended up with sunburn.  It is important to remember to reapply sunscreen throughout the day as well.

Here are some suggestions to help keep your family hydrated.

Bring water bottles.  Use refillable water bottles if you are at home or a place where you can refill. 

Freeze water bottles to use as ice packs instead of additional ice packs.

Make fun ice cubes out of silicone molds to make drinking water fun for little ones.

Drink Gatorade or drinks with electrolytes.

Take drink packets of Gatorade or Propel to cut back on the number of bottles you have to carry.

Drink early. By the time you get thirsty, you may already be dehydrated.

Drink enough.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a child of about 88 pounds should drink 5 ounces of cold water every 20 minutes. Children and teens around 132 pounds should drink 9 ounces of cold water every 20 minutes. One ounce is equal to two kid-size gulps.

5-8 years old – 5 Glasses or 1 Liter

9-12 years old – 7 Glasses 1.5 Liters

13+ years – 10 glasses 2 Liters

Drink at moderate temperature.  If it is too cold, although at first it tastes refreshing the extreme cold makes it difficult to drink an adequate amount.

What to avoid: Caffeinated beverages (sodas, iced tea).  Caffeine  can cause you to lose more fluid and become dehydrated even quicker.

Signs of dehydration:  Headache, Nausea/vomiting, overly tired, Dizziness/passes out.

SNACK IDEAS TO HELP STAY COOL

My kids can power through Otter Pops, so here are some other ideas that I find keep them from coming in for that 3rd and 4th Otter Pop.  These are all easy snacks that the kids can help make too.

Frozen Yogurt. You can purchase Gogurts but you can also freeze yogurt in those silicone molds, it’s fun and easy.  You can also dip fruit in yogurt and freeze it.

Frozen Grapes.  My boys love snacking on frozen grapes.

Frozen Fruit Kabobs.  My kids love eating anything on a stick.  With the fruit being frozen I find the kids eat it slower and it fills them up.  Place slices of fruit on a skewer and place on a cookie sheet line with parchment paper.  

Freeze bananas and turn it into banana ice cream!  No other ingredients necessary just frozen bananas.  You could add in things if you like (Nutella, Peanut Butter, Mini Chocolate Chips).  Slice the banana, put slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Once frozen blend in a Ninja blender or Food Processor.  Then place back in the freezer to firm back up.

Homemade Smoothies.  My boys love coming up with smoothie ideas and I love sneaking in spinach when I can with frozen pineapple they don’t even taste it. 

Homemade Popsicle's.  You can use frozen fruits blended with apple juice.  You can use yogurt and fruits mixed in.  My boys love the juice from canned fruit with a little apple juice in Popsicle's.  There are a ton of ideas on Pinterest for homemade Popsicle's.

Sprite & Gummy Bear Popsicle's.  This is not the healthiest idea, but fun for at least once during summer.  Fill a Popsicle mold with Sprite to the fill line and drop in 5-8 gummy bears.  The kids love them.

HELPFUL SUMMER TIPS

What to bring to the pool, beach or lake: Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, towel, life-jacket. 

Goggles – if you are swimming frequently, goggles help your eyes from getting irritated.

Water Shoes – when the temperature is over 100 degrees the cement can be scorching. Water shoes can also help protect your feet when at the lake or beach.  

First Aid Kit – most public pools or swim parks have first aid kits, but it is always a great idea to carry one just in case.

Baby Powder – Have you heard of the beach hack of using baby powder to help remove sand?  We tried it last week at the beach and it WORKS!  I wish I would have taken video.  The boys had sand all over their hands and in between their fingers, we poured a little baby powder in their hands they rubbed together and the sand came right off.  The baby powder also helped repel the sand until they were wet again. 

Pop-Up or Umbrella – If you are headed to the beach or lake for the day it is a great idea to take a pop-up tent or umbrella to help stay out of the sun for at least part of the day.

I love summer and spending the summer days poolside, at the beach or lake.  I hope you find these tips helpful even for everyday summer activities like playing at the park, hanging out in the backyard or while out tossing the football around. Remember to stay hydrated and have some yummy snacks to help you stay cool.

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National Scrambled Eggs for Dinner Day

Today, June 27th is National Scrambled Eggs for Dinner Day!  I love using those 'National Day's' for fun inspiration with my family, great for food/recipe ideas, incorporating fun craft ideas, and just celebrating the day.

I was on Good Day Sacramento this morning sharing about this, you can view the segment here: Eggs for Dinner.

Eggs are delicious; nutritious and easy to cook for breakfast, they are also the perfect ingredient for dinner.  Whether you call it “breakfast for dinner” or “brinner”, eggs contain the highest quality protein you can buy in the grocery store, so why not include them in your dinnertime meal?  Tonight for dinner I am using this fun recipe from Nest Fresh Eggs "Feta Cheese Egg Boats".

I enjoy cooking and looking up new recipes so I encourage you to branch out and try some different egg and breakfast recipes.

Feta Cheese Egg Boats 

Ingredients:

4 mini sourdough baguettes

½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

½ cup diced cherry tomatoes

12 large NestFresh eggs

½ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

3 scallions (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Using a serrated knife, cut a V-shaped section from the top of each bread loaf, stopping the knife about ½ inch from the bottom of the loaf.

3. Remove the loose bread tops, and scoop out a bit of the inside, too, to form the “boats.” Discard the scooped bread. Place the boats on the prepared pan.

4. Evenly distribute the feta cheese and cherry tomatoes between the cavities of the boats.

5. Whisk together the eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, and scallions in a medium-sized bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the boats, distributing it evenly between them.

6. Bake until the eggs are puffed and no longer jiggle when you shake the pan gently for 20 to 30 minutes.

7. Let the boats cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle them with the fresh chives, slice into 8 pieces total, and serve warm.

Here are some tips to make perfect scrambled eggs.

• Use a good non-stick pan.
• You can use cooking spray, I like to use butter when making eggs.
• Heat the pan on low, melt the butter in the pan.
• Whisk your eggs in a bowl, whisking incorporates air which produces a fluffier scrambled eggs.
• You can add in a splash of whole milk and salt and pepper. (1 Tablespoon of milk per egg)
• Then place the whisked eggs in the pan and cook low and slow.  
• I stir once I see some curds start to form, move your heat resistant silicone spatula in an S shape pattern and stir the eggs, and go around the edges of the pan as well.
• If you did not add salt and pepper while whisking, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Mason Jar Omelette
This is another fun way to make eggs, omelette style using a mason jar!  
This is a great way to get the kids involved! 
Spray the mason jar with non-stick cooking spray.
Layer into the mason jar, bell pepper, onions, sausage, add in shredded cheese, one egg for the mini mason jars, two eggs for the regular size.
Put the lid on the mason jar and SHAKE!
Remove the lid and microwave for 2 minutes.  An omelette in a jar!  Great to take on the go, great to involve the kids in cooking and quick and easy to make.
This would be fun to have a variety of add in's available and everyone to make their favorite style omelette. 
You could have spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, sausage, ham, bacon, shredded cheese and any other toppings you like.

I love using Nest Fresh eggs and having them delivered right to my house using Amazon Fresh!  NestFresh was the first egg to become Non-GMO Project Verified. NestFresh also employs a national network of regional farms to produce and supply farm fresh eggs in a local and sustainable system. You can enjoy your scrambled eggs knowing that your ingredients are of the best quality.  Using NestFresh eggs means knowing freshness is always ensured and the chickens are well nourished and roam cage-free to their pleasure – NestFresh believes healthy chickens lead to healthy eggs.

You can find a ton of delicious egg recipes at www.NestFresh.com and on their Social Media. 

We love to change it up and eat breakfast for dinner, it's fun for the family.  If you leave early in the morning for work, school or activities, eat a simple breakfast and then have a big homemade breakfast for dinner when you have more time to prepare and clean-up.  

Here is another recipe I shared on the blog in January for an Easy Breakfast Egg Bake. 
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Our Visit to Legoland CA

Our family recently visited Legoland CA in Carlsbad near San Diego for the first time and we had a great time.  Before going I had heard from a few people that it is a park geared for younger children and that you only need one day at the park.  My boys are 10, 8, 6 and 2 and all love Lego’s so I thought they would be the perfect age.  You can definitely see the park in one day if that is the only time you have, but if you have the time and your kids are into Lego’s then you can easily spend more than one day exploring different parts of the park.  We didn’t even go to the Water Park and our tickets were for all 3 park attractions (Legoland, Waterpark and Sea Life Aquarium); next time we visit we definitely want to explore the Water Park.  There are gaming stations and hands on activities throughout the park.

Be sure to arrive early!  On the day we visited, the park technically did not open until 10 AM, but they opened the main gates at 9, this is great so you can spend some time shopping in the Big Shop which will hold your purchases for you so you do not have to carry your items around all day.  You can also use this pre-park time to purchase your souvenir drink cup, and visit the photo center to pick up your photo pass wristband.  You can browse some areas of the park, then they will officially open the ropes for attractions at 10 AM and you can hit the park ready to ride.  Before you visit check the days of operation on their website here: Days and Hours of Operation.

The staff has name badges with mini-figures on them and you can bring your own mini-figures to trade with the staff.  You can trade all day long, this is fun for the kids.  Be sure to pick up your 1^st Visit to Legoland Pins as well, a free souvenir!

My oldest son loves roller coasters, even though there were not many thrill rides, there were still rides he enjoyed, and plenty of other things to keep him entertained.  His favorite rides were the Lego Technic Coaster, the Lego Ninjago Ride and Kid Power Tower.  They do have a parent swap program if you have a little one who doesn’t meet a height requirement.  Everyone in your party needs to be in line together, let the attendant know you have one person staying off with a little one, they will let everyone who just rode get back on with the parent that waited, which is nice for the older kids they get to ride back to back.

One thing that I loved about Legoland was there were so many interactive spots and play areas.  This was great for my two year old if it was a ride he couldn’t ride; there was something nearby for him to do while we waited for the older kids.  Having Lego building stations was also nice for the older kids while we waited in line helps cut down on the sibling spats.  While we ordered the famous Apple Fries from Granny Apple, there was a building station nearby to keep the boys busy while we placed our order.

I was very impressed with the ‘extras’ at the park, Legoland has a lot more to offer than just rides, the 4-D Theater, the Factory Tour you can learn how Lego’s are made, the Adventure Club and so much more.  There was a build your own boat station; there was a sand area where you could look for dinosaur bones near the dinosaur coaster ‘Coastersaurus’.  My older boys even spent time there when the ride was finished and would have stayed longer if I would have let them. There is a small rock climbing wall near the new Ninjago ride.   

 Miniland was AMAZING, when we visited there was also Star Wars Miniland, my boys are Star Wars fans and they loved all the Star Wars Legos.  I was in awe of the life-size creations that are constructed out of Legos.  We could have spent more time in Miniland just admiring the artwork.  There are Lego creations of Paris, New York City, Pier 39 in San Francisco, The Golden Gate Bridge, Las Vegas, too many more to name.  Absolutely stunning!

The bathrooms were great, clean, colorful, and perfect for families.  They even have Baby Care Centers with rocking chairs, microwave, bottle warmer, high chairs and changing tables.  Perfect if you need a quiet space with a little one.

We purchased a souvenir cup with free refills, which was economical for our family but also the neat thing at Legoland is they have self-serve Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, there is a chip in your cup so you can go and refill on your own.  Don’t send your child to refill though if they remove the cup before they fill up you then have to wait ten minutes before you can refill it again.  Thankfully the staff at the food stand was happy to help us and refill our cup.

I loved the dining options they offered.  There were spots to purchase theme park treats like churros and cotton candy.  The churros with chocolate dipping sauce were delicious and only $5. There were a lot of healthy and fresh options as well.  I ordered a steak sandwich at Fun Town’s Urban Kitchen.  My sandwich was made right when I ordered it.  In that same area, I ordered my kids a chicken tender kid’s meal.  You can pick an apple sauce packet or fresh fruit as a side and a drink.

On their website Legoland does say outside coolers, food and beverages may not be brought into the Park.  I had some small snack items (fruit snacks, pretzels and apple sauce squeeze packs) in my son’s diaper bag and had no problem bringing it in.  I also saw more families with what looked like outside food in the park.  I think if you bring in light items you should have no problem.  We ate breakfast before we entered the park, had lunch in the park and with all the other goodies, churros, apple fries, ice cream treats, we did not eat dinner in the park.  The day we visited the park closed at 6 PM.

We purchased the photo pass for only $35; I thought it is well worth it, I was pleasantly surprised at how many rides take your picture on the ride.  These are great memories we will cherish forever.  It was really easy to use, they give you a wristband once you enter the park at the photo center, then you scan your bar code on the wrist band anytime you want to save a picture to your account.  As you get off an attraction many of the rides have monitors that show your picture, you touch the screen to select your picture then scan your bar code and the pictures are loaded on your account.  There are photographers throughout the park to take your family picture which is nice so everyone in your party can be in the picture.  I will say the photo quality wasn’t quite like the Disneyland PhotoPass quality but still the pictures are great, I would definitely purchase photo pass again.  Here is the link for more info: Legoland Photo Pass.

I had matching shirts made for our family from a shop on Etsy, I loved the way they turned out.  Having matching shirts makes it easy to keep your group together and also to see your group on an attraction or pick out your pictures after.  We received so many compliments that we were the best dressed at Legoland.  I highly recommend when visiting a theme park to wear matching shirts or matching colors, it makes traveling with little ones much easier.

Legoland CA also has an Aquarium, which we visited as we were leaving the park, and I am so glad we did.  We entered from the Legoland Park side but they have a main entrance as well.  It was very neat and again so thought out for all ages.  There was a small climbing structure with slide perfect for my two year old.  There were cut out windows and areas for the kids to crawl through.  It was really neat to see Lego creations in the water.  At the end the kids can touch and feel star fish and anemones.  They take a picture as you near the end and you can purchase the two photos in a booklet of sea life facts.  Since I had purchased the Legoland Photopass, I received a discount and only paid $10 for 2-8x10 photos and the booklet of our family.  Great deal!   They also have a cute café as you exit.  We spent around two hours exploring the Sea Life Aquarium.  If you are returning to Legoland be sure to get your hand stamped.

We did not stay at the Legoland Hotel this time but I had read on-line from another mom blogger to check out the lobby and fun elevators.  So as we left Legoland and the Aquariaum we visited the hotel which is located next to the parks front gate.  They also have a restaurant named Brick’s Family Restaurant that I have read great reviews on Yelp.  When we went in there was a pirate show for kids going on in the lobby, it was cute.  When you ride the elevator music plays and a small disco ball lights up, my boys thought it was neat.  We were on the search for a whoopee cushion floor I had read about, well, it is right next to the elevator we totally missed it, had to go back and find it.  In my mind I was picturing an actual whoopee cushion floor well it’s carpet with a whoopee cushion graphic, but when you jump on it, it does make sounds.  My boys got a kick out of it. 

Legoland has a lot of new things in the works like Surfers’ Cove in the water park opening Summer 2017 which will also have new Beach Street Tacos and there is a new hotel ‘Castle Hotel’ planned for 2018!  If you have never visited Legoland, I recommend a visit and although you can visit the park and aquarium in one day, you could just as easily spend more time at the parks especially if you have a Lego fan in your family.  My boys are already asking “when are we going back?”

Look for deals when purchasing your tickets, my boys receive the Lego magazine in the mail which usually has coupons for a free child admission with the purchase of an adult.  I have seen Groupon deals for Legoland, CA and coupons at local fast food chains, so keep your eye out and on their website they have specials at different times.  Here is the link for their On-line Exclusives.

I hope this will help you in planning your Legoland trip.  I will tell you that we did not feel as exhausted at the end of the day as when we have visited Disneyland.  I would have loved to enjoy the Waterpark, I don’t see how we could have done both on one day, which was okay with us since when we visited (even though it was June) it was overcast and too chilly for the water park. 

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