(StatePoint)

One out of every three children in America is overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That’s almost 25 million kids with a risk of developing such ailments as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and more. It’s time for parents to take charge and make changes.

“Unfortunately many snack foods that are marketed to kids are high in saturated fats, sugar, salt and preservatives,” says Edmond Sanctis, co-founder of Sahale Snacks, a producer of healthy, all-natural snack foods. “It’s all about making healthy snacks fun and available,” says Sanctis.

Set a Good Example

What you, as role models, eat really matters. If kids see you enjoying fruit, nuts, veggies and other healthful treats, they are more apt to follow your lead.

The night before you go to work, let your kids see you packing a smart snack, such as dried fruit or nuts. Fill your water bottle, and then fill theirs in front of them before leaving in the morning for work or school.

Clean out the Cupboards

Keep your pantries and cupboards clear of sticky snacks loaded with bad saturated fats, processed sugars, preservatives and high sodium counts. Remember, if you don’t buy something it can’t make its way into your children’s stomachs as an after-school snack! Take charge!

Load-Up on Good Stuff

Keep a bowl of fresh fruits and nuts on the counter at home. Refrigerate cut fruits and vegetables in small bags for easy snacks or opt for pre-packaged healthful snacks. But take heed: healthful shouldn’t mean boring.

Go beyond simple trail mixes by trying the more interesting fruit-and-nut blends available today. Sahale Snacks, for example, offers appealing all-natural combinations, such as cashews with pomegranate and vanilla, or a tasty blend of almonds with a dash of honey and sea salt. These healthful snacks are available in Wal-Mart, as well as many supermarkets and club stores.

Read Labels

Always read labels carefully before purchasing. How much is a serving and how many are in each package? Is it high in calories or sugar? How much fat is in each serving? Ingredients like organic evaporated cane juice make great alternatives to highly-processed sweeteners and chemicals.

Keep Trying

It may take several attempts before children will sample or develop a taste for some foods, especially healthful ones they may have heard other kids denigrating. Don’t give up. And encourage family and friends to make fruits, nuts and vegetables available to your kids as snacks.

For more healthy snack ideas, visit www.sahalesnacks.com.

“Remember to mix things up by packing different fun, healthy snacks for your kids each day,” says Sanctis.

PHOTO SOURCE: (c) Monkey Business – Fotolia.com

Yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday was a mobile phone photo my sister Amber sent me of her youngest. She had stepped away for a moment and he jumped at the chance to take over. I love this photo because I immediately decided he was looking for me. You see, since I live in Utah and they live in Georgia, he seems to think I live in the computer and the telephone. So he’ll often point at the computer or the telephone if somebody mentions my name and tries to say my name. I like to think he was taking her absence as an opportunity to look for me. 

Check back tomorrow for the story behind this photo.

photo credit: Jim Sneddon

I’ve talked to Andrew many times about online safety since he’s on the computer a lot. He even has a mouse pad that reminds him of the basics. However, we recently came across a situation where I realized it wasn’t enough. I usually check on him quite often when he’s on there, but a couple weekends ago I had been sick and spent most of the day laying down, watching movies. At one point I got up to get a drink and decided to check on him. He had been checking on me pretty regular most of the day, bringing me drinks and making me sandwiches, and I hadn’t seen him for a while. So I walk in the office and he jumps up with a deer in the headlight look. Sign one. Then he says, “Mom, I love you! Can I have a hug?” Sign two.

After I hugged him and told him I loved him too, I asked him what he was doing. He said just playing a game. I asked him to let me see and sat down at the computer. He was in one of those chat rooms where you create a virtual character. He was in there with a girl. He had told her where he lived, including city. He had told her his first and last name. And he had told her he was 18. She had told him she was 14. I checked the account he had created and there he had used a birthday that made him 16. I was shocked since we’d talked about it so many times. I deleted his account, and he didn’t even look at the computer for two weeks.

I came across the following article today and it reminded me of that story. I’ll be sharing this site with Andrew. Regularly.

NEED TO KNOW

Keeping Kids Safer Online

(SPM Wire)  As the first generation to be born in the Internet age, today’s youth have a wealth of information at their fingertips. But with that information come potential hazards.

That’s why the Federal Trade Commission has issued a free booklet entitled “Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online.”

With over a million copies distributed to schools and police departments, it provides a practical guide for parents to help children make better decisions online. “It’s proof that people want to have continuing conversations with their kids about communicating online,” David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, recently told Congress.

Many of the tips in “Net Cetera” can be found online at OnGuardOnline.gov.

photo credit: Alexo!

The other night the power out went out in our part of the city. Happens a lot here this time of year. All the air conditioners on I would guess. I quickly realized our only telephone on the home number is a cordless and wasn’t going to work. Since I didn’t have many minutes available on my cell phone, I decided it was a perfect time to run up to the store and purchase a regular corded telephone. I told Andrew to get in the car we were going to the store. As we were leaving, I told him what we were going for. And then spent the rest of the ride trying to explain the different to him between a cordless phone and what we were on our way to purchase. Finally I had to just tell him he’d just have to see it when we bought it because I didn’t know how else to explain it.

So we get the phone and he’s like a kid on Christmas. He immediately opens it in the car and starts trying to figure it out. At one point I hear from the back seat, “This is SOOO confusing me.” By the time we got home, the power was back on so I told him to go ahead and plug it in so we’d have it for future needs. Not only does he plug it in, he spends the next several minutes playing with it. It was seriously tripping him out to have a telephone that had a cord. I finally had to tell him it wasn’t a toy and to stop playing with it. I’ve had to tell him several times since then. He’s obsessed with this new phone.

Next week maybe I’ll hunt down a rotary telephone. That’ll blow his mind.

The good news is I found a dentist local to me that will charge me based on a sliding scale. The bad news is they require payment up front and I literally have $2 to my name. So I’m continuing the discount, but now it will go towards getting me into the dentist on an emergency walk in basis.

Please check out the services over at Appetite for Design and use discount code “dentist” to receive 25% off. That code will be good through the end of June. This is also good on the Photoshop for Newbies Video Tutorial that I just added.

Thanks!

Shannon

From now through Saturday, use discount code “evo10″ on any products or services listed on Appetite for Design and receive 25% off.

Services with prices and add to cart buttons can be found under the “Rates” page. I’ve also just added a Photoshop for Newbies Video Tutorial package. Purchase today using the code “evo10″ and receive just over $10 off!

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This week was another pound lost. I know I need to step up and do more. I see the great success my friend Tishia is having and I try to get inspired, but I’m scared. I’m not sure of what exactly. Failing? Succeeding? Possibly a little of both.

Follow my progress and those I’ve teamed up with over at Plus Size Bloggers.