Be Out There : Cool Outdoor Ideas for Hot Summer Days

Back in June I told you about how I was blessed to be asked to contribute to a published e-Book put together by the National Wildlife Federation and The Motherhood, and I am pleased to announce that the e-Book is ready to share with all of you!

This book was a compilation of 15 bloggers and our awesome ideas on getting our kids outside, away from the computer, tv's and video games and enjoying the great outdoors. Whether it's an everyday adventure or a special occasion to share, these #BeOutThere tips will help you get out and enjoy those final dog days of summer, and even give you some fun weekend activities while the weather is still warm enough to enjoy it. And be sure to bookmark it, because these tips will last a lifetime and I wouldn't want you to miss out on experiencing them next summer as well.

*This is a sponsored post. All words are my own. 

This post is part of a compensated 

project from The Motherhood and NWF.*

Can you use Lactaid just like traditional milk?

We have been a family who uses lactose-free milk for years now, and honestly, we have never looked back. Since Todd and I both have become sensitive to lactose in our later years, the transition was necessary and since you can get all of the same nutrients and good stuff from Lactaid, it's just as good for the whole family as traditional milk. The Lactaid website has a very informative F.A.Q. section that I suggest checking out if you want to learn more.

Since Lactaid is the only milk we carry in our house, we cook with it in all of our recipes and no one would ever know any different. I haven't come across any recipes that taste different or "off" so I don't even need to think twice. Being summertime, we are often making more "fun" foods. For example, we made a small batch of pudding this morning, it called for two cups of milk. We used Lactaid and it tasted just like the pre-packaged pudding cups my kids love so much. This afternoon we are making cupcakes for our 4th of July celebration tomorrow, and if it calls for milk, we will be using Lactaid.

Another fun recipe we tried out was a super simple chocolate shake recipe I found on the Lactaid website.

Celebrity chef and Lactaid spokesperson, Melissa d'Arabian was on the Today Show recently showing us how to make a yummy, creamy dinner that is lactose-free. 

    Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Do you or anyone else in your family have a sensitivity to lactose or are lactose intolerant? What are some of your favorite lactose-free meals or recipes? Please share them below!

I am working on this campaign with Lactaid and The Motherhood. 

I am being compensated for my work. 

All posts are my original work.

Win With Your "Sticky Situations" ~ Wet Ones Contest

Please tell me that I am not the only Mom who seems to have the messiest, grossest, most cluttered car ever....at all times. Even if I just cleaned it a few hours prior? I seem to constantly find crumbled up food, half-eaten suckers and sticky fingerprints covering car seats, doors, and windows. Yuck. Thanks goodness for products like Wet Ones. I keep a pack in my car for "Sticky Situations" just like these.

Wet Ones wants to hear from you! Go to their contest page and tell us all about a Sticky Situation you've been in lately, as well as your tried and true tips on how to deal with them. By sharing your stories and tips you will be entered in to win an iPad mini or Six Flags tickets for your family.

I just entered, and you should too. It just takes a minute and you never know, you just might WIN!

disclosure: 
“I participated in a campaign on behalf of 
Mom Central Consulting for Wet Ones. 
I received a promotional item to 
thank me for participating.”

~~~For the Teen Boy~~~ Shaun White Hero Stunt Scooter

Shaun White is one of my son's favorite athletes. Whether Shaun is on the snow a set of wheels, Jonah loves to watch him.

Tricks are made easy with Shaun White's new Hero Stunt Scooter {$99.97}. With it's double welded frame, metal core wheels and reinforced fork, this scooter stands above the rest of the scooters on the market today. Available in blue, white, or red, your teen will love to take it to the skatepark and show it off, along with his rad moves.

Product Provided

Treat. Greeting Cards ~ Fast, Fun, Easy

There was once a time without the internet. "GASP!" I know! And however did we remember anyone's birthdays without Facebook? Seems like those were ancient times right?

But frankly, there is something special about that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you receive a REAL physical greeting card in the mail isn't there? It almost makes going to the mailbox worth it!

Treat. is Shutterfly's exciting new line of greeting cards. And it isn't just any normal greeting card company, because you can send one-of-a-king, personalized greeting cards  right from your smartphone (or their website), and without ever getting off your couch.

By installing the free Treat iPhone app on your phone or visiting the Treat website, you can easily browse through cards in various categories, like birthday, congrats, anniversary, and of course anything seasonal (like Thanksgiving). Many of the cards you are also able to add your own picture, for a special personalized effect. You add in your own closing greeting, include the shipping address (by using your smartphone, you can enable the app to pull addresses directly from your contacts too!) and return address. And if you are in the gift-giving mood, you can add a variety of gift cards to your card as well! You can send the card immediately, or you can schedule it to arrive up to a year in advance.

Just because an e-card is more common these days, doesn't mean a snail mail card isn't greatly welcomed and appreciated! Check out Treat. and send someone special a card today!

IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY!

Treat. is offering all of my readers a promo code to try out Treat. and send one FREE greeting card
(you still have to pay postage and tax, mine was only 48 cents!)! Just go to the site, sign up and use the code

TREATBLOGR

This code is only good today 11/19/12 and Tuesday 11/20/12 so don't wait. And feel free to share this post with your friends so they can check out Treat. and send their own FREE greeting card. Maybe they will send it to you!

Product/Compensation Provided

Supergoop : Every Day Sun Protection for Everyone

We are all soaking up (or cursing at) this cooler Midwest weather, enjoying the drop in temp's (but not the increase in major allergy symptoms, but that is a whole other story!) and thinking about Fall. The sweaters, the hot apple cider, the pumpkins. And what falls from our mind is sun protection! But really, it shouldn't. Sun protection is something we need to have fresh on our minds, if not for ourselves, but for our kids. And especially with this intense heat we have had this summer, we weren't outside all that often. This drop in temp with surely mean the kids will be spending more time outdoors, and therefore need to be protected. I blogged last month about The Vision Council, and the importance of protecting your and your kids eyes from sun damage, and now I want to talk to you about my favorite company who makes sun protection for the skin, Supergoop.

I actually have been a huge Supergoop fan for years, so I am really excited to share with you the variety of products they offer for you AND the kids.

We all need a basic sun protection EVERY DAY! It doesn't matter if it is cloudy or sunny, rainy or windy, cold or hot. Supergoop prides themselves on providing superior broad spectrum UV protection,   anti-aging benefits, and anti-oxidant infused products that you will certainly LOVE. I was sent a small collection of items to try out and I wanted to share them here with you.

1. SPF 30+ Everyday UV Lotion for Face & Body

This product is something I have found myself using on a daily basis since I received it.  I love to use this on my kids (and myself) when we will be outside for an extended period of time, especially between the hours of 10am-2pm. Now, I know that there are differing opinions on how much, if any, sun exposure is safe, or even beneficial. I believe we all need a little bit of sunlight hitting our skin every day in order to soak up some much needed Vitamin D. The health benefits of Vitamin D are astounding, but yes, the damage from the sun is also extremely prevalent. i suggest doing your research and forming your own opinion on when, how, and how much sun you are comfortable with.

2. SPF 30 UVA/UVB Sunstick

The Sunstick is great and compact. It travels well and is small enough to keep in your bag for quick touch-ups throughout the day. It is also nice to get the top of the kids ears and back of their necks when they start to look at little red. It goes on smooth and is just plain cute!

3. City Sunscreen Serum

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! It has honestly become a staple in my make-up bag and plays a major role in my morning routine. I love it because it provides consistent protection on the place I want to avoid visual aging the very most! It has light moisturizers in it as well, making it dual purpose! This way I don't have to worry about two separate products; one to moisturize and one to protect. This is like liquid gold!

4. SPF 20 Gradual Self-Tanning Sunscreen Mousse

Now, I am not a big fan of self-tanners, but I am also not a big fan of tanning beds either. So if I am in need of a little "glow", I don't run to the nearest tanning salon, I will instead pick up my bottle of Supergoop Self-Tanning Mousse. And trust me, I was skeptical at first. I certainly did not want to turn out orange, or have streaks and patchy skin. The beauty of this product is that it goes on light and gives a slight glow, which I love. But the coolest thing is....I can protect my skin from the sun, without keeping this pale while skin I have. It's a dual use product, it's a win-win!

Supergoop is also an amazing advocate for children's sun safety in our schools nation-wide. Come back tomorrow, when I am going to talk about Project Backpack, Supergoop's initiative to change state and local policies when it comes to sunscreen use in the schools.

~I was sent Supergoop product's for free directly from the company to try on myself and my kids. All opinions and thoughts expressed here are solely my own~

Protect Their Eyes ~ My chat with the experts from The Vision Council

I have worn glasses since I was in first grade. Needless to say, my vision is horrible. I wore a patch over one eye as a kid (argh...me's a pirate), and now at the age of 32, my next pair of glasses will include bifocals. My eye doctor cannot even correct my vision to 20/20 like he used too....dang I am getting old. 

Luckily, my vision issues aren't directly related to any sort of UV exposure (At least not that I have ever been told), but I also was never really given the opportunity to wear sunglasses as a kid. Prescription sunglasses weren't an option back then, and even now, even the very best eye insurance companies only cover ONE pair of glasses at a time. Obviously, I cannot wear sunglasses 24 hours a day, so I am very limited on protecting my eyes.

Neither one of my kids wear glasses( yet!), so getting (and keeping) protection on their eyes is very important. And after my chat with a few experts along with The Vision Council, I have learned just how important it is to consistently get my kids to wear sunglasses, any and every time they are out of the house.

According to Dr Dora Adamapoulos (medical advisor to The Vision Council), children receive three times the annual sun exposure of adults, and they have an immature lens, which makes them especially susceptible to UV-related damage. UV exposure at any age can cause both short and long term vision problems – many of which can’t be reversed.

Cute character sunglasses are just that, CUTE. But unless you buy them from a reputable retailer (don't worry most drug stores and places like Target and Wal-Mart ARE considered "reputable retailers"), you might just be getting your kids to wear sunglasses that have no real value to them. Be sure that their are properly labeled,

"To determine if your sunglasses are reliable, look for a little sticker or tag on the lens that shows compliance with criteria set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The label "UV 380" covers all UVA and UVB rays" says Jamie Shyer, chairman to The Vision Council.

I am making it my mission to go out and find a few good pairs of sunglasses for my kids ASAP. A pair for home, a pair for in the car, and a pair for on the go. This way we should be able to always quickly and easily get a pair on and make it a ritual to wear them whenever we are outside, even on the cloudy days, and even in the winter.


The Vision Council has a fun and interactive website, Missing Sunglasses that has  plethora of information on eye protection and everything you can do and avoid to keep your kids eyes in tip-top shape. They don't use fancy and technical language, so it's easy to read and right to the point, which I like, and I know you will too. I especially like the option to find your daily UV Index by entering my zip code

(i blurred out my zip code for security reasons)

Do your kids wear sunglasses? Just sometimes, or all the time? If they are young, how did you get them to wear them all the time?

Visit The Vision Council and their facebook page for more info.

**This project was sponsored by The Vision Council and The Motherhood. I was compensated for my time and blog post.**

Get away "BEE"!

Lily is 3 years old. And up until a few months ago, she never acted like a typical little girl. She has since become quite dramatic about just about everything you can think of.....BUGS being one of them. Their is something slightly cute about it, and that is that she calls every single bug she sees, no matter what it is, "BEE"! She has never been stung by a bee, or had any scary experiences, it just happens to be something she picked up along the way and it has since stuck with her. I haven't been too sure on how to deal with, but I was pretty happy when I was given the opportunity to review the new OFF! Clip-On Mosquito Repellent. 

photo credit : amazon.com

The Clip-On Repellent has so many benefits! First off there is no stinky spray to try to get on your kiddos skin! I remember as a kid stinking of that stuff. Back then of course, I didn't worry about what kind of chemicals were absorbing into my skin (and neither did my parents, but back then those weren't the kinds of things parents worried about). But today's day in age, parents are more aware of chemicals and potentially harmful junk that we'd rather keep off of our kids.

Secondly, it's just plain EASY! You flip the switch, and Head-to-Toe protection occurs in just minutes, and can last up to 12 hours on a single refill. I've decided it would be in our best interest to have a 4 pack of refills on hands at all times from now on. The kids loved it, and Jonah wore it around for awhile on July Fourth while we were playing with sparklers and Daddy was setting off fireworks.

**Note: Always check the label for correct instructions on how to use the product. Per the label, do not allow children or pets to play with the unit and the product is for use against mosquitos only. OFF!^® Clip-On™ is for stationary activities, including gardening, fishing, camping and relaxing in the backyard.


full disclosure: I was sent an OFF! Clip-On Mosquito Repellent to review. This is an honest post, written in (**mostly) my own words.