If you are still looking for a Father’s Day race to celebrate the dad’s in your life, here is a list of family and stroller friendly races for the weekend of June 15-16, 2013. Saturday, June 15, 2013 Alabama Chick-fil-A Connect Race Series:… @ Decatur Baptist Church California Color Blast 5K Run @ San Bernardino County fairgrounds in Victorville, CA Lincoln Center Father/Son Fun Run @ Fleet Feet Stockton District of Columbia Purple Stride Washington, DC Georgia 5 Alarm 5K @ Suwanee Towne Center Park Connect Race: Warner Robins, GA @ Southside Baptist Church 9th Annual Blake Gammill 10.5K, 5K, & 1-mile Run/WALK Illinois Run For Boston 5k NHRI 5K Walk/Run @ Busse Woods Elk Grove Village Dash with Dad Louisiana Race 2 Grace 5K, 10K @ Fair Park Baptist Church Missouri Steps & Strides 5K/10K @ Frontier Park, Jaycee Stage Hero Up 2nd Annual For The Children Run Nebraska Nebraska Land Road Run Nevada Las Vegas 5K for Heroes @ Sunset Regional Park New York Saratoga For Uganda-Annual Fairw… @ McGregor Fairways Corner of Fieldstone Dr and Autumn Ct North Carolina Dash for Dad @ Pine Valley Sam’s Club Children’s Miracle Network 5K and 1/2 Mile Kids Fun Run Hope for Haiti’s Children 5K/10K… @ Statesville Soccer Complex Oklahoma Footsteps of Faith 5k @ Sequoyah State Park South Carolina Firefighter’s for Fitness 5K @ Myrtle Beach Market Commons (please note part of this course is gravel!) Texas Playtri 5K & Kids Fun Run @ Playtri North Store Smiles for Life 5K @ Nelson Park Washington Strollin’ to Fight SIDS @ Newport High School Track   Sunday, June 16, 2013 – Father’s Day California Pleasanton Rotary Father’s Day Spirit Run @ Under the Arch in Downtown Pleasanton Florida I LOVE FATHER’S DAY 5K @...

Au Pairs live in our house and care for our children and I want to ensure they are as equipped with the most knowledge to protect themselves and my children from harm’s way. In addition, I want to provide an environment that is fun, healthy and presents the best experience for the Au Pair and my children.  Here are my top 5 important reads for Au Pairs & Child Care Providers. Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning.  Now that summer is here, most Au Pairs are frequenting the pool with their host kids. Please read this article because what you think a drowning person should do, they won’t be able to do.     Child Care Emergency Check List.  As an Au Pair, if you do not have this information at your finger tips, please ensure you ask for immediately.  We have this information located in kitchen on the wall by the phone and phone chargers, in the diaper bag (you can put it in the kids pool or school bags), and a few more strategic places in the house.       Mom, you told everyone! Kids Privacy Online.  We have social media guidelines in our house.  Most Au Pairs we know us Facebook to communicate with one another or another form of social media. Please ensure they know what your rules are about posting photos of your kids, home, etc. or using your children’s real names.     Who Did Your Au Pair Bring Home?!?! “Sleep tight; don’t let the bedbugs bite.” This is no longer just a phrase. According to Orkin Pest Control, they have seen a 33% rise in bed bugs since 2011.  As of 2012, New York (ranked 10th in the country) and Washington, DC (ranked 7th in the county),...

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...

Mother’s Day in the United States is just around the corner. Looking for some unique gifts for your mom or wife, here are my top three favorite personalized photos gifts. iPhone Personalized Case. I love mine! I carry around pictures of my kids every day and it puts a smile on my face every time I look at photos.  Several companies offer customized iPhone case, but my personal preference is Shutterfly.  The case is high quality, the price is reasonable and they have ample style designs to choose from – 44 to be exact.  You can customize iPhone cases for the iPhone 3G/3GS, iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5. Here is a list of companies that offer personalized iPhone cases. Shutterfly  – $34.95 (my personal favorite) not including taxes or shipping and handling Tiny Prints – $39.95 not including taxes or shipping and handling Walgreens – $29.99 not including taxes or shipping and handling Walmart – $29.98 not including taxes or shipping and handling Target – $32.99 – $34.29 not including taxes or shipping and handling SkinIt – -Starting at $14.99 not including taxes or shipping and handling Fleece Photo Blankets. I do not own one, but have made more than a half a dozen of these blankets for gifts.  These make for a great gift for Grandmas. The blanket itself is so soft; it makes you want to cozy up with the blanket and a good book.  Several companies offer customized fleece photo blankets, but my personal preference is Shutterfly. Shutterfly offers the blankets in two sizes 50×60 or 60×80 (featuring up to eight photos per blanket). I have always purchased the 50×60 and they are plenty large for two people to sit comfortably under the blanket. Here is a list of companies that...

In order to put things back into the perspective after the terrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon yesterday, I went home hugged my husband and kids and I went on a family run.  We strapped the kids in the double jog stroller and went to our favorite lake and ran.  Not unlike the rest of the world, I am stunned, shocked, horrified and restless.  Who would do this? Why would you do this? My heart aches for the father who lost his precious son and his wife and daughter suffered major injuries while waiting for him to cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I am saddened that spectators who came to share in a glorious moment of celebration with their family member(s) and/or friends will forever associate this tragedy with the Boston Marathon. I am sad that runners/racers will be concerned – myself included – that entering any major race is no longer safe or fun.  Why put ourselves in harm’s way? Should we race? Should our family come out and celebrate with us? While my heart heals, my legs will keep running.  Yes, I will continue to race. Yes, I want my family to celebrate my accomplishments with me. Yes, I will still be fearful that we are in harm’s way.  But, I will keep going.   Each day I am suffering on the bike, or tired of the monotony in the pool, or breathless running fartleks, I be grateful that I can still run and I have my wonderful family around to support me.  I am grateful that my teammates racing the Boston Marathon were all safe. My prayers and thoughts go out to all those who lost a loved one or have loved ones injured. From the Washington Post Boston...

I usually don’t post recipes, but I wanted to share one I created this weekend out of necessity. I was making baby food and I ran out of storage containers and had two ripe bananas leftover, so I made Nutella Banana Popsicles. I did not have a recipe for it, but after creating my concoction, I decided to see if a recipe already existed.  Low and behold you can find several recipes  for Nutella Banana Popsicles, but they all called for milk, cool whip or some other variation. I used no milk because I did not even consider it, but I am sure the other recipes taste as good or better. FYI, these were a big hit with my 3 yrs old.  Furthermore, for all the people that workout, this is a great recovery food too. NUTELLA BANANA POPSICLES GLUTEN FREE 2 medium ripe bananas 3 tablespoons of Nutella 2 scoops of non-flavored Protein powder (optional) Yields 6 Popsicles Instructions In a medium bowl warm up three tablespoons of Nutella in the microwave for 30 seconds. Mash the bananas up in a blender or with a fork.  I just used a fork because my bananas were so ripe. Add the banana into the Nutella and mix well. Add protein powder if you so desire. Pour the mix into 6 Popsicle containers. Freeze at a minimum for six hours, but overnight might just be easier. Nutritional Facts Without Protein Powder 1 serving = 1 Popsicle 85 Calories 0.80 grams protein 14 carbohydrates 3 grams of fat Nutritional Facts With Protein Powder 1 serving = 1 Popsicle 118 calories 7.5 grams of protein 15 grams of carbohydrates 3 grams of fat    ...