Guest Author - Jacqueline Geller

Summer is here and the kids have been out of school for a month or so already!

With gas prices well over budget, it’s become more difficult to take a vacation or even travel too far to keep those fidgety youngsters amused!

If location and funds permit, the local pool is a great amusement for children and adults alike, as well as fantastic exercise! Mom can walk the pool with much less resistance on knees and other delicate joints, while kids find their exercise playing with friends, swimming and carrying on all types of high jinks in the water.

Local parks are also a good place for kids to run around and blow off steam. A lot of city parks have sprinklers for kids (and Mom) to refresh in, plus plenty of room to run around, play and meet new friends. Moms often can meet new people also, while keeping an eye on the children. Who knows? Maybe enough moms will get together and form a babysitting club or a play group with the little ones? This is the perfect place and time to plan for future activities as the children AND the adults get to know each other under more relaxing circumstances.

Moms can even exercise at the park. Walking in place or around a track within close proximity of the children is fantastic exercise, raises endorphin levels and sweats out toxins that lurk in the body.

Outdoor games with neighbors are another way to keep the children busy and active. Basketball, bike riding, Frisbee, hopscotch, jump rope and tag are but a few free things that are available and that Moms can join in on to keep in shape.

Around every corner lurks an ice cream truck, a snack bar or a fatty snack at a local deli. The trick to avoid this and to keep budgets intact is to bring snacks along.
Each child can have his or her own lunch tote that keeps food cold, with an ice pack thrown in for extra safety. Refreshing and healthy snacks, such as yogurts, fresh fruit and vegetables with a tasty dip will keep appetites satisfied and bodies healthy. It’s important to be creative with this to keep the complaints at a minimum. For example, sliced apples with peanut butter are totally yummy, a good source of protein and filling. Sandwiches can be cut into cute shapes (with the crusts cut off, of course) and maybe funny faces made with raisins pressed into the bread. Opt for pure juice rather than sugary box drinks (Read the ingredients on these, as a lot of them are loaded with sugar). Water is the best, of course. A nice trick with this is to mix in a small amount of orange or apple juice to add flavor to the water without a lot of sugar or calories.

Watch for the next article which will cover rainy day activities to keep the kids busy and active, while Mom remains sane!