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BEST Day Care

We've been nominated for the Best of Western Washington in the Daycare category! Do us a favor and VOTE!

Living Gluten Free

A diagnosis of Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, or really any other food allergy can be a mixture of the relief of having a solution and the fear of realizing that your life has drastically changed. Food is a central element of our lives and suddenly finding out that we've been poisoning ourselves with our food choices can make our head spin. Our daughter has celiac disease and those first days and weeks following her diagnosis consisted of a crash course in where gluten exists, what alternatives are out there, and some VERY long, expensive trips to specialty grocery stores. OH, let's not forget the guilt that comes with realizing the very things we gave her to make her feel better (crackers and pasta) were exactly what she shouldn't have been giving her. Since we have lived with this condition for the last six years, we are well versed in what works for our family and have been able to transfer that to Adventure Kids by carrying gluten free options for the children in our care that have similar dietary restrictions. Lately, we've had a number of families find out that they have celiac disease or are gluten intolerant. How a family adjusts to gluten free living is really a matter of preference. In our family, Nicole and Ed prefer to stay gluten free (GF) as a matter of choosing a healthy diet. We try to limit ourselves to lean meats, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats (with some GF carbs like brown rice or oatmeal). Our kids aren't quite on board with this set of restrictions though. They want to be kids & enjoy treats! For bread, we make gluten free bread at home. (We haven't found a bread in the stores that tastes decent.) Our bread of choice is called My Favorite Bread from Gluten Free Pantry . We buy it in bulk from amazon.com. Another staple in our kitchen is Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix. We use this mix for everything from pancakes and waffles to cookies and other baked goods. We buy a lot of things in bulk from amazon.com. All things made by Glutino are well made and popular with our family. Gluten Free Pantry is also a great brand, as is Bob's Red Mill. But what about NORMAL foods??? There are a LOT of foods in the grocery store that are gluten free. Doritos & Cheetos, Fruity or Chocolate Pebbles cereal, corn tortillas, and yogurts are easy & yummy. Hershey's chocolate, M&M's, chocolate chips, fruit snacks & even Fruit by the Foot are great treats & make life more normal for children with celiac. We've found gluten free options at some local restaurants as well. Red Robin now has gluten free buns, Pho soup noodles are gluten free, Extreme Pizza has a great GF crust, we've been to Jak's for brunch & they are great at GF food prep. McDonald's french fries are also gluten free - depending on the person we get, we can order a happy meal with two fries instead of a cheese burger. (I still won't let them play in the McDonald's playground though - it's just gross!) Grocery stores vary in their supply of GF foods as well. Safeway has some, QFC is better, & has some sections labeled as GF (don't waste time in the 'natural' section) and Fred Meyer has really stepped up their efforts to serve this sector of the population. Of course PCC and Trader Joe's are better resources, but do tend to be more expensive. There are many resources online dedicated to helping people acclimate to a gluten free lifestyle. Celiac.org is one of my favorites. But ultimately, I enjoy having a great conversation with people in our center about what they've learned along the way. Personal references and ideas tend to be the best way to learn new things available to the GF community. We hope the information provided here is helpful to our GF friends.

What does summer mean to you?

The answer to this question is probably very different depending on how old you are. For kids and parents, there is a MAJOR overlap though. SCHOOL IS OUT!!! For months, parents have been working to make sure their children have things to do to fill up their days. We've researched the camps available, arranged visits with friends, made sure to leave enough free time for family outings, planned a vacation, and so on. At Adventure Kids, we've been spending that much time (and more) planning our Summer Camp schedule and activities. We've changed our format to accommodate as many family needs as possible, offering morning and afternoon camp sessions. Stay all day campers receive an additional discount and a free lunch. If you haven't been in this week, you are missing our first week of camp, Tropical Paradise; complete with a HUGE hand made palm tree at the front desk! The kids (and staff) are having a great time! Make your reservations soon for these awesome camps HERE! .

Health & Wellness

Ed & Nicole have been pretty focused lately on their own health & wellness and we thought we'd share what we've learned. Let's start with vitamins. How many people take a multi-vitamin? When choosing a multi-vitamin, who are we listening to? Until I actually started looking into it, I thought I was doing good by taking the Centrum set that fit my station in life. They have commercials, they are available nearly everywhere and Costco carries it. I have absolutely nothing against Centrum in particular, but rather use them as a symbol of the commercially available vitamins. Overall, I'm sure they are better than what I get from a fast food diet, but really, I'm not sure they are really much better than a 'fast food vitamin'. (That's my own term.) They are kind of a shotgun approach to getting what your body needs. They contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that I'm not convinced provide my body what it actually needs. There just isn't a clear focus outside of selling vitamins. One thing that seems fairly consistent is the benefit of fish oil. Of course, now I've found out that not all fish oil sources are created equal.

Let's take a look at diet. We've tried several commercialized diets in the quest to maintain our ideal body composition with varying results. Being a small business owner has its challenges in regard to maintaining a healthy diet. Oddly enough, the chicken nugget, pizza diet didn't do wonders for us! We've tried many commercialized diet / nutrition plans. The most effective being the paleo diet, which focuses on lean meat, natural vegetables & fruit and healthy fats. This diet provides a very stable level of contentment and energy, but even purchasing grass fed beef and free range chicken, it's hard to know that I'm really getting exactly the nutrients I need. So I do believe that some level of vitamin and supplement is necessary for optimum health.

And then one day, one of our customers at Adventure Kids introduced us to Advocare. The hallmark of Advocare is their 24 Day Challenge. The challenge is simply ingenuous to me. There is a purchase from Advocare, which consists of Spark, Herbal Cleanse, Omegaplex (Fish oil) and MNS Max (Metabolic Nutrition System) and meal replacement shakes. Spark is probably the most fantastic thing I've ever put into my body! It's a powder that you shake with water for a hydrating, energetic vitamin drink that provides loads of B vitamins and amino acids along with a bit of caffeine. I did mention earlier that fish oil supplements vary. Dr. Oz actually did an independent study of fish oil supplements and the Advocare brand (Omegaplex) was one of only TWO that got his blessing! The meal replacement shakes sounded to me like a waste of time, BUT they don't even come into the plan until after the first 10 days and are actually doing EXACTLY what they are intended to do for me. They provide equal levels of protein and carbohydrates and satisfy me for the first few hours of the day! The supplements though aren't the entire plan. The challenge lays out a nutrition plan that is nutritious and healthy, focusing on lean proteins, vegetables, fruit and fats. In my mind, the food is fairly similar to the paleo diet, only there are some carbs added and the plan has me eating some sort of meal every 2 or 3 hours. It's very well laid out and the instructions are very easy to follow. Three weeks into my 24 day challenge, I find myself nearly 20 pounds lighter and having actually gained muscle mass! My energy levels are regulated, like they were on the paleo diet, except that my energy level is INCREDIBLY high! Last Saturday, I got up, taught my kids' karate class, cleaned up the back yard from the winter, mowed, played baseball with the kids for a couple of hours, washed BOTH cars and barbecued dinner for the family! The results are in and Advocare has my personal endorsement! But why listen to me? Advocare doesn't have any commercials. The products aren't available at Costco. Who is it that really is producing this product? Reviewing their website, www.advocare.com, you'll find that they are guided by a large panel of doctors and health experts, many from some major universities across the country. They are also endorsed and USED by many professional, amateur, and OLYMPIC athletes! I don't really have the time to get a degree in nutrition and supplements, but I do have to say that if a program is good enough for athletes, it's probably going to have the things I need to be as healthy as possible. Advocare is sold by distributors in the community whose sole purpose is to help their clients achieve success. They are trained to help people along the way rather than simply sell some products they don't believe in and you never see them again. I'm actually so impressed with Advocare that I've signed up to become a distributor of their products. Some of them will be available at Adventure Kids for parents who are looking for a specific benefit (such as increased energy, weight loss, general health, etc.) And so, to answer the question I posed earlier about who to trust - How about an average person who has enjoyed great success, has seen others do the same and is supported by a panel of top notch doctors and athletes? Oh, don't worry, Adventure Kids is still our main focus - we're just offering a way to help our families enjoy the fantastic energy provided by this particular health & wellness plan.

Spring Break Camp!!!!

Spring is here, I guess it's time to get ready for spring break!!!

Since we follow Issaquah School District schedules, Spring Break Camps at AK will start the week AFTER our Spring Festival (April 9-13).

The movies have inspired our theme for the week! We'll be enjoying daily themes such as Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Chronicles of Narnia, and Pirates of the Caribbean!

This week is going to be a blast!!!

$25 / Session
$45 for all day (includes hot lunch)
Siblings receive 20% discount
Make your reservations today!

SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE

Our artwork is nearly complete, but we wanted to give everybody a preview of our Summer Camp Schedule!

Adventure Kids Playcare is offering twelve weeks of summer camps with convenient morning (9-12) and afternoon (1-4PM) sessions or you can stay all day as each session changes! A different theme each week featuring pop culture themes that are sure to entertain! Half day session costs $25 / day, full day is $45 / day and includes lunch. Additional siblings receive 20% off. Before and after care available at regular, low rates for registered families!

Week One: Tropical Paradise June 11 - June 15
Aloha! Join us for a week of tropical fun in the sun. You won’t want to miss doing the limbo, hula hoop contests and island inspired crafts.

Week Two: The Apprentice June 18 - June 22
Dreaming of being a doctor, fire fighter or exploring outer space? This week you will be the apprentice and explore future possibilities without having to hear the dreaded words…”You’re fired!”

Week Three: Chef’s Academy: International Week June 25 - June 29
Your budding chef will explore the flavors around the world and learn how to create their own tasty international treats.

Week Four: Home of the Brave July 2 - July 6
You are invited to a celebration of our country, its birthday and heritage. Be patriotic and wear your red, white, and blue!

Week Five: Survivor Campout July 9 - July 13
Come “survive” with us on a summer camp out this week as we celebrate all things cool about camping, nature and the great outdoors.

Week Six: Movie Magic July 16 - July 20
Let us roll out the red carpet for you for a glitzy and glamorous week of movie magic.

Week Seven: Fear Factor July 23 - July 27
Join us for a thrilling week of Fear Factor challenges and games! Kids will love to participate in our SAFE and non-threatening “fearful” challenges and make crazy crafts.

Week Eight: Cartoon Mania July 30 - August 3
Who doesn’t love cartoons? Each day will be themes around your favorite cartoon characters like Pokémon and Scooby-Doo!

Week Nine: Chef’s Academy: Food Network Star August 6 - August 10
Let’s make our own culinary creations just like your favorite chefs on TV with a week focusing on a variety of foods, flavors and treats!

Week Ten: Medieval Times August 13 - August 17
Step back into time and be a brave knight or royal princess. You can even hope to learn a little of Merlin’s magic!

Week Eleven: Blast From the Past August 20 - August 24
Be a time traveler this week as we have fun through the past decades. Each day will bring something new!

Week Twelve: Circus Carnival August 27 - September 1
Come one, come all! Step right up and get ready for a week under the big top with tons of carnival games and silly craft surprises.

Spring Festival 2012!!!

April 7, 2012 is the date for the 3rd Annual Adventure Kids Playcare Spring Festival! The festival will start at 10 am and go till 4 pm! Adventure Kids Playcare couldn't be happier to produce this event for all of our families and the community!

Some things will be very similar to last year... There will be inflatable bounce houses, slides & obstacle courses, an Easter Egg Hunt inside of AKP, the Games 2 U video game trailer, and a number of local businesses onsite as our sponsors, making the entire event FREE to the public! Check out the picture from last year.

Some things will be slightly different.

We've extended the time an extra 2 hours!
We've recruited some volunteers! (Of course there is room for more...)
Many of our sponsors are local business owners and AKP customers!
Games 2 U is bringing a brand new zip-line for everybody to experience!


Sponsorship:
If you have a local business and would like to spend the day with us as a sponsor, please contact Ed Mecum (ed.mecum@adventurekidsplaycare.com) for the details.