"Spring in Your Step" Mom Meet-Ups #Sponsored by Children's Claritin

It's springtime, a renewed time of year in so many ways. For Moms, it's that time of year when we can get a "fresh start", plan ahead and prepare for the year. Most would agree the life of a Mom is joyful, yet hectic; we have the task of preparing our families for everything from doctor's appointments to school activities, to tasks we may sometimes forget to tackle such as natural disaster preparedness to checking our home smoke detectors. 

Thanks to the #1 pediatrician recommended, 24-hour, non-drowsy allergy medication, Children's Claritin, I was invited to host a "Spring in Your Step" Mom Meet-Up. Instead of a Mom Meet-Up we did a family fun day.   My hubby married into allergies and my daughter has allergies as well.  So taking charge of allergy prevention is a family affair, so I did not want to leave out the dads!  Us girls will get together again later this month too!

Our weather has been weird here lately, some days super warm, then followed by rain storms to cold and chilly the next day.  We have no idea whether to take out the shorts or sweat shirts!  It also seems this weird weather is wreaking havoc on my allergies!  So why feel like you have to be confined to the walls of your house.  Don't let allergies control your life!  Take some Claritin, throw on a sweatshirt and have some fun outside as a family with friends! 

Claritin gave us some ideas to host a wellness-themed get-together.  One of which was to do an exercise program.  Well I walk almost everyday and do work out videos a few days a week, so thought we could change up and do something different.  We played a few games of volleyball, chased the kids around. etc.  When kids see you out being active, they will do the same. 

Info below provided by Claritin:
Just like personalities and preferences, sensitivity to allergens tend to differ from child to child.   Let's take a closer look at the allergen that's most synonymous with Spring- pollen- with this excerpt from Airborne Allergens: Something in the Air by NIAID Health Info.

Pollen Allergy
Each spring, summer, and fall, tiny pollen grains are released from trees, weeds, and grasses. These grains hitch rides on currents of air. Although the mission of pollen is to fertilize parts of other plants, many never reach their targets. Instead, pollen enters human noses and throats, triggering a type of seasonal allergic rhinitis called pollen allergy. Many people know this as hay fever.

Of all the things that can cause an allergy, pollen is one of the most common. 

What is Pollen?
Plants produce tiny—too tiny to see with the naked eye—round or oval pollen grains to reproduce. In some species, the plant uses the pollen from its own flowers to fertilize itself. Other types must be cross-pollinated. Cross-pollination means that for fertilization to take place and seeds to form, pollen must be transferred from the flower of one plant to that of another of the same species. Insects do this job for certain flowering plants, while other plants rely on wind for transport.

The types of pollen that most commonly cause allergic reactions are produced by the plain-looking plants (trees, grasses, and weeds) that do not have showy flowers. These plants make small, light, dry pollen grains that are custom-made for wind transport.
The type of allergens in the pollen is the main factor that determines whether the pollen is likely to cause hay fever. For example, pine tree pollen is produced in large amounts by a common tree, which would make it a good candidate for causing allergy. It is, however, a relatively rare cause of allergy because the type of allergens in pine pollen appear to make it less allergenic. Among North American plants, weeds are the most prolific producers of allergenic pollen. Ragweed is the major culprit, but other important sources are sagebrush, redroot pigweed, lamb's quarters, Russian thistle (tumbleweed), and English plantain.

Spring Cleaning Checklist
Allergies aren't the only thing we're attacking this season- clutter is high on our list! In addition to the usual suggestions, we've added in some spring cleaning suggestions that can help families of allergy sufferers. Click here to download our "Free to Be Fresh, 24 Cleaning Tips for Allergy Sufferers" Cheat Sheet!

Print some coupons to help you save on Claritin!


$5.00 off any Non-Drowsy Claritin 24ct or larger


$4.00 off Non-Drowsy Claritin-D 15ct or larger

Even more coupons here (including Children's Claritin)
  
As a member of the Claritins MOMS group, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit.  No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.