This post was sponsored by Nature Made® as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.

It’s that busy time of the year! Back-to-School time is here! That also means that it is a good time to make sure your children are taking their vitamins! Choose high-quality vitamins and supplements from Nature Made® to start the school year on track.

There are different options available from Nature Made®.  I went to Target with a provided gift card to purchase the Nature Made® KIDS FIRST® Multivitamin Gummies. I love Target since it really is one of my favorite stores! What is my favorite thing about the multivitamins?  I love that my son doesn’t argue about taking them because they taste good.  My son will not take vitamins that do not taste good! There have been many times where I have bought vitamins and he would not take them so I am very happy that he loves these! I like that they contain 12 essential nutrients for age-specific nutritional support, including vitamins A,C,D and E, B vitamins, and minerals like iodine and zinc.  I have to admit that my son can be a picky eater and I feel more confident that he is taking these multivitamins. They also are all natural  flavors and are Gluten free. There are also no synthetic dyes or preservatives or yeast.

I also like to take Gummies so I am quite impressed with the Nature Made® Adult Gummies. I actually just recently tried them and they are now my favorite!  They come in delicious flavors such as mango, peach and strawberry and they even have a “Love Them or They’re Free” gummy guarantee!Now, how cool is that?! Although, I am not quite as picky as my son, I can be picky where vitamins are concerned!   (These are not recommended for children).

Also available are KIDS FIRST® Multivitamin with Omega-3 Gummies, KIDS FIRST® Vitamin C Gummies and KIDS FIRST® Fiber Gummies. I plan to try the KIDS FIRST® Vitamin C Gummies next! I think those would be perfect for the upcoming cold and flu season! With all the busy times we have ahead, I want to make sure my son stays as healthy as he can so Vitamin C really may help support his immune system.†

So, don’t forget to look for Nature Made® KIDS FIRST® Multivitamin Gummies this September at a Target near you!

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Self Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I received free product and compensation. I received free product but SoCal City Kids is not affiliated with Pharmavite. Any opinions expressed are my own. Photos are my own. †These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Looking for a great way to plan out your Meals? You can also receive fresh ingredients to cook these meals. The best thing is that it is all delivered to your door and ready for you to cook!

Home Chef is the Chicago-based meal kit delivery service and they are expanding service nationwide!

I had the opportunity to try Home Chef and have to say, I was pretty impressed! I received two separate meals: Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps and Caramelized Apple Chutney Pork Chops…yum! Both items were low-calorie and I was impressed that I received all of the ingredients and they were fresh. I also was grateful that there are step-by-step recipe instructions, which were super easy to follow.

I like how the recipes can also be kept in a binder for future use. The binder is included.

My personal favorite was the Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps! They were absolutely delicious! But, the Pork Chops were good too!

All you need to do is go to the Home Chef https://www.homechef.com/sign-up/welcome site and choose the meals you want using the step-by-step entry form. The subscriptions are simple and I like the variety that they offer in their menu options. They also offer options for low-calorie and no red meat.

To find out more about how it all works, go here.

Self Disclosure: I received two free meals to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. Photo credit: SoCal City Kids.

Do your kids dislike wearing the traditional bike helmets for biking and skateboarding?

Maybe it is time to try a new one!

After five years in the making, Brainskinz Helmet Systems, LLC has officially launched its line of brainskinz™ interchangeable-shell helmets. Combining safety and style, brainskinz™ helmets have been thoughtfully designed with kids in mind.

“I kept seeing kids, time and again, riding without helmets all over the neighborhood,” said founding partner, John Polansky. “They’d often have their helmets with them, but dangling from their handlebars. I eventually started to question them on this and was continuously told that they either didn’t like the way their helmets looked, or they didn’t like the way they felt. I was determined to figure out a way to make kids want to wear their helmets while out biking or skateboarding, and knew that it was a matter of combining function and form with a bit of personal expression.”

Industrial design engineers at Fred Sparks (www.fredsparks.com), along with Polansky himself, designed both the “Base” helmet which brainskinz calls “function,” as well as the decorative “Shells” which brainskinz calls “form.”

The base helmet is comfortably outfitted with soft, satiny padding, an adjustable clasp-style chinstrap, and a dial-fit that perfectly conforms to a child’s head. The base helmet meets safety testing requirements for bicycling and skateboarding, and can be worn with or without a shell. “The shell, however, is kinda the whole point,” said partner Brad Gilmore. “Choosing and changing the shell is where the fun comes in. Kids love being able to express themselves, changing out the shell based on whatever mood or style they’re feeling that day.”

SoCal City Kids received samples and I love the designs of them! I had a few of our younger testers try them out and they were a big hit! The kids loved the designs and also said that they are comfortable to wear! I think it is important that kids like them because well..otherwise they just may not wear them!

More About brainskinz:

brainskinz™ are fun, changeable helmets that your kids will love to wear! brainskinz™ are colorful, playful, and just plain fun. brainskinz™ can be worn pretty much any time your kids are in motion, and when they get tired of a design, they can simply detach the current Shell and choose another from their collection. Keeping it fresh means keeping them on their melons!

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this post. Photo was provided.

Dr. Tanya, along with TYLENOL® are inviting all parents to contribute to the Operation Smile fund that will help restore smiles in children with a cleft lip or cleft palate. Every three minutes a child is born with these facial deformities and Operation Smile believes every child suffering from this deserves access to exceptional surgical care and deserves to live a better life.

TYLENOL® Operation Smiles Donation

  Parents can take pictures of their baby’s first tooth and create personalized e-cards on http://bit.ly/2aJq7rk. For each share of the e-card, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to Operation Smile, an international medical charity that has provides free surgeries for children in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities.

Self Disclosure: I received a TYLENOL® kit to facilitate this post.

When it comes to providing the best care and resources for your baby, parents should be aware that offering filtered water instead of tap is the safest option.

Contaminants such as lead are even more detrimental to pregnant women and children under six years of age, causing developmental delays, slowed growth, learning disabilities and more.  Using filtered water that removes lead and other impurities is the better option when taking care of a baby.

I have found that ZeroWater is a great way to go!

ZeroWater is the only water filtration system to receive NSF endorsement for its reduction capabilities in chromium-3, chromium-6 and lead. ZeroWater’s products range from a 6 Cup to a 23 Cup pitcher and dispensers, all employed with the patented 5-stage filtration technology that removes 99.6% of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) offering superior filtered water.

ZeroWater high performance water filtration through a patented 5-stage filter compared to most on the market that are only 2-stage.  All devices implement the five-stage filtration system to remove virtually all dissolved solids from your tap water and deliver you great-tasting water in just minutes.  ZeroWater is one of the only pour through filtration systems on the market that is NSF certified to meet standards for lead removal as well as other heavy metals.  In addition, Good Housekeeping Research Institute findings reveal that ZeroWater filters remove more pharmaceuticals and chemicals than Brita and PUR.  www.zerowater.com

ZeroWater’s products range from a 6 Cup to a 23 Cup pitcher and dispensers, all employed with the patented 5-stage filtration technology that removes 99.6% of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) offering superior filtered water. MSRP Starting at $19.99 and available at major retailers across the US and Canada.

I love that they have so many different options! I have also tried the Pitcher in the past! I just had the opportunity to try out one of the dispensers and am really impressed!  I like that I feel that this is a safer way to drink water and that it is so simple! Lead-Free Water is the best option for children of all ages and adults too!

Find out more at http://www.zerowater.com/

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample to facilitate this post. Photos were provided. 

It’s back-to-school time but that doesn’t mean fun snacks have to stop! Gaslamp Popcorn is a must for after school snack time! I love the flavors and I also feel that it is one of the healthier options out there! My favorite is the Kettle Corn but I really like the other flavors too! The Kettle Corn is just the right amount of sweet and salty!  There is also Sea Salt & Olive Oil (not pictured). These flavors are also a hit on family movie nights! Those really are a must now that school is back in session! They are also Gluten-Free and California popped! Now, how cool is that?!

Check out their website!    I really love their Popcorn recipes that you can create!

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this post. Photos were provided. 

This back-to-school season, Welch’s® Fruit Snacks has partnered with Feeding America®, the nation’s largest hunger-relief and food rescue organization, to help fight child hunger. From now through October 2016, Welch’s® Fruit Snacks has committed to providing 1 million meals to children in need.

In honor of the partnership, Welch’s® Fruit Snacks is challenged me to build the “perfect” lunchbox with a fun challenge. I accepted the challenge!

I received a lunchbox as well as 2 packs of Welch’s® Fruit Snacks! Here’s my lunch above and I actually took this to work! If you are wondering what the sandwich is..it’s a homemade Meatball sandwich! The Welch’s Fruit Snacks are a hit with my son so they won’t be lasting long in our house!

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to participate in this fun challenge. No other compensation was received.

These are a summer must-have! I just love using these to toast marshmallows! These are great for camping or just using at home! I like the bright colors and love that they are so easy to use!

More info:

SET OF 6 HIGHEST QUALITY LARGE 34 INCH MARSHMALLOW ROASTING STICKS- Stainless Steel, Power Welded, Non-Toxic forks to ensure no rusting & safe roasting. Telescoping retracting fork design convenient for long camping trips or storing at home. The set also includes a Canvas Travel Bag + Bamboo Sticks set + Ebook for Perfect Smores Making & Marshmallow Roasting.
NEW & IMPROVED STURDY DESIGN WITH A THICK LIGHT ROTATING HANDLE – Featuring a strong, lightweight retractable 34-inch fork & a rotating axle at a flick of your fingers to prevent marshmallow, hot dogs, and sausages from uneven cooking. The handles are LARGER and fit your grip perfectly, easy to hold and safe for roasting. The fork head is THICKER and prevents marshmallows from spinning on the stick when melting.

You can purchase on Amazon.com.

Self Disclosure: I received a free or discounted product in exchange for an unbiased review.