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Category: Family, Parenting

  • Book Review: Hey, Baby! A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature’s Nursery

    Book Review: Hey, Baby! A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature’s Nursery

    Hey, Baby! A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature’s Nursery comes from National Geographic Kids. It’s like Eric Carle’s Animals, Animals meets Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories meets animal encyclopedia, with the beautifully detailed presentation of a nature documentary. It’s genuinely enjoyable bedtime reading to help foster a love of animals and the world they live in.

    To know a thing we must love it,
    and to love a thing we must know it.

    -Kitaro Nishida (Japanese philosopher)

    Disclosure: I received this product for free from Moms Meet, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

    Did you know a baby zebra is called a fool?!

    How about that a polar bear can smell a seal from a mile away?

    Have you heard the aboriginal folktale that explains how the kookaburra got his laugh? (Much to the eternal shame of the showoff lyrebird.)

    I’ve written a number of times about the importance of teaching kids about— and exposing them to— nature and its inhabitants, early and often. I mean, we all do this intuitively to some extent; we take them to the park and jump in leaf piles, we go to the zoo and point out the giraffe’s long neck, we hug puppies and feed ducks, we ask them what does a lion say? to hear their adorable roar.

    In those posts, I’ve always stressed helping kids to know nature and animals, because when they know how insects fit in the food chain, they’ll care about preserving them for the sake of the birds and small mammals. When they know the call of a crow and see how clever and funny they are, they’ll notice when numbers dwindle and act to preserve them. When they have the opportunity to look a loggerhead turtle in the eye, conserving the ocean has more urgency, more meaning.

    I’d never really thought about how it works the other way too, but it does. How do we inspire kids to want to know the animals and their habitats? We foster a love of them: we spend time as a family at the aquarium, or birdwatching, or playing in the ocean, creating memories. We talk about what our favorite animals are. We buy stuffed animals to snuggle with at night. We invite pets into our homes. And we do one of my favorite things. 

    We read to them.

    Hey, Baby! A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature’s Nursery comes from National Geographic Kids. It’s like Eric Carle’s Animals, Animals meets Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories meets animal encyclopedia, with the beautifully detailed presentation of a nature documentary.

    Organized by habitat, the book is full of the amazing photography and fascinating animal facts you’d expect from National Geographic. Each page highlights a different (super cute, obviously) baby animal and tells you their “baby name” (pup, eaglet, calf, etc), where they grow up and what they eat.  

    What sets it apart, and makes it ideal for bedtime reading, is the snackable nature of the facts shared. Plus there are animal poems, fables and folktales from around the world, and stories of animal friendships and successful rescues/rehabs. At the end of each section is a “Tot Lot,” a photo gallery of baby animals with a quick bit of trivia about each.

    All in all, it’s a visual and lyrical treasure. A wealth of information, surrounded by beautiful pictures of adorable baby animals, wrapped up in wonderfully readable stories just right for sharing with kids. 

    (I feel it’s important to point out that my kids were all, at one point or another, obsessed with a particular animal encyclopedia we had that is intended for children. I gamely read that to them at bedtime, but it wasn’t fun reading for me; it was— well, it was reading pages from an encyclopedia every night for like a month. Hey, Baby! is a totally different experience from that. I read it cover to cover and genuinely enjoyed every page, making note of different stories and authors I want to follow up on.)

    The book is a coffee table book, nice and big, perfect to hold together with your child while reading. It would be a great gift for any little, but exceptional as a baby shower or welcome-to-the-world present (I’m a BIG fan of giving lovely keepsake hardbacks to babies, so that they grow up seeing it on a shelf until they are old enough to have it read to them, and then one day read themselves, and eventually hand down to another baby. Most babies get more clothes and toys from other people than they will ever fully use).

    Extra incentive! Purchases of National Geographic Kids books support the exploration, research, and conservation efforts of the National Geographic Society.

    You can find Hey, Baby! A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature’s Nursery pretty much everywhere— at traditional bookstores like Barnes & Noble; local independent stores; Target, Costco, Walmart, etc; and of course online on sites like amazon.com and shopng.com/books.

    National Geographic online for more good stuff:

  • Add These Vegetarian, Organic Gummy Vitamins to Your Shopping List

    Add These Vegetarian, Organic Gummy Vitamins to Your Shopping List

    These organic gummy vitamins for kids (and adults!) are vegetarian, allergen free, gluten free, and delicious.

    The first wealth is health.

    ―Ralph Waldo Emerson

    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    How’s your diet?

    Mine is pretty good, I think. I try to eat my fair share of fruits and veggies; I’m especially conscientious because I’ve cut out the majority of dairy due to intolerance. Dark greens like broccoli, spinach and kale have a decent amount of calcium, but the daily recommendation is 1000mg and you do have to rabbit up a fairly sizable serving of veggies to hit that on a daily basis. Sometimes I do so easily. Sometimes the day is a whirlwind and when all is said and done, I might not have had a green all day. 

    I imagine it’s the same for all of us, and particularly our kids. We do our best, but some days are better than others. Vitamins and other supplements are a good way to feel confident that we are filling those day-to-day nutritional gaps, to keep our energy levels high and our bodies healthy.

    Hero Nutritionals: Makers of the Original Gummy Vitamin

    Through the Moms Meet blogger program, I was sent two different kinds of gummy vitamins from Hero Nutritionals to try: Yummi Bear Organics Complete Multi-Vitamin and Slice of Life Organics Energy + B12. These are the supplements I already take (a gummy multi and a gummy B12). Up to this point, I hadn’t pledged allegiance to any one brand; often I pick them up from Costco but I’ll try other brands if they’re on sale.

    I think I may have found *the* brand.

    The most important factor, for us, is the flavor. It’s no use buying vitamins the kids and hubs aren’t going to take, right? These taste awesome. The B12s are without question the best tasting ones I’ve ever tried. The Yummi Bear multis are like low-key candy; the kids take them without having to be reminded. Delicious.

    Although I’m not currently a vegetarian, I have been in the past and Cass seems to be leaning that way lately, and I remember it being a pain finding vegetarian gummy vitamins. So the next thing that jumped out at me is that these vitamins are made from fruit pectin, not gelatin, which is great.

    Let’s go through the rest of the reasons why Yummi Bear Organics multis and Slice of Life Organics Energy + B12 are smart supplement choices.

    Yummi Bear Organics Complete Multi-Vitamin

    • Yummi Bears were the first gummy vitamins! They were released in 1997, so happy 20th anniversary to them.
    • They are the only organic and GMO-free gummy vitamin for children, with nothing artificial added; instead they use natural strawberry, orange, and pineapple flavors.
    • Contains 16 essential nutrients for healthy growth and development. (What makes a nutrient essential? They’re necessary for body functions, but the body can’t produce them on its own. Therefore it’s essential that you get them through your diet, and supplementation if necessary.) 
    • Fruit pectin based (no gelatin!)
    • Allergen free: that means no gluten, yeast, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, salt, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish or fish.


    Slice of Life Organics Energy + B12

    • USDA Certified Organic and manufactured in an Organic Certified Facility.
    • Also fruit pectin based, and free of GMOs, gluten, and dairy.
    • In addition to a major dose of B12 that uses methylcobalamin (a form of B12 that’s easier to absorb and use), these have 100% of your Daily Value of B6 and folic acid.
    • All natural cran-raspberry and black cherry flavors, organic colors.
    • Also allergen free, with no GMOs, gluten, or dairy.


    Why take B12?

    As I said, I don’t eat much dairy anymore, and I’ve been cutting back on meat pretty hard as well. These are your major sources of B12, along with fish and clams (which I consider meat anyway but I know not everyone does). Add that to letting go of caffeine, and I get brain fog sometimes. Taking B12 definitely makes a difference with that.

    In addition, my husband has ulcerative colitis, and often people with digestive issues like his (Crohns, celiac disease included) have trouble absorbing B12 from food. I can’t say he takes B12s for that reason; it’s more that when he sees me eating gummies he wants some too. But hey, it works, right?

    Taking a B12 supplement that includes folic acid and B6 can help to give your heart and circulatory health a boost, along with improving energy metabolism. Unlike some supplements, B12 is considered to be safe to take— just stick with the noted dose, in this case two “slices” per day. 

    Not all vitamins and minerals are considered to be non-toxic in high doses, though, and some can interfere with the efficacy of medication you might be taking. Generally speaking, it’s highly recommended to see your doctor for well-visits regularly and mention any symptoms that are prompting you to consider a new supplement. They’ll likely send you for a blood test to uncover any deficiencies and help you determine what supplements to take at what doses.

    Where to get ’em

    The really nice thing here is that Hero Nutritionals are pretty readily available. You can find them at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Ralphs, Kroger, Smart & Final, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and Jimbo’s, as well as online at Amazon and at costco.com. Check out the full list of locations here. 

  • Healthy Lunch Option: Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    Healthy Lunch Option: Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    It’s back to school time! Time to start stockpiling ideas for kids’ lunchboxes. Here’s one that kids will love: organic fruit snacks and fruit strips that include a full serving of whole fruits and veggies in each package.

    organic fruit snacks
    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    Fruit snacks are pretty much a lunchbox staple, right? They qualify as a treat without being a candy, cake or cookie (which many schools don’t even allow anymore in school lunches). 

    The thing is, a lot of fruit snacks really should qualify as a candy. They carry a “health halo” for being fruit flavored, or maybe having some fruit juice as a main ingredient, but they still hold a lot of sugar and not much else in a tiny package.

    You can make your own fruit snacks and leathers to control the sugar levels, and if you have a dehydrator you should totally go for it, they’re delicious. Buttttt they are also a lot of hassle if you don’t have a dehydrator, plus they’re best with done with fresh, in-season fruit. Not really practical for the school year.

    Enter Veggie-Go’s Organic Fruit Snacks

    Lisa— a certified nutritionist— and John, Veggie-Go’s founders, lived and worked on organic farms before they were inspired to create a new slant on snacking. Their snacks come in two varieties: strips (think fruit leather) and bites (think fruit snacks). All are USDA organic, non-GMO, and gluten free with NO added sugar.

    AND, each package contains one full serving of whole fruits and veggies. 

    To put that in some perspective, let’s compare a strawberry fruit roll-up to its closest Veggie-Go competitor (Strawberry, Chia + Beets). The ingredients of the roll-up are:

    Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Pear Puree Concentrate, Palm Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Fruit Pectin, Monoglycerides, Malic Acid, Dextrose, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Acetylated Monoglycerides, Natural Flavor, Color (red 40, yellows 5 & 6, blue 1).

    The ingredients of the Veggie-Go?

    Organic Sweet Potato Puree, Organic Concentrated Apple Juice, Organic Concentrated Apple Puree, Organic Concentrated Strawberry Juice, Organic Concentrated Beet Juice, Organic Chia Seeds, Citrus Pectin, Cellulose, Natural Flavor.

    The flavors

    As I said, Veggie-Go’s come as strips and bite-size snacks. And the flavors are sort of wild.

    Veggie-Go’s strips come in:

    • Berry, Apple + Spinach
    • Sweet Potato, Apple + Spices
    • Beet, Apple + Cinnamon
    • Carrot, Apple + Ginger
    • Tropical Fruit + Kale

    Veggie-Go’s bites come in:

    • Strawberry, Chia + Beets
    • Orange, Cocoa Nibs + Carrots
    • Berry, Rice Crisps + Greens

    Not something you would normally leap to grab off the shelf, right? But for the preschool set especially, it’s a more natural transition from all those wholesome baby purées and meals they ate as toddlers. I’m not one to shame anyone for giving their kids the occasional not-even-pretending-to-be-good-for-you snack, but for an everyday lunchbox item these are a fairly healthy option in a fun package.

    How do they taste?

    I will be honest and say I don’t really like fruit snacks of any kind, myself. I’m not into chewy/gummy candy or fruit. That said, I gamely gave all the flavors a try and I liked them fine. My favorites were the Strawberry, Chia + Beets and the Cocoa Nibs + Carrots. They have a bit of crunch to them reminiscent of strawberry seeds, which I sort of liked better than traditional fruit snacks. My husband, who does like fruit snacks but does not like things that are clearly good for you, liked the berry apple and sweet potato varieties best (he placed them in order by favorite here, from right to left). 

    I left all the boxes on the windowsill, first at home and then at the beach where we had several families visiting with us for the weekend. I didn’t mention to anyone that I was reviewing Veggie-Go’s, I just left them with the rest of the communal food.

    The result? I overheard one set of kids recommending their favorites to one of the adults as they all sat down for lunch. Another set of kids asked if they could take some to the beach as a snack. I think I came home with three left over. 

    So yes, kids will totally eat these and ask for more. And some adults, who aren’t restricted by “one treat a day” rules will maybe eat them all day long if you don’t chastise them.

    The verdict

    Seemingly rogue apostrophe aside, I really like Veggie-Go’s. I love that the cartons are fully recyclable and made from recycled paperboard, which is fueled by local wind energy in Denver. I love the designs on the wrapping and the fact that the cartons present themselves attractively like store displays. I think they would do well as natural energy boosters for hikers or when working out, or even just working— to get you through that afternoon slump. But especially I think they’re great for lunchboxes for littles. They look just like regular fruit snacks (cuter, even) but they sneak that little bit of extra veggies into a kid’s diet, which is a win in my book.

    Obviously, real fresh fruit and veggies are the best option, but they’re not always in season, don’t necessarily hold up well in a lunchbox, and most importantly you’re not there to wheedle them to finish up their meal. If you have a kid who doesn’t love their veggies, Veggie-Go’s are an easy way to incorporate some without a fight.

    Where to buy Veggie-Go’s

    I can buy Veggie-Go’s organic fruit snacks at Whole Foods, our local natural foods grocery and our co-op— enter your zip code in the store locator to find a physical store near you. Or, you can buy online at Amazon or directly from the Veggie-Go’s website.