If your family is anything like mine, then summer throws your normal school year routine right out the window.  Of course, our kids aren’t heading out to class but that’s not the only thing that changes at my house. Sleep schedules, bedtime routines, meal times, reading time, eating habits and some semblance of a dress code…all of these things seem to take on a life of their own at my house come Summer vacation.

My kids still need to get wake up early so that I can drive them to day camp, but let’s face it, it’s camp and wandering in late in your flip flops is just fine. Meal times and schedules slide around and I even find myself allowing ice cream to sneak in more frequently during the week.  It is Summer, after all, and the ice cream and the fresh corn and the cookouts with smores, well aren’t they just a necessary part of childhood?

So, with summer slowly winding down, what is the best way to gradually start transitioning our children, and ourselves, back into more of a routine that will prepare us for back to school? Take a look at WebMD’s Ask the School Nurse for some practical advice that may not have crossed your mind while you were relaxing on the beach.

If you are planning a road trip this summer with the family you are bound to find the back seat of your mini van covered with greasy potato chip bags and empty soda bottles by the time you reach your destination. Let’s face it, chips, soda and snack bars are among the tried and true go-to snacks on the road. They’re easy to grab off the shelf and there’s no thinking involved. The problem is that both you and your kids will arrive at your vacation destination feeling sluggish and bloated. Of course, your best bet is to pack snacks from home including the obvious choices like carrots, pretzels, sugarless gum and bottled water. But think back, way back, to your own childhood road trips and remember that the last thing you wanted to snack on was something that mom had packed in her old cooler. Half the fun of the trip is begging for some money to spend at the 7-Eleven on a Slurpee and a Twinkie.

With that in mind, Health.com has put together some great suggestions that will help make this Summer’s road trip healthful while still allowing your family the fun of snacking along the way.  Whether it’s a gas station, a rest stop or a fast food chain, these tips for what to grab on the go will even keep your kids snack-happy!

Chances are if you ask other adults if they grew up having a best friend throughout the different stages of their childhood, the answer will be, “Yes.”  Fortunately, even for children who may not be jocks or cheerleaders or run with the popular crowd (whatever that is) it usually works out that most kids wind up finding a buddy that is just right for them. After all, as kids, isn’t it super important to have a best pal, someone who will stick by you no matter what and stand by you through the worst of any teasing or bullying? It really has never occurred to me that there could be any downside to having a best friend, but leave it to the “experts” because they have found one.

In this world of inclusion and political correctness, it seems that many educators and psychologists feel that it is better for children and teenagers to socialize in larger groups and to consider a broader group of children as their closest friends rather than to have one best buddy. While I can see the benefits for all of us, children and adults, to broadening our social horizons, my own childhood experience would have made this difficult. Having been an extremely overweight child and teen, I struggled to feel secure and comfortable around my classmates. I was always waiting to be excluded, or teased, or chosen last for a team. For me, knowing that I had a best girlfriend was a definite source of security and confidence. I agree that it is important for children to learn that they must treat all of their classmates with kindness and respect and never make another child feel excluded. However, I have also urged my own children to nurture and treasure their closest friendships because by doing so, they will learn how to develop other healthy and positive relationships throughout their lives. And let’s face it, as children and as adults, you just aren’t going to like everyone in your class or on your team or even in your office in the same way. Our instincts and our likes and dislikes will always draw us towards some peers and pull us away from others. Is attempting to micro-manage this dynamic even a realistic possibility?

Hilary Stout’s article thoughtfully explores both sides of this issue and the perspectives are eye-opening!

My 11 year old son is obsessed with baseball. In addition to knowing all the stats and all the players, he plays on a little league travel team which, especially this past year, consumed a big part of his life…and ours. The boys practice into the night at least 2 times during the week, year round and play double header games every Sunday. The games are often a 2 hour drive each way and the playing lasts for at least 4 1/2 hours straight with, at most, a 10 minute break in between games. My son is actually a very good player and while I don’t for one second believe that he will ever play professionally, his coaches have told me and my husband that he could go far in the sport with the proper coaching and commitment. This coming season, my son is being encouraged to join a more elite travel team which would involve more weekly practices, more games and more tournament play, including trips outside the U.S.  My son will be in the 6th grade come September and the workload will be intense as it is a big transition year academically. How much can an 11 year old handle and how many balls can he keep in the air without incident and without emotional and physical stress? There is a part of me that wants to insist that he stay in his existing league and not try and advance to the more advanced league. But what kind of a message does that send? Afterall, if your child has a talent and a passion for something, shouldn’t you support and encourage that passion?

The truth is, I am thrilled that my son is passionate about something other than video games and that he would choose playing ball in the park over watching TV any day. The question  is, when is enough, enough? Increasingly, young boys, and sometimes girls, are becoming more and more competitive when it comes to athletics. It’s no longer just a breezy fall Sunday afternoon ballgame in the park…it’s do or die and our kids are more and more sustaining significant physical injuries in an effort just to keep up.

Mark Hyman’s new book, “Until It Hurts: America’s Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids” chronicles the toll that youth team sports may be taking on our kids and on the family unit in general. Take a peek and see if you see anybody you know.

It has been nothing less than blisteringly hot and humid here in New York over the last couple of weeks. My children are  finishing up the school year and summer camp is just around the corner. I guess it’s time to prepare for the great outdoors! I have always been pretty much of a city girl, and to this day I envy those families who can pack up a cooler on a summer morning and head to the beach for the entire day. You know who you are…running in and out of the ocean to cool off, playing Kadima and jogging up and down the beach with your totally even, golden brown tans. My husband and children and I are a fair skinned bunch and no matter what we do, we burn. A burn, by the way, that never turns into a tan, but rather dries up and peels off. We are the family at the beach cowering under our big umbrella. My kids love the ocean but they sure don’t love the sunscreen protocol that preceeds it.

Every year it seems like the brands and types of sunscreens on the market triples exponentially. It’s hard to make sense of all the buzz words and the latest and greatest new technologies. I always wind up buying 6 different sprays all promising to be “sweat-proof” and “long-lasting” and it always seems as though the second my kids get in the water, the product washes right off. I slather the thick, white SPF 70 pastes on their chubby cheeks and noses as they leave for camp in the morning and what comes home are 2 red faced, freckled lobsters.

Take a look at this ABC News video featuring Consumer Reports choices for this year’s best and most effective sun protection products. I have already stocked up on 2 of the sprays one lotion and I will let you know how we do. The results and the prices may surprise you. And remember…life’s a beach!

My son is now 11 and in the 5th grade. He is one of 34 children in the grade and the variety and range of sizes of the boys and the girls is truly fascinating. He is currently about 5″2″ and that is among the taller of the boys, however there are a few boys and girls who are taller. There are also some boys and girls who are tiny in comparison. These kids have been together since kindergarten and it is fascinating to see how they have all changed. Of course, good old puberty is just around the corner for most of these kids and the rest is anyone’s guess.

I am addressing this issue specifically because my son has always been very focused on his height and his height relative to his classmates. Ever since 2nd grade he was aware of how many inches taller or shorter he was compared to his peers. This was not just an observation either, he was determined that he must eventually be over 6 feet in height.  I’m not sure of where this originated. My husband and I are both 5″7″ and although that may not be considered “tall” for a man, it is certainly not something that has been a focus in our home.

We share in our son’s excitement when he comes from his annual physical and is told he is in the 99th percentile for height but at the same time we make sure that he knows that is no measure of his future success on the planet. My son actually worries that he won’t break 6 feet and I worry that that is even a concern. Fortunately, his dad is not sensitive to the issue or he would certainly feel that my son thinks of him as inadequate. Quite to the contrary. They have a super strong bond, and I think my son knows that his dad is okay with 5′7″…but for himself, he wants more.

Jane E. Brody recently touched on this subject in a NY Times article about the myths and misinformation surrounding the shortcomings of below average height people…pardon the pun. The bottom line? We should all be walking tall!

Okay, so we all know I’m big on educating kids about nutrition and helping them to make better food choices but this is taking it too far.According to CNN, County Supervisors in Santa Clara, California have just passed an ordinance forbidding toy giveaways in fast food meals that contain more than 485 calories. The assumption being that our kids won’t harass us for the crappy meal if there is no toy. This is where I feel like the lines are being blurred. Shouldn’t we as parents be telling our kids yes or no to a food choice based on the merits of the food rather than on them begging for the meal because of the toy? If your child no longer asks for the happy meal at McDonald’s because there is no toy they will still be asking you for the nuggets and fries. Unfortunately, the absence of a toy is not enough of an incentive to motivate a child to go for the salad instead. Fast food kids meals are also intended to be an inexpensive way for parents to feed their kids and that is certainly something that all families are very much in need of today. Wouldn’t a better solution have been to require that kids meals must contain under a certain amount of fat and sodium and calories, period, with or without a toy?  Less withholding and more knowledge and information would serve families better over time.

A toy in a meal is one of the many simple pleasures of childhood. Don’t take that away.   Our kids will still order the nuggets but now, with no toy, they will need you to entertain them while you’re having your salad.

As moms, I think it’s safe to say that when we stroll (who am I kidding…race) through the grocery aisles we know when we are putting snacks into our carts that are processed, poor choices. In fact, nowadays, I find myself almost embarrassed if I have some kiddie contraband in my cart and there is a healthy, fit yoga-mom in line behind me. I am often tempted to blurt out that my nieces and nephews are visiting and their lame mother actually let’s them eat this crap.  I know, I know…I am pathetic.

The truth is, I rarely succumb to the marketing pressures of Pop Tarts, Doritos and Entenmann’s but let’s face it I cannot show up everyday at school with apples and rice cakes. That just ain’t gonna fly. The key is to find the happy medium of snacks and even that can be difficult. The pressure from our kids is coming at us from one end and our own guilt comes at us from the  other.

This past weekend, it was our turn to provide the drinks and snacks for my son’s Little League game. Oh, the dilemma. It was the first game of the season so I had to set the tone…no lead to follow. I certainly couldn’t show up with only fruit and water and pretzels. But then again, frosted donuts and chips won’t fly either. I dragged the family to Costco and we settled on Fiber One bars, 100 calorie snack packs without trans fats, bottled water and some G2. G2 is the low sugar version of Gatorade and has only 20 calories and 5g of sugar per serving. Hopefully the boys won’t notice that it basically tastes like water. Then, on the morning of the game, I agreed to some Munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts. I rationalized that the team was playing from 9 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon and they would way more than burn it off. By the way, my husband joins you all in thinking that I spend way too much time worrying about these things.

All went well at the game and the following Monday morning my daughter asked me if she could bring one of the leftover G2 drinks to school to have in the afternoon during her Chorus rehearsal. I asked her if that would be permitted at school and she said. “Definitely. Lots of kids even bring sodas for afterschool.” So I figured, “what the heck.” Well wouldn’t you know that she was headed to Chorus with her backpack and her G2 when her science teacher called her name and stopped her in the hall. She told my daughter how horrible it was to be drinking that stuff and that she might as well just fill a water bottle with sugar. I was fuming. “Did you tell her it was G2 and not the regular Gatorade?” I asked. And then I realized how ridiculous the whole matter is. I know I am doing pretty darn well with my kids and their nutritional needs. I won’t be intimidated by the science teacher and made to feel that I am a bad mother. A brief moment of clarity.

So, if you want to see how you rate according to this awesome little roundup by WebMD take a look.

A Boston area cookbook author, Sally Sampson, has started a local magazine which encourages kids to take part in cooking in their own households. While, the magazine, “Chop, Chop” makes a point NOT to discuss the epidemic of childhood obesity or harp on diet tips for kids, the message is clear. The more we arm our children with information about food and introduce them to tasty recipes that just happen to be healthy, the less likely they are to insist on a Happy Meal. As with so many childhood activities, when your child feels integrally involved, they will feel valuable and therefore successful.

As a former fatty myself, I struggle with my own children when it comes to educating without lecturing. As we all know, once our kids feel they are being preached or lectured to, they just tune us out. For better or for worse, my children have inherited a fat family history. They are both very active and healthy, but I have never had the option to rely on fast food, or just throw packaged chicken nuggets or frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. My daughter hates all fruits and vegetables and my son’s palate is only slightly more sophisticated.

In the last couple of years, I have tried to make our trips to the grocery store as interactive as possible. Like all children, they gravitate towards the popular processed foods and snacks and they try their best to get them into our shopping cart. Instead of just an irritated, “no way!” from me, I try to explain the downside and suggest something just as tasty (ok, almost as tasty) but without all the junk. My kids understand that high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils are more prevalent in processed foods and they understand how they impact our health, not necessarily our dress size. I am the first one to agree with them as to how tasty certain breakfast cereals are, but when I explain how the sugar is processed in their bodies as compared to say a whole wheat english muffin with natural peanut butter…they get it.  I can’t get away with suggesting half a grapefruit and scrambled egg whites, nor should they be expected to eat that. When my kids were younger we started a tradition of having egg and cheese sandwiches on bagels on Saturday mornings from our neighborhood diner. In an effort to save some money and some calories, I started making the same sandwiches at home. In my version, I scoop out the bagel dough before toasting, I use one egg plus one egg white in each sandwich and I substitute 2% milk cheese slices for the full fat version. The taste is identical and the kids get to do the scooping and the egg cracking. In addition to the health benefits, we created a new Saturday morning tradition. I am hopeful that my children will have fonder memories of our cooking together than they did of watching me tip the delivery boy!

In addition to her constant requests for a cell phone, my 9 year old daughter, who does not understand the word, “no,” has another nagging request.

Whenever we are at a restaurant and the server asks what drinks we would like, I always say that we will all have water.  My son will usually angle for a diet soda — which I allow him to drink on occasion.  My daughter hates anything that is carbonated, so soda is out for her. Therefore, she thinks she is entitled to a chocolate milkshake…at all times…with every meal.  Of course, 99% of the time, the answer is no.  I am not a believer that milkshakes are beverages intended to accompany a meal.  I think they should be considered a dessert, which is fine with me once in a while.  So, of course each “no” from me is followed by a big old pout from my daughter as she begrudgingly sips her water.

The reason I tell this story is because I have discovered a peace-keeper of sorts and I want to share it with other parents of chocolate lovers. Here in Manhattan, there is a very famous little restaurant called Serendipity and they are known round the world for their specialty dessert…the Frozen Hot Chocolate. Oprah even paid them a visit and sampled this delicious treat for her show.  If you are adventurous enough to brave the long lines, you too can indulge to the tune of tons of calories and fat.  I have tried to recreate the recipe in a lighter version without great success, and then I discovered nutritionist Joy Bauer’s answer to Serendipity’s creation.  Her recipe tastes just as awesome as its chubby namesake and has a mere 150 calories per serving and is virtually fat-free.  Your family will love it and you will be a rock star. Here you go:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of chocolate syrup**
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups ice cubes
Reduced-fat whipped topping or dark chocolate shavings for garnish

-Combine the chocolate syrup, evaporated milk, vanilla , and ice in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
-Pour into glasses and garnish with whipped topping or chocolate shavings.

**I use Lite chocolate syrup for even fewer calories.