Cool Indoor Summer Activities For Your Kids

Summer is approaching which means the temperatures are starting to really heat up here in Arizona, If you live on the surface of the sun (like us), or just want a handy reference for those rainy summer days, I've made a list of fun indoor activities that I plan on doing with my kids this summer!

I showed this list to my son and he got so excited - and wanted to start doing the things immediately - I hope it's a hit with your little ones too!

Cool Indoor Summer Activities For Your Kids:

Scavenger Hunt
Write a Comic Book
Read a Book
Indoor Bowling with Plastic Cups
Decorate a Cardboard Box
Make Paper Airplanes
Blanket Fort
Tea Party
Macaroni or Cheerios Necklace
Playdough or Homemade Sand
Cook or Bake Together
Handprint or Thumbprint Art
BINGO
Summer Journal
Paint Rocks
Make Roads with Painters Tape for Cars and Trucks
Tic Tac Toe with Paper Plates
The Floor is Lava!
Turn Your Bathtub into a "Pool"
Indoor Picnic
Make Pop-sickles
Goldfish Color Graphing
Tie Dye Shirts
Movie Night (or Day!)
Hide & Seek
Play Store
Finger Paint
Make Recycled Crayons
Dress Up
Make Picture Books
Balloon Volleyball
Learn Origami

Since we do spend a lot of time indoors in the Summer in Arizona, lately I've been all about keeping our home as comfortable as I can. We recently got a Quilo 3in1 Tower Fan and I'm super impressed. We have it set up in our downstairs playroom/media room becuase we spend so much time in there everyday and it is keeping me and the kids so cool and happy!

Quilo is a fan that uses wind and water to cool using evaporation. It blows cooler than a fan and operates much cheaper than a traditional air conditioner. In fact, I read that it actually uses less energy than a standard tablet does while charging - pretty impressive!

Once we fill the water tray, the fan will take warm indoor air, and turn it into cool air with a hint of moistness - filling our room with a fresh breeze which is so refreshing during the summertime! If we want it to be even cooler there is a tray that we can fill with ice to make the air even cooler.

It comes with a programmable timer and a handy remote too! If you ant to learn more about the Quilo 3in1 you can visit their website HERE. What are your favorite indoor activities to help you stay cool in the Summertime?

Healthy, Nut Free, Protein Packed Snack Ideas

As an athlete and on-the go mom of two, snacks are always a big deal for our family! When can I have a snack? Did we make sure to pack the snacks? What did you pack for my snack?

Since so much time is spent snacking, I try to make snacks work for my family and I, not against us. This means planning and preparing snacks that are healthy, filling, and high in protein. High protein snacks that will fuel our bodies, satisfy our hunger in between meals, and boost our energy.

Usually if you think high protein snacks, you think of nuts, but don't we eat nuts in our household because my little girl is severely allergic, which can make finding simple healthy high protein snacks a little more challenging, but I. Here's a list if snacks we all love in our house, hopefully this gives you some new healthy snack ideas!

String Cheese - These are perfectly portioned and so tasty on their own, but often times I like to give them an extra dose of protein and wrap them in a slice or two of turkey deli meat -yum!

Hard Boiled Eggs - Our family loves these - I often buy a dozen and just boil them at the beginning of the week, perfect with just a little salt and pepper.

High Protein Low Sugar Yogurt - I love the Icelandic Skyr varieties. When berries are in season, I love to top there with some fresh raspberries too! Plain yogurt makes a tasty sour cream substitute with a hefty dose of protein too.

Sunflower Butter with Apple Slices - Sunflower butter is a must have for anyone that needs to avoid Peanut Butter. Beware, some varieties have added sugar, so just be sure to check the label before purchasing. It tastes amazing on anything that you'd normally eat PB with - spread on crackers or dipped into mini carrots are more of our favorite ways to enjoy it.

Jerky - No doubt my son and hubby's favorite snack! Make sure to look for high quality jerky meat that's grass fed, nitrate free and/or organic.

Pumpkin and/or Sunflower Seeds - Roasted and Salted these taste amazing. You can also make your own nut-free trail mix by combining seeds, and dried fruit like raisins and dried cranberries.

Edamame- My kiddos love these little green legumes! Trader Joe's sells big bags of frozen shelled edamame that you just need to defrost and enjoy!

Hummus - My favorite dip packs a huge protein punch and with so many flavor varieties on the market today it's such a yummy treat. Some of my favorite dippers are cucumbers, baby carrots, sliced yellow peppers, and pretzel slims.

fizzique Sparkling Protein Water - I'm a huge sparkling water fan and when I heard that fizzique makes a sparkling water that has 20 grams of protein per can, I couldn't wait to take my first sip. It's super yummy, almost creamy, and super refreshing. It truly helps satisfy my hunger, and sweet tooth, in between meals, and gives me a fizzy energy boost too! These cans are available on Amazon or at drinkfizzique.com. You can use discount code AMYJAYFIZZIQUE to save 10% off your order!

What are some of your favorite high protein, nut free snacks?

Healthy Dinner Solutions For Busy Families

If your home is anything like ours (and I'm guessing it is!) weekday afternoons and evenings can be downright hectic. With juggling homework, babies needs, housework, after school activities, we have every intention of getting a nutritious home cooked meal on the table nightly - but in all reality, who honestly has the time?

Enter Prep Dish into my life - what a great idea this is! Prep Dish makes eating healthy hassle free and enjoyable. It saves you time and helps you get delicious and nutritious meals on the table for your family and helps eliminate some of that weekday madness.

When you sigh up for Prep Dish they send you a weekly menu, designed to easily fit either gluten free or paleo lifestyles effortlessly. They plan a week's worth of healthy meals for you, placing great thought into maximizing your budget, saving you time, an making sure your taste buds are satisfied. They also rely on seasonal ingredients so that your food will always taste fresh and flavorful.

In addition to the weekly menu, they'll also give you a grocery list and instructions. Their plan is designed with one two hour meal prep day, where you'll do the majority of the meal preparation, leaving you 5-20 minutes worth of cooking and plating tasks at dinner time.

I downloaded the Gluten Free Menu for the Second Week of April and couldn't wait to mix it up for my family this week. We seem to always be in the same dinner rut so this part of the menu was very exciting for me. Mustard Dill Salmon? Chicken and Bell Pepper Tacos? Shrimp Stir Fry? My taste buds were for sure salivating just reading that weeks menu!

I opened it up and got a printable shopping list that I could use to check my pantry and then purchase the remaining items I needed from the grocery store. There was a also step by step instructions for my prep day. I see friends all over Instagram using Sundays as meal prep days and I was super excited to get on board with this too. I love how I could get most of my week's dinners prepped and prepared in just a couple of hours, freeing up valuable time on hectic weekday nights.

Last Sunday I shopped for my groceries in the morning, and then while my baby napped I spend just over two hours chopping, dicing, measuring and mixing everything out, so that on dish-day there is minimal time and effort that I need to give to feed my family.

You guys, these dishes turned out incredible! I was a little nervous that my 8 year old wouldn't love the seafood dishes but he tried them and was all smiles (and even asked for seconds!) On especially busy nights when we had after school sports, I was so so thankful for the extra weekend prep work that I did, and because of that I was able to give my family a wholesome nutritious and home cooked meal - when before hand we would have probably opted for greasy takeout. 

With subscription options starting at just $14 monthly or $99 for a whole year - Prep Dish saves me so much time and money, that I would have spent in drive-thru and food delivery fees, it really is no-brainier for any busy family.

The amazing folks at Prep Dish have a greed to give all of YOU two weeks free of their healthy meal plans. Click HERE and enter code GOFAST at checkout! I can't wait to see how amazing your meals turn out!

Rompers and Trucks - Our Girlie Little Tomboy

When I first found out that I was having a baby girl, my mind immediately started to daydream about all tea parties, painted nails, and adorable outfits. I had been a boy mama for seven years prior and was ready for some PINK in my life!! Adam, on the other hand, started secretly thinking that we could be raising the next Gabby Reese or some other female sports star. Now that Taylor is 16 months old, she has developed quite the personality of her own, she is the PERFECT mix of girly cuteness and rough and tumble toyboy - as shown in these pic that I snapped all in one afternoon - told you she was busy!!

 We recently discovered The Baby Bird Boutique and I instantly fell in love over their darling handmade rompers, peplums, and jumpers. They have every color imaginable available and are always coming out with fun new designs and prints for holidays. This red Veruka Romper is part of their limited edition Valentine's Day Line and I love it so much it has the cutest sweetheart neck and an open back design that ties around the neck. Winter decided to skip Arizona this year so we just paired the romper with some fringe moccs and a headband, but this could be easily "winterized" with some thick white cable knit leggings and a black sweater and your little sweetheart would be good to go to celebrate the day of love!

 This darling hot pink number is from The Baby Bird Boutique's Solid Peplum Shine Bright Collection It has an open back deign and a tie around the neck too with a sweetheart v neck opening and a wide flare peplum design. The unique thing that I love about this piece is that you can buy it big and wear it as a dress, and then when your little girl grows, it becomes a darling top that you can pair with little ruffle bloomers, shorts, or leggings! What a versatile and genius design.

 This last one is such a heirloom piece - the solid sleeveless bubble jumper from The Baby Bird Boutique. It comes in several classic and traditional colors but I fell in love with this deep plum one. I love the exaggerated bubble romper fit and the wide straps. Again, this could be dressed for color weather with some think tights and a cardigan, but I loved to show off her adorable dimpled arms and knees in this hot little number.

I was just so impressed by the quality and the professionalism of The Baby Bird Boutique. Each item is handmade and you can even see pictures and read bios on their website of all of the seamstresses who make your sweet baby clothes - I loved that personal touch! I'd highly recommend The Baby Bird Boutique for that special everyday or occasion outfit for your little princess - you won't be disappointed! The sweet folks at The Baby Bird Boutique gave me a special discount code to share with all of you - GOFAST for 20% off!

Health Care Options for Todays Modern Families

Let me tell you a story. Brayden's dad got laid off when I was 4 months pregnant - talk about stressful, right? We were both in Real Estate and the market was tanking hard and fast in Arizona. His dad decided to go into residential real estate, which meant that we were responsible for our own health care coverage -ouch. The options were overwhelming and just so costly. We scraped by with a bare bones plan after he was born, that didn't cover much, and had zero prescription coverage. When Brayden was 3 months old he was diagnosed with acid re-flux and his medication was over $150 a month - which is a lot to handle with newborn expenses and only one income.

I wish that there was an option like SingleCare back when we needed it. SingleCare offers savings on prescriptions, dental and vision coverage, and even they have virtual doctors visits available (how neat is that?!)

SingleCare is free to join and you can start saving immediately - simply by presenting your savings card at any of the 35,000 nationwide pharmacies they work with. You can schedule online doctors visits, or visit a SingleCare eye doctor or dentist too. So many ways to save!

The SingleCare website is very user friendly. Type in a prescription drug and it will immediately populate the price for all of the pharmacies nearby. They even have extra coupons that can be applied for additional savings. I couldn't believe how much you could save by shopping around and how easy it was to compare prices via SingleCare.

They have an easily downloadable app that allows you to compare health care costs, without worrying about in-network coverage, deductibles, or coverage limitations. You discover upfront what your healthcare will cost you. In the end, you have more convenient and straight forward coverage options, that help save you money on doctors visits and prescriptions. SingleCare delivers modern healthcare options for today's families. Please let me know what you think about this post - are you interested in learning more? I'd love to hear your thoughts and remember - sign up for SingleCare today!

My 2018 Fitness and Nutrition Goals

About a month ago, I posted some of my 2018 goals on my Instagram page HERE. "They" say that it takes 21 days to form a habit - so I thought now would be a great time to check in with myself and share with you how I was doing!

Drink at least 100 ounces of water a day - I easily drink over a gallon of water a day in the warmer months but when its chilly outside I struggle. I so far have been really good at this goal - I think the big thing that has helped me is finally finding a reusable water bottle that I love. I take it with me everywhere and its super stylish to boot (hey, whatever works, right?!

Focus on Hip Strength - My hips started acting up when I was pregnant with Taylor and the pain sometimes flares up during training. The pain is not always present, I tend to only focus on them when they hurt, versus what I should be doing, daily maintenance to keep them healthy and strong. I have been pretty good at incorporating the Myrtl Routine into my workouts about 3 times a week and focusing on cross training exercises to strengthen my hips from all angles.

I do have to share that I am a HUGE believer in Collagen Protein, and since I have been taking it for the past 9 months my hip mobility has GREATLY increased. Collagen reduces joint pain, improves cardiovascular health, and boosts muscle mass, all while supplying you with a healthy does of protein per serving! My favorite brand is Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Protein. I've found that it's effective, the best value, and the only Collagen that is truly tasteless. I add two scoops to my morning cups of coffee and reap the benefits all day long!

Continue to wake up early to get in my cross training Tone It Up videos - this has probably been the easiest goal for me to stick too. Yes, the waking up early will never be easy (but hey, that's what coffee with a large scoop of collagen is for, right?!) but I truly LOVE and look forward to these videos so much. They are high energy and effective and I just love the results I get from doing them.

Continue to meal prep veggies twice a week - I was on a roll prepping huge trays of veggies twice weekly in December and thought for sure I'd be able to continue the trend in January - but alas, this has been the one goal that I've fallen short on. I'm still eating healthy (most of the time!) but have stopped the veggie prep. I have been embracing salads more though and have resumed eating veggie sandwiches for lunch - so I think I'm doing a decent job of getting in some greens daily!

Continue to not shy away from the hard stuff - I wanted to pick races, runs, and workouts that challenge and change me. This is why I'm a HUGE believer in my Great Lakes Protein Collagen - it allows be to embrace and go for the tougher training runs and high-impact cross training moves because I know my joints will be protected and my body will be recovered to do it all over again every single day. I have been banking some sky-high mileage and training paces that I never thought possible, but with the recovery tool of Great Lakes Collagen Protein, ANYTHING is possible.

Just this week I signed up for the toughest race of my life. A half marathon with over 600 feet of elevation gain in the first half - its basically one big uphill climb - and I'm going to do it pushing Taylor in the stroller! I'm honestly so excited for it and can't wait to embrace the challenges and tough runs that will come with this training cycle. I know I am strong enough to handle it.

Are you curious about trying collagen for yourself? The wonderful folks at Great Lakes Gelatin have allowed me to share a discount code with you. Now through March 15th, you can save 20% off their entire online shop with discount code GLGLife20. I'm for sure stocking up on my favorite Collagen Protein which you can find HERE.

If you're already an avid collagen protein user - what benefits have you seen? How do you take your collagen? How are you doing on your goals for the New Year?

How to Make Shopping With Babies Easier

The logistics of being a new mom always seemed to throw me for a loop. I had our routine down to a t (for the most part...) at home, but actually leaving the house took lots of planning and anxiety. I know it's good and necessary to get out though with my baby so I found a few ways to make our outings run pretty smoothly.

 Here are my tips for shopping with your baby:

1. Give yourself time - as in, allow yourself waaaaay more time than the actual task entails. Planning to run into a store to grab a few quick items? Cushion that trip wit an extra 15 minutes on each end. The extra time will allow you to not get (too) frazzled when your baby needs a last minute diaper change (after they are already strapped into the car seat!) or if you have to stop and feed your baby while out.

2. Plan ahead and prioritize. Make that list of what you need from the store and prioritize your errands in case you need to bail halfway through. Some days I will write down 5 places we need to go - knowing full well that's it's very unlikely that I would make it to the last few stops on your trip.

3. Come with reinforcements. You guys - this is a total GAME CHANGER. When little Taylor was young, I never put her infant seat in the front part of the shopping cart. It scared the heck out of me - it just didn't seem secure. So I'd put her huge bulky baby seat in the main part of the shopping cart, and then pile my groceries all around her, jenga style,  - it seemed goofy, but I didn't know what to do!

 I was recently introduced to KartStraps, which are these amazing straps designed to safely secure infant car seats to the front part of shopping carts! So genius, right?! I just wish that they were around when Taylor was smaller - these would have saved me so much stress while shopping (not to mention ROOM in the cart too!) You can find out more and purchase your own KartStraps HERE (they are under $20!)

4. If all else fails, bribe them! Stuff your diaper bag ahead of time with fun little engaging toys, special snacks, and other things that your baby will find entertaining and will buy you some extra time to get your errands done.

5. Bail. If they're not feeling it, abort your shopping mission and go home. There's always tomorrow, Amazon Prime, or nap time when you can try again, plus they are only this little once, amIright?!

Do you have any tips on shopping with your babies (or toddlers...)? Share them in the comments, I'd love to hear!