I need to admit, I really like my smartphone and more and more people have them these days. I know they are very useful, but they also take up a lot of our time. When my two year old sees me using my phone, she always wants to grab it and play games. She likes the phone more than her toys and she knows how to unlock it, call people, take pictures, I just can’t believe how fast kids grow up these days!

Technology can be very good, but I don’t want my daughter using the phone when she can use her time on better things, like coloring, looking at books, socializing with kids of her age. It seems that a lot of kids need technology to have fun, like video games, smartphones, computers.  I am not against technology, but I think kids need to get out and enjoy the outdoors and do more healthy and fun activities.

Is your kid after your phone all the time?

For this Memorial day weekend, we decided to take our kids to watch Kung Fu Panda 2 and it was a great movie! It is a little bit different from the first one, there is more action but it still has some funny parts too.

What I like about this movie is that they explained where the panda came from, I thought that was really good to know, it shows there is a real plot and you don’t feel you are just watching just a random panda fighting.  Also the quality and special effects, (we watched it in 3D), were really good.

I read some reviews before watching the movie, we like to do that, and it got pretty good ones and I really enjoyed the movie. What are your Memorial weekend plans? Have you seen the movie?

Last week we went swimming and my two year old was very excited, but once we got to the swimming pool, she was very scared to the point that she was crying the whole time she was in the pool. I know it is normal to be a little scared at first, but I was hoping it would get better after a while.

Swimming here in Arizona is something people do a lot during the summer since it gets really hot. So I am sure we will be going swimming many times. My husband was planning to teach our two year old how to swim, but I am starting to think she might need swimming classes. How old were your children when they learned how to swim? Did you teach them or did they take classes?

I think it is a matter of culture, where I grew up in Mexico, not a lot of people know how to swim, however I think it is very important to learn how to swim, it can save your life! Swimming is a great exercise and can be fun and relaxing, so I am really hoping our daughter can get more comfortable with the pool. How often do you go swimming?

I have an almost 3 year old girl and a 7 month old boy and they both take at least a two hour nap in the afternoon, some parents tell me I am lucky to have kids that take their naps with no problem,  but I think it’s a matter of making it a habit. 

I am very good about having a schedule for my kids and I really stick to it, unless something important comes up, but that rarely happens. So I put them to take their naps everyday at the same time and I actually think they love their naps! From my own experience, it’s all about being dedicated to set a schedule and do it over and over. I have noticed that whenever we get out of schedule for a few days, then they don’t seem to take a long nap.

Naps are very important to them because they get rest and I don’t end up with a cranky baby, and also we as mothers need a little break, right? Lol, it’s nice to have those couple of hours a day just for me to do whatever I want, like writing this article for you! When did your kids stop taking their naps? I sure hope I still have a long time before that happens!

I know I have heard these words before, but never really knew what it was.  I was in a family reunion a week ago and I was talking to some girls and one of them started talking about green smoothies. It got my attention, because just like me, she has kids and we all know how kids usually don’t like to eat their veggies, so she makes green smoothies and they love them!!!!

So, what exactly is a green smoothie? It is a smoothie that has fruits and some green vegetables too, I know these probably sounds weird, and to be honest I still haven’t tried one yet, but I am definitely planning to. I have seen a few videos on the internet of people making them and you just basically put in a blender either fresh fruit or frozen ones. You can put your favorite fruits, ice, water and a lot of people put spinach or broccoli.  You always want to put more fruit than veggies, and supposedly kids love it!

Have you made green smoothie?  If so, what do you put in it? Did your family like it?

I know these are difficult times, not too many jobs out there and gas prices going up. As family of four, I try to save money, and here are some things we do to make our paycheck last a little longer:

* Eat more at home: We try to cook more at home, from dinners to desserts, it’s crazy how much money you can save by eating at home. And you can make it more enjoyable for the family if you get your kids involved.

* Getting a car that saves gas: We have one suv, but my husband also got a motorcycle for going to work, we are lucky that his job is only 3 miles away from our house, so saving money in gas is a huge saving now that gas prices keep going up.

* Going to the park: Entertainment can definitely be expensive for a family of four. We try to do things that are very cheap such as going to the park and bringing our food and have a picnic. Your kids will enjoy it and everyone in the family can get some exercise. 

* Redbox: We like to rent movies from redbox, it’s very cheap and it’s nice to rent movies when your children are still little cause you can pause the movie or take a break if you need it.

* Visit friends that also have children: If you have a friend that has also children, then you can get together and have a great time. Your children will enjoy playing with other kids and you can spend time with your friend too.

These are just some ideas to save money, what else do you do to save money?

Pink is looking ready to have her baby, her due date is getting close. The sex of they baby hasn’t been revealed yet, but either way she must be getting excited! She looks beautiful in these pictures with her husband.

http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2011/04/a-very-pregnant-pink-looks-ready-to-pop/

I often wonder if my two year old daughter needs vitamins, she is a picky eater and it worries me that she might not be getting the nutrients that she needs. I found a good article that can help you decide if your child needs vitamins.

If your toddler has a healthy diet, and eats a variety of foods, then he does not need a vitamin. A healthy diet includes fish, meat, legumes, healthy fats, vegetables, dairy, grains, and fruits. It is always better to get the nutrients you need through foods rather than through supplements.

A vitamin is not a replacement for healthy eating. It is just a supplement. You still need to serve a variety of foods and encourage your kids to continue to try new foods.

If you do give your child a vitamin, make sure you choose a brand that does not exceed the RDA..recommended daily allowance for any particular vitamin or mineral. The RDA should be well labeled on the container. You should also consult with your pediatrician before giving vitamin supplements to your infant, child or teen.

http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/do-my-kids-need-a-vitamin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+babycenter%2Fblog+%28BabyCenter+Momformation%29

I remember when I was pregnant, lots of people would always say that I needed to be eating twice as much. But being pregnant doesn’t mean you should eat all day and satisfy all the cravings we have.

What exactly does eating for two mean? First we need to make a distinction between quantity and quality. Quantity merely means an increase in the amount of food consumed, basically it calls for more calories, but what it doesn’t do is clarify which foods to eat. Quality focuses on foods that are the most nutrient dense. Foods that will help ensure a healthy mother, a healthy baby, and a healthy pregnancy. Quantity merely says eat more. Quality says eat healthy.

The average American women weights 162 pounds (for arguments sake let’s say this woman is 35 years old is 5′ 5″ and doesn’t exercise regularly, her daily calorie intake should be between 1700-1800 calories). That’s twenty times bigger than a newborn and that’s (on average) the biggest the baby is in the womb. Babies don’t need that many calories, they need nutrients!

So what are healthful foods? Foods that are consumed as close to their naturally existing state as possible with little to no processing. These are the foods God gave human beings to eat, these are the foods our bodies were designed to eat, these are the foods that will keep us healthy. This is important for all of us, but it is critical for expectant mothers and their babies!

http://pregnancy.families.com/blog/what-eating-for-two-really-means

I have a 2 year old daughter and a 6 month old son. My husband and I wanted them to share a bedroom until they get older, we have a 3 bedroom house so we thought it would be nice to have an extra room available. I started putting them both in the same bedroom last month, to be honest I was very worried that my daughter could jump into the crib and hurt her brother or that they would wake up during the night , but it actually ended up working out pretty good. He usually wakes up a little earlier and it’s nice because they entertain themselves and start making noises and that allows me to rest a little longer.

I can tell they are getting used to sharing a room and they enjoy each others company, and that makes me happy. It was definitely worth putting them in the same room.

Do you have any experiences? Did it work out for you?