Let’s face it, some kids are naturally picky eaters. As parents we have a choice, help them become creative eaters who try a variety of foods or feed them only what they like leading to unhealthy eating habits and questionable health.

Today we’re talking about how to get kids to eat healthy, and below you get the opportunity to join in the conversation and share your thoughts for a chance to win a Mom’s Getaway Spa Day!

Although it may seem like a strange combination, I have always felt that giving my children the opportunity to eat a variety of foods regardless of their refusals helps them in other areas of life as well. Not only am I making sure that they are eating a balanced and healthy diet, but I’m also ensuring that they are not a frustration to others anytime anyone other than myself has to feed them a meal.

So, how do we get around the picky eater and whining?

When you have worked to prepare a yummy and healthy meal, hearing a child say “I don’t like that” can be so frustrating.  Being part of a big family, there’s truly not a lot of opportunity to be picky, there’s simply no way to prepare a lot of separate meals just because of one or two childrens’  limited tastes.

That’s not to say we haven’t had our fair share of battles with the picky eater over the years, but we have learned a few things. Feeding children a variety of healthy foods right from the start is paramount for growing a healthy eater. Finding fun ways to present healthy foods and using all the great tools and flavors we have at our disposal to make truly deliciously healthy food is ultimately the very best way to encourage our children to eat.

Heres’ a few more tips.

Let them Help

This is probably the best way to get a child to eat something they ordinarily wouldn’t even look at. Letting them help make the food will almost always guarantee a child will eat it. Although kids cooking can be a messy adventure and requires a lot of supervision, they are actually quite creative.

Sometimes we let them help plan from the meal planning and shopping to the cooking and serving. Taking ownership of an entire meal is something that makes the kids so proud!

Be Creative

Serving foods that are not on your child’s list of things that are ok can be a little less challenging if they are presented in a fun and creative way.  Check out the discussions we’ve been having about Bento lunches, there’s plenty of creative and fun ideas by even simply creating food that’s shaped in fun ways.

Also, having theme nights such as food from a certain country or foods all of a certain color (even though I usually recommend serving a rainbow of colors…which could also be a theme…in this case it works for the greater good to serve one color), etc.

Approach it Head On

If all else fails you can talk to them straight out about it. Obviously this won’t work with the toddler/preschool ages who are quite possibly the most picky group of them all, but for kids that are school age, understanding how important it is to eat a balanced and healthy meal is important and can definitely make them think.

In the end, if the child simply doesn’t respond, I always find myself going back to the fact that I’m the parent. I am ultimately responsible for keeping each of our children healthy, and sometimes I simply have to gently but firmly take charge whether the child likes it or not.

We want to know your tips for getting kids to eat healthier! Please join the conversation by submitting your tip in the box below for a chance to win a $500 Mom’s Getaway Spa Day from BlogFrog!

Want to exchange more healthy snacks ideas, money saving tips and back to school shopping advice with other moms? Visit the Horizon® Healthy Families Back to School Community!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon.  The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Horizon Organic brand. 

Since I’m such a newbie at the whole Bento lunch idea myself, I dare not present it to you as an informed expert, but there are some amazing mommies out there that have been busy doing this bento thing for their kiddos for a long time. It’s time to bring them in (willingly or not) and send you their way.

The very first Bento Star that I want to introduce you to is another lunch!

Another lunch is the very first Bento Lunch blog I ever stumbled upon. It was (and still is when she posts) inspiring and fun and I think you’ll agree.

I have always promoted and encouraged food creativity for families to get children who would ordinarily be picky eaters to be more interested in healthier foods. I have to say though that I too am tentatively stepping into the world of the Bento lunch and the amazing creativity it offers.

Another lunch is brought to us by Melissa who is the stay-at-home mom of four kiddos, three boys and one girl. Her site creatively (and photographically) inspires great lunch ideas that are not only fun, healthy and tasty for the kids, but are also kind to our environment and truly a great tribute to creativity and imagination.

My favorite lunch?

Honestly I have far too many to really say that just this one is my favorite, but I do love somethin’ fishy is going on. It certainly isn’t the most complex of her lunches but I think it’s a perfect example of simple creativity for all us beginners!

It uses a couple of the simple basic accessory suggestions I told you all about in my Going Bento basics post – a silicone cup, sandwich cutter and food picks were used.

It also uses an egg mold (see the white fishy? yeah she even tells you how to do it on her blog) and of course she has obviously gone with a theme here.

There’s so many amazing ideas to choose from, I think you’ll enjoy spending even a few minutes treating yourself to basking in her creativity. Be sure to check out her tools of the trade and tutorial categories too while you’re there.

Have fun!!!

JumpStart and Preschool are 2 names that definitely go hand in hand.  JumpStart has been around for such a long time and I have always enjoyed using their products with my children.  Their new 3D and online versions are so adaptable for various family needs.

I got to try out their PreK 2 cd set and we love it.  Teaching preschoolers all the basic concepts in a very visually appealing way is one of the things I love about JumpStart.  The kids love it as well, giving them access to a world that they control and characters that are very fun.

The first CD is for Preschoolers and they will enjoy 12 activities to help them get ready for school.  On CD 2, Kindergarten children will enjoy the 35 activities created just for them.  One of the most fun activities is creating their avatar and setting up their house.  The kids love these activities, but well, I guess in the end it’s hard to pick any one thing they loved more!

With this 2-CD set, kids can:

• Design an unique avatar and decorate a house
• Choose from over 15 pets to adopt and nurture: groom, feed and buy accessories for the pet to wear
• Complete missions to unlock storybooks
• Rack up gems and then trade them in for pets, accessories or other great prizes to decorate the world
• Get creative by adding personal photos and artwork

Their new JumpStart Online program is another great option.  Even parents have great tools at their fingertips!  This is a monthly membership program that offers similar features to the cd, but even more depth.  Three to ten year olds have tons of educational (yet very fun) resources available every time they login.

With a wonderful 3D landscape, the online world offers so many features.  Be sure to hop over to the site and check it out.  The parents section really is amazing as well, totally worth checking out when you can.

The great thing is that they have offered one of you a 3 month membership to their online world!  To enter, be sure to visit the website, then come back here and leave a comment telling me why you would like to win this.

There are some great extra entry opportunities as well of course, feel free to take advantage of all of the entries for as many chances to win as possible.…Just be sure to leave a NEW comment with each entry…:

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by November 12, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure: I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I received a copy of the More Beautiful You CD in order to listen to it and present the review.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

In our digital society, most families have multiple cell phones.  One for dad, another for mom and even one for a few of the kids.  It is not only a way to communicate, but highly recommended for safety reasons.  But we all know that we aren’t supposed to be talking on the phone when we drive unless we are using something to keep us hands free.

As a parent, this is especially important when you see the accident statistics involving distracted drivers, especially those who are trying to talk on the phone, make a call, etc. without using a hands free device.  In fact, many cities and states have made it illegal to do so and we are definitely among them.  When I was asked to try out the Blackberry Visor Mount Speakerphone, my initial concern was that I have an iPhone…are they compatible?  The answer is definitely YES!

This Blackberry speakerphone is compatible with all Bluetooth enabled phones, so you don’t have to have a Blackberry to use it for yourself.  I have to say that I truly am impressed with this little device!

Here’s a few more details:

The BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone is the latest in innovative BlackBerry technology. It wirelessly streams calls from any Bluetooth enabled phone through your car’s stereo system. This slim, ultra light product attaches to your car visor and is very easy to set up – just turn it on and press a button to pair it with your cell phone. You’ll then be able to answer calls with one touch and receive verbal caller IDs. The Visor Mount Speakerphone also keeps you and the kids entertained by streaming music from your BlackBerry over the car stereo.

Here’s what I loved…

• Setup is a snap – make sure you read the instructions on connecting, charging, answering, using it to voice dial (for voice dialing enabled phones), etc.  The instruction “book” is super short and quick.
• Very easy to use – the instructions are simple and once you are setup, you just tap the speakerphone to answer calls…then tap again to hang up, no need to take your eyes off the road.
• Conveniently mounted on the visor above my head and easy to reach.
• Battery life is GREAT!

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of reading through the little instruction booklet before you use this device.  Once you have, you’re good to go.  For instance, the battery doesn’t really show you a full looking battery when it is charged.  It simply goes from red to green.  I didn’t know this and drove around for three days with the cord attached (which isn’t super convenient) LOL.

I’m really enjoying our Blackberry Visor Mount Speakerphone and I’m very excited to be able to offer one of these (retail value $99.99) to a lucky commenter. Entering is simple, just visit the website and when you’re done looking around, come back here and leave a comment telling me why you’d like to win this speakerphone.!

There are some great extra entry opportunities as well of course, feel free to take advantage of all of the entries for as many chances to win as possible. …Just be sure to leave a NEW comment with each entry…(hint, when you are looking at this as an individual post, below you will see some little icons, to easily submit this post to a variety of sites):

• Become a Facebook Fan of A Frog In My Soup!!!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.
• Fave at Technorati!  Just fave this post or A Frog In My Soup at Technorati.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by October 20th, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like.  I received the Blackberry Visor Mount Speakerphone in order to use it myself to present the review.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

I wrote last weekend about Disaster Preparedness and talked about a few recent events that had triggered the post.  As the week continued, however, we definitely saw more and more terrible disasters left and right.  The earthquakes that triggered Tsunami’s in the Samoas had not yet happened and more Hurricanes  expected to hit Indonesia.

I’m actually not telling you all of this to discourage you, but rather to encourage you.  There are definitely things you can do to help!  Remember my trip down to the World Vision headquarters?  I learned so much about this amazing ministry and what they do around the world.

It’s actually a little challenging to wrap my head around the reality of these worldwide disasters!  I do know however that World Vision is on the scene…or very close and ready to lend a hand, but I also know that the only way that they are able to do this is with your help!

Here’s just a few of the many ways you can donate to this incredible ministry AND bless the victims of these horrible disasters:

• Flood Relief fund is here
• Earthquake Relief fund is here
• Disaster Relief here
• Their donation page (for a variety of individual options) is here
• And their child sponsorship page is here if you want to sponsor an individual child

If you want up to date information on all the opportunities to help their relief efforts, be sure to become a fan on their facebook page.

This week I have a very ScrapHappy Giveaway surprise for all of you! If you have been longing to get that first baby book done of your precious little one and maybe even make some fun gifts for Grandparents for Christmas, I have an amazing offer for you.

I’m not going to post one of my own layouts because this one is all about you! If you have just had a baby, grandbaby or know someone who has, I’m sure you have some amazing photos! I’m also sure that most of you are finding that although it would be fabulous to have those photos magically appear in a book, the time required to really get that first baby book completed is overwhelming.  Let alone all the relatives that want their own copies.

Enter, Camie Designs‘ Your Birth Story Photobooks (one for boys and one for girls)!  Here, check it out for yourselves…

I am offering you the opportunity to have the work done for you!  One of you will win a completed photobook for a baby boy or a baby girl (printing is not included).  To enter, make sure you check out the book slideshow above and tell me if you want it for a boy or a girl and how old the little one is.  (more details on this prize below)

Extra ways to enter…(be sure to leave a NEW comment for EACH extra entry!):

• Become a Fan of A Frog In My Soup on Facebook!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by October 15th, 2009.  This giveaway is open to anyone.

How this one works: This is a little different than most giveaways here at A Frog In My Soup, so I thought I’d take a moment to explain how the process will work.  Once the giveaway ends, the winner will be contacted and given login information and instructions on how to upload their photos.  I will also ask for a few other pertinent details, looking through the slideshow example will help you see exactly the information I will need.

I will then complete the book for you and upload it to your favorite photo printing site (you’ll need to let me know what that is).  The only thing not included is the actual printing of the book, because there is such a variety of sites and styles I want you to be able to choose how to have the book printed as well as whether you’d like to have gift prints made.  Some of the photo printing sites give you the option of creating both gift books as well as 12×12 photos that you can put in a “real” scrapbook album.  The choice is yours!

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Since the last two weeks have been all about great food and home products, the promotion of this fantastic sweepstakes couldn’t have come at a better time.  Right now the Food Network and Kia are offering the What’s Your Forte? Sweepstakes where you can win a $10,000 Kitchen Aid kitchen makeover.  Yay!

In addition to that grand prize, there are also other great prizes from Kitchen Aid and iRobot.  Be sure to visit the sweepstakes’ site for all the details and to enter!

One of the sponsors of this event is Kia Motors and of course the namesake behind the sweepstakes is their cute Forte.

“There have been many firsts throughout time. Like the invention of the engine, the first vehicle to be incredibly safe, the first vehicle to be incredibly powerful. There have been many designers that mastered their craft. There have been plenty of technological innovations such as satellite radio, MP3 devices and Bluetooth. As an automotive company, we weren’t the first at any of these. But when it comes to putting all of this into a compact car, we are pioneers. The Forte. The first of its kind.”

This is such a great car in so many ways, and like all Kia’s I’m sure that the price is great too!  Now, if only my family was a little smaller…  You can even follow them on Facebook!

Just for checking out this sweepstakes, I am excited to be able to offer a fantastic prize for one very lucky reader!   Just visit the sweepstakes site and check it out…enter if you want while you’re there.  Then come back here and leave a comment and you will be entered to win a $25 Fandango gift card and $30 worth of Crate and Barrel Gift Cards!

Extra ways to enter…(be sure to leave a NEW comment for EACH extra entry!):

• Become a Facebook Fan of Kia Forte!
• Tweet It: Just tweet this giveaway with a link to this post and make sure your comment has your twitter handle in it.
• Blog It: Write a post about this giveaway (with a link to this post of course) on your own blog, make sure your comment has a link to your post.
• Stumble It, Kirtsy It, Digg It, Submit to Mommy Blips: Submit this giveaway to any of these sites and earn an extra entry for each one…and make sure your comment has your Username.

It is void where prohibited, be sure to read my giveaway policies here.  Be sure to enter by October 13th, 2009.  This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Disclosure:  I always give honest and forthright reviews and will not present something that poses a conflict of interest &/or that I do not like. I will receive a gift card as well for presenting this opportunity to you.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Just this past week, there have been wildfires in California, flooding in Atlanta and a Typhoon in the Phillipines.   Thinking about emergency/disaster preparedness yet?  Well maybe you should.

This month is National Disaster Preparedness Month and the Red Cross recently sent me some great tips to share with all of you on preparedness.

Key preparation steps:

• Get a kit – Have an emergency preparedness kit for your household. Include basic supplies:
  • Water – 1 gallon per person, per day for drinking and washing (min. 3-day supply)
  • Non-perishable food (min. 3-day supply)
  • Flashlight
  • Multi-purpose tool
  • Radio
  • First aid kit
  • Important medications and copies of personal documents
  • Disinfecting bleach for cleaning, disinfecting and emergency water sanitation
• Make a plan – Meet with your family or household members. Plan what to do in case you are separated during an emergency. Be sure to practice and review the plan twice a year.
• Be informed – Get to know the types of disasters and other emergencies that may occur where you live, learn, work and play and how to respond as safely as possible. Find out how local officials will contact you during a disaster and how you will get important information.

Ways to prevent illness and clean up after a disaster:

• Evaluate home safety. Report downed power lines and gas leaks, inspect foundations and roofs, keep electricity off and have a professional inspector clear the home before entering.
• Clean and disinfect the home and dry any excess moisture. Excess moisture left behind will fuel the growth of mold, which can be a health risk for you and your family. It’s important to get non-porous surfaces dried and disinfected quickly.

Remembering these simple health and safety tips to help prevent illness in the aftermath of a natural disaster:

• Keep your hands clean, either by washing your hands or using a hand sanitizer
• If you feel feverish, see a doctor immediately
• Eat healthy foods and drinks lots of clean water
• If water supplies are compromised and you are unable to boil water for one minute (three minutes at high elevation), you can create potable water by using un-scented disinfecting bleach such as Clorox. You can also use bleach to clean non-porous surfaces in your home. For specific details visit: www.clorox.com/redcross to download the preparedness guide.

For more information on natural disaster preparedness, visit RedCross.org and www.clorox.com/redcross

This year marks the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off

I was recently told of some very fun Mother’s Day resources offered by the Special Olympics.