But for those of who have picky eaters, getting our kids to eat the good stuff may pose a challenge.

Here are five sneaky ways to slip in some fruits and veggies into your children’s diet.

1. Blend, Blend, Blend        

Using a blender for fruits and veggies is one of the easiest ways to sneak some good eats into dishes your kids already love.

Think blending carrots, spinach, and zucchini into pasta sauce or blend apples, strawberries, and kiwi into a fruit punch for the kids.

2. Shape It Up

Cookie cutters are fantastic for cutting fruits and veggies into fun shapes.

Take it a step further and make silly faces with their food or decorate their plate with an array of shapes.

Cookie cutters aren’t the only thing that can be used, think tops of cups, mugs, and glasses as well to cut creative shapes out of.

3. Dip It

Anything from peanut butter to yogurt and even melted chocolate can be used as a dip for fruits and veggies.

It’s not just kids that like to dip things, we adults love it too – so dig in with your kids.

4. Cook With Your Kids

When you involve your kids in the kitchen and make them an active part of the happenings, they’ll be more interested in trying out new things.

Funny names for all of your ingredients can add a creative nudge as well.

For example, if your little one is a fan of Disney, name every ingredient a Disney character. Then when it’s meal time, the food they helped make can become the stars of the show or movie.

5. Popsicles To The Rescue

It takes just minutes to blend together some yummy fruits and yogurt to make a smoothie pop.

The vibrant colors that result will make for a healthy snack that’s not only good for the kiddies but one that’s fun to eat as well.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

With a new year, comes a new start.

If you’ve been wanting to become a better parent but weren’t sure where to start, we’ve got you covered.

Here are four of the most effective resolutions to make to help your family come together even closer than they are.

1. Make A Promise To Love Yourself

You can’t give your family all you’ve got if you yourself aren’t striving to be the best you you can be.

Stop being too harsh on yourself, let the judgmental thoughts float away, and resolve in 2013 to love you – with all your flaws, faults, and troubles.

This includes some self-loving everyday, eating well, getting enough rest, and slowing down to enjoy the little things and details of an average day.

2. Love Your Partner Some More

Yes, we know you love them – but we want you to find ways to love them some more, this includes showing them you love and appreciate them within your life and as an integral part of your family’s makeup.

A happy family is one where everyone involved in the family unit is putting in an equal share of commitment, love, and sacrifice. And it’s especially important for you as parents to genuinely love and appreciate one another – your kids will notice your relationship as parents as well as husband and wife.

So always be conscious of how you and your partner are treating and interacting with each other. If there must be arguments, agree that you two will sort them out away from the children.

3. Stay Connected To Each Other

Just because we’re in the age of smart phones, tablets, the Internet, and laptops doesn’t mean that it’s okay to not have actual conversations and family meetings and outings with your family unit.

Set time restrictions on technology, go outside and play an extra long game of soccer together, and eat dinner together as a family every night.

Know what’s going on in each other’s lives – this is especially true if you have middle school and high school students as they tend to want more privacy. Keep in touch with your kids’ teachers, email and/or meet with them regularly for updates on their progress and actions in school.

4. Realize Your Kids Are Watching You

Even when you think they’re not – they are, trust me.

So keep this in mind when dealing with others and each other.

In 2013, resolve to be a more present parent – be hyper-aware of your own actions so that your kids pick up the goodness that you have to give rather than the aggression and moodiness.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

When your child is in the NICU it can be a very emotional time for your family.

It’s incredibly hard on your entire family both mentally and physically when your baby is born prematurely.

The questions, the not knowing what’s in store, and the time spent in the hospital can take a toll on those families whose infants have to stay in the NICU unit of the hospital.

Here are three ways to help you and your family find comfort during this trying time.

1. You’re Not Alone

This is such a powerful thing to remember.

While it’s a hard fact to grasp, there are thousands of babies born that are sent to the NICU unit and, in turn, countless families are going through exactly what you’re facing right now..

The reasons are plenty and know that your baby is there is to help them become stabilized enough to take home.

If you feel you’d like some additional support during this time, talk to the nurses about support groups for parents that are also in your position.

Many hospitals provide groups that meet a couple of times per week so that parents of NICU babies can meet others, develop helpful friendships, and also to learn more about what to expect during your baby’s journey while in the NICU.

2. Educate Yourself

It’s emotionally upsetting to not know the lingo and the NICU’s procedures.

When you can, do some online research while you have downtime in the hospital.

This way, you’ll be better prepared to understand what the nurses and doctors come to you with and you’ll also be more apt to ask questions and garner more information as to the how’s and why’s of what’s going on with your baby.

3. Be Your Baby’s Advocate

While you might not have an MD after your name, there still isn’t anyone who knows your baby better than you, mama.

You absolutely have a say when it comes to the care that your baby receives.

You can ask that his incubator be moved to a quieter spot on the NICU, you can help change diapers, you can breastfeed, you can bottle feed, you can hold your baby, you can sing to him, you can rub his legs and let him know mama is near.

Whatever you feel is right for your child, feel free to discuss with the nurses and doctors. Yes they know a lot and they are there to help you and your baby, but a mother’s love and guidance is something only you can give to your baby so do speak up for your child.

Being strong for your baby will make you a stronger mother and help to give you the comfort and determination to see your family through until you can bring your baby home.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

If you’re looking to become a tighter and more close-knit family then the changes have to start at home and with each member of your family.

Every family goes through its own ups and downs and has its share of arguments and regrets.

But that doesn’t mean your family should be at odds with a calming way of life. It’s available to you for the taking, it just requires a little bit of rethinking on you and your family’s part.

Here are four excellent ways to bring your family closer together so that you can be a happier family unit for the future.

1. Appreciate What You Have

Sure, we all want things we don’t have.

But do we often take time to appreciate what we do have already and what is available to us presently?

Look around you and count your blessings — the big and the small.

Be thankful your family’s basic needs are met, that you are able to be together as a unified unit, and that even though not everything is perfect — it’s working for your family and keeping everyone safe, healthy, and available to each other.

And you all are a big part of what makes your family its own.

Which brings us to the next point…

2. Live In The Now

Once you realize the now is all you can control, you’ll want to be reminded that it’s all you and your family have that’s guaranteed.

Work within the now, be within the now, and be the best family you can be now.

3. Leave The Past Behind You

Anything negative, disrespectful, or inappropriate that has happened to you and your family – make a conscious effort to move on from.

If you don’t, you’ll be constantly licking the wounds and they won’t ever have a chance to heal.

Instead of looking backwards, turn your family towards the infinite bounty that the future holds.

4. Work On Your Family Daily

Think baby steps — no one runs before they crawl.

Everyday – be mindful, productive, and motivated to make your family the best it can be.

This will take the commitment of everyone in your family, but it’s so worth it.

A happy and healthy family isn’t one where no one is ever sick or cries or sees hard times, it’s one where compassion, love, and a genuine interest in each other reside daily so that in good times and in bad there’s no question as to who’s on your side.

Working together as a family will help strengthen your bond and give happiness a fighting chance to enter into all that you do together.

The key to working on your family everyday is to be thankful and respectful of one another’s needs and desires.

Only then will the limit on love and abundance within your family unit become infinite.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

Some years – you just feel it. Everyone in your family is delving into the holiday spirit. Christmas music seems happier, tree trimming is fun, and waiting for Santa is the best thing ever.

While other years it feels like any other time of the year and you have to force yourself and your family to enjoy the holidays.

Here are some easy ways to give back, get into, and simply enjoy the time during the holidays as a family.

1. Make Gifts Together As A Family

Instead of toting the kids around on Black Friday to secure deals, give some thought to your present giving and start creating homemade gifts you and your family can do together.

Family time will be well spent and a hands-on approach will help get everyone into the holiday spirits — not to mention letting your kids witness the love and time the whole family puts into each gift.

2. Donate What You Can

Round the family up and go through clothes, toys, and everything that you no longer need or have grown out of.

Divvy your goodies up and drop them off at various charities that you all pick out together.

Or donate yourselves to a good cause. Walk for cancer, cook food for a soup kitchen, or head over to a friend’s or relative’s house and clean up their yard debris or help organize their garage.

3. Embrace Family Rituals

If you don’t have any — create some.

If you’ve been slacking on some of the ones your family used to celebrate — bring them back.

If you feel like you don’t have enough — come up with some new additions.

The point is to engage your family into the thought process so that you can come up with some heartwarming rituals that can be passed down through the generations to keep the family and holiday spirit alive.

4. Holiday Movie Time

Once a week during the holidays (and after as well) gather the family up in the living room for some marathon holiday movie sessions.

Everything goes, from Charlie Brown to the Grinch to Miracle on 34th Street.

Make hot chocolate, bake some goodies, and pop some popcorn. Enjoy yourselves while you cuddle together as a family and enjoy each other’s company.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

As if it isn’t hard enough….motherhood.

It’s physically draining and emotionally daunting, but we do love it, don’t we, mamas?

To gaze at our children lovingly and hold them in our arms and take away all their fears is a superpower no one else possesses except us — and it’s awesome to say the least.

But at times it can be stressful, trying to organize the family and its happenings.

So here are three ways to simplify things a little bit more for you and make your life as a mom a tad less exhausting.

1. Go Hands Free

It may sound trivial, but think of the time you spend on the phone just waiting.

Waiting on hold, waiting to be transferred, and waiting to hear your correct prompt.

Use a hand free headset or your phone’s speakerphone and utilize that waiting time to get other things done such as jotting down food lists or composing dinner ideas or even folding clothes.

The key to efficient daily doings when you’re the matriarch of the family is multitasking, trust me.

2. Have A Center Storage

For all of the things that you and your family will be using on a daily basis, it’s best to have a basket or a drawer or even a cabinet where you keep all the essentials.

Keep things like phones, tablets, chargers of all kinds, house keys, car keys, wallets, backpacks, purses, etc in that space so that everyone will know where the most used items are and time won’t be spent having to hunt them down on a daily basis.

Such an easy thing, but so many families don’t have a central ‘station’ where the most used items can call home.

Trust me, this center storage will be a lifesaver when you’re short on time.

3. Optimize Opportunities

Think things like stocking up on cards for every occasion, having extra neutral-themed gift bags and wrapping paper around, keeping extra gifts on hand for those unexpected invites or congratulatory times.

Maybe your kids got a last minute invite to a birthday party, or your husband’s close friend received an unexpected promotion – whatever the occasion, being optimized and ready will set your mind at ease and help alleviate stress.

Also, don’t forget to optimize your time by shopping for items online. You can pretty much purchase anything and everything online these days, and while some of us still aren’t entirely comfortable shopping online, many of us are.

Online shopping is a great way to help you use your time for other family happenings.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

We care for them like they were our own children and we want nothing more than for them to be happy and well-adjusted when the new baby arrives.

While some pets will take to the newest member of the family with ease, others will have a hard time accepting that our attention must now be split to other family members.

Here are three ways that you can help your pet become more acclimated to not only the new baby, but also to the idea that they must share their space with another.

1. Mimic

Your animals are used to being the center of attention in your house, and that’s obviously going to change once you bring your baby home.

Veterinarians recommend doing things that will mimic what you will do with your baby.

Think exercises like holding your baby, feeding your baby, placing your baby in their crib, and using a stroller.

These actions can be done by holding a doll or a rolling up a blanket to act as the baby.

If you really want to get into it, you can purchase a doll that cries and makes baby sounds so that your animals can acclimate themselves to the sounds they will soon hear.

There are even CD’s available with baby sounds on them that you can play at various times throughout the day so that your animals can hear firsthand what a baby sounds like.

It’s as if you’ll be getting a head start on creating the new normal for your pets and this will help them ease into what’s to come.

2. Baby Scent

After you deliver your baby, have your partner bring home a blanket or clothing that was worn by your baby.

This piece of clothing will have your baby’s scent on it.

Let your animals thoroughly investigate the article of clothing and become familiar with this new smell that will be entering into their lives and daily routines.

Leave the article of clothing out in the open where they can get to it repeatedly so that their sense receptors can investigate the smell whenever they want to help become acquainted with it.

This will help your pets be calmer of what’s to come and also help them not feel so strange once you bring your new baby home.

3. Be One Step Ahead

You know your pets and their behavior, so take that into consideration when it’s time to start introducing them to the idea of a new baby and for when your baby will be coming home.

If you will be changing any rules, start the change early enough so that your pet isn’t surprised and reprimanded for something they won’t necessarily understand right away.

Never forget that animals are, by nature, unpredictable and they, like us, react to situations and stimulants differently when they are new and strange.

Our animals will be naturally curious as to this new addition you bring home and you should let them become acquainted in the safest way possible.

Don’t leave your animals alone with the new baby without your supervision, don’t ignore your pets once the baby arrives, and always include your pet in your daily activities with the new baby as you have done in the past.

Once your animals grasp that this newest addition is a family member, things will fall back into place and the normalcy will return to the household.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

But the fact is that many pregnant women still don’t get enough water and fluids to stay properly hydrated. Oftentimes it is difficult to drink the recommended 8-12 glasses per day, and many women do not enjoy having to drink that much water each and every day.

Prenatal Oxylent is the ideal prenatal vitamin for women who struggle with drinking enough water every day, because it’s not like other pill-form prenatal vitamins—it’s a drink mix! Each single-serving packet adds to water to create a sparkling drink that tastes great while also delivering all the nutrients you need from your prenatal vitamin—including folic acid/folate, iron, vitamin A, choline, and B vitamins.

Drinking Prenatal Oxylent satisfies two important needs at once—you get your daily prenatal vitamin, and you get one of your recommended glasses of water for the day, with the refreshing change of pace of the all-natural sparkling cranberry raspberry flavor.

Not only tastier and more pleasant to take than pill-form prenatal vitamins, Prenatal Oxylent is also better absorbed than pills. Research shows that the effervescent delivery of Prenatal Oxylent allows for greater absorption of the crucial nutrients your body needs even more of during pregnancy.

The American Pregnancy Association has recognized Prenatal Oxylent as their official prenatal vitamin, and third party testing ensures its purity and potency.

Choosing your liquids wisely is a big part of staying properly hydrated while pregnant. Sugary and caffeinated beverages actually dehydrate your body—not only do they not count in your daily fluid intake, but they actually work against your recommended intake are and thus best avoided altogether.

Prenatal Oxylent contains no sugar, no caffeine, no herbs, no gluten, no dairy, and no artificial additives of any kind—just the highest quality nutrients in their most absorbable form, with a great sparkling cranberry raspberry taste.

Since our kids are everywhere all the time, we as parents can’t always be with them to ensure our safety standards are being met – but what we can do is start at home and make our family aware of the rules they are to keep in mind when they’re out of our reach.

Here’s five that should be ingrained and withheld as early as possible to ensure the safety and security of our loved ones.

1. Know Your Children

I mean this in all aspects.

Know their temperaments, their likes, their dislikes, their mood swings, their body language, their mental capacity, their allergies, their body (do they bruise easily? etc), their energy levels, and so on.

If you feel you don’t have a firm grasp on all of the above areas, then get one, on each of your children.

The better in tune you are with your family, the quicker you’ll be able to ascertain a problem with them.

Problems can range from anything to being bullied at school to coming down with a cold to being able to decipher that something is bothering them – and everything else in between.

It should be so that no one knows and understands your child better than you. You are their biggest fan, their biggest supporter, and their biggest advocate and you should always be on your toes about the mental and physical well-being of each of your children so that you can be on top of any abnormalities in their behavior and actions.

2. Know How To Swim

You never know when water will become a dangerous inhibitor to any of your family members.

Make it a point that everyone in your immediate family can swim on their own without any help from an adult or flotation devices (age matters, of course. We don’t expect an infant to know how to swim).

3. Phone Numbers

If you are dealing with preschool-aged children, it’s important that they are well-versed in their parents’ phone numbers and that they know how to dial a phone correctly.

With the older children, dialing a phone isn’t that important since they grasp that concept, but being able to ramble off their parents’ cell phone numbers at a moment’s notice might be tricky.

With the ushering in of technology, especially smart phones and texting, are you able to recall your partner’s cell and work number?

Sometimes even the older kids need help being quizzed on important phone numbers and addresses to remember.

4. Know Where Your Kids Are

Don’t just assume they stayed after school to finish up a project. Don’t assume that they went directly home after school.

Don’t ever assume they are where they are supposed to be unless you know for sure that they are there.

Call them, text them, drop by where they are supposed to be unexpectedly to ensure you were properly informed of their whereabouts.

If your family knows that you’re on top of their actions, they’ll be less likely to try to fib in the future.

5. Not Everyone Is Good

Sure, we teach our kids to stay away from strangers, but what about the people that they’re familiar with?

Talk to your children and explain to them that not everyone we come in contact with is out for the greater good – not everyone is safe to be around – and not everyone will always look out for our best interests.

This isn’t meant to scare your kids, but to teach them the difference between those that want to help them and those that are out to harm them both mentally and physically.

For tips on how to start the ‘stranger danger’ conversation, I found a great article on the National Crime Prevention Council’s website.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.

And while some of us love grocery shopping, many others simply loathe it. Because of the time it takes up, the having to put away everything after it’s been purchased, and because of the prices – they seem to be getting more and more outrageous on some of the most common household items we purchase all the time.

I’ve done some research and have come across four tried and true methods for saving your family money when it comes to groceries. Read on for some great money saving tips.

1. Use Coupons

If you haven’t already, it’s time to become one with coupons, my dear mamas and papas.

Spending thirty seconds clipping or printing out a manufacturer’s coupon to save on an item that your family uses often adds up to dollars saved.

And if you combine the coupon with a sale – well now, that’s just a super-duper savings for you.

There’s no law stating that you have to become the next ‘extreme coupon champion’, simply being on the look-out for coupons that become available on the items that your family uses on a regular basis will help you easily save money on your future grocery bills.

2. Stock Up

Think non-perishables such as beans and those that have a long shelf-life such as canned goods and rice.

These are items that you should purchase in multiples so that you have ‘fillers’ around for meals.

Baked some chicken did you, mama? Need a side dish? Oh great – you have extra cans of sliced carrots or mixed veggies. Looks like dinner’s done in a jiffy.

Don’t be afraid to hit the dented cans either, mamas. I’ve found some fantastic steals on the dented rack when I’ve taken the time to look through it.

If you’re not a member of a wholesale club (think Sam’s Club or BJ’s or Costco) then saddle up with a friend who is and buy some of your most used items in bulk.

Not everything is a better buy at those places but most things are, so take the time to look at everything and figure out if your family could benefit from the large quantities.

3. Plan Out Your Meals

Take an hour or so on the weekend when the day is over and plan out your weekly dinners.

Not only will you feel less stressed about what’s for dinner all week, but you’ll be able to shop accordingly once you hit the supermarket and will be less likely to overbuy items that you think you might need during the week.

4. Cook Your Meals

This one is a given if you wish to save money on groceries when it comes to family meals.

You’ll save the most money if you cook everything from scratch.

Don’t forget about slow cookers, also commonly referred to as a Crock-Pot.

You can literally cook everything and anything in a slow cooker – from side dishes to main dishes to desserts to bread, you name it, there’s a recipe for cooking it via your slow cooker.

Also, consider cooking two or more dishes and freezing the extra for another meal. This way, if you’re short on time you can just pull out a finished dish and heat it up.

• Make it a family affair and get everyone involved in the meal planning and cooking and relish in the free family time.

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About the author: Danielle is a professional blogger, freelance writer, social media manager, and web content editor specializing in parenting, family, pregnancy, social media, start-ups, and entrepreneurial topics. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.PenPointEditorial.com.