A few weekends ago, we decide to take a last minute weekend trip to Chattanooga. We’ve visited a few times in the past few years. It’s a short drive from Atlanta and a great place to spend a night or two when you’re wanting to get away. The city is also super kid-friendly! Here are a few of our favorite kid-friendly Chattanooga attractions. 
My kids are (thankfully) pretty good eaters. My son, in particular, loves trying new foods! He likes kale, spinach, sushi, raw oysters, quinoa, and lots of other foods that typically aren’t considered “kid-friendly.” Any time I post pictures or videos of my kids eating different kinds of food, other moms will ask, “What did you do to get your kids to try new foods? My kids won’t eat anything!”
The truth?
I got lucky. I don’t really think it was anything I actually did. My husband and I both love food. In fact, I have a really hard time thinking of foods I don’t like! Maybe our kids have a genetic predisposition to love food like we do? Ha!
But looking back, I guess there are a few things I did over the years to get my kids to try new, healthy foods.
Confession time – I really don’t enjoy eating with my kids. They’re messy, loud, don’t stay seated, and tend to ask me for a million things (usually right after I sit down). Mealtime together as a family isn’t exactly relaxing. But I know how important it is to eat together as much as possible. Family meals strengthen relationships, build self-esteem, instill a sense of belonging, and are great opportunities for parents to set examples of healthy eating.
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Disclaimer: I was provided with free product from Stuck on You in return for my honest review. All thoughts an opinions are my own.
I know we’re still deep in the thick of summer, especially those of us here in the south where the temperature is way above “glistening” and on to full “sweating.” But back-to-school time will be here before we know it! My son is starting Kindergarten this year and I’m so excited for him. He’s going to an amazing charter school with a wonderful community of teachers and parents. We’ve already had a couple of play-dates and a family picnic this summer to get to know people.
His new school is nut-free, and we’ve also cut out almost all dairy from our diet. So school lunches have been on my brain. My son eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich almost every single day. (In fact, when he was 2, his teacher at preschool told me he cried that day during lunch when he saw he had a ham sandwich instead of peanut butter!) Needless to say, I’ve been preparing him so that he’ll know he won’t get to have his beloved pb&j at school anymore, but he can have it at home! And I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of healthy, filling school lunches that don’t include dairy or nuts.
Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with so far:
Mediterranean favors fill this lunch box. My kids love hummus almost as much as I do, so I know this lunch will be a hit.
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I am not a doctor or medical professional. Please speak to your pediatrician if your child is suffering from constipation.
When I decided to have kids, I had no idea that I was going to become an expert on so many topics. When my son was 2, I knew every type of construction vehicle: dump trucks, backhoes, excavators, bulldozers, I knew them all! Before kids, I was already pretty proficient in Disney movie song lyrics, but now that I’ve watched all the movies 1.6 million times each with my children, I’m at an expert level. Quiz me – I’ve memorized them all!
Another topic I never really expected to specialize in was constipation remedies for kids. But here I am, a wealth of knowledge about how to get your little sh**s to take a sh**.
Constipated kids are tough. They don’t feel well so they don’t act well. We’ve all been constipated at some point in our lives, and we know how uncomfortable it can be. Cronic constipation in kids can cause them to associate going to the bathroom with pain, which will make them avoid going, and then they end up even MORE constipated. It’s a cruel cycle and no mom wants to watch her child suffer like that.
The first (and sometimes only) thing pediatricians will recommend for kids who are constipated is Miralax. Please, please, please do your research before giving your child this drug. A simple Google search of “Miralax Aggression” will pull up a ton of articles you can read before making a decision about giving Miralax to your child. I won’t go into detail about our family’s personal experience with this drug, because I’m not comfortable sharing some personal information about my children here on the blog for all the world to see. But know that I will never give Miralax to my kids ever again.
It’s a shame that it’s so quickly prescribed to children because there are so many other things parents can try. Here’s a list of things we have tried that have worked for our family:
My son loves aloe juice! He calls the tiny pieces of aloe “aloe jello.” He has a cup or two a day.
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We love spending time at our neighborhood pool during the summer. There’s nothing like sunshine and water to wear your kiddos out! (And to be totally honest, sometimes I even need a nap after spending some time at the pool!)
We’ve been members of our neighborhood pool for 3 years now and I’ve finally got a good system down for getting out the door and to the pool quickly and efficiently. The first summer, my kids were still little, and getting ready for the pool seemed like more work than it was worth! But now that they’re 3 and 5, we’re finally at a point where we can grab our bag, towels, a few snacks, and head to the pool for some fun in the sun!
Here’s a list of the things that I always keep on hand during the summer to make getting ready to go to the pool easy-breezy.
I hate having multiple bags to bring to the pool. It ends up being way too much to carry. I have one huge bag that I throw everything in when we’re headed to the pool. My bag is a Lands’ End extra large canvas tote bag, but there are some great options on Amazon!
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