Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Creative Ways to Have Fun, Fresh Air and Quality Time With Your Kids This Fall

Fall Family Fun

Now that fall is here, cooler late afternoons and evenings have already arrived in many areas of the U.S. What an ideal time it is to get outside with your family and kids of all ages. Fresh air is good for you, so is quality time together, fun, and exercise, right? There's so much you can do: jump in the leaves, grow cool season vegetables and much more. So what are you waiting for -- get outside and enjoy the crisp fall fresh air.

iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

On September 24, 2011, kids and families are invited to participate in the Nickelodeon 8th Annual Worldwide Day of Play to turn off the TV and play outside. Clorox 2® is a sponsor of this Nickelodeon initiative to get moms, dads and children to partake of an  overall healthier lifestyle that includes exercise and fresh air. 

You don't have to play football or other fall sports to enjoy time as a family during this time of year. Here are some light-hearted ways for parents to spend time outside with your kids for some Fall Family Fun.

Jump in a Pile of Leaves
For this fun activity, all you have to do is take turns raking together a huge pile of leaves in your yard.  Then, take turns jumping into the colorful stack. You can also have a leave fight, which is the same idea as a fight with water balloons in summer except that you throw piles of leaves at each other.

Take a Bike Ride Nature Tour
On the weekend or during daylight hours this is a good one for anyone that can ride a bicycle or tricycle. Everyone get your helmets on, get set, and cycle around the neighborhood. Change off naming something natural to look for that you have in your neighborhood but that you might have to do a little searching for. For example, be the first one to find a tree with red leaves, the first one to see a squirrel, the first one to gather five acorns, etc.

Alphabet Photographer
This is another activity perfect for enjoying fall outdoors. Get the kids to go on a photo safari with mom and/or dad looking for things to take pictures of natural and man-made objects in the shapes of different letters of the alphabet. A round stone could represent an "O," while a tree that has two branches coming out of the trunk might qualify for the letter "Y," and you might find a crack in the sidewalk that looks like an "N." You really have to keep your eyes open to find things that look like each letter and it's fun to make a scrapbook out of all the "letters" that you find to photograph.

Plant a Fall Garden
If you are lucky enough to live in a climate where the weather is now perfect to grow some cool weather vegetables, herbs, and flowers, get the shovels out and start turning the soil. Then, go to your local nursery or hardware store to buy some inexpensive seeds or pony packs of plans. Some fun things to cultivate together with your kids include produce such as lettuce, carrots, and some easy to grow herbs like mint and basil. It's fun caring for the garden as it grows and kids often are more amendable to eating what they have grown in their home plot themselves!

Hopefully these simple ideas that are inexpensive and don't require much special equipment inspire you. Fall is fun and meant to be enjoyed. So, I encourage all this blog's readers to take the Clorox2 Play 2Day Pledge at http://clorox2play2day.com and play outside with your kids!
 
FTC Disclosure:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox2® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.



Trident Gum Oral Health America Wellness

Giveaway


My family, including our kids, are devoted to volunteering in the community. So when I hear of a worthy cause that a major consumer brand such as Trident Gum is involved in that benefits children in need, I want to pass that information on to this blog's followers. A child's smile truly is worth a million bucks -- regardless of socio-economic status.




MBE partnered with Trident for this post

That's why I'm pleased to be partnering with Trident by encouraging Mommy Blog Expert readers to do your part to help stop childhood tooth decay, especially among;kids nationwide who are most at-risk for lack of proper dental care.

Win a Year's Supply of Gum Giveaway, Details Below

How You Can Help

For each pack of Trident gum you buy from September 19 - 25, the brand will donate five cents to Oral Health America's Smiles Across America. This program supports vital school-based and school-linked oral health services for children and families across the U.S.


WIN A Year's Supply of
Trident Gum
GIVEAWAY
No Purchase Necessary - Ends 10/17

How to Enter Giveaway

Leave one or more comments below this post saying why you'd like to be the one to win. Contest ends October 17, 2011 at 12 midnite PST and is open to legal residents of the U.S. only. Winner will be selected at random from all entries and notified via email. A year's supply of gum is 52 packs.

Required (Mandatory) Entry
Simply leave a comment below this blogpost saying why you should be the one to win this prize.  Don't forget to include your email address, Facebook or Twitter contact info in the comment section so the winner can be contacted.

Additional Extra Entries 
Get extra entries to win for doing any combination (or all) of the easy options listed below.  Just be sure to return to MommyBlogExpert to leave an additional comment after each individual extra action you do to confirm so we can record all your extra chances to win. 

1. Follow @MommyBlogExpert on Twitter
2. Follow @MommyBlogExpert on Facebook 
3. Follow @Trident on Facebook 

Don't Forget to TWEET - For Super ***Bonus Entries*** 
You can earn even more chances to win each time you Tweet the message below up to 3 times/day

 WIN a YEAR of Trident Gum + Help at-risk Kids Get Dental Care http://tinyurl.com/3p7l7n5 #giveaway #community #kids Ends 10/17, Pls RT

About Trident

Trident Sugar Free Gum has long been a pioneer in providing oral health benefits to consumers. Today, Trident is the best selling chewing gum and sugar free gum in the world. A recent study shows that the brand continues to be recommended by four out of five dentists who recommend sugar-free gum to their patients who chew gum.

FTC Disclosure Trident is providing the prize for this giveaway contest. I did not receive compensation associated with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Mommy Blog Expert is Nominated for Parents 2011 Best All-Around Mom Blog Award - Pls Vote

Mommy Bloggers 

Dear Readers:

So excited to learn today from Parents Magazine that Mommy Blog Expert has been nominated for Parents 2011 Best All-Around Mom Blog award. Thanks so much in advance for your support!

You don't have to be a Mom to vote
So, please vote now for MBE HERE
Winner to be announced in mid-October

FTC Disclosure: I disclose that my blog has been nominated for Parents.com Best All-Around Mom Blog. However, MommyBlogExpert did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.