Healthy Breakfast Ideas By Mom That You Should Know

Are you a mom? Then health tops your mind for sure. You tend to multitask and manage time to ensure that you always serve healthy breakfast and other meals to your family. Breakfast is crucial for children, but often it gets rushed and compromised owing to the tight schedule of getting children dressed up for school and you being at work on time too. To help, the famous mom fashion influencer- Annie from The Foreman Five Breakfast brings you breakfast ideas by a mom that are healthy and ready in minutes. The kids will love them too!

Breakfast Ideas by Mom for Kids

Children are fond of routine and repetition; hence if you are serving something once or twice a week, they usually tend to enjoy and eat it, as shared by mom fashion influencer Annie who has great breakfast ideas by mom too for you. Let's explore them.

Breakfast ideas by mom 1: Snack Plate

Snack plates are great for breakfast. You can include cereal or crackers, protein like cheese, cottage cheese, egg, nut butter or fruit. It's easy, and at the same time, you can do variations too based on the likes of your child.

Breakfast ideas by mom 2: Smoothies

Annie, who has great recipe ideas and is a mom fashion influencer at foremanfive.com, suggests that smoothies are a great way to ensure your child eats vegetables, fruits, proteins and fats for breakfast. Here is one smoothie receipt to get you started:

·         1 cup of milk

·         ½ cup frozen banana

·         ½ cup of fruit

·         ¼ cup veggies of your choice

·         one tablespoon of nut butter

Blend all the above ingredients in ½ cup of yoghurt and ta-da! Yoghurt Smoothie!

Breakfast ideas by mom 3: Cereal

Eating healthy cereals in the morning turns out to be great for kids. You can team it up with yoghurt, milk, or smoothie. It's a breakfast idea by a mom that kids love for sure.

Breakfast ideas by mom 4: Overnight Oats

This recipe by mom fashion influencer –Annie with oats combined with yoghurt, fruit, and carbohydrates and made ahead is relatively healthy. Moreover, this breakfast idea by mom turns out to be thick and nice, making it easy for kids to eat.

Breakfast ideas by mom 5: Whole Grain Pancakes

Pancakes made from whole grain are tasty, healthy and plentiful, topped with nut butter, cream cheese, or Greek yoghurt.

Breakfast ideas by mom 6: Whole Grain Waffles

Mix whole grains, protein, and healthy fats to make waffles. That is a great breakfast idea for moms that kids will love. You keep it in your freezer and warm it up quickly in the toaster oven or microwave. Get in touch with Annie on foremanfive.com for healthy recipes and fashion tips, as she is an excellent fashion mom influencer.

Breakfast ideas by mom 7: Green peas sandwich

Green peas are packed with nutrients that support growth in children. They are full of fibre and protein. Make a yummy sandwich for kids for breakfast that has boiled and smashed peas mixed with cream and sauce. You can toast the sandwich to make it crunchier.

Breakfast ideas by mom 8: Eggs, Fruit, and a Whole Grain

Bake eggs and serve with fruit or vegetables or bread sticks—a super easy and healthy breakfast idea for mom.

Breakfast ideas by mom 9: Quesadillas

You need to warm cheese, snipped spinach, and beans in a tortilla and bam, and your breakfast is ready! You can also team it with sliced ham or scrambled eggs.

Breakfast ideas by mom 10: Sweet Potato Toast

Team up the toast with mashed roasted sweet potato or veggies and add little cinnamon on the top. Cut into cubes and let your kids enjoy.

Breakfast ideas by mom 11: Breakfast Cookies

Make some breakfast cookies! Team it up with protein from a glass of milk, a little cheese, or an egg.

Whether a child or adult, breakfast is the most important meal for the day, and these breakfast ideas for mom are a must-try! As the mom fashion influencer Annie who shares various breakfast recipes, says, 'when we sleep, we fast. Children need to break this fast with a healthy breakfast. It will fill them up with the required energy to face the day packed with a host of activities.

Peace Out Single Digits- Fun 70's Birthday Party Theme

Planning and throwing a party is one of my absolute favorite things to do.  But to be honest I was so stressed about this party.  Emily begged for months to host her first slumber party but we only had one little problem.  Our home was still under construction!  I tried to convince her of letting it go but she wouldn't let up.  I finally agreed but was so concerned about throwing this party.  The idea of a slumber party was daunting on its own, hello 13 tweens under my roof.  But hosting while under construction was another level.

Halloween Crafts & Treats

I'm a lover of all holidays and I'm always talking about how much I live for traditions.  To this day I remember traditions from my childhood and I just love creating new ones with my kids.  I hope they carry some of them on with their families.  One of our greatest traditions is making treats and enjoying them during a movie night.  Especially this time of year we love camping out in front of the tv and enjoying food and family.

A "charcuterie" board always make food that much more fun so I've been having fun creating different Halloween boards.  My first Halloween Treat Board consisted of mandarin pumpkins, candy corn & pumpkins, Halloween Oreo's, Moose Track Ice Cream, and Spooky Spider Popcorn.

Making the popcorn couldn't be any easier.  You can pop popcorn or you can do what I did and just buy Skinny Pop and then melt orange chocolate and drizzle on top.  I added Halloween sprinkles and set in the fridge for an hour.  In the meantime I made the spider plate for the popcorn which consists of cutting black pipe cleaners to the desired length and hot glueing to the bottom of a black paper plate.  Then 3/4 of the way down the pipe cleaner you bend at a 45 degree angle.  Lastly, hot glue googly eyes to the top of the plate. 

To make the mandarin pumpkins you peel a mandarin and then slice a very small piece of celery and insert in the top.  Plain ice cream isn't nearly as fun as ice cream with sprinkles so sprinkles were added to the top.  I put it all together on a board and let the fun begin!

Healthy and Creative Snack Ideas for Kids

My kids would live on snacks if I let them.  Is it just my kids that ask for a snack five minutes after a meal?!?!  Or is that normal little person behavior?  I get the feeling they think I live in the kitchen and it's okay for me to be their snack slave.  Someone also must have given them the idea that fruit snacks are a food group.  I'm trying to break that idea and keep snacks healthy and nutritious as often as I can but sometimes I have to trick them into choosing the healthy snacks.  One way I accomplish that is making their snacks fun and creative.  This usually ensures lots of smiles and clean plates!

Vitamin C is such an important part of their diet especially in these unsettling virus times.  A great snack are mandarins from Bee Sweet Citrus.  I just sliced some up to make some fun items.  First were little fish.  You need Bee Sweet mandarins, raisins, carrots, and candy eyes.  Slice the mandarins, top with 1 eye, and cut two pieces off of a baby carrot for tail.  Finally cut carrot in half lengthwise then cut the carrot into fourths.  Then cut a small notch in the middle of one of the pieces.  Place all together on a plate.  For another version of the orange fish I sliced mandarins and then in half again.  Layer to make fish scales, cut a slice of a carrot for the mouth, candy eyes for the eyes and mini marshmallows for the bubbles.

To make a mandarin sun slice a mandarin, top with two raisins, and then cut baby carrots into fourths lengthwise and place around mandarin.

Lastly I made a butterfly with grapes, mandarins, carrots and black decorative icing.  Cut mandarin into slices and then cut two slices in half again to make wings.  Place next to five grapes and use icing to make eyes.  Lastly, I cut two very thin slices of carrots for the antenna.

My girls were so excited to see this afternoon snack spread and it only took me a few minutes.  Luckily I also had everything on hand (yes I always have candy eyes and black icing).

If you're ever in a rut here are a few other snack ideas that were a huge hit in our house:

How to Better Prepare Your Child for the Orthodontist

Do you know anyone who has great teeth and didn't have braces at some point in their life?  Yup, me neither!  Orthodontia just seems to be a milestone in a child's life.  Since it's something that just about everyone has to experience I love that we've found a program to introduce the process to our kiddos. Thurman Orthodontics has a fabulous program starting at age 7 called Groovy Grins.  Twice a year your child comes in for FREE checkup including x-rays to see how their teeth and jaw growth is developing.  This way you are perfectly informed on when it will be the best time for your child to get braces. The best part for your kid is the free swag they get at every checkup.  Emily came home with a bag full of gear and now she keeps asking when her next appointment is.  The best part in my eyes is that she won't be scared or intimidated when she really needs braces.  She'll be comfortable with office, the staff and the process.  It's a total win-win and I couldn't recommend Dr. Thurman and his Groovy Grins program more!

Any kid will feel like a real VIP at Dr. Thurman's office because they can make a hot chocolate and grab a cookie.  Plus they go home with a bag full of swag.  Extra bonus mom can make a coffee or tea (and a cookie, duh) and sip while you wait for your child's appointment to finish.

Lastly, the office is beautiful, interactive and totally inviting.  You can schedule your Groovy Grin appointment by calling (559) 439-0425.  

If you want to see more about the Invisalign process from Dr. Thurman check out my post HERE.

Fun Easter Week Traditions & Activities

Traditions mean so much to me; they remind me of my childhood and bring such joy to my heart.  I hope that my children will continue these one day and fondly think of their childhood memories.  We take any excuse to celebrate, craft or create and here are some of our traditions:
1. Decorate Easter cookies 2. Easter Picnic and/or Lunch 3. Easter Crafts 4. Dying Easter Eggs

Giving the Gift of Music- Piano Lessons

My girls have always had a love for music and it makes this mama so happy.  There isn't a single car ride that doesn't involve music requests around the clock and spontaneous dance parties in the kitchen are a thing in our household.  Needless to say "we've got a feeling inside our bones" and we decided to fuel their musical passions with piano lessons recently.

How to Kick Off Christmas with Santa HQ

“This is a sponsored blog; while the views expressed here

were genuinely mine, consideration was paid to me by Macerich/HGTV’s Santa

HQ.”

We live for traditions in our house and one of our favorites during the holidays is visiting Santa at HGTV's Santa HQ inside Fashion Fair Mall.  We've been going for several years and so the girls start asking for it as soon as Christmas starts sneaking into our house and around town.   It's usually our first holiday activity so it kicks off the season.

What makes Santa HQ so special is you don't just wait in line and visit with Santa for a minute but you have a full interactive experience before meeting the big guy!  There are four stops prior to Santa, each offering a new bit of fun.

The first stop is probably our favorite; the Naughty or Nice Meter.  Each child inputs their name with the help of an elf and then stands on an interactive board to see where they fall this year.  After the meter makes its determination the child's name appears on the appropriate list.  I think Santa is very forgiving because all three of my little animals made the Nice List. Seriously, Santa, even Jack?!?!

The second stop is inside the first room and is the Magic Mirror which turns you into an elf where you can choose an elf and an outfit and then send yourself a photo.  Also inside this room is where you can make your own Elf-ID which you can also send to yourself.

In the next room you can use an iPad for Elf-Ray vision and catch an elf along the ceiling and walls.  Santa's Sleigh Command Center is also available for you little elves to play and navigate.

The last stop before the grand finale is a professional photo opp with a backdrop and props.  Of course they save the best part for last and you get to climb into Santa's sleigh and chat with the main guy himself.   You know sometimes Santa is having a good day and other times a bad day but Santa was PHENOMENAL with our little ones.  He was beyond patient, kind, friendly and warm.  Our kids had the best experience not only telling Santa about their wishlist but reading about the elves and even the Christmas classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas.   Santa even helped Madi to read on her own.

Spend less time in line and purchase a FAST PASS which will allow you to pick a 30 minute window on a specific date.  You prepay for your picture package and skip the line when you arrive.  You can also opt-in for text reminders.  Also during your visit you may consider bringing a new toy for HGTV's Help Through the Holidays Giving Drive.  For more information and special event dates check HERE.

We absolutely love Santa HQ and give it two thumbs up.  It keeps us coming back year after year and would love to hear what you think about the experience!  Merry Christmas!

How to Throw a Bright Rainbow Roller Skating Party

Emily paints a rainbow wherever she goes!  She lights up any room and she finds the silver lining to any cloud.  I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate her 8th birthday than with a Rainbow Roller Skating Party.  She is now of the age where roller skating is doable and would be fun for her and her friends so we picked United Skates Clovis for her party.

How to Create a Perfect Smile with Thurman Orthodontics

When Kevin was growing up braces weren't in his family's budget even though he had very crooked teeth.  As a young adult he did get veneers on his top teeth to help with the appearance of his smile but his teeth always bothered him despite the slight fix.  We've been talking about Invisalign for years and recently we finally pulled the trigger.  We decided to visit Thurman Orthodontics to explore options.

How to Create a Cute Construction Birthday Party

How to Make Back to School Simple but Exciting

My girls are still at the age where back to school is lots of fun.  I dread the day they dread going back to school.  Although my girls are very excited about school I have mixed feelings.  I'm excited to have them out of the house but I'm not looking forward to having to be up and at of the house by 7:45 every morning.  It's not that I ever sleep in but it's just a lot to get four people (self included) all ready by that time.  I also wish I lived in a world where Summer lasted all year round.  I love the warm weather, the play dates, the trips and all that Summer brings (minus the darn mosquito's).

So I have one hand tightly holding onto Summer and the other busily preparing for Back to School.  I saw a meme that other day that said there are 5 seasons in a year: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall and Back to School.  It made me laugh and it's so true.  There is so much hype around back to school and so much to check off the to-do list.  There are subscriptions for just about everything now a days so why can't there be a biannual subscription for school supplies.  Delivery would be in August and January to replenish all that has broken, gotten lost, etc.  I'm going off on a tangent but maybe this is something I need to invent.  Because it's a pain to online shop and run to several stores to get everything you need for your kids to be ready to go.

Until I invent a one stop shop for Back to School shopping you are left with the current situation.  Since that's not the easiest and most convenient I've tried to make it much simpler for you and round up everything I think your children need and what is the best (all while staying affordable because that's my mantra).

Jackson's Blessed Baptism

I'm so excited to share the pictures from Jackson's baptism so get ready for overload!  There are just so many amazing shots.

I think because Jack is our final baby his baptism was extra special.  I was able to really savor the sacrament and truly appreciate it.  We were so lucky because his baptism was private which made it so intimate.  It made my heart so content to have our family surrounding him on such a beautiful day.

For anyone that knows me you know how much I love throwing a party, bringing a theme to life and sharing all the details.  As much as I love entertaining I also like to keep things simple because I don't have endless time or money.  For Jack's baptism I wanted a natural theme that included succulents and eucalyptus.  

I used metal rings and wrapped eucalyptus around them.  I didn't use anything to attach them to the ring just wrapped several strands around the ring.  I found out the hard way that you can't do this ahead of time.  I first did it about 36 hours prior to the party and they wilted so I had to get fresh eucalyptus the day of the party.  The wreaths hung above a table with a bible and a sign.  The bible is intended as a gift to Jack on his confirmation when he is a teenager.  All of our guests signed the bible and highlighted their favorite verse.  I warned everyone ahead of time to find their favorite verse and keep it in mind so that people were prepared.

How to Create a Fun & Colorful Unicorn Birthday Party

Madison's birthday was in May and we had Jackson's baptism scheduled for the beginning of June so we decided to combine the festivities.  The main reason was so we didn't have to ask guests to come to back to back to celebrations.  Everyone is very busy and we felt like it was asking too much.  Also it was a lot easier on me to only have to throw one party at our home. 

Even though I was adding Madi's birthday party to Jack's baptism celebration I still wanted her to feel special so I still did a small table for her with a unicorn theme (and let's not forget the endless fun of a bounce house).  For the first time I attempted a balloon garland which has been on my party planning wishlist for a long time but I've always been intimidated by them.  I read that a Balloon Decorating Strip was a game changer so I picked up this super cheap one from Amazon.  Another game changer was a handheld Balloon Pump.  After doing this I CAN NOT imagine doing a balloon arch without one, you would for sure pass out!!!  I suggest setting aside plenty of time to blow up the balloons.  I did it over two nights; it's not hard work but just time consuming.  I also want to note that the balloons lasted over a week so you could do this ahead of time.  Blow up the balloons at different sizes, tie them off and then insert them in the strip.  I was putting two balloons to a hole and found that it was too full.  Start with only putting one balloon in each hole and then when you hang your garland you can see if there are any spots that need more.  I found hanging the garland was a little difficult.  We ended up using fishing line to hang it because tape wasn't strong enough to attach it to the wall.

When it came to dessert I enlisted the help of the super talented and creative Kaja of Kaja's Kreations.  She has done several parties for me and she blows me away every time.  I told her I wanted a unicorn cake and that we were doing the baptism at the same time so she added a few succulents to the cake to tie everything together.  It was such a nice touch and super cute.  Kaja has several flavors and everything we've ever had was delicious.  I picked strawberry for this cake so that it would be pink.  Kaja also did a few unicorn sugar cookies for us and the details were amazing!

For the paper goods I found Geese & Ganders and they offer the cutest selections.  The patterned pink dessert plates and napkins added the perfect pop of color.  For party favors I picked up rainbow popcorn from a local spot called Grandpa's Popcorn & Sweets.  Each color is a different flavor and they are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. 

Our absolute favorite photographer who has now become a dear friend, Melissa Gotelli took Madison's 5th birthday photos.  I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't taken her birthday photos since she was 2!  I never missed any of Emily's birthdays but hey second child.  I can't imagine what will happen with Jack, lol.

We can't believe our baby girl is already 5.  The years have flown and yet I don't remember life without her.  She adds laughter to our lives every single day.  She is the sweetest, most sour, and ultra spicy little girl you have ever met.  She's way beyond her years and is too smart for us.  She's super excited about starting kindergarten and I know the school years will just fly by.

Madi is fairly small but mighty and built solid.  She is obsessed with music and dancing (like her mama) and has a song request during every car ride.  Her favorite foods are mac & cheese, cheese pizza, and quesadillas.  Her favorite desserts are ice cream and cookies.  Her favorite things to do are eat donuts, get toys, ride her bike and swim.  Her favorite movie is Frozen and her favorite shows are Elena and Fancy Nancy.  Her favorite songs are Old Town Road, Champion, Whose That Chick, Ain't My Fault, Red, I Miss Me More, Runaway Baby and Youngblood (see I told you she loves music). Her best friends are Hayden and Tinsley.  (These were all answered by Madi.)

Thank you to everyone who made Madi's birthday so special including all her guests as well as all the shops.  We are very blessed!