A BMI Calculator Can Give You the Motivation to Lose Weight

Online BMI Calculator

Been indoors packing on the pounds? It's time to shed the layers of clothing and get outside and play. Growing up, I was chronically skinny except for a brief time in 5th and 6th grade. Due to health issues and medication, as I got older, the weight crept up every couple of years. When motivated, it's easy to get the weight off and drop pounds. Now, as the aging mommy of two kids, the motivation rarely comes and the weight sticks around. I did find a little motivation by plugging my numbers into a BMI calculator. Scroll down to use it, the first BMI Calculator picture is a just pinnable image for Pinterest.  Enjoy! 

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Pin this image to save to Pinterest.

Below is the actual, interactive, online BMI CALCULATOR.

The Food Pyramid

 
Free Online BMI Calculator.

Online Weight Loss Tracker

Ditch the The Food Pyramid?

Motivation. I've worked on upping my food intake. Yes, upping. I never ate more than once a day. Now, I try to eat three times a day with snacks. I've reinvented meals. I rarely sit down to eat, and I don't fill my plate in a food pyramid with one "meal." For me, that means a yogurt here, a banana there, a peanut butter sandwich, or veggies with dip spread throughout the day. I do eat everything in the food pyramid, but not in one sitting.  Should you eat dairy? at 45, I found out I was allergic to milk (not lactose intolerant.) I ditched milk and rarely eat ice cream. Yogurt and cheese don't cause me problems, so I'm able to fulfill my dairy needs. I also discovered a had hyperparathyroidism, so now I take vitamin D softgels every day.

I tried to ditch the pop, but that didn't work. However, I've made little changes. Food before pop in the morning. One soda or less per day. You'd think I'd gain weight, but I didn't gain a pound. In fact, I lost a few. I tried to find a picture to share, but I run from the camera.  Below, is the best I can do for a before picture. On the positive side, the weight always seemed to keep me looking younger. These days, aside from being old, I'm fairly healthy. Unfortunately, the BMI calculator doesn't agree. Another option is to find a good Weight Tracker App. With an app on your phone, you can track everything on the go.

**UPDATE (2016) 
I've lost over 30 lbs. and kept it off. My biggest tip is to stop eating bread (any sort of gluten). Also, take a daily probiotic. I've ditched the pop! Started by swapping Mountain Dew for Sierra Mist (natural sugars and sweeteners) and then I switched to Coca-Cola Zero. I'm working on swapping this for Propel. I drink a lot of Propel, but I want my caffeine. My go to snack is Vanilla Oikos Triple Zero try it in a Strawberry Smoothie. In the past, I was too sick to exercise. The weight loss was all diet related. Bread, cereal, cake, cupcakes, doughnuts, bagels, pizza, pasta- all gone from my diet during the weight loss. Since I've been able to exercise, I do eat them occasionally. I plan to lose 20 more lbs. this year, by adding exercise.

*I'm not a doctor. These are what worked for me. No health advice is implied.

2010

2016

What do you wish you could do differently to improve your health?

Positive Weight Loss Goals

**UPDATE (2019)

I'm 50 now and look better than I've looked in years! Still eating while on the move and using resistance bands for stretching every day. Working on losing 10 more pounds. I'm able to walk, do squats, bike ride, etc. I've even started kayaking! If you told me 10 years ago that I'd be kayaking, I would've laughed in your face! Getting fit allowed me to get healthy. So many health issues have disappeared. I'm thinking about running marathons. Not sure my knees can take it. We'll see.

What are you waiting for?

2019

2019

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Best Daily Probiotic

Healthier Recipes that helped me. 

Get Resistance Bands to Workout

Keep up with me on Instagram.

DIY Design with Collage Building: Outdoor Gardening Space and Patio Room Ideas

Outdoor Gardening Space and Patio Room DIY Design Ideas

Do you dream of designing your own space? DIY Design ideas are easy to come up with when you use an online collage builder program. The collage template below is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

When you go shopping for new furniture for a room design are you one of the lucky ones who can visualize exactly how the room will go together? Can you tell if colors and patterns coordinate without holding fabric swatches or paint samples next to each other?  When designing an outdoor living space, the same factors come into play. 

You will love Picmonkey.com. Just upload your images to the collage templates or use their sample photos to create your own collage builder. I wanted to design an inviting, fun outdoor space that coordinated with my patio room. I chose Adirondack seating and natural finishes to give the space an Americana style. For great tips on landscape and outdoor design projects visit outdoors.org.

With a landscape collage builder, you can flip and rotate items for the exact configuration of your desires. The collage above mixes and matches indoor and outdoor items perfect for the avid gardener or outdoor entertainer. When you're ready to get serious, you can sketch your design on graph paper. Did you know you can even buy landscape drawing templates like the pros use?

Just imagine the playhouse's window box filled with cascading flowers with your little one peeking out the window, the bookshelf covered in cute planters full of herbs and edible flowers, and you lounging on the oversize chaise after a beautiful summer morning spent gardening. Now, if you're space is overrun with trees, you may need to call a tree service so that you can start designing with a clear palette. In California, Tree and garden experts Roseville can help prep your backyard space.

Be sure to store unsightly gardening equipment in stackable baskets or wooden crates. No need to hide your watering source or red wheelbarrow. They give the space a sense of purpose and a punch of color. Above, the green frog on the pillow and wall hanging help define the space as an outdoor refuge. Are your creative juices flowing?

Ready to design your own space? Check out these outdoor gardening design templates and start experimenting today. 


Recommended:

Universal Design Tips for Nursery

Ideas for Great Kids' Rooms

Cardboard Tube Crafts (Hey, it's a Toilet Paper Roll) Turned Holiday Hat Craft Activity

Cardboard Toilet Tubes turned Holiday Hats

How many rolls of toilet paper do you go though each month? We've got to recycle that cardboard for something. How about these cardboard roll holiday craft mini-hats. They are an easy craft for kids that can be used for birthday party favors, holiday place settings, or Ken and Barbie on a holiday parade. Enjoy!

Cardboard Tube Crafts: Toilet Roll Hats!

Chick-fil-A New Premium Salads Menu Items and Gift Card Giveaway

Chick-fil-A launched new menu items on April 29, 2013.  

The premium salads aren't fast food. Think fancy salad in a nice sit down restaurant. That's exactly what they did for us.  To help spread the word Chick-fil-A in Avon, Indiana had a salad tasting party for me and 9 guests. 

I invited oh so many lovely ladies who could not attend the garden style party, so we took some men who looked a little out of sync with the surroundings. It turned out to be a great idea!  The men wouldn't ordinarily order "girly" salads, but after tasting the new premium salads they were sold.

Our cast of garden party characters.  That's me second on the right.

When the kids were younger, I often met friends for play dates at our local Chick-fil-A.  The kids love the chicken. For me, the menu seemed limited.  I am so excited about these new salad and wrap options.  We got to taste each salad and add special toppings.  My favorite was the Grilled Market Salad loaded with strawberries, blueberries, bleu cheese crumbles, apples, grilled chicken, and zesty apple cider vinaigrette with only 180 calories.

These salads are a healthy fast food alternative.

The Asian Salad has only 330 calories. I didn't think I would like this one. Thank goodness for the tasting party!  Honey-Thai almonds give the salad a little kick. The best part about these salad is you can mix and match the premium, freshly prepared ingredients. So, if you like the almonds order them on your cobb salad.

The cobb salad is loaded with 440 calories of Chick-fil-A goodness. The original breaded chicken tops this salad that is packed with fresh veggies and paired with a delectable avocado lime ranch dressing. Mmm, it is so good!

They've updated their chicken wrap too!

Look at these adorable favors!  Terra cotta pots filled with gardening items.

Thanks to Ashley and the lovely staff who made us feel comfortable even though we brought burly men and red mohawks to a ladie's garden party. It was so nice to feel pampered. They boxed up the salad leftovers, and I had enough for two more meals! 

Are you hungry yet?  I've got gift cards good for one salad of your choice in June and July. Sign up for our free newsletter for your chance to win.  Already signed up?  Leave a comment below including the words, "eat more chicken".  :)

How to Get Pinterest Followers Fast: Easy Tips to do Today :)

So, have you been wondering how to get Pinterest followers fast?  

It seems like it takes forever to get just 1000's followers when you are starting out.  Maybe you aren't a blogger and you are wondering why would anyone want to get a million Pinterest followers? We're sharing how to get Pinterest followers fast. Enjoy!

How to get Pinterest Followers Fast. Tips that really work!

One day, I noticed a lot of bloggers had 10,000 followers.  I wanted 10,000 followers.  How did they do that?  I read everything I could.  I did everything I could.  I shared Pinterest everywhere I could.  Now, I have 100,000 Pinterest followers.  

Now, I want to know, how can I get one million Pinterest followers.  The short answer is you must love to pin.  The long answer is you must pin a lot of good content, but that's not always enough.  The easy answer is do something Pinterest likes so that you will get featured by Pinterest. 

Featured or not, my boards are growing quicker than other bloggers who I know have been featured, and I think I know why.

A lot of blogger's in my niche are featured in weekly newsletters, the Pinterest orientation process, and as suggestions to follow. I can't prove it, but I suspect I've been featured too.  I've been jumping up and down trying to get Pinterest's attention.  I have the Pin it! Preschool Scavenger Hunt!  Hey, Pinterest, I'd love it if you would feature this board.  It's my claim to fame.

If or when Pinterest does getting around to featuring you, make sure you're ready.  I don't know for sure, but I suspect they feature the first board on your profile.  I know a few people who've had this board featured.  So, make your first board your best board.  That's a free tip!  

Pinterest features many boards at random.  Many of the big pinners (people who pin to my group board everyday) have been featured. They are not bloggers, so when their numbers started growing they got nervous.  It feels awkward when people are peeking into your life and you don't want that, right?  Bloggers want the stats to help get advertising, sponsored posts, or free stuff for review.

If you want to know everything else I did to get Pinterest followers fast, you'll need to hop over to Amazon.com and buy my eBook. If you purchase it at Createspace.com it's better for me (higher royalty, I'm broke so that'd be good :) ).  If you buy it on Kindle it's less expensive, but the photos may not appear correctly.  No worries, I have live links to all those pages, just in case.  You can also borrow it for FREE in the KINDLE lending library.

FYI, my blog stats are mediocre.  I've made nothing with Amazon, and I'm just learning AdSense.  After about four years, Facebook and Twitter are so close to 1000, but not quite there yet.  PINTEREST is my thing.  We connect.  I want to share my secrets to help you in your branding and social media marketing efforts too.

Want a totally free version?  It was nice of you to read to the end. If you become a new subscriber via mailchimp, I'll send you a free full color PDF version.  Just click here to Sign up for our free newsletter!  As soon as I get the notice, I'll email you a copy.  Thanks, I really appreciate it!

And, one more thing, I'd love it if you'd write a quick review on Amazon.com






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*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Inspirational Sayings for Preschool: A Child with a Smile will go the Extra Mile

Inspirational Quotes for Preschool and Early Elementary

Everyone needs a little positive sayings pick me up now and then. As an elementary or preschool parent, teacher, or caregiver, it is important to keep the little things in perspective. Keeping the little ones smiling is often a difficult task when times get troublesome.  

Here's a fun, inspirational quote to remind you of what's really important in the long run. 

Inspirational Sayings for Preschool: 
A Child with a Smile will go the Extra Mile.

Recommended Reading:

The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers

Quotes for Kids

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6 Cool Pinterest Father's Day Activities for Kids

Wondering What's Hot on Pinterest in Father's Day Activities for Kids? 

Check out these six fun, easy, and giftable craft projects to make your Father's Day the best one ever. These Father's Day activities are so neat- even the coolest Dads will love them. The best part is Kids can help make them. Enjoy!

Whimsical Kids' Decor for the Nursery: Baby or Toddler Room

Whimsical Nursery Room Decor for Baby

A lot of thought goes into designing a nursery. Many future moms dream about and plan their baby's nursery room long before the baby is even a twinkle in their eye. The rest have nine months to mull over it. So, what design elements should go into your baby's nursery? The baby's room can be whimsical, sophisticated, or comfortably shabby chic. No matter the style, kids room design should be vibrant, inviting, and engaging to stimulate the baby's developing brain. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*

Whimsical Kids' Decor for the Nursery: Baby or Toddler Room.

Universal Design Bedroom Furniture: Cool Toddler Bed* at Amazon.

Cool kids dresser for nursery*.

Toddler Tent Bed Playspace*

Whimsical Wall Art For Kids Room*

Cool comfy chair for kids* for reading and snuggling.

Soothing, colorful, curtain panels*.

Use bright, complementary colors for a fun and soothing environment for baby. Differing hues of orange are perfect for the nursery. Orange is  a warm soothing, spicy earth-tone. Pair green and purple with a splash of orange for a pleasing triad color scheme.  

When planning your design think about the psychological effect of colors. Orange is known to invoke feelings ranging from comfort to anger and hostility. Therefore, orange should not be placed on large surfaces such as walls or floors. Use an orange accent, like drawer pulls or a bed tent, to give the room a punch of color. 

Paint the walls in a cool, light green or pastel lavender for a calming effect. Plop purple and orange throw pillows into a green chair to make a cozy reading nook, and accent your baby's room with whimsical character shapes to set a fun mood.

Recommended:

Make a Cool Wall Border with Rubber Stamps

Nemo and Dory Bathroom Decor Ideas

Disney Princess Wall Decals *

Wall Art for Baby's Room: SimpleShapes.com

How to Grow a Living Playscape: Willow Playhouse Cave for Kids

How to Grow a Living Playhouse for Kids from Willow Tree Branches: Plan for Earth Day

Building an outdoor playscape is just one of many fun garden projects you can do with your kids in the summer. We experimented by making a living playhouse from a willow tree. If you aren't sure how to get started on an outdoor design project, visit our post on diy outdoor design templates.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

How to Make a Living Play Space

We shopped for various styles of playhouses, but they were very expensive. After a storm, tree branches covered the yard, so we gathered several willow branches and stuck them in the ground. Then, we cut a few skinny branches off the tree and wrapped them around the bigger branches forming a loose connection. Click here to see examples of  living willow tree play spaces from dengarden.com.

Miracle Grow gave our living willow playscape a boost. The kids generously watered the base of the branches. You don't need to have a green thumb to grow a Willow tree. Take a stem cutting or cut off a branch and stick it in soil. That's all you need to grow your own organic playhouse.

This is an easy project that keeps on giving year after year. Our little gardeners anxiously awaited for Spring in hopes their playhouse had survived the winter. To make sure your trees are well maintained, check with a tree care service and garden maintenance expert.

Our living willow playhouse ended up looking more like a cave than house. The kids crawled inside letting their imaginations run wild. In the spring, it was incredible to watch the miracle of rebirth. In the winter, our little play house looked like a pile of sticks, but a few months later it was well on it's way to becoming the centerpiece in our secret garden. It's the perfect place for sensory outdoor play. 

Recommended Reading:

Playhouses You Can Build

Treehouses and Playhouses You Can Build

Homeschooling: What to do When Summer Break Drains the Brain? Sneak in Fun Learning Opportunities

Does Summer Break Drain the Brain? Try Sneaking in Educational Experiences Kids Enjoy

School is coming to a close, but learning shouldn't come to an end. We are just finishing up our first year of homeschooling.  After all the hard work, I'd hate to see it slip away this summer.  We've got plans to supplement with summer learning field trips, outdoor nature journaling, riding and music lessons, and 4H club. I'll also offer Friday day camps for friends of The Play Connection, Inc.

Outdoor Games for Summer Camp

The beginning of every school year is filled with review from the previous year.  Summer heat shouldn't melt our kids brains.  Summer Camp programs are great for socialization, pe activities, and becoming one with nature.  Opportunities to improve reading are everywhere. Playing the Alphabet Game on a long trip encourages billboard and street sign reading. Library trips offer a sneaky way to cool off, relax, and enjoy a new book. Do you read bedtime stories? Here's a fun summer reading list. 

Busy summers lend themselves to lazy days near the poolside or under a favorite tree curled up with a good book. Funny, kids never seem to curl up with a good math problem.  

Don't forget to practice math this summer.  
Leap ahead of the pack with daily lessons.

Do you practice math in the summer?  Keeping track of allowances, shopping for items at the Dollar Tree, or having your child watch the clock for break time, chore time, and lunchtime are easy ways to implement mathematics into your lazy summer days.  If you are worried about summer brain drain and the summer learning slide, you might like a more structured math program. 

Summer Brain Drain? Try this.

LeapAhead! is an easy, affordable, and flexible summer online math program. Keep your child engaged with math worksheets aligned with the common core standards. The program offers a fun math worksheet creator for members. I love the Challenge Math for gifted and talented students. The online summer math program is great for kids who need a little extra help too. This program works for both homeschoolers and brick and mortar students. 

PE GAMES

Let your computer act as a summer tutor while you enhance the online learning with fun math games and activities. You can make math a fun, summer activity too!



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Things to do in Indiana: Old-fashioned Candy Store in Martinsville

The Martinsville Candy Kitchen is a fun thing to do in Indiana with your kids...

During the holidays, the Candy Kitchen in Martinsville, Indiana is filled with enticing aromas and beautiful, delectable candies. Remember the little, old Wonka candy store in original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Toot Sweets from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?  Yeah... it's a lot like that, and it is only a hop, skip, and 30 minutes - ish from downtown Indy. So, treat your kids to some old-fashion nostalgia.

Hand pulled candy canes from the Martinsville Candy Kitchen.

Fudge, candies, desserts- oh my. This is truly eye candy. There are several restaurants in downtown Martinsville, and on Saturdays catch a Farmer's Market around the court house just in front of the Candy Kitchen. If your kids are into antiquing, the downtown square offers many shops for browsing. 

Martinsville Candy Kitchen.

We visited in the Spring. They were busy making fudge in the back, and the counters were showcasing old-fashion Easter candy. It brought back candy memories from childhood. I remember getting white chocolate little lambs from my grandmother one year. They had a basket full of those cute little lambs! The chocolate covered Peeps were a nice surprise too. I am going to give that a try with the kids.

Hand-dipped Ice Cream.

The little red and white shop matches the hand-pulled candy canes they make each holiday season. Treat your kids to a trip. Sometimes, a man in a matching red and white suit stops in for a visit. Hmm... I wonder if he gets the candy for our stockings there?

Recommended Reading:

Copycat Candy Bars

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Things to do in Indy: Month of May 500 Activities for Kids

The Month of May is Busy in Indianapolis: Indy 500 Activities for Kids

In Indiana, the month of May is a time for celebrations. There are many Indy 500 activities for kids and families. You will also find lots of race theme things to do in indianapolis in May. Here are just a few fun things to do with kids in honor of the race.

The Play Connection Inc. took a field trip the museum.

A fun, homeschool field trip or summer camp activity is to go to the track in Speedway, tour the museum and then take a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a bus tour.

Sit in an Indy Car at the 500 Museum.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway offers a fun kid's club for just $25 a year. Kids get special prizes and passes for special events.

The IMS Kid's Club has great race theme activities year around.

The Motor Speedway even offers a curriculum plan and field trip for fourth grade. Here are a few more things to do with kids and indy 500 activities:

• Rookie Run for kids ages 3-12
• Speedway Public Library offers race theme programs in the month of May
• Kid's Day
• Indy 500 Festival Parade
• Teen driving course at track

Nearby, Indy Parks boast the longest Soap Box Derby Track in the country, William Shaw Memorial Soap Box Derby Hill. 

We attended a special design your own Hotwheel Car at the Indianapolis Children's Museum for FREE! We designed it, tested it, and designed the box just like the pros. 

Recommended Reading:

Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race

Indy 500 party theme for kids

Indy 500 Centennial Celebration


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