Posts by Wendy S

About Wendy S

+Wendy S (also known as @mapsgirl) is a mom to two daughters. They are the inspiration of this blog.Passionate about child passenger safety, Wendy has been a certified Car Seat Technician in Ontario, Canada since 2008.

You Don’t Have To Give Up Anything In Order To Be Healthy

May 2, 2023 by Wendy S

It’s important for you to understand that you do not have to give anything up in order to be healthy. This is where so many people go wrong because they start trying to cut out the things in life that they like. The problem with this is that it’s not sustainable, and it leads to people feeling as though they have failed when they eat a candy bar. This is not the way forward, and down below we’re going to be looking at some further information on this. Keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Source Credit – CC0 License

Everything In Moderation

First, you should ensure that you are having everything in moderation. Too much of anything can make you sick, and that’s why you have to be cautious going forward. You don’t want to end up as one of these people who is stuck in a cycle of trying to be nothing short of a health God, only to find yourself binging and collapsing a couple of weeks later. You need to enjoy the things that you like, take days off every now and then, and give yourself a break. Moderation is the key to life, so you want to make sure that you are balancing things out as and when you need to.

You Still Have Free Time

A lot of people think that leading a healthier lifestyle is going to take up so much of their time that they are no longer going to have any for the things that they enjoy. They might think that they are going to need to spend so much time meal prepping, exercising and whatever else, and they won’t be able to do things they enjoy like hanging out with their friends. But, this isn’t true. You can save time on meal preps by doing as many as you can, and checking out my favorite crockpot recipes that you don’t have to stress about. As for exercise, you can make this fun and you can do it with your friends!

See It As An Opportunity For Your Future

The last thing that we’re going to say is that you should see this as an opportunity for your future. Instead of seeing the changes in your life as a burden or a negative thing, you could try seeing them as positives. They are stepping stones for your future and that’s exactly what you need. If you have a more optimistic outlook on life and the future of your health, then you’re going to find it much easier to make these changes, and stick to them going forward.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you need to know about being healthier going forward. You don’t need to give up some of the things that you love just so that you can live a healthier life, because you don’t need to give up anything at all entirely. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage going forward.

How To Spend More Quality Time With Your Kids

May 2, 2023 by Wendy S

Credit – Pixabay CC0 License

Having children is the greatest journey that you’ll ever encounter. However, there is no doubt that it passes in the blink of an eye. Therefore, taking the necessary steps to maximize the joys of family life is essential for all parents. Spending more quality time with the kids should be at the very top of your agenda.

While it may feel like trying to navigate a minefield, the truth is that simple steps can make a big impact. Here are some of the most effective ways to achieve your goal.

Involve The Kids In Cooking

Young children won’t be very enthusiastic about cleaning duties, although playing games can make tidying up more fun. Thankfully, most kids are more receptive to joining you in the kitchen. As long as you make it enjoyable.

The key is to look for recipes that provide tasty results and won’t take up too much time. This peanut brittle recipe in the microwave is a great example that will soon become a family favorite. The time spent preparing the meals together should deliver magical memories.

Other options may include baking pizzas, making smoothies, and growing simple fruits in the garden.

Choose The Right Family Trips

Family days out are an opportune moment to do things you like with the people you love. Sometimes it’s great to simply see your children enjoying an activity or event that is aimed at them. In short, their happiness will put a smile on your face.

Still, it’s important to consider activities where you can participate too. Choosing camping trips instead of the hotel vacation where children spend most of their time in kids’ camps can work wonders. Meanwhile, family sporting activities are great days out.

When you look back on those memories, it’s far better if you played a central role rather than sit on the peripherals.

Credit – Pixabay CC0 License

Embrace Their Hobbies

One of the best ways to enjoy quality time together is to share a hobby. As a parent, allowing your child to lead the way can be one of the best decisions you ever make. The fact that they’ll associate you with their favorite pastime is a game changer.

If your child loves a particular sport, you should support them. Any artistic or creative endeavor should be embraced too. Whether it means attending parent-child classes to learn an instrument or training together in the backyard is up to you. It can become a new routine.

Seeing your child’s development, along with your own, is sure to make it more rewarding for both of you. Perfect.

Lose Unnecessary Distractions

Oftentimes in life, the biggest improvement is to remove negatives from your life. This is especially true when wanting to spend more time with your kids. While you cannot forget other responsibilities, several tasks can be dropped to save valuable time.

For example, if you spend a lot of time on social media, putting a block on platforms with these apps is ideal. Alternatively, you could look to automate daily tasks or outsource a portion of your work. Either way, the benefits will become instantly noticeable.

When combined with the active effort to improve the times you spend together, incredible results are assured.

Discover Your Ideal Sleep Habits While Traveling

April 11, 2023 by Wendy S

Do you struggle to sleep when on the road? If you’re like most people, your answer likely is “not as well as I’d like.” It can be challenging to get a good night’s rest in an unfamiliar bed or when trying to adjust to a new time zone. In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the best sleeping habits for travelers and provide some tips for getting adequate shut-eye while away.

Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

Maintain a Schedule

One of the best ways to maximize your sleep while traveling is keeping an even schedule. Try keeping the same bedtime and wake up time that you have at home; this will help your body’s internal clock adjust more quickly when traveling between time zones, making it simpler to fall asleep in new beds.

Make Your Room Sleep-Friendly

Making the bedroom sleep-friendly can help ensure a restful environment for you and yours. Create an environment that promotes good sleep no matter where you are. Invest in some comfortable bedding or bring a special pillow from home, if possible. Furthermore, utilize blackout curtains or light-blocking shades so your room remains dark even during daylight hours.

Avoid Consuming Caffeine or Alcohol Late in the Day

Caffeine and alcohol should not be consumed late in the day. Late-night consumption of alcohol and caffeine should be avoided, as they can lead to sleep disruptions the following morning. Green tea is a better alternative than coffee if you need an energy boost throughout the day.

Be Relaxed Before Sleeping

Before going to bed, take some time for relaxation. Take a warm bath, read a book, or meditate – whatever works best for you. Ultimately, this will help you feel calmer and more prepared when bedtime finally arrives.

CBD Oil

Are you searching for a way to get some rest and relax? CBD oil could be just what you need. It has long been recognized for its sedative effects, including decreasing anxiety levels, improving sleep quality and decreasing inflammation. CBD oil may even provide natural ways to enhance your travel-related sleep habits!

Get Some Fresh Air

Getting some exercise during the day can help you sleep better at night. If your hotel or Airbnb has a balcony, take some time to sit outside and soak up some sun; this will reset your internal clock and make it easier to drift off at night.

Limit Technology Before Bed

Finally, try to limit your technology use before bed. Blue lights from screens can make it difficult for your body to relax and prepare for sleep, so turn off the TV and put away your phone so that you can get the best possible rest while traveling.

Follow these tips for getting a good night’s sleep while traveling and staying energized throughout your trip. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule, prepping your room for better rest, avoiding caffeine and alcohol late in the day, exercising during downtime, taking short naps if needed, relaxing before bedtime with CBD oil for calming effects, and getting some fresh air are all great ways to ensure adequate rest when on-the-go. With these strategies in hand, you’ll be well on your way to feeling rested and rejuvenated whenever you travel!

3 Tips To Look After Your Kids

February 23, 2023 by Wendy S

Image Credit: 0fjd125gk87 from Pixabay.

First-time parents always have a lot to learn about child-rearing. Only a certain amount of this can be learned from reading books, and sometimes you’ll have to learn as you go. That, in itself, can be a stressful prospect, as you wouldn’t want to do it wrong. You’ll want to know how to look after your kids from the get-go.

Using a few practical and easy-to-use tips will help with this. With a little effort, you’ll make sure your kids are well taken care of. It’s worth looking at three of the top tips you can use for it.

How To Look After Your Kids: 3 Top Tips

1. Set Limits & Be Consistent

Sometimes, your kids will do something they shouldn’t do. For them to know they’re not supposed to do this, you’ll have to set limits with them first. Once they know it’s something they shouldn’t do, they’re less likely to do it. There could still be times when they do, however.

When this happens, you’ll need to be consistent with how you discipline them. If they think there’s a chance they won’t be disciplined – or not as much as they should be – it could work as encouragement for them to do something they shouldn’t. Avoid this by being as consistent as possible from the start.

2. Bring Them To Appointments

Your kids will have countless appointments to go to throughout their life, and you’ll be responsible for bringing them to many of them. That’ll be the case at least until adulthood. From the doctor to the dentist, make sure you don’t skip any of these.

It not only makes sure they’re healthy and safe, but gives them a great habit and example for the future. They’ll be more likely to go to their appointments in adulthood now that they’ve gotten used to it. Make sure to give them this habit.

3. Boost Their Self-Esteem

When you’re figuring out how to look after your kids, you could focus mainly on their physical health and well-being. You shouldn’t overlook their self-esteem and similar areas, however. How they feel about themselves is vital to their development, so you’ll need to put effort into boosting their self-esteem.

There are multiple ways to do this. Celebrate their achievements, no matter how small they might seem to you. The more you do this, the better your kids will feel about themselves. It’ll give them a greater sense of wellbeing while being confident in themselves. Don’t overlook this.

How To Look After Your Kids: Wrapping Up

Figuring out how to look after your kids from the start can be a stressful experience for many first-time parents. You wouldn’t want to make any mistakes, and you’ll want to do everything right. That could be more than enough to get yourself worked up about. All you’d need to do is follow the right tips.

Boosting your child’s self-esteem, setting limits and being consistent with them, and bringing your kids to all the necessary appointments are vital for this process. With a little time, you’ll find yourself doing amazing while stressing less about it.

Get More Fruit and Veg Into Your Diet

January 20, 2023 by Wendy S

It’s pretty normal for children to be picky about vegetables. But when you’re an adult, you don’t necessarily want to feel like your diet is limited by a dislike of fruits and veggies. If you feel like you don’t get enough fruit and veg, it could also be because you’ve simply fallen into a pattern of not using them in your meals. The occasional meal with no vegetables isn’t a big deal, but if you’re rarely eating them, it’s likely your diet isn’t very balanced or complete. Luckily, there are things you can do if you want to get more fruit and veg in your diet.

Image by Dominik & Frederike Schneider from Pixabay

Count Fruit as Dessert

Looking forward to your dessert at the end of a meal can be a good motivation to eat a main course that might not be that interesting. But dessert doesn’t have to be cake or something else that’s filled with sugar. Fruit can make a great dessert, or it can be included in your dessert as an ingredient. If you want to learn how to make ice cream strawberry flavored, click here for a recipe. A piece of fruit on its own can be tasty, but there are also plenty of things you can do with fruit if you want to make a more interesting dessert.

Eat Vegetables as Snacks

Snacking throughout the day can keep you going between meals. Some people even snack all day or have small meals instead of three big ones. However, many snacks can be less healthy than ideal. If you want to eat healthier snacks, both fruits and vegetables make good snacks. But fruit can be high in sugar, which means vegetables are often the better choice. They can be made more interesting with a healthy dip or combined with things like peanut butter or some seasoning to add flavor.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Try Out New Things

When was the last time you tried a new fruit or vegetable? We tend to stick to what we know, especially when it comes to preparing different ingredients. However, trying something new can open up a new world and allow you to explore lots of different recipes and cuisines. Next time you shop for groceries, consider getting something that you’ve never eaten before or never cooked with before. You’re sure to find plenty of ways to use it, whether it’s something you want to cook with or try raw.

Have Smoothies and Juices

Smoothies and juices are excellent for getting more fruit and veggies into your diet. You can put so many different things in them, from strawberries to spinach. You can make sweet drinks or go for a more savoury flavor profile, depending on what you prefer. They can be good for your breakfast in the morning, or they can make excellent pre- or post-workout fuel to give you the energy and hydration that you need. You can try out so many different flavors.

Getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet can help you be healthier and give you more energy too.