Crystal Light Review: Staying Hydrated

June 6, 2010 by · 30 Comments
Filed under: Food and Drink 

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

  Crystallight 

How do you stay hydrated and fresh in the summer heat?
 
I get a lot of email forward's. We all do. But last week, I got one, that if even a tiny bit true, blew my mind. The basic premise of the email was to drink more water and to avoid carbonated beverages. It listed many reason as to why for each one, but there was one in particular about water that really got me thinking!
 
It said this: our bodies are so de-programmed when it comes to hydration that many times, our body will send us the hungry signal when in fact, our body is really just in need of fluids. I thought about how many times I sit around and snack when I shouldn't really even be hungry and figured I would try to drink a glass of water first, each time I'm feeling the urge to snack.
 
It is absolutely amazing how much less I am snacking since I adopted this philosophy.
 
Because I am an outdoors girl and am always working on my yard and perennial gardens, I am frequently spending many hours outside in extreme heat. Bottled water is a wonderful thing to have on hand, especially when Crystal Light offers little packets you can dump right into your bottle, shake and enjoy.
 
I found some great hints for keeping hydrated this summer that I'd like to share with you courtesy of Brigham and Women's Hospital:
  • Have a glass of water when you first get up.
  • Keep a glass of water next to the bed.
  • Enjoy an herbal tea in the afternoon or evening (Crystal Light has some awesome ones!)
  • Carry water with you if you are away for long periods of time.
  • Drink before you get thirsty.
  • Limit sugary, caffeinated beverages (yet another reason to try one of Crystal Light's many varieties).
  • Choose drinks with 10 or fewer calories.
  • Know the signs of dehydration (headache, light-headedness, fatigue, flushed skin).

Did you know that Crystal Light offers "Sunrise" beverages that contain 100% of the recommended dosage of Vitamin C, as well as a variety of other tea's and some mixes that are even infused with extra antioxidants to help with immunity, etc.? To see all the varieties, please visit here.

To enter for your chance to win the $1000 sweepstakes or to visit other reviews of Crystal Light, please visit the round-up offer page here: BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page . For official rules on entering, please visit here.

AND now, for your chance to start commenting and winning (a $100 Visa card), please answer the following question in the comments section:

What is your favorite way to stay hydrated in the summer?

 

 

You’re Not the Boss of Me!

June 2, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Books 

I love buying parenting books.  Anytime a new issue comes up with my son, I head to Amazon to find the plethora of books that will solve all of my problems.  I wait patiently for the book that will bring peace and happiness back to my house.  The day the book comes, I head to bed early with book in hand, ready to have all of our issues resolved.  A few days later, and only a few chapters in, the book begins to collect dust.  Therein lies the problem with parenting books-you feel a gusto when first approaching the book, but reading an entire book and expecting to remember all the techniques is near impossible. So, I give up and the problems remain.

You will not find this problem with You're Not the Boss of Me: Brat-proofing  Your 4-12 Year Old by Betsy Brown Braun.  Braun encourages you to use the book however best works for you. She suggests that you choose chapters for issues you want to work on with your child.  I like this approach.  The book does not have to be read cover to cover before you can begin using the techniques or ideas presented.  I headed right away to the chapter self-reliance and then the one on independence. We are raising an only child (not by choice), and we worry about his ability to be independent and happy.  Braun is encouraging and provides practical ways to deal with your child.

Ours son was also diagnosed with ODD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and while we're not 100% sold on this diagnosis, he does exhibit many of the indicators of this disorder.  Braun's ideas fit in with other experts on ODD.  She reminds us that kids are kids and that we adults need to relax, too.  Perhaps the greatest reminder for me was that we are their models and that kids pick up on our stress.  Obvious, I know, but in the heat of the moment, I get wrapped up in my emotions and react and I forget how detrimental my reaction can be-and this is even more detrimental with a child with ODD. 

Braun speaks to the reader on a grounded level. You sense she has "been there, done that" and is not passing judgment.  The tone is friendly, firm, and encouraging.   I found the book to be a refreshing parenting book.

TKDDaughter gives You're Not the Boss of Me a:

Brownbelt_2 
"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of HarperCollins and received a copy of You’re Not the Boss of Me to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain White Rice

June 1, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Food and Drink 

I remember when a friend came to visit me a few years ago when her daughter was still quite young.  Since I had a newborn, I made sure to ask what types of foods her daughter ate so that I could have a pantry stacked with preschooler-friendly food.  The answer?  Buttered noodles.  "Wow," I thought, "That's all she eats???"  Flash forward to today with my own preschooler.  Yep, same deal.  My son has very  little variety in his diet.  Luckily for me, rice is a staple on his list of will-eat foods. 

Lucky for all of us, Uncle Ben's has made it that much easier for families to get their kiddos to eat a little bit better.  Uncle Ben's has introduced a whole grain white rice-same great taste just with whole grains.  It makes me feel kind of sneaky at dinner time.  I am a huge Uncle Ben's fan to begin with…the fluffy texture, moist but not soggy.  Now, I'm even a bigger fan.

My son didn't know or care that the rice was made with whole grains…it was white rice, plain, and it tasted the same as it always does.  Victory for me!!  I shared my boxes of rice with family members and all reported that the rice tasted the same and all were glad for another easy way to get more whole grains into their diets. 

TKDDaughter definitely gives Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice a big

Blackbelt_3 

I wrote  this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
 

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