Traveling with a toddler sometimes can be difficult, especially a hungry, tired toddler.  If you are like most parents, you want to ensure you have healthy snack alternatives– instead of cookies – and games to keep your little one occupied when you are standing in lines or waiting at the gate.   With airline regulations now, going through security with foods for toddlers can be difficult; unless it is formula or breast milk the TSA agents might not allow you through security lines with certain foods. Yes, you can buy food in the convenience stands and restaurants, but they might not have any healthy snack options to your liking. One healthy snack alternative that most likely will get through a TSA security line (although, it is always subject to the TSA Agent) is FruitaBu Organic Smooshed Fruit.  Portable and convenient, our Smoooshed Fruit Rolls contain: 1 serving* of all-natural fruit Now Non-GMO Project Verification No artificial additives Real-fruit purée No added sugar – all sugar comes naturally from fruit This taste great and I personally have been eating their fruit leather from years; I buy them at Whole Foods. Originally, I was going to suggest the fruit puree pouches as the best healthy snack alternative for traveling with a toddler, but after reading about how much sugar is contained in the pureed fruit, I opted against them for my children. However, if you are still interested in the fruit pouches, and a lot of parents are — companies such as Plum Organics, GoGo Squeez and Smashies Pouches—as well as multi-national conglomerates such as Gerber® sell them.  Most pouches are within the limit of 3.4 oz, and generally will be accepted by a TSA Agent.  Please check the pouch size before throwing them in your diaper...

If your kids are home for the summer whether it is with you or with a care giver, here are 50 great summer activities for kids 2-5 years old. There are many versions of these activities below and can be tailored to your location; so make it fun for you and your kids. Have a wonderful summer and enjoy!...

What does your Au Pair do during the day while your children are at school?  I have been pondering this question for three years now because our Au Pairs have only watched babies and toddlers (not of school age).  My Au Pair’s work all day and gets only a slight reprieve when both my kids nap in the afternoon; of course, that is if my three year old cooperates.  In the past three years, I would estimate that at least 95% of the Au Pairs we’ve met are Au Pairs for school age children. From what they tell us, they generally work from 7:00 AM -8:30 AM to get the kids off to school and then from 3:00 PM -6:00 PM when the kids get home from school to when their host parents get home.  Yes, some work some additional week nights and weekends and have other required household chores, but that still allows a lot of downtime for these young ladies.  I am curious what one does with the time between 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM? Are the Au Pair’s bored? Do they join a gym?  Do they take their required courses?  Do they prepare activities for the day or week for their host kids? Do they cook meals because they can? The reason for asking is I have seen a correlation between the busier an Au Pair is less the homesick they are.  From interviewing more than my share of Au Pairs, I have learned that for most of these girls it is the first time away from their home and their country. They either just finished school, or taking a break from University, or taking some time to decide what they want to be when they grow up. These girls have...

If you have not signed up for a race for Mother’s Day weekend yet, we have more than 50 stroller friendly races listed thus far.  Give yourself a gift and run by yourself while your hubby pushes the stroller or just watches you race.  Get together with your favorite moms and go out and have some fun. The Mother’s Day weekend races are listed by State below. We will continue to add races for Mother’s Day weekend until Friday, May 10, 2013. Good luck and happy running. California CPOA Run To Remember Colorado Redline 13.1 Denver on Platte River Trail Stober Stallion 5K and 1K Fun Run Telegraph Mother’s Day 5K/10K District of Columbia Komen Global Race for the Cure BEST Kids 5K & Kids Fun Run Florida Chick-fil-A Connect Race Series: Jacksonville, FL Georgia Pickens Footsteps for Families 5K & Tot Trot Run Toward the Son 5K Illinois Race to Wrigley 5K Trot For Theresa 5K SMI 5K and Kids Run TheraCORE’s 5K Race for a Cure AERO Special Ed. Coop 4th Annual 5K Capitol Nutrition Pets for Vets 5K Feets of Strength 5K Run for Child Abuse Awareness Root Awakening 5K – Run/Walk for Forgotten Children Food Truck 5K and Block Party Kansas Mother’s Day 5K Kentucky Lourdes Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon & Relay Louisiana Contraband Days 5-Miler Junior League’s Etouffee 5K Al Briede Gold Cup Race 5k Run for Excellence Mom’s Day 5k​ Maryland Pasadena E.S 5k and 1M Fun Run Great Chesapeake Bay Wellness Race Stryker’s for a Cause 5K 2ND Annual Choptank Trot for Melanoma 5K Run/Walk Wood Acres JogFest Gospel of the 5K Run/Walk 5K Run/ 2K Fun Run Her5K Missouri 3rd Annual Love 2 Run 4 Love 5K Run/Walk 8th Annual Karen 4 a Kause 5K...

Like any young woman between the ages of 18-26 years old, Au Pairs are attached to technology.  Most Au Pairs have smart phones or devices, whether the host family provides it or they purchased their own.  To make their transition go more smoothly and help them feel more acclimated, here are top 10 Apps for Au Pairs. Alarm Clock Free Alarm Clock Free turns your mobile device into a beautiful digital clock and alarm clock for free! It even displays live, local weather conditions and temperature that makes you know about the weather immediately when you wake up. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Gas Buddies Find the cheapest gas (petrol) around you. GasBuddy uses gas price information provided by our users to bring drivers together to support the common goal of saving money on gas.  Gas prices only for USA and Canada. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone, Android, and Blackberry   Circle of 6 Circle of 6 lets you choose six trusted friends to add to your circle. If you get into an uncomfortable or risky situation, use Circle of 6 to automatically send your circle a pre-programmed SMS alert message, with your exact location. It’s quick. It’s discreet. Two taps on your phone is all it takes. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Wi-Fi Finder  Over 650,000 locations in 144 countries worldwide! Quickly and easily find FREE or paid Wi-Fi when you travel with the JiWire Wi-Fi Finder. Cost: Free Platform: iPhone and Android   Clothing Size Conversion While shopping abroad, travelers often run into the dilemma of figuring out foreign sizes. Whether you’re shopping for shoes, pants, a shirt, or even a bra, the app converts sizes for a number of different countries (Britain, Japan, Korea, France, for to name...