News | Tracey and Kimberly Eaton

Three Ways to Mentally Push Past Pain

September 15, 2019 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Play Injured

We’ve all heard the saying that pain is mental. Whether that holds true or not depends on who you ask. But what is not debatable is that we possess the power to push past pain. Time and time again, people have conquered excruciating circumstances with nothing more than sheer will power. Here are three ways to mentally push past pain.

Set Small Attainable Goals

One way to push past pain is to start small. Instead of experiencing anxiety over the mountainous task that lies ahead, break the job into smaller objectives. Center your goals around your pain level. Whatever your body (or emotional state) is most capable of accomplishing quickly, make that your target. Use that same standard over and over again and before you know it, you’ll have accomplished your mission.

Find Your Why

When things get tough and you feel like you can’t go on, the best motivator is purpose. Dig deep and think of your motivation. Maybe it’s your family. Maybe it’s your desire to inspire others. Maybe it’s your end goal. Whatever your reason, locate it and focus in. Quiet the pain and replay your why. Think of how rewarding it will be to achieve what you’ve set out to do and remember; the pain is temporary, but the reward is not.

Focus Elsewhere

The last method to push past pain is to focus elsewhere. Anywhere else. If the pain is what is standing between you and the finish line, make it your mission to forget the pain exists. Mentally zone out. Pick something interesting to stare at in the room. Sing a song in your head. Daydream about your favorite childhood memory. Ask someone to talk to you to distract you. Whatever you need to do to pull your attention away from the pain, no matter how silly or unorthodox, do it.

When experiencing physical or emotional pain, almost any task can feel impossible, but you can succeed. You don’t need to be 100% to tackle your goals. You can still play, even if you are injured. Don’t let pain hold you back from achieving your dreams. Use these three tips to mentally push past the pain and cross the finish line.

Five Easy Ways To Take Care of Your Mental Health

July 15, 2019 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Healthy Living

Holistic wellness is important to live a happy and fruitful life. This means that aside from giving prime importance to maintain physical health, people should also address certain emotions that can adversely affect their well-being. However, while people are often quick to offer solutions to symptoms which imply that there is something wrong with the body, not everyone is keen to give the same attention to signs that denote mental health problems. Unfortunately, ignoring emotions such as anxiety and depression can significantly lower one’s quality of life. It will also make it more difficult to accomplish tasks and reach goals.

In fact, World Health Organization recently announced burnout as an official medical condition. So while it is often beneficial to push yourself to the limits, it also pays to take a step back once you feel that the daily stress is getting harder to bear. At a certain stage, professional help or treatment may be needed to overcome the problems that poor mental health can bring. Still, prevention remains the best cure. So as you take steps to nourish a healthy body, it is likewise necessary to ensure a sound mind. The following offer some suggestions to help you take care of your mental health.

Cultivate relationships.

Sometimes, things at work or at home can get too demanding and every little task starts to feel like a huge burden. In times like these, you will find great comfort at the thought that you are not alone. Do not forget that you have friends or family members that will always be there for you. You can always seek their help or simply talk to them and they can offer advice or be a good listener. You may be surprised how a seemingly impossible situation suddenly appears easier once you share your feelings to someone who cares. So along with your other priorities in life, remember to connect with others and cultivate relationships as well.

Make room for mistakes.

Overachievers tend to be perfectionists because they want to excel in everything they do. Though this attitude may help them exceed expectations, it can also present dangers when they fail at something or commit a mistake. The best approach is to stay competitive but be ready to cope when things do not go as you expected. Stop beating yourself up because no one is perfect in this world and even the best can always commit errors.

Engage in activities you enjoy.

Taking care of your mental health does not have to be complicated. It can actually be as easy as taking a break. You can make your break time worthwhile by spending it on activities that will make you happy. Maybe you like reading or watching movies. Outdoor activities such as biking or fishing can significantly boost your mood and energize your body. You can also start hobbies or play sports. A research conducted in 2012 even reveals that taking a break can reduce stress and increase productivity. So take your mind off work for a while and do something you love.

Know your limits.

Most of the time, stress and fatigue happens because you try to take on more than you can handle. Maybe you want to do many things at once or you just find it hard to say no to other people’s request. Though your intentions may be good, you are also getting yourself closer to a breakdown. So be kind to yourself and learn to say no if it is clear to see that your plate is full. Accept the fact that you are not a superman or a superwoman and can only do one thing at a time.

Stay fit.

Amidst a hectic lifestyle, it is a must to get enough rest and eat healthy meals. Physical health is directly tied to mental health so a weak body is naturally more susceptible to feel gloomy and sluggish. Thus, a strong and fit physique should be a continuous goal for everyone. Follow a diet full of fruits and vegetables and try to minimize consumption of junk foods and sweets. It is also advisable to start an exercise regimen.

Have you been working so hard to achieve your goals in life? While your desire to do more than what is required is commendable, it also makes you at risk to suffer burnout. Do not wait until it is too late before you do something about it. Make a decision to take care of your mental health today!

3 Ways To Bust Fears To Finally Plunge Into Entrepreneurship

May 15, 2019 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is one of the most recommended paths to take for people who wish to enjoy financial freedom. This is why “starting a business” is one of the answers you will likely see in someone’s list of long-term goals. Yet while so many people dream of making it in business, not everyone has the grit and initiative to even make the first step to realizing their vision. According to research by Dr. Philipp Berger, fear of failure is one of the top factors that explain why so many back out of investing in their own business. So to fulfill your dreams of creating a thriving business, you need to deal with the small voices inside that are hindering you from braving the risks and uncertainties related to entrepreneurship. The following points can help crush your anxieties and at the same time encourage you to finally take the big plunge into entrepreneurship.

Minimize financial worries.

Potential entrepreneurs may keep on stalling a business project due to lack of funds or the fear of running out of them. After all, losing money instead of earning it is one of the worst things that can happen to a new business. Still, this is a risk you should boldly face if you want to reap the benefits of entrepreneurship. Careful preparation and smart strategies can help you cope with this fear. Money is essential to keeping a business running, so make it a goal to raise enough funds before investing on a new venture. To reduce the risk of losing funds, thoroughly research and understand how the business model that you want to invest in works. This includes searching for ways to save operating costs and maximizing your budget. Laying out a concrete contingency plan right from the start will greatly help lessen your worries.

Ditch perfectionism.

Do you have a great business idea but can’t find the strength to bring it into fruition? It is probably because you are afraid to make mistakes and want everything to be perfect before taking the plunge. This unrealistic expectation, though, will hardly be beneficial. Even if true entrepreneurs strive to avoid mistakes, they are surely not afraid of them. This is because they know that mistakes and setbacks are part of the entrepreneurial journey. These mistakes also come with valuable lessons that can help hone your skills and improve their business. To gain more confidence as an aspiring businessman, ditch trying to be perfect and stop comparing your progress with others.

Treat it as a great adventure.

How long have you been pondering about managing your own enterprise? It may feel good to keep on dreaming, but if you don’t do something and act on it, you may just wake up one day and realize that it’s too late. So stop procrastinating and start doing. You surely don’t want to have regrets later on in life. Treat it as a great adventure: Win or lose, you can at least be proud of yourself because you tried. When you think about it, even if it fails, entrepreneurship will leave you with skills and experiences that you can never get at a corporate job.

For many of us, operating a successful business that you can call your own is a dream come true. Many factors, however, can prevent us from achieving this goal. In the end it all boils down to making the right choices. Choose to succeed by not allowing these factors to cripple you. Instead, never stop finding ways to empower yourself and reach your goals.

Financial Skills Every Child Should Learn Before Leaving Home

March 15, 2019 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Intentional Parenting

We send our kids off to school daily where they learn everything from how to compose an accurate chemical equation to what year each ancient civilization collapsed. Our children effortlessly navigate the internet, confidently troubleshoot malfunctioning technology and speak a language all their own. But one area that continues to be an opportunity for improvement, generation after generation, is financial literacy. For various reasons (assuredly none intentional) we allow our young adults to leave the nest without the solid footing they need to confidently navigate the financial world they will soon enter. Many milestones of adulthood are paired with complex financial skills that our children may not fully understand. Going forward, we can right the wrong by making financial literacy as common and integrated as knowing their ABCs. Here are four financial skills that every child should learn before leaving home.

A budget is a financial tool that helps you plan how to responsibly spend your money. Budgets also assist in creating financial security by clearly presenting your incoming and outgoing funds, which discourages impulse purchases and inconsistent contributions to your savings account. Children who learn to budget are more likely to be more adept at money management later in life.
A credit score is a three digit number banks and lenders use to determine how well-rounded and consistent your history of responsible debt repayment is. Lenders check your credit score to decide whether the risk of providing a loan is worthwhile or not. A high credit score allows you to get the best interest rates on car, home and personal loans, as well as credit cards. Knowing the ins and outs of how to effectively building credit will give your kids a head start in their journey to financial literacy.
Buying a house is one of the biggest financial decisions that we make as adults, but the process can be complex and overwhelming. For most, elements like interest rates, down payments, various types of loans, homeowners’ insurance, property taxes and closing costs were foreign concepts that we learned while buying our first home, making the experience even more stressful. Help your children avoid the anxiety by teaching them about these concepts early on.
Philanthropy is the act of giving a person or charitable foundation a gift. Philanthropic gifts can be given in the form of time, labor or expertise, but most often, they are financial. Philanthropists earn their title by habitually giving. In order to sustain such a financial commitment to others, the giver must employ several money management skills. They must budget, save and keep accurate financial records for tax purposes. Shouldering such a task is more complicated than meets the eye, so true philanthropy must be taught in the same manner as any other financial skill. By exposing children to the purpose, importance and management of giving, you substantially increase the chances of your child being a lifelong philanthropist.

The best way to help your children establish a solid understanding of financial acumen is to start early and be transparent. You are your kids’ first and most important role model and who they look to for guidance. It’s never too early to teach age appropriate money management skills to create in your children a habit of being financially informed and aware. Show your children how you manage your finances. Explain how you budget monthly. Teach them the technical aspects of making tough financial decisions. Doing so can make all the difference in how financially confident and able your child grows up to be.

Steps To Develop A Winning Attitude In Everything You Do

December 15, 2018 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Play Injured

You were born to win, but to be a winner
you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win. -Zig Ziglar

Some people enjoy success after success while others wallow in repeated failure and losses. It is easy to say that maybe it is all just a matter of luck. Some days, good fortune is on your side while adversity seems to be a constant companion on unlucky days. However if you take a moment to ponder, you may begin to realize that people who always win possess habits and traits that are different from people who are always on the losing side. So if you want favorable circumstances to pour your way, the first thing you may need to do is examine your own actions and attitudes. Try and compare how your behavior differs from that of the successful folks. Your reflection may just let you see that to keep winning in life, you need to develop the following traits:

Expect positive outcomes.

Your thoughts and views have a great impact on the things you want to accomplish in your life. This is the principle behind the popular concept of the law of attraction. This theory implies that like begets like or simply put, you receive what you give. It means that expecting and visualizing positive results increases your chance of turning it to reality. The Roman poet, Virgil perfectly summarized this concept with the quote, “They can because they think they can.” So in every endeavor, choose to look at the bright side and stay positive. Theories and studies suggest that it boost your chance of succeeding. Moreover, positive emotions also helps you stay healthy and happy..

Mind your words.

Along with your thoughts that run in your mind, you should also guard the words that come out of your mouth. Try to observe how you communicate with yourself and assess if the words demean rather than uplift you. If you are given a task, do you describe it as easy and doable or do you tend to whine and complain? Words are powerful so make sure that it will work to your advantage. This is the reasons why meditations and prayers often contains phrases that are uttered repeatedly. To adapt this technique, you can start by making daily positive affirmations that will strengthen your resolve to win and excel.

Make necessary preparations.

Positive attitude is not nearly as effective without concrete steps and actions. So even with high hopes and affirmations, open your eyes to the reality that you also have loads of preparation to do. Take opportunities to train and equip yourself with skills that will ensure your success. Preparation also means identifying the weaknesses that can hinder your success. If you prepared ahead of time, you will have time to figure out ways on how to cope or avoid possible roadblocks. Having the will to win without preparing any strategy to accomplish the goal is like heading to a battle without anything to combat the enemy.

Welcome change.

It would be nice to stay in your comfort zone where everything is easy and predictable. However since nothing is permanent in this word, this ideal situation is not that realistic. To breeze through life, you should develop your adaptability skills. True winners do not fear change. They anticipate and embrace it because they know that it will bring new experiences and lessons. Winners do not let any changes overwhelm or topple them. Instead, they learn how to adapt to various situations without losing control or feeling stressed.

Hang out with the right crowd.

People you regularly hang out with influence you more than you know. So pay close attention the people you are always with. Do they always put you down? Or do they inspire you to be successful? As yourself if the people around you push you to do your best or heighten your anxiety to tackle tasks? Your reflection should lead you to a decision to keep your friends or find a new crowd to hang out with.

Be passionate about what you do.

A popular phrase states that people should find a job they love to do so it will barely feel like work. This saying is also true if you want to succeed in life. Being passionate about your job makes you devote much time and effort into it. It would be unlikely for you to feel burned out from too much work too because you enjoy it. Just being happy and satisfied with the work you do already makes you a winner, but you will likely get lots of recognition and accolades from it too.

Everybody wants to win but winning also means you are willing to work hard for it. Changing your mindsets and developing good traits are a good start to greatly increase your likelihood to win in everything you do.

Three Ways to Naturally Prevent the Flu

November 15, 2018 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Healthy Living

Influenza (flu) season begins in fall and peaks in winter, but can last through May. In recent years the flu has become increasingly difficult to treat. Flu shots definitely do their part toward boosting immunity, but with rapid adaptations to the virus, the flu is notoriously hard to beat. The best medicine is prevention. Luckily, there are many natural remedies and aids to help your body survive the flu season sans illness.

Sanitize

Proper hand washing rules are well known among adults, but during the flu season it’s always wise to review. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water, scrub underneath your nails and count to 20 before rinsing. As always, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. It’s best to keep your hands away from your face to avoid self-inoculation (transferring germs from one body part to another). Remember to sanitize items that you use daily (your phone, beauty products, etc.). Your office can also be the perfect place for germs to thrive. Clean your keyboard and any tangible surface you come in contact with. If you have to go to a public place, use a disposable or washable napkin to open doors or handle items. If you need to write something down, bring your own pen instead of using the one that’s provided. It’s also important to avoid sharing items that can transmit illness when shared, such as cups, glasses or cosmetics.

Get Enough Sleep

Flu season reinforces the need for adequate sleep. Adults should get seven to nine restful hours each night to maintain optimum health. If you are tossing and turning throughout the night or struggle to stay asleep, make sure to do all that you can to remedy the issues that prevent you from getting the vital sleep you need. Your body needs a fair amount of sleep to devote energy toward fighting off germs and viruses. Listen to your body and seek extra rest if you are feeling fatigued. If a solid seven through nine hours is too difficult to achieve with your lifestyle, commit to taking naps to help you recharge.

Watch Your Diet

While we all understand the benefits of eating and drinking healthfully, the flu season offers yet another reason to commit. Increase your water intake while reducing your consumption of alcohol. Give your immune system a boost with juicing and the addition of supplements. Some of the most beneficial supplements include zinc, vitamin d, glutathione, turmeric and vitamin c. Protein rich foods will also help your body fight illness. Avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar and stock up on fruits and vegetables.

While it is true that more than two hundred thousand Americans are diagnosed with the flu each year, you don’t have to fall victim to the virus too. Be aware of people who are showing symptoms, sanitize often and treat your body well. The flu is avoidable when the proper prevention methods are observed.

Be An Effective Parent & A Successful Entrepreneur: Yes, You Can With These Doable Tips!

September 15, 2018 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Entrepreneur, Intentional Parenting

Parenting is a huge responsibility that requires your full attention and commitment. However, it does not necessarily mean that you have to sacrifice your other passions in life once you start raising kids. Mothers and fathers with an entrepreneurial spirit can still pursue their dreams of establishing a thriving business. This concept likewise rings true for working parents who aim to gain recognition in their own fields.

The key that will make you connect the gap between being an effective parent and a successful entrepreneur is balance. You have to understand that both areas of your life need equal attention. Moreover, you are required to give your best on both areas. If you have a booming business but unhappy kids (or well-raised children but struggling business) your success on the latter will rarely matter. The attempt to succeed on both areas seems to be a long shot but it is certainly possible especially if you keep the following points in mind:

Be An Expert In Organizing

The ability to organize your tasks and your time is crucial if you wish to succeed in anything in life. The challenge is greater if you wish to keep a happy household and manage a prosperous enterprise. Being organized is necessary for setting priorities and maximizing productivity. To do this, you need to instill good habits such as making a daily to-do list or following a strict daily routine. You can also take advantage of technology as there are useful apps available that can make you feel like a pro in organizing.

Adjust To Situations

You cannot predict every predicament that may come your way, so learn to be flexible and adapt to the situations accordingly. You can also shield yourself from unexpected setbacks by having contingency plans in place.

Invest In Self-care

Juggling two important areas in your life will require your best efforts, so make sure your body is up for the challenge. Eating healthy food, getting enough rest, and doing regular exercise will give you the energy you need to achieve your goals.

Seek Help Or Delegate Tasks

To accept that you cannot do everything is both humbling and empowering. Sometimes, you need all the help you can get. If you start to feel like you already have too much on your plate, stop to examine which tasks can you delegate to others. Maybe hiring an assistant will help you reach your target sales in half the time. Or maybe your kids are already big enough to handle some tasks around the home.

Make Bonding Times Sacred

Kids grow up so fast and you do not want to miss their important milestones while pursuing a career. You can ensure that you remain an important and present figure in your child’s life by setting bonding time with them. It can be a simple date night when you can sit down and enjoy a nice meal while catching up on your kids. What matters here is that you make the bonding times frequent and special. You simply pick a certain day for your kids and commit to spending it with them, no matter how full your schedule is.

The process to triumphantly glide between responsible parenthood and rewarding entrepreneurship may just be the toughest challenge one ever has to face. Nevertheless, parents with unwavering determination and commitment can definitely enjoy the best of both worlds. So do not be afraid to chase your dreams while dedicating your life to your family.

Effective Tactics To Rise Stronger From Your Failures

July 15, 2018 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Play Injured

You have this great idea and intense motivation to work on it. So you carefully laid-out the strategies, devote hours for completion, and set yourself for success! But then life happens and due to an unexpected twist of events, you suddenly see your grand visions of success crumbling right before your eyes.

The world has its equal share of victories and defeats so it won’t be surprising if the above scenario will sound familiar to you. Failures can indeed crush your ego and weaken your spirit but only if you give it the power to do so. You can easily pick up the pieces and start over again with the following practical tips:

Give Yourself A Time To Grieve

Staying positive in tough times is important but the pain and devastation that comes from failing makes you human. So it is alright to allow yourself to wallow in self-pity for a little while. You can take a break, seek a counsel, or shed some tears to get the negative emotions out of your system. Coming face-to-face with your feelings will give you a time to heal and will get you ready for the next challenges you face.

Forgive Yourself

It surely feels ugly to lose but it is wrong to keep on blaming and punishing yourself for it. You probably did the best you could but some circumstances are simply beyond our control. So you can acknowledge your mistakes and at the same time forgive yourself for committing it. Then remind yourself to focus on your strengths and stay steadfast amidst defeat.

Look On The Bright Side

A quote from Winston Churchill explains it best, “The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Your failures may be unavoidable but you have a choice on how you can deal with it. So move past the failure and see your cup as half-full. With the right attitude, you will discover that failures are a goldmine for valuable lessons and opportunities. Moreover, failure allows you to analyze where you went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. It gives you another chance to re-examine your strategies that may ensure your triumph on your next attempt. You may be surprised to discover that your failures will open doors to various opportunities.

Come Back Stronger

You can proudly call yourself a survivor if you experienced failures but decided to get up again. Like a mighty soldier that has fought in wars, you are now in a better shape for battles. The lessons you gained from your loss will allow you to create a foolproof game plan for winning the next battles you have to face. As they say, the most effective teacher is experienced so instead of crushing your enthusiasm on life, defeats should make you wiser and indestructible.

The most successful people understand that the road to victory is rarely smooth or straight. So instead of fearing failure, accept it as part of the process, and make a resolve to overcome it. After all, failures may scare the wits out of you but the journey will surely be boring without it.

Parenting Through Encouragement

May 15, 2018 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Intentional Parenting

Raising children is both a challenging and rewarding responsibility. You hold the power to deeply impact another human being’s self-esteem, character, and perspective on life. Committing to being an encouraging voice for your child is an invaluable step in your parenthood journey. Below are 3 tips to help get the job done:

Remind Your Children That It’s Ok to Fail

As parents, we often emphasize the importance of success, high achievement, and ‘doing your best’. But what happens when your children’s best isn’t enough? What should we do when their best efforts still result in failure? In those moments, we are afforded the perfect opportunity to comfort our kids and guide them through the process of: acknowledging their feelings, accepting what happened, and then, taking actionable steps to improve. Adults try and fail all the time, but we are great at hiding our disappointments. So much so, that our kids rarely notice how often we make mistakes. When your child is in the midst of defeat, share stories about your failures and how you used them to bounce back stronger. Lastly, always encourage your children to strive for success, but ensure that they also know there will be occasions where things don’t go according to plan, and that’s ok. Failure is simply an opportunity for growth in our next steps.

Focus on Praise More Than Criticism

A large part of parenting is molding your children into productive, honorable, members of society. Many of us think the best way to do so is by instructing our children on what not to do. While this is one way to achieve the end goal, it’s not always the most encouraging technique. To alter your approach, focus on the positive more than the negative. Conversations about what not to do can often be reframed by keeping a positive spin in mind. Start by praising your kids: address what they did well, then, expand the conversation by offering ideas on additional steps they can take to produce even better results. Also, remember that not every moment is a moment to reinforce the notion of improvement. Make sure to regularly mix in conversations that are strictly focused on praise. Your approval is one of the greatest sources of pride and confidence your child owns; they look up to you, they respect you, and they want to know that their efforts and achievements are valid in your eyes.

Offer Unconditional Support

There will come a point in every parent-child relationship where our desired outcomes for our children will not come to fruition. We envision our children attending a certain college, playing a certain sport, or pursuing a certain career path…and they may not. It’s ok to feel disappointment; we are human and have valid reasons for wanting our kids to take the paths we imagined. However, they are human too – with their own thoughts, their own personalities, and their own passions. As much as we see them as carbon copies of ourselves, their desires are their own. We have to remember to prove to our children that our support is unconditional – just as unconditional as our love is. Our kids should not feel bound to fulfilling our dreams in order to keep our support, but instead should feel encouraged to be true to themselves. We’ve raised them right, so we must trust the process and allow our kids to become their most genuine version of themselves, with our support as their comfort. Who knows? While their paths may stray a bit from our parental ideals, those decisions may still end with the same fruitful results we envisioned.

How you choose to respond to your children in moments of adversity will heavily determine which coping skills they revisit later in life. With parental encouragement, your children will mature to be well-adjusted adults, who openly share optimism and positivity with others. Even if your children are adult-aged, it’s never too late to start parenting with encouragement in mind.

3 Ways To Involve Your Kids In Your Healthy Lifestyle Change

March 15, 2018 Tracey and Kimberly Eaton Healthy Living, Intentional Parenting

Growing up and being a young adult, you are enabled to be an individual with hobbies and habits galore. Your world changes drastically when you become a parent to revolve around your children, and quite frankly, you love it! Though taking care of offspring may be gratifying, it occasionally can make it an obstacle to focus on your health. Prioritizing your health does not have to be all-or-nothing proposition. Including your children in your lifestyle change can provide a positive example to them and motivation for you to be the role model your children need. Practice these habits to get your kids involved in making your family better as a whole.

Family Democracy On Menu Options
Hop on your go-to site for tasty recipes. Be realistic of your time frame nightly when it comes to sorting through the possibilities. If you are short on time Monday through Friday, perhaps narrow in on one-pot dishes or toss together crockpot meals.

Compile a variation of options that can fit into your nutritional guidelines and schedules. Once you’ve built up a bank of appetizing entrees, put them to the vote! Ask your family members what they are eager to taste or prepare. Not only will this alleviate the anxiety of finicky eaters vetoing dinner, but it will make everyone feel included and give them a night of the week to look forward to being together.

Divvy Up Dinner Duties
Preparing home cooked meals takes a toll on the clock and energy levels. Involve your kids and give them a sense of responsibility by having them chip into the pre-dinner prep. Gauge distribution of activities by the age and skills of your children. Things like rinsing vegetables or peeling potatoes can help immensely and hold them accountable to the healthy eating in the family. If your children are at the stage of using kitchen utensils unsupervised, chopping the sides further or seasoning meats will make the process run smoother. Weave the assignment of duties into your week planning session and go over it with your family to kickstart the week. Display it on a common surface like the refrigerator, that way if anyone is curious or forgets how to pitch it, it’s easy to locate and harder to fall off track.

You Are What You Eat
Eating can be nutritional and educational. Kids learn about the food pyramid, but as many can relate to firsthand, there’s vastly more foods and content available than what is covered in educational systems. “Eat your veggies” is a phrase heard frequently, but that doesn’t inform younger audiences of what the nutritional content in a vegetable or grain may contain. It also doesn’t provide cooking instructions. Take time while cooking with your kids to teach them what different nutrients are apparent and the benefits of them. If you tend to reach for similar ingredients on a daily basis, go to the internet to look up other kinds of foods in that category. Don’t neglect to pass on what you know as an adult to your children. Building a wide fundamental base on nutrition will help them develop a richer knowledge and stronger body.

As you can see, these tips are fairly broad and don’t pertain directly to the foods themselves. That’s where the fun comes into play! Bring your family to the grocery store. Inquire about foods they’ve tried or seen and want to recreate at home. Allergies and sensitivities will make the menu look different for all, but the journey to a healthier life will become easier with your family beside you each step of the way.