Holly Robinson Peete to Host Webinar on Food Allergies

Because allergies run rampant in our family, this topic has been on my radar well before I became a parent.  Once I became a mom, introducing food to the kid with the possibility of food allergies became an even bigger reality.  Aside from real-life experience by helping my younger brother cope with being “allergic to the world,” my husband and I researched to educate ourselves for the uncertainty of having a child with food sensitivities.

Amidst all the gatherings this time of year, it’s the parties and family events that can be a cause of concern for allergic reactions.  After being so cautious with anything new that the three year old has eaten, over Christmas, he had an allergic reaction after having some cashews.  Of course, the reaction happened the evening of the post-Christmas blizzard and weather conditions would have complicated everything.  Thankfully, the kid is at an age where he can verbally communicate with us now, and immediately told us that his tongue was itchy—a telltale sign of an allergic reaction, and something that I always remember my brother describing after eating various things he was allergic to, when we were kids.

Always reluctant to let the kid have nuts in anything, for some reason, I thought he would have been ok trying cashews for the first time that night.  I thought he was in the clear with any nut allergies, but I was wrong.

The kid’s hives, swollen lips and an itchy tongue was enough to remind us that not all foods are safe for our allergy-prone kid.  Thankfully, we had Children’s Benadryl onhand to remedy the situation and that it didn’t require a trip to the ER.  We learned from this terrifying situation and are grateful it didn’t transpire differently.

Because of our family’s allergies and my interest in sharing this sort of information to other parents, I will be logging into a video webinar on the topic tomorrow.

Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year after Thanksgiving. Since severe allergic reactions to food send 90,000 people to the emergency room annually, TV personality Holly Robinson Peete of CBS’s The Talk (who is married to former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete) will be hosting an online video webinar about handling food allergy dangers at gatherings like Super Bowl parties. Nine out of 10 people say they will be attending one this year, according to a recent Nielsen survey.  Since Holly’s four children all have some kind of food allergy, she has plenty of expertise in this topic.

After the webinar, I’ll be one of a few bloggers who will ask Holly questions pertaining to allergies and her experience.  It’s always interesting to hear other parents shed light on issues that hit so close to home.  I’ll of course share Holly’s insight after the interview, but I’d also like to invite you to watch the online webinar.

Allergy Friendly Superbowl Webinar with Holly Robinson Peete

When: Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT)

Where: Click this link
to get to the webinar, where you will be able to watch Holly via live video feed: http://agencyroad.na4.acrobat.com/allergyfriendlysuperbowl/

Full disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in this webinar and Q&A via TheMotherhood. The webinar is being sponsored by Dey Pharma L.P.  As always all opinions on NKT are my own.

Cooking Connections Launches Today

As you all know, food has become a significant part of my coverage on NKT.  The foods we eat and cook and the eating habits we display, ultimately, help our kids to make healthier choices.

For me, cooking resources on the internet and tv help me to navigate in the kitchen.  I’ve always been big on cooking, baking and eating, but online sites, magazines and shows underscore just how much I enjoy being in the kitchen.  I could seriously watch Food Network for hours and daydream about these professional cooks and chefs coming to my house to cook for me!  But good news, though these fantastic chefs can’t come to my house, but there are “real” parents who can—well, sort of!

TheMotherhood’s Cooking Connections, an awesome and innovative eight-week series of virtual cooking classes is launching today.  In this series of virtual cooking classes, “real” moms and dads will lead us in their kitchens, to help us learn more about topics relevant to parents.  The conversations, led by some of my favorite bloggers, will leverage social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and TheMotherhood.com.

Sponsored by ConAgra Foods, Cooking Connections is launching today, actually at 1:00 pm at the Blissdom Conference that’s going on right now in Nashville.

I love, love, love TheMotherhood and all the wonderful things that they’re doing around our community.  Cooking Connections will, no doubt, be just as successful as their other projects.  I’m excited to be participating in the cooking class that focuses on picky eaters.  “Placating Picky Eaters” will take place in a few weeks, and I’ll be sure to share more about it soon.  By the way, TheMotherhood, Emily McKhann and 77Kids by American Eagle got a nod in Forbes for the inspiring Do Good Day campaign that tapped bloggers around the country to pay it forward.

Join the conversation!  Want to learn more about Cooking Connections and/or register to participate?  Be sure to sign up here at TheMotherhood.

Check out Cooper and Emily’s announcement video for even more details!

Chuggington Celebrates One Year in U.S.

Another train-centric show that we’ve been fans of since they chugged their way stateside, Chuggington, is celebrating its one-year anniversary since its U.S. debut!  I shared my initial thoughts of the show from the beginning and we’ve been tuning in ever since.

As a Chuggington Conductor, it’s been really fun checking out the latest and greatest products.  You think Chuggington had a good first year?  Well, this Ludorum property is riding the rails steadily, so much so, they’ve launched a slew of cool toys, books and games.  Be on the look out for my upcoming reviews and vlogs of the latest Chuggington goodies.  BTW, apparently, you guys are big fans of the Chuggington vlog I did on the roundhouse because it’s received over 6k views.

In the meantime, if you’re around in a few minutes, join us on at 1 p.m. for a Chuggington Twitter Party celebrating their one year milestone!  I hear there will be some cool surprises, so be sure to honk your horns!

Special K What Will You Gain Tour Launches in NYC

IMG_6872Now that the confetti has cleared, the ornaments are packed away, resolutions and promises for change often mark the transition into the New Year.  But what makes this year different from years past?  For me? Motivation and discipline—two characteristics that I’m known to lose as quick as a tantrum rears its head.

For a recent assignment, some bloggers and I were tapped to help promote the launch of the Kellogg’s Special K What Will You Gain When You Lose campaign.  In addition to conducting some interviews, I found myself perched atop a bright red scale in the middle of Times Square Studio.

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Instead of releasing my own tantrum and running far, far away from that scale, I left feeling inspired—with a photo of me on the jumbotron as a reminder to boot.

In lieu of numbers, the bright red scale offered singular words, which served as gems of inspiration for people who seek change in the new year.

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From interviewing a few women who attended the event to weigh in, I learned that positivity and encouragement can spark motivation and change.

The creative brains behind Special K’s Resolution campaign sought to harness emotional benefits and sincere reactions from “real” women.  Women relate to each other, especially when weight management is concerned, and so, social media also plays a big role in the brand’s promotional efforts. Check out my interview with Special K brand manager Vivienne Edwards.

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In line with sharing sincerity and the value of emotional benefits, Special K interviewed and taped several women’s reactions after weighing-in at the Times Square event,with the intent of using some interviews in an upcoming commercial.  Some of the latest Special K commercials, which are already running, include “real” women and provide a genuine perspective of maintaining healthier lifestyles.
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Catchphrases like Sass, Guts, Confidence are just a few of the gems that Special K hopes women will GAIN when they lose.  I had the chance to interview one enthusiastic participant at the Special K weigh in, who genuinely embodied the emotions that the campaign was meant to evoke.  Felicia was a breath of fresh air, a bright personality, and someone that made an impression.  Apparently, the Special K team felt the same way; over the weekend, Felicia contacted me to let me know that she was asked to be a part of an upcoming commercial.

How’s that for some sass!? Congrats to Felicia!

Be sure to check out the What Will You Gain Tour on Facebook to “weigh in” and share/gain your own gems of inspiration.

Full disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this campaign.  As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

New Year, New Gain: What Will You Gain When You Lose

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Now that reality is settling in, it’s time to reflect and renew.  In 2011, I hope to expand horizons personally and on NKT, but more importantly, I plan to walk the walk.  What I mean by that is, I’ve been covering a lot of healthier food options for kids, but I’m going to work even harder on practicing what I preach. And from that, I hope to gain much more than I lose.

Gain?

Yep. I hope to gain the confidence and self-control to follow through with healthier choices.  My problem is, I love to cook and bake, and well, I overindulge even when it’s healthy food.  So, self-control is the main goal for me this year.

In line with what I hope to gain this year, I’m excited to put on my reporter’s hat to help cover Special K‘s What Will You Gain When You Lose campaign.  Weight loss is a timely topic for my personal endeavors, as I’m sure it is for many of you.

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You Say Tomato, I Say Yum

With the cold weather settling in, dinners at our house are usually hearty and wholesome.  I’m talking meat and potatoes, and sometimes tomatoes and other veggies too.

I know I’ve probably admitted this before, but I’m not a fan of hiding veggies.  While the sneaky route may work for many families, over here, I’m a big believer in doing what you can to expose the good stuff and see where it gets you.  Kids will surprise you.

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Tomatoes are an ingredient I’ve found myself including in recipes lately, more often than not.  We all know there are healthy benefits to tomatoes, but specifically, they’re a great source of fiber, Vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene, not to mention they’re said to be good for your heart.

And in the height of sick season, I’ll take all the vitamin C and antioxidants we can get.

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Sesame Street Rolls out Food for Thought: Eating Well on a Budget

‘Tis the season for  joy, giving, graciousness…and eating well.  And by eating well, I mean making healthier choices, and helping others make healthier choices, too.

To further underscore the importance of healthier eating among families, Sesame Workshop announced that they’ve partnered with UnitedHealthcare and The Merck Company Foundation, to roll-out  a new outreach program, Food for Thought: Eating Well on a Budget.

At the Capital Food Bank in Washington, DC, celebrity chef and author, Art Smith, joins Elmo in a healthy and affordable cooking demo during the unveiling of Food for Thought: Eating Well on a Budget. Photo credit: Gil Vaknin/Sesame Workshop

Food for Thought: Eating Well on a Budget, part of the company’s on-going Healthy Habits for Life initiative, is a free bi-lingual (English-Spanish) multimedia outreach program designed to help support families who have children between the ages of two and eight, cope with uncertain or limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

According to Sesame Workshop, Seventeen million American children—nearly one in four—are food insecure, meaning they do not receive food that meets basic nutritional needs due to financial instability.  Of these children, more than half (9.6 million) are under the age of six, which is all the more reason to help spread this message.
As the country’s economic status continues to take its toll, the number of young children confronting food insecurity continues to increase, as do the subsequent effects on children’s health, school performance, growth, and development, Sesame Workshop said.

As part of this outreach program, 400,000 Food for Thought resource kits will be distributed through UnitedHealthcare, The Merck Foundation and other key organizations including National WIC association, Feeding America, Head Start, Meals on Wheels and other key organizations. The initiative will also include two public service messages promoting trying new foods.

I hope to do my part by continuing to share healthier eating and snacking ideas for kids, including ways to eat well on a budget.

77kids Gives Back with Wish-4-Snow Charity Program

IMG_2072The holidays are in full swing, and it’s certainly the time for giving.  NKT fave, 77kids, is once again in the spotlight for their charitable initiatives.  The retailer announced that they plan to keep their “Do Good” momentum flowing by giving back through a charitable initiative twice a year, once in the summer and once during the holiday season.

The Motherhood invited the kid and I, along with several of my NYC/NJ blogger friends, back to 77kid’s NYC design studios a few weeks ago to discuss their current holiday charity.  The execs from 77kids shared a lot of great details about their holiday line, plus gave us a sneak peek of upcoming lines.  But more importantly, we were on hand to learn about what matters most about the holiday season: giving back.  77kids has kicked off their holiday season with their Wish-4-Snow charity program that benefits children’s hospitals.

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Want to know why I love working with 77kids?  It’s not just because I genuinely adore their kid’s clothes and their “Do Good” mantra, but also because they enlist bloggers to spread their word.  As Betsy Schumacher, chief merchandising officer of 77kids mentioned, their grassroots approach to marketing involves moms and word of mouth.  And to me, that accounts for a lot; reaching out to the key demographic who makes the buying decisions and involving bloggers in their social media campaigns speaks volumes.  But better yet, this company continues to underscore the importance of charity, and  I like that even more.
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For 77kids’ Wish-4-Snow program, there’s a variety of easy ways you can get involved to make a big impact:

In stores

– Customers can donate 77 cents (or more) to benefit their local children’s hospital!

– Customers/kids will receive a snowflake to write their name and wish on, and then they can place the snowflake on the “blizzard wall” in the store for all to see!

– In addition to the snowflake, the customer will get a ‘you done good’ bumper sticker to take with them!

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Online

– Visit 77kids’ Wish-4-Snow microsite, featuring a fun “catch the snowflake” game and giving visitors the opportunity to design their own snowflake to help 77kids reach their children’s hospital donation goal!

– Help 77kids reach their goal to make a total of 100,000 snowflakes.

– If that goal is hit, 77kids will make an additional $25,000 donation to the children’s hospitals on top of the customer donations each store collects during the month!

– You can make as many snowflakes as you want – not just one! You’re asked to submit your contact information only after the first snowflake.

– Creating a snowflake makes you eligible to win a $77 gift card from 77kids (one gift card given away daily!) and enters you to win the ultimate grand prize: an awesome block party for you and 77 pals!!

Local benefiting hospitals include:

– Children’s Health and Wellness Center at Danbury Hospital

– Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

– Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

– Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper

– University Hospital (Cherry Hill/Philadelphia)

– Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital (Syracuse)

– WakeMed Children’s Hospital (Raleigh)

– Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (Hartford)

– Children’s Memorial Hospital (Chicago)

So, log on and help 77kids give back by making a snowflake or three!

Giveaway

And because it’s the season for giving, 77kids would like to give one NKT reader a $50 giftcard!  All you have to do is, you guessed it, make a snowflake! Do you know of someone that needs a warm coat or a new outfit?  Nominate them for the giveaway! ‘Tis the season.  After you make your snowflake, just leave a comment below.

Would you like extra entries?

Become a fan of 77kids on Facebook

Tweet about this giveaway and be sure to include @jenrab and @77kids

Become a fan of NKT

Please comment below for all entries.  This will giveaway will end at midnight on December 6, so enter away!  Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified via email, so be sure to include a valid email address.  Good luck and have fun!

Full disclosure:  I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign, but as always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

White House to Bring Salad Bars to 5,000 Schools

According to Grist.org, the White House is expecting to announce an initiative that will bring salad bars to 5,000 public schools nationwide.  Underscoring Mrs. Obama’s LetsMove.org campaign for making healthier choices, this salad bar concept is sure to mix things up.

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One potential obstacle to the program is the refusal of many school districts to install salad bars for food-safety reasons and because of cumbersome USDA rules governing the federally subsidized school lunch program that feeds some 31 million U.S. school children every day.

With cost, food-safety and the way some kids are conditioned to feel about veggies, I have no doubt the salad bar concept in schools will bring as much criticism as it will bring praise.  I loved reading that Whole Foods partnered with a coalition that teamed with the produce industry to raise  $1.4 million from customers to establish a grant program that would place salad bars in qualifying schools.

One important statistic I found while researching this topic: according to a UCLA study done in 2007, elementary schools can significantly increase the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income students by providing a lunch salad bar.

Now, that’s food for thought.

I appreciate the idea to bring more salads to kids, but can it be executed in a way that works all around?  Again, the actual announcement isn’t expected until Monday, but I’ll be watching for the official news.

Tackling Carbohydrate Stains with Wisk

Just in time for football and tailgating season, we had the chance to test how Wisk did with carbohydrate stains.  Carbohydrate stains include condiments like ketchup that we love to slather on our burgers and dogs.

The kid and I made burgers for this experiment and to see how Wisk could tackle the carbohydrate stain, I let him wipe some ketchup on his white t-shirt.

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Check out the vlog to see how Wisk handled the carbohydrate stain.

 

 

Not bad, right?  I’ll be honest, I was completely anxious about the ketchup on a white shirt, but seeing is believing.

 

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Full disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the Wisk Beta Blogger campaign, but as always, all opinions on NKT are my own.