Fiber has important health benefits for children:

•     It promotes regularity and prevents constipation

•     It helps reduce risk of cancer and heart disease later in life

But how much fiber do kids need? The recommended daily fiber intakes are:

Kids 1 to 3 years: 19 grams
Kids 4 to 8 years: 25 grams
Boys 9 to 13 years: 31 grams
Girls 9 to 13 years: 26 grams

If your kids are picky eaters, it may mean that you have to supplement their fiber intake.   Some kids go through spurts where they are fixated on only one type of food, so while you continue to try and get them to eat healthier foods you're at a loss on how to get the recommended  amount of nutrition values into them.  

When it’s time to look for a supplement, the well known name of Pedia-Lax is there to help. 

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Meet Norman PhartEphant. He is what you might call a little "gassy machine".  If you give his tail a squeeze, you will hear some "pharting" sounds (and maybe an apology or two!), but thankfully the stink has not quite made it to this toy!

Made by Firece Fun Toys, whose mission is to promote laughter, staying involved in helping others and maintaining the highest quality standards for their products, Norman PhartEphant is sure to get a smile out of the crowd.  And it wouldn't surprise me at all if you know one particular person who would fall in love with this toy.
 
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Be A Dental Inventor!

Dr. Fresh® Sponsors Fourth Annual Toothbrush Design Contest In Honor Of February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month

Imagine a toothbrush so much fun to use that kids would brush your teeth without a single reminder from Mom or Dad.

Dr. Fresh is asking second through fifth graders across the U.S. to dream up just such a toothbrush with “Be A Dental Inventor” – the fourth annual toothbrush design contest celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month this February 2010. www.drfresh.com.
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Well I'm always a sucker for any product that is branded with a Disney character but the Disney Musical Hand Wash Timer by Healthy Hands has its own merit, the Disney branding is just an added bonus!
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Think Wow Toys has a whole line of products that let kids make real food in a matter of minutes.

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This year has been an exception to the rule - the thermometer has stayed above 32 degrees for November which is almost unheard of here in the Northern Plains (I'm not complaining by the way!). Most years we have already broken out the winter weather gear in early November, and the winter coats and jackets are usually for sale early in September. Of course most of you in the Midwest are nodding your heads along with me.

Since we migrated South from Canada, I know what cold is. Even here in South Dakota the winters aren't nearly as brutal as the winters that I grew up with. Whenever Amber complains about how cold it is she gets the "we walked to school uphill both ways in 2 feet of snow...." Well okay, not entirely true, and even it were, I had numerous Rothschild winter jackets growing up. Yes, it's true, the Rothschild brand has been around for that long, actually it's been around for over 125 years! So chances are, it's possible that even my Mom wore a Rothschild coat when she was younger!

What has changed for Rothschild Outwear is the styles and that you can now shop online! What hasn't changed is their quality for keeping families warm even in the coldest winters that some of us go through ..for many...many months!
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Good oral hygiene is so important to me. I grew up with it not being a priority in my family, and although I was fortunate enough that my parents took me to the dentist, the habits at home weren't formed and due to that now as an adult, I am making sure that Amber takes better care of her teeth than I did at that age.

During the holiday season, where sugar sweets and chocolates are abundant and the gatherings often turn into late nights, often our children are laid in bed without their teeth getting brushed.

On October 22, Oral-B Stages hosted an event in New York City with Dr. Jennifer Salzer to talk to parents and children about children's oral care.  An informational video with tips from Dr. Salzer was created as a result and I think that you will enjoy watching it.

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Pages: 300
Home Page: joyberryenterprises.com

You Can...Go For It! is a Winning Skills compilation book containing Joy Berry Classics; Be Beautiful, Be Liked, Be Happy, Be A Star, Be A Winner and Have A Great Future.  These books are geared for children ages 11-12, or about grades 5-6.


You may be familiar with Joy Berry books from some of her series for younger children like her Help Me Be Good series.  We had many of those books for Amber when she was younger.

If you are trying to build skills in your tween to overcome and succeed issues like low self-esteem, lack of direction, or the pressure to succeed, among others, the Winning Skills series may be helpful.
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I don't think it matters how old the kids get, there is something magical about building your own teddy bear.

Each year our local Girl Scout council takes a trip to the Mall of America with girls ranging from 6th to 12th grade (and their Moms!).  We live in a pretty small city, and don't have a lot of the stores and shops that bigger cities do.

One of the things the girls are all eager to do is make a visit to Build-A-Bear Workshop in the M.O.A..  They will line up and wait, just to make their teddies, monkeys, kitties, etc., as a memory of their weekend at the mall and to add to their collection.
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I'm sure you have noticed by now the cold and flu season having kicked in.  If it has passed by your home this month, feel fortunate!  I thought we were going to get through November unscathed by illness, and then this past Monday morning, I woke up with a most painful sinus cold.  Ick!

I don't know what kind of options you've chosen to use when you and your family get sick, but myself personally, I don't like to shove a lot of drugs in my body, for a couple of reasons.  One is that I already take enough meds for other ongoing medical problems, and the second is because a lot of over the counter drugs make me feel lethargic and sleepy.

Being only 4'9" and under a hundred pounds, my body size is more like a child than an adult so I tend to look to children's products first when needing some relief from cold and flu symptoms.

Lucky for me, I had been sent some Boiron products for children in the mail last month, that up until now had no reason to use for either myself or Amber.  With a full blown sinus cold and headache, I was ready to start popping anything like candy!
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I have to say I am really amazed at how many clothes I see in the stores that flip me back to the 80's, and I can't say I mind it.

I was in Jr. High back then, and some of my favorite items to wear were preppy polo shirts (with the collar up of course!).

When I had the opportunity to review a polo from TommyWants for Amber, I was ecstatic! It's kind of like reliving those years through her lol!

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Little Husks makes some truly awesome children’s tableware.

Available at Simplygoodstuff.com, it includes a bowl, a cup, child-sized fork and spoon, divided plate and spaghetti plate all perfect for little hands.

Everything is dishwasher safe. The natural brown color means that there are no added dyes, fillers or chemicals.

Your not going to believe what this is made from though.....no it's not melamine, and its not ceramic...
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Amber is one of those people who doesn't like to admit they're getting older, and want to keep being...well....a kid.

Klutz sent her the second volume in their Encyclopedia of Immaturity series, to see what she thought of it. She enjoyed reading and snickering at many of the articles, and she is planning on sharing it with her best friend the next time she comes over to hang out. I'm pretty sure they'll find many activities to keep themselves amused within the covers of this book.

She already has a couple of the entries down pat like the
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What a perfect item for your tween's next sleepover!  Girly-girls will want to check out Magnificent Manicure Kit by Elmer's.    This isn't just any old manicure kit though, this will have them learning while they're getting there hands and feet all made up!

As a matter of fact Scientific Explorer partnered with UC Berkeley's Great Exploration in Math and Science (GEMS) program to create fun educational science kits like the Magnificent Manicure Kit.
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The flu season has already kicked in.  We already know numerous families whose kids have been or are down with the flu.  While we are very cautious to wash hands, and have already got our flu shots, being pro-active with vitamins never hurts.

A couple of weeks ago when we were out shopping at the warehouse store, Hubby bought some chewable Vitamin C tablets for himself.  He was expecting them to taste "orangey" I guess, and took one, and nearly gagged.  "Try one", he says.  As if!  He proceeded to take one each day with a painful expression, and you know it is a warehouse club pack, those things hold a lot of vitamins!

When Ashley at Health and Beauty Zone was looking for reviews for Nutrilite, I thought I might be able to put Hubby out of his Vitamin C misery.
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When we moved to our home 10 years ago, I got to purchase a new washer and dryer. I was so excited that I could have a front loading set, and at the time money was a little tight with a brand new home and all, so I got the entry level Frigidaire stacking system, and it performed great for me for 7 years.

Then we sold that house, and the appliances with it. When we moved into our new home 3 years ago, it was not even a option to get any other brand. I moved up a bit in the world of washer/dryers and purchased their Affinity set.

Like Frigidaire's new line of appliances that their celebrity ambassador
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