Cold season is here my friends! You can wish it away all you want but you know that the germs are going to be in high gear and getting sick is a real possibility. If you are a busy mom, you KNOW that you don’t have the time to be sick, so I teamed up with Babbleboxx to share some tips on how make time for some TLC and to stay healthy this winter.

For me, the key to beating a cold is to stop it before it starts. I try to keep my immune system working well enough to be able to beat that first tickle in my throat or first sniffles because I know that if I’m going to get sick, it’s going to be one of those in bed for three days colds. Making time for little bits of rest and TLC can make all the difference, especially during the hustle of the holiday season.

Nothing beats a hot cup of tea when you are under the weather. Growing up with Polish parents, tea was our first line of defense during cold season. As soon as mom heard your first cough, she had a big mug of hot tea with lemon and honey with your name on it. Not much changed when I became a mom and we always have Red Diamond Green Tea stocked in our pantry. We love Red Diamond because the company has a generations long relationship  with one of the largest tea importers in the country—allowing them to source the finest quality tea from around the world year after year. They also don’t include tea stems in their tea bags which gives the tea a better flavor.

When I need some TLC, I love to curl up with a good book. Even though I love a good binge watching session, the quiet time with a book lets me relax and recharge way better. The last book I really enjoyed was Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate Dicamillo . It was an easy read novel about a girl who is trying to discover herself in the face of adversity. If you’re looking for a good read for the long winter nights, be sure to check it out. Use code CANDLEWICK at checkout on candlewick.com for a 25% off all books. Only valid to U.S. purchases.

If I’m getting sick, 9 times out of 10 I will be coming down with something sinus related – it’s something that has plagued me since I was a kid. At the first sign of sinus pressure, I head to my medicine cabinet to grab Neo-Synephrine. It a nasal spray that temporarily relieves sinus congestion and pressure and helps me breath easily through my stuffy nose. I also love that it is safe for the whole family because it is the only medicated nasal spray concentration approved for use in children ages 2 and up. It is a total life saver!

Pure Synergy Rapid Rescue is what I grab when I have that oh no feeling of a cold coming on. Each pill is packed with nine SuperPure® organic and tested immunity extracts to strengthen your body’s natural protectors. Echinacea and elderberry extracts are reinforced with olive leaf, oregano, and other immunity boosters to supports healthy immunity and stop any cold in its tracks.  Get 15% off on all Pure Synergy products through 12/31/18 when you use code: PURESYNERGY15.

Its not a real mom break unless you have a sweet treat! SMASHCRISPY treats are another pantry staple at our house. They are the perfect any time sweet treat that crushes your sweet tooth in a mindful yet indulgent way.  They are made from natural ingredients and are gluten, soy, dairy and nut free which makes them the perfect lunch box snack for school, too. They come in three yummy flavors – Cinnamon Churro is my fav! Use code SNACKSMASHCRISPY on smashmallow.com for 25% off SMASHCRISPY  through 11/30/18.

What are your secret beat-the-cold remedies?

The post Taking Time for TLC During Cold Season appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I smoked my first cigarette at age 12. I was on a field trip and some older girls were going behind the building to smoke. I wanted to be cool too, so I followed. Growing up, both my parents smoked, as did many other adult family members. In my head, smoking made me seem more grown up, so why not try it? I took maybe two drags of the cigarette before I almost coughed my lungs up, and even though it didn’t taste or feel good, this was the first of many cigarettes I smoked throughout my life.  Now, you might think that your 12 year old would never reach for a cigarette, but did you know that the average age of a new smoker in New York is just 13?

I smoked though much of my teens and early 20s and finally quit when I found out I was pregnant with Alex. Luckily, I never picked up the habit again. Since Alex was old enough to ask what a cigarette was, I have talked to him about the dangers of smoking and how even though some of his favorite family members smoke, it is not a good habit to pick up. He is known to go off into a mini rant explaining to family members why they should quit smoking, which I bet they really enjoy.

Keeping an open dialogue with your children about the dangers of smoking is essential. Tobacco companies are working hard to entice kids into smoking. These companies spend billions of dollars to put their products in front of our kids in stores, and the more kids see tobacco, the more likely they are to start smoking.  If you live in NYC, you can’t walk into your bodega or corner store without having a huge section of multicolored cigarette packs staring you in the face. If you feel that your children have seen enough tobacco, sign the Tobacco Free NYC petition to have tobacco advertising removed from store.  So how do you start the conversation?

1. Start young. Even young children may ask about cigarettes if they see someone smoking. Take this as an opportunity to start the conversation. Explain that some people chose to start smoking, but then have a really hard time stopping. Tell them how bad it is for them and how it can make them sick. Make the conversation age appropriate, but never pass up a teaching moments for fear that a child is too young.
2. Health effects. For older kids, you can talk about the negative health effects that smoking can cause. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the human body and kills almost 500,000 people a year in the US. Smoking can lead to cancer, emphysema, hearth disease and stroke, just to name a few. You can also look for pictures online that show what a smoker’s lungs look like. Warning: it’s not pretty.
3. Addiction. Picking up smoking is easy, but quitting is not. Let your kids know that even if they start smoking socially, they may end up addicted and have a hard time quitting. That is why it is not worth starting.
4. Cost. Sometimes health effects will not faze children because they can’t imagine that they won’t be young and healthy forever. However, for kids with a limited allowance or for teens who are working, the price tag of cigarettes may be a good deterrent. I know that I do not want to spend $15 of my hard earned money on cigarettes.
5. Peer Pressure. Peer pressure is real. (Hey, it even worked one me!) Talk to your children about how to say no when their friends are pressuring them to start smoking. Come up with and practice responses that kids can give when pressured and explain that smoking doesn’t make you more grown up or cool. Let them know that even thought it may seem like the end of the world now if other kids are making fun of them, but in the grand scheme of things, smoking is never worth it.

Don’t forget to sign the Tobacco Free NYS petition to get tobacco advertising removed from stores. For more tips and resources visit Tobacco Free NYS at:

• Tobacco Free New York State Site: http://www.tobaccofreenys.org/  
• Tobacco Free New York State Facebook:  http://lwww.facebook.com/tobaccofreenys  
• Tobacco Free New York State Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tobaccofreenys  
• Tobacco Free New York State Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/tobaccofreenys  

The post Talking to Your Kids About Smoking: How and When appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to settle in for the long, cold winter. If you’re in the Northeast like me, you know something about the cold weather that’s been hitting us recently. But, just because its cold outside and cold and flu season is upon us, doesn’t mean that the getting sick is inevitable. I am teaming up with Kleenex to share some tips on how to stay healthy this winter!

1. Drink water. Studies show that you may not get as thirsty in cold weather, but that doesn’t mean that your body doesn’t need the H2O. Allowing your body to become dehydrated can leave you more vulnerable to getting sick. Aim to drink half your body weight in water, year round.
2. Keep Your Hands Clean. Germs are lingering everywhere you go, especially in places where there are large groups of people like at work, school or the supermarket. Make sure to wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, or two rounds of Happy Birthday. Mom hack: let your little ones choose the soap to entice them to wash more often!
3. Get Enough Sleep. A lack of sleep can affect your immune system. Studies show that people who don’t get enough quality sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as the common cold or flu. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.
4. You are what you eat. The holidays tend to be full of yummy treats and indulgent meals, but it is important to eat well to stay well. Make sure to eat a variety of fruits and veggies to get different vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to be functioning at its best!
5. Stress less. Studies have shown that high levels of stress make you more susceptible to getting sick. Create an evening routine to help you unwind after you get the kiddos to sleep. The few minutes to myself every night, help me reflect on my day and prepare for the next. 
6. Cover your coughs and sneezes. As someone who works with young children, we spend our days repeating “cover your cough” to the kids. At our house, we always keep Kleenex in the house to stop the germs before they hit our hands. Kleenex has a moisture activated blue dot layer with special anti viral formula that kills 99.9% of cold and flu viruses in the tissue within 15 minutes. Goodbye pesky germs!

I always stock up on Kleenex when I’m shopping at Walmart, but if you don’t feel like leaving the house in these single digit temperatures, Walmart now has free 2 day shipping. Get you Kleenex delivered to your doorstep for free!

I hope these tips help you and your family stay healthy this winter. Don’t forget to stock up on Kleenex at Walmart!

The post 6 Tips to Stay Healthy This Winter appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

When I was a kid, the house wasn’t clean until the smell of bleach and other harsh chemicals was so strong it burned your eyes. While they did get the house clean, it wasn’t the healthiest way, especially since repeated inhalation of bleach and harsh chemicals can cause all types of health problems. When I became a mother I told myself that I was not going to use these types of chemicals in our house. While it isn’t difficult to find natural cleaners these days, it isn’t always easy to find ones that are effective and truly all natural. When Aunt Fannie’s reached out to me to try their Cleaning Vinegars, I was super excited to give their products a try.

Once I started looking into the company more, I knew that Aunt Fannie’s was a brand that would become a staple in our home. The brand founder Mat created Aunt Fannie’s when his son developed severe, life-threatening allergies. The family decided to rid their home of all the “chemicals and crap” they had in their diet and cleaning supplies, but found that even the “natural” cleaners that were on the market had ingredients that wiped out good microbes and sent their son’s immune system into permanent overdrive.

While there are tons of cleaners on the market that advertise themselves as natural and a healthy choice, Aunt Fannie’s is one of the few that scored an A rating from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Aunt Fannie’s is different because their ingredients are recognized by your body as food or beneficial microbial prebiotics. Aunt Fannie’s improves the health of indoor microbiomes by creating biodynamic, evolutionarily-adapted cleaning and pest solutions from unique, whole, and food-based ingredients. It gets your home clean without disrupting the micro biome of good bacteria.  Just like you need good bacteria in your gut to keep you healthy, you need this good bacteria in your home to keep you and your family healthy.
Aside from all of the health benefits, Aunt Fannie’s does an amazing job cleaning and can hold its own against any of the other cleaning products I’ve tried. They leave the house smelling fresh and clean without a vinegar smell.

Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar in Fresh Lime Mint smells great and does a great job cleaning even the toughest kitchen messes [like when my husband decides to cook dinner :cough cough:]. The essential oils used in the spray are GRAS certified by the FDA. The Aunt Fannie’s Cleaning Vinegar Wipes are super convenient to keep on the counter the clean up messes as they happen. They are also biodegradable! The Aunt Fannie’s Glass and Window Vinegar Wash leaves glass and mirrors streak free without the harsh chemicals typically found in glass cleaners. The Aunt Fannie’s Fly Punch is 544% more effective at catching fruit flies than comparable products. [I also learned that one mama fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs at a time. If that fact isn’t what nightmares are made of, I don’t know what is!] All Aunt Fannie’s products have all their ingredients listed on their labels, unlike other companies that omit the not so great ingredients from their labels.

You can find Aunt Fannie’s products on their website, Whole Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Hy-Vee and Amazon. Best of all, if you order from the Aunt Fannie’s website, use code FROLIC to get 30% off your order plus free shipping on orders over $35. The coupon code will expire on 10/31/17.

Happy #HealthyHousekeeping!

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