Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Knowledge Universe. However all opinions are 100% my own.

I love to go from being a mess to getting work done.  I’m not only talking in the literal sense, but the physical sense too.  A few months back I was inspired by Knowledge Universe and made a commitment to GROW HAPPY for me and my family.  I  wrote about it here on my blog. 

I teamed up with Knowledge Universe which is a great company that cares for 0ver 130,000 kids everday and have now teamed up with Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a healthier America (PHA) to help battle child obesity.  The goal was to help families make little simple changes that would lead to a healthier lifestyle down the road.  I took this challenge myself and these are the results.

Results On Goals:

FOOD: We have been able to maintain the less sugar rule in my house.  We are down to one amazing dessert a week.  I have cut all soda from the household and reduced the amount of sugar I would normally put in aguas or lemonade down considerably.  I make big bowls of fresh-fruit salad (which usually get sprinkled with fresh lime juice and tajin.)  I have also been freezing bananas then putting them into my vitamix for a quick banana sorbet and topping it with shredded coconut and chopped pecans.  This works really perfect and always hits the spot.  My son has still not fallen in love with salads but I surely have.  It seems I am eating salad way more than anything else these days.  I go to the farmers market usually on Sunday morning and buy anything that looks vibrant and fresh.  Then I come home and roast a batch of veggies to drop in a salad anytime I’m craving one.  This has really helped me, plus roasted veggies simply taste better.

BODY: My son is an absolute athlete in the making.  It might be in extreme sports because he seems to love all things on the adventurous side.  He rides his scooter down hills, jumps off little ramps and is the first one to leap into the pool off a diving board.  Yes, I have a dare devil on my hands.  I’m not complaining, I just have to keep him well protected because of how extraordinarily active he lives.  Me and my fiance have really stepped it up in the movement department.  We have been taking hour long walk/runs at least 2 to 3 times a week and I have been practicing pilates twice a week with my best friend.  I am starting to see a change in my body and have lost 5 pounds.  Yippeee!  Plus I love the accomplished feeling I get after a great workout.

MIND: Mental health is such a huge issue for me.  A few years ago my son was diagnosed as “provisional autistic.”  He was not talking at the time and had to spend up to 12 hours in therapy every week.  We were unsure of what the outcome would be for him and tried our best to get him the help he needed.  Since then he is talking non-stop and sounds like a young adult half the time, is going into a main stream school (starting this fall for kindergarten), has a quick and wicked sense of humor, and is reading at a first grade level. He has exceeded our wildest dreams.  Even though we’re thrilled with all his astonishing achievements, I will not let his mental health slip my grips.  I am constantly working on building his knowledge base and teaching him new things.  We read almost every night and then I make him repeat back the story to ensure reading comprehension. We play bingo or loteria, build puzzles and of course are always playing his iPad together.  I am very proud of my little guy and know all the hard work it took to get to this place.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Knowledge Universe. However all opinions and the recipe are 100% my own.

It’s really an amazing gift being a Mom. I know we hear all these stories about being a parent before having children of our own and don’t really know how to gage it all. The truth is no book or movie or prior love could have prepared me for the flood of unconditional love I have for my own child, and that’s the easy part.

What get’s hard is trying to make sure all his needs are met, and met right. I want to feed him nutritious meals, give him the tools he needs to make solid decisions in the future, and make sure he is active to maintain good health. Those three tasks seem to carry the weight of the world if you think of them in the big picture frame. Instead of getting completely overwhelmed trying to do it all perfectly everyday. We (my fiance and I) take it one step at a time. These goals are not only put in place for him, but for all of us. We want to be around many years to play, guide our son through life, and enjoy all the invaluable moments life has to offer.

Recently I wrote a post about these goals and how I have teamed up with Knowledge Universe. Knowledge Universe is this great company that cares for 0ver 160,000 kids everday and have teamed up with Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a healthier America (PHA) to help battle child obesity. The goal is to help families make little simple changes  that could lead to a healthier lifestyle. That’s obtainable. Right?

Knowledge Universe which is the parent brand to KinderCare is celebrating their new Grow Happy campaign for better health at a April 15th Open House at all of their community-based child care and early education centers. Stop by for a tour and get free registration when you enroll! Offer good April 13, 2014 through April 20, 2014. Find a center near you here

Updates On Goals:

FOOD: We have definitely cut back in the sugar area. Since making this goal I have reduced our usually dessert making to one time a week (instead of 3 to 4 times a week). I have opted to give my son yogurt in place of ice cream or all natural fruit bars (that I make myself) as a way to reduce sugar. We have been able to stick to eating more vegetarian meals, and I have been eating more salads. My son is still working on coming around to liking salad, but it doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I have been trying different types of salads, the only one I have been successful with has been a delicious “Coconut Peanut Mango” salad (recipe coming to my blog soon), I’m guessing because it’s mainly made of fruit.

BODY: My son is enjoying his swimming lessons, and he is almost summer ready. He has been to a few swimming parties in the last couple of weeks and is already showing his cousins the new stuff he has learned. I have been consistent in walking, dancing and pilates 3 times a week. We have been making time to spend more time at the park too. I have even started doing the hula hoop in my living room. For some reason my family thinks it’s the funniest thing in the world to watch me hula hoop, I don’t mind looking like a complete clown for a good laughing session. My clothes is already starting to fit me better. 🙂 Now to just keep it up!

 MIND: We have definitely been cooking together more often, and that is something I really enjoy. We also incorporated reading circle, this is something my son likes that he does at school so we figured we could do it here at home too. As far as games are concerned we moved to my son’s iPad instead of the conventional board game and have been battling each other in racing games or spelling games. I love this part of our learning together bond.