One Simple Step To Keeping Your Kid's Room Tidy

Do you ever feel like you have to keep nagging repeating yourself over and over again for your kids to pick up their toys? Although William does not have a ridiculous amount of toys, it's not unusual to see them everywhere they shouldn't be. It got me to thinking about ways we can eliminate some and keep his room nice and neat. I came across an old plastic storage bin and the light bulb appeared. I told William that he can pick out his favorite toys and as long as they fit in the bin, (with the lid closed) he can keep them out. I had to assure him that the remaining 4 baskets/bins of toys would be neatly tucked away in his closet and he can swap out toys every month or so. I also let him keep all of his LEGO stuff as long as everything stayed in a container. So far this has worked out beautifully. 

It is easier for William to keep his room tidy and there is no guessing where his mini Spider-Man or Buzz Lightyear toy is "hiding". I don't know why I didn't think of this before! I never have to get on him to keep his room clean. Works for me! Find more great tips, visit ParentsNeed.

Make Sure You Are Prepared For The Cold Season With Pfizer Pediatric Products From Target #SickJustGotReal

***CLOSED*** Winner is LaTanya. Congrats~! 

It's Spring and we are in full bloom over here. Aside from seasonal allergies, we know our little ones can suffer from colds just as well. Sick happens without any warning it seems. Your child can go from energetic and happy, to sniffling and coughing within a matter of hours. It is very important that we have medications on hand for those unexpected cold symptoms. Good thing we can rely on the Pfizer pediatric line of products to get our little ones through it all. We can't go without those well-known, trusted brands like Children's Advil®, Children's Robitussin®, and Children's Dimetapp®. They are all available at your local Target stores and are reasonably priced.

Keeping these items on hand along with a couple extra boxes of tissues and a digital thermometer in your medicine cabinet is helpful. There is nothing worse than having a sick child late at night and not being prepared!

Information about Pfizer Pediatric products available at Target:

Ease those aches and pains, while reducing a child’s fever fast with Children’s Advil®, a great solution for kids as young as 2 and up to 11. Children’s Advil® comes in several great-tasting flavors, including: Sugar-free Dye-free Berry, Bubble Gum, Grape, Blue Raspberry, Fruit and Dye-Free White Grape flavors. There’s also Infants’ Advil® White Grape, which provides unsurpassed fever relief with a syringe for easy dosing for children 6-23 months.

Formulated just for kids, Children's Robitussin® DM Day/Night Pack (Children’s Robitussin® Cough & Chest Congestion and Children’s Robitussin® Nighttime Cough) non-drowsy daytime formula helps break up chest congestion, while the long-acting nighttime formula relieves coughs and runny noses to help kids get the rest they need.

All in a great tasting grape flavor, Children’s Dimetapp® Cold & Cough tackles a child’s most bothersome stuffy and runny noses, all while working to relieve cough.
*It is important to remember to always read and keep the cartons for complete warnings and dosing information on Pfizer Pediatric Platform products and to use as directed

I really do love the Children's Robitussin®  Day/Night pack. My husband for some reason (42 years old) still takes Dimetapp®  at night on occasion. He swears by it! Right now you can go to the Sick just got real™ website to grab some money-savings coupons. Also, be sure to follow the Sick just got real™ Facebook page for product updates and promotions.

Great news-- one lucky reader will win a Pfizer Pediatric gift pack that includes Children's Advil®, Children's Robitussin®, and Children's Dimetapp®. Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Pfizer Pediatric Platform products, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

Homeschool Pluses for Families

Online education is becoming very popular, with an increase in growth every year. Children receiving homeschooling do exceptionally well on standardized tests. Colleges and universities welcome homeschoolers, and are known to be self-directed learners and employees which are reliable, as adults. There are numerous pluses for families who decide to have their child participate in an online education.

Closer Family Relationships

Families that have a child participating in eLearning have each stressed how much closer their family relationships have become since beginning these courses. Due to more time being available than with attending a physical schoolroom, parents are able to have more quality time with their children. Siblings tend to have better relationships, spending time together during their online education classes help bring them together in a positive light.

Families with Emotional Freedom

When children are bothered by competition, peer pressure, bullies, and boredom – which are a normal part of the traditional school day – they can bring these stressors home. These stressors tend to lower a child’s self-esteem, mostly in middle-school girls. Studies have shown, online homeschool girls do not have these issues. Their self-esteem stays intact and they continue to thrive throughout their teenage years. When a child experiences these stressors, entire families tend to feel it. With eLearning, there is no stressors to put onto these families.

Remaining Stable During Difficulty

There are some times that families may seem as challenging, and difficult. Possibly an illness, a new baby, or family death, and homeschooling is a way that has helped families cope through these challenging times. Online homeschool is a stabilizing factor in a family’s life where so much more is mixed-up for the time being. During the time they are eLearning, everything is settled and normal.

FutureSchool.com brings many pluses to families with their online education of math and English courses. Families become closer together, making the most of eLearning.

Double Dipped French Toast at IHOP Is Back!

For a limited time, Double Dipped French Toast at IHOP is back. I was able to stop by to try it out for myself. I went with the Blackberry & Vanilla variety. 

Let me tell you, that vanilla sauce was divine. It went beautifully together with the blackberry sauce and perfectly cooked broiche French toast. This French toast is dipped in a vanilla batter and then in a corn flakes and oatmeal mixture. The crunch was just right and all of the flavors and textures all together were excellent. I had the bacon combo and of course, it was delicious and exactly what I expect from IHOP.

To find out all of the details on this limited time menu offering, see this post. If you're craving a good breakfast, I highly recommend you run out and treat your family or yourself to this delicious meal. Hurry before it's gone!

I received a gift card to try out the latest menu offering from IHOP in exchange for my honest opinion. 

A Blue Belt For William

Our little guy has been doing karate for a while now and recently tested for his blue belt. Not only was there a new belt, but he moved up to an all black uniform as well. This has been so exciting for William and he has worked very hard to get to where he is. He is home schooled now and we have a whole fitness routine set up for each day of the week. Doing push-ups, jumping jacks, and a variety of strengthening exercises have helped improve his karate skills tremendously. 

One very special thing about his karate instructor is that Mr. Mike also taught his big sisters, all the way to their black belts. Karate has been such a good sport for William and he has gotten to love it. Right now he goes once a week, but we plan to start him 3-5 times a week as soon as his classes are done for the school year. And speaking of school year, he is averaging a 97% overall. His favorite subjects are Math, Social Studies and Science. It's good seeing him love school and learning. He is the happiest kid!

William and his karate instructor, Mr. Mike Genova of Genova Family Karate.