$100 Tyson Giveaway @ Busy Mom

Busy Mom is giving away $100 worth of Tyson Any'tizers! I don't know about all of you, but I could use a few bags of quick chicken appetizers n days that are jammed packed with sschool, sports and parent teacher conferences. I was looking at the different products and know my kids would love the Ranch Chen Fries and the Cordon Bleu minis.

Hope I win, but I am willing to share this great contest with ya'll! Head over to Busy Mom and Enter!

Primrose Schools - Where Were They When My Kids Were Younger?

I never wanted to be a mom. I know, a lot of women wouldn't say that out loud, but there it is. I didn't think I would have that nuturing motherly instinct and I didn't want any kids for which I would be responsible to feel like a burden because of my issues, so my plan was to never have them. Then I got married and a year later found myself pregnant. At the time I had my own corporate concierge service and was very busy and enjoying my work and the thought never crossed my mind that I would want to stay home with my child. I assumed I would be back at the office in 6 weeks. Then my oldest, Big Brother was born. My heart melted and my world changed. Work was still there and I was even on the phone the day he was born trying to find some elusive concert tickets for a client. But when it came time to actually head back to the physical office, I found myself completely overwhelmed with sadness and panic at the thought of leaving him with anybody for even an hour, much less a whole day. I was shocked, but happily surprised that those motherly instincts I thought I might be lacking were indeed very present.

After much discussion and some changes within our business, I decided to bypass daycare and work from home while my husband joined the company and worked from the office. I count myself lucky that I had both the choice and the opportunity to stay home with my kids and still earn an income for awhile.

When my next son was 3, I had enough mom experience to know that he would be okay in a good pre-school program and that in fact, he would be better prepared for Kindergarten if he had pre-schoool under his belt. Again, I was very lucky to find a great woman who did pre-school from her home and Little Man thrived under her care for 2 hours a day.

Now I am faced, like many mothers, with the prospect of re-entering the work-force. Only this time my boys are both in school and child care isn't an issue for me. But it is a huge issue for many of my friends and neighbors with younger children. Let's be honest...we've all heard horror stories about bad experiences and it can be scary and difficult to find a safe environment where we feel comfortable leaving our kids.

So with that in mind, I happily accepted an invitation to attend a Mom Mixer at the Primrose School in Peoria to get a better idea of what kind of child-care situations exist in the Greater Phoenix area. Maria Bailey, creator of MomSelect and BSM Media, coordinated the event and was on hand to help answer questions and introduce the great folks at Primrose.

If you've read my blog at all, you know that if I have an opinion, I share it. Well, after spending a few hours at Primrose, I definitely have an opinion. My first impressions as I drove up to the school were very positive based on 3 things:

1)It was very close to a grocery store...convenient for moms who are running behind to quickly run in and grab last minute dinner items. I know...that has nothing to do with how good the school is, but after talking to the owners of 3 different locations and mentioning the stores, they all told me they purposely chose a location near conveniences, which tells me that they make decisions about their business with both their adult and young clients in mind.

2) The parking lot and playground areas were very clean and well maintained and the school was pretty secure. I wasn't all icked out (my high school journalism teacher would lose her mind if she read that phrase!) when I pulled up to the school, wondering what kind of disrepair I would find inside. It was apparent to me that the owners of the schools are committed to the ENTIRE school and pay attention to details.

3) When I opened the front door, the halls were filled with bright, creative and colorful bulletin boards. It was very upbeat. It felt fun. It made me want to find out more about their program. My 7 year old went with me. His curiosity was immediately piqued by the fun designs and he was very interested in what other kinds of things he might do there at the school.

As we toured the school, we talked about the Primrose School curriculum. Their Balanced Learning® program emphasizes learning, play, self-esteem and character development by combining child-initiated and teacher-directed activities. Primrose is the first educational child care company to achieve accredidation with CITA and both the SACS and NCA CASI's based on that curriculum, along with being able to meet their stringent standards for safety and teacher training.

I found many aspects of the curriculum interesting, including the fact that they incorporate the use of computers into their teaching as early as age 3 (on a very limited basis) and that they really promote and get the children involved in worthy community service projects. The whole program seems very well thought out and well-rounded.

There were other little details that Primrose addressed, like the fact that the schools provide the bedding for each infant in the infant room and launder it daily. Each infant also has his/her own little drawer, where moms can leave changes of clothing so that they aren't constantly having to pack a huge bag.

The little folks all get a cute little back pack of their own when they start school at Primrose, which I think is a great way to help them feel like "big" kids as they pack their backpack for the day and wear it to school. The pack is used to send items home daily.

The playgrounds are separated by age, so that the bigger kids aren't mowing over the little kids during a more rambunctious moment of play.

The more I learned about Primrose Schools, the more I wished it had been available when my kids were pre-school age, because I can tell you with all confidence that I would feel absoultuely 100% comfortable sending my boys to a Primrose School. There was nothing there that led me to believe they would receive anything other than a wonderful, preparatory education from kind and nuturing individuals.

Aside from all of the great educational and child-care benefits at Primrose, I was really amazed to hear that Primrose offers franchises, which is a unique concept in child-care. I met 3 different Primrose franchise owners from Mesa, Peoria and Goodyear. I spoke with each one of them regarding their decision to enter the world of child care and found each one of them to be very dedicated not only to the success of their own schools, but with the success and happiness of each child under their care. I think the thing that stuck out in my mind the most is that they are there, at their schools, every single day to eversee and direct their staff. They know every child at the school. Why? Because it is their business, not just their job. They all have children of their own and understand what moms go through in our search for a safe and stimulating environment for our children. Kathy, Heather and Karen are committed to creating a wonderful environment in each of their respective schools, where both children and families can grow and learn.

I'm glad Primrose took the opportunity to get to know us and introduce us to their great schools as well as their unique business model. Now more than ever, quality child care is important and Primrose is leading the pack in providing it, along with opportunities for entreprenurial minded people who are passionate about providing a nurturing atmosphere where youngsters can thrive.

Wanna see for yourself? Call the Primrose School near you and set up a tour. Many offer summer programs as well, even for children as old as 10 or 12. The summer programs sound really fun and include field trips. Check out the website for more details and to find a Primrose School near you!

Florastor Kids

I was recently invited by Mom Select to try out a new product called Florastor® Kids. I have to tell you, it actually came at a really good time. My kids have both been sick recently and both required antibiotics to kill the bacteria. Because I have had some pretty severe health problems due to overuse of antibiotics, I am very paranoid about the use of antibiotics for my children.

Florastor® Kids is a product that helps restore the good bacteria our childrens' bodies need to help their digestive and intestinal systems function properly.

Now for the technical part of the review:

Dr. James Sears, board-certified pediatrician, author and co-host of the CBS-TV show “The Doctors,” has recommended Florastor Kids to patients for years. Below are some of the answers he gave in a recent interview about the product:

• What is the active ingredient in Florastor Kids and how does it work? The active ingredient in Florastor Kids is a freeze-dried form of yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii lyo. It helps promote the growth of good microbiota, while attracting and removing pathogens from the intestines.
• Have any clinical tests been done to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Florastor Kids? Yes. The active ingredient in Florastor Kids, Saccharomyces boulardii lyo, has been studied in more than 40 clinical trials. Studies have been published in top medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Gastroenterology magazine.
• How do the effects of Florastor Kids differ from those of bacteria-based probiotics, such as acidophilus? One of the key differences in a yeast-based probiotic, such as Florastor Kids, is that it can not be killed by antibiotics, and it, in turn, protects the body’s own flora during the course of antibiotic treatment to guard against antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea occurs when antibiotics disturb the natural balance of “good” and “bad” microbiota in the intestinal tract, causing harmful bacteria to grow far beyond their normal numbers.
• Why would a parent choose to treat a bout of diarrhea with Florastor Kids as opposed to an anti-diarrheal product? Anti-diarrheal medications such as loperamide (Imodium) are typically not recommended for young children. Florastor Kids helps remove toxins from the intestines and at the same time bolsters the body’s defense against the pathogens.

I was personally very glad to learn the Florastor Kids cannot be killed by antibiotics. We recieved and began using the product a week after both of my boys were done with their course of antibiotics. Little man always struggles with "gut issues" after the antibiotics. ALWAYS. I will tell you, Florastor Kids went to work immediately and he has never recovered from a course of antibiotics as quickly as he did with the Florastor Kids. After 2 days of using the powder, which I put in juice for him, his gut attacks disappeared. It was awesome for both of us. Little Man is very vocal and very grumpy when his tummy is rumbling and his booty is busy.

Because Florastor Kids is such an effective tool to deal with diarrhea, we decided to pick some up for our 72 hour emergency kits. It would be great to take along when you travel too

Florastor Kids is available in a box of 10 powder packets for a suggested price of $12.95 and in a box of 20 powder packets for a suggested price of $21.95.

In my opinion it is totally worth the price. Knowing there is a natural remedy available when my kids need help dealing with gut issues puts my mind at ease and the speed with which it worked makes it a worthwhile item to keep in my medicine cabinet.

You can find it at most pharmacies or check out the Florastor website to see who carries it in your area.

Stacy's Pita Chips

Hey All!! I received my box of Stacy's Pita Chips on Saturday. They were the Naked with Sea Salt Variety and I have to be honest, when I first tasted them I was a little unsure about them. My kids dove in and my husband really likes them. I thought they were a little plain. To me, they taste like a really good cracker. Then I decided to add some toppings and DANG! if that didn't change things up! I like that they stay crispy with a topping and I will admit that after munching on a few plain chips while adding the toppings, the untopped chips grew on me. They are really great as a healthy snack and would make a great appetizer! My kids helped me come up with topping ideas and we took a picture of our creations:

We tried them with Cottage Cheese (middle), Cream Cheese and Green Olives w/Pimentos (top), Peanut butter and jelly (right), Bruschetta style (bottom) and green chilis and grated cheese (left). Everyone had their favorite, I actually like them all.

Plain or topped, these are really good and healthy snacks. We are excited to try the Cinnamon Sugar flavor and will definitely be picking them up next time we hit the grocery store.