Body positivity for our kids...

Earlier this year, Reporter Kristen Hewitt went viral for her stance on short-shorts for her daughter (read here). As any mom knows, teaching positive body image can be tricky with today's media constantly bombarding us. Today we want to share 5 ways you can send the right message to your child about their own body image:

1. Talk about who they are instead of how they look.
    

2. Encourage a healthy lifestyle (eating and exercise) but don’t obsess over it.
    

3. Lead by example.
    

4. In sports and school, foster self-worth by letting your child know you value them because of who they, not how they perform.
    

5. Teach them to embrace their imperfections.

A child measures his or her own value by how others perceive them.

The one thing children can excel in is being themselves.

How to calm the school and sportsgear chaos in your home!

This week’s goal:

Turn a jumble of homework, sports gear and lunch boxes into an organized system!

As you hit the reset button on a new school year (some of you as far back as early August, ouch!) - there is no better place to start organizing than your pile of kids’ school stuff! Whether you have a kindergartener or a teen, your home will soon resemble a hurricane of papers, water bottles, snack sign-up, soccer cleats and more. Take a few minutes this week to tackle these little piles and you’ll see your hard work add up to a big difference in your own peace & quiet.

Find a spot in your mudroom, pantry or by the front or back door where you can hang up bins or baskets for each child’s paperwork. Be sure it’s at a height that little ones can reach.

Here are a couple of different organizers we found for a great price! HERE and HERE

Iron-on a name tag or letters (like THESE!) that can be personalized for each child and you’re winning at this “file” the papers away game! This is a great spot for your kids to put the papers or permission slips they need to have signed. I also store the classroom info sheet from Back To School Night in ours for easy access to the class schedule, teacher contact info, etc.http://www.mabelslabels.com 

Choose the most convenient spot that your child will actually use. Again, the mudroom or back door entry might be perfect - a good choice is wherever you walk into the house from the car so that it’s easy to grab things and/or drop them off before bringing dirt into the house ,etc.        

When considering how to organize the balls, cleats, shinguards and more - it’s always easier to do so by CHILD, just as you would their hanging homework files. Grab some great custom bins you can personalize (anything with your own name on it makes it more fun!). Here are just a few examples:

1. Personalized storage bins like THESE  or THESE
    

2. Storage cubbies like THESE that can have custom Mabel’s Labels Tags attached to personalize them for each child.

Isn’t it a mother’s worst nightmare to buy that cute GAP poncho or cool Nike jacket for your kiddo and then find that they LEFT IT ON THE PLAYGROUND??? Worry no more! Pick up some of these simple labels, add your kiddo’s name and quickly iron-on. Voila! 

Let’s love the environment together and choose reusable options to pack snacks, lunches and water. We love THIS one and THIS one, but there are great options all over the internet! 

Are your littles so little that they’re at daycare or pre-K? Check out THIS awesome label pack just for that.

Let us know if you tackle your pile and how it went! We want to know!

Kelsy's Favorite Health & Beauty Products!

I    never thought I'd want to write blogs but then I    started reading other people's and I've figured out that it's like having a lot of magazine articles right at your disposal! You can find great tips, hacks, funny stories and deep, meaningful life stories - it's really a beautiful way for people to connect and build community. I'm kind of addicted now!

So - I realize I'm no beauty expert but I    do have a list of daily products that help make me feel good (and pretty, and not bloated, and....). You'll see, just read on and I'm sure I'll be oversharing by the end but sharing is caring, right?! Anything to avoid looking like a hot mess is what motivates me ...there are enough things that can go wrong in the day that I    want to be able to have my toolbox of health & beauty products I    trust to ensure I     can make some things go right!

• ExfoliKATE by Kate Somerville

  For that fresh, just “washed my face” look - I use it every morning.

• MEDERMA

  It’s meant for scar treatment but it also happens to work on wrinkles! I use it on my upper lip where my straw-drinking habit has caused lines and it’s really helped diminish them!

• NYX Shine Killer

  Anyone with an oily T zone or nose area will LOVE this - it is soooo good!

• Papaya & Pineapple Enzymes

  I carry these always but especially when traveling. They are chewable, fruit-flavored natural tablets that take away tummy troubles in no time. These are good for kids and adults, alike. I find that my tummy always bothers me and my digestive system doesn’t work as well when I’m out of my routine and traveling somewhere (i.e. bloating, constipation, etc) - these little gems are magic and I like to describe them as a healthy version of TUMS.

• TINKLE Razors

  Meant for eyebrows mostly but these are so awesome for those little facial hairs that creep up along your jawline (and the ones on your kneecaps that your shaver always misses!)

• AQUAPHOR

  I use this as a lip balm and also to condition my nail cuticles. Feels so good and obviously works really well on kids’ boo-boos, too!

• MAYBELLINE Clear Mascara

  Might be my very favorite! I use this for my brows (it’s basically hair gel in a mascara wand) and to tame the fly aways around my hairline EVERY SINGLE DAY. Cheap & easy!

• RODAN & FIELDS Lash Boost

  This is one of those products that’s worth the extra cost - I have been using this for several years now and I see noticeable hair growth on my lashes but I also apply it to my eyebrows. Works wonders for those thin little hairs that are hanging on by a thread.

• Beauty Blender

  This squishy little ball is so helpful when I’m applying concealer and tinted moisturizer - no streaks!

• AVEDA Stress Fix

  If I could gift every stressed mama out there one of these little bottles, I would. The smell is yummy but not overwhelming and the mix of essential oils literally takes away my neck or head pain in minutes.

• MARIO BADESCU Facial Spray

  I’m always a little on the warm side (as I’ve gotten older - hello, thyroid!) and being able to spritz a pretty rose or cucumber aloe scent onto my face with no heavy perfumes or dyes is just what I need to feel refreshed..

Not pictured but just as important in my day to day:

• ORIGINS Eye Doctor

I    keep this little treasure in the fridge and each morning while my coffee brews, I    dab it under my tired, puffy eyes (yes, they pretty much are tired and puffy every morning - I'm a mom?!). The cool cucumber cream feels so nice and is a great morning wake up!

WAY TOO MUCH INFO but here goes:

• CAREFREE Pantiliners

These little absorbent pads have been like a friend who never lets me down. After having 3 kiddos. I can now pee a little when I    laugh, sneeze or jump up too fast. It's a gift, really. Ha. So - these little liners are in my undies EVERY DAY. I    will likely be buried with a Carefree thong liner when I   die but at least I'll be dry. You can buy the regular undies size or go crazy and buy the thong one for those sexy days (or every day because you haven't wanted panty lines since you were 16, so...).

THINNING HAIR?? Here is a product that works!:

• VIVISCAL extra strength hair nutrient tablets

I    started taking these daily after my BFF told me about them. She had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and wanted to avoid losing all of her hair. Her oncologist even approved of Viviscal while she was taking chemo. IT WORKS - her hair thinned but was not noticeable to most people and once I    saw that, I     decided to try it and see if it would help me after I    was diagnosed with hypo-thydroidism (it can cause you to lose hair - eyebrows, lashes, scalp). It worked for me and I've since shared it with many friends (men, too). I've seen a really noticable difference in our male friend who had thinning hair on top! Give it a try and let me know what you think! Amazon has the best deal on it but you can also find it at med spas and Ulta, etc. 

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Super savings side note: join Ebates and you'll get $$ back on many of these items. I    heard about Ebates from our gal, Jordan Page of Fun Cheap or Free - she's our frugal friend with great finds! I'd love to hear what you might go pick up and try! Several gals have already reached out after seeing my Insta Live and are enjoying the Shine Killer, the Viviscal and the enzymes! What are you loving?

XO Kelsy 

5 healthy & quick breakfast ideas for school mornings

One of the nicest things about sending the kids back to school is getting everyone into a routine again. The hardest part for many families, though, is trying to manage all the basics - like a solid breakfast! To make life easier, we have put together 5 easy grab-n-go breakfast ideas to send your kiddos back to school with full tummies, ready to focus!

As a mom of 3, I’m loving being able to heat up Umpqua Oats oatmeal for my teens before they drive themselves to school. They’re always in a hurry so I just pick a flavor (the banana walnut is a fave right now), add blueberries or a dash of shredded coconut on it and send them out the door.

Our 10 year-old tends to move about as fast as a snail on school mornings and rarely finishes his breakfast, so I always pack a This Bar Saves Lives and a Go-Go squeeze (apple!) for a mid-morning snack. I’m personally addicted to these bars, too so we always have them around. I really love that for each bar they sell, they donate one to a child in need. 
 

Your Umpqua oats can work double duty if you throw them in a batch of blueberry oatmeal muffins on Sunday and send the kids out the door with a muffin each morning! 

These Oatmeal energy bites are another fan-fave around here (For the grownups, too!). They take about 20 minutes and can stay in the fridge all week. (Can you tell we LOVE oatmeal around here?!)

Jordan Page, of Fun, Cheap or Free, (and last years Start Loving You Keynote speaker) swears by these freezer smoothie bags - she dubs the "make ahead breakfast-of-champions". 

How cool is it that Umpqua Oats happened to be started by a couple of Oregon moms with the same idea in mind - to get their kids a yummy, healthy and quick breakfast?! Thank you to Founders, Sheri Price and Mandy Holborow, for thinking outside of the box (cereal box, that is!).

#momcrushing on Jordan Page, Fun Cheap or Free Queen

So let's be honest here; MOTHERHOOD is hard! And then we come across these women online who always seem to have it together and look like a gorgeous mermaid to boot! Ha yes, that's Jordan Page and her besties in that photo right there and she'll be the first to tell you that "nope, I don't have it all together all the time but what I do have, I OWN!" She owns her imperfections (varicose veins!), her huge amount of kids (5 and one on the way!), her marriage that she and her husband work hard to keep on FIRE, her faith, her business (funcheaporfree.com) and yes, all the other things that mamas worry about. What I  love about her is that with all of that, she keeps it real, whether she's sharing a struggle, a budgeting success story or a great idea with us. You own it, girl!

Hear Jordan in her own words HERE as she shares her story of how she decided to just own who she is, Cheetos and all! Filmed at our San Diego Start Loving You #momference 2018! 

XO Kelsy

Celebrating National Best Friend's Day

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She's the salt to your pepper, the ketchup to your mustard, the gin to your tonic - she's your best friend and together you make a great combo!

In honor of National Best Friends' Day, take time to find fun, new ways to stay connected with your friends during the busy upcoming summer! Friendship Expert and Author Shasta Nelson shared with those of us at our San Diego momference that "friendships don't just happen; it's up to us to make them happen!" She reminded us that building and maintaining friendships is not an easy task but is well worth it, especially when you need a friend to lean on or vent to! And don't forget - the kids are home for the whole summer! You might need some extra adult time!

Here is a great download that Shasta and our title sponsor, STARTplanner, created together just for this special day! Hope you enjoy - we'd love to see what your'e up to so tag #startplanner and #startlovingyou when you take some of these adventures with your friends! 

XO Your friend, Kelsy 

“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them but you know they’re always there.”