I have an ongoing partnership with Meijer and am compensated for posts. All opinions and content belong to me.

My little gals both started preschool this week {3 and 4-year-old programs} and — oh my! — it has been an adjustment. We’re getting there though and I absolutely love hearing about their day when I pick them up. Of course, their favorite things so far are playing outside and eating snack. I mean, how can you not love preschool for those reasons alone?

With the start of a new school year and activities, I’m starting to see a lot of coughing, sneezing, runny-nosed little people running around. It’s just bound to happen with our crazy hot-cold weather and the converging of kids in school.

Last year, I was lucky that neither of my girls missed a day of school from sickness. This year, I’m hoping to have that same luck again, but we all know how unpredictable kids are, so who knows. With a 1-year-old in the house, I do my best to keep the germs away because a sick baby is just about the worst thing that can happen, and teething has been cruel enough.

These are a few ways we fight germs in our house:

Washing hands isn’t an option; it’s required. If you go to the bathroom, you must wash your hands. {I will do the smell test to make sure they used soap, too!} We do our best to make sure hands are washed before meals, too.

Brushing teeth is critical. Children with poor oral health status are nearly 3 times more likely than their counterparts to miss school as a result of dental pain. Take care of your mouth and your body will follow suit. I let my girls brush their own teeth, but try to come in for a last run through to make sure all teeth are clean.

Fruits and veggies at just about every meal. It’s not rocket science that the vitamins found in foods help build immunities, but kids don’t know that, so tell them! My girls love touting how healthy they are when they bite into healthy items. We love smoothies to sneak in things like spinach, too.

Flu shots. Why would I risk my children getting the horrid respiratory flu when it can easily be prevented? This is a no-brainer for me personally.

Vitamins. I try my best to offer balanced foods during the day, but the truth is, it’s never perfect. To make up for what my kids may lack nutritionally, I give my kids the gummy vitamins from Meijer. My girls think they are candy. Score!

I have the sick essentials on hand. Nothing is worse than a midnight run to Meijer, right? At the beginning of the school year, I try to make sure we’re stocked up on items like Tylenol, allergy pills for me, chicken noodle soup, gatorade and saltines – just in case. I’d rather be safe than sorry when the time comes.

I’m thrilled Meijer offers one-stop shopping so I can get everything I need this time of year. It’s easy to transfer a prescription, fill a new prescription or pick up a refill at the Meijer pharmacy, too. They even offer select prescriptions for free with your doctor’s prescription. {I always got my prenatal vitamins for free here while pregnant!}

Additionally, the mPerk pharmacy rewards are an amazing way to earn savings for every prescription you pick up. Earn 1 point for every 5th prescription and clip your reward.

The Meijer pharmacy also offers health screening services such as cholesterol testing and blood glucose testing – just walk in, no appointment necessary. You can also get select immunizations AND you can even fill select pet prescriptions for your pets!

I’m excited to offer the chance for ONE winner to win a Back To Health gift package from my friends at Meijer so you can stay healthy all school year with these products and more.

Here’s what’s inside:

• Yummy items from Meijer’s organic line, True Goodness, including, 2 tubs of peanut butter, a box of graham crackers, 2 jars of fruit preserves, a box of oatmeal, 1 bag of popcorn 2 boxes of juice boxes.
• Lunch items, including a lunch box, a package of lunch box containers/compartments, a water bottle and a lunchbox freezer pack.
• Items from the health department, including a toothbrush, toothpaste and 14 tubs of vitamins – all different varieties and brands.

Pretty sweet, right?! Winner must be a U.S. resident to win. Giveaway ends on September 30, 2015 at midnight. Best of luck and hope you all have a healthy school year!

Back To Health with Meijer