Healthy Living

The Stay-At-Home Mom Game Plan

I don’t know about you, but as a stay-at-home momma, I can start to go out of my mind if I don’t have a game plan for the day. Winter months are always the worst because many days we are stuck inside. On days we stay home, sisterly tiffs can break out, television gets turned on, and momma gets TIRED! The best of my days are the days when I have various activities planned throughout to keep the girls “busy” and entertained. Here are a few of my go-to activities:

By Mary Bockert, ago

How to Create Healthy Habits with Little Ones in the House

I haven’t mentioned this much on the blog but I am a health and fitness coach through Beachbody along with being a mom blogger, a Homeschooling parent, a wedding coordinator, etc. It’s a busy life and because I spin a lot of plates at once, I have a lot of friends and people ask me how I fit it all in. How do I exercise everyday with 2 very young kids at home? How do I eat clean with toddlers in the house? How do I fit in a healthy lifestyle when chaos breaks out?

While these are all good questions, they all fall into one category. I have created a healthy “lifestyle” for my family and me. My week consists of a lot of planning, implementing and executing strategies to keep our lives “healthy.” It has become a habit for us and can for you too…with just a little work on your part.

By Mary Bockert, ago

“Me Time” Indulgences

These days, I don’t get a lot of time to myself (unless I schedule it in) but when I do it’s kind of a big deal. As women and moms it’s imperative that we take care of ourselves. I had to learn that taking time for myself was a way that I could refill my love tank and give love to my family without feeling depleted or drained.

Here are some of my favorite indulgences that I like to do when I get a little time to myself.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Meal Prepping to Satisfy Young Kids

Being such a health and fitness geek, I get asked all the time if I make 2 meals every night for dinner. My answer is always No. My kids are expected to eat the same food I prepare for my husband and me. I do make adjustments such as adding Garlic Expressions salad dressing to Couscous to make it more flavorful, Ranch dressing on their baked chicken, etc. Although they eat the same dinner, it is easy to make some adjustments to their diet for breakfast and lunch.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Teaching the Art of Setting Realistic Goals for Your Kids

I get all geeked up when it comes to goal planning and setting concrete goals that I have every intention of hitting. In fact, goal planning has become what my world revolves around. I goal plan for my health and fitness business, our family, my relationship with my husband, and my kids. I feel that if you aren’t aiming at a target (goal), then you are going nowhere…just remaining as is. Isn’t the point to continuously work toward bettering yourself?

By Mary Bockert, ago

What is my Parental Role with my Anxious Toddler?

It has been several months since our youngest of two, Delise got the diagnosis of severe anxiety. She is just two years old. Understanding how anxiety can be present in a toddler was mind boggling…and still is. What worries could she possibly have? I decided to dig deeper into her diagnosis and get a better understanding of what she was going through.

Having a child with anxiety feels very lonely. On the surface, everything seems alright. Teachers rave about them. Friends adore them. Relatives and family friends might not see what all the fuss is about. But what people don’t see is the daily struggle in the home. The fear that paralyzes them at night. The worries that consume their young mind and prompt them to feel nauseous, nervous and overwhelmed. Every day feels like a battle. A battle Delise doesn’t always win. I have discovered how to empower her by adjusting my parental role.

By Mary Bockert, ago

Teaching From Anywhere…

Let me preface with this is NOT a homeschooling post. This is a “If you have kids, read this” post.

When I decided to homeschool our oldest, it wasn’t an easy decision whatsoever. I had a battle going on inside me that brought many questions to the table.

Will she be well-rounded if I homeschool?

How will she be socially?

Am I equipped to get the job done right?

Will this be a frustrating experience or a pleasant one?

These questions flooded me on a daily basis until one day I just had to make the decision. Homeschooling it was! Being a former teacher, I used to roll my eyes at homeschooling moms who weren’t trained to be teachers. They didn’t the progression of how we educate kids so how could they be great at schooling their own kids?!?

By Mary Bockert, ago

Tips on How to Get Moving and Stay Active with Your Kids

When it comes to heart health or health in general, it’s important that we think not only of our own cardiovascular health but also that of our kids. A study last year found that obese children and teens have as much plaque in their arteries as a 45-year-old adult, setting them up for heart disease and other serious health conditions much earlier than their parents. This breaks my heart!

If you’ve got kids, of course you want to make sure they grow up fit and healthy. But you also know it’s hard to juggle work, family, and physical activity. Still, setting a healthy example is a good start. research shows that parents who are physically active increase the likelihood that their kids will be active as well. So if you’re looking for ways to get your kids involved, check out how I have incorporated an active lifestyle in our household.

By Mary Bockert, ago

What’s Next?

“What’s next?”

I heard Annora say that throughout Christmas and I was getting a little annoyed. I kept reminding myself that she is a little one and the excitement has been building for quite a while…just breath mom…

By Mary Bockert, ago

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes that the Kids will LOVE!

As a momma, I am ALWAYS trying to keep our meals as clean as possible. Making sure to get in all of the food groups can prove to be tricky at times and keeping the sweets to a minimum (especially since we have Halloween candy galore right now) can be almost impossible. I have spent several hours and countless experiments in the kitchen to “clean” it all up (by clean I mean nothing processed). Since Delise is our beautiful little one who has proven to be a bit tricky, we have tried to take out as much processed anything as possible (another topic for another day).

I thought it fitting that I blog about creating a healthy, unprocessed Thanksgiving meal that everyone will LOVE. The flavors are rich and the meal is as healthy as it can get. You won’t feel guilty stuffing yourself and then laying on the couch to “sleep it off” with these recipes.

By Mary Bockert, ago