Any mom with boys will tell you that it’s hard to get through a week without injuries. Since Alex started walked almost 4 years ago, we have been on a never ending journey of boo-boos, band-aids and  ice packs. When he started hockey this year, I was worried. He had never been ice skating before and in my head I saw him get on the ice, fall flat on his face and quit.

Before he even started, we got an email from his coach with mandatory gear and optional gear. Even though it cost us a little bit more, we opted to buy everything that was recommended. When we got to the first day of hockey, we were a little overdressed. Some of the other kids came in bike helmets, and here was my little guy in full hockey gear with his helmet and cage. The minute that he got on the ice, I knew that the money we spent on his gear was worth it. My worst fear came true..he got on the ice, fell on his face, but thanks to all of his gear he was fine. He got up and kept going, but if he didn’t have all of his gear, we probably would have been on the way to the ER. And you better bet that the following week, all the kids in his class showed up with the proper gear.

Even though we avoided an accident, accidents do happen and it is better to be covered.  That’s where Aflac comes in … if someone with an Aflac supplemental insurance plan experiences a serious illness or injury, Aflac helps ease the financial stress and provides cash benefits to help pay for out-of-pocket expenses. Aflac supplemental insurance could help cover these and other expenses that may not be fully covered by your major medical insurance:

• Broken teeth
• Concussions
• Ambulance, ground and air
• Emergency room visits
• Lacerations

The best way to make sure that you have no out of pocket costs, is to stay safe in the first place. Aflac put together a very good list of Sport Safety tips. These are geared toward football, but I feel that they apply to any sport.

1. Some equipment may look “optional,” but it is important to wear all necessary pads and safety gear each time you play.
2. Follow the rules. In the heat of the moment it’s easy to forget, but there is a reason why things like tripping, pushing and unnecessary contact ate not allowed: they can be very dangerous to both you and your opponents.
3. Listen to your body.If at any point you feel pain or discomfort while playing, notify your coach and get out of the game. While sitting on the sidelines is one of the most difficult situations a player can face, pushing through injuries increases the severity and keeps you out of action longer.
4. Take the doctor’s orders, After experiencing a sports injury, the first question a player often asks is, “When can I play again?” The answer depends on the injury. Always listen to your doctor. Even if you can’t return right away, a doctor or physical therapist might have suggestions and advice on what you can do to stay fit and rehab the injury. It is important to always check with a doctor before attempting any activity following an injury.
5. Make sure you’re covered. Accidents happen. When unexpected injuries happen on the football field, make sure you’re prepared with supplemental insurance to help cover out-of-pocket expenses. According to the 2014 Aflac WorkForces Report, 66 percent of U.S. workers could not afford the costs associated with a serious illness or injury. That’s why voluntary insurance plans are so important.

As part of their Heisman Sports Safety campaign, Aflac is hosting the Ultimate College Football Experience Sweepstakes. If you are an ultimate college football fan this #AflacSweeps is for you! Three lucky fans will win a trip for two, a pair of tickets to one of three college football games in November, a chance to meet Desmond Howard and more.

Entry Form & Official Rules URL: http://clvr.li/1xiJoTo

Three prize packages will be awarded; winners will be announced Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and Nov. 11.

• CONSUMER NOTICE: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. Open to legal permanent residents of 50 U.S. states and DC, 21 or older, who have Internet access and valid email address prior to 08/28/14. To enter and for Official Rules, including odds and prize descriptions, click here: https://www.facebook.com/aflacduck/app_143103275748075. This sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook or Twitter. For a winner’s list (after 11/10/14), visit the Ultimate College Football Experience tab of this page or mail request to Aflac “Ultimate College Football Experience” (Specify Winner List), Media Relations, 1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, GA 31999. Sponsor: American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.

Find out more about Aflac on their social media: twitter and facebook.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post The Importance of Sports Safety with Aflac & Heisman appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I’m done. We’re over. Having you around was nice for a while, but now I can’t wait to see you go.

I’ll admit, when it was hot and humid in the summer, I said I missed you and couldn’t wait for you to arrive. The first time we were expecting a snow storm, I was excited. On our first snow day, I was ecstatic. Getting paid to sit at home and play with you and Alex? But, over time, our relationship went south along with the temperatures. The cold wind, the never melting snow, the circling and looking for parking spots, it was all getting old winter.

I told you to pack your things and go winter, but you just won’t leave. You keep coming back and dropping more of your unwelcome, white baggage. Please winter, if you even a little bit of remorse, leave now and I won’t hold it against you. If you quit while you’re ahead, maybe some

people will even look forward to your return.

As for me, I’m ready to get to know your cousin Spring really well. Now excuse me while I go dig out my car because school will probably not be cancelled tomorrow because our school’s chancellor thinks Nor’easters make for a beautiful day.

Sincerely,

Sylvia (and the rest of the NorthEast)

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day!

The post Dear Winter, appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

We spent the two days out in the snow. We had snowball fights, made snow angels and sledded with other kids on our block.

We did some crafting. We made toilet paper roll monsters.

We ate some good stuff.

Pumpkin Pancakes.

Hot cocoa and Oatmeal Cranberry Dunkers. Both from Trader Joe’s.

Whole Wheat Couscous Greek Salad. (Recipe coming soon.)

I’m really not looking forward to driving tomorrow because the temps are super low, ice is everywhere and this snow isn’t going anywhere for a while. Either way, these two days were soo worth it!

Did you get any snow where you live? What are your favorite snow day activities?

The post Snow Day appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Alex took part in the Get To the Point 5k children’s dash. The whole race was only 25 meters, but seeing how serious the kids took it, you would’ve thought they were running the NYC Marathon.  Since the street was closed off before the race, the kids warmed up by running back and forth in the street. All of the parents there joked about how much energy kids have. They could have ran for hours!

It was fun watching the really small children run. One of the little girls ran off the course, yelling to her mom that she had to go to the potty and didn’t finish the race. Alex’s group was the third or fourth to go. I started out running with him, but once we got about halfway down the course, he let go of my hard and ran off.

At the finish line, they took down Alex’s name and told us to stick around for the awards ceremony. We got to watch all the other age groups run, while enjoying juice boxes and soft pretzels that were put out for the kids. Once all the races were complete, it was time for awards!

Alex was very excited to go up on stage and get his gold medal.

He had an absolute blast and told us that he wants to run really fast and win more medals.

What was the first race you ever ran?

The post My Son, the Gold Medalist! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

1. My little man started preschool. I don’t know how my baby who I swear was born like last week, is in school. It still boggles my mind, but the good part is that he LOVES it! We have to be out the door by 7:20 to get him to school on time, and my little guy who used to love sleeping in is on his feet and telling me to hurry up because he’s going to be late. He comes home with new words, songs and pictures every day and I absolutely love that he loves school.

2. I froze my Crossfit membership. Since I’m back to school and the little guy started, the WOD schedule at my box just didn’t work at all. I would sign up for WODs only to cancel the morning of because I knew that there was no way I was going to make it there. On the bright side, I signed up for a new gym that is the halfway point between my office and the little man’s school. I’ve been twice so far, but starting today I am planning on going in the morning before work since I’ve got an hour to kill after dropping off Alex at school before I need to be at work. I was pretty scared at first because I haven’t been a member of a regular gym since high school, and even then when I went all I did was cardio and group fitness classes. I am happy to say that I am not scared of venturing into the weights section, where I am usually the only woman. I am also really enjoying putting together my own workouts and I plan on sharing them here weekly!

3. I am starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox today. I am nervous and quite frankly, I don’t know if I will even make it to day 21. Right now I am telling myself that I will give it a week and if I am miserable, I’ll ease up a bit and put fruit back into my diet. We shall see!

4. The winner of my RUN10 FEED10 giveaway is Rach. Please shoot me an email to frolicthroughlife@gmail.com so I can get your limited edition Feed bag out to you quick!

It’s time for me to get my butt into bed. I need to be up in 6 hours – no bueno!

What’s your favorite resource for workouts? Have you ever done a detox?

The post Life as of Late appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The Roll & Learn Activity Suitcase is recommended for ages 12 – 36 months. Since Alex is a bit over the age limit, I thought it would be perfect to pass on to my niece who is 8 months. When the package arrived, Alex was super excited to open it, like he is with every package. As soon as he saw that it was a toy, it was over. We turned it on (batteries included!) and I told him he could play with it, but we wouldn’t take it out of the box because it was for Baby Zuzia.

Even without taking it out of the box, Alex had a blast with it. He loved the songs, playing with the keyboard and pretending to talk on the little doggy phone. He was also very eager to try the sorting parts, but I told him we had to wait until we brought it to Zuzia’s to try those out.

While kids love almost anything colorful and loud, parents are more objective when it comes to toys. I thought that this was a great toy for a number of reason. First of all, it comes with different volume settings. There is nothing worse than a blaring toy that your child loves, but you can’t turn down. Second, I love that the toy is bilingual. Birth to age five is the most critical language learning time in a child’s life, and even learning a few words and songs from a toy can foster a love for learning different languages. Third, I really like the suitcase design. Whenever we go away, Alex is very eager to pull the suitcase, which usually ends with him tipping it over and dragging it on the sidewalk. This would be a great toy to bring along, have him pack his toys inside it and make him happy that he is able to help. Also, since it is a suitcase, all of the functions are travel themed, which is nice compared to the usual alphabet and numbers.

Finally, I can really see that this is a toy that is really pleasing to all ages. Alex is over the recommended age and it kept his attention. He played with it over the course of a few days, and kept going back to it. While my niece is a little young to fully appreciate it yet, it also kept her attention. She liked the bright lights and the songs and Alex enjoyed pressing the buttons and showing her how to use it. This is a toy that you can buy for a child on the lower end of the age range and they will enjoy it for a very long time. I have purchased a lot of VTech toys over the years, and I have never had a bad experience. They are durable, even when your toddler is going through a throwing phase, and most importantly to me, they are educational. Kids learn best through play, and I know that Alex had learned a lot thanks to his toys.

So now that I’ve convinced you that you need one of those for the little one in your life, I’m going to do you one better. VTech is being amazing and letting me give away a Roll & Learn Activity Suitcase to one of my readers! Enter below and I will be picking a winner next week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Vtech Roll & Learn Activity Suitcase Review + Giveaway! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I am always the mom who is climbing on the monkey bars because Alex is always calling me over to play with him, but yesterday we went above an beyond. We started out with playing tag, which is the little man’s favorite game lately, before moving on to rolling down the hills and practicing handstand and cartwheels. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, and time flew. Before we knew it the sun was down and it was time to get going home.

The whole experience made me think. Why do people ever stop playing? Why does it suddenly become uncool in the 6th or 7th grade to play tag at recess? Why do we sit on benches and gossip while our kids run around at the park? Why do we complain that we have to exercise, when it comes so naturally to kids? Why do we loose the need and the drive to play?

When we stop playing, physical movement becomes a chore. If you tell a six year old they can go to the park, they are overjoyed. They run, jump, climb and have a blast. When you tell a 40 year old they have to start working out, it is a chore. It is an extra thing on a to-do list that is already miles long. I am lucky enough to live in a place where I have two adult playgrounds within walking distance, with a third opening at the piers probably next spring, but not all people are so lucky. Not everyone sees exercise as fun, and it is something that needs to change within our culture. Studies show that increased physical activity can cure diseases, everything from depression, to obesity, to diabetes can be controlled with a proper diet and more physical movement. But even so, most people turn to medication to control their health issues, instead of starting within themselves.

I don’t know why we stop playing, but I do know that I am having too much fun to stop.

Do you see exercise as fun or a chore? Do you remember how old you were when playing became uncool?

The post Don’t Stop Playing appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

We decided on Big Pocono State Park, which has 8.5 miles of trails and is located just past Camelback Ski Resort. Since this was the little man’s first hike, we chose the shortest trail, the Indian Trail. The trail itself is a 2km loop, but we ended up doing more than that with our hike to and from the parking lot.

The trail started off pretty easy looking, but as we got deeper, the trail got a bit more difficult with steep slopes and lots of rocks to climb up.

Even though I was scared for him, Alex didn’t have a worry in the world. He kept moving forward, asking for a sip of water when he got thirsty, and not letting the rocks or scratchy branches intimidate him. About halfway, we stopped on a rock to rest for a few minutes. Check out that smile!

After some more walking, we came to an opening in the trees where we got to see take in a gorgeous view of the Poconos.

When we were done, Alex told me he had a lot of fun and wanted to come back soon. As soon as I got him clipped into his car seat, he was out cold.

I wasn’t sure if we would be able to complete the whole hike, but I went for it and was pleasantly surprised by my little guy’s strength. If you want to start hiking with children, I highly recommend it. It is a great way to get a workout in and spend time together.

Do you go hiking? Have you ever gone with children? Share your experiences!

The post Our First Hike appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Moving on, Spring has finally arrived in New York and we have been soaking it up. On Monday morning, I got an e-mail from my professor saying that class was canceled. It was like a first day of Spring miracle (even though it wasn’t actually the first day of Spring)! I texted Tommy and we made plans for a picnic and baseball at the piers. We grabbed takeout from our fav place, San Loco, and headed down to the piers. I got my usual Guaco Taco, a hard shell taco wrapped in a soft shell with guac in between. So good, if you’re a guac addict like myself.

The boys quickly ate and headed off to play ball. It is so fun to watch Munchkin and Tommy play together, and I think I can’t say he’s a baby anymore.

He looked like such a boy running around in the grass, catching and throwing the ball. I’m not sure when this happened. I’m pretty sure he just learned to walk, like five minutes ago. Since I still had my second class on Monday, we had to cut our game a bit short, but it was an amazing way to spend the afternoon.

On Tuesday, I got to spend the day outdoors, once again. I headed to Crossfit, while my guys headed to the park down the block from the box. Since we all have been having cabin fever cooped up in the box, we spent basically our whole WOD outdoors. We started out with tire flips and Continental bar deadlifts and finished off with burpees, kettlebell swings and sprints.

I’m still getting over a pretty yucky cold, so the WOD was extra challenging, but it felt so good to run around outside in the sun.

It also helped that I had my guys there cheering me on at the end – so motivating!

The temps are supposed to be dropping again today after last night’s thunderstorms, but it was great to get a little taste of summer. Then again, at this point, anything is better than snow!

How’s the weather in your area? Have you gotten a taste of summer yet?

The post First Taste of Summer appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

We are sillies, and I love it. We took funny face pictures while we waited for Tommy to wake up on Saturday.

Once we were dressed and ready to roll, we headed out to Long Island to run some errands. I needed to exchange my and Munchkin’s TOMS and I needed to get my Pandora bracelet cleaned because it was starting to look dingy. While we where there I got to check out the charms and fell in love with this little guy.

Hedgehogs are kind of special to me because Tommy’s last name in Polish is a variation of hedgehog and his mom collects all sorts of hedgehog things. I want this little guy so bad! We also picked up some more fun bath things at Lush for the little man. He loves bath bombs and bubble bars!

On Saturday night, we went bowling! It was my friend Mo’s birthday and we all met up at Bowlmor Lanes in Times Square to do some bowling. I was horrible, but it was a ton of fun. I actually contemplated putting up the bumpers for myself, but I saved myself the embarrassment.

After our time on the lane was up, we headed over to Mo’s apartment for some Jenga, with a twist. The game is very similar to the card game Kings, except each Jenga block has a different command on it. We had a ton of fun and laughs with the game, but when you have good company, even the silliest games are a blast.

We decided on Saturday night that Sunday’s breakfast would be Brooklyn Bagel. These are seriously the best bagels in the world.

I got a whole wheat everything with lox and scallion cream cheese. To die for! If you have the opportunity to get to this place, don’t think twice. While waiting in line after I had already placed my order, I spied that they have cannoli cream cheese, so I know what I’m getting next time!

The rest of our Sunday was low key with a trip to Target, doing our taxes and just lounging around the house. I wish Mother Nature would lighten up and let the warm temps get here already. The weatherman keeps telling me its supposed to me in the 50s, and I cannot wait until we can grab some iced coffee and head to the piers with Munchkin. We just want to frolic already!

What did you do this weekend?

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