Keep Bones Strong and Remember Your Daily Calcium Supplement with These 5 Tips

November 24, 2017 by Kathryn 33 Comments

Disclosure: I am part of the Orange Naturals Mom Ambassador Program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Did you know that one in three women will suffer a fractured bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime? Or that both men and women start losing bone in their mid-thirties? November is Osteoporosis Awareness Month and as a mid-thirties woman, I’m happy not just that awareness is being brought to the disease, but that I’m leaning more about it as well.

As a fairly healthy woman, I try my best to make sure that I’m getting all the nutrients I need, including daily calcium and Vitamin D. And having just had a baby, I was extra vigilant about my daily dose of calcium the entire time I was pregnant.

But now that Baby Cormac has arrived, I have found that I’m not as good about remembering to get the calcium I need. With my baby taking up so much of my time, remembering to take two separate vitamins (my multi and my calcium) at different times seems to be more than I can manage!

So, what’s a new mom with a bad case of mom brain to do? Here’s my bullet-list of techniques that may help you remember to take that daily dose of calcium! [Read more…]

First Time Mom Tips from a Mom of Three

November 22, 2017 by Kathryn 13 Comments

Being a first time mom can be overwhelming, especially in the first year! From post-partum recovery, to adjusting to a new sleep schedule (or lack thereof!), to learning to recognize your baby’s cries and wants, the first year is a struggle for even the strongest of women. To help make baby’s first year a memorable one for you and baby, these three tips may get you through the first milestones with ease:

Take a Postnatal Vitamin

Most new moms walk around in a state of exhaustion. Eating well can be tough when caring for a newborn, so taking a postnatal vitamin can fill in any nutritional gaps and help give you and baby what you need when nursing. First Response Prenatal & Postnatal Gummy Multivitamins are a go-to. They come in an easy to take gummy format – perfect for pregnancy and beyond to provide calcium and other essential nutrients, like B vitamins and folate. [Read more…]

How Water Quality Affects Children

November 2, 2017 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

With our easy access to water, whether bottled or from the tap, we often take for granted the quality of our water. How often have you stopped to think about how your water affects your health and the health of your family? Here are some facts about water contaminants that may surprise you.

Children are More Vulnerable

Water quality plays an important part in overall health, especially in children. Whether you buy bottled water or drink water from a private well or public source, all water is at risk for contaminants that can impact your child’s health. [Read more…]

Why I’m Telling My Mother about the Higher-Dose Flu Vaccine for Seniors

September 27, 2017 by Kathryn 46 Comments

I’m a strong believer in the importance of seniors in our lives. While my own grandfather helped to form my initial opinions on how much seniors contribute to society, I’ve had the privilege of knowing so many other amazing seniors as well, from employers to neighbours to family friends.

So, with cold and flu season approaching, I can’t help but think about the risks and dangers that the time of year brings to the senior generation. In fact, seniors accounted for 70% of all influenza-related hospitalizations and 90% of all influenza-related deaths during the 2014-015 flu season!

[Read more…]

Tired and Stressed? Try These 3 Tips to Help You Get the Sleep You Need

May 4, 2017 by Kathryn 20 Comments

When I was younger, I had some pretty serious issues with insomnia. Some nights, I’d drift quickly and easily off to sleep without a second thought. Other nights, I’d find myself tossing and turning for hours on end, finally falling into a light doze only to suddenly wake up unsure if I’d ever been asleep at all.

For the most part, the fun and exhaustion of children solved my issues with insomnia. After a long day of running after my boys, I’m sometimes lucky to make it into bed with my eyes still open! But there are still occasional days when the insomnia takes over again. And when that happens, these are the three tips I’ve discovered over the years that help me get the rest I need!

Find a Mantra

One of the best techniques I’ve discovered for those nights when I’m feeling tired but can’t quite make the jump from sleepy to actually asleep is repeating an easy mantra in my head while doing some deep breathing. Often, it’s a phrase as simple as “I’m falling asleep, I’m falling asleep,” repeated over and over as I take each breath. Within ten minutes, I’ll usually be fast asleep. And as an added bonus, I’ve found that adding a motivating goal to my mantra (such as plans to exercise or catch up on work) helps me tackle that goal with more energy the next morning! [Read more…]

Keep Your Family Smiling with These Tips for National Oral Health Care Month

April 28, 2017 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

Having parented through childhood caries, dental surgery for both my boys and upcoming braces for my oldest son, it’s no secret that I’m passionate about dental health. National Oral Health Care month is the perfect annual reminder that it’s important to pay special attention to our teeth and our overall oral hygiene, since good dental health can have a tremendous impact on overall health! To get your family started on the path towards a brighter, whiter smile, try these easy tips:

For the Kids

Children look to Mom and Dad as role models, so make sure you lead by example and talk to them about the importance of taking care of their teeth and gums! [Read more…]

4 Important Family Calendar Reminders for Parents to Schedule

March 14, 2017 by Kathryn 33 Comments

One of my favourite things about living in Saskatchewan is getting to skip the whole hassle and annoyance of Daylight Savings Time. No worries about being late for appointments, forgetting to change one of the clocks or dealing with grumpy kids that lost an hour of sleep is pure bliss in my opinion! But even though I’m not changing my clocks, I do have some other household routines that need to be followed! That’s why I’m a big fan of placing a calendar on my fridge and then marking reminders for some important monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly tasks. Wondering what reminders you should add to your calendar? These four tasks are a great place to start!

Replace Toothbrushes

The Canadian Dental Association recommends you change your toothbrush every three months. Place a smiley face sticker at the start of every third month of the year to remind you to buy new brushes for your family. Letting kids pick their new toothbrush will make the day almost feel like a special occasion! [Read more…]

Become a Nutrition Detective with Info From the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign-Giveaway

February 22, 2017 by Kathryn 173 Comments

I’ve mentioned in the past how my mom’s attention to nutritional content in food was something that always stuck with me into my adult years. She was determined to raise healthy children and as a result, we are all quite healthy adults having learned so much from her habits. To this day, I remember her telling us we could pick any cereal we wanted, as long as sugar wasn’t one of the first ingredients listed. I was actually a little shocked (and a lot disappointed) to realize how many of the cereal brands I saw advertised on TV contained mostly sugar.

Now, as a parent myself, I check food labels as carefully as my mom once did. And finally, my boys are old enough to start learning about proper nutrition as well! That’s why I’m such a big supporter of the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign. This joint initiative from Health Canada, the Retail Council of Canada, Food and Consumer Products of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers is designed to help both children and their parents understand how to decipher food labels to better understand the nutritional value of products they buy. [Read more…]