Create Harmony, Not Havoc, When Book Bags Meet Breakfast (NAPSA)—Although the morning reality of today’s busy family often includes breakfast on-therun, parents can still squeeze healthy habits into that small window oftime. Kathy Peel—authorof 15 books on time management as well as mother of three boys—provides tips to simplify the school morning routine. These tips show how to give good nutrition and a consistent morning schedule a seat at the table. “First things first. Starting off every day with a quick, healthy breakfast establishes an important routine and valuable lifelong eating habits,” says Peel. “Breakfast is the first step in creating a peaceful, positive morning environment that prepares kids to take on the pressures of the day.” Start your morning the night before—and get your kids to help Set the table for breakfast right after dinner. Put backpacks by the door with homework, shoes, gym clothes, coats or rain gear. Keep your keys, errand items (like dry cleaning or library books), purse and briefcase in a designated spot. Layout clothes. Check now for spots, tears and missing buttons. Load lunchboxes with nonperishables and store sandwiches in the refrigerator. Keep juice boxes or cartons, such as Tropicana Pure Premium Healthy Kids”, in the freezer and pop them in lunch boxes in the morningfor a cool healthy drink at lunchtime. Manage morning time with a routine Set a wake-up time that gives each child enough time to wash, dress, eat, do chores and get out the door, then add 10 minutes for schedule snags. Put a clock in every room. Design a rotating schedule for the bathroom. Put a timer in the bathroom so children will know when their time is up. (Teenagers should get up fifteen minutes earlier than youngersiblings because they need more time. Hang a makeup mirror in girls’ bedroomsto free the bathroom for others.) Kick off the day together Create a healthy and tasty breakfast with “no cooking” foods like cereal or a bagel, and juice, such as Tropicana Pure Premium Healthy Kids, which contains the essential nutrients for growing kids so it keeps kids strong, healthy and at school, not home sick. Sit down at the table together, even for a few minutes, and talk about yourchildren’s day. Ask about tests or activities and if they need anything from the store. This is one way to show you love them and care about what's going on in their world. For additional tips on managing the back-to-school transition and a free inspirational screensaver featuring the poem Children Live What They Learn by Dorothy Law Nolte log onto www.healthykidshappymoms.com.
