Gut Health for Active Kids

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided. ese statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. 

With the weather cooling down a little and the smoky air clearing the kids and I have been getting outside riding our scooters and bikes a little more. Ok, a LOT more! If you've been following my stories on Instagram you may have seen that Mathilde is finally riding her "big kid" bike after 4 years on her trusty balance bike. Woo hoo! We've been visiting local parking lots to ride our bikes around (the streets around us are too hilly for Mathilde just yet) and we've been exploring skate parks for extra fun on our scooters.  

After months of being stuck inside for much of the day, especially with the kids home learning it's so nice to be out and about again - while taking precautions, of course. One of the issues I was finding with the kids being inside for much of the day was that they were feeling sluggish and would tire easily. All this extra physical activity is definitely helping, but another thing that has helped has been focusing on their gut health.

Gut health is something that we tend to overlook when we're not feeling 100% - unless there are obvious gut related issues. But let's not go there! We tend to look for other reasons why we're not feeling well. Something a little more obvious that seems to fit in with how we're feeling. So often though, it all comes down to our gut. Our gut health is so much more important than we give it credit for. Did you know that 70% of our entire immune system is found in the gut? I had no idea until recently. 

A healthy intestinal microbiome is an important factor in children's growth and development as well as their ongoing health. Adults too. But how do we look after our gut and keep that microbiome balanced? Obviously eating well and keeping active are super important, but let's face it, we all slip up from time to time. Pizza is just too good, am I right?  

In order to keep their gut health in check I've been giving the kids Gut Connection Kids by Country Life supplements. This range has something for everyone with supplements for Digestive Balance, Cognitive Balance, Sleep Balance, and Immune Balance. Each one of these has been scientifically formulated to connect gut health to individual issues and contains clinically studied functional ingredients. A whole food prebiotic is at the core of each supplement and this reinforces the immune system's first line of defense. And it does it fast - like, within two hours fast! 

We've mostly been taking the Digestive Balance supplement to help with occasional tummy problems (let's face it, we all have them from time to time) and the Cognitive Balance supplement to help with concentration and staying on focused which is proving to be a little tricky with home learning. 

Gut Connection Kids supplements come in tasty flavors that kids will be happy to take. A supplement is no good if kids hate the taste and refuse to take it, right? The Immune Balance, Cognitive Balance and Digestive Balance supplements come in the form of sweet and sour flavored chewables. The Sleep Balance supplement comes in a chocolate flavored powder that can be mixed mix your child's favorite drink. Mmm... chocolate milk!

Gut Connection Kids by Country Life products are suitable for children aged 4 - 12. They're perfect for adults too. To learn more and to purchase supplements visit www.countrylifevitamins.com. Little Hiccups readers can save 20% when ordering direct from Country Life. Simply use the code MOMS20 at the checkout to save!

How do you take care of your gut health? Is it something you've focused on in the past or is it new to you too?

Gift Guide for Adventure Loving Families

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Micro Kickboard. All photos and opinions are my own.

The holidays are just around the corner which means it's time to start thinking about gift ideas. 

I'm a big fan of giving gifts that encourage the kids to get outside and play, even more so if it's a gift that encourages the whole family to play together. So today, I'm sharing some of my favorite gift ideas for families that love exploring, spending time outdoors and doing adventurous things together. 

Stay tuned for a fun give away at the end!

Micro Kickboard Scooters

For our city living family, scooters are a handy way to get around town. They're faster than walking, more convenient than bike riding and they're a ton of fun! My big kids have been getting around by scooter for years, and thanks to Micro Kickboard, Mathilde and I have now joined them! 

Ava and Lola ride the Sprite scooter which is designed for older children through to adults. It's a classic style two wheeled scooter that comes in a large range of colors. It's light enough for the kids to easily ride, but strong enough that either Kim or I could jump on and take it for a spin. The girls love that it has a handy kickstand so they don't always have to find something to lean it against when they get off.  Because the Sprite is lightweight, it's easy for the kids to carry around when folded too.

Mathilde rides the three wheeled Mini Deluxe which is suitable for children aged 2 - 5. The Mini Deluxe steers by pushing on the handle rather than turning it. It took Mathilde no time at all to pick it up. Just like a big scooter it has a rear brake, which is something missing from other toddler scooters on the market. And trust me, she zooms pretty fast keeping up with her big sisters so that brake comes in handy! 

My scooter is the Micro Black which is the best selling scooter for adults. It's really comfortable to ride and adjusts to suit a large range of sizes which means that Kim is able to ride it too. One of my favorite things about my scooter is that my kids love that I'm joining in the fun with them instead of just watching from the side lines. 

One thing I love about our scooters is they make for the perfect day out of fun. They're so easy to throw in the trunk of the car and take on adventures with us. Because the larger scooters fold up they take up very little room which means we can even take them on longer road trips and camping trips too. They're so much more convenient than taking bikes on our adventures, and just as much fun.

Wouldn't scooters for the whole family would make such a fantastic gift? Head on over to microkickboard.com for some great Black Friday deals with up to 40% off scooters for the whole family starting November 22. Don't forget the helmets for the kids. 

Oh, and stay tuned for a fun giveaway at the end of this post!

52 Weeks: Week 40

Week 40: International Walk & Roll to School Day 2015

After playing catch up on my 52 week project I've finally caught up. This week's post is actually from this week. Woo hoo!

This week the girls' school took part in International Walk & Roll to School Day. Now for us, every day is walk and roll to school day so it wasn't really any different, but it was great to see lots of other students arriving on foot or on scooters/bikes.

Dolores Park on sunny day

Dolores Park in San Francisco's Mission District is always an interesting place to spend a sunny afternoon. Yesterday was no exception. Whenever the sun comes out so to do the crazy hijinks!

We had organised to spend the day in Dolores Park with friends from Berkeley. It was a beautiful day and we soaked up the sun (a little too much for my poor shoulders unfortunately!) and sights as the kids played in the amazing playground, rode their scooters and balance bikes, kicked balls, threw frisbees and took it in turns sitting on a police motorbike.

Little bikie gang