What are my kids eating when they’re not at home? I work hard to be certain they get healthy foods, even sneaking unexpected veggies into meals. Is my son driving safely, locking his apartment door and taking necessary precautions when roaming about his college campus at night? Is someone holding my young daughter’s hand to cross the street when I’m not there? What if something happens? What if.

The job has been made more difficult for parents over the past few decades by the strong online presence most people have established, yours truly included. My daughter enjoys checking out the fun activities at AmericanGirl.com and Disney.com. My son has a very active online social life. What if.

Our children are vulnerable, at risk. Check out this infographic:

Protecting Kids from ID Thieves provided by LifeLock.com

Enter LifeLock. LifeLock offers a suite of proactive services, including credit monitoring, that work together to protect you and your family from various risks, including credit fraud. Members are provided with helpful facts and offered compassionate assistance in protecting their identity.

To learn more about protecting your family with LifeLock services, check out the video below and visit the website: http://www.lifelock.com/services/

Disclosure: Sweetness of Life & Motherhood aims to provide unbiased editorials.
However, from time to time I may receive free products or other compensation from companies for blogger reviews.

According to the results of studies conducted by Save The Children in Food For Thought, children who are malnourished go on to earn 20% less as adults than the children who are well nourished. And there is some evidence that the difference could be even larger. One study has estimated this earning deficit for malnourished children at 66%. [Save The Children, Food For Thought, 2013, Page 20, 8-9]

So how can we make a difference? Here are some suggestions for immediate action:

Tweet to President Obama

Let President Obama and the world know how important we think this issue is for our children’s future. Here’s a sample tweet you can send: @whitehouse let’s make sure all kids get healthy food in their #next1000days so they can reach their full potential. #Nutrition4Growth

Easier yet, click here to send this tweet now.

Support Save The Children

LIKE Save The Children on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/savethechildren

Follow Save The Children on TWITTER: @SavetheChildren

Earn Your Cape As A Supermom In The Kitchen With Gr8 Recipes

On the homefront, I know how challenging it a can be to get our kids to eat healthy, nutritious foods even when it’s readily available. This is why I love the art of sneaking vegetables into the dishes I know my children love to eat. One of my Cape-worthy favorite meals is super easy vegetable lasagna roll-ups. As usual I don’t have a formal recipe, but if I can do it, so can you. Want to give it a try?

Preheat your oven to 375.

Dice some vegetables. My favorite combination is red bell peppers, yellow squash and zucchini.

Boil lasagna noodles al Dente and lay them out separately when done so they don’t stick. One noodle = 1 serving, but cook extras because some will likely tear.

Create your cheese filling. My kids like a ricotta and Parmesan mix, seasoned with garlic powder, salt and fresh ground pepper.

Cover the bottom of your baking dish with a layer of your favorite sauce.

Spread the cheese mix, sauce and diced veggies on each noodle, sprinkle a bit of mozzarella and then roll it up.

Place your roll-ups in the baking dish with the seam down, not touching. Cover each with more sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. I keep the cheese as light as I can without spoiling the taste or texture of the dish. My kids are used to minimal cheese, even on pizza.

Often to make it fun or more appealing, I will top it off with mini pepperoni.

Bake 20 minutes covered with foil, then 10 minutes more uncovered. Your roll-ups will be lightly browned and bubbly when done.

Let stand for 10 minutes. This is when I covertly chop up some fresh baby spinach and sneak it into the Caesar salad my kids love.

What’s your favorite Cape-worthy meal?

Learn more about Save The Children’s research and efforts here. 

]]> http://sweetnessoflife.com/save-the-children-g8-2013/feed/ 1 http://sweetnessoflife.com/blogiversary-2013/ http://sweetnessoflife.com/blogiversary-2013/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 14:38:53 +0000 Kelli Nelson http://sweetnessoflife.com/?p=10598 … Continue Reading]]> In honor of my blog’s 2 year anniversary today, or blogiversary as it’s called, I’m inviting you to go back to the beginning with me.

It’s been a fun ride with a lot of lessons learned. I’ve learned a lot about my love of writing. About myself, and my children. About website creation and administration. I’ve learned just enough about coding to be a little dangerous. I’ve become an expert at restoring my databases.

My first post was The Demand, published May 9, 2011. Click here or on the photo below to read it.

You’ve shown me what you like to read, and what you don’t want to read here. You’ve shown me how to embrace my imperfect life. And you’ve reminded me how good it feels to laugh.

I’ve met so many fantastic people along the way and look forward to meeting many more. I look forward to hearing your stories as well as sharing more of mine. I look forward to deeper networking connections. Thank you, my friends, for your gracious support.

I’m so grateful and humbled by your efforts to make sure Sweetness of Life & Motherhood was included in Circle of Moms by POPSUGAR Top 25 Family Blogs by Moms in 2012.

Stick with me—there’s so much more to come. More laughs. More tears. I promise.

Don’t forget, you can also find me at What The Flicka? by Felicity Huffman on Fridays.

Gifts start at just $5. Select from one of 20 patch designs or create your own and dedicate it to a special woman with an honorary message. Each tribute patch donated can be shared digitally and will be added to Opportunity International’s virtual quilt, symbolizing a community of empowerment and opportunity.

I purchased the patch at left in honor of my own Mom. Get yours here: http://www.opportunity.org/mothersday

Opportunity International was one of the first non-profit organizations to recognize the benefits of providing small business loans as capital to those working their way out of poverty.

We’ve got a fun new series starting today on WhatTheFlicka.com. Editors will publish my Friday 5 list each week on various topics, with added commentary, and open it up to you for your contributions. The first in the series launches today. Head on over to WTF and check out 5 Things I Want My Daughter To Know, Now, and while you’re there, jump into the conversation in the comments section with your thoughts and add-ons to the list. See you there!

I thought it fetching to formally introduce you all to Bentley because after just one short weekend, I’m already certain he’ll be referenced in many future posts. Lord Bentley —yes, he’s already declared his lordship in our home—  is our new cavalier King Charles spaniel pup. My kids and I are already in love with him. Look at that face. How could you not fall for this little guy?

We brought him home on Friday, and immediately the ‘Adventures with Bentley’ began. The kids, and especially my 5 year-old daughter, seem to find great humor each time I’m overheard saying, “Dude. You pooped in my house again.” Stay tuned. This should be fun. I think.

Fur Moms, I’ll be counting on you all for much advice.

It’s well known that hand washing is crucial in the prevention of transmitting illness-causing organisms during medical procedures and otherwise. Unfortunately, many healthcare providers frequently disregard this practice.

I’m sort of an obsessed hand washer. The first thing I do when my kids enter a bathroom, come in from the outdoors or from the car is begin my “wash your hands” crusade. I get a lot of eye rolls as you can imagine, but I persist. I’ve grown used to the proceeding lecture by my 18-year old son, indicating my hand washing routines actually work against nature, but I persevere.

That said, it’s hard for me to understand how an intervention as basic as hand washing can be forgotten or ignored. Proper hand washing alone can significantly reduce the number of infections and provide newborns with a greater chance of survival during the first month of life.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is leading the charge to raise awareness for the newborn health agenda by partnering with USAID’s Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP), Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives (SNL) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to host a four-day conference. The Global Newborn Health Conference will be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, April 15 - 18, 2013. Learn more about the conference here.

Learn more about global newborn health at Impatient Optimists.

Join us to become part of the conversation. Help spread newborn health facts by following the twitter hashtag #newborn2013 and following Dr. Gary Darmstadt at @gdarmsta and the Gates Foundation @gatesfoundation.

Retweet newborn health facts to your own twitter followers. Find great tweets by @SocialGoodMoms, ready to be retweeted directly from the blog post at: http://mombloggersforsocialgood.com/2013/04/17/our-round-up-of-newborn2013-tweets/.

You can also retweet these directly from this post:

@gdarmsta Educate moms-to-be and frontline health care workers on the importance of infection prevention basics. #NewbornActionPlan

— Kelli Nelson (@SweetLifeMommy) April 17, 2013

Conversations matter. Fantastic to see discussion on mother and newborn health led by moms themselves. gates.ly/ZWnjqN #Newborn2013

— Melinda Gates (@melindagates) April 15, 2013

It’s time to talk: ‘Saving Newborn Lives, A Global Conversation’ sweetnessoflife.com/saving-newborn… #newborn2013 #globalteamof200 #socialgoodmoms

— Kelli Nelson (@SweetLifeMommy) April 9, 2013

Today is World Water Day. It’s an important day established by the United Nations to identify world-wide water issues. A day to draw attention to the facts. 783 million people, or 11% of the world’s population, do not have safe water to drink and this, in addition to poor sanitation, results in the death of 2,000 children every day. Learn more about the water crisis: www.wateraidamerica.org/statistics.

Care to get involved?

• Watch and share the Water Is Just The Beginning video below. You can also find it at www.wateraidamerica.org/worldwaterday and www.youtube.com/wateraidamerica.
• Follow WaterAid America on Twitter and Facebook and share their posts.
• Join the World Water Day Google+ Hangout at 1.30pm EST on March 22 – WaterAid and other water organizations will be discussing the world water crisis and solutions in a celebration moderated by YouTube star Justine Ezarik.
• Make a donation: as experts in practical, hands-on water solutions, WaterAid has brought clean water to 17.5 million people. They need your help to continue and achieve the goal to help 1.4 million more people in 2013. Visit www.wateraidamerica.org/worldwaterday for all the latest World Water Day news.

This day means the world to me. I’ve fought for most of my life in the battle of equality for women. I grew up watching my mom fight, and we both continue to fight on behalf of my 5 year-old daughter.

I spent the better part of my adult life working harder, longer, and more effectively than men, in a corporate world dominated by men. I’ve removed myself from not one, but two oppressive marriages where feminine submission was a requirement. I’ve voted against U.S. Presidential Candidates who didn’t fully support women’s rights.

“I am no bird, and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
― Charlotte Brontë

I hate the term women’s rights. It’s human rights. The apparent need to distinguish between what’s right for women and what’s right for human beings infuriates me.

Today is International Women’s Day. A day that has been observed since the early 1900′s, a time of abundant growth and unrest in a world that recognized a booming population and the upsurge of profound ideas.

For me personally, it’s a day to remember women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for their roles in the women’s suffrage movement¹. And Margaret Sanger, who founded the American Birth Control League². It’s a day to remember how Gloria Steinem launched Ms. Magazine³, the first serious forum for feminist voices.

For me, it’s a day to remember the dedication of Eleanor Roosevelt⁴ to fighting discrimination against women in the workplace. And to be proud of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act⁵, signed in 2009 by President Obama.

For me, it’s a day to celebrate with pride being a woman.

I’ve cited some websites below, so if you’d like, you may read more about the role models and events I’ve commemorated in this post.

Happy International Women’s Day, everyone!

¹ http://www.history.com/topics/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage

² http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/birthcontrol.html

³ http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/periodicals/p/p_ms_magazine.htm

⁴ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/eleanor-women/

⁵ http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-barack-obama-lilly-ledbetter-fair-pay-restoration-act-bill-signin

image: facebook.com/Internationalwomensday

Allow me to get this out of the way right now. I genuinely, very strongly dislike the pint-sized complainer. I can’t think of another child or children’s character that irritates me to the extent Caillou does. Not even SpongeBob. I know I’m not alone in this. I’ve spoken to many parents who will tell you Caillou is an unbearable, whining, self-centered 4 year-old with ridiculously robotic, humorless parents. And we all share the same unanswered question: why the hell is he bald?

I watch my daughter’s favorite television shows with her as I did with my son when he was young. It’s the ultimate parental control technique. Mommy doesn’t think this one is acceptable for a child your age. Click. Mommy doesn’t like this one. Click. But there’s one I haven’t been able to explain away without obvious prejudice. Caillou. Of course. Mommy can’t take another minute of this sniveling little fu¢ke®. Click.

I grant there are good lessons to be learned by preschoolers from the program. I’m certain the creators and producers have the best intentions. Though, it takes a lot of effort for many parents to get past Caillou’s extreme whining and bizarre giggles in order to enjoy those lessons.

Yes, my daughter took the initiative to learn how to tie her shoes after watching an episode. She was inspired to create a pirate ship indoors on a rainy day. Once when I requested time to make a phone call, she played imaginary drums in a marching band (quietly) after seeing Caillou and his friends do the same. And I admit the books are actually okay.

As we watched Caillou’s mommy tuck him in and close his bedroom door, no doubt headed straight to the kitchen for a big glass of wine, I had a sudden mompiphany.¹ My daughter and our family recently celebrated her 5th birthday—she’s too old for Caillou. My daughter’s level of development has far exceeded his (naturally), and it became crystal clear to me at that moment.

Ha! Thanks for the memories, Caillou. Now get lost, you irritating little fucker.

I was eager to have the “you’re growing up” talk with my daughter this morning so I could finally declare our home officially Caillou-free. She’s a smart kid. She said she’d still watch but only for the entertainment value, like when I watch Big Brother or The Bachelor.

¹Mompiphany: an intuitive grasp of reality, illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure by a Mom about her children.