Category — Fit Family

Every year in May, the League of American Bicyclists sponsors National Bike Month—giving riders a chance to celebrate an activity that’s good for the body and the planet. And with warm weather starting to arrive, now’s the perfect time for the whole family to dust off their bikes and hit the pavement. But before you head out, you and your child might want to freshen up on safety and riding skills first. So whether your little one is setting out to learn on her first set of training wheels, or your big kid’s gearing up to try out his brand new 10-speed, we’ve got tips for parents of riders of all ages.

Give your bike a proper tune up Just like a car that hasn’t been used in several months, you want to make sure your bike is in good working order before hitting the road. Have your child help pump air into the tires, check reflectors and headlights (or attach them if you haven’t already), and check the brakes and handlebars. You also want to make sure the seat is properly secured and that the chains are oiled and good to go. The League of American Bicyclists offers easy-to-understand tips and instructions for bike upkeep at bikeleague.org/resources/better/maintenance.php.

Wear a helmet This may seem obvious, but it’s certainly a safety rule worth repeating, since according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 91 percent of bicyclists killed in 2009 reportedly weren’t wearing helmets. If you establish–and enforce–a helmet rule as soon as your child starts riding, it will become a habit for life. And if she seems resistant to the idea because she thinks helmets are ugly or uncomfortable, talk to her about why you want her to protect her head. While there’s not much on the market in terms of eco-friendly helmets, you can find helmet-buying tips and advice, as well as a list of the Consumer Reports top rated bike helmets for kids at and adults, at squidoo.com/kids-bike-helmets. And if your child chooses a helmet himself, it might be more likely he’ll want to wear it.

Follow the rules of the road Explain to your child that even if they’re on two wheels instead of four, bicycle riders have to follow the same rules as cars and buses, and then some! Make your child feel like she’s part of a special club now that she’s big enough to ride a bike (riding on the right side of the road and following traffic signs are for everyone—wearing bright colored clothes and a helmet are special rules for kids in the Bike Riding Club only!). Need to brush up on your bike safety rules? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a list of riding tips for parents and kids.

Practice, practice, practice! Take your younger child to a school or church parking lot to get a handle on the basics, like starting and stopping, and looking both ways before crossing a street. Even if your little one is still on training wheels, this is good practice for when she decides to take them off. If your child is on two wheels, have him ride in a circle, as well as a straight line, to master balance; and then along a painted line while looking back at you without swerving, to get the hang of straight-riding. Remind him to keep an eye out for possible dangers, like potholes or broken pavement.

Plan a neighborhood ride Once your child seems comfortable and ready to ride, map out a neighborhood ride to take together. Encourage her to take the lead, finding the best routes to take to get to school or a friend’s house—this will enable her to put the new rules she’s learned to use. Or check out websites like traillink.com or maps.google.com to find nearby bike trails you can hit together.

Bike riding can be a fun and healthy activity for the whole family, and the safer and more prepared everyone is, the better! For more bicycle safety and maintenance advice, during National Bike Month and all year along, visit bikeleague.org.

 
-Dana, KIWI Intern

By now, most of us in the green-minded community (and beyond!) are well-versed in the mental and physical health benefits of yoga: A regular practice increases flexibility, strength, posture, and even lung capacity (thanks to the emphasis on deep breathing), and decreases feelings of stress, irritability, anxiety, and depression. When done mindfully and with the proper alignment, getting into a few downward-facing dogs every day can only help you.

The same, of course, is true for kids—and San Francisco-based Headstand is spreading the benefits to students throughout the Bay Area with their yoga curriculum. The program helps teachers integrate yoga tools into their classrooms to help improve behavior, raise self-esteem, enhance physical health, and even boost grades. And it’s working: Headstand’s pilot program found that 98 percent of participating students experienced a decrease in stressful feelings and felt more ready to learn after yoga.

For now, the program is only available to select schools in San Francisco and Houston—but it’s easy for teachers and parents alike to incorporate simple yoga poses in the classroom and at home. Here, three from Kelly Wood, a Los Angeles-based yoga instructor and creator of Hi Yoga, a yoga training program for parents and kids:

Stirring in a bowl Children sit cross-legged with hands on their knees, then rotate their spines in circles. “Kids get to imagine they’re spoons stirring healthy food in a bowl and make suggestions of what foods are in the bowl,” Wood says.

Washing machine Children sit their hands on their shoulders and turn the shoulders left and right to mimic a washing machine’s movement. Each turn produces an imaginary bubble, which kids can count, and even describe by shape or color.

Heart meditation Children sit cross-legged with their hands at their chest in the shape of a heart. With eyes closed, they repeat “heart”.

-Marygrace, staff writer

That's me, doing the half-moon pose on my summer vacation in Utah!

There’s lots of reasons I love practicing yoga: the loose stretchiness from pigeon pose, the sense of strength and balance from half-moon, and the feeling of calm contentment from sitting up after laying in savasana. Another thing I love? Being in a room with five, ten, or twenty other people moving in perfect sync together. It’s not something I often get a chance to see in the real world—so oftentimes during a yoga class, I’ll stop for a quick minute to take a look at the impromptu group performance going on around me. 

When I heard about Salutation Nation, a free outdoor yoga event by athletic apparel retailer Lululemon, I got pretty excited. I like to attend the free Saturday morning classes they offer at their store here in Austin, and I bet their outside practice will be even more fun. It takes place at parks and other outdoor spaces in cities all across the country this Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M., and everyone is invited. 

An hour of nationwide yoga might not change the world, but it’s a fun way to spend time with family and friends (or meet new ones!). Find a Salutation Nation event near you at Lululemon’s blog. 

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

I don’t know about your house, but at mine, all I hear on Saturday morning is, “WAKE UP! It’s almost noon!”.

Most tweens and teens have the amazing ability to sleep well into the afternoon. And while all that snoozing might eat up time spent being more productive if awake (chores! homework!), it turns out that getting plenty of sleep can help adolescents maintain a healthy weight, finds a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

You might’ve heard similar stats regarding sleep and weight gain before, but the research done at the Center for Child Health Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute is unique. In this study, participants wore accelerometers for seven days while keeping a log of everything they ate. (Unlike pedameters, which count the number of steps taken, accelerometers measure movement on three different planes.) The study of 723 adolescents (average age 15) measured participants’ weight, body mass index (BMI), and percentage of body fat. The less teens slept, the higher their BMI (the correlaton was strongest for middle school-aged boys).

The conclusion? Let them sleep! Your teen and his body will thank you when he wakes up.

Angela, KIWI intern

Throughout my entire life I have always been exposed to exercise, sports and the benefits of constantly moving.
When I entered college, my sisters kept saying “don’t gain the freshman fifteen.”

To them, it was just a taunt; but to me, it was serious!

 
The freshman fifteen is every college student’s fear and many take the time and effort to exercise more than normal.
But now there are more than just health benefits.

 
At Saginaw State University, 266 students were tracked based off exercise habits and grades. The study showed that students who vigorously exercised had higher grade point averages.
In this study, students who had a constant vigorous workout seven days a week averaged 0.4 points higher than those that did not exercise.

 
While the study focused on older kids, it is a great idea to exercise with your little ones as well. Instead of going to the gym there are many things you can do right in your own home.
For example, dancing-many don’t think its exercise, but it is! Put on your child’s favorite songs, and have fun with the beat. Get the entire family to participate by having each person come up with one or two moves and then put them all together for a whole routine!

 
In the morning, some easy things to do are a few yoga moves. Not only does yoga fuel the mind, but it gives your kids a great stretch after a good nights sleep.
Try these moves at home and let us know what your favorite ways to exercise and move with your kids are.

 
Sunrise/Sunset
In yoga, we move as we breathe. For example, we stretch on the inhale and relax on the exhale. The Sunrise/Sunset pose is a good all-over warm-up for any activity.
1. Stand up tall. Take three to five deep breaths.
2. On the next inhale, lift your arms above your head. Press your legs and feet down toward the ground and stretch your spine and waist toward the sky.
3. As you exhale, bend the upper half of your body at your waist down toward your legs, as if you were diving into a pool. Bend your knees a little at first, to avoid straining your back. Bend as far as you comfortably can. As you inhale again, open your arms wide and stand up slowly, stretching your arms to the sky.
 4. Repeat this six to 10 times. As you inhale and stretch, think of the glowing, rising sun. As you exhale and fold, think of the setting sun.

By Victoria, KIWI Editorial Intern

Summer is just around the corner, and camping or hiking are great outdoor activities to keep your entire family moving.

And since you’re probably going to end up carrying all of your little one’s gear, water, and snacks, why not use an environmentally friendly pack? The North Face Treehugger 32 Pack is totally eco: the buckles are made from 100% recycled and reground plastic; the webbing, mesh, and foam are made from 100% recycled fabric. It’ll give you tons of space, plus there are great convenient exterior pockets to slip your (stainless steel, I hope!) water bottle into for easy access!

Looking for some other ideas for summer activities? The North Face has announced June 2010 as their second annual National Camping Month. They’ll be hosting free events across the nation with activities, educational clinics, and gear giveaways. Their goal is to increase youth (and adult) participation in outdoor activities. For more info, check out planetexplore.com.

-Nicole McGovern

Last week, my eight-year-old cousin asked if I have any good yoga postures for her and her girlfriends to try out. But while I try to get my down-dog on once a week to keep my body limber and reduce stress, a yoga expert I am not. In an effort to help her out, I turned to The ABCs of Yoga for Kids by Teresa Anne Power and Kathleen Rietz. Am I glad I did! Power, a   certified yoga instructor, helps kids 3-8 shape up and de-stress while encouraging imaginative thinking with  cleverly-named postures like frog pose, shark pose, and swan pose.  What’s more, Rietz’s illustrations help little yogis follow each asana to a tee. For more, check out abcyogaforkids.com.

-Brittany, KIWI staffer

Here’s a scary stat: Nearly one-third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and even heart disease. But while reversing these numbers might seem like a daunting task, it’s one Michelle Obama is up to.

Let’s Move! is a new, national campaign spearheaded by the First Lady that seeks to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. The approach?

• Give parents the support they need through more informative food labels, an updated food pyramid, plus tips and tool kits that’ll help them encourage their kids to get moving.
• Provide healthier food in schools by establishing rigorous standards for school food quality and reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act.
• Help kids be more physically active by awarding kids who move with Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards plus modernizing the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge.
• Make healthy, affordable food available in every part of the country with the Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

Best of all, there’s a way for you to help: Check out the Let’s Move! call to action and sign up for campaign updates. Here’s hoping we see healthier kids in the years to come!

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

KIWI is excited to be one of the sponsors of this FREE upcoming event on Sunday, February 7 at noon: Mama Moves Post-Natal Fitness and Pilates at Nimble Fitness.

Personal trainer and pre/post Pilates instructor, Charlotte Blake, will be offering a post-natal FREE Pilates class that will launch a regularly scheduled Mama Moves Pilates class on Sundays at noon. (Read more about why KIWI loves Charlotte.) Nimble is a unique fitness facility, offering integrated personal training, cutting-edge classes, and holistic workshops and seminars.

This exciting event will be an hour for you to rejuvenate your body, ask questions, meet other moms, learn about pelvic floor and diastasis rehabilitation, and connect with your NYC mom community. Bring your baby (although not required), a blanket to rest your baby on, small toys for your little one, and wear comfortable clothes. You will walk away feeling more limber and more connected with your community, resources, and body. You’ll get a goody bag that includes the latest issue of KIWI, too!

Space is limited, so RSVP with Nimble Fitness: info@nimblefitness.com, 212-633-9030.

Have fun!

-Sarah, KIWI editorial director

Even without a gym membership, it’s easy to get plenty of exercise in the warmer months. After all, family walks after dinner, bicycle rides to the park, and pick-up games of soccer provide just as much of a workout as a half-hour on the elliptical—and are a lot more fun. But what about when the weather turns cold? During the winter, motivating myself to stay active is a whole lot more difficult. And while hanging out on the couch with a blanket, a book, and a hot cup of tea can be great, after a while I start to feel sluggish and icky. Here, some of my favorite ways to keep fit when the mercury drops:

• Go online. Exercise DVDs are great, but I get bored after doing the exact same routine a few times. Websites like ExerciseTV and YogaToday have a variety of free streaming videos, while FitSugar has printable PDF circuit workouts.
• Use your space. Run up and down the stairs, perform tricep dips against your coffee table, do modified pushups against a wall, or try walking lunges across the living room floor.
• Clean. Who doesn’t love multitasking? For instance, thirty minutes of mopping or vaccuuming will get your floors spic and span while burning 100 calories—not to mention tone your arms and shoulders.
• Bundle up. Sometimes, the cold isn’t as bad as you think. My foolproof method for layering (that even allows me to bicycle comfortably in 20-degree weather)? Two pairs of socks, leggings under a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved thermal plus sweater, a coat, gloves, and ski mask. I might look like a puffed-out roly-poly, but at least I’m warm!

What are your favorite ways to keep moving when it’s cold out?

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

I went running this morning. It was COLD. There were days last month that were 15 degrees warmer, and yet I managed to talk myself out of putting on those running shoes. But it’s a new year, and I have a new goal.

I’m not usually one to make resolutions (I can never think of a good one), but here’s what happened: I went for a Christmas run with my brother, who’s a college running coach, and as I moaned and groaned through a slow run, I told him how hard it is to get up when it’s dark and cold. I thought he’d say, “Yeah, I know how that is, but keep trying!” But he didn’t. He said, “I think you need a new goal. How about a half marathon this year?”

This might sound slightly crazy, but here’s the thing: I think it’ll be much, much easier to train for this race than it would be to just “get healthier.” I don’t know about you, but I need specifics. My brother’s going to give me a training plan, and I’ve found in the past that when I run regularly, I eat and sleep better too. Also, I like running–I think that’s key to a good goal, to like at least some aspect of it–but I just haven’t been motivated lately.

So, it’s exciting to have a new challenge that I’m pretty sure I can do–but not entirely. And I’ve already paid the 60 bucks for the entry fee, so I guess I’m in. I’ll keep you updated, but in the meantime, do you have a goal for 2010? Do you do better with narrow or broad goals? Anyone want to run this race with me?

–Sarah, KIWI editorial director

I met a fantastic and totally down-to-earth trainer at a party recently–Charlotte Blake lives in Brooklyn and has a ton of mom clients. And she told me something fascinating: Crunches are not going to solve your post-baby belly problems. In fact, they’re going to make them worse!

This is really good news all around because:

1. You don’t have to do crunches anymore.

2. There IS another exercise that’ll work much better. Here’s a post-natal core exercise she recommends to heal a diastasis (what’s that? It’s a separation of the outermost abdominal muscles during pregnancy). 

Charlotte Blake

If you’re in Brooklyn, check out Charlotte’s classes–if not, her website still has lots of great ideas for moms who want to be healthy.

–Sarah, KIWI editorial director

If you are in the Long Island area this weekend, please come bring your kiddies to the East End Green Fest in Mattituck, NY! This festival takes place on August 1st and 2nd on Strawberry Fairgrounds 10am-6pm.  Featuring live music on more than 10 solar stages, local foods, seminars, fun events, and natural and sustainable products, this is a wonderful activity for the whole gang.  Adults tickets are $3 and kids 12 and under are FREE! KIWI will be there so come by, grab a magazine and some goodies! We will see you there!

-Brittany, KIWI Staff and Green Fest fan

Walking is one of the best things you can do for your health as well as the environment. While a study in Washington state found that on average, people living in pedestrian-friendly areas weigh about 7 pounds less than people living in areas that aren’t so pedestrian-friendly, walking also emits zero pollution into the atmosphere. What’s more, walking is good for the community–it’s been shown to increase social interaction as well as help local businesses thrive.

How walkable is your area? Visit WalkScore.com and type in your home address to find out. The website ranks the walkability of over 2,000 U.S. neighborhood according to a number of criteria, including the existance of a discernable town center, parks and public space, pedestrian-centric design, and nearby schools and workplaces. Hopefully, your community shows up as super foot-friendly–but if not, you can take action! Click here to learn more about the 2009 Transportation Bill, which you can support in order to appropriate more government funding for safe walking streets.

-Marygrace, KIWI Staffer

With such a successful first year behind them, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg along with NYC DOT Janette Sadik-Khan have decided to keep this wonderful initiative going. Last August, for three consecutive Saturdays with over 50,000 in attendance, 7 miles of the New York City area was closed down allowing families to enjoy free activities and plenty of room to ride bikes, jog, and enjoy the beautiful summer days without the usual traffic. Summer Streets 2009 promises to be even better with 13 additional locations and over 1500 free activities for all to enjoy. Join in on the fun August 8th, 15th, and 22nd from 7AM-1PM. To learn more about this initiative as well as tips and activities, check out Summer Streets 2009.

-Brittany, KIWI Staff and fitness guru

Our sun-loving crew compiled a list of the best summer-related content KIWI has to offer. Whether you’re into surfing, nature walks, gardening, or cooking, you’ll find plenty of ways to have fun all summer while being kind to the planet. Read all about it at kiwimagonline.com/summerfun.

The eternal question: How I can stay fit, be outside, get enough exercise and juggle parenting? This Mother’s Day I told my husband that I was mowing the lawn, and that he was in charge of the kids. We recently moved into a new suburban neighborhood in Washington DC and as a result we have to keep up with the “lawn Olympics.” This is what my husband and I refer to as the compulsive need to have the perfect manicured lawn and garden, with all the accessories to manage it. While many of our elderly neighbors have lawn service, our younger generation tends to fend for themselves.

What I have noticed is that while much of the gardening is a shared task between the genders, the actual lawn mowing is most often the male’s “job.” I vote to change that. Not only was my Mother’s Day mow relaxing and meditative (good music on my Ipod), I burned somewhere around 900 calories! And I made Vitamin D in the process from the sun. Mowing the lawn can burn anywhere from 350-500 calories per hour depending on the speed you move and your body weight. There really is no reason why this chore needs to be male dominated.
In fact, I think I finally realized why men find such joy in this. I would take it any day over vacuuming or sweeping dusty floors inside. I am always looking for an excuse to be outside, why not get exercise in the process?  Maybe for Father’s Day this year, tell your husband you are treating him to a morning with the kids while you mow the lawn for him. He will think you are doing him a favor!

– Dr. Keri Marshall MS, ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in holistic pediatrics and women’s medicine.

Want to throw a great Super Bowl bash this weekend while keeping your family, your guests, and your planet all happy and healthy? Try some of KIWI’s tips:

• If you’re like us, you’re not a #1 fan of the paper plates and plastic cups that often pop up at parties. Keep trash to a minimum at your get-together by opting for reusable or recyclable dinnerware and flatware.

• Keep your party low-impact by offering some easy vegetarian options. Instead of the usual hummus and veggie tray, try something unexpected, like our Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pita Pizzas.

• To keep nervous tummies satisfied, serve natural and organic snacks like popchips and Coleman Organic Buffalo Chicken Wings.

• Don’t forget to recycle. Set up several recycling bins for your guests so that glass, plastic and paper can be separated as per your local recycling program.

Be sure to enter our Super Healthy Super Bowl Party and win eco sports equipment & snacks.

Enjoy watching the game, stellar commercials and the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band halftime show!

– Stephanie, KIWI staff and lover of sports

It can be hard to find stuff to do in the winter. You and your family have probably exhausted your stash of games, puzzles, books, and movies, and oftentimes its just too cold to go outside and play. Instead of letting yourselves get stir-crazy, try organizing an indoor family Olympics.

While the games could probably be held in the basement or another room where the furniture can be temporarily re-arranged, why not go all out? Get together with the neighborhood parents and contact your local elementary school to see if its possible to book the gymnasium for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Form family teams and get creative—pick names, choose matching uniforms, and create a special, secret handshake.

Holding a variety of events will ensure that everyone can show off his or her particular strength. Try a three-legged race, free-throw contest, volleyball game, or hula hoop competition, for instance. Have a medal ceremony after the games end, then feed your Olympic appetites with some fresh-baked cookies.

Marygrace Stergakos, KIWI Intern and lover of international competitions

With kids going back to school and ideas of what to pack for lunch comes a heightened awareness over what constitutes “healthy.” With childhood obesity as one of the nation’s leading health threats, this is clearly a million dollar question.

Did you know that childhood obesity is the number one concern amongst US parents, ahead of drug abuse and smoking? Today, almost 25 million children are overweight or obese and thus are at risk for early-onset cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. If obesity rates among children continue to climb at such a rate, this generation will be the first to have a shorter life span than their parents!

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, has designated September “Go Healthy Month.” The Alliance is taking preventive measures against childhood obesity to ensure that future generations won’t struggle with illnesses associated with poor food choices and lack of physical activity.

I encourage you to check out www.igohugo.org to find out how both you and your child can engage in this challenge, which encourages better food choices as well as finding ways to participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Exercising together will not only help you look and feel better, but will allow for time to catch up on your child’s school day.

What are you waiting for? Turn off the TV and enjoy the warm afternoons!

–Dr. Keri Marshall MS, ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in holistic pediatrics and women’s medicine

Remember it is not always easy to talk to your kids at a young age about issues that they will hopefully not encounter until much older. As in the Appletini incident highlighted in my last Blog, here are five useful tips for having “the conversation.”

1. Start early: It is much easier to initiate conversations regarding drugs and alcohol when your children are seven, rather than seventeen. Start early and often!

2. Keep appropriate: Keep the conversation age appropriate and discuss making healthy choices for their bodies. Introduce consequences for behavior. “You want to make good healthy choices for your body, so your body won’t get sick”.

3. Expressing feelings: Create an environment of listening that supports your child’s ability to express their feelings. As your child grows and their interests widen to friends and activities outside the home, you want them to continue to talk to you about their feelings and “keep you in their loop.”

4. Problem solving: Have your child identify safe people to talk to about their problems (including you). Discuss what can happen if they “mask” or hide their emotions. Modeling healthy ways to resolve and express issues with your child empowers them to tackle the bumps in the road.

5. Safety rules: Discuss the importance of safety rules and the dangers of touching, tasting or smelling things that they can’t identify. Stress how very dangerous this can be.

Open communication with your child early on, practicing patience, problem solving, listening to your child and teaching consequences for their behavior are excellent foundations for laying the ground work for future “tough stuff discussions” including the use of alcohol as they head into the pre- teen years. (Oh, the Teen Years…when you will want that Appletini!)

Written by: June Grushka-Rosen (Miss. June Bug) M.Ed. is a Life Coach, Educator, Psychotherapist and mommy of two.
To contact – LifeCoachingYou@Verizon.net

When I picked up my daughter Sasha from school she proudly announced that a special visitor had come into their second grade classroom to discuss alcohol abuse. I was pleased that my daughter and her peers were being exposed to alcohol prevention so early. I know that early prevention statistically shows a decrease in the onset of kids drinking and addiction. In addition, I had been working diligently through my job to create an effective drug and alcohol prevention program in a near by school district.

I asked Sasha what she had learned, hoping to steal a few good ideas for my own program, and of course, to see how she was processing her new gained knowledge from someone other then her mother. “They said beer was alcohol, so I raised my hand and told them that my mom loves Appletinis. I asked them if Appletinis are alcohol too, and did you know mom… they are!?” You can imagine my surprise! After great effort to teach my child about the dangers of alcohol, it was a casual conversation with a friend joking about a recent event we attended and how we really enjoyed the Appletinis that my daughter picked up on.

The messages we send our children are not always conscious ones. Parents need to be mindful about their casual habits regarding drugs and alcohol. Sit down and have a conversation with your children regarding alcohol. Take it from me…. your children really are taking their cues from you.

Written by: June Grushka-Rosen (Miss. June Bug) M.Ed. is a Life Coach, Educator, Psychotherapist and mommy of two.
To contact – LifeCoachingYou@Verizon.net

P.S. Check back tomorrow for June’s tips on talking to your kids about alcohol.

Time for a little update from me to you.

We always have so much fun stuff going on at KIWI, it’s good to give you all the “low down.”

We have updated our contests– you could win a 5-day/4-night trip for a family of four to the Bahamas! (Where do I sign up?!) Just head on over to enter.

Also, we have so many downloadable freebies, just for visiting our site. We have KIWI’s Top 25 Holiday Toys of 2007 (a little late, but always good for birthday gift ideas) and a free activity page and holiday entertaining tips from KIWI, Whole Foods Market and Healthy Child Healthy World. We also have the KIWI Special Report: What Moms Want– The Definitive Me-Time Study; KIWI Green College Report and our ever expanding KiwiKids Activities.

We update our Featured Articles and Recipes regularly. Right now we have two winter themed articles, Baby It’s Cold Outside and Keeping a Lid on Heating Bills. Our featured recipes are Quinoa Chopped Salad and Tofu and Cheese Quesadillas by Chef George Kyrtatas. These won’t be featured for long! We are updating the site soon, so more articles and recipes are coming.

Also, Happy New Year!

We here at KIWI love Healthy Child, Healthy World. That is why we were extra happy when we learned about their partnership with Seventh Generation and babystyle to create Wee Generation.

Wee Generation believes “Raising a healthy baby is simply a matter of knowing where potential hazards might be hiding in your home and learning how to replace them with non-toxic alternatives that keep everyone safe and happy.” And we couldn’t agree more! They even have 5 Easy Steps that everyone should take to protect their children. The steps are the following:

1. Manage pest safely
2. Buy non-toxic products
3. Clean up indoor air
4. Eat healthy, shop organically
5. Be smart about plastics.

Seems simple enough! Click on the link above to read the steps in full detail. (Also click here to read KIWI’s tips on choosing a safe water bottle.)

We also love the face that Wee Generation is developing the diaper bag to end all diaper bags. They are asking moms and dads to share their stories about diaper bag disasters and triumphs. They are going to take all the ideas, stories and suggestions and make the first “Cradle to Cradle Certified eco-baby bag.” Log onto Wee Generation’s site to get the full details, share your story and help design the best bag for you and your children.

And last, but certainly not least you can enter to win a consultation with a green-home decorator and funds towards a green nursery! Where do we sign up? Just click on over to Wee Generation homepage and enter the sweepstakes at the top of the page. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you!