Simple Tips for Keeping the Family Healthy This Spring & Summer

Compensation was provided by Nestle Pure Life via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nestle Pure Life.

The last of the snow has melted from our yard, and once again we can spend all afternoon playing outside. I’ve been counting down the days until spring and the return of long, active days outdoors. We are lucky to live in a town with plenty of great places to walk to. We love walking into town and meeting friends at the parks to play. Now that I have three kids in tow, I find getting out of the house a bit hectic. Once we’re out, we could stay outside for hours. It’s just getting out the door that’s tricky! 

A friend will ask us to come to the park and all of a sudden we need to feed and dress the baby, get sneakers and sweatshirts on the big kids, remind everyone to use the bathroom, grab the carrier for the baby, decide if we’ll take a stroller, throw everything we might need into a diaper bag and head for the door. Then, it’s always as we’re walking out the door, I remember everyone is going to want a snack while we’re out. So I yell to the kids “grab some fruit snacks” because it’s one snack they can grab themselves and carry along with us. I completely forget drinks for all of us. Now as much as my kids love fruit snacks, they’re certainly not the best daily snack, and when little ones are running around wild at the park, they certainly need to stay hydrated. Also, the person I was never remembering anything for, was me. As an active, nursing mom, it’s really important for me to stay hydrated too.

I needed a game plan before the spring and summer got into full swing. So here’s what I did:

I created a “to-go” bin in our refrigerator. I stocked it with mini Nestle Pure Life water bottles, bags of veggies, cheese and fruit. Now, when we are heading out the door and I know we’ll need snacks, I can tell the girls “grab a snack and drink from the bin”.  I placed it on a low shelf in the refrigerator so they can easily grab the snacks and water themselves. I knew they wouldn’t be nearly as thrilled about bags of veggies as bags of fruit snacks, so I thought ahead and got a bin with pink flowers on it. They thought it was “so pretty” and are now excited to see what I put in the snack bin. To stay on top of having the bin filled, I try to cut up fruit and veggies as soon as I get groceries. Another thing I started doing is cutting extra when I already have fruit or veggies out. For example, if i’m cutting up strawberries for breakfast, I cut extra, put them in a baggie or container and then place them right into our “to-go” bin in the refrigerator. This saves time and keeps the bin stocked. 

Next to the bin I lined up some Nestle Pure Life water bottles in an “adult size” for me. With water on hand, right next to the kids’ drinks and snacks, I’m finally remembering to grab something for myself too. When I spend hours pushing a double stroller and chasing kids around a park, I feel so much better when I stay hydrated. Now that we have our healthy “to-go” bin and water at the ready, I feel a lot more prepared for a healthy spring and summer. Sometimes it’s something so simple that can get the family drinking more water and eating more healthy snacks. 

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